#i apologize for the weird formatting

[zarvasace]

Hey gamers! Would you like your very own physical copy of a LU Shatterproof story?

Well then do I have the overdesigned project for you! This document has the same text as the AO3 story bonds, the Valentine’s 2024 special, but it has been sized and laid out correctly for a physical booklet! All you need is a printer that can print grayscale and double-sided, scissors, and maybe a stapler.

Find the PDF on Google drive here. (This is my creation, so please don't edit the PDF or remove credit thank you! If you want a different layout or something let me know and I might be able to hook you up!)

Instructions for assembly below the cut.

Download the PDF and press the print button. (The file is called "240225_bondsquarto2_typeset")

If you'll notice, the pages are all out of order. That's because it's meant to be folded in a specific way! (Troubleshooting: I noticed that opening this pdf in Firefox took out some of the words, specifically in Legend's section. I suggest opening in Edge or Chrome or something.)

Print Settings:

Portrait layout

Double-sided: print on both sides, SHORT edge flipping.

Letter paper size.

Fit to printable area for most printers (will have a white border on some edges) or actual size if your printer can go edge-to-edge. Messing with margins and trying to get that right is what took me forever. You could fit to printable area and then trim the margins off if you really feel like it.

1 page per sheet.

You should end up with two sheets that look like this:

Fold the first sheet short edge to short edge. Crease that really well, then open it up and cut it nicely along the crease. A straight edge cutter, or ruler and blade, would be nice but I just did scissors.

Progress so far:

Now fold and cut the other sheet exactly the same way. Arrange the pieces in this order:

Now set them all nicely together and fold all of it in half. You could do each sheet one by one but it isn't that long. Make sure to crease that fold really well!

Then staple or sew the edges, or bind however else you want. I used a stapler. Red thread would be really thematic though.

And ta da! You have your very own limited edition copy of bonds! :)

Last step: take photos and tag me so I can see how you did it!!

[arcanusarchieves-if]

The classic jealous ask! What would be the ros reaction to the mc being flirted with in front of them? crushing stage!

I've admittedly been waiting for this one, it's always one of my favorites to read about on other ifs' blogs. I kinda hijacked the prompt a little and made so it's another (random) Circle member flirting with MC! I hope you don't mind.

"Hello {MC}, I hope you're not busy. I know that these meetings can be quite frantic so I was wondering if you would be up to having a quick lunch so we can discuss things. There is this lovely little cafe that I think you will really enjoy. It's not too far, it's just down by-" Astoria stops dead in her tracks, simply blinking at you and [Random Circle Member] for a few awkward moments. Dark brown eyes simply gaze into your own for a while - they seemed longing almost, as if searching desperately for something. Eventually, she ends up clearing her throat, giving a forced but somehow still kind smile, before continuing to speak as if nothing had happened, although her hands do tremble ever so slightly as she does so. "I see that you're currently occupied. I will...see you later I suppose. If you have any questions about the meeting feel free to reach out MC - and obviously you as well [Random Circle Member]. My door is always open." You open your mouth to respond but before any words are able to tumble out, Astoria turns around and walks away throwing a quick "I'll just being grading papers up in my office - if you need anything" over her shoulder as she leaves.

"I was hoping that you and I could go out sometime? I mean I really like you MC and-" A figure slides into the seat next to you, firmly wrapping a leather-clad arm around your shoulder, interrupting [Random Circle Member]'s admittedly awkward attempt at stumbling through a confession. Your eyes dart over to the cause of said interruption and are completely unsurprised to see Caspian's smirking face staring back at you. After all, few people would have the pure audacity to insert themselves into a random interaction like this - and even fewer would be willing to touch someone like you so openly while doing so. "So, what're you two are talking about? I mean I wouldn't want to interrupt anything important, but I was wanting to show {MC} some of the upgrades that I made on the bike - it's been so long since we've been able to catch up and all! We'll see you around though." Caspian has you standing up and pulled away before you even realized what has happened - if it wasn't for the smug smirk crossing his face every so often, you wouldn't even realize he did it on purpose.

"Of course, this is where I would find you. Hovering around and making horribly awkward attempts at courtships while the rest of us are slaving away at [Whatever Strategy the Circle is Doing]. Not particularly surprising but frustrating, nonetheless. It's nice to know where your priorities lie, {MC}." Solaine's sharp words slice right through the conversation that you were having. A deep purple gaze locks straight onto you, not even deigning to look towards your current conversation partner. They look deeply unimpressed, something angry and bitter lingering in their eyes, before they look away with a scoff. Pushing a strand of snowy hair behind their ear, they sneer before turning around and walking towards the exit, their movements precise as always. Seeming unable to stop themself, they throw a few words over their shoulder as they are leaving. "If your outing ends up being unsatisfying, as I imagine it will be, feel free to track me down so we can get some actual work done. Despite your...personality flaws...your skill set can be occasionally useful."

"Anyways, I was thinking that we could go down to [Random Restaurant]? The foods great and I can assure you that you'll have a great time." Shifting around uncomfortably, your eyes dart across the room, unable to decide if it would be safer to stare at [Random Circle Member]'s flirtatious expression that's right in front of you or Maeve's unimpressed amber eyes that are glaring into you from the other side of the table. You open your mouth to answer the question that [Random Circle Member]'s had posed but are almost immediately interrupted by a snarky voice. "{MC} doesn't like [Type of Food Served At Restaurant]." You could feel yourself internally flinch at the slightly baffled expression on [Random Circle Member]'s face. Any sympathy you have for them however immediately disappears at the pure stupidity of their next choice; they scoff at her. "Well, I didn't know that so-" Maeve stands up interrupting their words. She doesn't even give you a chance to respond as she stands up and stomps out of the room, muttering angrily as she passes by you. "You don't even know what food they like, and you asked them out on a date? That's - you know what? You're right, it doesn't even matter. Have fun at [Random Restaurant], MC. Hope you can manage to find something that you'll like."

