#well guys we did it. the perfect artwork

[forcebewitht]

Hey, since book 6 has been out in English for a while, could we possibly see an Overblot!Idia x reader? I really love the idea of him dramatically taking off the mask he has on to kiss the reader.

A Dance With Death (Overblot!Idia Shroud x MC!Reader)

(Artwork by: Trashochist on Deviantart, X (Twitter), and Instagram)

(Possible TW: Slight yandere implications, stalking, manipulation, branding)

…The time had finally come. All of the trials and tribulations that you had gone through. The pain and strife that had overtaken you in just a few short days. It had all led up to this. The kidnapping of your beloved companion, Grim. The destruction of the Ramshackle dorm. The kidnapping of those who had Overblotted that you had helped through their trauma and developed bonds with overtime. The kidnapping of even the Headmaster of Night Raven College himself. The entirety of these events had thrown Night Raven College into turmoil.

And that was just what excited Idia even more. He had been watching curiously since the very first moment you had arrived at the institution. I mean- a student that didn’t have any magic? Yet arrived within a coffin here to a school of magical students? It was unheard of- and just that alone excited him. This excitement only grew once the Overblots started. His family and organization, S.T.Y.X., had been all over the research of Overblotting for years. But now, after all of this time, someone so close to him (in the school, that is-) was at the forefront of a handful of Overblots? It was far too perfect of a chance to pass up with that new Ramshackle prefect. The plan was sprung, footage and data gathered. He knew that they were going to come for their beloved friends- they were just so cool like that. Literally a superhero in disguise, an underdog that soon had risen to be one of the top dogs within the school. There was a lot of promise with them- no. Not a promise. This was the work of the Fates themselves, he believed. The Fates themselves had led someone to him. Someone powerful. Someone strong. Someone capable of protection. Someone…that could get him back what he had lost all of those years ago.

There they were. Descending down to the depths of Hell that he himself had wrought. They looked horrible- worn for wear, really. To think, these oh so powerful figures from Pomefiore, Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Scarabia, and Octavinelle, alongside the hero of the school themselves, would be bashed and broken already from mere secondary bosses? They wouldn’t stand a chance against this final boss. Idia grinned beneath the mask that he wore, his arms folding over themselves as the Blot around his figure billowed with every breath he took. He could feel the immeasurable power coursing through his veins- and the normally pessimistic male found himself growing rather cocky the more they walked forward. His golden gaze soon landed upon his hero- his knight in shining…well, uniform. He soon was speaking, his arms outstretched as the flames protruding from his figure began to blaze brighter- hotter.

“Bum bum buuummmm~! Our heroes have finally arrived to the final boss battle! But uh ohhhhhh~ looks like they didn’t level enough, now did they~?”

You found yourself gritting your teeth at Idia above. Already, Vil, Rook, and Epel were readying themselves at your side. The rest soon followed, the weapons they had gained during their prior fights with the Overblot Beasts being raised and ready to overwhelm Idia’s Blot. Idia began to cackle, raising his hands in mock surrender.

“Uh ooohh~! Eheheheheheheeeee~! They found the special gear~! But that’s really not gonna do much, you guys! Totally on top of my game, y’know~? These HP and attack stats are through. The. ROOF!”

With his words, Idia’s Overblot Beast, Ortho, began to unleash a flurry of attacks upon you and your party, forcing all of them to scatter across the area. The Beast seemed to know precisely what to do- orders most likely given before this entire fiasco began. You began to find yourself being slowly but surely separated from everyone else thanks to the Beast’s targeted attacks. This separation was key- this was what Idia wanted. He watched as you eventually were cornered entirely, exactly where he wanted you. Once more, a grin spread out under his mask. You looked so cool and tough despite all of this neverending pressure, still shouting out commands for the others to work together to defend themselves, each other, or deflect the attacks his Beast was allowing itself to barrage them all with. He soared downwards until he was finally just before you. You had jumped back slightly upon noticing him approaching, but there truly was nothing that you could use at this time to defend yourself with. He leaned forward, his clawed hands now pressing themselves to either side of the wall beside your head.

“There you are~! The hero themselves~! The shining star of the hour- no, the entirety of Night Raven College~! This is our final stage, (Y/N)! Isn’t it thrilling~?”

“Idia, this is absolutely crazy! You are going to wind up killing us all with thi-”

A clawed finger pressed itself against your lips as he shifted, shushing you gently as he rolled his glowing amber eyes.

“Okay, listen- babe. (Y/N). Baby. Babycakes. Sweetheart. Sweetie pie. Wonder Student. I’m gonna stop you riiigghhtt there, actually- because I know. I know about the whole thing. But you’re gonna be my hero, you know~? You are going to save a life- just like you’ve been doing! So, it’s all good, ‘kay~?”

You began to attempt to protest, but you soon found yourself being swept into Idia’s arms and pulled about. The crazed Overblotted Idia now began to waltz with you despite all of the destruction around the both of you. He sighed blissfully, his eyes burning ablaze with a fiery passion- it was unnerving. He leaned forward once more, now beginning to hush into your ear through that glowing mask he wore.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment, (Y/N). The countless hours I have spent watching and studying your damn near every move…I know your exact schedule bit by bit, y’know, ehehehehee~ I mean, with you and your coolness, you never know when you’re gonna stop another Overblot, honestly. But that coolness that you have doesn’t matter down here- and y’know why~?”

Your eyes soon widened considerably as you felt Idia grab onto your arm. One of his clawed fingers now was set ablaze with a small, blue flame. His grip was tight- commanding in every sense of the word. The flame began to trace itself upon your flesh as he continued to speak- ignoring your cries and attempts to struggle away from him.

“I know everything about you. I have seen your struggles. Your pain. I mean, separated from your home, whatever friends and family you had before…and thrust into a world of magic without any magic yourself. You have been left in the cold by the Fates themselves to fend for yourself. You struggle simply to survive from day to day without any money here…you struggle to maintain your cool and calm composure and keep people like those Heartslabyul first years and the little guy in line…and you then have to deal with the rantings and ravings of spoiled brats like those that Overblotted and, despite wanting for it all to just end, have to buck yourself up instead and keep them from ending it all? It is just an endless cycle of pain, regret, and a loveless life that you have fallen into.”

The more Idia spoke and you felt that flame burning upon your arm, the more you found yourself getting lost into the swirling golden pools upon his sleek, pale, oddly handsome face that were his eyes. For the first time since you had arrived here…you actually genuinely felt seen. You felt heard. Oddly enough, from someone that you had truly rarely seen outside of his own room within the confines of the school itself. Your own gaze finally shifted down to your arm as his finger retracted. He had burned the insignia of his family’s company, S.T.Y.X., onto your flesh. He blew out the fire on his finger, now grinning once more wickedly beneath his mask as his clawed hands now seized you by the waist once more, pulling you into his deadly embrace.

“I know, I know. I know it hurts. All of that going on and absolutely nothing to ever truly be gained from it all…well, my Wonder Student…that’s gonna end for you right now. With what I just gave you…you are mine. And when you’re mine, you have a purpose. You will be protected, provided for. No longer shall you be within the confines of a cage and hidden away in the shadows- you shall be the bright and shining star in our tale- and properly get those monetary stats and all of that raised~!”

Idia’s hand whisked over his face- where that mask was nestled. The mask faded away, revealing his pearly white, razor sharp teeth. They glistened at you as it felt Death was grinning at you- which it essentially was. His royal blue lips curled upwards into a wicked grin as he tugged you even closer to himself, now leaning all of the way forward towards you.

“C’mon~”

He began to pull you with him once more, twisting and turning your body with himself. His clawed hands trailed up and down your figure within your shared dance of destruction, his thoughts split between what he would do with you now that you belonged to him…and that of his brother’s life that you soon would pull up from the depths of the Underworld for him. You all would be a family together- and that only seemed to excite him further as his motions grew swifter, yet sly. He soon had you dramatically dipped, and his lips captured yours in a warm, passionate kiss…thus beginning your true dance with death.

~End~

[fudgelling-away]

Dating Start!

The visual novel fan game.

I watched the gameplay on YouTube.

All possible choices...

The writing under the cut starts with exclamations of my distress, and ends with a coherent commentary on how experiencing such virtual scenarios can benefit the player.

I don't think there are spoilers... Other than the fact that you can go multiple ways through the game.

The genocide route plus the attempted pacifist route afterwards.

HORRIBLE.

OMG.

And when you try to do the pacifist route again? Did you see how it ends?

MY GOD, NO. No. no. no no no.

What a sickening turn of events. This is... Ugh, I am nauseaus even thinking back to it.

No. No.

Ewwww noooo what the f-

I have been upset for DAYS after watching it. And the pictures and the dialogue is still burned into my mind.

TERRIFYING.

DISGUSTING.

EVIL.

Congratulations to the creators - and I mean it.

That is... so well made. Just... perfect punch after punch after punch to your heart. The creators ripped me apart into pieces.

Great job - again, not ironically.

That is a very, very well made game.

They knew exactly what to do to make it as painful as possible. To get all tears out of the player and to traumatize them for some time.

It's not brutal or cruel in a mindless way, no. No, no. It's way more intelligent than that. It creates such a horrific scenario, paired with the horrific pictures, that I don't think I'll ever forget it. And I only saw a YouTube video.

In comparison to Dating Start!, the normal UT Sans fight is like a happy picnic in the park.

"But it's just a game, aren't you overreacting?", you could ask. Well, no. I am enjoying artwork like pictures, movies, games to get immersed into it and experience it all. If I keep my shield up and do not allow myself to feel what the characters are feeling... then what's the point?

What's the point of even approaching art if I refuse to feel any of it?

So Dating Start! is obviously a game, but if you imagine it being a reality, imagine yourself holding that knife, it gets so painful that I want to wail and scream my lungs out.

That being said, I appreciate artists who create these kinds of difficult works so much.

I believe we choose a variety of art for ourselves because we need different stimuli. If our life was 100% fluff, we'd drown in it and become numb.

So we consume angst, tragedies, horror and other unpleasant works.

We consider those scenarios.

We think of the possible choices.

We come to terms with our worldview, or challenge it.

We grow.

We process those real emotions and learn so many things about ourselves and problem solving.

We keep developing our sense of conscience.

--------

And, to sum up I will say something to make sure I am understood correctly:

Let people explore all sides of humanity within the safety of their fantasies.

It is NOT possible to judge a person by what they create and what art they enjoy. Human mind is not black and white.

Choosing to perceive it like that: "violent art = violent person" is INCREDIBLY IMMATURE. Ridiculously childlish and small-minded.

So I am absolutely NOT judging anyone who for one reason or another enjoys doing the genocide routes in games. I enjoy to be the "bad guy" in games as well.

No judgement from my side. That should be... obvious, but I think it's not, so I am making sure to include that in my post.

[ckret2]

Decided to shake up the constant Gravity Falls asks on the blog (even though I adore them). What is your favorite transformers continuity? And what's your favorite character from that continuity?

Tough call, but probably IDW1. The comics had room to get expansive in ways the show-based continuities couldn't, and I like that feeling of bigness to the universe. It introduced a lot of my favorite Transformers lore: forged vs cold constructed bots, Functionism (especially as a critique of marrying religion to conservative politics), empurata, really creative uses of holoforms, conjunx endura & amica endura (and queer bots, let's give it up for queer bots!!), the complex network of lost colonies, the idea that the gods definitely officially existed BUT they were just guys, the DJD...

