due to inflation you must answer my riddles five
i had a thought of "do people not know what AUs are anymore?" and then i remembered nobody explains fandom stuff to new people anymore so it is entirely plausible people genuinely don't know what AUs are and nobody has explained it to them, so for today's lucky 10,000:
"AU" stands for "Alternate Universe" or "Alternative Universe" (same difference) and is basically any thought scenario for a fandom that isn't canon and can't fit within the canon universe. If it takes place in the canon universe but something is notably different, that is typically what's known as a "Canon divergent AU," because it diverges from canon.
an AU can be absolutely anything. There's a couple of widespread pan-fandom au scenarios that often get thrown around, like coffee shop aus, genderbend aus, hanahaki aus (hanahaki is a whole thing in itself i'd recommend researching on your own), etc. One you might hear sometimes is "crossover AU" which is when you have characters from one fandom interacting with characters from another.
You can have as many aus as you want. They can be whatever you want and you can do whatever you want in them. It's a sandbox for you to play around in and explore how things would be different or how the characters would act in those circumstances or environments. Maybe they have different relationships with each other. Maybe they behave slightly differently. Or you can just say "Okay, [x] is true. How did they get here? How would things have to be different for this to occur?" which can also be fun.
If you are ever confused about why people ship something that seems completely out of the blue or doesn't make sense to you in the canon setting, there's a good chance they like it in an AU setting! Not everything everybody is interacting with is necessarily the canon! Not everybody wants things to exist in canon and just want to explore playing dolls in a different sandbox and that's okay. And their sandbox might look a lot different than yours, and that's also okay. You have the freedom to make your sandbox whatever you please. Do whatever you want forever. Get funky with it. AUs are fun.
Okay that's my schpeal. everybody go have fun and play nice now.
Redraw of Asra's gladiator CG (one of my favs!!) But of course, it had to be Montag đ
Can I request the Twst first years with an S/O who wears glasses? And one day while they're out her glasses fall and break so she asks the guy to be her "seeing-eye boyfriend" until she can get her replacement pair?
How would first years react if your glasses broke and you asked them to be your "seeing-eye boyfriend"?
The fall was almost cinematicâone second you're both walking through the courtyard with milkshakes in hand, and the next, your glasses clatter to the stone path with a crisp snap that silences your breath.
Ace blinks down at the broken frames.
â...Well. That sucks.â
Very helpful commentary.
You groan, squinting at the blurry world around you. Everythingâs turned into a watercolor painting, pretty, but useless. You reach for your bag, already fumbling for a cleaning cloth or something that might do the impossible and fix them.
Ace crouches down beside you, holding up the broken arm of your glasses like a forensic detective.
âYeah, no saving these. They're totally toast,â he says and grins.
âGuess youâre stuck with me now.â
You blink. âHuh?â
âYour seeing-eye boyfriend. Come on,â he says, puffing his chest.
âI volunteer as tribute.â
âYou? Youâd lead me into Crowley's office just for fun.â
âBold of you to assume Iâd wait for an excuse,â he shoots back, clearly enjoying this way too much. Still, he steps in beside you, grabbing your hand with more confidence than usual.
âDonât worry, babe. Iâll be your noble guide through the treacherous lands of blurry hallways and evil staircases.â
Honestly? Itâs kind of adorable.
ExceptâŠ
âAce,â you hiss as you walk face-first into a hedge, âthat was definitely a bush.â
âOh, oops.â He stifles a laugh. âMy bad. I was looking at a crow that looked kinda like Riddle.â
You smack his arm, and he catches your hand before you can escape.
âOkay, okay, for real this time. I swear Iâll guide youâ
And he does. Sort of.
Aceâs version of âguidingâ includes narrating everything in dramatic tones (âA wild vending machine appears!â), making traffic beeping noises at crosswalks, and waving off student with
âMove aside! VIP coming through.â
But in between the jokes, heâs surprisingly attentive. He warns you about uneven pavement. He helps you down stairs. He gently turns you in the right direction when you start to wander. And when someone asks why heâs being so clingy, he just says:
âCanât help it. Gotta take care of my favorite person, right?â
When your new glasses finally arrive a few days later, Ace squints at you dramatically.
âHuh. You were even cuter when you were blurry. Guess Iâll just have to date you all over again in HD.â
The moment your glasses fall, Deuce gasps like he just witnessed a crime. You tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. He scrambles to pick them up before you can even get up.
âAre you okay?! Did you hit your head? Oh noâyour glassesâŠâ
One look at the snapped arm, and he looks genuinely distressed.
