#THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE SUPER KIND ASK!!

[ribbononline]

Hello I am obsessed with your art—your line work and your colours and shading sjfjslkdkd I want to put your artwork in my mouth and consume everything. Your AC characters are so cute, i loved your timeskip Shauna and your pixel art is amazing???? I simply must know if you’re open for commissions and what guidelines you have because I would die 🥺

Aough, thank you so so very much! I'm so happy to hear that :'D As for commissions- yes, they're open! I don't have any pretty sheets I'm afraid (graphic design is not my passion), but I have the rundown.

Further details under the cut!

I'm fine with doing:

Fanart

Shipping

Self inserts/Sona's

OC's

Furries

Pokémon, stylized animals, or any monster type creatures

Pin-ups

I don't do:

NSFWT (Not Safe For Tumblr. Sorry)

Real people

Backgrounds

Mecha's (I'm just not strong enough)

Eternatus (Sorry for singling you out buddy. You're the only Pokémon that truly terrifies me when it comes to drawing)

Currently not taking any pixel commissions, I don't have a set enough 'style' yet to feel comfortable charging for it. I'd like to one day, though!

Please note: if you want something like a Pokémon or a similarish creature, feel free to ask about pricing! A Togepi and a Rayquaza are at very different levels there and I wouldn't make you pay the same for both.

In general, if you have any questions, always feel free to reach out!

General terms of service:

Payment is upfront. Please note that prices are in euro's!

Payment is done via PayPal. I do need to set up a Ko-Fi, though.

Each second character is 80% of the price.

Please do NOT use my art for any commercial use.

Please do NOT alter my art with AI or use it to work with AI.

Feel free to post wherever, just credit me if you post it on any socials!

I have a right to refuse a commission for any reason.

Please have some sort of reference sheet ready! It doesn't have to be a full drawing, just... something. Can be a picrew, a collage, a general 'something like x', but please have something ready to work with!

Let me know if you want your commission posted after it is done. If you do, let me know if you wish to be credited as the commissioner or would prefer staying anonymous.

What you can expect of me:

I work in three 'phases'. First is the sketch- you'll be send some quick thumbnail sketches to establish the general pose and vibe you want to pick from. Once you have one you like, I'll send work on the full sketch! Sketching is the stage for any and all big changes, so please mention anything you want changed here.

Once the final sketch is approved, I'll move on to the second phase, lines. Not a very exciting stage, it's just the lines! Again, I'll run them by you for approval first, to make sure I didn't miss or mess up any details.

Finally is the third phase, colors! This is both flats and rendering. I don't mind tweaking colors at all, just let me know if you want any changes in them. After this phase is approved, that's the commission done! Each phase should take around a week at the maximum, assuming there's no breaks in communication. If for whatever reason I might take longer then that, I'll make sure to mention it as soon as possible.

I have a discord which communicates slightly easier then on Tumblr, so if you have one as well and you don't mind I'll make sure to reach out to you there! Otherwise, Tumblr does always still work too.

I hope that's somewhat clear! Generally speaking my commissions are always open, no timed slots or anything like that. Whenever works for someone else works for me. But yeah!

[stormingfrost]

Yes! I thought Pitch meeting the Light Demon was a good way of showing that he hates losing control, that despite him being a different Pitch back then, some of his more present day traits have always been with him.

I really like the idea of him being shaped by humanity's stories, though he has come to looking down on humans. How he copied humans and coming to regret it. Him still liking storytellers, despite how he's been changed by them.

The story of him forgetting other monsters name during the Great Depression was sobering, and so... human of him. Like, he's been brought done to the level of these humans, who are in poverty. They are miserable, and he is as well. There's fear, but little belief.

The phenomena of humans developing themselves and having control of their destiny is something Pitch seems largely in denial over, and blames solely onto the Guardians' influence. His decisions and understanding of things lead him wrong.

Pitch and the boy was a dynamic I really loved, it really showed an ambiguous side of him. Not evil, not good. Thinking about that boy's existence makes me really sad, and how Pitch was in his only baby tooth's happy childhood memory.

Tooth pondering about Pitch and that boy was so well done with the boy's tooth, it added so much depth to her role as the Guardian of Memories for me. How she can't be judgmental of the memory even though Pitch is there and he is an enemy.

Her thinking about the possibilities of him coming to know about the tooth also makes sense. Even if he said that boy was meaningless then, he has so few believers now. Pitch is so prideful he might destroy the tooth, but it is possible that he could change his mind.

It's sad because he is capable of complexity, of liking things like stories, of even having regrets when it comes to certain things. Pitch, however, at the end of the day, prefers fear and control and will prioritize what he wants, and blame everyone except himself.

Wow it’s like ur in my head lmao. Sorry for the late response, I finished my finals and had to take three days to mentally recover lmao.

But yeah, I agree completely!! 

He’s in such denial about how humanity shapes itself. After all he thinks it should be him shaping humanity, but instead, humanity shapes him. 

I actually think the gargoyle was supposed to be the demon at the beginning. Depression echoes fear, with Pitch going through the moments he had while in his prime, but this time, he’s at his lowest. It says a lot that Pitch forgot the monster, and how he survived but the demon didn’t. Fear sticks around, even if Pitch is at his lowest. There is little belief and Pitch has some. 

The boy’s baby tooth is the only one Tooth has, which means he didn’t survive for much longer after Pitch left him. (He probably starved, as in every comic in the four movements, he mentions that he’s hungry.) The happiest memory was Pitch, who was probably the only person who even bothered to talk to him. Tooth’s pondering if Pitch would change makes both of them more complex. Tooth would be willing to help him, but she doesn’t know if Pitch would waste the opportunity or not. She doesn’t know if he would choose good. He has the capacity to do so, but he stays stubbornly at the same spot. 

And when it comes to it, Pitch cannot accept that it is his fault when he falls. He’d rather blame everyone else, because he is no longer at the top. 