"So, what do ya say, MC? Wanna grab a bite? I promise you'll have a good time. Just let me know by the end of the meeting, kay?" You can feel Jasper's eyes on you as [Random Circle Member] asks the question. You turn to meet his gaze for a moment and are a bit surprised to see something bitter and longing that is lingering in his amber eyes. Just as quickly as it came though, the look disappears, leaving Jasper's normally kind and patient expression behind. He gives you an encouraging, albeit forced, grin before he begins mouthing a few quick words to you. The moment he sees your face scrunch up in confusion, he reaches for a piece of paper and quickly jots something down before sliding it over to you. 'You should say yes. They seem to like you a lot :)' - J You feel your eyes soften at the encouragement but the moment you look up to mouth your thanks, you see that his attention is now occupied towards the current strategy talk. You wave it off as him being invested in his work but can't help but feel that something is off when you don't manage to catch his eye the rest of the meeting...

[carlos-tk]

Ok here goes!! I’m new to the 911 LS fandom and thus this is my first addition to Seven Sentence Sunday (let us all ignore that it’s already Monday in my timezone) I’ll be asleep when this posts due to that! Please enjoy this graphic I cooked up on a whim because I totally forgot that was a thing until 5 minutes ago!

Extremely nervous to post this as it’s really the first foray back into writing in years. This is part of a as yet unnamed colleagues AU that I’ve been working on

Thanking some pre-tags from earlier this week @rmd-writes @welcometololaland @celeritas2997 @inkweedandlizards 💗

This is also definitely more than seven sentences but I digress

“You know you should totally fuck me against that nice big window,” TK announces as he roams around Carlos’ new office, fingers dancing along the windowsill, sparing a glance outside, raindrops pelting heavily against the glass, the storm clouds shielding most of the cityscape below.

Carlos fixes him with an unimpressed glare. “TK we’re at work,” he groans, “could you at least try not to be crude.” TK turns from the window, circling back to strand in front of Carlos, before leaning against the desk behind him, shrugging plainly, “I’m just saying,” he whines, reaching out a hand to poke his pointer finger into Carlos’ abdomen.

“Is it the promotion making you so uptight?,” he asks, absentmindedly tugging on the lower buttons of Carlos’ shirt.

“I am not uptight,” Carlos refutes, shoving TKs hand away.

“Are you sure? Because I seem to recall a time when we did very naughty things, very often, in this very building,” he smirks, his hand once again ghosting across Carlos’ abdomen, his pinky finger dipping beneath the waistband of his slacks.

Carlos bites back a moan at TKs tone and innuendo, the touch of his hand against his body, “and now I can’t even make a suggestion without you scolding me, that doesn’t seem fair baby.”

Carlos bring a hand up to rest between the gap where TKs neck meets his clavicle. “I’m just saying don’t get your hopes up for any repeat performances, I’d actually like to keep my job.” TK huffs a breath, retracting his own hand from Carlos’ body.

“Killjoy,” he mutters under his breath, a pout forming on his lips. “Also you just proved my point,” he exclaims. “By saying I wouldn’t sleep with you on the premises,” Carlos asks, quirking an eyebrow at him. “Yes,” TK replies in an instant.

“You’re seriously telling me you have your own private office now, that also has a lock might I add, and you’re not going to fuck me in it.” His pout deepening. “Last month you had me on my knees in one of the unlocked restroom stalls, and now you-,” he doesn’t get to finish his sentence.

Carlos tugs him forward, grasping his wrists, twisting both behind his back. He presses himself as close as he can with the intrusion of their joined hands between them, biting down on TKs earlobe, breath hot against his ear. “You’re being a terror.” TK inhales sharply, still trying to keep his cool, “Am I?,” he asks, sounding only mildly pathetic.

“You need to behave baby, or you won’t be getting fucked anywhere,” Carlos warns, voice rough, his grip on TKs wrists tightening.

“What,” TK cries out in disbelief. “Do I need to repeat myself,” Carlos asks, though he knows the answer already. “No,” TK lets out quietly. “Good boy,” Carlos praises, and it takes all of TKs willpower not to grind back against Carlos at the endearment.

I have no idea who to tag but I’m just going to add some people whose work I admire @strandnreyes @three-drink-amy @orchidscript @reyesstrand @carlos-in-glasses @birdclowns and anyone else who’d like to join 💗

[ratinayellowbandana]

Prompt: “I feel terrible.” And/or “I want you to kiss me right now.”

I love your fics 🥹 just yesterday I was thinking of your name while perusing ao3 and was wishing for another Imodna fic of yours

hi!! thank you so much for your kind words. it always shocks me when people, like, want to read my writing? so it really means a lot. i'm sorry this took me a little longer. i ended up combining your first one with another prompt and part of my wip so when i eventually publish a fic with an extremely similar scene from imogen's perspective.. dw about it.

anyway, here's some post-resurrection hurt/comfort. we're gonna all pretend they stayed in the castle for a couple days and sorted their shit out.

