#-side of the design. And I always struggle to draw while on my period and i always forget. BUT WERE BACK NOW we’re chillin

[fantasykiri5]

Can you believe that she was TWO different weird inhuman creatures in both empires seasons?

Featuring a slight redesign of my Ocean Queen Lizzie design, because my old one was pissing me off

[madsworld15]

Heal Me, Hold Me, Make Me, Know Me Chapter 4 Part 1

This isn't nearly as long as the sections I usually post, but I stopped at the best stopping point for this section. This part of Chapter 4 is in Justin POV.

Please enjoy! Thanks always to my lovely pals @winderlylandchime @maryp50 and @lostcol

July

Justin’s hand control was getting better, day by day, but he still struggled to draw or paint for an extended period of time. It wasn’t anything super frustrating; it just prevented him from quickly getting anywhere with the ideas he had for art pieces. His mother had been insistent that he “keep up the work in OT,” while Emmett and Daphne would smile at him and say, “You’ve come so far!”

The only person in Justin’s life who didn’t insist that he be fine with the functionality of his hand was Brian. The older man wouldn’t praise him or begrudge him about it. In fact, more often than not, Justin found Brian was ambivalent about what was going on around him. Pride weekend had been a great example of how much Brian could do the “couple thing” when he wanted to. But, since then, their conversations had been more vague and distant. Brian still allowed Justin to live with him, but he was back to working all the time or going out to Babylon until the wee hours. 

Justin didn’t care as much, considering he was now back to working at the diner a couple of nights a week. It was slower at night, so Justin could ease himself into being around crowds again. Plus, when his hand got tired and started to shake, he had extended periods between customers where he could let it relax. 

“Can I ask you something?” Justin approached Emmett, who sat at the counter with a low-cut tank in bright green and pleather pants to match.

“Sure, baby.” Emmett put his fork down, rested his hands atop one another, and gave Justin his full attention, “What is it?”

“Do you think Brian is annoyed that he still has to keep an eye on me? I know it’s been months, and if I ask him, he ignores me and continues to let me stay.” Justin bit his lip nervously.

“Hmm.” Emmett paused, “Brian is really hard to read on a good day. But has he threatened to kick you out yet?”

“No.” Justin shrugged looking his best friend up and down.

“Well, then, you are still in good hands. If Brian is annoyed by you, he will not so politely ask you to leave. I’ve seen him do it to Michael once when he accidentally spilled beer on Brian’s new designer couch.” Emmett reached out and grabbed Justin’s hand.

“Besides, from what I hear. You don’t need much caretaking these days.” Emmett winked at him and motioned to the diner around them.

His message was loud and clear. Justin was simply making a mountain out of a molehill. He was back to working and doing art; however, the process was slow. There was no reason to worry that he was annoying Brian. 

So, then, why won’t he talk to me like we once did?

After helping out a customer on the other side of the diner, Justin came back over to where Emmett sat. The charming Southerner was done eating his meal, but he made no move to leave. Justin appreciated that he seemed to be hanging out for Justin.

“Okay. So he hasn’t kicked me out yet. Then explain why he doesn’t come by the diner while I’m working.” Justin gave Emmett a raised eyebrow look.

“Well, now that Brian is partner, he has to work longer, harder hours.” Emmett shrugged, but then he leaned over the counter to be closer to Justin for the next set of words out of his mouth.

“Add in that he’s extremely attracted to you physically, and he wants to respect your boundaries. So, he has to find alternatives.” Emmett’s eyes swam with joy and excitement at what that meant for his friend.

“What changed that he avoids me now? I mean, he’s been attracted to me physically since before I finally agreed to be with him.” Justin shrugged, still not convinced that Brian’s distance wasn’t a bad thing.

“You guys now live together, and you told me yourself that you share the same bed.” Emmett gave him a pointed look, “Do you know how often Brian shares his bed with someone without having sex?”

“I’d guess very rarely,” Justin whispered, wiping the counter off with his rag.

“I’ve known Brian upwards of a decade, and I would say I’ve only heard of it happening one other time. He was drunk, and Michael was there to comfort him after a nasty round with his dad.” Emmett shrugged.

Just then, Alex came into the diner yawning, his eyes only half-alert. He gave Justin a forced smile and stepped behind the counter to put on his apron.

“Hey, Justin. Slow night?” Alex looked around at the lack of patronage.

“Yeah. But Babylon is closing, so there are sure to be some stragglers coming in soon.” Justin handed over his order pad and took off the apron he was wearing. “Have a good night, Alex.”

Emmett walked with Justin all the way to Brian’s loft. It was 2 am, and Justin was exhausted, so the two friends barely uttered more than ten words between them. This was becoming a bit of a routine anytime Emmett happened to be at the diner during Justin’s shift. He would hang out until Justin got off, and then he would walk the young man home. Justin’s attackers had been arrested the Monday after Pride, but everyone was still on edge. Especially Brian, Justin, and Emmett. 

“So, Brian told me the trial is coming up soon.” Emmett tried to make conversation as they approached Brian’s building.

“Yeah. Debbie wants me to go, but my mom and Brian think it’s probably not a good idea since I’m still having nightmares and mini freakouts when strangers get too close.” Justin reached into his bag to get his keys out. His eyes darted all around him as a precaution.

“What do you want to do?” Emmett placed a protective hand on Justin’s shoulder and held it there while the younger man unlocked the front door.

“Honestly? I have no idea. Part of me wants to see the judge nail the bastards. But on the other hand, what if they get off? I don’t want to be in the room when that happens.” Justin shrugged as they both climbed into the freight elevator.

Arriving on the top floor, Justin could hear light music and voices coming from the loft. It was weird because Brian rarely had anyone come over now that Justin was staying with him. He looked at Emmett, who shrugged but didn’t look too concerned. Perhaps Michael had come over to drink with Brian like they sometimes did. 

Justin slid the door open and was immediately met with the visual of Brian fucking some guy over the back of the couch. He felt the air leave his lungs the minute his eyes landed on the brunette – his face scrunched up in a mixture of effort and ecstasy. Justin had always known that Brian slept with anything that moved. It was never a secret, even after they started considering themselves together. But, once Justin had agreed to move in with Brian, they had agreed that Brian wouldn’t fuck anyone in the loft. That was the only rule Justin ever put on Brian and their relationship.

“Oh, hey.” Brian smiled at Justin over the top of his latest trick. With one last groan and jab of his hip, Brian came into the man under him and then collapsed.

Justin could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, which he didn’t dare let Brian see. In fact, he didn’t want Brian to have the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to him at all. Without a word to his boyfriend, Justin crossed over to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. Emmett silently followed him. Once they were a bit away from Brian, Emmett addressed the situation.

“Do you want me to stay? Do you want to come home with me for tonight?” Emmett’s eyes were brimming with emotion like Justin had never seen before. And after he shook his head, he saw Emmett throw the dirtiest look over his shoulder at Brian.

While he knew he hadn’t known anyone in his newfound family for more than a year at this point, Justin had never seen Emmett be less than understanding toward Brian. He didn’t always approve, but he’d never before been blatantly disgusted by Brian’s behavior until now. Emmett leaned over and wrapped Justin in a hug while placing a kiss on his cheek.

“I’m just a call away, baby if you change your mind,” Emmett said loud enough for Brian to hear. 

Then, Emmett and the trick left with as much fanfare as they’d both probably arrived.

Brian pulled on some pants but didn’t fasten them. Instead, he sauntered over to where Justin was still standing in the kitchen and attempted to kiss the younger man. Justin ducked out of his touch and moved away from the man entirely.

“What’s got your dick in a twist?” Brian’s voice was on the verge of anger, and Justin knew this wouldn’t be a fun conversation, but he didn’t care. 

“I come home from work to find you on the couch…” Justin muttered, motioning toward the spot where Brian and his trick had just been. His frustration and anger seeped out more than he had intended.

“How is this anything new? You knew going into this that I fuck any guy I want and have no remorse about it.” Brian slammed the refrigerator door shut after grabbing his own bottle of water. “We’re not fucking married, Justin!”

“No! But we did have an agreement!” Justin stepped closer to Brian as his temper flared, “You promised you wouldn’t fuck anyone here at the loft.”

Brian didn’t respond. Instead, he just scoffed.

“This is my loft. I don’t have to fucking answer to you. You’re not my fucking wife!”

“You’re right. I’m not!” Justin started and then continued just as passionately, “If you wanted me to move out, you could have just used your words and told me to get the fuck out.” Justin’s chest heaved with all his pent-up anger.

“I’m well aware that you don’t share your personal space with anyone for longer than it takes for you to fuck them. So, why’d you let me stay here? Huh? Was it because you felt guilty? Because I’m not going to stick around and be at the mercy of someone’s pity!” Justin moved about the loft, gathering up some of his things and throwing them into his duffle. He wasn’t sure where he would end up, but he knew he had to get out of there.

He half expected Brian to say something, anything to get him to stay, but he didn’t. It was just as well. Brian didn’t want him around anymore anyway. Justin might as well move out now and find his own way. He could go back to living with Daphne now that things with his injuries had settled down. But, for tonight, he would go somewhere else to avoid waking Daphne up at 3 am.

With one final look back at Brian, who was standing in the kitchen still, trying to make sense of what was going on, his eyes still angry, Justin left.

Justin walked until he realized his feet had carried him all the way to Debbie’s house, just around the corner from the diner. He hadn’t ever been to her home unexpectedly before, but something in his gut told him that she would welcome him in with open arms. Sure enough, he’d barely just finished knocking when the door swung open to her smiling face.

“Sunshine! Imagine seeing you here. Where’s Brian?” She looked around behind him as if perhaps Brian was hiding in the shadows.

“We kind of had…” Justin couldn’t even bring himself to say fight because a fight would imply that Brian cared at all. Which his lack of a reaction when Justin left said otherwise. “Anyway, could I crash here tonight?”

Debbie grabbed him around his shoulder and ushered him into her front room as she said, “Of course, honey. My house is always open.”

“I promise I will be out of your hair tomorrow. I am going to ask Daphne if I can move back in with her. I’m doing much better now.” Justin paused long enough to lick his lips and look at Debbie’s face instead of the room at large, “It’s time.”

“So, Brian kicked you out huh?” Debbie scoffed. Her apparent disdain for Brian’s behavior dripping from her every word. “Wouldn’t say I’m surprised.”

“I am.” Vic said from where he now stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Things seemed different this time.”

“A leopard never changes his spots.” Debbie pointed at her brother, “Brian might try to do the right thing but in the end his selfishness wins out.”

Then without another word to Vic she turned back to Justin and motioned him to follow her. “C’mon hon. I can get Michael’s old room set up for you for the night.”

Vic gave his shoulder a squeeze as Justin walked past the older man. “Don’t make any quick decisions about him. Give him a chance.”

“A chance? Justin has given that man so many chances. Why should now be different?” Debbie screeched from the top of the stairs.

“Because, sis. He’s under alot of pressure right now. You know I saw him taking his mother to church yesterday. Brian Kinney, in a church.” Vic once again defended the brunette.

“Oh.” Debbie paused with a load of clean sheets and blankets in her hands. “Yeah. You should sleep on it sunshine. Give him some room.”

Justin wanted desperately to ask what it was about Brian’s mother that immediately changed Debbie’s tune about his behavior, but he could tell from the way Vic and Debbie were exchanging looks that he wouldn’t get anywhere. Instead, the blonde took the blankets from Debbie and went into the room he’d stayed at a few weeks prior when Brian had been out of town.

[farer-dreamer]

Entry 8

10/9/24 - 10/14/24 Logs

10/9/24 - I GUESS WE DOIN' ANIMATIONS NOW!

So initially during this work period I was attempting to do some coding to get this player and camera movement system DONE, but I've realized it's a bit hard for me to focus when working in-class and also missing my second screen makes working in unity and coding stuff a bit of a pain. Not impossible of course, I've done it before but it definitely slows down my workflow compared to when I'm at home and can focus better. So because I wanted to be productive this class period I decided to start getting a jump on Doc's player animations, as while it's still far off my internal due date for that is sometime next month.

(there's art in this one, hit read more!)

I knew I wanted them at a 3/4ths angle instead of having a front, back, and side sprite. I mean, they'll still have a front and back sprite technically but no left/right so that frees me from needing to animate the walk, jump, land, and whatever else for those. Making things easier animation-wise isn't the only reason I've opted for this of course, honestly the biggest reason why I'm doing this specific style is because I'm drawing inspiration from how the characters are displayed in the paper mario games and bugfables, the 2D characters in a 3D world (would they be 2.5D then…?). Stylistically I've always thought it was neat and so I want to try and replicate that myself in my own silly little project.

So here's our first problem: I don't really have a clear ref of Doc's new design at a 3/4ths angle. I had an idea in my brain as to what it looked like but nothing on paper yet, most of my struggle was positioning the eyes on their mask.

At first I tried to pull from the turnarounds I had done of their new design, which got the body's position and proportioning down but the eyes just seemed off to me. Not that this go was inherently "wrong" but I felt like the eyes could be positioned or stylized better. So I cracked open my sketch book (something I need to be doing way more) and tried to just draw their head from this angle over and over, and eventually I landed on one I liked.

Although because I am not the most steady artist, they were a bit slanted. Easy fix though, I just popped em into clip and edited the body so everything is posed where it should be and then made another sketch over that to make some more tweaks. This whole thing took a little over an hour but eventually I landed on a "sketch" I liked (it's a bit too clean to be a sketch honestly lol).

Then to animate the idle I just nudged some of the parts I thought would have some wiggle if the character had a slight bounce in their idle (so the ears, cape/clothes, hair) and I think I like this lower frame rate style. Again, drawing inspiration from paper mario 64 specifically.

Overall with this specifically I probably spent like, 3ish hours? I mostly worked during the latter half of class after trying to code wasn't working for me in the moment. Next, I plan on getting the motions down and hopefully roughing out the animations for the walkcycle and jump. I don't think it'll take me very long, maybe 3ish hours total if I run into trouble with figuring out Doc's motions, but that'll be for next session.

10/11/2024 - 10/12/2024

More animation yippee!! today I'm working on the walkcycle and jump if I can get to it. But first I realized I didn't make a back idle animation so I threw that together in like 20ish minutes

Anyways, I started by gathering some image references of animated walkcycles, as well as some sprite sheets from paper mario 64 and bugfables as I wanted to see how the walkcycles in those games were handled. I also pulled up an old walk spritesheet I had on hand from an older project that had a character with similar leg and body structure to Doc.

In my first go I decided to pretty much ignore my refs and try to see if I could get a decent looking "down" motion as Doc does technically have a bend in their legs, but this didn't really work out. Also I definitely overanimated the arms for a 4 frame cycle.

So on my (unfinished) second and third goes I more closely followed my refs and previous work. I realized that my contact should be where Doc goes down the lowest, not the pass. Its. been a minute since I've animated a walkcycle. Eventually I found something I liked so I'm calling this done for now. Both the front and back have some jank I gotta work out but I'll save that for when I'm doing cleanup.

Onto Jumping! this should be a lot easier since there's only really 3 key poses I need to do (wind up/land, jump up, and falling). I think in the future I might add some more motion but for now here's the roughs that took maybe about a little over an hour or so I wanna say.Again they're super rough but I anticipate they'll look a lot better when they're moving around in engine.

10/14/24 - Back to Coding

womp womp. I gotta get this done though. I actually spent some time yesterday on this as well, mostly researching, to no avail. I was getting closer though… and today I won. I finally beat the camera problems. and in the most stupid way because it was just ONE (1) line of code I had to add and then do a bit of cleanup in the camera manager but the cinemachine is FINALLY angling properly around the player character.

That took a stupidly long amount of time to figure out but all we need now is the scroll wheel zoom… which I actually anticipate not taking as much time! I have an idea as to how I'm handling it. I have the body controller set to 3rd person follow, so all I really need to do is figure out how to adjust the camera distance through code and tie that to my scroll wheel inputs.

And after some research I got the camera distance tied to my scroll wheel inputs. For the time being I just have the inputs tied to the min/max zoom in/out but when I work on this next I'll be smoothing that out and making my final adjustments to the camera for now. Overall I wanna say that I was researching/playing around with the camera stuff for 3-4 hours total today? It's hard to say. What I DO know is that with this I am back on schedule which is relieving to say the least.

[justgoji]

ok so here’s Heron

So Heron is a side character in Memecenary Madness: Main, but plays a slightly bigger role in a synth-based spin-off and a few AUs (Everything Burns and End of the Road)

Design: His design was inspired by Kagamine Len and Hatsune Miku, but has changed a bit throughout the years. I originally envisioned it as being light blue, but colored it black in the original story, but in the rewrite it went back to what I originally intended it to be. His headphone ears can move around, the glowy parts of his headphones are usually turned on but can darken and turn off (though it’s unknown how or when this happens). His mic can be hidden inside his headphones but it’s usually extended. I imagine that the reason his sleeves are scrunched up is because of ring-like framework inside them holding up the ridges. I also imagine that instead of latex, his outfit is actually made of cloth, like a mix of a sweater and a t-shirt. His tail is an be removed very easily, and can open or close depending on the body language and emotion of him. While not seen in my drawings due to trying to avoid overly detailing small parts, I imagine that his robot fingers are endoskeleton fingers encased in a semi-transparent, resin-like material. His left eye is bloodshot with a pitch black hole in the middle, and is sensitive to light. His hair can go up or down depending on his emotional state, just like a real heron.

