#Also realizing I never posted these twos refs...

[technofluffer]

Merry Christmas :]

An update of where I've been below

Havent been doing so well mentally, but Ive been getting a little better recently :)

I have a lot of ideas for my Rain World AU though, but it'll probably be a bit before I, 1, get the motivation to draw it, and 2, get all the concepts to a point where Im happy actually sharing them :P

Im gonna try to draw and upload more digital art during the new year, but all is hell when it comes to actually doing things X[

I'll atleast try to update tumblr more often though, just generally letting you all know if Im still alive :]

TLDR: Im gonna try to upload more art in the new year

[starscream-is-my-wife]

This is part 1 of a continuation for my other post where LL Megatron gets trapped in the G1 universe, I was thinking about how someone would go insane in this cartoon world and thought "what if Megatron had someone else to accompany him" so, I gave Starscream an existential crisis

Edit: pt 2 here

[multifariousmediums]

Closeups and process video under the cut!

[Video: Timelapse of the piece, starting with a rough sketch, then a m more detailed one. Clothes are added on in a third layer, and then the piece is lined and colored in. End description.]

[dannyriccsystem]

omfg the esteban fic was so funny for no reason 😭 could you maybe do smth like that with ollie? or maybe lando:3

your fics are too funny i love them all 😭🫶

YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN, BABY.

FORMULA ONE DRIVER X READER

Summary: Turns out the most avid Lando fanpage around is actually… Dating him?!

Warnings: Suggestive, not proofread that’s embarrassing

Featuring: Lando Norris x Reader

REQUEST OPEN! CHECK HERE FOR MORE INFO

I decided to go with Lando because I don’t write him much and I love him, but if you’d like one with Ollie as well, just let me know!

lando

liked by lanfanln4 and others

lando nailed it in pic 10

tagged oscarpiastri, ashjbibby, mclaren, f1

—

lanfanln4 - I squealed when I saw the second slide

lanfanln4 - 👅👅👅👅

lanfanln4 - BROOO the screen is STICKY

lanfanln4 - Can I get you pregnant

lanfanln4 - I’ll make it work baby just one chance

username1 - Y/N has a lot to say

username2 - She’s certainly persistent, we can give her that

username3 - It’s lowkey annoying

> lanfanln4 - OH WHO IS YOU?!

lnfour - the knit pics I just posted slap

♥︎ by author

lnfournation - One day we’ll get here before Y/N

♥︎ by author

lanfanln4 - Keep trying

lanfanln4 - You. Me. Dinner. What u say?

♥︎ by author

lando - I don’t even know what you look like 🤔

> username4 - Oh God

lanfanln4

liked by username1 and others

lanfanln4 Well now you know :)

tagged lando

—

username5 - WOAH WAIT HEAR ME OUT

♥︎ by author

username6 - Hey gorgeous… Leans on expensive formula one car

lanfanln4 - Eww dni unless you’re Lando Norris

> username6 - I actually am him and also I’m 6’4 and a feminist so

♥︎ by author

username7 - You’re so pretty Y/N!

♥︎ by author

friend.user1 - Lucky man…

♥︎ by author

lando - So about that dinner date…

♥︎ by author

lanfanln4 - 😍😍😍

Y/N’S MESSAGES ☆

Y/N and Lando’s relationship was never inherently secret, it was just never announced to the public. If you scrolled back on her fan page, you’d see a lot of pictures she had posted of him. Fans had even encountered the two together before, but were too entranced by meeting their idol to realize how their hands were intertwined or how they were clearly walking away from a date.

It was somewhat convenient to not have a camera pointed in her face 24/7, and cheer on her boyfriend from the sidelines. They hadn’t even discussed making a statement about it, because they were comfortable where they were.

Tonight, though, their social batteries were low. That fancy dinner he promised turned into an agreement to order in pizza from a locally owned shop and watch a movie in sweatpants and hoodies. The night went from laughter about some random film they found for free to Lando’s soft snores as the TV autoplayed the next film on the list.

They fell asleep on the couch, limbs tangled up and chests rising and falling in sync.

lando

liked by lanfanln4 and others

lando sweatin for szn 7

tagged papsc1, ashjbibby

—

username8 - here before Y/N button 👉

lanfanln4 - NOO NO DELETE THIS NOW

lanfanln4 - WOOF WOOF

lanfanln4 - I can seriously bark

lnfour - last slide is me when I saw you dropped a new LandoLog

♥︎ by author

lanfanln4 - It’s all over the screen

username9 - Fans like you are seriously gross

> lanfanln4 - Good thing I’m not a fan, I’m his girlfriend

♥︎ by author

> username9 - Get a life 🙄

> username10 - He liked her comment, is this real?

lanfanln4

liked by mclaren and others

lanfanln4 - Helloo handsome! Photo credits : me 😎

tagged lando

—

username11 - This is getting kind of gross

username12 - Why are all Lando fangirls such weirdos

username13 - It’s not really that funny anymore

mclaren - Send us that first one! 🧡

♥︎ by author

lanfanln4 - yes momma mclaren

username10 - GUYS CALL ME CRAZY BUT I THINK THEY’RE DATING?

♥︎ by author

username14 - Okay. You’re crazy

Y/N’S MESSAGES ☆

lando

liked by lanfanln4 and others

lando she’s my girlfriend suckers!

tagged lanfanln4

—

lanfanln4 - HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA REF

♥︎ by author

lanfanln4 - HI HANDSOME

♥︎ by author

lanfanln4 - ILY!!

♥︎ by author

lando - Ily2 🤤

mclaren - One of our many paddock princesses!

♥︎ by author

oscarpiastri - Y/N reveal

♥︎ by author

lando - beautiful isn’t it

username10 - TOLD Y’ALL

lanfanln4 - day one supporter

♥︎ by author

username15 - really..? HER?

username16 - Y’all never have anything nice to say. She’s stunning

username17 - THIS IS SO FUNNY I LOVE Y/N

username6 - hello I am Lando that is my beautiful girlfriend

lanfanln4 - You’re funny I’m gonna follow you home

♥︎ by author

lando - I don’t remember saying this 🤔

[lupinqs]

CHAPTER NINETEEN ━━ Girls Talk

❀ ━ pairing: paige bueckers x oc (jo jacobson)

❀ ━ word count: 8.9K

❀ ━ warnings: tiny makeout nothing else i dont think

❀ ━ links: my masterlist, nobody gets me masterlist

❀ ━ author’s note: only a few more chapters left thank god. also i promise celeste actually is going to serve a purpose lol

JO FEELS THE WEIGHT of everything ahead more in her chest than anywhere else.

It’s not nerves. Not exactly. She’s not nervous heading into the Big East Tournament, not in the way people probably expect her to be. UConn’s handled conference play like a machine, and even when games have been scrappy—when shots haven’t fallen or players have gone down, when the rotation’s been thin and legs have been heavy—there’s never been real doubt. Not about their record, not about their identity. They’ve come out of it undefeated. And even if it’s just the Big East, they’ve done it by work, by belief, by toughness.

Still, Jo doesn’t let herself take anything for granted. It’s not really in her nature to. And it’s definitely not in Geno’s.

He drills it into them constantly—treat every game like it’s the national championship. Doesn’t matter if it’s Xavier on a Wednesday or South Carolina in the tournament. Doesn’t matter if they’re up thirty or down two. They play like it’s for a title. They prepare like it’s for a title. They think like champions. And Jo’s bought into it completely. Maybe even more than she realizes sometimes. But, here’s the thing: she’s doing all this to become a champion. She wants it more than anything.

So today—last practice at Werth before they leave for the tournament—it’s not just another walkthrough. Not to Jo. The gym smells like sweat and floor polish and memory, and everything feels a little more important. She’s locked in from the moment it starts. Not because she’s worried about their chances. Not because this is where it all begins. The push, the run, the stakes.

She loves practice. Loves the rhythm of it, the detail, the way film sessions bleed into reps and everything is purposeful. She loves Geno’s voice barking at them, loves when CD yells to calm down, loves the exhaustion that builds behind her knees after three hours of movement. She loves feeling the shape of her own improvement.

She loves this team.

It’s not just a line, not just some press conference thing to say. It’s real and rooted. She loves these people. The way Nika talks shit and throws no-look passes. The way Aaliyah’s always catches Jo’s dimes, her post work smooth as butter. The way Lou and Dorka have formed this weird, wordless connection like they’ve been playing together their whole lives. The way Aubrey quite literally defies gravity and nobody can box her out no matter how many times opponents try.

And Paige. Of course Paige. Always Paige.

She hasn’t played a second this year and somehow she still feels like the center of everything. That voice. That presence. The way she pulls Jo aside mid or post practice and says something small that can change her perspective on everything. Paige could be the best coach in the country if she wanted to be (well, maybe after Geno), and she’s only twenty-one. Of course, Jo misses the on-court Paige, the one she watched drain dagger threes in clutch time and argue with the refs like no one’s business. But there’s something even scarier—something even more Paige—about the way she’s taken this season and owned it anyway. No self-pity. Just effort. Energy. Leadership.

Her rehab’s going well, too. Jo knows it; she’s with her for a lot of it, actually. Paige moves different now. The bounce is back. The ease. And even if Paige downplays it, Jo watches. She’s always watching. Because she knows next season, Paige is gonna be back out there. And them with that Paige? It’ll be a whole different monster.

But for now, the Big East Tournament is up next, and they’re getting healthy just in time.

Caroline’s back. Everyone’s relieved about it. What she’s been through—the concussion stuff, the weird limbo of recovery, the way she’s had to just sit and wait and not know—it’s brutal. Jo saw it wear on her. The silence in the locker room, the way her laugh dulled, how she’d have to hole herself up in a dark and quiet room because of the pain. But she’s smiling again. Shooting again. And her release looks like it always has—clean and confident.

Azzi’s close, too. Her knee’s held her out for a while now, but the team’s been careful. Not rushing. Playing the long game. Jo’s missed playing with her, missed the gravity she brings, the way defenses panic when Azzi even glances at the arc. Having her back is huge.

And the timing couldn’t be better.

Because after this weekend, the NCAA Tournament is right there. And at UConn, under Geno Auriemma, it’s not about getting there. It’s not even about Final Fours. It’s not about anything less than winning the whole damn thing. Natty or bust. Always. Jo grew up watching that standard. She’s living it now.

They announced the Big East awards this morning. Jo’s still sort of processing it. Not because she doesn’t think she’s earned them. She knows what she’s done. She knows what she’s poured into this season. But to win both Big East Player and Freshman of the Year is rare. Paige was the last to do it.

And she beat out Maddy Siegrist for conference Player of the Year, too, which is slightly insane when she really thinks about it. Siegrist’s been crazy all year. If Jo’s not mistaken she’s actually led the nation in scoring this season. Jo guesses the committee must’ve seen something else in her—something broader. Leadership, maybe. Defense. Playmaking. The little things. The winning. Because UConn’s record is better. The numbers back it up.

First-team All-Big East. That’s her, Aaliyah, and Lou. Dorka and Nika made Second-team, and Nika got Defensive Player of the Year. Aaliyah is Most Improved.

Even with the team being so injured, it’s a sweep. And Jo’s proud of all of it. She really is. But she’s not floating. Not celebrating. Not letting it really settle in her head at all.

Because the job’s not done.

None of the awards matter if they lose in the Big East championship (they won’t). None of it means anything if they flame out in the Sweet Sixteen. No one remembers the accolades of you don’t back them up when it counts. Jo knows that.

Which is why she went so hard in practice today. And then, afterwards, when she stayed with Paige in the gym for extra work like they’ve done for months now. Shooting, handles, that kinda thing.

Which is why Jo is now dying.

Like—not metaphorically, not in the dramatic, attention-seeking way she sometimes jokingly pulls after sprints when Nika’s yelling at her to stop flopping around. No, this feels different. This is the kind of dying where her legs are jelly, her lungs are still catching up from the extra shooting drills, and there’s an honest, sincere moment where she thinks, Okay, maybe I should’ve stopped twenty minutes ago before Paige made me do that third round of one-dribble pull-ups.

