#Trying very hard not to be self conscious about the comic

[magpiesketchins]

✨art✨

[writefightandflightclub]

Blurb request?

What if you stole Santiago's favorite hat, and he caught you wearing it, very casual, nothing to see here, nothing at all.

Make you mine: Santiago “Pope” Garcia x GN!reader

Thanks so much for sending this, Rally! 🧡☺️ I wrote a hat-based thing with Frankie x reader, but I gave this a bash too as I love the concept with Santiago (my beloved) too! I hope you like it!

Warnings: fluff, steam, lots of mentions of erections, cum kink sorta (brief), light-hearted. 🧢 🍆

A hard swallow trails down Santiago’s neck as he clocks you. Wearing his hat.

He’s arrested by the sight of you, an instant flare of heat blooming across his skin as he realises, in no time at all, that he likes it. Likes seeing you in something of his. Or more so, looking like you’re his by association.

The attached and very intrusive thought is powerful and sudden on the heels of that realisation.

He’d love to see how you’d look wearing his hat and nothing else.

He quirks a brow in interest. He didn’t know that, specifically, would do it for him, but in fairness, he’s pretty sure you are the common denominator here. With you, he’s always discovering new ways that you turn him on.

Shame he can’t act on it though. You and he have been flirting back and forth, sure. But, you’d told him, not long after you’d met that… things were complicated for you. You and him? Maybe there was an instant spark, but you’d been clear the two of you would be nothing outside of friends.

So, he tries to compose himself as you walk over to him. A glass in each hand - one for him. “Thank you,” he smiles smoothly, clinking his glass with yours in a “cheers”.

The other boys have retired inside, after a poker night out on the deck. But you and he have lingered. For some air.

He lets his gaze linger on you, confident enough to drink you in for a stretched moment, your coy gaze even more alluring than usual from beneath the brim of his hat. He tries his best to ignore the blood thudding to his crotch. But you make that difficult to do - no-one else could ever.

“I’m cosplaying you.” You tease, brazenly acknowledging your blatant and unforgivable theft. “Pass me a stick of Wrigleys, Santi? It’ll really up my authenticity.”

He chuckles. Unable to take his eyes off of your bright smile. Your gaze flits gently over his face in return. Lingers on the creases radiating out around his eyes. Dips to his mouth. It makes him self-conscious - which he isn’t used to. Then again, he’s never met anyone who has quite the effect on him that you do.

He perches himself on top of the wooden porch rail. Gestures for you to join him and you seat yourself there too, body angled in towards him.

He can’t help it now. Looks up at his cap perched on your pretty head. He spreads his thighs a little to accommodate his growing bulge between his legs. “-You know. If any of the boys touched my hat…”

“Oh, I know,” you pout comically, shaking your head side-to-side. “Dead to you.” So you know his hat is famously off-limits then? In that case, either you must have put together that he’s a soft-touch for you; or, you’re trying to provoke him. But hey. He doesn’t exactly mind either option. “So.” You take a casual sip of your drink, your eyes flashing with mischief from over the brim. “The boys would be in for it. But what will my punishment be?”

Santiago takes a deep, steadying breath he dearly hopes is subtle as the bulge between his legs grows uncomfortably swollen, pressing up against the seam of his jeans in a way that makes his eyes prick with tears.

Fuck, he doesn’t normally have this much trouble controlling himself; but there’s something about you. Lord knows, he’s trying to keep his internal monologue clean but all he can think is: mine.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Undoubtedly, he can think of a few (hundred) ways he could “discipline” you, if that’s what you’re into. His palm itches where it rests against his thigh, becoming suddenly tacky.

“Well. First of all. Here,” he offers, pulling a pack of gum from his pocket. “You’re not really nailing ‘me’ yet. Needs more work.”

Nailing him? Fuck, that’s an unfortunate choice of words when he’s trying to take his mind off of ravaging you.

“No?”

“Not seeing the resemblance, cariño.”

“Well. That checks out.” You tug performatively on the brim of his cap as though you know exactly what you’re doing to him, actually. “I am a hell of a lot cuter.”

Fuck, you’re not wrong. You’re fucking adorable.

You take a piece of the offered gum, beginning to chew rather obnoxiously on it. “How about now?”

An easy laugh bobs in his neck. “Holy shit. Now it’s like looking in a mirror.”

You slide closer to him, shimmying yourself along the porch rail. An urgent heat prickles at his skin. Your proximity slips a warm snake down his spine.

“So, you approve, Santi?” Santiago could swear your voice has taken on a lusty quality. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on his part. “You like me wearing your hat?”

He almost chokes on his masking swig of his drink. Christ, if you only knew how much he approves. If you could see the sordid images playing on a loop in his head right now? Well, you’d probably throw your drink in his face, to be honest. Actually - he could do with it, to cool off. Maybe he can pour his own drink over himself if things get really dire.

“You think Frankie’s cap would suit me too? Or do I look better in yours?”

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Even the drum of his heartbeat feels like it’s trying to claim you. Trying to bust out of his chest to reach out for you.

Fuck. Are you trying to kill him? He doesn’t have a gasket, but he’s pretty sure he’s about to blow one all the same. “You know you look good,” he assures huskily, voice hollowed out by want, though still trying his damn best to toe the line.

Friends. You don’t want him to do the things he’s doing to you in his head right now. Right?

You smirk, looking all too pleased with yourself before taking a swig of your drink. His gaze is fixated on you as you wrap your plush lips around the mouth of the bottle, your fleet of pink tongue poking into the rim. The image certainly is… inspiring.

Fuck, he’s sweating. Swipes the back off his hand across his forehead, catching the moisture gathering inexplicably at his temples.

Then, to his horror, you stand, slinking towards him and slotting your hips in between his spread thighs. You crane around his form, careful that the brim of his own hat doesn’t poke his eyes out, and you dip your plush mouth towards this shell of his ear. Your whisper beds down right under his skin. “How do you think I’d look wearing this and nothing else, Santi? Would I look like I was…yours?”

Wearing my hat. Wearing my hat. Wearing my cum.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

Santiago’s brain fully short circuits. He blinks dumbly at you, mouth slightly agape, as you simply look on in amusement, biting down on your lip.

It’s not like he doesn’t want to jump at the chance to find out, but…

He sniffs. Shoots for non-chalant and doesn’t pull it off. “I thought we… I thought. Just friends?”

“Santiago,” you purr. “I stole your hat. Catch-up.”

Catch-up? Holy shit. Maybe he’d have a clue what you were up to if he could think straight. His erection is straining against his pants so hard now he has to shift his hands to cover it. Has to bite back a strangled whimper at the painful pinch.

Your mouth twitches around a delicious self-satisfied smirk as you clock the state he’s in. You giggle, brazenly eyeing his bulge with interest. “Benny told me this might do the trick.”

Santiago’s eyes tighten then. He pouts up at you, eyes twinkling, almost wistful. “Honey.” He lifts the hat from off of your head, setting it down on his own instead. “You? You don’t need any tricks.”

“No?”

Fuck, the way you’re both so devious and so shy at the same time is killing him. “Nuh uh. I’ve wanted you for a long time. You’re gorgeous.”

He boxes you in a little more tightly with his sturdy thighs. Slips his hands on to your waist. Your breath hitches, and he likes the fact he’s finally managing to turn the tables. He dips his mouth towards you, and you manoeuvre around the brim of his cap until your mouth is a whisper away from his kiss. “Wait,” you urge. “I have gum.”

He can’t help but laugh - a resonant chuckle shucking in his throat- as you take a moment to toss it aside, and then he’s just looking at you again. Gaze flitting softly over your face. Arms drawing you close to him once more until his lips brush yours. The contact sends tingles all the way down to his toes; he’s waited so long for this.

He deepens the kiss, soft and more tentative than he’d usually pitch it, his tongue probing into your mouth, but you return his growing fervour. Your palms brace against his sturdy thighs, and he swallows the smooth moan which blooms from your mouth as he clasps you to him.

You pull back for air, looking slightly giddy, and you survey him, a cheeky, devilish glint in your eyes. “You know. You look really fucking good in my hat, Santiago.” Your dark, teasing voice is like honey poured into his middle.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You look like you’re mine.”

He shucks air from between his teeth in surprise, his face splitting into a lopsided, awed smile. His eyes turn dark with hunger, pupils eating away at warm umber.

He is. He is yours, if you want him.

He decides then, that he can push this a little further. You seem keen - and Lord knows he is. And so, with a knowing, playful smirk, he dips his lips forward towards the shell of your ear. Whispers to you. “So, how about I wear this and nothing else for you?”

You visibly shiver as his words wind their way into you, your smooth facade cracking apart. “Santiago. Fuck. Are you trying to kill me?”

With his erection continuing to throb against the seam of his pants, he really thinks it’s the other way around.

“No,” he promises. “Only trying to make you mine.”

Mine. Mine. Mine.

That’s all he’s wanted since he met you.

He devours your mouth in another hungry kiss, tongue shoving against yours, opening you up. Stubble raking over your skin.

