<![CDATA[Homebrew Deviants Forums - All Forums]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/ Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:53:00 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[what's cooking?]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-986.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:47:41 +0000 seppawku]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-986.html
rn i'm thinking about two of my faves, only one of which is. uh. actually easy to be fair. would not suggest attempting the ufos unless you have an excess of energy and/or help so i don't actually get these often, would recommend tho!

ez mode: chicken pastina / og recipe called it italian penicillin which is a way more fun name. no mold involved!/j

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..take any 'takes this long' markers with a grain of salt, i sure do. this one's pretty fast, tho, and easy on the stomach. chicken broth w/ tiny pasta, olive oil, lemon juice, n parmesan. nice n warm!

second one's considerably more of a pain in the ass between kneading/mixing the dough and using boiling oil but i'm pretty sure it'd work with gnocchi if you wanted to make your life easier? i call em ufos but, chewy garlic potatoes!

Show Content

prob'ly one of my favorite meals on the occasions i can get help to make it. they aren't too spicy but have a little kick, the sauce is soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and chili powder + green onions.]]>
rn i'm thinking about two of my faves, only one of which is. uh. actually easy to be fair. would not suggest attempting the ufos unless you have an excess of energy and/or help so i don't actually get these often, would recommend tho!

ez mode: chicken pastina / og recipe called it italian penicillin which is a way more fun name. no mold involved!/j

Show Content

..take any 'takes this long' markers with a grain of salt, i sure do. this one's pretty fast, tho, and easy on the stomach. chicken broth w/ tiny pasta, olive oil, lemon juice, n parmesan. nice n warm!

second one's considerably more of a pain in the ass between kneading/mixing the dough and using boiling oil but i'm pretty sure it'd work with gnocchi if you wanted to make your life easier? i call em ufos but, chewy garlic potatoes!

Show Content

prob'ly one of my favorite meals on the occasions i can get help to make it. they aren't too spicy but have a little kick, the sauce is soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and chili powder + green onions.]]> <![CDATA[dorohedoro general thread]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-985.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:11:50 +0000 skinstealer]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-985.html GENERALIZED WARNING FOR UNSPOILED GORE/BODY HORROR/HORNY DESIGNS I AM BLANKET CONTENT WARNING THIS THREAD BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SPOILER NEARLY EVERY IMAGE. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY SPOILER NEW ANIME SHIT THE WEEK IT COMES OUT THOUGH


ouuuuu dorohedoro. season 2 is coming out soon. como and i are starting to read the manga irl together (i have read it, he has not) and the time to make people aware of this one is now. settle in.

if you are unfamiliar with Dorohedoro, here's a fun summary off of wikipedia:
Quote:
Dorohedoro (ドロヘドロ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Q Hayashida. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazines Monthly Ikki (November 2000 to September 2014), Hibana (March 2015 to August 2017), and Monthly Shōnen Sunday (November 2017 to September 2018); its chapters were collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. Dorohedoro tells the story of the amnesiac reptilian-headed Caiman, working together with his friend Nikaido to recover his memories and survive in a strange and violent world. 


it is also largely about love and friendship and finding it in a hyper-grimy hellscape where any given moment has the chance to be covered in guts. as you can imagine we are highly fond of it.

if you are down with extreme violence and gore, and surreal writing styles/narratives, i can't recommend it enough. it is cool as hell, funny as fuck, and has some of the most lovable characters i have in my "media i love" roster. 

with that: opening 2 is out.



CW: MAJOR GORE WARN, MAJOR FLASHING WARN, MASS DEATH but good lord it's schmoving with it. what do we think]]> GENERALIZED WARNING FOR UNSPOILED GORE/BODY HORROR/HORNY DESIGNS I AM BLANKET CONTENT WARNING THIS THREAD BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SPOILER NEARLY EVERY IMAGE. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY SPOILER NEW ANIME SHIT THE WEEK IT COMES OUT THOUGH


ouuuuu dorohedoro. season 2 is coming out soon. como and i are starting to read the manga irl together (i have read it, he has not) and the time to make people aware of this one is now. settle in.

if you are unfamiliar with Dorohedoro, here's a fun summary off of wikipedia:
Quote:
Dorohedoro (ドロヘドロ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Q Hayashida. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazines Monthly Ikki (November 2000 to September 2014), Hibana (March 2015 to August 2017), and Monthly Shōnen Sunday (November 2017 to September 2018); its chapters were collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. Dorohedoro tells the story of the amnesiac reptilian-headed Caiman, working together with his friend Nikaido to recover his memories and survive in a strange and violent world. 


it is also largely about love and friendship and finding it in a hyper-grimy hellscape where any given moment has the chance to be covered in guts. as you can imagine we are highly fond of it.

if you are down with extreme violence and gore, and surreal writing styles/narratives, i can't recommend it enough. it is cool as hell, funny as fuck, and has some of the most lovable characters i have in my "media i love" roster. 

with that: opening 2 is out.



CW: MAJOR GORE WARN, MAJOR FLASHING WARN, MASS DEATH but good lord it's schmoving with it. what do we think]]> <![CDATA[[SELLING] cheets adoptables]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-984.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:55:16 +0000 cheet]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-984.html [Image: 136_11_03_26_2_19_28.png]

oouuuauuh

i make adoptables these are them

prices are listed by design, i take USD through paypal only

my full TOS is here but in short:
- designs are sold with personal and commercial rights
- you can repost these with credit wherever after purchase
- designs can be resold for whatever you deem suitable
- any redesigns are fine

if you want these transferred to you on toyhouse:
please include the username of the account you want me to send the character to in your message. if you do not have an account but would like one, i can provide you with an invite code for no additional charge. you are also free to ask me for a code even if you are not buying a character

if you DO NOT want these on toyhouse:
tell me your preferred method to receive the unwatermarked files for your character. chances are i can most readily send them over via forum PMs or, for matrix users, matrix DMs
 

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

OBJECTS
Show Content
]]> [Image: 136_11_03_26_2_19_28.png]

oouuuauuh

i make adoptables these are them

prices are listed by design, i take USD through paypal only

my full TOS is here but in short:
- designs are sold with personal and commercial rights
- you can repost these with credit wherever after purchase
- designs can be resold for whatever you deem suitable
- any redesigns are fine

if you want these transferred to you on toyhouse:
please include the username of the account you want me to send the character to in your message. if you do not have an account but would like one, i can provide you with an invite code for no additional charge. you are also free to ask me for a code even if you are not buying a character

if you DO NOT want these on toyhouse:
tell me your preferred method to receive the unwatermarked files for your character. chances are i can most readily send them over via forum PMs or, for matrix users, matrix DMs
 

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

OBJECTS
Show Content
]]> <![CDATA[feed me design inspiration]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-983.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:00:49 +0000 skinstealer]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-983.html
PROMPTS CAN BE IMAGES, TEXT, IDC

THINGS I AM LOOKING FOR AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME
Sofubi Vinyl Toys
Gross Out Toys
Vintage Valentines
Vintage Depictions of Angels/Devils
Quilts
Vintage/Antique Plushes
Clown Toys
Rubberface Toys/Rushton Dolls
Mascot Suits
Horror Theme Park Mascots/Costumes
Woods/Forest/Nature Vibes (feel free to throw some curveballs at me)
Different Kinds of Planthopper
Interesting Rocks/minerals
Interesting Plants (Especially leaves and fruit)
Horror Movie Posters
Horror Novel Covers
Bondage Gear (spoiler please)
Occupational Wear
Anything with High Contrast Colors (some examples: oreo cookies, dazzle camoflague, poison dart frogs, rave glowsticks, etc)
Flowers/Florals
Spring 
Desserts/Sweets
Cat Plushes Specifically]]>
PROMPTS CAN BE IMAGES, TEXT, IDC

THINGS I AM LOOKING FOR AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME
Sofubi Vinyl Toys
Gross Out Toys
Vintage Valentines
Vintage Depictions of Angels/Devils
Quilts
Vintage/Antique Plushes
Clown Toys
Rubberface Toys/Rushton Dolls
Mascot Suits
Horror Theme Park Mascots/Costumes
Woods/Forest/Nature Vibes (feel free to throw some curveballs at me)
Different Kinds of Planthopper
Interesting Rocks/minerals
Interesting Plants (Especially leaves and fruit)
Horror Movie Posters
Horror Novel Covers
Bondage Gear (spoiler please)
Occupational Wear
Anything with High Contrast Colors (some examples: oreo cookies, dazzle camoflague, poison dart frogs, rave glowsticks, etc)
Flowers/Florals
Spring 
Desserts/Sweets
Cat Plushes Specifically]]> <![CDATA[cool things i found]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-982.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 01:00:25 +0000 skinstealer]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-982.html -TAFFY WRAP-

sometimes we will go on mini deep dives over things we find online/irl, usually toys, objects, and ephemera. this is where we will put said findings, though others are more than welcome to share their own. expect these dives to be rambly and off the cuff, because that's the most fun thing for us.

[Image: 1-1.png]
[alt: a print of pink fabric adorned with little white elephants, dancing around and playing musical instruments.]

today i started making a new mewgenics plush (i really need to post the ones i've made...) and decided, today is the day i finally use my pink elephant fabric. the pink elephant fabric has haunted us for some time because we got it in a deadstock shipment from Sew by Sew (we will get into this in a moment) and it is so beautiful, and so perfect, that we got caught in the Crafter's Struggle of trying to find the absolute _perfect_ project to use it on.

the problem, of course, is that you will struggle to find the perfect project and never fucking use the awesome fabric. i forced myself to go hunting through the many fabric bins i've accumulated in the past year and a half since starting the sewing adventure, and pulled out things that could work for the reference images i assembled last night.

one of these, of course, being the pink elephant fabric. i still fucking hesitated because god, is this the right project? it's so beautiful. it's one of the best things i've ever gotten in one of these deadstock shipments. what if this is the wrong decision?

aaaand then i realized i was considering it for one of my absolute Favorite mewgenics cats so far and went ah fuck it why not. 

[Image: 1-2.png]
[alt: the same fabric in an actual photograph, cut into pieces for a cat shaped plush pattern.]


the fabric for Gizzy Girl, as the game so generously named her (in Mewgenics you cannot change the name of a cat from their pool of largely user-suggested names iirc so whatever you get Congrats that's the name. i like this mechanic a lot! anyway, gizzy!) has been drawn out and cut.

the nice thing about the mewgenics plushes is theyre a fantastic way for us to learn freehand pattern drafting, and gizzy's plush looks to be an ideal, optimized one...probably. our two past plushes, ms mac and mimsie, were a bit..............................not what we expected. still adorable! but neither of them were proportioned quite as planned. things to learn from. but while drafting and cutting, we noticed that we were extremely lucky and the fabric had an actual URL printed on it! we haven't seen this with any of our other secondhand fabric so far, but recognize it as a good way for people to see what manufacturer/designer fabric is from. and thus- the deep dive began. 


[Image: 1-3.png]
[alt: logo for henry glass fabrics]

the URL provided was for a wholesale manufacturer called Henry Glass Fabrics, which is one we haven't heard of yet. looks to be a manufacturer with a decent pile of designers, which i'd like to dig into later and see what's up there. they say that they're specifically a wholesaler for independent fabric stores, which is very neat!

i didn't really think about the fact that there are probably wholesale manufacturers that prefer to work with indies, but it makes sense to me...i've never been to a proper indie store on account of my inability to leave the house frequently and the scarcity of said stores where i've lived over the course of my near-30 years of being alive, but now i feel even more spurred to go figure that out. 

it does look like the fabric is mainly quilting cotton, with some minky available. i have Opinions on minky that could be gotten into another day, because right now i'd rather focus on my findings. quilting cotton, conversely, is my favorite fabric to buy and work with outside of sock material, and i am delighted to find a manufacturer i can hunt for. you can't exactly buy these things directly from the site, seeing as they are wholesalers, but the great news is- the fabric i got ALSO had the proper line listed!

this pink elephant fabric is part of a **set!** 

some terminology- quilting fabric is often sold in specifically sized precut bundles when you're buying a set. one particularly common sizing for these called Fat Quarters, which is a 1/4 yard of fabric. i don't know where the fat part comes from. these sets are meant to work together in order to create a cohesively designed quilt, with patterns generally matching a theme and palette. i've had a great experience buying smaller fat quarter bundles, and the larger ones tempt me dangerously.

i knew that looking up whatever set this was for the elephant was going to be a problem. 


[Image: 1-4.png]
[alt: a set of fabric featuring beautiful spring patterns, all in a tantalizing ring shape.]


investigating the set had instant results, making my job as fabric detective very very easy. the design in question was from the Nana Mae 6 set, which appears to be a cute, vibrant collection featuring flowers and playful animals. i want it desperately. it is so good. it is a reproduction of 1930's fabric. it is also sold out and on the site i found the set, costs 96 USD when not on sale. individual yards cost anywhere from 8-12 USD. i will not be getting the Nana Mae 6 collection. 

however, that price raised the question- if you have 24 fat quarters in a bundle, and they cost 96 dollars, and i have what appears to be half a yard versus a quarter...

how much did i save, by getting this in a deadstock bundle for either 15 or 30 USD with a shitload of other fabric? (...i do not remember which bundle i got.)


[Image: 1-5.png]
[alt: the sew by sew logo]


the deadstock seller Sew by Sew is an amazing resource for fabric on the cheap. along with Swanson's Fabrics they are my retailer of choice by far, and both specialize in giving fabric that would have been thrown into a landfill a new home. while i don't see myself as someone saving the environment or anything, it feels good to not contribute to that- and frankly, old shit is just better. like, sorry to say it but the old fabric industry had a lot more good shit in the works. i just prefer to work with older stuff, and to get those goods, you have to go to the people willing to salvage it and sell it to crafters at a good price.

their mystery fabric bundles tempt me every time i get an email from them. genuinely diabolical- they get the leftovers from things like the fashion industry and sell it in a pack by the pound. i forget if we got the 1 lb or 3 lb bundle for our first order, but the pink elephant fabric was in whatever that was....and i mean, by god. look at it. it was the clear winner of the huge pile and we thus never fucking touched it out of aforementioned Fear. 


[Image: 1-6.png]
[alt: taffy wrap's TCP model sitting at a laptop, up to some calculations.]

so, let's do some math. i can't do numbers for shit so shoutout to google calculator. 

this is going to be an extremely rough range, mainly because due to being a wholesaler situation with different sizings of the fabric leading to different pricings, along with whether things are in a set....there's no real way to know how much whoever had this fabric originally paid for it. add in the fact that i either got this in a 15 USD or 30 USD bundle, we're just going to ignore that part of the equation and go "wow, what a good price for such a large bundle of fabric!" and leave it at that. 

there are 24 fabric designs in the Nana Mae 6 set. if you get the 96 USD set of all of them in fat quarter sizing, you're looking at 4 USD per quarter. a half yard would be 8 USD, by that price.

if you were to go by the individual yard, you're looking at 8 to 12 USD, by the guesstimates i made by a quick google search. ebay also says that a yard of it secondhand goes for 10 USD, so yeah, that's pretty good for a range. buying things NOT precut will get you a better price, like, literally every time. however, for those who want just a smaller amount...yeah, you want to go with the quarters. such is life.

halving that is anywhere from 4 to 6 USD, with the middle of that being 5 USD. a whole ass 200% from the fat quarter price! jesus. pretty expensive difference, especially when you consider a fat quarter being not all that much fabric in the long run. my plushes generally take up a yard of fabric or less, and even though these ones have taken eghhhh around a fat quarter or so each, they're pretty damn small. think around beanie baby range, for comparison.


[Image: 1-7.png]
[alt: taffy's TCP sitting nonchalantly, feeling pleased with himself.]


comparing anywhere from 5 to 10 USD to either a 15 or 30 USD bundle...wow, damn. that's a really good deal. even if i were to buy the individual yard on ebay, it still wouldn't compare to how good this deal is when you consider i distinctly remember the elephants being in a proper pile of fabric goodies.

the moral of the story? buy deadstock. if you want to take a lil gamble and see what interesting fabrics are out there, and are cool with not getting exact patterns or sizes for your projects...why not? you're helping keep things out of landfills and getting The Good Shit- including fabrics no longer produced. while this one does seem to be circulating just fine, i've gotten some really old stuff that will never see the light of day again in a mainstream shop.

and it still holds up great.


DISCLAIMER LITERALLY AFTER I FINISHED WRITING THIS i found out that Henry Glass Fabrics is a part of a larger brand amalgam named Jaftex. more to investigate...]]> -TAFFY WRAP-

sometimes we will go on mini deep dives over things we find online/irl, usually toys, objects, and ephemera. this is where we will put said findings, though others are more than welcome to share their own. expect these dives to be rambly and off the cuff, because that's the most fun thing for us.

