#whew that took a while

[tortol]

parasitism

poem by @growrotten

[kinstein-art]

WE'RE SO BACK

[hymns-deep]

at thy beck and call

[thebirdsandthebats]

Okay @s-p-r-i-n-g-t-i-m-e I’m sure you know plenty BUT I’m going to use your wonderful and hilarious comment on this as an excuse to talk about Bernard, bc I realized recently that there are plenty of ppl who haven’t read most of the comics he’s been in. So get ready for my long overdue:

UNPACKING BERNARD DOWD + HIS TRAUMA (for those who cannot keep up with comics but want to get to know him)

So to start, Tim met Bernard years ago ofc, when they were in high school. It’s established pretty quick that Bernard is an extremely Unserious guy LMAO, the first thing he does is literally circle Tim and try to feel him out socially, see what kind of guy he is. He’s the kind of guy who gets himself in trouble with his big mouth, and seems to enjoy poking at Tim and testing his patience. By the time we meet Bernard again in the recent years, he’s grown a lot, but at his core he’s still the light-hearted, fun, goofy guy with very strong opinions. Just less stand-offish, maybe

Throughout the time Tim spends at this school though, Bernard does experience some wild shit. He lost Darla (somebody he really cared about), he experienced a shooting at his school, and then Darla came back from the dead, kind of scared the hell out of him, and used him to contact Tim again. It was kind of played for laughs, but like. That’s gotta fuck you up. (Robin #140)

Obviously this is the kind of thing that maybeee has a lasting effect on you. And BECAUSE Tim Drake: Robin got cut so short and the writer had to rush to wrap up the series, we’re left to fill in a lot of gaps and draw conclusions about the years we didn’t see Bernard ourselves. But we absolutely get some insight as to his life after Tim left that school and we stopped seeing him in the comics. Spoiler alert: it was hard.

In TDR, Bernard discusses the the cult that he’d been in that Tim saved him from in Urban Legends. He says that “he’d accepted himself”, but others hadn’t. Obviously there’s the natural reading that he means his queerness (which has me chewing through drywall), but I think that he’s speaking very broadly too. Bernard is a very odd example of a civilian, because he’s always getting dragged into things much bigger than him. And even before that, he had his big ideas, his conspiracies, his loud personality. He tended to rub people the wrong way in high school. Then in issue #7 of TDR (the Bernard pov issue my most beloved, weird pacing aside) Bernard refers to this “oozy, sticky feeling” that he ALWAYS feels when Tim isn’t around. He says when he’s alone it’s harder to put one foot in front of the other. To keep GOING. To wake up every day.

I think that Bernard has always felt like an outcast. (Robin #121, he doesn’t fit into any clique). He wasn’t as okay with it as he acted. And I think he wasn’t getting any attention from his parents. (Batman: Urban Legends #5, Bernard’s parents nonchalance to the days leading up to his kidnapping)

So just like Bernard explained to Tim, that feeling got bad. and he wanted to let go. The chaos monsters, the cult, all of it was a means to an end. But then Tim agreed to see him again, and I think that sparked something in him. Because he started learning to fight. When he was tied down to that alter and Tim was saving him, I think it fully sank in to Bernard that he didn’t want to die. Reconnecting with Tim gave him hope and made him really feel something good for the first time in ages.

So now that they’re dating after the cult fiasco, we get to know this current Bernard. A less goading, maybe calmer Bernard. But he’s still himself, of course, rambling about his ideas and making bad jokes and sticking to his guns (he has NEVER been a pushover, no idea where people get that idea?). I think a lot of people complained that Bernard mellowed out too much in terms of attitude, but I think if he seems “nicer” it’s because 1) he’s grown now. It’s been a while since we last saw him, and he’s clearly changed a lot. And 2) because he’s dating Tim now. He likes him a lot, and he’s an affectionate partner. He wants to lift Tim up.

