#from the mousehole

[x-i-l-verify]

Complicated, indescribable Overrated, undeniable Tell yourself whatever you want to believe But your fate still lies in me I took your everything Took it for myself My enjoyment and no one else You’re mine…

Little bit of art for my DSMP vampire AU, where, among other things, c!BBH is owned by a vampiric c!Technoblade as a living food source (since they're both Netherborn and all). Bad... doesn't have a great time, let's just say.

[bluefunkybeats]

PAPAS WATCHING CARTOONS WITH THEIR KIDS

ft. Gojo, Shiu, Toji

PAPA GOJO who when watching television on the couch with his kid from his lap, only ever sets them down when Lazy Town comes on. Every four o’clock in the afternoon you can bet that you’ll find mister Gojo over here imitating whatever expert level push-up Sportacus is performing, with a big grin on his face knowing his little one is definitely impressed (and if you’re also watching, he’ll definitely throw in a wink doing said push ups).

“Easy peasy”. Well, good for him because his little tot firmly believes that your husband is the man on the TV.

Gojo just needs to practice his turn push-ups a bit.

PAPA SHIU on his day off, who’s woken up a bit earlier than usual, and the sun is shining a little too bright for him to be able to doze an extra 36 minutes comfortably. He doesn’t want to wake you up yet; doesn’t want to disrupt your system.

He goes on to wake up your son to have a slow leisurely morning with him, eating breakfast and watching cartoons on the couch. Once Shiu has stood by the door frame, checked that his son is enough tidy for school and waved him off to walk to school with his friend, then he start thinking about waking you up.

Well, Shiu just kinda waved him off still sat on the couch watching Batman 1998, hunched over holding his cereal bowl with one hand and hovering his spoon with the other, following the episode like an entranced kid.

You drag yourself in living room to join him shortly after.

“What’s this rubbish?,” you say, before flicking the channel with the remote to something else.

He doesn’t have the heart to tell you.

PAPA TOJI who’s sat on the couch with little Megumi, television on and playing Tom and Jerry. They’re both just mindlessly killing time really, waiting for you to finish whatever you need to finish. You close the laptop on the kitchen table and turn your head for a view of the back of the couch.

You can see the back of your husband’s large build sitting on one end of the couch, and you can already presume that little Megumi is on the adjacent end; both leaving space for you in the middle to receive their embraces later. You stray to look at the television screen: a familiar Tom cat running after Jerry with a big red hammer pulled from thin air, as Jerry hightails the corridor and into a mousehole.

Well you’re finished with your work now, and as you come round to join your little family on the couch, you notice how Toji’s leaned back comfortably with his arms crossed amusedly, his facial expressions changing with the show. Like he’s trying to decide whether Tom or Jerry has a more concordant plan.

Toji’s more into it than little Megumi it seems, who’s idly picking at a loose thread of his shorts. Not that he’d ever admit that.

[nerdraging4point0]

Mad Hearts and Temptations // Chapter One //

Wonderland Romance AU. Mad Hatter Noah

by @ladyveronikawrites

Tropes and Tags: Wonderland romance, instalove, too much sex, destiny, fated lovers.

Content warning: 18+ only minors DNI. dark themes, gore themes, gothic themes, PinV, PinA, oral (f!recieveing, m!recieving), voyeurism, exhibitionism, angst.

Taglist (click to be added):

@cookiesupplier @badomensls @concreteemo @mysticdoodlez @viofcrows @srorgana1 @in-another-life @broken0mens @itsafullmoon @ladyveronikawrites @somewhere-diamond @celestineveil @meliferafaerie @poisongirl616 @littlefoxkota @darling-millicent-aubrey @th0ughts-pr4yers @silentglassbreak @shilohrosechicken @hayleylatour @sundamariis @lma1986 @thatchickwiththecamera @lilhobgobbler @missduffsblog @asilentsiren @letmeadoreyoux @transparentwitchnightmare @latenightmusiclover

The work below contains fictionalized ideas and stories involving real people but does not directly reflect their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.

My heart pounds as I sprint down the endless corridor, the dizzying checkered tiles seeming to swirl beneath my feet and tilt the walls at odd angles. Doors of all shapes and sizes line the hall - some tall as giants that I can't even reach the knobs of, others no bigger than mouseholes, just large enough to slide my hand through. I rush past them desperately, knowing exactly which one I seek. The same door I always seek, the one that will lead me out of this maddening maze. It's made of dark, worn wood, the brass of its hinges tarnished with age, its yawning keyhole gaping open like a mouth, just waiting to swallow the right key. As I race toward that familiar door, freedom seeming so close I can taste it, her voice echoes through the empty passageway, stopping me dead in my tracks. The voice I know so well, now twisted with bitterness as she calls out, "It was supposed to be you."

It’s been the same dream since I was a kid, ever since my cousin Alice came to stay with us that fateful summer. I never liked my cousin Alice. To be honest, I never really knew her, but after her brief visit with my family, I begged my mom to never invite her again. She was always greedy and whined incessantly about everything. She would snatch my toys without asking and hide them around the house, intentionally breaking things and then blaming me for the damage. I still vividly remember that evening after dinner when we were supposed to play hide and seek outside. 

Alice hid herself so well that night that I eventually gave up looking for her as the sun began to set and the sky faded to a pale blue. I was playing alone on the front lawn when Alice suddenly emerged from the shadows. Her Mary Jane shoes were scuffed and filthy, her dress was stained and disheveled, and her normally tidy blonde curls were matted and caked with some type of dark, viscous fluid. Her fingernails were also covered in what appeared to be red paint. She looked completely deranged and insane. Her eyes were bulging out of her skull as she stared directly at me and uttered in a haunting tone: "It was supposed to be you." Even now, years later, that bizarre encounter is seared into my memory, and Alice's crazed voice still appears in my nightmares.

My cousin had always been troubled, even when we were young. There was a darkness in her that I didn't understand, a swirling chaos behind her eyes that frightened me. As we grew older, her mental state deteriorated. She became unpredictable, prone to violent outbursts and deranged ranting. My family did their best to help her, but it was no use. The day she was finally taken away, restrained and sedated, came almost as a relief. I felt guilty for feeling that way, but I could not deny the lightness in my chest when I knew I wouldn't have to face her manic presence anymore.

