#the paper is linked w the image

[tkbrokkoli]

are you also a heterobifunctional chemical degrader

[Begin ID: A screenshot of text from a paper, reading "For this purpose, heterobifunctional chemical degraders" End ID]

[mactavishsgfandwife]

Soft Simon "Ghost" Riley Cuddling You 🧸

this is not about dominant tough simon riley, this is about sweet precious baby boy simon riley :3 this is my response to @paper-r-i-n-g-s-and-c-r-o-w-n’s request (here) and the link they included! thank u for being my first request loviee

Simon Riley absolutely loves to be babied when you cuddle him.

Scary Simon. Soldier Simon. 6’4", jacked Simon, walking around the base in his skull mask, scaring anyone who doesn’t know better shitless. To the enemy, he’s like an urban legend - once you realise that he’s there, it’s too late.

And that’s the image that he likes to keep - he grew up tough, and he refuses to be anything but tough. He might be nice now but he wouldn’t hesitate to blow your brains out if you double-crossed him.

That is, until he met you. It was hard to get him to open up at first, with his reluctance to be anything but casually terrifying, and his fear that he would get too attached, just in time for you to leave. But after 6 months together, he’s finally comfortable, and you’ve discovered his soft spot for being praised like a baby.

"Aww…" you coo, stroking his grown-out buzzcut, as he lays on your chest, "my sweet boy." His broad body is holding you down to the bed, and you know you wouldn’t be able to escape from under him if you wanted to. But you don’t mind, after all, it’s sweet to see him like this. With his face pressed into your neck, one strong arm around your waist and the other around your torso, he mumbles softly.

You press soft kisses into the top of his head as you rub his back - he’s been training all day and he’s so tired. :( Poor baby, he really needs you to hold him. His shoulders are sore and as you rub them gently he lets out a little whine, nuzzling his face further into the crook of your neck.

"Mmm," he groans, his voice muffled against your skin.

"Oh, baby…" you pull those hands back up to cradle him to you, "are you okay, sweet boy?"

"Tha’ hurts," he mumbles. He’s not very talkative when he’s like this, he just wants to be held.

"Sorry," you kiss the top of his head apologetically, "is my poor baby sore from training?" He groans as you call him that, nodding in response as he breathes in your scent.

"Speak up for me, sweetheart" you coo.

"’M sore from training."

"Who’s sore..?"

"Me."

"N what’re you, honey..?" you stroke his hair softly, like he’s a precious teddy bear.

"Your baby," he mumbles.

"Good boy." Just a few months ago, Simon would have been mortified by the interaction, but you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger, cuddling up to you like he’s a cat and you’re a heating pad. He is a good boy, and he deserves some comfort after working so hard. 💗💗💗

(my other - nsfw - story about pathetic simon here)

i hope this is what you asked for! i hope it doesn’t come off as too pathetic but also i love writing (and thinking about) sweet pathetic simon. <3 like omg if anyone knows who made the render then lmk so that i can credit! i wasn’t sure who the name on the image referred to

masterlist buy me a coffee

[siffrins-therapist]

🦇 ernrenephandre follow

lordjosephandreispoterianfightme reminded me of THIS batshit ask I got last year, so ofc I now need to inflict it on all my new followers uwu

I'll also go ahead and link my (very correct) meta post about Lady IJK's characterization, and since xe reminded me of this ask, here's Lord's post about why Issue 43.5 should be considered canon, despite what de Plume's forward says. Enjoy!

🫛 howaremysweetiepees follow

[Image description: Screenshot of an anonymous ask sent to ernrenephandretruther that says "Jsyk just BC you're the Savior of Vaugarde, doesn't mean anything you say about The Cursing of Château Castle is canon. Even though de Plume wrote Issue #43.5 with that Thank You in the forward, doesn't mean anything. They just wanted to appease your headcanons about that stupid side character rejoining the team and getting Lady Irene-Janine-Karine all weepy BC you can't handle the complexities of her character!!! I'd say stick to ao3 but if the events of 43.5 are anything to go by you're crab at planning anything, let alone writingg a full meta post or fic. So maybe just stick to your pilgrimage or whatever and spare the rest of us your fangirling." Ernrenephandretruther replies "2/10 anon hate. Too long-winded, de Plume themself says 43.5 is non-canon, and anon, I cannon (sic) stress this enough, I AM NOT MIRABELLE CHEVALIER. I AM LITERALLY MWUDU AND WAS TRAVELING IN KA BUE AND BAKTAN DURING THE FREEZING THERE ARE PICTURES ON MY BLOG, FEATHERS AND THREAD!!! End description]

Didn't like 90% of TCoCC blogs get that copy-pasta last year? Damn, I can't tell if anon's just salty about H. Mirabelle getting a whole-ass book written as a thank-you (FOR SAVING A COUNTRY, WHICH THE AUTHOR LIVES IN, ANON, MAKES CRABBING SENSE TO ME THEY'D WANT TO THANK HER), hated 43.5, or just another Lady IJK white knight who thinks any criticism of her characterization is a direct attack.

🦇 ernrenephandretruther follow

Probably all 3 ngl

🎃 changeoffates follow

Great Change I got the same anon! It's been sitting in my inbox for a year! I am still flabbergasted!!

And jw OP but why's your language set to Poterian?

🦇 ernrenephandretruther follow

Believe me, I'm still confused!

And I'm transferring to university in Poteria so I've been studying the language. I took it in school with Vaugardian but I'm kinda rusty :/ The only reason I know Vaugardian still is cause of ernrenephandre porn LMAO

🧂 lordjosephandreispoterianfightme

Anyone else get this ask since this was posted two days ago???

#fates and wells anon maybe learn to let go or w/e #i dont go here but ist that one of your Change teachings or something? #pretty sure your still going through it and should talk to someone not send out copy-pastas #tbh p sure anon is just a savior mirabelle hater idk why her antis are so fucking annoying #dont you all have anything better to do????

103 Notes

🌠 loop-garou follow

If staff could stop terming me that'd be great

🥐 mysiblinginchange follow

u've literally been posting pictures of squiggles that give everyone a headache????

🌠 loop-garou follow

Skill issue.

382 Notes

☕ hauntedteacup

So was that list where people were trying to figure out which ao3 account belongs to the Savior deleted or...

#cuz i have a theory #dm me if you're interested i don't want to risk getting flagged or something

2 Notes

🎭 anguished-actor follow

Gonna kms that saviorship fic got so popular it was mentioned in the newspaper

🐌snailsforthesnailgod follow

OP don't you live in Ka Bue?

🎭 anguished-actor follow

So you understand my astonishment and horror

🌠 loop-garou follow

Here's the link to the fic for the confused people in the notes :)

🎭 anguished-actor follow

Your never satisfied until my activities page is unusable

🌠 loop-garou follow

You're* :)

#didnt someone print out and bind a bunch of copies of that fic? #and handed them out at cons? #not shocked it got mentioned in the paper ngl #there's even rumors h. euphrasie owns a copy

729 Notes

⚔️ saviors-of-vaugarde-news follow

The latest report from Dormont's House of Change states that people staying there are still seeing ghosts, but most recent accounts put these ghosts mainly in the corridors and common areas. They are no longer being seen in the dorms and classrooms, and reports are becoming few enough that Head Housemaiden Euphrasie told journalists she believes the ghosts should fade by next spring. However, she does admit that she isn't sure why the ghosts have remained for as long as they have but refused to comment on where her first estimation had come from.

-mod castle

🧭 saviorodilewhiteknight follow

"ghosts" when only savior siffrin's ghost is the only one being seen at the house

🏴 chess-cheater-deactivated

Someone posted an explanation here. Basically tl;dr it's Time Craft crab

🧭 saviorodilewhiteknight follow

they fucking got them

#does anyone have screenshots of whatever was in #the link chess-cheater linked? #it's gone now :/ #notes say claude hacked the site and deleted it

2,003 Notes

🧨 defender-offender

Everyone that asks me about Mirabelle is getting blocked. Leave her tf alone, she's been through enough without everyone trying to dig up her meta essays and fics.

#stasis and stagnation i'm this close to deleting everything #claude.exe

638 Notes

🐚 shesellsseashells follow

Disclaimer: I know Savior Siffrin never worked for the K*ng and that Savior Odile didn't actually believe this theory, this is a poll for fun.

#savior posting #voted for he forgot

4,218 Notes

🪭 justafan follow

So. Uh. Anyone else hear about that game coming out? The one about Vaugarde's Saviors fighting the King?

🥚 notreadytohatch follow

Didn't the dev claim to be a vessel for Vaugarde's change god?

🪭 justafan follow

Yeah but. Yeah not touching that one.

🎭 anguished-actor follow

Theres gonna be a what.

#hooboy idc what the game looks like i'll be making popcorn for all the discourse that'll be popping up #is there a kickstarter i wanna donate

🌠 loop-garou follow

🧨 defender-offender

How many accounts do you have?????

🌠 loop-garou follow

You're the one flagging me?? 🥺🥺🥺

🧨 defender-offender

I don't care enough to bother.

🧨 defender-offender

I'll tell everyone to leave you alone if you tell me one thing: Are you the one who gave Euphie a bound version of that fic?

🌠 loop-garou follow

DM me and I'll tell you :3c

🎭 anguished-actor follow

Stars, I swear if that was you...

#this... this is like #proof loop-garou and/or anguished-actor are the saviors #right??? #i'm not insane??? #like it makes sense right??? #and who tf is loop??? who is that in the picture?????? is this some joke from one of the saviorshipping fics?? #are they loop-garou's sona??? #and i swear to change if i only get a bunch of asks that only say 'tee-hee'...

