#it's like i'm going in circles not processing

[often-daydreaming]

Run

It's been months since they started traveling together, wandering, running from everything. It wasn't hard to figure out who Danny was. He didn't keep secrets, easily revealing the mark of the old god that sent him here and Bart wasn't about to turn down a friend especially when it's been forever since either one of them has seen anyone friendly so they were stuck together.

Travel buddies. Best friends. Apocalypse pals. He'd come up with a new one every day if he could but after spending so long trying to find a way back to the past their time had finally ran out.

Because Phantom was here. He's here and Danny's too injured to fight anymore after taking a blow for him during their last fight, always trying to save him even when Bart feels like he doesn't deserve it half the time only now it's Bart's turn to save Danny so he takes off running. It's what he's always done. He's good at it. He's the best and only speedster left alive leaving him with power to burn, the Speed Force surging through him as he takes off with a barely conscious Danny in his arms.

Phantom wants him, hasn't stopped hunting Danny since the day he's set his eyes on him and for as fast as he is Phantom is somehow keeping up. He's always a step behind, never fast enough for a solo speedster so Bart forces himself to go faster. He keeps running. He circles the planet in an instant hiding Danny in the ruins of Coast City seconds before he sucker punches Phantom from behind and repeats the process over and over again never noticing the clockwork like mark Danny gave him slowly clicking to life, the gears inside the necklace starting to move and tick with every close call and near miss and it isn't long before he's off again with Danny in his arms and death close behind them enraged after all his taunting.

Phantom is beyond furious but he's legs are about to collapse. He's never gone this fast before and Bart doesn't know how long he can keep it up so he has to pick a place for their last stand and races into the heart of Gotham towards the downed Watchtower. There's still enough of it left over that they can pull something off if they're lucky and they have to be lucky cause there's no going back anymore. There's so much blood, too much but Danny's still trying to force himself to his feet, the remnants of Gotham surging towards his call when Phantom finally catches up to them and... And... A.....

Bart blinks blindly at the floor. Everything hurt. His head feels like he's gone ten rounds with Doomsday and as he slowly gets up he notices dozens of other heroes in similar positions across the cafeteria of the Watchtower, all of them mumbling about the end of the world, in pain from migraines or rattled after reliving the memories of their deaths but Bart's only focus in that moment was his memories of Danny.

The up above is just something I thought up while bored and maybe, kind of sick so enjoy I guess. Add to it or tell me it's stupid, I probably won't notice until I'm feeling better.

[seneon]

SKETCHING SPIDERS ──── rayne ames x fem! reader.

about. whatever you draw on your skin, the same drawing will appear on your soulmate as well. ROYAL! AU. sfw + suggestive, reader's surname is archer, mentions of alcohol. wc of 3.2k.

notes. i'm experimenting. also first week of exams done i have math, business & accounting next week 😭😭

overcast clouds and the grey shades engulf the vast sky. you're seated in the royal room of a class for the children of nobles, fidgeting with a clean feather quill that was played by your fingers.

as usual, it is another boring day as an academic victim of the noble standards. in a classroom full of the descendants or the next heir of royal and noble families, they were all academically intelligent. for the future of their family, of course. that is no surprise, considering you have to study hard to maintain a good status in your family of nobles.

as the tutor continued to speak his mind out about philosophy or the sort, you looked around the classroom. for a high-class classroom, there sure is quite some dust in the high ceilings that nobody could reach up to.

you see many concentric circles woven by threads at the far corner, all meeting at one common centre. a genius idea then sprouted in your mind like the multi-legged creatures that created those corner ceiling webs.

the quill that you were just fiddling with became an item to use as your teacher rambled on and on about the stars and how to read them astrologically. you used it in a wiser way rather than write a bunch of fancy words into sketching. an act that only the royal artists could carry out.

first, you dipped your quill into the ink and lightly flicked the access ink off. then you lifted the sleeves of your lace coral pink dress, turning your left arm the other way. your seatmate, nora martin, watched in silence as her eyebrows scrunched in anticipation of what you were about to do with your lifted sleeves.

“what are you attempting to execute now, lady archer?” nora asked as you shot her a tiny smile. “just a teensy bit bored from mr. valac’s lessons. m’ gonna entertain myself.”

your seatmate, nora of the martin house, does not bat her eyelash or blink in your direction. this is common for her, just like buying groceries to cook.. or waking up to brush your hair with a wooden hairbrush made out of the best wood in the kingdom. she is used to your shenanigans, even if it meant to be a little bit rebellious during the process, such as dirtying your arm in boredom.

well either way, nobody is going to lift your sleeves to inspect your arm, for it is a crime in the law. at least, to people of nobility.

the ink does not easily dry on the surface of your arm, tainting your skin in a hue of black. the feather quill was quite ticklish too, sometimes it occasionally burns mildly against your skin as the tip of the feather drags along to create a small design with the ink.

once it dried, you showed nora your masterpiece. she actually fancied the result, thus praising how good you actually are at painting. for all that you know, your drawn masterpiece will not come off as easily as staining the tip of the quill in black ink.

it is going to be hard to wash it off. to wash the ink off.

“a spider?” kaldo gehenna asked as he inspected the drawing on the left arm of his subordinate. subordinate because the gehenna and the person he speaks to is of the same ranking in the military.

“how'd that appear?”

“i have no answer for you,” rayne ames, captain level replied as he too, inspected the mark that appeared on his arm. “i believe it appeared during the day.”

“i believe so too. i mean, you didn't have it when you dressed up this morning, did you?” kaldo placed his fingers in his chin, trying to find possible solutions as to where a random marking of a spider and a few strands of web marks came from. the military isn't one to have such markings.

now that it is night and it is time to rest and let loose if the days’ happenings, the ames undressed with his most trusted subordinate and the both of them are greeted with a marking of a spider on rayne’s arms.

the knights are only glad that they wore long sleeves. if it had been exposed, rayne was sure that his arm would be sliced off for having such a marking in his arm.

