#this is my first playthrough and I will doodle my way through it

[mountainashfae]

Gotta say this was the FUNNIEST scene for me in the game so far and the fact that my Lawful Good aasimar dropped this Chaotic Good option on the fake Stag Lord was HILARIOUS and speaks to the influence Vio’s mentor had on his childhood.

[moonstruckmoony]

A Ravenclaw Lunch 🦅

Drew some of my favorite Ravenclaws on this platform. Although one isn't necessarily a Ravenclaw. (@traceyc-uk I genuinely thought he was a Ravenclaw when I first saw him lol but I saw your comment reply somewhere that your first playthrough was Ravenclaw so I think this counts… a bit? 😂)

This post is basically a peace offering (and a love letter) bcs I want to make more Ravenclaw friends 👀👉🏻👈🏻 definitely not because I'm obsessed with you guys' MCs

I swear it was supposed to be a silly doodle at first but idk how or when down the line but somehow it turned into this mega drawing. Took me weeks to finish it. I’m not happy with a few technical things especially lights and shadows… and some other things as well but I leave it be bcs I’m aware that I’m still learning 🥲 The rest I’m pretty satisfied with, I’m just happy that I got to finally finish this.

Front row (left to right):

Violet and Pearl Castellar by @vienguinn Omg HAPPY BELATED BELATED BIRTHDAY TO THESE BABIES! These 2 are some of my favorites and everytime you post I always open my phone real quick, your short comics are my comfort 🩵

Clora Clemons by @choccy-milky I cannot not draw Clora?!!?! I consider you a legend in this fandom tbh 👑 also I want to thank you bcs your fic and illustrations literally helped me go through my stressful period when I was at my lowest bcs of my new demanding job that I started half a year ago. I look forward to your post everytime and your Clora and Seb always heals my soul 😭🩵💚

Sally Salamander by @siboom777 Sally is just so wacky and unapologetically herself and I love her for it 🩵 Does she take commissions for toys tho?

Marvin Jerry by @runicxraven MY LOVELY SILLY ADORABLE LITTLE NERD 💗💗💗💗 I need more Marvin in my life honestly.

@najiang ‘s MC - I’m so so sorry I didn’t draw her full face😭, I tried my best to show her face as much as I can while still looking like she’s taking those sausages haha. But anyway please know that I love your art so so much and I kept going back to the curry one and the one where MC came across Amit with beard as adults (that one is hilarious). Idk if your MC has a name or you left it nameless? I assume it was the latter but if she has one I’d love to know!

Faustine Daemon by @faustinio27 Hey, a fellow INFJ! Winter is the same 🩵 I really love her story and especially her personality character sheet, you drew her expressions really well and I’m a fan!

Back row (left to right):

Oliver Lennox by @pixie-dustss Handsome boi 🥰 We’re friends already (I hope I’m not the only one who thinks that way 🫢) from TikTok and you made me a video for Secret Santa last year and I just found out recently that you’re on Tumblr too so I want to say thanks by drawing Oliver! 🩵🩵🩵

Aurélie Collins by @morelikeravenbore I loove this look for Aura, she just looks so chic with the hat and scarf 😭🩵 Sassy Ravenclaw bebe 🥰 My Winter has some French heritage (the lore is still rotting in my notebook bcs I haven’t had the chance to draw her family members 🥲) so I do hope they can be friends and Aura would teach her French bcs she can’t speak much of it 👉🏻👈🏻

Alistair Dusk by @speedysart Surprise! You commented on my last speedpaint on Tiktok yesterday and I want to spill this art so bad but I was almost done so I kept my mouth shut haha. I love the pretty boi’s hair and piercings, and the fact that you chose this blazer for him, I just love it he looks so dapper in that 😣🩵

Eleonora Russel by @zordanna I love sweet Eleonora and her fascination with the moon and stars 🩵🌌 Oh and I kept coming back to your “I feel like an orange” Tiktok bcs it’s so fluffy and it heals my stress… also I adore your art it’s super soft and painty and delicate 🥹💗

@traceyc-uk ‘s MC - YOUR MC. I SWEAR TO MERLIN HE’S ON MY MIND 24/7 LATELY. Not sure why, it’s probably bcs I kept re-reading your comics. Also bcs he’s an adorable little golden retriever (but also a fierce cat!😼) You’re super talented in drawing comics and facial expressions, I have a lot to learn especially in terms of layouting… last time I made a comic I hated the layout and the fact that it looks stiff to me, so your comics has been such an inspiration!

[from-the-clouds]

texas sun - joel miller x f!reader - vol. 1

series masterlist | series playlist | writing masterlist |

summary: When you let your new neighbor’s daughter inside to call her father from your landline, you never expect to be dealing with the fallout twenty years later. Series will take place before and after the outbreak, and is partially inspired by this request. Slow-burn(ish), eventual smut. pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader words: 6.4k chapter warnings: mentions of/encounters with a drunk person, references to absent parents, i imply that both reader (and joel) like pineapple on pizza. a/n: i need to get my shit together and make a proper masterlist/post for this series but i'm absolute garbage with photoshop/making collages so that is a project for another day!! for now, i wanted to get this first part out to ya'll. i watched a playthrough of the game too so ill be including some references to that throughout the series. this will be some hallmark-movie ass romance so strap in!! this chapter was super fun to write and i loved writing for reader and sarah, give it a read and let me know what you think!

-March 7, 2003- 

“Excuse me? Ma’am? Excuse me?”

The voice behind you is so timid you don’t hear it right away, especially not when your phone is pressed to your ear with your shoulder as you sort through the mail, your coworker droning on and on…

“Ma’am?” 

It’s a little more forceful this time, a little closer too, and that’s when it finally gets your attention. Turning around on your heel, you find a young girl standing behind you, one hand hooked in the strap of her backpack that hangs off of one thin shoulder, the other worrying about the butterfly pendant of the necklace she’s wearing. 

You recognize her immediately as one of your neighbors, the girl from across the street whose name you didn’t know yet, because you only moved in about two months ago. You’d met the man who you assumed was her father – Joe? Or was it Joel?, you couldn’t remember – the first day you’d moved in, but there had been so much going on that you were too flustered to be engaged.

It’s a Friday, but apparently that doesn’t keep you safe from work calls after you leave the office, because you’re getting an earful of a whole lot of hot air, so much so that you’re probably unintentionally frowning at the girl in front of you while you try to follow the conversation.

“....I think you’re right, but they’re not going to budge unless we sweeten the deal somehow-”

“Can I call you back?” you blurt, ultimately thankful for the interruption. You don’t even wait for his response before you click off your blackberry, sighing, looking up. “Hi, yeah, sorry. Can I help you?”

“Uhm, I’m Sarah…..Miller….I live across the street?” her voice goes up slightly at the end of the sentence, like she’s unsure, even as she points to the home behind her, a two-story place that’s considerably bigger than your own, but maybe a little older. “I uhm…I locked myself out and I was wondering if I could use your phone…to call my dad at work? Please?” 

“Oh, yeah,” you say. “That’s fine. Just uh..follow me I guess.”

Tucking the stack of mail in your hand under your arm, you wave her after you, your kitten heels clicking on the hard pavement of your driveway. 

“Be careful here,” you warn her as you step over the middle step to your front porch that has rotted, and gives easily under any amount of weight. You’d learned about it the hard way, last week, and still had the bruise on your leg to show for it. 

Your front door is open, and Sarah pauses to take off her shoes when you do, a pair of beat-up white Converse that have been doodled on in Sharpie.

“Here, phone’s right there,” you lead her into the kitchen and point to the landline. “Can I get you anything to drink?” 

“Uhm, could I just get some water…please?” She stands rigidly in your kitchen, rocking back and forth on her heels.

