A lot of people have asked if I have a masterpost, and I did not, so I decided to finally make one before things got even more out of hand lol
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Collabs:
Through the Cracks (of Time and Space) - (a collab with @borrowedtimeandspace that blends my borrower AU with her BTaS universe— 25/25 chapters posted)
Multi-part stories:
New Perspectives - 1 / 2 / 3 / (what if?) - (Borrower Oliver and James switch sizes)
James Finds a Child - 1 / 2 - (James finds a borrower child and Oliver isn't there to help)
Failed Meeting - 1 / 2 - (James meets borrower Sammy for the first time)
Romantic and Hopeless - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 - (Oscar and borrower Sammy are soulmates. A story based on @tinyundercover's soulmate mechanics from their story 'Pepper and Felix' (except it's 18, not 21))
Oliver's Daycare - 1 / 2 - (Borrower Oliver finds a human toddler crying alone and decides to entertain her until her parents return)
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One-part stories:
Friends in High Places - (James and borrower Oliver meet for the first time)
Stay a Little Longer - (Semi-continuation of 'Friends in High Places'. James and borrower Oliver bond more)
Doesn't Change a Thing - (Size-shifter James is assured by Oliver that this doesn't change their friendship)
Soggy Cereal - (Oliver meets borrower James when he falls into his bowl of cereal)
Crow Army - (Borrower Oliver shows James his army of crows)
Injured - (James has to help an injured borrower Oliver) + bonus
Disaster Strikes - (Freddie meets his best friend's crush for the first time! Wait why is she so small?)
First Time - (James lets borrower Oliver drink some alcohol, not realising the borrower has never drank before)
Something's Off - (Oliver is reunited with Tanner! But this version of his cousin is a borrower..?)
Oliver Finds a Child - (Oliver finds a borrower child whilst working and helps them get home safe and sound)
Accidents Made in Anger - (James is angry and borrower Oliver tries to comfort him, but gets hurt by James in the process)
A Whole New World (literally) - (Borrower Sammy and Oliver find themselves magically transported into the forest of a ferocious dryad named Jamai...but perhaps he's more gentle than he appears?)
Jarred - (Oliver gets frustrated over borrower James's stunts and decides to put him in a jar)
Herbicide - (Ren is injured by an angel and Jamai takes care of her)
Movie Night - (Borrower James accidentally drops in on Oliver whilst the human is watching TV)
Pixie In Need - (Jamai finding an injured pixie)
A Helping Hand - (Cody, literally larger than life, checks on Earth and the humans living there)
Under His Eye - (Ryker after having just kidnapped Sammy and Tanner is suddenly greeted by a giant eye in the sky)
Under His Eye (what if?) - (An alternate ending to Under His Eye in which Ryker is recognised by Cody)
Silent But Friendly - (Kid Oliver finds kid borrower James in a tub of oats and tries to befriend him)
Fear and Familiarity - (Ferrin and Rhys meet in dire circumstances for the first time. But something feels familiar...)
Lily in Wonderland - (A human ends up shrunk in Iavoros, but luckily Cody and Jael are here to help)
So as it turns out a large reason I am struggling so much with writing and drawing is because I've been suffering from long term oxygen deprivation to my brain
Not sure when this will be fixed, I'm trying to get help, but I'm hoping if I can get a diagnosis and access a cpap machine I will feel less dead because as it stands I am starting to struggle with basic functioning, seeing, processing, and speaking (not severely, but noticeably)
Here's Ryker's true form redesign too— in ref form because I've finally started doing that lol
I know it's a big change, but I definitely prefer it. His human-looking form has also changed because I thought he looked too basic and wanted him to stand out a little more considering how integral he is to the overall plot of like...everything.
Within the continent of Xyth, there is a race of bird people called Cirkur. They have wings based on varying bird species and had many settlements across Xyth, most of which were taken over during Gahenn’s expansion. They were known primarily for their hospitality and the aid they gave to other villages even if those villages were not their own.
Although sizes and builds are quite varied, they are typically 7-8 feet tall, with great, powerful wingspans. They also have sharp talon like nails.