[chocodile]

Hi ! I’ve been a massive fan through the years, seeing you develop Hyden and his world and how full of life and wonder and details is so awe inspiring and cool! I really love your work and your style is so vibrant and electric! It always makes me happy when I see your posts pass by

I wanted to ask if you had any advice about wanting to share your stories with the world. I get so anxious that no one will care and I’ll just be posting to no one. I don’t want fame , just mutual interaction or have people genuinely curious , hear about others stories and be able to tell my own

How did you start? I don’t want to assume , but you do have so much confidence and are very well spoken in the way you explain your lore, what helped you get over any fears or worries?

Gosh, thank you so much for the compliments! That's so sweet of you to say… it means a lot to me that people enjoy my stuff.

My thoughts on your other questions about sharing stories are long, rambling, and disjointed… apologies in advance for the length, I swear I tried to edit this down:

Regarding sharing stories, I'd say the most useful thing you can possibly have is to have at least one friend you share story stuff with who is totally on board with it and having fun too. I've been coming up with stories and characters my entire life, and only twice have I really had an audience for it. Every other time it was just me and my sister, or me and a couple friends, or me and my wife doing creative stuff semi-privately just for the joy of the craft.

(Of course, I know that's easier said than done… but if you do have creative friends, organizing some plans to share stories with each other, ask questions, create AUs where your OCs from different stories interact with each other, etc can be very psychologically nutritious.)

Regarding feeling anxious, I suppose I never felt much anxiety about it myself, so I'm not sure how to advise there… I was a teenager on Neopets where putting massive amounts of work into character stories that nobody might ever read was the norm… unless you were astronomically popular, it was expected that you would probably never hear from your audience and would never know how many people read your stories. Everything was primarily for your own entertainment, and I carried that approach forward into other creative works. Of course, it's hard not to feel a little self-conscious these days, when you can easily see what people are saying and see who is getting "engagement" and who is not... but I do think that aiming to entertain yourself (and perhaps one or two friends) first and foremost is the healthiest approach. Plus, if you are really invested in something and constantly producing lots of art and info about it, people tend to pick up on that positive energy.

Apologies if this isn't super useful... I know "just don't care and also happen to have a bunch of friends with very specific interests!" is not very helpful advice in itself.

I have many other thoughts on "launching" a story, how to meet other OC creators, and trying to build an audience who interacts with your characters... it's something I've thought about a lot. I can share my insights for others in this boat, if anyone's interested? I'm unsure if I should include them here since it might feel lecture-y to Anon (and also this post is long enough, PHEW). Let me know if you're interested in hearing them though!

[wrylu]

when i'm sad i look at your rennick drawings and am immediately filled with pure joy. i'm so serious when i say that it brings me endless amounts of happiness. i love how you draw him so much!!!

SSSCRERAAAMAINGGG?????????????

THJIS MEAN SO MUCH TO ME ANON YOU HAVE NO IDEA ??? THANK YOU SO MUCH OH YM GOD 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 YOU'RE THE SWEETEST OUUUGHHHHHH☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️/POS/GEN

If you wanna request a rrennick drawing you can if you'd like to .... I wanna draw a little something fur you sweetheart anon /Silly/nf

[destiel-wings]

watching Angel (the series), I feel like is really interesting, specifically in s3 cause I think in some ways it was good but they did Cordelia SO dirty. I feel like there were some aspects where I was like yeah that was totally written by a man e.g. when Angel gives her a necklace after being away cause of Buffy’s death and she’s like it brings out my boobs 🙄.

I feel like there are some scenes that are kinda ironic considering how Joss treated Charisma like when Cordelia was doing that commercial? Like was that a dig at Joss? But also that’s 90s early 2000s writing as well.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

I don't know if you're watching the show for the first time or not, so I won't give you direct spoilers, but what they did to Cordelia gets so much worse in season 4.

There is one storyline specifically that happens that season that we as a fandom collectively pretend never happened.

And I actually like season 4 (i love the way that it's built, the plot twists, the epic tones of the main villain coming, the way that some characters develop and the main theme/metaphor that relates to the big bad of the season), but what they did to Cordelia will always be one of the greatest faults of the show. And now that all the rumors about Joss are out, we know why that happened too. 😔 That's when Charisma was pregnant and Joss threatened to fire her. And he did.

I mean, I can see the casual misogyny you're mentioning in the first three seasons as partly being due to the 90s/early 2000s writing (definitely a factor), and partly as a sad realistic depiction of what real actresses in the business like Cordelia (or generally women everywhere) had to endure at the time, when they couldn't even speak up. And i think there's a distinction to be made here, because there's two types of misogyny (or any other problematic behavior) that can be shown in media.

The scene where Cordelia is posing in a bikini and the photographer is a complete jerk for example is a harsh depiction of what society used to be (and still is), and so, in my opinion deserves to be in the show, because stuff like that is a slap in the face that should outrage us. Shows nowadays are excessively tiptoeing around real life issues. And i don't think it's helping anyone. I think we should be able to see stuff like that in fiction so we can say "this is horrible. It shouldn't happen in real life," and hopefully we can learn from it and get better as a society. In this sense, it's useful misogyny, because it exists to outrage the viewer and sensitize them to the issue. And there's tons of other examples of this in the show (I'm thinking about Lilah's storyline for example).

And then there's the pointless misogyny. Lines like "it brings out my boobs!" or other examples that i can't think of right now that won't really teach you anything if not make you cringe thinking "a woman would never say something like that", or "this is a disservice to the character for no valid reason" (like what they did to Cordy in season 4). That type of misogyny outrages us, but for different reasons, because it's gratuitous and completely unnecessary, and should be rightfully cut out.

Unfortunately the show does both. It is the product of its time, and that needs to be taken into consideration. In the end, I think the good it did outweighs the bad, and it managed to tell stories that are still strong and powerful today because it never shied away from speaking about human weakness and visceral struggles in a way that's raw. And people can relate to that (generally speaking).