Backstory: Heron was a timid kid, a which resulted in him being bullied a lot in school. His best friend was his older brother, Makarov. However, when their parents were killed by a rogue machine that escaped from a secret facility owned by David Smith, they tried to forget the traumatic experience by moving to Grand Isle of May May (a fictional island I made which I would be off the coast of Duluth, Minnesota). Makarov couldn’t let go though, and Heron tried to help him out. Eventually he couldn’t take it anymore, and they both decided to go to the Scrapyard and fight there. This fight was the last time Makarov ever used his gun, and the last time Heron had two regular hands and eyes. For a while he was very upset about it, but he has since let it go and is trying to help Makarov let go as well.

in Memecenary Madness: Main: Heron is a side character, and lives with Makarov and Toby, often cooking for them. Sometimes he isn’t around though, and is working as a singer overseas. His fears of living out his days without a lover and never reaching the status of more popular synths are introduced here, but they aren’t expanded upon until the voca-based spin-off.

in the voca-based spin-off: Heron has a much larger role, being part of the main group (Len, Rin, Fukase, Oliver, Piko, Flower, and Moke I guess). He’s shown to be a very emotional individual, struggling to hide his negative emotions, having extreme mood swings, and almost always crying before sleep. Despite his flaws, he tries to be the best he can be around his friends.

in Everything Burns: Over a decade after Grand Isle of May May was decimated by the Soul of the Scrapyard in an alternate universe where it wasn’t deactivated by the Memecenaries, Chris B. Marschall, who was a friend of Makarov (one of the Memecenaries), decides to go back to the repopulated island. The new small settlements there are periodically ravaged by the remains of Heron, who is now being controlled by worm-like organisms who have also modified his empty shell to become more agile and deadly. I don’t have an updated design for him, but this will do I guess.

in End of the Road: This is basically the bad ending to the voca-based spin-off, and is also kinda just Wednesday Infidelity but with Heron (I love that fnf mod so much nshcisjgfhajd). In End of the Road, Heron is completely consumed by his fears, and goes missing. One night, Len and some of the other members of the group go looking for him. Len gets lost but encounters Heron in an alleyway. Unfortunately Heron stabs himself in the heart with a syringe, and succumbs to an overdose, but not before taking Len down with him (to another realm or something). Eventually Piko finds the alleyway, where Heron’s deceased body lays, but Len is nowhere to be found.

Edgy Heron: Yes he has a section all to himself. I don’t know what to do with him to be honest. He’s not in any AUs, and doesn’t have any lore. There’s little to nothing to say about him aside from how his design is based off of the black heron.

That’s all I can say about Heron right now, but feel free to ask questions about him!

Is there any of your oc you want me to draw?

and if you want to, can you show and tell me all your oc youve drawn/has ref to this ask, and if you have any fun fact of them you want to share :D

Ive been thinking about this for like 5 minutes, and I think I’ll just go with Heron since everyone else is either not updated or boring to look at. (Or maybe that’s just because I’m really upset right now idk)

I can’t really understand the second part that well, could you try to elaborate on that?

[poptod]

Hello! Can I request a continuation of "To the touch"? Creepy stalker Safin adoring the reader while terrifying them was just *chefs kiss*

notes: i think i got seven people asking me for a part two to the poisonous flower bouqets story request thing that i did a little bit ago, so here it is! i tried to focus more on his characterization so iread up on him. i also had someone ask me to tag them for the first time so here it is; @moon-stars-soul

Here's the first part on AO3! and on tumblr WC: 4.6k

+

He visited you often, but it wasn't enough.

After that day in the hotel in which you were left crying, you returned home. You still thanked God he got a call that beckoned him away from you.

There was no use in trying to hide. That much was made very clear. You got used to the random gifts left on your table, the constant messages lighting up your rarely-used phone, and the idea of being watched, but there was yet another one of the anonymous man's habits that continued to puzzle and disturb you.

Sometimes he came to see you.

He broke into your home, leaving no sign of his breakage, but standing in your cluttered living room nonetheless. You opened and closed the door silently as you returned from work, your tired eyes set dead upon him. His attention was drawn to the vines hanging from your bookcases.

Setting your bag down, you quietly padded over into the kitchen, where you proceeded to draw a knife from the block, holding it tight in your clammy hands.

"I'm not looking to kill you," he said, never looking away from the books' spines. "You know that already."

"What if I'm looking to kill you?" You mumbled lowly.

He chuckled and said, "then I'll chain you up."

The breath was knocked out of your chest, but you didn't let it show, as he finally turned to you with a small smile spread across his tight lips. In a mere moment he was standing in front of you, nothing but softness in his expression.

"I think it'd be amusing," he murmured, tracing your jaw with his thumb. "Watching you struggle to try and choke me while I kiss you. I think it'd be beautiful. But I don't think it's what you want."

"Might be the only way it is."

"It doesn't have to be. Your life and your home are falling apart and you know it," he said, redirecting you by your chin when you tried to look away. "Come be with me... and I will give you all you ever want."

"How would you know what I want?" You asked stiffly.

"Do you think I've only recently started watching you?" He asked with a chuckle.

Your face drained of blood, the grip on your knife tightening, but remaining passive at your side.

"I have always been protecting you," he said, parting your lips with his thumb and leaning in.

Before he could touch your lips with his, your knife was positioned between your stomach and his, the sharp point brushing against his clothes. When he simply moved deeper, digging the knife closer into his chest, you stumbled backwards, dropping the knife to the floor and letting it clatter. Your breathing hastened, only stopping when he kissed you slow and soft. It was as though he was moving to music, hypnotizing you into relaxing, and pulling you into a close embrace.

He parted and pressed his forehead to yours, pushing you up against the kitchen counter with darkened eyes.

"So beautiful, aren't you?" He murmured, continuing to stroke your bare skin. "You would be Godly in my possession."

"I won't leave my home."

You lived in your ancestral home, and he was right––it was in shambles. It was too big and the wiring and designs were too old for you to fully take care of. Much of the paint was flecking off the walls, exposing bare wooden rungs, and some of the faucets didn't work anymore. Some of them poured out grey water filled with dirt from inside the pipes. The gardens outside were dead and so dry you couldn't dig them up again, having been left for dead for a 16-year period in which your parents moved out.

He pushed you up against the counter again, enveloping you in his touch that felt more desperate than anything, burying his face in your neck. A long sigh left him. After a moment, he raised his head, pressing a kiss to your temple before whispering words against your ear.

"Don't tease me too long. I may tire of waiting for you."

Once he disappeared, you finally stopped holding your breath, running your hands through your hair and tugging harshly. You attempted to swallow down the knot in your throat. How long could you hold him off, then?

Over the course of the next few days, you found various gifts around your house, including bouquets of flowers similar to the ones he'd given you before. This time, you didn't bother to throw them out. You left them alone and tried not to look at them.

It didn't take long until he was waiting for you again, this time overlooking the unharvested fields that were growing more and more wild with each passing summer. Your truck's rain-splattered windshield barely allowed for you to see him, but he stood out against the golden grain with his dark jacket, and you ripped the car into its' parking space.

Jumping out of the truck, you rushed over the bumpy, pothole-filled driveway and over to him. A cool wind blew over your face, dampened by your scarf and mittens and twirling with the scent of fresh rain and the death of summer. Bits of trash you stored behind the overflowing bins were scattering in the breeze. You didn't have the mind to grab any of it.

"What are you doing here now?" You asked, raising your arms questioningly.

He turned to you, his hands tucked into the pockets of his long coat.

"I missed you," he said. "Of course."

"What is it that you do during the day, anyway?"

"Nothing as important as seeing you," he said softly, reaching out to take your hands.

You let him.

"I want to show you something," he said, raising his brow expectantly, almost innocently. "Will you let me take you there?"

"... can I come back?" You asked, glancing to the fields.

"If I can't convince you to stay," he answered.

After only a minute on his phone, he called a car to come fetch the both of you from the wilder outskirts. He offered you a smile as he tucked his phone back in his pocket, and lead you inside your own house, sitting you down in your kitchen's dining table.

You watched, tugging at your fingers, as he operated your kitchen perfectly. The kettle was set on the stove and a mug pulled down, and within it he placed your favorite teabag. You had, of course, never told him your favorite.

By the time he was stirring honey into the tea, a black Cadillac SUV was rolling into your driveway, splashing into the puddles forming in the holes on the side of the road. Your brow furrowed as it stopped, but your attention was turned back to Safin when he handed you the mug and pulled you to your feet. Without a word, he lead you outside and into the car, crawling in beside you and shutting the door. Before you knew it, you were driving away from your home.

You glanced out the tinted windows, watching the familiar trees and fields surrounding your home whizz by faster than you'd ever seen before. The speed of the wheels over rough, gravel roads nearly bumped your still-steaming tea out of your hands, but you managed to balance it in time.

"It is nice to have something from home when visiting another place," he said quietly, tilting his head towards you.

"Yeah," you said, blinking rapidly. "... it is. Thank you."

"Of course, my love."

Strangely enough, the car stopped before it ever reached the city, and you watched with a furrowed brow as the wheels slowed and pulled into an empty field. Ever one for a mystery, Safin said nothing as he lead you out of the car and far into the field.

You sipped at your tea. One of the drivers came out with you, and the three of you waited for several long, dull minutes.

Eventually, the wind started to pick up, blowing your scarf into your face and detangling it from your neck. A loud whirring appeared from over the trees, followed by a black helicopter hovering above the open field. Your mouth fell open in surprise, but you were quick to close it, having caught several bits of hay on your tongue.

The rotor blades continued to spin rapidly as it landed, creating gusts of wind that pushed you backwards towards the car. You squinted to try and protect your eyes, but Safin pulled you forward, manually ducking your head for you as he guided you into the helicopter.

"Helicopters are safer than people think," Safin said as he slipped his gloves off, situating himself in his seat. "But I would advise you to wear a seatbelt."

You could barely nod before you were reaching for the strap, settling it tight over your body.

The floor beneath you swayed as the helicopter rose back into the air, causing a sickness to slush inside your stomach. That uneasiness remained with you throughout the ride, fed by the unbalanced movements of the helicopter, as well as Safin's eyes rarely ever leaving your frame. He never told you why he decided to watch you; why he decided to take your life. You had a feeling he wouldn't ever tell you.

He took your hand as you stepped out of the helicopter, skipping the step and instead landing on a concrete floor that stretched over a small section of an island. Water washed in waves over the rocky shore, its' cold spray managing to hit you despite the distance and your heavy coat. Safin, somehow noticing your tiny shiver, was quick to guide you away from the shores and into a tall, stone building standing like a mecca amongst the near black trees.

You continued to shiver even as you entered, the bare, cement walls offering little comfort in terms of temperature. It gave Safin a good excuse to keep you close, and you found yourself too tired to try to resist in any way.

After a few turns, he lead you into a much warmer room, where the grey floor became nothing more than a path wandering through an indoor garden. A moat made of black stone and thus black water encircled the flora, earning your attention as Safin donned a thick, long pair of gloves, pulling down a pair of shears and scissors with it. When he passed by you, he caught your eye, and dragged it with him as he entered the garden. He beckoned and you followed, without touch or word.

You kept your hands folded in front of you as you passed by the thick leaves, recognizing only a few as the mother plants from which his poison bouquets had been crafted. The path, wide enough for three people, allowed you to step past him when he stopped to tend to an overgrown bush.

"Try not to touch anything, my love," he said in a lofty tone, his gaze absorbed in the single flower blooming before him.

You nodded distantly, though he wasn't looking, and continued on your way.

The bright, cloudy sunlight above gave abundant warmth and offered energy to the plants, adding to the humidity that clung to your woolen coat. It took several minutes, but it still wasn't long till you were shedding your jacket to reveal a lace-lined button-up. That change drew Safin's attention, and you could feel his eyes burning the back of your neck through your scarf.

"Let me take your coat," he said quietly.

The sudden sound in the silent room had you jumping backwards, nearly falling into the garden. His expression didn't change. Swallowing your embarrassment, you went to hand him your coat, before he quickly grabbed it out of your hands and jerked himself away.

"Don't touch the gloves," he mumbled as he turned back to the front room.

You drew a deep breath and turned, ignoring the remaining sounds that came from Safin's movement, and instead concentrating entirely on the plants. Most of them were flowers and fern-type plants you'd never seen before; foreign, possibly invasive, and more than likely dangerous. Their volatile nature––and Safin's––left you nervous on your feet, often fidgeting and looking away whenever he tried to meet your eye.

At some point, you'd been staring at a particularly vibrant group of red, hanging flowers when you felt a heat emanating over your shoulder. You stiffened but didn't turn.

"Red sesbania," he said softly, warming the whole of your back. "Not hard at all to find, but it will be soon. They're hoping to wipe it out."

"Why?" You asked, turning around only to brush your nose against his, causing you to stumble away.

"Well for one, it's poisonous," he said.

You were quick to step back into his personal space to get away from the flowers.

He chuckled and continued, "and, it crowds out much of the natural wildlife in many areas. Their seeds are... less than pretty, though."

"Why do you have it here??"

"It's invasive," he said, his eyes boring into yours before he turned back to the flower petals. "Flourishing in an environment it was never meant for. I think it's interesting."

"And poisonous," you mumbled.

"Poison is not always a bad thing," he said with a small, sickening smile.

He returned to his trimming a moment later, his pristine, white rubber gloves already tainted with sap and fresh dirt. He kept sending you glances, though, and soon noted your extreme hesitance to touch any of the plants.

"They're not all poisonous," he informed you. "Those are poppies. Nothing all that special."

"Oh," you said, reaching out to touch the purple and red petals. "Why do you have them here?"

He took a few steps in your direction before he stood at your side, watching you with interest.

"They make a good tea."

"... poppy – opium tea??" You asked, turning to him with wide eyes.

"It gives one a.. a warm feeling, as though you are being held," he explained softly. "Happiness, a sense of calm."

"Is it addicting?"

"Only in large and frequent amounts. Would you like to try some?"

"I'm... okay," you said with a weak chuckle.

"Very well."

You continued to move slowly through the garden, until Safin's ungloved hand was grasping your wrist and pulling you towards him. For a moment you fumbled over your feet, but you soon realized he was leading you off the garden island, and set your pace to match his.

The sterile environments never ceased. He took you to a much smaller room, one containing only two bins. You wrung your wrists as you looked around the mostly bare room, seeing what little there was to see, until you turned and noticed Safin was stripping himself down. Your muscles froze.

"Um.." you said, barely speaking at all.

He turned, scanning your darkened face and stiff posture.

"It's wise to wash your clothes after being around any poisons," he said quietly.

When you said nothing, he stepped closer, causing you to back up in an attempt to get away from his bare chest. But of course, he only came closer, till he cornered you to the wall, constantly fixing your gaze to meet his. Eventually he grasped your chin and held it there, forcing your eyes to stay put.

"I want you to look at me," he murmured, leaning his head into yours. "Can you do that, darling?"

You just barely nodded, staving off the tremors that threatened to collapse your balance. As you attempted to contain yourself, his cold fingers slipped under your collar, shocking the hot, sensitive skin of your neck. He noted your reaction but continued, slowly unbuttoning your shirt till he could pull it off your shoulders and throw it into the basket.

His hands continued after that, removing your pants and shoes, before he left to the cabinets built into the room's walls. From there he brought you an indigo cloak, helping you slip your arms into the sleeves and settling it upon your shoulders. He then brushed and fitted the cloth over you, his open palms brushing over your chest and arms.

"Good?" He asked.

You nodded.

Safin stayed true to his word, negating any belief you had of him being a liar, at least in terms of his conversations with you. After serving tea on a reed mat that overlooked massive windowpanes, he brought you back to the helicopter and aided in your boarding. He also called for your now-clean clothes, handing them to you before you ever took off, and then taking a seat beside you.

When you arrived back near your home, a car drive still awaited you, and evening had already eclipsed the land. Howling winds made for a rough landing in the wheat fields, whose many veins and limbs tore into the air, blurring your vision as you jumped to solid ground. Stars were hardly consequential until you were back in the black SUV, staring wide-eyed through the tinted glass to see those tiny specks of light. The wind, previously a detriment, made for a clearing of the clouds that had swarmed the sky hours earlier, and allowed a clear night for the moon and stars to shine.

The bumpy, pot-hole filled road of your driveway alerted you immediately that your home was in sight, and you were soon rushing yourself out of the car, and hopefully away from Safin and his employees.

No luck.

He followed you out until you reached your front door. You turned to face him, willingly this time.

"Come have dinner with me tomorrow night," he asked of you, his voice soft and yearning as he took your hands in his. "You look beautiful in my home."

"I don't suppose I really have a choice," you mumbled.

His smile, though minute, fell.

"I will come for you."

He left.

You stayed on your porch till the car drove out of sight, as the howling wind blocked out the car's engine. The blue robe he gave you still rippled around your bare legs.

The next day you cleaned and preened yourself, wondering when Safin would barge back into your home, and if you would ever even notice it until he revealed himself. That thought left you nervous throughout your waking hours, constantly acting as though you were already being watched.

How long had you been combing your hair?

You knitted your brow, slowly putting your hairbrush down.

A severe loss of time occurred between your waking and this moment, standing in front of your bathroom mirror, dressed in somewhat nice clothes. Nothing too fancy, of course––you didn't own any full suits or genuinely nice dresses. You didn't remember dressing yourself, but you appeared to be ready.

Someone was knocking at the door.

It didn't end up being Safin. You only saw him later, after you arrived, and long after you realized you forgot your shoes and your wallet. His cold floors bit at your bare feet, both on the helipad and within his home. The soldiers––really just his employees, but with guns––accompanied you to a rather small kitchen and dining area that overlooked a vast, snow-covered mountain range entirely uninhabited by light, except that of the faint moon and stars. Warm lights shone in the kitchen, blurring out a few of the stars, and reflecting on the clear, glass doors.

"I grew up here," he said without ever turning from a pot bubbling on the stove.

"Sounds dull," you said quietly, watching as the soldiers left your side.

"Quite the opposite. I spent most of the time studying and overlooking the gardens." He looked up to you. "I grew an admiration for... the voracity of nature, its' capriciousness. The lengths it will go to in order to survive."

"I think the beauty of nature is in its empathy, not its cruelty," you mumbled.

"You've never seen something die."

"And I hope I never have to."

