#this is actually just inspired by a screenshot i took in game

[twst-mer]

#jack howl #twst #twisted wonderland #fairy gala if #sip #this is actually just inspired by a screenshot i took in game #in guest room #jack and riddle were sitting at a table #with a cup and a candle #riddlejack #lowkey #btw did you know riddle talked to jack about how theres a trick to walking in heels #twitter crosspost

[hussyknee]

i'm so confused rn, can you explain the goncharov thing?? i get off tumblr for five minutes

(Edits closed as of 28 Nov.)

Lmaoooo

Nah I getchu. So this post has been circulating for like two years:

Link to post.

But yesterday, it had inspired someone to do this:

Link to post.

Next thing I knew there were fake Letterboxed reviews.

Goncharov moodboards. Really good ones.

Link to post.

Meta analysis. So many fake meta essays. Disturbingly good ones. And of course the memes. (Edit: HAVE I SAID THIS SHIT IS DISTURBING)

As you can see, the myth just started to grow, characters and ships and tropes being added one after the other, almost bizzarely without contradiction, until there was enough of shape to the whole thing for people to start posting fanfic about it on AO3. "No beta we die like ice-pick Joe" is already a tag.

Link to post.

It was hilarious in the beginning, but the way it's developed within less than a day, kind of like it's being willed into existence, is freaking me out a bit. We're toying with powers beyond our comprehension. 😂😂😂

Link to post.

Of course, there could be an ulterior motive as well.

Link to post (tags mine).

Edit: guys, please tag these posts "unreality" so people with disassociation issues can filter them out (not this one, this is an explainer). <3

----------------------------------------------

Edit 2: Aparently the boots in the original post are actually referring to a movie called Gomorrah that came out in 2008, directed by Mateo Garrone, based on the Scampia Feud. And other people had also been making posts about the fake movie for a while before the poster took off.

found by @thepotch

Edit 3: Explainer: why did those boots have this movie on them anyway?

Edit 4: Alt text added to all images courtesy of @valentineish ❤️

Edit 5: Turns out tumblr has done this kind of thing before. Nine years in this hell place and I had to have "Squiddles" and penis smp explained in the replies.

Edit 6: This post collects the Lore so far.

Edit 7: Lynda Carter (real one)/ earns more/ Tumblr cred.

Edit 8: Holy shit y'all we have the theme music. With sheet music. And it's on Spotify!

Edit 9: THERE IS A TRAILER WITH THE THEME MUSIC

----------------------------------------------

I made this post 18 hours after the movie poster went up. Closed edits 27 hours after first posting. So all of the above happened within 45 hours of the movie poster going up.

Edit 10: Google document live-compiling all the lore so far (Day 3)

Edit 11: Masterpost of Goncharov soundtracks (Day 3)

Edit 12: Entertainment news articles covering the Gonch-posting (real) (Contd from yday)

Edit 13: The music from the masterpost all compiled into a 31-minute original score with video edits on YouTube (edit: unfortunately taken down)

Edit 14: Staff's Goncharov art showcase for Tumblr Tuesday

As of closing on Day 3 there are 371 works in the AO3 tag.

-----

Updating with Day 3 shenanigans I missed yesterday:

Edit 15: Goncharov TV Tropes page

Edit 16: Ethics of Gonchposting

Important PSA 1 (how to reduce harm to Tumblr's neurodivergents)

Important PSA 2 (reality affirmation, anti-bullying)

Important PSA 3 (why you should stop trying to vandalise legit information sites)

Edit 17: Character lore from beezlebub whose poster they originated from

Edit 18: What we know about/ Director Matteo JWHJ0715 (#unreality)

Edit 19: Link to post with screenshotted and described NYT article (scroll down) and this golden exerpt from BuzzFeed: 💀

(alt text included)

End of Day 4 there are now 485 works in the Goncharov tag on AO3

----

Didn't get to update this on Day 5, so these are the Day 5 doings:

More trailers!

Trailer 1 (My favourite)

Trailer 2

Trailer 3

Trailer 4

I also just found out about the Goncharov Game Jam.

It appears this opened a day after after the meme took off.

Goncharov was first entered into Wikipedia between Day 4 and 5 (attempts to vandalise it with fake info don't count, incidentally – please knock that shit off) under List of Internet Phenomena. This was then expanded into its own Wikipedia page at the end of Day 5 because, according to the talk history: "the topic now meets the notability threshold for its own artice due to significant coverage in The New York Times and other sources cited." We're on Wikipedia, people!

And then we made The Guardian half a day later. So while the meme is definitely dying down to embers by now, it still stays winning.

YouTube channels with episodes on the meme:

InformOverlord (4:30)

Lessons in Meme Culture (2:43)

End of Day of 5 there were 511 works on AO3, and End of Day 6 (today) there are 556.

--

🚨BREAKING 🚨 from Martin Scorsese's daughter's TikTok (real actual)

tw: unreality:

We did it you guys!

Clarification: Francesca Scorcese asked her Dad about the meme and Martin played along. Please reblog this PSA to help Tumblr people with psychosis. Thanks.

Final edit: Day 8. Media reactions to Scorcese's TikTok (everyone from Forbes to Vulture). That one Tumblr user who said they'd do a screenplay if their post got notes has promised to shoot a single scene, but please don't be dicks just because you reblogged it; leave them alone until they get around to it themselves. As of end of Day 8 there are 609 works in the AO3 tag. I love all you lunatics. Peace! ❤️

#goncharov 1973 #reasons i can never leave this hellsite #we've ascended from pirating criterion movies to straight up manifesting them into existence #get on our level twits #knee of huss #goncharov #tumblr lore #tumblr memes #tumblr culture

[unparalleled-delusion]

Pardon the burner account, but I refuse to do this from my main as to avoid actual harassment from the gaggle of individuals participating in this nonsense.

The Situation.

@hlghlycorroslve , @catfire13, and co. have been childishly publicly vaguing and hounding @lyss-butterscotch for a "stolen Unparalelled Innocence design." After claiming they "attempted to resolve this privately" they took to making a public callout post, linked here.

I'd like to also preface this with the statement that I don't know Lyss. I don't even follow her. I am not her friend, or her, doing this. I am also not associated with anyone who has made any public comments about this situation. Do not implicate ANYONE in the name of this blog. I am someone who has seen your actions from afar and found you rude, alienating, and overall just bizarre.

The Design.

Everything about these two designs are almost entirely different. Yes, they both wear ponchos. But when half of the iterator population wears ponchos, you cannot act like you're entitled to your design wearing a poncho. Especially when they have significant design differences, and the entirety of the rest of the outfits are completely and wildly different. Yes, Hicor originally made their UI purple long before the concept of purple UI became dubiously canon, but even the concept of a pale purple belonging to Hicor and Hicor ONLY is just not true.

The concept that Lyss stole Hicor's color palette also just doesn't hold true. Yes, they are similar by virtue of both being purple, but again, purple UI is especially not exclusive to any one person after Downpour.

Lyss commonly uses desaturated and/or pastel colors for her designs. It makes complete and total sense for Lyss to have desaturated the bright neon purple on the new overseer to match the rest of her designs palettes.

Admittedly, the antennae are the only part of this argument that holds any weight. Yes, they share similarities, like the fact that they both have three points. That is about where the similarities end. The silhouette, color, and everything about the antennae is completely different. The only thing they share is that there is 3 of them. This argument completely loses all of its weight when you put these two designs side by side and realize just how actually different they are. There are more differences between both designs than similarities.

Rain World is a very art oriented game and community. Especially when it comes to a character with no canon defining characteristics, it's normal and common that artists are going to find inspiration in their fellow peers. Inspiration is not a crime. The inspiration is derivative enough that it's not theft. None of this is theft.

The Conversation + Posts.

In the callout post, catfire13 shares screenshots from their private messages with Lyss concerning the situation. After approaching the situation by immediately claiming that Lyss was stealing someone's design, catfire is still intentionally vague about the entire situation even when trying to directly communicate with Lyss. Previously, catfire and co. had spent the past day making vague posts about Lyss, spam-reblogging them, and going into a popular Rain World fan-community server to vague and badmouth Lyss even before having contacted her.

(Although this is a public server, I am censoring those responding to catfire unless they are directly involved in this situation. There is no reason to include these people by name in this conversation.)

Catfire also made a post about this situation on their OC sideblog about the situation BEFORE they ever contacted Lyss. This screenshot was taken after Catfire had finally contacted Lyss, but the original post was made before.

While not directly saying Lyss's name, this is still a public callout. You are still publicly vaguing and calling someone out, even without saying their name. As well as being completely wrong in your final comment, by the way! Lyss has never once stolen art. Why you decide to paint Lyss as an art thief specifically is beyond me, because that is a straight up lie. Catfire, Hicor, and their gaggle of friends all spam reblogged this post, and other vague posts, multiple times while leaving cruel comments in the tags.

You were having people in your inbox leaving threatening messages to Lyss without even knowing the entire situation, which now that you have made a public callout post that paints Lyss in a highly negative light for no reason, I wonder where these threatening messages are going to end up?

This image from the callout post highlights so much, but says so little. You are demonizing Lyss for not knowing what design she was supposedly stealing from before you gave her a single hint as to what you were talking about, of course anyone would be confused in this situation. You use Lyss's initial confusion turned confession into being inspired as if she confessed to committing a federal crime. You hold onto her phrasing of "color shift" so hard because you have no arguments without it.

You also rag on Lyss for the redesign "not being good enough" and as far as we're aware, you made no further contact with Lyss to express your dissatisfaction with the redesign. May I remind you, in your OWN screenshots, that Lyss makes a comment about changing the design until it's separate enough. There was nothing stopping you from approaching Lyss again and stating that you still felt like they were too similar, but you didn't do that. You resorted to making a public callout that makes you look incredibly entitled and foolish.

Conclusion.

You do better. You and your friends want to talk about respecting artists and what they make but you clearly have no respect for Lyss, or a majority of Rain World artists anyways. You point out that Lyss is a "post-downpour" artist for no reason, and many of this groups blogs are filled to the brim with posts and tags about how much they detest new Rain World fans, how they don't respect them, or how they even flat-out dislike them. You are not entitled to anything because you've been a Rain World fan longer than other people. Stop going on the Fandom website and complaining when there's Fandom.