“Of course,” you reach into the cabinet. Once the glass is filled and placed in front of her, you retreat to your front living area to give her some privacy while she makes the call, sitting on the couch and scrolling through unanswered emails on your blackberry. Sarah mumbles indiscreetly, until you hear her call out again. 

“Uhm…ma’am…I’m sorry, Miss…uh-what’s your last name?”

“Oh,” you sit up, giving her your first instead. 

“Okay….Uh, my dad wants to talk to you…could you-”

“Sure,” you stand, stepping back into the kitchen, and accepting the receiver from the girl. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, this is Joel Miller,” you’re greeted with a low, gruff drawl. “You’re the new neighbor, I believe introduced myself a while back”

“Joel,” you repeat. It’s Joel. Joel, Joel, Joel, you force yourself to remember. Joel and Sarah Miller. “Yes, we met very briefly.”

“And it sounds like you met Sarah.”

“Yeah.”

On the other end of the line, you hear him hesitate, let out a long sigh. “Look, I hate to put you out, but she lost her key to the house, and she tells me the Adlers aren’t home. Do you think she could stay at your place until I’m able to get off work in a couple hours? I know it’s a big ask, but-”

“Of course she can,” you cut him off, peering over your shoulder at Sarah, who’s staring up at you expectantly with wide, terrified eyes. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal.”

“She’s probably got homework so I’ll make sure she stays quiet and out of your way. I’m so sorry, she should know better than this. It’s the second time this month this has happened, I keep tellin’ her-”

“Like I said, it’s not a big deal,” you cut him off, unintentionally, before wondering if it was rude you didn’t let him finish. It’s the native New Yorker in you, always in a rush and uninterested in drawn-out excuses. It’s an unfortunate instinct you’ve been trying to train yourself out of, particularly now that you’re living in the southwest. You soften your tone. “She can stay as long as she needs to, seriously. I don’t have anything planned.”

“Okay,” the voice on the other end sounds relieved. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I should be home by nine, I’ll call if anything changes. Thanks so much.”

“Of course, we’ll be fine. See you soon.” You hang up. 

Sarah is still behind you when you turn around, clutching the glass of water she’s got in both hands like a vice. “You can stay here until your dad gets home,” you tell her. 

“Did….did he sound mad?”

“Maybe a little stressed,” you’re honest. “But….not mad. I also don’t know him, so…”

“I bet he’ll be mad. This is the second time I’ve locked myself out this month because I forgot my key, and I already got lectured once that last time because he had to leave work early.”

“You made a mistake, people forget things…” you shrug. “I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

Her shoulders relax slightly, and she looks around like it’s the first time she’s actually registered where she’s at. “You have a nice house. It’s cozy.” 

“Thanks,” you put your hands on your hips and look around too. “I’m still settling in, so not everything’s unpacked, but I could give you a tour if you’d like?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Ma’am. That tickles you. The address is still not something you’re used to hearing, even though you’ve only been in Austin a few years. “You can just call me by my first name, you know? Ma’am makes me feel old.”

“Really?” she grins, following you down the hall. “I can’t wait to be old.”

“You’ll feel differently someday,” you answer. “But…I guess it’s not so bad.”

Compared to the house you grew up in, your new house is nothing special, but it’s yours, and you couldn’t be prouder that you’d bought it all on your own. It’s a three-bedroom ranch, and you’d converted one of the rooms into an office for yourself. There’s a kitchen, living room, and den. But your favorite part is your large, screened in back porch that overlooks your yard. Now that it’s getting closer to summer, you sit outside in the mornings with a cup of tea and read the newspaper, listen to the birds. 

“Can I do my homework at your kitchen table?” Sarah asks once you’re finished showing her around.

“Make yourself comfortable wherever,” you answer. “I could probably stand to get a little work done myself.”

Sarah sits at your dining room table, spreads out her books, and works quietly while you answer some emails and look over some contracts. You’ve got a big meeting Monday with a potential client, and a giant stack of term sheets to go through, but if you could manage to get some of it done tonight it might actually help you down the line. As much as possible, you try to avoid doing too much work outside of your office’s standard hours, but sometimes, it’s inevitable.

The subject Sarah has homework in is algebra, which renders you useless. Even when you have to do any accounting at work, you’re used to having a calculator nearby. It’d been awhile since you spent time with anyone as young as she was – in sixth grade, she told you – and it was starting to serve as a confirmation of your own dysfunctional childhood, because her carefree, sweet nature was so drastically different from anything you remembered feeling. 

After about an hour, Sarah slowly starts to close her notebooks, zipping her pencils back up in plastic pouches. You look up from making revisions on a contract, the smell of blue ink heavy in the air around you. “I’m done,” she announces. “Could I sit on your couch and read?”

“Of course,” you answer. “Give me five and I’ll join you.”

It doesn’t take long for you to find a good stopping point, and you pack up your messenger bag, and join Sarah in the living room. “So…I’m starting to get hungry,” you tell her. “Are you?”

Sarah nods sheepishly.

“I could order us something,” you said. “What do you like?”

You aren’t much of a chef, though you can generally figure your way out around any recipe. However, cooking for one is notoriously tedious. If you had multiple mouths to feed, maybe you’d be tempted to hone your skills in the kitchen a little more. Most nights you usually treated yourself to a depressing, hastily thrown together salad, scrambled eggs, or a PB&J. Tonight, you had actually been planning to take yourself out to dinner – there’s a cute little French bistro down the street and you were hoping to treat yourself to a cocktail and a nice meal while you read.

Sarah closes her book, contemplating. “Could we….get a pizza?”

You think about it. “Sure, yeah. Pepperoni…cheese?”

“Can we get….one of both?” she tests. 

“Yeah, we can do both,” You smile. “I bet your dad will be hungry, too, he can have some if he wants.”

“Maybe…he likes pineapple on his,” Sarah wrinkles her nose.

“He has good taste. I do too.”

“Gross.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep them separate,” you call over your shoulder as you retreat to the kitchen. 

Once the pizza is ordered, you return to your living room and curl up on the opposite side of the couch from Sarah, who is engrossed back in her book. “They told me about 30 minutes. What are you reading?”

“To Kill A Mockingbird,” she says, showing you the cover. 

“That was one of my favorites growing up.”

“I have to read it for school…but it’s pretty good so far.”

Your phone pings with another email, and you glance at it quickly. 

“Is that work?” she asks. 

You nod. “Yeah. It still finds you, even when you leave.”

“What do you do?” 

“I’m a lawyer.”

“No way!” Sarah perks up. “Like on the tv shows? That’s so cool.” 

You snort, shaking your head. “No, not exactly. I’m a corporate lawyer so it’s not as fun, actually, it’s just a lot of paperwork and meetings…”

“So…you don’t like it, then?”

“It’s….” you think about it. “....Fine.” Did you like your job? It wasn’t really something you thought about in that way, you’d always seen it as a means to an end. “I went to law school because my dad wanted me to…he wanted me to work for him someday. And…that didn’t pan out so…yeah. But you know…it pays well, and….”

“You get to wear cool outfits,” she gestures to you.

“Yeah, I guess I do. Although the heels do get a little uncomfortable.”

Sarah’s eyes shift behind you for a second to the hallway leading to your bedroom, then widen excitedly. “You have a cat?” 

You turn around to see what she’s looking at, the white and gray ball of fluff that you’d found underneath a dumpster one late night in college. 

“Yeah, that’s Martini.”

“Martini,” she giggles, and the cat approaches her cautiously. He’s notoriously shy and quiet, and not even particularly cuddly, but he likes to sleep at the foot of your bed and will sit next to you on the couch if you stay still for long enough.

The cat sniffs Sarah’s outstretched hand, then presses his face into Sarah’s palm so she can scratch him under his chin, his favorite spot. “He’s not usually a fan of strangers, he must like you.”

“I love animals,” she says. “My dad won’t let me get a pet because he says he’ll end up taking care of it.”

You chuckle. “Cats are pretty easy…at least, he is.”

