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the-once-ler-in-superjail · 9 months

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CHAPTER 35: The Asylum - Part 1

Thanks for holding on again, we hope your patience was worth it! Went with a slightly different presentation style this time round (more comic page form) so expect these uploads to not always be the same format- that's part of the fun we're having with it.

Lineart/cleanup, flats & writing- @wiggybe

Layout/roughs, shading/lighting & writing- @self-made-madman

(TW: Mental illness/health/asylums.)

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Once-ler: *Sitting at his desk in his office with his curtains closed, his hands through his hair and he's staring tiredly at a messy desk of papers in front of him. He was once reading them, but he's gotten to the point where he's so tired-out and stressed that he just stares at them without taking in any of the words, his eyes move over the same sentence he's been reading over and over again.*

Warden: *He just bursts through the door without knocking- though this is normal. He never knocks in his own jail, ever.* Good afternoon!~ *He's been... not perkier (it's impossible to be perkier than the Warden already is) but more bulletproof than ever since his breakdown. It's like a big weight off his shoulders.* How's my favourite accountant? Working hard or hardly working? Ha! You know, this place could use some sunshine! *Skips through the room poofing vases of flowers and other decorations around the room, as the curtains magically open.*

Once-ler: *Gasps at the sudden disruption of his silence and looks at the Warden with wide eyes which then squint at the sudden light. He almost hisses like a vampire bat when his perfect darkness disappears. He relaxes and then frowns a little.* It looks fine the way it is. *Leans on his elbow so he doesn't look at the Warden and takes his pen in his hand. He taps it a few times on the desk as he tries to read the papers again.*

Warden: *Pauses, and all the flowers in a vase he's holding wither and die.* Heeeey... *His voice softens down, actually showing some initiative and care for once.* You okay, buddy? *Walks over and rests a surprisingly parental hand on his shoulder. He looks down at Oncie's head with worry.*

Once-ler: *Sighs and drops back in his chair, throwing the pen onto the desk and his chair rolls back a little on the floor. He might have responded more callous if the Warden hadn’t picked up on his mood this time, and then adjusted his own mood to better console him. Instead, he sighs and drops his pen. His shirt is untucked and his braces hanging down by his waist instead of over his shoulders.* No. I'm not okay. *A bit of a whiny teenager voice. Then he frowns more seriously.* And I don’t appreciate you bursting in unannounced when I’m trying to work.

Warden: *Gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze.* What's up? I thought you liked that math-y boring stuff. *Sounds honestly like he cares. He really has grown very attached to his Oncie- enough to actually think of him as a human and not a toy. Which is just why he falter slightly when his sudden burst-in is mentioned.* Oh!-Uh… *Clears his throat then laughs awkwardly.* Sure, buddy! I hate it when Jared bursts in on me too- Not that I’m anything like Jared. *At least when HE suddenly shows up it’s for fun reasons, not boring annoying Jared reasons, and who wouldn’t want that? But he’s starting to learn that Oncie has his own feelings and ways of doing things, and that’s good, because if he was the same as everyone else then he wouldn’t be what makes him so great. He tilts his head.* Anything other than that your all-powerful prison-warden can do to help?

Once-ler: *Shakes his head, but he's really very grateful that he can feel the Warden concerned for him.* Not really. I have work to do for Superjail and then even more important work for my business. *Stands up and points at the Warden.* You've been spending too much over the budget again. *He points his thumb towards himself.* I need to get to Thneedville to sort out my factory. *His hands flick in mid air, flat, vertical and parallel to each other, like he’s showing a box size.* But I cant go to Thneedville, *then points at the floor,* Because I’m stuck here.

Warden: *Brightens up again* Weeeell, why didn't you say so?? *He completely glosses over, or doesn't even hear that he's over-budget. He never does, and probably never will. But, somehow, Superjail always survives.* How about you and I take some time out and go back? You can set up all your... *wiggles his fingers in midair,* factory doowhatsists, and I'll, I dunno, take in a tour! *The thought of Oncie going back alone doesn't even cross his mind. They're a duo.*

Once-ler: *Huffs and strokes his hand through the back of his hair. That’s not a terrible idea. Who’da thought he could just disappear? Maybe he’s becoming somewhat institutionalised here already and is still living with a prisoner mentality. He takes a glance at the papers and then frowns.* Yes! Yes! Okay, just take me out of here.

Warden: Alrighty! *Smiles and pulls Oncie backwards so he's suspended on the back two legs of his chair. He gives him a big kiss before they disappear, then reappear in a hover car on the coast of Superjail’s island. The car shoots off and off they go through the outer world back to mainland and back to Thneedville. There go his powers though- he won't be getting them back until Jailbot comes to get them. He did not think this through very much, but it's a perfectly reasonable plan so far.*

Once-ler: Hmph! *Gasps into the kiss and feels very dizzy once his powers take effect, the dizziness of the powers and the sudden romantic flutter in his stomach at the kiss, make stars appear as his eyes clench shut and they vanish. He snaps forward once they arrive in the car and gives a little shudder, feeling disorientated.* Uurgh…

Warden: *They land outside The Once-ler’s Lerkim and drags them out to the front door, before the car takes off again to leave back for Superjail. He pouts at him good-humouredly.* Enough moping! It's time to take care of your factory! *Wheels around him and moves to push him away from the building.* We'll meet back here in a few hours~

Once-ler: Wh- *Lets himself be walked out.* Where are you going?

Warden: Me? *Juts out his jaw as he thinks.* I guess I'll go exploring. We were so busy the last time we came here that I hardly saw any of the town~ *They were too 'busy'.* Now stop worrying! You're draggin' down the vibe.

Once-ler: You want to go exploring the town alone?- *His initial reaction to that-* No. *- and stops letting the Warden push him.*

Warden: Oof! *Crumples into the back of him, not ready for Oncie to stop moving.* *Pouts, speaking into Oncie's back with his nose and eyes visible over his shoulder.* Meanie.

Once-ler: *Looks over his shoulder.* I just don't want you getting into trouble. You'll probably end up punching a barbaloot or something *Frowns as he just put that image in his head. He might slap the man if he dared to harm any of the animals.*

Warden: *Gasps and straightens up.* The very idea! *Huffs with his hands on his hips.* I'll have you know that I am a grown man! *Shakes his finger in midair in a very old-fashioned way of making a point.* I can walk around town all I want completely unsupervised! *He doesn't sound angry, and he's not. He's just doing that automatically-appalled thing that he does.*

Once-ler: *Turns to face him.* Well, from what happened last time, you can understand why I wouldn't want you to be unsupervised around here. No slapping women! Or getting into trouble! This place is my place, it belongs to me its Thneedville. So I'm not letting you go out alone here.

Warden: Okay! Okay, geez, Mister Territory-Pants *Throws up hands in defeat.* What would you suggest? I'm not following you around all day doing accounts! *Grumpy face, hands on his hips.* If I wanted to do that I'd just leash myself to Jared's big, stupid head.

Once-ler: *Huffs in thought and thinks- that’s a good point. Then chuckles at the little Jared insult* It is big, isn't it?

Warden: Like, enormous, am I right? *Measures it in his hands, momentarily distracted.*

Once-ler: *Keeps laughing at him* Haha-! Totally~

Warden: *Frowns* Ababab! Don't distract me. *Grumpy point. However, throughout all this he's still been perfectly happy and in his usual safe half-sane space. No breakdowns or real arguments seem likely. He folds his arms.* Are you gonna arrange me a babysitter or something? *Sounds like he'll put up with it to humour Oncie's 'insane overprotectiveness'.*

Once-ler: Ppppffffff... *Rubs his neck* I don't know any-...I wonder who I could hire... *He ponders for a looong time, genuinely considering hiring a minder for his own boyfriend, which causes the Warden to almost start spluttering in incredulity, and then gives up with a little smirk.* Alright. *The smile drops and he looks him dead-on and serious.* You can go out alone, if you promise not to get into any trouble. No fights, no tantrums, nothing. *Smiles, softening his voice.* You gotta be good and polite and nice to people. You're not the Warden here, okay? You're Edmund Theremiah, so act normal and mature, okay?

Warden: *Squints in submission.* Fiiiine. *Hates the thought of being 'Edmund Theremiah'. It sounds boring and uninteresting, and he takes GREAT pride in never being boring and uninteresting.* Scouts honour. Best behaviour. *Stuffs his hand in his pockets and kicks a rock poutily.* I'll be good.

Once-ler: *Smiles at him calmly* Good~ Because you’ll be in trouble if you aren't, you hear me?

Warden: *Juts out his jaw in grumpiness again.* Yes Oncie. *Deflates slightly.* Stupid Thneedville. Can I go now? *Sounds so childish.*

Once-ler: Here, take this. Then if anyone questions you, you can just tell them that you know the Once-ler. *Reaches into his pocket and pulls out the pink truffula pin that usually goes on the lapel of his green tailcoat. *Strokes under the Warden's jaw and then pulls him into a little peck on the lips. Then tilts his head to the town.* Okay, off you go then.

Warden: *Blinks innocently when he sees the pin and takes it from his hand* Uuh- *The peck comes as a surprise, he pecks back with pink cheeks and a small eyelash flutter, then jumps up and down on the spot a few times.* Yeah! See you later, Oncie! *Pockets the pin and then leaps off to go and explore.*

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Once-ler: *Stood outside his factory gates in his green suit, all dressed up for opening his factory again. He's holding a pair of scissors, cameras are flashing everywhere and girl are screaming at him.* -And I am very proud to finally re-open the new and eco-friendly Thneed factory!~ *Cuts the red ribbon across the gate. People are cheering and photographers are flashing, journalists go to smuggle him.*

Lorax: *He's sitting on top of a small wall nearby, watching the proceedings. He refuses to go down just yet because he hates publicity- especially after the media circus he was dragged into when Oncie ran the factory before. All that 'Lorax approved' bullshit left a bad taste in his mouth. Still, he looks proud of him now and has already had a peek at all the inner workings of the factory. So far it honestly looks eco-friendly, and so he's very pleased. Cautious, but pleased.*

Once-ler: *After talking to a few reporters, talking to a few fans and signing a few thneeds, shirts, bra's and breasts, he eventually starts to bat a few of the bothersome public away.* That's enough attention for one day I think, thank you all for coming~ Once-ler out. *Enters his factory and shuts the door behind him, letting out a tired sigh as he does, but he straightens and walks to his office. He goes over to his huge balcony and leans over the edge of it, smiling broadly at the very few truffula trees that managed to survive his onslaught and then dropping his smile when his eyes fall on the many stumps he left behind. He chews on his cheek… He should really do something about them.*

Lorax: So! Looks like you managed to turn it all around, huh? *He's above Oncie's head, sitting on the top of the window-frame with his little legs dangling over the edge.* You look tired. You been eating properly?

Once-ler: Hm? *Looks up at him and smiles. He's gotten so used to the Lorax randomly popping up in places that it doesn't make him jump anymore. He can almost predict when it'll happen by now, which isn’t something he can say for the Warden just yet.* Oh, naah, I'm fine. It's just difficult to be in Superjail and have everything else here. *Rubs his face with both hands and yawns out a word-* Tiring. *Sniffs.* All these fans and reporters too. But I can handle them, no problem.

Lorax: *Jumps down and lands in front of Oncie's feet.* Aww, well make sure you get enough Zs, got it? I don't like the thought of you runnin' yourself out. *Turns around to look up at the much nicer factory and gives a low whistle.* You know, much as I hate commerce and capitalism and all that crap, you really have done me proud. This is somethin' good. *After how far they've come together, he knows that those words are ones that will mean the world to him. He looks back over his shoulder at Oncie with a smile.* So where's your guy? He back in that jail of his?

Once-ler: *Smiles broadly at him, feeling very happy with himself that the Lorax feels that way about his hard work. There’s a warm swell in his stomach at hearing those words of pride, and that sort of feeling is so rare to him. He goes quiet for a moment, so happy he's finally been able to please him and hasn't messed up this time.* No, he came with me here. But he's out right now to explore Thneedville. *His voice sounds a little unsure at the end, and his smile has relaxed a little. It's more like a slight mask over his worry.*

Lorax: *Sounds very sympathetic as he groans,* Uh-ooohhh... And Thneedville's still standin'? *Turns around properly to face Oncie as they talk.* Ah, he's probably fine. *Gives him an encouraging smile.* That town is harmless - he's the most dangerous thing in it. You've got nothin' to worry about. *Still sounds more like he's comforting Oncie than actually giving his honest opinion.*

Once-ler: Yeah, exactly! I'm not just worried about him, I'm worried about the town. He doesn't know this place very well and this place doesn't know him at all. *And maybe the fact that the Warden might be the most dangerous thing in Thneedville isn’t actually that reassuring.* But- yeah... I'm sure everything will be fine.

Lorax: And if not, it's nothin' you can't fix. *Gives him a grin and holds out a paw for him to take.* So! You got a kitchen in this place? I'm starved and I'm sure you owe me a meal for somethin' or other.

Once-ler: Haha- sure *Takes his hand but pulls him up onto his shoulder. Then walks back in, removing his hat and placing it on his chair.* So how've you been? I haven't seen you since I got my eyesight back.

Lorax: *Punches the side of his head gently.* And it's damn good to see you... Seein' again! You gave me the shock of my damn life. *Relaxes.* But I've been keepin'. Joints gettin' stiffer every day I swear to God. *Gives a happy hum. As old as he is, he's got a ton of years left in him.* But nothin' much is different. Had to screw with a couple of lumberjacks up in the Arctic National Preserve and then make it down in time to stop an oil drillin' down in the swamps of Tennessee. Whole lotta trekkin'.

Once-ler: *Laughs at his ‘seeing’ joke, and can only laugh more in relief at the fact that whole chapter is over now.* Aaah, man, that sounds like a busy day. *Pulls his gloves off and drops them onto his desk as he walks to the kitchen.* Did you fix it in the end?

Lorax: *Heavy sigh.* Temporarily. They're more thick-headed than you were. *Gives him a friendly hair-ruffle, showing that he didn't really mean it.* Just once I'd like a guy to go "Gee, maybe the little fella is right. Let's all go home and have some hot cocoa." *Pauses, then adds.* "And while we're at it, let's invite the little fella over for that, too." *Frowns* Geez, I really am hungry.

Once-ler: *Laughs.* That's where we're going now. Anyway, it certainly worked on me... eventually. And you can come to mine for cocoa anytime you want~ *Gets to the factory kitchen.* What do you wanna eat?

Lorax: *Jumps onto a countertop.* A cheese sandwich would go down well right about now. *Frowns to add gravity to what he's saying.* A responsibly farmed cheese sandwich. You humans have a way to make everything suspect. *While he still seems very proud and happy for Oncie, he's got the grumpiness of a guy who's just come of a far too-busy day's work.*

Once-ler: Uh- ahaha, sure.*Begins making him a sandwich, sometimes feeling awkward about his race when the Lorax starts complaining about them, but he supposes it’s justified considering what he himself did to his forest. It is the critters job after all.*

Lorax: *Bops up and down on his heels as he waits in excitement for the sandwich.* So how are things with you? Besides being all better? He proposed to you yet or whatever? *Sounds like he's kidding.*

Once-ler: Pfffthbth! *Gets a little embarrassed and shakes his head quickly.* NO! *Gives him the plate with the sandwich on and pouts with a raised eyebrow.* Of course not.

