#I might do a little doodle for this tomorrow - I'll post if I do!!!

[geminitay-quotes]

GeminiTay Appreciation Week Day One

For Day 1 of GeminiTay Appreciation Week!! Writing prompt: Comfort fic (This event was proposed and coordinated by the lovely @dronepikachu! Thank you so much!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter on the Hermitcraft server was cold. This was jarring for some, as they came from a variety of home servers with lots of different climates, but it was a simple fact. It was frequently near or below freezing from late November until about mid-March.

Our story begins on one such winter day, snow falling heavy outside, and GeminiTay standing in her kitchen - singing an upbeat song as she put soup on the stove.

Unlike some of her neighbours, Gem was well equipped for the cold. The nature spirit was used to long winter nights, and as a matter of fact quite enjoyed them. There was something nice about sitting curled up next to the fireplace with hot chocolate on a cold evening, no sound but the fire crackling and your own breath. Perhaps some music if you were so inclined. It was a kind of comfortable solitude that you could rarely get most other times of year.

Gem looked out the window as her soup simmered. The landscape was quiet and beautiful, coated in a thin layer of whiteness that she could already tell would grow thicker in a matter of hours.

She served herself a bowl and brought both her soup and hot chocolate into the living room... There was no need to eat at the table if nobody was around to see her anyways! After lighting the fire, she relaxed into a bean bag.

Leaving her now-empty soup bowl to the side for future-Gem, she took a comfort read off the shelf and allowed herself to get absorbed into the book. Before she knew it, the ginger was fast asleep.

And yes, maybe she did forget to take in that soup bowl. And yes, perhaps she now would have cold chocolate to wake up to. And yeah, she did forget to turn off the fireplace. But as long as it didn't burn the base down (and it wouldn't - Impulse was much too used to fires and had installed in Gem's opinion too many safety measures), that would all be a problem for morning-Gem.

Because for now, night-Gem was going to stay right here in her little cocoon of warmth, and nothing you could say or do would get her to move.

[fainthedcherry]

MY ARTFIGHT ATTACKS OF THIS YEAR SO FAR!!!! I planned to attack more but...This is the first year I actually like- actively am getting attacked OUTSIDE of my mutuals! Which IS exciting but- at the same time as you can tell...I don't have time to attack people in result omg xD

The first drawing, the character Natsuki, belongs to YoyoyoRiooo on Insta and AF!

The second drawing, the Zora Legzonie, belongs to @meatdog on AF and Tumblr here! (I believe this is their tumblr as the link was scuffed on AF and had to retype it properly and hope this IS their blog LOL) (BTW, this drawing was referenced off weird stock images.)

The graph-paper'd doodles, Calypso, Hazel, Sunflower ALL belong to Luna-Lazuli on DA, TH and AF!!!

I've been revenge-chaining like 4 diff users with no joke, so I got 0 time to think of what to type here otherwise LMFAO

I don't wanna yap too much in this desc, as I'm mega-busy and trying to avenge 4 diff drawings in under 3 days isn't easy for me xD. The 2nd attack here of the zora, was an attack I've drawn tuesday I think, and then wednesday-friday I got 4 ATTACKS AGAIN- SO YEAH I'M AS WE SPEAK SKETCHING THE 4TH REVENGE DRAWING (final one actually for said Yoyoyo person, as it'll be the only characters left, that I haven't drawn of theirs!)

BUT- I can mention, that I loved doing something new again via combining pencils and markers!! I didn't really- like do it “symbiotically” if that makes sense? But yeah, in these drawings the pencils played a much more active role in me pulling off some things with shading or reflections! I got more polychromos, which means, I can combine more and more of the 2 in the future! I can't wait to have more time to draw traditionally though...I might crank back on revenges next year bc I just this year simply had so little time for it

I STILL wish for a 300-Ohuhu set to magically appear in front of my doorstep though some day. A delulu guy can dream! 🥴

BUT YEAH!!! HERE'S PROOF THAT I STILL EXIST!!!! I SHALL SCHEDULE A POST FOR TOMORROW,, WHERE YOU CAN SEE MY 4 REVENGES,,, AND IF I FINISH IN TIME I'LL ADD THE OTHER 4.

YES THIS IS THE 2ND TIME I'M DRAWING 4 REVENGES. THAT MAKES 8 REVENGES. 5 ATTACKS THIS YEAR. I'M TBH PROUD OF MY RATIO THO. I for YEARS wanted to make 10 drawings in the time of AF. BC I'm such a slow artist, this is actually a MASSIVE achievement for me. 😭✨

I HOPE TO PROPERLY CATCH UP ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA SOON THOUGH. I have SO much crap to reply to and SO much to respond to and do in GENERAL with my social medias. I made a Cara acc to get off Insta as an artist officially, so YEAH....Praying things work out and I stay off any social medias planning to use AI algos that feed off posts. We as artists are not safe anymore everywhere unfortunately.. :")

But I'm hopeful, this'll die out in a few years...

[clarktooncrossing]

HELLO THERE PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT'S ME, CLARK!

Happy National Cartoonists Day, everyone! What, you didn't think my current computer crisis would stop me from celebrating the Holiday, did ya? Actually, it almost did. Y'see, despite this piece being drawn by hand, my computer's scanner wouldn't save the file onto my craptop. My computer's going through a processing error, meaning it's set to stop working any day now. Fortunately this hunk'a junk managed to work just long enough for me to upload the newest Sketch BOOM! Yes my friends, the Sketch BOOM is back! I figured if I could only post one thing for NCD it might as well be something covered head to toe with cartoons. Some pretty well drawn cartoons too, if you pardon me tootin' my own horn. It just feels so good to have drawn something, have it come out looking as good as it does, and to be able to upload it here on tumblr for you all to see. For the record though, screw tumblr's stupid@$$ upload size limit, I freak'n hate websites that do that! It makes me as mad as a blood-cursed Croczilla fighting a sentient mobile home, but we'll get to that in a bit. For now though, let's see what silly sketches managed to make their way onto the page, starting from the top left corner and making our way down.

Don't forget to be on the lookout for the Snow Conies, the tiny sentient species of snow cones that have invaded almost every part of the page! Can you spot all 8?

[1] DID SOMEONE SAY PIZZA? You wanna know what the downside is of drawing at the bottom of the page and working your way up is? You have tiny pockets of blank space that you're unsure what to do with. Such was the case was this corner, having been left blank after drawing #2. For a while I thought of filling the void with a cosmically charged Snow Conie in the same vein at Rosie, but the Cosmic Cutie was already part of the BOOM due to Discord shenanigans. Instead I opted for a Clarktoon that sadly hasn't been drawn in a while, that being the ever-goofy Pizza Monster. No doubt he was lured here by the scent of all the pretzel pizzas I've been eating lately. While he was here I decided to experiment with his expressions, adding more cheek to his smile. Honestly I think he looked better without them. Still, I'm happy to see him here as I hope all of you are. Now if only he'd stop hogging all the grub!

[2] EYE OF THE THERIAN Rosie isn't the only character here due to Discord shenanigans. At the beginning of every month my friend @Foxhatart opens herself up to sketch suggestions on her Kofi page. For the record, those of you wanting to help out another artist keep food in their bellies can click here. With a few of these Kofi slots still left open, Fox came to her friends asking if they had any ideas for pics involving her characters. Not knowing a ton about her characters, I joked that she ott'a draw her half-lemur girl Cath bench press a bus, her freakish strength having become a reoccurring gag via game nights. Funny as the idea was, I didn't expect Fox to actually do it. You can imagine my surprise when this popped up in my inbox a few days later. Consider this doodle a long overdue 'thank you'. Here we see the crazy Cath lifting weights with, of all peeps, Bumper! No doubt the little marshmallow's here for moral support since he can't actually build up any muscle mass. Ghost problems, am I right? Hope you enjoy this silly little sketch, Fox. Next time I'll have Cath bench-pressing your mortal nemesis; a train.

