#from downstairs

[introboy]

So so excited to share my @mcytblrholidayexchange gift for @follow-the-compass-home! My concept was to combine a bunch of prompts together into one AU.

The premise is a modern-fantasy roommate situation where Tango, Bdubs, and Etho live together in an apartment. The only issue is that none of them are human, but they're all trying desperately to blend in, even though they don't really understand humanity as a concept.

More information can be found below the cut, and an introductory fic snippet can be found here (x)!

Downstairs Neighbors AU

Prompts used as inspiration:

Focus on Tango, Etho, and Bdubs

Include Boatem

Story told from Grian's perspective

Hybrid/inhuman AU

Angst with a happy ending

Emphasis on character dynamics

Here's a summary!!!

Tango, Etho, and Bdubs found each other by looking for roommates on Craigslist. They live in a 4-bedroom apartment together.

Tango is a spirit who wanted to interact with the world in a physical sense, so he built himself a body. He's basically just a ghost possessing an android (but unlike ghosts, he was never alive; he came into being as a fully-formed spirit). He doesn't adhere to normal bodily necessities like food, water, or sleep, which is convenient but also heavily concerning from an outsider's perspective.

Etho is a specific kind of shapeshifter called a mimic. He doesn't have a true form, but can copy the shape and mannerisms of most living creatures. The only constant across all of his appearances is a scarred left eye and white hair. Unfortunately, it takes practice to nail specific species characteristics, so he often forgets what he's supposed to look like and falls into uncanny valley. He wears a mask to cover his more noticable facial slipups.

Bdubs is some sort of plant creature (he doesn't really understand it himself). He has a perfect internal clock and sleeps, without fail, for 12 hours every night. He spends a lot of time in the unoccupied bedroom-- he uses it as a makeshift greenhouse, and it's filled with grow lights and humidifiers. He loves taking care of houseplants, but it's also a cover for him to spend time under the grow lights. Without enough light & water he gets lethargic.

Bdubs, Etho, and Tango, henceforth referred to as BET, all assume that the others are human. But since none of them know how to act human, they continuously pick up stranger and stranger habits from each other.

BET are close friends with Impulse & Skizzleman, who live together across the hall. Their upstairs neighbors are Grian, Pearl, Mumbo, and Scar, who are also besties with Imp & Skizz. BET and Boatem don't know each other well, but Grian especially thinks his neighbors are really odd.

Like BET, Grian is not human, and neither are the rest of his roommates. But they all know about each other, and Grian especially is really good at knowing how to act natural in public places. He's an avian shapeshifter, who can take the form of either a scarlet macaw or a human. Unlike Etho, both forms come equally naturally to Grian, and the shapeshifting process is a lot easier for him.

(Imp & Skizz are not human either-- they are a demon and an angel respectively. But, like Grian, they're really good at blending in when in public.)

One day, Grian gets injured on a flight and accidentally ends up on BET's balcony instead of his own. He's too disoriented to shift back into his human form or fly away, so Bdubs and Etho find him outside their door. Tango calls Impulse over in the hopes that he knows how to fix the random-injured-parrot crisis, but the only result is that Grian and Impulse start to truly take note of how strange their neighbors' living situation is. Incidents like the one pictured above arise (i.e. everyone finding out that there is not a singular scrap of food to be found in the entire apartment).

Ok that's all the rambling I'll do in this post, but I hope you enjoyed! Happy holidays!!

#downstairs neighbors AU #mcytblrholidayexchange2023 #ethoslab #etho #tangotek #tango tek #bdoubleo100 #bdoubleo #bdubs #grian #impulsesv #impulse #mcytblr #trafficblr #hermitblr #<< this au takes elements from both the life series and hermitcraft #/mine #/myart #thank you for your patience! I know it's the end of posting week #it took me a little while to put together all the pieces #Hope you enjoyed!!! #hall of fame

