holdmecloser-gandydancer

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

I had a lot of fun with this piece! I needed some graphic design practice with illustrator, so I thought why not something TAZ? The idea is that this would’ve been a poster put up to promote the star blaster launch. 

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

[ID: A white banner with black text and a drawing of bluejeans with heart patches on either leg. The text reads “Blupjeans Week 2024″. End ID.]

Announcing Blupjeans Week 2024, a whole week dedicated to Barry and Lup from the Adventure Zone Podcast!

The week will run from Sunday May 26th to Saturday June 1st, honoring the anniversary of Episode 64. Any creative content is accepted, so feel free to share whatever you create! AI-generated content will not be accepted.

For Visual Artists: image descriptions are deeply appreciated! I'd like to make sure this event is as inclusive as possible, and not having to describe all the images myself allows me to run things much more efficiently!

Prompts Are:

May 26: Memory

May 27: Alternate Universe

May 28: Strings

May 29: Duet

May 30: Kiss

May 31: Loss

June 1: Reunion

Tag your posts #blupjeansweek2024 and @blupjeansweek to make sure I see it! If your post is not reblogged within a day or two please send me the post through message so I can reblog it here!

Happy Creating!

#YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH LETS GOOOOO #blupjeans week

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

just played a chess game against death, poor fucker kept losing. at a certain point i saw him crying so we switched it up to checkers. hes still not beating me but hes not crying anymore so thats nice

#yeah posts about Kravitz

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

you stupid fucking idiot i can’t believe you died and got resurrected and are now safely in my arms again. I’ll kill you

#blupjeans

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

#it's taz hello #the bits of d20 ive seen are fun i just havent been able to get into a whole season #i dont like my dnd podcasts where you lose a Lot by not watching the video #i like listening on drives

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

phantasmal & resplendent

prints

#THIS IS ONE OF THE POSTS I WAS LITERALLY TALKING ABOUT AHHHHH #[i knew IT HAD BEEN DESCRIBED AT SOME POINT] #anyway. i need to eat this for power

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

I wish tumblr was a functional website because I can go into the notes of a post I know that I have personally described and the description just. doesn't appear. sort by comments? not there. scroll for a million years? not there. so then I just don't rb the art because I'm trying to get ready for work

#rip (reeses in pieces)

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

You hear a voice…

#oooooooughhhhhh #i just think that lup

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

The official prompts are here!

A separate list was made for fashion prompts due to great interest in clothing themes, and that they may not be applicable to all OC types. You may choose whichever prompts you like to follow, you can mix up which list you like to use from, you don't even need to use them at all - they are merely suggestions!

Be sure to tag your works with #ocweek2024 or tag this blog directly to be featured! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Have fun and happy creating!

OC Week (May 26 - June 1)

Prompts: Day 1 - Best Day Day 2 - Worst Day Day 3 - Relationships Day 4 - Hobbies Day 5 - Weapons/Powers Day 6 - Childhood Day 7 - Free

Fashion Prompts: Day 1 - Favorite Outfit Day 2 - Outfit Swap Day 3 - Dressed Up Day 4 - Traditional Day 5 - Costume Day 6 - Comfy Day 7 - Free

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

Comic adaptation of a scene from Episode 3 of The Adventure Zone: Amnesty!! Re-listened to Amnesty while drawing these pages and I forgot how much I love this campaignnn

Script taken near-directly from the podcast, all credit goes to the McElroys! <3 @mcelroyfamilystaff

#undescribed #op this is SICK #amnesty #i looooooove your mama holy shit

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

Friendly sparring

I’ve got this headcanon that Lucretia and Magnus (being the two young human members of the Starblaster crew) were best friends in a lawful good Yzma and Kronk sorta way.

#EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

and she seethed in that black curtained place (gif / eye strain warning!)

#i wabt to EAT THIS ART #balance #eyestrain #flashing #kinda

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

"Come on, take my hand." and Lup!!!!

The space in between looked an awful lot like Taako had expected it to look. The light opposite him was bright, but it didn’t hurt to look at. The area around him was dark in comparison, but not so dark that he couldn’t see the features on the figure that stood between him and the light.

His twin sister wore a black cloak that he recognized as sort of a work uniform. She smirked at Taako. “Took you long enough.”

“So this is where you were, instead of at my side.”

“Yeah, uh.” Lup rubbed the back of her neck. It wasn’t a usual habit of hers. “We- me and Kravitz and Barry talked about it, and we decided this was where I should be.”

“You left me all alone, at my deathbed.”

Lup’s nose crinkled the tiniest bit. This was an expression Taako must have seen millions of times. He knew exactly what it meant: you’re so full of shit. “You weren’t alone, goober. Kravitz was with you.”

