#today i bring you silly sketches i did at work

[llama-bird]

InTheLittleWood ran out of time.

I know thats not especially canon but... I like to think Scott's soul came back to collect him when Martyn's time ran out.

Do you ever think he was sorry?

Sometimes a song just got a vibe

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Day 97

Smile by Kayleen756894

Same as when we covered Burning Lungs, check the tags for this fic before ya jump in cause it gets pretty dark even within the first chapter. 

It’s a big day for the project people, I mentioned back on Day 60 that there were three fics that I consider directly responsible for this entire thing since they’re what set me on this path of a comically large amount of Junkan. And today we FINALLY talk about another one of them, even if I admittedly did cover a little bit of my history with this specific story during Day 60 for the sake of context. Apologies if I repeat myself a few times!

The previous few days I’ve been covering fic first, then the art. For this day however I’m going to cover the art first, along with any other bonus facts I have, and THEN i will do my best to adequately sing the praises of today’s stories.

Also let it be known that the music I put on while I read through the whole fic in preparation for today’s ramble was “LEASE” by Takeshi Abo. 10 hour loop too. Someone will find that funny probably, maybe even you!

(This is another long one, get ready)

Before I address the art I might as well have a little fun and discuss the order I decided to do these in, interesting I know.

Days 91-92 were easy, the first Soft Fic and the first fic to use the Non-Abusive Tag, they had to be the opener. Day 93 was one of the longer stories so I did that one first, since I did read each story before working on the art. From there it’s a pretty simple pattern of “Short Fic followed by a longer, more serious fic that I gotta psyche myself up for.” And it was done pretty much with todays subject in mind, but we’ll get for it. 

You’ll notice I have two different art pieces today, the reason is simple. I wasn’t very happy with the initial art, so I made a much more direct adaptation of a scene from the first chapter to go with it. And in a rare instance I can also bring you some early versions of the initial piece!

From the initial sketch you can see that this was supposed to be a proper cover for the story, as I wanted to feature scenes from each of the three chapters, that middle shot is one I’ve had in my mind since the first time I read the story. Those who have read the fic can probably recognize each one. The second image was almost the final version of this. I scrapped the lower portion of the art for a few reasons. The flames of burnout were miniscule but still present, though rest assured these would not come into play until after the point of when the fanfic art is all finished. Secondly, when I was supposed to work on this art, a power outage hit my house. This also meant that in terms of making the art I only had the first chapter read, anything else was purely memory (Like I said though, I read the full fic for todays ramble, rest assured). And thirdly, I kinda, just thought it didn’t look good? And as you can see this version had details cut despite how far into the process it was, fully removing the expressions outside of the two smiling. Cause y’know . . . “Smile.” Plus in retrospect the eyes, while striking compared to the rest of the art, look kinda fucking silly?

Why didn’t I like the end result? Honestly I think I was just in a bad headspace at the time due to the combination of the power out stressing me out, and just generally speaking my mental health has never been the most structurally sound aspect of myself. I’m good at drawing, not so much being well put together. Looking at it now, while I think the piece is a bit esoteric and might not be what I’d make today for a piece based on this fic, I like it a lot.

And at the end of the dead even if I didn’t like how the first one turned out, I’m pretty happy with it! Even with perfectionist brain bitching at me that I could have done Junko’s hair a bit better at the given angle. Just a straight adaptation of Junko and Mikan’s first kiss from Chapter 1. The most interesting note on it’s creation is that I had to make last minute changes to Mikan because I realized her hair needed to be a lot shorter and more well put together, as earlier in the fic Junko does fix it up a bit. 

Oh! I did also send the second pic to the author herself as a way of introducing myself and showing appreciation, so that’s a bit of added sentimental value! Kayleen’s an absolute treat by the way, super fun to talk too, great insight on writing, you should absolutely check out the rest of her writing! I’m not in most of the fandoms featured say for RWBY, but based on the quality of her writing on the Danganronpa side of things, I feel confident recommending anything she’s published in the past, present, and future!~ 

Speaking of writing, I should probably like. Talk about the god damn fic, huh? Well. Nope! I still have more fun facts!

I almost didn’t adapt Smile! I knew for certain that Kayleen needed a spot on this list, it would have felt wrong otherwise. And there were two fics in mind for adaptation.

“Smile”, obviously, and “Soft (But only for Her).” My earliest plan was going to be to just do both. However I only had 8 days to work with, and spoilers, Day 98 is in fact a returning author, so I didn’t want to take up half of my slots on two authors, I wanted to show my appreciation to as many as I could during this string of the event before going back to my own stuff for the last two days. So I thought it over, and decided that Smile was too important to pass up on this project, leaving Soft (But only for Her) for later.

I did have a full plan for it though, unlike Smile where I didn’t really have an idea going into it. I’ll tell you what the plan was gonna be.

Most people would be curious which of the around 30 wonderful one shots I could have chosen to adapt, I’ve already done one of them with the very first chapter in that collection! However you my audience, are not most people. There’s a good chance you’re reading this paragraph, rubbing your temples and resigning yourself to the fact that I was very much going to draw art based on every single piece of that collection. Because yes I was just gonna adapt all of it. Was gonna make a big collage out of all of em, even the chapters that have so much angst I struggle to even read them cause they make me too sad! I’d still do it too. I probably will. When you least expect it. 

For now though I really wanna draw something based on Chapter 25 when I have the time. I wanna draw art based on a lot of other fanfics actually, I’ve just been pretty swamped. But rest assured, to those of you who’ve written a Junkan fic and weren’t featured. Rest assured, I have my eyes open, I’m always looking that tag over, and there were definitely some stories omitted that I really wish I could have included IN the project. Give it time. My self control grows weaker by the day!~

Okay, okay. NOW, I should be able to talk about the fic. Probably.

So I’ve told this story before, but now you’ll get to hear it in a bit more detail compared to before. Will hopefully not be too repetitive for ya’ll!

So once again we jump back a few years during say, 2020, MAYBE early 2021. I find a fic that includes Junkan when I was simply trying to find Ikuzono. It ends up being pretty cute and makes me curious, “I thought this ship was super toxic? How is this one so cute?”

So, I look around the tag, still not sure how to Navigate AO3 even after gaining a lot of experience through the power of many late night tokomaru binges. And as you already knew or could guess, I came across Smile.

At the time it only had 2 chapters, which normally might have turned me away at the time, I wasn’t a desperate animal like I am today. However I guess I either ignored that, or just didn’t care, too curious to see what else this ship could entail.

So here I am, sitting in my bed, writing this ramble, trying to figure out once again how to talk about one of the fics that set me off on this obsession with Junko and Mikan as a softer, loving couple. That and also a fic that is much more serious in terms of its tone and content, as this fic, like Drowning, is one of the only fics in this stretch of the project that is definitely set in the main canon of DR. Serving as essentially a new origin for Junkan as a couple prior to the tragedy. 

I’m sure I’ve said before that when it comes to how I view Junko and Mikan’s relationship, that Val’s work is basically the primary blueprint for how I interpret and portray them. However that’s for the Non-Despair AUs, while there is some bleed over in how I handle Canon portrayals (And I admittedly haven’t done a lot with a serious interpretation of that), in my brain this story, Smile, is the blueprint of how I view a canon timeline version of Junkan. That might just be bias from it being the first fic I read that like, but it does kind of help that this is just one of the most excellently written interpretation of these characters I’ve ever bared witness to.

The first chapter was originally supposed to be a Standalone according to the Author’s Notes, and it really works as one! It’s a very complete story that’s super well put together, and ends very satisfyingly if you just stop after finishing it. I’m extremely glad it continued, as I don’t think my obsession would have come to fruition when it did if not for those following two chapters. But maybe I’m wrong cause this fic certainly knows how to hook you on a ship!

I was god damn mesmerized reading the first chapter. This has to be one of the saddest takes on Mikan’s character that I’ve ever read. Burning Lungs comes close however we never get to actually see things from her perspective, that’s all from Junko’s outsider point of view. Here we get to see it all from Mikan’s perspective, all of it, the sad stuff, the extra sad stuff, the stuff I don’t really know how to talk about because I’m inadequate with this kind of subject matter. And some gay panic, because it’s not Junkan without at least a little gay panic somewhere in the mix.

Junko is really god damn good in this first chapter, she’s god damn good in the whole fic but we’re talking about chapter one right now so i’m specifying. She has such a mysterious aura around her the entire time, and not just the obvious “Oh she’s planning the tragedy behind the scenes,” but also the mystery of how she feels about Mikan! It’s something left up to viewer interpretation in the first chapter, and to a much lesser extent the following chapters (I say lesser extent cause it does eventually lean into her having real feelings for Mikan, just being super confused by them. At least that’s how I look at it). Everytime I read one of these stories that serve as an origin point for these two’s relationship, it’s always really interesting to see how things initiate. It’s pretty much always Junko initiating of course, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a fic where it was Mikan who made the first move? If there is I’m having a severe lapse in memory it seems, or I’ve misinterpreted! The point of course being I really like the way Junko handles things here, saving Mikan from her darkest point, all that good shit! 

And the kiss? I drew it for a reason, it’s amazing. From the buildup to the way Mikan has a rare instance of boldness and grabs Junko’s tie? The grabbing the tie part makes my brain explode, the fact that Junko herself was surprised by it is even better. I love it whenever Mikan can actually get Junko surprised or flustered. It’s great!

I feel like I should be more detailed, more meticulous, but it really is a struggle trying to be in depth when discussing something this good, I wouldn’t consider it my strong suit? 

So let’s try moving onto chapter 2! I do at least have a story with this one but that can be for when I finish desperately trying to talk about the chapter itself. 

It’s lovely! Big shock! We get to see the two of them just acting like a normal couple for a bit, and even better we get to see the two partaking in some sleepy cuddles. That scene also does one of those Junkan things I fuckin love where Junko just, fucking reads Mikan’s mind. I know that’s not what she’s doing but also it’s funnier to put it that way. I just like Junko putting her analytical ability to use by reading Mikan and understanding her finer details. It can be used in all kinds of ways, cute ways, funny ways, saucy ways, but this might just be my favorite way? Her being able to tell when Mikan’s about to spiral and snapping her out of it quick. 

Their date is lovely by the way, love the drive there, the conversation is just a treat. And I really like the reference to the grenade scene from the DR3 anime, I might not have fond memories with that series like, at all, but that one clip of Junko tossing the grenade and Mukuro (We’ll get to her) catching it is just a really fun bit of energy. It’s also just fucking funny because it reads like they practiced that shit for like 2 fuckin weeks- Sorry, distracted. Anyway I think the scene is both a fun reference, and another good way to kinda remind of us the darker parts of this storyline underlying the softer surface. Junko is in fact trying to burn the world down, she just also happens to have a tooth rotting-ly sweet relationship with a very sad nurse. The moments where Mikan unintentionally peers into that world, whether hearing an explosion or seeing the red roots of Junko’s true haircolor, I love it all!

Great moment with Mikan helping that kid from bullies, always love to see Mikan flourishing in these stories (foreshadowing)! I think it is very funny that the small child just immediately clocked that Mikan and Junko were dating, the kid either has a crazy gaydar or Mikan and Junko are the least subtle people alive . . . okay yeah it’s that second one.

The following scene is great too, fuck those parents, and fuck yeah to Junko coming in for the clutch as she is one to do in this fic. The kiss to follow? Fantastic. Junko’s joke about exhibitionism? Also fantastic. The part where Mikan says she’s gonna go see her parents- Fuck.

Okay so, I’mma make the assumption that if you’re this deep into my ramble you’ve probably read the fic already. And if you skipped out on the fic due to the subject matter noted in the tags, you can probably already tell by my apprehension that everything in this fic from here on out is like, the opposite end of the spectrum from all the sweet (albeit ominous) stuff we’ve had up till now. And you’d be correct, and I quite frankly don’t know how to talk about it, like, at all. There are parts of this that I do wanna talk about from this and the following chapter, but also I feel neither confident nor comfortable explicitly discussing what happens to Mikan here. Even if you can probably already tell.

Still, I must show my respects to the literature and it’s author, so I will do my best. Apologies if I fumble here.

I’m still not gonna talk in depth about Mukuro here, but I do like the conversation leading up to this scene, before Mikan shows up. It’s something that was going to inevitably come up, because yeah, Junko can make Mikan fall deeply in love with her, but that won’t exactly prepare her for being complicit in the apocalypse. There’s a part of me that’s curious what her gameplan was before the end of this chapter happens, how was she going to try and turn Mikan over to her side 100% and make sure she’s ready. The world will never know.

Junko’s great at the end of this chapter, not just the comfort she provides. But the way she, in the words of the story, Snaps. That line? That stuck with me when I first read this. I think it’s the moment that confirmed for me personally, that yeah, Junko does love Mikan even if she doesn’t understand it. And it wasn’t just that moment that stuck with me, it was the whole fic by this point.

That’s right, it's story time. So when I found this fic, there were only two chapters. And I wanna remind ya’ll that before this fic I read a fic so silly, soft, and fluffy that it made me question what this ship could be. Jumping from that, to this was definitely . . . Whiplash?

What happened after that is fun, because I don’t fucking remember. I think unironically the amount of stress that ending put me under just from the shock of it, made me fuckin black out?? Which by the way, huge kudos, it takes some really fucking good writing to get me so invested that I get real life stressed as shit because of bad things happening to the characters. But anyway, I didn’t actually just, black out from stress. But everything after that is so blurred that it’s borderline incomprehensible, I try to remember past that point, and it’s like looking at memories put through a paper shredder before being put back together by a toddler doing a handstand. 

All I can say for sure is that starting from the morning after, I was obsessed. I woke up, and kept fucking checking to see if Chapter 3 was out yet. I hadn’t checked the time of the latest update, I still barely fucking understood how AO3 actually worked. I’m pretty sure it was through this fic that I learned that when a fic updates it moves to the top of the page for a given tag. This was also way before I had an AO3 account, so I couldn’t just subscribe or bookmark it. I’m sure I read other fics at this point, probably including Kayleen’s other works? But the timespan between Chapter 2 and 3 feel like white noise, whatever I read didn’t exist in my memories by the time that story ended. And god damn did it end.

When Chapter 3 popped up, it was late I’m pretty sure. I don’t know what I was doing at the time, maybe looking at manga online, talking with friends over discord dms, failing homework over online school, maybe even doing some of my own writing since i’m pretty sure this was back before my passion for it died out. Whatever it was, I dropped it fucking IMMEDIATELY. I needed to see this ending, I needed that catharsis.

So I layed in my bed, in a house I was still new to, and read the god damn chapter.

It was perfect. One of the first times to my knowledge where I’ve had the satisfaction of reading an unfinished fic and getting to actually see it end.

Where do I start, what do I even say? Anything I say just kind of boils down to “Junko and Mikan are perfectly written and I love their interactions and also god dammit I feel so bad for Mikan.”

The scene on the rooftop is great, I remember in one of Kayleen’s other fics Mikan shows concern for Junko’s eating habits, so getting to this scene and seeing the reverse was nice. And like, god, Junko’s so good in this. I get she’s trying to start the end of the world but she’s doing such a fucking good job here. Sure, she asks Mikan to kill her parents right after this, which might not be the most normal way of helping your girlfriend through a severely traumatic experience, but that’s just Junko y’know? 

