#i haven't posted paintings in a while i don't know what to tag

[countingfailuresnotstars]

even if you make mistakes sometimes, you're a good person who deserves love

[these-posts-arent-real]

(masterpost link)

Aaand we have returned to the madness on a larger scale! What are these cats up to...

#sighh #i know i've been away from dash sim posting for a while #was dealing with my last few days of school #but #that is Over Now #i can return to fulfilling everyone's need for Warrior Cats But Tumblr

57 notes

🐦 s3afow1s--sc0wl Follow

PLEASE stop talking about the most recent TTDV slates without spoilers, it hasn't made its rounds to ShadowClan yet and I don't want to know what's going to happen before I read it!!!!

#ttdv discussion #ttdv:rp #through the desert vast #ttdv: rattlesnake path #ttdv #through the desert vast: rattlesnake path #especially since i heard the newest slates have seafowl in them a lot #he's my specialest guy...

9 notes

🔁 🛤 carnation-stem-02 reblogged

🍲 ex-thundrclan-kipper Follow

I think the worst thing about no longer being a Clan cat is that a lot of the time I have no idea what y'all over there are talking about. What is TTDV?

🦁 lionsight-x3 Follow

TTDV stands for Through the Desert Vast. It's a new slate series everyone's going bee-brained over... I haven't read it yet because I prefer for a series to be finished before reading, but I've heard good things. Queer rep within the first couple chapters of the first slate-set, a non-traditional setting and cast (a rogue group living in the desert), and complex characters... needless to say I'm excited for when it finishes and I can read it!

#it's been on my to-read list for a while #maybe this is a sign #it seems pretty cool #ttdv

2,070 notes

🔁 🐦 s3afow1s--sc0wl reblogged

⛰️ fc-rockpaint Follow

In honor of Through the Desert Vast becoming popular, I've decided to make a rock-dye project on all of the main characters. Today's character is... Seafowl!

Unfortunately I don't have the right paints to portray him accurately (I haven't been able to find any white herbs for his patches, but I'm still on the lookout!) but this is mostly accurate to how he is described in the slates.

🌠 nightshade-tast3s-yummy Follow

Pssst... @s3afow1s--sc0wl

#eeeek! seafowl! #i looove him so much... my precious boy... #art #ttdv #ttdv seafowl #thanks for the tag!

162 notes

🔁 🌻 l1llyst3m reblogged

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

Aahhhh I've finally gotten into TTDV and... NOBODY was gonna tellme that one of the characters is heavily implied to be transfem? Nobody thought I'd find this interesting????

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

SCRATCH THAT. IT'S CANON. PIT VIPER IS CANONICALLY TRANS.

🐚 hermitcrabfriend Follow

I had wondered if you were talking about Pit Viper when I saw this post a cople days ago! Apparently so ^w^ yeah, it's canon, gets confirmed in the second slate set.

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

This makes me wonder. Why is everyone on this site talking about Seafowl saying he gives "egg vibes" when we have. An actual confirmed trans character. Right here.

Nothing against Seafowl but the only vibe he gives off to me is traumatized.

🏞 trouttail-prefers-bass Follow

He's your typical prettyboy cishet protagonist type and everyone is pissed off that he's a side character rather than ttdv's ✨️specialest boy✨️. So they're trying to make him special by claiming he gives off trans vibes when he clearly does not and is happy as a tom.

🌻 l1llyst3m Follow

#wait till op reads rattlesnake path

What do you mean by that-

#what do you MEAN by that— #im gonna need context #is this /pos or /neg #does something bad happen in rattlesnake path?? #help someone pls #through the desert vast #ttdv

103 notes

🔁 🥬 rxttencatmint reblogged

🥬 rxttencatmint

Im so fucking irritated... my mom wont let me read TTDV because it's "inApPrOpRiAtE." Which. Of course. Is because it has lgbtqia+ characters.

🥬 rxttencatmint

WONDEDFUL NEWS. MY MENTOR LET ME BORROW HIS COPY OF THE FIRST SET. AHHHHH!!!!! I GET TO READ IT!!

#YIPPEEEEE #òwó im so exCITED!!! #ive been wanting to read ttdv for a whileee #i love my mentor sm

5 notes

🪵 i-eat-moss Follow

My unpopular opinion (TTDV:RP SPOILERS INCOMING)

Keep reading

#ttdv:rp #ttdv #rattlesnake path spoilers #ttdv spoilers #ttdv:rp spoilers #nothing against pit viper!!! #i like her as a character #i just dont get why we got a whole book explaining her backstory

203 notes

🐚 hermitcrabfriend Follow

I LOOOOVE RATTLESNAKE PATH SO MUCH. IVE JUST GOTTEN TO READ IT AND IM SO EXCITED. OMG.

Not only is it a whole set dedicated to my favorite character !!! like a dream come true!!! It ALSO contains good intersex rep (Ball Python my beloved!!!). Over all just a FANTASTIC set in a fantastic series.

12 notes

🌱 dirtdigger-23 Follow

I'm... back?? I'M BACK ON CLANBLR!!!! WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO

#i thought i'd never get back #stuck on Tumblr...

0 notes

🍽 the-post-maker

I hope y'all enjoyed this insight into what the cats do when they get fandom-y... and if you want to discuss TtDV further... well, there's a server for that ;) now back to your regular dash

[goth-mami-writer]

✨️Gojo AU Drabble✨️

{He's your ex that doesn't like it when you date other guys}

~~♡Did this for fun, and wanted to share♡~~

《 You saw your phone ringing that night as you hurried to get ready. Gojo, your ex, was calling.

....Of course he was.

Every post you made on Instagram warranted a phone call, but you knew this one particular would warrant special attention. Your new boyfriend had tagged you in a post showing the world the bouquet of red roses he had bought to celebrate 6 months of your new relationship. He was kind and sweet like a daydream, everything that Gojo just wasn't. It was a nice transition, seeing that Satoru was often none of those things.

But you noticed a difference in this new suitor that often made you hesitant when it came to dates and affection. You thought maybe it was how fast the relationship had grown. But you just weren't sure.

“Remind me why I haven't blocked you?” You said, answering the call as you unraveled the last curler from your hair in front of your vanity mirror.

You had only an hour left to get ready for your date that your boyfriend had planned, and you were rushing to be on time. A bobbi pin hung from your lips, and you realized your stockings had torn up the side of your thigh already. There was no way you could entertain Satoru right now. The jealous bullshit that he was known for with your new boyfriend was becoming a pain.

He laughed on the call after you answered. He loved it when you tried to act grumpy. You quickly grabbed your bottle of hairspray as he spoke haughtily with what you knew to be a shitty grin painted on his mouth,

“You'd never block me- shut up.”

“Yeah?-” You said, rushing to dust on your setting powder once you checked your makeup,

“And you'll never leave me alone now that I got a new squeeze, huh?”

Gojo laughed again, letting you have your little moment of fun, but his jaw tightened when you threw it in his face that you had a new boyfriend. He thought being promoted to CEO and making six figures would surely keep you from dumping him those months ago.

But, he never thought he'd be wrong.

“Oh, please-” He said, rolling his eyes over his dark sunglasses as he stood away from his desk at the office,

“Your little boyfriend is a fucking dork. He doesn't even know you hate roses.”

“I don't hate roses.” You said from across the room as the phone sat on speaker while you drug out your dress from its dry cleaning bag in the closet.

“Sure, but you prefer red tulips.” Gojo replied shortly, freezing you still as you listened to how much he remembered from your time together.

“-With the stems cut short… so you can put them in that vase in the dining room without them hanging over.”

Your mouth hung agape now, and you stopped zipping the back of your cocktail dress to come closer to the phone, almost in disbelief of how much info he was holding onto.

For what?

You thought this was all just a ploy. A mean act to get back at you for dumping him. This felt….emotional. You blinked quickly and scoffed, trying not to act bothered that he remembered something so stupid as your dining room vase,

“Did you call me for a reason, or did you just wanna just be an ass? I have to get ready.”

You heard him smile again after knowing that he had your attention now but then said concludingly,

“Just wanted to see what Mr. Smooth had planned for your…little date night- thing?”

“That is none of your business.” You fired off smartly, putting in your earrings until you painfully realized that this was the set that Gojo had bought you. Quickly, you became annoyed and tossed them back down to your vanity.

“Well. I've got a work thing tonight, so I won't bother you.” He said as you tried to find another pair of earrings.

-or literally anything else besides the thought of him remembering your stupid favorite flower.

“How gracious of you.” You grumbled sarcastically, and Gojo chuckled, loving the sound of your mouth getting tight when you became this pissed. Especially over something he instigated.

But you wanted to give him no satisfaction in this conversation and you mentioned deviously,

“Yeah, I'd call to update you later but… the bed creaking might be too loud for us to chat.”

You giggled, thinking that mental image might set him in his place but he responded fearlessly with a dickish remark that made your blood boil just right,

“Please- that accounts-receivable toothpick couldn't creak that bed if he tried. We all know who had to tell your neighbors not to call the cops at 3 in the-”

You gasped loudly in a shriek to his boldness and hung up the call with a smack. Your face turned beet red either in anger…or something much worse as you beat your fist into the dresser. He still had such a grip around you and the way you felt. You could never tell anyone, but....you dated this new guy solely to forget about Satoru Gojo once and for all. He wasn't anyone special. You hardly even tolerated him.

But, fuck, it wasn't working if this was to try and forget about your ex.

You put on a determined grimace as you slid on your high heels and told yourself that tonight was it.

If you thought about Gojo even once during this dinner, it was over. You couldn't string this guy along anymore. It wasn't right. You took a deep breath, but amid that moment of concentration, you began to laugh. Your shoulders shook the gentle laughter that grew louder with each second you tried to stifle it away.

You happily remembered the night Sato had mentioned being an ass. At 3am, Gojo stood at your door to ease the concerns of your worried neighbors who heard yelling and banging. You laughed harder, remembering his red face and labored breath, telling them whatever wild lie that might prevent a call to 911.

That's the kind of mischief you were used to with him. Together, you both laughed for the rest of that night and you knew now that you'd never find that joy with someone else.

They weren't Gojo. And that was the big ginormous difference that kept you away from committing.

Wasn't it?

"What a fucking asshole." You said with a warm sigh and a wide smile as your thoughts swooned in what you knew to be nostalgia.

