#and at the end of the day there'd still be having to make edits if things are too dark or whatever

[ferberus-skull]

urgh. I really should try to make another skin at some point.

#gremlin blabs #i just. urgh. #it's great bc it gets me plenty of money but #it's so fucking stressful and i genuinely hate the process lol #hence why i haven't done anything in so long #i mean it's also partially because i was without my main laptop for a while #but i've had it back for almost a year now and i've just. #i've just been avoiding my shop tbh #i really really do not like doing it #what i need is like someone to manage the thread and all the orders and then i just make the skins and print them and stuff lmao #but that's probably not an option #and at the end of the day there'd still be having to make edits if things are too dark or whatever #and then sending it off again #then making sure everyone gets their copy #and just. ugh. #it's awful and idk how y'all do it #it's so fucking exhausting and stressful #aghhh sorry for ranting in the tags i'm just :/ #i know i should because i realllly need more gems #but....... i really do not want to

[hopesangelsprite]

So Anxious

Summary: It's strange, the things you make Illumi feel, so strange that he keeps his distance from you almost constantly. After a long day, though, he can't help but crave that strange, inebriating feeling.

Warnings: heavy petting, whipped/needy/pervy Illumi (possibly OOC), suggested smut, no editing, mentions of death/blood/etc. (yk just normal Illumi tingz).

MINORS/AGELESS ACCS DNI

It wasn't normal for the eldest Zoldyck son to feel fickle emotions such as anxiety or stress. Hell, it was hard for him to feel anything at all, and if his father caught wind of these developing feelings there'd be Hell to pay. That didn't stop the irregular beating of Illumi's heart as he calmly drove a pin deeper into the skull of his latest unlucky target. He was an older fellow and, from what Illumi had read, a crooked politician. That didn't matter to him, of course. The only thing bothering Illumi at the moment were memories of your arms around him, memories of the softness of your skin.

A frustrated growl escaped the slender male's chest as he drove the golden pin deeper than he should've thus ending the poor old man's life. Disgust painted its way across Illumi's features as he staired at the now lifeless corpse below him. He'd meant to keep him around a little bit longer.

"Hm? Dead already? Don't tell me you're losing your touch!", came the grating voice of his killing companion, Hisoka Morrow. Usually, Illumi let his distaste for the brightly colored clown settle in the back of his mind, but today was different. Today, he was high strung and ready to brutally murder the aforementioned male. Illumi directed a particularly sharp pin in Hisoka's general vicinity. "I'll kill you. Right here, right now.", he hissed earning an unfazed stare in return. "You've used that threat too many times for it to be affective.", the clown muttered while kicking the corpse into a nearby body bag, "Seriously, what's gotten into you? You've been acting weird all day and it's creeping me out.".

Illumi glared at the back of Hisoka's head and considered how much effort it'd take to remove it completely. After a second of thought, he deemed it a waste of his time and checked the time on his phone. The numbers '1:38 am' glowed from the screen almost tauntingly. If he was going to make it to your bed tonight, he'd have to leave now.

The dark-haired male looked up and found himself face to face with his mischievous counterpart. After seeing how long he'd stared into his screen, Hisoka could just about read Illumi's mind. "Go ahead then, loverboy, I'll take care of this old geezer. Don't keep your little lady waiting! ~". A nod was all Illumi could muster as he began sprinting back toward the city. Before he was out of earshot, he could make out Hisoka yelling something about meeting you some time in the future.

"Over your dead body.", Illumi thought as he caught sight of the glittering horizon. There was no way Hisoka would ever live to see the day that Illumi would allow something of his to be tainted by his presence.

Ten minutes.

______________________________________________________________

That's how long it took for Illumi to make it to the outside of your windowsill. Now, as he sat perched on the stone ledge jutting out of the building, he wondered if he should just suffer through the night and contact you in the morning. Consideration was another new thing Illumi found himself struggling with after you'd wormed your way into his life.

Just as he prepared to drop from the sill, he caught sight of your silhouette entering the room. His breath caught in his throat as he watched you stretch from behind your silvery curtains. All previous thoughts of leaving exited Illumi's mind and other... explicit ones began to make his head swim with need. Slowly, the assassin brought a bloodied hand to your window and began tapping incessantly. It didn't take long for your figure to still and cautiously approach the window. The closer you got, the more he found himself leaning into the cold glass. If you didn't open it soon, he wouldn't mind breaking in...

To say he wasn't amused at the brief flash of fear in your eyes when you finally got the courage to open your curtains would be a lie. When you finally slowed the beating of your heart and opened the window, Illumi was in the room before the glass was fully open. "I'm home.", he breathed out into the warm, vanilla scented room. You leaned forward a little to shut the window, not missing the blood and earth littering his skin and clothes. "I can see that...", you hummed with an eyeroll, "I almost pushed your ass out of that window.". Illumi let the threat slip through one ear and out the other as he took in your smaller frame. You'd happen to wear those dainty little pajamas he'd bought you not too long ago; the ones with the thin top and shorts just barely long enough to keep you warm at night.

The only thing that should be keeping your warm at night was him.

His eyes followed your figure as you rummaged through your closet for a second. "Here, take these.", you started while throwing him a pair of his joggers and underwear he'd left and directed him toward your bathroom, "I'll be here when you're finished". Illumi stood there for a moment and let his eyes trace your form before stalking off toward the bathroom. The quicker he was clean, the faster he could indulge himself in your presence. He wanted to lie and say that he was using you for some sort of personal gain, wanted to say you were a pawn in one of his many games. He couldn't though... not when he could feel the ice thawing in his chest when you held him close, not when your hands made him as weak as they did.

As the warm water washed the filth from his skin, any traces of the strength his father had instilled in him washed away with it. All thoughts left his mind as he breathed in your scent through clouds of steam.

When he finally finished showering and dressing, he crept toward your room door silently. He watched as you scrolled through your phone unaware of his prying eyes. Suddenly, your eyes met his and you sat up with a smile, curls falling into your face. "Don't just stand there, idiot! Come here and let me take care of you.", you beckoned. One second Illumi was at the edge of your doorframe and the next he was settled between your plush thighs. His eyes closed as you whispered sweet nothings into air while drying his hair with the towel he'd subconsciously brought to you. If you were to kill him now, he wouldn't mind in the slightest. It'd only be fitting considering how weak you'd managed to make him by simply existing.

"I've killed for you... and I'll do it again.", he whispered into your skin. It was a truth he would usually leave unspoken, a truth you'd suspected long before its uttering. "I know, pretty boy, I know.", you hummed softly while tossing the towel into an unknown corner.

"I want to consume you. All of you will be mine and there's nothing you can do to stop me.", he purred as you held his face close to yours and peppered it with cocoa butter scented kisses. "I know, pretty boy, I know.", you breathed just before your lips locked with his.

The kiss lasted a lot longer than the ones he'd dealt you in the past. This one was filled with unsatiable hunger, it was filled with greed. Illumi rose to cage you underneath him and let his lips roam every inch of your skin available to him. He listened to your breathing change, and he knew he had you where he wanted you. Carefully, with lips and teeth etching praises into your neck, he pressed your thighs against your chest and your ankles on his shoulders. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the tinkling sound of the anklets he'd had designed specifically for you and his sweats became too tight for comfort.

Illumi broke away from the intoxicating taste of your skin and sat back to assess the damage he'd caused. You were a sight to behold; brown skin littered with hickeys, unshed tears prickling at your lash line, and clothes barely covering your body. Illumi wanted nothing more than to make those tears fall from your eyes and rid your body of the fabric separating your skin from his. Still, consideration nipped at the back of his mind as he observed the tiredness in your eyes as well. He'd been thinking too long, apparently, because your hands were back on his face pulling him in for another long kiss.

Illumi decided that he'd send you off to sleep with a treat.

A muffled gasp fell from your lips onto his as he snaked a hand between your bodies and began toying with you through your shorts. To his surprise, and delight, they were the only thing between his hand and that sensitive spot he liked to abuse. Illumi drank in the broken whimpers and moans you offered him with unabashed fervor. Soon, his lips wandered blessing his ears with the sweet sounds of your pleas. He found himself licking a long stripe up from the base of your neck to a sensitive spot he'd discovered not too long ago.

Illumi practically purred at the feeling of your nails drawing patterns into the skin of his back that would undoubtedly be left for him to see in the morning. "If anyone ever tries to take you from me, I'll kill them. Mine... all mine.. only mine.", he whispered into ear as he felt your thighs quiver on either side of him, "That's it, sweet thing. Come for me, I know you can do it. Make me proud.". As you came, tears slipping down your cheeks, Illumi almost came undone at the sight.

Curtains of long, raven-colored hair surrounded you, allowing your eyes to be trained on the dark ones peering down at you with a twisted look of love and warmth. As your consciousness slowly ebbed away, the comforting weight of Illumi's body on top of yours lulled you into a sense of security. Illumi watched you fall asleep as he removed his hand from between your thighs and shut his own eyes. He ignored the twitching in his pants as he too lost consciousness. It didn't bother him that he was falling asleep unsatisfied.

He'd simply have his fill of you in the morning.

#ambw #illumi x reader #illumi zoldyck #hunter x hunter #hxh #hxh smut #hxh illumi #illumi smut #anime #anime smut #hxh au #smut #hunter x hunter fanart #illumi headcanons

[manysketchbook]

Firffels: the Wuzzles Competitor That Disappeared

Recently, I found this toy at my local thrift store. I thought it was an oddly cute nativity toy, but upon closer inspection the tush tag read "FIRFFELS. I'm glad to be a SHAMEL." I did a quick search online and the first result was this page on Ghost of the Doll, a toy collector's site that archives information about 80s/90s toys and includes a forum where anyone can seek help with identifying toys. This lead me down a rabbit hole of figuring out just what Firffels were: a failed line of toys promised to be the next hot phenomenon, with minimal documentation online and a handful of toys floating around in thrift stores.

Other than Ghost of the Doll, I found info about Firffels in this 2010 blog post by Trish Babbles (written in an edgy, mean-to-be-funny style that I think is too uncharitable, but it was a different time to be online lol) and this blog post by AF Blog. My other info comes from Othello Bach's website dedicated to the book itself (her personal site is no longer functional) and from a handful of youtube videos I found of a Firffels commercial. Many thanks to these sources, without them there'd be like, nothing online about these creatures.