Should I talk about Mukuro now? I should probably talk about Mukuro now, I really wanted to wait like one more scene but fuck it we’re talking about Mukuro now. 

Have I ever really talked about Mukuro in the context of Junkan? I know I’ve definitely made note of her, and I’ve obviously included her in these pieces with varying degrees of prominence. But I don’t think I’ve ever noted how I think she’s is one of the most interesting and amazing assets of Junkan as a ship. Calling Mukuro an asset feels like a disservice, but I lack the words to adequately describe what I mean here. 

The Despair Sisters are already one of the most interesting dynamics in Danganronpa, and a pretty versatile one at that based on the various interpretations I’ve seen of these two. And I think adding Junkan into the mix is just lovely, because it adds an outsider perspective, but not just that, it’s the outsider perspective of someone who’s closer than anyone else due to Mikan dating Junko. Bonus for the contrast of Junko pampering Mikan and shit talking Mukuro, even if I believe that shit talking is just a very layered way for Junko to express that she does care about Mukuro as a sister. 

And I think Mukuro and Mikan is a really fun dynamic too! I love the idea of Mikan finding love through Junko, and then in turn getting a second person in her life that cares about her. Mukuro being Mikan’s bodyguard bare minimum is great, protect that sweet little nurse you desaturated girliepop you. But I think the way their dynamic can evolve overtime as Mikan continues to date Junko is great. 

Mukuro getting to see firsthand how Mikan is changing Junko for the better, even if it’s in a canon timeline where Junko’s still like, very locked in on the apocalypse. She’s getting to be happier in a more genuine way, which I’m sure Mukuro would be grateful for, and that just makes her caring about Mikan’s wellbeing all the better.

Plus like, something I don’t think about often, at least not until very recently, but if Junko and Mikan are dating, and inevitably get married. That does just kinda mean Mikan and Mukuro are sisters in law. And, I fuckin love that? Mikan not only gets an amazing relationship with Junko, but she also just gets to have a sibling, something that to my knowledge she doesn’t have in canon. It’s that found family stuff that I love, even if the found family in this case is a bit more literal rather than just being a metaphor. And Mukuro gets a new sister, one who cares about her just as much as Junko, but is just significantly better at expressing that by comparison. I think Mukuro would really appreciate having a sister who like, hugs her without slinging an insult, or just getting any kind of open, visceral appreciation without having to read between the lines. 

I love to see Mikan with plenty of friends, she has a bunch of dynamics that I appreciate. But I also have a lot of appreciation for the idea of Junko and Mukuro being the only people she cares about, the only people she needs to survive. 

Where was I- Oh right.

Kayleen’s depiction of Mukuro and her dynamic with our other two primary characters is amazing. Spectacular even. Fucking perfect perhaps. It does everything I love about the Despair Sister’s dynamic without bordering into uncomfortable territory like some facets of the main canon does. But what I especially love is her dynamic with Mikan in the few moments we get to see them interact. A protector, a friend, and eventually a sister to her, it’s amazing. The scene when Mikan wakes up to Mukuro watching over her while Junko is away is phenomenal, and I love Mikan’s concern for her given the way Junko treats her, which does look pretty bad without the deeper context. The moment at the very end of Chapter 2 where Mukuro just heads off to (I assume) kidnap Mikan’s parents after just sharing a look with Junko, it’s another one of my favorite bits in that scene.

And of course, the scene that lead me to start yapping about Mukuro like that out of fucking nowhere, her talking to Mikan about Junko’s test. It’s great how she tries to help Mikan come to a decision without forcing anything. But also finally giving some more confirmation that Junko definitely feels something for Mikan, expressing how many changes in her demeanor she’s noted. And the reveal that Junko routinely struggles with Nightmares whenever Mikan isn’t around?? Fuck I love that. God dammit. 

I feel like I should talk more about this scene, but I feel like I kinda did? To an extent? A lot of what I just said about Mukuro’s place in this dynamic kinda sums up a lot of the great things about this scene. So I suppose we move on.

The buildup to the big scene of this chapter is wonderful of course, not much to say there. And I admittedly just really want to talk about the scene that follows.

Because god it’s everything I was hoping for when I finished that second chapter and had no idea whether I’d see this scene or not. 

The reveal is great, and as grotesque as I anticipated. I do cringe a little reading some of the details, not the modern dickhead definition of cringe either I mean the “Oh god fuck that’s brutal” kind of cringe. And it is so perfectly contrasted by Junko being Junko, love the idea that Junko and Mukuro just nabbed up these people and didn’t explain a goddamn thing until this very moment where they finally figure out that this crazy bitch is dating their daughter. Mukuro punching Mikan’s dad in the face was fucking great too. 

And the buildup to what comes next, is so god damn good. It feels weird out of context celebrating it, but the scene where Mikan breaks? Fucking spectacular. The distortion on the word Red hits like a fucking truck, and also speaks to my childhood of being a creepypasta kid because i’m like, half sure that’s the zalgo text filter, correct me if I’m wrong of course. Point is it was an out of nowhere detail that perfectly emphasized the tensity of what’s about to happen.

And I can go on another tangent now, because this is something I have had no opportunity to talk about during the entire duration of this project. At least not to my memory or knowledge.

I love Angry Mikan. I love the Mikan that snaps and is fully over the edge, not willing to deal with anyones bullshit. I of course have criticisms of Chapter 3 in DR2, but Mikan’s reveal of her true self, or I suppose the herself prior to the NWP, I love that moment. 

I’ve never depicted Angry Mikan before, but someday I really want to. So until then I take great enjoyment in seeing such a rare side of Mikan, which itself is even rarer in these fics. I think counting this one there are only 3, maybe 4 other fics off the top of my head where we get to see Mikan fully lose her temper. Now of course, I could be suffering another lapse in memory, or I just haven’t read the other stories that feature it. I only think I’ve read like, 90% of the Soft Junkan out there, I can’t confidently claim I actually have for certain, so maybe I missed it! 

Point is, seeing Angry Mikan is a treat. And here especially is fucking amazing, the verbal teardown, the havoc of it all. It’s great. And Junko just adds to it with her sheer excitement (which is putting it lightly given some of the dialogue), getting to see Mikan finally become, from her perspective, the best version of herself. Someone who can survive alongside her. 

When things start moving, it’s amazing. A small moment I really love, and the moment I was originally gonna wait for to talk about Mukuro with. Her offering up an assortment of firearms from “Her personal collection.” is just, weirdly wholesome? The things I get to say talking about this ship I swear. I dunno, it feels like such a small, personal moment and offer that only Mukuro could provide, and feels like the perfect cap to Mikan and Mukuro’s dynamic throughout this fic.

Also, fucking enamored with the the presence of a Rocket Launcher. Funniest alternate timeline sitting right there, imagining Mikan with a fucking rpg over her shoulder is hilarious.

Junko offering the reverse side of the weaponry coin is lovely too of course, but it’s the wonderful stuff I’d already expect with Junko, so much less of a pleasant surprise like Mukuro. I do appreciate her keeping a knife used on Mikan’s father as a trophy though, imagine that over the fireplace.

Anyway I don’t know how I could really explain to you why the torture scene is nice. It’s catharsis, it’s just catharsis. I don’t even remember how fucking long I waited to read this moment but it was so worth it, Junko and Mukuro joining in to help setup equipment was also really cute . . . i feel like i shouldn’t be calling segments from a torture scene cute. Hm. Well anyway, I can say that while I appreciate its existence, I’m also glad Kayleen chose not to drag it out for too long. Ironic coming from the most excessive bitch around here, but it probably would have been a bit much if it took up the grander majority of this chapter.

Which means we say goodbye to Mukuro and return to our regularly scheduled Junko and Mikan moments. 

And yeah what do you want me to fucking say, it’s amazing? Because it’s amazing as fuck, yeah. I’m running out of ways to just say how fuckin much i love this, but i’ll persevere best I can. 

I mentioned way earlier that I love it when Mikan catches Junko by surprise, and we get more of that here. Though in this instance I think it’s better to describe that this is the first time Mikan just gets the upper hand on Junko, who’s struggling to fight back in the conversation because she’s already struggling to figure out her feelings. And it’s really lovely to see Mikan fighting past Junko’s own insecurities, especially when she regards herself as a bad girlfriend. It’s great, and it’s more of that role reversal I love. 

The book analogy near the end of this conversation is so good, it’s sappy as fuck but that’s why it’s good. And Junko leaning into it despite how lame it is makes it all the better, and I only noticed on this recent reread that there’s even a cheeky V3 reference as well, clever!~ 

The kiss is of course great, and I think i’ve just fully fucking run out of ways to talk about how much I love Junko and Mikan kisses in these stories. Thank god there isn’t one in tomorrows fic- getting ahead of myself. 

Rip to Scissorhands, thanks for the gay but you will not be missed.

God damn amazing fic, so well written. It’s one where I have to be in a very specific mindset in order to read it, as that middle chapter really does stress me out enough to be a bit of a roadblock. But admittedly this most recent reread wasn’t the worst compared to the previous few times. That said the fic definitely had it’s effect on me like usual, my body felt all kinds of wild ways, my heartbeat was a lot more intense, breathing a bit wacked out, my nerves up. The whole shebang, so good fucking writing. Equally bittersweet considering that, at least I assume, the normal events of DR are going to follow this story, even if not immediately. So Mukuro’s gonna die, Junko’s gonna die, and then Mikan’s going to have her brain undespaired and probably lose all her feelings towards Junko (Though I will admit, the idea of Mikan after the actual events of canon still having feelings for Junko while not being a remnant is pretty interesting). 

However, I can live with that. It’s still an amazing story even with main canon in consideration, and I think I’ve run out of things to say here. 

Tomorrow is the last fic based art in the event, Days 99 and 100 are all on me. And by process of elimination you probably have an idea of what Day 98 is, you may even know the exact fic. 

I said there were three fics that were vital to me reaching this point in my life, being this obsessed with Junkan as a ship.

The Third Fic, Everything You’ve Ever Dreamed, is the fic that sent me spiraling into brainrot to the point of snapping and drawing art of it behind closed doors, eventually snapping me into drawing more Junkan than I imagine most if not anybody ever has.

The Second Fic, Smile, is what got me obsessed with the ship in the first place, of course only enough to enjoy reading it in secret, which would lead me to EYED.

All that’s left is The First Fic, which you’ll see tomorrow. The fic that made me bother to even give this ship a chance in the first place. Hilariously, I will probably not yap about it nearly as much as the previous two, even if I love it. 

As always, Reblogs, Comments, and Little Notes in the Tags are appreciated!~ They always make my day!~

[xxelliewxx]

Fire and Frost {Ellie x Reader} Chapter 5

Pairings: loser!(AFAB)Reader x hockey player!Ellie

Synopsis: When y/n is requested to tutor Ellie Williams in organic chemistry, she expects arrogance and attitude from the hockey player. However, she discovers a different aspect of Ellie’s tough exterior, revealed through humor and fleeting glances. This raises the question: why does Ellie go to great lengths to embarrass and harass y/n whenever they are in the presence of others?

Warnings: Mentions of depression, anxiety, sexual/physical assault, alcohol, violence, trauma (if I miss any let me know!)

w/c: 1.9k

an: this is my first time ever posting fanfic on Tumblr, so feedback is completely welcome! this is not proofread and is a work in progress.

Radon Fears

The weekend passed by in a haze of blurry hours and restless nights. You spent most of it lying low, nursing your injuries and letting the stitches Dina had carefully tended to do their work. The physical pain was a dull throb now, more of an uncomfortable reminder than a constant ache. But the emotional strain was harder to shake. 

You and Ellie would sometimes exchange messages, with her reaching out to check on your recovery and to confirm if Dina had indeed tended to your injuries as you had mentioned. Each message from her lit up your day, revealing a playful side of the captain that you rarely saw. You even shared silly doodles reminiscent of the ones you had sketched on your now-broken iPad, its shattered state lingering in your thoughts, a reminder to keep your guard up.

Sunday evenings were the designated time for your chemistry club's biweekly gatherings, the other being Wednesday nights. This past week had been filled with anticipation as you prepared for an exciting theme: forensic chemistry night! The weekend meetings always brought a lively energy that the weekday sessions, which were primarily dedicated to gearing up for the chemistry olympics organized by the American Chemical Society, simply couldn't match.

Ensuring that the tote brimming with props and supplies was all set, you grasped the hefty bin and stepped out of your apartment, securing the door with a firm click behind you. With the bin balanced in your grip, you juggled your keys, using the fob to unlock your car before sliding the tote into the back seat of your Jeep Cherokee.

The journey to the science building on campus was brief, allowing you to bask in a cozy silence, anticipation swirling inside you as you approached the meeting spot. Lavoisier Chemistry Hall, the venue for your gatherings, was the very lecture hall where Dr. M delivered her captivating lectures. Outside, your friend and assistant, Yara, stood eagerly, prepared to assist you in carrying all the props inside. 

With a grin spreading across your face, you shifted your car into park and leaped out in a burst of enthusiasm, flinging the door open and grabbing the tote with eager hands. "Did you bring everything?" you inquired, panting slightly from the heft of the bin and what it held inside.

Yara grinned, giving a playful nod, "Oh fuck yeah, I did!" You had asked her to bring along her trace evidence analysis kits, including her fingerprint development kit. A surge of exhilaration coursed through you as you dashed inside, with Yara trailing right behind, her enthusiasm shining just as brightly as yours. 

Dr. M was filled with anticipation as she awaited your entrance into the lecture hall, her face beaming with a bright smile that mirrored yours. As you and Yara got ready for the club members to arrive, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement. Today's meeting centered on utilizing the kits to uncover trace evidence scattered throughout the room, while you all delved into the fascinating chemistry that underpins trace evidence analysis. 

As the minutes passed, club members began to trickle in, their excitement palpable as you and Yara added the final touches to the setup. With a warm smile, Dr. M welcomed each person at the door, presenting them with a delicious chocolate chip cookie—a delightful tradition that had become a hallmark of these gatherings. The members looked on with curiosity at the setup you had created, eager to dive into the meeting. With a clap of your hands to announce the beginning, you exclaimed, "Welcome, everyone! I trust you had a wonderful weekend. Today’s meeting promises to be an exciting one. There has been a murder!"

All activity came to a halt, concern etched on their faces as they failed to grasp that you were merely joking. With a playful cough, you announced, "Hey everyone, no actual murder here—just go with the flow!" 

 As they caught on, the crowd erupted in exaggerated gasps, prompting you and Yara to burst into laughter. "Now, it's your turn to uncover any clues in this room that could stand up in court!" Yara declared, her enthusiasm bubbling over as the meeting aligned perfectly with her passion for forensics. 

As you prepared to speak once more, a gentle knock echoed from the door. You turned to Dr. M, who gestured for you to carry on. Taking a deep breath, you declared, "You have 35 minutes to gather all the evidence in this room. Feel free to collaborate as a team or tackle it solo." 

 Dr. M then beckoned you closer, her hand waving in your direction. A look of bewilderment crossed your face as you turned to Yara, silently requesting her to step in for you. As you approached Dr. M, your gaze shifted past her to spot Ellie, who stood there, beads of sweat cascading down her chin, a clear sign of her recent hockey practice. 

