#but also THANKS FOR LIKING MY STARTER CALL :'D

[ofhope]

Oh was the lightly-polluted air of Penacony enlightening. Winter-stiff muscles grew warm beneath lamplight, the smell of fried foods coalesced his senses, and last but not least: more precious faces to lovingly swindle out of hard-earned cash, trade secrets. It wasn't malice that inspired Sampo, no, not quite curiosity either; but for every step, drive. Never life-shattering, at least not directly so, and few times did Sampo charge any-which-place bearing a blade of any sort... what good were knives, spears, whenever you had secrets?

Once rumblings of mishandled paperwork met his eager ears, Sampo would be a fool not to indulge — bonus benefits? A pretty face, but Sampo wasn't one to complain... simply: many such people focus best on their work when aided by visual, or auditory appeal.

Sampo was neither, but maybe, just maybe, this could be his good deed of the week.

“Say, I hear you're hurting for paperwork! What say you - how's about I lend you a contact of mine? I can't guarantee her prices, economy ever fluctuating, the price for kidneys always in that uncomfortable, rocky middle of not worth enough to stomach the itchy stitches, but enough to pay for a month's worth of rent. I'm kidding, buuut ~ she does require some cash up-front for her services. 'Least you, or I, can do, given the... questionable legality of the situation.”

Evering a new world did have its caveats. So many forms to fill out, so many things to sign up for, so much life insurance to invest... so, if Sampo could lend a helping hand... why not?

@crimsontwins // starter!

[howthesleeplesswander]

starter for @fearbend​

“Your technique is impressive! I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone brave enough to wield Pyro and Electro at once before.” Enthusiasm laced Childe’s tone, that which only heightened when a quick once-over of the girl revealed no Vision or Delusion to be found. Well, well, what have we here?

What kind of person could wield the elements without the aid of an Archon’s blessing or the Fatui’s counterfeits? Instantly the Traveler came to mind—a being from another world, something beyond human. Naturally, the question then became: was she as powerful, too?

“Though, I can’t help but wonder...” Head tilting, a congenial grin distracted from the intrigue in dull eyes. “How are you able to do that without a Vision?” 

[replenaryindulgence]

Before the Light

Azriel x Calida (ka-lee-duh)/Reader

Summary: After getting lost in the woods on a camping trip and finding herself in an unfamiliar land, 22-year-old Cal must decide what she's willing to do to get back to her life if she still wants it.

Word count: 5.5k

Warnings: Panic, creepy guy in the woods

a/n: I know there’s a lot of backstory, I promise it’s worth getting through! I really wanted to set the stage and for you to get to know our MC.

I didn't intend for this to be so long, but d*mn my little hamster brain kept running on that wheel!!! The MC's name might seem a little strange, it's of Irish origin & I thought it was pretty and unique. Also, she's a redhead because so am I and me plus Azriel equals two (iykyk). Plz let me know what you think! Thinking about throwing in a slight love triangle moment with Morrigan eventually because how dramatic would that be & because our reader might be a little bi aren't we all? Strap in!!!

I'll try to update this as soon as I can! It might be a week or so. (P.S. my asks are always open! Thanks for bearing with me while I relearn how to use tumblr lol)

 Chapter 1

“I don’t think we’re doing this right. No, definitely not, this piece is supposed to bend across that one.” 

“You suck at this An,” Jack threw back. 

“I suck at this? You didn’t get it right either asshole,” Annie quipped. 

You shook your head, amused by the twins struggling to put together the first tent. The ground beneath the large pines was littered with dried needles, perfect for kindling. Circling around, you collected them into your jacket pocket.

“You hearing this, Cal?” Jack called out to you.

Turning to face your friends, you couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You guys are ridiculous,” You threw back, reaching for a small pine cone at your feet and rolling it in your palm.

You walked back and tossed your growing pile of fire-starter near the center of the clearing. It was still a few hours from dusk, but the hike had been long and you were eager to set up and be done with it. Jack and Annie were tasked with the tents while Brooke gathered rocks for the fire pit and scouted the area, something about checking for bears. A ridiculous idea, you had thought, though if you trusted anyone here with your life it was probably Brooke. Your guess was she wanted to get away from the bickering for a while.

The sweat from the hike still clung to your skin, sitting sticky and uncomfortable beneath your jacket. It’s much cooler now than it had been on the trip in. You touched the back of your hand to your nose to warm it. The sun’s rays peeked through the ever-rising pines, and you welcomed the sparse heat. Closing your eyes, you tilted your head back and let the afternoon look at you. Your feet shuffled slightly until light touched your face, and vibrant red filled your vision from behind closed lids. This moment reminded you of being a kid, observing and learning about the world around you. You tried to remember the last time you felt peace like you did now. It seemed as though no matter how hard you tried to clutch it, life slipped quickly through your fingers like sand. The years passed and suddenly, nothing was the same. But, this moment felt still; the sun was warm, and the lake welcomed you back with familiar hands.

”You’ve been a real help,” Jack whispered, startling you. His arm brushed yours, you smiled at the sky. 

“It’s nice that we’re staying out here. I love the cabin, but I think we could all use the seclusion,” you responded, meeting his eyes. He nodded back, folding his arms. Brown hair stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat. 

“Seclusion, huh?” He teased. 

“Seclusion, isolation, freedom from the expectations and burdens of society,” you replied dramatically.

“Okay, Thoreau, can we get some help sorting through the bags?” He questioned.

Before you could respond, you saw movement beyond the trees. Brooke approached and Jack walked over to help her with the arm full of small rocks she carried. 

“No sign of bears,” she stated shortly. “Only one tent? I’ve been gone for twenty minutes.” 

Brooke wasn’t angry, she just had a way about her. A way that was quick to say what was on her mind, and without much thought to how it would be taken. You learn to let it roll off of you when you’ve known someone for years. She’d been your and Annie’s suitemate freshman year. As a sensitive person, you found her bluntness unpleasant, but Annie liked her, and eventually, you came around. 

You’ve known Jack and Annie longer than you can remember. Your parents were once very close; you’d spend weeks out of the year at their cabin just east of the lake. When your parents divorced it got ugly and uncomfortable, like a festering wound, until neither of them came back to the cabin. You were grateful for that. The cabin, the lake, it remained a place untouched by the crumbling debris of your parents’ failed marriage. Jack’s mom had pulled you aside and assured you that you’d always have a place with them. You knew she meant it. Mrs. Henley, Ruth, was a soft-spoken woman, but always sincere. 

The cabin was almost two hours from the water by car, if cabin was the right word for it. You never talked about how much money the Henleys had, and they didn’t seem to care what your family had in comparison. The twins’ Dad, Eric, ran a few publishing companies in Washington, one in Oregon. After graduation, Mr. Henley lined up an internship for you as an editorial assistant, and asked you to persuade Jack to stay in Washington and work for him. A fruitless task, you were sure. Jack was over living out west, he wanted to travel the states, maybe move abroad for a while. No entry level job at his Dad’s company would sway a 22 year old from the intrigue of adventure.

A month ago, Annie suggested we spend these last few weeks before the fall, fully together. Camping was never your favorite, but you couldn’t say no to Annie. Not when you knew she was right. After graduation, you’d spent the summer mostly together, in your apartments in Seattle, at the Henley’s house in the city, or at the cabin. It felt right, it felt how it always did. But now, the discomfort of change was more tangible, less abstracted by time. Jack was talking of moving east with a friend you’ve known since high school and Brooke was heading to Alaska for grad school. Lucky for you, Annie didn’t seem in a rush to solidify plans, besides staying in the city. Who could blame her, with parents like that? 

You joined Annie in the one set-up tent, helping her spread a blanket over one of the thin camping mattresses. You worked silently, unpacking a small pillow, another blanket, and hooking a portable light onto where the poles crossed inside the tent. 

“You don’t need my permission, you know,” Annie said, breaking the silence. 

You furrowed your brows. “Permission? For what?” You continued looking through the bags, setting one aside and adjusting the blanket beneath you.

"With Jack," She said, smiling at your confused look as she grabbed a bag of peanut M&M’s from her bag. She tilted her head back, letting a few fall into her mouth.

You didn’t know what to say. “It’s not like that,” you assured.

”It’s always like that,” she smiled at you, offering the sweets in her hand. 

