#Cornflower Primary

[bonusdragons]

October 13, 2022:

Cornflower Primary, Bogsneak, Fade.

Lungwort of Doozie’s clan!

[scryingworkshop]

[charliemwrites]

Part 2!

Finally finished moving house so hopefully I’ll be updating semi-regularly again.

Content: brief and non-descriptive explanation of Rasputin’s backstory (injury and illness)

Agatha is over again.

You don’t know why. She doesn’t like you, your cats, or anything as far as you can tell. It seems her primary motivation for talking to you at all is to exercise her role as neighborhood matriarch. She “keeps tabs” on everyone, but especially you - the unmarried woman living alone that keeps odd hours.

A rebellious part of you wants to roll your eyes and make snarky comments whenever she sniffs at your life choices. The same part of you that would make scenes at holiday dinners or slam doors when you were a teenager. That girl has long been smoothed and polished - or maybe just worn down. It’s so much effort to make rude, nosy, traditionalists clutch their pearls. Much easier to smile in their face and do what you want anyway.

Still, that part of you itches at the surface sometimes. Makes your eye twitch.

“I know your generation is different but that’s just not the type of neighborhood we live in,” she’s saying.

You’re a bit foggy from a late night patching plotholes and haven’t registered much of anything she’s said. You really just want to go inside and stare at the TV until words make sense again.

“What do you mean?” you ask, for once not feigning your confusion. But of course this is the one time she doesn’t buy it.

She looks down her frail little nose at you, cornflower blue eyes baleful. You don’t feel scolded, but you sense that you’re supposed to.

“Now you know just what I mean. People will talk.”

People always talk, it’s an unfortunate byproduct of the human condition. Like a deaf bird, you’ve never understood all the chatter.

“Talk about… the buttercups?” you wonder, pointing at the blossoms. You’re quite proud of them actually.

Agatha puffs up and hisses out a breath. “You ought to keep to this side of the street. Away from those men.”

You blink. Men…?

A bang comes from across the street, followed by rough German cursing. (At least you think it’s cursing.)

Ah. Those men.

“I was just welcoming them to the neighborhood.”

It comes out of your mouth automatically, innocent excuses for something you remind yourself you don’t need to justify.

“I’d rather they didn’t feel welcome,” she snips. “Better they sell that awful house and go somewhere else.”

You flick your eyes over her bony shoulder. Konig passes by a window, massive biceps on display as he lifts something outside of view.

“They’re nice,” you say. Nice to look at. Krueger’s face alone quite makes up for his conversational shortcomings.

“The only reason men like that act nice is because they want something,” Agatha snaps. “This is a respectable neighborhood.”

Yeah, soooo respectable when Bertram rifles through your mail or Lisa looks into your backyard.

“Well,” you muse, “better to be on good terms with them, I think. They're not the type you want to piss off.”

That defiant streak lights up at the way her face sours. If only she knew what sort of words you use when it’s just you and the cats.

“You’ve just proven my point. Those are not the type of men young ladies should associating themselves with.”

You have to try very hard not to scrunch up your face. One blessed day, people will stop referring to you as “young lady” in that insufferably condescending tone. You can’t wait for that day.

Some of your mounting irritation must show on your face because she takes on a sickly sweet “teaching” tone.

“Neighborhoods are like gardens. Everything grows best when the rows are kept separate. That’s why the farmers plant them that way.”

You glance pointedly at your own yard, where the flowers are blooming in haphazard sprigs wherever you tossed the seeds. Agatha’s lips get thin.

“Best that you stay on this side of the street, missy. That’s the last I’ll hear of it.”

She spins on her heel and stalks off like a particularly drab bird. You stand on your porch for a second longer, face contorted in annoyed confusion. You don’t even have strong feelings about the three men; the simple act of someone - Agatha of all people - labeling them as “Off Limits” makes them instantly more appealing.

Maybe you should see someone about that or something. Then the pathetic cries of Guy through the window lure you back inside.

It’s nearly sundown when there’s a knock at your door. Still agitated from your talk with Agatha, you puff up like Shithead when Rasputin sits on her favorite toy. March up to the door, fling it open - and come up short when you see the three men looming on your doorstep.

Before you can recover, a little gray blob scrambles past your ankles, crying like the sky is falling.

“Oh!” Konig gasps in pleasant surprise. “Hallo, Bubchen!”

And all 6-foot-plus of Austrian instantly folds to scoop Guy up. You’ve barely managed a now-useless shout of alarm when Shithead wedges her fat head between your calves. Behind you, Rasputin politely screeches his little chainsmoker call.

And somehow, in the chaos of fumbling for furballs, you end up with all three men in your foyer.

Guy is purring away in Konig’s thick arms. Shithead is attempting to scale Krueger’s tight cargo pants. And Rasputin is pawing the air at Nikto, visibly calculating the jump to his wide shoulders.

Which leaves you with the clean serving platter you dropped off just yesterday. You blink at it for a moment, then glance at them.

“So… the cookies were good then?”

“Very good!” Konig rushes to say. Krueger and Nikto each nod, almost comically solemn.

“We have no baking or cooking skills,” Krueger continues, “so tell us what needs fixing.”

It takes you a moment to understand what he means. The house. He wants to fix your house. It’s surprisingly sweet, and you laugh a bit, shaking your head. “You don’t need to do that, I was just-“

“Is custom,” Nikto interrupts.

Konig nods with all the enthusiasm of a bobblehead as Krueger crosses his arms. (Whatever effect he’s going for is ruined by Shithead clinging to his pocket and screaming.)

“In our country, we bring gifts as guests. Our gift is repairs,” he explains.

You arch your brows playfully. “I don’t remember inviting you to be guests.”

He arches his brows right back. “We did not invite you either.”

Well shit.

“Okay, okay. I guess there’s a couple things…”

Konig perks up. “We would be happy to help, Biene!”

It’s strange having men in the house. You think you should be more nervous about it, can’t remember the last non-family man allowed into your space. Especially alone.

There’s a sharp awareness, of course. Hard not to be aware of them. It’s not just that they’re big, dwarfing all of your you-sized furniture. There’s a presence to them, something felt but not seen by your untrained eye. Maybe it’s in the set of their shoulders, the way they stand with both boots firmly planted. Maybe it’s the precise way they speak and move, not just separately but as a unit. Acting more like a collective consciousness than as individuals.

Whatever it is, you couldn’t ignore them if you tried. And you’re definitely not trying.

You set Krueger to work on the kitchen cabinet you’ve been meaning to replace. He clicks his tongue at the tape-and-lean method you’ve been using to keep the old one in place. Shithead immediately sets to work helping by gnawing at his shoelaces.

Konig is stationed in the guest bathroom, where the sink doesn’t run right. Guy comes mewing into your arms when he’s set down, effectively tattling that his new friend is mean and awful for withholding affection for even a moment.

You try not to visibly hesitate when you corner yourself in your own laundry room. Nikto has followed you right in, seemingly unaware that he’s invading your personal space. He’s not even looking at you though, eyes zeroed in on the dryer you point to.

“It’s not heating up, so the clothes stay wet or take forever to dry,” you explain.

He grunts in acknowledgement, then nods to Rasputin, who has taken up residence on the washer. His one golden eye blinks slow and serene at the two of you.

