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thebetawolfgirl · 6 months

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The Chanel Ribbon part 3 (Final Part!)

Pairing: Timmy/Reader

Word count: 2,535

Summary: The whole story from Timmy’s POV

Warnings: Serious smut!

A/N: The final part. I wanted to do one from Timmy’s POV!

The Chanel Ribbon pt 3

Timothée had been in love with y/n since the day he saw her across the room at an after party and she was asked to sing by the host. She had a voice like an angel, no angels would sound like cats being strangled to death compared to his y/n. She was beautiful, smart and so kind and compassionate towards others, he had never met anyone like her before. Sure he had been with lovely women but they were nothing next to y/n.

They went on a few dates and she was careful with him at first because she told him she had been hurt in the past and used for her status, Timothée promised to spend the entire time they spent together proving that he wasn’t like those other animals that broke her heart.

They had been dating since the beginning of 2019 and she had started to trust him before long and let him into her heart and he protected her and her heart like a precious jewel. They went steady during 2021 after the pandemic started to calm down a bit and they could see each other more. That whole year during lockdown was the most hardest thing he had ever done. He missed her so much and it was like he had lost a limb.

When his grandmother died and she actually flew out to London to be with him from the other side of the world he knew, he knew she was it for him. She was the woman he would spend the rest of his life with and start a family with some day. So he spent that full year having a designer custom design an engagement ring for him then he spent another six months planning the perfect proposal.

The day he was talking to the greatest Hollywood director of all time he couldn’t stop thinking about y/n. After the interview Mr Scorsese asked him if he was alright. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve just been thinking about my girlfriend y/n, I’m just wondering what she’s doing right now, if she’s eaten yet. She’s appearing on Fallon tonight to promote her new album and I just want to text her and wish her good luck and-

‘Just to hear her voice’ The old man finished his sentence with a knowing look and a smile.

Timothée nodded smiling chuckling and looking down. ‘Yes, Sir.’

‘Is this young lady a musician did you say?’

Timothée nodded

‘Y/n y/l/n?’

Again, Timothée nodded his eyes sparkling.

‘Don’t ever let a love like that go’

Timothée nodded ‘Never, Sir never!’

Later on at the private Chanel dinner Timothée couldn’t keep his mind off y/n, his friend Kid Kudi gave him a Red Bull to help calm his nerves but it only made him more jittery and a bit giddy. He decided he couldn’t wait for the perfect moment to propose, he wanted y/n to be his fiancée NOW. So with his mind spinning from the Red Bull he snuck out the back door and hurried down the street to the few blocks to the studio that hosted the Fallon Show. He was a native New Yorker so he took all the backstreets and alleyways to get there quicker. He arrived at the studio and asked one of the people backstage he had to see y/n y/l/n immediately.

They had already been seen out together but just as ‘Friends’ no one knew they were a steady couple.

The staff member patched through to the host Jimmy Fallon saying Timothée Chalamet was here to see y/n, Timothée was getting more and more jittery and hyper so by the time he walked on set to a confused y/n and Jimmy he was practically a rambling mess, he didn’t even notice the large audience watching them both.

‘Timmy, what’s going on? Is everything ok?’ She had turned her mic off which he was grateful for. Because he really giddy now.

‘I needed to see you and speak with you’ he muttered talking quickly fiddling with his necklace. Oh God she was wearing the Chanel ribbon around her hair from the gift bag he bought her.

No Timmy concentrate you’re here for a reason, Timothée’s inner monologue began in his head as she pulled them behind the curtain excusing them to Jimmy and the audience that he just noticed.

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry I had this all planned out for months and it was going to be perfect but I couldn’t wait any longer and now I feel stupid and- there’s an very large audience out there!!’ He squealed in a hushed tone glad he refused a mic his eyes going wide.

He was still gaping at the audience from their hiding place behind the curtain when he felt her hands on either side of his face and he nearly melted right there at her touch and met her eyes and her beautiful smile.

‘My answer is yes, but you will do this the way you planned because I INSIST you have YOUR moment with this. And you’re not proposing to me backstage at the Jimmy Fallon Show’ She giggled and he looked at her ribbon and touched it gently unable to believe she actually wore the ribbon as well as the bracelet that was in the bag. He moved slightly towards her lips to kiss her while attempting to remove the ribbon, he was in such a daze being around her he hadn’t noticed she was pushing him back until he hit the wall knocking him out of his daze and grabbed his wrist before removing the ribbon herself.

He watched her intently as she began to tie the ribbon around his wrist tightly whispering ‘Everyone saw me wearing this ribbon in my hair tonight, even Jimmy commented on it.’

His breathing hissed as she tied it tightly around his wrist below his pulse point and he smiled slightly at what she was doing. ‘Now I will return to the stage without it, and you will return to your dinner and be seen leaving the hotel wearing my Chanel Ribbon on your wrist.’

She finished tying the ribbon into a perfect bow her head bowed over his arm before raising her head and laying it on his shoulder smiling and looking at him. He nodded smiling back before pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She raised her head and deepened the kiss and he held her waist before she pulled away completely. ‘The aftermath should be fun.’

They both smiled at each other and went their separate ways. Him back to the party and her to her interview.

When the dinner was over he went outside to meet his fans and sign autographs and everyone commented on his new accessory and how they also saw a certain musician wearing an identical ribbon in her hair. He just smiled and bid his fans goodnight and drove home.

The next morning he woke up to the smell of food and the sound of his phone blowing up, he smiled stretching and reaching for his phone and looked at all the comments.

*Timotheè Chalamet seen wearing a Chanel Ribbon around his wrist he didn’t have when arriving at the Chanel dinner.*

*Y/n Y/l/n was seen wearing an identical ribbon on the Tonight Show but wasn’t wearing it when she returned onstage after Timothée Chalamet came to see her halfway through the interview*

The gossip columns were funny and the fans on both sides were going crazy. Timmy put his phone down again and went towards the amazing smell of breakfast being cooked by his beloved. Once he calmed down last night he decided he would stick to the original plan for his proposal to y/n. Even though he couldn’t wait he wanted it to be absolutely perfect for her. She deserved the world and so much more.

He found her standing in front of the cooker looking through her phone smiling at the screen while the food was cooking. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind pressing chaste kisses along her shoulder. ‘Good morning, something smells good.’

She smiled back at him tilting her head slightly toward him. ‘The breakfast or the gossip?’

Over the coming days and weeks they both shared the ribbon between them and found new ways to have it on their person. Timmy would wear it around his wrist, on his car keychain and even on his backpack if he had it with him. Y/n would wear it in her hair, around her wrist, she even wore it as a choker when out with friends one night. That got him excited when he saw the photos online.

After he used it to tie her to the headboard of their king size bed, he wondered how she would use it for her turn tonight.

He came home early after a long meeting with his management, exhausted and weary. His new PR Team were the most boring people he had ever had the displeasure of being in the same room as. They had put him with Kylie Jenner for a PR thing, they actually thought he would think this a genius idea. What was he going to talk to her about? He didn’t know anything about what it was she did.

All he wanted now was to lay in his beloved’s arms and hear about her day.

He opened the door and was surprised to see the entire house bathed in candlelight.

‘Oh.’ He whispered looking around and closing the door behind and walking further into the house. ‘Y/n? Are you here?’ He heard a noise behind him and went to turn but gentle hands stopped him. Before he could speak he heard her soft voice at his ear ‘Welcome home my love.’ She began rubbing his shoulders massaging them. He sighed and let his eyes close and his head fall back when she took his hand leading him into the bedroom. ‘I have a surprise for you’

Thankfully the candles were tea light candles so they would go out themselves once the wax was gone,

He wrapped his arms around her waist as he followed her to their bedroom which was all in darkness. She gently guided him towards the bed and began undressing him, when he tried to help she moved his hands back to her waist and whispered against his lips ‘No, tonight I take care of you’ his breathing hitched as she reached under his sweater to remove it and her fingers brushed his skin. The room was still pitch black with the door shut and he could only see her eyes sparkling in the dim light from the window. She removed his sweater then his jeans before pushing him gently back onto the bed he backed up towards the pillows as she crawled over him kissing every inch of him all the way until their eyes met and they were level with each other. He could just make out her smiling at him before she kissed him again then moving along his jawline down to his neck. He moved to lay his hands on her waist when she took his arms and rested them above his head near the headboard where he felt the satin of their ribbon.

He smirked in the darkness and didn’t resist keeping his arms above his head and waited patiently as she restrained him to the headboard. Once she was done, she moved back down and kissed him again before moving away from him and off the bed completely. He groaned at the loss of contact until he saw her turning on the fairy lights around the room to give them some light, he could see now in the dim light she was wearing his favourite dress he bought her. It was a simple green dress he picked out for her when he was going through some financial stuff and he couldn’t afford to buy her a fancy dress. He couldn’t believe she kept it after all these years.

He watched her undress slowly in front of him his boxers getting tighter on him, when she crawled back to him until she was on top of him. She leaned down and kissed him again her long hair falling around them like a curtain and started grinding her hips against his. He struggled against the ribbon, feeling the satin rubbing against his skin and kissed her back more feverishly. She broke the kiss and moved back to remove both their constricting underwear before coming back to kiss him and lowering herself down onto him until he bottomed out inside her. He groaned against her mouth and started moving his hips against her to tell her she could move. She held on to his shoulders as she began to ride him. He felt her open her mouth against his and he deepened the kiss meeting her thrusts with his hips. He wanted to hold onto her but he was still tied to the bed with the ribbon and he didn’t want to rip it. Although if the bed continued to rock like it was doing the knots keeping the ribbon attached to the headboard would come loose on it’s own. Y/n broke the kiss to breath and they both buried their face in the other’s neck as she took hold of his tied hands and tangled their fingers together.

Timmy whispered breathlessly into her ear ‘Untie me I need to hold onto you my love’

She made quick work of the ribbon and freed his wrists, and he pushed them both to sit up and rammed his hips upwards repeatedly. He heard her gasp and grip his shoulders leaving nail marks on his skin before grabbing fistfuls of his messy hair as he dragged his fingers up and down her back and buried his face in her neck nipping and kissing the skin there and leaving marks. ‘I’m nearly there, love. Come with me’ he gasped in to her ear panting hard when they both came and all he were fireworks behind his kids and he could hear her moaning and convulsing against him. He fell backwards pulling her with him drenched in sweat feeling the bedsheets tangled around their waists and legs.

He could feel both their heartbeats against his chest and he smiled trying to catch his breath as he looked down at her as her eyes were fluttering open and shut. He pushed her hair back from her eyes watching her smiling at him.

‘Love you’ He whispers against her temple before he reaches for the small remote and turns off the fairy lights and sees his wrists ‘Now YOU can explain to MY mother’

She smiles sleepily ‘I’ll tell her you were being naughty’

He looks down at her in shock before chuckling softly ‘Go to sleep’

He got comfy pulling her closer against his side placing a chaste kiss to her lips and closing his eyes with a final thought in his mind.

Yes, she’s definitely the one for me.

@sufferingstarlight

@lixzey

@kteezy997

@gatoenlaciudad

#lil timmy tim #timothèe chalamet #timothée hal chalamet #timothee icons #The Chanel Ribbon #timmy x reader #timothee chalamet fanfiction #timothee chalamet fanfic #timothee chalamet smut #smut

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theratlivinginyourcouchcushions · 3 months

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Meet Rosetta and Crème!

These two are members of the flock made/inspired by @fishy—friend (I can’t figure out how to tag them) and this post of theirs:

I also added lore! (My thoughts are kind of jumbled on the logic behind it, so there are random spots where it launches into a related idea I had)

While making their designs, I started thinking about the ways that other demons might treat their nightmares, and had the idea that succubi/incubi/ whatever they’re called, keep dreams to entice potential summoners, and that Rosetta and Crème formerly worked under one.