This fantasy race is very loosely based on parts of Ainu culture. Primarily this is just through clothing, appearance, and some words, but I am avoiding using anything ceremonial or sacred. Cirkur is made up of the words for bird (Cir) and person (Kur), but is not a race tied to any real Ainu folklore.
Kerai, previously called Jamai, is now half Cirkur instead of being half Xiather. I chose to make this change because previously Kerai was just a whole mix of things I thought looked and sounded cool. His previous name wasn’t even a real name. His name now is a shortened version of his full given name.
I decided for the ancient forests — like the one Kerai now protects — to be based loosely on Ainu culture, and as a result I felt it was weird to have Kerai be so separate from it. Having a chinese/wasian character be portrayed as a kamuy and protecting the ancient forest felt wrong, so although his backstory is unchanged I made the Cirkur to fix that issue.
He now wears a wooden mask carved from walnut to look like a fox. This is to show his connection to the Kimotpe-kamuy. I also changed his horn shape because I just thought the silhouette looks better. His design has a lot of shapes like moreu, sik, and ayusi (as well as simple geometric shapes), both on his mask, his clothes, and as markings on his jaw. His wings are based on the blakiston’s fish owl.
Here is his new design:
The ancient forest of Gortoa is now called the ancient forest of Aurum, although this name was given by Gahenn and was not its original name. Keisho lake is now Lake Opes, also named by Gahenn. Aurum used to be part of Xyth, but became part of Gahenn during the expansion.
Ren and Koten have also been changed. Ren is now Ram (a shortened name), and Koten is Ekari (a shortened name). Ekari is a Kimotpe-kamuy, not a Kitsune. He is one of the last remaining Kamuy, and although fox spirits are not usually guardians, Ekari did take up that mantle after the bear spirits (Shiuk-kamuy), owl spirits (Cikap-kamuy), and wolf spirits (Horkew-kamuy) were wiped out from Aurum. These Kamuy still exist, but they exist within the remaining ancient forests in Xyth, since Aurum is the last ancient forest left in Gahenn.
Although there are Kamuy in this world-building, not everything is a kamuy like the Ainu belief. Everything is full of energy and arcana, and when enough magic is built up within an ancient forest a Nitay-kor-kamuy takes form. This is what Ram is.
It’s the same story as before with how Kerai came to be the guardian of Aurum. He was found dying by Ram and Ekari at the edge of the forest. Ram saw potential in him and so she enmeshed their souls together, making him into a Nitay-kor-kamuy. Since only one can exist at a time, she lost all of her abilities but she retained her form and acted as an older sister to Kerai. Ekari was against this idea because he didn’t like the idea of bringing in an outsider.
Kerai was reborn, dying before being created anew. Ekari had to look after him as he had reverted back to being a baby, and as he got older and began to learn how to control his powers more he was given the name Keraiwor-ni by Ram and Ekari. Kerai grew into a powerful guardian of the ancient forest.
I will be redesigning Ram too but her design will mostly be the same. She is still based on a fantasy flower, not a real one.
Suiren also had her name changed since she was the previous Nitay-kor-kamuy before Ram and Kerai. Her name is now Nisi (shortened).
Note: Idk why I've avoided it for so long, but I'm finally tossing this into the plain ol Doctor Who tag to see how it goes
┌────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐
Zepheera's stomach clenched, drawing her out of her deep sleep. Not a new feeling, but hardly a pleasant one to wake up to.
Before she could blink any sand from her eyes, she was immediately struck by the brightness of the world. She buried her face in her pack until the light seared behind her eyelids began to dim, and recalled blearily that she wasn't underground or in the walls. The rafter she'd slept on wasn't far from the window overlooking the kitchen that had no curtains to keep out the early morning sun.
Sitting up, Zepheera gave a silent yawn and quickly realized she was salivating. It didn't take more than one sweet breath to realize why.
