#this seems like such a great way to actually use all these refs that have accumulated over the years :D

[elektroyu]

A fellow artist friend is doing Doggust and I really enjoy what they do and it seems like a fun project, so I thought I'd give it a try too. Just in modified form, because I probably won't be able to do one picture per day consistently over such a long time even if it's just sketches. Also I made my own list.

So I went through my dog ref folders from the dog shows I've been to and picked 31 breeds, mostly ones that I haven't painted before (or not very often at least) so this will be interesting! To give myself hopefully enough time and not too much pressure (and because I'm already way too late for a strict Doggust) I'm aiming for doing it until the end of October. Calling this DOGgustembtober XD I'm planning to do loosely colored sketches, which may or may not be turned into proper paintings later on. I'll add links to the list below as sketches are finished.

And the list is the following:

Saluki

Bull Terrier

Cairn Terrier

Airedale Terrier

Laekenois

Beauceron

Maremma Sheepdog

Polski Owczarek Podhalański

Spinone Italiano

Kai

Kishu

Korean Jindo

Shikoku

Russkiy Toy

Pumi

Icelandic Sheepdog

Norwegian Lundehund

Šarplaninac

Kangal

Chinese Crested Powderpuff

Afghan Hound

Japanese Akita

Dobermann

Tibetan Terrier

Kromfohrländer

Landseer

Thai Ridgeback

Giant Schnauzer

Golden Retriever

Basenji

Portuguese Water Dog

[imaginespazzi]

Not sure if this counts as chaotic family, but I can’t get enough of your writing! I’ve read the ucla story and embarrassing number of times lol.

Can you please write Azzis first day back at practice and Paige is just so excited for her and they’re being cute all morning and then during practice they’re both so happy and then someone fouls azzi hard and she goes to the floor and Paige like kinda yells at them and then azzi tells her to calm down and she’s fine and Paige then apologizes while they’re all eating after practice and the team kinda teases her for getting all defensive about her wife.

Thank you my love and hopefully this lives a little bit up to what you wanted (even if it's unedited and it's been a little bit since you asked for it):

"Happy first day to you, happy first day to you, happy first day dear Azzi, happyfirstdayofbeingclearedforbasketballactivities to you," Paige sing-songs, the last sentence being mushed together so she can make it fit to the tune of "happy birthday, as she wraps her arms around Azzi from behind.

"My poor ears," KK whines dramatically and if Paige wasn't in such an absolutely fantastic mood, she'd give her youngest child the middle finger, but right now, she's too by smiling into her girlfriend's neck.

Azzi giggles, leaning back into Paige and letting herself be wrapped in the blonde's arms, "you're such a sap."

"Your sap," Paige coos before taking her delegated seat on the chair next to Azzi, left hand immediately seeking out a way to intertwine with the younger girl's right one, "you excited to play today babe?"

"So excited," Azzi whispers, wistfulness echoing in her voice. For the most part, the shooting guard excels at hiding her emotions and throughout her injury, she'd done a pretty solid job of keeping them in check. But that doesn't mean she hasn't felt the sting of being away from the sport she loves, every single day. And no one knows that feeling more than Paige as she presses a soft kiss against the younger girl's temple.

"Gonna show us all up at practice today huh Az?" Ice teases and Azzi just shrugs noncommittally with a slight smirk.

But Paige, forever the president of the Azzi Fudd fanclub, is quick to reply for her, "you bet your ass she is."

The rest of the team cheers and it's heartwarming really, how excited everyone is to have Azzi playing again. There's a buzz around the team as they walk into the practice center, the buzz of all their missing pieces starting to fit together. It had begun with Jana, and then Ayanna and now Azzi. With every return, the march towards UConn's 12th national championship, seems clearer and clearer.

It's the first time in a long time, that they have enough bodies available for them to play 5x5 with just the team alone. Much to Paige's chagrin, coach doesn't allow her and Azzi to be on the same team despite her incessant whining ("we haven't played together in ages Coach" "you'll play together all season" "azzi tell him he's being unreasonable" "whatever you say coach" "TRAITOR") but she's not all that upset about it. After all, Paige is nothing if not a competitor and beating Azzi has always been one of her favorite things.

Team adrenaline is on full display, everyone's eagerness to beat each other, but most importantly get better together, on full display as with every minute passing, the game seems to get more and more aggressive. There are no refs and Coach lets them play through the contact, knowing most of them will need to play like that during the season considering how fucking shit terrible the NCAA refs could be.

Call her a psychic but Paige sees it happening before it actually does. Azzi has been great throughout, faltering only once or twice, but that was to be expected her first practice back. It happens in a split secondas she's setting herself for a step-back pull-up, Morgan putting her whole soul into defending her. Something happens in between Azzi shooting the ball and it going in the net and the next thing Paige registers is her girlfriend, her only just recently cleared for basketball activities girlfriend, falling to the floor with a loud thud.

Paige is absolutely still for a second, her vision blurring in red and then-

"WHAT THE HELL MORGAN," Paige's voice echoes around all of Werth, as she marches to where the freshman is helping Azzi up.

She's aware of everyone's eyes on her now, can practically feel the death stare Coach is giving her for letting her emotions get the best of her but Paige doesn't give a damn. All she knows is that this is Azzi's first practice and no one should be being that aggressive with her.

"It was an accident," Morgan recoils, clearly unsure of what do to when her superstar teammate looks like she might murder her.

"DOESN'T MATTER. YOU DON'T FOUL SOMEONE LIKE THAT," Paige yells and even she's aware she's being just a tad bit unreasonable, "SHE LITERALLY JUST GOT BACK. WHAT IS WRONG YOU?"

"Hey hey hey," Azzi pushes a hand against Paige's chest, lightly shoving her back and it's instantaneous the way every part of her seems to calm down at that little touch, "I'm fine."

"That's not the point." Paige spits out through gritted teeth, still glowering at Morgan. Through the periphery of her vision she can make out KK, Ice and Jana snickering and makes a mental note to yell at them because this is NOT an amusing situation thank you very much.

"There is no point," Azzi says firmly, fingers rubbing a soothing pattern down Paige's arms, "it's basketball. Shit like this happens. You need to calm the hell down."

Before Paige, who's slowly beginning to relax into her girlfriend's touch, can say anything, a sharp whistle blows behind them. Knowing exactly who blew it, Paige whispers a prayer to herself before turning to look at furious Geno Auriemma.

"Good job, you just got yourself a technical," he seethes, one hand immediately going up in anticipation of Paige's protest, "do that in an actual game and I will eject you myself.

As Paige nods meekly, the muffled giggles behind her only get louder and when she looks to the side, her own girlfriend, the traitor, is trying to hide a smile.

"It really do be your own people," Paige scoffs and much to her displeasure, the laughs only get louder.

***

"Azzi says I have to apologize to you," Paige grumbles to Morgan as she and Azzi walk into the dining hall after practice, hands swinging together.

Morgan, the good-natured girl she is, just smiles and nods, "nah you're all good. I get it."

"See," Paige says pointedly to her girlfriend who immediately rolls her eyes, "Morgan gets it. You'd do the same too right Morgs?"

"Oh no," Morgan smirks, "I would never. I just know that you're kinda insane when it comes to Azzi."

Paige splutters as Azzi giggles into her shoulder, "I am not insane."

"You're the definition of insane," Jana says.

"And the definition of whipped," Ice chirps in, high-fiving her fellow forward.

"I am not," Paige whines, turning to Azzi "baby tell them I'm not."

"Well I can't lie Paige," Azzi says slowly and Paige lets out an offended squeal.

"You're my girl and you won't even defend me? Can't trust nobody these days."

As Paige pouts, KK waltzes into the dining hall. There's a smirk on her while she walks to the team table and exaggeratedly elbows Azzi on her way there.

"Oh no Azzi, I'm so sorry, I just bumped your arm, Please don't hurt me Paige," KK cowers into Ice, dramatically shielding her body, and the whole team, traitors the lot of them, burst into laughter.

"You're not funny," Paige seethes, crossing her arms, "I hate all of you."

It only makes the rest of the team laugh harder and it isn't until Azzi wraps Paige into her arms, that Paige's annoyed expression softens.

"Hey," the younger girl whispers, and just like that even in the cacophony, they're in their own world, "you are a little insane-"

"Azzi-"

"But I like that you're a little insane," Azzi whispers, before booping Paige's nose and giving her a soft kiss, eliciting a shy smile from the older girl.

And really, if Azzi likes her being insane, Paige is prepared to be insane for a lifetime.