(Wouldn’t it be cool if some demons have their nightmares helping them with their jobs, like torture demon’s nightmares being extremely skilled with “tools”, diseases, dissections and prepping machinery (idk there’s a lot of ways to torture people) or time loop demon’s nightmares being really good at puzzles and noticing small details. I can’t think of good examples but it’s a really cool concept, and it’s not even that far fetched, bc it’s canon that the midway bar has nightmare staff serving as waiters for the “customers”)

Anyway, Rosetta and Crème and the other dreams were treated more like bugs that happened to benefit the demon, so she kept them around.

(demons just don’t care about their nightmares the way Alcor does, but this one just ignore them until she has a job for them. Also it has been confirmed that nightmares are just dreams tough enough to survive in the wild, and that it’s possible for dreams to become nightmares.)

Anyway, Rosetta and Crème are some of the tougher dreams living there, so when their master is killed in a demon battle, they’re some of the only ones to escape before the new demon eats the rest of the dreams. They’re still the only ones to survive in the wild though, and they grow even closer than they were before. (They’re basically sisters)

When they hear about a “kind” demon who cares for his nightmares in ways most of his kind can’t even comprehend, they decide to take their chances, and seek out the comfort of a real home. They join the flock and continue to seduce humans, because why not? And besides, they enjoyed their old jobs, and now they get free food!

(However, they are strictly prohibited from making any moves on Pines descendants or reincarnations of Alcor’s close family or friends (Mabel, Henry, Stan, the triplets, Thomas ect)

Anyways, they live their new home, and family, and have human forms for when they go down to mess with humans. Rosetta is visibly inspired by characters like Verosika Mayday, Miss Heed (I’ve never seen the show she’s in) and a little bit of Angel Dust (Hazbin hotel) she has a similar personality to these characters too. (Mostly Verosika bc she’s a dom)

Crème is a reworked version

Edit: I spent an hour retyping this (3 times) bc it keeps cutting off, so I give up now.

#transcendence au #Rosetta #crème #the flock #tau #theratlivinginyourcouchcushions #alcor the dreambender #digital art #my art #gravity falls #art #gravity falls au #art prompt

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dnpanimationstudioclone · 9 days

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Meet Baxter🐟🧪

Meet my take on Baxter, an old Vivziepop character shown in the past, at the moment a background character in the show, many believe he could join due to concept art and suppose scrapped episode concepts online. In my take, I’m making him part of the group! Ngl his designs been one of my favs because of the fish motif and color scheme.

Here’s a link for his Wiki page Info. Baxter

Character:

I can see my Baxter act as the Hotel’s medical expert. Perhaps the closest so far they have to a medical professional. He dabbles a lot in Biomedical/Chemsitry science in contrast to Pentious who’s more of an inventor. Fun fact, Baxter also died in the 1900’s and his names of English origins so he and Pen could’ve known eachother! Supposedly Bax died via boating incident, drowning.

I can imagine Charlie got him to join, speaking to his scientific interests, making him invested in the hotel as one of his newest and greatest experiments yet. Can a Sinner be redeemed and go to Heaven?

I def want him and Sir P to become science buddies and do all kinds of crazy experiments. I can see him be a mix of Kreiger from Archer , Abed from Community along with some bits of what he’s supposedly like from the wiki. I can see him have a voice like Richard Steven Horvitz(Invader Zim, also does Moxxie in Helluva Boss), Paul Rugg(Freakazoid) or perhaps David Tennants Voice(Dr. Who!) “ Baxter's personality is considered still in development, but Vivziepop likens him to the character Myron Reducto from the show Harvey Birdman in his mannerisms. He is a screechy, neurotic, fidgety, anti-social "gremlin" and an all-round mess. He is introverted and wants nothing to do with anyone, preferring to do science alone in peace”.

youtube

Abed clips.

youtube

Design:

His design has always been one of my favourites, especially because of the color scheme, the fish theme and blues are amazing!

Made his eyes dark for a flowy effect and to make them more fish like.

Removed the red ❤️

Added wet marks on his coat aswell as some tatter.

Added webbing for her gloves and feet protection.

Made his hat more like a bowler/derby hat. Was popular 1900’s style.

Added more bioluminescence. Added a gradient affect with the fins.

For my Gang I’m going for a rainbow motif, he represents Blue as he’s a sea creature and the color blue can often symbolize intelligence but also things such as stubbornness and timidity.💙🌈

Gave him more an underbite. I can imagine in his full demon form it becomes bigger with more teeth sticking out and more eery glow!

Added lil nostrils.

Made his hair more fin like!!!!

Fun fact, Only female Anglerfish have the lights. TRANS BAXTER 🏳️‍⚧️ ⚧️ . I can also see him be Intersex and mainly goes by He/him pronouns. here’s Baxter concept art. He’s the guy in blue.

I’ve also done some of the rest of the gang such as Alastor(links for the others in his page) and even other characters such as Mimzy who was also once suppose to be a main character.

What do u think? Do u think he’d be a great part of the cast? I’d love to know💖

#Hazbin hotel #Baxter #hazbin hotel redesigns #hazbin hotel redesign #hazbin hotel baxter #my art #my redesign #Character rewrite #hazbin hotel rewrite #hazbin hotel rewritten #hellaverse #Dnp talks #hazbin hotel fanart #hh #hazbinhotel

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lilyginnyblackv2 · 2 years

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T&B Clothes and Style Analysis:

This all started when I was thinking of a way to try and get a better gauge on Ryan’s age, but then it started to kind of become it’s own thing. Basically, something I’ve noticed is how aspects of many (though not all) the character designs are indictive of the decade they grew up in.

Let’s start with the oldest of our heroes (I’m limiting it to heroes so this post won’t be any more massive than I’m sure it will already be).

Kotetsu and Antonio: We know that they are both 38 in S2, so that means they were born in 1942. So their childhood and teen years were the 1940s and 1950s, and you can see the influence of those time periods on their outfits.

Back in the 1940s and 1950s cowboy inspired fashion was very popular. My grandfather had a bit of this style too, and he was born sometime in the 1930s. Of course, Antonio’s outfit is also meant to reflect his NEXT persona as well, being Rock Bison and having, iirc, a meat sponsor.

Meanwhile, Kotetsu has that snazzy look about him. Clean cut, button up shirt, tie, sleek and ironed pants, button up vest - his look is, in a way, rather hip in comparison to Antonio’s look. I also feel is has more of an upscale, blue collar vibe to it than Antonio’s, which style originated with blue collar, “working on the farm,” and legit cowboy types. Of course, Kotetsu doesn’t hold himself in that way, though I do think that his outfit is what adds to the moe gap and charm of Kotetsu. He has this put together appearance to him, but his life is a mess and he can be very immature at times, lol.

(This post is SUPER long and image heavy, so the rest is under a Read More!)

Next, let’s take a look at our newest heroes, since the 1980s influence on their style is obvious. All three of them are teens, so it would make sense that their fashion style and sense would reflect the 80s the most.

Subaru’s is, imo, the easiest to draw a link to in regards to possible inspiration. The outfits aren’t an exact match, but that puffy life preserver like jacket + jean pants combo just screams Marty McFly. I know he is also meant to reflect the “Red Ranger” trope found in series like Super Sentai and stuff like that, but I also think that Subaru’s problems with being looked down on and such is similiar to Marty’s with his issues surrounding being called chicken and what not. They can both be impulsive and quick to anger in that regard.

Lara has a school uniform on or, at least, an outfit inspired by one. Obviously, there are some liberties taken with the design, certain elements to make it cuter and more in-line with how school uniforms are often depicted in anime. The blazer top is really what gives it the 1980s Japanese school uniform vibe though. And since Lara is meant to represent magical girls, it makes sense that she would be wearing a school uniform.

Thomas has the most..anime-like outfit of everyone, imo. His outfit isn’t something you would someone wearing just every day, ya know. I tried looking a bit into high fashion/runaway fashion and the like, but didn’t get very far with that. I think the aspects of his outfit that have some basis in the 1980s though is the combo of “very shiny leather jacket” + tight jean combo like we see MJ wearing in his Thriller MV.

Okay, so now let’s take a look at characters that we know the exact age of, or have a very good, general idea of how old they are. First up here is Barnaby.

Listen, Barnaby’s outfit really doesn’t have much going on in the way of 60s or 70s fashion (the eras when he was a teen), but his hair absolutely does! Without a doubt, the inspiration for Barnaby’s hair was Farrah Fawcett and her hairstyle became popular in the 1970s, when Barnaby would have been in his late teens and early 20s. He had more of a general shaggy hairstyle in the few flashbacks we see of him as a younger teen.

This chunky gold chain is also very 70s.

Now we are more in the “we have a general idea how old they are range, and it was confirmed via outside sources.” The one that I feel most concretely on this is Karina, who is 19 in S2. That means she was born in 1961 (one year earlier than my parents, lol) and her childhood was in the 1960s and her teen years were pretty solidly in the 1970s outside of 19.

Whenever I think of Karina’s dress in S1, I my mind just always goes to the kinds of short dresses that were really popular in the Brady Bunch era. Other elements of her design are definitely different, but that dress is such a key aspect. Her S2 design feels more mature and like Mary Tyler Moore-esque.

Ivan, I believe, is 21 in S2. I think it was confirmed, somewhere, that he was 18 in S1. So he is only a little bit older than Karina and his teen years were the 1970s, period. Design-wise Ivan is a complete fish out of water. At least Barnaby had the hair and jewelry tying him to the 60s and 70s. But Ivan is meant to be a Weeaboo, so that whole idea and concept is far later, and his visual appearance reflects that.

However! Edward Said’s book Orientalism, which goes on to describe the term as:

the exaggeration of difference, the presumption of Western superiority, and the application of clichéd analytical models for perceiving the "Oriental world". This intellectual tradition is the background for Said's presentation of Orientalism as a European viewpoint reflecting a contrived Manichean duality.

(Source: The Wikipedia on Orientalism)

And that fits in with Ivan’s Weeaboo persona quite well. It’s a critical concept that is well known today (and which has a long standing documentation of existing before Said’s book was publish), but was only brought into the spotlight with this book in 1978.

Edit: Check out my reblog where I have more information on how Ivan’s outfit actually connects back to the time period.

The last character that we have a general idea of around about what age they are is Pao-lin. She was 13 or so in S1 and around 16 in S2.

The major inspiration for her outfit is obviously Kill Bill, lol. Especially with the martial arts and everything. But, of course, her S1 outfit also takes inspiration from jumpsuits that really gained popularity in the 1970s and tracksuits too. Her later outfits in The Rising and S2 are more masculine presenting and have her wearing tank tops and hoodies, both of which started becoming more commonplace as everyday wear in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. (This could also apply to Ivan, who is wearing a black tank top under his jacket.

Finally, we get into the characters whose ages are vague: Ryan, Nathan, and Keith. Now, Ryan is younger than Barnaby. That’s basically all we have to go off of really, but in The Beginning we can see that he looks in his late teens (he has a slimmer face similar to Thomas and Subaru).

His outfit there also has a very 70s disco vibe about it. Though the hair and other aspects of it are also a bit late 90s/early 2000s in feel too. His earlier designs were quite 60s and 70s inspired too:

The one in the top left almost feeling New Wave / Hippie-ish to some extent (a part of me would have loved if they went with that design, but I love his current design too). His outfit in The Rising (and S2, which I won’t even bother talking about here) are a bit more: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ design-wise.

The closest stuff I could find were like sports jerseys/sport shirts from the 70s and those shorts pictured, lmao. Those shorts are a bit shorter than Ryan’s, and they don’t have the more visually appealing hanging material, etc. But they do show how there were these sort of long shorts/pants in that era as well. Though, visually, Ryan still fits more in the 2000s era here. I started this whole research and post hoping that some of Ryan’s outfit could give more insight into his age...but nope, lol.

