#i have some new art coming but wanted to update this first

[zombeebunnie]

Trembling Essence:💙Script progress + Updates💙

Hello and welcome new followers, long time no see! I was very busy most of this month, but I am back and ready to continue from where I left off on the game! This game development post might be a bit long but I tried to condense everything! :]

"How are things going so far?":

It's going slow and steady! I haven't been able to do too much these past few weeks, however, I wrote a few parts out before I got too busy and couldn't do anything else.

I want to be very careful when it comes to spoilers but, based on your choices, some of these areas will give off immersive cozy/homelike vibes that really express Noah and the player(Y/N)'s view towards each other. In the old 2023 script I was very new to writing so the small semi-hints of romance weren't the entire focus compared to the horror aspect but there's a better balance between both genres now and I'm still aiming for a meaningful slow burn versus it just being all over the place. :] I liked writing them a whole bunch which lead to a lot of these taking place in the mid/end of Day 4+, they just need to be placed in specific areas that call for it. With that being said, it felt really comfy adding key details about Noah and creating meaningful sections in the game. I was even going to draw out some of the unseen script/scenes but I believe the best thing to do is give deeper lore from the [Extended Demo] first. Even though my writing style has improved I still have to fix the multiple pacing issues I wrote last year.

"Playtester's advice":

I wanted to continue working through Noah's backstory but I kept having moments where I'd get sidetracked into wanting to fix up the start of the game again. Eventually, I talked to my play testers about it and they gave me a few encouraging pointers.

To help keep my process at ease, I will fix the beginning of the game when I take breaks from writing up Noah's backstory. :]

I talked about this during early 2024 but the start of the game that leads up to the cabin is still getting reworked. I was able to get some of it fixed for the [Extended Demo] but I wasn't done. Things are still up in the air but, I will say that I have a better view of everything than I did before. :] Another priority that needs fixing are the backgrounds! I've improved a lot on drawing and they need to be optimized. When you first start up the game, you wake up in a holed out tree in the swamp with the choice to leave this area and possibly end up in the forest. I was going for a very immersive form of symbolism that only a few noticed but, I believe I can do a better job about this. Unfortunately I don't have any new backgrounds to show right now but maybe next week I'll have some finished up! :]

"Art process/Noah's sprite sheets":

As far as Noah sprite sheet goes, it's still in sketch mode.

I didn't draw anything since I was gone so I need to do a few warm ups before I get to them. There are some old drawing prompts I wrote down and old sketches that I never got a chance to doodle so hopefully I can get to them at some point with some attached lore. :,]

My Q&A / Ask box has been reset!

Thank you to those who have sent in asks in the past, unfortunately they all disappeared except for 1 while I was gone. I have no idea what happened but I can only guess it just got reset.

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask or resend them in here please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I would really like to hear from you guys!

This is all I have to share so far, Thank you to everyone for the continued support and patience while I was gone! I was ready to accept the interest for this game to fade out and coming back to see that it didn't happen makes me happy, I really appreciate it. :,]

[dovesick]

hi i’m dovesick, i’m an anthro artist. i mostly draw one-off themed pieces & comics, sometimes with horror elements. i have a couple stories with ocs as well, i’d like to draw them more but i get mega distracted by drawing challenges hahah

this is some recent work of mine (as of october 2023). i’m friendly & you can message me if you want. i’m more active on instagram though (d0vesick -with a zero). my favourite things are pokemon (esp shiny hunting) & tboi & i always wanna talk about them :D i love animals too & dead kennedys are my favourite band.

(btw i tag content warnings, so as long as you have those words filtered then you’ll be fine. i put all my work on insta so i don’t draw anything extreme)

[smellslikebot]

how to keep following people when a major social platform implodes

(...and you don't want to join 20 new websites)

First, get an RSS reader*-- here are some free options:

Desktop: Feedbro (browser extension), Fraidycat** (browser extension/web), Thunderbird, Dreamwidth (web)

Android: Feeder

iOS/Mac: NetNewsWire

You'll be able to make a custom feed to follow blogs, webcomics, social media feeds, podcasts, news, and other stuff on the web all in one place. To follow something, find its "feed URL"-- often marked by an icon that looks like this ↓-- and paste it into your reader of choice as a new feed.

Some feed URLs for social media/other sites:

Tumblr: Use username.tumblr.com/rss or username.tumblr.com/tagged/my%20art/rss to follow a blog's "my art" tag (as an example)

Cohost: Use username.cohost.org/rss/public

Mastodon: Use instance.url/@­username.rss

Deviantart: Info here

Spacehey: Info here

Youtube: Go to a channel in a web browser, view page source, and use Ctrl-F/Command-F to find a link that starts with "https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id="

Reddit: Info here

Lemmy: At the top of a community's main page, there's a small RSS link next to where you sort posts/comments.

Some additions thanks to @innumerablewounds:

Dreamwidth: https://username.dreamwidth.org/rss (users can opt out of this).

Ao3: Tags have an "RSS Feed" button.

Bluesky: Add /rss to the end of a URL.

Neocities: https://neocities.org/site/username.rss

Sites that won't work all that great:

Twitter: Feedbro and Fraidycat** may be able to use Twitter profile URLs as feed URLs. Otherwise, use nitter.net/username/rss (or other Nitter instance) Public Nitter instances are dead/dying, and Twitter is now very hostile to pretty much anything that makes it easy to generate an RSS feed. For popular accounts, try this workaround using Google News...?

Instagram: Feedbro may be able to use Instagram profile and hashtag URLs as feed URLs. Check Feedbro's "scan interval" setting-- you could be rate limited or temporarily IP banned from Instagram if it makes requests too often!

Facebook: Feedbro may be able to use public Facebook group/page URLs as feed URLs, but see the warnings for Instagram.

Threads: Come on.

Also see how to find the RSS feed URL for almost any site. Try using public RSS-Bridge instances or Happyou Final Scraper to generate feeds for sites that don't have them (Pillowfort, Patreon, etc).

*You can set up your subscriptions in one reader and import them into another by exporting an OPML file. **Fraidycat's intended use is following a lot of people across different sites, so it's well-suited for this post and I'd recommend keeping an eye on it-- but I didn't recommend it initially because I had some issues with it, and it hasn't been updated in a while. The last time I used it, it didn't have a setting to change how often it makes requests to websites, causing me to get IP banned from Twitter and Instagram...

[sexybritishllama]

strap in folks it's time for another neopets drama update

some background reading before we begin: back when neopets wanted to introduce customisation (i.e. dressing up your pet) in 2007, they decided to 'convert' all existing pet art to align with a rigid body structure, rather than all having unique poses. it was just not feasible to create new pieces of art for hundreds of different pet poses every single time they released a new clothing them

customisation had been highly requested up until this point. however, the conversion was NOT popular. in some cases, particularly for basic colours, the change wasn't huge, but in other cases.... uh....

you get the idea. the more expensive colours like plushie, faerie, grey, royal and darigan got the worst of it because they had the more unique poses pre-conversion, and therefore it was largely agreed that the change to the stiff 'samey', frankly kinda goofy converted look did not look great

most users did not get a choice in having their neopet converted and it was done automatically, but if you had one of these colours where the change was huge, you were given the choice of converting or retaining the old pose (but not having the option to customise your pet). those pets that retained the old, pre-conversion poses are therefore referred to as 'unconverted', or UC for short

once a pet is converted, there's no returning to UC. you also couldn't create UC pets anymore, making UCs a limited resource that would only increase in value with time, particularly as people abandon their pets, leave the site, get frozen, etc.

i could write an entire dissertation on the drama that UC pets have caused for the pet trading economy, the neopet account black market, and general retention of the userbase, but to sum it up, people REALLY want UC pets. they are the single most coveted status symbol on the site

we skip forward now to 2023

the neopets team are planning to introduce UC pets back to the site, so that people will be able to create their own UC pets again for the first time post-converstion (legally at least)

they drip feed bits of information over the year about what this will look like. the main points are

changing a pet to UC will be done via some kind of item bought with neocash, the premium currency on neopets that you need to spend real money to get

putting this item on your pet will give it the UC art style appearance

so. not much really known. but expected release is set for january 2024

yesterday, they hosted an AMA focusing on the new UC pet system and how this was going to work. noticeably absent is any explanation of how much this is actually going to cost and whether it is going to involve any kind of gatcha mechanic, so that's causing our first lot of concern

second lot of drama is that the new UCs aren't actually going to be COMPLETELY the same as the old art, as they're making some small changes for style consistency, see below (old on top, new below):

the biggest drama, however, comes from how they're dealing with the 'original' UC pets. ALL pets will be getting forcibly converted on the 23rd, with anyone who has a pet that is already an original UC immediately receiving the UC neocash item. there's mention of possibly some kind of trophy or badge recognition for particularly old pets, but it's vague, and generally seems like it won't be possible to distinguish between the original UCs and these new ones

the people who already have OCs are not happy about this

people are allegedly pounding their pets, cancelling their premium, and quitting the site in protest. the boards are flooded with people complaining about the changes and laughing at the downfall of the 'neo-elite' in equal measure

it's t-minus 5 days until the second great conversion goes live. let's all pray for our souls

[kbspangler]

This is the public statement from @alepresser and myself which went up at Webtoons tonight.

Now for some ranting. Just from me, not from Ale—she's innocent of the art crimes I've committed in the past, and boy howdy have I committed art crimes.

This is the first page of my first webcomic, A Girl and Her Fed. I started this thing back in 2006. (I don't actually need a head count of those reading this who weren't yet born in 2006. I'm sure you're delightful and I wish you well in college.)

And this is the last page I drew in early 2020 before I turned art duties over to Dr. Beer. It's better, right?

Well, these days, A Girl and Her Fed has pages like this:

I drew this comic for fourteen fucking years because it's a story I wanted to tell, and I thought webcomics were the perfect format for it. I didn't know how to draw. I got better through sheer obstinate perseverance and sticking to deadlines as best I could for, again, fourteen fucking years. I sought out a replacement artist when I ran into time constraints and couldn't do art plus writing anymore; I'm a much better writer than an artist, so I had no problems whatsoever kicking art to the curb.