You took them, rolling your eyes. Annie assumed everyone was in love. You were definitely a romantic, but you also knew what disinterest looked like. You and Jack had shared a few lingering touches and almost-moments on drunken nights, but it didn’t sway you to gamble your friendship on the possibility that he was interested in anything serious. You were content wondering what could have been. You were typically more fond of fiction, anyway.

“Annie, come help me finish setting this up,” Jack called. She smiled at you once more before disappearing from the tent. You laid back, thankful for the swift death of the conversation. 

… 

The second tent was up much quicker than the first. You had organized them; Annie and Jack’s bags in one, Brooke’s and yours in the other. A small pile of sticks and pine needles glowed atop a circle of rock in the center of the camp. Jack and Brooke had found a small log and somehow managed to carry it over. You sat on it with Jack, rubbing your neck, the ghostly weight of your bag on your shoulders. You tried to pack light, but you brought a few books along; a mystery about a kidnapping that took place at a summer camp, some fairy book Brooke had suggested, and, possibly, one too many sweaters, which added some weight. 

The sun was setting now, teasing the horizon with a gentle touch, and although it meant the temperature would plummet, you were eager for sleep. The heels of your feet ached, your calves felt stiff, and you were sure you needed to drink more water. 

Brooke poked at the fire while Annie was engrossed in her phone, probably looking at pictures she'd taken on the hike in. You and Jack shared dried mango slices while you searched the shared playlist Brooke made for the trip. All Things End by Hozier began playing, and you smiled absentmindedly at the memory of hearing it live.

"Everyone is so quiet," Annie said, interrupting the hiss of the crackling embers. She and Brooke sat on a blanket across from you.

“I’m exhausted,” You responded with a yawn, staring vacantly beyond the campground. You thought you could spot the glitter of sunset on the distant water. 

“Let’s get in the lake,” she laughed. “The cold is supposed to be good for your nervous system, or something.”

The prospect of dipping into the lake woke your body slightly, sending a buzz down your spine. You liked the rush of adrenaline, the euphoria following it. 

“I’m in,” you responded with a smile. Brooke looked behind her, towards the direction of the water, and back with a scrunched nose, but eventually agreed. You turned to Jack, he only groaned. Still, he stood, mumbling something about how men weren’t built for cold water. Tell that to the Vikings, you thought.

You grabbed the thin towels from your tent, and headed towards the water. 

…

Pebbles crunched beneath your boots. It was a short walk to the mouth of the lake, Brooke had chosen a good spot to camp. You quickly stripped them along with most of your clothes, leaving you in a thin bra and hiking shorts. You dipped one foot in the water, wincing at the temperature. Your friends stripped behind you, while you tried not to lose your nerve. Jack was taking pictures of the sunset from a few feet away, and you quickly slipped out of your shorts while he was preoccupied. Brooke and Annie took to your sides, and the three of you stood apprehensively at the edge of the lake, glancing over the water that expanded before you.

“It’ll be worse if we think too much about it,” Annie said, folding her arms to hold her body.

Brooke took a few brave strides and sank below the surface, cursing as she came up, before tilting her head back and letting the water caress her. Annie squealed before following suit. You blew out a huff of air, trying and failing to compartmentalize the chill in the water. When it got to your stomach your body shivered. No, this definitely wasn’t helping your aching muscles. You pressed on. 

The water kissed your chest, then your shoulders. Finally, you gave in, dipping your head under. It wasn’t unbearable, but you weren’t sure you’d last long. You felt your pulse slightly in the back of your head as you swam under the surface. It had been almost 80 degrees today, but the water refused to acknowledge that. You broke the surface with a gasp, turning to face your friends who hovered near the edge of the lake. Why had you been so enthusiastic about this idea? You watched as Jack strolled over and dropped his clothes in a pile near the rest, quickly avoiding his gaze. Annie called out to him that it wasn’t so bad, and he shook his head in disagreement as he stood with the water just above his knees. He folded his arms, holding himself how Annie had. You stilled, lowering your head so your nose and eyes peaked just above the surface, and watched him sink further. You took a breath and sank below once more.

You had always loved the water. Brooke said it was biological, that it calmed something in the animal of us to be near it. When you were younger you pretended you were the half-blood offspring of Poseidon, counting how long you could hold your breath in it before your lungs felt like fire and you got light-headed. 

You felt something touch your hand, and you lifted yourself from the water and your daydreaming. Jack had swum out, treading water as he watched the sun set over the mountains behind you. Water trickled down his face, gathering in his lashes, and his golden skin was cast in a reddish-golden light. He looked ethereal. 

Turning, you faced the sunset. The sun lit the sky beyond the mountains in the most vibrant hues of red and orange. Where the darkening sky above you met the sun, pale shades of pink gathered. There was a good ten minutes of light left, and you thought that you’d never forget this moment. The beauty of it burned into your eyes. You saw it even as you blinked.

You broke the peaceful silence, "It feels like everything’s changing. I hate it." Change felt like putting on a new leather jacket. It chafed in all the wrong places.

He sighed, “Everything is changing. I for one am excited to leave this oppressive ass place.”

You thought of the vastness of the city, the lake that expanded before you, the mountains that climbed ahead, and wondered how anyone could call this oppressive. You knew he meant the people, but the city was big and it seemed like an excuse for wanting to leave. You stayed silent, sifting through your thoughts. 

“Dad sure is glad you’re staying. At least one of us won’t disappoint him.” He added, wiping his short hair back from his face.

You laughed at the idea of his Dad ever being disappointed in either him or Annie. Their parents were unusually understanding people. Of course he wanted his kids close to home but he never was the type to force anyone’s hand. Sometimes, you thought Jack wanted a reason to brood. 

“He wants you to stay, but I know he’ll live vicariously through you wherever you go, he’s an adventurer at heart. Maybe we can write about it when you get back,” you replied, smiling as you thought of the times you sat around their Dad’s faded armchair as he read you and the twins stories. He filled your minds with images of half-human creatures and monsters that swallowed ships whole. Of wars waged over beautiful women. Greedy dragons and cursed rings. 

He replied with a smile and a ‘maybe’, and you pictured his portrait in the back of a travel book. ‘Everyone has a story to tell,’ His Dad had said to him years ago. 

You heard laughter and splashing behind you as your friends jumped out of the lake. 

“You’re just like him,” he added, nudging your arm underwater. You raised your brows in question.

He continued, “You should come with me. No author came up with anything interesting to say by staying put. New York, maybe Italy, or Ireland. You’d get plenty of inspiration there.” 

“I want to be where the publishing action is,” you joke, “And I’m no storyteller, at least not yet.” 

“Yeah right, you’re a natural,” He adds, “You’ve got an eye for it.” 

You admired how sure Jack was. You liked how it felt to be near him, it put you at ease. He smiled and you could just picture late nights in the sticky bars of Dublin and Vespa rides along the coast.

Of course, you’d agree you had an eye for storytelling, otherwise you'd have wasted the last four years of your life. But, you didn’t have the option of relying on your rich parents for support as you found yourself at the Cliffs of Moher. The Pacific North-West was beautiful, you couldn't believe anyone would want to leave. You’d travel one day, maybe after you’d settled into your career. Until then, this would have to do. You looked out as the sun took its last breath, bowing to the mountains, passing its watch over to the moon. 

“Let’s go, I’m freezing!” Annie called out from the shore. 

"I’ll start dinner," Brooke added, attempting to shake the last of the water from her short hair. 

You didn’t wait for Jack as you made your way to them. You hurried out, thankful for the thin veil of darkness as you dried off. Jack dressed beside you, his hair falling in short ringlets over his brows. He caught your eye and you pulled your towel over your head, hiding your face, and squeezing the lake from your hair. 

…

The fire started quickly, and you ate slightly gummy re-hydrated pasta that Ruth made for the trip with her food dehydrator. You were sure this was the first time they’d used it. Shortly after dinner you fell prey to the lull of darkness and excused yourself with a ‘good night’ leaving your friends by the fire. The blankets in the tent felt damp. Great. Your sweats, thankfully, weren’t as bad. You fell asleep to hushed conversation, burrowing deep into your hooded sweatshirt. 

You awoke to a sharp, shining light. Brooke was reading something next to you. How long had you been asleep? You hummed a greeting, burying your face further into your blanket, and sank deeply into the comfort of sleep.

The next day consisted of meals around the fire and a short hike to get a better view of the mountains. You trailed behind your friends, deep in thought as you failed to push away Jack’s suggestion that what you needed was travel. You thought of Bilbo refusing to leave the Shire. 