“i heard there is a legend where whatever your soulmate draws on her skin, it will appear on your skin too. perhaps your soulmate drew a spider on heir skin,” the other captain said as he shrugged.

“why in the world would my soulmate draw on her arm? is she a fool?”

once again, the gehenna shrugged and carefully kept his knightly gears back to where they belong. “perhaps she was feeling bored, just like you at today's assembly. two bored souls. you can try to draw something small on your arm to see if that does anything or not.”

left in a plain white button up t-shirt and his black pants, kaldo took his belongings and waved his subordinate good-bye. “well, i hope you find your soulmate soon. you really need some romance in your life, rayne.”

when the ames went home, all he could do was stare at the spider marking on his arms. the only explanation he could gather was that his soulmate clearly used the black ink for writing to draw the insect on her arm. she didn't even try to erase the parts where it went wrong, she just drew on it to create spider webs.

his stoic golden honey eyes that were locked onto the mere insect. fingers slowly tracing over the outlines of the spider legs and the webs behind it. he admits it, his soulmate is good at drawing. perhaps she is a painter, an artist. someone who comes from a lineage of working for the royal family in the line of art.

but if she is his soulmate, why has she drawn something now? why has she not been leaving any suspicious or interesting marks on his skin in his eighteen years of living? why only now, when he was just assigned to the role of a captain in the royal military?

whatever the case, rayne ames could only keep brushing his fingers against the mark that appeared out of mere thin air. he needed to find the cause of this random marking soon.

the fifteenth birthday of the royal prince, mash burnedead. of course his family of princes would host a royal birthday party for him. and of course, all nobles are to attend the young boy's birthday celebration.

so are you and your family. your parents, who stood among all the other noble adults as you stand beside them, their mouths never ending to boast about how well you do in your academics and how well you are in arts.

as if you were their little doll to ramble on and on, you simply stood there with a tiny smile, your fingers occasionally pulling up the elbow gloves so it wouldn't reveal a single speck of the spider drawing you drew just the day before the party.

you already knew it wasn't going to come off easily, considering the quality of the ink is strong enough to stain your white satin curtains for weeks before fully coming out. your parents had forgotten to inform you about the upcoming party of the prince too, making your arm more difficult to cover up since your silk elbow glove is on the shorter side.

“father, mother, if i may excuse myself to the restroom for a few moments?” you asked in a voice that sounded like it was a beg. you just wanted out from the ordeal of having to stand for hours and listen to your parents indirectly praising you while your mouth is kept shut with no place to allow your tongue to twist and turn.

“of course, dear! be back soon, alright?” your mother replied as you nodded and took your elegant bow at them and also at the other noblemen that were lending an ear to your parents.

it was all a simple lie to get you out of this pathetic situation and to escape to somewhere where you can have your own fun and enjoy your own time, whether it being alone or finding another fellow noble that you know off, preferably someone from your class.

your preferences led you outside the ballroom, where it is far from a huge crowd, but filled with people who prefer to be outside the ballroom.

“lady archer! over here!” the monotonous voice which you recognised called out to you as a hand fan waved in the air, signalling for you to journey your way through the hallways to where nora stood.

you made your way through the velvet carpet and curtsied at your friend, before doing so to the guests around her.

“this is noir martin, my idiotic brother of the military army and his friends of the military, lord kaldo gehenna and lord rayne ames,” nora introduced as you curtsied once again.

“they are looking for women to cheer their champagne to,” a horrified expression formed on your friend's face as she pointed her fan towards her elder brother. “especially this man.”

noir held his hands in the air for defense. “hey hey, little sister. it is normal for men who want to find a beautiful wife, isn't it?”

“not if you're a captain leading an army of hundreds of soldiers! they usually perish in battle like the strong mighty soldier they are, honouring their kingdom.”

the martins conversed in an argumentative conversation, kaldo occasionally joining in. while you stood beside nora, covering your left arm. if not, you'd keep pulling your elbow glove up.

it was no surprise that the attentive ames was silently observing you, a gorgeous noblewoman who will soon benefit to the future of the kingdom. the ames is to, one day, serve you, since you are an honoured ally of the royal family.

“oh uhm, i am quite anxious…” you averted his gaze, hands subconsciously moving to cover your arm as rayne's eyes followed your hands. “is there a problem with your arm? are you hurt?”

“you seem to be anxious,” rayne said.

that voice. the honeyed, yet silky voice almost no one in the military dares to defy. it was an addictively dangerous voice to the hearts and souls of many women.

“no! i’m not!”

there it was. the little sneaky spider legs that peeked out from the edge of your satin piece, though unknown to the people around. there was one person that knew about it though. he just happened to blink before he could see the leg peeking out.

“if you insist…” the knight slowly nodded, his hands travelling to the same arm that the spider appeared.

how odd. he's technically doing the same thing you are doing. it's just a different direction to what other humans in the hallways perceive.

“my name is rayne ames, captain of the royal military army. my brother finn goes to the royal academy too,” he bowed.

you did your part to introduce yourself as a proper lady. like any other proper gentleman, rayne took your hands in his and gave your knuckles a chaste kiss.

something he did to your fingers made you flutter on the inside. it was as if he invited butterflies into your body just by his lips touching the silk of your glove. it was no different for the kiss. he kept it chaste, but there was an unexplainable reason that tells you it wasn't just a gentleman gesture he was showing you.

well, the night went past with your newly made friend from the military who shared a mutual amount of laughs and jokes with you throughout the night. what could possibly go wrong?