And you're right, it is ironic, Joss became a feminist icon for creating Buffy, a show where strong (and yet human, flawed, imperfect) characters always stole the scene (with a few male characters exceptions)-- and then he created Angel. A different show, more adult, darker, with some noir touches, and a male lead. And I think, the vibe being so different and more focused on a male lead like Angel (who represents an anti-hero version of the knight in shining armor, which is, per se, an anti-feminist trope) the slope was slippery and so some misogyny slipped through. I'm not saying that misogyny was inherent to the basis of this show but... it kinda was. One could even say that Angel is the anti-Buffy (literally, one show being about a frisky young female lead who is a hero pledged to rid the world from evil vampires, and the other one being about a brooding 200+ year old male lead that is a former(?) evil vampire always ready to save a damsel in distress). The cool thing though, is the show itself is aware of that, and brings it out at text level (for example with Spike mocking Angel for it, in one of the very first episodes of season 1). So what I'm saying is... it's complicated. It's a show that uses its female characters to cater to its male characters' arcs sometimes. But it's also a show that gives us great female characters. Strong, powerful, intelligent, human, unapologetic. There's the good and the bad.

Back to Joss Whedon, personally, I can see him putting a lot of his own personal struggles into the show. Like, the theme of Angel season 5 is literally about the heroes trying not to get corrupted by the power, and that's kind of what Joss did. Guess he wasn't as good and righteous as most of his characters in the end.

[pynkhues]

Hey :) I've been thinking about slight parallel between "i wanted him dead, i wanted him to myself" and "i had to bring him under my control" (i hope I'm not misremembering Armand's quote lol). Both of those scenes had lestat soaking up adoration, in both Lestat is not as okay as he looks (ptsd from Magnus and knowing about murder) and he's entertaining crowd trying to cover up his fear. Both Louis and Armand saying one of the most beautiful lines in show ("in the centre of the whispering gallery..." and "summer fruit in the dead of winter" etc). Both Louis and Armand being unhinged. Both Louis and Armand having plans that will lead to Lestat hurting?(Murder plan and... well, Armand trying to "bring him under control". Louis was justified though). The only difference is Louis in relationship with Lestat and is wanted back, while Armand is being stalker lol

You can kinda see those scenes reflected in ep3 when loumand are talking about being hurt by Lestat. Louis is being genuine, while Armand is telling a story about his broken heart so Louis thinks Armand, just like him, is Lestat's victim, while in reality it's Armand who violated Lestat.

What do you think? Am I reaching or there's parallel here?

Thank you for your writing!

Ooo, I don't think you're reaching at all, anon, I think that's a really astute observation! I tend to look at the scene in 2.03 often through the lens of Magnus having discovered Lestat on the stage, not Armand (and the fact that there are multiple mentions of him in this scene, from Armand calling Magnus one of his deserters, to the mention of Lestat's turning, to Armand using the mind gift to tell Lestat he's Magnus' bastard while he's on stage), but I think you're right that the scene parallels really clearly with that sequence at the murder ball too.

In a lot of ways, it actually makes sense that it touches on both. We don't know how the show's going to adapt Magnus yet of course, but assuming they keep it relatively close to the book, all three scenes are real meeting points of love (however perverted, in Magnus' case that may be), desire, violence and possession, and pairing up at least these two I think emphasises - in Armand's words - the effect Lestat has on people. He's somebody who's coveted in his entirety, and while there are layers to what that means and how that's acted upon, it really embodies that sort of dark eroticism that's so important to gothic literature.

It also makes me wonder if it's a further nod to Armand trying to rewrite his and Lestat's history as similar to Louis and Lestat's, which makes sense, given it's a further way to entrench Louis' worst feelings about Lestat, and also a way for him to control the narrative.

[mewkwota]

hello, if i may join in on the character ask thingy, may i request mmx zero? (idk how much you know about that series, but just thought i would shoot my shot, also your art is a treat to see :D)

My unfocused self misread your question and I thought you said MMZ somehow, so here we go, you got two Zeros. (It's the same guy)

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression Following my deep dive into the Classic series, I would simultaneously check out the X series. So I'm actually fairly familiar with a good chunk of the characters there, especially X and Zero.

For those who have tracked me down here from the Deviantart days, you'd see I worked greatly on Classic and X prior to delving more personally into Battle Network (as I should've been in the first place).

Zero's design is a bit busier than X's, but I still find parts of it to be appealing. And I made it a very known fact my kiddo's hair is derived from his. So I am not immune to the pretty locks either. ^^;

I was also intrigued with his backstory and character. You may notice a big theme I like to work with in this series is "family", especially since it typically involves unconventional ones that aren't quite related by blood (they're robots, but also Zero's case is complicated). So not only did I find it interesting to depict a disconnect of Zero from his "roots", but he also finds some connection in X's side. Maybe not from everyone, but at least Dr. Light tries to understand him, even in-game.

And of course, I love seeing his dynamic with X, even when it's the very simple interactions. They compliment each other so well, especially since they don't quite fit in anywhere else.

I also like that Zero's VA gave him such a unique voice, the tone Mr. Gilbertson uses sounds so pleasant in my ears.

Impression now I still think Zero is appealing, and nothing much has changed there. But I don't think you can make me choose between him or his buddy.

I am aware of his great bias in the community for how overshadowingly cool he is, but I'll take him over the other Ryoutarou Okiayu character that does virtually the same thing elsewhere. Maybe it's because he's a robot, and I have a soft spot for them.

Favorite moment He and X get called "cute" in PxZ2 and that guy got cranky about it. Though, Zero didn't quite deny it in his response either.

"We may look cute, lady. But..." Yes that's because you two are.

Idea for a story A lot of people, me included, seem to agree that Zero and Roll could get along well. But wouldn't you wanna be on good terms with your best friend's older sister? Anywho, I have a few lighthearted ideas where the two would hangout, one of which involves working together to get something for X's birthday.

After all, wouldn't your best friend's older sister probably know what he wants the most?

Unpopular opinion I would pick MMX Zero over MMZ Zero any day. I don't think the story or atmosphere of the Zero series is bad, not at all! The premise and everything is a very unique turn in the franchise. However, it's just not my thing personally. Maybe other people ruined it for me.