This was true. Taako ignored her, and carried on. “Abandoned in my final moments, by my only sister…”

Lup crossed her arms. “You know, most people don’t get an official escort into the Astral Plane. I don’t have to be here, I can leave and you can go in alone.”

“Fine, fine, I’m done.”

“That’s what I thought.” Silence fell. Taako waited on Lup to turn around and lead him towards the light. She did not. “Um, everyone’s really excited to see you again. Like, Barry accidentally let it slip that it was going to be soon, and ever since then they haven’t stopped asking. Oh, and Julia is really excited to meet you. She’s super sweet, I think you’ll like her.” She paused. “So, yeah, um. Whenever you’re ready.”

The smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes at all. “Lulu,” Taako said, soft but pointed, “are you sure you’re ready?”

Lup’s face fell. Her arms tightened around herself, and she looked away from Taako. I, I don’t know, fuck. I mean, like, I’ve known about it, I tried so hard to be ready, but I don’t…” She sighed. “It’s going to be really weird, y’know? I mean, it’s weird every time someone I know dies, but this is… you’re my twin and it’s different.” She started wiping at the corner of her eye with the bottom of her hand.

“Hey, come on now. Don’t give me that Debbie Downer bullshit. It’s not like you, and it’s creeping me out.” Taako bumped Lup’s shoulder with his own. “It’s not gonna be that bad. Can’t you, like, literally open a portal whenever the fuck you want?”

“Well, sure, but—”

“No buts! You were planning on visiting me, weren’t you?”

“Obviously, Taako!”

“You’d fuckin’ better. It doesn’t have to be weird, because whenever it feels weird, you can just tear a hole in the fabric of the universe, or whatever it is you do, and I’ll be right there. It’ll be different, sure, whatever, but it doesn’t have to be bad or weird.”

Lup sniffled, and bumped Taako’s shoulder in return. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“I always am.” He moved to her side and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, tilting her head so that the top of it touched his cheek. “Now, if you’re done making my death all about how awful it’s going to be for Lup—” Lup made a noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle, and pushed him away. “—I’m ready to see my dead friends now.”

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and shook out her shoulders. “Okay.” She smiled— genuinely this time— and extended her hand to Taako. “Come on, then.”

#nauseous <3 #can you tell im going back through hali's writing tag ?

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

heeeeeyyyyy bestie how about “You see, this is the part where you tell me you’re proud of me" and lucretia :0 pls and thank <3

((it has been. so long and I do not feel very well that I am not up to the task of finding the post this prompt came from im sorry))

It had been a month since the start of the cycle.

One month into a cycle, Lucretia was normally still knee-deep in her journals, taking down every bit of relevant information she could scrounge up. Normally, she’d spend the first two months in the biggest library she could find, taking down every fact she deemed relevant to understanding the new plane— the cultures, the global history, the biology, geology, physics… On planes devoid of intelligent life, she’d spend time examining the land, gleaning what she could from it.

So far this cycle, she’s mainly been sitting on the couch in the commons room of the ship, hugging her knees to her chest.

For that first month, the others gave her space, mostly just checking in to make sure she’s had enough to eat. Merle had, on occasion, put on some old music and tried to convince her to dance, but he was always quickly steered away by an apologetic Davenport.

But a month was evidently all the eggshell-walking Taako could take.

On a sunny afternoon, Taako plops down next to Lucretia on the couch with as much wordless drama as he could muster. He sticks out his index finger and spins it in a small circle: turn around.

Lucretia obliges, and as soon as she has her back to him, she feels him pulling the ties out of her hair, destroying the buns she’d put it in earlier.

It was some sort of ritual the twins had shared since long before they’d departed their home plane— when one twin was upset, the other would braid their hair. They had welcomed Lucretia into this ritual of theirs some 60 cycles ago, when she’d first realized her home, her family, were likely gone, that she’d never see them again. The braiding, it was a show of care, like the grooming behaviors of wild animals. It had a calming effect, one that would usually get the distressed party to open up.

There was nothing new to be said now, though, and so Lucretia simply closes her eyes and tries to let herself be comforted by the motion of Taako’s hands in her hair.

After some time, Taako clears his throat. “Okay, you know I’m not great at vulnerability or whatever, so you’re gonna wanna catch this one, dearest,” he tells Lucretia, an audible gentleness softening the edges of his words. “We’d all be totally boned if you weren’t one resilient fucker. And we appreciate you. And…” Lucretia feels a few definitive tugs before Taako tosses a completed braid over her shoulder, where she can see it. “…we’re all proud of you. For toughin’ it out. Our Lucy, saving the universe.”

“I…” Lucretia takes the braid, twirling the end of it nervously between her fingers. At long last, the tears she’d been struggling to cry finally came. “…thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Taako squeezes her shoulder. “Let it all out now, and then we’re gonna start getting off this couch and having better days. Think you can do that?”