Maybe your boyfriend was just a fucking dork?》

[autismasgore]

i'm leaving the fandom

so i already posted about this on twitter with a shorter explanation but after a long while of being in the undertale fandom, i've decided to distance myself from it. i'm not sure if i'll ever make a public return on any of these accounts, but for now i've decided that i feel this is what's best for me mentally.

i'm kind of surprised i haven't already, to be honest, but i guess for a good while i was able to focus on the passion and love i had for the game. nowadays, i've been finding it harder and harder to interact with the fandom as a whole - for a multitude of reasons really.

many of you are already aware i went through a stalking incident over asgore discourse, which lasted from late 2019 to 2023. it was the most traumatizing years of my life, and i don't even remember a time where i actually felt at peace with myself during those years. the only time i remember being happy was pouring all of my focus onto undertale even harder, just to try and cope with what was going on. it didn't help that at the time, my abusive family was blaming me for being stalked and telling me i was just doing this all for attention and that i loved the "drama" of it.

i really didn't want to do this, because it feels like such a huge betrayal of everything i've loved for so long (hi, i'm autistic and undertale was my special interest, in case you haven't noticed yet LOL) but at this point i associate too many traumatic memories with undertale, specifically the fandom.

since getting more into steven universe and browsing the fandom casually it made me realise just how toxic the undertale fandom is as a community right now. i mean, let's be real, it's always been this way, but i feel like it's gotten a whole lot more worse lately - more insane.

it honestly felt like such a huge breath of fresh air to go into a fandom tag that Didn't have any toxic sludge or people discoursing about liking certain characters (cough Asgore cough) and whether or not that makes you a bad person. it felt like total whiplash, seeing people discussing a show they liked and sharing fanart instead of seeing constant discourse about it.

i've also been seeing a lot of my friends go through absolute fucking bullshit lately, and it's honestly really stressful because it felt like my stalker incident was becoming a more popularized and public sentiment in the fandom. which... honestly is scary to me. people are becoming more openly hostile, more openly insane with their accusations. i've been trying to remain hopeful and optimistic about the fandom, but the more things that have happened, the less hopeful i feel.

i don't want to be in this sort of community. i don't want to be in a community where people feel glee in hurting others, tearing other people down and slinging around serious accusations because it makes them feel powerful.

i want to be in a community/fandom that makes me feel actual joy, and not a constant source of stress.

there's also another reason why i decided to distance myself online rn as well, and it's not really related, but it was enough that i feel incredibly uncomfortable going by the name "pixie" rn.

last year, a youtuber i knew decided to put me on blast and straight up called me an abuse apologist and that i should be avoided at all costs, all bc i quietly distanced myself from posting publicly about the situation and decided to avoid jumping to conclusions.

i don't entirely blame them, since there's definitely things i feel i could have done better, but a lot of what they said was already privately resolved between us, and they left a lot of that out in order to paint a false narrative about me. i mean they literally had saved hundreds of deleted posts from my deleted old social media accounts. i know this because they've done this before with other people. i also know that this comes from a place of hurt and anger, they're lashing out at a community they felt hurt by, but their way of coping with it isn't healthy.

because they had thousands of followers, i started getting a ton of harassment, from people saying i wasn't trustworthy and calling me an abuse apologist, and even private nasty dms i don't really want to get into.

i didn't say anything at the time bc i was worried i'd come across as attention seeking/manipulative but. i became straight up actively suicidal after this. i was convinced nothing was going to ever get better for me and that i was an active danger to everyone. my mum ended up dragging me all the way to the city literally just to buy me the macbook i wanted in order to try and cheer me up, and even then i felt so depressed that i felt like i didn't have anything to look forward to. honestly the only thing that really kept me going was my friends privately supporting me.

to put it short, it felt like a repeat of my stalker situation and i don't feel comfortable going by pixie anymore because i associate so much trauma with that name right now. i feel like so many people who don't have good faith intentions know me as that name, more than people i'm friends with.

i don't even know if i'll ever post on social media ever again, or at least not in the way i used to. if i do end up making a new social media with a new rebrand, you won't hear from me about it. i want to be more private now.

tl;dr if you're still reading this, thank you for sticking by me for so long. this ended up being a lot longer than i anticipated, but i think i'm done with the name "pixie", and i think i'm done with the undertale fandom for now.

i know i'll be able to move on into a better place once i move forward to this chapter.

thanks for the memories.

[mysticstarlightduck]

Character Aesthetic Deep Dive Tag!

I created this tag in this post, and I want to do it again for another Scrapyard Boys OC of mine so here we go!

Rules: Make a moodboard with your character's aesthetic, a playlist that fits their vibe, "badly summarize them" (like, talk about their personality, but funnily), etc. It absolutely does not need to be super detailed!!!!!

✦ Character Aesthetic: Maxwell Cymbelline, WIP -Scrapyard Boys

♡ Moodboard ♡

♡ Playlist ♡

Not All Heroes Wear Capes - Owl City

He doesn't fight crime Or wear a cape He doesn't read minds Or levitate But every time my world needs saving He's my Superman Some folks don't believe in heroes 'Cause they haven't met my dad He loves his workshop And rock 'n roll He's got a hot rod And a heart of gold And you could say he's a man of few words But he talks a lot within And even though I'm a little taller I still look up to him

Could Have Been Me - The Struts

Don't wanna live as an untold story Rather go out in a blaze of glory I can't hear you, I don't fear you I'll live now 'cause the bad die last Dodging bullets with your broken past Well, I can't hear you, I don't fear you now Wrapped in your regret What a waste of blood and sweat Oh oh-oh I wanna taste love and pain Wanna feel pride and shame I don't wanna take my time Don't wanna waste one line I wanna live better days Never look back and say It could have been me It could have been me, yeah

Burn The House Down - AJR

Used to keep it cool Used to be a fool All about the bounce in my step Watch it on the news Whatcha gonna do? I could hit refresh and forget Used to keep it cool Should I keep it light? Stay out of the fight? No one's gonna listen to me If I write a song Preaching what is wrong Will they let me sing on TV? Should I keep it light? Is that right? Way up way up we go Been up and down that road Way up way up, oh no We gon' burn the whole house down

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - Taylor Swift

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die He said he'd love me all his life But that life was too short Breaking down, I hit the floor All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, "More" I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart (one, two, three, four) I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day I'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague I cry a lot but I am so productive, it's an art You know you're good when you can even do it With a broken heart

Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips

When life leaves you high and dry I'll be at your door tonight If you need help, if you need help I'll shut down the city lights I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe To make you well, to make you well When enemies are at your door I'll carry you way from war If you need help, if you need help Your hope dangling by a string I'll share in your suffering To make you well, to make you well Give me reasons to believe That you would do the same for me And I would do it for you, for you Baby, I'm not moving on I'll love you long after you're gone For you, for you You will never sleep alone I'll love you long after you're gone And long after you're gone, gone, gone

♡ Badly Summarized OC ♡

Seemingly delicate, polite teenager who loves vintage stuff but can actually pack a punch and is not afraid of a fight - in fact... she rather likes a good bit of chaos

Certified Daddy's Little Girl

That one friend that strangers think is the "Responsible One" but is actually a main Source Of Chaos in the friend group

Feral gremlin of a girl and unashamed, will watch the goriest and intense horror movies while having a girl's night with her friends and painting her nails different colors

Enabler of Bad Decisions who never thinks things through and then gets like "well, went horrifyingly out of control.... LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"

Worst driver in the history of drivers but is trying her best <3

Human embodiment of both an orange cat and a hyperactive border collie in one body

Would practically collect stray puppies and kittens like Pokémons if her current doggo wasn't jealous of every other animal in the world

Likes cereal without the milk. This has nothing to do with anything, but I think its a relevant fact of her personality lol

Tagging (gently): @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@thecomfywriter

@topazadine, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes

and OPEN TAG

Taglist for Scrapyard Boys below the cut 🧪

Scrapyard Boys Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,

@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea

@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child

@thepeculiarbird

@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood, @amaiguri, @lyutenw @finickyfelix

@thecomfywriter, @the-letterbox-archives, @differentnighttale

@wyked-ao3

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

[wastelandhell]

I absolutely love your character Val! I'm a newer follower so I don't know much about him, but I love whenever you draw him. could you tell me more about his story? or how he ended up with Danse or even what their dynamic with each other is?

Ah thank you <3 I used to post more "lore" stuff on here and theres a bunch if you go way back in his tag, but in the last year I've just been kind of posting a lot of out-of-context and au stuff with no connection.

Him and Danse are both very opinionated men, and those opinions rarely align. They spend about as much time arguing as they do getting along, their relationship through most of the game is equal parts mutual pining and divorced.

They are finally able to acknowledge their feelings for each other shortly before "The Nuclear Option", but mutually split afterwards while Danse tries to find himself and Val focuses on establishing a stable home for Shaun. They reconnect about a year later when the commonwealth is in less of a state of crisis, and are finally able to pursue their relationship.

You know what, I haven't posted anything about him in a while, who's ready for a

This is not going to be very edited or formatted because I am a clown so. Sorry in advance.

A brief overview?

His "real" name is Vasili Gavriilovich Andonov but he goes by Valerie Anderson wherever he can, and does his best to hide his russian ancestry. He prefers people call him Val, though most of the brotherhood soldiers refer to him as Andonov. He hates people referring to him as Vasya or using his patronymic name, though thankfully there aren't a lot of people in the commonwealth who use russian naming conventions.

He's an autistic, bisexual, depressed alcoholic who indulges in stimulants a bit more than he should. He's surprisingly good at playing guitar, especially slide blues with his steel resonator guitar. He loves aircraft and built/painted scale models before the war. He's very lonely, even when around people who like him he never feels like he belongs. His birthday is Jan 12th, which is coincidentally a sort of holiday for the cryonics community.

He'll spend a lot of time looking inward and ruminating, and can identify a lot of his personal problems, but is not very good at "fixing" them. So he just kind of mopes around and wallows in self-loathing and self-pity. He's very gullible, and hates people messing with him. While he struggles a lot socially he is very intelligent, and is a genius with anything with an engine. Before the war he worked on vertibirds for the us military. His support of the brotherhood has nothing to do with their ideals; just that they keep him fed, paid, and let him work on aircraft. He's not particularly concerned with "saving" the commonwealth, he just wants to hurt the people who have hurt him.

Gameplay-wise, he's a melee/power armour build, with his highest stats INT and END. He can built so many weird and wonderful things that either explode or he can beat you to death with. Maybe both. His LCK and CHR are pretty miserable, nobody likes him and things are constantly going wrong. Playing a melee character in survival with MAIM is... a task.

Some sort of timeline?

He's the son of Russian immigrants who met in the US, His father Gavriil was an angry alcoholic who worked for the government and his mother Lidiya was a stay-at-home mom and a fervent christian. He had a sister, Kseniya, who was almost his opposite; a very polite and reserved child.

Valerie was small as a kid; being ginger, autistic, queer, and an immigrant made him a frequent target of his peers. Paired with his fathers physical and emotional abuse at home this made him a very angry and defensive person.

