#so if some pieces are pixely

[frenchublog]

spuffy

[luck-of-the-drawings]

YELLOW MEANS PAUSE. GREEN MEANS FUCKING G O. RED MEANS STOP. MUSTVE BEEN A HOT FUCKIN DAY. Y’ever been in a tent on a hot day? What about a tent made of meat? The air is so heavy with moisture that you could drink it, and youve been running the fuck around all day. Youre exhausted. And they ALL KNOW. The weight of just your own life is almost too heavy to carry, and theres still more to do. Just survive for me, okay?

[fernsnailz]

my comic from the @neverturnbackzine! truly one of my favorite zines i've been a part of :]

some extra insight/fun facts about the process of this piece below the cut 💥💥💥

posting pieces from collaborative zines is always something i struggle with because i look back and think of how i would do things differently now, but i learned a lot working on this comic and even developed some style techniques that i still use!

Fun Fact 1: the panel where shadow Fucking Disintegrates That Guy is technically traditionally drawn! i couldn't get it right in clip studio so i just started frantically scribbling in a notebook and got it eventually lol

highly highly recommend scribbling stuff out in a notebook, scanning it on your phone, and then dropping it into a canvas to edit later if you ever have trouble sketching something.

Fun Fact 2: a lot of the overlay/background effects were made in Kid Pix Deluxe 3D. i created a whole collection of various textures/abstract effects for this comic that i've been using in my art since last year. you can even find them scattered through my team dark zine lol. here's a few of them:

similarly, the background at the bottom of page 2 is actually a warped photo i took of a bunch of headphone wires. this is the original:

Fun Fact 3: i made this comic during a very busy and wild period of time last year so this is what the final panel looked like for a while before i fully finished it LMAO

ok yay thanks for reading bye

[dollfaced-erin]

This is not a hear out... YOU WILL LISTEN

ok so modern au where jingyuan is a CEO (sugar daddy-) and i'll leave the reat to your imagination 🤭

IM LISTENING, LOUD AND CLEAR TO YOU BBY

A/n :

this made me so flustered hahahahha but y'know, imma make some one shot out of this, comfort angst style since i havent done that in a LOOOOONG time (or ever, in that matter) I'm currently learning how to make a pretty masterlist, banners and those cute line things and i need help AND A GUIDE-- pls excuse my tardiness... holy shit this might be my longest post ever...

Taglist : -

@rebeccawinters , @nayukiyukihira , @pix-stuff , @fluffy-koalala , @swivy123 , @starxao , @kaoyamamegami , @kimura-uzuri , @rsvye , @seikouryuu , @just-here-reading , @matsulovesyou, @sincerely-aaronette , @prettyliliy , @chibiduck , @hermosacolibri , @la-diablas-thingz , @farelady-fate , @everi-eve , @shadowfoxey , @helloyuki , @immahuman , @ryn-halo26

𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊 ! : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ᴀᴜ , ᴊɪɴɢ ʏᴜᴀɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ , ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅʀᴀɢᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴄʀᴀᴅʟᴇ

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 ! :

ˢᵗʳᵉˢˢ , ᵃⁿˣⁱᵉᵗʸ , ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ˢᵉˡᶠ ʰᵃʳᵐ , ᶜᵒᵐᶠᵒʳᵗ ᵃⁿᵍˢᵗ

Rain...

Rain and rain...

How many hours has it been...?

How many days has it been since she's been staring at this piece of paper.

She doesn't know.

She doesn't want to think about it anymore.

What was there to think about anymore...?

The loud and heavy shower sound of rain that patters against the concrete ground outside. A single drop alone makes no noise, but when a heavy storm like this clouds above the entire city, blocking out all means of sunlight, it as as if a whole army was marching down there, coming to get her in her room.

The only other sound penetrating the dark and cold room other than the deafening sounds of rain and thunder, was the ringing of her smartphone.

Since becoming a university student, this was all she's ever known now. Study...study...study...

She didn't even have enough money to sustain herself. Assignments and due dates were quickly closing in on her, leaving her no room to even get a parttime job even with the minimal hours of sleep she managed to salvage.

How bad was it...? It was to the point where she couldn't even manage to eat at times, before she was introduced to the concept of 'sugar daddy' by a friend. This friend had indulged in the sweetness of it, and told her the perks of being a sugar baby to these rich men.

Security of finances. She would never have to worry about paying ever again. Although, it came with a catch. Of course, things like this would always entail something a little more morbid. And...a very... disturbing one at that.

You'd have to please the man you've considered to be your sugar daddy. It could be through any means. If you were lucky, you'd get the kind men, who only want company of another woman in exchange for his immense wealth. But the not so lucky ones (or ones who enjoy this part of the 'business' more), pay with their bodies, to pleasure these men to dig out their riches.

At first, like every normal human being with a sense of decency and dignity, she refused. Until that friend pointed out the drastic living conditions she was currently swamped in.

Sacrificing what self-decency remained in her...she took up the offer of her friend and downloaded an app that this friend had recommended.

That's where she was met with a man, who goes by the name of Jing Yuan, a handsome man in his mid thirties. His riches knows no bounds, as he was one of seven CEOs in the Xianzhou Alliance, and owner of one of the branches, the Luofu that specializes in trade nationally and internationally, as well as opened several business outlets and shopping malls patronaged by many.

"I wouldn't force anything upon you, my dear. All I ask from you is a bit of your time everyday..."

And...was currently the caller of (Y/n)'s phone, ringing endlessly, for over an hour now.

(Y/n) couldn't bring herself to answer. Not while she was in such a state of mind and health. She huddled her body on her seat, her knees to her chest as she rested buried her head in them, arms wrapping around her quivering form tightly.

It was dark... and cold.

Even with the curtains pulled back, it was still so dark outside. Dark clouds covering the skies of the city, the rain that pelted the ground constantly till no one dared step out into the storm, minus the few vehicles that passed from time to time.

This week...had been too much for her.

The assignments due, after getting rejected time and time again. The lecturers who kept going on and on and on, giving them more and more work despite the untouched work from other classes. The people who gossip about her behind her back...

It was something she had to carry.

She was tired. Tired of everything...

She couldn't even bring herself to take proper care of herself, hence she had taken time of classes to be by herself, but nothing was working. She didn't dare step out of her room for the thought and words of others getting to her head, and messing up her mind was too much for her to bare.

She hadn't even looked in the mirror for a while. If she did, she would've realized the dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, the way her (e/c) eyes had now gone dull and lifeless, the way her skin was now a sickly pale from malnourishment, and the way her hair lay flat against her skull like wet paper.

Hence...why she wasn't picking up Jing Yuan's calls.

She felt the heavy realization on another day, how she had been using an innocent man for his money, when all he wanted was someone to love. There would've been more than enough women who would love to take her place...

So she decided. She's been refusing his money for a while now, evading all his calls and meetups, locking herself in her room for a while now...

She was lonely. Ever so lonely.

