#<3333 thank you!!!

[sweet-star-cookie]

gimme everything you got about the voidlands!! (without spoilers obv) what kinds of spirits are in the voidlands? how do you get there? what does scorpio do down there? etc. etc.

Ohohoho :D -rubs my hands together- The concept for the Voidlands was a relatively recent addition compared to some of the others for this project, but I'm quite proud of it already so I hope you enjoy :D

The first thing to note about the Voidlands, and how the spirit corruption/restoration cycle works in general, is that it's not always consistent. As in, the level of corruption or restoration can differ per spirit or per encounter, and there are several factors that can determine the outcome either way. Spirits who have been corrupted for longer can often be harder to heal and take on larger and more aggressive forms that are more difficult to fight or calm down. They are also much closer to burning out permanently or, even worse, going supernova and creating a black hole in their wake instead. Spirits who possess more Light magic overall are less prone to being corrupted through exposure to Void magic, or at the very least can fight it off or survive damage from it for longer than others if they end up in the Voidlands itself.

The one exception to this is Scorpio, as while he has a very limited amount of Light magic compared to the others, he uses what little he does have to defend himself from attacks down there. His inherent connection to Void magic makes him far more resistant to it overall. This did not come without significant amounts of training though, and entities within the Voidlands still pose a great threat to him, which is part of why he's armed with such a large amount of weaponry and why he needed a shield initially.

Not all spirits that are rescued are able to return to the Astral Plane right away, and may end up back in the Voidlands or fall down to Earth again. As mentioned before, the Voidlands exist between the Astral Plane and Earth's atmosphere, so rescued spirits still have to travel through it in some way to get back safely, and require a certain amount of Light magic to do that. It's essentially the reverse of the corruption cycle, where spirits are corrupted by enough Void magic to fall through to the Voidlands and down to Earth, though some don't have enough Light magic remaining to make it all the way and succumb to the corruption entirely, burning out as a result.

Even Cassie herself appears in the Voidlands pretty often when travelling between the worlds, especially at the beginning when her own Light magic and that of Flicker/the zodiac portal is still at a small power level. This is how she first meets Scorpio, actually, as the initial activation of the zodiac portal wasn't powerful enough to send her further up yet. Even when she is sufficiently powerful though, for some reason she seems to end up near Scorpio more often than not.

This discrepancy in power can place otherwise restored spirits right back into the Voidlands, and learning this is one of the reasons why Cassie trains so hard to hone her magic so that it doesn't keep happening. In other words, when she saves them she wants them to stay saved! When a spirit is successfully rescued, they return to whatever their home is or some other place that is of importance to them. Some are also drawn to whatever group of spirits they commonly associate with, if any. For example, if Pavo were corrupted and rescued, he would likely reappear near the spirits of the other members of his group, The Southern Birds (Tucana, Phoenix and Grus).

However, as the destruction of the Astral Plane continues, some of the spirits' homes do not survive, and the remnants of them will often fall into the Voidlands. If a particular spirit's home is destroyed and/or they don't have any remaining ties with other spirits, they can reappear in the Voidlands where their home used to be instead. Draco is one example of this, where he kept reappearing where his apple tree used to be, and he ended up corrupting and returning to Earth repeatedly as a result.

While any spirit can fall into the Voidlands or venture into it willingly, the astral seas pose an additional threat. Unlike the land-based paths or holes that lead into the Voidlands otherwise, the "safe zone" in water is not as clearly defined, so the dangers of the depths can be a lot closer to the surface than you think! Pisces and many of the other constellations based on sea life have experience with this, and this is primarily why Pisces shares her water magic with them. This allows them to "breathe" outside of water and generally live on land to lessen their risk compared to living only in the sea.

One entity that appears all across the Voidlands is, well, someone's hands! Several of them, in fact, appearing equally as wispy and shadowy as anything else down there, but no one can determine who they belong to or where exactly they're coming from.