All the work that went into immediate pre-war culture with the turbulent corrupt senate and the corrupt Primes was terrific. LSOTW and SOTW are just so damn good, MTMTE up through Remain In Light was brilliant, and Getaway's coup was great. I'm thrilled we got a look at Cybertron's relationships with the rest of the galaxy and it turns out they're hated, because that makes perfect sense but we never really see that. The post-war politics on Cybertron were really fun. I was skeptical IDW could pull off writing about a post-war Cybertron—I assumed within a year they'd default back to restarting the war—and then that ended up being when the whole series really started to shine.

Introduced some characters I love—Drift, Tarn, Stardrive, Windblade, and Pharma stand out off the top of my head. Amazing artwork, especially whenever Milne had the pen. ABSOLUTELY LOVED seeing Starscream get to rule Cybertron. Even though they had trouble committing to it, I appreciate that they had the balls to make Optimus morph into a well-intentioned villain. Love the tragic former senator Shockwave characterization. Love the lonely logical Prowl who can see the Autobots' flaws too clearly for his own good and in his desperation to compensate for the rest of the army morally compromised his way into becoming the villain. Love horrible amoral Tarantulas with his small shining moments of love and tenderness.

Although by the end it was getting really bloated with other Hasbro property crossovers, I did like some of the crossovers they introduced: GI Joe slid in pretty seamlessly—probably helps that TF & GI Joe crossovers have an established history—and I was surprised a how much I liked Rom. And even though the sheer quantity of crossovers got tedious, the concept of going "they've all been dragged into this story because they were all affected by Cybertron's past colonialism" is GREAT.

Love that they ended the story by swinging from "yay look at all these fun new colonies for us to play with!" to "oh my god the Autobots are colonizers." LOVE that they ended with Unicron—every longform Transformers series could end with Unicron and I probably wouldn't complain—and that they let him eat some planets, let him eat half the cast, LET HIM EAT CYBERTRON... and characterized him not as some random bogeyman but specifically as the karmic vengeance for Cybertron's past colonial crimes. Love that the only way to stop him was not by killing him, but by acknowledging that Cybertron was wrong and showing him compassion.

IDW didn't always get things right with their attempted grand messages about politics and injustice and oppression and colonization—but, hell, even when they didn't quite hit the bullseye I love that they were playing with that dartboard.

Favorite character from IDW is Prowl (albeit not without stiff competition). I'm a gleeful Prowl apologist. Yeah he did those terrible things but he was right tho. I started picking up RID & MTMTE right when Prowl got Devastatored, and that was both the thing that made me go "oh hold on the comics are doing something interesting" and the thing that made me take notice of Prowl as a character for the first time in my life lmao. BIG fan of his messy lovelife. (Personally I go "he's too good for Chromedome" and then ship him with the Constructicons and Tarantulas, who are objectively far worse than Chromedome.) He's endlessly fascinating to me, one of my favorite characters to read and one of my favorite characters to write.

Right up there is Starscream—averaged out across all continuities, Starscream's probably my #1 favorite Transformers character, and IDW Starscream is my favorite Starscream, a perfect blend of the bombastic G1 campy villain and the wary, competent, resilient TFP schemer. And Tarantulas rounds out my top 3, I loved him in Beast Wars and then SOTW 3 happened and I had to stop at nearly every panel Tarantulas was in to go "oh my god, this is canon? They got away with that??" Read like a fanfic in the best possible way. "We were each the muse to the other" still has an iron grip on my heart. "I want YOU. I want US." God. SOTW 3 is a masterpiece of literature. Here, do you want a 130k no-war AU where Prowl and Tarantulas are paranormal investigators together? You can have it. For free.

I just spent a lot of time singing the praises of IDW but shoutout to Armada and Energon/Super Link (I preferred the fansub over the dub) for getting me into Transformers, wouldn't be in this fandom today if not for Starscream's beautifully melodramatic redemption arc in Armada. I'm not saying they're good. I'm saying I love them. Totally different thing.

[bluejayyz]

Doodle World Awesome Squad from my Mind Palace 👾👾

Design Explanation Paragraphing under the cut !!!! Where I really talk about the how and why of it all ^<^

So excited to post this !! I do hope ye all like it, I was super excited seeing people like/reblog my last post as I've felt a little awkward posting Doodle World art just due to not knowing anyone else who played the game eeeekk.. BUT these are my 'headcannons', I guess you could call them; for the main Doodle World group !!!

> Suzie : The shortest of the group at 5'2"!! Due to the body type used for her in-game, I have always pictured her as being on the bigger side!! Her hair is like a Jellyfish cut, if you guys are familiar with that. Or.. well that's how I interpret what is happening. And I think she looks totally cutieful <3 I draw her with blue eyes for reasons unknown to myself, I have just always given her blue. Her pants are worn/faded at the knees and slightly frayed at the end. Her footwear is closer to boots than runners!! She is in-game, shown to be closer with the player, and that stays to be true in my version of them also.. I think they would have matching friendship bracelets...

> Quincy : Second tallest at 5'7.5" [didn't originally care about the .5, until it was a way to one up the player]. Got rid of those awful glasses he wears... please take them off Quincy.. gave him regular white frames specs instead!! He is a little blind. Also grey-ish eyes?? Again no reasoning. Is on the slimmer side in my mind, not much muscle, because I believe he was a sheltered, rich kid who didn't have to do much- until this adventure, of course. His outfit also doesn't make much sense for travel because well.. I don't think he really expected all this running around we have been doing. His shoes are bright white, and his jeans look brand new. His shirt is pressed !!! ..He has grown on me a lot I can't lie, I never disliked him, though.

> TJ : Tallest of the group!! 6'0"!! He has always just felt tall to me.. maybe that is crazy. He has wider shoulders that sort of replicate his in-game model, as opposed to Quincy, I do believe TJ has worked out/exercised at times :P His outfit is more relaxed, I debated with sweatpants for a while, I do think baggy jeans suit but either or make sense to me. The knees of his jeans are slightly worn, his hoodie is definitely bigg and comfy, and his shoes are definitely made for maximum comfort and running around. Hair change going off model simply because I like this style a lot more, and I think it suits him really well, and then brown eyes !! He also has thicker eyebrows than Suzie and Quincy, no major reason I just think thick eyebrows rock !!!1

And finally, not really necessary;

The Player! Or in this case

> Jay : Standing at 5'7" to replicate myself, Jay is a mix of me and my roblox avatar in looks. She has broader shoulders, which are very much hidden under the baggy hoodie. She also has thicker eyebrows, matching TJ. His outfit is similar to Quincy's on the pure coincide of that is what my avatar was wearing when I first joined Doodle World and finding it funny, I've kept the matching rival outfits since. Despite the similarity to Quincy's clothes, Jay's are very much perfect for this adventure (the main reason being the jumper shirt combo is fake!! It is one item of clothing... he has been lying to you). The jeans are baggy, worn, faded, and fraying in places- but the extra pockets really do come in handy at times. Also a glasses wearer!! As I'm very much far from 20/20 vision.. and of course; train track braces !!! Let's goo !!!!

Well, that has been an absolute ramble session !! I hope that made sense if you did read all that. I mainly just wanted to explain how I see the characters and my reasonings, if any.. behind why. Especially if I want to post more artwork of them all :D!!!

[ms-nesbit]

Title: cosmic (a jason todd x reader fic)

Chapter III of ???

Rating: 18+ (eventual smut, language, violence i guess, and mention of past abuse)

Tw: abuse, violence, and smut.

Summary: 

y/n meets dick and barbara, who try to set y/n up with dick’s big little brother.

ao3

“Perfect! Before you go, y/n, I have someone I’d like for you to meet.” Barbara smiled from ear to ear, somewhat different from her cheeky tone. “Y/n, this is Jason, Dick’s brother.” Y/n turned around to greet the man, only to find herself in the same predicament she was in a few minutes prior: her eyes at his chest. “And Jason, this is y/n. She just left New York with a degree in criminology and a distaste for the Gotham Police.” Barbara finished her sentence in a husher tone, attempting to avoid unwanted attention from the enforcement officers surrounding them.

“Ah!” Jason’s face beamed. “Pleasure to meet you, y/n. Have we met before?” His hazel eyes slowly scanned y/n’s outfit, causing her skin to flush. He took y/n’s hand and pressed it against his pink lips, his gaze never leaving y/n’s.

“Don’t be intimidated by the stature. Underneath the meathead look, he’s a decent guy.” Dick detailed, half-teasingly.

“Meathead? Don’t blame me because Wayne blessed me with his height.” Jason retorted, crossing his arms around his chest.

“We’re not even blood related!” Dick erupted in disbelief, drawing attention from a few folks around them. He ran his fingers through his gelled hair as he cooled off.

“If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be talking with the chief about some infrastructure planning for the coming parade next month.” Barbara stated, pulling the upset Dick by the arm as they fled the scene.

“So…” Jason began, stepping closer to y/n. “Have you gotten a tour of the zoo? Or just this area in particular?”

Y/n cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, because I’ve lived here for a few years with Bruce, so I can give you a pretty well-informed tour of the place, if you’re interested, of course.”

“Oh!” y/n realized what Jason was doing, and nodded. “You only lived here for a few years? How much of an expert could you really be?”

Jason flashed her a toothy smile. “Did I mention that those few years were my teenage years, when I was at my most delinquent and distant from abiding by Bruce's rules?”

“Okay, fine.” Y/n rolled her eyes, caving in to Jason’s adorable attempt at enchantment. 

Offering his elbow for y/n to take, the pair left the gala, heading toward a set of stairs toward the second floor. On their way, y/n took a chance to look up at the artwork on the ceiling, gawking at the intricate artistry. Jason, on the other hand, kept his eyes on y/n, unaware of the grin forming on his face.

“So what brings you here?” Jason finally breaks the silence as they make their way to the top of the staircase, helping y/n onto the second floor. Y/n placed her hand back on his arm, this time holding his large bicep. She felt the contour of the muscle through the blazer.

“Barbara and Dick invited me to the gala to meet-”

“No, not the gala, y/n,” Jason replied. “To Gotham. Why leave New York for Gotham ?”

Y/n hadn’t been honest with anyone about her departure from New York, and she wasn’t sure if this was the right time to start. She bit her bottom lip, unsure of how to answer. Before the anxiety engulfed her, Jason placed his hand over hers, gently rubbing the skin. “It’s okay if you can’t talk about it. We all have our skeletons.” He looked at her warmly, this time more emerald than stormy gray, and y/n felt the sun through the clouds in his irises.

“This building was constructed in the 1800s, if you were wondering.” He started, still caressing y/n’s hand that was placed on his bicep. “At least that’s what Alfred told me when I first came here.”

“He took care of you?” Y/n asked, turning to look up at Jason, who nodded.

“Yeah, he is more family than Bruce, honestly. But that’s neither here nor there. Shall we?” Jason extended his free arm toward a single door that was marked ‘Do Not Enter!’ in bright red letters, its modern lettering standing out from the old decor of the door and trim. Letting go of y/n’s hand, Jason stepped toward the door, lifting the door slightly before turning the handle and opening the door with a click. “Right this way.” He nudged, grinning mischievously as he held the door open for y/n.

“Are we allowed in here?” y/n asked nervously as she stepped into the room, looking around at the posters hanging on the walls.

“Whose room do you think this is?” Jason scoffed. “Besides, what are Bruce and Dick gonna do if we’re in this room, kick us out?” He took a seat on the computer chair, lifting his feet onto the desk beside it, and interlocking his fingers behind his head. Y/n stood awkwardly, deciding on taking a seat on Jason’s old bed, which gave a rather rude creak when she sat on it. “See? Isn’t this a little bit better?”