Favorite relationship Take a look at the years upon years of art I have of this guy (and half the things I said here) and I think it'd be obvious. L(///L )

Favorite headcanon This is partly a friend's fault, but Zero's favorite spot is X's right shoulder. He'll get a little protective over it.

[potatoesandsunshine]

For the book asks: 10, 18?

tysm for the ask!!! 

10. What was your favorite book/series when you were growing up?

i was very much a percy jackson kid—The Last Olympian came out when i was in eighth grade, and i remember thinking that percy jackson was me in a real way. i adored those books. when i was a little younger than that, i was also a Warrior Cats Kid™

18. What's the scariest book you've ever read?

i haven’t read very many! a few years back i gave The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn a try, and it was a bit too much for me; it’s definitely not a horror book, but there’s a lot of violence and the descriptions turned my stomach a little. the book just wasn’t for me. honestly i should give horror a try, but i’m a pretty big scaredy cat. maybe i can handle it in books better than in movies?

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

Hey, you. For the fanfic writer asks let's go:

2. What is your favourite paragraph from 'the prayer is all of me'? Is there a reason it’s your favourite?

4. Share a headcanon about Stan in 'that black ink my love may may still shine bright'!

6. What is your favourite type of feedback to receive (favourites/kudos, comments, DMs, complete and utter silence in the pursuit of remaining unperceived?)? If comments or DMs or anything else involving a reader writing, do you have a particular type of feedback that excites you more than other types?

Enjoy! 💜

Hello hello hello and thank you! I did enjoy answering these questions immensely!

2. What is your favourite paragraph from 'the prayer is all of me'? Is there a reason it’s your favourite?

I think it's this one:

She smiles a bitter smile. If she closes her eyes, she can still see the covers of those magazines: perfect housewives looking out at the audience with empty eyes and a tepid smile, pot roast in their mitt-clad hands and at least a couple of blonde-haired children in tow. “And I remember, in one of those, I once read: ‘Never let your man walk out of the door without telling him that you love him’. And so, that’s what I did. Every single morning, as he walked out the door to keep wasting his time on that stupid plastic crap, I told him. Every single morning.” She swallows her fear at what’s coming next. Her hands tremble; she starts playing with the cards to hide it. “Until one day, I noticed that he didn’t say it back. I don’t remember if he’d ever said it back before then, I only know that he didn’t that one time. And the next morning, it… it got stuck in my throat. I couldn’t say it anymore.” She closes her eyes. Somehow, it’s almost as if she can feel the burning in her throat, still. “I know it’s silly, but… when I got that phone call from his lawyer, the first thing that popped into my head was ‘oh, God, I shouldn’t have stopped telling him that I loved him’.”

I just like all the pieces and how they come together, if that makes sense? I like the juxtaposition between the picture-perfect housewife with kids on the magazines and Dorothy herself, especially Dorothy at the time she would have read said magazines (very young, in much harder circumstances, unlikely to be a perfect little home-making doll for a number of reasons but still doing her utmost to try). I like that it ties the piece together and gives some more insight into Dorothy's actions in the fic, and I really like that final line! I feel that in the face of tragedy people tend to get stuck on tiny, seemingly inconsequential details, so this seems like something she really might have thought in that circumstance, as absurd as she says it is.

Since that one is depressing, I also like the beginning of Sophia's second story later on:

“It was a normal day. No birthdays, no promotions, no problems – well, no more problems than the usual. I remember we had pasta al forno for dinner.” Ma pauses for a moment at this point. “Dorothy, you have to understand that when you grow up in a village in Sicily, certain things… don’t come easy. Me and Sal were young peasant people. We talked about work, about you kids, about the house, about ordinary things. We knew we loved each other, but we never said it. It just wasn’t our way of doing things.”

I love simple, domestic scenes, so this was a joy to imagine and detail, and I enjoyed writing a Sophia story without the support of the standard format. It was an especially welcome challenge to write a moment of vulnerability that still felt true to Sophia! She has such a complicated relationship with vulnerability, it was a lot of fun to briefly explore. I can almost see Estelle Getty acting out this passage -- her gestures, her pauses, her expressions -- so I like to think I did a good job with this one :)

4. Share a headcanon about Stan in 'that black ink my love may may still shine bright'!

This is probably cruel of me to say, but I don't think Stan has a soulmate in that world. He's not the only one, of course! The whole soulmate system is implied to not be an exact science, and I figure there's plenty of people out there who have no soulmate (Dorothy herself is surprised to have one, at the beginning of the fic).

My main reasoning for this is that, well... there's no obvious candidate in canon? George's soulmate is intended to be his affair partner, David's mother, because that's the one relationship we know he had in canon except for Blanche, but Stan doesn't really have any stable, long-lasting relationship in canon, except for the one he has with Dorothy. Besides, giving him a soulmate wouldn't have added much to the story; Dorothy already knows he's not her soulmate, so... Plus, I feel like if he did have a soulmate he'd probably divorce Dorothy earlier than he does in canon, but I wanted the story to be as canon-adjacent as possible, so he doesn't, if that makes sense.

(That being said, feel free to imagine that he does have a soulmate! It's not a pivotal part of the story, whichever way is fine.)

6. What is your favourite type of feedback to receive (favourites/kudos, comments, DMs, complete and utter silence in the pursuit of remaining unperceived?)? If comments or DMs or anything else involving a reader writing, do you have a particular type of feedback that excites you more than other types?

I know I'm very basic here, but -- comments. In an extended sense -- comments, DMs, tumblr tags, anything and everything that gives me a window inside a reader's mind and thoughts about my works. I just love to know what people think of my stories! One of my friends once commented a few chapters of an unpublished fic of mine directly on a shared doc, and another friend sent me a long doc with comments and questions and observations about another fic, and those are two of the best gifts I've ever received!!!