958 Notes

[malcriada]

today, my friend Alaa @alaajshaat shared more pictures of her living situation and the contrast between the before and after is especially harrowing.

i am seeing a significant decline in support with all of the fundraisers i know. did y'all get tired of seeing a genocide being broadcasted to you and then decided not to care anymore? Alaa and her husband Bilal do not have this luxury. they live in a tent that recently got flooded due to the heavy rains in Gaza. not only that, Alaa recently learned that she is expecting a child.

repairing the tent comes at a high price, they need $2,500 to buy materials to repair it and get it ready for the winter. i would like for them to reach this goal before the 26th of October when the weather will certainly get colder

$ 85 / $ 2,500 as of today 09/26/24 Alaa and Bilal have been having issues with their campaign link so they have made a new one. it is unclear if they'll be able to access the funds of the first campaign so please give to this one in the meantime:

[ID: a pp campaign with an image of Alaa and Bilal in the background. The title reads "Emergency: Help Belal family to evacuate from Gaza" End ID] verified (#95, line 99)

apologies for the tag, please lmk if you'd like to be removed

@timetravellingkitty @deathlonging @briarhips @dirhwangdaseul @mahoushojoe

@rhubarbspring @schoolhater @pcktknife @transmutationisms @sawasawako

@irhabiya @commissions4aid-international @wellwaterhysteria

@deepspaceboytoy @post-brahminism @khanger @evillesbianvillain @neechees

@mangocheesecakes @kyra45-helping-others @jezior0 @7bitter @tortiefrancis

@toiletpotato @fromjannah @omegaversereloaded @vague-humanoid @tododeku-or-bust

@aristotels @komsomolka @xinakwans @heritageposts @nibeul

@ot3 @amygdalae @ankle-beez @lonniemachin @dykesbat

@watermotif @stuckinapril @mavigator @lacecap @yugiohz

@socalgal @chilewithcarnage @ghelgheli @sayruq @northgazaupdates2

@vakarians-babe @wayneradiotv @paper-mario-wiki @oorevitcejda @yellowwperil

@velvetys @3000s @punkitt-is-here @ghelgheli @camgirlpanopticon

@cruzwalters @yugiohz @akajustmerry @shesnake @tamamita

[aimportantdragoncollector]

MY BOOK IS OPEN FOR PREORDERS!

I am super excited that my book is now available for preorder in all formats: paper, e-book, and audio. I have been waiting so long for this. Please support me if the summary looks fun to you!

Amazon link at https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Maidens-Guide-Getting-Kidnapped/dp/1039482465 or click on the link below (I'm writing out the link too because sometimes tumblr redirect can stop working.)

Barnes and Noble link (paperback only): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-holy-maidens-guide-to-getting-kidnapped-katy-nyquist/1146012785

Cover:

Summary:

A Holy Maiden should never drink, get kidnapped, nor kiss a Dark Lord, but Ysabel is breaking all the rules to escape her fate as a human sacrifice.

In a world where magical powers are commonplace, Holy Maiden Ysabel is revered as a goddess among her people. She's the only one able to heal the sick and injured with a simple touch. But her spectacular gift comes at a steep price. For each person she saves, she loses a day of her own conscripted life. To add insult to injury, she's supposed to maintain a pure image even though she'd rather drink and play dominatrix until her sorrows fade away.

After the corrupt Head Cardinal Jiang abuses her gift, forbids her from leaving the city, and takes her brother hostage, Ysabel doesn't dare drag anyone else into her problems—especially since it won't change her fate. But when Dark Lord Kaine arrives at her clinic doorstep grievously wounded, she's touched by his refusal to accept her healing lest it cost her another day of her life.

The mysterious and sexy Dark Lord awakens forbidden desires in Ysabel, and the nagging survival instinct she tried to drown with booze and drugs comes back with a vengeance. She's less impressed, however, when he threatens to sack her city in return for his injuries. Fortunately, she can flirt her way to an alliance against the Head Cardinal instead.

Armed with only a ferociously loyal female bodyguard named Alzira, Ysabel attempts to make the most of her mere months left to live, protect the refugees around her city, prevent a war, and hide her face blindness. But before her life flickers to its sad end, she must decide: either die a proper Holy Maiden or risk it all to run off with Kaine.

[sinnabum45]

Regrets and Apology

Link to help Palestine and other resources! 🇵🇸

[Plain text: Links to help Palestine and other resources! (palestine flag). End plain text.]

[Image description: Black and white digital comic of Ace Attorney characters Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth.

Page one: Phoenix is facing away from the viewer with a speech bubble: “I was angry that [red text] you didn’t even bother telling me [end red text], or anyone, that you were suffering so much…” A memory of a tired Miles looking to the side saying, “I’m tired, Wright. I feel as if… something inside of me has died.” Phoenix’s hand is holding Miles’ crumpled resignation letter. Phoenix: “But the truth was that [red text] you did. [end red text] You did tell me and [red text] I left you to deal with it alone. I even hurt you. [end red text] I just… Couldn’t take the fact that [red text] I could’ve helped you, but I didn’t. [end red text] Finding a reason to blame you was a lot easier than facing the fact that [red text] I couldn’t save you [end red text] from your past.” Phoenix is on the far left of the page with an angry expression. Pearl is holding onto his arm and looking back at Miles. She has a worried expression. Miles is on the far right of the page. He is holding his right arm with his left hand and looking down with a hurt expression. Page one end.

Page two: Present Phoenix is smiling sadly, facing away from the viewer at Miles. Phoenix: “haha Pretty pathetic, huh?” Miles reacts with an uncomfortable shift while looking at Phoenix. They look away from each other in silence. Miles, facing away from viewer: “You’re not pathetic, Wright.” Phoenix twitches with a guilty expression. A memory of Miles sitting at his desk with crumpled paper all over the desk. He is crying with a blank expression while holding a pen over a sheet of paper. Miles: “I was too deep in my own pain that [red text] I justified disregarding everyone and everything else… I was a coward and ran away without saying a word. [end red text] How can one not feel grief from such selfishness?” Page two end.

Page three: Miles, facing away from the viewer, looks down. Miles “… Wright, I’m sorry for running away. I’m sorry for abandoning everything I used to be… For abandoning you.” Phoenix is surprised. Phoenix then puts his hand on Miles’ shoulder and Miles looks up at him. Phoenix: “I’m sorry for abandoning you, too, Edgeworth… And I’m sorry for saying those horrible things to you.” Page three end.

Page four: Phoenix starts to lean closer to Miles with tears in his eyes. Miles’ expression stiffens. Phoenix: “ I… I don’t want to lose you again.” Phoenix is right in front of Miles’ face and a tear falls. Phoenix: “I’m glad you came back, Edgeworth.” Phoenix hugs Miles and they start crying. Phoenix: “ I missed you…” Page four end.

Page five: Doodles of different scenarios. Top left: Miles is holding Phoenix’s arm while looking away and blushing. Phoenix is shocked, but smiling. Miles: “W-Wright… Would you like to have dinner together?” Phoenix: “HUH?! Oh- um… Yeah!!” Top right: Miles is looking away and holding his right arm. He looks pained. Phoenix is looking at Miles with a worried expression. Miles’ thought: “How could I have done that? He must be so disappointed in me… It’d be better if I wasn’t here.” Phoenix’s thought: “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re stronger than you think, Edgeworth.” Bottom left: Phoenix is facing the viewer with a scared expression, sweating. Miles is glaring at Phoenix from behind with a menacing aura around him. Text: “Hyping himself up to talk to Phoenix [arrow pointing at Miles]” Bottom right: Phoenix is wearing his beanie with a stubble. He is talking on the phone with a smile on his face and his eyes are closed. Trucy is next to him happily yelling something. There is a split to where Miles is. Miles holding his book and smiling while talking to Phoenix on the phone. Box text “They’re not perfect, but they’re trying.” End description]

This is supposed to be a part 2 of the comic where Miles spirals. You don't have to read that one to understand this one, but I'll link it if you want to see it! (TW// suicide ideation, graphic depiction of suicide attempt) Link to the comic

Some of my opinions/thoughts below! I tried my best to make it make sense-- 🙇🏻‍♀️

There was supposed to be a whole scene where Miles calls Phoenix, they talk over the phone for a bit, and decide to meet up. I didn't know what they'd say and I didn't the energy, so I skipped to their conversation-- 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Also, I was skimming through case 1-5 again and I noticed that Miles was actually very open and communicative about what he was feeling and going through. Even Phoenix (and everyone tbh) noticed how badly Miles was suffering. They saw it with their own eyes, too. I hear a lot of people in the fandom talk about how Miles doesn't communicate his feelings at all, so I was surprised to see that.

Although it doesn't excuse Miles hurting his friends, it made me understand more of why Miles probably felt alone and had to deal with his problems himself. It'd be hard to trust people/ask for help when they've either betrayed you in some of the worst ways possible, ignored you, minimized your feelings, or is a literal child. I love Lana, but imo she was probably one of the worst person at the time to be the one telling Miles to trust people. From Miles' POV she just betrayed and traumatized him, so I find it hard to think that Miles could listen to her about trust even if he wanted to.

Even with Phoenix. They're not close at this time and so far, no fault on Phoenix, Miles hasn't had many good experiences with Phoenix in adulthood. Yes, Phoenix solved DL-6, which Miles seems really grateful for, but he leaves Miles to deal with the aftermath alone. Of course, it's hard to know how to help someone suffering with trauma. (I really don't like the whole "saving" Miles from his trauma, cuz you can't just do that?? Like they both say that... 🤨) Regardless, Miles didn't really have anyone he felt like he could trust there. At least according to the games, Phoenix drops everything because Maya left. He didn't get in contact with Miles until case 1-5. Throughout the OG trilogy, Phoenix thinks a lot of things, but rarely says them out loud to comfort/reassure his friends. It's common for people to be uncomfortable with having to verbally comfort others so they choose to not say anything at all, but that will have its consequences, too.