cw for feelings of helplessness and self-loathing

length: ~1.7k

some prompt lists if you're so inclined || my ao3

~~~

It’s been three days since they got her back. 

Three days since she woke on the worn wooden floors of Pike’s home to a small crowd of friends and strangers. 

Three days since she set foot in Whitestone again, a place she never hoped to return. 

And three days since everyone began treating Laudna as if she's going to shatter. 

The worst part is she feels as if she might. 

The world is too vibrant. Loud. The birds chirping outside the too-large castle window grate on her ears. The silky sheets on the too-soft four-poster bed cling to her in all the wrong ways. Her skin crawls and her bones grind and she can feel her teeth. 

The gnome who revived her said this is normal. She’d been dead, after all. The body would need time to recalibrate. Time they do not have if they want to have any hope of intervening on the solstice. 

Imogen dotes the best way she knows how. With soup and kind words and glares that warn the others to keep back if they don’t want a zap to the forehead. She offers furs from the trunk at the foot of the bed and cool cloths that do little to ease the ache of Laudna’s fragile joints. She brings pillows and keeps watch in the window seat as Laudna sleeps. 

It’s sickeningly sweet and thoughtful and lovely, and Laudna hates it just a little bit because Imogen has spent far too much time fretting over Laudna as of late when she should be anywhere but a stuffy old castle spooning broth to a dead lady whose hands won’t stop shaking. 

Laudna is fine. 

She’s fine. 

She is. 

Delilah is gone, they assure her. Imogen herself sent a bolt of lightning through the bitch’s strange conjured tree trunk in the twisting nether realm that left the smell of iron and marrow lingering in Laudna’s nose. Her limbs still sting with phantom wounds where she had thrashed against Delilah’s cage. 

Helpless. Weak. 

The others were there, too. At least, for much of the fight and everything that preceded. They had seen Laudna’s memories, as Fresh Cut Grass informed her. Learned the name she had taken care to hide all these years. Buried deep enough, even Imogen, brilliant as she is, would have to dig to uncover it. Delilah, it seemed, only cared for secrets when they were hers to keep. 

When her friends visit her chambers, their vivacity is dulled. They are tense, anxious, and trying and failing to hide the restlessness that they are all feeling. 

Orym regards her with new wariness, searching for lies and cracks, though he is kind as ever. It’s understandable, Laudna reasons. In this place, where the Briarwood reign harmed innumerable lives, she is a liability. A threat to be guarded against.

Fearne is delicate with her hugs, moves cautiously through Laudna’s space. She hasn’t even stolen any of the silver soup spoons or fine teacups, which might be most concerning of all. 

Ashton hovers in the doorway. They return her awkward waves with a nod and flick of their wrist. 

Chetney and Fresh Cut Grass seem the most unbothered. Chetney in a plush bathrobe that appears to have been hastily cropped to suit his stature, and F.C.G. chattering on about the importance of rest to the healing process. 

And Laudna hates them just a little bit because she cares for them all so deeply, but mostly, she just hates herself. Hates Delilah. Hates Otohan Thull. 

They’re losing time and they’ve already lost so much. Imogen has already lost so much. Her mother’s trail is growing colder by the day, and there is nothing Laudna can do but lay in this godsforsaken luxurious bed and wait until her body recovers. 

It’s all she can do not to break into a thousand pieces that she would scatter to the nooks and crannies so she wouldn’t have to see the pitying looks on her friends’ faces when Imogen has to help her up. 

She turns on her side and buries her face in an obnoxiously soft down pillow to muffle the sob that wells within her and wracks her body. 

She does a piss-poor job of that, too. 

“Laudna?” Imogen calls sleepily, roused from a sun-dappled doze. Then, alert, “Hey, hey–” 

She’s standing, Laudna can hear, and now she’s gone and disturbed Imogen. Bare feet pad across the cool stone floor, and the far side of the bed dips, ever considerate. She will not come closer, Laudna knows, unless given explicit consent because Imogen is wonderful and caring and lovely.

“What’s wrong, darlin’?” 

Laudna shudders. “I feel terrible.” 

“Oh,” Imogen says, and Laudna can feel the flash of guilt and concern that radiates off of her. “Can I bring you anything? Is it your head?” She shifts her weight. “Do you need water? I can go get a pitcher. Or food, maybe?”

“Stop. Please, stop,” Laudna croaks. Imogen flinches, and gods, Laudna could be sick.

Imogen retreats. “Sorry, I’ll just– sorry,” she murmurs, sounding so small. 

Laudna lifts her head and darts a trembling hand to catch her wrist. “No!” she says. Her body betrays her, the word coming out as more of a roar than she ever could have meant. “No,” she repeats, softer, “stay. Please,” because if she frightens Imogen off, she fears what will crawl into the hole left behind. 

Imogen hesitates, glances down at the ink-tipped fingers clasped around her arm, and sits again. She doesn’t speak, leaving the path clear for Laudna to lead the way, and oh, Laudna could melt. 

Laudna sighs shakily, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…it’s not you.” 

Not Imogen. Never Imogen. 

The silence hangs heavy between them until Laudna can bring herself to speak again. 

“This is my fault, I’m afraid,” she states flatly, refusing to meet Imogen’s gaze. Refusing to see whatever reaction she may find there. Anguish. Frustration. Irritation.

“What?” 

Confusion.  

Laudna looks up, gestures vaguely to their surroundings. “This. All of us being… trapped here.” 

“Laud, what’re you talkin’ about?” 

Imogen’s hand comes to stroke the back of Laudna’s knuckles where they wrap around her other wrist. Her fingers are calloused and work-worn, the rough patches of them catching on the imperfect parts of Laudna. 

“You should be off tracking down your mother or finding out what you can about the moon, and instead,” Laudna’s voice catches in her throat, “you’re here.”

Imogen shakes her head, exhales. “Where I should be is for me to decide.” She says it gently. It is not meant to be a reprimand. It still feels like one. “And where I should be,” she continues, “is wherever you are.” 

Laudna’s eyes flit anywhere but Imogen’s face. 

“If you want me there, of course.”

Laudna’s response is instant. “Always.” 

She finally meets Imogen’s eyes and is met with a somewhat furrowed brow. She wants to ask something, Laudna can tell. Imogen’s head is tilted curiously, her lips slightly parted. Her jaw works subtly, muscles tensing. 

“It’s not your fault,” she settles on at last. “None of it, okay?”

Laudna opens her mouth to respond.

Imogen is steely calm. “You were gone, Laudna. And I couldn’t reach you, and…and you’re here now. You’re back, and that’s all that matters.” 

Laudna shrinks into the pillows, takes her hand back beneath the sheet, fist clenching and unclenching. “I feel like such a nuisance,” she confesses quietly. “I should have tried harder to break her hold on me. I should have–”

“No. Gods,” Imogen snaps, lacking any real bite. She inhales. “Laudna, you…you were dead. And I hate sayin’ it; I hate thinkin’ about it. You couldn’t’ve done anythin’ more than what you did.” She softens, throat tightening with emotion. “You did so much. And I’m so proud of you. And… I’m so grateful you chose to come back.” 

“It wasn’t much of a choice,” Laudna whispers, “I couldn’t very well leave you, darling.” 

“You could’ve.” Imogen bites her lip, ducks her head, fiddles with the hem of her vest. “We, um, I know F.C.G. told you, but we… saw some of your memories. And, and I didn’t really wanna bring it up? So I’m real sorry, but we only saw a couple moments, and we don’t have to talk about it, but,” she looks back to Laudna, “you’re so brave. I don’t think you get told that enough. You’re so strong, Laud, and so good, and I missed you. So much.” She takes a sharp breath.