And, before your delicious kiss knocks every other thought - and word and concept - right out of his head, he logs the fact he definitely owes Benny a favour.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

He always wanted to be more than friends.

[gingergeepers]

Succession artstyle Headcanons

(In order)

Greg: trying to be as inoffensive as possible. Very simple and doodley. Doesn’t like being watched while drawing it

Tom: is actually trying to make it look good and is self conscious about it being horrifying. Starts getting defensive and saying he was rushed but then turns around and says it’s bad on purpose to be funny. Tries to crumple it up and throw it away

Roman: trying to be as offensive and mean as possible. Wants everyone to look disgusting. Says his is the best one and is very proud of it. Pushes the pencil super hard into the paper

Shiv: doesn’t GAF and does it in 3 seconds

Kendall: Tries to make it look like a comic or courtroom style. Makes everyone sit still so he can draw it and he keeps erasing and fixing things. Really wants everyone to say how good and realistic it looks.

Logan: refuses to draw anyone and just draws a tree

[works-of-heart]

A little chat about my art

-wip of a fox Lucien Vanserra (I plan to do a fawn elain too)

Over the course of a week or so, I have been getting harassed by anons who accused me of using AI in my work, and not being a legitimate artist. Most have been very, VERY accusatory and nasty and I was tempted to make an angry post about it then, but instead I just ignored them, deleted their comments and went on with life.

Yesterday morning I woke up to the ask about AI, and while I was fed up with all these sudden asks, the person who asked me was at least kind.

I don't know where the accusations started, I thought it might have been antis, but if I'm real about it, I don't think too many are looking at my stuff, say for the few strays I had in the past. Only one negative, and one quite positive.

I do not know if people understand what kind of accusations like that makes of an artist, but it IS hurtful! If people start spreading lies, people will believe them and with enough people believing them, it starts to look like it's true.

I have NEVER used AI in ANY of my works. EVER.

All of my work has all been done digitally on my tablets, using CSP. I have been drawing digitally for over 20 years. It is fine if you do not like my work, it's totally ok if you think my anime style is ugly or childish, it's alright if you think I'm not a great artist. All of that is fine, I respect everyone's opinion.

What is NOT ok, is saying that I am stealing art. That I am a fake who uses AI and I'm stealing from legitimate artists who put work into it. I've worked for my art all my life, since I was a child, with the only aspiration to share the wonders of my mind with the world. These accusations, these hurtful things cut very deep.

I've been a fan of Acotar since 2020, and in love with Elucien ever since then. When I looked online, I found that most Elucien/Lucien art was buried under mountains of Elriel. There are some amazing artists for Elriel, truly beautiful, but they were eclipsing any that I saw for my ship. The ones I found of Elucien were beautiful! Stunning diamonds that would often get lost under the mountains of fan art for the other ships.

So when I made a blog that would be more focused on my love of Acotar and Elucien, I made a vow to fill the space with Elucien art!

That is all I ever wanted to do. Was to be in a space I can geek out with others who love the ship as much as I do, to make pieces that make everyone feel. I spent hours working on my elucien comics, just because I wanted to share these with you all, to give the feels. I am a comic creator myself, I've been working as one for almost 10 years now, it is my job. So pushing these out are works of love.

This was my mother's day picture. I had 3 separate folders for Elain, Lucien, and their daughter. I worked very, very hard on this picture to get it out by the day, in celebration for mother's day. My work is always a bit rough in the beginning stages, but I promise, I put all the work into it. I've studied from other artists I admire, to put it into my own style, something unique to me. A style that I've drawn since HS and was constantly mocked for, because it's too 'anime' too 'asian' and not western enough. Still, that doesn't matter as long as people enjoy it, and I love what I do.

An elucien wip of a picture that I never finished.

A picture of a Non-Acotar work I did

Some of my work never sees the light of day... because I'm so self conscious about my work, about my art in general. I never think it's good enough, and I struggle with trying to finish them because I want to only put out what I think is worthy of being shown. Sharing my art is so incredibly nerve-wracking for me, the fear of judgment, of never feeling it's good enough. I put my all into my work, my whole heart and soul into them, and though I know I need more practice, but I am trying.

Suffice to say, I've never used any form of AI in my art, I've never stolen anyone's work and claimed it as my own. I have referenced poses every now and then, and painting styles that I've studied, but never have I EVER cheated through any of these pictures.

Had someone had a real concern, coming to me and asking politely would be fine. Thank you to the anon yesterday who was truly kind and showing concern, but I don't know where this started from. If you are concerned a work may be illegitimate, you can always DM the artists and ask them kindly, I am sure they will no doubt be willing to prove their work if only to confirm they're real. Witch hunts where you just deem someone of using AI and spreading rumors and lies does MORE harm to the art community than you think. Artists are already hesitant about uploading their work for fear it will be stolen or used, but claiming they use AI with NO PROOF, and spreading misinformation is not only doing damage and making sure they'll never want to post again, but it impacts the community as a whole.

That being said, I am still going to draw and paint and post my artwork. I have no intention of backing down. I just hope as a community we can do better and be kinder to people who are spending their free time making things and sharing with us all. It's incredibly vulnerable to put yourself out there, and just remember, we are people behind these screens.

[maislovebot]

GOOD MORNINGGGG

how do you think the rest of the DOA members would be like vampies? :3

- 🌀

GOOD MORNING!! Sorry that this is so late, my professor assigned some super hard assignments smh🙏 I honestly find it very interesting to think about the bsd characters in some vampire au so ty for this ask:3

I don’t normally write for Fukuchi but because this is just a small blurb I figured why not! Bram is also different from the others, as his doesn’t take place in an au and instead takes place in canon. Everyone else’s takes place in an au where their vampirism has a completely different set of rules from Bram’s!! You won’t become mindless if they bite you ty

I feel like Fukuchi has the most control out of any of them? He doesn’t really bite you often because he feels like it’s immoral. He’s already committing enough immoral crimes that completely go against everything him and his image stand for. He’s a war hero after all, why would he want to hurt more people than he already has to, especially when hurting you isn’t even going to save anyone. The only real exception would be if he was quite literally starving, and if you’re in poor health? Forget it. He’s never biting you. He would never bite you recreationally, it would only be if he was hiding from another organization and hadn’t eaten in multiple days.

If he were to bite you though, it wouldn’t be very different. He is a man with a lot of willpower and control. He’s able to control himself better than anyone else on this list, in all honesty. He’ll drink the amount he needs to be sustained, then he’s finished. No more no less.

He would enjoy eating nice meals, like perfectly cooked steak, or other things similar. He wouldn’t be very fond of roadkill, because he has the funds to eat at 5 star restaurants pretty much every day. Why eat things he sees on the side of the road?

Bram is similar in the sense that he has self control. He’s aware of the fact that if he were to bite you, you’d be subjected to becoming nothing more than a mindless, blood sucking creature. That isn’t what he wants from you. He wants to be with you for the rest of his days, even if he knows it isn’t realistic because you’re merely human. He’ll try to simply come to terms with the fact he won’t have you for very long, but it’ll only take him maybe 4 months after he’s gotten his body back for him to go on the hunt for something that can make him human, or safely turn you into a vampire. He’s aware of the page because of Fukuchi, and it’s his number one goal to get a hold of it now. He’d prefer to get it by teaming up with whoever is in possession of it, but if that doesn’t work out, he isn’t afraid to take a more villainous approach. Anything to keep you.

In terms of biting you, he never has because he knows what will happen. But oh god has he fantasized about it. It’s all he thinks about. You’d look so pretty with his fangs in your neck.

He didn’t really eat much before he got his body, only being fed whenever Fukuchi had someone he wanted turned, but that didn’t happen much until the vampirism outbreak. Now that he’s gotten his body back, he doesn’t bite people as one, he would feel unfaithful to you, even if nothing became of it and it was purely for feeding. He also wants to make a conscious effort to be good for Aya’s sake. He eats food you make for him. He doesn’t really like going out in public often, so he allows you to cook for him. You’ve made plenty of meals with blood in them, like animals, but you’ve also introduced him to other types of food, and even if they serve him no nutritional value, he finds them delicious.

Fyodor would love to bite you. If you’re just another pawn on his comically large chess board, then he’ll drink your blood with no real intent of giving you anything in return. Sure, he’ll toss you a rag, but you have to clean yourself off! He’s so horrible. If he cares about you, however, he is strangely tender. He has a sense of self control, but sometimes he gets so desperate for your blood he can’t help himself! He’ll hold you down and nibble into your shoulder. He likes biting your shoulder a strange amount. He can’t explain it, it’s just a nice, convenient spot to bite. This is why he loves it when you wear tops with thin or no straps. Makes for east access! Also let’s not forget that this man is anemic. He’d like to bite you to help get his iron levels up, so at least him constantly asking for you to let him bite you has some practical use? If you say no to him biting you, he’ll respect it. He cares about you, he wouldn’t do anything against your will. You’re the light of his life, after all. You’re perfection, therefore, what you say goes.