“What happened?” he asks.

You hum, softening in pleasant surprise at the question.

“I’m not sure how he lost his eye. It was infected when I found him. But I know for sure the tail and leg are from getting hit by a car.”

You sigh, scratching at Rasputin’s chin. A rusty purr starts up as he tilts his head, revealing some nasty scars around his throat.

“The vet said that that’s probably from a fight with another cat,” you add.

Guy steps from your arms to cuddle up to Rasputin, shoving his face into his ragged ear. Grooming time, then. That’s as good an indication as any that Nikto’s probably safe enough.

“I ran down from an office building to save him.” You blink hard, eyes stinging just from the memory. “But anyway, he gets to rest and be pampered now.”

When you glance up from Rasputin’s happy little face, you almost startle at the sharp blue eyes pinning you in place. Your face feels warm, even though you’re not embarrassed.

“I’ll, um, get out of the way,” you say, clearing your throat. “Keep an eye on things, Ras.”

With the men occupied, you find yourself once again at loose ends. You drift towards the den, but it feels awkward to sit on your ass watching TV while your neighbors fix your house.

You check the time on your phone - ignoring the text from your mother - and figure it’s not too early to start dinner.

“Will I be in the way if I start cooking?” you ask Krueger.

He flicks you a dimissive glance. “A little thing like you?”

You scoff and cross to the fridge. “You could have just said no.”

“Nein,” he snorts.

Rude bastard, you think - though not without fondness, unfortunately. The surly attitude is already growing on you.

There’s meat and spare boxes of pasta and veggies - that’ll work. You start tugging out ingredients, mentally doubling portions for your guests. They look like they work out even beyond the construction labor, hopefully you’ll have enough to satisfy their appetites.

“So what’s the plan with the house?” you ask as you get to work. “Just fixing it up to sell or…?”

“We will live there, the three of us,” Krueger answers. He swipes a screwdriver from Shithead’s batting paws. “Somewhere to stay when we are not working.”

You hum, biting back the next obvious question, loathe to become as nosy as the rest of your neighbors. Still… getting to know people, right?

It sounds like they expect to travel a lot. You can’t imagine them as business types - not in the traditional sense anyway. Though the image of Konig sitting in a tiny cubicle does make you smile a bit. Between their statures, their clothes, their shoes, and the occasional nasty scar, you take a guess.

“Are you guys military?”

“Contractor,” Krueger corrects.

You perk up. “Wait, really?”

He scowls. “Does it sound like a joke?”

You huff and turn back to the veggies you’re cutting. “No, no. I just - you know about guns and knives and things, then?”

He pauses. You shoot him a curious glance, only to quickly look away at the intense scrutiny directed your way.

“Yes,” he answers slowly.

“Then… could you maybe answer some questions…?”

His eyes narrow. “Questions?”

You keep your gaze on the cutting board. “Okay, wait, it's not suspicious. I’m a writer and it’s hard to google very specific questions sometimes. It’s just easier to ask an expert in person.”

Never mind that majority of your readers would never know the difference. It bothers you when things aren’t accurate.

He makes a considering noise. “A writer?”

You flush. “That’s what I do. Why I’m always home? I publish fiction.”

He stands, brushing his hands off on his pants. You peek his way, shocked to see a task you’ve been putting off for weeks already done. Hell, it looks sturdier than the rest of the cabinet doors, too.

“And your fiction requires knowledge of guns and knives and ‘things’?” he asks.

Your face feels like it’s on fire. “Sometimes…”

“Fine. I will answer your questions,” he allows.

You beam. “Thank you!”

He grunts, snatches a slice of pepper and pops it into his mouth.

“What else needs doing?”

Dinner ends up much more pleasant than expected. Nikto abstains from eating, you assume because he doesn’t feel comfortable removing his ever-present mask, but he sits at the table with Rasputin in his lap. He speaks little, and has that intense gaze that prickles at your freeze instinct, but you grow used to it as the meal progresses.

Konig, however, becomes chattier with food in his belly. He’s much more forthcoming when he answers your polite and totally casual questions - though you notice Krueger kick him under the table once or twice.

You suppose he gets you back by effectively announcing to the others what your career is. Which just kicks off the usual line of questioning about how and why you got into writing. Still, there’s no judgment from these men that make their living in labors of blood and sacrifice, where you expected censure. You only find genuine curiosity and intrigue, good-natured questions. Not even Krueger makes backhanded comments about it not being a “real” job.

Before you know it, the moon is high and you’re sending the three of them off, bellies full and a little friendlier than before. Nikto nods to you (and Rasputin) as he leaves, a big Tupperware of his dinner portion in hand.

You tell yourself it’s not anticipation that goes through you, knowing they’ll be back with it soon.

Previous | Next

Masterlist

[tpwrtrmnky]

complexity

[ID: Three panel comic. Crudely drawn stick figures represent people.

Panel 1: A lime green person is talking to someone whose color is approximately a warm grey tone.

Approximately warm grey: "You know, green is just not a very creative color."

Lime: "Excuse me?"

Approximately warm grey: "Unlike you simplistic primary greenies, nonprimary people such as myself have far more interesting chromatic alignments."

Lime: "I am going to lose patience with this very quickly, make your case immediately."

Panel 2: Zoom in on approximately warm grey.

Approximately warm grey: "Of course. I am medium-dark reddish cyan with warm-toned teal and cold sepia accents, and a dash of burgundy-toned light cornflower blue. It is a subtle, rich, complex colour with far more nuance than you can ever even begin to comprehend. Your limited, primary mind simply cannot process it. It is beyond you. You are beneath me."

Panel 3: Zoom in on lime.

Lime: "...Do you think lime green is a primary colour?"

End ID.]

Start - Previous - Next

[rboooks]

The Adoptive Son. Part 3

A pair of large, cornflower blue eyes stare across the living room of a luxurious penthouse at a nervous-looking man. The pair belong to a young teenager named Tim Drake, who, for the past few weeks, had spoken only a handful of words with Dick since Operation Honey Pot had begun.

They were waiting for Crowne to go get the surprise he had special ordered for Drake from an acquaintance

He tended to stare at him whenever he was around. Sometimes Dick didn't think Drake would even blink. It felt a little like Drake was starstruck by Dick- but he couldn't figure out what he had done to earn such rapture from Drake.

Other times, Drake would study him the same way a scientist would study a newly discovered bug- fascinated but weary, as though he didn't know if it was dangerous. So the scientist needed to pin the bug to a board and take it apart to understand it.

It sort of made Dick uneasy.

The night Crowne had brought him back, Drake happily played some video games while his babysitter- a sweet college student named Nancy- had been working on her assignment at the table.

Drake had turned to greet Crowne and had promptly choked on his own spit at the sight of Dick. Crowne had run off to cook them a meal, insisting Nancy finish her homework and not worry as he cooked.

She had smiled gratefully, turning back to her books while Drake had been rooted by the tv, with the most awe-struck expression Dick had ever seen.

Dick is a little surprised by how well Crowne treats Nancy Salazar.

Nancy is studying to be a pediatric occupational therapist. She adores children and is fascinated by the physical therapist aspect of the medical field.