It bursts out as though holding it in any longer might suffocate her, and Laudna’s hands cease their twitching. She hesitates. Imogen’s affection has split her open, and it’s odd, she thinks, to feel so vulnerable and so safe. That those two sensations can coexist as a tingling in her chest that extends into her tendons and ligaments to warm her all over. She can sense the discolored blush rising in her cheeks. 

She does not feel brave. Strength has always been foreign and abstract. That Imogen can see her that way is… incongruous. Absurd, even. 

“You’re very kind.”

Imogen looks as if she might protest but seems to think better of it. She sighs, a slight, sad smile crossing her lips. She moves to stand again, to cross the room back to her seat, and suddenly, the thought of Imogen being so far away is unbearable. 

“Stay, please?” Laudna shuffles, lifting a corner of the quilt. “This bed is plenty big enough for two, and I dread to think of the state of your neck curled up in the window.”

“You’re sure?” Imogen asks, faint hope coloring her words. 

“Come here.” 

The bed dips again as Imogen clambers in, pressing herself against Laudna, who lets out an oomph as Imogen wraps around her and intertwines their fingers. 

“Sorry!” Imogen says with a relieved exhale, “Sorry, I just–I know I said it before, but… I really missed you.” 

“I missed you, too,” Laudna assures gently, taking in the oaty smell of Imogen. The smell of home. “Rest well, darling.” 

Imogen squeezes their hands in response and burrows closer. 

Laudna relaxes into the embrace.

[daily-yellowguy]

this blog already gives me so much serotonin oh my god the little guy

he

i wanna squeeze him

HEHEHE thank you !!! squeezable like squeaky toy ....

[lion-buddy]

OK YOUR FRIENDSHIP CHART MAKES ME THINK... Is Preme like. still an all powerful celestial/alien being??? I know we saw their chest crystal(?) get shattered in the final battle but like?? Are they basically just a super powerful fairy now????

ough i actually do have a lot of thoughts regarding prim and pukas power sets,, ty for giving me and excuse to share them

I feel like prim and pukas powers as cures are left kinda ambiguous by the end of the movie, so i wanna try and maybe pick out the details and comes to a conclusion

I want to start with what we do know and then go into my headcanons i guess. So to start, from what i can tell Supremes power set can be divided into three categories. Creation, Destruction, and Electricity. Since its stated that Supreme split their power with puka, we can assume puka can do all of this as well.

[this is long continuing under the cut]

For Creation, i feel this ones not super defined. We see Supreme use it a few times, once to recreate the earth, recreating themselves, and also to create life on earth, including puka. I also believe that puka is seen using it. I always interpreted that puka, after breaking apart supremes earth, was the one to put the pieces back together and reform the actual earth with the help of all the precures memories. I would also argue that puka used that same power to create the miracle lights. I understand the miracles lights just kinda Show Up and dont necessarily need a reason to exist, but i think this explanation is fun. 

this is also just speculation and probably not intentional, but i noticed that when supreme recreated the earth, the particles and blue. and when puka recreated the earth, those particles were pink <3 [the particles are most likely just the miracle lights but i like this explanation better <3<3]

I feel that the Destruction and the Electricity powers supreme and puka show off can often get confused with each other, so im gonna try and define their characteristics. For Destruction, we see puka use it whenever their paw pads and heart symbol start to glow green. Supreme also follows a similar format, with the green heart jewel on their chest glowing when they specifically use that power, or when we see the symbol on supreme origins chest glow green as well.

We also see it represented with the gold star circles, with both cure puka and supreme beta using them while fighting. Tho i also attribute the star circle to their Creation power as well, since we see supreme beta use it to summon the white supreme clones before the final fight, so its no mutually exclusive to the Destruction power.  [love how the stars have a warping effect around their edges argh <3]

The final category of their power set is just an Electricity motif more than anything. We see supreme use it whenever they do their peace sign hand pose, and for them its blue electricity. We see cure puka use it a bit too, more as a charge up before they punch supreme, and we can see that their electricity is pink. Overall this power seems to be what they default to when fighting and not trying to destroy or recreate the world. 

There are also a few other little flares of power here and there, with supreme shown to be able to summon bunny shields and use their electricity in a few unique ways. I know personally i like the idea of cure supreme and puka having a variety of powers because i like the idea of them being a duo team. theyd only be able to rely on each other, and would need a variety of attacks to keep things interesting. [im aware there are other cure duo teams but i imagine the enemies supreme and puka fight are much more involved <3]

Now when it comes to the end of the movie, we’re not really told what these two are capable of, but i can speculate. From what we do know, i believe its confirmed that supreme is human by the end, and puka is still a fairy. To me, that means puka can still transform between fairy and cure puka, and prim cant transform into supreme origin or beta anymore. And in regards to what power cure supreme has left, how i interpret it is that they no longer have that power of Destruction. We see the green jewel on their chest shatter in the final fight, and to me that green jewel represented their power of Destruction. So by destroying that jewel, they no longer have that ability. 

Now that we have all the information laid out, im going to start headcanoning things for fun. I really like the idea of supreme and puka having contrasting abilities that complement each other. supreme lost their power of destruction at the end of the movie, but that leaves the question: does puka still have it? I dont see a reason as to why they wouldnt still have it. There is something i adore about the idea that the character who despised their power not only used it to save the world, but is now tasked with the responsibility of ensuing its used responsibly. 

They would also contrast each other in fighting styles. We know that supreme is very skilled at physical combat, and i believe that its something they would need to rely on more as a human. i like to think theyre more limited in their moves as a human cure. we see supreme beta floating and teleporting, but now they cant do that anymore. theyre really just limited to their electricity blasts and own skill. And while skilled, i do believe they would have to adapt to fighting as a human. Something i noticed during all their fights is that if they do get hit, they always seem relatively unaffected. As origin gamma and beta, supreme would just take the hit point blank. The only times theyre somewhat out of control being when theyre taken off balance. But as a human, taking a hit hurts, and i think theyd have to learn to get used to that. It doesnt matter how skilled of a fighter you are, as a human you have limits. these limits frustrate supreme, but theyd learn to enjoy the challenge that comes with it and fighting.

when it comes to puka and fighting, i feel they still dont really enjoy it. theyre powerful, thats for sure, but theyre clumsy. they landed one great punch in the movie, but that was it. they seem like the type that would charge in with too much momentum and then not know how to put on the brakes. they understand their destructive abilities are linked to their emotions, but maybe falter every once and awhile. but they are determined to get better. they look up to supremes coordination and composure, how they were able to harness such power so gracefully. even if their intentions back then were not ideal. puka knows the power they have is important and their responsibility to use to help those who need it. supreme understands that too. puka is more willing to change than them, thats why its their responsibly.