“sir! there's a spider on your hand!” the voice of a knight exclaimed as rayne glanced at his hands, his eyes widening a little before he attempted to slap it away.

but it does not go away.

it stays.

just like the spider drawing that randomly appeared out of nowhere, completely fading after a few days. but now, a new mark appears. and a new accusation arises.

“could it be his soulmate!?”

“lord ames, perhaps your soulmate is nearby!”

“you fancy spiders, captain?”

the male slapped his palms against his forehead at the words of his soldiers. surely the mark has to appear at a strategy meeting where he is specifically pointing at other nations. there couldn't be a better timing where his hands weren't in the view of other people.

now his darling soulmate has to draw on her hand, close to her thumb, the same silly spider drawing again that appears as a temporary marking to the ames.

as if one time wasn't enough for the rayne to embarrass him and allow his comrades to lose focus of their goals— the marks appear at many other times in situations where he couldn't control. all over his arm.

one night he sat down at his armchair, surrounded by the crackling sounds of the fire. rayne took kaldo’s idea, dipping his feather into washable ink and wrote a stop drawing on your arm with his quill.

a mere simple no form. in response, rayne rolled his eyes, scoffing at how cocky the person on the other end is. he wanted to get this over with so his teammates would seal their mouth shut in the absence of a spider drawing randomly spawning on his skin.

it was hilarious, since it was only his left arm that received such a vulgar insect drawing. rayne gave up and put away his writing materials and went to slumber. he pray that the spider drawings would soon end and he would finally have peace in the army. and also to meet his soulmate who is so interested in spiders.

noir martin is officially wedded to a woman from the house of irvine, to a beautiful classmate of yours, lemon. and the world is to congratulate and celebrate the happiness of the newlywed.

“when am i be wedded to a handsome and strong man…” you muttered to yourself as you let out a sigh. “i could've sworn my soulmate wrote back to me.”

unfortunately your mutters were heard by rayne who stood beside you, serving as your escort for the day.

“oh? how do you already know your soulmate?”

“well. i draw. then he simply told me to stop drawing.”

rayne raised a brow. “if he's your soulmate, then why did he ask you to stop drawing?” in his mind, this soulmate of yours is an extremely selfish and rude man that doesn't deserve you at all.

“because i’m embarrassing him in front of his friends with my spiders.”

spiders.

“spiders?”

“spiders.”

his jaw slightly let loose. rayne couldn't focus on anything else other than to watch your lips move as you complained about your soulmate and spiders.

“my dearest lady y/n of the archer house,” the ames gently took your hand in his and bowed, remaining in his posture, he says, “may i commit a crime and steal you away for a few moments?”

spiders are your new favourite thing to draw now ever since that boring day in your philosophy lesson.

rayne just happened to the extra canvas.

a field of red roses tinted your cheeks red as you ceased the smile that threatened to surface.

“yes you may, lord ames.”

as you finished uttering your words, rayne took your hand to guide you through the huge and long halls of the martin estate. it was silent all the way and you felt nervous. as if there were thousands of spiders who slowly crawled up your back, giving you the chills yet the nervousness that embraced you.

he led you out the huge garden, never stopping until he reached the point where there were stone benches. being the gentleman he is, rayne told you to take a seat as he took off the white glove he wore on his left arm.

rayne took a seat himself, setting his gloves to the side. all while your eyes followed his actions, including the little mark that was just a bit above his pinky finger. you recognised that mark as you seemingly lit up upon seeing it.

“that's a—”

“spider.”

without hesitation, you took out your left arm’s glove. nobody is going to walk into the garden anyways, so it's safe to take off your glove. golden honey eyes immediately locking its gaze onto the same spider that was in the same exact position as the one on rayne's fingers.

“you’re my soulmate!” you exclaimed, gasping in the process.

the corner of rayne’ lips curved upwards a little as he nodded, his fingers tracing the spider that was imprinted on his fingers.

rayne ames is now tracing the undone spider sketches, smudging the ink all over your right thigh as you could feel his hot, ragged breath on your cheek. you faced the other way, your own breath heavy as you shifted in your position.

“trying to draw a spider on your thigh while i’m away on a mission by the king's orders tells me how much you miss me. how much you need me,” rayne said, his golden eyes staring into yours. “then you tried to sketch another in my presence, my lady. what are you trying to do?”

first of all, how did you get into this situation where both you are under the military captain as he cornered you?

long story short, you were out with your lady friends, and they were all drinking the night away. as your carriages came to pick you up and your lady-in-waiting cleaned you up after the night full of consuming the kingdom's finest alcohols, soberness left your mind.

the worst is the honoured son of the ames family arriving at your family's estate to give them an emergency visit. well you were not in a state to be speaking to guests, so you were kept in your room.

but rayne insisted on a visit to his beloved darling, and he too, ended up being drunk from the alcohol that you shoved into his mouth with the bottle that you sneaked in the house.

“i need you… and you need me too,” you muttered, lazy eyes scanning all over the white button up t-shirt that rayne wears. how it would be so easy to just tear them open right now.

“do i have you to myself?” rayne set his head at the crook of your neck, shifting up so his mouth comes in contact with your shoulders. the man slightly pulled down the lace sleeves, exposing your bare shoulders to him.

with rayne's lips on your shoulders, you hummed under your breath, resulting in a kiss.

“you are my woman. my soulmate, y/n.”

“forever yours,” you whispered into his ears as he continued to press chaste kisses onto your shoulder, his other hand leaving your sketched and messy thigh to snake it around your waist.

“i’m going to kiss you until those spiders all over your body are all messy. and you will do the same to me, darling.”

TAGS ★ @kyoghurts @caelivir @dragonictears @anqelically @hasumiis @raynesbunny @vash-yuu @sakireiz @futuristicxie @redlabelboom @ilovecandys2010

© SENEON 2024 ♰ do not repost, alter, or translate.

