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lizkreates · 9 months

Text

Reflection ~A Trigun fan comic~ (Comic Script in the Keep Reading)

Context note: This takes place just after the events of TriMax Vol 10 on Brad’s ship going to December. I’m giving them more time on the trip because Livio grew a full-ass beard between pickup and drop-off (prob because of his healing factor, who knows.) Enjoy!

Vash's coffee is a reference to my first comic Black Coffee & Donuts!

Comic Script for Reflection: A Trigun Fan Comic

PAGE 1

Panel 1: Vash, with his hair down and dressed in his black undersuit, wakes up startled in a cold sweat. He clearly slept poorly bags under his eyes. It’s only been a day or two since he laid Wolfwood to rest.

Panel 2: A full body shot of him stepping out of the bed, his Colt weight down his hip, face obscured.

Panel 3: He leans over the counter in front of a mirror, shoulders hunched, head hanging.

Panel 4: He looks up, hand covering the remaining blonde of his hair so it appears full black. Large pale portraits of Rem and Wolfwood flank Vash on each side in the background.

Vash: Rem, Wolfwood, you both sacrificed everything. Funny isn’t it that I’m beginning to look more like you?

PAGE 2

Panel 1: Vash flashes back to a moment when he and Wolfwood walked side by side in the arid desert of No Man’s Land.

Vash: Wolfwood, you were there every day by my side, now I'm alone again.

Panel 2: Another flashback to a moment Vash and Wolfwood sat on the edge of a rooftop and looked out over the cityscape to the stars pricking the sky.

Vash: There was so much unsaid between us.

Panel 3: A fresh flashback to the couch, where Vash held Wolfwood's hand in his final moments.

Vash: I wish I had known how to tell you that I loved you before it was too late.

Panel 4: A dramatic crop of half of Vash’s lower face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he cries out.

PAGE 3

Panel 1: Livio, a tall, tan, broad-shoulder, white-haired man with a tribal tattoo over his left eye, dressed in a white shirt and black pants, bursts through the bedroom door concerned.

Livio: Mr. Vash, I heard crying, are you okay?!

Panel 2: Vash looks over, a little comically rattled and surprised

Vash: Livio?

Panel 3: Close-up of Vash’s lower face smiling, a tear rolling down his face.

Vash: I’m alright.

Panel 4: A blank Panel, filled with still air

Vash: Actually.

Panel 5: Big Panel, Vash crying into the crook of his arm.

Vash: I'm not... I miss him. I can’t stop missing him.

PAGE 4

Panel 1: Vash rubs the tears from his eyes, Livio grabs his arm shamefully, his body language clearly showing regret and discomfort.

Livio: I’ll uh, leave you to it, and see myself out.

Vash: It’s okay, I just didn’t want anyone to see me like this.

Panel 2: Close-up of Livio looking down.

Livio: It’s better to let yer feelin’s out than to hide ‘em and let ‘em fester, I should know.

Panel 3: Livio turns to the side and a sad snot stream runs down his nose he was trying to keep in. Livio is very much struggling allowing himself to miss Wolfwood. He doesn’t feel like, he should even though he desperately does.

Sounds effects: sniff

Vash: Now who’s keeping in their feelings? Let it out! He was your friend too, wasn’t he? You deserve to cry too.

Panel 4: Livio smiles sheepishly. He wants to make Wolfwood proud of him first.

Livio: Yeah, I suppose he was, all this time. But I don’t think I’ve earned that right yet.

Panel 5: Livio’s stomach growls LOUDLY. Draw in a chibi style, breaking the tension.

Sound effects: grumble

Panel 6: Drawn in chibi style, Vash waves around his noddle arms and Livio’s mood brightens, grinning with excitement.

Vash: Oh, are you hungry?

Livio: Hell yeah, I am!

Vash: What would you like?

Livio: Uh, pancakes!

Vash: Alright, pancakes it is!

PAGE 5

Panel 1: They sit down and eat at a retro 50s-style diner booth in a small nook of the ship. Livio swirls the last of his pancake in syrup on the plate. Vash cradles a black coffee with both hands looking at Livio.

Vash: Hey, Livio, what do you want to do when this is all over?

Livio: Dunno, maybe wander around for a while or return to the orphanage to help make up for what I and the other guy did.

Panel 2: Livio hangs his head, eyebrows worried.

Livio: If I can be honest with ya, I'm scared to face them.

Panel 3: Zoomed out drawn in chibi style to break the tension. Livio shivers.

Vash: Is that scarier than Elendira?

Sound effects: shivers

Panel 4: They laugh.

Livio: Well, when ya put it like, hell no!

Vash: Haha!

Panel 5: Extreme close-up of Livio’s eyes softening as he remembers back to his time at the orphanage.

Livio: I think he’d like that. They were my first real family.

Panel 6: Vash is hit with a sudden realization, Livio has no one right now. In a misty background, he remembers when Razlo cried out after Wolfwood did in Master Chapel.

Vash (internal): Wolfwood, you left Livio in my care... so we wouldn’t be alone.

Razlo (background): ...I’m all alone again!

PAGE 6

Panel 1: Close-up of Vash with the sincerest smile.

Vash: I hope you know you’re not alone. You have me now.

Panel 2: Livio’s face contorts sorrowfully.

Livio/Razlo (internal): I don’t deserve this.

Livio: Mr. Vash I --

Vash: Wait, before you say anything...

Panel 3: Zoom out so we can see both of them and the table. Vash extends his leg as he digs deep into his pants pocket. Livio leans on the table watching him.

Vash: I know that we don’t know each other well yet, but he trusted you with me and I trusted him, wholly and completely, so…

Panel 4: Extreme close-up, Vash pulls out 2 black leather wristbands with silver latches.

PAGE 7

Panel 1: Vash offers Livio a wristband while holding one for himself in the same hand.

Vash: Here. One for you, one for me. I used a strap from his cross to make it, so part of him will always be with us.

Panel 2: Livio puts the wristband on his left hand.

Livio: Thank you.

Panel 3: Extreme close-up of Livio’s non-tattooed eye, tears pricking his lashes.

Livio: I hope one day I can repay yer kindness.

Panel 4: They fist bump wristbands in view.

Vash: Welcome to the family, Livio.

PAGE 8

Panel 1: A large portrait of Wolfwood with his sunglasses and back turned, fills the background, smiling as he holds his cigarette in his hand.

Livio: Hey, Mr. Vash?

Vash: Mm?

Livio: Would you mind tellin’ me a lil more about him… Wolfwood? Ya see, we were close at the orphanage as kids, but I don’t know who he became. I’ll understand if you don’t want to, you owe me absolutely nothin’.

Panel 2: A close-up of Vash’s coffee, Wolfwood’s staple morning drink, Vash’s reflection smiles back, tears in his eyes.

Vash: I’d love to.

PAGE 9

Panel 1: Bonus! Sometime later. Drawn in chibi style.

Livio: Can I hug ya?

Vash: Sure, buddy!

Panel 2: They hug, Vash smiles, and Livio whimpers as he lets out the waterworks. He’s thankful for Vash’s kindness.

Panel 3: This sets Vash off, who also sobs. They cry in each other’s arms.

#Trigun #Trigun Maximum #TriMax #spoilers #Trigun Spoilers #Vashwood #Vash #Vash the Stampede #Livio #Livio the Double Fang #Nicholas D Wolfwood #Wolfwood #my art #tw character death mention #food #TrigunStampede #NO BETA WE DIE LIKE GUNG-HO-GUNS #sorry for any choppy dialogue #shoved a lot in here but wanted to touch on Trigun's running themes like loneliness and family #and Vash being heart wrenchingly kind #vash privately mourning wolfwood was a good move on nightow's part but my guy I needed to see some tears to fill the hole in my heart #take that trust line as you will to fit your narrative :3 #i love these 3 idiots (affectionate) a lot and I can't fit all I want to say in the tags #this spawned from an art mistake I noticed in the manga #livio's wristbands changed from 2 to 3 at some point #it looked suspiciously like a strap from Wolfwood's cross and the rest is history #and i needed more bonding time between vash and livio #and for them to know they aren't alone in this fight #i 100% think livio would struggle mourning ww and becoming worthy to do so #I needed this so maybe someone needs it too

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twignotstick · 2 months

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Broken Brothers (and How to Fix Them)

Part 2 💙 | <- Part 1 🧡

Note: This story is based on @cupcakeslushie 's Empyrean Weeping au. These characters are not my own, and this story is in no way canon to the main story. I wrote this as my love letter to the story and the characters. Especially April :)

Tags: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ROTTMNT, Leo & April, NOT MY CHARACTERS, Empyrean Weeping AU, recovery (i have a sneaking suspicion that will apply to the whole fic,,), talking it out because we're adults, movies, comics, they're becoming friends

Warnings (if there's anything I should add here, tell me please!): Mention of violence (its one sentence, but figure I should still put it here :P)

Words: 1,588 (there's less setup this time)

Summary: April was able to figure out her first brother easily. Now, she gets three more, with a couple more issues to worry about.

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As soon as she even saw Leo for the first time, she knew he wouldn't be as easy to get along with as Mikey was. Mikey was always so open, so bright, so bouncy. Leo, in comparison, was still, dull, and closed off. He had just come from a terrible ninja clan, beaten by his own master. It was kind of warranted.

Any time April would enter the medbay where they were keeping Leo, he would silently stare a hole in her soul. His face had hardly loosened from the scowl he had adopted, and any time April would get near, it would just harden more. Even so, April kept trying to get close. Despite Raph's concerns for her physical health. (And with Mikey's encouragement, because he was happy to enable the potentially dangerous behavior.)

One afternoon, she decided to bring a ton of her Jupiter Jim comics to read. The boys needed a break from watching their somewhat-volatile-yet-severely-wounded brother, and April knew he wouldn't talk to her. So, once she settled down in her chair a few feet away from the bed where Leo was scowling, she pulled out the comic she'd left off on: Jupiter Jim Breaks Newton's Fourth Law, Volume 8.

After a few minutes of reading, April couldn't help but notice a change in Leo out of her peripheral vision. He wasn't staring at her anymore, but at her comic. This glare wasn't full of discontent and uncertainty. Instead, it was filled with emotions he was trying (and failing) to hide- curiosity and excitement.

“You read Jupiter Jim?”

Leo was surprised by the sudden question and whipped his gaze away, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. “No.”

April's journalism senses were kicking in. There was a story here. “Why not?”

“Things like that are…” Leo's posture tightened, almost as if the thing he was about to say wasn't what he believed, “useless distractions.”

“I don't think so,” April said, shifting her chair a little closer to the bed. “I think it's important to have distractions sometimes. Y'know, during finals, when you're sick, when you've got a broken arm…” Subtly, April started slipping the comic in her hands to the bed. “You can read it, if you want.”

“No. I can't.”

Leo looked surprisingly aggressive when he responded. He seemed to catch his unwarranted anger and mumbled, “I still haven't read 6 or 7.”

“Oh!” April sat up straight and grabbed her bag from the floor. “I've got the whole arc up to 9 in here, I thiiink-” Once she had fished out the comics she was looking for, she placed them on the corner of the bed by Leo's feet.

The slider stared at the comics like they'd offended him.

“...well?”

“I-I can't. I can't hold them with my arm-”

“I can hold it for you!” April said. “I can turn the pages whenever you need.”

Leo finally looked back at April with that trademark scowl he always had. “What's your game, woman?”

April smiled. “No games, just trying to make you feel comfortable in your new home.”

Leo huffed. “This isn't my home.”

“It's where your family is, isn't it? Isn't that what matters?” April asked genuinely.

Leo looked back down at the comics. His eyes softened while the rest of his expression remained, and he picked Volume 6 up with his good arm. He opened it and silently began to read.

They both sat and read for a while. April noticed Leo struggling to turn pages sometimes, but she didn't dare try to help him. She thought he might bite her hand if she did. He was still scowling at the comic as he read, but it looked less like a scowl of anger and more one of concentration.

When he got done with Volume 6, April spoke. “So, who's your favorite character?”

“...JJ, obviously.” Leo slowly reached out and grabbed the next volume.

“Seriously? That's so basic.”

Leo scoffed. “Really? Then who's your favorite character?”

“Atomic Lass, obvi,” April said, flipping her hair for emphasis.

“Atomic Lass?! Her personality is literally just ‘woman’.”

“Uh, yeah, and that's the point?! Atomic Lad is just ‘man’. Haven't you watched Jupiter Jim on the Atomic Sub-Moon?”

Leo's shoulders lowered. “...watched?”

April sprung up and put her arms on the bed, looking down at Leo in shock. “YOU'VE NEVER WATCHED A JUPITER JIM MOVIE?!”

“NO?! THEY MAKE THOSE?!”

“THAT'S IT!” April grabbed her bag from the floor and moved it over to the side of Leo's bed. “You, keep reading. I'll get one of the boys to watch you. I need to head home and get my box set. We are having a movie night. Understand?!”

“Y-yes ma'am!”

“We can start with Last Trip to the Moon 1, but then we are watching Atomic Sub-Moon, I DO NOT care if the context is lost, you'll figure it out.”

“O-okay?!”

“RAPH!”

----------------------

“So… the real Atomic Lad and Atomic Lass are dead?!”

“Yes! And the Atomic Lad and Lass we know are-”

“People carrying on the legacy, who the Atomic people believe are still the originals?!”