That relief was short-lived. Though she was gone from my daily life, her memory continued to torment my dreams. I would find myself wandering endless hallways, hearing her sing-song voice taunting me from the shadows. Her eyes would appear around corners - wild, darting, devoid of reason. No matter how far I ran, she was always there. I would wake with a start, heart pounding, soaked in sweat. Sometimes I awoke screaming.

It's been years now since I left that house, since I got away from the ghost of my cousin. But still she haunts me. In the dead of night she comes creeping back, seeping into my subconscious to wreak havoc in my dreams. I wake gasping for breath, blinking into the darkness. I check the time on my phone - 4am again.

I don't bother with more sleep, tossing the blankets off my body as I stumble my way out of the bed to the bathroom. The light blinds me momentarily before my eyes adjust, taking in my sleepy form in the mirror. My amber locks are braided and resting over my shoulder, with some strands falling out of the tight coils I made the night before. The silver ring in my left nostril catches the light, as does my septum piercing and medusa lip ring, sparkling briefly as I groggily search the messy vanity for my toothpaste.

My fingers fumble over tubes and bottles, knocking a few things aside before finally grasping the minty toothpaste. I pop open the cap and squeeze some onto my toothbrush, the sharp mint helping to wake me up slightly as I begin scrubbing the night's sleep from my mouth. My eyes are still bleary, barely open as I brush and rinse.

As the fog of sleep lifts, I mentally revisit the bizarre dreamscape that moments ago had felt so real and tangible. The stark black and white checkerboard floor spins dizzily beneath me, its sharp diamond tiles swirling together into a dizzying optical illusion. All around me are doors - doors of every shape and size imaginable. Circular portals, square wooden doors, even sideways slanted doors that defy logic and gravity. Most peculiar of all is a breathing door that slowly inhales and exhales, its wooden surface magically undulating in and out of the wall itself. Of course, in the rational light of wakefulness, such an animate door seems patently absurd. But in the illogical realm of dreams, where the mind is unbounded by natural laws, anything is possible.

 I walk down the narrowing hallway, the walls seem to close in around me, making the space tighter and more claustrophobic with each step. Ahead is a door that has become very familiar to me, though I've never entered it. I can't help feeling a sense of belonging when I see the door, like it is a lost part of me I'm destined to reclaim. The door itself is quite elegant, despite the dilapidated state of the hallway around it. It has a shiny brass doorknob and ornate brass hinges that gleam like gold in the dim light. The dark wooden door contrasts with the cracked and weathered plaster walls, standing out like a jewel in a dusty setting.

When I reach my hand out to open it at last, I am filled with longing and excitement to see what awaits on the other side. But each time, just before I turn the knob, a chilling, disembodied voice whispers, "It was supposed to be you," and I am shocked awake from the recurring dream. 

I spit out the foamy residue, watching the minty bubbles swirl down the drain as I turn the faucet off with a squeak. My studio apartment descends into silence, the calm only broken by the ticking of the clock on the wall. While the confined space may seem claustrophobic to some, to me it's cozy - a sanctuary from the chaos of the outside world. After growing up in a sprawling suburban home cluttered with dusty tchotchkes and my parents' eclectic art collection, I find comfort in the simplicity of my minimalist apartment. I don't need much - just a bed, a couch, and a small kitchen. The lack of clutter soothes my mind. I enjoy the openness, how there's no visual noise competing for my attention. The blank walls and empty surfaces allow me to think clearly and focus on what's important.

The stillness of the air is broken only by the faint murmur of my name emanating from an unseen presence. At first I strain to make out the hushed utterance, unsure if it's real or just my imagination playing tricks. But the more I focus, the clearer the gentle tenor becomes, beckoning me from the shadows. Though no physical form manifests, I feel the voice resonate within my core, igniting a warmth and calm I've never known. My pulse quickens at the thought of this disembodied visitor serenading my spirit, his cherubic tones blanketing me in an otherworldly embrace. I dare not move or speak for fear of severing this ethereal connection. I close my eyes, bathing in the velvety notes that seem to stroke my soul, stirring sensations and emotions I can't articulate.

I shake it off. 

Hearing voices was never a good sign. That’s how it all started with Alice, I was not Alice, I would never be like Alice. 

Alice had been sent away years ago, but just a few months back I’d gone home to visit my parents and saw Alice’s sister and father over for a visit. They said something about how Alice was released and after several months back home she told them she no longer felt like they were family and she was going somewhere she belonged. At first, I was confused, Alice had always been close with her family when we were younger. However, it seems that after being sent away, something had changed within her. Her father's eyes seemed dull and defeated while her sister looked on the verge of tears as they explained how Alice had rejected them and renounced their family ties.

After their visit, my mother confided that Alice had stopped taking her psychiatric medications and severed all ties to society, essentially vanishing completely off the grid by her own choice. When I returned home I double bolted my locks, an unsettling fear in my chest that Alice was one day going to come back for me. 

The dull repetition of my daily morning routine is painfully familiar. I mechanically go through the motions of getting ready - carefully applying just enough makeup to look presentable, loosely pulling my hair back into a ponytail, and throwing on whatever clean clothes I can find. I feel like I could get ready with my eyes closed at this point. Once dressed, I grab my oversized work bag and shuffle out the door of my tiny apartment building.

The refreshing spring air hits my face as I begin the brief five block walk to the coffee shop where I work. It's mid April, so the weather is finally warm enough that I don't need a heavy coat, but still cool enough that I'm not breaking a sweat on my short commute. The temperatures are perfect for walking. I breathe in the crisp morning air, taking in the sights and sounds of the city coming to life - birds chirping, early morning commuters hustling by.

The coffee shop is its typical whirlwind of activity in the middle of a hectic Wednesday workday, with customers streaming in and out grabbing their caffeine fix on the way to their next appointment. Behind the counter, I'm immersed in the controlled chaos - filling orders as fast as my hands can move, hearing the hypnotic hiss of steaming milk from the espresso machine competing with the insistent beeps of microwaves. Voices layered upon voices create a steady din that reaches all the way up to the exposed pipework ceilings. It's a symphony I know well after years in the food service industry. 