Firffels are based on the children's book Who ever Heard of a Fird? by Othello Bach, first edition published in 1984 by Caedmon Childrens Books (upon Googling, it appears that Caedmon is owned by HarperCollins now and focuses on audiobooks). The story follows Fird, a fish-bird hybrid, as he travels the world to find other firds. Along the way he encounters a goofy, lovable cast of other hybrid animals who have all never heard of a fird. The story ends with fird learning to love his uniqueness and find peace with being who he is. As is apparent in the Amazon link above (not sponsored, just showing my work), a used copy is $86 dollars right now. An audiobook narrated by Joel Grey (an actor that I'm unfamiliar with who is apparently known for his role in Cabaret) was also released on cassette, listed on Ebay for $75+. Luckily, there is a youtube video of someone doing a complete read through of the book, but the camera angle is poor. This is the only visual record I could find online of the interior illustrations by Michelle Dorman, other than a brief look at a few in a low quality VHS promo rip I'll get to in a minute, and the image below from an Ebay listing. There may be a few more photos in some Etsy listings that I missed.

In Trish's blog post they complain that Shamel is an ugly monstrosity and there were a few comments on Ghost of the Doll's forum of the same nature about Shamel, but I think Shamel is the cutest one! It just looks like a new breed of camel, meanwhile Fird in the background here is...he's so cartoonishly goofy. Idk how else to describe him. He's so fuckin' goofy. He'd make squeaky Spongebob-esque sound effects when he walks, I imagine.

The book was allegedly a hit and Remco bought the merchandising rights. They went all in, as is detailed in the 5 minute promotional video below. Based on a cast of 6 characters, plush toys and posable action figures hit the market with a promise that Hanna Barbera would develop an animated tv show starring Firffels, housewares would be made, there'd be a clothing line, and Design-a-Firffel contests would be held. A few housewares seem to have been made and plush toy sewing patterns were released, but I was unable to find evidence that anything else moved forward.

Absolutely fucking insane fact: according to this video, Caedmon Publishing was owned by Raytheon at the time. Thanks Raytheon for these cuddly children's toys and also, uh, horrific weapons of war?

After I bought Shamel, I went back to the store to see if there were more. There were! I found Bertle and Elephonkey, who still had the original tags. I swear the day earlier I had seen a frog toy with butterfly wings but it wasn't there anymore. I remember passing over it and thinking "eh, butterfly wings on a frog aren't cute," and did not bothering even looking at the tags. My mistake. Turns out that toy was worth a decent amount of money and was part of this whole story.

Bertle's pink belly super bright in real life, like neon. There is a sunbleached spot on it's front.

Elephonkey is the only one with original tags. I also included an image of the tush tag. For each toy the tush tag is the same but displays the character's name.

Hybrid animals are not a unique concept. Wuzzles, a line of plush toys that were animal hybrids with wings and likely made to compete with Care Bears, are brought up in most posts and forums where Firffels are mentioned--usually to disparage Firffels as being knock off, less successful Wuzzles. Wuzzles weren't exactly successful either, though they definitely lasted longer and had more reach, likely due to the backing of a Disney/Hasbro budget. AF Blog in 2015 makes a good point that I agree with: it's unlikely that Wuzzles and Firffels were ripping each other off due to production timelines. Toy lines can be in development for years before any information is made public. It takes a long time to design toys, then get them to a manufacturer, then go through the revisions process. Not to mention the time it takes to ship things out, negotiate contracts at every step of the way, etc. And, as AF Blog notes, Whoever Heard of a Fird? was released in 1984, a year before the first Wuzzles tv episode aired, and Firffels hit the market a year later.

People draw hybrid animals all the time. For example, furry adoptable artists draw hybrids all the time (take a shot every time you find a closed species that is a feline with a fish tail or deer feet or some other animal's defining trait), the Lego movie had Unikitty, and I literally went to Walmart today and in the toy section there was a miniature rabbit-like rainbow animal with wings and a unicorn horn there. The thing that makes these toys potentially appealing, in my opinion, is that they choose safe and popular traits: sparkly horns and feathery wings, for the most part. Things that are easily marketable.

The thing with Firffels is that they combined animals with traits that are less immediately appealing. Image below from Ghost of the Doll.

Some of them are cute but the others miss the mark. Personally I like Shamel and Bertle (the plush version only tbh).

Worth pointing out is that the character illustrations do not match the toy designs. If you go back and watch the commercials included in the 5 minute promo video, you can see that the Bertle plush and action figure are brown and green rather than pink and blue, and that Shamel's hair is brown instead of purple. I saw varied photos of the Butterfrog plush: some were lighter green while others were darker. Could be an issue with differing cameras, but I don't know for certain. And then there's Elephonkey, who is the most inconsistent of the bunch:

The first image is the prototype toy as it appears in the commercial. It is grey and flesh colored, with odd looking plastic hair. The second image is from Ghost of the Doll, of how the Elephonkey action figure actually appeared in stores. Third is a photo of my Elephonkey plush. Compare it with the official character art...well, he's not my favorite design in any incarnation.

I think the toys in the commercials were prototypes that were changed to brighter colors so as to appeal more towards girls. In the 30 second plush commercial there are 4 girl actors and 1 boy actor, with the camera shots getting closer to and focusing more on the girls' faces, so it would make sense. In contrast, the action figure commercial features 1 girl and 2 boys, and most of the camera shots are of the kids' hands playing with the toys, giving off a more boyish, gender-neutral vibe. Classics of gendered marketing, am I right? lol. But I think the change was a good one. I wouldn't have picked up Shamel if I hadn't seen the purple hair, and I definitely would not like Bertle if he wasn't pink. It gives the toys more of a cohesive style, a unique identity, and they fit in more alongside the Wuzzles/Care Bears visuals with the vibrant, happy colors. There's more of a toy-like quality to them, which increases the cuddle-ability and inspires more of an urge to play.

Discovering and logging all this inconsistency has been pretty fun. But it makes me think that these toys were probably doomed by a chaotic, unorganized development process behind the scenes. And given that the book was published in '84 and toys hit the market in '85...the signs seem to point to production being rushed.

To be fair to Firffels, it was probably a little harder in the 80s to hit it big with kids. You had to be lucky, you had to have connections with the right distributors, you had to anticipate what is universally appealing to children--one of the most unpredictable audiences out there--and you had to pay to air your commercials during prime child viewing hours. These are all things that are still true, but we have the internet now and the advertising power of the internet is scary. Going viral on TikTok has the potential to skibidi someone's toilet career. iPad babies are growing up into grade school kids who throw birthday parties every year and get toys as gifts. We are living in an era where mass-producing cheap little polyester plushies and plastic figures is easier than ever and corporations have massive budgets to pump into kids' eyeballs through every advertising avenue they possibly can. They don't even need to come up with the designs anymore, they can just partner with whatever Roblox game is popular right now and capitalize on that. Maybe Othello Bach should get on Roblox.

Actually, it appears that Bach was given the short end of the stick by the time Firffels were pulled. Though her personal website is no longer up, her other website dedicated entirely to Whoever Heard of a Fird? has some info:

At the height of Fird's success, with over 100 licensees cramming the store shelves with children’s merchandise and an animation contract with Hanna-Barbera, the book and all the merchandise suddenly vanished from the shelves.  Although she lost the rights to several other published children’s books at the same time, Othello has never received a reasonable explanation for what happened.

So this passage actually clears something up for me. This whole time something that hasn't really lined up is that I had assumed that Othello Bach published the book first and then was approached for merchandising rights after the book sold well. I actually think now it's possible that from the get-go the book was written with the intention for it to become a worldwide sensation. Not so much Bach's intent, though. I have some professional familiarity with licensing and other such creative publishing contracts, particularly with books. Based on what I know, I believe it's more likely that Bach pitched her manuscript to Caedmon Publishing and Caedmon, seeking to create popular IP, was like, "this has potential and we are going to sign you on not only for the book, but for more." That might be why the character designs are so strange: they were trying too hard to get famous quick and had instructed the illustrator (it is regular practice for publishers to pair authors with an illustrator and given how much was on the line for this IP, Bach might not've had much input here) to design characters that could also become toys. It's unlikely that Michelle Dorman, a kids book illustrator, had product design skills needed to make standout, awesome toy designs. Not a knock on her, illustrators just have niches within their field that they're best at it. It's why you see so many illustrators complain about how often they get approached to design logos--that's not what we do, thank you.

What's sad is that clearly Bach had signed a bad contract that gave away most of her rights as the writer to the publisher. She openly says so above. My guess is that Caedmon told her they needed more rights than usual to be able to conduct so much merchandising (like signing contracts with Remco, much easier to do when you don't have a third party also involved), and because they were pouring so much effort into it on their end. Bach is just the writer, so while the original idea is hers, Caedmon would have matched her with an illustrator and taken charge of all the licensing and merchandising. For a publisher this is a huge commitment financially and personnel-wise, so it makes sense why they would have put forth a contract that gave them so many rights. If Firffels had become as popular as they'd hoped, they don't want to not own the IP. They would have poured all those resources into it and not be able to reap all the rewards because that pesky author would own it. It's almost like contracts like these are predatory and only serve the interests of the publisher. Almost like publishers are companies existing in a capitalistic system and therefore only serve profit, not people. Almost like companies will never truly have artist's best interests at heart, and if you are ever to sign a contract with a big publisher you need to have a good lawyer by your side.

It makes me so sad to read that they didn't even give her a reasonable explanation as to why everything was cancelled. She does not even appear to have any of the merchandise on hand, as all the photos on her website are from Ghost of the Doll. In hindsight we can guess, obviously, why the cancellation happened but I'm in the moment it was probably upsetting. It's still upsetting, given that she has included this in her website for the...revamped book!

However, like Fird, Othello refused to give up. For the next 20 years, she tried to regain the rights to her work. Entertainment attorneys assured her it would never happen.  They said, "It can't be done!" But... it could be done and Othello did it, regaining the rights back to all her work.

Yeah, so, I actually think this is the saddest part about the whole thing. She managed to get some of the rights back and republished the book with...new art...that looks so fucking BAD. Image from her website:

Sorry to this illustrator, but got damn. There is no sauce to this art whatsoever. It is unseasoned, not even salt and pepper. This looks like ass and would never fucking fly with any editor worth their chops. It took me ages to figure out that the long yellow curved line is Fird's tail. Like, this is so unbelievably sad to me. I don't even really like the original art a whole lot, but compared to this...