He spent most of his time away from home, preferring to spend his time in the woods around their home or just walking around town. He started smoking when he was 12 and drinking when he was 14, stealing from his father. As he got older he missed more and more school, spending his time committing petty crimes and getting into trouble.

While his father was more directly hostile his mother was equally overbearing in her own way. Val would identify himself as agnostic and having no belief in god, but for all of her preaching he still harbors a lot of “catholic guilt”, and fears that when he dies he will go to hell.

As he got older he quickly sprung from a small kid to a tall, muscular teenager. While he never learned to get along with his peers he learned to adapt an imposing, aggressive and masculine personality to defend himself.

When Val became too large for his father to easily push around he turned his anger towards Kseniya, whom Val was fiercely protective of. This only raised tensions at home, and Val and his father would get in frequent physical altercations. He contemplated leaving when he was 16 and could drive, but didn’t want to abandon his sister.

Eventually things came to a head when both of them had been drinking and Valerie came home late. Their fight got particularly nasty, and Val broke a bottle over his fathers head. He was immediately out cold, and Val was left shocked, covered in his fathers blood, believing he had just killed him. This would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Kseniya was home at the time, and ran in when she heard the yelling. Val tried to convince her to come with him, but she was shocked and terrified and refused to leave. Fearing retribution, and before he could really process what he had done, Val took any cash he could and the keys to his fathers car and fled.

He sold his fathers car and got something less traceable, which he lived out of for the next several years while he jumped around state to state. He picked up the occasional day job, but mostly supported himself by stealing cars and running drugs.

After he left is when he began going by Valerie Anderson. At first it was out of fear that he was wanted under his legal name, but he soon realized how much better people treated him if he had an “american” name.

When he was 20 he was eventually picked up for a minor offense, but given the political climate at the time he was offered the opportunity to join the military rather than face charges. As much as Val hated the government he was still very afraid of being connected to his fathers murder, and jumped at the chance to avoid any legal issues.

In his time in the military he discovered a love for aircraft, and pursued it doggedly. He got his GED, and went on to earn a masters in aerospace engineering. He never bothered with friends or relationships, he put all of his time into education and work. Lived and breathed for aircraft.

While Val enjoyed his job he continued to struggle with his mental health and substance abuse. He would frequently get into fights, eventually he got into a bar fight bad enough he nearly killed someone, getting the scars on his face at the same time.

While he was in trouble with the law he would end up working with his new attorney, Laura Walsh. She was elegant, graceful, composed, brilliant, persuasive, someone who always got what she wanted. And had terrible taste in men. Before the case was even over they started hooking up.

Their relationship was strictly friends-with-benefits, neither of them really cared for the other as a person and it was just sex. Over time, despite their best efforts, they came to see past the carefully crafted personas that they both presented to the world and fell in love with the people behind them.

He was 29 when they met, and they married less than 3 years later. They were moved to Boston for Val’s work, and it seemed like they would be staying for a while so they tried to establish themselves. Val tried to quit drinking around this time but struggled to face reality sober for the first time, and frequently slipped back.

Laura had always wanted children but Val was initially very against the idea. He still held a lot of unaddressed trauma from his own childhood and did not feel that he could ever be a good father.

Eventually Laura convinced him otherwise, and he agreed, again making an effort to clean himself up. When she fell pregnant his anxiety led to him having a breakdown at work, afterward he admitted himself to an inpatient rehab and spent 6 weeks there. From here until the start of the game was probably the best time of his life; sober, medicated and attending regular therapy sessions.

While Val was worried about his capacity to be a father, as soon as Shaun was born he lost that. That kid was his life, he did everything for him. He stayed on a break from work while Laura returned to practice, being a stay-at-home dad and throwing himself into domestic life. He even built a robot housekeeper!

His sister tracked him down somewhere around here and they began communicating through the post. She reveals that his father survived the attack, and was still alive, though she hadn’t spoken to him in years. They were planning to meet in person in the winter, though obviously that didn’t happen.

He was 33 when he went into the vault, and the main fo4 plot takes ~3 years to complete, but I think I’ve made this post long enough and I am too drunk and tired to keep typing. Safe to say hijinks ensue.

tl;dr hes an orange cringefail loser, and im hopelessly in love with him.

[cloudcountry]

i have too many mutuals to tag so yk. i cant tag all of you guys, all i can do is hope that you all see this and know how much i care about you.

when i arrived here on tumblr i wasn't expecting much, it seemed to me like everyone had their friend groups already, and i felt like the odd one out. even though i spent those first few days posting my writing and figuring out how to format things, i still felt like an outsider looking in. it didn't feel like i was really participating.

and honestly, i'm not sure when it started. i'm not sure when being here began to feel like a home away from home, like a space on the internet that was my own and that i could shape however i wanted. i'm not sure when it occurred to me that you guys had a hand in shaping it, too. you showed me the characters you loved and the things that reminded you of me, you placed them on my blog like paintings in a museum, for me to look back on whenever the nostalgic urge hit me. you actively tried to get to know me and form connections with me, even if i scared some of you (which im 100% certain i did.) thank you for taking courage to talk to me, i'm thankful for all of you.

there was a point when i was scared too. it was really hard for me to reach out to people myself but i ended up doing so anyway. (raptor, rinna, and sippy, thank you for welcoming me so warmly. i haven't forgotten it.) i know my blog blew up really quickly, given how much content i was posting at the time, but at the end of the day i still don't like thinking of myself as someone famous or a super recognizable blog in the twst fandom. because at the end of the day, i was just someone doing what they loved.

i'm glad i was given the opportunity to start writing when i was young. i'm glad i kept at it, and i'm glad i shared so many stories with my friends on the playground. i'm glad i honed my writing all throughout school, and i'm glad i still practice today. because if i hadn't picked up the pencil to write that first fanfiction of mine, none of this ever would have happened. and i hated writing as a child, so that could have happened. there's probably another timeline where that did, but we aren't here to talk about that hypothetical auburn.

we're here to talk about me and you guys, because you've given me the precious gift of your time. you've invited me into your lives and let me be a part of them, even if it is only through the screen. you've thought about me while going about your day, and i have thought about all of you. we are connected, in this universe where there was every possibility that we never would have met, and i think that's beautiful. i will forever be grateful that my love for writing can make people smile, that it can make them laugh and cry and scream. i will forever be grateful for the gift to make others feel, and for you all for sharing that with me.

thank you. even if you aren't a mutual, your support has touched me. thank you for reading what i create, thank you for commenting your thoughts, thank you for talking to me and engaging in the fandom community. i hope every single one of you has a wonderful 2024, and that we can make each other happier and keep pushing towards our individual goals with each passing day.

[masonmiamor]

words and items yet to be filled - - mason mount x reader.

gif is not mine! it’s @canirove gif!

the original post isn’t popping up on the tag so i’m “reposting again”.

this is the link to the first part!

“Are you going to pretend we didn’t have a good time the other night?” asked Mason. His bed hair is in full display wearing a black Nike tracksuit and a pair of sneakers. You stood there in awe, getting deja vu all over again. “No… But what difference does it make?” you said raising an eyebrow and your left hand coming to your hip. He cocks his head to the side and forces a tight smile.

“A huge difference Y/n… You have no idea.”

“Mason, I don't know what else you want from me” you attempt to say calmly, not trying to sound nervous. “I just want to talk, simply talk Y/n. Is that so much to ask for?” his brown eyes plead, desperately just trying to pry you? You knew you shouldn't but reluctantly you nodded, “I don’t know if I'm ready to talk to you. This could go one or two ways Mason, and I'm afraid… I’m afraid to end on a bad note again and that is the last memory and thing I have of you.”

“Let me come inside. And we can just talk, I won't force you to accept anything. I just want to try and amend things. Clear the bad air between us,” Mason promises and you find yourself giving in, how could you refuse this pleading man infront of you? “Okay, but keep in mind I wasn't expecting to have guests over,” you note making him let out a small chuckle but accepting the invite into your flat.

Mason's chest feels heavy and cold as he walks in again after so long. He notes nothing here has changed as much except for new plants and some paintings, including the ones the two of you did while on a beach trip. He finds himself walking around the living room to take any details, he lets out a laugh when he sees the polaroids of your relationship still hung up, concert tickets, the sucker wrappers where he wrote small notes before you started dating, and even the plastic rose that had slight dust on it.

“Along with the necklace you have on, is there a reason why you haven't taken these down?” he asks, you stare at his back feeling caught. “Uhm, no. I guess I forgot to take them down when I packed the rest of your stuff and memory box,” you say. He turns around and flutters his eyebrows confused, “What memory box?”

Again. You feel caught as if you've done something bad. You try to push down the tears and lump in your throat, “I made a memory box after we broke up. It just has small items, letters, photos, the bracelets we got in Portugal, an old CD we found, just some stuff from our happier times when we were together.” You still kept all those things he wanted to ask but didn't because that's just who you were, you kept the small meaningful things with you at all times.

Mason had the urge to see it, wanting to re-live the memories all over again, maybe even for the last time depending on if things don't go as expected. He walks closer to you, and you grow shy and anxious at the serious look on his face, “Can I see it? The memory box?” you nod quickly and dodge to the second bedroom in your flat. While you do that, Mason walks over to the corner again and steals the photo that Ben took after the champion league ceremony. Such a special and memorable night for both of you.

You walk back into the living room seeing him sitting down on the couch, still looking around. “Here we go,” you set down the red box labeled “Y/n and Mason’s Box <3.” He reluctantly removes the lid, but his heart flutters at the stuff inside. He takes out so many pictures and re-reads letters, all while you stood back and let the man you still love go through them. “This hurts one Y/n,” Mason whispers after he read the page where you wrote your ‘Vows to you’ if the one-day marriage did occur.

“I honestly forgot about that one, guess it won't happen, ill get rid of it you-” you try to take the sheet of paper back but he pulls it away from you. “No don’t. Don't get rid of it,” he begs shaking his head. “You envisioned it too? The happy ever afters? The future we would’ve built together?” Mason breaks his own heart by saying.

“Yes… I pictured everything Mase,” you croak feeling your bottom lip quiver. He moves closer to you craving to hug or hold your hand. But before he could, you let go and launched yourself into the familiar muscular body, wrapping your hands around his upper body and hiding your head into the crook of his neck, breathing in the cologne and aftershave. He brings your warm body to his lap, your legs almost straddling him, and his hands find their way home inside your shirt and around your waist.

He hears the pain he caused by the way you sniffle and sob, especially as you've never been the one to cry or show what pain can do to you, it almost felt foreign again to him. All he can think about is you finally in his arms, selfishly never wanting to let go. He rubbed your sides and drew small shapes on your back, while yours remained wrapped around. He wanted to pull you close when he felt you pull back after a while.