I like to think that they did apologize to each other or something. Phoenix seems to put in more effort to verbally show his concern and comforts Miles. He even thought about "hugging it out" with Miles when he thought that Miles would need it. That scene was so cute 🥺

I get that realistically, a lot of people struggle with proper communication, but people have the ability to learn and grow, so I want to portray these characters with that in mind. They don't have to be perfect, but they don't have to be completely toxic either. I like it when characters like each other (romantically or platonically) and actually show it. Which I do notice that AA portrays a lot! I do think the characters could be a bit harsh to each other for no reason, too, but that's just me cuz I'm sensitive-- 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ lol I haven't gotten into AJAA yet, but I did see some scenes. I love how Miles and Phoenix could just have random conversations now. They seem so much more comfortable with each other than the earlier games. I want to see more of how the all of the characters' relationships changed over time throughout the games! 😆🤲 (Might take forever cuz my brain is already bursting with just part of the 1st trilogy)

If you have read until here, thank you for your time! As always, I love seeing people's interpretations/thoughts, so that's why I want to share mine, too. If you want to share your thoughts on this post, feel free to do so! Just please be respectful 👍

[velvetures]

Helluuuu!! I saw your post about sending requests and mine is actually a really simple one cause I don't have a creative but I just though about a ghost hurt/comfort story

Little Secrets

A/N: So this is very self-indulgent... I hope you don't mind. I think there are quite a few people who struggle with taking meds for depression/anxiety or feel guilty for it. Me included. Hopefully, this helps everyone feel valid, seen, and supported. Summary: Task Force 141 is where you belong. But it doesn't make the work easy by any means. You finally get the help you need and try hiding it. Ghost notices and is the one who sets you straight. T/W: depression/anxiety themes, medication, guilt, insecurity of reader, fem reader, and I'm sure I've missed something, so let me know.

photo by: pedropcl

You couldn't keep fighting it for any longer.

Staring down at the two orange bottles of pills in your hands and the directions packets in the other, you felt like you'd failed despite the psychiatrist you'd spoken to reassure you that this was certainly not a failure. Your brain kept refuting that this was a step in the right direction. Working as a professional and legal murderer should've meant you had no feelings. No failures of regulating your emotions or having such miserable trouble falling asleep at night. That nice woman who'd put the prescription in for you said it would take two to three weeks to see a difference. It felt like no time, yet an eternity all at once. Relief felt so far away, but insignificant compared to other people you often compared your personal struggles with.

You weren't homeless, you could eat without worrying, you had clothes and shoes all of the time, and never needed to wonder if you would have enough money to take care of your responsibilities. Education hadn't been a problem, you were well-respected despite being a woman in such a male-dominated field and kept up with your work extremely well. At least, when your brain decided to deny that you had the ability to do anything. Or... repeatedly try to convince you that nothing you did was worth a damn or actually made you useful. Vicious cycles of fighting with your own brain, knowing that you shouldn't feel or think this way but have no strength or way of stopping. None of the "hacks," meditations, or affirmation bullshit touched that panicky feeling you had mere minutes after laying down at night.

The pills shaking around in your hands were your last resort. And they made you feel so fucking embarrassed as you tucked them in your pockets before entering back into HQ. Praying to god that none of the 141 would see you with them or hear that slight sound of them rattling in their bottles. By grace or luck, you were able to avoid all of them and got back to your quarters to stash them under your bed in a small ammo box repurposed for some personal belongings. The directions you'd thrown away on your drive back, just taking a picture of them for reference and ditching the paper copies so you wouldn't have to keep track of those.

"This better fucking help," You breathe out heavily to yourself.

Staring up at the ceiling and almost dreading having to take one tonight before bed and the other when you wake up the next morning. Daily reminders of how you couldn't be hard and cold like the others. Cool and collected like Gaz, confident like Soap, unaffected like Ghost, or just so very reliable like Price. It made you feel like the weak link needing support. You'd never needed it before, and within two years you'd suddenly realized that your own mind was winning in a fight you'd never even been aware of fighting in the first place.

Keeping all of them in the dark about this would be safest. If they didn't need to question your stability, then it wouldn't feel like such pressure to perform. And hopefully, after a few weeks, things might start to shift a little. Maybe enough to where you could begin sorting out the other problems without the image of a cluttered attic representing the state of your head. Taking care to not raise the alert of the 141 wouldn't be easy. Always noticing everything out of sheer training and sharpened instincts. Having no other good ideas... You just settled on doing everything you could to keep your little secrets under wraps.

In the following couple of days, you’d become adjusted to the routine of taking your medications on the surface level. While the one tasked with easing you anxiety and depression wasn’t going to take effect for quite a while longer the other -a sleeping aid- was definitely making a significant impact. You were able to actually fall asleep and stay that way, problem was, with a couple missions impending in the near future, you were getting concerned that if you took them when you were supposed to -on a schedule- that staying awake would be next to impossible. And if you didn’t take them at all… you didn’t want to deal with the consequences of breaking a much more healthy habit.

And the reason you were so worried about the missions was because of a reoccurring problem that the 141 began finding you falling victim to. Thankfully you were all on leave, making it a lot more acceptable, but they still began walking into different rooms around HQ to see you sleeping soundly. No matter the noise level, temperature in the room, or the space you’d fit yourself into. And no one was quite as intrigued with your sudden change in behavior was the Lieutenant.

Ghost liked things to have order, and often used regiment or habit as a very small form of comfort when he felt that his physical situation was one that could be trusted. And while the others just thought you’d found a new safety in HQ and enjoyed sleeping somewhere safe, Ghost could see that something much different was happening. Your sleeping wasn’t a new habit.

It appeared far too quickly, and you oftentimes didn’t look like you had much control over it. There had already been three times where he’d watched you fall asleep on one of the guys late in the evening without as much as a single attempt to fight the drowsiness. While Ghost didn’t like to think that he cared that much about you, he found himself paying even closer attention to you than he had before.

“There she goes…” Soap chuckled quietly, pointing to you on the couch; head laying in Captain Price’s lap, eyes closed and sleeping deeply with your arms tucked against your chest and lying on your side.

Price had a loving hand on your head, and had been idly petting your hair much like a father would despite being hardly of age to act it. Yet, Ghost felt that Price’s warmth towards you wasn’t the entire reason you had yet again fallen asleep before 11 o’clock. Purposefully he’d been keeping count, and this was the fifth time in a week. More than enough to raise alarm with the others… but he was still waiting silently for someone else to bring it up.

Price chuckled, glancing down at you. “I carried her to bed last time,” His pointed look at each of them was more than enough to guess what he was about to say. “Someone else needs to, otherwise you’ll be voluntold.”

Ghost internally groaned. Not only was that kind of behavior what made people soft, but it also made seeing through the mask of affection far more difficult. But before Soap or Gaz took initiative, the Lieutenant was up on his feet and approaching Price with every intention of being the one to take you back to your quarters. Looks got thrown around the room, and Ghost wasn’t stupid enough to not notice. It was the first time he’d gotten this involved, and there was certainly a spectacle of him picking you up carefully enough to not wake you.

Even though he was quite certain it would take a lot more to get you up than that.

Your door opened up into warm, glowing light from a little lamp you’d left switched on. He catches sight of your quilt on the bed and the little rug that made the polished concrete floors look so much less like the jail cell his own quarters resembled. The whole room smelled like you too. Sweet, and a lot like cinnamon rolls. Probably some type of candle or other smelly thing that you had thought was worth spending money on. Plenty more reasons added to the list of what separates the two of you. Debating your differences or the reason you preferred your quarters smelling like a bakery wasn’t his purpose for bringing you back to your room.

But even with laying you down on your bed and pulling the sheet and blankets over you, Ghost wasn’t seeing any of the possible signs that could lead him to better understand what was going on with you. Nothing is out of place though. Your room is pretty much spotless save for a sleep outfit you’d laid out for tonight, but wouldn’t have the chance to get changed into. And right about the time Ghost decided he’d been looking into your business too much, he bumped into your nightstand.

It knocked something off into the floor, bouncing under the bed and clattering a bit.

Ghost sighed, eyes rolling up towards the ceiling and having quite the frustrating experience of dealing with the sudden responsibility of making sure you were cared for. And that meant picking up whatever shit he’d been too busy watching you, to not knock somewhere under the bed he’d have to fish around and find. So he knelt down and pulled his phone from his pocket and used the flash to spot a tube of chapstick near the bed frame foot.

That, and an ammo box with your initials spray-painted onto the side of it.

Compared to everything else, it didn’t look like it fit amongst the rest of your things. And damn if Ghost didn’t have a sudden gut feeling that it was the reason you’d been sleeping so much. Why you’d been so out of character; Setting his teeth on edge. Reaching out… Ghost grabbed the lip balm and got back to his feet and sit it down on the nightstand where it couldn’t be as easily disturbed again.

“G’night kid.” His whispers fell on your unconscious ears as your Lieutenant dismissed himself from your room and back down to his own space.

***

You woke up in your bed after falling asleep somewhere unintentionally, for the who-knows-which time. Just like before, left in whatever clothes you’d been wearing and all of your blankets tucked up tightly around you. It left a lingering sense of disappointment in yourself. A little pinch of sadness rested like a rock in your stomach. You couldn’t really remember falling asleep to begin with. If you ended up keeping this little habit going, there’d be no doubt you would risk everyone on a mission falling asleep at the drop of a hat.

All because of this damn medicine.

One that you needed to grab from under your bed, and sneak into the kitchen so that you could have some water and food. You'd seen one of the tens of sites -during your research of your pills- that it would help digest it better... whether it actually worked or not wasn't something you could tell. But either way, a doctor had said it, and plenty of people taking it agreed. So you grabbed the pill, shoved it in your pocket, and went out into the kitchen to find a glass.

The floors felt cold even with socks on. And while a steady rain poured from the sky, you were more heated with concern that someone would notice you. Notice your sleeping issues, the way you crawled around in the morning for the first couple hours before the pills began working, or the shady way you hid your face in the refrigerator while swallowing down your medication. Surely the stuff had to be working since you'd not been struggling to get your work done throughout the day. But maybe that was the hard part. Taking pills to fix your head, but needing your brain to recognize whether or not you felt better.

"Oh god help me..." You mutter quietly, searching past Soap's energy drinks and Gaz's revolting jug of green juice to find something you could make for breakfast.