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

As someone who doesn't usually visit your streams, what's your breakdown for making such dynamic shots? Would love to hear a little bit about your process of creation.

I wish I had a well written answer, but I kinda just wing it. Okay I guess I think of like, increasing or decreasing fov in a video game. The more intense the dynamism, the stronger the fov. You can make an energetic pose with good sense of gesture with a readable line-of-action, but a very flat fov, which works for "normal" drawings. Increasing fov adds intensity by exaggerating the distance between objects.

Unfortunately, for actual drawing, I don't have a strong, conscious process. I kinda just try a rough draft, and if it's not dynamic enough, try to think critically about whether the limbs seem to properly flow together with the gesture or adhere to perspective, and redraw whatever doesn't work. I'm crudely simplifying all the process in this post because I've practiced a lot of this to the point of it being second nature, which sounds cool but like, I have to stop myself and really think if I wanna actually understand what I'm doing.

It's also a lot easier to do when it's a character with a bodytype I'm confident in drawing. Some days I just can't make the strong fov-look work, and go with something flatter so that it'll actually be on-model. One tip I suppose: Drawing solid red boxes and circles over the refs clients give me can help in getting all the proportions right, and I get a little more comfortable with more dynamic shots again.

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Blizzard

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Dark Donna

Word count: 4,808

Summary: You shouldn't have walked in the middle of a blizzard

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open, I'm waiting for yours!!! I love you all!!!

“Uh, oh...” You whispered as a cold current ran through your body. You knew it wasn't the best day for hiking, but you couldn't miss the opportunity that this snowy landscape offered you. You had already been to many places, but none like that strange village. The mystery that seemed to surround those villagers... As sullen and mysterious as the snowy landscape that surrounded them.

It was a perfect place to walk through the snow, if it weren't for the fact that a blizzard seemed to be coming.

“I should have listened to that old woman...” You sighed when the snow began to hurt your eyes. “Well, it would be better to turn around and go back to the… Oh, shit…”

You turned around, being completely sure that you had followed that path, the one that led directly to a beautiful waterfall that was dying to be captured by your camera.

You didn't want to admit it. No matter how hard you looked at the trees, you couldn't tell if you had passed by them or not.

The blizzard raged mercilessly, the wind buffeting your body as you made your way through the snow. And yes, it could be worse. It seemed there was no better time for your little adventure than a few hours before nightfall. Your determination to photograph a beautiful sunset in the mountains was going to be your downfall.

“Okay… Okay… (Y/N), you screwed it up,” you said while trying in vain to make a call on your cell phone. Useless. You had been without signal since you arrived in the village. You didn't know why you thought it would be different in the middle of that frozen wasteland.

The light was becoming less intense and your steps were increasingly erratic. You could be walking in circles and not even realize it.

The snow cut your face like blades. You didn't want to despair, it wasn't the first time you got lost, but certainly, you started to give up.

“Come on, come on...” You said to yourself, continuing to walk awkwardly. Noises similar to the howls of a wolf made you not want to stop. “No… I don’t… Want…To be… Your food…”

You walked a few more steps until the ground gave way under your feet. It was your end.

You slid down some rocks, hitting yourself several times in the process until the fluffy snow cushioned your fall.

“Oh...” You gasped, checking that you hadn't broken anything. “Shit, shit, shit…”

The darkness limited your field of vision, but you could hear the water from that waterfall. You clumsily stood up, brushing the snow off your clothes, preventing your body from freezing early.

“Well, that was close,” you murmured when you realized you were near to a cliff. When you looked up, you could make out something in the middle of that landscape.

It looked like a house, or rather, a mansion, you couldn't tell, the night was darkening. The snow continued to cut your face mercilessly and, although you couldn't see where you were, you thought that that building was your best option.

“Wow... Who lives here? It's impressive,” you sighed when you were close enough for the snow to stop being a hindrance to your vision. “Hello?” You asked out loud, opening the metal fence that delimited the property.

Nothing, the sound of the wind was the only thing that predominated in that place. It would be better to get a little closer.

“Brrr” You shook your body when the small roof protected you from the cold. It looked like an old, abandoned house, but you had no choice but to knock on the door. “Hello?! Anyone there?! Hello!?”

You called out quite loudly and yelled loud enough so that the wind didn't drown out your voice.

“Maybe there's no one here...” You said trembling, with your body freezing little by little.

Behind a window you could see a halo of light, similar to what fire makes when it reflects on glass. You were not alone. Someone lived in that house.

“Hey! Hey! Hello!? Please!” You shouted, hitting the door even harder. “I'm lost and I think, I think I'm going to freeze to death! Hello?!”

Nothing

You were about to give up, looking around for alternative shelter when an ominous creak reached your ears.

One of the old doors opened little by little, letting out the dim light from a candle. The person holding it made you gulp.

It looked like a woman, dressed entirely in black. The light of the candle danced on her face, or rather, on the black veil that covered it. But there was no time to study that woman. You were about to turn into an icicle.

“He, hello...” You stammered, noticing that woman's gaze on you. “Sorry to bothering but… I, I got lost in the mountains. I fell down a small ravine and… Well, the blizzard caught me and…”

For some reason, that almost ghostly presence gave you a certain feeling of discomfort.

“Ahem,” you cleared your throat. The mysterious woman said nothing. You started to get a bit nervous. “I… I, I was wondering if…”

“Who are you? Stupid stranger!” A shrill voice made you take a step back. It had not come from the woman with the veil, but rather came from a strange and disturbing doll that she woman was holding with her other hand.

“What?” You asked confused. Maybe you were already freezing and starting to get delirious. “Please, please, let me take shelter from the storm, I... I think, I think I'm going to freeze.”

