#sylv put him in that.

[captainbobbin]

ohh, that'll be it. Well, it certainly suits him 💜

oh? I wonder what has Hendrik so surprised and confused?

[sacriou]

She’s a hypocrite but I love her so it’s ok. (Referring to sylv)

[jamminvroomvroom]

Sylvie finding out you are having a boy and not a girl

surpise

GR63 x journo!reader

drabble from the the george fic universe

thank you for the request! obsessed with all of the ideas you guys have sent since i posted the last drabble 🥹

warnings: none! fluff, kids, mentions of pregnancy, pregnant!reader, dad!george, minors pls dni with my work!

“sylvie? we have a surprise for you.”

you opened your arms and your daughter came running towards you, wrapping her little arms around you. she pressed a delicate kiss to your growing bump, just as she always did, the little girls way of showing love.

“what is it, mummy?” she looked up at you with her big blue eyes, inquisitive as ever.

“well, my love,” george started, picking sylvie up. she wrapped her arms around her father, clinging to him. “do you want to know if you’re having a brother or a sister?”

“but… but i thought you asked the stork to bring me a sister.” she tilted her head in confusion, adorably perplexed. you smiled at her innocence.

“i think the stork wanted you to have a little brother, baby.” you cooed. her face screwed up even further.

“but i don’t want a brother.” sylvie looked, well, to put it plainly, pissed.

“unfortunately, you don’t get to choose, sylv.” george told her, sticking his tongue out to make her laugh. when she didn’t laugh, you knew you had a problem on your hands.

“sylvie, it doesn’t matter, darling. you’re still gonna have a new best friend that loves you so much.” you soothed. it was hard getting a child to understand the complexities of anything, let alone this.

“so, it has to be a brother?” the little girl sighed. you and george nodded your heads. “okay, fine.” she huffed, rolling her eyes.

you smiled, seeing the teenager grow in her already, and she was only five. you dreaded her growing out of this sweet, marvellous, little icon, but cherished every second you got to watch her grow.

-

that night, after you’d tucked in your young sleeping beauty, you curled up on the sofa with your husband. george’s hand rested on your belly, stroking soft circles into your taut skin.

“she took it better than i thought she would.” george reasoned. he was right, you’d both been expecting tears.

“she’s gonna be a great big sister.” you whispered, welling up at the idea of her being older, growing up too fast right before your very eyes.

“oh, sweetheart. i know it’s hard. but you know what?” george looked down at you as he spoke, gazing at you with every fibre of love you felt for each other.

“what?” you choked.

“she has the best mum who taught her how to love. even though she might not want a brother, she’ll still love him unconditionally. a bit like when you didn’t want to love me and now look at us.” his words were soft, teasing at the end and you couldn’t help but giggle.

george pressed a soft kiss to your forehead and you snuggled deeper into his side, your little boy kicking away.

“jesus, george, with the way this little guy moves his feet, he’s gonna be an f1 driver.” you huffed, rubbing over the spot where butterflies fluttered in your stomach.

“and what’s sylvie gonna be, hm?”

“sylvie? oh, she’s gonna rule the world.”

[silverfoxstole]

Recording Shada in 2002.

From DWM 330, May 2003:

PAUL MCGANN

INTERVIEW BY GARY GILLATT

We first spoke in Vancouver in 1996…

[sings] Ah yes, I remember it well…

…And here we are in Bristol, years later, with James Fox and Andrew Sachs. Would you ever have thought it?

Well, when my agent was telling me about it, I thought we had a bad line. She said, ‘James Fox is in it, and Andrew Sachs, and so-and-so and such-and-such’ and I assumed I was mishearing. I mean, how could it be?

Were you familiar with the work of Douglas Adams?

Not really, only Hitchhiker’s Guide. I’m not a sci-fi reader at all, that’s not my thing. I didn’t really know a great deal about Adams – I certainly didn’t realise he was this amazing polymath. But Lalla speaks so eloquently and passionately about him, and I’ve come to understand why he was so well-loved and respected, and, of course, the quality of the script speaks for itself.

Are you enjoying playing the script?

Well, compared to last year’s plays, and the year before, you can definitely tell it’s from a different source. It has a different tack, and a whole different kind of wit. If you were at a blind tasting, and shown just a page or two of every script we’ve done, you’d easily spot that this one came from somewhere else, from a very fertile mind. It’s great stuff.

Everyone seems to have treated the script with great respect. Almost every line seems to be debated as you all try to get the best of out it.

Comedy is a very serious business. If it was a so-called straight drama, you probably wouldn’t find that much discussion.

So it’s exacting work?

Oh yes, very much so. If a thing is meant to be funny, you’ve got to make sure it’s funny, so you’ve got to get it right. In drama, your main directions are ‘quicker’, ‘slower’, ‘louder’, ‘quieter’. But on something like this you have to watch how you spin every word. It’s not something you can be lazy about.

I hear you’re missing India Fisher…

I sure am. Every time the studio door opens, I think she’s going to walk through. It’s the association with this place, where we do all these plays, and this is the first one we’ve done without her, so it seems very strange. She’ll be back next year, though, won’t she?

I certainly hope so. Will you?

Well, yes, that’s in the planning stages. Apparently, as was revealed to me yesterday, 2003 is the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who, and they’re planning something of a special with me and Davison and Sylv and Colin Baker. I think they’re going to have us as some sort of barbershop quartet or something.

So you’re still finding it fun, being the Doctor?

You sound very sure of yourself when you ask that… You’ve phrased the question to get the answer you want, I think!

Well, I guess as a fan, I’d like to think that Doctor Who likes being Doctor Who…

Well, I’ll put your mind at rest, then, because I am still enjoying it. I like working on audios more than on screen. Day in, day out, it’s just more of a laugh. Doing the visual work, on TV or in pictures, you never get to hang around with the rest of the cast. Here we can swap stories in the green room, or go off in a gang to the pub for lunch. When you’re working on pictures it’s not like that. You go in, do your little bit, and then you’re shunted off to a trailer out of the way. This is much more fun. It’s what being an actor is all about, and I have Doctor Who to thank for that opportunity.

Extracts from the recording of Shada:

The Doctor decides it’s time to get to the point. “What have you done with the Professor’s mind?” he asks.

“It will be put to a more useful purpose,” replies Skagra, haughtily.

“I would argue that it was serving a very useful purpose where it was.” ”Not to me.”

“You realise he died?” says the Doctor.

“Only his mind was of use to me,” says Skagra. “Not his life.”

“You take a very proprietorial attitude to people’s brains,” responds the Doctor, calmly.

“It seems to me,” says Skagra, his voice rising slightly, “that the Time Lords take a very proprietorial view of the Universe.”

There is a pause.

“Hold on,” says Lalla Ward, looking across the room to Nick, the director. “Surely the Doctor would be more accurate about his reference there. Skagra hasn’t stolen the Professor’s brain, only his mind.”

“That’s right,” agrees Andrew Sachs, dropping his thin, high Skagra voice. “The actual brains stay in their heads, don’t they?”

“It’s a good point,” replies Nick. “I imagine that Douglas was trying to avoid repetition of the word ‘mind’.”

“Well Douglas should have known better,” says Lalla, firmly. “And it’s a bit silly to worry about repetition of the word ‘mind’ now. It’s all ‘I want your mind, I want his mind’ for the next 60 pages.”

“So would you like me to change ‘brain’ to ‘mind’ on that line?” queries Paul McGann. “Because, y’know, I think the Doctor would be far more accurate about his reference there.”

—-

The Krag commander growls its greeting to Skagra. “What are your orders, my Lord?”

Andrew Sachs peers over his script. “Cod and chips twice, please. And a carton of mushy peas.”

—-

Paul McGann is recording assorted screams and moans to signify the Doctor’s mistreatment by Skagra’s mind-sucking sphere. “Argh!” he groans, “Aargh…ugh…aaargh!”

“Thanks, Paul,” says Nick. “That’s just brilliant.”

“Three years at RADA for that!” laughs Paul gleefully. “Would you like me to do some more?”

Nick smiles and turns to Andrew Sachs. “Now could we just do your lines as the sphere attacks the Doctor again?” Andrew nods and clears his throat. “This time, Doctor,” sneers the icy voice of Skagra, “This time no one will come to your rescue. I shall have your mind.” It’s chilling stuff.

“Y’know,” says Paul, “I believe you!”

“Poor Skagra,” says Andrew. “I have the feeling he’s a very lonely man. I think he needs a wife and kids. A talking spaceship’s no real substitute for the love of a good woman, is it?”

—-

Skagra has some seriously sexy transport, and the Doctor is stealing it.

“Ship!” shouts the Doctor. “Activate all re-aligned drive circuits.”

“Something very strange is happening,” says the ship, all sultry sibilance.

“Ta-daa!” cheers the Doctor.

Hannah Gordon is in a separate sound booth. “Should I be getting more roused there?” she asks over the loudspeaker.

“I don’t think so,” says Nick. “Just keep it honey-voiced and seductive.”

In the gallery, artist Lee Sullivan crosses his legs. “I don’t think I can take much more,” he says. “I may have to leave the room. I never found myself attracted to a spaceship before!”

In the studio, Sean Biggerstaff is fidgeting with his headphones. “It’s very strange working with a sexy, disembodied voice in your ear,” he says.

“I can’t see any downside to that,” muses Paul.

“Hey, that’s me you’re talking about,” replies Hannah in a sexy, disembodied way.