[emmabirb8]

I was browsing Walmart online the other day and I searched for IZ stuff (not expecting to find much, if anything, but since Walmart has devolved into the likes of Amazon these last few years, some products actually did come up), and uh...

They're offering a blanket depicting a FAKE fan-made rumor episode/special that never existed??? I think it's supposed to be that "Invader Dib" idea that has circulated since waaayy back in the day. (Maybe????)

Now I'm left wondering - who designed this?? There's no way this is official merch right - it's clearly a weird knockoff item, so like... someone drew this. Some person somewhere designed this incredibly cheap-looking very obviously fake blanket and struck a deal with Walmart to sell it for actual money.

And I'm sorry, but it's not even a good design. (It's even cut off a little on the side if this is an accurate product "photo.")

What is going on??? Lmao

[possumteeths]

Mirror To Mirror: (7.5 k words of filth. Please read the tags lol!)

unfortunately I’m back on my bullshit with this motherfucker 😔

Summary under the cut!

Keep Reading!

Keep Reading!

[time-slink]

How do you go about composition? Especially with color values.

I'm constantly struggling with this and i KNOW the answer is mainly practice but it can't hurt to have more perspectives

definitely still learning this one myself! but here’s some earlier iterations of my zine piece a bit back, if that helps! it’s much easier to start in bnw so you don’t get overwhelmed.

and then some annotation of one of my favorite works of art on this blog! (rewriting it under the cut if you can’t read my handwriting)

in short, i'd say go into the drawing with an idea of where you want the viewers eye to go first, then base your color and value choices around that. this is also something to think about in the sketch phase! like above, both his arms and his leading leg point towards his face, the main focal point :)

one: first focus; most detail

fur points towards the face at its lightest

two: second focus, high contrast very saturated

now that your eyes are down here, three: the axe

[starlit-hopes-and-dreams]

Chapter 18 ~ The sweet torture of dreams

Hidden Depths

Previous ~ Masterlist ~ Next

Also on ao3

Genre: Fantasy whump

CW: ... *whispers angst* ... okay but its cute to start XD then uh, some nightmares of slicy stabby times, pretty short ones tbh, but uh, blood, blink and you'll miss it forced to watch, and a little knife to throat action

WC: 1965

In which things are going well for once! Except for... sleeping. Who needs that, though?

AN: This is the part where I confess my complete lack of knowledge in regards to lip reading aside from a very quick research session which mostly consisted of me talking to myself in the mirror 😅 So uh, keep that in mind and we'll all be good lol

With this chapter, we are up to date with where I am in my writing. While I did complete the bitch chapter (the one after this), I'm not happy with it yet, so I'm going to take a couple weeks to make sure that I am happy with it, because it's kinda pivotal to get these guys to where I want them to be. So, thank you in advance for your patience! <3

Resh

Like this? Resh asked, moving his hand through a series of motions that evidently meant something like ‘the way is clear’. Not exactly sure why he’d need to know that, but… 

Orla peered at him intently from across the table. “Two words?” she asked, a little uncertainly. “I think the first started with an ‘L’?”. 

Seated beside Orla, Carr repeated the sign for Resh, showing him which part he’d messed up while she finished chewing the chunk of bread she’d just ripped off. 

“Say it again, Resh, slower,” Carr said after she’d washed the mouthful down, grimacing at the taste of the ale. 

They were several days out from the capital now, and the towns and villages had grown few and far between. Their necessarily slow progress, due to the multiple stops they now took to preserve Carr’s sanity, meant sometimes they stayed in less than ideal accommodations, but Resh didn’t mind. 

Carr narrated the movements of his lips, coaching Orla on the sounds the letters made. “You got the la sound. Mostly, you aren’t gonna get the middle sounds, you gotta watch for the ones that make visible movements… Just the first word, now…” 

Resh obeyed, feeling a little silly. 

“See there, how his mouth made a kinda, uh, clacking motion? That’s a ka sound. So only two um, what did you call them?” 

“Consonants,” Orla chimed in. “So, a two-syllable word? Probably?” 

Carr gave his sister the side-eye at her use of the word syllable, and Resh suppressed a smile, not wanting Carr to think he was laughing at her. 

“Sure.” Carr drew out the word, eliciting a giggle from Orla. “So you have a word with two whatevers, begins with la and has a ka in the middle or at the end. Can you think of any words like that?” 

Orla hummed, stirring the thin, slightly oily soup in front of her. “Look, lick, like, lack, leak, luck, lurk–”

“Alright, alright, you know a lot, apparently.” Carr lifted her bowl, draining the rest of the broth, then wiped her mouth on her sleeve. 

“Now you gotta use some context, and like, get rid of some of those. Look has stuff in the middle that don’t fit the shapes Resh made with his mouth. And why would he be talkin ‘bout leeks? Nasty vegetable, if you ask me.” She wrinkled her nose, leveling a glare at the offending bowl. 

“Not that kind of leak!” Orla protested, and Resh started shaking with silent laughter. 

Carr passed a hand over her eyes. “Wouldn’t be talkin ‘bout that, either, fuckin shit, kid.” She had Resh repeat the words and the sign, which he did after looking longingly at his food. “He wants to know if he’s doing it right, which…” 

Resh made a small correction, smiling when Carr grinned at him. 

“Now he is. So–” 

“Like!” Orla shouted, causing the people further down the bench to swivel their heads in their direction. She hunched her shoulders. “Sorry.” 

“Yeah,” Carr said, ruffling her short curls.

Now that they were out of the capital, Orla seemed less self-conscious about the length of her hair, although that was likely inspired by Carr’s strangely appealing, self-cut hair. Resh wasn’t sure how the short, ragged lengths of red-gold resembled anything but a hack job done without using a mirror or giving a shit how it turned out (which was exactly the case), but somehow it worked for her.

They switched teaching roles now, Orla using his notebook to show her the letters that made the sounds Carr referred to, then the word like. Resh took the opportunity to eat, softening his bread in the lukewarm soup before taking a bite. 

Thankfully, no one in this town–if you could even call this place a town–had been a dick, so with any luck, Carr wouldn’t feel the need to kill anyone here. Not that he could blame her for the last incident, although before he’d learned about the serving girl, he’d been… unhappy that she’d gotten her hands dirty because he’d frozen. 

Unhappy. He almost snorted at the thought. Embarrassed, more like. But it helped his pride a bit that he could still haggle with the merchants and innkeepers. Most of the population was at least semi-literate, but on the occasions they weren’t, he had Orla translate for him, using gestures and expressions to express his intentions.    

All in all, aside from the difficulties at the start, this trip was going pretty well. 

Carr was acting more comfortable around him after their talk. She got along well with Orla. Resh dared to hope they might all be able to make a life together once they found a place to settle. 

A yawn cracked his jaw, and he reached to cover his mouth with his gloved hand. Managing to sleep more than an hour or two a night was… a problem, ensuring that he was perpetually tired these days. Carr shot him a knowing look before returning her attention to the notebook, her gaze flickering over the glove he’d put back on before they entered the inn. 

Resh scrunched his nose. He was working on the whole covering-up thing. It just didn’t seem worth it to invite questions in a place they wouldn’t be staying at for more than a night.  