The only hints seem to be that they are constantly and desperately reaching out for something, and are attracted to Light magic and the Starglass like the other corrupted spirits. Well, that and a voice that only Cassie (and Ophiuchus) can hear. It's one she has heard before, but doesn't recognize. Whatever sentences she can make out are always calling out for a "little star". The deeper into the Voidlands, the louder the voice seems to be. Curiously, this voice can also be heard coming from the inside of black holes. The bigger the black hole, the louder the voice.

When the hands do appear, they will grab onto anything possessing Light magic and pull them deeper in, which is part of why the Voidlands are so dangerous. The deeper in, the darker it is. Sometimes these hands, or more commonly the spirits that have been corrupted in general, crawl out of the various chasms and cracks that have formed over time. Corrupted beings of any kind will hunt after Light magic, and Cassie is targeted the most because of that and the Starglass itself, similar to how the spirits on Earth are naturally drawn to it. The more combat-oriented constellations (Cancer, Sagittarius, etc.) spend a lot of their time fending off these creatures from reaching the surface. It should be noted that even the Sun and Moon spirits themselves fear the Voidlands, though the extent of which is less clear.

Now you may be wondering, why don't they heal them instead of just fending them off? Well they certainly try like they would normally, and depending on the situation they can be successful if the spirit was just returned to the Astral Plane or otherwise isn't too far gone. Scorpio often encounters these during his excursions into the Voidlands, but isn't always able to save them. At first, he gives the impression that he doesn't care to save them, but in reality it's because of his limited Light magic that he'd otherwise need to survive himself. Though he'd be hard pressed to admit it, he feels guilt for those he cannot save. Once Cassie realizes this, she and him team up a lot more so she can help using her own Light magic, whether he wants her to or not. An additional problem comes from constellations of inanimate objects. Since they don't possess any kind of sapience/sentience, these tend to stay stuck in the Voidlands if they fall into it rather than falling to Earth. In addition to preserving the memories of past incarnations, one of the reasons that these kinds of objects on the Astral Plane are kept safe is so that they don't get corrupted or destroyed, or to stop anyone with malicious intent from trying to use/wield that object in its corrupted state. Sometimes objects that aren't officially parts of constellations but are still made of stardust and light energy like the rest (like, say, the weapons in Sagittarius's forge) can still succumb to this. Nothing's worse than encountering an already dangerous being in the Voidlands, only for it to pick up a sword on the ground and start slashing!

This idea escalates when Cassie and Scorpio encounter beings that were once inanimate objects, but seem to have been given artificial life as well somehow. One example of these is Horologium (the clock), and another being Fornax (the furnace), to name two. I currently only have a very rough design for the former at the moment though, sorry ^^'

Once the astral clock in the Solunar Spire, Horologium was destroyed during the rather explosive disappearance of Solaris, the Sun spirit. Without Solaris, the earth and fire signs don't have their elemental magic, and thus the earth signs can't use that magic to repair the damage to the Astral Plane's landscape and buildings.

Since the "life" it has is artificial, Horologium can't really be rescued like the others, and thus must be destroyed or at least kept at bay. This is a lot easier said than done though, as this and many of the other beings in the Voidlands are massive in size and a lot harder to kill as a result.

Though Scorpio does much to keep creatures like these at bay anyway, that's not actually his main "job" while down there. At least, not entirely. One thing he is tasked with doing is gathering Star Fragments, glass-like remnants of dead constellations. This serves the dual purpose of preserving what remains of the dead, but also confirms who actually is dead as opposed to merely lost. These fragments are taken to Aranea to turn them into stained glass portraits for the mausoleum. It is unclear if they can be corrupted as well, but they seem to react to Light magic and glow when near it. The fragments can also move on their own after lighting up. Cassie finds some of these on Earth as well, indicating that some of the corrupted spirits did not make the descent.