“YES! That's why they never use their real names, that's why-”

“Why they act like Barbie and Ken for space…”

“Now you get it!” April leaned back into her bean bag and put her arms behind her head. The movie night had gone way better than expected. They had to set up the best pillow pile they could, since they didn't have a sofa big enough for everybody. In the end, April and Leo stayed in bean bags and watched the movies while the others went about their day. It took a minute for Leo to get into it, but once the moon buggy showed up, he was hooked. For the first time, April saw a child in Leo.

“So, have I won you over with an emotional, heart breaking backstory?” April asked slyly.

“Uh, no.”

April's eyes snapped to the slider. “WHAT?! What do you meeean?! I don't get how you like JJ more than Atomic Lass!”

“Well, he's the main character for a reason, for one.” Leo took another bite of the pizza slice he had been eating. “And second, he's the one who always gets everyone out of the bad stuff. He's the hero, and he isn't scared to sacrifice for his crew.”

“But, consider this, Atomic Lass has a giant rocket powered hammer, Leo.”

“JJ doesn't need a weapon. He's got the nerve pinch technique.”

“They never use the nerve pinch technique, though!” April whined.

“That doesn't mean he doesn't have it!”

“I never thought someone could be as dorky as April,” Raph said from where he stood a few feet away from the bean bag setup. “And yet, here we are.”

“Wh- dorky?!” Leo scoffed, looking at Raph incredulously.

“Yeah, dorky!” Mikey popped out from behind Raph's shoulder. “Y'know, nerdy? Geeky? Criiinge?”

Leo's face flushed and he curled in on himself, stammering.

“Hey, y'all are just jealous that we're bonding,” April defended. “If you gave JJ a chance, you'd like it too.”

Raph and Mikey both shut up quick. April waved them off, and they hurried out to the kitchen again, saying they were “getting more snacks”.

Now that they were alone, April looked over at Leo again. “They're stupid. Can't appreciate good media.”

“Good media?” Leo asked. “You mean B-Movies and old comics?”

“Yeah, man.” April grabbed a blanket and tossed it over at Leo, making him fumble to keep it off his face with his good arm. “It makes you feel good, doesn't it?”

Leo looked down and contemplated. “I mean… yeah. But I-”

“Shouldn't?”

Leo took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“You don't have to worry about what you should or shouldn't do here, Leo,” April said, sitting more upright to look at Leo better. “You do what you want. What makes you feel good. That's all you should worry about when you're home. Doing what you want and feeling good.”

Leo turned away, looking at the TV, paused at the end of the credits.

“If it means anything, this really made me feel good,” April said. “It's cool to have somebody to talk about ‘nerd stuff’ with. And I'm glad you liked the movies. Atomic Sub-Moon is one of my favorites. Not as good as Pluto Vacation 4, but good.”

“There's more?” Leo asked timidly.

“Oh, there's loads more!” April grinned. “There's like a jillion Last Trip to the Moons, there's Jupiter Jim and the Overly Complicated Magic System, Jupiter Jim Squared Minus One, Jupiter Jim Breaks into Federal Prison, there's tons! We can have more movie nights, if you want.”

Leo looked at the blanket laying over him, grabbing it and rubbing it between his fingers. “I think… I think I want that.”

April pumped her fist. “Sweet! This means I've still got time to win you over to the Atomic Side.”

Leo let a single laugh escape his lips. “Yeah, not happening. Jim is the best, I don't care what you say. Even Red Fox is better than Atomic Lass.”

“AH! HOW DARE YOU?!” April stood up and looked down at Leo. “Just you wait, nonbeliever. Just wait until I show you the Atomic Lass spinoff comic. Or the Atomic Lass movies. You will change.”

“I wouldn't bet on it.”

“Oh YEAH?! I will bet on it. I'll bet on it so hard, you can call me Troy Bolton.”

Leo's eyes nervously shifted from side to side, centering back on April. “...who?”

“...YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL?!”

“NO?!?”

“RAPH!”

○●○●○●○

Yippee! Part 2! Part 3 is giving me more... issues... so it might take a minute to come out. But its coming! 🟪🐢

I really leaned into Leo's inner dorkiness here. I just thought him and April bonding over their obsession with an insane astronaut man was so cute. <3 (This is also why I'm so excited for the rest of Leo's arc in the actual comic! GAH!!!)

Congrats to everyone who won the first round of @tmntaucompetition voting! Very excited for the next round coming up :)

Part 3 -> 💜

#tmnt #tmnt au #rottmnt #tmnt fanfiction #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt au propaganda #tmnt separated au #separated au #tmnt leo #tmnt april #save rottmnt #unpause rottmnt #twig writes

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theyhavetakenovermylife · 4 months

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Karma At First Sight: part 2 (Fluff)

2012!Raphael x reader

Part 1

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After seeing you the first time, Raphael can’t help but wonder if he’ll ever see you again, even if his brothers seek to pay back all the teasing he has done to them.

Warnings: Spelling, brothers teasing each other, Kraangs that wanna hurt you?

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Days turned into nights, and Raphael couldn't shake the image of you from his mind. He found himself more and more distracted during training sessions, his thoughts wandering to the mysterious girl who had captured his attention on that rooftop stakeout. It irritated him, not being able to do what he usually did, without the thought of you making itself ever present. But what irritated him even more, was how attentive his brothers were. They were quick to notice whenever his movement stalled and the look in his eyes, knowing it was you he thought about.

Their teasing never really stopped. Just like Raph found have done with Donnie so many times, they found every excuse to tease him. It took him a little longer than usual to eat breakfast? Mike would sigh out loud before laying down on the kitchen table, a dreamy look in his eyes, mumbling about how he missed you, before running and dodging whatever Raph would throw after him. Raph had been sitting too long staring at the same page in his comic? Leo couldn’t resist commenting on how one of the characters must look familiar, making Raph’s eyes spark fire. And was Raph so naive to think that he could make comments on Donnie’s crush on April, that shit eating grin on Donnie’s face was enough to make Raph retreat every statement.

Whenever Raph and his brothers went to the surface, Raphael couldn’t help but look out for you on the street. New York City was big, but maybe he was lucky that you would be around somewhere. And of course his brothers noticed his searching eyes, knowing full well that he would never look for Kraang with such intensity and hope in his eyes.

One evening, the brothers found themselves back on the same roof, from which Raph had seen you a mere two weeks prior. Raph was doing his best not to seem too invested in what was going on, on the street. He would act as if he didn’t notice if a person walked past, when in reality, he was hoping to see your face once more, and hear you hum whatever music you were listening to. But of course, his brothers saw it.

“As far as I remember, Raph”, Leo started, never moving his eyes from his search for the Kraang. “Juliet was the one on the balcony and Romeo was on the ground”.

“Shut it, Leo”, Raph growled.

“What’s wrong?”, Mikey asked, inching closer to Raph with a smug grin. “You don’t like being teased about your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”, Raph exclaimed, trying to catch his annoying little brother, before he got out of his reach.

“Hmm, sounds like a sentence I recognize”, Donnie said, tapping his chin in fake contemplation.

Raph growled in frustration, ready to jump on his brothers in a moment's notice to shut them up, only to stop in his tracks by the sound of Kraang bots in the alley next to the building. All four turtles jumped from the building, descending down into the alley. The skirmish that followed was intense. In the midst of the chaos, Raphael's attention was drawn to a figure standing at the mouth of the alley, staring in shock at the scene in front of them - it was you.

Raphael, who seemingly forgot the world around him as he caught sight of you. The Kraang droid he had been fighting did not exist for a moment, until…

“A human has seen Kraang fight with what is known as the turtles”, the droid said, causing Raph to return to reality. “Kraang is to capture and destroy the human that has seen Kraang fight what is known as the turtles”.

“Oh no you don’t!”, Raph yelled, driving his sai into the droid.

You, frightened by what you had just witnessed, started stepping backwards onto the street, not noticing the Kraang coming down the alley on the opposite side of the street. Raph however noticed it, getting rid of the Kraang he had been fighting before sprinting in your direction.

“Look out!”

You turned in confusion, just in time to see Kraang, ready to launch at you. You screamed and ducked, giving Raphael the room he needed to jump over your head and straight into the face of the Kraang. You watched through your fingers as Raph used his sai to take the droid out, hoping that he reached the brain looking creature inside it.

As the life disappeared from the Kraang’s robot body, Raph turned to you, watching your movements closely. You were watching him in astonishment, taking in all of his features. His green skin, three limbed hands and feets, the shell on his back and his bright green eyes.

With each droid taken out, his brothers watched the two of you from the alley. Though they had been teasing Raph relentlessly these past few weeks, they wouldn’t help but feel invested in the scene in front of them, fearing and hoping along with their hot tempered brother.

Raphael was the first to step forward and speak up, his gaze locked onto yours, fighting the nervous feeling in his stomach, and the way his hands started to get clammy. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous", he grumbled, a hint of concern in his voice.

It took a moment before you answered him. Blinking at his words as you were processing them. "Seems like you guys have it under control".

Raph shivered. You spoke to him. You actually spoke to him. You did not scream him in the face like he had feared you would. All those times he had been daydreaming about talking to you, fearing how you would react, suddenly seemed like nothing compared to the real deal in front of him.

Extending a hand to you, Raph helped you up from the pavement, till you were standing on your feet. "We appreciate the support from the sideline, but it's best to leave this to us", he said, hoping to break the tension that he felt inside himself.

You chuckled, making Raph feel his stomach tingle once more. "Got it," you replied, not showing any signs of fear. "But, you know, if you ever need an extra hand, I'm here", you said with a little hint of sarcasm, before looking down. “Until then I would like to keep my hand”.

Confused Raph looked down, seeing that he still had his hand wrapped around your smaller one. As if the realization electrocuted him, he let go of your hand, feeling his face get hot. “Heh, sorry”.

“It’s okay”, you smiled. “Do you have a name? I would very much like to know the name of the, uh… person that saved me from… that”. You nodded to the Kraang on the ground.

“Uhm… yeah, it’s Raphael”, the nervous turtle said, trying hard not to show it. But the thought of retreating into his shell felt very welcoming during that moment.

“Nice to meet you, Raphael. I’m (Y/N)”.

His heart skipped a beat when you said his name. The way it sounded with your voice made it shiver down his shell.

“(Y/N)? That’s a really pretty name”, he said, and then suddenly realizing he said that out loud. You let out a hearty laugh, making Raph relax a little.

“You’re sweet, did you know that?”, you asked, still smiling bright. You should have seen the way his brothers looked, fully ready to disagree with you on that statement.

“Hey! Raphael!”, Leo yelled from the alley. “Time to cut the date short! We have to go!”

Normally Raph would yell at Leo, or even try to make a jump for him, but being with your eyes on him, he instead got flustered, cheeks turning red wondering if you understood why his brother would say such a thing.

“You heard my brother; I have to go now”, Raph chuckled nervously, avoiding your gaze. “Uhm… It was really nice meeting you, (Y/N)”.

“You too, Raphael”, you smiled. “But before you leave, will I ever see you again?”

Raph almost choked on his own air, searching his mind for the right response while his brothers started yelling at him to get moving.

“You want to see me again?”, he finally got out, staring at you as if you had two heads.

“Of course I will”, you said, before pointing down the street. “You see that building three streets down on the corner? - The red one - I live on the 5th floor on the left. My bedroom is the one right out to the fire escape. If you ever want to hang out, you know just where to find me”.

“Cool! Great! I’ll make sure to do that”, Raph said, still not quite sure on how to react.

“Move it, Raph!”, his brother’s voices sounded from the alley.

“Chill! I’m coming! Relax!”, Raph yelled back. “See you soon, (Y/N)”. And with a happy little smile he ran back to the alley, feeling your eyes follow him all the way, even as he and his brothers moved up the fire escape and up onto the roof.

“And you said she wasn’t your girlfriend”, Mikey giggled, hurrying up before Raph could get close to him.

As the turtles retreated into the shadows the roof provided, you lingered for a moment on the street, watching them disappear. Raphael, however, couldn't resist a second glance in your direction, giving you a little wave, before disappearing himself. The happiness he felt when he saw you wave back to him.

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stevelieber · 11 months

Text

Thoughts on giving critiques to comics artists.

Seeing lots of discussion from students about sour experiences with an unhelpful art teacher, so here's a long, long post about giving critiques.

NB: I have no formal training as a teacher, but I was a student, and I've spent decades giving artists feedback on their work.

When someone brings me a portfolio, I like to establish my limitations & clarify my perspective. My work is firmly rooted in traditional US comics storytelling (i.e., not manga or art-comics.) I can give feedback on other approaches but they should know where I’m coming from.

“We've only got a little time for this, so I'm going to spend that time focusing on things to correct. That doesn't mean you're doing everything wrong, or that there’s nothing good here, but it’ll be more helpful if I identify some problems and show you how to fix them.”

Why? Because for many young artists their entire sense of self worth is wrapped up in being good at what they do. (It was for me!) In school they were probably the best artist in their peer group. But now if they're hoping to turn pro, they’re at the bottom.

Sometimes you know what’s up when you see page 1, but try to keep an open mind. Some build their portfolios by sticking new pages at the back & don’t weed out the old stuff up front, so the work gets better as you go. When it’s like that I ask: “Show me your best 8 pages.”