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

No time to play. You are being sent away.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #yu ziyuan #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #Do you know how hard it was to *not* do a 'Sold To One Direction' spoof comic? It took nearly all my will power. #Mostly because it misaligns a little too far off from the canon events and vibes. #But sit with me for a moment. Consider it: #“BEEP BEEP BEEP. I threw my pillow at my alarm clock. ”Wei Wuxian get your lazy ass downstairs!“ Yu Ziyuan yelled. #I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror to see my grey orbs staring back at me. #I put my long straight black hair in a ponytail with a red ribbon. #I went downstairs to see my adoptive mother holding a bottle of vodka and a cigarette. #'Listen up whore! I need money to pay the bills so I sold you. Your new owners will be here any minute so go pack!' #I stormed upstairs. There was no way I was going to let her sell me to a creepy old man! #I decided to run away. Since I'm not like other girls I don't have very many friends. #My gay friend Lan Zhan was mean but he lived like a block away. #As I opened the door I saw Wen Chao blocking the door. 'Ello Love. We're your new owners!' #I rolled my eyes and pushed him. 'Aren't you from that stupid Wen Sect? There's no way in hell I'm going with you!' #Hey again. It's me the OP of this blog taking a pause. I haven't actually read this story before aside from the memes #and I am honestly reeling from how this watpad fic chapter ends. What do you mean one of the one direction boys chloroforms her??? #Chapter 2 is so much worse #Why is there such a strong focus on the *eyes* of every boy!!! #This fanfic is a horror story actually. I came into it trying to make a funny parody but I got in over my head. Dear God. #It's me again. Several minutes have passed and I'm on chapter 4. What the FUCK is going on here? #I feel like I opened up pandora's box hoping for a fun little treat and got the plauge upon me. Dont read this fic.

[thatsbelievable]

#What to do if You Hear a Strange Noise Coming From Downstairs #tips #tricks #life hacks #helpful hints #advice #unreality #anxiety #haunted house #haunting #ghost #ghosts

[your-turn-to-role]

you know while we're doing all this beautiful meta writing about perc'ahlia because of lovm s2 - and this is not intended to disparage them btw this makes me like them even more - i would just like to remind everyone that in addition to having some of the genuinely best and most romantic moments on this show, they're also the couple that pined for ages and only had the courage to say something to each other about it after one of them died, upon which they:

got together near immediately

broke up a few months later

got together again

had the equivalent of a vegas wedding literally because one of them dared the other and they both refused to back down

(taliesin and laura also didn't remember who made the dare and who said yes because they're both equally likely to do that)

didn't tell anyone they cared about that they got married bc it was too awkward to bring up so they just kept it a secret for months until a god made them say it

and then had a formal wedding a year later because what were they going to do, not throw a huge party and dress up fancy about it? come on.

they have the range, and also they're disasters i love them so fucking much

#also while vex isn't dating him FOR the money she is extremely attracted TO the money #they have canonically fucked in the whitestone castle treasury #absolutely ridiculous the pair of them #(in case anyone's wondering where im getting some of this info - the talks machina episode covering what went down in the year break) #.....the flat downstairs from me is currently holding a party and they've got zedd's clarity playing over the speakers rn? #which is just emo/amv enough to be fitting #cr1 #percy de rolo #vex'ahlia #perc'ahlia #cr thoughts

[probablybadrpgideas]

Peaceful orcs. They do still love the thrill of battle though, so they play board games instead to sate their thirst for war.

You need to kill their warchief. Not because they're evil but because if they make you play another game of Settlers of Catan you're going to scream

-Pencil

#submission #setting idea #fantasy #If you like settlers of catan #I respect your opinion and please ignore the sound of fireballs from downstairs

[stinkythehutt]

and since i’m posting: that one episode of clone wars where anakin sends c3po to go buy fruit for padme’s banquet is so hilarious for me. because you know coruscant is a capitalist hellhole and the senate apartment building probably has its own built-in mega mall, and anakin sends c3po to the only outdoor market left on that planet to haggle for a deal. he’s so funny

#teddy talks #he’s me-coded but that’s another story for another time (never) #the fact that actually they needed anakin in the episode for any of it to even take place #because if he wasn’t there padme would have spubereats (space ubereats) the fruit from the mall downstairs to her door

[yaolmao]

“Chuuya ought to drink more milk!”

#my brother one time barged into my room in the middle of night #took me downstairs and brought out two soju glasses and milk from the fridge #sat us down and poured milk into both our glasses while pretending talking like drunk old man #bsd #skk #soukoku #chuuya nakahara #bungou stray dogs #dazai osamu #myart #bsd chuuya #bsd dazai

[nyerus]

Hi, Nyerus... Long time no see.... 😆😘 Sorry I just got log in to tumblr again. Because of you, I got into TGCF 3 years ago, thanks so much.... 💐

I know maybe this ask have been ask before, but can I ask your top 3 (or top 5) fav quotes from TGCF and why you love them? Thanks if you want to answer....

