#also if any other artists want to chip in I think it would be fun! ♡

[momolady]

Art the Orc

If you live in a small town, maybe you'll know this place. It's a little art store run by the same family for ages. It's not changed in all that time either. Picture it, feel it, you know it's the only place that sells that one supply you like. Now, imagine an orc behind the counter. Female Reader x Male Monster

The visage of the old place looked like it had once been a gas station. There was one of those big metal awnings and signs that gas pumps had once been outside. But everything else looked like the art supply store it was. The window was painted, done up with flowers and a flourishing font, but it hadn’t been touched in ages and was chipping and weathering away.

The old place had seen better days, you could tell. But you were excited to tackle such a special project with your own two hands.

Inside the place had a familiar smell of paint thinner, book pages, and coffee. You looked around the front as the bells on the door chimed. The old floor had seen better days and was worn out where you stood, even the welcome mat was hard to read.

“Welcome to Greengold Creative Station,” the deep voice came from behind the front desk where there was an open door. ‘I’ll be out with you in just a moment.”

“Take your time,” you replied. You continued to look around, noting the mismatched shelving and thrown together renovations dotting the place.

A moment later, a large orc came from the back. He was wearing thick glasses and had on a corded cardigan that covered a paint splattered t-shirt.

“Can I help you find anything?” He asked as he adjusted his glasses.

You approached the front desk again, extending your hand to him. “Hi! You must be Mr. Greengold, I’m from Regency Renovations.”

There was a surprised look upon his face as he shook your hand. “You’re the renovator?”

You smiled, half expecting some reservation based on your appearance. “I specialize in business and storefront renovations. That is what you wanted, correct, Mr. Greengold?”

He fumbled with his words for a moment, stuttering, touching his glasses until he spoke. “Call me Art, please.”

You held it in, but he knew where your mind went.

“It’s short for Arthur, but it's also my dad’s name so my mom calls me Art. Yes, I know, ha ha, very fun. A man named Art runs the art store.”

“It’s an easy target.” You tried to squash your giggling but a few came out.

He sighed and shook his head. “So, you’ll be handling the whole store. I want it updated completely. It was fine for my parents, but I need to bring in a new generation of artists and online shopping is destroying us.”

“It’s a common issue, Art,” you didn’t look at him as you said his name. “I already have some ideas brewing and I would be happy to discuss your thoughts for the business with you.”

He sighed heavily, gazing out at a store that was once his family’s legacy. “I would say I would like to keep some of what my parents did to this place, but I don’t think any of it is salvageable.”

“Well recycling is a thing.” You replied. “Like some of these old shelves, the wood can be reused to create a rustic facade for the front desk here.” You patted the worn out formica top. “And the vintage signage out from can be reused and framed, hung just right behind you there.”

Art made a face. “You can do all that.”

You returned his face, adding a smug smile to it. “I can do lots of things, Art. My father was a carpenter and my mother was a viper. Be careful of what you inflict about me.” You patted your chest proudly. You knew you were small and chubby, not many people expected much out of you, but your work spoke for itself. And that was how you told people off.

“Sorry,” he sighed. “I have a lot riding on this so-”

“So you hired the best. That I can promise you. Now I know you said you didn’t have a lot of funds, but I already have my plans made for how to help you with that. I plan on doing most of the work on my own, but for heavy lifting and other things-”

“I don’t mind helping with that,” he said with a shake of his head.

You had planned to bring in your brother for help, he enjoyed the destruction part of your job and he worked for free food. “Well uh…if you’d like Art, I wouldn’t say no.”

“I wouldn’t want you getting hurt on the job. It would be best if I helped out,” he said.

You couldn’t tell if he was being kind or underestimating you again, so you brushed it off and continued. “I would also like to film the process of the renovation. Stuff like that will help reach your new audience.”

He frowned, and his thick brows pinched together. “You must be joking.”

“I am not. You’d be surprised what the kids these days are watching.” You smirked up at him. “I know what I am doing, Art. Have some faith.”

His face read: easier said than done.

Discussion and planning was always the hard bit. You had to convince your employer of what needed to be done. Art was hesitant about some things, after all it was a family business and a place he had grown up in. But for the most part he was willing to go along with some of your ideas.

Art started the clean up process by first putting away his stock and setting most of the mismatched shelves outside. Once that was taken care of you began ripping up the old carpet and ancient linoleum.

“I remember when my dad put that stuff down,” Art said from behind you.

You looked up, eyes covered by goggles and mouth surrounded by one of those thick industrial masks. “Oh really?”

Art gave you a look. “Is all that necessary?”

“You’d be surprised.” You stacked another chunk of the linoleum to the side. “Lots of debris and who-knows-what is under these old floors. Decades of dirty shoes, dust, skin, and life are stored here.”

Art’s grimace deepened. “Skin?”

“Oh yeah, we shed like mad,” you laughed. “If you have dust in your house you can be assured it came from you!”

Art looked perturbed by this revelation but he continued in moving stock to the back and other store property outside.

Once the flooring was removed, you accessed what was underneath. It wasn’t marble or granite, but it was some type of stony tile that had existed when it was a gas station.

“Mom said it was inhospitable.”

You used a dust cloth to clean off a bit of the flooring. “But it’s easy to clean, and it’ll make the whole place appear brighter and bigger.” You turned and looked back at him, taking off the goggles. “It’ll be so much better in the long run. Plus! You won’t have to buy anything new except maybe a rug or two if you wanted.”

Art’s pinched brow was becoming the norm to see, but you could tell it was because the gears behind it were working so hard to process everything going on.

Once the tiles were cleaned and all the old flooring was hauled off to the dump, you started working on the walls, taking down slapdash shelving, and anything else hanging up. The old paint job, or jobs really, were layered on so thick and hadn’t been properly done. They had painted over the trim and electrical outlets, all of which needed to be replaced. The holes in the walls needed fixing too, and there were a few dents and scrapes from the years.

“You’re not hiring a painter?” Art asked one day.

You zipped up your coveralls and turned around to face him. “Not unless you want to shell out twice the money. Besides, I’m a good painter. A great painter even! Maybe not Rembrandt or anything, but I can handle a roller better than most.”

Art looked over your paint supplies. After days of you working on freeing the electric sockets and scraping the excess from the trim you could finally start working. You were painting the wall white, but you had found cheap sticker tiles to create a great accent wall, which could then be used for photo opportunities and special displays. Then another wall would also be painted white and used to display local artists and projects from the art class that Art taught.

“Mom always wanted to put wallpaper up,” Art murmured. “But said it wouldn’t be practical with everything we needed to hang up.”

There was a melancholy to Art’s face and tone as he said this. “What kind?” You asked as you poured your paint into the tray. “We could always find something close to what she had in mind for the office.”

Art glanced over his shoulder then shook his head. “I doubt I could afford it. I tried looking already.”

You put the roller into the paint, sliding it back and forth until it wasn’t too soupy. “Was this place your mom’s idea?”

“Yeah,” he murmured, his gaze going all about the store. “I can’t believe how empty it is now.”

“It’ll be full again in no time.” You gave him a reassuring smile when his amber eyes returned to you. “Do you have any pictures of your mother you would want to hang up?” you asked. “I can plan a special place for it.”

He huffed, seeming put off by this suggestion. “Excuse me. The smell of this paint is giving me a headache.” He walked off, stomping his feet a little as he went.

Art came back by the time you were finished with the first coat of white. You were sitting in front of the checkout desk, leaned back against it so your foot propped the door open. He stepped over your leg and looked at your work.

“The white really makes this place look…different,” he murmured.

“Don’t worry, there will be some color back soon enough,” you sighed. “Is your headache gone?”

Art nodded, leaning against the desk. “Sorry if I’ve been…obstinate.”

You waved it off. “I’m used to you.”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve been questioning and judging everything, all because I never really wanted to do this.”

You tilted your head up to look at him. “Then why are you?”

He let out that heavy, burdened sigh again. “Because it was in her will.”

You clicked your tongue. “Oh.”

“She left me money, but only if I used a portion of it to renovate the old store. She said it was mine after all, it deserved to reflect the new generation. Even in death she was still hinting I get married.” He scoffed at this, but he still had a smile on his face.

“Sounds pretty motherly.” You stood up from the ground, standing beside him. Not feeling much taller than you did sitting beside his great size. You motioned to the front window. “Did she paint that?”

Art laughed. “No. I did. That’s why she kept it so long.”

Your smile beamed. “Really? That’s pretty adorable.”

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “For years upon years I’ve looked at that painting and wished every day she would wash it off and do something different. But I suppose her sentimentality was far too deep for that.”

“It’s a good painting,” you offered.

“I never thought she’d keep it so I barely tried,” he grunted and crossed his arms against his chest. “Boy, was I wrong.”

“Would you like to paint the new display? I was planning on just hanging a new sign and leaving the window clean.”

“I don’t know,” he muttered.

You patted his arm, and his eyes darted down to your hand, his brows unpinching for that one moment.

“I’ll wait till you decide then.” You stepped away from him, but his eyes still lingered on where you had touched him.

A few days later, as you were working on putting the sticker tile onto the wall, Art came from the back and offered you a ticket.

“A friend of mine has a gallery showing tonight. He gave me two tickets so I thought-” He hesitated and cleared his throat.

“How fancy is the affair?” You asked.

“Nothing too fancy. I mean, dress up, but not like black tie event or anything.” He cleared his throat again. “I was going to get dinner at my favorite restaurant since it was close by if you wanted to come.”

It clicked and you looked up at him. Your cheeks flushed and your mouth started to go dry. “Oh. Sure.” You tucked your hair behind your ear. “If that’s the case, maybe we should go in together. You know? Save the earth and stuff.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Smart idea. How about I pick you up tonight. Say…around six? Since the gallery is at eight?”

You nodded, biting down on your lip. “Yeah. Perfect. That should give me enough time to get ready after work.”

Art turned awkwardly away then back towards you. “Oh I uh, I guess I should get your address.” You traded info and the rest of the day went by in a jerky, tense sort of way.

That evening you waited in your living room until you heard from Art. You were wearing your favorite dress, and had even gotten your next door neighbor to do your makeup. You got his message and went downstairs to meet him at the front door.

Art was dressed nice in a dark purple suit and he had his long hair slicked back and tied into a bun. He didn’t have on his glasses, which surprised you. His eyes lit up when he saw you.

“Wow, you look great!” He said, a touch breathless.

You blushed and smiled. “Thanks. You look pretty great too. I’m not used to seeing you without your glasses.”

“Yeah, contacts tonight,” he said shyly. He then took your hand and led you to his car.

The restaurant was nice, the two of you had a clumsy start to it, but eventually you both started having an in depth conversation about color. From there, you both laughed and joked around, having a good time with great food and even better wine.

From there you walked to the gallery, meeting his friend then roaming through the show. Her artwork was lovely, but you noticed Art’s pinch brow had returned.

“A lot more nudes than I expected,” he whispered.

“I think it’s nice,” you replied. “I can see what her intent with the motif is. How it’s classic, it's natural, but also subversive.” You turned to Art, noticing him fidgeting and adjusting himself.

“Yes. I understand what she is doing,” he muttered. “I must have had just a little too much wine I think.”

You smiled at him, chuckling as your cheeks grew warm.

The car windows were fogged over, and in the dark all you could do was touch. His kisses felt rough but intimate. His tusks brushed against your skin, making your shiver. Every so often the darkness was halted by the motion light of the parking lot turning on. You’d still for a moment, then continue on with your youthful antics.

“We should stop.”

“We should.”

“Why aren’t we?”

“It’s hard.”

“Very hard.”

You kissed Art and breathed, looking into his eyes while you clasped your hands around his face. Maybe it was the wine or the nudes on display, maybe it was weeks of working so close and holding back so long.

“It’s hard.”

“Very hard.”

You smiled at him, kissing him again while his hands moved below. Your panties were pushed aside, his zipper brushed against your thigh. Big. Oh my god it was big!

You gasped softly and he stilled, watching your expression. You eased over him, taking as much of Art as you could stand. You pressed your palms to the roof of the car for balance, his strong hands kneaded into your thick thighs.

“Aren’t we a bit too old for this?” he breathed.

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we.” Your laughter turned into moaning. Maybe you were both a bit too old for this, but you’d never had so much fun before! He pressed deeply inside you, and his hands couldn’t stop touching your body. He roamed over the soft curves, and plump form, his desire seeming to grow the more he did.

The next morning you came into work, seeing Art standing in the middle of the room. You held your breath, wondering if it was all a wonderful dream. He turned and smiled, his thick glasses back in place.

“Hi” he said breathlessly.

Your smile bloomed. “Hi.”

Art motioned to the desk. “I brought coffee.”

“I see that.” You smiled and took a cup he offered.

He sighed then laughed and you laughed. “So uh…last night.”

“I liked your friend’s gallery. It was very nice. I also liked your favorite restaurant.” You took a sip of the coffee, testing it before you added anything.

Art nodded, his gaze drifted until it fell back onto you. “Is that all?”

You smiled over your coffee cup. “No. Just barely.” You looked into his eyes. “I wasn’t sure if it was an appropriate work topic.”

“Not exactly but uhm…I just wanted to check.” His eyes darted over you. “Were we really too old for that?”

You laughed and cupped your hand over your mouth. “A little. But I’m not too sore. Are you?”

“No. But I would prefer somewhere much comfier next time.” he leaned in close and you closed your eyes, accepting his kiss and the touch of his tusks against your cheeks.

“Yes, it would be nice.” You saw he had paints and brushes set on the front desk. “What’s this for?”

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “I thought I’d paint the window. I got a bit of inspiration last night.” He grinned your way. “Plus, I think mom would like to see how I’ve improved.”

You grinned. “I’ll be very excited to see how you work. Outside a car at least.”

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @tinypaint

My name is Michelle Fus. I’m a Jewish, non-binary artist. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts for Computer Art and Animation in 2011. I’ve interned at Pixar and worked for a few years at Dreamworks Animation. Over the past ten years, I’ve self-published two books and have run three successful Kickstarters. I now work with Skybound (The Walking Dead, Invincible) in developing my webcomic, Ava’s Demon, as a physical book series for stores. I like hiking, cultivating plants, caring for my cats, and hanging out with my beautiful husband. You can read my webcomic at avasdemon.com.