[bouncybongfairy]

Hiii, could you please do a live action jet x reader smut? Where the reader is a water bender and he meets her when he meets sokka and Katara, she knows hes kind of a bad person but she can't help being into him. You don't have to do exactly that, just a idea!

Rude Boy

Jett x Fem Reader Smut

Summary: Needing to take a break from travel, your group stops to rest in the Earth Kingdom village of Gaipan. After meeting Jett and the Freedom Fighters, you can't help but be charmed by his bad boy persona. He invites you out to the city for a wild night.

Word Count: 1.0k+

Ref Account: @kaionyx

TW: Rough Smut.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

You guys had been flying for hours and the sun was starting to go down. Anng decided that they would find somewhere to set up camp for the night. Appa was getting tired so they needed somewhere soon and Gaipan was the nearest village. Nothing seemed off at first, Katara and Sokka were arguing about the most efficient way to set up their tent. Anng made sure Appa was comfortable when Jett and the Freedom Fighters made their appearance. After they explained their disposition, they joined you around the fire. Jett was sitting right next to you, telling these lavish stories of glory and riches. Katara wasn’t impressed by his show boating and was disappointed you weren’t seeing it. After he was out of ear shot, all she could talk about was how he was a bad guy and not to be trusted. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t see the signs that he was up to no good. You just didn’t give a fuck. His dominant personality was quite charming. How he didn’t tolerate anything he was unhappy with. You loved everyone in the group and have grown to be like family. However, being happy-go lucky and optimistic all the time was emotionally taxing. As Katara used her water bending to put out the fire, Jett pulled you aside. 

“Hey I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come into town with me later tonight?” He asked. 

“Oh uh- yeah I think I would be able to sneak away,” you said, looking over to see if anyone was watching. 

“Great, I'll meet you here, in an hour or two,” he says while catching up with his group. 

You were practically snaking with excitement. For so long, you’d been surrounded with morality and sunshine. You were excited to break away from that, do something that made you feel alive. Laying on your back in the tent, waiting until you felt everyone was actually asleep. Your heart was racing, trying to avoid anything on the ground that could make noise. Jett was waiting for you where he said, resting his hands on the handles of his hook swords. He smiled once he saw you, joking about how he was starting to think you bailed. 

“No, not at all! I’m really looking forward to seeing the night life in the city,” you explained. 

“Well, I’m excited to show you.” he said, holding his hand out for you to take. 

It wasn’t long before the two of you reached the night market he was intent on visiting. It was really nice, several food stands that were making your mouth water. He pulled out a large bag of coins, and made your eyes widen a little. You couldn’t remember the last time you saw that much money in one place. Never giving you a straight answer when you asked how he acquired the money. The mysteriousness was only adding to his bravado. After walking the full length of the market, he took you to a really scenic spot. At the top of a hill, overlooking all the lights in the city. Laying on a bed of soft grass while enjoying the view. 

“So how did you really get all that money?” you asked, laying your head against his shoulder; admiring his side profile. 

“The less you know the better,” he chuckled. 

“It’s okay if it’s bad. I know the group I'm with isn’t the most open minded but the Fire Nation made the world like this. Impossible to survive so why can’t we break a few rules to withstand their wrath you know?” you explained. 

“Finally, someone that gets it,” he said, turning to face you.

Your lips were only a couple inches from his. Smelling the alcohol on his breath from a drink he’d gotten earlier that night. Everything about him was just so unacceptable, his attitude, outlook on life and his moral compass was so wrong. You were tired of trying to figure out why that was so intriguing. Shamelessly giving in to your temptations. Wanting to test the waters slowly, you brush your bottom lip against his. In return he melts his mouth into yours. Running his tongue over your lip, grabbing your face with his hands. Breathing hard out your nose, trying to get air in when you could. He rolled on top of you, pressing his pelvis into yours. Starting to kiss and nip at your neck as the two of you rock your hips together. He sits up abruptly, your lips separating with a wet pop sound. Now on his knees, he pulls out his hook swords and tosses them to the side. 

For the few seconds he was hovering over you with the blades, your skin prickles with goosebumps. He looked so powerful and menacing, it made you feel hazy. Dropping back down, his hands coming down hard on either side of your head. You flinched a little, which made him chuckle before pulling your top off. Of course, you eagerly help him remove it. Your back arched off the ground as he took one of your nipples into his mouth. Swirling and flicking his tongue while pinching and pulling at the other. Your head falling back against the grass, both mind and body fully engulfed with pleasure. Your clit was aching and feeling yourself getting wetter wasn’t helping. 

“Can I ride you?” you asked. 

“No, I wanna fuck you until you’re braindead,” he says, flipping you onto your stomach. 

Pushing your ass up and grinding against his leaking member. Spreading his pre-cum all over your skin before focusing his tip on your entrance. Teasing for a few moments before burying himself inside your heat. He started rocking his hips slowly, pulling out fully before sliding back in. Biting and sucking hickies on your shoulder. Trying his best not to animalistically pound you into the ground. Moaning every time he fully pressed his cock inside you; his head kissing your cervix every time he snapped his hips. Your head was turned to the side, perfect angle for him to shove two fingers into your mouth. Massaging your tongue and prodding down your throat. Letting out a moaning as you gagged and drooled. Wet slapping sounds came from how hard he was thrusting. Taking his hand out of your mouth and brushing the hair out of your face so he could see your expressions. Spreading your drool all over your face in the process, while making patronizing cooing noises at you. Your body went limp, barely audible uh-uh-uh’s coming out of your mouth. Seeing you turned into a fucked out pile of need was steering him closer to climax. Having no remorse and using your body for pleasure was his only goal. Pounding away at you with such force, your skin was becoming sore and reddened. Pressing his full body weight into you, pulling your hair to expose your neck and biting down as he came. Snapping his hips into you every time he shoots thick ropes of cum into your belly. Grunting and growling into your neck as he rode out his high. He got the two of you semi dressed before passing out where you two laid in the grass. Too fucked out to care about the repercussions and responsibilities that tomorrow holds.

[elsa-fogen]

Oh, Husk and Alastor?

Their dynamic is also pretty interesting, they kinda feel like two people who everyone thinks gets along great and are the best of friends. While in reality their friendship is fueled but a fire born from their hatred. They just have many decent moments and have a easy time understanding each other, through they often use that information to serve a selfish endeavor.

Like Alastor would mess with Husk, tease him and Husk would tell Al to get his act together so that he(Husk) doesn't have to deal with some sort of fallout (ref. when Mimzy comes by)

In general, I feel like they do get along really well, but they are in no way friends. Kinda like how you can get along well with your boss, but wouldn't really consider them a friend. And you wouldn't really want them to involve themselves in your life, but that doesn't stop Alastor. (Social conversions? What's that)

This also makes me curious, wonder what kind of dynamic Husk has with Rosie, or rather, how do you think Rosie sees Husk? Just like a pet Alastor has? Or does she actually see the person that is there? (Leaning more towards her not really seeing Husk more than a errand boy or pet of Alastor)

Though it would be fun if the first time Husk meet Rosie he thought that she might actually be willing to help him because she gives of the energy of being a very kind person around people she cares about (aka Alastor). So he tries to talk to her without Alastor present and he finally understands how they get along so well, they are both the same kind of crazy ᵔᵜᵔ

So, um- what are your thoughts on the dynamic between Alastor and Husk?

HEEEHEHHE YOU GOT ME A REASON TO TALK ABOUT MY FRESH HEADCANON ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

OKAY SO!!

I saw a theory that Husk had children when he was alive. Keep that in mind, it's a secret tool we wanna use later

So, little bit about Alastor. He is not the guy who owns many souls. In fact, he doesn't own any (well... i have some headcanons, but it's for another time). The only soul he has is Niffty, and she's... she's whole another level.

So one day Alastor get's Husk's soul in posession and he has no idea what to do with him. Their contract is basically "you'll have to do anything i order you" but it doesn't set any boundaries for Husk. So he can insult Alastor, argue with him and so on. The only thing he cant is to try to kill Alastor, but it's obvious.

So, Alastor's just... drags him around, and Husk has to just be there all the time, and watch Alastor do stupid shit without thinking, being manipulated by Mimzy into some shenanigans and so on, because he's too powerful, kinda don't afraid of anything and little bit unhinged. And Husk is trying to be that voice of sanity for Alastor (and maybe Niffty). Like in canon, he tries to warn Alastor about Mimzy nd at some point seems genuinely worried about him. Just a bit. And also, in that scene in final song, when Alastor appears again, Husk doesn't seem happy but still goes for group hug.

I think he sees Alastor as a child he has to babysit, but the child is so spoiled, that he doesn't give a shit about his warnings. Maybe Al reminds him of his own children at some degree. And so Husk is attached to Alastor in some weird unhealthy way, he cares about him and tries to protect, even if it pointless.