 Your throat felt dry as you took in her appearance: a black cap worn backwards, a snug dri-fit shirt that accentuated her toned abs adorned with the school's hockey logo, and joggers emblazoned with the Bauer name along the thigh. Fuck.

Her chest heaved rhythmically, another clear indication that she had just finished practice, and she offered you a shy wave. "Could I steal you for a sec?" you nodded, reluctantly pulling your gaze from her deep forest green eyes, warmth flooding your cheeks as you stepped out of the lecture hall. 

With a hint of tension, she rubbed the back of her neck with her right hand, her bicep taut and defined, while her left arm remained hidden behind her back. This little quirk of hers caught your attention, finding her anxious gestures adorable. "Is everything alright?" 

 Ellie averted her eyes, giving a slight shake of her head. "Yeah, no, everything's fine. I, um, swung by your place, but Dina said you’d be here." You nodded, observing as she shifted uncomfortable under your stare, her fingers nervously toying with the gift bag she had hidden behind her. As she extended it toward you, her eyes fell to the ground, fixated on her sneakers.

As you eagerly unwrapped the tissue paper from the bag, a pristine white box came into view. The familiar Apple script elegantly spelled out iPad on the side, and a wave of disbelief washed over you. It dawned on you with stunning clarity—Ellie had gone out of her way to replace the iPad she had broken. While you appreciated the gesture, it still left you in awe that she had done such a thing. 

Gazing up at her, it was hard to determine whether the rosy hue on her cheeks came from gliding over the ice all day or if she was simply feeling shy. "Listen, I messed up and I shouldn’t have wrecked your stuff. I genuinely regret it, and I hope this can help make up for it." 

Not knowing what to say, you leaped forward and enveloped her in a warm hug, inhaling the delightful fragrance of her cologne that lingered in the air. You found yourself captivated by the firmness of her muscles, sensing her initial tension before she melted into your hold, her arm finding its way around your waist. The sensation of her embrace sent a flurry of butterflies dancing in your stomach, a thrill you hadn't experienced in ages.

"Thank you, Ellie. This is so thoughtful." 

Ellie rolled her eyes at your words, stepping back and leaving you longing for the warmth of her hug. "Thoughtful? Y/N, I fucking broke it to begin with, of course I was going to replace it. Listen, don't make a big deal about this, I just wanted to apologize." 

A slight pang of disappointment washed over you as she dismissed your compliment, clearly attempting to distance herself. You nodded slowly, your gaze dropping to the bag clutched in your hand, unsure of how to respond to the awkwardness hanging in the air. Ellie tilted your chin upward, her gaze meeting yours as she released a gentle sigh. "Are we still on for tomorrow?"

She seemed to possess an uncanny ability to leave you utterly speechless, leaving you with no choice but to nod in response. You observed as her typically stoic demeanor melted away, replaced by a gentle smile that warmed the air between you. "Good," she said softly. Releasing her grip on your chin, the brunette tucked her hands into her pockets as if to resist the urge to reach out to you again. "You should probably head back to your meeting. I’ll catch you in the library, just like last time. Take care of that cut please." Without waiting for your response, Ellie turned on her heel and walked away, her figure gradually fading from view. You were fucked. 

The meeting whirled by in a haze, your thoughts tangled in a tapestry of greens and the anticipation of tomorrow's tutor session. Yara noticed your wandering focus and stepped in to steer the discussion, allowing you to drift deeper into your own reflections—a familiar dance between the two of you. You were grateful for her. 

After the meeting wrapped up, you loaded your car with the remnants of the evening's discussions, feeling a sense of satisfaction with how everything had unfolded. As you crossed the threshold of your home, thoughts of Ellie danced in your mind, and you found yourself biting your lip while you tucked the bin away in the closet. Dina snuggled close to Jesse on the couch, engrossed in a Marvel movie, while the inviting aroma of freshly popped popcorn filled the air.

As you popped a few kernels into your mouth, you settled down next to the couple, attempting to grasp the unfolding plot of the film, using it as a diversion from the events of the night. "Did Ellie come find you." Dina pulled you back from your reverie, mentioning the very distraction you had been trying to steer clear of. 

With a reluctant grunt of affirmation, you brushed her off, feigning interest in the screen. "Do you forgive her?" Jesse chimed in, eager to join the discussion. You rolled your eyes and popped more popcorn into your mouth, stalling for time. "Well?"

With a heavy sigh, you pushed yourself off the couch. "Enough already, you two. I’m not in the mood to discuss this." Snatching the gift bag you had set on the counter earlier, you trudged to your room, the door slamming shut behind you in a fit of irritation. A thrill surged through you, igniting a spark of enthusiasm to resume journaling. So many thoughts had slipped away, lost in the void created by your absence of a writing tool. 

As you lifted the cover off the iPad, a slip of paper caught your eye, resting atop the sleek surface of the device. Curiosity sparked within you as you set the lid aside and reached for the paper. The front was blank, a canvas of emptiness waiting to be explored. Turning it over, you were greeted by a vibrant drawing of a cow with a sulky expression, accompanied by Ellie’s tidy handwriting that read, I made a mis-steak, I am sorry.

You burst into laughter at the sight, your heart brimming with admiration for the brunette's dedication not only to the iPad but also to her artwork. With a sense of purpose, you took the drawing and secured it to your cork board with a tack, ensuring it would be in clear sight every time you settled down at your desk to write or draw.

A wave of excitement washed over you at the thought of seeing her again the following day, a rush you desperately tried to contain. You kept telling yourself to stay grounded; your role was strictly that of a tutor, nothing more. Yet, you found yourself craving the brief moments of affection she provided, however rare they might be. Deep inside, you recognized the importance of maintaining some distance, but uncertainty gnawed at you—was it really possible to step back now?

Absolutely not, and that scared the fuck out of you.

[kirchefuchs]

Two more random thoughts for ya today, one silly one actiony.

The silly one is just the thought of like during a makeout or something Ted actually gets Tinky to bleat like a goat and then is over here snickering while Tinky's actually kinda embarrassed by it.

And the actiony one is like....With the was Andrew Killgore was talking about "controlling the power of Tinky" for some reason I got the sense that the CCRP don't quite worship Tinky as they are *specifically targeting* him to use his powers.

The thought that brings to mind....In the time they actually start dating, Tinky is going to end up saving Ted's life *several* times...and Ted is going to end up saving Tinky at least once.

Yeeeeee!!! I love both of these ideas so much!!! I love the concept of Tinky displaying goat characteristics. It's just soooo funny, lol. You know I had to draw the aftermath of Tinky's accidental bleat, hehehe

I was also gonna try drawing something for the other thing, and I tried a lot, but I just wasn't satisfied with any of the sketches. So, unfortunately, no "Ted protecting Tinky" doodle today :(((

Although I did have an idea that sorta stemmed from that second thought. What if ccrp was able to somehow take Tinky's powers away from him and thusly turn him human in one timeline? I'm pretty sure I mentioned this idea in a previous ask, but I wanted to expand upon it here.

I drew a handful of messy sketches for it

Mosty, I just really wanted an excuse to mess around with Tinky's design som more cuz I wanted to see how he might look if he were more human. I when on a whole spiel in my discord server about it.

After having the thought of "Tinky with long, grown out hair," you know I had to draw it. I'm still trying to make the design still feel like Tinky, idk if I really captured it cuz I was more focused on designing the hair style than his facial expressions and stuff, but ya know. I can work on it

I just got really attached to the long hair thing cuz it makes him a little more like a mix between Curt and Jeff's portayals of Tinky. Again, I just need to work on facial expressions more now that I have the hair down.

Anyways, I kinda went off the rails with this one, but I hope it was fun anyway. I just love any excuse to doodle these guys, lol

[thelambliesdown1974]

I posted this is comedy yaoi but actually I need everyone to see it because I’m an educator. In lieu of the mass grief following the recent US election here’s my complete unabridged opinion piece on both the RPF and character-based SCTV yaoi-verse✊

Okay so here’s my introduction paragraph for those now in the know — second city television was a sketch comedy show that ran from ‘76-84 originally in syndication, later on CBC and NBC. It was basically the Canadian ‘underground’ version of SNL except the framing for all the skits was a fictitious dysfunctional television station (SCTV) run by a handful of recurring characters and starring Dave Thomas, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andria Martin, Rick Moranis, and Martin Short though in various combinations over the years. Oh and also Harold Ramis but only for the first two seasons so no comment.

I’d say Flaherty was kind of the big brother for everyone else in the operation— he was in the original theatre troupe and part of the show since day one. That’s not to say he was at all authoritarian though, Joe was definitely a soft spoken democratic leader. Maybe like Woodrow Wilson. Or Dumbledore, if that’s more relevant to you personally. I wouldn’t say he has any particularly strong yaoi ties to anyone else in the cast except I guess Eugene Levy since they were kind of each other’s creative muses. HOWEVER…. in terms of SCTV characters their respective newscaster personas Floyd and Earl are undoubtedly boning in a toxic nasty way on station property and probably are also the #1 SCTV couple in a Stefon and Seth sort of way (see below)

I almost forgot they also play classic 70s talk show hosts and there’s a lot of fan-fiction about them getting each other pregnant okay that’s all.

NEXT. John Candy was also one of the original members and while he wasn’t necessarily involved in either type of yaoi, his characters were integral in giving especially season 1 a very homoerotic flair. It was mostly his washed up actor-sona Johnny LaRue constantly and publicly struggling against the gay allegations since his segment in the very first episode. While trying to find that clip I actually instead found this SCTV Reddit image with a poorly overlaid huge Ariel caption that I like better. (See below)

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Catherine O’Hara, I think she was too self respecting both on screen and irl to get involved but I love her. She wrote a lot with Joe and Eugene so they were kind of like a platonic power throuple in my awesome mind. Andria Martin…. I am less sure about. She played the butch lesbian A LOT and I think has confirmed actually had sex with another woman (YURI) but I won’t say anything……. See below. Also interesting photo to use for that particular article.

NEXT….. Okay Dave Thomas, I really am not even sure where to begin with him but he was also one of the chief writers and original troupe members who ended up meeting Rick Moranis and bringing him on in season 3. The whole thing was partly his brainchild and he did author a book on the group’s history however I don’t see Dave as being as serious as Levy or Flaherty writing and production-wise. He’s kind of very theatre guy goofy silly on screen but also has an aura of sociopolitical jadedness that starts coming through in his Bill Needle sketches (a fictional miserable entertainment critic slash commentator I’ll discuss later) but especially once Dave started doing Doug McKenzie after Moranis joined.

They met at some comedy-based party in Canada (the gayest place you can meet) and really hit it off and immediately preformed as a musical duo that night (the gayest activity you can partake in. It’s like Simon and Garfunkel). Rick was kind of the new kid of the group after he was brought on but since Dave was a senior member they ended up working together a lot. The Great White North AKA the McKenzie brother skits are for sure no question what made SCTV anywhere near as well known as it is today and that was Thomas and Moranis’ comedy child. Okay and you might be thinking ‘how are they the most real life yaoiful couple on the cast but also are famous for playing brothers’ — that’s a good question and the answer is just don’t think about it too hard. I think Bob and Doug are more a testament to Dave and Rick’s day 1 original pure beautiful friendship that then laid the path for more later on. Like in this except from Dave’s book ⬇️

Anyway yes they’re 70 year old best friends now and still talk on the phone all the time and it’s awesome. But they were probably the closest out of anyone and both had to simultaneously deal with their sudden and overwhelming joint fame after Great White North blew up, which was unpleasant for both of them and involved a lot of travel and hotel rooms. (See below: an interview photo, their radio appearance promoting their comedy album, and whatever’s happening in the last one. Also notice how Dave’s face is a perfect circle he’s so cute)

Okay circling back to Bill Needle — he was a character Dave started doing in early on that went on until he left the show and he’s kind of irrelevant except for a few yaoiful details. He’s constantly having marital problems and has a weird friendship with the sleazy semi-creepy SCTV station president Guy Caballero whom Flaherty plays, and would I say they’re OFFICIALLY a yaoi couple not really but it’s there.

But yeah anyway in conclusion Rick and Dave show up in a bunch of each others sketches throughout the series and they write together and talk together and have play dates together and kiss and everyone else on SCTV absorbs their faggotry either by free will or by association and I think that’s what’s really important to remember and also I love them and I love you too. Oh and also Martin Short’s there near the end but he’s irrelevant except for inventing Ed Grimly and being Steve Martin’s de facto wife later in life. THE END

[baohanhanesel]

Just thinking about John Soap Mactavish meeting a girl, taking her out on a few dates, becoming her boyfriend and he is such a sweetheart too!

He is the man for her, always treating her, giving her sappy poems he wrote while on deployment, his sketches, flowers and all. He buys herb tea for her when she feels bad because he knows she likes a good bitter tea to burn her throat. He knows she prefers tea over coffee. He knows her favorite things on earth and truly it is a shame he goes to deployment so soon. He loves his job, sure. But he loves her too!

He proposes to her within six months, the proposal comes early for her expectations and she fears he is lovebombing. But she accepts the proposal, puts on the ring anyways because she knows John Mactavish is the best deal out there. Always with his confidence, bravery, gentleness and happiness. He is smiling a lot for someone who has seen a lot. And she appreciates him for it. For never letting that violence get through him. For having the most beautiful smile.

So when she ties the knot with him, it is early, she knows. They get married, and everything is much better! He is extra careful, extra gentle. He smiles more, talks more. She fears this will all end one day. That this is the honeymoon phase to the marriage. Because coming to think of it, they only met 6 months ago. This is all a bit strange, but she won't let herself overthink this. She'll enjoy her marriage. She'll enjoy Johnny and his smile.

"John you will break it."

"Don't worry, luv. I'll handle it!" Said John. Who was putting their toaster apart and trying to inspect the problem before putting it together.

She sighed, she knew the outcome. Her husband loved to put things apart and then put it together. But every single time. The thing would be broken. And this time would be no different. Another expensive indulgence he is in. She should probably stop him from breaking the thing before it is too late and bring it to someone who actually understands. But it feels like it would be like taking away a child's toy.

And as expected, not even fifteen minutes later Johnny rises his head and smiles clumsily.

"The thing was burnt from the inside, couldn't save it."

"Mhm." She knows it wasn't.

"... I'll buy a new one."

Next time she wouldn't let him break it.

"What will we be eatin' tonight?"

"I have no idea. What should we do?"

This earned a grumble from him, there was no food when he got home? Was she sick? He wasn't used to coming to a home with no warm meal. In their house, it didn't work like that.

"You didn't think of anythin'?!" He is just taken aback, he thought things would be different.

"Nope." She is just as taken aback. What is she supposed to do? He didn't say he would come home today or specificed what he wanted for dinner so she forgot.

After seeing his upset shoulders, and also the inability to speak up about it she got in the kitchen. Seeing what he just pushed her to do, John was quickly behind her.

"So what are we uhm, cooking?" He says this with a sly smirk, she turns to look at his face.

"We? Go sit down John, I'll figure something out."

"Whaaat no! I'd die sitting still when you're cooking for me!"

Just like that, they tried to work in the kitchen together. But whatever John did, she was all over him.

"John, That's too much oil, love! Meat already has some oil in it y'know?"

"I always do it like this!" He insists.

He moves to work with the mashed potatoes, she stops him.

"John. When did margarine enter our house?!"

"Margarine? It says butter on it."