The first time Ale sent me art that would go up on the website—art I hadn't needed to draw myself—I literally cried in relief because I had been grinding myself down for, yet again, fourteen fucking years.

So when I read comments from people who say they want to make a webcomic but can't draw themselves and therefore need to resort to AI, that little line between my eyes gets dangerously deep.

This isn't like I'm some old dude who's bitching over student loans getting cancelled after making regular payments. This is me, someone who threw raw art onto the internet like a monkey hurling fresh poo, because I wanted to make a webcomic and the art is part of the process of storytelling via webcomics! I could've (arguably should've) hired an artist right out of the gate, and that would've been part of the process of making comics, too: a partnership between an artist and a writer is also something which grows and develops over time.

For example, after Dr. Beer and I spent two years working on AGAHF, we decided we enjoyed our partnership so much that we set out to make another webcomic! It's great! It's got wonderful art and consistent storytelling! You should read it!

But turning art duties over to unaltered images generated by AI because you want to make a webcomic but "just can't draw" is, frankly, a bullshit excuse. I'm not talking about persons who are physically unable to draw due to disability—I'm talking about people who say they want to make webcomics but simply don't wanna do the art part.

Friends, if you don't want to show your entire ass in front of God and country, you don't actually want to make a webcomic.

Do the thing yourself.

If you're scared, don't be. Take the plunge. Set a goal of twenty strips and do the thing yourself. If you can already draw but can't write? Great! Write twenty strips, write forty panels, etc. You might surprise yourself. If you can write but can't draw? Great! Draw twenty panels and see what happens.

Whatever comes out of it, it's a thing you've done yourself. It's something new you've given to the world, no matter how big or small. Be proud of that. And if you need to partner with someone else to make your comic dreams work? You can do that, too! It's still a thing you've done yourself, and many projects are stronger when done together.

...but maaaaaaaaaybe hire that partner before you've busted your own ass for fourteen fucking years. That one's on me.

[keeterz]

Time to make an updated post on the Guilty Gear artwork I've made up to this point!

First things, gotta include Bridget and Elphelt since these were made this year in 2023. Baiken, Testement, and Giovanna were done back in 2022. I think I'd like to do a Jack-O illustration at some point, and a friend of mine wants to help fund a Ramlethal print, so those might be coming up in the future at some point.

I've made some updates to the chibis as well to include a handful of the male cast! A few noteworthy mentions include an Axl that was inspired by an animation that my friend DoovadHohdan made, a Potemkin that works as a Pot Buster when you use it as a sticker on another sticker, as well as the husbandos in general being paired with plushies of their partners (well, missing Nago and Elphelt because that wasn't a thing at the time)

A little after the Elphelt illustration I also made an Elphelt chibi as well! This one will be double-sided once I convert it to a charm~

Finally, a sneak peak at something that isn't Strive related...well, not yet, at least (maybe). Here's a value comp for an ABA illustration I'm working on based on her Accent Core design! Hoping she makes it into Strive at some point.

I might want to explore doing some Accent Core related artwork in the future. Accent Core is a lot closer to the point of when I first got into the series in my middle school/highschool days, and there are some designs from the older games that are still hecking rad. Plus the music is awesome :D

It's kind of funny; I have to confess that I actually don't play Strive. Truth be told, the GGST movement and limited combo structure never clicked with me when the game first came out (and I was always more of a 3D fighter guy for gameplay with games like Tekken and Soul Calibur). And even though I am pretty sure I would actually thoroughly enjoy playing I-No and Elphelt with the season 3 changes, I just don't really do as much gaming these days since I'm more enamored with making art (and a few other things like biking). Plus I'm kind of just waiting for Tekken 8 at this point (dear god I hope the online is good just this one time god).

But as an artist? You bet your butt I hecking love coming back to Guilty Gear. I've been a fan of the series since the early 2000s (back when I stumbled across an abandonware PC version of Guilty Gear X and became sold on the series). The characters from this series check a lot of boxes for things I love to draw, from the way they are designed and all of their classic rock references all the way down to their zany personalities and backstories. And I feel like Guilty Gear is really special in this regard for me. Even though I'd rather play other fighting games (like Tekken or maybe even SF6), Guilty Gear is probably the one fighting game fandom I want to do art of the most.

If you are a Guilty Gear fan stumbling across this art collection post, hope you are enjoying the art! I will enjoy the series vicariously through you as I get back to working on some Tekken 8 artwork for Frosty Faustings, lmao. And if you're someone who is new to the series, give Strive a try! It's neat and the characters are great.

[dalishious]

A BioWare Guide on How to Murder a Fanbase

I have been a Dragon Age super-fan for almost fourteen years, now. I have played every game, with every DLC. I have read every novel, lore book, and every comic — yes, even the terrible ones that are better off forgotten. I have seen the anime film, the animated series, and the web mini-series. I have enjoyed all of these pieces of the franchise over and over, more times than I can count. So, make no mistake: the negativity you’re about to hear comes from a place of love for this fantasy world, developed by many creative people over the years. I would love nothing more than to see the resurrection of passion in the Dragon Age fandom again. But the unfortunate truth is, that resurrection is only needed because BioWare took the fandom out back and shot it in the first place.

In December 2018, three years after the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser epilogue DLC, BioWare first announced the then-untitled next Dragon Age game with a teaser trailer. At this point, most fans were anticipating this would mean within the next couple years, we would see the game. This assumption was based on the fact that Dragon Age: Inquisition was first announced in 2012, and released in 2014, with an extra year of development added last minute.

There have been dribbles of extra content since then, adding to the franchise. This was enough to keep some fans still breathing and interested. 2020’s Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights was a lovely anthology. 2020’s Dragon Age: Blue Wraith and 2021’s Dark Fortress were wonderful comics tying up the story started in Knight Errant. And 2022’s Dragon Age: Absolution was a well-animated series with an interesting cast of characters and story. But all these still left the fandom with a major question: What was going on with the next game? It was untypical of BioWare to be so secretive, in comparison to how they handled sharing information of the past games in the franchise. The only form of updates fans still have to go on is mostly just concept art and short stories, hinting that something must be in production. But why was the wait so long?

In 2015, the first version of the next Dragon Age began with a clear vision, clear scope of practice, and a reportedly happy developer team. Most gloriously in my book, there was no multi-player… but this did not align with the Electronic Arts typical money-mad schemes. EA’s push for “games as a service” meant they wanted to monetize all their games as much as possible, and therefore, they wanted them to be a live service — as Anthem demonstrated, that meant sacrificing things that are staples of good RPGs, like narrative and character choice. So in 2017, version one of the next Dragon Age was scrapped and replaced. This new version would have, in total or to at least some degree, an online portion of play.

There is one part of Schreier’s article, “The Past and Present of Dragon Age 4,” that really sticks out to me, regarding this:

“One person close to the game told me this week that Morrison’s critical path, or main story, would be designed for single-player and that goal of the multiplayer elements would be to keep people engaged so that they would actually stick with post-launch content.”

The idea of splitting up components of a game into single-player and multi-player is a terrible idea, because it means that there would be a large bulk of content only accessible through online gaming; something many fans, like myself, are repulsed by. Even if I did enjoy it, I spent most of my life growing up with either no internet or shoddy internet incapable of playing online games. I know many rural people who are still in that position, losing more and more of their favourite gaming pastimes because they are locked out of the ability to play them. It is a disservice to hide content behind a wall like this, especially in a world that is so lore-heavy like Dragon Age. The news of multi-player in Dragon Age understandably upset many, and this is when I first noticed a large drop off in excitement over the next game.

However, in 2021, the failure of Anthem (multi-player) and success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (single-player) led the executives at EA to bend to the wishes of BioWare leadership and allow them to go back to the drawing board yet again on the next Dragon Age. This meant removing all multi-player content!

While I am very happy that there will reportedly be no multi-player in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, I can’t help but feel bitter and a little disgusted over the ridiculous development time spent on something no one but EA wanted in the first place. If it weren’t for this foolishness, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf would be in our hands right now. Instead, it’s been in development hell for nearly nine years and counting. Nine years is a long time to expect fans to carry a torch for you through radio silence, but it’s no wonder BioWare has shared barely anything about the next game; it’s been in flux for so long, they likely haven’t had anything concrete to show.

BioWare hurt its reputation even more when the news broke that the studio very suddenly laid off 50 people who were working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. This is pretty damning on its own, but BioWare took it a step further. Former developer Jon Renish shared a statement revealing that the studio was only willing to offer laid-off employees two weeks of severance per year of service, and denied health benefits. The denial of health benefits in particular is a pretty wild move for a studio with a reputation for “stress casualties”. The latest news on this is that BioWare has still so far refused to negotiate better severance packages, leading to a lawsuit. The lawsuit originally had 15 former employees, but this dropped due to the fear of not being able to afford to pay their bills. So now, while EA sits on $400 million net income, the laid-off employees are struggling to buy holiday presents for their children. These horrid business practices are not to be ignored when accounting for a lack of faith in a studio. What kind of monsters reward workers who make your games special with vaguely reasoned lay-offs?

The latest news on the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf front from BioWare came early this month, December 2023, with a trailer… announcing a trailer that will come next summer… that will announce the release of the game. Supposedly. Maybe. We’ll see. But by this time, BioWare is something of a laughing stock of their own fandom. Reactions to the video released with a pretty map graphic and a few rendered locations were, from what I personally observed, mostly sardonic in nature. People have commented on the vapourware nature of the game, and like all vapourware, that leads to disintegrating trust.