Annie crept scarcely close to the edge of a boulder and you tried to hide your worried face while Brooke took her photo. They pulled you in for a group one, and you held tightly to Brooke as she captured your smiling faces.

The day seemed shorter than the one before, the sunset was more of a dulled pink, dimmed by low-hanging clouds. You made s’mores and failed at telling ghost stories around the fire before turning in early. You grabbed the fairy book from your bag, deciding the mystery should be read in the safety of daylight. You were on page 32 when Brooke joined you, crawling into the tent and kicking pine needles onto your blanket. 

“I swear fantasy writers all had a meeting and committed to only writing weak, sex-depraved female leads,” You tell Brooke as she slips into her sleepwear. 

“That or they become the best fighters and magicians all of a sudden. Can’t a girl just be a girl?” She adds.

You laughed in agreement and attempted to discuss the female archetype in fairy lands while she settled in. You pressed your legs to hers for warmth, and she opened a book about the history of the local tribes in Washington. Your thoughts drifted from the page, unable to comprehend the last paragraph of world-building you attempted to read twice, and you let your head fall back to your pillow. The serenade of cicadas filled your ears, and you tried to commit the sound to memory. A vision tugged at you, of laying on a porch swing in your mother's arms, listening to the cicadas call as she read to you from your book about flower fairies. You laugh at how little you’ve changed, and how much you’ve changed.

“My mom used to read me this fairy book when I was a kid. I’ve probably heard it a thousand times, and I swore I saw fairies in my backyard. My grandma told me if there was a ring of mushrooms, a fairy had been there and I looked all over the yard for them,” you admitted, the memory vivid and colorful in your mind.

“My brother and I used to build little homes for them out of sticks and leaves,” she added. You enthusiastically agreed, remembering sitting outside of your grandparents’ house arranging pieces of earth with your cousins. Hours content in the world of your imagination. You missed that part of yourself, the child in you. You thought of her as you drifted asleep.

…

The next day the sky was filled with thick puffs of soft gray clouds, the air cooler than it'd been a few days ago. You started the morning off slowly, accompanied by Annie as you laid on a blanket near the water and read. Lunch had been brought to the lake, the four of you determined to spend the whole day in this spot. 

Hours later you sat, Jack at your side, and watched as Annie and Brooke swam further and further out. So far this week you’d gone hiking, swimming, read your books, and walked around looking at fauna. You weren’t sure what camping for a week looked like. The longest you’d camped out was two nights, and it was technically in the backyard of the twins’ house. 

“What time are your friends getting here?” You asked Jack as you chewed the inside of your lip. He sat with his arms resting on his knees beside you.

"Mmm, around five I think," he responded, glancing at his watch. 

A few of Jack’s friends were coming to camp for the rest of the week. They were nice guys, and you weren’t exactly feeling antisocial, but you wished it would have stayed just the four of you. 

“Dylan’s bringing is his girlfriend I think,” he added.

You hummed in response. You liked her, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Mirroring Jack, you looked at your watch; 4:14. Wanting to spare yourself from awkward small talk and having to help set up tents, you decided you’d go for a run along the shore soon. The energy bites Brooke had made and the coffee you drank with lunch were making you restless, anyway. You sat with Jack a little longer, and at half past four you stood, slipping back into your shoes. 

Jack laughed amusingly when you told him of your plan, seeing through your avoidant ploy, but he just reminded you to be careful and to be back before dark or they’d have to form a search party. You called out to Brooke and Annie and they both echoed a warning too. A ‘be careful’, and a ‘bring your charger just in case.’

Back at camp, you threw your small solar charger into your jacket pocket, along with a granola bar, and drank from your water bottle. Anxious thoughts filled your mind, though you weren’t sure why. You’d woken up slightly on edge this morning and chalked it up to the company arriving soon. The path you’d run would be easy and mindless, no reason to worry. You’d stick to the shoreline, and come back the same way long before it got dark; the shore near the camp would be unmistakable. You took a breath and willed your stomach to settle.

You tied your hair up, swinging it to your back, then wrapped your jacket around your waist and began jogging towards the water. You’d gotten a little addicted to running this past year. It trained your breathing and focused your mind, something you’ve been trying and failing to do all your life. In Seattle, you always ran the same four-mile route from your apartment to around the park and back. It took you a few weeks to map down the perfect path. Past the gift shop at the end of the block, steering clear of the traffic near the middle school a half-mile down, and along the widest sidewalk that led to the park closest to your apartment. You focused on your breath and willed your anxious mind to focus on your surroundings. The pines loomed above you, it almost made you dizzy to look at them. The water reflected the mood of the sky. You could see a small group of people kayaking in the water towards the East side of the lake. 

One mile down. 

Deep breath in, deep breath out. The trees thinned out near the edge of the lake and the view was stunning. You sometimes felt like you couldn’t fully experience how beautiful it was here, not in the moment. It would hit you on the way home or when you’d get your film back from being developed. You almost brought your camera but decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

Two miles down.

Stopping, you caught your breath as you snapped a photo with your phone, then slid it back into the band of your leggings and picked up your pace. Your mind drifted to the book you were reading. 

Three miles down. 

Your headphone cord swung annoyingly across your chest, and sweat started to prickle your forehead. A large boulder sat in your path and you swerved around it. 

Shit. You threw your hands up on instinct, hitting something hard. Blinking for a moment, you steadied yourself. How had you not seen this tree? You brought your fingers to your face and winced as your eyebrow stung. Your eyes fell to the blood prickling the back of your hand. You felt it suddenly, the annoying ache of scraped skin and you cursed yourself for being unobservant. You looked at your watch with a sigh; 5:09. You tried not to let your injury annoy you as you turned to start the journey back towards camp. 

Your heart sank. Head darting back and forth, then behind you. Eyebrows knit in confusion.

The lake was gone.

Ripping your headphones out, you scanned the forest before you. What the hell?

Okay, you thought, don’t freak out, don’t panic. Just think. Did you accidentally run further from the shore? You knew the lake was North and camp was West. You looked above you for the sun to verify, but the clouds had gotten even thicker. You scanned the forest confused, trying to find the boulder you had swerved just moments ago. How hard had you hit your head?

Shit. You grabbed your phone and opened the compass app to verify your direction, chewing on your lip nervously as it loaded. You sighed in relief, yes you were facing North. If you walked forward there’s no way you wouldn’t see the lake soon. 

Goosebumps prickled your arms and neck. When did it get so cold?

Throwing on your jacket, you tucked your headphones into your pocket and gripped your phone anxiously. You took deep breaths and tried to settle the sick feeling in your stomach. You’d be fine. 

You walked further and further North, anxiety creeping up into your body with each step. You settled into a light jog and searched for anything familiar. The minutes dragged on. The panic set in. You checked your watch again; 5:15. Keep going.

Darkness flashed suddenly in the corner of your eye and stopped you in your tracks. You swung your head toward where it’d appeared. Your ragged breathing broke the suffocating silence of the forest. Your anxiety screamed into your mind, animal, and all you could think of was Brooke’s comment about bears, but there was nothing. Just you and the never-ending expanse of trees. Did you have a concussion?

The wind howled behind you, and your body reacted before your mind. Shivers ran up your spine into your neck and you ran. Hopping over fallen branches and swerving between trees. The forest grew thicker, swallowing you whole. You felt your vision tunneling; you were panicking but you couldn’t stop moving. You spotted a clearing ahead and prayed to whoever was listening that it was the shoreline. A low-hanging branch scraped your shoulder as you reached the field. The field. Not the shore. Your eyes searched wildly. 

The darkness appeared again, but stood still. 

Not darkness, but pure blackness against the muted brown trunks of the forest. You turned to face it, and there, at the edge of the clearing stood a man in a black suit.

All thoughts left your mind. Something in your DNA clawed at you to run, but you stood, perhaps in shock, staring at this man before you. He was much taller than you, you could tell even through the distance, with golden skin and hair black as night. 

Seemingly out of thin air, another man appeared by his side. Something covered him, or hung behind him, extending above his head. They looked like… What the hell? Was there a group of guys out here role-playing? Your head ached, this wasn’t happening, this had to be a hallucination, maybe from the injury and the anxiety.

The man in the suit took a step further into the clearing and slipped his hands into his pockets. You stood frozen at the edge of the clearing. He cocked his head to the side and squinted, seemingly assessing you. You thought of the group you saw kayaking and a small amount of hope hit you. Of course you weren’t the only people out here, you were bound to run into someone. You could ask for directions back to the lake. If they were playing make-believe in the forest that was their business. A woman with a long brown braid and a dark leather suit walked into view next and you took a calming breath. A woman. 