#rain world #unparalleled innocence

[kissalopa]

Dropping this in multiple aks boxes. Who have been inspirational to you lately? #spreadsimblrlove 🫶

Hi! 👋

Sorry it took me forever to answer this ask, but I am just very slow 😅

All of these simblrs inspire me (and a lot of others, but I got overwhelmed compiling this list)

@akitasimblr I love how many different gameplays Ana has, and she's dedicated to all of them! I am also a big fan of Le Chat!

@aleksa-sims tells her real life story, it's so brave! And her screenshots are amazing! She is also a very nice person.

@cinamun is an amazing storyteller! I am so invested in her Things Fall Apart, it makes me laugh, cry and think.

@cyazurai has many different gameplays and also posts other games too. It reminds me that I love all kind of games and should play them too, not only sims 😅

@daisydezem is not very active lately, but I love her RainbowSin challenge. Her BACC, Supersim and own playthrough of RainbowSin are so interesting!

@dustbon plays mostly on short lifespan and quickly progresses through legacies. I love it! I'd love to play a legacy on a short lifespan one day too.

@faeriefrolic plays Sims 3. Her sims are cute and wholesome.

@introvertedfox plays vanilla. It inspired me to play vanilla myself, but I always end up with defaults first, them some mods, then some blushes and then it's not vanilla anymore 😅

@llamabees her sims and posts are so colourful! I also love her reshade preset and templates!

@loveryss her sims are cute and her posts are cozy! She also makes great cc!

@oswanily has completed the 100 baby challenge! And Seven Wonders challenge which she created and inspired me to play it too. It's one of the few challenges that I actually completed!

@shmoodlet are an amazing person! They are very supportive and friendly. And their gameplays are always with a bit of a story, which my gameplays are always lack of.

@silwermoon-sims has the cutest sims ever! Her lookbooks and gameplay inspire me to be more creative with my sims!

@simspaghetti plays Sims 3. Her editing inspired me to try out different editing style myself. Her gameplay rules and Sims 3 guides really helped me get into the game. I plan on using some of her Sims 3 gameplay rules for my Sims 4 gameplays too.

@tipsy-clouds inspired me to play one of the Sims 4 scenarios! I haven't posted it yet, though. Her lookbooks and resources are very helpful!

@waaneco post the most cutest Sims 3 and Sims 4 posts! And their Stardew Valley pics and gifs inspire me to play that game!

I'm so sorry I didn't mention more people! There are a lot more simblrs who inspire me, but it wasn't easy coming up with this list. I know I missed some blogs that I wanted to add, but as I said I got overwhelmed. If I didn't mention you it doesn't mean you don't inspire me! If I follow your blog you can almost 100% be sure that you inspire me 💜 🥰

#ask #Anonymous #akitasimblr #aleksa-sims #cinamun #cyazurai #daisydezem #dustbon #faeriefrolic #introvertedfox #llamabees #loveryss #oswanily #shmoodlet #silwermoon-sims #simspaghetti #tipsy-clouds #waaneco

[kingspacebar]

Is there any particular artist, show, game, or movie that inspired ur art style? It’s so pretty ^^

I have so many!!! I definitely can't name every single one but heres a few that have been extremely influential to me!! This took me 2 hours to write i am SO sorry lmao

Puyo Puyo (Specifially Fever, Quest, and Tetris)

CUTESY BRIGHT BRIGHT COLORS!!!!!! Thats everything I love!!!!!! I'm pretty sure I talked about this when I first got into puyo puyo but I for SURE instantly decided that yep Im steering my style in this direction sorryyyyyy!!! I just think its so fun and silly and cute and rahhh it makes me so happy.

Especially for the work I do most often, which is character portraits without backgrounds, I will often look at puyo puyo posing just to get ideas!! (I've drawn Arle's dumbfounded pose 100000000 times becus I love it so much). The puyo puyo anatomy has very noodly arms and legs but with big ass shoes and accessories which is probably my favorite design thing in the world....

I seriously recommend just looking through the Puyo Puyo Nexus wiki for pose ideas (if you want something cute/silly of course) because every single one is just perfect. I am trying to get out of some dumb art habits of my own right now, but hopefully in the future you'll be able to see more goofy poses with sillier effects :3

Muse Dash Again I want you to look at the COLORS. Its so bright and this time you can really tell where I took my shading style from. I dont want my shadows to be dark I want them to be PINK or PURPLE. thank you. For my own art, I really try to make it so the darkest "black" is actually a deep purple or blue, and as I keep making art that dark color keeps getting just a bit lighter haha...

This is also the reason I color my lineart the way I do. I just really want to add as many colors as possible into the image. And if the image looks a bit more pink after that then thats just an extra perk!!

I also need to bring up the animation because they're just so bouncy and alive!!! This is like an instant stunlock for me, I have to look at them, theyre so BOUNCYYY!!!!!! I don't do much animation but every other week I get the sudden urge to try tweening again just to eventually get to the point I can make something similar to these for my own ocs lol

Great Pretender This show has some of the most gorgeous art ive ever seen. All the backgrounds are so bright and colorful. I dont usually draw art with backgrounds anymore sadly, but when I used to I really tried to study these for them. And I hope in the future I can make more art and show how far I've come.

Though I;ve changed to a more chibi style in recent times (thanks puyo puyo), this was still one of the first times I had ever watched a show and said "Oh my god I love this artstyle I need to get better at art" and Its always in my mind for that reason.

Ive definitely stolen lots of elements from the style. Though they've gotten more subtle over the years. I dont really know how to describe it any further but I hope you understand what I mean by looking at these screenshots,,,

#theres a TON more but I these r my favs!!!! #asks

[samssims]

Hi Sam! I was wondering if I could ask for some advice on how to make simblr fun again? I love storytelling (it's how I have fun with the game) but lately with writing posts and even in game, I just find myself stressing over if it's good/interesting enough or if I took good screenshots, if my writing is good, etc. I love this game and sharing my stories with this community, so it sucks to feel like this. Thank you sm ♥

Oh Nonny, how I feel this pain. I wish I had a sure fire answer to this but sadly there isn't just one thing that will work.

I will put some advice below for some things that have worked for me in my experience if you're interested in trying them out to try to find that spark again!

Now I have been on tumblr sharing my sims since 2013 so I have seen the community change a lot. Things change, people come and go, it's just the natural way of things. So a lot of the time your community can change around you and so a few years ago sims storytelling was really popular and it was the thing everyone was doing. And I mean everyone.

But now things have sort of fallen off or shifted and there is no shame in that for those who moved onto other things and hobbies. Sims storytelling, at it's core, is a hobby. No one is making money off of it (unless you write it all down and get it published in which case, hell yeah go you!)

That being said, finding your spark again is going to be finding what YOU like about storytelling in the sims.

So here are some tips you can try out in the game to keep it fresh and exciting:

Play the Game

The game has changed a lot and added a lot. It came out in 2014. It's about to be 10 years old. With expansions still being added. Honestly having a family where you can just play through what the game offers you can offer inspiration on how to use in game things for story related things later on.

I have found having a lowkey gameplay (for yourself or even for your blog if you are posting) is an easy way to stay active in the community while keeping things low stakes and casual for yourself while you work on finding your spark again.

Change Up your Post Style

Idk about you Nonny, but nothing gets me less motivated than having to edit photos. If I could just point, shoot, and post, I would have content coming out my ears. Which is what I started doing with my Princess Legacy. All I do is crop it. I add some things here and there but really it's all pretty much easy.

Now I have done it all.

Prose on photos.

Prose under photos:

Icons Only:

Gameplay Only:

And finally just cropped:

Now what is the best? That is personal preference especially for the project you are doing. However I have definitely discovered the crop method to be SUPER helpful.

It makes me not have to worry about the whole photo. Sometimes I have this SUPER awesome detail in the back of a photo but when I crop them I lose all that. Which is not good for storytelling lets be honest but does force me to focus on what is actually important in the shot.

Example: Here is the full cottage photo from above You can see that I cropped out a lot of the cottage in favor of being able to see the deer and swans as i thought that was more a cozy fairytale vibe than just the cottage itself. I lost a lot of this detail yet the point still came across.

TBH the paired crop photos also makes me cut out a lot of access photos if they don't have a pair. It's sort of made me realize how much I don't need to take screenshots of. Though I am definitely an overtaker of photos so I always have plenty to choose from. Sometimes I even queue them then look back and realize they aren't needed and delete. It's humbled me a bit.

I could break down every one of these posting styles but that's a whole other thing you didn't ask about.

TLDR of this section is to experiment with how you post. You can have a lot of fun with that.

If Something is Boring, Skip it.

Do you hate the infant stage? Age them past it. Do you hate the winter months in game? Set seasons to never have winter. Do you hate in game holidays ruining your plans? Delete them all from your calendar. Is it a crucial part to your story? Not anymore. Write around it. Or find some creative angles and dialogue to write over it.

Make the game fit you!

Follow the Inspo

Have inspiration to make a new sim in CAS? Do it! Want to make a whole new save? Have an idea for one scene that could start a whole story but you have nothing else for it? DO IT!!!

The game is supposed to be fun. If you have inspiration for a project, live in it. Have fun with it.

But Sam, what if only lasts 2 weeks and I never touch it again?

Me too, babes. Happens to me all the time. Own it. Keep it around in case you want to mess with it later. Have 10 million saves. It's your life and if it brings you a moment of joy to work on it, then it totally is worth it.

If you want to be like me: Be chaotic and post it too. Then private the posts later when you decide to never touch it again. Never delete tho. I always tend to regret deleted things.

Find Your Community

You should ultimately write and create for yourself, but find others who are doing it too! Lift them up as well! Use one day a week on your blog to give reblogs or shoutouts to your fellow creators and writers! It's all about lifting each other up and making friends who all have the same hobby as us.

Try New Challenges

A lot of my sims storytelling started from inspiration around legacy challenges. I loved to take challenge rules and figure out how to make a story around them. But remember: Rules are made to be broken. Especially in favor of a good story.