My informed guess as to what happened is that Bach lawyered up and fought. As we know, Caedmon is now owned by HarperCollins. I can't say for certain but there was probably some case to be made that Caedmon being sold breached the contract, or nullified parts of it, or perhaps the contract expired. It could even just be that HarperCollins didn't care about an old, unprofitable IP and granted Bach her rights back. There is also Remco to consider: they also hold some of the rights, but probably just for the merchandise? Given how prominently their logo is displayed on the toy tags, they might actually own a significant share. Perhaps they were happy not to have anything to do with the book so long as the merch rights weren't touched. I don't know! There's no info about it on the site and this stuff is usually under NDA.

So Bach got her rights back, but she's just the writer. She doesn't own any of the art, so in order to republish the book she had to hire a new illustrator. She likely did not have a huge budget for it, maybe even paying for it out of her pocket because the Choice Books logo she has in several spots on the Fird website appears to be for a distribute on demand service, in place of a traditional publisher.

As the writer, she also would not have gotten the rights to use the original audiobook, so she had one re-recorded. It also appears like she does not have the rights to the name "Firffels" either, as the only places it appears on the site are in photographs of merchandise and in titles specifically referring to the work that is still owned by Caedmon. She carefully refers to her own work as "Fird" for short or the book's full title, probably because she cannot legally imply that she owns or made anything else.

I dug into this thinking it would be a quick look at some strange, forgotten toys from a bygone era. Instead I found a story about how an artist can so easily be shafted by publishers. Everything always loops back around to workers' rights, it seems. Stories like this about shitty publishing contracts (see: Webtoon if you want to get into something current) still appear so often, man. It's depressing, and indicative that the publishing industry needs some reforming ASAP. Like, Illustrators, when are we getting a proper union?

But I'm glad Bach got her rights back and got her book republished within her lifetime. I'm sad she didn't have the budgets for a better illustrator. Sorry to bring that up again, I work as an illustrator irl and I have opinions about craft, lol. Also I just think that given how hard Bach had to fight, she deserved to have better art made. That being said, here's another link to her current website. There's not much there but what is there is a monument to a battle she fought and won, and is proud of.

The lack of detailed, clear, centralized documentation of these toys frustrates me. One of the most frustrating things about the internet for me is that there are few easily accessible, publicly available archives of toys--even for modern toys. I've had to use Amazon reviews and Ebay listings and broken online stores to decipher publication years. With this in mind I decided to do a write up and provide clearer pictures of the toys that I have (I'll take hi res pics in natural lighting too someday). Archives are important to me and the internet kinda sucks for it, I say as someone who started this blog for that purpose. If Tumblr goes down, so does everything I've posted here. As an artist who works primarily digitally, one of the scariest things is knowing that I'm laboring over an ephemeral body of work. It's just not going to exist for very long unless I print it out on archival materials. Data is not the same as a physical object. My Firffels have survived for 39 years but the digital art I draw every day is unlikely to last past 10 years because websites die and files get deleted.

I bought the Firffels from my thrift store thinking I'd resell them. I'm low income so I sell many of the things I thrift. I prefer to buy the older toys or the ones that need cleaning because it makes me feel better about being a reseller (I don't want to take away options from low income kids in my area, ya know?). But I'm putting in the labor to freshen them up and I'm putting in the effort to make unavailable toys available again, at least for one person. And I don't have a whole lot of shelf space to display the toys in my collection...but for now I think I'll keep them.

#80s #80s toys #vintage #vintage toys #firffels #whoever heard of a fird #thrifting #thrift finds #1985 #manys collection #toy collection #plush #plush toys #plushies #kidcore #plushcore #toycore #hybrid #hybrid animals #shamel #elephonkey #bertle #sheep #camel #bear #turtle #elephant #monkey #wuzzles #publishing

[liminalmemories21]

Lim! It’s me! I request 8 please 🥺

So, umm, I got a little carried away?

There'd been a shelf of cookbooks in the condo, before it burned down.  Cookbooks that Carlos had bought when he was in college and experimenting with learning how to make Indian food and Thai food and pasta from scratch, books he'd bought at school fundraisers and church Christmas markets, books he'd been given as housewarming presents when he moved into the condo.  

When he moved into the loft he realized that Carlos had never replaced them, and even though Carlos hadn't left a space for them in the kitchen, he felt like he could see it anyway, where they would have sat.

He goes on a quest after that.  Some of them are easy to replace from alibris or bookfinder: the 1964 edition of the Joy of Cooking - because apparently the new edition had fucked around with all the recipes, Carlos's words, not his, and he'd stared at Carlos shocked when he'd said it because Carlos doesn't swear all that often unless he's in bed; a soup cookbook from some celebrity chef from the 90s that he's seen Carlos make exactly two recipes out of; a copy of the Silver Palate cookbook that someone at work had given him at a holiday gift exchange.

The church cookbooks and Junior League cookbooks are harder to find, and he takes to scouring second hand bookstores and antique stores and thrift shops on his days off when Carlos is at work.  Sometimes he drags Nancy or Marjan or Paul with him.  

"Why are we doing this?" Nancy grouses once.  "I've never seen Carlos use a recipe for anything."

"That's not the point," he snaps, and Nancy backs off with sympathetic eyes.

And, it isn't.  The point is that this is something Carlos had lost that he could maybe give back.  He's never going to be able to replace the pie bird that Carlos bought at the farmer's market when he was 12, or the old wooden rolling pin that had been his abuela's, worn smooth with time and use, or the butter molds his cousin Anna had brought him back from a trip to France.  But this, is something he can do.

It takes longer than he expects, and he ends up with more books than had been in Carlos's collection originally.  But he hadn't been able to resist them, the ones with cheery titles like "Nightingales in the Kitchen" and "Charlottesville: Cooking for Compliments", or the ones filled with someone else's handwritten edits that say things like 'never make this again' or 'add orange juice' or 'your husband will thank you'.

He meant to wait for Carlos's birthday, but he gets impatient, and packs them all in a banker's box and sticks a huge red bow on it, and makes brisket for dinner.  Carlos sniffs appreciatively when he comes home, and doesn't even notice the box on the table until he's coming back from hanging up his coat.

Carlos looks at him, clearly trying to remember if he's forgotten something, and he shakes his head.  "No reason, baby, just because."

"It's not a lizard is it?"

He snorts.  "I wouldn't do that to you, I promise.  You'll like this."

Carlos lifts the books out slowly, turning them over in his hand, stacking them up on the table.  He finally looks at TK.  'I had these at the condo."  He nods. "You bought them for me?"  He nods again, worrying his lip a little, suddenly nervous.  "Why?"

"You kept them, they meant something to you, they had memories for you.  I hate that you lost everything."  He waves a hand when Carlos starts to deny it, or point out that TK did too.  "I know, I was there too, I lost things too.  But, I'd only just moved in, I still had stuff at Dad's.  That was a home you built, and you lost it, and we don't talk about it."  He shifts on his feet, fidgeting with the couch cushion.  "We don't have to talk about it now, just, I wanted you to have something back."  He gestures around the loft. "You give me so much.  You deserve to have everything too."

Carlos kneels up on the couch, wrapping arms around him, kissing him breathless.  He smiles into the kiss.  "You like them then?"

"I love them."  Carlos kisses him again.  "I love you."  And then he pulls back to look speculatively at the kitchen.  "We'll have to rearrange some of the cups to make space for them."

#writing prompt #second-hand #tarlos #911 lonestar

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

If Danganronpa is live like the 6th trial suggests does that mean it's a 24 hour Livestream, like imagine being in Danganronpa twitter and seeing "omg they died" trending and trying to figure out if it's Danganronpa related or someone else died. Imagine the update accounts

I have a LOT of thoughts about v3 as a TV show, cause there's two main camera feeds. You have all the nanokumas as well as Kiibo POV camera, so it begs the question, what did Danganronpa 53 look like?

I was talking with some friends on discord about this the other day, and someone had the idea that there were two feeds. You had the 24 hour Livestream that was Kiibo POV to enable audience participation, with podcast-type interviews with Monokuma and spcial guests during quiet periods, and a proper, edited TV show using Kiibo POV occasionally but mainly cutting around the nanokumas' feeds following The Protagonist.

I think there'd be gatekeeping and elitism from the people who dedicated themselves to watching as much of the 24 hour live streams as possible. Anyone else wasn't getting the "real experience" as an interactive audience. I also think there would be casual fans that watched the TV show because it was on and it was popular, and had NO IDEA about the whole Ultimate Real Fiction thing.

I think social media would've been BIZARRE. We got a glimpse of it in trial 6 but like. Imagine you're at school during lunch and suddenly the cafeteria goes into an uproar because a body was discovered. People would be wearing merch and cosplaying and discoursing and making stupid jokes about the real deaths and plights of the v3 cast.

I just find this concept so so interesting because then the survivors have to go outside and live in a world that is still like this to some degree. Like yeah, everyone rejected danganronpa at the end of v3, and I do think the majority really did, but I think some people went back to it after a while or found reasons to justify to themselves why its okay or just straight up never cared. It holds this weird place in pop culture where everyone's aware of how horrible it was to the survivors, but its still everywhere and still very popular.

#pluto answers #sorry this was so longwinded this is my favourite part of v3's ending #believe it or not im holding back here #I just find it so interesting!! I love fake social media posts #might have to make some later its so cool to me

[theladyofbloodshed]

hii, may i ask if you use any specific app to help you write? i've been using notion but i think it's hindering my writing when i write on my phone.. i followed your au acosf when it was still being updated and i was amazed how fast you can write for quite a long chapter... thanks for your answer!

Hello!

Uhh, I guess I'm a bit old school because I literally just use word.

Long post below:

Writing process for me is usually:

I have an idea

I daydream about it and imagine possible outcomes then fixate on one path

I write it

Because I've visualised in quite a lot of detail, run through different dialogues, when it comes to writing it, it is usually quite a smooth process because I know exactly what's happening.

If I'm just staring at a screen then I like to switch to writing by hand. These scenes tend to need less editing too as they're slower to write and I can pick up on mistakes whereas when I'm typing quickly, I'll sometimes type the wrong word or miss one out.