More info on Ryan’s outfit! :D

Anyway, our final two are Nathan and Keith. Nathan has made statements that make it seem that she is older than Barnaby and Keith, but likely not quite as old as Kotetsu and Antonio. I’ve always assumed that Nathan was in their 30s. Placing their teen years closer to the late 50s and 60s.

And while a lot of Nathan’s outfits can just be simplified to the idea of being flamboyant, I feel a lot of Nathan’s presence and the air about them is very similar to the Ballroom Scene of the 60s:

While the outfits are not one-for-one matches, there are similarities in posing, feathers, mesh, color choices, and just the outlines that are created. I will say that the shoulder pads in Nathan’s S1 outfit are far more 80s though, lol.

Edit: I realized I forgot to explain what the Ballroom Scene even is and how it relates very specifically to Nathan’s gender identity. From the Wikipedia page:

The Ballroom Scene is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latino drag queens began to organize their own pageants in opposition to racism experienced in established drag queen pageants. [...] While the initial establishment of Ballroom mimicked these drag queen pageants, the inclusion of gay men and trans women would transform the Ballroom scene into what it is today: a multitude of categories that all LGBTQ+ people can participate in.

There is a fantastic documentary on this whole subculture and scene called Paris is Burning (link is to the YT video of the full documentary). I watched it back in college in my Queer Studies class. It’s very enlightening and insightful, but it does deal with some heavy topics (SA, suicide, etc.). I definitely suggest giving it a watch if you can though!

Edit: Some more excellent information on Nathan's and Pao-lin's styles. Pao-lin's connection to Bruce Lee and Nathan's fashion connection to the 1970s glam era + visual kei (his The Rising outfit).

FINALLY! We have Keith. His age is completely unknown. I’ve always felt that he was closer in age to Barnaby than Kotetsu and Antonio. His outfit really doesn’t tell us much. It’s a very “All-American, Hard Worker” guys kinda outfit. Definitely something you would find in the 70s (image pictured above is from the 70s) and 80s, though his pants are more 80s-like than 70s (more straight than flared).

(Though, looking at that above image, it seems like Barnaby’s big belt is also very 70s-ish!).

Anyway, I feel I can’t talk about Keith and his appearance and style without also mentioning this:

Keith looks like Tom Cruise, and once you see and know that, you cannot unsee it either, lmao.

Okay, okay, let’s wrap this up! I’m going to be including sources and references for the clothes images and that’s basically it. If you have anything else to add, please do, and thank you to anyone who has read all the way to the end! It’s greatly appreciated and I hope you enjoyed reading this! <3

Sources:

Antonio’s: blue17 and Vintage Dancer

Kotetsu’s: Vintage-Retro

Lara’s: qph.cf2.quoracdn . net

Pao-lin’s: Plaidstallions

Nathan’s: Esquire

Ryan’s: Vintage Vixen and Bored Panda, Dress That Man and The Empire Tribe

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unlimitedtrees · 10 months

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making character sprites as a one-person indie game developer

(huh. turns out this post on cohost didnt have a “read me” section”. o well. i will put the read me section Here, before any of da actual text. click it if u dare !!)

so, i've been meaning on making a Big post talkin all about how i actually Make my games and my processes n such ,but also ive been procrastinating on making it for so long that i thought i might as well just make One part of that post now .. and its about making the Character Sprites for my games .

So. these images are the (mostly) full sprite sheets of the three characters from my game UNITRES Dreams, taken directly from the big giant 'charactersprites.png' image that i used for nearly every sprite for Most of the game's development. some quick things to make note of: First off, Trees (the first one) was one of the earliest things i made for the game, and had their sprite sheet redone Twice since then.. this first picture doesnt contain the latest sprite sheet as the new sprites were done on aesprite and im too lazy to make a sprite sheet out of them right now.

Secondly, the Second character (the pink one), had two different designs, being completely redesigned as i didnt like their first design all too much. their redesign's animations was done in aesprite, but i made a sprite sheet out of em before so i was able to just put them here. Lastly, the Third character (the blue one with the big silly hat) remained mostly unchanged as their original sprites and design were pretty good, but they needed to be cleaned up and given better colors so i ended up polishing all of their sprites.

Anyways. it's going to be hard for me to explain my actual process, as i am Bad With Words, but i will try my best.. So. for Most of my time as a game dev, I've used Paint.NET for Everything. This includes backgrounds, tilesets, and every animation ever in all of my games. For my character sprites specifically, i usually start with making the color palette (which is a whole different process where i mess around with the RGB values until i get a specific color that i think looks pretty ... its hard to describe). When making a new character, i usaully start with an Idle animation, just so i have a good base to make all the other sprites on. I just make a sketch of the character, then i do the flat colors (as my games dont have line art), and once i have the colors i start doing the rendering , where i try to pull off a sort of Sonic CD-esque , celshaded style while Also including a bit of anti-aliasing and other modern pixel art techniques to give the sprites more Depth and make them look Sharp. Idk. it's hard to describe my process in words ... i Did make a video Years ago showing off my process, but its old and my editing in that video isnt the Greatest.

So., that's my process Lol . the only thing thats really changed is that Now i use Aesprite for making the Actual Animations , as making animations with Paint.NET is Really Difficult and Annoying , as i have No Idea how the animation will Look until it actually appears ingame .. which results in the early versions of each character's animations looking a little weird (such as Trees' first two versions, the first version of the Pink character, and the Blue character's animations.. .though the blue character isnt as bad as the other two and i kept their animations mostly the same in the final game LOL).

Something that people have kind of criticized about UNITRES Dreams' animations is that some of em dont exactly ... Look Good. a lot of animations are pretty Inconsistent , with characters like Trees having inconsistent sizes in some animations and the movement in animations such as the Pink character's walking animation and various other animations (Especially the ones made in Paint.NET) looking Unnatural.

And Well .. here's the thing about making animations and sprites for something like this. When you're the Main person making an indie game, you have Tons of different parts of the game that need to be worked on while having Very little time to work on others. On Top of making every single animation for UNITRES , i had to make every single Tileset and background for every single level, On Top of making the Level Layouts , Programming , and even making sprites for things like the UI. And you have to constantly Test the game to make sure everything works and things Look good.

So. i had very little time to work on the sprites, and i Knew this. Something you have to consider is that, not only are you making the animations for the main character , you Also have to make Tons of animations and sprites for Literally Every Other Aspect of The Game . this includes Enemies , Level Gimmicks , NPCs, And the UI .. so you end up having to work on Thousands of sprites by yourself in such a short time.

I ain't the best animator , nor the best sprite artist . But , for this game I chose an art style which is Kinda simple and comfortable for me, which made making things like tilesets and backgrounds so much easier for me. The character sprites specificially only use a few amount of colors ,but also i tried my best to give them as much depth and make them as Colorful looking as i could. Also , something you might notice is that all of the playable characters dont actually have a whole lot of animations .. each of the characters only have the Exact amount of frames and animations necessary for them to Look Good moving around the levels. Aside from a few Gimmick Specific animations that arent in the sprite sheets i posted , there arent many Extra animations or animations with Tons of Frames that i wish i could have added .. and it Kind Of Sucks . Having to split my time across Three Different Characters , i had no time to make any animations Too Crazy or Too Smooth , and i couldnt include any extra animations that could add a bit of personality to the characters ... In Fact ,the Idle "animation" isnt an animation , its just a still frame. I didnt have time to even make a simple waiting animation !!

It Is What It Is. For what its worth , Ithink Im pretty proud of the animations i did for UNITRES Dreams. while i think ive become a much better artist and animator since then, i still think some animations and some of the frames look really good ..just looking at some of the still frames is really nice .. so i think i did a good job, especially for a game that was made in 2 years and is Free. And Hey, while the animations in UNITRES Dreams may not be the best or have the most smooth animations , i Did get to experiment with making more smooth animations for TREES' ADVENTURE. while ,now, i think some stuff could use some work, i am Really Proud of how some of the animations look .. ididnt get to make Too Many extra animations (there still isnt even an Idle animation), i Did get to make some cool extra animations , such as individual animations for your Jump that are based on how fast you're moving . (the original post on cohost had a buncha gifs of da animations but im Too Fuckin Tired 2 post em here LOL !!!)

So Yea . the moral of the story: making video games is kind of hard and time consuming , Especially when you're like , the Only one working on them. just make sure to plan ahead and try not to overwork urself .. make what you can and do it when you can. Thats what i think , anyways.

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organicbabybattles · 1 year

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Round 1, Side A, Poll 4

Poptart ( @neon-draws-sometimes / @neon-artblog ) VS. Luna ( @acid-harbringer )

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( art by neon-artblog )

What is your baby's name? Pronouns?: Poptart, he/him but Durant really care

Is your baby from a fandom or original?: Original

How old is your baby?: Unknown. Mentally a toddler though

Tell us about your baby!: Poptart is a young… wait, what is Poptart anyway. Fox? Cat? Some kind of hamster?! No one knows. Poptart is Poptart. He is constantly getting into absurdly dangerous situations, only saved by Amber, an older fox who protects them fiercely.

Anything else you want to add?: They were one of my first ocs, and were designed while waiting for an airplane. One of the easier ocs I’ve ever named.

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( art by acid-harbringer )

What is your baby's name? Pronouns?: Luna (she/her though I doubt she cares much)

Is your baby from a fandom or original?: original story called Contorted bodies

How old is your baby?: 9 years old but has been stuck at that age for a long time

Tell us about your baby!: Luna grew up in the mind expanse, a land made out of rock and fungi with litrature being the most important value for it's citizen. She was sent from outside to become the preserver of the expanse, preservers are large creatures that protect the expanse from outside threats while being controlled by the expanse leaders. Luna was turned into a preserver at a young age because of the leaders fearing an attack from another expanse (preservers tend to be older most of them are adults when they are transformed).

Luna's curious but easily distracted, she has trouble focussing on reading and listening and rather goes outside to look at things firsthand.She dislikes fancy clothes because she's not allowed to go outside in them. She has an immense fondness for bugs and other small "weird" creatures and tries to make little houses for them. She tries her best to make people proud. (I have not worked out her powers properly yet but she got powers after being turned into preserver)

She didn't really have any friendly contact as a child outside of a girl from another expanse who would sneak into the mind expanse to look at the local fungi and fauna. her friend was also turned into a preserver and she misses her a lot. Luna got shyer and less friendly after becoming a preserver, she's became scared of adults as well. she was not aware of what becoming a preserver meant untill it was time to be turned into one. Eventually her soul was freed from the big preserver body and she was able to walk around in a human like body(right on the image) wich still looked a bit like her preserver form due to being a preserver for that long messes with your mind.

Anything else you want to add?: please give her anatomically correct bug plushies.

#organicbabybattles #acid-harbringer #neon-draws-sometimes #neon-artblog #round 1 #side a

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sundslime · 11 months

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Another Object Comic Blog 2

Back at it again with another name change! This one’s probably the last one for a bit though.

A good amount of progress has been made on the idea of the comic since my last post in March. That is, I hunkered down with some buds and actually made a kind of rigid outline of how I want the plot to be structured. A good amount of ideas were leftovers from Exclusion Delusion but more fleshed out with a cleaner idea for a possible ending in mind, which makes me happy! Every time I’ve taken a stab at a comic like this I usually drop the idea because I don’t know how I’d end it, so having that in mind has been reassuring.

Here’s a mostly redacted look at the outline of the story, mostly for the sake of keeping things a surprise! Who doesn’t like a good surprise? I will leave a synopsis of the beginning of the story though, so here! Objects of many different locations live on a planet with only them and are all aware of/ friends with each other. Ornament is the main character of the story, who on their (TBD)th birthday travel around the world in search of artifacts warning of an impending doom. After a year, the end of the world takes the form of a competition in which each challenge takes place on a different planet.