"John..." She sighs. It is the name of the brand. But it takes a moment longer for him to realize it. It is fine though, it is silly.

Next time she'll remind him not to put too much oil or to read the items better next time. Next time, she hopes, for once he won't do things his way.

It is honestly so shocking to see them being so awkward and different within a few weeks of living together. John is always stubborn, and so is she. John does things his way, and she never corrects him even though she says she will. John keeps breaking stuff in order to fix them, and she keeps forgetting about the dinner because he didn't specifically tell her he'll be home.

Guess the honeymoon phase had ended quickly.

"John! For the nth time!" She huffed, exhausted with this. "Why are you so stubborn to let someone else take care of things?"

"I am just tryna fix it!" He is smiling nervously, and a little disappointed in himself. It was in his nature. He was a curious man, let him live!

"Bonnie, really? Again.." He shakes his head and rubs his temples, though he has an exhausted bitter smile tugging on his lips. "'m going to bed."

"I am sorry, I... I still haven't gotten used to your schedule." She pouts, watching him leave to his room. It wasn't her fault... She was forgetful of the days he was home or not.

"Why must you never listen?!" She was the first one to bite. And John had bit back.

"Why must you not care? Why do you forget me?"

"I do not forget you. I am getting used to it!"

Just like that, they argued for hours to no end. John was nervous as to think if he did something wrong. Because things weren't like this before. She was sad too, thinking about their old days. Maybe they did act rash about this.

Maybe they were fools for acting too fast.

She said nothing, so didn't John.

"Love..." She looked at the washing machine. That is no longer in any way functioning. It was separated into its parts. She sighed, rubbing her temples. It hadn't been a month since their last argument.

"I was..." He trailed off. "Sorry,"

This time he didn't smile after his mistake, and the absence of his smile stabbed her in the heart. She widened her eyes, and looked at the expensive mistake.

"Oh, so it had those things in it?"

John's head snapped back at her, blinking with confusion.

"Huh. Yeah. Yeah!" He smiles. And suddenly her whole world is at peace again, and the knife retreats from her heart.

She did not correct him before, she wouldn't correct him again. Damn those expensive mistakes, nothing was worth more than Johnny's smile. His smile was worth more than anything. She'd write down a new memo each week to follow his always changing schedule. Anything for that smile to stay put on his face. John had given her everything. He'd been so patient with her forgetfulness. So patient with her reluctance to sudden changes even though it was the most simple thing like a schedule.

The least she could do was to protect his smile and savour it.

I apologize for this. I just rambled. Might be bad, it is probably bad. No beta read or anything just a slap of late night thoughts. I just think Johnny's smile is one of the most attractive things about him. And I feel his partner would know it too. Because look at him, truly. I'd wake up every morning just for the sole reason of seeing his smile. 🙏

[asraxfile]

Crimson Rover

sypnosis: in a city full of chaos, you find yourself tangled between your silly little crush on your classmate Yuqi and finding out the identity of a so-called villain in your city. Now would've thought Yuqi would turn out to be the city's infamous villain that goes by the name 'Red Rover'??

pairing: Red Rover! Yuqi x fem!reader

genre: fluff, romance

warnings: kissing, Yuqi venting, action??

wc: 2.3k

A/n: this song never got old and best soloist song I've ever heard after Sunmi's songs. ALSO THIS FIC WAS NEVER SUPPOSTED TO BE THIS LONG BUT...Enjoy readingg^^

City of Seoul was known for its bustling streets, dazzling lights, and relentless chaos. The chaos continued even more after the appearance of the so-called villain that is causing trouble every now and then. The troublemaker was a bright red-haired woman with large bunny ears attached to a headband. Despite her crimes being minor, she still caused a lot of disturbances to the city. And even if you had a lot of school work since your year is coming to an end, you still stayed curious about figuring out Red Rover’s true intentions, moreover, identity. ‘What’s even her purpose?’ you would ask yourself while sketching her in your notebook. At some point, you would also question your own motives. Did you want to solve the mystery of her identity out of pure curiosity, obsession, or maybe because Red Rover reminds you so much of your beloved classmate, better said crush, Yuqi Song. 

Next day in class your thoughts continued to wander about Yuqi’s faithful connections with Red Rover. Your eyes moved by themselves and gazed at Yuqi. She was always a cheerful and a very talkative girl with a mischievous smile. Perfect on the outside but always thought outside the box. These past weeks of analyzing Red Rover and people around, you’ve come to a conclusion that Yuqi is really similar to the infamous villain. The way she brings herself to the world but stays quiet when Red Rover's mentioned made you really suspicious

Your gaze was focused on Yuqi who rested her forehead on her arms and hid her face in them, obviously not interested in history class. ‘Wonder what she’s thinking about now?’ the voice in your head popped a question as you moved your head to your notebook and started writing about today's lesson. 

As the bell rang, signaling for the end of class, you gathered your things and headed towards the library. You had a plan to dig deeper into the mystery of Red Rover. Maybe there were clues in recent news articles or websites that you could use for your research. Just as you were about to leave you bumped into someone and dropped half of your things. 

“Woahh, careful there !!” A familiar husky voice called out as the person held your upper arms. Looking up, you realize the person you bumped into was no other than Yuqi. Her round bunny-like eyes looking deep into yours. “Are you okay?” She asked as she let go of your arms, still looking at you. “Y-yeah, no worries.” You stuttered out as you started to pick up your things that fell. “Here let me help you,” just as she goes to close your black fully exposed notebook on the floor, something catches her dark hazel eyes.

In the notebook, 2 pages were filled with info and sketches about the infamous Red Rover. Her costume, the powers and even the theories about her. Clearly recognizing the villain, she tries to reach to see the other pages as well but you quickly grab your notebook out of her hands. Yuqi, startled at the sudden reaction, looked at you all confused. “I’m sorry I gotta go.” you mumbled, sliding your bag on your shoulder and hurried to the library, leaving Yuqi with no answers. 

…

With your heart pounding continuously in your chest, you made your way to the library, replaying the encounter with Yuqi over and over in your head. The look in her eyes was too hard to explain or to even think about, was it curiosity, suspicion, or something else? You couldn't afford to think too much about it now, you wanted to focus on your research.

Entering the library, you headed straight for the computer terminals. Logging in, you began searching for any recent news about Red Rover. Articles popped up, each one recounting small-scale incidents, descriptions of her appearance, and speculations about her motives. Nothing concrete, but enough to give you a few new pieces of information.

As you skimmed through the articles, you couldn’t shake the feeling of someone watching you. Glancing around, you once again saw a familiar figure in the distance, Yuqi. She was browsing the shelves, seemingly engrossed in her search for a book. ‘Is she pretending? Why is she here??’ You thought, trying to ignore the coincidence. ‘I thought she hated libraries…’ Still, you returned to your research. One article, in particular, caught your eye. It mentioned a sighting of Red Rover every night in the city around 9PM, that’s when she starts her daily troublemaking routines. But, once again, just as you were about to leave, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning around, you found yourself face-to-face with no other than Yuqi. 

“Hey,” She takes a seat on the table right next to the laptop on which you’ve done your research. “I’m sorry if I startled you earlier, I didn’t mean to pry through your notebook, but…” Your gaze met her eyes again, Yuqi wasn’t looking at you back.

It was a weird tension between you two. You’ve never been this close to Yuqi before and her presence made your heart beat even faster. The silly little crush you have on her wasn’t something you always considered a crush. You thought it was just admiration, not something serious, but now that she is here, something in your heart brightened. Her face was unpredictable, her eyebrows were furrowed and her face expression was a picture that could mean a million things. Was she feeling guilty—no that’s a harsh word. It’s like she was feeling fear, like she got…caught??

You cleared your throat, trying to dispel the growing awkward silence. “I just… I’m curious about her, that’s all,” you replied, hoping she would understand. Yuqi’s eyes sparkled with intrigue as she finally looked at you. “How so?” she asked, her voice softer, almost inviting.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to find the right words. “Well, she’s different from other villains. She doesn’t really hurt people, well,  she just causes chaos for...fun??” Yuqi leaned in closer to your face, her expression thoughtful and hypnotizing. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. What else do you think about her?? ” You could swear that you felt your heart skip not one but two beats. Was Yuqi giving you a hint, or were you too desperate? “W-well, She’s more like a playful child than a real threat. And that makes me wonder why she’s doing all this.” your cheeks turning light pink at Yuqi. 

In response, Yuqi just chuckled with a playful smirk as she got off the table. “I’m sure you will find out who Red Rover is.” She confesses, but before she leaves she lowers her head to whisper something into your ear. 

“In order to find something, you gotta look for it, right?” 

You watched her walk away, her voice echoing through your whole body. Was she just being cryptic, or was there a deeper meaning behind her sentence? What makes her so sure I’ll find the Red Rover? All of those questions ran through your mind until something popped inside your head. Her eyes, her playful demeanor, and the way she seemed to be curious into your thoughts on Red Rover’s motives—it all pointed to a connection that you couldn’t ignore.

As you sat back down to continue your research, your mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. The mystery of Red Rover had just become even more complex, and you were more determined than ever to uncover the truth. But now, the stakes were higher. You weren’t just solving a mystery of the city’s villain—you were unraveling the secrets of someone you had new feelings for.

…

With Yuqi’s sharp words still lingering in your mind, an idea popped inside your head. You had to see the Red Rover for yourself. The article mentioned her appearing every night around 9 PM, and tonight, you were going to be there. You glanced at the clock and it was already 8:30 PM. Gathering your things, you headed out, heart pounding with excitement.

The city was alive with its usual energy as you navigated the bustling streets. The neon lights flickered, casting colorful shadows to lighten up this city night. As 9 PM approached, you started to look up in the sky in hope to see those famous bunny ears and red hair. The minutes ticked by slowly, each second amplifying your anxiety. Suddenly, a flash of red caught your eye. 

It was her, Red Rover, jumping through the streets, her bright hair and bunny ears unmistakable. People pointed at her as police flashed their sirens to catch her, obviously failing. You started to follow her, trying to keep a safe distance from the crowd. As you hurried to keep up, you were so focused on the Red Rover that you didn’t notice a car speeding towards you. Until it was almost too late, the screeching of tires and loudness of the horn jolted you back to reality. You froze, unable to move, bracing for impact. 

‘This is it, I’m gonna die.’ were your last thoughts to this moment. Suddenly, just as the car was about to hit you, a firm grip yanked you out of the way and refuged you in a small, dark and lonely street alley where nobody will find you for a couple of minutes. The person placed you on the ground as your legs finally shaken alive. “You need to be more careful,” the person's deep and husky voice scolded you as you patted your clothes to avoid them being dirty. “I-I’m sorry but thank you, you saved my li–” you managed to stutter out some words but once you saw who were you talking to, your brain froze again. 

Standing before you was Red Rover herself, her bright red hair and large bunny ears even more striking up close. her expression Softened at your reaction, a playful smirk playing on her lips. You swallowed hard, trying to find your voice. “What is it?? Cat got your tongue? Or better said, a bunny?” She laughed at her own joke as you chuckled with her as well. “I can’t believe I finally met you, Red Rover.” 

Tilting her head, Red Rover’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Well, here I am. In the flesh,” she replied, putting her hands on her hips as her voice blended in proudness and charm. She took a step closer, her face now inches from yours. “Why are you so interested in me?” Your heart raced, the familiar tension between you two made it hard to think clearly. “I guess… I couldn’t help but be drawn to you. Both as Red Rover and as… someone else I know.” A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she masked it with a playful smile. “Someone else you know, huh?” She leaned in, wrapping her hands around your figure as her warm breath against your ear whispered, 

“Do you think you know who I am?” realizing her deep and mischievous voice you melt into her touch as you lean your back on the alley’s cold wall that was behind you. 

All of this time chasing Red Rover, nothing could make you finally realize the so-called villain was always right in front of you, and that was your new developed crush, Song Yuqi. Your intuition never lied to you in the end and now Red Rover—no, Yuqi, is here. 

The hot tension between the two of you just rose higher with each passing second. Slowly, your arms moved by themselves as you looked up at her with your eyes, you started taking off her bunny hat, revealing her gorgeous red hair and dark bunny eyes you could always recognize. “I knew something was up with you from the start.” Yuqi rolled her eyes at your statement and snatched her hat from your hands, startling you. As she clipped it by her chin she leaned into your touch once again, towering over your smaller figure.

Yuqi’s eyes sparkled with a mixture of mischief with a teasing smile on her lips. "So, you've been watching me, huh?" she teased, her face inches from yours. The question made your heart race, the air between you charged with electricity, making you rest your arms on Yuqi’s shoulders, holding them tight. Swallowing nervously, your voice was barely above a whisper. "I couldn't help it. You're irresistible." Yuqi chuckled softly, her warm lips brushing against your neck. Your mind raced, searching for the right words, but none were appearing. Instead, you slowly, kinda hesitating, raised your hand to touch her cheek. She leaned into your touch, her eyes closing briefly. When she opened them again, the playful glint returned as she locked eye contact with you. "You know, you're braver than I thought," she said, the tension between you being indescribable. There was an invisible thread pulling you closer together. Without thinking, you leaned in, your lips brushing against hers in a tentative kiss. Yuqi responded immediately, her arms wrapping around you and pulling you closer. Her hands roaming around your torso as you pulled her by the neck deeper into the kiss. The kiss getting flustered, a blend of desire and tenderness that left both of you breathless.

Just as you were getting lost in the moment, the blaring sound of police sirens pierced the air. Yuqi pulled away abruptly and disappointed at being interrupted, her eyes flashed with alarm. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath. "They're getting closer." she turns to you and quickly picks you up in bridal style. “Wait—!” Without even processing what was happening, Yuqi was already jumping around the sky, carrying you tightly. “Hold on tight, muffin.” commanded Yuqi as you held her tighter, surprised by the sudden nickname. 

…

As Yuqi landed on your apartment’s rooftop, she carefully put you down on your feet. “We’re safe here, yeah?” she asks, looking down at the chaos that was made only by a small appearance of her. “Thank you for bringing me home.” you thanked as you walked to the edge of the roof, taking a seat next to Yuqi. Awkward silence occurred as you two scanned the street right below your feet. 

“I have a question though.” started you, making Yuqi turn her head to you. “How come you have red hair now but in school you’re a blondie?!” your question yelled, being all confused, in response Yuqi just laughed at you. “I love how you notice unimportant details.” She exclaims, weakly punching your thigh as you laughed with her too. Yuqi points her index finger to her hair as she looks at you excitedly. “This, my muffin, is a wig, ever heard of that??” She teases, calling you a ‘muffin’ again making your cheeks glow a slight reddish color. Rolling your eyes she continues, “I’m a natural blonde y’know, I thought you knew that by how much you watched me these days.” She chuckles while teasing you again. “Yah! Of course I did!” scolding her with a playful annoyance in your voice. Yuqi exhales a smile and takes a look at the stars. As she gazed up at them, she whispered, "Look, the stars popped up."

"They're so pretty," you exclaimed softly, joining her at stargazing, silence being the loudest after a few minutes. 