"It's beautiful, once you get used to it," he said in a low voice to match your own, approaching you and bringing with him a plethora of spicy scents stuck to his coat and hair. "Watching how the water leaves the body, how the veins deflate and cripple. There is beauty in death and pain, just as there is in life and love."

"A beautiful sadness, I suppose."

He smiled, his gaze softening as his thumb brushed over your cheek.

"Indeed," he murmured, his eyes falling to the floor before he turned and stepped back to the stove. "Come. I've made a variety of food, but I know you'll like them all."

"I will?" You asked with a chuckle.

"I know your tastes, my love," he said as though it was a good thing; as though he'd done you a favor by creeping into your life. You consented to no such voyeurism.

He lead you to the dining table outside, warmed by a fireplace whose warmth trickled into the tiny room, which was dwarfed by the flurry of snow rushing past the railing. There were no chairs; instead, he had set down a reed mat with cushions for seats.

After a few minutes, he returned with three platters of food that he set down on the low table.

"I am not... as good at cooking as some of my employees," he admitted quietly, almost hesitantly as he sat down across from you, "but I am not unaccustomed to it, either."

You took in his words, contemplating them before you spoke. In that time, he reached forward, and began to eat.

"I can't get a good gauge on you," you said, your brow furrowed. "I can't tell if you're rich or broke, if you're smart or just – arrogant, even if you're kind or a psychopath."

"I get that more often than you'd think," he said without hesitation.

Your eyes widened. Half of you expected him to completely flip out and threaten your life, and another part of you thought he'd try and convince you of his virtue. But no––'I get that a lot'.

"Do you talk to a lot of the people you stalk?" You asked, mostly as a joke, though you were prepared for an adverse reaction.

"Most of the people I... study, are not people I ever want to talk to," he said. "You are different. Of course."

"Why?"

He paused.

"You.. are beautiful, like death," he murmured.

"What does that mean?"

"You spend your hours taking care of a house that will only be demolished after you die, and you never speak to anyone. You tried to keep pets but they are all killed by the wolves. Your life is dead. You aren't enough to harvest all the fields you own, you aren't enough to do anything worthwhile or meaningful, and yet still... you linger on," he said. "It shows on your face, my darling. In your eyes. You've been empty since your parents died. You are a reflection of me, only unmarred. Unpoisoned."

You could swear hot, metal rods were driving down your face, but it was just the bite of a headache and burning, swollen tears.

"There they are again," he said with a soft chuckle that fell into a sort of hunger.

He stood, circling the table to kneel down in front of you.

"Those beautiful tears," he murmured, reaching up and comforting your cheek with the palm of his hand, wiping away whatever fell. "I can give you meaning, my love."

"No one can do that for another person."

"I can."

That night you curled around yourself in bed, ignoring the wet spot on your pillow where your tears gathered. Despite his cruelty, he wasn't entirely wrong, and you had little direction in life. You wanted to be an artist when you grew up, but your father thought it to be a childish career. That left you with few options, and before you could fully decide, both your parents ended up dying in a car accident. All of their money went to you. You didn't like thinking about it.

How ironic––how perfect it was that your hated memories, your rarely remembered past was what drew a man to you. Granted, it wasn't a man you genuinely desired––in fact you had little idea what you thought of him––but it was a person nonetheless.

Now a life that you barely lived, one you barely loved, would be taken from you in the form of freedom. Was it really a bad thing? Did it really matter?

Sleep offered you no solace, and in the morning, you awoke as though you hadn't slept the whole of the night despite getting around eight hours. Food didn't appeal to your stomach, and getting up sounded like a chore, so you stayed wrapped up in your sheets, ignoring your buzzing phone.

For the next several days you tried to be a person, but your phone still remained ignored. In fact, it died soon after that first morning, ensuring you weren't bothered in your isolated home.

Most of the walls in your house were already covered in murals depicting anything from deep sea life to biblically described angels towering above the clouds. The doors were the next to succumb to the swirling colors as you sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor, painting your door from the bottom up. Snow-capped mountains. Something cold to remember.

You pulled your knee closer to your chest, your bare foot scraping against the bathroom tile. In your thin clothes, brushes of cold breezes still managed to bother you, even inside your home.

In your dreams, people bit you, their ravenous eyes burning with an avarice for your flesh. They weren't alive or dead, but their skin rotted, and their gangrene nails dug into your arms and cheeks, poisoning your bloodstream and infecting every wound they wreaked upon you.

And it hurt.

Dreams shouldn't hurt. Neither should nightmares. But when you woke, your body ached, and there was no denying the exhaustion remaining in your once-fighting body. Now, you lay motionless in bed, casting your blurry vision up to the pale ceiling. How long had you slept?

When your eyes stopped burning from the cold, dry air, you opened them further, and you finally noticed that the ceiling above you was white, a sheer contrast from the painted stars on your bedroom ceiling.

You shot up out of bed. Or you tried to. Ropes around your wrists and ankles prevented you from most movement, but they weren't grounded to the bed's frame, allowing you to writhe amongst the sheets. You panted through the cloth gag splitting your mouth in two, preventing you from biting the rope. A sick sweat came to coat your bare skin, sending you into shivers despite your flushed haze, which had you kicking your blankets off moments earlier.

The door opposite the bed swung steadily open, revealing a man whose presence brought both comfort and terror.

You shuffled up the bed, kicking yourself up to face him, while simultaneously cowering from him with raised shoulders and wary eyes.

"I told you before," he said, his silhouette growing nearer till his body and features overwhelmed the light outside the darkened room.

The door shut behind him, and he began to crawl up the bed, his large hand encircling both your ankles. You tried your best to kick him away and wriggle out of his grasp, but he just kept crawling closer till he held himself above you. Tears began to fall from your eyes in great swells, matching the sobbing begs that left your mouth in muffled mumbles. He grabbed your chin hard enough to leave bruises, twisting your skin as he forced you to face him, flushed cheeks, tears, and all.

He visited you but it wasn’t enough. You would never be enough for his hunger, and his inexorable belief that you would succeed where others failed was what terrified you the most.

"I am not a patient man."

[piercedpressure]

how has deja evolved over the years? i swear she gets redesigned like every few months /pos lol

LMAOOO ud be right cause shes changed stories each year (im painfully indecisive), this year is the only story ive genuinely been interested in exploring since i finally landed on a genre i think would fit her best? and i consider her redesigns to be a sort of progression into how ive grown as a writer and maybe as a person since shes been with me for so long lmao

ill place this under read more cause ill go into condensed detail about her evolution for her characterization, her design, and a small timeline for her story contexts but tl;dr shes grown so much and has gotten way more complex. i love her so much

2017-early 2018: she actually started out as a sona concept! design wise, nothing really special tbh, i was throwing stuff i really liked. for 2017, she was just a throwaway concept, but i was rapidly improving towards the end of that year...

mid-2018: ... that i ended up reusing her concept as a character concept, and during that year, i made an au with a friend that spiraled into something that lasted about the next 2 years, that then included her as one of the main characters LMAO. i wanted to draw crazy hair and also a cute mask, so i did. i ended up making it so that the masks were to both hide her identity (shes a fugitive in the au) and to be some sort of metaphor. her personality was very outwardly sweet, but she could also kill you so it best to not get on her bad side, but she was also in a constant learned helplessnes. big deja year

2019: design wise, i removed the mask, made her fatter (despite me not knowing how to draw fat people yet), and made her sorta baby-faced, since her character is a lot more childish during this bit? story wise, her story was included in an anthology about different kinds of love in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. during this time, i was going through a Lot mentally, and it sorta marked the beginning of a really horrible period in my life thats still kind of ongoing, so i used her story in a more experimental sense so i can figure out different workarounds in an escapist way? this is also when i started pairing her with her now-partner-in-stories, lualhati, and from this point, lulu and deja are inseparable

2020: for this year, i was sorta putting her story off? i was really struggling to figure out what to do with it other than the deja/lulu love story, but at the same time, that marked me going through a journey of adding fat people to my work. dejas always been small fat, but her body hasnt actually been drawn well enough. we all start from somewhere though. she was a lot more calm in this version, and is sort of a leader figure for a village in a fantasy world. but i wasnt really feeling it.........

2021: last year was when i really started digging deep into what i wanted to do. i wanted weird gay trans cathartic art. so dejas story was that. still wasnt really feeling it, but u can tell i was really experimenting trying to land on something i was passionate about. while i did like her design since its a turning point in my art, and its visually loud (the color palette, holy shit), IT WAS SO HARD TO DRAW? i understand that 2021 me was really going at it with very loud and distinct designs, but the reason why i didnt even draw her for months after was because she was so fucking hard to draw. and i didnt put enough effort to portraying her fatness (which will soon become a very important aspect of her character). but were about to pull a gamer move

2022: up until now, since 2018-2019, i wasnt really satisfied with her story. it didnt really fit what i wanted, bc i was mostly concerned with how other people would react if i talked about them, especially since deja/lulu have always been very personal to me. but i had a vision. where deja and lulu are in a revenge drama thriller in a city in the middle of nowhere. and i havent stopped thinking about it day and night ever fucking since. i brought back a lot of elements from past designs (mostly cause i thought theyd look great, i was right), and im finally getting to a point where im figuring out how i draw fat people. now, dejas characterization came really easy to me (hypervigilent, short-tempered, mysterious, a second away from realizing shes trans). her story explores themes surrounding violence, secrets, and suffocating marriages, and while its a far heavier story than the past ones, its the first time ive been genuinely excited to see how its grown. i could ramble about this all day lol

deja is a growing character and she keeps getting better and better every time im exploring her, and she genuinely means the world to me. thank u for reading this if u have decided to read this

[mk-wizard]

Sailor Moon 90s Anime is STILL the best

Hi. I know I am on a Sailor Moon binge here, but after seeing all of Crystal, Eternal and on R (season 2) of the first anime, I want to get this all off of my chest... and before I go further, since these are all animes, I will refer to them as 90s, Crystal and Eternal. And after watching them all, I have to say that the 90s takes the gold medal as the best Sailor Moon anime so far and this is why;

1- It had the best pacing. - While I admit that sometimes, it went too far with the filler, 98% of the time, it worked with the 90s. It took its time to make you get to know the characters for better or for worse, it made you see different sides of them, it gave them a chance to truly develop and be multi-dimensional, and it made you care about them. When a death happened, it felt tragic. When a victory happened, you cheered. And when you saw what side characters did, it mattered. I mean, who can ever forget the contribution 90s Naru Osaka had to the story? And everyone who has seen the 90s anime cannot forget her. More on the character development and getting to know characters later.

Sure, it wasn’t true to the manga and even the characters had different personalities, but I let that slide by because when Crystal and Eternal did follow the manga to the letter, we didn’t get a chance to digest anything. The only characters who develop are Usagi, Chibi-Usa and the outer guardians, and for the last bunch, it was the bare minimum. Crystal and Eternal were fun rides and I would be lying if I said I didn’t like them, but they were like roller coasters. They gave you a thrill, but fast and been done. The 90s was like a slow scenic ride that gave you surprises, emotionally touched you, made you cry, made you laugh, made you root for the heroes and even at the age of 37 years now, I keep rewatching this series.

2- The art of the 90s was better because it was sketchy, dark and edgier. - I know Sailor Moon doesn’t seem like this on the surface because the heroines are lovely girls in cute costumes, it emphasizes femininity and all things pretty, it has a romantic theme and is all about love, but Sailor Moon is also one of the darkest, grittiest, edgy and violent magical girl animes I have ever seen since Magic Knights Rayearth. Sailor Moon has on screen deaths which were permanent most of the time, on screen stabbings and the drawing of blood, and fights that got so hardcore, that real punches and kicks were thrown. The dark edges, black line art and sharp edges worked with the atmosphere of the story. I mean, look at the difference between the halls Dark Kingdom of the 90s (above) and that of Crystal.

And if that is not enough to win you over, the characters were much more animated, organic and conveyed more emotion whether they were exaggerated or serious.

In Crystal, the expressions and body language was very dulled down. Not to mention, very stiff.

Everything is also too bright and soft which makes the characters look like velvet dolls with too much make up especially with the line art. I will give them props for adding better details, cleaner lines, the glow of magical items, and details in the gems, but everything else is all wrong.

Eternal was better, but still not quite there. The colours are still way too bright and the characters still look too much like dolls from having line art that is too wispy. And I really do not like how the eyes have this unnatural glow to them. The edgy scenes become lost with all this brightness.

3- We got to see that there was so much more the characters than just heroes or villains. - Since Usagi is the titular character, let us just talk about her in the 90s since I could go on forever about how much we learned about the characters. In any version of Sailor Moon, Usagi’s role as a Sailor Guardian has always been the core of the story and she does indeed show progress as one. However, the 90s tells us that no matter what, she is still going to be herself too which is just as important and she shows character development as just plain old Usagi too. The manga, Crystal and Eternal which only paint Usagi as not doing anything right except be a Sailor Guardian, but the 90s show her hidden talents and learning new skills. For example, she was bad at cooking at the beginning of the series.

However, by Sailor Moon R, she gets the hang of it and is able to cook a meal by herself. Yes, she is messy, clumsy, never gets the hang of making cookies and is nowhere near Makoto’s level especially when it comes to presentation, but she is good at cooking food.

Another hidden talent of Usagi’s is her drawing skills. She isn’t just good at drawing. She’s got talent at it, so in the 90s, Usagi is quite the artist.

And it is admirable that 90s Usagi is open to trying new things even if she isn’t good at them. She practices, she explores and tries to enlighten herself. Sure, academics, coordination and organization will never be her fortes, but she really does have other and tries to discover more.

In Crystal and Eternal, she is good at being Sailor Moon, she is a good friend and a good girlfriend, but that is it. She is one dimensional here and she isn’t the only one to painted like that. Everyone is only the obvious and that is all the audience gets.

4- Better character redemption. - I mentioned before that Sailor Moon had grit and was dark, but the 90s also made it more complex and did character redemption right. It was open to the possibility of bad people becoming good. For instance, the Black Moon Clan Specter Sister are unforgettable for being successfully redeemed.

Yes, I admit that the monster of the day would get killed by the hands of the Sailor Guardians, but they also clearly showed that the monsters were not people or even alive. They were made of energy, clay or sand. When the monster of the day was a possessed innocent, they were saved through exorcism. Very rarely was an actual person ever killed and even when they were, it was either by the hands of another villain, their own hand, self defense or as a last resort. They never used killing as means of dealing with every single bad guy.

Furthermore, the bridge arc about the Makai Tree that also served as a prologue to Sailor Moon R could be seen as a story about mercy, kindness and love. It stands out as the one time the big bad was actually a misunderstood big good being the Makai Tree herself. And even Ail an An were never bad, but were raised bad. And even then, they changed. This story is unique only to the 90s so far, but it was great and stood out for that reason.

In Crystal, the heroines will kill a person without a second thought which I am shocked that no one brings up how repetitive and contradictory that is. The pretty warrior of love and justice should by all means protect the Earth, but doing so by killing off the bad guy all time is not love or justice. I also think the caption in this picture sums up how I feel about how the one and only time bad guys were given a chance to be redeemed...

Eternal was better because the Asteroid Guardians got redeemed and saved. However, even then, I feel like there is still a double standard. They were one of the good guys to begin with and Sailor Guardians. In the 90s, the Amazoness Quartet wasn’t, but were given a chance to change anyway. I find it cool that the Quartet turned out to be Sailors and even better that they will go on to become Chibi-Usa’s team, but mercy is not just for your allies or for your own benefit. Everyone should be given at least one chance to fix their mistakes.

5- We got to know Mamoru better. - I admit that no matter the incarnation, Tuxedo Mask will never be as powerful as Sailor Moon except when he is King Endymion, but the 90s take on his character made him better even if they did omit his super attack being Tuxedo le Smoking Bomber. What the well dressed masked man lacked in firepower, he made up for in intelligence, insight about the enemy’s weakness, courage and skill. The only times he ever did get overpowered was either by bad luck or because it was intentional because he was taking a hit for Sailor Moon. And even then, he always got back up. He’s a real man like that.

More importantly, we get to know him as Mamoru too. Even before he confides being an amnesiac to Usagi, we see his struggles with feeling alone in the world from having no memory of his life before a tragic accident which also killed his parents. Now, him being a stern cynical person makes sense because I probably wouldn’t be pleasant to be around either if I lived with that. Once his walls come down, we see that deep down, all he wants is to belong somewhere and have a family. It should also be noted that 90s Mamoru doesn’t love Usagi because he is “destined” to. He loves her because he wants to. Even during that brief period where he broke up with Usagi was an act of love. The thing I also always liked best about 90s Mamoru is that even though he loves Usagi more than life itself, his life doesn’t revolve around her which is a healthy thing and he tries to encourage Usagi to be the same way for her own good. He is studying to be a doctor, he has a job and he even has his own crowd which I think is great.

In Crystal and Eternal, while I do see an attempt at trying to follow this trend by showing that Usagi and Mamoru were on their way to falling in love even before they got their memories back, I still find he was one note and we never really learn much about him that has nothing to do with Tuxedo Mask, Endymion or anything royal related. Sure, we know that he’s studying to be a doctor and is a genius to an extent too, but that is it.

I would like to end this by admitting that the 90s was not perfect either, but out of all the takes on the tale of Sailor Moon as of date. Crystal and Eternal were ok, but they just cannot stand up to the quality of the 90s. The only thing I can say I find Crystal did better than the 90s were the costume designs. Specifically, how they let Venus keep her chain belt, Pluto’s key chain belt, Uranus and Neptune’s shorter gloves, Uranus’s sword, Uranus having two earrings, Mercury’s suit is shoulder less which I always found suited her better, and I liked Sailor Moon’s brooch and necklace better in season 1.

And even then, I should have liked it if Jupiter’s antenna was always on display as it is just something I always found cute in the manga, I liked Mars’ five point star earrings better in the 90s, and I like how in the 90s, each of the Inner Guardians’ sailor stripes were a little different.

Of course, this is all my opinion. I would like to hear which of the animes did Sailor Moon right in your opinion and why. Thanks for reading and stay safe, and have a great day.

