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#also I saw you sent this to Essay too - I'm honored you want my thoughts too!! <33
blorbologist · 11 months
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Which version (i.e the comics, cartoon, original campaign art, other fanart, etc.) of Percy and Vex do you typically visualize when you write your stories? Is that version of them your favorite?
Hi!! sorry this took so long - I wanted to compile the official art and really think through my answer.
A disclaimer that I usually default to drawing them fairly close to TLOVM's style, because it's simple and very visually distinct and I'm still learning to draw people. I think it's a very well done simplification of the characters that translates well to animation (though I do have my little quibbles with it)
Percy is pretty straightforward and doesn't vary much in my mind's eye; I love Vox Machina Origins and the new official art Percy, however I think both make him look a little too old and sexy for 'mid-early 20s' (I say, in my mid-early 20s tkrggkrtn). I also don't really like any red on him, though the new art is dark enough to still look nice. The stupid nerdy glasses are a must. He needs good boots - either his Spider Climb boots or just... good walking boots. IDK what TLOVM Percy is wearing but he won't get nowhere without being caked in mud. VM Origins Percy's host of belts and holsters is great (THIGH HOLSTER??? HI) and the pale coat lining + pants accent the hair nicely, though I also like new art/TLOVM Percy's dark look with the pale ascot.
My hot take is that I actually adore the TLOVM hair; it makes him look young and concerned with his appearance and really helps keep him from looking too Old. I dislike the green eyes though, had hopped so bad that they'd turn blue once Orthax was evicted or would be blue in flashbacks, but! Nope! Green for no clear reason! That's not a Whitestone color bby boy :C
EDIT: also the Orthax eyes and smoke are So Fucking Good absolutely insane of them to do that. very hot. very good. yes.
(also I'm sorry but I... really, really do not like the og art. It's just not my style. I'm not going to critique it, because I'm not a dick, but I can't imagine Vex falling for a Percy who looks like this guy?)
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Vex, though, I have less solid ideas about! I see her as being a lot more adaptable in her manner of dress - what needs repairs, what's too worn and needs to be tossed out, etc. vs Percy trying to cling to a singular Look more. I know she's the ~sexy~ one, but showing too much skin just isn't practical when out adventuring, and I'm happy much of her official art reflects that. She stays pretty well covered with some padding and leathers. And when not adventuring I think she has more fun with her day to day and fancy clothes, whereas Percy usually has that coat (He Coat) or something similar keeping his look somewhat constant.
Some things I am sure about: she's not fucking white good god. I personally darken Vex from her TLOVM colors a bit when I draw her. I understand a lot of white Vex art is from before she and Vax started getting darker official art, but I still cringe looking at it. Percy is the pasty whiteboy, Vex is mixed. Otherwise, hmm... I'm very attached to the blue feathers in her hair and some white fur thrown over one shoulder, as well as a host of belts and a thigh quiver + the braid being thrown over her shoulder. She Must have a flowy bit to her look (cape or that half-dress-thing in the post-timeskip art or whathaveyou) for maximum drama. Vex seems pretty willing to incorporate patterns and interesting fabrics into her look (poofy shoulders, stripes, that sheer thing) which I think is fun. I like her with black or hazel eyes, which I flipflop between liberally and depending on the fic rkgjnkrnkghn
The white dragon armor is a little difficult to design admittedly, but neither canon-ish look for it really Hit for me yknow.
Also I hate the TLOVM style of lips for women. It limits their expressiveness SO MUCH compared to the men which is such a robbery. I want more aghast and livid and screaming Vex. I would get it if she, specifically, had these, because she's The Hot One, but Keyleth??? Pike??? Come on.
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Again, this is all personal opinion as an artist with too few spoons to draw often + someone who finds both these characters incredibly hot and bisexual goals in their own way. I'm not gonna pick a fight with anyone over their interpretations (except whitewashing Vex. I'll fucking bite you)
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cherrytdatt · 4 years
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Sadness Ritual pt. 3
Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader
Word count: ~3.6k
Summary: Will Harrison's engagement party solve things between Y/N and Tom?
Warnings: N-O-T-H-I-N-G!
A/N: PART 3 IS HERE!!! after struggling a lot I finally did it. Part of this was inspired by the engagement scene in 'set it up' also know as my favorite rom-com ever so think about that vibe! I hope you guys like it. I really liked.