Whenever Fyodor does bite you, he’s quite literally on top of you, straddling you. He likes the power it gives him, even if in your opinion, he looks rather pathetic biting you while literally straddling you and trembling from how good you taste. He also likes to bite you from the back sometimes. He’ll walk up behind you, hugging you and swaying from side to side before grazing his fangs over your shoulder, awaiting your permission. He is capable of pacing himself, but if he begins ti notice you're getting dizzy more frequently, or you're getting woozy while he's biting you, he'll stop and clean up your bite, wordlessly cleaning you up and cuddling you.

He also likes to eat fine dining. Nothing can quite compare to the taste of your blood, but there are some fair substitutes. He will drink your blood whenever the opportunity presents itself, but he'll also take the two of you out to a nice restaurant and let you order whatevee you please, while he'll order something simple and bloody.

Nikolai is certainly the most strange when it comes to his behaviors. When he bites you he’ll take the blood left over and wipe it on your cheek or something weird like that😭 he also likes biting you in weird places because he finds it funny?? Like he’ll nibble on your fingertips and shit just for funzies?? Similarly to Fyodor, he would bite you whenever given permission. He doesn’t try to limit himself, if you give him permission, why stop? He’d treat you like fine dining. You’re sweet and yummy and Nikolai can’t get enough of it! If you were to tell him no, say that you don’t want him to bite you, he’d roll his eyes playfully but agree. He obviously wouldn’t want you to leave him because he bit you without asking! Then he wouldn’t be able to drink your yummy blood anymore. He also does care about what you have to say, even if he doesn’t admit it because he feels like it makes him seem less free.

As I said earlier, he likes biting weird obscure places, like your fingertips. He’ll lean down like a gentleman and kiss the top of your hand, slowly trailing down and kissing your knuckles, then your fingertips, before finally nibbling your finger tips. As he kisses you he places him hands on your stomach to press you down onto the nearest couch or bed, so you’ll be sitting up comfortably while he leans ahead of you. He also likes biting places like your collarbones, arms, etc. as much as he likes biting in weird obscure places, the neck is nice too. It’s simple, but affective.

He pretty much only drinks your blood..he’ll go a few days without eating (luckily vampires can last sufficiently longer without food that normal humans can), so once you’ve rebuilt your energy he can drink your blood again. Rinse and repeat that process over and over again, and you’ve got Nikolai’s eating habits. He’s also a messy eater..there will be blood pretty much dripping from wherever he bit you when he’s done so he can wipe it on your face or body.

We’ve already talked about Sigma a fair amount, but I’m down to cover the basics. He loves to bite you, in fact nothing can quite compare. He’ll bite you and once he’s done he has this appreciative look on his face. He loves that you’re willing to let him bite you, but he also feels bad. He tends to space out when he bites you, and he prefers biting you in places that have more fat so it hurts less. He’s already a thigh guy but he especially loves biting you there.. your neck is also a good spot to bite though. It’s a little more painful for you, though, so he tends to not bite you there often.

When he’s finished biting you he’ll just lick up the blood, and get a towel. If you’re too tired he’ll just set you down and take a bath with you, bandaging up wherever he bit you. If you’re not, he’ll treat you real good to make up for it. He may love biting you, but somehow, seeing how you’re attached to him at the hip, clinging onto him for the rest of the day is even more satisfying. He finds it cute.

He loves eating stuff you make for him and stuff from nice restaurants, and despite the fact nothing can quite compare to you, he knows he can’t realistically drink your blood every day. You’d get sick, and not to mention it would cause a lot of swelling and bruising. He’d rather space it out.

I was tempted to make this sufficiently more nsfw, but I decided to refrain from anything sexual outside of biting as I didn’t wanna deviate from the original prompt too much..

[adrianlikesdinos]

while it is funny to think and joke about, i think the genuine belief that Erik's wife and daughter were used for the main purpose of trying to erase Cherik is just such a truly awful take. there is no contextual evidence to even back up the claim, by the end of the movie Erik still choses Charles yet again.

so I'm here to present my succinct, evidence-based claim: Erik's wife and daughter only worked to further cement his and Charles shared narrative.

in the film, these two girls act as flat characters; very little information is given about them, no character development takes place, and they take up very little screentime. what they add to the films story however is a point emotional attachment outside the world of mutant vs. humans for Erik to settle into, heal, and escape from his previous life as a literal terrorist. unfortunately for die hard Cherik truthers, this means an emotional attachment out side the world Erik shares with Charles. this is a genuine attempt by Erik to remove himself from the cycle of fear and rage he has been a slave to since his childhood, and it really did all work out for him. he had a job, a community, and he was able to create a life perfectly for himself. despite needing to hide his powers, this was probably the best outcome he was ever going to achieve.

but, now that the franchises main antagonist has settled into a life of warmth and comfort, its time for the narrative to get moving again. you cant tell a story without its antagonist. yes, Apocalypse is the main antagonist for this specific movie as he is the source for the majority of the films tension and conflict, but this movie is a part of the over arching narrative primarily concerning Professor X, his X Men, and their arch-nemesis, Magneto. being each others narrative foils and their decades old disputes they are quite literally a package deal, there will never be a Professor X without his Magneto. So, what better way to pull our protagonist his literal other half into the mix than a good old fashioned fridging?

"women in refrigerator's" is a literary trope originally coined in 1999 by comic book fan Gail Simone. this term is used to refer to the trope in which a female loved one is killed, injured, or otherwise hurt in order to further the plot. the trope is one in which women are used as disposable. (there is so much more i could say about the sexism rooted in this fairly common trope but its fairly self explanatory and doesn't pertain to directly to the topic at hand.) once you actually learn about this you cant stop noticing it (ever seen a Disney movie?). it is particularly common in comic books as a heavily male dominated field of media. it is an easy, fast way to get emotion and anger out of a character and gives them the motive to fulfill whatever is needed for the story to continue. in this case, the rage born from Erik's grief lead him to join Apocalypse as one of his horse men. ultimately pushing him towards yet another fated conflict with Charles, the climax of almost any X Men film.

if the writers were truly conscious and concerned with fans perception of Erik and Charles questionably platonic relationship, they wouldn't have used a trope to sling shot the man directly back into his fandom assigned love interest. its incredibly unreasonable to claim a device clearly intended to send him closer to his other half was in an attempt to separate them.

and, claiming that his family was just an attempt to erase Cherik feels like completely ignoring Erik's past experiences with fridging that truly work to build the complexities and tragedy of their strictly canon relationship. this is the second time he has had his whole world ripped away from him. the second time he has turned to rage and violence to protect what little of himself he has left. this is the first time however that he realizes he has more than just a little broken piece of himself left. this is the first time he is able to realize there is another soul out there who can see past the rage he is blinded by. the first time he has had someone who continues to see the good in him.

and this is me looking at this from as unbiased a perspective as i can. this is hardly even subtext. Erik's flashback wasn't stuck in there just because they needed more screen time, everything holds significance. it was blatantly telling us that in that very moment Erik realized he still had Charles, the one person who can actually claim to know someone, the one person who genuinely knows HIM.

[gilbirda]

Friendly neighborhood vigilante. Chapter 22

BatmanxDP crossover. JasonxJazz

[Read on AO3] [Read on FF.net]

Based on this post

First chapter || << Previous chapter || Next chapter >>

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“Forgive the mess,” Jason murmured as he carried Jazz into the room. “They did leave everything just like I left it, huh.”

Jazz lifted her head from its hiding place in the crook of Jason’s neck. She didn’t expect to be carried in his arms, and even if she should find it funny given how she got injured in the first place, she couldn’t deny it made her heart flutter a bit.

Jason’s childhood room was… what you’d expect from a teenager. It wasn’t messy, but clutter was everywhere — books, comics, more books and what she assumed was a handheld gaming device. Her eyes roamed over the Wonder Woman posters and pictures on the wall, spying a signature in a big one placed safely far from the window and sunlight.

Jason had always been a nerd.

She giggled.

“Cute.” She said, rubbing her cheek against his when he blushed.

“‘m not cute.” He contested halfheartedly. He huffed softly and walked closer to the bed, letting her down on the mattress. “Cass left some clothes for you.” he reached for the neatly folded pajamas and handed them to her. “Do you need help, or…?”

Jazz rolled her eyes. “I have a twisted ankle, I’m not unable to dress myself.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, I’ll change in the bathroom.” He walked towards the drawers, opened one and cursed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was fifteen years old when I last stepped into this room,” he pulled something from the drawer to show her, “and I was a small child.”

Jazz tried really hard to contain her laughter, but the tiny rock band t-shirt over his broad chest was just hilarious. She threw back her head and gave a hearty laugh, not worrying about if he saw her fangs for once.

He chuckled with her, turning back to check the rest of the drawers, rummaging around for a bit.

“Nothing?” She asked softly.

“Nope. And I’m not going to go back out and ask for clothes if I don’t really—” He stopped in his tracks, his cheeks blooming a bit of a blush.

Jazz picked up what he didn’t say. “Do you usually sleep naked?”

