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radiowallet · 7 months

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Pairing: Dieter Bravo x Marcus Moreno Summary: Dieter takes Marcus to a party in the valley. WC: 4.5K Warnings: 18+ MDNI Sexual content. Exclusive M/M dynamics. Written in third-person POV, male protagonists. Anal sex, dirty talk, kissing, cum play, semi-public sex. Small angsty moments. Yearning. So much yearning. AU Marcus Moreno (no wife, no Missy). A lot of purple prose and waxing poetic.

A/N: Hi, hello, it's been a very very long time since I've shared any writing here. I don't have any good excuses other than real-life stressors, mental health and anxiety, and the overall stress of being on Tumblr really really got to me. I'm trying to ease my way back in. Slowly. I've really enjoyed catching up on all the amazing fics you guys have been writing. Thank you to everyone, still here or otherwise. Even when I was off dealing with irl stuff, I could feel the support.

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Marcus chewed at his nail bed, surveying the house from the backseat of his Uber. It was hardly the first time he’d pulled up to the Sherman Oaks home. He was comfortable with the routine at this point. Tapping in the code for the front gate with practiced ease. The same one Dieter had scribbled onto the back page of a forgotten script after that first night together in New York City, his cell ringing incessantly from his back pocket, a car waiting down the curb to whisk him away. Marcus swore he could still taste the mint and menthol on the actor’s breath when he stepped in close and pressed the paper into his hands, kissing him until his toes curled.

“Please say you’ll come visit.”

After that, it had been one strategically planned visit after the other. Marcus was almost mathematical in his process, arranging flights out west around his patrol schedule, switching shifts, and taking on extra duties just to rationalize the time away. Burning the candle at both ends but not caring even in the slightest, happy to run his tank on empty. He’d drive all fucking night if it meant more time with Dieter.

So he took to the task with a vigilant level of focus, texting details and arrival times, the actor responding with a barrage of emojis, always ending with a heart.

Marcus liked the way the little pixelated picture made his stomach flip.

Once together, it became less of a routine and more of a dance, the two of them falling into an easy rhythm that Marcus had no desire to predict. They would lose themselves in each other, wrapping tightly around the other, the heat impossible to turn away from. There were late nights and early mornings, the color of the sun replacing the hours on the clock. Sometimes, he would give up on sleep all together, content to match the actor’s eccentricities, watching Dieter move from room to room, minute to minute, until the other man would return to his arms.

But as each visit came to a close, Marcus would find himself falling back on easy habits, his mind already making plans and rearranging schedules, focusing on that instead of the overbearing weight of goodbye.

In the middle of one farewell, Dieter had grinned and nipped at his bottom lip, a tease curling around the curve of his cheek.

“Don’t worry so much about the vigilante shit, sweet boy. You’re welcome anytime.”

Marcus had frowned at that, but Dieter was unfazed, humming an off-key pop song under his breath before giving one more piece of advice.

Be spontaneous.

Marcus had gnawed on those two words the entire plane ride home, the concept both enticing and diabolical at once. He imagined all the ways he would have spoiled Dieter if they lived in the same zip code. Spur of the moment cups of coffee, flowers just because, nights in and out and everything in between. But even those daydreams felt out of reach, Marcus unable to let go of the need to control everything. Everything. Everything that he possibly could.

Except Deiter Bravo.

The actor was bound for overseas, a six-month shoot looming ahead, lonely and large. They had spent the weekend before much the same way they had any other. Twisted together, sweat and cum and lips and hands pressed into bare skin, ignoring the ticking of traitorous time. Cruel miles were taking the other man away from him, and Marcus couldn’t stop the swell of jealous fear flaring inside his heart.

Would he even be missed when the whole luminous, wonderful, exciting world was waiting for Dieter on the other side of the tarmac?

A deep cough from the front seat dragged him back to the present, and before he could second guess himself again, Marcus climbed out of the car, tapping out five stars with one hand and grabbing his overnight bag with the other. He hesitated, just the smallest moment of debate, before he knocked, three sharp raps on the large black door. There was a shout from inside, Dee’s voice alerting someone he would get it, a breath and a curse as the lock was fiddled with, and then they were standing face to face after only 39 hours apart.

Dieter seemed shocked to see him and he didn't bother hiding it, his jaw dropping in time with his arms, the shirt he had been buttoning hanging open to reveal his bare chest. Marcus couldn’t help but steal a glance of tan skin and a soft belly, licking his lips in anticipation. When Dee called his attention back up, the other man was smiling wide.

“This is…”

“A surprise?”

“A great fucking surprise.”

It was almost a blur after that. Fumbling hands and broken laughter as they came together in a messy kiss. They managed to make it up the stairs and down the hall, Dieter’s bed barely breaking their fall.

Marcus wanted to take his time, should have been taking his time, but Dieter’s voice was in his ear, thanking him — thanking him? — for showing up tonight. Thanking him and begging him and pressing salt-slicked lips into the curve of his neck. And before he could breathe the other man in, savor the moment that was coming out of nowhere, they stripped away each and every layer, Dieter panting beneath the hurried press of Marcus’s fingers deep inside.

Sooner rather than later, Marcus was sliding into the other man one final time, their hips flush and their fingers laced. He came with a groan, face buried into the dip of Dieter’s neck, while the actor sunk his teeth into his shoulder, the pleasure burning away into the edges of pain. Only after they both found their breath, bodies pliant and limbs loose, did Marcus find his voice.

“Do you want to order in?”

Dieter didn’t say anything and Marcus craned his neck up to peek past the other man’s chin and catch a glimpse of him worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Did you already eat? Because that’s okay.”

“No…,” he started, fingers tracing a line of muscle from the top of his shoulder and back around, lingering along the teeth marks he left there only minutes earlier. “I haven’t eaten. I…there’s this thing I have to….well, not have to. I was getting ready for it when you knocked—“

“Dee?”

“There’s a party,” he finally blurted out, eyes finding the swing of the ceiling fan above, a grimace pulling his lips into a jagged line, a deep shade of pink settling on his cheeks.

Marcus leaned up on his elbow, watching the small battle of wills dragging across Dieter’s face. He thought maybe he should try to comfort the other man but he was suddenly anxious, those creeping realities working their way up his spine.

“A party?”

“Yeah, it’s sort of this farewell thing my friends are throwing,” he explained, not needing to. “Really, just an excuse to get blitzed.”

The lack of eye contact suddenly made much more sense.

“You wanted to go.”

It wasn’t a question.

Dieter was up and over him in a flash, one large hand bending around Marcus’s jaw, thumb pressing the seam of his lips shut. “I didn’t want to be alone.”

Marcus pursed his lips, the pad of Dieter’s thumb still pressing firm. He felt the callous from where Dee cheated his paintbrush, a perfect spot to push a kiss before pulling away.

“You want to go.”

Dieter searched his face, eyes wide and cheeks flushed, trying to pull apart the determined set of Marcus’s jaw. When he came up empty-handed, he fell back to his elbows with an exaggerated sigh, one large hand still cupping the cut of the hero’s cheekbone, keeping his thumb close enough to touch.

“I want to go with you.”

———————

Marcus smiled from where he was leaning against the doorway, watching Dieter rummage through his ridiculously sized closet, a string of muttered musings leaving him as he pulled item after item off of hangers. The Heroic had slipped back into his jeans and t-shirt once the decision had been made that they would attend the party together, not really packing (or owning) anything that fit the L.A. scene.

He was two steps towards the bathroom, intent on fixing his messy hair when Dee stopped him with a strong grip on his elbow.

“Leave it,” he teased, a quick kiss pressed to his lips, fingers tugging at one of the sweat-slicked curls.

Now he was standing behind him, sliding a stone-washed jean jacket up one arm and then the other, one more kiss, this time gifted to the back of his neck. The jacket hangs a bit loose around him, Marcus guessing a mix between the cut and style, and Dieter’s broader frame both at play. He couldn’t help himself, tugging the collar to his nose and inhaling deeply, the smell of weed and cologne and something subtle sweet filling his lungs.

He felt Dieter’s eyes, watching him carefully in the reflection of the mirror, his hands finding the dip of his waist beneath the bulky fabric, gripping hard then soft, one, two, three times. Marcus took in the pair of them — sex-mussed hair and bright blush on him, wild eyes, and a teasing smile on Dieter — and he suddenly had no desire to go to this party. Any party.

No.

All he wanted was for Dieter to pull this jacket off the same way he had so easily slipped it on, and drag him back down to the safety of the mattress.

“Come on, sweet boy,” he hummed, the hook of his nose tracing the shell of Marcus’s ear. “Sooner we get there, sooner I get to take you home.”