Lorax: *Cackles in a joking meanness before stuffing the sandwich in his mouth.* Well good. You're still far too young! *Points his sandwich at him... or the crust of it, which is already all that's left.*

Once-ler: Thank God! I hope that doesn't cross his mind *Scratches his neck and laughs.* I have a feeling I wouldn't have a choice if he demanded it, if anything because he’s such a romantic and he’d love an excuse to throw a party about us.

Lorax: *Gnaws on the crust of bread.* Would you say no if you had the choice? *Sounds amused and gossipy, but he's always been a little worried about their relationship. Anybody responsible would be.*

Once-ler: *Thinks to himself, tapping his finger on his chin, and then nods slowly.* I know we're like, together and stuff, but just feels weird to get married to a guy, ya know? My mom is really old fashioned in that way, *he sighs,* I doubt she’d ever approve of us, not that she approves of me much anyway. So I guess it's hard to think otherwise. *He shakes his head.* I'm way too young anyway to even think about marriage.

Lorax: *Nods* Smart. Don't tie yourself down to that place. *Still, his expression darkens.* Call me a new-age tree-hugger or whatever you want to call it, but your mom is full of trash. *Finishes sandwich decisively. He's had a long day, and he's not got the energy to put things in a nice way.* You marry a guy if you want to.

Once-ler: *Jolts at hearing the insult to him mom and then panics a little.* Hey! She is not. Don’t say that about my mom. *He’s still in some denial about who his mom really is. He always has been, but at the very least he just thinks it’s rude to say such things about a man’s mother. He’s still finding it difficult to digest what she really is.*

Lorax: Ppft. *Flaps his hand at him but doesn't press the issue. Recently he's been more respectful of Oncie's family- at least when talking about them to Oncie- but he has no patience for it today.* Alright, fair enough. The important thing is that you can marry whoever you want. Whether that be man, woman, or manchild.

Once-ler: *Still tense about that comment, but tries to get back into the conversation.* No- yeah, I know. And it's not that I wouldn’t want to some day... *Gets a little fuzzy feeling.* Like- it'd be totally awesome! I mean- so awesome! *Getting a little excited but relaxes.* And I would, just not now, not this early. I can't get married to someone who won’t say he loves me.

Lorax: *A biiig cat-like grin crosses his face when Oncie gets excited, but it falls immediately when he finishes that sentence.* Wait, what?! After all the crap you've helped him with he's still holdin' out on you?! The jerk! *Dusts his hands clean from crumbs.*

Once-ler: *Looks back at him wide-eyed and quickly realises he said that wrong, and tries to correct his screw up.* N- no, no! I didn't mean it like that. *Trots forward and puts his hands out to the Lorax* He does love me! He just cant say it. But he does. He definitely does! But he can’t admit it.

Lorax: *Squints at him, not sounding very pleased.* Explain.

Once-ler: *Cowers a little. He has no choice but to obey his surrogate parent now. He shrugs.* He- just can’t. He's very complicated. *He sighs.* Right, this is all very new to him, I think he has a real struggle about saying those words, he seems to think that every time he admits to loving something, he gets punished for it. *He frowns* His dad used to tell him it was bad, that it makes things weak and useless to know love. He trusts me more than anyone but its still in there. *That angry frown becomes a sad one.* I think he thinks that whatever he loves will always die, usually by his own hands, whether that’s forced on him or an accident or… I don’t know. *He looks to him with big remorseful eyes.* I think that’s another reason why he doesn’t want to admit it, I've been in more than enough accidents thanks to him. But he does feel it because he's almost been able to say it to me! It’s just that the words get caught in his throat.

Lorax: *Sighs. He's always had his worries, but he does respect that Oncie can handle it.* You'll be the death of me, you know that? *Gestures for Oncie to come over for a hug.* C'mere. Damn, kid, you've got a whole lot baggage wrapped up in this relationship, huh?

Once-ler: *Enters the hug like a normal grip, but half way though he hears that last sentence and his weight falls onto the Lorax in mental exhaustion. It does take a lot to handle the Warden, along with all of his other work, and he does so well to completely hide it that it never crosses his mind. No-one's brought it up before, not even himself, and to hear the Lorax so perfectly know him and know exactly what he thinks, it makes him drop it all out on him accidentally. Like it's okay for him to admit that it's tiring him. He doesn’t even have the strength to respond to that at the moment, he’s too bewildered by that last comment.*

Lorax: Woooaaah, you're okay. *Crumples a little with the sudden weight, but manages okay and gives him a big hug, stroking his hair gently once he's regained his balance.*

Once-ler: *Nods into him but doesn't leave the hug.* I'm fine- I'm fine.

Lorax: Of course you are. *Continues to stroke his hair, one little hand sorting out any stray flicks while the other just holds him.* But if you weren't that'd be okay too.

Once-ler: *Shakes his head.* It wouldn't. *He's not had a breakdown since he's been in Superjail. It's been a long time since he last snapped. He's had the odd cry every now and then, but that’s about it. It was probably when his dad left, or something his mother did, or most likely when the stocks of Thneeds crashed, not that they ever have in reality. There is always so much going on in Superjail, and as much as it all is too much for him sometimes, it’s as if it’s impossible to dwell on anything for too long because you need to be prepared for the next thing. Maybe that’s why it exists in the first place, to keep the Warden’s mind from thinking too much. In a way that’s good, but at the same time it forces a lot of things to become repressed and compressed, until suddenly, someone’s having a breakdown, whether that’s an inmate finally snapping, Jared returning to tears and drinking again, or the Warden literally falling apart at the seams and going on a crying-murder spree. And it was almost him the other day. If the Warden hadn’t been fixed by that rant then there’s a good chance the Once-ler would have given up too. It’s not just that though… How could he ever have the time to have his own breakdown when he’s so busy trying to help the Warden with all of his?*

Lorax: Kid, it'd always be fine. If it's not fine around your fella then it's always fine around me. I can take it. *Takes Oncie's cheeks and makes him look at him. He's frowning, but it's the frown of a kindly father, rather than any form of disappointment.* Bein' around him has turned you into one a' the most amazing people I've ever seen - he's challenged you and forced you to grow and, *he smiles,* now look at you. All grown up and already too good for anybody I can think of. *Rests their foreheads together, glaring at him straight in the eyes.* I can't tell you how proud I am of you. But part of bein' so strong and so capable is knowing when it's okay to stop.

Once-ler: *He hadn’t expected to feel a lump in his throat, and he doesn’t want to, but everything the Lorax says is exactly what he's been waiting to hear. He lets out a quiet, dry sob as he sighs out and then his arms loop around his fluffy friend and cling closely to him. It’s being told that the Lorax is proud of him, the Lorax proud of him after all he did to the forest, that makes a few small tears prick up at the corner of his eyes.* Th- Thank you, *He sniffs a few times, clenching his eyes shut in an attempt to blink away the tears, but a lump still resting in his throat.*

Lorax: *Gives a short chuckle that rumbles through his fur, hugging Oncie tightly.* It's what I'm here for. *Rubs the back of his head, keeping Oncie tightly pressed against his fluffy, warm body. He lets him sniffle all he needs.*

Once-ler: *Sniff against him and squeezes the hug for moments and then pulls away to wipe his eyes. His shoulders hang heavily but he sighs out and feels a little better.*

Lorax: *Smiles at him in a calm and loving way.* You gonna be okay tonight?

Once-ler: *Nods* I… *His chest shudders with an outward breath and he gives him a weak smile.* I should be.

Lorax: *Chuckles at him.* I'm sure your Warden won't mind. He might not even notice if you don't sniff too often. *Plods over to the roll of kitchen paper towels and tears a piece off, then holds it up for him.*

Once-ler: *Chuckles back at his little tease and takes the tissue to finish up mopping his eyes.*

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Once-ler: *It’s the evening after the Once-ler had finished sorting what he needed to in his factory, he’s been waiting at home for the Warden, but so far he’s heard nothing from him and he hasn’t returned from Thneedville. He’d tried to contact his communicator but no-one answered, he even went to look for him in Thneedville after work and couldn’t find him, he called Jared just in case he might have returned to Superjail for whatever reason and he was told they’ve seen no sign of him. As much as he wants to helicopter around him to make sure nothing bad is happening, he does want to trust him on his own- he doesn’t want to go back out to look for him and turn the whole town upside down, looking like a maniac in the process. It’s just that it’s getting to the point now, as he paces around the lower ground of his Lerkim and checks his pocket watch while the day gets later, that he really thinks he should go and turn the town upside down. He doesn't know what to do, he paces his living room while trying to think of a solution, his fingertips in his mouth to chew on and his eyes tense with concern. He thought he’d be okay, but now he’s disappeared and Once-ler doesn’t know what to do or where to go, and he has no idea why he let him go alone. He looks a bit of a mess, in his half/half outfit with his braces hanging down from his waist. Too worried to make himself look that presentable.*

*There's a brisk knock on the door.*

Once-ler: *Jumps a little at the knock and then goes over to the door, suddenly feeling a wave of relief as he hopes that that’s the Warden returning after his day out, but then he considers that it’s a little strange the Warden would knock when he would usually just stumble in and announce his presence. Unless he really took what he said that morning in his office seriously. He winces, straightens himself up and tries to make his appearance better, but he hopes to heaven that it’ll be his boyfriend. He clears his throat, and then opens the door.*

*Outside is a stern-looking, boring man in a white lab coat. He has thick glasses and looks like an immovable, business-like sort. He waits for the door to be answered before speaking, being too strict and professional to call through the house.*

Once-ler: *Looks the man up and down with a confused, slightly concerned frown.* Uuh... Can I help you?..

Doctor: *He nods, his face expressionless.* I am truly sorry to bother you, Mr. Once-ler, but I'm here on behalf of the Thneedville Psychiatric Institute. *Flaps his hand a little in small gesture.* Merely a formality we have to conduct, but we have a patient with us who insists that he knows you. You'll understand that we have a number of patients who make claims of knowing celebrities and usually we don't follow these accusations up, but he's been very insistent. *Coolly he reaches into his pocket and brings out the lapel pin that Oncie owns, the one with the small truffula tuft.* He also had this on his possession. We simply want to make sure that he's deluded, for the sake of his ongoing treatment. He claims to be... *briefly fishes for the word,* a jailer of some sort. *Seems a little embarrassed by how ridiculous a house call this must seem.*

Once-ler: *Squints and tilts his head at him as he listens, wanting to ask questions but they get answered straight away. His tongue goes numb, but he thinks for a moment that this could be a misunderstanding, but then he reveals the pin. He stares at it with horror and takes it slowly, his eyes having to be forced away from it to look at the man again. His stomach has been getting tighter all through this explanation, still clinging onto hope that this could still not be real,but his stomach plummets at the last thing said, and he stares at the man it utter shock, feeling sick to his stomach* No- he’s in a-? *He gasps, suddenly knowing what that means. He feels like he might be sick. He snaps out of it, trying to act sensible and try not to panic, but he is, and suddenly he grabs his coat and top-hat* Thank you. *Then bolts out of his house, almost knocking the man over and slamming his door shut.*

*This is his town, he funds all of its institutions, he practically runs it and he knows where everything is and the quickest way to get to places. In just a few minutes he’s at the asylum and bursts in, slamming the doors open as if anyone would dare to tell him not to. He’s The Once-ler, he practically owns this town, he built it into what it is today. If he wasn’t there then it wouldn’t be able to run properly without him, let alone have such a great economy, and everyone knows it. He bursts in, his tailcoat fluttering behind him like a demons cape and his hat stretched up to the ceiling as intimidating as one of his factory chimneys, puffing the smoke he burns to keep all these businesses alive.*

Receptionist: *Jolts upright at the sudden entrance and in a small explosion papers addresses him nervously.* Oh! Mr. Once-ler! Can I help you? *A few people are picking up and moving damaged furniture and strewn documents from the reception area- something akin to a hurricane passed through here at some point. Clearly the Warden didn't go down without a fight.* Th-this is very sudden- do you have an appointment? *Everything here is very normal and grey, though it does have the rounded edges and slightly off-kilter angles and asymmetry of any Thneedville building - nothing out of the ordinary as far as Thneedville goes, very professional. There's a small piece of very worrying information, however. Perched on top of the receptionist's outbox are the Warden's glasses- a glint of bright yellow in this otherwise drab place. Of course he wouldn't be allowed to wear them if he were an inpatient. They'll be taken to a small holding area until he's let go... but that could be any time.*

Once-ler: *He stops for a moment to look at the mess, he doesn’t even have to question it, he knows it was the Warden's fighting back that caused such a chaos and it makes him worry even more. Then he snaps his head over to the receptionist and struts over to her dangerously* Do I need a goddamn appointment?! Do you really need to ask me th- *Then his eyes catch the glint of yellow and they notice the Warden's glasses. His mouth goes dry and his eyes look at them in complete horror. Okay- NOW he’s panicking. And he whispers, terrified* Y- you-... took them off him.

Receptionist: *Recoils a little.* Uh, well yes! Of course! They'd be classified as... as contraband... sir. *Pauses and tries to avoid looking at him head on- intimidated by him immensely.* I assume... that this means you're here to see the man who was brought in last night? The, uh, *makes very, very meek quote signs with her fingers,* "prison warden"?

Once-ler: *Scowls at her when she quotes with her hands and places both hands on hers and pushes them down.* He is a prison warden, and everything he says is the truth. He knows me. *Clears his throat and tries to calm down- this isn’t her fault.* He was brought in here last night you say? Why? What for? *He demands an answer quickly.*

Receptionist: *Panics a little and immediately starts typing at the computer to one side, pulling up the Warden's record.* Oh, um. *Reads, readjusting her glasses* He was found at the scene of a fight. Apparently there were, uh, weapons involved. He was brought here instead of to the police station because... well... *She ducks a little, not wanting to be the one to say it.* He was claiming some rather outlandish things. I'm sorry, Mr. Once-ler, sir, but I'm not legally allowed to say any more than that. *Quickly adds, hoping to get rid of him as soon as possible.* Would you want to be taken to him now?

Once-ler: *Is about to snap more demands but stops immediately at the question. That’s definitely what he wants out of this, so it works to get him to go away* Yes please. Right now.

Receptionist: *Immediately snaps her fingers at one of the men in coats walking around.* Excuse me! Could you take Mr. Once-ler to see our newest patient? He's... uh... *She looks to the Once-ler and then immediately lies to make things easier.* Family! Yes.

Doctor: *He squints at the Once-ler, then takes some documents from the receptionist's desk. He cringes.* That patient? I'm afraid he's not approved for visitation right now. *He looks down at the notes and snaps them to a clipboard.* If you are family, we will require some... *Again his eyes rest on the Once-ler, knowing exactly who he is but being as careful as possible in regards to protocol...* Documentation.