She found herself peering over the edge of the rafter, squinting down at the common area of the human flat below. Almost directly underneath her, the Doctor and Martha were sitting at the granite island eating their breakfast. Zepheera couldn't see much from her perch besides the tops of their heads, and the way the Doctor leaned over the countertop blocked any view of what exactly smelled so heavenly.
“Goin’ out again?” Martha spoke up, making Zepheera flinch back from the edge of the rafter. It hit her belatedly that she hadn't been spotted, that Martha and the Doctor were probably mid-conversation when she woke up. She bit back a huff, frustrated with her damn empty stomach for making her lose all sense of self-preservation.
Slowly, she leaned over to look down more carefully, just in time to watch the Doctor’s head nod. “Yep. Can't risk missing Billy when he shows up, best to get to him straightaway and explain things if we can.”
Though Zepheera did her best to pay attention, since it was pertinent to know what the humans were going to be up to for the day, her gaze slid almost magnetically toward the kitchen counter. Whoever had cooked breakfast left quite a bit behind. A cheap cutting mat held a small pile of chopped nuts, roughly a third of a banana’s worth of thin slices, and a stirring spoon that was still half-full of what looked like porridge or oatmeal.
Pickings had been scarce for a while back in 2007, which had led to the borrower searching for food above ground. A desperate task that brought her to the alleyway with the Weeping Angel, and ultimately left Zepheera with no food in her pack or stomach now.
A stool scraping against the floor below forced Zepheera to tear her gaze away and follow the humans going about their morning. Martha sighed as she got up and stepped around the island to begin rinsing out her used bowl and spoon in the sink.
“Well, you know where to find me if he does,” she muttered just loud enough to be heard over the rushing water. “At my job. In a shop.”
Grumpy as Martha was about that, Zepheera perked up a bit to hear it. They were both leaving the flat, and probably soon. The thought that she might have a potentially narrowing window to snag some of the scraps of their breakfast sent a jolt through her entire body, and she retreated to the middle of the rafter beam. Zepheera did her best to follow the conversation carrying on while she gathered her climbing equipment and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Shutting the water off, Martha piped up in a lighter tone than before as though a thought just occurred to her. “Oh, that reminds me, should be getting paid today! I'll stop for groceries on the way back.”
“Ooh, pick up a bit of bacon?” the Doctor requested eagerly.
“Yeah, that'll go with the eggs. Y'know, since we're down a full carton–”
“I said I was sorry! And fixed the fridge…”
Martha gave a small huff, though it sounded more resigned than exasperated. “I know. It's just…getting to me, being here so long.”
“You're telling me…” the Doctor murmured in agreement.
By then, Zepheera had made it to the end of the rafter that hung over the kitchen counter. From there she could watch Martha cross the room and disappear down the hall in her peripheral vision, off to get ready for the day. Zepheera had to lean over the edge to peek down at the Doctor, who she could see a bit more clearly at this new angle. Without Martha to talk to, he seemed content to sit with his thoughts and pick at his own half-finished bowl.
‘Oh, get on with it already!’ she urged him in her head. She'd popped open her safety-pin grapple and was ready to drop down the moment the room was empty.
Then her stomach growled, a hollow cry that should not have been so loud.
Any hope that the Doctor might not have heard it fled as he paused mid-bite. Zepheera all but flattened herself to the middle of the rafter and held her breath, anticipating him looking around for the source of the sound.
But he didn't…at least, it didn't sound like it. Zepheera heard nothing, not the slightest rustle of fabric or creaking of hardwood, to indicate that he'd moved a muscle even to crane his neck in search of whatever he thought he heard. Silence for the longest of moments, then the quick scraping of a bowl. The clatter in the sink shortly after gave Zepheera the impression that he'd polished off his breakfast. Hastily retreating footsteps confirmed the theory.
Risking another peek, Zepheera watched the Doctor and Martha nearly collide trying to pass each other on the way in and out of the hall respectively. Martha had changed into what must have been her shop uniform, a patterned dress with colors so bold it made Zepheera's eyes hurt to look at directly. She threw on a coat and gave the Doctor a small wave as he passed by.