"Not as pretty as you," 

Yuqi mumbled under her breath, the words barely audible over the city's hum. "What did you say?" you asked, turning to her with a curious expression. Yuqi hesitated for a moment, then sighed, her gaze shifting from the stars to meet yours again. "I said... I never thought you would be interested in Red Rover, moreover, me." Her statement confused you. "Why's that?" you inquired gently, sensing a depressing emotion behind her words. With a one more sigh, Yuqi leaned against the rooftop railing, her posture relaxing slightly as she looked out over the city skyline. "Everyone talks about Red Rover like she's just a nuisance. A troublemaker to be caught and punished. But no one tries to understand why she does what she does. No one sees her beyond her actions."

Her voice took on a frustrated edge, revealing layers of empathy and perhaps a personal connection to Red Rover's motivations. "It's like they don't care about her as a person. They just want her to...disappear."

You nodded in understanding, touched by Yuqi's empathy and insight. "It must be lonely.."

"Yeah," Yuqi agreed, whispering, her gaze lingering on yours. “In school too, I may seem like I have a lot of friends but,” she paused. “They wouldn’t understand.” she vents, crossing her arms to hold her upper arms. “When I’m Red Rover, I can be myself without explaining myself to everyone all the time.” 

There was an awkward pause, a shared moment of understanding between you both. Shocked by the fact that Yuqi felt exactly like you made you speechless. Then, without another word, you closed the distance between you and Yuqi, hugging her gently, like she was made out of sugar. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into your touch, a mixture of vulnerability and longing in her expression.

For a moment, the world around you faded away, leaving only the warmth of each other's presence. The city noises, the chaos below, all seemed distant as you lost yourselves in each other.

Slowly, you cupped her cheeks and kissed her once again, affectionately. Yuqi responded eagerly, her arms wrapping around you, pulling you closer against her. With her straightening up her back and taking more dominance, the kiss deepened, made by shared understandings that had been built between you.

As you finally pulled apart, breathless and smiling, Yuqi brushed a strand of hair from your face. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

You smiled back, feeling a rush of affection and gratitude. "For what?"

"For seeing me," Yuqi replied sincerely, her gaze unwavering. "Not just as Red Rover, but as me."

You nodded, feeling a surge of closeness and understanding between you. "I want to understand you, Yuqi. All of you."

Yuqi's expression softened, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Then let's figure it out together," she said, her voice filled with happiness and a hint of playfulness. As you leaned in to kiss her again, sharing cheeky laughs together, the night sky seemed to shine with new possibilities and moments for you to share, especially under the glittering stars above.

[gingerlee-holds]

Tinkering Hearts

This is a birthday fic for @cxra-melty! It's a Splatoon tword fic about lesbians lesbianing all over the place lmao- DISCLAIMER: i have never played splatoon nor do i know anything about it so if i get something wrong, lemme know!!

Word Count: 2,028 Reading Time: about 8 minutes Warnings: none that i can think of!! enjoy!!

The evening was Marina's favorite time of day since it's among the few times in Inkopolis when it's quiet. All the little critters settled down to sleep, but the sun still bathed the earth. Warm streams of light flowed into her studio, seemingly transforming the rather plain skyrise apartment into the inky aftermath of a turf war, awash with vibrant oranges, pinks, and yellows. The scent of grease that usually filled the studio was, at her girlfriend's strongly worded request, replaced mainly by a citrusy aroma, courtesy of an air freshener of her own design.

Marina Ida leaned back in her desk chair, smiling as she set down her screwdriver. Wiping her hands on her apron, the mechanically adept Octoling sighed in contentment at seeing her new invention: a speaker with a 23% longer battery life, petitioned by her girlfriend for her characteristically prolonged singing sessions in the shower. Marina's personal speaker, her 'precious baby,' sat on a bookcase next to the door, playing her mellow vaporwave beats while she worked. Swiveling slightly in her chair, she gazed out the large windows of her tinkering studio. She had always counted herself incredibly lucky to live in an apartment like this one, with a tremendously gorgeous view of the sunset. 

'It's so pretty,' Marina thought to herself. 'The setting sun gives the undersides of those clouds a beautiful pink color, like cotton candy. Like bubble gum. Like…' She suddenly looked down, feeling her face warm up a bit. 'Like Pearl.'

Marina heard a loud groan from her girlfriend, Pearl Houzuki, as if on cue. Turning again in her chair, she smiled at the mess of a girl crashed on her couch, lounging, as she often did, to periodically pester Marina while she worked. Today, though, Pearl had kept mostly silent as she lay on the sofa, idly kicking her feet behind her as she played on her phone, the nightcore blaring from her headphones only barely audible from across the room. However, the Inkling was face-down on the cushions, shamefully holding up her phone as she removed her headphones.

"'s dead," Pearl mumbled, making the Octoling smile fondly. 

"Well, I did recommend you bring a charger in with you a few-" Marina stopped her 'told you so' when she broke into giggles at the sight of the death glare her girlfriend gave in reply. The pouting Pearl huffed and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling as Marina returned to her desk. Her next project was to begin right away, so without wasting any time, she opened her drawer and pulled out the sketches for a marginally more efficient Splattershot. 

It took less than a minute for Pearl to become restless. 

"I'm boreddd…" she grumbled. 

Marina chuckled. "Go charge your phone, then, silly squid. I also have those graphic novels you like somewhere on the shelf." She gestured vaguely toward one of her bookshelves without looking away from her work. As she focused back on the task before her, she failed to hear her girlfriend slowly rise from the sofa and sneak across the room, muffled by her fuzzy socks and the carpeted floor. Just as Marina put the tip of her pencil to the page, a rapid, simultaneous poke to each side elicited a squeaky yelp, making her hand shoot back to protect herself.

The Octoling whirled around, trying her best to glare at her adorable girlfriend's smug smirk, unable to suppress the smile on her face. 

"There is one rule in this studio! One! I know you can count to one!" Vainly trying to sound authoritative, Marina ended up sputtering out her warning. She accidentally drew a sharp, dark line across her page with her pencil.

Pearl giggled and innocently rocked on her heels. "You know I'm garbage at math. But hey, you can't blame me! Golden hour makes your skin look even prettier than normal! I was just checking that you were real and not some sort of hologram!"

The clever Inkling's flirt had its intended effect: Marina lost her entire train of thought as her face heated up like an overclocked CPU without a cooling fan. Instead of playfully scolding Pearl about the sacred 'No Shenanigans' rule of her tinkering studio, Marina hid her face behind her tentacles and let out what she intended to be a growl but became a flustered whine. Pearl waited patiently for her girlfriend to regain her composure, smiling from ear to ear.

"Y-you know that I haven't been able to build one of those yet-!" It was a lazy rebuttal born from her genuine vexation with holographic devices.

Pearl hummed, tapping her chin. "Well, you can never be too sure! I'm not worried, though, cuz I have a surefire method of proving you're my Marina~!" At that, she teasingly wiggled her fingers at the poor Octoling. "My little Marina is deathly ticklish~!"

Pearl's 'little' Marina leaped to her feet with a squeak, standing two full heads taller than her girlfriend. A determined expression entirely replaced her flustered countenance. "G-glass houses, babe! I know for a fact that you, of all people, shouldn't be throwing out accusations of ticklishness since you're a walking tickle spot!"

The smaller girl stammered, her cheeks turning as pink as the tips of her tentacles. "B-bullshit!" 

"Ooo, strong words from such a wittle Squid~! Are you gonna pout me to death~? Or do I have to ticklEEEK-!" Marina's cocky taunting was interrupted by about 100 pounds of Inkling suddenly slamming into her torso, almost bringing the tinkerer to the ground. Thankfully for her knees, Marina managed to get turned about, letting herself be pushed across the room and onto the couch by her growling girlfriend.

"You," Pearl huffed, now that she pinned the Octoling, "deserve every friggin' second of what you're about to get!" 

Before Marina could reply, a wave of giggly laughter poured out from her lungs as Pearl began scribbling up and down her sides. "NohOhoHO!!" was all she could get out as Pearl's nimble fingers skittered and poked each inch of skin from her hip to her ribs. 

"If anything," the Inkling said over her girlfriend's laughter, "this is your fault! I mean, for such a clever girl, it's awfully silly to keep one of your most ticklish spots so exposed like this~! Not that I'm complaining, though - makes it sooooo much easier for me to tickle the shit outta you!"

“ShuUHuHUhUT UhuHUHUHUP!!!” Marina cackled, kicking her feet. She brought one arm over her eyes while the other wrestled with Pearl's surprisingly agile hands. 

"Oh, believe me, I've been shut up for the past few hours! Gotta get this energy out somehow!"

Marina bucked, desperately trying to squirm out of reach or pry her girlfriend off, but Pearl was stuck to her like a mussel, mercilessly exploiting the Octoling's ticklishness. 

"PleHEhEHehheASe!!! PeHEhEhehHEARL, IhihhIhI’M BEHEEHEHEGGING!!” Marina threw her head back when Pearl began drilling her fingers into her hips. Her pleas, however, made Pearl slow down her tickling just enough for Marina to launch her counterattack.

Marina's hands shot down past Pearl's, landing on her thighs in one swift motion. The Inkling's eyes widened with shock for a moment before she was sent into peals of ticklish gleeful laughter from Marina's squeezes. She fell onto her back, hugging herself around the middle. The tinkerer took her chance, pulling herself upward to continue her onslaught. 

The mellow vaporwave from her speaker was drowned out by a different sort of music, which Marina enjoyed far more: the snorts and hiccups of her beloved bratty squid when her thighs were squeezed. Pearl waved her arms around like an inflatable tube man, giving Marina access to her underarms. Scribbling in each underarm, Marina had successfully invented liquid cuteness.

Nevertheless, despite her thrashing around like a fish on land and babbling through her hiccupy laughter, Pearl had concocted the perfect scheme. When Marina stopped for a moment to readjust her position, Pearl leaped upward and wrapped her arms around Marina's torso, planting her face in her girlfriend's exposed belly. Paying no heed to the panicky warnings, the smaller girl deposited a big, wriggly raspberry, transforming the tall attacker back into a cackling girl, unable to hold back the mountain of melodic laughter. Pearl, determined to get revenge and with her competitive streak shining bright, resolved to continue raspberrying Marina's belly button until the latter had no more laughter left in her. However, true to form, she made one vital miscalculation: she hadn't removed her girlfriend's hands from under her arms. 

She was immediately aware of this flaw in her plan before delivering a second attack when Marina resumed wiggling her fingers. The small Inkling squealed through her raspberry, which did less to dampen its ticklishness than Marina had hoped. Both now were squealing and laughing, both because of the tickles and the ridiculousness of the situation.

The two were locked in a stubborn tickle war of attrition: could Pearl withstand the curious wiggling fingers in her underarms before Marina inevitably gave in to her raspberries? Regardless of the outcome, Pearl was happy to finally have her girlfriend to herself after not being given any attention for so long. As silly as it seemed to be jealous of a toolbox, she felt pleased to finally have all of Marina's focus exclusively on her. She'd never admit it out loud, of course, but Pearl was more than happy to lose this battle if it meant spending more time with her favorite Octoling.

As it happens, the winner of the tickle war would not be determined that day, as a particularly devious raspberry to her side sent Marina rolling off the couch and onto the soft carpet, dragging a hiccupy Pearl down with her. The two girls squealed with delight as they landed, their legs getting tangled together in the confusion. Slowly, the laughter died down, and the two pairs of eyes opened to look into each other. Their faces melted with fondness, wobbly lovestruck smiles replacing helplessly plastered grins. As they gazed into each other's eyes, arms wrapped around each other, legs intertwined, and so close… It was poetry worthy of Sappho herself.

Pearl broke the silence first. "You oughta be more playful. It's fun to see you like this."

"What, you mean it's fun to see me all disheveled and a mess?" 

The Inkling giggled, nodding. "Yep! I don't see you so unraveled often, so it's always a fun gift to witness!"

Marina's smile widened slightly before she shyly said, "Then feel free to unravel me as much as you'd like, babe."

Led by the profoundly influential force whose origin lies beyond scientific scrutiny and which has always guided the hearts of two lovers throughout countless millennia, the two cephalopods pressed themselves closer and stole a sweet, blissful kiss. When they finally pulled apart, the sun had sunk under the horizon, swapping vibrant oranges with soft purples as the stars began to appear above.

"Welp," Pearl said after a moment, "can't sleep on the floor." With that, she untangled herself and stood, picking up the surprisingly lightweight Octoling from the floor and plopping her onto the couch.

Marina giggled. "The couch isn't much better for your back, y'know-"

"Shush, genius, or else I'll make you shush." Pearl poked her girlfriend one last time as she sat beside her, forcing the tinkerer to concede.

With that, the two relaxed into the cushions, holding hands. Unable to prop her head on Marina's shoulder, Pearl nestled into her bicep, making the taller girl coo silently and wrap her other arm around the Inkling. 

Yawning, Pearl said, "Can we, like, go to a karaoke bar or something tomorrow?"

Sighing fondly, Marina nodded. "We'll make it a date."

Pearl giggled victoriously. “Just us, right? You’re not gonna bring an Allen wrench or something?”

“Why on earth would I bring an Allen wrench with me on a date?”

“Not sure, but if anyone were to, it would be you.”

After a few seconds to consider, Marina nodded. “You’re probably right. No tools, I promise.”

So, with the gentle accompaniment of Marina's speaker, the two lovebirds drifted off to sleep, smiling all the while. 

[anodeorain]

Special day.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI

Tags: Fluff, flirty, smut, pet names

Summary: Alcina brings you a special gift for your special day.

Word count: 2664

Notes: I apologies for any mistakes, English isn’t my first language :’) Hope you enjoy it anyways <3

It’s been about a year since you made it to castle Dimitrescu and stayed here as a personal maid of Lady Dimitrescu herself. She always said that you were the best maid she ever had and it surely flattered you. Alcina did her best to encouraged you every week, maybe even twice a week if she got time. Usually you just stayed over her Chamber for the night and spent time with her as you talked and cuddled.

You noticed her flirting with you few months ago. It was nothing special but she definitely hinted you that you’re the one she needs the most. You found it a bit weird since Dimitrescu never let anyone stay close to her, except for her daughters.

Not to mention, they were quiet annoying while they buzzed around the castle and woke you up every single day at 5am. Including today. You sigh, rubbing your sleepy eyes as you stretch out your body before sitting on the bed and looking around. Not to mention, Alcina gave you the personal room with single bed that was quiet enough for two people.

You walks over the common bathroom, washing your face quickly before getting dressed. You loved the smell of fresh cleaned uniform and you smile slightly, looking over yourself in the tiny mirror. You ties your hair up in a ponytail, finally walking off to the hall. It is so quiet. Other maids usually wake up at around 6am to do cleaning around the castle and cook the breakfast for the Lady.

“Mother calls you.”

Bela says from behind your ear, making you squeak. You didn’t expect her to show up. She laughs at you along with two other sisters before they disappear.

Lady Dimitrescu isn’t asleep? You frown slightly as you walk down the hall, reaching her Chamber. You knock twice, hearing quiet “come” from behind the door. You walk in and stay in the door frame, waiting for Lady’s next move.

“Oh, it’s you, dear. Come over, don’t be shy.” She says in a sweet tone.

You do as she said and walk closer to her, still keeping the distance between you two. She sits at her vanity, brushing her dark hair, holding the pin between her teeth.

“Why are you awake so early, Mistress?”

You ask quietly as you look at Alcina through the mirror and she smiles slightly at you.

“You don’t ask silly questions, do you, pet?”