Once-ler: *He doesn't like the way he said 'that patient'. His brow tightens and his shoulders stiffen at the resistance shown.* There is no paperwork because the man is no longer in contact with his biological family. I'm his significant other. We have photos together, his things are in my house, and the fact that you picked him up with my lapel pin in his possession and I'm not charging him for being a stalking fan but instead am here trying to represent him, should prove we have a relationship. *He breathes in a sharp breath and huff it out of his nostrils like a steaming bull. He tries to hide the pain in his next statement.* He has no one but me who can care for him. *He points his finger sharply down at the ground.* I demand to see him!

Doctor: *He appears completely dispassionate as the Once-ler talks, even though he believes the man is telling the truth - he is the Once-ler after all, everyone knows that and this is Thneedville - because this isn't a court of law and he isn't looking to be convinced. There is protocol to follow, documents to be inspected, because if they make a mistake by taking a shortcut then they could be sued into the ground.* You can demand all you want, sir, but I'm afraid that until I see documentation proving that your relationship is as you say it is, we can't allow visitation until he's gone through our screening process. He was violent with the nurses as he was brought in, and we have no guarantees that this won't continue to be the case. *When he says 'violent', it's highly likely that he just resisted them as they dragged him in.* He’s a very sick man.

Once-ler: *Takes a step forward assertively but not aggressively, and he cuts in before the man can really finish.* He won't be aggressive to me! *One eye squints and he snarls,* But alright, if you want to play that game, how about this for 'documentation'. When was your last unscheduled routine humanitarian check at this establishment, huh? *Straightens up and folds his arms.* By Thneedville law you're permitted to accept an unscheduled visit by a city representative to check that the treatments, handling and facilities provided to patients are humane and up to human rights standards at all times. *Places his hand on his chest and raises his eyebrow.* As the city's main representative, I've authority to instigate this operation when I see fit, as well as appoint the individual in charge of carrying it out, which can also be myself. So consider it your unscheduled investigation, and I request to see the most recent and most volatile patient checked into the facility within the last twenty-four hours to best review these conditions. *He frowns.* I wouldn't recommend objecting to this kind of operation, it tends to look very bad for an institution of people holding medical licenses.

Doctor: *His eyes widen. Oh crap. He straightens up coldly, his shoulders drawing back defensively and his chin lifting, and for a moment he looks him dead in the eyes, lifting his head slightly as if almost daring to challenge him before remembering who he is. Cold grey eyes unpleasantly squinting. They haven’t had an investigation in a long time. The cultural era that they exist in Thneedville doesn’t pay much attention to the well being of mental patients, but if he doesn’t let the Once-ler in to see just the one patient, then he might put a bigger focus on them overall. He might take it to the press and demand a large-scale investigation as revenge, but maybe if he’s let to see the one man then that’ll be all he wants. Finally he quakes, watching the Once-ler's bright blue glare, as the math clicks and he feels a tiny shudder rattle through him. He is the Once-ler after all, and he’s caught him in a bit of a tough place with all that practical, systematic business talk especially when he tried to just throw the same at him about protocol. He's forced to nod with a slightly unhappy curl to his nose.* Very well. Right this way.

*The receptionist moves to escort him, but the doctor holds up his hand.*

Doctor: No-no, I'll handle this. Right this way, Mr. Once-ler. *He turns on his heel almost like a soldier and glides on sharp feet down the corridors of the facility. He doesn’t seem particularly happy with the way the Once-ler has worked around the rules, but he can’t say anything, the man is too powerful. Never the less, he is hiding an attitude with a bitter sneer, holding his head up and glaring out the corner of his eye at the businessman. The doctors here don’t like it when outsiders try sniffing around their patients and the facilities, they just want to get on with their jobs, with unfeeling. What does the Once-ler anyway? He doesn’t know better than they could about this sick man and what he needs.* You will see that we have everything up to code when it comes to exiling lunacy. Out here are our less volatile inpatients, but I'll take you to our secure wing where the worst are. You’ll see, since you’re here to review our establishment, that the mad man you’re talking about is in the perfect place. *There’s the tiniest hiss sound from his nose that indicates a smirk. To him, the people here are nothing more than animals.*

Once-ler: *His eyes are just as unfeeling to the man’s opinion or reaction, even more so, because he owns this damn town and no-one dares to look at him like this man is daring to. He either doesn't know who he is, which is ridiculous, or he's the most stupid man on the planet to exist in Thneedville and look down his nose at The Once-ler like that. Especially when he's standing in the way of something the man wants and will take. He won't be stopped, nothing can stop him, the only thing this man will succeed in is guaranteeing to make his own life worse by trying to slow the businessman down. He lifts his own head and if he were some sort of demonic creature, his claws and fangs would be unfurling at him right now; he's lucky that they're meant to be existing in a civilised society else the Once-ler would have torn him to shreds as easily as the Warden does to the prisoners in Superjail. ‘The perfect place?’ He picked up on that vile, snarky tone towards himself and his boyfriend- his boyfriend who right now is vulnerable and suffering in his worst nightmare. One thing is for certain, this man is losing his job by the end of today whether or not he's taking him down to the Warden right now. He could write a very convincing report on him and have it approved in seconds. He's not in the mood to stare down a more pathetic predator that apparently doesn't know what lions nest it's poking at.* Good. *He says when the man states where he’s taking him, the word coming out as a stab as he follows him down.*

*Naturally he doesn't really care about the facility's humanitarian standards protocol right now, the Warden is the only thing on his mind and he wants to go there immediately, he doesn't even look around or pay attention to the man as he describes the hallways, but he will write a report like he promised once he has his boyfriend back, and as he makes his way through the corridors, he does start to see just how miserable this place is as well as hear the distressed sounds groaning from the rooms… It reminds him of Superjail on a slow day. Maybe he should investigate here- the thought comes to mind for a moment.

He's a man of doing things by the books most of the time, if he declares an investigation then he'll follow through, if he promises a report then he'll write one, but that's already played them perfectly into his hands now and he knows it. They might call his bluff here, thinking he's just using this reason as an excuse to get into the facility and humouring it to save their reputation, when really he wont write a report in the end. But they would be wrong to do that, because this isn't just a one-off excuse to get into the facility, he knows full well that he's opened up the door to further threats that he'll follow through with. Oh he'll write a report, and it'll drag them all through the mud so violently that they'll forget their names because his own will be etched into their ID cards like branded cattle.* Mh-hm. And Doctor. *That last comment stings. Do they talk about all of their vulnerable patients like that? He nods his head when he's told they're going to the secure wing. Then he looks to the Doctor and scowls at him like a feral mountain wolf ready to claw his eyes out. If he's going to get what he wants, people here need to remember who they're talking to in this city. He seethes with a dark voice.* Don't you ever look down your fucking nose at me again, and don’t you ever say anything like that about one of your patients either, or you can kiss your medical license goodbye. *He's lucky he's only losing his job, maybe then he'll learn the most blatantly obvious lesson of the town named after the Once-ler's very vision.*

*The doctor doesn't mess around, taking him straight to the room with their most volatile and most recent patient, but he nevertheless points out the important things as they make their way through - maintaining the paper-thin pretense of legitimacy. This place, like all of Thneedville, is filled with swirling tubes, old-fashioned copper machinery, big buttons beside each rounded door with chunky plaques declaring the rhyming name of each ward or in-patient. It's a large place, or maybe just seems that way because of its labyrinthine layout, but beyond pointing out the appropriate security measures, the basic facilities and gesturing towards continued areas of the building, the doctor says nothing. Like all of Thneedville, this place was sponsored by the Once-ler himself to some degree if not designed outright by him, so it's all good. It's just, unfortunately, old-fashioned.*

Doctor: *Turns when the Once-ler speaks to him. He doesn't expect the way in which he's spoken to, or the dark tone of the man's voice, and it honestly shocks him. He definitelydoesn’t expect the cursing, because thneedville is almost ‘family-friendly’ in the way it’s inhabitants barely acknowledge curse words to be a part of language. It makes him gulp. He isn't about to fight the man, both because he wouldn’t be that dumband also because he's a professional doctor in his place of work, and drops his steel-grey expression immediately. Suddenly his ego vanishes over realising how seriously the business man is about all this. He can’t even see what’s wrong with speaking about one of these patients like that- Is he actually going to investigate them?* O- of course, Mr. Once-ler.

*They get to the door at the end of the secure wing - another rounded door with a little, wonky, barred window, with a big red button to the side and a plaque that says 'Max Security'.*

Doctor: Here we are, sir. *He thumps his fist on the big red button, and the door swings open.*

*The Warden is lying on the ground of his padded cell, curled up and facing away from the door. It's difficult to judge what state he's in, but it's never a good sign when the Warden is sitting still. Sitting still and wearing a straitjacket. Only that and the hospital patient uniform, which is a grey and shapeless outfit with nothing to cover his feet. It's the last thing he'd ever choose to wear himself.*

Doctor: I have.. aah.. much to do, and he's not dangerous like that. *Likely he just wants to get the hell away from the lions gaze. He passes Oncie a small buzzer.* Let the nurse know when you're ready to leave- visiting hours shut at six. *Gives a small awkward frown* Usually patients in the maximum security area aren't allowed to have visitors in the first place, but since it's you... *He knows Oncie owns their ass. He won't do anything.*

Once-ler: *He gasps, his heart breaking when he sees that curled up, limp figure, and if he had zero social instincts, he’d have sprinted over and curled over him by now just to hug him up and protect him. Instead he takes the buzzer off of the doctor.* Right. Thank you.*He waits for him to leave and then steps into the room. His face drops at the sight, he can’t even see the Warden yet, and yet he can feel how much confused agony he’s in. Hopefully it'll be somewhat less painful once he knows that Oncie came for him. Taking a deep breath he goes over to him, his feet picks up with a desperate need to be with him but also not wanting to startle him with sudden movement, and squats next to him. Then places a very light hand on the wardens shoulder and turns him over to face him.* Warden? It's me, The Once-ler. *Gulps, his mouth is dry and his heart is racing.*

Warden: *He's easily rolled over, and the scary thing is that he doesn't even flinch at the sudden touch. He's limp and docile even though he's conscious. He does, however, immediately wince and let out a small, pathetic moan when he meets Oncie's eyes and their brightness hurts him. Without any usual trappings - no hat, no glasses, not even any fancy clothing - he just looks like a crazy middle-aged man. Not a rich eccentric, or some wacky visionary. Just a very tired and sad old man. Still, he loosely smiles up at his saviour, even if it doesn't look like he believes the other man is really with him, and even if it almost takes him a moment to recognise him. It’d have taken longer though, if it weren’t for those blue eyes. More like he's humouring his own mental images.* Hello Oncie~ *He speaks slow, like he's having to concentrate in order to form words. He then corrects Oncie calling him 'Warden'.* It's Edmund.

Once-ler: *He can’t stand to look at what’s in front of him and just wishes this was an awful nightmare, his heart pounding in his chest, chased by horror so fast that it’s begging his brain to wake him up. How could they do this? He knows he’s unstable, he knows he has problems, but he still can’t imagine something so bad, so depressing, so directly out of the worse pages of the warden’s worst fate, happening to his little bunny of a boyfriend. He has no idea what the Warden is thinking or what’s going on his head but he can see that he’s been completely sedated by them, bound and left in a dark corner- the poor thing. Once he's corrected and been told to call him by his actual name, he gasps and swallows as his heart thumps with grief and worry. He doesn’t know what that means, what state of mind that means he’s in, but he holds himself together and grips the Warden’s shoulder a little tighter.* O- okay. Um- E- Edmund? H-how are you feeling? *He’s not entirely sure what the hell he’s meant to say here, but it’s worth asking the question.*

Warden: *His body can actually be felt untensing when Oncie touches him - as defeated as he is, Oncie is still his safe place. Apparently it's so deeply ingrained now that it's instinct.* It hurts. *Sounds a little pouty, but not in the usual joking, playful way. It's the pout of a real child who can't handle what's happened to him.* This jacket. *Gives a very half-hearted fidget.* And.... everything is very... dull. *Shuts his eyes tight all of a sudden.* And too close. *Curls up a little more, tensing up again.* Right in front of me. *He has no shield in front of his eyes. Those glasses are a barrier that have always kept the world out, and kept him in a nice fantasy world. Now he's clamped up in a ball, eyes scrunched up closed.* I missed you. *Now sounds slightly blaming. He's jumping all over the place because he can't hold a thought in his head for very long.* Where were you?

Once-ler: *Watches him with concerns and horror, but then that blame comes and hits him to his core. He completely blames himself for the position the Warden is in, the guilt is starting to drill a hole through his chest, he hisses at the grief and pain in his stomach, but having it directly pointed at him by the suffering man makes it all the more real. He messed up. He shouldn’t have let him go out alone, he knew he'd get into trouble and now he might have truly scarred him for life. Sure, the Warden might have been erratic, but he knows how his boyfriend was last time, and he knows his townsfolk, and the only reason why he let him go along was because he was too focused on work. Now he’s kicking himself for it. The business isn’t important, the money isn’t important, this is important! He leans forward and presses his face to the Warden's, sliding his arms around him and squeezing him into a close embrace. He feels cold.* I'm sorry. *He gasps and shakes his head* I’m so sorry. I- I'm here now though. I'm here. And I'm gong to get you out, okay? *He plants a slow lingering kiss on the Warden’s head, one protective and promising, as he feels his throat close up.*

Warden: *Another small, sad whimper escapes his throat and he shuffles forward as best as he can into the cuddling and kissing. He's not quite coordinated to kiss back.* I.... *For a moment he sort of drifts off, like he's lost focus, but then he returns with a small shake of his head - like a nervous twitch.* I always do this. *His voice is quavering and almost a whisper. His body is trembling, too, weakened and reacting unfavourably to whatever cocktail of sedatives they've given him. The scary thing is, though, that even if he weren't drugged he'd probably be just as still and broken.* Why... why can't I handle being Edmund? *Presses his face into Oncie's collarbone. He has this low-grade terror running through him for as long as he's without his glasses, but after a whole day of that he's snapped and this has somehow made him okay to talk while internally screaming.* They said there's no War... Warden... but I'm not good at being normal. S- *He has trouble getting the last word out.* Sane.

Once-ler: *Hugs him tightly and lowers his voice, because that’s all he can do to force it to be comforting and kind rather than panicking. It’s what the Warden needs, but his chest is fluttering and there’s a lump in his throat.* I shouldn’t have said- I didn’t mean- *He tries to smile, feeling guilty for asking him to act normal earlier that morning.* You shouldn’t have to be normal because you're special, remember? I told you, people can’t see that yet. All sane people are boring anyway. *He tries to let out a little laugh but he pauses for a moment as his nose becomes tingly and he wells up. He stuffs his face into the Wardens neck and clings tightly onto him.* You are the Warden, he is real, and so is Superjail, and we’re going to go back there the moment I get you out. I’m going to take you home. I promise. *He searches for the buzzer and presses it to call someone in.*

Warden: *He's too drugged to cry, or even feel much beyond the floaty, hazy emotions he's swimming through right now. But he does feel Oncie's tears.* Don't cry... *Sounds like he's attempting to be comforting, even with his voice sounding half-asleep.* You're not in trouble... *He sees Oncie press the button and foggily realises that people are going to come in and interrupt them. He gives a short, futile, struggle.* No... no don't call them... I need to- There's something I meant to say. *Falters, looking scared.* I think... I don't know. *Winces.* It's hard to concentrate... *Slightly begging sound, like he wants Oncie to fix his head.* Oncie...