“Tell me what I did for you to break up with me. Was I not lovable anymore? Was it something I did, say? Did you just simply fall out of love with me?” you asked wiping the remaining tears away from your face, attempting to compose yourself. His hands still stayed at your sides, “You didn't do a single thing Y/n! And of course, you were and are lovable, I can’t and will never forget what you did for me to bring me to where I am today, only you could do it.”

“I'm trying Mason. I'm trying so hard to move on from us and what we had, but your image constantly appears in my head over and over again, reminding me you're still there. So help me understand mason. We were doing so well, we were happy and stable. Why did you end something so perfect and loving for us?” you cried out.

‘Please don’t move on from me. Don’t move on from us,’ wanted to scream and let out Mason. But he didn’t just stared at you losing his confidence little by little.

Mason let a few tears fall, you had seen him at such vulnerable and down states before but never like this, especially because of you. “I began to compare myself to the people around me, I lost myself once our team began their downfall, it was too many differences to resolve at once, the confrontation scared me and I kept pushing you and everything away because I didn't want to face those challenges. In doing so, I lost you because I began to think I wasn't the person meant for you, I didn't want to hold you back from doing what you loved,” Mason continued, now tugging on the string of his hoodie.

“But you wouldn't have! We could've worked things out! You left so suddenly and expected to be good friends afterwards? The reason I never called or texted back was because I couldn't be friends with someone I deeply love. It was either you were with me or you weren’t. But I wasn't going to make that decision, I could never hold you back from achieving your goals. The number of times I saw photos of you and I wanted to hate you but I couldn't because, at the end of the day, you treated me so well,” you tell him watching as his stare bore down to you.

You could see the pain on his face, his sad eyes, the wrinkles in the outer corner of his eyes, the small vein in his temple popping out, you desperately wanting to be the only one getting rid of it but things weren't like they were and this was the life the two of you created since then. “You don't know how much I’d love to close my eyes and start all over again. There's no way I can forget about you Y/n because it’s you, the woman I love, and the only one who can heal this pain you left inside when you left.”

“I know I fucked up, I live with it because it's me who caused us to be like this, but I can and will change that. We both know deep inside our hearts the passionate love and feeling for each other is still there. The history of two lovers who found their way back to each other,” he says whipping your tears away with the soft pad of his thumb. Your hand goes up and slowly removes it from your face, the feeling of uncertainty coming back, “How do I know you won't leave again? That you do what you did again?”

“You came into my life at such a correct time, and I can't afford to lose you again Y/n. I love you so much to let go of our love that easily and freely. If anything being apart has reminded me of how much you did for me, for us, and I took it for granted sometimes. I was stupid and immature to let you go, listening to others rather than myself who knew deep down what the right thing was,” Mason says interlocking your hands and rubbing his thumbs over your delicate and soft knuckles.

“I promise y/n. I won't leave or lose you again. I can't promise those days where we will have our downs, but I can say that from now on it will be better and have loving days, if you allow me back into your life…” he whispers along your lips after a few moments of stillness, your faces suddenly so close to each other you can see the small scar on his lip and freckles that adorn his skin, the redness on his face, and lashes that touch his cheeks due to his closed eyes.

“You have no idea how good it feels to be back in your embrace Mason. It feels so right and perfect, I almost forgot how your touch leaves a permanent sensation in my skin,” you whisper and surprise the both of you. “I spent almost 9 months without you completely lost and incomplete because I had lost the person who was there to pick me right back up. I can’t deny what I feel because it is so strong and present always, only you have made me feel this way…” you say along his lips watching as he began to breathe in deeper.

This is what you caused him to do…

“I love you Y/n…” he breathes out and closes the small space between you by brushing and locking his lips with yours. He groans at your sweet taste when he kisses you, kissing you slowly yet so passionately it makes your head spin. “Mine, always will be mine,” he growls and pulls you closer by the waist. You gasp and tug at his hair but keep kissing him. You pull away and rest nose to nose seeing him bite his lip with a playful smile on display. “I love you Mason, but please don't break my heart again.”

He holds out his pinky waiting for you to wrap your small one around his, and when you do he declares and seals the promise. Mason knows not everything is yet to be solved but with time and little by little he will prove it to you and demonstrate just exactly how much you mean to him. His chest fills with butterflies when he hears you giggle at his actions which were leaving and plaster kisses all over your face, jaw, and neck.

“God I love you. So beautiful baby…” he compliments causing you to blush. “Stop it, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much,” you say standing up when you feel your legs beginning to tighten and cramp. “Let's bake like old times and then we can head to bed. We have no training tomorrow so I will be able to sleep and make breakfast for you, how does that sound” Mason suggests causing you to stare at him in awe.

“It sounds perfect handsome but, is this actually real? Or a dream?”

“Its very real baby, and get used to it because were forever my MJ,” he says, referring to the spiderman movie. He picks you up causing you to squeal and wrap your legs around his torso, holding onto dear life. He sets you down in the kitchen, watching as you go and look for the required ingredients, after doing so, you tiptoe and give him a chaste kiss, he meets you half way.

He brings you into his chest and dances with you swaying side to side after putting the cookies in the oven. Kissing your temple from time to time and whispering just how much he missed and loves you. You set the table with some glasses of milk and the plate of cookies cheering to your love. Safe to say the cookies were finished in the span of minutes.

After showering and getting ready for bed you gave some clothes for him to sleep. You set the bed and sat down waiting for him to return with some water bottles, knowing the cookies will cause thirst later on in the night. He returns with the two bottles and the red memory box. “I hope we can still add stuff inside here?” he says shyly, his voice filled with nervousness.

“Yes Mase. Anything you want,” you smile at him, and observe when he pulls out the photo from when they won the UCL trophy and places it inside. “When did you-” you say curiously, “I was going to steal it if things went downhill, but since they didn’t… its now inside with other cherished memories we both built together.”

He changes into some plaid pj’s and a tight grey longsleeve that defined his body, his muscles in full view causing you to feel like a innocent schoolgirl again. He lays down and shuts off the lamp, facing you. Mason kisses you fervently once more and brings you closer to his chest, holding the back of your head while he kisses you once more. But you had different plans wanting for him to feel the love. “Lay on my chest, let me rub your back and play with your hair. You deserve well rested sleep.”

“But what about you?”

“I have you back in my arms, that’s all that matters, I sleep better knowing you are…” he wasted no time into laying on your chest snuggling his head closer to your neck and his arm wrapping around your front. He sighs deeply when he feel you small hand guide up and down his back and then play with his har. “Goodnight Mason,” you kiss the top of his head.

“Goodnight beautiful. Sweet dreams.”

[lorelune]

hey fellas and folks i have been meaning to write something up about this but haven't known where to start or where i'll end up. but i DO feel like it deserves addressing.

(having my joker moment joker moment)

i really love this niche. i found a home in it during a very difficult time in my life, and have found many friends and lasting irl connections from the writings shared and conversations had. this place is so incredibly, INCREDIBLY dear to me. despite going through many horrors (tm) while in this community, i continue to stay because there is a lot about it that i love.

however, in the last... i don't know, year or so? there has been such an abundance of discourse, gossip and drama both publicly and privately that has exhausted me to no end. these things have always existed, they always will, but in the past year they have felt so draining and despairing that it has made finding the same comfort and joy in this community is hard. a lot of times, impossible!

one of the things that genuinely makes me SO sad is the tags. i made most of my lasting friendships in this niche but seeing a writing in the tags that i enjoyed and dming the author and shouting together. i have found so many great writers in the tags, and i still crawl around them today looking for fic!! HOWEVER. i find it difficult, not just because of the abundance of vague smut-related comphet posts with a slew of character names underneath from unrelated fandoms (to each there own but it isn't a posting style i enjoy!) but moreso because of the INSANE number of posts by antis that get thrown into the tags. main tags, character tags, x reader tags. it is so deeply disheartening to be looking for fic to enjoy and get jump scared by a posts saying horrible things about those who enjoy dark content. respectfully if you're above the age of eighteen and looking for writing on tumblr dot gov, i HIIIIGHLYY recommend using your literacy to first read ANY article or study summary about human psychology and sexuality and why fantasy does not equal what someone actual desires! signed a sex-repulsed ace spec mf who writes and enjoys smut. hate to use myself as example, but i hate even more to see folks in the tags be puritanical and pro-censorship under the guise of progressive ideology.

i want to say that there are parties within this niche that are CONSISTENTLY at the center of drama and conflict. no matter what fandom, no matter the url changes and lurking, they are there and its the same mfs. this is a complete vague, as i'm sure the parties in involved in the targeted harassment and ensuing drama do not know who i am, nor know that i know. but i DO <3, and so do plenty of other writers in our niche who have politely blocked and left you alone. do us all a fucking favor and do the same, instead of instigating harassment and being hateful cunts.

in this vein, in my closer circle, i know that these events (especially in the last six months) have caused folks to become conspiratorial and assume bad faith. i understand this is a protective measure because folks have gone through the wringer. however it makes me so sad to see what is often folks who likely do not know any context or horrors of the community, be painted so poorly in casual conversations when most of the time, communication is made to create a connection, not to start a fight.

i find myself reflecting on WHY i have come to not feel comfortable in this community. why i don't enjoy writing the same way, why i don't feel the same security i once felt, why i get so damn nervous to post a silly thought or thirst on main, and i find myself coming back to these experiences and the subsequent fear that follows. perhaps i am a weak-hearted coward, but i find it hard to find joy when i feel surrounded by constant negativity and genuine cruelty. it is hard to want to share any of myself when i am so deeply aware that whether it is strangers or people i have become close to, what i enjoy and what i choose to express and share can be so easily twisted into something it is not.

i know it would be easier if i had a thicker skin, or felt secure enough that this didn't bother me, but part of the core problem is that this community has made me insecure. it's a loop. it is one that makes me genuinely sad, as this place once felt so much like home. i know it still can be, but it certainly won't be sitting here, starting at blank documents and text posts wondering to myself 'why can't i just put words on paper' while i have the cortisol levels of a prey animal.

i'm not sure if other folks have felt similarly, or find themselves in the same point. however if you do, or you find yourself resonating, here's to feeling seen 🥂

- papa salami (lore) 🌙

[cacodaemonia]

1st of all big fan, devoured RC!AU. It's fantastic

2nd of all, I could get lost in your sw resources tag that thing is awesome

3rd Do you have any references for Waxer and Boil's buckets? (Sorry in advance if you've already posted them, and thank u again for all the boxer content 💖)

Aw thanks! <3 I haven't written in the main RCAU for ages, but I'm still plugging away at the Open Skies sub-AU haha 😂

Ah I'm glad that's been helpful! I mostly tag for my own organizational purposes and I know there are some gems in there—especially from @gffa and @fox-trot! My 'sw refs' tag has a lot of overlap, but also includes a lot of image references for fanart or describing things in fics, so that one might be useful, too?