Check out our interview with Michelle below!

How did you get your start in art, and more specifically, with Ava's Demon?

I’ve always been into art since I was very young. I started to gravitate towards it in first grade, where we were required to keep a daily journal. I found myself drawing in it more than actually keeping entries. From there, I got more and more interested in honing my skills as an artist. I started making my own comics for fun. I signed up for classes outside of school and put together a portfolio for the School of Visual Arts, where I majored in Computer Art and Animation. After getting my first job in the field, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. After working my day job, I would come home and work towards building a career in comics for myself by creating and uploading my webcomic, Ava’s Demon.

What is one habit you find yourself doing a lot as an artist?

Looking things up to learn more before I make art or write. For instance, how many livable planets are in a Galaxy? What does a black hole actually look like, and can it give off light? How long would it actually take to travel through space if you had the fastest ship possible? I look up all of these things and then ignore most of them for the sake of writing a fun story and making fun art.

From idea to final piece, how long does it take for you to create something?

It depends on the feeling I want to convey. Sometimes I’ll work for a whole week on a drawing and then delete it because I just don’t feel good about it. Other times I’ll make something in a day that I absolutely love from beginning to end. Some drawings I never delete nor finish, and instead, the files just kind of sit in a folder. The time it takes varies a lot.

Over the years as an artist, what were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

I really love good stories. So movies and books with captivating stories usually motivate and inspire me; stories that stay with you permanently, with twists and turns that you can’t stop thinking about. I also love finding characters whose struggles I can deeply relate to. I try to hold onto those feelings and emulate them through my art.

What is the hardest part of your process?

Actually finishing a drawing. The anxiety of it piles on me sometimes. I’ll work for a while on a drawing and constantly ask myself, “Is this drawing really finished? What terrible things about it am I not seeing?”. My desire to avoid making something terrible can sometimes put me in a mental prison where I keep chipping away at a drawing until I no longer know what I am looking at.

What is one interaction you had from a fan of yours that has stuck with you over the years?

In general, I like letting young artists in middle school, and high school know that I wasn’t very good at art at their age (I really wasn’t, I didn’t have the same resources they have now, and I didn’t have any perspective on what it takes to have a career in art, it’s a different world). Kids have come to me at conventions with their work for critique and advice, and I have to tell them that they’re already miles ahead of what I could make at their age. I have to tell them that it’s okay if they can’t make what all the professionals make online, to know that they have SO much time ahead of them to work at what they love. If you love making art, do it often, study art throughout history, and over time you’ll be able to create everything your heart desires.

What is something other people find hard to draw that you find enjoyable?

I have no idea. Sometimes it feels like drawing anything is suffering, even if you like what you’re making.

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

@loish has been consistently inspiring me since my days in high school. Every new painting has so much grace and power and is so excellent to look at. Her skill in shape and form seems limitless, and I hope to someday achieve even a small fraction of her understanding of art. Seeing her new work on my timeline also makes my dopamine spike, so I’m always looking forward to updates from her.

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Michelle! Be sure to check out their Tumblr blog over at @tinypaint and follow their webcomic, Ava’s Demon, over at avasdemon.com.

[issacballsac]

“Being Best-friends with Dante Sparda„

Being a son of Sparda doesn’t mean he doesn’t have time to fool around with you ! Gender neutral human reader

Teenage Years | DMC3

Being the massive flirt he is he’ll most likely try and flirt with you upon meeting

Seeing as his twin brother is currently trying to kill him and take his necklace he’ll keep your first conversation short and leave you with his number

After literal Hell on Earth he’ll remember to give you a call

Y’all click instantly…he’s also just a really easy person to get along with but we’ll just ignore that

Now we all know he STAYS broke so either you pay for a meal or y’all are taking a walk in the park somewhere

Getting him to actually talk about himself is pretty difficult

Give him space and he’ll open up about deeper things in his life eventually especially things that concern his demon half(brother, childhood, etc.)

He does enjoy throwing compliments everywhere so expect daily words of praise whether it be sarcastic, goofy, exaggerated, or sincere praise

If you like to compliment as well it’ll be like the most sickening bromance ever

If your still in school DO NOT go to him for homework help

He’ll hype you up for sure but if you need genuine academic help just get a tutor💀

Would be genuinely upset if you made a joke regarding his white hair bro would get hella moody and claim you aren’t friends anymore

If you have a part time job you can BET he’s gonna ask for some bread

Not exactly outright but he’ll allude to it like..

“You remember all the damage those demon guys did to my shop? Yeah…it’s gonna cost A TON to repair it by myself…”

“Are you hungry? Well I heard about this new pizza spot that WE should totally tryout 😁.”

If you like to make clothes/jewelry/accessories he’ll totally wear it

Refuses to let you mess with his hair until like two years into knowing each other

Takes pride in his looks and you should too! Self care! Ofc you’re paying for any and all expenses🫶

Glorified sugar daddy😭

If you live with your parents…so does he

Congratulations you have a new brother 🩰

If you don’t he’ll offer to be roommates so he can get a cheaper rent

You’ll definitely meet Lady she is absolutely appalled at how you tolerate him constantly sarcastically ofc she knows he’s a good guy

If you’re into video games he’ll play with you granted he doesn’t have the money to pay for a game console so it’ll be on whatever console you have

Once he’s in your life he’s never leaving literally.

A best-friend for a lifetime

Adult Years

He probably saved you from some demons

Like if you met him in his teenage year he’d def start flirting

What can I say he stays true to himself

His personality would never change regardless of his aging

Still the same wacky woohoo pizza man we know and love

Thinks you look hot and invites you on a date which quickly just turns into a hangout after the LACK of romance

Still finds hanging with you to be fun and keeps a friendship

Even after establishing a friendship he still flirts here and there—force of habit

Would definitely teach you how to ride a motorcycle if you didn’t already know

More willing to let you mess with his hair

Like put it in pigtails or tie it up/braid it

Introduced you to the whole DMC gang

Now depending on the time period he’ll tell you about Vergil and his upbringing

He would totally tell you all about it after the events of DMC5 after he returns ofc!

I feel like he’s an animal guy so if you have any pets they’re now his pets too

Co-parenting core🩰

If you’re an artist he’ll be your muse/reference material any day

Loves the attention

Drunk dance nights

Karaoke too he doesn’t have the best singing voice but it’s not the worst

Since he’s a devil hunter he goes on missions a lot and seeing as you don’t want to get your shit rocked you stay behind

Cherishes every moment spent together and will make sure you know that

You always take him with you on vacations

How could you not???

He appreciates if you chip in helping him pay off his MASSIVE FUCKING DEBT

He doesn’t expect you to though

Despite being broke he stays stylish and if you asked would help you with fashion

Ofc he isn’t like BIG on fashion but cmon have you seen his looks? He dabbles

Immediately sees you after missions and starts ranting about the entire thing

“Can you believe it?! So obviously I shot that nasty bitch and it had the nerve to explode all over my jacket! It died so I can’t even get it to pay for a new one!”

“Don’t worry about why I smell like this worry about the fact that Trish totally took MY commission!”

Very dramatic but laid back too if that makes sense

Calls you cheesy nicknames that I will not elaborate on use your imagination 🗣️🫶

Enjoys live music and will go with you to concerts if you like

Shows you his demon form if you’re interested

Whatever your hobby is he’ll be interested

Would make sure nothing ever bad happened to you regarding devils ofc

Best bros for life and in death🫡

[thescribblings]

Long post ahead! I type a lot .^.

Here's a lil something I've spent some time on! I'm definitely nearing my goal of being able to draw comics! .^.

However, keep in mind that I'm very much an amateur artist, so there will be imperfections😅.

Here, I've drawn a lot of new (and scary) poses, expressions, perspectives, and clothes! I never draw clothes! I've also never even tried to draw them in the same clothes from different perspectives like this before. I also mainly draw without references

And i know i know, it's always better with references but i always just get distracted while looking for a good reference and most of the time i give up before i even find one and just draw it without anyways, lol

Rant over now! Promise

Here's a page I've been working on non-stop for literal days. It was a lot of fun! And it helped me try out a new art style :]

Individual pictures and context under the cut! i will be referring to future leo as nardo or leonardo, and present leo as, well, leo!

Here we have the doodle that started it all! I did use a cat as a reference, and i personally found that hilarious

Anyways, leonardo is being held like the cat that he is. Meanwhile, leo is held next to him vibing, not a thought behind those eyes

✨️co-existing✨️(with iced coffee)

They decided to have a day of leo to leo Bonding and got iced coffee for the occasion, probably spending some time clothes shopping and going equally crazy over a random article of clothing with a unicorn on it

This one has a bit more story behind it, they went on a day outing with the fam, nardo had grabbed a map of the city and they decided to stray from the group to explore, and they quickly got lost.

Leonardo helped leo get on his shoulders to see if there were any familiar landmarks around, and while leo enjoyed being roughly 12 feet tall, nardo texted the others asking where they were and looked around the area.

(Shirts lovingly made by mikey)

Entirely lost, leonardo decided to ask a pair of yokai ladies for directions. They turned out to be extremely helpful, one of them pointing out where on the map they were and where the landmark raph had sent them is.

Meanwhile, some backstory here: ever since leonardo had stopped staying in the lair 24/7 and actually started coming with when the others went out, leo had become an expert at keeping flirtatious yokai of all shapes sizes and genders away from his eldest brother

Leo noticed one of the yokai women was trying to make a move on him and stepped between her and nardo, making for a hilarious scene when he told her to stay away from his clearly adult brother

Leonardo is entirely oblivious as to the amount of yokai that find him attractive, which is exactly how leo wants it to be, for some reason

It's even funnier with the fact that leonardo is, in fact, very gay.

They thanked the yokai (leo doing that gesture where you point at your eyes then at the person as an unspoken "i got my eyes on you" behind nardo's back) then stepped away from the crowd and planned when and where everyone would meet up (they quickly decided on a food spot that accommodated everyones needs, and they had often gone there for lunch or early dinner in the past)

While they waited, the two decided to browse some stores, window shop etc.

Leonardo bought himself a backpack and proceeded to purchase knickknacks, snacks, and gifts for the fam, including some that he snuck in there for leo without the teen noticing (he was the greatest ninja the world had ever seen, once, after all)

While nardo walked, leo was chatting away happily on his shoulders, the elders tail wagging along as well, especially when leo told a pun or two, once a leo, always a leo. (Leonardo chipped in with some puns as well)

(leonardo personally believes his tail is pretty damn useless since it's so short. He has stated, "The only thing it's good for is waggin' " in the past. However, the rest of the fam think that's a perfectly adequate reason to have a tail)

They spent the entire day out having fun and walked around with just a handfull of breaks, so i think it's safe to say they'd be pretty drained by the time they got home

On another note, nardo being a war veteran and all that, I'm not 100% sure how that works but i like to imagine he'd get rather overwhelmed by all the crowds, different smells and loud noises (in other words overstimulation) so i think he'd be WAY more drained than everyone else by the end of the day (save for maybe mikey, i bet he'd be pretty drained too)

Either way, nardo basically just flopped onto the nearest plush surface and went out like a light while everyone else went to bed like regular people. This is a common occurrence after long, exhausting days

But sometimes...

Sometimes he dents the floor

(Bonus doodles)

I don't even know why this came to be, but it did

Thank you for reading!

Have nice day

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  MuseumGiftShopEraser! They have 9 works on AO3 in the Stranger Things Fandom, and 6 of those are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @museumgiftshoperaser:

Paint the Devil on the Wall

Conversations About Love

Now I'm A Stranger

An Exercise In Denial

Baby, You Were Meant To Follow Me

Her fics are BEAUTIFUL. When I first read Paint the Devil on the Wall I was so obsessed I immediately recced the fic to everyone I knew who would be vaguely interested in a steddie fic. -- anonymous

Below the cut, @museumgiftshoperaser answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I stumbled into it immediately after season 4 came out. I’ve felt very attached to Steve as a character from the beginning of the show and I think I was subconsciously waiting for someone to pair him up with. I think they’re both such great characters to explore themes of dealing with expectation (either by conforming, or fighting against it) and that’s something I always love to write about.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Absolute sucker for fake dating. Can’t get enough of it.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Enemies to lovers! Though now that I’m looking through my AO3 I haven’t actually written that much of it. It doesn’t have to be very intense enemies, though. I just like it when characters don’t immediately get along.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

My brain has been forever rewired by took you for a working boy by pukner. It’s such a gentle, nuanced queer story. It feels vulnerable to me in a way that really only fanfiction can be. Can I sneak in another one?? Because everyone should also absolutely read the shame is on the other side by scoops_ahoy. It taps into this very specific kind of queer compartmentalizing, that I’ve never seen written this well. It broke my heart and patched it right back up.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve been stupidly busy with my masters lately so there’s probably not a lot of writing on my horizon. I do have a wip called Doll that I’m slowly chipping away at. It’s a little darker than stuff I’ve written before. I know ‘dark’ isn’t really a trope, but I’m excited to see if I can push these characters a little further. 

What is your writing process like?

Absolute chaos. I write non-chronologically, without an outline, all in the same document. I keep writing snippets and scenes until the whole thing slowly comes together. 

Do you have any writing quirks?

Italicizing words for emphasis. I love it so much, you can rip it from my cold dead hands. It accidentally makes its way into my academic writing for my degree sometimes which is a little embarrassing, but I just love the flair of it. 

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I don’t really do schedules, it doesn’t work for me at all. I try to make sure I have a decent amount of the story written before I start posting to give me a bit of a head start, but forcing myself to finish something by a certain date is a surefire way to kill my motivation.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Probably Paint the Devil on the Wall. It was the first time I’d written the entire story before I started posting so it went through way more rounds of editing than normal. I think you can really tell. It’s also the longest story I’ve ever written (in general, even outside of fanfic). The whole project gave me a lot of confidence as a writer.

How did you get the idea for Paint the Devil on the Wall?