Once-ler: *He places his hands on the Warden's face and looks at him with worry, feeling a jolt of sickness as the Warden begs him.* What? What is it? *He breathes in and out heavily.* I- Its okay. I'm still staying here with you. I wont move an inch, so then I need them to come to me because I won’t leave you, okay? *He pulls him into his chest again and cuddles him. He’s going to fix this. He swears on his life that he’s going to fix this.*

Warden: *Looks very troubled, but also like he's somewhere else. He's not able to fight the drugs combined with the protective fog his brain is trying to wrap itself up with. It won't let him come to his senses, because if he actually realises what's happened and where he is there's no telling what sort of damage that'll do to him. He's already been utterly destroyed- this is his mind's last-ditch defense effort.* It's just... I...

*At that point two nurses come to the door and hurry in. The door is swung open, and just as the Warden immediately sees them, he pushes his head into Oncie's shoulder, diving as heard as he can into his protectors arms for safety and in a desperate attempt to express how much he needs him. He's so scared of them.*

Warden: I LOVE YOU! PLEASE DON’T GO!

Once-ler: *His breath chokes in his throat. It's as if everything’s suddenly gone silent, like time has stopped. For a moment he really thinks he’s in a dream, some twisted thing that is part nightmare and part everything he’s wanted to hear. But it’s not. The Warden said it, and he said it during the most devastating and horrible situation possible. He said it because he's frightened and confused and desperate, desperate for Oncie, the only thing that he recognises and trusts and loves, to save him from the white-coat monsters coming to hurt him again. His heart skips a beat in that moment of the world pausing, and then suddenly races forward as he comes back to reality. Emotions soar through him, grief and love, guilt and gratitude, horror and hope, and he wells up with large flooding tears as he clutches his soulmate so tightly in his arms that they’d have to kill the Once-ler to pry the Warden from him. Out of his cold, dead, greedy fingers, like all of his riches, except this man is infinitely more valuable to him than any dollar bill or any shining jewel.* I love you too! *He gasps* I love you so much, Edmund! I’m not going, I’m never going! I’m staying right here with you forever and I’m going to fix this, I swear! *He suddenly looks over his shoulder and snaps at the nurses like a feral animal.* GET ME HIS GLASSES! Don’t you dare even think about denying me!! *He’s never sounded so furious and threatening before, but he could make their lives a living misery if he wanted to, and if they do not obey him right now then he will certainly rain hellfire upon them all.*

*The nurses gaze at him wide-eyed - at the whole situation, really- and then scatter like frightened gazelle. The Warden will be getting his damn glasses back. There is no question about that.*

Warden: *Has his eyes tightly shut, not at all scared of the way Oncie is shouting. But he's still overwhelmed by this whole situation and has no energy or lucidity left in him, so he clamps up and burrows himself as close as he can into that hug. His emotions are still dulled by everything, but hearing Oncie talking to him - saying that he loves him and is going to take care of him and that he's never going anywhere - is affecting him so deep down that he starts crying even when he doesn't directly feel the emotions he's supposed to. He doesn't wail or sob, he just wells up and the tears stream freely. The emotions are so deeply there that even when he can't think about what it means, or even consciously feel them, his body reels under the effects of it all. He knows what he’s meant to do here, what his body wants, and what his heart needs to express, even in all the brainfog. He sniffs heavily, and a small pant of crying does make itself heard. It's a single bleat, a shudder of his shoulders, and it's all his damaged mind has left to give. He loves him, that’s all he knows to be real when he has nothing left, that’s what the thing that makes sense and knows to stay, and he’s so relieved Oncie is here.*

Once-ler: *Strokes his hand through the Wardens hair and rocks him back and forth, his chin protectively hooked over his head as the tears stream down his face.* Okay- *Sniffs again and leans down to plant kisses on the Warden's head, talking into his ear and doing his best to deliver as much comfort and love to him as he can.* I love you too. *Kisses him again and repeating the words as a mantra.* Everything's going to be okay, everything's going to be oka- ay.

Warden: *Nods pathetically into his front, trying to believe him that things will be okay, because the only hope he can hold onto now is that he trusts Oncie. His facial expression is blank, even though so much stuff is churning up inside of him. Oncie smells so familiar this close, and that particular sense is a vivid experience in his current state. Fresh grass, butterfly milk, sweet flowers, the forest- with a hint of smoke and copper from his factory, and a faint smell of the signature cologne he wears for business. It’s the most perfect scent in the world because its his, and it’s a lifeline for his muddled synapses to cling onto. He never wants to be let go from from this.*

*The nurses scurry back down the corridor for the glasses, they didn't even ask permission to take them from the front office - they just want to swipe them so that they can hand them back to the frightening man - but run straight into the doctor who brought the Once-ler here. He frowns and shakes his head - no. They're not giving an unknown and dangerously unstable man anything that can be broken into shards. It's policy. One brow raises up from behind his thick glasses, reminding them that this is their job, and they're not just here to placate the guy making the loudest demands in the room.*

*Besides, he thinks. They're just glasses.*

*The nurses twitter amongst themselves, because nobody wants to go back in there and tell him. As they twitter, one sneaks past and dashes for the front office because maybe if she can smuggle them in, the Once-ler won't fire her at least.*

*She gets to the front desk, reaches for the glasses stacked on top of the filing cabinet, but is then stopped by a wiry hand with sharp nails. Jumping a mile, she looks up into the eyes of a very severe-looking woman with horn-rimmed glasses, a grey beehive hairstyle, and a long, pristine white coat.*

Female Doctor: What do you think you're doing?

Nurse: Th-there's a very upset patient who needs them, Dr. Zazzerzump! And... *she hushes her voice* Mr. Once-ler demanded we get them!

Doctor Zazzerzump: Mr. Once-ler 'demanded', did he? *Her birdlike face hardens like thunder.* Is Mr. Once-ler the Medical Chief of this hospital?

Nurse: N-no Doctor. But none of us want to be the ones to go in and tell him-

Doctor Zazzerzump: Oh, for goodness' sake. *She storms past the nurse with clipped, high-heeled strides and heads straight for the secure wing.* And Dr. Snickberry-Shoo? What did he say about all this?

*She walks straight past Dr. Snickberry-Shoo as he continues to berate the nurses for trying to get past him. But when he sees his superior come striding past, he takes a step back away from her.*

*This might be the Once-ler’s city, but this is her hospital, and he can’t just waltz in and take a patient from one of their cells like the man belongs to him. His name is on their paperwork now, he’s in their branded straightjackets, he’s in one of their cell rooms, and he has a long, tiring schedule of tests, medication and treatments already being prescribed and planned that’ll last him years until he’ll be allowed to be released. Once he’s proved to be mentally unfit for the outside world, he’ll be institutionalised here, and then he’ll belong to her and to the system.*

*Although relief floods through The Once-ler to finally have his beloved safe in his arms again, this isn’t the end of the road like he hopes. He doesn’t realise the approaching battle coming on the horizon. He doesn't realise what a terrible ending they might be met with if he doesn’t win it. He doesn’t realise, that in a cruel twist of irony, the Warden might finally become the Prisoner.*

To be continued...

#the-once-ler-in-superjail #superjail #the once-ler #the warden #wardler #the lorax #thneedville #wardenler #comic #chapter 35 #part1 #the asylum #tw mental illness #wiggybe #wiggy #self-made-madman #self made madman #ilpentamerone

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daechwitatamic · 1 year

Text

VIII. Nothing Grows Here || KNJ

(banner by @/itaeewon)

Title: My Feet to Follow, and My Heart to Hold (Masterpost)

Rating: NSFW - minors dni

Genre: college!au, roomie!au, angst, s2l, the absolute slowest of burns

Pairing: Namjoon x female reader, unrequited Taehyung x reader

Beta'd by @/kookstempo, @/casuallyimagining, and @/toikiii - thank you endlessly!

Summary: You know a lot about the many types of love thanks to Kim Taehyung. You love him as the only person you see as “family”, you love him as your very best friend, and you love him as the beautiful, funny man he’s become. But when a twist of fate during your senior year has you rooming with his good friend Kim Namjoon, you just might find that you have plenty left to learn about love.

Lesson One: there are such things as a right way and a wrong way to love and to be loved.

Namjoon starts to question where your heart lies.

Section Warnings: kissing, language, drinking, breast play/nip stim, public physical intimacy (they do not get caught)

WC: 5.5k

The world is mine: blue hill, still silver lake, Broad field, bright flower, and the long white road A gateless garden, and an open path: My feet to follow, and my heart to hold. - Journey | Edna St. Vincent Millay

Thursday November 22nd

Namjoon catches you for breakfast on Thursday, too. He stands on the kitchen side of the breakfast bar, while you sit on one of the stools facing him. You each hold a coffee mug - yours blue, his white with lineart of a tree peeking between his fingers.

“I’m working on Journey for my thesis today,” you tell him suddenly. “Do you know that one?”

You must be talking about a St. Vincent Millay poem, Namjoon figures.

He shakes his head. “No, I don’t know that one.”

You lean your body fully towards him, clearly excited. Namjoon feels a tickling sensation of fondness at how animated you get when you talk about this kind of thing. “It’s about freedom,” you explain. “Or, longing for it. It’s about walking a certain path but longing to step off, to go somewhere uncharted.”

Namjoon hesitates. He feels a little like you’re telling him something without telling him, in a way. “It sounds good,” he hedges finally. “What’s your favorite part?”

“The last two lines,” you answer immediately, reaching for your phone and opening a note you’d made. “A gateless garden, and an open path: / my feet to follow, and my heart to hold.”

“What’s the context?” Namjoon asks. “What’s your thesis?”

“Well, the first line’s clear,” you say, turning your phone screen back off. “A gateless garden - the gate being the symbol for what was holding her to the strict path, right? And now it’s gone? Leading her to the open path she mentions next. It’s like, the moment she breaks free.”

Namjoon nods, following easily.

“It’s the last line I’m not sure about,” you admit. “My feet to follow, and my heart to hold. I feel like you could take it two ways? Is it spoken to the reader? Like, my feet are for you to follow, and my heart is for you to hold? Or is it my feet’s task to follow, and my heart’s task to hold tight? The second, right? Her feet are meant to follow the open path mentioned in the line before?”

“If you want my actual input on this,” Namjoon says with a sly smile, “you’ll have to come to my office.”

You grin at him, laughing. “I think I should get free TA services. It’s a roomie privilege.”

Namjoon laughs too. “Nope,” he says, standing and picking up his emptied plate. “Office hours, or no help.”

You sigh dramatically, draping yourself over your plate. “You wound me,” you say mournfully, and Namjoon chuckles from the kitchen, where he loads his plate and fork into the dishwasher.

“Maybe I just like you showing up during my work hours,” he says, looking at you sideways. “Maybe it makes work suck less.”

That shuts you right up, a blush spreading across your cheeks.

–

You don’t visit Namjoon during his TA hours, and he tries hard to pretend that’s not the reason he’s in a weird mood by the time he locks up and walks home in the dark.

His mood darkens even more when he unlocks the apartment door and finds you and Taehyung side by side on the floor of the living room, your laptops open on the coffee table, clearly working on homework together.

You look up when you hear the door open. “Hi!” you say brightly, oblivious.

“Hey,” Namjoon says, hoping he sounds normal. He sets down his bag next to the breakfast bar and heads in the kitchen. He starts scavenging for anything quick and easy - leftovers would be ideal, if there are any.

Out in the living room, he hears Taehyung’s low voice ask you, “Hey, do you remember that time at the beach?”

You let out a peal of laughter instead of answering.

Taehyung giggles, too, and then adds, “I still can’t believe that kid jumped on me. Who does that?”

You’re still laughing, the words coming out strangled. “And you’d been fast asleep,” you wheeze. “What a wake-up!”

Namjoon finally settles on something and heads back through the kitchen, hands full. He slips into his bedroom and closes the door gently with his foot, placing his food on his desk and preparing to start writing.

He wonders, as his laptop boots up, if he’ll ever manage to be around you and Taehyung at the same time and not feel like the outsider.

Friday November 23rd

Namjoon’s Friday schedule is his best all week - he’s done by two in the afternoon, free as a bird to start his weekend.

He hangs around the offices for a while anyway, killing time and trying to pretend it’s not because he knows you have an afternoon class that ends around three-thirty.

When three-thirty rolls around, he can’t lie to himself anymore. He texts you.

[3:32 PM] Namjoon: want company walking home? im leaving my office

[3:32 PM] You: siiiiiiiiiiigh i WISH i was going home

[3:32 PM] You: i’ll be in the library until it closes, bye 🙃

Namjoon tries to put aside his sinking feeling of disappointment. He gathers his things and starts to walk home. Once there, though, the apartment feels too empty, too quiet. He used to like that, used to seek out being home when he knew he’d be alone. Now, it makes him feel… kind of hollow.

He takes a quick shower, mostly to kill twenty minutes, and then texts Yoongi and Hobi - “happy hour?”

It’s less than twenty minutes later that he’s on a barstool next to Hobi at their favorite dive, waiting for Yoongi to arrive. The place is dimly lit, practically empty as the office crowd has another hour or more of work and the college crowd won’t start filtering in for another six hours or so.

The door opens, a blast of late autumn air accompanying Yoongi as he makes his way over and sits on Hobi’s other side.

Two beers later, each, Hobi knocks his elbow against Namjoon’s. “Anything new from the she-devil?”

Namjoon eyes him flatly. “I assume you mean Elyse?”

Hobi nods, biting back a proud smile at his own bad behavior.

Namjoon sighs, fishing for his phone in his pocket. “I told you about her coming into the bookstore out of nowhere while I was hanging out with Y/N, right?” he checks, as he searches through his phone for what he’s looking for.

“Yes,” Yoongi confirms. “We all agreed that was very kdrama of you.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” Namjoon complains. “Anyway, so she called me like two days later. I let it go to voicemail. You never heard this, okay?”

The guys nod, and since they’re essentially alone, Namjoon puts the voicemail on speaker and lets it play.

“Hi, it’s me. Elyse. I know you’re probably wondering why I’m calling… you were pretty clear about how you feel. I just… I’m just having a hard time feeling… closure, I guess? I know, it’s silly, when I’m the one who ended things. I just… I don’t have anyone to talk through all this with me… you were my person to talk to.

“I know this is so unfair. I know it’s illogical. And I’m sorry, I hope you can believe that. Anyway. I’m not asking for anything. Just… if you ever want to talk… I wanted you to know you can call any time. I’ll talk to you.”