She sniffled and sobbed as she looked at the paper before her again, picking up a pen in her hand. Everything was rushing in her head, to the point where she couldn't even sort out her own thoughts anymore. The letters on the paper were starting to get wobbly and blurry, being illegible, impossible for her to solve. Her head pounded and she felt like throwing up time and time again as she read over and over again, trying to grasp at what she was looking at before her eyes.

Everything was too much...

Her heart begged her to stop...her hands were aching and her eyes were stinging. But she had to keep going. What was there in life anymore when she was the one to choose this path...?

"That's enough."

Suddenly a muscular and slightly rough hand grabbed her own that held the pen, snapping her attention from the paper, and up to the individual whose arm held hers tightly.

Warm golden eyes that were slightly obscured by thick silver locks burned into her strained (e/c) own, glaring at her with fury, worry...and warmth...?

"Ji...Jing Yuan...?" (Y/n) softly, her tired and teary eyes looking up at the man.

"You haven't been answering my calls, princess... so i got worried and personally come to see you." he said, taking the pen away from (Y/n)'s weakened grasp as she was now taken off guard.

He looked angry for a moment, but seeing the state she was in...his anger bubbled down almost immediately.

Her room was a mess. The papers on her desk were a mess. She was a mess.

"H-how did you get in...?" she stammered, still too out of it to realize that Jing Yuan had removed the pen from her hands, walked over to her side to tidy up the papers, aligning them as he tapped the bottom against the table, before setting it down in a neat stack.

"You jest, my dear. This apartment is still under my name when I gave it to you. I still have the key. Though i dare not abuse its power because I respect your privacy..." the gentleman said, smiling calmly at her, now that he had brought himself to understand the situation his woman was in.

"And you...need rest, my dear..." he said gently.

Without much trouble or struggle, Jing Yuan lifted (Y/n) into his embrace, holding her close to his chest as he walked over to her bed, sitting on the plush mattress. He said nothing, as he held her dirty self against his crisp suit, an attire she had rarely seen him without.

As he held her against his chest, she felt the comforting thumping of his heart in his chest lulling her to rest. She found herself breathing alongside him, her heart beating accompanying his own as he guided her. The expensive and signature scent of his cologne invaded her senses, bringing her a sense of calmness and security.

"Jing Yuan...please stop..." she said weakly, her hands against his chest as she tried to push him away, but to no avail. The arms holding her tight were strong, and she had not eaten for a while to even provide her the strength.

"I'm dirty..." she said, tears bubbling at the corners of her eyes

The way his hand went through her hair, his slender but thick fingers running through her greasy locks. He hushed her softly, pressing his smooth lips to her forehead, not minding the state she was in at all, rather he embraced it more than he would've.

"You would never be dirty to me, darling..." Jing Yuan said softly, as he caressed her cheek softly, a kind and comforting smile on his lips. "You need some extra love today, now let me take care of you."

"No...you've done so much for me already. I...I cant accept anything anymore ! I'm using you for my own personal gain !" she exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks as she gathered the courage to look straight into those honey glazed eyes.

"Is that why you've been refusing to see me all this while ? I apologize. I should've realized earlier..." Jing Yuan whispered, his hand brushing away the strands of (h/c) hair that stuck to her forehead.

"Calm down now, princess, and let me take care of you." Jing Yuan said with a gentle smile, lifting her up in his arms effortlessly, before standing up to his full height.

"Lets go take a bath, shall we ?"

"Why are you doing all this...?" (Y/n) asked as Jing Yuan sat behind her in the tub she was immersed in, the bubbles and foam frothing up the surface of the murky water that smelled like lavender and vanilla.

"Hm~? Why indeed..." he trailed off, a smirk in his voice. "Because i can, that's why."

Jing Yuan was behind her, having removed his blazer (by throwing it on the bed somewhere, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows exposing his muscular forearms as his hands gently massaged her head, fingers digging into her scalp.

He didn't seem to mind the fact that he was kneeling on the ground, in the bathroom, while he bathed his sugar baby who was on the brink of insanity and meltdowns.

"It's alright, you just sit still like a pretty dolly and let me take care of you..." Jing Yuan said.

(Y/n) took in a deep breath.

Her heart was pounding. She bit her bottom lip as she hesitated to speak what was on her mind. But deep down she knew she had to say it. It wasn't right.

This wasn't right...

"Jing Yuan..."

"Hm...?"

"I want to stop this. I don't want to be your sugar baby anymore."

Silence...

"What makes you say that, my Moon...?" Jing Yuan asked, moving to the side a little, tucking back stray locks of clumped wet hair behind (Y/n)'s ear to see her downcast (e/c) eyes that were filled with remorse and regret.

"I...It's feels...WRONG, Jing Yuan..." (Y/n) said, emphasizing on the word wrong with raw emotion of confusion, doubt, and shame.

"It...isn't right of me to be taking advantage of a man as generous as you. You give me money, spend lots of it too. You covered my student loans, you bought me this house, you spoil me every week..." (Y/n) rambled on, as she brought her knees to her chest, looking into the murky water still covered with bubbles that hid most of her body.

"In return...I don't give you anything. You don't ask for sex, you don't force me to do anything, you don't even treat me as you should, as I deserve. I don't deserve this."

"Look at me ! I'm a mess !" (Y/n) exclaimed with a tired and surrendering laugh entailing her miserable words. "I'm failing in classes, a social outcast, trapping myself in my room, and I cant even answer a damn question on the assignment paper !"

(Y/n) was hysterical now, tears running down her face again as Jing Yuan looked at her with shock and pain. He didn't know how to comprehend all this, but he let her have her moment, let out all the feelings she's been keeping in that tired little heart of hers, as he watched the madness and exhaustion swirl in (Y/n)'s eyes.

But as she kept insulting herself, laughing all the while, it sent stabs of sharp knives into his heart.

"I've been using everyone around me. I'm nothing more than a gold digger, a materialistic woman, trash to society who cant even participate in class, a simple whore who sold herself off to some guy on the internet, and he looks at her with respect and care !" (Y/n) said while laughing.

"I'm..." she whispered, hands wiping away at her eyes. "I'm a failure, Jing Yuan..."

"What is there to love when I don't even--"

Lips then smashed against her own, silencing her from her words, a hand gripping her chin tightly, but not enough to injure her.

"I love you."

The words the male said were more of an animalistic growl, as if he were terribly hurt and angry. Those honey golden eyes stared straight into her own, as he looked furious.

"Why didn't I mind you using my money ? Why did I let you do as you please ? Because I know you were doing it for the sake of surviving, not for pleasure or want. Because I know you needed it and you were brave enough to take action for it !" Jing Yuan said, pain evident in his tone as he stared straight into her eyes, his rough hand still holding her face in place.

"From the first time we met, you never asked for more than what I gave you. You never really accepted what I gave you, unless I forced you to take it. You were ever so grateful that I paid off your loans, gave you this place, and you're rejecting it all of a sudden. Why ?!"