I knew I wanted to participate in the Bigbang and the deadline was coming up, but I still didn’t have an idea. I decided to work backwards and try to think of something that would be fun for the artist(s) to draw. I had a vision of Eddie wearing dungarees without a shirt, absolutely covered in paint and I knew I had to write something to make it happen. I set the story in 80s New York because neo expressionism is really the only kind of art I could see Eddie making. I think it suits him very well. I do actually have a background in art, though! I’m currently getting my MFA, but I’ve worked full time as an artist for several years before that. I had a lot of fun working my passion for art (and all those art history classes I had to take) into the fic.

When writing Paint the Devil on the Wall, what was something you didn’t expect?

All of Steve’s character, to be honest. The fic is written from Eddie’s POV and for a large part of it he has a very hard time figuring out what Steve’s deal is. Right alongside him, I also had an incredibly hard time figuring out his character. It wasn’t until I was working on the final chapter that he finally clicked for me. I realized very late, just like Eddie, that Steve liked him from the very beginning. Most of the enemies to lovers premise was all in Eddie’s head.

What inspired Now I'm a Stranger?

Oh boy, that was forever ago! I remember I started writing it while I was camping with friends because I liked having something to do after everyone went to bed at night. I think I had the idea for that very first scene where Steve doesn’t remember Eddie and it all sort of spiraled from there.

What was your favorite part to write from An Exercise in Denial?

That was the very first fic I wrote, right after season 4 came out! I’ve never written something that fast, I think the whole thing took me less than a week. My favorite part was probably Robin being completely exasperated with both of them. They’re such complete idiots in that fic.

How do/did you feel writing Baby, You Were Meant To Follow Me?

Ahhh… I never got around to finishing that one. I probably never will, to be honest. I wrote the first two parts quite quickly and then the idea I had for the plot spiraled out of control and I realized I didn’t actually feel like writing the rest of it. There were going to be a lot of misunderstandings and I learned that I find that an incredibly frustrating trope to write (when done for drama at least. For comedy, I’m a sucker for misunderstandings.) So I guess I felt a little in over my head.

What was the most difficult part of writing Conversations About Love?

The ending! That fic is so incredibly personal to me and I knew from the beginning that I wanted it to have a very sappy, happy ending. It was important to me to write an aromantic character getting everything they wanted, but I realized as I was writing it that I don’t actually fully know what that means. So it took a bit more soul searching than fics typically do, but it was very much worth it. 

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I still think the short little prologue for Paint the Devil on the Wall is the best thing I’ve written. “You don’t draw on things that aren’t yours, baby” is probably the best summary I have for that story.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Not really!

Thank you to our author, @museumgiftshoperaser, and our anonymous nominator! See more of @museumgiftshoperaser works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[threestripeslider]

The peepaw multiverse is so funny to me because like, how did this happen? Why are they all together? Why is their immediate answer to everything to either band together to protect thier children using thier collective skills and battle strategies or just to simply Cain instinct the hell out of it? Most importantly, why do Leonardo and Leon constantly attempt to kill each other? What provokes them so much about each other than any of the others? I have so many questions and not enough answers

oh boy is it already time for a history lesson SKJDJKDHFKJ–

OKAY! let’s see if i get this right – disclaimer; i am pretty sure i got the whole thing rolling but i am obviously not the sole contributor or uhh idk. the CEO of the Peepaw Multiverse? whatever, i dont hold a monopoly over it KJDBKDHB.

so. obviously a bunch of F!Leo fics started popping up and everyone was just doing their own thing. as i wrote odd man out, i was partially inspired by MNMC – Mutant Ninja Midlife Crisis through which i met CJ. we get to talking and basically just kind of pick each other’s brains a lot when it came to our fics lmao so we started joking about the differences and similarities between Leonardo (OMO) and Leon (MNMC) to which i started making silly little doodles bc those two should actually never meet; they would make each other worse (or better), they are Worsties, they are Besties etc etc etc

anyway. i start posting these doodles just to be a little clown and ppl kind of picked up on it – artists who are fans of either or both fics started contributing to the fun. obviously not all iterations are super accurate, which is pretty fine since honestly? the Peepaw Multiverse is just a fun little separate thing as a kind of reprieve from the emotions the fics might give you LMAO yknow, just kind of a breather.

now, honestly, we have no idea why our Peepaws are the way they are together but idk what do you actually expect from a bunch of traumatized middle-aged men who are suddenly in charge of way too many kids and are now meeting several other version of themselves. in my mind, i think they all just loosen up a lot when it’s just them – without trying to put up a front for the kids, they just. idk. they all just become a lil unhinged i guess LMAO some just want their peace & quiet bc god knows if they can ever get it in a house full of teenagers at their height of puberty, some just want to hang out with guys who actually understand what’s bothering them. they could do group therapy or, yknow, make each other worse, idk you choose i guess, whichever is more entertaining RIP.

as to Leonardo and Leon specifically...in short; Leonardo is annoying with his Fake Smiley Bastard attitude doing the whole Conceal, Don’t Feel bit, so Leon just kind of tolerates him. unfortunately Leonardo kind of just never leaves and starts to grown on Leon like mold HJASDJHB all in all they have a very Cain Instinct-induced friendship in which Leon would sell Leonardo to Satan for one corn chip, but also if anyone other than him bullies Leonardo, Leon will kill you probably.

[lelelego]

hiii your art has made me recently get back into new vegas after originally playing it in highschool and your ocs and art make me really want to make a nv oc as well, do you have any tips or pointers for making ocs in the fo world?

hiya! that's so cool i'm glad to hear you want to make an fo oc as well!!!!!

TIP WISE i'm not sure how helpful i can be because honestly i just borrowed eli from his og universe and just. put him in situations and tried to think like him as i was playing the game so he was already an established character in my brain, but i can try from a character design perspective!

ultimately your oc doesn't have to be the protag (lone wanderer, courier, or sole survivor) if you don't want them to be. they can be some guy the protag encounters on the road or something (and therefore not fully restricted by the fiction bethesda created for the protag characters). you can make up any story you want within the world! the beauty of fan fiction!!

if they are the protag then it helps to think of how they came to be that protag. what made them fall into that role? with what thoughts do they leave vault 101? what were they doing before getting the platinum chip? before being a courier? what do they think about revenge; does the world's circumstances change how they might think of it? did dying change them fundamentally, exacerbate flaws, elevate strengths, or do absolutely nothing? etc.

if you're an artist, how does the character's clothes fit them and their situation? for example, eli's a small guy + he's also a mechanic + his leg is busted + is courier + also needs supplies to survive = leg brace that looks homemade, tight fitting gloves, a too-big Robco jacket, a bag, ft. a companion who will carry all the supplies LOL

if you want your character to "fit" into the fo universe, i would say it's all about understanding what about fallout excites you. what excites me about fnv is the characters... the free wandering and exploring... the drive of curiosity... having to survive... the potential to use barter and speechcraft instead of a gun (which would be normal in fo for obvious reasons)... how characters would react to in-game scenarios... etc. i'm very character-driven so in my head it's about what the world can do for the character (within reason) instead of the other way around, but you might be the opposite! the circumstances of the world might instead be a priority and your character can reflect that.

be cringe. be free. your character is your character. do what makes YOU happy! make ocs how you want! you're not getting paid, so why should act like you're getting paid?!?! do it how you like!!!

i hope this ramble helps in some way! the most important tip is #5 btw - none of this matters unless you're having fun in some way :>

[dream-trail-rpg]

Genuine questions, what are some struggles you guys have had with making a game? What are things you’ve enjoyed? And what are some advice you would give for someone trying to make their own game?

I hope to make a game of my own one day, and I’ve been meaning to ask! It was you guys that gave me hope to try and achieve that goal again, so I felt asking you guys may be a good idea!

(Also, I hope things are going well! Have a nice day!)

Howdy! Sock here!

This is going to be a bit of a long answer, so I'll hide it under the cut:

It means so much to hear that we helped as some sort of motivation towards working on your own game,,, My advice in that department is to just GO FOR IT! See what happens! See what you can manage! That's how Dream Trail got started. If you have an idea that you really want to make, just take the plunge. Push yourself and rip off that bandaid! If you don't make the choice, you may miss out on a really interesting, exciting, and life-changing future path. Just don't take on more than you can chew. Try and stay around your skill level, but if you have bigger dreams then it's not a bad idea to start learning some new skills. Be ambitious, just not too much! Sometimes, ambition can outweigh your capabilities. Try not to overfill your game and include what's NECESSARY. Sometimes you have to make unfortunate cuts, but it's important to do what benefits your game best.

As a team, we've definitely had our fair share of struggles. There will be disagreements and road-blocks that take awhile to climb over. Coding has definitely been our worst enemy, haha. But it's important to keep going. Don't let anything stop you!

Here's a message from Chip/Mod Fay, I think they've got a better way of putting this all on one plate, similarly to what I explained:

"Don't bite off more than you can chew- especially if you're a solo dev, make sure what you're making is manageable. Try to make something that focuses more on your skillset! If you're an artist, make something focused on visuals. Writer, make a story-based game. Etc etc. Of course branching out and learning new things is good! But for a first game, try and cater to your skills, unless you wanna get burnt out- Take it from someone who Didn't Do That, starting slow is the way to go. Make sure to keep things organized, otherwise things can get complicated and messy fast. It's okay to ask for help from others in areas you're less experienced in. And if you're ever realizing you're not having fun- it's always okay to take breaks! Don't overwork yourself, it ain't healthy. Trust me- The most important thing is having fun! And if that requires a few breaks, whether they be days, weeks, months, or even years long, if that what's best for you, don't feel bad about it!"

No matter the struggles, it's always worth it. We all enjoy working on Dream Trail so much, we've shared so many laughs this past year. And nothing will ever beat the satisfaction and excitement of finally releasing our demo a couple months ago. Coming up with ideas and writing dialogue and thinking about character designs, it's an amazing process that I couldn't be happier to share with my friends.

I hope that you can make the game you want to make! I'm so honoured that our game has given you a little bit of hope for your own projects! I BELIEVE IN YOU!! No matter who you are, if you make something, there will ALWAYS be someone who loves your content. Show the world what you've got!

We're still slowly getting off of our break from after the demo's release. We've starting up again, but we're not fully back on track yet, so we have nothing to write in any dev-logs. We hope to have something new for all of you soon! Thanks again for your support, and I'd honestly love some more genuine asks like this. I love answering questions!

[apocalypticdemon]

got this a few days ago but was in academic paper hell, so i'm sorry for the delay! thanks for the tag, @clandestinegardenias and @sunlaire!

do you make your bed? i definitely should, and i absolutely do not lol

what's your favorite number? i've had a personal fondness for 13 ever since i was a kid, but i also really enjoy the number 117. for nerd reasons

what is my job? that's. a moving target tbh. during the school year, i worked as a TA at my university, while working weekends at a coffee shop as a baker. now that it's summer, i'm going to have to get a second job, but the jury's still out on what that's going to be.

if you could go back to school would you? i am currently in school, and i'm hoping to get a PhD, so i don't think i'll be going back to school right now, lol. but in a hypothetical future, just to do whatever? absolutely. i would get another bachelors in neuroscience or some other field of biology, probably for medical research.

can you parallel park? absolutely. but i fuckin hate it, lol, and being on the road makes me nervous, so i avoid it at all costs. but i can do it

a job you had that would surprise people? dunno if i have anything in my history that has been surprising. i guess the lab technician one is kind of the outlier.

do you think aliens are real? yeah, but it's probably microbial life of some sort.

can you drive a manual car? i learned the basics, but all i can really do is drive in circles in a parking lot in second gear. my mom tried to get me to drive it on the road and i got scared, lol, so i never fully learned how to do it.

what's your guilty pleasure? honestly it's TV from the 70s. begrudgingly i have to admit i like CHiPs. Emergency! is a non-guilty pleasure, though. love that one with my whole heart. but a lot of older stuff has some... pretty not great politics involved, but i still really enjoy them. also have to admit that i really like those terrible Dan Brown movie adaptations, lol

tattoos? i want at least 3 and have plans, but i haven't found an artist yet to get them. but i don't have any as of yet.

favorite color? tbh it depends on my mood. the goth in me says that it's a deep burgundy or a velvety black, but really deep greens or very vivid sky blue is also very good. saturated jewel tones as a color class are my jam, i guess.

favorite type of music? this is a cruel question to ask me. i have so many. i've been on a real rammstein/alt metal/nu-metal kick lately, but i also really go for folk, hard rock, prog rock, and 1980s new wave music. but i'll listen to just about anything. if i'm going for orchestral music, i have to say minimalism all the way. i adore the work of philip glass and arvo part

do you like puzzles? absolutely, in any form. jigsaw puzzles are really soothing and engaging, but i also adore puzzle games. i've revisited the Portal franchise lately, and i have a game series called The Room (not the movie...) that's only a series of puzzles. they can be frustrating, but i adore them

any phobias? i am a deeply anxious person, but i am petrified of fire. it's kind of unreasonable. bugs and germs also make me lock up really hard, too, even though i can rationalize my way through them. but all of them freak me out really badly.

favorite childhood sport? oh it was definitely competitive swimming. soccer was really really fun, but i miss being on the swim team. though i did like 5 sports growing up and truly would just love to have joints that would let me do any of them again

do you talk to yourself? oh yeah. internal and external monologue, baby. my college friends got to be on a call yesterday and listen to me talk my way through editing papers, lol. i talk to myself while doing laundry, cleaning, just walking through the house or from my car to my place. truly, i never shut up

what movie(s) do you adore? there are a lot, honestly. Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Crimson Peak, Pacific Rim, The Nice Guys, and For A Few Dollars More are probably the movies i've watched the most. also literally any Dan Bluth film. the animation is always so gorgeous

coffee or tea? definitely tea. i love herbal teas, but i can't do caffeine, so like. there are only so many things i can drink now, lol

first thing you wanted to be growing up? paleontologist. hands down. i wanted to be a paleontologist from age like 6 until 15 or 16. then i had to do a research project on what jobs are growing and found out there aren't many job openings. so i pivoted to music. and then music academia. lol. lmao (i say it cynically, but i genuinely love what i'm doing, it's just funny to me)

this was lengthy, but if you want to participate, consider yourself tagged!