If you are working on a current challenge/story, find another to merge with it or to give yourself a heck of a fun plot twist. There are no rules!

Have Fun!

This is sort of the whole crux of it, right? And if you're not having fun then...

Take a Break

You are not beholden to your queue! Let it die out! Disappear for 6 months. Return when you want. Go play Animal Crossing or BG3 or whatever it is at the moment. Sims is a hobby. But it does not have to be your ONLY hobby. Let your brain rest.

In my case, whenever I leave the sims I am always filled with ideas and ready to come back in like 3 days.

This could also mean take a break from your save too. Maybe spend some time in CAS. Or in build mode. Or cleaning out your mods. You can still do sims things while letting your story brain rest.

TLDR:

There is no right answer for this, Nonny. I promise your photos are all gorgeous and your story is wonderful! But creativity like anything ebbs and flows so give yourself that grace to let yourself rest and just enjoy the game again, or enjoy time away from it! You deserve it you superstar creator!

#Sam Speaks #nonsims #looooong post #so sorry I got carried away #had to wait to get to my laptop to answer this one #which is why it took me a minute #hope you find your spark nonny!

[mikesfangames]

HELLO SPINOFF NATION!

I'm Micheal, and I'm super excited to announce my very first OFF FANGAME: WHAT

WHAT is a small fangame about Zone Umbra, a newborn world created by a being only known as The Nameless One. You play as Judas, a young doctor, who's just trying to get back to work. Can you save your family and confront the Mad God? What kind of trials oppose your kind fellowship? Will there be cake at the Birthday Party??

It's still crazy to me that these are actual screenshots I took of an actual game that I made with my own two hands!

These teaser images are subject to change, of course, but WHAT is about 3/4ths of the way done! Hopefully soon, WHAT can put a smile on your face, or maybe some other hideous expression.

In all seriousness, WHAT is just a small project I undertook to learn the basics of RPGM2K3. Needless to say, I was hooked! I had no idea how much fun making and designing games would be.

WHAT uses preexisting original characters, and has graphics, music, and sound effects graciously loaned from the files of Sincere Deceit. In fact, the original project file for WHAT was literally just a gutted copy of Sindec I had just lying around my computer... Needless to say, without SinDec, WHAT would not exist, so I extend a huge thank you to everyone on Sincere Deceit's dev team who kindly allowed me to use their assets. It also has beautiful art and sprites made by the incredibly talented @thequirkysystem , which I am beyond thankful for. Watching their sprites bounce across my screen is endlessly inspiring.

As for content, WHAT is a simple game. I set out with the intention of making something that would cover all of the basics of RPGmaker, so I would one day be able to make an even bigger, cooler OFF fangame. I'd say for a first ever attempt, WHAT is looking pretty decent! I just hope that it doesn't smell too strongly of amateurish charm.

WHAT should be released in the relatively near future. I'd say the game is maybe a little more than halfway done, give or take some time for extra polishing (and any last minute major plot changes, haha), and I'm really looking forward to sharing my work with the community. Once WHAT has been released, I'll be posting a bit of commentary and scrapped content, so if you end up liking the game, you can look forward to that! Then, I'll be moving right along to another project!

Anyways, if you've read this far, thank you very much, and have a wonderful day!

#WHAT (OffFangame) #WHAT (SpinOFF) #off fangame #spinoff #rpgmaker2k3 #rpgmaker

[enteroctopusdarkysilis]

✨ Breach of containment ✨

This is the last I’ve been working on for the past few weeks, very, very inspired by the game Carrion (if you haven’t played it yet, you absolutely should !), which is made all the more special because I finally took time to use my lighting kit (seem below). Of course, closeups and commentaries below the cut

Left containment unit closeups :

Right containment unit closeups :

Top closeup :

Alt version (studio lights + in-built lights) :

This is one of the screenshots I’ve been working with (where the monster just breached containment) :

So, as I said previously, this piece is heavily inspired by Carrion. I tried to look up any previously made Lego thing related to the game, but all I could find were a few Reddit posts with (debatably) interesting takes on the monster. So, the good news is that this is most likely the most original piece I’ve made yet.

The original plan was to have only one container, and one monster, with left being the body inside and right being the outside part. However, placing Left in the middle of the transparent pieces made it mostly good on its own, so with some modifications, I made it work alone and expanded the outside part inward, and ended up with two of them.

Left is pretty okay from all angles, but Right is not necessarily as good from the back, and had a supplementary jaw on the side of the container which can’t be seen on the photos.

Getting back to comparing that to the game. I tried to stay close while adding my own little details. The wiring and cable system is from me, but the container is mostly inspired by the game, just like the electric box (middle) and the little informative display (under the electric box) which is…empty, yes.

Some details can’t be seen on the photos (or barely), which are mostly some filler sci-fi stuffs to make the wall less flat and less empty.

What also helped with breach the flatness of the wall is the switch from dark grey to light gray, using the awesome spring projectile launcher piece, which has this very nice shape which make the transition just a bit smoother.

So, let’s talk about whatever I’ve done with the lighting !

I’ve had this old lighting kit (originally designed for a car model) lying around for a long time, and finally got to use it ! It doesn’t look really good without my studio lights because my camera is not made for that (The effect in reality really gives escaping monstrosity a dark vibe which is not well depicted with my photos…). Another thing which is not noticeable with the photos is that the two red dots in the center are actually blinking lights (and somehow, they tend to desynchronise).

The choice of letting some of the wires out is debatable, but I think it adds to the vibe (and some of them would have been a pain to hide anyway). And sadly, the back is but a mess of wires, but I can’t actually do anything about that.

Speaking of the back, the whole thing is one dot large and completely flat, and the ceiling only hold without pillars because of the use of tension linking directly the baseplate and the roof through the use of technic bars; and probably because the ceiling itself is not that heavy. It is, in fact, only constitued of six old road pieces connected together and frames, which give the roof little weight and high sturdiness (and the shape on the side of the piece offers a nice sci-fi effect as a bonus).

The addition of tentacles in the vent (which hides the connection between road plates in the roof) is just another reminder of the game : you can’t be safe anywhere, if air flows~

#lego #lego moc #carrion game #carrion phobia games studio

[dragimalsdaydreams]

[image ID: two images of the same front-view, full-body screenshot of Kuki Shinobu from the game Genshin Impact.

the first image is an unedited screenshot of how Shinobu appears in-game. she has pale skin, and light green hair pulled into a roughly swirl-shaped bun with some red rope. a black mask with fang-like patterns covers the bottom half of her face. Shinobu's wearing a purple/pink, crop-cut jacket, a large red/gold pauldron on her right shoulder, a black mesh crop-cut tank (exposing her midriff), black/purple short-shorts, black/red gradient stockings with red/gold thigh guards strapped on top, partly fingerless red/black gloves, and black/red open-toed, mesh shoes. most of the outfit has additional gold decals/patterning, and red/magenta rope accessories.

the second image is a heavily edited version of the first image. Shinobu's mask now has purple/red/gold decals and more emphasized fangs. her jacket is longer, covering her back up to the hem of her pants (though the open jacket still leaves her midriff bare at the front). the left shoulder of the jacket is also falling off the shoulder a bit, leaving more of that bare shoulder exposed. the short shorts have been changed into hakama pants, with loose legs that are pulled to a taper at the shins, in a color scheme/style matching the original stockings. shin guards over top the pants match the style of the original thigh guards.

end ID.]

YIPPIEEE this one was fun. not the shin guards, but the rest of it was fine lmao. apologies for not transferring the guards perfectly accurately, some of the shapes frustrated me, especially on the rotated right leg. just don't look too hard, lmao

a few extra notes under the cut~

btw, sorry if "hakama" isn't the right term for these pants, but that term kept popping up when I was looking for "samurai-style" pants, though other reference images for hakama look a bit different to me? maybe they're just worn differently in this style, but please correct if I'm wrong haha

anyways, I started this project with the pants in mind, like usual, but I'm actually most proud of the mask this time! lemme zoom in for ya

[image ID: the original and redesigned images, each cropped to Shinobu's face.

the original mask is solid black, with a few subtle red decals to the far sides of the mask. the "nose" bit is an angular, dull bronze diamond, and the "teeth" are just a simple, jagged line bisecting the mask horizontally. darker black half-circles to either side of the teeth suggest a gaping jaw.

the redesigned mask has more decorative red/purple/green decals surrounding the different features. the red nose now has a pronounced, upturned nose shape, with nostril holes for breathing. the gold teeth are now distinctly carved as well, with large, curved, overlapping canines, and small, simple incisors. the darker black half-circles to the sides still give the teeth a gaping impression.

end ID.]

Shinobu's original mask is just sooooooooo boring, y'know? very disappointing for a member Arataki 'Numero Uno' Itto's very important gang-- esp considering the man himself is, literally, an Oni. so I took inspiration from real Japanese Oni masks and gave Shinobu some big honkin' teeth, hehe~

#kuki shinobu #genshin shinobu #genshin impact #ganch redesigns

[heyitsjaysblog]

Lover's Quarrel (Tiefling!GN!Reader x Astarion)

Words: 3064 | Rated: Teen | Tiefling!Gender-Neutral Reader (Y/N = your name, E/C = eye color, H/C =hair color) Synopsis: Reader is consumed with pent-up sexual frustration, that results in an argument with their vampiric companion. Eventually, the two come up with a way to release said anger. Warnings: Mentions of blood, violence, heavy petting, and some angst! Some minor Act 1 spoilers as well, in the case you’ve just began the game. A/N: I just recently started playing BG3, and I am absolutely obsessed with this game. I am trying to use writing as a way of getting the urge to play out of my system LOL. I tried to remember some of the things that took place earlier in the game as well to write the fic. Let me know what you all think! I am hoping I was able to do him justice. I may try to write more, although it may end up revolving more around my original character. This fic was actually inspired after my tall, tiefling baby as well. (image screenshotted from my playthrough!)

- - -

You were never really known to be much of a leader.

 If anything, prior to this impromptu excursion, you were often alone. Growing up as a young, orphaned tiefling in Baldur’s Gate manifested your forlorn, self-reliant attitude. You also never really complained, because while you often felt despondent due to all the loss you had experienced in your youth, it also managed to empower you. No longer having to worry about loved ones made you feel more… impervious; as if nothing could be leveraged against you. 