Martini allows himself about twenty seconds worth of affection before he darts out of the room and heads to his food bowl. 

“I’m gonna go change out of my work clothes, I’ll be right back,” you push yourself off the couch and walk down the hallway. Any other night and you probably would’ve been in pajamas awhile ago but that’s probably not acceptable, so you settle for jeans and a sweater, which is much more comfortable than the dress and tights you had been in before. 

The pizza arrives and after you tip the driver, set it on your kitchen island and pull some plates out of your cupboard. You and Sarah are both long settled with full plates when you speak again. 

“Wow….I forgot how good pizza is…” you say, staring at the half eaten piece in your hand. 

“You don’t eat pizza?”

“Usually only when I’m drunk,” you say, then immediately realize you’re talking to an eleven year old. “Oops, I…probably shouldn’t be telling you that.”

She giggles. “It’s okay.”

“So, it’s just you and your dad across the street?” you ask. “Does your mom live with you?” 

The second the question registers, you immediately regret asking. Sarah shrinks before you, her face dropping, shaking her head. “No I…I don’t really have a mom.”

“I’m sorry,” you say, softly. You just assumed she existed although you’d never seen her, and you feel guilty, racking your brain for something that might help make her feel better. “I understand, my mom wasn’t really around growing up.”

“She wasn’t?” Sarah asked, looking up. 

You shake your head.  “My parents got divorced when I was young, my dad took us, and she moved across the country, so….I didn’t see much of her.”

“My mom… she left when I was a baby.”

“I’m sorry.” You say again, staring at the girl in front of you. 

For a moment, looking at her, you see yourself, and you wonder how a parent can wake up one day and choose to ignore someone that’s one half of themselves. Someone they made. If they really understood what that might do to a person’s psyche, growing up thinking that they weren’t wanted. You had always told yourself that your mother, your parents must have not understood, because if they did, and they still chose to do it…

“Are you married?” Sarah asks, and you’re snapped out of your train of thought.

Taking a bite of pizza, you shake your head no.

“So you live here alone?” 

You nod, chewing.

“Do you like it?”

You nod, swallow. “It’s better than having a roommate, or living in the city.” 

Standing up, you walk towards the fridge for a can of sparkling water. It hisses while you open it, and you lean over the counter while Sarah continues to drill you. “Do you ever get….scared? Like at night?” 

“No….not really. I have locks. And this is a safe neighborhood. And uh, I may or may not have a nightlight still.”

Sarah giggles. “Me too.”

There’s a sturdy knock on your screen door, which you’d left open to let in the cool spring breeze, and you notice Sarah’s eyes widen. “I bet that’s my dad.”

As if he heard her, and maybe he did, the guest calls out. “It’s Joel!” It’s the same voice from over the phone, but much clearer. 

“Come in,” you answer.

The screen door creaks open, the sound of boots shuffling inside. “Sarah?” It’s the same voice from the phone. Joel steps into the warm light of the kitchen.

When you first met it had been from a distance, you were carrying boxes and he was loading something into the back of his truck. It’s clear you hadn’t gotten a good enough look at him, wouldn’t have forgotten his name, because fuck, he’s kind of gorgeous…tan skin, dark wavy hair, and a sharp jawline covered in stubble. In the archway to your kitchen he looks huge, taller than you remembered.

“Hi Dad,” Sarah says. “Miss-“

You cut her off simply by saying your first name. “Nice to meet you…again.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, and thank you so much for keeping an eye on her. We’ll get out of your ha-”

“We got you pizza,” Sarah pipes up, looking at him. You can tell that she’s trying to stall. Or at least, trying to offer him something that might soften the inevitable lecture she’s going to get. It’s a smart play, and definitely not something you would’ve been above trying at her age.

Joel looks at the three pizza boxes spread across your countertop. “You didn’t have to feed her, really, like I said, she should’ve known better,” he turns to look at her pointedly.

“I had to eat anyway. Please, help yourself. There’s a ton of leftovers,” You really did not want cold pizza in your fridge, because it’d be too tempting to eat as a late night snack or even breakfast on your way out the door in the mornings.

Reluctantly, he looks at you before taking a plate. “Thank you,” he turns to his daughter while he opens one of the boxes. “Did you get your homework done?” 

Sarah nods. “And I got ahead on my reading for English.”

“That’s good.” 

Joel turns back to you, settles in a chair with the plate of food in front of him at the island. You do the same. “I’m sorry I haven’t had the time to come over and properly introduce myself. Sarah too.”

You shrug. “I’m the new neighbor, that’s probably my responsibility anyways. It’s been kind of hectic settling in.”

“Where’d you move from?”

“Well, I’ve been in Austin for the past few years, but originally I’m from Manhattan.”

Joel nods. “Why Texas?” 

It’s far away from my insane family, you think, and then settle on something else. “Work.”

Sarah is staring at her plate and tearing a piece of crust into tiny pieces. Joel eyes the slice of pizza he’s just taken a bite of.

“Pineapple?” he looks over at Sarah. “Are you tryin’ to bribe me so you don’t get in trouble?”

“It’s my favorite, too,” you offer, then wink at Sarah when Joel isn’t looking. She tilts her head down, her hair hiding the grin on her face from her father.

A buzzing sound cuts through the room before Joel can answer, and he digs in his pocket to fish out his cell phone. “Hold on, I gotta take this.”

When he steps out of the room, you begin to clear the empty boxes and plates off your kitchen island and bring them over to the sink. Sarah brings her plate over as well, stands next to you at the sink while you rinse them off and load them in the dishwasher. 

“Thank you for dinner,” she says. 

“Of course,” you answer.

“I just really hope he’s not disappointed with me.”

Placing your hand between her shoulder blades, you give her an encouraging pat. “I don’t think he is….” you hear Joel on the phone in the other room, his voice rising in volume. “....and honestly….it sounds like he might have bigger fish to fry…”

“Tommy…are you fucking kidding me? Again? How many times is this gonna happen? Okay…fine. fine. I’ll be there soon, but you can’t keep doing this shit.”

Sarah grimaces, and you both turn back to the sink sheepishly when you hear Joel’s footsteps returning. She bumps you with her elbow while you clear your throat. 

You’re sure there’s still a residual smile on your face when you turn around to face Joel, who has his hands on his hips. “Alright, Sarah, we gotta get going.”

“Is everything okay with Uncle Tommy?” 

“No, I’ve gotta pick him up at the police station.” 

“Did he drink too much again?”

“Sarah!” Joel exclaims. “Please, it’s gettin’ late and you’ve got a soccer game tomorrow, you need to get to bed.”

You’re biting your lower lip so hard to keep from laughing you almost taste blood. It’s not funny, definitely not funny to Joel, who you can tell is having a rough night, but it’s objectively funny as an outsider, watching all their familial drama being put on blast by his daughter who doesn’t quite have a filter yet, and is first and foremost trying to protect herself from getting into trouble.

“She’s a lawyer, I bet she could help Tommy,” Sarah looks over at you. “Couldn’t you?”

Joel frowns. “That’s not how that works-”

“What’d they bring him in for?” you ask. 

Joel runs a hand through his hair. “Public intoxication. Are you really a lawyer?”

“Well…I’m a corporate lawyer so that wouldn’t really be my specialty. But uh…I’ve definitely been able to talk my friends out of that kind of thing before.”

“But this is not the first time,” Joel says. “It’s probably useless.” 

“Didn’t you say you can’t afford to keep-”

“Sarah, enough.” Joel’s voice is as stern as you’ve heard it, and he digs into his pocket, producing a keychain. “Go home and get ready for bed. I’ll be home in a minute.”

Sarah sighs, defeated. “Okay.” 

Joel stands dead still while she shuffles to the door, cramming her feet in her shoes with her backpack slung over her shoulder. 