[autisticempathydaemon]

Hi! Could I get a redacted matchup if they're still available?

-my current favorite song is optimism (as a radical life choice) by Spanish love songs. I love the lyrics "don't take me out back and shoot me, I know my wires are faulty, I've only ever been a kids, pointing out dead dogs in the road". IDK, the whole song is pretty relatable but those lyrics really stand out visually and emotionally. I'm also tired but still want a chance to be, ya know?

-my ennagram type is 6(w5 I think) my Myers Briggs is INFP(-t?) if it matters

- I LOVE YouTube video essays. I'll watch any, mostly on videogames stuff since I don't really like playing them but I love, like, lore and stuff. I really enjoyed the defunctland fast pass one too. The longer the video the better imo though

- I don't remember my childhood imaginary friend. I used to be super extroverted and had a lot of friends so I didn't really need one? I was also so chill playing by myself so I was okay without friends too. I miss that lol

- best way to fall asleep is fan on full blast, 1 giant comfy blanket, TONS of pillows and a stuffed animal

- I did change my name, picked it off a baby name list since that's what my parents did for the first name, not super special, does come with several easy nicknames though which is cool, but no one uses them :/

- I love any of guys videos, but I really like the failed sleep aid. He may not be super relaxing but at least he's trying!!! He's so funny and chill and I like that

- I don't really like David, Aaron, Damien's(just the x listener ones, I love him w/Huxley) audios. Not super into the Tsundere kinda stuff, I'm a little too insecure for that, I like open feelings and stuff

- I don't really have a book or movie I know all the words to, I don't like rewatching/reading things I already know for whatever reason, I will but it's less enjoyable

- I'm platonically attracted to Gavin and Huxley, they'd both be soo kind and supportive in their own ways, a little hype squad

- I ramble about people when I'm tired. Human interaction stresses me out so bad,, people are hard to understand and there's a whole lot of societal pressure to be a certain way and I just don't get it and I'm so tireddd

- I don't really stop at gas stations, but it'd probably be lemonade and chips of some kind

- my current favorite playlist is my 'cringe' playlist, all the edgy alt/emo/rock songs I was into in middle school, they're not great but they're so fun, they're also my guilty pleasure media. I know people hate them but they make me happy

- other stuff - I do have anxiety so social interactions stress me out but I'm trying to get better, I'm a lot more outgoing when I'm comfy with someone, I'm also super artistic and stuff, I enjoy painting and drawing and do that stuff regularly. I believe sharing your music taste with someone is v. Intimate and I hate putting on my music for others for fear of judgement lol

I'm sorry it's so long,, thanks!

-

Easy-peasy, perfect- I know just the guy. Let me work my magical, match-making powers and tell you why everything about you, especially temperaments and your music taste, make you and Asher Talbot a fantastic match.

There’s so many little, charming things that would make your everyday lives together so cute and fun. Asher’s favorite band is canonically Fall Out Boy, so we know y’all are bopping to the same playlist in the car. He’d be your biggest hype man, hanging your painting all over your apartment. Not to mention, dude could be a walking Halo video essay, you know? Come home after a long day doing adult things, and listen to him ramble about campaigns or whatever happens in those games I have no idea.

On a deeper level, you two work even better still. Not only is Asher wonderfully emotionally intelligent and available behind his goofy, silly demeanor, he is the social butterfly. That’s why he’s the Beta, the soft diplomacy to all David’s alpha-ness. Asher would be the perfect, like, emotional support golden retriever boyfriend for all social occasions: handsome, huggable, attentive to your needs, and a mood-making goofball.

Song:

The more I think/ The more I wish/ That we could lie here for hours/ And just reminisce/ On the good the bad the ugly/ The smiles the laughs the funny/ Or all the things/ We put each other through/ It's for you

This was a fun excuse for me to go through Lexi Moon and I’s emo playlists for a cute, throwback love song, so thank you for that~ I decided on NeverShoutNever because emo has always had random men with ukuleles, it seems, but goshdarnit, they sing fun songs, and I can see Asher knowing all the words to this one. He’s a big sap, and I can see him singing this when you’re feeling down or anxious, doing it silly and over the top just to make you smile.

Runner-Ups:

Lasko is a runner-up for you because two introverts together can be really cute, you know? Let’s be alone together, just the two of us, vibes. However, I like Guy better as a runner up because of how bubbly and social he is. I think he’d help bring you out of your shell and manage social situations, just not quite as tactfully as Asher.

note: you don’t have to apologize for it being long the more information you send the better 💕

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[notsophism-draws]

Here is that one character I alluded to in my last post, and boy, do I have quite a history with her. I’ll be upfront before the break: I do not look back on her fondly, but there might be some useful lessons to derive from my ramblings, so read on if you’re interested.

Matrona is someone I conceived in my adolescence around 2014 or so. She was the lead protagonist of that old story concept I had, and the other characters you see with her were also a part of it. However, she completely lacked direction on a fundamental level; I had come to this conclusion about her story in general and even scrapped it alongside the other characters you see alongside her. Not wanting to get rid of everything, however, I persistently tried reinventing Matrona and tweaking her design bit by bit, which culminated in an unhealthy obsession with her in 2021.

Around the time I decided to keep working on Matrona, I also adopted a new semi-lineless art style, akin to Samurai Jack. At first, I found it pretty fun to do, and Matrona translated into it pretty well... However, what I didn't account for was how I was deriving the wrong lessons from the style. It is inherently simple and relies heavily on shape language to keep itself interesting, but my iteration of the style focused strictly on simplicity without any flavor to back it up.

But when it came to Matrona's art pieces, I developed a serious issue: perfectionism. If I was even a mere pixel was off, I would force myself to go back and fix my error. I accepted no semblance of imperfection with this design--to the point where I made upwards of one hundred iterations of the same godforsaken model sheet throughout the year. Mind you, this is just what I remember offhand. Each time, I would spend an unhealthy amount of time at night chipping away at the design until it developed into something I thought I would enjoy...

When I said my art became oversimplified for a time, this is what I was referring to. Matrona is the culmination of my greatest sins as an artist, especially as her pieces became nearly my entire output during 2021. This isn't even all of the artwork; I'm keeping one private as it is a fan art piece for someone I no longer associate with. Regardless, there is more than enough here to illustrate my main point: all of these issues led to a design so diluted that it didn't even match up with the characterization I settled on. In fact, there was so very little to gravitate to visually; all one could say about her was that she was blue, dressed in pink, and was a happy artist.

January of 2022 rolled around, and after completing the final iteration of Matrona's model sheet, I had to sit down. I realized I refused to let her go and let myself grow as an artist--and, dare I say, as a person. I needed to get rid of her, and that's exactly what I did.

Shortly after, I developed Alma Valentine, the first original character I am proud of making. She started as a Wario-like exaggeration of Matrona and gradually evolved into her own person--and I couldn't be happier. She is someone who I find has a lot of potential for art and stories to come.

I think distancing myself from Matrona for a time was necessary, but I needed to confront the idea one final time to make peace with the fact I don't need her anymore. She was a toxic friend masquerading as a precious cinnamon roll, and it is unbelievably cathartic to give her the dressing-down she's deserved for so long. But I don't want to dwell on the negatives of my past for too long, so my next post shall contain some of the old art I'm actually proud of making. I shall see you all soon.

[jaesqueso]

Only Human

pairing: single!xiaojun x escort female!reader

summary: xiaojun just wants to be free, but what if his plans to escape an arranged marriage take an unexpected turn?

for the Let’s Fake It collab by @127-mile ​ ❤

word count: 10,700

warnings: fake dating, mentions of alcohol, toxic parents, fluff

a/n: when i thought of this story I never imagined it will be this long, so apologies in advance! but I had fun, hope ya’ll enjoy it! ❤

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

“Yes, mother, everything is alright.”

Xiaojun says for the third time on his monthly call with his parents.

“Yes, I’ve been eating properly.”

Gulping he throws away the packs of instant noodles, chips and cans of green tea Monster.

“No, I haven’t been working too much, just…”

Glancing at his computer he bites his lip as he’s still writing reports at 9pm on a Saturday.

“The normal amount.”

He keeps typing on the keyboard.

“Mei? I think I remember.”

He recalls the daughter of his parents’ friends, around his age, that used to play with him when they were kids.

“What about her?”

He asks knowing how much his mother likes to gossip.

“Make up artist? Good for her.”

Barely listening to her story, Xiaojun continues working.

“I bet she is beautiful too.”

From experience he knows to just support anything she says.

“Of course, I-”

Suddenly his whole body freezes, he must have misheard.

“What was that? You want me to what?”

He puts the call on speaker to make sure he catches every word.

“You heard it, son.” His mother repeats. “We want you to marry Mei.”

“WHAT!?”

“Listen my son, you’re not getting any younger and all the boys your age are building a family, you should too while you’re still in your good years.” She keeps going, making him almost try to rip the hair off his head.

“Can’t I just do that in my own time and with someone I choose?” Xiaojun opts to ignore all the outrageous things he heard in respect of his parents.

“Your time is running out and if you can’t find someone we’ll have to.” Her deadpan voice just makes the whole situation sound so normal driving him crazy. “Mei is a very beautiful woman that also cannot find a husband because she’s too invested in her work, just like you. You have so much in common already, we’re just saving you the trouble.”

“But I-” He tries to refute but gets interrupted.

“Listen to your mother.” His father finally speaks. “We’re only doing what’s best for you.”

“How is this the best for me?” Xiaojun’s voice slightly raises, so he takes a deep breath to calm himself down before disrespecting his parents. “I will not marry Mei.”

“How dare you go against what we’re telling you to do!?” He can hear the shock through the phone. “I knew the moment you’d move across the country you’d become rebellious. We should’ve never let you go.”

“Mother, where I live has nothing to do with my decision, I’m still the same person.” That’s a lie because now he’s free from his parents’ pressure to be the perfect son, even though it doesn’t look like it with this insane conversation.

“Then give me a good reason why you won’t marry her.” His mother challenges.

“W-well because… I…” He stutters trying to come up with an excuse knowing perfectly well that ‘I don’t want to’ won’t be a valid reason.

“See? This is happening wether you like it or not.” His mother grins on the other side of the line, how could he possibly turn this around?

“I already have a girlfriend!”

Silence.

Deadpan silence on both ends.

“You do?” Xiaojun’s mother slowly asks.

“I…” With widen eyes he realizes this is actually brilliant, this can be his way out. “Yes… I do! Yes, that’s why I can’t marry Mei!”

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” She asks, still surprised by the new information.

“Well…” He didn’t think this would involve more questions, he needs to think fast. “We haven’t been dating for that long, I was going to tell you eventually.”

“Oh what a shame…” She sighs.

“Mother!” He pretends to be offended for his made up girlfriend.

“I mean,” she clears her throat, “poor Mei…”

“Right…” Xiaojun wants to feel sympathetic but in reality he just wants to jump in joy.

“Well then, we shall meet her.” And there goes the happiness.

“What? Why?” Panic starts growing back.

“If she’s going to be our new daughter in law we have to get to know her.” His parents casually explain.

“Daughter in law? Wait, we’re not getting married now.” He quickly says but maybe he needs to hint at a possible future. “One day, yes, but not right now.”

“Still, we must meet her.” Then his mother makes a gasping sound that has him worried. “Your father has to travel in a city near you this week, we can come by for dinner!”

“This week?” Sweat forms on his head. “Why rush things? We have time.”

“Your mother is right, Xiaojun.” His father speaks now. “It’s convenient for us, instead of going there on purpose.”

“Your father is right.” She agrees. “We’ll go there on Wednesday night before we head back, ok?”

“Wednesday!? That’s barely 4 days!” Hair is almost getting ripped off his scalp, he needs an excuse. “I don’t know if she’ll be available.”

“Oh c’mon Xiaojun, I bet your girlfriend can find some time to meet us.” His mother scoffs. “We have to go now. See you on Wednesday!”

“But-” His parents hang up before he can say anything else.

Xiaojun takes a deep breath trying to absorb everything that happened. He just got away from an arranged marriage but… HIS PARENTS ARE COMING TO MEET A GIRLFRIEND HE DOESN’T HAVE!?

Groaning he lets his head fall into his arms that rest on his desk. He has a little over 3 days to find someone to pretend to be his girlfriend for dinner with his parents and that’s it. Shouldn’t be that hard to find, right?

Maybe he should ask a friend. Grabbing his phone he scrolls down his contacts list. Man, man, man, woman but she’s one of his bosses, man, man, man, his favorite restaurant, man, woman he hasn’t talked to in years so this would be weird, man, man… And the list goes on.

How did his contacts become people from work and food delivery? Does he even have any female friends? Or friends in general that he can ask for help in times like this? Maybe he should really slow down at work and focus on his personal life a little bit.

But now is not the time to think about that, he needs to find someone to pretend to be his girlfriend asap or else he’ll find himself in an altar marrying someone he used to play with when he was a kid. If only you could search exactly what you want online and it’ll give you the answer you need.

“How to find a pretend girlfriend to meet the parents as you try to avoid an arranged marriage in less than three days?”

Scoffing he presses enter. Xiaojun lets his head fall on the back of his chair with closed eyes letting out a long sigh. If only it was this easy. Looking back into the screen, he’s about to close the web page when he notices the first search result.

The Girlfriend Experience

www.aftermidnight.com

Looking for a one time girlfriend to impress your parents or to make your high school reunion more interesting? We got you covered.

Maybe it is that easy. Slowly he clicks the link that takes him to… An escort website? Oh, maybe he shouldn’t do this, it feels weird to hire an escort for this. What if his parents figure it out straight away? He’ll make a fool of himself and will end up getting married anyway.

But at the same time he’s quite on the clock here, there’s no time to find another solution. He starts reading about this “Girlfriend Experience” that was advertised and it actually doesn’t sound that bad. Should he do this?

Xiaojun stares at the ‘request service’ button, bitting his lip, until he finally gains the courage to click on it. The instructions are pretty clear.