I ask questions: "What's the goal? Do you want to be hired to work on someone else's project, or to get the story you're showing me here published?"

If 1, I steer towards a portfolio that'll showcase hirable skills. If 2, I look for what tweaks will make that particular story more effective.

"Do you have teachers giving you regular feedback? What are they telling you?" Sometimes a student is getting bad advice. In cases like that, I'll do my best to be extra clear WHY I'm giving them advice that's 180 degrees from what they've been hearing.

“What artists are you looking at? Is there someone you admire or try to emulate?” This often helps me understand choices they're making, and I can sometimes incorporate things those artists do into my suggestions.

I ask myself questions about what I’m seeing. First: Is there a narrative? If not, I make it 100% clear I'm not speaking as any sort of expert. I'm good at critiquing storytelling, but don't have anywhere near as much to offer illustrators or designers.

Can I follow the story? Or am I confused about what's going on? Are the characters and settings drawn consistently? If not, is the artist at least making use of tags (distinctive clothing, hair etc.) to keep the characters recognizable?

Does the artist demonstrate a good command of basic academic drawing? If not, Do I think they need it? Do I focus on "how to draw" or on "what to do when you can't draw?" Is the artist putting the viewer’s eye where it needs to be to tell the story effectively?

(At this point I’m usually doing little doodles to go with my instructions. I scribble out ugly little 5 second diagrams that I hope will clarify what I’m talking about. Or they might make me seem demented. Hard to say!)

Is the artist making choices that are creating more work than necessary? Is there a particular weakness? I once spoke to an artist with a portfolio full of great work when he was drawing animals and monsters, but his humans were amateurish in comparison. I spent that critique talking about drawing people.

A crit can be a grab bag. In addition to big-picture advice, I'll point out tangencies, violations of the 180-degree rule, wonky anatomy, weird perspective, places where the artist neglected to do important research, odd choices in how they spotted black, whatever catches my eye.

I also try to make a point of defining the terms, so that jargon like “tangency,” “180-degree rule,” and “spotting black” don't go over their heads. Find simple, concrete ways to talk about these things, & clarify why it's a problem when they aren't done correctly. Draw diagrams!

Recognize that even a perfectly phrased explanation might not sink in. Some lessons can only be learned when a student is ready, and it might take a year or two of work before they can understand what you were saying. It's good to plant seeds.

Are there other artists who are particularly good at solving the problems the student is trying to solve? I steer them towards that artist's work. And I always recommend life drawing & the use of reference to give work variety and authority.

Despite what I said earlier about focusing on what's wrong, I try at the end to find something encouraging to say. And if I’ve really piled on the criticism, I emphasize that I only spent the time and energy to do so because I take their efforts seriously.

If I've done my job right, they'll leave my table with tools to make their work better. And maybe in a few years they'll be looking at some younger artist's work, surprised to discover just how much you can learn when you're asked to teach.

#comics #protips #my work #comic book art #essays #teaching

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bogkeep · 14 days

Note

Would you recommend the SSSS comic? I know little of it beside the very beautiful artstyle and premise

to answer the question of if i would recommend SSSS as a comic: yes, yes i would.

a description for those who don't know: Stand Still Stay Silent is a post-apocalyptic horror + adventure webcomic set in the nordics (norway, sweden, denmark, finland, iceland) that have been isolated from the rest of the world and gone back to their old gods. the the world outside of safe zones is full of trolls and beasts - humans and mammals that got infected by a horrible virus and turned into monsters. the story follows a ragtag crew that ventures into the old world (derelict denmark) on an expedition to collect books.

the comic updated every workday until it concluded in 2022, and consists of two Adventures. the creator had plans for many adventures with these characters in this world, but ended it after two when she wanted to take a new direction with her life.

what i love about it:

- the art is GORGEOUS. it's been a huge source of inspiration for me. open any page and it's a masterpiece, and you will ask yourself "how the FUCK did she update this FIVE DAYS A WEEK"

- the characters are wonderful and endearing. i just, i love them so much. i am so thankful lalli hotakainen exists he is one of my #1 blorbos forever

- the world is so cool. the blend of chunky sci-fi and norse mythology fantasy magic slaps. it goes so hard. i fell so hard for this comic when i got to the big ferry ship with a viking style dragon head prow added to it. it's everything

- it really really gets nordic cultures. it's difficult to explain all the dynamics and nuances but it just gets it. it brings me as a scandinavian a lot of joy to read a story that speaks to my heart this way. the attitudes, the language barriers, the cultural differences... it was so refreshing to me in a media landscape dominated by american stories. when the pandemic hit, i decided to reread the comic because i found such an odd comfort in seeing how it depicted the scandinavian countries reacting to, well, a pandemic.

- there's kittycats

what i don't like about it:

- the most glaring and obvious flaw is that everyone in the comic is white. there's not a single character of color anywhere, not even i background shots or the prologue. there's no mention of the saami people (the indigenous people of northern europe), either. i believe this was done in ignorance more than malicious intent, but the implications are Extremely Bad and it's been bothering me (AND MANY OTHERS) since day 1. that is the number one caveat i will give to anyone wanting to check this comic out. i've been in the discourse trenches and i am not going to excuse this. it's just bad!

- you can tell in the middle of adventure 2 that the creator has kind of lost interest in the work, around the time when she found jesus i guess. like, very few people can keep up work on the same creative project for years and years and years and i think it's fine that she wanted to drop it, but it's a bit sad to see the comic dragged to its end like a limp corpse, and feeling like the creator no longer really cares about the characters.

- minna sundberg has said and done some questionable things, presumably gotten somewhat radicalised over time, and has also converted to hardcore christianity which is what her new works are about. there's nothing about this in SSSS - there is a moment of christianity represented in the story in a sort of mythological sense, just like the other religions, but this was written before minna's conversion. her new works... are a Choice. i have much to say about them, and i have, and im not gonna rehash it now.

SO YEAH hopefully this will help you take an Informed Choice! i got into this comic in 2015 and was deep in the fandom and it's for better or for worse part of my soul foundation now.

i also recommend A Redtail's Dream, minna's "practice comic" before SSSS, based on finnish mythology and the kalevala.

#stand still stay silent #might as well tag this if i wanna dig it up later

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wellnoe · 1 year

Text

This is aperture au: an AU made up by Will (@boo-cool-robot, who did most of the plot and writing) and me (visuals) where Magneto takes a teen Scott in before Xavier, and Scott’s subsequent radicalization causes him to undergo a schism with x-men leader/lover jean after he eventually joins the team. Because if you really love characters, you just want them to have an ideological divorce!

The au is named after the code-name scott is given by magneto, which he returns to after the events of this comic (Aperture–like an opening for light to pass through, a focus in a lens.)

[Image description: Full color comic. Whole comic has a layout where each page has 3 columns. Jean is in the left column, and scott is in the right.

Page 1

Panel 1: Scott and Jean explore a grim, industrial, apparently abandoned basement lab. Jean inspects a peeled back vent cover. Scott bends down to open a filing cabinet drawer. Jean: "This is too clean to have been opened by a crowbar. Almost looks like how I would have used my TK a few years ago."

2: Scott leans back, back of his fist to his mouth in shock. He says: "Marvel Girl, you need to see this. Use my eyes. Please."

3: Jean turns, using her telepathy to look at the file Scott has found. Her telepathic eyes see what he sees. There is a Polaroid of young Scott and Alex. Alex smiles at the camera, while Scott holds his brother and glances away. Alex's file describes him as 'Yearly tag and release'.

The other page in the file has a letterhead reading “Home for Foundlings” and a logo depicting an abstract parent and child, forming a red diamond shape. Cut-off text reads, “Summers, Scott/Seong-Mi/S-...Impaired expressive speech and sound sensitivity worsened after 3 days of social ostracism from peers…electroconvulsion. Energy generation potential unaffected. Continued social impairment, likely auti…”

Scott has already turned toward a door, frowning.

4: Jean puts a comforting hand on Scott’s shoulder while he turns away from her. Scott (Telepathically): "I used to remember having a brother. He told me I was just confused, that I’d imagined him." Jean (Telepathically): "Who told you that?" Scott reaches to open the door. Scott (Out loud): "I don’t know, it was all…"

5: Scott, quietly: "Sinister."

They have stepped through into the next room, where Mister Sinister’s silhouette looms in the foreground, breaking the barriers between the three columns. Jean puts her arm out in front of Scott to shield him. Scott has shrunk in on himself.

Page 2:

Panel 1: Scott has his arms crossed. Jean, glowing with telepathy, puts a hand next to Mister Sinister’s head where he lies between scott and jean. Jean: "He can’t hear us. He’s in some kind of psionic trance. His body is here, but his mind is on the Astral Plane."

2: Scott: "So he’s vulnerable." Jean is startled: " What?" Scott: "We could end him here. Before he gets to-- anyone else. Before he gets to Alex again."

3: Jean’s telepathy flares, she is confused, but stubborn. Jean: "We’re X-Men, we can’t just kill someone defenseless. We won’t get anything out of him if he’s dead." Scott faces her, angry and disbelieving. Scott: "You really think if you [Telepathically: implicate, integrate] ask him, he’ll say anything that those files out there don’t?"

A figure approaches through the open doorway, obscured by Jean and Scott’s world bubbles.

4: Jean’s telepathy flare is the strongest yet. She is hurt, beseeching. she says: "The Professor taught us to give people chances. He gave you a chance when you joined the team." Scott is quietly angry. Scott: "Maybe if he were smarter, he wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t–..." Jean: "Are you saying you shouldn’t be here with me?"

The figure gets closer, raising a board to her shoulder.

5: The figure is revealed to be madelyne pryor, wearing the marvel girl dress, as she swings a board at Sinister’s head. She hits him with a “KRAK”. Telepathy flares out from Sinister’s form and from the panel as he’s hit. Jean and Scott watch her, Jean’s mouth open in shock, her telepathic eyes watching from Scott's eyes as well, while Scott looks untethered.

Page 3: Mads is in the middle column.

Panel 1: Jean and Scott reach their hands out towards Mads. Mads has her hands up in front of her. They are all frozen in place. Scott [Telepathically]: "Who is she?"

Mads [TP]: "I can hear them."

Jean [TP]: "She looks like me." Mads [TP]: "I was supposed to be her."

Scott [TP]: "She killed him. That could have been Jean." Jean [TP]: "Scott thinks it should have been me."

2: Mads flees past Scott, who is still frozen. Jean turns as Mads runs, half reaching out toward her. Mads [TP]: "I can’t be her. I can’t be here." The thoughts become disjointed, unattached from the people who are thinking them, hanging in the air of the room.

3: Scott runs after Mads. The unattached thoughts begin to fill the space between him and Jean: "I can’t be her, That could have been me, I can’t be here". Jean watches Scott, frozen in place, and starts to cry. Telepathic energy comes off her in waves. Scott [TP]: "That could have been Jean."

"I can't be here" repeats until it goes through the bottom of the panel and into the next panel.

4: Jean is still frozen, crying. Her hands are pressed to her head as she is crowded by the telepathic thought bubbles surrounding her. She gets stuck on bubbles repeating over and over:

"I can’t be here, I can’t be here, I can’t be here."

Page 4:

Panel 1: Jean is still surrounded by thought bubbles. She reaches into the middle pane and tears a black rip through it, telepathically and with her hands. Her head and hands flare with telepathy. The edges of the rip burn like fire. She is still crying, angry.

2: Thought bubbles disappear. Jean’s head is snapped back by the force of telepathic feedback. The black rip spreads wider, telepathic flame at edges, continuous with the previous panel.Scott, chasing Mads outside the lab, trips forward. Both Jean and Scott are losing control of their bodies, falling.

3: Jean and Scott both fall to the ground, unconscious, as the rip in the page spreads wider.

4: Black/end id]

#scott summers #jean grey #x men #boo-cool-robot #long post #my art #w.me #this took so long to do but it turned out good i think! the au is very fun

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majorproblems77 · 7 months

Text

New update! New update!

AHHHHHHH

I enjoyed this a normal amount

We got double standing frames in the first 2 pages. Like

Look at him standing there

The :( on legends face is giving me life ngl

Look at Twilights little pout!!!!

Wind and Wars the dynamic duo! This is the whole look of the older brother showing the younger something. Hand on hip, the little smug face!

Like look at these two

I love them, Hands on hip thing again, like the older brother he is!

Warriors being suspicious this entire chapter as well.

From first glance you can see he's looking for something, maybe trying to size Twilight's hits up if he ever has to fight him?

War's isn't looking at him at all. He's still looking around him, checking logs and the like.

Filled with suspicion

We know war's has experienced his men turning on him. Hyrule warriors did that for us. The angry look on his face tells me he's thinking of that. He's thinking that he may have to keep a closer eye on Twilight now.

Then there's Wind

You cant tell me this isnt an attempt at him trying to look like Warriors. The raised eyebrow? The arms, I'm convinced that he had his arms crossed during this questioning. Mainly cause of this

Like come on.

They are brothers your honour and I love them dearly!

Speaking of the sailor

WIND BELOVED BABY! LOOK AT HIM

He's so small I love him, love him so much!

Younger brother vibes here

Man looks like he's about to investigate a crime.

We can't forget about this

Might start calling these three the downfall Trio. I know wild isn't is the downfall timeline but to be honest they are all as chaotic as each other

Wild looks like he's in so much trouble. The wrath of four instills fear into him and we all know it.