Now, you find yourself constantly perplexed by the leadership position that has been thrust upon you by your rather peculiar group of traveling companions. While you all happen to share the burden of serving as hosts to the invasive parasites derived from the Mindflayers, you never thought that you would find yourself leading a group like this. Especially since you never really volunteered to do so in the first place. Now, you’re all on a quest to locate and rescue the dignitary of a quaint druid village, in order to aid in resolving some of the civic issues that have developed within his absence. You couldn’t help but get involved, especially as the issue seemed to revolve around a group of asylum-seeking tieflings, and quite frankly, the situation very much hit home for you. It’s daunting how you’ve managed to end up in this situation after recently escaping captivity on an Illithid vessel, however, you can’t help but feel a bit hopeless when it comes to figuring out how to get these annoying creatures out of your skulls. It certainly doesn’t help that your traveling companions aren’t exactly keen on each other as well. So far, you’ve managed to band together a hot-headed githyanki warrior, a charismatic & rather eccentric wizard from Waterdeep, a dismissively curt cleric, and the infamous Blade of the Frontiers. 

You also could not, or rather he wouldn’t let you forget him. The pale, elven rogue, who’ve you recently discovered is a vampire. Within the first few days of meeting Astarion, you both were substantially guarded around each other. Well, you couldn’t help it. He practically held a blade to your neck upon first meeting, and you returned the favor of uncertainty by headbutting him, which was undoubtedly unpleasant, due to your pair of twisted horns. Immediately, you both were not particularly fond of one another, however, things began to shift a bit once you started to get to know him. You realized you both were rather similar, as you both are quick to use others and prioritize your own survival. Things shifted even more once you caught him while attempting to feed on you one evening. It started with him inquiring if he could bite you, and you deciding it was okay, until eventually developing into your rather frequent invitations. You’ve begun to almost desire his bite, developing a minor obsession with the pain and pleasure that comes from his feedings. While you may mentally deny it, there was some sort of internal frustration that was brewing within you, that you couldn’t quite fight anymore. 

That had to be the explanation for why you reacted the way you did today. 

You and your ragtag group of adventurers found yourselves walking in circles as you attempted to path your way to the goblin camp. Rubbing your temples while your eyes clamped shut from an oncoming headache, you began to mentally recollect some of the signposts you’ve all passed on your way to the camp. 

“Fuck- this can’t be right…” you muttered under your breath, opening your eyes and reassessing the map you sketched and plotted of the area so far. 

Your group has been wandering in the open roads of Faerûn for some time now, even after enduring an alarming ambush from a group of gnolls. You were very much aware of how tired everyone seemed to be, as well as how nightfall was slowly beginning to creep upon the sky.

Noticing the look of confusion appear upon your face, Wyll began to make his way over to you, attempting to aid your weary eyes in figuring out where exactly you all had ended up. 

“(Y/N), let me try to help-” he offered, as you shifted a bit to allow him to join you in reading the map you drafted. You hand over the paper scroll as your tail anxiously swayed. You bit at your pointed fingernail, hoping that he would be able to offer some form of insight. 

“Ughhh…” Astarion groaned deeply as he pressed his hands to his face in frustration. “Please don’t tell me you’ve gotten us lost.” he muttered into his hands, which struck a very tender nerve within you. 

Furrowing your brows, you fold your arms tightly to your chest, rolling your (E/C) eyes in annoyance at his muffled comment. It wasn’t the first time during this trip that he began to complain, and certainly not the last.

“Astarion…is there something on your mind you’d like to share?” you ask, looking down toward your feet while trying to bide your growing anger. 

“Oh, well- …It’s nothing, dear.” he began, gesturing as if he were postulating another thought, although you already had an idea of what was about to leave his lips. 

“It’s just that, well- We’ve taken this path at least a DOZEN times, and for some strange reason, WE KEEP GOING THIS WAY!” he yells, stoking the fire that is your anger. 

Clenching your fists tightly, your facial expression shifts, prompting Gale’s eyes to widen a bit. Neither he nor the others have yet to see this side of you, especially since you are known to be rather level-headed in times of stress. Your demeanor even takes Lae’zel by surprise, who seems rather entertained by the thought of you confronting Astarion. She begins to smirk a bit to herself, folding her arms as she watches you both begin to argue. 

“Okay- Then why don’t you take a fucking crack at it? Especially since you have quite literally done nothing of value when it comes to our journey? Why don’t you fucking lead everyone!” you shout in response, prompting the pale elf’s gait to shift. 

His eyes widen at the thought of you raising your voice at him, which leads to him narrowing his crimson eyes into a glare, directed towards you. He decides to approach you, which further angers you, bringing about a scowl on your face. 

“Well, quite frankly darling, I can’t be the only one who’s at a loss as to why you are suddenly hellbent on being a savior to a group of tieflings. A group of tieflings, if I made add, that contribute absolutely nothing to figuring out how to cease our transformation into fucking Illithid freaks!” he retorts, leading you to visibly show offense to his words. 

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” you respond dryly. Even you were questioning your decision to help the tieflings. It seemed so out of character for you, especially since you often only thought of yourself. At the same time, you know that you could relate to the undesired, nomadic lifestyle that is cast upon tieflings in Faerûn. You know personally know what it’s like to not be welcomed into a space because of what you are. 

 “If you take issue with my choice to help the tieflings, then why don’t you leave?! Find another group of people you can prey upon and use for your own liking,” you suggested in response, attempting to cut into him with your words. However, you know deep down you didn’t fully mean what you said.

 Astarion chuckled a bit at your naive attempt to bruise his ego, as he quickly rebutted, “Oh, (Y/N). Who else would you desperately cling to if I was no longer here? You practically throw yourself at me, begging for me to feed from you.” he responds with a salacious smirk, further exacerbating your anger. At this point, the both of you tensely faced each other in such close proximity. 

Your fists clench tightly, causing blue-tinted flames to seep through your palms. A pink hue of embarrassment arose across your face.

“...You insufferable, little-” you began before Shadowheart marched over to forcibly place herself in between you both. 

“ENOUGH.” she shouts, bringing all of the bickering to a halt. Your party’s mixed facial expressions all seemed to sync in shock, wondering how such a loud shout erupted from your small companion. 

“We are all extremely exhausted from the traveling and battling we’ve accomplished today. It’s also rather close to nightfall, which means we should set up camp and resume our expedition in the morning. It’s clear that we all need to take a moment to relax and rest before we continue our pursuit of the goblin camp.” she states, staring the two of you down before finding her own composure. 

The flames that began to form in the palms of your hands dissipated as you took a deep breath before abruptly turning from Astarion. You couldn’t believe that he would say that about you in front of everyone in your party, and you certainly could not believe that is how he views you. Desiring to flee from your deep-seated embarrassment, you carried your belongings to the nearby clearing, beginning to set up your tent and gather wood for a small campfire. 

Time passes quickly as everyone gets to work establishing their tents and positioning their bedrolls around the fire. Gale and Wyll are rummaging through the collected supplies to start preparing food, while Lae’zel sharpens her weapons in her tent. Shadowheart busies herself, taking a moment to offer prayers to her night mistress, Shar. However, she couldn’t help but sneak glances between you and Astarion, to see if the feud had really ended. You were not entirely sure either, as you made it your mission to avoid making any form of contact with him during the evening. Even though you don’t wish to entertain the thought, you wonder a bit to yourself if he is still angry with you. At times, you could have sworn you felt his piercing, crimson eyes on your back while you were turned away. You, however, decided to chalk it up to being paranoid. 

You find yourself reflecting on the events that occurred earlier, replaying each action back in your head. The tadpole behind your eye swarms in a frenzy, most likely reacting to the immense anger that still lingers within your body. While you lay on your bedroll, with an arm planted behind your head, you think back to how Astarion spoke to you during the argument. You recall the way that he planted himself a few inches away from you with an aggravated expression. You can hear the guttural rasp of his raised voice, as well as how his crimson eyes seared into yours. You start to reimagine the way he frustratingly rakes his long, slender fingers through his silver curls, while he attempts to play off the sheer rage you bestowed upon him… The frustration within you grows. 

As time continues to surge on, everyone seems to have retired for the evening, leaving you to your own devices as you lay on top of your bedroll, gazing up at the night sky. You quickly dart your eyes over to Astarion’s tent, which is lit from within by a lantern, disclosing the fact that he is reclined inside, most likely reading. Once you take inventory of where he is, you decide to take it upon yourself to find a way to physically cool off. Each step you take towards the forest produces a loud crunch, signaling to you that you may wish to tread a bit lighter. Making your way towards the nearby river, you decide to kick off your black-tinted leather boots and begin to bring your body down to the ground in a seated position. You roll the fabric of your pants up to your calves, while slowly dipping your feet into the water. This causes you to let a light sigh of relief slip past your lips. You decide to close your eyes, and for a moment, the calming current of the river coaxes the tadpole’s movement behind your eye, causing a small smile to form on your face. You let your tense shoulders fall, and for a moment, you feel so relaxed you don’t pick up on the sound of approaching footsteps behind you. 

A hand suddenly takes a firm grasp on one of your horns, which begins to drag you backward. Caught completely off guard, you yelp, attempting to raise your hands up and grab at the wrist of the unknown assailant. You simultaneously dig your heels into the soil of the ground to halt yourself before taking control of your tail and using it to sweep and trip the unknown figure. You hear a body drop into the ground with a thud, followed by a hushed exclamation: “Fuck!”.

Gathering yourself quickly, you turn and climb on top of them, readying your hand as flames begin to generate within your palm. However, your eyes widen as you fully realize who you’ve managed to pin down. 

Astarion’s tempestuous gaze locks onto your eyes, seeking to read your expression. He recognizes that he’s managed to catch you off guard, causing his typical smirk to slowly surface on his face. 

Flustered by this, a pink tint settles onto your cheeks, causing your angered expression from earlier to make yet another appearance. 

“Give me good one reason why I shouldn’t set you aflame right now.” you finally manage to announce after a distinct moment of shared silence. 