—-

An invisible spaceship,” smiles Lalla. “Such a brilliant idea from Douglas.”

“And now we have an invisible spaceship on audio,” adds Paul.

“Douglas would have laughed at that. It’s just so marvellously perverse.”

“Shall we go and explore it?”

“Oh, yes, let’s explore…”

[herecomethefuzzz]

hi sylv!! btw i wanna say quick tysm for ur support on my fics🥺💗ur always so kind in the tags it makes my day <3

i come w/ a request!! best friend! reader petsitting jambo + the other guy while schlatt's away and him coming back to see you sleeping on the couch with the cats and him realizing he has feelings for you🥺

-rabbitsrams <3

OHMYGOD HELLO ???? you have no idea how excited i got when i saw your user. i love your writing so much its actually amazing !!! anyway, here you go !! it might be a bit long and it probably sounds like i was rambling a bit sometimes because my brain literally. exploded. but uhh yeah !! i hope its okay (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

- a couple days ago your best friend, schlatt, asked if you could look after his cats whilst he went out to film something for his channel. he'd promised you they wouldn't be too much of a problem.

- of course you'd said yes, not wanting to let him down. it was only for the day, couldn't be too big of a job, right? oh my god you were wrong. those two cats were just so CHAOTIC when they were together.

- that day you learnt that a black cat and an orange cat are not a good combo.

- absolute hell. you had jambo running about, doing classic orange cat stuff, and the other little guy was so. loud. literally all he did was MEOW. it didn't help that he didn't let you pet him much, seen as he didn't know you.

- you'd tripped over them more times than you could count, and, honestly, you had considered calling schlatt and telling him to come home more than once.

- it got even worse when they started to get hungry. literally round your legs CONSTANTLY meowing. it was only when you walked into the kitchen that you realised they were hungry.

- once you'd fed them, there was finally peace and quiet. so you decided to go and relax on the couch. it was late, and you were beginning to get tired anyway. you curled up and went on your phone, mindlessly scrolling through twitter. (X?? idk i just call it twitter LUL)

- after around ten minutes, both cats pattered back into the living room. you sighed, expecting them to wreak havoc again, but instead they both jumped up on the couch, and came to lay with you.

- you put your phone down as they did so, and jambo came to curl up right in your arms, whilst the other kitty laid in between your legs.

- you smiled, happy that the two kitties had finally calmed down. infact, everything was so calm and quiet that you felt yourself drifting off.

- it didn't take long for you to finally fall asleep, with the two cats being snuggled up to you, they gave you a lot of warmth.

- not long after you'd fallen asleep, schlatt had gotten home. he was grinning as he got to his front door, expecting you to be up with the cats, waiting for him.

- he opened the door, shouting a, "hey toots! i'm back!" as he walked down the hallway. as he rounded the corner to walk into the living room, his jaw literally dropped. very dramatic reaction from mr. schlatt here.

- his eyes travelled from you, to the black cat inbetween your legs, then to jambo, and he felt himself smile. maybe he even felt himself go a little pink.

- the fact you were comfortable enough to fall asleep in his house made his heart beat just that little bit faster, but he had no clue why.

- and then it hit him. as he looked at your pretty face again, studying you as if you were an art piece in a gallery, he realised he had feelings for you.

this was originally meant to be like. a proper fic. but i then realised that my brain cannot comprehend writing an actual story right now so it got turned into a bulleted thing i hope you dont mind (⁠｡⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

[finlands-beret]

Sylvando Lore & Theory Masterpost

Sylvando is an international man of mystery, with him only giving us, the audience, so much of his backstory. Like every great magician, he never reveals his secrets. Soon after I got the game five years ago however, I started combing and filing through the game for all of those secrets, to bring them out into the open. Today, the fifth anniversary of me buying the game, I'd like to share my findings.

Please bear in mind the following is based mainly on my own research, as well as theories crafted from as much information as I could gather from the game itself and supplementary material.

So I'd like to begin strong out of the gate, with possibly the biggest piece of lore I have pieced together: Sylv's age. His father's from Puerto Valor, and his mother was from Zwaardsrust. This, coupled with the fact Sylv himself states he was born and raised in Puerto Valor, assures that he was born after Zwaardsrust's fall. That happened thirty years prior to the game - which brings Hendrik in to the equation. He states in a party talk during act two that "three decades have passed", putting him at six years old when the kingdom fell. This would put Sylv at being six years younger than Hendrik, but then factor-in the nine months his mother most likely carried him for, which puts Sylv at nearly seven years younger than Hendrik. Hendrik is stated to be thirty-six in-game; thus, Sylvando is twenty-nine during act one, and thirty in act two; a year is said to have passed between Yggdrasil's fall and the party reaching Gallopolis.

Next is something that seems simple at first, but has quite some backstory behind it: The casino in Puerto Valor was originally meant as a mansion for Norberto. Don Rodrigo had it changed it to a casino as a means to try and entice Sylv back home. This one stems from the fact Sylv self-admittedly was obsessed with collecting mini medals back in his training days. He had his first argument with the Don over him throwing them all away, and perhaps to make it up to Norberto, Rodrigo made him his own getaway in the form of his own house. It would have been completed before Sylv ran away from home however, leaving an empty, shiny new building behind (Sylv even mentions in a party talk that there wasn't anything like a casino when he was living in the city). Not wanting to let it go to waste, and presumably approaching L'Académie because he knew of their connection to the humble mini medal, the mansion was transformed into the combined casino and hotel. Once it was completed, it might have been Don Rodrigo's idea to make the casino tokens look like mini medals, and he might have sent people off to scatter them around Erdrea in hopes Sylv would have found at least one and gotten curious enough to find-out where they came from. He apparently never took the bait, especially not after hearing the rumours of the casino being built. Sylv was simply too smart to fall for it.

The next theory I dug around for was hidden in plain sight: Sylvando was almost blinded in his youth. In the ensuing healing, his eyes were OVER-healed somehow, and now he's got excellent eyesight. During act one, to find the Silver Orb the party are encouraged to look around L'Académie, where eventually it's suggested they look at a certain book in the library. Said book details the story of how a group of vicious bird monsters tore through the roof of a local manor house and stole away with the noble family's greatest treasure - the Silver Orb. On the party's excursion through the Eerie Eyrie, Sylv will mention how he's never been a fan of things with wings. In fact, during one party talk, he says "I don’t know why, but the naughty things always try to peck my eyes out. Perhaps they think they’re precious, glittering jewels…" This makes for quite a harrowing piece of Sylv's backstory; Sylv was present when the birds attacked the villa to get at the Silver Orb years ago, and in the ensuing chaos he was almost clawed-at. To further the next point, he was healed at the scene (assuming a family like the Don's would have at least one healer on-site), but then his eyesight became TOO good - as we see later in the game, when Sylv looks from the Stallion's deck all the way towards another boat to attempt to lip-read, just outside of Lonalulu, before the tentacular fight. Additionally, this attack is why the villa's roof has a lot of spiked points on it; to deter bird monsters from ever trying again.

I would like to thank and credit @captainbobbin for this next piece, which came-about more recently than all of the others: Sylv's charm-based magic is based on the emotional aspects of charm i.e. romance. Knowing that Sylv's eyes turn to hearts when he uses Pink Pirouette, I enquired to Bobbin about if the same were true about Jade and Pink Typhoon/Tornado, and using excellent camera trickery, he confirmed that her eyes do not change. Captainbobbin then put forth the suggestion that due to this, and given the naming of one move the two share being different -"That's Amore" vs "Sexy Beam"- as well as Jade's differing way of using her own charms, the Princess of Heliodor embodies the more physical side of charm, whilst Sylv embodies the more emotional side.

Speaking of romance… Sylv spent years living in Gondolia with the master mechanic, Gismo Mecánico, in order to design and build the Salty Stallion. However, where the loading screen tip for the Salty Stallion calls Gismo "an old associate of Sylvando's", and the red book " The Astonishing Inventions of Gismo Mecánico' " describes Sylv as "a close personal friend of the ship's designer", I believe that Sylv was indeed in love with Gismo, but it ended tragically. During the Briscoletti quest in Tickington, when choosing a partner you can talk to Sylv and he will say: "Before I get too carried away, though, I'd better check—because heaven knows I've been burnt before—you do actually mean it, don't you, honey?" It's such a small line, but given the aforementioned references… I would wager Sylv made a proposal to Gismo, who turned him down - and some time after, they passed away - potentially in a horrific accident, given the rocky terrain-look of the far side of the Gondolian dock entrance. There is a whole estate of houses on the far side of the docks, which I assume belonged to Gismo.