The word followed Marcus down the stairs and out to the car, his stomach flipping each time he let the meaning of it roll around inside his head.

Home?

———————

Driving in L.A. was an experience in and of itself. Marcus had made his own attempts, managing to find a rhythm in the few times he had been sent out to the west coast on assignment. It wasn’t much different than driving in any other city, as long as you were prepared to sit in what felt like endless hours of traffic. Of course, Marcus had the pleasure of abusing side streets and off-ramps when it came down to emergency situations.

Driving with Dieter behind the wheel was a different experience altogether. He seemed unfettered by speed limits or traffic lights, one hand on the wheel, the other wrapped around Marcus’s knee, singing along to the song on the radio but only getting about half the words right. If not for his powers and years of honing his reflexes, Marcus would have maybe suggested he do the driving when he was in town.

As it was, it was nice to settle into the plush leather seat and listen to Dieter’s slightly off-key voice, his hand squeezing Marcus’s knee in time with the beat of the music. He leaned back and closed his eyes, weighing the risk of asking Dieter to just keep driving. Maybe if they kept going, all night and all day, they could avoid the inevitable goodbyes looming in the distance.

———————

The last time Marcus and Dieter had been at a party together, they had only ever heard of each other, recognizing names and faces from newspapers and movie screens. They didn’t know any different than what was said in headlines or plastered on billboards, rumors and hearsay coloring in their opinions of one another. How many assumptions had Marcus made about the actor upon that first meeting? That he was pompous. Self-centered. Selfish. An addict. An asshole. A monster.

Or maybe Marcus was afraid that was how Dieter saw him.

The monster in the night. The shadow that lurked in the corner. Fighting away the evils of the world, the palms of his hands so very dirty with blood and secrets and violence. Living in the between of good and bad and never knowing where he really stood.

But when their eyes met across that darkened alley, only the glow of Dieter’s cigarette casting shadows between them, those half-truths and packaged lies that Marcus took for granted started to fall away. Somewhere between their small secrets and one smokey kiss goodnight, he started to learn who Dieter Bravo really was.

This party was different in so many ways than that first elegant affair. Gone was the light classical music, replaced with something loud, a heavy bass and fast lyrics. Bowls of chips instead of passed trays. Stiff black and white was traded in for soft denim, Dieter’s scent surrounding Marcus from room to room. They entered the party together, no longer separate, no longer strangers, and instead more.

So much more.

Dieter’s arm was wrapped around Marcus’s waist, holding him close by his side as they navigated the packed mansion. The crowd parted around them, little waves of people ebbing and flowing to make room for the two men, boisterous cheers of joy raining down upon them. Dieter preened beneath the attention, his smile wide and his cheeks warm, the hand wrapped around Marcus’s waist squeezing hard to grab the Heroic’s attention.

“They like to make a fuss,” he hummed into Marcus’s ear.

He couldn’t help but cock his own grin back, turning his head just enough to brush his lips along the shell of Dieter’s ear, delighting in the shiver that followed. “I think you like the fuss.”

———————

They get separated about an hour in, an inevitability between the number of people vying for Dieter’s attention and the sheer size of the house. Marcus excused himself to the bathroom, trying and failing not to be annoyed when the first empty one he found was on the opposite end of the party. By the time he made it back to where he left Dieter, the other man had moved, now sitting on a couch, friends and fans alike draped around him.

There was something strange about watching Dieter Bravo in what some would consider his natural habitat. He was bright and shiny and impossible to look away from. He almost looked relaxed, his arms thrown over the back of the sofa and his legs stretched out long, only the tap tap tap of his heel giving him away.

Marcus wanted to insert himself. To crowd himself beside the other man and press his palm to the bend of his knee in hopes of soothing away the small tremor of anxiety, but he hesitated, his own worries holding him in place. So he stayed where he was, back glued to the wall, arms crossed and frown firm, as he tried to decipher the scene playing out in front of him.

Was Dieter’s laugh real just then? Or was the one Marcus had teased out of him hours prior? The sounds seemed so similar, a copy of a copy that looked and felt and sounded real. Were his cheeks pink because he preferred their attention over Marcus’s? Or was it because this room was too damn hot? What did it mean when Dieter touched her knee? Or kissed his cheek? Or leaned a little bit more into their touch?

And why did Marcus care?

He didn’t consider himself a jealous man.

But it almost felt inevitable, the dark tendrils of jealousy seemingly always present, ever since that fateful moment in the alleyway, smoke and secrets traded away for unspoken promises for more. Marcus clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, watching the other man glow beneath the attention of others. Was it merely a reflection back of the attention poured upon him? The mirrors of a disco ball catching in the light and shining for the delight of others? Or was Dieter just enjoying another moment in the limelight?

Marcus couldn’t seem to see the line between real and fake, or what side he stood on.

Someone handed him a drink in the midst of his brooding, and the sting of the alcohol paired well with his bitter mood. He was trapped in a hell of his own making, refusing to look away from the crowd gathered around Dieter, but hating every second of it.

The jealousy burned inside of him. What had just been something dark mingling in the background was now present and in full force. Marcus was jealous. Jealous at how effortlessly Dieter lived his life, able to navigate crowds and fame and fervor without ever breaking a sweat. Jealous at how his smile seemed just as bright as it had when he opened his door hours earlier. Jealous at how someone else held the attention of his sweet brown eyes.

And suddenly there was fear. Icy cold and horrifying reality.

Marcus didn’t belong here. Here with these pretty people and their clean lines and bright lights. He was messy edges and dirty hands, stained with years of violence that would never scrub clean. There was dirt on his ledger and red on his chest, and Dieter was beautiful. So very very beautiful.

Another wave of panic gripped tight at Marcus’s throat.

When was the last time he told Dieter he was beautiful? Yesterday? Or the day before that? Either way, it wasn’t enough. Not nearly. And he couldn’t fathom a world where he lost the chance to say it again.

He couldn’t lose this. He couldn’t lose him.

The lights above them flickered, an unwelcome side effect of his superpowers, Marcus’s unruly emotions too much to handle all at once. It was just enough to drag everyone’s attention up, stealing their eyes away from Dieter, but only briefly. The actor caught his gaze in the small interim, brows pinched and lips curved, his sharp mind putting the puzzle together. Marcus blushed beneath the scrutiny, feeling very much like a child caught in the midst of a crime. He slammed the cup down on the nearest surface he could find and shoved his dirty hands in the pockets of Dieter’s jacket, and turned away, the lights flickering one last time as he made a quick and embarrassing exit.

From behind he could hear the shout of a stranger.

“Hey, Dee where’s your boyfriend headed?”

Marcus was so focused on the fact that someone else called him ‘Dee’ that he missed the way Dieter's eyes lit up at the word boyfriend.

The bathroom he had found earlier was blissfully empty, and he took care to lock the door behind him. He braced himself against the sink, the cool porcelain a balm to the heat of his palms, breathing in and out, sharp and fast, to match the beat of his heart. A knock came seconds later, Dieter’s voice chasing the sound.

“Let me in, Marcus.”

It didn’t sound like a request.

Marcus unlocked the door with a flick of his wrist, and the actor slipped in, eyes pinning him in place as he locked the door behind him. For a moment both of them refused to speak, 2 feet of space between them, and enough silence to last a lifetime. It was Dieter who finally broke the tension, stepping forward until Marcus was within his reach, the palm of his hand cupping his cheek to keep him close.

“Flattered as I am, I can’t decide if I like jealous on you or not.”

Marcus knew it was foolish to lie at this point. If his fucking superpowers hadn’t given him away, then storming off surely had, and any denial would have rung hollow. Besides, they had promised. Months ago, in an opulent hotel room, cum and sweat sticking them together. They promised to always be honest with each other.

“I don’t belong here, Dee.”

“Shut up.” The sentiment came out as a tease, the tip of Dieter’s thumb tracing the stubble along Marcus’s cheek, but the look on his face was serious.

Marcus shook his head, unsure how to say what had seemed so clear to him only minutes ago. “I’m not…I’m not g–”

“I swear to fucking all, if you say the word ‘good,’ Moreno.”

His mouth clamped shut, and he smiled for the first time since he left Dieter’s side earlier in the night. The other man yanked him in for a quick kiss, only pulling a breath away when he spoke again.

“You are better than all of us, sweet boy. Please tell me you know that?”

Marcus wanted to shake his head in disagreement, the very idea that Dieter saw the good in him too much to bear, but the actor was already kissing him again, lips slanting sweetly along his own. When they broke apart for the second time, Dieter said it again, and then again, each time pairing a kiss with his words. Marcus thought maybe he would have kissed him a hundred times and then a hundred more, praise and adoration passed between them until the inevitable end of time caught up.