Despite all this, people like Mary Kirby, (one of the veteran Dragon Age writers who was a victim of the layoffs,) said, “it’s bittersweet that Dreadwolf is my last DA game, but I still hope you all love it as much as I do,” encouraging fans to still support the game when it eventually is released. But after every misstep BioWare has taken, that’s a tough sell now. Fans are finicky, RPG fans more so than others, one could argue. We have our favourites, and many of us stick to those favourites for life over our appreciation for the artistry — but that relationship between studio and fan should go both ways. EA and BioWare has betrayed that relationship, and it will take a hell of a lot to build it back up again, now.

[This piece is also available on Medium!]

[matrixbearer2024]

Paws and Pixels: VoxPet™️

Tiny!Vox x Reader

A/N: Totally writing this thing because of a cute chat session I had with some wonderful people on a Hazbin discord server, it's a shitposty idea but it was a cute one so I couldn't help but write about it. A continuation to "Get off my Screen!" is in the works alongside some other requests too! I'm just glad it was received so well, thanks y'all!

A/N: Btw, the chibi Vox art isn't mine. I might draw something similar with a Y/N eventually though so message me or request it in my askbox if you wanna see it XD

You wished you could say it was a normal day.

But truth be told-

It was so far off from that.

The Vee tower was complete mess by the time you had arrived.

The place was often busy, you knew that much-

But to fall into complete disarray?

Your beloved would have never even allowed it.

Speaking of your lover, where the hell was he?

His absence left you more than puzzled, this was Vox you were talking about after all.

Mr. I-have-to-keep-an-eye-on-everything-or-it-all-entirely-goes-to-shit-

You couldn't say he was wrong this time however, walking towards the elevator with intent to find the other Vees.

But of course they ended up finding you first.

It was Velvette who abruptly dragged you away from the chaos in the office.

Not that you still quite understood what was going on and the reason for her urgency.

"WhaA- Vel??"

"Sorry darling, we've got a bit of an issue as you can clearly tell- but there's just something I absolutely must show you."

You didn't really even have time to ask questions before you saw Valentino rush past you.

Was he holding a phone in each hand?

He barely even greeted you in his hasty exit, probably too busy with the 4 phone conversations he was having simultaneously.

All this chaos and your boyfriend still hasn't shown up.

You started getting worried that something happened to him.

But what Velvette ended up showing you was definitely not at all what you expected.

Especially since you didn't expect to find Vox here of all places.

That and... he wasn't quite himself.

Not that you were complaining, but it was really weird seeing your boyfriend so tiny.

He was probably plushie-sized to be honest.

You would have found it cute if it weren't for the shock from everything else.

The tiny Vox visibly perked up when he saw you.

Was he beeping or squeaking?

"What... what the fuck even happened???"

"Do you want the whole story or a TLDR?"

While you lightly poked the smaller Vox that stood atop the table, Velvette quickly updated you on what had transpired before your arrival.

Apparently, Vox had gone and gotten himself in trouble with some goons earlier in the day.

It wasn't often Vox would get hurt by anything, he was an overlord after all-

But sometimes people got lucky or they really just ganged up on him in big numbers.

The good news was he won, the bad news was he'd gotten pretty beat up because of it.

Shattered screen, fried motherboard, stray wires, and a whole other myriad of issues to boot.

He'd come back to the tower needing a ton of repairs.

Problem was, he'd run out of the needed spare parts and his backup body wasn't in any good condition to be used either.

So go figure, your creative boyfriend decided to handle his situation in another way after he'd put in the order for said needed parts.

They'd probably arrive in just a few days but seriously-

You could only stare at the tiny version of your lover in bewilderment.

There was absolutely no understanding of what was running through this man's brain.

He was even wearing a miniature version of his typical outfit, coat and all!

"Soooo... has he just been in here the whole time?"

"Pretty much. He doesn't really talk either, Val and I haven't figured out if it's because he can't or won't."

"Oh lord."

You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose, patting the tiny Vox with your hands.

You honestly wanted to be more mad at the situation-

But Vox really just looked too cute.

You just wanted to freakin squeeze him-

"I'm gonna need a purse to carry him around..."

"Oh wow, you're treatin' 'im like a pet already."

You rolled your eyes at Velvette's comment, looking down at your currently tiny boyfriend to find him staring at you.

He had absolutely no business being this cute-

"I'm taking him home, I'd gather that you and Val can handle things here?"

"For the most part, just be a dear and make sure nothing else happens to 'im until his parts arrive."

You just rolled your eyes again.

Great way of stating the obvious Velvette.

Besides, Vox was still an overlord and the strongest of the Vees.

His powers shouldn't have been affected in this form right??

There was no way your beloved went ahead and made himself as harmless as he looked-

At least that's what you had hoped.

However, you picked him up in both hands- you were starting to doubt that.

Vox merely tilted his monitor head to get a better look at you before beeping, his legs dangled slightly from how you held him.

BEEPING AGAIN.

WHERE ARE YOUR WORDS FOOL-

"Huh, he's never made that sound before."

You were really starting to regret even walking into the building today.

And that was of course when your miniature boyfriend decided it was the perfect time to lightly zap you.

It didn't hurt, but it was enough for your attention to go back to him.

Only to see his face all pink with a bunch of hearts emoticons on it.

This little shit-

You really couldn't stay mad at him for long.

Eventually when you were able to get a grip on yourself, Velvette handed you a purse to put Vox in as requested- and you were on your way home.

What did the other Vees even expect you to do with Vox like this?

Did you accidentally become your boyfriend's babysitter??

Today was just way too tiring for you already.

You practically collapsed on the couch once you got home.

Dropping the purse with tiny lover in it on one of the nearby cushions, you didn't really care about the annoyed squeaking that came from inside the bag from the rough landing.

Vox just crawled out of the small purse with a huff.

He figured you would've liked him being all cute this way.

But judging by your reactions-

He couldn't tell if you liked it or hated it.

He did feel slightly bad seeing how tired you were though.

Practically waddling over towards you, Vox patted your head trying to get your attention.

When that didn't work he started beeping and squeaking until you raised your head and looked at him again.

And you were surprised when he awkwardly moved to hug you.

Well, hug your face rather.

The words: "I'm sorry." flashing on his tiny screen.

You sighed tiredly.

Even if he was a little infuriating at times, you still loved Vox's antics.

This one included.

"It's okay, I'm okay. Everything just happened way too fast."

A heart then appeared on his tiny screen face and you pretty much melted.

He was just too fuckin cute.

A/N: Might write a part 2 for this with other headcanons, this was so friggin adorable AHAHAHAHAHA

[critterbitter]

HELLO HI ID LIKE TO ASK WHAT PROGRAM AND BRUSHES YOU USE CUZ IM LITTERALY EXPLODING EVERYTIME I SEE YOUR ART

actually actually... *pulls out whole stack of paper*...I have. a FEW,, a good few,, questions to ask. they are not many I swear 😇

OK SO FIRST OF ALL HOW DO YOU DRAW SO FAST???? everyday I log onto Tumblr I always see something new from you and I get very very happy. But then I start to question my own existence because not even I CAN SPEED RUN ART LIKE THAT. AND SO SPECTACULARLY TOO

Last question! how do you color and make it look so well?? just. How. I need to know. This is a CRY FOR HE-

anyway thank you for being one of my favorite artists that always feed my brain rot, pls keep making amazing art because like a little yamper I will follow behind and stay updated.

(Stands there)

Response and thoughts under cut!

First question! What art program I use!

Mostly procreate, along with a handful of brushes! (Specifically the Jing Set and some custom stuff, which is really just a circle brush with the shape changed to a square.)

Second question! How do i draw so much!

Okay so. I am. Ahhah. Unemployed,,,,? No, I do freelance illustration, but hmm. A studio job would be nice.

i graduated college last year and I’m very used to eight hour art shifts. The body sort of remembers to keep working, even though I no longer have storyboards or visdev homework to do.

Also. The hyperfixation is a deep vast tunnel I STILL have not seen the end of the light to, good golly. (I have dreams now about the kids committing shenanigan crimes. I wake up in cold sweat and write them down in a journal. It’s like being the mouthpiece to an angry god.)

So the overall gist is: I was trained to be a storyboard artist with a visdev background, and I’m using that higher education to draw funny muppets because my brain’s funny.

I also DO have a queue, and I’ve been treating this as a sort of inktober project. I am definitely going to slow down soon though! Maybe. Hopefully. Ah… (sheepishly drops my kofi here)

Third question! How do i color!

I. I, uh. I dont know man the coloring demons have a grip on my soul and i just go along for the ride. But also, if it helps, i prefer to limit my pallets to only a few colors at a time. Lighting is king, so if you can figure out if you want to focus on either on your lights or shadows, you’ll have a much easier time composing. That, and symbolic colors— idk, something hits different about art drenched in gold with a tiny hint of a man staring into the blinding horizon, or a green leafy environment with a single dot of artificial red. I also like using blue and purple for shadows, and I’m a big fan of muting colors with only one or two that pop— one of the reasons why I was so attracted to submas in the first place is because from a design aesthetic, they’re both super funny muppet men AND really cool train guys that have a limited pallet and thematic apparel.

Overall response! THANK YOU SO MUCH. This goes out to a BUNCH of people who sent me inbox queries— sorry for not responding, it’s a tad overwhelming because some of them are story questions even I don’t really know will go yet, and others are words of praise and I’m selfish and like scrolling through the inbox to look at them when I feel down. I am more of an artist who sits in the corner and sprouts like a potato rather then a branching vine who socializes, but I really do see people’s responses and they make me go :)))))

Okay ramble over. Thanks for coming to the soapbox, and good luck on creating!

[thetriumphantpanda]

LOST IN OUR VICES | ONE

Chapter Summary | A chance encounter with a handsome stranger sets off a chain of events that could all end in disaster. It's hard to say no when it feels so good though.

Pairing | Professor!Marcus Pike x Student F!Reader

Chapter Warnings | Dubious ethical relationship between a professor & student, Marcus tells a lie, mentions of food and alcohol, mentions of academia, academic failure and strained parental relationships, gratuitous descriptions of London because I live here and I love it, some heavy making out and some heavy petting, no use of y/n.