[Image: 1-1.png]
[alt: a print of pink fabric adorned with little white elephants, dancing around and playing musical instruments.]

today i started making a new mewgenics plush (i really need to post the ones i've made...) and decided, today is the day i finally use my pink elephant fabric. the pink elephant fabric has haunted us for some time because we got it in a deadstock shipment from Sew by Sew (we will get into this in a moment) and it is so beautiful, and so perfect, that we got caught in the Crafter's Struggle of trying to find the absolute _perfect_ project to use it on.

the problem, of course, is that you will struggle to find the perfect project and never fucking use the awesome fabric. i forced myself to go hunting through the many fabric bins i've accumulated in the past year and a half since starting the sewing adventure, and pulled out things that could work for the reference images i assembled last night.

one of these, of course, being the pink elephant fabric. i still fucking hesitated because god, is this the right project? it's so beautiful. it's one of the best things i've ever gotten in one of these deadstock shipments. what if this is the wrong decision?

aaaand then i realized i was considering it for one of my absolute Favorite mewgenics cats so far and went ah fuck it why not. 

[Image: 1-2.png]
[alt: the same fabric in an actual photograph, cut into pieces for a cat shaped plush pattern.]


the fabric for Gizzy Girl, as the game so generously named her (in Mewgenics you cannot change the name of a cat from their pool of largely user-suggested names iirc so whatever you get Congrats that's the name. i like this mechanic a lot! anyway, gizzy!) has been drawn out and cut.

the nice thing about the mewgenics plushes is theyre a fantastic way for us to learn freehand pattern drafting, and gizzy's plush looks to be an ideal, optimized one...probably. our two past plushes, ms mac and mimsie, were a bit..............................not what we expected. still adorable! but neither of them were proportioned quite as planned. things to learn from. but while drafting and cutting, we noticed that we were extremely lucky and the fabric had an actual URL printed on it! we haven't seen this with any of our other secondhand fabric so far, but recognize it as a good way for people to see what manufacturer/designer fabric is from. and thus- the deep dive began. 


[Image: 1-3.png]
[alt: logo for henry glass fabrics]

the URL provided was for a wholesale manufacturer called Henry Glass Fabrics, which is one we haven't heard of yet. looks to be a manufacturer with a decent pile of designers, which i'd like to dig into later and see what's up there. they say that they're specifically a wholesaler for independent fabric stores, which is very neat!

i didn't really think about the fact that there are probably wholesale manufacturers that prefer to work with indies, but it makes sense to me...i've never been to a proper indie store on account of my inability to leave the house frequently and the scarcity of said stores where i've lived over the course of my near-30 years of being alive, but now i feel even more spurred to go figure that out. 

it does look like the fabric is mainly quilting cotton, with some minky available. i have Opinions on minky that could be gotten into another day, because right now i'd rather focus on my findings. quilting cotton, conversely, is my favorite fabric to buy and work with outside of sock material, and i am delighted to find a manufacturer i can hunt for. you can't exactly buy these things directly from the site, seeing as they are wholesalers, but the great news is- the fabric i got ALSO had the proper line listed!

this pink elephant fabric is part of a **set!** 

some terminology- quilting fabric is often sold in specifically sized precut bundles when you're buying a set. one particularly common sizing for these called Fat Quarters, which is a 1/4 yard of fabric. i don't know where the fat part comes from. these sets are meant to work together in order to create a cohesively designed quilt, with patterns generally matching a theme and palette. i've had a great experience buying smaller fat quarter bundles, and the larger ones tempt me dangerously.

i knew that looking up whatever set this was for the elephant was going to be a problem. 


[Image: 1-4.png]
[alt: a set of fabric featuring beautiful spring patterns, all in a tantalizing ring shape.]


investigating the set had instant results, making my job as fabric detective very very easy. the design in question was from the Nana Mae 6 set, which appears to be a cute, vibrant collection featuring flowers and playful animals. i want it desperately. it is so good. it is a reproduction of 1930's fabric. it is also sold out and on the site i found the set, costs 96 USD when not on sale. individual yards cost anywhere from 8-12 USD. i will not be getting the Nana Mae 6 collection. 

however, that price raised the question- if you have 24 fat quarters in a bundle, and they cost 96 dollars, and i have what appears to be half a yard versus a quarter...

how much did i save, by getting this in a deadstock bundle for either 15 or 30 USD with a shitload of other fabric? (...i do not remember which bundle i got.)


[Image: 1-5.png]
[alt: the sew by sew logo]


the deadstock seller Sew by Sew is an amazing resource for fabric on the cheap. along with Swanson's Fabrics they are my retailer of choice by far, and both specialize in giving fabric that would have been thrown into a landfill a new home. while i don't see myself as someone saving the environment or anything, it feels good to not contribute to that- and frankly, old shit is just better. like, sorry to say it but the old fabric industry had a lot more good shit in the works. i just prefer to work with older stuff, and to get those goods, you have to go to the people willing to salvage it and sell it to crafters at a good price.

their mystery fabric bundles tempt me every time i get an email from them. genuinely diabolical- they get the leftovers from things like the fashion industry and sell it in a pack by the pound. i forget if we got the 1 lb or 3 lb bundle for our first order, but the pink elephant fabric was in whatever that was....and i mean, by god. look at it. it was the clear winner of the huge pile and we thus never fucking touched it out of aforementioned Fear. 


[Image: 1-6.png]
[alt: taffy wrap's TCP model sitting at a laptop, up to some calculations.]

so, let's do some math. i can't do numbers for shit so shoutout to google calculator. 

this is going to be an extremely rough range, mainly because due to being a wholesaler situation with different sizings of the fabric leading to different pricings, along with whether things are in a set....there's no real way to know how much whoever had this fabric originally paid for it. add in the fact that i either got this in a 15 USD or 30 USD bundle, we're just going to ignore that part of the equation and go "wow, what a good price for such a large bundle of fabric!" and leave it at that. 

there are 24 fabric designs in the Nana Mae 6 set. if you get the 96 USD set of all of them in fat quarter sizing, you're looking at 4 USD per quarter. a half yard would be 8 USD, by that price.

if you were to go by the individual yard, you're looking at 8 to 12 USD, by the guesstimates i made by a quick google search. ebay also says that a yard of it secondhand goes for 10 USD, so yeah, that's pretty good for a range. buying things NOT precut will get you a better price, like, literally every time. however, for those who want just a smaller amount...yeah, you want to go with the quarters. such is life.

halving that is anywhere from 4 to 6 USD, with the middle of that being 5 USD. a whole ass 200% from the fat quarter price! jesus. pretty expensive difference, especially when you consider a fat quarter being not all that much fabric in the long run. my plushes generally take up a yard of fabric or less, and even though these ones have taken eghhhh around a fat quarter or so each, they're pretty damn small. think around beanie baby range, for comparison.


[Image: 1-7.png]
[alt: taffy's TCP sitting nonchalantly, feeling pleased with himself.]


comparing anywhere from 5 to 10 USD to either a 15 or 30 USD bundle...wow, damn. that's a really good deal. even if i were to buy the individual yard on ebay, it still wouldn't compare to how good this deal is when you consider i distinctly remember the elephants being in a proper pile of fabric goodies.

the moral of the story? buy deadstock. if you want to take a lil gamble and see what interesting fabrics are out there, and are cool with not getting exact patterns or sizes for your projects...why not? you're helping keep things out of landfills and getting The Good Shit- including fabrics no longer produced. while this one does seem to be circulating just fine, i've gotten some really old stuff that will never see the light of day again in a mainstream shop.

and it still holds up great.


DISCLAIMER LITERALLY AFTER I FINISHED WRITING THIS i found out that Henry Glass Fabrics is a part of a larger brand amalgam named Jaftex. more to investigate...]]> <![CDATA[The funny pages(funny stuff/meme sharing thread)]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-981.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 01:16:08 +0000 Lilium Mortem]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-981.html
I'll start by imortalizing my favorite video on the internet

]]>
I'll start by imortalizing my favorite video on the internet

]]> <![CDATA[Please insert query [Brackenspire]]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-980.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:25:19 +0000 Headful_of_Eyeballs]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-980.html -open archives
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[Subject ID: _____ ]
[Codename: ______ ]
[Status: ____ ]
[Species: ____ ]
[CONFIRM]

(note: you’re supposed to fill out the fields, Ì had to repost this to clear that up)]]> <![CDATA[HD inspo thread]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-978.html Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:57:00 +0000 skinstealer]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-978.html
anyway i'll start. i am going to IKEA with knux when he visits and i am utterly fucking obsessed with the new GREJSIMOJS collection. they decided to make a playroom inspired set that could be put in any room of the house and i think if i dont get at least some of these things in my home i will actively explode into gibs.

[Image: 2_23_02_26_8_46_14.png]

[alt: three distinctly creature-like furniture pieces, all in striking simple shapes and looking very cute. there's a sitting blue dog lamp, a capsule-shaped cat storage container, and a long necked giraffe lamp. they don't have facial features to speak of, but have plenty of personality.]

like jesus fucking christ. how am i supposed to cope with these things. where do i apply them to my brain inspos. i hope to god i can have at least one of them in my home because what the fuck


as for music, The End of Nothing by Pluginpsyche came up in my recommendeds and it will always be welcome in my brain. 


[alt: an instrumental track featuring heavy synths and an action-heavy pace, broken up by haunting, quieter sections.]

this is a track that featured in an unfinished 2ch cats animation as a sequel to Savior Cat- those who know how much of an inspiration they are for TCP, know. 



[CW for extreme cartoon violence/gore, as well as flashing. simply put, this is a beautiful unfinished animation where a bunch of cartoon cats kill each other.]

it's hard to really state just how much the Nightmare City, Savior Cat, and Saint Elmo's Bullet animations had on our psyche. i genuinely believe this is where the urge to be shaped like this came from, in that sort of weird TCP-esque way that was also distinctly, like. these are Adults. they are blatantly cartoon, Cute cats, but they have a maturity and gravity to us that was very much inspiring as a kid. yeah, warrior cats had the guts and fighting etc and i really don't know how much i could really say of that is simply bias (and i was a HUGE warrior cats) and more the development of refined taste as a 13 year old. who knows!!!!

anyhow, chuck stuff in here. it is not guaranteed by any stretch that we'll use anything here for anything at all, but we would love to hear what something means to yall in general. share things you love!]]>
anyway i'll start. i am going to IKEA with knux when he visits and i am utterly fucking obsessed with the new GREJSIMOJS collection. they decided to make a playroom inspired set that could be put in any room of the house and i think if i dont get at least some of these things in my home i will actively explode into gibs.

[Image: 2_23_02_26_8_46_14.png]

[alt: three distinctly creature-like furniture pieces, all in striking simple shapes and looking very cute. there's a sitting blue dog lamp, a capsule-shaped cat storage container, and a long necked giraffe lamp. they don't have facial features to speak of, but have plenty of personality.]

like jesus fucking christ. how am i supposed to cope with these things. where do i apply them to my brain inspos. i hope to god i can have at least one of them in my home because what the fuck


as for music, The End of Nothing by Pluginpsyche came up in my recommendeds and it will always be welcome in my brain. 


[alt: an instrumental track featuring heavy synths and an action-heavy pace, broken up by haunting, quieter sections.]

this is a track that featured in an unfinished 2ch cats animation as a sequel to Savior Cat- those who know how much of an inspiration they are for TCP, know. 



[CW for extreme cartoon violence/gore, as well as flashing. simply put, this is a beautiful unfinished animation where a bunch of cartoon cats kill each other.]

it's hard to really state just how much the Nightmare City, Savior Cat, and Saint Elmo's Bullet animations had on our psyche. i genuinely believe this is where the urge to be shaped like this came from, in that sort of weird TCP-esque way that was also distinctly, like. these are Adults. they are blatantly cartoon, Cute cats, but they have a maturity and gravity to us that was very much inspiring as a kid. yeah, warrior cats had the guts and fighting etc and i really don't know how much i could really say of that is simply bias (and i was a HUGE warrior cats) and more the development of refined taste as a 13 year old. who knows!!!!

anyhow, chuck stuff in here. it is not guaranteed by any stretch that we'll use anything here for anything at all, but we would love to hear what something means to yall in general. share things you love!]]> <![CDATA[[peeks in]]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-977.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:58:21 +0000 Stoplight]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-977.html idk how much ill be here but i figured i may as well say hello after so long and finally re-finding this page lol
i'm zero. 
i've been really bad at keeping up with these projects, but i knew mortis a long long time ago (fuck, it's been a while now that im thinking about it lmao); and i thought i'd say hi again. i hope everyone's been doing well enough (as we all can be lately)
:^)]]> idk how much ill be here but i figured i may as well say hello after so long and finally re-finding this page lol
i'm zero. 
i've been really bad at keeping up with these projects, but i knew mortis a long long time ago (fuck, it's been a while now that im thinking about it lmao); and i thought i'd say hi again. i hope everyone's been doing well enough (as we all can be lately)
:^)]]> <![CDATA[IMPLOSION]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-976.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:20:01 +0000 skinstealer]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-976.html IMPLOSION
AKA: The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known Post-Escaping The Mass


INTRODUCTION

[Image: intro.png]
[image description: a tall cartoon cat, known as a TCP, made out of slime and waving at the camera.]

hello to folks reading this both new and old to our situation- we're Mortis Velasquez, a plural person and one of the co-founders of the forums you're looking at as we speak. since this is going to be linked on socials and might be the first time people have engaged with our work, i'll try to keep the first part brief. 

as of this post we are 29 years old, and have been an artist posting on the internet since we were 16. our first interactive project, Tiny Cat People: Void Session, is where we really got our start. it was hosted on TGchan and it was kind of. a point of stress.




...it still is. please do not ask us about that without us talking about it already lol. 

with that project came the community and team us and our wonderful husband and co-founder Comorant brought together- Homebrew Deviants. we had been working on the universe of Morbit together since we were 13 year old roleplayers on Scratch, always hoping that someday we could make our characters and ideas into something other people could experience. 

and now people do! and have for the past ten years, alongside a pile of really awesome friends both on HD staff and in the community itself. and for how much we've done re: worldbuilding and narrative projects, it's not bad for a decade. 

it hasn't been easy, though. 2025 was our first real return to public posting after years of debilitating PTSD over social media and being a public figure under surveillance and exacerbated by life situation after life situation after life situation-





everything kind of congealed.



we knew ourselves as 100+ system members, which is a lot of guys. people never really got to know everyone, we never really got it all down, not in a way the people around us (or even ourselves) could even learn. as pressure was put on us from external factors, we found ourselves increasingly hard to tell who was who, and not in a good way. 

we felt like we had lost our identity entirely. for months, particularly during a 6 month period of homelessness, we felt like we had become nothing but a mass of body parts and fragments, all lumped together in some kind of jellied Mass. existing in that state felt forced, like pressure outside of ourselves kept us 

and of course, it couldn't hold. as we began to settle into our new permanent living situation, we got immediately and increasingly sick as parts began to crawl out of the mass, establishing themselves as individuals. made of the same components, the same chunks of organs, memories, etc- but largely put together "different".

due to how volatile it felt, how fast it onset, the only term that felt right was The Implosion. 

what with everyone's memories, feelings, and associations being a patchwork disaster, we had to scramble to figure out who was who, how people felt about our life, each other, our friends and loved ones, our work- everything. 

existential crisis doesn't really cover it. 

it's been over a year since the Implosion, and we're still fucked up over it. social pressure to not have such a drastic change be so public- especially when a specific guy in here was known as the "face" and no longer is Despite The Fact We Keep Getting Called Him Anyway!!!!- kept us from really opening up.

what if people refused to learn the new roster?

what if people thought "eh, too complicated!"

what if people treated us worse than they did before?




would we even be able to exist in this new state as a known presence?





last summer, we started being a known presence again.

it went well. even with some pretty rough spots, it became clear that people did in fact want us around, and to experience our work- to get to know us. we ended up developing a lot stronger bonds with our friends, and getting a broader, more stable support network.

and yet we still struggled! even now, most people who we're most close to don't know who the hell is who outside of a few faces, which is the exact thing we want to avoid! god forbid, barely ANYONE knows outside of that immediate circle to begin with!

but then we came up with an idea. 

in a lot of structured groups, especially things like group art therapy, participants are given a simple exercise with simple tools to help introduce themselves. we kept thinking too broadly- while everyone here has some kind of "form"/sona/whatever the hell you want to call it, the idea of explaining those is daunting and freaks some of us out. besides, stuff like second life avatars are a lot harder to pin down for 40 bespoke guys. it's too much pressure to get graphics and models and etc for!

but what if we were to give everyone the same basic tools in Second Life- the Basic Typeless TCP avatar pack, vanilla, no addons- and tell them to make some kind of self representation with that? everyone would be on the same playing field, and if asked to do a little writeup of their introduction and why they chose what they did...well, that'd be a pretty good baseline! and it'd be easy enough for new brainguys, too.

but, that's not a full picture, is it? that kind of thing takes time and self discovery, and never really ends as a process. how could we emulate that?

the nice benefit of Second Life is that avatars take on new parts and traits and pieces over time. you can put them together and adjust piecemeal, and our avatar systems we've designed have been optimized for that in particular. 

why not go through the kits one at a time and let people choose what to add? what sort of things they want to try, like adding a new bit of clay or accent to their art therapy starting point? and, of course, they get to run around SL in that, or make art, renders, etc-

a way to be known. no one more important than anybody else. 

we managed to get all of the starting avatars done up and rendered last night in 6 hours. this first post will introduce you to our system as it stands now, complete with the avatars we made. here we go. 