Y/n wanted to disagree, given how little she’s known about this man, and how he is alone with her in a place where nobody else knows her - if she goes missing, there wouldn’t be any leads. In any other circumstance, y/n would have made an excuse to flee, pulled the red string to sound the alarm, anything;

Yet this wasn’t any other circumstance. For some reason, she trusts Jason, and is willing to yank the walls down to allow for his entry. After years of contempt for the opposite sex, y/n felt as comfortable as she was prior to…

“I feel okay.” y/n replied curtly. “But if this was your room, what are all these posters doing up?”

“What do you mean?” Jason rested his hands on his lap now, sitting up.

“ Movements? Tigers Jaw? The Misfits? Someone had a very angsty teenhood, if you ask me.” Y/n propped herself up on her arms, which were placed behind her. She crossed her legs, the fabric of the pencil skirt hiking up a bit. Jason withheld the temptation of glancing at her legs, heat rising to his cheeks as she spoke.

Instead, he tempted her, shimmying off the blazer to present his frame through his red button-up top. “You a fan?”

“Being from Ohio, I’m a fan of Midwestern Emo,” y/n started, “and The Misfits are just classic, but what I am a bigger fan of is the fact that you have some Stevie Nicks albums hiding under your PC cabinet there.” She pointed her chin at the lowest shelf of the desk, where two albums were discreetly hidden away from plain sight. While Jason reached over to retrieve the items, y/n caught a glimpse of his shoulders, muscles teasing her through the thin fabric. If she wasn’t so scared of vulnerability, she would have torn it off so see what was underneath the cotton blend.

“Hm.” He smirked at y/n, his gray streaks falling past his forehead and onto his eyes. “Pretty woman has brains and good eyes. What’s your deal?”

Y/n couldn’t help but blush at the remark, but played it off with a shrug. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours first.”

[fayes-fics]

It Had To Be You: Chapter 3 - Around London Town (Sun Is In The Sky)

Masterpost PREV | NEXT

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, Modern AU

Summary: Set 5 years after Chapter 2, serious relationships are ending. You reunite with Benedict and bond over heartbreak.

Artwork credit: @colettebronte

Warnings: discussion of sex/sexual acts, swearing.

Word count: 3.1k

Authors Note: Unbetaed. A multi-chapter modern rom-com retelling of When Harry Met Sally. In this chapter, we are in various spots around London, hence the title. We also get to meet the Kate and Anthony of this AU. Enjoy! <3

Two years ago (5 years later)

“I saw the email,” she sighs, poking her salad. “He just spent 2000 quid on a new king-sized bed.”

“What do you mean you saw the email?” you frown, taking a bite of your fish as you stare across to St Paul’s dome, looking so beautiful lit up at dusk this late spring evening. Oxo Tower is a regular haunt for you, as it’s right around the corner from Kate’s work.

“I mean… he was working on his laptop in bed next to me and got called away, and a delivery notification from John Lewis popped up, and well, I saw it. He's bought a new bed for them,” her jaw ticks as she swallows hard. “He’s never going to leave her, is he?”

“No, Kate, he's never going to leave her,” you echo for what feels like the millionth time. 

Your sympathy has limits; this woman, your very best friend, is so smart and so blindingly beautiful; you really don't understand why she has spent the last few years allowing herself to be dicked around by this what sounds like colossal asshat of a married man. She claims he's fantastic in bed and treats her like a queen, but as you've never even met him in the three years she's been seeing him, you can't form an opinion beyond the rose-tinted snippets she shares.

“I know you're right, I know,” she shakes her head a little and reaches for her G&T, downing it with remarkable alacrity. “How's Doctor Tom?” she wiggles her eyebrows comedically, obviously wanting a change of direction.

“Fine,” you offer warily, “at least, I hear he's fine.” You take a deep breath “… we broke up,” you explain as her brow knits.

“What? When? Why didn't you tell me?” she cries.

“I am telling you now. Last week. It just wasn't something I wanted to discuss on WhatsApp y'know,” you shrug, reaching for your wine and taking a fortifying large gulp. You knew you would have to tell your best friend sometime, apparently that ‘sometime’ is today.

“What happened?”

“We’ve been growing apart for a while, to be honest,” you confess, feeling like a burden is lifted just from voicing it. “It was all very grown up. We had a heart-to-heart; I said what I wanted, he said what he wanted, and we agreed it was very different, so he left.”

“My god, you make it sound so simple! And almost businesslike, mechanical. Fucking hell, are you not broken up about it at all?” she raises her perfectly shaped eyebrows, this time in surprise.

“I've had a few days, and you know, I'm alright about it. I'm over it, to be honest. It's better we did this now than after we had gone through with the marriage,” you point out, starting at your now bare ring finger with a short pang of loss. It really was a beautiful ring.

“Well, good point, divorces are expensive and a bloody nightmare, but still…. Five years y/n. That's a long time to be with someone, and you are so matter-of-fact about it!”

“Not all of us are drama queens, Kate,” you jest gently and chuckle as she pulls a face.

“So you want me to set you up? There's that guy at my work, remember?” she singsongs, her brown eyes shining with mischief. “You guys would be perfect; I just know it!”

“Urghh, who?” you will admit to some intrigue.

“Freidrich Hohenzollern, you don't mind the blonds,” she winks.

“Kate! German Freddy?! You set me up with him six years ago!” you roll your eyes. “He threw up your deathly strong margaritas all over my pretty summer shoes,” you bemoan, recalling how it capped off a truly awful barbecue in her back garden. As it turns out, it was only a few weeks before you met Dr Tom. “Besides, I'm not ready to meet anyone yet; it's only been a few bloody days.”

“I thought you said you were over it?” she teases.

“I am, but I’m in mourning about being single again. I don't need anything right now, except maybe a rebound fuck, and I don't want that to be anyone remotely close to our friendship pool, you know? Much better to get with some rando I never have to cross paths with again.”

“Fair enough,” she shrugs but then waves her fork at you. “Just don't leave it too long before you get serious again.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” you laugh.

“I mean, if you stay on the shelf too long, some other bitch is going to snap up your man, and you’ll have to get cats and live alone, a bitter spinster until you die one of those mystery early deaths from unused vagina in about ten years. You’ll even make the news; cos, y’know, the cats, they’ll eat your face after you die. All alone.”

“Thanks, Kate.” you deadpan at that fantastically supportive vision of your future. “Also, so glad to know you are visiting me in my ancient forties, like the wonderful friend you are,” you roll your eyes.

“Bitch please, imma be busy being impregnated for the fifth time by my beautiful husband, James Norton,” she breezes with a huge grin.

“You’ll have to leave the fucking married idiot who doesn't deserve you first,” you point out, perhaps a little uncharitably.

“Touche,” she fires over her water glass. “He’s never going to leave her, is he?” she adds wistfully.

You reach over the table and touch her hand gently. “No darling, he is never going to leave his wife.” 

“I know, I know, FUCK, I know…” she sighs dramatically, “Well… this calls for MORE DRINKS!” she states decidedly, banging her beautifully manicured fist on the table.

That, at least, you can fully support.

—

“What happened?” Anthony Bridgerton asks, taking a sip of his beer, his eye on his beloved team on the pitch below as they take a slight hammering at home in Twickenham.

“It's over. I'm moving home,” Benedict sighs, scratching his beard and glancing around the grandstand. “You've still got that spare room, right? Just until I get everything sorted, my stuff shipped back,” he adds, not wanting to be a burden at this age.

“Yeah, it's yours, as long as you need it,” Anthony nods, the older brother instinct kicking in without thought. “Are you sure this isn't something you can work out? Moving back to London seems rash.”

“Not a chance,” Benedict responds morosely, staring at his beer as a fly lands in it and starts swimming—seems like an apt metaphor for the shitshow being thirty-five has become for him. “I offered everything,” he shrugs miserably, “to go for counselling, sleep in the spare room; she's not interested. I knew something was up when some of her shit started disappearing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d come home, and her wardrobe looked half empty, you know, more than just laundry piling up, whole sections missing. Then her art and supplies started to dwindle, and she wasn't replacing them, but she was coming home still covered in paint. I figured maybe she had rented a separate studio space. So I confronted her; asked her what was happening: ‘Que se passe-t-il ici, tessa?’ you know. And she was all ‘de rein’ and ‘c’est tous dans ta tête’ it’s all in my head,” he translates, “and the whole time, I knew I wasn't being paranoid. So one day, I followed her...”

“You did what?”

“Yes, I know, I’m not proud of it,” he admits, “but I went to the coffee shop across the road and followed her. She had a big suitcase, lugging more of her stuff, I guess. So she went straight to a flat in the tenth arrondissement. Her ‘friend’ Clarissa. Yeah, they are definitely not just friends.”

“How do you know?” Anthony checks, sucking in air between his teeth as a Harlequins player hits the grass hard after a vicious tackle

“I watched them fuck on the balcony,” Benedict monotones, “sat in a little cafe opposite and watched my wife screaming her fucking head off as her ‘friend’ went down on her.”

“Ouch.” 

“Exactly. She hasn't let me do that in months; claims she’s lost the enjoyment of it. That isn't fucking true, obviously.” He fishes out the fly and downs the rest of his watery beer, placing the plastic cup on the ground and letting his head fall into his hands. “I mean, we haven't had sex in a year, but I thought it's just a rough patch, you know? We could get through it. Until a couple of months ago, she was at least letting me eat her out, and on occasion, when she got drunk, come to think of it, she might even give me a handjob once in a while. So I was dealing with it, thinking it's a blip, we can get through it. But… uggghhhh…. I knew it, you know? This whole time I knew she would kick the shit out of me one day. I just didn't think it would be this far into marriage. Five fucking years Anthony….”

He looks so utterly unmoored that Anthony turns to him and places a comforting arm around his brother. “Listen, infidelity isn't the reason marriages break up; it's just a symptom that something else is wrong.”

“Yeah, well, that symptom is eating my wife’s pussy,” Benedict grouses loudly, uncaring that a whole bunch of people in the vicinity twist around in their stadium seats and stare at him.

Just fucking great. 

—

“Ooh, what about this one?” Kate bounds over, holding some utterly dreadful-looking period romance novel.

“Regency? Sex? Kate, please, I’m not that desperate yet,” you say witheringly, staring over your reading glasses at her.

“You’re newly single. This shit might teach you a few things,” she hums unapologetically, waggling the book at you.

“Please, as if I need some American woman telling me how to fuck a handsome Englishman from 200 years ago,” you roll your eyes and take the book from her.

“Speaking of handsome,” Kate sidles up closer, “someone is staring at you in foreign languages.”

You peel off your glasses and look over to see a face you would never forget lurking by a bookshelf. And it’s a jolt to your being. He’s got to be in his mid-thirties by now and sports a somewhat scraggly but short beard. Damn, he’s still so handsome, your mind screams.

“I know him. You’d like him; he’s married,” you needle sarcastically.

“I don’t see a ring,” Kate counters quietly, “when was the last time you saw him?”

“God, maybe five years ago? And he was moving to Paris. To get married,” you explain as you politely raise a hand to wave and nod.

“So that’s a long time ago,” she stage whispers, “maybe he’s not anymore,” she hints.

“Please, he’s so obnoxious,” you dismiss, even as your heart thumps a little harder as he approaches. “Plus, he never remembers me….”

“Y/n y/l/n,” he says warmly as he pulls up nearby.