Playlist: No playlist...I heard so many things...It was a rollercoaster!
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Part 1 | Part 2
Three months ago, at 3 am, Tom stood in your kitchen and said the words you wished for months to hear from him. And yet, you felt your entire chest hurt, and you couldn't look at him. You sent him home, and since then, you didn't see him again. But now, the inevitable was coming. Anna and Harrison's engagement party is in one day. You're the maid of honor, and Tom is the best man. Anna asked you if you would be okay seeing him again and, to be honest, you don't know, but it’s her engagement party. You won't deny the presence of her fianceé's best friend and best man.
"Ready for the party?" Anna asked while you two looked at some dresses in some store.
The party would be something small, just family and friends, in Tom's backyard. You wanted to help, but going to Tom's house, knowing he would be there, wasn't in your plans.
"Yeah! I'm so happy for you. And Harrison. Since your first date, I knew you two would get married," you said with a smile. "I remember I said I would be a shitty maid of honor," you said with a laugh. "And Tom said he would be a great best man," your smile faded a little when you thought about Tom.
"Did you talk to him?" Anna asked, already knowing the answer.
"No," you said simply.
"Harrison said he's feeling better, but still misses you," Anna said with a weak voice.
You cleared your throat. "I miss him too," you said almost in a whisper.
"Why don't you talk to him?" she asked.
"I don't know. Things got pretty bad between us. I'm still sad with him, and I'm sure he is sad with me too," you said, and the sadness in your voice was almost palpable.
"I'm sure he forgave you. And I think you already forgave him. You're just afraid," she said.
"Maybe. Let's see how mad I'll be when I see him tomorrow," you chuckled, but your voice was still sad. "D-do you...hum...do know what happened...to the girl?
"Oh, please! He ended things with her the morning after your fight, and never saw her again," Anna said.
"What you think of these?" you asked, putting a black floral dress in front of you, and changing the subject to hide how happy that information made you.
"Loved," she said animatedly.
"I'll try it," you said, going into the dressing room.
You didn't wanna think about Tom and all the situation now, but the talk with Anna got stuck into your head. 'He still misses you'. Her voice was louder and clearer than when you talked. You decided to buy the black dress for Anna's party. Thank God she chose a very casual party, so you could go with comfortable clothes.
"I see you tomorrow," Anna said goodbye, leaving you in front of your building.
You got into your apartment, still thinking about your talk with her. You missed Tom, more than anything in your life, but every time you thought about those pictures, and the fact that he did all that even though he liked you, you felt a strange and bitter feeling in your stomach. All you wanted was to talk to him and solve things, but you felt so afraid of what he would do and what he was willing to do to make things better. 
You used the rest of your night writing some essays you had to finish this week and watching some comedy on TV.
'Hey. How are you? I just wanna say that I can't wait to see you tomorrow. And I want you to know that I'm cool if you decide not to talk with me. I just want you to be okay 🙂' Tom's message took your attention away from the TV. You stared at the text, not knowing what to say. Of course, you wanted to see him, but talk to him would be the best thing? You really didn't know.
'Hi. I'm great. And you? I'm okay talking to you tomorrow,' you typed, throwing the phone on the other side of the couch like it was a bomb ready to explode. "Fuck!" you said, noticing the smile that appeared in your face.
'I'm good. That's good. I miss talking to you. How crazy it is that our friends are getting married?!@#$' The bleep from your phone made you smile again, and you reached for it, reading his text.
'Crazy as shit! We're not old enough for this,' you ignored the first half of the text on purpose. You missed him, but you weren't ready to let him know that yet.
'I keep saying this to Harrison, but he doesn't listen to me lol. But they love each other very much. Harrison showed me his speech, and I cried like a baby,' he said, and you laughed, remembering how easy it was for him to cry. He had a playlist just for that.
'Well, It's not that hard to make you cry lol. I chose not to hear Anna's speech. I wanted to be a surprise,' you confessed. She told you it would be very emotional, so you decided to enjoy with everyone else at the party.
'I don't cry that easily. I didn't even cry in my last movie,' he said, and you remembered you didn't watch the movie with him because the release happened when you were not talking.
'Congratulations on the movie, btw. I heard it's very good,' you said, confessing you didn't watch it. The real reason for you not to watch you weren't confessing. You didn't wanna hear see him or hear his voice. It was too painful.