Doll and woman looked at each other in a disturbing scene. It was very strange, but you weren't ready to choose another option. The night was already closed and that was your only ticket to not freeze to death.

Luckily, after a few seconds of strange tension, the lady in black moved away from the door, giving a slight nod for you to enter.

“Oh, thank you, thank you very much,” you said, clasping your hands and quickly fleeing the cold.

The house was gloomy, dark, barely illuminated by a couple of candles on a table. It was a majestic house, which surely belonged to a majestic woman. When you finished studying your surroundings, you looked at the lady, who closed the door with a bang that disturbed the strange tranquility of that place.

“Oh, is that a ventriloquist doll?” You asked curiously, looking at that strange puppet. The lady didn't seem to want to move, you could only see that she was breathing like any mortal. That was a good sign, you supposed.

“My name is Angie, you stupid meddler,” the doll protested, making a fuss over her owner. You laughed, thinking this was some kind of joke from that strange woman.

“Hey, you're very good...” You said amused, cautiously approaching the doll. “Hello, Angie, I'm (Y/N)” you said in a childish voice, shaking the puppet's hand, a hand that it immediately moved away.

“But what are you doing, stupid?” The doll protested, making its owner to look at it.

Well, at least you weren't freezing to death, and that you weren't going to get bored.

“I... I appreciate you letting me in, um... Can you tell me your name?” You asked after a few more moments of tense silence.

There was no response, the lady simply walked past you while that puppet turned its head to keep looking at you.

“Donna,” a hoarse voice murmured, this time, coming from the mourning lady. You sighed in relief knowing that you weren't going to have to communicate with that doll.

“Donna, oh, okay, what, it’s a pretty name,” you said nervously, following closely the lady, who opened the door into the house, towards a living room that had a lit fireplace.

“Oh, fire...” You said, eager for any source of heat, approaching that fireplace and extending your arms towards it, letting the heat soothe your almost blue hands. “Wow, I thought my hands were going to freeze.”

“I don't like her, Donna...” You heard the doll whisper, or, well, you thought it was the doll. You couldn't help but frown.

“Leave her be, Angie. She seems harmless,” the lady murmured, leaving the doll on an armchair.

What kind of woman was that? Did she talk to herself? Would it have been better to freeze?

“Excuse me, did you say something?” You asked confused.

 That woman, Donna turned to you and shook her head, leaving the candle along with others on a table.

“Okay... I, I'll leave right away, as soon as the storm stops,” you said, starting to feel too trapped in those rickety walls. Donna nodded.

“I don't think it’s going to stop soon,” she whispered, approaching the fireplace and removing a pot of boiling water from it.

“I won't be a bother, I promise,” you said, stopping shivering from the cold and enjoying the pleasant warmth of the fire.

“Of course you won’t be!” A shrill voice, coming from the armchair where the doll rested shouted. It couldn't have been Angie, no way.

“Angie...” The lady sighed, approaching the chair. “Behave”.

You swallowed again, not knowing if the heat of the fire was enough to make you want to stay.

“Excuse her, she doesn't like strangers,” the woman told you in a soft but hoarse tone, as if she wasn't used to talking to anyone. Living in a place like this, it didn't seem strange to you. “Sit down.”

You obeyed without saying anything, going towards the chair she had indicated and exploring that house with your eyes.

“Oh, thank you,” you said, taking off your backpack.

“Tea?” She offered you, with a voice that betrayed a certain nervousness. Although she seemed kind, something gave you a bad feeling.

“Oh, of course, if it's hot...” You said, hiding the fear you started to feel.

“Of course it's hot,” she responded sharply, making you shift in your chair. “Tea has to be hot.”

“Yes, yes, of course...” You murmured, bowing your head in an apologetic gesture, gratefully taking the cup she offered you.

The lady in black sat in front of you, watching you. You didn't know what she was looking for in your gaze exactly, but the feeling of not being able to see her face was starting to make you uncomfortable.

“I... Well...” You said nervous because of the silence, because of the sound of the wind being the protagonist in that dark room. “Your house is impressive, Donna.”

“Thank you,” she responded, nodding pleased at the compliment.

“It must be quite calm. To live here, I mean,” you commented curiously, bringing up the most absurd topic of conversation you could think of.

“I like the tranquility,” Donna stated, drinking from her cup, slightly moving the veil away from her face. You had to make a superhuman effort not to look.

“I see... It's, it's all quite dark.”

“There is no electric power. The storm broke it” the woman explained, to which you nodded. Thank goodness, you thought you had entered the tunnel of horror.

“Oh, wow,” you said, feigning empathy. You couldn't help but feel very curious about this woman, but also a bit afraid of her.

“I'm sure you're hungry. I can't offer you anything to eat. The elevator that goes to the kitchen doesn't work,” she said passively, as if your presence was not pleasant for her, but nevertheless, trying to sound… Kind.

“Do you have an elevator in your house? Wow, what a luxury,” you said amused, in a pathetic attempt at joking.

“My parents built it like that,” Donna explained, getting nervous for some reason you didn't know.

“Oh, sure... Where are they?” You asked with good intentions.

“They're dead,” Donna said, slamming the cup on the table hard, making you panic.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Oh, well,” you said embarrassed. You couldn't have a worse day. “I better keep quiet.”

“Yeah, shut up!” Angie screamed.

When you looked at the couch, the doll was still as limp as it seemed.

“Angie...” Donna whispered, with a severe, reprimanding tone. Time to change the subject. You didn't want to think that the doll had spoken for itself.

“I have energetic bars in my backpack. They're not a big deal, but at least it's something... Do you want one?” You asked, using your well-known people skills, that ability of yours to talk to anyone, no matter how strange.

