Mostly an art blog as well as my main, you might see:
- Art posts, I am trying to get back to it after the worst art block ever (thank you mental health)
- Sometimes random life posts
- If you're looking for my other blogs, check @corrupted-hands-texts (writing) and @starlight-chickens (system things and more regular MH things)
Now who can interact with this blog?
As long as you aren't being an asshole, that you know what consent is and respect it, and you don't come up to me to start discourse over stuff or stances, welcome!
Some sort of not exactly a FAQ under the cut because no-one asked yet lol:
You used plural pronouns somewhere/you said someone else drew it but it has your name on it?
Yeah, that's normal, I'm a system. I share my head with multiple people, and you might be talking with one and the next minute someone else! Also we don't disclose our names on this blog, but if you go on our other blogs you might see names there
What's your stance on "____"?
If you want me to answer to discourse, please head over to @starlight-chickens :]
Do you have any other socials?
I used to, but I kinda gave those up (especially TikTok). My longest running platform has been Discord, but it's not your typical social lol (also no you can't exactly have it unless I see you as a friend/you are a nice moot)
What are your fandoms?
Undertale and Deltarune, Pokémon, Hollow Knight, various Minecraft roleplays, and the Cookie Run franchise (mostly Kingdom and OvenBreak, but I used to play ToA too)
and also a comparison on old VS new design bases for my rat ocs
let's just say that I was a silly little kid when I first made them, and this rendition isn't even accurate because I don't have the sketchbooks with the original designs around (and I kinda fucked the proportions on the left one too, woops)
me? drawing flowers for a friend's birthday because I can't deliver them a bouquet? never. (also first time drawing a flower and somehow it looks good?)
me and my beloved partner. are getting. TOMODACHI LIVE LIVING THE DREAM (pt : Tomodachi Life Living the dream) tomorrow (and I'll be biking to the store yeeheehee)
first watercolour piece of the year (I found like two old watercolour palettes while moving homes and yep this was a good excuse to doodle for a friend)
Derek picked up a banana from the stall, looking it over quickly.
"You should get strawberries instead."
"No," he mumbled back, "they're more expensive. It's not the season yet. And you know that."
"I do. Grab them anyways."
"Fuck you," he uttered back to the presence in his mind as he put a few more bananas in a paper bag within his other hand.
It had been a few months by now. A few months since when it happened. Since when he was supposed to be dead, slumped over his desk as his mind was getting scrambled up and life escaped his lips. A few months since that didn't go as it was planned, by both The King In Yellow and even Derek himself.
He was convinced that he'd be gone, his legacy left in a Google Docs for this Youtuber to find and reveal to the world, Avery included.
He rolled the bag close, dropped it in the shopping cart next to the pack of beers he shouldn't have grabbed earlier.
No, he was very much alive... and so was The King, who now occupied his brain along with him.
"Maybe you should also get apples."
"You really just want to annoy me all the time don't you?" Derek said quietly, tapping the side of his skull.
"Fuck you."
"Fuck you right back."
Really, neither of them knew why it happened. Derek was cursed with infinite knowledge (and permanent migraines), and The King knew as much as his host did. Both of them were basically omniscient, and yet the hows and whys of them sharing a body, surviving and living instead of dying together remained a deep, unsolved mystery.
Derek pushed his cart towards checkout as a wave of nausea washed over him. His vision blurred for a moment, but this was routine now, and he didn't let the struggles show on his face.
"I want chocolate," the disembodied voice of The King rang through his head. "White chocolate."
Derek paused for a bit, steadying himself, waiting for the sickness to soothe down. He pondered for a few seconds as the feelings dried up and decided to let go of his grocery cart to trot to the nearby aisle. He then snickered as he grabbed a bar of dark chocolate.
"White chocolate is barely even chocolate," Derek hummed, satisfied with his taunt.
"Fuck you," The King audibly grimaced.