But the fact that he was pulled into a cult still remains. And as lighthearted as Bernard tries to be, that traumatic experience still happened. It said in Urban Legends #5 while Tim was searching for him that Bernard had welts on his arms and legs and had been acting different, so it’s not like he was just snatched up on a whim. He’d spent significant time there. For those who haven’t read much abt the ways cult trauma specifically can fuck you up, I recommend doing a search if you’re in a good headspace for that and want to understand him more. because it’s pretty bad.

And then! yeah. you guessed it. Bernard gets kidnapped again. Chained up next to a BOMB that’s counting down. RIGHT WHEN HE’S WORKING ON HEALING FROM ALMOST BEING SACRIFICED BY A CULT.

And surely this can’t get crazier. He’s almost died twice in the past 6 months. except, remember his parents? In TD:R #7, we really see a little more of his relationship with his parents. He doesn’t live up to their standards, and his dad specifically seems to just want to argue with him. The restaurant they’re at is attacked, and everything goes to shit, and. you know, I think these panels really speak for themselves.

And for the record, when it’s revealed that everyone is seeing their worst fears, Bernard’s parents fears are not about him.

So now Bernard has to deal with that. And we start to see that Bernard is really not as okay as he’s tried to be. He keeps a baseball bat by his door because he’s been kidnapped twice now. And just when he’d likely thought things couldn’t get worse, he heard the Chaos Monsters were back. I can’t imagine he feels safe. He lashes out for the first time since all this has happened and yells at Kate and Tim, because while they’re doing what they feel is necessary to save more people (AND I DONT BLAME THEM AT ALL), Bernard can’t talk about it.

And I will forever be sad and insist that TD:R got cancelled too soon, just before we could get into the really juicy stuff, because things had to be wrapped up pretty quick and this was the only comic Bernard was consistently appearing in. But when Tim is giving himself up to the chaos monsters, Bernard goes out and rallies anyone he knows can help. Things were rushed because there was no more time to flesh out the story the way it could have been, but I’m including these panels just because I love Bernard Audacity Dowd using a fucking flashlight and shadow puppet to call Batman. geeking out for a minute. And then leading the battalion to save Tim with a SLEDGEHAMMER. gay people rule.

So yeah! While I see the vision of how a lot of Bernard’s trauma was meant to be semi-resolved and let him come to peace after saving Tim back, we just didn’t have the time for him to heal properly. I’d give anything to get inside his brain again. UHH IF YOU READ THIS I HOPE YOU LOVE BERNARD NOW and don’t come at me if I left something out, some of my comics aren’t with me rn. Bonus TimBer for the road:

[v-albion]

World’s Greatest Actor

Song: worlds greatest actor by Terminallysilly

Masterpost

[atmospheral]

⚔️ Visual references I made for all 5 of Zoro's named katanas ⚔️

[andthendk]

Damian & Raven two shot in uniform 'cause I realize there hasn't been one from me yet! 🦇🔥🪶

Who else is excited to see what James Gunn has in plan for DC (can't WAIT to see who they cast as Damian👀)

[oodlesodoodles]

[mifflebat]

“ late night “

this one was a challenge to draw but here it is!! little mikey and donnie comic,, set probably a couple days after splinter’s passing.

(i said he’d be a good dad,, i never specified for how long)

enjoy!!

[teejaystumbles]

Teejaystumbles’ Dreamling art and fic - ultimate masterpost

Fic

general tumblr writing tag (teejay writes)

AO3 (I’m not going to link to every fic I wrote, there are several, please check out this link to the archive)

Art

general tumblr art tag (teejaystumbles)

Pillowfort (for 18+/NSFW works so be aware before clicking!)