[3] TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH Despite what I said about Pizza Monster, he actually wasn't the last sketch to be included. No, that honor goes to the metal mercenary, the bodacious bot bounty hunter, the anarchistic anti-hero herself; Candy Banger! Much like the aforementioned monster I figured it had been too long since I drew Candy or really any of the robotic cast of 3K. Atop of that, Candy represented a good chance for me to use the stockpile of poses I've saved up from a thumb drive. Using one from a tumblr site called @posereference turned out to be surprisingly easier than anticipated, the only real flaw in the end being how I colored her. This is one of many coloring errors I made on this piece, Candy's hair looking more bluish purple than I had intended. Still, considering I drew her at all, I doubt Candy's complaining. Here's hoping I can draw more of her in the future, otherwise I might be riddled with bullet holes like that wall behind her. 

[4] AN AVERAGE DAY AT WHIMSYLAND And thus we've arrived to the first sketch of this compilation given to me by a friend, this one coming from @jackieariane. She and I both suffered during the Chapek administration of Disney, Jart regaling me with tales of when she dealt with rude customers at Animal Kingdom. It reminded me of when my friends AnimatedTigerGirl and RigbyH00ves worked at the Floridan Park too, all three of my companions having a surprisingly miserable experience. All these stories started melting together in my brain until I asked the question; what would happen if Brooklyn Nine Nine was set at Disneyland? Thus Whimsyland was born, albeit originally out of spite towards Chapek. I already detailed all this back in the DUDELZ from the Dumpster I posted earlier this year, but I failed to mention the human protagonist of this story, Wendy. Having been to Whimsyland once in her life at a young age, the young Vietnamese gal with OCD was immediately smitten by the place, vowing she'd someday work there. Spending the rest of her life researching the park and watching Matt Whimsy documentaries on uView, you can imagine Wendy's disappointment when she returned to the Perkiest Place on the Planet to find nothing was as perky. Whimsyland had lost its whimsy. It's here where she met Freddy Fox, the cartoon mascot of the company living in exile over how the house Matt built is being run today. In other words, what I'd imagine Mickey would be doing if he were real. Together these two kindred spirits are set to bring magic back to this wonderland! Overall I'm pleased with how the sketch turned out, though Wendy's face reminds me of my character Sue the Game Genie more than I'd prefer. Also, Fred Fox is way bigger than intended, no doubt I'll be changing that for future depictions of these two. For now though, this drawing has just enough Whimsy for my liking. 

[5] CROCZILLA: BLOOD CURSE More Discord Shenanigans! This time it's the result of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that @burningthrucelluloid somehow roped me into yet again. Instead of robots and dragons set in a medieval fantasy however, this time it's elves and crocodiles in an approximation of the American south. One ruled by Jerimiah Strahd, a ruthless blood-sucking bastard that Alec based off Leonardo DiCaprio's character from Django Unchained. If that wasn't a sign of how crazy this campaign has become, here's an actual moment from the game. The heroic but hesitant human Jason (YoungSamurai18), the loud-mouthed scaredy cat Toby (Mr-Herp-Derp), and the silent but deadly Ed (void-android), and the equally hungry and adventurous Crocie (me, of course) were hunting for a witch named Bubba Lysiga when all of a sudden the witch brought her mobile home to life in order to attack our heroes. Worse still, she put Ed under mind control to attack his comrades. Croc got the worst of it, his HP dropping to 0 due to him falling from the house and getting stomped on by its gigantic set of wooden chicken legs. Did I mention this campaign gets strange? Well it got even crazier when a dark, shadowy entity housed in Croc's body suddenly gave him a recharge, the reptile taking the chance to mix a Heat and Growth potion he obtained earlier to become CROCZILLA! It was a moment Alec was hoping would happen in game and I didn't intend on disappointing. Same goes for this sketch, it mostly going just as envisioned in my head. The pissed off look on my green friend's face, the damage done to the rusty trailer that is the witch's house, the tiny silhouettes of Croc's teammates in said home, the heavy fog, the Earth-shattering roar in the background, it all came out great. Save for one detail. You'll notice that Croc's eyes are black with red irises in this pic. That detail's due to Croc having blood curse abilities, hence the dark entity sharing rental space in his body. As such, you'd think Croc's fire breath would be just as vibrantly red, but sadly that idea didn't occur to me until after I made the fire blue as well as the shine off every surface. Spam it! Still, coloring hiccup aside, I'm mighty proud of this pic! Hopefully so are the rest of the Barovian Bozos that make up my team. 

[6] WONDER ZIGGY, CINEPHILE FROM THE PLANET GARBONZA EVEN MORE DISCORD SHENANIGANS! Cut to a few months back and I was restructuring my Discord server, cutting down the multiple move threads it had before merging them all into one. Being the story-driven bozo I am, I quickly wrote a backstory for this thread involving an alien named Ziggy falling in love with the Earth B-Movies he was picking up on his deep space probe. So much so that he came down to our planet only to discover there were even MORE types of movies for him to enjoy! It overwhelmed him so much that he blacked out, awakening the next day having purchased a since abandoned drive-in theater on the outskirts of Clarksburg. Faced with this new impulse purchase, Ziggy followed the oldest piece of wisdom known to man or alien; Screw it. After a refurb Ziggy reopened the drive-in, screening B Movies and cinematic shlock to an appreciative public. And if you can believe it, I typed all of that out after thinking about it for five minutes. My brain is weird like that. All that said, it'd take a couple of RP sessions before I got his personality down, that being an MST3K character if the show were written by Joe-Bob Briggs. In other words, a surprisingly well educated weirdo with a deep love of Hollywood history. It'd take me a while longer before finally sketching him, basing him off the titular villain from Robot Monster, an appropriate design for someone who loves old, cheesy movies. All he was missing was a pink Hawaiian shirt and a cowboy hat. If you think he's strange, you should meet his wife Wanda, though let's save that for a future BOOM...

[7] LOOKIN' SPAM GOOD! What better way to show my friends I care than drawing them in ridiculous outfits? This sketch, the first to be included in this BOOM, is a merging of two repurposed ideas I had for other pictures. The first would've involved the Swedish menace Finjix with a fish bowl on his head much to the confusion of Alec, the recipient of a kawaii make over. I can't remember where the fishbowl idea spawned from but Sir Alec the Adorable came from him scoffing at the idea that I could make anything cute, himself included. Just you wait Alec, I'll get you someday! For now though I swapped out making him uber-adorable in favor of dressing him up like the Wasp from Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the awesome animated show he finally binge-watched on my behalf. Granted I could've drawn him as Maria Hill, the character on the show he deemed the sexiest, but it wouldn't have been as funny. After all, all Maria's outfit is a blue jumpsuit. Far less interesting than Jart's leather jacket, an image that popped into my noggin following her telling me she's learning to ride a bike. That and me desperately clinging onto the back as she gave me a ride, but that would've been harder to draw. Instead I went for the jacket, a fashion statement that would be stupid in real life since she lives in the infamously hot country of Vietnam. Yet even in the face of logic, Jart not only humored me but encouraged me to include this in the final sketch. Thank goodness she did cuz I love how it turned out, minus the green stripes that were accidentally colored black like the rest. DRATS! Not only that but she informed me that she was no longer using her fursona, instead opting to draw herself as a human from now on. DOUBLE DRATS! Ah well, I have more ideas involving 'Trang the Tyrant' as I've nicknamed her, so chances are I'll get the chance to correct both mistakes in the future. It might also give me another chance to draw myself as Super Giraffe, which was what I originally intended to do with my own fursona. Sadly the costume still needs work so instead I opted for my classic Pagonian Wizard robes. Even in the face of all these snafus, I think we all look spam good!