OHOHOH AND AND

HYRULEEEEEEEE

the boy got a whole set of panels! I love him. And I AM LOVING THE FULL BODY SHOTS OF THEM AT THE MOMENT.

BELOVED LIFE SPELL CASTING RULIE.

Okay now that's off my chest

Thanks for coming to my TED talk about how I enjoyed this comic a normal amount

Check out the comic here!

All art belongs to Jojo, it's her comic after all!

I just really enjoy it :)

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neewtmas · 4 months

Note

hello my lovely!! i almost forgot to request a blurb from your advent calendar! i'd love it if you could write something fluffy and angst for george x fem!reader (she/her pronouns), with the prompts "You're jealous aren't you?" "I'm not jealous.", and "Friends don't look at each other the way you two do."

thank you again lisa!! you are an absolute diamond <33

ALLIE!!!! first of all, thank you for sending me the perfect prompts I love me some jealousy <3333

Secondly, I know I said I'd post these on the 24th, but I honestly just majorly underestimated 1) how busy I would be and 2) how absolutely unable I am to write something short

so I now have a 1.7k words blurb for you here (is that still a blurb? who knows lol), I hope you enjoy!!!

masterlist

Lucy shoved the entrance door closed with her elbow, both hands occupied with heavy bags containing a week's worth of groceries. The thin straps were cutting rather painfully into her fingers, and she didn’t bother removing her boots before walking into the kitchen. She was surprised to see George sitting on one of the chairs, one of his comics open in front of him on the table. But instead of reading, he was staring off into the distance. His grim expression could have probably pulverised a ghost on the spot.

“Why are you sitting over here?” Lucy asked as she set down the bags on the counter. When she had left, he had been in the living room with Lockwood and Y/N. George just made an indescribable noise and picked up his comic, a clear sign that he didn’t want to talk. Lucy shrugged and turned her attention back to the bags full of groceries. When she was done putting everything away, George hadn’t moved at all, his eyes still trained on the pages in front of him, though it was obvious that he wasn’t reading. She knew there was no use in trying to talk to him, so she made her way over to the living room.

When she pushed open the door, she immediately knew why George had fled the scene. Lockwood and Y/N sat on the couch, Lockwood holding open one of the many gossip magazines that were strewn all over the library and living room. Y/N was peering over his shoulder as they read an article together, giggling at something that Lockwood had pointed out on the page. Lucy bit back a smile. No wonder George was in such a sour mood.

“Lucy! You’re back!” LISA turned away from the magazine and Lockwood, smiling at her. “Have you seen George?” Lucy pointed back over her shoulder. “He’s sitting in the kitchen. He’s not in a very good mood though, I’m afraid.” LISA’s face fell. “Why?” Lucy shrugged. “No idea. Why don’t you go and ask him?” The girl immediately jumped up and pushed past her.

Lucy padded over to the couch and flopped down next to Lockwood. “You know you’re driving George crazy with that, right?” Lockwood feigned innocence. “With what?” Lucy gestured wildly. “This whole spiel. ‘Y/N, do you wanna read with me?’” She did a very exaggerated Lockwood imitation. “I do not sound like that”, Lockwood said indignantly. But he couldn’t hold back his smile very long. “It’s working though, isn’t it?” “If by working you mean George being in a horrible mood, then yes.” Lockwood shrugged, opening the magazine back up. “He could have her next to him. All he has to do is say something.”

It didn’t take long for Y/N to return. She didn’t come back in though and remained in the doorway. “I’m going to sleep”, she said, giving them a short little wave. “Did you talk to George?”, Lucy asked, surprised to see her again so quickly. She had expected her friend to stay in the kitchen and talk with George for the next few hours, as the two of them so often did. Y/N suddenly looked like a kicked puppy. “He didn’t want to talk to me”, she said quietly. “Made that very clear.” Lucy looked over to Lockwood, who grimaced. “Alright, I’ll join you soon”, Lucy replied. Y/N gave her a short nod and left.

Lucy waited for the sound of her footsteps on the stairs before she turned to Lockwood. “You took it too far”, she said quietly. Lockwood dropped his magazine, raising his hands defensively. “I didn’t do anything. It’s not like we were making out or anything.” Lucy rolled her eyes and got up. “Where are you going?” “Damage Control”, she said curtly.

In the kitchen, George was still sitting in the same spot. Lucy pulled out a chair and sat down. “What did you say to her?” George seemed slightly surprised at her direct question. “Nothing”, he finally said, looking down on his hands. “Well, Y/N looked like she was about to cry, so it was probably not ‘nothing’.” George winced at Lucy’s sharp tone. “I didn’t want to take away from her quality time with Lockwood.” The last part he practically spit out. Lucy leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” George looked at her incredulously. “I’m not jealous”, he said quickly. “What would I even be jealous of?”

“That it’s Lockwood who gets to be close to her and not you.”

Lucy watched with amusement as his cheeks reddened and he silently opened and closed his mouth, not finding the words to dispute her claims. It wasn’t often she got to see George like this - flustered and scrambling for words. “That’s not true”, he finally said weakly. “It is, and we both know it. I suggest you think about how you can make it up to her.” Lucy stood back up. Before she closed the door behind her, she turned around again. “Or else Lockwood might be the one to swoop in and comfort her.” She didn’t wait for George’s reaction and instead made her way up the stairs. She knew that last comment was unnecessary and cruel, but maybe that was just what George needed.

In their room in the attic, Y/N was sprawled out on their shared bed, staring at the ceiling. She did not move as Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?”, she asked after a moment of silence. Y/N let out a long drawn-out sigh. “I think he hates me”, she said quietly, but the hurt in her voice was loud and clear. Lucy grabbed her hand. It pained her to see her best friend like this. “He doesn’t. He could never.” Y/N turned her head to look at her, tears shimmering in her eyes. “He wouldn’t even speak to me, Lucy. I’m nothing to him.” Lucy squeezed her hand, silently cursing George. “Y/N, you are everything to him. I promise you.” The silence that followed hung heavy in the air. “I feel so stupid for thinking that one day we might be something more than friends.” Y/N paused, avoiding looking at Lucy. “Sometimes I’m not even sure if we are friends at all.”

Lucy had to hold back a scoff. It felt surreal sitting here and hearing Y/N talk like this when on the other side there was George who was so obviously, painfully head over heels for her. “Yeah, I’m not sure if friends is the right word for what you are”, she finally said. “What do you mean?” “Friends don’t look at each other the way you two do”, Lucy simply said. Y/N hid her face in one of the pillows. “You’ve said that so many times. I just can’t believe it”, she mumbled into the fabric. Just at that moment, a knock sounded at the door. “Come in!” Lucy called before Y/N could protest. The door creaked open and George hesitantly stepped into the room. “Well, time to find out”, Lucy said and got up. “That is your chance. Don’t fuck it up”, she said quietly as she walked past George, pushing him towards the bed and Y/N.

George had his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans and winced as the sound of Lucy closing the door echoed through the room. Not daring to look at Y/N he slowly made his way over to the bed. He wasn’t sure if sitting down would be overstepping a boundary, so he stood awkwardly, looking anywhere except at the girl in the bed in front of him. “You can sit down.” He hated how small her voice sounded but did what she said and sat down at the very edge of the mattress.

When the silence became unbearable, he finally spoke up. “I’m sorry. For earlier. I shouldn’t have ignored you like that.” He forced himself to look at her, and his chest tightened at the sadness in her eyes. “It’s okay”, she replied but he shook his head. “It’s not. It was absolutely uncalled for. You did nothing wrong, I was just… on edge.” A pause.

“Why?”

George’s throat felt dry, and he nervously clasped his hands together in his lap. “I – It’s hard to explain, I –“ The words died in his throat as he felt her warm hand coming to rest on his. He looked down and then at her, and suddenly he knew that he just had to say what he was feeling. The inevitable rejection be damned, he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.

“I hate seeing you with Lockwood”, he blurted out. “I get so jealous.” Immediately, he wished he could take his words back. What was he thinking? But much to his surprise, Y/N didn’t pull her hand away. She also didn’t laugh at him. Instead, she sat up. “Jealous?”, she asked softly, and his stomach dropped with the way she looked at him. He hated when that happened – one look from her and he forgot every word he ever knew. “I –“ His voice gave out, his heart now beating out of his chest. This was going terribly. “Yes, George?” Y/N looked at him with big eyes, and it was then he noticed how much closer she had gotten to him. It wouldn’t take much to just reach out and -

Looking back at that moment, he didn’t know who it was that initiated the kiss, he just knew that from one second to the other, his lips were on hers. His mind went blank, and for a short while his entire world was only her, her soft lips, the little noise she made as his hand found the back of her head without even thinking about it. She pulled away from him slightly, and he had to stop himself from leaning forward to chase her lips for another kiss. “Wow”, he breathed out. She didn’t say anything, instead leaning forward to close the gap between them again.

#george karim #george karim x reader #lockwood and co #lockwood & co x reader #lockwood and co x reader #advent calender blurbs

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pixelatedraindrops · 3 months

Text

RAINCODE COMIC COLLAB~☔️

BEHOLD THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR!!

3 full weeks of work and its finally completed!

So @kazinsblog and I did another raincode art collab together but this one was a HUGE project! This one's a full 18 page comic!

Idk if you all remember the comic idea that Kazin was planning to do that involved Yuma overworking himself until he gets sick and then gets tended to by everyone else. But when I saw it, I decided to ask her if she was willing to possibly collaborate on it, remaking it where she sketched it and I colored it.

Kazin's Beta images: 1 2 3 4

So here's the results of all that work. We've been at this since December 17th so this has been an almost full month collaboration. And of course mine's a bit more altered to my own style as well as adding my own touches and making it a little more whumpy/extreme... X'D I also freehand drew shinigami in my version as well.

Both our versions look pretty different! The only thing that are the same are the poses. So feel free to check out Kazin's traditional version as well!

Since its an 18 page comic, I decided to put it under a keep reading so it won't clutter everyone's timelines. Also, I will be narrating the pages because I love narrating sick filler type stories. So brace yourself for a VERY LOOONG post!! Def need time to read this one! (and no purple tinted filters here this time!)

Also note: If the writing is blue, it means the character is thinking, just like in the game! :)

And I apologize on the inconsistency of Yuma's bangs... I thought it was one way before so half of the comic he looks like he has square bangs... oof XD I fix it around page 10

ANYWAY, hope you enjoy this soft buffet, Raincode Community! 🌡️💕

(Page 1)

Our story begins on an ordinary day in Kanai Ward. Rainy gloomy and depressing as ever. Our little victim... wait... XD I mean protagonist Yuma decides to go out to investigate more about Kanai Ward to try to track down it's supposed ultimate secret. Yakou sets him off wishes him well and tells him to be careful. However, as he's out, he finds out a lot of people in the city need help. Because of his good nature and unable to turn down someone in need, he decides to help whoever he can. (the ultimate side-questing lol) Before he knows it, he's soaking wet and he had helped 10 people in total. Time passed and it was almost evening so he returns to the submarine. Yuma was completely unphased by this. (and he didn't dry himself off for 4 hours due to being occupied with tasks)

(Page 2)

Yuma returns to the Agency's submarine to greet his chief holding his meatbun order. (that also got wet) But Yakou notices that the trainee is sopping wet to the core and shivering. He immediately loudly demands that he sit down so he can tend to him. Yuma does as he's told and sits on the checkered sofa. Yakou rushes to the shower room to grab some small towels to help him dry off. But because Yakou is so panicked, he ends up being very rough in drying Yuma, pulling his hair and causing the small boy pain. After he dries him off, he tells Yuma he isn't allowed to leave anymore for the rest of the day and demands him to rest. Yuma tries to retaliate using puppy eyes, but it doesn't work. Yakou is immune.

(Page 3)

The next day Yuma asks Yakou if he can go out to work after he finishes his morning chores around the place looking very eager. Yakou still looks a little concerned by how tired Yuma looks, so he tells him to not go out alone. He assigns him a partner to go with the rest of the week.

On the first day he's paired with Halara. The two of them are asked to investigate the art gallery of Ginma. (maybe after the nail man case) But over time, Yuma starts developing a lingering cough that persists for quite some time. Halara asks Yuma is he's okay, to which Yuma lies saying that it's due to the dust of the room. But of course being sharp, Halara isn't buying it. But they decide to not persist him further.

On the second day, he's paired with Desuhiko. They're asked to go help out at the Aetheria Academy with another case (not murder related this time) However on the way to the school and in Ginma, Yuma starts slowing down, he's shaking and is a little wobbly. Desuhiko notices this and asks if he wants to go to the cafe for a drink. Yuma nods and as they go to the cafe and order some coffee, Yuma takes off his hat and coat and Desuhiko finally realizes how pale he looks. He's even slower at replying to him as he speaks, as if he's in a daze. Desuhiko decides to take Yuma back to the agency after this.

(Page 4)

On Day three, he's paired with Fubuki. But he doesn't even make it to the case as when he goes to the sun and moon hotel to meet with her, Fubuki notices and points out that Yuma's face looks red. The boy clearly had a fever building. Yuma argues with her but Fubuki persists. The two of them try to go to the case but Yuma nearly collapses. So Fubuki returns him to the agency.

