#this all started as a silly sketch for my friend but we ended up here lmao

[itshirohi]

Hello Kengan tumblr, how we doing today?

[choochooboss]

Submas Sketchdump Vol. 4 July 2022 Part 2!!

I knew that particular month beat my all time record for productivity multifold but I had forgotten SO MANY PIECES from the original collection!! I think I finally got them all?? More stuff under the cut!!

BREAKMAS!! WIP of the first piece I posted of them, here's the link to the final version! I tried coloring this first but the black & white had ultimately more impact so I went with that!

TRAINS!! I like this base color version too! Link to the final version!

The top sketch is a direct reference to Cluedo! A spinoff game, "Missingo", starring certain familiar characters trying to figure out what happened to Ingo/trying to prove their innocence in the case! Also WIP sketches for these two Breakmas comic pages!

As you may know I adore butlermas! For the classy and stylish look which appeals to me in general, and coincidentally I had played PLA & got hit by submas train only one week before butler Ingo's banner rolled out! The pure bliss of finally meeting both twins in a game I felt was incomparable!! This moment in the Curious Tea Party event was really entertaining to me! We got to see submas get serious and stand up against this selfish collector thief! Two towering train twinks with commanding voices looming over the unfortunate guy was enough to make him change his mind ahah! They truly are the protectors

1-hour submas challenge prompt "Descend"! This is the actual one hour result before I continued rendering this!

Mmmmm not my first attempt at drawing them hug and definitely not my best OR last. I want to make that moment something very special when I finally go all out on it!!

Comic cover vibing~

The scrapped last page for this silly comic! Sorry the dialogue is all over the place on the first piece, might be hard to read! I wasn't happy with how I presented Elesa, I wasn't familiar enough with her character back then so I thought of her carrying a toy taser to threat her friend even as a joke was too much and I couldn't come up with anything else for it. This held me back from posting the other three pages for another 5 months! In the last panel

I prefer to not mess up the twins too much but my brain is still very curious and conjures some peculiar stuff like this sometimes.. I think I may have broken his arms there looking at the anatomy, ooops! I hope you don't mind the photo quality or the two weird guys in the corner, they escaped containment!

Idea of warden Ingo, being projected to modern era by his Alakazam, walking through crowd on a train platform & Emmet standing inside a passing train. Their eyes meet for just a few seconds...

Pokemas Ingo practise!

Another WIP of a piece I posted! I started this piece like this but then later I decided to flip the whole thing.

YET another WIP of something I already posted! No idea why I went and mixed up his suits but I like this sketch! They rarely end up looking this clean haha

Sketch version of the self-defense practise piece! I love getting creative with action stuff! I barely ever think of how difficult they are to draw, I just get so excited and fixated on visualising the scenes in my mind I just keep at it, pull out refs and pose in front of mirrors until it looks good to me! I want to draw more action scenes but besides being challenging to draw my brain comes up with more silly and cute ideas than cool ones unfortunately ahah

One more WIP, here's the link to the final results!! I really like how genuine their expressions look here even if the faces are a little off. I recall spending a long time figuring out this perspective. I thought it would be fun to you to see how all these pieces started and... looking at the sketch above and the stuff before that, you can compare some range of my style!

RANDOM SUBMAS MISSILES GO

OHHH looks like some nasty passengers got the best of them!! If I recall correctly there was no fight because they managed to paralyse the two before they could act. Fully awake yet completely helpless... how convenient unfortunate. Thank you so much for checking these out!! Not every sketch is that exciting but I'm always happy to hear your thoughts on these!

Previous posts: Sketch dump Vol. 1: April-June 2022 Sketch dump Vol. 2: July 2022 Sketch dump Vol. 3: August 2022

[agirlwithglam]

TEENAGE SUMMER (12-16yo)

so summer has finally arrived and school has ended. and ofc, we want that hot girl summer with the perfect body, mindset, habits, holidays, and a great time in general but what if we have sorta strict parents who are just.. parents. so here are some tips to have your dream summer and glow up but also make it family/ teenage friendly!

GLOW UP:

external glow up tips:

numero uno: WORKOUT. yes, ofc this is on here, what did u think? work.out. decide why u wanna workout first: healthy body? dream body? abs? being stronger? for happiness? for fun? then, you can find a workout on youtube / pinterest for the one you want. (also what i love doing is the workouts on pinterest where its related to a tv show- or just search up [movie/ show name] workout)

smell nice! perfume, scented shampoos/ body scrubs, etc.

SUNSCREEN. trust me, u DO want to put it on.

skincare! moisturiser, lip gloss/ lip balm, exfoliation, etc.

put cold spoons under your eyes in the morning to reduce puffiness.

u dont like something? fix it! i didn't like my teeth for a while, so i got braces. you can't fix it? stop worrying about it and just give it to god cus u got better things to do

MANIFESTING:

affirmations!! affirmations in the mirror, listening to them, repeating them, thinking them, they helped me SO much!

Believe you’re hot. As simple as that.

Visualisation. Imagine people giving you compliments and staring at you all day long

internal glow up tips:

confidence. duhhhh! heres a guide to self love& confidence

abundance mindset. everything works out in YOUR favour.

detachment. stop taking shite so seriously. honestly, if someones hating on you then pity them or laugh then move on. like ur too busy to spend even a second of your day to make someone feel bad about themselves or argue about something pointless.

keep learning! educate yourself, expand your knowledge and your mind.

HAPPINESS. the real glow up starts when you're genuinely happy with who you are and where you are. be a light, carefree, bubbly girl but also remember to set standards and boundaries. when you're just genuinely happy, life truly does start to get better.

hotness is a mindset.

other tips:

channel your little kid energy

take a bunch of photos! (at the end you'll basically have a pretty summer mood board)

don't be on your phone all the time. try to ✨socialise✨ your time on earth is limited don't waste it on crusty, unhot stuff. ur parents will thank you for this as well

romanticise it. (laugh. smile. wear nice clothes, talk to people, get lost in a daydream. appreciate the beauty in stuff. even if its just a sofa.)

be positive. quit complaining. be happy and focus on what you have. spread love and happiness! you're privileged and you are a privilege. act like ittt!

stay present minded. live here, now.

listen to groovy, aesthetic-themes music. to get u into the moooddd!

become a better person. a better daughter/ son, sibling, friend, person in general.

GET OUTSIDEEEE!!!! TOUCH SOME GRASS. its sunny, its summer, why tf r u staying indoors????

sleep girl. sleep. just because you don't have to wake up early tomorrow, does not mean you can stay up till 2am watching netflix. sleep makes your skin glow, makes you look prettier, makes you happier and 10000 more benefits. so sleep.

channel your creativity! (paint, draw, sketch, write, poetry, music, etc.)

play. you're still young!! have fun and do silly and embarrassing things while you still can!!!!!!!

create a summer mood board!

channel a certain era- barbie summer, blair waldorf summer, hot girl summer, etc.

bucket list ideas:

go to a park

redecorate your room

spa day (w friends)

girl slumber parties! (face masks, girlie things, movies)

volunteer somewhere

beach day!

write letters and kiss them (like those pretty pinterest summer!)

go biking (i love doing it in the mornings)

bake! (cakeeee)

get back into some old hobbies (childhood nostalgia)

gardening. care for a plant (then talk to it when you feel sad ur won't be insane i promise)

look at the sunrise / sunset

read dude. just read and romanticise it with a pretty comfy space

make a goal. then work on it so hard that you get it!

learn something new (for me i rly wanna learn crochetting)

scrap booking

do a workout with friends

video diary!! (film everythinggg)

make jewellery (u can sell them after if u want. also there are tons of jewellery making kits on amazon or toys r'us!)

donate / sell stuff (like books and toys)

flower press (with printer tho)

dance with your friends

wear jewellery!! summer necklaces, bracelets, etc!

go for walks (w friends)

get your nails done. (you don't have to go out to get them done. you can do it yourself. i dont have nail polish but my friend does so we love putting it on together)

make some new friends! (join clubs, visit new places, talk to people, join classes,)

go to the beach

"what makes life so beautiful is the fact that it ends"

[the-burd-lord]

Playing around with Alastor’s design a little bit. He would still wear most of the same outfit he wore back then, don't fix what's not broken, but with an added suit jacket that's a bit too big for him. I need to make a bit of to at some point, but after his break up he draws on a pencil mustache to add on to his emphasis of having a new appearance while still staying in his time.

A post depression mustache if you will.

As for some of his creepy aspects I'm cutting out the voodoo elements of his character, and instead using the uncanny and analog horror elements instead (I am a simple creature).

I need to actually remake the color pallets for him and old Vox, but essentially they both start off as black and white or with grey like colors, and gain new ones after they split up. Vox becomes more saturated and Alastor becomes sepiatone, as while it's more colorful it's still is reminiscent of the past.

Now time for some of the silly rivalry bits:

I’d image they would have casual debates on the radio and tv that would soon devolve into insults and eventually nothing but 30/50s slang and Creole French that would last for hours.

I need to finish writing this bit, but basically Charlie sees it as a good idea to go on Vox’s talk show to promote the hotel and herself. There’s some lil rivalry moments between Vox and Al, but ultimately Vox doesn’t fully let his grudges get in the way of hosting a good show.

Even though they mutually broke up they still each regret ending the relationship, and as such covey their loneliness in their respective mediums. Vox making sad, gay movies and being so worn out after that when he watches them he doesn’t even know what he made.

And Alastor having a late night audio story about a turtle and a hare going on adventures. There are times where he’ll just start describing crushing regret and isolation, and he’ll realize that he may have gone a bit far and try to steer it towards more of a happy ending with Vox listening in on all of it.

Something something relationship meme with a sketch I’ll probably never finish. Also surprising, but also not that surprising, to me that in "Stayed Gone" they didn't go with the obvious joke on what to call his late night talk show.

The grrls r fighting!! But for real this time.

Been playing with the idea of Vox turning into pure energy when he's overly stressed, or just becoming a weird robot creature as form he can take as an overlord. It's probably going to result in a lot of sketches where I 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 won't use Videodrome as inspiration (lie).

At some point I need to get a good animation program and just start making a bunch of animatics or animations cause I have so many song inspirations for these two.

Specifically one that I want to make a whole animation for is “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” Basically it’s just going to be them fighting interspersed with moments of them waltzing together. I think you can probably parse out the metaphors and connections I'm going for here.

Also me and a friend were talking about song inspirations and after I continually listened, watched, and worked (at least for me) on Hadestown we just replaced Hades with Vox in some of the songs.

🚨SPOILERS FOR HADESTOWN🚨

One stanza that I need to make an animatic for is in Chant Reprise, specifically 2:33-3:18 with the “I conduct the electric city” line.

This is going to become a bit of promotion for the show cause I love it so much. Probably my favorite musical ever! Also highly recommend listening to this version of "Chant," cause there’s a verse for Persephone and Eurydice that provide some cool reflections that reflect the original “Chant” in their verses.