By this point in the evening, you’d usually be curled up on your couch by the fireplace with your latest knitting project, moderately stoned, watching bad reality television and sipping sleepytime herbal tea. But your night has already gone drastically different from your expectation. Why stop now? “If you wanted…I could try to help.”

Joel shakes his head, looks at the floor. “I can’t ask that of you.”

“You didn’t ask,” you shrug. “I offered.”

He looks up, a soft smile breaks across his face, revealing a row of straight, sparkling teeth, the corners of his eyes crinkling. It’s the first sincere smile you’ve ever seen from him, and your knees feel a little weak at the sight of it. You think you might offer him anything just to see it again. “It’d be a huge favor. But….I’d appreciate it.”

“Alright well…” you look around, push yourself off the countertop. “I probably should change before we go. I don’t think I’ll be taken seriously in this.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I need to make sure Sarah gets to bed alright, how ‘bout you meet me on my porch in ten?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thanks again,” he raps his knuckles on the counter twice before retreating, and you stay in place until you hear the screen door close behind him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“I feel like you’re meeting us all at a very chaotic time….I promise, things aren’t usually like this.” 

Joel’s not sure why he feels the need to clarify this to you on the drive to the police station. In fact, he might be saying it more to convince himself, because he thinks ever since Sarah’s mom ran off, things have never not been chaotic. 

In some ways, he’s glad it happened. It was a doomed relationship from the start, they’d both been far too young to understand the consequences of their actions, so it was probably for the better that she was no longer around. But he was caught in a constant state of feeling like he could never quite get a handle on things. 

Joel glances over at you in the passenger's seat of his truck. He decides that you look a little out of place there, dressed in a black pantsuit, a messenger bag tucked between your heel-clad feet. He can’t remember the last time there was an adult woman in his car. Three months, maybe? It had been a date, a third date, and subsequently, a last date. But right now the context is different.

Your head is tilted towards the open window, the breeze casting stray pieces of your hair around as the radio cuts in and out of an old Eagles song and then to static, and then back into music again. He needs to get his damned stereo fixed but unfortunately it hasn’t exactly been high on his priority list. His gaze travels down the slope of your neck, where your skin dips into the collar of your silky blue blouse, then back to your profile, your lips moving as you mouth the words to the song, but don’t sing. 

I get this feelin' I may know you

As a lover and a friend

You stop when his words register, turning to look at him, and he averts his eyes back to the road. “No offense or anything….” you say. “But compared to the family I grew up in….this is all pretty tame.”

Joel ponders that for a moment, notices the way your eyes are narrowed, the corners of your lips quirking. “What, you got a problematic little brother, too? A precocious eleven-year-old?”

“No kids,” you answer. He didn’t think so. “But I do have a problematic older brother. And the stress he’s caused has definitely taken years off my life.”

At least you seem like you understand. 

He’s shocked you’re in this car with him, that after entertaining his daughter all night, you’d offered to help him out with this Tommy mess. Though, he assumes you’re doing it out of guilt because Sarah made it sound like he was broke.

“You know for the record, I actually have the money to bail him out.”

“I figured.”

“Then why’d you come?”

You shrug. “I don’t know. My life has been pretty boring lately. I can’t remember the last time I did something exciting on a Friday night.” 

“This is exciting to you?”

“It’s objectively exciting,” you sound assured. “Maybe more exciting than being the person who got arrested for public intoxication.” 

Despite the stress of the evening, he can’t help but laugh. 

“And whether you’re broke or not, bailing someone out of jail is no joke. If you can at least try to talk your way out of it, you might as well.”

Joel can’t argue with your logic.

“What is it you do again?” you ask, eyeing the protective glasses he has in the cup holder of his front seat. There are nails stuck between the rubber grooves of the mat beneath the seats, a pair of thick gloves resting on the dashboard.

“I’m a carpenter.”

“Makes sense,” you answer. “So you’re handy?”

“You could say that,” Joel lifts the can of flat, warm seltzer from his lunch break to his mouth, just to take a sip. 

“That’s hot,” you say, and he nearly chokes when he hears it.  Are you….flirting? Though, you can’t be, because when he looks over at you, you’re staring at the road, face neutral. 

“What makes you say that?” 

“I don’t know, I don’t make the rules of what’s hot and what isn’t….it’s just a fact. Everyone knows that.” 

“Do they?” 

“Uh-huh,” you respond. “I mean, I wish I was handy. I’m pretty much a lost cause in that department.” 

“If it paid the bills, you’d figure it out.” 

“If it paid the bills, I can tell you, I would not be living in our neighborhood.”

Joel puts his blinker on, preparing to pull into the police station. “You probably still could, it’s not that nice of a neighborhood.” 

“Shut up,” you snort, rolling your eyes. “But in all seriousness, it is peaceful. It’s quiet.”

“See, but you still didn’t say nice.”

“It is nice. I like it.” 

When he parks the car, you straighten up, unbuckling the seatbelt and exiting without a word. On the opposite side of the truck, he observes how you rebutton the front of your blazer, smooth down its lapels and shift your shoulders back before turning to him. 

“You ready?” you ask. 

He nods. 

“After you.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Joel spots you again, Tommy is walking a few paces behind you. You turn your head over one shoulder, smirking at whatever he’s saying. From where Joel is sitting in the lobby, he can just make out the soft curve of your hips, the tops of your thighs over the barrier that separates him from all the desks of the officers and staff at the station. You’ve got an easy, relaxed gait and you give Joel a wink when he catches you staring.

He can tell it’s just meant to be celebratory thing, since both you and Tommy seem to be in good spirits, but he likes the sight of it anyways, the idea that you’re both in on some secret that no one else is. 

Joel stands to greet you and his brother to get the download, but as he approaches, your group is intercepted by one of the cops that had been hanging around reception. 

“Miller,” he says lowly to Tommy. “This better be the last time I see you in here.” 

When Tommy doesn’t answer right away, you pipe up. 

“I assure you my client will be on his best behavior.”

The cop turns to you for a minute, turns back to Tommy, contemplating. “You’re lucky you have a good lawyer…” he says. “Although I’m still not convinced you’re really paying someone to get you out of a public intoxication charge.” 

“I-” Tommy opens his mouth but you cut him off.

“Alleged…intoxication,” you interject, stone-faced.

“He can hardly walk straight.”

You purse your lips. “But….you never did a sobriety test, so, would it hold up in court?” you grimace. “If I had to guess….probably not.”

The cop narrows his eyes at you. “Don’t push it, princess.” 

Despite the infantilizing nickname, You respond with a polite smile. “Thanks again, officer. Have a nice evening.”

“Mhm,” he murmurs before backing away. 

You turn to Joel, your smile fading, and Tommy cuts in. “We should get the fuck out of here before he changes his mind.”

“That’s it? You’re free?” Joel asks.

Tommy nods. 

“Tommy’s right, we should definitely leave.”

It’s a mad scramble, the three of you settling back into Joel’s truck, and if he was feeling a little less angsty about the way the whole evening had gone, he might’ve even peeled out of the parking lot for dramatic effect. But at this point, his patience is wearing thin.

He’s back on the main drag, en route to Tommy’s place, with you on the passenger’s side, and his brother in the back, leaning forward with his elbows resting on your seats when his brother speaks up.

“Holy….shit!” Tommy turns to you. “That was fucking awesome, are you kidding me? Joel, where the fuck did you find her?”

He’s still drunk, words slurring together, and he shakes both of your shoulders ferociously. You actually giggle — the sound of it is fucking adorable and Joel wishes that these are not the circumstances for hearing such a noise. He rather it be because of something he said, but he knows Tommy has always been more charming, even when drunk 

“She’s my neighbor, Tommy.”

“No way! How come I’ve never seen you around before?” Tommy asks, and Joel can’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

“I’m kind of new to the area,” you answer. 

“Dammit, oh my god, Joel, I wish you coulda seen it.”