 
LEVEL 1: BASIC BEGINNINGS

going in alphabetical order. let's go. assume everyone here is some weird degree of queer/genderfluid man unless otherwise specified.

[Image: atlas-1-1.png]
[image description:  a soft looking blue TCP, stocky and glancing to the side with cute, wet-looking beady eyes. ]

 
ATLAS
She/Her
hi, i'm atlas and i uh. really like fish, particularly extinct sea life, and i've been likened to the crying cat meme image way too many times- appearance-wise, at least. my TCP to start is a lot more simple, though...which is fine, because it gives me time to figure stuff out. i like being bulky and soft looking, and tend to gravitate to blues and yellows. having the ears on my TCP droop a little bit feels comfy to me, and i guess i couldn't resist the beady eyes. i wasn't exactly expecting to be first up, but i guess that's how the alphabet works ;_; 
hope that does it good enough

[Image: aux-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall black TCP with distinctly neon pink eyes, posing as if ready to dance at any moment.  ]
 
AUX
She/Her
i'm AUX and i am a split really centered around high school and stuff like our relationship to furry rave culture (many such cases with people our age, i know.) i like my name in all caps and i like blasting stupid music really loud. my TCP is not actually pitch black, but our reshade filter does that and i kind of like it? i plan on adding more neon accents as i go, but this kind of lanky look should be fun for putting funky clothes and accessories on. optimized towards renders or some shit

[Image: beigebox-1-1.png]
[image description:  a large red TCP with ears fashioned into wedge-shaped horns, strolling along on a leisurely adventure. ]
 
BEIGE BOX 
He/Him
i'm Beige Box, though just Beige works usually. my avatar here doesn't really convey why i'm called that, but it's meant to be a sort of dragon-like TCP with the limited part set i have to start with. my name comes from the term beige box- if you've seen those old 90's-early 2000's PCs, the ones that well, come in beige, that's a term frequently used. i resonate heavily with the old and sickly Dell PC we had growing up running Windows Me, and i'm hoping to build up this avatar with more features that remind me of my favorite custom desktop theme- where the "my computer" icon was a dragon. 

[Image: belugios-1-1.png]
[image description: a white TCP with large, batlike ears lounging exaggeratedly, unimpressed with this interview.  ]
 
BELUGIOS
She/Her or He/Him depending on mood
i'm belugios, though belu will be fine in most cases- i only ask that you don't call me feminine terms unless you're como or from my own system, as the she/her moments are more of a fun occasionally femme dressup thing and i'd like to be seen as a man either way! i love horror and in particular vampire media and imagery, so my TCP is pale as hell and likely going to be decked out in gothic fashion. i should know, i've already made piles of it for SL and am glaring at the queue for this exercise so i can make her stop being fucking naked. goddamn tragic.

i also have a notorious lack of filter, so forgive me in advance for being crass. i can and will say the most awful things out of anyone here.

[Image: blight-1-1.png]
[image description:  a thick, dull red TCP sitting down casually, yet looking exhausted ]
 
BLIGHT
She/Her
i haven't talked much to anyone in-system, so i guess this is an intro to them too. i'm blight, and i don't have a lot figured out yet, but i'd like to. my avatar looks a little rough around the edges from posture alone, and i'd like to make her feel...weathered, but dependable.

that's something i want for myself, too. someone people can rely on.

[Image: bushnell-1-1.png]
[image description:  a stocky, brown TCP seemingly irritated at something off camera. ]
 
BUSHNELL
She/Her

i'm bushnell, one of the first to crawl out of the Mass and local weird carousel horse thing. i wanted my TCP to be big and bulky and able to throw down if needed- do no harm (probably) and take no shit type deal. i'd like to get some leather on her ASAP. funny that i'm going after blight, because i think we're going to get along, lol. 

[Image: capsule-1-1.png]
[image description:  a dull pink TCP explaining something to someone off camera, and looking mildly tired of it. ]
 
CAPSULE
She/Her
wow three bitchy she/her mascs in a row. i'm capsule, and i'm the local doctor of the system, or however you'd put it. i definitely want to go into the medical horror angle, and make my TCP...very uncomfortable, in a way that makes Me comfortable. i have no idea if that makes sense, especially because she's just kind of a weird pinkish starting point. time to mesh a weird scalpel or something????

[Image: cashmere-1-1.png]
[image description:  a square-ish red-brown TCP deep in thought, seemingly not noticing the camera. ]
 
CASHMERE
He/Him
i'm cash, though cashmere works okay too. i'm more private and reserved than a lot of the others, though i'd like to front more in general. staying inside all day feels weird and unpleasant, even if i'm nervous sometimes. i'll be honest, this avatar pulls a lot from my system form, at least in terms of ear placement and build when i'm not a mantis taur. i imagine the bug factor's going to increase from here. 

[Image: charade-1-1.png]
[image description:  a gangly white TCP contorting to seemingly push against the camera, overly curious as to what's on the other side. ]
 
CHARADE
It/Its

[Image: tcp_smile_small.png]

[further poking for a response was not helpful]

[Image: constellar-1-1.png]
[image description:  a sleepy green TCP with large ears, distinctly camera-shy. ]
 
CONSTELLAR
He/Him
uhh
i don't really do good with the whole talking thing so you can call me constell if you want and my TCP is a bat Okay Bye i will do better blurbs next time

[Image: counter-1-1.png]
[image description: a tall, classy looking red TCP with an even, low gaze. she's definitely looking down on you.]
 
COUNTER
She/Her
i'm counter, and i plan on making my TCP elegant in a way that will make scapula specifically flustered. he's glaring at me for even saying this in public but it's fine! he'll have to deal with it.  [Image: tcp_evil_small.png]


[Image: crush-1-1.png]
[image description: a very small and chubby lime TCP, his eyespots pink and yellow and ears particularly nubbly.  ]
 
CRUSH
He/Him
i'm crush and i am perpetually really Really anxious and panicky so i'll be quick too i guess! i like 2000's knicknacks and stationary and Lisa Frank style stuff, especially weird little green martians. kind of going for that here.

[Image: curio-1-1.png]
[image description: a large green TCP with an almost crest-like feature on his head, excitedly posing for the camera.  ]
 
CURIO
He/Him
I'm Curio and I'm really happy to talk publicly for the first time! I don't front much at all, or haven't gotten to yet I guess, but I love dinosaurs, rocks, museums, the works! My memory ain't great post-Implosion on any of these topics, but i'm looking forward to researching more. My av is kind of going for a light-Parasauralophus thing, as that's my favorite dinosaur!





[Image: fishbeaw-1-1.png]
[image description: a large, soft looking seafoam TCP, glancing around peacefully.  ]
 
FISHBEAW
He/Him
Hello! I'm "Fishbeaw", though none of us are really sure if that's going to stick. It has for a year, but who can say when I've barely been active. My name came from a plush Scapula made shortly after moved in, and never really went away. I like all things soft and nautical, and wanted to make a nice base for that kind of direction.

[Image: fort-1-1.png]
[image description: a thick red TCP, short and ready for adventure.  ]
 
FORT
He/Him
iiii'm Fort! wow, i have not talked about myself at all publicly! this is really weird! i try to be warm and pleasant to be around in-system, and so far i've got pretty good reviews. i have no idea what an external life will look like for me, so i have a very simple starting point!


[Image: hazard-1-1.png]
[image description:  a wide, gentle looking teal TCP, unsure about facing the camera. ]
 
HAZARD
He/Him
hi, uh, this is my second time writing this blurb because my first one was kind of mean to myself. i'm scared of a lot of things, and depressed a lot of the times, but i'm looking forward to existing in this new way, for the most part. this big TCP makes me happy. thank you

[Image: ivy-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall, muted purple TCP sneaking around and looking to its side. ]
 
IVY
He/It
i'm ivy and i am here and doing my best uh
tall lanky pale TCP i'm probably going to be in jeans yep okay

[Image: noel-1-1.png]
[image description:  a simple brown TCP gazing out past the camera, his ears rotated into puppy-like folds. ]
 
NOEL
He/Him
i'm noel, i'm the only one out of all of our system members carrying a name over, but i think i'm still pretty shuffled over. i really like wintry, christmas aesthetics (wow who'd have guessed) and cozy colors and shapes. i have roughly turned my TCP into a dog and will be increasing that vibe ASAP. whoo

[Image: nuzzle-1-1.png]
[image description:  a massive pastel green TCP posing flamboyantly, welcoming in an almost overwhelmingly soft way. ]
 
NUZZLE
He/Him
i'm Nuzzle! i like to front when people need a helping hand around the house or just a reprieve from fronting, and love things like pastels, storybook illustrations, etc. griffins are my favorite animal, so i think it's safe to say i'm going for something big, soft, and somewhere in that direction.

[Image: parker-1-1.png]
[image description: a tall peach colored TCP, serenely pleased to be here.  ]
 
PARKER
He/Him
hello, i'm Parker! i haven't had basically any time to chat with people, so i'll be very happy to make peoples' acquaintances. i'd like to make my TCP very spring-like and floral, with the delicacy of an old doll...

[Image: pinprick-1-1.png]
[image description: a short, fat brown TCP greeting the camera. ]
 
PINPRICK
She/Her
i'm an introject of our IRL pincushion and everyone is very perturbed by it, lol. i really like animal crossing and more specifically Sable Able, and am going for a short, squat, hedgehog-inclined base with this.

[Image: rec-1-1.png]
[image description:  a blue TCP lounging on his back, his nametag unfortunately and suggestively positioned between his legs. ]
 
REC
He/Him
[no response could be taken aside from a mildly perturbing smile, sorry]

[Image: remix-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tiny pitch black TCP with red eyes, looking curiously at the viewer. ]
 
REMIX
He/Him
i am Remix and i am happy to be hhere i do not know much about what to say but i like Spooky things and having fun with friends ok!!!

[for the sake of accuracy, please read this as a YTP style sentence mix.]


[Image: scapula-1-1.png]
[image description: a simple blue TCP caught in a mid-sentence pose, and looking somewhat stressed about it.  ]
 
SCAPULA
He/Him
i'm scapula, and i'm what many people in the system call """""the office boy"""""" (please do not call me this). i handle a lot of organizational stuff around here and am a bit of a perpetual workaholic and as cashmere puts it "an attitude balance patch" from my components pre-implosion. i try to be helpful, at least, and my TCP is fairly basic because i enjoy feeling "stock" at times. i do plan on making him a bit more varied, though, because it's a little bit too close to Perfect Worker, my main typeless TCP avatar.


[Image: scaredy-1-1.png]
[image description:  a rather skittish looking purple TCP, his yellow eyes looking away nervously.  ]
 
SCAREDY
He/Him
i'm Scaredy, local virtual pet and game hacking enthusiast. i don't really know what to do with myself in a lot of ways, though i'd be happy to return to my interests when i'm more comfortable with them- things got pretty dicey last year. i have a lot of memories from high school, and this purple was one i loved a lot, so that plus a yellow i associate with the Petz cat Scaredy works well. expression to match, of course.


[Image: scrawl-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall, elegant looking dull blue TCP, avoiding the camera and looking uncomfortable. ]
 
SCRAWL
She/Her
i don't like descriptions. i want to make some kind of dragon.

[Image: shrapnel-1-1.png]
[image description:   a miniscule pitch black TCP, white eyes and pink furrowed brows the only part of him visible outside of his angry posture.]
 
SHRAPNEL
He/Him
imagine this thing running at you in the dead of night and that's kind of what i'm going for. i have some TCP avatars already that go for like, my more literal appearance? so this is some kind of horrible new experiment. i want him to be awful.


[Image: silky-1-1.png]
[image description: a huge, fat pastel purple TCP, prancing around blissfully. ]
SILKY
It/Its
i'm silky and i like BIG guys and making things that could hug you to death and i like my TCP for that. it's really good at being big and hugging things to death!


[Image: siren-1-1.png]
[image description:  a dark red-purple TCP with a large, fat stature and an unimpressed expression. her eyespots are distinctly pink. ]
 
SIREN
She/Her
not sure where to start. i don't really have a lot of conscious thought about where i was going with this, just feeling out what feels right. i guess that describes me a lot atm, aimless but doing my best.


[Image: slyme-1-1.png]
[image description:  a large, thick black TCP standing nonchalantly, tired and bored. ]
 
SLYME
He/They
[wild shrugging] it's just kind of a guy i liked making


[Image: snapshot-1-1.png]
[image description: a tall, white TCP, caught mid-walk and looking very startled. his worried eyespots have red lines underneath, almost akin to makeup.  ]
 
SNAPSHOT
He/Him
i! worked really hard on the eyespots for this one. all of the eyespots in this exercise are made with the same kit, which i think is really cool and interesting, and after seeing people get creative i really wanted to see what i could do. that's the part that i worked hardest at. also, i'm snap, sorry. 

[Image: spectro-1-1.png]
[image description: a faceless blue TCP with her back mostly to the camera, short and nondescript. ]
 
SPECTRO
She/They
i don't really want to write much, but i did like making this. my name is spectro and i don't really know how to make friends, but it would be cool to someday, probably. i'm trying.

[Image: squeaker-1-1.png]
[image description:  a short and squat red-brown TCP, standing defensively and looking frightfully to the side. ]
 
SQUEAKER
He/Him
i'm squeaker (PLEASE DO NOT SHORTEN THAT TO SQUEAK I DO NOT ENJOY IT) and i have a lot of mixed feelings about being cute and small and harmless but i guess this thing is going to be me exploring that safely and without the associations i usually have with my direct body. yeah.


[Image: starlett-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall, white, stand-offish TCP, her expression irritated. ]
STARLETT
She/Her
i thought this exercise would be stupid and it wasn't. i actually put a lot of effort into this even if it's simple. i don't have a lot to say about myself but this thing is cool.

[Image: taffy-1-1.png]
[image description:  a somewhat shy, large blue TCP, sleepily looking away from the camera. ]
 
TAFFY WRAP
He/Him
why the fuck do i have to go near the bottom? now i'm all anxious, fucking christ. i'm taffy and i kind of have a weird contrast between having a cute and sleepy design, and, uh, the swearing tics a lot of us have. i'm a pretty big mess, but this TCP came out cool, and i like it. i want to put him in cool sweaters. and PJs.

[Image: vinca-1-1.png]
[image description: a pure black TCP with white dot eyes, sitting politely and staring into the camera. ]
VINCA
They/It
It's wild to speak like this when I haven't been able to before. Sometimes all you need is a little prompting. I wonder if my pronouns will stay the same, but I'm happy to be here. I enjoy shadowy beings and this one works very well. Good for getting up to mischief!

[Image: ward-1-1.png]
[image description:  a large, pale green TCP with a gaunt, lifeless expression, shambling around like a zombie. ]
 
WARD
He/It
my name starts with a W, no question about me going last. i showed up in the middle of an excruciating ER trip and the name stuck, but it doesn't bother me any. going for a zombie looking guy, to surprise of no one else in the system.  



aaaand that's the current bunch. expect posts in between rounds of playing dressup to include renders, mini diary entries, idk! just having fun with this one. 

comments and questions are also more than welcome- we're cool with answering inquiries on how this works for us as long as people are kind. besides, i'm sure it'd mean a lot for us to say hi to people as our full selves, not just "mortis".]]> IMPLOSION
AKA: The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known Post-Escaping The Mass


INTRODUCTION

[Image: intro.png]
[image description: a tall cartoon cat, known as a TCP, made out of slime and waving at the camera.]

hello to folks reading this both new and old to our situation- we're Mortis Velasquez, a plural person and one of the co-founders of the forums you're looking at as we speak. since this is going to be linked on socials and might be the first time people have engaged with our work, i'll try to keep the first part brief. 

as of this post we are 29 years old, and have been an artist posting on the internet since we were 16. our first interactive project, Tiny Cat People: Void Session, is where we really got our start. it was hosted on TGchan and it was kind of. a point of stress.