“So now she’s the saint and you’re the villain,” Hobi grumbles, leaning back in his chair.

“Right,” Namjoon agrees. “She’s the poor baby having a hard time and I’m the asshole for not entertaining her every need, when she’s the one who asked me to move on.”

“You don’t owe her a fucking thing,” Yoongi says seriously. “I hope you aren’t planning on calling her back.”

Namjoon pauses. He has no intention of humoring Elyse’s little game, but mostly because his head is too full of you.

And somehow, Hobi reads his mind.

“Listen,” he says, uncharacteristically serious, “I’m not saying to call Elyse, because I think I am speaking for everyone on planet earth when I say that’s a terrible idea. But if your reason isn’t your own dignity and self-respect -”

Yoongi cuts in. “What he means is, if your reason is the roommate.”

“She has a name,” Namjoon snaps.

Hoseok carries on like nobody else was speaking, “-then you need to sit back and think about that. Because that’s been going on for, what, two months? And what do you have to show for it?”

Namjoon feels defensiveness flood through him, clear down to his toes.

“It’s a two-way street, though,” he protests. “I haven’t pushed the issue with her, either.”

“And that’s all well and good…” Hobi allows. “But do you want to come second forever?”

Namjoon scowls. “I don’t think you’re being very fair to her.”

Yoongi leans forward, his elbow on the sticky bar. “I think you’re giving someone too much grace as they string you along - again. I kept my mouth shut the whole time with Elyse, and when she broke your heart I felt fucking responsible for not being a better friend and telling you what I could see from the outside. So I'm doing it this time - I'm not making the same mistake twice.”

Namjoon shakes his head. “It’s not the same. She’s not Elyse. You can’t hang her for someone else’s crimes.”

“We’re just saying,” Hobi says, eyes finding Yoongi’s for confirmation as he speaks for both of them, “this feels a little familiar.”

When they leave, a few hours and a few beers later, Namjoon’s still got an ugly feeling in the pit of his stomach. They’re wrong, he knows they’re wrong, he knows you have feelings for him - they don’t have all of the information.

Can he say for sure you’d choose him over Taehyung if it came to it? No, but he also doesn’t think it has to come to a choice like that. Surely you can all handle this like adults?

When he texts you, asking if you’re still at the library, it’s with that ugly feeling stirring and churning inside him, the need to prove something building up into a flurry.

When you text him that you’d meant it when you said you’d be there until closing, Namjoon pays his bill and heads, on foot, for campus.

It’s not hard to find you in the library; there are four other people, total, each of you at your own tables, hunched over laptops. He pauses by your elbow, and you look up at him, surprised, your fingers somehow continuing to type as your brain catches up to the world outside your paper.

“Oh,” you say. “Hi! What are you doing here?”

“Come with me,” he says. He meant it as a question, a request, but he can hear how it comes out like a demand. Your eyes widen, your mouth opens a little in surprise. But you close your laptop and slowly rise to your feet. Namjoon takes your hand and gives it a gentle tug, pulling you towards the stacks.

Once you’re shielded from view by the shelves and the books they hold, he tugs more insistently, pulling you to him, catching your lips in a kiss.

You stiffen in surprise, but melt out of it quickly, reaching up to cup his jaw as you kiss him back. He grunts happily when he feels you return it, reaching around you and pressing his large hand against the small of your back, forcing your bodies closer, pushing your hips against his. He keeps you there but doesn’t push it further, waits to see how you react, gives you the chance to indicate that you want him to cool it down.

You don’t. You release his jaw and fist your hands in his sweater, opening your mouth for him as he kisses you like he has a point to prove.

He does have a point to prove. He’s fully aware of why his feet led him right here, right now.

He backs you against a shelf, careful to leave his hand between your spine and the metal, his other hand coming up to tangle in your hair. He kisses you like he wants to meld himself to you, leave a piece of himself, leave a reminder to everyone else that he’d been here first. You let him, you take his fury, you spin it into something softer, and you give it back to him, just a little changed.

He doesn’t know how long he kisses you, your body pressed between his and the books, but when he finally abandons your mouth and straightens up to look at you, you’re panting, cheeks flushed, hair mussed, chest heaving. He takes a step back, putting space between your bodies again, unpinning you to the bookshelf. You seem like you’re not sure how to hold yourself up without it, without him. You take a tentative step, and your arm twitches like you might reach for him, might pull him back. But you don’t.

“What was that for?” you ask instead, breathless. “Not that I’m complaining. Just. What the heck.”

“You’re in this, right?” he asks you, which isn’t an answer at all. It comes out strange, strangled, desperate. “It’s not just me?”

“What?” you utter, looking positively alarmed. “Namjoon, what? Of course I am. What’s going on? Did something happen?”

Namjoon feels himself calming by degrees, his control coming back to him little by little. He needed to hear you say it.

“Nothing happened,” he says, which is kind of a lie. Yoongi and Hoseok happened. Elyse happened. In his own way, Taehyung happened. But none of that is your fault. “I just… had a moment where I wasn’t sure. What this is. If it’s… just me.”

You shake your head, eyes wide. “Did I do something to make you feel like that? I’m really sorry if I did. Is it - is it because of -?”

Is it because of Taehyung.

A little, Namjoon thinks. But not entirely.

“Look,” he says, reaching out a hand and touching your arm gently. “I’m not asking you to… choose between us or anything stupid like that. I just need to know if this is… going somewhere. If you want it to, or if you’re just… enjoying it. No judgment either way - I’ve just hit a point where I think I need to know.”

You continue to stare at him, eyes still wide, looking probably as blindsided as you feel.

“Namjoon,” you whisper finally. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

The air all leaves his body. “Okay,” he says, exhaling. He gives himself a mental shake. He can lick his wounds later, alone. “Okay. Thanks for tell-.”

“I’m not just enjoying this,” you continue, putting a little sneer on the words. “I’m - I’m in this. I’ve told you - I like you, and I want to be with you. It’s just - my paper’s due in an hour and a half, and my brain is pudding, and you just kissed me absolutely stupid and…” You trail off, look at him a little desperately, like you’re trying to juggle just one too many things. “I don’t know what exactly I want, within what parameters - I was… I was kind of okay with just seeing where it went and not trying to put a name or rules to it just yet? If you need more than that, we can have that conversation, but… maybe not right this second?”

“No need,” Namjoon tells you, meaning it. He reaches out without thinking first, smoothing down where he’d messed up your hair. “I’ve been fine with that, too. I just needed to know that… it isn’t nothing. That we’re going… a direction. That’s all.”

You narrow your eyes at him suspiciously. “Something happened,” you say, sounding sure of it. “You don’t spook this easily. Was it her?”

Namjoon shakes his head, takes your hand, starts to lead you back to your table. “Nothing happened,” he lies again. “What’s your paper on? Do you want help?”

Sunday November 25th

I unlock my ribs and pry them open. I want to view the things I make. The garden has that fresh-earth smell, each seedling marked by a little stake.

But I grow only skeletons - no petals - brittle blooms, instead. Buds of bone will reach the light. Nothing grows here that isn’t dead.

An offering made - a little seed. This one, they say, will live. There’s quite a price for this living thing, a price I’m not sure that I can give.

You stare at the page, chewing absently on the end of your pen - a bad habit you’ve never been able to break.

You kind of like this one. Especially the eighth line - nothing grows here that isn’t dead. You roll the words around your head again, feeling the weight of them.

You do like it, you decide. You’ll turn this one in; you hadn’t turned in the shitty wolves one - you’d drawn an ‘x’ near the top of the page and left it to die.

Namjoon passes behind you at the breakfast bar, touching your back lightly as he does. It’s his little way of announcing his presence without scaring the shit out of you; you’re not sure when he started it - not long ago, for sure - but it’s sweet.

“Morning,” you tell him, closing the notebook. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good,” he says, coming back around to your side of the breakfast bar now that he has a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. “You?” He crosses the living room and drops heavily on the couch, turning to look out the large windows. Outside, it’s overcast - so dark that you really ought to turn a lamp on, but no rain falls.

“Pretty good,” you say. “Can I come hang out over there with you?”

He says the same thing back to you that you’ve said to him before - “You don’t have to ask.”

You perch by him on the couch, coffee cup warm in your hands. You curl your feet up next to you and tug a throw-blanket over them.

The two of you sit in comfortable silence, both watching the window absently.

When Namjoon speaks, it surprises the hell out of you.

“Y/N…” he says slowly, turning to look at you. “Tell me about you and Taehyung? Like - about your friendship?”

You’re shocked into literal silence, mouth open, brain absolutely devoid of words. What do you even say to that?

He reaches out a hand, places it gently on top of your thigh. “It’s not a trick,” he says gently. “I just… want to get to know more of you, and your friendship seems like… a really big piece. You’ve told me before that he’s family…” He trails off, looks down at his coffee, then back at you. His face is open, genuine, kind. “I want to know more about that. If you’re comfortable telling me.”

You lick your lips, eyes on the ground. You should let him see this part of you; you owe him this honesty. But how to make him understand? Which moments of your life best paint a picture of what it was like having only Taehyung in your corner?

“When I think of Taehyung,” you say softly, when you’ve thought of a starting point, “I always think of fall. We met on the first day of school, two years before I lost my family. He was the only kid who would talk to me at lunchtime, because I was new.” You laugh under your breath, remembering. He’d been all ears, but you’d been so glad someone was sitting by you that you wanted to never let him out of your sight again.

You claimed him as yours immediately.

“When I lost my parents,” you continue, “I lived with my Grandma for a long time. She was really strict; she was being protective. She didn’t like a lot of the other kids in my class, she wouldn’t let them come over to play. But she had a soft spot for Taehyung. He could just charm the shit out of her, even when we were seven years old. I still don’t know how he did it. But when I look back on my life, he was the only one there. Every holiday, every birthday, every stupid childish adventure, every mishap, every failed test or scraped knee - it was Taehyung who was with me.”

You don’t look at Namjoon while you talk; it’s easier not to have to see him as you recount your early years. But you can see out of the corner of your eyes that he’s watching, listening, hearing you out.

“When my Grandma got too sick to take care of me - she started losing her memory, it got unsafe for both of us really rapidly - Taehyung helped me pack up her stuff that was going to the facility with her.” Remembering this makes your throat tight, and you drink some coffee to cover it. “I think the only reason she went in willingly was because he held her hand through the lobby and down the hall. It wasn’t me she was clinging to, it was him.”

You pause, bracing yourself for the next part a little. “Aunt Lin raised me after that, but… her heart wasn’t really in it, and she worked nights and slept days. Most of my teenage years, I spent on my own - unless Taehyung was with me. He shared food with me when Lin forgot to give me lunch money, gave me Christmas presents when she worked the holiday… made me laugh with his dumb-ass jokes when I felt like no one in my life ever remembered I was there.

“When we graduated high school, Taehyung bought me flowers and…” You swallow, fighting hard against choking up. “He told me he was proud of me for getting this far, alone. That he knew I’d make it anywhere I wanted to go, because he’d watched me fight my way that far. Lin… didn’t show up to graduation, and left me some chicken in the fridge to have for dinner. That story’s the best metaphor for all of it. No matter what step of my life you’re looking at, that’s the picture you get.”

Namjoon waits to make sure you’re finished, not just thinking of what to say next. “Can I ask something kind of challenging?” he says quietly, and your heart stutters, afraid of what it might be.

“Of course,” you tell him, because if he can sit and listen to you talk about another guy like this and not walk the fuck away from you, you owe him the answer to anything.

“All those stories…. all those moments…” he says thoughtfully, and you recognize his tone from when he was trying to let Elyse down easy, “they’re all from when you were growing up. What about now? What about these last three years, here at university?”

He was right. It is a challenging question. Putting words to it is hard enough, but add in that your audience is the guy you’re developing strong feelings for… it feels like a puzzle. Or a test.

“It’s been… hard,” you admit slowly. “Being his friend… it’s different, here.”

Because of other girls.

Because of your own stupid heart.

Because you’ve left home, and your circle of support isn’t just him anymore.

Because your worlds have gotten bigger, your edges expanding, and you can’t revolve around each other as tightly anymore.

Namjoon doesn’t even have to ask the question he’s driving at. You get there all on your own.

Are you and Taehyung even really that close, now? Or is it all nostalgia and familiarity, loyalty and habit?

He seems to see it on your face that he doesn’t need to push it. He brushes his thumb along the side of your leg, where his hand still rests from earlier.

“Thanks for telling me all that,” he says, voice hushed.

“Thanks for listening to it,” you counter. “You want a turn? I can listen for a while.”

He laughs a little, leaning back against the couch. “Nah, I’m good,” he teases. Then, he lifts his arm to make a spot for you. You slide over, leaning against him, letting him wrap an arm around your shoulders.

You sit in silence together a while longer. You’re not sure what he’s thinking about, but you’re thinking about your friendship with Taehyung - its benefits, its failings, its definition.

Monday November 26th

Even though you spend most of Sunday together, working separately on your homework in the living room, even though you walked to campus together as the sun burned away an early-morning fog, you still think about Namjoon the entire time you’re in class on Monday. You can’t help it. When class ends, you catch yourself practically running to go bother him in his little office.

Girl, you think, scathingly, get a grip.

But it’s happening and it’s exciting and you just like him and you can’t stop thinking about how he kissed you in the library last week and -

You knock on his office door, and he has the audacity to smirk without even looking up to check that it’s you.

“Come in,” he says, pen scratching away at whatever he’s working on. There’s something dangerous and playful in his voice, and you shiver. Then, feeling bold, you close the door behind you when you enter the room.

That makes him look up, the smirk still on his lips.

“Hi there,” he says, still in that same voice.

It’s cocky, a little smug - a side of him you haven’t really seen before.

“Happy to see me?” you tease, dropping your bag on the ground with a thunk and stalking closer, feeling a little predatory.

He hums agreeably and stretches, the movement pulling his shit taut across his chest.

There’s part of you that thinks he’s fucking with you on purpose. You decide, on a whim, to push back - to play the game, too, and see where it gets you.

You approach him purposefully and he spreads his legs to let you stand between them, leaning back and peering up at you, a dare on his face. You feel alight with thrill, your own smirk playing on your lips.

You swivel and sit, perching on his (strong, thick) thigh, looping your arms around his neck. You half expect him to lose the bravado, to get shy or flustered, but his hands come up to grip your hips - dangerously close to your ass - immediately, tugging you more firmly onto his lap.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he murmurs, one eyebrow raised.

“Just wanted to see you,” you tell him honestly, and lean in to kiss him.

It’s light and sweet, at first - less desperate and hungry than your previous kisses have been. His lips feel feather-soft for a few seconds, brushing gently against yours, and your heart stutters, trips. He brings one hand up to the middle of your back to help you balance, and you pull yourself tighter against him as he opens for you.

It’s tongue and teeth as you pull yourself against him, your chest flush with his. As you kiss him, the sweet, gentleness melts away and you find yourself humming low in your throat as he grabs your ass again with the hand that isn’t holding your back, fingers kneading into the jean-clad flesh there.