A cabinet door shutting behind you nearly stopped your heart. Seeing Ghost's dark eyes evaluating your reaction didn't make your heart rate drop back to normal either. In his typical day-off wear, a pair of well-worn jeans hung low on his hips and an old SAS t-shirt you'd seen him wear countless times stretched tightly over his chest and shoulders. No doubt he'd been up since four. Quite certain he never actually slept, you wondered momentarily if he could benefit from the sleeping tabs you took. But quickly that got covered in anxiety when his eyebrows furrowed at your expression.

"Nothin' to eat?" He asked with a smooth voice, nodding to the refrigerator door you still held open dumbly.

"N-no... just a bunch of shit drinks." You reply, letting the door shut and noticing that he's got a brown bag with grease spots at the bottom corners. He just nods, looking off into the empty common room. Like he's trying to think of the right way to talk shit about both Gaz and Soap's bad choices in hydration.

"Sit. I've got enough to share." He jerks his head to the other side of the counter, turning that wide back to face you, leaving no room for argument.

You're swallowing down a thick bite of a bagel with god-knows-what in British style as Ghost brews tea. Silently making you a cup as well and standing stiffly with both milk and sugar on the table with the expectancy that you tell him how you like it. Not really unusual behavior from him... typically you get along just fine. But it's the fact that he watches so heavily.

"Just sugar, please." You say through a mouthful, covering your mouth with your hand.

He nods, but then starts putting the sugar in, mentioning something about fucking Americans before sliding the mug closer to you with a couple of fingers. Those damned eyes are just as observant as ever when you crumple up the finished sandwich before he even steeps his own drink. It made you nervous. Wondering if those pills were helping with your appetite too. The psychiatrist said it could; Something about feeling less stressed can give your body more opportunities to worry about being hungry. It was one of those facts on the medication packet you'd taken pictures of.

"Plans for today, L.t.?" You ask, sipping the tea, eyes grazing over the cup rim as you stare at the back of his head.

Mask rucked up high enough to eat and drink freely he nods his head. Leaning his lower back against the edge of the kitchen counter

and resting one hand back.

“Yeah, you?”

You shake your head uselessly, “No. Maybe some laundry, but I’m not really even due. Wouldn’t be worth the water in the machine.”

He hums lowly, taking a drink of his tea. You can hear his swallow and a steady exhale of air that follows. Whether it’s him cooling off the steaming cup or just breathing, you cant tell. But it’s so steady that you actually mimic the tempo of it. Feeling the way it expands and contracts your lungs smoothly. Almost settling. Much like L.t. himself in that way. Terrifying until you see just how easily you can be around him. He’s always quiet and composed, even when there’s plenty of reasons not to be. You wished it was something you could do too. Maybe it would help the task force if you didn’t have to spend your energy keeping yourself at an unnoticeable level of consistent panic.

“Know anythin’ about cars?”

“No,” You’re quick to add on. “But I can learn fast.”

You watch the way the back of his mask slides down further and how his head tilts from side to side to settle it comfortably. Seeing the rest of the tea get dumped into the sink and his own sandwich bag get crumpled up. He’s silent as he washes the cups used and methodically cleans up after the pair of you. Even reaching across the counter to swipe a couple of crumbs off your t-shirt with a subtle nod to his own satisfaction.

“I like to hear it,” His hand palmed at the back of your neck. Gently tugging you off the barstool, and grabbing your jacket to toss it to you. “You’re comin’ with me then.”

Learning about cars actually became quite easy… when Ghost was teaching.

He explained the parts clearly, what his goal was, and didn’t get pissed when you handed him the wrong size socket wrench on the first try. On the other end, you’d only been working next to him -well, sitting on the wheel well- for a couple of hours when you started getting tired again. Almost helpless to your own frustration, you yawned. Fighting the sleepy feeling valiantly, and taking as detailed of mental notes as possible while watching Ghost’s greased knuckles tighten a bracket holding his master cylinder in place. Surely it was a cosmic joke. L.t. was fixing his brakes, and it felt like someone had stomped on yours.

“Hand me that,” He muttered, head stuck down in a gap between his engine block and alternator, still effortlessly pointing at a pair of channellocks. “And get in for me.”

You did as he asked, yawning one more time. Trying to blame your sudden exhaustion on the rain pelting the metal roof above you. Sliding into the back of the car and kicking off your boots to let them rest on the concrete floor outside of it. Attempting to be polite by not getting any dirty spots on the mats of the -very original- DB4 GT Aston he’d given you trust to even sit in. The leather seats help you glide into the driver’s seat, giving you a very slim look at Ghost through the gap in the hood.

“What exactly am I doing in here?” You ask, loud enough so that he can hear you.

It prompts his head to pop up from inside the engine bay, giving you those same, observant eyes from earlier. He looks back down, reaches in and taps on something harshly, then looks back to you.

“Roll it over.”

The car starts effortlessly. Practically purring under you, and echoing in the metal hangar making it sound all the more ruggedly beautiful. The whole car hums, and as you watch Ghost go back to focusing on something in front of him, you feel the heat come through the dash. It’s a perfect storm that lulls you even closer to sleep. A dangerous thing, considering the one man who could figure out what was wrong with you was the only one close enough to see. Hell, you weren’t even sure he didn’t already have it figured out, and wasn’t planning some way to tell Price about it and have you removed from the task force.

Unfit for duty.

You could just picture it now. Red pen in Price’s handwriting detailing your medications and how it was grounds from honorable discharge. Perfectly common in the military, but it felt like death in your hazy mind.

Not that you could fight it for much longer.

Because by the time the Lieutenant had finished his little bit of work, he came into sight of you, slumped over in his driver’s seat with you lips parted and your arms wrapped around yourself. Nothing short of a pretty sight for sore eyes. His car had damn near rocked you sleep, and for once, Ghost felt his heart couldn’t take the feeling of waking you up. He’d watched you all morning. Gauging your reactions, your lack of conversation, and the way you tried to keep from showing him any sign of being tired. Initially he wanted to be angry. Mad that you were hiding something from the team… from him. But seeing you sleeping there, he knew there was a fight in your head. A fight he knew well. So he left you there to sleep.

Turning off the engine to keep from filling the garage with exhaust, but pulling up one of the small space heaters close to the open door to keep you from getting cold while he worked. Making small adjustments, looking over future jobs, and even entertaining the thought of adjusting you over in the seat a little bit so that he could drive-test his handiwork. But that didn’t come, because Soap arrived with a grin on his face and no idea that you were sleeping.

Until Ghost told him to lower his goddamn voice.

“Sleepin’ again bonnie?” Soap chuckled to himself, looking at you before back to Ghost. “How long’s she been out?”

Ghost shrugged, “Few hours.” Really he hadn’t been watching the clock; far too comfortable to concern himself with it.

“I know you’ve been tryin’ to figure it out,” He started back, resting his hands on the hood. “Why she’s doin’ this so much. Have ya’?”

Ghost shook his head. “No. Not yet, but I’m not concerned.”

Johnny laughed softly, slapping Ghost on the back and beginning to walk away. “I never took you for the type to be worried, L.t.. But since you’re so reassurin’ I’ll take it t’heart.”

Any way Ghost came at that statement, he felt himself on the end of a losing battle. Maddening. Losing a fight wasn’t in his nature. Even if that meant he had to take some of the most fucked up torture to reach it. But what bothered him more than Soap knowing he was concerned about you was the knowing you weren’t okay.

Days out in the field were bad enough. But when they got worse, you were always there. And maybe you didn’t feel much better than he did, yet you always held softness. For everyone. For him. A kind of understanding and acceptance that wasn’t required, or exactly approved of in this line of work. You could keep a secret better than anyone he knew, and while he didn’t burden you with a single one of his, there was always the foreign comfort in being able to come with them if he wanted to. Hiding your own feelings wasn’t right though.

Selfish maybe. Thinking it was okay to linger in his own issues and still demand you give him yours.

But hiding behind his rank and position over you meant he could make that kind of decision without any questioning. A type of don’t fucking ask why that saved him face when carrying you from his car back to your room after you still hadn’t woken up nearly seven hours after passing out in his car. Shouldering open the door just like the night before, he expected to see nothing out of place. The same lip balm on the side table, the same rug, and maybe a different night shirt since you’d mentioned doing laundry. But there was something out of place. And damn if it didn’t make his gut twist up in a ugly kind of feeling. One he’d not felt in years, but certainly recognized as soon as he spotted the orange pill bottle sitting on your bed.

It made sense.

The sleeping. The different behavior. The reason you’d practically swallowed a whole fucking sandwich for breakfast when a cup of tea would typically be all you stomached until afternoon. And thank god… you were finally starting to look a bit fuller. Getting prettier every day, and he finally had something to place the blame on. All hesitations about you being able to handle the upcoming missions faded once he got a good look at the bottle. A medication, funnily enough, that Ghost was well-acquainted with. It wasn’t part of his own personal line-up in his medicine cabinet, but it was one he’d taken for a while.

You’d been in need of some help, and luckily for you, it hadn’t been nearly as hard for you to get help as it had been for him. Actually asking for what you needed -and while frustrating- decided to try and manage it without anyone else’s knowledge. Ghost couldn’t think of a better scenario. Realizing that the only thing he needed to know about was your side effects, and how to best manage them alongside you. Thank fuck you weren’t sick… well… sick in a way that someone couldn’t help you with. A way that he couldn’t help.

So, he sit down in on the floor in your room and waited.

Your wake-up call came in the form of sleepy eyes opening to see the massive silhouette of Ghost sitting in your floor. Dark eyes much softer than you’d expected, and a much more concerning sight of your pill bottle resting in his massive hand. A sight that sat you up ramrod straight in your bed, gasping softly and staring at him with wide eyes.

“Don’t tell Price.” You sputter, rushing to get the words out of your mouth. Terrified that he’s going to get up and run out the door. Just sitting long enough to let you get a good look at his plan before exposing you to the Captain as some sick kind of satisfaction.

His eyes narrow a little, “Don’t tell Price?” His voice sounds hoarse. “Don’t tell Price?”