[honeytea8]

✨✨La Squadra Boyfriend Headcanons✨✨

[Alexa, play Boyfriend by Big Time Rush]

Guys, I spend an ungodly amount of time thinking about La Squadra, so here are some bf headcanons for the sexiest group of assassins in Naples. No one asked but I am bringing it straight to your dash anyway! (under the cut for length lmao)

I’m going to start with Prosciutto, who has recently fallen on my radar pretty heavy! 

He’s a good and decent boyfriend, if not a busy one. Not that he doesn’t care about the relationship, but most of his energy was going to Passione things before you waltzed in and so he’ll struggle a bit between his work responsibilities and maintaining his relationship with you, but only in the beginning. 

If you are also a part of Passione, it’s a hell of a lot easier to manage. 

I see Prosciutto as the gift-giving type: lingerie, sweets, perfume, designers, etc. His salary isn’t the best, but he manages it as well as he can just to accommodate you! 

I just can’t get the idea out of my head that Pro was raised by a strict mama, that’s why he can be a bit of a stickler sometimes. He’ll catch you still lounging in bed at nine am, and be like “Why are you still in bed? Get dressed, we’re going out.” Dude!

I’m sorry to say, but Prosciutto is absolutely the ‘lecturing’ type. (He lectured someone in nearly every scene in the anime, Formaggio once and Pesci numerously and Bucci too) 

He will lecture you when you make mistakes, especially because as his s/o, he has high expectations for you and believes you’re capable of so much more. It’s never, ever out of hate. He loves you, and that’s why he chides you a bit lol. 

This does not negate the fact that he doesn't mind when you lean on him for support. He likes when you count on him, because he always comes through especially for you!

Depending on whether you’re in the mafia or not, I totally see him sparring with you, or working out with you in an effort to make you tough. Prosciutto wants you to be able to defend yourself, just in case. If you complain, he’ll tell you, “Better safe than sorry, tesoro”.

Prosciutto will respect you, period.

A good listener, goddamn! He’s up there with Risotto when it comes to who listens to their s/o more! If you have an issue, he’ll hear you out and offer advice if you want it. If you give him advice, he’ll take it into serious consideration. He’s honestly a good partner, can’t stress that enough.

Finally, sex with Pro is an entire event. Romantic dinner, candles lit, wine, the whole nine yards before he gives you nine inches of something else :) (I’m kidding!! Lmao, kinda). 

But as I said, Prosciutto is quite deliberate, and a bit of a perfectionist. He knows what to do and how to do it, you can trust him.

Ghiaccio is next only because he’s my favorite. 

The ice gremlin is probably the most interesting (and hilarious) boyfriend out of the bunch (I say this with only a tidbit of bias). He isn’t funny himself, but funny shit just happens to him. 

Because of this, he will use you as a soundboard when everyone else refuses to listen to him. He’s got a lot to say, so be prepared for his TEDtalks. LMAO!

It will take some perception on your part to notice when he actually expects a response from you, and other times he’s just ranting to get his point out. 

He will correct your grammar when you text, but barely notices when he makes a similar mistake (his brain moves in mph). Please use the proper names like Venezia, Italia, Roma and Napoli when talking to this man; save yourself from the headache.

When it comes to dates, please have mercy on him, he’s a textbook over-thinker! You’ll just have to plan something simple at home for you both to enjoy. 

He isn’t incapable of planning dates, but he’ll want everything to be so absolutely perfect for his s/o and will throw a fit when it ultimately isn’t. 

Contrary to popular belief, I think that Ghiaccio is a pretty attentive partner. He’s super intelligent and I think a part of it stems from his innate ability to read people (I’m referencing the part in the anime where he deduced what Giorno and Mista had come to look for, while going off very little information). 

The more time he spends with you, the better he gets at it. 

His form of affection will be shown through the amount of time you both spend together. When it comes to sex or anything related to that, be gentle and slow as Ghiaccio will likely be a flustered mess. 

As he becomes more comfortable and confident, he will be bolder and just ask out right if you’ll suck him off tonight or not. The man appreciates directness, so don’t bother being coy. “You want me to give you head? Cool, lay down a towel or something.” is what he’ll probably say.

Very practical 👌🏾👌🏾

Melone, good lord, he’s kind of perfect. 

A bit of a doting boyfriend here and there—very much concerned about your health. Expect him to ask if you’ve eaten, or taken your multivitamin. How are your bowel movements?  LMAO

It can become a bit much, but he really genuinely cares. He’s not asking to be intrusive or nasty! If he was, you’d know. 🤣

But I seriously consider Melone to be the one (at least among La Squadra) who is way, way invested in his relationships. He will know every little detail about you; will ask you lots of questions and expects you to ask him just as many. 

This may be annoying to some, but this dude will definitely bring up your horoscope in an argument. He’ll be like “I honestly can’t fathom why you’re being this way, though it’s to be expected from a libra.” 

Peg this bitch so he can shut up.  

Melone is also touchy as hell, but not in a clingy way. He loves touching, and just to tag onto the headcanon about his partial blindness, I want to say that he’s so touchy because that’s how he ‘sees’ you best.

Just know that half the time, he isn’t touching you to be lecherous, even if he genuinely does like the feel of your skin under his fingertips. Melone will even encourage you to touch him back. 

Rub his thigh or back and he’ll be simping.

He is obsessed with your legs, and will paint your toes if you let him. 

LOVES PDA! Melone will also tongue-kiss you in public if you let him!

Notice how I keep saying ‘if you let him’. Give him an inch and he’ll press you for a mile, so if there are boundaries you would like to establish, please do, cuz he sure as hell won’t, just saying!

When it comes to sex, Melone is a dick and coochie sensei. Oral is his favorite thing to do, probably enjoys giving more than receiving to be honest. I’d say he’s pretty much mastered sex for what it is. 

That being said, if he’s ever talking out of his neck, just invite him to put his mouth to better use. He’ll even thank you for your gracious request.

Formaggio is next 💀 

According to my JoJo compatriots from discord, he’s like the Optimus Prime of fuckboi’s so let’s ride that wave for a bit! LMAO

I hope it doesn’t come as a surprise that Formaggio is pretty shameless. He will send you a dick pic on Sunday morning before church and have the audacity to say “Just wanted to bless you real quick”. 

@autumn-kouhai mentioned him giving his s/o sickly sweet pet names and I just have to agree. 

Expect to be hit upside the head with: baby-boo, sugar plum, honey bunches, sweetums. I can imagine them becoming really ridiculous too like “the last piece of red velvet cake” or “cheddar bae biscuits from Red Lobster”

His catch phrase is “Got nudes?”

Send them, and he won’t be afraid to reply with something equally sexy. 

Be warned though, he will stockpile whatever you send him and then be careless with his phone. If you don’t mind Illuso’s snoopy ass seeing your nudes then by all means, have at it. Otherwise, send them through snapchat, so they disappear later. 

As far as La Squadra boyfriends go, he’s the most fun! Y’all don’t even go anywhere because man’s is broke. BUT, Formaggio knows how to have a good time without any need to spend money (my kind of dude tbh) you guys just crank up the tunes, dance, and get lit until the neighbors complain. 

Formi is also the CEO of jokes/memes, and will have you in absolute tears almost always! I literally tell my friends that funny guys are so dangerous, don’t sleep on them! They will make you laugh until your panties drop, it’s magic, I swear. Formaggio has that same energy. 

No matter how bad of a day his s/o is having, rest assured, he will draw the biggest laugh out of you.

Besides his fuckboi tendencies, his most redeeming quality is the fact that he’s super cool and fun to hang with. You’ll literally have a good time, always, because his energy is right! Very good vibes around this man, I swear! It’ll be exactly like dating your best friend, because essentially, he will be your bestie.

Formi has many moments of tenderness that aren’t sexually charged too—moments where the jokes stop and he’ll just rub your back or feet, this is usually when you aren’t feeling well and need some quiet. 

However, Formaggio won’t let you mope all day, he’ll pull out the big guns and call you his “sweetie baby” and when you try to resist he’ll say “What, I’m just tryna show you some love.”

He’s a good dude lmao I’d date a guy like him irl 😭

Pesci stans wya??! Let’s get into this baby boy. 

Pesci is boyfriend material, idgaf what anyone says. 

He is pretty much the least problematic to be with among all of La Squadra, even more so than Risotto (don’t argue with me). 

Pesci is hyper aware of your likes and dislikes and will literally go out of his way to make sure that you’re well and okay. 

Arguments are basically nonexistent and if they occur it ain’t coming from his side. 

I also think that Pesci has a lot of empathy, so when you’re going through something, he’s right there in the thick of it with you. If you’ve seen that meme that goes ‘when my gf is on her period it’s UterUS’ lmao that’s Pesci’s energy 100%. 

Sometimes, he’s more of a lover and not a fight, that is perfectly okay!

However, if someone tries up his s/o, say farewell to Mr. Niceguy. He will defend your honor to his dying breath. And with you in his corner, trust me, he’s not going down. 

A romantic at heart, Pesci will plan little date trips like picnics in the park or boat trips to Capri, actually, I’d like to point out that he excels in the art of date planning. If you’re the adventurous type, he’ll plan outings where you both will be more active, like biking through the city or renting a mop-ed and going sight-seeing. 

Because Pesci has a sensitive stomach, he’s very much considerate of what you both put in your bodies. If you have dietary restrictions or allergies, this guy knows all about it and will cater to you perfectly. 

A true gentleman through and through, he will never force himself on you, ever. In fact, he really doesn’t like engaging in anything sexual when you’re drunk or high, sorry if you’re into that! 

Pesci is the kind of guy who keeps up with your favorite shows.

If ya’ll have similar taste in media or literature, he will immerse himself in it so that he can relate to you all the more.

If there’s anyone who will entertain anime-related discourse, no matter how nonsensical, it’s Pesci. And he isn’t just putting up with it, he’s actively engaging in the conversation so you are always heard and validated. 

He’s an A+ boyfriend, that’s all I gotta say! Haters can stay mad :)

Goddamn Illuso... idk man.

I really feel like you have to have thick/tough skin to handle this guy, for various reasons. 

The first being that Illuso can be a bit mean at first. He’ll push your buttons on purpose just to see what’ll make you tick. Will tease the living heck out of you, always, kind of a bully lmao but not to the extreme, it’s just his brand of humor—and the thing is, he won’t be mad when you dish it right back, so it’s cool. 

Secondly, Illuso has big dick energy!! 

I mean rightfully so, because he is indeed packing! But my word, he ain’t humble about it at all! 

He is not above making jokes about ‘splitting you in half’. In fact all of his jokes have hidden, dirty undertones! 

His affection is shown through speech mostly. Illuso will drop subtle innuendos and provocations, half to see you flustered and half because he wants you to know how much he wants you. 

Illuso isn’t incredibly vocal about his feelings outside of ‘I’m tryna hit that thang’ but you won’t doubt that he loves you because Illuso doesn’t waste his own time. 

If he’s spending his time with you, you can rest assured that it’s because he wants to. 

Illuso is a voyeur and you’ll just have to understand/accept that and move on. 

He loves watching you and will even creep over to your place through the mirror world just to hang or watch you do chores. Loves to surprise you and give you jump scares lmao it’ll make you a tad paranoid but it’s also fun. 

Illuso is prone to random bouts of sweetness; it’s very sporadic, very touch-and-go. 

One day, you’ll wake up to chocolates on your dresser or new shoes, lingerie, or makeup if you wear it. I imagine that if you’re low on funds, he will even help you buy your groceries that week. 

It’ll surprise the hell out of you, but that’s just how Illuso is. He enjoys keeping you on your toes! 

He’s prideful and smug as hell, so he will definitely expect a thank you, because even if he does it out of the kindness in his heart, he also wants to hear that you appreciate him

Same goes for the bedroom scene. Illuso loves making you vocal, it’s his favorite thing in the world, so he’ll make a game out of doing the things that get the biggest reaction out of you. Like I said, it's that big dick energy at work here, smh.

Sorbet and Gelato in a polyamorous relationship with you? Let’s get it! 

We don’t get anything substantial about these two except that Sorbet follows the money, so these are all personal headcanons for how I see and write them. 

Here’s the juice: when it comes to you as their s/o, these two are possessive as hell. You are theirs and that’s that on that! 😭 Don’t ask questions, just go with it.

Sorbet is the chill one of the duo. He can be a bit smug at times, but he’s mostly a laid back dude who doesn’t get bothered by much.

When it comes to you, Sorbet likes to spend quality time with you more than anything, and will ask you to cook for him at your place so he ain’t gotta spend money. Oh? Did I not mention that I kinda think of him as a cheapskate? Lmao cuz I do.

Sorbet will come by your place just to steal your coupons from the mail then head out; you’re not using ‘em so why should he let them go to waste?

Gelato is the complete opposite; personality wise, I headcanon him as a mix between Melone and Formaggio lmao

But it’s not as crazy as it sounds, he’s cute and outspoken like Melone, while maintaining a free-spirit like Formaggio. One quality that I like is that he’s quite devoted to you and Sorbet. If anyone crosses either of you, goodluck to them!

I like to think Gelato’s also just really boujee and high maintenance. He loves to pamper and be pampered. You and him tag-team Sorbet’s wallet and go on spa dates together at his expense (not that he ever really stood a chance)

While Sorbet is cool with just being in the same room as you, Gelato loves hugging/cuddling with you and Sorbet—will definitely fight for the middle spot between the two of you on the couch during movie nights.

He baby, so let him have it lol

In the bedroom, I would salute anyone with the guts to take the two of them on. They both lay down that work, period. 

Sorbet gets his kicks from teasing and edging you (his sadistic side comes out a bit), while Gelato loves when you give him extra TLC. To put it short, they know how to take care of you, so there are no issues there. 

Last but not least, Mr. Risotto Nero himself.

Man, idc on the lowest of keys, he seems a little bit like a grandpa to me

The type to sit at home and do crosswords, has a bird feeder in his yard and plays old Italian hits while washing the dishes. It’s very domestic 💀 (I find it cute, whatever!)

As a boyfriend, I can’t imagine him suddenly being spontaneous or outgoing unless you drag him out of his home/comfort zone.

Be patient with Mr. Nero, and he can come to surprise you

After a while, it won’t be just you dragging him out and about; one day he’ll ask you to come over and you’ll be greeted with a nice, traditional, homemade meal

Pay attention and you will notice him watching your face to see if you like his cooking 🥺

After seeing his fight with Doppio, I must admit that Risotto is very, very observant, almost scarily so.

I can totally picture him pointing out random things about his s/o that even they don’t know

One night, Risotto may come up to you and say “I talked to your neighbor about the dog, they’ll keep it inside now.” And you’re just staring like 😳 how did he know the barking was keeping you up at night????

He’s sweet, and will take good care of you as a boyfriend should.

Very good listener, won’t talk as much but will hang on to your every word, I promise. He could even recite it to you verbatim.

He’s a big dude, that ain’t news, so expect to be swallowed up in hugs and sometimes even picked up (as a tall girl myself, I simp!!!)

Gives A1 piggyback rides, lol

ALSO RISOTTO IS HUMBLE ASF!

Big dick energy, but on low volume 👏🏾 after all, he doesn’t need to do much talking, because a night with him is more than enough!

Listen babe, you better stretch, do some squats, and prep in whatever way you can before Mr. Nero gives you that work. 🤐

Lowkey a freak, but it’s well hidden behind his ‘quiet giant’ exterior

So, who are y'all dating? Personally, I’m going for Formaggio and Pesci hehe

[ringmyheart]

Can I request Vin Jin boyfriend headcanons and some fluff? (You don't have to force yourself)

(This and the other vin jin rq were merged!)

Honestly the way I see it, it doesn’t matter if you’re a very calm person or outgoing person. No matter what this relationship is gonna end up being considerably chaotic

He ropes you into everything he does. Doesn’t matter if u r a design student or an architecture student or if ur on the opposite side of the school from him, u r practically in his class. Dating him is like signing a contract sealing away ur own life bc he makes it a point to be ALWAYS w u

In class he doesn’t gaf if the teacher has ur seat on the other end of class, he is somehow finding a way to sit next to u against ur will or not. And when the teacher moves u two away from eachother INTENTIONALLY bc of this, he is threatening whoever happened to sit next to u to trade seats w him. He will go as far as to dress up as them to make it look like they’re them to be next to u and he’s so dramatic ab it.... being away from u felt like u were star crossed lovers whom the world was fiercely against

And if UR against this cuz ur tired of getting in trouble in class, or if you reject any of his advances, he’s gonna be really, really, really offended. He will at first sputter and be kinda shy and embarrassed about it, before he goes “fine! Have fun on your own without me, the greatest thing in your fucking life!”

He move seats back and will glare at you periodically every five minutes to pavlov dog you so that every five minutes every day, even when he’s not there, you feel the burning stare of vin jin

If you’re his s/o, he’ll buy you a matching pair of sunglasses so ur the freshest looking couple around Seoul (they’re hideous and thick but he thinks u look fly)

The glasses don’t have nearly as many layers as his does for himself so u can see, and u wonder how he managed to make them just as bulky and if he did it on purpose to sabotage u. Like “did u make my glasses purposefully ugly so no one else will want me?”

U have to dodge a punch after saying anything like that ab his fashion decisions LMAOAO

He’s rlly proud of u two matching. With the glasses and anything in general. He’ll make you wear a jacket matching his, or the same shoes and he will stop people in the hall and be like “wait. Notice anything cool ab us today?? Cooler than normal??”