Authors Note | WELL HERE SHE IS. I have no idea how to tell you how much I am loving this so far. Professor Pike has well and truly rotted my brain so y'all have to suffer with me okay? It's gonna be fun, I promise. I would LOVE to know what you all think about this so feel free to scream at me incumbents, reblogs and asks! As always, a huge thank you to @undercoverpena for reading this over and making sure it isn't utter tripe. ILY. And to @saradika for the beautiful divider.

Please follow @thetriumphantpandanotifs for writing updates.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Ko-Fi

He’s seen her there every day he’s visited the past month. Sitting on the bench, looking up at the same sculpture - a woman carved from marble - sketching into a notepad. He stands this time and watches as her finger tucks some hair behind her ear, brushing it out of her face. She looks up and tilts her head a little, eraser end of her pencil sitting between her teeth as she thinks, tracers a portion of the statue before her head is back down, looking at the page as she continues to draw.

She’s beautiful, there’s no denying it, she’s been beautiful every time he’s seen her. There’s something lonely about her too, the way she sits there on her own, artefacts and artworks for company. She’s just like him really, uprooted from a life he was no longer satisfied with, four years of a PhD and now the letters of Dr before his name. Moved to London, a new city, a fresh start as he’d coined it to his family, but he’s been here three years now, and not one thing that he wanted from his move have materialised. He knows the therapy was good for him, he knows that his haste to find someone was probably what was making him scare people off, but he doesn’t much like the other side of the coin either - a modest flat in London to himself, a small group of friends who sit around and drink beer and droll on about their academic passions, but no-one he can really call his own right now.

Dr. M Pike. Professor of Art History. That’s what his doorplate says, one of many in the small corridor at UCL. Three years and he’s still not quite sure how he made it here, or if it’s really what he wants, but it beats whatever he was doing back in D.C. that’s for sure. It had seemed like the best thing to do at the time, but when Lisbon had told him she wasn’t coming, everything about it seemed wrong, soiled somehow, by the life he’d built in his mind being torn up by someone who, looking back, had never really wanted him in the first place.

He thought about talking to her the first day he’d seen her, but then realised he was actually here to prepare for one of his teaching seminars, so squirrelled himself away to another room instead. The second time he’d seen her, she’d looked too engrossed on whatever she was working on, and then every other time, he’s convinced himself she’s here for peace, not to be bothered by some random man. But there’s something about the way she is today that makes the pull harder to resist, so he says fuck it, shoves his hands into his trouser pockets and walks over.

“You come here often?”

It’s an American accent that pulls you from your work. His voice jolts your hand, makes you press your pencil into paper too hard and at the wrong angle. You suck in a deep breath, try not to think about the hours of work he’s just ruined by startling you. You’re about to turn around and complain when he comes into your vision.

He’s tall, broad shoulders covered in a light dress shirt, two buttons undone so you can see a flash of tanned skin and a smattering of hair. It’s tucked into dark jeans, a belt keeping them tight to his trim waist. And then there’s his face - a beard, but only just and friendly brown eyes, a full mouth too. He’s handsome, there’s no way around it.

“Sorry, that was awful,” The mystery man scratches the back of his neck, “I just come here a lot and I think I’ve seen you here every time for the past month.”

You smile at that, that you’re someone he’s been picking out amongst the crowd of tourists who always come here, someone familiar to him, even if he’s not the same to you.

“I’m just working on something.” You shrug, letting your palm slyly cover the sketch you’ve been making.

The man walks in front of you slightly, takes a seat on the vacant spot on the bench and looks up at the woman carved from marble, “She’s beautiful.” He muses.

“She is.” You agree, looking over the curves of her hips, the way the marble has been carved to make it look like her clothes are wet, sticking to her breasts like she’s just climbed out of the Aegean Sea.

“You like sculpture then?”

“I do,” You nod, turning your body a little towards him, “It’s not my first artistic passion, but I’m studying for my PhD at the moment and it’s all about the female form in marble.”

“Brains as well as beauty,” He smirks a little at you, “Sounds interest though, where are you studying?”

“UCL,” You beam, because you’re proud, it wasn’t easy, you’d been rejected for your first choice research project the first time around, encouraged to choose something else from the feedback, but you were there now, and that’s what mattered, “What about you?” You ask, “What do you do that means you have to be here as much as me?”

He shrugs a little, “I teach.”

It’s vague but you don’t press, he owes you nothing, so you let it lie. You turn back to the sculpture in front of you, when your stomach grumbles. You look down at your watch. It’s 2pm and you’ve not eaten anything yet.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.” You reply meekly.

“Want to grab something to eat?” He asks, “I know a great Italian place in Soho if you fancy it?”

You look at him, eyes tightening a little. It’s been so long since anyone has shown you an ounce of interest, and now the beautiful man in a shirt and dress pants wants to take you for lunch, it all seems a bit too good to be true. But, you can hear the voice of your therapist tell you to say yes to more things, take more risks in life because not all of them are going to turn out to be bad, so you flip the front of your notepad over to cover your drawing and reach down to pick up your backpack.

“Lead the way.”

He doesn’t disappoint. Over the course of a glass of wine and a bowl of olives, you coax out his name. It’s Marcus. He’s got a PhD in Art History and moved to London from D.C. three years ago. He lives alone, near Notting Hill, he likes it because he can go searching for antiques on the weekend. He wants a dog, but he spends too much time out of the house to justify one. He likes to read and he can cook, but prefer eating out or ordering in because he’s not mastered the art of cooking for one.

When a waiter sets down your second glass of wine and your food - gnocchi with pesto and bacon for you and carbonara from Marcus, he turns the conversation back to you, sipping wine as he ask you where you live - Willesden Green, so not far from you - who you live with - myself, my dad was so proud I got into my course he pays for my rent, it’s the only way he can show he loves me - what you like to do with your free time - free time? When I have it, I read, or I walk, or I sit and draw sculptures in museums.

You don’t know whether it’s the wine or not, but the dark winter sinks in, outside cloaked in black, lights dimmed inside, and it makes him even more handsome than he was before. He makes you laugh, with his stories of his own PhD stress, how he would walk the streets of D.C. at 3am to get coffee and pancakes on his way back from the library and then collapse into bed and sleep for two hours until his alarm would wake him up and he would go all the way back to the library to do it again.

“If I ever get to that point,” You muse, stabbing a piece of gnocchi onto your fork, “I don’t think I’ll have the will to make it through.”

“You seem far too organised to me to fall into the bad habits I had.” He shrugs, looking at you over his own glass of wine as you take a bite of your food, too busy watching him to really notice the angle of your fork, green sauce smearing on the corner of your mouth as you fight it into your mouth.

Before you have a chance to reach down and grab the napkin from your lap, Marcus is reaching over the table, using the pad of his thumb to wipe the stray sauce away. It’s something that under any other circumstance would make you feel uncomfortable, but all it really makes you want to do is kiss him, especially when he apologises profusely for being so forward.

He pays for dinner, insists on it really, hidden behind the excuse that he knows how hard it is to live whilst studying. He takes you for cocktails at a bar on the end of Old Compton Street - orders himself an old fashioned whilst you opt for an amaretto sour. The bar is dark and busy, the only seats are in a corner, sat so close together your knees are touching and your shoulder is slightly leaned into his side.

“So, you said you got rejected from your first choice course?” He muses, taking a short sip of his drink.

You shrug with a nod, “I wanted to research the impressionist movement,” You start to explain, “I love Monet and Renoir but I think my research application was too broad,” Sipping your own drink you carry on talking, “There’s a great academic at UCL, Professor Pike, I was desperate to have him as my supervisor, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

You turn your head a little, watching as Marcus swallows on nothing, quickly taking another sip of his drink.

“It’s okay,” You hasten to add, “I guess if I’m not writing thousands of words about it, it won’t make me hate what I love most.”

“Smart,” Is what he says with a smirk, “You would have given him a run for his money anyway.”

“Do you know him?” You ask, “I know all of you academic types are familiar with each other.”

He swallows on nothing again, “I’ve heard of him but I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

You both order another drink, sit around talking about nothing much at all, slowly moving closer as the bar gets busier, you tell yourself it’s just so you can hear him better, but he smells good, some kind of musky cologne that suits him really well, so you don’t complain about soaking it up.

When it gets late, he offers to take you home, keep you company on the tube. You know it’s not really necessary, you’ve never felt particularly unsafe walking home from the station, but if it means spending more time with him, then you don’t really mind. He lets you take the only free seat on the tube, standing in the aisle just in front of your knees so he can keep talking to you, and when you reach the other side, he walks close to you, puts a hand on your lower back which you can feel through your jacket when a group of people walk past you a little too close. He even insists on walking you to your door.

It’s quiet in the building, like it usually is. It’s only recently been built and you think you’re one of only a few people who are currently living there. You pluck your keys from your coat pocket when you reach your door, leaning your back against it.

“This is me.”

“Nice place.”

“Yeah, although I usually prefer places with more character.”

He’s stood right in front of you, rocking on his heels, that same nervous hand on the back of his neck as this afternoon, “I know this might seem weird, but would you like to go on a date sometime?”

You can help but snort a laugh, shaking your head a little, before you meet his eyes, “This wasn’t a date?” You ask coyly.

He smirks a little, cheeks flushing a little, “Did you want it to be a date?”

“I wouldn’t have let you take me for lunch if I didn’t,” You say, “But there is one thing missing.”

“Oh yeah?” He hums, “What’s that?”

Instead of speaking, you take a step forward, hands gripping the lapels of his jacket as you press up onto your toes and plant your lips on his. It’s clumsy and it’s impulsive, but you’ve wanted to do it all day. You can feel his arms wrapping around your back, dragging your body flush to his as he opens his mouth against yours right as you do the same. He tastes like mint from the gum he’s been chewing and the whisky from his drinks - it’s all you can think about as he walks you back, presses you against the door as his tongue meets with yours.