Dick had learned that Nancy had been struggling to pay her Gotham University tuition after losing her job to a rouge attacking her workplace and the company deciding they needed to make budget cuts to complete the repairs.

She had also fallen behind on her bills due to her father suffering a medical emergency and the family pooling together what little they had to help him get life-saving surgery.

Her dad had been the family's primary provider for as long as Nancy could remember. Since neither of her parents could speak English, they had limited employment options. Nancy's siblings were all younger then than her, so they couldn't help much with the bills.

She had tried to take over as the eldest daughter, but soon it became apparent she was close to losing the house her parents had left their home country for to build a better future for their children. It devastated her.

She had been on the brink of becoming desperate for any job when she had run into Crowne at a wifi-cafe shop. She had seen Tim struggling to get through the door with his wheelchair and had gone to help him. (the child had seen internet videos of parkour and chosen to attempt the tricks himself. He had broken his leg from jumping from one roof to another.)

Her kind actions got Crowne attention, and he invited her to sit with them, then witnessed her have a meltdown when the owner of the cafe told her he had just filled the barista position she had come for an interview for.

It must have all piled up until Nancy couldn't hold back.

Crowne and Drake had consulted her, listening to her woes. After she calmed down, the two adults exchanged contact information to get to know each other. He had offered a babysitting job with complete benefits and a full-ride scholarship. Crowne had even gone far and beyond, paying off all her father's medical expenses and debts.

Dick knew all this because he had done a background check on her to see if she was involved in Crowne's schemes. Her story felt just a tab bit too far fetch for all the good fortune of meeting Crowne that fateful day.

She even admitted that she was sure she would have resorted to a life of crime with how desperate she had been back then.

When she came back clean- just the eldest daughter of immigrants trying to make it in this hellish city- Dick had thought Crowne was infatuated with her.

Nancy was a very attractive young lady, and it would not be the first time a rich man took advantage of a woman in finical distress. He hadn't found evidence yet, but Dick would keep an eye on her to ensure she was safe.

Her involvement was a lot easier to dismiss than it was for Drake.

"You and Danny are dating. He told me last night." Drake says after about half an hour of Scientist-looking-at-bug staring.

Dick throws on his best Wanye smile, making sure it's both charming and besotted. "Yes. We've agreed to become official. I hope you don't mind."

Drake tilts his head, looking ironically enough like a bird. "That depends."

"On what?"

"On what your intentions with Danny are." Drake puts down his Crowne laptop, which Danny had been programming and designing back when they started talking. The design is still the slimmest Dick had ever seen, small enough that it sat comfortably in Drake's school back and robust enough that it worked for all his gaming and photo developing.

It took Crowne about two months to complete what he called "modern," but it wouldn't be out to the rest of the public until Christmas when Crowne planned to reveal it to raise profits as high as possible.

The only reason Drake was allowed to have a model so early was simply that Crowne obviously saw him as a younger brother and sometimes maybe even a son. Dick certainly pick that up in the two-month undercover mission.

He must win over Drake as soon as possible for the sake of the mission. So far, he's come up with nothing incriminating, but more kids have disappeared. If the other boy can't stand him, it will seriously risk his access to Crowne's home and any clues on the missing children.

"I want to give him the life he deserves." Dick settles on. He's noticed that Drake is crazy intelligent. There was no reason to outright lie and get caught if the boy was smart enough to connect the dots.

"Danny deserves the world." Drake nods, stating the words like a fact. "Whatever you searching for, you won't find here."

What?

"Do you not want me to date Danny?"

Drake pauses, carefully turning the question in his head before answering. "I want someone to date Danny because they like him"

"I do like him."

"Do you?" Drake's eyes are practically ice, and Dick gets the sense he just walked into a trap. Carefully, he double-taps his left belt loop sending a warning sound to the Batcave. They won't pull him out yet, but it will have either Babs or Jason nearby in gear, just in case.

A soft click is heard from his right earring, and he knows Alfred is listening.

"I really do." He says in a warm voice.

Drake seems skeptical.

"Danny always had people falling for him. I had to tell him Jenny Wilson wasn't asking him for a private tour of his kitchen when she tried to get him to bring her back to the penthouse. He honestly thought she cared about his grape peeler. He's like that, you know? Though thoughtful, caring, kind, intelligent, and strong, Danny can't see that people generally think he's what they would want in a romantic partner. I think he was bullied a lot as a kid before his adoption, and it's ruined his ability to see his worth."

Dick tries not to scowl. Yes, he's suspected the same thing. He just hopes it's not why Crowne has inflicted so much pain.

He can't stand people who use bullying as an excuse. It doesn't justify anything they do, it also demonizes the victims, and they get too scared to report what they are going through. ''I can't claim to not be like the other people because I don't know them. I know myself, and I can promise that every inch of me wants to see Danny living the life he deserves."

Whatever Drake is going to say gets cut off by Crowne walking back from the elevator carrying a box. "Tim, come look!"

He settles the box on the coffee table, so Drake can reach over and open it. There is a small gasp of delight from the boy as he pulls out a well-done Robin hoodie. It's not over the top like most Robin merch, but it's not subtle either. It's so nicely done. Dick can even tell it's based on Jason rather than him.

The second Robin is Drake's favorite. The teen prices it by holding it up and cheering, "Oh my gosh! I love it, I love it! Where did you get this!?"

"One of Nancy's friends is majoring in fashion design. She overheard me say I wanted to get the second Robin merch that wasn't a blatant grab for money, and she had her friend draw up some designs. I will sponsor her and sell her work in our stores."

Crowne is wearing a Robin hoodie of his own, but this one is based on Dick, and for a moment, his heart soars at the sight of Crowne in his family colors. It's a dangerous thing.

He knows one of the pitfalls of undercover work is getting too attached to the lies. He couldn't allow himself to actually fall for someone like Danny Crowne. Nothing good would come out of it once he saw him jailed for everything he's done.

He hasn't gotten anything to show Crowne's crimes, but Bruce had enough proof for the shell companies doing strange and dangerous experiments.

They needed to figure out what the experiments were attempting to do. Still, they found small clues: systematics showed weapons that didn't intend to harm humans, half-erased research on "eco-energy," what looked like machines attempting to rip holes in reality, and glowing green liquid that made Bruce pale when Jason brought back a simple.

It made Dick angry that the liquid prompted his ex-mentor to contact Talia al Ghul to ask, but she claimed to know nothing of Danny Crowne. Bruce felt she was lying, so after asking Wonder Woman and Superman for help, the big three went to Nanda Parbat to look for clues.

Dick wasn't sure what they found, but Bruce had a surprise for him back at the cave once he finished visiting his "boyfriend."

They could take down Crowne Co. with what they did have, but there was a chance Crowne could claim that his scientists went rogue and let them take the fall. Also, they didn't have any names of the scientists. It was like the invisible man was conducting them on his own.

Dick had to wait a little longer. See the big plan and unravel it so everything can never be rebuilt.

Yes, he's only seen a good man who may be socially awkward once you get past his regal composure, and his speech may be a bit too formal. A passionate inventor who always tried to find a new ways to improve people's lives, especially in medicine.

A man who cooked because he liked feeding people.