[8] ROSIE STARDUST, SPACE WIZARD Turns out I'm always right even when I'm spewing nonsense. Don't believe me? Plenty of peeps have made that mistake before. Take my friend Alec for example. In the midst of him running the current Strahd campaign I mentioned earlier, I jokingly tossed out the idea of Rosie transporting our heroes out of Barovia and into another universe. A cute 'What If' scenario the Dungeon Master wasted no time in shooting down. Mistaking my silly suggestion as a legit one, Alec explained how unfair it'd be for a god to play a game with a bunch of mortal meatbags. Let the record show that I never declared the sentient Einstein-Rosen Bridge to be a deity. Some alien cultures have mistaken her from one, but Rosie herself would be the first to tell you she's no holy being. Not that any of that mattered. Alec held firm to his statement, Rosie was denied access to any dungeons. For about six seconds before my buddy realized how a depowered Rosie would make a wonderful wizard for a Spelljammers campaign. Fueling this fire was his recent watching of The Owl House, imagining Rosie rocking wizard robes similar to those worn by The Good Witch Azura. Before I could say, "NOW EAT THIS SUCKA," he was leading the charge on my server of peeps demanding I draw Rosie as a space wizard. At first I was floored at the audacity! You shoot down an idea that wasn't meant to be taken seriously only for you to turn around and do so anyway? MAKE UP YOUR SPAM MIND! Then I followed Alec's example and got over it, the idea of Rosie in wizards robes too tempting a sketch not to capitalize on. In the end the only aspect of Azura that made it into the final product was the hat, minus the cute lil' crown. Everything else took cues from the fashion of @cherrysdesigns along with a style @girlofhearts101 turned me towards called whimsigoth. All of which resulting in an costume that gave Alec 'David Bowie Ziggy Stardust vibes'. It's thanks to that comment that Rosie now has a last name. Everyone, say hello to Rosie Stardust, universal explorer and space wizard!

[9] DIREKTOR AND 3D1T0-R Is there a Hollywood equivalent in the Star Wars universe? Some sort of glamorous planet where overpaid alien celebrities are shamelessly rebooting beloved classics for a profit? All while amazing writers are getting screwed out of the earnings they deserve? This was what I asked Alec during his binge watching of The Clone Wars. Surprising me once more, the Masked Maniac revealed that he had asked SIM-N the same question before, the two creating a character called The Direktor for their Monova comics. Her whole gimmick was producing hypnotic propaganda for the tyrannical Twin Emperors, a cool concept that never went anywhere due to the robotroll cutting From Destiny's Ashes short. Being the character man that I am, I decided The Direktor couldn't go to waste. Especially when she'd make such a good villain in the world of 3K and a good addition to this BOOM. After asking SIM-N for the character's original reference sheet I set out to give her a Clarktoon makeover while watching cutscenes of The Second Sister from Jedi: Fallen Order. No doubt Elizabeth Grullon's intimidating vocal performance effected my outcome, the alien movie maker now sporting a streamlined outfit along with a smugly sinister smile on her face. As apposed to her boss, the Direktor's little droid 3D1T0-R hardly changed in the transition. He was a little creepy ball to start and he's still a little creepy ball now. One that was cooked up by Alec according to SIM-N, which makes sense given our pal's passion for film editing. Once the two were fully drawn I decided to test out my shading and lighting techniques in an attempt to make her look more menacing. If the response I got from the others on Discord is any indication, I succeeded. Indeed, this fem fatale filmmaker will fit in phenomenally as a 3K villain. Now the question is to who? 

[10] JURAKISS Finally we conclude things with a sketch somewhat prompted by @zernna. Way back in August of last year she was commissioned to draw my cretaceous crusader Saura and her girlfriend Patricia enjoying a delightful day at the pool, a pic as charming as that description would imply. In my comment thanking Ze I couldn't help but laugh at how the two had already been declared a cute couple despite how I hadn't drawn the two together in my own artwork yet. The Alien Artist than demanded I draw 'moar art of them then', prompting me to ask if that was a challenge. She said yes. Though not from a lack of trying, it took me nine freak'n months to meet that challenge. Blame that on me being a picky artist since I have been meaning to draw references of these characters in the meantime. After all, Zerna got asked to draw Saura in other pics without having any color references for the Blue Beast of Fosslin. Fortunately Saura's shown up in a number of previous Sketch BOOMs, now getting to share the spotlight with Patricia here. A Patricia that would've been notably paler were it not for Alec asking if I had any markers that matched Patricia's skin tone. I didn't, but the local hobby store did! Who knew Sharpie made skintone markers? It not only helped me color in the cute Muslim girl here, but also Cath and Wendy later on. Talk about a perfect purchase! Now if only the colors of Patricia's outfit were as satisfactory. Ah well, there's always next time, since I'm pretty sure Zerna's challenge still stands. XP For now though, I hope you all enjoy this compilations of crazy scribblings fresh from my mind. If you didn't, worry not, chances are I'll be making another one soon....

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU ALL!

[pain-in-the-riri]

Twitfic I posted on Twitter last night :) Enjoy!

I'll probably write a follow-up later this week, might throw it on ao3 also

----

The first time Ed sees Stede walk by his construction site, Stede is wearing a too-tight button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

When Ed whistles at him, he expects Stede to follow Standard Catcall Procedure and keep walking his fine ass to his destination.

Instead, Stede meets his eyes and, face questioning and dopey smile plastered on his face, walks up to Ed and says, "Can I help you?"

Ed, is caught off guard, but not one to be easily flustered, leans into it. "You can tell me where you've been all my life."

"Oh, well. In Auckland mostly!" Stede says, then with a curt little wave says, "bit late, actually, can't stay to chat just now," and walks away.

Ed's not 100% sure what just happened, but he can't stop grinning for a few minutes afterwards.

The second time Ed sees Stede it's only a day later. Stede is wearing a tight black turtleneck and looks like a sexy brick. Ed is into it.

"Hey, Blondie!" Ed leans over a barricade, "Couldn't stay away from me?"

Stede swivels in place on his fancy wingtips. Ed hadn't noticed the dimples before and they're really doing something for him right now.

"Oh hello, uh," Stede appraises Ed for a second looking for appropriate nickname material, "Doodles."

Ed snorts, his eyes flick down to the tattoos on his arms then, amused, back up to Stede. "What did you bring me in exchange for distracting me from work two days in a row?"

"Oh, uh…" Stede pats down his pockets and produces a lollipop. "How's this?"

Ed takes the lollypop, unwraps it, and puts it in his mouth as seductively as he can possibly muster. "Perfect," he says and winks.

"Okie dokie!" Stede says, and walks away. Fuck!

Day three comes and goes Stedeless.

Day four, Stede looks stressed and Ed catches him just as he's about to storm past the boundaries of the construction site. He figures he'll lay it on real thick this time. "You look like you could use a glass of whiskey and a massage, mate."

"I could use a whole bottle," Stede grumbles, barely making eye contact, and stalks away.

Ed attributes today's failure to Stede's bad mood and tries not to let it get to him.

Three hours later, he's checking inventory when a blonde aura hovering in his peripheral vision catches his attention over his clipboard.

"'scuse me," Stede says, waving him over to the side walk.

Well well well, this could be interesting. Ed saunters over to the blonde as casually as possible. He clears his throat a little bit and flips through his clipboard casually. Can't look too eager. "Sup?"

"Sorry to interrupt," Stede says, crinkling a paper bag in his hands.

"I can squeeze five minutes in for you, Blondie," Ed says, "Or ten."

"I couldn't stop thinking about how rude I was earlier, so I brought you this."

"Oh," Ed says. Okay, he wasn't expecting that.

"I just had a bad day, I didn't mean to be short with you," Stede says and hands him the brown paper bag.

Ed peeks inside and it's full of madeleines from the bakery down the street.

"I hope those are okay!" Stede says.

"Yeah, 'course. They're great. Thanks." Ed says. "Didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but I didn't want my bad day to turn into your bad day."

Ed's original plan of putting an end to their little dance over the past few days and asking the blonde if he just wanted to go make out behind the equipment shed now seems highly inappropriate so he keeps the idea to himself.