He makes a noise of his own at yours, like an answer, pulling you tighter against his lap by the meat of your ass. You can feel him, hard beneath you, and you shift purposefully against it once just to hear him groan so quietly you might miss it, his mouth only centimeters from yours.

Then he’s kissing you again, more forcefully, his hand creeping up from the swell of your ass to dip under the hem of your shirt. His fingers feel warm and sure against the bare skin of your waist, and then they’re sneaking higher, his thumb sliding firmly along the side of your breast, over your bra. You sigh into his mouth, and it ends on a bit of a whine as you wordlessly ask for more.

He obliges, shifting slightly to cup your whole breast in one large hand, squeezing once before running his thumb over your hardened nipple. You whine again, pressing your leg against his hard length, trying to egg him on. He squeezes again, then slides his fingers beneath the underwire, rolling the bud he finds there between his fingers.

You moan quietly into his mouth, breaking the kiss to gasp as he does it again, a fraction harder. He swipes his thumb over it again and you press open-mouthed kisses to the side of his neck as he buries his face in your hair, eyes closed.

Footsteps approach and pass outside the door, and you both freeze, his hand still wrapped around you. You look at each other, wide-eyed, afraid to move.

“Does… that door lock?” you manage to whisper. He shakes his head no, almost imperceptibly, and slowly withdraws his hand from up your shirt.

“We should probably cool it anyway,” he whispers back. “Even if someone knocked first, having the door shut with you in here… is probably enough to get my office rights revoked.”

You nod, vacating his lap and fixing your bra, which he’d left askew. He does some adjusting as well, you notice, before reaching over and pulling the door open a few inches.

“I’m working the store tonight,” you tell him, trying to get your head back to reality, focusing on your schedule to help get it there. “So I won’t be home for dinner.”

“Should I bring you something?” he asks. “I’m here until five. I could come by, after.”

“That’s your choice,” you tell him. “Kris is working with me tonight, so if you show up with food for me it’ll be officially a thing. Like, there’s no going back from that. So if any part of you is trying to keep this low-key, that’ll be over.”

“Hm,” Namjoon says, mouth making a straight line.

“To be fair,” you say, as an after-thought, “Kris has been being obnoxious about you and me since you moved in, way before anything happened. So. It can’t really make things worse.”

“Okay,” Namjoon says, giving you a sweet smile. “I’ll see you later, then.”

You glance at the time - you’ve got twenty minutes to get across campus. Which is plenty, but you need to go.

“Alright,” you say reluctantly. “I guess I’m off. See you in a little bit.”

At the store, it takes Kris about fourteen seconds to look you up and down and say flatly, “You’ve been kissing.”

“What?” you gasp, hands leaping to your body - checking your hair, your shirt, your mouth. “How do you know?”

They shake their head in mock disapproval. “I just know these things. Honestly, Y/N, you live with him, can’t you do these things at home?”

You swat at their arm petulantly. “Quit acting like you aren’t super jealous.”

“Oh, I am,” they inform you. They lean against the counter, placing their chin in their palm, a dreamy expression crossing their face. “Believe me. So what’s it like with him? Tell me everything.”

–

Namjoon shows up sometime before six, a bag of food in hand. He looks a little nervous, and you aren’t sure if it’s because of your warning about Kris, or because last time he did this he got accosted by his ex. Maybe both.

“Hi there, Dimples,” Kris greets him with a big smile. “Come stay a while.”

“Have you ever formally met Kris?” you ask, coming between them. “Kris, Namjoon, - Namjoon, Kris.”

“Nice to meet you,” he replies. “Unfortunately, I have to go home and finish a paper.”

You set the bag of food on the counter and walk with him back towards the doors leading out.

“Just so you know,” he mutters out of the side of his mouth, voice barely audible. “I have had a problem for the last hour and a half since your little visit. And that’s not me flirting with you, that is me filing a formal complaint.”

It surprises a laugh out of you, and he grins at you sideways too.

“Sorry,” you say, barely meaning it. “That’s sounds… hard.”

“Oh, my god,” he utters, as you lose it, laughing so hard you have to grab his arm for support as you double over. “Seriously? Kris, do something with her. Who let her out of the house today?”

“I do believe that was you,” Kris says dryly from their perch by the registers.

You wheeze through the laughter, trying to suck in a long breath. “Sorry, sorry,” you giggle. “I couldn’t help myself.

He shakes his head at you, moving for the door. “I’ll see you at home,” he tells you, and then he leaves.

“At home,” Kris sighs, like it was so romantic.

You shoot them an eye-roll as full of ire as you can manage.

<- Prev || Next ->

Finally some backstory, and finally some spice!!!! What are we thinking??!!!

As always thank you so so so so much reading, I appreciate you all sooo much! Happy friday!!!

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plaguery · 4 months

Text

COMMISSIONS OPEN!

i am finally opening commissions! (●'◡'●)

i am open to your wols, tavs, other ocs, favorite characters, oc x canon, etc!

if you are interested, i have details and more options under the cut.

LINEART - will be in the color of your choice and i can easily make 2-3 different color versions with no extra charge.

(Bust - $25, Half Body - $45, Full Body - $60)

FLAT COLOR - lineart color here will generally be changed at my discretion to make the flats pop but i can still give you images of the colorful lineart that is similarly included above. i can include a flat color background as well.

(Bust - $40, Half Body - $70, Full Body - $90)

y'shtola has a pretty intricate outfit in this piece, so that would be an extra $15. that additional price for intricate outfits/armor applies to both lineart and flat color prices, but will most likely only apply to full body pieces. clear references will be needed for that level of detail on an outfit and i may refuse and suggest a simpler option if your request feels to be outside of my skillset. if you're not sure if an outfit would be too complex, please ask!

the simple lighting that is involved in the example above would also be an additional $10. if you're interested in an additional figure, it will add 50% of the base price and of any extra prices i've listed, if they apply.

my other offerings include a monochrome sketch or a stylized head portrait:

MONOCHROME SKETCH - will be less detailed, slightly less clean, and includes a monochrome color blocking in the color of your choice. will only include the one color version. is subject to the same extra 50% for an additional figure. lighting and highly detailed intricate outfits will not be included.

(Bust - $25, Half Body - $40, Full Body - $50)

STYLIZED HEAD PORTRAIT - will not be going for pure realism or heavy shading, colors will not be under neutral "true to life" lighting and will be similarly colorful to the example image. includes the lineart and full color. - $60

GENERAL INFO:

I AM OPEN TO... original characters (including self inserts), canon characters, ocs & canon from works im unfamiliar with, ships with canon characters/ocs/oc x canon, simple props, simple handwritten speech bubbles/words

ASK ME ABOUT... characters with anthro features (it will depend on extent), non-pornographic nudity, revealing clothes/lingerie (commissioners and portrayed characters must be 18+ for the last two)

I WILL NOT DO... any background work past a flat color, animals, full anthro characters (im still learning... (ノへ￣、)), mechs, real people (excluding actors in character), porn, anything i am uncomfortable with or feels outside of my abilities (of which i will turn down at my own discretion)

PLEASE... ask me about anything that is unclear and be prepared with references/mood boards/example images/detailed descriptions! (i will help synthesize these but i will not do from the ground design work)

these will be for personal use only/not for commercial use and payment will be done through paypal...

you can find more of my work on my art tag and i can be reached by DM here for inquiries!

#plaguery art #character commission #oc commission #art commission

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akolnoix · 3 months

Note

I love your art sm!!!!!! Do you have any drawing tips / process examples?

thank you!

i don't take many progress pics, so here's a timelapse just for you.

i'm almost entirely self-taught (and in a very uneven manner lol) so i can't offer much in the way of technical skills. so i'll just say a few of the things i'm glad to have learned over the years. (largely wrt digital art)

-if you really dislike a step in the process, there's a good chance you can decide to just... not do it. hate doing lineart? you can just neaten up your sketch a bit, or go completely lineless. hate coloring? switch to black and white. hate shading? just don't do it.

you'll draw a lot more if you enjoy it, and in the future you'll probably get in the mood to try again at something you used to hate, and re-evaluate, so you're not missing out.

like for a while i drew almost entirely in black+white because i hated coloring, and then i played theresia: dear emile and was hit with the inspiration to work with color again, and i've continued to do so ever since.

on the other hand, i've been doing digital art almost exclusively for like 10 years now. occasionally i'll be in the mood to draw with an actual pencil again, so i do it. and my decision is reaffirmed haha

-the scope of your character drawing will truly unlock the moment you realize there is no fundamental difference between drawing men and women, only specific features that differ on a person by person basis

-most programs will let you use any brush as an eraser (or "draw with clear"), it's a lifesaver for using heavily textured brushes

-use pureref for your reference images. idk how i worked without it for so long.

-fall in love with drawing noses. they're one of the most distinctive parts of the face, and so many people just default to one or two types!!

-sketch on a grey canvas, instead of a white one. spare your eyes the strain

-the artists who actually went to school are right, you really should use references. they making everything so much easier AND you improve your skills. win win scenario

#ask #anonymous #sorry that these are probably really generic common. that's just how it goes sometimes

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fadeaway-comic · 4 months

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Now with the prologue over, I will be updating chapter 1 three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) until we are caught up. On the first couple of posts I will more than likely put more than 1 page a post because the first pages make me cringe and I wanna get over them <3 the writing is fine, its just the art lol.

For now, here is some concept work I made for the prologue!

Thumbnails for the 4 pages. I always thumbnail because I find it makes paneling and spacing everything out so much easier for me. But they are rarely this clear, I only make them this detailed in important scenes where I'm trying to do relevant visual storytelling, which the prologue is very much filled with!

I was originally planning on keeping these to myself but I decided to show them anyway (Hope I don't regret it later.) The first concepts for the prologue cover! The last one is actually my favorite but I decided to save it for a future, more fitting time.

So I picked the second one from the first batch and played around with it! Sad I didn't get to include a spider in the cover but it just wasnt fitting right. And I'm quite happy with the final one to be That sad about it anyway!

Color mapping! I have done concept art for areas in my stories before but never like this! I was very proud of the script of the prologue though, so I really wanted to make sure the visuals turned out just as nice. And the mood and visuals of this prologue are VERY important, the color palette needed to show how Noriel feels throughout it as clearly as possible.

The goal was for something that made the world feel distant and eerie, but also gross to the touch and dangerous. Like dissociating because everything around you scares and grosses you out. #9 fit perfectly with the first half of what I wanted, while #2 fit the second half, so I combined them to get the final one!

The lineart is different in these pages compared to the rest of the comic, they are more scratchy to fit the mood. And Noriel has a different design because this prologue takes place at a different time compared to chapter 1! So I made quick references to help Aitebit and Trailing in those areas :]

I am very proud of how the prologue turned out, both in writing and art, scenes like these ones are always my favorites to work on and I can not wait to reach other similar ones. It scratches that brain itch.

#fatalk #Noriel #concept art #faart #Dawn #webcomic #oc webcomic #original character #oc #human oc #comic #online comic #digital art

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elena-illustration · 1 year

Note

I've never been so invested in someone's OCs before. I can't help but rewatch your animatics and wish there was a 'directors voice over' type thing or a scene by scene breakdown, haha. Would you ever consider sharing the process behind your animatics?

You are too nice!! 😭

Of course I'd share my process if people are interested! My method isn't very complicated. Here is a broad overview, focusing on a scene from the BRUTUS animatic.

First, I come up with the entire animatic while listening to a song on repeat (I like to do this on walks / runs) - and then, when I like my ideas enough, I make a script using the song's lyrics (like so):

[Image ID:

A Word document which reads: "My name is Brutus and my name means heavy / (Cadogan is in The Battle, people run past him, he looks terrified) / So with a heavy heart I'll guide this dagger into the heart of my Enemy / (reluctantly he fights, the scene changes from the battle to the regency tournament seamlessly several times, with Cadogan’s movements staying consistent)"

End ID.]

This was the climax of the song, and I wanted the scenes to overlap so that the mood could be as chaotic as possible. At this point in Cadogan's life that the animatic is centered around, he feels like all of his separate tragedies are collapsing into one never-ending nightmare. I wanted the separate scenes to feel like they were likewise all crushing together for each shot.

2. Once I have the script, I go to my art program (Autodesk Sketchbook) and then draw a LOT!! I like to dive in straight to lineart / shading, but when there’s a complicated scene (like the one scripted above), I do have to slow down and draw a sketch first.

If the scene involves fighting, I like to watch some videos of the type of fighting to get a sense of movement, like this one:

youtube

(Even though they’re fighting with axes here, I really love the way they move.)

When I have a sense of the movement, I freestyle the sketch:

[Image ID:

A sketch of a man fighting with a sword and shield. He attacks with his shield, blocks, and then spins around to attack with his sword.

End ID.]

It’s probably not great for Cadogan to spin around like that, but I just drew what I thought looked cool. 🥲 You can also see I was having trouble telling his legs apart, so one leg gets to be blue. :)

3. Then, I draw the scene in over the sketch:

[Image ID:

The same gif as before, but now the sketch has been filled in with lineart and shading. The central figure does all the same motions, but the background changes around him to show a battlefield and a tournament arena.

End ID]

For this shot, I remember I originally had the sky the same color for both the battle and the tournament. However, because the scene moves so quickly, it wasn't clear that he was fighting through two separate scenes, so I made the skies different so that they were easier to tell apart.

And there you have it! Let me know if there's anything you'd like more detail on. And thank you again for such a wonderful ask! :)

#my art #animatic #animatics #campaign: eclipse #long post #💖💞💌🥰

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psychomachia-collab · 11 months

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ANIMATORS NEEDED

Hello!

Though you may have heard, since we've been advertising it constantly for the past while, we are working on an original cartoon project called Psychomachia!

A few things you need to know: first of all, this project is UNPAID. While we understand this can make it seem unappealing to someone more experienced, we hope that this can be an opportunity to learn and grow, and especially to have fun!

So far, we have a writer, a storyboard artist, two colorists, and six voice actors for the main cast! Unfortunately, animating is a process with a lot of moving parts (literally), so we're going to need some more people for that.

Before we get into that, we want to show you a bit of what we've been working on, so you can get a feel for the project!

Here's a bit of the storyboard, done by the wonderful @Aspen67!

Very cool, right? :D

So, if you clicked "keep reading," we can assume that means your interest is piqued. Good!

Now, let me tell you a little about what the story is about.

Our story follows Israel; A Nephalem born of an angel and a demon, a.k.a., his parents: Paul and Persephone.

In the afterlife, there are multiple jobs to chose from, but the toughest and most fulfilling is the role of an Id or Superego (working titles). Their job is to guide the person they're assigned to to a path of righteousness...

Or a path of deviance...

Being a Nephalem, Israel has a tough time getting a job--- and when he finally does, he's assigned to a very not good little girl named Rebecca.

Sound fun?

If you made it this far, we can assume you're at least somewhat interested, right?

While we're also looking for people to work on music and sound design, our main focus right now is animation. There are a few specific roles that need filling that we'd like to focus on for now.