On the fourth day where he's supposed to be paired with Vivia he spends a majority of the day passed out. Vivia decides to watch over him using his forte to not disturb him. During the night while he's asleep, his breathing gets more labored and he's completely restless. Vivia looks at him deeply worried for his dear friend's well being.

The next morning Yuma somehow finds the strength to get himself up. Maybe that one day of rest was enough. But Yakou insists that he stays put today. Angrily yelling at him to be still and take today off as well.

Meanwhile, a certain two seem to notice each other...

(Page 5)

Vivia's spirit notices Shinigami and decides to give her a warning. Make sure Yuma listens to Yakou and doesn't leave. Giving her the iciest glare, Shinigami fearfully agrees.

But this effort would be for naught, despite how he feels, Yuma's relentless determination forces himself up, putting on his rain attire and heads up the steps of the sub to the outside when Yakou isn't looking. Shinigami does what she can to stop him, but he doesn't listen...and Shinigami being a ghost, there was nothing she could do to physically hold him back. All she could do was follow, and prepare for the inevitable.

By some miracle he makes it to the church, up the stairs to speak to the nun. Who tells him to play therapy again for the townsfolk. He nods and heads to his first client. But when he returns to kamasaki to speak to him, he can barely make out what he's saying as he lets out a few more coughs.

Once he leaves the client, before long, Yuma could hear something in his body snap.

(Note: I direct most of the story, but Vivia conversing with Shinigami in spirit mode was actually Kazin's idea! So credit to her for that, So silly and fun! ^^)

(Page 6)

Yuma's body had finally reached it's limit. All the fatigue, chills and body aches had hit him all at once at full force like armed weaponry. His head began throbbing, he was shaking violently and uncontrollably, he felt nauseated by the rain's smell, and his body heat and the lingering dizziness was unbearable. He found a safe corner in the alleyway of Kamasaki to collapse. Telling Shinigami she was right and he should have listened to her, while the burning fever and cold rain wrecked his delicate frame even further. His voice was hardly audible, but Shinigami still heard and practically tells him to go back. But Yuma had no strength left...

Then like clockwork as they finish speaking, he could hear his name called. At first it sounded kind and questionable. But that rapidly changed, the voice now angrily yelling out his full name. As he looked up this voice belonged to...Yakou. He looks down at the boy in pure disappointment and anger.

Turns out a certain someone was tailing him. And alerted Yakou what happened just in time.

(Note: I make the red darker the more extreme the temperature and lighter the less extreme. I got to experiment with all sorts of new ways to color fevers hehe~ >w<)

(Page 7)

Yuma shockingly looks up at Yakou. Oh no, he was so BUSTED! Shinigami even says as much. Yakou practically scoops Yuma in his arms carrying him back to the agency. As he was lifted Yuma's world begun spinning. He could barely hear the chief nagging him in a panicked tone. It was all distorted and it was making his head hurt more. Yakou placed a hand to his cheek and was shocked by how hot it felt. All Yuma could do was apologize and hope his world stops spinning and that Yakou eventually stops yelling... (also I put numbers for the order to read the speech bubbles in)

Upon returning to the agency, Yakou dries Yuma off, asks Desuhiko to give him a warm set of clothes to borrow and put him to his own bed. Grabbing a basin of very cold water, washcloths and a digital thermometer. He placed one of the wet cold cloths under his bangs and upon reading the boy's temperature, it was high. Almost high enough to visit the ER. Yakou was even more mad, but speaks in a non yelling tone. Giving Yuma another stern warning to not leave the bed. To which Yuma weakly agrees to.

But Yakou's back to yelling again, feeling paranoid Yuma would be missing by the time he gets back from getting the supplies. So he drills that message right into the boy's already throbbing head once more. Everyone else in the office awkwardly listen in as the sick trainee gets scolded.

(Note: Just an FYI, Yuma's speech bubbles being wavy is a sign his voice is raspy and the text being a bit hard to read means his voice is hardly audible)

(Page 8)

Yakou leaves Yuma alone and walks into the office in his raincoat telling the other detectives that he'll be leaving soon and to watch over Yuma in his absence and NOT let him leave. He is so full of anger and anxiety that he yells at all of them too.

Everyone agrees and as Yakou leaves, they all discuss among themselves Yuma's state the days they were partners with him. He was in bad shape. And he only got worse as the days went by. They all knew.

(Page 9)

Meanwhile back in Yakou's quarters, Yuma was getting lectured yet again. This time by his death god partner, Shinigami. The poor trainee only wanted peace and quiet to make the pain in his head go away, using what little energy he has remaining speaking in his head he tried telling her to stop.

But the aggravated spirit persisted, saying that as his mentor she had the right to scold him just as much as Yakou. She continued her rant, until an abrupt sound from her master shut her up.

The few coughs that came from Yuma eventually erupted into a full blown coughing fit. The coughs sounding more wet, rough and serious. After coughing 10 to 15 times in a row Yuma was exhausted. Shinigami looked down at him panting with concern and pity in her eyes. She decided to stop the lecture for his sake.

After the fit, Yuma was left raggedly breathing. As Shinigami gave him her permission to rest and take it easy, he didn't answer. He couldn't. That fit completely mangled his throat. He was not able to speak vocally or in thought process anymore due to his head being in too much pain. As was the rest of his body, aching and burning. So he didn't answer her. All he could do was hope sleep would eventually take hold of him to make all this awful heat and pain stop even if for a just moment.

(Note: That's the penalty Yuma... x'D Sorry I gotta make him suffer lol. Also this is the only page that’s actually read left to right. I messed that up, sorry!!)

(Page 10)

After some time passed it was time for the Master Detectives to all take part in taking care of Yuma. The whole agency had a day off to do this. So upon his return, Yakou instructs everyone to look after Yuma in 2 hour shifts through the day. Even if it was just to watch him sleep. He couldn't be left alone.

Halara was first. Their task was to help Yuma take the medicine that was bought. There were three types of medicine for him to take. Antibiotics (white pills) for the general illness symptoms, painkillers (red and white pills) for the headache/fever, and finally...cough syrup. (aka his least favorite... XD) Halara made sure to be very gentle with Yuma propping him upward as his whole body was burning and he was very shaky. He even had trouble drinking the water, so Halara had to get a mug instead so they could help him drink it by holding the handle, and using the other hand to support his back. Despite the struggle, Halara worked diligently to complete their task as a caretaker in full. (as for who paid them to do this...idk I'll leave that to your imagination XD)

(The cough syrup idea was inspired by this fic :3)

Desuhiko had the second shift and the whole time he was waiting for his turn, he was writing a song for Yuma. Having the delusion that his angelic voice would lul the sick boy to sleep, he played his guitar and began singing. Yuma's headache did improve enough to speak in his head now, but that wouldn't last, as the loud noises from the guitar made his head pound even further with every strum. Shinigami begs for the noise to cease fire on her poor eardrums, but Yuma doesn't have it in him to stop Desuhiko. The gesture was kind so he decided to try to listen to the whole song, despite the noise. He does eventually tell him to stop though (using hand gestures) when another song comes afterward. So then the two spend their time conversing for a bit, (though desuhiko does more of the talking as yuma just nods or makes small noises/hand gestures due to his throat still hurting too much to talk) Desuhiko even telling him he could keep the sweater and shorts he had lent to him. To which Yuma softly smiles at him as a thank you before he eventually falls asleep again.

Fubuki has the third shift, and her task was to feed Yuma the warm vegetable soup that was bought earlier and that Halara had just finished making, along with Fubuki's help. She volunteers to feed him as she remembers a time she was ill as a child in the clockford mansion and one of her servants tended to her, feeding her soup just the same. Unfortunately, because this was a memory of her early childhood, she repeats similar phrases as the servant did when she was feeding Yuma, who was clearly not a small child. Yuma's fever had dropped enough to where he could find a bit of strength to try and sit up on his own now, and his once mangled throat’s condition had improved for him to speak a little bit. As he listened to Fubuki's rambling he tries to play along with her despite the whole thing being a bit embarrassing for someone his age. At least the soup was nice and warm. It felt good going down his very sore throat.

(Funny Fact: The order that Yuma is both partnered and tended to by each detective, is the same order as the chapters in game he's partnered with them LOL)

(Page 11)

It was evening, and now it was Vivia's turn to take the fourth and final shift. At first he was just going to sit and watch Yuma while he read his book quietly, but Yakou suggested that he read one of his books out loud to Yuma to help him relax better like a bedtime story. Vivia was unsure at first, as he's never read to anyone before. But he decided to give it a try. He asks Yuma what his preference in literature is before he starts, and Yuma tells him he enjoys detective novels the most. So he pulls out the novel that was in his reading list and begins to read it out loud to him. Turns out he was quite a natural at narrating, and his slow voice was very soothing. Yuma felt so relaxed that he felt like he would fall asleep any minute, but he tries to stay awake to listen to the story a bit more. Shinigami however, conks out immediately. (fyi: yes this is the novel Vivia talks about in his final gumshoe gab. I tried to make up stuff based on it.. X'D)

Once the clock strikes 9pm and night falls, the Master Detectives all wish Yuma well and leave to return to the hotel to retire for the night. It was just Yakou and Yuma now. Yakou, who had just come back from another errand, walks over to Yuma who was now fast asleep. He looked a little better so Yakou removed the towel from his forehead and places his hand onto it. It still felt warm but no longer as hot as it did hours ago. Meaning he was out of the danger zone, much to Yakou's relief. He places the towel back in the water basin wringing it out and re-applying it to his forehead. Then he lets out a yawn. He was pretty tired. He decides that instead of sleeping in the office on one of the sofas, he'd stay by Yuma's side. His removes his jacket, goes and turns off the overhead lights, sits down and places his head down on his desk. Then after telling the sleeping trainee goodnight he turns off the small light by his desk.

OKAY FUN FACT: The comic WAS going to end here going on to the final page... Buuut~ We were STARVING for some good ol' Yakou Fathero :3 So... Enjoy these bonus 6 pages of Yakou having a shift of his own to look after Yuma in the middle of the night. And its the longest shift.

This ones for you Yakou Fathero fans! Eat your fill!

(I know we sure did :3)

Also I apologize if the lighting here is inaccurate ;w; I tried my best I'm no pro LOL

(Page 12)

A little past midnight, Yuma was stirring in his sleep. Making all sorts of groaning sounds as if he was in pain. He was likely having a nightmare. This is confirmed by his eyes suddenly opening and him violently flinging himself up screaming, and the cold cloth flying off his forehead.

This sound wakes Yakou up immediately as he puts his glasses back on asking Yuma if he's okay. He flicks the light by his desk on to check on him. Yuma's found shaking with tears in his eyes stating quietly that it was just a dream. Yakou sympathizes with Yuma as fever dreams were usually not fun, but a fever NIGHTMARE was always bad. The chief offers the shaking trainee some water to try to help him settle down.

(FYI: Shinigami is going to be absent from this part of the story because I think her banter and antics would ruin the fluff, so she'll just be lurking above in the shelf like a cat the whole time.)

(Page 13)

Yuma accepts the water practically snatching it from Yakou's hands and quickly gulping it down. Yakou tells him to pace himself not wanting him to choke. Once he exhales from the water drink, Yuma sheepishly apologizes for waking Yakou up with his scream, feeling like a burden. Yakou reassures him it's okay and decides to ask him the question of why he pushed himself this far while he was still awake. Hard enough to make himself sick. Why did he do it?

Yuma was surprised by this but decides to try to tell him. He hands the water glass back and began talking. Under his raspy voice and somewhat heavy breathing, he says that he wanted to be useful as he felt like a burden to everyone since he lost his memory. He also says that he likes helping others and that it feels familiar to him. Determined to try to unlock a core memory of his past he kept doing this, even to the point of pushing his limits.

Then he suddenly stopped speaking...

(Page 14)

...aaand cue the coughing fit. Yuma's throat got scratchy and irritated after his long explanation, causing him to cough about 5/8 times in a row. Not as bad as his previous fit but it was more than enough to startle and worry Yakou.

Yakou quickly hands Yuma the water glass he had just taken from him hoping it would soothe his throat. He tells him that helping others is a good thing but he shouldn't push himself to the point that his health gets affected. Yuma quietly nods and as he sips the water still shaking, Yakou feels bad and decides to apologize to him for being harsh before. Stating that he only lost his temper because he was scared and worried for him. He also places his hand to Yuma's cheek in both comfort and to check his temperature. It felt slightly warmer than a few hours ago.

Yuma quietly apologizes to Yakou for worrying him, still holding the water glass. Yakou forgives him. Then he takes the glass from him and then the towel that fell off Yuma's forehead. He grabs a fresh one and soaks it in the basin wringing it out and places it back on the trainee’s forehead unintentionally a bit roughly. Yuma groans and shivers a little from the cold of it.

Yakou then lies Yuma back down, tucking him back in trying to make him comfortable. But his actions were a bit too comforting. He was not meaning to in any way and he wasn't sure what came over him, but he was treating Yuma like a little kid. Yuma notices and feels a little embarrassed by it, but decides to only say it in his head.

Yakou decides to do one more thing before he lets him go back to sleep.

(Note: Hey far as anyone's concerned Yuma, you are practically his BABY when you are having a sick day, so deal with it hehehe :3c)

(Page 15)

Temperature taking page time :D (my favorite, teehee! I know some cultures and in anime they take the temperature under the arm, but there's just something so endearing and adorable about a sickie with a thermometer in their mouth <3 OKAY MY RAMBLING ASIDE...)