Unlike the plot, the biggest point of contention has been the actual characters to appear in the comic! Truth is, there’s been dozens of characters that have had the possibility of appearing in the comic. Some as main characters, and others as more comic relief side characters. Sizing down the original fifty plus characters has been no easy task, and I’ve joined a bunch of calls with some buds trying to decide which characters should stay or go has been a struggle. I’ll probably come to this decision on my own since these are my characters and only my most cherished of children will make it in..

The spreadsheet above was originally where I listed out all of my ocs and we went through them all and talked about how which characters could act and little quirks they could have. I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t help give me an idea on the characters I FOR SURE wanted in.

Ornament’s a character I’ve wanted in the comic since day one, they’re GUARUNTEED to be a main character. I used them in this enviornment as a test of how I’d draw backgrounds in the comic.

As another small experiment, I tried to go back to my last comic Sunburn and redraw it with the skills I have now in a style I might’ve liked back then, I’m pretty happy with how it came out!

Below is another character with a similar style. She’s also guaranteed for the comic, her name’s Inkwell!

More onto the look of the comic...

I’ve also been messing around with a potential style for the comic. It’s another one of those things that I’ve been putting a lot of thought into, but at the end of the day I think I have a good idea for what I want to do.

My biggest inspirations for this comic have always been my favorite object shows (ONE, Battle for Dream Island Again) and their saturated colors and simple designs, and Homestuck and the many many MSPFAS out there (Vast Error, A Guy Gets Revenge). Drawing objects in this style consistently has been a bit of a struggle, but I’ve found myself gravitating towards big and round hands, and tiny lil’ feet.

I don’t know if I’ll lean as heavy with the gradients and blurs though, since they’ve given me mixed results. I think I like the look of them when minimally used so I’ll probably stick to that.

Another art related thing I heavily debated on using was sprites. At first, I wanted to completely opt out of using any sprites for the sake of simplicity, but with the help of some really nice people I not only re-sprited old characters, but decided that I might go with this sprite style for the new characters. They’re so silly that it’s been hard for me to say no!

Another thing I want to note before ending this post is that just like all of my other comics, I do not mean for this to be the job of a crew where I’m only a writer.

This is my comic, and something I’ve wanted to make. Chances are that just like Sunburn, I’ll be writing a large part of the comic and drawing a large chunk of the panels. I wanna carry the weight of this because its my story!!! With that being said, anyone’s welcome to help! If you’re interested, feel free to DM me on Discord @sundSlime#2003.

TLDR?

Progress on the comic has been underway, but there’s a lot of stuff left to iron out. Hope you guys like what I have so far! Have a good day :)

#osc #object show community #object show comic #mspfanventures #mspfa #another object comic

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justgoji · 8 months

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Tell me about Heron. Anything and everything. For as long as you want. All the lore. All the details in designing him. Please.

I can only show a handful of images from before the rewrite, so you may not hear everything from there because of personal reasons and/or privacy, but I’ll definitely try to explain as much of Heron post rewrite as I can after that.

Heron, along with Toby and Makarov, were the results of when I split one oc into three. It was weird, they were like brothers in spirit but were technically the same person in three stages of life but could also age independently and also shared each other’s memories it was a mess.

Heron’s outfit you see today was actually in the original story, but started out as part of a dream in a coma (Yes Heron got into a coma it was wild). In the dream was some kind of 3d rpg with gang versions of vocaloids utaus and fanloids, and when he woke up he made the outfit he had in the dream real so he could look just like the dream version of himself.

At some point I made a drawing of Heron if he was more edgy, and this is where the eyepatch and robot hand originated. I didn’t intend it to be canon at first, but my friends loved it so much that I made it canon. The reason for it was stupid though, one of my self inserts would go into the shared headspace of Heron, Toby, and Makarov, and fought them which resulted in them waking up in their new designs.

Ultimately I had enough of the plotholes, weird writing choices, and overall bad plot, so I decided to ditch the old story in favor of a rewritten story that made more sense, had fully original designs, and actually had a focus on my original characters instead of cameo characters like Hatsune Miku (yeah Hatsune Miku was the main character of my old story for like the last quarter of it). My friends got to choose which outfit Heron would wear in this new context, and they chose the dream outfit, which I think was a great choice.

As I drew him again and again and again, and had help from my mutual’s depictions of him, I got a better idea of his personality and how he would interact with other characters. Today he is pretty much a self insert I can have interact with vsynths, but even then I try not to go too far with projecting everything about me onto him like I did in the original story. Oh yeah, I also changed his design a bit again earlier this year to fit with how my doodles of him looked.

I think his zipper is the most misinterpreted part of his outfit by far. I’ve seen a lot of people draw it as a regular zipper, but it’s actually supposed to resemble those blocky holeless textured zippers by Reebok.

I imagine that the fingers on his robot hand have a resin-like shell that is semitransparent and flexible, with endoskeleton fingers underneath the exterior. Early on I thought about making them glow but I decided against it. Although some people have make his fingers glow which I’m completely fine with.

His clothing was inspired by Hatsune Miku and Kagamine Len. I think the influence is most noticeable with his pants and sleeves, but even then he looks fairly distinct from both of the referenced vocaloids.

His headphones were originally just generic gamer cat ear headphones, but I decided to make them more original and made the ears look more like real cat ears, although sometimes when I draw them they end up looking like dog or fox ears instead.

His hair was inspired by the crests of actual herons. I had a bit of trouble coming up with a good hair design but I’m very satisfied with the current product. Here are some scrapped hair designs that may or may not look familiar to you.

I imagine that Heron is a very emotional person, having strong outbursts and mood swings, which may be the result of him getting bullied constantly during his childhood. I think the biggest reason why he was a prime target may have been because of his timid nature. Speaking of childhood, here’s some doodles of what he looked like before he joined the vsynths.

How he became a synth in the story is unclear, but I imagine that it’s similar to how the phone guys in the Dayshift at Freddy’s series are created. People are sent to some sort of factory or facility where they are turned into phone guys, and something similar could be happening here. In the Memecenary Madness universe, all synths (vocaloids, utaus, fanloids, synthvs etc.) are implied to be robotic or made of technology that blurs the line between biological and artificial.

In the original story, Hatsune Miku and Heron have a strong connection to each other to the point that it’s basically fan fiction. But in the rewrite, it’s a lot more safe, with Heron being inspired by Miku to become a singer, and eventually getting to sing a few songs with Miku in person. They don’t talk much, but they definitely share some sort of wavelength, as they come up with similar thoughts and in rare cases become indistinguishable from one another. Here’s what Miku looks like in the rewrite btw.

So yeah, that’s pretty much all I can say about Heron right now. Feel free to ask me about my other characters, such as Dane Brook, Alex Cass, Big Iron etc.

Also I love fanart of my characters I’m begging you guys to make more

#tag because tumblr won’t let me save edits without a tag

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ofpineapplesanddawns · 2 years

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Oooh, time for a big talk of gender things for an android and a cyborg.

Currently, Crowley goes by AJ (short for AJ0440, his serial number), and thinks Aziraphale’s name is Ezra.

On with the fic!

Curiosity had gotten AJ into a number of situations, both good and bad. He found that he liked asking questions, he liked learning, he liked getting answers, even if people didn’t want him to know things. Ezra was more than happy to answer any of his questions, no matter how ridiculous they were, but at the moment AJ found that he couldn’t ask what was on his mind.

He peered into Ezra’s kitchen, where the man was currently in the middle of a baking project. He rather liked baking, often making treats for the locals on his street, or just for himself. Music was playing from a device somewhere on a shelf, something old and classic from a time long since passed. AJ smiled a little, then drummed his fingers on the tablet he was holding.

“Angel?” He finally spoke up, catching Ezra’s attention.

“Oh! Hello, dear. Did you need something?” He asked as he grabbed for the rag nearby, cleaning off his flour-covered hands.

“Uhh... you know how you said you’d do your best to answer any of my questions, yeah?”

“Of course, is there something on your mind?”

AJ felt his systems warm inside, but not from joy, from worry, stress. “Angel, I’ve been... looking more into this free will thing that you think I have, and... how you said choices are a big part of it.”

He sat down on a stool at the kitchen island where Ezra was working, careful of the flour and specks of dough. From a quick register of ingredients scattered about, it looked like he was in the middle of making scones. Specifically orange cranberry scones with white chocolate chips.

Ezra blinked, raising an eyebrow. “What is it that has you looking a bit frazzled? You know you can tell me anything, I won’t judge.”

AJ looked up at him with his odd eyes and sighed, clearing his throat, though it wasn’t technically necessary. “My model is automatically set and designed to be male-coded, we’re meant to be... valets, butlers, servants and the like, that whole crock of shit. We’re meant to play a masculine role for our owners. But...”

He looked at the screen of his tablet, at the codes and schematics he had been working on. “What if that wasn’t... always the case? For me? What if some days I come out of sleep mode and think to myself, ‘I am AJ0440 and today I am designated... female’. Or-or, uh, designated gender non-conforming! Or simply designated male default?”

His eyes drifted to the mess on the counter now. “What if I didn’t have to be my model’s set coding? What if I wanted to be something different? Is that free will? Or another malfunction in my internal programming?”

He could feel the heat in his chest getting worse, his mechanics were working faster in his stress...

Then a hand lifted his chin and he was looking up into kind, hazel eyes. “AJ, are you asking if you are allowed to present differently from male?”

He nodded, swallowing. “Is that normal? It’s not in my info banks if this is allowed for me.”

“Your info banks are limited, dear, you know this.” Ezra sighed, stroking AJ’s cheek with a thumb. “I don’t see any problem with you wanting to see yourself as anything other than just your default gender.”

“So... it’s not another malfunction to my system?”

“Of course not! Everyone should be allowed the explore their options and see what is right for them, what feels correct and true, especially if they know that what they are assigned at birth is not what they really feel is right for them in the first place! Some people are comfortable as they are, while others know they aren’t and want to be under a different pronoun that fits them better.”

AJ stared, slowly blinked. “Is... this free will for humans?”

“Well,” Ezra replied, removing his hand, “I suppose so. Humans are allowed to change themselves, but why not an android or a robot? I mean, take my for instance, I’ve never really been much of anything.”

“But your files list you as male.”

“Yes, but I don’t really feel like that, or anything really, but I use he/him because it’s just easier and I’m fine with it. I do believe the term is agender, and it came be felt in a variety of ways, but this is how I feel as myself.” Ezra smiled as he grabbed for his dough, taking it out of the bowl he had placed it in and started to roll it on the island.

“As for you, AJ, I think you are looking for the term... genderfluid? Maybe? Or I’ve heard bigender. Oh, and transgender, of course. I think an android could be trans, I mean, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. Try non-binary, if that fits.”

The android looked at his tablet, tapping these in quickly, reading over the terms as a quick speed. “These seem to be in the right category of what I’m feeling, but... but am I allowed to use them? I don’t see anything about androids or robots in here...”

“And why not?” Ezra frowned as he worked the dough. “It’s a load of baloney that you shouldn’t be allowed to explore your identity because of humans saying you can’t! I’m a cyborg, yet people still say I’m human, am I allowed to voice my gender? My sexuality? Or does it not count because I have robotic parts on and in my body?”

AJ frowned as well. “You have every right to be however you present yourself, angel! Fuck ‘em if they say no cause you’re a cyborg!”

“Exactly! And same goes for you, AJ! You’re an android, yes, but you have choices, you can make them, you are as human as they come! I say go for it, be a mister or miss, or even mx if you feel that’s what you’d like! And I’ll be happy to address you however you wish for me to do so.”