A man who offered a helping hand because his parents were often mocked for their careers- Dick suspected they may have been prostitutes based on the small comments of people thinking "it wasn't real jobs and they should be ashamed for themselves"- but most of all, Dick found a man who seemed lonely.

Someone lost after life displaced him, desperately trying to find himself again. It made Dick feel better knowing someone like him was doing the same.

"What is your opinion, Dick?" Crowne asks, doing a slight turn. Dic can't fight the urge to lean in for a quick kiss, telling himself it was all for the mission and the butterflies he felt in his stomach were terrible indigestion.

Crowne smiled into the kiss, pressing a second one on Dick's lips before leaning back, looking a little flustered still, and over his shoulder, he saw Drake's eyes narrow.

Maybe the kid was jealous?

He didn't know, but he better keeps an eye on Tim Drake. Something told him not to underestimate that boy.

"I got you a Nightwing too. The first Robin and Nightwing are one of my favorite heroes. They make me feel safe. I know I shouldn't worry with them guarding me at night." Crowne says, and Dick fights hard not to flinch.

You have no reason to feel guilt. It's for the mission.

He hopes he finds proof soon.

(Part 1), (part 2)

[prskcolortheory]

MORE MORE JUMP! ☘️

Delta E scores defined against the RGB color wheel.

sekai characters

Shizuku 💧 #9aeede sea green: cyan 10.26

despite being the group leader (in game, not necessarily in universe. does mmj have a group leader in universe?), minori's color is not green, but shizuku's is. why? for what purpose? is this lore? (no) will shizuku step up as the frontman of mmj? (unlikely) does project sekai care this much about group color politics? (absolutely not)

Airi 🍑 #ffa9cc carnation pink: magenta 25.05

Minori 🪽 #ffcdac peach: yellow 31.08

the irony of minori's color being peach and airi's emoji being a peach.... its too obvious. i can't say anything.

Haruka 🐧 #99cdff cornflower: cyan 24.08, magenta 42.14, blue 48.97

i can't fathom how cornflower is closer to magenta than dark blue.. ????

missing direct colormatch: red, green

colorwheel accuracy with no overlaps

(89.74 + 74.95 + 68.92 + 51.03)/4 = 71.16%

tbh i'm surprised at how high this score is considering primary colorwheels are NOT friendly for pastels

☘️

virtual singers

Miku 🎤 #33ccbb robin egg blue: cyan 12.98, green 29.55, red 66.82

Rin 🍊 #ffcc11 sunglow: yellow 15.33, green 34.96, red 47.51

colorwheel accuracy

(97.02 + 84.67)/2 = 90.85%

☘️

overall colorwheel accuracy with no overlaps

(89.74 + 74.95 + 68.92 + 51.03 + 70.45 + 52.49)/6 = 67.93%

[lazarusdrawsthings]

You know what, fuck it *dragon-ifies your DRDT cast*

I've been thinking abt making a flight rising AU for a bit now, but I finally got around to getting some simple sketches down and finalizing my ideas for the main cast (excluding MonoTV and a certain unnamed student).

Text is just breed, eye type, genes, and gene colors, but it's kinda disorganized and hard to read even when clicking on it, so I'll list everything below the cut.

Teruko Breed: Mirror Eye type: Earth Rare Primary: Shamrock Savannah Secondary: Umber Noxtide Tertiary: Pistachio Ghost

Eden Breed: Tundra Eye type: Earth Uncommon Primary: Cottoncandy Fade Secondary: Raspberry Seraph Tertiary: White Underbelly

Xander Breed: Guardian Eye type: Fire Primal Primary: Tomato Falcon Secondary: Rust Morph Tertiary: Black Spines

Min Breed: Gaoler Eye type: Arcane Unusual Primary: Wisteria Shaggy Secondary: Wine Stripes Tertiary: Wine Wintercoat

David Breed: Skydancer Eye type: Light Uncommon Primary: Ice Falcon Secondary: Twilight Constellation Tertiary: Lemon Sparkle

Charles Breed: Imperial Eye type: Light Common Primary: Violet Savannah Secondary: Heather Stripes Tertiary: Storm Capsule

Nico Breed: Fae Eye type: Plague Bright Primary: Stonewash Jaguar Secondary: Midnight Stripes Tertiary: Midnight Points

Ace Breed: Wildclaw Eye type: Fire Rare Primary: Vermillion Skink Secondary: Berry Toxin Tertiary: White Underbelly

Levi Breed: Gaoler Eye type: Ice Unusual Primary: Plum Boa Secondary: Eggplant Blend Tertiary: Magenta Weathered

Whit Breed: Aether Eye type: Ice Uncommon Primary: Cottoncandy Cinder Secondary: Heather Blaze Tertiary: Cyan Monarch

Arturo Breed: Pearlcatcher Eye type: Ice Common Primary: Splash Iridescent Secondary: Robin Blend Tertiary: Aqua Points

Veronika Breed: Aberration Eye type: Plague Unusual Primary: Red Pharaoh Secondary: Red Weaver Tertiary: White Ghost

Arei Breed: Pearlcatcher Eye type: Water Bright Primary: Ultramarine Ribbon Secondary: Ultramarine Eel Tertiary: Cornflower Glimmer

J Breed: Nocturne Eye type: Lightning Common Primary: Azure Vipera Secondary: Phthalo Eel Tertiary: Mantis Thylacine

Rose Breed: Coatl Eye type: Earth Rare Primary: Rose Poison Secondary: Rose Toxin Tertiary: Iris Glimmer

Hu Breed: Skydancer Eye type: Nature Bright Primary: Fern Petals Secondary: Emerald Butterfly Tertiary: Turquoise Stained

(Worth noting: not all tert genes are visible in the image)

[bonefall]

personally i would enjoy an ivypool, if you haven’t done her yet. she is one of my favorites, i always picture her as a kind of lanky skinny pointy cat

[ID: BB!Ivypool, she is a gray-and-white tabby with cornflower blue eyes, a noteworthy swirled tail, and a 'beret' over one ear. A family tree displays how she is now the great-great granddaughter of Redtail, and a comparison is drawn between his facial features and hers.]

My takes'a little different from popular fandom interpretation! She is an echo of my Redtail design. They have a very similar personality and she's like a cool-color version of him. She even inherited his tail, also seen in Squirrelflight and Rosetail (Red and Spotty's new mom).

It's haunting for Tigerstar, to see Hawkfrost bring in a cat who reminds him so much of his first victim. He's harder on her than other trainees because of it, which is one of the reasons why Hawk's faith in his father starts... wavering.

Ivypool is dour, serious, and ambitious. She has her eyes on deputyship, but has a bad habit of keeping grudges a lot like her dad Lionblaze.

Though born to an accident between Jay and Poppy, she was raised by, and considers Cinderheart and Lionblaze her parents. She has... complicated feelings towards Fallenleaf and Toadstep, and had trouble bonding with her new half-siblings through Cinderheart.

We're not even getting into the tension she has with Dovewing because we'd be here all day

During ThunderClan's Tempest, three kittypets end up joining the Clan including Fiddles, who becomes Fernsong. He came at JUST the right time to accidentally spark a MASSIVE breakup between Blossomfall and Ivypool. Blossom never really got over it.