The vampire begins to snicker to himself, developing into an outright laugh. He throws a free hand over his mouth, biting into the side of his hand a bit to stifle his laughter. He can’t help but find your faux-standoffish nature… cute.

“Darling, we both know that’s not what you want to do to me. If anything, I would wager you could’ve done so earlier if you so desired.” he replied, fueling your frustration even more.

“I mean- just look at the compromised position you have me in currently.” he says, causing your eyes to shift down. 

You realize that you’re positioned directly on top of him, with your thighs straddling against his lower body. Lowering your arm, you relinquish the developing flames as those feelings of embarrassment begin to return. Noticing you’ve surrendered your vendetta against him, Astarion plants his elbows against the earth, raising up to meet your gaze, face to face. 

The warmth in your face intensifies as he gets closer, causing both of you to directly make eye contact. Your eyes shift down towards his lips, as you study the shape of his cupid’s bow, and the fullness of his lips. The frustration you felt earlier is only beginning to build up more and more before you make the impulsive decision of leaning in closer to firmly press your lips against his. His eyes widen in response, although, he partially anticipated your reaction. He raises all the way, then decides to wrap his arms around the small of your waist. Your hands reach to rest against his cheeks, cupping his face as you deepen the kiss. You both channel your previous anger into the pressure of the kiss, both of your tongues going to war with one another. It doesn’t help that you both have a pair of fangs, therefore it feels as though you both take turns, biting at the other’s lips. He takes one hand and runs it through your (H/C) hair while taking the other to position it against your neck. Pulling away from your kiss, he begins to pepper the side of your face with firm kisses, pressing against your jaw, and eventually, down to your neck. You let out a soft moan as you slightly crane your neck to the side, anticipating his fangs to potentially make an impact on your skin. He decides instead to tease you, sucking on your neck, as if to leave a hickey. He then drags his tongue slowly against your neck, causing you to shiver and garner arousal from the sensation. You shift slightly, trying to fight the hot feeling between your thighs. You aren’t very successful though, as you realize that you can feel his growing arousal as well, rubbing against you. You decide to take your legs and wrap them around him, further pressing your body into his.

Bringing his lips to your ear, he whispers in a low voice, 

“I’m willing to bet you’re begging for me to bite you.”

While you do not wish to admit defeat, you couldn’t help but affirm his suspicions with a light nod, causing the vampire to smirk before pinning you down to the ground, hard. You slightly wince, although the continued roughness of your rendevous seems to further turn you on. Grabbing one of your horns, the vampire cranes your neck before biting into your flesh, causing you to dig your nails into his back, and tighten the hold of your legs around his waist. You let out a groan as you feel your life force practically fleeing your body. The vampire latches himself further onto you. While initially painful, the feeling of your blood being drained almost feels…euphoric, causing you to slip into a blissful trance. Astarion moans into your neck, causing an electric flutter to echo through your core. While he is entranced by the taste of your blood, he does recognize your pulse slowing down, therefore, he decides to pull away, causing another gasp to escape your lips. He then cleans the wound with his tongue, before bringing his red-stained lips to yours once more. 

You come in contact with your own blood, not fully minding the metallic taste, as he begins to explore your mouth once more. After a moment of sharing another deepened kiss, you pull away, panting a bit for air, before the vampire falls to your side as you try to manage your breath. After what seems to be a sizeable silence, the sounds of the forest decide to creep back in, grounding you after the impromptu, moonlight tryst you both shared. You still are trying to wrap your mind around all of what took place today, until Astarion breaks the silence. 

“Gods…do you always act this way when you’re angry?”

#astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x you #astarion x tav #reader insert #angst #enemies to friends to lovers #fanfic #fanfiction

[andreaphobia]

P5R Pilgrimage: I ❤️ Akechi Goro

Finding out the jazz club really exists was the highlight of this trip :)

As usual, more pics and screenshot comparisons under the cut!

First, a quick detour to talk about Penguin Sniper...

There’s actually a number of darts bars in Kichijoji, but I didn’t manage to find any that gave me Penguin Sniper vibes (do message me if you know of one, though!). In the first place, I’d always wondered why a bunch of high schoolers were allowed into a darts bar at all -- you’d expect it to have an older clientele and probably serve alcohol, fr’instance.

Then, after scrolling around the map for a bit, I noticed there’s actually a ROUND1 on the Kichijoji SUNROAD main strip. ROUND1 is an amusement store chain, kind of like an arcade that offers activities like bowling, karaoke, billiards, and darts. Since it’s an amusement center, even elementary schoolers are allowed, though I think there’s some kind of curfew for kids.

So in this particular ROUND1, the darts machines and pool tables are on the same floor...

The layout of the room is pretty close, I’d say, although the RL “bar” is actually a cashier, not a place to eat. The machines in front of the bar let you sign up for play sessions.

I thought about playing a game of darts but decided against it. x) Next time I’ll bring a friend!

Fun note: some of the dart machines make the exact same sound effects that are used in the minigame in P5R. I had a mild out of body experience hearing them go beep boop IRL xd

Anyway back to the jazz bar. XD Even the stairs down to the bar are reproduced faithfully.

The lunch menu, for interest! (I had a lunch set of an anchovy and olive tomato sauce spaghetti with a latte au lait, a slice of cheesecake, and a lime soda. Yeah ok I pigged out. I blame Akechi)

I got lucky, arriving about half an hour before the first show was scheduled, so the place was pretty empty and I got a seat at the bar. The cover charge was 1500 yen; I stayed and watched for an hour. :D

Satou Tatsuya on sax and Michishita Kazuhiko on guitar -- hopefully I didn’t butcher the romanization of their names!

The seats depicted in the game give the best view of the live performances, and are reservation only...although for reasons of needing to face the in-game camera, you will notice that they are looking at a wall instead of the actual performance. XD

(Also, in my head this means that Akechi reserved seats for them on their date there, ahead of time. It’s how it works in real life, so it must be true!)

I took a couple of photos after customers cleared out between shows. You can see the grand piano as well as the raised seated area behind the stage, and the additional restaurant seating on the right -- there’s stairs leading both up and down to more tables.

Just a close-up of the “stage”.

A funny aside that has little to do with Akechi -- while I was sitting there enjoying my food and the music, I noticed that several other customers had with them what looked an AWFUL lot like a single American dollar. Obviously the bar is in Japan so I was wondering wtf was going on; genuinely thought I was losing my mind. Or maybe it was like some kind of secret code that I wasn’t aware of...???? IDK, I was spiraling lmao

It turns out it’s actually your check. (A dollar “bill,” I suppose.............)

Even with the cover charge, the bill came to like $30. Pretty worth for the semi-religious experience of watching a jazz performance at Akechi’s favorite place.

Ending things off with an evening shot of the place lit up :)

That’s it!

 I’ve actually got more photos and videos from a couple of other places like Akihabara and the cafe that possibly inspired Leblanc, but...I’m getting tired of doing these xd So this may or may not be the last one, at least for now!

Hope y’all enjoyed the posts :D

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #p5r #akechi goro #shuake #akeshu #p5 pilgrimage #my stuff

[tianhai03]

Hi! I was curious about your study methods for anatomy/fabric folds? What are some resources you learned from, and other artists you've looked to for inspiration/guidance? Would you be open to doing personal, non-public critiques? I love the composition of your pieces and want to learn more!

hi uhhh i am very sorry to break it to you but i rarely ever do studies that isnt just. character/facial structure studies LMAOOO i used to do anatomy studies but not as much anymore and ive never done fabric fold studies. unless you count "staring at ppl respectfully on the train/video game characters from AAA games for a long time just to figure out how certain things work" as studies i dont actually do a lot of them very often.

^ an example of facial studies ive done awhile ago of my two favorite capcom guys. i took one screenshot of them each and painted them. it helps a lot to get better at drawing them (and faces in general) bc i have to be aware of what makes them look like them; the shapes of their faces, eyes, noses, mouth, eyebrows etc etc. while realism isnt really everyone's cup of tea, it isnt mine's either, but this genuinely helps a lot. it should work with other stuff like anatomy and fabric folds. i recommend trying figure sketching too if that's something you can manage.

as for resources... i dont look at a lot of those if im being honest. i just kinda look at drawing tutorials i see on twitter or here, whenever ppl put them on my tl/dashboard. but i do suggest looking at this person's profile (@/MangaMaterials2 on twitter) if you have the time, they make a lot of anatomy tutorials. i also watch this person's speedpaints (@/remarin on youtube) very often. i actually learned my shading style from watching them, and they're also very good at anatomy.

for non-public critiques, im sorry but i cant help you with that. im very busy myself and during weekdays im not home with my drawing tablet for most of the day, and that makes it very difficult for me to help anyone with critiques. im also not that good at explaining things, especially when it comes to how i draw (because i just. kinda know how to do things subconsciously? i dont actively think abt what im doing when i draw so i dont know how to describe my process). you're better off finding someone who's better at teaching :')

thank you for your kind words!! hopefully these are helpful to you!

#allyanswers #Anonymous #ask #tutorial #not exactly sure how to tag this but i'll tag it as tutorial in case anyone wants to find this again in the future

[astarionposting]

How do you deal with creative burnout and possible disconnection from BG3 (if you have experienced it yet)?

For example, a while ago I found myself taking more pictures than actually playing the game, so I felt disconnected from the characters, and I wonder how the future will look like when the hype dies down. I mean, fandoms come and go, and I took a break of course, but I wonder where all the people will go that mainly focus on just BG3 at the moment. (Other games probably?)

I’ve experienced it for sure. I’m the type of person who tends to hyperfixate on only one or two things at a time, so when I start to develop other interests I start to want to focus more on those, and lose motivation to create for previous interests.

When I start to feel the burnout, I just take a bit of a break from it and focus on the other stuff I like. Then, after like a week or two, I’ll slowly start working on things again (for example, my mods, but this isn’t as bad cause it often relates to my other interests). So as another example, with BG3, I still of course LOVE Astarion, but I’ve created so many things for him already, that it feels repetitive if I try to keep making things constantly. Instead, I start to focus on other characters that I might like (like Durge and Orin hehe), and start coming up with new ideas for them! In turn, I am still having fun making new content for BG3 and starting to get new inspiration for Astarion content as well!