For my next piece of lore, I'd like to turn to my favourite of the bunch: Given DQXI's heavy theme of reincarnation, and given the following evidence pointing towards it, Sylv may well be the reincarnation of the very first Don of Puerto Valor. In Jasper's quarters in Heliodor Castle, there's a red book Eleven can read about the story of the Shield of Heliodor (aptly titled "National Treasures, No. 106 – The Shield of Heliodor"). In it, it tells the tale of a legendary Heliodorian knight who saved the life of the first King of Zwaardsrust, which was Drustan - whom Hendrik is a probable reincarnation of. Said knight was the same knight who was sent to Puerto Valor to oversee the sea gates, as he is the direct ancestor of Don Rodrigo - thus, Sylvando as well. There's also the fact as well that Sylv receives the Coraza de Caballero from Servantes after the Kingsbarrow Trial; its description says it once belonged to a knight known for his godlike skill with a sword. This suit may very well have been that Heliodorian knight's own suit, handed down through the generations until it ends-up (back) with Sylv. Additionally, it's often stated that Don Rodrigo is a knight unparalleled with his own skill with the sword; most likely inherited from the first Don and passed down to Sylv. This could explain why Sylv still retains a strong sense of justice and sticks to everything the knighthood stands for, even long-after becoming an entertainer; it's ingrained very deeply within him. As for why the Shield of Heliodor stayed in Heliodor… It's most likely the original knight simply didn't want to carry it all the way to Puerto Valor, given it's a heavy greatshield. Considering the above, this also brings about the possibility that Sylv and Jade are very, very, distantly related - cousins many times removed, most likely. Additionally, there is a book in Heliodor titled "A Brief History of Heliodor" that chronicles the two brothers who founded Heliodor; I have reason to believe that the legendary knight was one of those two brothers (who went on to found the lineage of the Don), and the other brother went on to continue the royal line that led to King Carnelian, then to Jade.

Next I'd like to turn to Sylv's longest-held companion, Margarita; she was born in Cobblestone. When Eleven has his vision-flashback after returning to Cobblestone, there's a horse there who had just given birth. Speaking to her owner, he says "This is the fastest filly in the village! But she won't be doing much running for a while—she's about to become a mother! I'll bet her foal will be even quicker on its feet than she is!" Given that the flashback is set ten years prior, that would mean the foal would be ten years old in the present day - which is in-line with Margarita, being an adult horse. As for her bring the fastest filly's foal, Margarita's performance in the Sand National should be the first piece of proof; if the Luminary wins the race, Sylv is always a close second. Likewise, in the Black Cup horse races, particularly the Difficult race, Margarita will always race-off ahead. If Eleven fails to catch her or he hits too many obstacles, she will always win those races.

As an entertainer, Sylv is also a skilled musician - so much so that much of his moveset incorporates references to numerous real-world songs. Here is a list of everything I found, after extensively looking into every ability and pep power Sylv has:

That's Amore - Dean Martin song Have a Ball - album by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Ultra Violet - Bananarama song Hit Parade - BRADIO song Kiss Me Deadly, Gold Rush - several songs of the same name The Fight Fantastic - multiple albums, also an idiom meaning to dance nimbly Kiss of Death - several songs/albums of the same name Love Hurts - Everly Brothers song Shooting Stars - numerous songs/albums; also the name of a 1990s British comedy panel show which heavily featured music Rough 'n' Tumble - jazz album by Stanley Turrentine "Dressed to Kill" accolade - 10cc and The Jetzons songs of the same name

Sylv will also say "Hit me with your best shot!" when defending in battle, which is a reference to the Pat Benatar song of the same name. As a bonus, Golden Boy's dialogue while giving the recipe book for the Dapper Doublet, makes references to Robbie Williams' song "Angels" and Take That's song "Shine".

For the penultimate piece of lore, I'd like to turn to something that had my attention a while ago, and that has come back to me recently; there is a curse within the line of the Don, that prevents those in rule from holding happy or long marriages. This one is based on the potential that Puerto Valor is partly-based on Monte Carlo, the ward within Monaco famed for its casinos - and of the legendary curse surrounding Monaco's royal family, the House of Grimaldi. The legend states that a woman -be she a witch or a hag- cursed the first Grimaldi ruler of Monaco and his line to never have happy marriages. Where we only ever hear of Don Rodrigo's marriage, while he and Gerbera were happy their time together was a short one as she passed away shortly after Sylv was born. It could be assumed that previous Dons all suffered similar fates with their spouses, and assuming Sylv knows about this curse, could be why he has yet to marry.

To end with, I'd like to present something perhaps more out-there than some of the others put forth here: Sylvando was a prototype Luminary for Yggdrasil. For a start, there is the fact he has a character-exclusive, Sword of Light-analogous sword in the Shamshir of Light, which deals light-elemental damage when attacking. There is also the fact he seems to know how to use light magic (in contrast to the actual Luminary's lightNING magic), with his abilities Sobering Slap and Sudden Death. Much like the Shamshir, Sudden Death deals light-elemental damage - the only ability to do so. There may be some irony in that he's the only person who joins the party who DOESN'T join because Eleven is the Luminary (he joins to stop the Lord of Shadows, so he can travel and bring smiles to everyone). Sylv could be considered the guid(ing light, given his magic) to the Luminary proper, assuming of course he was a prototype to begin with.

With all of the above, I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who took the time to read through, and I hope you enjoyed this rather deep dive into the onion of a character that is Sylvando. This has been an undertaking of the past half-decade, and I'm glad to finally be able to put all of my research together like this.

[sylviareviar]

"Ohhh, my gosh, what did he do, yank poor Morgana's tail? Yikes... W-well, don't worry, Senpai. We'll find him, I promise." Making promises like that was a bit dangerous, of course, especially since she couldn't guarantee Morgana's safety. But for all she'd known him, Morgana was such a smart cat. He'd always listen to what she had to say, and he'd purr up a storm when she was upset. Even though she wasn't his human, she still felt like Morgana was a good friend to her, and he deserved that much respect for being such a good boy.

As they spoke, her eyes remained vigilant, her gaze sweeping across the park with full seriousness. On the way out from the train, she had stopped by a convenience store she often went to and bought a can of wet cat food. The cats in the pet shelter she worked at always made a fuss whenever she had it in her hands, knowing it was time to eat, and they flocked around her so much it was hard to even take one more step without accidentally hurting one of them. If the cats at her shelter liked it that much, she hoped Morgana would, too. Perhaps the combined familiar smell of Kurusu, herself, and the cat food would be enough to draw him out.

When she pulled the cat food out of her purse, she caught the attention of several strays, but she knew Morgana's fur pattern too well to know it wasn't him. They just had to be patient.

"What other places does Morgana tend to frequent? I know he separates from you quite often, but if he hasn't returned home by now, something might've happened. He's very smart. He doesn't normally get endangered like this, right? I've even seen him looking both ways before crossing the street." It wasn't uncommon nowadays for animals to do that, especially if they lived in a place with frequent traffic. But it was still considered a feat of great intelligence for an animal to do that regardless, even if it was common sense to a human.

Sylvia knew Morgana wasn't the type to get flattened by a truck because he accidentally stepped out on the road too early. Morgana was cautious like that. He also tended to be very slippery when someone wanted to snatch him up and he didn't consent to it. He was lithe, agile, and quick-witted. The kind of cat that you could trust to do errands for you, if he was willing. A simple fight with one of his friends shouldn't have bothered him this much, as long as the friend apologized with some kind of peace offering. Then again, it seems it was too soon for them to apologize...

Where would Morgana go if he was this upset? Surely he had to be somewhere in the vicinity. He'd never stray so far from Kurusu for so long... right?

@sylviareviar | X

She was so kind to someone like him. Most people didn't bat an eye unless it was their cat that went missing or his own group of friends who were just as worried about Morgana's whereabouts. The pink-haired girl wasn't wrong about something setting him off, but explaining everything would take way too long or rise suspicion. Their activities had to be kept secret.

But Ryuji loved the fame and thrill of it, foolishly so, if he could judge him.

A little sigh was let out before he spoke. "You know how my friend Ryuji likes teasing him? This time it got a little too far, and Morgana took off to...who knows where. I don't know where he is. I've looked everywhere for him. It's like... I can't function without him." His hands were shaking too. He hated showing his weaknesses to other people, especially to a kouhai he barely knew.

[illym]

Justice needs more friends.

A kind of precursor to my other post featuring these guys, to explain how that happened. The Valentine siblings are like... 9 months old here, so they're physically roughly 8 and dressed like it.

ID in alt.

I noticed that a lot of Bridget's canon designs give her a veil / back-of-head-and-neck covering, so I'm trying to find a good one to give her.

Most of this au is locked up behind story developments that I'm writing as fast as I can, but I'll take questions about whatever I post (lol).

Bonus Jack-O + why I designed the kids that way:

ID in alt.

Jack-O is transmasc in my au, and while I didn't put too much thought into his outfit here (I just kinda went 'her outfits a jumpsuit, that was an 80s thing, the 80s had a heck of a lot of glitter and sparkles, maybe I'll give him a disco-ish suit') but I honestly love how it came out. I'll tinker with it more, change the jacket, but he looks good.

Sylv's sock garters look way weirder without xer.... socks. Whoops.

Elphelt: I feel like Elphelt would've been a really girly kid. You know how some little girls dress super girly, frilly skirts and cute socks and whatever? That's Elphelt. I gave her some bows for that, and long hair.

Jack-O: I felt that a tank-top and shorts would fit pretty well. Jack-O feels like a pretty active kid who runs hot and plays messy, so a simple outfit that is easy to pull off when getting hosed down to clean up for dinner seemed like a good idea. Plus some hideously colored high-top shoes, since that's utterly kid-clothing-core.

Ramlethal: I gave Ramlethal a jacket and long pants. Ramlethal is transfem in this au, but being raised by the people she's raised by (primarily Justice, with long visits to Bridget, Sylv, and Robo-Ky for human socializing) I don't think she would experience much dysphoria from gender expectations growing up. This is a long winded way to say that the jacket is just because that's what the broken up lines looked like and she's in the back so she was hard to design (lol). If I draw more of the Valentine kids while they're young, I'll definitely work harder at styling Ramlethal.