As I go about my normal routine, filling orders and handing out drinks to the steady stream of patrons, I've become adept at tuning out the more eccentric customers that pass through. But today, as I prepare a lavender tea and call out the order, I find myself momentarily transfixed by the young woman who steps up to claim it. Her long, straight platinum hair cascades down her back like corn silk, with a few strands elegantly pulled up into neat buns on either side of her delicate face. Dressed in white high-waisted skinny jeans and beige heels, she cuts a stylish figure. But it's the antique pocket watch attached to her belt loop that catches my attention. As I hand over her tea, she tilts her head quizzically while consulting the watch, as if carefully calculating the passage of time. After a pause, she looks up, fixing me with an intense gaze.

 "You're late," she says simply, causing me to stammer an apology before she turns abruptly, her long hair trailing behind her like a cape billowing in the wind.

I shuffle through the day, walking through the lobby to clean up the drinks people have rudely left on their tables. Wiping them down as I clean up. I pick up a paper cup about to throw away the half full liquid. But as I turn the paper cup in my hands, I see someone has written under the lid in sharpie the words, ‘Drink Me’. I bring the open mouthpiece to my nose taking a quick sniff. Lavender and Chamomile and something else-something spicy.

As I inhale the floral aroma rising from the mysterious concoction, I pause, transfixed by the cryptic message and alluring scent. Curiosity battles with apprehension as I contemplate the unknown contents. I toss the cup in the trash anyway, wiping down the last of the tables before heading behind the bar again. 

Typically, I thrive on the pace and the social interaction with customers and coworkers alike, but today the commotion is too much. The constant demands have drained my mental energy. I feel the weight of exhaustion seeping into my bones.

As soon as the clock hits the end of my shift, I make a beeline for the door into the blissful quiet of the outside world. Wolfing down a quick lunch, I start the familiar walk home, already dreaming of my cozy bed. By the time I've unlocked my apartment door and stepped inside, I can barely keep my eyes open. I don't even bother changing clothes before I collapse onto the mattress, surrendering instantly to a deep sleep.

[ceilingfan5]

thankpologies

(another @taznovembercelebration delight, for sick)

“I can do it,” Kravitz murmbles hoarsely from under about fifteen blankets. He stares blankly up at the dark ceiling. Taako wants to put him in his pocket and he isn’t even wearing pants yet. 

“Yeah?” Taako shuts off their fourth alarm. And the fifth one, you know, preemptively. “You sure there, bud?”

“I can do it,” he insists, like he’s trying to convince himself, too. “I’m……………………….good.”

“You’re good?” Taako’s trying not to laugh, he promises. Kravitz looks miserable. He looks like a wet sack of marbles left behind in a dead mall. What were those marbles for? Why are they wet? Is someone going to miss the marbles? Who can say. But they’re going in Taako’s pocket. 

“Sooooo good.” Kravitz tries to sit up, fails, and squinches his eyes shut, groaning. “I’m, good. I’m good. I’m good I’m good I’m good. I can do it.” 

“What if,” Taako says, “Hear me out.” 

“I’m not staying h— ome.” Kravitz swallows, once, twice, a third time, none of them looking less unpleasant. “Home,” he corrects. “No way. Got. Too much work to day. Do.”

“Hear me out though,” Taako says. “Perhaps, correct me if I’m wrong, the county coroner should maybe not look like a zombie.”

“I d- doh- hhh. Zombie.” Kravitz tries to sit up properly, and it makes Taako wince just to watch him. He unwraps another single cracker from the Freshstack ™ they were working through at two in the morning, and hands it to him. Kravitz nibbles on it like the world’s most pathetic mouse. Like if a mouse was divorced, and crying a little, and wet, like a sack of marbles. He gets about a third of the way through this monumental obstacle and then lets his hand flop down, and Taako is very normal and makes no crumb comments, because his boy is ailin’. 

Ooooh, is he ailin’. So ailin’ he’s from another planet. 

“Let’s write your boss an email, and then tuck you back in, buster.”

“Noooooo,” Kravitz whines. 

“My guy, my handsome criminal empire cohost, you get that you are making Taako be the voice of reason, yeah?”

Kravitz considers this. 

“Haven’t barfed yet,” he says, petulantly. 

“Sit up and put on your tie,” Taako challenges. 

There’s a long beat. 

“No?”

“That’s what I thought, asshole.” Taako reaches over and squeezes Kravitz’s hand with affection. He hands him his phone. “Let’s just, be brief. Dear boss, can’t come in today, so sorry. Love you, bye.” 

Kravitz drops his phone on his face. 

“Fuck,” he says, delayed. Taako covers a snort. Poor beast. He takes the phone and can’t cover a second one. “Oh, buddy.”

“Yeah?” Kravitz blinks, and rubs his general face zone. 

“Your beautiful schnozz hit send on this masterpiece?” Taako shows him, but not until after taking a screenshot and sending it to himself, for posterity and also social media crimes. 

To: queenra@nwcountyfr.fakegov

Subject: ow

DEAR HELLO Cannot’nt come to death today, I am maybe am not well enough to help bodies thankpologies K

–sent from my iPhone

“What’s wrong with it?” Kravitz says, grimacing. 

“Yeah, you’re not goin’ fuckin’ anywhere, beloved,” Taako decides. He hands him his damaged little sadboy cracker and kisses his forehead and tucks him in, and starts doing the Get Ready Shimmy. “I’ll be checking in on you on my lunch hour, unless you think I need to call in too, and take your sorrowful mouse ass to the hopsicle.” 

“Probaly not,” Kravitz cannot manage a whole lot of conviction. He nibbles the cracker. Wetly. “I’ll…watch the price is right?”

“You’ll sleep.”

“I’ll sleep,” Kravitz confirms, snuggling down, forgetting about the last third of the cracker right then and there. Given permission to burrow back into his pathetical little mousehole, his whole body relaxes, and somehow he manages to look even greyer. “I’ll sleep so many.” 

“So many.” Taako pats something in the vicinity of his shoulder. “Poor bastard. If you get me sick, I am going to kill you.”

“No promises,” Kravitz sighs, almost immediately dozing right back off. 

Shame Taako loves him so much. 

[id: a space themed game board with 15 spaces and a cat, fish, and "good worker" sticker on 1, 2, and 3 respectively]

[theinstagrahame]

It's been like 2 weeks? But I think the hiccup we had with the local Post Office kind of benefitted my collection here. That and a sale at Exalted Funeral...

Here's what's arrived in the last little bit:

The Slow Knife: I like Mousehole Press in general, but the pitch for this one in particular sticks out to me. You're a cabal of evil people who have deeply wronged someone, and they're coming for revenge. One by one, they kill each of you until their wrath is sated. I'm honestly always a little iffy on playing "Evil" characters, but this seems like a really neat way to tackle it.