She watched his shoulders tense and how he consciously relaxed them before answering. “Yeah. Or just with some boxers or shorts on.” He pointedly wasn’t looking at her.

Okay.

Jazz hummed, controlling her thoughts and what to say. Was this one of those situations she had to be careful to navigate? She didn’t want to send the wrong signals and make the situation more uncomfortable than it needed to be — she knew he was not happy with their sleeping arrangements and Bruce’s pushiness was not welcomed.

“I don’t mind if you want to sleep in your underwear.” First step: vocalize. Don’t leave things unsaid, since not-saying things usually lead to misunderstandings, as she had come to learn.

Jason turned with a confused frown, finally looking at her in the eyes. “Okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay.” Second: appear calm and collected, safe to be around. “It doesn’t bother me.”

She fiddled with the soft fabrics of the provided pajamas, distracting her hands as she waited for his reaction. What was he thinking? Did he consider this as her making some kind of move? They were going to share a bed for the first time, and she was trying very hard not to feel too self conscious about that fact.

“If you say so…” He finally nodded and walked closer to the desk on the other wall, picking up his stuff from his pockets — keys, wallet and phone — and placing it next to a book pile.

Jazz took this as her cue and picked up the pajamas, quickly hopping towards the ensuite bathroom before Jason caught her and told her she shouldn’t walk on her injured foot. When he finally realized she had made a run for it, she had already closed the door.

Jason dramatically sighed, making her giggle.

She made quick work of the clothes and put on Cass' pajamas, admiring how they flowed over her skin. She suspected some kind of silk blend, but didn’t recognize the brand; not that she expected to recognize it, since she always bought clothes on sale and never worried about stuff like if they were in season or their fabric blends.

She splashed her face with cold water, noticing that the soap brand name was French and with fancy letters. She knew the Waynes were filthy rich, but she guessed that it kind of took a second place in her mind the whole evening. She was more focused on making a good first impression.

Jazz finished getting ready for bed and walked back into the room, her folded clothes in one hand, and hopped towards the same desk Jason left his things. On top of the book pile was Mansfield Park.

“Interesting literature for a fifteen year old.” She picked it up, opening it in a random page, admiring the same sticky notes and annotations she had seen in the books he kept at the apartment, confirming he had always been such a nerd.

“Austen is hilarious,” Jazz could hear the shrug in his voice, “what can I say.”

She put the book back down and turned, finding her boyfriend watching her with those intense blue eyes. He was sitting on the bed, but hadn’t gotten under the covers, opting to rest against the headboard to comfortably watch her every move.

Was he trying to make her self conscious on purpose?

“What?” She confronted him.

“Nothing.” He quickly said. Too quickly.

When he didn’t add anything else, she shrugged and hopped towards the free side of the bed. If he didn’t want to comment on it, she wasn’t going to push the topic. If this was about being self conscious about sharing a bed, or about his nakedness, he didn’t have anything to prove or worry about.

Also, she was very sleepy. Whatever it was, it could wait until morning.

Of course, the bed was gigantic and very comfortable, a wild contrast to her shitty single back at the apartment. Maybe she should invest in a good bed, like she did with her couch.

She turned on her side, careful to not upset her injured ankle, and smiled at Jason, the “good night” on the tip of her tongue.

“Do you…”

“Hm?” She encouraged when he stopped.

Jason cleared his throat and tried again: “Do you not… find me attractive?”

Oh.

Hm.

It was time for that conversation? Well, not the time she would have picked, given that they were sharing a bed in his childhood room; but it is true that one does not pick where conversations happened.

Jazz shuffled around so she was sitting against the headboard too, and picked the hand that was closer to her. She played with his fingers for a moment, admiring how rough his palms were — vaguely remembering when she thought he was an athlete — thinking how she was going to approach this.

“Do you know what an asexual person is?” She tested the waters.

She saw him nod in the corner of her eye. “Yeah. Some of the working girls at the Alley once explained to me.” Jazz nodded. This would make it simpler. “Are you that? Ace?”

Jazz hummed, tilting her head. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Never actually cared about labeling things. I just know that there are things others care about that I don’t.”

“So you never…?”

“Being ace and having sex are not mutually exclusive.” She finally looked up at him. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but his intense blue eyes made her blush and look away. “But no. I haven’t slept with anybody before.”

“Not interested?”

His voice was soft. And didn’t let her guess what he thought about it.

Jazz wasn’t going to lie, she had never considered that her lack of experience in sex, or lack of interest whatsoever, could become an issue in their relationship. She wasn’t looking for a relationship in the first place, so she didn’t plan for the scenario that her partner thought her disinterest in sex would be a dealbreaker.

Would it be for Jason?

“I don’t know,” she admitted out loud. “I’ve never— I was always too busy, and investing time in something I don’t actually need always felt like a waste of effort.”

He snorted. “Nerd.”

“But it’s true!” She giggled, letting her shoulders relax. She resumed playing with his hand. “It’s not that I wouldn’t have sex, ever; but more like I don’t… care? Sexual attraction was never in my priority list when looking for a partner.”

He hummed, considering her words.

“But I guess if you are interested I wouldn’t mind it? If it’s with you it’s fine.” She shrugged. She knew there were names and labels for the nuances of how she regarded sexuality, but she didn’t research a lot. Once she understood what she felt was normal and had a term, it was enough for her.

He gently dislodged his hand from her to move his arm around her shoulders, trapping her into a half hug, and squishing her face against his naked chest. She placed a hand on the skin, admiring how warm he was, and vaguely tracing a few of the scars she found there. Mostly healed cuts and barely visible scratches, but she spied a gunshot wound closer to his shoulder.

“That’s enough for me.” He finally said, his voice rumbling in her ear. “And if that changes let me know.”

Warmth bloomed in her chest, making her cheeks burn and her eyes water. Any worry she managed to amass since the conversation started had completely vanished, washed away by those simple words. Fearing rejection over something so simple felt silly after what they have already been through, but the confirmation that he cared hit her like a freight train.

“For the record,” Jazz said, her voice a bit choked from emotion, “I do find you very attractive.”

He squeezed her a little, his soft chuckles vibrating under his skin. “Of course, I’m such a catch.”

“A complete snack.” She smiled up at him.

“A straight up hottie.”

Both giggled, faces close. Jazz was leaning more onto Jason, relishing on his warmth — seriously, this man was a furnace — shuffling a little bit so she could reach his lips.

They kissed softly, not really in a hurry to take things anywhere else.

“I’ve been wanting to do that the whole afternoon.” He said when they parted.

Jazz smiled, readjusting herself so she could kiss him more comfortably, grabbing his hair with her free hand. “Me too.” She said against his lips. “You look so cute when you are annoyed.”

“I’m not cute.” He bit her lower lip. “And you should warn me the next time you go all Dracula on me.”

Jazz groaned and moved away, back to her place under the covers, flustered. “I already said I’m sorry!”

He followed, also getting under the blankets so he could pull her body closer to his chest, successfully trapping her in his arms.

“Just saying, if you need to bite someone I’m game but I need to be mentally prepared.”

He was ready for her fight to get out of his arms, so he trapped her lips when she turned to retaliate. Jazz made angry noises against his lips, but eventually caved and kissed him back, relaxing a little.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

And she really didn’t, she thought, deciding to drop the topic and let herself be distracted by what he could do with his mouth.

***

Saturday morning in Wayne manor was peaceful. Jason was having shapeless dreams he wouldn’t remember when he woke up, comfortable in the warmth provided by the body in his arms.

And then that peace and quiet was completely shattered.

“What the hell?”

Jason opened his eyes, already cursing himself for sleeping so deeply he didn’t detect the presence in the room.

“I haul my ass as fast as I can because of a worrying and cryptic message,” the voice continued, getting angrier and louder as he spoke, “to find you like— Like— ugh!”

“Danny?” Jazz sat up on the bed, rushing to get out of the covers.

“And he’s naked. Great.”

Jason tried to make his brain work, but it felt like it had been replaced with cotton. He reached for the night table, but of course he didn’t have his knife. Because this wasn’t his apartment. Right. They were at the Manor.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was when I couldn’t find you?” Jason turned to look at the new person, finding Jazz's brother standing there. He was shorter than he expected, and also scrawnier. “I thought— Jazz, do you know where you are exactly?”

“Danny—” She stood up, yelped, and immediately fell back to the bed.

“What happened?” He pointed at her very obviously bandaged foot.

“I fell.”

Danny looked unimpressed. He raised one eyebrow. “And it hasn’t healed?”

“It’s a long story.” Jazz sighed, turned towards Jason. “He is—”

“You know what? I’m not awake enough for this.” The brother interrupted, raising his arms to make a statement. “See you downstairs.”

With that, Danny stomped towards the bedroom door, walked outside and stomped down the hallways without caring about closing the door behind him.

A few tense seconds passed.

“Charming.”

Jazz huffed. “He’s not usually that cranky.” She stretched her arms over her head, sighing. “I guess it’s time to face the music.”

Jason nodded and told her to wait on the bed as he got dressed again.