[capricioussun]

How do you interpret US Papyrus? I'm always curious how others interpret him because there's a good range of them!

Ooh, in general?? Hm, I guess mostly the way I try to interpret him is sort of like if you gave UT Papyrus chronic fatigue and issues tied to having to act as the judge in his world! Which, to me, basically makes him very silly, kind, sassy, but also very insecure and very lonely.

I should explain- ough this is gunna be an essay so there'll need to be a readmore soon aha, but I should explain how the whole "judge" thing usually works in my interps!

It's not an inherent thing, or some "angel given" power, there has always been an acting Royal Judge, someone the crown had appointed that they felt they could, well, trust the judgement of, who they could consult about crimes and justice and whatnot. The prior judge Fell some years ago, but since Toriel/Asgore had already left, Asgore/Toriel never appointed another, as a sort of self punishment as well as a promise they would continue with their task of collecting the human souls without the assistance (or interference) of someone else.

That was until Sans/Papyrus came along. The "judging" effect was caused by one of the many methods Gaster used to make the brothers, involving the justice soul trait. This is where the KR came from, as well as the unique ability to "see" the sins in others' souls. After discovering this unique ability, eventually the king/queen asks Sans/Papyrus to act as the new judge (as well as some other reasons that vary depending on AU).

Now, the kr and "judge" ability manifested in Stretch much later than the sanses in non-swapped AUs, which made it a much more difficult transition that only made it much harder for him to socialize with others. He basically couldn't "turn it off", which, on top of feeling incredibly guilty about the invasion of privacy, made him feel anxious and stressed out and couldn't help but put the negative thoughts front and center in his attention, making him also feel like those were the most prominent thoughts and feelings of those around him.

So like, you know how anxiety and self image issues make you feel like everyone secretly hates you or finds you annoying or etc etc etc, basically, he had "proof" that was true, and despite trying his best to ignore it, things are already hard enough for a pre-teen/teen, on top of his physical health taking such the dip it did around that time, too, he quickly became anxiety riddled, isolated, and miserable.

Before then, he was actually a lot like Rus (UT) when he was a kid! And it was hard on Blue, too, since he was practically just a teen himself, so for all of that to land on his brother as well as needing to work harder to take care of him when he had bad health flares, things were rough for a while there.

That being said, Blue did help in keeping Stretch's mental health from completely plummeting, always trying to keep his mood up, encouraging him, trying to find him friends (how he met Undyne aka Sylv!), etc etc, and the brothers grew a lot closer in that time, as Stretch had always admired Blue, and it meant a lot to him.

That was until, of course, things never got any better. His health continued to decline into older teendom/young adulthood, and there was some personal drama here and there, especially involving Sylv, and when Blue joined the guard, that was the last straw. Stretch was sick of feeling like such a burden on everyone, so even though he'd initially turned Toriel down to act as judge (knowing his brother absolutely hated that she'd even asked him in the first place), he went back to her and accepted. That was really when the distance between the brothers started, which wasn't helped by the resets starting up soon thereafter.

(Quick aside, as he got older, he did get the hang of controlling his "judging" ability, and "turning it off" is no longer an issue for him later on)

So in his efforts to become more independent, he worked a lot on his social life and how to interact with others and make himself well liked. Sure, maybe he doesn't really have any real friends, and people forget his name all the time, but he'd finally learned how to utilize his heightened intuition to get along with people, rather than weird them out.

He’s still riddled with anxiety and self worth issues, but he’s gotten incredibly good at masking, and typically comes off as very relaxed and friendly. He’s a big fan of wordplay and very mild practical jokes (like those types of gags where you put on Groucho Marx glasses and pretend to be someone else. Blue always plays along for the bit), but he has a tendency to hold people at arms length, and tries to avoid others actually getting to know him.

Very few people know he’s the judge, and he prefers it that way, he'd rather everyone underestimate him so he never disappoints. That being said, he does still make quite an effort to help those around him without their knowledge, and he’s still lowkey very interested in engineering and computer science. Him and Rus are definitely two peas in a pod when it comes to interests, they could talk about comics for hours on end, but the primary difference is that Stretch tries much harder to hide how much he cares, where as Rus will shout it from the rooftops.

I'm not a big fan of the characterizations that make him a huge brat, sometimes even an outright jerk, I don't really understand them since neither Sans nor Papyrus are like that, but w/ my guy, he’s definitely a huge dork and sweetheart, who just also happens to be very sassy at times ahdjfjsksk

He also still holds on to his belief in others, like Rus. Even despite literally knowing better, he’s also been proven right too many times to lose that hope, which is why, in his fight, as opposed to UT Sans, he gets very quiet and looks miserable. He genuinely doesn't want to hurt them, but he knows he’s out of options. When he offers an out before the fight, he won't spring a surprise attack, and just offers a genuine hug. The player doesn't get a choice after accepting, they kill him, and his final words are pretty similar to Rus' about knowing they can do better, and he believes in them anyway, though he makes a comment about that sounding pretty stupid with a laugh before he collapses off screen.

WOW this got longer than I meant it to I'm sorry huge lore drop instead of just general facts ough BUT ! Idk, hopefully this gives a half decent feel for how I interpret him! I love him a lot I'm mixing him into a salad like a crouton <3

[vampieri]

What kind of relationship does Chandler and Sylvester have? They're so cute

eee wel i don't know how to put it into words but.

i woukdnt exactly say they're dating or anything (sylvester doesn't even know what dating means properly) ....i guess a way to put it is that sylvester makes chandler feel "alive" ...LOL as cheesy as it is it's literally because almost no one else from the workers really shows much emotion or have feelings like sylv.

sylvester took a liking of chandler ever since chandler got there, he just felt connected to him and chandler himself eventually warmed up to sylv as well. (there's maybe something deeper in that but i can't write it out yet teehe)

they pretty much just look after each other and enjoy each others company a lot to give a lil kissy to one another from time to time....

note half of the stuff i draw with them is just self indulgence because they make me happy guh buh

[organizationhimself]

my scarlet hollow playthroughs so far (SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY):

SYLV -hot + street smart -he tries to be nice in general but always says the funny thing -okay relationship to tabitha and tends to invite her (tabitha probably regrets this now oops) -often private about his feelings and leaves a lot of dialogue options on the table, but will call out bs (cops and reese's mom this is you) -skeeved by wayne and sybil (no tea for him) -initially kept his options open but zeroed in on reese immediately (locked in)

LUNE -talks to animals + keen eye -generally polite but she'll definitely ignore you to talk to your cat -empathetic to tabitha but not especially sympathetic about her work -befriended the possums in her dresser (they had some extremely interesting opinions i am still experiencing fridge horror about black tabby games you goddam geniuses) -peanut allergy -ghost made her old -suspicious of wayne but reluctantly regards him as an ally -bad track record for keeping people's parents alive so far -glommed onto stella (fellow streamer) and angled for every choice that would get closer to her (locked in)

CHAD -hot + powerful build -a totally selfish asshole who says the meanest possible thing UNLESS he can flirt with someone -what he can't punch he will fuck (that means you, wayne!) -has already proven that tabitha is actually some sort of saint for not hurling him off the cliff on monday (if there's the remotest chance of her killing you in later chapters he is as good as deceased) -could have saved both geezers but didn't (was an asshole about it) -made enemies with rosalina but her dad was still interested -no showers for chad -no tea for chad either fuck off -the contrarian in action; people are very unclear about whether or not he believes in ghosts since he seems to change his mind multiple times during the same conversation (and people call him out for it i love this game so much?? i love it SO MUCH) -for that matter he will switch sides mid-fight or mid-argument according to unknown logic; his loyalties are a mystery even to him -somehow still managed to help reese?? (HOW) -i want to add that when i let him do the thing and reach out empathetically to reese (immediately after stabbing reese with an axe ofc), and then reese GOT SHOT BY TABITHA, who i'd finally called for the very first time, my JAW DROPPED and i stared at the screen in disbelieving fucking glee because HOLY SHIT THAT GOT ME. i am unbelievably lucky that didn't happen with sylv (because i loved that moment so, so much). -swerved every romance so far; if anyone can put up with him it's probably wayne

JADE -mystical + book smart -tends to greet people with either uncanny silence or an offer of boiled peanuts -leans hardest into her mystical side and talks extensively to people while avoiding being rude but if she can be weird she'll do that -kaneeka stalker but it seems tricky to do that while being weird + not sidelining tabby -first playthrough to recruit avery (i feel like a CHUMP for not realizing there was an opt-in party member the whole time) -doesn't entirely give tabitha a pass for being a coal baron but brings her everywhere and has managed to eat ice cream?? with tabitha?? (did i mention i LOVE this game guess who my fave is besides reese go on guess as if my pfp isn't a damaged prickly blond with a gooey vulnerable center and Responsibilities) -jade does not talk to cops -in soviet russia jade makes ghost old -managed to talk to stella WITH tabitha (!!!!!!!) -jade's definitely going to save everyone!! besides. maybe duke. and rosalina. and reese. and... -angled for kaneeka romance but failed to escape the tea

[kendsleyauthor]

💙Cherish + Soothe + Glimpse💙

Promptober 2023

Shot in the Dark - Dark Future AU (Cliff, Sylvia, Zia, Oliver)

~1400 words

Life got in the way, and I had to put off Promptober for a bit! But I'm determined to finish the rest of my planned ideas with the prompts. 💕 Enjoy this lovely angst fest 🥰

@marydublinauthor 🌸

Sylvia was still new to hunting. Although Cliff hid his worry behind quips and teasing, it tore him up inside each time she experienced a new horror. Not only was she improving as a hunter, but she was also improving at hiding how distraught she was.