She chuckles as she turns around to face you.

“Mommy’s got plenty of work to do today.”

You nod, your cheeks turn bright red.

“You need anything, ma’am?”

You ask Alcina quietly and hear another soft chuckle.

“Be here at around 9pm, please.”

“Wh-“

“Now go work, dear. Enough talking.”

Dimitrescu cuts you off and gives you a sweet smile, before turning around to face herself in the mirror again.

You nod, whispering “yes, Mistress” before heading off to the hall to get your job done. What is she planning?

*****

Alcina flickers before your eyes the whole day. She knows you are watching and makes sure you see her every hour or two, giving you soft smiles every time she walks past you. It got quiet annoying in the middle of the day, you couldn’t stop thinking about her request for you.

You finish your work at about 5pm and got plenty of time for yourself. After a warm shower you walk to your room, shutting it closed as you don’t want to see any of other maid. All of them are quiet talkative and love to drink tea after getting their jobs done. So do you but you are not in a mood today.

You take your sketch album and a tiny piece of a pencil that has left, thinking where to get a new one later, before you start sketching. You have no thoughts in your mind who you want to draw this time so you let your fantasies take a control.

You always loved to draw, since you were a child, but never had enough time for that. As soon as you got at castle Dimitrescu you found out that you can spend your evenings however you prefer. The only rule was to stay as quiet as possible in case not to disturb the Lady.

Of course, Lady Dimitrescu noticed you sketching as you sat under the stairs quietly. The next day she gave you a sketch book and a pencil so you could draw comfortably without using a piece of coal.

Since then you tired your best to draw every time you’ve got a free minute. You look down at the page, noticing the woman you drew looks exactly like the Lady and you blush, close the sketch book and hide it under your pillow. How come that you drew her by memory?

The answer was on a surface: you knew every inch of Alcina’s face. You found her really beautiful and elegant and you couldn’t get her out of your mind.

You sigh, laying down on the bed, closing your eyes. Two hours left till your meeting with Lady Dimitrescu so you decide to take a quick nap before you head to her.

*****

“Come in.”

You hear the strict tone as you knock on the door and walk in, closing the door behind you. Lady Dimitrescu isn’t dressed as usual. She has a black long dress that exposes her curves. The dress is sleeveless and also has a long cut on the side, showing off her silky pale leg.

“Mind helping me, dear?”

She asks quietly, patting her shoulders as she put her hair away from her neck.

“Oh… Sure.”

You quickly walk over to her, helping her to hook up her necklace.

“Ah, thank you, little mouse… I’ve been struggling with it for around five minutes and almost lost my mind.”

She smiles at you before turning around, placing her hands on her waist.

You smile at her, trying your best not to stare at her breasts that seem to be even bigger in this dress. You swallow hard and she notices it, letting out a low chuckle.

“Hm? Like the view, pet?” She smirks.

“Sorry, Mistress.”

You mumble, looking down at the floor.

“Come on now, dear. I’ve got something for you.”

She gets up from her vanity and walks off to the hall as you quietly followed her. You couldn’t help but stare at her swaying hips. Seems like she swayed them on propose. Soon enough you walk over the room that has always been locked. Alcina takes a key out of her tiny bag, unlocking it and letting you go in.

It is a quiet beautiful small room in reddish colors with golden candles all around it. There is nothing but a couch in the middle of the room and a comfortable chair in front of it with a tiny coffee table by its’ side. You frown slightly as you look over your shoulder at Alcina, who stays in the door frame with her arms crossed on her chest. Her lips curls into a sly smirk.

“What’s that for?”

You ask, sitting on a chair.

“Ah, dear… Think again, make your little brain work.” She chuckles.

You frown more, looking around once again, trying to get a tiny hint.

“Look at the table, pet. Does anything catch your eyes?”

She says as she walks around you, placing her hand on your shoulder.

You shiver under her touch and look at the small coffee table near the chair. Your eyes widened a bit as you notice a fresh sketch book and a pencil on it. You look up at Alcina, surprisingly, she is looking down at you the whole time with a smirk upon her lips.

“So…” She begins.

“Do you… want me to draw you?” you ask nervously.

“Correct, little mouse! Good job.”

She laughs, patting your back.

Alcina walks toward the couch, sitting on it in front of you, crossing her legs. She smirks once again, raising an eyebrow. She waits for your reply as she keeps staring directly into your eyes.

“Y/N?”

“Oh… I don’t kn-“

“Pretty please?”

She pouts.

“You don’t want to upset your Mistress, do you, pet?”

“Of course…” You nod.

She then gives you a big smile, placing her bag away before elegantly laying down on the couch, facing you.

You immediately get nervous as you never drew from nature but you don’t want to disappoint Lady Dimitrescu so you agree. You take a pencil and a sketch book, staring at Alcina for a while before you start to sketch the lines of her body. She stays quiet and patient for the next ten minutes before she sighs and looks at you.

“It’s quiet stuffy in here, isn’t it, little mouse?”

She slightly unbuttons the dress on her chest.

“It is…”

You nod at her but keep drawing.

Alcina smirks and lights up her cigarette, takes a long puff before the cloud of smoke floods around the small room. You smiles to yourself, noticing how she melts behind the smoke for a few seconds. You keep sketching her, paying attention to every detail of her body. She stays quiet and all you can hear is scratching sounds of your pencil against the paper.

It takes you an hour until the sketch is fully finished. Thankfully, Alcina was patient enough and just relaxed on the couch this whole time. You get up, walking across the room to show her the sketch and she sits, patting her lap, inviting you.

“Come sit with me, would you?”

She smiles and pulls you closer on her lap.

You blush but don’t hesitate, making yourself comfortable on her lap. Lady Dimitrescu is so close, you can feel the coldness of her body. She brushes your hair behind your ear before looking down at the sketchbook, noticing how detailed the sketch was. You look up at her and smile slightly.

“My…” Alcina begins.

“…How talented you are, my dear pet. You’re definitely the connoisseur of women’s bodies”

She teases.

“Oh… I… Thank you.”

You smile at her.

It isn’t the first time you both are so close but every time it feels like your first time and you blush like a kid nearly her. Lady Dimitrescu is obviously a charm and she knows that too well.

“Now…”

She gently puts you down on the floor as she gets up.

“…I’ve got something special for you, little mouse. As a reward…”

You can see her smirk widely as she walks closer to you and ties your eyes with a black strip of cloth. You shiver at her touch but nod. Alcina takes the sketchbook away from your trembling hands, puts it on the coffee table. All you can hear next is her heels clatter against the wooden floor and quiet rustling of her dress before she speaks again.

“You may take the strip off those pretty eyes of yours.” She says.

You do as she said, slowly take the strip off and open your eyes. You gasp as you see her sitting on the couch with her legs crossed but… the only thing she is wearing is her dark red lingerie that barely covers her intimate parts of the body. You feel your mouth becomes dried and your heart skip a beat. She looks so… stunning.

“Like what you see, little mouse?”

Alcina smiles as she walks over to you.

“Yes, Mistress…”

“Happy Birthday, dear.” She says quietly.

You look up at her, your eyes widen. It definitely isn’t your birthday today and, not to mention, you don’t even know when your actual birthday is. Dimitrescu chuckles as she notices you hesitate and answers your silent question.

“It’s been a year today since you’ve got to my castle, Y/N.” She says in a soft tone.

“Since we both are not aware when your birthday is I thought… It would be a great idea to celebrate it now.”

Alcina gives you a sly smirk.

“Oh… It’s not worth it. But thank you…” You mumble quietly.

“Are you upset, little mouse?”

She asks you softly, placing her hand on your shoulder as she speaks.

You shake your head and look up at her, feeling her grip of your shoulder. You moan softly, feeling your shoulders relaxing under her touch. Dimitrescu smirks and raises her eyebrow as she steps closer, placing her index finger under your chin, making you look into her eyes.

“Oh, dear… Careful with those sounds of yours.”

She lets out a soft chuckle before she leans down to you. Your lips are inches away from hers and you gasp but don’t pull away. You can notice the desire in Alcina’s golden eyes that sparkle even brighter when she looks at you.

“You’re trembling, Y/N…”

Dimitrescu murmurs, caressing your cheek with her fingers.

“Are you scared of me?”

“No, Mistress… Not at all.”

You shake your head slightly.

“I jus-“

She cuts you off by softly pressing her lips against yours. You gasp again at the sudden move, dropping the pencil on the floor. Alcina laughs, slightly pulling away to look into your eyes. She licks her lips, raising an eyebrow.

“You alright, dear?” She chuckles.

You nod, still feeling her moist lips on yours. Dimitrescu chuckles once again before gently picking you up, making you wrap your legs around her waist. She slightly kisses the pinkish cheek of yours, brushing her lips against your soft skin before she presses your lips together one more time. This time Alcina kisses you with more passionate, caressing your bottom lip with her tongue, asking for permission. You let out a quiet moan and open your mouth, letting her in. Your tongues dancing together as she holds you close against her body.

“M-mistress…”

You whimper.

She doesn’t say anything, sliding her hand up your thigh, gently squeezing it, making you moan once again. Oh, how she loves those sounds. Alcina smirks, gently nibbling at your neck.

You can feel the knot in your stomach, your panties become wet in a second and you know the vampire lady feels it well. You hold her shoulders, digging your nails into them as she licks your collarbones.

“It’s enough for today, Y/N.”

Alcina says, slowly pulling away from you.

“But! Mistress, I-“

“Enough. Don’t you dare to contradict my words, little mouse.”

She frowns as she gently places you back on the floor.

“My apologies…” You nod.

She grabs her dress, quickly putting it on. You glance over at her but Alcina is quiet and cold. Her sudden mood change takes you by surprise and you can’t say a word. You watch Alcina taking her bag and heading off toward the door.

“What are you waiting for, Y/N? A special invitation?”

She frowns.

You shake your head, taking the sketchbook and picking up the pencil from the floor before quickly escaping the room. Alcina shut the door closed and locks it in case anyone would like to sneak there.

You both walk quietly to your own rooms before Dimitrescu stops and places her hand on your shoulder. She kneels to your height and gently caresses your cheek with her thumb, slowly touching your bottom lip. Her actions make you blush and you look away but she makes you look back into her eyes.

“I’ve got work to do now, little mouse… But I’ll wait for you at my Chamber tomorrow. Be there by 9pm, got it?”

She almost whispers, smiling softly at you.

“Yes, ma’am.”

You nod at her, squeezing the sketchbook in your hands.

“Good girl…”

Alcina smiles.

“…Sleep well, dear.”

With those words she leaves you alone in the hall and closes the door behind herself. You smile softly, heading off to your own room, quickly getting ready for sleep.

You can’t get Alcina off your mind… Her silhouette appears every time you close your eyes. But you don’t mind at all. With the thoughts of her you slowly drift off to sleep.

[blackmonitor]

What’s going on with Blackmonitor?

You are probably didn’t read it on my discord, that I’m going back to work, and my son is going to daycare, so that’s a lot right now in my life. To much to keep up all of this. 

I had no motivation or mood to create art in the last two months. I decided to shut down my patreon because of this. That wasn’t my way. The moment I did that, my motivation came back (so for me it was the right decision) for drawing, but a little bit different, so I only made quick sketches here. 

Commissions are closed from now on. 

My Discord is closed. Sorry all!

My Redbubble stays up, but it’s highly unlikely that I’ll post any art there. 

I want and will concentrate on my own art, not “only” fanarts (I apologize for the phrasing for every fan artist out there, there is nothing wrong with that, but again, this isn’t my way anymore). That was a great way to try out myself and relearn the digital art of today, and nothing wrong with it - but it wasn’t my way.

So from now on, Blackmonitor is just for pure fun. I’ll continue producing silly little sketches and quick doodles, and I’ll only work for my original goal: to make people smile. Nothing more, no less!

I’ll share other stuff that has nothing to do with me on @yellowmonitor. But still, my time on Tumblr is limited, I only scroll for a few minutes on my dash every day, so please excuse me if I didn’t see your beautiful fanart.

Asks - I will not answer any negative asks, as usual. Spreading love is still on! 

Fanfics - I’ll finish Scar on the Inside, but I don’t know what will the future bring. 

Link to my heavily outdated masterlist is here

[myqueenmarceline]

What We Found in the Wasteland

Summary: What if Marceline and Princess Bubblegum met hundreds of years earlier, when they were just two little girls?

Warnings: none

This is a (belated) birthday gift for @nebula-gaster, I hope you like it friend!

Thank you to @sketch.461 for beta reading, I appreciate it!

Read it on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48563032

Bonnibel was off on her own again. Neddy didn’t really like exploring, so it was up to her to adventure for both of them. That was fine with her. It was fun to scout the land by herself, and she almost always found something worth bringing back.

Today she had gone further away from the river than she ever had before. The forest had gone from a few skinny trees to thick grey trunks. The sky was still visible between their bare branches, but Bonnibel felt much more closed-in than she did when she was wandering the plains.

Bonnibel walked into a clearing, and gasped. Jackpot! Two pieces of metal leaned up against a tree, making a small tent. There was a fire pit in the middle of the clearing with some ashes, but no smoke.

She crept closer, and moved one hand over the fireplace. She slowly lowered her hand down, but she felt no warmth. This site was probably abandoned. Bonnibel knew that most scavengers like her moved fast; she had only ran into someone else twice in the wastelands.

Well, she wasn’t going to let all of this great stuff go to waste! She stepped into the tent and began looking through. There were a few empty cans that could be good for inventions, a small stack of magazines that were in bad condition, and a blanket. She picked up the blanket to test the material, and a stuffed animal tumbled out of it.

She leaned over, examining the small purple bear sitting in the dirt. It was covered in bandages, stitches, and scrap cloth, but one intact blue eye and a stitched smile that was kind of cute. Bonnibel draped the blanket over her shoulder,

“Hey! That’s my stuff!” A voice called out. Bonnibel whirled around, facing the edge of the shelter’s opening.

A little girl stood in front of her. She had grey skin and short black hair that bounced around her cheeks, and she crossed her arms and glared at Bonnibel. “Get your hands off!”

“Hey, I found it fair and square!” Bonnibel shouted back, instinctively clutching the cans and teddy bear closer to herself.

The girl’s face got red, and her eyes seemed to change shape. “What do you mean? This! Is! My! House!”

She stomped in, and Bonnibel instinctively stepped away. Her back pressed against the wall, and she gulped. She couldn’t get out now; there wasn’t enough space for her to get around the girl.

“Give me my Hambo!” The girl said, grabbing one of the teddy bear’s legs. Bonnibel gave the toy up easily. The girl turned around, putting Hambo on top of the magazines. “Ugh, it’s all wrong now! How would you feel if someone came into your house and janked up your stuff?”

Bonnibel paused, realizing that she had definitely made a mistake. “I would feel bad.”

She began putting the cans back down on the ground again. There were small circles where the cans had pressed into the dirt, and it only took a minute. She put the blanket down, and carefully inched around the girl to stand at the doorway of the shelter.

The girl kept tidying up, switching the place of two cans, putting the blanket down, and wrapping the bear inside of it like a baby. She turned around again, then nodded to herself.

“That’s better.”

Bonnibel couldn’t tell a difference, but she decided to be polite. “My name is Bonnibel. What’s yours?”

“I’m Marceline.” Marceline reached into a small shoulder bag and pulled out a shiny blue rock, setting it down next to her blanket.