Fernsong was the primary parent of their kittens, Flipclaw, Thriftear, and Bristlefrost, with Ivypool happily continuing to do the jobs that give her the most fulfillment. Ivy is now one of the POVs in TBC, taking it from Bristlefrost who is executed publicly by the impostor.

She will eventually be covered in scars, the tons of white space is going to help with that. I won't put the scars on until I have stories for each though.

Hawkfrost is her Dark Forest mentor; Brightheart is her Waking World mentor.

She becomes incredibly close to both of these cats.

Hawkfrost is lost in the Great Battle, becoming a ghost among ghosts in the Dark Forest.

Thrift is named after a beautiful flower Ivy saw on a cliffside during a salt patrol, in Clanmew this name is "Paharl," an ancient Lakemew word shared by Fallenleaf.

Her favorite food is blackberry pemmican and she likes chewy textures.

Stats: Strong fighter, decent at most things.

[ink-fireplace-coffee]

Worldbuilding Ask Game: Colors Edition

(hii! I'm back!!)

Politics:

Azure: How is the country ruled? Is it a monarchy, a theocracy, or a different form of government?

Pearl: Who holds positions of power within the country? Are there nobles, advisors, or a council?

Wine: What is the legal system like? How are laws enforced and justice administered?

Emerald: Are there any rival factions, neighboring countries, or potential threats to the country's stability?

Amber: What is the relationship between the ruler and the subjects? How do they view each other?

Culture:

Mahogany: What are the traditional clothing, art, and architecture styles in different regions?

Sienna: What are the typical foods and cuisines? Are there any unique cultural dishes?

Wisteria: How do people celebrate important milestones, holidays, and events?

Teal: What are the common forms of artistic expression, such as music, literature, and dance?

Alabaster: Are there taboos or cultural norms that guide behavior and interactions?

Entertainment

Charcoal: What are the popular forms of entertainment and leisure activities in your world?

Zinc: Are there any traditional or competitive games that people play?

Chestnut: How do people express themselves artistically? Is there a prevalent art form, such as painting, sculpture, or performance art?

Daffodil: Are there specific hobbies tied to the world's magic system or supernatural elements?

Garnet: Do certain hobbies have gender, age, or social class associations?

Society:

Bubblegum: What is the social hierarchy like? Is it based on birthright, merit, or a combination?

Porcelain: How is education structured? Who has access to it, and what subjects are taught?

Oxford: What are the primary means of communication and transportation in your society?

Cornflower: How is trade and commerce conducted? Are there major trading hubs or routes?

Indigo: What is the role of religion in society? Are there multiple belief systems or a dominant faith?

[toastydoll]

Since rainbow high is getting extremely worrisome w the new line I’ve coped by making my own wave 6 (drumroll please):

Scarlet, Pumpkin, Mustard, Moss, Cornflower, Royal Purple!

Tbh I was just listing off colors I wished we had gotten in a gc and then realized a) they made a rainbow and b) they were all autumnal themed so I made an inadvertent autumnal wave! All with two outfits bc I’m allowed to dream. I want to make them eventually too bc hello my New Year’s resolution is to make more customs than last year.

Scarlett Connell (scarlet red/orange): a multimedia artist with a passion for eco-friendly graffiti, Scarlett Connell hails from the Pacific Northwest. Growing up on the Oregon coast, Scarlett fell in love with thrifting materials from old logging camps and cargo railroads. Her main outfit is a scarlet beanie, a scarlet plaid scarf, a white tank top, a pair of patchwork scarlet overalls, and graffitied scarlet doc martens. Her second outfit is a scarlet oversized flannel, faded rainbow dream t shirt, torn/cuffed scarlet jeans, and short scarlet rain boots. She keeps her makeup subtle save for a bold detail (scarlet tinged lip, blush, natural brows, graphic scarlet eyeliner) and her scarlet hair straight and chin length. Y’all…she’s the red/orange butch doll we’ve all been waiting for.

Paloma Gordon (pumpkin orange): a sweet-as-can-be baking and pastry major from Salem, Massachusetts. Growing up in such an autumnal region made Paloma fall in love with both the flavors and fashions of the season. Her primary outfit is a pair of cropped ankle pumpkin pants, pumpkin crocs, a white chef coat w pumpkin buttons, and a pumpkin orange neckerchief. Her second outfit is a pair of pumpkin plaid woolen pants, a white cable knit sweater w pumpkin detailing, and pumpkin suede booties. Her makeup is soft and warm yet very, very precise: much like her approach in the kitchen, and she keeps her hair in long curly pumpkin orange ringlets, tied back in a high ponytail. I always wished rh would do a baking major since culinary arts are some of the most impressive art forms in the world (we almost got there w poppy).

Amelie “Frenchie” du Mous (mustard yellow): always on point, Frenchie hones all of her high fashion skills from growing up in Paris into a neatly tailored fashion focus. Her primary outfit is a plaid mustard pinafore over a lace trimmed white blouse with bell sleeves, mustard yellow knee high socks, brown heeled oxfords with mustard laces, and a mustard beret trimmed in white lace. Her second outfit is a pair of knee length mustard plaid shorts w matching suspenders, platform mustard leather loafers, mustard mid calf socks, and a white puffed short sleeved blouse with a mustard plaid bow tie. Her hair is straight and long in two tails. We never got a dark academia girl so here she is to fall in love w scarlet

Ivy Pines (moss green): emerging from the woods for the first time in her life, Ivy is ready to bring her foraging gift to Rainbow High! Her art has always been from the forest around her and her family in Northern California, whether she’s crafting her own dyes or whittling intricate jewelry. Her first outfit is an ombré dip-dyed lace maxi dress (white into moss green) with thin straps, an oversized moss green cardigan, knit to texturally simulate moss (look up moss stitch w this specific rough spin yarn istg it looks just like moss), moss sandals, moss socks, and wooden jewelry with moss jewel accents. Her second outfit is moss green crochet pants, moss flats, and a white peasant top w moss embroidery. Her makeup is natural with mossy green eyeshadow, and her hair is loose beachy waves. She’d come w alt heeled feet but both her shoes would be flat :0. She’s the mori girl we deserved but never actually got.

Corinne St. Germaine (cornflower blue): traveling all the way from Middle-of-Nowhere, Nebraska, Rainbow High is Corinne’s first interaction outside of her hometown’s sixty people. She’s not totally ignorant of the world though—she’s actually huge on the internet! Her fashion style has been dubbed Lolita Americana: gold rush pioneer outfits through a cute girly lens. Her first outfit is a cornflower blue pioneer dress with a knee length hem, high neck collar, long slightly puffed sleeves, and white apron, as well as lace knee high cornflower stockings, cornflower leather ankle boots, and a cornflower bonnet trimmed in white lace. Her second outfit is a cornflower wool coat, long cornflower wool skirt, and knee high cornflower riding boots. Her hair would have a soft wave and probably be in a half up style, and her makeup would be soft. In a perfect world she’s also got a parasol >:3

Leanna Royale (royal purple): Known for clothing real life royals and only the most fashionable celebrities, the prestigious House Royale has unveiled its latest stride into the fashion world: a daughter named Leanna. Raised from birth on fine art and livery, Leanna is a princess in all but political power. Her first outfit is a polished royal purple velvet pantsuit with a royal satin shirt and purple velvet heeled pumps. Her second outfit is a silk bejeweled minidress, royal purple bejeweled strap heels, and a royal purple fur stole. Her makeup is elegant and refined, complete with a royal purple lip. Her hair is long royal purple locs in an elegant updo, and yes: she has a tiara. She’s every bit of posh violet wishes she could be (/hj)

I’m gonna try and make these! Bases would probably be whatever I can find that’s cheap, though a good visualization I’m going on rn is based on the color create dolls (scarlet and mustard for green eyes, pumpkin and royal for purple eyes, cornflower and moss for blue eyes). Maybe I won’t go so far to do two outfits but I’ll try and at least make one for each :)

[bonusdragons]

December 18, 2023:

Cornflower Primary, Aberration, Hypnotic.