Welcome back! <3 It means the world to me that I helped you get into TGCF!

My top quotes from TGCF have gotta be (random order):

"Only having met you did I rediscover that it's such a simple thing to be happy." This quote absolutely killed me on the SPOT when I first read it. 😭 Xie Lian realizes how revealing it was for him to say this, but he was completely honest there. He spent centuries alone, in terrible conditions, always secretly hoping that maybe one day he would find someone who would cherish him for who he was, faults and all. He didn't have much happiness in his life, but was grateful for every kindness he encountered. Now with Hua Cheng, Xie Lian is finally able to laugh again, to feel safe, and be truly happy. Such simple, human things that he'd forgotten due to how lonely and difficult his life was.

"To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled and ridiculed, yet being unable to do anything. That's the worst suffering in the world." This was so iconic of Hua Cheng, and it comes before we learn the truth of what really happened to him and Xie Lian in the past. It perfectly describes why he is the way he is, and it sent chills down my spine! I think it's quite underrated, as well. Hua Cheng saw Xie Lian harmed and ridiculed so much in the past -- he will not stand for a single instance more!!! ;o;

"You saved me. I've always looked at you. In this world, there are countless people more 'successful' than you, but none of them could have saved me like you did. None of them could have done those things you did -- You have no idea how much courage you gave me, for me to become the me today." This quote is from Hua Cheng in the final amnesia extra. That whole extra was very entertaining and fun, but then it hits you with this and I started sobbing like a baby hahaha! Once again, it perfectly encapsulates why Hua Cheng is so in love with Xie Lian: not just because Xie Lian caught him, but because Xie Lian saved him in so many ways. He was the only person in Hua Cheng's life (after his birth mom died) that showed him true compassion and gentleness. Who believed him, and believed in him. This gave Hua Cheng courage. And then he saw Xie Lian stand against the impossible to try and help others, and continue to do the right thing even when it caused himself harm. Something no one else would do. Of course Hua Cheng fell hopelessly in love.

"Something like saving the world, it really doesn't matter how you do it. But, although brave, it's foolish. [...] Although foolish, it's brave." I love this quote because despite how much he admires and respects Xie Lian, he isn't afraid to give his honest opinion on things as heavy as Xie Lian's very ideals. He doesn't agree with Xie Lian's morality, and doesn't think the common people are worth saving in the same way as Xie Lian does. I feel like sometimes, people get the wrong idea that Hua Cheng is a doormat who just goes along with Xie Lian's ideas -- but that can't be further from the truth. Hua Cheng is quite vocal and straightforward about his own goals/morality/etc. He knows it's different than Xie Lian's, but that's just who he is -- a terrifying Ghost King who will do things his own way. (And Xie Lian really really likes that about him, and wouldn't want him to change!)

"What matters is you, and not the state of you." First said by Xie Lian, and then repeated by Hua Cheng when Xie Lian needed to hear it the most! It's THE iconic, quintessential Hualian quote. So of course it's a fave!

Thank you anon for sending in this ask! I had fun with it!

#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #hob #hualian #i took these quotes from the fanTL because it's the only thing i have on hand at the moment... my physicals are downstairs lol #so the wording might be slightly off compared to the official

[lovingdabeessss]

WARNING: R A M B L E

AAAAA LITERARY ALLUSIONS AAAAA

I love Rwby it’s all immediately that deep with the character- like- LISTEN they take intentional simple good/bad characters fair tales which are THE simplest because it’s being told to children and then they make them complicated!!! They make them multiple things

Blake- everyone knows Blake’s everyone loves Blake’s I mean it’s wonderful beauty and the beast where she’s both of them already good already great but then!!! But then it also!!! makes a DIFFERENT CHARACTER also both beauty and the beast which also goes into their other dynamic of yin and Yang and transformation into the other and the constant switching and it makes it like symbolically Yang is a part of her it’s so good she’s the only one who’s a love story she’s defined by the people she loves it’s great