~~~

The breeze the small window admitted to their room was barely enough to stir the stuffy, too-warm air inside. Cloud cover blocked the light of the stars and most of the moon’s silver glow. 

Resh stared into the darkness, hugging the thin blanket from his pallet on the floor to his chest. 

One of the girls mumbled in their sleep before settling back into the soft rhythms of sleep. 

He was so tired. But they were sharing a room. If he had a nightmare, he might wake someone; Carr most likely, as she was a light sleeper. Resh didn’t especially want her to see him like that again. 

Running travel scenarios and possible destinations through his mind didn’t much help distract from the occasional creak in the hall that made his heart jump or keep the shifting shadows from looking like ominous versions of… he yawned, his eyes drifting closed against his will. 

A knee dug sharply into his stomach, driving all the air from his lungs while abusing bruised muscle and mutilated skin. His fingers clenched around the chains stretching his arms out while Marcus took his sweet time carving another searing line into his flesh.  It hurt, but it was still better than other options. Resh clenched his jaw, trying not to give the bastard the satisfaction of hearing his pain.  The prince moved, which at least allowed Resh to breathe again. But the dagger moved too, dragging across his chest, his abdomen, crossing some of Marcus’ previous handiwork, leaving trails of blood and burning lines of pain that burst into bright sparks, shooting throughout his body.  He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears as Marcus’ fingers replaced the bite of the blade, digging cruelly into lacerated flesh, trailing in such a familiar manner over Resh’s body that he wanted to claw what was left of his own skin off.  

Resh’s eyes snapped back open, and he drew in a sharp breath, curling his legs up to his chest. Not there not there not there. 

He wanted to get up, wanted to leave the room, go for a walk, do anything but lie there, but his body felt frozen. If he moved, that shadow over there would see him, would stop him, would… no, no it wouldn’t. That shadow was just a shadow. It couldn’t hurt him. He took another shuddering breath. 