Starsea of RedsNight's clan!

[lovetransaction]

"girls write to ask who the little women marry, as if that was the only end and aim of a woman's life. i won't marry jo to laurie to please anyone." - louisa may alcott

"destiel doesn't exist." - jensen ackles

===

lazy clarence

"Dean and I do share a deeper bond." Castiel looked puzzled for a moment, like he couldn't understand why Sam would bring this up when it was clear, had been clear since the moment he'd first entered the Winchester boys' lives. He certainly felt he'd never done anything to hide his closeness with Dean, not through any of the capers they'd had together. Surely Sam knew that? Though from the prim, unmoved look on Sam's face as he continued carefully inscribing warding signals in watercolour on tiles, it wasn't something he enjoyed hearing.

"Right," Sam said, making a few delicate strokes with his paintbrush that even Castiel had to admit were beautifully done. "And he's the one who you turn to, when it comes to anything to do with your being not an angel anymore."

"If it helps," Castiel said helpfully, "his help isn't worth much. It's mostly symbolic. As in I request it mostly to make Dean feel like he has some authority in the area."

Sam stopped daubing for a moment. He had a small streak of cornflower blue paint just down one cheek, close to his nose. It was rather adorable, Castiel had to admit to himself. "What?" Sam said, his tone not much adorable at all. "Symbolic?"

"He's not the best at being human," Castiel said, apologetic and fond. "He bungles it constantly."

"That's my brother you're talking about," Sam said, looking truly put out now. "Whaddyou know about being human, anyhow? I've watched you these past few weeks. You're rude, you're demanding, and you make people uncomfortable when you start telling them about the personal failings of other religious beings if the subject ever comes up--"

"Bartholomew is the worst saint to appeal to for the home. He was notoriously derisive about his own place of origin. People should know that before sending him entreaties about their new open-plan concepts."

"--exactly what I'm saying." Sam finished his watercolour and glanced over at Samuel, who was surreptitiously keeping an eye on the proceedings from a discreet distance away. He turned his full attention to Castiel. "Dean can only give you so much advice about being human before you ... plateau. You need to figure it out yourself."

Castiel considered this. "And that would win you over?" he asked. Sam lifted his nose and Castiel said, "All of those times you put clothespins on your nose to make it pointier really did work out beautifully. You could put swordfish to shame now." He smiled, declaring, "See? I can be polite and complimentary."

"This," Sam said, "is only one and not even a primary reason Dean won't marry you. And nobody else will either."

"You teach me, then," Castiel said. "Though your behaviour as a human seems to be largely performative and based on achievement of status among others whose opinions you ascribe an unusually large weight to--"

"I'd love to help," Sam cut into him, abruptly, then smiled. "See? Polite."

"Your lip is twitching."

"No it's not. Because it would be rude of you to point that out."

Castiel didn't think that sounded right. But if he was ever going to woo Dean, the best person to tell him how would be Sam. It was a foolproof plan.

---

(idk man. anyhow this is obv based on when laurie went to see amy when she was in europe and she was like 'go fix urself and stop being in love with jo and then i'll scoop you up for myself)

[naphiatra]

More G1 Dragons for sale. Feel free to make an offer. You can find them here.

Gened Pair (Unbred)

57832920 | White Piebald/Orchid Breakup/Hunter Veined

68428504 | Mauve Piebald/White Breakup/Abyss Veined

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

G1 Twins

Sold!

Both have the same colour pattern: Moon / Cottoncandy / Cyan

76002476 | 53132276

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Same Primary/Secondary Colours

Cornflower/Amethyst/Cerulean | Cornflower/Amethyst/Lead

65975138 | 66114162

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bred Pair

55200314 | Yellow Slime / Blush Striation / Beige Basic

55200322 | Garnet Laced / Coral Edged / Taupe Keel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sappho

Gold Piebald/Rose Eel/Teal Basic

[bear-cubs-art-things]

Behold:

my main cast of monsters for my MSM AU :D

More abt them under cut:

Blue: A Bowgart. Very shy, pretty much to the point he gets anxious around others. He mostly talks to those he's very familiar with, and can take a very long time to warm up to strangers. Once beyond his shyness, Blue is a bit talkative, and very knowledgeable in many subjects. He reads and cooks/bakes a lot, usually stocking up his dainty cottage with sweet treats. Blue is a very caregiving individual, taking in Tweedledee as his "son" when he hatched, and raising Lily the Human when she stumbles into the Monster World. He tends to be reserved (like most Bowgarts) and reasonable with others. His dark blue fur (compared to the nearly baby blue-cornflower blue of regular common Bowgarts) allows him to stand out amongst his kind and other monsters. He's about 5'9".

Twig: A Shrubb. He's rowdy and energetic; always landing himself into some sort of trouble (that Blue usually gets Twig out of XD). He's bold and somewhat reckless in everything he does, but does have a hidden timid side, though that doesn't come out often. He lives in the castle with most of the Monster population on Plant Island. Twig, along with Cozmo, love doing stupidly dangerous things and pranks on other monsters. Twig isn't afraid to speak his mind, which usually lands him into trouble with other monsters. All in all, he radiates a "I don't give a fuck" attitude. Twig is nearly 10 feet tall when he's fully standing up.

Cozmo: A Ghazt. She lives on Ethereal Island with her parents, but often visits her friends on Plant Island via teleportation. She can and will be sarcastic and sassy, but once you get to know her, shes kind and loyal at heart. As mentioned previously, she loves getting into stupid kinds of trouble with Twig, sorta like the "partners in crime" troupe. She has a knack of taking things a bit too far though, which often lands someone hurt (relatively minor and 100% accidental in all cases). She seems like a tough cookie on the outside, and though she is, Cozmo can be sensitive at times. From tip of horns to tip of tail, Cozmo is about 5 feet even.

Jadau: An Entbrat. As all Entbrats are, hes a gentle giant. Jadau has a paternal and generous spirit, making him great around the little ones. in fact, he regularly volunteers (or works) at the daycare on the island, entertaining the little nuggets and telling them fairytales and monster fables. Aside his storytelling and fatherlike soul, he takes great care to make sure no one gets hurt, whether that be his family, the little ones, and especially his friends. Jadau stands at about 10'6".