And when they don’t respond he boasts “that’s right!! Me and my other half r matching. Look at us and weep, losers.” He thinks u two look so good....... if ur enthusiastic ab wearing matching things too he is elated u have to pray that tomorrow he won’t show up w another “if lost return to Vin Jin” “I’m Vin Jin” pair of jackets or anything of the like bc it happens SO OFTEN

And on the topic of sharing when it’s cold he likes to share jackets and blankets w u. Ur desks r moved by eachother by vin jin himself and u two share one blanket over u and shiver bc he just likes it, sharing w u plus he’s slightly warmer. And yes if you guys had indivizual blankets you would be warmer, but u guys have to struggle together he doesn’t care what anyone says (yes even ur protests ur sharing that one blanket wether he has to wrap it around u himself and tear up the one u brought on ur own or what”

He is so blind in love that he cannot tell when u guys suck at stuff. Like if ur in the wrong he doesnt care ur RIGHT and he’s taking that to the grave. He can belittle u and call u out but if someone else says ur in the wrong it’s on sight

Will die protecting ur name even when ur the one who was genuinely wrong

He forces u to make a beat for him to rap to. He loves rapping and wants to enjoy it w u, so ur forcefed YouTube videos of how to beatbox so u can be his bgm and eventually u probably just start to enjoy it to

And u always start a beat and he starts busting out rhymes and it’s SO BAD. It doesn’t matter if ur good at beatboxing if vin Jin is on the track w u it’s gonna sound terrible he brings the quality down immensely but u two just cannot tell

Like after a two session ur like “omg... that was so good. We should go pro?” “Fuck yea we should we’re better than those posers” “we could rlly make it in the industry fr” no u absolutely could not

During the school festival, u sang with him and it was SO bad. Half the crowd is gonna have 2 be hospitalized but u two had FUN up on the stage

Like I said, he has absolute faith in u. All u do is right. If ur driving a car for the first time, he is going to be ur little hype man doesn’t matter if u suck. U hit a curb and he went “YES babe!! Ur killing it cant wait till u hit the road bby” Ur not allowed to touch a car for the next two years now bc he kept cheering u on when u we’re doing CLEARLY wrong things

On a plane u r looking for the bathroom like pensively and u see a handle and look back and r like “is this it???” And vin jin thinking u r all righteous will go “yea babe go for it” and u open it and u depressurizate the cabin immediately

Now both on like 5 no fly lists

He loves to do things with u, like I mentioned earlier, and things he wouldn’t do alone he’ll do w u. Like drawing alone?? Boring. Drawing w Y/N??!!! Who knows what could happen..... so much fun could ensue. Maybe he will draw u cutely. Maybe he will draw u so ugly u will be forced to engage in a fight.

He likes to play just dance w u and compete for the “greats/all star!” Little titles above, and it becomes like a Friday night ritual for u two to turn just dance on and just go at it. But sometimes he’ll get too intense and suddenly he’s actually fighting for the chance to beat u. Will trip u so u lose on purpose

He makes u listen to him sing and rap to u. And u try to leave and he hugs tightly and is like LISTEN IFS FOR U, DONT BE UNGRATEFUL and now u have to listen

He makes u a mixtape of songs he made himself and they are all considerably worse than “remember the times we had”. It’s uploaded on SoundCloud and all the comments r hate and u listen to it a lot bc u know he loves u sm he made u a mixtape ya ur gonna play that but everyone else hates it w a passion

Like the comments r like:

Daniel: well.... it’s definitely a song 😅 I’m glad you love (y/n) so much!

Duke: he’s not making it out the hood 😐

Zach: never let this man in a studio AGAIN

Mary: this should’ve stayed in the CD

(Y/N): love it! 😍

Zoe: kill your producer 💀

Mira: ...

He’s overprotective too

If someone looks at u for more than a second he’ll go “what?? U think she is hot, huh? I’ll kick ur ass fucking perv.... cmon babe let’s go”

Will throw his arm around u and streer u the opposite way of any potentially good looking ppl to keep ur eyes on him

Oh Daniel is coming?? What a coincidence u and vin Jin suddenly have to turn the corner to the other way of ur classroom for some reason

Eli is near?!!! Oh no u just got milk spilt in ur eye!! Oh no now he has to wipe ur eyes and u two have to leave the cafeteria whatever will he do

It’s not that he doesn’t have faith in u, he doesn’t have faith in other men. Like he thinks they r all competition, and doesn’t doubt ur loyalty rather doubts how good he can b for u

WILL beat someone up for u. If someone smokes while ur around suddenly his fists r swinging at them cuz even if u smoke or vape urself no one else can get that stuff in ur lungs but YOU or HIM!!

If ur crossing the street and a car almost hits u, it’s the cars fault and he’s kicking the license plate and cursing it out for almost touching u “stupid fucking piece of metal”

Is the type of boyfriend to call u when he knows ur in an Uber and be like “babe u got ur gun w u right?? Oh don’t forget ur BOMB and ur MACHETE!! Yeah just left the house I killed some ppl nbd haha anyways HRU what’s ur Uber driver like” so the driver of ur car won’t even think ab kidnapping u. He has got ur back even when u do not want it

He doesn’t want u to see his eyes, so he’ll tell you to look away so he can take his glasses off and look at u in full color in all ur glory but he never tells u WHY he’s telling u to look away u think it’s a weird thing of his, or he’s insecure ab his face which is partially true but really he’s taking his glasses off and just looking at u. Adoringly.....

He hates PDA. He loves PDA. Do u see his dilemma

Like he loves PDA but doesn’t want anyone seeing him vulnerable even u.... so he’ll hold ur hand and be like “EWWW WHAT R U DOING GET YR HAND OFF MINE”

If u take the lead THATS best bc he can blame it on u and it’s ur fault he HAS to lock fingers w u cuz u did it to him first and he has an excuse to touch u and v like u started this im just sending u ur own energy back 😤

The type to be just like blind, overwhelmed in love. Always thinks ab u, always wants to be w u, worries ab u a lot and frets over u without showing it.... he hates it and loves it to death. Despises it but wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world

Eats lunch w u in the cafeteria and if u sit w someone else u r the ultimate traitor and he will trash talk u to hide his hurt to Mary the entire lunchtime. Kinda possessive.... wants u to also only think about him

WOULDNT EVER fight u for real. Play fights occur VERY often, like pillow fights, tripping ur foot when u say a joke insulting him, grabbing ur collar but he would sooner die than lay a finger on u

Verbal fights happen a lot and if he ever like LOSES it he may lash out and almost hit u and follow thru. I don’t think he’d be able to catch himself that quickly, and if he ever did he’d regret it for the rest of his life. Literally until the day dies he will take it to his grave

He may not sputter out apologieswill just look at u incredulously and then at his hands because what had he done? What did he just do? To you???????? (Y/n))))?????? His (y/n)??? Light of his life?

Will apologize probably over text or through a note or call, and if u don’t respond he is consumed by regret and tries to find u instantly like runs back to ur place

If u forgive him he feels bad still, because does he deserve it? And he might just isolate himself for a bit bc he can’t face u and if it left a scar he is dead inside. It kills him, literally

I could go on w this but I’ll probably save it for another separate pair of hcs later 😭

If u guys ever break up he will fight for u again and won’t stop till ur back together like flowers in ur locker every day, chocolate give during lunch, etc. He wont ever give up hope that he can win u over again and be w u again. He would keep trying, when he wakes up his first thought is ur name in a cold panic bc he can’t rest easy till ur his again and he will try and show off and poorly serenade u and trash his price and be corny and cheesy to get u back

Will set up a performance w the school to let him rap w a mic during lunch for u and he’s saying bars like “(read in bad rapping voice w inconsistent beat) (y/n), love of my life, uh, without you I’d die, uh. Please won’t you take me back? Yuh, without you ima have a heart attack. (Wha!). (Y/n), love of my life, yeah, without you I’m in strife, yup! Please be mine again, (babe), I can never rest till then.”

If the embarrassment doesn’t make u take him back so he’ll pls stop, and when he stands up on the lunch tables to do a little performance doesn’t do it either, then the odd sincerity of his voice and pain in his look (even tho while rapping he sticks out his lower lip in a weird pout) definitely, hopefully will

U make everything worth it !! Truly the light of his life

I hope these were what u wanted, I just had fun w them and wrote stuff that came off the top of my head when I thought of VJ!! ❤️

[tamuramachi]

Yumi Tamura Long Interview from Da Vinci August 2020 Issue

Basic translations of the long interview with mangaka Yumi Tamura published in the Da Vinci magazine August 2020 issue. Translation notes appear at the end and correspond with the numbers enclosed in brackets that appear in the body of the post.

<<SPOILER ALERT to anyone who hasn't finished BASARA, and possibly 7SEEDS (though nothing major) if you haven't reached Volume 10/11, specifically the Ash chapter arc on Ryugu Shelter.>>

-----------------------------------

This year marks the 38th anniversary of Yumi Tamura's debut.

Tomoe ga Yuku!, BASARA, and 7SEEDS are big hit series, and her current serialization, Mystery to Iu Nakare, is also attracting a great deal of attention. Throughout her illustrious career, just as her portrayed protagonists have always been "fighting people," she herself has always been a "fighting manga artist.” This is a precious long interview with Tamura that reveals the path she has taken as a manga artist!

The Budding Worldview Begins in a Manga Club

Yumi Tamura opened the door to the world of manga when she was in junior high and high school. It was during this time that she first made many friends who drew manga together.

“I formed a manga club. We weren’t allowed to have a manga club at my school, so I formed an independent one with kids from other schools. After school, we would gather at the house of a member and draw various things. But it's not like we were making proper manuscripts yet at that time. It was more like relay manga [1.], where we would draw with pencils in a notebook. We also made photocopy zines and went to events to sell them. I liked horror and suspense [genres], and now that I think about it, ensemble dramas [2.]. I was creating a single world and putting various characters in it, each with their own story. It was like playing with worlds and characters.”

It was in this manga club that Tamura began walking the path of becoming a professional. In high school, her friends told her they wanted to become manga artists, and in her sophomore year, Tamura, too, finished her first real manuscript and submitted it to Bessatsu Shoujo Comic. It was selected as an honorable mention for the monthly award, and an editor was already assigned to her after her second submission.

“A career as manga artist finally became a reality at this point. When I was deciding on a career path, I thought to myself that I didn’t want to draw manga only as a side job, so I had no choice but to become a manga artist. I entered a design school in Tokyo and worked as an assistant here and there while aiming to make my debut.”

I wanted to draw a hard-boiled suspense with a male protagonist.

For Tamura, the manga club was not only the beginning, but also an important place where the foundation of her career as a manga artist formed.

“The person who influenced me the most in becoming a manga artist was a friend of mine from the manga club. She was a very unique person and a good artist. She would draw pictures of an old Black man playing musical instruments in color. She would also draw stories about the environment from the perspective of a wolf. Seeing her, I realized that I’d be in trouble if I couldn’t draw men and women of all ages too. I started practicing drawing animals, mechanical objects, and with colors. As many of the contributors often say, you should put yourself in an environment where there are people who are clearly better than you. You'll definitely learn a lot that way. If I hadn't met that friend, I don't think I would have become a manga artist.”

Friction Between One's Own Worldview and the Required Worldview

However, after moving to Tokyo, Tamura continued her work in anguish for a brief period. She struggled with the friction between her own view of the world and the so-called shoujo-manga-like worldview.

“I wanted to create a hard-boiled type of story with a male protagonist and with a sense of suspense. But I assumed I couldn't do that for a 32-page piece, so I ended up not knowing what to actually draw for submission. After about two years, I decided that I couldn’t continue this way, so I finally started drawing what I wanted to draw. That was my debut work, Ore-tachi no Zettai Jikan.”

[Image caption: This is Billy, who could be called Tamura’s own fighting game character that she would choose to play. The actions of this rookie newspaper reporter are dazzling! (From Ore-tachi no Zettai Jikan)]

This work won an honorable mention in the Shogakukan Newcomer Comic Award, and was published in an additional issue of Bessatsu Shoujo Comic in 1983. The story begins when Billy, a rookie newspaper reporter, meets a mysterious man who is carrying a dead girl's body.

“Billy is one of the characters in the world that I was creating back in my manga club days. I tried to draw him the way I would like my own selected character [in a fighting video game]. I submitted the work without even showing it to my editor.”

In the 1980s, shoujo manga was in its golden age of school romantic comedies. It could be said that Tamura had begun acquiring her own unique style since the time of her debut.

“It's true that I'm often told that my work is not limited to the boundaries of shoujo manga. But I've never thought of shoujo manga as having any boundaries, and I naturally believe that it has a wide range where anything can be done. I mean I've been reading such stories for a long time. From the perspective of an otaku of my generation, the school romantic comedy genre that everyone often thinks of [and associates with shoujo] is something that came along relatively later.”

However, even after her debut, Tamura still ran into a wall with the worldview requested by the [Bessatsu Shoujo Comic] magazine. Her first serialization was Chotto Eiyuu (Hiirou) shite Mitai. It's a story about a high school girl who plays tennis.

“The person in charge told me that the main character needed to be a girl; that a mystery/suspense was not allowed; that since it’s action, it should be about sports. And that’s how the setting came to be. But because of that, this is a pretty heavy and somewhat bitter memory for me.”

Wanting a Protagonist Who Fights Alongside Men on Equal Footing

The first breakthrough in Tamura’s career came in 1987 with the serialization of Tomoe ga Yuku!. The main character is Tomoe, a delinquent girl who formerly rode roller skates down freeways. She meets Iori, the heir of a business conglomerate, and together they fight to protect him against various threats. With this work, Tamura solidified her position as a popular manga artist. But above all, Tomoe established the heroine image of the "fighting shoujo [girl]" that came to symbolize Tamura's work.

“Tomoe is by no means a strong girl. She is troubled by her own weakness, but she earnestly tries her best to be strong. In Tomoe, for the first time, I put in my own thoughts and problems that I’ve been carrying--the weaknesses, complexes, and worries I had inside me. Though I don't know if that’s an appropriate form for creative work like manga. I'm not a strong person at all, so I tried my best during this time in hopes of becoming strong too. Tomoe runs while crying. I was very happy that readers could relate to that. For the first time in this work, I thought it was fun to have a girl as the protagonist.”

“Thank you for loving me, I will make you happy too.”

We asked once more: In the end, isn't the so-called normal girl, a girl who is loved by a prince-like boy and becomes happy, the kind of protagonist that Tamura should be portraying?

“Of course, I want the protagonist to be loved and happy. But there's a part of me that thinks that she can't really be happy in the way you describe. She’s not an equal [to her partner] somehow, and I feel like sooner or later she’ll be looked down upon or despised as long as that remains the case. It's tiring to be at the mercy of others. For example, even if I do feel loved, I don't want to just be patted on the head; I want to pat your head in return as well. I want to be treated as an equal human being. Thus, I want her to be a girl who says, ‘Thank you for loving me, I will make you happy too.’ For some reason, this kind of awareness has always been with me. When I was a child, I loved tokusatsu [3.] and anime, especially the ones where the lone woman in a group plays the same active role as the men. For example, Françoise Arnoul in Cyborg 009 and Yōko Nogiwa in Key Hunter, though it’s a drama.”

Tomoe was also taken from Tomoe Gozen [4.].

“Tomoe Gozen is said to have charged alongside Kiso Yoshinaka [5.] on the battlefield. I very much admire that kind of relationship. I don't want to simply be told, ‘I'll protect you, so stay back.’ I want to fight together, hand in hand, raising each other up. Well, that's the ideal, but...I know it's difficult to achieve.”

The Idea for Sarasa Came from an Egyptian Queen Who Dressed Like a Man

In 1990, the same year that the serialization of Tomoe ga Yuku! ended, Tamura started serializing BASARA. Including the Gaiden [appendix; side story], the series ran until 1999 and won the 38th Shogakukan Manga Award. This is Tamura's legendary masterpiece that is still loved by many fans. The story takes place in Japan several hundred years after the collapse of civilization. Sarasa, a girl born in the village of Byakko, takes the place of her murdered twin brother, Tatara, and grows up to become the leader of a revolutionary army to save the people suffering under the king's oppressive rule.

[Image caption: This Okinawa edition is full of tropical flair! (From BASARA)]

“The idea started with a trip to Egypt. There, I learned about the female king, Hatshepsut, who ruled as a pharaoh while dressed as a man, and so I thought it would also be great to have a story about a girl fighting in the disguise of a man. There were already a lot of Egyptian-based stories, so I decided to make a Japanese one, but I thought it would be difficult to portray an actual historical figure since my mind would be wrapped up in historical facts. Thus, it became a fictional war story set in future Japan.”

One of the major attractions of BASARA is the fictional setting of the war. Centered on the imperial capital, Kyoto, Japan is divided into four provinces ruled by the Black King, the Blue King, the White King, and the Red King. There’s a large temple in Kumano and a prison, Abashiri, in the far north. Okinawa is an independent country with a presidential system. It is a world that is slightly connected to the real Japan, yet far more original.

“As usual, I kind of started before really deciding on the detailed setting. I immediately got stuck on what to do next (laughs), but I finally grasped the general idea of how to proceed around the time I put out the Kanmon Tunnel chapters. I realized then that this was indeed going to be a story about Sarasa’s journey around the actual islands of Japan. I guess this was partly due to the influence of role-playing games [6.]. So, as she travels around like that, some real places, such as Sakurajima, appear in the story, while there are other places that have completely changed. I tried to mix in settings that overlap a bit with historical facts and folklore, among trying other things, so it was a lot of fun to create.”

Not Wanting Just Strength; Kindness is Also Necessary

The heart of the story in BASARA is Sarasa’s internal conflict and love. While leading the Tatara army, Sarasa continues to question herself. “Why do I kill people on the battlefield when I want to create a country where people are not killed?” She also then falls deeply in love with the Red King, Shuri, not realizing that he is her own enemy. Sarasa, like Tomoe, is a "fighting girl," but she anguishes and struggles the more deeply she fights and loves.

“Sarasa is also a girl who knows she is weak and keeps struggling to be strong. But in the latter half of the story, she realizes that it’s not enough. Strength alone is not enough; you have to be kind.”

Sarasa reflects: “I thought all I wanted was strength, but every time I come in contact with someone's kindness, I wish I could be kind like them too, I wish I could be even more so; not just strong like Byakko.”