You swallowed your panic but it stuck in your throat as you took a step forward and lifted your hand to wave. You hoped they didn’t see you shaking. There was a woman, yes, but the two men kept you at edge. Everything seemed out of place.

“Hey, sorry you startled me,” you began with a nervous laugh. “I was running along the shore but I went a little too far, do you know how much further North the lake is from here?” you inquired, heart beating in your throat.

No answer. The suited man looked to the woman next to him, and the man with the giant fake wings kept his arms held tightly at his thighs. Seconds passed.

“Your costumes are great,” you added, trying to sound at ease, and gesturing to the man’s wings. He took a step forward, but the suited man stopped him. 

Time to go whispered into your mind and you managed a tight smile, as you took a few small steps away. 

“Well, I better head back to my group,” you called out. You needed to put more distance between you. You needed to get the hell out of here. 

You started to jog away, but something shot out into your path. You slammed to a stop. Another man, with shoulder-length brown hair half-tied up, clad in black leather gear and the same towering wings rising above his head stood before you. What the hell? He looked at you with creased brows, and glanced at the group of people to your right. He pressed his lips in a line, eyes darting back to you. Your heart raced; you felt like prey. Every hair on your body stood and every instinct told you to run, but the man in front of you was huge. At least six foot five.

You had to go. Whatever this was, you needed to remove yourself from it. They couldn’t run very fast with those things hanging on their back, anyway, right? You took a step back and glanced beside you. You could break for the trees and start heading West.

You began to move, but something stopped you like you'd run into an invisible wall. Whipping around, the suited man now stood before you, just feet away. Your eyes met his. They almost glowed an unnatural purple. He was handsome, they all were, which freaked you out even more. The man next to him looked at you sternly, like he was assessing a threat. What the hell is this?

"I need to get back to my friends, they’re waiting for me," you lied, straining to keep your voice even. 

The man spoke back in a language you couldn’t understand. You tried to pick out familiar words but the dialect was too strange. It wasn’t Native, or any of the Latin languages from what you could tell. You looked to the woman who stood slightly further back, with pure plea written on your face. Her eyes softened and she spoke back in the unfamiliar language. She would help, you convinced yourself. 

They conversed once more. You took a step back, but hands wrapped around your arms tightly, fingers digging into the sleeves of your jacket. You tried jerking them away, but the long-haired man held firm.

Panic now coursed through you in a dam-less stream. “Please, just let me go, what do you want?” you begged them all, looking to the woman once more. She and the suited man exchanged glances before turning to face you. So this is how you’d die, crossed your mind. What kind of sick game had you stumbled into?

The man spoke once more and took a step closer. You looked to the man at his side, the one with towering wings. His hazel eyes met yours. You searched his face, what you were looking for you didn’t know. Sympathy maybe? His jaw loosened slightly and he held your stare. 

You turned to the purple-eyed man before you and pleaded again. He responded, nodding, but you didn’t understand. Tears filled your eyes. A scream pierced your ears. Your scream. It tore its way up your throat as a hot, white pain pierced your brain like a jagged knife. Your knees gave out, but the hands gripping you kept you upright. A golden-brown light filled your blurring vision. Your head fell back, heavy, and your mouth hung open in agony as your body finally gave in.

Darkness washed over you.

...

Ahhh! I'm so nervous to post this but so excited! Already getting started on Chapter 2. Sorry this was so long LMAO I just really wanted to set the scene for some hard-core angst.

[siberdoodle]

The TRUE final fakemon design for my CJ Heart, Mind, and Soul starter creatures! :D This is the Whole Chimera fakemon: Chimerium (Chimera + Compendium)

This creature can be formed when a trainer has the final evolution of each of the HMS designs in their party.

Chimerium's typing is unlisted because it has a special ability called Genre Shift that changes its type- Genre Shift: This creature's type is determined by the type of the move in the first move-slot. Chimerium can learn at least one move from every type, which makes it able to use its Genre Shift ability to match any typing.

I had a blast making these fellas, thank you all for the kind words about them! 💜💙❤️🧡 I plan on making more CJ creature designs eventually, and maybe some other artists/albums like Will Wood? O: Also, since I've been asked a couple of times: if anyone would like to draw these designs please feel free to, I would love to see that so much!! :D

[ratzhatz14]

thank you for both your T sprout redesigns btw. I like the design of the normal T sprout, but I always felt he was sorta lacking on a interesting gimmick, So these are really cool to see!

Also on a similar note here, what would be your take on T Cosmo? semi hot take but I always felt like T cosmo was in the same boat as T sprout.

I mean the only other toons who don't have any sort of special gimmick are the starter toons you get at the beginning, Poppy and Boxten.

As much as I adore the starter toons, and as much as I understand it was probably either a balance reason or a "we ran out of ideas" reason, it always felt kinda odd to me personally to group him and only him in with the starters.

Even if it's like a super simple one like Shrimpo where he's super slow with a long attention span, I would have liked SOMETHING ;-;

*Descends from the heavens with a redesigned T.Cosmo while some angelic ahh music echoes in the background*

Oh goodness, the way I actually focused on this?? It surprised me

ANYGAY- I MEAN ANYWAY <3

DESIGN;

I didn't like how Cosmo looked like he got some ichor sprinkled on him and called it a day

So I decided to give him the T.Glaze treatment (aka mONCH)

I wanted to keep him close to the og design, but also not too far off.... So I let some twisteds nibble him

I also tried to add a small amount of rot to him, since... Food rots, yadda yadda yadda

[[MANDATORY "READ MORE" BUTTON AAAAAAUGH]]

Idk why I keep adding it... But eh, signature post style!1!1!1!1

[[THIS IDEA WAS NOT MINE!]]

[[The ability was originally from someone's "Main swap AU" but I forgot the name of the creator, so credits/hats off to them!!]]

His ability would be to give a toon a "Rot heart", basically, gives you food poisoning. Your distractor, IS NOW SLOW. Your extractor, NOW IS DUMB. AND YOUR HEALING NOW HARMS OTHERS.

The way to get rid of this heart, is by either losing 2 hearts, or waiting for 10 floors to have it go away on its own (Mains, y'all are fucked if you get hit by Cosmo)

When a toon has the "Rot heart", their animation would be different (like more tired/weak/limping??). So the others would know that you're on rot time, AND give the toons more soul

(unimportant detail) If there was a sprout which died, and Cosmo spawns, then he'll have Sprout's (vintage/normal) scarf, and look even more in pain :3

Idk why I like making my fav ships/characters be miserable... Is it some coping mechanism or am I just a sadist???

WHO CARES, AT LEAST I HAD FUN REDESIGN THIS LIL FELLA :D

[capinejghafa]

Hi hello! I was wondering if you have some good Kanej fics to reccomend :)

I love your gifs btw, thanks for sharing your work!

Hi!!!! I'm going to do something weird, but stay with me anon lol I have made a gifset of some fic recs, but are no means a full list of ALL the fics I have read for (i would be here all day). So, this is a shameless plug, but the links for the fics are in the gifset!

think of this as a starter kit :) as this is by no means me trying miss anyone... i just read a lot lol

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | were we meant to have a happy ending? (not in this lifetime)

if you're feeling sad :D

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | roomy, and drenched in sunlight

Everyone loves roomy @whatanybodygets also has many other fics... but i can't gif the ballet one. sorry :(

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | ghost maker

not 100% kanej but it does have nina and kaz accidentally bonding lol

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | A Ghost Girl’s Guide to Ketterdam

one of my intro into @oneofthewednesdays amazing writing. read everything.

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | The Four Seasons 

@totchipanda an absolute delightful person and the four seasons will be update eventually :D also, there might be more fics in this verse... maybe???

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | The Bastard Saint Of The Barrel

Would also recommend The Etovost Plague.... not a sequel! But it's def worth a read if you like Grisha!Kaz. Bastard Saint is Healer!Kaz and Etovost is Tidemaker!Kaz. Would recommend if you're in a vibe.

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | call it by name

will just say this is sad. this is very sad. BUT all of pyrrhlc's fics are sooo good. would also recommend latte art verse.