You’re thankful no-one is around. Your arms move from his jacket to wrap around the back of his neck, fingers tangling in the curls there as you tilt your head to one side, a slight smacking sound from your lips as the disconnect, only to come back together seconds later. He’s good at this, you think, as his hands drop from your back to rest in the pockets on the back of your jeans, palms warm through the material. You can feel him squeeze you there a little, and you’re so close to saying fuck it and inviting him in, because if his lips are this good against yours, you can’t imagine what they’d be like in other places.

Marcus is the one that pulls away from you, resting his forehead gently to yours. You’re both breathless and you’re itching to press your mouth back to his.

“I should go.” He breathes against your mouth, pressing his lips to your in a chaste kiss.

“Yeah,” You agree, “You should.”

He steps back, takes the warmth of his palms with him, but reaches in to his pocket and hands his phone to you, “Put your number in here and I’ll call you.”

So you do, press the eleven digits into his phone along with your name and then kiss him once more before he’s turning on his heel and walking away, leaving you with a dull ache between your thighs that you’re working on relieving within five minutes of getting inside. You’re fucked.

Marcus curses himself as he settles into the seat on the bus. It’s late enough that it’s not too busy, no-one sitting next to him as he leans his head back and runs his hand over his face. He already knows he’s fucked up. The words Professor Pike and rejected from my first choice spinning around in his brain as he watches parts of North London flash past the window on his ride home.

Why hadn’t he stopped it then? He knows the rules, knows that even though he doesn’t teach her, any kind of relationships with students, no matter how mature, are off limits. And how is he supposed to keep the facade up now? It’s only a matter of time before she puts two and two together and figures out who he really is.

You’re sweet and you’re smart and you’re fucking beautiful and the best kisser he thinks he’s ever met. You have so much in common with him that it actually hurts him a little and one stupid choice to keep lying to you and the fucking ethics policy are going to keep him from something he thinks would actually be fucking good for him.

He thinks for a second, pulling out his phone and looking at your contact card that he should probably just delete your number. It’s for the best for everyone. He could avoid the museum for a while, keep his head low on campus, he knows he can avoid you. But with his finger hovering over the delete confirmation, he finds he doesn’t have the strength to do it. Stuffs his phone back in his pocket and tries to will his mind to forget the way you’d gasped into his mouth when his hands had squeezed at the swell of your ass, or the way your lips had been soft against his when he’d kissed you.

Then, led in bed, frustrations sorted by his own hand, he picks up his phone and damns himself to hell with a single text.

How about a walk around the National Gallery and dinner this weekend?

[y2kazoo]

HIIII!!! ive made a MASSIVE update to my fanclone roster since i last posted i have EIGHT of these things now so i refined some refs and updated their designs to make them more distinctive! i have a lot of information about all these up on my toyhouse so feel free to explore around there if you want :D

i wont go over the details w puff and tarrare since ive touched on their lore a bit already but i will indulge in some brief summaries for the rest! info below the readmore come take a look...

first we have louis - a clone of louis wain, a very beloved british illustrator who's well known for his depictions of cats. his clone son follows in his footsteps and is as equally as obsessed with cats as his clone father was - speaking of his clone father, his favorite cat, peter, was cloned along with him and now belongs to the new louis and is always hanging around him! the art club absolutely LOVES him. he's a total sweetheart and he constantly has a line of cats following him wherever he goes. he also runs a cat-sitting service out of his house and prefers to spend down time at school feeding the local stray cats instead of studying

second is charles domery but he prefers to go by his nickname domerz! he's a clone of a polish naval soldier from the 1700's who had absurd eating habits like those of tarrare. he was made infamous for an incident where he tried to eat a crewmate's dismembered leg and only stopped because it was dragged to sea by another crewmate. so it's only natural that his clone son is best friends forever with tarrare, with them having bonded over their afflictions when they were kids. they hang out together all the time - anyways! domerz himself is a bit of a jock but in a punkish bully way, he likes to pick fights with people just for the thrill of it and has a mean streak. he's quelled his weird eating habits by smoking tobacco, and only uses his capability to eat anything as a threat when people provoke him. his favorite threat is, of course, threatening to eat people's legs. he has done this multiple times before to other students if you were curious. also he has a big interest in boats.

bela is, go figure, a clone of bela lugosi, the actor made famous for playing dracula. the thing is, while his clone father was just playing a part, due to his clone father's legacy, his clone son believes HIMSELF to be a REAL, ACTUAL VAMPIRE. of course he is NOT a vampire, he's just some kid, but that doesn't matter too much to him. to him he's a vampire and that's that. he's a very bombastic theater kid AND has a reputation for being a prankster; he particularly loves to scare the other students and hide in their lockers and jump out and scare them. his theater group loves him, but it's easy for the other students to find him kind of grating. he holds a giant party at his parent's house every halloween.

bosch issssss interesting! he's a clone of hieronymous bosch, a painter from the 1500's who's best known works include the garden of earthly delights and his many pieces depicting nightmarish hellscapes. his clone son is a lot more stuck up than he probably was, considering himself to be 'above' the rest of his student body, only ever sticking with the other weird kids of the school. he's fairly pessimistic and edgy and he always has something sarcastic to say. his biggest passion, aside from painting, is the long list of weird, fantastical creatures that he depicts in his works, with each of them having a meaning to him and it's own set lore. he tends not to get along with the other artists due to his standoffish personality but if someone asks him about the significance of a random critter in the corner of one of his paintings, he'll talk to them about it for hours.

mary is a clone of mary shelley, the author of frankenstein! she's a very mopey tradgoth girl if you couldnt tell by all the dramatic makeup. she hates 'the preps' with a passion and would rather be caught dead than be lumped in with them. she's one of the smartest students in her grade and makes a lot of political jokes that fly right over people's heads. her favorite place to hang out is the graveyard, specifically the graveyard at night during a full moon. when she's not there, she's at the morgue contemplating the effects of decay on the human body. she tends to stick mostly to the goth group of kids, but she hangs out with the more ostracized students too, as it's just in her heart to stand up for misunderstood people.

lastly we have db - now i posted db to my main account and a lot of people found him absolutely hilarious SO im reposting him here too! sure why not. db is a clone of db cooper, a mysterious man who vanished after hijacking a plane and obtaining a lot of ransom money. db is a notorious hacker in the school and he's been kicked out of the stem club on several occasions for installing ransomware on all the school computers. his sunglasses are a core staple of his wardrobe as he believes if he always wears them, then no one will know his identity and he'll be this mysterious figure lurking around the school - even though everyone knows his name and he's just a big dork. he tends to pick on people who have a higher standing in the school and then disappearing before they can dish anything out to him. he's also very afraid of heights, ironic because he really likes planes.

[gachagon]

Frank is the "Question-Answerer"?

I've wanted to talk about this for a while but I've only ever spoke about it in Welcome Home theory discords lol. But anyways, this update we actually had two pieces of art from Clown's portfolio website separate from the main Welcome Home site be added to the main site, and I do remember Clown saying any art found on the main site is "canon" to some extent to the main story. Here they are:

These two images can be found on the Staff Only page! The reason I find these two pieces of art to be really cool is because they show a side to the puppets that we haven't really been seen on the website yet, which is that they're literally puppets being controlled by actual people. And not just that, but the implications of the Frank picture being that they can be easily replaced if they "break" or that their were other versions of themselves before that they've never even met before.

And with the newest update really shining a light on Wally's newfound sentience, the possible dissociation that comes with experiencing a new thing with no one to relate to about it, and the loneliness that someone can feel amongst their friends when they're "different" in a way the others aren't, I think these two art pieces really show a new kind of horror that the story has just begun to explore!

I've always been really suspicious of Frank as a character because I personally theorize that he might be the Question-Answerer that the WHRP got into contact with. And that red box that his hands are holding look eerily similar to the envelopes that Eddie delivers (and also the envelopes that can be seen in some of the photos in the new update) I also think Frank might have also been one of the first Puppets who "gained" sentience in a way, and became aware that he is alive and that the world around him is fake etc.

Frank's little bio here says he's the smartest neighbor in the neighborhood, and that the other neighbors would often come to him for advice on things. But also "Answers" to a lot of questions that would just be played off as a joke in the end.

And seeing as this is a piece of horror media about the experience of gaining sentience for the first time, I do find the one character who's whole thing is knowing more than the others to be kind of side-eye worthy lol. I've always personally interpreted that art of him with the red envelope as him discovering there were "prototypes" of other Franks. Perhaps the Playfellow company couldn't quite get his head to spin angrily in the right way, or it would do it to fast and he would "break" resulting in them having to make a new one each time.

[tothemeadow]

can you make a dream of mine come true? its where the trio are on a mission during the mission they get hit with a lust demon art. when they are done with the mission they are drooling for y/n. they all want you at the same time. and you need to try to treat them without them killing you.

goddamn anonnie this is so TASTY 😫

'three's a crowd' / Kamaboko Trio x Reader

warnings: NSFW, mild gore, mild dubcon, oral sex, fingering, handjobs, three on one action, all the fuggin mayonaise

words: 3,961

notes: aged up characters, AFAB reader/female bits, they/their pronouns

-

“Continue west! West! Almost there!” the Kasugai squawks overhead.

“We get it, you damn crow!” Inosuke yells back. “I oughta cook you already!”

“Inosuke,” Tanjiro quips, “focus.”

Grumbling, Inosuke ceases his verbal attack at the bird and turns his attention to the path before him. Zenitsu, on the other hand, snickers to himself.

Once again, the three make their way to whatever destination calls them; demons are everywhere, ready to pounce at any time. One must keep moving if they’re part of the corps. This time, though, rather than going single, Tanjiro’s Kasugai crow collected the three of them, informing the trio of a rampant demon terrorizing a town and its surroundings.