"I hate you too," he grinned back, walking back to his cart and pushing it to checkout.
~
"So you don't want to go meet him?"
"I already told you," Derek said as he tensed up a little. "I don't trust you with him. I know you would do your best to fuck him over."
He pulled his car over and parked it in front of the apartment complex he – well. they, now – lived in.
It wasn't a great-looking building. It had aged a bit badly, with walls needing a good wash and old manual shutters that could use a paint job. It was an acceptable housing though, and rent wasn't the most expensive in town; so Derek wasn't complaining.
"You're right. But I know you're dying to meet him," the other voice in his mind teased maliciously – but Derek knew it wasn't only that anymore. They both acted as if he didn't notice though.
"He has other things to worry about," the man said flatly, as it was a discussion they had so often that it was almost instinctual to get through it by now. "Like not failing his classes."
"You know he won't fail them."
He turned his car off, unbuckled, and exited the vehicle with his grocery bag in hand.
"I know. And I also know he'll succeed in life. But you won't be in it."
He walked to the door, imputed the code on the pad, entered and climbed the stairs. He lived at the fourth floor, but stairs were a good excuse to build up some stamina. Stamina that he barely had, despite being fit and working a retail job.
Blame the migraines and dizziness for that.
The King stayed silent for a bit, enough for Derek to reach his entrance and close it shut behind him.
He immediately got to work, putting away his groceries where they belonged : bananas on the table to ripen up, various canned veggies in the designated cabinet, beers in the fridge, bar of dark chocolate against the bread board (The King hummed in disapproval, which just made the man smile).
"It's late," The King stated as Derek looked up to the clock that hanged above the kitchen table. "You should go to bed soon."
"So you care about me now?" he grunted audibly as he moved to grab a bottle of smoothie from the fridge and poured its contents in a glass that had been out on the countertop for at least two days.
"I don't. I'd just rather not have to deal with you."
"Well too bad then, cope," Derek said between his teeth as he took his smoothie to the living room and let himself fall on the gaming chair in front of his laptop.
He sighed, rubbed his forehead as he turned the computer on and waited for the password prompt.
"Going to play that damned world again I suppose?"
"What do you think? That I'm just going to look at rat videos I know everything about already?"
"..."
"Yeah. Shut your trap. I need the pain gone for a bit."
As soon as the password was typed in, he was already hastily getting the game opened and on the 'Gates World' as he had renamed it to.
As he spawned in, he was greeted by the giant golden doors, left of the crossroads, as usual. He turned around and walked out of the caves into the mine, then out of the mines onto the surface.
The familiar sights of the blocky amusement park he had built around the area welcomed him, their colors and angles and strange accurateness popping against the blue sky. He threaded down the dirt path, letting his mind ease into the peace that was left behind by the receding headaches.
"I forget that you know everything about building now," the somewhat distant voice of The King resonated in his skull.
Derek paid no mind to it.
He equipped his elytra, jumped and used a rocket, zooming up into the open air. He then glided slowly over the many, many builds he had made in this accursed world that was now his to toy with.
The amusement park was only one of the different areas he had made by himself over the past months. There was a fantasy castle, carved out of a nearby mountain; an upgraded Minecraft village a bit further out; a dried up ocean monument sitting at the bottom of a hole in the sea to his left; and a replica of the Leaning Tower Of Pisa that served as a megabase and held various farms to his right.
He flew slowly over to the tower, landing in through one of the many windows and walking into the designated AFK spot to use his creeper farm. He knew he was running out of gunpowder for his rockets and TNT, and thus intended to stare blankly at the screen for a bit while it ran.
~
It was now three AM. Derek's smoothie was drunk and discarded a long while ago, and he was crooked over the desk, half asleep.
"You always do that," The King suddenly said.
He was only half heard though, barely acknowledged with a quiet, exhausted hum from Derek.