Weird. Last night he felt like his skin was going to burst when he got undressed, waiting for Jazz to come out of the bathroom. Maybe it was the conversation they had, or maybe it was how easy things became when Jazz was with him; but right then he couldn’t see how sharing a bed with her managed to make him so nervous. It felt silly and childish to care about something like that, especially when he had been intimate with people before.

Jazz felt different. Like he had more to lose. He already had decided he would do and would be whatever she needed and if that meant not ever sleeping together he was ready to accept it.

He knew the conversation wasn’t over regarding the topic, and he had a million more questions, but they could wait for when they weren’t about to walk down for breakfast in his childhood home.

Once he was ready, he picked Jazz up in his arms like the previous night, enjoying her red cheeks and sneaking kisses just because he could.

She mostly stayed put, but right before he made the turn towards the kitchen, she grabbed his head and pulled him down for a deeper kiss, her tongue teasing his lips briefly before she let him go.

“Whatever happens,” she whispered, “please remember I'm the same person.”

Huh. Ominous.

The kitchen was the same as it always was — Alfred's personal haven, where he only allowed the worthy to enter or even assist with cooking.

Right then, the old man watched, entranced, as Danny made wide gestures and huffed and paced around the enormous kitchen, one of Tim's gigantic coffee cups in hand.

“ — and I told him he could shove it where the sun doesn’t shine!” Danny took a sip of the coffee. He looked stressed and not really aware of his surroundings. He probably just picked a cup and got absorbed into his monologue. “But guess what, there’s no sun in the Realms! So he just looked at me like I was an idiot!”

Alfred hummed, a smile teasing his lips.

“I know right?” Danny grumbled, looking at his cup. “Hey do you have a refill, Mr… oh crap I forgot to ask for your name.”

“Alfred Pennyworth, mister.”

“Alfred.” The young man nodded enthusiastically. “Very british. I’ll remember that.”

Someone snorted, coming in from behind Jazz and Jason frozen at the door. This made Danny turn towards his new audience, grimacing when he saw his sister in Jason’s arms.

“You!” He shouted, pointing a finger at his sister.

“Me.” She answered, letting Jason place her on one of the stools at the big kitchen island.

Danny stomped towards the other side of the island.

“You!” He growled. “Don’t you ever do this to me again!” He slammed the empty coffee cup on the marble surface. Miraculously the porcelain didn’t even crack. “I thought another crazy billionaire had kidnapped you to make you fight me to the death, and I find you canoodling with this— this— this guy!!”

Jason didn’t even take offense. The display was entertaining enough. Also, what was that about “another” crazy billionaire kidnapping Jazz? To fight to the death?

“Hello Danny.” Jazz said calmly. “As I was trying to tell you before, this is Jason,” she made a gesture towards him, but didn’t tear her eyes from her brother, “and he’s my boyfriend.”

The younger man’s face went through the five stages of grief in a matter of seconds. His eyes flashed green for a moment, before he closed them and swallowed. When he opened them again, he was glaring at Jason instead.

“Jazz.”

“Yeah?” She answered, giving her thanks to Alfred when he placed a fresh cup in front of her.

Jason accepted his own cup, vaguely registering Dick taking a seat next to him. Or Bruce choosing to become as invisible as he could and shuffle around the kitchen toward where Alfred observed the showdown from a safe distance.

“Jasmine.”

“Daniel.” She sipped her cup, grimacing a bit. She wasn’t a huge fan of coffee. “Hey, did you bring my medicine?”

Still glaring, he reached inside his chest, casually pulling out a little white box. There was something made of glass inside clinking when he slid it across the island for Jazz to catch. When she opened it, six fresh vials of Lazarus Waters glowed inside.

“Six?” She noticed. “They look really good.”

“Had a good batch this time.” He nodded, his glare losing intensity under the praise. But immediately glared at Jason again as if remembering he was supposed to be mad. “And don’t change the topic.”

“What topic?” Jazz ignored her brother while she picked one of the vials, uncorked it and poured the contents in her cup.

Jason crossed stares with Bruce, speechless as both watched Jazz drink the whole thing in one go. She made a face.

“It’s better with tea.”

“Oh don’t you start.”

“Start what?” She winced. Her eyes started glowing a bright green. She looked in pain for a moment, but as quickly as it came, it was gone.

“Jazz.”

“Danny.” She checked her cup was empty, turning it upside down over her waiting open mouth. A few drops fell on her tongue.

The younger brother slammed his hands on the marble. “Stop ignoring me!” He complained. “And explain yourself. What’s with Mr Muscles over there? What the hell have you been doing?”

Jazz softly placed the cup on the island. She folded her hands, and finally looked at her brother. “I told you. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Jazzy, Jazzy, we talked about this,” Danny grabbed his hair in despair. “You have terrible taste in men.”

“Excuse me?”

“Is this going to be like Johnny? Is that it? A bad boy with a motorcycle and leather jacket makes eyes at you and that’s all it takes?” Danny glanced at Jason. “No offense.”

“None taken.” He wasn’t sure he was supposed to speak, but did anyway. Danny was hilarious.

Dick choked on his coffee.

“He’s not like Johnny.” Jazz defended herself. “Jason is—”

“Or maybe like the other one?” Danny interrupted. “What’s-his-name— David! Yeah. Is this a repeat of that one?”

It was Jazz’s time to slam her hands on the marble. “He is not like him!”

Danny bristled, a soft hissing sound blooming in his throat. “Are you sure? Because that one— what was the report? Dislocated shoulder and a shattered hand?”

“I told you I didn’t need your help!” Jazz bristled as well, exposing her fangs in an angry hiss. “And he is not the same!”

“That’s what you said the last time!!” Somehow Danny became taller. Was he floating? His pitch black hair moved like hit by an invisible breeze, too. “No offense.”

Jason didn’t know if he should laugh or intervene. “None taken.” He assured again, controlling his smile.

“And you the one to talk?!” Jazz’s hands tensed. “Should we talk about your horrible taste in women? Huh?”

“Don’t you—!”

“Paulina!”

“It was in highschool!” Danny growled. “What are you—”

“Valerie!” She growled back. The sound wasn’t animalistic, but still not quite human. Jason had never heard something like that, even less coming from the chest of his sweet girlfriend.

“What about her!”

“She tried to kill you!”

“But she never succeeded!” Danny bared his fangs. “And we are cool now!”

What was even happening?

“Sam!”

“Hey!”

“She killed you!” Jazz’s hair started to float, too, right the moment her eyes glowed green again. “Twice!”

That was apparently going too far. Danny’s growl escalated to a full on roar, his body now floating closer to the ceiling. They could see his tapered ears and sharp fangs on full display.

Jazz glared at him from her seat, her hair rising and falling on beat with her heavy breathing; fangs bared and clawed hands raised, ready to fight her own brother. She opened her arms and exposed her chest, making Jason wonder what was about to happen.

In a blink of an eye, all hostility was gone from Danny as he floated towards his sister faster than the human eye could follow — one moment he was on the other side of the island and close to the tall ceiling, and the next he was hugging his sister like his life depended on it.

“I missed you.” His voice was choked and muffled, but the emotion in it was obvious.

“I know.” Jazz circled her arms around Danny like it was the most natural thing in the world. She pressed him tight against her body, her head on top of his, rubbing her cheek against his hair. “I missed you too.”

Everyone held their breaths, waiting to see what Danny would say, but the young man was out cold. Soft snores resonated in the otherwise silent kitchen.

Jazz cleared her throat. Her smile was radiant and warm, like they usually were, as she turned to look at Jason. “Can I put him in your room? He will probably nap for a few more hours.”

Dazzled, Jason just nodded and watched as she hopped down the stool on her — previously — injured ankle and quickly made her exit from the kitchen while easily carrying her brother.

Bruce cleared his throat when they stopped hearing her soft steps. “So…”

“Yeah.” Jason licked his lips and decided to take a sip of his own cup of coffee. It was lukewarm. “That’s, uh... That’s her brother.”

He looked down to where Jazz slammed her hands, finding a crack on the marble. It wasn’t enough to compromise the structure, but it wasn’t small either.

Choosing not to bring attention to that fact, he just sipped his coffee and ignored the barrage of questions from the others. It wasn’t like he knew the answers anyway.

---

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[possamble]

Followed for the fic but im staying for the correct dunmeshi takes! That Marcille knows shes cute but doesnt understand why is such a good read!

Im curious what you think of Falin, then? Does Falin think herself attractive? I think shes no longer insecure about her blush, but that is a hint that shes though about her physical appearance.

Aha thank you! For Falin... the funny thing is that the makeup comic confirms that, while she was super self-conscious and insecure, she was ADHDing too hard to actually follow through on any kind of beauty care routine no matter how simple.

I think she falls into an experience I've felt is really common amongst ADHD women (and people functionally regarded as female for most of their lives) is just kind of... accepting it? going with the flow? having a few moments where we'll try for a bit then just forget entirely again?

Falin seems pretty unconcerned with her appearance in the canon, and I feel like that comes from a combination of literally not having much awareness of herself most times and a resignation that she'll never be as pretty as people who can be regular about upkeep.