It sounds that much more broken and gritty when he repeats it. Standing up to meet you a bit more level, fisting the pills in his hand, and lightly making them shake. He can’t understand your fear. Completely blind to the fact that -much like him- you’re fearful of being shamed. Misunderstood for it. Or worse. Ghost can’t recognize why you’re looking at him as if he’s going to be the reason your life ends. When in all reality, you don’t see how he’s trying to figure out why you didn’t feel safe coming to him.

“You’ve been takin’ these… fallin’ asleep on everyone, and-and struggling for who knows how the fuck long…” It’s hard for Ghost to keep his tone even, thinking about it. “Why didn’t you tell me. you should’ve told me. Said something. Anything.”

Caving in on itself, your chest burns. Eyes locked on his and scanning every confusing moment of emotion and each shift as it comes and goes.

“You wouldn’t…”

Ghost takes a fast step closer, “I wouldn’t what?” His hand drops the pills on the bed and quickly grabs your face, soft fingers pressing into your jaw. “I wouldn’t get it? I wouldn’t do what you needed me to? Wouldn’t let you sleep on me?”

Your lips open in surprise at the softness in him. All of him. The gentleness of his fingers, how his eyes lay silkily on you. Even his voice, falling so softly despite it’s rough tone and deep sound, feels like he’s terrified of you being scared away from him. Like that gentle hold on your face is all he can manage, and he’d rather do anything other than let you pull away from it.

“You have to know…” he starts weakly. “You have to know that - that I would do… anything you needed me to. Anything to make this easier for you. Even somethin’ small, I’d do it for you, honey.”

reblogs & comments are appreciated 🤎

[incisors-galore]

Easy Paper and Tape Stencil Tutorial

made one for reddit so I might as well post it here as well

Materials

writing utensil (pen, pencil, marker, etc)

paper (i usually use plain printer paper but most other scrap paper works fine as well, just be aware that thicker paper makes it harder to trace existing designs/logos)

clear packing tape

scissors and/or exacto knife (those little scissors you can get in cheap nail care kits work great

Optional Materials: Device w/ screen of your choice, printer

Step 1:

Draw out your design, trace from device, or print out design

(in example image I am tracing from a screen)

r/AnarchoStencilism (Deviantart link if you prefer) is great for free stencil designs

Step 2:

Cover both sides (front and back) of the design in packing tape

Step 3:

Cut it out

Step 4:

Use your exacto knife/scissors to cut out the design

Step 4:

Apply to whatever you want!

Happy DIYing!

[the-bus-called-graveyard-8]

can you show your entire madagascar collection?? sorry if you already showed it 😭

Sorry to sit on this ask for so long anon!! But I've finally sat down and photographed everything I've got! Turns out, there was a lot. So without further ado:

Long, picture-heavy post ahead. Image descriptions in the post body. Click for better image quality.

DVDs & DVD extras

Madagascar 1-3 + Penguins of Madagascar

Merry Madagascar, Party with the Penguins, and Madly Madagascar

The Penguins of Madagascar, Operation: DVD Premiere, New to the Zoo, Happy King Julien Day, Operation: Get Ducky, Operation: Blowhole, and Operation: Special Delivery

Operation: Video Fun (cereal box prize! It has two episodes on it, off the top of my head I want to say they were "What Goes Around" and "Snakehead!") and Operation: Search and Rescue (redbox ebay buy, I think it has six or eight season two episodes)

Marty's Rainbow Wig (Mada3 bonus)

2 Poppin' Penguins wind up toys (PoM Blu-ray bonus)

Video Games

Mada1 for GameCube, Mada2, Mada3, PoM and Madagascar Kartz for Wii, TPoM, TPoM: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again and Madagascar Kartz for NintendoDS, and Operation: Penguin for GameBoy Advance

Literature

Mada 1-3 + PoM movie novelizations

Madagascar: It's A Zoo In Here!, Madagascar Little Golden Book, Meet the Penguins!, Fish Happens: Words of Wisdom from the Penguins

Mada2, Mada3, PoM Concept Art books

Two Feet High and Rising, Skipper's Log, Elite Strike Force, King Julien's Guide to Ruling the Zoo, Banana-palooza

Learn to Draw Madagascar, two Penguins of Madagascar sticker and activity books

Mada2, Mada3, and four TPoM coloring books

DreamWorks My Busy Book (also features Shrek and Kung Fu Panda

Comic Books

Operation: Wonder from Down Under parts 1 &2, Operation: Weakest Link, TPoM Comics issues 1&2

DreamWorks Madagascar issues 1-4 + Madagascar 3: Long Live the King

Five Penguins of Madagascar comics + 1 book compilation When in Rome...

Misc. Paper Stuffs

Penguins birthday card

Three issues of Nick Mag featuring Madagascar, a few cut-outs from other issues, and a one-page ad for DirecTV featuring Mada3

Mada3 2013 calendar, Madagascar Magic Pen book, two paper Skipper figurines

three boxes of Valentines (two Mada3, one PoM)

two boxes of Mada themed cereal and two boxes of Mada themed fruit snacks

PoM puffy 3D stickers, Madagascar The Musical button set (featuring Alex, Marty, the Penguins and King Julien)

Toys and Collectibles

Skipper Happy Feet plush, King Julien Tsum Tsum plush, mini Skipper plush w/mini Meet the Penguin book (I also have a King Julien plush that is packed away somewhere I didn't feel like digging out)

TPoM Return to the Habitat board game, TPoM Clementoni Impossible Puzzle, TPoM Kidz Cards (I got shorted buying this; it was supposed to have Go Fish as well but I only got Crazy 8s), TPoM Uno

Five Madagascar figurines of Alex, Marty, King Julien, Gloria and Melman

Ten various Mada McDonald's toys

Cake toppers and rings that the baker at the local grocery store gave to me

My birthday cake from 2016, PoM themed of course (I still have the toppers, the cake is obviously gone lol)

Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private Funko Pops

Super Spy Penguins Hallmark Keepsake ornament

Apparel

Disguise Master baby Penguins shirt (Zazzle.com, no longer available), I Like to Move It Move It King Julien shirt (ebay), caroling Penguins shirt (Zazzle.com, I think this one is still available)

two TPoM kids backpacks, King Julien Loungfly bag

Miscellaneous

Penguins kids drink cup, TPoM Activity Coloring Roll

PoM ice cube molds

Skipper shaped flash drive, PoM keychain

TPoM inflatable punching bag

TPoM kite (I think I still have the actual kite, if my mom didn't get rid of it without telling me, but it's unfortunately broken)

TPoM decal sticker I made in Web Design class in high school and never stuck to anything

TPoM Hot Wheels car

PoM movie poster (torn and wrinkled and stained from mounting putty because I never put it in a frame lol)

And I think that's everything! I'd love to someday have enough space to actually put all this stuff out on display. We're moving next year so maybe 👀

Things I'd like to get someday

the last three TPoM DVDs I'm missing

Mada soundtrack CDs

Mada1 on VHS tape (just for funsies)

the comic books I'm missing (several)

Madagascar Sorry! board game

an autograph from Tom McGrath

[hayhayter]

╭──────────•°•Pronouns•°•──────────╮

•°•------------She/Her-----------•°•

╰────────────────✩────────────────╯

╭────────────•°•Age•°•─────────────╮

•°•---------25 years old---------•°•

╰────────────────✩────────────────╯

╭──────────•My birthday•───────────╮

•°•---------September 10---------•°•

╰────────────────✩────────────────╯

꒷꒦꒷︶˚︶︶꒷꒦˚꒦꒷︶˚︶︶꒷꒦˚︶˚︶︶꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷︶˚︶

╔Common Q and A’s╗

•°•---✧*̥Can I use your art?*̥˚✧---•°•

You can repost my works on other platforms, but the mention of this account is tablet as the source of the image.

But if your using it for a profit based marketing - contact me.

•°•✧*̥˚ What drawing programs do you use? *̥˚✧•°•

----------SAI Tool Paint 2.0--------

•°•---✧*̥˚Materials to draw?*̥˚✧---•°•

-------------GAOMON m106k-----------

-------------Plain paper-----------

•°•-✧*̥˚ Is it possible to order commissions?*̥˚✧-•°•

YES (click here to see information)

•°•✧*̥˚Where else can I see your art?*̥˚✧•°•

-------------X (Twitter)------------

--------------Telegram------------------------------bsky----------------

✧--*̥˚Where else can I find you besides Tumblr?*̥˚--✧

In fact, I rarely sit anywhere, but I can leave a link to my Steam (add me, don't be shy 🤙🏻 )

╚═══(⸝⸝⸝╸w╺⸝⸝⸝)══╝

[sunshine-lollipops-and-maples]

Chapters: 1/3 • Rating: T • Chapter word count: 2222

Relationships: Park Jongseong | Jay/Yang Jungwon

Additional Tags: Fluff, Soulmate AU, is it really au if theyre soulmates irl?, jk theres magical skin sharing in this of course its au, Idol Park Jongseong | Jay, Non-Famous Yang Jungwon, Fan Yang Jungwon, Getting Together, Rating May Change, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Summary:

It happened one fateful day as Jungwon attended the fansign of his favourite idol, Jay.

His soulmate never wrote back to him. The doodles on his skin went unanswered every time he tried.

But, as he sat across Jay, a horrifying realisation came over him—their doodles looked identical.

Read Chapter 1 under the cut:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

It seemed like all everyone wanted to talk about was soulmates, and quite frankly Jungwon was tired of it.

When he was five his grandma told him how everyone in this world had their other half, who would understand you with a single look, who loved you unconditionally. The one person whose destiny is linked to yours. And the best part was your skin was linked to their skin – every ink smear or paint smudge appeared on the others, so did every paper cut, or bruise. In the same place they had put or left theirs.

"But wouldn't that hurt?"

"No, they would only appear like an image, it wouldn’t be a real bruise. You also can't wash it away, the other would have to wash theirs or it would disappear with time."

"When will I get my soulmate?"

"That depends. Usually, you can start writing to your soulmate when you start going to school."