But it’s not like she could’ve said no. She never says no. Not when it’s Paige asking. Not when it’s just the two of them, the gum quiet except for sneakers squeaking, rebounding for each other the way they’ve done all season. It doesn’t even feel like extra work anymore. It feels like something else. Just something they do.

But now Jo is laid flat across the locker room bench like a corpse, one arm flopped dramatically over her stomach, the other curled at her side. She’s still sweating through her practice tee, her face damp, chest rising and falling with shallow, almost theatrical breaths. Paige sits next to her, with Jo’s head is pillowed in her lap. Her fingers are dragging gently through Jo’s hair, smoothing it back behind her ears. The locker room is empty but for the two of them.

Jo doesn’t open her eyes, but she knows Paige is staring down at her. She feels it. The weighted, blue gaze that makes the air buzz against her cheekbones. Her whole body feels heavy and sort of floaty at the same time, like her bones are dissolving right into Paige’s lap.

“You did good today,” Paige murmurs, voice quiet and warm and a little scratchy. “Real proud.”

Jo groans immediately, a low, pained sound that comes straight from her gut. “No. It killed me. I’m dying.”

She doesn’t even try to sound tough. What’s the point? Paige saw her gasping for air after the last few shooting sets. Saw her grimacing through the last of the sprints, hands on her knees, dripping sweat. Jo’s not entirely above playing it up a little with Paige, either—just for sympathy, a little attention. It earns her more of Paige’s hand in her hair, fingers dragging down to scratch lightly at her scalp. It feels good.

Paige laughs softly. It’s more of a huff through her nose, but it’s affectionate and Jo hears the smile in it.

“Well,” Paige replies, clearly amused, “at least you look good dying.”

That gets Jo to crack one eye open. Just barely. The locker room is blurry at first, but Paige’s face is sharp and glowing in the center of it. That stupid little grin on her lips. The teasing glint in her eyes. And she’s looking at Jo like she always does—like Jo is hers and Paige is still not sure how it happened but she’s not complaining about it.

Jo swallows and reaches up without thinking, hand curling around the back of Paige’s neck. Her palm is clammy, but Paige doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t pull away.

“C’mere,” Jo mutters, voice hoarse and low, tugging gently.

She means it. She’s trying to pull Paige down for a kiss, make some kind of reward out of this moment, because she’s certainly earned it after all the buckets and the defense and the sprinting and the dying.

Paige leans forward with it but doesn’t get close enough at all. She laughs again. “Baby,” she says, “my back doesn’t bend that way.”

Baby.

It’s such a small word. Barely there. Tossed out like nothing. But it explodes in Jo’s chest like a firework. She doesn’t show it, but she feels it.

Paige doesn’t call her that often. Usually it’s Joey in that fond voice, or the God-awful JoJo nickname in a teasing way. But when she does call her that—when she says it in that low, almost lazy voice, like Jo is some kind of secret she’s been keeping close—it makes Jo feel warm. Claimed. Like they’re more than something without a name.

They haven’t talked about it. Not officially. Not really. They act like a couple. They kiss and fuck like one, too. But they don’t say what it all means. Jo’s been too scared to ask. Paige has never been in an actual relationship and Jo’s last one ended in the worst way they can. So, she’s got no spine about it, and she knows it.

She keeps telling herself she’s fine with it. That it doesn’t matter. That it feels real, and that’s enough.

Instead of thinking anymore about it, Jo just groans again and shifts, using what little strength she has left to sit up slightly, just enough to reach Paige properly this time. Her face is close now. Close enough to kiss.

And so she doesn’t show.

No words, just action. Just Jo leaning in and pressing her mouth against Paige’s like it’s the most obvious next step. Because it is. Because Paige called her baby, and Jo’s brain short-circuited, and now she’s just following instinct.

The kiss deepens, and Jo chases it—leans into it like she’s leaning into a cut to the rim, like there’s no stopping, no pivoting away. Paige opens her mouth a little and Jo takes full advantage, tongue slipping in. There’s this noise that Paige makes then—tiny, caught in the back of her throat—that makes Jo’s stomach flip violently.

Jo’s still sort of half on the bench, half off it, one knee digging into the vinyl cushion. But then Paige shifts, her hands sliding down Jo’s ribs. Jo moves with them, body rearranging in the space. She ends up straddling Paige’s lap, her arms around her neck, their chests pressed together. The sweat cooling on her skin makes her shirt cling awkwardly in places, but she doesn’t care. Doesn’t even notice.

All she notices is Paige’s hands splayed on her back, fingers warm and patient, one curling into the hem of Jo’s shirt, brushing soft over bare skin. She notices the way Paige kisses her like she means it, tongue licking into Jo’s mouth.

Jo tilts her head, parting her lips wider, pushing deeper. Paige tastes like minty gum and the Gatorade she had at the end of practice and something that’s just Paige. It’s addicting. She doesn’t even care if her legs are still trembling or if her heart’s beating like it’s trying to hammer through her ribs.

She lets out a breath against Paige’s cheek, nuzzling into the edge of her jaw for just a second. “Jesus,” she whispers.

“Mm?” Paige murmurs, eyes fluttering half open.

“You trying to kill me?” Jo asks, voice teasing, but not entirely joking.

Paige smirks, pulling her even closer. “Thought you were already dying.”

Jo huffs a breath that turns into a laugh and kisses her again, harder now, hand tangling in Paige’s hoodie collar as if she could disappear into her if she just pulled hard enough.

She settles her weight fully in Paige’s lap, thighs bracketing her hips, breath catching a little when Paige’s hands shift lower, palming at her ass through her basketball shorts.

It’s perfect. It’s theirs. Other than right before bed, they hardly ever get this—not really. Not with time and space and no one around to ruin it. It’s rare, this kind of peace and quiet.

Which is, of course, when the door swings open.

They jump apart like they’ve been tasered.

Jo’s whole body jolts, heart plummeting as her eyes fly to the door. Paige curses under her breath, her hands leaving Jo’s ass like it burned her. Jo scrambles to move, to shift off Paige’s lap and find something approaching decency, even though it’s so fucking obvious what was happening.

And standing in the doorway is Celeste Sinclair. Red hair tied into a low ponytail, camera bag slung over one shoulder, UConn hoodie riding up a little on one side like she’s been rushing. She freezes when she sees them. Her eyebrows lift. Her eyes do this weird, flicking double-take that makes Jo want to crawl out of her skin.

It’s only a second. Maybe two.

But Jo can feel it—feel the calculus happening behind Celeste’s eyes. The math of it. Jo sitting in Paige’s lap. Lips probably still pink and swollen. Paige’s hands still halfway in the air.

“Sorry,” Celeste says, voice clipped and a little too sharp. Then, slower, eyes lingering—just for a second too long—on Paige, “Um. Sorry. I’ll just… go.”

She doesn’t look at Jo again. Just turns and walks back out the door, the sound of it clicking shut behind her deafening.

Jo exhales, breath rattling in her chest. She’s still kneeling on the bench, one foot on the floor, legs shaking a little from effort and adrenaline. Her hands are braces on her thighs like she needs to steady herself.

“Shit,” she mumbles.

There goes that secret.

She shifts off Paige’s lap entirely now, settling next to her on the bench. Not touching. Her skin suddenly feels too warm, like her body hasn’t caught up to the fact that they’re not making out anymore. Her heart won’t slow down.

Paige groans beside her, dragging a hand down her face. “God,” she mutters. “Of all people.”

Jo glances sideways. “You think she’ll say anything?”

Paige’s jaw tenses. She shakes her head like she’s not sure. “I should go—talk to her. Make sure she doesn’t.”

Jo just nods. Because, yeah, that needs to happen. No one knows about them. Not Azzi. Not Ice. Not Aubrey. Not Caroline. Not Geno. Not CD. Not anyone. And they’ve liked it that way. It’s been theirs, in the quiet between games and the sweat between practices. It hasn’t gotten messy because it’s been private.

She’s about to say something when Paige leans in, gentle again, a hand lifting to Jo’s cheek. She kisses her once, quick, a quiet reassurance.

“Be right back,” she murmurs, then stands and walks out, hoodie sleeves pushed up, bun slightly messed up because of Jo’s hands.

Jo stays there, alone on the bench.

And all she can think is: Well, shit. Cover’s blown.

PAIGE WALKS FAST.

Not running, but almost. Her sneakers are too loud against the hallway tile, the slap of rubber echoing in the quiet post-practice stillness of the facility. It’s always like this when they’re the last ones in the gym—quiet in a way that feels peaceful. But not now. Now, her stomach is doing somersaults and her chest is tight like she just did suicides.

She doesn’t even fully know what she’s about to say. She just knows she has to catch Celeste before she leaves, has to do something to shut it down before it becomes a thing. Before anyone else finds out. Because as much as she doesn’t want to hide Jo, it’s not like they’ve really had a conversation about any of this. What they are, what they’re doing. It’s just been… them. In pieces. In stolen time. Quiet. Private. Safe.

So, when she sees that familiar red ponytail swaying down the hallway ahead of her, her voice cuts through before she even decides what to say.

“Celeste.”

The girl stops—slowly. Turns around even slower. There’s something in her eyes, sharp and tired at the same time.

“What?” she asks flatly. Like she’s bored. Like Paige has already wasted her time.

Paige blanches. Her body keeps moving, but her brain just stalls out. She wasn’t expecting that tone. That edge. Celeste has always been a little cocky, yeah, a little smug, but never cold. Never even really annoyed.

Paige stops a few feet away, mouth opening and closing once, then again. Her hands twitch awkwardly at her sides. She doesn’t know if she should smile, be casual, be direct, be defensive. All of it feels wrong.

“Um,” she starts. “I—about what you saw…”

Celeste tilts her head, lips pressing into a thin line. “What, you and Jo Jacobson—your puppy-eyed freshman teammate—about to fuck in the locker room?”

Paige’s brows lift like she’s been physically smacked. “Jesus, bro,” she says automatically, startled and stumbling. “We were not about to fuck in there.”

And that part is true. They weren’t. That wasn’t the point of it. They were just—well, okay, they were definitely making out, but it wasn’t like that. But Celeste is staring her down with something curled and bitter in her bright green eyes, like she doesn’t believe a single word coming out of Paige’s mouth.

“Sure looked like it,” Celeste mutters.

Paige sighs hard and runs a hand down her face, dragging it along her jaw. There’s sweat still crusted under her nails from the extra reps with Jo. Despite hardly practicing, just doing the little things she can, her body is tired. Her heart is loud. Her patience is frayed.

“Okay,” she says, “I just—can you please keep whatever you thought you saw to yourself? Please?”

Celeste stares at her for a beat. Then she laughs—but it’s not a real laugh. It’s short and humorless, more of a bark than anything else. Her eyes flick to the floor, then back up, and she nods slowly. Mockingly.

“Oh, you wanna keep her a secret?” she concludes, mouth twitching at the corners. “Like you kept me a secret?”

Paige’s stomach lurches, because—what?

She blinks, feels her throat close up. That doesn’t even make sense. That’s not even close to how it went. But Celeste’s expression doesn’t shift—she’s still got that sharpness to her face, like she’s trying to see how deep she can twist the knife. Like she means to get under Paige’s skin.

“Bro,” Paige says again, brows pulling together. Her voice is still calm, but there’s disbelief under it now. “It wasn’t even like that with us.”

Because it wasn’t. They were never anything even remotely close to real. They hooked up a good amount, yes. There were a couple times when they were so drunk it would result in a sleepover. And, over the summer, sometimes Paige would flirt with her during her media duties. But they never even went on a date. Never saw each other outside of necessity with basketball or in bed. Celeste flirted all the time, yeah, still sort of does, but Paige never encouraged anything beyond physical. She made that line clear.

Celeste scoffs—loud, exaggerated—and looks away like she’s trying not to roll her eyes straight into the back of her skull. “Right.”