“Energetic what?” She asked, curious.

You took two out of your backpack and offered her one, which she examined carefully.

“Yes, well... It's like eating newspaper but on the label it says that they are apple flavour...”  You said amused, devouring yours.

She hesitated, but she tried out of curiosity.

“The one who made this has not tasted an apple in his life,” the lady said disgusted, but with a funny tone. “But thank you… (Y/N)?”

“Oh yeah, (Y/N), that’s my name,” you said, covering your filled mouth with your hand. “And don't thank me, thank you for let me in.”

“Normally I would let you freeze to death, but I was in a good mood today,” she said passively. You laughed, thinking it was a joke, although it definitely didn't sound like one. You didn't want to ask if it was a joke either, you were a bit scared.

“Well...” You murmured, after a few minutes of horrible silence. “How's that storm going?” You asked, looking towards one of the windows. You wanted to think that you could get out of there, that the blizzard had subsided, but it wasn't true.

“You can stay the night if you want,” Donna offered, getting up from her chair.

“No, it's not necessary,” you said, perhaps too hastily. “I don't want to abuse your kindness.”

“Well, if you prefer to freeze to death...” She said with a low, almost threatening tone.

You looked at the window again. The blizzard seemed unbeatable, tireless. That house, that woman. It was all disturbing, but it was better than freezing to death.

“I... I... It's okay,” you said, sighing defeated. “The truth is that I’m tired.”

“Follow me,” she said dryly, picking up the candle from the table again.

You obeyed, putting the backpack on your shoulder.

Walking slowly, you reached the hall again and began to climb the stairs, trying not to lose the light of the candle that Donna was carrying.

As you went up, a portrait of a woman caught your attention. She was beautiful, so beautiful. So much for an irreverent and shameless girl like you.

“Wow, she is... Don't tell me that you’re that beautiful woman,”  you said jokingly, but at the same time, seriously.

Donna paused, slowly turning her head to look at you. She didn't respond, she continued walking.

You better shut up, (Y/N)

“Here. You can stay here,” she said dryly, as if she were annoyed by something. Had that comment offended her? She must have been flattered by your compliment.

“Thank you, Donna,” you sighed, leaving the backpack on the bed in that small room.

“Good night,” she said, lighting a candle with hers and disappearing like a ghost.

“Good...” You said, before the door closed with a loud bang. “…Night…”

You sighed and shrugged, digging through your backpack, locating your diary. Just a few things that worth writing in that small notebook happened in your adventures but this was one of them.

“Who are you?” You asked the quick sketch you made of the lady and her doll. “The truth is that I am curious…”

Even though your journey through the mountains had left you completely exhausted, you couldn't sleep a wink. The sound of the storm shook the window panes and the surrounding trees cast dark shadows on the wall.

“There were no houses in the village... I had to find the one with the cursed doll,” you huffed, covering yourself with the sheets and squeezing your eyes tightly.

You immediately regretted eating that stupid energetic bar. Your mouth was crying out for some water. You couldn't sleep with that infernal thirst. You had two options: let your throat go dry, or get up.

“Okay... Tunnel of horror, here I come,” you whispered, making the most rational decision.

You took the small candle that Donna lit and opened the door as discreetly as possible. It was in vain, as an ominous creak gave you away.

“Water... Water...” You murmured, illuminating the dark hallway.

Luckily, there was a bathroom right in front of the room.

“That's better,” you said satisfied, having quenched your thirst.

The most logical and normal thing would have been to return to your room, but of course, you were not a normal person, much a less logical one.

Curious, you looked over the railing, hoping, you didn't know what, to see something. The small glow of the fireplace could be distinguished in the distance. Slowly, you approached the stairs.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Slowly, extinguishing the candle, you went down a couple of steps, stopping at that portrait.

“Surely if I had you in front of me right now I would already be trying to flirt with you...” You whispered seductively. “And if that doll wasn't there...” You said later, making a disgusted face at the puppet.

Without taking your eyes off the portrait, you continued down until you reached the hall again. There, you walked slowly to the door, peeking out.

Curiosity killed the... Yes, shut up now, brain

Nothing, there were no signs of life in the room. That doll wasn't even there. Well, you had free rein to explore, or so you thought.

As soon as you entered the room, you froze in place.

The fire illuminated a figure curled up on a sofa. Donna, without a doubt.

She seemed asleep and next to her, that inert puppet.

Stay away. That's what the rational side of your mind told you. Did it have to be repeated that you were not rational?

You took one step, then another, until you were close enough.

“Oh, my God,” you sighed, putting your hand over your mouth to avoid being discovered. The black veil had disappeared. That woman's face was beautiful, but a huge scar covered part of it. She was the lady in the portrait and that's why she covered herself.

That didn't make her seem any less beautiful to you. What now? Are you going to flirt with her?

The woman was sleeping peacefully with a book in her hand. You had no intention of bothering her, nor of continuing to explore. Running back to the bed to draw her beauty was your priority.

“Donna, Donna! The stranger, the stranger!” The doll screeched, causing you to fall to the ground in fright. There was no longer any doubt. The doll had a life of its own.

Of course, the lady woke up scared, looking for the source of the scandal.

“What are you doing?” Donna asked when she noticed your presence. Her single eye hardened, glowing with rage.

“No, nothing...” You said, retreating, crawling on the floor.

“She's mean, Donna! She was spying on you!” Angie accused you, which made you shake even more.

“What? I don't... why is it alive?” You stammered, overwhelmed by all those sudden emotions.

“I shouldn't have let you in,” the woman hissed, walking towards you, with the most dangerous look you've ever seen, with that beauty overshadowed by rage.

“Wait, wait...” You said, crawling on the floor.  “I didn't mean to bother you, What is this doll?”