And yeah! I'm not sure if you want Phase I, Phase II, or their ARF helmets, haha, but I know I've got plenty of refs for all of those, so I'll toss them in here...

Boil:

Waxer (The second image shows the back of his Phase I helmet, which is hard to find shots of, in the background behind Boil being awkward 😂 So he had the little droid silhouette on his helmet back then, too):

And some shots of both of their helmets (Waxer is on the far right in the last image—you can see his tally marks):

Their ARF helmets seem to cause a lot of confusion, as I've even seen merch that doesn't show the little Numa painting on Waxer's helmet, and most people seem to mix up who is who in that Landing at Point Rain episode (probably because the writers seem to have done so, as well, since they gave Boil the more cheerful dialogue while having Waxer complain—but maybe he was just having a bad day! 🥺).

There's also the horizontal band of gold paint Boil has under his visor attachment to match the paint on his regular helmets, as well as a grey stripe along the top of the helmet that's lined up with the red triangle on his visor attachment. Waxer has his 'crest' stripe of gold paint, of course, and it continues under his visor attachment a little bit, too. Then he's got his tally marks and snoot triangle. :D

One thing that I only noticed recently is the very faded ship silhouette (or however you interpret the black design on his other helmets) on the left side of his ARF one. In the second-to-last image above, you can just barely see something on his left side, but the only way I knew it was more than just dirt was because I have a little figure with the shape painted on it. Which is also not very visible:

(Thankfully, I don't think I've actually done any images where you can see the left side of Boil's ARF helmet, so I shouldn't have to add that to any of them, haha. Hopefully I haven't mentioned anything about the lack of symbol in any of my fics, though... XD)

I'm still unclear what is going on with the paint on his and Waxer's spaulders in the ARF episode, because it's obviously faded/been scuffed in places, but sometimes, Waxer seems to have an unpainted right spaulder, and sometimes there's a stripe??? His little figurine is the opposite, though, with a striped right spaulder and an unpainted left one. Meanwhile, Boil's left spaulder looks like it could be all painted gold, like in the figure above, but other times, it seems to be a normal stripe??? Who even knows—I'm guessing that the texture for their models got messed up during the production of the episode, so they're inconsistent. Personally, I'm just sticking with 'matching stripes on both sides,' like the rest of their armor. 😂

Anyway, I hope that helps!

[wiiltted]

Meet the Spraypainter!

DISCLAIMER: I HEADCANON MEDIC AS AGENDER AND BISEXUAL!! Medic x Spraypainter is Yuri!!! 😭

okay I wanted to make a proper introduction post for them .. and fair warning their lore is pretty intricate and detailed. If you don't wanna read it all I totally get it!

The Spraypainter is the tenth class, their job is to mark enemy territory, they also can assist other teammates by marking spies. They have a bratty personality and are very stubborn. They enjoy cats, drawing, spray painting, and researching random topics. They hang around Heavy, Chemist, and Medic the most.

TW: Experiments, kidnapping mentioned!!

They are Heavys adopted sibling, and lived most of their childhood in Siberia. Until one day, they had wandered out of the house and was kidnapped by Engineer's father, Radigan Conagher. He wanted to test the effects of Australium on the body; Needing a test subject, he kidnapped some random kid he found in the woods. (Can you tell I haven't fleshed this part out yet...)

Luca spent the rest of their childhood in a secluded lab. They don't remember what it was called really, but they knew that they were surrounded by trees and trees and more trees. They learned English from CMedic (classic Blu medic bc he looks like he'd be nice idk...) and also met young Engie. He tagged along with his dad at work sometimes. They got along very nice. Sometimes, Admin would bring Luca into her office and let them play with toys while she did her work. Somewhere deep down she felt a little bit bad for the kid, but obviously not bad enough to stop the experimenting on them. She also enjoyed the thought of having a kid, despite never having her own child. They filled that void for her just fine.

At some point, they were able to escape the lab. Somewhere at about 17, they spent days walking through the woods and hiding from the guard dogs at the lab. But hey, they made it out alive and that's all that matters.

From here their backstory gets kind of rocky. I'm not sure what their life is like from this point on until they receive a letter from Pauling, explaining that she needs them to work for her and Admin.

Some extra facts!

-They have a cat named Mojo

-Some Australium is still in their blood, although very little. The only reason the Australium lingers is because of the amount of times it was extracted and injected into their bloodstream. It kind of mixed with their blood. It doesn't give them any extra buffs or anything, but it did change their hair color to grey and also gives their blood a slight metallic effect to it.

-Their favorite color is blue and they hate their uniform.

-They are pretty rich, their shirt is expensive and they flex their richness off to spy. (These two don't get along)

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do... also if you have ideas for their backstory or anything please let me know!

[covencupid]

I Want You (or The Cabin Story)

Fair warning, I wrote this on discord and then copy pasted it onto docs, so if there are some inconsistencies I apologize, but maybe I just like to keep ya on your toes.

BIG THANKS to @mamamemequeen because I pretty much wrote this in the DMs oopsi.

Danny's had his eye on you. He's been finding himself enjoying the times he interacts with you a little too much. He's got to get you out of his system. A little house call. Once that's done it'll be easier for him to go for the kill. Right?

Pairing: Danny Johnson X Fem!Reader. Use of gendered language.

TW/CW: The usual (stalking, manipulation, threats of violence, actual violence) gore, descriptions of torture, corpses, and murder. Psychological horror, child murder (imma need you to hold your judgement on this one, it's not what you think, but it's also not good), hallucinations, descriptions of visual hallucinations.

Tags will be updated as needed, but to be honest I kinda forgot what I put in this.

I will be posting as much as I can in one go, but it's long, so I might have to upload in parts. Yeah, I'm definitely posting it in parts. This is chapter one.

Word Count is 15k+, this was supposed to be a one-shot about y'all fuckin at the drive-in, I don't know how it happened.

Oh one last thing, there is kinda a prequel/backstory part I haven't finished about Danny and "prom". Whatever you think it is, it's probably not gonna be like that.

Sorry one last last thing that I'm seeing now reformatting this from discord to the docs to here is that I kinda wrote Danny and Reader's POV back and forth but a little inconsistent. I will try to make the changes in POV a little clearer with spacing, but I apologize for any confusion!

Your Place // The Cabin // The Woods

~I Want You~

~Chapter One - Your Place~

Danny waited for the perfect night. A storm was coming. The whole neighborhood was snuggled up tight in their big warm beds and you? You were painting your nails while a gorey Japanese B-Movie played on the small tv in your bedroom. You had no idea you were being stalked, hunted like a deer in the forest. 

Danny had to stop and take a look at you first, before he went in. He saw you, legs bent to give you a place to rest your hands while you painted them. God, your legs. He watched the light of the film dance off your legs, following the glow that reached your thighs. How it faded as it dipped to the little peek of your ass from the bottom of your shorts where you sat. He swallowed harder than he meant to. He’d have to readjust himself before he continued inside.

Danny waltzed into your home from the back patio door. Unlocked? Baby there’s a killer on the loose. He stepped into the dark entry way, noting how little the sound from your room carried. That would be useful. He eased into your hallway hearing the lovely lilt of your laughter as he neared your door. The sound made him salivate. He plucked a delicate metal frame of a vintage botanical illustration and let it fall to the floor as he swiftly crossed past your door to the opposite end of the hallway. In a second you were out and making your way for the pesky little frame.

“God you little shit!” you scolded the picture. You had complained to your friend about the framed piece you had been gifted that had a nasty little habit of slipping off it’s nail. Always a bit too heavy. Danny breezed into your room while you degraded the drawing of little flowers. Too easy. You’re just letting me right in, huh?

“And you better keep it down out there!” you called out to the frame as you shut your door on the way back. When your head whipped back to your bed your heart jumped to your throat and fell back down to your gut. A howling ghost stared back at you, reclined in your bed, your nail polish in hand.

“H-how did y-you-” you struggled to find your words and he, seemingly mercifully, cut you off.

“Get in? You let me in, sweetheart. Thanks by the way, really saved me time.” You could feel his smug smile radiating from underneath his mask. Dread chilled your veins. You were frozen by the door. As much as Danny enjoyed the doe-eyed look of fear you were giving him, you were too far for his liking. He pat the bed beside him. “Come on, don’t be shy.”

For a moment it felt like you lost all ability to move. You lifted your right foot to take a step forward but your leg unexpectedly shook. Before you could process your involuntary movement you heard a laugh from the hooded figure lounging in your bed. “How can I have your legs shaking when I haven’t even touched you?”

Heat spread across your cheeks, breaking through the ice in your veins. Indignation rising in your chest.

“You- You’re a murderer! Showing up here in my bed, I’m gonna be scared! It has nothing to do with- I am not-” The words flowed out from your mouth faster than you could string them together cohesively. The sound of his rippling laughter cut you off. You wanted to slap him and wipe off the smug look you knew he was wearing. He crossed his arms

“Hey! Do I look like a threat to you? I’m just hanging out here. Lookin for a manicure, and maybe a better movie.”

You scoffed. “I can see your knife holster from here, not exactly “hanging out” gear. And for the record Blossom of Blood is a cult classic, not that you would know anything about it.”

Danny leaned forward. “First of all, how do you know I’m not just happy to see you? Second, no. You’re thinking of Bloody Blossom, what you’ve got is the cheap knock off made ten years later. Get your facts straight before trying to get all snobby with me.”

You mouth gaped open and closed like a fish. The nerve of this psycho to break into your home and lecture you about your movie choices.

“Hey” The aforementioned psycho snapped at you. Patting the bed next to him more aggressively. You inched your way closer to him. You felt uneasy looking down at him the moment you reached the bed. He sat comfortably nestled in your plush pillows, using a stuffed animal to prop up his arm. You wanted to beat him over the head with it. It would likely be your final act on this earth, but you felt you would feel at peace. “Sit.” There was no space for argument in his tone. Not exactly a command, but still decidedly firm. You sat where he told you to and began to look intently at your hands, gripping each other tight. From your periphery you could see the black mass of his form lean in to loom over you. You felt him delicately take your chin between his thumb and forefinger with his gloved hand. The skin on your arms pricked up with goosebumps. He’s turning your head to look at him as he’s telling you in a sing-song tone “look at me”.

You stare, wide eyes welling up with tears you wanted to keep hidden, into the black holes of his mask. You wish to look so far into them to reach the eyes you felt boring into you. As your eyes remained locked on him, he plucked your hand from your own grip to place the bottle of nail polish in your palm.

“Go on.” he said as he reclined back into your bed, crossing his feet as he extended a gloved hand out at you.

“Uh- you want me to-?” you looked between the bottle of polish and the masked man before you.