Jing Yuan's anger melted into sadness, tears shining in his eyes as he slowly let go of (Y/n)'s face. "I fell in love with you, the you who never asked for more than what she was given. The you who never gave up trying. This...this is all just a small phase, (Y/n). Everything will be okay. Everyone goes through burnouts. Everyone has their depressive moments. It is perfectly normal, my dear! You are not, and will never be a burden to me !"

"Are you ashamed that you have a sugar daddy ?" Jing Yuan asked hastily. "Is everyone talking about you behind your back ? Then let's make it different. I know I love you. And I know you love me too, from the way you consider burdening yourself to me when I was the one who wholeheartedly gave you what you wanted even when you didn't want it,"

"So then...wouldn't you want to be my girlfriend then ? Be my real lover, and you can put this all aside. You wont need a sugar daddy when your boyfriend is wealthier than half the country's nett worth, you don't need to be embarrassed and thinking about other people when we're official, you don't need to stress over things that we can solve together."

"Jing Yuan..." (Y/n) said, her cheeks dusting red as her tears dried up, looking at the man before her who professed his love so vividly and wholeheartedly, even going as far as to hold her soaked hands from the tub.

"Do you love me ?" Jing Yuan said, looking at her straight in the eye.

"Yes..." (Y/n) nodded with a small blush on her cheeks.

Jing Yuan smiled brightly, pulling her arm as her body followed, her lips softly meeting Jing Yuan's own again. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as water splashed and slushed around as he pulled her close, wetting his shirt.

"Then it's official. We're dating now. For real." Jing Yuan said with a happy cat-like smile on his lips as soon as he pulled away from the sweet kiss.

He then licked his lips. "You're so sweet, (Y/n)...you know how long I've been holding myself back from kissing you more than once each time we meet ? How hard it is to hold myself back whenever I see you...?" Jing Yuan asked, getting closer to (Y/n) who seemed to cower in the bath, realizing again that her body was completely bare before the man's eyes.

"Your pretty lips...your gorgeous eyes...your pretty hands..." he whispered, taking her hand in his, and brought it close to his lips as he kissed her inner wrist with tender love.

(Y/n) also decided to play along with his game, though her cheeks dusted red, her heart pounding in her chest. "Wh...what's stopping you...?"

Jing Yuan almost perked up at that, and he looked at her with a light she's never seen before. The look of love and complete adoration.

"Are you sure about that, princess ? What you're saying there is a...risky stunt you are pulling there..." Jing Yuan said, hiding his shock quite professionally. But no one could deny the blush on his cheeks and the redness on the tip of his ears.

(Y/n) moved to the edge of the tub, her wet hands cupping his face before pushing her soft lips onto his own, meeting him in a sweet kiss.

Jing Yuan moaned slightly, feeling himself get excited with every following second. He pulled (Y/n) closer, almost pulling her out of the tub as his lips hungrily took more and more. Water splashed everywhere, on the tiles, and on Jing Yuan, but neither seemed to care at the moment.

Jing Yuan placed a hand on (Y/n)'s chin, coaxing (Y/n)'s jaw open with little to no effort with a soft gesture. No time to lose, Jing Yuan shoved his tongue into (Y/n)'s mouth, their soft muscles meeting in a heated kiss.

They pulled back from their heated exchange, both faces red and panting heavily. But Jing Yuan couldn't hold himself back anymore, as he tilted (Y/n)'s head to the side, latching his lips onto her soft neck, licking and sucking to his heart's desire.

"Ji-Jing Yuan...!" "Hush....moonlight. Let me have you..." he whispered back huskily, silencing her moans with other kiss to her lips.

"A-at least...not here...let me wash off and dry off first..." (Y/n) said, embarrassed. She looked, away, hands retracted to cross over her chest in an attempt to cover her breasts that gleamed beneath the light of the bathroom.

Jing Yuan seemed to get an idea. A sultry smirk pulled at his lips as he looked at her with a teasing gaze. Then without hesitation, he hooked his arms beneath her armpits and hoisted her out of the tub like she weighed nothing.

Water splashed everywhere and (Y/n) squealed in shock and fright as she was being hoisted without any such warning at all. The male then held her close to his chest as he carried her wet and bare body out of the bathroom.

"Ji-Jing Yuan !" "Worried about my clothes, princess ? Don't worry, they'll be off soon enough. You should worry more about yourself," The CEO said teasingly, kissing her forehead as he walked into the connecting bedroom.

"I don't plan on letting you feel like you're worthless. I'm going to love you, to every inch of your body, till you never forget how much you mean to me." he said with a light chuckle.

"If I have to love you all night for you to see my love, so be it."

[inbetweenhours]

[EDIT: Changed Mairieth’s face shape, and fixed the Mythlander’s titles]

[Shrub here | Roseblings, Pix, & Pearl here | Joel, Joey, & Katherine here]

So my art style took  withdrawal after finishing that wcsmp full piece so we are in doodle only territory for a hot minute. Did some headcanons for some esmp1 parents :]

I don’t have terribly many actual thoughts about the parents. The twins parents suck but aren’t individually really relevant to anything. Their mother, Queen Mairieth, is a descendant of Alinar and thusly the monarch by blood. Her husband Druindar married into the thrones power. I also 100% forgot Smajors wings and neither his brother or mums somehow,,, damn. His dad is the only wingless one I assure.

I don’t have any thoughts about Sausage’s dad but the fact that his mom is named Fable s very important to me. She also had a lot of impact of Mythlands more recent history regarding woman’s rights and generally instilled the idea of a maiden as a figure of  well placed power. Incredibly powerful and witty woman, love her dearly. and she loves her boy. Taught him lots about grabbing power he seeks...

Finally Angie is my favourite esmp parent if only because I know her very well on a character level where the others are just kinda, names and faces to fill in gaps. Angie plays a big role in my Flower Husbands Arranged Marriage AU that I have a massive outline for but lets be real god only knows if I’ll work on it. Anyways, Angie is very important to me as a ruler, but also as a mother and a source of guidance. She would bun the world for her kids and I think that’s very neat of her <3 

[fire-lizard-ro]

Lil post about HSR men with religious themes for none have lead me into temptation I found the way myself-

This is for you @pix3lplays <333 (I was screaming at her about it, lol-)

I love???? Religious themed characters and the works that come out of that??? I have an Argenti smut fic in the works with heavy religious themes, but here's a mini ramble about Argenti, Sunday, and Luocha.

CW: blasphemy :))), religious themes, softcore gore almost but not really???, somewhat dark themes/dark romance

Yeah I grew up with church and stuff sorry if some of it does make sense to the general public lololol-

For Argenti (snippets from my fic I'm working on):

"He would sooner rend his mortal form to pieces than ever hurt you. Even a little. He would splay his torn shell across the canvas of stars that blanket the universe that was made for you for whatever other higher powers- whatever fate exists should there ever come a day in which his hands hurt rather than protect. So that they may judge what remains of his soul for his crime."

"At your behest he would present his heart, ripped from his chest, for you to take. You were his heart, anyways… Without you there was only a hollow cage within his chest where never again would the echo of a heartbeat reside. The fire nothing but ash where there was once a blaze of life and passion."