Paige takes a breath. It’s one of those sharp, tight ones that hits her ribs in the way down and doesn’t quite go all the way. Like her body won’t let her breathe easy until she figures out how the fuck this whole thing went from “whoops, we got caught kissing” to blackmail threat from a bitter ex situationship. Which is just great. Wonderful. Just what she needed on top of an aching knee, exhausting rehab, and a tournament she’s not even playing in yet beyond anxious for.

Tentatively, she tries, “Are you mad because I told you to stop texting me?”

It’s not accusatory, just curious. It makes sense—this being less about what Celeste saw and more about how she felt when Paige fully pulled the plug on them (which, for the record, they never even were a them). Last month, the texts had started up again—some related to media shit, yeah( but some that were just… kinda obvious. “What’re you up to tonight?” “Want to come over?” “Miss your face.” Stuff that had I’m still thinking about you naked as the entrée but also with a side order of maybe I want to hang out and talk, too.

And Paige had shut it down. Nicely. But firmly. Because even if she and Jo aren’t official, even if they haven’t labeled anything or had the talk—Paige knows exactly where her head’s at. She doesn’t want anyone else. Not even a little bit. Not ever.

Celeste narrows her eyes. “You are so smart, Paige,” she says sarcastically, before sighing. “I thought we were friends outside of the fucking. You made it seem like you liked me. Like you saw more than just one of the team’s Instagram admins.”

That hits Paige in a way she wasn’t exactly prepared for. Because Celeste sounds genuinely hurt now, not just defensive. It’s different. Real. And, yeah, okay—maybe there was a time where she leaned in too much. Maybe her being nice looks a lot like flirting if you don’t know her well enough. Paige has always been told she gives confusing signals. Too much eye contact. Too much laughing. Too much attention.

But it was never intentional. And it definitely wasn’t a promise.

Still, she softens, just a little. “I’m sorry ’bout that,” Paige says, and she means it.

Celeste scoffs again and repeats, “Right.”

And then she adds, tossing it out like a rock through a window, “I wonder what the coaching staff would think about two of their players fucking around this late in the season. Hm.”

Paige’s stomach drops. She hears her own heartbeat in her ears and her mind immediately starts running worse-case scenarios.

What would Geno say? Or CD? Or Jamelle?

Would they be pissed? Would they make them stop? Would it be a whole thing? Would the narrative become that they’re distractions to each other? Would Jo get blamed for it, even though Jo has literally never done a selfish thing in her life? Would there be whispers about the team dynamic being thrown off, even if it’s not true? Would the postseason get tainted by this?

She doesn’t know the answer to any of those questions. And she doesn’t want to.

“Celeste, c’mon,” Paige says, and there’s an edge of urgency to her voice now. She drops the posture, the tension in her jaw. Just puts it out there, raw and real. “Don’t say anything. Please.”

Celeste takes a step forward. “Why should I do anything for you?” she asks, voice cold. “Or, for that matter,” she adds, gesturing toward the locker room with a flick of her fingers, “your little bitch in there? I don’t owe either of you anything.”

There it is. The moment something shifts in Paige, a snap.

Because Jo is not a bitch.

Jo is all soft t-shirts and messy buns and shy smiles. Jo is late-night ice cream runs and twirling her pen in her mouth while she takes film notes. Jo is bright pink lip gloss and knee pads and unrelenting kindness, even when she’s bone-tired. Jo is the person Paige reaches for without even realizing it. The person who laughs at all her jokes and hums when she’s thinking and flushes when Paige calls her baby.

Jo is everything. Jo is hers. Not exactly in a claiming, possessive way. More in a I’ll protect this girl with my entire fucking chest If I have to way.

And Celeste Sinclair doesn’t get to talk about her like that.

Paige steps forward, looks down at the redhead steadily, showers set. “Don’t,” she says, low and controlled.

The word hangs there between them. It’s not loud, not even really forceful. Just steady. It lands like a stone dropped into water—clean, deep, no ripple.

For a second, something in Celeste’s expression flickers. Her mouth parts just slightly, like maybe she’s going to double down, say something cruel again, make this even messier. Paige holds her ground, doesn’t move a muscle. Her jaw is tight and she kisses her teeth.

Celeste shifts a little on her feet. Her shoulders relax just slightly, eyes sliding down Paige’s frame slowly. Almost like she’s assessing. There’s more behind it than just annoyance. Her lips curve—not all the way into a smile, but something close.

“You know,” she says, voice low now. Different tone entirely, like she flipped a switch. She leans closer. “I gotta say… you’re kinda hot when you’re pissed, Paige.”

Paige blinks. She genuinely almost laughs in the girl’s face at how utterly ridiculous it is. Are they not adults now? Sure, Paige can be childish sometimes but this is insane. There’s no way—no way—Celeste is actually doing this right now. Not after threatening to rat her out. Not after calling Jo a bitch. Not when Paige is standing here one wrong move away from a full-blown crash-out.

“Are you serious?” Paige asks in disbelief. “You just went from threatening me to—what? Hitting on me again?” 

Celeste shrugs, all fake nonchalance. “I mean… I can still want you and be mad at you. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Paige makes a face—is this girl bipolar or something? Sure seems like it.

The blonde shakes her head slowly. “You don’t get to flirt your way outta this.”

“I’m not trying to flirt my way out of anything,” Celeste replies, stepping back half a foot, but her tone still has that same slanted heat to it. “Just saying… maybe if you’d handled things differently, we wouldn’t be out here right now.”

That pisses Paige off in a different way. The insinuation that Celeste is the victim here just because Paige didn’t fall into some situationship she never wanted in the first place.

“I handled it the way I had to,” Paige says, firm. “I wasn’t tryna be a dick, ‘kay? I thought I was clear. I didn’t want more with you. That’s not personal. But I’m not gonna apologize for not wantin’ something I didn’t want.”

Celeste watches her for a long second, fiery green eyes flicking across Paige’s face. Then, her arms drop to her sides, some of the tension leaving her. Like the mask has been peeled off, or at least tilted.

“You really like her, huh?” she asks, quieter now.

“Yeah,” Paige says immediately, simply. Because there’s no question to it. “I do.”

Celeste nods once. Looks away, then back. Her mouth is a tight line now.

“I’m not gonna say anything,” she mutters. “Alright?”

Paige exhales. It’s not fully relief, but it’s close. “Thank you,” she says, cautious but real.

“Don’t thank me,” Celeste mutters, already turning. “I’m not doing it for you.”

She walks away without another word.

Paige watches her go, heart still beating a little too fast. She doesn’t move for a moment. Just stands there, staring at the spot where Celeste disappears around the corner. She doesn’t trust her. Not all the way. Not even mostly. There’s a chance this could still blow up later, or get messy, or turn into a headache down the line. But for now, it’s done. It has to be.

She scrubs a hand down her face. Turns on her heel.

And heads back toward the locker room.

THE ROOM SMELLS like garlic bread and takeout containers and the lingering sharpness of victory, all tangled into one heady mix that buzzes around Paige’s ears. The TV’s on low—some men’s game they’re hardly even watching—and everyone’s talking over each other anyway. The hotel room’s packed, the way it always gets when they congregate after a win, girls half-sitting, half-sprawled across mismatched furniture and the carpet, containers of different pastas balanced on paper plates and knees.

It’s warm. Not from the heat, but from the closeness, the full-body kind that comes after a weekend of playing your heart out and winning, again, like they always do. Big East Tournament champs. Shocker.

Still. It’s step toward the real goal, and Paige is proud of her girls.

Paige sits on the bed she’s claimed as hers (her and Aubrey are sharing a room in Uncasville this weekend), her back against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of her. Jo’s right beside her, cross-legged, the hem of her shorts brushing Paige’s thigh when she shifts to dig around in her pasta container. Paige can feel the heat of her through the thin cotton of her sweats. She fights the urge to just look over at the brunette and stare.

Their teammates still don’t know. Celeste has been quiet since that day outside the locker room. No threats, no passive-aggressive commentary tossed into conversation. Paige is grateful for it, but the anxiety hasn’t completely dulled. She’s still not convinced the redhead won’t change her mind, especially if something rubs her the wrong way. So for now, Paige is doing her best to act normal. No brushing hands under tables, no lingering glances across shootaround, no reasons for anyone to ask questions.

But then she glances at Jo, and there’s a tiny bit of gold confetti tangled in her hair—caught behind her ear, near the roots. Leftover from the trophy ceremony earlier, when they were throwing confetti all over each other. Paige blinks at it. Doesn’t even think, really. She just reaches.

Her fingers brush against Jo’s hair, slow, tugging the shiny piece free. Jo doesn’t move. Doesn’t flinch or ask what she’s doing or turn her head. She just keeps twirling her plastic fork around a bite of pasta, like Paige’s hand in her hair is the most natural thing in the world. She tucks the confetti between her fingers and lets her hand fall back into her lap.

“Try this,” Jo says, out of nowhere, holding her fork up with a twist of unfamiliar pasta on the end “You’re gonna like it.”

Paige raises an eyebrow. “That’s what you said about the gnocchi balls last week.”

Jo says, “Those were good.”

“No, they weren’t,” Paige argues, grinning a little.

Jo gives her a look. “C’mon, just take the bite.” She leans over, offers her the fork. Paige’s brain doesn’t even think about—oh, maybe it’s a little incriminating for a teammate to be feeding another teammate food if you’re trying to lay low about said teammate and yours relationship—instead, she just opens her mouth, lets Jo feed her the pasta. Clearly, she’s not very good at acting normal with Jo.

“Oh,” Paige says, chewing. It’s good, like really fucking good. “Yeah, okay.”

Jo grins and goes back to her container, satisfied.

Paige glances at her again—at her cheeks a little flushed from the heat of the crowded room, at the soft curve of her mouth when she bites into her next forkful. Jo’s in her warm-up jacket, sleeves pushed up to her elbows, hair in a messy bun that’s mostly falling out. She smells faintly like hotel soap and that strawberry body spray she keeps in her locker.

Paige swallows hard, looking back down at her own food.

And misses the way Nika and Azzi are both watching her.

Or, well, watching them.

Across the room, Nika leans in close to Azzi and whispers something behind her hand. Azzi raises her eyebrows, very slightly, and then presses her lips together in the world’s most obvious attempt at acting normal. Paige doesn’t notice it. She’s too busy stabbing a piece of chicken parm and pretending her mouth isn’t still warm from the fork Jo fed her with.

Her head buzzes a little. From the food, maybe. From the win. From the feeling of Jo’s knee against her thigh again. From how careful she’s trying to be, and how hard it is to not look at Jo the way she wants to, the way that comes natural to her. It’s always easier when it’s just the two of them. But out here, with the whole team packed into the room, she has to be a little more careful—she’s determined to be.

(She’s not very good at it.)

She bites into a cold breadstick. Forces herself to pay attention to Lili’s rant about the lack of sleep she got last night due to Yanna snoring like a man in their room.

Eventually, Paige finishes the last bite of her chicken parmesan, plastic fork scraping softly against the bottom of the takeout container. She lets out a sigh as she leans over and sets the empty box on the hotel nightstand. She glances to her right, where Jo’s listening to Ines yap about God knows what, her accent sharper than usual. Jo’s not eating anymore, her container of pasta sitting untouched in her lap, her fork abandoned to the side, fully focused on Ines, mouth curled up slightly in the corners in that soft way she gets when she’s genuinely amused.

Paige nudges her with her elbow. “You done?” she asks, nodding toward the food.

Jo doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to. She just hands the container over wordlessly, knowing Paige well enough by now to read the question for what it really is: Can I finish it?

Paige grins. This pasta is good—creamy and buttery and wildly overpriced, but still.

At the end of the bed, Ice notices the hand-off and snorts. “Fatass.”

Paige doesn’t even look up. She just stretches her leg out, kicking Ice square in the shin, still grinning as she shovels another bite into her mouth. “Shut up,” she says around a mouthful of pasta, completely unbothered.

Paige keeps eating wordlessly, occasionally listening to the several different conversations around her and thinking about the weekend. Three games in three days. Lili was incredible in the post, Nika her normal defensive menace. Jo, per usual, balled out, dropping three twenty-plus point games easy. She was named MVP.