Tweedledee: A Maw. Found as a hatchling by Blue, he's known no other parental figure since. No one truly knows who Dee's true parents are, and no one has bothered to claim Tweedledee as their own biologically. You could say that Dee is somewhere between a pet and a son in relation to Blue, but everyone just refers to Dee as Blue's little companion (nonexplicit to what he actually is, pet or son). Dee is about 1'9", and often barks and yelps in his own little Maw ways.

Bumbleweed: A Potbelly. B owns and works on a farm, selling his produce as the best on the island (and it is). Master tradesmonster, he knows the market inside and out. Bumbleweed will often sell seasonal produce instead of the more common year-round produce (which tends to fluctuate in quality; i'll explain more in a separate post), and work a pawn shop/stand in the winter months. His most frequent customer at any given time of the year is Blue, to no one's surprise. Bumbleweed, unusually, has yellowish stripes instead of darker green spots along his "spine," the latter being what most Potbellies have along their "spines." B is about 5'1" in height.

All of them, maybe except Tweedledee, are around 22-24ish. Blue and Twig have been friends since early youth, and Twig introduced Blue to Cozmo and Jadau in primary school (yes they have school i said so).

[thewisherr]

The Trails and Tales update is NOT the Trails and Tales update

A look at the hints towards and my insane ramblings about the upcoming 1.20 update.

Brief disclaimer before my autism fueled rant: Minecraft is my special interest, and I acknowledge because of this I have a very positive outlook when it comes to the game and it's creators over at Mojang. Please take everything I say here with a grain of salt, and to help with distinguishing what is my opinion and what is fact within the game I will put a little ☾ at the start and end of things that are fact, ✩ will be at the start and end of speculation based on facts/things we know, and ☼ will be at the start and end of things that are entirely speculation/opinion. Tldr: ☾ = Fact ✩ = Speculation based on facts ☼ = Pure speculation/opinion (These guides are mostly to help my fellow people on the spectrum bc when I read things like this I find it hard to discern what is fact or coming from facts and what is more opinionated)

This rant will be in five parts:

What we know about update 1.20

Analysis of the ancient cities

The story of the lost people

The previous updates

The real 1.20 update

Part 1: What we know about update 1.20

Recently we have gotten the first official snapshot for the Trails and Tales update which gives a much clearer look as to what we are getting this update, which imo is a bunch of random shit. To break it down we got;

☾

Camels

Hanging signs

Armor trims

Netherite is even harder than before

Sniffers

Two new ancient plants that (currently) don't do anything besides look pretty and make dye

Suspicious sand and gravel and a tool to reveal treasure inside

Amethyst can be used to extend a sculk signal

Calibrated sculk sensors

Trail ruins

Pottery shards

☾

Now these are all cool and all, but feel a lot like a bunch of random things thrown together on the loose theme of archeology, which is very much coming out of left field when it comes to things to add to minecraft imo. This feels like the kind of stuff that maybe you'd want to put to the side of a bigger update, which is what I think is happening but we'll get back to that. There are two things that have come with this snapshot and I want to talk about specifically that have stood out to me;

The new trail ruins

The pottery shard featuring the warden

Starting with the trail ruins, according to the article about the snapshot, the trail ruins are "a buried structure from a lost culture". ✩ This implies that whoever made these are not currently alive and were somehow wiped out, as although the civilization could have been a branch from villagers or vice versa like the illagers. Regardless, it is clear that their culture, and thereby beliefs, religion(s), etc., no longer prevail even if they are the ancestors to villagers. ✩ ☼ However, due to the different building styles, deliberate locations near water (unlike villager's seemingly random location choices), and very different choices in blocks and build styles, I believe they could entirely be a different species from those currently alive. ☼

The reason the trail ruins stood out to me after I learned more about them is for a couple of reasons, ✩ the first being that they are our second reference to a civilization/culture that has been wiped out, the first being those who resided within the ancient cities. The second reason they stood out to me is how much this culture seems to have traveled or mined. Based on my own brief research and the Minecraft Wiki, Trail Ruins can spawn on land or underwater in:

Jungles

Old Growth Birch Forests

Old Growth Pine Taigas

Old Growth Spruce Taigas

Snowy Taigas

Taigas

And they have a higher chance of spawning near water. What stands out to me is the blue glazed and regular terracotta. Although the terracotta and mud is reasonable after giving thought to the fact that they tend to build near water, were mud can be made and clay can be found, the biomes they spawn in cannot spawn cornflowers which is the primary way of getting blue dye. If they did not travel to get the amount of blue dye used in not only their structures but also things found in the loot within these structures via sus sand/gravel ☾ (purple and magenta candles, blue and light blue dye, and magenta, purple, and light blue stained glass) ☾ they had to mine to get lapis to make the dye. However, the reason I am leaning towards them also travelling is due to one additional piece of loot in the sus sand/gravel, that loot being ☾ green candles. Green dye has to come from cactuses, ☾ meaning that they had to have found a desert and taken the cactus from it. There are other signs that they could have been miners ✩ ☾ (gold nuggets and emeralds are part of the sus sand/gravel loot tables) ☾. ☼ In addition to all of this, following the reasonable assumption that the lost culture of the trail ruins are the creators of the original pots that featured the pottery shards, the fact that two of the shards are explorer (featuring a map), and miner (featuring a pickaxe) supports the fact that these are two of the professions of this culture. It also helps that the "er" suffix within the names of the pottery shards only apply to professions, the only exceptions being danger and mourner. Supporting "er" being a suffix mostly used to refer to a profession is that there are other potter shards that show objects but their names refer directly to what they are, not what they are used for (blade, sheaf, skull, and (sort of) prize). Besides that, pottery shards can be not only found in trail ruins, but also desert wells, desert temples, and ocean ruins. If they built the temples and wells (therefor leaving pottery behind) then that would confirm they not only traveled to but built within deserts for one reason or another. It would also mean they made the ocean ruins. A big reason I think the pots could not have also come from the villagers is because of the fact that there are no naturally spawning whole pots let alone shards within villages. ☼

Why aren't you questioning their use of cyan dye? Although initially their use of cyan dye could be seen as further evidence to support my travelers theory, I simply cannot use it in addition to everything else on good faith considering the fact the pitcher plant, one of the two plants added in the most recent snapshot, can be used to make cyan dye. This is one of the ancient plants that a sniffer can dig up, and based on the fact that whatever culture made the trail ruins is wiped out, as well as the fact that their structures are either buried almost entirely and/or underwater, it is not a stretch to imagine that these people were alive while the plant was growing and there is currently no evidence that this plant did not grow around where they built.

Next, let's talk about what was added in this update that pretty much spiraled me into this, as although I had been speculating about it previously, this is what made me look further into things.

This is the pottery shard titled "Mourner" and it ✩ appears to depict a warden. This instantly stood out to me due to the name, and the fact that this shard indicates that whoever made the pots had seen wardens before. ✩ However, before talking about the implications of this pottery shard, I'd like to talk about the warden's home.

Part 2: Analysis of the ancient cities

I'm sure I'm not alone in the opinion that ancient cities are three things; 1. incredible cool, 2. absolutely terrifying, and 3. are ultimately underwhelming. The ancient cities feel like they could have been the next step in you Minecraft journey. Trying to find one is a often difficult task due to their scarcity, but the search is made much easier with an elytra, and if you want to even have a chance of surviving a run in with a warden, you'll want proper enchanted netherite to take even a single hit. However, the only unique things you can find is a creepy disc, a special material to make a compass that is barely useful, and an enchantment that really only feels worth the effort if you are going to be constantly around sculk sensors you do not want to set off.