Step 1: Fill in the form

He downloads a form with some questions regarding what type of girl he wants, physically and any personality traits, what type of event they’ll be attending, including date, time and duration, his information and a free text box for any other notes he’d like to add.

Step 2: Submit the form

After it’s all filled in, he uploads the file on the website, converted to PDF as he usually does.

Step 3: Insert payment details

Smart enough not to give out his credit card details on a random website he just found, he creates a temporary card with enough money on it to validate the transaction, ain’t nobody trying to get scammed today.

Step 4: Submit

Clicking the final button, Xiaojun lets out a shaky breath as the next page loads.

“Your submission is being analyzed. You’ll be contacted via email in the next few hours with the final status. If approved, a fee will be taken from your chosen payment method and the remaining will be charged after the event (please note this may generate additional fees). For more information feel free to contact us via email or telephone. Thank you for choosing After Midnight.”

It’s done.

Instantly he checks his emails just to be disappointed with an empty box. He closes the webpage and re-opens his work reports he was finishing before all this. But looking at the documents now, he can’t seem to concentrate, checking his inbox at every minute.

Xiaojun rubs his eyes as a ray of sunshine flashes through the crack between his curtains lighting up his face. Is it morning already? When did he fell asleep? Then it hits him, the email! Looking up to the screen he almost chokes on his saliva rushing to click the new message.

“Dear Mr Xiao,

Thank you for your submission for ‘The Girlfriend Experience’. We hereby inform you we have the perfect candidate for your needs. The initial fee has been successfully taken from your account and your escort will meet you in the designated place at the requested time. The remaining payment will be taken at the end of the experience (please note this may include additional fees).

If you have any doubts or would like to add any further details do not hesitate to contact us. Please see attached the terms and conditions of the package.

Thank you for choosing After Midnight and enjoy the experience.”

So it’s really happening, there’s no going back. He carefully reads through the attachment to ensure he doesn’t break any rules but everything seems pretty easy to follow. Treat the person with respect, no kissing, any type of sexual interaction will not be allowed, for security purposes someone from the company will handle the escort transportation and will be keeping an eye on the event to ensure the contract is not broken.

The next few days he’s not able to concentrate in anything. Good thing he’s a workaholic and has gotten ahead with his paperwork so it won’t impact him that he nervously awaits for Wednesday night. What will the girl look like? Will his parents like her? Will they be able to keep up the act throughout the whole dinner?

3 days felt like 3 years but finally it’s the day. For the first time since he started his job, he leaves at 5pm sharp to go home and get ready. Should he dress up? Or should he keep it casual? Looking at his closet, Xiaojun doesn’t exactly have a lot of options, mostly suits that he wears for work and pairs of joggers and old t-shirts to hang around the house, he doesn’t do more than that anyway.

Well, a black suit should fit all occasions right? He pairs it with a white shirt, a dark green tie, black belt and shoes, and the watch his mother gifted to him on his birthday, a nice touch to help the evening he hopes.

Taking a last look in the mirror, he adjusts his glasses and arranges some strands of his hair that insists on falling out of place. Checking the time he takes a deep breath before grabbing his keys and heading to his car, he still has some time to spare but he wants to be there when the escort arrives.

It still feels weird to think about what he’s doing. Should he just call the whole thing off and tell his parents the truth? No, what is done is done. He can do this. Right?

Xiaojun parks the car in the restaurant’s parking lot and walks to the entrance. Glancing at his watch there are still a few minutes left so he takes the time to pat his clothes making sure he looks presentable. He doesn’t know what the person looks like but he did send a picture of himself so she can come to him.

At the exact time he wrote on the form, a shiny black Bentley stops in front of the restaurant and the passenger door opens. A gorgeous elegant woman in a silk emerald green dress comes out making his jaw drop. Sexy yet classy, the red lip and the up do tie the whole look together.

“Good Evening, Xiaojun.” You greet as you approach him.

“A-Are you…” He stutters, failing to keep himself together.

“Rose? Your girlfriend? Yes, I am.” Giving him a quick wink you step closer. “Have your parents arrived yet?”

“N-no-” He clears his throat. “Not yet.”

“Good. Should we wait out here or should we head inside?” You gesture to the door.

“We can go in.” Noticing your exposed shoulders gently brushed by the light breeze, he opens the door for you.

With a nod, you signal the vehicle that brought you here and it drives away as you enter the place he chose for the evening. A very exquisite location, dim lights and fancy chandeliers that you silently admire as a waiter walks you to the bar after Xiaojun explains you’re still waiting for two people.

When you sit on a high stool you notice his hands shaking and small sweat drops tracing the side of his face as he looks everywhere but you.

“Are you nervous?” You ask in a calm voice hoping to soothe him.

“Is it noticeable?” A shaky chuckle escapes his lips.

“Just a little.” You smile. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be alright.”

He finally looks at you but he doesn’t really know what to say.

“Good evening, what can I get you?” The bartender approaches.

Xiaojun nods for you to go first.

“Will you join me in a glass of wine?” You suggest. “I feel like you could use a drink.”

“Sure.”

The bartender grabs two glasses and fills them up in front of you before sliding them over.

“I must tell you I have a three drink rule when I’m working.” You grab your glass. “I was going to save them for dinner but you look like you could really use-”

Turning to him you gasp as the settles his empty glass on the counter.

“Guess I was right.” With a soft giggle you take a sip. “But maybe you should slow it down, we still need to sell a lie tonight.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just nervous…” He sighs, staring at the empty glass. “I really need this to work.”

“I know, I read the form.” Keeping a smooth tone you keep trying to calm him down. “Is there anything else I should know that you haven’t written in there?”

“Honestly… I don’t know. I don’t usually do these things…” Scratching the back of his neck he turns to you. “I wasn’t even sure of what to write on the form.”

“That’s ok.” You give him a reassuring smile. “However you really did mostly write about your job, maybe I should know a few personal details.”

“Like what?” He raises a brow.

“For example… What’s your favorite color?”

“Actually… Green.” You both look at your dress.

“Guess I got one thing right.” You two chuckle. “If we keep it up like this you’re going to be just fine.”

“I hope so.” He sighs.

Taking a napkin from the counter you gently tap the sweat drops on his forehead before adjusting his bangs into place. You can see his Adam’s apple move up and down, eyes slightly widen. From an outside perspective you must look like a cute couple having a moment and you smile at the thought of a job well done.

But the moment is soon interrupted by an older couple approaching.

“Son.”

“Mother, father.” Xiaojun quickly stands up, bowing to them. “This is… Hm… Rose. My g-girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you.” With a polite smile you get up and bow too. “I heard great things about you.”

“I wish we could say the same dear, but our son has kept you a secret until a few days ago.” His mother shoots him a glare before looking back your way with a smile. “We apologise for being late, hopefully you didn’t wait too long.”

“Not at all.” You rest her assure before turning to Xiaojun who seems even more nervous than before. “Should we find our table, my love?”

“Y-yes.” He wasn’t sure if it was the way you gently held his arm or the sudden nickname that has him stuttering, but he soon rushes to find a waiter that leads you to your seats.

Taking the chair next to him, his mother sits in front of you as his father takes the seat right next to her. Xiaojun looks your way with uncertainty in his eyes but the way your eyes turn into crescent moons give him some kind of peace and hope that this will go well.

“So, how did you two meet?” His mother goes straight to the point as he almost chokes on nothing.

“We actually work together.” You’re quick to reply as he was mentally slapping himself for not thinking about this, of course they would ask. “I don’t usually like to mix work with my personal life but when I met Xiaojun I just couldn’t help falling for his charms.”

“Isn’t it too distracting to do your job as your partner sits next to you?” His mother raises her brow, making the boy rub his sweaty hands on his pants.

“Not at all.” It’s like you don’t even have to think about an answer. “You see, I work in the marketing department so it’s rare the time we actually have to work directly with each other. I would never pursue anything that could harm mine or Xiaojun’s position in the company.”

“I see.” His mother seems impressed. “So tell me, Rose, are you a workaholic like our son?”

“Oh, far from it.” His parents make a strange look but you’re quick to clarify. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very dedicated to my job, but I don’t think anyone could ever be as much of a workaholic as him.”

“I’m surprised he even found the time to get a girlfriend, but it makes sense you met in that environment.” His father comments with a chuckle.

“Everything just happened suddenly. One day I was getting transferred to his office, next thing I know he was trying to clear his schedule so we could go on our first date.” You giggle. “But I adore how much he dedicates himself to work, I know one day he’ll be a great family provider.”

Xiaojun widens his eyes as you look at him after such statement. Your serene expression leaves him wondering how you can talk about that subject so naturally.

“Would you like to have a family in the future, Rose?” His mother asks, testing your commitment to the relationship.

“Of course.” You turn your gaze back to her with a nod. “I know our relationship is fresh and our feelings are still blossoming, but I would love nothing more than one day marrying your son and become part of the family. If you’ll have me of course.”

His mother hums, seemingly pleased with your answer as she proceeds to check the menu. You look at Xiaojun and watch him sigh in relief, maybe there is really a possibility this will work out.

The conversation keeps flowing throughout dinner and you seem prepared for every question his parents threw your way. Everything sounded so natural that even he almost believed all the beautiful things you were saying about your relationship, it wasn’t even noticeable how he kept quiet pretty much the whole time.

“Well, we should get going, we have an early flight tomorrow.” Xiaojun’s father announces after you finish up.

“That’s right.” His wife agrees as you walk out of the restaurant. “It’s a shame we have to go so early. It was lovely to meet you, Rose.”

“The pleasure was all mine Mr and Mrs Xiao.” You bow as you reach the street.

“My son,” his mother turns to him, “I see you’ve done well on your own. We will talk with Mei’s parents when we arrive.”

“Thank you.” Xiaojun bows for a second too long, trying to contain the broad smile that threatens to take over his face. “Please send them my regards.”

“Will do.” His parents bow back. “Oh, our taxi is here, we must go.”

“Have a safe flight back.” You stand next to Xiaojun, holding his arm once again, as they get on the car.

Side by side you watch them disappear in the corner before he lets out a deep sigh.

“I can’t believe it’s over.” Xiaojun pants like he just ran a marathon.

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad was it?” You nudge his arm with a grin.

“How did you do that?” He looks at you in admiration.

“Do what?” You tilt your head.

“Come up with all those things? Even I almost believed we were together!” He chuckles.

“That means a job well done for me!” You say proudly.

“In all honesty,” Xiaojun speaks once the laughter dies off, “I can’t thank you enough for this. You literally saved me from a miserable life.”

“That’s what we do.” You shrug with a smile.

“D-do you need me to take you somewhere?” He scratches the back of his neck, suddenly feeling his nerves kick in again.

“That’s ok, my ride is here.” You nod to the same vehicle that he watched you arrive before as it comes to a stop in front of you.

“O-Oh, right.” Clearing his throat he stands up straight. “Well, again, thank you so much for tonight.”

“Enjoy your single life, Xiaojun.”

The smile on your face before you enter the car is the last thing he thinks of before he falls asleep that night.

For the first time in a while he’s able to get a well rested night. He wakes up humming some song he heard on the radio and even decides to go for a light grey suit for work opposed to the dark ones he usually wears.

He feels as free as he ever felt in his whole life and it seemed like nothing could go wrong now, even people in the office commented at how relaxed and care-free he looked suddenly.

But of course, all good things come to an end. Around a week and a half after the most successful dinner of his life, his parents call.

“What do you mean you’re coming here again?” Xiaojun paces around his room as his phone rests on his desk, call on speaker.

“Oh son, it sounds like you don’t want us to come visit you!” That wasn’t that much of a lie, but he’d never admit to it. “We just felt like we didn’t get enough time to meet Rose, so we’ll be coming over this weekend so we can get to know her better.”

“B-but-” How he wished he had your fast thinking.

“No buts, I’m sure you and your girlfriend can find some time to spend with us.” She insists.

“Well, I’ll have to talk to her about it, this is really sudden.” He shoots his shot.

“I’m sure you’d be spending time together on the weekend anyway, it wouldn’t be a bother for her future in-laws to join would it?”

“I guess…” He frowns, disappointed he wasn’t able to fight it.

“Perfect, see you on Friday night, son!”

As the call ends, silence fills the room before a heartfelt groan breaks through as he throws himself onto his bed.

What should he do now? He was planning on waiting a few months before his parents asked to meet his girlfriend again and by then he would just make up a story about how you too decided to break up and he was too heartbroken to get into a marriage with Mei so fast if that was still the plan. But this came faster than he was expecting, you were too good at your job and now it’s too soon to play this card.

Tossing and turning on his bed, an idea comes to mind: maybe he could try to find you and beg you to help him out again. Would that be too much to ask for? Of course it would, you’d most likely say no. And even if he wanted to try it’s not like he could, he knew nothing about you, not even your name, Rose was the name he wrote when submitting the form to the website.

And just like that, the sleepless nights and stress come back. Xiaojun has less than a week to find a solution and nothing comes to mind.

Three days after the dreadful call, he gets tired of laying in bed with his eyes closed but not asleep, so he gets up and ready to head out. He decides to go grab a coffee before going into the office and at least put these extra hours to some use.

As he exits the coffee shop with his drink he walks without really paying attention to the almost empty streets. And that’s why, when he turns the corner he ends up bumping into someone making a bag fall on the floor.

“I’m so sorry!” He quickly apologizes, picking it up to hand it back to its owner.

Xiaojun can’t help observe this person. From the worn out sneakers that he believes were once pure white, careless but fitted sweatpants, a loose t-shirt with a goofy design on the front, hair in a ponytail and bare face.

He’s mesmerized by the simple beauty until it hits him.

“It’s you…” He murmurs. “Rose!”

“I… I think you’ve got the wrong person…” Snatching your bag from his hands you try to pass by him but he grabs your arm.

“Wait!” He suddenly lets go as he sees your widen eyes, almost scared at his actions. “I’m sorry, I just… I need to talk to you.”

“If you need another experience please contact the website.” You try to brush him off and leave but he moves to stand your way.

“Please, just hear me out. I know this may seem kind of creepy but please, I mean no harm.” He says with his hands up in defeat.

“What is it?” You glance around to see if there’s more people in the street, feeling some sort of relief to see the coffee shop that was close enough for you to run off to in case he tries something funny.