"Right," Stede says, when Ed doesn't quite respond beyond looking between Stede and the paper bag full of cookies in his hands. "See you tomorrow, then?"

"Yes, sure. Tomorrow," Ed says. There is a level of genuineness to this increasingly bizarre multi-day catcall that is making Ed feel a little bit scrambled up inside.

It's totally fine to develop a crush on someone you catcalled, Ed thinks, as he systematically devours the entire bag of madeleines in the span of 15 minutes.

He catches himself hoping Blondie's day got better after he left.

The next morning, Blondie shows up with two coffees in his hands, wearing a black graphic tee with the words "I Believe" printed on it, below a cartoon image of a UFO.

"Morning, Doodles!"

"Heya, Blondie," Ed says, not bothering to hide his excitement to see the weirdo popping up so early in the day.

"Not sure how you take your coffee so I put some milk and got you a pocket of sugar packets." Stede says, handing Ed one of the two coffees in his hands. He follows this up with a promised handful of sugar packets from his pocket.

"A pocketful is the exact amount I usually put in my coffee, that's perfect." Ed says, and grins when that elicits a laugh out of Blondie.

"Welp, I'll see you later!" Stede says, deposits as many sugar packets as will fit into Ed's free hand, and starts walking away.

"Well, how much later?"

"Oh," Stede says. "Well, tomorrow is Saturday so probably on Monday? If you're still here?"

"I am," Ed says, and pauses a second to weigh whether or not it's a good idea to push further. "What about, uh, tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, you know. If you're free."

"You'll still be working tonight?!" Stede practically yelps. "Why is your work day so long!"

"No, no," Ed snorts a laugh, this guy's crazy. "No I mean AFTER the work day. If you wanted to maybe, I don't know, get drinks?"

"Ohhh," Stede says. "Well…wow. Drinks? With you?"

"I mean…yes?"

Ed is suddenly severely suspicious of his gaydar. He is questioning everything. Why did he even catcall anyone? He's a lot of things but he's never once thought of himself as someone that plays into stereotypes, especially ones as generic and boring as "catcalling construction worker".

"Do you mean like, with your friends?" Blondie asks.

Fuck!

"Uh, if you'd like?" Ed says, and does a cursory glance around the construction site. Ivan and Fang are on today, he could probably convince them to come. "Or if you want, maybe, just…us? Up to you. No pressure."

For a long quiet moment Ed is afraid Blondie's about to flee, but then he says: "Yeah, just us sounds lovely, actually."

"Oh, good. Great." Ed says. He feels a small wave of panic wash over him when he realizes just how disappointed he'd have been if Blondie would have said no.

"Here," Ed says, and fishes a slightly crinkled business card from his back pocket. He hopes it's not too grimy looking for this chronically pin-perfectly dressed guy before him. "That's my cell, so, uh, give me a text or a call? I'm off at 6."

"Wonderful!" Blondie says.

"Great. I'll see you later then," Ed glances at the name on his coffee cup. "Steve"

"Stede, actually."

"Sorry, Stede."

Stede chuckles. "What about you? What's your name?"

Ed holds out his coffee cup to Stede in invitation and Stede clinks his own paper cup against it.

"I'll tell you if you show up to our date later," Ed says, winks, and walks away without looking back.

He's pretty proud of that one, he thinks it was a rather suave exit.

[exeatemaballs]

Let's catch you guys up on my recent art! I made this early this month

TW/ death

Jesus I'm late hey everybody did a rough sketch because I.. I wanna start drawing again! This is a nice little doodle I made of my peach from Corrupted Fruit. I wanna post about her all month. So starting today let's welcome, our princess!! Made a little snippet to go with it too

--

You hold tightly onto one of the torsos of your friend, both agreeing to help one another so they can escape the butchery lying in the walls of the castle. Your day to die was tomorrow, so leaving in the middle of the night was their best option of making it out of here alive. The mushroom kingdom was asleep,the sight would have been beautiful if a threat lying asleep in her fortress. You try to absorb the scenery to alleviate your mind of its worries. Only to be met with Peach's intense gaze and weapon raised above her as she sprints behind you. Jumping into the air and slamming it down with all of her force before you can even warn your companion. You managed to jump off their back in time, but they didn't even get to scream. "Ehehehe... I almost got both of you with that one!" You can only feel your sight blur with tears as the consequences of your failed effort stayed lodged in the poor Wiggler's chest. She lets their body dangle on the blade while she hacks away at your body.

---

Anyways hey everyone.. Odd post to debut my art with but we're going for it!! I've been writing a lot for Corrupted Fruit. I heard it's Peach month, and I have a peach creepypasta.. might as well right? We're upping the gore, got a chomper scene in mind for peach. I'll make little stories for all the drawings this month /future me:that is not true/ Anyways thanks for reading, I know I'm a yaptron 3000 so it means a lot when people do listen. Take care, I'll see you later for my second post

[justslowdown]

Pip and I are meeting some pomsky puppies and chatting with their breeder tomorrow. Neither of us are looking to ever get this mix! Don't worry, we're full up on puppies! And I disagree with the practices of 75% of Arctic spitz/pomsky breeders. Much like some pure breeds...

I saw a doodle FB post that made the point I've been making forever. Yes, most designer dog breeders don't meet our standards. But the same goes for most dog breeders period. So let's educate average pet buyers on finding the quality ones, support the ethical designer dog breeders, and help the rest improve.. instead of shaming them and driving them away from the dog hobby. Kindness goes a long way

Anyways. I'm not pro- all pomsky breeders. But I want to learn more from the people health testing and focusing on temperament like the one we're meeting tomorrow!

Small husky types that are less inbred and with a more companion/less anxious/lower energy temperament than Klee Kai sound great. I doubt most pomskies fit that but I've heard surprisingly great things about some.

If the husky/sheltie/papillon litter works out well... Kestrel is coming into heat within the next two months! Then I think I might start up a little side breeding project separate from the farmcollies. To fill a niche ppl clearly want (I DO TOO esp now that Corvus is gone :'( little dogs are great). But doing it more thoughtfully than some.

Cute little (15-30lb?) husky type or maybe even wolf lookalike dogs, with solid off switches, easy to raise and socialize, fun spitz personalities, but more trainable and human-focused. I think the papillon will help a lot! American Eskimo might fit. Maybe a nice small sheltie? Since I know the sheltie doesn't affect that husky look hardly at all, surprisingly. I'd LOVE love love an agouti, 25 lb Kai clone tbh. I can keep more of the husky personality traits I adore with in a pet project cross than a farm working cross.

Ofc plenty of health testing, structure evaluation, and temperament as the top priority. But let's stop pretending people shouldn't care what their dogs look like lmao. Even dog sport folks have strong preferences, and a lot of conformation is aesthetic, not function... why shouldn't pet people get what they like too?

Anyways. I'll have a lot of questions for this breeder, but might consider using one of their studs on a Kestrel/Xavier co-own to continue this little project! It will be slow slow going, much like the farmcollie one (which will still be my main focus).

This is all brainstorming, I really need to see how the husky/sheltie/papillon pups mature. Don't reblog this, just a brain dump. Here's some pomskies/Arctic spitz AND some various laika (couldn't be more different but the look I'm into!)

Gosh I love Small Dog. All the farmcollie mixes and even Kiwi have been way bigger than I hoped. It'll be hard to let go of this upcoming litter. Pip is keeping one though! Feel free to pm me if you might be interested. I have a good list of pet homes but I'd love some people interested in sports (they won't be The Best but some of the higher drive ones sure will enjoy them!!!). As well as potential co-owners to help continue this little idea

[hoopdiddies]

I'm Not Over You // Ben Hardy x Reader (Part 7)

A/N: This is probably the longest I've written in this series. Again guys, thank you for the support, your comments and likes mean so much! My tag list is always open so feel free to ask. And on a slightly heavy note: the next chapter could be really angsty. Just a heads up right there uwu

Summary: You had always loved Ben ever since you two met in university and became the best of friends. That feeling went out like a candle flame when the two of you parted ways until he re-entered your life...but this time with someone who has already occupied his heart.