But then Dieter crowded in closer, kissing him with much more fervor, his intent clear. Hands scrambled as belts were tugged free and pants were pulled down, bodies twisting until Marcus was plastered to Dieter’s back. He slipped inside the broader man easily, still slick with his release from earlier. Dieter whined at the stretch, pressing back into Marcus, fingers curling around the edge of the bathroom counter as he began to beg.

“Hard, baby. Please.”

Marcus nipped at Dieter’s ear, refusing to move, the entire length of him buried to the hilt inside him. “How hard?”

“Hard,” Dieter begged again, squirming in Marcus’s tight grip. “Hard as you can. Need to feel you. F-feel so good.”

It was an intoxicating rush, reducing Dieter Bravo to stumbling pleas and wanton moans, and Marcus swore as long as he was able to pull air into his lungs he refused to take that feeling for granted. He pressed a soft kiss to Dieter’s skin and gently nudged his nose to the back of his head, coaxing his gaze up to meet Marcus’s in the mirror.

He dragged his hand up Dieter’s chest, stopping to feel the steady thump of his heart, one, two, three beats, before moving up to wrap his fingers around the other man’s throat. He whined again, writhing to and fro, the sound more pitiful with each passing second that Marcus refused to move.

“I’ve got you, mi cielo. I’ve got you,” he hummed the promise, pressing another kiss to Dieter’s sweat-damp curls. He squeezed the actor’s throat again, watching as his cock seemed to pulse in time with the action. He bit back his own groan, his own cock painfully hard where he was buried inside the other man.

“M-marcus…please…”

When he finally moved, it was slow, almost torturous for the both of them, but Marcus refused to be rushed. Not this time. Fuck any and everyone who dared to knock on that door. That dared to interrupt them. That dared to break between this moment. He pulled the other man closer, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other still gripping tight to his throat. Dieter’s hands were still scrambling, designer soaps and over-priced products falling to the floor as he seeked some sort of leverage. He finally found it, stonewashed denim bunching between his fingers as he dug them into Marcus’s forearms.

And only then did Marcus give into his request, snapping his hips as hard as he could, teeth sinking into the curve of Dieter’s neck. There would be bruises, bad ones, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, too overwhelmed at the thought of marking the other man as his own. Dieter didn’t seem to mind either, begging Marcus again and again to give him everything he had.

“Want to feel it,” he sobbed, the pleasure just on the other side of pain. “Want to feel you when I’m gone. Please.”

“You will, baby. I promise,” Marcus growled. “You’ll feel me for days. You won’t forget me. P-please… don’t forget me.”

The admission fell out of Marcus before he could stop it, along with his own broken sobs to match. The pain and tears burst to life, the broken pieces he had hidden all over his body finding new life as he begged Dieter to take it all with him. Each slam of his hips and bruising touch of his hands. Every bite from his teeth and kiss from his lips. The words and the promises and the things neither of them knew how to say but felt all the same.

“Take me with you, Dee. Please, take me with you.”

“I will, sweet boy,” he gasped, his body shaking beneath Marcus’s anguished hands. “Sweet boy. Good boy. I promise.”

Dieter came first, though Marcus wasn’t sure how, his sobs and sighs of pleasure long past any sort of coherence. His cock twitched and pulsed, coming completely untouched. Marcus watched Dieter’s face break apart in the reflection of the mirror, his brown eyes wild and skin flushed, lips parting around a feral scream.

Marcus fell apart in kind, sparks of heat bursting at the base of his spine as tight velvet squeezed around him, Dieter’s voice in his ear, his jacket sticking to his skin. He spilled inside the other man, tears and spit and snot pressed into Dieter’s neck, little words of praise coaxing him through the brunt of it. Eventually, the tears turned to laughter, the two of them clinging tighter as they made guesses at how many people heard them.

“Either way, I hope they enjoyed the show because I sure did,” Dieter teased, nipping his teeth on the hinge of Marcus’s jaw.

They did a piss poor job of cleaning up, Dee’s cum barely wiped clean from the porcelain with a towel found below the counter, too high a thread count for something so filthy but neither man really gave two shits to look for an alternative. The products were tossed haphazardly into the sink, the idea of stacking them neatly ridiculous. They both agreed; you get what you ask for when you throw a party in the valley.

Marcus took better care when it came time to clean Dieter up. He warmed up the water from the sink as best he could, using that same fancy towel from before to wipe up the trickle of cum slipping slowly down his backside. He couldn’t stop from stealing one small indulgence, using his thumb to press some of himself back inside the other man, Dieter’s legs visibly shaking from the sudden stimulation. Marcus shushed him with a soft kiss to one of the many bite marks littered across his neck, humming out a quiet apology.

“Do they hurt?”

“They do,” Dieter grinned, tilting his chin to admire the marks as he tugged his jeans up over the swell of his ass. “I’m gonna need a few more before I get on that plane tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmmm, definitely.”

Dieter pressed something hard into Marcus’s hand and when he looked down he could see it was his car keys, the silver teeth catching in the light.

“Take me home, sweet boy. I have plans for you.”

There was that word again, breathed out so easily, like a promise he knew he would keep.

Home.

#Marcus Moreno #Dieter Bravo #Marcus Moreno fic #Dieter Bravo fic #Marcus Moreno x Dieter Bravo #mlm #we can be heroes #the bubble #pedro pascal characters

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flame-shadow · 1 year

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Nosk Party Collab

✨ No disguises necessary! ✨

What is the Nosk Party? It's a collaborative project that anyone with a nosk OC or nosk design can join by drawing their nosk(s) and submitting via the form below before the end of June 2023. The final results are a couple group pictures of nosks hanging out in the same place and having a great time!

✨ Basic rules:

-Make a new drawing of your nosk(s) having fun -Drawing can be digital or traditional (see below for image requirements) -Can be bust, half-body, or full-body -Flat color or minor shading is ideal -Body horror is fine, but no NSFW, and keep gore mild so we don't have to add a content warning -No more than three nosks per person -While the rave theme is optional, it is encouraged :)

✨ Image requirements:

-Draw large! 1000x1000 pixels at a minimum -File size limit of 10 MB

Digital art: -Submit a PNG with transparent background -Do not add an extra border

Traditional art: -Take a clear scan/picture with no shadow over the character -Ideally take the picture during the day for natural light and truer color -Optional (but preferred): Edit out the paper background if you can, but we will do that if you cannot.

✨ Submission form will ask for the following things:

-Your tumblr username -Your nosk's name (or what it is based off, eg. Elderbug Nosk) -The image file of the artwork -Optional: group name if you are organizing an interaction with other artists but submitting separately -Optional: relative size of the nosk (based on the diagram in the form)

✨ Notes:

-Nosks based off in-game characters/creatures are absolutely allowed. They can just be a design you made rather than a full character, if that's what you'd like to submit. :) (However, drawing Ghost Nosk or Hornet (Winged) Nosk as they appear in the game will not be accepted) -Bust/half-body drawings will be grouped together on one canvas, while the full-body drawings will be on a separate one. -If you would like to plan character interactions with friends, you are welcome and encouraged to do so! Either submit the mini-collab as a single large image with everyone's characters included, or come up with a group name so we can identify you easily.

If you have any questions, feel free to send an ask! All relevant posts will be tagged #nosk party collab

✨ Submit your nosk art here! ✨

Submission form closes: June 30

Signing into a google account is required to fill out the form (this is necessary to allow you to submit image files). If you do not have a google account or are having troubles, please DM myself or Sky. and we will collect the nosk info and submit for you.

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Nosk Party Collab is a project between @flame-shadow and @fly-sky-high-bug-games. While I am taking the lead, we are working together to make this happen. The intended final results will be two large group pics which feature all the nosk art submitted for this collab. All contributing artists will be tagged for credit in the final post.

We hope this will be a fun project to participate in and a wonderful opportunity to see and show off cool nosk designs!

#nosk party collab #hollow knight #nosk #hk nosk #flameshadowart #we tried very hard to communicate clearly and cover as many potential confusions as possible. hopefully this thoroughness is not too long #if you have any questions send me an ask!#if it turns out that we missed something big i will also add it to this post so others can see #id in alt #hk midwife

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fountainpenguin · 4 months

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Cover image for a super self-indulgent Double Life songfic of mine... The final chapter went up this morning, so here's its Tumblr post!

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"Here's to the Health of Married Men"

... and their lovers! (x)

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Complete! - 7/7 chapters - 42k words

💚 More Pixels Imperfect 'fics

Inspired by the song "The Duel" from the musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Ballroom fluff, introspection, and angst <3

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Synopsis: Scar guides us through an end-of-series party held in the server hub, where everyone's a little tipsy. While the desert duo may not always get along, they do their utmost to enjoy themselves...