“I… I need to ask you for a favour.” Your head snaps his way at the audacity. “I know I’m in no place to ask you anything and you’re totally in your right to refuse but please let me explain!”

“Ok…” You sigh taking a safety step away from him.

“Look, last time I went to the website because I needed someone to pretend to be my girlfriend for dinner with my parents so they wouldn’t force me to marry someone I haven’t seen in years, and you did a wonderful job on it. However, it was too good and now they want to come over to get to know you better. It’s too risky to tell them we broke up, they might still force me on the marriage so…” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I kinda needed you to play the part for a few more days…”

“What!?” You incredulously ask, this cannot be real.

“I know, I know. It sounds crazy and maybe I am crazy, but I don’t know what else to do.” Xiaojun drops to his knees rubbing his hands together. “Please, I’m as desperate as I sound…”

“Oh c’mon get up…” You rush to pull him before someone sees this scene.

“I’m sorry. I just…” He groans. ”I thought this was over but I just keep digging my grave deeper and deeper…”

“I bet it’s not that bad…” You kind of feel bad seeing him like this.

“You have no idea…” Looking down he sighs.

“What…” You bite your lip before continuing. “What would this involve? I mean, if I was to accept.”

Gasping he looks up at you, eyes filled with hope.

“I didn’t say I’ll do it!”

“Right, right!” Taking a deep breath he explains. “Well we’d probably have to go out for some meals and make some conversation… But I’ll try to get us out of as much as I can!”

“And when would this be?”

“About that…” Scratching the back of his head, Xiaojun doesn’t know how to break it down to you. “It would be… Hm… This weekend…”

“What!?” You gasp.

“I know, I know, but they only called the other day and I didn’t even think I’d have the chance to talk to you!” Groaning he feels defeated once again.

“I don’t know. This is too sudden…” You murmur.

“I’ll pay you. More than next time.” He throws in his last card.

“How much more?” You raise your eyebrow, you could really use some extra cash to be honest.

“As much as you want. Give me a number and I’ll give that to you. Money is not a problem to me.” For some reason, the way he says it leaves you a bit weak on the knees.

“I don’t know…” You still ponder.

“You don’t have to answer right now. But please, can you at least think about it?” He begs handing you a piece of paper he removed from his pocket. “Here’s my card. Call me or text me at any time.”

“I’ll…” Taking the paper you sigh. “Think about it.”

“Oh my god, thank you so much!” He was about to step your way but he doesn’t want to push his luck so he remains in place. “I should go now. Again, thank you for considering this, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

With a small smile you turn around and continue your path as he does the same.

All day Xiaojun kept his phone right by his side patiently awaiting your contact, every time he got a call he made sure to make it end as soon as possible in case you tried to reach him. When he gets home he pretty much lays on his bed as he stares at his screen.

Eventually sleep gets to him as hope fades away, tomorrow would be a new day for him to try and find another solution if there was even any. But that’s when his phone buzzes with a new text. He quickly sits up on the mattress, suddenly fully awake.

Unknown number: I’ll do it

Rapidly blinking his eyes he wonders if he’s dreaming.

Unknown number: should we meet tomorrow?

Xiaojun: yes!

Xiaojun: whenever you’re available

Unknown number: I’ll text you the details then, see you tomorrow

Xiaojun: thank you so much!

His heart is beating so fast that it knocks him right back to sleep with a relieved smile on his face. 

“Thank you so much for doing this,” Xiaojun says as he approaches the table where you were waiting for him already, “it really means the world to me.”

“Well, hello to you too.” You playfully comment as he sits down.

“Oh my, where are my manners? I’m sorry.” He bows. “How are you? Did you wait a long time?”

“No, i just arrived.” Smiling you admire the stressed look on his face. “I’m doing alright, how are you? Like, for real.”

“I…” Hesitating he doesn’t really know how to answer. “I’m kinda relieved you accepted to do this but at the same time i’m nervous it won’t work… I just… I don’t really know what I’m doing here…”

“It’s still not too late for you to come clean.” Xiaojun widens his eyes like you told him there would be no more green tea in the world, so you continue. “But! That’s not the option we’re going with. Look, we made it work once, we can do it again.”

“Are you sure?” He furrows his brows. “I barely even talked last time. And now it won’t be just a dinner, it will be a whole weekend, there’s much more room to mess up.”

“That’s exactly why I thought we should meet before hand. I need to know more about you. Well, more than your job.” You let out a little giggle and he’s unable to hide a smile. “Let’s take advantage of the little time we still have and tell me all about you.”

“And what about you?” His voice comes out small but you hear it clearly.

“You can make up anything you want about me and I’ll roll with it. Remember, I’m supposed to be your ideal girlfriend, so make me however you like.” Winking at him, you call the waiter so you can order some food and drinks.

Just like that you spend the next days getting to know Xiaojun. You have lunch and dinner everyday, you ask him about all the things you believe a girl should know about her boyfriend, and even recall some of the things you talked about with his parents before so you can build a consistent story.

The more you know about Xiaojun, the more you understand he’s just a guy trying to escape his parents pressure and live his life. Yes, at first you may have thought he was a little bit of a creep, but you soon realise he’s just a nice guy who isn’t very experienced in the dating world.

So you teach him everything you know, not that you have a big dating history yourself. You had a few partners before but unfortunately they turned out to be jerks. And after you started to work as an escort, guys wouldn’t go past the first date. But you tell Xiaojun how a relationship should be, how you think it should be, how you’d like to have one.

Every time you speak he’s mesmerised, like you’re telling him the most amazing tales. The way he looks at you starts to send shivers down your spine, but that’s a line you shouldn’t cross. Getting involved with someone on the job is not an option, even if you’re doing this pro bono. After all this isn’t real and you just need to keep that in mind.

Xiaojun: Are you sleeping?

He texts you late at night the day before his parents arrive.

Rose: Yes

Xiaojun: Oh sorry!

You giggle at his reply, it’s cute how respectful and clueless he is.

Rose: Would i really reply if i was?

He facepalms himself, he can’t even think straight anymore.

Rose: Can’t sleep?

Xiaojun: No…

Rose: Want to go for a walk?

Rubbing his eyes he makes sure he’s not dreaming before he agrees to your suggestion.

Wearing a puffy jacket to protect him from the coldness of the night, he walks to the 24h shop you told him to meet you since it’s just a few blocks away. As he arrives he sees a familiar face turn the corner.

“Hey you!” He can tell you’re smiling even if half your face is hidden in your sweater.

“Hi.” He shyly greets you before following you inside the store. “I’m sorry to drag you out this late.”

“That’s alright. I have insomnia so i’m not usually asleep at this time.” You reach the ice cream freezer, opening it to grab a box. “Green tea right?”

“Y-yeah.” He stutters impressed you already know he likes to eat ice cream when he can’t sleep and even his favorite flavour.

Silently he keeps following you around as you get some drinks too and head to the register. He quickly reaches his wallet to pay but you stop him.

“My treat this time, ok?” You offer considering he’s being paying for every ‘get to know him’ meal of the past few days.

Even if he wanted to he had no time to protest as you already paid for everything and were waiting for him by the exit. When he reaches you, you hand him his things and start walking down the street.

“Are you so nervous that you couldn’t sleep?” You ask after some silence as you walk without a destination eating your food.

“Yeah… It’s stupid I know…” Xiaojun lowers his head.

“Hey, it’s not stupid.” You gently nudge his arm. “But what are you really nervous about? Me forgetting all the things you told me about you? Go ahead, quiz me!”

“I’m not gonna quiz you about that.” He chuckles.

“Do it!” You jump in front of him making him stop. “Let me show you how we’re going to nail this!”

“We don’t have to that, I trust you.” He keeps laughing at your excited face.

“Oh c’mon, you’ll quiz me and I’ll quiz you, how about that?” You try to pull off your most adorable expression to convince him.

“You’re not going to stop until i say yes, right?” He sighs as you cutely shake your head. “Ok, you win.”

“He said yes!” You cheer in the middle of the street, making him chuckle at how you don’t mind being silly like this. “Alright, shoot me.”

“Ok, hm…” He thinks for a while. “What’s my favorite color?”

“Really?” Pouting you drop your arms to the side like a kid, your ice cream almost falling. “I know that since before i met your parents. Give me something harder!”

“Ok, ok! Well…” He looks around as if trying to look for inspiration. “When did I move here?”

“Do you mean the city or your apartment?” He’s about to clarify but you continue talking. “To the city you moved right after college when you got an internship that led you to the job you have today. To your apartment you moved in 2 years ago after your roommate bailed on you to go live with his 2 week’s girlfriend and you decided it was time to get your own place. A few weeks after you settled in he begged you to go back because they had broken up but by then you just didn’t want to deal with it anymore so you remained in your man cave alone.”

“Wow…” He’s genuinely impressed. “That’s so accurate, except… Did you call my apartment a man cave?”

“Well, I’ve never been there so i can only assume that’s what it is.” You shrug before describing how you envision it. “Empty energy drink cans all over the place, nothing but instant ramen on your cabinets and food delivery flyers on the door of your fridge. I bet the nicest things you have there are your bed, so you can rest properly, and your computer.” 

“H-How…” He gasps at your accuracy once again. “Have you been spying on me?”

“I didn’t have to, Xiaojun. You told me all that between the lines.” You wink. “My turn now, ready?”

“I’m not sure I can be at your level.” He scratches the back of his neck.

“Don’t worry, I’ll start with something easy.” You tell him with a smile. “Where did we go on our first date?”

“We… Hm…” You can see panic behind his eyes.

“Don’t overthink it.” You take a deep breath with him. “Just say what comes to mind, remember everything is up to your standards.”

“We went to see a movie… And then dinner? At that restaurant with live music?” Xiaojun bites his lip waiting for your reaction.

“See? You can do it!” Jumping as you cheer for him you can see the happiness on his face.

“Ask me something else!” Quickly trowing the wrapping paper of the finished ice cream in the trash he rubs his hands together excited to do it again.

“Alright, now we’re talking!” You join the excitement. “What did you give me when you asked me to be your girlfriend?”

“Hm…” Biting his lip he thinks but when he looks at you he knows the exact answer. “A rose. Like your name. I was afraid you’d be expecting something fancier but you loved the simple gesture. It just felt natural, like our love.”

“Xiaojun…” You sigh. “I almost believed you right now, that was amazing! You remembered tall the details!”

“How am i doing this?” He’s gagging, impressed with himself.

“You’re doing it because we made everything simple and easy to follow through.” Smiling you rub his arm, just like you did on the night you met. “See? You have nothing to be worried about.”

“Thank you.” His smile is genuine and you can feel him relax before you. “But I like this, ask me more!”

Like two kids you keep walking around the streets asking each other questions about your made-up relationship, jumping and cheering as you both answer correctly. Neither of you notice the time passing or where you’re going until you reach a familiar street.

“Oh, this is me.” Xiaojun stops in front of a tall building.

“Let me guess, 8th floor?” As his jaw drops you know you’re right. “Lucky you scored your favorite number.”

“You’re incredible…” He shakes his head still impressed with everything you remember. “Should i drive you home? My car is right there.”

“That’s ok, I don’t live very far.” You smile, politely rejecting the offer.

“Are you sure?” He insists.

“Yes.” You hesitate to answer but ultimately stick to your first answer, it’s best if your clients don’t know where you live and you need to remember who he is.

“Ok…” He’s finding it hard to let you go like that, alone in the streets at night, but he wants to respect your choices. “Can I keep you company on the phone at least?”

“How about i call you when i get home?” You offer instead and with some resistance he finally agrees. “Goodnight, Xiaojun.”

“Goodnight.” He stays outside until you turn the corner away from his sight.

He gets ready for bed once again and awaits your call, smiling when his phone rings. You talk for only a couple minutes before you both feel the sleep finally kicking in. As he closes his eyes the smile lingers on his face. Always drown in work, sometimes it feels like he has forgotten how to have fun, but tonight you sure reminded him of it.

Friday goes by fast but after these few days with you, Xiaojun feels more relaxed and with high hopes everything will work out. The evening feels like a replay of last time, but better. You meet in front of the restaurant and wait by the bar, but this time he smiles as you share some drinks. His parents still throw in some difficult questions but this time Xiaojun jumps in to help sell the story as you sit side by side.

The next day you go for a boat ride on the river, after living in the city for so many years you’re surprised he never did it before so you ensure he has a good time. You take pictures together and laugh at the most random and silly things. His parents enjoy the ride while they carefully observe you two, analysing how you behave around each other. But whoever looked at you would say you simply look like a happy couple having a good time.

After that you have lunch at a restaurant by the water. You start to notice the little hints his parents keep throwing his way, almost to pull him down and it makes your blood boil but instead of calling them out you keep changing the subject to point out all the amazing things Xiaojun has accomplished.

In the afternoon you walk around the city and his parents do some shopping. You try not to gasp at the ridiculous price tags as you enter the most expensive brand stores, you could never afford any of these things. But now it was time for Xiaojun to distract you as he treats you to some ice cream to get a breather from the day.

The evening comes and you go to a fancy restaurant that overviews the whole city. After spending the whole day with his parents you feel like they’re really accepting what you present as a relationship and will definitely drop the wedding idea. They let you know their flight back is around lunch time the next day and you can see Xiaojun sigh in relief.

You two drive his parents back to the hotel wishing them a goodnight and agreeing to drop by before they head to the airport in the morning.

“Do you want to have a drink before going home?” You ask as you get back into his car, not really wanting the day to end yet.

“Are you sure? I thought you had a three drink rule.” Turning to face you, Xiaojun winks with a smile, reminding you of what you had at dinner.

“Well…” You chuckle as you’d forgot it since being with him stopped feeling like work a long time ago. “I feel like making some exceptions tonight.”

“Alright, let’s do it then. Where should we go?”

Starting the car, you end up stopping by a 24h shop and buying some drinks before heading to a viewpoint where you have a great view of the city and the river. Getting out you two sit in the hood admiring the beautiful scenario.

“I can’t believe we made it.” Xiaojun lets out a happy sigh.