I also start actually playing the game again, like in my Durgetav playthrough, so I am having a lot of fun taking my time exploring the game all over again and coming up with scenes in my head and taking certain moments from the game and making headcanons (in my brain cause my writing is horrible LOL). I would try just actually playing through the game again, but as a new character, not a previous OC! Maybe take photos and videos of the moments you like and coming up with some fun little stories for yourself. Another thing I would do when I felt myself getting more into GOT and HOTD was to involve it with BG3, so that I had new ideas and something fun to look forward to making!

As most fandoms, I think there will always be people who love BG3 for a LONG time. I mean, look at fandoms like ASOIAF. GRRM hasn’t made a new book in over a decade, but I’m STILL seeing new videos on his books and Game of Thrones (which has also been over for many years). Another example is the Cyberpunk fandom! That game has been out a few years now, but you still see people playing it and making new characters, fanfics, art, etc. Even I want to start getting back into it as it was my first game where I even took screenshots (but before I knew what the heck Otis tools were lol). There will be those who move onto new things, but there will also be many of us who might stay a while even after the “excitement” dies down.

#my inbox

[bluegekk0]

did grimm ever visit pharloom in your au

I like to think so, yeah. Pharloom existing was actually the biggest reason why I took the AU in the direction I did - in the way that Hallownest is just one of many lands one can travel between. I'm not sure how they will explain the memory loss thing implied in the first game (as in, when you leave Hallownest), maybe it'll end up being retconned. If that's the case, then even better for me, since that isn't a thing in my AU.

But to get back to the question. Grimm used to travel a lot, especially before meeting FPK (he still continued to travel, but he stopped by Hallownest far more often to visit him). So at some point, he definitely visited Pharloom. I haven't really had an in-depth brainstorming session about that kingdom yet, I'm waiting for more details about it once (if) Silksong releases (I don't know whether Silksong will be canon in the AU yet, but either way, I'll definitely include Pharloom one way or another).

Since Pharloom seems to be very song/music themed, perhaps that's the reason why he visited (and likely still visits) it. The Troupe are basically like a theatre in the AU, and they need instruments for their performances. Perhaps there are luthiers in Pharloom who craft very rare instruments Grimm would show interest in. Maybe some of the Grimmkin originate from there, Grimm always searches for new recruits for his troupe, and a kingdom centered around music would without a doubt be a home to many young, ambitious musicians, or those artists who lost everything and would search for a new life - Grimm's troupe could give them just that. They would be tied to him through the Nightmare Realm, but compared to many gods, he does not require worship, only loyalty. It's not surprising that many would accept his offer.

And lastly, he would stop by to buy gifts for the family. Zote in particular shows some interest in playing instruments, so Grimm would keep that in mind as he passes through Pharloom. And of course, since the kingdom is still full of life, that means there's plenty of merchants that would offer shiny trinkets or rare crafting resources, which he could bring home as a present for Vyrm.

I would love to put some more thought into different lands. Hallownest and Pharloom are the only named kingdoms that we know of, but I imagine there's many different kingdoms, towns or small settlements you can stumble upon during travels. Some are dead and offer lingering Nightmare Essence that Grimm collects for his rituals, but some are thriving.

Maybe one day I'll create some kind of map to show where Hallownest and Pharloom are located. Hallownest, in my AU, is located in the mountains and has a cold climate, so it would most likely be up north. Pharloom? It's said it's a distant land, and with the coral reefs we see on screenshots, that'd imply it's a lot warmer than Hallownest. And there's also other lands I could include - Vyrm's homeland, the natural habitat of the now extinct wyrms, or the land destroyed by war where Divine originates from, among others.

I love doing worldbuilding for the AU do I do hope I get the inspiration to do this one day! I think it would be fun. Though maybe it's best if I finish the Hallownest fauna first so I don't put too may things on my plate at once hahaha

#ask stuff #feral pk au #au worldbuilding #save #grimm #pharloom

[satellite-blossom]

NEW ART !? It's more likely than you think !

I've redesigned Léa's Magical form again, but this time around I've actually colored (& shaded) the whole thing ; I'll share more of my process under the read more.

Feel free to reblog this (but it's ok if you don't) !

(Léa use they/them pronouns and are agender)

So this is Léa's old Magical form, or at least the last art of it I had completed before the 2024 version :

I was going for a fancy, somewhat ouji inspired outfit that'd still be comfortable to wear, as Léa Acorn's style is all about being cute yet comfy. Their body saw no change from their regular form.

I think I was already not fully satisfied with this design by the end of 2021, but as time went on my list of grievances kept growing longer. I started to dislike how much of the design was pure white ; it's not really something I like on Magical Girl designs but for some reason I included it here, probably because I was trying to branch out and take inspiration from series like Lolirock & Pretty Cure for once. I also ended up finding the jacket kinda dumb, or at least the way it fit on top of the shirt seemed off. I had no idea how to color the shoes when I drew this design and it was bugging me more and more over time.

But while I fell out of love with the outfit, my main grievance was the staff-paintbrush-scythe hybrid, which was not only drawn poorly but also pretty boring. I couldn't help but try to redesign it just a month or two after completing the new ref, but I didn't want to redo the whole thing as back then I still made my refs in Microsoft Publisher with the help of Photofiltre, which was a slow and painful process I dreaded.

(Léa's Mobian forms 2021 ref, for... Reference)

So between my laziness, art block and the general state of my life I wasn't able to complete any new design before this year (2024). Let's break down this new design, shall we ?

This was my main inspo board this time around :

As you can see I kept the lolita/ouji influence but added some streetwear elements to it. I felt like the previous design didn't do a great job showcasing the mix of preppy prince & comfy fashion Léa are supposed to encapsulate, so I brought up pictures of a character that had only influenced their story and personality so far : Sora from Kingdom Hearts !

It's not something I bring up a lot anymore, but I used to be well-versed in Kingdom Hearts lore and Léa's story was heavily influenced by it ; they were even supposed to fight with a keyblade at one point ! Design-wise, I borrowed the length of Sora's shorts/jumpsuit for Léa's bloomers, and replaced their cropped suit jacket by a short-sleeved hoodie (which also mirrors some of their Sonic.exe world designs). I mixed these elements with lolita items for a cuter look.

Léa share my love of ties, so I've replaced their bow tie by a regular one ; it's somewhat short to showcase their shirt, which is a revamped version of the old one.

For the legwear I took inspiration from some long flowy legwarmers I saw in a few fairy kei coords, and also the shoes from this CocoPPaDolls screenshot I've taken years ago, back when the game was still up :

(I miss this game every day)

And of course I needed the shoes to be velcro LED shoes, because that's just the Léa Acorn way.

The rounded pink heart-shaped gems throughout the outfit were somewhat inspired by Amulet Heart from Shugo Chara.

Talking about gems, time to talk about the staff ! It was inspired by Amulet Spade's paintbrush, some Lolirock items, and a bunch of bootleg Magical Girl wands. Why reference bootleg wands, you might ask ? Well, since they're already off compared to the real deals, they allow me to not design wands that are too similar to ones from well-known properties.

I've been meaning to make Léa's eyes pink in their magical form for years but didn't actually follow through for a while. I ended up making their eyes brownish pink to not make their eyes too light, as I felt like it'd remove some of their charm (I already felt guilty for not keeping their eyes brown in this form). And of course, I had to bedazzle their eyes to hell and back.

Actually all this shininess and sparkling was inspired by the original drawing of Léa's Magical Form drawn all the way back in 2017 and redrawn in 2018 :

For some reason I took a lot of inspiration from Sailor Moon for these despite Léa's role being inspired by Card Captor Sakura (and Kingdom Hearts). Also Wish Gems used to be called "Magical Chaos Emeralds" and look just like the regular Chaos Emeralds, which was kinda dumb. But I loved the energy of these pieces so I've tried to recapture the "sparkly pink magical transformation void" vibes they had ; I hope I've succeeded on that front.

Anyway, thank you for reading this all the way through ! I hope this was an interesting read, somewhat.

#my berry own art #sth #sonic oc #magical transformation #magical girl #magical boy #magical enby #mobian oc #mobian #Léa Acorn #sonic fan character #kawaii #artists on tumblr #art #digital art #sonic fc #sonic original character #oc redesign #scythe

[vampireseftover]

Eternity to behold

Pair: Ascended Astarion x F!vampire!narrator

CW: violence, some gore, murder, AA isn't an abusive jerk, no angst, written in first person, a little smutty, but nothing explicite, vampires acting like vampires, almost fully translated with DeepL, but it's actually good.

Summary: Nightmare. Fear. Uncertainty. Provoked bloodlust. A moment of intimacy and love confession for an eternal lover.

Word count: 4,724.

A/n: Hi there, it's my first fic in 13 years. I've read this masterpiece written by my beloved @vampiric-hunger, and it inspired me to start writing again. Preview is a gift screenshot from my precious @velvolktra. English is my second language, go easy on me, please. Almost entirely translated with DeepL and it's not bad at all!

How did I envision the life of a Lord Vampire’s Consort? Endless masquerades, balls, parties, fun and bloody carnage. I'd hoped I'd be mindlessly basking in luxury, filling entire closets with lavish clothes and chests - with jewelry. I dreamed of an eternity of delight and all the pleasures available to immortal and mortal creatures (thanks to the Rite of Profane Ascension)... One detail slipped my mind. A very important detail. A detail that was ruining all my sweet dreams. Money.

It costs money to throw a lavish reception. Buying clothes and jewelry costs money. Silence of random witnesses to a bloody massacre, who are not worth killing, also costs money. Eternal life is free, of course, but eternal life in luxury is another matter.

Cazador Szarr's "inheritance" was not endless. An impressive palace, some funds and securities in the bank, a few mortal familiars and... Actually, that was it. Influence and power belonged to the ancient family. The treaties and agreements that ensured continuous income were the merits of Cazador himself. And Astarion, the new, unknown vampire lord, had yet to build his own empire. The need to do so had become especially acute after months of mindlessly squandering the fortune of the now-defunct Szarr family. The money was running out. Rapidly.