Wow, okay, wrong on that count.

“Ben! Ben Bridgerton. Hi!” you breeze, feigning nonchalance and quickly dropping the crappy romance book Kate gave you. 

“This is…” you turn around, and Kate is gone, waving next to the Hatchards sign and heading out the door. “Well, that was my friend Kate…. How are you? How’s married life?”

“Ahh, not good,” he winces, and you feel awkward as his face goes crestfallen. “I’m getting divorced.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I really am,” you frown, the sting of your breakup lessened somehow.

“How’s Doctor Dorset?” he perks up.

“Oh, I hear he’s fine. We uhh just broke up. Last month,” you nod, and you exchange glances that are so meaningful. 

He looks so much wiser, mellow. And it’s not just the beard. Like the cocksureness and swagger have been knocked out of him. He’s learned some hard lessons about life, living but hurting. Something in your heart reaches out to him.

“Coffee and a catch-up?” you offer casually.

“Actually, I’m starving,” he admits, “how about lunch instead?”

You glance at your phone, and there’s a trademark subtle WhatsApp message from Kate.

Ride that fine thing to Rebound City. 

I expect all the deets tmrw.

Woof.

“Urghh, sure, looks like I’m free,” you answer, quickly swiping left to clear the screen.

——

You are sitting on the sunny rooftop terrace at Ham Yard sharing break-up stories. Although it’s selfish to admit it, somehow, his melancholy makes you feel better about yourself. That you are more together than you thought. And even more certain you made the right choice not to get married.

“We used to say how life was great because we didn’t have kids,” you explain, pushing your salad around the plate. “How everyone we knew stopped having sex if they had kids. How we could fuck against the window or on the kitchen table, and no one would walk in on us. And I believed him when he said he didn’t want kids. But then…” you trail off.

“He changed his mind?” Ben intuits; his emotional intelligence momentarily takes you aback.

“He went to stay with his sister for a week to celebrate some family thing; I had to cover an event, so I couldn’t go. Anyway, she has three kids. And he came back different; kept saying maybe kids aren’t so bad. Even after his brother-in-law admitted they no longer had sex cos childcare was so exhausting, mind,” you gesture with your hands. “And he just started to drop hints about how we aren’t getting any younger - I'm only thirty-fucking-one - and how kids ensure a legacy….” you stab a piece of cucumber. “That’s when I snapped, and I just said. Listen, I don’t want kids, and if you do, maybe we need to rethink this engagement, cos I’m not going to change my mind. And he looks at me horrified. As if it doesn’t compute that a woman would never want children. ‘I thought that was just a thing to establish your career, then you’d take a break and have kids. My income more than provides’,”

Benedict huffs a gentle laugh at your deliberately lousy impression.

“And I said back, ‘I love my job, I don’t want to give it up and certainly not to have kids’. And he replied, ‘Well, I want a wife who will give me kids’. And I said, ‘Well, that’s not me’. And then he left.” 

Your harsh but accurate summary of that shitty afternoon somehow feels lighter now you’ve shared details. You don’t want to dwell on how odd it is that you’ve given him, a man you’ve seen twice in ten years, more than you shared with your best friend. 

“And the thing is, we never did fuck spontaneously like that anyway,” you sigh, sipping your coffee.

“Not on the kitchen table?” he raises an eyebrow.

“Not once. Not even against the window. He doesn’t like doing it standing up,” you shrug.

“That’s a shame. It’s fun,” Benedict opines, but it’s not like in the past when he would’ve used it as a blatant flirtation; it’s more like he’s simply agreeing with an empiric truth.

“Agreed,” you nod and fall silent as you can tell he’s gearing up to talk more.

“I knew Tessa was bisexual when we got together,” he sighs, elaborating on his breakup story. “To be honest, I think that’s what made her so damn sexy at first, the stupid caveman idea she’d be into threesomes,” he rolls his eyes and shakes his head slightly at the naivety of his younger self. “I just didn’t think she would do the almost cliched thing and cheat on me with a woman.”

“Doesn’t it hurt less? That it’s not another dick that led her astray?” you frown.

He huffs a laugh. “Never thought of it like that. But it’s more the helplessness of it. That’s the one thing I can’t be, a woman. And that’s what she wants.” he twists his mouth into a thoughtful pout before continuing. “She moved in with her. But she didn’t tell me. Didn’t have the guts. She just kept moving her stuff out slowly. I’d prefer she was honest and told me, but she played mind games. Tried to gaslight me into thinking it was all in my head.”

You drop your fork and decide to inject some humour, knowing the sign that he’s getting too maudlin. “Hold the bloody phone. Did Benedict Bridgerton just use the word gaslight?” you tease. “Bloody hell, we have gotten old.”

He looks up and meets your eye, an appreciative glint in the down-sloped corners as he chuckles in agreement. The look lingers for a beat longer than it should, and all you can think is the slight crinkles around his eyes lend him a more mature beauty, somehow more deadly than the pretty, fresh-faced idiot you shared a car ride with ten years ago. Benedict Bridgerton with heartbreak is a beautiful sight, perverse as it may be to think it.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” you offer conciliatory, reaching out to touch the back of his hand. His skin is soft; you can feel his pulse in the prominent vein under your fingertip, and something in you runs warm.

“You know, the first time we met, I really didn't like you,” he confesses as you withdraw your touch, “you were so uptight about the world; you’re much mellower now.”

“Way to wrap a compliment in an insult,” you pull a face, and he laughs. “You were just utterly nonplussed that someone might not want to fuck you—-that's why you didn't like me,” you add, raising an eyebrow pointedly.

“What's the apology deadline for being a young idiot?” he winces and shoots you an adorably contrite expression.

“Hmmm, ten years,” you volley back, unable to stop your grin.

“Oooh, well, it's mid-May, and that was late May, so I am juuuuust in time,” he jests, and you feel a warmth inside your ribs as you smile at each other.

After eating, you find yourselves wandering together, crossing under the mature trees of Golden Square.

“Are we becoming friends? For real this time?” An ironic smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I mean, I forgive you for not ever texting me after I gave you my number all those years ago,” he teases, and you blush.

“We might be,” your tone playful.

“Huh, a woman friend,” his brow knitting, “that’s novel.”

You laugh, and again your eyes meet.

“You know you may be the first attractive single woman I don’t want to fuck…” he confesses.

Something in you feels conflicted. Pleased he has matured enough to be that way, flattered he feels willing to admit it to you as a friend, and the part you don’t want to think about too much, the tinge of sadness that fact gives you.

“That’s wonderful, Ben,” you reply as he loops your arm and keeps strolling.

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @foreverlonginguniverse @iboopedyournose @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @bridgertontess @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @angels17324 @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @lilithseve @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @mlovesbridgerton @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989

[archiveikemen]

"No Room To Breathe" Story Event: Chapter 1

Liam Evans

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

❥･• Warnings and FAQ

My lover had the curse of a cat, which meant that he had to periodically satisfy his curiosity.

That’s why Liam would go thrill seeking with Alfons night after night.

I wanted to be with Liam for tonight, so I asked to tag along with them—

Kate: Why am I being hung mid-air…?

Liam: You’re not having fun? Al, pull Kate back up. Quick, quick.

Alfons: My, you have such little perseverance. You’re always so quick to complain.

Alfons, who was holding onto both of my ankles, slowly lifted me.

Kate: Oof… I thought I was going to die.

Alfons: Wasn’t that a fresh new experience? So, did you manage to confirm whether there are any security guards inside?

Kate: I- I was too scared to do that!

Tonight, Alfons and Liam were trying to steal an artwork from a museum for fun.

The truth was that the artwork was stolen by the museum, and they planned to steal it to return it to its original owner.

Kate: Can’t we just have a proper talk with the museum's director instead of going to such lengths?

Alfons: Aren't we committing this crime to help others, precisely because lawful means won't be effective?

Alfons: Your way of thinking is as unnecessarily serious as ever.

(... I get the feeling they just want to sneak into a museum in the middle of the night because it's thrilling to them.)

And to prove my point, what they were about to do tonight wasn't one of Crown’s missions, it was entirely their own idea.

Liam: Kate! Al!

Liam: Looks like the security guard went into the room in the back. Now’s the best time to sneak in.

Liam: Kate, are you coming too? I’ll make sure to hold your hand the entire time.

Liam extended his hand to me with a sweet smile, the gesture making my heart flutter.

I held his hand, happy to see Liam smiling while living in the moment without fearing for his tomorrows.

(... I’m weak for this smile.)

Kate: Got it, let’s go.

— That decision was a huge mistake.

…

Security Guard: S-Stop right there, the three of you…!

Alfons: Ahaha, as expected of an incredibly well-known art museum in England. What excellent security.

Kate: This is not the time to be saying such things!

We were running around the place to get away from the security guard who heard the commotion and came out to investigate.

(Ah…)

I accidentally stumbled in a corner, and Liam swiftly caught me in his arms.

Liam: Kate…

Click. The security guard fastened something on mine and Liam’s hands the moment we stopped running.

(This is… no way…)

(Handcuffs!?)

Security Guard: *pant* *pant*... I finally caught you. You guys are fast.

Security Guard 2: Oi, I’ll go after that guy with a shady looking smile. You watch these two.

(... If Liam were the only one here, he’d be able to disappear and escape.)

But I knew that Liam would never choose to leave me behind.

(... What should we do? If we get handed over to the police…)

Liam: We got caught, huh. But being locked up in jail with you might not be such a bad thing.

Liam: Ah, but if the other prisoners fall in love with you… I might kill them all.

Kate: Liam, I don’t think this is the right situation to be saying—

Liam: Fufu, I’m just kidding. I won’t let you get arrested by the police so easily.

Liam: Because I’m the only one who’s allowed to touch and monopolise you.

Liam grinned like a Cheshire cat and said loudly,

Liam: Al, you’re watching us from somewhere, aren't you? Sorry, but we need your help here.

Alfons’ Voice: And what will I get in return for helping you?

Liam: How about drinking all you want tonight and I’ll pay for your bill?

Alfons’ Voice: One more time?

Liam: Geez. You can eat all you want too.

Alfons’ Voice: Deal.

Security Guard 1: Uwah! Where did you…

Alfons: Hm? You just caught a pair of dogs, I’m one too.

Security Guard 1: W-Why are there three dogs here?

Alfons removed his black leather gloves and touched the nape of the guard’s neck to create an illusion using his curse’s ability, the guard widened his eyes in shock.

Liam: Thanks, Al. Come on, let’s escape before the illusion wears off.

Liam: Kate, I’ll carry you. Hang on tight.

…

After sneakily stealing the artwork and leaving the museum, the two of them laughed loudly while walking down the street.

Liam • Alfons: Ahh, that was fun.

Kate: I FEEL LIKE MY LIFESPAN GOT SHORTENED…!

Alfons: Oh, you don't seem to have enjoyed yourself. That’s too bad.

Liam: I’ll definitely take your enjoyment into consideration next time, please don't abandon me…

Kate: I can never abandon you, Liam. Just be sure to keep the danger factor in moderation.

Liam: Fufu, okay. I’ll be careful.

Alfons: By the way, how long do you two intend to keep those handcuffs on?

Alfons: I won’t judge if you're into that sort of play, though.

Kate: Oh, right. We have to take this off.

Liam: Don’t worry, Kate. Al is a pro at unlocking things. So—

Alfons: Let’s see…

Alfons reached his hand around my shoulder and touched the handcuffs.

Alfons: Goodness! These handcuffs have some numbers on them. Look.