As for what we see of her post-dragon... her new style of clothing clashes with her old wardrobe in really interesting ways to me. Before, she was wearing mostly very baggy clothing, surprisingly gender-neutral healer type stuff. After, she's wearing tight trousers, bustiers/corsets, and shirts with the sleeves rolled up.

Now, that could just be because she's more active now and climbing and clambering with loose clothing is annoying as hell. But in my experience, aversion to tight clothing is usually caused by a certain discomfort with one's body -- for me, the fact that she actually seems to prefer that kind of clothing afterwards implies that she feels comfortable with herself now.

And I think that's a really lovely subversion of the "came back wrong" trope. Falin came back to life as a half-monster, and feels more at home in her own body than she ever did before.

[hypocriticaltypwriter]

Idk about you but I would absolutely LOVE to hear some fun facts about Talaney-Anne. Literally whatever you want to share about her, you have my full attention 👀

OMG LAV TYSM ID LOVE TO SHARE SOME FACTS ON OUR GAL!! 🩷🩷

🩷-Talaney-Anne is partially named after her moms county winning dairy cow Anne.

🩷-Talaney dreamt of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader since she was six!

🩷-Two of Talaney's Brothers are seniors in highschool and on the basketball team! Her older two brothers are travelling rodeo Cowboys and her big/eldest sister is a forest ranger in Hawkins.

🩷-She used to do pageants and barrel race/ride show ponies from age 8-13. I'm talking the sparkly cowgirl hats and tassled shirts and chaps- everything.

🩷-Talaney and her siblings live with their grandmother in the more... Rural/red-neck part of Hawkins.

🩷-Talaney is embarrassed by it, but she has a country accent! She tries to cover it up a lot but it slips when she gets mad.

🩷-She does not know how to swim! So she has a slight fear of large bodies of water, or at least water she can't touch the surface of.

🩷-BIGGEST crush on Billy Idol. She loves his music.

🩷-She's not really on the skinny/curvy side like her fellow cheer girls. She's a little more toned. Box/apple body type with smaller curves and a slight pudge of her tummy and thighs that she's EXTREMELY self conscious about. [It's kinda weird to point out but I think she's one of the first few of my s/i that I've given my actual body-type.]

🩷-As sweet as she is- Talaney is STUBBORN when she wants to be. And very hard headed. Sometimes it's subtle in her being persistent.. Other times she's just a real pain in the ass.

🩷-Those first few days of getting Max to warm up to her were BRUTAL. This girl was doing everything she could to get the kid to like her/be comfortable around her. She even took her to get their nails and hair done together and Max was NOT a fan LMAO.

🩷-Unfortunately she isn't allowed to use her brother Willy's truck [which is the only truck they siblings have] cause she doesn't have a license... And cuz he treats it like his baby or something. So Talaney unfortunately bikes a lot there and back to school, the store, home, ect.

🩷-Has a bit of a rocky relationship with her older sister Casey due to her sister's strictness and constant pressure. But she's just trying to step in and be a mother figure as best she can.

🩷-Originally from Utah but only till when she was a baby then she moved to Hawkins!

🩷-Her entire wardrobe is every shade of red to pink. And a lot of lace and bows. Her bedroom isn't much different either.

🩷-Surprisingly enough, a pretty big geek! At least when it comes to comic books and Star Wars movies. She knows a little bit about DnD, but only so much from when all her brothers used to play before Brad and Willy went off to Rodeo. Now anytime she tries to say hi or offer snacks or something to her other brothers whilst in the middle of a campaign she's kicked out or a door is slammed on her face.

🩷-Wears curlers to bed!

[valiantstarlights]

Your showXcomic swap AU is so deliciously unhinged and sweetly dark

Now I have the saddest imagining that Comic Dream lost his Hob because he chose Death a few years after 1989, unable to live in a world where his Stranger "forgot" about him. The Stranger he loved for close to 600 years.

But I do hope that Comic Dream finds a Hob to love and cuddle and stockholm syndrome into loving him.

Thank you! 🥰 I worked hard on the sweetly dark part, in the hopes that it would make the fic less unhinged. 😊 *glances at Dream* I think I failed, but that's okay! 😂

(putting everything else under the cut because fic spoilers 👀 CW: comic spoilers, dark!Dream, depression, dubious consent)

In this AU's multiverse, what you're imagining is definitely possible. 😔 There are Hobs who chose to take Death's hand after Dream didn't show up in 1989, Hobs who did it during one of the World Wars out of overwhelming grief, heartbroken Hobs in 1889, etc.

In The Truth Can't Hurt You, It's Just Like the Dark, I imagined that Dream lost his Hob in 1689, and his realm has been deteriorating ever since. And the state of the Dreaming is so bad that, after Dream escapes from his fishbowl, there is absolutely nothing left in the Dreaming except for ruins.

"But where are all the dreams and nightmares who have escaped to the Waking World?" you may ask.

As this is a dark AU, I'm gonna say that Dream ate them. 👀

He escapes and devours the first dreams and nightmares he finds in the Waking World without conscious thought. Just full on starving man at a feast mode. Because while he is Endless, he has also been starving for centuries, and the fishbowl made him feral enough to not care about anything except getting sustenance.

His arcanas give him more of a fight, though they do so with reluctance. Dream looks so gaunt, and they remember being lovingly crafted by him once upon a time. Surely they could help him, just a little, without losing themselves in the process?

But no. This Dream is too empty, too hungry, and has lost too much to hear their cries of mercy, and their pleas of no more, my lord, please, I still want to live!

I think Dream intentionally finds Corinthian last, and I think he relished each and every bite of him.

Does Desire go through with their dream vortex plan, knowing that their brother is already a shell of his former, haughty self? Probably not.

And anyway, I don't think Dream would talk to his siblings after 1689 at all. But especially not to Death. Even during their family dinners, and even with Destruction trying to get him to talk, Delirium trying to cheer him up, and Death apologizing endlessly because it was Hob's choice--

He doesn't say anything, doesn't eat anything, and just stares at the tablecloth until it's time to leave.

Desire senses no desire from him. Despair feels all his despair, but even that is too much for her. She chokes when she tries to bait him, while Desire feels like their lungs are collapsing because it's hard to breathe around him. It only takes one or two family dinners for the twins to ignore him completely. They both sit as far away as they can from him. They do not want to even look at him. (They still plot to get him captured though, but in this universe, it's because they hope that he becomes so weak that he would be forced to end his being Morpheus and become a new Dream of the Endless.)

On the bright(?) side, yes, this Dream will absolutely find a show!Hob who would love him and all his red flags. 👀 I think the Hob he'll find is very compassionate, and would see the state of him and his realm, and immediately be like, 'This Dream needs me, unlike my Dream whose funeral I just went to. 🥺 I cannot possibly abandon him.'

This Dream needs an entire realm's worth of new dreams and nightmares? Hob can help with that! Just tell him how, and he'll get to work. 😊

Rejuvenated by Hob's presence, Dream recovers his ability to create new dreams and nightmares from dreamsand. But Hob looks so eager to help, and Dream can't possibly let him down and say he can make new dreams and nightmares on his own.

So he tells Hob that they absolutely have to fuck, and Hob has to get pregnant and give birth to all of Dream's children. Because that's how dreams and nightmares are made.

Hob is intimidated because he has never even thought about being pregnant before. But if it's with Dream... 🥺👉👈

And a Dream who has been so kind to him ever since he arrived, never leaving his side and telling him that he loves no one else but him? A Dream who literally ripped the fabric of reality apart for him?

"Of course I'll help," Hob says shyly. "It might be a frightening experience, but as long as you're with me, I'm not going to be afraid. 🥰"

(Cue Dream immediately teleporting them both to the comfiest spot in the currently work-in-progress Dreaming and fucking Hob until his seed takes, because why does Hob know exactly how to make Dream insane about him? 🔥 Is that a skill that all show!Hobs have or something?)

And then of course Hob discovers that he absolutely loves being pregnant, because Dream dotes on him even more. So even when Dream confesses that he lied about the process of making dreams and nightmares, Hob just laughs and kisses him, and tells him to abandon his old way of creating on the beach, because Hob definitely prefers this method.

Needless to say, Dream is absolutely head-over-heels in love with his new Hob. He makes his castle--and basically the entire Dreaming, to Hob's liking. Hob would like to have more bright courtyards filled with flowering trees and picnic spots? Done. Hob would like for all their children to be able to have their own homes (so he and Dream can fuck wherever they want in the castle without getting interrupted)? A stellar idea. Dream helps Lucienne 2.0 build her house that's full of books, Gilbert 2.0 with his botanical gardens, and even Corinthian 2.0 with his sarlacc pit.

As a result, the new Dreaming is a cheerier and brighter place. The new dreams and nightmares love their parents very much, and they do not find it strange that both Dream and Hob always smell like sex, with their moddy always happily pregnant, and their father always smug and possessive.