... until Ren challenges Grian to a duel over his secret soulmate affair with BigB. Scar watches from the sidelines... and lets it all play out.

Check it out! (First 1,000 words under the cut)

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Here’s to the Health of Married Men

“… and their lovers~”

- “The Duel” - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

💙 🧡 💚

Ren and BigB arrive at the ballroom in colors that complement, but don't quite match. Maybe that should've been the first clue that trouble still lurked in paradise, tucked underneath the visible lingers in their touch… BigB's hand less steady where it lies pressed against Ren's chest than Ren's firm arm behind his lower back.

(It's not a real ballroom. More of a convention center? Two floors: one of them full of dancing party guests and the mezzanine balcony a floor above. It's shady in here and lit with several dozen tiny lanterns strung on leads. Honestly, Scar isn't sure. It's a Jimmy event, or at least a Jimmy invitation. No one pulls the strings and gets a party or game night together quite like Jimmy; don't worry about it.)

Eyes turn to track the Box Boys as they make their way up the curled stairs together. BigB's vest is dark purple and accented in faint silver leaf patterns with a bow at his neck to match - rip him open like a present; expose bare stomach and rip that open too - and his wild curls are actually tamed back today. He trimmed his beard. Fancy-schmancy moth hybrid of a man. Not hard to tell what Grian sees in him. Scar leans his arm a little farther over the balcony. One of Ren's ears twitches in his direction, as do both BigB's fluffy antennae… though Scar's pretty sure he didn't make a noise. At least, no noise louder than the sweep of feet and skirts down below.

Aw, Ren's all sunshine and phoenix fire. He's dressed just as nice. Look at him, so snug and comfy in that outfit! The pale yellow vest hits like buttercream and cake frosting. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. He matches the light walls, though his dark brown hair sets him apart like a statue full of shadowed creases. Took his shades off and everything, but replaced them with neat spectacles.

Scar half-turns, addressing everyone either standing or sitting around the tables behind him. "Hey! Our guests of honor have arrived. Let's make them feel welcome, shall we?"

No one's really listening. Maybe a couple of his friends, who nod absently or turn to catch sight of the stragglers in question. The conversations carry anyway. Their volume doesn't falter. Neither does the music, but that's only fair. The piano's downstairs. And a trumpet? There might be a trumpet; he isn't sure. So Scar doesn't grab his cane or push away from the banister. This position gives him a nice angle to oversee the room anyway.

I'd like to see Grian make a move on his 'secret soulmate' tonight of all nights…

Scar almost dressed in yellow too. For a while, he toyed with the idea of a light shade to match his zookeeper shirt… but this is a Double Life afterparty. Tonight, he and Grian are freshly on their red lives (after a doozy of a session with back to back deaths). While Jimmy had confessed he suspected at least one person to get knocked out of the series today, he probably hadn't anticipated four perma-deaths and the last greens of the server getting knocked down to red.

So in the sparse moments between logging out and arriving here, he switched to wearing black. It's thumb- thneed- thematically appropriate! The shirt cuts a V straight down his chest, exposing at least a little of his pecs. It's actually lacy, showing a lot more of his torso and his arms beneath his sleeves than anything most of his friends are wearing. And he didn't skimp on the fake silver gemstones either. Blue and purple flowers coat one side of his hair, mostly attached with barrettes.

Is this the right fit for a ballroom party? Probably not. But it's accented with black and white, like his on-server red life skin, and that's good enough for him. Scar lifts the wooden cup in his hand to his lips again. Raw binary code prickles on his tongue. He went half and half on this fill, working his way out of 0s and up to 1s. Some of his friends are drinking their 1s straight already. No surprise. They've been here 40 minutes, chatting and laughing even without BigB and Ren around. Maybe the Box Boys feared they'd be overshadowed by Jimmy and Tango. Those two have certainly stolen the evening tonight. But then, Jimmy deserves to. Out of everyone here tonight, he does.

BigB and Ren aren't even halfway up the staircase yet. They take every step together, moving in their ghostly whispered way. Ren keeps a light grip on BigB's wrist. BigB's antennae roll inward. They glint silver in the lantern light. Scar watches his eyes slip sideways. How strange to see him with his chocolate-brown eyes here in the Between dimension, no longer under the influence of a life either yellow or red. It's been a while.

Maybe tonight, he and I can finally talk face to face… without him trying to kill me.

Scar takes another sip of binary, this time more slowly. The 1s prickle and pop against his lips. Why not? BigB's out of the game now. No further need to dance around it, delaying his own gratification with pretty lies of I'll catch him next time; I'll do it on-camera; I want Grian to be around for this.

… He'd maybe like Grian to be around. Just, y'know… if it comes up. Grian's two tables away, one leg stretched out pretty far. His twin's with him… They've been talking for ten minutes by now. Scar can't help but wonder if it's all a front to prevent anyone else starting a conversation.

Or at least one person from starting a conversation.

You know… He and Grian never really did sort out the whole red life thing. If, like, he's mad.

BigB's fingers close around the collar of Ren's vest. He pulls him down, speaking words Scar can't make out from here. They look as though they're spoken through gritted teeth. Ren listens, pointed ears twitching, and finally rasps his tongue up BigB's cheek. BigB sighs, but doesn't say anything else. He leans that cheek on Ren's shoulder. Ren pats his arm, leading him up the stairs again with all the grace of a king.

I wonder if he's told BigB anything about his status as a king back on Hermitcraft. BigB's into history or something, right? Maybe he'd find that neat.

Scar isn't the only one watching the Box Boys from the balcony. As Scar tilts his wooden cup back and forth, debating whether it'd be a bad idea to get another refill, a finger reaches out to tap his shoulder. Oh? Scar turns his head. He's greeted by a face similar to his own, smiling grimly… Similar buff body, well taken care of, though this man's dressed in silver instead of red. He's partly translucent, flickering when you look at him head-on… but then, he sort of always is.

"What?"

BadTimeWithScar tips his head towards one shoulder. He lifts his wrist, indicating his communicator. Scar's eyes fall to his own.

"Oh. Sorry, hang on…"

He presses a couple buttons, pulling open the messages on his comm. The swelling music's incredibly loud right now. But there's a note from BadTime waiting for him, plain and simple. Scar studies it for several seconds, rearranging the blurry letters in his mind.

BadTimeWithScar: tag team the grians? BadTimeWithScar: i mean if youre not going to make a move for us… BadTimeWithScar: I will ;)

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pink-tk-a-latte · 3 months

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hello hello hello!

𓇼 Call me Py! (As in Cleffa’s Japanese name) Any C-name is acceptable too

𓇼 If the content on this blog is not your vibe, no worries!! I implore you to visit @comfied-chriterature instead <33

𓇼 I write, simp, and am generally incoherent and occasionally poetic! And I may draw... sometimes...

𓇼 My interest in tickling is solely innocent. I love the fun and intimacy and bonding and kicking feet giggling of it all. // //

𓇼 Anyone is welcome! Engagement is always appreciated; just don't be creepy or hateful. Apologies if I struggle to communicate, I may have social anxiety. I tend to lurk and am always late to the party, but I really wanted to partake in this community bc it seems wholesome!

𓇼 Inbox and requests always open!!

𓇼 I enjoy musicals, vocaloid (hmu if you wanna talk about HarumakiGohan), cartoons/anime and manga/manhwa, pixel art games, books, emoticons, indie everything!!

𓇼 PINK PINK PINK 💞

𓇼 I also love hamsters and cookies and oceans and hearts <3

𓇼 Multishipping fanatic! I’m mostly open-minded but there are some ships (and characters) I dislike passionately and irrationally LOL

𓇼 Big fan of infp characters bc I am an infp and they're always such disasters lol!! ...What does that say about me

𓇼 Fandom list time!!

bocchi the rock, lycoris recoil, skip and loafer, toilet-bound hanako-kun, shy, nana, bungo stray dogs, buddy daddies, genshin impact, project sekai, six of crows, the disastrous life of saiki k

others: kimetsu no yaiba, pokémon, tgcf and svsss, avatar the last airbender, the owl house, she-ra princesses of power, fnaf, spider-man

𓇼 My tags જ⁀♡➴

py is turning pink 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 my writing tag

py plates shortcakes 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 my hcs, future ideas, and wips tag

py’s snack stash 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 my tk reblogs tag

a+ for art I liek :)) 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 my non-tk art/other reblog tag

#tickle fic #tickle #sfw tickling community #genshin impact #bungou stray dogs #project sekai #pjsk #toilet bound hanako kun #tbhk #lycoris recoil #bocchi the rock!#skip and loafer #py is turning pink #py plates shortcakes #py’s snack stash #a+ for art i liek :))

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candy-applers · 1 year

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Home at last

Fandom?: Hermitcraft/MCYT

Who?: Rendog

Extras: Winged reader, Werewolf Ren, other hermits origins included.