Upon hearing those words, I looked down at the handcuffs to see a small device resembling a clock attached.

Kate: … 24 hours left…?

Alfons: I’ve heard of this rare type of handcuffs with a time lock. It will only unlock after 24 hours.

Liam: … :0

Kate: I-In other words—

Liam: We can’t remove it until 24 hours is up…?

Alfons: Ahaha!

…

The next morning, Liam and I woke up to the handcuffs still linking our arms together.

— 12 hours left.

Liam: Not like it’ll magically come off when we wake up.

Liam: But being stuck with you until the time is up makes me happy.

Liam smiled sweetly while staring at the handcuffs.

(He’s so cute…)

Liam twirled my hair around his finger as we laid in bed.

Liam: Do you hate being in this situation? Is it bothering you? Do you want to take this off?

Kate: I don’t hate it.

Kate: I know this will be a little bit inconvenient… but I’m also kind of excited.

Liam: Excited?

Kate: Because it’s rare to be able to be this close to you at all times.

Kate: And I’m relieved that it's you I’m stuck to… mm… mmph…

Liam: You’re so adorable, Kate. And I’m so, so happy…

While kissing me repeatedly, Liam gently held me down on the bed.

Liam: … I wonder how far we can go with our hands cuffed together?

Kate: How far…

Liam: Kissing you isn’t a problem. But can I take your clothes off with one hand?

Kate: Liam, don’t take my clothes off… ahh

Liam: I can’t fondle them using both of my hands, so I’ll lick them instead. You like that, don't you?

Liam: Are you feeling more sensitive than usual? … mm… so cute…

Kate: … ahh, it’s still morning…

Liam: I love doing it in the morning too. Because I can see everything about you clearly.

Kate: … ahhh

…

We explained our situation to William and Harrison while having a late breakfast.

William: — So this is what happens when you sneak into an art museum to satisfy your curiosity.

Harrison: That’s what you get for being curious. But this is a rare type of lock that that guy (Alfons) can’t unlock.

Alfons: My, my, it appears that you're enjoying this perverted play.

Kate: Whoa! Please don’t appear out of nowhere so suddenly. Also, what do you mean by “enjoying”...

Alfons: You shouldn't tell lies. I can see the numerous hickeys on your neck…

Kate: Huh?

Harrison: Al is lying. Geez, you're so gullible.

Liam: I mean, I did kiss Kate’s body a lot this morning, so it’s not surprising if she has hickeys on her.

I was flustered by the bombshell comment Liam so nonchalantly made, and William smiled quietly.

William: Victor said that Kate and Liam can be on break until the handcuffs come off.

William: Because they most likely won’t be able to go on missions with their hands cuffed together like this.

Liam: Really? Victor’s so understanding, as always.

Harrison: But don't you have rehearsals today? Weren't you making a huge fuss over next weekend’s premiere?

Liam: Yup, that’s right. Kate, can you accompany me to my rehearsal?

Kate: Of course. Please do take me with you.

Liam: Mm, thanks.

I would usually just see Liam off to his rehearsals without tagging along, in order to avoid getting in his way.

However, it was inevitable for me to be by Liam’s side all day today.

(Even so, I don’t think our situation is too bad.)

Alfons: Liam, Liam. … What will you do?

[bjfinn]

GHOST IN THE MUSEUM

"Beetlejuice"/"Deadbeat"/"School of Rock" crossover

(Beej's monster form inspired by the artwork of @stinkyhorsebitch)

"A dinosaur??? "

"Yeah," the voice on the other end said. "Well, I don't really know what else to call it."

"Maybe you should call Animal Control," Pac replied. "I don't know nothing about dinosaurs."

"You handle ghosts and shit, right? This thing's gotta be some kind of spirit -- I mean, dinosaurs are extinct. And I don't think this ... whatever it is was ever a real animal in the first place."

"Uh, yeah -- so I've heard. A-about dinosaurs, I mean."

"So can you help me?"

Pac sighed. "Yeah, I'll come take a look. Wait -- it's not like ... fifty feet tall, is it?"

"No -- six and a half, maybe seven feet tall. And, uhh ... it's wearing ... booty shorts."

"Booty shorts?"

"Uh, yeah -- black-and-white-striped booty shorts. And it's got green hair like ... like a horse's mane. And big, uh ... boobs -- like a fat guy."

Beej, Pac said to himself. He sighed. "I'll be right there."

He hung up and dialled Dewey's number. "Did you know about this?" he asked when his friend answered.

"Know about what?"

"Beej is at the museum -- he's a dinosaur."

"Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

"Apparently your 'brother' decided to take the initiative -- he's there right now, scaring the crap outta the night watchman and the museum director!"

"You sure it's him?"

"He's wearing black-and-white-striped booty shorts. You know any other spirits with the same taste in fashion?"

"Jeez, that fuckin' asshole!" Dewey swore. "Okay, okay -- gimme ten minutes to get dressed and get to your place."

*****

Pac and Dewey stared in amazement -- their buddy had become a ... the only word either of them could think of was beast. His head was rather canine in appearance, with sharp teeth and glowing green eyes in the dark purplish fur, and on either side of the jaw were three fat, black-and-white-striped tentacle-things.

Beej's body was covered with fur -- dark purplish on the back that striped the lighter mauve on the sides and front, and as the night watchman had told Pac, there was a horse's mane of green hair running halfway down his back. His front paws bore razor sharp talons of pale green, and his back ones had cloven hooves. His tail was a thick slab of muscle.

And he did indeed have big man-boobs and wore booty shorts that showed both his bulge and his rump to best advantage.

When Beej saw Pac and Dewey he grinned -- well, he opened his maw and flicked his purple-striped tongue at his buddies.

"Hey, guys!" he rumbled. "Good to see you! Glad you could make it!"

Pac grabbed the "dino" by the foreleg. "What the fuck are you doing?" he hissed. "I thought we decided that our first gig would be something small, like a house -- not the freakin' American Museum of Natural History! "

"Hey, go big or go home, I always say," came the reply as the demon returned to his usual human form.

"Jeez, Beej!" Dewey said. "A heads-up woulda been nice! How'd you know Pac'd get the call, anyway?"

"The night watchman was watching that show you were on -- "PopChat". Must've recorded it. So you woulda been the first guy he'd think of!"

Pac was surprised. "He was watching the show? Man, I didn't think anybody watched local daytime talk shows, much less record 'em to watch later!" He looked at Beej. "Did you see any of it? How did I look? I was kinda nervous at first, but I tried to keep it together."

"You looked hot," the demon told him.

"Beej," Dewey said, frowning.

"And that guy Jimmy's hot, too!"

"Beej!" Dewey snapped. "Focus!"

"Okay, okay!" Beej said. "You don't have to get mad! Jeez! Can't a guy appreciate another guy without it being a big deal?"

"This isn't about that, and you know it!" Dewey shot back. "I don't give a fuck about that! What I do care about is you going off half-cocked without telling us!"

"Oh, and you're so freakin' perfect, aren't you? Mister Schneebley! I saw a chance and took it -- just like you did! Pot, kettle, black! So there! " And he stuck his tongue out at Dewey, who raised his fist threateningly.

"Guys!" Pac roared. "Knock it off!" When the two of them had settled down, he said, "All right. We're here now -- let's just do this and get it over with. I gotta open up the newsstand in the morning."

"It's showtime!" Beej grinned, and once again transformed into the raptor-like beast.

"Hey," Pac said, "what's with the booty shorts, anyway?"

"I had to make sure you knew it was me," the demon dino replied. "I thought about just having the stripes on my body, but I figured that was too ambiguous." He turned around, modelling the shorts. "Whaddya think? Do they make my ass look fat?"

"Your ass is fat," Dewey chuckled.

"So's yours," Beej replied affably.

"Is everything okay?" the director called from the end of the corridor.

"Uh, yeah," Pac called back. "We're just, uh ... just setting up our equipment!" He looked at his two companions. "Okay ... now what?"

Dewey turned on Beej again. "See? This is why we need a plan, dumbass!"

Beej stuck his tongue out at his friend. "Just follow my lead!" he growled.

"What are you gonna --" Pac began, but the demon had already vanished.

Dewey heaved a sigh. "Let's go find him," he said.

"You know," Pac commented, "I blame you for this."

"Me??? How is this my fault?"

"If you weren't friends with him I wouldn't have to deal with him."

Dewey chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They started down the corridor to the dino room, figuring that was where Beej would most likely be. There was a loud, screeching roar followed by a crash, and they ran in to see the demon beast perched astride the fallen T-rex, biting the fossil skeleton's neck. At the sound of their entrance his head whipped up, and he fixed them with a predatory gaze that sent shivers down their spines.

I'm sure glad real dinosaurs are extinct, Dewey thought.

The demon leapt down from the T-rex and came towards them, the hooves on his hind legs clicking against the tiles. When he was no more than five feet away he stopped and hissed loudly.

Dewey nearly shit his pants. The demon craned his neck toward him and sniffed. "Ohh, fuck!" Dewey whispered. "Beej! I-it's me -- Dewey! Your brother -- remember? Oh, God -- please please please remember ..."

The demon's tongue snaked out and playfully licked Dewey's cheek. "Relax!" Beej said, smiling as much as his bestial form would allow. "I know who you are -- you're my buddy! I'm just havin' a bit of fun!"

"You fuckin' ASSHOLE! " Dewey roared. "You scared the SHIT outta me! "

Instantly Beej returned to his human form. His hair was purple, and his face was a study in regret. "I-I'm sorry," he said.

Dewey grabbed him and hugged him fiercely, the two of them laughing and crying simultaneously. "I ... I thought ... I thought you'd lost yourself," Dewey said.

Pac watched them, smiling ruefully. They really are brothers, he thought. He cleared his throat. "We better get started," he said. "Beej, what's your plan?"

"Just follow my lead and make it look good," the demon replied. "And don't forget, I'm still me." He resumed his beast-form and let out a bloodcurdling screech.

"Uh, okay -- let's get rid of this thing!" he said loudly, in case the night watchman was nearby. "Uh ... Ex-Lax ego Pompeii!"

Dewey looked at him in confusion.

"What? I don't know any actual Latin, okay? Besides, it's just for show."

Dewey nodded. "Okay, uhh ... Marie Kondo ex ad hoc senator!"

Beej screeched again, and he spun around and took off running down the corridor.

"Julius Caesar!" Pac shouted as they headed after him.

"Uh ... um ... Feliz Navidad!" Dewey yelled.

Pac looked at him. "That's not Latin!"

"It's close enough!" Dewey replied.

They'd arrived at the entry hall, where Beej had the museum director and the night watchman trapped under the front desk.

"All right," Pac said. "Let's finish this!" And he raised both hands. "Caveat emptor! Ad astra per aspera!"

Beej played his part, screeching and writhing in pretend agony as flames began to lick at his feet.

"Adeste fideles!" Dewey shouted.

Beej wailed as the tongues of fire travelled rapidly up his legs and over his fur, consuming him, his slit-pupilled eyes glaring at them the entire time. Just before he vanished the demon winked at them.

*****

They reunited at Dewey's apartment, where he and Pac split the take between them. Beej, of course, had no need of money.

"Two and a half grand each!" Dewey said. "Not bad!" He looked at Pac, and then at Beej. "I feel kinda bad, though -- I mean, it's a lot of money for a fake exorcism."

"Hey!" Beej said. "Don't go soft on me, bro!"

"I'm not! It's just --"

"Yeah," Pac nodded. "I kinda feel the same way."