“See ya later, then!” she called out even as he rushed down the hall.
From further in the flat, water began to rush out of a faucet as the Doctor replied, “Go be brilliant, Martha Jones!”
Zepheera might have caught sight of the smallest smile tugging at the corner of Martha's lip, but she was too focused on timing her next move. The moment the door closed, she jumped into action. Her hook latched onto the very edge of the rafter and she swiftly rappelled down to the countertop. She had just enough clarity of mind to shake her line free and wind it back up before she approached the cutting mat.
The plan was to pack up what she could and make herself scarce, find someplace hidden to enjoy her meal before the Doctor returned. All that went out the window the moment the food was in Zepheera's reach.
A good handful of chopped walnuts were inhaled right there and then. When she came up for breath, Zepheera couldn't contain a sigh of relief to feel something moving towards her stomach at last. Her eyes quickly landed on the sweeter things within her reach– the things that wouldn't stay fresh– and managed to pause long enough to bring out a small rag and wipe dust from her hands.
In for a penny…
Dignity was not a factor as Zepheera scooped up a blob of soft, still ever-so-slightly warm cooked oats from the stirring spoon and chowed down. It took all her restraint to keep from licking her fingers completely clean before she turned to top it all off with a healthy handful of banana, properly refreshing her for the first time in ages.
Individually, all these things might have filled her up enough to get through the day, maybe decently into the next. The bliss that permeated Zepheera from being able to combine them all in one sitting was indescribable, and she found herself quite lost in it as she rotated between each once more.
As the hunger subsided, Zepheera came to her senses little by little. Then it hit her, right as she swallowed down her latest mouthful of banana, that she'd forgotten to keep track of something important.
The Doctor was still at home. And the water was no longer running in the bathroom faucet.
The rumbling of footsteps started up again. Zepheera hastily tossed her rag over her messy hand, prioritizing escape over hygiene in that moment. She'd barely scrambled a few paces back from the mat when the Doctor marched back into the room.
Warm brown eyes fell on her almost immediately, almost as though he'd expected Zepheera's appearance. She froze, slightly shaken by the sudden thought that he must have left the food out on purpose.
“Ah, there you are!” he greeted cheerily, confirming her hunch.
Rather than approach, however, he almost immediately turned his back on Zepheera to go collect his weird device from the far end of the room. She blinked out of her deer-in-headlights state, utterly thrown for a loop by the way he barely glanced at her again until he'd thrown on his long coat and started toward the door.
The Doctor flashed her a smile and said, “Help yourself to all that, Martha and I had ours already. I'll be back in a few hours. Well…several, probably. Definitely home for supper, which you're also welcome to join. Bye, now!” Then, after making it halfway out the door, he leaned back inside as a thought suddenly occurred. “Actually, sorry, didn't even ask. Did you want to come along?”
“No!”
Zepheera's adamant response made the Doctor’s brow jump up, and she stiffened in place. She'd gotten lucky that the humans she was stuck with seemed non-hostile. Being civil with them was the least she could do. So she cupped her hands around her mouth and forced out an only slightly shaky, “No- no, thanks!”
The Doctor’s expression softened as he nodded. “Alright, don't strain yourself, I can hear you just fine from here. Right then, suit yourself!”
With another shining smile and a wave goodbye, the door shut behind him and Zepheera was left alone to process all of that.
She let out a long, slow breath to release the remaining anxiety from the brief thought that her blind hunger led her into a trap. Being so small in a world made for people much, much bigger than her made it hard to expect anything less than the worst at any given moment.
Making a spoken agreement with the Doctor and Martha was one thing. Actually being treated like their equal was just…novel. Zepheera had no clue what to make of it.
“Take it slow,” she decided under her breath. It had only been one night, but so far their bargain held up. Time would tell if they would continue the current trend of being kind in a way that maintained Zepheera's boundaries. In the meantime, she was still free to keep her distance and take care of herself without interference.
Well… Her gaze lowered to the piles of food at her feet. An offering from the Doctor, but one that she was under no obligation or pressure to take. She supposed she could make an exception for this.