That being said, I know that comments (and especially long comments) require some energy and time, and those aren't always in full supply, so I also really love receiving kudos/likes! They let me know that someone read what I wrote and liked it enough to reach the ending *and* give me a sign of their appreciation. Besides, they're cute :)

[cali-kabi]

Hi there! I'm going around the Kirby community here on Tumblr trying to share positivity wherever I can- I've been following your work since I joined Tumblr and I just wanted to stop by and say that I really love the work you make. It's so cool seeing crossovers of all these different series and love put towards the Kirby anime specifics as well. Please take care and have a wonderful day!

~💫🍄omg thank you so much ;W; your so sweet and kind to spread positivity around the community :) I’m so happy you love my crossover and anime artworks I always have fun making those and writing headcanons as well <3💫✨💖wishing you a amazing day as well take care :D🌸

[swannposting]

Jack (on a side adventure with Lizzie?) comes across some supernatural thing that even he isn't about to fuck around and find out about. Something insane like a wardrobe being guarded on a ship and he opens it and snow comes out.

♡ Hi, anon! Thank you dearly for this prompt. I had a great deal of fun playing with this today. ♡ -> askbox is open for prompts whenever

“We never should have sailed north of the Carolinas, Lizzie.” 

Shivering like a wet dog, Jack trudges along a rocky beach at the heels of his Captain. He rubs at his elbows for warmth and lets out an ostentatious sneeze. 

“You know I hate the cold,” he grumbles, his voice thick and snotty, “And the clouds. Where’s the sun? Feels like me bollocks are goin’ to freeze off…”

“Keep that up.” Elizabeth taps at the compass cradled delicately in her palm. She pauses, squinting at the twitching needle, and Jack catches up beside her.

“Huh?” 

“You are being thoroughly annoying,” she informs him, “It’s stopping the compass from getting distracted by you.” 

“Hm. Well, you’re welcome. Can we leave now?” 

Her eyes roll irritably in his direction and she just walks onward, leaving him stewing in his bad mood. Jack stumbles on the unfamiliar terrain as he hurries after her. 

“Do you truly think there will be something of value here?” he says, following her around the corner of a cliffside, “Seems like this rock is entirely devoid of anything shiny.” 

“The compass seems to think so,” she replies, “I suspect it’s got something to do with the chalices. I’ve been wanting them terribly.” 

“Compass doesn’t work like that.”

“Sure it does,” she says matter-of-factly, “When one learns to get a handle on one’s own desires, she can be incredibly responsive.”

Jack scoffs, unwilling to believe that Elizabeth could have mastered the compass that has been his uncertain guide all his life. They continue along the base of one of the myriad of cliffsides found in the scattered islands north of the British Isles until they come across a break in the rock formation. It is almost like a staircase of stone. It isn’t man made, but it looks simple enough to scale. 

“Allow me, dearie,” Jack offers, stepping forward to take the lead as they climb. 

“No, you stay behind me,” orders Captain Swann, hopping gracefully up onto the first ledge. 

Of course, he should have known. If he is to take the lead, Elizabeth will be unable to discern if the compass is leading her to the treasure they seek, or in circles, following her dear old Jack. That gives him something to grin wickedly about as they ascend into the cliffside. Distracted by his own celebratory musings, he walks right into Elizabeth. They have reached the top of the cliff, where the ground is patchy with grass, and their anchored ship is visible in the distance. The captain has halted to look out at what they’ve found. 

“Huh. A shortcut?”

Elizabeth approaches a large opening in the ground. She kneels at the edge and peers down, then takes a pebble and drops it into the pit. It sinks with a whistle of air, and a splash echoes upward. 

“You aren’t actually thinking about going down there, are you?” asks Jack from where he stands at a safer distance. 

“I was considering sending you down there.” 

“Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy exploring massive, unfamiliar holes.”         

Still, he cannot help his curiosity, and he steps forward to peer down as well. 

“This must be the cave that they spoke of,” Elizabeth says thoughtfully, “You can hear the tide within. Seems like the compass just took us on the most direct route.” 

As she contemplates the sea cave below, Jack is suddenly spurred by a spirit of mischief. He does not mean to push Elizabeth into the pit, really. When he jolts her shoulders, he is only trying to give her a lighthearted scare, perhaps providing more of that helpful annoyance she asked for. But she startles, and slips, and the fragile earth beneath them crumbles at the edges. Gasping, she grasps at his coat as she falls, dragging him down into the abyss with her. Their shrieks shatter the silence of the cave, surely alerting anything that dwells there of their presence before they splash into the water below. 

The water there is dark emerald, illuminated by what Jack first thinks are some kind of gemstones. Until the gemstones move, and he realizes that the glow comes from the eyes of several creatures swirling past him underwater. Bubbles escape his mouth in a silent shout. He swims upward at top speed.

“Selkies!” he cries as he breaks the surface. Treading water, he spins about, searching for Elizabeth. 

“I know!” Elizabeth calls back. Jack spots her a ways away, being guided to a dark shore within the cave by a large seal. “They’re nice!” 

“No, they are not!” Jack splutters through his breaststrokes as he makes for shore, “They’re like mermaids, ‘Lizbeth. They’ll trick you!” 

But she pays no heed to his warning, and ends up on the ebony sands just before he does. Several of her new selkie friends follow, and as they emerge from the water, their seal skin transforms into pale, naked, human forms. Their eyes, huge like saucers and darker than the Black Pearl, lock with Elizabeth’s inquisitive gaze. He hears her whisper, “Beautiful…”  as she extends a hand to one of them. 

If Jack was cold before, he is positively turning to ice now. Drenched from head to toe, Jack wobbles to his feet and hurries to Elizabeth, tugging her away from the spell of the selkies. They hiss at him, exposing razor sharp teeth. Elizabeth yelps. Dozens of selkies within the water and on the shore all begin to circle the small strip of land upon which they stand, shivering with cold. 

“Do you think they are guarding that?”  

Elizabeth points further back in the cave. It seems that a bit of sunlight has broken the cloud cover and now shines through a small opening in the roof of the cave. The sliver of light reveals the remnants of a ship, wrecked and run aground. 