It was... hard at first. Intoxicated by his freedom and new power, Astarion was reluctant to accept the fact that the wretched mortals who had recently trembled in terror before his former master dared to question his power. Their nasty sneers in response to his pretensions... Their insults and demonstrations of contempt for the "big-eared upstart".... Many pompous funerals later, the tone of the still living patricians of the city changed dramatically. Not the most graceful way to gain respect, of course, but the quickest: Astarion had not been known for patience before.

Now that they were willing to listen, if only out of fear, he could begin to weave his web. Meeting after meeting, bargain after bargain, threat after threat, and a few show trials - it took him few years to consolidate his position. Not everything went smoothly, several political battles my pale elf lost. And he was very unhappy. His temper tantrum cost us all of our mortal servants, a dozen of our own spawns, and the entire west wing of the Crimson Palace. When we calculated the cost of the damage, Astarion promised to find another way to deal with the outbursts. We couldn't afford such a scale back then.

As time went on, the city changed right before our eyes. Gradually, the Ascended Vampire became a force to be reckoned with, not just out of fear. Astarion may have been unrestrained at first, but he learned quickly. Over time, he became adept at making really good deals, at singling out truly valuable allies, and at gaining their favor at minimal cost. He had to pretend again, play roles, put on masks. But we both knew it was only temporary. I even managed to convince him to treat it as a game, to add an element of excitement. Oh, how many naive idiots will fall for this exaggerated niceness, darling? Ah, let's see if you can get a dozen noble ladies to faint in one evening? Ah, will you be able to persuade this intractable merchant to agree to terms unfavorable to him? The answers are: a lot; yes; he will!

A few years later, Astarion was firmly on his feet. The most influential and prominent families in the city were already smiling ingratiatingly at him, seeking his attention, seeking meetings with him, trying to bribe him, trying to plant beautiful daughters under him. However, after the extremely irritated Lord Vampire gathered every nobleman of the city in the throne room of his palace and announced that he would not tolerate such disrespect towards his wife (here I waved my hand from my throne to the right of Astarion's), the flow of young maidens - and young men - with noble names, directed to his private bedroom, abruptly dried up. Later that evening, however, I asked him how long we'd been officially married, why didn't I remember our wedding, and where is my wedding ring.

“My sweet, you do realize that our bond is deeper and stronger than any ridiculous legal obligation, right? It's not ink on parchment or ridiculous rituals that unite us. Our souls are woven together. That means more than any marriage.”

In the morning, a velvet box with an exquisite white gold ring with a ruby was on the bedside table. A matching ring was already on his ring finger.

***

I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in my ribs. Astarion’s silver curls tickled my chin, and a pair of inhumanly strong arms squeezed my torso. Resting his face against my chest, Astarion was breathing heavily. He'd clearly had a nightmare. I brushed the sweat-damp curls from his forehead, his brow furrowed, muffled moans coming from his clenched teeth.

I shook him lightly by the shoulder, but that only made his grip tighten. It was a good thing I didn't need to breathe; I wouldn't have been able to take a single breath, the way he was gripping me so tightly.

“Star, wake up." I called to him, my voice tight with pain. “You're hurting me.”

His ruby eyes snapped open at the sound of my voice. He toppled me over onto my back in a lightning-fast motion, one hand on my throat, the other swinging as if to strike. The frantic stare of his eyes glowing in the impenetrable darkness of the night. Confusion with a dash of horror. Only my quiet "Astarion" snapped him out of his nightmare. Our gazes met, his fingers on my throat slowly loosened, his whole body relaxed, and he collapsed on top of me, pressing me into the mattress.

“Star, I'm here. It's okay. We're safe.” My caressing whisper finally brought him to his senses. His cheek pressed against my chest, and the vampire squeezed me in a hug: tight, but this time gentle.

When his breathing finally evened out, I pulled him gently against me, running my fingers through the unruly silver curls. His breathing was deep and measured. I decided to ask him a question:

“Did you have a nightmare?” A slurred "Uh-huh" was my answer. “Would you tell me?” A turn of his head and a heavy sigh. Apparently not. “Could I look for myself?” I asked, referring to our telepathic connection.

He pulled away, his "No!" too sharp to break the silence of the night, his voice a note of panic, his body tense, as if preparing to fend off an attack, but I wasn't going to insist.

“Shh, it's okay. I won't look. Come here." I whispered, pulling him to me again.

We stayed awake in each other's arms until dawn, until the first gentle rays of sunlight began to break through the loose curtains.

***

Another day, another important meeting. Last night keeps me awake. He hasn't had a nightmare in so long. And for him to hide something from me? That hasn't happened in a long time. Anxiety is eating me from the inside out, tearing apart my frozen heart. It's unbearable. I need to be near him, need to feel his warmth on my own cold skin.

I flung open the massive doors of the small office, disregarding all decorum. Sunlight streams in through the huge, open windows. In the center of the room is a long lacquered table, ornate high-backed armchairs around the table, important nobles pressing their important asses on it. A dozen heads with blurry faces turn in my direction, but I don't notice them. All I see are ruby eyes and the barely perceptible shadow of a smile on his dearly beloved face. He's relaxed, but clearly bored. A smile blossoms on my face as I traverse the space separating us in a few steps. If I hadn't promised to behave, I would have run straight on top of the table. It's like there's no one else in the whole world but the two of us. The creak of wood on marble - Astarion moves farther away from the table and opens his arms to me. There's little grace in me as I plop into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. I don't care, I snuggle against him with my whole body. Alive. Warm. Mine.

“The Great Lord Ascended Vampire trained a legion of werewolves, but apparently he couldn't teach his tame dog some manners.”

The smile slides off my face. Not the first patrician of Baldur's Gate to express his displeasure at my presence or the mere fact of my existence. I don't know what irritated them more: the fact that I dared to open my mouth at all in the presence of noble lords, or the fact that Astarion always listened to my words.

I'm not in the mood to behave like a proper lady of high standing. I'm not in the mood for this role-playing with the town's nobility. And I'm not in the mood to hide my own irritation. Rolling my eyes as I turn around at the sound of the voice of the dead-in-the-next-five-minutes man. Out of respect for Astarion, however, I give the blighted man a chance to stay alive:

“One more sound," I hiss, flashing my red eyes and showing my fangs in a grin, "and I'll rip out your fucking tongue.”

The silence is so thick it feels like it could be cut with a knife. I turn to Astarion, and I have time to think how funny it must be for my face to change from a wild, menacing grin to a soft, gentle smile. He makes no attempt to stop me, to reprimand me, or even hint that I should behave more calmly. No, I see curiosity in his gaze, and even approval: I've succeeded in dispelling his boredom.

There's an indignant puffing somewhere behind me, a thump of a fist on the table, and the clink of glasses bouncing from the impact. A muffled clatter from a fallen decanter of wine and, after a couple of moments, the clatter of drops of expensive golden drink against the marble. The enraged nobleman shouted something, pointing a trembling finger in my direction. His face twisted with anger, red and damp with sweat, spittle spraying out of his mouth along with insults at me.

A moment. I stand on the table in front of him, crouched on one knee. With a clawed hand, I clutch his flabby neck. His eyes are huge with terror, his mouth open, a thin thread of saliva running down his sloppily shaved chin. Feeling little resistance, I squeeze my hand, feeling the wet crunch beneath my fingers. I tear his throat out in a sharp motion, holding his body with my other hand and watching the light of life fade in his eyes. I toss the scrap of torn flesh farther down on the table. I move my covered in blood hand aside, not wanting to stain my dress.

I wait, but nothing happens. I glare angrily at the servant slammed into the wall. I snap my fingers and blood sprays in all directions. I lure the servant closer with an unexpectedly graceful gesture. He doesn't dare look up in horror, but he approaches me quickly, afraid to make me even more angry. I grab his chin with bloody fingers and hiss into his face:

“Do I really need to explain to my servants how to do their jobs? I don't remember taking it upon myself to educate the staff! Can't you see? Your mistress got dirty, there's a corpse under the table, its blood has ruined the upholstery of a chair worth more than your miserable life, and there's wine dripping down the table and onto the floor, a glass of which you wouldn't even allow yourself for a year's wages, and not because you're poorly paid. So why don't you stop shaking and get to work?!” Toward the end of my angry tirade, I turn to shouting, glaring furiously with scarlet eyes.

Nodding his head sharply, the servant comes to his senses, removes a snow-white towel from his arm, and wipes the blood from my hand. Two other servants, also impressed by my speech, begin to move and drag the body of the murdered "dear guest" away from the office. Another maid appears out of nowhere and wipes the spilled wine off the table and then the floor. I pay no attention to their quiet fussing, but stare at each of the patricians who remain in their chairs.

When silence returns to the room, I give my guests a broad gesture and straighten up, still standing on the table.

“I hope my little demonstration has made you realize that I'm not to be trifled with.” Slowly, I walk from one edge of the long table to the other, putting my hands on my back and staring straight ahead. My voice rings with power and menace, reverberated off the walls, echoed up from the ceiling. “I am not some lap dog. And I have power over you not because I spread my legs for the right man. And it's not just my husband, lord and master, you should fear, but also me.” I stop in front of Astarion, who is still watching with interest, and turn my back to him, slowly shifting my gaze from one noble face to the other. “If you disrespect me like that again, you'll be sorry you were ever born.”

“Crazy bitch!” An angry hiss from the older man sitting at the farthest edge of the table. He's probably hoping I didn't hear him, but my keen vampire hearing leaves him no chance of escape.

Taking my time, I walk across the table in his direction, then lower myself and lie down on the table, resting my chin on my arms bent at the elbows. Dreamily, pouting my lips like a young innocent girl, I raise my eyes to the man and say quietly, but so that everyone can hear:

“You know, I am not just some toy for pleasure, not a concubine and not a submissive shadow that silently follows its master. I can turn anyone into my own vampire spawn, too. One touch of my fangs is enough to trigger the process of imminent conversion. You know, lordy…" I rest my claw almost playfully on the shiny medal on the old man's chest, "While I was mortal myself, I didn't fully understand, didn't realize what eternal life was. I was granted eternal youth, strength, power, and every pleasure imaginable.” I cast a brief glance at Astarion, noting how the corner of his mouth twitched upward at my words. He's pleased with me. I turn back around, my whole body pressing forward. “You, my dear guest…”

I fall silent, scrutinizing the man's flabby face with a bloodthirsty grin. Abruptly clenching my fingers on his clothes, I pull myself closer and lunge forward for a bite, not even aiming. My fangs touch his cheek, one light clench of my jaws is enough to allow the venom of vampirism to enter his bloodstream. Pushing away from him, enjoying the dazed look on the old man's face as he clutches his cheek, I burst into a laughter. I laugh back and stare into his small, frightened eyes again.