The worst part of it is that Alastor doesn't see him more than funny fluffy cat-guy-pet. He almost never takes him seriously and doesn't listen to what he says. So Husk may try to reach out to Rosie, to make her to reason with Alastor. But she's basiclly "i could fix him, but whatever is wrong with him is way funnier". I think she listens to Husk's worries about another Alastor's scheme, but she also trusts Alastor? I mean, she belives that he'll be fine. But if something seems to dangerous, she can agree and talk to Alastor.

After all, Husk was an overlord, and i think Rosie could know him before he made a deal with Alastor. So, i think she doesn't think of Husk as just Al's pet, she knows who he is. After all, not every sinner can become an overlord. But still,

So, last thing. I saw that one comic where after episode 5 Alastor admits that Husk was right about Mimzy and i really love this thought. I think Alastor also likes Husk's presence at some degree. Maybe they could build something healtier, maybe Alastor, after losing part of his powers, would listen to Husk more. But still it's all fucked up while Alastor owns his soul.

And also, i'd really love to see something of just Alastor, Husk and Niffty getting into some shenanigans together, this would be so much fun. Al and Niff who are just 2 unhinged gremlins and Husk who's done with their shit, but still cares about them and can't just leave, and it's not because of the deal. Like i imagine when husk is trying to reason with Alastor that he's about do something stupid and dangerous and Alastor's like well i don't force you to follow us this time, but Husk still goes with them because who else would watch after these two idiots?

So i think, i get your point about them!

[ruvviks]

// oc smash or pass.

tagged by; @adelaidedrubman and @roseeway, thank you so much!!

tagging; @mojaves, @lestatlioncunt, @elgaravel, @ncytiri, @dickytwister and YOU!

rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

QUICK FACTS.

full name: vitali matveyevich dobrynin

height: 1.77m

age: 29 (as of april 2077)

gender: trans man

pronouns: he/him

sexuality: gay (but it's like. whatever)

PROS.

dedicated and caring; he has a lot of experience and thus is very thoughtful, both for one night stands as well as in a relationship :]

great listener, can keep any conversation going; will also remember small details from conversations and acts accordingly (for example you mention something you always wanted to have and he will buy it for you as a surprise next week)

incredibly charismatic and loves complimenting people :] he is very good at making you feel loved

sexy as all hell. i mean look at him. he's got tattoos too and also a lot of body hair. one day i'll draw a better body ref for him

a lot more down to earth than he may seem since he's a corpo boy; he loves to just hang out and he's on the same level as his mercenaries who are also his best friends, he Does run a fixer business but also it feels more like a collaborative thing rather than him being in charge of it all. does that make sense. he's not power hungry is what i'm trying to say

CONS.

workaholic :( he makes very long hours at the office 5-6 days a week so unless you work with him you won't see him a lot during the day

stubborn as hell. getting into actual arguments with him is pretty difficult since he's not quick to anger but he will hold on to his own opinion very tightly. sorry. also takes grudges to his grave

appears very aloof which makes it seem like he doesn't care. you will need to point this out for him because he will NOT realize. ever

i already listed workaholic but i'm mentioning it again he is married to his job as a fixer you will just have to take it. there's no way you could ever make him quit

ex smoker who now smokes fake cigarettes and also you need to keep him on a child leash every time there's alcohol around. he will spiral fast

OTHER.

loves sex and will basically do whatever, he's into a lot. likes getting freaky with it but can also stay vanilla. insanely good at eating people out ^_^

open to have an open relationship situation going on with you so you can both kiss other people from time to time if you feel like it in the club or something

he can ALSO be your toxic manipulative princess if you want him to be. you just have to make him worse first but it's entirely possible. the sex will be out of this world but so will the 2am screaming matches

[petra-creat0r]

Deltarune: Fool's Fate Ch. 4 Secret Boss

Alright so I teased them in my Fool's Fate post talking about the different Dark Worlds and secret bosses of Fool's Fate, but here's the actual ref post of the little bun-bun bynuy Cherutti. My friend @mrchaosman did make me diner secret boss before I even knew I wanted to have Chapter 4 of Fool's Fate in the diner, but I think i can better utilize Flamy else where in the chapter. Likely as one of the main bosses, which represent the tarot card of The Lovers.

So instead of Flamy, I made Cherutti. I had maybe a very basic concept, but I mostly came up with them in a day while on call with a friend on Discord while doing dishes. The part I ended up having the most struggle with when it came to her was her colors. (Well, perhaps until I have to write up their backstory.)

Cherutti's name is a combination of cherub, and putti, the plural of putto, or the little winged babies we often think of as cherubs that are seen in Renaissance art. (Fun fact, putti representing Cupid are called amorini!) Additionally, the way Cherutti's name is combined also sounds like "charity". Their last name is just a bastardization of "recipe".

I haven't thought of a text quirk for Cherutti, but I do know they'd use the orange soul mode, which I imagine would let the player run through and break attacks. Perhaps for a text quirk, Cherutti could talk in the bullet points of a recipe? Idk, I'm open to suggestions.

Cherutti is based on a damaged recipe card, likely a recipe for some sort of cake or confection considering they're from the a dark world set in the diner and their chapter would take place around Valentine's day in universe.

Backstory under the cut

Cherutti didn't used to be anything special. They were just another Resepi. A dime a dozen type of Darkner who would fly around the Diner World and deliver instructions for different kind of dishes and desserts the other Darkners would make as offerings to the Lightners. They were messengers, and Cherutti was just one in a crowd of dozens. She didn't even get to deliver the instructions to anything all that important. Just a tiny little dessert that barely anyone ordered.

Cherutti was fine with this though. They didn't need to be anyone special or do anything important. She was just happy to do her job. Though, every now and again they might've felt a slight jealously towards their fellow Resepies, they tried not to let it get to them. Instead just focusing on her job, delivering instructions whenever called upon.

One day though, Cherutti ran into a... strange someone. A man who offered Cherutti an offer that any Resepi would be a fool to refuse. The man offered to help her get on the Specials Menu. The Specials Menu was a big deal. It was where the cream of the crop offerings were displayed. A place were a Lightner could notice and decide to try out even the tiniest little dessert like Cherutti was in charge of. The smallest Resepies would be lucky to even get their offering on the daily part of the Specials Menu, with even that rotating spot getting swapped around between the more popular Resepies and their menu items. The place the man offered Cherutti would be a much, MUCH more permanent one though.

Cherutti accepted the man's offer, and at first everything seemed to be going great. It started with helping them improve the recipe instructions they were meant to deliver. An edit here and there to improve the formula and ensure more Lightners ordered it. Nothing to outrageous. Even the most popular Resepies' recipes would get little edits either to improve the dish or substitute ingredients. Then the man helped Cherutti get a daily spot on the Specials Menu, a small honor a small little Darkner like themself never even dreamed they'd achieve. Even if it was short lived, Cherutti felt on top of the world. they'd finally had a taste of richest cream this world had to offer.

And they needed more.

The next step of the man's plan required patience. He'd help Cherutti get on the daily spot of the Specials Menu a few more times before finally helping them onto a more permanent spot on that list. The problem with that was Cherutti was a very fast and brash Resepi. Even if she was humble and accepted her place before, her recipe was quick and easy, having little prep time. And now that they'd had a taste of greatness, Cherutti didn't want to wait any longer than they needed to. Additionally, the man had also revealed a great truth to Cherutti during this time. Both as a courtesy he gave all his followers, but also to try and tide the impatient Darkner over as he continued with his plan.

This only drove Cherutti's hunger further.

Even as Cherutti got on the Daily Specials more and more thanks to the man's help, they didn't want to wait for the profits the man promised would come eventually. In their impatience, they started to tweak their recipe more and more. Making even more edits, ones which often confused the Darkners meant to follow the instructions they were delivering. Their brash confidence and speed caused them to let letters get splashed or damaged as they found themself getting called upon more and more. Delivering instructions that with bleeding ink, half scribbled words, and torn edges. Cherutti barely even noticed the man had long since abandoned her at this point.

The turning point came when Cherutti got fed up by some workers who complained about not being able to read or understand the instructions she had delivered. Cherutti's offering had been requested and ordered about a dozen times by now, couldn't they memorize it? Fine, she'd show them how it was done. If Cherutti had to rely on others who were so incompetent, then they may as well do it themself! However what Cherutti didn't realize was such brashness would be their ultimate downfall.