Yakou is now a bit concerned that Yuma's fever spiked again after that little harsh coughing fit so he decides to take his temperature one more time before letting Yuma go to sleep again. Yuma obliges and goes along with it opening his mouth as the device is inserted.

After 15 seconds the device beeps and Yakou takes it out. Yuma shyly pulls the duvet up to his face and hides as he meekly asks if its any better feeling a little nervous. Yakou responds that it is better than it was the first time, where it was a dangerous degree.

However, he still wasn't out of the woods yet. The fever was still there and although it went down, it was still in the red. Yakou states that he's still feverish to which Yuma just apologizes. Poor thing just wants this to be over, he really doesn't want to trouble anyone anymore.

(sorry yuma I can't let you off that easily hehe 😈)

(also yes I put an instruction manual for how the thermometer works, I am so obsessed that I even give the thermometer lore LMAO. Sorry if I'm inaccurate in any of those readings. I used google... ^^;)

(Page 16)

Yakou places the thermometer back on the desk and tells Yuma to go to sleep. Saying the fever will likely break by morning. To which Yuma states that he's in Yakou's bed and that he should return to the checkered sofa so his boss could sleep, attempting to try getting up. But Yakou puts a hand on his shoulder stopping him and denies this and says his desk is fine and that Yuma needed the bed more than him.

He also says that if Yuma had another bad dream that he would be there for him. Yuma smiles at Yakou quietly thanking him as he's tucked back into the duvet. Yakou pats it gently telling the trainee to close his eyes.

It isn't long before Yuma is back to being fast asleep. (and shinigami too)

Yakou monologues to himself for a bit groaning at how much trouble this small detective has been for him since he showed up. But then he switches his tune and places a hand to Yuma's head petting it softly. He says he's happy he's working hard for the sake of his memories but right now he needs to work on getting better. Saying it would help everyone in the agency if he wanted to help people.

He wishes him well continuing to pet his head for a bit longer to soothe him before going back to sleep himself turning the light off again.

(Page 17)

2 hours later, Yuma was stirring and whining in his sleep once again. Yakou groggily wakes up wiping his tired eyes upon hearing the soft noises the small trainee was uttering. And he was crying again. Can only be one thing: Another nightmare.

Instead of turning the light on to wake him up, Yakou moves his chair close to him sitting at his side. Not saying a single word. (cept in his head lol) He reaches his hand for Yuma's as it twitches and he takes hold of it gently.

Yakou eventually leans on the bed as he does so and falls asleep sitting up again. Yuma's groaning and and heavy breathing begin to settle down a little as he felt Yakou's presence close by.

Then he smiles as he closes his hand in his sleep holding Yakou's hand back, leaning a bit close to it. He felt safe again... <3

(Note: This poor thing has way too much trauma... ;w; I headcanon that he's prone to night terrors on occasion, but when he gets a fever, its even WORSE. Fevers do be messing with your head... x3)

(Page 18 Final)

The next morning when Yakou wakes up, he checks on Yuma. He still felt slightly warm but he looked much better. Seemed the worst was over and it would likely last just one more day.

When he's fully awake and at his desk, Desuhiko shows up asking Yakou if Yuma's okay and offered to wake him up. Yakou denies it saying Yuma needed one more day of rest, the fever may have been only slight now, but in the rain it would rise again easily.

Desuhiko agrees and declares that he's going to work hard today. Likely to make up for Yuma's absence. Yakou teases him and the two have a bit of a banter.

Yuma meanwhile is asleep peacefully. Still having a slight red tint to his cheeks, but he's able to sleep a lot easier now. His fever was slowly but surely breaking. (now in the yellow) Shinigami sleeps beside him, making sure she protects him from any nightmares in yakou's absence. (after all only SHE can give her master nightmares)

He wakes up fully recovered the following morning thanking everyone for taking such good care of him, and he makes sure to not push himself anymore. And continues searching for the city's ultimate secret while pacing himself to help others from now on.

THE END ❤️

(I practically made this into a sickfic in its own right... XD)

Thanks for reading!! Hope you enjoyed!! This is just a little artist credit page I made for Kazin and I c: Also art semi-face reveal?? xD Kinda?? Idk lol (we just two gals that like our sick comfort haha x3)

Anyway thank you again Kazin for doing this with me!! It was hard work but it was a blast and the final result came out amazing. Its surely a project I will cherish forever~ 💜🩷✨🌡️

A wholesome story to start 2024 on a good note.

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artsysurvivor · 5 months

Note

Treat please! I'd love to read something featuring Halt with Will as a child ^-^

[Image ID: A 9 page comic featuring young Will in a baggy, patched up outfit and no shoes, and Halt in his normal attire but younger and with his hood up. They are in a large field full of flowers; behind will is a bunch of trees, and beyond Halt are rolling hills and a cloudless blue sky.

Page 1

Panel 1: The trees are framing the field of wild-flowers. Will is looking out into it, a silhouette against the colorful background.

Panel 2: Will is looking around, smiling open-mouthed.

Panel 3: Will spots something! His shoulders shrug upwards, there's a shocked look on his face.

Panel 4: Will's body relaxes as he realizes the ranger is not turned towards him (though Halt can see him out of the corner of his eye) but he still looks at the figure in front of him warily, ready to run at any given moment.

Panel 5: Will steps cautiously towards Halt. "Um... Hello?" he asks.

Page 2

Panel 1: Halt turns to look at him. Will starts sweating and backing up, putting his hands up in a "I surrender!" gesture. "Is-Is something wrong, mister?" he asks. Under his breath, he adds, "Please don't curse me."

Panel 2: Close up of Halt's face. He's squinting at Will.

Panel 3: He shakes his head.

Panel 4: Halt resumes his previous position. Will looks to the side and down awkwardly, clasping his hands together.

Panel 5: Will goes back on his heels, swinging his arms, and closing his eyes.

Panel 6: He goes forward, not quite on his tip-toes, swinging his arms back. He stares blankly at nothing. Halt watches him out of the corner of his eyes.

Panel 7: Will settles and asks "Mind if I sit here?"

Page 3

Panel 1: Close up of Halt turning his head towards him again. He asks, "Don't you know it's dangerous to be alone with strangers?"

Panel 2: Will arches his eyebrows in a frown, his pupils dilating and his mouth in an upside down 7.

Panel 3: He puts his hand behind his head and looks away. "Baron Arald told me, once. But everyone seems so nice. How could they be dangerous?"

Panel 4: Small Halt raises his eyebrow incredulously.

Panel 5: Will tilts his head, smiling nervously, he brings his palms up by his chest and faces them outwards. "I mean, aside from you of course!"

Panel 6: He looks to the other side. "I also have someone back at the ward who's mean, but I would just call him a bully. He wouldn't... I don't know... kill me... You won't kill me, will you?"

Panel 7: Side view of the both of them. Will looks up at Halt, who is crossing his arms. He says, "Are you willing to take that chance?"

Panel 8: Will puts his hand by his head, his palm facing upwards. "Well, in retrospect, I think you would've killed me already."

Panel 9: Will continues, "So, technically I already took that chance." As Halt is pinching the bridge of his nose.

Page 4

Panel 1: Halt has his eyes closed. One of his hands is like Will's, his elbow resting on the other hand. He says, "Someday, you might meet someone who won't be as merciful as me W—"

Panel 2: Will is looking up at him frowning, with dot eyes. "Boy," Halt finishes.

Panel 3: "... Maybe," Will says, looking to the side.

Panel 4: Close up of Will's eyes. He has noticed something!

Panel 5: "Hey, what's that?" Will asks, pointing at a golden heart laying in the grass. Halt turns to where he's pointing. /End ID]

More under the cut

[Image ID:

Page 5

Panel 1: Close up of the locket. Engraved on it are two gloved hands holding a heart with a simple crown above it.

"I'm-I'm sorry sir. That's too much, isn't it?"

Panel 2: A hand reaches into the panel to grab the locket.

Panel 3: Halt looks down at the locket, now in his palm. "No, no... it's a locket. I got it from someone very dear to me."

Panel 4: Halt has a small smile on his face while still looking down at it. Will looks at him with his arms behind his back. "Oh..."

Panel 5: Will leans forward. "It's very pretty," he says. Halt nods.

Panel 6: Halt looks at the locket longer. Will's mouth settles into a neutral expression.

Page 6:

Panel 1: Will's arms move to his sides and he straightens his back. "Um, so... It looks like it opens up."

"Yes, that's a function of a locket," Halt replies.

Panel 2: Will steps to the side, smiles nervously, and clasps his hands together again. "Do you mind if I look inside?"

Panel 3: "Obviously it's ok if not, I don't want to force you to do anything," Will continues. Halt rolls his eyes.

Panel 4: Will tilts his head back and looks to the side. His palms are facing upwards by his shoulders. "—I doubt I'd be able to anyway—but I was just—" During this, Halt waits with a clenched fist over top his palm.

Panel 5: Will pauses his charade, noticing the fist, and looks down at it. Halt plops the locket into his hand.

Panel 6: Will smiles, feeling the surface with his free hand. "... Really?"

"Really," Halt confirms.

Page 7:

Panel 1: Will opens the locket with a "Click!"

Panel 2: Side view of Will looking down at it, mouth open slightly reading the text engraved in it. A little ways beside him, Halt has a small smile again and is looking at him with fondness.

Panel 3: Bust shot of Will furrowing his eyebrows, a question forming in his mind.

Panel 4: "Where'd you get this?" He asks.

Panel 5: Back to the original set up, but Halt is now looking away into the distance. "... Hibernia."

"Ah," Will says, also looking into the distance. That's why he sounds weird, he thinks.

Page 8:

(The first four panels are the same set up: Will hunched over sitting Halt, both of his hands clenching the locket over his chest).

Panel 1: "What does it mean?" Will asks, a big smile over his face.

Panel 2: "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Halt replies. Will's mouth turns to a closed smile, sparkles lighting up in his eyes similar to how a puppy's look.

Panel 3: Halt looks away. Will stays the same.

Panel 4: Halt lowers his head slightly with a sigh. Will closes his eyes and smiles with his teeth.

Panel 5: Halt holds his hand and looks away, tilting his head slightly. "It means 'Best friends forever.'"

Behind him are various drawings of Caitlyn. She has long curly hair, half of it in two braids leading to a small pony-tail. She has puffy sleeves and on her chest is a circle with a high collar. With 15 drawings overall, there are two objects scattered within: a head of a teddy bear and a book of flowers. One of them is the head of a fluffy dog, Madra, with closed eyes. 5 of the drawings of Caitlyn are portraying her younger years: her brushing a doll's hair with her tongue sticking out; her with big eyes and food all over her face; her looking up at the stars with her hands over her chest; her reaching out a hand while pointing in the distance; her reaching up as if wanting him to pick her up, and her with her arms spread out, dress and hair blowing in the wind. In her older years, looking from 10-13, she's holding paintbrushes mischievously, smiling as if she's laughing about something, and holding flowers which frame her head. Down in the right corner, there's a picture of Ferris with his eyes crossed out, Caitlyn and Halt holding hands, and older Caitlyn, smiling, with tears rolling down her—

"I hope I have one of those someday..."

Page 9:

Panel 1: Halt looks down at a hunched over Will. He's looking wistfully at the locket he is dangling in the air.

It fades to a black background. "I'm sure you will.

Now, hand me my locket and get back to the ward before I curse you." /End ID]

Um- uh- Happy Halloween!!

#artsycandraw #comics #fanart #halt o'carrick #Will No-Name #(at this point in time...)#Will treaty #ranger's apprentice #rangers apprentice

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quest-draws · 6 months

Text

[ID: A four page black and white Critical Role fan comic titled "Adventures in Re-Veth-ification: Next Gen. Full transcript under the cut for length. End ID]

Getting this out at the literal last minute before it's immediately jossed.

Transcript:

Page 1

Panel 1

Jester and Fjord burst through a door way in a panic.

Jester: We're here, we're here! Are we too late!?

Panel 2

A wide shot of Veth and Yeza's bedroom. The room is filled with members of the Nein; Kingsley sits in the open window as it lets soft light spill into the room, Caduceus is sleeping on a stool, Essek is perusing the bookshelf, Veth is tucked into the bed with a bundle in her arms, Yeza beside and Caleb sitting on the end, Beau is squatting on a small rocking chair, Yasha leaning over the back.

Kingsley: Yeah. Lucky you.

Veth, weakly: Hey.

Beau: You're just in time for her to stop crying.

Panel 3

Jester carefully comes up to Veth's side

Jester: But, you're all right, right?

Veth: How could I not be?

Panel 4

Veth looks down at the bundle she's cradling- a baby halfling with little curls of black hair.

Veth: She's perfect.

Page 2

Panel 1

Fjord leans against the foot board, looking visibly relieved. Caleb let's Jester take his place at the foot of the bed as she holds the baby.

Jester: Ah! Veth! She's so beautiful! Have you decided on a name yet?

Yeza: Actually we wanted to talk to you about that...

Panel 2

Veth and Yeza look at each other, somewhat nervously.

Veth: So, it's usually bad luck to name a child after someone still living-

Panel 3

Jester listens to Veth, looking a little confused.

Veth, cont: - But you have a name you don't use anymore, so...

Panel 4

A wide shot of the room, but the rest of the Nein are rendered indistinctly, putting the focus on Jester, the baby, Veth, and Yeza.