But as you might have guessed, the biggest confirmation that everyone is looking for is whether or not Ophiuchus is truly dead, which is why Libra and others insist on the urgency of these excursions. Scorpio has his own reasons for looking for his former mentor though, so doing this "job" is more of a means to an end. As mentioned above, his ability to withstand being in the Voidlands is what makes him one of the few to be able to do it at all, but it's also to make up for his connection to the Voidlands in the first place. Though he did not create it, his arrival was the catalyst for it opening up so much, and that has had quite the ripple effect. Everyone is still reeling from that effect over the course of the main story, but luckily some do eventually see that Scorpio was wrongly blamed for something that was largely out of his control.

[momoiro-hime]

Barbie The Movie | Do NOT repost or use without permission.  

[erwinsvow]

Do you think rafe would wear necklace with his girl’s initial?? Like his girl bought it as a present and i’m curious on how rafe would react 😃

"so what i'm hearin' is you got me somethin' with my own money?" rafe asks, looking down at the neatly wrapped box, a pretty white ribbon looped around it. your fingers play with the satin bow, anxious for rafe to open it.

"rafe!" you start with a whine but stop yourself. "it's the thought that counts, okay?" he laughs, taking the gift from your hands.

"sure, kid. whatever you say." he undoes the bow, setting it aside since he knows you'll want to keep it. the wrapping paper gets ripped up and off, while you protest that it could have been reused. he opens the box, looking down at a thin silver chain. there's a little pendant hanging down, the shape of your initial.

he looks up from the chain at you, waiting for his response with big eyes and parted lips. you're playing with your R necklace, the way you always do when you're nervous.

"d-do you like it? i thought we could match," you say quietly, biting you lower lip in anticipation.

"yeah?" he questions, taking the jewelry out of the box and into his hand, feeling the weight of it in his palm.

"only if you like it. you don't have to wear it, i just-"

"just what?" he looks you right in the eyes, wanting your real answer, not just you bouncing around his question from nerves.

"i just wanted to make sure everyone knows you're mine." you lip stings from where you're biting down, rafe look into your eyes.

he opens his arms, and you crawl into his lap, taking the chain from his palm and putting it around his neck, clipping it into place. you smile, pressing a kiss to rafe's cheek, his hands tight on your waist.

"got that right, kid."

[wasyago]

Wamchurs? 🥺 giggling wamchurs?

hugs <:3

was having a bad day but then remembered i can draw happy ranchers instead of being sad. genuinely helped! so thank you hybby <3

[erabu-san]

Imitate

Bonus Tighnari's POV :

[teddybeartoji]

mating press with toji but he can't keep still, he'ss fucking u so hard that your still managing to get pushed up higher on the bed and he just chases you up the mattress until ur cornered on the headboard and he's just growling, telling u to stop running away from him even tho you arent !!!

PLEAAAAAAASEEEEEE🥴🥴🥴🥴 HE'S SOOO DEEP INSIDE YOU AND HE'S SOOSO HEAVY ON TOP OF YOU IT'S SO FUCKING OVERWHELMING AND IT JUST FEELS SO FUCKING GOOD THAT IT HAS YOU SOBBINGG

you're both covered in sweat and it's all soooosoo messy like the slick sounds that come every time he slams his hips into yours are just fucking filthy. and you are trying to back off a little, just a little because you can't even breathe properly but then he's there. still right on top of you, his big thighs pressing down against yours while his one hand supports his upper body and his other goes to cradle your neck. and then he presses his forehead to yours, his dark eyes glued to your teary ones. you're not going anywhere now. he's got you locked in this delicious position and it's enough to push you over the edge again. so you're crying out under him, your body twitching so hard bc it's just too fucking much that you feel like you're almost gonna pass out.

but he fucks you through it, his raspy voice praising you – telling you how good you are for him and how good you feel. telling you that he loves you. as he cums, he pushes his hips into yours one last time and then he stays there, pressing sloppy kisses all over your face bc he just needs to make sure that you feel his love<333333333

[nottsangel]

hiiii love ur work!!

if u can pleaseeeee write more about pervy coach! art,, need him like air,, need him to push me to my limit w training and then praise me for making him so proud 🥰🥰🥰

“i— i can’t anymore art, i’m too tired!” you cry out, panting as you run from side to side, trying to hit each ball art passes your way. you’d be lying to yourself if said you aren’t attracted to your coach— so you try to impress him every chance you can, pushing yourself to your limits and striving to improve, even if it’s just for a tiny bit of praise.