Cherutti ended up falling into the fire they had tried to throw the cake into, damaging not only them, but their recipe as well. At this point, there was no way anyone could read the instructions on their little card, and everyone doubted what use a burnt Resepi could contribute. Cherutti's desert was only permanently banned from the Daily Specials, but also removed from the menu entirely and Cherutti herself was cast out. Forced to spend the rest of her days among the soot and ash, still scheming their eventual rise back onto that coveted Specials Menu.

That is until, a puppet and his friends find their way into the diner world during the loveliest time of the season.

-----------------------

Hoo boy! I came up with most of that on the spot and worried it was sounding too much like Spamton's at first but eventually I think I steered it into something of its own! Originally I think I was just gonna have Cherutti get forgotten in the recipe box as the rest of the Resepies were moved to a cook book but I like this little story of impatience and self destruction more.

I've already got an idea for the next Fool's Fate secret boss, I just need to draw him. I might hold off on them for now though so I can make something for Grimm's Chaos Clash using my Studio Dark World. We'll see. I might just end up using the takes-no-guff journalist to kooky krazy wizard for that. Doggone could work for the tourney, right?

I'll likely go with the studio one. Just need to come up with an item to base off first...

[ante--meridiem]

if at some point you have the time, I'd love to learn your zettelkasten secrets for studying maths.

for context, historically when I studied maths it was always in the form of a course and followed a clear sequence. the structure of my notes was pretty much like a textbook.

now I am learning it in a spottier way, where I'm like, "okay I need a somewhat high-level knowledge of the main concepts in this topic for now (as background for something else) but some things may end up being more important later and I might want to come back and fill in some details".

this seems like it would benefit from a more non-linear approach, but I don't really know how to even start with that. any tips?

I'm really sorry that the helpfulness of what I'm about to say almost certainly won't justify/make up for the amount of time it took me to answer but I'll do my best.

What you're describing wanting to do is in fact the main use case for my zettelkasten (which is currently about 70% maths, 20%-25% the kind of thing you'd tag as ref notes, and the remaining 5%-10% miscellanea). I did actually start out trying to build up the maths linearly and it worked great when I had time but once I started the masters courses it just wasn't realistic to keep up. That said I'm nonetheless having a hard time coming up with advice specific to this beyond what's already in my zettelkasten tag (if tumbr search is broken I can fetch the main posts for you), so I'll just say as much as I can about how I do things maths wise. I do not promise this is the best way to do things, much of it isn't even very considered and just how it ended up happening.

What I do now is whenever I'm going through an article/lecture notes/etc I make a placeholder zettel as I go for any definitions or big theorems that come up. Details can be added/improved later, what's important in the moment is to have the bare bones easily referred back to or linked to. Definitions are especially important in the initial phase as it's very likely you'll need to link back to them for your new zettels that use them to make sense. In the interest of efficiency I've had to give up on my desire to have something mathematically complete where everything used is clearly defined and proven elsewhere. If I'm familiar enough with a concept and find it basic enough that I probably won't need a reference for myself when I use it, it doesn't get a zettel until/unless I have more time to spare. Proofs are generally filled in later, the most important thing in the first step is just having an interlinked structure of all the claims and the main definitions and lemmas they use.

Regarding adding proofs, formatting proofs in the zettelkasten is my biggest challenge with it tbh, because the idea is for each zettel there should be one concept being expressed, but proofs contain a ton of granular concepts that can't really be broken up and each given its own zettel. When it makes sense, I try to break then into lemmas and have the main theorem page contain basically an index of lemmas with linking steps between them. When this doesn't make sense I can sometimes still split the proof up into sections that each get a contractable heading so I can hide the bits that aren't relevant when I don't need them and avoid being overwhelmed by the amount of information.

In terms of adding other kinds of details, generally once I've got the main stuff down I can go back to zettels I already have, find concepts I mentioned but didn't explain in them, and make a new zettel for that which I link as I'm making.

[simcardiac-arrested]

creamverse iterator oc lore masterpost

(LAST UPDATED: 14/08/24)

hi! so if you are a cream fan and a fan of my iterator ocs specifically, you might've noticed that i have been building a storyline around them. most of it happens on the @dj-wayback askblog, but sometimes it gets drowned out by other silly misc asks, and is simply just hard to find if you haven't been keeping up since the beginning so i have decided to try and write a (long) summary of what exactly is happening, what characters are important and what their backstories consist of 👍 make sure to check out the oc tags linked if you want to know more!! i will only be including story-relevant and important comics/animatics, but there are also other drawings that provide context and serve the story (along with just misc art of my ocs)!!

THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE BACKSTORIES:

No Way Back (he/him) (ref + toyhouse info here) is an Iterator who was created specifically to try as little as possible and to put no effort at all into solving the Great Problem. The Ancients thought that by being effortless NWB would actually end up solving it in the end somehow, but that's not what happened, and so his creators turned out to be quite disappointed in him, which resulted in him being blamed, neglected, and more. However, there was one Ancient, who, after finding out that NWB was a dissapointment (just like them), decided to befriend him. The both of them ended up being best friends, almost family, spending almost all of their time together and teaching each other new things about life. In the end, though, despite promising to never ascend and to always be there, Wade ended up leaving NWB along with the rest of the Ancients. Ever since then NWB has been pretty much alone, just making music and trying to still find meaning in life, all the while repressing his emotions regarding the Ancients (including Wade, too). Needless Separation (they/he) (toyhouse) is an Iterator who was created specifically to work as hard as possible and to put all their effort into solving all problems, not just the Great one. In the beginning, they were handling it just fine, even finding the time to indulge in art and many more things that they found joy in. However, after NWB's failure to provide any results, all of his workload got transferred to them, all because their creator was too prideful to let any other Iterators handle it. NS was obviously struggling to keep up with it all, which is when Waves decided to take matters into his own hands and make his creation more 'productive'. Waves ended up purging NS' memories, even those of skills they have taught themself, until all NS could think about was work. Waves ended up ascending before NS could truly fulfill any of his expectations. Ever since then they have been overworking themself to death, unable to come to terms with their trauma, instead blaming NWB for most of it. Wade (any pronouns) (ref here) was an Ancient who was never like the rest, who came from a traditional family consisting of her parents — Waves and Breeze — but hated everything about tradition. Se was just a chill guy who wanted to get away from everything and to live the life she always dreamed of: by the sea, with her best friend, doing whatever they wanted. It has not yet been revealed why or how Wade ended up ascending and leaving NWB.

IMPORTANT SIDE CHARACTERS:

Weaving Tales (they/them) (toyhouse) is the senior of the Entwined Local Group. They are most concerned with NS and his overworking habits, even though WT chose to share some of their senior duties with him. Weaving also seems to always be worried about CD and FTA, although for vastly different reasons.

Cognitive Dissonance (she/they) (toyhouse) was an experimental model who caught a virus and basically ended up rebooting. Before that, her and NS used to be very close, although neither of them remember that now.

Fates Torn Again (he/she) (toyhouse) is a younger Iterator who, paradoxically, is both best friends with WT and has a secret vendetta against NS. Is it really just jealousy? Or is there something more to it? MISCELLANOUS STUFF:

NWB has a pet lizard, Slinky (who at one point got the Mark of Communication), and NS has a pet lizard-slugcat hybrid, 33. You can see more of those little guys on the askblog! Both Iterators are also part of an entire local group, who you can read about here — the characters from it will show up in the story and be important (specifically WT, CD and FTA, but others will also play a role). THE CURRENT STORYLINE: NWB opens his broadcasts and begins receiving anonymous messages. That's cool. However, after a bit, he starts getting messages about the Ancients, specifically about how they mistreated him. Which is not something he wants to think about! Ever! But everyone just keeps bringing them up, and NWB ends up having a breakdown over it, all his repressed emotions coming to the surface and making themselves known.

After he is forced to finally start unpacking his issues, he stops messaging NS — who, by the way, he's kind of enemies with! They're the entire opposite of everything he stands for, and he just thinks they suck, and they say they hate him anyway, so he usually only interacts with them to troll them or something (even though they both did share a few good moments together sometimes).

But anyways — he stops messaging NS, who, by this time, has gotten used to talking to NWB (and slightly started caring about him because of that, and started getting slightly worried because of the radio silence, but they'd never ever admit it). After fighting with themself over it, NS, with little warning, decides to contact NWB to see how he's doing, which results in, well...

So, now NWB has to deal with both the Ancients' and NS' bullshit (as well as some not-so-pleasant memories), and he crumbles under the pressure just a little bit. He decides to take a break from receiving messages (he goes to host the Iterator OC Swag Awards specifically, which you would think would be a non-canon event, but, err...) and instead lets NS take the wheel.