Sometimes it means that I haven't planned. Planning for me can just be a couple of bullet points that x/y/z will happen. Sometimes I'll just lay down, close my eyes, put some music on and start imagining again.

When I wrote ACOSF, I had a lot of ideas that I knew would happen so each chapter was either "the event" I wanted or the build up to it. For example, in one chapter, I knew Nesta would have faebane at dinner with the Vanserras or she'd go to meet Cassian at the war memorial in Illyria. Sometimes I needed to bridge between X and Y and there'd be little filler bits. That was more fun because I could waffle and create scenarios not necessary to the plot, but just nice bits like Nesta playing with children or cuddling up with Rovena. It's a luxury that fan fiction can have. I tend to always be thinking a few chapters ahead because we'll be pointing in one direction - but it might be we'll hit some rocks and it's a dead end so I need to start steering it another way, if that makes sense?

How can I write so much so quickly? Lots and lots of daydreaming! When I was a teacher, I didn't get a single second to myself on a work day so I'd be daydreaming about the fic on the way in (30 mins), work solid for 9 hours with children tapping me and teaching and marking and planning, then daydream on the drive home (1 hour thanks to traffic!). I would make a cup of tea then sit for an hour immediately after coming home, drink my tea and write the bits I'd been daydreaming then my partner would come home. I could have my "free time" then which was spent cleaning/cooking/seeing partner. When all those things were done, if there was still time in the evening then I'd sit and write some more. I'm not a night owl so most weekdays I'm in bed by 9/9:30.

Sometimes, I do write on my phone too but I just write on notes then email it to myself and put it in the word document but that's usually if I'm somewhere and have no access to paper e.g. if I stay at a friends and wake up early.

Sprints can also be useful like setting a timer for 15/20 mins and you just write for that amount of time then take a break, do something else, but no distractions during the sprint. I also keep an excel file because i'm obsessed with spreadsheets to track my writing

This was when I was writing The Wench and The Gentleman

Light green was my daily wordcount (I had fics on top of this too). I had a target of the total that I needed to reach weekly to stay on track (I set myself like 8 weeks to write that book because I love putting weird deadlines on myself) so the dark green is my actual word count and the number beside it was the target. You can see by week 3, I was 19k words ahead of schedule lmao.

I'm more than happy to chat more about writing processes and discover how other people work so feel free to message on chat or whatever :-)

#anon asks

[vulpine-spectacle]

Hi Vulpine 🤓✋🏻 I have a question. When you started writing this fanfic, did you expect the number of people reading and replicating it? From what I see the number is only growing. Are you happy with the result of your work? and that can have become people's comfort fanfic.

By 👻

Hello 👻!!! Wow, this is quite a flattering question. It truly does jar me just how big of a reaction EIOB has gotten. I admittedly expected it to receive some attention, just by the fact that Dune: Part 2 had just come out and Feyd is a hot bald guy, so naturally there'd be a demographic. But I never expected it to reach this peak. EIOB currently has roughly 700+ reviews (a rough estimate, since I try to reply to most comments so the actual comment count is guess work, but still so incredible to me), 1,926 Kudos, 281 Bookmarks, and 55,370 Hits. It is all beyond heart warming and I continue to be in such awe.

Am I happy? Honestly, I am. I am a hyper critical person so I admittedly sometimes sink into mental traps where I question the validity of my fic and get faced with imposter syndrome. But overall, I am happy with EIOB. It has been by far my favorite fanfic writing project ever. It has been so much fun to delve into this world, to explore it and to world build and explore Eurydice as a character and her relationship with Feyd, and getting to have fun exploring an canon divergent universe. Obviously, EIOB isn't done - not even remotely - but as of right now, I am very happy with it. I hope I an able to do the ending justice when I (eventually) get to it. 0.0 Longfic ahoy!

And as far as becoming peoples' comfort fic...that is honestly the best part. Whenever I receive a comment, a message here on tumblr, where someone tells me this fic makes their day or they love re-reading it or things like that, that is what truly fuels my writing fire. I've had a lot of comfort fics in my lifetime, and I treasure each one. And so knowing that my fic is that for people is honestly incredible.

Not to mention the fact, you guys come up with incredible theories, discuss in comments, make beautiful edits ( s/o to @blacksunrequiem ), and so much more...it's amazing. You guys are amazing. EIOB could not be what it is without you.

#anonymous #writer rambles #eiob #echoes in our blood

[mareenavee]

for the fanfic asks, 1, 3 and 15!

Hello! :D Thank you so much for asking these. I particularly love this set of questions.

The ask game is just here.

Fanfic asks for my fic, The World on Our Shoulders!

Without further ado, onward to the answers! :D

1. What inspired you to write/update this work?

I did talk about the origin of my fic a little bit here. What inspired me to update it? Well. I could talk about the ground-up edit.

I had been writing this as sort of a challenge mode back in February, getting the draft down on paper and posting every day just to prove to myself that I could. By the time the challenge ended, I had over 100k words, which was more than my goal (it was more or less a NaNoWriMo challenge I made for myself) and I was able to go back, read it with fresh eyes, and realize pieces that weren't hitting the way I wanted them to. So I decided to go back in and edit iirc somewhere before April. I had something like 52 chapters posted by then lol. So it was a big undertaking. I had plot threads I'd dropped, I had characters whose voices weren't coming through in the way that I hoped. There'd been some waffling about phrasing and word choices and scenes that just felt rushed.

This time, though, instead of simply just feeling awful about my work I decided it could do with some love. So I took the time to start revisions and didn't post anything until I had a big chunk of the story ready to be proofread and edited more ahead of a posting schedule. I've been adding in an extra chapter update or two here or there on certain weeks. But anyway, the inspiration behind updating this is because I want it to be the kind of story I wanted to read, but could not find, even in its first iteration. (: All I can do is hope I'm doing it justice.

3. If this work is an update/new chapter, how do you stay motivated on multi-chapter works? 

I am motivated to keep updating this thing because the story is living rent free in my head, and what else am I going to do but write it if it's allowed to clatter around in there anyway? (: LOL But no, seriously, I'm invested in the characters at this point. It's a personal challenge besides that, which I was going over here and here. I just wanna write a fun story besides all that. I figured, what is the most dramatic thing that can happen to an NPC who discovers they're the dragonborn? WELL. After a series of bad decisions on her part, we have the prologue of World lol. It's more than that, of course, but still. (:

15. What is one question you wish someone would ask you about this work? Ask it and answer it.

OH another one of these, my poor brain LOL. Okay. Here goes nothing! (Thank you, btw. I love having to really think about my work like this!)

Are there alternate ways this story could have gone? Do you have plans to make what-if sort of stories for this series?

I've been wanting to write a series of shortfics or one shots that go over alternate events counter to what happens in World, really, because I think it's important for writing practice and for reaffirming that, while the alternate story is fun and good to think about, you're on the right path with how you've been going in your project (:

Some of the questions I ask myself are:

"What would have happened if Nyenna and Eris actually made it to Solstheim as intended?"

"What if she stayed with Hadvar and went straight to Solitude?"

"What if Nyenna rejected Athis?"

"What if she never learned magic?"

"What if she wasn't the Last Dragonborn? Who would be?"

Among so, so many others. All of them would have affected her character arc in some significant way. Most of them would still have her being pulled into her destiny, though, except that last one. Most of them would have her missing out on trusting herself to get stronger, especially the first one. Some of them would shift the whole setting of the story to a different part of Skyrim altogether, and a setting shift has the ability to change the tone of the whole story, if you think about it.

I want to take a minute to answer those what-ifs briefly.

1: She'd have never been guided to reconnect with her power. Teldryn probably would have seen her just as another traveler, not as a patron. He might have left for Skyrim without her the following morning. She'd have to be saved from a dragon, likely, instead of do the saving or escaping on her own, before the whole soul absorption thing happens.

2: She'd have joined the Legion, likely, convinced she could be anything she put her mind to. She'd be a good soldier, and of course would stand and fight a random dragon with Hadvar in the battalion at her side. She'd discover her powers and then Tullius would, sensing an opportunity, use her in his plans to end the war as quickly as possible. If either of them survived to the end of either quest, she'd probably hire Hadvar as her housecarl. Or maybe marry him instead.

3: Athis is quite smitten with Nyenna at the beginning of their story. If Nyenna wasn't so rash and grabby-hands about that kind of attention, she'd probably have been nice enough to him, but would have focused on recovery first and then moving on toward Solstheim as was her original intention. I like the idea that she'd discover she's Dragonborn on Solstheim rather than at the watchtower, though... it'd be interesting considering she'd not have trained at all in this situation, too.

4: If all went exactly as the fic was going, but she never learned Flames to begin with, she'd not have known she had a bit of an unusual aptitude for magic. It would affect how she'd fight. She'd probably still focus on archery, I'd assume, but also would need to have an even better handle on fighting with weapons that actually have weight to them. I feel like she'd fit the image the Nords have of the LDB a little better. Also, without healing magic, Athis probably would have died at a certain point. Twice she'd been there to staunch the bleeding and close wounds when others couldn't or didn't. So that would have complicated things.

5: If Nyenna wasn't the Dragonborn but everything went exactly as the fic is going, I'd have given that to Athis, I think. He wishes more than once over the course of the story that he could have been chosen, mostly regretting being unable to take the burden off of her. If that was the case, I wonder how Nyenna would have reacted to being the wife of the Dragonborn. I feel like Athis would have prioritized her anyway, even in the wake of the quest. I don't know if Nyenna would have stayed home per se. She'd probably have still been training and retrieving artifacts. She'd probably have gone with Athis on some pieces of the quest, too, because he wouldn't have thought HE was the one causing the chaos and danger as Nyenna believes in World.

So yes. Alternate what-if fics :D If I were to write a one shot of any of these, would you guys like to see a specific one? Feel free to comment or send me asks and I can also write fragments out, maybe, of certain changed scenes as writing practice. <3

#AskMareena #MareenaWrites #The World on Our Shoulders #Nyenna #Teldryn Sero #Athis #LDB/Teldryn Sero #LDB/Athis #Skyrim #Elder Scrolls #tesblr #fanficblr #writeblr

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

We're about a month away from the release of WISH...