Dream learns to delegate most of his tasks to his many children, so he and Hob could work on making more dreams and nightmares to repopulate the entire Dreaming. It's Hob's idea that he delegates so they can fuck more, and Dream thinks that his lovely husband has all the best ideas and can do no wrong.

And in this universe, all the new dreams and nightmares agree. Having Hob in the new Dreaming is a blessing. Absolutely the best thing that has ever happened ever. And the entire realm will go to war with anyone who would try to take him away from them.

[dyemelikeasunset]

I used to feel really self-conscious about original projects, mainly bc art isn't my Big Thing In Life and I'm just a hobbyist. Nowadays I've been feeling better about my abilities to create stories, but sometimes I still feel discouraged since I need to focus on my non-art job to keep myself afloat. You've been such a huge inspiration for me to get out of the Self-doubt Hole. If I may ask: how do you personally find inspiration in the midst of a busy life? Additionally, how do you convince yourself to actually take the plunge and write that idea you've been so passionate about for so long?

Hi!! So this has been in my inbox for a while because I'm struggling to verbalize how exactly I found my emotional break. I don't think the journey looks the same to everyone, in fact I think it's more likely it will be vastly different. I have no idea if what changed for me will work for you, but I'll tell you anyway cause it's the only perspective I have

(under a readmore cause i'm verbose)

So I'll be honest, I don't think I properly convinced myself to take the plunge... I kind of just got sick of myself. Last year was honestly one of the lowest points of my life, I won't get into it, but a lot of bad things were happening and I was close to giving up many times. I felt cornered by depression and self doubt and constantly investing in other people's projects and investing in my jobs to give me a sense of creative satisfaction.

For a couple years, I had been poking at my personal project in the background and trying to work up the energy to make "It Was You & I & The Afterlife" my first comic series, but I didn't know what it would look like at all. I had a moment where I just took a break from writing this really serious story and playing with the characters. I found so much joy in what I thought was a "cheap escape" that something started shifting inside me. I'm the type of person that actually takes things a little too seriously most of the time, so letting loose and reveling in joy and comfort is a very big lesson I'm constantly relearning.

Letting "Dom & Mor" become its own entity was something I had never even considered, but I guess I let myself just like... play around? I call D&M "me just making my Barbies kiss" all the time, because that's how it feels. Like playtime? I had a very cold childhood so it's been very healing to be able to play. I'm actually throwing discipline to the wind because I've spent my entire life and career being disciplined and trying to do things "right." The skills I've built up to this point have definitely been helping me a lot, but I think the most important thing is that I've been experiencing the unadulterated joy of creation and it actually shook me out of my depression so hard that it's been startling. I mean, my depression isn't cured, not at all, but it was helped. Having fun is honestly a human need, and I think that's the core of how I started prioritizing myself again

[lariumbreon]

how were you able to come out as plural? <- probably a system who runs a blog w over 1.5k followers and is pretty anxious about the possibility of coming out, but wants to do it someday

Very carefully. It kinda just.. Came out. When I really couldn't hide it anymore. There was a long time when all my alters were for the most part dormant, nobody else never needed to front. It wasn't until the height of a lot of abuse that was driving me to self-harm that the others in the system had to really step in and keep me from hurting myself. Since, we've faced a lot of discrimination, ostracization, and a lot of shocked and terrified reactions from others from a "how do I know you're really you?" standpoint. Lost a lot of friends and people in my life because this was the limit -- Which surprised me that it wasn't my Borderline, or my PTSD, or the various other aspects of my mental health that cause greater disruption, but my OSDD. When in reality, we, as a system, are able to stabilize all the other aspects pretty well when we're able to work together. Which we have learned how to a great deal. As said in the comic, we've been a system since we were really young, at about eight. So we've had quite a lot of practice in working together, despite the varying years and amount of dormancy.

It's one of the many things regarding neurodivergence people scoff at the most. I've found it's really hard for people to wrap their heads around the possibility of multiple conscious minds being in one brain. Though I feel like if people were to really took in the time to consider it they'd probably realize they're plural too. Same way a lot of angry homophobes, or transphobes are just trying to hide away from their own feelings towards being gay and trans. So it may be good to play the field with those around you before you do come out. See how it feels to try and let your other aspects have a voice. Whether it's through RP or through carefully opening up to the people closest to you. But as with many identity coming outs, it'll be met with a lot of pushback, naysay, and people's true colors showing. Be prepared for that. Please, feel free to dm me personally, whoever you are, I have resources and spaces that can potentially be helpful. With plenty of other plural people ready and willing to be there for you.

[albatmobile]

Hiii I love the unconventional approach you’re taking with their relationship in Cardinal sins! I reread ARS recently and read Cardinal after and it really flows together 👏🥰 I can’t wait for them to kiss and makeup though 😙

Are we aloud to ask about your writing process or behind the scenes info? I’d love to hear your favorite parts about writing ((or least favorite)) and maybe a behind the scenes of Cardinal sins so far!

ANON MY HEARRTTT sorry for sitting on this ask for a literal month- just wanted to make sure i answered everything! I was super self-conscious about posting CS in the first place bc of the conflict i wanted to portray between them. I really didn't want it to be like 'we all love each other and have no issues anymore bc we're together finally' because that's just not realistic with 3 very different personalities like they have! the kissing and forgiveness will come throughout the next few chapters as bigger threats present themselves :p

yes! definitely willing to talk about my writing process. dialogue always comes really easily to me (except in some scenes of parent teacher conferences and scenes with Lian for some reason) as hard as it is to believe (or maybe not!!) smut is very hard for me to write tbh like it either comes easy in a chapter or it doesn't but more often than not, it's the last thing i need to write in chapters that include it (aka rn with parent teacher conferences opps)

behind the scenes / CS spoilers

as i mentioned above, i wanted their relationship to be tumultuous to an extent as that's how it'd been in ARS but in CS you can tell they're trying to change for the better (think coping mechanisms, opening up to each other... etc) while they learn how best to support each other as lovers in a poly relationship

throughout, there is romance, but it honestly becomes a subplot which I kinda liked!

originally, reader actually was going to be pregnant but i decided against it bc i really wanted to show cardinal in the field and as her own person. i felt like it would've done her a disservice to have her be introduced into the field and taken out of it before she even had a chance to kick ass as cardinal

roy- i didn't want his challenges w substance abuse just to happen in ars and then never mentioned again. it's really core to how much he's grown and a shifting point in his character in ars and i wanted to continue to show that journey as he grows older but still deals with the some of the same struggles + the different approaches he takes bc of his growth. also, how to make him not an accessory to cardinal and hood / comic relief as i tried to do in ARS :D

jason- no one butts heads (lol butt head) like Jason and reader!! i love how crazy their realtionship can get bc they see themselves as so different, when honestly they're more similar than not. Jason plays a big role in CS as he represents the opposite views of Bruce and, coincidentally, the opposite views of reader on Joker (how they coexist / can those opposite views coexist and for how long?) + his views on the Bat Family and how Bruce treats them vs reader's idolized version of Bruce as a dad. redemption vs unredeemable is a huge theme Jason helps push forward in the sequel :p (also repentance and sins!)

cardinal- consistently has dealt with 'what is family/ who is family to her' and that continues in CS. Bruce is someone she looks up to and has said she considers a father. she still holds bruce on this pedestal and and how it contrasts with the warnings Jason's given her about Bruce- I really wanted to work with this angle throughout the rest of the fic. alsooo reader as a mom to Lian and her not wanting to fuck up like her parents did

i can go on more! lmk anything you'd like to know about ARS/ CS or if you have any questions about the above! asks like this make me so happy bc it gives me a chance to talk literary elements like a nerd lol

[junosbagel]

Ethan Landry headcanons!

some general ethan headcanons, probably pre ghostface stuff, no spoilers!

i love my nerdy dork

warnings: none! all fluff

-he is oblivious but he really wishes he was not

-ethan is a gamer we all know it

-saw someone say he plays dark souls and i know damn well he does

-i could imagine ethan playing skyrim, resident evil, zelda, the last of us, the walking dead, detroit become human, final fantasy, pokémon etc.

-he has definitely played all the zelda games

-i can't imagine him playing competitive shooting games though

-for multiplayer games, he would always play with chad or get chad to play other games

-LOVES going to the arcade

-is a god at dance dance revolution

-his ddr partner is tara and they go all out!!!!

-sometimes a small crowd would gather to watch them

-nerd

-insanely in love with marvel, dc, and star wars (including the comics)

-other comics (or shows based from comics) i think he'd be into are invincible and the walking dead

-obviously collects comics

-collect other merchandise from those franchises and series

-collects figurines and funko pops

-since jack said he has adhd (like me) i want to add that to ethan!!