‘Start going to school’ his ass, Jungwon's soulmate looks to be the most loner kid ever. Heck, even Sooha, one of his terribly bullied classmates who sits by herself in the corner in every class frequently doodles to her soulmate. Jungwon's soulmate just doesn't want to decorate their skin apparently. Not in their style , or whatever.

He knows they're capable to draw and write, he's found a couple doodles on his skin over the years, ones he knows he didn't draw himself, but in the grand scheme of things he might as well haven't gotten anything for how big of a craze the soulmate stuff seems to be in the middle schooler life and just how empty his arms look most of the time.

And yeah, sure, Jungwon could initiate some communication with his soulmate more, but he’s tried that. Multiple times. And at some point it became blatantly obvious that his soulmate just simply wanted nothing to do with him.

Which is how he's found himself a mutual. Kim Sunoo last communicated with his soulmate in second grade, four years before he transferred to Jungwon's school when they found themselves in a bare-armed pact. While Jungwon's soulmate seemed to just ignore him, Sunoo was in a completely different boat. After a couple doodles he had done on his hand in second grade, his soulmate had responded with "don't write, it hurts. sorry" and Sunoo's mum had to explain that his soulmate appeared to have a rare genetic condition known as soulmate allergy.

So there they were, two friends who would rather discuss the morning cartoons than what their weddings with soulmates will be like. And quite frankly that seemed more fun.

Cartoons turned to comics, comics turned to K-pop. Jungwon was sure if he had become friends with any other boy, he wouldn’t have a shelf dedicated to very handsome idols’ albums at the ripe age of 20, but here he was. It’s not like he was dragged into this either. He knew very well that following Sunoo’s interests to spend more time with him likely entailed becoming just as much interested in the hobby as the other.

At first, K-pop seemed so interesting Jungwon did consider the idol life himself. Being on stage, traveling the world, seeing fans— it seemed so nice. On paper anyway. After a couple of years and a company change, he decided it was more fun to watch from the sidelines than be the player. So, he left. 

Being in K-pop or even just a fan of it might’ve not been his life calling or plan, but it has been amazing so far. Jungwon was not as crazy about idols as Sunoo was, or really, as crazy as the average fan seemed to be. For the most part, he was just a casual listener, accompanying his friends to concerts and buying a couple of albums every now and then. He'd been a listener for years but there was only one person he'd consider himself an actual fan of.

Soloist Jay.

Which is who, on this rather cool April afternoon, he was attending a fansign of. Somehow the stars aligned perfectly and Jungwon won a fansign for the only idol he really cared about.

His first fansign. He couldn’t be more thrilled. Just a couple of people in the line before him and then he will get his chance to finally talk to his idol. He didn't consider himself a fanboy, to be fair, he just enjoyed Jay's songs more than other groups or soloists. Still—being here, a few meters away from him, was exciting.

Just as he thought there was nothing to ruin this perfect day, Jungwon felt a tickling feeling on the back of his left palm. As he looked down, a small grey star appeared next to a heart that had appeared a few minutes prior. Nice , he thought, although it was very, very not nice. It's doodling hour.

Every now and then Jungwon's soulmate would have what he called ‘The Doodling Hour’, when Jungwon’s hands would get decorated with the simplest little drawings. They'd appear periodically for around an hour and then be washed away. The doodling hours started only a few years ago but other than that development there were still no other attempts made to communicate with Jungwon.

Ignoring Jungwon’s doodles for all these years only to adorn his skin now in his twenties. It seemed like all the times his soulmate didn’t answer to him had been piled up and sent at once like the album group orders international fans organised.

As much as the whole soulmate thing annoyed Jungwon, he still found his heart warm up seeing the drawings appear at last, kind of like a small reassurance that his soulmate was still alive and well, even though he wasn't interested in meeting them.

But now was simply not the time. He was about to meet Jay for God's sake .

Now he was just third in line and another doodle appeared on the skin. A star, a heart and now a small four-petal flower mapped on his hand, and Jungwon wished he had worn one of his oversized hoodies that could hide them. For some reason it felt intimate to have his soulmate's doings presented for the world to see. For Jay to see. Somehow that seemed inappropriate.

With worry all over his mind he didn't realise the two people before him had left and it was his turn to finally meet Jay. He sat down, clearing his thoughts to focus on what he pictured as the highlight of his year, probably.

A shaky greeting escaped his mouth, and he mentally cursed himself. There goes all his cool and collected "not a fanboy" image.

"Hello," Jay casually greeted back, which took some nerves off Jungwon. "Are you okay? You looked like you had something on your mind."

Oh, there really was something on his mind. Not that he would vent this to his ult, but all his thoughts occupied at that moment was his soulmate. His stupid soulmate with their stupid doodles .

"Don't worry about it it's-" Jungwon suddenly stopped as his glace landed on Jay's hand. His question, though very sweet of him to check in on him, made Jungwon subconsciously look at Jay's hand. There, in an eerily similar arrangement laid a star, a heart and a simple flower and his mind turned even hazier. How did his stupid soulmate manage to print the same doodles on Jay’s hand too? "Wha- what's that?"

"Huh?" Jay looked down to where Jungwon was staring. "Oh, that's a common role-play thing people like to do with idols on fansigns when they ask to do the same doodle in the same place as theirs, so it looks like we're soulmates."

Jay’s voice made his mind calm down a little. Well as little as realising Park Jongseong, his favourite artist, had the same soulmate doodles in the same places as his did. The textbook soulmate test.

Truly no big deal at all.

Jungwon didn't know what to do in this situation. Surely this means what he thinks it means; Jay was his soulmate. How else would he have the same doodles in the same places?

Jungwon was usually quick to find a solution, but this time was far from a normal situation. So, he did the only thing he could think of - pushing his arm a little forward so Jay could see it and make the decision himself.

That seemed to work. Jay looked down to Jungwon's hand, and immediately glanced back up to Jungwon as the realisation settled in. The moment of shock in his eyes quickly disappeared however and Jay went back to what sounded like a rehearsed line.

"Here, I can show you."

Jungwon was glad at least one of them had thought about this possibility. On second thought, it made perfect sense, however. As an artist, your soulmate is either someone who knows you or who doesn't know you, and either in the industry or not, so you need to know how to act and what to do if you meet them and they're a fan. Honestly the company probably teaches them how to deal with this when they are trainees.

Jay takes the marker next to him and starts drawing a simple cat face on the inside of his own palm. Jungwon slightly opens his own palm and feels his cheeks heat up as he sees grey lines magically appear on his own skin, in real time in the same way Jay moves the marker in his hand, and now he's one hundred percent sure this is real; Jay is his soulmate. He looks back at Jay’s drawing. For such a simple doodle he manages to move the marker so elegantly and efficiently, like he's practiced this before, although Jungwon can't seem to remember ever seeing a cat doodle on his skin.

When Jay is done, he asks Jungwon for his hand and when he opens and sees the same kitty design just slightly greyer, he watches Jay inhale as the conformation settles in his mind too. Jay takes the marker and starts drawing but Jungwon never feels the cool wet marker touch his skin. Instead, Jay traces over the drawing in the air, and the lack of reaction makes Jungwon understand it's Jay's way of saying do not say it out loud, act like you are a fan just like the rest of them.

Jay closes the marker, leans back and smiles at Jungwon. "There, now we are soulmates."

"Yeah, thanks," Jungwon answers back, trying to follow Jay's ‘act normal’ request. Surprisingly that helps him remember what he initially wanted to do during his fansign. He takes out his copy of Jay's latest album and slides it forward. "Can you sign my album, please?"

"Sure thing." Jay takes the album and opens it, looking back at Jungwon. "Any favourite photos in the photobook I can write a special message on?"

Jungwon takes the sign. He might not have a favourite photo, but this might be one of the only ways the two of them can communicate truly privately at least at this time. So he makes one up on the spot. "The motorbike one." 

"Good choice, good choice." Jay says and flips the booklet open on said page where he scribbles something. "What's your favourite song?"

Jay then closed the book and as he signed the front cover, he continued to ask Jungwon questions surrounding him being a fan. In turn Jungwon told him how big of a comfort Jay and his music have been to him and they fell into a conversation similar to what he has seen on other fansign videos. Minus the constant glances he gives to the doodles on Jay's hand.

Soon—too soon—the time is up and Jungwon is rushed to finish up. He stands up from the chair and waves a goodbye with the doodled hand. Jay returns the wave, a cat face on his palm meeting his own mirrored. He hopes their cats get to meet again soon.

When he walks out of the building he stops and takes it in. He was too dizzy back there and now with the cool spring air breezing through the busy street, his no less busy thoughts finally slow down and he notes the most important revelations.

One, singer Park Jongseong, also known as Jay, is the sweetest person on this planet, and also happens to be super professional. (Well, to be fair, Jungwon already knew that but it's good to have it confirmed in real life with a great example of handling a life-changing moment in public.)

Two, the very sweet and professional singer Park Jongseong, also known as Jay, is his soulmate. Jungwon's skin is linked with his favourite artist's skin. And for the first time in his life he thinks, maybe the whole soulmate thing wasn't so bad.

He walks to his motorcycle he parked a block away. Placing his backpack on it he took out the freshly signed album, caressing over the marker lines before flipping the photobook to the special message Jay left on the motorcycle pic he was yet to see.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Three, the very sweet and professional singer Park Jongseong, also known as Jay, who was apparently his soulmate, had left his phone number.

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 22, 2024

The influence of natural image statistics on upright orientation judgements. A-Izzeddin, E. J., Mattingley, J. B., & Harrison, W. J. (2024). Cognition, 242, 105631.

Noradrenaline tracks emotional modulation of attention in human amygdala. Bang, D., Luo, Y., Barbosa, L. S., Batten, S. R., Hadj-Amar, B., Twomey, T., … Montague, P. R. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 5003-5010.e6.

Diverse mechanisms of taste coding in Drosophila. Dweck, H. K. M., & Carlson, J. R. (2023). Science Advances, 9(46).