"This is annoying. I'd rather feel all of these migraines non-stop with you than have to deal with you getting yourself in a car accident out of sheer exhaustion."
The man didn't respond.
"... You're so annoying. Get yourself together already."
Derek almost managed a dismissive nod.
"... Don't make me do this."
Nothing from the man, again.
"Okay, fine..."
The King pushed Derek aside. He felt him going unconscious as soon as he took over the controls, and as he got the man's body moving up and off the chair, he felt the radiating migraine start to come back.
The King, as clumsily as usual, left the living room to wobble into the bedroom. He didn't care to undress Derek's body, and just slid under the blanket.
"I hate you," he mumbled in the dark, before relinquishing the controls and almost instantly falling asleep.
~
He was seated in his car, in the parking lot that laid by the communal park, looking through the window.
His eyes were locked in on the skating rink, the one he knew a certain student would show up at today.
"So you're letting me near him now?"
"No. I'm not exiting this car."
"Fuck you."
Derek didn't answer, as he noticed the young man walking into his field of view with his skateboard under his arm.
"Why did you even come here anyways? You know he's doing fine."
Derek remained focused, as the student dropped his skateboard under his feet and engaged into the course.
He was good at it. Grind after grind, air tricks after ollies, sometimes stopping to look at his peers performing increasingly more complicated techniques.
"You really want to go out to him and have a chat like these other skaters do."
Derek tapped the side of his skull.
"I won't," he snarled quietly. "I shouldn't even be here."
He twisted the key into its slot, igniting the car with the intent of leaving as soon as possible, but the radio hummed to life before he could.
Rêve Lucide started playing out loud.
Derek froze, glanced at his phone plugged in into the vehicle's audio system.
Why was it playing? And why this song specifically?
Oh, right. He had put his playlist on earlier. On random. That was it.
Although it did remind him of... This fated night. When it was playing as he felt himself loose his life, his sanity, to The King entering his mind. When it was playing as he wrote his goodbye letter to Avery. When he laid down in front of the keyboard, convinced he was going to die... and when he woke up the next morning, cursed with sharing his life with an eldrich creature who now took half of his processing power.
He backed out of the parking slot and drove to the exit, looking at the young man he saved from death, a few months ago, in the rearview mirror.
~
"You're annoyed."
"Of course ma'am. I can help you get that."
Derek walked out of behind the counter, and gestured for his client to follow along.
"Shut it," he thought really loudly.
"You hate this job," The King thought back.
"You tell me that every day, it's not exactly a secret."
"You should quit."
Derek checked that his client was still behind him with an agreeable smile, as they started climbing stairs to the upper floor of the clothing store. They navigated the aisles, eventually ending up in front of the women's pants section.
"Here we are, ma'am."
"Thank you, dear," she replied as she walked in the department and disappeared behind hanged clothes.
"Why don't you quit?"
"Because I need a job," Derek seethed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but life costs money."
"You can literally do anything else!"
"People won't accept 'Eldrich knowledge on the subject' as experience on a resume."
"...True."
"And you know they won't be inclined to accept a clothing designer who's appeared from nowhere and has no portfolio or training to back them up."
Derek pivoted and started to walk back to his cash register downstairs.
"I have clients to think about instead of talking to you, so shut up."
~
The nausea came back, flowing into him, and he almost lost his balance. He bended over, resting his hands on the edge of the sink and trying not to throw up for the second time today. No, he had already his breakfast forcefully come out of him. He wouldn't let the lunch he just had do the same.
Once the dizziness was soothed enough, he resumed doing his dishes, a sigh finding its way out of his mouth.
"Derek."
"What?" He uttered, annoyed.
"Take a break."
Derek stopped, stunned.
"What?" He said again after a somewhat long silence. "Take a break?"
"You're doing worse than usual. It's Sunday. You don't have anything planned today. So you can afford a break, and you should take one."
"Since when are you... thinking this way?"
"Don't ask. Go sit."