For all

It would be good if you have:

experience with digital drawing (it doesn’t have to be much – you hold a pen in your hand a few times – you’re good!)

a program that that allows you to save images in png. format

discord for communication

AND a passion for animation combined with good vibes only :D

And for specific roles...

LINEARTIST

Your part in the project:

You'll receive an animatic with keyframes and rough in-betweens. Your job will be to make the lineart of all moving parts (mostly people).

It would be good if you have:

- smooth, consistent lines

- the ability to maintain a consistent art style between frames

- and the ability to imitate other styles (you don't have to be a copy machine!)

BACKGROUND ARTIST

Your part in the project:

You’ll get sketches of a BG and your job will be to turn them into a rendered BG art piece, that can by used directly in the final animation.

It would be good if you have:

a basic understanding of perspective, light and shadow and colors

different parts of BG on separate layers/images saved (so we can move them in post if needed ^^)

COLORIST (SHADING)

Your part in the project:

You’ll get colored drawings with a BG and your job will be to set characters in the scene by placing shadows and reflections in the right places.

It would be good if you have:

a basic understanding of shadows and lights

the ability to feel the mood of each shot and transfer it into the animation

REVISIONIST

Your part in the project:

You’ll be shown the animatic and then the final animation; and what we want you to do is to look for mistakes – in consistency between the frames, in perspective, and other things, etc – and then suggest options on how to fix them.

It would be good if you have:

some experience in animation and a basic understanding of every part of it (so you know how it basically works)

the ability to make clear notes about mistakes you’ve found

enough confidence to share your opinion on things!

Wowza!

Of course, there can be more than one person for each role, one person dabbling in multiple roles, etc. We need people and will fit them where we can, if you choose to join.

If you ARE interested, you can contact us at any one of these places:

[email protected]

Casting Call Club

Or Tumblr DMs!

We hope to see you soon! :)

#psychomachia #cartoon #cartoon project #animation #2d animation #animators needed #casting call #storyboard #animatic #Lineartist #revisionist #background artist #colorist #help wanted #unpaid collaboration #original project

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pioneeroverc-my-5000th-sideblog · 1 year

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Summary of February:

Figuary burnout time! Tried to improve my quality of practice, halfway through the month, by identifying things to work on, but only really paid attention to them for the duration of the next session. Really ran out of energy during the last week or so and couldn't really keep going.

Plan from January:

All monthly/weekly goals for the year ✗ did do more than usual though

Figuary: 28+ figure sessions of at least 20 minutes✓ (counting the times I drew along with Hampton's videos since I missed one day)

Do year retrospective✓

Kabuto birthday pic✗ never came up with an idea

Look up how armour actually works✓ but I still don't know how it deflects stuff lol

March plan:

All monthly/weekly goals for the year

10x 5 minute What Am I Scared Of sessions (inc photo drawovers)

Thumbnail/sketch for K/ylux calendar

DAB Lesson 7 - redo form intersections

DAB Lesson 7 - 4 vehicles

FEH design

Proko - review notes

Proko - next body part

notes and improvements from finished stuff:

USE PHOTO REFERENCE FOR EXPRESSIONS and try more open mouths✓(I mean I did this once lol), always try to include a story and use specific background details to flesh out the world (even if portrait) - MOST IMPORTANT✓ yay!, do more hair studies✗, use photo reference to figure out stylised ¾ eyes✗

v/aida: stiff pose, didn't figure out how axe would interact with ground plane before inking/colouring so it doesn't look like it has weight, hands don't interact with hip/axe well, face looks stretched (think this is a 3/4 eyes problem again oops), leg muscles clearly not known lol, not a wearable design

c/anas: stiff pose, not sure whether staff is on ground or not (weightless), outlines of leaves really lack nuance and look v amateurish, bottom of picture flat, nostril placed weirdly or shadow on bottom of nose is too long, lineart too messy to be this thin

lucius: finger thickness inconsistent, head doesn't attach to neck properly, back of head is straight up square, palm shading makes the little finger side look way too bulbous, cape thing doesn't really flow over arms properly (looks like it's floating above them)

k/ylux: k/ylo's arm too long, should have put more effort into making h/ux's head look not Like That in particular, didn't get the perspective looking correct (but I get a pass on this as it was extremely advanced for me), story wasn't clear enough because everything was so small and with such thick lines

m/etodey: mood completely different from what I wanted to do, uncanny valley face (tried to do his impossible anime expression, don't do this in the future), thumb in particular looks very short, weird posing/cropping at bottom looks like he's trying to fit his arms in frame, shoulders too horizontal so makes himk look flat, bg really bad because I ended up having huge line dependency and not knowing how to shade it, I think the value separation between fore- and background and the very undetailed flowers look cool though

ACTIONABLES: USE PHOTO REFERENCE FOR EXPRESSIONS and try more open mouths, do more hair studies, use photo reference to figure out stylised ¾ eyes, push unhorizontalness, try to unstiffen poses before doing lineart (separate pass)

5MIN SCARED IDEAS: find good hair examples and trace, find 3/4 photos and trace eyes, trace torsos for gesture, review/learn leg muscles

#end of month

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cappydoodle · 1 year

Note

Omg I love everything you work on and everything you are willing to show <3 Your brain means so much to me /aff

16, 23, 24, and 25?

Stay shinning cool cool amazing person

:D!!! thank you!!!!

16. What’s the most daunting part of your process? Ex, planning, sketching, lineart, rendering etc

It’s a tie between planning and sketching. a lot of the time I either have a clear idea in my head but I can’t sketch it out for whatever reason, or I can’t clearly plan out an idea I have until I start drawing and then it's easy to work it out from there

23. Do you listen to music or watch shows while you work? If so, what’s your favourite?

I almost always have a youtube video or something like that in the background, I try to stick to stuff I’ve already seen/am at least familiar with/don’t need to pay Too much attention to because I Will get distracted. It kinda depends on my mood, so it’s hard to pick just One favorite lol. i watch a lot of art videos (drawfee), documentaries (defunctland/defunctTV, summoning salt), and video game let’s plays (markiplier, vinesauce, barrywasstreaming) just to name a few :)

24. How do you deal with artblock?

I’ll be honest? Taking a break. if nothing’s working, I get up and go do something else for a bit and come back to it later, maybe get a snack if it’s been a while since i’ve eaten anything. gotta let my brain breathe so it doesn't die on me

it’s like when your wrist starts cramping after drawing for a long time. you gotta take a break, stretch it out, do something that doesn’t involve excessive wrist movement/pressure for a while, cause if you use it Too much you’ll end up with carpal tunnel and you won’t be able to draw even if you really want to. Except instead of carpal tunnel, trying to brute force your way through an art block can (for me, at least) potentially lead to straight-up burnout and overall mental exhaustion that can last for months :/ it ain't fun, but these preventative measures I've been taking have been doing me a lot of good!

(please note that you should Also take care of your wrists. both mental and physical health are important lol)

25. Based on your recent reference searches, what would the FBI assume about you?

that i Do Not Know what a cat looks like ^^;;

thank you again for the kind words and for the ask!!

#asks #dastardlywopityshloppity #the cat thing is. tangentially related to the wip from the other ask #all i'll say for now is that i may have /slightly/ underestimated the amount of ocs i was gonna need

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tobytoaster · 2 years

Text

started Scott’s 3rd life POV, love their dynamic so far :)!!

without text! Sorry for repost, needed to fix something

#my art #mcyt #scott smajor #dangthatsalongname #jimmy solidarity #flower husbands #3rdlsmp #3rd life #3rd life smp #third life #sorry for my messy lines #not in the mood for clear lineart #I tried to post this for five times and my #tumblr just glitched out and crashed #bruuuh #last life

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nemo-in-wonderland · 2 years

Text

COMMISSIONS OPEEEEN!!!

Hi there, everyone!

So I finally decided to open my commissions and after tinkering a little, I finally figured out how to make a proper post.

I decided to open 6 slots to begin with, and it will work on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis!

So, before contacting me, be sure to read EVERYTHING thoroughly.

PRICE LIST:

WILL DRAW:

-Your OCs

-OC Characters Design Ex Novo

-OCs Character Reference Sheets

-Canon Characters

-Fanart

-Ship Art (only between two adult characters.)

-Simple Backgrounds (flat colours, gradients, or simple shapes)

WON'T DRAW:

-NSFW

-Realism

-Complex Background

-Mecha

-Gore

-Hate Art

RULES:

I retain the right to turn down any commission that would make me uncomfortable (before payment);

When Commissioning me, you agree to my terms and policies;

Your Commission is to be used for PERSONAL USE ONLY;

Payment is done in PAYPAL ONLY and in EURO (or the equivalent in AMERICAN DOLLARS);

Payment is done upfront and won't be refunded UNLESS something happens on my side that renders me unable to finish the commission. If for whatever reason I find myself unable to finish your commission, you will get a full refund, and that’s THE ONLY CASE a refund shall be issued back;

For Commissions over 80 Euros, 50% of the payment will be paid upfront and the other 50% after you receive the finalized sketch (there is to say, before I move on to do the lineart and colouring);

Any addition/changing AFTER we have agreed on the finalized sketch will entail additional costs;

When drawing your characters, I will need CLEAR VISUAL REFERENCES, for both the pose and the physical appearances, especially if the characters have a complex design (examples: mood boards of your character, other artworks of your characters, a 3d render, a face claim (tho, in that case, I will try to capture the resemblance WITHOUT copying the IRL person), etc, etc. Pinboards on Pinterest are useful to me to get an idea of what you want, but not nearly enough for me to fully understand your design). If you won’t provide all these references, I will automatically assume that this falls under the category of “Costume Character Design”, and the fees will be adjusted accordingly (Original Price + 30% of it, since I will have to craft the characters. However, while discussing your commission, I will tell you right away if the references are enough or if I need more, so you won't end up with any unexpected surprises).

Due to the fact that I am a mom and also working a part-time job on the side, I will estimate the artwork to be ready (after the full payment) in a period of 2-3 weeks, during which I will send you constant updates. If there is any delay, I shall notify you in that regard. (This applies to normal commission. If you commission me a Character Reference Sheet, the time will extend between 4-5 weeks);

Once the artwork is complete, I shall send you the high-resolution PNG/JPEG format to your mail;

I will retain the right to post the finished commission on my art page unless agreed otherwise;

If you are interested into commissioning me, feel free to contact me at my email address [email protected] , with the Object being

"Commission". Contact me only if you are interested in Commissioning.

NO DMS HERE ON TUMBLR.

In the Email, make sure to include:

-Commission Type and Background of Choice;

-Character Visual References;

-References for both Pose AND expression, if you have anything in

particular in mind;

-Your Paypal email in order for me to send you your invoice;

-Your Tumblr Handler, so I know who I am talking to;

Please, consider reblogging this even if you don’t plan to commission me! I can use the help! <3

Thank you so much for your consideration!

--Nemo

#Commissions #Assassin's Creed #Final Fantasy #Art Commission #Commission Sheet #OCs Commissions #Historical fashion #fashion #original character

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theinkymystery · 2 years

Note

Heya, I got a question, Artist to Artist, Do you have any advices on starting a series? I've been thinking about starting a series here and i drew some concept art on it already but i have no clue how to start it so any advices?

This is flattering, but I need to first warn you. I have never done a comic series. Even though my story is based on a webcomic and I adore webcomics, I don’t have the patience to draw panel after panel. That being said, I am a good storyteller and I do have some tips.

So first off, choose an idea or story you love. Something you adore because it’ll be what you’ll be spending a lot of time and energy on. You best love what you’re working on plus if you like, it doesn’t matter if other people do or don’t.

Before you start drawing, write the story first. Have a storyline and direction. It’ll save you a bunch of revising and redrawing if you know where you’re going. If you don’t know where to start there, here are some things to help you think:

-What’s the setting? Is there a clear sense of time, place, the mood and vibe of your area. Is it a gothic castle, fantasy forest, crowded city?

-Who are your characters? Are they developed and believable? Do you know their distinct personalities, motivations, and challenges?

- What’s your plot? Does your story follow a natural sequence or arc (background information, rising action, conflict, resolution)? Are there any gaps in these beats that could confuse your readers?

-What’s your point of view? Is it consistent?

-What is/are your theme(s)? What lessons are your characters going to learn in this story?

Once you have your story figured out it’s time to look at your layout. What’s the style you’re going for? How important will color and shading be? It might be a good time to look to some of your favorite series and see how they organized the flow of their pages and panels. If you’re just starting out, I’d say to keep it simple. Find what works for you and flows nicely.

Now to actually draw! My advice is to start with thumbnails. Just quick, messy drawings of the layout for that page and that chapter will be. That way you can see if everything fits on the page without it being overwhelming. The actions and poses are clear, the dialogue fits and it’s easy for the eye to go from panel to panel, dialogue to dialogue. You can organize it and if you have to toss a problematic page out, well it was just a thumbnail. The skeleton of the comic. You didn’t take hours with the lineart or the colors and shading. Leave the complicated compositions for later works too. This is something that will just take practice and will get easier the more you do it.

Last, give yourself some rules. You can experiment but if you are doing a long comic, make some rules for yourself to so can try to be consistent. For your panel layouts, to your page flow, to your character designs. It’s easy to let your style change from the beginning of the comic to later on. It happens to everyone really. But don’t give yourself a character you really struggle drawing because it’ll kill you every time they show up in your story.

And most of all have fun! Love what you do and go for it. I hope this helped a bit with getting started!

#answers #inky answers #inkymystery #the inky mystery #babitim #inky mystery #artists #start with the end in mind

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chio-tyan · 3 years

Photo

Commissions: CLOSED (since Oct 2021)

Send me a message here or an email [email protected] Payment via PayPal only.

Reblog appreciated! ♥

—— More conditions under cut. ——

If I agree to draw, you’ll have to send to my PayPal account: 100% of the price if you want only a sketch; 50% of the price if you asked for lineart or colored art. Then I will send you the sketch to check for mistakes, and ask you to send the rest 50%.

I will set the deadlines ahead, and if you won’t like them we can discuss it.

I’m usually rather compliant about fixing mistakes, but if you ask for too many fixes, especially if you haven’t provided information clear enough to prevent mistakes - I will have to charge additional $10 for every 5 fixes.

I might decide to make a simple background (like a gradient or an abstract pattern) for free if I feel like it’ll suit the art, but nothing complicated.

Questions to clarify your idea: - Sketch / lineart / color? Bust up / full body? - Number of characters? Background? - If it’s an OC: describe the characters, including personality (best if you also send reference pictures). - What they should be doing (mood, situation, pose, etc), or anything that’s important

My art: [previous commissions] [colored arts] [linearts] [sketches]

#new prices #commissions #art commission info #art commissions open

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ace-in-a-shopping-cart · 4 years

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Day 12

Prompt: You meet your soulmate in your dreams every night.

