#anyway slight context -

[macksartblock]

Lark, of course.

omg no way

(I’m scared of tumblr’s system lol)

#I feel like people miss when I made him slutty and um #I’ve had this since Halloween #for context I was thinking about werewolves thus the slight appearance difference with the ears and fangs lol #lark oak garcia #nick close #nicky swift #nark dndads #I’m sorry anyways— #my artwork

[sea-buns]

i need a drawfee archive that's got every stupid funny moment documented in chronological, alphabetized order for when i spontaneously remember a really obscure bit that i need to find or else i'll explode. i need to be able to type an extremely vague description in a search bar and have it understand me completely.

#slight tangent but a part of me wants to learn how to edit comps just so i can make one of all their parody song bits #theyre so dumb and they bring me such joy #you could prolly get a 20 minute video thats JUST mr brightside references lol #anyway for context #i had a memory of someone drawing the same image twice pop into my head with no prompting whatsoever #all i could remember was that the colors were funky and the images were droopy?? and im 93% sure it was jacob #and it was too off the rails for me to easily link it to a specific challenge or thumbnail #all i knew is that it felt kinda recent so i spent like 20 minutes scrolling the timeline of every video starting 9 months ago #and i did find it! much easier to find when its within a year thank god. its from 'making art out of our worst spam emails' #specifically jacobs section. and id say the 20 minutes was worth it. the duplication and immediate fade in of the render will always send m #so ye go watch it if youve got nothing else to do. help me justify the time cost lol #drawfee #sea rambles

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

heya, i have to wake up in three hours but! here's another lil human au snippet! ft. lightly implied Laughingstock! disclaimer i am so so tired so don't come at me for typos or strangely worded sentences or missing info <3

~

Before heading home, Eddie swings by a charming little store he’s been to once or twice before. He usually goes to the chain store by his house, but he doesn’t feel like dealing with the hustle and bustle and the endless aisles. This little store is quiet, nice, and strangely has everything anyone could need. 

The lot is mostly empty at this hour, so Eddie claims a spot right at the front. As with the other times, the windows are littered with displays and stickers - half off on this, sale on that. Eddie enters Howdy’s Place with the chime of the door’s shopkeeper’s bell. He’ll get what he needs and get out, quick and easy and peacefu-

Boisterous laughter slams into Eddie like a hammer, so sudden that he jumps in place. An employee stocking cans nearby glances weirdly at him. Eddie clears his throat and hurries into the nearest aisle as the laughter tapers off. The silence barely lasts a second before loud chatter starts up. It’s too fast and muffled for Eddie to understand, but he can pick out two distinct voices - one deep, one less so but still decidedly masculine. 

Eddie tries to tune it out as he gathers what he needs. Toothpaste, some paper towels, shampoo. For the hell of it, he nabs a box of classic bran muffins from the spacious food section. He lingers for a moment, enjoying how far-away the conversation seems at the other corner of the store. Unfortunately, theft is illegal, so Eddie is forced to move towards the noise.

A strange thing about the store - it’s a combination general store, antique shop, and diner, complete with a miniature gift shop separating the two. One long checkout counter stretches from the open store area, behind the gift shop, and into the diner, where the conversation is coming from. An interesting setup, but an understandable one. It allows anyone behind the counter to move fluidly between customers and sections.

As Eddie approaches, the conversation becomes slightly clearer. 

“-said, no wonder you didn’t get her number!” the deeper voice barks, and the two dissolve into that almost-too-loud laughter again. 

As it tapers off, the other voice says, “Sounds like a real charmer! But really, you oughta be careful, Barn. One of these days someone’s gonna throw a right hook at ya.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. A transatlantic accent? He hasn’t heard that anywhere outside of real old movies and a queen he once knew. It sounds natural too, like the man was born to sound like he belongs on a 1920s radio show. It nudges something in the back of Eddie’s mind. He’s started to get really sick of that nudge.

“Oh, this guy did.”

“No kidding? I don’t see a shiner.”

“Well, yeah. I went left.”

Both of them laugh again, and Eddie feels a tiny tug at the corner of his mouth. That wasn’t funny enough to garner an actual laugh in his opinion, but it wasn’t unfunny. 