With a resigned sigh, Zepheera finally started to clean off her messy, now slightly sticky hand with her rag. She decided that, once she was done packing up more of those walnuts, she might take a trip to that washroom down the hall to clean up. It had been a while since she'd had such a chance, and maybe it'd give her a chance to properly calm down.
Then she could have a go at exploring more of her new environment, now that she finally had the place to herself.
I am planning on participating in G/t July...kind of. Rather than trying to keep up with the daily list, I'm just going to fill the prompts I have solid ideas/half-finished WIPs for and use it as motivation to finish them. I have about 10 prompts to fill, and I feel like that's attainable based on the way past G/t Julys have gone.
Anyway, I've got a new chapter of The Time that Binds coming up that's unrelated to that, and we'll see where we go this month!
I did not realise that changing my name would destroy every single link in my masterpost and in the posts themselves but that's finally fixed now hehe
I may delete some g/t ish stories when they're set within the canon, but rest assured those will be reposted again. Pretty much all the stories left up in the masterpost will be left up on this account
Alright the new blog has been made and is @t3a-tan whilst this blog has been appropriately named gt3a-tan. I'm gonna be cleansing some of my posts, deleting the non g/t stories and shifting them over to the new account slowly but surely
I'll still post here, but it will be g/t content: specifically the borrower au stuff ^^
Honestly y'all I've made so many changes over the past year whilst not posting and I'm tempted to just make a new tumblr account focused primarily on non g/t content and instead on just my comic and the process of me planning it out and world building
Plus it's an opportunity to focus on a new audience since I've attracted mostly g/t folk, which is fine, but means most people following me are not interested in the non g/t stuff which is....most of what i do.
Why did you decide to give your characters Pakistani roots do you have have Pakistani roots yourself too I guess you don't need a reason but still I'm just curious as a Pakistani myself we don't get a lot of representation 🥲 also loving there new name they are so classy
I'm not Pakistani myself, I'm actually white (sorry 😔), but I grew up in an area that is predominantly Asian and Muslim. My school was also like that, so a lot of my friends growing up were Pakistani themselves.
I think that's why they ended up like that in my head when I was younger, since it was just what I saw a lot and gravitated towards since I found the parts of the culture I was shown and included in to be really cool.
When I was younger Sammy and Tanner existed pretty casually. I knew they were supposed to be Pakistani, but I didn't really think of portraying that because accurate portrayal didn't mean much to me at the time (since I was 10). Then as I've gotten older and seen the lack of representation and understood a lot more about the world and why accurate representation means so much to people it just became more and more important for me to do that myself.
I volunteer in schools and as an art mentor, so I've also seen how happy it makes a lot of young people seeing themselves represented firsthand.
Their parents are Charlie Rosa-Qureshi and Haris Rosa-Qureshi
Oliver is now Yusuf Qureshi
Abigail is now Maryam Qureshi
Their parents are Zubeda Siddiqui and Zakariya Qureshi
In the borrower AU their surnames will stay as Button and Oakwood respectively.
Sorry for changing things up so late, but it's been nagging me for a while— if anyone has any criticisms of the names or opinions then send me a message or an ask!
I'm thinking of changing Sammy, Tanner, and Oliver's names to be more reflective of their Pakistani heritage. I came up with their original names when I was 10 soooo I think they're due for it
The ideas are:
Sammy = Samiah (Sami)
Tanner = Tariq
Oliver = Yusuf or Idris
Their surnames (not in the borrower au) would be Rosa-Qureshi for Samiah and Tariq and Qureshi for whichever name Oliver is changed to.
every time i listen to ‘trolley problem’ by cricket! (exclamation mark included in his name) i think of ryker. am i crazy or based.
I can kind of see it, although only slightly ^^"
Songs I associate with Ryker are:
Placing the Blame - sELF (this one is definitely number one)
House - Charli xcx ft. John Cale (I know it gog turned into a meme song but it's peak, and I can imagine it as a conversation between him and Sammy through his notebooks)