Long story short: they do not have a good time. Despite being painfully aware of the fact that they messed up, they try their hardest to avoid admitting it. In the end, after a panic attack regarding their past leaves them vulnerable, their conscience sneaks up on them and forces them to face everything they've been trying to ignore. NS doesn't take it too well and also stops responding to messages, even though they do still read them.

They decide to go to Weaving Tales, their mentor and close friend, for help, who tells them to own up to their mistakes and apologize. So that's what NS does. Or, at least, tries to do—it doesn’t go like they expected at all, but maybe that’s for the better? The both of them make up, in the end, a new start to their relationship. And—even though they do come across some bumps in the road—it seems to be the start of something good.

Well, keyword: seems. Because while NS is indeed trying to be better like they promised, and while they have fun answering messages together with NWB, they keep speaking out of turn. They come to the conclusion that, perhaps this one time, NWB isn't the problem, they are.

So how does NS deal with this information? They do some research on how to improve your relationships with people. And it actually works! Look! See? Or, wait, that's not right... Why does Wayback look so bothered? Could it be that Sep's self-improvement plan actually made everything... worse? Well, there goes that idea. But hey, at least now they know they should be (2% more) honest with each other.

...aaaaaaand that's where the story is currently at! congrats! !!! you now know what's going on in the cream iterator oc universe!!!!! i'll try to update this post as more stuff gets revealed so, er, check this out if you ever feel lost about what's happening? i hope i've explained everything well. like i said at the top of the post, i tried to include everything important, but there's still some stuff that is worth seeing!! so go look boy (plural)

[fadebolt]

I've seen some people posting their attacks collection from this year, so here's mine:

With the lovely targets being:

1. meowynn

2. aquaticnebulae

3. soul-sylver

4. sb-is-a-thing

5. saintwyrm

6. bindibites

7. phishtoast

8. pansear-doodles

9. toiletpapericecream

Decided not to ping them here, since I already did it once when I posted the attacks individually. But these are their blog names, and they're cool people with cool art - so feel free to look through their stuff!

This was an awesome first year of Artfight! Huge thanks to everyone who sent me their creations involving my powerswap scugs, I adore them all quite a lot! And thanks for all the wonderful comments and reactions to my attacks as well!

You guys were wonderful, and I hope I'll get to see you next year as well! :)

(Bonus ramblings about AF thoughts below cut. Be warned, they do be lengthy)

So when I was starting out with the site, I looked around on the internet to see what people had to say (out of curiosity, and to maybe find something helpful). And apparently, there are a bunch of entitled users that complain if the art you send them isn't "high quality" enough, or if you don't send a revenge for their attacks.

And I'm just sitting here, and wondering which Artfight did these people show up to, cus I've frankly never seen a person like that. Everyone was super sweet and appreciative when I attacked them, and I received zero scorn from attackers I didn't revenge. Perhaps it's something that happens only outside the Rain World community?

Anyhow, I ended this year with a solid 9/5, which might seem like rookie numbers for many, which... is actually kind of fair, considering that I am technically a rookie.

I really didn't expect to get attacked at all, considering that my refs were slightly rushed, and not particularly polished (something I'll hopefully get around to addressing in the meantime). Though I did have hopes that sharing my profile on Tumblr, and some Discord servers might help.

Funny thing is, I don't think any of those 5 people came from there, as they haven't interacted with me on Tumblr yet, and they haven't joined the servers that I was in. There's no way for me to confirm this, but they probably found me while browsing through the AF website itself, which is extremely flattering (especially since I initially thought that folks usually just attack their friends... turns out that ain't quite the case).

But this also proves that my theory about people liking powerswap Slugcats was actually correct! Which is great, cus they're a blast to create, and hopefully by next year, I'll get to have the other half of the cast (name ideas are 'Lightcat', 'The Crusader', 'The Solitary' 'The Augmented' and 'The Gambler', but it's all subject to change).

There were also some of my OCs which showed up in my attacks - I'm planning on adding them in, too. (So if you like necromancers, wizards that copy the spells of others, and weird fanchildren of niche ships, then I got some wonderful news for you!)

Speaking of my attacks, I definitely didn't draw nearly as much as I did for Art Month. That's because I decided it would be better to take things a bit slower, to have more fun, and avoid burnout. As I would rather send over a few attacks that I enjoyed, than to rapidly rush out like 60, to hit as many people as possible.

Sure, it'll mean that I won't get to attack as many people, but I still think it's worth it, as I get to enjoy myself more, while my target gets a better piece.

I was slightly concerned that a lot of people would find it insulting that I used a randomizer to pick targets, but nobody seemed to mind, which is great. After all, there were no bad intentions on my part, I just simply had too many people I considered worthy of being attacked, and I needed some outside help to combat my indecisiveness. There's simply too many great artists in this community!

My list consisted of SC members that stayed (I was grateful for their efforts to keep the place alive, and I felt this would be a great way to thank them), some other people from the fandom that I liked, and my attackers, who were given a multiplier of 5 to their chances, cus yeah xd

There were over 30 people there, so it's safe to say that I didn't get to most of them. I think next year, I'll give them increased chances too, and hopefully, I get around to most of 'em. (Unless I'll have to work on my thesis in July... I don't quite remember when that's going to happen. Hopefully, that won't be the case, and I'll have a bunch of free time, like this year, and I'll be able to do more than 9 attacks then. Fingers crossed)

So that's pretty much all I wanted to say here. I'm not sure if I should post any updates or uploads I do to my characters there btw. I suppose we'll see.

But the event was real fun, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it again!

[therowdymagpie]

The Main 6 as AJR songs(pt.1): The Click

A/N: I have no idea who is going to care about this, but character analysis through songs is one of my favourite activities and combining two of my biggest hyperfixations at the moment seems like a good way to combat seasonal depression so, enjoy this mini headcanon series.(spoiler for all routes of course)

Asra: Turning Out

Starting off, for Asra "Turning out" really strikes me as the song that could desrcibe how disoriented they must have felt during the first few months of the Apprentice's resurrection.

These two verses could just really be talking about Asra's feelings at the start where the Apprentice doesn't recognise them and the surprise of the ritual not working the way it was supposed to. All of the questions they could have asked themselves:

"Am I ready to be their lover or friend?"

"Do you have instructions?"

"Where do I go from here?" are all things they would be wondering about how to best approach this, how can they go back to the way they and the MC were before.

And of course the themes of unexpected or unrequited love that deviates from storybooks, pop up. This is NOT a fairytale, this is a very traumatic, very fragile situation Asra is in, where they aren't a normal couple with Mc, where this is really anything but a love story, actually slowly evolving more into a romantic tragedy as they don't know how to approach the Mc. Sometimes not even as a friend or lover but simply falling into the role of a "Master" or teacher.

Especially with this part, I can really see it as an entire internalised conversation in Asra's mind, with the version of MC they're familiar with.

Shouldn't they wait before they give up?

Don't they want to see the Mc get better?

Don't they want to wait and see if the Apprentice will love them again.?

And how everything is turning out in the end?

This is a song deep into the frustration and dissapointment coming out of a love you can't predict and at the same time a relationship you desperately want to make work exactly the way you want to, which works pretty well in this scenario.

Nadia: Burn The House Down

This song specifically i feel like fits Nadia SO MUCH. Aside from the political themes that are spread all around it, I really want to talk about lines like:

Knowing how Pre Red Plague Era, Nadia had this toned down role in Vesuvia, blending behind Lucio's shadow as nothing more than an observer, this would be her train of doubts about her potition and if she herself as a Countess can make actual difference to better the city. It's these doubts that held her behind in fear of people once again ignoring and sidestepping her, much like how in Prakra she felt a similar way with her family.

These doubts later on also follow her throughout her own route, when she has the chance to prove herself to her city and be the leader it deserves.

As well as:

Which just fits fits so much with the Courtiers situation and the corrupt polititians that overran Vesuvia while she was in her coma state. This also fits Lucio and how he was only parading the role of the Count while scheming, hiding, stricking deals while the only things he did for the city were to constanly keep up appearances and throw parties.

Overall the theme of stopping the circle of letting other people rule over your life and deciding to take charge and work WITH others to better the situation around you, whether political or not are all really resonating with Nadia. It's a great "pumping up" motivational song that describes her journey and personal growth as a Countess and a person.

Julian: Weak

(For those who know AJR or actually have heard this song: Come on.....what did you expect? XD)

The overarching theme of succumbing to your bad habits is LITERALLY indicative of Julian's whole route. How he resorts to drinking, punishing himself, overindulging in bad company and every other coping mechanism he uses are there in the lyrics:

Small mention to how "one kiss, bad for me" could very well refer to the apprentice and how he has to distance himself from them, but at the same time can't seem to be able to fully detatch. He's a wanted man, there is no way that getting involved in a romance that can never be isn't going to hurt him, right?