Warnings: Angst, slight drinking, slight swearing, (yeah the fluff is still present)

W/C: 5k-ish

Tags: @haendel-me-with-care

@mrsdoradominguez-barnes

@mickmoon

@lakef

@mrsmazzello

@valeriecarolinaw

@queen-turtle-boiii

Edited// I forgot to link the previous parts

Parts: 6 5 4 3 2 1

(Got the pic from Pinterest hhh-)

Storing the luggage bag you've purchased for a fair price in the spare room, you come across a small box of sundries tucked in one corner with cobwebs clinging to the sides. Your eyes light up with curiosity spiking within you, you pick it up and dust the webs off, blowing the particles away from the top. You squat on the floor and open the flaps, discovering small yet familiar items that had been lost in time– one of them being a sepia-toned polaroid of you and Ben posing dramatically with hilarious doodles drawn on your faces. You forgot about this, feeling a little guilty that you had hidden it away in a drafty box without remembering doing anything of the sort. You flip the picture over and spot a date and an unfinished sentence written in faded ink on the bottom left part. This was taken on Homecoming night.

'I'm not going-' it says, clearly discontinued next to the date. Silly to think that the picture somehow represents a puzzle piece torn away from its board.

You were bound to graduate the week after and barely a day after, not see each other for several years due to your career paths and post-college choices.

You pull on the hem of your shirt, clearing the picture of dust and any more impurities, finally fitting it into your back pocket to finally treasure it the way it was always meant to be treasured.

The door clicks as you bring it close, your eyes gluing themselves at the hardwood floor seconds to having self-pity billow over you at how quickly your tears surface in the corner of your eyes from the memory of Ben spinning Rosy around - the exact way he did with you -and kissing her like she's a pouch full of life.

You clamp down on your bottom lip, trying your hardest not to stain your cheeks with your pooling tears. "Jeez, you just-" you pace back and forth in frustration, balling your fists as you gesticulate lazily, "you just don't get it, Y/N! Ugh, you're so- fuck, just get over it..." Knowing your harsh soliloquy would be getting you nowhere, you snarl strongly at yourself and roughly wipe your tears away with the back of your hand.

"He loves Rosy. F-freaking deal with it!" The reminder takes a hiss from your quivering lips for it to sink in; you have your own place in his life– a place behind the line you'd drawn in the years prior. The friend zone couldn't be any more hollow and cold than it already is.

And a polaroid pic is the only remnant left of how inseparable you and Ben were in the early days.

At the same time you're feeling your heart tear itself apart, Ben pulls out a picture - similar to what you've found - from the inner pocket of his old varsity jacket in the middle of rummaging through his wardrobe. He leaves his room in his pajamas and tosses himself on the couch next to a sleeping Frankie, softly apologizing to the little beagle for disturbing her cat-like nap. As he cuddles Frankie close, he scrutinizes the picture and it's also from Homecoming, but in it both of you are beaming widely with your arms slung around one another– the doodles ever-so-present on your faces. Behind it, the date and the continuation of the trailed-off sentence written at the back of your share of the memory.

'-anywhere at all.'- it ends in Ben's part of the duality. He grins fondly at the long lost picture, feeling twice as guilty for not keeping it safe and...close to his heart, just as he had promised you that night.

- - - - - - - -

In the convenience of Lucy needing some company to shop with for awards season just as she had returned from her get-away with Rami, she drags you along happily, having to pass through you insisting that you stay at home and study but purposefully ending up under her mercy anyway. You couldn't say no to her, she's basically your sparkly, glam counterpart and you're in need of her life-altering sparkles as of now. Especially since you're going to be tagging along with them, mainly as Joe's date cause you know, you're his 'girlfriend' and all.

You're at the mall, in a stylish boutique full of lines of voguish clothing and shoes that could span miles if not compressed together. For once in the hours you've spent scampering around the mall with Lucy to hoard dresses, skin products and make up, you admit that this is the most aesthetically pleasing space in the entire building.

You traipse along a section with black dresses fashioned into different forms, silently praying that what you have with you will amount to at least one of the varying prices.

Lucy's on the opposite side, ogling at the most colorful section in the boutique for a piece to wear. She peers over at you to make sure you've chosen your 'fighter'. A few swishes of the dresses lined up and you do, holding it up high to evaluate the appropriateness.

It's a sleeveless, halter neck satin that's just a few inches above the knee. Utterly backless but it ends right up the small of your back. The fabric is stretchy enough to move around and breathe in as it simultaneously hugs your shape. You love it but gulp as you prepare yourself for the price. Flipping the tag over, you suddenly wish you could let out the biggest, girlish squeal the human race has ever heard with how surprisingly affordable it is.

"Finally picked out yours?" Lucy pokes her head up playfully and you nod, quite speechless but giddy. She makes a grabby hand at your dress to examine it for herself.

Well she's the fashion guru so why not? You hand her the dress and as she trails her eyes from top to bottom, her mouth falls at the simple yet elegant details. "This is perfect! I highly doubt that it's not going to catch every exposed eye present at the event."

Your flush profusely at her comment. "Thanks but I'll be bringing a coat with me."

That triggered her, but of course you're only teasing. "You better effing not." She warns you and you chuckle, taking the dress from her and evenly brushing the skirt.

"I won't, you can sleep soundly tonight."

You assure her of the possibility. As you exit the boutique with a few bags you're not used to holding, Lucy takes out her phone and gasps, her face contorting with a little disbelief. "Uh oh, this might ruin your mood." She hands you the phone and you gape at her confusingly before taking a quick look.

Ben's posted some updates on his wedding preparations, shockingly tagging you, Joe, Gwil and Lucy in one photo. He's pretty busy alright; unable to text or call you for days but miraculously tagging you out of nowhere.

You come to disregard it until you notice one minute but important detail hidden in plain sight in all of his posts– there isn't a single one with him and Rosy together alone. None of such as well on his new ones.

The only post he's had with a close girl is the one with you, which is at the very bottom of his Instagram feed. You won't admit it but it warms your heart a little. Actually, a whole lot despite wondering why there's none of him and his fiancee. You hand Lucy her phone back and tilt your head to one side, suddenly finding the eagerness to go on shopping. "Let's go."

The following week comes as a radial blur contrasted to the slightly moderate one you just woke up from; your manager phoning you up to take the earliest shift you've had in years at the expense of your allotted time to rest, the heavy workload and rush hours in the upcoming hours followed by the slowest progress of filing your travel documents and visa needed for your departure on the 26th. You've got tons of missed calls from your parents and Joe, who's requested for you to pack up early since you'll be leaving for LA with Lucy on the day of the awards but earlier.

Also noting that you still need to double check the costs for flying to LA and back, ruling out the one exclusive for your flight on the 26th.

For mere days you feel as if you could lose your sanity as your life spirals into madness with everything you're required to do– whether or not you're obliged to do it.

But they are effective distractions for that problem you are still very much preoccupied with. That's a matter noteworthy of later discussion. Amidst all the chaos happening, part of you wishes for Ben to reply to your messages or even talk to you in the slightest. You never bothered to call this week since he's tied up but the least he could do is let you know how he's doing, if he's thinking of you once in a thousand passing seconds.

You give up for a day waiting on him and drown yourself in work.

- - - - - - -

Securing your phone between your tilted head and your shoulder as you indulge in your talk with Joe through the line, you crouch and zip your luggage bag close. Your eyes fixating themselves on two, separate luggage bags for two, separate travels.

"Was that all of it?" Joe's disembodied voice asks. You spring up and take your phone between your fingers. "Pretty much. I better have a kick out of something by the time we touchdown tomorrow– it's my first visit to the US." You inform him, leaping into your bed and landing comfortably.