'You didn't watch it yet? 😱' he asked, and you could see the shocked and offended look on his face.
'I'm sorry. I didn't have time,' you lied.
'We need to change this! This is unacceptable!' he said, and you wanted to invite him over to solve things once and for all. You wanted to sit in front of the TV, with Tom by your side, like you always did, and watch as many movies as possible.
'I'm going to bed now. See you tomorrow at the party,' you cut him off before he could ask anything else, and Tom noticed that. Because in one minute he was smiling at his cellphone, just about to ask you to watch a movie with him, and now he was staring at your last text, questioning everything he could've said or done to make things different.
"Hey, mate. Are you okay?" Harry asked, entering the TV room, and seeing his brother with a weird face, ignoring the TV.
"Yeah. Just...talked to Y/N," he said, pointing at his phone.
"Really? How did it go?" Harry asked, genuinely interested. He saw his brother whining and moping around the house for the last three months. After the pictures got released, Tom freaked out. He had to go to therapy, you stopped coming to their house, and he wasn't that cheerful guy anymore. Now, he was in a good place. Not like before, but he was getting there. And talk to you was the last step to make everything go back to normal.
"It was going back to normal, but then she shut me down. Not aggressively. She just didn't give me the opportunity to make things as normal as before," he said.
"Oh! I'm sorry, man. But that is better than nothing, right?" Harry shrugged. "And you are seeing her tomorrow. Who knows what can happen?" he smiled, and his brother did the same.
To say that this night was hard was an understatement. Tom couldn't sleep. He scrolled through his entire timeline on Instagram, watched a movie, then another one, ate, played video game, and when there was nothing else to do, he decided that 5am was a good time to go to the gym. But not even that helped him relax. He could feel every fiber in his body suffering from anxiety. Tea with his mom after lunch was the only thing that kept his mind calm for a few hours. After that, he went home to get ready for the party. 
There was no set of clothes in his closet that worked. Nothing was good enough. "Hey..." Anna called him from the door. "Want some help?" she offered.
"No. I know you have other things to do. I don't wanna bother you," he said with a smile.
"Not a chance. Everything is settled and I'm ready. Harrison is the one taking forever," she rolled her eyes. "I can help you," she said, getting into his room, and sitting in his bed. "What are your choices?" she asked.
"I don't have any," he scratched his neck, a little embarrassed.
"I think I know what to do," she said, getting up and going through his closet. "It will be simple..." she said, picking up a black pair of jeans and throwing at him. "But very cute..." she picked a black shirt.
"How can a black shirt with a black pair of jeans be cute?" he asked, looking at the clothes she gave him.
"Please..." she rolled her eyes. "You'll look cute," she picked a black cardigan, that he rarely used, and gave it to him. "And will match with the maid of honor, cause she's wearing black too," she finally gave him a white sneaker and a pair of glasses that he liked to use as a fashion statement.
"I'll match the maid of honor?" he asked, biting his bottom lip, trying not to smile.
"Perfectly!" Anna said with a happy smile.
Tom looked at the ground. "I talked to her yesterday," he said, putting the clothes on the bed before Anna could leave.
"And?" Anna said expectantly.
"I was just telling her she didn't need to talk to me today if she didn't want to. But, she said she was okay talking to me," his shrug was trying to sound like he didn't care, but his smile was showing the truth.
"I think you two will work things out," Anna said with a smile, leaning in the doorway.
"I hope so. I miss her so much, it's physically painful sometimes," he confessed with a sad voice.
"I know. I'm rooting for you," Anna said, going to him, and giving him a hug.
"Thanks," he said, and she smiled, leaving him alone.
Soon, the house was getting crowded. The backyard was decorated with fairy lights and wooden furniture. The waiters and waitresses walked around the house, serving beer and pizza.
Tom tried to distract himself, talking to as many people as he could. His mom, dad, and brothers were there since they were practically Harrison's family. His mom was feeling his son's anxiety.
"Are you okay?" she whispered to him.
"Great," he said, but his voice sounded anxious. He kept moving his weight from one foot to another. "She'll be here soon," he said.
"I know. And you'll let her be. Otherwise, you'll scare her," she said.