Weiss, she’s always great never disappoints she’s a knight and a princess she’s Snow White which Rwby recognizes as less of a love story and more of a story about parental abuse and overcoming it and never once is it Snow Whites fault the evil queen is acting like that she just is too pretty which Weiss is so it’s perfect for her i truly love “what if Snow White was a middle child” never stop Rwby

Then RUBY I love her she’s red riding hood and the HUNTSMAN makes the “are you a huntress” a little funnier to me cause it’s the core of her character just a little girl trying to do a sweet thing until she is TRICKED AND EATEN BY THE BAD GUY

she’s never not devoured in the story she goes to see her grandmother and they are both eaten and then saved because the huntsman cuts the wolf up it’s truly horrible she never gets saved beforehand and this I think is very well shown in volume 9 where she has to be totally destroyed by the wolf which in this specific instance was just her own grief and guilt (and the cat the cat was also wolf) and then she cut herself out of the stomach of the beast (and attacked the cat that too)

And finally in no particular order YANG my beloved she’s so great

Yangs particularly interesting because she’s the only one of them to be both the hero and the villain of the story and in Goldilocks that villain changes often the villain is the little girl for breaking into the bears house and other times it’s the bears

In some versions when they catch her the bears attempt to burn her (which doesn’t work quite right) drown her (not right either) and then finally MAIM HER BY STABBING HER WITH A CHURCH CHAPLE!??!?!?

She is also the only character in her story it’s Goldilocks and the three bears, she is the only one in this story and all the story is that she will destroy herself

And it’s so interesting that the child is the villain of the story it reminds me of when she was talking about Alice saying she was a bad person when she was just a kid trying to survive

And being the only character and her self destruction in her loneliness like when she lost her arm and no one was around and she just deteriorated

She’s destroying herself she’s so desperate to protect people she’s determined to go out saving someone Yang is a huntress who watched her entire family be destroyed by the job she went into this expecting it to kill her she went into this hoping it would kill her not Ruby

#rwby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #bumbleby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #allusions #rwby analysis #I’m so sorry #posting this cause I drew Ruby and Yang but I left my drawing stuff downstairs and can’t post it without walking down there #someone take words away from me

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Bro I was reenacting the "Just So" clip while I was putting away the dishes and when Frank yelled at Barnaby I was gonna say "oi fuck you" y'know because I was being silly but what came out was an almost PERFECT imitation of Barnaby's voice- I couldn't even finish the "fuck you" because I broke down laughing

Btw the reason this is so funny is because I'm a 5'2" Latino AFAB with NO experience in voice acting whatsoever yet for some reason the spirit of Giant Blues Clues decided my vocal chords were the PERFECT place to set up real estate

Anyway peace and love

HAGHASBCAKJSCNAKLD I WHEEZED

#the spirit of giant blues clues were the perfect place to set up real estate #PLEASSSSEEEEEEE #how dare you people come into my inbox and be leagues funnier than me- #fuck now i really want to hear barnaby's va say 'fuck you' In His Voice... what i wouldnt give... #i think it would heal something in me! i can imagine it well enough but to Hear It... #but yeah thats so fucking funny. peace and love Indeed! #rambles from the bog #i actually had a similar experience once if you dont mind me uno reverse carding you #when i lived with my mom i made a game out of trying to scare her #so one night shes downstairs in the dark. messing with the printer by the light of the stairs #and i am not a light person by any means. but im fucking Quiet. i regularly sneak up on my cats #so i snuck up behind her- #and im afab w/ no experience in va too. my voice is a lot higher than id like it to be. #but holyyyy shit when i said 'Hello' - STANDING RIGHT BEHIND HER MIND YOU!!! - my voice dropped Several octaves #im talking roadhog from overwatch level deep. deeper than mark introing three scary games #im talkin Downright Demonic The Devil Himself Possessed Me deep. deep as the marianas trench #to this day i have never startled or scared anyone that badly. she literally almost fell over. i saw true fear in her eyes #so. 🤝

[xoxoemynn]

#Daphne is the Edward Teach of dogs #for context this is the look Daphne gave me when I came downstairs from RUDELY working #instead of giving her belly rubs #a crime definitely on the same level as people laughing at Ed #Daphne

[rosepompadour]