âI canât believe I didnât catch you! If only Iâd moved fasterââ
âDeuce, itâs okay,â you laugh softly, reaching out to pat his shoulder.
âTheyâre just glasses. Iâve got a backup pair somewhere, I just need to find them later.â
âBut you canât see without them, right?â He holds the broken pair like heâs holding a wounded bird.
âThenâIâll help. I mean, Iâll⊠um. Be your⊠your seeing-eye⊠boyfriend?â
The way he says it makes you smile.
ââŠYeah,â you reply, slipping your hand into his. âThatâd help a lot, actually.â
Deuce turns red immediately. His grip on your hand tightens just a little.
Walking with Deuce as your guide is like navigating with an overenthusiastic, overprotective golden retriever. Heâs very serious about the job. He announces every step, every turn, every uneven stone like he's defusing a bomb.
âThereâs a crack in the pavement coming up. And uhâthree steps down. Careful. Okay, good. Weâre clear.â
Sometimes you have to stop and remind him not to overthink it.
âYou donât need to call out every single pebble,â you tease.
âI just donât want you to trip!â he insists, puffing up. âWhat if you fall and break something? What if I let go and you bump into a wall? What ifââ
You gently squeeze his hand. âDeuce. I trust you.â
That short-circuits him for a few seconds.
ââŠI wonât let you down,â he says, a little softer. âIâve got you.â
And he does.
He slows his pace to match yours. Offers his arm like a perfect gentleman. Even tries to describe the world around you so you donât miss out.
âThereâs this really pretty bird in the tree aheadâitâs blue and has this weird feather that sticks upâkinda looks like it has a cowlickâŠâ
When you finally get your backup pair of glasses a few days later and slide them on, Deuce stares at you with wide eyes.
âYouâre amazing no matter what, but seeing your eyes properly again isâŠâ He stops himself, going bright red.
âI-I meanâyou look beautiful. Always. Iâm just glad I could help.â
You smile, reaching for his hand again.
âYou were the best seeing-eye boyfriend I couldâve asked for.â
He beams. âAnytime.â
The second your glasses hit the ground, Jackâs ears twitch. He doesnât even hesitateâjust crouches and scoops them up, holding the broken frames in his hand like they might somehow fix themselves if he stares hard enough.
âYou okay?â he asks, already checking you over for injuries like a concerned older brother. âDid they cut you or anything?â
You shake your head, though your squint makes Jack frown.
âCanât see much now, though,â you admit, trying to hold the glasses up to judge if theyâre wearable.
Theyâre not. One armâs completely snapped off and the lens is scratched.
Jack stands straight, folding his arms.
âAlright. Then Iâll walk you back to Ramshackle. Or wherever else you need to go.â
You tilt your head. âYou sure?â
"Of course. I canât just leave you wandering around blind. Thatâd be irresponsible.â
âThen⊠can you be my seeing-eye boyfriend for a few days?â
His tail stops wagging. You can almost hear the reboot noise in his brain.
âIâuh. Thatâs⊠yeah. I can do that.â
True to form, Jack is efficient, steady, and very aware of his job. He walks at your pace, always slightly in front or to the side so you have an anchor. He doesnât talk too muchâjust enough to say things like âstep here,â âslippery patch coming up,â or âhandrailâs on your left.â
At one point, you trip slightly on a slope and instinctively reach for himâand Jack immediately grabs your hand, pulling you against his side.
âYou good?â
ââŠYeah,â you mumble, flushed from the sudden proximity.
Jack doesnât let go. In fact, he holds your hand the rest of the way. Quietly. Warmly. His fingers are a little calloused, but theyâre gentle.
When you get your replacement glasses, Jack glances at you with this subtle but very "Jack" kind of softness.
âGlad you got them back. But⊠if they break again, I wouldnât mind helping you. Just so you know.â
He turns his head to the side quickly.
ââŠItâs not a big deal or anything.â
But his tail is wagging again.
The crack of your glasses hitting the ground is followed by Epelâs immediate gasp of, âWhoaâshoot! You okay?!â
Heâs already dropped his bag to inspect the damage like a concerned old farmhand looking over a busted tractor.
âAhh, the frameâs toast,â he mutters. âThis sucks, sugarâŠâ
You blink through the blur. âEverythingâs fuzzy.â
âYou want me to⊠walk you back or something?â
âActually, youâre my seeing-eye boyfriend now,â you say, holding out your hand like you expect it.
He stares at you, face going pink so fast it looks like he was just slapped by the wind.