...it still is. please do not ask us about that without us talking about it already lol. 

with that project came the community and team us and our wonderful husband and co-founder Comorant brought together- Homebrew Deviants. we had been working on the universe of Morbit together since we were 13 year old roleplayers on Scratch, always hoping that someday we could make our characters and ideas into something other people could experience. 

and now people do! and have for the past ten years, alongside a pile of really awesome friends both on HD staff and in the community itself. and for how much we've done re: worldbuilding and narrative projects, it's not bad for a decade. 

it hasn't been easy, though. 2025 was our first real return to public posting after years of debilitating PTSD over social media and being a public figure under surveillance and exacerbated by life situation after life situation after life situation-





everything kind of congealed.



we knew ourselves as 100+ system members, which is a lot of guys. people never really got to know everyone, we never really got it all down, not in a way the people around us (or even ourselves) could even learn. as pressure was put on us from external factors, we found ourselves increasingly hard to tell who was who, and not in a good way. 

we felt like we had lost our identity entirely. for months, particularly during a 6 month period of homelessness, we felt like we had become nothing but a mass of body parts and fragments, all lumped together in some kind of jellied Mass. existing in that state felt forced, like pressure outside of ourselves kept us 

and of course, it couldn't hold. as we began to settle into our new permanent living situation, we got immediately and increasingly sick as parts began to crawl out of the mass, establishing themselves as individuals. made of the same components, the same chunks of organs, memories, etc- but largely put together "different".

due to how volatile it felt, how fast it onset, the only term that felt right was The Implosion. 

what with everyone's memories, feelings, and associations being a patchwork disaster, we had to scramble to figure out who was who, how people felt about our life, each other, our friends and loved ones, our work- everything. 

existential crisis doesn't really cover it. 

it's been over a year since the Implosion, and we're still fucked up over it. social pressure to not have such a drastic change be so public- especially when a specific guy in here was known as the "face" and no longer is Despite The Fact We Keep Getting Called Him Anyway!!!!- kept us from really opening up.

what if people refused to learn the new roster?

what if people thought "eh, too complicated!"

what if people treated us worse than they did before?




would we even be able to exist in this new state as a known presence?





last summer, we started being a known presence again.

it went well. even with some pretty rough spots, it became clear that people did in fact want us around, and to experience our work- to get to know us. we ended up developing a lot stronger bonds with our friends, and getting a broader, more stable support network.

and yet we still struggled! even now, most people who we're most close to don't know who the hell is who outside of a few faces, which is the exact thing we want to avoid! god forbid, barely ANYONE knows outside of that immediate circle to begin with!

but then we came up with an idea. 

in a lot of structured groups, especially things like group art therapy, participants are given a simple exercise with simple tools to help introduce themselves. we kept thinking too broadly- while everyone here has some kind of "form"/sona/whatever the hell you want to call it, the idea of explaining those is daunting and freaks some of us out. besides, stuff like second life avatars are a lot harder to pin down for 40 bespoke guys. it's too much pressure to get graphics and models and etc for!

but what if we were to give everyone the same basic tools in Second Life- the Basic Typeless TCP avatar pack, vanilla, no addons- and tell them to make some kind of self representation with that? everyone would be on the same playing field, and if asked to do a little writeup of their introduction and why they chose what they did...well, that'd be a pretty good baseline! and it'd be easy enough for new brainguys, too.

but, that's not a full picture, is it? that kind of thing takes time and self discovery, and never really ends as a process. how could we emulate that?

the nice benefit of Second Life is that avatars take on new parts and traits and pieces over time. you can put them together and adjust piecemeal, and our avatar systems we've designed have been optimized for that in particular. 

why not go through the kits one at a time and let people choose what to add? what sort of things they want to try, like adding a new bit of clay or accent to their art therapy starting point? and, of course, they get to run around SL in that, or make art, renders, etc-

a way to be known. no one more important than anybody else. 

we managed to get all of the starting avatars done up and rendered last night in 6 hours. this first post will introduce you to our system as it stands now, complete with the avatars we made. here we go. 

 
LEVEL 1: BASIC BEGINNINGS

going in alphabetical order. let's go. assume everyone here is some weird degree of queer/genderfluid man unless otherwise specified.

[Image: atlas-1-1.png]
[image description:  a soft looking blue TCP, stocky and glancing to the side with cute, wet-looking beady eyes. ]

 
ATLAS
She/Her
hi, i'm atlas and i uh. really like fish, particularly extinct sea life, and i've been likened to the crying cat meme image way too many times- appearance-wise, at least. my TCP to start is a lot more simple, though...which is fine, because it gives me time to figure stuff out. i like being bulky and soft looking, and tend to gravitate to blues and yellows. having the ears on my TCP droop a little bit feels comfy to me, and i guess i couldn't resist the beady eyes. i wasn't exactly expecting to be first up, but i guess that's how the alphabet works ;_; 
hope that does it good enough

[Image: aux-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall black TCP with distinctly neon pink eyes, posing as if ready to dance at any moment.  ]
 
AUX
She/Her
i'm AUX and i am a split really centered around high school and stuff like our relationship to furry rave culture (many such cases with people our age, i know.) i like my name in all caps and i like blasting stupid music really loud. my TCP is not actually pitch black, but our reshade filter does that and i kind of like it? i plan on adding more neon accents as i go, but this kind of lanky look should be fun for putting funky clothes and accessories on. optimized towards renders or some shit

[Image: beigebox-1-1.png]
[image description:  a large red TCP with ears fashioned into wedge-shaped horns, strolling along on a leisurely adventure. ]
 
BEIGE BOX 
He/Him
i'm Beige Box, though just Beige works usually. my avatar here doesn't really convey why i'm called that, but it's meant to be a sort of dragon-like TCP with the limited part set i have to start with. my name comes from the term beige box- if you've seen those old 90's-early 2000's PCs, the ones that well, come in beige, that's a term frequently used. i resonate heavily with the old and sickly Dell PC we had growing up running Windows Me, and i'm hoping to build up this avatar with more features that remind me of my favorite custom desktop theme- where the "my computer" icon was a dragon. 

[Image: belugios-1-1.png]
[image description: a white TCP with large, batlike ears lounging exaggeratedly, unimpressed with this interview.  ]
 
BELUGIOS
She/Her or He/Him depending on mood
i'm belugios, though belu will be fine in most cases- i only ask that you don't call me feminine terms unless you're como or from my own system, as the she/her moments are more of a fun occasionally femme dressup thing and i'd like to be seen as a man either way! i love horror and in particular vampire media and imagery, so my TCP is pale as hell and likely going to be decked out in gothic fashion. i should know, i've already made piles of it for SL and am glaring at the queue for this exercise so i can make her stop being fucking naked. goddamn tragic.

i also have a notorious lack of filter, so forgive me in advance for being crass. i can and will say the most awful things out of anyone here.

[Image: blight-1-1.png]
[image description:  a thick, dull red TCP sitting down casually, yet looking exhausted ]
 
BLIGHT
She/Her
i haven't talked much to anyone in-system, so i guess this is an intro to them too. i'm blight, and i don't have a lot figured out yet, but i'd like to. my avatar looks a little rough around the edges from posture alone, and i'd like to make her feel...weathered, but dependable.

that's something i want for myself, too. someone people can rely on.

[Image: bushnell-1-1.png]
[image description:  a stocky, brown TCP seemingly irritated at something off camera. ]
 
BUSHNELL
She/Her

i'm bushnell, one of the first to crawl out of the Mass and local weird carousel horse thing. i wanted my TCP to be big and bulky and able to throw down if needed- do no harm (probably) and take no shit type deal. i'd like to get some leather on her ASAP. funny that i'm going after blight, because i think we're going to get along, lol. 

[Image: capsule-1-1.png]
[image description:  a dull pink TCP explaining something to someone off camera, and looking mildly tired of it. ]
 
CAPSULE
She/Her
wow three bitchy she/her mascs in a row. i'm capsule, and i'm the local doctor of the system, or however you'd put it. i definitely want to go into the medical horror angle, and make my TCP...very uncomfortable, in a way that makes Me comfortable. i have no idea if that makes sense, especially because she's just kind of a weird pinkish starting point. time to mesh a weird scalpel or something????

[Image: cashmere-1-1.png]
[image description:  a square-ish red-brown TCP deep in thought, seemingly not noticing the camera. ]
 
CASHMERE
He/Him
i'm cash, though cashmere works okay too. i'm more private and reserved than a lot of the others, though i'd like to front more in general. staying inside all day feels weird and unpleasant, even if i'm nervous sometimes. i'll be honest, this avatar pulls a lot from my system form, at least in terms of ear placement and build when i'm not a mantis taur. i imagine the bug factor's going to increase from here. 

[Image: charade-1-1.png]
[image description:  a gangly white TCP contorting to seemingly push against the camera, overly curious as to what's on the other side. ]
 
CHARADE
It/Its

[Image: tcp_smile_small.png]

[further poking for a response was not helpful]

[Image: constellar-1-1.png]
[image description:  a sleepy green TCP with large ears, distinctly camera-shy. ]
 
CONSTELLAR
He/Him
uhh
i don't really do good with the whole talking thing so you can call me constell if you want and my TCP is a bat Okay Bye i will do better blurbs next time

[Image: counter-1-1.png]
[image description: a tall, classy looking red TCP with an even, low gaze. she's definitely looking down on you.]
 
COUNTER
She/Her
i'm counter, and i plan on making my TCP elegant in a way that will make scapula specifically flustered. he's glaring at me for even saying this in public but it's fine! he'll have to deal with it.  [Image: tcp_evil_small.png]


[Image: crush-1-1.png]
[image description: a very small and chubby lime TCP, his eyespots pink and yellow and ears particularly nubbly.  ]
 
CRUSH
He/Him
i'm crush and i am perpetually really Really anxious and panicky so i'll be quick too i guess! i like 2000's knicknacks and stationary and Lisa Frank style stuff, especially weird little green martians. kind of going for that here.

[Image: curio-1-1.png]
[image description: a large green TCP with an almost crest-like feature on his head, excitedly posing for the camera.  ]
 
CURIO
He/Him
I'm Curio and I'm really happy to talk publicly for the first time! I don't front much at all, or haven't gotten to yet I guess, but I love dinosaurs, rocks, museums, the works! My memory ain't great post-Implosion on any of these topics, but i'm looking forward to researching more. My av is kind of going for a light-Parasauralophus thing, as that's my favorite dinosaur!





[Image: fishbeaw-1-1.png]
[image description: a large, soft looking seafoam TCP, glancing around peacefully.  ]
 
FISHBEAW
He/Him
Hello! I'm "Fishbeaw", though none of us are really sure if that's going to stick. It has for a year, but who can say when I've barely been active. My name came from a plush Scapula made shortly after moved in, and never really went away. I like all things soft and nautical, and wanted to make a nice base for that kind of direction.

[Image: fort-1-1.png]
[image description: a thick red TCP, short and ready for adventure.  ]
 
FORT
He/Him
iiii'm Fort! wow, i have not talked about myself at all publicly! this is really weird! i try to be warm and pleasant to be around in-system, and so far i've got pretty good reviews. i have no idea what an external life will look like for me, so i have a very simple starting point!


[Image: hazard-1-1.png]
[image description:  a wide, gentle looking teal TCP, unsure about facing the camera. ]
 
HAZARD
He/Him
hi, uh, this is my second time writing this blurb because my first one was kind of mean to myself. i'm scared of a lot of things, and depressed a lot of the times, but i'm looking forward to existing in this new way, for the most part. this big TCP makes me happy. thank you

[Image: ivy-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall, muted purple TCP sneaking around and looking to its side. ]
 
IVY
He/It
i'm ivy and i am here and doing my best uh
tall lanky pale TCP i'm probably going to be in jeans yep okay

[Image: noel-1-1.png]
[image description:  a simple brown TCP gazing out past the camera, his ears rotated into puppy-like folds. ]
 
NOEL
He/Him
i'm noel, i'm the only one out of all of our system members carrying a name over, but i think i'm still pretty shuffled over. i really like wintry, christmas aesthetics (wow who'd have guessed) and cozy colors and shapes. i have roughly turned my TCP into a dog and will be increasing that vibe ASAP. whoo

[Image: nuzzle-1-1.png]
[image description:  a massive pastel green TCP posing flamboyantly, welcoming in an almost overwhelmingly soft way. ]
 
NUZZLE
He/Him
i'm Nuzzle! i like to front when people need a helping hand around the house or just a reprieve from fronting, and love things like pastels, storybook illustrations, etc. griffins are my favorite animal, so i think it's safe to say i'm going for something big, soft, and somewhere in that direction.

[Image: parker-1-1.png]
[image description: a tall peach colored TCP, serenely pleased to be here.  ]
 
PARKER
He/Him
hello, i'm Parker! i haven't had basically any time to chat with people, so i'll be very happy to make peoples' acquaintances. i'd like to make my TCP very spring-like and floral, with the delicacy of an old doll...

[Image: pinprick-1-1.png]
[image description: a short, fat brown TCP greeting the camera. ]
 
PINPRICK
She/Her
i'm an introject of our IRL pincushion and everyone is very perturbed by it, lol. i really like animal crossing and more specifically Sable Able, and am going for a short, squat, hedgehog-inclined base with this.

[Image: rec-1-1.png]
[image description:  a blue TCP lounging on his back, his nametag unfortunately and suggestively positioned between his legs. ]
 
REC
He/Him
[no response could be taken aside from a mildly perturbing smile, sorry]

[Image: remix-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tiny pitch black TCP with red eyes, looking curiously at the viewer. ]
 
REMIX
He/Him
i am Remix and i am happy to be hhere i do not know much about what to say but i like Spooky things and having fun with friends ok!!!

[for the sake of accuracy, please read this as a YTP style sentence mix.]


[Image: scapula-1-1.png]
[image description: a simple blue TCP caught in a mid-sentence pose, and looking somewhat stressed about it.  ]
 
SCAPULA
He/Him
i'm scapula, and i'm what many people in the system call """""the office boy"""""" (please do not call me this). i handle a lot of organizational stuff around here and am a bit of a perpetual workaholic and as cashmere puts it "an attitude balance patch" from my components pre-implosion. i try to be helpful, at least, and my TCP is fairly basic because i enjoy feeling "stock" at times. i do plan on making him a bit more varied, though, because it's a little bit too close to Perfect Worker, my main typeless TCP avatar.


[Image: scaredy-1-1.png]
[image description:  a rather skittish looking purple TCP, his yellow eyes looking away nervously.  ]
 
SCAREDY
He/Him
i'm Scaredy, local virtual pet and game hacking enthusiast. i don't really know what to do with myself in a lot of ways, though i'd be happy to return to my interests when i'm more comfortable with them- things got pretty dicey last year. i have a lot of memories from high school, and this purple was one i loved a lot, so that plus a yellow i associate with the Petz cat Scaredy works well. expression to match, of course.


[Image: scrawl-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall, elegant looking dull blue TCP, avoiding the camera and looking uncomfortable. ]
 
SCRAWL
She/Her
i don't like descriptions. i want to make some kind of dragon.

[Image: shrapnel-1-1.png]
[image description:   a miniscule pitch black TCP, white eyes and pink furrowed brows the only part of him visible outside of his angry posture.]
 
SHRAPNEL
He/Him
imagine this thing running at you in the dead of night and that's kind of what i'm going for. i have some TCP avatars already that go for like, my more literal appearance? so this is some kind of horrible new experiment. i want him to be awful.


[Image: silky-1-1.png]
[image description: a huge, fat pastel purple TCP, prancing around blissfully. ]
SILKY
It/Its
i'm silky and i like BIG guys and making things that could hug you to death and i like my TCP for that. it's really good at being big and hugging things to death!


[Image: siren-1-1.png]
[image description:  a dark red-purple TCP with a large, fat stature and an unimpressed expression. her eyespots are distinctly pink. ]
 
SIREN
She/Her
not sure where to start. i don't really have a lot of conscious thought about where i was going with this, just feeling out what feels right. i guess that describes me a lot atm, aimless but doing my best.


[Image: slyme-1-1.png]
[image description:  a large, thick black TCP standing nonchalantly, tired and bored. ]
 
SLYME
He/They
[wild shrugging] it's just kind of a guy i liked making


[Image: snapshot-1-1.png]
[image description: a tall, white TCP, caught mid-walk and looking very startled. his worried eyespots have red lines underneath, almost akin to makeup.  ]
 
SNAPSHOT
He/Him
i! worked really hard on the eyespots for this one. all of the eyespots in this exercise are made with the same kit, which i think is really cool and interesting, and after seeing people get creative i really wanted to see what i could do. that's the part that i worked hardest at. also, i'm snap, sorry. 

[Image: spectro-1-1.png]
[image description: a faceless blue TCP with her back mostly to the camera, short and nondescript. ]
 
SPECTRO
She/They
i don't really want to write much, but i did like making this. my name is spectro and i don't really know how to make friends, but it would be cool to someday, probably. i'm trying.

[Image: squeaker-1-1.png]
[image description:  a short and squat red-brown TCP, standing defensively and looking frightfully to the side. ]
 
SQUEAKER
He/Him
i'm squeaker (PLEASE DO NOT SHORTEN THAT TO SQUEAK I DO NOT ENJOY IT) and i have a lot of mixed feelings about being cute and small and harmless but i guess this thing is going to be me exploring that safely and without the associations i usually have with my direct body. yeah.


[Image: starlett-1-1.png]
[image description:  a tall, white, stand-offish TCP, her expression irritated. ]
STARLETT
She/Her
i thought this exercise would be stupid and it wasn't. i actually put a lot of effort into this even if it's simple. i don't have a lot to say about myself but this thing is cool.

[Image: taffy-1-1.png]
[image description:  a somewhat shy, large blue TCP, sleepily looking away from the camera. ]
 
TAFFY WRAP
He/Him
why the fuck do i have to go near the bottom? now i'm all anxious, fucking christ. i'm taffy and i kind of have a weird contrast between having a cute and sleepy design, and, uh, the swearing tics a lot of us have. i'm a pretty big mess, but this TCP came out cool, and i like it. i want to put him in cool sweaters. and PJs.