There’s no direct references to any of the other characters, although you can add your own interpretations.

On that note here’s another song that reflects them. “How Long?” mainly with the “your pity won’t fit in my bed” lines, and when Hades and Persephone are actually singing to each other turning it into being about their relationship instead of the fates of Orpheus and Eurydice.

And a lil teaser for how they make up:

Will make another post about them. I have so many sketches WWHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN’T ESCAPE EITHER VERSION!!!!

[thecoolerspringbon-t]

Here are some sketches I made of “The Missing Co-Workers event” And some details I enjoyed when making it.

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I have to start with my favorite ending I drew:

The Figurine ending!

I had to draw inspiration from The Creation of Adam painting, no specific reason, I just thought it would look cool.

At first I thought putting everyone of the ending on the planks that lead to the figurine on the Cargo Lift (Image on the left). But I figured, the first figurine that we find in the TSP2 expo would look way better giving that amazing feeling you get when you collect them all! (Image on the right).

I'm happy with the result, I feel like there’s something so poetic about it, like when you first get that ending …

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Ah! The confusión ending!

This one also had some changes, mostly on the first image (Left)

What I wanted is to everyone to be confused! That’s why no one looks happy in it (Except for the people who looked at the fern lol!)

But I also wanted some people to find the pages of Employee 432's lore. So it was either the secret hallway or the archives room.

I figured the archives room would be better, leaving everyone to wonder what they could find there…

Once again, I'm happy with the result on all the whole ending, I think it very much captures the feeling of dread and frustration you get when first playing this ending!

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The silly ones I also enjoyed drawing were the Is This… a Bucket? Ending (left) Mostly because of @mrfisherot Oc, They sent me their cartoon-y Oc but I asked if I could do the literal png character they had and so I did! So he’s just there… fishing… It was so funny, I really enjoyed it!

And the Mariella Ending (right), This one was special! I think it’s the only ending where the oc faces cannot be seen, I felt bad for doing that but I'm glad both @whosectype and @pawl3ss liked the result. And of course, I had to do the Family Guy dead pose LMAO!

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And finally…

The Skip Button Ending…

The people in the skip button Ending were supposed to be on different scenarios (Images below) than the one the ended up being in the end (upper images)

I wanted to capture the same things I felt when playing this, fear, confusion, regret and amusement. I thought to myself “What would they do if they were trapped in a room for an eternity with everything around them changing?…

…And then… having freedom, just to realize everything is gone”…

This was the last image I drew, I remember tearing up from drawing the characters and thinking about the sense of freedom but at what cost?… I still like it, I think about this one a lot…

I'm not sure if I captured the feelings I wanted to portray but I'm still proud. This event was a hell to finish because of problems and delays but I'm so happy of seeing people find their friends on the drawings! to find each other! To find the missing co-workers…

Thank you for reading and participating!

-Spring

[deejadabbles]

Hiiii friend!! wanted to request a spooky prompt number 6 and 😈 with Fives please and thank you!!

Hello darling!! Thank you for sending this in, I was very inspired the moment I read it so I hope you enjoy this 🤩 This one also got a little ~heated~ since Fives had officially become one of my faves 😏

How to Summon A Demon Boyfriend (Demon!Fives x GN Reader)

Summary: There's no such thing as demons, they're just something to use for cheesy cautionary tales...Right? Rating: M (Minors DNI) Word Count: 1,813 Warnings: Crappy 'friends', small injury and mentions of blood, reader gets a big scare but it's fine in the end I promise, heavily suggestive content. Masterlist /// Tag List Sign Up  /// AO3

You really needed to learn to say no sometimes.

Tonight was supposed to be the perfect chance to curl up on the couch in your favorite PJs and coziest blanket. Instead, you were freezing your ass off in a dark playground, pretending to summon a demon like some bored teenager. 

Cam and you weren’t even that close, just work buddies, but that little voice inside your head had been yelling too loud: 'he was really sweet and invited you! You have to go! It would be rude not to!' Now you were annoyed with every moment of this silly little seance.

“Alright, I think that should do it!” said the cute blonde girl, who you didn’t know before tonight. You didn’t know any of Cam’s friends, yet here you were with them. “I think it’s a good little summoning circle, if I do say so myself!” She beamed down at the chalk drawing she’d sketched onto the area usually reserved for hopscotch. 

Then another one of Cam’s friends, a young man with dark hair fit for a punk band, voiced your own thoughts, “This is stupid, what makes you think we can summon a demon from some random book you found in a second hand store?”

“Dude, I’m telling you, if anything’s the real deal, it’s this!” Cam insisted, cautiously taking the book from the blonde and flipping a page, “I mean, just look at this!” He tilted it towards you and the punk guy, “The ancient looking paper, the notes and stains- plus, the store owner said she got it from her friend when he died and that his family was into all kinds of strange occult shit.”

You would admit, it was a very convincing tome, even if the demon summoning was all fiction, the owner had put lots of work into its design. You reached out to touch the edge of the page, to see if it really did feel ancient, but just as you did Cam moved as well and a sharp pain seared through your finger tip.

With a loud hiss and a curse you pulled your hand back, clutching it close to your chest.

“Shit- sorry!” Cam said, “Paper cut?”

“Yeah,” you muttered, taking a tentative peak at the now throbbing finger. It was leaking red, the skin around it looking angry, and you noticed part of the offending page was now stained with your blood too. Well, at least it added to the book’s authentic aesthetic. 

“Wow, didn’t know we’d be making blood sacrifices tonight,” the blonde said with a laugh.

“Happy to contribute,” was your sarcastic reply as you tried to soothe the throbbing. “Next time I-”

“Uh, guys!” Cam’s eyes were wide as he looked down at the book, “The words are glowing!” Then he let out a high pitched yelp, and dropped the book as if it had burned him.

With a loud thud, it landed on the summoning circle and that’s when you saw that the curving calligraphy on the pages were indeed glowing! Not only that, but the moment it touched the chalked symbols, the ground below you started to rumble unlike any earthquake you had ever seen.

Cam and blondie yelped as they fell to the ground together, you not keeping your balance for much longer, and punk kid only staying upright when he threw himself on a picnic table.

“What the hell is happening?!” the girl yelled, pulling the hood of her jacket up as if that would shield her from the horrors unfolding.

“You’re the ones who wanted to summon a demon!” Punk shouted, looking pale and ready to hurl as the ground continued to shake.

Then, within the circle, the already cracked and worn cement split apart. Chunks of it flew as old compacted dirt from beneath surged to the surface, making way for something else.

It wasn’t a man- “man” didn’t begin to describe it. Clawed hands reached towards the sky, lifting above a head of dark curls that did little to hide two large horns. Dark skin around tight muscles that flexed as he rose up from the earth, a bare chest with marks that might have been tattoos, and a blue kilt of some sort that made room for a swaying tail.

Paralyzed on the ground as you were, all you could do was watch with wide eyes as the demon stretched, and let out a roar of a yawn as if waking from a deep sleep. Then his eyes flashed open, revealing deep brown irises rimmed in red.

He scanned them over your little petrified group and, for some reason, your stunned brain noticed the dumbest little detail. 'Oh, he has a number five tattooed on his forehead. Wonder what that means'.

That’s when the demon pulled his lips back in a dastardly grin, revealing large fangs surely made to rip apart human flesh.

“Run,” he growled.

Somebody screamed. Someone else cried some sort of plea. But you couldn’t say anything, all noise dying in your throat as you rolled over and tried to scramble to your feet. Just as you started to, someone (Cam?) knocked into you and sent you tumbling back to the dirt painfully. Footsteps thundered around you and, looking up, you realized that the other three were already disappearing into the darkness as they ran, leaving you behind.

“Wait-” the pleading call was lost in the wind, just as something behind you took a loud step closer.

Somehow your brain was going a mile a minute and not thinking anything at all as you became painfully aware of the large, looming presence closing in on you. Body unable to move from fear, all you could do was listen as the demon let out a low, deep chuckle.

“Some friends you have,” he purred. “Leaving you here.” Something brushed along your back. “All alone.” Leaves rustled as he knelt above you. “With me.” Hot breath fanned against your ear.

A noise very close to a squeal left you as a hand grabbed your shoulder and rolled you over onto your back. You were face to face with the demon now, his arms caging you in on either side, his face hovering over yours, and still sporting that hungry grin as his dark eyes looked you over slowly.

“P-please don’t kill me,” it came out as little more than a wheeze, but at least you managed to say something.

That’s when those brilliant eyes snapped back to yours. There was a heartbeat of silence in which you went through a thousand different ‘this is the end’ scenarios in your head-

But then, the demon threw his head back and laughed!

It wasn’t a sinister, cruel laugh either. Instead it was light and, dare you say, joyful. The kind of laugh a loved one would make after you mentioned some inside joke or another. His broad shoulders shook and that tail of his swished behind him in a way that reminded you of a cat ready to play.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he gasped between laughs, “I didn’t mean to scare you that bad!” He leaned back some then, as if to give you some air, though his arms were still on either side of you. “See, that’s just a little act I do to give you humans a scare.” This time, the grin he flashed was playful and a little lopsided. “You have to admit, you kind of deserve it for yanking me out of my cozy little dimension. It’s a little annoying when you don’t expect to be summoned.”

You opened your mouth, now stunned in a completely different way, but no sound was ready to come out yet, apparently.

That didn’t deter the demon, though, his eyes searched your face when he said, “Course, I did want to scare off the others. Groups are always more annoying, and I kinda liked the idea of having you to myself once I saw how cute you are.”

The unexpected statement caused you to come back down from your fearful high a little. You blinked a few times, then found it in yourself to look him in the eyes more directly. You managed to stutter out a “Wha-what?”

The demon laughed again, a shorter one this time, “Wow, I really must have done a number on you, I’m sorry, mesh’la.” He held up a hand, though the black claws at his fingertips almost made you flinch. “I swear, I’m not going to kill you. Even if I was that type of demon, there’s no challenge in killing humans,” he winked, “you’re too soft and supple.”

Heat took over your face and you weren’t sure if it was annoyance, embarrassment, or something else. Probably a cocktail of the three. After a deep, steadying breath, you finally managed to say something more than a strangled noise or single word.

“So, you’re some kind of good demon?”

He shrugged those naked, now very distracting, shoulders. “Something like that. Mostly, I’m just here to fulfill whatever contract you want from me.”

“M-Me?”

“Yup.”

“Why me?”

The demon looked down at you with something…interesting in his eyes, something you couldn’t quite place even though his expression was still light. His hand slid down the ground beside your prone body, until it reached your wrist. He grasped it gently, lifting it to show off your still sore cut.

“Because your blood summoned me. You’re the one I’m bound to, sweetheart.”

Keeping his eyes on yours, he brought your finger to his mouth and closed his lips around the bleeding cut. You found yourself breathless again as a wet tongue ran over the little injury, soothing the ache in a way you didn’t expect.