Walt Disney Animation Studios, and by extension the whole dang company built on this cartoon bedrock, celebrated their 100th year yesterday... ABC aired ENCANTO, in addition to the world premiere of the short film ONCE UPON A STUDIO (which apparently has now been chopped off of WISH and will debut elsewhere), and an edited version of the WISH trailer... Nothing pertaining to the future was unveiled...

(By the by, I don't have cable, so... I didn't get to see ONCE UPON A STUDIO. Sadface.)

You'd think, for the company's 100th anniversary... That there'd be *some* word on what was coming up next from Walt Disney Animation Studios?

Their new movie is in theaters next month, and we don't know what the November 27, 2024 release from them is...

By now, we usually know what's next... For example:

WISH was first unveiled in September 2022 at the D23 Expo, which was a little over a year before the movie's target release date.

STRANGE WORLD, by contrast, was announced a little under a year before its release. That film was revealed to the public via the trades and Disney themselves on their socials.

ENCANTO was revealed in December 2020 during the company's Investors Day event, that less than a year before it came out.

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON was another D23 reveal, the August 2019 one to be exact. At the time, RAYA was set to be a Thanksgiving 2020 release until COVID-19 complications pushed it to March 2021.

This, of course, does not count the rumors and scoops. Sometimes, various sites get news on Disney animated movies before Disney themselves say anything. For example, long before Disney announced RAYA in August 2019 to the public, scooper sites were revealing info like "WDAS' next movie is DRAGON EMPIRE". I sometimes heard stuff from the trenches, which was always fun. I remember little snips of what ENCANTO was going to be maybe a year or two before announcement? STRANGE WORLD is interesting because not only were scoopers saying a movie called "Searcher Clade" was coming, but the Venture - the airship the Clade family and the explorers use to reach Avalonia's insides - was Easter Egged in the ENCANTO credits. ENCANTO debuted just a few weeks before the announcement, not even...

So yeah, I thought I'd look at the patterns of their recent releases. We're definitely well beyond the days where you'd hear about things 2-3 years in advance. Remember how ZOOTOPIA, a March 2016 release, was first unveiled at the 2013 D23 Expo? Fun times.

I'm guessing we'll hear about this new WDAS movie, reportedly an original fantasy story set in the Middle East (is this Suzi Yoonessi's film?), either right before WISH comes out... Or maybe a little after. Maybe current world events pertaining to the setting would make an imminent announcement seem a little insensitive?

After this movie, all we know about on the horizon are undated FROZEN and ZOOTOPIA sequels, with next to no info on who's attached.

There's also still the Disney+ shows that are in the works. We got none this year, despite earlier reports indicating otherwise. IWAJU, MOANA: The Series, and TIANA remain without firm release dates, but are all aiming for next year. IWAJU's absence is especially unusual, it's pretty far long as far as I know. Last year's D23, again - in September, gave us an image. Maybe it's been pulled back? Retooled? Maybe because it was outsourced to Cinesite and kinda resembles a Disney Junior show... Maybe it's been dropped as a WDAS project and is now a Disney TV Animation production? It's only speculation on my end, because that show is a collaboration with upstart Nigerian house Kugali, and that would be a partnership squandered if WDAS passed on the show.

Anyways, with Pixar... We got WIN OR LOSE around the corner, and next year ELIO and INSIDE OUT 2 have firm release dates. Both of those, by the way, officially revealed at the September 2022 D23 Expo. Pixar usually rolls 'em well before release, WDAS cuts it a lot closer these days for some reason. Like, are we gonna know what the summer 2025 Pixar movie is *before* the fall 2024 WDAS movie? (I'm being facetious here, haha.)

I'll keep trying to be patient, but I'm like burning to know... What is *this* movie?

Worth noting that a while back, Disney Animation CCO Jennifer Lee stated that Suzi Yoonessi, Josie Trinidad, and Marc Smith had movies in the works. At the time, Carlos Lopez Estrada had a movie in the works as well, but then he was pulled off of it (reportedly called FOSTER) to take over RAYA... and then he left Disney altogether not too long after RAYA came out. He was also set to direct a live-action/CGI ROBIN HOOD remake for the enterprise... So that leaves Yoonessi (whose Instagram bio still says "Director - Disney Animation"), Trinidad (who recently directed episodes of ZOOTOPIA+), and Smith (who was recently revealed to have come up with the idea for FROZEN III, he's probably directing that if Chris Buck is unavailable).

So yeah... This information, along with two sequels...

I said it before, but I don't think either ZOOTOPIA 2 or FROZEN III are next year's movie. If they were, I think we'd know who is directing/writing/etc. FROZEN III, given that Marc Smith came up with the idea, might be closer to us than ZOOTOPIA 2 is. Or not. FROZEN II came out 4 years ago, ZOOTOPIA is over 7 years old, one would think ZOOTOPIA 2 comes first. They're just very mum on who is involved. I'd like to think ZOOTOPIA 2 isn't being directed by Byron Howard, who is likely pursuing another original movie after ENCANTO, but maybe not? ZOOTOPIA 2 might reincorporate the whole movies' worth of ideas that were thrown out during its development (I particularly like that more James Bond-like story set on an island that it could've been), or maybe it'll go for an all-new story and idea. I have no idea where FROZEN III could go, I'm not as invested in those movies.

While WDAS usually does one-a-year, always settling for Thanksgiving, it'd be cool if they take a year where Pixar doesn't have two new movies, and release two movies that year. If they FEASIBLY CAN, that is. We don't want CRUNCH, now... But in the scenario that they could... Pixar has two for 2024, and two for 2026... Who's to say... WDAS can't slot in, maybe, ZOOTOPIA 2 in the spring of 2025, and have an original out for Thanksgiving? Just spitballing, here. ZOOTOPIA and MOANA both came out in 2016, so why the heck not?

Anyways, hope to know more soon about what's up with the studio that's literally why this whole damn company even exists in the first place.

[sooperdark]

this episode is brought to you by : betterhelp! \ @othunderous

It's easy for Mickey to forget just how far the outreach of their podcast is - they've got a pretty decent following, and it shows not only in the streaming numbers but in the social media engagement they get as well, yet they still remain oblivious to it due to the monotony of the cursed day job. The moments where they do feel the grandness of their project makes them feel a bit like a god, though : and even more so when the literal god of thunder shows interest in making an appearance. Man, this is fucking huge. And man - he's fucking huge. They stand five foot four - a generous measurement due to the extra boost given by their doc martens, for without it they stand at only five foot two ( and a quarter! ) "Ahaaa, you've been keeping an eye out for Selener haven't you?" is the first thing they can think to say when welcoming him into their 'studio space'. The studio space simply being : the far end of their living room, by the window with the nicest view of outside, two microphones set at a coffee table positioned between two beanbag chairs. It's a very cozy vibe, made even cozier by the extra bit of relaxation that comes from knowing there'd be no cameras on them. They considered making it a video podcast at a point : but, they decided against it to maintain the comfortability they'd come to know. It was easier to speak your mind if you knew no one was able to analyze all your moves - though, on special occasions, video specials would be uploaded to the Patreon. They hadn't even considered suggesting that to Thor, for not only did it not feel quite right, but they also didn't want to seem like they only wanted to make a spectacle of him being a guest on their podcast. They're trying to make a safe space for him, and a safe space it will be. "Sorry, that's a shit joke. I do kinda bad when I have to talk to people with way more clout than me. Uh, do you want a beer or something? We can like, spitball a bit before I hit record, I usually just ramble regardless but it helps to have a direction. I found that out the hard way, lotta the first episodes of this thing have like, a million cuts where I had to edit out the dead silences where I totally just watched the train of thought fade away into oblivion...so yeah, beer or something?"

#othunderous #dialogue. #im obsessed w this already i hope this is ok LMAO #i rambled to set the stage but u dont have to match length at all do not fret my dear jkdfhjkds

[thespotted]

↪ what does your muse...? — spot edition !!

what does your muse smell like?

as the spot, he smells distinctly similar to what some astronauts' describe deep space as. it's likened to something metallic, something akin to sweet-smelling welding fumes. some might find the smell aromatic, unusual yet familiar all bound into one—many others might find his odour to be particularly ... repulsive. directly prior to his spot-era, jonathan smelled, perhaps, more pleasant, if a bit overwhelming. towards the latter end of his scientific career beneath fisk, jonathan was worked to the bone. some days he didn't have time for a shower, so he'd douse himself with cologne or deodorant. usually, his cologne would be a sweetened wood-like aroma, nice in moderation but sickening in excess.

what does your muse's hands feel like?

jonathan's hands, as a scientist, weren't overly rough to touch, but he certainly had a number of callouses develop from hard labour. especially in the era where he worked intensively at fisk's every wish and desire, self-care went out the window. as the spot, his hands are smooth. unusually smooth. similar to fresh metal; it might feel like your fingers slip off if you were to caress his palm or fingers. in a similar vein, if he were to grab you, there'd be little to no plush push from flesh—it is hard. dense.

what does your muse usually eat in a day?

spot no longer needs nutrients from food, or water. he hasn't needed to eat for over a year now. prior to his transformation, he would often cook in bulk. he wouldn't call himself a food connoisseur by any stretch of imagination, but he wasn't a bad cook. what he did lack was time. he'd skimp out on breakfast, have one of alchemax's cafeteria foods for lunch, and a warmed up meal he'd cooked a few days earlier for dinner. when he spent less and less time at home, away from his ( now ex ) partner and son, they eventually conformed to either having one of his many bulk-cooked meal, or having take-out. more so the latter as the super-collider came to fruition.

does your muse have a good singing voice?

he hasn't had any formal training lessons, and he isn't talented by any means, but he has a nice singing voice. he usually would only sing tunes with his partner or son, or perhaps some friends if they'd gone out to karaoke and had one too many drinks. his voice is one of the only things that he feels is still him. when he looks in the mirror, he doesn't see him, but when he speaks, he does.

does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks?

aside from his recent turning to criminal activity? he had a plethora of bad habits prior to his transformation; ranging from stressed smoking, to under-eating, to being a workaholic, to name a few.

what does your muse usually look like/wear?