The heat had calmed down, but AJ felt his systems warm at this, his fans kicking in. He was so glad he was wearing his shades, he feared he might have a heart pupil again. “T-thanks, angel. But, uh, today is a he day. But who knows what tomorrow will be.”

“Of course.” Ezra smiled. “Would you like to help me with the scones?”

“Sure.” AJ set his tablet aside and moved to start cutting up the dough. “Angel?”

“Yes?”

“Do you... think we could go clothes shoppin’ again soon? I was thinking maybe some more feminine clothing would look nice in my wardrobe, if that’s alright?”

“We can do that this weekend, AJ. I bet you’d look lovely in a dress. Oh, and maybe a wig, I bet long hair would look so fetching on you, outlining those pretty cheekbones you have!”

AJ made a weird whirring sound and looked away, quickly cutting up the dough more. “For fuck’s sake, Ezra, you’re gonna melt my core...”

Give me an android and you’re gonna get heart pupils.

Aziraphale is not afraid to tell Crowley he finds him beautiful, but he won’t confess he has a crush on his friend.

Didn’t quite do a big discussion on personhood, but there was something in the gender stuff. I’d need to sit down and think it all out really before I write that, haha.

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #anthony j crowley #ineffable husbands #john's drabbles #do androids dream of cyborg angels au

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farchanter · 1 year

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Pokémon: Scarlet Version

I think it’s time to show you that real life isn’t all just being true to yourself...

When I first played Pokémon: Red Version some twenty-five years ago, one of the very first things I did was look at the world map included in the instruction booklet. The land of Kanto seemed so vast. Even when I started playing, I returned to that map. I couldn't even really picture what my journey might look like when I reached the game's furthest reaches. What Pokémon would I encounter? What would my own team look like? How would I even get there?

None of the games in the series since have quite made me feel the same way. Some of that is nostalgia lying to me: Pokémon games have only gotten larger, but my own familiarity with the series formula, a better understanding of how to play games, and frankly just getting older have made the game worlds feel much more within my grasp. Part of it, however, it must be said, is a deliberate design choice. Clear quest markers and other forms of game help have made Pokémon feel much more linear and— while I get it— it wasn't what I wanted.

So, before I get into any of the finer details of Scarlet and Violet, I want to highlight the most important aspect of this review:

For the first time since I realized Gold was only halfway over, I opened the world map of Pokémon: Scarlet Version and said "oh, wow."

A lot of the commentary around Scarlet and Violet has focused on technical aspects. And, let's be perfectly clear: the game is kind of a mess. Performance suffers, the procedural AI which places and moves Pokémon makes some baffling decisions. The graphics aren't great, even though the game chokes when asked to draw too many things. These are all absolutely, incontrovertibly true.

I do not care.

Scarlet is a joy. It captures that sine qua non open-world adventure games must have where I delighted in simply walking around, in wondering "what's over there?" Exploration is essential to this experience, and it's energizing.

That said, some critiques:

I didn't really enjoy the new Pokémon as much as the creatures introduced in Scarlet and Violet as much as other recent games. Sun/Moon (Hawaii) and Sword/Shield (England) embraced the real-world areas their game maps are based on, and it lent the monsters their own collective character. Although there are some Pokémon inspired by real-world Spain, the new roster as a whole felt somewhat underwhelming. Enough old friends return that it doesn't drag on the overall experience, but it was a bit disappointing. That being said, however, I felt a closer connection to my team members than I've felt in other games. The moment of getting a shiny Rookidee, one of my absolute favorites, is going to stay with me forever. That she got to tank the final boss was even better. That she'll get to come with me forever through Pokémon Home integration is better still.

Although the performance problems have been overblown, in my opinion, I do feel that Game Freak has to do something about it before whatever the next game is. Watching a Shellos inexplicably launch into the heavens or your player falling through a seam in the earth counts squarely as the funny sort of bug, but one could easily see a world where the game is unplayable. The gap between "glitchy (fun)" and "glitchy (bad)" is a really perilous tightrope, and Game Freak got really lucky to land on the right side. I don't think they can necessarily count on doing so again.

I think there's also a problem with the open-world structure here. It's a bit nuanced, so bear with me.

Part of the fun— or, at least, the challenge— of open world games is what happens when you wander too far afield. For instance, if you stumble into a monster you can't handle in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the game fundamentally changes. Your combat skills are now repurposed into escape skills— or you lose (a common experience early in Breath of the Wild is triggering a fight that's killed you before you've even really processed that it's started). Some of the best experiences with games like this come from organic moments like those, where you barely escaped with your skin and only survived through some feat of derring-do.

Pokémon necessarily works a little bit differently.

As a turn-based RPG, there's not really an "escape" form of the game mechanics that translates the same way an action RPG would. Nor is there really a way to "trick" your way through a lot of fights. Although strategy is a vital part of Pokémon, at a certain point you're facing a losing math problem if you encounter something much higher leveled than you. Losing in Pokémon also tends to be frustrating (if it's a fight you can't possibly win) or time-consuming and expensive if you need to expend excess resources to get through it. This contrasts with the same experience in games such as Breath of the Wild, where such encounters are terrifying, brief, and cheap.

I bring this up because there seems to be a deliberate game design decision to resolve exactly such a problem: because player-underleveled encounters are an undesirable part of the experience, Scarlet makes it unlikely that you accidentally wind up in such a fight. Even ostensibly aggressive Pokémon will give you several seconds of warning before actually pursuing you, and quickly give up the chase if you wander off. This means that, unless you run into a monster yourself, you're unlikely to trigger combat. Sometimes you do that unintentionally (some Pokémon are very small and blend quite well), but you will never actually be hunted down. Other than a few story encounters, Pokémon trainers will not fight you unless you talk to them yourself.

This resolves the problem of getting frustrated by a bad battle, but... I don't know, I think we lost something along the way. Relatively early in the game, I made an excursion to Glasedo Mountain (I wanted this jerk). On paper, that was a horrible idea. I would have gotten destroyed by just about anyone on the mountain. Because the monsters are so passive, however, I simply played a fairly straightforward keepaway and never really felt threatened by this late-game area.

I'm open to the idea that other people prefer this. It certainly makes for a more relaxed open world game. It made me feel like I had fully opened the game world sooner than I expected, which is the point at which an open world game is (functionally) solved. Essentially, then, Scarlet was over sooner than I wanted. While I'm reluctant to wade into the Scarlet/Violet vs. Legends Arceus debate, it's worth noting that the monsters were more aggressive there and the game was much scarier for that reason— but, of course, player combat mechanics are different in Legends Arceus.

Those were a lot of words complaining about an ultimately minor thing, so let's get back to the good stuff.

Scarlet introduces new ways of playing, new ways of "beating" the game beyond the traditional gym challenge. In my opinion, the gyms still felt like the main attraction, but these new objectives were a lot of fun. If you finish all three questlines, you get an additional endgame mission that resolves the story of one of your companions.

Those companions are quite well-fleshed-out for Pokémon characters. Of the three, two are dealing with some pretty heavy trauma, from school bullying to neglectful parents. It felt good— truly an sincerely— to help these characters. In that final endgame mission, your companions travel with you and talk with each other, and it made me wish that was something we had gotten to see more of.

Between raid battles, probable DLC, and traditional Pokémon competitive content, I think I'm going to be playing a lot of Scarlet. If you want to recapture the magic of Pokémon as a game of exploration, you owe it to yourself to play.

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hareefaree · 1 year

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Journal - 2022 Fall Reflections - Game Design

Over the past semester, I’ve made a number of works - and even though I’m not happy with how I took care of myself this semester I can safely say that this semester of my college experience has been the most productive and creative yet. I have made works that I am incredibly proud of in close succession and have laid the foundation for multiple projects that I will be expanding on in the future! I kinda wanted to review my favorite/most exciting projects and detail why I loved them so much and where I want to take them next.

A project-by-project look under the read me, my animation work will be in a different post! :)

Personally I feel like most of my artistic work in the past few years have been stemming from a sense of grief and longing, which I feel like I’m finally starting to process both in therapy and in work (wow, working from your worst emotions unhealed actually hurts your creative process! Who knew.) Working from these emotions raw was a good way to get them out, but I can’t say that I wanted to revisit and complete the projects I made prior to this year because they were just that - catharsis, for me. So now I’m trying to build distance again. And while the work I’m creating is still deeply personal (anything you spend hours on is), I feel safe presenting it to others now.

I’ve also just been kinda… reconnecting with my heritage. I’m starting the process of properly learning Malayalam to help me solidify my ideas for my thesis film, and a few of the projects have just been me going through old family photos and trying to recreate the vibe of the memories I’m trying to capture (stiff and showy brown parties, photos and movies from 70s bombay, family dynamics that are exhausting and complicated but still important). I came out to myself as a lesbian this year and had the opportunity to properly explore my attraction and lesbian culture as myself, which was a long time coming. All the while I feel as through the world has suddenly become more and more reactionary, and I can’t help but emphasize the political dimension of myself and my art.

All that to say is, I think I’m figuring out why I’m making art. So with the boring background out of the way, let’s get into what I’ve actually been working on!

GAME DESIGN

I had the amazing fortune to take a narrative design course this semester under the guidance of the creator of Twine Chris Klimas (if you’re interested in game design and storytelling just download it! It’s free, open source, and pretty versatile for text-based projects). I’d been struggling with game design prior, I wasn’t connecting with how I was being taught and I severely lacked (and continue to lack) the technical skills to make the games I want to make. But this class reminded me why I loved games so much and did a lot to reestablish my confidence.

Brown Party

Brown Party is a simple twine game and the first game design project of the semester. This was still more catharsis than art to me, if I’m being honest. I think going in there were a lot of ideas floating around - my relationship with my lesbian/desi identity, my issues with brain drain/Indian immigrant community culture, classism, and the overdone anti-artist prejudice trope. This shows in the writing - the narrative structure is a bit of a mess and I was so ambitious in terms of scope. But I made a game!

I think, over the course of editing and revising this project that I actually stumbled upon some gems, stuff that I want to flesh out. I think it's a game that deserves to be bigger, that deserves more critical thought and cohesion put into it.

I want to genre bend this thing a ton- I kind of realized I was remembering this uncanny sense of space when I went to brown parties when I was younger. I may play with magical realism and whatever the fuck was going on in the RPG-maker horror game genre in the mid 2000s.

I also just want to hone in on the main characters, make them feel more like people and less like I’m ragging on the girls in my community. I have a lot of compassion for desi-american girls! I wish we as a community thought more about the world beyond our families but like. I grew up as that in that environment. It was grueling.

So yeah! I’m gonna be sharpening my unity skills and trying to see what sort of system would best serve this story…but its gonna be tabled for a while.

Ephemera/Your Mother Is Dead

Ahhhhh this game! I made this when I realized I desperately needed to be in therapy and it did me all the better. I had a pretty traumatic incident with my family and channelled all the fear and anxiety I was feeling at the time into this project.

This game, and I struggled a LOT with the technical aspects, ended up very different from my initial conception. The main narrative thread I was playing with was ‘packing up your mothers things after she died,’ and that vision stayed strong.

Game play wise, I was trying to build an inventory system in which you would stack things on top of other things and possibly break the things your mother had (the second person here refers to the player character! I feel like a lot of the aspects of this game were based in my heritage, upbringing specifically), revealing your own complex relationship with her. That didn’t work. I actually almost didn’t submit this because the system didn’t work. But the box packing wasn’t the important part, it was the relationship with your mother.

I think by channelling and solidifying my ideas in the writing, I was able to create a proper roadmap for where I want to take this. I will make the box stacking situation because I think it will help create closure, but I also wanted to incorporate dialogue with people, to have the gameplay be more about learning, knowing, and trying to understand how you feel about your parent.

I want to finish this game. I wanna rework the graphics so that it feels more homey and I want to create something I can properly cry my way through.