Koriko: Also from Mousehole, this is meant to be a solo game in the vein of Kiki's Delivery Service and other quiet coming-of-age kinds of stories. It's also an absolutely beautiful book (and it came with the most adorable fat wizard cat patch...)

Star Crossed & Love Letters: I've heard stories and APs of Star Crossed, but never played it. Then there was an expansion coming, and it seemed like the right time to get myself a copy. The box is huge, I assume so I can store a Falling Tower game inside? I also often think about the creator, Alex Roberts, saying that the awards for this game have been nice, but that a couple who broke a chair after playing it is the real reward...

I Have the High Ground: I initially got this game from its crowdfund run after listening to the Party of One episode, but I spaced when it shipped and had it sent to my old Boston apartment. I never went back for it, but it was offered as a bonus on the Star Crossed expansion, so I decided it was time. (Also, there's a great Party of One episode that's a Star Crossed X IHTHG crossover, which is extremely worth checking out)

The Wildsea & The Wildsea - Storm and Root: I'd missed the original game, but the expansion caught my eye. The art and the vibe are weird and fun, but it's loosely a FitD engine under there. I skimmed through the Quickstart, and it felt really gripping. Weird guys sailing weird boats on the trees of a weird Earth future. The forest as a sea metaphor? I'm intrigued.

Nest: Spencer Campbell makes bangers. This is a long-time opinion of this blog, so Nest was a quick pick-up. It's set in his Destiny-like (I think?) Nova-verse, but it follows the bad guys. It's got Heist-y vibes, and I really like the idea of fleshing out the "Evil" team. It's too easy to assume the bad guys aren't people, and humanizing them does a lot.

Dusk, Vol1: Spencer Campbell makes Bange--oh, right. Already established. But still! Also a Nova-verse book, and one that I sorta missed. If I've read the pitch, it's about community within the Nova universe, and I like that that's a focus. People coming together to build communities is a theme I really enjoy, and when the sun explodes (yeah, that's what the Nova in Nova-verse means), I think we'll need people more than ever.

Eco Mofos: I really loved the universe created in Lost Eons, and this promised to be a loose prequel. It's a "weird-hope" game, which is loosely a description of why I love post-apocalyptic fiction. The idea that even in the worst possible outcome for the world (y'know, it ending), people come together to protect and help each other. That's what makes apocalyptica appealing.

Monster of the Week - Codex of Worlds Apocrypha: MotW is a well-established and really nicely designed game. I think I've only ever played it, but I honestly feel comfortable running it, because I've listened to so many APs and read so many of the materials. Apocrypha was the stretch goal collection for the Codex of Worlds expansion, which itself put a little of the best bits from FitD into the PbtA classic.

FIST: I backed the Kickstarter edition, but this was in Exalted Funeral's damaged section (I think for a slight creas on the cover?), so I wanted to grab it and see what the hype was about. Paranormal Mercenary action, is the game. I've heard nothing but good things, so it was an easy investment for me.

Haunted Almanac: Nate Treme is a name I've heard around the scene for a while, but hadn't really checked out until recently. In part because of the RTFM podcast episode about Tunnel Goons, which is included in this book. I don't want to admit that I'll just get anything that Max and Aaron tell me to get, but like... this book is great.

The Last Caravan: Backed this at the height of my FitD interest, and I'm really curious to see what's inside. Survivors of an alien attack in the titular caravan, traveling to survive and maybe fight back a little? Yeah. That sounds dope.

All Growed Up: Another EF impulse purchase, but partly because Reilly Qyote is a designer I've had really lovely interactions with and respect a lot. I hacked their game Cast Away into a Subnautica-themed survival crafting RPG. Kids playing as grown-ups seemed cute, so I wanted to check it out.

Heroes of Cerulea: I stumbled on this by accident back when I had some extra cash to spend, and it was 100% up my alley. The original Legend of Zelda is such a formative game for me that the nostalgia alone made me pick it up. It uses D4 and the pixel art throughout is impeccable. It feels a lot like skimming the manual of the original NES and SNES titles.

Details of Our Escape: Possible Worlds Games is one of those design outfits that's gotten the benefit of the doubt from me, so I had to pick this one up. Weird, artistic, and a neat backstory: It started asart pieces swapped by the artists, and later attached to a game by Tyler Crumrine. I think it's got heist energy, but I'm not sure so I'm curious to find out!

GoGoGolf!: An impulse add-on for the Details of Our Escape campaign, which looks like it's got that weird energy of some recent multiplayer golf games. I'm sold, and I'm checking it out.

Secutors of the Soundstage Sphere (for Troika!): This was a freebie for the recent EF sale, so I grabbed it. It's not really in my usual interests, but Free.99 is a great price!

Two Summers & Other Summers: I like games about people growing up, I'm realizing about myself. On a personal level, the idea that people can become different people, but remain the same intrigues me. Two Summers is about that, and I think Other Summers makes it weirder. So, excited to dive in.

[mewnette]

Stills from The Mousehole Cat (1994)

Mowzer and the Storm Cat characters

[cerberusthenking3]

A Meal Fit for a King

Warning:This story contains soft,safe vore,accidental fearplay,mawplay,child prey,G/T,aftercare

I also(obviously)don't own Hazbin Hotel or any characters associated with it.Also, the borrowers in this AU aren't sinners but instead are hellborn who are commonly captured as snacks by sinners and bigger hellborn

Also, Lucifer has a crop because of shape-shifting abilities

I hope leviathanverse enjoys

May POV.

I sneakily slip by the guards at the door to the kitchen and between through the small slit under the door.I pop my head out of under the door and look around,taking a deep breath and giving a relieved sigh,no one's here.Its strange for the kitchen to be empty but I'm not one to miss an opportunity when it's offered to me so I slip in and run over towards one of the cupboards.My hand flicks into my belt and I pull my small hook and wire off the can top fashioned into a loop to hold my hook.My hand slides up the wire and I begin spinning it and take a second to calculate the angle and then I flick it up and silently celebrate as it perfectly wraps around the drawer handle and hooks to itself.My feet brace against the solid door and I quickly pull myself up the wooden pane and arrive at the handle before cautiously unfurling the wire off its anchor and pull myself up onto the counter.I dash across the pretty marble and arrive at a large platter of food and dig through it,choosing a few nice fruits like chunks of apple and pieces of grapes before smelling something more delicious than anything I've ever smelled before.I turn to were the smell is coming from and see a giant brown object covered in some sort of sweet smelling white liquid and cherries.I take a step towards is before stopping,this is definitely a trap so I need to leave,right now.I turn and begin back down the counter when another smell hits my nose.Okay,maybe one piece and then I'm gone,before anyone notices.