Joel looks over at you, and is thankful that he catches your eye. “What’d you say?” 

“Never underestimate your negotiating power when the cop you’re talking to’s shift ended over an hour ago, and he doesn’t want to fill out any more paperwork.” You cross your arms, look over your shoulder at Tommy, who is leaning back against the seat with his head in his hands, laughing, before looking back at Joel. “I told you, I have experience.”

“Oh my god,” Tommy pokes his head back between you. “How’d he even get you to come down here? What’d he have to do, offer to paint your house or somethin’?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Sarah got locked out again,” Joel explained. “And I was over at her place when you called. She’s a corporate lawyer.”

“Ah, that makes sense. You know, Joel’s always liked the smart ones,” Tommy starts, and Joel has to contain the urge to slam on the brakes and send his brother face first into the back of his headrest. Unfortunately, he can’t do that with you in the car. “Too bad he’s dumb as a box of rocks.”

“Okay, watch yourself!” Joel snaps, and he’s only halfway kidding. “You got off easy, but you’re on fuckin’ thin ice, and I’m still pissed that I’m spending my night bailing you out again.”

Tommy doesn’t even catch on to Joel’s irritation – or maybe he does, and has just decided that he’s going to be the Annoying Younger Sibling and see how far he can push it. “Don’t let him fool you, okay?” Tommy continues, and you’ve angled yourself towards him, amused. “It’s not always him lookin’ after me. Before he had Sarah, he was crazy.”

“Alright, alright that’s enough, Tommy.” Joel shoots daggers towards his brother in the rearview mirror, and he watches Tommy’s smile falter, finally deciding to back down. 

“Is that true, Joel, were you really crazy?” you ask after Tommy grows quiet, tilting your head. “I can’t see it.”

“Well we’ve all have our moments, right?” he says sheepishly. 

“We do,” you agree, and then it’s finally silent.

Joel is thankful to see Tommy’s driveway straight in front of him, and his car lurches up the curb. “Alright, alright, this is your last stop,” he says to his brother. “You’ll get in okay?” 

Tommy takes a deep breath, settling himself after all his bravado and sinking back against his seat. “I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at Sarah’s game.” He slinks out of the truck and slams the door behind him. 

Normally, Joel would’ve chewed him out after something like this, but he knows being hungover tomorrow at a middle school soccer game, sandwiched between screaming parents and the ear-splitting whistles of the referees will be punishment enough.

“I’ll see you then.” He watches his brother stumble up the steps to his home, unlock the door, and give a wave before disappearing inside. 

Joel’s left alone with you. “Should we get you home, now?”

“Yeah, we should.”

Joel puts the car in reverse, puts one of his arms over the back of the bench seat to look for cars behind him, and catches you staring. You don’t even seem embarrassed that he notices, either, you just shift your gaze away to outside the window.

He feels a little self-conscious about the first impression he’s probably made, which is a feeling he’s not used to…caring about what people think. 

“Sorry about him, he’s….a good guy but a real piece of work.”

You giggle. “Like I said, I have a brother, too.”

It’s been awhile since he’s interacted with anyone outside of Sarah, Tommy, and his coworkers, and his day was exhausting. He wants to ask more questions, see if he can hold some kind of conversation, but words fail him, so you spend the short drive on the way back home mostly in silence. You’re so quiet that by the time he pulls into your driveway, he thinks you might be asleep. If you were, he doesn’t even get the chance to wake you, because you immediately sit up straight once the truck has come to a halt.

“Thanks for everything tonight,” he says. 

“You’re welcome, it was no problem,” you get out of the car, sling your bag over your shoulders, and close the door. “Have a good night.” 

Joel’s listening to the retreating click of your heels up the driveway when he rolls down his window all the way to speak again. It’s clear you’re tired, your shoulders are slouched, and he feels incredibly guilty. You worked all day and then had to put up with his entire crazy family. 

“Hey,” he says. “How much do I owe you for the pizza?”

You turn around, still stepping backwards. “Nothing.”

“Look, you’ve done too much for me tonight to say that,” he says. “I’m startin’ to feel bad.”

You stop in your tracks then, the smirk on your face fading a little bit as you slowly step forward to where he leans out the truck window. It’s only a few feet, but you’re much closer now than you’ve been to him all night, and there must be jasmine in your perfume. It smells expensive, he thinks, as your hands lift to rest on the door next to his elbow. “You shouldn’t feel bad,” you say softly, voice low. 

God, you’re fucking beautiful, he realizes, basked in the glow of the moon, a smile creeping along the edges of your lips. Of course, he knew you were attractive, had definitely registered it at some point before –  maybe when he’d walked in on you and Sarah giggling in the kitchen. He was just too busy being worried to even notice until now. 

This isn’t a date, but you’re so close he could kiss you, kind of wants to just to see what would happen, but he doesn’t. You’re his new neighbor, and if he’s reading this wrong, he doesn’t want to be reminded of the mistake everyday, first thing in the morning when you’re picking up your newspaper at the end of your driveway and he’s leaving for work. 

“But uh…if it would make you feel better…one of the steps on my front porch is rotted. Maybe you could come over sometime and fix it? That a fair trade?” 

Joel nods, and you stick out your hand. “It’s a deal,” he says, ignoring the jolt of energy he feels when your palms press together, like you’re a kid wearing a hand buzzer, trying to shock him.

“Great,” you step away. He’s about to put the car in reverse when you speak again. 

“Oh, and Joel?” you ask, he looks back at you. Before you speak again, your eyes shift to the ground, like you’re mustering up the courage to ask him something, and when they return to his again, your expression is somber. “Go easy on Sarah….she’s a good kid.”

Joel nods, understanding.

“I know.”

-

volume ii

taglist: @yaskna @venomous-ko @lomljigg

[kazehita]

KAZEEEE YOU'VE PLAYED AND FINISHED IN STARS AND TIME?? THAT'S SO EXCITING!! How did you feel about it :O?

(also as i was sending this ask, i just saw your updated bio and thats SUCH A MOOD LOL)

SAMMY THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR PUTTING IT ON MY DASH!!!!! THAT WAS HOW I HEARD ABOUT IT!!!!! Also thank you for asking because I've been writing this mini essay in my head in the shower. <3 I was like, shrugs, I like time travel and I like indie games, and wow it is very positively rated I suppose I must give it a try, and then proceeded to procrastinate on that for a few weeks ;; teehee! But yeah, it became like one of my top three games ever in the first half hour.. Things like "storytelling through gameplay," and "ENJOYABLE & interesting turn-based combat," and "characters that feel so Human and Real in addition to being deeply relatable," really gets me on board! And also, now that I've finished, I can say the story goes really hard too. I actually didn't realize the cast was LGBTQ+ before I started playing, so that was a fantastic surprise. And the setting is expertly designed with this in mind! This game is angled to talk about the queer experience while being dynamically interwoven with the themes and setting - and It was a great experience for me to see, in particular, aro and/or ace characters portrayed excellently - both thematically and realistically!!! I'm very impressed with how they show and they tell the characters' relationship with their own sense of self, and their sense of other's people's experiences. .. That's the best way I can explain it without giving specific examples!~ Anyway I have been chipping away at it for the past week in my spare time and stayed up to 3am last night, emotionally compromised, to finish it.

How fantastic! The payoffs, the story beats, the character's growth! It's everything I could have wanted. Absolutely worth anyone's time.

I played on the Nintendo Switch (regular), and while there was minor lag at some points, it didn't negatively effect my experience much at all. I have now purchased it on steam, and I'm going to try for 100% achievements (there is no achievement system on switch)! I found that i missed quite a few things in my blind playthrough, so I hope to catch everything in this upcoming one! to conclude, have some siffrin doodles I did today <3

[pseudocyance]

intro to me I guess

My name is Cyan, my pronouns are they/moon/xe and im fine with any neos. I'm nb and aroace and a shit ton of microlabels. (Feel free to ask about labels you dont understand, I'd love to share)

I AM A MINOR so no inappropriate asks. Just don't be weird.