It wouldn’t be the first (or last) time that a demon goes on mass killing sprees, but to have so many victims in a short amount of time… It’s troubling, to say the least. Knowing that it’s eating more than well is enough to raise concerns, and it would be a foolish decision to let a single person walk towards their death. Having three people should make the task easier – hopefully.

They’ve discussed what little details fellow crows managed to compile – all the victims seem to be male, none of them dropping under the age of 16. Other than that, well… that’s for the trio to figure out.

Before too long, the crow gives a final squawk and takes an abrupt turn, soaring away from the group. Up ahead, silhouettes of houses break through the expanse of orange sky. At long last, they’ve finally made it to their destination. However, as the sun continues to set and night creeps closer, they’ll have to come with a plan – and fast.

“Kamado Tanjiro!” another Kasugai crow calls out.

The three look to the sky as the crow flies towards them from the direction of the town.

“Waiting for you, yes! Preparations are underway!”

“Guys, hey! Over here!” another new voice shouts.

On the outskirts of town, you wave the other three down, your free hand cupping the side of your mouth. The Kasugai crow circles back around and heads back towards you, seemingly leading the way. The three boys slow their running to a jog as they come closer to you, surprise written on their faces. As far as they were concerned, nobody else was assigned to this mission.

Tanjiro calls out your name as they draw even closer still, a smile spreading itself across his face. “What are you doing here?”

“Backup, apparently,” you say without missing a beat. “I was nearby when I was summoned.”

Zenitsu, appearing absolutely ecstatic to see you, hastily cuts the others off before they have a chance to speak. “It’s great to see you,” he gushes, face heating up. “How have you been?”

Inosuke makes a gagging noise. You can’t see his face beneath the mask, but you can tell its scrunched up in disgust. “Can you not think with your dick for once?”

Zenitsu impatiently swats at him, his ponytail swinging from the sheer force of the movement. “Says you, you muscle-brained idiot! You’re the one who humps tree hollows when no one’s looking!”

Tanjiro facepalms.

Surprisingly, you laugh. “It’s good to see that you boys haven’t changed much.” The mirth disappears from your face as your expression darkens. “Still… You’ve been updated as to what’s been going on lately, right?”

Nodding, Tanjiro steps another closer to you, ignoring the bickering two behind him. “Disappearances, yeah. Any bodies been found?”

“That’s not what I’m quite sure of yet. If the demon doesn’t have some sort of domain they can pull their prey into, they must be directing the men to some lair.”

Hearing you specifically say men makes a shiver run down Tanjiro’s spine. Hell, if anything goes wrong, his friends – himself included – could be in big, big trouble.

You continue. “It’s odd that they’re targeting such a select group of people. Do you think it could be a female demon?”

“I wouldn’t push away the thought, although it’s not the exact reason yet.”

“I say we use this dumbass as bait,” Zenitsu snips. He squeals as Inosuke takes him in a headlock.

“Whatever it is we’re dealing with, I wanna kill it!” Inosuke exclaims in his ever so charming brash way of his. He cackles, his thick arms squeezing tighter around Zenitsu’s neck.

“Night’s approaching. Come on, we’ve got to get ready,” you say. You snap your fingers at Inosuke. “Let him go. He’s not going to be much use to us if you kill him, no?”

Grumbling, Inosuke does as told and finally lets Zenitsu go. Zenitsu collapses onto his knees, sputtering and clutching at his throat. “You… asshole…!”

-

“You’ve… got to be kidding me.”

The cavern is relatively 6 meters wide, 10 meters tall; it’s not deep, rather a shallow divot in the forest walls amongst the rocks piling into a mountain. What’s surprising, though, is the number of bodies hanging from the ceiling. Bodies is a pretty giving word – you meant to say skeletons.

Each of them is upside down, arms extended past their heads. The bones are picked nearly clean, their white sheen telling you that they’re relatively fresh. The cavern doesn’t smell of spoiled meat or blood, so it most likely means that the demon at hand stripped them bare before attaching them to the roof of the cave.

To your side, Zenitsu shakes, bottom lip quivering in a way that seems like it’s vibrating. His knees clack together as a pathetic whimper escapes his throat.

Inosuke scratches the back of his head. “At least they’re not suffering, right?”

“Inosuke,” Tanjiro snaps.

“It has to be nearby,” you interject, quickly discouraging any potential argument. “Demons just don’t leave their… collection out for anyone to grab.”

Zenitsu hastily shakes his head. “Hell no. I’m not sticking around long enough to find out!”

“WhY nOt?”

Zenitsu screams; he leaps into your arms, hands linking together behind your neck. Within a few paces from his previous spot, a grotesque demon stares at your group, head cocked at an unnatural angle. Black, stringy hair falls in its face, its eyes nothing more than empty sockets. The body resembles a mantis, the prickles on its forearms dripping with what you presume is a poison.

How fun.

The demon’s lips draw back in a snarl, jagged teeth gleaming in the low light. It seems to be glaring right at you. “LeT hIm Go.” The voice is no better than dragging nails down a chalkboard. You can’t help but wince.

If this thing is going to try to kill you, it wouldn’t hurt to ask for some basic information, no? Shifting your weight, you turn so that Zenitsu is sheltered behind you, your chin tucked over your shoulder. “And why would I do that exactly, hmm? It doesn’t seem like you’re very hospitable to your guests.”

“Please just tell us,” Tanjiro’s voice rings out, yet it sounds muffled. Looking over, you’re met with the sight of him clutching a hand over his nose, expression scrunched in disgust. Instinctively, you whiff at the air, but there’s nothing worth noting. Odd.

The demon’s face jerks in Tanjiro’s direction. “MaLe. NiNeTeEn. DeLiCiOuS.”

You huff. “What about me?” If your previous hypothesis is correct, then the demon should show a preference for the guys in your group…

Once again, the demon snarls at you. “FeMaLe.”

Bingo.

“Inosuke, now!” you yell.

The demon swivels its head around just in time to see Inosuke leaping at it, dual blades extending in graceful arcs towards its neck. It screeches as it barely dodges, the sharp, uneven edges catching the flesh of its jugular. Blood spews from the wound, a blackish red that is far from a human’s.

Setting Zenitsu down (he’s already passed out, who knew?) you draw your own blade. Tanjiro’s already ahead of you, charging at the demon at a speed naked to the untrained eye. Soon, the three men and you are taking turns swinging at the demon’s fleshy neck, attacks bouncing off each other in a dizzying rhythm. Blood and poison fly in fat droplets each time a hit lands; whether either is harmful, you don’t know. Blood already speckles your face and uniform, yet you don’t feel any pain or discomfort.

The fight continues into the wee hours of the night; it’s been a while since the fight left the cave, migrating into the woods instead. While your group makes use of the branches and the sturdy trunks, the demon does the same. A sweep of the hind legs sends you flying, your body crashing through the surrounding branches and other foliage. A sharp gasp breaks free as your spine makes contact with the rough bark of a tree. Your vision swims, but the bloodcurdling scream emitting from the demon has your ears perking and hairs standing on end.

As your vision clears, silence sets in. It’s still a few hours before dawn cracks and the forest properly wakes up. The usual trill of bugs fills the atmosphere, broken by the slight haggard breath here and there. With a groan, you draw yourself to a stand and waddle over to where the other three stand. Your blade slips into your sheath with a clean schlink – the sound of a job well done.

“Is everyone alright?” you croak. Thankfully, your eyes have long adjusted to the near nonexistent lighting, so you’re able to locate the others fairly well.

Inosuke grumbles and promptly throws himself onto the ground, limbs spread eagle. Zenitsu is sitting against a tree, his head cradled in his hands. Neither reaction is cause for concern (not usually, anyway), but Tanjiro… Tanjiro looks ill. You notice his nostrils flare whenever you draw closer.

“Tanjiro?”

“Fucking hell!” Inosuke yells. “Can’t you say anything else than his name for once?”

Your brows furrow together. “Inosuke, what are you going on about now?”

Zenitsu groans from his spot.

Gods, are all of them sick? Did the demon’s poison have more of an effect than you originally thought?

Slowly, Zenitsu picks himself off the ground and shuffles over. His arms sling themselves around you again, but it’s different than before. His touch feels different. You jump in place as he buries his face in the crook of your neck and inhales deeply.

“Oi! You son of a bitch!” Inosuke yells again. Foliage and twigs crunch under him as he scrambles to get up, entire body flexing angrily as he reaches for Zenitsu. “Off!”

You send a pleading look towards Tanjiro. Surely he would have an idea of what’s going on, right?

Right??

Still, Tanjiro refuses to say anything. His eyes are glued to yours, his jaw slack. He hastily wipes at his gaping lips and chin, yet it does nothing to hide the sheen of saliva sticking to his skin. A soft thunk brings your attention back to the two crowding around you; Inosuke has abandoned his boar head, the poor thing looking almost lonely on the ground. He openly lavishes your neck, tongue licking fat stripes against the skin.

A firm shove to the chest sends Inosuke falling straight onto his ass. You cup the side of your neck, completely scandalized. He doesn’t seem deterred by your rejection – if anything, it makes his eyes glow hungrily through the dark, a small growl rumbling in his throat.

Something hard pokes into your hip. You flash a wild look at Zenitsu. He merely looks back at you with a pleading gaze, his bottom lip tucked behind his teeth.

You swallow heavily. “Guys,” you start slowly, carefully, “we can get you to a Wisteria House or the Butterfly Mansion. I need you to keep your heads on straight. Breathe.”

“Please,” Zenitsu murmurs.

…Fuck.

Just like with Inosuke, you shove Zenitsu away. However, instead of staying there and lecturing them, you abruptly turn on your heel and run. It’s a ridiculous idea, you’re well aware of that, but the more distance you put between yourself and the three men, the better. Whatever was in that demon’s poison, it’s clearly messing with their psyches. You need time to think up a plan – and fast.

Trees fly by in a hazy blur as you make your escape. As you scale up a trunk, you hear not-so-distant shouts of your name echoing. From there, you jump from limb to limb, movements sleek and well-practiced. When was the last time you were chased like this? It had to have been a few years, at least, not since you were a fresh corps member.