He pulled your finger out of his mouth with a little pop, then turned that fang flashing smirk on you again. “See, you summoned me, now we make some sort of deal, a contract. You give me something and I give you something in return.” He placed your hand on his naked chest so he could pin his own by your head again. “Name’s Fives, by the way, and you are?”

After swallowing the sudden lump in your throat and not feeling any more calm after doing it, you introduced yourself in the firmest tone you could muster. The demon- Fives, repeated your name slowly, and you could see his tongue tasting every letter of it.

“Hm, I like that name,” he said and again, you caught a glimpse of the spade-tipped tail flicking at his back. 

You must have been more distracted by it than you realized, because he brushed the back of a claw down your cheek, before taking your chin in a firm grip to force your eyes back on his. When you did, his gaze seemed just a little darker.

“So, darling, what kind of deal do you want to make with me?”

Tag List @sev-on-kamino @anxiouspineapple99 @starrylothcat @sinfulsalutations @commander-sunshine @dystopicjumpsuit @wolffegirlsunite @sunshinesdaydream @arcsimper5 @littlemissmanga @wings-and-beskar @clonemedickix @freesia-writes @idontgetanysleep @523rdrebel @moonlightwarriorqueen @briefartnaturewolf @kimiheartblade @littlemissbshine @funeralreunion @chubbyhedgehog @ladytano420 @trixie2023 @mssbridgerton @wizardofrozz @vithepotato @mythical-illustrator @loving-the-cambridges

[arsenicflame]

silly Izzy situation: he gets a parrot.

HE GETS A PARROT OH THIS GAVE ME BRAIN WORMS

-Stede is the one to get him the parrot- something about how hes got the wooden leg he has to complete the look? honestly izzy wasnt listening, stede was using his excited voice and izzys learnt he can zone out a bit when he gets like that. there was a hat too but that went to someone else Real quick (the parrot was trying to eat it anyway)

-i know nothing about parrots but im gonna say stede gets him an African grey. it's the goth-est parrot and they're Friends Now, hes got to give a gift that fits in with izzys Look

-when stede gives it him he protests LOUDLY but when stede gets all sad and says he will return him izzy draws a knife. wtf you can't return my gift Stede

- the parrot learns to say fuck REAL quick

-izzy learns bird care from buttons, obviously- izzy is Rules autistic he needs to know How you look after his pet. he is super rigorous with following the rules and at least one crew member has faced a tirade for feeding him something bad

-the bird rides everywhere on his shoulder. frenchie makes him a little pad so his claws don't scratch izzys leathers and so he can grip better

-he starts stroking the bird as a comfort (in Correct places, thank u buttons) he doesn't notice hes doing it but everyone else does. lucius has a sketch

-you know how some pets are like? exactly like their owners? yeah. this is the grumpiest fucking parrot and they are perfect together. he only likes izzy. after a while he mimicks izzy yelling at the crew and nobody knows what to do they all just. stare. izzy laughs.

- the parrot spends a little too much time with the swede somehow (jackies? izzy & jackie friendship my beloved i will force you in anywhere) and picks up his singing. its. something. they end up using it on raids as part of a fuckery. two haunting tones to create a sense of unreality, of being surrounded.

-i didn't give the parrot a name here because i genuinely believe izzy wouldnt give it a name, hed just call it 'the parrot', occasionally 'my parrot' when drunk. the crew call it mini Izzy.

(buttons asked the parrot its name)

-someone once gave the parrot a knife because they thought itd be funny. we do not talk about the parrot knife incident.

[hathousehappenings]

89. Untwist of Fate.

I've been waiting an embarrassing long time to do this episode. ^^; I think I need to explain...

To ME, this episode is clearly an homage to The Wizard of Oz. There's a twister, a guy who needed to be convinced to help because he's cowardly, someone who is trying to get the heart of his character, a man behind a curtain... I'm gonna put all my thoughts below a cut at the bottom of this post because there's a lot!

When I had finished the sketch for this one I showed it to a couple people to see if it was too weird an idea for me to complete. They looked like I was insane that I would even ask them. ((It was then that I realized that the people I live with are no fun and just don't get me...))

I also decided to do a bonus picture of Queenie as Glinda just cause. I wanted to let her dress up too.

OKAY, and now here are the thoughts of a crazy person...

It's been obvious to me that from my first watch of this episode this all based off Wizard of Oz (the movie, not the book).

For instance, Hare is the Wizard because he’s trying to run the show, Alice is obviously Dorothy because she gets swept up in the twister, Dum is the Cowardly Lion because he was cowardly about helping test out cures for Alice, Rabbit is the Tinman because he’s trying to figure out his motivation (aka: get to the heart) of his character in the play and Queen is Glinda because she floats in at the very end and solves everything easily.

But, as I started thinking about it, more connections made themselves aware to me. And then I watched the episode!

First off, when we get to Wonderland there’s a little tune that plays as Hare’s back is to us in the director’s chair. That tune is very reminiscent of a tune in Oz called “Optimistic Voices”. It’s the song we hear as Dorothy and her friends come out of the poppy field and make way to the gates of the Emerald City. I actually caught that on my first watch through, so that wasn’t new to me. Rabbit is trying to figure out his motivation (aka: get to the heart of his character, Tinman) and Alice is just kinda there sitting around daydreaming.

Then Hare talks about how great their acting is and I start to realize something else: there are a ton of red props in this episode. I’ll brake it down as we go, but in this scene alone there’s Hare’s beret and bandana he used to mop his face, the ladder he climbs all over (I want to be that ladder) and the flowers that are thrown to them at the end of the song. This song is about Hare telling them what good actors they are and how they need to keep doing it, keep the act up. That sentiment feels very Wizard to me.

Next scene is “Throwing up Riddles”. More red props here: Hatter’s grill spatula and the writing on his apron and the plates are all a variant of red or its secondary color (red, pink or purple). They also talk about hogs/pigs a lot, which is what freaks Dorothy out in the beginning of the movie (she falls in the hog pen). Hatter is being silly and yet somehow smart with all these riddles, but he’s still acting like an idiot. Wisdom even though his head is empty? Sounds like Scarecrow! Then they get the news about the twister and run around like idiots.

Alice gets sucked up into the twister in the next scene. Obviously the twister is from Oz, but the first noises we hear while in the cyclone are chicken noises and that’s the same as in the film. You could argue that the Cheshire cat is supposed to be Toto in that he’s an animal who doesn’t contribute a whole hell of a lot to the story. I dunno. There are a ton of red items in the twister, though. A red velvet cake, red chicken, red candles, a red toad… Just because, I dunno.

Finding Alice after the twister only has the trash bucket and the chattering red teeth as the red props. All the men gather around to help the little girl character, which you could argue is like Oz. But that’s kinda low hanging fruit.

The “Interest of Science” scene is, well… interesting. We don’t have many red props here (a red velvet cake on the table and the satellite dish that Dee puts on Dum’s head) but we have some lyrics in the song that apply. Dee says “you might nearly be a hero, if you merely wouldn’t fear it” (!!!!) and the line about feeding him “to the lion”. Also, Hatter dropping random words of wisdom is odd. Like, he’s actually smart but just acts stupid. More connections to him and the Scarecrow.

Caterpillar’s story time does nothing to help my argument. There are no red props and his story is lame, kinda as per the usual. However, Caterpillar also doesn’t help them because he didn’t understand what they were asking for help about. So did it negate this scene? You decide.

This is the final Wonderland scene. We have three new red props: the red stripe on Hatter’s popcorn bucket (eeeeh?), the red curtain on the stage and Rabbit’s whole Bunny-o costume is red. Hatter is being brainless (as he does), Rabbit is still trying to find the heart of his character and Hare is still trying to keep the act up. He actually becomes the “man behind the curtain” after the how starts! And he keeps peeping out to watch everything.

Queen floats in like I don’t even know what. She’s been gone the bulk of the episode, other than to ask where Alice was during the twister. She also pulls the whole “you had the power all along" crap that Glinda pulls in the movie.

Rabbit is in red (ruby slippers) and Alice is in yellow (yellow brick road)!

The Red Queen and Alice skip through the forest in the very end, which I think is fitting because of the red and yellow symbolism.

After EVERYTHING I think the parallels are undeniable. They made some very conscious decisions about this episode to link it to Oz. I feel clever for having “figured it out”, but I might also just be letting my pride get to my head. I wouldn’t be surprised.

Anyway, any thoughts on this? Am I just late to the party and all this was supposed to be obvious?

[34saveme34]

SMG3's Interactable Adventure - Chapter 2

Previous chapter

[As you can see, we meet our host clearer this time. Forgot to include this before but

Word count: 4354

Vote by the end of chapter, choose Wisely :) ]

“The votes are in, boy!” exclaimed the mysterious figure with a cheerful tone.

“Votes for what?” 3 looked at them confused. He still couldn’t shake it off that something looked familiar about them. Though appearance didn’t do much, that voice was all too familiar. He swore he heard them somewhere before.

“The audience’s choice! To help you feel better in this odd situation!”

“So… I wasn’t the only one feeling it?”

“That’s right! Now here” the figure handed him the receipt.

“What is this? It’s… huh” 3 found it strange “What should I do with this?”

“Is it really fun if I told you?” the figure laughed, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

“I don’t want it to be fun”

“Well that’s not very entertaining” they shook their head “Alright, off you go, you’ll figure it out. You’re pretty creative and smart afterall… or so I’ve heard” the figure teased him as they disappeared, then with a snap of fingers that seemed to come from all directions, he was back. Back in the forest. It was dark.

“3!!! 3, where are you??” 3 could hear an all too familiar voice. 

He still hid, still wary… Why did 4 kiss him then? Was… Was the 2 of them being in a relationship really true? When did they get together then? The idea that this could be an elaborate prank made his heart sink. It reminded him of how in school no one really wanted him like that, and when he was asked out, it was for a joke or a bit. 

He shook his head, he did not have time for this. 

He snuck around 4, as best as he could, avoiding him and finding his way back to his cafe.

He entered his cafe, the light illuminating inside standing in contrast to the outside. His current situation felt similar to it. He looked around the cafe, it was mainly the same… just with a few different touches. He had pictures of his friends on the wall, and his employee of the month wasn’t Eggdog… it was 4. He was working here? Since when? Well, he worked there once but then 3… sort of got the hang of it. At least he thought. It got hard over time, which was… pretty prominent on his mind. It felt weird seeing his cafe doing well. Though it was nice, it filled him with warmth he had been missing. This was nice.

He went back to his room, also looking around more clearly now. He found his notebook. He started flipping through it… It looked different from how he remembered it. His doodles, his thoughts seemed to easily soften on 4. He found ideas on how he should confess to him, with silly sketches to accompany them. He would lie if he said he didn’t think about stuff like this but he didn’t remember actually drawing these. He was never… that open. But he knew, these were true. More true than he could ever bare. He felt tears again. He yearned for this so much. He needed this kind of honesty in his life. It kind of made him feel nice. Although he still couldn’t shake off the oddness… maybe it was just the fact that he couldn’t remember, for some reason. That must be it.