Paige played her role, too—Coach P, hyping the girls up, arguing with the refs for them, the usual agenda for her bench role.

She’s really proud of the whole team. Back in August, when she tore her ACL, so many people doubted them, thought they wouldn’t be able to get by without her. But they’ve done it, and they’ve done it well. It’s all building toward the real thing they all want. And, tonight, they get to feel it a little. The calm before the madness of March truly hits.

She takes another bite of pasta, leaning back into the headboard, letting herself enjoy it. This is one of those rare little pockets of peace. Warm, crowded hotel room. Her people. Good food. And Jo right beside her.

As Ines tells her story, half the room engaged, half the room sprawled and tired, Paige notices Jo moving. She scoots just a bit closer, like gravity’s pulling her in, her head tilting before dropping right into Paige’s shoulder.

Paige tenses a little, even though it could be passed off as an entirely friendly gesture. Best friends do stuff like this.

She glances down, eyes flicking toward Jo’s face. Jo’s not looking back. She’s just resting there, body soft and still, eyes focused on Ines. But the closer Paige looks, the more she sees the little tells—how her eyelids are lower than usual, her whole body loose in that way that only happens when she’s too tired to keep herself upright. Her hand rests lightly on her stomach, and her breathing’s already slowing. She’s exhausted.

Which makes sense. Paige saw the numbers after the game—Jo led the team in minutes, barely came off the floor all weekend. She was everywhere, doing everything. And Paige is proud. She wants to wrap her arms around her and say it straight into her neck. Wants to say, you were the best player in the building all weekend and I’m sort-of in love with you for it. But, obviously, she can’t here and now.

Quickly, though, the room starts to thin out. Everyone’s full, sleepy, the kind of tired that settles into your bones after a weekend of adrenaline and back-to-back games and nonstop noise. Caroline stands first, stretching with a groan.

“Okay, time for bed,” she says, rubbing at her face and grabbing her phone off the edge of Aubrey’s bed.

“Yup,” Aaliyah immediately says from her spot on the couch, already halfway out of the blanket cocoon she made. “I need my eight hours tonight.”

“Bro, you never get eight hours,” Yanna mumbles as she pulls herself off the floor, and Ines nods in solidarity, reaching for her shoes.

“Facts,” Ice adds, unplugging her phone charger from the wall.

It’s a chorus of tired bodies and half-laughs and sleepy groans as everyone starts collecting their things. Paige’s eyes flick over them out of habit, but mostly they stay locked on Jo. Not even on purpose, really. It’s just automatic at this point, how her gaze always finds her. Like her body notices the space Jo takes up in a room before her brain does.

Jo sits up with a quiet sigh, and Paige watches her rub her eyes with the heel of her palm like a little kid. Her voice comes out low, a little croaky with fatigue. “Yeah, I need sleep.”

Paige doesn’t say anything, just watches her move. Watches the way Jo pulls her sweatshirt over her head, stretching just enough to make her shirt lift up a little. The movement is barely anything, completely unremarkable, but Paige still tracks it—eyes dragging slowly, lazily, like she doesn’t even mean to.

Jo turns toward her. She gives her a smile—tiny, barely-there, soft—and pinches her right on the underside of her arm. Not hard, but not gentle either. Just enough to make her flinch.

“Ow,” Paige says, squinting and rubbing the spot.

Jo grins, standing and reaching down to grab her phone and its charger where they’re laying on the floor. “Night,” she says, before leaning into Azzi’s side hug, wrapping an arm briefly around her shoulders.

And then she’s walking out with the rest of the girls, slipping into the hallway with a quiet goodnight.

And Paige is a little bothered about it. She wants to sleep next to Jo tonight. She’s used to it by now, the nights at home default because they live together, and the schemes for away games when they switch with Dorka and Ice.

But they have new hotel roommates for the post season, random room assignments they didn’t even get to rig. And they’re supposed to be acting lowkey right now, so they didn’t try to switch.

They’re doing a terrible job at it apparently.

Because the door clicks shut behind Ice, and now it’s just Paige and Aubrey—since it’s their room—and Azzi and Nika, who haven’t moved. Paige glances over, confused when she catches the way they’re both looking at her: expectant, suspicious. Like they know something.

“What?” she asks, standing up, stretching slightly before she bends to gather her and Jo’s takeout containers into one stack.

She walks over, tosses them into the little trash can. They watch her the whole time. And then Nika snorts. Paige hears it before she sees the grin. That little smirk of hers always gives her away.

“Bro,” the Croatian girl says, “how long have you and Jo been a thing?”

Paige chokes. Literally. On nothing. Just inhales wrong on pure panic and starts coughing like she swallowed her own tongue.

Aubrey bursts out laughing immediately, leaning over from her bed to smack Paige on the back. “You got it,” she says between giggles, like this is the funniest thing she’s ever seen.

Paige pulls away from her, still coughing, face warm now for a completely different reason. “I—what—what’re you even talking about?” she asks, voice rough.

Nika raises both her eyebrows, unimpressed. Azzi leans forward now, too, arms crossed, expression unreadable in that calm way she gets when she’s not buying your shit.

“Jo and I aren’t a thing,” Paige says, more weakly this time, and she hears it in her own voice—how flimsy it sounds. How not believable. She wants to crawl inside herself and disappear.

Azzi doesn’t blink. “Paige, please. We’re not stupid.”

“We’re your best friends,” Nika adds, like it’s the simplest fact in the world. “We know you.”

“Mhm,” Aubrey hums from her bed, not even looking up from the text she’s typing.

Paige stands there, trying to figure out how the hell she’s supposed to lie her way out of this right now. Because the three of them are looking at her like they already know—not like they’re guessing. Like they’re just waiting for her to stop denying.

She opens her mouth again. “We’re not—” she says. And then stops.

Because, with the way they’re staring at her, she already knows this will be a losing battle. So, what’s the point?

She sinks into the bed like her bones have been replaced with sandbags, back hitting the headboard. Her stomach’s full, but her chest feels like it’s slowly caving in. Like someone cracked it open and left the door swinging.

She’s never been good at hiding things from her friends—or anyone, really—but she thought she was doing better than this. Apparently not.

She stares at the wall across the room for a second, then drops her eyes to her lap, the edge of the blanket twisted in her fingers.

“How’d you know?” she asks finally. “Did Celeste tell you?”

Nika makes a face, wrinkling her nose. “Why would Celeste Sinclair tell us?”

There’s a pause, and then Azzi, always fast, always surgical with her intuition, cuts in, “Does Celeste know?”

Paige’s head snaps up. “I—no,” she denies fast, shaking her head before Azzi can press it. “She doesn’t. Just—just tell me. How’d you figure it out?”

Azzi gives her this look, like she’s almost insulted it wasn’t obvious to Paige herself. Then she says, flatly, “Well, for starters, you literally told Aubrey and I that you liked her in October.”

That makes Paige groan, head titling back against the headboard, eyes closed.

“Can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Nika mutters.

“You weren’t there that night for the crash out,” Paige says, waving a hand at her, like that explains everything—which, to her, it definitely does.

That night is seared into her brain like a tattoo. She remembers everything—the quiet guilt, the post-sex clarity, how fast her chest filled with panic. Celeste’s skin still warm under her hands when she realized she didn’t want this, didn’t want her. That she’d been trying to outrun a feeling that had already caught her. Jo. She’d left quickly, rushing to Aubrey’s apartment at two in the fucking morning, still smelling like Celeste and half-hating herself. Azzi had been there, too. She’d confessed like she was throwing up.

It was a mess. She was a mess.

(She’s better now. Mostly. Not spiraling as much. Not fucking people just to forget she wants someone else.)

“You were so miserable after you realized and told us,” Azzi says now, her tone gentler, doe eyes soft. “Especially when her ex was in town. And then, once they broke up, you, like… stopped being your miserable mopey self you’d been.”

“Exactly,” Nika says, nodding. “So, how long’s it been goin’ on?”

Paige hesitates. She glances between the three of them. Azzi’s sitting across from Paige’s bed on one of the chairs, fingers curls around one of her socks like she’s waiting to pull it off but got distracted by drama. Aubrey’s stretched out on her bed, knees bent, brows raised, very much amused. Nika’s on the floor, leant back against the dresser, legs sprawled out like she’s ready to stay as long as it takes.

They’re her people. They always have been. Even if she wanted to lie, she wouldn’t be able to. They already know.

So, Paige caves.

She exhales hard through her nose, mouth twitching, and says, “Okay, uh—we kissed for the first time when I went on that ski trip with her family for Christmas—”

“Bro, that was, like, right after her and that guy broke up!” Nika exclaims, sitting up straighter like she’s caught a scandal.

“Stop,” Paige says quickly, not even looking at her. “Don’t—don’t bring him up.”

Because it stings. Still. Not in the way it used to, not in that sharp, jealous way that kept her up at night—but in a deeper, quieter way now. Because it makes her wonder sometimes if she was just the warm body next to Asher. If Jo kisses her because she was close and safe and already there. But Jo never made her feel like that. Not once. And that was months ago now.

Paige shakes her head a little and keeps going. “Anyways. We kissed there. And then we talked ’bout it. And then it kinda became a ‘best friends who make out and cuddle but aren’t dating’ typa situation.”

Aubrey’s expression says obviously.

Paige scratches the back of her neck. “And then we fucked for the first time after the Tennessee game.”

Azzi blinks. “Wait—after she hurt her ankle?”

Aubrey makes a noise of disbelief, eyebrows shooting up.

“Her ankle was fine!” Paige defends. “She said it was fine, I didn’t—like—I didn’t pressure her or anything. It was a mutual, fully healed-up, consensual ankle situation.”

The other three start laughing. Paige lets them. Because whatever. It was fine. She’s not explaining the post-game hotel room events. No one needs to know Jo had ice on her ankle while they were fucking. Not relevant.

Azzi recovers first, her tone shifting a little, more curious than teasing now. “So… what are you guys now?”

That stops Paige. She looks down at her hands, fingers curling over the blanket again. It’s the question she’s been dodging in her own head.

“Nothing official,” she finally answers. “But we’re not seein’ anyone else. And it—it feels real.”

The word hangs there. Real.

Because it does. It’s not some high school fling or college situationship. It’s not an impulsive rebound or a secret thing they pretend doesn’t matter. It’s brushing teeth next to each other. It’s cooking together (or, well, usually DoorDashing, actually). It’s wearing each other’s clothes. It’s looking at each other like they’re already theirs.

“And we’re always together,” Paige says, softer now. “And I—I’ve never been in an actual relationship, but it… seems to be goin’ in that direction. If we ever actually talk about it.”

She lets that hang in the air, watching how the three of them take it in.

Azzi nods thoughtfully before locking eyes with Paige. “D’you want her to be your girlfriend?” she asks, voice soft like she’s being careful not to spook her.

With this answer, Paige doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

The word is out of her mouth before she has a chance to second guess it, and the moment it’s hanging in the room, she kind of wants to pull it back, like she’s said too much, like it cracked something open inside her she wasn’t ready for.

Because of course she wants that. Of course she wants Jo. Wants to walk into practice without pretending that she didn’t fall asleep the night before with Jo’s hand under her shirt and her leg slung across Paige’s thigh. Wants to kiss her in public. Wants to hold her hand when she’s anxious. Wants to introduce her to people as her girlfriend and not have to glance at her first, like is that okay? are we okay?

But even saying it—yes—feels like walking a tightrope. Like admitting too much too soon. Like if she gets too close to the truth of how much she feels, it’ll all unravel.

Azzi tilts her head, studying her. “Are you gonna ask her?”

Paige blows out a breath and scrubs a palm down her face. “I—I’mma figure it out, okay?” she says, voice quieter now. “After the tournament.”

And that’s the truth. That’s the only way she can even frame it in her mind without worrying. There’s a wall around this time of year—March is sacred, locked in—and they all know it. It’s tunnel vision now. There’s no space for messiness or what-ifs or fragile beginnings that might fall apart if they get poked too hard.