“Shut up,” the woman said, clenching her fists on either side of her hips.

“Sorry, sorry... Don't kill me,” you begged pathetically, covering your face with your hands. “It wasn't my intention. Besides, I don't know why you even cover yourself. You are beautiful.”

You were telling the truth, but it clearly sounded like a shabby attempt to get that woman to take pity on you.

“Don't think you're going to get away by lying to me, (Y/N)...” Donna threatened, getting closer and closer to you.

“Wa, wait, wait. I'm not lying, really. You are, you are beautiful. I mean... If you didn't want to kill me I would be trying to flirt with you,” you said nervously, trying to stand up.

She stopped, looking at you with a frown.

“Are you serious?” She asked confused, blinking several times.

“Yes, yes... You're really hot, Donna,” you said, squeezing your eyes, waiting for your end.

“You're very vulgar,” she sighed, extending a hand toward you.

Had it worked? Had telling the truth done any good?

“Oh...” You sighed, taking her hand and standing up. “I… I, I'm sorry.”

“Don't you know that it is rude to spy on others?” She told you with a calmer tone.

“I guess I'm curious, that's all,” you said, relaxing your breathing. Her gaze explored your body up and down.

She nodded, looking at you in a different way, with the shadow of a smile decorating her face.

“Hey, about the doll...” You said whispering, looking out of the corner of your eye at the puppet, which, to your surprise, stood up on its own.

“Do you really think I'm beautiful?” Donna asked, with a childish smile on her face, as if you had said something strange.

“Yes,” you said, nodding, turning red with embarrassment. You couldn't deny that you were attracted to her, even if she seemed dangerous.

“You are also very beautiful, (Y/N)” she whispered, approaching, nervously playing with her hands.

“Give each other a kiss and shut up now” the doll mocked, making you look away at it.

“Oh, the doll did it again... Why is it moving?” You asked nervously, disturbed by what you were seeing. You couldn't be dreaming. Your heart was beating very fast.

“Would you like to kiss me?” Donna asked, making you almost break your neck as you looked at her, eyes wide.

“I... Um, what?” You asked confused, with a knot in your stomach, with your subconscious screaming at you to do it.

“I would like to kiss you…”

What was wrong with that woman? She wanted to kill you just a minute ago.

You were an adventurous girl and you boasted about the girls you met during your travels. Donna was the strangest of them all, but also the most beautiful.

“Well, why not?” You said, shrugging, letting yourself be carried away by her figure, by her beauty in the light of the fireplace.

You approached slowly, until you placed your lips on hers. She sighed contentedly, unable to hide a smile as she kissed you slowly, bringing her hands to your waist.

It wasn't a long kiss, but it was an intense one, one that made you forget for a moment where you were and the strange things you had experienced.

“Surely you have met many girls on your travels...” She murmured, kissing you slowly again, exploring your lips with curiosity. You were confused, but you couldn't deny that you were enjoying it.

 It wasn't how you intended to end the night.

“Yes, but...None like you...” you whispered, laughing at that situation. You weren't planning on having an affair with a woman who lived with a living doll. You began to be grateful for being lost in the blizzard.

“You can be sure of that, (Y/N)” she said amused, but with a dark tone, without stopping kissing you, caressing your body, raising the temperature of that house. “My bedroom is downstairs... But the elevator doesn't work,” Donna said, biting her lip. “Do you think that small bed of yours...?”

You, eager to get to know this woman more deeply, nodded. Your unbridled lust had made you forget everything that had happened. Someday it will take its toll on you. Maybe before you ç thought.

“The small bed will do,” you murmured, biting her earlobe. Her lavender scent was intoxicating, as were the sounds she made when you kissed her neck.

Donna pulled away from you, taking your hand eagerly, with desire, dragging you towards the stairs.

It was a night... Too good. That woman was eager, almost insatiable. You couldn't tell how long you were in that bed, naked, giving up to your passion. You moaned, she moaned. What seemed like a terrifying night turned into a series of moans, kisses, caresses… It became something unexpected and electrifying, something you didn't want to forget.

You opened your eyes as the morning light came through your window. Your whole body hurt. Because of the blizzard, and because of the night you had spent with that woman. Woman who, by the way, was not sleeping next to you, was no longer hugging you like the night before.

“Mmm, the doll lady...” You moaned, letting yourself fall on the mattress, confirming that you didn't dream of making love to her. The whole bed smelled like lavender. “Well, it seems that there is no longer a storm.”

You dressed quickly, shivering from the cold, but with your body still warm from passion.

“Good morning,” you said humming, peeking out the door that led to the living room. There she was, in her black dress, with her face uncovered, preparing a breakfast worthy of any buffet.

“Hello, tesoro, how did you sleep?” She asked kindly, walking over and kissing you quickly. You smiled.

“Not enough time...” you purred in her ear, causing her to giggle shyly.

“You scandalous...” the Angie doll said with a singing voice.

“Fuck! I had forgotten,” you said scared, running a hand over the back of your neck. “Em, Donna… What's wrong with that doll? Why is it alive?”

“Come on, come on, tesoro, calm down,” she said, taking you by the hand to the table and pushing you to sit down. She did the same in front of you.

“Seriously, why is it moving?” You asked, grabbing a croissant from a tray.

“I'll tell you another time...” the lady said, ignoring your curiosity for the umpteenth time.

“Mmm, you better hurry up, tomorrow I'm traveling to Poland” you commented, taking a sip of that delicious coffee that she had prepared for you.

“Poland?”

“Uh-huh,” you nodded, smiling but observing the confused gesture of the lady in black. “It's the end of my route. Afterwards, I will return home.”

“I thought you'd stay a bit longer...” she said, her eyes shining, as if she were pleading.

You feigned indifference and sighed.