___________

‘Here’s the copper you needed!’

Your voice echoes through the air of his kingdom, the atmosphere calming you.

‘Aww, thank you Y/N! I’ve been needing this for a future project of mine!’

Sausage had been talking about trying to get copper, but always coming across areas the other rulers have mined before. You had put it upon yourself at the beginning of the season to become the ‘Gift’ kingdom, doing favors and collecting ores and minerals for the other emperors.

‘No problem Sausage! But if you don’t mind, I do have to go so I can get some other batches of copper and other things to the other empires, so I guess I’ll come around later!’

You flex your wings, bending your knees and taking off, flying off, but not before Sausage yelled a farewell to you.

Finally getting home from Jimmy’s kingdom, you strip your armor off from your body, shoulders and wings sagging, happy to be out from their prison made of enhanced diamond. Trudging towards your kitchen, you pull out a cup and some tea bags, beginning to heat up some water. As you're pouring the water into the cup, your communicator beeps, startling you slightly, spilling the boiling water into the floor, splashing your feet. Grabbing a towel and escaping from the hot water, you manage to finish making your tea without spilling anymore, finally grabbing that, some snakes, and your communicator, curious on who messaged you and why.

Getting to your quarters, you set the tea and snakes on the table next to your bed, and plop onto the bed with your communicator open and active. You check your contacts replying to any messages sent by Jimmy and Scott, and sending a quick goodnight or two to a few others. You close out of the server chat and check the universal chat, where you have a few hermits saved to. You realize that Grian had messaged you, which confused you since last you heard he was busy with trying to negotiate the retirement of an emperor to the server again.

(Text from Grian: [**] Text from you: {**} :])

[Hey! I’ve talked with a few people, and I’d like to ask how you’d like to join back onto hermitcraft?]

You freeze, overloaded with a multitude of emotions. Happiness, anxiety, surprise, and most of all, excitement. You’d be able to finally see Ren again! You make your decision and type out a reply.

{Of course! I’d love to join back and stay with you all! Me and Pixel were just talking about that! When should I come?}

You sit and wait, anxiety creeping up on you, making yourself doubt if Grian was pranking you or not. Before your mind could begin to spiral, your communicator dings, signaling someone had replied to you.

(Time skippe)

You enter the hermitcraft server for the first time in a while, having left to join a new multiplayer world a friend you had met made. You look around, realizing that there had been some new players, such as Pearllecentmoon and Geminitay. You were excited to see everyone again, with the exception of finally meeting Pearl and Gem.

You can hear the beats of wings through the air, and before you could react, a body slams into you, knocking you to the ground. As you try and process what just happened, you could hear the signature giggles of Grian, the failed suppressed laughs from Scar, and the hearty chuckles from Mumbo.

‘Wow, thanks for the welcome party’

You sarcastically remark, chucking slightly as you push Grian off you, Standing up to dust yourself off and stretch your wings out.

‘Well I’m sorry I have such good ideas!’