as jonathan, he'd wear what was most appropriate—or perhaps, most convenient, most easy—for his job. slacks, scientist garbs, a simple, plain button-up. he used to really enjoy dressing up, wearing handsome clothing: floral button-ups, printed suits and slacks, a tall boot ... but that was before he got his alchemax position. nowadays, as the spot, he'll occasionally wear clothes that he finds ( or steals ), but for the most part, he finds that clothes are a hindrance. especially considering that he wears something that layers over a large spot, the spot will ... well. suck it up into the abyss.

is your muse affectionate? how so?

believe it or not, he used to be very affectionate man. he was never one who knew for certain that he wanted or didn't want children, but upon marrying his partner, they'd eventually talked and agreed to try for a child. that was when wyatt came to be. he was a very loving partner and father, but as he grew in the ranks of science, and later joined alchemax, his affection began to dwindle—slow at first, then severely. he and his partner eventually began to bicker and argue, and eventually those arguments reached a peak. his partner demanded that he make a choice, his family, or his career. jonathan, bristled and ireful and slighted, stated: his career. they divorced.

what position does your muse sleep in?

the spot barely needs to sleep nowadays. a good hour or so, and he's completely replenished. he's never had so much time on his hands, now that he's turned into an inhuman entity. he can sleep in whatever position suits him!

could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room?

depends on the situation! if he's talking, he's leaned into a higher volume nowadays. it's something he's using as a way to manifest confidence, both in himself and as a criminal being. one unusual thing about how he sounds, is if he's present with a large ( or multiple large ) spots, the faint sound of air cutting and rushing can be heard to those perceptible enough.

tagged by: @tvrningout ( ty! ) tagging: @sparkveins, @h-osborn, @ravagercherri, @awolxsiblings.

#dash games. #hc. #idk if the ppl i've tagged have / haven't done it so if you have don't mind me GFDKLMDKMG #but THANK YOU FOR THE TAG this was fun <33

[maybenotmei]

Dark choco cookie x reader who found away to broke the strawberry jam sword curse permanently headcanons

freed

ft. dark choco cookie

—> notes at the end

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

while browsing some books around eclair's place, you found a peculiar book sticking out from the bookshelves. it felt like it was calling you to pick it up, so you pulled it out of the bookshelf and read the cover.

"A Guide to Curses — and How to Break Them"

you remembered that dark choco had some sort of curse bound to him by that sword he was carrying, so curiously you skimmed through the table of contents until you saw what you were looking for. you didn't have much hope at first, until you saw a certain subchapter

"Strawberry Jam Sword"

quickly, you skipped through the pages (careful not to break or tear anything or else eclair would be really mad) until you saw it. a full guide about what the curse did, and how to get rid of it. the book was written before anyone touched the sword itself, so you were doubtful, but it could be worth a shot.

you hurried over to where you assumed dark choco was, and you found him right at his room. you showed him the book, and you suggested that you try it out.

he said no.

quite quickly, too. he paused, and turned away, telling you he'll think about it. you sat by his bed, saying you'll wait for his answer while you continue to read the book.

he never believed there'd come a day where this curse could be lifted from his shoulders in this time, but the more he thought about it he knew it was too late to revert what already happened.

even if there was a way, nothing could revert what had already happened to the dark cacao kingdom.

besides, pomegranate would still torment him, and that curse being removed won't stop pomegranate from forcefully causing visions and making him lose himself every time

he still believed he had to carry these burdens until the day he dies. sure, it could loosen up that burden of those mind-controlling aspects of the curse itself, although that's all it does.

it won't change what already happened. he can't undo the violent downfall of the dark cacao kingdom. it won't stop pomegranate and everyone else from tormenting him.

he deserved to carry this curse.

so, he says his final decision is no. you sigh, and close the book, saying you'll return the book. you didn't mind, and it's really his choice if he wants to get rid of it.

...but he says to keep it. just in case.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

notes: a way... this was very interesting to write! i had to rely on some lore i remembered since i'm only on chapter 11 rn, and some info from the wiki, so... i hope you liked it! it's more scenario-ish than headcanons, sorry about that!! it was just rlly fun to write for hehe ALSO HE DOES NOT DESERVE TO CARRY ALL THIS BURDENS!!!!!! </3333

edit: part 2 out bc anon wanted fluff so if u want a happy ending click/tap this!

#cookie run kingdom x reader #cookie run x reader #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #dark choco cookie x reader #dark choco cookie #cookie run scenario #request

[yandere-wishes]

MONSTERS

👹 Yandere Ryomen Sukuna x Reader

👹Summary: Monsters aren’t born they're made, but Sukuna stumbles across the rare exception...

👹Warning: dehumanization, mention of gore, blood, slight dub-con mentioned in passing, death, past trauma, and abuse

👹 Edited: By the lovely @tealyjade-libran !

👹 Wordcount: 2,480

👹Alternative Tittle : If Roxanne ( from the Police song) lived in ancient Japan.

👹First Jujutsu kaisen fic! I hope you guys like it, please let me know your thoughts! Likes and reblogs appreciated!

Monsters were made. 

Slowly created as once blazing ideals, withered and died under harsh strokes of reality. Stitched together with broken promises and the ashes of rotting memories. 

Monsters were made

whisked into a role they once dreaded, once feared. Beaten into the role of the villain, the reprobate, the sinner. 

If anyone ever asked Sukuna when was the exact moment he turned his back on the laws of "good" and "evil", shedding his human skin to regrow a pelt of hate and destruction,

He would simply answer, "Never".

Because skin is skin no matter how much it decays. Even if the epidermis turns into a rotting orange shade, littered with eyeballs and teeth that shouldn't grow there.Even if the blood from all those he's slain has finally stained his dermis, tainting it in a permanent crimson that all the waters of Lake Biwa could never wash off. Even if his hypodermis is no longer made of fatty tissue but rather spiritual energy sucked from the atmosphere. It's still skin, the same old skin he was born with.

Sukuna had never shed his skin, he'd only perfected it, enhanced it, molded it into its perfect form, until he was no longer held back by foolish human limitations.

He'd never been "reborn" only recreated; only perfected. 

Spike, talon and teeth covered arms sprouting from oozing, bleeding scars, charred over by begriming infections that burned worse than the strikes he'd endured as a child. Knuckles and bones cracking over and over and over again until they grew as solid as the rocks that were thrown at him when he was all too little to understand the malice behind the insults and threats. Breaking until they could break no more, until they'd become strong enough to split a boulder with a mere flick.

There had come a time when he'd given up licking his wounds, leaving them to be kissed by the mold-covered worms who left an urticating sensation he'd soon come to associate with victory. Rotting flesh growing covered in thick layers of black tar tattoos that hid every cut he'd endured when he'd once been too weak. 

Monsters were created from quarter truths buried neck-deep in fables that snipped like red-eyed scorpions. 

Until the blood dancing through their veins was as black as the void they now called home. 

Sukuna knew the exact moment he realized he was a monster. The day he realized he liked the crunch of skulls beneath his feet, the pitiful spark in mortified eyes staring at the heavens for a scrap of mercy. Mangled mouths barely held together by fractured jaw bones, uttering prayers and pleas that died in the scorching air. 

Sukuna knew he was an abnormality, patched together by broken heirlooms and shattered family traditions. Sitting on a throne made from skulls of those who thought they could ever kill him. 

You can't kill a monster, for you can not kill that which was never born. 

You can't slay something made from good intentions with malevolent methods, something so vile that it might actually be pure. At the end of the day, no monster really admits that it is a monster, a nightmare that should have never existed. 

Yet...

Tattered hearts and cruel orbs are never quite enough. No monster is complete until they dive off that last edge, plummet into the sea of nothingness, and finally, finally break their souls on the spiked soil. Monsters, spirits, curses any malicious being that had been mended together like a half-done ragdoll was not complete until they truly let go. Until they erased all the former humanity that they had been born with. Until their eyes reflected nothing, no emotions, no malice, no want, no need. Just the absolute emptiness. 

The void in all its glory.

that was the symbol, the true markings of a real monstrosity. The void that took over their existence, that had replaced every inch of their former self. Only then could it be said that you were above all other beings, the true perfection of this world. 

There are worse things created than monsters, things that are made from nothing and everything. Things above "Yin" and "Yang". Things that have no scrap of humanity, monstrosity, or anything in them.

Things that are just empty.

So maybe -just maybe- that's why when Sukuna's rotting orange eyes landed on the epitome of emptiness, a...girl, whose face was sculpted to disreflect emotions and intents. Someone who was the void of darkness itself. The true personification of nothingness. 

His heart -for the first time in countless centuries- began to throb.

a truly dead face swarmed by a sea of buzzing ants, chasing their routine happiness. Smiles of delight and carelessness carved on their aging faces with sunlight knives and the melody of golden coins. The lust for life leaking from every pore of their bodies. 

With every face being a carbon copy of each other it was no wonder yours stood out.

There was a silver chain of attraction, dragging Sukuna towards the village girl. Not love, never love, the king of curses was beyond certain, that neither you nor he could feel such a honey-laced sensation. It was more like....something. Something paranormal, inexpiable. Some magnetic force outside of everything's control. 

It was easy enough to explain why he liked you. Why you stood out from the other insects of this middle-of-nowhere-village. 

You had dark matter for blood and dead seas for brains. 

Your eyes radiated an endless abyss. Making others shy away from your lifeless gaze. Scared to look into the void in fear that it may respond. 

You were a thrown away doll,

A living dead,

A dying star,

You were the daughter of the number zero,

The monster that had no maker nor mother. 

Something not born nor created. 

Just an entity that roamed the earth, with no desire nor hope, no wish nor dream. Not leaving, not dying, just existing in the space between today and tomorrow. 

There'd been no need for pleasantries, for hiding behind ghostly tree branches and frozen windows. There'd been no need to kill or ravage for you. No competition to eliminate, because no one ever came near you. Humans don't like what they can't explain, Sukuna knew that all too well. 

Sukuna watched from a close enough distance to almost touch. Lingering around like a phantom begging to be noticed. Orbs trailing over you, but never approaching. Until one day he'd just stood still. Waited for you to turn your head just a fraction to the left, just to see him in all his menacing terror. To finally notice the clawing, crawling sensation that had been creeping up your spine like a hoard of spiders. 

And when your dead eyes did finally land on him. Sukuna could swear that his breath hitched in his throat for the first time in his seemingly endless life.