-absolutely loves it when he gets to talk/rant about his hyperfixations

-has a lot of "well actually ☝️" moments that their friend group, especially mindy, find very annoying

-he goes to the gym with chad, usually in the morning

-he was really close with quinn but when they started college, they kind of drifted but every now and then they would hang out

-chad and quinn always try to get ethan to try and talk to new people in hopes of getting into a relationship

-chad's his wingman, always hyping him up

-at times, girls (and boys) go up to ethan but he screws up a lot and makes a bad impression on them

-ethan does not like going to frat parties much, but figures he go to some anyway for the sake of "living up to the expectation" of his fellow peers and age group

-other times he'll go if chad and the gang are going

-and when he does attend frat parties, he doesn't drink or is at least sober because he knows he'll be the one driving his friends home

-a small hobby of his is drawing

-likes drawing art of characters from shows and series he likes

-as oblivious as he may be, if any of the girls need to talk to someone, they would go to ethan

-not for advice or anything, but just for someone to listen

-he isn't the best with words but through acts of kindness and reassurance, he tries to be there for his friends

-ethan also tries to be understanding when his friends are venting or going through something

-prefers math over english classes, he is good in his english classes but he finds math more interesting and easier

-loves building and collecting legos

-mostly collects star wars lego sets

-sometimes him and chad will build legos together as they talk or watch tv

-can actually cook, he's decent at it

-after a rough interaction with a girl that he tried to talk to, ethan felt self conscious about the way he dressed

-went to mindy and anika for help

-honestly he dresses pretty decently but occasionally he will wear a really nice outfit he liked when mindy and anika took him shopping

-when he's feeling down and needs someone to talk to, he usually goes to chad, quinn, or sam

-he has a hard time being vulnerable in front of people, even his friends

-but he's glad that his friends always assure him that they're there for him like he is for them

-is unintentionally funny

-on halloween he ALWAYS goes all out

-growing up he used to always match with quinn or richie

-but as they got older, both quinn and richie stopped dressing up with ethan :(

-really wants to go trick or treating but thought it was weird if he wasn't with a little sibling or relative to be with

-he stopped trick or treating after high school, thinking that people who gave out candy would think it's odd for someone his age to trick or treating

-i could see him collecting mixtapes, dvds, and vhs tapes

-into film and cinema in general

-either he tries to comment on stuff when watching movies or analyzes it all in his head (could make a whole essay about it if he wanted to)

-uses letterboxd

-ethan and mindy like talking about film and usually like to defend their opinions about it

-can binge watch a lot of movies or shows without getting burnt out

-although quinn and ethan are siblings, i can see mindy and ethan fighting like siblings do

that's all the headcanons i have for now! i am most likely going to make another one at some point. hope you all enjoyed this :)

[ghost-of-a-system]

About your comic + the response to it ;; Our troubles have also been with other systems. I still remember one of our headmates whos sourceself was like, hard to find stuff for, found another fictive of the same source.

They were friends until the other one realized ours is non-canon and stuck with his "abuser" ( he isn't in his canon ).

I've also become really paranoid and really self aware of our system due to other systems Behaviors. I don't mind systems that talk to each other via pk in public servers but the way some of them went about it made us double down on doing it ourselves.

I've had too many introjects say "are you crushing on me". No. Its already weird for me to have an introject myself of that person/character, don't make it harder on me /nay

HOWEVER on the plus side my friend/partner group is systems and have been very helpful and kind so. Not all is lost.

these are definitely understandable & valid feelings! we can imagine how it might've felt to have someone you called a friend basically tell you (whether outright or through actions/words) that their friendship and care for you is only dependent on your shared source. (i hope it's okay if we share our experiences, we do so because we see it as an "i can understand how you feel, you aren't alone"; we never mean to try to 'one-up' anyone! :'))

for the first, we have had a similar experience in the past. it was very hurtful and made the alter in our system involved very uncomfortable and self-conscious. the relationship mattered a large amount to them, and they didn't want to lose it. so, after that, they literally started lying and practically gaslighting themself into believing they had the same pseudomemories as their friend whenever they came up. this lasted almost all the way up until they went dormant over a year later (for unrelated reasons) and was a very unhealthy and damaging cycle. i don't want to get too into how it affected them in the long-term, but i'll just say it was very hard and painful to watch.

as for the public servers bit, we definitely understand where you're coming from, i think? i'm going to assume you're referring to systems using pluralkit to talk to each other, as in, other alters in their own system, and not other systems in general. but i think i know what you're referring to with that. i'm not really sure how to put it into words, though. i think we're (personally) just very particular about our own behavior, as well as what we're willing to share. we are not comfortable speaking to our other alters with pluralkit publicly, but it's hard to say whether that's simply because we don't want to, or because we're conscious of others' judgement and/or comfort. like, even not online, we're comfortable talking out loud to each other (when we're alone) because we find it easier to communicate that way. but we would never do that around someone else, system or not. but we've known other systems who are comfortable doing it around other people, and like, that's cool too. whatever helps ya, at least in our opinion, but i get what you mean.

the introject thing you mention is kind of complicated for us, because we all have different views on source separating. we all believe in the same definition of it (the one susie described in its comic), but at varying intensities, if that makes any sense. at the end of the day, we personally couldn't care less about another system's stance with source separating their introjects. like unless something happens where it somehow directly affects us, in that case which we would probably say something, but just to whoever was personally involved. our overall main issue with introjects publicly treating themselves as their source is the influence it has on those interacting with or reading the discussion. i think it reinforces this simply false idea that we are confined to our source, to not just singlets/non-systems, but even to other systems. being in, especially servers, places where that is taking place makes us reluctant to involve ourselves in the conversation, in fear that everyone will then apply that ideology to us, which we just aren't okay with.

i'm glad you're able to at least have a few people/spaces you feel comfortable in, though! they are definitely there, even if sometimes it takes a bit of digging.

sorry for the huge essay. poke us with a subject and if the right alter is fronting, your ask will be answered with a book x) hope anything i said actually applied to the original ask haha, i can go on huge rants, so i am sorry !!

[ajscico]

“Warriors said I wasn’t around enough.” All through the telling, there was this thread in the words that Twilight seemed to think this was a requirement of himself to be helpful. He used ‘useful’ as his choice of words-- though this failed to set Time’s alarm bells off until later-- to be better somehow. Finally, Twilight let slip his companion on his quest. Twilight had joked with the others about the ‘princess as beautiful as the setting sun’ who had broken his heart but it was worse than Twilight had let on. She’d left his Pup without a word and left him thinking it had all been his fault. Three help this kid … Time sent a desperate prayer into the universe and threw in a plea for wisdom while he was at it. 

“Pup, I can’t speak for your companion.” The goddesses knew he’d been searching for answers to Navi’s departure since he was a child.  It was awful to know his descendant  had suffered a similar experience. “But I can speak for myself and you need to know.

You are enough. We love you. I love you. I’m so proud of you and the goddesses better give us enough time to prove that to you.” That was the straw that broke his pup once again as the quiet sniffing that had been Twilight trying to hold himself together gave way to full aching sobs. Time pulled his Pup tighter to him. Twilight cried himself out and all Time could do was hold him through it. 

DvD commentary please? 🥺

So it's really interesting to me you chose this section and I kind of want to know why but here goes.

This section starts with...trying to reference the original inspiration. Warriors's words in Good Enough made Twi make a more conscious effort to switch more frequently. I also don't remember right now whether that was actually who bonded well with Wolfie Vs Twilight or if I was still deciding if I was just gonna rewrite the whole story rather than just crediting it as "something I wrote to cope with the angst, sorry OP" and used my own personal version of who would bond with which side of Twilight.

"Useful" is definitely in reference to the chapters as Ginarosesdale did it. I needed Twilight to talk to Time, to ramble and tell his story and let it all out but words in dialogue form weren't working so we get the summary from Time. Not picking up on the self-deprecation until much later in the stories is... very tied to the idea in my head that "heroes of courage they may be but wisdom is not their forte" so it takes Time a little while to pick up on the thread.

Midna is so pivotal to Twilight’s regret. The entire first chapter of Good Enough was focused on Twilight’s original journey. I, however, have not played Twilight Princess. My context is from fics, from watching clips, from asking my brothers and friends who have played the game, and the Zelda wiki. So... the exact nature of the journey and that scar on his heart was also left to remain vague

But! It was a flash of genius when I realized that "companion leaves forever at the end of the journey" is a trait the two of them share. While Time and Navi’s relationship is obviously different than Twilight and Midna's, their departure without explanation or hope of return haunts them both.

Then we get where it is very obvious I'd been influenced by Twilight's breakdown in Make It Stop. Words are hard for Time but seeing his pup so close to breaking means he needs to say *something*. This is where we get the "...I can speak for myself and you need to know. You are enough. We love you. I love you. I’m so proud of you and the goddesses better give us enough time to prove that to you."

And once again showing the influence of Make It Stop with Twilight’s falling apart at that point. A single hint of indirect praise in the comic conversation with Malon was enough to have him floating the rest of the night. Imagine if it was said directly to him, by the man he knows becomes The Hero’s Shade, and genuinely meant... cue the waterworks.

Time being helpless to do anything but hold his kid... loose reference to IRL and seeing breakdowns and meltdowns and being helpless to help but trying anyway.

Thanks Nancy Dear for the ask. ❤️ Glad you enjoyed the story enough to prod me to actually finish it.