May POV.

I quickly scarf down a chunk of the delicious.....thing?Doesn't matter what it is,I tasted it, and now I have to leave.I turn to run off when a smell hits my nose,wait how did he get here?I should have smelled him long before"Why hello there,little borrower"I freeze as I slowly turn and see the king of hell,Lucifer,pulling himself out of a cabinet and he detransforms from a mouse into his real form,and I notice him licking the same sweet white liquid off his hand and his smell fully assaults my nose.He used the delicious snack as cover for his scent and covered his mouse dorm in it for extra measure.My heart begins banging against my chest as he steps towards me and says"You're not gonna leave withou-"I cut him off and sprint off as quickly as I can,leaping off the counter and throwing the hook out,watching it hook to the fridge handle before sliding down the wire and wrenching the hook away as I hear Lucifer finally chasing after me as I slide under the door and through the guards legs as one of them look down at me when the door is thrown open and lucifer runs out yelling"WAIT,I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU,COME BACK"I run into a small carved mousehole,which I use as a tunnel system to get around the mansion and collapse against the wall taking deep,gasping breaths before looking out the mousehole and seeing Lucifer on his knees looking in.He quickly says"I w got off on the wrong foot,I'm Lucifer,you are?"I step back and mutter."Not stupid enough to fall for this,bye"and sprint down the tunnel and back to my home.When I get back, I sigh and place my haul on the little table fashioned from a couple bottle caps and some toothpicks.Raising my hand up to my face I tightly squeeze the bridge of my nose and slam the bottom of my palm into my forehead,two years,I've gone two years here without being seen and I ruin it because of some random sweet food.I'm an idiot but I'm not stupid enough to stay here,this place was basically luxury but after tonight I'll have to find another place to stay.

May POV

My eyes snap open as I feel someone watching me, and I shoot up before feeling something, taking up most of the room.I look up, and my heart stops as I see a giant white snake wearing a tophat with a striped pink and red stomach is filling up most of my room.I scramble back and press my back against the wall as the snake.....talks?He anxiously says"Wait don't freak out,please,this probably isn't the best form for this,I now realize,but it's the first form I though of"My jaw drops and I pull the blanket closer to my mouth and softly say"P-please,don't e-eat m-m-me Me.L-Lucifer,i-im sorry for s-stealing from you,I'm g-gonna leave t-t-tommorow,I s-swear"He looks down at me and seems to start panicking before saying"Wait,I'm not mad at you,I've been trying to catc-meet you for a couple of months,that cake was actually made for you,which is why the kitchen was empty"I shiver as his head gets closer and use my free hand to push him away before saying"So,y-your not gonna e-e-eat me?"He avoids eye contact with me before saying certainly,"I swear I won't hurt or kill you in any way,"He let's me stand up as I act like I'm going towards my table before saying softly"Thats not what I asked,sir"He freezes which is enough of a hint to what he was planning for me to act.I leap over his coils as I sprint out of the room and dash down the hall but don't get very far as his tail wraps around my stomach and I just collapse as I'm pulled back into my room.I just sit there as I feel tears well up in my eyes and I hear him nervously ask"He-hey a-are you o-o-okay,oh wait,shit,you're crying,um,I swear I'm not gonna hurt you"He lifts me off the ground and I squeeze my eyes shut before I feel him begin moving.I slowly open my eyes and see that he's holding me while slithering through the tight corridor.I'm gonna die when he exits the wall,I give a dry sob before my body as close together as I can and try to imagine myself in my happy place.

May POV.

The ride gets bumpy after a couple of minutes, and then the tail dissapears off me.Instantly I try to run off before I feel a warm hand wrap around me and pull me up.My eyes flick around as I see that I'm being held at least three feet in the air,if I fall from here I'll break every bone in my body.I look around and see that I'm in a room I've never been in before with large shelves covered in..........rubber ducks?He laughs anxiously and says"sorry,I didn't have time to clean up but,Now presenting the magic-tasticle backflipping rubber duck!"He holds up a rubber duck, which promptly leaps up from his hand a flips over midair, and I just stare at him as he turns the duck before adding,"That also breaths fire!"And sure enough, the duck releases a burst of flame, and he sets it down before saying,"I know,it's kinda stupid. "I shake my head and say,"N-not really,I think it's pretty i-impressive."He smiles, and I grimace at the sharp teeth showing in his mouth. If I'm not careful, he's gonna be picking me out of them by tonight.He gently places me on the workshop table, and I notice a piece or what he called"cake."Sitting there when he pulls it over and leaves it in front of me.I sit there silently for a moment before he says."Dont worry,it's for you,"I quietly mutter. "T-thank you."It takes me thirty minutes to finish the piece of cake, but afterward, I notice that Lucifer is working on something.Slightly bored, I try to walk over to one of the ducks when he reaches out and picks me up.I whimper a little as he pulls me up and holds up a small toy,some kind of stuffed duck toy which feels very soft and huggable.I gently cuddle it to my chest and say"Thanks"He smiles and says"No problem......um,sorry I don't think you ever told me you're name?"I look him over looking for any reason not to tell him, but I guess that there's no point in not telling him,maybe it'll make him keep me as a pet over killing me"May,I'm May"He raises a finger to me and I put my hand out to shake it.

May POV.

I lay on Lucifers palm as he works on his newest invention before I hear his stomach growl,I notice his hand curling around me a bit and I give a smirk as I hear him say"Hey May-May......"I fake huff and say,"No, Luci,you can't. "He gives a groan and huffs at me before saying,"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease,May-May,I'll have another chocolate cake made for you. "I cross my arms and say,"A batch of brownies and you don't ask tomorrow. "He nods happily, and I sigh before grabbing Deuce,the stuffed duck that Luci gave me when we first met and walk up to him.He holds his hand out, and I step onto his palm of his hand where he pull me up to his mouth and opens his sharp teeth before laying his tongue over the bottom layer and I crawl into his mouth before he begins licking all over my body and gently gnawing on my arm.He gently suckles on me before pinning me to the roof of his mouth and swallowing excess saliva.He opens his mouth again before placing a small custom made pillow and blanket into his mouth with me and swallowing.It takes a minute or two to arrive in his crop where I cuddle to the wall as I hear him talking about his"Magic-tastical backflipping rubber duck"Before hearing his phone ring and he yells"DAUGHTER,DAUGHTER CALLING!"Oh, Satan,this'll go well.