And I will. :)

The Visitor

This was a collaboration with my good friends @addersmire (who led the charge on coding and designing the game) and Moss (I’m not sure if he has a tumblr so. hi moss, they did the sound design). I built the dialogue system (using yarn, they did the bulk of the legwork), wrote the most of the dialogue, and created the intro animation!

It’s very different from the rest of my work this semester (probs because I was collaborating) and ended up being pretty fucking sick actually! I feel a lot more comfortable with Unity after this (especially bc addersmire is kind of a unity god? they have magical powers I think).

I’ll probs be incorporating yarn more into my work from now on since its such a good system (that needs more people to do forum answers for bc guys these hyper specific problems need answering)

The visitor is just an intro/prototype to a game we spent some time concepting. Not sure if it’ll ever be finished but it was a great experiment - you can play the intro on itch!

#journal #reflections #im proud of myself #but also im learning the value of caring for myself #so... gonna focus on that more!#game design

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palettepainter · 1 year

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Food for thought 33

So I wanna try and do some mothers day stuff with the MHA mum’s we’ve been shown, maybe some stuff with OC’s I’ve done too, and alongside trying to think of designs I’ve had this one idea with Ecto’s mum Chimu floating about in my head so here’s a food for thought!

So Ecto’s mum Chimu worked as Akarui’s head of the backstage department before they got married, but I’ve also been entertaining the idea of her working security. With her quirk - Anthropromorph - she’s able to make large clones that can take a buncha hits and do a great deal of damage, and the thought of Chimu - this kind old lady who gives people tea and biscuits and enjoys gardening alongside her husband - being ex head of security who occasionally had to whoop peoples butts

I had the thought that this first happens when Chimu is out shopping and Higari tags along to help. He still feels out of his comfort zone with Ecto’s parents so he’s maybe trying a bit too hard to try and be helpful and show he’s a good partner for Ecto. Chimu and Akarui are of course lovely and insist that Higari doesn’t NEED to do all this stuff for them but they’re happy he tags along anyway. At some point during their shopping trip a petty theif comes into the shop and tries to rob Chimu, Higari goes to leap into action and nearly gets himself hurt in the process-

Then this giant clone made out of nearby shelf unit grabs this theif by the scruff and tosses them into a display of soup cans, no body messes with Chimu’s son in law in that way

Que Higari blinking wide, confused and above all surprised eyes at Miss Chimu who snorts at the theif who’s groaning in a crumpled pile under the soup cans before turning worridely to Higari

Ectoplasm and Akarui where later filled in on the situation by a still very surprised Higari, to which Akarui at the end then laughed lightly and went “Yeah, sounds like my wife”

#MHA #Higari #Ectoplasm #Chimu #Akarui #Food for thought

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fading-mentally · 2 years

Note

for the oc ask: 11, 12, and/or 14

Referenced OC Ask post

I'm using a lot of drawn examples, but most of them are over a year old at this point, so I'll try to create some more updated character references soon-ish.

Which character has been through the most design changes?

That’s a tough one. A majority of my characters were created when I was anywhere from 8-11 years old since most of them started out as toys or as me messing around on Doll Divine, so there have been some pretty major changes to almost all of them over the years. If I had to pick anyone though, it’d probably be Robin who’s gone through the most drastic changes over the years, starting with me using a lion stuffed animal to represent the character of Robin (as in, Batman and Robin), then deciding that he’s just a lion named Robin, and then pretty much staying on that track, but still updating his design (full lion, half lion/half humanoid, mostly human with lion traits, can transform between these variations, etc).

He used to be this sort of “chosen one” in my little world, and while a lot of those adventures and pressure are still a major part of his character, all of that happened when Robin (and myself) were relatively young. He has since moved to be more of a background character to other OCs, enjoying a more peaceful life in communion with nature.

The addition of his sister and a more fleshed-out background helped me to actually solidify his personality as a very calm, regal presence as a foil to his sister, Obayana, who has matured a bit over the years but is ultimately still a very hot-headed and brash individual (I also gave Robin some more earth-based themes and magic to contrast with Obayana’s fiery magic).

Which OC is most likely to kill somebody?

I’ve always been a fan of epic people with epic powers doing epic (although not necessarily good) shit, so pair my childhood (and current) love of mythology, monster movies, and action heroes and you’ve got some walking (probably overpowered) natural disasters for characters who can and will break skulls like it’s nobody's business.

With that said, I imagine most of my favorite OCs in epic battles of some kind, destroying enemies and whatnot, but those enemies were usually faceless shadowy minions or something like that. There’s only a few OCs with whom I’ve sat down and gone “this person has actively killed living beings.” When I was younger I would’ve definitely labeled Aqua as the most deadly, who at the time was young, confused, and angry at so many things all at once that she was constantly on the verge of exploding, causing fatal natural disasters in her rage and violently lashing out at the closest target. At this point, however, as Aqua has matured and been thrust unwillingly into positions of leadership, she’s mellowed out significantly. (She still can and will cut a bitch though).

So, while Aqua is still pretty high up there on “most likely to kill someone,” I think her spot at #1 has been taken by Mio as I’ve thought deeper about Mio’s character. Mio was abused, raised as a child soldier and living weapon, and kept getting dragged into other people’s wars even after escaping her previous situation. She’s spent a long time trying to find somewhere to just exist, and she’s done a lot of work to present herself as a relaxed, charismatic person. Having never had any proper care for the trauma she’s experienced has definitely left its mark though, and she’s always calculating and looking for danger, trying desperately to protect the attachments she’s made, and she’s willing to ruthlessly kill to do it.

There’s a lot more to Mio’s background than that, but if I tried to cover all of the things that might relate to how she became the way she is, or how deadly she can be, this would quickly turn into an extremely long post, even compared to where it is already.

Which OC/s do you relate to the most?

That’s a tough one. Most of my more used OCs have naturally taken on certain traits from me. Mio technically used to be my self-insert character when I would play with toys/roleplay, but she grew into a representation of the things I wanted to be, and a very different person from me, so I revamped her into her own character.

Poppy might be the most similar/relatable to me at this point. Part of that is because I subconsciously made her reflect my neurodivergent characteristics before I even realized I was neurodivergent. She’s definitely still very much her own character that has skills and interests beyond my own, but she gets really into the types of little details in things that I would care about and ramble about if given half a chance that most people don’t notice or think about. She’s extremely physically affectionate, to the point of having to be reminded about personal space, she’s a huge nerd (of the D&D and Sci-Fi variety) and has low volume control. Once she’s done with a social interaction she unintentionally tunes out/loses energy. I give her a lot of room to fidget and tinker so that she can do and make things that I don’t have the time or understanding to explore in my life, which also gives me an excuse to do heavy research and deep dives into certain subjects so that I can understand what she’s doing better, even if the science and mechanics are beyond me (ex. How prosthetics function, incorporating real tech with fantasy elements, the possible future of science/tech, etc.). All of these are characteristics that I still have, but Poppy reflects a younger version of myself with a bit less self-control and a lot more room to do her own thing (in the sense that I don’t think too hard about the funding that would be required for her hobbies), becoming a bit of a wild child/unintentional menace at times.

#long post #like really long post #my art #oc artwork #oc poppy #oc aqua pendragon #oc mio #oc robin #I really like writing this #I've never really written anything about my OCs down before #so I've just kept all that info in my head for the last 11 years #which also means that organizing my thoughts on them is difficult

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jickboi308 · 2 years

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So a couple months back I started writing a Star Wars fanfic with some oc’s I made. I’ve just recently finished my second chapter and the prologue. It’s called one life for another. It takes place during the prequel era because I like that one a lot.

Here’s a picture of the main character Rhys Laurelin, a rodian jedi master who also happens to be a grey jedi. The pic is a bit of an old one and does have some mess ups but overall that’s his design. He’s got two blood orange lightsabers, magenta hair which he usually wears in a ponytail, he’s got dark green skin, purple markings around his eyes, chest and back, and his robes are various different shades of white and gray. His cloak is pure white and the first layer overtop of his robes is also white, the next few layers is a dark grey, and the last layer is again pure white. His pants are a lighter gray and his boots are a dark brown colour. He is also 32 years old. One day I’ll make a coloured piece for him and all my other Star Wars oc’s

He sometimes gives off a very angry or stern demeanour but when you get to know him very personally he is a very kind person. He tries his best to help those in need, even holding off on certain duties if it means helping someone who needs it. He will always find a peaceful solution to a conflict as long as it’s a possibility. Despite being a grey jedi, he still is wary of falling in love and staying together with parse. He wants to buy is still worried of the possible consequences.

Next is parse, Rhys’ secret lover who is a duros and a bounty hunter. He’s got dark blue skin, and red eyes. Parse o sadly have no determined colours for his clothing as of yet so I don’t have much to say on that front. Parse is 28 years old. He wields two blasters and a sniper rifle. His goggles actually hook up to the scope so he can aim the gun with ease allowing for much harder to get angles to be used. He also has a grapple he sometimes hangs from to like up a target. He also has a small dagger for close quarters combat.

He sometimes can be very snarky and sarcastic with Rhys but does genuinely care for him and Rhys of course knows this. He would do anything to keep the man he loves safe even if it means putting himself at risk to do it.

Lastly Rhys’ padawan Amala who is a twi liek. She wields a lightsaber with a curved hilt (originally I almost considered giving her a whip lightsaber but decided 1, that’s impractical in most case even if it’s kinda cool, and 2, a padawan probably would not have that) with a cyan almost blue blade. Again I haven’t thought out her robe colours too much but I do know the first layer is going to be black or a very dark brown colour. Her skin tone as well also hasn’t been decided just yet, the markings on her though are a slight off white colour. She is 13 years old.

Amala is usually a very fast learner when it comes to her training. As much as she doesn’t always like the orders she’s given she’ll follow them as best she can if it means being able to help as much as she can in the process. She can sometimes worry a fair bit or be unsure about herself but Rhys is usually there to help her get through it to the best of his abilities. She herself is pretty good at strategizing as well. When she becomes a jedi knight she hopes to be as good a jedi as her master or even better if that’s possible.

Tumblr is being weird and not letting me post the link so you can find it under the wattpad username Thatonecomment308. The cover of the story is temporary rn but I hope I have something completed soon.

#art #artists on tumblr #sketch #my oc art #oc artwork #original character #fanart #ocs #writers on tumblr #writing #star wars #fanfic

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mercy-burning · 3 years

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Honeybee

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: While attending Seraphina's wedding, Y/N discovers that her crush on her best friend’s older brother hasn’t gone away after all these years. Category: SMUT (18+) Content: Strong language, alcohol consumption, fingering, penetrative/protected sex Word Count: 5.7k

MASTERLIST

NOTE: I know I promised a oneshot over the weekend, but I’m a messy, inconsistent bitch, so you get it a day late 😅🥰

———

Looking back, I was starting to wonder if Seraphina only got engaged and asked me to be her maid of honor just to witness my slow descent into a heaping puddle of lovesick mush.

Truly, it was pathetic.

Yeah, yeah, she was getting married because she loved her fiancé and whatever, obviously, but she was also using it as an excuse to try and get me to admit my feelings for her older brother. Feelings, I might add, that only surfaced when I was a middle schooler and went away once he went off to college.

Sure, I'd thought about him on occasion when he was inevitably brought up around Sera's house throughout the years, but that was it. I'd hardly say I was hard-core in love with him. And I was totally prepared to see him for the first time since our high school graduation.

At least, I thought I was.

And Seraphina—the little shit—knew it, too. The smirk on her face the moment we were all in the same room for the first time in ten years made me want to run and hide more than her brother's figure, right in front of me and hotter than ever.

I was mad. Not at Sera as much, because really there was nothing she could do about the fact that he was her brother, but I was mad at myself. Because how in the hell had it stood to reason that a man I actively didn't think about for a whole decade had this much of an effect on me after all this time?