“I said I’m here for a manicure, sweets. Come on and make it nice or ya know…” he wiggled the hunting knife in your face. You gasped and grabbed his other hand in an instant. He chuckled as you held his large gloved hand with your comparatively small one. You held the polish right next to it. Does he want me to take off his glove? Paint the fingers? No, right?

Sensing your conflict, he wiggled his fingers in your face. “You can take it off.” He teased.

You put the polish down beside you as you worked the glove off his hand. You placed it on your lap. You felt hot, feeling his eyes rake over you as you gently held his hand, surprisingly warm. The tips of your fingers lightly grazed over his and felt the callouses there. You felt flushed. A killer walks into your room at night… and he tells you to paint his nails? He’s insane. You laid his hand on your lap as you picked the bottle of black nail polish back up and twisted the top off. You held the bottle between your thighs and picked his hand back up slightly. Your hands shook slightly as the applicator neared his nail bed. When you finally laid the first coat down you felt like you could breathe a sigh of relief.

Danny, feeling your unsteady breath reach the top of his hand, blurted out “Don’t fuck up!” quick enough to make your heart jump.

“Fuck! Don’t do that, that’s gonna make me fuck up!” You gripped his hand a little tighter. The feeling of your soft, warm hands on his sent a wave of heat course through him. He chuckled. As you were about to paint the next nail he quickly pulled his hand back and held it in front of you. A small sound of annoyance got caught in your throat. He reached his hand back out to you but pulled it back when you reached for it. You were getting flustered. The way your brows knotted together as the speckles of blush played on your cheeks was just delightful. It was so easy to work you up. He extended his hand out to you again. You stared at him for a second before going to reach back out for him. You looked between his hand and himself in rapid fire succession until you went to get his hand. In an instant he went to whip back his hand but you slammed your free palm into his and gripped his hand firmly until his fingers softly folded over yours. His fingertips rested on the back of your hand. A soft, self satisfied smile danced on your lips as you plucked the applicator back up to paint the next nail. Danny felt the grip you maintained on him. Firm, warm, tender. As you painted the rest of his nails, his thumb slowly ran along the side of your hand, down to graze your wrist. You just needed his thumb, but it continued it’s slow glide along your skin. What were you feeling? Annoyance for sure, he wants something done and won’t even stop moving to let you do it. But the way his thumb caressed the stretch of skin he was able to reach, you felt a flutter in your belly. Stop, what are you even thinking. His hunting knife is dangerously close to his free hand. But should you tell him to stop? Should you try painting it as it teases the delicate flesh of your wrist? Should you tell him he has to stop, so you can paint his nail. And then? Let him continue? Let him run the freshly painted hand up your arm, up to your neck, down to your- Stop. Just. Stop, what are you thinking? This is a monster, in your bed, in your grasp. Think like you want to make it out alive.

Danny can see the muscles of your throat straining as his thumb stroked up and down. It was getting harder to just have you there sitting in front of him. He was beginning to need to close the distance between you. He noted how intently your eyes watched his thumb dance over your skin. You looked entranced, he wanted to see that pretty face up close. Danny thought about his options. The pros and cons flittered about his head but the most overwhelming image was of you, those pretty legs straddling him as his freshly painted hand gripped the creamy flesh of your thigh. Feeling your palm turn clammy, his grip on your hand turned into a vice as he pulled you down to him with a force that wrenched a yelp from your lips. That was nice. He thought. Oh the sounds you could make for him. His other hand went to grip your waist. Your left leg sat between his as the sudden movement had jerked you haphazardly over him.

“What the fuck?” you managed out as you tried to pull yourself up from the place on his chest where your head landed. He smelled like leather and oak. Something else too, slightly sweet mixed with something metallic. Your free hand helped you gain some leverage on the bed. His hand on your waist went down to pat the side of your thigh.

“Move this over, straddle me.” the words made you blush, this time obvious and bright.

You sat uneasily on his lap, scared to put your full weight on him. Modesty? How cute. Danny mused as he grabbed you by your hips and forced you to sit on him. A little gasp escaped you from the force. Danny was drinking you up. The incredulous look on your face, the way your hands fell to his chest for stability. Fuck. Restraint was going to prove much more difficult.

You felt frozen in place. What the fuck. What in the actual ever loving fuck? The screams coming from the movie on your left made it feel all the more surreal. They were pitched up and down and underscored by a synth that harmonized with the wails. Normally this would be your favorite part to point out to the people who you would (force to) watch this with. Usually met with strained smiles and equally strained eyebrows raised to the hairline. You forgave the expression on account of the dizzying fifteen minute chase scene that preceded it. You acquiesced that it was "a bit much" for the casual viewer, but damn was it beautifully shot. God, you wanted to feel normal again. Movies, and painting your nails, your nails. Not the nails of some psycho freak that is making himself comfortable on your bed. He got mud on your sheets. You wanted to reach your hands just a bit forward, just enough to reach his neck and strangle him. But his chest felt broad, sturdy, and his grip felt strong. You didn't like your odds in that fights. He didn't feel threatening though, hunting knife aside. He felt like a boyfriend trying to turn a movie date frisky. God, what are you even thinking. Be normal for the love of everything good.

You defaulted to your brand of normalcy. "The screams in this scene were pitched up and down according to their tone. If you pay attention you can hear that they added a synth to subtly harmonize with the screaming." The words just tumbled out of your mouth thoughtlessly. You weren't even looking at him. Your eyes were locked on the screen glowing bright with scenes of carnage.

For all of the cruelties Danny had doled out, this was true torture. With the glow of the television illuminating her, she looked absolutely divine astride him. He wanted to see those pretty lips part and recite his name like a prayer, instead he heard her mumble out a little fun fact about the movie he was currently ignoring. He wanted to see those lips move again, closer this time. Danny grabbed at her wrists and pulled her down to be inches away from the mask that hid his cheeky grin. Her forearms were resting on his chest, her hands gripped in fists under his chin. "Tell me again, about your movie."

No, no, no. This is not normal, we are actively walking far, far away from normal. Fuck, he's got my hands restrained. His grip is so strong. The angle he had brought you down to made you arch your hips down. Is that? Oh. You felt him. You wanted to ignore it, to ignore him. The masked killer that was terrorizing your town, a man reacting to you atop him. Your body reacting to being on top of him. What are we doing here? What are you even thinking right now. This is not the time for biological responses, he's a killer! He's not a regular guy.

He pat your thigh at your lack of response. "Hello? Movie? Synths and screams?" You felt his fingers flutter at your hip. You tried to collect yourself.

"Right they- uh the director had them mix in synths kind of like a vocoder to play ben-" a sudden movement jolted you out of your train of thought. He had rolled his hips up as he lifted his legs up. The movement, deliberate and drawn out, elicited a yelp in response from you. With the way it had pressed against your most sensitive spot, the squeak you let out had been dangerously close to a moan. A fact that Danny noted instantly.

"Just trying to get comfortable, sorry go on." he acknowledged as he adjusted his grip on your wrists with his left hand while giving your hip a reassuring pat with the other.

Danny's game with his little pet was having an unexpected effect on him. He had anticipated getting a bit worked up with you. A little edging, if you will. Just playing with his food, nothing serious. But the more Danny played this game, the more he felt he didn't want it to end. Looking at her struggling to form words, he wanted to watch her forget the entire English language underneath him. He let his right hand meander back up to her waist, the glove that remained encompassing the last of his strength of will to not flip her onto her back and fuck her right there. No, no, Danny. Let her talk, or at least try to.

What were you talking about? Right, the fucking movie. "The...movie vi- the cinematographer on this... he only made car commercials before this." You felt him chuckle. A rumble you felt pass through your own chest, down to your belly, down further.

"That's not what we were talking about." You could hear his smile through the mask. You were stumped. You felt trapped in his gaze. Your mind felt like it was turning to mush by the second. "The synths? The vocoder...?"

Right, fuck. What was I thinking? You wanted to disappear. You wanted to this all to be some sort of nightmare. Or wet dream. You felt your legs turn to jelly.

"The vocoder, yeah. It was added in underneath the actor's lines because he wanted to make the dialogue sound like it was coming from hell." Your hips ached to move ever so slightly, to tease him back. Getting comfortable, my ass. Nothing about this felt innocent, of course it wasn't. He broke into your home and made you straddle him. What exactly did you think this was going to be?

Focus on her words, Danny. What's she saying? She could be speaking in tongues by now for all he cared. All that mattered was the way he felt her belly press down on him as she breathed and how her legs had splayed further to accommodate him. Danny didn't exactly have an end goal for this night, but when he felt her hips rock a bit her fate was sealed in stone. This night would end, but their game wouldn't. Besides he still had another hand she needed to paint. He met the movement of her hips by using the hand at his waist to help prop both of them up. The hand that held her wrists now supporting her back. The space between them smaller than ever before. He could almost taste her. He had to. He used the thumb of his gloved hand to hike up his mask up to reveal his jaw. Without a second thought, he held the back of her head and pulled her into an all consuming kiss.

You had thought you made a mistake, trying to match him. You went to far, goaded the bull. Now he was going to kill you. When he hoisted the both of you up you thought he was about to deal his killing blow, maybe slash your throat as you sat upright. The strike never came. Instead, he stopped your heart another way. It had barely registered in your mind that you were actually seeing his lips, seeing a part of his face, before they came crashing down on you. He had taken advantage of the way your mouth gaped open in shock when he had lifted you up to let his tongue explore the inside of your mouth. It was far more pleasant than death. He was kissing you like he wanted to devour you whole but had to restrain himself. It would be easier to just let him, and just sit there numbly in his hands. But the way his tongue darted in your mouth you felt compelled to chase after him. Your tongue met his with an equal measure of primal instinct. You wanted to familiarize yourself with the taste of his mouth.

Damn this girl. Danny wanted her to fight him on this. Not for the sake of having her struggle, though there was a measure of thrill in that. He wanted an excuse to be annoyed with her. To want to be done with her. Instead she paid him back in kind, her hands resting on his chest inching up to his shoulders. This night was supposed to make it easier for him to kill her off later. Get his rocks off a bit without leaving evidence to find later. Instead that raw, needy feeling that built up inside him when he saw her only continued to grow. This hunger would not be sated, could not be. It would only continue to fester the more he was apart from her. The only way to keep it under control would be to keep her within arms reach. No distance to make the heart grow fonder, only tight, close proximity to make the crushing feeling turn suffocating. Then he would be tired of her, then he could be rid of her. But for now he had to get her out of here, back somewhere he could really stretch his legs. It almost pained him to break from a kiss so decadent. She wore a dreamy, almost dumbstruck expression, with a flushed face and plush, swollen pink lips to match. He wanted to drink her up.