Eddie steps up to the counter and quietly puts his acquired items on it, not wanting to interrupt. He chances a glance to the side - walking space in front of the counter’s length lets him see right down into the diner.

A large man with dyed-blue hair and an interesting fashion sense is at the bar, talking to an employee leaning against the other side. The employee doesn’t really catch Eddie’s gaze, but the other man… Eddie swears he’s seen him before. He studies him from the corner of his eye, not wanting to be rude but unable to mind his business. 

“Our bouncer didn’t even get a chance at the action - the idiot knocked himself out tryin’ a second swing!” The customer says. His deep voice, wavering with humor, only adds to the sense of familiarity. Metal glints in his right ear. Eddie knows this man from somewhere.

The employee shakes his head, tutting. His busy hands polish a vintage pitcher. “I swear, you get all the crazies.”

“Makes for a good story, though.” The customer takes a sip from his tall milkshake and scoffs. “Though if it wasn’t all well-ending, amusing bull, I doubt I’d be so tolerant.”

Minutes drag by as the two keep talking. Eddie goes from patiently waiting to awkwardly trying to get the employees attention. If only there was someone else behind the counter, but the only other staff member is elsewhere, likely still stocking shelves. 

The two men are too absorbed in their little world, even though both are facing Eddie’s way. The customer has both elbows on the counter, one of them bent to prop up his chin. The employee has his hip leaned against the edge as they chat. They’re obviously very familiar with each other, and clearly deeply enjoy each other's company. 

Still - and Eddie is sorry to say, but it’s bad customer service. He’s not in a rush, but he’d still like to be on his way home. He could be fishing out the complex keys right now. He checks his phone - he’s been here for nearly fifteen minutes. Picking out the items took less than five. 

Eddie sighs, staring at the various cigarette packs displayed behind the counter. He’s never seen the appeal in smoking, but as the laughter starts up again, he almost wishes he did. He’s going to treat himself to a very long shower once he gets home. 

The store’s other employee walks behind the counter, carrying a box. Eddie lights up. Finally - she pointedly clears her throat and heads into the back. 

The constant conversation stalls for the barest moment, and he looks over. The customer grins at him for a second - lord he’s handsome - before turning that grin towards his friend.

“You’re losin’ your touch, Howds,” he teases, bringing his shake straw to his lips.

“I resent that statement. You’re just distracting.”

“Lil’ me? Distracting? C’mon, you can just tell me I’m pretty to my face. I’ll take it like a champ, I swear!”

“Ha, good try.” The employee sets the pitcher down and starts to mosey in Eddie’s direction. “Your ego is big enough for the both of us as is. One more compliment and your head’ll pop like a balloon.”

“Well, given that most balloons don’t really pop, they just kinda deflate slowly-”

“Sorry for the wait!” the employee says loudly in a glaringly obvious customer service tone. He stops in front of Eddie with a cardboard smile. At the other end of the counter, the familiar man snickers and hides his grin behind his drink. “I trust you found everything you did - and didn’t! - need.”

Eddie just stares up at him for a moment. At six-one, Eddie hasn’t felt small in a very long time. He usually stands at least a full inch above other people. This employee - Howdy, his name tag states - has several more on him.

“Uh, y-yes, I uh, I did,” Eddie stammers, glancing at his items. 

“Wonderful! And again, my sincerest apologies for the delay. My friend makes a game out of keeping me from my job.” Howdy shoots his ‘friend’ a glare with enough heat in it to make an ice cube sweat. 

“No worries.”

Howdy scans the items at an almost frightening speed. Beep, into a paper bag. Beep, in. Beep, beep - “Oh, no.”

“What?” Eddie says, dread plucking at his ribs as Howdy holds the bran muffins and shakes his head. “Is there somethin’ wrong?”

“Indeed there is! You’re making a mistake with these. They’re absolutely horrible, I tell ya - and bad for you, too!” Howdy tuts and puts the box to the side. “No, no, you don’t want those.”

“I… don’t?”

“Not if you knew better! Lucky for you, I’m here to set you straight. What you need is-” he snaps his fingers, “Barnaby, be a pal and-”

“Already on it,” ‘Barnaby’ says, appearing next to Eddie.