This is what they’ve worked all season for. This is what everything’s about. And as much as Jo matters—more than anything—Paige can’t risk letting her head drift too far from the game.

Azzi, Nika, and Aubrey all nod at that, agreeing. It’s better to leave the big emotional swings for later. Win first. Figure it out after. Priorities.

But then Nika turns her head, eyes narrowing a little, not harsh—just quiet. Just a little hurt. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Paige’s stomach twists. That question hits lower than the others. It’s not accusing, exactly, but it lands heavily. Because these are her best friends, and she kept it from them.

She sighs again, her body sagging forward slightly as she leans her forearms on her knees, staring at the comforter. She doesn’t know how to make them understand without sounding like she’s trying to justify hiding it. That was never the point.

“It wasn’t about not telling you,” Paige says finally. “It was about us figurin’ things out first—which, we haven’t. Not really.”

She looks up at them, trying to keep her voice even, steady, like she means it all and wants them to believe her.

“We’re in the most important part of the season,” she says. “And we were scared that if something happened, it might mess with the team. Like, the vibe, the chemistry—all of it. And I don’t even wanna know what Coach or CD or the rest of the staff would say or think. We just wanted everyone to focus on March. Focus on what we’re all here for. And figure everything else out after.”

The last word ends with a kind of finality. After. Like there’s a promised world waiting for them just past the edge of April. Where they can breathe. Where they don’t have to hide.

Azzi nods slowly. Aubrey crosses her arms over her stomach and leans her head back against the wall. Nika drops her gaze to the carpet, thoughtful, chewing at the inside of her cheek.

They get it. They don’t have to say they do—Paige can tell. They’re not pushing her anymore. Because, at the end of the way, they’re ball players before anything else. They know what the stakes are.

Paige shifts a little on the bed and looks at them again, voice softer. “Can you guys not tell Jo that you know?” she asks.

Azzi furrows her brows. “Why? Why more secrets?”

Paige shakes her head, quick, already hearing how it sounds—paranoid, dramatic, unnecessary. But it’s not. Not to her.

“Because I think she’ll freak out if she knows,” she says honestly. “At least, right now. You know how anxious she gets. And it’s not like—she’s not ashamed or anything. It’s just… it’s already been hard enough figuring this out, the two of us. She didn’t even know she liked girls before this. I just wanna figure things out forreal between the two of us before she really has to worry. Y’know?”

She pauses, fingers messing with the blanket again. “I don’t want her overthinking it. Or shutting down. I just… I want to keep this safe. Just for us. Until we’re ready.”

There’s silence for a second. And then Nika, in a voice a whole lot gentler than usual, says, “Okay, P. We won’t tell.”

Relief floods her body faster than she expected. Her shoulders drop. Her hands unclench. She nods once, a quiet thank you, and lets her head fall back again.

She’s not used to sharing stuff like this. Because she’s never really had this to share. But, for Jo, she’s gonna try.

[miyamiwu]

To Be Hero X: Supporting Characters’ Names in Chinese and English + Chinese Name Meanings

As mentioned in the Top 10 Heroes version of this post, here’s a names meaning post for the supporting characters.

Characters are sorted by order of appearance, and names are listed in this order: English, Chinese, Pinyin, and Nickname/CN Abbreviation. (The last two are just for my own reference. And ignore the colors in the text. That’s also just for my ref)

Post will be updated after every character arc.

1. Miss J / 娟姐 / Juān Jiě / JJ

Juān 娟 means beautiful/graceful, while jiě 姐 is a honorific that means “elder sister.” But jie can also be used to address older women in the same generation or in a generation close to you, so the translation of “miss” in English is apt.

I really didn’t want to abbreviate her as JJ because of Yuri on Ice, but since Ice Ado movie is cancelled then whatever

2. Moon / 潇月卿 / Xiāo Yuè Qīng / XYQ

Dictionary definitions of each character in her name:

潇 (xiāo) = (of water) deep and clear; (of wind and rain) howling and pounding; (of light rain) pattering

月 (yuè) = moon

卿 (qīng) = high ranking official (old); term of endearment between spouses (old); (from the Tang Dynasty onwards) term used by the emperor for his subjects (old);

The association of xiao with water, the word for moon, plus qing being both a term of endearment between old couples and one used to address someone of high status. Something something about Xiao Yueqing being put on a pedestal and also the fact that she is now Lin Ling’s white moonlight:

The Chinese slang white moonlight (白月光 , bái yuèguāng) typically refers to someone or something that remains unattainable yet deeply cherished in one’s heart. It represents a love that lingers—idealized, untouchable, and forever out of reach. While often translated as a “first love,” it specifically describes a love that was never fully realized or reciprocated.

3. Enlighter / 启士 / Qǐ Shì / QS

Qǐ 启 means “to enlighten/awaken,” and Shì 士 is a suffix used to denote someone as an expert in something. Thus, Enlightener Enlighter.

The correct word is Enlightener, not Enlighter 💀. Li Haoling, I beg you, stay in your lane and leave the localization to the experts 😭

3.2 God Eye / 天眼 / Tiān Yǎn / GE

Tiān 天 translates to “heaven” or “sky,” but depending on context it can also stand for “god.” Yǎn 眼 means “eye.”

Imma call him by his English name since the translation is good enough. GE is also a much better abbreviation than TY, which can stand for “thank you.”

4. Wreck / 破坏��� / Pòhuài Wáng / W + 雷克 / Léi Kè

His Chinese name means “Destruction King,” and in Chinese it sounds like what one would call a very troublesome child. The Chinese fans hate it and refuse to call him by it 😂. In the Chinese fandom, some just call him Wreck (written in English) or by its transliteration 雷克 (Léi Kè), which can mean “Thunder Conqueror.” And honestly, that sounds a whole lot cooler than Destruction King 😭. 雷 is also internet slang for “terrifying,” apparently… Yeah, that really is cooler 😭😭😭

Once again, Li Haoling, please stay in your lane

5. Firm Man / 英雄不倒 / Yīngxióng Bù Dǎo / BD

I initially thought Yīngxióng 英雄 was just a title they add on to a hero’s name since it just means Hero, and in-universe there’s an ad that addresses Nice as Yingxiong Nice. But in the case of Bu Dao, I guess it really is part of his hero name since nobody calls him by just Bu Dao.

Bù 不 is a negator, and Dǎo 倒 is “to fall.” Direct translation of his name would then be something like Never Falling Hero, Infallible Hero, etc.

Firm Man is such a terrible translation 💀

6. Wolf Girl / 蛊狼 / Gǔ Láng / GL

Gǔ 蛊 refers to a type of poison that is used to bewitch someone and can be controlled from afar. This choice of character is then very fitting for Gu Lang, since her powers work by changing the public’s perception of Bu Dao without directly confronting him.

Láng 狼 means wolf. Altogether, her name can be translated as Poison Wolf. Some have translated it to Mad Wolf, since Gu can also mean “to drive someone to insanity.” Personally, I prefer Bewitching Wolf or just Wolf Witch.

See now how “Wolf Girl” is an injustice to her actual hero name?

7. Mr. Shand Shang / 尚总 / Shàng Zǒng / SZ

Shàng 尚 is just a common Chinese surname, but here are some of its dictionary definitions: still / yet / to value / to esteem.

Zǒng 总 is an honorific for your superior in work. I’ve often seen it translated as “chief.” So, Chief Zong.

Idk why the translation team decided to change the g in Shang to d. Shang sounds much better than Shand, and English viewers shouldn’t find it weird since there was a guy named Shang in Mulan...

8. Blankster / 忘仔 / Wàng Zǎi / WZ

Wàng 忘 means “to forget,” while Zǎi 仔 means “child.” I guess the zai is there because WZ has been a hero since he was young.

9. Uncle Rock / 岩叔 / Yán Shū / YS

In Asia, it’s common to address other people with family terms as a way of showing respect or familiarity. Yang Cheng calls Yán 岩 “uncle 叔,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re blood-related.

Yán 岩 means “rock” or “cliff.”

10. Xià Qíng / 夏晴 / XQ

Xià 夏 means summer, while Qíng means clear/fine (when talking about the weather).

11. Shàng Chāo / 尚超 / SC

Shang Chao actually has the same surname as Mr. Shang/Shand (he is, after all, his son). I don’t know why the translation team decided to give them different surnames 💀

Chāo means “to exceed/surpass.”

12. Little Pomelo / 小柚子 / Xiǎo Yòuzi / YZ

Little Pomelo is a literal translation of his Chinese nickname. (Yeah, I believe that’s just a nickname and not his actual name.)

Xiǎo 小, meaning “little,” is often added before a name as a form of endearment.

13. (to be continued…)

If there are any errors, just tell me and I’ll correct them.

[insaincat]

Extract AU. Chapter 2.

Part 1.

A known voice echos in his mind and Extract relives the events that transpired. The separation with hateful poisoned words from Shadow Milk Cookie, who he'd come to love followed by the events of the Beast-Yeast war. The beasts had been sealed away once again but not without casualties. Dark Cacao Cookie had fallen into a never-ending slumber while White Lily Cookie had sacrificed herself to make sure Dark Enchantress Cookie would never be alone, even as she turned to nothing but crumbs and dust. It took years for all of Earth Bread to move on, but they did... Just not Pure Vanilla Cookie. He remained in place where he had lost the ones, he loved the most.

Its just part 1 but ima take a break to work on other unfinished projects. Like stickers and animatics! Can you tell tho that I originally was just gonna sketch it out but then realized just lining was just as quick? I dont have smart select on Krita, as far as I know anyway, so lining correctly will take just as long. I also need to make a ref for ShMilk cuz he looken alittle squished on the first two lol. I'd have redone it but I just wanted to post it at this point.

Notes:

I FINISHED IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Oc talking to Ravio belongs to @smuggonifico-lmao

Oc with Rose staff belongs to Pancake

[factual-fantasy]

Heya Factual! Hope things are going as good as they can on your end! Sorry it's been a bit since my last Ask, I got sick AGAIN and have been out of commission for a while now. But at last I have returned! Sorry to see your still having some technical troubles- really hoping you can figure it all out!

Also, I wanted to thank you! While I was sick, inspired by your art, I decided to give Sky a try on mobile (just got a new phone), and while I'm still super early in the game, it seems really cool! I'm not sure how linear the game is, but I figured I'd ask, as a veteran, do you have any advice or pointers for a beginner? Anything of interest I should check out or invest in? (Oh, and also, sorry about the color swap disappointments, sounds like a real bummer!)

And lastly, unrelated, I really liked the Pomni and Gummigoo art you did a few days back! I really like both of them together, and would love to see more of their story later down the road! Though I was wondering, you mentioned Max and Chad both stuck around in your AU too! Any cool redesign or story ideas for those two? Do they stick with Gummigoo, or have they branched out over time into the other friend groups?

(Color swap disappointment post) (Pomni and Gummigoo post)

Hello! Oof, sorry to hear that you got sick again <:(( But I'm glad you seem to be feeling better! As for my tech issues I have gotten a new chord for my tablet and have downloaded a fresh FireAlpaca. So far none of the screen glitches have come back and FireAlpaca is working perfectly! :))

Also thank you! :DD I'm glad you liked it!! :}} And while Chad's ref sheet is done, Max's is still in the sketch stage. I just haven't gotten around to finishing him <:/

Now their friend groups.. I was thinking that not many circus goers really vibe with NPCs all that much. So the number of people who they can make genuine friendships with is limited.. that being said I think Chad and Max would find a solid friendships with Gangle and maybe Zibble and uhhh... Ms. Wiggles..? Maybe? :0

Gangle has a soft spot for NPCs thanks to Bella and respects them more than others. So out of the 3 I think their friendships would be strongest with her.

Now sky.. ohhh boy prepare for a wall of text <XDD (Note there is a little spoiler for something in Golden Wasteland!)