For Sunday:

It's either he makes you his church and his bride (talking about how the church is god's bride) or you make him your elohim your "I am". Perhaps both.

His penchant for control is perfect for this. He will be your only god for you are to have no false idols. Only he must remain in your heart for he is the owner of your soul, your life, your breath. He is the light and the truth. His word is law.

But of course, a god must tend to his flock. He will take good care of you for your devotion.

For Luocha:

The thorns. The almost rosary like item he carries, wrapped around his hand. The words he speaks. "Death is not the end. The dead will return."

Pix brought to my attention the idea that some have about Luocha carrying your body, devoid of breath and life, in his coffin.

And to that I respond:

"So devoted was he that not even the sacred soil of the earth would be allowed to have you. Even in death."

He would search until the ends of the universe to find a way to bring you back to him. Even though his god was made of flesh and blood as he, it mattered not. Only you could possibly be the divine for you were his cornerstone. Without you he would fall apart. God works in the waiting and surely this was his divine burden- His test from you to prove his devotion. He was sure he would one day complete this task for you and bring you back. You, the life beyond death. You the light in the midst of his darkness. His eloah, his elohim, his almighty.

[crtastrophe]

Hi hello it seems I’ve caught a rare strain of art block that makes me unable to draw in anything other than Kid Pix Deluxe 4™, but I still need to buy groceries and stuff so!! I’m gonna try my hand at some experimental commissions.

If you have some kind of whimsical OC and you want me to let me loose on them, now’s your chance! Give me a character and I will cook up something cool — there's no pose/style/background tiers, though I will try to put an equal amount of effort into every drawing.

Payment in USD through PayPal invoice only.

More info under the cut!

Inquiries through Tumblr DM or via crtastrophe@gmail.com.

You can give me some brief prompting (e.g. “I’d like a drawing of my wizard OC casting some kind of spell”, “Can you work in some robot/tech motifs?” etc.) – or give me free rein, if you’d prefer.

I will need a minimum of one visual reference of the character’s design, but the more material I have to work from, the better! Tell me about their lore, what they’re like, their associated themes and motifs, all that jazz! Show me their aesthetic moodboards, the funnie tumblr textposts you associate with them, their playlist even.

As the nature of the program makes revisions difficult, I might turn down a request if I do not feel confident that I can compose a satisfactory piece from the provided material.

Once we’ve worked out all the details, I will send you a link to a PayPal invoice. I will not begin working on the piece until payment has been recieved.

Please note that I won't be providing WIPs! I can show you my initial sketch for the composition if you'd like, but after that the end result will be a suprise.

Once completed, I will send you a link to a drive containing the resized drawing in the form of a .png, as well as the original 665 x 477 bitmap.

Once payment has been received and I have begun working on the piece I cannot refund it. However, if I for any reason have to cancel the commission from my side I will refund it fully, regardless of level of completion.

Some limitations of the program (good to keep in mind!):

No layers

One (1) level of undo

Image size: The Kid Pix 4 drawing area is 665 x 477 pixels. I scale up the final image file x4 to make it more compatible with the modern internet, but the drawing itself will still be crunchy. That’s part of the charm! (I can also make the image dimensions 1:1, if requested.)

Colors: It is possible for me to create hues outside of the palette provided by the program, but replicating colors precisely can be tricky. Expect stylization.

Okay, I think that’s everything! Thank you for reading this far, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions <3

[darubyprincx]

One busy evening at Sanctuary's Tavern, one of the rare ones where Pix was able to visit, Sausage was waiting a bar where some of his fellow emperors sat, all chattering amongst themselves and most listening intently to his tale of how he saved Sanctuary from himself. (Technically, he was right! It was just a couple timelines away, and he still counted it as being him.)

"And then Hermes- well, you already know what Hermes did," he concluded cheerfully, polishing a glass. "He did so well!"

"He really did," Joel agreed with a nod. He'd been wrangled into some casual clothes and a much less conspicuous height of 6'0 for the purposes of this evening, reaching the same height as Pixl as he sat on a bar stool. "Cheers to my boy!"

"Cheers!" repeated the rest of the table, raising their glasses in celebration. Jimmy downed his entire glass of tequila, coughing a little, and pushed it towards Sausage for a refill, who frowned.

"Now, Jimmy," he started, "I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to have any more this evening."

"Aw, come on," protested Jimmy, who was a notable lightweight and had downed 4 glasses of alcohol before this one.

"You know how you get when you've had too much to drink," said Sausage patiently but firmly.

"I do not, actually, thank you very much!" said Jimmy, crossing his arms with his face flushed. Fwhip, who had once gotten into a vicious bar fight with the man after too many glasses of his own, just coughed, earning himself a glare from Jimmy and a slight raising of eyebrows from Pixl, who was looking at something that Joel was showing him on his phone.

"Anyways," said Sausage, "you can have water. Just water. As much water as you want!"

Jimmy sulked and looked like he was about to protest, but after a warning elbow jab from Fwhip he shut his mouth.

"That spell you mention using to get out of the prison Bratwurst put you in sounds pretty interesting," said Pixl now, taking a sip of his own drink. "Must be a pretty powerful one if it can break restrictions that strong."

"Mhm," said Sausage, turning around to get some more ingredients for a drink that another patron had called for. "Very old, very dangerous, but the only one that would work in this situation."

"I guess you're not gonna tell us how to do it, then, will you?" asked Joel lightly.

Sausage shook his head. "Oh, no," he said, quite cheerfully. "You'd get vaporized in at least five planes, seven dimensions, and three timeliness. That's if you just pronounce a word wrong!"

"Oh," said Jimmy. The table was silent for a bit before he spoke up again. "Does the recipe include like, end crystals or something?"

"Nope," said Sausage. "Just some simple stuff like a piece of paper, a compass, some candles..."

"Ooh, candles," said Joel, taking another sip of his drink. "Did you trade them from Gem or something?"

"Nope," said Sausage airily, walking across the bar to hand the glass to the patron. Returning, he explained, "They were just lying about in some random universe when I found them and used them for the spell. Don't worry, I only took like, sixteen. That was all I needed."

"Weirdly specific, but okay," said Fwhip with a shrug. "Pix, you good over there?"

Sausage turned around to see Pixl looking slightly scandalized at his description of his actions. He shook his head with a silent sigh, waving it off with one hand. "Yeah, yeah, no. I'm sure it was for a good cause."

"Saving the entire world!" interjected Sausage brightly.

"Exactly," said Pixl, not sounding like he was done. Fwhip hid a grin behind one hand. "However,"

"Shot yourself in the foot, mate," said Jimmy.

"-however," repeated Pixl, shooting him a look, "as the local archaeologist, I cannot endorse those kinds of actions." He took a sip of his drink as Sausage stood there slightly awkwardly, looking to one side for anyone who might need anything as an easy way out. "But that's just me being an arse about it." He shrugged. "There was nobody there to ask anyways."