If Eddie weren’t already paralyzed, he’d jump right out of his skin from how Barnaby towers over him. He has to be a scant inch or so shorter than Howdy, but he still makes Eddie feel tiny. Unfortunately, Barnaby is even more handsome up close. 

“Here ya go.” Barnaby hands a plastic container to Howdy and taps it, smiling lazily down at Eddie. “I’d take his advice on this one. Those bran-named muffins may sound fancy, but they’re pretty crumby! You want muffins of quality. Real breadwinners!

Eddie can’t help a soft laugh. “Breadwinners, heh, that’s a good one.”

“Are you selling these or am I?” Howdy says, raising a bushy eyebrow. 

“Hey, I’m just doin’ what you asked! I’m bein’ a pal.”

“And I - I’m sorry," Eddie interjects, "but you’re awfully familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”

“Eh, I’ve been around, but uh… you ever been to [INSERT GAY BAR NAME HERE]?”

Howdy clears his throat. “I’m trying to make a sale here, Barn. You can flirt on your own dime when you’re not costing me mine.”

“Didja know your nose gets redder when you’re jealous?”

Howdy rolls his eyes and shoves Barnaby in the diner’s direction. Barnaby goes with a hearty snicker. Despite the joke, Eddie thinks it has some merit as Howdy scans the final item and rings him up, considerably frostier than before.

Belatedly, Eddie realizes that he didn’t actually agree to the different muffins. Too late now. “Say, what kind of muffins are those?”

“Poppyseed-lemon.”

Eddie relaxes - that is a lot better than boring bran. “Y’know, my mother loved poppyseed-lemon muffins.”

“Did she now,” Howdy drawls.

“Like you wouldn’t believe! If baking was so much as mentioned, she’d jump right on houndin’ us to whip some up for her, or send us to go buy some. We’d never even get a taste! They’d be gone the moment they hit the air, I tell ya.” Eddie chuckles. “Took me a while to understand what all the fuss is about, but man was she right. They are good!”

“Uh-huh. Well, we have a fresh batch delivered every morning. They’re not the same type every time, mind you, but I can promise that they’re all of the highest quality.”

“Breadwinners, right?” Eddie jokes. Howdy doesn’t blink, but Barnaby snorts. He’ll take it. “I might have to come by more often, if that’s the case! Thank you kindly, sir.”

“Mhm, have a good day.” Howdy hands him the bag and strides away without a glance. The dismissal is clear as day. “Say, Barn, did you hear about the racket one of those cult crackpots stirred up at our dear friend’s tearoom?”

Eddie doesn’t catch the tail-end of the sentence as he hurries away, but he frowns. Cult? What cult? There’s a cult? He certainly didn’t hear of one before moving here, and none of his background checks had turned up anything of the sort. He hopes it was just a figure of speech. 

The door chimes again as Eddie leaves. It isn’t until he’s in his car that the embarrassment of that whole exchange catches up with him. If he had a nickel for every time he’d made a fool of himself in front of a gorgeous, strangely familiar man, he’d have three nickels. At the rate he’s going, he’ll either be rich, or he’ll have to move. 

Eddie subtly tries to peek around the store’s window displays from the safety of his car. He catches a scant glimpse of blue hair - come to think of it, it’s a similar shade to Wally’s. But where Wally’s had, to Eddie’s memory, been uniformly dyed right down to his eyebrows, Barnaby’s rich brown roots were obvious. His beard and eyebrows weren’t dyed, either. 

As Eddie relaxes back into his seat, he re-reads at the store’s name. The color drains from his face and he barely restrains himself from slamming his forehead against the steering wheel.

Oh, of course. Of course he made a fool of himself in front of the owner. Eddie can never come back here again. And it was such a nice store…

#wait wym this is almost 2k words what the Fuck! #ok! the writing gods blessed me tonight i guess! #anyway slight context - #in my mind there's a whole Plot and stuff for this au #where it starts off with eddie running into The Group™️ and meeting them mostly separately #before they all meet up and go 'hey yeah you guys ran into eddie from high school too? cool. he's ours now' #and forcibly drag eddie into their little Circle #wh modern human au #snippets from the bog #also sorry about the [INSERT GAY BAR NAME HERE] lmfao i cant come up with one atm #i want it to be wh-related and Clever #but i am not very clever on a good day and this has been a bad one! and again! im tired! #i. dont know how to tag this. whatever! if you see it you see it! #ok im going to sleep. for a whopping three hours before my alarm goes off. *less than three. Sigh. #i always do this! its like 'oh i have to wake up early tomorrow! lets not sleep at all! im feeling so creative!' #gonna go think about this au's laughingstock as i drift to sleep #FOR THREE. HOURS. #have i mentioned the three hours????