You weren't human. Humans didn't have hollow faces or marbles for lips. 

You weren't a curse. Curses didn't lack venom dripping from their souls.

You were something better than a monster. You were the divinity of monstrosity, the void itself. Black holes for eyes, answerless paradoxes for hands, and an endless maze where your torso should have been. 

 Exploding suns danced around you, burning, burning, till they died out, leaving behind no trace that they once lit up the universe. 

The space after the end, that's what you were.

Perfect, to Sukuna you were perfect.

You hadn't run, hadn't screamed, hadn't even bothered to talk. You didn't care about him, couldn't care about him. That's what made him want you, made his mouth salivate with the thought of your flesh between his teeth. 

That night the world stood still, as Sukuna's claws penetrated your flesh like twirling needles. You were as light as a feather. You weighed nothing, were nothing. All so easy to pluck and throw about. You never made a noise when your body collided with the bamboo walls, just letting gravity and Sukuna play a twisted ball game with your lump of a body.

You hadn't protested when he violated you. As his lips bit every inch of your body raw. For some unearthly reason that even the gods couldn't understand, would never want to understand, you had found the Curse's violent actions rather...adoring. Taking every slap and slash with the earnest pride of a small child getting praised for a day of relentless chores. letting the dawn-tinted-haired monster adorn your body in blue and purple jewels. It felt right, in a  pathetically, nauseating, twisted way...it just felt right.

 It was disastrous, sure, but it was right. Like two universes crashing. Destroying each other with every kiss and every bruise. 

But...

For the first time in your meaningless life, you had truly understood what "happiness" felt like. 

For the first time in his endless life, Sukuna had truly understood what "intimacy" felt like.

///

Was it wrong to kiss you? For a fraction of a second Sukuna hesitated, blood tinged lips hovering millimeters away from your own stone-set ones. The moon's cursed rays acting like an unnoticed barrier, keeping two things out of each other's grasp. His lips curled back revealing two rows of knife-like teeth. The last resort, a final hope that you'd run away, that you'd act somewhat normal. The king of curses, the evil among men, didn't mind your lack of regularity. He didn't mind how you leaned into every bitter strike, every painful display of fading affection . He adored how you merely giggled as he slashed open your uncharged skin, creating slits for your blood to spill through, onto his waiting tongue. He admired your lifelessness, the way you radiated death. 

Oh, how you filled him with a startling aftershock every time he touched you. Every time his tongue lapped at your bleeding skin he'd feel the sort of electric shocks that came after the storms had passed. Your body had no shape, it molded to his touch, turning his favorite shades of red, with just a little pressure. 

But sometimes, in fleeting, endless seconds. He wished he had a name for what you two were. You weren't his per se, you could never be his. Being his would indicate that he cared about you, or heck even loved you and that could never be true. The king of curses did not love, nor care. He merely tolerated you; you fascinated him, that's all. 

It had been many moons since he first found you in that no-name village. Months upon months since you'd been by his side. You'd watched as he'd destroyed cities, helped him even. Eyes never shedding a single tear. Mouth never uttering a single protest. 

The two of you had become the best, the King of curses and the Queen of nothingness. With the dying speed of laboring bees, Sukuna had carved himself inside of you. Twisted emptiness into flower-covered destruction. Into molten gold lava. 

Leaving you with wounds that were stuck in a cycle of healing and opening. Until they began to harden like his. Until the need for spilled blood lingered on your tongue like the burn of boiled tea. Until under your nails were coated in a decaying crust of dried blood. Sukuna hadn't turned you into a monster, he'd simply showed you the powers that came with your apathy. With a heart as torn and cold as yours, it was a shame to let it go to waste. 

"You're not half bad," his tone is never approving. It's always laced with a strictness that keeps you nailed into place. His words are oxymorons sounding like praise, but once you peel back the lather layers they're just taunts in disguise. 

You don't answer, words die on your tongue as quickly as they are born. Sukuna can't even remember what your voice sounds like outside of small whispers in heat filled nights. 

 However, to the two of you, things like that didn't matter. Your lack of being even semi-alive and Sukuna's endless abuse had become a norm for the two of you. Where else were a two-faced monster and a lifeless girl going to find love anyway? 

Sukuna was all you had, all you ever had. You'd die for him, kill for him, turn into anything for him. Because he gave you life. 

A purpose to life, made out of raging fires and endless screams. A life fabricated from the pain and suffering of others. That was what the king of curses had given you, all wrapped in a human skin parchment. Maybe that's why all logic withered away the first night he kissed you, maybe from the first second that you sensed his presence you had finally gained a reason to be alive. 

///

Whoever said the end of the world was beautiful? Whoever said the final days would be bright and glowing and pure? 

It's just a blaze of stray flames and red crystal droplets that may or may not be your blood. Funny, Sukuna had always thought that your blood would be as black as the moonless sky, not a mundane red like everyone else's. He'd expected a grander death from you. Some sort of black hole opening to swallow the world whole. Not just another corpse motionless in a pool of their own blood. 

Although he's not one to talk. His own 'death' is lingering on the horizon. Sukuna's head tilts back looking for the flashing jujutsu sorcerers. 

"S-sukun-a..." 

He smirks, fangs sticking out at odd angles. Your voice is sweet, for the first time in forever he'd even dare say it held some semblance of emotion. 

What that emotion is, he doubts he knows or even really cares. He'd long since stopped trying to identify all those "feelings" and their associated names. 

His orange eyes lock with your fading orbs, one last time. No, not the last time, just the final time in this lifetime. He's sure he's going to see you again. In any other life, Sukuna knows he'll be able to recognize you despite whatever flesh suit you'd be wearing. 

"Shh little one," he's halfway gone before he finishes his sentence, leaving you to relish in his memory in your final moments. "We'll see each other once more, someday in another life..."

His four eyes lock on the approaching sorcerers. He finds it humorous how desperate they look. How alive and ready they seem, such a stark contrast to your ever lifeless face and dead eyes, it repulses him. 

"Or maybe in one of the circles of hell." 

The flames encircling his fingers remind him of the heat your body radiated in the dead of night. The crack from bones hum as they meet his knuckles, flash memories of your days wasted together doing nothing and everything. 

The two of you will meet once more, he's sure of it. After all...

Monsters never die. 

How could something that was never even born in the first place, ever die?

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen sukuna #yandere Jujutsu kaisen #Jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu sukuna #sukuna x reader #sukuna #yandere sukuna #jjk #jjk x reader #jjk sukuna #sukuna x you #jujutsu kaisen imagines #ryomen sukuna imagine #ryomen sukuna x reader #yandere ryomen sukuna #yandere ryomen sukuna x reader #yandere ryomen sukuna x you #ryomen sukuna x you #yandere sukuna x reader #yandere sukuna x you #sukuna imagines #yandere #yandere x you #yandere x reader #yancore #yandere imagines #Yandere aesthetic #yandere anime

[satanfemme]

I don't think we could bully john greene off tumblr in 2022. like even if we still had post editing here I don't think it'd be manageable now-a-days, at least not without a fair amount of backlash. there'd be essays on this site misusing abuse terms or words like "parasocial" to explain in 1,000 words why being mean to someone is, surprisingly, "mean" to do. and therefor problematic. and reminder that liking john greene is SO valid and you're allowed to have "weird" fandom interests!!!! <- which would be said in response to the slightest criticism or even not-explicitly-positive thing that's said about him. think about the people with hyperfixations on the fault in our stars. if you're mean to john greene online, you're basically oppressing those people which is ableist, and also homophobic because most of these people are gay too. I'm sure they'd find a way to drag rpf discourse into this too idfk who cares. and the bullying campaign would last like a few days at most before tumblr gets a take down notice from apple, google, AND walmart. in response tumblr deletes the ability to reply to posts, any posts, (for good this time), and they'd put a little pink and purple gradient banner up at the top of the dash the next day advertising bullying awareness. with some quirky slogan like "it’s not cool to be cruel". clicking it would take you to their terms of service or maybe a corporate blog. this banner would be blatently sponsored by some random make-up company no one's heard of, but which turns out to be a scam within 12 hours of tumblr users investigating it. john greene would be declared "a victim of cancel culture" and yet come out of the ordeal richer and more popular than before. End post.

[ask-king-bandee-and-sir-kirby]

Butterflies Lay Upon Our Heirlooms Chapter 1

I thought uploading the chapters directly to tumblr as well would be a good idea, so more people can actually read them.. Full fic is under the cut because it is long

Dreamland hasn't been the same since the loss of its king and his loyal knight. Two years ago a terrible beast of a massive portion came to dreamland while its protector was watching over other worlds, a gruesome battle broke out because of its rage.

The knight was the first to meet his end, swiftly crushed to death as he tried in vain to protect his comrades. The king survived only to the end of the terrible fight, with nothing to heal him the injuries sustained was too much to come back from and soon died in the arms of his adopted son, his dying wishes for him to keep dreamland safe in his absence as its king. It was only after then, did Kirby return home from the stars, only to find two of his closest friends, whom he had seen as fathers each, had perished before he could even try to save them.

Bandee and Kirby hung clinged onto each other for a while after that day. Not talking, but having a mutual feeling of a pain that resided deep within their hearts and would not let up. Days, weeks, months had passed. It was a terrible time, it seemed as if the sun did not shine as brightly as before. But, life goes on and Dreamland needed a king, and the universe needed its best warrior. They could not forsake their duties to mourn forever.

Two years had passed since that day, yet Bandee still remembers it like yesterday. However there is no more time for painful memories. Today was the day the star allies would all be together in one place since before the deaths of Meta Knight and Dedede. He swore that it would be the best party anyone would have in years, something positive to remember in place of the grief that had consumed them.

So Bandee got out of their bed, and got dressed. Carefully putting on their king's robes, which were way too big for the small waddle dee, their kimono and their crown. They could never look in the mirror and think this was right, because it wasn't. But nothing was right anymore. They put their beloved blue bandana over their mouth and headed out to make preparations for the party.

He had already planned everything meticulously the weeks beforehand, so he really only needed to worry about checking in with the other waddle dee's to make sure everything was perfect.

The waddle dees working in the kitchen were now taking a well deserved break, as behind them mounds of food lay deliciously on the tables behind them ready to be wheeled out into the party room. Bandee themself was never quite as food crazy as Kirby or Dedede, they could still admire the sheer amount of it needed to sustain their friends' appetites.