Happy memories, maybe? If he thought about his childhood, maybe his dreams would reflect those memories instead. Resh pictured his father returning from a trade route, going over the ledgers with him while baby Orla crawled around, his mother cooking something that smelled fantastic in the other room. 

His heart stopped thumping so hard at least, no longer trying to leap from his chest. His eyes drifted closed again while he built a block tower for toddler Orla, listening to her tinkling laugh when he pretended to be a monster, knocking the blocks down with a clatter…

Marcus’ laughter was one of pure joy, layering over the small, whimpering cries of the person struggling beneath his blade. Resh tried to move, to stop him, only to find his arms chained to the wall, stretching his shoulders painfully as the links clattered, taunting him.  The prince finished slicing off the person’s clothes, leaving angry lines of red splitting pale flesh. A step to the side allowed Resh to see who was with him, and he lunged against the chains, over and over, when Carr’s tear-filled eyes met his own.  He cried out with her when Marcus set the tip of his blade against her side, slowly pushing it in–

Resh bolted upright, a scream lodged in his useless throat, his heart thrumming desperately as his eyes tried to penetrate the darkness. Where was she, where was he, where… 

A sharp intake of air cut through the oppressive silence, releasing on a soft, strangled sob, and he jerked his head to the side, barely making out a bed against the wall. 

Carr. 

Barely able to breathe through the tightness squeezing his chest, he scrambled for the bed, his hands encountering a soft, warm body shifting restlessly under the sheets. 

A soft, warm body that yelped, moving with blinding speed to pin him to the floor, the sharp edge of a blade nicking his throat.   

“Gimme one good reason I shouldn’t slit your fuckin throat,” Carr hissed. 

Resh didn’t dare move, and couldn’t give a reason, not out loud, anyway. His breaths sawed in and out, too loud in the quiet room. 

“Oh gods,” Carr gasped, finally recognizing him and withdrawing her dagger. “What the fuck, Resh? Coulda killed you.” 

She didn’t seem to notice the tear tracks glistening on her cheeks. Looked like he wasn’t the only one with nightmares, then. But where the fuck had that dagger come from? 

He sat up slowly, raising his hands palm up in front of his chest in a gesture he hoped she interpreted as an apology. The bagginess of her sleep clothes formed an odd silhouette, but as far as he could tell, they were free of blood. His breathing settled a bit, and he pressed his hand to the stinging cut under his jaw. 

“Too dark t’ fuckin talk to you,” Carr muttered, sounding irritated. “You have a nightmare?” 

At his nod, she raised a hand to her cheek, found the wetness lingering there. “Fuck,” she said, scrubbing her face. “You okay?” 

Resh couldn’t care less about himself right now. He pointed to her, tilting his head. 

“‘M fine,” she said, too quickly. 

Of course she was. He was starting to think she was just as fine as he was. 

Which was not fine at all, was it. 

“You wanna go back t’ sleep?” she asked. 

Fuck no. He shook his head, leaning against the wall under the window with a sigh. Carr moved to join him, her shoulder lightly brushing against his. He waited for her to pull away, but she didn’t. 

If anything, she moved closer, her warmth searing through the thin cloth of his nightshirt. 

“Your sister sleeps like a rock, huh,” she said, wrapping her arms around her knees. 

Resh snorted, the release of air loud enough to acknowledge her words. Orla could sleep through anything. A good thing, considering the current situation, he supposed. The band around his chest slowly loosened as they sat there, Carr’s presence at his side a continuous reassurance. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d dreamed she had been caught too.

Next

Image Description

[ID: The banner is a blue-green background, with tree branches arching over a set of blue-green eyes, forming an approximation of a face. The words Hidden Depths are written in white above the eyes. Any other images are purely decorative lines. end ID]

[katytheinspiredworkaholic]

WIP Wednesday

Dual Correspondence

Summary/the story so far: Sequel to Correspondence, established HotchReid, (for those who don't know) an AU where Reid never joined the FBI but worked as a consultant for the LA field office, met Hotch through that and fell in love long distance. Spencer now lives with Hotch and Jack in D.C. and the two are still happily enjoying what Rossi calls "the honeymoon phase" even though there hasn't been a wedding. Yet.

(Part 1)

(Unbeta'd, first draft (kind of), season 8-9ish)

(Takes place about two months after Spencer moved to D.C. to be with Hotch, and the team is out at a restaurant doing some much needed R&R/'team-building-if-Strauss-asks' for dinner. Except they are missing a certain Unit Chief, leaving Spencer to fend for himself with the team while they wait. Unbeta'd, first draft, season 8ish)

.

“Well, I’m not the greatest with bourgeois small talk.”

“You and Hotch had two years worth of nothing but small talk.” Emily raises an eyebrow at him over her own drink and then a mischievous glint catches in the dark depths of her eyes. “What did you two even talk about all that time?”

“Our unruly subordinates, mostly,” Spencer smirks, ducking to the side to escape another mischievous reach of admonishment from Morgan.

“But no, really?” Emily encourages, and her question gives him pause.

“Everything,” Spencer says with a smile. Near wistful in his remembrance. He ducks his head to hide the expression from his audience of seasoned profilers. “Too much to list.”

“That’s saying something for you,” JJ teases him.

“Yeah.”

The memories take him then. Of late nights, an abandoned online chess game and thousands of lines of text on a screen that go on for hours and hours. Talking about everything, and nothing, and filled with joy and companionship in between. Of calls that would go on so long they would fall asleep and still be connected long after, ticking away the seconds into the morning. Of emails and video calls, longing glances and whispered promises, aching dreams of someday and soon until finally they were… here. In the same place, for the very first time; in the same time zone, the same state and town and then living in the same house. Sleeping in the same bed. Where the nothing-yet-everything talks continued in that intimately small space between them as they lay side by side; still longing glances, still whispered promises, but no more soon. No more someday. Only now. Tomorrow. In the morning. After work. On the weekend. Promises kept and fulfilled and built upon. New memories made outside the text box on a computer screen. Spoken into existence and echoing in their ears, reminders of the oceans of time and distance they both have crossed to be…

Here.