Goal-Dependent Hippocampal Representations Facilitate Self-Control. Edelson, M. G., & Hare, T. A. (2023). Journal of Neuroscience, 43(46), 7822–7830.

Reliable population code for subjective economic value from heterogeneous neuronal signals in primate orbitofrontal cortex. Ferrari-Toniolo, S., & Schultz, W. (2023). Neuron, 111(22), 3683-3696.e7.

Need for cognition moderates the relief of avoiding cognitive effort. Gheza, D., Kool, W., & Pourtois, G. (2023). PLOS ONE, 18(11), e0287954.

Developmental changes in exploration resemble stochastic optimization. Giron, A. P., Ciranka, S., Schulz, E., van den Bos, W., Ruggeri, A., Meder, B., & Wu, C. M. (2023). Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1955–1967.

Early visual experience refines the retinotopic organization within and across visual cortical regions. Heitmann, C., Zhan, M., Linke, M., Hölig, C., Kekunnaya, R., van Hoof, R., … Röder, B. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4950-4959.e4.

Hippocampal neurons code individual episodic memories in humans. Kolibius, L. D., Roux, F., Parish, G., Ter Wal, M., Van Der Plas, M., Chelvarajah, R., … Hanslmayr, S. (2023). Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1968–1979.

Judging the difficulty of perceptual decisions. Löffler, A., Zylberberg, A., Shadlen, M. N., & Wolpert, D. M. (2023). eLife, 12, e86892.3.

Against cortical reorganisation. Makin, T. R., & Krakauer, J. W. (2023). eLife, 12, e84716.

Complex spikes perturb movements and reveal the sensorimotor map of Purkinje cells. Muller, S. Z., Pi, J. S., Hage, P., Fakharian, M. A., Sedaghat-Nejad, E., & Shadmehr, R. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4869-4879.e3.

Periodic attention deficits after frontoparietal lesions provide causal evidence for rhythmic attentional sampling. Raposo, I., Szczepanski, S. M., Haaland, K., Endestad, T., Solbakk, A.-K., Knight, R. T., & Helfrich, R. F. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4893-4904.e3.

Neural landscape diffusion resolves conflicts between needs across time. Richman, E. B., Ticea, N., Allen, W. E., Deisseroth, K., & Luo, L. (2023). Nature, 623(7987), 571–579.

Variational log‐ Gaussian point‐process methods for grid cells. Rule, M. E., Chaudhuri‐Vayalambrone, P., Krstulovic, M., Bauza, M., Krupic, J., & O’Leary, T. (2023). Hippocampus, 33(12), 1235–1251.

Preserved neural dynamics across animals performing similar behaviour. Safaie, M., Chang, J. C., Park, J., Miller, L. E., Dudman, J. T., Perich, M. G., & Gallego, J. A. (2023). Nature, 623(7988), 765–771.

A thalamo‐parietal cortex circuit is critical for place‐action coordination. Simmons, C. M., Moseley, S. C., Ogg, J. D., Zhou, X., Johnson, M., Wu, W., … Wilber, A. A. (2023). Hippocampus, 33(12), 1252–1266.

Neural mechanisms to incorporate visual counterevidence in self-movement estimation. Tanaka, R., Zhou, B., Agrochao, M., Badwan, B. A., Au, B., Matos, N. C. B., & Clark, D. A. (2023). Current Biology, 33(22), 4960-4979.e7.

The shared and unique neural correlates of personal semantic, general semantic, and episodic memory. Tanguay, A. F., Palombo, D. J., Love, B., Glikstein, R., Davidson, P. S., & Renoult, L. (2023). eLife, 12, e83645.

Temporally specific patterns of neural activity in interconnected corticolimbic structures during reward anticipation. Young, M. E., Spencer-Salmon, C., Mosher, C., Tamang, S., Rajan, K., & Rudebeck, P. H. (2023). Neuron, 111(22), 3668-3682.e5.

[iscariotblues]

trying to get on studyblr before this website goes caput

intro to my inks and pens!

⛧ inks: noodlers heart of darkness, diamine tyrian purple, wearingeul zemyna

⛧ pens: twsbi eco, lamy safari, noodlers eyedropper pen

currently rocking zemyna in the twsbi, tyrian purple in the lamy, and noodlers ink in the noodlers pen

⛧ reading: anti-oedipus by gilles deleuze and felix guattari (pdf linked at bottom of post); working on a final paper on madness, schizoanalysis, and black metal

note: this pdf has some scanning errors from the image converter the creator used but is legible. some page numbers are annoying later in the book

⛧ pick: dunlop big stubby 3.0 mm

⛧ planner is a mossery undated planner w stickerssss

[sinnabum45]

Astra meets Kirisaki 👁👁

Links to help Palestine and other resources! 🇵🇸

Free commissions if you donate!

[Plain text: Links to help Palestine and other resources! (palestine flag). Free commissions if you donate! End plain text.]

[Image description: colored comic of characters from Ultraman: Astra and Kirisaki (Tregear’s human form).

Page one: Astra is visiting Earth in his human form. He is excitedly walking around a shopping district holding a bag over his shoulder. Text: “Wow! I’m so glad I get to visit Earth. No wonder why big brother Leo likes it here so much! Humans have really cute stuff!” Astra walks into an alleyway while looking at a piece of paper with directions. Astra thinks: “Umm… I think the shop is right through this alleyway.” Kirisaki appears behind Astra, smirking. Kirisaki: “ Hm? I didn’t expect to meet any Ultras here.” Astra is startled.

Page two: Astra turns around and confronts Kirisaki. Astra: “Huh?! W-Who are you…?” Kirisaki approaches Astra while keeping eye contact, “It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Kirisaki laughs while his eyes flicker red and says, “You can call me Kirisaki.” Astra is on guard and suspicious of him. End of comic.

Page three: An info sheet for Astra and Kirisaki. Full body chibi of Astra in his human form. Text: “Astra

- 10, 000 years old

- Leo's younger twin brother

I liked his human design from the manga-he's very cute.

In this comic, he wanted to visit Earth for fun since he's only been there to help leo fight I HC that Astra is drawn to colorful, pretty, and cute things.”

Kirisaki’s full body chibi is at the bottom of the page. Text: “Kirisaki (Tregear)

- 12, 000 years old

- A little fucked up

- obsessed with Taro (canon)

I imagine this takes place in the 12 years of Taiga being on Earth, so Tregear is just wandering. He's bored, basically. (LOL)”

End description.]

What if they become friends or something— 😳👉👈 (They would definitely fight each other) LOL

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

Staycation party at the Celyn Private Resort in Calamba, Laguna (w/ my paper dolls) - Part 4 (FINALE) [Recorded: Jun 11th, 2023]

Hello March! 👒🌷 I'm... in a slightly good mood albeit, although I'm still in a 'slow recovery' 🐌 🩹🧠. BUT don't worry, I'll be decently A-Okay. (for now) ☺👌 However, I've got some GOOD NEWS, though to boost my mood. So, stay tune for that.😊 Meanwhile, my drafts uploaded from 2023 are been 1½ years, along with my other snapshots from said year were unshared to my current media. 😥🖼️📲 I have a new batch of snapshots from this year, so I must upload it AS MUCH AS I CAN before I proceed.😣

Nevertheless, this is "Part 4" FINALE of my 2nd Stay (or Staycation) party in Calamba, Laguna. This time, we're at the Celyn Private Resort, featuring my paper dolls! 😁🇵🇭🌴

If you haven't seen my previous staycation party, then I'll provide some links, down below: ↓

• Staycation party at the Xiana & Xanda 2 Resort, Calamba, Laguna - Part 1 [Jan 20th, 2023]

• Stay party at the Xiana & Xanda 2 Resort, Calamba, Laguna - Part 2 [Jan 21st, 2023]

• Staycation party at the Celyn Private Resort in Calamba, Laguna - Part 1 [Recorded: Jun 10th, 2023]

• Staycation party at the Celyn Private Resort in Calamba, Laguna - Part 2 [Recorded: Jun 10th, 2023]

• Staycation party at the Celyn Private Resort in Calamba, Laguna - Part 3 [Recorded: Jun 10th, 2023]

So, without further ado, let's continue:

71st to 72nd Image(s) 📷📲↑:

• Meanwhile, breakfast time! With the classic Hotdog and Rice, a nice hot cup of joe, and a little touch of a Filipino dessert called 'Bico'/'Biko', a traditional sticky rice cake! My favorite! 🌭🍚☕🍰🍴😋

73rd to 77th Image(s) 📷📲↑:

• Ah! See what I mean?! 😃 However, few fam members were dipping in the kids' pool. Plus, the sprinklers were 'On'. As for the slide from the other side, I try it many times, and it never gets old; fun and short. 🙂👍 My Paper dolls, on the other hand, like I said they rather want to relaxed at the nearby lounge chair. Their reaction → "😎".

78th to 80th Image(s) 📷📲↑:

• Few hours later, I'm done swimming, I'm all dressed up for planning to leave.🙂 And while were wait for our closing remarks, let's play a card with my paper dolls! 🃏♠️♣️♥️♦️😊

81st to 86th Image(s) 📷📲↑:

• After that and the aforementioned closing remarks (plus cleaning from our fam members 🧹), it is time for us to leave the resort as the vehicles are ready to roll out. But before we leave, we looked at the sign resort and a few snapshots before we set off to our respective homes! 😊📸📲 Farewell, 'Celyn'! We'll meet again for another special occasion. 👋😄

Overall: • It was an awesome staycation from June of 2023! 😎🏝️ But wait, is this far better than I've went on Jan of 2023? The 'Xiana & Xanda 2 Resort' (which also from Calamba, Laguna)?🤔 Umm... I can't tell which is better, though. 🤷‍♀️ Since, they have respective style of the interior, their swimming pools, and other activities that can spend some time with your friends/families/relatives. I'd say they're both GOOD! 😁👍 However, since 'Celyn' had a slide and a mini basketball on the kiddie pool, this resort wins out over 'Xiana & Xanda 2'. But hey, at least they have hot tub to soothe our body. 😌🧖‍♂️ So overall? 'Celyn' resort is a worthy to spend the night for at least 1 or 2 days! 😊👍 And I bet, the next resort will be another good one! So, I can't wait! 😄

Well, that's the end of my topic! More staycation moments coming up soon!😊

[the-nosy-neighbor]

Black Stuff in Staff Only

Potential spoilers, read at your own risk (though most of this is from the July 2023 update).