“Hey, don’t jinx it, we still have to drop by to say goodbye tomorrow.” Nudging his arm you giggle.

“True.” He chuckles. “I know I’ve said it a million times but seriously, thank you so much for helping me out.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was actually quite fun doing this with you.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” He agrees, “But I have to admit, it does feel weird that you know so much about me and I know so little about you.”

“What do you mean? You know everything about me, you made me!” You joke.

“I’m not talking about Rose, I’m talking about you.” Xiaojun keeps his gaze on the city as you turn to face him. “Yes, I may have made up some things about you but I didn’t make up the way you close your eyes when you’re savouring your favorite ice cream, how you always enter places with the right foot for good luck, the little glance to the side you do when you’re thinking of something, the way you lick your lips when you’re trying to stop a smile and what all of that does to me…”

His voice slowly fades as he reaches the end of the sentence, but you heard everything. Has he been paying attention to all these details about you? And why does him noticing all of this is making your heart beat faster?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He drops his head. “You’re just doing your job and I’m making things complicated.”

“Maybe we should go…” You look away biting your lip, maybe it’s better to just call it a night.

Silently you two get back into the car, but as he drives off Xiaojun realises he doesn’t really know where to take you.

“You can drop me off at my place.” You suddenly said making him widen his eyes.

Surely you said you wanted to make exceptions tonight but he never thought you’d let him take you home, specially after pretty much confessing his feelings for you just seconds ago. He didn’t plan on doing it, he isn’t even sure how he really feels about you but maybe seeing the end of your journey arrive forced those words out of his mouth.

As he follows your directions, neither of you says a word, both lost in your thoughts. You’ve had clients confess to you before and you always casually brushed it off, reminding them of the rules and how this is not real. But this time it felt different. Maybe because it felt really honest. Or maybe because you’ve been fighting yourself to confess too.

“I-Is it here?” Xiaojun slows down next to a block of apartments.

“Yeah.”

Parking the car, he shuts the engine down and you stay there in silence, until you whisper something he cannot understand.

“What?” He questions turning to you.

“Y/N.” You repeat. “That’s my real name.”

“Oh.” He wants to ask why are you revealing this but chooses not to. “That’s a pretty name. More than Rose.”

“Thanks.” You both chuckle. “And thank you for dropping me off. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

You remove your seatbelt and grab the door handle but suddenly something comes over you and next thing you know your lips are on his. It’s a sweet innocent kiss like you’re afraid to overwhelm him or scare him away. Just a few seconds later you lean back to your seat, his eyes wide open as he’s frozen in place.

“Goodnight, Xiaojun.” You say before finally hoping off the car and going up to your apartment.

When you close the door, you lean back against it, silly smile plastered on your face. Did you really just kiss him? Not that you never thought about doing it before but you didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.

You just have to meet him and his parents one more time and then you don’t have to see him again and you can forget all about this foolish crush. But maybe the thought of not having his presence in your life any longer scared you more than breaking your own rules.

With a sigh you detach yourself from the door and walk inside your place taking off your shoes and your jacket. But as you pass by your front window something catches your eye.

Xiaojun’s car is still parked outside, just where you left him. Through the dim lights of the street you can see him sitting in the driver’s seat, eyes still widen and body frozen. You chuckle to yourself and grab your cellphone.

“H-Hello?” Still by the window you watch him finally break out of his trance and quickly pick up his phone.

“If you’re just going to sit there, you might as well come in.” He’s startled by your voice, probably didn’t even check the caller before answering.

“W-What?” Still confused with this call he looks around him to see if you’re anywhere.

“5th floor.” He looks up easily finding your window, being the only one with the lights on, where you slowly wave. “So? The offer is expiring.”

“I’m coming!” You giggle seeing him rush out of the car and into your building.

Buzzing him in, you swear he just raced up the stairs with how fast he got to your floor, panting with his hands on his knees when you open the door. Stepping to the side you let him in, quickly offering him some water as you lead him to your couch.

Taking a seat next to him, none of you knows what to say but the silly smile on your faces cannot hide the happiness you’re both feeling. You decide to turn on the TV, watching whatever show was on before your eyelids get heavy.

Xiaojun gulps when he feels the weight of your head on his shoulder. He doesn’t dare move, unable to reach the remote or even to turn off the light. He simply watches you sleep peacefully until he too falls into dreamland.

A weird noise wakes you up and as you open your eyes you see the room lit with the morning sunshine and the TV still on. Looking to the side you see the uncomfortable position Xiaojun is in so he didn’t move you.

You try to get up quietly but he still wakes up, stretching out his arms with a groan.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” You quickly say.

“That’s ok.” He sleepily smiles. “But for someone who has insomnia you sure fell asleep quickly.”

“You know what they say: be happy, sleep better.” You smile back feeling your cheeks burning up.

“Are you?” He asks, tentatively scooting closer on the couch. “Happy?”

“I am.” You brush a strand of hair away from his face leaning closer for a kiss.

This time he responds to it, letting you know he wants it too. You can tell he’s a bit unsure of what he’s doing but your lips move together so naturally that his insecurities flow out the window.

“We should go get ready.” You advise once your part. “We don’t want to keep your parents waiting.”

“Right, right.” He frantically nods, getting up. “I need to go home. Should I pick up after? I’ll be quick.”

Accepting his offer, you walk him to the door but before opening it he turns to you.

“C-Can I have one more k-kiss?” It’s cute how he stutters like a teenage boy.

Instead of replying you pull him by his shirt bringing your mouths back together. You can feel the corner of his lips move up, before you break the kiss once more.

“C’mon, you have to go before we’re late!” Giggling you rush him out the door.

Once he’s out you move to the window to watch him go. You don’t really know what this is or where this is going but one thing is for sure, you really like this boy and you want to give whatever this is a try.

Around an hour later Xiaojun picks you up and drives to the hotel his parents are staying. When you get out the car you lock arms with him, smiling as you walk inside. All this time pretending to date and putting on an act, it feels more relaxing to just do it naturally, knowing he feels the same.

Quickly spotting his parents and their luggage in the lobby you walk on that direction. But they’re not alone, there’s a beautiful elegant woman standing next to them. The three of them turn to you quickly halting whatever conversation they were having.

“Good morning, mother and father.” Xiaojun greets them, happier than you’ve ever seen him do before.

“Good morning son.” His mother says, but her expression is not very happy. “Look who decided to drop by to visit. Are you not gonna greet Mei?”

Both your jaws drop to the floor. For a second you had forgotten the real reason why you were pretending to be Xiaojun’s girlfriend but there it is, right in front of you.

“M-Mei?” He asks and you can see the smirk on her face grow. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, son, Mei came to tell us a little something you forgot to mention about Rose.” His mother steps forward looking straight in your eyes. “Or should I say Y/N?”

For the first time he sees you choking to reply, suddenly you have no quick answer and you don’t know how to save the situation.

“What are you talking about?” Xiaojun steps in front of you facing his mother.

“Don’t even bother lying. We know she’s not your real girlfriend, she’s an escort.” She shakes her head. “Mei felt something was off when we told her the wedding was off, so she did some investigating and decided to warn us.”

“Why would you hire an escort and say she’s your girlfriend, son?” His father adds.

“I…” Xiaojun breathing speeds up and he felt like he was suffocating, his worst nightmare became real but things are not even like that anymore.

“We should’ve known this was too good to be true.” His mother scoffs. “We should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to find a woman on your own. Ah, you should be more like your brother. He has a successful career and still managed to find a good wife and build a family. But no, you’re just a disappointment. You always have been-”

“Stop!” You suddenly yell making everyone turn to you. “I’m sorry but I cannot stand you talking to him like that anymore. He’s your son and you should treat him with the same respect as you expect him to show you. Why do you keep comparing him to his brother? I bet he’s amazing and all that but Xiaojun is too. He’s one of the sweetest nicest people I’ve ever met. But you’re ruining him with all this pressure to be perfect. He’s only human you know? You can’t mold him to fit your standards. And if you only took the time to know the incredible person he is you too would be amazed, just like I am.”

His parents don’t even say a word, outraged with the way you spoke to them and maybe realising you’re probably right. And that seems to be the perfect time for you to take off, but before you go you turn to Xiaojun.

“I’m sorry things went like this and I’m sorry I had to say these things but I couldn’t stay silent anymore.” You take a deep breath. ”Xiaojun, you need to stand up for yourself or you’ll never be happy.”

And just like that you’re out the door. He calls your name but you don’t turn back so he prepares to chase after you but a voice stops him.

“You’re really going after the escort when you have a real woman right here?” Mei asks, hand on her hip and brow raised.

Xiaojun sighs, maybe it is time to stand up for himself.

“Look Mei,” he looks straight into her eyes, “I don’t know why you did this or why you want to get into this arranged marriage but I am not marrying you. Not now nor ever. When I get married it will be with someone I love and when I want to, not because I’m being forced into it. I don’t wish you any harm, I just hope you can find your happiness, but it’s not going to be with me.”

Rolling her eyes she scoffs, shocked he would just turn her down like that.

“Mother, father.” He faces them now. “All my life I just wanted to impress you, but it was never enough. And honestly, I don’t think it will ever be enough. So instead of trying to chase your standards I’m gonna live for myself. So what I want to work all the time? So what I don’t find a girlfriend and get married any time soon? It’s not up to you to decide how I live my life. I can make my own choices and if you want to accept them I would be very happy, but if not that’s your choice.”

“How dare you talk to us like that?” His mother gasps. “You should be thankful for everything we’ve done for you!”

“And I am. But it’s time for me to spread my wings and fly solo.” A relieved smile crawls up his face. “It was good seeing you, have a nice flight back.”

“Xiaojun, come back here!” His father orders after his son bows and walks out the building.

The wind hits his face like brushing all the worries away. He’s finally free, for real this time. It’s still unbelievable how he finally had the guts to stand up to his parents. He’s done a lot of growth this week, he re discovered what it’s like to have fun and be happy. And there’s one person he needs to thank for that.

When you get home, your cheeks are drenched in tears. Not that you’re balling crying, tears are just rolling down. All this work and in the end everything got ruined. And the worst part is that you actually thought you two could have a future, but that is probably also ruined.

A lot of thoughts are going through your head as you curl yourself up in your couch, but the one that stands out the most is: what did Xiaojun feel when he saw Mei? They haven’t seen each other in years and he didn’t even recognise her at first, could it be that now that he saw her he changed his mind and wants to go ahead with the marriage?

Before you start debating on why you’re so affected by this you hear a knock on your door. You don’t really want to deal with anyone right now so you stay in place pretending you’re not here.

“Y/N, it’s me.” You hear through the knocking making you jump in surprise.

Quickly you wipe your cheeks with your sleeves and take a deep breath to compose yourself before opening the door.

“Xiaojun…” You didn’t think he would come to see you after what happened. “How did you come up?”

“Someone was leaving so I held the door.” He quickly explains. “I’m sorry. I have to talk to you, I don’t want to leave things like that.”

“It’s ok Xiaojun, you don’t owe me anything.” You lower your head with a sigh. “I’m sorry things ended up not working out.”

“They actually did.” You lift your head back up with eyes wide open. “I followed your advice and I stood up to my parents for once. I’m… Finally free. And I owe it all to you.”

“I didn’t do anything, it was all you.” You give him a small smile.

“Yes you did.” He steps closer. “You pushed me to stop running away from what I’ve been trying to avoid for years. You made me remember what it’s like to have fun and be truly happy. You bring out the better in me.”

“But I shouldn’t have talked to your parents like that, it wasn’t my place.” You shake your head.

“Maybe they needed to hear those things from an outside perspective.” Tentatively he grabs your hand. “Y/N, these past few days were some of the best of all my life. Being with you makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. And I’m scared and confused because I don’t exactly know what this is. But what I do know is that I want to keep seeing you because I’m better when we’re together.”

Your eyes water again and you can feel your heart wanting to jump off your chest. Could there still be hope for you?

“I’m gonna kiss you now, ok?” You barely have time to register his words before his lips land on yours.

Instantly you melt in his embrace, your arms wrapping around his neck as his own tighten around your waist. The kiss is intense and passionate, unlike the quick innocent ones from before.

“Can we give us a try?” Xiaojun asks as you part your mouths. “Whatever ‘us’ may be.”

“Yes.” You chuckle pulling him inside the house and closing the front door, ending the show for your nosy neighbours.

“Oh by the way,” he moves to sit on the couch, “how much do I owe you for these days?”

“Hm… I didn’t really think about it…” You sit next to him with a smirk. “But how about instead of money, you pay me with kisses? When I feel like you’re no longer in debt I’ll let you know.”

“Then maybe I should start working on it.” Holding your cheek he moves only inches away from your face. “And don’t worry, I don’t mind paying extra fees.”