“Lovely observation, Lizzie dear,” says Jack, checking that his sword is still strapped to his belt, “Now what do you say we leave them to their duty, shall we?” 

Instinctively, they side-step until they are back to back, ready to draw their weapons and defend one another should the selkies use their teeth for more than just an unfriendly hiss. 

“No!” Elizabeth protests in a near whisper, “I want to see what’s in there.” 

“I expect more things that would love nothing more than to kill intruders such as you and I.” 

“We don’t know that! They could be nice.” 

“You almost became dinner for these things a moment ago.” 

Jack groans, covering his eyes for fear of the sekies’ spell. He hears movement beside him and peeks between his fingers to see that Elizabeth is boldly approaching the creatures. As fond as he is for his darling captain, he considers making a break for it and leaving her to sort out her own questionable decisions. 

“Hello!” greets Elizabeth, cheerily as she can muster to conceal the fear that Jack sees in her shaky smile. She gives a wave and holds up both hands in a sign of peaceful surrender. “Lovely to meet you all! And thank you very much for helping me to shore. I am Elizabeth Swann, Pirate Lord of the South China Seas and King of the Brethren Court.”

The selkies exchange looks and start to whisper among themselves in an unfamiliar tongue. Elizabeth casts a nervous glance at Jack, who is becoming very distracted by the terrifying visions of beauty that surround him. Before he can run, two selkies slink out of the water and come up behind him, sliding their long, dainty arms around his shoulders. The tallest of the selkies, and perhaps the most stunning of them all, steps up to Elizabeth, who holds her ground. 

“A woman king?” inquires the selkie in a melodic voice. Briefly in awe, Elizabeth blinks a moment before answering. 

“Indeed, I am.”

“And this man here– We saw him push you into the water. Would you like us to kill him for you?” 

“That was entirely accidental!” Jack calls out, struggling against the creatures and their pointy nails, “An awful misunderstanding really! Now if you’ll just kindly call off your ladies we can—”

Elizabeth shoots him a glare and holds up a hand to silence him, then smiles sweetly at what might be the selkie clan’s leader. 

“That is very kind, but no, thank you!” 

“Oh. Is he your… consort?” 

“Yes. I- I mean– no. Not exactly. He is more like my second in command. And I would like to keep him around. I do apologize for our intrusion. I can assure you we mean no harm.” 

“A pirate that means no harm?” says the leader, tilting her head. The other selkies let out a chorus of taunting laughter that makes Jack squirm. 

“Yes,” Elizabeth insists, “We mean you no harm.” 

“In our experience, pirates are liars who befoul our homes and slaughter our children.” 

The selkie leader’s anger is palpable. Elizabeth takes one step back, shuddering as a cold wind blows through the sea cave. 

“Those pirates are not our allies,” says Elizabeth, choosing her words carefully, “And I will make certain that any pirate who lives by the Code of my Brethren shall never harm you, or any of your children...” 

Jack winces. That sort of grandiose promise does not sound like something that could be easily enforced. But perhaps these are just words. Perhaps Elizabeth has seen sense and, like him, wants to get as far away from these isles as—

“...All I ask is to be permitted onto that ship you guard.” 

Bugger. Jack drags a hand down his face and groans again. If he ends up gnawed to death by a gorgeous seal-lady, he swears he will have a nasty message for William when the Dutchman comes to retrieve his soul. 

“That  ship?” The selkie leader inclines her head toward the back of the cave. Elizabeth nods. 

“I believe there might be something there that I am seeking. That is all we have come here for.” 

A disarming smile graces the selkie’s face, and her red lips stretch over teeth like sharpened pearls. She advances on Elizabeth, and Jack holds his breath, fearing that he is about to watch the gruesome demise of someone quite dear to him. Instead, the creature takes Elizabeth’s face in both her hands. 

“You are a very interesting Pirate King indeed. Have you been blessed by the sea?” 

Elizabeth’s lips part and her eyelashes flutter. It might be magic that has her entranced, or she might just be enraptured by this supernatural beauty. Jack can barely hear her say, 

“In a way, I am married to the sea.”

Her response pleases the leader, who touches her lips to Elizabeth’s forehead. 

“Then you have our blessing as well.” 

As the selkie leader draws back, Jack sees that Elizabeth’s face is bright pink, either from the cold, or that blessing. She and the selkie leader share a saccharine smile that Jack does not understand in the slightest. 

“Whatever it is that you seek is none of our concern. That ship is all that remains of a crew of men who failed to defeat us. We do not guard it. It is yours to explore.” 

And that is that. The leader calls off her fellow selkies, who retreat into the water and into the darkened corners of the cave. Jack scurries after Elizabeth, who heads straight for the shipwreck after graciously thanking the selkies. Together they shimmy up a splintering column of wood and nearly collapse onto the first deck they reach, which seems to be a captain’s quarters.

“Well, that was—”

“What the fuck  did you do that for?” hisses Elizabeth, her teeth chattering now, “We were lucky enough that they d-didn’t kill us, but our wet clothes may very well s-send us to our graves!”

With trembling hands, she opens up the compass again. She gives it a shake and lets out an exasperated sigh. 

“It’s spinning like mad now. What I w-want m-most in this world is t-to get warm!” 

Jack wraps her hands in his and rubs them together. When that fails to generate any real warmth, he gently takes back his compass and she hugs herself. 

“Let me try…”

Though it wouldn’t surprise him if the compass’s needle pointed him in the direction of the equator. He told  her that he hated going north, and for good reason. Jack rises to his feet and starts to pace the dusty old cabin. The needle settles and he turns to where it points. 

“Ah! How about this for a heart’s desire!” 

He stands before a large wardrobe, and to his delight, it is unlocked. Some sort of clothing must be inside, he hopes. Anything dry would do them good for now. However, something strange seems to emanate from the knobs. He hears Elizabeth come up behind him as he tugs open the doors. He expects the wardrobe to be full of dust. What tumbles out is a shock, to say the least. Heaps of powdery snow avalanche out onto his boots, and a cloud of the stuff goes fluttering outward as though an icy winter wind has been released from the depths of the wardrobe. He turns to Elizabeth, his dreads and facial hair covered in snowflakes. 