In Sausage's head ever since he'd merged himself with the other timelines' versions of him, he occasionally got vague senses or flashes of feelings in the back of his mind from those other versions, who were vaguely picking up on what he was experiencing. Sometime these were some instructions for a spell, or his hands being taken over for a brief moment to perform an action that had been muscle memory for him in another timeline (or so he assumed), but at their simplest they were flashes of memories or emotions as this one was.

Somewhere, it seemed, Bratwurst himself had perked up at the mention of his name, recognized Pixl's voice, and had frantically started sending the mental equivalent of "cut it out" hand motions to Sausage... but why?

"Be right back," said Sausage, hopping over the counter with a grin. "Duty calls." The groans that followed him as he found his way to the bathroom and locked the door behind him told him that he'd distracted his guests, at least for the moment, and he sat down on the toilet seat with a sigh, placing his head in his hands. What is it? he asked into the void.

An image of a sandstone pillar in the vague shape of a candle with a conduit floating above appeared in his mind's eye, and he nodded in recognition. That's the Vigil, he said. I know it. But what's the problem?

You took candles from the Vigil? asked Bratwurst with a tone that Sausage had not heard from him before. And not from the candle shop nearby?

I had to be quick, protested Sausage. They were right there and I didn't even know where the shop was!

A general grumbling filled his mind, and he hurriedly shushed them. Guys, he said desperately. I only took the ones that I needed.

Dios mío, someone sighed.

I need to get back there! Sausage said. Please just tell me what the big deal is!

You, said Bratwurst slowly and with utter seriousness, do not mess with the Vigil. A shiver ran down Sausage's spine, but he stubbornly pushed it off. It'll be fine, he reassured. He doesn't remember.

The copper king remembers everything, said Bratwurst, and an image of a man who looked startlingly like Pixl but wearing a sand-covered cloak embossed with copper-colored threads and with a fiercer sort of aura about him popped into his brain. Sausage knew somehow- he didn't dare press- that this Pixl had killed Bratwurst, and in cold blood as well, and he shivered, but again pushed the sensation aside and kept firm. Different timeline, he said. I'll be fine.

You're taking too long, another voice warned, and with a silent sigh Sausage removed his face from his hands, shook his head to get himself back to reality, and walked back to the bar.

"Welcome back," said Joel as Sausage reentered the counter area, using the proper gate this time. "Congratulations on not falling in."

Sausage just chuckled as Fwhip punched Joel on the shoulder. "I try my best," he said.

Pix caught his eye and gestured him over, and suddenly Sausage's chest felt uncomfortably tight with anxiety. Stop it, he ordered. I know this guy. We're fine.

"I just wanted to say sorry about earlier," said Pixl in a low voice that the others couldn't hear. "I didn't mean to upset you. I know you were completely justified by doing that, it's just a bit of a close subject for me." He sighed. "Still, that was entirely unprovoked. Eddie got me a glass of water after I asked."

Sausage relaxed, though adrenaline was still racing through his blood at the serious, intent stare he was getting. "You're okay," he lied. "You didn't upset me at all. It was just bad timing, that's it."

Pix looked at him for a little longer. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Sausage froze. "Well," he started before getting hit with a jolt of sheer fear so strong that he ran to backtrack instantly. "No, actually. Thank you, though!" He stood up and turned back to the bar shelves, pulse racing. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. He'd responded too fast. He'd stood up too fast. Pixl could absolutely tell, and so could everyone else. He was going to kill-

With an effort, Sausage slammed a wall down between him and the rest of his brain so hard that his head throbbed a little with the force of it.

"Is there anyone here who can maybe carry Jimmy out of here?" asked Fwhip, tilting his head toward the man in question, who had his head resting on his folded arms.

"Me and Joel and Eddie can handle it just fine," Sausage said confidently. "Jimmy's not very heavy."

"I could probably lift him myself," declared Joel.

"Oh, dear," said Sausage, determinedly not looking anywhere near Pixl and watching a relatively large group of very rowdy youths walk in instead. "Un momento, por favor."

Thankfully, it didn't take him and Eddie too long to redirect them out into the street and to a local inn, which, given the state that the group was in, Sausage was sure that money wouldn't be a problem for them. He dusted his hands off as Eddie walked back inside into the loud laughter and light of the tavern, turned around, and startled as Pixl was leaning right next to one of the doors, arms crossed. Sausage was glad he couldn't see his expression.

"Hi," he said, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "Is this about-"

"The candles, yes," said Pixl, not sounding at all tipsy or drunk, which was a good thing, Sausage guessed. "Could you please tell me where exactly you got them?"

Sausage swallowed nervously. "Exactly, or...?"

"Exactly," repeated Pixl.

Shit.

Sausage looked him over quickly. No weapons were allowed at the tavern, and he didn't see anything lying nearby, but Pix was incredibly resourceful when it came to PvE, and he did not doubt for a second that he'd be just as good when fighting another person. An image popped into his mind then of that other Pix in a strange arena surrounded by wither roses, moving fluidly around the obstacles despite being blinded, and taking terrifyingly accurate swings at the enemies coming towards him-

Pix sighed. "I won't press it," he said, standing up and walking back towards the door. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on, but I didn't mean to ruin your evening." He paused at the door as Sausage inhaled.

"How," he asked, "did you know about the candles?"

Pix understood the question despite its vagueness. "Something I've been researching for years," he said, voice dropping. "An ancient kingdom called Pixandria. They- a large part of their holy rituals included candles. Sausage."

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIT.

"Sausage," Pix repeated again, sounding more concerned this time.

"Okay, I took them," said Sausage quickly, stepping backwards. "But only sixteen. I didn't know about the candle shop or the bee farm or anything, I was going for speed. If I had known-" He paused, trying to slow down a little. "I'm sorry," he finished, breathlessly. "Please don't do anything. It was a mistake. I didn't mean anything by it."

In the moonlight, he could see Pix still standing there by the door, hesitating. It opened and Pix stepped backwards, the light casting his face in a golden glow, and Sausage stepped backwards to make way for the people who were leaving.

"You did what?" asked Pixl in disbelief, and Sausage felt his whole body tense up in preparation of a fight, to run, anything. He fucked up. He was absolutely about to die and it was his fault. He stepped backwards as Pixl stepped forwards, then quicker as Pix broke into a half jog to reach him-

"Hey," said Pix as he grabbed Sausage's shoulders with iron strength. "Sausage. Look at me. Look at me."

Sausage took a deep breath and looked up, fully expecting Pixl's face to be a mask of perfect fury, his eyes glinting behind those rectangular glasses, but instead, Pix just looked slightly confused and... worried?

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to take a break," he said, and in his voice Sausage heard a desperation that he had never heard from him before. No, he had. In another life, he had. The voice of a man who had unknowingly caused the unleashing of an ancient evil and exiled himself shortly after, and once after that again for good. The voice of someone that Bratwurst had once celebrated when he learned that he was gone.

The voice of a friend.

"I didn't mean to overwhelm you," said Pixl, more gently now, stepping back and looking uncharacteristically anxious. "I was just caught off guard. I'm sorry. This whole evening- I've ruined it, haven't I?"