He chortles softly and ensures you. "I know and you can be sure to expect a good par- ow! Bad kitty!" His smooth transition to a yelp amuses you for split second.

"Are you alright? "

"No. I'm finally feline food to my kid." He refers to his pet cat that has taken a small nibble on his finger, in which Joe returns with a light ruffle to its fur. You can't help but giggle heartily at him.

"Anyway, I'm picking you and Lucy up from LAX tomorrow." He gives you that heads up and you bring your hand up to your forehead. "Where will we be staying?"

"I've booked a hotel earlier so you've got nothing to worry about the moment you land." A faint crunch can be heard from your end and you mind to ask Joe about it. "Are you- are you eating?"

To answer your question, he bites down on his food sloppily and guarantees you of what you heard. You smack your lips together as your eyes narrow in bewilderment.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Sometimes you make it easier for me to hit you with a pillow."

"Is that how you treat your boyfriend?" He taunts at you and cackles, his distorted voice bouncing off of the walls of your room. You sigh, defeated by the fact that this charade is still going on. It's silly and immature yet you and Joe somehow managed to stick to the act.

"Speaking of boyfriend though– would he be furious if I told him that I couldn't be there on his wedding day?" Since you're rested and got nothing else to distract you, you pop the question to Joe.

"Ben?"

You hum softly.

"There are two scenarios that we need to consider," on his end, Joe taps his finger on his lips as he thinks of said scenarios, "Best case scenario- he would get discouraged and slightly unmotivated, and obviously sad, but he'd still support you cause that's your dream."

You sit up and twirl the ends of your hair around your finger, swallowing. "And worst case scenario?"

Joe falls silent before exhaling harshly. "You'd crush his soul, heart, everything ranging from physical to spiritual and it would take a toll– and I mean a substantial toll on your friendship."

"Joe, don't make it sound like a prospect! "

"That is, " he adds strongly, "if he finds out that you had meant for him to be oblivious to it." And he's right. But you had a reason. You still do. Even if you do end up telling him and he supports you, you need a great deal of space to move on.

As long as he's committed to Rosy and you're in the sidelines still in love with him, it's just something toxic. You couldn't love anybody they way you do Ben and you feel like you'll never love someone like him ever again. Albeit how clueless he is sometimes and clumsy, you both had survived every storm and wave. So sticking around to witness him give his hand and heart to someone else is torture for you.

"I'm gonna be direct and say-" just as you begin talking, your phone shrills to another caller, cutting you off from Joe.

One look at the screen and your heart begins racing. Speak of the devil. You reserve an explanation for cutting off and answer Ben, clearing your throat. "You're late."

Ben's gruff chuckle welcomes you back. "I know, I'm so sorry. Busiest week I've had and the lady at Starbucks signed my cup like a snail."

"What are you doing tonight that requires coffee?"

"Call me dramatic- or do so, given that I'm an actor- but I just want to stargaze right now." You hear a light rustle coming from his end, like he's seated out on his lawn.

Silently giving him the 'oh really' look, you spread one side of the curtain to let some moon light in. "Ben, you're leaving early tomorrow."

He hums, seemingly enjoying himself. "But that's not an excuse to not enjoy the night." This boy can not get any cornier. You cast your gaze upon the moon, sighing profoundly. "How did the wedding planning go? Good?"

"Hm, yeah. Church wedding, big reception. Whole lot of booze binging planned out. And a killer bachelor party the day after the awards. " He jokes through the line and you tell him off in a playful chide. "Benjamin Jones, you better-"

"I won't. I won't." You sense his gentle smile from your end, checking the time and reluctantly coming to the decision to hit the hay since you'll be leaving early as well. As much as you want to recreate those late night conversations you once had with him, you can't.

"Hey?" You coo somehow.

"Yeah?"

"I gotta sleep. I have to meet Lucy at the airport at 5."

He gives out a throaty grunt as if he's pulling himself up. "Tragic. I'll see you in LA then, love."

Your lips curl up into the gentlest smile with the moonlight blessing it from the window. "You too. Tell yourself and the rest- especially Brian and Roger- that I'm gonna be rooting for you guys to get up on that stage."

"I will. Thanks for the motivation, Y/N. All the words coming from you just mean so much to me. To all of us." And in his voice, you can hear his utmost sincerity and fondness just highlighting his tone.

"Anytime. Now let me sleep, you bloke. "

"Haha, alright. Love you tons, love."

Shifting your eyes to the sky once more, you reply, allowing the words you're about to say to mean more.

"I love you too, Ben. Good night."

- - - - - - -

24th

You had promised Lucy you'd arrive 10 minutes earlier than her and you really didn't hold on to that promise. As soon as you arrive at the airport nearly bathing in sweat and deaf from the multiple rings Lucy has given you, you both take off to the waiting area with your heavy luggage where you spend an hour and a half waiting for your flight to board. Joe has sent two texts telling you that he's still in the middle of having coffee and it's a questionable action since he's 8 hours behind you and is expected to be asleep by now.

You reply with a simple, "See you there" before heeding to the call of your flight number from the speakers.

All the rushing and you haven't had a bite of breakfast yet. An eleven hour flight doesn't sound so bad, as long as you make sure you don't reel everytime you get up to use the bathroom and acquire jet lag the moment you land from a direct flight without any pit stops. The flight is long as you are awake but by the time you fall asleep in between hours, it shortens the duration. The pilot announcing your arrival wakes you and Lucy from the latest nap you've had on the plane. After gathering your luggage and answering a couple of phone calls on you way down the plane, the arrival area is where you spy Joe behind the red tapes, a scarf around his neck and an eager look plastered on his pale skin, just waiting for you and Lucy to step in. His eyes crinkle as he sees you both treading towards him with a handful of luggage. He greets you both with a tight hug and ushers you to his car, assisting with the transport of your things.

He's booked you in the hotel he's staying in to, of course, avoid some minor inconveniences especially since the awards start at 7 pm and you drastically need Lucy to help you prepare. Upon reaching the hotel, he leads the both of you up the second floor and into the hall for your rooms.

Apparently you and Lucy will be sharing which is the great and Joe will be staying in the room right across yours.

After giving yourselves a brief tour of the room, you settle in and unpack your essentials.

"Y/N, bring out your fighter!" Lucy declares with a giggle, pulling the dress she's chosen from her suitcase. It's a purple, off-the-shoulder, crepe satin and black velvet gown that cascades gracefully against the stable air.

Your eyes widen in awe at how it looks against the light. "No need for a match, Luce. You win," you raise your hands up in surrender, "that's- that's catching more eyes. From Rami of course."

"Oh shut it. You'll look smooth in black." She clicks her tongue and smoothens it at the edge of the bed. You whip out yours and hold it up high, wavering a little at how you'll look like in it tonight. How fortunate you were to find 3-inch, black pumps closeted when you were 'panic packing' the night before. You take it out from your suitcase and set it aside before striding towards the blinds, pulling it up and beholding the breathtaking view of Hollywood before you.

Your first visit to the US and you're already headed to the Oscars. This isn't the real life. This is just fantasy.

- - - - - - - -

"We're having a dinner party afterwards, I don't see any reason for two sandwiches before the ceremony." Staring blankly at how Joe's handling waiting for you and Lucy to emerge from your room, Rami purses his lips quizzically– he's come by to pick up his girl as well. The two men look dashingly handsome in their black tuxes and slick hairstyles– their individual charm strong as they highly anticipate for your appearances.

Joe swallows the chunk in his mouth before speaking. "I'm stressed."

"About what?"

He bites down on his last sandwich, dusting his hands off crumbs as he reasons out. "It's the Oscars. Biggest ceremony of the year."

With a shake of his head, Rami opens his mouth to protest but pauses as the creak of the door behind them butts in their conversation. Lucy - exquisite in her cascading satin gown and look dotted in light to moderate make up - emerges with her purse in hand and eyes heady on Rami.