[crossover-enthusiast]

Putting this one in a separate post bc I want to (warning for mildly realistic but still cartoony spiders)

Anyways! @prof-ramses posited a v interesting theory that the giant spider isn't going to be an antagonist per-say, but rather its babies

And that got me thinking, and realizing, that there are a lot of spiders in Lila's house, from the very beginning

There are two little ones in the first ep, one in the stairwell and one in the mousehole next to the stairs, in addition to the large one we've grown accustomed to

(^ brightened for visibility)

Pelo even points out the stairwell spider in his (free to view) Patreon posts on the first episode, while simultaneously completely ignoring the giant spider

And then in Unwanted Guest there's a surprisingly large spider skittering between the floorboards in the pan up to the attic

Along with a smaller but still decently big spider chilling in the attic itself

And a tiny spider got itself stuck on Dexter's mouse trap

Also semi-related there's this big thing wrapped up in one of the webs. I have no idea what it is

Moloch says he was forced to eat rats and spiders while trapped in the attic -- interestingly, we haven't seen any rats in Lila's house, at least as far as I'm aware. Maybe the spiders take care of them as well?

There aren't any new spiders in Deadly Smiles to my knowledge, just a new shot of the big one

There are no spiders at all in The Stars or Tender Treats, presumably because of the short attic time in both (the giant spider was drawn in the TT attic scene, but the camera doesn't pan far enough to show it)

Spiders even briefly appear in the Tender Treats ARG! There are three decently-sized ones next to the family photo

I had to circle them because they're REALLY well hidden, even after brightening the image

Yeah, there are... a LOT more spiders crawling around this house than I was aware of, likely even more since Moloch is no longer there to do pest control

[princess-ibri]

can we have a madame mim backstory.

Sure! Sorry it took a bit

Mad Madam Mim was born Lady Miriam of Mousehole, a free spirited young woman who was tutored in the ways of witchcraft by her nannies, a trio of ladies from the land of Morva who absolutely falsified their good references to get the position, and may have been planning to eat baby Mim before she showed an early talent for magic and they decided to train her instead

Mim's great aptitude and appreciation for magic was countered by her having absolutely no inclination towards behaving as a proper lady should, she was always getting into mischief and dirt and declared she would rather be the one turning princes into frogs then kissing them

Despite this declaration she did end up eventually marrying King Bagdemagus, of the land of Gorre, who she was incredibly disappointed to find out was a quite polite and disgustingly normal man, and not an evil wizard as the name of his kingdom seemed to suggest

He was however very willing to let his mad wife run wild as long as she turned anyone important back from frogs at the end of the day which Mim appreciated, and together they had several daughters and a son, Maleagant, who with the witch Hellewise are the parents of Matilda "Mad Maddy"

Eventually Mim got bored of being Queen and giving her husband a peck on the head (she was a bird at the time) she flew the coop and settled down in the Forest Savage where she could be her prefered horrid hideous hag-like self

It was while living there she met Merlin and promptly decided her new favorite pastime was driving the fussy wizard to distraction, and they've been battling each other ever since

[n-ehpamoi]

Such an empty place, this -- where webs gather in corners in honor of the soldiers that spun them -- Dancing to the tune of hearty drafts from holes in windows no one ever bothered to fix.

Such a lonely place, this -- the mouseholes lie unentered, for some time -- their hollows in hollow walls left to crumble, just like the tile and stud --

Such an empty place -- the wind does not howl nor whisper, and yet still I hear a voice -- not creature lives here, but in the mirror I swear it I do every wild moment, hark, a figure --

Who dares, or would even bother, go there?

I forget -- A reflection only mine eyes could see through the dust laden glass -- it's only me -- It only ever was.

[wordrew]

Artefact: Pendacour, Testament of the Phoenix (Tome) Session 1

Lately, I have been increasingly interested in the world of solo RPGs as a way of exploring game design and as a creative outlet. Over the years, I have managed to collect a number of solo RPGs, but I have never actually played any of the games I own. I decided to finally start by picking up the one I have been most intrigued by, Artefact, a game created by Jack Harrison and published by Mousehole Press.

In Artefact, you become a sentient magical item exploring the item's history from creation through its line of Keepers - what a fucking rad idea! So I grabbed some candles and my new soloRPG journal and dimmed the lights down really low - this was going to be some intimate gaming time sans interruptions from the fam.

To start your journey in Artefact, you must first decide on what type of item you're going to play as - for this first experience, I decided to be a Tome based on its tagline - "A receptacle of knowledge, lost or forbidden." If you've ever gamed with me, you know that I love the trope of lost or forbidden knowledge. My characters are always seeking.

After choosing your item type, you follow a creation process which is unique for each item. For the Tome, you give the item three Traits, draw a picture of it, and name the chapters within. This happens before you start answering the Artefact Questions (which includes giving yourself a name), but I went right into naming since one had already manifested itself.

I was now Pendacour, Testament of the Phoenix. I was penned in the stale air of the now-lost temple of Saint Melacour, by the fanatical monk, Pendax. Since I skipped the three Traits portion, I will stop here and return to what I was supposed to do first.

As an aside, I (Drew) am finding that soloRPGs are a bit of the Wild West in terms of how they are intended to be played or used. From the information I've gathered on social media and places like itch.io, soloRPGs are meant to provide a general guide on how to play the game but openly allow for players to deviate whenever and however they like. For me, naming comes first. Almost always. Names have power, and they serve to help me really embrace whatever character I am writing (even if said character is, in fact, a magical Tome). Often times, I will have a character's name in mind before I begin "rolling them up."

Back to me, Pendacour, and my Traits, though. Artefact gives each item type a list of suggested Traits, which is a useful starting point. In fact, reviewing the list now offers some other intriguing options outside of the three that I embraced. My first trait is Blessed, followed immediately by Divine. In the end, I decided that they were synonymous enough for me to combine these traits. I then embraced Loyal and ultimately decided I was loyal to Saint Melacour and those who embraced His path. Finally, after synonymizing Blessed and Divine, I embraced Eager as my final Trait. We'll get to Eager in a later post...