No, Sausage wanted to say, it's me, you've done nothing, but his tongue stayed dumb in his mouth as Pixl continued.

"I can go tell Eddie that you've turned in early because you got overwhelmed," he said. "I'll tell the same to everyone else. I just-" He paused, and even in the dim moonlight Sausage could tell by the shadows cast on his face that he was fighting to explain something that he just couldn't put into words. Sausage stepped forwards tentatively, and Pix glanced back up.

"I think," Sausage said, voice growing stronger as he continued, "that we're both dealing with stuff that's too complicated to be explained while standing outside on a dark street. I got spooked, but," he sighed, "please- just don't take all of the blame on yourself, okay?" He paused. "People mess up sometimes. Doesn't mean you have to forgive me. I'm just saying that you're okay."

Pixl nodded. "I wasn't even mad," he said. "Just startled. I think- I think that maybe a wire got crossed somewhere."

In Sausage's head, Bratwurst snorted. That's definitely one way to put it.

Sausage ignored him, holding out a hand. "So... we're good?"

Pix nodded, taking his hand, but instead of shaking it, he let go to give Sausage a hug, his forehead pressing on top of his shoulder. Sausage fumbled a little before returning it, his racing mind stopped mid-thought in surprise. In the back of his mind, he heard someone chuckle. I told you he'd forgive you, they said.

Mmmm, responded Bratwurst.

Pix gently backed out of the hug, exhaling. "Yeah," he said, voice sounding much lighter now. "I'd say we're good."

Sausage nodded awkwardly. "So, are you going back in or..?"

"Are you?" asked Pix.

Sausage paused before nodding again.

"Alright," said Pixl, stepping backwards a pace and waiting for Sausage to follow him before turning around and heading back towards the tavern's large double doors. "I know you insisted that we would all get free drinks this evening, but I'm paying for mine-"

"Pix, please," said Sausage. "You really don't have to-"

"-but I'm paying for mine and that's final," Pix interrupted firmly. "If you won't accept it then I'm either handing it to Eddie or breaking into your house when you're out doing something and putting it into wherever you keep your money."

He looked back at Sausage, who understood that he either had to hand over the money or tell Pixl where his safe was, and it wasn't that he didn't trust Pix inside his house, but he didn't want any more trouble over this. "Okay."

"Thought so," said Pixl with a nod, opening the door and holding it for him.

"However," Sausage said as soon as the door closed shut behind the two of them, loudly in order to be heard over the resounding din, "you get a 50% discount and this is also non-negotiable."

Pixl's face fell a little and Sausage had to laugh. "Non-negotiable!" he crowed as he slipped behind the counter again. "I'm holding you to this, Pix!"

"Did you lose a bet?" asked Fwhip.

"You could say," answered Pix delicately. Joel looked at him questionably, but was silenced by Fwhip shaking his head.

"So," Fwhip said cheerfully and oddly smugly, effortlessly changing the subject. "Centaurs have six legs and are therefore insects. Discuss."

"Oh, you little," said Joel with a growl as everyone within a two meter radius immediately started shouting at Fwhip.

[valoisfulcanellideux]

The 'diaspora from season one' discussion

I just watched Pix's stream from yesterday, wherein he discusses (starting at 01:11:45 into the stream) what the Ancient Capital actually is, while he builds part of the castle wall. There's a LOT of text, as I typed out the discussion - including some questions from chat (anonymised to just 'viewer', because I'm not going to intrude onto anyone's privacy).

WARNING FOR MAJOR SPOILERS

Behind the cut with you!

Viewer: Also i love your elden ring inspired castle Pix!

Pix: Thank you! Turns out this part is inspired by more than just Elden Ring, which we'll discuss in a second, but I still haven't seen anybody in the chat pinning down exactly what it is I'm doing here.

Viewer: Fwhips empire from season one

Pix: [Viewer] has it! Fwhip's empire from season 1. This is a Grimlands build. If you take a look at how I'm constructing this, it's basically copying the design of the outer walls of the Grimlands.

Viewer: That would imply that maybe members of grymlands moved to the ancient capital after the rapture

Viewer: Or that the ancient city was the remains of grymland?

Pix: The idea behind this place - and it's something that I will explain in more detail in future - but the idea is that this castle is going to be cobbled together from design ideas from a few different empires… like, across the history of this world, and that includes season one. So, in this case, I'm thinking Grimlands for some of the walls out here, obviously a bit of my own touches - but a bit of that is just the ruin detail. This [pointing to unfinished tower with diorite in it] is either Ocean Empire or Crystal Cliffs; I'm thinking probably the latter, so I want to do the roof out of amethyst and stuff like that. And then we're gonna to work in a few other details here and there. I'm not going to do absolutely everybody, because that would make the castle look like a huge mishmash of styles. But I do think that it's nice to bring some of that history to a build like this, right? That's kind of the idea.

Viewer: I like that the ancient capital seems to be seeing things that season 1 players did and copying those for their own area

Pix: My loose plan for this - like, the story behind it - is that, after the events of season one in which everyone's empires more or less get destroyed by this giant explosion, everybody started to migrate… the people who populated each of those empires travelled the world and went to different places, and some of them settled here, and started what eventually became this kind of ancient capital of commerce and technology and had this giant castle that they built, with architecture from the various empires. And then, over time, that area just fell into decline. And so there's gonna be bits and pieces of Mythland and Grimlands and Crystal Cliffs, and various other bits and pieces just kind of scattered around this. That's the idea.

Viewer: are you gonna have anything referencing the copper king?

Viewer: So this castle is like the ruin of season 1… I’m here for it

Pix: This castle is like the ruin of season one… kind of, yes. This area isn't meant to be any of the empires from season one; it's meant to have been… it's a very distant place that people from those civilisations ended up going to, basically. And then, over time, people… left. [laughs] And, like I said, this tower and that tower have clearly been attacked at some stage, so either war has broken out - some sort of conflict or some sort of disaster has happened. We've got the fallen masonry from this tower here; I'm gonna do something similar there once I know what I'm doing with the wall.

Viewer: So that explains how David exists, it's a remake of Pixandrian technology

Pix: Yes. So, people have come through vast journeys, ended up here, and a lot of the copper [points camera at museum roof etc] and the fact that there is a copper aging facility underneath here - and the fact that it's a slightly more advanced one than the one I had in Pixandria in season one - is all thanks to Pixandrian migrants settling here and bringing their technology with them.

Viewer: fitting in Pixanndria and Mesalea?

Pix: I don't know about Mezalea, because Mezalea's far too colourful for the build style that I have going on around here. I mean, look at this. A Mezalean build would just stick out like a sore thumb. Plus, Joel has already rebuilt some of Mezalea over there by Jimmy's base in the mesa, so like… that level of things is represented. Likewise, if you've seen some of Lizzie's series, she's hinted at some of her origins as a cat person coming from Joey's civilisation in season one. So I think there's a bit more stuff tying us to season one. I mean, Sausage's whole thing ties in anyway, but like… people have settled here, people have settled at Sanctuary, some of these civilisations are entirely new, there are people who were already here… I mean, I don't know how Joel fits into any of this. But yeah, that's the idea. The idea is that this is a wall, and the design, the architecture has come from the Grimlands.