Word Count: 3,321

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Logan drifted off with a smile on his face. Soon, he was met with a large room that took up two stories, a bay window that had a lovely area to curl up in, and more bookshelves than anyone could ask for filled to the brim with books on any subject he’d ever learned. Looking out the window would reveal that it was constantly pouring, a gentle rain that released a calm into the air. Upon the seat at the window was a figure in a hoodie, the hood pulled up over his head. His feet were curled beneath him as he sat back against the padded wall. He was deep in a book, lost to the world around him.

Logan smiled at the sight of his soulmate, walking over to the window seat and the figure curled up on it. “How are you tonight?” His voice was soft, speaking before he approached.

Virgil looked up, eyes bleary from being dragged out of the story. “Hmm?”

Logan couldn't help but laugh as he sat down next to his soulmate. He knew he wasn’t really his soulmate, just his mind's recreation of him. But he’d been assured that his soulmate acted just like his mind thought he did. Logan didn’t know the science behind it but assumed it was a defense against differences in time zones and sleeping habits or a way of letting soulmates meet, even if one has died.

“Oh, I’m doing fine.” Virgil‘s voice drew him out of his thoughts.

Logan smiled, shifting so he was sitting with a pillow in his lap and his legs drawn up beside him. He gently patted the pillow, inviting Virgil to lay his head on it. When he did so, Logan began to run his fingers through his hair, having been told that it calms Virgil’s anxiety as it lets him know Logan is there and it feels nice. “Do you have a topic in mind for our talk tonight?” Logan asked absentmindedly.

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, I could always just read to you.”

Logan shook his head, pausing to gently scratch his nails against Virgil’s scalp. “No, I don’t think I’m in the mood for that. Are you?”

“I was simply offering it. If you want to talk about the latest episode of the paranormal podcast I’ve listened to, that’s up to you.”

Logan smiled. “Sure, tell me about that.” And thus, another quiet night was spent with his soulmate in his arms.

The next morning, Logan woke to an empty bed, an empty room, an empty apartment. He got dressed, ate his breakfast, and left for work. That was the thing about seeing his soulmate in his dreams; he got used to it. He got used to seeing him on a regular basis, got used to living with him in his mind. He got used to having Virgil there. It was hard to wake up sometimes, knowing all he had to do was drift off to see him.

He shook himself out of his thoughts when he got to work, his mind switching gears to focus on the lecture of the day. He went about the morning classes productively, until he got to office hours. He’d just sat down at his desk, his door open for students, when a knock sounded.

“Come in!” He called without looking up.

Footsteps sounded before a voice he would recognize anywhere spoke. “I seem to have gotten a bit turned around. Could you help me find Professor Engel’’s office?”

He raised his head, eyes coming to rest on a face he’d only ever seen in his dreams. He smiled. “Are you her new TA, Virgil?”

The man startled. “Have we met before?”

Logan decided to just be cheesy, knowing Virgil loved Disney and secretly loved cheesy things. “Once upon a dream.”

He relaxed, sagging against the door frame. “Great, I just found my soulmate.” He muttered beneath his breath.

Logan chuckled. “Sorry, did I startle you?” He decided to forgo the question of why Virgil didn’t recognize him as he could already see the eye bags that signaled he was not one to sleep often.

His soulmate shrugged. “Just a little. Seriously, though,” he glanced at the nameplate on the door, “Logan, I really need to know where her office is.”

Logan nodded. “Of course. Take a left at the end of this hall and a right at the end of that one. Her office should be the third door on the right.”

Virgil smiled. “Thanks.” There was a pause as he stood there for a few more seconds. “Should I come back later to discuss the soulmate thing?”

“I’m just doing office hours right now so as long as a student isn’t in here, you’re free to do so.”

Virgil left, coming back in half an hour. In that time, only one student had briefly dropped by in between classes to ask him to clarify something from the syllabus. He made a note to change that to be clearer if he reused that particular syllabus. “Hey, you still open?”

Logan looked up briefly. “I just have to finish this note and then I’m free to talk.”

Virgil took a seat and waited, his fingers fiddling with the lid of the thermos he carried. Logan jotted down the correction on a sticky note before spinning around to stick it to the wall. He let the momentum carry him around a full rotation, coming back around to face Virgil, who was smiling at his antics.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Virgil sighed, his fingers stilling. “How about that stupid law that says that once you meet your soulmate you have to move in with them as soon as possible?”

“Yeah, there’s that. How is your living situation?”

Virgil shrugged. “I’ve just got a small apartment. No pets, no roommates.”

Logan pulled out a notepad and began to jot things down. “How many bedrooms does it have?”

Virgil’s brow furrowed as he frowned. “Why does that matter?” His voice was defensive.

Logan looked up at him. “It matters because I’d prefer to sleep in two separate rooms as we are still practically strangers. This way, we’d be closer to roommates than soulmates and would feel no need to form a romantic relationship if we don’t desire one.” He paused, ignoring the fact that he knew he was already in love with Virgil. “Would you be more comfortable sleeping in the same bed?”

Virgil shook his head almost too quickly. “No, two bedrooms is ideal. My current apartment only has one.”

Logan made another note. “My apartment has two bedrooms. Is yours close to anything you like, such as a favorite store, park, movie theatre, or even the school?”

Virgil bobbled his head as he thought. “Not really.”

“Mine is only a fifteen minutes drive from most things.” Logan paused as a thought hit him. “Even though my apartment sounds like the obvious choice, would you prefer to find a completely new apartment? It might feel better for both of us to move into something instead of one person moving into the other’s space.”

Virgil smiled. “Yeah, a new apartment sounds nice. You know, this is almost providence as the lease of my current apartment is almost up anyways.”

Logan wrote that down as well. “Do you have anything you are allergic to? Food, creatures, medicine?”

“I can’t have most seafood due to iodine. I’m also allergic to red fire ants. You?”

“I’m allergic to peanuts but you are welcome to have them in the house in any form as long as you make sure to label them and clean up after the mess as even just a bit of the oil on my skin can be dangerous. Other than that, I don’t think so.”

Logan searched through his drawers, pulling out a calendar. He flipped it open to the current month. “Do you have any time that’s good for apartment hunting?”

Virgil pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket and Logan couldn’t help but notice the Nightmare Before Christmas case he had on it. “Uhh, I’m free on the weekend or any time after three in the afternoon.”

They planned for the next few minutes of where they preferred the apartment to be and what times worked best for them. A few days later, they were out apartment hunting together. They found the one they wanted and applied, managing to get it on the first try. Both of their names were on the lease and they were moving in the next weekend. Logan had his friend Roman come and help while Virgil roped his brother Patton into doing so, finding out the pair were soulmates in the process.

Logan had loved Virgil for about three years now but it was quite clear that Virgil hadn’t been aware of Logan’s existence until they’d met. So, while they were sitting on the floor of their shared apartment and eating a dinner of pizza, Logan decided to ask about it. “Virgil, may I ask about your sleeping habits?”

Virgil put down the slice of pizza he’d been raising to his mouth. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

“I’m sure you know of seeing your soulmate in your dreams so by all means you should have recognized me on sight, just as I did you. Have you . . . never seen me at all?” Logan was scared. He was scared to think that Virgil had never seen him but was more scared to think that Virgil had chosen to forget about him, chosen to not acknowledge his existence within him.

Virgil shrugged, a small almost apologetic smile gracing his face. “I don’t sleep.”

Logan’s brow furrowed as a million questions jumped into his brain. “How is that possible? You’d have to sleep eventually.”

“I have pretty bad insomnia. Only one thing seems to have helped but I haven’t been able to do that since I was small. So, I deal with it. I plan around it, drinking energy drinks and caffeine, waiting for the inevitable collapse that comes where I basically just pass out for a few hours. As I’m unconscious, I don’t dream. Thus, I’ve never met my soulmate until you recognized me.”

Logan nodded, wiping his hands on a napkin. “Is there any way I can help? You mentioned something you could do to help it?”

“No, there’s nothing you can do to help although I appreciate the offer.”

With that, the conversation changed to a different topic while Logan’s mind wandered. He wondered if there was anything he could do to help. Determined, he silently promised to be the best housemate anyone could ever ask for. He was going to be quiet whenever possible and make sure to stay out of Virgil’s way. He’d pretend to not even be there for much of the time.

That lasted a week before the system broke down. Logan had been sitting on the couch doing some work when Virgil came home, looking even more exhausted than usual. Logan began to gather his things, meaning to move to his room to give Virgil space. As he did so, he glanced up at his roommate, who looked close to tears.

Logan instantly dropped everything he had, not caring about the scattering of his neat piles, to move over to Virgil, hands hovering. “Is something wrong? Did something bad happen?”

Virgil dropped his bag. “Do you really hate me that much?” His voice was watery and he looked even closer to tears now.

Logan paused, confusion plain on his face. “What do you mean? Why would I hate you?” His voice was as soft as he could make it, trying to be gentle with his sleep deprived soulmate.

“You always leave the room as soon as I walk in, you only talk to me when I speak first. Do you really hate me already?”

Logan shook his head. “No! I don’t hate you, quite the opposite in fact.”

Virgil sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “Then why do you avoid me so much?”

“I don’t mean to avoid you. My intention was to give you space so you don’t feel like I forced you to move in with me.” Logan had no idea what to do about the sleep deprived TA in front of him so he was as sincere as possible.

Virgil nodded before shuffling over to the couch and dropping onto it. “Don’t. Just stay.”

Logan got the hint and sat back down, beginning to fix his piles. He glanced over at Virgil every once in a while, seeing he was in the same position of sitting with his head thrown back and eyes closed. He eventually sat back as he set up his computer on his lap. It was then that Virgil tilted to the side, his head ending up on Logan’s shoulder. Logan froze, waiting for Virgil to move or say something. Instead, his roommate and soulmate just snored.

Logan smiled, taking the opportunity to kiss the top of his head and whisper, “Sleep well,” before going back to his work.

When he woke, Virgil stirred and Logan’s hand came up to cradle Virgil’s head, quietly shushing him. Virgil pulled away entirely but still sat close. Logan put down his book and looked over at him. “Did you have a nice nap? I tried to be quiet so as to not interrupt it.”

Virgil smiled. “I dreamt for the first time in ten years.”

Logan was surprised but happy. “Oh, that’s nice. Did you enjoy the experience? I find it rather calming myself.”

Virgil nodded. “I did. Although, I do have a few questions for you.”

“I’ll answer them as best I can.”

“Did our conversation before I fell asleep actually happen or was that part of the dream?”

“You came home and got upset when you saw me begin moving back to my room. You expressed a feeling of inadequacy that I corrected as best I could. Is that the conversation you were thinking of?”

Virgil nodded. “Okay, so, how do you feel about me?”

Logan reached out, as if he wanted to cradle Virgil’s face. “I don’t want to tell you the extent of my emotions as I’m not sure you’re ready for them. I can say that I don’t hate you in the slightest.” He hesitated. “Do you hate me?”

Virgil was quick to shake his head, hand reaching out to rest on Logan's arm. “I may not have had enough time yet to accurately gauge your personality but I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Logan nodded and he felt like there was a weight lifted from his shoulders. “Okay. In that case, I think we need to establish some house rules.”

They discussed at length such things as shared spaces and personal ones, communication of needs, and communication in general. Then, as it was already getting to their usual eating time, they both made their way to the kitchen. Logan started looking through the fridge. “Hey, how was the latest episode of your paranormal podcast?” He popped his head out of the fridge to look at Virgil. “Sorry, I just realized how creepy that could sound.”

Virgil just shrugged, settling onto a clean and out of the way part of the counter. “It’s fine. I’m always willing to talk about that thing as no one else seems to care.”

Logan pulled out ingredients for pancakes before closing the door. “Well, I enjoy hearing about it and find it a calming part of my routine.” He didn’t mention that he found Virgil looked his best when he was animated and talking about a topic he enjoyed. He didn’t mention that he could watch and listen to him for hours, never getting bored of him. He didn’t say it, knowing that it’s too soon and it would freak him out. So, instead, he listened to him ramble with a smile on his face, occasionally making comments to spur him down a different rabbit hole.

The rest of the month went smoothly. They got to know each other over that time, Logan learning the small things that showed that Virgil was alive and not just his imagination and Virgil learning everything there was to know about Logan. Logan made sure to answer any question he had and gave him as much information as he could while doing so.

It was toward the end of the month when it happened. Logan had just been drifting off when he heard a soft knock at his door. Sitting up, he fumbled for his glasses case and the lamp switch. “Virgil? Is that you?” He called quietly.

The door opened with a barely audible click, Virgil coming to stand in the doorway. Logan finally got his glasses on to see Virgil in his nightclothes, fingers playing with the ends of his too long sleeves. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” His voice sounded different, softer and more scared than Logan had ever heard from him.

Logan smiled, gesturing for him to come in. “It’s alright. Is there something I can help with?”

“I can’t sleep.” It almost sounded like an apology.

Logan nodded, sitting up fully and crossing his legs beneath his weighted blanket. “Okay. Do you want me to talk with you for a bit?”’

“I was actually hoping you could . . . Nevermind, this was stupid.” He turned to go.

Logan stood, reaching Virgil in a few strides. He didn’t try to stop him, but did put a gentle hand on his arm. “Hey, no. Your needs and wants are valid. Talk to me, please.”

Virgil shrugged. “I fell asleep on your shoulder a month ago and dreamt for the first time in ten years. I don’t know, I guess I was just wondering if I could try that again.”

Logan smiled. “You want to try to sleep with physical contact?”

“Yeah, that.” Virgil sounded relieved that he didn't have to explain himself further.

“Okay. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.”

In a few minutes, they were curled up together in bed. Virgil was on his stomach, head on Logan's chest, while Logan had his arms wrapped around his roommate. The lamp had been turned off and Logan’s glasses had been safely returned to their case. After being in a similar position with his imagination’s fabrication of Virgil, Logan raised a hand to card through Virgil’s hair. He realized what he was doing and stopped, putting the hand flat on the mattress.

Virgil tilted his head to look at Logan. “You don’t have to stop. That felt kind of nice, actually.”

Logan smiled, his hand going back to the familiar rhythm that calmed him even after years of doing it. They both soon drifted off like that, held in each other’s arms and perfectly content. In the morning, Virgil told Logan he’d dreamt again and they celebrated a little before they had to get to work.

Soon, that became a recurring event. Sometimes, it was three nights a week that Logan would find Virgil curled up beside him, sometimes it was less or more. After the third week in a row of this behavior, Logan had to sit down and talk with Virgil about it. They worked out that having physical contact with another human helped Virgil sleep, something about his anxiety calming when he felt protected.

One night, Virgil was curled against Logan, who was reading aloud in an attempt to lull Virgil to sleep. Virgil reached up, his hand coming to curve around Logan’s jaw and pause his reading. Leaning closer, Virgil softly planted a kiss on Logan’s cheek and muttered, “I love you, soulmate.”

Logan turned, kissing Virgil’s palm. “I love you too, soulmate.” He closed the book and set it aside, turning off the lamp before sliding deeper into the bed and curling around Virgil. They both fell asleep, comfortable, protected, and loved.

#tsshipmonth2020 #analogical #virgil sanders #logan sanders #soulmate au #food mention #ace writes

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