Veth: Would you let us name her Genevieve?

Page 3

Panel 1

Jester stares, shocked-

Panel 2

-Then starts crying

Panel 3

Jester flops onto the thin slice of Bed beside Veth, cuddling her friend and the new baby.

Jester: Yes! yes, yes, of course you can! Aw, Veth, that really is perfect!

Panel 4

Jester wipes a tear out of her eye, smiling.

Jester: god, I'm so glad she's okay.

Panel 5

Veth looks confused.

Veth: Why wouldn't she be?

Page 4

Panel 1

Flashback to earlier on the ship, Jester is receiving a sending reply from Isharnai, the hag who once cursed Veth to be a goblin.

Isharnai: Oh, and give my love to your little halfling friend. i'm so excited about the new edition to her precious family!

Panel 2

Jester looks extremely nervous. Behind her, Fjord is also clearly freaking out.

Jester: Ha ha! No reason at all!

Panel 3

Later, Luc is holding Genevieve, looking at her in confusion. Small, spiky sticks seem to be sticking out of her temples. In the corner of the panel, there is a screenshot of the description for the Hexblood feature Heir of Hags. It reads;

One way hags create more of their kind is through the creation of hexbloods. Every hexblood exhibits features suggestive of the hag whose magic inspires their powers. This includes an unusual crown, often called an eldercross or a witch’s turn. This living, garland-like part of a hexblood’s body extends from their temples and wraps behind the head, serving as a visible mark of the bargain between hag and hexblood, a debt owed, or a change to come.

Yeza: Luc! Did you put sticks in Gen's hair?

Luc: No! They just kinda... showed up?

Transcript ends.

#critical role #mighty nein #veth brenatto #yeza brenatto #jester lavorre #tm9 #cr #cr fanart #cr comic #I might go back and tag everyone later but aagh it's literally 10 to #adventures in re-veth-ification

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dateamonster · 6 months

Text

webcomics*! webcomics baby!!! i grew up reading these bad boys like they were the sunday funnies. im serious i would get up early in so i could check my daily roster of webcomic updates before leaving for school.

webcomics sort of feel to me like my generations version of zines. not that both those things arent still around, i just mean that, in the same way that there was this big boom of super creative zine self-publishing in the 70s through the 90s thanks to the increasing access to copy machines, and later home printing, the early 00s-10s was sort of the moment people seemed to collectively realize they could kind of just upload whatever they wanted to the internet and people would actually see it, leading naturally to another boom in indie art and storytelling.

a lot of the comics that popped up around this time were sort of... rough. raw. weird. there were no rules about what a webcomic had to be other than 1) a comic and 2) on the web, so there was some freedom to be as messy or as precise as the author wanted. this led to some real bangers, and some absolute flops. but regardless of how it turned out i think theres something to be admired about the sheer amount of creativity going into these projects that, for the most part, were purely passion-driven without any guarantee of greater recognition or success.

obviously webcomics are still around, but the culture surrounding them has shifted quite a bit. most people who are willing to put in the work of a longform serialized comic In This Economy are also doing so with the hope of being able to profit or at least sustain themselves financially on their work. theres no shame in that! but it has made the webcomic scene more competitive, more polished, less experimental. capitalism at work, you know.

people arent really as incentivized to try new things and dare i say get a little weird with it when innovation doesnt pay the pills. however that doesnt mean that there arent still artists out there who are challenging that.

i got the idea a while ago that i wanted to put together a list of webcomics that have been really influential to me and my own creative efforts, but i realized that list would be a mile long and wouldnt really give me the breathing room to talk about why those works resonate with me. so i decided instead to make a list specifically of my (currently) most beloved, most influential webcomics that i feel like are doing something unique that sort of pushes the boundaries of what is considered a "normal" comic.

presented in no particular order, with all attempts made to be spoiler-free, below:

nasty red dogs and feast for a king by kosmicdream (18+)

delicious, dark, meaty comics. ffak in particular is like this massive sprawling scifi stream of consciousness thick with blood and viscera and. a lot of highly transsexual erotic cannibalism tbqh.

personally i find nasty red dogs a lot more like easy to get into story-wise, but both are just chockablock full of this beautiful grotesque unapologetic and downright indulgent physicality. its pages dripping with every fluid you can think of and some you cant, and its also compelling surprisingly empathetic characters set against a backdrop of otherworldly rituals, cosmic pre-apocolypses, and worlds inside of worlds inside of worlds. body horror heaven lives here.

mr boop and crimehot by alec robbins (very 18+)

if youre at all into weird webcomics youre probably already well familiar with mr boop, and if you arent theres really nothing i can say other than Please give it a shot, but if you havent been keeping up with alecs work since then you might not be as familiar with his current project crimehot. and thats a damn shame because it is all the comedy, unabashed horniness, and surprisingly understated storytelling of mr boop taken to its absolute max.

crimehot is set in a future where nearly every aspect of human life and culture is controlled by an all-powerful all-seeing computer algorithm. but who cares about all that when theres a ragtag team of ultra sexy ultra horny master thieves going on wacky little misadventures together!

alecs style is blunt and simplistic in a way that comes off as juvenile at first glance, and then uses that presumption to completely blindside you with its actual content, reminding me weirdly enough of memeable classic tails gets trolled. in spite of their potential as works of ironic comedy however alecs comics really give me this impression of total earnestness. crimehot in particular is so blatantly un-erotic, with its complete lack of any subtlety, comically exaggerated (and surprisingly diagetic) anatomy, and impossible physical positions, that it circles back around into becoming, indeed, kind of hot. i think silliness can be hot so sue me!

blind alley by adam de souza

departing completely from my last couple recs, blind alley is a cozy, peanuts-inspired comic strip about the day to day lives of the children of blind alley. its also occasionally a deeply unsettling horror-mystery that has just barely begun to show its hand more than two years in. its distinguishing factor to me comes from the fact that the cozy exterior doesnt seem to be there to conceal or divert your attention away from the growing sense of unease that infiltrates its panels on an increasingly frequent basis as the story progresses. it feels more like the two elements live side by side, horror and mundanity, otherworldly creatures and secret conspiracies living peacefully alongside lazy summer afternoons and goofing off with your friends. it perfectly captures the anxiety of knowing that theres something the grown-ups arent telling you, the powerlessness of being a kid.

blind alley feels to me sort of like if those "what if Nostalgic Cartoon was secretly DARK" media theories were actually real, and actually scary. i might be getting ahead of myself as the series likes to take its time and is really only just starting to peel back the layers, but what ive read so far feels makes me feel like this could be something very special.

boy island by leo fox

beautiful beautiful beautiful first of all. the dreamy, surreal visuals? the colors?? oujhjh.. boy island is set in a world split violently in two, divided into boy island and girl island, and surrounded on all sides by a sea of monsters mutants and ghosts, those sorry souls who committed the trespass of trying to cross from one land to the other, or even live outside of either! a boy named lucille must strike out on his own to make it to boy island, but in doing so begins to discover things about the world and in fact himself that reveal an even greater mission.

im making this all sound very dramatic. its a trans story. its about trans people, being trans. its also about surviving the ripples of a world laid out for you by your parents, managing grief for the ones that didnt, and a funny little blue guy named jounce. also did i mention its gorgeous? hot fuckin diggity it is gooorgeous.

vivians ghost by hal schrieve (18+)

speaking of trans comics!! (plot twist: theyre all trans comics suckerrrr) look, all of hals comics are fucking baller and im sure the book zes got coming out will be too, but ive like Imprinted on this one. its attached itself my brain. much like the main protagonist collin has been attached to by his suicide victim best friend and ex highschool bf viv!

the sketchy art style threw me off at first but it quickly becomes part of the charm and meshes very well with the chaotic pace and gutpunch emotional moments. theres a strong element of magical realism that i honestly think comics as a medium were made for. viv is a ghost, and viv is grief, and guilt, and fantasy, and shame, and glorious trans revenge taken form, and hes not even the only apparition in this story, taking the stage alongside cameos by jesus christ, a detransitioners fursona, almanda palmer, and (checks notes) gonzo for a second there i think.

as a disclaimer (or incentive, depending) no one in this story i think is someone you could really call a good person. some of them are in fact plainly terrible. they are all so undeniably fucking fascinating though. and viv himself gleefully inhabits that moral gray area, deliberately and loudly disturbing any image of himself as a pure perfect victim, blurring lines and thrusting both the characters and audience out of their comfort zone. its a challenging read thats not going to be everyone for sure, but i definitely think its worth the read.

(and if this sounds interesting to you but youre not sure you can handle it, hal has other equally good comics that are still heavy on the trans gay relationship drama but much lighter on the childhood trauma.)

what happens next by maximumgraves

if youre reading this on tumblr i hope that youve at least heard of what happens next by now. thee seminal tumblrina art of our time i swear. it starts with a true crime podcast exploring the strange story of griffin and his accomplice milo, trans teen murderers, the latter of which has since been released from the psych hospital while the former continues to serve his sentence. but thats in the past, and in the present milo still has to figure out how to live the rest of his life.

the story moves rapidly, though not necessarily chronologically, in and out of the real world and the online lives its characters frequently inhabit like its guiding you through a twisted dream. its a comic on the internet about the internet from someone clearly well aware of its more poisonous aspects, as well as the addictive quality it can have for someone who has become otherwise isolated from the world.

at the end of the day though the major appeal i think is the characters, how messy and horrible and tragic they can be, which is all you can really hope for from a largely character-driven narrative. to say much more i think would ruin the experience, but ill say what happens next absolutely delivers on its ominous title, and im waiting on the edge of my seat for the next chapter.

preeny has to repeat 6th grade by momodriller

on a Much lighter note, preeny has to repeat 6th grade is a super cute adventure series about a magical little kitty named preeny who on her first day of sixth grade is called upon to go on a great mission. its a sparklefur comic!! ive been really starting to dive into furry art lately, and if youre the kind of person who raises an eyebrow at that statement, fine, whatever, but im talking to the cool people right now so keep it to yourself.

art from within the furry subculture is such insanely creative and passionate stuff, and the focus on this subset in particular, calling back to the early 2000s deviantart xD rAWR s0 rand0m era of online culture, feels so intensely nostalgic it makes my chest ache, despite never being heavily involved in the sparklefur scene myself.

the author states in the comics description that the story takes inspiration from her experiences as an autistic child, and even before reading that man i felt it. what really makes this comic unique to me though is that the majority of characters that appear are based on adoptables the author purchased off of, as she puts it, the children of deviantart. i LOVE that. not only is that probably amazing for the kids, it makes every character feel truly unique and adds perfectly to the overall flavor of the world shes created. there is just not another comic i can think of that feels alive like this one.

broccoli soup by secretpie

ok so i know how we might feel about webtoon comics but hear me out. broccoli soup is probably the first comic ive seen to really exploit the otherwise sort of bland and restrictive format of webtoons, utilizing the excess of white space to enhance the feeling of emptiness that characterizes the protagonist broccoli's time in the blank void they call home as well as to make the sparse use of color really pop in contrast.

broccoli soup is a mysterious series thats a little hard to pin down in terms of genre. a strange little being named broccoli spends their days in a vast blankness drinking tea with their loving yet highly suspicious Best Friend and benefactor, doris. doris has the ability to move between worlds, coming and going as she pleases, while broccoli is only allowed to leave when they are on a mission on her behalf. these missions vary, but the goal is always the same: make everything Polite and Good.

as the story progresses, little by little more friends and more color come into broccolis still new existence. the art style also changes from world to world, which imo is a very nice touch. and! theres music! its an interesting project that dances back and forth between fantastical whimsy and some surprisingly dark moments. and thats the shit i like to see.

thats all for now! though if im lucky there will be many more fun stories and projects to talk about in the future. keep in mind as well that this is like barely half of all the webcomics im currently reading, just the ones that most stick out to me as really doing something special.

until next time yall!!

oh wait sike honorable mentions time

awful hospital by bogleech

the only reason this isnt up there with the rest is bc im woefully behind at the moment. ill get back to it eventually! awful hospital is an interactive multimedia horror-comedy webcomic about a hospital that is. well this hospital is simply sub-par to say the least.

hedgehog's dilemma by mellodilla

this ones still a little new to say much on but so far it looks like a cute series. what most appeals to me is that the art style looks like something that fit in seamlessly with an early 90s newspaper comic strip. in particular it has a strong calvin and hobbes vibe to me. just, you know, about wacky lil lesbian animals living their lives.

ok now im done for real

*for clarity's sake, im using webcomic here to mean "a series of comics that was first published and predominantly exists online" so even if a print version exists, i still consider it to be first and foremost a webcomic. this also includes comics that contain a multimedia or interactive element. if its a combination of pictures and words to tell a story, its a comic.

also my list is probably going to end up massively favoring serialized fiction because thats just what i like to read, but i dont necessarily think thats a required element.

#ungodly screeching #recommendations #kinda off topic but also kinda not lol #this got way out of hand #oh also if i got anyones pronouns wrong pls let me know! i tried to track everyones down

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atlas-of-a-human-soul · 2 years

Text

Wildest dreams, pt. 3

Wildest dreams // part 2

Summary: The imprint bond sets in, however it isn’t quite as dreamy as one would expect.