“Yeah.” She gives him a small smile. “I think I can.”

Beep! The lights on Lucretia’s helmet flash as the tip of her épée hits Taako’s torso.

“Aw, hell!” he protests.

“That makes ten hits for me, and only one for you.” Lucretia says this matter-of-factly, stern and without the smallest hint of gloating. “You’re going to have to—”

“Yeah, whatever.” Taako yanks his helmet off, knocking some flyaway strands of bleach-blonde hair out of his bun in the process. “I don’t really wanna do this anymore today, boss.”

Lucretia sighs, long and low. She doesn’t have time for one of Taako’s fits. They’ve only months until the Hunger arrives now, and the Bureau of Balance has yet to retrieve the Animus Bell because, frankly, Lucretia’s terrified to send her Reclaimers— her friends, mind you, her family— into a hellish trap she’d only barely escaped herself.

She worries about Taako most of all. She remembers from her own trip to Wonderland that healing is impossible, and physically, Taako is far weaker than the others. He’s also severely lacking in melee combat training. What if he runs out of spell slots in Wonderland? What if they take spell slots from him?

“Taako, I understand you’re frustrated, but your melee skills need significant work. How can you expect to survive the pursuit of the remaining relics if—”

“I dunno, Madam, the same way I survived the last five times I put my life in danger for you?” Taako huffs. “Look, I get I’m not the best at swinging swords or throwing punches, and maybe I should work on on that, sure, but its like, I’ve made it this far. Don’t I get any acknowledgement for that? Aren’t you going to say you’re, I dunno, proud of me? Or something?” This comes out fast— he’s speaking his mind now.

The first thing Lucretia thinks is that, even after all this time, it feels weird to hear Taako seeking some sort of emotional comfort from her. Heading the Bureau of Balance certainly did not always come natural to Lucretia, who had never seen herself as much of a leader, but she thought she did pretty well most days.

She never really got used to being in charge of Taako, Magnus, and Merle, though.

Still, she knows Taako better than he could even comprehend, knows how he hides a deep need for validation, knows what he’s missing and how much more he must ache because of it.

“Oh, Taako,” she begins, removing her own helmet, “of course I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you every day, even when I don’t say it.” She steps closer to him, represses the urge to hug him. “I’m sorry I’ve been pushing you too hard lately, and that I haven’t been giving the most constructive feedback. I just… don’t want to lose you. Really.” She looks at him, as though maybe if he looks back he’ll know how earnest she is.

Taako stares at her, wide-eyed, and she knows he isn’t sure how he should react. That’s fine. She takes his épée from him. “We’ll pick this back up tomorrow. Go on, and we’ll try to have better days from now on, alright?”

“Yeah.” He gives her a small smile. “Sure, okay. I can do that.”

#god i was thinkjng about this earlier #i am just very in my taako and Lucretia feelings lately

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

He frowns and says, “Huh. I feel sad.”

…and he kills you.

#i love you merle

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

Balance fic recs

some of my favorite balance fics. various ages, popularities, and lengths. i’ve been wanting to do a rec list for a while!

caramel by nevereverever

The first time Taako is left alone, it isn't pretty. But their lives are stuck in a loop and people come back and die again and again and he wonders if there will ever be a time when he doesn't have to fear being left alone.

2.7k, Taako & Lup Lup dies one cycle and then, years later, she dies again. But she always comes back. Hurt/comfort of the best kind.

Warmth by noxic

"It was a well-known fact among the residents of the Starblaster that Lup, Barry, and Taako slept in the same bed more often than not. It was one of those things that they just did without really talking about it."

2.1k, Barry & Lup & Taako The BLT fic of all time. Quality platonic adult sleepovers.

Taako the Matchmaker by @fantasysamsclub

In which Taako tries to set up his sister. Events take place during Stolen Century.

11.1k, Blupjeans & Taako Taako tries to set up blupjeans. Miscommunication ensues. Very sweet and funny.

red fishing line by @anistarrose

A routine performance of Sizzle it Up goes nightmarishly wrong, and at Lup’s bedside, Taako feels helpless. And when a red-robed guest appears before him, Taako doesn’t know how or what to feel at all.

3k, Barry & Lup & Taako Also the BLT fic of all time. Excellent subtle Taako characterization, and my favorite depiction of the familiarity-but-not of being voidfished. Warning for major character death.

Sunny-Side Up by @barry-j-blupjeans

And the world? The world loved Taako. For once in his gods-damned life, people loved him. They didn’t care about all the flaws, they didn’t care where he came from or who he was before. They loved his food and they loved him. No one would ever quite be at Taako’s level and that was something he thrived on. There would never be anyone who could measure up. Taako deserved this happiness. He worked for it. He wasted his fucking life away for it.