"After all that you're gonna think I'm a real dick for this, but you'll learn to forgive me." Her drowsy expression gave way to a look of confusion. A silent question answered by an equally wordless blow to the side of her head. Light's out. "Sorry, doll. Gotta move the sleepover to my place."

[destiny-in-the-universe]

Beetlejuice x Wordgirl AU

So. I could've just done this on the Wordgirl blog, but I decided not to- oh, and this was inspired off of a post aka this!

@rinnie-marylin I'm tagging you so you can see my thoughts and ideas and whatnot!

Now most of you who've seen Beetlejuice know that Beetlejuice attempted to marry Lydia as part of his schemes. However, this is not something which will be happening in this AU (because for one, no- and for another, this also has vague elements from the tv show!)

For one thing, Beetlejuice must be Dr. Two Brains - it's weirdly fitting; at first, I was going to keep him the same (as in literally just Beetlejuice before ultimately not doing that-) but someone I talked about this au too suggested it should be D2B. Also, as much as I love Becky as the lead - she doesn't fit what I'd been going for, hence why... Lydia's role is being given to Victoria Best! The Botsford's (as in Tim and Sally, probably the kids too maybe?) are going to be the Maitland's!

Though we're now getting to the fun parts, so read below for the cut/additional information.

Beetlejuice AU Guide

Victoria and her family move to a new house but fail to realize a couple used to live there and passed away under mysterious circumstances. I feel like the Maitland's (or the Botsford's in this case-) would still have died from likely a car crash or simply mundane accident - they refuse to accept their deaths and continue haunting their old place of residence. Victoria is not happy in the slightest about having moved, but of course she's trying to paint a certain image to her parents especially with their treatment of their daughter.

I do need to rewatch the first movie, but Victoria meets Tim and Sally - almost by chance - at one point; things are a bit tense and awkward at first especially when they don't treat her in the same way as the Bests (aka less like a prized pet and more as a person pfft-). She's wary but slowly begins warming up to them but at some point, the plan to chase out Victoria's parents is made and shenanigans ensue.

Things are not as developed here because again, I haven't seen the movie in a while but I couldn't not make this AU. Or I might grab a slime tutorial later!

As mentioned before, Dr. Two Brains plays the part of Beetlejuice and I like to think there's more of a familial and/or rivals dynamic between him and Victoria rather than he wants her to be his bride. I know it's like a throwaway gag in the movie, but I decided No.

so-

I might consider a spinoff where for some reason, Becky calls Dr. Two Brains or something but it won't be considered canon to the universe! At least not until I find some way to watch the movie again tbh-

I'll revisit this idea at a different point, but for now you can have this nonsense!

[clearwillow]

So I just saw the post you reblogged about A.I on Tumblr and I'm not sure what to think. I want to get back into post my Inuyasha art but now I'm worried about this whole ordeal. On the one hand I don't want to give up making and sharing my art w/ others (esp. Since I haven't in a while), but now I'm scared about it being stolen and other artists I love giving up posting. This whole debate with A.I has me so confused and scared and I really don't know whats going on. I'm also curious about what you will do if this deal goes through. Do you plan on using Glaze or something similar?

Come sit with me, anon cause to be frank, I'm trying to take that particular post with a grain of salt. I hope it's wrong, because it wasn't long ago we were hit with "oh my god tumblr is closing where is everyone going" and we're still here. But I won't lie, it pisses me off greatly that it's even a possibility.

I completely understand, and I say - go ahead and post it. Don't give up on art because a bunch of fuck bois with no talent in their short hairs decide that generative technology is the way to go. I honestly hope that it crashes and burns in the next couple years, if not sooner. It had potential before fat old men in suits decided that they had to have more money than they know what to do with. I'm not quitting, because it's my income. It's my joy. I am also fueled by spite, because if I wasn't I wouldn't be here right now.

Art getting stolen is always going to be a thing to worry about, even before AI unfortunately. People will repost without credit and still take credit when that post gets more traction. Create a watermark and be a menace to the reposters, I say. There's Glaze, like you mentioned, and Nightshade. I've heard you have to do them in that order for it to be effective.

You can also search haveIbeentrained.com to see if your work has been picked up and request for it to be pulled from the databases. I've found three more of mine this evening. One was one of my mother's paintings.

I've already erased 15 years of work off the internet when I deleted my deviantart gallery at the end of 2022. Some of that work is so old it was never shared anywhere else. I may not even have that work anymore. If the deal were to go through, I'm not deleting my blog. It's been active since 2012; there's no way I could go through and find every art post and delete it to repost glazed/nightshade versions. It won't affect the reblogs. I haven't personally tried Glazing anything yet because I'm not sure if it'd even be effective with my style, but it's something to try when time allows.

I'm gonna say it again - don't give up on your art. Whether you're doing it as a career (I dare someone say art is a sidehustle, this is not MLM and I am not some 2-bit influencer) or because it is something you just enjoy doing for the hell of it, you should continue. I've seen people give up entirely on art in the last year, and it makes me mad. If art is something you want to do, you shouldn't let anyone make you feel like you can't.

And if you need someone to rally behind you and cheer you on, you've got me in your corner 💕 Hell, feel free to tag me in some of your art, if you'd like!

[dracarialove]

📄 Posting my finished fics here, too 📄

*Check the 'shadow's heart' tag if you haven't read chapter 1

[Chapter 3: Confliction]

Pulling up to the home Silver and Blaze shared, their dark-furred guest parked his Viper behind the platinum-painted Camaro and made eye contact with the lavender cat sitting in the bay window.

She hopped down from the cushioned seat while he stepped out of his car, then greeted him at the door with a surprisingly wide smile on her white muzzle.

"This has been such a long time coming," she claimed as he walked in.

"A long time?" The edge of his lip curled into a small, perplexed smile. "We've only been together for two years."

"Yes, but I can see how happy Rouge is when she's with you." Blaze led him to the living room beyond the foyer, where they sat on a gray triple-wide couch. "I'm surprised you waited to snap her up as long as you have."

One black eyebrow lowered and his slightly amused smile remained as he tilted his head at her comment. "And what about you and Silver? You two have been dating much longer than us and just got engaged a couple months ago."

The princess stiffened a bit and Shadow caught a streak of pink touching her cheeks. "Well... w-we wanted to wait! With the renovations and all... anyway-" Her expression turned determined, gold eyes locking to his. "Today is about you, and how you're going to offer Rouge your heart for the foreseeable future."

The Ultimate Lifeform chuckled lightly. "I didn't know you had this romantic side to you, Blaze. I always thought Silver was the mushy one."

"Appreciation of true love isn't exclusive to one half of the relationship, my friend. But, speaking of..."

She turned towards the back of the sofa, facing the open archway that led to the rest of the house, and raised one hand beside her mouth. "Silver! Shadow is here!"

"Oh, coming!" echoed the excited tone of the futuristic hedgehog, moments before he rushed into their living room. He was smiling wider than Blaze, and his eyes immediately darted to their guest. "So, you're finally proposing?"

Shadow scratched awkwardly behind his ear. "Uh, yeah... finally."

Before he could say anything else, Silver plopped himself down on the open couch space between them and planted one hand on his friend's shoulder, giving it a compassionate squeeze. "Congratulations, man! How are you gonna do it?"

"Uhhh..." Shadow hesitated, feeling a little overwhelmed. Silver let go of him, which allowed him some relief, but the optimistic hedgehog had given him multiple things to address in an instant – it was a bit overbearing, even though he meant well.

Blaze diverted her fiancé's attention, patting his knee with a gloved palm. "I don't think we're there just yet. There needs to be a ring first."

"Also," Shadow added, "she has to say 'yes' before you can congratulate me."

Silver looked at him as if he'd said something unbelievable. "Of course she'll say yes. She said yes to Knux, and he-"

The young man cut his own sentence short when Blaze's fingers tightened on his knee, warning him not to continue the thought. He cleared his throat, embarrassment on his face. Shadow was reminded that he still had to talk to his girlfriend about the previous run-in with Knuckles.

Silver spoke again, "Well... point is, you're great; and I know Rouge loves you a lot."

His words lit a bit of a fire in the Ultimate Lifeform again, and a warm smile drew across Shadow's muzzle. "Thank you for the confidence. Now..." He retrieved his cell phone and began pulling up his earlier search results. "... to find a worthy ring."

***

"I think a gold band would be best; Rouge does like flashy jewelry."

"Oh, but what about this icy-white one? It's so pretty, imagine how that'll sparkle! And the shape is cool!"

"Well, Shadow will certainly want a gold band to fit his style, so it's a good idea for the bride's ring to match."

"But that's the wedding ring! The engagement ring is supposed to be cute and shimmery!"

"Silver, just because that's what you got for me doesn't mean it's what Rouge would like."

Shadow was scratching behind his ear again in discomfort, staring down at the phone and listening to his friends debate the choices. His eyes wandered over to Blaze's left hand, to the glimmering aquamarine stone sitting atop a polished platinum band. It was a good choice for her, but something like that wouldn't be quite right for Rouge.

"I agree with Blaze," he spoke, looking up at their faces and ending their tame squabble. "The more obviously it shines, the better."

Silver pouted a little and Blaze smiled softly while Shadow continued, "But, to Silver's credit, I do think a curvy design would be nice."

"Wow," Blaze chimed, "look at you, making your own vision. And the stone? If I know my best friend, she'd be predictably smitten with a high-carat diamond."

"Hmm..." pondered Shadow, looking back down and idly rubbing an index finger above his lip.

"Wouldn't the gold overshadow a diamond?" Silver asked, genuinely curious.

"Perhaps, but-"

"Not to cut you off, Blaze," interrupted Shadow, "but I do have an idea. Rouge has told me her favorite gems in the world are the Chaos Emeralds. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to use one, as difficult as they are to find... but what do you think of a regular emerald?"

Silver gasped, his smile wide. "With diamonds lining the band!"

"Ooh," the cat cooed. "I actually think that's a great idea! You could get it shaped like a Chaos Emerald, I'm sure she'd love that. Green goes very well with gold."

"And it'll bring out her eyes," Shadow added, more comfortable and smiling down at his phone while searching for emerald rings.

The white hedgehog put his right hand to his heart, his expression softening into a display of deep affection for his friend's rare optimistic mood. "This is so sweet." He looked at Blaze and his free hand grabbed hers. "It makes me want to propose to you all over again."

His fiancée blushed and tensed her shoulders towards her cheeks, trying to subdue her smile. "Silver! Please, not in front of a guest..."

But she didn't need to worry about Shadow noticing her embarrassment. He was engrossed in the thought of Rouge gasping and grinning at his choice for the symbol of his intent. The pieces finally fit together in his head – the perfect ring for a perfect woman.

Silver gave Blaze a quick kiss on the cheek while Shadow wasn't looking, then stood from the couch. "Think I'll make some fried rice – get a good lunch going. You want some, Shadow? Or something else?"