Patreon

deviantArt

My original webcomic Behind the Obsidian Mirror (BL, aztec setting, WIP) can be found in my deviantArt gallery and on my Patreon. I also made an extra tumblr but it’s not up to date.

specific posts for certain events or AUs:

Monsterfucktober Bingo 2023 masterpost (full card)

As the World falls down comic (Labyrinth dream AU) (WIP)

Illustration/Cover

pages 1-2

pages 3-5

pages 6-8

pages 9-11

coming soon

The Storms of Life (1889 canon divergence, complete)

kind of related to ch2 - apparition

ch2 - rescue

ch6 - nightmare 1 (cw blood, claws, injury)

ch6 - nightmare 2

ch8 - waiting in the garden

ch10 - kiss

extra - Hob (cw body horror)

Valentine’s Day - Hob in lingerie

Hob portrait

plant creature Dream + Hob

Flatter the Mountain Tops (dragon AU, complete)

ch1 - Hob+Dream as dragons

ch6 - dragon snuggling

ch7 -  partial transformation

ch9 -  a feather, a reminder…

other Endless dragon sketches

Hob mastering partial transformation

some Hob faces

dragon/human sex (sft version with link to nsft)

more dragon/human sex - Hob being irresponsible (comic)

Ollie/Hob sketches

Hob being lifted up by a dragon

loads of more wonderful art for my dragons can be found on @amielot’s tumblr!!

Fins & Fangs AU (vampire!Hob/nixie!Dream)

now with a fic!! Wash these sins on down the river for a life I didn't choose by @karalynlovescake

Story post

story sketches

nix Dream being carried doodle

three stages of monstrification/curse

vampire/nix making out (sft version with link to nsft)

glowing in the rain (angsty)

Hell or High Water (AU with skate merman Hob that tumblr helped create through a poll <3)

sketches 1

sketches 2 - daydreaming on a rock like a good mermaid

first eye contact

sketches 3

sketch with ruby 1

sketch with ruby 2

trying to save a “human”

sketch with ruby 3 - sexy Hob

Hob caught in a net sketch

underwater kisses sketch

Hob playing in kelp forest sketch

sketches 4

Hob pinup

chibi Hob with pet

some Hob faces

anatomy studies (sft version with link to nsft)

dive with me illustration

merman/human illustration (sft version with link to nsft)

Hob caught in a net illustration

Unsustainable (dark!Dream/Hob, Hannibal-inspired AU)

art and premise

drabble

more drabble/thoughts

Single AU/fic art posts

Knight Hob

Cobwebs - sad Hob + kiss

Dryad Dream (cw body horror)

A Hope in Hell

Hob in corset (1789)

There’s an Emerald in the sky (Daniel/Hob)

Spiritstalker (cw blood)

1489 AU - 1 + 2, extra

Jumper (2008) - 1 + 2

Beauty and the Beast (fairytale dream rescue AU)

Moulin Rouge AU

kidnapped Hob (blindfold)

The Hunted (assassin/vigilante AU)

Servant of the Bones AU

Orc Hob

Witch Hob 1 + 2 + 3 + cover art and fic!

Sleep Token song illustrations

Rain (Dreamling)

Apparition (Dreamling - for Storms of Life)

Aqua Regia (Morpheus)

The Offering (Dreamling)

Euclid (Hob - for There’s an Emerald in the Sky)

Take Me Back To Eden (Dreamling - for There’s an Emerald in the Sky)

Higher (Corinthian/Dream)

Aldritch Kemp fanart (Ferdie): sketch, art

Art for others/Masterpost part 2

(I had to cut in half because I reached the tumblr link limit)

[loreleisims]

hii im sorry if this is too personal or if u dont want to give this out but i was wondering what skin details/skin overlays u use? or ones that you'd recommend? i love ur sims btw

hi, love!! thank u sm<3 and this isn't too personal at all!

skins: i mostly use skins & face masks by @thisisthem, @sims3melancholic and @plushxsims (i would link my faves but i basically use all of their skin stuff lol)

eyes: default eyes / contacts: everything by @remussirion but faves: 1, 2 / eyebags: 1, 2 (N6 & N7) / undereye highlight / eye highlight

lips & teeth: lip liner / lip highlight / teeth

face: fav freckles + everything by @sims3melancholic / moles / once again use pretty much all face highlights by @sims3melancholic but here are some faves: 1, 2, 3, 4

eyebrows: ...everything by @sims3melancholic and @obscurus-sims!