Alrighty, so when I got this ask I sat down and made a list of every little nugget of sky advice I could possibly think of. Until eventually I took a step back and realized that a lot of it wasn't really solid advice or pointers <XDD so I cut the list down into somethings that I either wish a veteran would have taught me when I was a moth. Or things I found out too late and missed out on something or anything like that. Plus some advice I've tired really hard to beat into other moths heads for their own good but they never understand me in game <XDD

First off. Seasons, reoccurring events and non reoccurring events. Its important to know the difference between the three for this advice.

Seasons are limited-time themed events that come with the option of purchasing an Season Pass, which allows players to access extra Cosmetics and Expressions during the Season in exchange for an in-game purchase.👇👇👇

~~~~~

Special Events (also called Holiday Events). These are limited-time events introducing new cosmetics themed around real-life celebrations. Most Special Events recur annually. Some of these events take place in the Secret Area, accessible from the Vault of Knowledge. They are separate from, but may overlap with, Seasonal Events and Double Currency Events.👇👇👇

~~~~~

Non-recurring Events (or Short Events). These events are special or unannounced events that do not repeat or return due to their special characteristics. This list also includes events that have not been confirmed to return nor have a history of recurrence.👇👇👇

~~~~~

Alrighty, got that all processed? I hope so <XD Now onto my advice.

1: Collaborative in app purchase items (items you need to buy with real money) will never return. Let me explain.

In sky there is a reoccurring event made by sky called days of fortune. (Its basically a Chinese new year event) Its going on right now actually! :0 This event has come back once a year every year. And the cosmetics that you need to purchase with real money have come back every time too.

However, the Cinnamoroll collaborative event? That event and all of the items it brought with it will not reoccur.

You have to be careful and check every event and make sure its one that will return. If its a collab season like Cinnamoroll and you don't buy the items? They will vanish and you wont have the chance to buy them ever again :( I learned my lesson the hard way when I didn't buy the fox plush and the yellow scarf from season of the little prince years and years ago. 😔 Up to this point the little prince's in app purchase items have not returned since.

This goes for collaborative seasons as well. Season of the little prince, season of aurora and season of moomin, etc, will not have their in app purchase items return. Be careful to know which is which during the event/season so you don't regret anything!

Another note about non returning items: While individual spirits that you can relive the memories of, can return as traveling spirits once every 2 weeks.. any items that the guide of that season offers will be unavailable after the season ends. 👇👇👇

Also speaking of traveling spirits, here's some advice I had to figure out myself. As someone who has every single traveling spirit in the game? As long as you have 200 candles, 40 hearts and 20 ascended candles? You will be able to afford all the cosmetics from ANY traveling spirit that shows up. If you keep a nice candle run schedule this wont be too hard to keep up with!

Also note about traveling spirits. They can take a looong time to return. When I first started playing I bought out half the items a traveling spirit offered before he left. I knew he would come back so I wasn't upset. But it took 2 REAL LIFE YEARS. 2 WHOLE YEARS for him to FINALLY come back. So this is why I advise you be really careful with the 200🕯️,40💝 and 20🧨. It would suck a lot if a spirit showed up that you really liked!.. Only for you to not afford it and have to wait a year or two to see it again <XDD

Now currency. Sky tries to make out that ascended candles are the most valuable currency. This is a load of bologna. By far the most valuable and sought after currency is hearts. You can go and get ascended candles by yourself all you want. But hearts have to be given to you by other players in one way or another. Which makes them EXTREMELY hard to get for some people. My advice is to hoard those things like your life depends on it. Try to have a stock pile of at least 30 to prepare for any temporary and expensive items that may come your way. Don't go and blow them all on the home spirits like I did <XDD

Now candle runs.. a lot of players will tell you you have to do a candle run through the ENTIRE GAME to keep up with sky's bonkers prices. Which is sometimes true... However, I have recently discovered this candle run route on YouTube that has helped me loads! I modified it a little and don't do the turtle thing, but if you're worried about runs that take hours this could be very useful to you! About a week or soo of keeping up with it and I'm almost at 400 candles! :)))

Another thing I want to advise is the whole ultimate reward thing in the home constellations. (Random google images)

The game will tell you that if you ascend all the spirits in a realm constatation, that it'll unlock the "ultimate reward". Which is that question mark in the middle. Typically this means you just gotta buy every single item from every single spirit in that constellation and the reward will be unlocked.

THAT IS NOT THE CASE HERE!! You do NOT have to buy the VERY EXPENSIVE tier 2 capes that some spirits offer. Just everything else. So repeat you buy everything the spirits offer, but you DO NOT have to buy the super expensive tier 2 capes in order to unlock the ultimate reward. Save your hearts, you're welcome! XDD

Now the Golden Wasteland advice. As a veteran I NEED to teach you HOW to burn down this plant in wasteland.

This plant is in the last area before the temple in wasteland. Not to be confused with the GIANT PLANT that's in the area infested with Krill. This is the smaller one after it. And there has been DOZENS UPON DOZENS of times a moth has come by to help me burn it down and not known how to do it. I've sat there for 20 minutes each time trying DESPERATLY to communicate what order to burn the plant down but they never get it. So I shall teach you!

Hopefully that little comic got my point across! XD

Another word of advice is to check out nastymold on YouTube! She is a very sweet and soft spoken YouTuber that plays the beta version of sky. She gets all the updates early and makes short videos explaining everything you need to know about any events or seasons. If you're ever confused about anything or are afraid you may miss out on something in an event, just check out her channel! No doubt she's already covered it and explained it for you so you don't miss nothing!

Now my last word of advice for you is this. Take the game slow. Really soak up your moth days and take your time playing it.

Many veteran players are heartbroken that they let another veteran drag them through their moth days and didn't really get to explore or experience anything naturally for themselves. And other veterans just miss their moth days in general. When the game felt huge and there was so much to explore and so many things to save and grind for.

I don't think I'm like that personally, I'm way more relaxed as a veteran knowing I understand how the game works and I'm not missing out on anything. But I can understand missing those moth days feeling like a kid running around and seeing all the beautiful things for the first time.

So just take things nice and slow. Soak up the game at a nice pace. if there's an event that you'd like to partake in but don't understand it just watch nastymold. She always has a sweet little video that tells you all you need to know without really dampening your moth experience. You can only be a moth once.

Well that's all the actually practical advice I had on my list. I hope you find some use in this wall of text XDD thanks for reading and see you in the skies! 💞🕊️

[schemmentisimpasours]

5:1 Isn't Enough

Second's time a charm when it comes to posting this I guess. But also I have no idea where the first one went so if you seeing this twice tell tumblr a polite fuck you. Summary: Inspired by the song 5:1 by Chinchilla. You and Ava are in a relationship and you realize that maybe a ratio of 5 to 1 love is not good enough anymore. Thank you @milfjuulpod for the push to actually write this. Also will this be a series? Idk.. maybe

Next Chapter

Masterlist

1.6k words

-

Ava Coleman had taken a risk dating you two years ago considering who your moms were but when you had walked into Abbott Elementary she had been attracted to you. You walked in with such confidence that it was intoxicating but Ava could tell you that you were shy underneath it all. That at the end of the day you just wanted people to make the decisions for you. That you wanted to be cared for and not have to be the strong one all the time. It had taken Ava awhile to break down your walls but finally you had let her in. Once Ava was in you fell hard and fast. She was everything that you had wanted and more and you made sure to show and tell her as much as possible.

The first time that you had told Ava that you loved her it had been about six months into your relationship. She had taken you to a Flyers game ten rows from the glass in the middle because you said it gave you the best view of the whole rink. She had presented the tickets to you wrapped in the jersey from your favorite player for your birthday. The gift had brought you to tears and the whole game had you on the edge of your seat. Beer in one hand and hot pretzel in the others you were cheering along with the crowd and yelling at the refs. When the kiss cam appeared on the jumbotron with your face next to Ava you almost spilled everything trying to turn towards her. Ava had cupped your face pulling you in like she had done so many times before the kiss growing greedy as the crowd cheered. When you finally came up for air you placed your forehead against hers and said I love you Ava. She never responded and you tossed it up to the loudness of the arena around you. 

As your relationship grew and you moved in with Ava you had fallen into an easy morning routine. Getting ready for the work at the same time handing each other clothes and makeup as needed. Ava helping you style your hair in different ways that she had seen on tiktok or you giving her new accessories to add to her already dazzling outfits. It was everything that you had wanted in more in a relationship. Then as you made her lunch and put a cup of coffee in her hand you would lean in and give her a kiss. As she walked through the door you would say I Love You getting Ava’s response of I’ll see you after work honey. Then as the door closed the closeness of the moments you shared seemed to fall away. Your shared apartment felt empty and you sunk back into your head getting more and more lost as the days passed. 

Every time that you had returned home from work Ava was on some sort of livestream. Your living room turned into her own small business to make extra money. Many people assumed that this money was for herself however after the bills were paid whatever was leftover went back into Abbott. In small ways to not let the district catch on to what was happening but to at least get the students ahead a little more. You often sat off camera and watched her as she sent occasional smiling glances over at you. She adored when you watched her work and had often commented that it made her feel like she was on top of the world. Then after the cameras were often she would collapse into your arms exhausted from the day and you would kiss her forehead and tell her you loved her. She would merely wrapped her arms around you and kiss down your neck till you forgot what had happened during your day.

At night when you were getting ready for bed was when you were able to see the softer side of Ava. The one who unburied herself from the hard exterior and sat on the edge of the bed wondering how she was going to be able to face another day as the principal no one believed in. Tears rolling down her face as another idea for funding had slipped through her fingers. These are the moments that Ava was the most vulnerable and clung to you like you were a life preserver. You would wrap your arms around her letting her cling to you as she questioned her self-worth. Rubbing her back and giving her small kisses on her forehead you would remind her how much you appreciated her. How much she did for the students at Abbott. How amazing she really was. How much you loved her and would always be there to support her. She would squeeze you close but never respond back. 

The only time that Ava had ever admitted she loved you was when you were tangled in the sheets—naked body on top of hers as she curled her back off the mattress. Eyes closed as the wave of pleasure closed in around her legs shaking from the release of the string that kept her so well contained. Hair a mess on the blanket, her lips swollen with kisses, breasts heaving from her ragged breaths was when she would finally say it. Fuck I love you Y/N after the orgasm finally receeded and you would smile knowing that you had finally pulled it from her. Your response was instant as you curled around her holding onto her like she would disappear in a moment’s notice. And as she drifted off to sleep you thoughts began to creep in. You wondered how it was that you were always the one showing your love and how the same three words that you repeated like a prayer were never returned. More often than not they were ignored unless it was something that benefited Ava directly.  

Finally one morning after a sleepless night pondering your relationship and where it had all gone wrong you decided that you could take it no longer. Skipping your morning meeting you went to Abbott to talk to Ava directly. You rushed through the doors ignoring as Barbara called your name from the sign in sheet. Opening the door to Ava’s office without knocking you looked at the woman that you had been connect to for two years.

“We need to talk,” You said slamming the door behind you.

“Why you coming in here slamming shit like you own the place?” Ava asked placing down her phone, “Kinda sexy but damn girl take a minute to chill.”

“I realize that I’m hopelessly addicted to the breadcrumbs of your affection but I am starting to wonder if all of this is worth it,” You said your heart already beginning to break, “Do you even realize what you are doing to me? I say “I love you” but you only reply one out of five times.”