Tamura continues:

“Sarasa is not solely trying to be her brother, Tatara, nor a beautiful woman dressed as a man. She actually loved and lived as a girl. From the beginning of the story to the end, the protagonist has been extremely conscious of the fact that she is a girl. This was a work in which I myself kept thinking about what it meant be a girl.”

After fulfilling her goal of overthrowing the kingdom, Sarasa does not become the head of the new country. She, along with Shuri, disappears from everyone's sight. In the Gaiden, it is mentioned that they crossed over to Europe and established a company called Green Shokai [Green Trading Company].

“I had trouble with the conclusion through the very end. There is still a part of me that doesn't know if them leaving the country was a good choice or not. Maybe Sarasa should have ruled the country. But then, she would have never been able to be with Shuri. I was also very worried about whether or not Sarasa could really forgive Shuri, or if she should. In fact, my editor at one point told me that the two of them should die. But I didn't want to do that. I believed they should live on because they had persevered through so much and fought so hard all that time to be happy. If it had been a short story, I think the ending would have been different. But for this story, it's more meaningful for them to live than to gloriously die a noble death, and even if it's hard, the two of them should bear the burden of their responsibility. The readers called it a job change (laughs), but it’s another way of supporting their country as merchants. In the end, that's how their future together turned out.”

7SEEDS is a School Drama

Tamura's writing prowess continued to grow. In 2001 following BASARA, she launched her other masterpiece, 7SEEDS. The series ran for 16 years and won the Shogakukan Manga Award as well. In the story, five teams of seven people each—Team Spring, Summer A, Summer B, Autumn, and Winter—are put under cryogenic sleep and awaken in the future after the extinction of the human race.

[Image caption: Natsu and Hana in their school uniforms. It certainly looks like a school drama! (From 7SEEDS)]

“Again, I started this one in a hurry before I could really decide on anything (laughs), so I had a rather rough time until about volume 6. I wanted to take a good break for a moment, but it was hard to get one. But then in the chapter arc about Team Summer A at the institute, the story came to me all at once, right up to the final selection test. That was when I remembered the sensation of ‘manga is fun!’ for the first time in a long time.”

Even though the setup can be seen as a future survival story, 7SEEDS is a human drama all the way through.

“In my opinion, this work is a school drama. I'm not very good at school stories, so I've rarely written them, but here, there are only boys and girls of about high school-age, and they live together. In the end, it's not a survival know-how story, and of course it's not science fiction; it's a story about how people interact with each other and how they go on living.”

Natsu, who was bullied; Hana and Arashi, who were lovers; Aramaki, a former high school baseball player; and Ango, who carries trauma from his time at the institution. This is the ultimate ensemble drama, with each character having a life of their own to the point where it can be said that all the characters play a leading role.

"Whenever I draw manga, I always think that the supporting characters are not living for the sake of the main character. All of them are living for their own happiness. And it’s when they collide and overlap with each other that the story forms. Also, as is the case with BASARA, even if the young people are the main characters, it’s necessary to depict an adult society in the background—the ideas, expectations, and interests of adults. Only then can that world become one, but that’s the most challenging part.”

There is one chapter arc in 7SEEDS that Tamura herself loves. It's the "Ryugu" shelter, which portrays the time when humanity is on the verge of extinction.

“It seems that many readers are reminded of Ryugu shelter now with the occurrence of Corona [COVID-19 pandemic].”

In the Ryugu shelter, a singer, comedian, ramen chef, dairy farmer, and manga artist all fulfill their professional duties up until the moment of their deaths.

“What would we do if the end of humankind became a reality? I figured that in the end we would do the same thing as they did.”

Dissatisfaction with Gladiator is the Inspiration for Toraji?

One of the most notable aspects of Tamura's career is that while drawing long-running big hits without interruption since the time of Tomoe ga Yuku!, she has been constantly releasing new serialized work and one-shot short stories to the world. When BASARA was in serialization, she created a number of masterpieces, including the Ryuzaburou series featuring a 10-year-old boy, Kinezukan in which a group of senior citizens play an active role, and the horror work 4nin no Onna. And since the start of 7SEEDS, she has started two other series, Neko Mix Genkitan Toraji and Iromen—Juunin Toiro—.

Toraji is a fantasy story set in a world where humans and mice are at war with each other. Hero Pai’yan together along with half-human (mix) cat, Toraji, is searching for his son, who was kidnapped by the Magic Mouse. In Iromen, Aoki, Akagi, Midorikawa, and other men and women with colors in their names fixate on colors and engage in discussions over them at a company.

[Image caption: Color-obsessed Iromen [7.]. Tamura’s hobby-filled pieces of tidbits and jokes are entertaining! (From Iromen)]

“The times when I’m in good form are probably when I'm able to work simultaneously on things with slightly different flavors, such as a serious story for the main magazine and a comedy for another. Toraji was inspired by the movie Gladiator. At the beginning of the movie, the main character, a Roman army general, finds his wife and child murdered while he was away in battle. Consequently, the story is about that man fighting as a gladiator for revenge, and of course it’s a magnificent movie, but there was something that made me pause. His wife and child become a very beautiful memory for him; however, he was always away at war and basically neglected them. Isn’t it possible that they hated [him] or was angry with [him]? They weren’t dolls, they were human beings who had feelings and thought about things. But the main character doesn’t think about that even for a minute. I was a little dissatisfied with that, and thus, decided to create Toraji. That’s why Toraji is a story about a son and mother who wants to say to their neglectful father, ‘We are living people too.’”

On the other hand, as for Iromen ...

“It’s like a compilation of myself (laughs). Because I put in real life works like tokusatsu and anime, along with other real products; in other words, I included all the things I like. Moreover, since it was the first time in a long time that I was depicting the present-day real world, it was actually serving as a stepping stone to Mystery to Iu Nakare. After I started the Iromen series, I wrote down notes of proverbs, famous quotes, and anything related to colors. I’ve utilized colors [words, phrases, titles, names, etc.] in BASARA as well. I don’t know much about poetry or literature, but maybe I’m interested in words themselves—in the history of specific words and kanji. I feel like that fixation is gradually showing in my manga.”

Totonou’s Discussions are Something that I’ve Been Thinking About for a Long Time

Mystery to Iu Nakare, which is currently in serialization, also began as a one-shot that was drawn during the same time as 7SEEDS.

“To tell the truth, I had already decided on a different story for the new series. I’ve been wanting to do something a bit like an omnibus for a long time. But fortunately, I received great responses to the Mystery one-shot, so I decided to make it a series.”

Mystery to Iu Nakare has acquired a readership that extends beyond traditional manga fans, and last year it ranked second in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2019 Onna Hen [Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2019 ranking for female readers] and the Manga Taisho 2019 award list. It is no exaggeration to say that it is one of the hottest manga right now. Perhaps the secret of its popularity stems from the fact that Mystery is packed with everything Tamura has ever done. For example, the main character is a university student named Totonou Kunou. Although he takes on the role of a detective, his true value lies not so much in solving mysteries, but rather, in his sincere point of view on the essence of society and people. He never stays silent when he thinks something is wrong. His inability to read the atmosphere and his reluctance to give up also make him a certain kind of “difficult person.” And Tamura has portrayed many undoubtedly “difficult people” in her works thus far.

[Image caption: Totonou, who is a difficult type of person, yet a beloved character. (From Mystery to Iu Nakare)]

“I’m the type of person who cannot speak up clearly even when frustrated, so maybe I admire people who don’t keep quiet. People who can think things through and put them into words. Like, ‘I’m not so sure that's the case’ to ‘I think this is wrong.’”

What strongly attracts readers is the numerous words from Totonou, who never remains silent. The gender inequality that still exists in society, the burden placed on mothers in raising children, what it means to love a child, and why it is wrong to kill people… for each of these topics, he gives his own well-thought-out response, addressing them to the people around him as well as to the readers.

“Originally, I didn't start this work with the intention of making it into a mystery, but rather, I was thinking of making it so that Totonou is just there having a conversation while the case is being solved on the side. I wasn’t thinking that he himself would be solving the case. That’s why I titled it with ‘Iu Nakare’ [‘Don’t Say It’ (is a Mystery)], and why the main focus is on his commentary. Everything he says is actually something I've always wondered and kept thinking about. Or, they’re unexpected facts that I learned, or something that surprised me. So, the questions and answers within me at the present moment have become Totonou’s words. Normally, it's not allowed in manga to include the author's thoughts or opinions as they are. However, since Mystery was a one-shot, I thought I’d experiment a bit.”

Among other aspects, Totonou’s strict “No” stance on gender inequality has garnered a great deal of attention.

“Of course, it's not that I want to talk about gender in particular. However, I want to depict what I can now about it too. I think the structure of the world as it exists today is something that was mostly constructed by a small portion of men. Languages, ideas, and systems of the world. Based on said men’s judgment and convenience at that time. That structure is passed down through generations as the natural order of things. I think it’s awfully difficult for women to live as equals with men in a world created in this way. It’s like a pentagon not fitting into a world that’s made for a triangle. In order to make life better for women, I think women need to be involved in the creation of things from the very beginning.”

In that moment, I firmly vowed in my heart: ‘I will become a manga artist!’

Tamura said that an old friend of hers recently pointed out that among all her main characters thus far, Totonou is the closest to Tamura herself. Tomoe, who wished to be strong so that she could fight alongside men; Sarasa, who found kindness before strength; and Totonou, who never averts his eyes from the true nature of society. It can be said that Tamura is a manga artist who is constantly thinking, and her manga is what derives from that. Well, to find out where that driving force to keep on thinking comes from, we finally asked her about it.

"Hmm, a driving force… it starts with the thought of ‘I want to draw this,’ or ‘This would be fun to draw,’ so it normally feels like that, but sometimes there’s an underlying ‘anger.’ There was a moment in high school when I really decided to become a manga artist. At the time, I was very confused about my career path, but there was this one teacher in training who had previously wanted to be a painter but instead chose to become a teacher for the sake of their family. So, I thought I’d try asking them for some advice. When I did, the teacher told me that I should quit if I had any doubts. I nodded my head in agreement, but then they added, ‘But you’re a girl, so you can do whatever you want, right? That’s not the case for men.’ I was both shocked and raging with anger. Angry by that kind of mindset which believes women will get married anyway, so they'll be provided for no matter what becomes of their career [i.e., it doesn’t matter what women do; women have it easy]. Is this something a person who is trying to become a teacher should say? I think on my way home as I rode my bicycle, fire was emitting from my entire body. In that moment, I firmly vowed in my heart: ‘I will become a manga artist!’ In a way, it’s thanks to that teacher…”

However, Tamura says that it doesn’t mean she wants people to agree with her way of thinking.

“I believe that everyone has their own way of thinking. It's also natural for people to think, ‘This seems different or wrong.’ So, it makes sense that the way we look at things changes depending on our situation and circumstances. Everyone has their own truth. That's why human relationships become so complicated.... It would be great if we could talk about that head-on with each other, but I don't think we've learned how to do that very well. It is up to readers to decide how they want to view what I’ve created, so I would be nothing but gratified if they could read my work as they please and enjoy it as reading material. However, there are times when readers tell me that they related to or sympathized with some part of a story, or that it somehow inspired them to think about many things, and that is another outcome that makes me deeply happy and most grateful.”

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Translation Notes

Relay manga: Manga drawn in relay by several people. For example, one person would draw a panel (without planning what would happen next) and then passes on to the next person to draw a continuation of the story, and this process would continue on until it reaches the last participant.

Ensemble dramas (“gunzougeki”): dramatic production with parallel storylines focusing on different characters; multi-protagonist story, film, etc.

Tokusatsu: genre of live-action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects, e.g. Godzilla

Tomoe Gozen: “A female warrior, who appeared in 14th century Japanese literature. According to lore, she served Minamoto no Yoshinaka during the Genpei War and was a part of the conflict that led to the first shogunate. Her family had strong affiliations with Yoshinaka. Although never proven to be a historical figure, her story influenced several generations of samurai. Tomoe is often celebrated in books, music, poems, films, historical novels and popular culture in general.” – Wikipedia

Kiso Yoshinaka: Kiso no Yoshinaka was a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. – Wikipedia

Yumi Tamura was an avid player of role-playing video games.

‘Iromen’ means color men; a play on ‘ikemen,’ which means good-looking man/men.

DISCLAIMER: This is an unofficial (duh), amateur and very basic translation (with little creative interpretation). Apologies for any typos and sentences that don't make complete sense or are not smoothly constructed. Feel free to message me with any typos, corrections, and/or suggestions. I may get to them before an eternity passes. Thank you! :)

[sealer-of-wenkamui]

Ciaran Character Analysis

I’ve been thinking a lot about Ciaran over the last few months, so I wanted to try and collect my thoughts and do a proper character analysis of sorts. Of course, things are highly open to interpretation in Dark Souls, so this is just how I read her character and the reasons why.

               First of all, I actually don’t think she was together with Artorias for a number of reasons. She almost certainly had feelings for him, but I think she tried to hide them, and perhaps didn’t fully understand them. For one, she simply speaks of him as a “dear friend”, and while this could also be taken as her keeping their relationship secret, there is no description or unused dialogue from Artorias’ side hinting at it either.  I also wonder if her unused dialogue where she calls him a “dear companion” was changed because it sounds too openly affectionate.  In Gough’s unused dialogue he states that she had “strong feelings” for him, which is worded like they were one sided instead of in a relationship. And while he might have realized it, Gough is also the most perceptive of the Knights, even realizing that the fire will one day fade, while Artorias strikes me as being much more oblivious. Finally, her dying words come across like the confession of a dying woman, one who was never able to say her feelings in life, so she at least will say them now that she has nothing to lose. Interestingly enough, they’re also unsubtitled- words meant not for you, but for Artorias and for herself.

               One of the biggest reasons why I think she would hide her feelings is her position. She is one of four Knights of Gwyn, entrusted with a special soul, and despite her appearance, she is considered something more than human, and seems to have disdain for humans (as seen by her dialogue when you attack her, or even just the way she says “human” in her unused dialogue).

I don’t think it’s the case that she’s human while the others are not just because she’s small, since size seems to be easily variable based on the state of the soul, for example Ornstein grows in size upon absorbing the soul of Smough, or Gael, much larger than your average person after consuming the dark souls of the pygmies. Perhaps even Artorias was a normal size to begin with.

Ultimately the gods and these demigod-like existences with their special souls aren’t all that different from humans, but the important thing is that they are considered as such, so she would be too. Humanity is constantly linked with the dark throughout the series.  And even someone as kindhearted as Artorias, who believes in the goodness of humanity, thinks of the dark as something evil, something to be feared (In fact he words it as believing them to be more than just dark in his unused dialogue). One of the four Knights of the man who sacrificed himself to stave off the Age of Dark would want nothing to do with the dark. Yet feelings, and especially feelings of love, are a very human thing (just look at the pursuers/affinity description for example). That alone seems like the strongest reason to hide any feelings she might have for Artorias, to refuse to acknowledge that human side of her, to repress them and pretend they don’t exist.

Even more so than the other knights she comes across as having something to prove, as someone that has worked so hard to reach the distinguished status she has and doesn’t want anything to take that from her. The lightning arrow description mentions that female knights were rare to begin with, and she was able to work her way up to being one of Gwyn’s most trusted. The porcelain mask description mentions how determined she was to earn it as a decoration of honor (I imagine she first became an especially distinguished Lord’s Blade before becoming one of the four), and the English description actually leaves out another interesting fact- that it’s decorated with her own hair. The wording makes it sound like she cut her own hair to decorate that mask. This makes it seem like she wanted to stand out and make a name for herself- giving herself a distinct look that would come to be feared by all enemies of Lord Gwyn.

On the level of character design, her mask is what she’s most known for, the hornet ring description in DS3 even drawing attention to it. This comes across as a very deliberate choice reflecting her character- as she is a woman whose mask is more than just physical, someone who is perpetually hiding her “human” side. Her mask gives her an otherworldly look, like something beyond humans and reflects her “divine” self. Her purpose in life is to strike down any and all enemies of her Lord, and she has worked so hard towards that alone, almost as if she’s trying to become the mask she wears.  Even though I think she might be able to relax a little around the other knights and especially Artorias, she comes across as a very serious woman that doesn’t truly know much about herself outside of her job. Interestingly, her face under the mask is just the default female face in-game, as if she truly isn’t meant to be seen without it!

No matter how much she tries to repress her feelings though, a mask is still just a mask, and they don’t disappear just because she wants them to. She has strong feelings for Artorias, a darkness she desperately wants to hide. Despite being a Knight of Gwyn, I tend to associate her with the darkness as a result, and even her name may be a reflection of that as well. Ciaran is common Irish boy’s name (Ciara is a girl’s name but she specifically has the masculine form of the name, a decision I also think was intentional and may tie into her being the only woman of the four and how rare female knights were) and looking around, she doesn’t seem to be named after any famous Ciaran as far as I know. So, what is the meaning of the name? Little dark one. A name associated with darkness seems especially significant in this series, and her struggle with her own humanity is central to her character, something that even her name itself betrays.

Since female knights are apparently rare, and she has an especially high-ranking position, I think she would also want to hide her feelings out of fear of being seen as just a girl in love. I also think its interesting how the hornet ring description also draws attention to the fact that she’s the only woman of the four, and how her name is almost exclusively used for boys, and I wonder if she went by the title of “sir” as well. At the same time, her appearance is the distinctly feminine look shared by all the Lord’s Blades, even using her own hair as well, so it’s not something she’s hiding either.  

In addition to being the lone woman of the four, I also got the impression that she’s the youngest and last to join the Knights, which may further add to the feeling of needing to prove herself.