Grian pouts, all while Scar bursts into laughter, while Mumbo helps you dust off the dirt. You take a good look at Grian, realizing that he had wings! Looking at mambo and scar, Scar had elven ears, and Mumbo had moth wings and antennae, you were surprised. Grian’s wings were multiple shades of red, yellow, and green (Reminding you of parrot wings), Scar had ears that were highly pointed at the top, and Mumbo had beautiful copper colored wings, oranges and greens mixing together to create a beautiful artistic masterpiece. You wondered how all of the other hermits would react to seeing you back, especially considering how grian reacted..

~~~

After a tiring day of catching up with the other hermits, Grian is finally taking you to see Ren, who was currently with Doc, helping him with some kind of build. As you and Grian make your way towards where Ren supposedly was with Doc, Grian’s communicator pings. He slows down a second, peeking a look at the device.

‘Aww, I'm so sorry Y/N, but it looks like Tango needs some help with something. Ren should be right over there, by the giant hole with the flagpole in the middle of it’

And with that information, he took off in the opposite direction, towards Tango’s base of operations. You continue in the way he had motioned to when explaining where, only to come across a giant sign saying:

[Y/N!!----->]

The sign pointed towards a patch of land not too far from where it was posted, so you spread your wings, and took off in that direction. Upon reaching the patch of land, you could see something that looked like a lump of fur on top of a pillar, only to realize it was just Ren, with…Ears and a Tail?!

You fly down to him, and you look up to see him, having noticed your presence, with eyes of admiration.

‘Hi-’

Before you could get a word out, you’re engulfed into his body, arms wrapped strongly around you, making sure you wouldn’t leave. You lean into it, placing your head onto his chest as he brings you both down to sit on the cloth laid out on the floor.

Sitting there for the next few hours, you and Ren both sit there and enjoy each other’s presence, no words being said. But one thing was clear, and that was:

You were finally home

Hey! Author here! Once again this was not proof read, so if you could point out any mistakes, I am open to correcting it! Enjoy! Also, requests are official open! Head over to there and submit a request! Make sure to read the rules before requesting!

#renthedog #hermitcraft #hermitpires #empires smp #self insert #rendog x reader

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best-underrated-anime · 1 month

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Best Underrated Anime Group L Round 3: #L5 vs #L6

#L5: Underground boxer loves vampire doctor (BL)

#L6: Three girls and their (not) girly talk

Details and poll under the cut!

#L5: Mignon

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[Note on video: Lots of blood. Slight NSFW at the end. Turn on CC for English subs.]

Summary:

After losing his parents at a young age, Mignon lives as a mechanic by day and a cage fighter by night at an illegal arena. Living a life of exploitation and violence, the only person who gives him any attention is Oh Young-One, the resident doctor at the arena.

Despite accidentally discovering Young-One’s true identity, Mignon continues to love him, and it’s this pure kind of love that lets Young-One slowly open his heart. But when the hellish reality surrounding Mignon starts threatening the stability of Young-One’s life, can these two ever find happiness?

Propaganda:

Mignon is an independently-made BL aeni (Korean anime). There are only 12 episodes, and each is around 5 minutes long, except for the last one which is at around 8 minutes. Watching everything is like watching a short film, and not just because of the length, but also because of its quality.

The story is really short, so much so that we don’t get to see how Mignon and Young-One develop feelings for each other (It’s easy to guess why though). We’re thrusted right into the turning point of their relationship, with episode 1 ending with a shocking revelation that immediately propels you into the rest of the story. And by “shocking,” I don’t mean it was unexpected. It’s shocking in a way that its execution ingeniously builds up the tension before exploding right in your face.

The plot is nothing new in the yaoi genre, but Mignon makes up for this by delivering each aspect to perfection. The colors are purposeful, setting the tone of each scene while also telling us the significance of the place—loud, vibrant colors for the noisy arena, calm whites in the clinic where Mignon finds solace in Young-One, drab blues and greys in Young-One’s apartment where he’s lived alone for years, etc. Seriously, the backgrounds look like stand-alone paintings.

And oh, don’t get me started on the scene direction/arrangement. Every episode is impactful and unforgettable despite being very short. Episode 10, especially, is a cinematic masterpiece. Lastly, the music. There’s a lot of 80s synth-pop vibes that just work so well for it.

Mignon is really the kind of show you can call “art.” It’s a passion project by one person, and it took them three years to complete. You can just see how much thought is put into it. It’s not rushed at all, unlike a lot of weekly anime nowadays that would sacrifice the quality on unimportant scenes. And just for that, I think it’s worth checking out.

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Physical Abuse, Gambling

NSFW Warning: Tongue kissing and some explicit sex scenes. The parts are pixelated, but it doesn’t really leave much to the imagination.

#L6: Please tell me! Galko-chan (Oshiete! Galko-chan)

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Summary:

At first glance, Galko, Otako, and Ojou are three high school girls who seem like they wouldn’t have anything to do with each other. Galko is a social butterfly with a reputation for being a party animal, even though she is actually innocent and good-hearted despite her appearance. Otako is a plain-looking girl with a sarcastic personality and a rabid love of manga. And Ojou is a wealthy young lady with excellent social graces, though she can be a bit absent-minded at times. Despite their differences, the three are best friends, and together they love to talk about various myths and ask candid questions about the female body.

Propaganda:

Galko-chan is a short anime about 3 girl-friends, each representing a trope (the gyaru, the nerd and the lady) being friends despite their differences.

The episode generally kicks off with a taboo question—nothing’s really deep, but it works as a way to just deconstruct prejudices. Girls of all types and non types are welcome, it’s heartwarming.

Trigger Warnings: Gender Identity/Sexuality Discrimination. Galko is a gyaru, and it’s implied how she’s seen as a “slut”. But deconstructing these tropes are what the anime is all about.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

#anime #aeni #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #group stage #group stage round 3 #tournament polls #group l #mignon #민용 #please tell me galko chan #oshiete! galko chan #oshiete! gyaruko chan #please tell me! galko chan #please tell me gyaruko-chan

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choicesbookclub · 9 months

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The forces of darkness are rising... will you be the light that defeats them?

Welcome to the Choices Book Club! We are currently reading Blades of Light & Shadow as a group. We will be reading two chapters a week as we get ready for the release of book 2 this fall.

This Week’s Chapters:

Chapter 3: The City by the Sea

Chapter 4: Escape at Sea

Question(s) of the Week (reply to this post and/or make your own post and tag the blog in reply)

This week we meet Threep, Tyril Starfury and Imtura Tal Kaelen. What are your thoughts about them? First impressions? Seeing them again since your last playthrough? Share your favorite moment with them?

Mermaid Kiss Poll 🧜‍♀️💋

Our traveling party hits the tavern in one diamond scene, whether you played or not, what is your MCs beverage of choice? how do they handle their alcohol? What kind of drinker / partier are they?

Other ways to Participate

Post reactions, screenshots, videos, ramblings, theories,… whatever comes to you while playing

Create drawings, edits, moodboards, fics, headcanons, songs, poems, etc based on the chapters and/or characters

Create a profile page for your MC and submit it to our MC directory

Share your MC and LI choices (the pixel versions and/or face claim versions)

Posts that tag @choicesbookclub and use “#choices book club” will be reblogged here

[Please read the full guide to the event and how to participate here]

#choices book club #choices book club bolas #blades of light and shadow #blades of light & shadow #choices #playchoices #choices game #tyril starfury #mal volari #nia ellarious #imtura tal kaelen #bolas #choices blades #choices bolas

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hccn-overseer · 11 months

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Issue 6, 5/24/2023 - The Overseer

Issue Masterpost About the Overseer

Before our wonderful stories, I would like to give a shoutout to one of our writers, Lydia! You will notice, she wrote most of this week's stories and made many of the games as well to help cover other people who are busy this week! Lydia, you absolute madlad, we appreciate you so much on the team and this server, please do not do that again.

This week’s news is once again accompanied by a PDF version of your latest news brought to us once again by the lovely Cheer! Pick it up right here for your viewing pleasure!

Show Off Your Citizen Creations with Citizen Jams!

By Lydia

Creative minds of all kinds, listen up! The Hermit Citizen Hub has introduced a weekly community event, inviting all artists and writers to participate through a series of prompts released each Friday. If you are looking for an excuse to draw your citizen but are feeling shy about it, or you feel you are running out of ideas, here’s a way to scratch that itch to create with the Hermit Citizen Hub’s new Citizen Jams! All forms of artistic mediums are welcome!

Citizen Jams, or creative prompts focused on encouraging all members of the Hermit Citizen Hub to show off their citizens, were created by Gene, also known as FireApyr, on May 11th. Found in the Discord server, these prompts have encouraged a greater number of people to broaden their citizens’ horizons through various scenarios and costumes. This thread, Citizen Prompts, can be found under Citizen Art, with a specific thread linked in the initial post to Citizen Prompt Suggestions. Your fellow citizens have added several suggestions and there is always room for more!

These suggestions have a wide range, including but not limited to displaying your citizen wearing their favorite pajamas, participating in Zedvancements, showing up in Empires, appearing in pixel art, appearing as a Villain (or a Hero if they are already one), attending a board game night, during their favorite season, drawn with the opposite color scheme of their design, cosplaying a Hermit, and training a Warden.

Two prompts and many submissions have debuted on the server as of May 24th, much to the delight of our server member participants! The first prompt, suggested by Hyo, was “Your Citizen as a DND Character,” prompting artwork of citizens as paladins, rangers, wizards, and more. The second prompt, suggested by BitterTea, for this week, is “Your Citizen at a Tea Party.” Please leave your submissions to the Citizen Prompts in the overall Citizen-Art thread. We look forward to seeing your citizens in all kinds of situations and costumes!

Now onto other news below the cut!

Affiliate Summaries

By Roo

Bdouble0: Bdubs has shark grabbers, platform boots and a stepladder now.

DocM77: They’re plotting something. There’s been no further explanation.

GoodTimesWithScar: New HotGuy merch!! Not IRL, which has been a disappointment, but they’re enjoying the new graduation hats nonetheless. Hotguy may have a shotgun in future events, it is unofficial.

Grian: They anime-d Grian?? I think. It’s honestly really concerning.

ImpulseSV: He’s sweeping your chimney right now. No, it’s not a threat. Goats are great at sweeping chimneys.

MumboJumbo: They joined the biker gang and also predicted the future. Mumbo affiliates, if you are looking for a job that is NOT in a biker gang, the Seers is always open. (/j. Kinda.)