Ava faltered for a moment looking at the tears already welling in your eyes, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

You threw your hands up in anger stalking the small office, “I tell you I love you every morning before you go to work. You never say anything. I tell you whenever I can throughout the day to show you how much I appreciate you. When you get home from work I tell you I love you and how proud I am of you. Before we go to sleep I am constantly telling you how much I appreciate you and want you in my life. You only tell me after we have sex.”

Your last words came out louder than you wanted causing Ava to flinch, “Y/N please..”

“No, I am done waiting. Do you really only love sometimes at a ratio of 1:5?” You asked your hands beginning to shake with all your built up emotions, “Am I really just a body for you to use and abuse?”

“You are so much more than that,” Ava said standing to walk towards you. 

You backed up away from her touch letting the tears fall freely now, “That isn’t what it feels like at all. If that is true then why don’t you say it. Just three little words and you can’t even give me a chance to hear them. I sit in our bed every night and wonder is the person I’ve been fighting for emotionally unavailable?”

“Say it,” Ava persisted beginning to push you into the corner of your office, “Say it and I will say it back.”

You shook your head a small pitiful smile coming over you, “Don’t you understand Ava…I don’t want you to say it just because I say it. I want you to actually mean it. To love me so much that you can’t help but scream it every chance you get. But I guess that is too much to ask.Maybe you never loved me to start with.”

You pushed past her back into the hallway where a crowd had grown. Keeping your head down you went to the front doors clutching your keys in your hand. Before the doors closed you heard your mothers' voice calling out to you but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Instead you put your keys in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot to go to work. Hoping that the repetitive nature of the job would take away the pain that you felt from your heart crumbling around you.

-

Taglist

@abbottfanstuff

@milfjuulpod

@cupldscntrl

[phightingaus]

hi it’s the bird guy 👍ultimate unmasking uh wow yahoo (the one post i have of the birds…….. and it’s found………… /silly but also that was a jumpscare and a half good golly)

hi hello tis me anyways I have the bird ref designs i made if it’s compensation for me being too discombobulated to truly come up with more bird things

i offer you the. the bird heads….. is is obvious which ones i never draw

also notes because yay i need to bring something to the table…….. only the phighters so far because im. scared of drawing the deities n npcs

uhhh this is literally my first time drawing katana 👍i like his funny little ears……… funny owl guy….. sighhhh

if they’re visible there’s doodles in the corner cause…… i didn’t have any other version of these ones to draw because drawing two banhammers messed it all up it’s all messed up…… uhhh idk i like drawing rocket….. slingshot i think is like one of these few that is mostly the same with my design i just realized he’s oddly similar to when i draw non-bird sling

the amount of pain and suffering these freaking idiots caused me…….. i bet a lot of the final hour in my timelapse was just for boom and vine…….. why are they so color….. buncha freaks…. anyways i liked drawing coil he got a fun design and… subspac is stupid he gave me pain to figure out color >:(

fun fact uh. vine staff’s horns were not that dull a pink when i first colored them what happened where did the color go……. oh well…..

also doing……. Research……….. so hopefully more one of these days because birds are really funny and cool ok……. fun fact i learned… blackbirds sunbathe….. :))

ok anyways uhhh obligatory ending here or something

I may or may not alternate between anon and non anon from now on idk this may be a one-off who knows….. i did want an excuse to show off the birds sigh

(good golly i need to get more than just head references for them……)

BIRD GUY!1!1!1!2! HIIII HELLO HEJRPFOFJ SORYR THAT WAS ME WHO FOUND OUT BROKEN HEART EMOJI

dude.,.,. everyone here is so?!1?2 SWUIDHING THEIR CHEEKS RAHHHHGHHGHGHG IMG ONNA DISCOMBOBULATE

oml boombox is somcolor.... why is he so color.,.,. I lvoehimomhlhkhlhmlgkkf

BIOGRAFT LOOKS SO CUTEEEE AWEEEUEHEB -i say as i still get mauled to death by it /silly

GRAHAHHHFH BRISBIRDBAIRBIDSBIRDS AND DO NOT WORRY ABOUT VINE'S HORN COLOR I TJINK IT LOOKSS ON PRETTY OHMHLKHKH VINE!!!!! -sincerely, a bio main slowly transitioning into a vine main

also. special mention to that katana design hOLY CRAP????? HE'S SO SOSOSOODDJJEKS AGRFBRJFHRN EXPLODES FOR HONOR AND RETRIBUTION💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥🤺🤺🤺🤺

biting you biting you biting you (affectionate) argrhthjfgn birb au.,,. birb

EDIT: i. sound insane, ,. hshdhdb ,.,.for a more articulated response I LOVE THESE!!!!! WITH ALL MY HEART EITH ALL MY SOUL!!!! /GEN /GEN /GEN I HEART THE PHEATHERED AU SHIRTS NOW!! /SILLY HAHDHFH

[superkirbylover]

made some refs last year for artfight of my gem ocs, amber pearl, charcoal sapphire, and cloudy sapphire. only now did i realize i never... posted my ocs here... so i'm fixing that! their bios under the cut.

i have more gem ocs, but i didn't make their refs... i should fix that when my wrist is better

AMBER PEARL

A pearl who once belonged to a high-ranking hessonite, she now roams Homeworld pretending to be owned by someone who doesn't exist. She retains a snooty, uptight, snippy attitude to keep other gems away from realizing she is rogue. The only gems she truly trusts are other pearls.

Rumors about her hessonite have been spread, her fate unknown. The fate of her beloved pearl also remains a mystery, but behind closed doors, she was simply forgotten about. All Amber Pearl knows is that her owner isn't coming back anytime soon, and to relish in the freedom she has now before she's caught, rejuvenated and reassigned.

Her war fan was given to her as a "gift," although was more out of her owner wanting her pearl to be able to defend herself if somehow they were to become separated.

Amber Pearl has two looks. Her current look with her twin drill-like pigtails was crafted by herself. Her previous look was when she operated under her hessonite.

CLOUDY SAPPHIRE

Cloudy Sapphire is chatty and often has her head up in the clouds. As an airheaded sapphire, her predictions of the future are accurate but always vague. Her frustrated superiors keep her around because she at least does her job.

CHARCOAL SAPPHIRE

Charcoal Sapphire is… relatively speaking, a normal gem. She holds a positive attitude and preforms her duties with no issues. However, she's not exactly a normal sapphire. While most sapphires treat their future vision as reason to be passerby in their own lives, Charcoal Sapphire often sees it as reason to be proactive. The thing she hates most about her duties is having to let things happen, and it drives her insane. Because of this, she has little sapphire friends. Other gems, however, are a different story. She has plenty of non-sapphire friends, although does not see them much.

She loves a planet's scenery outside of Homeworld colonies, when a planet is left untouched by gems. She wishes to explore these planets and learn about its ecosystems, however she is doomed to let Homeworld continue its tyranny.

[crow-cello]

Happy May 1st! Art has been sporadic, so I feel I need to finally expose some of those overdue concepts now that I'm focusing on another fandom at the moment. I'm not called the fandom hopper for nothing, but I enjoy each series for the duration of months before I need to stretch my mind with the next one. I always come back to the fandoms I like, eventually! There is always a time for everything, but only when the time is right.

To my Hazbin Hotel friends, I especially owe a lot of unposted wips. Now that Hellaverse is confirmed canon, I can happily say I kept the mindset of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel characters coexisting together in the same universe. My many roleplays I have with @dashi-inu pretty much inspired a lot of these works. Some are also own personal projects. These wips span back to December 2024, to March 2025, and while they may not be finished anytime soon, these are concepts I think about a lot.

Hazbin Character Refs

Character Spotlights

Fusions

Art Wips (Michael/Lute, Alastor/Lucifer, and Adam/Lucifer) Also Solo Abel, and a Solo Lute

With that said, enjoy my thoughts in the form of sketches! Foreword: There will be casual nudity, and smut stuff.

Hazbin Character Refs

Dashi was making character refs for the characters we used the most in our Hellaverse universe and was working on one for Baxter. And my god, if you know, he always goes so hard on the lore and style of these. I was inspired to do the same.

Lute is one of my favorite characters, and someone that I did not expect to have more development for during the time I was working on a lot of Adam projects and works. Then again, these two go hand-to-hand in the Heaven Lore. And yet, Lute became so much more, that she turned out to be the baby girl of my fixations (thanks to dashi's vers. of Michael of course. <3)

Here is her full body. Yes, it looks almost complete, but I could never get her main outfit to work the way I really envision it and was too fixated on her "Descent to Hell" version more, so it became a delayed post.

Cain was also supposed to have his own fullbody. After making the realization I will have to do for Abel and Seth, I figured that would take a while.

Character Spotlights

There is a series that I love that does special focused comics for each of its characters *coughs thank you transformers* and I wanted to replicate that idea for every character of Hazbin and Helluva Boss, as most don't have current backstories, and some I had been able to imagine just a little more differently. I was particularly piqued to do for Vox and his assistant and Baxter, Velvette and Melissa, Valentino, Angel Dust, and Travis, and of course, one for Adam who would have been Issue #1 being first man and all.

The only page sample I managed out of that ambitious project. 12 pages, back-to-back if that ever becomes printed editions. You can imagine how that would take a while as well for each character!

Fusions

While the show is still ongoing, Dashi and I felt there could have been more characters. But even more selfishly, the concept of fusions had always intrigued me: To be able to explore the bond of two individuals in order to create a celestial being. Or to forcefully bond and create a monster of a force. Fusions can be a wonderful dance, or a tango lead by just one.

This was also a less pressuring way of making "love children" with my favorite ships, without slapping a fan child to them just like that. In Dashi's Michael case: his Michael has made a vow of abstinence, and Lute was more than happy to oblige with his terms!

Lute x Michael Fusion:

Modest Michael, Strong fighter Lute. She carries herself with a cunning grace, yet elegant in a dark heavenly way. Michael's comfort in letting Lute lead this fusion graces their bond together with a strong fallen angel of justice. "She's like a cat in the dark and then she is the darkness 🐈‍⬛ 🐦‍⬛"

Adam and Lute fusion would be the byproduct of a forced bond, and one that overrides Lute's confort. This is what predicts the fusion's visual identity, and the headmaster of the dance. Unstable, but one of the stronger fusions.

A rock hottie powerhouse, he has the best fighters of Heaven under his belt. His showman ways are even louder than ever, even going as far to showcase both his bits (against Lute's wants of course, Adam finds humor in showcasing the beauty of her with his confidence.) Perhaps this way, Adam can finally get the numbers of the ladies with a lady's expertise in the host body...

Art Wips

This one is self-explanatory. Fan pieces that I did not get to finish for Michael/Lute, Alastor/Lucifer, and Adam/Lucifer. (And Lute by herself, too!)

I'm sorry the Alastor/Lucifer ones have to be heavily cropped lol!

Adam/Lucifer, for a zine I had to drop out of unfortunately due to time limitations :'> But also, an Adam and Abel for an au just for indulgence.

Thank you if you made it this far! Let me know if there is a concept or art that piqued your interest, too!

[whimsy-beetle]

I made actual ref sheets for my ocs?? no way!

they are also on artfight btw :3

I've already rambled about her in this post and i haven't changed anything about her story so i'm not gonna yap about that again. I made her pre-canon (can I even call it pre-canon? it's a part of the story that happens before the main events that i came up with for context but then i got invested and...let's just say it has more "main story" energy than the actual main story) outfit actually look like clothes (to be completely honest, i myself wasn't even sure whether her old design was her actual body or clothes...). I've also changed their current clothes, not much to say about this one, i didn't like drawing the old ones anymore. I still like the old design in concept, just not in practice.

They were the last envoy to be summoned to The Land of Winds.

He's actually the first character i designed for this story (his concept hasn't changed that much actually). He was the first envoy of the wind summoned by the gods to protect humans (the last surviving human settlement) from not so friendly creatures (there's a lot more to these creatures and i'll have to elaborate on that in a different post, i'll just leave it at "not so friendly creatures" for now for simplicity's sake). The humans never really trusted him, that's why the second envoy was summoned but more on that later. That is also why he lives outside the citadel (the last human settlement, i don't have a name for it other than The Citadel, but i think it works because well...there's no other human community left so... no need to have an identity of its own, right?). I'm realizing now while i'm writing this that there are a lot of things about the story that i have to explain to make certain aspects of these characters make sense...add that to the ever growing list of clarification posts i have to make that i probably should've written before the character introductions...man

Risei is the second envoy, summoned to convince humans to trust them and to believe in the Prophecy™ (she was also the one who phrased it, in the version that it would appear in the story...i hope this isn't too confusing ahhh). She is a priestess for the sky gods (the ones who summoned the envoys, but primarily The Refraction, because they are the most relevant god to the fulfilling of the Prophecy™) for two reasons: one, to reassure the humans on the legitimacy of the Prophecy™ and two, to ask the gods what the hell are they supposed to do to fulfill it. Being summoned as an envoy of the wind literally means spawning one day in The Land of Winds with a very vague idea of what your goal is.