The main reason why actually comes from her speech pattern, when you compare it to the rest of the characters seen in that time period, it stands out. While Elizabeth, Dusk, Gough, and even Artorias all speak in an old-fashioned manner, she noticeably does not, except for “May the Lord guide thee” which sounds like a set phrase anyone serving Gwyn might say. If it was tied to status, then she would speak that way as well, she’s hardly trying to hide it (and besides we see other characters opposed to the gods that speak in the same way, like the hollow outside the Ringed City or Yuria). Maybe she did come from a more humble upbringing and that could be why, but with how varied the characters that do speak like that are I don’t think that’s it (and even some clearly noble characters don’t, like Lothric or Oceiros). So I wonder if its simply because she was born later once speech styles had changed.

Her position also makes sense if so as well, she’s an assassin, so even if she wasn’t around until after the Age of Fire had begun and Gwyn had gained status, that’s exactly when you would need a skilled assassin to eliminate your enemies. In other words, she’s not a dragonslayer, so it still makes sense if she is younger.

Going back to her feelings, the way I see it is that Artorias being consumed by the Abyss and killed is what finally forced her to face them- she’s not able to recognize just how strong they are until the man himself is gone. Perhaps she planned to kill him herself as she was in the area, but realized she couldn’t, or rather that she would almost surely hesitate and get herself killed. In a way, its almost a relief the chosen undead came along and killed him instead, she understood it was something that needed to be done, and though she doesn’t seem to like humans very much, she doesn’t hold anything against you.  You find her immediately after killing Artorias, so she almost certainly would have been the one to find his corpse and make that small memorial, as if she wanted to make sure it would be her and no one else to find him. Despite being the kind of person who would always be watching her back, you find her kneeling in prayer, not so much as turning to look at you when you approach, and you can even easily attack her from behind in such a state. As if simply being there in prayer was the most important thing in that moment- and she surely has a lot of thoughts going through her head and a lot of feelings hitting her all at once. At this point, she can’t lie to herself, and even if she couldn’t confess while he was alive, if you take her life, she’ll at least do it before she dies.

When you speak to her, she seems to have no interest in you outside of obtaining Artorias’ soul, with only his will stopping her from taking it from you. She claims she wants to pay proper respect to him with it, but at the moment, his actual grave hasn’t been made yet, so I imagine she might take it into herself for a while until that point.

As to her eventual fate, I do think its likely she’s the corpse found behind his grave that has the hornet ring. At first I wondered why someone of her status wouldn’t have a proper burial, but in time, not many people are going to that grave, and those that do don’t return, so it may simply be she died after it was forgotten, and her corpse was never found.

The fact that she will give you her tracers if you give her his soul implies she gives up being a Knight of Gwyn (they’ve half fallen apart at that point anyway), but she doesn’t strike me as the type to kill herself right then and there, I think it would be a slow wasting away and curling up to die behind the grave of the man she loved. She (nor Gough) drop the special souls that they should have as part of the four… and while it may simply be to not further encourage people to kill them, if that soul is what gives them a long life (Ornstein is somehow still around after all) she may have purposely given it up so that she may eventually die… or maybe its after she receives his soul and she keeps both hers and his at his grave.

Finally, her ring ends up in the untended graves in DS3, and while there are a number of reasons you can come up with for how it ended up there, I feel like the most important part is the symbolic meaning behind it- for it is found by a grave with a Farron greatsword, one of the types modeled after that of Artorias’. It feels as if even in death, her feelings linked the two of them together.

While not nearly as direct, even DS2 has a parallel to Ciaran in the form of Alsanna. Much like Ciaran, you find her kneeling in prayer mourning her lost love, who also happens to be a left-handed swordsman who sacrificed himself and got corrupted and even has (several) animal companions. (DS2 also is where its mentioned that Artorias was left-handed, and its consistently used to mark characters paralleling him, even in Bloodborne with Ludwig.) Her soul even gives you a pair of curved swords. Parallels can also be drawn between the other three knights and people closely associated with the fragments of Manus, but only Ciaran parallels the child of dark herself, further deepening her association with the dark.

More directly, DS3 has the Dancer and Vordt, two knights who seem to honor Ciaran and Artorias’ legacy, and were always seen together- in fact you can see phantoms of what seems to be them before they were transformed into beasts walking the streets of Irithyll together (Vordt too, is left-handed). Despite how she tried to hide her feelings, I think it may have been her ring that betrayed them, so they ended up being remembered together. The Pontiff Knights in general also have a great deal of similarity to the Lord’s Blades, somewhat in armor design but mostly in their job, being described as Sulyvahn’s “punitive blades”. The Dancer herself most notably has two curved blades that look remarkably similar to Ciaran’s tracers in shape, as well as being gold and silver, even wielding the gold one in her left hand like she did.

There are probably more little details I could add, but this is already long, and I’ve covered the major points that I’ve thought a lot about. I tried to explain my reasoning as best as possible too, but there’s plenty of stuff that’s unknown and that’s half the fun. Feel free to comment, I love Ciaran and I love to think about her and discuss her!

[snowdice]

Folds in Paper (Chapter 4: Before All the Paperwork Got Signed)[Folds in Time Universe]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Janus/Patton, Remus & Roman, eventual Logan/Virgil (maybe more)

Characters:

Main: Janus, Patton, Remus

Appear: Remy, Emile, Virgil, Logan, Roman

Summary: Janus, a disillusioned senior agent working for the Time Preservation Initiative, struggles to find meaning in a world where time travel could change everything about your life’s history in less than a moment. When time distortions start popping up, threatening the timeline and the fabric of reality as he knows it, it becomes a race against the clock to fix the damage before everything unravels. And the problem with time travel… you never how long you have before the clock strikes 12 and your time is up.

With a partner who has more mysteries in his past than Janus had anticipated and an enigmatic free agent time traveler mucking about time always with a clever pun or a time appropriate pet name on his lips, Janus will need to figure out what went wrong with time, and more importantly, how to fix it.

Chapter Summary:  

I can draw a straight line Through my mind Right back to the good times Back when all the stars were aligned Before all the paperwork got signed

Notes: Time travel AU, mystery, enemies to lovers, alcohol

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted).

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away: the mask.

Which… was why he ended up getting arrested.

Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

“Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

“Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons or something than can be healthy and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

“I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to Cultural Outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

“Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you. He asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

“But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and the staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

“Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen the receptionist gestured to for him sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.” Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

“I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said, pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet? I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

[official-alan-dabiri]

I Make My Own HotS Content: Nova

Nova is, perhaps, the most contentious hero in the game. She’s one of the most popular heroes in Quickmatch, despite being largely considered completely useless. There’s a joke among those more invested in the community that her popularity is because you can be AFK for the entire game and have the exact same impact.

But why? Why is she so popular? Why is she considered useless? And, if she is in such a bad state, why has Blizzard not done anything about her? And, beyond that, if you wanted to play her, how can you avoid being dead weight? Stick around under the cut.

First of all, the big round elephants in the room. Nova’s character design caters to a particular denominator, and it wouldn’t be unkind to describe it as “lowest common.” A portion of her popularity can easily be attributed to how much sex appeal they packed into her design when she was first created all those years ago for her cancelled third-person stealth action shooter. That’s not just my opinion. It’s objectively observable. There’s a lot of fanart out there of Nova, disproportionate to how much content Blizzard has ever released of her when compared to other characters. And in that fanart, she’s not always wearing clothes. This is most certainly a factor in her popularity. But I’m going to ignore it for this discussion because it’s not really a useful observation. People like boobs and butts. Neither is it rocket surgery, nor mechanical game design.

Nova is, without a doubt, one of the most accessible heroes in the game. She’s cheap to acquire, she’s simple to understand, and she presents very few challenges to the first-time player. Her hero fantasy is very well-integrated into her kit. She’s a sniper. She snipes. Her Q - Snipe - is a near-instant bucket of damage in a narrow line. Her W - Pinning Shot - is a point-and-click slow that will make it easier to hit her Q on enemy heroes. And between her E and 1 - Holy Decoy and Ghost Protocol - she has the ability to mess with and outplay enemies without the need for complicated inputs. Just slap people around with W into Q, use holo clones to mess with them, ???, profit! Right?

So why is she considered useless? Despite being easy to understand and enticing to pick up, Nova’s skill floor is very complicated. It’s very easy to play Nova in a way that feels fun. It’s very easy to scoot around invisibly on the enemy’s side of the map and harass and distract them. You feel powerful when you scare someone off of a camp, or kill someone when they were about to escape your team. The problem is that this playstyle isn’t actually impactful. You may be having fun, but you’re not contributing to your team’s win condition. While you’re floating around near the enemy bruiser camp, waiting for someone to show up, your team is getting their lanes pushed in, losing walls and wells. While you’re stealthed behind enemy lines, looking to finish someone off, your team is losing the teamfight 4v5 because you’re not contributing, or your contributions are coming from an unimpactful direction. You may be damaging the backline, but you’re doing it from an position where nobody can actually threaten to finish them off. You may be drawing the attention of the tank or bruiser, but you’re drawing them - and their team - back towards safety rather than splitting the team in a meaningful way.

So then why doesn’t Blizzard do anything about it? Why don’t they fix her? Well, for one thing, by their definitions, there’s nothing to fix. She’s in the top 5 most popular heroes in Quickmatch, changes to her will anger the people playing her now, and possibly throw her popularity into the stratosphere if the changes are an improvement. And there’s a way to play her that is perfectly functional that they are likely aware of from internal tests. It’s not the fault of Blizzard that overzealous fans of stealth gameplay have decided to eschew useful contributions in favor of dorking around.

So what’s the way to play her? It’s actually shockingly simple and obvious. You have to play Nova like any other ranged assassin. You need to be with your team, contributing damage from a position sympathetic to theirs, not on the enemy’s side of the map. You need to be positioned where you’re contributing damage from the start of the fight onto targets that your team is able to reach. It’s much easier to do that while positioned like a Li-Ming than positioned like a Zeratul. Thanks to your toolkit, positioning can be a bit more cavalier, but your primary focus needs to be putting damage on the same enemies your allies are damaging. Being positioned on your team’s side of the fight also gives your Holo Decoy new potential. If you’re with the team, a well-placed E can catch skillshots intended for your allies, generating additional value as peel for your team.

You also need to be aware of the value of macro play. Precision Strike at level 10 (and Precision Barrage at 20) give you a global macro presence, letting you clear waves and generate lane pressure safely, controlling the map in a way the opponent will struggle to respond to. Covert Mission at 4 lets you quickly and safely capture merc camps, and the reduced respawn timer it gives them dramatically increases the amount of pressure your team can generate. And Explosive Rounds at 16 gives you the ability to clear waves like a normal mage hero, giving you push power with your physical body instead of just with your periodic light show heroic.

It’s also absolutely critical to understand the mechanics of her Q. Building and preserving Snipe stacks is a mechanical necessity. Without them, your damage is laughable, but being too scared to use Q for fear of losing them is even worse. It’s most valuable to aim at heroes who are in and around other targets - especially lane minions - since if you miss the hero, striking the lane minion will save you from losing your stacks. Like a real professional sniper, you need to use a backstop - be aware of where your shot will go if you miss.

I could go on and talk about her builds, but honestly this post is more words than I think Nova deserves to have devoted to her already. I think any time you have Nova, there was probably another hero who was a better choice. But that’s been true for literally years, and she’s still the 3rd most popular hero in the 1st most popular game mode. But the hero can work! She can be good! I’ve seen it! It just comes down to playing smarter instead of playing harder.

[imagineredwood]

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5    Part 6    Part 7    Part 8   Part 9       Part 10    Part 11  Part 12   Part 13   Part 14  Part 15  Part 16   Part 17  Part 18   Part 19  Part 20  Part 21   Part 22  Part 23 

Pairing: EZ Reyes x Camila (OC)

Warnings: Angel is pissed and Camila is worried 

Word count: 2.8k

***Wow, my ass actually posted on Wednesday and not 3 AM on Thursday morning  😂***

“So, how’s the garden, querida?”

Camila smiled and looked up at Bishop.

“It’s doing well. Flourishing. EZ and I planted a couple of new herbs and they’re starting to sprout. I may have full pumpkins by spring.”

The president nodded with a smile, as did Tranq who sat beside him at the bar as they watched Camila prepare their cups of coffee. Tranq’s voice rumbled as he spoke next.

“EZ and Angel say its beautiful back there.”

Camila’s smile was proud as she agreed.

“Not because it’s mine, but yeah it is. You guys should come by one day. Once it gets closer to spring, everything starts growing like crazy. Sometimes too fast for just me and the boys to eat. Whenever you want, you guys can come and pick some stuff.”

The men smiled warmly as Camila handed them their cups.

“We’ll be doing that soon then.”

Grabbing their mugs, they both stood from the bar and whistled, drawing the attention of the other members. Tranq nodded his head over towards el Templo, calling them.

“Let’s go.”

The scattered Mayans all stood and started making their way over, each stopping by the bar to grab their cup of coffee and take it in with them. Soon enough everything was quiet, and Camila began cleaning up, tossing the coffee covered spoon down into the sink. The metal clattered and over it, Camila heard a soft voice.

“Can I help?”

Turning around, she saw the redhead from the other day. A good handful of inches taller than Cam, and a more slender frame as well.

“Sure. Karlene, right?”

The girl's smile was wide and her already large, green eyes were wider as she nodded, quickly starting to help Cam clear the counter.

“Yeah, that’s me. Nice to meet you, finally. I’ve heard Angel and EZ talking about you a lot. Gilly too.”

Camila laughed softly as they thought about her boys, a bashful smile on her lips as she started wiping down the counter.

“They talk a lot period. Nice to meet you too. I love your hair.”

Karlene beamed and grabbed a handful of it, looking over the color.

“It’s not my natural color. It’s usually a bright red but it’s fading. I haven’t found the motivation to touch it up. It’s so messy and time-consuming.”

Camila nodded, understanding her struggle.

“My cousin used to have her hair like that, but she was always getting the dye everywhere, so I used to do it for her. I know how much determination it takes to keep it up.”

The girls laughed together and Karlene paused, looking over Cam for a moment as she continued to clean. She liked her, Camila having been nice to her from the beginning and not treating her any different than she treated anyone else in the club. Karlene didn’t have many friends, any really, and she couldn’t help but feel like maybe Camila would be a good one to have.

“Maybe one of these days you can do it for me.”

Camila looked away from the counter and over to the sweetbutt, who suddenly rubbed at the back of her neck and started back peddling.

“You don’t have to of course. I know EZ said you’re busy with the garden and the bookstore and everything like that, so I get it if you don’t,”

“I’ll do it.”

Karlene smiled as Camila cut her off, her shoulders relaxing as she saw the warm look on Cam’s face.

“Ok, cool. Whenever you’re free, no rush or anything.”

“This Thursday will be fine.”

The girls fell quiet after that, finishing their cleaning before grabbing some juice and heading outside, waiting for the MC to finish up and for EZ to finish stocking the back room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``  

“There she is.”

Camila looked away from her phone as she heard the door to the clubhouse open and the sound of Angel’s voice. She smiled immediately and stood from her seat on the steps, Angel’s arms opening for an embrace while Coco, Gilly, and EZ filed out behind him. Angel hugged her tightly, her lungs feeling a little restricted.

“I haven’t seen you in forever, Chiquita.”

Camila laughed and slipped out of his arms.

“It’s been three days, Angel.”

The group laughed as she hugged the rest of the boys before she got to EZ, last in line and wearing a grin.

“Hola, mami.”

EZ leaned down for a kiss while the others groaned and started to sit down at the outside table.

“Get a room.”

Karlene stood off to the side quietly, hands together as they hung in front of her before she waved at Camila.

“I’m gonna head back inside, sweep the floors.”

Camila turned away from EZ, her eyes following the new acquaintance who was already in the clubhouse before Camila could say anything. Looking back at EZ, she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms instinctively wound themselves around her waist and he listened as she questioned him.

“How long has she been around?”

EZ looked back at the door and then returned his gaze to Cam.

“Like a week or so. Why?”

Shrugging, Camila looked over EZ’s hair, the length having grown a little, a slight start of a curl at the front.

“She just seems like she could use a friend.”

The Prospect nodded and maneuvered Camila’s arms off him so he could sit down beside the others, pulling her down to sit on his lap. He pulled her legs across his thighs and held his hand to her lower back, keeping her in place.

“I know she keeps more to herself. She just moved last month I think.”

Angel nodded from his seat across the way, lighting up a cigarette and speaking around it as it hung from his lips.

“Yeah, she came from Colorado or some shit. Got into trouble with an ex, had to escape him. She works over at that strip club now, you know the one with the purple walls in the bathroom and blue lights?”

When he finally lit the tip, he looked up to find everyone’s eyes on him.

“What?”

Camila laughed as she looked at him.

“You go there often?”

Angel took a drag and shook his head.

“I mean not often,”

“Just often enough to know the décor of the bathrooms.”

He lifted his middle finger up to Camila with a smirk while the rest chuckled, the laughter dying down until there were a few moments of silence while everyone enjoyed the soft breeze. It was broken by Coco.

“Thanks for the strawberries by the way. I took some to my sister. She really liked them.”

Camila smiled brightly as she looked at him, a small tilt of her head.

“I’m glad. I’ll let you know when more grow enough to be sweet. I didn’t know you had a sister.”

Coco nodded in agreement, a slight hesitation that Camila didn’t catch.

“Yeah, she’s young, still a teenager.”

“I’m sure you’re the best big brother.”

Coco didn’t respond after that, simply looking down and pulling out his own cigarette to light. In the pocket of his kutte, EZ’s phone began to vibrate and he pulled it out, eyes locking on the screen as Camila looked down at his phone. It was an innocent action. She wasn’t doing it to snoop or invade, she was just curious and looked over the screen from her angle, instinct from him pulling it out. Before he could swipe to silence the call, Camila caught those same initials again.

E.T.