Especially i feel like this song fits him so well exactly because Julian KNOWS all this, he's said it himself:

Julian understands that he is ruining himself, that he is hurting others while doing it, that he should say no to the dark thougths in his mind and all the bad impulses BUT he also has convinced himself that he's not strong enough for that and keeps going back to the same bad habits.

In the end this is a party anthem and we know Julian to be a party person himself, so he hypes it up. "What's wrong with that?" as well as the whole mood of the song could very well be him actively trying to convince everyone and himself, that...he's "weak", it's just who he is and he can't change. That way he can push people away and scare them off with how " iredeemable" he is and how he's just going to keep making mistakes. All because he just doesn't want to take anyone down with him....

I also want to make quick reference to "Sober Up" and this lyric that's also giving strong Julian vibes with the MC helping him get out of his head.

Muriel: I'm not Famous

OK while this song doesn't melodically give me huuge Muriel vibes, the lyrics are thematical to his whole hermit situation.

This man put a magic curse ON HIMSELF that makes people forget that they even met him, except the people he gives something to remember him by, meaning the people closest to him.

Like literally Muriel never has to worry about people talking about him, where he lives, what he likes to do, what are his habits or bother him anymore and that's described here like his personal paradise.

Which honestly makes so much sense if you take into consideration what his past used to be like. The trauma he endured by being in the Colissium and having everyone watch the worst version of himself EVERY SINGLE DAY, definetely warrants seeing almost complete isolation as bliss.

(Also noone hates him, he's our gentle giant that deserves the world fandom-wise and he's adored by everyone who DOES know him in Vesuvia.)

Honestly i feel like this song could very well be Muriel's personal diss towards Lucio, which is very funny to think about:

Muriel is a hermit and yet he is more loved and acknoledged for who he is than Lucio will ever be (according to Muriel's route anyway). Lucio was loud, the main attraction for many, the centre of attention and yet people in the majority "judge" him and have seen all of his personal failures out on display because he chose to parade around trying to show that he was the best.

Muriel finds comfort in being unknown and has never been afraid to express that. He apprieciates the people in his life that matter which is exactly why this song fits this well.

Portia: Drama (/Turning Out)

Maybe i'm cheating with this one but I cannot talk about Portia without refering to both of these songs.

For starters, Drama: Now it's well known that Portia is an undisputed gossip queen. The woman has an entire map drawn out of secret passages scattered around the palace that STILL isn't fully finished, she knows the entire palace staff by name and she's not too unfamiliar about any street rumors or juicy stories. Point being: she goes around.

The song describes how we can become envolved to other people's drama and get caught up in their stories so much it's addicting.

Now regardless of what perspective we see Portia from, one thing is clear: She wants excitement out her life and to get to do adventurous things of her own. Unfortunately though, because of her obligations and role she is instead "addicted" to other people's stories and shines through others.

In every story except her own she is just there, observing, seeing what happens next and contributes as much as she can because she can't be fully a part of it herself.

Only in her own route does she get to actively be an important part of the story and the "Drama", getting out of the mindset of being a background character, take action and voice her opinions.

Tbh i haven't fully finished her route but so far i can at least understand this: Portia needs an opportunity to shine as her own person, and this song perfectly portrays that.

As for Turning Out, I just can't keep out of my head Portia saying these lines to Julian:

I think Portia was so genuinely hurt by Julian leaving her behind in Nevivon and telling him all this would just hit SO HARD, especially since she grew up with and I think really admired him. Nevemind the fact that she was very close to losing him again with the execution , which makes these lyrics sting all the more.

That and the themes of growing up and getting your head out of stories and fairytales you read really sounds perfect for her character.

Lucio: The Good Part

Well what can i say, The Good Part is loud, energetic but at the same time just so pensive, which fit pretty good on Lucio if you think about it.

The entirety of the song and lyrics keep referring to skipping to the best part of your life and keep wondering when that actually is. Lucio is a complex character which I love but so much is apparent about him: He wants to be respected and he wants power. The thing is he isn't always going to work too hard to achieve it.

His impentience as to when he'll be leader of his tribe is what drives him to the demon bargain that would make his parents sick and supposedly "skip" all of the proving himself as worthy of it and directly place him right on top. That behaviour later on continues with his deals with the Courtiers and then the Devil himself.

And then later on even when he actually becomes a Count he still keeps showing off, throwing over-the-top parties and trying to give all the best things to his court and people. He keeps trying to make every moment the "Good Part" of his life constanly thinking he can go even more respected and loved as a ruler, even seeking to overthrow the Devil in some routes.

Lucio for all his skills and passion lacks patience and the ability to think ahead, jumping into situations that will get him where he wants to be all the faster. The song doesn't wholly describe his motivations and personality but it definetely hits on that particular aspect of him.

ShoutOut to familial issues:

______________________________________________________________

Annnd that's it, hoping to continue in Pt.2.

P.S Please go and listen to AJR folks they have some really deep, heartbreaking and thought-provoking stuff.

[cerealmonster15]

Valentine's Day is for the Besties [TWST]

[Ao3 Link]

Wordcount: 1,853

Summary: The Heartslabyul boys go on a picnic together.

Note: there's a specific ref to something trey says in his platinum birthday story here and it might be kind of weird w/o that context but you also don't need to have read it to read this lol / it's not any sort of lore spoilers [see ao3 for additional notes and tags!]

“BOYS!” Cater clapped his hands together from where he stood in the room’s entryway, Trey entering in from behind him.

Riddle looked up from the textbook he had been tutoring Ace and Deuce from. “Cater, you don’t need to be so loud. It’s only the three of us in here.”

Ace looked welcome to the distraction. “Yo, if it isn’t our favorite pair of juniors! What’s up?”

Cater strode his way into the room and hopped up onto the table’s edge to take a seat, kicking his feet back and forth in the air with a giddy smile. 

Riddle sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “...Cater. If you're going to be so bold as to interrupt so casually like this, I assume you must have something important to say, yes?”

“Of COURSE I do!” Cater smiled innocently, while Trey offered a more apologetic smile beside him. “A very important question, actually!”

“On with it, then.”

“Do any of you…” Cater pointed at each boy in the room to punctuate every word, “...have a date for Valentine’s Day tonight?”

Riddle’s jaw dropped. Was THAT really what Cater came in to ask? He interrupted their study session for frivolous gossip!? Honestly, while Cater should know better, Riddle also could not say he was surprised by such tomfoolery, either.

Before he could complain, however, Ace immediately spoke up. “I know for a fact that Loosey-Deucey here doesn’t!”

“Hey!” Deuce protested with a scowl. “What makes you think I don’t have a date?!”

Ace crossed his arms and flashed Deuce a smug grin. “Do you?”

…

…

…

“...No.” Deuce admitted with a sigh, which only made Ace laugh obnoxiously loud. 

“Come on now, Ace. Don’t bully Deuce,” Trey chided. “After all… I seem to remember you telling one of the other dorm members how you were probably going to spend your evening tonight skulking around the Heartslabyul kitchen to mooch off desserts for people baking last minute for their dates. That doesn’t sound like the plans of a guy with a date of his own, does it?”

Ace gasped in shock at both Trey’s smug grin that matched his own from moments before, and at the sudden attack on his life. “WH- Hey! C’mon, everyone knows Valentine’s Day’s for lame suckers, anyway! Why do I need a date to worry about when I can just take it easy and do whatever I want instead?”

“Okay, so no date for Acey, either? Great!” Cater ignored Ace’s following protests and turned to Riddle. “And what about our super cute housewarden? Got any exciting plans?”

Riddle’s face went bright red and he quickly turned away from the group to avoid eye contact, pretending to busy himself out tidying the study guides strewn about the table. “I-I see no reason to distract myself with such things, that’s all…”

Ace snorted. “Your standards would probably be impossible to meet, anyway.”

Riddle’s flustered look was instantly replaced with one of annoyance. He straightened up, placed his hands on his hips, and scowled down at where Ace sat at the table. “And just what do you mean by that, Ace?!”

Ace snickered again and ducked behind Deuce. “Uh oh, I think I struck a nerve with him!”

“Quit it, Ace!” Deuce complained, trying to squirm out of Ace’s evil clutches on his shoulders.

“Shh, shh, no need to fuss, gentlemen!” Cater waved his hands dismissively and kept up his bright, peppy grin amidst the discourse in the room. “The stars have aligned, and they’re telling us we do have plans tonight - together!”