Or maybe she was becoming as numb to it as he and Jon were. Somehow, that was worse.

Even still, she hadn’t learned every trick of the trade. 

Some monsters, like ghouls, were as stupid as they were hungry. Since they preferred living meat, they would shuffle right past a corpse—even a freshly killed one. Play dead well enough, and a ghoul would ignore you in favor of chasing someone who was still moving.

There was no time for Cliff to give her a heads-up. Hey Sylv, don’t worry, I’m not actually dead. Just pretending.

He and Jon had gone for the divide-and-conquer method in the abandoned factory, which was overrun with ghouls. The only ones left were the strongest—and a surprise attack was the best way to take them out. Jon was approaching fast through one of the branching halls that led to the main floor of the factory.

Cliff didn’t hesitate. Nasty as he was, he dropped beside a few of the other corpses and held still. He shut his eyes, listening closely for the right moment to spring up.

Jon hurried past him, aware of the impromptu plan. 

Sylvia screamed. To her, it was real.

The moment the last three ghouls moved past him, Cliff had no trouble springing up and shooting them all in the back of the head in quick succession. From there, it was all too easy for Jon to finish the job.

“Fucking stars, Cliff!” Sylvia’s voice was thick with tears as she flew to him. “I thought you were dead!”

For a second, she looked like she might send him a blast of ice in her rage. But her anger flickered out, and she flew into his chest. She gripped fistfuls of his shirt, burying herself against him as though to check if his heart was still beating.

He chuckled softly, cupping a hand beneath her. “Get a hold of yourself, sweetheart. I’m fine.”

She sniffled, but when she looked up, her expression was oddly blank. “Help me,” she whispered, voice cracking.

Fire reflected in her green eyes. Searing flames burst in every direction—an explosion that took his breath away.

Cliff held her close, looking around in alarm. The factory was gone. There was only fire. When she looked back down at his hands, Sylvia was limp. 

“Sylv?” he breathed. “Sylv!”

She stared up at him with glassy eyes. Empty.