As he flipped through the notebook, a strip of photos slipped out, one you would get in a photobooth. It had him and 4, being happy, being close… in one 3 pulled him in for a kiss and… 4 looked so content, just the image sent 3’s brain to a different world. He felt so flustered. He put it back into the notebook and put it down. The evidence around truly suggested that he was remembering things wrong. Since… this would be a lot of effort just to fool him. 

He went back out to the cafe, running into 4. 4 looked worried but he was glad to see him.

“Hey, you’re back” 4 spoke softly, clearly being careful. 3’s heart melted with how careful 4 was clearly being. He was so in love.

“Yeah… I’m sorry, 4… I’m sorry I did… all that”

4 chuckled.

“It’s not everyday my partner runs off crying so yeah… yeah I got worried… What’s up?”

“I… well, promise not to freak out?”

“Of course, I won’t!”

“I… don’t remember too much, as I found out”

4 blinked, not sure how to react.

“As you found out?”

“Yeah… I don’t… I don’t remember being in a relationship or… hiring you for real” 3 chuckled, looking anywhere but to 4.

“Oh, uhm” 4 looked down at his feet, trying to think “Do you… mind it then?”

“No… I…” 3 sighed, knowing the truth and know he had to speak the truth “Even without remembering, I know that I love you”

4 smiled, finding it lightly amusing how red 3’s face became over this.

“You really don’t remember… It’s been so long since I saw you so flustered”

“Sorry-”

“No no. I missed it” 4 walked close to 3, then wrapped his arm around his waist “And I love you either way too”

3 felt so happy hearing these words. It felt so weird. It felt so weird for him to be this vulnerable but he never felt so great. It was hard, his body was fighting him but he never wanted something this badly. He leaned into 4’s touch, seeing 4 smile at that only made him feel even more flustered.

“Now you’re just too cute” 4 joked and booped 3’s nose. 3 giggled, he was just too lovestruck. Then 3 remembered something.

“Hey, 4” 3 started, 4 looked at him curiously “I… got this receipt”

He handed 4 the receipt he was given by the stranger figure back in that void. 

4 stared at it for a bit before recognition showed in his eyes.

“Hey, this is from our first date” his smile was comfortingly warm “It was at this one restaurant… it wasn’t too fancy but it wasn’t one of our usual places… That’s pretty special, I didn’t think I could see this again, I thought we threw it away!”

“Huh… I guess not”

“Where did you get this?”

3 wasn’t sure if he should actually share how he got it.

“I found it while looking around after I got back”

“Huh! And I thought I was sentimental” 4 laughed, kissing 3’s cheek. 3 was so very flustered once again.

“Heeey…  didn’t know I had it so I wouldn’t know!” 3 laughed right back. The vibes were nice.

4 yawned.

“Hey, what if we sleep here? If… you’re still okay sleeping beside me that is” 4 looked at him a bit sad, although obviously willing to give 3 space.

“No, I’d rather you sleep with me”

4 hugged 3, his happiness clearly showing. 3 was so so happy… 4 showing this joy just because of him. He could get addicted.

The 2 went to his bed. 4 went to take a shower, 3 stayed back, for which 4 seemed to stop for a second, shook his head then went to the bathroom. After a bit, he was back, he had shorts on with a simple but comfortable T-shirt. Maybe 3 was looking in places where he shouldn’t but he was getting quite flustered at the sight.

“What’s on your mind, 3?”

“Oh uh-” 3’s face became so red, he could match the Ugandan Knuckles.

“You know” 4 grabbed 3’s face, clearly teasing him “considering you don’t remember, I didn’t ask you to but… we actually showered together a lot. I was about to ask before but then remembered…” 

3’s mind was a mess.

“I-I’ll go shower” 3 got up and hurried to shower. His face was almost unbearingly warm.

The shower calmed him down a bit. At least he could be alone with his thoughts for a bit and adjust to the fact that 4 showered with him before. That was crazy to think about… Well, guess he had a lot of things he had to get used to now.

He went back, 4 waited for him patiently. As soon as 3 reached within 4’s reach, 4 pulled him in by his waist, basically slamming him in bed. He didn’t let go afterwards.

“Not gonna lie… I didn’t know you were so clingy” 3 joked, which got 4 to chuckle.

“Only with you”

3 tried not to think about it, but the thought wouldn’t escape him.

“Only with me?”

“Yeah… you’re my…” 4 pulled enough out of the hug to face 3, very close at that “special boy”

3 didn’t even know how to react to the petname. He was screaming internally.

“Hehe..” 4 laughed “was that too much for you to handle?”

“H..Huh… no, I’m… I’m strong enough, you can’t beat me that simply!”

“I’ll believe when I’ll see it”

3 thought for a second before pulling 4 in for a kiss. 4 leaned into it so much. He loved it.

3 pulled away, feeling warm again but at least not as flustered as before. He couldn’t believe he just did that.

“Heh… nice, maybe I underestimated you” 4 spoke softly into 3’s ear. 3 felt so much.

“Yeah, you bet” 3 yawned “Hmm.. we should sleep”

4 turned the light off in the room.

“Night, love” 

“Night, 4”

They both fell asleep.

—

The room looked cold. It was dark. It would’ve been fully dark if not for the bright screen. The bright screen was obstructed by the figure in front of it. They could be heard mumbling. It was hard to make out what they were saying but they didn’t sound calm, that was for sure.

There could be knocking heard, then words. It sounded like words of concern, from a familiar voice. The mumbling from the figure in front of the screen got louder, then suddenly quiet. They seemed to answer the voice outside then go out. Leaving nothing but the darkness and the screen to look at. It was hard to figure out. 

“Hey, what is this?” a familiar figure came, this time the voice was clear to be heard “How did this get here…” 

The figure looked at the screen confused. They had fair skin, long, gray hair, tied into a ponytail, their bangs obscuring one of their eyes. However their other eye was very visible, it was a vibrant green. They seemed to eye something curiously.

“This place looks similar to… wait” they seemed to take the thing with them. As they left the dark room, it was revealed… they were inside SMG4’s castle. It was a lot brighter outside. They looked around but saw nobody.

“I’ve… got a bad feeling” the person who took the camera spoke softly, although they weren’t in the frame anymore, even without seeing their face, you could tell they were nervous.

As they looked they seemed to spot someone.

“Hey! Who are you?” the voice was heard but not having time to look, we didn’t even get a chance to look ourselves. The person ran out of the castle, fast at that, their running making rather strange noises… as if they were… slithering metal? How is that possible?

“Oooh shiiit” their voice sounded distorted. 

“HEY, GET BACK HERE!!” the same voice from before could be heard. Then everything went dark.

—

3 woke up before 4. He thought for a bit, thinking about the strange dream he had. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? The stress of figuring things out just probably got to him, that’s all! Although he couldn’t fully shake it off, something felt so… odd about it.

3 got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. It felt nice and cold. Refreshing. He needed that. He couldn’t help but gaze at himself in the mirror, empty thoughts rushing through his head. It felt like his head was empty. Something about looking at his own reflection, staring into his own eyes captured him. As if the world was only him and nothing else. The thought put a weird taste in his mouth as he shook his head, splashing water in his face again.

He went back to 4, seeing he was still asleep. Just looking at him so peaceful… He couldn’t help but lie right back next to him, snuggling up to him. He really liked being beside him. His warmth really grounded him.

He didn’t know how long he had been there by then, just embracing 4’s closeness. He could feel 4 stir awake.

“Morning, handsome” 3 said to him in a soft voice. 4 smiled at him.

“Greater morning to you, my special man” 4 reached for 3’s face, which got rather warm. Being called special seemed to be his weakness. Like… him, special? One of a kind? Out of the ordinary? His heart melts.

“Am I really that speci-”

“Yes”

4 quickly kissed him on the lips. It may have been short but it still left quite the impression on 3. 

“Hey, I was thinking” 3 started, after processing the kiss.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“What if… we went to that restaurant, where we had our first date… maybe it could help me remember or something…”

4 thought for a bit.

“Honestly, why not! I know it’s not the type of restaurant where you need the appointment so… it could work whenever really”

“That’s nice… so like maybe after we’re done with the work day?”

“I’m sure we can leave it to the others for today”

“The others?”

“Yeah! You actually employed a lot of us”

“Good… to know”

“But yeah, we could go if you wanted to”

“I’d… I’d like to yeah! I have to make it up to you for… forgetting us” 3 looked away kind of sad.

“Don’t worry!! We’ll be fine, I promise”

“Are you sure?”

“More than sure”

4 notified the others, who were more understanding than 3 thought they would be. It felt… odd. They were truly… friendly? He kind of liked it, he couldn’t lie. It felt nice to be cared about.

They both got ready, 4 was wearing something similar to his spy outfit but instead with a comfortable light jacket instead of the vest. 3 wasn’t sure what to wear for a bit but then decided to match 4. That was… such a fond memory for him. The whole heist. It may have happened due to something he wasn’t so happy about but it was nice to work together with 4 like that. 

They got going, their friends waved them goodbye then got back to work. 4 used his own portal powers to open one and they were right in front of the restaurant.

“You can just do that now?” 3 looked at 4 confused.

“Oh- Yeah… you actually helped me practice”

“Huh… Heh, nice… me teaching you… I wish I remembered”

“I’ll see if I can find some stuff from that later” 4 put a hand on 3’s shoulder. 

The amount that 4 cared almost made 3 nauseous. He loved it.

They went in and found a table that wasn’t taken. They had a nice time talking, 3 could truly feel it… That they’ve been there before. Everything just felt familiar in a strange way. And even through all this, it was really hard to take his eyes off of 4. The man enraptured him. 4 noticed it. He smiled but took a bit to comment on it.

“Am I that great to look at?” 4 joked

“Absolutely” 3 said without much thinking. Though it didn’t take him much as his response settled in his brain, his eyes went wide, face red… He really said that. He looked away, 4 giggled at the reaction.

Even the atmosphere of the restaurant was nice. The lights were soft enough but not too dark, overall giving the place a comforting orange glow, contrasted by the outside light. It felt like 2 different worlds. 2 different worlds…

That’s when 3 remembered the weird dream he had. He almost started forgetting about it but he could, and he… only seemed to remember more. 4 noticed the sudden change.

“Did something happen?” 4 asked, reaching out for 3’s hand, squeezing it.

3 thought for a bit… He could trust 4, he should just tell him!

“So… I had… a weird dream…”

“A weird dream?”

“Yeah it’s… kind of hard to explain… I think it took place in your castle”

4 hummed.

“Do you remember anything else?”