PearlescentMoon: She’s so small!!!! Itty bitty pearl :)

Rendog: They’re all so excited about the boat race! Yay for boat races. The newspaper should probably cover that, huh.

Welsknight: They’re working hard on the scrapbook! It’s looking splendid so far.

XisumaVoid: He’s a hermitcitizen now? Apparently. He’s also adopted everyone, so if you’re looking for a father figure, we’ve got one right here. He’s at the Scarland lost and found.

ZombieCleo: They’re just vibing and getting absorbed into other games! A lovely time, really.

If you do not see your affiliates here: Yet again, this is because some channels have not been active or are not notable. Please notify us if there have been any typos or misinformation.

Citizen Appreciation: Topaz, the Quintessential Patron of the Arts!

By Lydia

If you have ever visited the art channels of the Hermit Citizen Hub, you know that every artist is on the edge of their seat as they read the latest compliment from our endlessly hardworking artistic cheerleader, Topaz. Since April 19th, our fellow citizen and adamant patron of the arts, Topaz, has tracked down each art piece posted in our Citizen Art channels on our Discord server and to leave positive affirmations for each artist’s piece. She points out specific details and praises each piece for the artist’s personal flair, highly motivating the spirits of every drawer, painter, pixel artist, and crafter who crosses the threshold from merely observing others’ art pieces to sharing their work with a larger audience in that of the Hermit Citizen Hub.

Topaz is a fellow artist herself, having depicted her own Hermit Citizen as a member of Pearl’s cleaning team, who also takes care of Bdubs’ horses and leans into her medium as a video game character, providing her own sound effects when jumping and upon deaths. She lives in a treehouse north of Mumbo Jumbo’s vault and shows her skill strengths in Mining, Exploring, and Overall Dexterity in navigation. She is also a very decent prankster and builder. Many citizens recognize her art style for its high emphasis on bold shapes and straightforward colors, with thick outlines to give her work that extra punch of polished realization. In addition to her own citizen artwork, she has also created fanart of The Life Series, Empires SMP, fellow citizens of the Hermit Citizen Hub, has shared her own artistic improvement in redrawing her older character art, and has drawn several Hermits for the Hermit A Day art challenge. Topaz also crochets in addition to drawing traditional and digital artwork. All citizens are encouraged to take a look at her pieces in the art channels if they have not done so, yet!

Topaz’s eye for both her own and others’ artistic traits is exceptionally perceptive. In her affirmations, she highlights every wonderful peculiarity and characteristic that each artist wishes to convey. Everything from the details of how meticulously textured a character’s costume is, to the dynamic color choices of each character’s design, to the uncanny lifelike nature of a character’s eyes, and anything else that you may not say aloud but want to make a known idiosyncrasy of your artwork, will be featured in Topaz’s assessment of your piece. Another staple of Topaz’s affirmation is the returned “Thank YOU!” to each person’s gratitude, turning it back to the artist for sharing their inimitable creative styles and depictions of both their own and others’ characters.

Topaz’s unbridled enthusiasm towards her fellow artistic community is returned as frequently as the awestruck members can muster, many of whom had insisted that she receive recognition for her crucial influence on the server. Because of this, Topaz has received a special role in the Hermit Citizen Hub in honor of her foundational presence as the quintessential patron of the arts: Hermitcity Art Society, as a seal of appreciation from the moderation team. This was given in reflection of the thanks that the community would like to show her. We would like to congratulate Topaz for her emotional labor, support, and dedication to this community, and we wish her all the best!

Weekly Weather Report

By Lydia

Wednesday - MOSTLY SUNNY, High 19 Degrees, Low 10 Degrees. Balloons in the shape of Withers are expected to fly through all areas.

Thursday - WINDY, High 22 Degrees, Low 9 Degrees. Several sets of DND dice will roll through all areas. Enjoy your free dice!

Friday - RAINY, High 26 Degrees, Low 11 Degrees. There is a 65% chance of rain to be iced tea instead of water.

Saturday - SUNNY, High 24 Degrees, Low 12 Degrees. Whirlpools may form in all oceans.

Sunday - PARTLY CLOUDY, High 18 Degrees, Low 7 Degrees. Temperatures are expected to drop in the early afternoon. A low growling may be heard from The Rift from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Monday - RAINY, High 23 Degrees, Low 12 Degrees. Umbrellas will be provided to any passers-by in the shopping district, courtesy of The Overseer.

Tuesday - MOSTLY CLOUDY, High 26 Degrees, Low 9 Degrees. Jellyfish are expected to wash up on many shores. They will be entirely transparent.

Wednesday - WINDY, High 20 Degrees, Low 11 Degrees. Sand storms are expected around 4:00 PM. Make sure you have a way to cover your face.

WARNING: Explosive Wither Skulls Hovering Over Scarland Central Square All citizens in Scarland are recommended to remain on high alert due to Docm77’s retaliation to The Incident (Grian and Scar breaking his Redstone). Several explosive Wither Skull Mines have been transported to Scarland’s Central Square by Docm77. They hang ominously over Scarland’s main central street. They will very likely reign destruction upon Scarland in the near future.

Editor's note: Again, if any of our readers are rich and generous, we ask for assistance in paying Rainy’s ransom. The kidnappers’ identity is still unknown, but leaving a pile of diamonds on the doorstep of the Overseer offices may be enough to reach them.

Come and Visit the Citizen Shops and Services!

By Lydia

A number of citizens in the Hermit Citizen Hub are hard at work making sure that their shops and services are in tip-top shape for the benefit of all who visit the Hermitcraft server. With the addition of an officially documented list of shops and services, we are happy to share the wares and whereabouts of our community’s bustling businesses, many of which are always on the move for your convenience! Enjoy exploring and meeting your fellow shop owners, for there is always help right around the corner! The following is a collection of official citizen businesses that help us liven up the server with everything from materials in bulk, to clinics, researchers for hire, and more!

Do you need to send a package, letter, or perhaps a collection of prized trinkets to your favorite citizens? 10K Blocks is a delivery service run by Hyo the Human that can handle everything and anything YOU need to be sent to anyone on the server! Diamonds are the commonly accepted form of payment, but if you’re short on diamonds, sentimental items will also suffice for anything you’re looking to swiftly ship to your companions! If you would like to make a delivery order, come and visit the Hyo Delivery Interaction thread!

Do you think you might have a slight touch of Watcher Trauma? Do you experience growing anxiety over your safety as an affiliate of Grian or Scar? Are you getting a twinge of bloodthirst, but afraid of hurting your companions? Glowberry Therapy, with multiple locations across the server for your convenience, is here with open arms to help you process everything from finding that your companions have been captured by The Watchers to recurring guilt over setting off an unfathomable chain of events in your past! Therapy from Theseus of Glowberry Therapy is available if you only ask him with a message in the Citizen Talk thread. Therapy is free, but donations are especially appreciated.

Do you crave cookies, pies, cakes, muffins, or any small pastries? You’re in luck because Z (or Zee) has your perfect fix with Painted Wings, their mobile vendor cart running all through Scarland! For just a few diamonds, usually within the 1-5 range, you can taste just a lovingly baked magical treat! Send Z a message in the Citizen Talk thread if you find your stomach growling!

Is your curiosity about a certain mob or biome itching the corners of your brain? Come to Cloud’s Office, located in the Shopping District, and see Azure Clouds to find yourself a researcher who will tell you anything you want to know about these creatures and locations! Send them a message in the Citizen Talk thread for any of your creature and environment studies needed! Any chance for them to share their knowledge is a chance for you to look at your chosen subject with brand-new eyes. All they ask for is 1-10 diamonds (depending on the level of danger) and an attentive ear!

Do you need any medicines or potions? Come to The Pharmacy, located in the center of the shopping district, run by Ender R. Enderwoah! Prices fluctuate based on Ender’s mood and your own demeanor, so put your best face on when you stop by! If you’re pleasant enough, you could even find common items for just a diamond a piece! Find Ender’s thread, The Pharmacy, and leave them a note!

Are you looking for materials from the deep dark areas of the Overworld? Sculk Shriekers, Deepslate, Glowberries, and more are available just east of iBuy at The Quarry Crop, run by Ashes! Give them a message in Citizen Talk, and keep your inventory open for materials in bulk! Prices vary depending on the danger factor, but are well worth it!

Are you looking for a prosthetic or mobility aid from one of the most skilled crafting citizens on the server? Look no further! You can find something perfectly suited to yourself and your style from On the Move! Located at a small workshop near the beach behind iBuy, you can purchase individually customized, hand-crafted, efficiently made, personalized prosthetics and mobility from Fin! Find their Citizen I.D. card and leave a message for them!

Do you need a child, pet, or an inebriated companion to be looked after? For 2 diamonds per hour (or a stockpile of building supplies), you can drop off your ward at The Copper Clinic and Daycare, run by Doc Zero in the Shopping District! In addition, if you are injured or looking for a medical check-up, you may receive a free referral to The Pharmacy as well, though donations are appreciated! Find Doc Zero’s Citizen I.D. card and leave him a message or leave him a message in the Citizen Talk thread if you’re looking for a sitter or clinic!

Many of these shops and services are just getting started, and are more than ready for a full string of customers! We hope you all enjoy your stay in the Hermit Citizen Hub, no matter how long you plan to be with us!

Lost and Found

By Lydia

The following items were brought in from across the server this week. As nobody knows who they belong to, they have been categorized as lost. If you recognize any of the following or would like to report a lost item, do reach out to us at [email protected]*

*Not a real email address

Item 1: A blue glass bottle with a scroll inside. The scroll shows a blueprint for a hot air balloon station. This bottle was found near Keralis’ shipyard. The blueprint seems to be recently drawn, however, the paper is turning yellow due to age. When asked about these blueprints, no one in the area had claimed them, nor had they heard of any plans for a hot air balloon station. The blueprints are drawn in colored pencil and the bottle itself glows in the dark. If this bottle belongs to you, please tell us if you are still planning to create a hot air balloon station when you come to claim it!

Item 2: An old notebook containing transcripts of a quiz show. This notebook is a spiral notebook with an orange and yellow cover that contains several transcripts and notes from a quiz show of an unknown name. It is unknown what the title of the show was, as it was never written down. The transcripts of the show appear to involve a tumultuous style of hosting which involves bringing in contestants to fist-fight each other before answering questions related to various Minecraft mobs. To the person who owns this book, please know that we have been very entertained by its contents!

Item 3: A cloth doll found near Enchantea depicting a gothic baseball player. This doll was found in near-perfect condition just outside of the shop. It is approximately 11 inches tall and has a black baseball uniform with gothic jewelry around the neck and wrists, with four ear piercings. It has curly green hair and silver button eyes. A patch of a peanut shell is sewn onto the back of its shirt. Neither a baseball nor bat was found with it.