[Image: vinca-1-1.png]
[image description: a pure black TCP with white dot eyes, sitting politely and staring into the camera. ]
VINCA
They/It
It's wild to speak like this when I haven't been able to before. Sometimes all you need is a little prompting. I wonder if my pronouns will stay the same, but I'm happy to be here. I enjoy shadowy beings and this one works very well. Good for getting up to mischief!

[Image: ward-1-1.png]
[image description:  a large, pale green TCP with a gaunt, lifeless expression, shambling around like a zombie. ]
 
WARD
He/It
my name starts with a W, no question about me going last. i showed up in the middle of an excruciating ER trip and the name stuck, but it doesn't bother me any. going for a zombie looking guy, to surprise of no one else in the system.  



aaaand that's the current bunch. expect posts in between rounds of playing dressup to include renders, mini diary entries, idk! just having fun with this one. 

comments and questions are also more than welcome- we're cool with answering inquiries on how this works for us as long as people are kind. besides, i'm sure it'd mean a lot for us to say hi to people as our full selves, not just "mortis".]]> <![CDATA[[RW] My Rimworld Forever Save (Until 1.7)]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-975.html Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:43:50 +0000 MonochromeClown]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-975.html
Anyway- So I started a lone mechanitor run with a character I had made before but again, didn't get very far with. His name was Roman Lisecki and he generated pregnant and I knew I had a to make some kind of story about this. So the lore for this run goes as follows:

Roman grew up on a glassworld, a world who's surface was completely destroyed by orbital weaponry forcing the population to survive in giant undercities. Roman studied mechanoids, repairing and creating them. He was a respected researcher who helped contribute to the cause of restoring the surface of the planet and he even found love and married a man called Erich Shivak. He lived a good life until he stumbled across a major conspiracy, he tried to hide his knowledge of it's existence but he was found out and had his and his family's life threatened. He, his parents, his sister and Shivak (Who he had since divorced) fled the planet. Roman was pregnant at the time, another factor in his rush to leave. However their spaceship went completely off course, floating out to the rim of the galaxy and eventually colliding with space debris. Roman's cryopod was ejected onto the planet along with two mechanoids, a cleaner and a builder.... And his family was scattered around the planet, unsure if they'd ever see each other again.

Spoiler: They see each other again. It all works out! Roman has his kid and his colony grows exponentially! They're currently building mechanoids and androids alike, studying the void anomolies and hosting guests from all over the globe. As well as everyone raising their own families. Here's a picture of the main family, the Liseckis. (I hope the image isn't too big.. guh!)

[Image: 114277348_t2bk2xwGpqUET3m.png]
From left to right we have: Roman, Jackie, Dear, Valery, Surozz, Ryo, Rosa, Naoko, Ophelia, Drazen, Niesha, Jiov and Glasses.
Some of these guys were adopted into the family. Surozz has since split with Dear but she's still part of the family in my heart.

I'm hoping to draw and complete lineups of the other families in the colony, but if you want to view all the current colonist you can check them out of my Toyhouse! https://toyhou.se/MonochromeClown/characters/folder:6854056

I might update this thread with goings on in the colony or random writing or anything else, we'll see! Thanks for listening to my ramble Smile]]>
Anyway- So I started a lone mechanitor run with a character I had made before but again, didn't get very far with. His name was Roman Lisecki and he generated pregnant and I knew I had a to make some kind of story about this. So the lore for this run goes as follows:

Roman grew up on a glassworld, a world who's surface was completely destroyed by orbital weaponry forcing the population to survive in giant undercities. Roman studied mechanoids, repairing and creating them. He was a respected researcher who helped contribute to the cause of restoring the surface of the planet and he even found love and married a man called Erich Shivak. He lived a good life until he stumbled across a major conspiracy, he tried to hide his knowledge of it's existence but he was found out and had his and his family's life threatened. He, his parents, his sister and Shivak (Who he had since divorced) fled the planet. Roman was pregnant at the time, another factor in his rush to leave. However their spaceship went completely off course, floating out to the rim of the galaxy and eventually colliding with space debris. Roman's cryopod was ejected onto the planet along with two mechanoids, a cleaner and a builder.... And his family was scattered around the planet, unsure if they'd ever see each other again.

Spoiler: They see each other again. It all works out! Roman has his kid and his colony grows exponentially! They're currently building mechanoids and androids alike, studying the void anomolies and hosting guests from all over the globe. As well as everyone raising their own families. Here's a picture of the main family, the Liseckis. (I hope the image isn't too big.. guh!)

[Image: 114277348_t2bk2xwGpqUET3m.png]
From left to right we have: Roman, Jackie, Dear, Valery, Surozz, Ryo, Rosa, Naoko, Ophelia, Drazen, Niesha, Jiov and Glasses.
Some of these guys were adopted into the family. Surozz has since split with Dear but she's still part of the family in my heart.

I'm hoping to draw and complete lineups of the other families in the colony, but if you want to view all the current colonist you can check them out of my Toyhouse! https://toyhou.se/MonochromeClown/characters/folder:6854056

I might update this thread with goings on in the colony or random writing or anything else, we'll see! Thanks for listening to my ramble Smile]]> <![CDATA[My Father He Is Joy]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-974.html Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:48:31 +0000 MonochromeClown]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-974.html
It's a story set in the made up city of Edanvile, Georgia. It follows my character Bobby Collins after the death of his best and only friend Caine Reeves. The prologue is short, it's about Bobby struggling as he attends the funeral of his friend, the funeral is brutal and misgenders Caine heavily. Please mind the tags featured on the work and let me know if I need to add any more content warnings, I tried to be thorough but I can miss these things very easily. Chapter 1 is lighter in tone but features some internalised transphobia and an uncomfortable tone around gender non conforming trans people. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/77377371/chapters/202591446

Please let me know what you think, I'm very new to writing long form content like this.]]>
It's a story set in the made up city of Edanvile, Georgia. It follows my character Bobby Collins after the death of his best and only friend Caine Reeves. The prologue is short, it's about Bobby struggling as he attends the funeral of his friend, the funeral is brutal and misgenders Caine heavily. Please mind the tags featured on the work and let me know if I need to add any more content warnings, I tried to be thorough but I can miss these things very easily. Chapter 1 is lighter in tone but features some internalised transphobia and an uncomfortable tone around gender non conforming trans people. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/77377371/chapters/202591446

Please let me know what you think, I'm very new to writing long form content like this.]]> <![CDATA[‡ thin†skin ‡]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-973.html Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:09:40 +0000 SHIVERS]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-973.html [You should come]
[I'm on my way]
[Here.]
[?]
[Say words]


                  [was sleep sry]
                  [nah its not rly my thing]
[People you know here]
[Friends]
                  [theyre your friends]
                  [they dont rly know me and i dont rly know them]
[They like when you come hang out]
                  [eh i dunno about that]
                  [look its cool. you hang out]
                  [not my thing. and you need somethin fun 2 do]


[What are you going to do]
                  [i got some of that pineapple cider]
                  [thats as much of a celebration as new year deserves]
[Besides drink]
                  [nothin. play games. like i said its cool]
[Doesn't sound fun]
[Sounds bad]
                  [well i dont do big stuff like you do]
                  [its just a number ticking over anyway]
[When you don't do anything for holidays you get sad]
                  [youre worrying way too much. lol]
                  [its fiiiine. go have fun]
[Tell me you'll have a good time]
                  [i mean im gonna be sitting at home]
                  [woohoo itll be very much fun]
                  [its cool. dwai]
[Then tell me you're good at least]
                  [i said its cool]
[And you're good?]
                  [salem]
[See]
[Sad.]
                  [ok. and]
                  [its the holidays lots of ppl are sad]
                  [boohoo]


[Come to the party]
[It's my party so it's good]
[I swear]
                  [dont wanna be stressed out around strangers]
[You know them]
                  [i hang out with you with them]
                  [they dont talk to me. why would they]
                  [theyre your friends theyre there for u]
                  [just how things work n thats fine]
[They like you]
                  [ok cool. dont wanna go to a party]
[It's better than nothing]
                  [you say that but not to me]
                  [really not as big of a deal as youre making it]
                  [im an adult. i can be a little sad on a holiday]
                  [ill survive]
                  [so go have fun and quit worrying about me]
                  [ok?]
[OK]
                  [cool. thank u]
                  [u can tell me abt it after]




[Left early]
                  [what why]
                  [salem]
                  [i said im good]
                  [????]
                  [did u go home??]
                  [msg me back ok? whered u go]




[Here]
[--LOCATION SHARE--]
[Come here]
                  [what]
[Not a party]
                  [salem thats all the way downtown]
                  [buses arent even running]
[Rails are]
[You can make it]
                  [tell me what its for]
[It's a surprise]
                  [what about the party]
[Party over. Come on]
                  [its not even close to midnight yet]
[Let me do a thing for you]
[I already left]
[Don't want to count down all by myself]


                  [i dont wanna leave]
[It'll just be us]
[I'm by myself]
[Promise]
                  [its cold]
[Won't kill you]
                  [ok but will u]
                  [is this like some elaborate plot to murder me]
[I wouldn't need to do that]
[I have a key to your apartment]
                  [so is that a yes]
[Not tonight]
[You're safe for now]
[Please]


                  [i need to shower and stuff]
[I have time]
                  [you dont need to go to so much trouble for me]
[Too late]
[I'm doing it for me too]
[If that makes you feel better]
                  [what about the party]
[There'll be more]
[Come hang out with me]
                  [ok]
                  [im barely gonna get there before midnight]
                  [will u be ok out there on your own]
[Cornerstore close by]
[I'll hang out there]
[I'll get a slushie]


                  [ok. fine]
                  [be safe ok?]
[Always safe]


























































"...no way in hell."
"Yep.
You can do it. I got through just fine."
"I-" The axolotl rubs its temple,
looking over the gap at the bottom of the chain link fence.

"Okay A: I'm way bigger than you.
B: I wore my good jacket."
"The wing one?"
"Yeah, the wing one.
It's gonna get all torn up from s-

Look, can't we just go down by the docks?"
"Believe it or not, they have better fences down there.
More worried about the boats than the warehouses, I guess.
Plus, the fog's thicker by the water.
If we wanna see fireworks, we need to get up high."



"Look, I

...I'm not lookin' to start off the new year by getting caught up with cops."

"It's completely empty down here."
"Yeah, but--"
"If cops come around they'll just tell us to get down.
Maybe we get a fine at worst."
"And I'm broke! You know I'm broke, I can't-
I get caught with that and I'm--" "I'll pay it."
"...How?"
"End of year. I got a big bonus."
"You're willing to blow it on this?"
"To have a good time with you?
Yeah."
"...I mean, I-
I'd feel fuckin'... bad if you had to--"
"Bones.
It'll be okay.

Trust me."



The crow reaches out her wing-like hand from the other side of the fence.
"C'mon."



The axolotl hesitates,
looking skyward with a shake of its head.



Knowing it's about to say yes.
That it would regardless.



"...fffffffffine.
If it'll make you happy."
"That's the spirit."

"Here.

First..."
It removes its jacket, wincing from the cold.

The axolotl delicately folds it up before passing it under the fence for the bird to take.

"Cool.
This is all I wanted, actually."
"Uh-huh."
"It's a killer jacket."
"You've already got wings, save me some."
"I got, like... 'wing-hands'.
Not the same."
"Too bad."

She tucks the jacket under her arm,
reaching down to help pull the salamander under the fence.





The axolotl gasps.

She freezes.
"What--" "fUCkin, oWw-OW-OW--"

It reaches a hand up,
finding one of its frills pierced by a sharp point of the fence.
"Help, helphelp-fffFF-
GOD--"
"Hold still, hold still. I got it."
The axolotl freezes on command, biting its lip.

Salem quickly and carefully looses the sharp metal point from its frill.
A trickle of blood runs down, dripping on the pavement.
"Done."



The axolotl rubs at it.

"...hate how stupidly sensitive these things are.
Stings like hell anytime I nick one... ugh."
The crow wastes no time in pulling a spare napkin from her pocket,
pressing it against the wound.
"Weren't you wanting a piercing?"
"I mean fuck, you're right.
This was your present, then?"
"Mhm. Happy New Year's."
"Awesome.

...Is whatever you're putting on it sterile?"
"I dunno. It's fine.

Disinfect it later.
Better than bleeding everywhere."

She pulls it away.
"Looks like it stopped anyway."





The crow blinks,
then pats its shoulder as she hands back its jacket.
"Let's go up."
Her head gestures to the ladder.
"...yay."




























The crow reaches the top first, spreading her arms in a stretch.

She reaches into her pocket,
pulling out a cigarette and pinching it between her beak.

"Uh--"



Her head tilts back to the ladder.



Bones is clinging tightly to the top rung. 

"Look, I'm. Like-
Have I told you I can get like,
really bad vertigo?
Like I'm not scared of heights, but like--"

She leans down by the ladder, mumbling past her cigarette.
"I'm n't g'nna l'shoo fall."
"...What?"
The crow reaches out her hand, gesturing for Bones to grab it.



It takes it,
and is swiftly hefted up to the rooftop,
where it clings to the metal surface.

She pulls her cigarette out.
"Look. Roof's almost flat, and it's got railings."
"...Yeah... y-yeah, just like-
I'm--" It takes a breath, snagging a railing and managing a sitting position.
"I'm good, I'm good."

"There ya go."
She plops down next to it,
eliciting the faintest of creaks from the metal roof.



"You uh... sure this roof is like, stable?"

"I've been up here dozens of times."
"Yeah, and I'm way heavier than--"

She reaches over, lightly grabbing its head and turning it to look at her.
"Bones.



All

you've been doing

the whole time 

we've been here

is Worrying.



We're up here.
We made it.
And it's..." She pulls out her phone. "...like twenty minutes to next year.

We're gonna hang out up here for a few more minutes,
because: Look."

She turns its head again.






The bright, colorful lights at the other side of the city reflect across the black water of the lake;
shimmering streaks of gold, red, pink, blue; 

all refracted into hundreds of constantly shifting, confetti-like patterns.

The fog, in turn, lights up with every hue like a smoky aurora,
with not another soul in sight to witness it save for the two of them.







The axolotl stares in awe.




"Surprise."

"...okay. ............Yeah." It slowly smiles.
"There you go.
...It'll look even better when the fireworks start."
"...mhm..."











She glances over at the axolotl,
watching it watch the lake.









Salem puts her cigarette away.





" . . . 


...Which is why I need payment."

It looks over quizzically.

"I'm cold."

"Oh.

I mean,
I GUESS you can borrow my jacket." It plays up the drama.

"It's just my ~O o o nly~ nice thing I Haaave!
But If you're really Rrreally--" "Nope."

She flops against Bones instead.

"You-


 . . . 



Bastard."
"Yea." 
It snickers.
"You're like a parasite."
"I'm a very, very scary parasite.
I'm feeding off your brain."
"That's my chest.
You gonna bite my tits off, then?"
"Yyesss."
"Damn.

Free top surgery."
The crow cracks up, turning her head to the side to try and stop herself.

Bones just looks down at her, meeting her face.

It shakes its head at her slowly.
"And after I worked So hard to get these."
She properly sits up, waving a wing dismissively at it as she desperately works to suppress her giggling.

"Hell of a way to go." 
She bats at its shoulder, cackling,
her laughter gradually turning into a small coughing fit.

"Oh-


Fuck, you good?"


"Your fault.
Making me laugh."
"...I mean, to be fair,
you're like the only person I can ever get with my dumbass jokes."

" . . . 

...You should try actually joking around more with other people.

Like, when you hang out my friends, you're all...
...uptight all of a sudden."
"Eh, I'm not, like, actually funny, it's just--"
"Bones, would you-


 . . . "



" . . .


...What?"





She settles back into her spot against its chest.

"Nothing."


"You... sure you don't--?"
"Not right now."



"...okay."



















The axolotl's eyes glance down at her.

She's not smiling.
Not quite frowning.





" . . . 





...how much time left?"


She pulls out her phone.



"Nine-ish minutes."



"...I got a thing."

"Oh yeah?"





It nods.






"So.
New Year's Thing."
"Resolutions?
Cause I've got none."
"No, who even remembers those like, even a day later?
This is like-
So--" "So."
"...So it's like...

You kinda... review this year a bit.

Like not rating it but just kinda, thoughts on this past year.
And we take turns.
And after that, we take turns talking about like...
what we want for next year."



"...So reviewing last year, then resolutions."

"No, no it's like-
It's not about like, setting yourself up for failure by,
y'know,
making some big goal or whatever.

It's just... 


...like it can be stuff you Hope you do more of,
but you're not making it a big goal,
and it can be other stuff, too.
Stuff you hope happens, stuff you hope you do, stuff you hope is different, just...
How you hope the year'll go."



The crow breathes in the cold air.



"...Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I wanna."
"Okay, so y--" "You go first, though."
"W-
Why do I hav--" "I need examples."
" . . . 

...fffffair, I guess."

"And go fast. Don't have a lot of time."
"Fast?
But-


Okay, fuck, 


uh..."





The axolotl bounces its foot.





"Okay, this year




sucked


like a whole



whole lot.