“Sort of… it…” 3 looked down, not wanting to face 4 “It kind of reminded me of your 100 hour livestream… The darkness with nothing but the screen…”

4 didn’t comment on it, only squeezing 3’s hand. They sat in silence for a bit as 3 calmed down.

“I’m sorry I reminded you of that, 4”

“It’s okay… It’s not your fault… That’s in the past anyways, you know? We’ve become stronger since” 4 smiled at 3 full of hope. He really needed that. 

“That helps actually, thanks… It’s almost like you always know what to say”

4 chuckled then let go of 3’s hand. They continued the meal, now more peacefully

They finished and paid for the food then left. 4 seemed to be lost in thought… 3 couldn’t help but comment on that.

“Something on your mind?”

“Yeah… I was thinking about going to another special place”

“Oh? Where?”

“It’s a secret… and a long ride, if you don’t mind that”

“Can’t use portals for that?”

“It’s… unlike the places where portals could take you”

“Well! Colour me intrigued then” 

4 summoned his RV he was living in before. Surprisingly, he still kept it clean. 3 was impressed.

“Hey, nice that you still keep it in good condition”

“It’s not like it became junk once I had a place to stay”

“True that but I thought you wouldn’t”

“You think I’m that lazy?”

3 just shrugged, close to chuckling at his own remark. 4 just rolled his eyes.

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see that” 4 sat in the driver’s seat. 

3 now couldn’t help but laugh as he took a seat beside 4.

He always liked looking outside the window, watching everything go past them… Just like the opportunities in his past… Times when he could’ve done better, times when he could’ve done worse. And how much different he would’ve become. These thoughts kind of scared him. The idea that there could’ve been so many opportunities where he could’ve killed 4- and where he would be now. If 4 wasn’t around, he… he didn’t know what he’d do. Sure, he has flaws, lots of it but… He cared. He cared too much.

He sighed, seemingly loud enough for 4 to hear.

“Something on your mind again?”

“Just thinking about what my life would be if you weren’t around”

“Just- That bluntly, you’re gonna say it that bluntly?” 4 looked at 3 a bit too long, he quickly looked back at the road. It seemed to really upset him.

“If it makes you feel better, I definitely wouldn’t be happy… I don’t even know where I’d be without you”

“You’re strong yourself, don’t worry… I’m sure you would be okay. So another reason I’m glad you’re here with me now” 4 calmed down then reassured 3.

“You really think so much of me…”

“It’s hard not to” 4 giggled. 

“You know, back then… I always thought you thought of me as lesser”

4 frowned.

“If… that were to be the case, we wouldn’t have been rivals you know”

“Oh! I… I see what you mean”

“I’m glad”

“Still… I’m sorry I tried to kill you before… and tried to take over your channel…”

“And I’m sorry I’ve ruined your dreams a lot! See, we both did bad things! Don’t worry”

“Huh… When… when you put it that way”

“It changes everything”

“You’re stealing my words now?”

“No! Well… yeah. You said the exact same thing when we had a heart to heart… I remember you having a bad day. And I wanted to help”

“Oh- and I’m guessing it helped.”

“It did, maybe it worked a bit too well… I think it was one of the first times I started thinking… maybe… maybe I have a chance to well- date you… That I could be good enough for you”

“You were always good enough”

4 was very flustered by that. It was hard focusing on the road.

“Well, I’m- I’m glad” he chuckled nervously.

“Didn’t think that would get you like that. Your power over me weakens” 3 imitated an evil laugh over his silly revelation. 4 could only chuckle.

“Tch, well maybe, but I have tricks up my sleeve… and other places, things you’re not ready for”

“Other… places?”

“I’m not going to just tell you! I gotta keep you on your toes after all”

“Unfair honestly, considering my state of not remembering much”

“Yeah yeah, don’t care, didn’t ask plus I’m a bit of a troll”

“Wow!! Rude! Guess we are still rivals, huh?”

“I just like messing with you, your reactions are amusing”

“Amusing?”

“They make me love you even more”

“H… Huh… you… you” 3 was struggling “You’re…” he was stumped. There was just no way he could counter that. If they were to be like what he remembered… Oh, they would fight now. But things were different. 

“See? Tricks up my sleeve”

“Yeah… yeah… you are… so gay”

“Kind of, yeah, took you long enough to figure it out”

“Did it actually?”

“Yeah.. honestly I wasn’t sure myself. Feelings can be… odd”

“I get that… feelings will do that. I should know”

“Cuz our rivalry made you gay?”

“Hmmm” 3 thought for a bit “I think it’s the other way around”

“Maybe, I didn’t think too much about it then”

“Yeah, your mind only had place for memes”

“Hey now! It has space for my friends and you as well now. And the memes, I would never abandon the memes”

“Do… Do I get a special space?” 3 asked softly, you could hear him almost plead for that special space. 

“The most special of them all” 4 teased 3, who in turn giggled about it. My man… His once-cold heart was like a cup of tea now, so warm, so sweet… Who knew a man could butter him up so much?

They spent the rest of the road relatively similarly, with some playful words to get reactions out of the other. It was nice… Although the day was getting long by then. The sun was setting. 4 yawned.

“Hey, we’ve been going for a while now” 4 said, looking tired as all hell.

“Yeah, should we rest for a bit?”

“Yeah… a nap in your arms would be nice right now”

“Wow, in my arms specifically?”

“Don’t you want to rest as well?”

“I do I do- I was just playing”

“Well, I was almost planning to just nap by myself then”

“No no- I want to join, I want to join, okay?”

“You’re clingy”

“You love it”

“You’ve got a point”

The 2 took off their shoes and jackets, putting them aside, then got on 4’s rather tiny bed.

“I’m gonna have to press you in there if I don’t want to fall off” 3 commented.

“Feel free to, I can’t object to being pressed”

3 raised an eyebrow at 4 but decided to shrug it off. He was not ready for that conversation right now. It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep.

It was dark. All dark again. A darkness he was rather familiar with at this point. 3 got up and looked around.

“What is it now?”

“Um-” 3 heard a familiar voice.

“You-”

“Hiiiiii, how are you, SMG3?”

“I’ve… never been this good honestly, thanks for asking”

“Yeeeaaah…” they were clearly nervous about something.

“... Is… something wrong?”

“Nooo, what makes you ask that, nothing is wrong!!” 

“So… what am I here for this time then? Last time you gave me the receipt… and it came pretty handy! Thanks for that. I had such a great day because of it”

“Yeeeeaaah so… you don’t mind if I um- make them vote again on something-”

“I… I don’t really care? Just don’t let it interfere with my plans with 4. I wonder where he’s taking me”

“Yeah yeah yeah!! Uh-”

“I’ve… I’ve been wondering… what’s your name?” 

The figure proceeded to stare into 3’s eyes, seemingly frozen. He never really paid attention to it, but although one of their eyes is obscure by their bangs… they have really bright green eyes. Like… the person in his ‘dream’... 

“Wh… What are you?” 3 further questioned.

“I’m- I’m… you can call me Annie, I usually… go by that name in non business settings”

“Non… business settings?”

“Yes”

“Didn’t take you for a business person…You’re dressed pretty casual”

Sure enough, the combination of their comfy looking purple scarf, their white tanktop which was tucked into kind of fancy dark green flare dresspants. It was… actually a rather odd look. How did 3 not realise this before?

“I-... I do business while comfortable-”

“Sure thing”

3 chuckled at the odd behaviour. It was strikingly different from last time he saw them.

“Anyways… I… I’ve got to let them choose between things again… It is… uh… part of the story”

“Story?”

“Yeah- we’re basically playing choose your adventure right now”

“Oh… OH??? WHAT?? The hell you mean choose your adventure??”

“Yeah! I don’t know how you got here, I was just told to moderate it. They… can’t choose for you to die for example!”

“Well they better fucking not!!”

“Okay um, I’ll present them with their choices now! You… still can’t see them. It’s part of the rules that even I’m not allowed to break”

“Bummer”

“Please… Choose wisely”

They manifest 2 items.

The first one was… Nothing? It was literally nothing. 

The second one was an envelope, it was a bit crumpled but it was still sealed. Presumably the person who put their letter in there struggled with it a little. Skill issue or something like that.

[lady-bess]

An Open Letter to Fanfiction

Today, on the 15th of May 2024, marks a special day for me. Specifically it is a special day for one particular work of mine over on A03.

A Rough Sketch.

Now, I don't usually talk about this fic on my social media. In fact, with it being RPF, I have made a conscious decision not to. It exists on my profile for those who are interested to read on, and for those who would rather not read RPF, I don't actively promote it.

But today, I'd like to discuss it. Not so much to promote the work, but rather as a way to talk about how that worked fundamentally changed my life.

And how, had it not been for that work, I'd probably not be here today.

I was talking with some friends the other day about why we personally write fanfiction. Is it to share stories? Sure! Is it to find people with common ground? Yeah, of course! Fandoms are a wonderful place, and finding more people to talk about your interests with is always a delight.

But it got me thinking; why do I write? And so, on on the anniversary of A Rough Sketch, I decided now was a good a time as any to reflect. To look back on this last year, and what led me to be where I am today.

A Rough Sketch, for me, was the beginning of a journey. A journey which helped me process a grief I didn't even realise I was harbouring. What started as a silly little idea based on a trope I (shamefully) adore, the classic "meet the love of your life in a quaint coffee shop", became a story that has currently reached over 26,000 people.

The more I wrote, the greater the community I found online, and one by one those individuals found their way here onto my Tumblr, or onto my Twitter (@/this15theway, by the way!).

From these interactions I've forged friendships and loves that will last me a lifetime. I have grown closer to more people in this last year, and forged deeper connections with some, than with people I have known in my every day life for years. The power of the written word brought kindred spirits together, and created bonds that won't be broken.

That is why I write. Community. Friendship. Love. Belonging.

And writing, at the end of all this, has saved me.

I've had one hell of a year. I won't dive too much into it here, but I've taken some huge steps up in my career, while simultaneously experiencing my mental health hit absolute rock bottom. If you told me a year ago I'd be in therapy and on anti-depressants today, I wouldn't have believed you. Naively I thought that I would never need such things, that I was fine! Alas, I was not.

But what I also wouldn't have believed was that I kept writing. That A Rough Sketch, as well as so many other of my works, would reach far beyond my imagination. That I'd one day have my own online community over on Twitter full of people who love and enjoy the same things of me.

That, once again, I would have a sense of belonging in this world.

To everyone who I have met this last year, be that someone who I haven't heard much from recently, or those of you who are in my inbox daily - thank you. Words can never describe just how much you all changed my life. I wouldn't have much life left in me if I hadn't gone down this road, and truthfully now I cannot see my life without you all in it. You litter my life like stars speckle the dark night sky, brightening up an otherwise somber existence.

While this post, this "letter", is for me rather personal and stems from one particular work, I hope that there is something here which resonates across to many of you reading. Author, or reader, I hope that everyone experiences this same sense of community and belonging that I have this last year.