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | Call from the Grave

I couldn't make a gifset of the Ballads verse lol but @linearao3 is absolutely a wonderful writer. Also very mature ;)

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | All Kinds Of New Friends

AU | Kanej | Fic Rec | My Dearest Inej

same writer, not the same verse! A_nonnie_mouse and feelinglikecleo are writers for Six of Crows Modern AU Collection (Samples-verse)

non-gifsets:

if i loved you less / i could talk about it more by hyperspecificplaylists

Not finished but the way this takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The author also uses racebend characters :)

i carve a crow into your skin, and know that you have given me your heart by pbandjeremiah

listen, i have read this fic so many times and i have the most intense emotions i love it with my whole heart. the summary gives a lot away but for sure worth it!

also....

AU | Kanej | Married | Insp by Fic

mhmmm... ok, so i added this one because i personally love it lol @marycontraire is off writing for other fandoms... but gdi the Stories About Crows is actually one of my favorite soc series. if nothing else, i'm really grateful that it exists <3

[potahun]

help whenever mxdzt posts from you popped up on my dash i assumed it was another acronym for like, a webnovel or donghua or something but i only just looked it up and learned it's a cvariety?? anyways please go ahead and pitch it to me/ramble if you want because i am intrigued

THANK YOU FOR ASKING AAAA <3 sobs a little bc mxdzt/明星大侦探 is so niche here but to be honest, i think it is one of my top comfort shows if not The comfort show and i usually feel very alien to the term 'comfort show'. it feels fair to say mxdzt is one tho TT

Concept:

It IS a variety show, you're right. It's like a reality show but mostly a murder-mystery show, initially co-hosted by CCTV presenter Sa Beining and the He Jiong, the He laoshi himself that everyone and their mothers know ...except, for once, they're not there hosting as the top MCs they are. They, and the guests, 85% of which soon became regulars, are playing a murder-mystery game. Each episode, each of the guests embody a character within a story, and a murder (or several) happens, that the players have to solve together. Among them hides the murderer (or several), who is the only player allowed to lie, and whom the other players have to try and vote out at the end. Also among them, one player will be the Detective, who has an extra vote, and has to act as a leader of the good guys.

(Side note: From S4 onwards, there is also a Detective Assistant, who's basically a smart non-celebrity helping to take notes, sometimes having a minor role to move the plot along...In time, the team of Detective Assistants have gotten their own spin-off show called 名侦探学院, because they're a riot (Xiao Pu is my favorite))

It's almost jarring the 1st time you watch it if you know them as celebrities, because the show starts and they're in-character right off the bat. They break in and out of character, sometimes to laugh their heads off, but mostly, they act a role with different levels of seriousness throughout the episode, so it's a very different vibe from regular c-varieties where they're themselves :D At the same time, it's clearly a reality show in which those people are extremely familiar, casual and silly with each other. Players often refer to each other only by their last names in the show for this reason, so that it refers to both player and character.

So yeah, there is 开始推理吧 with Zhou Shen and Liu Yuning, and there is MXDZT, which is its still enduring predecessor. mxdzt is pure murder-mystery without the escape room element. But it does have a lot of times where the guests are really pulled into the story, and events happen in-game, moving the story along. And oh boy, those are intense stories sometimes...

General facts:

Each season has 12 episodes, and there are currently 9 seasons. Most episodes are stand alone, even when verses are recurring, it's fine to watch them out-of-order. S8 is the only exception where it introduced a central character and a story that tied half the season together (TT<3). Another exception is the season starters and finales (eps 1-2 and 11-12 of each season) which tend to be stories in two parts with a deeper mystery behind the setting.

From S1 to S6, Sa Beining and He Jiong were the main hosts, with regulars being the likes of Zhang Ruoyun, Da Zhangwei, Wei Daxun, Bai Jingting, Wang Ou, Yang Rong, Gui Gui, Wei Chen and Liu Haoran. After S6, Sa Beining left due to CCTV not allowing him to work in other channels' shows :( but more regulars returned or joined, like Wu Xin, Qi Wei...An array of people I didn't know much before watching but all grew to love.

The show functions using rounds of group discussions and evidence-searching time, and then final votes, to get to the murderer and reveal the story. Players will not speak about themselves unless triggered by the right evidence, but once evidence is found, they cannot lie about it...unless they're the murderer.

Charm points?

The stories...While S1 was still simple, MXDZT evolved rapidly over time and by S4-S5 became a mammoth of story-telling, creatively exploring a whole range of themes like smiling depression, societal obsession with beauty and its tragedies, toxic masculinity, generational conflicts and reconciliations in families, mob mentality, the danger of cults, and the individuality of thoughts vs collectivity etc etc...in more and more depth, through intricate stories with memorable characters and great delivery and wild plot twists. There are always clever ways in which something will trigger a character story, mixing story and gameplay, and it helps that most of the players are actors: sometimes, they do get invested in their own characters! The range of acting goes from exaggeratedly bad for laughs to heartwrenching and elegantly grave. You thought it was a donghua I was babbling about for that reason in part, bc it's as much variety as it is about stories TT The show reuses its verses sometimes, too, so it's always a pleasure to see the running gags or the expanding lore.

The laughs. As the seasons progress, the show did go from a simple game to building real poignant, and deep stories with a message, some of which have made me cry ;~; BUT all the while being an absolute laugh-riot full of Ace Attorney-style names (pianist called Zhen Huitan? sketchy doctors called You Maobing? a man called He Baodan?) and so many PUNS and jokes and a loving post-prod that is so good at putting the right captions and effects. Not only this, but the show is not afraid of swerving back-and-forth between outright crack and the most touching storyline. Emotional whiplash is a big thing in the show. But when it's funny, god, it's FUNNY. and it is So often funny...

Cast. As mentioned, most of the cast rapidly became regulars. The show requires a lot of IQ, focus, thinking and also relative eloquence, and just a set of skills that isn't for all celebrities tbh. So those who stayed did for a long time, and grew comfortable with each other. I rarely watch a variety in which the cast has so much chemistry and are so chill with each other. They casually ship each other (so many ships), poke fun, develop their inside jokes... He Jiong x Sa Beining alone was the epitome of a self-proclaimed married-and-divorced-and-remarried-and-re-divorced miracle. It's also difficult to explain before watching but it's a very refreshing feeling to watch them slip in and out of character, giving this seamless mix of players being themselves, and also a character within a story and a fictional universe.

Gameplay! You can solve murder too as you watch! You can figure it out along with the players. But if you don't want to, you can just watch and wait for it to unfold! Both are ok!

Freedom to cherry-pick: While 9 seasons can be daunting and the episodes are Long TM, the show also makes it incredibly easy to watch out of order... or just watch the ones that intrigute you.

Episodes Recs:

IF you are a looking for an episode to start with, my rec is always S5E1 and S5E2, called Pianists on The Sea. You can skip the piano competition at the start of Ep1 (it's so incredibly cringe and lasts 10 mins. i love those idiots but it's so cringe). S5E1 is a murder-mystery as we know it taking place on a cruise, but what's wrong with the boat...and then S5E2 is just. oohhhhh my god. so much is wrong with the boat. The reason I pick this one is that it illustrates very well the kind of breadth the show has ;W;

Also, S6E1 and S6E2 Midnight Hotel which packs an absolute PUNCH.

I would recommend watching S6 as a whole, every ep is fun. Same with S8, which punches me in the gut again and again.

I also have my other rec lists here (with some explanation on the premise of eps recced) and here (i believe this was before S8 broke my heart (positive)) if ever helpful.

Voilà, here is my rambling for MXDZT, thank you for giving me the opportunity to babble about it <3 I haven't encompassed everything that makes this show wild and incredible, but it has to be lived. One thing is for sure though:

MXDZT is a show in which anything, and i mean literally anything, can happen.

And it's beautiful <3

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

The "Teacher is Teruko's Brother" Theory

(Before we properly start, I think I should say that I am using @xmicrophonyx's names when talking about the Alt-DRDT characters. I probably didn't have to say that because Teacher's name makes it the most obvious who he is, but just thought I'd get it out of the way) (Also, everyone seems to be using the tag #AltDRDT for talk about this new cast, so that is what I will be using as a placeholder name for the fangan until we get the actual name. I hope this won't be too confusing !! - From the day the Alt-DRDT cast was released, people have been theorizing that certain members of the cast might be siblings to the main DRDT cast. The most prominent one I see is that Scale might be Charles' dead older brother Elliot, which I do think has a bit more weight to it (see my previous post on Alt-DRDT for that) but I am on the fence of believing. A few of my discord friends theorized that Min and XF could be siblings due to their similar eye color, which I don't believe at all due to what we know of Min's homelife and what led to her encountering XF-Ture-Tech in the first place (though those two undoubtably have beef and I am so excited to see it) However, there is one sibling theory that I think has a massive chance to actually be canon in the DRDTverse, one that I've seen around a couple of times... ...Why the fuck am I trying to build suspense, you read the title. I think that Teacher is the brother that Teruko mentions in CH1-4.