Viewer: So the Pearl references are directly from that empire

Pix: Yes. So, obviously, with Pearl's death in season one having been like… her withering and that kind of stuff, she's taken on this sort of more… godlike, or sort of martyr figure in the world's religious history, and that's just kind of filtered down [he walks toward and gestures to the Ancient Capital statue] stuff like this. I mean, this is not explicitly meant to be specifically Pearl, but obviously her dress was green, there's like moss creeping up the side of that, there's the mural in the catacombs, there's all of the stuff that Sausage has going on. This [the statue] is meant to be more like how religious figures and iconography changes over time; the fact that it goes through various iterations, a lot of the traditions of the world are more oral traditions - they are storytelling - it's not written or pictographic kind of storytelling; it's more kind of just passed down from person to person. And so, the dress is absolutely modelled off Pearl's dress from season one, but then obviously the iconography of it - the fact that she's all grey and everything - that's a different kind of… that's an amalgamation of several different myths.

Viewer: A diaspora

Pix: A diaspora; exactly, yes. Great word.

[short discussion follows about how it shouldn't be assumed that any potential season three would contain parts of seasons one and two, how some people keep expecting Xornoth to return despite the empires people saying he won't, and how this season will not end the same as the last season with a big cataclysmic explosion or similar disaster because it's creatively stifling to expect that, etc]

Pix: Instead [of that] I wanna do stuff like this, and make it feel like this is already the product of a civilisation that has been enshrouded in the mists of time, and has disappeared into the past without it having to have come to ruin and been completely destroyed, y'know? Like, this is something that's really just been here over time, rather than something that's been destroyed all in one go by some kind of cataclysmic event, y'know?

[pixlokita]

im with you, i hate that it feels like its gregory vs cassie in the fandom rn. theyre KIDS.

i also dont think its gregory in the main(?) ending (there are so many things that make it not make sense for it to be him), and it bothers me so much that people are pouncing on “gregory is evil” - he is a CHILD.

i really hope people dont pester you about drawing them as friends, i personally would love some art from you with them being friends <3 as much as i am a fan of the angst potential of that ending, cassie being tricked by the mimic (grimic? is that actually the canon name..?) one last time to pit her against gregory when really neither side did anything wrong is far moe interesting in concept than “gregorys just evil” could ever be imo.

i personally love feral/menace gregory, but hes not evil - again, hes a kid! and hes been in terrible circumstances! im not sure i could even really be mad if that WAS him in the elevator - a genuinely terrifying threat was released, and he might not be able to trust cassies voice, just like she couldnt trust his. we know cassie was okay, that the mimic wasnt with her (well, aside from the arm), but gregory had no way of knowing any of that.

seemingly, hes with vanessa and freddy. if he risked it and it WAS the mimic and not cassie, he could lose everything and more all over again. i cant imagine being a kid having to make such an awful decision. keep your current family safe, or risk everything in case your best friend somehow made it?

he knows how dangerous the plex is. and i can only imagine how much more dangerous hed expect it to be now. he barely made it out with freddys help, and as far as he knows, cassie doesnt have someone there to help her.

i feel so bad for gregory, both in-game, and in the fandom! he doesnt deserve all this hate.

sorry, that wasnt supposed to be a tangent - my point is im a gregory defender and 100% on your side. i hope no one is a prick about you drawing cassie and gregory as friends. ill personally fight them for u pix i promise

I agree with a lot of what you said tbh and heck dude Gregory is indeed a child, he’s even had to do things he didn’t want to do and got the short end of the stick every time. Cassie is a bean also, like she didn’t deserve to be tricked she didn’t deserve to be traumatized and she didn’t deserve to also get the short end of the stick either. It’s just I just really can’t accept that Gregory would do that to her either and ? If I’m wrong then okay? But like that’s just what I chose to believe and what I chose to draw I don’t get why people have to prove me wrong about it or pull lore nonsense into it to make sure I feel like I’m wrong. I mean =w= even retorting to insults like we’re in kindergarten is just ridiculous?Plus other people being stupid made me give up on interacting with anyone on that particular art piece. I felt like the end of ruin wasn’t satisfying so I drew art to feel better and try to understand it better and people took it personally =w= very mature honestly, they could just make their own art and leave mine alone.

[graycatatelier]

hello it's a monthly reminder that you can purchase my painted originals via my ko-fi! feel the brush-strokes and whatnot!!! each piece comes with a certificate of authenticity and a free sticker. global shipping is included in all of them, and tracked shipping is included with pieces too large for stamped mail. these make great gifts and they are, in my humble opinion, really cool to look at. I adjusted some prices since my last art market, so please take a look!

SHOP HERE!

bonus: some photos of the gray cat himself getting in the way while i took these pix.

[antares-the-aasimar]

Thinking too much about Ghost Pixlriffs, so I made some cute pieces of him and some animal companions!

Although he’s dead, he seems to be handling it pretty well, and I like that Pix and Neptune now match!

... Also, if you like this cute style, visit my redbubble for some stickers sometime... maybe... :)

[parachutingkitten]

Does "Give Pixal Pajamas" mean give her actual pajamas or give her a ninja suit?

It means actual pajamas. In canon she sleeps in her samurai x suit, which is just insane. Give the girl something more comfy.

Although, I wouldn't be opposed to her getting something closer to a ninja suit. Something more lightweight and maybe a little more casual that she could wear for stealth missions when she doesn't need her whole mech. She could certainly sleep in a ninja gi a lot easier than her current suit, which is heavily armored and undoubtably very uncomfortable.

But on a deeper, more spiritual level, #GivePixalPajamas isn't just about sleepwear- it's about Pixal's appearance more generally. The ninja get a new look every single season, and Pix is out here wearing the exact same thing no matter the scenario. Since she's become samurai x, we have not seen her in anything besides her suit, and it hasn't gotten a real update in years. She deserves a casual outfit, some street clothes, something she can sleep in. She deserves a design that's actually cohesive. I mean red, white, blue, gold, silver, purple, and green? You can't simplify her design at all? Recolor her face markings if you have to, just lend us a semblance of cohesion in her appearance!

And of course, her hair piece. Because of the movie, she and Nya have the same hair, and it's about time she get an update. There are so many valid options, and honestly she could have a new style every episode and I wouldn't care. Give her a messy bun, curls, a bob, space buns, just a different ponytail. Anything- just something to give her her own identity again.

Ultimately, it's about respect. The creators can't be bothered to render a second outfit for someone who's supposed to be a member of the team, and that feels wrong, especially when we have a situation which explicitly calls for separate clothing. The very least you can do is give my girl some damn pjs.

[blu3cl0v3rs]

Summary: The Ninja broke another vehicle. Pixal, Nya, and Morro are not amused.