Honestly? I blame the FBI.

If he'd done literally anything else with his life I probably could have made it. Well, not by much if we're being honest, but come on...

Where he'd been a bit nerdy and reserved as I knew him, the man in front of me had clearly changed. Not just physically, though that was also a pleasant surprise. He looked like he'd been through some shit... And he carried himself taller. There was a new air of confidence that perched on his shoulder and helped him along as he talked with old friends and family members at his sister's rehearsal dinner.

Spencer Reid was older and more experienced this time around, and somehow even more goddamn delicious...

I was a total wreck. And it was about to get a whole lot worse.

He was coming this way. Right for me. He'd noticed me staring at him all night, because I couldn't keep my shit together, and now I was absolutely doomed.

Guess it was a good thing I'd practically grown up with him and knew how to act outwardly.

Still, the moment he was up close and flashing me that little smile of his, I felt the pit of my stomach scream out loud, sending shockwaves through my bloodstream.

"Hey, Honeybee. It's been a while."

Fuck. That fucking nickname...

"Spencer... It has."

When we hugged briefly, I tried as hard as I could not to inhale his scent, knowing that not only was that pathetic and embarrassing, but also I'd never stop smelling it otherwise. I did take note, though, of how strong he was now. He wasn't a bodybuilder of any kind, but he was certainly less bony and more defined.

I had to hold back a whine as I felt him let go of me, because I didn't want to leave his warm embrace but also because I didn't think I could stand to look at his face anymore without losing any and all semblance of my cool.

Still, I let him release me, and even then he didn't go far. We only stood inches apart, and my whole body was practically numb at the proximity. It also didn't help that I had to tilt my head up to see his face— It made me feel extremely submissive, and I could already feel myself starting to shrink.

Whether he was amused at that or just at me in general, the feeling I got was the same.

"Sera tells me you've been busy..." He paused, seemingly searching for the right word, though I could tell he already had it on the tip of his tongue. "Modeling?"

I closed my eyes with a sigh. "It was one job for some obscure European magazine, no one in the country's probably ever heard of it... It's not that big of a deal."

Spencer huffed a laugh. "You sound embarrassed..."

How was I supposed to respond to that? If I lied and told him I wasn't embarrassed, he'd figure it out, and if I told him the truth? I'd still be screwed. Honestly, my best bet was changing the subject.

Though, maybe it wasn't— When I asked him about his travels for work, he ignored it and responded with, "Ah, so you are embarrassed."

"N— I am not!"

"You changed the subject so fast I barely had time to blink... There's nothing to be ashamed of, Honeybee, I don't know why you'd—"

"Look, dude, I'm not ashamed, and I'm certainly not changing the subject. We were on the subject of jobs. So there."

I was aware of how childish I sounded, but I stood my ground nonetheless. And thankfully Spencer seemed to let it go, though not without amplifying that amused sparkle in his eye.

"Okay... Well, I've got some more people to see, but, uh... I'll see you around. Maybe you can show me some of your work."

He didn't even give me time to protest. Though if he had, I was sure I wouldn't have been able to get any words out what with that goddamned face he had, twisted and sculpted into all these beautiful ways that were designed specifically to make me a blubbering hot mess.

I could only gather the courage to nod in response, though he'd turned his back and walked away by the time I got it out.

———

All things considered, I'd managed to avoid him for the majority of the wedding festivities. I focused all my energy on being happy to see my best friend get married, and likewise it seemed that Spencer was inclined to do the same.

He walked his sister down the aisle, and seeing them both so happy truly made my heart sing. To think I'd known them since we were all kids more or less, and now they were both successful, beautiful human beings... It warmed me to my core, and despite the other flames that stung my insides at seeing Spencer in his tux, thing were going swimmingly.

That being said, we were just about two hours into the reception, and there was absolutely nothing stopping me from begging Seraphina to put me out of my misery.

Except maybe pints upon pints of alcohol.

In hindsight, that may not have been a good idea, though. Because as much as the open bar had it benefits, it also hated me. It was mostly my fault, because I was stupid enough to forget that I get frisky when I'm drunk, but that didn't stop me from blaming the bartender for continuing to serve me.

I wasn't quite at the point of all-out inebriation, but I was definitely toeing the line between tipsy flirting and total disaster.

And when Spencer came over to ask me to dance, I knew I was doomed.

I didn't find myself caring about what he was saying, only the fact that he was there, in front of me, putting his hands on me and breathing in the same air that I was putting out. My entire body buzzed, and while I would have panicked otherwise, my tipsy brain welcomed the tingle and made me a bit bolder.

"You enjoying yourself tonight?" he asked, like he couldn't already tell that I was having the time of my life.

"No way. You suck at dancing." The joke rolled off my tongue with ease, a product of years spent teasing him for countless things.

And just like all those times before, he rolled his eyes and then immediately flashed an affectionate smile all the same.

I should have stopped there, maybe tried to do something a bit more romantic like teach him how to dance... Placing his hands and fixing his posture, taking the time to gracefully have an excuse for exploring his body with my hands...

But romance took a backseat when I pressed myself in even closer to him and hummed just under his jawline. "Mmm, but I bet you're good at other things..."

I felt his hands grip my waist just a little tighter, and his throat visibly twitched. "How much have you had to drink, Honeybee?"

"Spencer," I whined, pressing my face into his neck. "Don't tell me you're turning me down, please..."

I could tell by the way he was touching me, his hands wavering and undecided, and the way his heartbeat thrummed loudly and quickly against my own that he wanted nothing more than to entertain my desires.

The thought made me quiver and press further into him. I kissed his jawline tenderly, silently begging him to whisk me away and finally make me his, but it broke my heart a little to feel him peel away from me.

When he looked into my eyes though, I swore the gleam in his own is what put me back together. It could have been the liquor swimming around in my body that made me feel lightheaded, but when Spencer lifted my chin with his fingers and looked me over, I knew that wasn't it. It was wholeheartedly, without a doubt, him.

"Tell you what... You get sobered up by the end of the night, and maybe I'll come find you."

I wanted to nod, but his gentle grip on my chin held me steady—At least until he glided his fingertips down my throat and over my shoulder. Then I downright slumped forward with a whine and a weak nod that seemed to make him smile.

"Thank you for the dance," he said earnestly, leaning forward to press the lightest of kisses to my temple.

Just like that he was gone, and I wanted him back almost immediately.

———

And so the night dragged on, and the longer I sobered up the more it dawned on me what the fuck just happened— What the fuck was going to happen, too, if I played my cards right.

It didn't help that I could practically feel Spencer's eyes on me the whole time. Probably to make sure I really wasn't drinking anymore, a fact that only made this feel more real.

On top of it all, I was starting to lose count of the amount of men here who were trying to buy me drinks. Even if the one man I really wanted tonight hadn't given me a deal, I still wouldn't have accepted them, if only for the pathetic fact that I would have been trying to catch his attention instead.

So much for trying to convince myself I wasn't in love with him...

Was that really what it was? It had to be, right?

Either way, I was determined to find out, and that meant declining every flirtatious offer to drink and dance.

Unfortunately, Seraphina seemed to notice, even on the one day in her entire life she shouldn't have been thinking about anyone but herself. "You're not having fun," she pouted, plopping down next to me and handing me a shot. "Have fun."

I laughed and set the tiny glass down on the table. "I am having fun, I'm just... tired. And being hungover tomorrow does not sound fun."

"Mmm," she responded, visibly suspicious.

I didn't really know what to say to her to convince her not to be though, so I grabbed her hand and smiled. "You're having fun though, right? 'Cause I will not hesitate to kick someone's ass if you're not."

With a bellowing laugh mildly tainted with the smell of champagne, Seraphina squeezed my hand and leaned in close. "I'm having the best time. I couldn't be happier."

"Well, good. You deserve it."

After a small moment of silent shared smiles, my best friend glanced over elsewhere and then back to me with that look in her eye that kind of scared me.

And her words were even scarier... "So, you talk to Spencer at all tonight?"

"Uh— Yeah... Briefly."

"Mhmm... Y'know, I saw you two dancing together earlier. You seemed reeeally close..."

There I was, getting defensive in front of a Reid sibling for the second time that night. And just like before, I was awful at being subtle. "Sera, stop it! It was just a dance..."

"Bullshit! He had his hands all over you, and he had that gross-ass, dreamy-ass look in his eye! He so wants to sleep with you!"

"Sera!" I gently shoved her and tried not to smile at the goofy smile she had plastered on her face.

"Am I wrong?"

"I... I don't..."

"Ha! I'm not wrong!"

The defeated look in my eye did nothing to disconfirm her story.

"So, what's stopping you from letting him?"

I went wide-eyed. "Se—You... You seriously would... You're okay with this? It doesn't... gross you out?"

There were a lot of things I could have seen Seraphina do in that moment, but pinching and yelling at me were not any of them. "Y/N! You idiot! I've been trying to get you two together for years! If I knew all it took was me getting married, I would have accepted Theo Decker's proposal..."

"Wa— In fifth grade? Sera, that wasn't—"

"I know, but you get what I mean! You two are so painfully attracted to each other, it physically hurts me. It's actually disgusting, but if it means there's a chance that you might get to be my sister? I say go for it."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You... You really mean that?"

"What, you think I'd joke about that?"

Everything that she conveyed to me within the look in her eyes, her words, and the squeezing of her hand over mine told me she was sincere.

"I love you, you know," I told her just as sincerely.

Her smile was as radiant as ever, but the teasing tone in her voice was enough to make me scowl again. "Right back at'cha, Honeybee. Just do me a favor and don't tell me any details. I don't wanna know."

I stuck my tongue out at her, followed by a short shove. "Oh, and as soon as you get back from your honeymoon? I'm kicking your ass for telling him about that nude shoot I did for that magazine..."

She only grinned. "Why? I think I did you a favor..."

I rolled my eyes at her, but in the end, I guess she was right.

———

I shouldn't have been pacing. Really, it was pretty fucking embarrassing the way I walked in circles around my hotel room, waiting for a knock at the door or a text message on my phone, or something to let me know that Spencer had really meant what he said and was on his way to come find me.

I didn't have a single drink after we danced, and I swear to God, if he made me go through this entire night all nervous without the liquor to calm me down, for nothing? I was going to kill him tomorrow.

Later today... Whatever.

The point? I was well and truly ready to feel him taking up my personal space, and I was going to feel like a real idiot if I waited around and prepped and everything, only for him not to show. The funny thing was, it was almost two in the morning, and I would have stayed up until the sun rose for him.

Thank God he had the decency to save me the trouble.

A short two-rap knock on the door made me jump, but I ran at it full-speed, flinging the large wooden panel open and letting its momentum blow cool wind over my body. And I needed it, too.

Because standing right in front of me was Spencer Reid in all his semi-exhausted glory. His outfit was loosened, buttons undone and bowtie untied, hanging limp around his neck. His hair sat wild atop his head and a thin layer of sweat coated his skin. Maybe that last part sounded gross, but looking at him? It was anything but.

Especially when he flashed me that damned smirk. "Someone's eager..."

I tried not to sound as dumbfounded by his presence as I felt. "Well, you made me a good offer I couldn't refuse. Excuse me for being excited."

"And here I thought all this time you hated me, Honeybee..."

"That would be easier, wouldn't it?"

His grin transformed into a full-on beaming smile then, and it only made my skin feel warmer and my heart beat faster. I returned his smile with my own, so genuinely happy to see him again after all this time, and with the brightest show of happiness I'd ever seen.

Turns out, smiling like a lovesick idiot was all I was capable of.

"Are you... gonna let me in?"

The low suggestive tone in his voice had me springing into action, stepping back and allowing him the space to come in. And though he had plenty of room, Spencer still decided to brush his body over mine as he passed. His eyes bore into my own as he gently kicked the door shut and enveloped us in a dimness that came from cheap hotel lighting.