They gave the chiefs praise and made their way to the room in which the party would be taking place. The band (called the 'rockle dees') were setting up a stage,, they were handed a good playlist filled with songs their friends had recommended (that was heavily edited by Bandee, they did not know how anyone could like some of those songs requested).

The room was wide, big enough to hold (probably) hundreds of guests at a time- it was more like a ball room though to their knowledge there has never been one held here. This meant there'd be enough room for games and things of the sort.

As Bandee was thinking about things they could do during the party today, a jolly finger would tap their shoulder making them jump. It's alright though, the owner of said finger was Kirby after all! Always early to show and late to leave, not usually this early but he's been anticipating today since Bandee announced it.

"Kirby! You startled me!" They laughed, Kirby lifted his mask to reveal a great big smile, to emphasize excitement.

"Sorry Bandee- I just can't wait until everyone gets here- it will be SO much fun- ahhh I can't wait to see everyone again!!" He rambles on about how much he's excited, Bandee simply nodded along happily in agreement.

"I'm really excited too but the party won't start for another two hours- no this doesn't mean you can get a headstart on the food." They smirked, to which Kirby made a pouty face.

"Fineee, I won't. So what do we do while we wait for everyone to come?" Kirby asks.

"I've been checking in on the Dee's, making sure everything's in order.. We don't want a big mess happening after all!" The waddle dee was under a lot of stress lately and today was supposed to help with that. The day is still young and the party hasn't even started yet, don't be so negative Bandana! "Say Kirby, do you want to walk around the castle with me?"

Of course, Kirby takes the offer and the two begin taking a walk around the castle, it’s a nice peaceful walk that takes stress off of Bandee. They make conversation about the last planet Kirby visited, what kinds of people he met, his climactic final battle that was just childs play at this point, he goes on and on until a butterfly passes a window. Kirby is oddly silent now. Bandee wants to ask what’s wrong, but he can’t help but shake the feeling that he already knows.

Two hours passed in silence as the Waddle Dee’s set everything up, taking out all of the food while Kirby was distracted with Bandee. But soon enough the gates open and good old friends flood the castle doors, it seems like everyone who was invited came! Marx came in flying chased by Magolor, Taranza was following close behind Susie and the Mage Sisters, even Highness managed to come, Adeleine and Ribbon came in trying to avoid the chaos couple (Bandee was really excited to catch up with the two specifically, seems like years since they actually- wait). The animal friends, gooey (who now had a blade form!!), Daroach and the Squeak Squad came, Elfilin, King Fluff made it to- Bandee was going to embarrass Kirby today defiantly- and even shadow Kirby managed to come!

What a good day today would be! Kirby who stood behind him turned his cape into sparkling yellow star wings and flew to the guests, he seemed in better spirits now that everyone was here! Today would be great!

…. Is what optimistic people said. Bandee could basically smell the coming chaos and probable disaster. Keep your cool Bandana, you are the king. You got this.

#Kirby #Kirby Series #kirby au #au #Butterflies Lay Upon Our Heirlooms #Bandana Dee #only tagging the relevant characters in each chapter...

[millakatariina64]

Happy Saiou Day!! 💙💜

So if anyone remembers last summer I said I'd post the complete portraits of my talentswap designs and a climactic scene from the AU with a full summary when they're finished? Well, I didn't forget!

So, below are my headcanons for Ultimate Supreme Leader Shuichi and Ultimate Detective Kokichi~!

(I'm really passionate about this AU, I hope you read it ':3)

(Tho no climactic scene unfortunately)

Ultimate Supreme Leader Shuichi

So first of all Shuichi's parents are still celebrities, move overseas and leave him with his uncle. However in this AU Shuichi's uncle is a politician who actually has a really good reputation. Problem is, his uncle is incredibly busy and is almost never home because of that. Still, he wants to be like his uncle (though the wish is fueled more with wanting to be good enough and accepted). Shuichi's personality is basically the same.

So then one day I Alligator girl's (Gonna call her Wani) alligator gets stolen by some group who're going to sell it and they threatened Wani to not call the police or tell anyone. So she asks Shuichi to help. Somehow they manage to retrieve the alligator together secretly (idk) and right afterwards one of Wani's friends is in trouble with some shady local business. So Wani suggests they make a group to stop these sorts of people and that Shuichi would be the leader. He agrees, he still wants to do something to make this world a better place like his uncle.

After that Wani starts asking her most trusted friends at school if they'd like to join (Shuichi would never have the social courage to ask someone that). When they get to 10 members (all girls) they stop growing for some time and decide to get themselves uniforms. When they're finally considering getting more people into the team since Shuichi doesn't really know these people, he decides to start wearing a mask to be safe. He also starts using the code name "Crow". The other 10 members go by flower names.

The group then grows a lot. And by the time Shuichi's officially scouted to be an Ultimate, it has around 1500 members. And it's making him very worried as Shuichi's not even sure anymore if he's skilled enough to lead it. The group started out stopping or changing corrupt businessmen, unethical businesses and other evil groups. And although that still is what they do, he's realized that the way they go about things is pretty illegal. (When he first realized this, he started wearing a hat.) Obviously he forbids violence, but they still use blackmail and steal information. Also they need money for the group to function at this point so they've had to get it through illegal means that Shuichi's not sure of anymore. So Shuichi is immensely scared of being revealed as the organization's leader because it would completely destroy his organization and it would also annihilate his uncle's as well as his parents' careers on the spot. Basically everything would get ruined and it would be a nation-wide scandal. Perhaps even an international scandal.

He gets even more worried when the police finally start realizing there's some sort of group that's blackmailing big businesses and start investigating.

When he gets scouted to Hope's Peak, the letter comes to his base and even HPA doesn't know his identity, just that he's a high school student. He doesn't think like he deserves the title at all since it's really his organization that does the hard stuff and Wani's the one that's made it grow and he shouldn't be panicking like this if he really was a "great leader". But he still decides to go due to "If you manage to graduate from Hope's Peak, you will be set for life!". But as his family can't know of him being scouted there as the Ultimate Supreme Leader, he forges a letter claiming he's the Ultimate Lucky Student which he shows to them. And at HPA he requests he be referred to by that title.

Problem is, now his year group has 2 Ultimate Lucky Students and a certain Ultimate Detective gets suspicious.

Miscellaneous: Shuichi really wants to use make-up but he's really afraid to at home since he feels his uncle would think it's really weird. So at the organization's base Wani heard about it and got him some makeup and now Shuichi wears makeup when on missions and at the base. Also the organization has a helicopter. (It's a central part of that climactic scene I talk so much about.) Shuichi thinks about becoming a detective perhaps, but he's not sure how he'd be able to leave his group anymore so...

Ultimate Detective Kokichi

For Kokichi I still have my pretty elaborate origin story. His early years are great until at some point his real father finds out that Kokichi's mother had actually had the Kokichi and his older twin brother with him and not her husband leaving him alone. And thus he murders Kokichi's mother out of spite. Kokichi and Tamotsu (my headcanon name for his twin) see the murder take place and flee. However, they were never actually able to make out who the murderer was and they knew even less of why their mother was murdered.

The murder never gets solved and this mystery stays in Kokichi's mind. Who ruined his life, who killed his mother?

(I feel they'd have like an uncle and their mother's husband lived with them obviously. There'd also be other factors like disposed evidence and the suspects vanishing making the murder so much harder to figure out afterwards.)

So Kokichi and Tamotsu end up at an orphanage, one related to the one Maki's at. It's kind of a terrible place, but it's where Kokichi meets (most of) Dice. They become inseparable friends (tho don't form a group with the name Dice. I'll still call them that here for clarity's sake though). However Tamotsu who had always been supporting Kokichi and being there for him at his side starts becoming bitter (jealous?) against Kokichi due to dice and starts turning against them. This is the time when Kokichi starts developing his lying to protect himself from Tamotsu as well as the borderline abusive authority at the orphanage. He's also started to figure out the dark secret of the orphanage training children to become assassins.

I feel like during this time a detective was investigating the orphanage. So when things get too dire and Kokichi and Dice escape the orphanage the detective ends up taking them in after finding them on the streets afterwards since he can't just send them to an orphanage at that point. So Kokichi and Dice end up staying with the detective and start helping him out. Kokichi's especially interested in the orphanage now and he and the detective with the help of the other Dice members figure out a lot of stuff. (This is also the time the rest of the Dice members "join".) Until one day the detective gets assassinated by someone from the orphanage sending them a message to stop the investigation.

So Kokichi takes over the Detective's office and to get by he starts working on all kinds of small cases with the help of Dice. And that's what they mostly do. Among those small cases are often cases that have something to do with saving children. However Kokichi occasionally also takes on homicides and investigates organizations. He wants to be prepared for when he finally investigates his mother's murder as well as the organization behind the orphanage. He wants those people locked up in jail forever.

Personality wise Kokichi's pretty much the same. He still loves pranks, lies all the time and would have elaborate stories (lies) about like for example how he was the one who managed to put the previous Queen of Novoselic's assassin behind bars. (The previous Queen was not even assassinated). He'd also jokingly blackmail people by claiming he knows something about them or could figure out something incriminating about them. He never really means it, though he would like try to find out harmless embarrassing secrets to mess with people.

Around the time he gets scouted to Hope's Peak he's specifically requested to assist in the investigation of a mysterious organization that steals information and sends blackmail and other such things. It's a huge flashy case, so of course he picks it up.

At Hope's Peak he then meets an (surprisingly mysterious?) Ultimate lucky student who seems really interested about his Ultimate detective talent and his lying.

Bonus

The original portraits from summer 2020. My laptop just broke when I finished the lineart and then I couldn't really edit them on my new tablet anymore and they were getting really old so I just decided to completely redo them. Also lmk if you want the sketch of the climactic scene since I'm not sure if I'll finish it even though I really like it. It looks pretty okay even if it's unfinished.

Also hope this is coherent and that I haven't forgotten anything aah. And damn if you actually made it this far gezus. This took like 4+ hours?? oops.

#saiouma #oumasai #shuichi saihara #kokichi ouma #danganronpa v3 #saihara shuichi #ouma kokichi #saiou #danganronpa #ndrv3 #ndrv3 killing harmony #saihara x ouma #ouma x saihara