“oh, come on! you can do it, i know you can! five more minutes and then we’re done!” he encouragingly yells over the net as he serves another ball your way. he attentively watches you with his hand resting on his hip, closely observing your movements as you drag your feet over the court with the little energy you have. you barely hit each ball, but feel relieved that you’re at least still able to satisfy your coach.

“that’s it, we’re done!” the words coming from his mouth feel like a relief, causing you to instantly fall down to the ground, arms and legs spread like a snow angel as your chest heaves up and down. you hear soft footsteps approaching before a shadow forms over you. art looks down at you with a satisfied smile on his face as he stretches his arms out and lifts you back up, the slight physical contact already making your heart race in your chest.

“good job, baby” you feel your cheeks heat up at the pet name, trying hard to disguise your instant shyness. it makes you wonder if he calls other girls similar names— but you choose to believe it’s just you.

“hm. i don’t know. i could’ve done better.”

“baby, don’t be so hard on yourself. you did great, okay? you should be proud of yourself. i certainly am very proud of you.”

“you are?” you stare at him with sparkling eyes, catching yourself wanting to hear more of his praise as you walk to the exit together, still trying to catch your breath— he’s so subtle, you don’t even notice him walking slightly behind you, secretly staring at your ass swaying from side to side as you walk.

“are you crazy? of course i am! you know i’m always proud of you, right? my best girl, after all.” he playfully ruffles his hand through your hair before snatching your racket from you to carry it, his hand purposely brushing against your tits. “let’s go get something to eat. you must be starving, hm?”

ੈ♡˳

[thepunkmuppet]

HAPPY GERARD DAY HELLSITE!!!!!!!

YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!

[basketobread]

my dumb fuck ass just spent 30 minutes trying to find Save Us White Girl and caved and "help white girl bg3" immediately returned it via google,,,,, had help white girl, white girl help stuck in my head,,,,,

THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO MUCH TBH I CANNOT BELIEVE IT CAN IMMEDIATELY BE FOUND LIKE THAT???? everyday this comic finds its way back to me and i'm unsure if i'll ever be able to outdo it... it might be my magnum opus, i fear... (this is a good thing)

[marshmallowgoop]

no thoughts just Heiji Hattori (HD)

[ligh5hog]

Random doodle I made on Christmas Eve :P The sillies

[comfort-character-central]

Imagine your f/o placing reassuring hands on your shoulders, giving you a kind smile. "I just wanted to tell you that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'd be lost without you."

[shepscapades]

... that lean makes me think of the lean Bdubs did in the syncing comic....which if course begs the question: Did Etho pick up this habit of leaning to indicate processing/suspicion from Bdubs or did Bdubs pick it up from Etho? (or is it just a good way to show that emotion in comic form XD) Also.... the hair clip... My impression is that the flashback is from pretty early on. Is the hair clip a precursor to the well known headband? In universe, why a headband? Since they both do wear headbands... Was the headband originally Bdub's? Is... I know Etho is scared during the whole Last Life thing... is he thinking that Bdubs is planning specifically on targeting one of the androids? Or is that his fear talking?

... And after all that speculating... Ouch, Poor Tango!! ( i know this is an important event for Tango, but we don't see any of his reaction or feelings about any of this yet)

Wonderful comic, as always, Shep!