Then I outline my chapters:

On Saint Melacour

His Blessings Upon Us

Invocations for Channeling

Offerings, Rituals, and Prayers

To Know His Presence

How to Live to Honor Him

Remembrance of Those Before

The final step before diving into the Artefact questions is to draw a picture of myself and give it some brief descriptors.

So my styling is a purple-dyed leather tome with a fiery silvery-orange/red ball of flame. The flame has stylized wings and tail of a phoenix embossed in gold. I have metallic corner protectors made of ornate, filigree gold, and several ribbon place markers. I am colorful and regal and of superior craftsmanship. I am a labor of fanatical love, but that story will have to come later...

[littlelostmabari]

WIP Wednesday

(Dividers by cafekitsune)

"Touch of Darkness"

(Soulmates AU, Gale x Named f!Tav : in progress) Check out the story on AO3! (Rating: M)

The dark took over their eyes too, as they told her there was nothing wrong. Their reassurances were hollow — something was fundamentally wrong with her magic, the thing that made her valuable and loveable and worthwhile. Notes of poison dripped across her stanzas, strings screeching when they were meant to sing. The Blackstaff herself told her afterwards that it was an accident. That collateral damage was always expected when mages of this caliber collect in one location. Waivers had been signed, families would be compensated.  Words, even from the Blackstaff, meant little to the eyes that followed her through the halls. Every whisper was a condemnation, every glance an accusation. Her guilt was a living thing, spreading from the wound in the Weave and clawing up through her veins until the walls of the Academy could do nothing but oppress and strangle.  She left a note for the Blackstaff, thanking her for the opportunity to study at the Academy.  She left a shorter note for her mother, apologizing for her failure as a battlemage protégé and resigning her position as heir to the Thundershade family.  And then she left.

"One of the Good Ones"

(DA2/DAI : Cullen/OC : in progress) Check out the story on AO3! (Rating: M)

“Those lyrium restraints need to eventually hold Orsino, so I need to know that we still have the upper hand. Find this Witch and bring her to me.” Rutherford saluted and turned on heel to leave, but Meredith wasn’t done. He stopped and looked over his shoulder as she continued. “In the meantime, I’m upping your lyrium ration. I don’t want her to get away again. Don’t worry, Cullen, when we’re done with her, I’ll let you have the honor of wielding the brand.” Saoirse expected to hear the sneer in her voice, but she sounded… resigned. Tired. He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes wide, before they darkened and he gave a short nod over his shoulder and closed the door behind him. Saoirse turned her attention back to Meredith as she listened to his heavy footsteps recede, but the Knight-Commander had taken a seat and seemed preoccupied with whatever paperwork was on her desk. Slowly, Saoirse crept to the far end of the desk before making a dash toward the crooked mousehole behind the bookshelf. She’d learned two things, and she couldn’t decide which was more terrifying:  Meredith was planning on making her Tranquil… and the Knight-Commander of the Kirkwall Templars positively reeked of shadow magic.

[microposting]

im a lurker because i’m too scared to interact. but i kinda love it because it makes me feel like a scared borrower watching from your walls. equal parts terrified and turned on

hey cmere it’s okay I won’t hurt you. I’m leaving normal definitely not suspicious snacks outside of ur little mouseholes.

[x-i-l-verify]

So I started reading "After All, This Is Who We Are" and OUGH it's so good! You're always on the scene of the BBH & Dream hurt/comfort, and thank god 'cause you're writing's great. I love seeing the worldbuilding bits brought over from "A Jewel in the Mousehole" and "Blood on the Carpet (It's Not You)" and reading Chapter 3 is like a constant stream of Vine booms!!

Also, have you read "Of People and Their Monsters" by Kuraiarcoiris? I need to get caught up on it, but it seems like it'd be totally up your alley.

- iced-sweet-dt

omg I'm so happy to hear that! I'm glad you've been enjoying all the hurt/comfort. >:3 lol, I do have a tendency to reuse worldbuilding between fics if it's pertinent to the situation, yeah. XD Chapter 3 is indeed a trip, lol.

lmao, yes, I have read OPaTM! I beta read for the author, who is a personal friend of mine, actually. :D It's a great story, I've loved seeing it come together over the last 10 months or so.

[magnoliaroad]

Luxe Living Kitchen + Family Room

Hello friends! At long last, I am ready to publish two playscenes from my Petz 5 makeover project. The Luxe Kitchen and Luxe Living playscenes are now available for download. Be sure to check out my blog post below for a behind-the-scenes look at my creation process.

OVERALL AESTHETIC

In making these overhauls, I was going for a luxury living aesthetic featuring gold accents, neutral beiges, and a touch of rococo. Understandably, this may not be everyone's aesthetic! I have ideas for future themes such as cottage core/witch core, dark academia, Barbie, etc. Now that I have done the ground work of making a reusable PSD template of this playscene, making future variations will be much easier because I can quickly swap out the wallpaper, flooring, rug, etc.

KITCHEN

I don't have a lot of notes on the kitchen remodel as it was a relatively straight forward recolor. The window backyard backdrop was replaced with my remodeled version. I added a tile backsplash for a touch of realism. Various components like the sink and its handles were recolored to gold to go with the luxury living theme. The ugly curtains, orange floor, wallpaper, and yellow fridge are all replaced with a more toned-down, neutral look.

I spent the most amount of time cleaning up the curtain and the window sprites as these were poorly done in the original. If you look closely, you can see several pixel defects that never got cleaned up.

BEFORE / AFTER

FAMILY ROOM

Making over the family room was quite the project as it involved editing several animation sprites. Here are my notes on the different parts of the room.

RUG

I know that the rug's perspective is not 100% correct but when I tried to adjust it to better match the perspective of the room, the results were actually worse. Somehow, the "correct" perspective ruined the "cozy, intimate" ambience of the room. It's a little hard to explain but I hope this design choice isn't too immersion-breaking for most people.

FIREPLACE

The boring old red brick was replaced with something a bit more contemporary. Where the brick texture meets the golden grate, I had to edit the edge so that there is a mortar gap. I also edited the fireplace sprites to remove some ugly pixel halos that the original assets had.