It hits you before you see it; the sheer force of the collision rips the air from your lungs. Flashes of yellow fill your peripheral and a panicked word rings throughout your brain. Thunder.

Fortunately, Zenitsu has enough sense not to let you fall to the forest floor. He lands squarely on his feet with you held tightly in his arms. Both Tanjiro and Inosuke appear not a second later, and it’s only then that you realize that they’re all drenched in sweat.

Tanjiro says your name; he sounds pained, yet sweet. Guilt swims in the depths of his eyes, but another emotion lays over it heavily. It’s a look you’ve seen in Tengen’s eyes when he’s with his wives, or when Obanai is staring longingly at Mitsuri. You begin to squirm in Zenitsu’s hold, but his arms only tighten around you.

It’s hard to say who attacks first. One moment, you’re watching Tanjiro with a bated breath; the next, you’re on your back, staring up at three different faces. There’s a pair of rough hands tugging away at your haori, the buttons of your uniform. Goosebumps erupt over your skin once cool air caresses it, but then those very hands are fondling your breasts.

“Wait- No-“ you stammer.

A squeak breaks from your throat as your nipples are yanked on, calloused thumbs rolling them into stiff peaks. Zenitsu swears under his breath, his eyes glued to your chest. Inosuke looks just as lost, his gaze a million miles away. Tanjiro flashes you a timid smile.

“Please, just… Bear with us,” he tells you. Leaning down, he skims his lips against your temple. He breathes your name. “We’ll take care of you. I promise.”

A mouth latches around a nipple, eliciting a sharp breath from you. “What… What happened to you guys…?”

“That damned demon sprayed something at us,” Inosuke slurs. It sounds like his mouth is full.

Zenitsu promptly pushes Tanjiro’s head away and descends, his lips capturing yours. Your mind stalls as he pushes his tongue inside, a moan following soon after. You’re aware of Zenitsu’s stories of “wooing” women (to which degree you believe him is relatively low) and his general berating of Tanjiro and Inosuke’s lack of skills, but this… Well, it appears that he lives up to those stories.

You never thought you’d catch yourself kissing Zenitsu (if tongue and teeth equal as such) but it feels good. Still, this is wrong. These boys are your friends, and they’re under the influence of some Demon Art. That itself is odd, considering the effects of one die off as soon as the demon is killed. This poison had to be of some outside nature; possibly a concoction that the demon created itself?

Tanjiro busies himself with stroking your hair and the skin he can reach. He’s steadily breathing in your scent, little murmurs of appreciation and groans filling your ear. Inosuke suckles on your breast, teeth gnawing on your nipple until it’s flushed and swollen. Your lips are in a similar state once Zenitsu finally pulls away.

“I want to eat you,” Zenitsu says. The wicked flicker in his eyes tells you that he’s being completely serious.

You shuffle to sit up, but Tanjiro pushes you back down by your shoulders, smile apologetic but eyes the same as Zenitsu’s. “Wait, wait, wait- You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

“I get why that bastard strung all those guys up,” Inosuke grunts.

Your eyes go wide.

A silent agreement passes between the three and there goes Zenitsu’s hands again, undoing your belt and yanking your hakama down. Tanjiro hisses at the scent of your gathering arousal; it’s clear that your traitorous body enjoyed their attention a bit too much. Your fundoshi gets pealed away and your thighs instinctively clench together, wanting to hide your precious core from their hungry eyes.

“Open up,” Zenitsu breathes. He wiggles his way in between your legs and pries your thighs apart. Three sets of eyes focus on your puffy lower lips, at the sheen of arousal coating them. Embarrassment floods your face. “Beautiful,” Zenitsu openly moans.

You’re left completely speechless as Zenitsu ducks down, mouth latching onto your pussy. With a jolt, you shout his name, heart beating furiously against your ribcage. You’re genuinely worried it’ll try leaping from your chest and run away into the night. It takes a moment for your brain to catch up with what’s exactly happening; Zenitsu laps at your insides with purposeful movements, his nose held stiff to your clit.

“Move over,” Inosuke barks. He grabs a hold of Zenitsu’s haori and yanks him away, quickly taking his spot and raking his teeth against your sensitive flesh. You try to jerk away from him, but he wraps his strong arms around your thighs, holding you in place as he works you open with his tongue. He’s not as skilled as Zenitsu, but he makes it up with sheer enthusiasm.

Tanjiro takes your hand in his, his lips skimming your knuckles. It’s comforting, but you know he’s going to be wanting something from you as well. He directs your hand to his crotch; something hot meets your hand and Tanjiro shudders. Your eyes drop from his face, the sight of your fingers wrapped around his heavy cock causing something to stir in your gut.

Inosuke groans as your slick pours into his mouth, his hips pressed firmly to the ground. Zenitsu follows in Tanjiro’s footsteps and comes to your other side; your hand soon finds his own cock, precum leaking from the flushed tip.

Shit, this is really happening. If you go through with this, will the poison’s effects wear off? Will you be able to look at the trio the same ever again?

You tentatively squeeze both cocks and the delightful sound of deep groans fill your ears.

All doubts disappear.

Frankly, you’re not even sure how you’re supposed to go about this, but you still give it your best shot. The precum oozing from their cockheads make the slide of your hands easier, much to their satisfaction. Inosuke’s mouth is still hot on your drooling pussy, his eyes fixated on your parted lips and hooded eyes. Plush lips latch around your clit as two fingers breach your fluttering hole; a whorish moan erupts from your lips, and the cocks in either hand twitch at the sound.

“Make them cum,” Zenitsu tells Inosuke. “Gods dammit, Inosuke, make them cum.”

You aren’t sure if it’s his filthy words, Inosuke’s mouth, or the precum coating your hands, but that tight little knot in your lower stomach snaps and then you’re practically gushing all over Inosuke’s fingers. Wicked panting fills the air as Inosuke sits up, his pupils blown to hell.

“I want it,” he growls, his fingers digging into the muscle of your thigh.

Tanjiro speaks your name again, sounding absolutely wrecked. “Can you- Do you think you can take us all at once?”

Your pussy flutters at his words. You never thought you’d hear Tanjiro, sweet, sweet Tanjiro, say something so filthy. It suddenly feels too hard to swallow correctly. “H-How?” You hate how your voice cracks.

“Winner gets their mouth,” Zenitsu husks.

What?

Much to your surprise, the three engage in some oddly horny round of rock-paper-scissors. You’ve got be fucking kidding me.

Tanjiro makes a sound of excitement when he wins. How he manages to still be so precious at a time like this is beyond you. Still, you let the guys rearrange your positions into something more… workable. Now, your knees are digging into the ground below you, haunches tucked below as you stare up at the other three. Zenitsu licks his lips as he slowly grinds his aching cock into your fist. Inosuke doesn’t seem too pleased at losing to Tanjiro of all people, but he is pleased that your hand is stroking his thick cock.

Tanjiro’s face is scrunched. Although his cock is thick and flushed a pretty shade of red, hesitation still pulls at him. Zenitsu notices his inner turmoil and brings a hand to the back of your head.

“Pretty thing, open your mouth nice and wide, okay? Make sure your teeth are covered,” he urges.

Inosuke releases a guttural fuck as your jaw falls open, cute little pink tongue beckoning Tanjiro. Biting his lip, Tanjiro focuses on your pretty mouth. Precum pearls at his tip and runs down his shaft; he’s practically begging to have his cock in your mouth, even though he hasn’t said anything.

“Is this okay?” Tanjiro says through grit teeth.

You slowly nod your head.

A hiss passes through those clenched teeth as Tanjiro eases his hips forward, hand directing his cock towards your mouth. Your eyes fall shut as the weight settles on your tongue. Musk and salt fill your senses; it’s nothing like you’ve ever experienced, yet you find yourself enjoying the stretch of your jaw, the silken girth pressing further into your mouth.

Allowing Tanjiro fall into a rhythm, you keep your breathing steady and focus on the cocks in your hands. They feel the same as Tanjiro’s, all hot and hard and soft at the same time. A chorus of moans is music to your ears. There are murmurs of your name, sweet pet names, yet there’s always that choke of a curse word and a slight thrust of the hips.

The tip of Tanjiro’s cock hits the back of your throat and you cough. He pauses his movements, hand caressing your throat; he’s ever so patient, even as he’s leaking down your throat and saying your name like a prayer. He pushes in just the slightest bit, and then he growls as he feels the bulge of his cock in your throat. Now, you’re well used to Inosuke growling, but the way Tanjiro does it has your pussy dripping.

You’re nothing more than a toy, some pathetic thing to let them get their kicks. You feel so used, chin, lips, and hands covered in slick precum, your pussy weeping onto the ground below you. Opening your eyes, you take your time to look at each and every single one of the boys. There’s another fuck! and Inosuke’s cumming all over your fist, some of it even splashing onto your cheek. The sight triggers a domino effect of some sort; Zenitsu shoots his own load, spilling all over your hand and whining piteously. Tanjiro is only a few moments behind, his hand clenching around your throat as he empties his spend into your mouth.

Tanjiro pulls away and sinks to his knees, words gentler than before as he rubs his thumbs across your cheekbones. He kisses you softly, and the stark difference in behavior nearly has you dizzy. Zenitsu’s panicking about something, voice shrill as he cries out his apologies. Inosuke merely gives a what?

“Thank you,” Tanjiro whispers against your mouth. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Wait, does this mean you’re cured?” you croak. Zenitsu squeaks when you look at him.

“Yeah,” Tanjiro tells you. He begins to give a little smile, but then his nostrils flare and he glances down between you two. A bright blush spreads across his handsome face. “You… Would you like our help?”

You lick your lips. “Yes.”

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Hunting for Clues-with-a-capital-C, a meta of Good Omens metas, and GO fun!

*I'm adding to this list as I find new and interesting Clues and theories!

*This post version is dated 21 Apr 2024; the current version is pinned to my profile.