Stardew valley text boxes

Some of my sideblogs include:

@where-is-moonbig and @where-is-torchy (my whereis blogs)

@shitty-mcyt-doodles-daily

@cyans-ocverse-of-madness (my oc sideblog for oc stuff)

More after the cutoff

I'm in a ton of fandoms, here's some highlights:

MCYT, I'm in the hermitcraft and life series fandoms and am especially obsessed with TangoTek and desert duo

Portal, specifically Portal 2 (I live for Wheatley). I haven't exactly played the first game but I've watched some playthroughs oops. I'm also making my way through Blue Sky

Wings of Fire. Just because it's a kid's series doesn't mean it's not a masterpiece. I own every single official published book except for the coloring books. I like drawing dragons and I ship quinterwatcher. I am very very very obsessed with Peril, I don't want to admit how many times I've read book 8

BBC Sherlock ahhh im so sad I was too young when the initial craze happened since I would have been *invested*. Ask me about my ships if you want, I can ramble

Musical theaterrrrrrr

Idk ill add more when I think of it

MY TAGS

#my art - my own artwork

#reblog - I'm pretty sure you're supposed to tag reblogs so here I am

#my post - a post that's not a reblog. This will take a bit because I haven't started doing this originally

#oc - stuff to do with my ocs

#of soulsand and stars - my fanfic. Scarian/mumscarian. Scar switches places between 3rd life and hermitcraft 8.

#Cyan's who's that character gameshow - a game I play with some of my mutuals having them name characters is fandoms they're not in

I mention this a lot but my friend bullied me into getting this and now is salty that I have more followers on my sideblog than her's.

My name is PseudoCyanCe which I thought was so clever when I made it but nobody gets it so I'll explain. If you say it out loud (pseudo-cyan-ce) it sounds like the word pseudoscience and it also has my name in it. It's my name on most socials but I also don't have a lot of socials so don't go looking too hard.

PseudoCYANce is my name on mc if you ever see me on mcci!

[kirchefuchs]

(Luxie I am so sorry for psychoanalyzing you it's just,, you're so,,, psychoanalyse-able, yk? I just gotta psychoanalyse you...

..sPeaking of psychoanalyzing–)

Ceres

my dear friend

I have thought of the greatest Lovebug headcanon (it's actually my first Lovebug headcanon actually lmao ☠️)

BUT IMAGINE THIS

Imagine this.

(also let's assume that this concept is before the Stannarrator ship sailed in your AU :D)

Imagine the Lovebug Virus only going away once it is "satisfied." Like, a certain switch has to be flicked; a certain figurative button has to be pushed. Imagine the virus slowly showing hints to what the other person — in this case, it'll be Stanley — needs to do for it to go away.

Imagine that the only way to satisfy it is to kiss Luxie.

But Stanley can't do that! Luxie is only acting this way because of the virus! Kissing him would just be taking advantage of him, wouldn't it?

But here's the thing; Lovebug!Pollux is extremely affectionate. He's been hugging Stanley out of the blue a lot, holding his hand a bunch, kissing his cheek/s anytime he can, and everything similar. LB!Pollux does all of this, not expecting anything else in return.

Imagine Stanley deciding to return the affection one day.

And, it turns out, the virus can be satisfied that way; but it takes way longer than it would be to just kiss him.

But Stanley doesn't know how to kiss so he just decides to continue returning the affectionate gestures

And this goes on for several months. It started off as LB!Luxie doing the gestures first, then Stanley returnung them with little to no questions asked. Then it moved to LB!Luxie just moving closer to Stanley, and Stanley deciding to take the initiative to do the gestures. And then, it moved to both Stanley and LB!Luxie flat-out hugging and cuddling and holding hands and etc etc anytime they could.

And by the time the Lovebug Virus is gone, all the affectionate gestures turn into unconscious habits.

But Luxie — the actual Luxie — isn't used to that.

So everytime Stanley hugs him and holds him and takes his hand and etc etc, Luxie doesn't even know how to react without the Lovebug Virus controlling his every reaction. He's basically left a blushing and flustered mess because of Stanley.

In short: At first, LB!Luxie showed Stanley a bunch of love and affection. Stanley slowly got used to it and even started to return the gestures. By the time the Lovebug Virus is gone, Stanley is already used to showing so much affection, but Luxie isn't, and is now having to go through what Stanley did during his time with LB!Luxie :D

I forgot how this was meant to play out but I wanted to share this with you mwahahahaha

(Also, I feel like psychoanalyzing a random ending, soooooo do tell me any ending at all [including Bucket variants] so that I can watch playthroughs of the chosen ending and proceed to rant about what I found interesting hehe >:])

I hope I wasted your time in the best way possible!! <3 /p

toooooodlllllllllles :D

— 🅰️non || 05/10/2023

First off, this is hilarious and I love it so much. One reason is cuz I already headcanoned the lovebug taking place before they got together lmao. It just cracks me up think how awkward they would be afterwards, realizing how they acted while under the influence. It's so funny.

Also this is just such a fun lovebug concept. I just love the idea of Stanley being like "Well obviously I can't just kiss him. Guess we gotta do this the long way!" Both of them are so stupid (affectionate).

Anyways, this was an absolute delight to read, it would probably make a really good fic even. Here's a little doodle, I couldn't help myself, I just wanted to draw a flustered Stanley after reading this lol.

As for a random ending for you to analyze..... hmmmm...... how about the Infinite Hole? Lmao. I just love playing that ending, it's so funny.

(Also I finally got around to making a tag for your asks btw)

[annahanover]

OKAy i'm back with more

so you may have noticed since i reblog in stars and time art all the time but i really like in stars and time

it's a video game and um yeah it's really good and you should play it if you can or idk watch a playthrough because yeah it's the best thing ever

disclaimer i haven't played the game but my friend played it and explained it in great detail as it went through and that was good enough to send me deep into a hyperfixation

i doodled a you-should-play-isat thing for you and here it is (ID in alt text):

and i enjoyed that doodle so much that i made a couple more of basically the same thing so i may end up with a whole post of it either way

but yeah i don't want to give spoilers in case you do play it but i really like it and i think everyone should play it

def look up content warnings first if that's something you tend to benefit from

the red in that doodle is completely not indicative of any events that happen in the game (lie) okay that was like spoiler-adjacent but it didn't really tell you anything so i guess you'll have to play the game to find out /lh /nf

i'll check it out!! video games are cool and i'll look into this one

[tarotandnonsense]

I reread the Heaven’s Vault novelization and had some thoughts. I’ll try not to spoil anything, because I want others to experience it for themselves.

When the game Heaven’s Vault came out, I jumped in headfirst, played it like 10 times in a row, made myself sick of it in the best way. Reading the novelization, even for the second time, gave me some of that same sense of wonder I had on my first playthrough. The team at Inkle created a beautiful world, one I sincerely wish more people get to see.

Of course, reading a novel and playing through a video game are different experiences. One of the draws of Heaven’s Vault (the game) is the way that the player’s choices shape the narrative: you can choose the order Aliya visits the moons of the Nebula, learn different things depending on how you interact with other characters. Unless you’re reading a CYOA book, a book only tells the one story. The medium of a physical book also doesn’t let you act like Aliya in the game, dragging known Ancient words into the text to translate it yourself. Unless you’re someone like me, who typed up the Ancient in a little txt file for translation, the non-English text is basically just a diegetic doodle that Aliya may or may not give a translation for.

The medium switch also meant that parts of the story had to change. In my playthroughs, I liked bringing my artifacts up to Tapi to trade, so I could get new scraps of Ancient to translate. However, those trips would interrupt the narrative, so the character of Tapi was written out. In a sort of equivalent exchange, another character was written in, and any more information than that feels like a spoiler. There are also instances where events from the story are merged together; two separate moon trips become one, different companions come to different moons.