[ra1ny-daze]

bonus saint speedpaint

#context: someone asked for my last couple speedpaints and i have to do them separately #idk if whoever asked wanted this one but i’m posting it anyways #you get to see me screwing around with lighting for a whole minute #saint rain world #rain world #rain world fanart #downpour spoilers #art #my art #digital art #speedpaint #slight flashing

[nemisisnemi]

last old art post i think?

blood & injury cw!!!

#OH FUCK WHY DIDNT I DRAW THE EYEBROWS #IT LOOKS SO WEIRD WITHOUT EYEBROWS #ANYWAYS CONTEXT: #the body is an artificial life form that an oc has put their consciousness inside of bc their old body was too injured #but this oc's old body was practically falling apart #and by the time they got to the new body their old body didnt have the strength to carry it to the lab they work on properly so....neck gra #and like accidentally dropped it a few times before they got to transfer their consciousness to the new body #hgjcnncn im bad at explaining oc lore #tldr: oc makes new body but old body is too weak to properly carry it so it gets dragged and roughly handled #art #old art #oc #original character #original character art #slight blood warning #injury warning #i cant remember anything ab this oc outside of this drawing so it mightve been a one-off oc #old art spam #nemi also likes drawing bloody and creepy shit bc it lets them get away w/ mistakes :D #sketch #oc art #oc artwork #oc artist #nemi rambles #nemi likes making their ocs suffer #nemi draws

[note-boom]

I think part of the reason I've grown to like Chuuya is because he's obviously a very stereotypically masculine guy. Strong, excellent fighter, rough speech, cool with murder as a business, tough and ragey...

And YET, he cares about his subordinates, he grieves the people that are lost, his mentor is a (VERY queenly and also kind of stereotypically feminine) woman whom he unquestioningly respects, he cares about his appearance, and he FEELS other emotions asides from irritation and annoyance (screw you, Dazai) and struggles deeply with his humanity....

All without taking away or undermining the former traits

#eyeing the fandom with slight (but only slight since it seems to be somewhat self aware) judgement #also i dont know if my interpretation was right as i could be missing a LOT of Japanese cultural context #anyway once again i repeat that chuuya was just a cool animation sequence with a fun personality before ln hit me #just....i love the redheads of this anime and how their appearance and personality aren't belied by each other #and look for a male targeted manga i find that even the slightest hint of a stereotype break cool #forgive the blabbering #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd musings #bsd chuuya #spitting nonsense #character analysis #i need to start making posts for characters that aren't the main ones....

[orangegloom]

czolgosz family photos for those who care

#writing out victorias newspaper clipping killed me #anyways slight context of the two boys in the alt id. theyre leons half brothers from pauls second marraige to katrina #< website said katherine but paul is also a cjanged spelling so #although the website said victoria was born in 1907 which is not true because maria died in birth complications with her back in the 1800s #so dont take this all as 100% true #< maria being pauls first wife and leons mother #czolgosz #leon czolgosz #photos from findagrave so yet again these might be random people. jacob and paul are 100% read because theyre by briggs and i dont think #theres many victoria czolgoszs. so i guess she also lived very long like her father? (paul lived to 101) #< by all that i mean the two brothers together might be fake. long way of wording it

[sntoot]

maybe someday ill make more idk i just wanted to mess around

#i have a bunch written out for this but drawing it takes soooo long #themis's expressions r my favorite thing about this #this man has learned way more about lahabrea's family history than he ever intended #anyways slight context: medusa turned into hestia who turned into azem #they and erich r identical twins but they got fucked up so they have a glamour attached to their mask that makes them look a lil different #also this is occurring right before the carby fight #i kind of want to draw the carby so maybe i will draw more...... #my art tag #hestia/azem's tag #ffxiv #endwalker spoilers #pandaemonium #erichthonios #themis