“Do you live out here by yourself?” Bonnibel asked, looking around. The shelter seemed much less secure now, and there wasn’t even a mattress on the floor.

Marceline scoffed. “No, that would be silly! I’m waiting for someone. His name is Simon. He’s coming back for me here. He had to go off and do some important grown-up stuff a few months ago.”

A seed of doubt sprouted in her mind, but Bonnibel didn’t say anything about it. She had seen a few other scavengers with kids in her binoculars before. Maybe Simon was trying to find out where they all seemed to be going; she had never seen the same child twice. She had always wanted to go up and speak to them, but she was worried that it wouldn’t go well, so she just observed them instead.

“Okay. I hope he comes back soon. I live a bit away from here in a hideout with my brother. A long, long time ago I was part of one Mother Gum, but then we had to go out and explore.” Bonnibel stepped out of Marcleine’s shelter and stood next to the old fire pit. “Your place looks pretty good.”

Marceline turned around and beamed at her. “Thanks, I decorated it myself. I feel like the cans really pull the whole thing together.” She tapped on one of the cans a few times. “Hey, do you know Cheers?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a song. Here, sit and watch.” Marceline put Hambo to the side and picked up her blanket, holding it up in front of herself like a curtain.

She dropped the blanket and began tapping on the two cans closest to her as she sang. Each can had a slightly different pitch, and together they helped Bonnibel understand the rhythm.

“Making your way in the world today

Takes everything you've got

Taking a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Where everybody knows your name

And they're always glad you came

You wanna go where people know

People are all the same

You wanna go where everybody knows your name…”

Marceline made some jazz hands as she finished. “Ta da! That’s Cheers.”

Bonnibel had never heard the song before, but she had enjoyed the way Marceline played the cans. She began making clicking and popping noises with her mouth. She was used to using them a different way, but she could actually imitate the metallic sounds of the cans pretty well.

“Yeah, you’ve got it.” Marceline began tapping along too, but her rhythm was just slightly too slow, so it sounded off.

Bonnibel stopped. “The song is weird.”

“It’s not weird, you’re weird!” Marceline said, her face getting a bit red again.

Bonnibel shook her head and quickly explained. “I didn’t mean bad-weird, I meant good-weird.”

“Oh. I don’t think I’ve heard of good weird before.” Marceline tilted her head. “What’s it mean?”

Bonnibel paused. She was used to talking to herself, not having to explain what she meant to someone else. “Good weird is… it’s like my brother. He doesn’t talk like I do, and he’s scared all the time and hides away, but he’s not bad for doing it. He’s just different from me, so he seems strange sometimes. You’re not bad either, you’re just different from what I’m used to.”

“Well, then you’re good-weird too.” Marceline shifted and winced, covering her stomach. It growled loudly, and Bonnibel frowned. It sounded painful. “Ah, sorry Bonnibel. I couldn’t find anything to eat today. I’ll be okay if I just lie down.”

“How are you going to sleep if you’re hungry?” Bonnibel asked.

Marceline didn’t answer. She scooted further back into her shelter, looking away from Bonnibel as her stomach growled again.

“Here.” Bonnibel reached into her bag and pulled out an energy bar. It had only expired a hundred years ago, and she had eaten one from the same pack yesterday and it was fine. “Try this. It kind of tastes like eating dirt, but it will keep you full for, like, a whole day.”

Marceline opened the bar and sniffed at it, frowning a bit. “Are you sure this is good? It smells nasty.”

“I am. It doesn’t taste good, it’s good for you,” Bonnibel said, and Marceline nodded.

She shoved the bar into her mouth, but was only able to fit 2/3 of it in one bite. Bonnibel looked away as she coughed, spraying crumbs. She kept her eyes politely averted, letting the other girl swallow her food and clean herself up. Marceline coughed again, and smacked her dry lips.

“This is all I’ve got left, so don’t drink more than half.” She turned and held out her canteen to Marceline.

“Oh, thanks.” Marceline moved to the edge of her shelter and sat down cross-legged, taking the canteen. She took a long gulp of it, but just when Bonnibel thought she was going to empty the whole thing, she pulled her mouth off and handed it back. “Dang, your water is good!”

Bonnibel smiled. “Thanks. I built a filtration system myself. Every day I get a jug of it.”

“A system? I just use a sheet to collect the water in the morning and night.” Marceline turned and pointed in the direction she’d come from. “There’s some pretty good sand out there, and there’s only a few scorpions at night!”

“That’s cool.” Bonnibel turned, and her eyes widened. The sun was much lower in the sky than she had anticipated. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a watch. The batteries were working today, and it was almost 3. “Oh no, it’s late! I have to go back home and check on my brother. He doesn’t like to eat dinner without me.”

She grabbed her canteen and scrambled to her feet, hooking it back in her belt. She turned around, hoping that her mount was still tied up where she had left it. If not, she was in for a long, long walk on foot…

“Wait! When are you coming back?” Marceline asked, getting to her feet and following a few steps after Bonnibel. She stopped at the edge of the clearing, tugging on the straps of her overalls. Up close, Bonnibel noticed how many patches and stitches there were; the clothes were falling apart.

“You want me to come back?” Bonnibel asked. “But I messed up your camp site.”

“And then you hung out with me and gave me food. We’re even.” Marceline glanced at the floor, tugging on her overalls so hard that Bonnibel was afraid the straps would break. “I mean, I get if you don’t want to come back here or whatever, but I’m not gonna chase you away.”

“Tomorrow. Or maybe the day after that. I don’t know yet.” Bonnibel patted her shoulder bag. “I have to see if I can make anything with what I found today, or if I need to go scavenging again.”

Marceline brightened, giving her a wide smile full of sharp teeth. “I’ll be here, so come over. I can help you find the stuff you’re looking for. I’m basically an expert.”

“Alright, I’ll bring something to trade for your help next time. Bye Marceline.” She waved, then turned. Her cow was grazing on a patch of dry grass, its lead pulling on the small, brittle tree it was attached to.

“Bye Bonnie!” Marceline waved.

Bonnibel turned back three times as she petted her steed, untied it, and mounted. Each time, Marceline was waving at her. She waved back once more, then rode off into the forest.

[castlebyersafterdark]

would you say parks and rec counts as the mockumentary style that cringes you out? i wonder if you like more absurd humour and darker stuff sort of, like always sunny in philadelphia, the mighty boosh, black books? these are my favs. oh and green wing! maybe too british for your tastes though? i find mine crosses over sometimes, i find some american stuff great if its silly and absurd enough. there are some SNL sketches i really like (like santa baby with ryan gosling, and the papyrus skit gets me because as an artist i was legit as angry with the avatar films as the skit portays hahaha), but mostly i don't get the humour or i find it to be a bit hit and miss. but then again sometimes Friends really hits? like, despite all the things dated about it, some of it is just timeless classic comedy with that cosy undertone that really hits home. comedy is always best for me when its capable of being sincere and heartfelt too sometimes, rather than just super ironic or detached, which feels very self-defensive and therefore weak to me? maybe that's why the marvel films just did nothing for me after a while (sorry to bring up your divorce hun)

I would say the mockumentary style shows in general aren't really my taste. Good and bad parts, but I don't really turn to those shows. I think Parks and Rec is one of the more tolerable ones, though certain characters on there I couldn't stand. I couldn't get into the Office at alllllll (though it's great for a reaction gif haha). Always Sunny in Philadelphia didn't do it for me either. I could only take shows like that in small doses. Never heard of those others you've listed!

Sporadic SNL watcher but I do have a fondness - an ex of mine was suuuuper into SNL so I've seen a ton of random episodes from all over the eras. And my man likes it too, just not as avid a watcher (he hates hates hates modern SNL so I also haven't seen it in years other than random sketches online tbh). I think there's decent episodes from every era, early days are bizarre but as a history nerd I think those are really really interesting. I liked a lot of the 90s and 2000s stuff most. It's definitely a show I wouldn't consider a huge favorite, but there's something for everyone I think, it's easy to throw on for background noise honestly because you can look up and pay attention for 5 minutes and then not pay attention as well and you're not missing a plot.

I do really like the classic sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld, Cheers, Golden Girls, older stuff etc. I KNOW they are pretty dated and have their own issues, but they were always on growing up and I thought they were funny. Comfort shows for sure! Something almost neutral on TV as my huge messy family wove throughout our chaotic life. I also like the look of them and the camera work? The line delivery? Older syndication shows just have a vibe missing today.

I've seen so many TV shows that I never watched the full series of - byproduct of my scatterbrain. So when I find stuff and get invested, that's why it sticks, because everything else I'm distracted and jumping around haha.

[oliviapasianworkshop]

January 11-17

I completely forgot to make this post until today, the 20th, but for the sake of my future process book, here is what I did this week:

I made some decisions about what the rest of the semester will look like and put that information into this page for our collective capstone brief assignment:

My current plan is to make two more websites, one main one being the community garden idea, where I'm thinking it'll be like a collaborative tamagotchi sort of thing, inspired by how real community gardens work and bring people together. For the brief, I put that I wanted to do a trail-following website, where you see everyone's cursor movements, but I spent the week contemplating this and couldn't think of a way to make it more dimensional than just following cursors. I came up with another idea, to make a website inspired by rainbow looms and cat's cradle and other nostalgic uses for rubber bands. The website would be like a big peg board where anyone can add permanent rubber band art on one big canvas, like a collaborative whiteboard but with rubber bands. So I think the rubber band drawing website and community garden are two projects I am sure about, and I'd like to do little mini experiments along the way if I encounter anything I want to separately explore more.

Timeline-wise, my plan is to spend the entire semester on the community garden, since I know how much work it will be, as I want to add things like real weather and day/night and real-time growth. I want to give people a reason to keep checking in. And for the rubber band website, I'll spend the next few weeks on it, since I have already sketched the design which just needs a few minor changes and then I just need to code it, which shouldn't be too bad.

Concept-wise, I spent this week contemplating my topic a lot. I feel like I keep ending up at crossroads where there are just too many things I am excited about and I don't know what will end up being the best for this thesis. It's better to have too many things to be excited about than none at all, but it's still hard to constantly be making decisions about this after I thought I had it mostly figured out. My research has stayed around the same ideas of the decentralized web, experimentation, making websites by hand, and collaboration/community. But narrowing it has been confusing because for a while, it was about combating isolation, but now it's less about that and more about just making fun escapist spaces on the web, which I don't know if that's what I want to do. I mean, it is, but I don't know if it's as engaging as other ideas I had. And nostalgia, especially web nostalgia, has been a big part of my research interests, and I don't know how it fits in anymore. It does, but it's not as much a part as I want it to be, because I don't think I really know what I'm even trying to do with my project anymore. Which I need to figure out, soon, but I just want to make silly websites and not think, is that too much to ask?? (yes)

Anyway, here's my current research question draft:

How can I create software interactions that act as tools to visually and conceptually use the web as a platform for creativity, connection and collaboration?

I think it needs some more juice because it's missing something, which I will hopefully figure out this week.

And here's the rubber band website sketch:

[munson-blurbs]

For your 2k celebration: Eddie/Lover's Lake/book 🌼

Big, gigantic thanks to @trashmouth-richie for helping me with this one!

Warnings: attempted drug deal, mention of drug use

WC: 899

--

Mud squelches under your trainers as you make your way towards the lake. It’s a familiar destination; your favorite place to write. But today, you have other plans.

Eddie’s already there, waiting for you. He’s sitting on a stone wall, idly tapping his ringed fingers against his tin box. Your stomach flip-flops at the thought of what’s inside. 

Come on. Don’t be such a coward. 

“Um, h-hi,” you stutter, mentally kicking yourself for letting your anxiety seep into your voice. “Thanks for meeting me here.”

“Yeah, no sweat,” Eddie says, patting the empty spot beside him and popping open the box lid. You oblige, bringing your backpack onto your lap. “All right, I can do $15 for half an ounce.” He takes out a crinkled plastic baggie, frowning as you inspect it critically. “I really can’t go any lower; you’re already robbing me blind here.”

“No, no,” you shake your head, “‘s not that. Um, I was wondering if you had any, like, magic mushrooms?” Your face burns as you say it. 

Eddie’s eyes widen. “Never took you for a psychedelics kinda girl,” he laughs incredulously, “but, yeah, I should have some.” He digs through his stash, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. “So, what’s the occasion?”

“Huh?”

“The shrooms. You going to a party, or…”

“Oh.” You wipe your palms on your jeans. “I, um, I’ve been having bad writer’s block, and I heard that drugs can help…unblock things? I smoked weed with my friend, but it didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, yeah?” Eddie asks, not breaking his focus. “What are you trying to write? Essays and school shit?”

You shake your head. “I’m working on a novel, actually,” you admit. It sounds silly when you say it aloud. “It’s like a horror-mystery hybrid? I don’t know,” you finish lamely, hoping he finds the shrooms soon.

But you’ve captured his attention, and his chocolate brown eyes light up as they meet yours. “No way!” he exclaims. “I love scary stories. I swear, I’ve read everything Stephen King’s written.” He crosses his heart for emphasis. “Can I get a sneak peek of your book?” He pouts adorably, melting your heart and easing your nerves.

“It’s just some chapter outlines so far,” you explain, tugging your notebook out of your backpack. It’s an assuming marble composition notebook, but it holds all of your hard work. “And I haven’t written anything in weeks, hence the…” you gesture to his lunchbox of drugs in lieu of completing the sentence.

Eddie raises his eyebrows as he scans your writing. “This is…really fucking good,” he muses, flipping the page and continuing to read. “How do you come up with this stuff? Puts my Hellfire campaigns to shame.”

You laugh bashfully. “Sometimes, inspiration just strikes, y’know?” Your smile falters when he skips to the rough sketches you have for your characters. You’re not an artist, not by a long shot, but you know he’ll be able to recognize who you’ve modeled a protagonist after. “Okay, give it back,” you blurt out, attempting to grab it from his hands, but his grip is too tight.

“What, you got some naughty drawings in here?” He waggles his eyebrows, making you giggle despite your embarrassment. “Don’t worry; I won’t judge.” Before you can protest further, he finds the one picture you were hoping he’d somehow skip over. It’s a tall, lanky guy with curly brown hair that touches his shoulders. He’s wearing a concert t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, displaying his tattoos, and ripped black jeans. “Whoa,” Eddie breathes, and you’re praying to be swallowed up by a black hole. “This dude is totally metal.”

“Wh-What?” Did he really not know who it was supposed to be?

“The guy,” he says, pointing to the drawing, “he looks so badass.” He closes the notebook but doesn’t hand it back. “Could I hang onto this? I wanna read more, but I gotta get going. Promised my uncle I’d make dinner tonight, and he’ll kill me if I say that and then order pizza one more time. Actually,” he pauses, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes, “do you wanna help me cook? And stay for dinner, obviously. You could maybe tell me more about your story. Might help get those creative juices flowing or something.” He shrugs like he didn’t just use all of his courage to ask you.

“Sure,” you smile, hopping down from the wall and brushing off your pants. “And you can tell me about your…campaigns?” You furrow your brows, unsure if you used the correct terminology.

Eddie narrows his eyes. “I don’t know…how can I trust that you’re not working as an enemy spy?”