âY-you canât just say stuff like that without warning!!â he sputters, but then his hand grabs yours with no hesitation.
âI meanâfine! I can do that. No big deal.â
Epel is really trying to act cool about it, but his grip is just a little tight, and his ears are red for the first ten minutes of walking.
Unlike the others, he talks a lot. But itâs cute.
âOkay, sidewalk dips here. Careful. Andâhold on, lemme go first and check if this puddleâs too deep. You ever step in oneâa those and get water all in your boots? Itâs the worst.â
He occasionally grumbles at people for walking too close to you.
âWatch it, pal. She canât see, alright?â
At one point, you misstep and bump your shoulder into a wall, and Epel whips around like heâs about to punch the brick.
âI shouldâve warned you! Dangitâsorry, sugarplum. Here, lean on me more, Iâll walk closer.â
He does, too. He even lets you rest your hand on his arm like some kind of prince.
When your new glasses arrive and you slide them on, Epel tilts his head.
ââŠYeah. Still just as pretty.â
He pretends he didnât say that.
You donât let him pretend.
Your glasses hit the ground. The arm snaps. The lens pops out. You sigh.
Sebek screams.
âDISASTER! UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE! HOW COULD THIS HAPPENâ?!â
You cover his mouth.
âSebek. Please. Breathe.â
When he finally calms down enough to form words that arenât shouting, he immediately drops to one knee to inspect the glasses like theyâre some ancient relic from Briar Valley.
âThis is a serious matter,â he huffs, standing tall again.
âYou cannot possibly navigate this campus with impaired vision. What if you trip? What if you run into an obstacle? What ifâheaven forbidâyou encounter a DISGRACEFUL STUDENF who knocks into you?!â
You blink at him. âSo⊠wanna be my seeing-eye boyfriend?â
He short-circuits for a full five seconds. You could hear the error tone.
âSEEINGâBOYâWHAT? Iâ!â His face is rapidly changing colors, caught between panic, pride...
âW-well! If you insist! Of course it would be my DUTY to assist you!â
And assist he does.
Sebek walks exactly half a step in front of you at all times, loudly narrating your surroundings like a royal town crier.
âWE ARE APPROACHING A SET OF STAIRS. I REPEATâA STAIRCASE. DESCENT REQUIRED.â
You try not to laugh. âSebek, Iâm right here.â
âI AM MERELY ENSURING MAXIMUM AWARENESS!â
Honestly? For all his dramatics, heâs weirdly good at this.
He even swats someoneâs backpack out of your way at one point and scolds them for âfailing to consider the visually disadvantaged.â
You almost feel bad when your new glasses arrive and you don them again.
Sebek blinks. ââŠAh. You can see again.â
âYep! Thanks for helping me so much.â
He nods stiffly, trying to hide how flustered he is.
âIt was nothing. Merely what any exceptional man would do in such a situation!â
You step closer and kiss his cheek.
He explodes.
Most blessed type of fandom experience tbh
professor dekarios if he dressed up
Ok that one too and this concludes the wip-with-no-chance-of-finishing bin posting
me too wade, me too
bonus:
reactions of pain and despair after gricko started using gen z slang
handsđ„°đ
what if werewolves were real but they were all heterosexual
what if you didnt send me hate mail
logan howlett has always been THAT bitch
Thanks for the comment under my Rex art, you are indeed right and I am one of them.
kremy's drag looks from memory except crow's really bad at picturing the scenes correctly
Please let them meet each other again in Chapter 8!
le poisson steve ~
âInquisitor? HmmâŠ.I didn't see her.â Afterward, the entire skyhold is disrupted by The Case of the Disappeared Inquisitor.
shepherd pic for @stair-tilez yippee âïžđ€ i haven't met this lad yet so i hope his vibe is right
Presenting the SCRIMBLOS đ„č
These are some silly designs of charms I want to make for Dokomi! I've never ordered keychains alone, always with other artists, so I'll see how they turn out.
I'm very insecure with merch making, I feel more comfortable with full illustrations on prints;;
I hope you like them!
I thought only two weeks had passed, but it has been three whole weeks! My time perception is getting wonky...
I'm not completely out of slump yet...But I managed to draw three little wet eyes Gale â„
Still trying to figure out how tumblr works,, in the meantime hereâs an old Torbek sketch that I finally threw some color on :)))
little doodles based on this uprooted clip
me, delusional: lethica and farryn are totally gonna end up together
Listening to Once Upon A Witchlight so hereâs some rough sketches
hello avantris nation accept my offering