[safyresky]

Y'all I am having a liminal experience at the MILs rn

#she came downstairs like good morning!! and i replied and i asked how she was #and she was like I AM OKAY :) but sounded suprised about it?? #so I commented on it and she chuckled and was like I'M JUST SO DISSAPOINTED IN RICHARD'S MECHANICA #and went on a rant bc for context #the hubbers mechanic back in hometown has winter tires for him from the guy he bought his car from #but the guy with the tires hasn't brought them to the mechanic yet #so the mechanic was like to Richard tomorrow I'll grab em #and Richard was like k cool #but my mil is VERY UPSET at this slight the mechanic has performed against her boy #y'all should've aeen Richard's face #it was a look that screamed curb your enthusiasm dot mp3 #dani speaks #anyway. I'm visiting the hometown for the weekend #hence the quiet!! :)

[askthesciencesquad]

Gin, what's with the conspiracy theorist wall of strings?

*That certainly is a Hypothesis…

[START]

[NEXT]

[PREVIOUS]

[INDEX]

(@joost8910, @hellofastudysession, and @sunsestart)

#sorry this is so late! #it would have been done a few days ago except. well #I may have gone on a slight escape room binge #okay so for context #back in middle school I first played Undertale #and gained a life long adoration with puzzles #yeah I know I loved Papyrus that much- #Anyway! got super into puzzle solving games. especially escape room style ones #there’s these really good ones called Cube Escape and they are all based around horror and surrealism #Redownloaded a couple recently after a friend reminded me of them #and yeah. that’s why this is late #anyway! #ask the science squad #undertale #tw bold text #tw caps #gin #ARC TWO #askblog

[15000bugs]

ao3 “summary” feature you are my worst enemy

#im the type to just copy paste (with slight edits) paragraphs from the fic that give good context #but stiiiiiiill #i dont wannaaaaaa #so much work #i dont edit my fics i just finish and then post them in a frenzy #so by the time im posting im too TIRED for this 😣 #jk jk its really not a big deal #i am just beinf Silly :) #anyway i also hate tagging boooooo hiss

[autistic-katara]

shout out to the trans + autistic person working at the thingy i started volunteering at today for being the only adult i have both had an actual conversation with and felt 100% safe around

#slight context if anyone cares: #i’m gonna start working at this forest school thingy my younger siblings go to #and they’re one of the leaders #and i’m gonna train to be an assistant leader #and it its only once a week so while i am fucking smashed rn #(cant remember if that means drunk or tired but i mean tired) #its smthn that i can actually manage with my chronic fatigue #also like half the kids there r autistic too #anyways yeah me and them talked a bit and goddamn #this is the first time i have been able to say i have an actual trusted adult i feel safe talking to abt stuff (irl) #like even a thing i dont want to mention on here as to not traumadump #that before i wouldve actually died before willingly telling an adult abt irl #if i needed to i would feel safe talking to them abt #also they like toh and had cool plant facts #1M/10 amazing person #@trans and/or autistic adults seriously u just unapologetically existing and talking to us helps trans/autistic kids a fucking ton #so shout out to u for that <3 #trans #queer #autistic #actually autistic

[snapvalentine]

My friend, I love you, but you’re bringing me down

In which Val encounters a weird skull in the coastlands and gets a touch unwell over it. Meanwhile, Volo tries to have a heart-to-heart with his buddy, and it turns about as foreboding as expected.

been wanting to write little scenes of val and volo for a bit!! may write more, albeit very out of order. may put them all together in a lil fic one day. who knows....

(for a lil context, val has a shiny hypno for a partner and volo uses they/he pronouns)

---

The sun-soaked sands of Hideaway Bay have never felt more inviting than they do now. Any roving Ambipom or Sealeo having seemingly retired for the evening early, leaving Val in his torn coat and sweaty chest wrap, alone. And that was just fine with him at the moment. He barely had the mind to notice just how hot it was getting under his Unovan leather. He was warned it was going to be a balmy evening for the coastlands, but the only thing Val could bring himself to care about, sat cross-legged on the loamy beachside, was the large, loose pokemon skull sunk into the seafoam.