5.7k, Taako A wonderful character study, revolving around the role food plays in Taako's life. Fairly minor but impactful characters like Sazed and Taako's aunt are utilized in a very meaningful way. So well-written and warm. Warning for brief suicidal ideation.

On the Deck of the Starblaster by @papergardener

“What the… what are you all doing? We have work to do!” It’s a justified reaction, Lucretia thinks, to finding your entire crew literally lazing about on deck not an hour into this new cycle. “This one's on me,” Taako says. “It’s a new trend I like to call: taking a fucking break.” Cycle Nintey-Five. Everyone’s maybe not doing so good and could use a little warmth.

6.5k, Lucretia & Taako Near the end of the century, Lucretia is feeling rough. Taako pulls her out of her funk and initiates a much needed rest. Fantastic characterization, of Lucretia as a whole, and the loyal, warm side of Taako. Warning for mentions of a suicide attempt and suicidal ideation.

leaving, as an injustice by @anistarrose

When Mavis is eight, she starts finding her Dad asleep on the couch in the morning. Sometimes, he’s even all the way out on their tiny patio, with his head slumped onto a pillow atop the chess table, and bags beneath his eyes. In one of their following games, he tells her about tactical retreats.

4.7k, Mavis & Merle A study of Mavis and her relationship to Merle. Incredibly insightful into criminally underrated characters. Excellent Merle characterization.

Permission by vaguenotion

She’d been doing this on and off for the last hour, as if daring the men to catch up to them. Daring them to fight her. Every time seemed like a final stand. Here is where I will meet them, her shoulders said, hiked up around her ears. Here is where I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done. But then Taako would grab her hand, and she would turn and see the bruising on his throat, the blood drying on his brow, the tear in his shirt. And she would grip his hand in hers and together they would keep running.

12.6k, Taako & Lup My favorite depiction of the twins as children, both in character and realistic. Beautifully atmospheric, with so many small details that make the setting feel so real. Warning for assault and harm to children.

Come Hell or High Water by @nillial

“Taako,” Hurley asks, “where’s your magic umbrella?” Taako looks behind him. He had tossed the Umbrastaff in the path of a neighboring vehicle, which was beginning to catch up to them. He sees them now, far in the distance, and he sees his Umbrastaff, too, lying dangerously close to its wheels. As if on cue, he watches the tires crush it to pieces. “Whoops,” he says. - Lup is trapped. And then she isn’t. --- In which Taako breaks his umbrella during the Petals to the Metal race, unknowingly freeing Lup, who is almost immediately captured by Kravitz. After becoming a member of the Raven Queen's retinue with Kravitz as her trainer, she has two missions: 1) find her family, and 2) ruin Kravitz's afterlife. A story about enemies becoming friends and lost families finding their way back to one another.

197k (currently), Lup & Kravitz Incredible characterization. I love the way Lup is written. Hilarious shenanigans, sweet friendship-building, and terribly sad sometimes, because it dives deep into the reality of Lup existing in a world that's forgotten her.

Very cold water on a very hot day by @keplercryptids

Sometimes a family is a nerd who can't swim and the crunchy-haired watersport inventor who teaches him how. Surfer lingo required.

3.1k, Barry & Taako Deep dive into the beach year. Excellently in character, well-written dialogue, and a beautiful depiction of their growing friendship.

Children of Atlas by @papergardener

They’ve survived the apocalypse and now as far as they know, they’re the only ones left. Perhaps it was inevitable that they’d consider… repopulation. Lucretia writes up a weekly schedule to try and address that. Absolutely no one is happy with this.

76k (currently), IPRE crew The premise for this one is incredibly offputting, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. The characterization and quality of writing is absolutely wonderful. I also love the attention to detail of the realistic difficulty of just surviving. Fantastically atmospheric, this fic dives deep into the uncertainty and fear of the first cycle, when the crew are all strangers, and the love that turns them into a family. Warning for extensive discussion of sexual assault.

Emissary Davenport by DragonWrites

A series of stories where Captain Davenport is secretly an emissary of Garl Glittergold, Gnomish god of pranks. And when you're a serious-minded captain on a mission to save all of reality, having a cheerful trickster god as your unexpected patron can get a little strange...

300k, Davenport A series of four works set in an AU where Davenport is an emissary to the leader of the gnomish pantheon. My absolute favorite depiction of Davenport, ever. The first three works are explorations of Davenport as a character and the relationships between people and gods in a DnD world. The last, Lost Gods, is the best fanfiction I've ever read. I can't express how good it is. The attention to detail among myriad plot threads, the building of themes, the characterization across just about every single character in Balance, all come together to create 223k words of a genuine masterpiece.

#YES YES YES read these gooooooo go read them

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

#dndbdjfbsknf happy floor twenty to those who celebrate #audio