Free (or Colorful). 25/F/Lesbian. INFP. Colorfulandfree on FF.net and Ao3. Into various fandoms, including Super Mario, Captain Underpants/Dog Man, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Profile pic by me!
The one about the ship no one else cares about, or the deeply unpopular character, or the extremely unusual AU?
The fic that got no comments or kudos when you posted it?
Months or years from now, that fic might be exactly what someone is looking for in the sea of fics about all the popular characters, ships, and AUs.
Your fic might be the only fic out there that has what someone is looking for. The only fic that scratches the itch that it turns out you and that reader share.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: The Gribblestons were a family like any other…that is, until the day they lost their youngest member, David, in a car accident. While the family grieves, Roy has other ideas. He and Lesley will do anything to preserve Doi, even if it means stealing his own life from him. DHMIS Twin AU. Rated T for character death, mentions of blood and injuries, and ableism.
Okay, I thought I'd do an officially unofficial poll regarding how we creatives are feeling regarding engagement recently.
I'm including both writers and artists in this, because we're all kinda in the same boat here, and we can all commiserate and bemoan the problem as a support group kind of thing.
If you both write and draw, answer with whichever you do that has gotten more attention in the past.
How have you felt about engagement (comments, reblogs, sharing, likes or kudos, etc) over the past year?
Writer - It's been dropping off noticeably
Writer - It's been pretty steady, no increase but no decrease that I've noticed
Writer - I still have lots of interaction with my stories
Artist - It's been dropping off noticeably
Artist - It's been pretty steady, no increase but no decrease that I've noticed
Artist - I still have lots of interaction with my art
No horse in this race, just wanna see the results
Voting ended onDec 10, 2025
If you're one of the lucky ones who still has plenty of engagement with your creations, I'm glad! But please don't gloat about it in the tags or comments. Many, many of us are feeling this drop off, and it's hitting us where it hurts.
I don't use tumblr very often, but I am trying to find more Don't Hug Me I'm Scared fans online to talk about my au and also just sorta vibe with. So if you're a DHMIS fan that is open to making new friends, do you mind leaving a like or a comment on this post? Thanks!
(pick a quote + a feeling + a trope ! let’s see what fic you end up with.)
author's addition: this lil build-a-fic is inspired by @scealaiscoite ’s adorable idea ! her prompt lists are literal perfection. go stalk her blog pls she’s the best ever 🧸
— a quote !
☆ “stop smiling like that. it’s distracting.”
☆ “you make it really hard to stay just friends.”
☆ “why does it feel like a goodbye?”
☆ “you’re blushing.” — “no i’m not.”
☆ “just friends don’t look at each other like that.”
☆ “i missed you. that’s all.”
☆ “you remember the little things. that’s what gets me.”
☆ “tell me to stay. and i will.”
☆ “my hand fits so perfectly in yours. it's like i'm made for you”
☆ “do you want me to leave?” — “no. i want you to stay forever.”
☆ “i think i knew it was you. even back then.” — “then stay.” — “but that's the thing. i don't know if i know you anymore.”
☆ “i don’t know how to stop wanting you.”
☆ “this means something. don’t pretend it doesn’t.”
☆ “you’re not just anyone. you’re you.”
☆ “if we kiss now, everything changes.” — “i know but that's a risk i'm willing to take.”
☆ “i’ve been in love with you since the night we met.”
☆ “tell me it meant nothing. lie if you have to.”
☆ “i was easy to leave, wasn’t i?”
☆ “you don’t get to miss me now. you lost that right when we broke up.”
☆ “say something. anything. please.”
☆ “i loved you. that should’ve been enough.”
☆ “i wish i didn’t remember everything.”
☆ “don’t look at me like you still care.”
☆ “i’m tired of pretending this doesn’t hurt.”
☆ “you said forever. i believed you.”
☆ “if you didn’t mean it, why did you say it?”
☆ “you chose them. you always do.”
☆ “i don’t hate you. i just wish i’d never met you.”
☆ “you let me go like i was nothing.”
☆ “please don’t make this harder than it already is.”
☆ “are you sure? cause whatever this is it doesn’t feel like love.”
☆ “it’s always been you. i just didn’t know how to say it.”
☆ “say that again. i dare you.”
☆ “you really don’t see it, do you?”
☆ “i think i like you. like, like like you.”
☆ “do you always look at people like that?”
☆ “you make it really hard to think straight.”
☆ “oh my god. you’re blushing.”
☆ “this means something. don’t pretend it doesn’t.”
☆ “i should’ve kissed you when i had the chance.”
☆ “you’re not helping. you’re being pretty. it's distracting.”
☆ “you make me nervous in the best way.”
☆ “every time you look at me, i forget what i was saying.”
☆ “just admit it. you like me.”
☆ “if you don’t kiss me right now, i might explode.”
☾ only one bed
☾ mutual pining
☾ fake dating gone real
☾ friends to lovers
☾ strangers to almosts
☾ found family
☾ rivals with tension
☾ the “oh” moment
☾ confessions at 2am
☾ sunshine x grump
☾ forbidden
☾ hurt/comfort
☾ secretly in love
☾ reunion after years
☾ accidental domesticity
☾ slow burn
☾ “just friends” denial
☾ second chances
☾ love letters never sent
☾ childhood friends
☾ exes
☾ soulmates who don’t believe in fate
☾ enemies on the same side
☾ sleep talking confessions
☾ one falling first, the other falling harder
☾ patching up wounds with shaky hands
☾ “who did this to you?”
☾ dancing in the kitchen
☾ jealousy over nothing (but also everything)
☾ late-night phone calls
☾ caught in the rain
☾ almost kissing but someone interrupts
☾ waking up next to them
☾ fixing each other’s tie/collar
☾ taking care of them while they’re sick
So I have an idea for a dhmis au. It follows what game theory said about the car accident and David for the most part, except for one little detail: Yellow Guy is not actually David himself. Instead, he’s his brother.
The premise is that Roy and Lesley were married and had twins, David and Doi (Yellow Guy). Before the accident, the twins were both 6 years old. Harry (Red Guy) and Robin (Duck) were their next-door neighbors, a gay couple who lived in secrecy. They watched over the twins sometimes and formed a bond with them.
But then David died in the car wreck and everything fell apart. Roy sought out the help of dark magic to bring David back to life. Lesley was initially horrified by this because dark magic is banned in this world but then Roy convinced her to use it too, to preserve Doi’s soul and prevent him from ever dying the way his twin did. They make a deal to keep Doi in a happy time loop with all sorts of friendly teachers until they can bring David back and reunite the brothers. But the horrible twist is that there is no bringing David back, not even with dark magic, so the time loop thing is eternal. And Roy and Lesley’s collective trauma always finds a way to seep into the time loop world, turning the happy memories dark and gory. Somehow, Harry and Robin find out about this and Roy kidnaps them essentially, wiping their memories and placing them in the world right along with Doi. And that’s how it becomes the three of them. (Also, the main trio were human, but through magic rituals, their souls were placed in David’s old toys. Roy wants to always have an eye on the three and their world, so he got rid of part of his soul and placed it in his own puppet-sona.)