Happy Birthday A Rough Sketch. Thank you.

If you want to read the work referenced, the link can be found here. This will be my only promotion for the series, given the content.

Thank you, each and every one of you.

All my love,

LadyBess xox

[kiiyome-art]

I've been thinking a lot about destiny lately, and how I want to go about writing and drawing out my warlock, Vienna's, story, now that the light and dark saga is coming to a close. I was a bit late to the destiny scene, all things considered, and between my creative struggles and (trying) to be a functional human being, I've not created as much as id have liked to. So come along with me on my little rant as I think allowed my thoughts, if you feel so inclined.^^

There's still so much I want to write, and stories to tell within the destiny universe.

I started playing the game during season of the plunder, when my friends introduced me to it, and we became a glorious fireteam! I was drawn to the pretty warlock space magic immediately, and thus, Vienna was born. ( Though I've since become a hunter main, she's still my favorite blorbo. )

I quickly fell in love with the story and it's characters, dug deep into the lore and since then, her story has gone through a LOT of changes. I try to stick close to the canon story for the most part, in my universe Vienna is the young wolf who was risen in D1, and has since gone through most of what we see throughout the dlcs and seasons past then, I'll probably elaborate on that further at one point.

Most of my drawings that I've posted here are fun little doodles, occasional quips between characters, and overall "for fun" stuff. The majority of what I've thought up for Vienna has been confined to my own head and the rare rants to my friends. And now with final shape being so close, I feel myself pressured to know, and write down, everything that I can. Which, realistically, is silly.

I had plans to make a three minute animatic of Vienna during forsaken since it was a MASSIVE turning point for her, have it out by final shape, then make an entirely NEW animatic based off OF final shape, mostly inspired by Caydes return. Whilst I had mapped out most of it and gotten some rough sketches down, I didn't even begin on the actual project. Could I have? Probably. Do i feel guilty about it? Yes. Will those projects still happen? Hopefully.

I know for all you creatives out there that might be reading this, the feeling of having plans, and not being able to carry through with them, or it not turning out how you wanted, is a shitty feeling, not foreign to ANY of us.

I felt myself compelled to write this in the first place because I know that, well, I'm not alone.

There's many creatives out there feeling the same pressure to get stuff done as I am, even if we don't say it. We want to have everything figured out, to create something wonderful, with the final shape feeling like "the end" of destiny as we know it and all. So this is me calling out to whoever might be listening; be nicer to yourself.

You have all the time in the world to create that animation, paint that painting, write that story. Just because final shape is "an ending," doesn't mean you can't still work on and have fun with the story beats you have in mind prior to Final Shape. No ones gunna call it silly, were all equally starved for content here. And who knows, once we all know how final shape ends, it might inspire you and help your story flow together better.

I'll try my best to tag my posts relating to Vienna and her fireteam with time stamps from now on, as I tend to jump all over the place and it could get really confusing really fast. The TLDR of it all;

Don't feel guilty about unfinished projects. Final shape isn't the end, dont let it be, and dont feel confined to just creating content relating to post final shape.

That's all! I appreciate you reading if you got this far, and im excited to see the amazing things the Destiny corner of tumblr will come up with next.

See you starside! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[thespectralvision]

Mr. Victor Shade, SWORD's leading expert on AI, aka The Vision's mundane alias.

More concept work for my comic plans, where after Westview Vision is found by Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy who help him build a life and remember who he is. Monica offers him a job at SWORD with Hayward out of the way, to reform it and return it to her mother's vision (pardon the pun). Vision helps out with this process, because who better to be watching and ensuring there is ethical treatement of AI and other 'sentient weapons' than the most advanced synthetic being on Earth? It will also give him an opportunity to explore who he is, and how he ended up being turned into Hayward's weapon in WandaVision.

(I have no affiliation with Marvel/the MCU - this is purely a fan project, and I know if we get Vision Quest as a series it will likely go in a very different direction. That's the joy of the Multiverse though - anything is possible, and I love telling *my* Vision's story through art and my stories.)

Breakdown of my process below the cut, as this was painted as a quick demo for a friend asking about how I do things and I enjoyed it enough to finish it:

My process has changed a little over the years but remains roughly the same. The level of depth and detail just means more hours refining the painting down more and more with additional layers and passes of light, shadow, and texture.

Before I start a piece, even just sketches to unwind, I gather reference. Sometimes I'll just see a photo I like of Paul/Lizzie, or sometimes an unrelated image where the pose or lighting or ambience speaks to me. I also use my collection for reference - my statues and Hot Toy figuresm to get the right lighting and angles, especially for Vision and all his robot lines (though admittedly these days I don't always use a reference and just go from memory...I think I draw this silly robot too much).

Once I've got a concept and some references gathered I set up my canvas. Currently I use CSP and I love it, and I have a variety of texture files I've purchased that mimic different types of paper. I like working on these as it feels more natural with the pencil, ink, and marker brushes I use. Once I have my references set up in the file I'll do a rough sketch, blocking out proportions and basic shapes. I'll set a mid-tone grey background as well, and I almost always sketch in color. I like choosing a color that represents the character for me - bright blue for Vizh, red for Wanda. I have a Loki sketch I need to finish for my sister and I used green for him. It helps me capture the 'energy' of the character, and this sketch remains a part of the finished painting even as I refine.

Once I've got a rough sketch down I'll start working on more detail. Sometimes this will be inks, sometimes just another pass with pencil. Depends on the piece and what I'm going for. This step can happen multiple times for complicated paintings, and usually I'll cycle through steps 2-6 multiple times for a large piece.

Once I have the lines down I'll paint flats. Most of the time I'm using a big brush that emulates a marker, because I like the texture it gives, especially when layered. I'm very mess and use an eraser brush to clean up the lines, and sometimes I'll go back and tweak the line art until I like the look. During this phase I'll also lay down some details - freckles, scars, details like eyes, tattoos, jewelry as well. When painting Vizh I like getting the texture in his robotic eyes done early on, and usually refine them again towards the end.

The real fun starts here - I'll block in my lighting, usually just going with whaveter I'm feeling in the moment. I like playing with gradients and layering them in different ways to create a more dynamic image, and then I start blocking in shadows with soft brushes.

More lighting. I start adding top layers to further stretch the dynamic. I like overlays, and adding a sort of dreamlike/surreal filter through the color. I'll also start adding in highlights to contrast the shadows and work in small sections to render the details. I always start big and decrease my brush sizes for detail and work in layers and stages, checking the reference as well as the painting's lighting (which is not always the same as my reference) as I go.

Texture texture texture. I like texture. This step sometimes happens earlier, but once I'm happy with my actual *painting* of my subject(s) I'll start figuring out background elements and textures for visual appeal.

[kirider]

I'm gonna be the most predictable bitch on this planet, Vice and Kiriya for the ask game

I planned to only have Vice under the read more but. this absolutely got out of hand ooops :P I have much to say about the blorbos

Kiriya

First impression: He's a bunch of my favorite tropes condensed in a cool design i was doomed from the start XD

Impression now: He's one of those blorbos who lives rent free in my mind I love him so much. I think he's one of the smartest charactes in Kamen Rider tbh, not in anything specific like Sento or Philip but just as how quickly he connects dots and figures out things. They had to kill him otherwise the series would have ended too quickly XD /j But also he's just a silly guy tee hee ^w^

Favorite moment: every single time he's on screen <3 /hj But if I had to pick some specific, mmmh. Well, I have to go with Gorider bc I have a reputation to mantain, that scene when everyone is accusing Emu and he's the only one defending him is so good; the beach scene because of course we all know the beach scene; and the reveal in Tricks because ough my heart

Idea for a story: okay so. For me current Kiriya can either be OG Kiriya who is a cockroach who refuses to die, or a bugster copy of Kiriya from Chou Super Hero Taisen who deluded himself that he's the real Kiriya (I like playing around with both depending on the situation). But the second one has so much potential for angst ough. I need him and Game Hiro to talk and have Game Hiro make him confront his delusion (since they're both copies of ExAid riders but Hiro accepts that fact while Kiriya doesn't) (and by make him confront I just mean Game Hiro is being his usual brash self he absolutely did not sign up to give Kiriya therapy he's just here to check on his kid). And slightly related but would probably be in a separate continuity (unless I figure out how to connect the two), Kiriya having an identity crisis regarding this (is he the OG Kiriya or is he just a game copy?) and Emu reassuring him that he doesn't care, Kiriya is Kiriya. For the sake of everyone I'm gonna stop here but. I have many thoughts about Kiriya XD

Unpopular opinion: ...I'll be honest, I made myself such a nice bubble in this fandom that I've only seen love for Kiriya so idk what an unpopular opinion would be XD

Favorite relationship: KiriEmu of course it's KiriEmu. I also love when he interacts with Nico I think they should have interacted more :3 Also also the show is a coward for not having Kiriya and Hiro interact more c'mon-

Favorite headcanon: This is super self indulgent lol. I think he's a patological liar, but he's getting better now that he has friends to help him :3

Vice

First impression: Oh I hated him so much it's so funny XD Everytime he broke the fourth wall I was ready to fight him

Impression now: He's just a (very loud and exuberant) silly guy yay ^w^ He cares so much about his family and his friends and specifically Ikki

Favorite moment: idk if it's the favorite moment but I love the last arc of Revice , Vice is so good in that aaa çvç o|-(

Idea for a story: most of my ideas for Revice stories are more about Ikki dealing with the loss of Vice tbh, idk if I have anything Vice centric 🤔 The first part of the Blue Exorcist crossover is technically more Vice centric I guess, with Ikki being knocked out during it and Vice having to protect him. I also have an idea for a one shot not-fic where Ikki and Vice are having an off day so they just spend the whole day merged, I do have some sketches for that somewhere

Unpopular opinion: Liking Vice itself is an unpopular opinion apparenty XD Also idk if it's popular but on ao3 there's a lot of people shipping him and Ikki and that squicks me out :/ They're brothers to me

Favorite relationship: Vice and Ikki of course. Their relationship is so intresting, all the human-demon relationships are so good and unique and it's such a pity this show is not the kind of show to explore this kind of stuff because aaaaa. And the demon sibling dynamics is so good, Vice Kagerou and Lovekov is such a good trio that was underexplored. Also I love the completely made up relationship he and Tsumuri have in my mind (from when the promos for their Outsiders episode came out. I have not watched that episode yet and I am still living in headcanon only land) They're besties your honor

Favorite headcanon: Vice will not allow himself to see Ikki again. He can't deal with having to say goodbye everytime (at the end of the series and during the stage show and after the Desire Royale) and if it keeps happening one day he'll be selfish and keep Ikki for himself and away from their family and he knows Ikki wouldn't want that (even if Ikki wouldn't remember them) :)

[archandshri]

12 April ‘24 - [arch] Making a Comic in a Week, Disability and Burnout (all unrelated, of course!)

Hey Shri and folks!! LOVED seeing part three of the Lionheart Brothers cover. Stunning!! And awesome to see your process. Also cool to see what you’ve been looking at lately - I’ve just finished a rewatch of Firefly and the characters are still living in my brain a bit. 