-----------------------------------------------------

Turning pages, Y/N did her best to ignore the pebbles hitting her bedroom window. Isn’t it ridiculous to throw stones at their age? When they were still kids, Jacob once broke a window and he was banned from ever trying the same. It’s not as if she had to tell him either for the glass had shattered just as she approached it. He felt so guilty he carried her books for a month after.

Tracing the faded crescent scar on her forearm, Y/N’s eyebrows furrow. It was so long ago but the scar still burns and when she thinks about the past, the pain feels as real as it did that night.

Inhaling sharply, she rolls her eyes. If they throw any harder, history might repeat itself. Besides, her dad was still asleep in the living room and he wasn’t quite fond of Sam’s cult. Y/N always believed it’s because of the way losing Jacob impacted her was at the root it, but they never really talked about it. There wasn’t a way to fix any of it, she never saw the point of picking at her wounds that desperately wanted to heal.

Grunting, she throws the book on the bed. With lips pressed in a thin line, she turns on the light and heads to the window. Opening it with a swift, fluid motion, her eyes fall on two tall figures standing still with their eyes focused on her.

“I’ll call the sheriff.”

“That’s what you’re opening with?” Embry chuckles. “You might find it disappointing to learn that the sheriff is a friend.”

“And here I thought she might be happy to see me”, Quil sighs dramatically, placing his hands on his hips. Shaking his head comically slow, he pouts.

“Get lost”, she exclaims.

Their heads snap up with mouth open, both insulted and dejected.

“What did I do?!” Quil whines. Narrowing his eyes at Embry, he grimaces. “This is all your fault!”

“HOW IS THIS MY FAULT?!”

Shaking her head in annoyance, Y/N sees one of the pebbles on the windowsill. Throwing it at Embry, the stone hits his left shoulder.

“Owh!”

“Told you it’s your fault”, Quil exclaims proudly.

“GUYS!” She whisper shouts. “I’m not above grabbing my father’s shotgun. Leave! Now!”

Shrugging, Embry sits crisscross on the ground. “I’ve had a good life. Shoot me.”

“What’s your damage?!” Huffing in frustration, she looks up at the dark cloudy skies. Why did she return here? Why couldn’t she have found a job someplace she could see the stars?

“I ask him the same all the time, but whatever it is he seems to be adapted to living with it”, Quil sits beside Embry. “So how about you come down and we talk?”

“I am not talking to you in the middle of the night!”

“So tomorrow then?” Quil smiles in hope, seeing the horizontal line between her eyebrows deepen.

“Let me rephrase this”, her lips spread in a tight lipped smile. “I have no desire or plans to talk to you. Ever.”

Frowning, Quil nods. “Is it because you still have a thing for Embry and being so close to him would break your heart?”

Embry’s eyes widen, elbowing Quil who bursts out laughing.

Raising her hands in mock surrender she quickly grips her windows, “I’m done.” Closing the windows, she pulls the curtains over as well. There is absolutely no part of her that missed Quil and his dumb jokes.

With a sigh, she plops on the bed. Closing her eyes, she swallows thickly. She won’t think about it any longer. Whatever it was that she encountered in the woods and whatever way Embry and Paul found her does not matter.

So why does her stomach flip with a mere thought of Paul?

Burying her head in her pillows, she brings the blanket over her body. There is no reason why she should care. She came back for her father, not for anyone or anything else. Her heart is full enough as it is – her job is fulfilling and there is nothing she needs more than the ocean she hears from the shore on a quiet night.

Involving herself in Sam’s cult and its members is not on the agenda and whatever the hell kind of butterflies Paul’s name invokes will have to be murdered. Swiftly and efficiently, with no remorse.

Yet, when her mind wanders and dreams take over, Y/N finds herself back in the forest.

She’s not afraid this time. Her hand is warm, encased by a bigger one infusing a sense of safety she hadn’t felt in so long. Looking into darkness of his brown eyes, Y/N can see her reflection – all he sees is her. Somehow she’s prettier in his view, happier.

A branch breaks on her left and her heart jumps as Paul pushes her behind his broad, strong back. Fear claws at her throat as she prepares for the danger she cannot even see.

He’s protecting her.

Closing her eyes, she hears a wickedly sweet chuckle.

Gasping, she opens her eyes only to find herself back in her bed. Heavy breathing fills the room as she looks around in the darkness. Tapping her phone, she sighs as her alarm rings at the same time. She hoped for more time to collect herself before work.

Whatever that dream was, she was already breaking all of her resolutions.

Seems like even after all these years, Paul Lahote doesn’t play by rules.

Dragging herself the entire morning, she could hardly focus. Chewing on her bottom lip, she stares at her notes. Her fingers tingle, a warmth spreading through them as if they could still feel the heat of another. This comfortable sensation travels up her hands and to her arms, slowly encasing her entire body.

Closing her eyes, she’s back in the forest, back with his eyes reflecting the peace he had given her in that dream. How does he look at her in such a manner? As if he knows every inch of her, as if he softly reaches into the dark corners of her messed up mind. All that she relies on, all that she can fake, it’s all gone when those brown orbs find her, pulling on an invisible thread she cannot release.

“There’s a patient in six”, a nurse’s voice breaks her out of the unplanned daydream. The last thing she wished to do is to think about him. Dreams are meant to stay dreams, they shouldn’t find her in the day.

Swallowing thickly, she pockets her pen. She’s at work, what better distraction from all she wants to hide from could she ask for?

And it worked. Continuous line of patients asking for help gave no time for her mind to wander, absolutely no time for Paul to invade her thoughts.

Exhausted, she could hardly see after the shift had ended. The remaining adrenaline kept her body moving, but her muscles had become sore, aching with every step she takes.

Pausing before the woods she used as a shortcut, Y/N shakes her head. It’s almost dark, it would be unwise to cut corners now. Her father may have drove her to work, but she didn’t have much of a choice at the moment. Walking the long way home would take an hour, but this trail cuts that time in half.

“Don’t even think about it”, a familiar husky voice orders.

Sighing, she turns to find the very man she spent the day avoiding – mentally, at least.

Paul’s leaned against his jeep in a grey T-shirt, his arms crossed over his chest only accentuating how big his biceps are. He was burly ever since his junior year at high school, but there was no denying he’s worked on his body quite a lot since.

She quirks an eyebrow. “And you’re going to stop me?”

Narrowing his eyes, he doesn’t seem fazed by her taunting. “We can do this the easy way”, he pauses as his eyes trail down her body. She’s certainly no longer the girl who used to wear overalls or bumblebee tights with oversized shirts and call it fashion. “Please do this the easy way.”

“And why should I?” She crosses her arms, mimicking him. “You’ve never made anything about our interactions easy before.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, he nods in agreement. “I’m not a boy anymore. I’ve grown and I’m tired from work as I’m sure you are too.” Dropping his arms by his side, he takes a few steps closer to her and her lips press in a thin line on instinct.

Paul can see the wheels turning in that pretty little head of hers, trying to find a way to argue with him longer. She always knew how to push his buttons and he used to adore that about her.

Used to.

Becoming a shifter changed that. It changed everything.

He couldn’t be around her anymore. He couldn’t risk getting aggressive with her and he couldn’t risk her finding out his secret. Y/N was always too smart for him, she’d have figured it out.

Part of him wishes he had risked it all. If he had, he would have imprinted sooner. That would probably bring him more suffering, after all, Y/N isn’t Emily. She wouldn’t have stayed with him in La Push. Hell, she barely tolerated him. Paul was convinced she hated him; hates him. He never felt anything on her behalf that would give him hope. Imprinting doesn’t change that.

Seeing fragments of what their future could be does not change anything.

Paul saw what imprinting meant to Sam, to Quil, then Jacob. It brought them immense joy and peace of mind. They weren’t tormented by what ifs anymore. Universe had centered them, giving them an anchor they could draw strength from.

What Paul saw brought him pain and fear. It didn’t make him stronger, it had robbed him of peace and the ability to think straight.

He smiled as her fingers were threading his hair, he heard her giggling, saw her pouting before sitting in his lap and then he felt the weight of her body as blood poured from her neck.

That was his imprinting experience - a nightmare he cannot outwit.

Swallowing thickly, he flinches.

“Are you alright?” Her concern is almost palpable as she reaches for his hand.

Pulling away, he ensures that doesn’t happen.

A flicker of hurt behind her eyes makes his heart drop, but Paul can’t handle her touch now. Not when the image of her dying in his arms is still too vivid. Blinking fast, he finds himself wanting to scream, to throw her over his shoulder and run until he finds a place deemed safe. He wants to take her face in his hands and beg her not to slip away from his reach when he finally has something worth fighting for.

He’s gotten too used to surviving instead of living. To have her will break him, to lose her will be his end.

Why would the ancestors be so cruel? They’ve decided to make him understand the imprint bond he was so profoundly against just so they could cut that tie and let him be consumed by sorrow that will surely undo his sanity.

Paul could live infinite lifetimes and still desire her, he would live infinite lifetimes just to save her. All he needs is a chance.

“Just”, he takes a step back and toward his jeep. Reaching for the handle on the passenger’s door, he opens it. “Let me drive you home.”

She can see the doubt behind his eyes, a silent storm brewing deep inside and the way his voice softened just now worries her.

“I get to control the radio”, she states.

Walking past him and inside the car, she hears him let out a heavy sigh. He doesn’t respond to her, taking his time before he sits behind the wheel.

Glancing at him, she swallows thickly. Every cell in her body is insisting on reaching for him, on saying something, anything. She almost does, but the car starts and her hands intertwine in her lap.

Crazy. She’s crazy. What other explanation is there?

“You can turn it on”, he tells her.

“Huh?”

Keeping his eyes on the road, he presses the ON button on his radio. “You wanted the radio. I agreed to your terms.”

Nodding to herself, she bites her lower lip. Something doesn’t feel right. Changing a few stations, she pauses on Taylor Swift’s Wildest dreams, smiling as she leans back in her seat.

Paul’s eyes flicker to her momentarily, a little confused and uncertain by her choice in music, but remains quiet.

It’s Y/N who speaks first.

“Did you ever have something like that?”

“Like what?” He frowns. Her voice is small, her words picked carefully, yet he cannot process this is the same person who would set fire to his blood every time they spoke in the past.

“Like the song says? Someone who made you feel like you want to escape everyone and just enjoy each other? Someone who”, she exhales and smiles, “makes you feel as if all you ever wished for came true? Someone you’ll never forget?”

Paul shrugs. He wants to scream YOU, but how can he? He barely ever got close enough to her. Paul never really had her. He never will.

But she’s someone he will never forget. She’s his wildest dream come to life, yet even when she’s sitting right beside him she’s still just a dream. She’s real, but she’s not.

“I suppose so”, he glances her way, catching an inkling of disappointment in her eyes.

“I envy you”, her lips part as she looks out the window. “I never did.”

Letting out a shuddered breath, his right hand reaches for her hand. From the corner of his eye, Paul saw her looking at their hands with uncertainty.

“Don’t”, he furrows his brows. “I wish I never did. I’d face less sleepless nights.” Giving her hand a light squeeze, he’s surprised when her free hand taps the back of his.

She hums, “This is kind of nice.” Meeting his raised eyebrow and a surprised glace, Y/N chuckles as she releases his hand. “Well, it is!”

Reluctantly, he draws his hand back to the wheel. “Whatever you say, dove.”

“Dove?” She grimaces. “No nicknames, okay? Wasn’t that nice!”

Grinning, he nods. “We’ll see about that.”

Parking, he turns to her. A small smile adorns his lips while her eyes remain fixed on her hands.

“We’re here”, he says quietly.

Inhaling sharply, she nods. How can she leave when her heart is asking her to stay? It’s odd, is it not? How can a day make such a difference?

She was fine before seeing him yesterday, it was going great. She didn’t think about anyone from her past in years besides Jacob.

What changed?

“That we are”, she gives him a tight lipped smile without moving.

Reluctantly, she looks up at him. His eyes are already devouring her, carefully memorizing each line of her pretty face he nearly forgot. Paul longed to see her for so many months, so many years that he had started wondering if she was ever real. Sometimes longing for her overwhelmed him and that made him angry. He used that anger as a shield from his sadness for much longer than he’s willing to admit. She was gone for so long he eventually stopped thinking about her. It seems inconceivable now, but he did. For years, he was simply existing and he was fine with that.

She’s come back now. She’s real again. He doesn’t have to question if she were but a dream that faded from his memory.

“Were you happy?” Paul licks his lips, awaiting for her response.

She blinks, chewing on her bottom lip mercilessly. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”

“When you were away, I mean. Did you love being out in the world, saving lives?”

Leaning back in her seat, she lets out a painfully slow, heavy sigh. Staring at the grey skies obscuring the sunset, she shrugs meekly. “It was a better fantasy than reality.”

Looking to her porch, Paul notices her father standing with his hands on his hips and a death glare. “I don’t think your dad likes me very much.”

Smirking, she taps Paul’s hand. “Don’t take it personally.” Reaching for the handle, she gets out the jeep with a tiny jump.

Heading to the house, she turns around. Waving at Paul, she graces him with a heart soaring smile.

Oh, if she only knew how much he needed that smile.

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Tags: @the-chaotic-cow

Part 4

#paul lahote #paul lahote x reader #paul lahote series #twilight #twilight saga #Twilight series #twilight fanfiction #twilight fandom #twilight renaissance #embry call #Quil Ateara #jacob black

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