body: body highlights: 1, 2 / body blush / cleavage masks / stretch marks

aaaand that's pretty much it! hope this helps<3

[aris-ink]

Would you like to give us some series recs. (Angsty,,mature)typa series

💕💕💕💕💕

series... okay, these are easier to remember, enjoy angel 💖

min yoongi, three tangerines by kithtaehyung. slow burn, slight age gap, brother's best friend, angst, fluff, pining, tension, romance, smut. really beautiful writing. long chapters.

kim namjoon, he's your father's best friend by your-daily-biaswrecking. 👀 this isn't so much a series as it is a drabble with two parts, but it had to be mentioned here bc like >>> dilf!namjoon, age gap, angst, smut. I first came across this story ages ago and I never forgot it, the way the angst and the reunion scene were written did so many things to my heart 😩

kim seokjin, off limits by floralseokjin. brother's best friend, slight angst, fluff, smut. no words no words no words 💖

if you're looking for series that contain some good angst, lots of comfort and amazing smut I am referring you to my queen @beahae 👑 seriously stunning, touching writing, her masterlist is one of my favorite places to go back to for comfort ♥️

jeon jungkook, ex on the beach

ot7, unorthodox

if you're in the mood for series with angst, lots of comfort, lots of fluff and mature themes without the smut, I refer you to my other talented queen @imnotlauriane. I don't even know which series to recommend, I started reading three so far, but I guess she's a magician or something because she comes out with something new and wonderful ALL THE TIME so

here is the masterlist <3

if you'd prefer darker fantasy with these themes and some more amazing smut, please check out claret cravings by @vvh0adie ❤️

hello?! mortician witch reader and seven adorable, possessive vampire bats 🦇 the story is so, so incredibly well written, creative and has the kind of gothic vibes I absolutely love and can't find anywhere else.

speaking of dark fantasy mixed in with these themes and more remarkable writing — @yoongsisbae

masterlist

pick and choose — zombies, werewolves, end of the world. bewitching is the only word I can think of here. I'm only starting my journey through these and I'm in so so love. as I knew I would be ♥️

@jeonggukieverse!!! 🌹fantastic yandere, mystery thrillers. again, I couldn't find works like hers anywhere else. perfection if you ask me, not only in regards to the horror aspect of it, but also the writing itself. 💗

jeon jungkook, bunny boy.

jeon jungkook, let the games begin.

@orchidyoonkook 💐

jeon jungkook, to what we were before, and all the things after. smut, fluff, angst, slow burn. again, only starting my journey here but <3 dreamy and beautiful, yes please to the entire concept of Jungkook as a prince, golden minds create golden stories I guess 💯💞

@deepdarkdelights 💘 this one is so obvious, but I completely fell in love with the outstanding writing style and the unique plot.

jeon jungkook, ten seconds. yandere, angst, smut, hurt/comfort themes.

please don't forget to send the talented authors some love <3

[kaeyapilled]

I’m pretty new to kaeya ships and I want to know how Kaebedo appeals to you!! /This isn't a sarcastic question I promise 😭

So far, the only ship I get is Rosakae because haha bi couple/girl that says bruhh x guy that says hiii

Do you have any recommended kaebedo fanfics? Thank you <33

i think the biggest appeal of kaebedo to me is the parallels between them. both are from khaenri'ah and were abandoned by a parent figure with an unclear mission on their shoulders and ended up finding a home in a place they fear they will have to betray one day. even without a romantic lens there is SO much potential here!!! they must know of each other's secret to some degree, there's no way they don't. they could form such a deep connection based on these shared origins. let them bond hoyoverse!!!!