WEEE These are such good questions omg :DDDD alright i couldn't shut up so i'm putting it under a read more =w=

this is basically a mini comic breakdown! just rambling about some of the dbhc plot and mecahnics >:D

The lean is such a fun detail, i didn't even realize the similarities-- but it's actually a really nice (totally intentional) callback! I think Etho absolutely picked up those mannerisms from Bdubs, the same way Doc did from Ren, and so on so forth-- the androids, especially throughout season 8 and last life, are using their partnered hermits (and the other hermits in general) to learn what it means to be and act human-- vocal mannerisms, physical mannerisms, learning emotions for the first time and what it means to feel them, everything! I kind of see Season 8 as their "young" period-- their first season, the season they learn who they are and develop some of their most iconic traits. Etho is still himself, shyness and stoicism and all, but he learns his whimsy and silliness and teasing nature from being with bdubs for so long :)

THE HAIR CLIP <333 Yeah Etho's "Replaying Memory" moment is when Doc was checking out his "wounds" / the damage he sustained (from the initial creeper blast that caused his deviation) for the first time! At the time of the memory, It had probably been a little while since the actual initial incident where Bdubs had covered him up a little bit to hide the damage, but i'm sure doc or someone else noticed before long LDFKGJDF so this is their first like... "checkup"! So Etho is pretty young here (Doc too, but he already has his robot arm at this point, so...), maybe within the first month or two of season 8. So he definitely normally wears a bandana at this point (the same band bdubs made him wear initially to cover up the forehead cracks a little), but he's clipped his bangs back here so Doc can get a better look at the damage :)

I have a LOT of feelings about Etho's mental dialogue throughout last life, and it's very complicated and i won't be able to shut up about it so that's for another post. I will say, I don't think Etho ever truly thought Bdubs would Boogey kill him (though, doubt is a very powerful thing, so it turns out). I think Etho is still puzzling Bdubs out (though he's definitely learned quite a lot about him), especially when it comes to more serious situations like this, so the unknowns are definitely the biggest sources of fear for him. He can only do so much with the data he currently has, and the idea that a weapon so sharp could permanently damage any of the androids... it's an unsettling thought, regardless of whoever the mostly likely victim ends up being. (I don't think Etho expects it to be Tango, either-- not until he sees that look in Bdubs' eyes 10 seconds before it happens. I think Doc's little speech about their models is just helpful information for the reader and a sense of foreshadowing (as well as a reminder for Etho of how Not-So-Indestructible he is/the other androids are), not so much that etho thinks it's going to be tango after recalling the memory. Same for Bdubs. I dont think bdubs decided to target Tango until he was staring the back of his neck down and realized he could take the opportunity before he lost it). Anyway i've already rambled too much /silly

And lastly, Yes. This is, besides his deviation, probably Tango's most formative moment. The second time he truly experiences rage. I don't know if I could do a comic or an illustration that truly does his rage moment justice after he wakes up post-respawn and has a meltdown trying to kill bdubs, but knowing that Skizz wasn't built until s9 and is therefore missing from Last Life (AKA, Tango has no one other than Etho and Bdubs), just... makes this betrayal so, so much more painful. This betrayal is very much about Tango's rage, but it's also about his sense of trust and safety and his understanding of the way the world works. Hermitcraft is safety and jokes and support, and sure there's a bit of death here and there, but this is unlike anything he's ever known-- it's adrenaline and fear and threats and betrayal and. Anyway what a normal meltdown to have! And Etho can do nothing to calm him down except hold him back from killing bdubs (there's something to be said there too, about Tango knowing for certain now that Bdubs obviously chooses Etho over himself (Because come on, Bdubs wouldn't have killed Etho. Let's be honest here), but knowing too that Etho is choosing bdubs by not letting Tango get the revenge he so rightfully deserves...) Anyway. I think i'll explode if i think about this more

[skeletoninthemelonland]

I WISH I COULD GET YOU A CHRISTMAS GIFT SO BAD So instead I'll say MERRY CRISLER I shall hand you a springtrap digital plush that'll be your friend

WHAT IN THE WORLD

[cybervom1t]

the new overwatch season sucks :(

[jimimn]

tae loves jimin so so so so so much 🥺 (transl. cr. taee)