And it was in pristine condition.

It’s head is like clay. A light and faded lavender clay. It can be molded, changed. But Val doesn’t dare alter it. An unknown reverence for the thing in his heart. He traces the pads of his fingers over small, squared horns and on the underside of the skull, feeling the debris and sand stuck in the corners of flat teeth, and feeling the holes where nostrils would have been just a few layers of hide and sinew above, a bit further down the length of the snout than where he expected they’d be placed. This thing looked like any other Aerodactyl skull he’d seen on school trips as a kid, but the sparks that shot just under his fingertips, as he ran moist palms over the soft, malleable head, carried with them such an unparalleled appeal.

The only other thing Val can muster to think of in this moment is Volo. Volo knows so much of Hisui’s legends and fauna. Val can’t help but wonder if they would know something about this too. If they’d feel the same unfounded sense of care for this thing as Val did. 

Surely. Surely. 

Volo found a certain care and nostalgia for even the gloomiest of tales they could muster, when they were in the mood to even recount a tragedy. Surely they would understand how Val felt now. How everything in this moment felt so. Beyond him. So new. So enthralling.

Then, a hot spark shoots through the back of his head. The tips of Val’s fingers leave perfect indents in the skull’s forehead. His jaw goes slack for a moment, before his breathing stills and steadies once more. The spark turns to a comforting buzz before quickly fading.

No. 

No.

Val oh so carefully places the skull back into the seafoam, so Lugia’s waters may lap at the thing’s teeth once more. And Val gets to his feet and his spine ices in place for a moment and leaves him lovingly stunned, observing white ripples worm and seep their ways between crooked molars, and for once he understands Volo’s intrigue; their raw and running desire to know the unknown.

And yet. 

No. 

Volo does not need to know about this. 

Volo doesn’t need to know everything. Not at all.

This moment is just a gift for Val to have.

—

Val stumbles from out the wood just as the blue dark of night begins to settle beneath the trees and under cliffsides. In a moment, a nearby Hypno’s ears twitch, and the pokemon rushes to her partner’s side to assist him through scratching bramble that clambers along the hill. Vim curls the tip of her snout and mutters steady ‘hyp. hyp. hyp.’s as Val assures her he’s just fine. She does not let go of his arm, but at least eases up on her death grip. Her scaly pink skin glimmers lightly in the last few rays of the sun and she flags down the sunflower merchant just off in the distance with an easy, slow wave.

Volo comes bearing down the grassy hills with his trademark grin, jangling the entire way. Togetic follows in eager pursuit, and happily chirps and flutters around her psychic-type friend upon catching up.

“Ah, my friend! You had your dear Hypno worried sick!” Volo teases and shakes a finger just at Val’s nose. “And well. You had worried me a bit as well. But I stayed strong for dear Vim! Who knows where she’d be without me?”

Vim waggles her nose in the merchant’s direction with a furrowed brow and a roll of the eyes. Volo just chuckles into the back of his hand. But his typical mirth doesn't last long, upon taking in Val’s appearance. The time-walker was red in the face from the heat, no surprise, but he looked. Off. Out of it. Volo adjusts the brim of his hat out of habit and cocks a brow. 

“Just what were you doing out in the bay, anyhow? Can’t imagine us finding much of interest with the Remoraid.” He dots his sentence with an involuntary snicker. Also out of habit.

Val purses his lips for a moment, dry and cracked. He can’t exactly say he remembers. Val’s thoughts come slow and his words a bit of a slurry. “There weren’t any pokemon out there, you know.” He pauses, glancing back at the trees, at the faint hint of sea just beyond the woods. “There’s just. Nothing was there.”

In the time it takes for Val to return to his senses, Volo presses the back of his hand to the smaller man’s forehead and frowns like a disappointed parent. “Valentine, you’re feeling feverish. You truly can’t remember what you were doing?”

Val couldn’t respond. He hated that he couldn’t. Arceus, why couldn’t he remember? Why did his brain feel like a vat of sludge? Nothing happened. Nothing happened.