“An eternity of torment awaits you, my dear guest." I repeated, enunciating each word. “Imagine," I faltered into a hot whisper, pressing myself close to his face again. “I could skin you, tear you to pieces, rummage through your insides like in a sack of presents, and you wouldn't die. You will feel every moment of this sweet agony, you will beg, whimper, plead with me to kill you, but I will not be so merciful and end your suffering. No, I will revel in it. Oh!” I exclaim. “I've had a marvelous idea. I can order you to do whatever I want. And you can't physically resist my will. For example, I could order you to rip out the heart of your dearest wife and present it to me on a golden platter. You know, I think that's what I'll do.” A mad smile spreads across my face, and I'm in anticipation of his agony. The fire in my eyes testifies to the magic binding the two of us together, and I give my first order. “In twelve hours, when the sun is below the horizon, you will slaughter with your own hands your entire family, all of your servants, and anyone else who happens to be in your luxurious mansion at that moment. Then you will crawl across town on all fours and bring me the head of your beautiful daughter in your teeth.”

I rise to my feet and shake off my dress, straighten to my full height, and with an almost tender concern in my voice, I say one last thing:

“And try to enjoy tonight's sunset. It is, after all, the last sunset in your life.”

A moment of silence, my deep breath. My face seems to be frozen in stillness. With my eyes closed, barely audible, I speak somewhere in space: to no one and everyone at the same time:

“Out. Now.”

This time no one appears to express their displeasure. The great and terrible patricians of Baldur's Gate hurriedly leave the palace, creaking their chairs on the marble floor, stomping on the heels of their polished boots, pushing and shoving each other.

Silence envelops me. I feel like I'm sinking into a warm bath after a long, tiring day. I take another deep breath, savoring the smells of blood, rage, and fear that permeate the office. I let myself not hold back. I let myself unleash my inner beast, my inner monster, my wild inner monster. Goosebumps ran down my arms as I remembered the softness of the flesh under my claws, the wet crunch of bone and cartilage, the gurgle of gurgling blood. Moments worth sacrificing my own heartbeat for.

I turn on my heels, scraping the surface of the expensive, almost priceless table. But I don't care. The only thing in my field of vision is his face, the smile blossoming on that beautiful face and the passionate fire in his gaze. He's pleased with me. Is he...proud of me?

In a few steps, I cross the distance between us and practically jump on top of him, sitting on his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck. My fingers burrow into his silver curls, and I fall into his lips in a heated kiss, savoring the warmth of his hands sliding over my body. I lose my sense of time, dissolving into the moment of intimacy. It could have been a minute, or it could have been a week, I wouldn't have known the difference. All that matters is his warmth, his scent, his taste on the tip of my tongue.

A moment and I'm lying on the table, his fingers tangling in my hair, squeezing my throat, tearing my dress layer by layer, exposing cold, pale skin. I wrap my arms and legs around him, pulling him against me, closer, closer, closer, closer, closer, until we are one. Hot hands slide down my thighs, skirts pulled up, torn shreds of underwear falling on the floor. His kisses are possessive, greedy, hungry, he’s using his entire arsenal: lips, tongue and fangs. A drop of blood protrudes from my bitten lower lip, and he suck at the tiny wound as if he's trying to drink me dry through it.

We become one, reveling in each other. Two opposing, desperate desires are fighting in me: that this moment never end, and that we come to a climax as soon as possible. The world around me disappears, dissolves, filled only with wet obscene sounds, convulsive sighs and sweet moans. No matter how many times we've been intimate, each time is like a divine revelation. I am overwhelmed by waves of pleasure, one stronger and sweeter than the other. My whole body trembles in his hands, and he enjoys the sight of my crushing defeat of pleasure, but not for long - soon he joins me, filling me up, leaving his mark on me, in me, in the very core of my being, his scent, the mark of my belonging. His fangs sink into my shoulder, wrenching a suppressed sob from my chest. Everything around us stops, only the ringing silence keeping us company.

“You're especially wild tonight, my love," he rumbles in my ear. He presses me against the table with his body, and I don't want to let him go, clinging to him with my arms, wrapping my legs around him, squeezing him inside my own body. Squeezing my eyes shut, I push away the unsolicited tears, returning to the real reason for my restlessness today, my anxiety, my instability.

“What did you expect? You're obviously bothered by something, but you won't share it with me, and you won't let me look inside your mind.” I don't hide the hurt in my voice. He tenses his body and tries to pull away, but my grip only gets tighter. He only succeeds in raising himself up on his elbows. His scrutinizing gaze slides over my face, and I feel a crease form between my eyebrows, the corners of my mouth dropping down, my lower lip trembling as I whisper frantically:

"The moment you turned me, “me” and “you” ceased to exist, the boundary between us erased. Only "we" remained. But since last night, you've been shutting me out. And I'm afraid. What if you're tired of me? What if you're sick of me? Maybe you don't need me anymore. I have nothing but you. Even my own body is at your mercy. And to see you closing yourself off… Have mercy and just kill me.”

I hold back tears with all my might, but one slips down my temple and gets lost in my tangled hair. I can see in his face that he feels my pain. But I can also see that his own is mixed in with mine. He doesn't say anything, just wipes the wet, salty residue from my temple with his thumb, gently releases himself from my grasp, tidies himself up, and pulls my skirt down. I sit up, trying to cover my breasts with the scraps of my hopelessly ruined bodice. His hands are in sight, and I reach out to meet them. He takes me in his arms and walks out of the office.

Without a word, he brings me into our shared bedroom and lays me on the bed. He frowns at my rags and then proceeds to undress me. There's no passion or desire in the act, only a pinched tenderness and care. Wrapping me in the velvet blanket, he lays down beside me, resting his face against my chest. He grips me tightly but reverently, as if I were something incredibly fragile. As if he wasn't the one squeezing my thighs to the point of bruising a few moments ago. I run my fingers through the strands of his hair, breathing in his scent, absorbing his warmth with my whole body. We're silent for a while, cuddled together.

“I had a dream," Astarion said in a low voice, his grip growing tighter. “And in that dream, you said you were tired of me. Of my possessiveness. You said you were afraid of me.”

He falls silent, and I can barely keep from wrapping my palms around his face and screaming that I would never say such a thing, that I revel in it, savor every moment of our intimacy. That every time he keeps his arm around my waist all evening at another gala, never letting go of me, my soul sings. That every time I do attend a business meeting in our palace while he rules the city and, depending on the importance of the meeting and the issues at hand, sit on his lap or beside him while his fingers squeeze my palm, euphoria clouds my mind. That every time he leaves traces of his passion on my skin in prominent places, I proudly display them to anyone who could see and bitterly regret when they're gone due to rapid vampire regeneration. That there is nothing and no one in the entire world that I so passionately desire in every possible way. That, if it were possible, I would dissolve into him wholeheartedly, becoming part of him forever.

But I hold back. I keep silent. If my heart were alive, he'd hear how fast it beat.

“Out of rage and fear of losing you in that dream, I" He hesitated for a moment, as if overcoming a final barrier, and then exhaled "ripped your heart out and consumed it, so that you would definitely be with me forever. Inside me. My hands covered with your blood, your breathless body in front of me, and my teeth sinking into the flesh of your heart... Sometimes these thoughts, these desires, these fears.... overwhelm me. As happened last night.”

He lifts his face and looks at me. He frowns, his gaze serious, his whole body tense, his hands gripping me with a steely grip, as if he's afraid I'll actually get scared and try to run away from him. My fingertips slide down his cheek to his chin, tracing the line of his jaw, down to his shoulder. I stare into his eyes silently, but something blossoms inside me, something warm. I pull him to me, smile as gently and warmly as I can, press my forehead against his, close my eyes, and using our telepathic connection, I tell him:

“Look into my mind. It’s open to you. Do you see even a hint of desire to leave you? You won't get rid of me that easily. You're as much mine as I am yours. Forever.”

I can't see, but I can feel his lips stretch into a smile, his exhale of relief, the tension leave his body. My sweet elf, my soul mate. We found each other under the most ridiculous circumstances imaginable. But from the moment you put the knife to my throat the first time we met, I was already completely at your mercy. We were meant for each other, we couldn't help but be together. Only thanks to you was I able to realize and accept my true nature, to accept the darkness inside me and to stop being ashamed of my desires. Every moment with you was filled with happiness, fun, delight, excitement. I saw you and loved you as you are. Powerful, wild, dangerous, mischievous, witty, charismatic, vulnerable - the list is endless. Everything you are, every aspect of you, every trait is precious to me.

I have made many mistakes in my lifetime. But helping you with your Ascension isn’t on the list. The moment of your triumph, of liberation, of gaining power and control over your body and your life. I was so excited at that moment, you can't even imagine, and I was just a spectator. Thousands of times I replayed this moment in my imagination and each time I did not find even a shadow of doubt in the rightness of my choice. The first thing you did for yourself after Ascension was to make me yours. Forever. Until the end of time. You gave me eternity, strength, power, luxury, your own heart that now beats only for me.

I belong to you completely, without abandon. Just as you belong to me. No force can separate us, no one can stand in our way. As long as we're together, there's no stopping us. As long as we're together, we can have anything we want, but we only need each other. And that won't change no matter how many centuries pass by our immortal souls. I want to believe that in thousands of years we will merge into one, become one whole, spilled into two vessels. That we will cease to realize where you end and I begin. Maybe there is something unhealthy, abnormal, obsessive about it, but what does it matter to us?

#astarion ancunin #ascended astarion #ascended astarion x reader #astarion x female reader #lord astarion #vampire's leftover: fic