One of the things I enjoyed was the way that the mysteries of the game were answered. Maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention in my playthroughs to get a concrete idea of how the history of the Nebula happened, but the way the book told the story helped me pin things down much better in my head. Aliya makes conclusions, which either get borne out by the evidence, or new evidence leads to new conclusions, and the reader learns along with her. The game includes a timeline, but for some reason, the narrative structure of the book helped me out more. Not all of the mysteries are solved in the end, but those feel more like exercises to the reader, to see how well they understood the world shown to them.

This wasn’t my first readthrough of the book, and I don’t think it’ll be my last. Do yourself a favor, dear reader, and check out Heaven’s Vault.

[kakyogay]

alright okay i saw the ask mentioning a “horror game that hits way too close to home” and its. its the Omor. so besides the whole rot flare-up thing, how do you think pebbles would react to the Game,,

(personally i think he would bawl at final duet like the rest of us 😔)

WARNING OMORI SPOILERS AHEAD

I mean canonically he's basically omori. But unless I come up with something, the whole killing sibing doesn't make much sense in the modernerator universe. So with that, I don't think the truth would get him. I think he'd just be flabbergasted when it's revealed. Could maybe come up with a way for pebbles to ALMOST kill moon in an accident but for now I think dealing with the rot is enough.

Also as a basil disliker I must project my absolute HATE for that flowery bastard onto him. (jk I think he's fine please don't burn my crops)

but anyways uh I think he'd be fine with the rest of the game in terms of not psychological horror bits. Only thing I can really think of is him finding sweetheart annoying and the Humphrey fight unbearable. But then again that's pretty normal I think.

The main bit I wanted to mention with this is how he'd get the endings. Y'know that scripted death at the omori fight? I feel like he'd chose 'no' thinking he'd be able to attempt it the next day and just head to bed. So basically he'd get the bad end first on accident and get the true/good end the next day. Also he would for sure bawl his eyes out at final duet.

I've had an ask going stale in my inbox that I would have used to doodle that last bit but never got the motivation to so I'll just put the ask here.

Anyways I think that's all I wanted to mention. It's been quite a while since I last played/watched someone play omori and don't really plan to go back through it since it's such a long game and I've had to restart it maybe 4 times from moving devices and also getting it on the switch (the farthest I ever got was starting humphrey in my very first playthrough which is on a device that I don't use anymore).

alright I'll stop and go back to being kinda productive gbye fo now :3

[lividria]

i swear every time i get into a game that has an actual community it'll feel like i just woke up on mars because i usually dig really deep into a game's lore, history, trivia, unused content, etc. and THEN i'll find stuff from the community and i don't even mean for that to happen it just works that way and it always plays out the exact same way without fail besides for when there is no community

like, a week or two ago i remembered OFF exists, watched a whole playthrough of it, have been listening to it's OST an unhealthy amount (I'm doing it right now, Unreasonable Behavior is so good), i go onto tumblr, first OFF post i see once i add it's tag to my feed is someone's art for an AU where all the characters all like hang out at a cafe together or something and everything is chill, which is like the antithesis of everything i had just experienced related to the game and i couldn't help but laugh in confusion once i realized what i was looking at

i go in the discord server for iconoclasts after obsessing over the game for like a year and annoying the fuck out of my friends about it, literally the only fanmade character i have seen is a chemico contra member who's also a phlebotomist, i had to google what a phlebotomist is and like... i didn't look into their lore by ctrl-f-ing or whatever so i'm probably missing something, but how do you come to this conclusion (actually i think i know, they mentioned they actually became one at some point after making this character which is really funny actually)

i start watching videos about pikmin after finally beginning to slowly come off one of the most intense hyperfixations i've had in my entire life to the point i had played through all 5 games in the series and dedicated weeks and entire days to trying to figure out the lore before giving up because it's nintendo lol and spending a roughly equal amount of time trying to come up with intentionally terrible ideas for more games in the series only to accidentally get WAY too into it (see my alph wraith post lol), i am greeted with Fiddlebert, and a later a dub of an AU where the player character is actually a wraith and is hiding it from the rest of the rescue corps (this post is still probably one of the funniest jokes i've ever seen) and the entire thing scarily resembles the type of shit i'd write if i was given this premise to work with down to the mention of an innocent child being consumed that's first brought up with a doodle of them saying "Oh boy I sure do hope being alive!" while holding The Goo THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I TREAT HORRIBLE EVENTS IN MY STORIES WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT THEM

i look at the tag for ultrakill on tumblr and feel like i just got sent to hell myself with the punishment of being stuck in a permanent state of confusion due to the sheer contrast to the source material all the fanart has, same goes for most of the posts about it in general actually, i go in expecting like blood & violence and instead i'm greeted with gabriel & v1 making out. drawn by 50 different users. (i don't even need to link anything here just check #ultrakill you'll see)

and this isn't even touching on all of the ships i've seen that are utterly incomprehensible to me because. like. why magolor and the snowman enemy? why kingsly and puddle??? i thought alph didn't like louie? wait also what do you mean at least two people's headcanon is that louie is trans? (ok i couldn't re-find some of the things in this paragraph and i'm too tired to conduct an in-depth search but you could probably find it if you looked)

i'm not hating on anything i brought up here it's just a bunch of funny examples i think about a lot now that i've seen them, you guys go do whatever you want even if i don't get it go have fun lol, i just love the feeling of pure confusion when i walk into the room and get punched in the face with a complete subversion of my expectations because it feels like i'm missing SO MUCH CONTEXT and i never get used to it i love it i love the internet

[jins-tome]

My first character sheet!

Long ramblings / stream of consciousness about my character, newly getting into DND, and the purpose of this blog under the cut~

I've beaten BG3 once as Tav, about to beat it a second time as Dark Urge, and just got to Act 3 in my co-op campaign. I'm a bit obsessed. 😅

The post-game hangover is real though. I immediately miss my party, and want nothing more than to keep adventuring with them. This has made me quite interested in actual Dungeons and Dragons!

In my hyperfixation, I've gotten really interested in character building, and seeing peoples character journals recounting the tales and trials of their characters. It also made me realize that even though I'm close to my third completion, I've only really been playing BG3 as a video game, and not really so much a DND experience.

I'm quite invested in my character. I play the same one every game, with minor changes to the hair (and attitude for Dark Urge). I made decisions for her mostly in character, but I did save scum a lot, and with no DND experience, I didn't pay too much attention to her stats and traits.

Now, with more experience playing the game, and all my research into DND, I'm very excited to start a real campaign with her! This blog will be journal entries (and probably doodles, art, and screenshots) from her adventure.

I just need to figure out if I'll play this run as Dark Urge or not... It's not canon for her, but I like the idea of each playthrough being an alternate timeline for her. So it's technically, maybe a little bit canon? It would be more interesting to write about too, and I was thinking of doing IRL dice rolls for myself to see if she would somehow remember/realize things from alternate timelines through her amnesia. This would be a tiny deviation from Dark Urge canon, but it would be interesting and fun to write!

The picture I drew for her sheet is just a sketch, but I made her more tired looking with Dark Urge in mind. I guess that's that, then~ 😅

I'm so excited to start this run, and see how her journal takes form. Also to see how different it could be now that I'm approaching it in a different way. 💜

[ultranerdygirl]

JSE Community Greet

Preferred name: Liv! (This is what I usually go by online.)

Preferred pronouns: She/her!

When did you start watching JSE?

Early 2017, I believe. :) I know I had been watching Jack’s videos for a while cuz I went to his first HDWGH show in Chicago in September that year.

Why did you start watching JSE?

No clue, honestly. I think I had just heard of him in passing and was like, “Welp, I’ve got nothing better to do!” And then I fell in love with the channel and Jack as a person. (I think I may have come across his “Bully” playthrough and got invested in it. That was my first series that I watched all the way through, anyway.)