“Captain Swann?” 

“Yes?” 

“May I suggest we get the hell out of here?” 

Blinking away snow from her lashes, Elizabeth nods fervently. Jack steps back, kicking ice and snow from his boots, and something catches his eye. 

“Oh…? What’s this?” 

The cold bites at his bare hand as he stoops to reach into the heap. There, glinting beneath this bizarre indoor snowfall, is one of the two silver Chalices of Cartagena. Precisely what they have been searching for. He hands it to Elizabeth for her to marvel at. Then he snaps his compass shut and kisses it gratefully.

“Incredibly responsive. Seems this blasted thing knew where she was taking us after all!”

[pokimoko]

5, 10, 20, and 25 for fic in review ask thing!!!

5. What ships captured your heart?

I am a gen writer through and through, so it's a very rare thing to see me writing a ship-focused fic. That said, I really enjoyed the pairing of Karlach and Astarion this year, though I wouldn't say I shipped them necessarily in a romantic sense. The fic I wrote that had them together had their relationship tagged '(it's fairly ambigious; is it romantic? queerplatonic? platonic? yes), (the love and devotion is there regardless)' which I think basically sums up how I view them (and also how aromantic I am about shipping 😅).

I also liked Billford, but in a strictly 'oh yeah they're super divorced, they are never getting back together' kind of way. Not sure if that counts as shipping, but hey, it's definitely counts as something.

10. What fic was the most satisfying to write?

I would have to say either 'The Poetics of Space' (Gravity Falls) or 'On Waxen Wings We Soar, In Spite of Inevitable Ends' (Baldur's Gate 3). They were the two fics I was the most happiest with this year, not only regarding the quality of the writing itself and the themes they explored (the constance of change not only in the world but also ourselves, and finding joy in and making peace with the time you have left), but also how they tied everything together in their conclusions. Both of them equally made me feel a 'wow..I did that' feeling of accomplishment when I finished them, so yeah, they both were absolutely the most satisfying to write.

20. Share your funniest line.

Being more of angst-based writer kinda limits my collection of comedic lines (even my more comedic story this year was extremely angsty), but there was one line I wrote this year that got a couple comments about it making the reader laugh, so I'll go with that one (because if two people found it funny, surely it must be, right):

“You try fixing an interdimensional portal for thirty years without learning physics," (Stanley) said. "I know what quarks are now. Do you know how much I hate knowing what quarks are.”

25. How did you recharge between fics?

Usually I'd spend the first few days after finishing a fic trying to figure out the what the heck to do with the spare time I had previously allocated to writing said fic, and then once I figured that out (and had yet to be overcome with the urge to write something else), I'd probably watch a TV show, read a book, play video games, and do some art. I'm boring like that.

Send me a number!

[douubles]

context for what "maybe" means in the tags

[teddyreblogslotf]

gang friendly reminder that anything like fujoshi/yaoi makes me uncomfortable! so please don’t send in asks like that? bcs i know y’all’s ages and it isn’t anywhere close to mine and it’s rlly weird so again i am asking for you to not overstep this boundary bcs it’s kinda shitty to do that!

[ssreeder]

i started reading liab when you first started posting but at some point i stopped reading the updates. and i just now have reread all that i originally read and sped through the second and third works. i just wanna show some appreciation for writing such an amazing work💜

AWWWWW YOURE SO SWEET!!!

It’s so impressive to me when people say they reread my fic because it’s like wow not only did you read but you re read and now you’re even caught up?! That’s so amazing! I’m glad you’re enjoying & thank you so much for the compliment I appreciate you !!

[allylikethecat]

i would love if you did either 22, 24, or 30 for george and matty! (i love the ones you write all medical and angsty but i love all of them tbh)

Hello Kind Anon who sent in these fantastic and lovely Kiss Prompt Request my way in August!

I apologize profusely that it took me literal months to fulfill this request. I originally wrote a fill for this in Septemberish, then worried it was too rushed and also too dark / dealt with some stuff that was going to be *too much* for a prompt fill, then, started rewriting the dark and too much theme as a longer form fic, got nervous that I was going to get cancelled for it and abandoned the idea, AND THEN every time I came BACK to this to fill it, I kept circling back to where I had started (and maybe one day I'll finish that idea because wow it hurt so good). BUT I finally wrote something and it is not the medical angst that you requested or I intended but hopefully you're still here and will see this fill and enjoy it!! If you absolutely hate it though please let me know and I will rewrite you something new and better because I feel bad that it took so long. And on that note... I wrote about 95% of this a few days ago, then went to a NYE party last night and met an actual pilot and found out most of this is very inaccurate... I tried to change it some but alas how it would go down in real life was not dramatic enough for me so we have the TV version of oxygen masks dropping on a plane.

Thank you so much again for sending this in, and I am so sorry again for taking months to fill your request. I hope you enjoy it, and I also want to thank you so much for reading and your support! I hope you have a very happy New Year! (If anyone else wants to send prompts the Kiss Prompts list can be found here, and the ones I have already filled can be found here)

❤️Ally

WARNING: Matty and George are on a plane that experiences rapid depressurization

22. Kiss … in a rush of adrenaline & 24. Kiss … in danger & 30. Kiss ... as comfort

George woke up to a kink in his neck and Matty’s blunt nails digging painfully into his wrist, his eyes wild as the plane rocked, his empty can of coke tumbling off of his tray and rolling down the aisle. George opened his mouth to assure Matty that they had just hit a patch of turbulence, and that everything was fine, there was no need to panic when a loud bang echoed throughout the plane and the oxygen masks dropped down from the ceiling.  