Dead.

~~~~~

A sharp sting attacked the back of his neck.

Cliff jolted and sat up, eyes flying open to entirely new surroundings. His room at the safe house—mostly dark, save for faint glowing lights nearby. He caught his breath. A nightmare, he told himself. Just another nightmare.

“Did you have to be so harsh?” Zia demanded from the nightstand. She was the source of one of the glows, and her annoyance was directed at the other light.

A slight weight settled on Cliff’s shoulder, accompanied by Oliver’s voice. “You realize there’s no way to gently shock someone awake, right?”

Steadying himself, Cliff gruffly shooed Oliver off and rubbed the back of his neck. The sting faded, but his heart still pounded wildly as his racing mind caught up with the reality that he wasn’t in any danger.

As Oliver fluttered up closer, his teasing smirk dropped, eyes widening like he couldn’t figure out what to say.

Faintly embarrassed, Cliff realized his face was wet with tears. “Shit,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “How bad was I?”

“You were talking in your sleep,” Zia said delicately. “When it started getting worse, we called your name, but you were sound asleep.” She fluttered up from the nightstand and approached him, laying a tiny hand on his forehead. “Are you alright?”

Judging by her tone, she already knew the answer.

“M’fine,” he muttered. He pulled away from them both and started to get up. “I’m going on a walk.”

“No!” Zia and Oliver said as one.

“You’re exhausted,” Zia said. “You need sleep.”

Cliff rolled his eyes, avoiding their concerned gazes. “What I need is to walk it off and get my mind away from it.”

But the moment he stood, Cliff wavered. His head spun with exhaustion. The past three days had been nonstop with minimal time for sleep in between his drives to and from the safe house. He had little to show for it, too—only a handful of fairies rescued. Of course the first time in days he tried to get a full night’s sleep, he was plagued with nightmares.

“You look like you’re about to collapse,” Oliver said. “And besides, if you head out, I’ll follow, just out of reach, and talk nonstop. You know I will.” He would. 

Cliff hesitated. Zia and Oliver took the opportunity to share a look and nod in agreement. They flew up to Cliff, each of them choosing a shoulder to push against and urge him back to bed. He could barely feel them, but he complied anyway. Laying back down with a sigh, he glared at the ceiling and tried to rid his mind of fiery images.

He felt a slight weight occupy the pillow beside his head. Zia’s soft voice was close to his ear. “Do you want me to do the calming spell?”

She had suggested it many times, but he rarely accepted the offer. It was a mixture of glamour and healing—the kind of spell that any fairy catcher and scientist would kill for. She decided he was worthy of that magic at every slight inconvenience. 

Sylvia’s corpse flashed through his mind. Then Jon’s.

Swallowing hard, he nodded. Not even a beat of silence passed before she started chanting in Fae.

Not too long ago, he was unfortunate enough to get sucked into one of the many news broadcasts that explained the understood science behind fairy’s healing abilities—about every affinity, really. Healers sped up the blood-clotting process and turned off pain receptors. Glamour had the same mind-altering hallucinogenic effects as hard drugs. Lightning magic was the result of a drastic reconfiguration of the electrons in the air.

Strangely, Oliver kept his distance, choosing a perch on the bed’s headboard post. He stared at Cliff with a strange, knowing look as though he’d worked out what Cliff may have been dreaming about. 

After all, Oliver could say he had similar dreams regularly—sometimes when he wasn’t even asleep.

While Zia worked her magic, Cliff raised his eyebrows at Oliver. “What’s got you shy all the sudden?”

Oliver cracked a smile. “I’m not much use for this part.”

“Who says you’ve got to be useful?”

“Who says you do?” Oliver challenged, gesturing grandly at Cliff’s dog-tired form.

There was little Cliff could do to argue against that, so he offered a soft, meltworthy smile and tapped his chest in invitation. “Fine. You wanna be useful? C’mere.”

Oliver gave him a flat look, but his forced indifference lasted for all of three seconds. His wings buzzed, and he landed softly on Cliff’s chest. Cliff’s muscles relaxed as Zia’s magic began to take effect. He felt Oliver crawl under his hand. He closed his fingers slightly, embracing him in a loose fist. He swore he could feel Oliver grip a handful of his shirt, though the gesture was so slight.

“How do you feel?” Zia asked. “Is it too much?”

Cliff turned his head and caught a glimpse of her again. Her gaze searched his face in the dark, eyelids heavy.

“It’s perfect,” he murmured. She knew him well enough by then—the pain was dulled, but not completely erased. It was just enough to lull him back to sleep without feeling that he was taking the easy way out or abusing her abilities. Not that she would ever call it that.

He brought his other hand to her and scooted her closer to his face before letting his grip relax over her. She nestled against him, a tiny exhalation of her breath brushing against his cheek. He had a feeling she’d allowed the net of the spell to wash over her and Oliver too.

With both of them clinging to him, Cliff fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

[phantasmagoreica]

current character list

will be updated once i've written some things involving the characters

monsters:

achlys/bane: human-eating undead nøkken/siren-like water spirit, with crocodilian, shark, and horse traits • bigender transfem • vers switch. sexually repressed virgin • lawful neutral • ALSO: centaur au, DoL/nun/hucow/fallen angel au, knight au (usually paired with cora's royalty au), succubus/incubus au, vampire/vtm au

adonis/aureate: semi-undead and semi-eldritch, shapeshifting and human-eating, parasitic and vampiric, wyrm pseudo-deity ruler, with snake, worm, and centipede traits • genderqueer but vaguely along the lines of a fem-presenting man • dom top. very sadistic • chaotic evil • ALSO: vampire/vtm au

altair: giant harpy ruler • cis man • dom top. apathetic to the needs of most mortals, and will use them as he pleases • lawful evil

betelgeuse: vampiric scorpion hybrid • cis butch woman • sub bottom. tough in the streets, but just wants somebody to take care of her in the sheets • lawful good

cathaoir/evexiar: zombie-like ghoul possessed by an evil spirit • post-op transmasc • tba

dia: shapeshifting monster fey prince • genderfluid (defaults to being a gnc man) • vers switch. will dom others if they let him, but is also a brat who secretly enjoys being put in his place • true neutral • ALSO: pixie au, vampire/vtm au

dr. carson: semi-undead human-eating sea monster hybrid • post-op transfem • vers dom. also a milf • true neutral

dubhe: bear hybrid • intersex agender • dom top. a very sweet dom top, though, who will make sure you're having a good time • chaotic good

encophany: eldritch deity • female • ??? • ???

encore: tba

elios/resplendence: divine eldritch incarnation of life, light, and fertility, with draconic traits • transfem • switch top • neutral good

flannery: fallen aasimar, former fox-like angel-like being • transfem • vers switch. also a milf • lawful evil

grimaldi: arachnid-like, formerly a giant human-eating parasitic mimic • intersex gnc man • primarily a service top, but okay with other dynamics/positions • chaotic good • ALSO: dnd/drow/drider au, vampire au

lich/silas: plant/fungal-like undead parasite • unknown gender • vers sub, but prefers service topping. an inexperienced virgin • lawful good

locera: butterfly deity • tba

luci laertes: unicorn satyr aasimar • bigenital nonbinary • leaning towards sub bottom. a brat • chaotic neutral

mar: shapeshifting and human-eating tentacled sea monster • genderfluid • top/dom-leaning vers switch • chaotic neutral

marie: possessed doll • cis female • sub bottom • true neutral

mintaka: vampiric scorpion hybrid • cis man • sub bottom (unless possessed; during which he is more dom and top-ish)• neutral good (unless possessed, during which he is more chaotic evil) • ALSO: possessed version

mirai: vampiric semi-undead with spider traits and tentacle-like tendrils • nonbinary intersex transmasc • primarily sub bottom, but okay with service topping. very pathetic and eager to please • lawful neutral • ALSO: drider/dnd au

morena: lich psuedo-deity king • cis female • vers dom. also a milf • neutral evil

nacio: tba

natt/abysmal: divine eldritch incarnation of death, rot, and pain, with draconic and insectoid traits • agender transmasc • vers switch. sadomasochist, but well-meaning • lawful good

ophelia: semi-undead and semi-eldritlch insectoid vampire (she/any) • genderfluid transfem • any dynamic/position but sub bottom • ???

radial: gorey shapeshifting tentacled sea monster • nonbinary • vers who will dom if necessary, but usually prefers to sub • lawful neutral

shingōki: undead robotic poltergeist • butch intersex woman • dom vers • chaotic neutral

sylv: undead ghostly forest/plant spirit with deer traits • nonbinary transfem • sub bottom. shy virgin • lawful good • ALSO: bracken/lethal company au

this: eldritch biblically accurate angel/ghost-like being • TBA

želimir: vampiric and ghostly deity possessing a living city • transmasc • switch top • neutral good

other/humans:

cora: human • cis woman • vers dom. enjoys femdom-ing • lawful evil • ALSO: royalty au (usually paired with achlys' knight au)

florence: human • multigender • vers sub. very bratty and a thembo/bimbo • true neutral

rosita: human • cis woman • switch bottom • lawful good

solstice: human (normally) • gnc transmasc • power bottom or dom top • neutral evil • ALSO: ghost version

[flowerpopic]

　　　　　　intro ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Name: Sylvia  𓂃 ⸝⸝ 𐙚

Nicknames: Sylv, Lolly, Lollipop  𓂃 ⸝⸝ 𐙚

Prns: He/him, She/her, Ae/aer  𓂃 ⸝⸝ 𐙚

Orientation: Cowboy Butch Girlflux Lesboy  𓂃 ⸝⸝ 𐙚

　　　　　interests ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Music: Rio romeo, The family crest, Madylin mei, Ricky montgomery, Sparkbird, Amelie farren  𓂃 ⸝⸝ 𐙚

Other stuff: Talking to my friends, Making rentries, Cooking (sometimes)  𓂃 ⸝⸝ 𐙚

　 　　　　　other ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

i literally dont know what to put here beside the fact that @clemponie is THE person ever.

bodily a minor btw

oh yeah im a fictive of lollipop from bfb i guess. treat me as source or not i dont care just be nice to me (or insult me thats funny too)

im a selfshipper, my f/os are flower, teardrop && paintbrush 💜 nonsharing btw

endos/willogenics + their supporters dni

[silverfoxstole]

OK. Right. I've sorted my panel photos, which I'll start posting tomorrow (I won't bombard you with them all at once!), so I can get my thoughts straight about yesterday. This is going to be long; sorry! I'll divide it into two parts so that those who want to skip my wittering and just see the pics can.

I hadn't actually thought I'd ever go to a con again; my last one had been back in 2009 and they've got a hell of a lot bigger since then, which sort of puts me off as I don’t really like crowds, and living as I do right down on the south coast they're usually too far away. However, when back at the end of January an ad popped up out of the blue on my Facebook feed informing me that Paul would be appearing at Portsmouth Comic Con (less than ten miles from me) my heart skipped a beat and I started wondering whether I'd be able to go. Of course, there was nothing stopping me but I wasn't keen to go on my own, and I knew my DW-and-anything-else-related-to-scifi-fantasy-etc-hating sister would never agree.

When not long later I saw Sylvester was going to be there as well I mentioned it to my friend P (with whom I’ve attended cons in the past), lamenting that I had no one to go with and not really expecting her to suggest that she try to come down from Manchester so we could go together but to my surprise she did and so the tickets were duly booked. Fast forward to about three weeks ago, unfortunately, and things started to go - literally in this case - off the rails thanks to a driver's strike and then engineering work that meant no trains into Portsmouth for the 11th and 12th and P very reluctantly having to drop out because she wouldn't be able to get down here and back in time for work on Monday. Still wanting to go but not really wanting to do it alone I had no choice but to ask sis to come with me, which she very gamely did and I owe her. Big Time. It’s really not her thing and I know she didn't enjoy it at all. She works in town and made me stand on the outside in the queue in case she saw anyone she knew!

I had been worried about how I was going to react as I do suffer from anxiety and I've not been amongst crowds since before Covid, but much to my surprise I was completely relaxed, even when talking to the guests; I'm obviously long past my 'OMG it's Paul!' phase (thank goodness!) and instead it was a case of 'Oh, yeah, there he is, and Sylv and Sophie (a later addition, and one I'd been hoping for) too.' I don't know whether it's because they're so familiar or I just got used to actors popping in when I worked in a shop near a theatre, but it was easy and I'm so glad! The reflexology session I had in Thursday might have helped keep me calm, too; if you’re feeling tense I recommend it!