Like, there was some good things here n' there-

Like
got my diagnosis- Diagnoses,
and--"
"Wait, like
for your hand stuff?"
"What?

...Oh, 
no. No, like

...brain...

stuff."
"...What did you get?
You didn't talk about that."
"It's-
I don't... wanna, right now.
Just-




Anyway, so-

Mostly sucked.
Mostly on my own.
Mostly cooped up inside.
Mostly doing nothing.
Mostly just... I dunno, deteriorating physically and mentally.
Keep getting depressed and like-

... "

It sees her looking up at itself.



"But-
Like, good stuff, too.
Just...

not a lot.

 . . . 

I think it's more just,
me handling stuff less well, really.

Like... it's somethin' I can fix.
And I'm still doin' therapy; have been the whole year,
so it like-

Yeah.



Anyway, uh



this is

a nice way to end it.
And I'm glad we got some time together this year.

That was... most of the good stuff, honestly,
was just hangin' out with you."






"  .  .  .  "







"...Sorry.
Holidays make me like

sappy.
I dunno.


...Your turn."

"You're fine.
Thinking."








It nods.






Trying not to think too much.










"This year did suck.

Old job fucking fizzling out, like it did.
And everything with Cameron--" 
"Fuck Cameron."
"Fuck Cameron.

And like

health problems.
...You hit thirty and your spine just shrivels up.
Like a raisin."
"You used to sleep on your floor."
"Yeah, how?
I don't know how I did."
"No I mean like,
might be related."

"...Well.

Better not be.



...Only good parts of this year were friend stuff, and going places.

Got to see a few new things.
Do a few new things.

...work made it hard, but
got that figured out now.
Used to the new schedule and, actually getting days off now.

The parties and hangouts and trips together have been the best part.



...And I'm glad you've actually been at some of 'em."



It nods, gaze focused away.







She nudges its shoulder.

"Hey.
I mean it."
"...I know you do."


" . . . 

...That's it, I guess."





Another nudge.

"Next year. Go."


"...uh



Thinkin', sorry."






It steadies itself.









" . . . 

...You want me to be honest?"
"Yes."
"...

...I don't, like

I mean not to be like... a downer, or anything,
but




just



don't have much hope that things'll like




get better.





And since I can't work,
it's not like I've got much control over my situation, or
my life, really, anyway.

So like... if things get better, they get better,
and if they get worse, they get worse."



"...OK.


But this is about what you Want to happen."

"I mean, I-

It's just gonna... make me feel shittier to think about, but it-






 . . . 


...It'd be nice to like, actually make some friends.

Most people're gone already or just don't talk to me anymore.
And I'm... fuckin' awful at talking to other people.

And like I want to, y'know... socialize

talk to people;
I know I'm s'posed to.
And I know I'm Supposed to like, express Myself, but it's like

 . . . 

...nobody's really
buyin' what I'm sellin', or-
Wrong way to use that phrase, just-

I know I'm just
a really, kinda... odd person; and even if I ignore my brain tryin' to tell me that's a bad thing,
it doesn't make it any easier to fit in around other people.

...Bein' the odd one out 
out of literally
every group of anybody that I'm ever around,
and havin' people just like

not really Want that; and why would they?

Like







...I dunno.
Got off topic, I think.


Shit just sucks.



...I hope I make new friends, somehow.

Hope I can... leave the fuckin' apartment without bein' like

...terrified, of



anyone
and everyone;
not even like, 'oh they'll hurt me' but just


like


I don't want anyone to see me...



existing.



I don't wanna fuck up things for anybody.
I don't wanna cause problems.

...I dunno.






...maybe a miracle'll happen.





...sorry.
Downer.
...Things probably aren't that bad, just

feelin' shitty right now. Holidays.






I'm alright."













" . . . 





You don't do any of that.





...I'm just glad you're here."
"I mean, I'm... really glad you're here, t--"
"Want you to see that."

"...yeah...
...your turn. Next year."

"This is part of it. Of mine.


Want you to actually see that I give a- That the people that know you... like you being here.
That it makes a difference.

That you're like..."

She shakes her head.





"...That's part of it.



The rest?







...I want to leave, I think.



This city was what I needed years ago.
But I moved on and I have more I want to do.

I don't wanna be stuck here longer.


There's new things out there to me.
I want to move on."

"...your...

You just got your job figured out, though."
"I can figure out a new one.
Not leaving right this second."
"And you like that apartment you're renting, right?"
"Yeah.
But I was thinking I could find a little house to rent somewhere, eventually."
"It's... just a big change,
and you haven't been here that long.
Things're just now, like... starting to stabilize, for you."
"They can stabilize somewhere else."
"I'd just


...I'd kinda... kill for that, honestly.
Moving around everywhere sucks."

She shrugs, leaning to the side against it to better see the lake.






"You sure it's not just, like

cause moving around's what you've been used to?
Like... I bet it probably feels weird, staying in one place a while."

" . . . 

I feel restless, anyway.
The reason doesn't really matter.

And I still want more."










"...If you left...



 . . . "







"...You could come with me, you know."







"...I can't make money..."








"I'd help."







"I don't... wanna do that to you."







"I'm offering."






"...I..."




















Fireworks explode in the distance,
barely visible.



The crow pulls out her phone.

"...They started early.


Thirty seconds til, now."




She squints at the horizon.





Then, she stands up.

"Hey-
Careful--"
"Fog's in the way otherwise.
...I can just barely see over it like this.

You'd probably have a perfect view."
"I... dunno, the like... vertigo--"
"Here."



She reaches down a wing hand.



"Watch the fireworks with me.
I want you to."
"Salem--"
"I'm not gonna let you fall."
"But you might fall,
it's not worth--"
"I won't.

And you won't let me, either, right?"











The axolotl hesitates




then reaches up a shaky hand

to take hers.










She pulls it up slowly, carefully.
Making sure it's steady.


"Lean back just a little bit.

If you feel like you're getting vertigo,
just let your legs drop.

You won't fall off."

"O-O...kay..."




















They stand in silence.

















Watching the fireworks.
















She looks at her phone.










"...I'd miss you, too."

Bones glances over.

"If you didn't come with me."





" . . . "











"...think about it."








".........yeah...."















"...Okay.
And-




Ten." "..."



"Nine." "..."



"Eight." "..."



"Seven." "..."



"Six." "...Six."


She squeezes its hand.


"Five." "Five."



"Four." "Four."


It closes its eyes.


"Three." "Three."




"Two." "Two."






"One." "One."


The brightest of fireworks flashes across the lake.











"Happy--"


The roof collapses out from under them.



















































cognition

fades   in















Bones is


vertical




















Hanging by




















Its jacket.


The shoulder of its jacket.






Caught on a bent metal rafter



inside the warehouse.














It's panting heavily.









It remembers the fall.




Ignoring everything else,
the axolotl looks about the warehouse


eventually spotting the crow



not all that far away 






to the side



on the floor








not moving.















"SALEM!!"


The beam its caught on suddenly bends as it flails.

Bones gasps, looking up.




The threads of the jacket sleeve are starting to rip.

The beam bends further, creaking loudly.




It looks directly below itself.






A large, square container there - at least four feet taller than Bones.

Its walls almost seem translucent.

It squints at them,
spotting a glint in the light.


glass.






With a whimper,
the axolotl looks back up,
spotting another beam within reach above itself.

Carefully,

it reaches.















The beam suddenly bends with a metallic cacophony.

The sleeve rips.









It falls,
ripping straight through the container's ceiling
as if it were made of cardboard.







It yelps in pain as it lands, quickly checking over itself

finding less cuts than it'd expected.








And no shards of glass.
Nothing of the sort.

Looking up, the hole doesn't make it look like glass, either;
not having broken in any way that glass might.
It has a slight iridescence in the light.




salem.


Bones stands



and falls back down with a sharp cry.






Blood drips through the leg of its jeans,
forming a small puddle.

It hurts like hell.


The axolotl groans, tensing on instinct.





"Sss-
Sa-lem...!
Are y-
Are you okay?!"

No response.

"...fff...ffuck, ...fuck fuck fuck..."

With shaky breath, it tries to steel itself to get back up,
unsure if it can.

It has to.



















It stops.









A claw grasps the top of its head.





Bones can't move anymore.

"Not one of them, then?"


Bones realizes it is no longer breathing.

But it doesn't feel like it's choking.


"No, not at all.
Clueless.


And yet,

your accident
happened to free me

on such an occasion."



Bones finds itself able to move
just barely.
Resuming breathing.

Heavy, staggered.

It still can't stand, or pull away, or do much of anything.



Yet,
it finds itself lifted up,
into the air.

Turned to face the voice.

"It must be fate."




It can't see much.

A serpent-like figure; long, slender, tall; far taller than itself.
Short, thin limbs.
Patterns that shift like liquid, rings of light;
silver, sky blue.



A smile without teeth.






It can't see more.
It's dark.
It's growing darker.



It can hear its own blood dripping.
Even thinking about its leg causes it to hurt again.
It fails to suppress a whimper.





The stranger watches its leg.

Drip.

Drip.







"You'll die soon, won't you?

Fragile things."


They simply stare.
As if this means nothing.

Taking their time to think, while it bleeds out.



"Without my intervention, you will.
...Hmm.


I suppose I could
take on a project.
I'll need something to do
with my newfound freedom.

And besides,

I'm very curious
about how You
relate to Me.

It couldn't be a coincidence."



Bones

does its best to put up the slightest of struggles.
Hardly conscious, at this point.

One thing on its mind.



"...You would rather die?

That seems foolish."



The figure tilts its head,
leaning in.

"...No.

Something 
you want.






...Very well.

An exchange.



She likely would 
survive
without my help


but I will
ensure it.

I know
you will say Yes."



The figure's spare claw reaches into their own pattern,
pulling at their hide,
as one of the rings of light unravels;

pulled out like a string.





They wrap it around the axolotl's neck.


The string disappears.



Something else is there, now.
But Bones can't tell what.




"And just like that,
your thread 
ties to mine.


I look forward to You 
seeing Me 
once more.



Until then,
let's see 
where your fate leads,



Shall we?"







The figure reaches their clawtip forward




and taps the axolotl's forehead.












Bones sees








vast oceans










a wave






cr



































































































The last tray

at the far, far end of the buffet line


contains a gelatin dessert;
molded into a ridged ring shape.

Deep, black-blue, 
with tiny chunks of various other colors;

twinkling in the light like multicolored stars.







Currently untouched.









"...See?
I told you nobody would eat it."
Muriel shakes her head with a sigh.
"...I'll just take it home after this, then.
Norm'll eat it.

...I should go cover it back up."

She scoots her chair out, readying herself to get up from the table,
only for the woman next to her to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, stop, Muriel.
Honestly...

It's only because you kept the foil on until twenty minutes ago.
Everyone already went through the line an hour ago; saw it covered up--"
"Well!
It's not like they would've eaten it, anyway."
"Oh you don't know that." She waves a paw dismissively.

Muriel puts her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her hand.

Staring at the buffet line.

"I mean it, Deb.
...I just don't think I got the flavor right.
The black cherry mix with those little... glitter-y gummy candies;
it makes it look like fireworks - I think so, at least -
but I don't know if the flavors work together.

It's probably too sweet..."
"Oh, it's fiiine, I'm sure.

And it looks lovely."
"...you think so?"
"Sure do.

Just leave it out til the end of the party.
You'll see."










A man approaches the buffet line, eyeing the desserts.

Deb nudges Muriel.
"There, there; look.
I bet Donny'll take a piece right now."






With bated breath,
the two women watch the bored, slouching man
hover over the dessert trays.

Scattered chatter the only sound in the room.















He delicately takes the serving knife




and cuts off a piece of gelatin dessert.




And then,

a second piece.






"Two!
He took two.

I told you so."

Muriel's gaze follows the bored man to his seat

at his table, 
by himself.



Continuing to observe.


"What's wrong now?"
"...He still may not like it, Deb."
"See, now you're being paranoid."


Her eyes fix on the man, 
and his plate
and his slices.








With his fork,
he pulls up a bite


watching the gelatin wobble about strangely.






He bites.



Swallows.





















Without any hint of expression,

he carves apart the next piece with his fork,
inspecting it like an open geode.







He reaches his fingers in

digging out a piece of twinkling gummy candy,
which he eats


by itself.



Repeating the process.

Again, 
again.









Muriel's shoulders droop.

"...I told you."
"Oh, don't think about at Donny.
Bad example; look at him!
He's eating at it like a... worm, or something. Digging around.
Who does that?"
"The flavors don't work."
"What kind of judge of that is he?
Here-" Deb stands. "I want a slice--"
"No, noooo, it's fine--"







The lights in the open dining room dim,

while the lights on the little stage brighten.










Someone makes their way up onto the stage,
picking up the microphone from the stand.




They clear their throat.

"Thank you all for coming to another Gradient End-of-year Party.
I won't lie and say it hasn't been a tough year for our company,
and while it will always be tough to continue without Mx. Osborne;
we are strong. 
Gradient is strong.
Even in just the last few months, we've had quite a turnaround.
...And we have you all to thank for that."

They adjust their glasses in silence.

"At any rate, 
I know I'm looking forward to another successful year,
and I'm sure you are, too.
...But, I'm not who you should hear from tonight.

You should hear, tonight, from the man most responsible for our success in this difficult time;
Our Managing Director and Spokesman,

Mr. Wolf Wedmore."



They clap,
and others in the audience follow suit,

as a suited, gray feline makes his way up towards the stage,
giving the occasional wave to tables he passes.






He reaches the stage,
giving another wave and a smile to the audience,
as he fluidly removes the mic from the stand,

propping it confidently into the air.




" . . . 

Well, hi there. Good to see you all.

I'm sure those of you, at this branch,
weren't expecting to see me here.
I can only be at One... company-mandated holiday party at once, can't I?
How did I choose?


Well.
The truth is-
Believe it or not,
this branch - Sirocco Branch, your branch -
had our most successful profit margins in every fiscal quarter of this past year.
All of You achieved that,
so I think you owe yourselves a round of applause."

He tilts the microphone away as the crowd applauds themselves,
tapping his free paw to his wrist to join in with the them.

"...Now,
seeing as you all have earned such an outstanding achievement,
I think you're owed an extra treat.
We have this party, of course - but that's every year, isn't it?

So, I thought
'Why not something special?'

As I'm sure you know, 
we have a yearly preview of our new products and services;
every year, with our board of directors and various investors.
We film it.
We send it out a few days later in our monthly email to all of our employees;
showing you just a taste of what Gradient has in store.

But this year...
We have our presentation ready; right now, right in this room,
for all of you.

Of course, our cameras in the back-" He points them out. "-are filming this,
to show to our board;
but you, Sirocco, get to see our yearly Gradient Showcase,
live in person!"

He claps again.
Some follow suit.




A projector screen descends behind him.

"Yes, it's quite a privilege, of course.

But more than that, 
we may even have a few free samples of our New products for after the party,
so make sure to stick around!"

This time, a bit of excitement picks up in the crowd,
and he smiles, nodding to them.



"Now, without further ado,
let's get this show on the road

and really show you what Gradient has to offer in the new year!"


He pulls up a remote from his pocket,
wielding it in his other paw,
pointing it up at the projector on the ceiling


pressing a button.

















The projector doesn't turn on.








Wolf tilts his head hardly an inch.



Pressing the button again.















Still nothing.



"...Apologies, everyone,
we seem to be having a few... technical--"

The spotlights gradually move away from the cat,
traveling downstage






stopping on an empty spot.






Nothing there.

The crowd murmurs.




"...Excuse me,
...lights?
Could I ask who's running the li--"



The illuminated space on the stage






twinkles with yellow lights,

flitting about like fireflies.









"I'm sorry, could...

...someone check...the..."





The lights crackle audibly,

as they begin to form together.










Growing brighter


more colorful.












A drumroll echoes,






not coming from any speakers.













Blinding light forms a shape

sparking.




Some stand up from their tables.

Most stay seated. It must be part of the presentation.














The light dissipates in one final flash.


The audience gasps.











A body drops from the light,
nearly falling as it lands unsteadily on its feet.


A bipedal balloon dog.
With a painted-on face, that still somehow animates:

A Flexin.



This one, only three or four feet tall.
Bright teal, with patterns of white and gold.

A yellow halo bobbing above its head,
with tiny, matching wings floating behind its back.







A spiked collar around its neck.
Silver, with sky blue points. 




Its leg is dangerously leaking air.








Disembodied, cartoonish fanfare plays once the flexin spawns in.
Confetti drops across the stage.

Both recede into nothing within a moment.








The projector flicks on, blinding the balloon dog.

It raises its hand in front of its face to block the light,
but it shines straight through, tinted by the flexin's translucent surface.






It stumbles a step to the side.

Dazed.

Shaky breath.







Barely upright.








Looking out at the audience.












"........Sss... Sa... lem...?"





It collapses with a dull squeak.















































































































Bones's eyes are open,
ever-so-slightly.

It doesn't remember how long they have been.









They scan across the room.

Stale walls. Curtains across a window; dark outside.
Chair to the side.
Television on the wall in front.
Machines... beeping nearby.