What's your favorite things about the channel?

The way Jack makes me laugh so hard that I cry with his commentary. I also love the videos where he gets introspective and it feels so genuine and warm and thoughtful. It’s like listening to an old friend.

Do you have a fave ego?

Ze good doctah himself, Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein! (Jameson Jackson is a close second, though.) Henrik makes me laugh the most out of all the egos.

What type of community member are you?(lurker/artist/theorist/editor/shitposter/author etc.)

Lurker and occasional shitposter. I mostly just reblog the cool art/theories that come across my dash.

What else do you enjoy?

Writing, reading, doodling occasionally, baking, etc. I’m in like a zillion other fandoms so visiting my blog is kind of a crapshoot on what you’re gonna see on any given day, lol.

Are you open to nice messages and new friends?

If it’s like a one-time little message just to say hi, then sure! If you’re trying to become BFFs or anything super involved, then it’s a no. (I have social anxiety, pls have mercy on me.)

[blackberry-mochi]

I had really wanted to finish up what I was drawing before, and I’m glad I did. The Moxie birthday image still makes me really happy to see....

BUT. Lucky Number Moxie came out last week, and I played through the entire series again... All of the new content and revamped content is wonderful, replay-wise. But even besides that stuff, I was intensely reminded why it had such a profound impact on me...

Lucky Number Moxie, though, aaaa. Thanks to the amount build-up I was deliberately making out of it, I guess.... it ended up affecting me way too hard. Which is new! My first playthrough of Treat and this most recently one both.... are really unique experiences for me. I’ve never felt so genuinely awe-struck by the emotions it made me feel, without me even trying to think about how I should probably be feeling from the things being presented, like I force myself to do. BUT LUCKY NUMBER MOXIE REALLY WAS JUST.... super intense.... probably because it tugged at really sensitive subjects that I struggle with, myself. Just a lot of “I wish I could have this, but”, y’know? Which, now that I’m recovering from the emotions, is solidly just... a splendid thing, FOR SURE. I just felt really intense for a while there. I feel like I want to replay it, badly, but I’m also unsure if that’s necessarily a healthy thing to do.

BUT ANYWAY. More rambling. I’ve been mouse-drawing up until now!! But I recently went and got a simple tablet... A simple $50 one, and!!! I don’t know how to use this thing, yet. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to. I tried drawing something, and it just wouldn’t happen. But, then I just started doodling Mochi. I love Mochi! I love all four of the Treat gays, but Mochi, for me, is the one I identify with most. I drew her hair, then her eyes, and, once the eyes were down, I was like... “Wait.... This is fine?? This looks okay...” and kept doodling the rest of her.... It’s hard to say that it looks clean or quality, but I’m happy I can just, draw things, with this tablet. Doodling with mouse just wasn’t a thing.

I’m FREEEEEE. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to draw comprehensive pieces; the Moxie birthday pic and the Mochi/Treat/Moxie image from before are things I feel really good about, mostly, and I hope I can color things with this tablet... But. At least doodling will help me get better! And doesn’t take much time. And it can be a good sketching base for projects, even. I want to color this...

[raspberryusagi]

Since I keep going back to this in my mind, especially after seeing it in-game via screencaps, I’m gonna just type out my thoughts so far regarding a certain Maestro and his controversial “face reveal.” 

Spoilers beyond the cut, naturally. Most of my input is based on the contents of the novel since that’s been my main experience with BWW so far (will quite possibly be my only experience with it unless I go watch a playthrough of the game.)

Anyway. Let’s talk about Balan’s “true face.”

As a narrative device, I see why they did it. It’s not especially new, and it tells us about his character when, to who, and why he reveals it. Heck  - Lance has a similar reveal to the inhabitants before convincing them that becoming monsters is the best way to protect their stages and Wonderworld. This is, of course, when he reveals his “Rave Cthulu” form as Kylee Henke calls it.  

The difference is that in terms of appeal and character design, Lance’s “true form” reveal works. Balan’s comes off as... Weird. I thought I was at least sort of okay with it when I read the novel, again for the narrative purposes it served. It also kinda helps? I think? That my first look at his “true face” was via some collab art Kylee worked on - which, granted, that was jarring too but she drew him well.

But then I saw his face in-game via screencaps.

 And what. 

The actual. 

Frick. Am I looking at?

Like, he’s pretty, don’t get me wrong. And given his connection to Lance, it would make sense that they would resemble one another aside from the stylized proportions and similar tastes in wardrobe.

But like... When Lance revealed his more familiar form, there still was enough resemblance that it isn’t totally out of left field that he’d be The Same Person. With Balan, since we are first introduced to him with the hat on, looking well and properly like the grinning gremlin thespian we all know and love (or not, idk you do you) - which form is also very befitting his sass in the novel, might I add - I don’t know if “uncanny valley” is the correct way to describe the effect/vibe I get from it, but that’s the closest I can get to articulating it.

I think I’ve seen at least one post around suggesting that perhaps the top hat kind of serves as a Costume, like the ones you use in-game? And seeing how drastically they change your appearance in-game, to the point of a kind of shapeshifting? I... Guess? I could see it? I may just have to doodle my way to acceptance of Porcelain Balan as I think I’m gonna call him, or consume enough fan art that depicts the design well until I come around to it - much as I have done in the past with Pokemon designs I disliked at first.

Anyway, thank you if you read through all of this. Hopefully sometime soon I can contribute something of actual substance to the fandom instead of just late-night musings. At the very least some art or such, when I can find a break between work and a longer art project of mine.

[sunset-hourglass]

Guess who beat the ONE demo again and feels just as happy as they did when they played it the first time way back when? Haha yes, it’s me! Long time no see! Man...I still love this fangame so much. I played all the way through just the other day, and I’ve had a couple of new thoughts along the way. But first; about the art piece. I’m a person who will very easily get attached to game characters a lot; and I’m also the kind who imagines themselves inside of said games. It’s...nice. It could be comforting, fun, or an inspiration for a doodle or ten. And I gotta tell you, I got attached to Doux and Blight fast! I adored them, and they made me smile a lot! I just wanted to give them hugs, and tell them that it’ll be okay. It’s like me with the Elsens back in OFF. And I have a habit of “adopting” characters from time to time during my playthroughs. Just “You are my son now, I don’t make the rules.” And something about OFF and the many outstanding fangames just sits so well with me- maybe it’s because of the 4th wall being non-existent? I just love being so involved! Sorry, I’m tired scatterbraining right now. Getting back on track, I did have a thought while I was doing this recent playthrough of ONE, a concept maybe? Given that I played OFF many times in the past, I felt....Guilty? Seeing Dedan, Japhet, Enoch, The Judge and even Zacharie in these states made it kinda set in the back of my head. A kind of “You did this.” Kind of feeling. Y’know? And I kept getting the thought of: “What if they learn I’m the old puppeteer?” It’s interesting for me, as I technically am the old puppeteer for my playthroughs. I feel like the interactions would be quite different than how they are in game. Kinda spooks me sometimes, haha. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to spoil anything else for those who still wish to play it! Nor do I wanna talk anyone’s eyes off more than I already have.

All in all: Still love this fangame to pieces! And I hope to make more fanart in the future, if that’s alright! (Oh yeah, I’m sorry that Doux isn’t one solid shade of white, I’m not good with having things be all one color..) 

[fulgurbugs]

hi i just wanted to say, i absolutely adore your octopath art!! i’m on my way to finish my first run through of it and i honestly think the game would be way more fun if there were more character interactions like the ones you make lol

anyways have a good day! <3

thank you so much! i really appreciate it. the game is pretty light on character interaction for a game with 8 main characters who all travel together, so i gotta create the content i wanna see lol. im getting into another playthrough so i might be inspired to do some more doodles in the future :P