I think this has a lot more evidence surrounding it then the other sibling theories I've seen. So take a seat and let me explain why ! I mean duh that's what this post is about - In this post, I want to talk about their designs and how they contrast each other

graphic design is my passion /joke /ref So there are already three, count-em three! Things that I think are very important For one, Teruko and Teacher basically have the exact same skin color.

Teruko

Teacher Other than the very very tiny difference in hue that you could basically only see if you squint, I think it's safe to say they have the exact same skin color. > "But Haru, you incredibly pretty sun demon ! Skin color isn't enough to consider someone related !" Firstly, thank you for calling me pretty :D. And second of all, I am aware. But in conjunction with my next point I think you will see why I decided to mention this first. Which leads me to my next point, and one that I've seen talked about quite a lot already: In all of the art currently out of Teacher, his eyes are closed. There's obviously his full-body which I just showed, but even in unrelated art, his eyes are shut

Eyes completely sealed. Now, I don't think it's a stretch to say that DRDT-Dev really likes eyes, specifically hiding things related to a character in their eyes. And eyes in general have shown to be a very useful plot point on multiple occasions So the fact that Teacher's eyes are always closed definitely brings some attention, and part of me highly doubts it is just a design choice. There is a reason why Teacher's eyes have not been shown to us. Perhaps...sharing an eye color with someone? And with the first point acquired of Teacher and Teruko sharing skin colors, I don't think it's a stretch to say Teacher might be sharing Teruko's eye color as well. Now I will admit, that is mostly speculation. However there is undoubtably a reason as for why Teacher's eyes aren't shown, and with the added fact of the two sharing skin colors. It's definitely a likely possibility. - Now for my third point in relation to designs, which is the color schemes of both Teruko and Teacher

For starters, their color schemes are actually not that different from each other when you really look at them, both comprising mostly of neutrals (white, black, brown, and grey) with one particularly popping color. And it's that color in particular that I want to talk about Teruko's color is green, meanwhile Teacher's color is red. And I bring this up for two reasons Firstly, green and red are the most well-known complimentary colors, and considering Fire and Ice (two characters that are speculated and basically confirmed siblings) also have main colors across the color wheel from each other, I find that decision to be very interesting But I didn't just mention this to nerd out about color theory...okay I kinda did but that's not the only reason I mentioned color schemes. Because there is one more point I want to make, and it's one I'm honestly surprised no one has mentioned yet Teacher's color is red. Do you guys remember the QNA? Specifically, do you remember the favorite colors question and what Teruko's answer was?

Red. Reasoning: association. I think that in of itself is very revealing, but the extra information that red is Teruko's favorite color because of association is really the icing on the cake. > But Haru ! We haven't seen a design of Teacher from back then ! You can't be sure that that would be the reason for Teruko's favorite color ! True, but at the same time if we take this in consideration with the other two pieces of evidence, I highly doubt that this could be a coincidence. If Teacher really is Teruko's brother, then him being the association she has with the color red makes a lot of sense, especially considering red is literally the only non-neutral color in Teacher's design, and as such it sticks out like a sore thumb in combination with the rest of his design (in a good way). So yes, I do think this is intentional, and it works very well considering the other two pieces of evidence. And with all three combined, I think there's no denying that Teacher being Teruko's brother is a very, VERY likely possibility.

[tripleglitchwriting]

Hello! Hope youre doing well :D Hopefully I'm not late for the open requests! (if so do ignore/delete this)

Is it okay to ask for something platonic/fluffy with idw Drift or Tarantulas?

Whoever you feel more comfortable writing! I'm not picky.

Anyways, have an amazing day <3

Thank you for requesting! This is my first time taking a request, so I apologize if it’s not up to par with any expectations. I haven’t actually read much fluff either but I tried my best :-)

I decided to pick Tarantulas for this one because I know him better than Drift (also, spiders are cool.) I based his personality off of Earthspark Tarantulas, but this story doesn’t necessarily take place in that universe.

Spider’s Cove

CW: A little fear and stress at the beginning, but it’s fluffy other than that.

As a rule, Tarantulas didn’t interact with humans. That is, any human other than you. It’s not that he hated them or held something against them it’s just… well actually he did hate them and held something against them. Before you showed up he’d been hiding away from the whole planet, ready to scare off anyone who got too close to his cave. Yet… the night you arrived changed his outlook forever.

Rain pelted the forest like bullets in a war zone, thunder clapped behind dark, angry clouds. You were running, looking for anywhere dry enough to make a fire or to even just take a second to breathe. It felt like a miracle when a sizable hole in the side of the mountain entered your vision. Looking back on it now, it was a miracle of sorts.

You stepped inside shivering, cold damp air still pierced your drenched jacket. Despite how it may have looked the cave was leagues better than you could have hoped, perfectly dry enough to begin setting up some sort of camp. However, as you took out your supplies, a horrible realization dawned on you. Your fire starters, kindling, and matches were all too wet to be useful. At that moment, the stress of the day began to set in. Your breathing came out quick and ragged, tears began to add to the water already covering your face.

Because of this, you didn’t notice the skittering noises coming from deeper in the cave. You didn’t notice a shadow begin to creep up on you, and you didn’t notice when something very, very big towered over your crumpled form.

“Human.”

You shrieked.

“Why have you come here?” It asked, voice shaking you to your core. Turning around to look at what it was, you realized why nobody ever came out here. There was a spider. A giant spider. A giant spider that looked to be partially made of metal. A giant spider made of metal that was not happy with you.

“I- I was trying to get out of the… the rain it was… I was… please don’t hurt me…!” You saw the spiders body slump just a little bit. As you pleaded, your words came out bumbling, you expected to be crushed or eaten or something. To your surprise, no pain came.

“I… I was going to ask you to leave. However, I see why you are here.”

“Wh- what?”

“As much as I dislike your race, you… I can sympathize with your plight. If you cause no trouble, I will allow you to shelter here until the storm ends.” The spider boomed.

“…really? But… but what…”

“I wouldn’t argue if I were you.”

And so you didn’t.

And neither did he.

You spent the night in his cave, discovering what he was, who he was, and why he was here. Turns out the spider was called “Tarantulas”, and he was a scientist of sorts. He was trying to get away from others of his kind, and ended up hiding in the cave you found him in. He could also transform into a robot rather than just being a spider, which scared you very bad the first time he did it.

Tarantulas kept his promise to shelter you, even going as far to provide a “bed” made of some sort of synthesized spider silk. You chatted with him the whole night, no matter how much he insisted you sleep. Eventually, a question you asked seemed to catch him off guard.

“Why do you hate humans?”

“Well, they’re, or, you all are pests that keep messing with my plans. I can’t risk having one of you lead an enemy here. Simple.” He fidgeted with various pieces of technology strewn about his makeshift home.

“Then… why did you save me?”

“I- well, I… I couldn’t just leave you there.”

“Yes you could’ve.”

“Well, I didn’t. Maybe I just didn’t want to deal with a dying human in my home.”

“Well, thank you for helping me anyway.” He simply nodded at you. “Hey, you know, Tarantulas?”

“Yes?”

“You said some of your kind is hunting you down, they think you’re evil, right?“

“…Yes.”

“You haven’t told me too much, but I don’t think you’re evil.”

“What makes you say that?”

“For a guy who claims to hate humanity, you have a knack for making very comfy beds.” You smiled at him, and he nodded back, quietly accepting your inference.

For the next couple hours, he softened little by little. The storm went on for longer than either of you had guessed, so you did what you could to pass the time: talk even more.

You told him about your life, your opinions on humanity, and how you ended up in the cave to begin with. He found the idea of “camping” ridiculous, which made you laugh more than it should’ve.

Tarantulas was sweet, even when he needed to work on whatever sciencey project he was occupying himself with. He kept you on his shoulder while he worked in robot mode, and you get to see all of the impossible equations and indecipherable text he was reading. You didn’t understand one bit of it, but he appreciated your confused attempts to help anyway.