I had only previously visited the Guildhall for concerts (sis knows it better as she's had to do presentations to the city council in the past) so it was rather odd to be in there during the day. I have to say that I think they could have put aside more room for the guests as it was difficult to work out who was queuing to see who (ho ho). It was very warm and the setup also made taking photos a bit awkward with people having to dance round each other a bit. We went to see Paul first (of course), and when he clocked me in my NotD cosplay he leaned back, smiled and announced 'It's like lookin' in a mirror!' I honestly can't remember exactly what I said in response to that! Probably nothing that coherent! He asked if I'd made it myself, which gave me a neat opportunity to present the gift I'd made for him: an Eighth Doctor bear and Mr Bush bear.

I think i've wanted to make bears for Paul ever since I put together the first one nearly three years ago, but I never thought I'd get a chance so when I knew I'd be going to the con I started planning. I was originally just going to do the Doctor, and make a Seven bear for Sylvester, but as they were coming to Portsmouth I decided to do Bush as well since I can’t imagine Paul gets a lot of Hornblower-related gifts. Of course, when it was confirmed that Sophie would be there I had to make an Ace bear too and here they all are before I packed them up yesterday morning, sitting on the bags i'd also run up to put them in (not pictured, my terrible embroidery name tags to help me tell who was who):

I'll do some more detailed posts so you can see them properly another day, but I was so pleased with they way they turned out that it was really hard to give them up! At least I knew they'd be going to good homes!

When I gave Paul the bag he just looked at me in surprise and went 'Is that for me? Can I open it now?' and there was a smile on his face as soon as he saw what was inside. 'That's my career! Doctor Who and Hornblower!' He absolutely loved them, couldn't believe I'd made them and told me 'I have a room where I keep all the gifts I've been given, and these are going to take pride of place.' I couldn't wish for more than that! Well, maybe a photo of him with them but it was busy and I didn't like to ask and possibly hold things up. I hope he's found the alternative Dark Eyes outfit that I added for Eight bear as I had some fabric leftover from my jacket; the sonic for that one took a bit of ingenuity!

He asked about my costume again while we were getting into position (for want of a better term) for a photo and commented that so many people are paying someone to make their cosplays now and spending a hundreds of pounds, something I'd guess he finds quite astonishing given the incredulous look on his face when he said it. I could be wrong, but I got the impression that he likes to see what different fans have come up with; there are a lot of people who seem to be patronising Steven Ricks since Paul got his remade costume last year, which I can understand because the man is a brilliant tailor, but sometimes it must be a bit like seeing clones.

Jen took the photo and we were about to leave it there but then this strangely confident person I found inside me asked Paul a question:

‘Can I be cheeky?’

‘Sure.’

‘Can I give you a hug?’

‘Of course!’

Well, if you don’t ask, you don’t get! (says the woman who hates asking for things in shops) He gives very good hugs. 🥰

I did manage to let him go (it wasn’t easy!) and he thanked me again for the bears before we moved on to see Sophie, which involved going round to join another queue in the same small space. Confusing? Yep!

I don't know who here has met Sophie Aldred but you should because she is so, so lovely. Ace has always been one of my favourite companions and I was so pleased when I saw she would be coming. I'd already started an Ace bear with the intention of giving it to Sylvester with his, but of course that got changed and Sophie was smitten. She looked really closely at it, remarking on the little details - 'Oh, it's even got the plait. And a rucksack and baseball bat!' - and sat it proudly on the corner of her table, where I assume it stayed for some of the day. Apparently it's the best Ace bear she's ever seen - you can't get a better accolade than that! (My head was swelling somewhat by this point, by the way. I don't like to blow my own trumpet but I don't often get so many compliments, and never in such a short space of time, so i hope you can forgive me for including them.)

Last but not least, of course, there was Sylvester, which meant another queue in the same space, which was just daft as because their tables were next to each other you didn't know whether people were waiting for him or for Paul. I'm sure that could have been organised much better than it was. In the same section there were also two chaps who had somethng to do with Star Wars who weren't getting much attention at all which was a bit awkward. They haven't gone back today and I can't blame really them.

I've wanted to meet Sylv for years and he didn’t disappoint. He liked the fabric the bag was made from because its starry night pattern was similar to his waistcoat, which admittedly was why i bought it in the first place. When he got it open and saw what was inside he said 'Oh! I'm a little bear! That’s lovely!’ and when I said I'd made one for Sophie too leaned round trying to see it on Sophie's table. I half wish I'd made a set of both for each of them now but that might have been overkill, and I would have needed a rucksack of my own to transport them all; my bag was full to bursting as it was. Maybe if I see them again I’ll give Sophie a Doctor bear and Sylvester an Ace. As it stands I am so, so pleased that all three of them liked something I'd made so much, and Sylvester and Sophie were both also taken with the cartoons of the Seventh Doctor and Ace that I asked them to sign.

Phew! If you've reached the end of this, well done! I know I have tendency to ramble on and I commend your stamina! I'll put the photos in a separate post but I was one happy camper, especially as just afterwards i got another compliment on my costume and was asked to pose in the TARDIS! We didn't stay the whole day as it was hot, I'd pretty much seen what I wanted to (the Doctor Who 'exhibition' was just a few monster replicas, most of which weren't that good, unlike the really impressive experience they had last year for the 60th and which I would have loved to see. And there were no daleks! My ambition to hug a dalek sadly remains unfulfilled *sniff*) sis had developed a headache, but I'm very glad I went. 😀

[octahyde]

Do you have any original characters for TWST?

(As a preface I do have another OC I ship with Chenya, Beau Rhodes, but… I haven’t done much with him besides conceptualizing him. Maybe I should do more since I don’t talk about it enough but TreyRid really really is my romantic canonxcanon TWST OTP and I love it desperately even if I never talk about it. I’ve also been fucking around lately with middle freak Ortho having a form he can use on the surface but ehhh that’s not really an OC thing.)

Ok here it is… The #yumeshit lore post. I actually wanna start getting into like the yume community on BlueSky or something because it has a lot more male yumes than tumb (or rather twit does but my main is a permalocked personal and they’re all slowly but surely jumping ship to BlueSky LMAO), so I might as well explain The Lore in detail. 

As a preface I spend a LOT more time thinking about them when they’re older, because 1) self actualization and 2) why would I EVER want to willingly think about being a teenager again. I literally describe high school as “a haze of undiagnosed mental illness, and also drama club”. no thanx. It’s just not like… too lore noteworthy vs the stuff that actually happens in canon lol.  Here’s what they look like as adults. I’ve mentioned working on a Shrouds piece that took 2 months I finally finished last week, and this is it:

(Side note- along with being a tgirl I hc Idia is a double below the knee amputee after the incident that killed Ortho)

also feel like I should say… Trix’s views on Rook don’t reflect mine LMAO. I have mixed feelings on Rook, but overall my feelings lean positive towards him. He’s a total freak and it’s funny as fuck and I love it. So if you like him don’t try to take the dynamic too personally, it’s the way it is for a laff more than anything.

Beatrice “Trixie” “Trix” Hart is a catch all self insert of mine; mostly for platonic yume. (She was made as a self insert assistant for Klavier Gavin, hence the name, and is also platonic with syl(gags) sylv(throws up in my mouth a little) Sylvain Jose Gautier. If you wanna know about those you can ask ig, I don’t have a ref for 3H Beatrice but I did draw AA Trixie when I came up with her.) She started out as a girl (and I still view her as such in those universes) but for TWST he’s specifically a guy because. Well. This game made me realize I was a transhet man and especially yume helped me sort that out along with being st4t exclusive LOL

Trix is a Pomefiore second year bnuuy beastman from the Shaftlands, Class C (same class as Azul and Jamil). It just kind of really conveniently worked out that my sonas usually have upright brown bnuuy years like the Snow White bunnies and I’m so artistic Pomefiore was the only dorm that makes sense LOL. His Book 7 cameo on Rook’s shelf…

He’s in Film Research Club, and is unique because he joined specifically for crew work, not acting. He’s very extroverted in club and with people he’s close to, but he can be surprisingly introverted when he’s not comfortable. (Ambivert moment). He specializes in practical magic with his sewing and art, and Hates PE. (He likes flying, though.)

His unique magic is My Sweet Heart, which lets him see memories and emotions from people if he grasps their right hand and puts his hand over their heart. 

Caycay is his Number One BFF. I don’t know how they met his first year, but it was basically an immediate click (#trans recognizes #trans. #real #recognizes #real.). Trix walks to class with him every morning, and they frequently go to cafe collabs on the weekend and after class, being sure to leave some of their food out of their magicam posts lest they earn the wrath of their wardens LMAO. If Trix needs someone, Caycay is There for him.

Him and Vil are also VERY close. During his first year, there was an incident that lead to him being roommates with Vil, despite her being a second year and him being first. Trix Really does not like to talk about it, and while Vil would be fine telling people, she doesn’t out of respect for him. She also appreciates someone around club that’s enthusiastic about crew work, and tends to let him lead costume and prop work.

It’s Very clear he has a huge crush on her and that she doesn’t reciprocate. Sometimes she might throw him a bone and give him a little extra praise though LMAO. They do have a very bad fight toward the end of Vil’s third year though, and they go years without talking after. 

His closeness with Vil leaves him some leverage for defending Epel. (#nonpassing recognizes #nonpassing. #real recognizes #real.) It’s mostly in vain, though, but Epel appreciates being looked out for a LOT. Especially because, despite how artistic and fashionable Trix is, his personality is MUCH more down to earth than other Pomefiore students. He’s the biggest advocate for Epel transferring to Savanaclaw his second year and someone who Epel confides a lot into.

Rook’s nickname for him is Monsieur Lapin (Floyd’s is Sea Bunny. Floyd doesn’t come up so I figure I might as well say it heh.). He hates Rook. He thinks Rook is a freak. Especially as a beastman he thinks Rook is super fucking weird. Rook loves Trix’s artwork and his personal journey with beauty and adores him a lot as his beloved underclassman. He knows Trix hates him. He doesn’t care. Trix hates him So Much.

He doesn’t know Ortho much minus the guy who sits next to Caycay’s companion pre Book 6, but once Ortho joins Film Research Trix gets attached REALLY fast. He’s always wanted a younger sibling so he dotes on Ortho constantly, and they rec each other anime and games all the time. (Trix gets him into Professor Layton and he LOVES it.) He learns… a lot about Idia and Ortho’s relationship through this.

Lilia also got asked to tutor him for history once because Trix can’t do homework For Shit and needs help finishing assignments despite his test scores. This backfires because they don’t get anything done ever, but most importantly for The Lore they trade socials and thus Trix is friends with Muscle Red and knows who he is.

Ok. Now the meat of it. The #yumeshit. 

I think it’s probably obvious, but Trix is a nonpassing trans guy. NRC being an all boys school makes him feel safer, but… when he’s not at NRC, even if it’s just in the foothill town, he girlmodes. Being misgendered hurts a lot less that way. (No this is not projecting. Just kidding it is. Please help me.)

As a way of getting respite from this, he VTubes as a magical boy with a voice changer. I don’t have a proper ref but his sona is like the best design I’ve ever done and I’m lowkey mad about it. Anyways. While his interests aren’t really a secret irl it’s always kind of surprising when someone that doesn’t know him finds out he’s into nerdy things, but he gets REALLY invested in the games he’s playing and he has A Lot of info and interpretations to share. And despite his bright design, he gets most excited from horror. He’s not a huge indie by any means but he has a solid following. 