"Oh, jeez!" Beej moaned. "Listen to you two! Look, think of it as ... like gettin' paid for a good performance. Like actors."

"Except we're the only ones who know we were acting," Dewey pointed out.

"Dewey's right," Pac said. "We ... we can't keep it."

Beej scowled. "Well, you can't give it back -- that'll just get you guys in trouble."

"Okay, look," Dewey said. "Uhh ... how 'bout we just keep what we need? We can ... I don't know ... give the rest to charity, or something?"

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Pac grinned.

Beej rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. "Fine. You guys do what you want with the money -- all I care about is keeping up with my demon skills!" He looked at both of them in turn. "So ... what's our next target?"

[gachawolfiebloom]

Your Pursuit of Perfection

Story and Artwork By: @GachaWolfieBloom

Chapter 9: Nothing is What it Seems

Summary: A few months after the events of WOTFI 2023, SMG4 starts having really bad dreams about the "Its gotta be perfect" incident. One night however, his fear allows the nightmares to break through and he gets taken to a horrific dimension. He finally meets the tv adware, who manipulates him into returning to his insane ways, intent on claiming much more than the perfect video. Now it's up to his friends to stop this madness and save SMG4. Can they do it in time or will they lose SMG4 forever? (In case you are unaware this is a sequel to the its gotta be perfect movie)

Tags: angst, its gotta be perfect, love confession, luigi, mario, meggy, melony, nightmares, scary, smg3, smg4, smg34, smg3 x smg4, tari, tv adware

Our hero's were in a bit of a pickle. Three was gone, There was still no reply from Smg1 and Smg2, who had gone back to protect the Mushroom Kingdom, and the rest of them were locked in a cold and damp dungeon.

Bob tried to use a crowbar he made from the environment around him, but it broke on the bars. "DANG IT!" Turns out whatever was lying around was of no use in escape. "Really Bob?" Saiko asked with her arms crossed. "WHAT!? DO YOU WANT TO ESCAPE OR NOT!?"

"What can we do now?" Tari asked. "One and Two aren't here to help us and we aren't strong enough without Three and Four." Meggy tried putting a hand on Tari's to encourage her. "We have to be strong for our friends. I'm sure that One and Two are doing everything they can and I bet Three is on his way right now."

"Well if he is coming...CAN HE HURRY UP! I'M CLAUSTROPHOBIC!" Luigi was hyperventilating as this enclosed space made him think he was going to go lightheaded or something. "Mario do you have any ideas?" Meggy asked. Mario was drawing a picture in the dirt while humming to himself.

Meggy took a closer look and saw that the picture was stick-drawings of him and Four. "Are you okay Red?" Mario turned up to her and said "Mario's having lotsa fun! We will escape and turn Smg4 back to normal!" The others went quiet. Even if there was a possibility they could escape, Four was long gone. How could they bring him back now? "Mario look...there's something I need to tell you. Smg4's not-"

"Wait!" Meggy turned to see Tari kneeling down by the bars and sticking her hand out. "It's okay little guy. We won't hurt you." The crew watched closely as a sad, goopy creature came out of the shadows and sniffed Tari's hand. Bob made disgusted face and yelled "DID SHE GET HIT ON THE HEAD OR SOMETHING!? THAT PIECE OF CRAP CAN'T HELP US! THREE COULDN'T EVEN SAVE US!" Meggy decided to trust Tari's instincts and watched sweetly as Tari cuddled the poor thing. "Three...I hope he's okay."

~Back on the other side of the realm~

Three was laying unconscious on the ground. He suddenly started twitching and woke up in a state of panic. He looked around and observed his surroundings. "Where the hell am I?" Things finally settled into him as he recalled his friends in danger, being flung by that stupid tentacle (he would have to kick his butt later), and Four... didn't even listen to his reasoning this time.

No. Not again. He's still in there...somewhere. He got up and made his way to a dark castle in the distance. No doubt that it was where the TV Adware lives. "You can do this Smg3.  Sure you're stuck in this hellhole, but your friends need you. This is the time to show everyone that you've changed." The castle slowly got closer in view and every time it did, Three could feel his heart pumping. "Did Smg1 or Smg2 ever tell us his name?" Three thought to himself. Probably something real full of himself like Mr. Puzzles.

Whatever his name is, Three knew one thing about him for sure. He wouldn't keep Smg4 for much longer if he had anything to do with it. He ran, and ran, and ran. "God this castle looked much closer from my view." His legs started to wear out and Three thought he was going to collapse. "Note to self: I should have Eggdog set up a home gym when I get home."

He then realized he was at the foot of the castle and took a deep breath. "Four and the others have to be in there somewhere." He looked for an opening, but there was none to be found. Wait! There was a balcony. "Okay Three, time to do a bit of climbing.

"There is no time to waste! If we want the Showgrounds and the Mushroom Kingdom, we must go now while those meddling mortals are locked up." As Mr. Puzzles stared into the abyss from the balcony, Four raised an eyebrow. "But master, aren't they still a threat to us?"

Mr. Puzzled turned around and softly raised Four's chin to meet his gazing eyes. "Oh Four. My dear, sweet, perfect Four. I picked you for a reason. To render your friends powerless!" Four shook his head and looked down at the ground, but then looked back up. "Master? May I ask you something?"

"Of course!"

"Why did you choose me in particular? Isn't Three the one you are worried about." Speaking of the man and doth he appears. He was about to climb over the rails until he saw the two talking and quickly ducked. "What was that?" The two dismissed it as Mr. Puzzles continued. Curiosity got the better of Three as he peaked over to hear their conversation. "I chose you specifically because...shall we say you have some self-esteem issues?"

Four was quipped with inquiry as he wanted to hear more. "I needed someone who was willing to be able to break through my bonds. That old self of yours was so eager to make his suffering end. So stressed with perfection. But he had a deep underwhelming fear that I just knew would make him cave."

Three gasped. His nightmare was right. That TV was right. Four was right. If he had just prevented this from the start then all of this could have been avoided. "Darn your selfishness Three!" He thought to himself. He then spiraled out of his thoughts when he heard the corrupted being say "What do we do with the prisoners when we win?"

"Leave them in the dungeon for now."

"Dungeon? They're still okay?" Alright, better help them first if he wants to save Four. Mr. Puzzles went back inside and started laughing. "Or we could lock them up and throw away the key!" He gave a small shiny key to Four and Three watched him put it in his pocket.

Once the coast was clear, Three snuck through the door to find a hallway lined with doors. "Well this won't take hours to find them." He said in a sarcastic tone. A staircase caught his eye has he snuck down. "Well dungeons are always downstairs right?" When he got to the bottom, that thick black fog was covering the room. He stepped through only to be found back at the main lobby of Four's castle.

"The Showgrounds again?" A figure crept out from the door in front of him. Once he saw it, he could tell this wasn't a nightmare.

I have a little proposition for you Smg3...

Chapter 10: Don't Believe it's Deceptions

[offbrandkyoya]

93 Warmth

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“Yn got into a fight.” Venti says out loud.

He and Zhongli stood at the very back of the room, watching the people observe the artwork displays.

“How do you know that?” Zhongli asked with a head tilt. Venti waved his phone, displaying the tweet. “Internet but of course you wouldn’t know.” Zhongli furrow his brows. “You’re just as old as I am.” Venti shrugs and continues to look at his phone.

The silence was brutal because Zhongli knows there isn’t a peaceful way to interact with this guy. Still, he wants to make things right before it becomes too late. Zhongli lets out a breath and turns his head towards the shorter male. “Venti,” “What?” “I…” Zhongli shuts his eyes tight then reopens them. “Im sorry.” Venti freezes and looks right at him with wide eyes. “You’re sorry?” “Yes, I am.”

“For what exactly?” Zhongli fixes his collar. “For everything.” Venti looks at him with uncertainty. “Is this about Xiao? You want Xiao don’t you?” “N-No! He’s part of it but not completely-“ “So, you’re trying to get on my good side so you can go and sweep him away.” “That’s not it!” Zhongli sighs, “Xiaos an adult. He can go where he pleases. He’s not under your care.” Venti rolls his eyes, “He’s not but we’re closer than you guys ever were.” “That’s-“ Zhongli clenched his fists.

“That’s nonsense. We still are close.” “Really?” Venti laughs, “You broke down, Zhongli. You broke down terribly.” “So did you.” “You the most.” Zhongli crosses his arms. “Playing the blame game.” “It’s the truth!” “Venti, I’m trying to be civil but you just respond with a snarky remark! Why can’t you act like a normal person?!” Venti scoffs and pushes the man. “I AM normal! You’re just mad that I took Xiao away from you and that we’re more close than you guys ever were!” Zhongli stomps his foot.

“And so what if that’s the case?! I have every right to feel this way! I wanted Xiao to be by my side and even in the band!” Venti chuckles, “Well, news flash! You’re not his father, Zhongli! You never were!” The two men stare at each other, no other words spoken. Venti takes notice and Zhonglis hurt expression after hearing what he said. Venti couldn’t help but feel the guilt catch up to him.

Venti rubs his arm, “Look, I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-“ “You’re right.” Zhongli cuts him off. He looks down in shame. “I’m not his father. I just…I wanted to fill in the hole in my chest after losing…” He glanced at Venti. “You know…” Venti nods. Zhongli looks back down. “I think you did what was best for him. Xiao wanted to explore the world and I prevented him from doing that in fear that I’d lose him.” He covers his face.

“Not only did I lose Xiao, I lost Childe too.” Venti blinks and places his hands on his hips. “You didn’t lose Xiao. Look at him! He turned out just fine. Uh…if you ignore his broken leg…but! He has someone he loves and he has great friends.” He scoots closer to Zhongli. “I’m really sorry for how I’ve acted towards you. I guess I also didn’t want to lose Xiao too and didn’t want to feel anymore pain.”

He lets out a small chuckle. “Look at us, we’re terrible.” Zhongli uncovers his face and smiles a little. “Xiaos grown up to be perfect.” “Yeah.” They smile warmly at each other. “But what’s up with you and Childe? I sense some sexual tension.” Zhonglis face heats up and groans. He covers his face again, “Childe confessed to me.” “WHAT?!” “I know…” Venti smirks and wiggles his brows. “So? Do you feel the same?”

Zhongli uncovers his face, still red as hell. “I don’t know. It’s so sudden. I’ve always admired him but is it love?” Venti crosses his arms with a raised brow. “Is it cause you’re old?” Zhongli glared at him. “I’m only-“ “I know. We’re like the same age.” Venti flips his hair. “But I have good skin and also a bit younger than you in many ways.” Zhongli pouts, “It’s not because of my age.” “Then what?” “I just told you!” He sighs, “I haven’t fallen in love in years.” “Maybe this is your chance? Start fresh.”

Zhongli still isn’t too sure and Venti decides to give him a push. “Picture this, do you see yourself holding his hand?” Zhongli blushes, “A little…” “Going on dates?” “Maybe?” “Kissing?” Zhongli scratches his cheek. “We already kissed before…” Venti looks at him with his jaw on the floor but, for his sanity, brushes it off. “Okay so how’d that make you feel?”

“It made me feel…” Zhongli stomach starts to churn. “Really good…” “See!” Venti slaps his back. “How good? Did you want more?” “Kind…of..?” Venti gasps, “Wow! You’re falling for him!” Zhongli stutters, “A-Are you sure? I really don’t know…” Venti pats his back. “Talk to him.” “He isn’t really in the talkative mood with me.” “God damnit.” Venti spots the ginger and smirks at the tall one. Zhonglis eyes widen because he knows what this guy is about to do. “Don’t.” Venti laughs and shouts across the room, “CHILDE! ZHONGLI WANTS TO SEE YOU!”