Life is a bit relentless, huh. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy working on disability stuff - meal prepping, sorting silly government forms, all that sort of thing. Exhausting and super easy to burn out on - but also sets me up for the future in my personal life and for illustration! I want to discuss the balance of pushing and burnout this week with an excellent example - I tried foreshadowing to make a comic in a week. 

When I was in uni, it was easy to create cool stuff regularly - you’re constantly receiving prompts, doing activities, getting feedback etc. I still have access to these things, especially through my shared studio community, but it’s not as easy as it used to be. I miss creating finished books, in particular, so frequently. So! I challenged myself to make a comic in time for Something’s Fishy Zine Fair in Plymouth tomorrow, which was just over a week from when I started.

I had come up with the concept for the comic while travelling, written the script and done a couple of sketches. I often come up with concepts while travelling - I just don’t often follow through :P Here’s a couple of sketches I did on the journey.

I’ve been chatting to lots of people about what they enjoy about art - I’ve noticed that I tend to crave the end of the project and having the physical thing with high expectations of myself, which doesn’t lead to a very enjoyable process. Many people I’ve spoken to enjoy the ‘zone’, the focus of the project where you’re just figuring stuff out and not thinking about anything else. Bearing this in mind, I wanted to make the process as fun as possible - this comic is for fun and not for the purpose of having the thing at the end. 

I started with a few development sketches of the characters and the vibe. I used ink and my funky kakimori dip pen, plus some brushes. These mediums are hard to control, which makes them good for development for me - they don’t have to be good, this time is for gestural drawings and ideas generation. Some continued doodles in my sketchbook from some downtime :) Fish wouldn't leave my brain.

After a bit of character development, I began by adapting my script into pages - I read the script and try to feel the vibes on how I want to pace the comic, considering:

How much dialogue and plot do I want to put on one page?

Do I want it to be more text or image-heavy?

Do I want it to feel fast and snappy, or slow and dreamy?

Which parts of dialogue feel like a page-turner?

Are there any twists that should be separated from the rest of the scene by a page-turn?

Are there any moments that should sit next to each other on spreads?

You can see me changing some dialogue around, writing as I draw a bit. Also playing around with some weird looking fish?? With noses???

I got a bit stuck at this stage. I was scared my script wasn’t good enough. And worried about if I could even draw fish. After a couple of chats with art friends, and some rambling in my slides, I reminded myself that the lesson this time is fun!! Have fun goddamn it!! No point doing it if you’re not having fun. (it’s not like we make any money from riso printed zines anyway)

Screenshots from my slides - these things are wonderful for gathering inspiration and venting when you run into a problem with the project.

So I decided to just go for it. Not even thumbnail, but just take a scene and draw it. I asked a studio friend to choose a number, and I drew that scene.

Because of the chatty style of the comic, and how much dialogue there was gonna be, I knew there would have to be a LOT of panels. I decided to make it A4, and use a 8x6 grid. I’ll draw the images at A3, and than scale them down to A4 when it comes to printing.

left: A3 grid on the lightbox, for tracing over || Right: A4 grid with boxes of different sizes for me to reference while choosing the layout - this way I can see the final print size

First drafts of a couple of random pages from Moon Noodles.

The first day I drew several pages that I was really happy with! It gave me a lot more confidence in my script - seeing it come to life with the characters on the page - some pages even got some laughs which was nice. I would look at the page plan, script, and spend a few minutes thinking about the pacing and how I wanted the dialogue on the page, and the go straight in with the dip pen - with the awareness that it might be wrong. This process taught me an important lesson - you have to just do it. The thing is, if you do it and it’s bad, you just do it again but different. Repeat. Staring at that script thinking it wasn’t good enough wasn’t actually going to get anything done, be fun OR make nice stuff. You have to do the thing. Then you make it better.

The other thing I learnt from this process was to give it space. There was a day where I did one page, hated it and thought the pacing was off, and spent the next day trying to translate it into two pages. It didn’t work. I came back the next day and realised the first page I’d done was fine and just needed a couple of tweaks. Do the thing. Let it be.

Here’s a little picture of my setup.

(Sorry all of Printhaus for hoarding the light box and getting ink all over it :( love u)

Useful stuff!!!!

Finished pages to refer to, plus more A3 paper underneath for future pages

Laptop with script

Dip pen, ink and water for keeping that little guy clean!

development sketches for relevant scenes

Page plan (you can see I have shortened it considerably since last time - now it's 20-24 pages and noted on scraps of paper so I can move them around if there's any changes of plan)

A4 sheet with boxes to show the sizes of the final print

also scissors??? i don't remember why they're here

But then monday morning came. I realised that if I wanted to get it all printed by friday, I needed to:

Plan and 12 pages on Monday, and 12 on tuesday

Get the final files for every one of the 24 pages by Thursday 

Print friday morning

Travel down to devon Friday afternoon

Fair Saturday

Not only is that basically impossible, but it would be very bad for my health, make for a rushed comic, and most importantly, not be fun. The thing is, I’ve made whole comics in a couple days before. I figured I could still do it. But that’s not actually a good thing - my skills and taste have increased, I'm aiming for bigger, more ambitious projects and yet I expect the timelines to stay the same? It doesn’t exactly work like that now, does it?

But I kept going anyway. 

Tuesday morning, I decide to get the cover put together so I can get the preorder post-out. I get pulled into an unexpected meeting, and then spend the rest of the day inking this thing and getting the files sorted. At this point, I know for sure It’s not possible to get this done. Thankfully my two Printhaus besties were in. They helped me drop it. I love this comic, it feels fun and joyous and I’ve enjoyed working on it - lets not rush it and end up with a bad product that will bother me. Let’s take time, explore it and really enjoy the process!!!

All is not lost for Something’s Fishy Zine Fair, though! Originally, I had planned to do a print of the Moon Noodles Cover for preorders only, but why not print that for Something’s Fishy?? Anyone who buys the print will also get a discount code for the pre-order :D (also here’s the pre-order link)

So here’s a few images of the Moon Noodles cover print and the process!! I hope to see some of you at Something’s Fishy. It’s a joy to visit Plym again :D

Sketch printed out at A3, and 2 of the layers. I scanned these in and edited them on photoshop to get the files ready to print.

Coming to terms with the fact that 1) I don’t have illustration superpowers even if my expectations are that high and 2) I’m disabled (yes it’s been years and it’s still hard to face) is really hard!! I need to spend most of my time when I’m well preparing for when I’m not AND fight the urge to work until I burn out, which I always lean towards because it’s nice escapism. 

The thing is that living, and not being too exhausted to move is much more important than a comic. And if I am gonna spend my functioning time making comics, they’re gonna have to be enjoyable to make. Otherwise your life slips away from you and you haven’t been really living it.

Hope that hasn’t got too deep for you. I think that stuff is important to face, especially since the creative life is so incredibly busy.

Thank you for reading this goddamn essay, I hope that it helped in some way! As usual, feel free to drop an ask if you have any questions. 

Chat soon :D Archie <3

[irys955]

I'm really just a silly who love drawing her favorite characters...

...and their genderbent versions, and boobs too I guess... I don't bite, I swear, but I'm bad at starting conversations, so feel free to talk to me hehe (●'◡'●)

Below is some ramble about my drawing journey ~

I have to thank a friend of mine, who I met during university. She was the one who helped me to find joy in drawing, taught me how to draw anatomy more correctly (I'm still bad at it but I now can see where I do wrong, even though I cannot fix those problems yet lol). I learned a lot watching her drawing in our classes together (we really did not pay attention to class.....). Yeah, she was also the one who pulled me into Hetalia....!

I drew some commissions during this time with dirt cheap prices like $3-$10 for full colored pictures that took me at least 2-3 days to complete lol. Here is the very first commission I made in 2016, I still like it very much (I nuked my dA account so yeah, I have no idea who was the customer for this one...I'm sorry ; - ;; )

My happiest moment was when I gave customer two sketch options and they said they wanted both lol....

Here are almost all of the commission I've made

Then after Uni, I went to work and was severely burned out...I did drew some arts for HalBarry but it was 5 years ago (wow time flies...). After them, I drew very little to the point of none. It must have been at least 4 years since I was last serious about drawing.

Until the beginning of this year, I got to work from home, yay, I finally have time and pick up my pen again. At this point, I have to thank Patalliro and BanMara for making me pick up drawing again xD!!! Then I fell back into the old pit (yes it's you ZeroX), reading their doujin, seeing all the wonderful artworks and fanfics about them on Pixiv, I suddenly want to contribute too. I love them so I want to draw them out, I want to materialize my plots for them...I want to force people to look at my creations so I post them online haha-

Though my job right now is kinda unstable (good pay for single adult though) and I'm in early mid life crisis of what I really want to do with my life...I like my current situation, it's like my dream job and situation, but as I said, it's not stable, it could end anytime. And at my age (I'm not THAT old but the job market is really harsh where I live), it's really hard to find a new job, but oh well, I guess thing is as good as it gets, I hope teehee

[middleearthpixie]

After the Fire ~ Chapter Forty-Five

Summary: Following the Battle of the Five Armies, a grievously wounded Thorin is brought back to the kingdom of Erebor, which is still mostly in ruins. Although he’s survived the wounds he received at the end of Azog’s blade, his recovery is far from complete. Grief, regret, anger, all are making his journey that much more difficult and the physical recovery isn’t quite the most difficult challenge he faces.

Jasna Stoneham is no stranger to loss, as she is a survivor of Smaug’s wrath upon Esgaroth. When she is asked to help the dwarves healers of Erebor, her instinct is to say no, but she needs the job, and so agrees to it. However, no one told her that of all the patients, she would be responsible for the king himself, Thorin Oakenshield. 

Unfortunately, the road to recovery isn’t necessary a smooth one, but if there’s one thing Thorin will learn, it’s that Jasna is just as stubborn as he is and for every step back he takes, she is there to push him three steps forward. And Jasna will soon find out that there is a gentle, softer side to the dwarf king, one that very few people have ever seen and one he fights to keep hidden from her as well. But like his recovery, that is also easier said than done. 

Summary: Jasna calls out Thorin on his jealousy where Bard is concerned…

Pairing: Thorin Oakenshield x ofc Jasna Stoneham

Characters: Jasna, Thorin, 

Warnings: None

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,380

Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketch-and-write-lover @sherala007 @enchantzz @knittastically @notlostgnome @myselfandfantasy @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78 @sorisooyaa @ruthoakenshield @frosticenow @quiall321 @dianakc

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here. 