And when Muscle Red sees there’s a well known horror game Gloomurai likes on the docket, well, he HAS to invite them to watch his friend with him! They’ve been telling him how their favorite speedrunner retired and they need someone new to watch, anyways. 

Idia’s very pensive at first, seeing such a bright and sparkly character playing Resident Evil 7, a horror game with a very disgusting atmosphere and themes to match. Probably going to overreact to everything and pretend to be super scared and upset to look cute for views. But he’s watching with Muscle Red, and he wouldn’t make her watch something cringey like that, would he…?

As the game starts up, he starts gushing about what an amazing atmosphere the game has. The entire thing is filthy, and that leads to an overwhelming feeling of dread and disgust- even moreso with the family. His eyes light up when he points out an early scene is referencing The Blair Witch Project.

When it comes to things outside of gameplay itself, he really knows his stuff. Despite how mad him dying for the hundredth time on an extremely easy stealth section makes her, it’s nice to see such a passionate horror otaku. She almost doesn’t mind it because she likes listening to him talk. (Almost.)

Idia starts watching him with Muscle Red regularly. She’s too shy to talk in chat, so she just gives a lot of questionably large donos when he does things. 

He gives a lot of half joking “thank you for funding my doll collection” responses at first, but then says Gloom should chat if they’re comfortable. He’d love to get to know someone who is giving him all this money, and they’re considered a legend in chat for it. She’s nervous (she has no idea why), but she does slowly start chatting and attaching messages to her donos. Soon, she’s a regular in the chat and community. 

So active, in fact, she finds herself with a dm asking for her discord one day. A message follows shortly after about how he appreciates her involvement and wants to get to know her better- now that she’s more talkative, he thinks she’s really funny. 

From there starts a quickly blooming online friendship. They talk whenever they get the chance, though he strictly has to go to bed early or he’ll get chewed out by his housewarden. (A female housewarden…? Is he even forced into the girl dorms at his school?) Idia’s never forthcoming with private info, though, and he seems pretty hesitant with how feminine he is irl to give much past vague detail, either. 

Meanwhile, Trix has to be incredibly careful when lights out and Rook makes the rounds with how late he’s staying up. He is the number one person Trix would rather Die than see his conversation history when confiscating his phone. Gloom’s rude but funny and he loves hearing about X Obscure Game Yaoi Ship. (Sometimes he becomes a casual fan of the series and ship in question- he has been commissioned a LOT to draw her Star Rogue OTP by her.) (He also gets converted to Luisley probably.)

Offline, though, Idia and Trix’s relationship is… awkward. One time during remedial gym lessons when both of them had to run laps in his first year, Trix started complaining about missing club and how he needed to fix his make up, and Idia, being Idia, made a really snide comment about it. Trix snapped at her, and while to him it was just having a bad day, Idia… never really recovered from it. 

In the next year her only exposure was daily convos that were way too peppy for so early in the morning with the extrovert that sat next to her. (I’ve always hced Idia and Caycay sit next to each other in class and straight up forget this isn’t actually canon on a regular basis.) At some point, he started taking curious glances at Idia, which didn’t help at all.

Trix starts getting suspicions about Idia from the few times he does hear her talk, and how similar it sounds. Has he met her before…? But surely he would remember knowing someone as distinctive as Idia, right? 

He has absolutely zero involvement in Book 6 also. With everything going on (because their vice warden ROOK LITERALLY LEFT WITH NO WARNING OR BACKUP PLAN, BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID, HE IS THE WORST PERSON ALIVE WHO HAS EVER BEEN BORN), him and his roommate end up being the ones to take charge and keep Pomefiore in order. I feel like with Idia yumes in particular Book 6 is a Big Thing because like, Book 6, so I feel like this is important info.

(He IS in Book 7 though. His dream is in between Epel and Rook’s. It’s about being amab :’( He doesn’t take waking up and being back in his actual body well.)

Her and Ortho coming back clear any doubts in his mind: Gloom suddenly leaving on the night of the incident, with zero word since, only to long back on with a “sry, irl stuff happened,” the day after the Shrouds come back? She’s Gloom. Especially getting to know Ortho in club and listening to him talk about her, there is literally no other option. 

He was planning on confronting her about it… then Book 7 happened. Obviously how it ends could change this, but for now once everything’s settled Idia gets a discord notif saying he has to talk to her, and he wants to in person. She tries to say it would be too hard to arrange, only to get a simple response: “Ignihyde Lounge. One hour. You’ll know when you see me.”

She is, unsurprisingly, horrified. How did he figure out? Does he hate her now that he knows she’s a freak? Is he coming to tell her how he can’t believe he befriended someone so pathetic? He’s going to tell everyone all the things she said in confidence. “Lol, you guys thought Shroud was a freak before? Get a load of this!”

Luckily, Trix told Ortho about it. He’s able to coax Idia out and helps her to the dorm lounge, holding her hand along the way. 

And indeed, the one Pomefiore uniform in Ignihyde’s dorm lounge sticks out like a sore thumb. Her heart rate explodes. He’s who she’s been talking to this entire time?! No. No. Absolutely no way. She’s not doing this. She tries to turn and run away, but her brother’s death grip (why did she give him all that strength?) keeps her in place.

He looks around awkwardly as he walks up. “Hey, uh… sorry about that time I snapped at you. Ortho told me it really freaked you out.” Trying to calm her down would hopefully make this easier.. “Do… you want to go somewhere more private? You’re even paler than normal.”

Yes. I do. Alone. And I want to forget this even happened. Unfortunately for her, the look on her bother’s face told her it was a mandatory quest. Defeated, she leads him back to her room. 

He sits uncomfortably stiff on her bed. Idia hides in her chair, turned away from him. He tells her that he doesn’t hate her, that he doesn’t think she’s pathetic. No response. Luckily, he invited Ortho for backup. 

“He really wants to be your friend, Idia! He’s the still same person you’ve been talking to online. And he’s really nice. He’s the one who recommended those games to me!”

Taking a cue on how exhausted she is mentally, Trix gets up and walks to the door. “Just… think about it, okay?”

Think about what? The fact that this person she got close to was actually a loud extrovert who hung around a bunch of normies? That he knows all of the rumors about her? Forget real life- he could go online and tell everyone what a freak Gloomurai was irl, too. 

They don’t talk anywhere for like a week and Trix doesn’t walk to class with Caycay, but then they do talk it out. It’s really hard and REALLY scary for Idia, but she’s able to accept him into her life as a friend. He ends up being a really big pillar of stability for her, and he already knows about her own transness and boymoding which makes him even safer.

And… that’s how they are to the end of her third year! Friends. And really, not looking for anything past that. 

Idia gets a really REALLY nice condo in the Kingdom of Heroes for her internship. (Which she mostly even only uses the upper half of. Smfh) She also gets two cats; a white one, Clear, and a gray one, Ryoji. I’m sure you can guess who they’re named after. Reminder that Idia is canonically a fujoshi. Anyways.

Trix visits during school breaks with Ortho… he also stays in Ortho’s room with him while he’s there. For the most part it’s a lot of just comfy stuff like gaming and watching movies, Ortho taking Trix out to see things and such. Over Winter break while visiting Trix edits one of the Film Research pieces for the culture fair bc he’s club president now… By the time of said fair with 4th years presentations it’s very obvious to like Everyone how they feel. (And they probably know it themselves but try to ignore it because neither feels ready for a relationship).

A really REALLY big point worth noting during this time period (and this is all I’ll say bc I know it’s a difficult topic) is that they see each others cutting scars for the first time. They never really comment on or talk about it, but there’s a wordless understanding and comfort between them afterwards. 

Idia’s staying on the surface for at least a few years to see if researching with Olympos resources can give any new perspectives on blot or her curse. If Trix wants to stay for his internship, there’s plenty of room. She doesn’t admit it, but she really wants him to stay. Unfortunately, though, he’s always been interested in the Queendom of Roses and opts for an editing internship with a publisher there.

It’s more of the same; he visits her more regularly because he’s not limited to NRC’s schedule, and he still streams and she still watches and talks to him. He also adopts Chunky who LIVES FOREVER AND NEVER DIES, EVER. There’s an undeniable closeness between them but neither are still ready to actually act, even if it’s clear they may as well already be together lol. 

During this time she also starts getting him transformation potions to help with dysphoria from STYX while he transitions.

After his internship, he’s able to get a job at the Kingdom of Heroes office of the publisher he interned for. He may or may not have chosen to transfer on purpose- there’s plenty of space there, anyways, so much so he can have his own room big enough to both sleep and work in. Ortho’s out on his own acting internship with Vil’s agency, so for the most part it’s just them and their cats in this huge place lmao. It’s really easy to coexist because there’s space when they need it and Idia’s like entire gamer zone on the upper level when they wanna do stuff together. It works out really well.

There are a whole bunch of headcanons of mine about STYX and the Shrouds and their relationships that I’m not really comfortable going into. However, when they overblotted together, Idia and Ortho did something… really traumatic unrelated to Middle Freak Ortho’s death that Idia blames herself for. She still has regular nightmares about it, and while Trix usually isn’t around from the breakdowns because he’s in his room when they happen, this time he fell asleep upstairs and heard all of it.

He goes in to check on her, and she’s really closed off. He’s eventually able to get her to tell him what happened and her guilt, but… He already knew. Ortho told him years ago when they were all still at NRC. He was waiting for her to tell him on her own terms.

Idia does uhh not take this being hidden from her well! He rationalizes that knowing it and never judging her and standing by her side this entire time means he truly does care and doesn’t blame her. He holds her hand and for the first time says it:

“I love you.”

Idia looks at him wide eyed for a second before turning away.

“You need to leave.”

He’s allowed to stay- she’s not going to just throw him on the street- but he is not allowed upstairs near her. She needs time to process everything. Especially how he hurt her trust. 

Eventually they are able to talk it out though and end up in a relationship. YIPEE!!!!!! Ortho moves in permanently around this time with his internship over with his 2 dogs to add to the family. :)

There’s a lot of stuff with STYX and Woe I haven’t fuuuuuully sorted out the details of, but Idia does eventually have to go back for a while to put her research to use and put an end to things. I think this period is really tough because she does Not want Trix to see what a horrible place it is and how it’s the source of so many awful things it was so she tries to leave him. She doesn’t obv and she’s able to successfully find a solution to the Phantom problem.

Once she’s back, though, she does have a near immediate breakdown- with it all over, her brain can actually like. Process what her life was up to that point and she just kind of snaps. She ends up hospitalized for a few months to keep her safe from a HORRIFIC schizophrenic break. Trix uses STYX Bux for a place to stay so he can visit her near daily and help her through it. There’s also a REALLY bad incident with Ortho.

Minus that though from there it’s… really just them being happy, healing, and transitioning with each other. Idia becomes an indie game dev and Trix becomes a horror writer. He still streams (she started vtubing somewhere along the way too), but they’ve never publicly posted about their relationship. It’s really funny because it’s like blatant but they just try to act like it isn’t LMAO.

As they get older, they move to a small, quiet place in the Queendom of Roses. They have 3 kids (who I also have ocs for but that’s WAY too cringe) who are very well loved. Ortho also lives with them and they have a very happy family. :)

TL;DR: Idia wins the VTuber Fuck A Fan contest.