“Well, well... Maybe I'll stay a few more days... If that's okay with you, of course...” You said amused, winking at her.

“I would love to,” Donna whispered, ending the conversation.

After filling yourself with that breakfast, you decided it was time to leave. You would have stayed longer, but at least you had to return to the hotel to extend your stay. The truth is that you wanted to know more about her, spend more time with her.

“Then I go down the elevator, follow the bridge... And I arrive at the village...” You said, repeating her instructions at the door of the house.

“That's it, tesoro... Promise me you'll see me again,” she said, hanging on your neck and kissing you quickly.

“Sure, we could have a lunch together if you want.”

You said goodbye with another kiss and started on your way back. The path was sinister, but at least there was no loss and the day seemed clear.

You got into that strange elevator and pressed the button. You frowned when you realized something was wrong. You had neither gone down nor gone up. You had felt movement, but you were in the same place.

“What the…?” You asked to yourself, studying the landscape with your eyes. No, you hadn't moved, the house was still at the end of the road. You started to shake. You pressed the button again and again. You went up the elevator again and again. Nothing, the same landscape.

You left the cabin when you had apparently managed to move around. Some red doors remained open.

“I definitely need that nap,” you said, scratching the back of your neck and pushing one of the doors.

You opened your eyes scared.

In front of you there was no forest, no snowy landscape. In front of you was the hall of that house, you were inside that house again.

“What?” You asked, trying to get out the door. It was impossible. Every time you left, you came back in. “What?”

“I'm sorry, (Y/N)” a hoarse voice startled you. The lady in black appeared out of nowhere. The black veil covered her face again.

“Donna? What's going on?” You asked scared, grabbing her black dress, mad. She didn't move. A childish laugh was filling the house. The doll laughed amused, and you suspected laughing at you.

“I like you, (Y/N). I can't let you leave.”

[dead-core]

stuck between 'i have to make art about my trauma' and 'why does all my art have to be about my trauma'

[gale-in-space]

Growing up in an abusive household and developing like 5 different personality disorders is like. My available player character dialogue and action options are as follows:

Be a prick

Be a prick in a different way

Begin walking the path of irreversible self-destruction by burning the bridges of everyone who has ever cared about you

Resist the intrinsic urge to be incredibly cruel even though it's all you know how to do (make a Wisdom saving throw with disadvantage)

Be a prick again

[polkadotpatterson]

okeydoke as I have not had much energy for working on stuff lately (but lots of motivation) I'm not gonna do proper NaNo with a wordcount or anything, BUT I am gonna make it a goal to get some amount of work done on a writing project every day (at least until I go away on the 24th). Main priority blaseball projects are, in no particular order:

Fic about the ending

Abner fic

Simon's Quest

secret fic(s) :)

get the Talkers exchange set up

Aside from that, I've been poking at more non-blaseball stuff, which is a good excuse for me to plug my writing blog @cyndakip! All my fics get posted there, so if you're interested in my writing beyond just blaseball (especially if you like pokemon), I recommend following me there, since I don't post non-blaseball fics here.

[meowmeowmessi]

messistas can try to give this a positive spin as much as they want but this is the fumble of the century the kind of disastrous decision making skills at club level that i was talking abt there's no coming back from this

[morningmask27]

god, one mild problem of asking friends who don't draw a lot for criticism is that They Don't See Shit. I'm obviously going to be Extra Critical of my own art and that's why I ask for their advise, but they just tell me it's pretty without warning me that one arm had a very fucked up anatomy or the chair I had straight up forgotten to draw for a good while.

I told them the thing was done (I meant a fucking table I had procrastinated to draw for eons and was a blue sketch in all those wip updates) while all the characters were still just colored sketches and the chair was missing and they just didn't see it; they rolled with the drawing as is.

They're wonderful people, but they are definitely not the people to go to for actual art advise and it's a bit annoying tbh

[wild-at-mind]

If you ever see me becoming one of those transmisandry people, please fucking call me out immediately.

[shirogane-oushirou]

i think a lot of people here are in the same boat as me tbh, but just to be sure: i am Not Doing Too Hot, and that's why i haven't really been as active + will probably continue to not be for a while! it might also take a few days for me to rb something you made, and my tags may be more sparse than usual, but TRUST that it's all in my drafts and i'm posting 'em when i have the energy!!! ;;; shaking hands with everyone on the dash who's going through it rn (and everyone who isn't!! ilu too!!!).

[strozzaprete]

not to be morbid on main but my life is so strange every day i'm fighting with my inner suicidal child trying to convince her to stay alive out of spite for our enemies

[strhwaberries]

IM GONNA SEE ATEEZ FOR REAL OMG

[keeps-ache]

reread six of crows and i think i'm going to need another break, from. reading

[transarsonist]

.

[sacrilegious-skeletal-scribe]

job hunt

“Why don’t you—”

“—just tell us something—"

“—little about yourself—”

“What would you like to know?”

“Oh, anyth—”

“—that comes to—”

“You really should’ve just walked into traffic last night.”

“Excuse me?” Rosa’s voice rings faintly in her own ears. The interviewer leaves the sentence curling on the table between them, blinking owlishly at her. 

“Well, I was saying you can just tell me anything you think the company should know. about you, while you’re considered for the position,” the examiner repeats, some flat annoyance creeping into the words. The shock clanging around Rosa’s ears latches onto it, rage snapping up through her chest and hitting nothing, snarling at an empty chamber as her heart limps out of her teeth.

“I… apologize, I, misheard you. My fault, thank you for elaborating,” she says, feeling the words glide over her tongue as she convinces her hands not to lunge over the desk.

She walks from the yellowing back office two minutes later with a promise for future contact, and a mouth filled with dust and blood and printer ink. She will not remember the drive home.