Ace paused his bickering with Riddle and Deuce to raise an eyebrow at Cater. “Huh?”

“Cater wants to go on a picnic,” Trey clarified. “We thought it might be fun to go as a group, that’s all.”

“...Well,” Riddle once again straightened his posture and pretended that he wasn’t about to break out into a full-on brawl with Ace moments ago. He cleared his throat and faced Cater with a poised, neutral expression. “You could have simply started with that, Cater.”

“Aw, but where’s the fun in that?”

“Regardless,” Riddle continued, “I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea. I’ve never been on a picnic before, though, so I will have to look into the proper preparations.”

“I’ve never been on a picnic, either,” Deuce quietly admitted.

“Perhaps you and I should head over to the school’s library for some guide books together before we go.”

Cater and Ace made eye contact with each other and sighed in solidarity of the sheer goofy behavior their friends were exhibiting. Thank god the social skills masters were here to save their lives and prevent them from an overthinking spiral into madness.

A few hours of avoiding the library and hovering around Trey in the kitchen later, the five of them made their way to a cute little clearing that Cater had scouted out earlier that week. A prime location for taking cute pictures with your friends that you could look back on in the later years, for sure. 

“This is a pretty sweet spot you scoped out, Cater!” Ace commented as he and Cater pulled out the picnic blankets to spread for everyone to sit on. 

“It is a rather picturesque location,” Riddle agreed, standing with his arms hanging by his sides, looking unsure of what to do. The setting was much more casual than their usual unbirthday parties, and both Cater and Ace had insisted there were no rulebooks for such a situation… How was he to know how to behave without explicit directions!?

“Aw, thanks, guys!” Cater beamed. “And I just KNOW we’ll have the cutest pics for magicam. We’ve got it all! The perfect setting carefully curated by yours truly, super photogenic snacks - thanks Trey, BTW - and the smiling faces of the cutest company a guy could ask for on Valentine’s day.” 

Cater punctuated his statement with his most charming wink and blew a kiss to the group.

Riddle sighed, Deuce nearly dropped the box of truffles he was holding, and Ace let out the loudest, most dramatic gagging noise he could possibly muster.

“Alright, come on, now,” Trey laughed. “You’ll have plenty of time to drive each other crazy while you’re eating. You want it while it’s still fresh.”

“Ugh, whatever dad.” Ace rolled his eyes and sat down on the grass, promptly stealing a truffle out of the box Deuce was still holding.

“Hey!” Deuce protested, shoving Ace out of reach with his free hand.

“Boys,” Riddle scowled as Cater pulled him down to sit on the blanket between him and Trey. “Save your dessert for last, and no roughhousing! We may be outside, but you still need to mind your manners.”

“Yes, housewarden…” The two mumbled as they reluctantly pulled away from each other but still made sure to flash each other a not-so-stealthy stink-eye. 

“But before we eat,” Cater interjected, “we’ve gotta take a nice pic with all the food out and arranged so nicely! It would be a shame not to capture the hard work we put into making it all look cute, don’tcha think?”

Riddle’s stomach rumbled.

“...Y-yes, well…” Avoiding the amused stares, Riddle hurriedly gestured for Ace and Deuce to come into frame where Cater was angling his phone camera. “Let’s do it quickly, while everything is still fresh, as Trey said.”

A few more seconds and clicks of the camera shutter later, it was finally time to eat. Cater, of course, was too distracted with picking which photo to upload to Magicam to start.

“...Cater,” Trey gently nudged his elbow against Cater’s ribs. “We made those pepper poppers especially for you, you know.”

Cater squirmed away from Trey’s judgemental gaze. “I know, I know! I’ll eat some in juuust a sec- help me pick which one to upload!”

Ace leaned over Cater’s shoulder and pointed at the phone with his already half-eaten sandwich. “Oooh, what about that one? Prim and proper Housewarden’s mid-blink; that’ll get you rarity points.”

“Excuse me?!” Riddle opened his mouth to argue, but froze before he could even begin to speak. His eyes slid to the space beside Ace and locked onto something in Trey’s hand. 

A mustard bottle…

Simultaneous flashbacks spawned within the minds of all present. Every member of Heartslabyul was all too familiar with the week where Trey Clover descended into a mustard madness, trying harder every day to force his taste buds to adjust to liking, or even simply tolerating such a common condiment. It got to the point that Trey would have added mustard to his next cake, had it not been for the intervention of the collective dormmates. He’d calmed down after that, and everyone thought that was the end of it… But here they were, and there was the mustard.

“...Trey, what’cha got there?” Cater asked after a few more seconds of silence and began shifting across the picnic blanket. “I totally love spicy mustard, and it’s so sweet of you to pack it for us. Wanna hand me that bottle…?”

“Hear me out!” Trey protested, hand going for the mustard cap. “I promise I’m not going to try and squirt it all over the desserts or anything like that. We have a lot of sandwiches, and that’s a perfectly reasonable food to spread a little mustard on, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, for people who actually like mustard,” Ace said, following Cater’s lead and reaching for the bottle. “Give it.”

“You don’t have to do this to yourself, Trey,” Deuce added. “But it’s honorable that you want to change yourself for the better! Maybe I should follow your example and not pick out the bell peppers from my salad…”

Riddle shook his head and put a hand on Deuce’s shoulder. “There’s no need for either of you to be so drastic.”

“You almost tried that last time, too,” Ace added. “Two weird food martyrs aren’t gonna fix anything!”

Cater’s hand was on top of Trey’s. “Trey, hon, just let go of the bottle, and it’ll all be alright.”

Trey sighed and relinquished the mustard. “It’s really not as big a deal as you’re all making it out to be. No need for another intervention, okay?”

Cater pat Trey on the back with a smile. “Right, riiiight, it’s all good now, bestie.”

“Cater.”

“Okay! Crisis averted!” Cater shuffled back across the blanket towards the sandwich platter and away from Trey’s disapproving stare. “Now someone please help me decide on a pic to upload!”

After a couple of hours filled with photo picking, snacking, laughing, and of course, lots of bickering, it was time to pack up and return to the dorm. Cater, of course, needed to stop every few minutes and take another picture of the sky as the sun sunk below the horizon. 

They arrived back at the dorm after dark, but they arrived together, having nearly forgotten the reason they’d chosen to go out on that day in particular in the first place. Heartslabyul was known for being one of the more socially extroverted dorms, after all, and for good reason.

Because in Heartslabyul, you are never truly alone.

[doodle17]

Doodles back baby

HI HI SO IM BACK AFTER MY SHORT BREAK AND I ALREADY HAVE A HEAP OF NEW STUFF TO SHOW YALLS

So turns out having a normal sleep schedule and eating healthier does a lot for your mental health. Going to bed at 10:30 and eating veggies Is great, 10/10 highly recommend 👌

Anyways, one to some new stuff

You probably noticed I changed the way my blog looks. Do you like it? Cause I LOVE it! Mmmm sure do love purple :)

Ive changed the way I draw Raz! The way I used to draw him never really looked like Raz to me. He looked to realistic so I decided to squish and morph his proportions a wee bit and I like the result!

it may not be that different but I like it so it's staying.

Also I will now start answering some @askthedevilishdarlings asks! I will take my time with them though, so it may take a while for me to answer all of them. Just know, that if it seems like I'm ignoring you I'm not. Just got a lot of other asks to go through!

Some of the Oc's for @askthedevilishdarlings have gotten updated too! I'm uploading their refs soon

Yeeaaap. That's pretty much it! Got some more art work I'm gonna post later today wo keep your eyes peeled!

(Don't actually peel them that's nasty)

And uh... Thanks for sticking 'round!

[goodluckclove]

howdy hey

i don't know if the pep talk asks are still open but

im so sleepy and tired and i have too much work

and also my body is in pain like all the time (rip)

and i can't really find the energy to get out of bed and stuff but i do it regardless bc yk. the horrors persist and so do we /ref

Dude blanket statement, I am always open to give a pep talk. Always always. I spend pretty much all of my time writing and being stuck in my head, so actually being able to offer support to someone else though my word-shapes is incredibly validating and a great way to stop pissing myself for like ten minutes.

So yeah, chronic pain. Disabilities. i get it. I'm also disabled, although less physically and more mentally. Still, I have my days where I'm stuck in bed all day. Can't even bring myself to eat, which only makes me more upset.

Here's the thing, though - and let me put this in a way that's entirely too complex but feels right in my head and heart. Everyone is a body of water, and to make it through the day your inner self has to swim from one end of you to the other from the time you wake up till the time you go to sleep. For some healthy, neurotypical, able-bodied people, this isn't usually too hard. It's not always easy, but I believe their bodies of water are typically more still and shallow. Probably far more narrow, too - a river more than a pool.