The ginger blushed madly at the statement and stares straight at Zhongli. Zhongli glares at Venti before walking towards Childe. Childe isn’t sure what to do so he stands there like a deer in headlights. “Z-Zhongli-“ Childe stutters out but Zhongli grabs his face and kisses him. Ventis jaw drops once again from this action. ‘That’s so out of character of Zhongli.’

Zhongli pulls away and speaks so that Childe doesn’t. “I like you, Childe, and I want to be with you.” Childe opens his mouth but Zhongli covers it. “I-Im still figuring this out but…” His cheeks flush. “I want to figure this out with you….if that’s okay?” Childe blinks. He can feel his heart about to explode.

Zhongli uncovers his mouth and rubs his arm. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. I really want to give this a try while I have the chance.” Childe squished his cheeks that are still red. “I-I…this is so much…” Zhongli frowns. “I-I’m sorry!” “N-No! I’m not upset at you!” Childe sighs, “I mean I was but…I feel like I’m dreaming. You’re really not saying all this because you feel bad right?” “Of course not!”

Zhongli holds his hands, bringing them down from his face. “I mean it.” Childe thinks for a moment. “I…” Childe smiles a little at him. “Okay. Let’s try this out.” Zhongli smiles. “Really?” Childe nods. “I’m sorry for kissing you like that though…” Childe scratches his cheek. “It’s alright. That’s why I did this.” Zhongli kisses him again but pulls away quicker.

Childes face gets red even more and he giggles like a school girl. “GAY!” Venti yells and Zhongli rolls his eyes. “C-Can I hug you?” Childe asks, tugging Zhonglis coat. “Yes, always.” Childe grins and hugs him. Zhongli hugs back and rests his chin on top his head.

‘This is nice.’

- you’re welcome zhongchi community

- next chapter and it’s (GOJO)VER 😭😭

- tbhk fans…how we feeling about the new recent chps….

🏷️ @sakiimeo @coquettemaiden @rmiyuki @kur44pika @theblueblub @jxxji0309 @dreamsofminnie @ohmyfinggod @redactedhimbo @kunisbeloved @akagism2 @sketcheeee @thefandomcrow @beriiov @thenightsflower @yukiipc @scaraapologist @scarletttcroww @samyayaya @crucnhice @monaypo1 @feiherp @myaaones @warcelia @hangecanweholdhands @yuminako @valiryyz @screechingxiaolover @tiddieshakeshownu @ilovechuuyaa @d4y-dr3am3r @dazaisfavgf @swivy123 @ganyusbrideee @sagegreenthinks @the-left-glove @wonderland-fan @kylexzz @kaoyamamegami @whycantscarabereal @rvoulte @eunchaeluvr @lxkeeeee @silvermah @baby-bread-in @yelleloww @magica-ren @itzblazekun @im-inlovewithy0u @featuredtofu @anastaxiah @ask-aph-tanzania @drmyday @what-just-happened-huh @xtobefreex @v4lerixxq @duckyyyx @hannoahs-third-eyelash @brain-r0tt @iota1111 @accio-fandom @kaitfae @tikitsune @salmonieea

[golden--doodler]

Geneuary Day Eleven: Keyboard/Candy

Linda: Ohh, Bobby, it's perfect!! Our Geney Zucchini's going to love these gifts for Christmas. You did so well. 🥰

Bob: Thanks, Lin. But, uhh, was it a good idea to give him both a noisy keyboard and a bunch of chocolate for Christmas?? I don't think we'll remember quiet for at least two weeks.

This is it. We made it guys. It's officially the last day of Geneuary!! This might be the most emotional I've been posting a piece of artwork. For this last piece, it *gasp* doesn't have Gene!! 😱 Crazy, I know. I decided to draw Bob and Linda along with Gene's signature keyboard and favorite candy, just to show how he got a love of Chunky Blast-Offs and his keyboard in the first place.

What a wild ride this month has been. Geneuary could not have been possible without the incredible support of everyone involved. I'd like to shoutout @drawthethingdoppelganger for making that beautiful, gorgeous graphic of all of the prompts for this month. And also for making that amazing Gene as Dolly Parton art.

I'd also like to shoutout @babsvibes, because her huge document on how to run a Ship Week was crucial in helping me run this month. I don't think I would've been able to do it without her document guiding me along (the only thing I wasn't able to do was have a separate blog, but we all know how that went ☠️). Babs was also technically the one who came up with the concept for Geneuary in the first place (both the name and having eleven prompts because of Gene being eleven).

I also must shoutout @unclefathersantateddy for being an absolute boss and making an extended Geneuary by making an entire page of Genes!! The final product is gorgeous, and I'm just in awe of their talent.

@br1ghtestlight was able to make two of the cutest fics for this month that everyone should go read!! One of them was a (sort of) collab with me.

@ratguy-nico reblogged almost all of my art with the sweetest comments, and his art for this month has been insane and beautiful. My favorite might still be the one with the Hot Dog family.

@dianadeadwing has also produced some of my favorite art this month. One of my favorites was the ballerina Gene she just posted yesterday. And of course, the one where Gene is hugging Bob 🥺❣️

I might've forgotten a person or two, but these are all of the main people I wanted to mention!! Thank you all!!

[ID]: Digital fanart of Bob and Linda from Bob's Burgers. Only their heads can be seen, and Bob looks more nervous, whilst Linda looks happier, with a huge grin on her face, and a heart next to her. A rather large keyboard is above them, along with a brown box with a spaceship on it. It reads: "Chunky Blast-Offs! Out of this World!"

[everchanging-cryptid]

live reacting to The Amazing Digital Circus Pilot because I just realized it came out

it’s all pixelly and then not, neat Ooh, ringmaster’s a fun character, love him

oh, Cain, like the Bible brother maybe?

Time loop?

Lol the flowerpot glitching through the floor

Hostile VR, nice

Haha, no swearing

I would very much like to live in this building

Can relate to Kinger, I too would love to chat with people about an insect collection

The ribbon guy reminds me of Will from the webcomic Nevermore

Blue screening when you need to come up with a list, same

I can’t tell if he’s gonna be a scary character or a funny character, that’s really cool

Why does the moon want to fuck him

Why are you like this

Ooh he’s hiding something yeah

Ok, he does not have control over minds, good to know, and he said “one of the few” so maybe he can’t control other things

Never tell a fae-like entity “I don’t care, just pick anything”

“Whaddya think of: *mouth keysmash*” lol

Pomni, that’s a fun name

“YOU PARASITE!!!” Had me laughing for like 2 minutes straight

Just pop the interrupting people

r u b b e r h o s e a n i m a t i o n b u n n y yeah favorite character material right there

I love how they all just talk over each other but you can still hear what they’re each saying

Assigned “Most Mentally Stable” at mental breakdown

Ooh, I see a bunch of X-ed out faces on the doors, did they get permakilled or something?

The framed artworks make me incredibly happy

Uhoh, Pomni went to the petrified place /reference

Where did you get a centipede???

Ooh that’s not good

he reminds me of a corrupted gem from Steven universe

Ooh that looks painful ouch

Love those broken object physics, beautiful

I love the sense of perspective, when the camera is further back and Pomni looks so isolated

I think Kinger might be the most relatable character tbh

Kaufmo just is not funny is he

God the comedic timing for Jax is PERFECT

RADICAL

Love a good bowling pin joke

Ok I take it back the comedic timing on Kinger is the best I was crying at the perfectly cut scream

Hmm I think poor kiddo Pomni here needs a break to cry

Ooh water cube room I like that

oh that’s terrifying they can just shoot faces at you

Well that’s certainly not Cain

Pfft they rock paper scissors and he won but did the thing anyway

“Oh.” *watches his hands float away*

HIS EYES DID THE CLOCK THING

Can the next person teleported in be a therapist because hot damn have we got some trauma up in here

:o barrel of monkeys! :D

NOOOO THE MONKEYS

Oh door?

Nope nope nope nope nope nope

Oh that’s some backrooms shit right there

Hot damn take a chill pill bro you already got him he’s dead

“This is dumb and weird.” Yeah im gonna quote that forever now thanks

“Ah thank GOD you’re okay, you didn’t experience a game show in there did you?” “Uhhhh… I— What are you talking about?”

Abstracted, like becoming abstract? Becoming just a vague feeling, a mere idea? Ooh that’s some good stuff right there

I too love the sound of a silent moving staircase

Oh this is gonna be fuckin terrifying I see how it is

Musty old computer causes mental breakdown? Interesting

C&A CAIN AND ABEL I FREAKIN CALLED IT YES oh that has some interesting implications now doesn’t it hmm souls trapped in a computer perhaps?

Oh shit it’s the void

I’ll take 5 wacky watches please

ha fourth wall break

oh Pomni is actually broken aren’t they

oh are those all the others who were crossed out

ooh healing spell

Pomni is not okay

analysis on digital eating okay sure

oh that’s an earth shattering ending oh my gosh I feel like I just experienced eldritch enlightenment

Can not wait for more possible episodes! It’s incredible, I highly recommend checking it out! ^^

[littleshadowlucy]

@voidbeau got it right, the inspiration for my last drawing of Argos was Possibly in Michigan! So they get a gold star ⭐️

More specifically this shot of it ⬇️

And because I am very happy with how it turned out, I wanted to talk about my art thoughts this time! :D

A little fact about when it comes to my artwork is that I draw it traditionally first before making it digital since it’s just easier for me, which means that these drawings can be in the making depending on my schedule and motivation, and this one took a while since I recently got a new job!

And while I was drawing this one I decided to go against having the flowers scattered around Argos since unfortunately flowers aren’t my strong suit and I didn’t want to repeatedly draw a single type of flower since I wouldn’t know what flower to choose so instead I decided to have Argos laying a flowerbed with things related to the series around him-

Now there are two obvious exceptions-

That being the barts spells and charms advertisement and the top left corner, so I’m going to explain why they’re there.

The flower in the top left corner is suppose to be a tuberose, though it’s probably not obvious since again, flowers aren’t my strong suit, the reason why it’s there is that apparently tuberoses can symbolize attraction, lust, and obsession for someone else, or the very least illicit and dangerous pleasures, and I thought it would perfect thing to add considering Mr. Plant and Argos’s relationship especially with the knife and letter we saw in Gardening with Argos 10 also scattered around!