MOUSE HOLES

I replaced the default mousehole covers with golden doors to match the Luxury Living theme because I thought our little mice friends deserved an upgrade too! Tremendous thanks to Reflet from the Petz Hacking and Modding discord for helping me figure out how to do this. If you're making a non-overwrite hexed family room, then changing the mouse holes requires an extra step in a hex editor - it isn't enough to just swap out the sprites in Tinker. If you would like to learn how to do this yourself for your own playscene creations, Reflet's solution is posted in the Petz Hacking and Modding discord.

WINDOW + WEATHER EFFECTS

Oh my glob this was a whole project in itself. I swapped out the outdated backyard backdrop with my remodeled versions. But this presented a problem. Replacing the window backdrop meant that I couldn't use the animated rain and snow sprites that came with the original family room. These weather effects were pre-rendered against the old backdrop, making them incompatible with my replacement backdrop. So this meant that I had to craft my own rain and snow effects from scratch, frame by frame. *eye twitch* But if we're being honest, the original weather effects weren't that great looking anyway. The rain is so faint and barely visible and the snow animation left much to be desired.

Moreover, it always bugged me to no end that the original weather animations do not extend to the bottom of the window. Whenever the window is open, there is a noticeable gap where the rain or snow animation abruptly ends. I'm baffled on how this passed quality control testing (or if was there any).

I corrected this in my version of the weather animation by adjusting the size of the animation to extend to the bottom of the window and then fixing the X and Y positioning coordinates of all the frames in Tinker so that the animation was seated in the right spot. (I used the selection tool in photoshop to measure that the window sprite needed to be seated 858 pixels along the X axis from the left, and 56 pixels down the y axis from the top). Additionally, the original window has this odd 2-3 pixel gap at the top of the window which I fixed in my version so that the window properly extends up to the curtain rod.

Unfortunately, I had to remove the window shine from my window frame recolors. For some reason when you import the images into Tinker, Tinker recolors partial transparency to black and ruins it. If anyone discovers a solution to this problem, please do let me know!

I managed to create the rain animation by using an old video effects software called Particle Illusion. I tweaked a pre-existing rain preset and then recorded my screen using Screen-to-Gif to capture the animation, making sure that the screen capture matched the exact pixel dimensions of the window.

I extracted the exact number of frames I needed, made it transparent, and created a layer mask on the left side of the canvas to account for curtain, which clips into the window slightly.

Then I exported these frames as individual pngs and then imported them into Tinker. Thank goodness for photoshop actions and batch editing for performing repeated actions, or else I would have lost my mind.

The snow animation was much more challenging because I couldn't find a good video effect animation I liked - and even if I did, making the animation loop flawlessly would have been nearly impossible. So I hand-made my own using an old school 2D animation technique known as "parallax scrolling". Basically how it works is that I created 3 "conveyor belt" layers of snowflakes, each with a seamless repeating pattern. These three conveyor belt layers would each move independently of each other at a different pace. Conveyor belt 1 would move down slowly at a pace of 1 pixel per frame. Conveyor belt 2 would move down a little faster at a pace of 2 pixels per frame, and conveyor belt 3 would move down the fastest at a rate of 5 pixels per frame. The multiple layers of snowflakes give off the illusion of depth, making it look like some snowflakes are farther away.

In order for this animation to loop seamlessly, I had to calculate (yes, super serious complex petz math) the dimensions of these conveyor belt layers to correspond with the pace at which they would be falling. If conveyor belt 1 was falling at a rate of 1 pixel per frame, my repeating snowflake pattern needed to be about 30 pixels tall because there were 30 frames. The fastest conveyor belt, conveyor belt 3, had to be a pattern that was 150 pixels tall because it would be moving at a pace of 5 pixels per frame over the course of 30 frames so 30 x 5 = 150 pixels.

Once I made these three separate patterns I copied and pasted them downward to make the "conveyor belts" that would move down the window over the lifespan of the animation.

To animate this, I would make a new frame and then I would move layer 1 down 1 pixels, layer 2 down 2 pixels and layer 3 down 5 pixels. Then I created another frame and repeated this again and again until I hit 30 frames. If I messed up anywhere (which I did), I would have to redo the entire animation. It took some experimenting to finally get it all looking correct and looping properly.

I decided to enhance the snow animation further by addressing a longstanding issue with Petz 5's weather effects. It always bothered me that it could be snowing in the game, yet the scenery remained unchanged to reflect the seasons. To improve this, I overlaid my completed snow animation onto the winter version of my backyard backdrop. Now, whenever it snows in the window, the scenery actually shifts to a wintery backdrop. I mean that would just make sense right? It speaks to the sloppy/rushed development for Petz 5 that they didn't make it this way from the get go. If a solo amateur like myself could do it in one weekend, I don't know why a team of developers couldn't. (If I am allowed to humbly toot my own horn for a moment and say so.)

BEFORE / AFTER

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading this! I hope this journal proves to be useful and inspiring for future petz content creators who may want to get into custom content creation and retro game modding. It's been such a therapeutic pet project and I'm looking forward to making more playscenes in the future. The next playscenes on the release radar will hopefully be my 4 seasons backyards. I am still finalizing those and hope to release those as soon as life allows. Thank you for patiently waiting, real life is hectic!

To download the Luxe Kitchen and Luxe Living playscenes, jump over to my main page at Magnolia Road - the download link is under Resources > Playscenes.

[borealopelta]

eyes on the horizon

first boatboy fic yippee!!

rating: E pairing: Chuck Day/Roger Morris word count: 7311 summary:

“Do you want to try to sleep?” he asks, one half of him hoping Roger says yes – he needs it, judging by the dark circles under his exhaustion-dull eyes – and the other, selfish part hoping he says no, that he’ll understand the meaning behind the question and ask Chuck to stay and talk with him, or read to him, or keep him entertained in any fashion. Chuck would do anything to have him laugh again. Or just smile. He’d settle for a smile. “Not really. Doubt I’d manage it if I tried, either.” There’s a tinge of annoyance in Roger’s tone. Chuck knows it’s not directed at him – it must be awful for Roger to lie about in a mousehole of a cabin for days on end, retching up what little food or drink he can get down, and missing out on all the fun everyone else is having during their first transatlantic voyage. Roger spends the first couple days on board the SS Manhattan terribly seasick. Chuck attempts to take care of him, and things only get more complicated from there.

READ ON AO3