As they made their way back across the plains, toward Erebor, Jasna glanced up at Thorin. He’d been unusually quiet, his forehead furrowed in a way that usually meant he had something weighty on his mind.

“Did things not go smoothly with Bard?” she asked when they were equidistant between Dale and Erebor. 

He didn't answer, but continued without breaking his stride. 

“Thorin?”

He started, as if he’d forgotten she walked alongside him. “I beg your pardon?”

“What is the matter? You’ve not said tw-two words since we left Dale. Did something happen with B-B-Bard?”

“Something such as…?”

“I haven’t the foggiest. I wasn't there, remember? I was left behind to stay and ch-ch-chat with Sigrid. Not that I minded, but still.”

“Why would something be the matter?”

“Well, I’m sure I don’t know, which is why I’ve asked.” She moved up ahead of him, turning to face him. “So, what happened?”

“Nothing happened.” He frowned. “And take care, mesmel, I’d hate to see you take a tumble.”

She navigated the somewhat rocky and rutted road as if she had eyes in the back of her head, and didn't worry about tripping over anything. “I’m fine. So, tell me.”

“Nothing.”

“Thorin.”

“What?”

“You have s-s-s-something on your mind. Now, give over and tell me.”

He sighed softly. “What is the nature of your relationship with the bowman?”

“With Bard? I told you, he is but a friend of my family.”

“And that is all?”

“What else were you expecting?”

“I see how he looks at you, Jasna. And how he speaks of you. There is something other than friendship behind his eyes and his words.”

“Oh, don’t be silly.” She navigated about a particularly deep rut without breaking her stride. “He sees me as nothing more than a friend and always has.”

“You’re wrong.”

He said it with such finality, such utter absolute surety, that she actually stopped in her tracks. “What?”

“You heard me.” He kept walking.

She spun about to just stare after him. The sun threw flashes of light off the cuff at the back of his head, and the runes at the ends of the braids on either side of his head, and he didn't look back, but kept moving forward. She cupped her hands about her mouth to call, “Have you lost your mind?”

Now he stopped. And turned. And scowled. “I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me.”

“Jasna, I know what I see. I know the way he looks at you and it is not the way one looks at a friend.”

“I don't even know what you mean.”

“I know the look, Jasna, for it is probably close to the way I look at you and trust me, that is not friendship in his glance. And his thoughts are anything but innocent.”

“I think you might need to have your eyes checked, Thorin. Trust me, he is doing no such thing.”

He offered up a long look. “Of the two of us, which knows how men look at women? You or me?”

“But I thought you and Bard were not the same sort of men?”

His long look became a glare. “Jasna."

“Very well,” she relented with a sigh, “you would know. But, know this, Thorin, I’ve known Bard since I was a child. He is like an older brother to me. He thinks nothing more of me than how you think of Dís.”

“Trust me, mesmel, he is not thinking of you in such a way.”

“Thorin.”

“He isn’t. And I’ll not discuss it further.”

“Good, because this is silly and you are wrong about him and his thoughts. In fact, what you think is utterly absurd, as far as I’m concerned.”

She resumed her stride, this time marching past him and not slowing as Erebor drew closer. It was ludicrous to think Bard felt anything for her other than friendship. He’d never given any indication at all and Thorin’s jealousy was irritating. 

Inside Erebor, it took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light and by the time they did, Thorin had caught up with her. “That was beyond childish, Jasna.”

“So is your being upset over something that does not exist.”

“Oh, ho, think so, do you?” He shook his head. “Trust me, mesmel, I know how men think—whether they are dwarf or of Man. And I know how we think when we see a beautiful woman.”

“Is that so?” She rolled her eyes. “Is that how you think about every beautiful woman you see?”

“I am not even dignifying that with an answer.”

“Of course not.” She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, Thorin, n-n-n-no one sees me that way.”

“Of course they do!” His words reverberated off the obsidian walls, loudly enough that several other dwarves stopped and turned to stare at them. Thorin glanced around, but then ignored them all as he added, “You see not what I do, Jasna. Trust me. You are a beautiful woman.”

“And you are a possessive man who needs to grow up.” She threw this over her shoulder as she marched off toward the staircase. 

“I need to what?”

“You heard me!” 

She didn't trouble to look back as she made her way down the stairs and along the corridor toward their apartments. By the time Thorin banged his way in, she was already in their bedchamber, stowing her sturdy boots in the wardrobe to be swapped for softer house shoes. 

“How do you not see it?”

She spun around to find him in the doorway, his forehead furrowed and his eyes troubled. Shaking her head, she said, “How do I not see what?”

“Jasna.”

“Thorin, you need to realize, no one ever saw me th-th-that way. Not even Bard. And you are h-h-hardly unbiased.”

“No, I know that. But I am also not blind. I know what I see before me. And I know what goes through one’s mind when they see a woman like you.”

His voice was so soft, she couldn't help but smile as she crossed to him. “And what might that be, dwarf? Do you think he is plotting to kiss me in the dead of night, in the middle of the infirmary?”

He didn't smile as he shook his head. “I am serious, Jasna.”

“As am I, because I know of one who took such liberties. And,” she draped her arms about his neck as she continued, “he also had the courage—or perhaps temerity is a better word—to ask me to come with him to his chambers and when I did, he sweet-talked me out of clothes and into his bed.”

It was risk, trying to tease him from his grouch, but she’d rather try than see this blow up into a full-fledged fight between them. 

At first, his scowl deepened, but then, his eyes softened just that much as he replied, “Well, I’d suggest he was wise to be able to do that.”

“Would you, now?”

“Oh, yes.” Now a hint of amusement came to his eyes, his hands coming to rest on her hips. “And I’ll even go so far as to wager he chose wisely and probably enjoyed himself the entire time.”

“I’ve no doubt he did.”

“But, did you?”

“I believe you know the answer to that,” she murmured, trailing her fingers through his hair. “But, it’s nice to know he did as well.”

“He asked for your hand and would have stepped down from his throne to be with you, mesmel. That must tell you something about him.”

“It makes me question his sanity from time to time, I must confess.”

“He is quite sane, trust me.” His fingers pressed in against her, his eyes softening. “And he knows what Bard is thinking when he looks at you, for it is most likely what I think when I look at you. And before you grow angry at me, know I am not possessive of you, I am protective of you and I will not apologize for that.”

“You don't need to protect me from Bard. He does not turn my head the way you do, dwarf. He never has and he never will and I think you should probably kiss me now.”

He smiled and bent forward to do just that, whispering, “Maralmizi,” just before his lips touched hers. 

“Do you suppose anyone wonders where you are?”

Thorin smiled down at her. “I care not if they are going mad looking for me. What good is being the king if I cannot sneak off with my wife every now and again?” 

Jasna lifted her head to smile up at him. “But what if you are needed to do something kingly.”

“Something kingly?”

“Yes.” She nodded, reaching up to tuck a wayward long curl and braid back behind his left ear. “What if a messenger from Mirkwood arrives to inform you Thranduíl has chosen to declare war upon Erebor unless you agree to turn over half the treasure hoard immediately?”

Thorin’s eyes glittered as he leaned in to brush her lips with his, whispering, “Thrandy would never be so bold. Or foolish.”

He kissed her then. Slowly. Deeply. And as he kissed her, he came flush against her, her legs parting to accommodate his hips once more. Mahal help her, she loved the way he felt against her, the way they seemed to just fit together so perfectly. 

When he drew back, he gazed down at her with soft eyes and whispered, “I look forward to leaving, to getting away from Erebor and everyone in it.”

“You say that now,” she told him with a smile, tucking that same wayward braid behind his ear once more, “but I know you, Thorin. You will worry and brood the entire time we are traveling.”

“I’ll do no such thing, for you and I will be alone in a coach. And there are far better ways to pass time when you and I are alone in a coach, you know.”

“And what about Dwalin and Bofur?”

“What about them? I don't even want to know they’re around.”

“That’s terrible. They’d put their own lives at risk for you.”

“I’m only taking them because Dís insisted I need a guard of some sort, which is silly, since I’ve traveled one end of Middle Earth to the other without any need for anything even remotely resembling guards.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” she said with a grin, tracing her forefinger along the edge of his beard, along his cheek, “but didn't the halfling save your hide from an orc more than once?”

“It was one time and that only because the others were trapped in trees.”

“Thorin.”

He sighed, his eyes closing as she traced down along his jawline. “I agreed to it, didn't I?”

“You’re the king now, love,” she reminded him softly, curving her hand against his furred cheek. “And that comes with taking bodyguards with you, even if we all know Thorin Oakenshield is perfectly capable of watching out for himself and anyone traveling with him. Thorin Durin is also a target now and has been for a very long time.”

“I know,” he nodded slowly, “and I know that simply because Azog no longer walks Middle Earth, it doesn’t mean another hasn’t taken his place. I just… life was far simpler when I was but Thorin Oakenshield.”

“I imagine it was. But was it better?”

“In some ways, yes,” he nodded, “because I didn't have anyone watching my every move. I didn’t have to worry about bodyguards and the like.”

“But, you did. Azog hunted you from one end if Middle Earth to the other.”

“True, but I was only aware of it for a brief moment.” 

“He hunted you to your front door, Thorin.”

“And I ended him.”

“You did,” she eased her arms about his neck, “but you nearly lost your life in the process.”

“Ah, but without that, you would not be here now and I would do it all the same way for that alone.”

He bent to her then, and as their lips met, there came a knock at the door. “Thorin?” Balin called. “Are you in there?”

Jasna bit back a smile as Thorin groaned softly and let his head fall forward into the slope of her shoulder. “I think you are needed for something kingly.”

“We cannot leave soon enough.”

“Thorin?”

With a muttered oath, Thorin eased off her and shifted to grab his trousers, sliding into them, fastening them as he padded out of the room. Jasna sank into the pillows with a slight smile as she could actually hear the embarrassment in Balin’s voice as he apologized for disturbing them. 

She sighed softly as she sat up and reached for her tunic to draw it over her head. Thorin returned as she slid into her own trousers and said, “I’m needed down in the forges.”

“Was there another accident?”

“I’m not sure. I don't think so. I think it was a brawl, actually.”

She paused. “A fight?”

He nodded, tugging his dark gray henley over his head. “I think so. Balin was a little fuzzy on the details.”

“Be careful.”

“I’ll be fine. But, those involved will know exactly how I feel about them interrupting my pleasant afternoon.” He leaned over to brush her lips with his. “So, I will see you at supper, mesmel.”

She sank onto the edge of the rumpled, disheveled bed as the door closed behind him and an a soft silence settled around her. She looked forward to their upcoming trip, looked forward to being able to spend that time alone with her new husband, away from all of the pressures and demands that came with his being the king. She supposed she would, in time, grow accustomed to the fact that his duties would never offer much in the way of downtime, and that she would have to make the most of what quiet time they could find. 

But she could worry about that when they returned from their trip. For now, she had to go to the infirmary. Narnerra was waiting for her.