While Bart’s spells and charms were added since Argos canonical has a shrine for Mr. Plant where he did manifestation to get Mr. Plant to think of him/want him and considering the fact that it’s hinted that they have other charms, I feel like Argos would have been the type of person to buy up their love charms if they have any and if he had access to it! Another fun fact, it was originally going to be an advertisement for Secret Admirer Mail since I fully believe that Argos was on the other end of the phone calls in that but decided to leave that idea for its own drawing in the future:)

Now Argos is holding three things, these being a photo of Mr Plant, a rose with noticeable thorns and the heart shop guy’s face

The rose is probably the easiest to explain since roses are the flower for romance, but I decided to make the thorns fairly noticeable to get the pain and pleasure symbolism, as well as every rose has its thorns symbolism, paired with a picture of Mr. Plant, it makes it obvious who those feelings are directed to

And I had Argos holding the head near his heart for the same reason, holding something close to your heart means that someone or something is very important to you, and I believe that it’s Argos’s most prized possession since when Mr Plant gave it to him, he realized that his feelings were returned and that’s when he and Mr Plant started dating

The soulmate flowers are there cuz when you think about it, it could honestly symbolize Plargos, atleast when looking at it with Argos in mind, Argos says that a soulmate flower would die if they don’t connect with another flower, and who was suppose to die in the series until their relationship came to save them? :)

the covetous flower is there since they just like Argos fr, atleast when it comes to Mr Plant, both of them are lovely to talk and they get attached and jealous fairly easily, I mean we never did see what the letter Mr Flower sent said 👀

Lastly the hearts around Argos are suppose to be the ones he got from the heart flower that he gives to Mr Plant, a continuous show of his love for him ❤️

Overall this was a fun art to draw and hopefully I can make more of these for y’all in the future, it feels my heart with such joy when people are enjoying my art, and it’s been such a godsend for my mental health

[summmeister]

A Look Over the Art I Made in 2023

2023 has come and gone, with a sizeable improvement on my art skills. Once again, I am VERY proud of the work I managed to accomplish this year. I'll be going over some of the highlights month by month in this post, being sure to point out anything of note.

JANUARY

Starting off the year, I made some new artwork of Skweeb! I consider this fairly outdated now, but it did start a few trends with the character, mainly how I draw shine on him. His eyes bulge outwards, they're not holes! I also drew @akfamilyhome's character, Leddy.

FEBRUARY

This was a BIG month for me! I tried a lot of new things, and most of them worked out! This month also contains what I consider to be one of my best drawings this year, a celebration of Hollow Knight's 6th anniversary. Other highlights include a dashing tribute to Dangeresque and an entirely new reference sheet for Skweeb!

MARCH

March was not a particularly noteworthy month. These are the only two drawings from it! That said, I am quite happy getting any drawings out this month at all! As you'll see later on, this wasn't actually my most dry month.

APRIL

A VERY full month! I can't even fit everything I wanted to! Lots of Skweeb here, some Lucy too! Also a fitting send-off to Courtney (very sad Dead End got cancelled). Tried some big things here, like with the parody Album art, but for the most part I was just doing what I was good at: simple character full-bodies.

MAY

VERY dry month for art. This is the only piece from May! I participated in @some-fool-fp's aRtPG collab this month. Skweeb joins the party!!!!! Made my own custom logo for him, too.

I had a LOT of college work this month. I was working on a game!!! I got the highest grade possible on it, very proud of that. If you would like to play it, you can do so here. Just a warning though, it's very short and VERY jank at times.

JUNE

Another big month!! Some proper reference of Winslow, another Jevil drawing, and my FAVORITE piece of Skweeb art to date!!! The pose and the shading is just so good on it, I love it.

JULY

...Well this is awkward.

Art Fight was this month, and with all of my effort going towards that, I kinda... didn't draw any of my own art this month. Whoops.

Let's press fast forward, shall we?

AUGUST

A NEW OC WAS CREATED THIS MONTH!!!! Meet Chao. He helps out at the circus. He babby. I put a TON of effort into getting his design just right and ensuring he had the proper referencing before working on anything else. I love this 'lil guy.

Also some of my favorite art from this year!!! Inspired by Lemon Demon's "One Weird Tip", I made some art that takes place on a ficticous desktop! Getting the shapes and text right was hard, but I am so glad I put the time and effort in.

SEPTEMBER

Always Watching.

WOW, I am so so proud of what I accomplished with this CoTL piece. Everything from the pose to the composition and the use of colour is just PERFECT. This is up there in my favourite pieces of art from this year.

Skweeb and Jack Frost are here too... wait, it's not December yet!

OCTOBER

A certain someone turned 2 this month! My baby boy, now 2 years old... how time flies...

It was halloween this month too... but Skweeb isn't dressing up this year. It's Lucy in his place! Got some nice Jax art here too, I love that asshole.

NOVEMBER

I was never the most content with my previous Jevil artwork. I never felt like I was giving it my all, which is why I'm happy to say that this month, I did!

I also took a second shot at drawing Jax; this time, featuring Pomni! I used thinner lines and taught myself how to draw hands a whole lot better, I think it helped, haha.

Lastly, (part of) my piece for @hillelart's 10th Anniversary FNAF collab! The full thing is staying secret for now. Keep an eye out for January 15th!

DECEMBER

Finally, we arrive at December.

Funnily enough, I didn't actually draw for half the month. But when I got back into it, I got BACK in. I'm very proud of both of these pieces, and the shading and blending I used in them! This certainly feels like a new era of my art, and I'm looking forward to continuing it!

And that's it. You made it to the end! Most people just together a simple image for their art recap, and while that certainly works just fine, I like to go into the nitty gritty, write down my entire year in art, y'know?

I'm not sure if this year contains as much progress as 2022, but it certainly contains a BOATLOAD of progress! Look back at the start of the post and compare it to the end of the post, the difference is insane!

Lastly, I've got just one more thing to show, once again, redrawing my first ever piece to mark off yet another year. I hope you like it, you'll only have to wait another 365 days for the next one!

Bring on 2024!

[farm-witches-fic-recs]

It’s another fabulous Friday and we’re back with part two of this month’s community recs! Enjoy these faves from our farm witch friends and leave the creators some love when you check them out!

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Cold feet (@legalgal421) “I love fics that explore the conversations in between what happened on the show and this is such a perfect example of that. David gets in his head and spirals out, thinking he needs to call of the wedding, Stevie helps, as she often does and then there is the beautiful scene between David and Patrick so tenderly written. Just a really lovely story.”

Gold Rush (@colourcodedbinders) “Hockey! David/Patrick and Alexis/Stevie! Olympic rivalries! Gorgeous gorgeous writing! I’ve been really enjoying following along with this fic and am so excited that more people will get to read it as it wraps up!”

I like the me that I am with him (@blackandwhiteandrose) “It has all of that nervous and sincere Patrick energy from ‘Dead Guy in Room 4’ (from Patrick's POV)! I'm also a sucker for introspection and queer feelings and this short fic hits all the marks.” 

One day you'll understand how much I love you  (@lizzie-bennetdarcy​) “It's a cute story about David & Patrick going on a well deserved vacation and getting to enjoy their time together in every possible way. It's sexy and sweet and the ending is beautiful. And it has an amazing artwork to go with it. I can't recommend it enough.”

tangle and stretch (@stereopticons)  “This fic is a gorgeous look at all of the ways Patrick could have (and did) know David before he really *knew* him, and the ways that it makes Patrick question himself - until he meets David. It made my heart ache in the best way and I read it quietly weeping at my desk over the beauty of their connection.” 

you are gold (@smallumbrella369) “You are Gold is a slight remix of canon, with lots of sex, a bit of angst and many, many feelings!”

You're the breath I'm always waiting for (MakeBelieveLove) “An RPF work. It's sexy and angsty and beautiful and filled with the love and respect we all feel Dan and Noah have for one another. Go read it now!”

[morose-magnetrix]

Hi there!!! Did you read the Magneto series and Scarlet witch series? I'm eagerly waiting to know your thoughts!

Yes I did! I read through the last issue of Magneto this morning, as well as issues 9 & 10 of Scarlet Witch. Overall, I really enjoyed the conclusions to both of them, Scarlet Witch more so.

Magneto:

This line from Issue 4 really summarizes I think the overall conceit of this story: "Was the 'evil mutant' just a role I played for the greater good... or the ugly truth? Am I the heir to Charles Xavier's dream... or the beast that will devour it?"

At first, this series gave me the impression that the author's argument was that it had all been an act back in the 60's, that Magneto wasn't really ever 'evil,' and I didn't find that satisfying. I think there's a tendency in fiction to try to absolve characters of their past actions/crimes, in order to make them more palatable and less complex (for instance, absolving Jean Grey of Dark Phoenix's actions by making it so the real Jean was at the bottom of the bay the entire time, or saying that Doom had manipulated Wanda into committing M-Day). Removing their responsibility/culpability for actions they took just isn't as interesting to me as seeing someone grapple with something horrific they had done, and having to struggle and reckon with it, and find a way to atone for their actions.

So basically, I thought at first that this was what this narrative was trying to do - to remove Magneto's responsibility for the stuff he did in the silver age. But by the conclusion of the series, I think it became more clear that deMatteis & co were really trying to examine these two opposing poles of Magneto, of his capability for intense rage and violence, but also for empathy and compassion.

I think if the series had been longer, this would've been super successful. As it was, it accomplished what it set out to do in these four issues and the ending scene with Rahne, where they're looking at the photo of Max's mom, it's super touching and sweet. I just wish things had more space to breathe to allow this character study the runway it really needed.

Scarlet Witch:

I ADORE this entire run. I haven't been posting my thoughts on individual issues as much as I used to - and that isn't because these things aren't good, they're fucking fantastic - I've just been busy with work (& getting back into writing fanfic). But I need to be super clear - this is my favorite Scarlet Witch solo ever (not that we have many lol) and probably is up there in one of my favorite comic runs of all time.

The artwork is GORGEOUS. The colors used are amazing and the expressions on the characters, by god they just fucking sing. I love the care taken to depict Wanda respectfully and accurately, the new costumes are sick af, and everything is just so dynamic. Sometimes, I have a hard time figuring out what is happening with comic book art, but I never really struggled here - even as we are dropped into wacky new situations, often times jumping from completely different contexts from panel to panel. And the covers, they are just.... just chef's kiss - perfection!

And the characterization, gods - just incredible. I didn't really like Orlando's Marauders run, I ended up dipping out somewhere in arc 1 or 2 of it, so I was a little worried about Scarlet Witch. I'm so glad to have been proven wrong. The cast works together so flawlessly, the little moments recalling past continuity without aliening new readers is fantastic. I adored Wanda calling Joseph Iosif and I'm hoping that, when we next see him, he may just adopt that as his name? (Although I'm not expecting to see Iosif around any time soon, given that Max is coming back, and historically when Max is back and a good guy, Iosif is either dead or a bad guy).

The treatment of Wanda's family was everything I could have hoped for - honoring Magneto as her father, her interactions with her siblings, with her kids, with her niece. Seeing Luna Maximoff again in a comic was NOT something I saw coming but I loved it lol.

I also just loved the rotating nature of the problems she faced - that every issue was a new adventure, a new place, a new way for Wanda to demonstrate her growth and healing by giving back to others. She's an OP character by definition and I never felt myself bored with the conflicts she had to face. They were unique and varied and I felt most of them, on some level, had a direct connection to a period of Wanda's own history - hell, they even had her basically go and confront someone who was doing a WandaVision which I found sooo funny lmao.

(If you can't tell by my rambling, I'm kinda obsessed with this series...)

The final villain I really liked - partially because I am an inorganic chemist, so a lot of the science and stuff that I do actually comes from alchemists. I think having alchemist villains for Wanda to face is super interesting and a nice change of pace from the demons and other witches she is usually up against, and I hope we see more of Nicola. She's a super neat foil for Wanda, particularly with the current continuity that Wanda comes from a line of Scarlet Witches, and Nicola comes from a long line of alchemists.

Darcy was a treat, she worked super well here, and I kinda ship her with Zelma now??? Like they're girlfriends, right??? Right???

There's probably things I'm frothing at the mouth over with this series that I've forgotten about, but I also don't want to write you an entire essay in response, so.... I'm gonna cut myself off here and say that I am VERY excited for the follow up Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch series. (Maybe we'll get a Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch & POLARIS series one day, hmmm? Please Marvel? Pleeeeeeeease? I neeeeeed it soooo much....)