“Yeah,” Spencer sighs, again – unknowingly repeating himself, and the whole table reacts in a wave of fond eye rolling and quiet not-so-tipsy laughter.

“You two are gross,” Emily concludes.

“Sweet,” Penelope corrects her.

“Disgustingly sweet,” Emily insists, then gestures to the group at large.” – and Hotch isn’t even here!”

Spencer was only too aware of that fact, but before he could feel his wistfulness darken and drag his mood down to sit heavily in his chest, a deep voice spoke from behind him.

.

“Yes, I am.”

.

Warm arms encircle his chest and shoulders, the familiar presence so welcoming and sudden the mere touch burns hot, and when Spencer turns to make sure his vivid memory recall isn’t playing tricks on his senses – he’s met with a kiss, warm and firm and so solidly there it takes his breath away. Still sends his heart racing. Because Aaron is there, sliding into the seat next to him, dark eyes only on him when he speaks. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”

“Don’t worry, we entertained ourselves just fine,” Emily responds, earning a half-hearted glare from her boss.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Rude,” she scoffs, boldly. “We kept Spencer entertained, too!”

“I could hear you interrogating him from the parking lot,” Aaron scolds her...

.

(tbc...)

--

I am starting a new taglist for the sequel, as well as carrying over the people tagged from the first installment. If you would like to be added (or removed, for the veterans) please let me know via dm, ask, or comment here!

[crimsoncrim]

If you had to assign a theme song to each of your characters, what songs would they be and why? We think about this a lot with our OCs, and we believe personally that Ace's theme might be Crazy = Genius by P!ATD. But that might just be bcuz we fangoy over that band!

On a side note, we'd like to know what bands you enjoy listening to? And which genres?

hihi! oc questions make me very happy and are always welcome <3 just for fair warning, I’m a little bad at assigning songs to characters but. I’ll try! I don’t really have a definitive single theme song(tm) for some characters so these are tentatively unofficial haha, but just for fun!

sol- mulled over different ones but the one that kept sticking out is ‘Hope for the Future’ by Bastille. very in line with their character themes and the kind of person they are.

lyra- this one was the hardest surprisingly. but ‘Passing Through’ by Kaden MacKay feels right. both the calm vibe of the song feels fitting as well as themes of making the most of their time and being with the people they love. kinda taking time to slow down in the moment of life being fast.

niko- think I’ve mentioned this one before, but I like ‘Get Used To It’ by Ricky Montgomery a lot for him. a lot of her backstory’s about trying to make things better than they were, both for themself and for others. so this one feels right.

june- the only one that wasn’t hard at all. ‘The Villain I Appear To Be’ by Connor Spiotto/Molly Pease. the most junecore song to ever song

hazel- ‘Synesthesia’ by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness for them. song gives me autumnal vibes for a reason I can’t describe, and the calm feel and the lyrics fit them and how much they love their partner Robyn and would do anything for them. <3

regan- haven’t shown them off here yet (soon), but to those who do know them :> ‘The Ruse & The Caper’ by Coyote Theory. they’re very close with their partner Ozu- they have a really strong connection with each other, and love each other for who they are. this song is very rezu to me

(rest under readmore because i worry this is getting too long otherwise)

———

as for ace- it is hard for me to assign One song to them bc they are such a complex chara along with the fact that I struggle at assigning songs anyways so I’ll try for a few (mostly based on lyrics). I would do multiple for all my charas if it didn’t mean that this post would be years long, so if you want more than one for my other charas feel free to msg me or ask :>

- ‘Kaibutsu’ (eng version) from Beastars! (linking this one bc there’s a few diff versions! I did a redraw of this album art with them actually :>)

- ‘Warmth’ by Bastille. this song is very ‘finding comfort in the people you love when the world around you is so overwhelming’ and that strikes me as the kind of person that ace would want to be for others.

- ‘Humpty Dumpty’ by AJR. fits with their struggling with hiding their problems from others because they don’t really have a good support system, and don’t want to burden or worry that others already have enough going on. they do end up confiding in the player- I think the player’s one of the people who they trust and care about the most.

- if I had to pick a P!ATD song for ace, I’d probably pick ‘Dying in LA’ myself. it feels very ‘ace while they’re in team meteor’ to me, where their desperation and loneliness gets taken advantage of and they’re recruited into this Unhealthy Bad situation that they clearly don’t agree with- but hey, it’s better than being alone like they were before, right?

———

as for me, my favorite band is bastille! as you might’ve been able to tell already, haha. although I’m also fond of AJR, fitz & the tantrums, coyote theory, ricky montgomery, imagine dragons, and p!atd :> in no order! as for genre, it’s hard to describe what single genre(s) I love since it tends to depend but I like stuff that Feels right to me. a lot of once off songs from someone I’ve never heard of just catch my attention immediately- sometimes that’s something meaningful and chill, other times higher energy, fun to sing along to. that kinda stuff!

thanks for the ask <3 I love talking about my beloveds. this was fun! please always feel free to send asks or say hi if you want! I’m (reasonably) active both here, twitter, and on discord :>

[sunsproutgarden]

lil comic idea I had the other day hehe

[dogmomwrites]

So I've been absent again. On the plus side, my executive dysfunction has been promoted to CEO! Nice to see some recognition around here. It sure does work really hard to keep me dysfunctioning

[gamegarden]

aw fuck *gets stuck in traffic*

au by @foxsartdump!

[mimidroolz]

Turns out, sleeping on a big lizard isn't that comfortable !