…And Volo only called him by his full name when he was worried. Or trying to soften him up. He didn’t want Volo to worry about him. He still couldn’t help the notion making his blood sizzle a bit. And moreover, now, twisting his stomach. All these months later, and he still wanted an absolutely no-strings-attached relationship with the merchant. 

Don’t feel bad for him. Like his dopey ass could compare to Volo’s own burning scars. Don’t feel Bad for him. It makes him sick. It makes the shame burn in his face redder than the 90 degree heatwave melting the evening beaches.

And clearly, Val wasn’t keeping watch of his own expressions, as he never did. Because Volo’s piercing gaze eased from one of concern to one of a gentle warmth, only ever reserved for him. Volo places a firm hand on the other’s back and eases him forward. “...How about we just turn in for the night?”

And Volo only ever talked like this when they wanted to coax Val into doing something. Even if it was just out of worry. 

…Val couldn’t say he necessarily minded it, in all honesty. Good intentions or bad.

But Val had spent enough time with the merchant by this point. They weren’t completely unreadable anymore, and Val could tell when they weren’t being genuine. They were never Not genuine around him anymore. Not in a while, anyway.

There was a slight waver in Volo’s steady foundation as he kept an eye on the terrain ahead. But everytime he noticed the time-walker studying him, he’d turn back into the soft, chipper-toned salesman from before. And he’d try to keep Val’s mind busy with light-hearted bits of gossip he’d heard around Jubilife that week. Whether it was to distract Val from his own problems or from Volo himself, Val couldn’t be sure. Then again, Val wouldn’t put it past Volo to be a very skilled multitasker.

Val huffed to himself. Volo wanted to say something else. Val knew that. Volo knew that Val knew that. And eventually, Volo relented, trailing off from a story about Cyllene and a Dustox with an awkward silence and near audible swallow.

“...I do apologize if I’ve been pushy these past few weeks. I know the prospect of finishing our collection has made me a bit. Eager.” Volo tightens their jaw a moment, a slight dusting of red on their cheeks. “If you’d like, I can look for the rest of the plates on my own. Just have you accompany me. Like before.”

The crunch of gravel under Volo’s boots is suddenly more present than ever. They do not look Val in the eyes anymore. “The last thing I’d want is to make your time here weigh any heavier on your mind.”

Val glances at Volo, perplexed. He was used to Volo being a bit out there. Val couldn’t say he wasn't either, especially not around this region, but the rare moments Volo spoke out of tune, spoke so very morbidly genuine, it always struck Val. Those were lines he always locked away in his mind for safekeeping, just in case.

Volo notices Val’s raised brows and lips parted in an uneasy contemplation. He huffs from his nose, grin threatening to appear again. “That is to say, I don’t want you getting sick on my behalf! Not for my silly little indulgences, you know?”

Val turns away and fiddles with the torn insides of his coat pockets, rolling ripped fabric between fingers. He beats back the guilt swimming in his guts again. “It’s not your fault.” He pauses. “It’s not you. I think I’m just-”

“-Overwhelmed?” Volo tries to finish.

Val shakes his head. “I don’t about that. I just. Don’t feel like we’re any closer to figuring out what’s wrong with me. I just want to know what I did so I can fix it, you know. I don’t know what Arceus thinks I’m supposed to gain from being kept in the dark.”

Volo frowns, grim again, and again avoiding Val’s gaze like his life depended on it. He tilts the brim of his hat, and the dark of the evening obscures his eyes. 

“...I can’t say I understand It’s ways either, my friend. Arceus’ decisions continue to remain… enigmatic. Perhaps that knowledge is simply not meant for us.” Their voice is so very at peace for someone always so very hungry for information, for understanding. “And yet, something tells me that I can still be proven false.”

Their lips curve up into a smile again. Their eyes are still hidden, but their smile. It’s another gentle one. For some reason, the fact that it’s so sweet and familiar chills Val’s heart just a hair. 

Val mutters his friend’s name as a question, and receives a warm hand ruffling up his hair in response. Volo’s sweet smile turns into a wide grin, and they shake another finger. “We’ll get our answers soon, Valentine.”