Red eyes flicked up at him briefly. "Sure, that's fine."

"Cool!" The futuristic hedgehog strolled back through the nearby archway, starting to whistle a tune once he left the room. The remaining two sat in silence for a moment. Then, just before the lack of conversation got awkward, Shadow's phone rang. It was the jewel hunter herself, prompting him to stand.

"I'll take this outside," he told Blaze, who nodded and also left the sofa to seek out her cooking beau while the dark hedgehog walked out the front door.

He answered with a lighter tone than his usual deep timbre. "Hey, love."

"Hi, baby!" Her mature voice sounded elated, but longing. He understood, as he was longing for her, too. "God, it's so good to hear your voice after listening to Tower bark orders all morning."

Shadow chuckled. "He's being insufferable again, is he?"

"Always. You know he badgered me again last night about you joining G.U.N? So annoying."

"Hm. Well, with you on their team, they shouldn't need my help." He leaned back against the side of the house, bending his free arm under the other to support it.

He heard Rouge sigh and closed his eyes to picture her. She said, "I know, I'm great."

Her confidence made him chuckle and she continued, "Although, I can say these missions would be a lot more fun with you around. But don't worry, I told Tower you had better things to do than take orders from the government."

"Like... take orders from you, boss?" Shadow countered, a smirk bending his voice into a teasing tone.

The ivory bat scoffed playfully; he could tell she was grinning. "Well, yes! You can't tell me you'd rather have an old, stern, unfunny man for a superior."

"You are right, I can't. It would be a lie to pretend that I don't enjoy working for a beautiful, charming, enchanting woman... even if she is a little materialistic."

"How dare you," she bantered, still speaking with a smile. "Just for that, you'd better have a stunning new accessory for me when I get back!"

Shadow laughed, tickled by the serendipity that Rouge was unaware of. She thought she was being funny, but the jewel-loving spy had no idea that she was actually going to get her wish. When his laugh subsided, he opened his eyes and looked up at the clear sky.

He said thoughtfully, "I miss you."

He half-expected a witty quip to keep the joke going – something like, "After only one day? You must be obsessed!" – but Rouge's tone softened and she replied, "I miss you, too."

"How's the mission going?"

"It's okay. A bit boring. So far, we're just doing surveillance. But, on the up-side, I've been learning some interesting things about sea life since we picked up some books from this old laboratory nearby. What I found most fascinating was this section about one particular species; did you know there's such a thing as an immortal jellyfish?"

The Ultimate Lifeform's brows raised at the mention of immortality, and his smile slackened. "No, I didn't. That's curious."

"I almost found it unbelievable at first! But it's true, the little guys can reverse their life cycle if they want – or, something like that, I haven't gotten to finish reading it, yet."

"Wow... that must've been surprising to see." Shadow masked the unease that crept into his heart at the thought of a creature that could live forever. It was too similar to his own biology, and – uncomfortably – made him think about his long lifespan too much for his liking.

"Yeah," Rouge spoke, calm because she didn't know the introspection she'd just sparked, "I'm not usually into science, but that kind of stuff is cool. Plus, anything's better than listening to Topaz complain about the way I work."

"Ha, yeah... I bet." He took a breath as his lean turned into a slump. In his head, he was thinking, 'You might not consider it cool if you knew you were living with an immortal... and what that truly means.'

"Sooo," her voice dragged, "how are things on your end?"

"Well... up and down, I suppose." Shadow pushed off the wall and stepped forward to sit down on the concrete stoop. "The casino is doing well, although it was very crowded last night."

"Aw, sorry I couldn't be there, hun. Bane helped you hold things down though, right?"

"Yeah, we got through it..." One hand slinked across the back of his neck and he rubbed it in discomfort. He remembered his encounter with Knuckles again, and knew he couldn't put off telling her about it. "But we had an... unpleasant visitor last night."

"Oh no, who?"

Shadow sighed. "Knuckles."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, long enough for the dark hedgehog to get a sinking feeling in his stomach. Then his lover asked with a hint of disgust, "Why? What did he want?"

Shadow's answer escaped a growing sneer, "He was demanding to speak with you. Babbling about apologizing... after two fucking years."

His eyes rolled, black brows furrowing at the memory. Rouge's tone sounded softer when she spoke again. "Shadow... don't concern yourself with him. Especially if it's going to ruin your mood."

Fingers pinched the midsection of his closed eyes and he shook away the frustration. Then the bat added, "When I get back, we'll do something nice. A date night – how's that sound?"

Shadow nodded even though she couldn't see it. "I'd like that. Hopefully your mission doesn't run long."

"I'm crossing my fingers as we speak. Talk to you later?"

"Whenever you have time. You know I'll always answer."

"I won't make you wait if I can help it." The smile in her voice returned when she mimicked a kiss through the phone. "Love you!"

"Love you, too."

They hung up and Shadow felt troubled that he couldn't form a smile like Rouge could. There were two big problems hanging over him now; conflicts he wouldn't be able to shake through sheer force of will.

But, irritating as it was that his girlfriend's ex wanted back in her life, the other issue was even more daunting: the Ultimate Lifeform's immortality, which would pale her lifespan as the years went on, and – dreadfully possibly – her desire to stay with him, as well.

[blank-house]

heyy i was wondering, since we already know Cam really likes music (especially kpop), if we could know what the other characters' taste in music is like? mostly how often they listen to it, what genres they like and whatnot. just out of curiosity :)

and what about movie genres? we know Deja and MC often watch movies together while Deja paints her nails, but does she care for the genre? and everyone else?

really loved the demo, i can't wait to see how the game develops. thank you and everyone who's working on this game for all your hard work 🫶

D'aww thank you for the kind words! Motivation up up!

Music Tastes

Haha now for your ask, we actually have a scene for players in the extended demo regarding this! It's a bit of a spoiler in the context of the scene's theme so I won't disclose it quite yet (sorryyyy gotta wait for the extended demo first ahdakldh) but I can say this:

Elio and Cameron often listen to music. For Cameron, it's because it's one of their favorite pastimes. Plus, in their opinion, music makes the commute to and from campus faster.

Elio on the other hand listens to music a lot because of the dance team. Anddd because he's dabbled a bit with playing (if others haven't seen the previous post yet, he's our guy with a ton of skills so he actually knows how to play a couple of instruments).

Though they've got their reasons, Cameron's definitely coming out on top with the highest stats on their Spotify wrap.

Third would be Reynah and actually you don't get to learn about her favorite type of music since she's not in the scene so I will disclose her favs! She's big on old school music, early late 1980's and early 1990's! Anything goes within that time frame, hip-hop, pop, rock, ballads, etc.. She does listen to modern music, but she's got a couple of fond memories of her parents playing older tunes during car rides so they've stuck with her.

Deja, Percy, and Jamie have their favorites of course but their numbers don't come as close to the other three.

Speaking of music, we curated some playlists about the cast! Some players already came across the playlists on our art director's Spotify that is catered to the idea of them, so songs that give off Cameron, Deja, etc. energy. And I actually got to work on making playlists about the music they'd listen to.

You can listen to the first since it's public. This is what the some of the dev team members listen to for the Keyframes vibes when we're working! And you can check out their page for specific cast members. But I'll share the ones about their music taste when I get them done!

Movies/Media Taste

Oh movies is a cute thought!

Unfortunately, Deja doesn't care to watch movies, hence why she opts to do her nails during it. She's got a habit of looking things up ahead of time as well so "watching" isn't something she likes to do. That being said, she likes mystery genres or things that she can think about-- because the twists and themes are still interesting to her even if she spoils it for herself lol

Cameron's got their favorites when they're by themself but they're big on anything and everything with company! Ghibli movies are a good thing to shout to get their attention (they've seen Ponyo like too many times to count haha). Cringey stuff are a safe and hilarious genre for them to put on when they crash at your place, too.

But since MC is a part of their dynamic trio, a lot of what Deja and Cameron watch is ultimately shaped by MC's likes too! Since Deja doesn't have too much of an opinion and Cameron's down to watch anything, your likes are their likes! Granted they'll tell you if it's reallyyyy bad because that's what friends are for lol

Reynah's not too big on films either- but in the way that she just doesn't watch them by herself. Usually, it's other people inviting her to watch one, and she's always happy to tag along and share any opinions about the viewing (they're usually in good light if not critical). That being said, she does have her favorites! It's just hard to say she likes one genre when she hasn't seen everything and she's found gems across multiple genres.

Reynah, at some point probably: I love Night at the Museum, does that mean I like fantasy or comedy the best? Nope!

For the guysssss, you can expect foreign movies (Japanese, Thai, and Euro movies are often exchanged since they've got their favorites from childhood), and romcoms and early '00-'10 movies. The latter is because they firmly believe that's the best era of movies. Home Alone, Lord of the Rings, 27 Dresses, The Last Holiday, etc, etc.

Percy, at one point: They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Elio, shaking his head solemnly: Kids these days won't get to know true movie magic.

Jamie tilts his head: Sorry, what's High School Musical?

P & E: WHAT

Aha yeah, Jamie didn't grow up watching the same things they did. He knows some of them like LOTR but that's just because it's a big franchise. Before his roommates educated him on early American romcoms and feel good movies (which included an HSM marathon and the entire soundtrack on repeat at their place), Jamie stuck to the classics/big names- things that have left a mark in cinema history like the Godfather and the Breakfast Club.

That kind of media is actually what he, Deja, and Reynah bond over. It's the symbolism or the overarching theme that tends to keep their interests so they'll have discussions about it if it comes up. Ah, and, horror. All three of them are completely unbothered by it as a genre and boy are there plenty to talk about the human psyche and behavior there.

If I had to summarize everything:

Jamie, Deja, and Reynah like films that invoke thought. Especially as people who don't often watch movies.

Meanwhile, Cameron, Percy, and Elio are all for the ones that evoke emotion. It's a good movie if they cry. It's a good movie if they're shouting at the screen. It's fantastic film if they get to do both!

Other things about movies for them:

Percy won't watch any horror- nope don't even think about asking him to.

Elio will look at a stunt or a choreography in a film and attempt it himself at least once.

Jamie is the first in his seat with a bowl of popcorn when the guys are doing their movie nights. He also has a sour view of Howl from Howl's Moving Castle since some people have said he looks like the character.

Cameron would suggest repeats a lot during your movie nights- their favorites are their favorites for a reason.

Deja rarely reacts to movies- but she will never recover from Grave of the Fireflies.

Reynah, freshman year, had been invited to 18 different playtimes at the town's cinema over the course of two months and, yes, she saw all of them.

~*~*~*~

And that's it! Wah, my responses are getting longer and longer... haha you guys let me know if I'm ever dumping too much about our cast and I'll hold back. But thanks for the lovely ask!