Welcome home

Black stuff

What is the black stuff?  I think we first encountered it in either the original document that is a storybook page featuring Julie and siblings, or in the space underneath home.  The original and a lightened copy are below, and definitely has paint smeared on top of it as well as some of the black stuff. 

“All of the paper materials tucked away inside the envelopes we have received are usually crammed together and covered in paint and ink. Despite this, volunteers have both restored and recreated most of what was found on the documents. Below is an example of our work as we extract information from the original document and translate it into a digital state.”—(emphasis mine) About Us

Information about the black stuff from Staff Only:

We know not to touch the black stuff, based on information from W, written to the QA.(interestingly, it seems to say that the QA got all of the stuff that they had to this point, but the information given by W in awayfrompryingeyes seems to indicate that W was holding the weird stuff back)  In the photo we have of the original document (Julie and sibs) they already know or have an instinct to wear gloves when handling the stuff. 

In the letter below, the QA approaches W to let them curate the items, aka clean and preserve them in a way that won’t damage the items, and is told no in no uncertain terms. 

The response to this seemed a bit over the top, but as we have seen, the WHRP members (maybe just W) have reported some kind of influence from the items.  The insinuation here is that the black stuff has lead to a number of symptoms and they are bad symptoms:

“It means it is inside of you too, then, this urge to find it. Our efforts won’t be in vain.”—About us

The statement, “it is inside you too, then,” is an interesting one, because I have always taken it to mean that some mysterious force or unknown evil is spread by touching these things.  It hasn’t been specifically linked to the black stuff, but it seems the obvious choice in “being infected” with Welcome Home.

“To be honest, we were drawn in unexpectedly. All of the information found on this website was extracted from documents that had been uncovered in brightly colored envelopes. We are thankful to be the first to jump start this exciting journey! But it hurts.”—About us

As we have seen above, items received have black stuff on them.  It is after exposure that they become obsessed with solving the mystery of this show (have we been exposed?)  The person above is using gloves, and there are notes in Staff Only about wearing gloves and they are available.  There are also dirty gloves on the table.  I would assume that means that they are taking the necessary precautions. But, these are far more dirty than the exhibit items. (Maybe the gloves were used with the paint roller? At least some of the black stuff appears to have been spread by fingers and hands, based on look.  In addition, you can see two paint cans in the bottom corner of the image. Is this where the paint comes from? It would seem less mysterious with the paint cans there, unless this is the black stuff controlling the QA and staff and making them paint.)  

To begin with, I assumed that people had become lax and were handling them directly, but it is possible that whatever influence is spread, it isn’t through direct touch.  They are asked to return any items with black stuff on them:

“We are overjoyed you have received all of the work we have so far uncovered!  Please take care of it while it is in your possession, but under no circumstances should it be touched with your bare hands.  Please wear gloves:  If a substance begins to grow on anything delivered (?), please place it back in the box it was shipped in and return it to us at your leisure.  If you or anyone on your team experience nausea, dizziness, or fatigue, please don’t be alarmed!”—Staff Only

You can see in the picture below that they have gloves for this purpose.  The letter instructs them to return anything that has growth on it, though they don’t specify what it would look like.  It says not to be alarmed if any of them experience dizziness and fatigue.  I don’t know why the QA would take the risk of the black stuff, and it seems that W knows it is there, potentially there, or that it grows quickly and unexpectedly. 

This particular email has always captured my interest for two reasons:  the content, but also, you can see the black stuff in its physical form.  Where on the paper and walls it looks like ink, this stuff looks/acts more like kudzu (for those that aren’t familiar, an invasive species of ivy native to Japan and other Asian countries that massively took over the American south, also known as “mile a minute” or “the vine that ate the South” from Wikipedia).

In these pictures, you can see instances of the creeping black stuff.  It is all over the staff only room, and on the ceiling in the exhibit space/or back room (I think it is exhibit space).  We can see that this stuff has gotten out of hand and is creeping along. Is this what happens after the inky stuff starts to spread? Or when staff members touch the inky stuff and then touch something else?

As previously discussed, there is a roller on the table, and in some shots you can see what looks like paint cans. This could mean that the roller on the table and the black stuff on the walls are related and it’s just paint.  There are some gloves close by covered in the black stuff as well.  The QA believes someone is punking them, so this could be evidence of that, but who would know enough about this stuff to play that particular prank?

Known symptoms of contact are headache, dizziness, and nausea, and while WHRP says it isn’t anything to worry about, we know that the QA was sick for quite a while, and whether that is physically, mentally, or both is not stated.  I believe paranoia is listed as a symptom as well, with both W and QA experiencing this (as evidenced by their written concerns that someone is tricking them..)

It appears that the QA didn’t take that advice in the email (or is subject to another force), leading to the spread of black stuff.  Given the state of things in the Staff Only room, it would appear that the black stuff has arrived.  This leads me to wonder, can they see it?

What we can extrapolate from all this, is that the black stuff could account for the behavior of the individuals we have seen so far.  The ick, which can be seen underneath Home, and has grown in size during the last year, has stringy bits that reach further and further out. 

(Could this explain why Eddie has his moments of paranoia during the Commercials?  All his increased heartbeat and strange faces, the sweating and feeling disoriented?)

W doesn’t mention the black stuff.  The curator only mentions “more of that stuff is on the walls.”

There is more of that stuff on the walls.  I keep hearing phones ringing.—Staff only, QA’s notes

The association of the black stuff and the ringing has stuck with me as we have progressed. 

It’s probably a not so common reference, but it reminds me of Red vs. Blue, where Tucker keeps getting volunteered to go through the portal.  Tucker comes out covered in black stuff (which I believe he says is carbon.)

I don’t believe it gives Tucker any special powers, just a lot of armor cleaning.  But he is pushed to be the one to go through it, because those kinds of portals have potential consequences.  The rocks they test it with come out black, and they make Tucker do it anyway. (bowchickawowow?)

But the direct reference to more black stuff and the phone is ringing reminded me of W as well.  They hear the phone ringing.  They hear Wally talking sometimes.  W finds themselves seeing things on a TV that they shouldn’t be seeing (hmm…but Eddie specifically), and the QA has a note on the TV that says to replace it ASAP if it gets broken. I can see two different ideas here:  either the QA thinks the TV is broken when it starts playing things it shouldn’t, but also could be a note to have it fixed ASAP, because like W, they are seeing things in the TV that they aren’t supposed to be able to see.  W, in particular, knows that there is weird stuff going on in the website, going as far to test Wally’s response.  They don’t seem to be willing or able to make the connection to Wally specifically. 

What if  all the stuff on the website is for W specifically?  Wally could be talking directly to W.

I think it is very possible that touching the black stuff not only opens you up to symptoms/not feeling well, but also infects you with something that allows you to hear or see Wally and Home.  Those are the only two that have spoken to us directly.  There is an argument for Eddie speaking to us, but I don’t think he is aware of us.  I’m not sure where the video comes from, in universe.

But we do know that Wally has stated we draw eyes, and that allows him to see through us (or W and their team.)  We have seen eyes littered throughout.  On the website, all the eyes in the borders are presumably from W, since they are still on the site.  In Staff Only, there are post-its with eyes littered around, including one that says “who are you” and eyes on the WHRP folder as well (in addition to the background being upside down eyes.  With upside down text.  OK, maybe upside down eyes.)

We are all drawing his eyes, but does he know about us?  I don’t think we have communicated back in a way that is specifically identifiable as us.  It could be that Wally/Home are trying to desperately break down barriers through contact with individuals in W’s universe. 

That would make for a good explanation of why the show disappeared.  If the black stuff started to spread in our reality, any of those kids would see the show for what it is.  I don’t think we have a full idea of what it is yet, but we haven’t touched the black stuff.  If kids started to act weird, and people started to notice black stuff around, they would have avoided it.

I can really see something like that coming through in a toy or other merch, and begin to spread, leading to strange behavior in the kids, leading to parents thinking it is black mold or something and pushing the series away for that reason. 

This concept art portraying Sunny seems to lay out the plan a bit more (though it could have been a former plan, not the current plan for the story).  “Children have seen it and now they know what to do!”  It’s really creepy and shows Wally as an oppressive force.

“Everything is so disgusting to touch.  Sometimes the mail doesn’t come for weeks.  I want to rip into everything I have.  My head feels so muddled, too.  Ever since I opened that envelope.”

This interview/questions for the website are asked by WHRP and answered by QA in the email above.  The note discovered by using blacklight is presumably the QA, either answering in some kind of invisible ink, or maybe they don’t remember, leading them to think it is another part of the supposed “prank.”  I suppose it could be an actual prank, but I don’t think that fits the story very well.

I haven’t ever really understood the use of the blacklight/invisible ink.  The messages are of the type that Wally leaves, but there is no expectation that it is Wally who wrote them.  It could be the QA or another of their staff, as well.  But the QA leaves instructions to use blacklight on everything.  I assumed in the beginning that maybe the blacklight catches the black stuff, but given the use of ink, maybe the QA is looking for the messages from Wally.  I don’t think there is enough information at this point to know the answer to that, but am open to hearing some, if anyone has theories about it. 

The important thing about the black stuff, especially as experience in the Staff Only page, is a visible type of infection into our world.  If we can see this stuff, either we are able to see it because we haven’t been infected, or because we have.  Either way, in the realm of Staff Only, we see a physical manifestation of the influence of Welcome Home on people who come into contact with it, even now.  

As we see more of it, I will try to adjust my theories, but the black stuff is an important part of the explanation of what is exactly happening to people in the direct sphere of influence of Welcome Home.