Still, I was unable to speak, and hardly able to even breathe, with each passing second.

And then, his hands were on my waist, pulling me to him with a softness that matched the whisper in his throat as he said, "C'mere..." Looking up at him then, his fingers burning holes through the thin fabric of my dress while he looked back down me, eyes swimming in tender desire... It almost didn't even feel real.

And it certainly didn't feel real when he leaned in, one of his hands coming up to touch my face while the other pressed me firmly against him.

The moment his lips touched mine, I was gone. I positively melted into him, so much so that it felt like I was just becoming a part of him entirely, losing myself in the moment and unwilling to let it go.

Even when he sighed against my lips and parted his own to kiss me deeper, I just followed suit and let him take the lead. We moved together as one, fluidly and with as much eagerness was possible. I'd wanted to get a taste of him for so long, and he obviously felt the same way, what with the thorough and precise exploring his tongue did with my own. It shot warmth throughout my whole being, and my legs threatened to buckle underneath me from how weak they felt.

Spencer seemed to understand what was happening to me, because as soon as I'd thought it, he was just as quick to literally sweep me off my feet, scooping me up bridal style and carrying me over to the large bed in the middle of the room.

"I know we're at a wedding and all, but geez," I laughed, watching as he laid me down gently and crawled over my body. "A little much?"

He only rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me for trying to be romantic..."

"Mmm, I think you're just being an overachiever. As per usual."

That remark earned me a pinning of my wrists above my head, and the fire that erupted in my very core at my current position only cemented that this was very real.

Spencer grinned, his hips coming down to roll over mine teasingly. He spoke nice and slowly, his voice slicing through my soul like smooth butter. "Oh, Honeybee, I'll show you an overachiever..."

Once again I was rendered speechless. Not like I expected to be talking his ear off or anything, but words genuinely escaped me.

Luckily, Spencer didn't seem to mind. In fact, he knew exactly what to do next, and it made me even hungrier for him than ever before.

He captured my lips in another dizzying kiss, his hands still flexing over my wrists to keep them steady. I moaned softly and writhed against him, and though I would have liked to say that it was a conscious choice to coax him to give me more, really it was just me being unable to handle the fact that this was actually happening.

Actually, if not for the overwhelming and familiar scent of him, I would have thought I was only imagining it.

But alas, here he was in all his floral peppermint glory, grinding his hips down into mine and kissing me like I'd never been kissed before, driving me mad with each adept movement.

Thankfully he seemed to get as lost in the moment as I was, because he loosened my wrists in his grip, and I broke free, flying my hands in between us and down to his belt.

His lips pulled away from mine with a soft smack, a smile forming smugly upon them. "Have you no patience?"

As my fingers fumbled with the metal and leather, I pressed my nose to his and quickly pecked his mouth. "I thought we already established that I have no patience the moment I opened the door..."

"Fair... But still..."

Spencer grabbed my hands again, moving them to my sides and then hiking my dress up slowly. His skin was hot against my own, and it took everything I had not to break down begging for him.

And then he spoke again, his lips barely grazing mine as he did. "Teasing you is so much fun..."

I couldn't really explain what sound escaped me then, but it reminded me of a disgruntled animal, erupting from my throat and getting muffled the moment I took my hands and brought his face to mine. I kissed him fervently as his hands matched the intense nature of my affections— With every soft groan I gave him, he returned it with an inch higher up my leg, until eventually he was toying with the hem of my underwear.

Unable to take it anymore, I gave in and mumbled the most desperate plea I could think of. (Like I had to think that hard...)

"Spencer, please..."

I half expected him to tease me again, but this time I felt him tremble over my body. His fingers slipped under the satin of my underwear and he sighed into my mouth. "God, how could I ever say no to you..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth did he spread me apart with his fingertips, getting a feel for me and a broken sigh falling from his tongue and onto my own. I captured it and kissed him with as much precision as I could while under the influence of his hands working wonders.

Truly, his hands hand a magic of their own that should have been considered as an eighth Wonder of the World. They flexed in all the right places, splitting me open and caressing the most sensitive parts of me, simultaneously breaking me apart and putting me back together...

God, and those was only his hands...

The thought of what else he had waiting for me made me cry out into his mouth, though I'm sure it also had to do with the fact that his fingers were curling expertly inside me and summoning an orgasm that I knew would satisfy us both.

I almost cried out again when his lips left mine, but then they travelled to my neck and paid it the most glorious attention. The alternation of his fingers and his tongue on different spots of my body had me in shambles, and it took no longer than a few seconds to snap.

"Fuck, that's my girl," Spencer grumbled into my neck, helping me through my orgasm. "That's it, honey..."

What I wouldn't have given to hear him talk to me like that until the end of time... His words, their tone and praise seeping into my skin and bringing my soul to life... Coupled with his soft hands and his even softer breath fanning over my neck, I was just about ready to ask him to keep talking to me, to say my name and never stop.

He pulled away though, removing his hand from my lower half and bringing it up to his mouth, and I had the feeling my request wouldn't be a problem.

Spencer's eyes rolled back and his tongue gathered my arousal off his long, well-endowed fingers. And though I could hear his groan well and clear, I felt it more than anything. It reverberated through my body and brought me more to life in a way I never thought imaginable.

No one had ever made me feel that way with one single sound, and that's how I knew.

I thought I knew it from the start—from when we were growing up—that I wanted to be near him forever. But It was always just a silly dream, something I was never quite able to reach, and as I got older and we rarely saw each other, it got harder to even imagine anymore.

Now I didn't have to imagine.

Spencer Reid was right in front of me, touching me, tasting me, verbally praising me with sounds I'd only ever dreamed of...

I wanted him to have his moment, because I was positive he'd wanted this just as much as I did, but this sappy sort of revelation I was having made it nearly impossible to not be utterly wrapped up in him, and I wanted more.

So I wiggled and adjusted myself underneath him before grabbing his hand and placing it over my heart. His eyes widened softly at the sight of me, and I knew then that he was taking the time to memorize my face, and the image of his hand resting at my chest, right where my heart was encased beneath bones, flesh, and fabric.

"I could look at you forever," he whispered then.

I would have been ashamed to admit that I whimpered when he said it, but the way he looked at me afterwards made me feel the exact opposite.

He smiled, using his other hand to come up and touch my face. "You want it bad, don't you, Honeybee?"

I didn't even argue with him this time. My head nodded and my hands reached out to pull him closer. "I want you... More than I've ever wanted anything."

Before he leaned down to kiss me, I could have swore he looked like he was going to shed a tear. The duality of him, his ability to be all teasing and cocky one second and then reduced to a lovesick mess at just a few words from me the next, made my heart sing.

And it kept singing, a sweet, steady melody as Spencer kissed me and touched me like he meant it.

Only this time, he didn't pause or tease me with theatrics. He went straight for the kill, fetching a condom from his pants pocket and then sliding the material down, all while keeping me trapped under his embrace. I welcomed it naturally, humming happily into his neck and jawline and anywhere I could reach as he got us both fully undressed and situated, until finally he had the condom on and his hands rested nicely on either side of my head.

"Promise not to sting me?"

I laughed, draping my arms over his shoulders and flashing him a wink. "Mmm, only if you promise to give it to me good..."

"Deal."

He slowly pushed into me then, and the stretch was far more satisfying than his fingers, though I was in no position to complain either way. If he was even half as skilled with his hips as he was with his hands (which I had no doubts about whatsoever), then neither of us had anything to worry about.

It didn't take long for us to find our rhythm, but I didn't have time to think about that. I was so consumed with just the feeling of him being everywhere that technicalities didn't matter.

That being said, the technicalities were really fucking good.

His hips snapped into mine with sharp precision, and I felt it deep within my bones. My cunt clung around him willingly and accordingly, as did my legs, which hooked over his waist as I dug my heels into his ass.

Meanwhile Spencer grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head again, this time interlocking our fingers and then leaning down to kiss me deeply. It was met with my undying welcome, of course, but with the way he was fucking me, deep and with a devotion that nearly exploded my heart, I couldn't help but whine out for more.

His name was all I could manage.

"What do you want, Honeybee?" he cooed, holding himself deep inside me and grinding his hips in small circles that made it harder to breathe.

"M—More... I..."

"Can you be more specific?"

How he could be such a cocky little shit in this moment I wasn't sure, and it frustrated me to no end. He knew damn well what I wanted, and I knew just the thing that would make him give it to me.

I have him the biggest pout I could, also whining out the most pathetic, "More," in my arsenal. And with a roll of my hips up into his, I gasped out at how deep he got, and whined out again.

"Spoiled brat," Spencer grunted in defeat, retreating only to slam into me at full force.

My small gasps and cries turned into full-blown howls of searing pleasure as he fucked me then. My head tipped back and my back arched slightly, exposing my neck and chest to him, and he took it as an invitation to lean down and put his mouth anywhere he could reach. I was sure there would be small nicks and bruises littered over my skin the next morning, and just thinking of everyone seeing them, seeing Spencer's mark on me, made it harder to prolong the inevitable.

I came with a shout, flexing my hands into his as my body tensed then relaxed, over and over while he whispered praises into my skin. He followed soon after, shoving his face into my neck and muffling the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard as he came.

By then his hands had loosened, so I snuck my own away from his and brought them over to hug him close. One hand knotted into his hair while the other grazed over his back. The thin sheen of sweat forming over his skin once again was more enticing than it probably sounded, but I loved it all the same. I felt him relax and bring his arms down to rest at my sides, his fingertips dancing lightly over my skin and giving me goosebumps.

Then out of nowhere, he said something that confused and mildly panicked me. "I thought you said you wouldn't sting me..."

I pulled away to try and look at his face, loosening my grip on his body. "A—Am I hurting you? I'm sorry..."

He laughed though, peppering tiny kisses up my neck until he got to my jaw. "You're not hurting me, Honeybee... You've just... stung my heart, that's all."

"I... Is that a bad thing?"

"It's a strange thing..."

He looked at me like I was the one thing on the planet he adored, but his words sounded different.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not helping me understand..."

With another laugh, Spencer Kissed my cheek and rolled off of me, settling for laying on his side and turning me to face him. "Do you remember how I gave you your nickname?"

Despite my confusion about all of this, I entertained him with a huffed laugh. "Yeah, I spilled honey all over my shorts without realizing it, and I had ants all over me in a matter of minutes. I was terrified."

"I was highly amused."

I shoved him. "Yeah, dork, I know you were! You and Seraphina both thought it was the funniest thing on the planet, and then your mom had to come out and spray me down with a hose before I came back in the house."

Spencer barked a laugh, and I wanted to punch it right out of his mouth.

"Tell me again why this is relevant to our current situation?" I reminded him with and sigh, already over his antics.

Thankfully he seemed to take pity on me; He reached a hand out and played with a strand of my hair, smiling even brighter than when I opened the door for him. "That's when I started to feel it. You were just... so cute all angry at me and Sera for laughing, and it... It changed everything."

"You know, that would be more romantic if I hadn't been covered in bugs," I responded with a laugh.

"It's true! And it confused the hell out of me, because how was I supposed to cope with the fact that I actually had a crush on my little sister's best friend like some stupid cliché? You were always so feisty after that, too, and it certainly didn't help... And when I graduated and went off to college, I thought... I thought there was no chance you would ever be able to break the heart you'd managed to steal."

He swiped his thumb gently over my bottom lip and smiled, his eyes going all tear-y again. It sent butterflies through my whole body.

"I would never even dream of breaking your heart, Spencer..."

Our foreheads pressed together then, and the unwavering adoration in his voice when he spoke made me forget all prior confusion and minor embarrassment over re-living our origins.

All that mattered was that he was here, holding me in his arms and making me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

"I know you won't, Honeybee."

———

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