Hospital room.








It must've survived the fall.






But-











It tries to sit up,
only to twitch with pain.

Its leg hurts.
And its arm is caught on something.


It checks.












An IV, plugged into-

No, it's-




It looks almost like
an air pump, or condenser of some kind.

The sort you might use to fill up tires, but more... medical.
On a stand.









why would-

It raises its arm carefully.












It stares at


the




balloon-like      arm.



Plastic, or PVC, or
something thinner.

It doesn't know much about-





But this can't be its arm.




It might move when it tries to move its arm,
Bones might be able to feel it,
but

that can't be its arm.












It checks the clock on the bedside table.

It's 12:48 AM.

There's a phone on the same stand,
but it's just far enough away that it'd need to get Out of the hospital bed to reach it.






It

can figure all this out.





This likely isn't real, anyway.]]> [You should come]
[I'm on my way]
[Here.]
[?]
[Say words]


                  [was sleep sry]
                  [nah its not rly my thing]
[People you know here]
[Friends]
                  [theyre your friends]
                  [they dont rly know me and i dont rly know them]
[They like when you come hang out]
                  [eh i dunno about that]
                  [look its cool. you hang out]
                  [not my thing. and you need somethin fun 2 do]


[What are you going to do]
                  [i got some of that pineapple cider]
                  [thats as much of a celebration as new year deserves]
[Besides drink]
                  [nothin. play games. like i said its cool]
[Doesn't sound fun]
[Sounds bad]
                  [well i dont do big stuff like you do]
                  [its just a number ticking over anyway]
[When you don't do anything for holidays you get sad]
                  [youre worrying way too much. lol]
                  [its fiiiine. go have fun]
[Tell me you'll have a good time]
                  [i mean im gonna be sitting at home]
                  [woohoo itll be very much fun]
                  [its cool. dwai]
[Then tell me you're good at least]
                  [i said its cool]
[And you're good?]
                  [salem]
[See]
[Sad.]
                  [ok. and]
                  [its the holidays lots of ppl are sad]
                  [boohoo]


[Come to the party]
[It's my party so it's good]
[I swear]
                  [dont wanna be stressed out around strangers]
[You know them]
                  [i hang out with you with them]
                  [they dont talk to me. why would they]
                  [theyre your friends theyre there for u]
                  [just how things work n thats fine]
[They like you]
                  [ok cool. dont wanna go to a party]
[It's better than nothing]
                  [you say that but not to me]
                  [really not as big of a deal as youre making it]
                  [im an adult. i can be a little sad on a holiday]
                  [ill survive]
                  [so go have fun and quit worrying about me]
                  [ok?]
[OK]
                  [cool. thank u]
                  [u can tell me abt it after]




[Left early]
                  [what why]
                  [salem]
                  [i said im good]
                  [????]
                  [did u go home??]
                  [msg me back ok? whered u go]




[Here]
[--LOCATION SHARE--]
[Come here]
                  [what]
[Not a party]
                  [salem thats all the way downtown]
                  [buses arent even running]
[Rails are]
[You can make it]
                  [tell me what its for]
[It's a surprise]
                  [what about the party]
[Party over. Come on]
                  [its not even close to midnight yet]
[Let me do a thing for you]
[I already left]
[Don't want to count down all by myself]


                  [i dont wanna leave]
[It'll just be us]
[I'm by myself]
[Promise]
                  [its cold]
[Won't kill you]
                  [ok but will u]
                  [is this like some elaborate plot to murder me]
[I wouldn't need to do that]
[I have a key to your apartment]
                  [so is that a yes]
[Not tonight]
[You're safe for now]
[Please]


                  [i need to shower and stuff]
[I have time]
                  [you dont need to go to so much trouble for me]
[Too late]
[I'm doing it for me too]
[If that makes you feel better]
                  [what about the party]
[There'll be more]
[Come hang out with me]
                  [ok]
                  [im barely gonna get there before midnight]
                  [will u be ok out there on your own]
[Cornerstore close by]
[I'll hang out there]
[I'll get a slushie]


                  [ok. fine]
                  [be safe ok?]
[Always safe]


























































"...no way in hell."
"Yep.
You can do it. I got through just fine."
"I-" The axolotl rubs its temple,
looking over the gap at the bottom of the chain link fence.

"Okay A: I'm way bigger than you.
B: I wore my good jacket."
"The wing one?"
"Yeah, the wing one.
It's gonna get all torn up from s-

Look, can't we just go down by the docks?"
"Believe it or not, they have better fences down there.
More worried about the boats than the warehouses, I guess.
Plus, the fog's thicker by the water.
If we wanna see fireworks, we need to get up high."



"Look, I

...I'm not lookin' to start off the new year by getting caught up with cops."

"It's completely empty down here."
"Yeah, but--"
"If cops come around they'll just tell us to get down.
Maybe we get a fine at worst."
"And I'm broke! You know I'm broke, I can't-
I get caught with that and I'm--" "I'll pay it."
"...How?"
"End of year. I got a big bonus."
"You're willing to blow it on this?"
"To have a good time with you?
Yeah."
"...I mean, I-
I'd feel fuckin'... bad if you had to--"
"Bones.
It'll be okay.

Trust me."



The crow reaches out her wing-like hand from the other side of the fence.
"C'mon."



The axolotl hesitates,
looking skyward with a shake of its head.



Knowing it's about to say yes.
That it would regardless.



"...fffffffffine.
If it'll make you happy."
"That's the spirit."

"Here.

First..."
It removes its jacket, wincing from the cold.

The axolotl delicately folds it up before passing it under the fence for the bird to take.

"Cool.
This is all I wanted, actually."
"Uh-huh."
"It's a killer jacket."
"You've already got wings, save me some."
"I got, like... 'wing-hands'.
Not the same."
"Too bad."

She tucks the jacket under her arm,
reaching down to help pull the salamander under the fence.





The axolotl gasps.

She freezes.
"What--" "fUCkin, oWw-OW-OW--"

It reaches a hand up,
finding one of its frills pierced by a sharp point of the fence.
"Help, helphelp-fffFF-
GOD--"
"Hold still, hold still. I got it."
The axolotl freezes on command, biting its lip.

Salem quickly and carefully looses the sharp metal point from its frill.
A trickle of blood runs down, dripping on the pavement.
"Done."



The axolotl rubs at it.

"...hate how stupidly sensitive these things are.
Stings like hell anytime I nick one... ugh."
The crow wastes no time in pulling a spare napkin from her pocket,
pressing it against the wound.
"Weren't you wanting a piercing?"
"I mean fuck, you're right.
This was your present, then?"
"Mhm. Happy New Year's."
"Awesome.

...Is whatever you're putting on it sterile?"
"I dunno. It's fine.

Disinfect it later.
Better than bleeding everywhere."

She pulls it away.
"Looks like it stopped anyway."





The crow blinks,
then pats its shoulder as she hands back its jacket.
"Let's go up."
Her head gestures to the ladder.
"...yay."




























The crow reaches the top first, spreading her arms in a stretch.

She reaches into her pocket,
pulling out a cigarette and pinching it between her beak.

"Uh--"



Her head tilts back to the ladder.



Bones is clinging tightly to the top rung. 

"Look, I'm. Like-
Have I told you I can get like,
really bad vertigo?
Like I'm not scared of heights, but like--"

She leans down by the ladder, mumbling past her cigarette.
"I'm n't g'nna l'shoo fall."
"...What?"
The crow reaches out her hand, gesturing for Bones to grab it.



It takes it,
and is swiftly hefted up to the rooftop,
where it clings to the metal surface.

She pulls her cigarette out.
"Look. Roof's almost flat, and it's got railings."
"...Yeah... y-yeah, just like-
I'm--" It takes a breath, snagging a railing and managing a sitting position.
"I'm good, I'm good."

"There ya go."
She plops down next to it,
eliciting the faintest of creaks from the metal roof.



"You uh... sure this roof is like, stable?"

"I've been up here dozens of times."
"Yeah, and I'm way heavier than--"

She reaches over, lightly grabbing its head and turning it to look at her.
"Bones.



All

you've been doing

the whole time 

we've been here

is Worrying.



We're up here.
We made it.
And it's..." She pulls out her phone. "...like twenty minutes to next year.

We're gonna hang out up here for a few more minutes,
because: Look."

She turns its head again.






The bright, colorful lights at the other side of the city reflect across the black water of the lake;
shimmering streaks of gold, red, pink, blue; 

all refracted into hundreds of constantly shifting, confetti-like patterns.

The fog, in turn, lights up with every hue like a smoky aurora,
with not another soul in sight to witness it save for the two of them.







The axolotl stares in awe.




"Surprise."

"...okay. ............Yeah." It slowly smiles.
"There you go.
...It'll look even better when the fireworks start."
"...mhm..."











She glances over at the axolotl,
watching it watch the lake.









Salem puts her cigarette away.





" . . . 


...Which is why I need payment."

It looks over quizzically.

"I'm cold."

"Oh.

I mean,
I GUESS you can borrow my jacket." It plays up the drama.

"It's just my ~O o o nly~ nice thing I Haaave!
But If you're really Rrreally--" "Nope."

She flops against Bones instead.

"You-


 . . . 



Bastard."
"Yea." 
It snickers.
"You're like a parasite."
"I'm a very, very scary parasite.
I'm feeding off your brain."
"That's my chest.
You gonna bite my tits off, then?"
"Yyesss."
"Damn.

Free top surgery."
The crow cracks up, turning her head to the side to try and stop herself.

Bones just looks down at her, meeting her face.

It shakes its head at her slowly.
"And after I worked So hard to get these."
She properly sits up, waving a wing dismissively at it as she desperately works to suppress her giggling.

"Hell of a way to go." 
She bats at its shoulder, cackling,
her laughter gradually turning into a small coughing fit.

"Oh-


Fuck, you good?"


"Your fault.
Making me laugh."
"...I mean, to be fair,
you're like the only person I can ever get with my dumbass jokes."

" . . . 

...You should try actually joking around more with other people.

Like, when you hang out my friends, you're all...
...uptight all of a sudden."
"Eh, I'm not, like, actually funny, it's just--"
"Bones, would you-


 . . . "



" . . .


...What?"





She settles back into her spot against its chest.

"Nothing."


"You... sure you don't--?"
"Not right now."



"...okay."



















The axolotl's eyes glance down at her.

She's not smiling.
Not quite frowning.





" . . . 





...how much time left?"


She pulls out her phone.



"Nine-ish minutes."



"...I got a thing."

"Oh yeah?"





It nods.






"So.
New Year's Thing."
"Resolutions?
Cause I've got none."
"No, who even remembers those like, even a day later?
This is like-
So--" "So."
"...So it's like...

You kinda... review this year a bit.

Like not rating it but just kinda, thoughts on this past year.
And we take turns.
And after that, we take turns talking about like...
what we want for next year."



"...So reviewing last year, then resolutions."

"No, no it's like-
It's not about like, setting yourself up for failure by,
y'know,
making some big goal or whatever.

It's just... 


...like it can be stuff you Hope you do more of,
but you're not making it a big goal,
and it can be other stuff, too.
Stuff you hope happens, stuff you hope you do, stuff you hope is different, just...
How you hope the year'll go."



The crow breathes in the cold air.



"...Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I wanna."
"Okay, so y--" "You go first, though."
"W-
Why do I hav--" "I need examples."
" . . . 

...fffffair, I guess."

"And go fast. Don't have a lot of time."
"Fast?
But-


Okay, fuck, 


uh..."





The axolotl bounces its foot.





"Okay, this year




sucked


like a whole



whole lot.


Like, there was some good things here n' there-

Like
got my diagnosis- Diagnoses,
and--"
"Wait, like
for your hand stuff?"
"What?

...Oh, 
no. No, like

...brain...

stuff."
"...What did you get?
You didn't talk about that."
"It's-
I don't... wanna, right now.
Just-




Anyway, so-

Mostly sucked.
Mostly on my own.
Mostly cooped up inside.
Mostly doing nothing.
Mostly just... I dunno, deteriorating physically and mentally.
Keep getting depressed and like-

... "

It sees her looking up at itself.



"But-
Like, good stuff, too.
Just...

not a lot.

 . . . 

I think it's more just,
me handling stuff less well, really.

Like... it's somethin' I can fix.
And I'm still doin' therapy; have been the whole year,
so it like-

Yeah.



Anyway, uh



this is

a nice way to end it.
And I'm glad we got some time together this year.

That was... most of the good stuff, honestly,
was just hangin' out with you."






"  .  .  .  "







"...Sorry.
Holidays make me like

sappy.
I dunno.


...Your turn."

"You're fine.
Thinking."








It nods.






Trying not to think too much.










"This year did suck.

Old job fucking fizzling out, like it did.
And everything with Cameron--" 
"Fuck Cameron."
"Fuck Cameron.

And like

health problems.
...You hit thirty and your spine just shrivels up.
Like a raisin."
"You used to sleep on your floor."
"Yeah, how?
I don't know how I did."
"No I mean like,
might be related."

"...Well.

Better not be.



...Only good parts of this year were friend stuff, and going places.

Got to see a few new things.
Do a few new things.

...work made it hard, but
got that figured out now.
Used to the new schedule and, actually getting days off now.

The parties and hangouts and trips together have been the best part.



...And I'm glad you've actually been at some of 'em."



It nods, gaze focused away.







She nudges its shoulder.

"Hey.
I mean it."
"...I know you do."


" . . . 

...That's it, I guess."





Another nudge.

"Next year. Go."


"...uh



Thinkin', sorry."






It steadies itself.









" . . . 

...You want me to be honest?"
"Yes."
"...

...I don't, like

I mean not to be like... a downer, or anything,
but




just



don't have much hope that things'll like




get better.





And since I can't work,
it's not like I've got much control over my situation, or
my life, really, anyway.

So like... if things get better, they get better,
and if they get worse, they get worse."



"...OK.


But this is about what you Want to happen."

"I mean, I-

It's just gonna... make me feel shittier to think about, but it-






 . . . 


...It'd be nice to like, actually make some friends.

Most people're gone already or just don't talk to me anymore.
And I'm... fuckin' awful at talking to other people.

And like I want to, y'know... socialize

talk to people;
I know I'm s'posed to.
And I know I'm Supposed to like, express Myself, but it's like

 . . . 

...nobody's really
buyin' what I'm sellin', or-
Wrong way to use that phrase, just-

I know I'm just
a really, kinda... odd person; and even if I ignore my brain tryin' to tell me that's a bad thing,
it doesn't make it any easier to fit in around other people.

...Bein' the odd one out 
out of literally
every group of anybody that I'm ever around,
and havin' people just like

not really Want that; and why would they?

Like







...I dunno.
Got off topic, I think.


Shit just sucks.



...I hope I make new friends, somehow.

Hope I can... leave the fuckin' apartment without bein' like

...terrified, of



anyone
and everyone;
not even like, 'oh they'll hurt me' but just


like


I don't want anyone to see me...



existing.



I don't wanna fuck up things for anybody.
I don't wanna cause problems.

...I dunno.






...maybe a miracle'll happen.





...sorry.
Downer.
...Things probably aren't that bad, just

feelin' shitty right now. Holidays.






I'm alright."













" . . . 





You don't do any of that.





...I'm just glad you're here."
"I mean, I'm... really glad you're here, t--"
"Want you to see that."

"...yeah...
...your turn. Next year."

"This is part of it. Of mine.


Want you to actually see that I give a- That the people that know you... like you being here.
That it makes a difference.

That you're like..."

She shakes her head.





"...That's part of it.



The rest?







...I want to leave, I think.



This city was what I needed years ago.
But I moved on and I have more I want to do.

I don't wanna be stuck here longer.


There's new things out there to me.
I want to move on."

"...your...

You just got your job figured out, though."
"I can figure out a new one.
Not leaving right this second."
"And you like that apartment you're renting, right?"
"Yeah.
But I was thinking I could find a little house to rent somewhere, eventually."
"It's... just a big change,
and you haven't been here that long.
Things're just now, like... starting to stabilize, for you."
"They can stabilize somewhere else."
"I'd just


...I'd kinda... kill for that, honestly.
Moving around everywhere sucks."

She shrugs, leaning to the side against it to better see the lake.






"You sure it's not just, like

cause moving around's what you've been used to?
Like... I bet it probably feels weird, staying in one place a while."

" . . . 

I feel restless, anyway.
The reason doesn't really matter.

And I still want more."










"...If you left...



 . . . "







"...You could come with me, you know."







"...I can't make money..."








"I'd help."







"I don't... wanna do that to you."







"I'm offering."






"...I..."




















Fireworks explode in the distance,
barely visible.



The crow pulls out her phone.

"...They started early.


Thirty seconds til, now."




She squints at the horizon.





Then, she stands up.

"Hey-
Careful--"
"Fog's in the way otherwise.
...I can just barely see over it like this.

You'd probably have a perfect view."
"I... dunno, the like... vertigo--"
"Here."



She reaches down a wing hand.



"Watch the fireworks with me.
I want you to."
"Salem--"
"I'm not gonna let you fall."
"But you might fall,
it's not worth--"
"I won't.