Godiva Six-Piece Truffle Flight

#we just received a first edition of mein kampf at work and SOMEHOW it has fallen to me to sell it #reader i am unkampf #it's sitting on my dining room table and i went downstairs today to take notes on the condition #and i was eating cookie dough from whole foods the whole time and i was like oh what a shame if this was to be ruined #*pops more cookie dough* #it's a great comfort to me that he spent the weekend in the home of a jew though #a good joke #just desserts

[vampyrsm]

british police dramas are my guilty pleasure

#— alex rambles #i didn’t end up making lunch and instead mopped and cleaned the entire downstairs #now i’m just too tired to make food #but anyway. I LOVEEEE police dramas #i’ve been watching Happy Valley & it’s so nice hearing my own dialect LMAO #i’m not from yorkshire but i do say a few similar things bcos im like… an hour away

[badnew2005]

actually i’m still feeling insane thinking about dee and dennis and the presence of frank in the gang. if you’re raised with an angry man in your house, there will always be an angry man in your house. you escape, you run. to university where i’m meant to be a Real Person, This is how we start again, and we run away to the real world. but you can’t make it. whatever. we couldn’t stick out college. dee set her roommate on fire. you will find him even when he is not there. run back to those losers from high school. you start again as Them. it’s just us and this bar, invincible, invisible to the world, just living where We matter. bringing in a new life at paddys. but then he comes back. mom died. no she didn’t. i hate you. dad, dennis, dee. mac and charlie love him, he moves in with charlie even. don’t you remember? the angry man. no, you hid it too well, you don’t need to tell the world your business, but surely mac and charlie knew. why we stopped having sleepovers at home. why we ran away. ran to them for safety. a life where your dad didn’t exist. or he was locked away. but he’s back and i hate you. dad/dennis/dee. back to acting out his wars, but moms not here for my station my home base my target. it’s just me and you. and mac and charlie. and he’s not even our dad. but if you’re raised with an angry man in your house, there will always be an angry man in your house. he’s just a man. and you’re right he wasn’t always Angry. i’m just being stupid and looking for pity you’re right. i wish he was angry more. i wish he didn’t only tell dee he loved her. i wish he cared about us enough to be Angry enough that we can remember. he might be charlie’s father. oh. why does charlie get his love. i Hate you. you’re too much like mom / like him. this was meant to be some faraway land without fathers. a solstice. if one day you find that there is no angry man in your house. i can’t be successful i can’t love you. it’s impossible to pass his test. frank sets sweet dee on fire. i can’t be a Person with him Watching. so i hate you. you will go find one and invite him in. roller rink it’s their foggy memories and fantasies, frank ruined me, He’s the evil twist in fate that ruined me, it was all Him.

#there’s so many more and better examples i just can’t stop thinking about it all #writing this as i am stuck sleeping downstairs and all u can hear is my fathers snoring #like . hohc . franks the first one to say mac go back in #then dennis becomes adamant . it’s his main goal #even though frank has changed from the man they grew up with in some aspects . that’s All they’ll ever see #charlie and mac get frank as a father figure in a way dee and dennis will never be able to accept if it’s ever offered #twins with such a lonely miserable childhood . that’s all they’ll ever be

[oldtreeinanalley]

i habe so many books i want to read

#not sure where to start #i think ill reread anthem and then go from there #im not really knowledgeable on ayn rand's poltics #all i saw when i read anthem was someone traumatised by the soviet union #its a short read anyway #and i still have notes on it laying somewhere #then ill probably read castle #then the plague and then murakami #and from there aristotle and dante d.t.s.o.t.u. #and im not sure what ill read after that #im very particular about book sorting and order #i need the genres to blend into eachother or feel cohesive at the very least #im only putting the aristole and dante after murakami because i know a song called murakami that gives me the same feeling as the aristotle #and dante book #anyway im reorganizing our books downstairs tommorow #its an absolute mess #you can find NOTHING there #just based on instinct #which is cool but some order would be nice #okay ill stop

[darehearts]

do you ever just think about your cat and legit tear up bc you love them so much

#Caramel my most beloved.......he's downstairs sleeping #and i'm just like......../THINKING ABT YOU. YOU CUTIE/ #do you all ever stop all that you are doing and go kiss your #cat also bc it's such a mood. how will i make it for 2 weeks #away from him heck if i know-- i'll facetime him a lot only #for him probably not to even look at me BUT THAT'S FINE #STILL....... SDKJFSJKF🤧 #tbd