its insane to me that kaeya and albedo have never exchanged more than five words in game when theres so much material to work with here.. especially because they DO know each other! the game tells us that! kaeya has an "about albedo" voiceline (Albedo, eh? Calm, collected, and incredibly talented. He's the type everybody likes, some even more so than others. What, you into him as well?), albedo doesnt have an "about kaeya" voiceline but he does mention him in one of his "more about albedo" ones (The time required to sketch portraits closely correlates with one's mood. I could spend half a day sketching Huffman, while I might only need three strokes of the pencil to sketch Kaeya — one for the face, one for the eyepatch string... and one for the eyepatch.) and, actually, pairing that with this

from a past event i think we can say it's implied that albedo draws kaeya fairly often. kaeya seems to babysit klee frequently, which is all the more chance for them to get to know each other more..... they live in the same region and have so many themes in common LET THEM TALK! LET THEM TALK!! kaebedo as a ship is kind of built from the ground up with just minimal canon content and our wild imaginations but hey. the potential is right there. also i think they look cute together. anyway, fanfic recs, you say? i have some<3

Calcium, Carbonate, and Other Things That Run Bone-Deep by Princeliest

Albedo comes knocking at Kaeya's office door, and asks Kaeya to kill him. All in all, it's the worst falling-in-love experience that Kaeya has ever had. (Albedo fears a lot of things. He's never reached out for help with any of them, but he's also never had anyone see him and reach out first.)

this is genuinely one of the best fics ive ever read in my life it's SO good. i kept rotating it inside my mind for days afterwards. and the kaebedo dynamic here is one of my favorite renditions of it too!!!!! like they cannot live through a normal love story it has to be weird when they are both involved. and this fic executes the brand of weirdness i expect from kaebedo perfectly. the characterization for both of them was really good. warning for some body horror but if you're okay with that it's part of the charm in this fic i really enjoyed reading those parts

this wordless dance, in the night by untunedviola

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kaeya mutters into Albedo’s chest. Albedo pulls him closer. Gentle fingers thread through his hair. “You don’t have to.” He sighs. “I know.” Kaeya’s relationship with his mother tongue, his family, and Albedo develops in fits in starts.

i just reread this while searching through recs on my bookmarks and!!!!!!!!! this is THE kaebedo relationship study EVER. it's so good. its more focused on kaeya since it's from his point of view but albedo is a central crucial part of it. it explores their connection to khaenri'ah and the connection they could have with each other because of it SO well it's really amazing! the angst is delightful i love this one.

and you should check out this author's other works!! seriously the way they write kaebedo is like the best ever. i havent read all of them but the ones i have read were immediate favorites. untunedviola if youre out there

The Curious Investigation on the Investigation Captain by evesbeve

“This is not an invitation to spoil me,” Albedo says through a bite, a hand over his mouth. “As you have with Klee.” “I have no idea what you are talking about," Kaeya laughs. “Although… would it really be that bad, if I wanted to take care of you?” (Or: When Sucrose mentions that she's been worried about Albedo and his constant cases of zoning out, Kaeya takes it upon himself to investigate the situation.)

a lighter, fluffier work to make up for the angst of the previous recs. so sweet youll get cavities honestly. works to read while giggling about how much you love these silly little characters. bonus ragbros and other mond characters. really nice read!!!!

i wish i had more recs but i really dont. i need to read more about them honestly.

im deeply sorry for taking like three months to answer!! many such cases im afraid. i hope my kaebedo propaganda has worked on you or anyone else reading this

[pearl-kite]

goodbye october

[cottonii]

BASH IN MY BRAIN AND MAKE ME SCREAM WITH PAIN THEN KICK ME ONCE AGAIN AND SAY WE'LL NEVER PA- 💥💥💥💥💥

(extra versions w/o the text and some rose petals i added last minute as well as an alt font for the text. i am very indecisive.)

[iknaenmal]

I FOUND HER FINALLY!!!!!

No way why do people keep kidnapping my girlfriend hey!!!!!! Give her back or else i will have to hit you with my new yo yo