Derek stayed still for a while.
"Don't make me do it for you."
"Sorry? What?"
"You're annoying."
The King suddenly pushed Derek to the side and took control of his body.
Derek was too flabbergasted to even process what was happening, and soon enough he was sitting on the sofa in the living room. He was then handed back control as fast as it was taken from him.
"'Thank you, Ô King In Yellow, for making sure I don't die of being ill' or something. You're welcome."
The man stayed put for a long while after that.
~
"King."
"Mm?"
It was the morning. He laid in bed, knowing it was a bit too late to get up and have breakfast so he'd be hungry enough for lunch. So he stayed where he was, comfortably tucked under the blanket, and stared at the ceiling that he knew every imperfection of.
"You can take control. How did I not know that?"
"Probably the same thing that made you unaware that we'd survive your fucking trick. Or a twist of fate. I don't know."
"How long have you been aware of that?"
"Hmm. I think I discovered that about two weeks in this predicament."
"And you didn't tell me."
"Well," The King mused, "maybe you didn't need to know. I was fine with you being unaware I was taking you to bed almost every night."
"So that's why I don't remember it..."
Derek tapped the side of his skull.
"I guess you didn't want me to know you care."
"I don't."
"I don't care about you either."
They sat in the safety of bed, fully aware that neither of them bought the lies they told each-other.
~
"You decided to take control to cook a burger? Is that what it is?"
The King was in front of the stove, watching over the patty getting seared in the pan, 'his' hand gripped on the handle while he pressed the meat down with a spatula.
"Yes. This is exactly what it is."
"Why?"
He just hummed through Derek's mouth, picking up the patty and putting it on top of the already sauced up bottom bun. He then added the cheese on top, accompanied by two slices of tomato and lettuce. He finished up his dish with the top bun and a pick to hold it together.
"Alright. I don't want to fumble and spill this on the floor, so."
The King gave control back to Derek, who looked down at his hands for a bit before picking up the plate and taking it to the kitchen table.
"Do I eat that?"
"What, do you want me to eat it?" The King said back, sounding offended.
"Alright, alright."
They both knew this was playful bickering, but neither would admit it.
Derek poked at the burger and looked it over.
"You did a pretty good job for a first attempt."
"You forget that I also have infinite knowledge," he replied back casually.
"Knowledge doesn't equate experience.'
"True. Now eat it before it's cold."
Derek hummed, tapped the side of his skull, then grabbed the burger and bit into it eagerly.
"Thish tashtesh nice."
"Of course it does. Now stop talking with your mouth full and eat."
~
The day was nice. Late spring air, blue sky, a slightly warm breeze that softly moved the branches above the bench he was sitting on. He relished in the scents of the flowers drifting by him, thoroughly enjoying the gentleness of the world.
In front of him was the skatepark. Kids were already there this morning, under the watch of their careful parents, doing simple tricks and chatting away innocently.
"Derek."
"You better not take over when he arrives."
"I won't," The King said. "I have no reason to. Not anymore, that is."
Derek didn't answer. He looked straight ahead, most of his focus dedicated to staring at the park's gate.
"I think even if I wanted to take over, you wouldn't let me."
"You're right, I wouldn't allow you to."
Someone walked past the gate, a skateboard under his arm, threaded down the path to the rink.
Derek stood up, walked around the park quickly, and intercepted the student as he got close.
"Hey."
"Uh, hello, who are you?"
"Avery, right? I'm Derek."
~
"Maybe we started as enemies. But now, I guess we're more than that."
you can see the atmosphere. that halo around the edge, that's my air. the green on the upper right is my aurora borealis. those are my clouds, my sunlight.
and its yours! this is your home. this is the home of everyone you ever heard of and everyone you will ever meet. every animal you've been curious about. every plant you've ever picked, and sniffed. its mine and its yours and its theirs. everything is here. its all that i have. its all that you have too.