You gasp, startling him. “Sorry,” you apologize sheepishly, “but that just gave me a great idea. Maybe Kal–that’s the totally metal dude–used to be allegiant to the enemy, but is trying to redeem himself!” You pluck the notebook from him, flip to where a pen serves as a bookmark, and jot down your thought before you forget it.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Eddie teases, taking the book back and tucking it under his arm for safekeeping. “You’d better mention me in the acknowledgments. Better yet–dedicate the whole book to me.”

“I can see it now: ‘For Eddie Munson: thanks for the idea and for not selling me shrooms,’” you joke back, walking in tandem with him.

“Perfect.”

--

[gearfoeging]

Hey! I was wondering if you could write something about a player that has a habit of biting their lips sometimes until they bleed? Its for any or all of the scribes whatever you feel really. Hope you have an awesome day

K but I actually do this all the time and it sucks! Also, I'm still getting used to writing down fics as apposed to just thinking about them so it turned out a little shorter than intended. Hope this fits what you where thinking, and you have an amazing day too!

Edit: again I was originally gonna write for all the scribes, but I had an idea for Mags first and then it just sorta kept going?? So here we go, Magnificus fic! I'm still open to doing the other scribes with this concept and this one isnt super long, but I figured it was getting too long to put the others in here.

"Just a little blood."

It was a bright and golden evening, light from the sunset spilling in through the windows of Magnificus' tower. It was the perfect setting to de-stress. In front of his canvas he stood, paining in silence, while you sat sunken into the collection of pillows and blankets you had piled under the window. You were tired and stressed, and the old wizard had a specific sort of quiet collectedness to him that you had been craving for the past few days. When you had come to visit him this afternoon in need of silent company, Mags simply handed you a small sketchbook and pencil and offered somewhere quiet to collect your thoughts; find some peace of mind.

So now you sat, cozy and warm, the stress and exhaustion of the last couple days easing off of your shoulders bit by bit. Your lip was still raw from having chewed on it all day, but hopefully the distraction of a pleasant atmosphere and the scratch of pencil on paper would keep you from breaking the skin.

It seemed that wasn't the case.

you had gotten so caught up in the rough sketch you were working on that you hadn't noticed how much your teeth began to absently worry at you lip until a sharp sting made you flinch. Mags paused his work when he heard your sudden shift, and peared over at you to see what had been so startling. What he saw was the slightly pained squint of you eyes and your hand partially covering your mouth.

"Are you alright?"

You jumped at his voice, snapping your gaze up to meet his. Perhaps you weren't as relaxed as you thought...

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, I'm alright... just..."

You looked back down to your fingers, now stained with small red blotches, and Mags followed your gaze.

"Is that blood? What happened?"

His voice was still calm and even, and he set down his brush, making his way over to you.

"Uh, it's just a little-" you had done this before, you didn't want to make a big deal of it. "-I bit my lip is all. Nothing serious."

He nealt down next to you, gently pulling your hand away from your face so he could see the injury.

"Now how did you manage that?"

You glanced away and shrugged

"Sorry. Bad habit."

Now that had been a surprise. Usually you acted as a neusence to him: leaning on him while he worked, pestering him with silly questions, making a ruckus and draining him of all his energy. He had actually gotten quite used to it. Despite your mission to annoy him day after day, for some time now he found your presence a reliable constant, and had even begun to find you endearing; charming in you own strange way. Occasionally you where sweet and gentle, bringing him fresh home baked goods, or dragging him outside when he locked himself in his tower for to Many days. But you where never so small and apologetic, shaking and stuttering. You had seemed a little off today but he figured you where just tired.

"Are you alright my dear?"

You met his eyes again, but this time a tinge of confusion swirled in you. He usually referred to you by your name, sometimes 'menace' or 'pest' or bother', but never 'my dear'.

"Yeah... uh, like I said, it's just a little blood."

You gave a quick, lopsided grin that didn't convince him you where at all okay.

"Of course, just a bit of blood. But are you alright?"

On repeating the question and giving you a moment to think it over, you seemed to realize what he was asking. As soft 'oh' escaped you as your sight drifted down to his hand that he hadn't pulled away and you where now holding. A moment later a deep, weary sigh that carried far to much weight deflated your chest and shoulders.

"It's, um... I'm alright. Just, stressed y'know? Few nights ago I didnt sleep much, insomnia, then I was overthinking everything and making myself anxious and so I didnt sleep much that night and... it, just sorta' made it self worse."

Magnificus never took you for the type to get anxious over nothing, you where always so bubbly and cheerful, a spark of fire and warmth in the dark. But he supposed everyone had bad days here and there, he had simply never seen yours.

"Hm, well that won't do."

He stood, slipping his hand out of yours, and turned to make his way to the back room.

You sputtered in confusion.

" I- you-... but-.... um, what?"

"What kind if tea do you like?"

He didn't even pause at your stuttered, incomplete question, simply continuing his pace to the doorway that lead to the small room he used for storage.

"Uh..."

Then he did stop a few steps before he slipped out of view to the other room and turned just enough you fix you with a expectant gaze.

"......green?"

It came out as more of a question but he took it none the less and disappeared into the back room.

You sat there for few moments, completely lost in the Mage's sudden act of what you could only assume to be kindness (or perhaps pity) before a small quirk of a smile tugged at the edge of your battered lip. It still stung, but less now, and the bleeding had stopped.

You might have to get stressed more often if it meant a soft magician and a free cup if tea.

[stiltonbasket]

how my love springs deep

by stiltonbasket

(read here on AO3!)

Summary:

My Lan Zhan, his husband calls him. Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan.

Or, the one where Wei Wuxian feeds rabbits, and Lan Wangji reads a love letter.

(brief a/n: this fic was inspired by this heartbreaking work of beauty by @pakhnokh--I had to write Lan Wangji getting adored after witnessing it, come join me on the angst parade T~T)

____

My Lan Zhan, 

    It has been two years and more since I last wrote you a letter, for marriage has joined us both at the hip, and ensured that we are never more than a touch or a cry away from one another. I have you by me always, in every hour of every day; and every love-word that crosses my mind finds its way to my lips in the very moment of its birth, and reaches your ears just as quickly, for I could no more keep silent in my devotion to you than swim the full length of the Songhuajiang against the current. And so I go about my days hence, calling “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, my Lan Zhan” all the while: but today I have woken before chenshi, and you are still asleep beside me with Xiao-Yu in your arms, and though my every nerve and vein is aching for love of my husband, I cannot bear to wake you to say so. 

    Lan Zhan, sweetheart—when we were first married, you told me once that I colored the world for you the instant we met, and brought every shade of the rainbow with me from Yunmeng to make the Cloud Recesses beautiful. You said that the air that touched me at the gate smelt as if lightning had passed through it, and that the very stones I knelt on in the lanshi’s courtyard began to glitter after I departed, though they had never done such a thing before—and that the Cloud Recesses itself, having been a place of peace and reflection before my arrival, was filled with delight and warmth after my coming, as if that first day was the dawn after a long, long night, and I the sun who gifted it to you. 

    Heaven knows I had no equal words with which to worship you then, my darling, for I was young and still bewildered to know that you loved me. But I have been your husband for nearly three years now, and so I must tell you this—you have driven me mad for love of you, Lan Zhan, and it has been so since we first crossed swords on the rooftop gate when we were eighteen. 

    How mad, you ask? The classics say that love is a proper, courtly thing, to be shown with modesty before others and in its full force only in confidence. But I have never been proper, and so I must tell you that if you were a flint and steel, seeking only to light a flame and a tinder-heap to light it in, I would take form as a sun-parched forest, and set myself afire at your touch so that I might be beside you thus. If you were a god, roaming the heavenly kingdoms while my mortal flesh kept me constrained below, I would take the habit of a priest and devote myself to your prayer; and if you were a grain of sand in the Gebi desert, and I a traveler sick with thirst, I would fall to my knees and sift through every dune and basin to find you before drinking even a drop of water. 

    If I were freezing in the great mountains above Gusu, whose peaks are lush in the springtime but shrouded in snow in the winter, I would be well and happy if I had the warmth of your hand in mine; and when I am in my jishi, with the doors thrown open to let in the wind, I drop my knives and tools at the sound of your voice and stand there enraptured until you fall silent again. My heart nearly beats out of my body with everything you say, and everything you do; and when you look at me I lose all knowledge of speech and reason, recalling nothing but your name and your smiles unless some show of wit is necessary—which it very well might be, with you and I being what we are, and all our doings riddled with puzzles that would have bewildered even the scholars who founded our clan. 

    Lan Zhan, I love you so desperately that to be away from you is torment, and to be with you has always been paradise, even when you were sitting on one side of the library pavilion and reading Lan An’s poetry, and I was on the other with my brush and parchment, pretending to copy lines while I sketched a portrait of you and painted flowers into your hair. You have made me more your own with every passing day, though in every moment I fully belong to you, and there is no strangeness in it—as if new pieces of my spirit are formed shichen by shichen, and bound unto you before drawing their first breaths.

    I could go on endlessly, xingan, and exhaust even the lanshi’s stocks of paper in my adoration—but it will soon be breakfast time, and the hens have not been fed, nor the eggs collected, and neither have the rabbits been given their greens. I must go and tend to them now; only wait for me, and I will be back at your side again before you have time to miss me. 

    Ever yours, my husband—

        Wei Ying.

    P.S.—I left a pot of ginger porridge on the table by the bed, if you should wake and be hungry before I return. There is only a little, since the rest is still cooking in the kitchen, and you and A-Yu will still have an appetite for breakfast if you finish it all. 

_____

After Lan Wangji wakes and reads the folded letter on his bedside table, he scarcely glances at the tiny blue pot of ginger congee before stumbling out of bed and putting his shoes on. He is dressed in nothing but a thin white undergown, since he gave up dressing warmly at night when he first began sleeping beside Wei Ying; but he does not bother putting on a coat, and pauses only long enough to tuck a sleepy Xiao-Yu back under the covers before bounding out of the jingshi and hurrying downhill in his nightshirt. 

“Wei Ying!” he calls, when he passes the tidy chicken pen—home to ten brown hens, which Lan Wangji brought to the Cloud Recesses as a gift for Wei Ying before they were married—and finds the chickens pecking away in the yard, eating grains of fresh corn that had clearly just been thrown out by Wei Ying’s dear hands. But Wei Ying must have finished collecting the eggs, and gone on towards the warded field on the fringes of the bamboo forest to scatter vegetables for the rabbits; so Lan Wangji presses on, running with the wind at his back and the sharp pebbles underfoot almost piercing through his slippers. He reaches the rabbit field in less than a minute, careening between stalks of bamboo like a man possessed, and throws himself at Wei Ying so forcefully that he knocks his husband backwards into the soft grass at their feet. 

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying wheezes, as his lettuce basket flies out of his hand and lands near the entrance to a burrow: mercifully, the basket of eggs must have been set aside somewhere else before Wei Ying arrived to feed the rabbits. “Lan Zhan, sweetheart, what are you doing here? Is Xiao-Yu—?”

“Do not worry. Xiaohui is still asleep,” Lan Wangji assures him, bringing Wei Ying’s sun-warmed hands to his mouth and kissing them. “I came to find you because I read your letter.”

Wei Ying smiles, beaming from ear until Lan Wangji finds himself gasping for breath at the beauty of the sight before him. “I thought you must have. You were cuddled up against me when I woke up, and you were holding Xiao-Yu between us to keep him warm...and I couldn’t help it, Lan Zhan! You were so sweet that my heart could scarcely bear it, so of course I had to write it down for you.”

“Perhaps I should take up the habit of writing you love letters,” muses Lan Wangji, kissing Wei Ying’s delighted grin straight from his lips. “What do you think, xingan?”

“I think that waking to find you beside me every morning already brings me so much joy I could burst, darling. If you really did start leaving love letters for me to find, I would fold myself into your arms and never come out again.”

“Mm, perhaps you would. But that would please me greatly, so I suppose I will have to do it.”

His husband pinches his cheek. “Lan Zhan!”

“I am listening, beloved. With all my heart.”

Wei Ying covers his face and tries to roll out of Lan Wangji’s grasp, wriggling about six inches away before Lan Wangji takes him by the waist and draws him back. “Lan Zhan,” he wails, as a couple of baby rabbits hop up onto Lan Wangji’s back. “You can’t say such things, you silly man! See how my face is burning, look!”

“I’m looking,” Lan Wangji teases, tracing Wei Ying’s red cheeks with the pads of his own pale fingers. “I am always looking. I love my husband dearly, and he is very beautiful to look at.”

“Well, my husband is not so young as he used to be. Perhaps he is mistaken.”

“Oh?” He punctuates the inquiry with another searing kiss, pulling Wei Ying up into his arms and holding him so close that he can feel the stutter of his breathing, and his pulse beating quickly against Lan Wangji’s wrist. “Do you really think so?”

But the only reply Wei Ying gives him is a tender look that shakes Lan Wangji down to his jindan, and leaves him struggling for air all over again as Wei Ying wraps his arms around him. 

In the end, they do not leave the clearing until nearly half an hour later; the grass is as comfortable a cushion as two sweethearts could want, and the rabbits keep leaping around them and making Wei Ying laugh, so they lie there, cheek to cheek and chest to chest until they remember Xiao-Yu, all by himself in the jingshi with no one to hear him cry if he wakes up frightened to find himself alone. 

The thought of their son has Lan Wangji leaping to his feet with Wei Ying’s hand in his, and then they bolt back towards the house and retrieve the basket of eggs on the way, running nearly fast enough to outstrip Wen Ning at his swiftest before Wei Ying throws the doors open and barrels into the bedroom. 

“A-Yu!” he calls, letting out a shout of laughter as Lan Wangji comes jogging up behind him. “Xiao-Yu, baobei, what are you doing?”

“I’m eating ginger porridge,” Xiao-Yu chirps. The little lotus-shaped pot of congee is nestled snugly in his arms, and A-Yu is eating out of it with the large spoon Wei Ying left behind for Lan Wangji. “Papa and A-Niang went out, so Xiao-Yu is having breakfast.”

“Aiyah, Xiao-Yu,” Wei Ying groans, taking the pot away from A-Yu and wiping his dirty face with a handkerchief. “That was for you and Papa, sweetheart, since I was going to be late back. How will you eat your breakfast properly now?”

“But A-Yu is still hungry,” the little boy insists, trying to grab the spoon. “A-Niang, let me finish?”

“Wait a little longer,” scolds Wei Ying. “I still have to cook the rest of the porridge with steamed dan, and make chicken soup to go with it. Now be a good child and go with Papa to take your bath, and breakfast will be ready when you finish dressing.”

Xiao-Yu nods and jumps off the bed, scurrying off towards the washroom on the other side of the house, and leaves his parents to embrace each other once again before they part to attend to their own duties. 

“What do you want this afternoon, qinai?” Lan Wangji murmurs, as Wei Ying’s head falls onto his shoulder. “The tradesmen ought to have sent up the day’s groceries by now, so I will make lunch while you teach your talisman class.”

Wei Ying blinks, very slowly, and then he stands up on his toes and plants one last, lingering kiss between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows. 

“Teach my talisman class with me,” he entreats. “When we get back, we can make lunch together.”

(And so they do, and just like all the other dishes Lan Wangji has shared with Wei Ying, that afternoon’s luncheon tastes fresher and sweeter than every meal before it.)