Others have a wave pool. The kind children fill with urine and used Bandaids. Or maybe it's an ocean that doesn't have a start or end that you can see around you. You take someone treading water there and say just swim to the end, it's easy, and of course they'll be tired. Tired even at the thought of it.

What I mean to say is that people like us can't exist under the circumstances we imagine other people who have never dealt with severe medical/mental health issues have. They're playing Baulder's Gate 3 to cheer up after a stressful workday and we're out there dodging actual magic missiles from bullshit piss wizards while wondering what to eat for dinner. Neither option is better or worse or more important or less meaningful. It's just different shit.

That being said, it could help to stand. Just enjoy a little bit of movement, quietly, only for the sake of the inner you bobbing in the ocean. Basic stretches can be very soothing to get the blood moving. Maybe open a window and feel the air. Maybe get a nice drinky-drink. People say wash your face but sometimes that's hard, so what I like to do is wet a washcloth and just gently rub it over my cheeks and forehead. That's especially nice in warmer weather to cool off.

After you do all that things might feel different. You'll probably feel more awake, and suddenly the next small task won't seem as terrible. Or you'll know you still need rest, and you can just grab a nice snack since you're already up on your feet and keep on resting without pity or shame.

An apple in the fridge works. That's one of my personal favorites.

[finnoahsource]

yeah, i'm surprised by how many movies noah seems to be watching too. maybe it just seems a lot cos theyre all listed out like on goodreads, and im sure he is just unwinding with some late night watches when the filming schedule gives such unsociable hours. it's like jet lag for actors. but i know some actors dont like to watch drama or fiction movies at all while working because they get distracted or end up comparing. so they watch docus etc., so i am still intrigued and it does seem like noah is getting inspo!

i also know some directors give actual film refs to actors, and the duffers have done before, but maybe this time theyre trying to help the boys by giving them grown up movies with great sexual tension etc? to break through that awkwardness and move toward adult acting and inspirations. im sure finn is already there and has seen many of these films. (would love to see his letterboxd actually!)

theres a director called luca guadagnino who told his actors to watch the love scene in wings of desire and emulate the specific intimacy in that scene. maybe the duffs have got some spicy favs they wanted to show noah and finn! i just watched the barn scene from Witness on youtube and it's very byler, all the longing stares and slow shots. i really hope they go for something more mature like this in s5 with byler... theyre already on the way there with the van scene which is actually insanely intimate, tender and erotic compared to the rest of stranger things.

that's a good point about the unsociable hours! since he seems to be doing a lot of late nights too.

I wonder if there'll be a clearer pattern to the things he's watching 👀

yeah I thought maybe the refs would've come before filming but it's not unheard for more to be given as production goes. if they are giving them as guides for more mature acting then that's sweet and would be so nice if noah and finn were watching them together or at least discussing them afterwards. I like your thought that the directors might have specific scenes in mind to be emulated, ST definitely takes direct inspiration sometimes.

I looove that eyewitness scene in the barn for byler! more and more I'm starting to think it's going to look like that, I mean the way the character leading the kiss hesitates just before it's too late and he crosses that line? that's so mike to me. it's innocent, a little awkward but it's real and would be their moment.

noah post more film crumbs for us pleaseee

[ossyflawol]

how did you get that ref sheet, btw? It looks nice! Also, if you really know Portal, explain all the warning symbols when looking at a test chamber sign on both Portal and Portal 2.

i drew my own ref sheet! so, the 'warning symbols' you talk of are what is referred to as "Signage'! On the main Test Chamber Signs that introduce you to the Chambers, it lists you the Test Elements you should expect to see, and those signage pieces sometimes are used in the chambers themselves to denote where Test Elements are. I cannot summarise each and every single piece of Test Chamber signage (there's like... ~70 of them!), however, I figure this is a great way for me to generally summarise the wonderful world of Portal 2 signs. Some of the signage pieces are obvious as to what their function is:

These are very easy and readable to understand what they're conveying, it's a safe bet you know what the Test Chamber contains when you see these. You'll be placing cubes on buttons, or maybe you have to watch for High Energy Pellets. Perhaps you'll be seen travelling through an Excursion Funnel, or there'll be an Aerial Faith Plate that'll catapult you. A Turret you have to blast with a Laser, or a gap you'll cross with a Light Bridge. Though, Portal has it's fair share of signage pieces that don't make too much sense at first glance.

For instance! The Dot signages. (The 4 on the left.) These are a bit esoteric in what their function is, since they may seem a little strange without context as to what they're saying.

Luckily, there is an actually fairly simple explanation! These signage pieces are used to indicate what you should do in a Test Chamber in what order. Essentially, if you see a sign with a bunch of dots on it, try find the sign with just one dot on it to see where to start solving the Test Chamber! Then, work your way through the dot signs to figure out what to do next. The "No Drinking" sign is fairly strange too, but this is actually a unique signage - it always comes in a pair of signage pieces.

As seen here in Test Chamber 8, the Chamber that introduces Toxic Goo in the first Portal. The "No Drinking" sign is always accompanyed by the Toxic Goo sign, it's simply a half of a whole! "Don't swim in the toxic goo, and don't drink the toxic goo."

Then, the shape signs...

God, Valve made so many of these. The most simplest way I can describe them is that they're used when a connection between Test Elements is really far away and can't be just shown with a simple indicator line. So they give you a pair of shape signages on both ends to tell you what's connected to what.

...Well that, or if the environment artist got lazy.

Anyway, hope that clears up the "Warning Signs" as you called them! I obviously can't reasonably explain each and every single one in just one answer to an ask, but maybe I could do that at some point!

[leaffiii]

*shows up from the sewers like alligator, with headcanons and 1 drabble in teeth* hello :)

I like to think that Pharaoh man is the old man of this team.

Maybe he was fighting along with other robots in Hard war somewhere far away, was able to survive and run away from government long enough to be considered a legent, waiting for the right moment to rejoin in this lost war again.

Maybe he heard about Silicon city's many attends from other robots to overthrow humans ones again but without any luck and decided to lend his hand there. And so he travels and eventually arrives and joins your terrorist club. Maybe he even seems badass first time we get to his introduction. A legend thought to be long gone, a experienced warrior that can survive in extreme situations, a hard war veteran and ect.

And then hes like "how do you do fellow kids" and the badass points that he has? Long gone.

Expect the "in my time-" and "I've seen better" routine. And don't even try to ask about his past, because you just will be stuck in unskipable cutscene of him telling you all about it, like at least 3 hours, bare minimum. Usually the victim of this "cutscene" is Hard man, because he's to slow to make a getaway in time before Pharaoh starts telling story and to nice to actually walk out if he started it.

Also i just think that solar shot (or whatever Pharaoh uses) is actually one of few things that beats Hard mans defense. Like, dude can be dence as much as he wants but can he stand the plazma with a heat that feels like surface of the sun?

Imagine Snake asking Pharaoh about Hard war, and thinking that now that he has a literal veteran he won't need to steal documents about that ever again and walking out of that same room 12 hours later and be like: i wish that i was stealing documents and failed rather than be stuck in a room with him like this ever again.

Pharaoh is pretty affectionate toward Metal man but in a "grandfather that tells u suck after barely telling that he's proud of you" kinda way. Like "man, Metal you actually not half bad with repair stuff, i dont feel anything wrong with my arm animore. But i still had better, so you have room to improve."

Also Pharaoh sometimes uses slangs in hes speeches, so it leads to situations like this:

Hope you recovered from whatever you had and that you have a great day! Bye *goes back into sewers*

Reaches out of my trashcan and munches on this like a raccoon eating grapes (Had a busy day lol but FINALLY got on my laptop to reply)

Oh my GOD this is such a treat, actually!! I've been having a bit of trouble characterizing him and this is PERFECT for him. Pharaoh being a veteran is such a good idea! It also officially marks him as the oldest of the group. I'm still deciding on what his abilities will be specifically, since I'm trying not to have too much overlap between them lol. Poor Hard Man though, big man has to deal with so much lol

I do imagine Pharaoh and Skull being from the same creator (Some FC version of Dr. Cossack) BUT keep in mind I haven't touched the comics at all, aside from skimming the articles on the Wiki. This is already an AU of sorts anyways, which I'll elaborate on eventually. That being said I think Toad should also have come from the same creator for shits and giggles lmao THAT DOES REMIND ME i gotta finish Pharaoh's ref, hes been legless for so long oops (and I gotta do one for Metal and the last two guys. whoops.) I recovered from my cold a bit ago, I'm doing well now!