#aka i listened to lcd soundsystem n new york i love you is such a val song it hurts #slight valvolo propaganda even #'but youre still the one pool where id happily drown' ow ow ow thinking about them #anyway once again yeah okay #so maybe i selfship a bit. a bit. #val jacred #volo #pla #pokemon #trainersona #oc x canon #SORRY IF THERES VERY LITTLE CONTEXT FOR THIS i have not spoken much abt val here on tumblr.com dshkfds feel free to ask things!! #if ur interested!!! #also sorry the tense jumps all over the place here. it will happen again.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Alright then! MSo, Ninjago is a TV show that basically was made as a way to get parents to buy toys for their kids back in 2011. It has evolved beyond that, but that was the reasoning for it being created. It has a pretty medium sized fandom, probably a bit bigger than keeper.

It’s basic plot is that it follows a group of ninja with elemental powers that help defeat supernatural enemies. One such instance is when they face up against an evil genie creature.

There are two main characters who are important to the story: Lloyd, who is the green ninja, and Kai who is the red ninja. They are often depicted as being very brotherly and that’s what a lot of the fandom sees them as.

A little while ago, there was an account on Tumblr dedicated to running a bracket tournament on the best red and green duo. Obviously, Lloyd and Kai were put on it by a few different people, myself included.

It went pretty normal for the first round, where Kai and Lloyd won against Red Guy and Duck from Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

However, the normalcy was soon be over. Because in the next round, Ninja was up against Mario and Luigi. And I am pretty sure I don’t need to explain to you that Mario and Luigi are a very popular duo.

So the Ninjago community decided to come together to take down the popular duo. A few people @ a few different bug Ninjago blogs, which brought the poll into more people’s view. And the discord server for the most popular Ninjago fanfic shared a link, so it definitely was in people’s eye.

We almost lost, but we managed to eek out a win against the Mario and Luigi. To commemorate the occasion some people drew fanart. But the war wasn’t over yet.

The next battle for Ninjago was against Phineas and Ferb, one of the most iconic duos in cartoon history. But we were prepared.

Once again we all banded together and we managed to defeat Phineas and Ferb, this time in a landslide.

We only had one more opponent: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. The Ninjago community knew that if we won this, then we could get at least some bragging rights that we won a popularity contest (even if we committed voter fraud.)

It was a fairly intense battle. We all shared link with each other in order to make sure we all had voted. Also, I may or may not have gotten some of my friends outside of the Ninjago community to vote for Lloyd and Kai.

Finally, it all came to a close. On March 2, Lloyd and Kai won, 64.7% to 34.3%. It took voter fraud, campaigning and a whole of working together but we done it. We won a popularity contest.

I am definitely not doing the story justice whatsoever, but if you want to see the polls, they were on redandgreenpoll tumblr.

Anyway, thank you for indulging my silly little story, and if you want to know more about Ninjago let me know!

-⚙️

My apologies whenever I hear the word ninjas now my brain just goes "where did all these ninjas come from" to quote the one, the only, the velocipastor at 48 minutes and 20 seconds into this glorious movie. it's probably not as funny without the hilarity and mindset of the previous 48 minutes but I think about it...so often...

but hey! is that the lloyd who has the joke made about him like "uh no your name is lu-loyd, I named you and that's how it's pronounced" or whatever it is? pronouncing both the Ls?

back to your story: wow! you're right, you don't need to explain to me how popular those other duos are or how impressive it is that you beat them. I 100% believe you when you say it was voter fraud because those franchises are popular. i suppose ninjago is popular enough that I vaguely know about it's existence, but still! congrats to you all on your victory and all the bragging rights you now have :)

what an intense popularity contest. I'll have to look through that tumblr bracket showdown to get a better sense of what you're talking about, but thank you for sharing it with me! if you'd like to tell me more about ninjago, I'd be happy to listen, but otherwise i likely won't seek out further information (no offense. i just don't watch a lot of things in general, nothing against ninjago itself :) )

#ninjago #quil's queries #⚙️ nonsie #long post #i do also have a second ninjago post in my askbox right now from someone else explaining some of it #so i should probably also answer that one #oh you know what maybe the increased humidity from the rain is why my shorts weren't dry this morning #<- completely unrelated random thought but I already typed it out so it's staying #anyway! very fun story! even though I have very little context! #i am nodding my head along to your story with fond amused attention and slight perplexion :)