* I maxed out Tumblr's link limit! Here's the Google doc (which is due to be updated SOON with lots of posts I've reshared in the last few months...) with all the Clues, links, and metas I've collected from all over the fandom.

Below, you'll find a list of my original posts, most of which are filled with fact-finding, Clue-hunting screenshots that will probably leave you with more questions than answers! Several of these posts are also presented in partnership with the Ineffable Detective Agency:

Fanfiction:

From the GOMM holiday exchange: Cocoa and Fairy Lights, How to Fight Your Chemistry and Lose

GOMM 2024: Orbiting a Memory featuring a gorgeous illustration by @altonthebard

Fan Fiction Friday: The Universe Might Answer: Broken Moonlight

From the GO Song & Poetry Exchange: The Ineffable Dance

Good Omens Day of ✨Dance✨:

Learn all about my GO "Day of Dance" and get a link to all the fandom art I shared, here!

Time:

Gabriel's Memory Returns:

Plus, hidden audio in the memory tunnels?

The Appearing Sign:

Edinburgh and the Briefcase, presented by the Ineffable Detective Agency

The Bentley:

Crowley, Aziraphale, and the Statue:

Crowley's sideburns:

Crowley's sideburns aren't even consistent in the promo photos.

Extras Behaving Strangely:

Hawaiian Shirt/Pub Table Guy

Marking the Columns

The Demon in an Orange Hoodie

More Assorted Discontinuities:

When does Mr Arnold's shop arrive? After season 1, except Neil says it was in the 1970s

The disappearing textiles storefront

Season 1: First Wombat in Space (also, Bentley bullet hole decals)

The Clock and Other Furnishings:

The circular bookshop rug CHANGES?!

The Good Omens bookshop furniture changes between s1 and s2 (but NOT after Adam reboots reality!)

The Bookshop/Hospital Sink

The Opening Title Sequence:

The S2 Opening Title Sequence: analysis

Other Speculation and Questions:

On Neil's Tumblr asks, Staying Skeptical, and Gravity Falls

Finding hope for s3 and perspective for s2 in Neil's s1 podcast with David Tennant

The BTS parking ticket translation

Parallels with Nightmare in Silver (Doctor Who written by Neil) - multiple Crowleys?

Has Aziraphale been meeting with Floating Head Metatron throughout s2?

Would even vulnerable, heartbroken Crowley try to protect Aziraphale at all costs? A possible hidden transfer in the kiss.

I have questions about Nina and ESPECIALLY about Maggie...

Don't pay the guy with the blue glasses, he doesn't work here!

If you enjoyed my research, stay tuned for future posts, and take a look at my Google doc for even more Clues and metas from all over the fandom!

Some closing bits of encouragement:

A: "You just said it was the only way to prevent something terrible happening!" G: "Really? What?!" A: "I don't know!" G: "Well then, I expect it will be fine. Most things are fine in the end."

Neil: "Tell him that it will all be all right in the end, and that we are not yet at the end."

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite Continuing Manga I Read in 2023

I went into the brand new manga I read in this post, but here's an update on some great continuing series!

Shout out to She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat for having phenomenal storyline about find the courage to cut toxic family members off, which is pretty rare to see (in manga especially)! The story explores how your family can impose a relationship with food that harms you in many different ways, and how finding acceptance of your food habits helps you heal. It also continues to be a lovely exploration of queer adults finding themselves that makes the point that your experiences don't have to fit in a box.  And I appreciate that they included a character who doesn't like eating that much for me to relate to! See my first review here, 

Now for a quick word about the other great continuing manga I read:

- I Want to be a Wall really upped it's game and included a nuanced discussion about asexuality that I loved seeing. See first review here.

- Yuri is My Job is still the best lesbian drama manga around and hits hard. See previous discussion here,

- A Man and His Cat is still the sweetest and Yona of the Dawn is as action packed and intriguing as ever...I feel a climax slowly coming!

- A Bride’s Story is still wonderfully done historical fiction with lush art while How Do We Relationship continues to develop its web of queer relationships nicely.

- Witch Hat Atelier is still a wondrous story of magic, creativity, accessibility, and struggling under unfair systems, all told in a fascinating fantasy setting with loveable, complex characters and incredible art.

A lot of manga I like concluded this year too, so let's take a slightly longer look at the conclusions!

Dungeon Meshi- The conclusion to one of my favorite fantasy manga ever was fittingly bombastically weird and fully satisfying. It filled you up like good food should. Live well instead of being consumed by fear of death and loss. Eat well instead of working yourself to the bone and neglecting your needs. Follow your own path, but cherish your connections and get together for a good meal. This series and its intricate world and wonderful characters will stay with me for a long time.

Catch These Hands- See my first review here. I enjoyed the cute conclusion to this series, and it was nice to see a little ace rep and a message about not conforming to society's expectations of "adulthood". It's an ode to delinquent girls that a sukeban stan like me can get behind! A lot of the stuff that annoyed me in the second volume was mostly dropped for the third and fourth, so that's also nice.

Run Away With Me Girl- See my first review here. I wish this had been a little longer, but the conclusion worked well and was cathartic.

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon- See my first review here. A nice conclusion to a cute, slow-paced little romance series, with yet more ace rep!

The Two of Them are Pretty Much Like This- see my first review here. This conclusion felt a bit rushed, with plot lines still dangling, like it was cancelled early or something. But the series is still good overall, and I'll miss it.

My Love Mix Up -This sweet-as-pie series about cute gay misunderstandings leading to romance comes to a fittingly sweet conclusion. It's sad waving goodbye to these silly, good-hearted kids, but I'm satisfied with where they ended up.

[lychgate]

Echo brain comic?? My beloved?

this one's pretty new and id like to in the least get some segments drawn up if i can

i went balls deep in depth about my personal ideas of Echo's structure and how it works, it has much more writing rn then art lemme get some snippets:

tech and echo begin digging around in his wiring as echo's health has lately began to decline rapidly. Blood transfusions are becoming daily, exhaustion occurs much quicker, and newest to the issues are these seemingly random seizures. They've attempted many outside options at remedying the problem but it was becoming urgently clear that the only way to get answers would be to open up his system and understand exactly how his body operates from the inside out. Echo is mostly on edge because he fears finding the answer that is he's just doomed to die soon, and that his body was in no way sustainable outside of that fridge. He fears the idea of dying so much that he has manic considerations of being put back in some sort of stasis chamber. Death, which he never feared prior to the citadel, but now he's come to be you know uhhh quite traumatized from it. But he also hates the idea of that fridge!! caught between two terrible options, wowie here ill add some more breakdown of that in a read more if anyone is interested in paragraphs of bullshit:

as for a brief descriptor on the shit on his head and body, from this paragraph:

Tech: these rivets across your skull are not simple ports one can just plug into. They're a very unique structure, containing an extremely delicate, but long system of thin metallic fibers wiring throughout your brain. These 'rivets' then act as anchors to those metal fibers, which then respond to very specific electric signals that we can access at the nodes on the surface here. If the signals sent are not exact. Well. Echo: yeah I get it I get it.

and some write up on how Tech begins to diagnose the problem:

Eventually Tech will find his way into deeper functions of the brain, finding shortcuts that were already developed by the Techno Union scientists for the sake of their own equipment likely. Categorized sections for monitoring all sorts of chemicals and levels within Echo's body, most of which were left on an automatic function to regulate.

Tech begins to understand that the key issue is that this program, and these automatic functions, were fitted for exactly the stasis chamber Echo had been put in, and if they want to begin fixing Echos phsyical body, he would have to start going in and coding line for line, functions that pertain to the body on a sustainability outside that fridge. Some functions were completely turned off, being that Echo was getting fed certain synthesized chemicals thru the machine, his brain had to be telling itself NOT to produce said things naturally.

But it's all very finicky work that requires continuous maintenance and updates, not much unlike a patch update to any other computer program, except this is Echo's life. It's an impossible amount of code to do in any short time frame, and so Tech will begin splicing lines of code from similar organic droids with systems of similar complexity.

They handle these sessions once per week, giving time for Echo's body to catch up and adjust. At first he begins feeling some nausea, his heart rate starts rising, but he insists something feels good about it and urges Tech to keep going. Echo begins to feel warmth back in his body, his mood increases, after about a month hair begins to grow again, muscle mass fills in what once was skeletal limbs, nail beds regain a lively shine. Besides a few errors in updates like over producing a chemical or small bouts of insomnia, everything seems On Course.

and then:

So now we get into the meat of the drama, which is a lot of Echo mania and identity issues:

By this point Tech has outfitted much easier screw on parts so they can go in and out of this program faster (the set up previously was hours of work) so pulling that up he theorizes that he will have to do more then just reverse programs that the Techno Union set up. Tech now believes he'll have to create NEW systems, as the old program appears to be getting corrupted from all of Tech's editing. The seizures are, at this point to their best guess, coming from this. That parts of his brain are literally crashing, and soon he's going to start having more serious issues like bro is gonna just have a massive stroke at some point. Tech points that out all regular voice and Echo is just 'great im back in the mental swamp' Now that Echo's learned that he has corrupted files eating away at his brain, and that the chance of having a massive stroke is like inevitable, he's back to feeling like anxious shit. It doesn't help that this will take Tech a lot of time to figure out. Truthfully he's putting as much effort as he can into it, but this is when Echo begins to get Really mentally unwell. He's both worrying and also trying NOT to worry out of fear that it's going to complicate the program even more. Echo begins to have identity issues, coming to rely more on the mechanics then the organics that make him. He doesn't feel like a human with robot parts anymore, he feels like a robot with human parts.

and it keeps going like there's parts where echo is begging Tech to up programs on dopamine generation and Tech has to turn him down cause that would just be creating an addiction problem, situations where Echo starts trying to mess with his own brain, situations where he tries to kill Tech, its a lot of rambling but im not a writer, like i can't write for shit and I'd like to try and draw it instead