And you won't let me, either, right?"











The axolotl hesitates




then reaches up a shaky hand

to take hers.










She pulls it up slowly, carefully.
Making sure it's steady.


"Lean back just a little bit.

If you feel like you're getting vertigo,
just let your legs drop.

You won't fall off."

"O-O...kay..."




















They stand in silence.

















Watching the fireworks.
















She looks at her phone.










"...I'd miss you, too."

Bones glances over.

"If you didn't come with me."





" . . . "











"...think about it."








".........yeah...."















"...Okay.
And-




Ten." "..."



"Nine." "..."



"Eight." "..."



"Seven." "..."



"Six." "...Six."


She squeezes its hand.


"Five." "Five."



"Four." "Four."


It closes its eyes.


"Three." "Three."




"Two." "Two."






"One." "One."


The brightest of fireworks flashes across the lake.











"Happy--"


The roof collapses out from under them.



















































cognition

fades   in















Bones is


vertical




















Hanging by




















Its jacket.


The shoulder of its jacket.






Caught on a bent metal rafter



inside the warehouse.














It's panting heavily.









It remembers the fall.




Ignoring everything else,
the axolotl looks about the warehouse


eventually spotting the crow



not all that far away 






to the side



on the floor








not moving.















"SALEM!!"


The beam its caught on suddenly bends as it flails.

Bones gasps, looking up.




The threads of the jacket sleeve are starting to rip.

The beam bends further, creaking loudly.




It looks directly below itself.






A large, square container there - at least four feet taller than Bones.

Its walls almost seem translucent.

It squints at them,
spotting a glint in the light.


glass.






With a whimper,
the axolotl looks back up,
spotting another beam within reach above itself.

Carefully,

it reaches.















The beam suddenly bends with a metallic cacophony.

The sleeve rips.









It falls,
ripping straight through the container's ceiling
as if it were made of cardboard.







It yelps in pain as it lands, quickly checking over itself

finding less cuts than it'd expected.








And no shards of glass.
Nothing of the sort.

Looking up, the hole doesn't make it look like glass, either;
not having broken in any way that glass might.
It has a slight iridescence in the light.




salem.


Bones stands



and falls back down with a sharp cry.






Blood drips through the leg of its jeans,
forming a small puddle.

It hurts like hell.


The axolotl groans, tensing on instinct.





"Sss-
Sa-lem...!
Are y-
Are you okay?!"

No response.

"...fff...ffuck, ...fuck fuck fuck..."

With shaky breath, it tries to steel itself to get back up,
unsure if it can.

It has to.



















It stops.









A claw grasps the top of its head.





Bones can't move anymore.

"Not one of them, then?"


Bones realizes it is no longer breathing.

But it doesn't feel like it's choking.


"No, not at all.
Clueless.


And yet,

your accident
happened to free me

on such an occasion."



Bones finds itself able to move
just barely.
Resuming breathing.

Heavy, staggered.

It still can't stand, or pull away, or do much of anything.



Yet,
it finds itself lifted up,
into the air.

Turned to face the voice.

"It must be fate."




It can't see much.

A serpent-like figure; long, slender, tall; far taller than itself.
Short, thin limbs.
Patterns that shift like liquid, rings of light;
silver, sky blue.



A smile without teeth.






It can't see more.
It's dark.
It's growing darker.



It can hear its own blood dripping.
Even thinking about its leg causes it to hurt again.
It fails to suppress a whimper.





The stranger watches its leg.

Drip.

Drip.







"You'll die soon, won't you?

Fragile things."


They simply stare.
As if this means nothing.

Taking their time to think, while it bleeds out.



"Without my intervention, you will.
...Hmm.


I suppose I could
take on a project.
I'll need something to do
with my newfound freedom.

And besides,

I'm very curious
about how You
relate to Me.

It couldn't be a coincidence."



Bones

does its best to put up the slightest of struggles.
Hardly conscious, at this point.

One thing on its mind.



"...You would rather die?

That seems foolish."



The figure tilts its head,
leaning in.

"...No.

Something 
you want.






...Very well.

An exchange.



She likely would 
survive
without my help


but I will
ensure it.

I know
you will say Yes."



The figure's spare claw reaches into their own pattern,
pulling at their hide,
as one of the rings of light unravels;

pulled out like a string.





They wrap it around the axolotl's neck.


The string disappears.



Something else is there, now.
But Bones can't tell what.




"And just like that,
your thread 
ties to mine.


I look forward to You 
seeing Me 
once more.



Until then,
let's see 
where your fate leads,



Shall we?"







The figure reaches their clawtip forward




and taps the axolotl's forehead.












Bones sees








vast oceans










a wave






cr



































































































The last tray

at the far, far end of the buffet line


contains a gelatin dessert;
molded into a ridged ring shape.

Deep, black-blue, 
with tiny chunks of various other colors;

twinkling in the light like multicolored stars.







Currently untouched.









"...See?
I told you nobody would eat it."
Muriel shakes her head with a sigh.
"...I'll just take it home after this, then.
Norm'll eat it.

...I should go cover it back up."

She scoots her chair out, readying herself to get up from the table,
only for the woman next to her to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, stop, Muriel.
Honestly...

It's only because you kept the foil on until twenty minutes ago.
Everyone already went through the line an hour ago; saw it covered up--"
"Well!
It's not like they would've eaten it, anyway."
"Oh you don't know that." She waves a paw dismissively.

Muriel puts her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her hand.

Staring at the buffet line.

"I mean it, Deb.
...I just don't think I got the flavor right.
The black cherry mix with those little... glitter-y gummy candies;
it makes it look like fireworks - I think so, at least -
but I don't know if the flavors work together.

It's probably too sweet..."
"Oh, it's fiiine, I'm sure.

And it looks lovely."
"...you think so?"
"Sure do.

Just leave it out til the end of the party.
You'll see."










A man approaches the buffet line, eyeing the desserts.

Deb nudges Muriel.
"There, there; look.
I bet Donny'll take a piece right now."






With bated breath,
the two women watch the bored, slouching man
hover over the dessert trays.

Scattered chatter the only sound in the room.















He delicately takes the serving knife




and cuts off a piece of gelatin dessert.




And then,

a second piece.






"Two!
He took two.

I told you so."

Muriel's gaze follows the bored man to his seat

at his table, 
by himself.



Continuing to observe.


"What's wrong now?"
"...He still may not like it, Deb."
"See, now you're being paranoid."


Her eyes fix on the man, 
and his plate
and his slices.








With his fork,
he pulls up a bite


watching the gelatin wobble about strangely.






He bites.



Swallows.





















Without any hint of expression,

he carves apart the next piece with his fork,
inspecting it like an open geode.







He reaches his fingers in

digging out a piece of twinkling gummy candy,
which he eats


by itself.



Repeating the process.

Again, 
again.









Muriel's shoulders droop.

"...I told you."
"Oh, don't think about at Donny.
Bad example; look at him!
He's eating at it like a... worm, or something. Digging around.
Who does that?"
"The flavors don't work."
"What kind of judge of that is he?
Here-" Deb stands. "I want a slice--"
"No, noooo, it's fine--"







The lights in the open dining room dim,

while the lights on the little stage brighten.










Someone makes their way up onto the stage,
picking up the microphone from the stand.




They clear their throat.

"Thank you all for coming to another Gradient End-of-year Party.
I won't lie and say it hasn't been a tough year for our company,
and while it will always be tough to continue without Mx. Osborne;
we are strong. 
Gradient is strong.
Even in just the last few months, we've had quite a turnaround.
...And we have you all to thank for that."

They adjust their glasses in silence.

"At any rate, 
I know I'm looking forward to another successful year,
and I'm sure you are, too.
...But, I'm not who you should hear from tonight.

You should hear, tonight, from the man most responsible for our success in this difficult time;
Our Managing Director and Spokesman,

Mr. Wolf Wedmore."



They clap,
and others in the audience follow suit,

as a suited, gray feline makes his way up towards the stage,
giving the occasional wave to tables he passes.






He reaches the stage,
giving another wave and a smile to the audience,
as he fluidly removes the mic from the stand,

propping it confidently into the air.




" . . . 

Well, hi there. Good to see you all.

I'm sure those of you, at this branch,
weren't expecting to see me here.
I can only be at One... company-mandated holiday party at once, can't I?
How did I choose?


Well.
The truth is-
Believe it or not,
this branch - Sirocco Branch, your branch -
had our most successful profit margins in every fiscal quarter of this past year.
All of You achieved that,
so I think you owe yourselves a round of applause."

He tilts the microphone away as the crowd applauds themselves,
tapping his free paw to his wrist to join in with the them.

"...Now,
seeing as you all have earned such an outstanding achievement,
I think you're owed an extra treat.
We have this party, of course - but that's every year, isn't it?

So, I thought
'Why not something special?'

As I'm sure you know, 
we have a yearly preview of our new products and services;
every year, with our board of directors and various investors.
We film it.
We send it out a few days later in our monthly email to all of our employees;
showing you just a taste of what Gradient has in store.

But this year...
We have our presentation ready; right now, right in this room,
for all of you.

Of course, our cameras in the back-" He points them out. "-are filming this,
to show to our board;
but you, Sirocco, get to see our yearly Gradient Showcase,
live in person!"

He claps again.
Some follow suit.




A projector screen descends behind him.

"Yes, it's quite a privilege, of course.

But more than that, 
we may even have a few free samples of our New products for after the party,
so make sure to stick around!"

This time, a bit of excitement picks up in the crowd,
and he smiles, nodding to them.



"Now, without further ado,
let's get this show on the road

and really show you what Gradient has to offer in the new year!"


He pulls up a remote from his pocket,
wielding it in his other paw,
pointing it up at the projector on the ceiling


pressing a button.

















The projector doesn't turn on.








Wolf tilts his head hardly an inch.



Pressing the button again.















Still nothing.



"...Apologies, everyone,
we seem to be having a few... technical--"

The spotlights gradually move away from the cat,
traveling downstage






stopping on an empty spot.






Nothing there.

The crowd murmurs.




"...Excuse me,
...lights?
Could I ask who's running the li--"



The illuminated space on the stage






twinkles with yellow lights,

flitting about like fireflies.









"I'm sorry, could...

...someone check...the..."





The lights crackle audibly,

as they begin to form together.










Growing brighter


more colorful.












A drumroll echoes,






not coming from any speakers.













Blinding light forms a shape

sparking.




Some stand up from their tables.

Most stay seated. It must be part of the presentation.














The light dissipates in one final flash.


The audience gasps.











A body drops from the light,
nearly falling as it lands unsteadily on its feet.


A bipedal balloon dog.
With a painted-on face, that still somehow animates:

A Flexin.



This one, only three or four feet tall.
Bright teal, with patterns of white and gold.

A yellow halo bobbing above its head,
with tiny, matching wings floating behind its back.







A spiked collar around its neck.
Silver, with sky blue points. 




Its leg is dangerously leaking air.








Disembodied, cartoonish fanfare plays once the flexin spawns in.
Confetti drops across the stage.

Both recede into nothing within a moment.








The projector flicks on, blinding the balloon dog.

It raises its hand in front of its face to block the light,
but it shines straight through, tinted by the flexin's translucent surface.






It stumbles a step to the side.

Dazed.

Shaky breath.







Barely upright.








Looking out at the audience.












"........Sss... Sa... lem...?"





It collapses with a dull squeak.















































































































Bones's eyes are open,
ever-so-slightly.

It doesn't remember how long they have been.









They scan across the room.

Stale walls. Curtains across a window; dark outside.
Chair to the side.
Television on the wall in front.
Machines... beeping nearby.




Hospital room.








It must've survived the fall.






But-











It tries to sit up,
only to twitch with pain.

Its leg hurts.
And its arm is caught on something.


It checks.












An IV, plugged into-

No, it's-




It looks almost like
an air pump, or condenser of some kind.

The sort you might use to fill up tires, but more... medical.
On a stand.









why would-

It raises its arm carefully.












It stares at


the




balloon-like      arm.



Plastic, or PVC, or
something thinner.

It doesn't know much about-





But this can't be its arm.




It might move when it tries to move its arm,
Bones might be able to feel it,
but

that can't be its arm.












It checks the clock on the bedside table.

It's 12:48 AM.

There's a phone on the same stand,
but it's just far enough away that it'd need to get Out of the hospital bed to reach it.






It

can figure all this out.





This likely isn't real, anyway.]]> <![CDATA[It's Over, You're safe now]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-970.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 03:11:34 +0000 Headful_of_Eyeballs]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-970.html You flop onto the cheap motel bed, not even bothering to wipe [HIS] blood off of your hands- You can just take a shower when you wake up anyways. 
You open your journal to write down the madness you just experienced, but before you can, you realize you haven't even brushed your hair since you escaped that cellar- On second thought, you should probably take that shower after all.

You slump off the bed, hobble over to the bathroom, and look into the mirror, taking mental note of your features
What species are you?
What's Your gender?
What's the name on your lanyard?
And what mark reminds you of your captivity?]]> You flop onto the cheap motel bed, not even bothering to wipe [HIS] blood off of your hands- You can just take a shower when you wake up anyways. 
You open your journal to write down the madness you just experienced, but before you can, you realize you haven't even brushed your hair since you escaped that cellar- On second thought, you should probably take that shower after all.

You slump off the bed, hobble over to the bathroom, and look into the mirror, taking mental note of your features
What species are you?
What's Your gender?
What's the name on your lanyard?
And what mark reminds you of your captivity?]]> <![CDATA[whatcha watchin/playin]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-969.html Fri, 07 Nov 2025 22:07:43 +0000 skinstealer]]> https://homebrewdeviants.com/forum/thread-969.html

things i am experiencing


bejeweled deluxe- lucy got us a steam deck as a present to help us decompress from discord/social media stress and distance ourselves from our computer, and boy, has it been good. spent the first few weeks playing primarily bejeweled though. truly a good use of the power involved here. that said, it's kind of the perfect platform for it. i really recommend if you have a deck, you try this out. it's kind of a perfectly simple old game, i grew up with it and i'm really happy to see it still slaps. also, one of the best OSTs ever. i should really pick up 2.

siralim ultimate- the first actual In Depth game ive started using the deck for, that i am now utterly fucking obsessed with. jesus christ. this game is like, built for how i like to play games and learn mechanics. i will likely do a proper rundown of what i like about it when i'm less tired and busy. it does have, admittedly, SOME REALLY FUCKING BAD RACIST DESIGNS IN IT, which is the only major issue i have with it- and it is major. otherwise id be recommending this 100% freely.

pluribus- watched the first ep of pluribis last night. us and como are huuuuuuuuge vince gilligan fans and jesus christ this one is something special. i will have to parse thoughts after ep 2 but if you can handle post-pandemic horror in all of its terror i cannot recommend it enough. just prepare to be reallyy really REALLY anxious.

to be hero x- i think this is the first time i've seen chinese animation on a more major scale- and damn, i would really like to see more. it's very fucking cool seeing more countries place their cards down in the animation industry and this one is REALLY, REALLY COOL. im gonna have to break this one better later.

second life- i do the second life as usual

hollow knight- technically i'm watching como play this one, but that's the main way i experience games. i cannot fucking believe it took us this long to get to this. this would have been completely formative me if i hopped on this at release. it's everything i want in this kind of weird cartoon horror setup. really cool! cant wait for silksong to break como's soul.]]>

things i am experiencing


bejeweled deluxe- lucy got us a steam deck as a present to help us decompress from discord/social media stress and distance ourselves from our computer, and boy, has it been good. spent the first few weeks playing primarily bejeweled though. truly a good use of the power involved here. that said, it's kind of the perfect platform for it. i really recommend if you have a deck, you try this out. it's kind of a perfectly simple old game, i grew up with it and i'm really happy to see it still slaps. also, one of the best OSTs ever. i should really pick up 2.

siralim ultimate- the first actual In Depth game ive started using the deck for, that i am now utterly fucking obsessed with. jesus christ. this game is like, built for how i like to play games and learn mechanics. i will likely do a proper rundown of what i like about it when i'm less tired and busy. it does have, admittedly, SOME REALLY FUCKING BAD RACIST DESIGNS IN IT, which is the only major issue i have with it- and it is major. otherwise id be recommending this 100% freely.

pluribus- watched the first ep of pluribis last night. us and como are huuuuuuuuge vince gilligan fans and jesus christ this one is something special. i will have to parse thoughts after ep 2 but if you can handle post-pandemic horror in all of its terror i cannot recommend it enough. just prepare to be reallyy really REALLY anxious.

to be hero x- i think this is the first time i've seen chinese animation on a more major scale- and damn, i would really like to see more. it's very fucking cool seeing more countries place their cards down in the animation industry and this one is REALLY, REALLY COOL. im gonna have to break this one better later.

second life- i do the second life as usual

hollow knight- technically i'm watching como play this one, but that's the main way i experience games. i cannot fucking believe it took us this long to get to this. this would have been completely formative me if i hopped on this at release. it's everything i want in this kind of weird cartoon horror setup. really cool! cant wait for silksong to break como's soul.]]>