Warnings: Jay briefly catches on fire, angry Serpent Mech trio

Prompt: Run | Fire | "So did anyone read the instructions?"

Extra: Set between Seasons 13 and 14, generic "Revived Morro Lives w/ the Ninja" AU, but Morro knows more mechanic-y stuff. Considering it was his idea to steal Samurai X's mech, it wouldn't be too out of character. By the way, I'm a filthy American who uses the Imperial system. I'm sorry. Also, Morro is not a part of the boys, as they are the crew of dumbasses (and their slightly smarter companion, Zane) and Morro is just a bit too smart for them. I'm also definitely pushing my non-binary Morro agenda here, but you are not allowed to blame me.

The Ninja weren't even 5 miles away from the Mountains of Impossible Height before a loud BOOM! was heard from their vehicle, even audible all the way up in the monastery.

It was just the boys in said vehicle, as Morro, Nya, and Pixal were working on some mechs Kai and Jay had broken three days ago.

Wu stuck his head into the workshop, where three exasperated groans emitted.

"I am assuming that the explosion was the Ninja?" Wu asked.

Nya growled, "Oh I wish it was, but noooo, it was the vehicle Pix and I spent last night fine tuning after Morro put it together last week."

"If I find out it's beyond repair, I'm hiding my skeleton in their room for a month," Morro aggressively twisted his wrench until the bolt was tightened. "Try it again, Pix!"

The nindroid hit the ignition, and the engine roared to life, causing the oil-smudged trio to cheer.

Then, of course, the Ninja ran in.

Morro threw some clean rags at their female counterparts, and they all cleaned any mechanical leakage off them before the three ripped the Ninja a new one.

"The truck!"

"It caught on fire!"

"Luckily, Zane put it out-"

"Why did it-"

Nya splashed their soot-covered faces with water, harshly cleaning off the debri before Morro dried them using the wind without remorse. By the end, the boys' hair stuck out at odd angles and was super frizzy. Kai freaked out over his "ruined hair".

"So," Nya silenced them all with a pointy glare, "did anyone read the instructions?"

The guilty glances, deafening silence, and the general "oh shit, we're screwed" look on their faces answered the question easily.

"Let me guess: you activated the boosters to make you drive faster, which overheated the engine and it caught fire. Then, the gas tank exploded, because you didn't notice the engine was on fire." Morro's eyes pierced into their souls, carefully picking them apart.

Zane nodded.

" 'Join the Ninja', he said," Morro grumbled, " 'it'll be fine', he said, 'they are smart, they wouldn't blow up an engine if you wrote it down in the instruction manual', he said."

The black and green haired person stomped over to the blue mech that Nya had fixed the circuitry on, and used a gust to place a piece of plating where it needs to go, then screwed and welded it on. The Ninja grimaced, and Pixal dragged them back to the vehicle to bring it back to the shop.

[capriciouswriter207]

It used to be a lake.

The Sheriff found it hard to imagine. His humble town, built in a giant hole, an extension of Tumble Town that had evolved into the bustling center as opposed to the part outside of the plateau. Drier than dry and arid, where even the littlest amount of rain is welcomed and celebrated. 

It used to be a lake, the local archaeologist told him when he started poking holes in the sand. The Sheriff had come over to make sure Pix had the right permits to dig around. Apparently, he did, so The Sheriff could not deny him access to the premises of Tumble Town. That didn't mean he couldn't keep a close eye when Pix dug up the past. The Sheriff watched carefully and, eventually, curiosity took the better of him. 

"It used to be a lake," Pix explained. Though he specialized in ruins and ancient architecture, he could tell The Sheriff about the region. The pit in which a part of Tumble Town was built was once a lake, the waterline possibly reaching as high as the edge. On top of the plateau was no arid wasteland, but lush meadows and green grasses teeming with all sorts of wildlife and possible settlements dotting the landscape. 

Then the oceans receded and the water level was permanently lowered across the world. A known example was the Great Bridge sticking out far above the Central Lake. The lake had no connection to the ocean and wouldn’t have been emptied like that, though it could have dried up afterward until nothing but the sediment was left.

"Do you think your ancient capital came all the way here?" The Sheriff asked. 

“It's always possible," Pixlriffs said. They might have used this lake as a place to fish, and the area was big enough that if they fished responsibly, it would be a good supplement to their diet. And, though it was quite unlikely, some fishing boats may have sunk one way or another, their pieces drifting to the bottom  of the lake, stuck in the sediment and covered over the years.

The Sheriff had laughed at him. He may not be as knowledgeable about the past, but he was sure that Tumble Town wasn’t built on what was once the bottom of a great lake. He allowed the archaeologist to dig around - provided he covered the holes again when he was done - and returned to his duties.

Later that evening, Pixlriffs showed him rusted materials that obviously looked like they were used on a fishing boat.

It used to be a lake and The Sheriff could no longer deny it, his world having been turned upside down.

[gentlexmadman]

Been a while since I’ve posted a rant here, and now that I have Many Thoughts about Pixlriffs’ recent Empires episodes, it’s time for another one.

This isn’t really a theory as much as it is me pointing out some interesting connections and exciting details, though I do theorize a little bit.

(Spoilers for episodes 34 and 35 of Pixlriffs’ Empires S2!)

Okay first of all, it’s super interesting to me that Pix was the one to find the Crown and put it on, proclaiming himself to be the king, even saying that it “fit quite nicely” when this was his Tweet teasing Season 2:

“Not all heads are suited for a crown.”

Which also feels very in-line with S1 Pix exiling himself for much the same reason; not feeling as if he was deserving of the crown and like all he did was bring upon ruin to his subjects. He deemed his head unsuited and unfit for a crown. (This is a popular theory for why he left S1 early, lore-wise.)

So Pix then wearing the Crown in S2 felt strange when his whole premise was that he isn’t a ruler this season. ...But then, in E35, the Crown itself kills Pix. He says that it “had other ideas for who was destined to wear it.” ...Interesting.

No, I have no idea why he’s now a ghost, but I’m very interested to see where he goes with it. Now that he can see the ghost cat (he made it canon!), it’s possible he’ll be able to see ghosts of other people as well... perhaps even some people from the past we might already know. It seems we might finally be approaching Pix’s S1 tie-ins, which he’s already teased once before with David (the copper aging machine). “How did the Copper King’s ancient machine end up in my hands? Trust in the lore man.” (Probably not the exact quote, but it’s close enough.)

And what does he say in this newest episode?  "Maybe the archaeologist of the ancient capital and the curator of the museum was a piece of the past himself all along."

He may very well be the literal ghost of the Copper King. After all, we already know from Sausage’s lore that the S2 characters are reincarnations of the S1 characters. They’re all the same. And sooner or later, all of them will begin to remember.

(Perhaps the Crown kills everyone who wears it and not just Pix because he’s “unfit for a crown” but who knows. Maybe everyone who wears the Crown will become ghosts; maybe the Crown kills all the past rulers. Maybe it just simply kills everyone; maybe it’s been cursed. Maybe it just kills Pix because of his early removal from the throne in S1. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.)