Item 4: 6 2-inch coins made out of brass, all depicting images of fish tails and birds’ wings. These coins are green and surprisingly heavy. Four of them appear brand new, but the others appear to have rusted over many years. Each coin depicts two fish tails and four sets of bird wings, specifically the tails of Rainbow Trouts and the wings of California Condors. Anyone holding these coins notes that they feel as if they are about to be chased down by a threatening being, and everyone we have asked refuses to touch them. If these coins are yours, please claim them as soon as possible.

Item 5: A beige amphora made of clay, depicting the image of several Striders walking across a lava lake filled with dominoes. This amphora was found near Total Chaos. The artwork is painted in shades of orange, red, and dark turquoise. The images are crudely drawn and one of the handles is missing. Nothing was found inside the amphora, and it appears to have never held anything at all, as the inside is perfectly clean. If this amphora belongs to you, please consider displaying some of your plants inside of it!

Spectating Science: Warden Science with Tango Tek for Decked Out

Recapped by Cirrus, the Shoebill, written by Lydia

Scientific advancements throughout the Hermit Citizen Hub and among the Hermits themselves continue onward, allowing greater insight into familiar faces. Any citizens who are interested in the instinctual behaviors and idiosyncrasies of creatures of the most dangerous caliber are invited to share their theories related to the focused mob of this article. Wardens today are not as mysterious as they were during their first debut on all servers, however, this does not deter many from inquiring more about the aspects that we do not fully understand, or that we may elaborate upon concerning these sensory beasts.

While last week’s edition of Spectating Science focused on the study of Ravagers from the perspective of your fellow citizen, a biologist and animal behaviorist, Redfeather, this edition focuses on a single day’s experiments conducted by your Hermit, Tango Tek, as he fine-tuned his knowledge of Wardens and continued the early planning stages of his hand-crafted dungeon-crawler game, Decked Out.

Wardens are set to be integrated into the third and fourth levels of Decked Out as the primary threats to Players attempting to collect their artifacts and escape the game with their life. In addition, Wardens were stated to have many intimidating traits that can be used to strike the right level of haste and panic in these Players, but they needed great adjustments to their environment due to their many setbacks. Tango Tek’s live broadcast from May 17th featured trials and experiments conducted on these Wardens in a two-and-a-half-hour session. These experiments centered on necessary changes to increase Warden sensitivity and aggression to make the levels a greater challenge than the previous ones.

One of the Warden’s most significant obstacles, according to Tango Tek, is the extended length of time that a Warden takes to find a Player. This required several assessments of both traversal and sensitivity ranges at the beginning of his broadcast. His initial tests aimed to assess the traversal capabilities of the creatures, finding that the presence of lava slows down a Warden’s walking and running speed, causing it to struggle through its presence. Soul sand will also slow down a Warden’s walking speed. A flow of lava will also easily push a Warden in the stream’s direction, making it unusable for a Warden’s pathing. Wardens do not take damage from lava and are capable of swimming up walls made of lava, but this is not an ideal construction. Instead, Tango Tek settled on using fire in the place of lava for the time being, because it works well to slow down the Player while allowing the Warden to walk and run at its normal pace.

A given advantage for Wardens is their ability to move in a path toward a Player despite their inability to see, and this remains consistent even with the presence of trivial, small dead ends in maze settings. Larger dead ends may cause issues for Wardens, which affects the layout of the third and fourth levels to accommodate a Warden’s initial patterns of pathing. Tango Tek stated that he would likely make each corridor 2 blocks wide at a minimum. He also added that railings are imperative to any staircases if a Warden may risk falling off of them when chasing down a Player.

The next tests conducted centered on Darkness and the sound of Wardens’ heartbeats. Wardens give Players within a 20-block radius the effect of Darkness, which lasts for twelve seconds and is reapplied every six seconds, in addition to creating the sound of an audible heartbeat from approximately 50 to 60 blocks away from a Player. Each Warden’s heartbeat accelerates depending on how aggravated it is, meaning that multiple Wardens will not synchronize their heartbeats with each other. These heartbeats come in tandem with the effect of Darkness given to each Player. The level of Darkness pulsing can physically be changed by each Hermit through their out-of-world settings, and can even be set to not pulse at all. Tango Tek stated, however, that this is not an ideal way to play the game and interferes with the way that he wants them to experience the game’s environment. He also confirmed that the primary heartbeat sound effect that was added to Decked Out overpowers the heartbeat of the Wardens, but he does not see this as a large issue and prefers the sound of the Decked Out sound system to take priority in order to build up the Player’s sense of urgency.

The most intensive tests during the broadcast related to the aggravation and ability of a Warden to track down and kill a Player. With the help of a data pack created by his friend, Grifter, Tango Tek proceeded to measure the way that Wardens’ aggravation becomes affected by different factors. The first section of these intensive tests related to distance, a Warden’s sense of touch, projectiles, and a Warden’s use of scent. Wardens sniff when they are idle and can detect all Players within a 25-block radius. This does not make them aggravated, but it does send them on the path to the Player. A Player walking is the first step to aggravating a Warden, with the others being a Player throwing a projectile that physically contacts the Warden and touching the Warden with one’s bare hands or a weapon. A Warden that is hit with a projectile is easily aggravated faster than in any other way that a Player may antagonize it. A Warden’s roar is also a sign of its aggravation rising. Sneaking is the Player’s first line of defense against aggravating a Warden. If a Warden is not able to reach a Player with its long arms, it will release a Sonic Shriek, dealing a heavy amount of damage as well. A Sonic Shriek has a range of 16 blocks horizontally and 20 blocks vertically.

The second part of this intensive period related to environmental sounds and how they affect a Warden’s attention. Wardens always prioritize the vibrations of a Player over the vibrations of other objects but are also drawn to other objects that create sound within their vicinity. Wardens will not use their sniffing ability when they are distracted by noise-making objects when the Player is over 16 blocks away, which limits the way that Tango Tek may use such elements in relation to Wardens.

The third part of this section involved Tango Tek running through a maze of three-block-tall walls to get to the other side and successfully outrun a Warden. He then added more Wardens upon realizing that merely one Warden proved to be unsatisfactory. The testing area ranged approximately 70 by 70 blocks, the approximate size that Level Three is planned to match. Level Three may be larger, and will also include vertical portions. The goal of creating Level Three is to make the terrain harder for the Player to navigate, but easier for the Warden to traverse and track the Player down. Due to the set of Wardens placed within the testing area taking a longer amount of time to track down the Player and become aggravated, Tango Tek needed a solution to enhance the Wardens’ sensory input. These tests confirmed the need for a new set of experiments to increase the Wardens’ range of aggravation and tracking time.

The final portion of the broadcast showed Tango Tek’s solution to these timing issues. Tango Tek, through the use of calibrated sculk sensors (a future addition to the game), amethyst blocks, and pistons, successfully increased the range of a Warden’s aggravation from 16 blocks to a full 50 blocks. Through the connection of these “nodes” (single units consisting of a calibrated sculk sensor, amethyst block, and piston), he not only increased the range of aggravation but significantly increased the speed of a Warden tracking down a Player and shortened the time in which a Warden would become aggravated by said Player. He describes this grid format of nodes in the way of activating them through the pistons, set off by the amount of clank generated by each Player. During the Player’s run, they will activate the connected calibrated network depending on how long they stay in the dungeon. Despite this critical improvement, Tango Tek must moderate the nodes that are used throughout the entire dungeon to ensure that the game is not too difficult for the Player to complete.

The broadcast ended shortly after this experiment, leaving its viewers with a greater understanding of the capabilities, setbacks, and potential enhancement of Wardens. With this research and experimentation, Tango Tek has greatly enhanced the intelligence and threat levels posed by Wardens to Players for Decked Out, specifically through increasing their range of traversal and aggravation towards the Player. Thanks to Tango Tek’s use of calibrated sculk sensors, Wardens will be a more formidable presence as they take center stage in Levels Three and Four of Decked Out. The overall goal in this endeavor is to encourage the Player to be stealthy and quick, rather than to frustrate them and tempt them to brute force their way through the dungeon.

We invite any applied researchers to bring forth any growing developments that they would like to share in this segment and look for Cirrus, the Shoebill, for an interview about themselves and their work. In addition, tangents and rambles are more than welcome. No discovery is too small, and it is never too late to teach your fellow citizens something new!

[If you would like to be interviewed for Spectating Science, please look for Cirrus’s Citizen I.D. card in the Discord server and leave a note for them.]

Ask the Seers

By Seers Jester, S, Vi, and Nes

Has your favourite little guy been put into a situation they can’t get out of? Do you have questions about how a mountain appeared on top of your house last night? Question no more, for The Seers are here to help! Questions can be submitted through the ask box and are collected throughout the week.

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Dear Seers, I took your advice and got things done :] Bobby now has a better room with much more space, and the cats are finally getting along with him! Too well actually. Call me paranoid, but what do I do if I feel like my cats and warden are trying to plot something against me? I feel like the snack barrels aren’t gonna safe anymore. - Paranoid Cat And Warden Parent

Hello Paranoid Cat And Warden Parent,

Apologies for the delayed response, we here at The Seers all mysteriously disappeared to a death game. But we’re back now! Hopefully just in time to save you from your scheming pets…

The most important thing is to find out why they’re plotting, have you not been feeding them their favourite snacks often enough? Are they not getting enough attention? Did you step on one of their feet last week? Figure out why they’re mad and try to bribe them with extra of whatever they’re mad about.

If that fails, separate them. They may be friends, but if they’re dangerous they cannot play together. I’m not saying rehome any of them, just maybe move Bobby away from your base until things blow over!

If you try that and Bobby ends up escaping and returning to plotting with the cats, make a noise machine. It will entertain him long enough for him to forget about whatever they were plotting about.

If all else fails, pack your bags and leave. Perhaps consider the perimeter, because that’s probably more safe then your house right now. - The Seers