Joe wishes he could loosen some hinges in Rami's jaw since the latter has got his mouth agape at her girlfriend's evening look. To him, she is his ultimate award and he wouldn't have it in any other way.

"Hey, babe." Lucy smiles delicately and kisses Rami's cheek, to which he responds with a breathless, "Luce, you look..." His starstruck silence finishing his compliment for her. Joe hums, agreeing with crossed arms. "I wish I was as pretty as you, Boynton."

"You boys look handsome, too." Lucy giggles softly and Joe begins to wonder. "Where's Y/N?"

"She'll be out in three...two..." As Lucy deliberately pauses her countdown, you come out of the room, head down as you feel a bit hesitant to continue but you regain your confidence and look up timidly– your appearance putting Joe in the same position Rami was just in with Lucy. The dress really agrees to your form, contouring every curve of your body in a semi-sensual way, guaranteeing that you'll be snagging some looks tonight. Your (H/C) hair frames your face intricately with your light make-up emphasizing the color of your eyes and lips. The light brush of air against the skin of your exposed back makes you clutch your purse tighter, deeming it uncomfortable.

Lucy smiles proudly at her work and that is you. "Well, how does she look Joe?"

Joe lets out a hitched exhale, hazel eyes wide as a sinkhole and a slacked jaw struggling to budge. "Like my girlfriend."

"You wish." You can't help but retort playfully and he brings his finger up to his lips, hushing you. Rami compliments you as well and you thank him as the four of you make your way to the elevator– your arm on Joe's and Lucy's on Rami's.

You've taken a limo for the sake of convenience, since Joe and Rami wanted to propose a pre-toast - with the champagne present in the vehicle - to their successes and hard work in the past year. You have faith they'd bring home an Oscar; considering how spectacular their work was portraying the members of Queen. You're also thrilled that you're about to meet Brian and Roger.

The limo parks just across Dolby Theatre and the four of you climb out, making your way arms-in-arms into the place crowded with paparazzi and attendees. You see yourself as a small fish swimming in a sea full of majestic dolphins. This is the big leagues right here and you're not even one bit of a celebrity– at least you feel like you aren't one. After a couple of shoulder brushes with either familiar and unfamiliar faces and escaping the blinding flashes of the cameras, the four of you reunite with Gwilym who has Roger and Brian present by his side. You are introduced to the two Queen members by Joe and you couldn't be any more happier to meet them in person. A couple of moments of interacting with the rest of the crew and cast, Ben joins the 'party' looking sharp and admittedly drop-dead gorgeous in his white tuxedo blazer and slicked back hair with Rosy by his side.

Before he could even reply to the greetings of his friends, he lays his eyes on you and for a while– his pupils dilate and his expression flits faster than he can command it to. He can't believe what or who he is seeing before him amidst all the glam. Letting go of Rosy's hand for a minute, he steps close to you, indescribably captivated. "Y/N...h-hey."

You keep your composure, musing back. "Hey. You look left out, outfit-wise, and a like a million bucks."

It takes him nearly five seconds to reply with the way hes has his eyes transfixed on you. It's like he's seeing you for the first time. Your evening look setting him back to Homecoming night and something inside him just tweaks. You avoid his mindless gaze and break the silence, trying your hardest not to flush. "Ben, please talk. It's just really-"

"You look...beautiful." He breathes out like he had just gotten up from under water.

[mirrordraco]

Another small doodle. I guess? It's late, I have no following for this, I guess I'm posting cause I'm proud of me? Yeah. This is a post for me. Been going through some rough stuff and occasionally it's gotten worse and I know in the future it'll get worse again too but I've noticed my recent lows haven't felt as low (not counting the nearly passing out outside a liquor store in broad daylight, that was still damn low but I digress-). Emotionally I feel kinda better? Part of me is afraid of saying that cause just watch me prove me wrong tomorrow but at this point and in this moment I feel pretty good?

The shocking part is probably that... It's night time. I'm "alone" not talking to friends or anything, I'm just watching vids and my stomach feels kinda sick and I'm trembling a little (physical issue not emotional) but despite that... I'm feeling okay. It's been a long long time since I could be awake this late at night and just... Feel alright.

I'm not questioning shit anymore. I don't sit around for hours telling myself "if they loved me they'd do this-" or "if anyone cared this would happen-" cause that shit was toxic, it was toxic for me and it was toxic for the people around me. It was entitled, like people somehow owed me comfort. Nah. It was messed up and more often then not it was hurting me a lot because when I believed that it really did make me think no one cared.

It has been a weird year for me. Not drastically bad, I won't claim I made some fantastical feat this year and everyone should praise me. I just mean it had moments that I had to dig deep more than I had to in the past. Its payed off. I'm not... Done yet. I'm not "there" or the person I necessarily want to be at the moment. Still I can see that things have changed and it's been for the better.

Now I can say to myself "If they loved me they would- no they wouldn't cause how would they even know? It's not fair of me to assume they can do this right now they've been doing a lot-" and "No one loves me- except for _____, _____, and _____ I know that they love me. And my family. And Monty. So actually-"

The negative voices are still there and probably always will be and when shit upsets me I'll always have a knee jerk reaction but it's taking less and less time to work through that. Instead of two days it takes a few hours. Instead of a few hours it takes 30 minutes. Instead of 30 minutes it happens in 10.

I don't think I've achieved things like "love myself" or "confidence without ego" (I mix up the two a lot and I'm sorry for whoever that's effected I promise it's still in progress) or "be a functioning adult" ironically that last one might be the easiest one.

Even though I still have a lot to do and even though I still struggle, and I'm making this long weird post at 1:16 am after a week where I literally had a serious incident that should have warned me against abusing my health, I am proud of what I've done so far. Yeah. I am proud. And that's okay. I think I earned this little bit of pride. I don't doubt as often. I trust more. I just feel... Better. All the time. Even when my mind starts to go it never gets far like that anymore. I mean I have nagging stresses but don't we all- this is about the progress I've made as well as what else I have coming for me. It won't end here but I'm glad I've gotten this far.

I had help. And I'm thankful for that. This is a long post. I'm sorry to my friends and followers who will need to super scroll past it -hella selfish of me I know, I swear im sorry- I'm just... Proud. And I wanted to write something to remind myself that I did this. That I'm here at 1:21 am in a silent bedroom and I feel good. I'm doin fine.

How do I end this... Uh... Okay. Well, me, don't slack off now but... You did good. Hopefully in a long handful of months you'll post a follow up with what else you've achieved. Don't stress over it, you know you're loved now. You achieved step one. This is proof that it's not all for nothing. Next time you fall you have this to go back to and you'll know that you are doing okay. And that I have many spelling errors god-this-is-so-long-okay-ill-shut-up-now-bye!!!! And good job <3

[youre-in-the-jungle-baby]

I always get anxious that I'll forget to go anon when sending asks so this came to mind: au where axl/slash send to the other cute daily anons and all sorts of confessions they don't have the courage to say irl. That goes on for a pretty long time until one day they forget to press the anon button and their identity is revealed, cue the panic and avoiding the other at all costs

this is so cute

Slash’s blog is 40% guitars, 40% snakes, and 20% weird porn. Axl’s blog is mainly used for him to voice strong opinions and or start fights with random people on the internet with the occasional post about bands he likes, or bands he hates and feels the need to complain about.

Axl lives in an apartment with Izzy. Duff, Steven, and Slash share one also, in the same complex. These room arrangements are frequent to change if someone is fighting and needs a room to stay in, but they seem to end up spending a lot of time in the same place anyways, so Steven complains it would be easier and cheaper to just all live together. 

If Slash posts a video him playing guitar or something like that, his inbox is flooded with anon messages, sometimes singed with a little flower emoji. It makes him smile every time because whoever this knows their stuff when it comes to music and makes sure to compliment him on all the right things. 

Axl is good at covering his tracks, because he promptly bitches about Slash answering all of them, joking he probably sent them to himself. 