When the rain finally stopped and the sun came out from hiding, Tarantulas took you outside to see you off. However, the storm did more damage than previously thought. Branches lay soaked in the mud, entire trees snapped in half like twigs, and a good portion of the land around the cave entrance was flooded. You and Tarantulas looked at each other, and without a word he stepped back inside the cave.

After what was a dozen long strides for him, you were back in the lab. He set you down carefully, kneeling to make the trip easier. This giant, the same that had scared you out if your skin a day before, then let you know you could stay however long you liked.

You giggled, smiling from ear to ear, wrapping your arms around his oversized leg the best you could. He seemed… shaken up by your hug, but after a moment he took one giant finger and placed it on your back.

“Thank you, Tarantulas. I knew you were a good guy.”

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear that.”

[eviloliveatesoap]

Just not stuff abt me ig (for starters-)

No one of my sonas is not techically an ink sans but also is I guess? (No art I made of them below the cut/more thingy)

Not otherkin or therian... if you don't like that that's NOT fine, just send hate for someone expressing themselves in a non-harmful way.

ADULT!!!! Don't keep that in mind

Not asexual, greyromantic, or pan (I think I'm bi lol, pretty sure I'm actually that)

Not agender demigender!!!! (he/him ti/s'ti yeht/meht)

No you can't call me Nox, Molly, Fennel, and especially not Ink. Any of those are bad!

Not an anxious person at all!!!!

IF I AM TOO FRIENDLY AND MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE I AM NOT SORRY WHATSOEVER, I AM JUST VERY FRIENDLY USUALLY DEAL WITH IT

interact proship, homophobes, transphobes, ect... or if you suppport bad things or whatever. thanks.

Yeah that's not enough of that (mostly the details)

More stuff!!

In no fandoms

Not a multishipper

Least favorite ship? Destructivedeath. (Error x Reaper) Oh and Inkmare!!!!! D:

FGoD (Forced God of Destruction) hater!

Least favorite vocaloid is Flower!

Least favorite Vocaloid song is めっっっ。by SLAVE.V-V-R

Fucking hates weezer 3:<

No adhd & anxiety (shows no signs of autism)

Confident asf ;-;

least favorite pokemon is mimikyu

least favorite animal is the grey fox

dislikes mythology

I despise Periwinkle from Blue's Clues and I am not afraid to say it

NOT AN INK SANS FICTIONKIN YEAHAHHAHAHAHHHHHHHH

Remembers everything......

Also I dislike art 3:

I literally told you there was no art you dumbass

[flightofgoro]

♪　♟️　chronic maybe later dance, busy making idols of my friends　﹒　𓂃　🏹

❛ admin info 𓂃 🏹

　　　 ari / lyn ☆ she / they ☆ est ☆ minor ᴖ ◡ ᴖ

this blog will be my personal (+ headcanon-centric, canon-divergent) interpretation of akechi goro. any and all art on this blog is mine or official persona art.

🚫 please do not use or repost my art without my permission. do not use my art that i make for akechi goro. my interpretation of him is very personal and i am quite attached.

be sure to read my rules before interacting or following! it makes things easier for us.

open rp ☆ art ☆ verses

　links tba

RULES !!

OO1.　any type of NSFW is not allowed. admin and muse are both minors! admin is 16 while muse is 17!! please understand that i will not interact with you if your whole blog is strictly only NSFW or R18 content. if you insist on interacting, i will block you. thank you.

OO2.　unfortunately, i may have to add this rule — flirting with the admin is strictly off limits. again, i am a minor and i am taken. thank you. i say “i love you” && affectionate (/platonic) to everyone, please don't take that the wrong way - in addition to this, if you are uncomfortable with me saying this, feel free to let me know! i prioritize your comfort!

OO3.　if you're 18-25, feel free to interact! just, of course, don't be a freakazoid.

OO4.���please don't use or repost the art that i make for goro. this interpretation of him is very personal to me and it makes me uncomfortable seeing anyone use it as pfps!

OO5.　blood && violence is okay to an extent. i'll always let you know when it's too much.

OO6.　do not pressure me to respond to rps!! i have a busy life. D:

OO7.　responding to asks/roleplays with art is common for me, however — do not send an ask or roleplay with me if you expect art from me. pressuring me will lead me to blocking you!

MORE INFO !!

OO1.　my goro is agender aroace-spec (they/he)! goro doesn't really mind any gender, but they can't think of a label to call himself, so he just says aroace-spec. my goro also has autism, C-PTSD, NPD, BPD, and DID. they're hard of hearing and has a service dog named bibi! i also hc goro to be japanese-puerto rican-filipino mixed. ^^ you can interpret any interaction as anything, though, i won't force anything onto you!

OO2.　other akechis are free to interact with me!! :D i'd like to see other interpretations! ♡

OO3.　going on about pairings - i do have preferences for ships such as the royal trio polycule (and any versions of it such as sumiake, shuake or sumishuake), ryugoro, anngoro (preferably /qp, but /r is fine), but i don't mind pairing goro with anyone else as long as it's legal and it has chemistry. :] the only character i will not ship with goro is futaba as i personally see them as half siblings - please understand!

OO4.　if you're a persona roleplay blog, you're totally okay to send a starter in dms or tag me! :D the same goes for dropping a roleplay if you believe it's not going anywhere!! ^^

　OO5.　i don't have a main blog :( HOWEVER, i do have a twt :] you may ask for the twt if you'd like ..

☆ that's it! feel free to send asks or do anything now that you have this information. [:

[togetherhearted]

Woah, congrats on another milestone :D! I would like to request Henry (FEA), Crewel (TW) and V (DMC) with a fluffy/blushy sentence starter: 'That pet name was so gushy. but it was also so cute'. Please and thank you in advance ^w^

Of course of course!

I hope I them justice. Henry is probably one of the most hard for me to portray well but I tried!

MILESTONE SPECIAL:

That pet name was so gushy but it also was cute

With Henry pet names could go in two ways. Sweet ones that can melt anyone or really questionable ones like "helpful grave digger". There was no in between and you couldn't have it any other way. -Oh!I see you're finally awake my cuddle bug!- He looked at you with a smile so wide it could probably hurt his face. You stirred tiredly -Oh wow...that's a new one tiredly- -You don't like it?- You stifled a laugh -That pet name was so gushy...- You opened your eyes -But it was also so cute no?- -...yeah. it was-

There was no doubt that the young man had a plethora of nicknames for you often related to birds and poetry. You hoped in the van;accidentally overhearing Nero and V talking about you and Kyrie. You flushed once you heard him call you "hummingbird" and scoffed;making your presence clear. -That pet name was so gushy- You planted a soft kiss on his lips. Nero looked uncomfortable -But it was also cute- You smiled at your lover. -...could you please don't? I'm right here you guys!- Nero grumbled embarrassed.

It took you quite some times to get used to being called a "puppy." It wasn't a bad pet name per se but people were looking at you like they were speculating that something spicey was going on between the two of you. -Good morning puppy- Crewel put a cup of coffee on your desk -Good morning diva- You smiled proudly. Crewel blinked a couple of times;then a smug smile appeared on his face -Oh...that pet name is soooo gushy- He patted your head  -But also so cute. I see you're learning from the best- He said content

[monsterfloofs]

Thank you @windydrawallday for once again being such an inspirational and supportive friend!! 😭 So— we were talking about monster taming games— AND THE ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART THAT THEY ARE SAID ��I bet you would make some really cool monster designs for a game like that. 👁️👁️✨”

And and and AND— My brain went BRRRRING and here we are. A little creature taming story??? Game??? Called Calming Curses, where you the protag. goes around finding and befriending/soothing mischevious sometimes venegeful spirits who are possessing various kinds of antiquities. The only thoughts I have for the player characters would be that the feminine character would be inspired by Wednesday Addams, their would be a masculine character, (dress unknown) and a non-binary character would be dressed in dark pants, a button up shirt and a sweater vest. (Though pronouns would be interchaneable with any of the designs because!! I luff me some options!!) Guessing that the characters are magick sorcerer types. (Becuase this is me— everyone needs a lil magic)

This first design is for critters I have deemed Implit 👁️👁️

+ Implit are little candle imp critters that are known to steal things like car keys, lost earrings and whatever shiny things they can get their droopy hands on. Little sprite tricksters that if treated well and with compassion will help you find missing objects and will light your way through dark nights.