Risei is very good with words and, out of all the envoys, integrated in human society the easiest (she's fascinated by human culture)

Lioran's purpose was to track the movement of the stars and predict when and where a rift between the land of lights (sky realm, where all the stars live, The Refraction's domain) and the land of winds might appear, as well as sew a giant net to catch the star safely. They are somewhat reclusive but became good friends with Risei. After [insert tragic event that led to the envoys disbanding] they traveled to the tunnelways (name is subject to change - the tunnelways are some leftover structures from civilizations long gone, they stretch over a significant portion of the land of winds) to map the stars and make sure such an event won't happen again. They have a knack for fabric, for both the aesthetic and practical sides of the craft (hence the spider reference) and are the one who came up with the design and made Risei's ceremonial outfit. Their opinion of Friheten isn't exactly good, let's say her questionable work ethics aren't helping her here, this also has to do with [insert tragic event that led to the envoys disbanding]. Lioran was the third envoy to be summoned.

Is it awkwardly late to mention that, at least in the current version of the story, Risei dies in pre-canon? Yeah, that happens. It's not the thing that gets the envoys to disband and swear to never attempt to fulfill the prophecy ever again, but it definitely adds to it...

[ichorblossoms]

honeybee year two recap

it's 4/20. it's easter. it's a friend's birthday. and on top of all that today also marks two years since grimm and yarrow appeared damn near fully formed in my brain, took up residence, and still have not left. and i feel like rambling about what all i've been compelled to do

(year one recap post here btw)

but also before you go under the cut i made a whole entire animatic so look at that too tee hee :3c

okay also before i get into little details and stats and stuff i just wanna give a HUGE thank you to everyone who follows this blog and is cheering me and this story on it genuinely means so much to me that people like what i'm doing and are in some way invested in it! what the hell!! it's such a treat to be able to talk about ocs with friends and all that :,,,>

art

well. i drew them a lot. serena for reference bc she's my oldest oc. also a year ago grimm and yarrow were at 61 and 51 images respectively. art fight stuff and gifts count towards this total so it's not all my own stuff but. it's fucking dire

as for some of my favorites i liked how these in particular turned out hehe

also those short animations but those are gonna copypaste weird

they got proper ref sheets!

i'm currently on my. fifth sketch/artwork file (blank one is the current one i'm just weird abt how i save things)

mailed out prints of them!!!! and internationally!!!! my silly little cowboys are out and about in the world what the hell..........

getting more comfortable drawing Adult stuff of them but i have a lot of other ideas competing for my focus at any given time so it's not a priority dghkldfh

comics! not as fruitful as last year but i've done....eight! whole comic pages of them! tbh i have more in the works either thumbnailed or half-sketched but the animatic took over my last little while so. not as many comics

sorry i'm gonna mention that fucking animatic again bc i have never done anything like that before. dunno if/when i'll do another but ! i made one !!

story/writing

i also made a 50-slide powerpoint about what the fuck is going on in honeybee. just like in general. feel free to look at it btw

also i gave that presentation to friends a total of. three times. they willingly opened that can of worms though idk

i got a physical notebook to tease out plot shit in and that's about....halfway full already? like at least fifty handwritten full pages of thoughts in that fucker. this is where i do most of my hooting and hollering about ideas

the first draft is currently up to 83k words !! which means i wrote nearly ~50k words this past year !

started sharing my writing for occasional wip wednesdays !! i'm still pretty picky about what i share and also just like. very aware i'm still a pretty amateur writer hdgkldf

that being said, writing feels a lot easier now than when i started !!

made some posts sharing details about things! but honestly i still struggle with talking about oc stuff unprompted even when This Is My Blog Where I Do That

some story developments i figured out this past year or so: grimm backstory stuff, yarrow kills at least two people before p3, the beginning of all three parts have been reworked or are in the process of it, p3 has more meat and direction (still fizzles out to disjointed scenes at another point, but that's a matter of writing things out), yarrow actually realizes grimm's humod when they first meet but grimm thinks it's hiding it, rappock's mining union is going to play a larger role in p1/2, grimm's run out of town in p1 bc of money, not the killing, grimm's p1 client is who hunts it down at the end of p2, lucy comes into play later in p3 than i first imagined

other stuff

i've been getting more tags where ppl recognize grimm n yarrow and i'm like?? bewildered by that? people know my fellas?

goals/plans

as it is right now, honeybee is a passion project. i mostly work on it in my free time outside of my work hours and that's probably how it's going to be for the forseeable future

with how large of an undertaking this story is, my sssort of plan is to: write out the first draft (i am here) which is organized chronologically, write the second draft in the actual story order, have people beta read that draft, edit the story accordingly, then begin the process of actually making the final story with illustrations and all. this will take me several years even without getting sidetracked

that being said i would like to get the first draft to 100k words by the end of the year, which seems pretty plausible!! reachign for the stars goal is finish the first draft within the next year but i'm not holding myself to that one

also wanna do more comic stuff this next year. like i said i have a few other ideas but also there's some illustration stuff cooking away too

my plan honestly is just to keep consistently working on things as they interest me. i want to see this story realized how i envision it, but i truly do not know what the next year has in store for me so! i continue to ball

[sarahs-malewives]

been replaying fe3h and had many Thoughts™️ abt Byleth(sona)…

in order the designs are og / after merging w sothis / after 5 yr timeskip haircut / timeskip enlightened one / haircut enlightened one

design notes and A Lot of images under cut !

regular byleth refs/randoms tuff I typed on the previous post is still canon, except the route! Changing the “canon” one to be blue lions w every single character recruited lol

a new personality detail I wanted is that he starts off like canon Byleth does, emotionless, until she’s forced into being a professor. That would be the first instance of him feeling shock and anger, and then it all goes downhill from there until he becomes one of the most animated characters in the monastery.

ESSENTIALLY I just got to the point where Sothis merges w Byleth and it like. kinda pissed me off ngl. Like why the pale green right away? Neither had pale hair to begin with. I made it so that it progressively gets lighter w time. I also wanted him to look more like Sothis post ts, which might justify Rhea’s weird attachment to her.

The haircut is (long story short) from like a week after everyone regroups after ts (generally. I haven’t gotten to that part yet so I don’t remember what happens). Byleth is, of course, pissed off. (In this universe enlightened one is given after ts.)

During the 5 yrs everybody looked for him for months, but most eventually quit. This excludes Felix, who realizes his feelings during this time, but also greatly misses his companionship.

Felix seeks him out to talk, and walks into the training grounds finding him trying to smash his tiara with an axe. He strikes and strikes, casts fire and hits again, but to no avail. Felix eventually notices tears are streaming down his face.

“Byleth.” Felix snaps him out of his trance.

“Felix? Goddess, you shouldn’t have seen me like this.” He wipes his eyes with his hands.

“I know you,” Felix pauses, “This is because everyone’s treating you differently, isn’t it.”

“You… always know.” He sighs. He sinks down to the floor, watching as Felix joins her. “Can you change the subject? To anything else. Please.”

“If that’s what you want.” He pauses for a minute. “So… your hair has gotten longer than you wanted it.”

“Yeah,” She agreed. “I hate it.”

“Want me to cut it?”

“You can do that?”

“Have been for the last… five years.”

“Ah.” She paused. “Let’s do it.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.” He glanced up as Felix shuffled to sit behind him.

“So, what are you thinking?”

“Something that’ll piss Rhea off.”

A startled laugh escaped Felix, and he quickly dissolved into laughter for a minute or two. She never realized she’d hardly heard Felix laugh until right now.

“You… you really haven’t changed, have you?”

“Thank you. Finally someone gets it.”

[xbruised-peachx]

I love your hcs! And I love that you write for Gromsko and Fender!! ❤️❤️❤️

I checked your blog to see if you're accepting requests but I couldn't find anything. 🤔

I wanted to ask how you think those two act around their crush before they confess to them/how they go about asking their crush out?

Please ignore this if your requests are closed 😅

(thank you!!! for a ref, my writing requests are open! pretty much only req i dont do is render request, but my writing requests are always open!)

Tags: fem!reader, not betaread, one shot, slight angst in fenders section

Gromsko w/ a crush

I've gone into this in Sowa Team but he's kinda the type to genuinely not believe you're single and just assume you're taken. I mean... come on, how could you not have a lucky someone? He admires from afar, adoring the way you talk, you walk, your smile. He notes the way you react when he talks to you though, looking away when you catch his gaze, a softly blush barely appearing on your laughing face. He never asks directly, instead hearing from others or from an implication from you that you aren't taken. He takes that and starts to flirt a bit more, starting to call you little pet names but only in Polish, assuming you wouldn't understand and if you do understand... then you'd get his hint. Kochanie, malenka (everyone is small to him), kotku, he'll even tease light-heartedly; "Whatever you say, piękna..." He'll play off your words, making you smile and laugh however he can because he just can't get enough of it. That's how he finally asked you out too, catching him looking at you while eating lunch.

"You're staring at me like you're a cartoon character," you called him out and you were right, head in his hands and slightly tilted. "Only thing missing is the hearts in your eyes."

He chuckled, shaking his head as he broke his gaze. "Yeah... I can't help it I guess." He paused, looking back at you with such soft eyes. "...I could just look at you for hours. I think seeing you smile would be my sunrise in the morning."

You laughed, your cheeks starting to blush. "Gromsko... have you thought of waking up to me?"

His smile dropped slightly, realizing he slipped up, his eyes darting as for once, his confidence fell. "Maybe..."

"Mhmm... and how long have you thought about that? Why were you thinking of that?" You teased him playfully.

He smirked, gaining a bit of self-assurance as he looked back at you. "I think you know why..."

With a sly smile, he let his hand slip over to you, letting that be his answer as he looked at you with adoration again... and you accepted.

Fender w/ a crush

With the way he is, knowing his father's fate... love terrifies him. He's tried to keep it out of his mind and for the most part it had been successful. People would catch the way he'd be struck by you, lingering looks for longer than he has for anyone else... and when called on it it struck him in a different way. He'd notice how his heart skipped a beat when he saw you smile in pure joy. You'd never catch him looking though because he'd look away just as quick, snapping himself out of it. He wanted to keep you smiling, but to him the only way to do that was to keep away from you. He lived a dangerous life... his heart ached just thinking about hurting someone by leaving them. And he could avoid that by simply never coming into your life. But he could only avoid for so long. Once you started talking to him and he got to know you more... he started falling more and more. But he remained in denial, despite how often you insisted on wanting to hang out with him, showing how much you enjoyed his company, he convinced himself you didn't like him like that. But as he got more comfortable around you he also got more comfortable sharing, eventually sharing his fear... even his fear of love and why.

"I... can understand that," you said sympathetically. "I'm sure seeing your mom all your life post... I can't even imagine but I can understand."

"...It's hard still. She always said I looked like him... the way her face dropped in fear when I told her I was joining but... I also remember her pride in telling me to protect my face..." He paused, looking away from you and to the floor, shutting his eyes as he took a deep breath. "...Even if I don't date anyone... the idea of leaving her alone is..."

He couldn't finish his words before a releasing a shuttering breath. You let him have his moment of quiet before scooting close, putting your arm around him to help ground him back to reality before dark thoughts took him. "I know you're scared but... Fender, you don't have to suffer alone with these thoughts... I'm here for you, no matter what."

He slowly looked to you, tears just barely pricking his brown eyes as he hesitantly leaned into your touch, enjoying it but still having anxiety. "...Thank you......" his voice was soft, and his smile showing his absolute gratitude. It took a while for him to gain the trust needed to let you love him... to let himself show love to another. But when he did, he couldn't be happier allowing himself to be vulnerable in a way he never has before.