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

taglist: @yokshi-unbeliebubble​​ @nc-teen  @yutahoes​​ @dimplehyunn​​ @iknowyuno​​ @bebskyy​​ @ne0cultur3technology​​ @nurenciye​​​ @luvjeongjaehyun​​​ @chenleyang @booyouwhore17​​​ @jenoxygen​​​ @star1117-archives​​​

unable to tag: @doahflix @criminalmindsz @jaehyunsprincess

[mintmechs]

Hello, sorry for bothering you, but do you have any sny headcanons for how the Sonic characters would interact with an autistic character? (Sonic, Knuckles, etc.)

hello hello! thanks for the ask! hmmmmmmmm • tails would be really supportive of people's special interests! he'd love to listen and learn about new things, and he can resonate a lot with seeing someone be passionate about something, no matter what that might be or how "strange" or "out of the norm" it may be considered by others (think tails' backstory). the last thing he wants is for anyone to feel like they matter less for caring about what makes them happy. he'd encourage any and all rambling and chip in too! if there's anything he can do to help fuel someone's hobby, such as providing materials or tools, or making up a small gadget to aid with it, he'd be in full disposition to do so. he'd want to do everything possible with his skills in terms of accessibility, i.e. sensory, and with information by doing research on and helping the character's and his own friends to better understand autism • knuckles is good at listening for the needs of others and he has a great deal of patience, so i think he'd be very understanding of how nonverbal communication works, and i know he'd be great to just sit in silence with. he's no stranger to taking things literally or missing social cues that should seem "obvious" so he'd make sure that nobody has to go through unnecessary confusion and call out anyone who gives you a hard time with that. he'd try to gently steer the character away from self-harm, i.e. by giving alternatives to release that anxiety or create a more soothing environment. he'd be pretty concerned at first and i think it'd take him a bit to know exactly what to do but he's a fast learner • i bet sonic would be great with leading stimming sessions or joining in them, routines with lots of high energy and movement! he'd gladly accompany the character on a jog or shake his hands along with them (think sonic advance idle sprite animation where he does exactly this and also stretches his legs). he definitely won't be one to judge • i don't feel as confident in my understanding of shadow's character yet but i have a feeling he'd be surprisingly good at dealing with meltdowns. don't ask how it's just a gut feeling based on what little i've seen of him • espio + breathing exercises! that is all. also charmy bee would be the best drawing partner if they're an artist, he loves to draw

sorry i don't have too many thoughts on this but it was fun to think about! i hope that these were helpful to answer your question, anon. i tried to focus on ways of interacting that align with autism-specific experiences though ultimately the characters would treat a character with autism with the same respect as anyone else • bonus: amy smashes ableist folks with her hammer

[marlowedobbeart]

Daydream Skies: Devlog #2

HELLO I just wanted to share some progress I've been making on my Gamemaker game I've been chipping away at in my free time :) For those unfamiliar, I've been working on a pirate RPG with a grid-based battle system for almost 1 year (!!!) and it's been a real treat to kind of teach myself coding and do a gamedev thing completely solo! As an artist, I've been trying my best to hold off on doing *too* much art and polish up front. This last year has been mostly me building under-the-hood systems so that I can get to a point where I will be 90% focused on content and 10% focused on functionality. I know that when I get to the art, I can handle it, it's all the other stuff that's new to me! SO since last time we spoke, I've checked off a lot of boxes on my monolithic whiteboard of things I need to make a playable demo. (monolithic whiteboard pictured below)

The thing that took me the longest to implement was a menu system. I couldn't quite find any examples or tutorials on how I wanted my menus to work (mostly had a hard time finding anything with decent scrolling for options) and I more or less conceived of and coded my own menu system, The menus have lots of nice variable definitions :'^) so they're pretty flexible for what I need.

I'll have to do a bit of tweaking later on if and when I need to scroll through options horizontally or need multiple columns of options but that's a problem for later marlowe!!!

Also I perfectly understood everything about the Menu system I created except one line:

After all that math I was surprised to find that it was fairly straightforward to rough out an inventory system and pause screen that allows me to collect and use items (as well as look at player stats!)

Looking at everything I'd done so far it was becoming obvious that my key input handler was not working 100% of the time and was getting pretty messy. I came across Juju Adams Input Library and was able to not only fix my keyboard inputs but also integrate controller support in like 5 minutes. I LOVE when someone else does the work for me :'^) Huge shoutouts to juju for making what felt like a monumental task into something simple. Another unglamorous progression: save files!

ME? CREATING JSONS? I never would have thought. The greatest part is they are completely unencrypted so excuse me while I edit my jsons to give me 99999 HP. AND FINALLY something actually fun to look at: I penciled out Davy's walk animation so I can soon stop using duplicates of Trixie's sprites for him.

I am very excited to be getting close to the point where all I have to do is make content and art and not make a bunch of systems. I'm looking forward to using the Finish Your Game Jam that PIGSquad is hosting on itch in November to polish up the combat system and make a few enemy variations. After that, I think I'll be working on a lot of fun, showy stuff that I can share >:) Watch this space! -Marlowe

[writingisartdarling]

tag 10 people you want to get to know better:

tagged by @corasorangejuice thank you so much darling <3

favourite time of year:

I never seem to be able to answer this question since I can't decide between summer and winter! I absolutely love winter - cozy clothes, the snow, drinking a cup of hot cocoa and Christmas and my birthday etc. BUT then again, I adore the warm summer days with a ice cream in hand, the leisure days and just all together good vibes...But maybe I'll go with winter...?

---

comfort foods:

This should be easy! I'll have to go with this Finnish? brand's cheeseburger and fries, and also just basically any good chips and dip. I usually like it more salty than sweet!

---

do you collect anything?:

This might sound a bit weird but memories. Like, movie tickets, diplomas, every piece of paper basically that has any memory within it, gets a place in a folder in a drawer. Then one day I can look at them and think "wow, what a great time I had then". I have a few folders filled up already!

---

favourite drink:

Besides water, these flavoured sparkling waters (from a Finnish brand called "Novelle")! There are quite a few different flavours and they're just all so delicious!

---

favourite music artists:

I listen to all kinds of songs so that's so hard to say...But propably Adele, Michael Buble and a Finnish artist Juha Tapio.

---

current favourite songs:

- anything from the "A New Era" soundtrack

- "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" (by Queen)

- "SloMo" (by Chanel)

- anything from Michael buble

- also almost whatever depressing song I come across bc why not

---

favourite fics:

I will NOT mention all of my favourites since that would take ages, but here are some of my most recent ones!

- "A Midday Moment" and "An Afternoon Moment" and "In the heat of the night" (all written by Vincenzo65 on FF.net)

- "Broken" (written by Splodge04 on FF.net)

- "Wading Through Blood" (written by Chelsie Dagger on FF.net)

- "How To Go About It" (written by TheIronMontage on FF.net)

- anything from the amazing Nathea

- every Chelsie wedding night fic out there <3

There are a ton of others but at the moment these few are some of my favourites that I could keep reading all the time!

******

There's that then! Hopefully my answers were clear enough as I can easily start to ramble 😆 Thank you again @corasorangejuice for tagging me, this was a lot of fun to do!

TAGGING (no pressure if you don't want to do it and sorry if you've been tagged already :)

@chelsieobsessed1980 @michellelindalindsey @miss-ute @misszenobell @chelsie-carson @chelsiefan71 @chelsietx @downtondownstairs @downton-bridgerton @lovemesomechelsiecarson

[thebuckblogimo]

The day the Polish music died for 2 minutes and 58 seconds.

March 26, 2024

When I was a kid back in the '50s, my friends and I experienced a lot of "unsupervised play," something I don't think children get enough of these days. I'd like to tell you a story that illustrates the concept and what it may have meant for us later in life. First, let me set the stage...

It was the summer of 1956. I was nine years old and had just completed the third grade. My Dad, in his late 30s, was active in the Vincent J. Bieneik VFW Post in Detroit, as were most of his buddies who had returned home from World War II.

In those days the VFW held an annual picnic "out in the country" at the now defunct New Liberty Park, which, as best as I can recall, was somewhere south of Detroit Metroplitan Airport.

New Liberty Park was set up for summer time fun. Like several other outdoor venues of that era, it had an open-air pavilion, including a huge dance floor and stage for live music; separate open-air buildings for the sale of beer, soft drinks, hot dogs, potato chips and ice cream; and acres of parking in a wooded area that afforded an early version of tailgating.

My two sisters and I always looked forward to the VFW picnic. My mother would fill a wooden picnic basket with sandwiches and cookies, and pack Vernors ginger ale and Faygo pop. We couldn't wait to get there and compete in the water balloon toss, three-legged races and other games. One year the three of us swept the foot races for our respective age groups and caused a stir as parents complained about "that family that wins everything." Another year I was thrilled to hold a winning ticket for one of the VFW raffle prizes--an electric can opener.

My Dad was always involved with the picnic's planning committee. He and his VFW pals would smear grease paint on their faces, dress up as clowns and rent a trailer to haul a polka band through the Polish neighborhoods of Detroit to publicize the picnic. Also, he had been a childhood friend of Johnny Sadrack, who became a popular Polish band leader during the '50s and '60s, and my Dad recruited the group to play at the picnic.

There were outdoor speakers affixed to poles and buildings on the grounds at New Liberty. My Dad would bring a box of 78 rpm records from his collection--polkas and obereks--and play them on a turntable, rigged up to the speakers around the park, before the band began to play and in between its sets.

My brother Mark was born in February of 1956, and when it came time for the picnic that year he was only a few months old. So my Mom and sisters stayed behind--although I think my sisters came out later that afternoon with my Uncle Chester and Auntie Connie--while my Dad let me tag along in the morning when he drove to the park to set up for the carloads of people that were expected to line the gate on a picture-perfect day.

His plan was to turn me loose at New Liberty, load me up with enough money to buy tickets for pop, ice cream and potato chips, and let me roam the park while he did his thing.

I had a plan, too.

By 1956, artists such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Buddy Holly had burst onto the scene and helped to revolutionize the popular culture with a new genre of music called rock 'n' roll. During the winter of that year the first "kid group" recorded "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" by the Teenagers, featuring 13-year-old Frankie Lymon. I was hooked instantly by their sound. I bought the 45 at the neighborhood record shop and played it incessantly on my parents' "hi-fi." I soon started hanging out at the store--unsupervised--flipping through the record bins every week, and in the spring I was elated to discover that the Teenagers had released their follow-up recording, "I Want You To Be My Girl."

The record shop was sold out of the 45 version when I was ready to buy. However, they had a bunch on the 78 format. Feeling desperate to own the record and play it any time I wanted, I purchased the platter.

On the morning of the picnic my Dad gathered up his things, including his collection of polka records, and off we went to the park. I packed some things too--a rubber ball, a couple comic books and my prized possession, "I Want You To Be My Girl," and stashed them in the trunk of my Dad's classic, tri-color (pink, black and white) '56 Chrysler New Yorker St. Regis.

When we arrived at New Liberty, my Dad fired down a quick shot and a beer with his pals and went to work on getting things set up. Sure enough, he immediately hooked up the turntable to the speaker system and loaded it with a "stack of shellac." I went off on my own, exploring the woods, where I could clearly hear the music from the pavilion, while VFW members packed the coolers with beer and dry ice.

In the early afternoon, the band started playing Polish music at the pavilion. By now there were picnickers everywhere in the park, shuffling back and forth from their cars to the dance floor. From a wooden bench along the walls in the pavilion I sat alone and watched the dancers put down their moves.

I also watched for my opportunity.

Sure enough, after the band concluded its first set and the dancers went outside to take a break, my dad put on a stack of Polish records and the music again played throughout the park. I waited, watched and listened as the first group of tunes finished playing. Then someone put on another stack and the music continued.

I prepared to make my move.

I slid over to the turntable just inside the pavilion, carefully raised the stack of records from the spindle, pulled my 78 out from under my t-shirt, slipped it into the pile of records, put them back on the spindle, and returned to my seat on the bench.

A few minutes later I could hear, loud and clear, the distinctive bass voice of 17-year-old Sherman Garnes on the song's intro, blasting all over New Liberty Park: "Bay, bay, bay, bay bom, doo bee, do wop..." Then the Teenagers' three back-up singers fell in: "Bom dee doo wop bom doo bee doo wop bom dee doo..." And, finally, out poured the silky smooth boy soprano of Frankie Lymon: "Oh, oh, oh, oh...oh, oh, oh, oh...I love you baby and I want you to be my girl...Well, c'mon baby let's go down town..."

I recall watching the faces of people clogging the real estate between the pavilion and beer hut as the Teenagers sang. Truthfully, few people seemed to react to what was playing over the speaker system. Mostly they kept doing what they were doing--eating, drinking, talking, laughing, sweating. Did they like the song? Or not? Did they notice that something other than Polish music was playing? Or not? Someone surely noticed, I thought, and so I sat there feeling proud that I had introduced my music to the old people at the picnic.

I wasn't thinking about whether I had done anything wrong that day. I didn't feel as though I had played a prank. I was simply on a child's mission to share with my parents' generation how the music made me feel inside. If I had asked for permission to do it, I'm sure I would have been told no. So I just did it.

That's the sort of attitude most of my friends and I grew up with. We were learning right from wrong every day at home, to be sure. At school, we considered the discipline imposed by the nuns as over the top. So we were always trying to outsmart them. It was like a game we played every day.

Meanwhile, no one held our hands as we walked to school. Rarely were we driven to school. There were no school busses. There were only busses operated by the DSR (Departement of Street Railways). Our parents never seemed particularly concerened when we rode one--unchaperoned--to Briggs Stadium for a Tigers game. Nor did they seem to worry much when we rode our bikes 15 miles or so to Belle Isle.

As I said, we experienced a helluva lot of childhood independence in those days. Which sometimes resulted in consequeneces for our actions, while encouraging responsibility.

If you threw a buddy's gym shoes through an open garage window on the way home from basketball practice, well, the next day you had knock on the homeowner's door and ask for permission to retrieve them.

And if you fell through a plaster ceiling while playing in the attic of a "new house," you had to make some quick decisions. Hide? Run? Or face the music? Big decisions for a kid.

It makes me feel uncomfortable that nine- and ten-year-olds today are rarely allowed to walk a couple blocks to the store to buy candy. It bothers me when I hear about kids who aren't allowed to go to the park alone until they're 13 or 14.

I admit that there's lots of bad stuff going on in our world these days. But with the bombardment of 24-hour news that we endure every day on our computers, phones, TVs, radios, etc., I think the bad stuff often gets overly publicized. I don't think that things are nearly as bad on some of the the streets of our cities, suburbs and towns as they are depicted to be.

Practically every kid in my class, as well as those in the classes ahead and behind me, turned out to be darn resilient people. Many of them worked to pay their own way through college during the '60s. Others, as 18- and 19-year-olds, faced up to the draft with amazing courage during the Vietnam War years. In the '70s, we rocked it hard and faced the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.

But I think we were prepped well to handle the issues we would face because we were brought up with a reasonable blend of supervision and autonomy. And in the end, but for a few, life worked out pretty well.

Allowing for a degree of common sense and reasonableness, it seems to me that it would do children good today to occassionally experience unsupervised play and less programming. I just don't think that every hour of a kid's summer day has to be filled with music lessons, travel ball, play practice and foreign language drills. The time that kids spend on internet-connected devices is what should be heavily monitored.

Kids need time to be kids. So they can experience the lessons that come with things like sneaking music into their parents' playlist or falling through a plaster ceiling.