"Yeah...sure," he agreed. He glanced at the door as he did at least fifty times in the last hour, and for his surprise, this time you were there, taking off your jacket, revealing the black floral dress Anna said you would wear. And you two were matching. Tom's smile grew wilder unconsciously. You talked to some guests that were inside the house and then went outside, joining Anna and Harrison. You looked like an angel. Tom couldn't believe he survived all this time away from you. You looked at him for a second, and he saw Anna whispering something to you. You smiled, widely, and Tom felt like he had won the night.
You walked toward him, going to talk to his family. You didn't see Nikki for so long. You missed drinking tea with her, talking about your life, asking for advice.
"Hey, Ms. Holland," you greeted her.
"Hi, sweetie. Long time, no see,' she said, hugging you.
"Yeah. I was...busy," you said, looking at Tom for a split second and then to her again.
"I imagined. How is everything going? College. Work. Life?" she asked.
"Pretty much the same. I meant to call you a few times in the last months, but I didn't wanna bother you," you said sincerely. You really thought about calling and talking to her.
"Don't be silly. I would've loved talking to you," she said with a kind smile. "Let's have lunch this week. What do you think?"
"I would like that very much," you said, relieved that she didn't hate you after all the drama.
"Dom, look who is here," she said, calling her husband's attention. He said goodbye to the person he was talking to, engaging in conversation with you two. Sometimes your eyes met Tom's, and he noticed a sparkle in them every time you did. He didn't say anything while you were talking to his parents. He didn't want to upset you. "If you excuse us, darling, we're gonna talk to some friends," Nikki said, caressing your arm.
"Sure, go ahead," you said with a smile. They left, and it was just you and Tom.
"Hi," he said softly, trying to contain his excitement.
"Hey," you said, scratching the label of the bottle you were holding, anxiously.
"You look really good," he said, drinking a sip of his beer after.
"Thanks. You too," you were avoiding his eyes.
"Anna helped me choose this," he pointed to his clothes.
"It looks good," you smiled, finally looking in his eyes.
Tom couldn't hold it anymore. His mind wanted to keep it cool, but his mouth was faster. "I miss you. Everyday," he said. You looked at him, and all your worries were dead. All you could think was how much you missed him and how much you wanted him back in your life.
"I..." you started.
"Okay, everyone...it's toast time," Anna said clinking her glass with a fork. You and Tom looked at each other. Tom was afraid he had ruined his only chance. You were sad cause you couldn't tell him you missed him too.
"I'll go first," Harrison said, and some people cheered. "So...Anna. What can I talk about Anna?" he joked. "I'm kidding. I'll just say that the first time Y/N brought you around," he looked at you, raising his bottle, and you smiled. "That day, I knew I would marry you. I didn't say anything cause we were all friends, and I didn't want to scare you. But then, we were watching England's game at the 2018 World Cup, and when we lost, you cried. At that moment, I knew I had do something to make you mine, cause we were made for each other. Two months later I asked you out, and we started dating. Now I'm happy to say that we're gonna cry over the English team together, forever," he said the last part, looking at her. Everyone around cheered and applauded them and Anna gave him a quick kiss.
"Okay, now it's my turn," Anna said, taking a step forward. She was a showoff. "Are you ready to cry?" she asked, looking at him, and he smiled, nodding. I thought I would never find someone that I loved enough to ignore their flaws and accept spending my life with them. Unlike from you, when we first met, I thought great eyes, great body," she laughed, looking at him. "We could be friends. I mean, Tom and Y/N were always together. It wasn't like we could ignore each other," she said, and you and Tom looked at each other. A bit of sadness in your eyes, thinking about how that part wasn't true anymore. "But then, I got to meet you better, I started to see your flaws, and yet, dislike you wasn't an option even if I tried. My grandma always said 'we like because...we love despite...' I like you because you're nice to me, you are my best friend and you always search for me in a room when someone tells something funny, just to see my reaction. And I love you despite you being the last one to get ready, your gym schedule, and all the times you yell 'Wonderwall' in my ear, even though you know I hate this song," she finished. Her eyes were glistening with tears, just like everybody else. It took a few seconds for people to start cheering and clapping them. Harrison hugged her, with a wide and bright smile.
"Great speech," you said, going to her and Harrison, and hugging them. Tom following right behind you.
"I almost cried again," Tom said, hugging Harrison.
"Almost?" Anna asked, her thumbs brushing the corner of his eyes, cleaning a tear that threatened to fall.