Slash sends Axl little cute anon messages all the time, telling him he looks gorgeous, or that he agrees with a post that Axl made. If Axl is having a bad day and you can tell by what he says online, Slash drops encouraging/sweet things to him, even once going as far as to send a poem/scrap of lyric he wrote.

They don’t seem to notice that things are pretty personal that get sent to them, and Axl is so wrapped up in making Slash get a little smile and a blush from halfway across the room when he sends him something like, ‘you’re so fucking pretty, I hope you have a great day, as always.’

Things go on like this for what seems like forever, and it’s a boost in both of their self-esteem to see things pop up, even if they have no idea who it’s from.

That is until the day that Slash gets absolutely wasted with Duff. They just got back from some bar and Slash flops down with his phone and proceeds to send something stupidly sappy like, ‘you’re the most amazing person I know. I wish I could kiss you so bad sometimes.’  and hits send without turning anon on.

He knows he’s fucked up, but he still stumbles down the hall and barges into Axl and Izzy’s place, spotting Steven on the couch. But, being wasted and huge amounts of anxiety tend to make him a bit slow. 

He can’t find Axl, and his laptop is locked, his phone is gone too. Slash is freaking out, knowing that Axl will connect all the other messages to him too.

It would be the end up their friendship, and would probably end up tearing everyone else apart too in Slash’s mind. 

Meanwhile, Axl had been over at a friends house and he happens to check his blog. Of course, he sees what Slash sent him and freezes. Have all of those things been from Slash? How the fuck is he supposed to answer this? Is it a joke?

He spends the night there, texts Izzy that he’ll be back tomorrow and proceeds to stew over it for hours. Slash on the other hand is on the verge of tears when Duff finds him.

Duff has no idea what’s going on, but he drags Slash back to their apartment and makes him sit on the couch before he comes back with a cup of coffee (with some vodka of course).

Slash won’t tell him what happened, and Duff ends up letting him try to work through whatever the fuck it is on the couch, saying to come to get him if he needs to.

The next few days are a living hell, and Axl and Slash spend them making sure to not be in the same room as each other. Duff draws conclusions pretty damn fast, but he doesn’t know the details, he just figures Slash must have spilled to Axl in some shape or form. Stevie tries his best to get Slash to talk too, but no luck on any front.

Izzy tries to wring the information out of Axl who has been walking around with a blank look and forgetting to eat, let alone blog. He gets nothing, just a vague comment and a snappy comeback.

Axl locks himself in his room, and Slash goes out more and more and comes back even later than normal. It is a getting a little strained for Duff and Izzy too, they both feel the need to take care of Axl and Slash respectively which means not seeing much of each other and not going out to do stuff together.

Axl has spent weeks trying to compose something to tell Slash, he figures it’s all fucked up now, might as well blow it all out in the open.

So he composes what sounds dangerously close to a love letter mixed with a confession, rips it up and rewrites it dozens of times. 

Izzy catches him with a half-packed back and sits his ass down to tell him he’s is not going to get to run away from whatever this is, he’s going to face it.

Slash feels just as equally distraught, and Duff is getting sick of his shit, but Slash won’t listen to him or tell him what happened. 

Axl shows up at Slash’s door with a crumpled piece of paper and lets himself in, and leaves his note on Slash’s pillow before he goes back.

Izzy makes an effort to be extra nice (he even made them dinner that wasn’t frozen or straight out of a bag), but Axl goes straight to his room and locks the door.

Slash gets back and stares at the note on his pillow without opening it like it might set fire and burn the building down. He gets the balls to open it, and slowly unfolds it before reading it. 

It’s more of a rambling confession, but Slash can feel his cheeks get hot and his breath catches when the bottom has the doodle of a tiny flower and a hasty scrawl of -Axl Rose beside it.

He runs to Axl’s apartment, almost knocks over the poor old lady who sometimes bakes them cookies in the hall, and slams into the door. He manages to get inside, and he skids into Axl’s door which is still locked. 

He can hear Izzy yelling at him for not shutting the door, but all he cares about is getting into Axl’s room. The latch finally clicks and he steps back to see Axl with slumped shoulders in the door. 

‘I meant every word I ever said,’ is the first thing Slash says and Axl blinks at him like he’s got three heads suddenly. 

But soon Axl’s eyes change to pure joy, and he drags Slash in by the collar of his t-shirt and kicks the door shut behind him.

‘So did I,’ Axl tells him and Slash just beams, he’s so fucking happy.

He grabs Axl’s face and just kisses him like he’s wanted to for what feels like years in his mind. 

Axl is smiling so hard that he can’t even kiss him back properly, but it doesn’t matter because Slash is blinking back tears of relief and happiness. 

Outside, Duff sits down on the couch next to Izzy (after running after Slash and apologizing to their elderly neighbor). ‘You think they got it figured out?’ Duff asks softly and Izzy nods, ‘I think they did.’ and reaches over to hug Duff.

[fainthedcherry]

TIIIIME for another new post!! YAY!!! This is a new character of mine, Noodlebeard The Dreaded! I got into Deep Rock Galactic, due to a person IRL, who was obsessed with the game, just like I became so!

This is a coloured in doodle (don't rlly wanna call it shaded, as it was a lazy 2 hr job unlike my actual shading taking me days), it shall be a commission example for this year's revamp of the sheet I'm working on, between some other projects! I've gotten a new paint-skin in the game, so Noodlebeard's gear is purple now but..I STILL am also attached to his Santa-look. 🤣 But yeah, I might follow up my DRG posts with another commission example, but that one's ACTUALLY shaded in like 4 hrs instead LOL, WE GETTING FASTER BOIS.

--

I was surprised, at the super warm welcome in the official game's server, as the player who got me into the game, was super competitive, toxic, and didn't let me have fun. (We made up lately but agreed to not play the game together anymore as our play styles are vastly different)

The game has so much charm, man. I got it at a discount and thanks to my friend Hart, for commissioning me to get it (ALSO post inbound, that one's also from like..June/July of this year), but this game should've deserved my full money ngl. I plan to buy all the cosmetic DLCs, once I'm financially stable in a good bit. The devs deserve my money. For creating this amazing comfort-game of mine, and the positive and supporting community it created.

The moment I posted my sketch of him in the server, by request of the strangers I was playing with (the drawing was also my Discord pfp at the time btw), I got HELLA recognition some damn how. The thing is- I'm used to my art getting overlapped and drowned. Every time I was in a discord server with an art section, I was usually ignored and basically spat at, if not for one person who'd usually actually pay attention to me and my art, and made my whole day with being so kind to do so. ANYWAY. TANGENTS. GOD. So I've drawn my dwarf (version with my beloved little femboy dwarf peaking out on the right) and added, that I was working on renewing commissions, and- I had an AVALANCHE of interest. Which was WHACK?? Because like I said- I wasn't used to recognition. I'd usually be ignored in communities. So this was really surprising. I cannot thank the community enough, for making June/July a month, where I actually was a happy person for a bit. Like genuinely happy, out of the depression-hole I was dealing with at the time happy, happy I was alive happy. That indescribable happy.

I can't WAIT to draw his family, his teammates and develop the lore in my own universe, to connect to the lore of the game!! He might just be my favourite fandom character now, beside Pierrce,, (might post about Monster High too, don't you worry, the few people who actually wanna see my art LOL)

SO YEAH. HAVE A GOOD EVENING TO THOSE IN MY TIMEZONE AND ENJOY ARTE. I scheduled another post for tomorrow, so you're getting the luxury of 2 posts in a week! Or was it 3? BUT ANYWAY YOU'RE GETTING MY ART!!! I'm starting to get comfy on Tumblr so,, I can't wait to share my art in time in the future, instead of holding off for months due to my mental health! <3, Promise I'll also post eventually on InkBlot again, as mentioned, having several social medias is really hard for someone like me!!

Btw get ready to see him more often, as I loved drawing him LMFAO.

ROCK AND STONE MINERS!