She remembered them from the other day when his phone had rung as well, and her curiosity spiked some. EZ quickly stuffed the phone back into his kutte and looked up at her with a smile, his hand making its way back to the small of her back where he gently dragged his fingers back and forth. She shrugged it off then and turned away, her eyes landing on Angel now to tease him some more over his memorization of the strip club design. When she did though she found his eyes already on them, or more so on his brother, no trace of a smile there anymore. She gave a small half-smile and he quickly forced a fake one back at her, as if she didn’t know him well enough to be able to tell the difference. Try as he might to hide it, there was annoyance in his face and before she could ask if he was alright, he stood from his seat, motioning to the group.

“Let’s go. We got shit to catch up on.”

He left it and that and the two patches stood, following him through the yard to the bikes. Looking down, Camila pointed to them as they walked away.

“Don’t you have to go with them?”

EZ winced and nodded, wishing he could stay with her.

“Yeah, I do, but I’ll see you tonight when I get home ok?”

Camila’s smile soothed him some and he took a breath, grateful that she clearly hadn’t put two and two together about who was calling him. From the bikes, Coco called out.

“Come on, boy scout!”

EZ patted his hand on Camila’s bottom and she stood, as did he. She smoothed her hands over the front of his kutte and looked up at him.

“I’ll head home, start getting everything ready for dinner. What time do you think you’ll be back?”

EZ hesitated, not wanting to give a time and then be late, having her waiting up for him. The sharp whistle Angel gave to rush him made him curse and she shook his head.

“Let’s say 7?”

With a nod, Camila pushed up and left a kiss to his lips.

“See you at 7.”

EZ nodded and pulled away from her, jogging over to the bikes while Cam headed to her car. The three members were already on their bikes and strapped into the helmets when EZ got to them, Angel eyeing his baby brother.

“Was that who I think it was?”

EZ squinted in confusion and Angel scoffed.

“Don’t play dumb. On the phone.”

EZ understood then and was short in his response.

“Yeah.”

Angel nodded to himself, his displeasure clear on his face at the verification. EZ wanted to say something, try to explain but he had no time. Angel quickly started the bike, the deafening rumble ceasing any conversation. EZ sighed and quickly finished strapping his helmet before starting his own bike and pulling out behind the rest. He would talk to Angel later when they had time and privacy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

Camila looked over at the clock again and sighed.

8:45PM

Her nerves were shot as she paced around the house. She had kept it warm until she realized that EZ was running more than just a little late.  She didn’t want to overcook it and had turned it off, opting to just reheat it when EZ came home in the next half hour. However, half an hour had turned into a full hour, then an hour and a half and now here she was, one hour and forty-five minutes of waiting and he still wasn’t home. She had called him a handful of times with no response, her calls simply going to voicemail. Her texts had gone unanswered as well and she was more than worried. After EZ had opened up some about the issue with KJ, Camila knew that there had to be more to the picture than EZ was letting on. The Feds didn’t simply give someone a reduced sentence from 35 years down to 8 without there being some valuable info they could get in exchange. What that info was, Camila wasn’t sure. What she was sure of was that it could very easily be dangerous business and EZ not answering his phone was a sign for her to be worried. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but as a last resort, she figured she could try Angel. They had left together after all. Grabbing her phone from the counter, she unlocked it and clicked Angel’s name, holding the phone to her ear as it rang. He picked up on the third ring and Camila have a sigh of relief, thankful that at least he was ok.

“Hey, Cam.”  

“Hey, Angel. Sorry to bother you, I was just wondering when you guys would be finishing up. EZ said he’d be home around 7 for dinner and he hasn’t called to say he’d be late. I’ve been calling and he isn’t answering, and I was just worried.”

Camila gave a breathless laugh on her side of the phone, her nerves already feeling better now that she had heard Angel’s voice. Angel, however, was less than soothed, his jaw clenching as he sat on his couch, at home, alone. They had finished up with Adelita by 7:15 and had all gone their separate ways, EZ saying he would be heading home for dinner. Where the fuck he actually was, he didn’t know, but he did have a hunch. Remembering that Camila was still on the line, he suppressed a sigh.

“Yeah, we’re finishing up now. We just ran late. I’ll make sure he gets his ass home quick.”

Camila smiled, her shoulders relaxing.

“Gracias, Angel.”

He couldn’t hide his sigh this time and responded, his teeth still gritting together some.

“You’re welcome, Chiquita.”

They said their goodbyes and then Angel was immediately dialing Felipe’s number. If EZ wasn’t with him then he would start worrying about his safety. He was almost sure he would be there though; the father and youngest son having been spending more and more quality time together, excluding Angel. While it wasn’t something new, it still stung, and Angel didn’t bother with pleasantries when his father answered the phone.

“Hola, mijo.”

“Is EZ there with you?”

There was a slight pause before Felipe verified.

“Yes, we’re at the shop.”

Angel nodded on his end, more to himself as he knew that no one would see it. He couldn’t keep the edge from his voice as he replied.

“Yeah, well tell him to check his phone and go the fuck home so he can eat the dinner his girlfriend made for him.”

Felipe winced as Angel hung up and looked over at EZ who had his brows furrowed in confusion. Felipe placed the phone down and EZ spoke.

“What’s up?”

Felipe sighed and looked at the clock, pointing to it.

“Apparently you were supposed to be home for dinner.”

EZ’s eyes followed his father’s finger to the clock on the wall and he cursed, shooting up from his chair. He quickly dug around in his pockets for his phone and came up empty.

“Fuck.”

He had left his cell out in the bike while he was inside.

“I gotta go, pop.”

Felipe nodded and the two exchanged a quick embrace before EZ was jogging out of the carniceria and hopping on his bike, forgoing the helmet to make up whatever little bit of time he could. The wheels in his head were spinning a mile a minute as he thought about how he had fucked up. The fact that Angel called means that Cam had tried him plenty of times before calling Angel when she got no response. Things between him and Angel had started to feel different lately and EZ was sure that Angel was picking up some off vibes. EZ could only hope that Angel hadn’t used this as an opportunity to throw him under the bus.

He made it to Camila’s house in record time, grabbing his phone to check the time as he walked up to her house.

9:03 PM

EZ shook his head and took a deep breath, not knowing what he was going to walk into. Angel could’ve covered for him and Camila would be only slightly irritated at him being late, or Angel could’ve said the truth and Camila would be pissed, wondering where he had been for the last two hours. As he stood at the front door, waiting as she opened the door. She was in her usual loungewear, but the frown on her face was not usually there. He sighed heavily as he saw her and began apologizing immediately, just in case.

“I’m so sorry, mi corazón. I know I said I would be here by 7 and you cooked,”

Camila shook her head, her hands reaching out to take his face in her hands.

“I was just worried. You weren’t answering and I thought…I thought something had happened.”

EZ placed his hands over hers and smiled softly.

“I’m ok, baby.”

She nodded and laid a kiss on his chest before letting him go.

“Angel said that things ran late but you would be home soon, so I started heating everything back up.”

EZ internally let out a breath of relief as she pulled away and led him into the house. He followed behind her and locked up, knowing he was going to have to do some major ass-kissing for Angel in the days following.

  Tag list:  @caramara3   @lostgirl219 @mrsjaxtellerfan   @actuallyazriel   @vannabanana1995   @unnecessarypineapplesstuff  @thegreat-annamaria @negansdirtygirl22 @svintsandghosts @piccasoe @tobesurroundedbysplendidthings @jadert15  @lovejn29 @may114   @meltingicequeen  

[hedwigstalons]

FabFiveFeb - Scott

Part 4 of the prompt challenge for @gumnut-logic. Ok Scott doesn’t come into this much but here is where the prompts took me.  The uses the prompts ‘crease’ and ‘apple’.

xoxoxox

There was a mountain of paperwork to be done.  It seemed like there was always paperwork of some sort demanding his attention.  Mission reports.  Stock lists. Maintenance schedules. Rotas.  Sometime he felt that the rotas were a waste of time; it’s not like emergencies kept to a schedule and down time was generally dictated by who had had the least sleep rather than following any pattern or design.  He liked to at least hope he could give each brother a fairly regular day off rescues but sometimes even keeping birthdays sacred was impossible.

As a man of action the paperwork was a particular bugbear of Scott’s.  Delegation wasn’t an option though.  John and Virgil were responsible for producing at least three quarters of the documents he had to analyse so he couldn’t really push more paper their way, Alan had school work and Gordon was….Gordon.  The last time the irrepressible aquanaut had been tasked with writing the supplies list it had mostly consisted of ice cream and canned cheese.  Scott was surprised they hadn’t all got scurvy that month.

 Speaking of the aquatic sibling Scott was horribly aware of his brother’s presence on the far side of the lounge.  It was disrupting his concentration and causing the stress lines on his forehead to crease even deeper.  He looked up to send the irritation packing but faltered.

 “Gordon…why do you have an apple on your head?”

 He received a cheerful shrug in return.  “Science.”  As if it was obvious.

 “Just how is you balancing an apple science?

 Gordon adopted his ‘I’m talking to an idiot’ tone and pointed to the normally space-resident sibling who was quietly reclining on a sofa in the sunken seating area, reading a book.

 “Johnny boy and I have a little experiment going.  About gravity.”  

 “It’s John, thank you very much.”  The use of the nickname earned a scowl.

 “And just what have apples got to do with this?” Scott didn’t really want to ask but if he stood any chance of getting Gordon to go away he knew he needed to understand.

 “Everything.  Apples and gravity; it’s a classic.”

 “John, can you translate please.  I’m still failing to see exactly why our brother has an apple on his head.”

 John carefully marked the page then put his book to one side. He hadn’t been back on Earth for long and was still in the mandatory rest phase while his blood pressure readjusted.

 “Gordon seems to think I’m disproportionately affected by gravity.  He has decided to test what falls down first, me or the apple.”

 It was well known that John struggled with the effects of gravity.  Prolonged periods of time in the microgravity of Thunderbird Five meant that while John was gracefulness personified in space he was a bit of a walking disaster zone when Earthside.  The first day or two after returning home were characterised by John’s fragile skin being bumped, grazed and gaining all manner of new bruises.

 “If I fall first I have to wear one of Gordon’s shirts for a day.”  Scott could almost see John stiffen at the though of being subjected to Gordon’s fashion choices.  “But if Gordon drops the apple then he has to eat whatever it is Grandma is currently baking for me.  She is making one of her special ‘welcome home’ treats.”

 This time there was no mistaking the shudder. Gordon physically recoiled at the thought.  Grandma’s normal baking was bad enough but the pressure of making something special tended to result in an even more catastrophic failure.  The apple wobbled precariously and Gordon straightened himself just in time.

 “What Gordon seems to have forgotten is that I’m going to be spending the next few hours lying down.  I can’t trip over while I’m reading.  Now if you don’t mind I’d quite like to carry on with my book.”

 He made to pick up the discarded volume when Gordon chipped in.

 “And what Johnny seems to have forgotten is that as well as resting he is also being a good boy and rehydrating.  I know he has drunk at least 40 oz since his last bathroom break. Gotta move sooner or later, space case”

 John became uncomfortably aware of the pressing feeling in his bladder.  It hadn’t been an issue until Gordon pointed it out but now the feeling filled his focus. Navigating his way out of the sunken seating was bad enough during those first few hours back on Earth but doing so while distracted was a whole other level of difficulty.  He wished he had just kept to his room with its nice, convenient en-suite but the prospect of avoiding Grandma’s burnt offerings had been too tempting.  There was no way he was letting Gordon into the hallowed sanctuary of his bedroom and so the experiment was being conducted in the communal areas of the villa.

 Scott rubbed his temples.  The creases threatened to turn into full-blown furrows.  All chances of him completing the paperwork were well and truly shattered.  He evidently wasn’t going to get any peace until the experiment had run it’s course. He had no problems with John sharing the lounge but there was something about having Gordon hovering that put him on edge.  Gordon didn’t even have to make a noise to be distracting, sometimes just his existence was enough.

 He watched as John carefully manoeuvred himself into an upright position and walked with exaggerated care towards the steps.  Gordon was positively vibrating with the tension, wondering whether their rarely-resident space monitor would be able to navigate the obstacle.  None of them noticed Virgil enter the lounge behind Gordon, they were all so engrossed in the spectacle.

 “Oh yum, snack table.”  Virgil grabbed the apple off of Gordon’s head, polished it on his jeans to remove the smear of hair gel, then bit into it with a loud crunch just moments John caught his foot on the bottom step and fell sprawling to the floor.

 “Aww Virg! What did you have to go and do that for? I was just about to win.”  Gordon rounded on the oblivious engineer.

 “What?  What did I do?” Virgil mumbled round a mouthful of apple.

 Scott sighed.  “Apparently Gordon bet John that he would fall down before the apple did.”

 Virgil just shrugged.  “Draw?”  he suggested, reaching down to help John back to his feet.

 “Oh no, I win outright”  John smirked.  “I believe the exact terms of the challenge were that I couldn’t fall over but Gordon had to keep the apple on his head without touching it.  Seeing as the apple left Gordon’s head before I reached the steps, I win.”

 He collected his book, climbed the steps without further incident, and headed towards his room complete with its convenient bathroom.

 In the doorway he paused and turned.

 “Enjoy the cookies Gordon.  I believe Grandma was attempting something with cranberries so try not to break a tooth.”

[somanyfuckingdrinks]

Hi!

I’m Remmie. You may know me from my main blog (remmieismyname) or you may have just stumbled upon this jewel. Either way, welcome!

This blog is for my own OC universe, named “The Drink Universe”. I developed the first pieces of the universe in June of 2018 and it has since grown to be a big passion project of mine (whenever I find the time). I have plans to either turn my ideas into a series of books or maybe a TV show; you’ll just have to stick around to see. I hope you fall in love with these characters as I have in the past two years. These are my babies; treat them with kindness, please. 

Now onto the bigger, more important questions.

- What’s “The Drink Universe” all about?

It primarily follows the four lives of four very different characters: Camila Flores, Lillian Park, Ely Fey, and Jeremiah Midlin. 

Camila Flores (she/her) comes from a large family background as the more overshadowed middle child. However, it doesn’t bother her, as long as her family is content with her and her accomplishments (if there are any). She struggles with who she is (bisexual and maybe, just maybe in love with her best friend) and how people see her. The idea of the future terrifies her as she worries she will never live life to its fullest. She makes sure to hide her fears in favor of keeping those she cares about happy; since that is top priority.

Lillian Park (she/her) has always known where she is going. The future gave her the greatest hope and served as the largest motivator for her success. However, she can never anticipate when a roadblock with appear to knock her off the path; a terrible father, unknown family lineage, a suddenly absent best friend, lack of support, and so on. The surprises only add more weight to her bleeding shoulders and waning spirit, but she refuses to let it stop her. Hitting the surprises with her own curveballs, she knows she can beat the world that tried to destroy her.

Ely Fey (they/them) has never known who they are. Adopted by their maternal uncle, they were shoved behind two overbearing cousins dedicated to the arts. They walked the world alone and always seemed to walk in the shadows. Not that it bothered them; it was home to them. However, upon being shined on by the spotlight of other tortured souls, they start to search. Music draws the soul they can’t seem to show the world out. Leaving the sudden spolight behind, they find a new spotlight, hoping to finally understand just where they belong.

Jeremiah Midlin (he/him) comes from a perfect family. An assorted Disney movie breakfast every morning, fridge covered in years of children’s drawings, the halls covered in scheduled family portraits kind of family. He has always been within the reaches of his parents’ attention, but always just out of reach. His sisters are academic scholars and extracurriculars, while he only has his football and music. Football is the only known to his family. He hates lying, but it’s all he can do to not fall behind, left forgotten. Music gives him the outlet to tell all his secrets in the form of strong melodies and soft bellows of an acoustic guitar. Secrets he hopes to share in his own spotlight.

Complex? Maybe. Do I suck at summaries? I think I do, but that’s up to you.

- What are you going to post on here?

Shitposts! 

No seriously, this blog will be me reblogging prompts, quotes, or funny scenarios that I think fit my characters or universe in general. This will also consist of my random 3 A.M brainstorms and thoughts, so be prepared for that.

Actual storybuilding!

Hah! Surprise! I will also post character notes, drabbles, and world designs. These will hopefully reveal more about this strange, strange universe I have created and nurtured. I take constructive criticism and highly invite it.

*Forewarning, since I do not have the time and skillset to draw, you will see me use the Sims 4 or other platforms like Picrew to create character models and world designs. I need the visuals to create the world. Do not clown me, please.*

- Give me more backstory.

Okay fine, pushy. This universe started at around 7 A.M on a cold June day, maybe 30 minutes before my Geometry summer class was going to start. It’s funny to say and admit that this could have very well been a Klance fanfiction, but I didn’t know how to write the two characters. We said make your own!

I thought of the first plot draft, which dealt primarily with body confidence and being proud of who you are, along with the first two characters. They were unnamed at the time but over the next week they earned the names Camila and Lillian. I made their first character models and soon had a double conflict plot. Over the next couple months of 2018, I added small details and bigger subplots, such as Jeremiah (yes he was a subplot at some point; he evolved). I drew Ely on accident in my Chemistry Honors notebook, and just gave them main character status. I was chaotic and thriving. Especially when I spent 3 straight hours creating a 16 person family tree for just one character. Yeah, I did that.

Now, literally 2 years later, the small idea has turned into an entire universe. There are around 70+ characters with their own (not extremely detailed but almost too detailed for side character status) backstories and conflicts. The timeline spans over several decades, which means many stories to tell. The main four have grown and evolved to having their own character summaries! Improvement! Wow!

There is still more to be created within the universe but you’ll get to see it develop before your eyes from now on. Good for you!

- Why drinks?

There are two main “drinks” in the universe: Pink Lemonade and Raspberry Iced Tea. Pink Lemonade explores the lives of Camila Flores and Lillian Park. Raspberry Iced Tea explores the lives of Ely Fey and Jeremiah Midlin. There are many more “drinks” I have thought of in the time period since it’s creation but these two are the two that will show up the most often on this blog. You could say the “drinks” are like metaphors for the lives you unfold. Gulp it down baby!

Ohmygod! You made it this far? I love you already.

Take your crown, you absolute noble. Drink some water and eat a snack too. <3