"It was a really good speech," he defended himself.
"Thanks," she smiled. "We're gonna talk to...some people. We see you guys later?" she said holding your hand, and you and Tom nodded.
"We're gonna eat something," he said, resting his hand on your lower back, and they left. "Can we talk?" he asked, once Harrison and Anna left.
 "Yeah, sure!" you said, and he noticed the anxiety in your voice. At least he wasn't the only one that was afraid.
He walked to his room, opening the door so you could go in first. You walked to the window, looking at the party that was happening downstairs.
"It looks really good from here," you said. "They are so happy," you smiled, watching Harrison and Anna dance together.
"I'm happy to see you," he said, cutting you off. "I've missed you. Everyone did," his hands were in his pockets, and he was trying to stay calm even though his heart was loud in his ear.
"I missed everyone too. It was good to see your mom," you said, fidgeting with the fabric of your dress. The room went silent. Tom didn't wanna push you, but he wanted to be with you and talk like before. Maybe he didn't think this through. The only noise was the music from the party. "I'm sorry," you said, taking a step forward, and Tom looked at you, waiting. You were nervous. "I'm sorry for pushing you away the way I did," your voice was heavy. "We were both sad and broken-hearted, and I was selfish. I only thought about the pain I was feeling. I'm sorry for ignoring your feelings," you said, and Tom felt his heart beating faster. He never thought about that night this way. He always thought about how much pain he caused you and how guilty he was feeling.
"I should've talked to you. I was so focused on the reasons why we couldn't be together," Tom said, taking a step in your direction. "I never thought about the reasons why we could," he confessed. These last three months he thought a lot about what he did wrong, and not talking to you sooner, giving you the chance to decide if you two could work, was his biggest mistake. "I was a coward. With you, with me, with that girl," his voice was trembling. "And I regret every day for what I did," he finished. You were looking at him, and your expression was unreadable. Even for him, that knew you for half of his life.
"I love you, and I," you started, but then you stopped. Your eyes blinking heavily. "I love you," you repeated after a few seconds, touching your lips with your fingers, looking away from him. It was like you could touch every word. "I...I love you!" you said like you just realized that. You had told him that before, but you were so hurt that you never let yourself feel that completely. Now, standing here, with nothing in your way, that was all you could feel. "I love you..." you smiled, looking at Tom that still had a lost look in his face. "I love you!" you said one last time like you were declaring your feelings for him.
Without giving you a chance to say it again, Tom walked the two steps that were keeping you apart, holding your face in his hands, and kissing you. It was urgent and frantic at first, but then you felt your heart slowing down and it was like the entire world was in slow motion. Your hand went to his waist, holding his sweater, while his fingers tangled in your hair, one of his hands holding your neck, deepening, even more, the kiss.
"I love you too," he whispered against your lips, breaking the kiss. He smiled, looking into your eyes. "And I really think we should go on a date."
~
1 year and 7 months later...
"Lunch is ready," Sam called from the kitchen, and soon footsteps and a door closing were heard upstairs.
"Y/N! You're cheating!" Tom yelled.
"Stop whining. I just closed the door!" you yelled back, running down the stair.
"Racing again?" Sam asked, seeing you enter the kitchen breathless.
"He said he would clean the room if I won," you shrugged. You yelped, feeling Tom lifting you up by the waist. "NO! PUT ME DOWN!" you yelled. 
"You cheated!" he said, carrying you to the backyard and locking you out. He pointed and laughed at you through the glass door.
"I can't believe you are doing this. Let me in. I'm hungry!" you said, crossing your arms on your chest.
"If you wanna get in you'll have to do three things first," he said.
"They are being idiots again?" Harry asked entering the kitchen and seeing you two.
"What's going on?" Harrison asked, and Harry pointed to the glass door.
"Idiots," Anna said sitting on a chair around the dinner table.
"What three things?" you asked.
"First, you'll apologize for cheating," he said and you rolled your eyes. "Second, you'll help me clean the room. And third," he put his hand on his pocket, taking out a black velvet box. He opened the box, revealing a ring, and your eyes grew wider, noticing what was happening. "Marry me?" he said, and you covered your mouth in shock, just like everyone else behind him.
"Yes!" you said, feeling your eyes burning. "Yesyesyes!" you repeated, nodding frantically, while he opened the door, pulling you into a hug.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
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