George reached up, feeling eerily calm despite the roaring in his ears, the airline safety spiel he had heard hundreds of times in his life replaying in his mind as he fitted the mask over his face. Should an emergency situation occur, you need to put your own oxygen mask on first, before attempting to help those around you. He wrinkled his nose at the burning smell as he inhaled, wondering if it was from the chemical reaction creating the oxygen, or if it was from the plane itself. He looked over, and found Matty frozen in place, staring at the oxygen mask dangling in front of him like it was going to bite him, or suffocate him instead of sustaining life. 

Ladies and gentlemen please sit down and fasten your seat belts immediately. Came the flight attendant’s voice, ringing clear, yet urgently over the plane’s announcement system. George reached over and tugged Matty’s oxygen mask down towards his head, starting the chemical reaction to begin the flow of oxygen before pulling it down over his face and tightening the elastic strings. Matty was limp, letting George maneuver him like a rag doll, his eyes wide and terrified. George knew now wasn’t the time to think about it, but he couldn’t help but hysterically wonder how they would ever get Matty back on another plane after this. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the aircraft has just suffered a decompression and the emergency oxygen system is being activated. Please remain seated, and fit your oxygen mask and breathe normally. Secure the mask by placing the elastic over the back of your head. You must fit your own mask before assisting others. Any smell of burning is normal following the activation of the chemical oxygen generators. Do not remove the mask until advised by a crewmember.

He glanced back at Ross and Adam sitting a few rows back, oxygen masks fitted over their own faces, holding onto their armrests as they looked around frantically. George uncurled Matty’s fingers from his wrist, so he could hold his hand properly, giving it a squeeze, trying to show Matty that he was here, that it was going to be okay even as the plane dipped and George’s stomach swooped, his ears popping painfully as they descended rapidly. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the aircraft has just suffered a decompression and the emergency oxygen system is being activated. Please remain seated, and fit your oxygen mask and breathe normally. Secure the mask by placing the elastic over the back of your head. You must fit your own mask before assisting others. Any smell of burning is normal following the activation of the chemical oxygen generators. Do not remove the mask until advised by a crewmember.

“Breathe babe,” said George, hoping Matty could hear him over the roaring in his ears, “you need to breathe,” he repeated, Matty’s chest rising and falling erratically as he silently panicked, tears pooling in the corners of his wide unseeing eyes. 

The plane lurched again and Matty’s grip tightened on George’s hand, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip, causing George’s fingers to start to go numb. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the aircraft has just suffered a decompression and the emergency oxygen system is being activated. Please remain seated, and fit your oxygen mask and breathe normally. Secure the mask by placing the elastic over the back of your head. You must fit your own mask before assisting others. Any smell of burning is normal following the activation of the chemical oxygen generators. Do not remove the mask until advised by a crewmember.

“It’s going to be alright,” George said, he was unsure if he was trying to reassure Matty or himself. The plane rocked again, and he looked up, craning his neck to try and get a peek at the flight attendants, trying desperately to get a read on the situation, trying to get more information. Matty let out a strangled gasp, his nails biting into the delicate skin of George’s hand, tears falling, pooling around the orange plastic of the mask as he looked over at George, silently pleading for salvation. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the aircraft has just suffered a decompression and the emergency oxygen system is being activated. Please remain seated, and fit your oxygen mask and breathe normally. Secure the mask by placing the elastic over the back of your head. You must fit your own mask before assisting others. Any smell of burning is normal following the activation of the chemical oxygen generators. Do not remove the mask until advised by a crewmember.

“It’s going to be alright,” George said again. He stupidly and impulsively, aided by the adrenaline coursing through his veins, pulled his mask down to press a quick kiss to the side of Matty’s head, his lips brushing against his temple despite the apparent danger they were in before quickly refitting his own mask.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the aircraft has just suffered a decompression and the emergency oxygen system is being activated. Please remain seated, and fit your oxygen mask and breathe normally. Secure the mask by placing the elastic over the back of your head. You must fit your own mask before assisting others. Any smell of burning is normal following the activation of the chemical oxygen generators. Do not remove the mask until advised by a crewmember.

Matty made a soft hiccuping sound, and turned his head, burying his face in the junction of George’s arm and shoulder, his own shoulders shaking as he tried and failed to steady his breathing. His oxygen bag wasn’t inflated the same way George’s was due to Matty’s frantic breaths. Matty didn’t like flying on a good day, sitting bolt upright on the plane, clinging to either the armrest or George’s hand during take off and landing, and during even the most minor patches of choppy air. Matty was clean now, healthy, and George hated to admit it, but it had been easier to fly with Matty when he was using. He’d take enough Xanax to kill a horse and sleep the entire flight, moving like a zombie through the terminal when now he moved like a prey animal ready to bolt for the exit at a moment’s notice. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the aircraft has just suffered a decompression and the emergency oxygen system is being activated. Please remain seated, and fit your oxygen mask and breathe normally. Secure the mask by placing the elastic over the back of your— 

“We have reached our new cruising altitude of 8,000 feet, it is now safe to remove your oxygen mask,” came the voice of the flight attendant that had spoken before, cutting off the mechanically instructed spiel that had continued to repeat as  they made their rapid descent. George looked around, as the plane shuddered again, but everyone began removing their masks. George hesitated for a moment before removing his as well, remembering suddenly that he had read once that the chemical reaction that created the oxygen in the masks only lasted for a few minutes. 

“We apologize for the inconvenience,” the flight attendant said, explaining how they would be rerouting to land in Charlotte, North Carolina instead of Atlanta, Georgia as planned. George didn’t even care about the logistical nightmare that was going to cause during festival season, he didn’t care about much of anything except helping Matty take off his oxygen mask and crushing their lips together, a chaste, comforting press as Matty trembled beneath George’s fingers. 

“We’re okay,” George soothed, “we’re okay, it’s okay.” 

“I’m never flying again,” Matty rasped, his voice shaking his eyes still wide. George just chuckled nervously, the excess adrenaline still beating through his chest as he pressed another kiss to Matty’s lips, before tugging him as close as he could while wearing their seatbelts, pressing his head against his chest. 

“We’re okay.”