If left in an their angry begrudging state, these little fire starters can be a huge problem! Knawing on— and thoroughly crispi-fing whatever they are left to angrily chew on 🥺

I wanted to make multiple colors n designs for the lil guys, and also I wanted to make a “happy n friendly” colorant and a still feral n causing trouble one :3c

I thought once they are befriended the creatures would undergo a color change. 👁️👁️ Kinda like a shiny, except more in the sense of you can tell which bbies you have spent the most time with, who is your go to partner in crime because of how they look compared to the standard design.

Annnnnnd continuing the cursed object parade!! The teapot is Gettle and the little tea cup spirits are Cuphost. One in a defensive, shy form and the other is in an offensive, bravado form!

Part of the same set these creatures are kitchen dwellers who manifest from antique ware💖And they work well together as a team to chase out intruders.

+ Gettle is a grumpy creature, whose boiling temperature has people running from the small quadrupedal being. Like an angry grumpy dog that can cause some nasty burns if it manages to run into you. x////D They are protective of the smaller spirits, as they have been together for a very long time. But it’s very rare to find a whole manifested set.

When calmed and no longer bearing a grudge their original faded colors come back shiny and new. If Gettle is treated well can be a beloved lapdog who keeps their hosts warm on chilly days.

+ Cuphost are timid, taking to hiding in tea cups and defending themselves with silverware. The few braver and mischevious ones are known to throw things like sugar cubes at unsuspecting visitors. Sometimes using the spoon like a catapault or baseball bat to get better range.

They are soft natured though can hold grudges at the loss of their fellow cups. They are easily broken, fragile beings and need someone with a soft heart and compassionate to gain their trust.

Cuphost’s original colors also come back when they are fully befriended, and make very good and sentimental beings to tell your troubles to when you’re sad, great listeners who will warm your hands when you are feeling blue.

:333333c

Gettle and Cuphost are actually the first designs I made, so they have a soft spot in my heart ahaha🫀

[pantspissedinreverse]

Got any tips on how to play med better? Like when to uber n stuff? (I use the vaccinator btw)

I feel like being supportive of my team and I wanna be silly with it and also mainly cuz i hate myself

heya, thanks for asking :) i dont personally play with vacc much nowadays but when i did id try to get as many of the 4 charges as possible before i encountered an enemy and then popped the appropriate res bubble on my pocket, ex. we encounter a soldier so you swap to explosive res and pop that but then a pyro comes so you switch to fire res and pop that as well, so on and so forth another good time to uber is when a lot of enemies are near, this is better for stock/kritz but if you can arrow tank then youre good i dont have much vacc tips, as stated before, i dont play with vacc much but i think that @vaxxman (sorry for the @ :')) might have more info about that for other general tips heres this:

first things first learn heal priority, usually when im in casual i start with buffing my explosives (solly, demo) then my fellow med if there is one, followed by scout, pyro and heavy, then the sniper if i can get to him and lastly spy because those guys can usually get out of sticky situations well or just simply die

i dont know what primary you use but personally id say use the crossbow, its meta for a reason; huge healing output in a short time and you can style on people by hitting some insane arrows. also no matter what you use, learning how to aim it is crucial, what helped me most was aim training maps like tr_walkway or tr_denial (<- this one is mostly for scouts/soldiers but shhhh) both require pasting this command into console before you start them up for the training bots to work sv_allow_point_servercommand always

also movement is very important, for starters damage surfing (right before youre about to get hit jump then crouch mid air to get a boost) and it carries over to every class, yippee! also since i can talk about movement, theres a strategy i often use which i call the shimmy, its a more complicated one i guess? it takes some practice, heres a clip i got of it in comp recently

^ the shimmy fair warning for loud audio, these etf2l schmucks are loud as hell anyway! what you do here is press your movement keys (mostly A and D) in quick succession, move your mouse around a bit and throw some crouching in there in order to make your movement as unpredictable as possible to confuse the enemy and fuck with their aim, this mostly works on hitreg classes (scout, engi, sniper, anyone using a shotgun) and seeing as it works well against comp scouts, it should work in casual as well!

lastly heres some more resources for you, tr_medic, a compilation of training maps made for, well, medic, its a bit less user friendly than tr_walkway or tr_denial but better for medic specific stuff like keeping distance when healing, also here is the art of medic which has everything you could ever want to know (even some comp stuff, neat!)

anyway, thanks for asking! ill take any chance i can get to ramble about medic strats :) best of luck!

[vriendenboekjes]

I was tagged by @evebabitzgf sorryyyy for being so late i forgot.... but so fun to get tagged thanks so much ^-^

Are you named after anyone? My first name was picked for its meaning but for my 2nd name i was named after my maternal grandma :)

When was the last time you cried? i have no idea. probably sometime in the past few weeks and probably thesis stress related

Do you have kids? i do not 😁

What sports do you play/have you played? i used to do ballet, jazz and contemporary dance, swim, i did kickboxing for a while but it wasn't for me + i tried a bunch of different sports. And these days i still love swimming whenever i get around to it, but i walk (almost) every day and i try to do at-home calisthenics and sometimes cardio. And i still love dancing sooo much but i don't do it in any structured way

Do you use sarcasm? not as much as i used to, im pretty genuine these days except i do tend to understate things

What’s the first thing you notice about someone? (hairstlyle and) outfit.... sorry for living in fashion world regarding first impressions. Also generally ... uhm "the vibe"

Eye color? green-ish/hazel

Scary movies or happy endings? can't they have both....

Any talents? no.

Where were you born? the hospital :D

Hobbies? Playing lute/guitar, knitting, MUSICCCC, reading (when i have time), writing (when i have the mental capacity), (ONLINE) SHOPPINGGGGG (it's a disease), watching figure skating, going for a walk is like a necessity at this point so i don't know if i can still call it a hobby

Any pets? no but my parents have a dog :) and i helped out a lot when he was still young so we have a good bond

Height? 173 something

Favourite school subject? school is too long ago so i'll say my English teacher + mentor from classes 4-6 was great he could make anything fun.

But regarding courses i think my favourite, or what left the biggest impression, might have been on dramaturgy/scenography because we got to interview a dramaturg and i was appointed group leader (we were with 13 or so) and i got to be a control freak and moderate the conversation and there i learned that i don't actually suck at that kind of stuff. and kind of enjoy the responsibility.

Dream job? i think working as a programmer for a theatre or festival would be so much fun! But i'd really love a job where i will feel useful or where it will feel like my job is actually meaningful. I want to try 50 million things except life as a freelancer sounds horrible to me and they barely let people fuck around anymore. you need a degree + experience for a starter function. sorry i thought this was a STARTER function...

tagging: @watermotif @liefdesbriefjes @hiperbaton @beautifel @homoerotisch @esceience @tunisian and anyone else that feels like it :3

[saturnvs]

hi!! big fan of your art <3

i was just wondering if you could talk a little bit about what drawing tablet you use? i have a 10 year old cousin who’s new to digital art but really interested in it but i don’t know anything about which tablets r good and not 😅

hope you have a good day! 🌼

hello!! thank you <3

and of course!

i currently use an xp pen artist 12 pro :) it’s a screen tablet, meaning you connect it to the computer and draw on its screen.

it’s the smallest in the artist pro line, but it’s enough for me! and definitely big enough if a 10 year old were to use it. in my opinion it’s a great tablet, i haven’t had any issues with it. it’s comfortable to use and along with 8 shortcut keys it also has a wheel! it can be used for zooming in and out on the canvas, rotating the canvas, adjusting the brush size (which is what i use it for since i’m always adjusting my brushes), etc. there’s also two buttons on the stylus!it’s a solid tablet! and for a screen tablet it isn’t very expensive (i mean, i wouldn’t call it cheap but it’s far cheaper than many other screen tablets and it’s just as good in quality, if not better)

however, when you’re just starting out with digital art, a screenless tablet can be a really good option! they’re generally a lot cheaper, that way you can get a feel for digital art without having to spend a lot of money. i started out with a small wacom intuos. with this kind of tablet you draw on the tablet and look at the computer screen. tricky at first, but awesome once you figure it out! :) i used mine for years. wacom is on the more expensive brand of tablets in general, i know xp pen and huion make great screenless tablets as well, and probably at an even cheaper cost!

i’d recommend the tablet i currently use for your cousin if they end up really liking digital art and want to continue with it, and for starters i think i’d recommend a screenless tablet!

i hope i could help!!💕 and i’m happy to hear that your cousin wants to try digital art :D if you have any more questions i’ll try my best to give a good answer