It looks cool, it's atmosphere is perfectly crafted, it's fucking scary as hell, but there is no reason for anyone to ever want to interact with it, even for a fun challenge, as there is little to no reward given in return for said challenge.

The ancient city isn't that bad, just make a noise machine. This is true, however, like many things that make the game a lot easier it was not intended by Mojang for you to do this. For all intents and purposes of this rant, I am ignoring things that although might be common within the community, were unintentional on Mojang's part as these are not things they considered during the design possess.

At least to me, this leaves the whole thing feeling unfinished. It really feels like it's meant to be this important thing to the world, a big challenge with a big reward for facing it, but it is not. However, I think this is because they are saving its true reward for later, and my biggest reason behind this is something the community noticed as soon as the ancient cities were put in a snapshot; reinforced deepslate.

☾ Here's the facts; reinforced deepslate cannot be overtaken by sculk or moss, broken, blown up, crafted, pushed or pulled by a piston. Not only that, but the only place you can find it is as part of a single structure that generates in every ancient city, the city center (the city center has three variants, but all of them feature the structure around the reinforced deepslate and the reinforced deepslate prominently). ☾ This basically puts a big ass red clickbait arrow pointing directly at it. For whatever reason, this block is important. They could have used any previously existing block, or made this block breakable, or even also given you the ability to craft it, but they didn't. The common theory as to what this all means is that it is a portal to a new dimension, and I am very much inclined to this theory, although I do have a second one I see as being equally as likely. The main supporting evidence to it being a portal besides how reinforced deepslate behaves and the shape of the structure, is that 5, a disc that can be crafted from shards found in the ancient city, ☼ has multiple parts with portal-esq sounds, sounds that sound like going through a portal, and sounds that sounds as if they could be of a different dimension. ☼

What does this have to do with the latest snapshot? Well lets pick up where the previous section ended, the mourned pottery shard.

Side by side I'm sure you also see the resemblance between the two. However if it is a depiction of a warden, why is the pottery shard called "mourner"?. Well I think the best way to explain that is to tell you what I think the story being told about both the ancient city and trail ruins.

Part 3: The story of the lost people

(For this part, I will be using indents to insert where major parts of this story/theory come from that hasn't already been explained instead of answering questions)

Long ago, in what to us is the ancient times of the overworld, a civilization arose. This civilization was one of the arts and spirituality, creating colourful cities, beautiful pottery, and great temples. They were also explorers, travelling through the overworld's many biomes and spreading out across them, although they preferred living near the water where clay was in abundance. Eventually, by some means, the people discovered the sculk, a eldritch creatures from another dimension.

I have a couple reasons to believe that the trail ruins are the original home of the people who created the ancient cities. The first and biggest one for me is the mourner pottery shard. ☾ This shard is not found within the ancient cities but instead cold ocean ruins. ☾ This proves that people who knew enough about the wardens to refer to them as "mourners" lived on the surface, and with the ✩ evidence that the trail ruins people are the makers of the pots, as well as being the only other reference we have to an extinct civilization, it's not a stretch to connect them to the ancient cities. In addition, the people who made the ancient cities needed to have access to both wool and dye to make the walkways and stock of blue wool, which further helps this theories case as they had to have had infrastructure somewhere. ✩

They begin building cities that look more like research cites around the portals to sculk's home dimension, and being researching redstone and it's implementations with sculk. More and more people move to live underground, until most of the civilization lives there instead of their old colourful homes. They begin experimenting with souls, as soul fire is what allowed them to light the portals in the first place.

This soul fire theory may seem like a bit of stretch but stick with me. ☾ Underneath the supposed portal to this dimension in the ancient cities is soul fire ☾, ✩ possibly so they could light troches of some sort to then light the portal in some sort of ritual. ✩ Currently the only way to get soul fire is by lighting soul sand or soil on fire, however one of the things found within the ancient city, maybe echo shards, could be used to make a special flint and steel variant that allows you to light soul fire on other blocks or carry the fire with you, allowing you to light the portal.

They create the wardens, hulking protectors of their great cities, that whine as the souls used to create them mourn their past lives.

Finally talking about the warden pottery shard. ✩ The name "mourner" implies a sadness to the wardens that they feel, and that they have something to mourn. Many of their calm noises sound like whining and whimpering, and is even ☾ referred to as whining by the subtitles ☾. On top of this, the design also features souls that beat like a heart within its chest. These souls had to come from somewhere, and knowing how the sculk works, ☾ spreading when something dies near a catalyst ☾, it is not out of the question that the wardens are amalgamations souls given shape by the sculk. Further supporting this and their roles as protectors is the name, warden. ☾ Although typically when you think of warden you think of a prison warden if you live in the west or a head of a school or college if you're British, the dictionary definition of warden is "a person responsible for the supervision of a particular place or thing or for ensuring that regulations associated with it are obeyed." ☾ Applying this to the mob, the wardens purpose is to protect the cities, and destroy trouble makers. Although in the past they may have been less violent, they were clearly created to be capable of easily taking out any potential threats. When it comes to the ancient people creating them, this would stick with the running theme of overworld civilizations creating some sort of creature to protect them and/or use in combat. Villagers have iron golems, illagers have ravagers, and the ancient people had wardens. ✩

However, their hubris eventually gets the better of them, and disaster strikes. Something causes the wardens to go haywire and turn against their creators, either a greater power within the sculk dimension influencing them or a deadly mistake made. It ultimately does not matter as regardless, the people perished, become part of the collections of souls that make up their previous protectors. With the main industry and population of their people gone, the rest of the ancient people slowly die out. The end.

Couldn't the people have become the villagers and illagers of present day? There is a good case for either, but for both the purpose of drama and my personal ideas of how this all went I'm going with the idea that they are not directly related. In my opinion it ultimately doesn't matter which way it went as the culture died out regardless and even if they are descendants neither share traits with the ancient people outside of building structures and creating guardians.

Now what does this have to do with the upcoming update outside of them expanding on the lore of the ancient cities? Well I think the update is actually about the ancient city, and it's going to add a lot we have yet to see, however before I address what I think this update may entail, I want to talk about the previous updates.

Part 4: The previous updates

When I was talking about a lot of this to my friend she brought up a great point; why now? She told me that since Microsft's acquisition, they haven't really added anything major. I don't disagree with her, but I've taken this all as something else, so allow me to explain my perspective.

There haven't been many huge additions to Minecraft since the 1.9 update, which changed the entire way we do combat in the game. Since that update, it feels like they've been refining and expanding on different aspects of Minecraft instead of really adding. Let me explain by taking you through the updates since 1.9.

☾

1.10 - Frostburn Update

Mostly adds technical stuff including the /teleport command and the auto jump option, but in terms of actual game stuff does a general expansion of the world of Minecraft by adding fossils, polar bears, strays, husks and some new blocks.

1.11 - Exploration Update

Like frostburn this is a more general expansion on the world instead of a focused one, adding the woodland mansions, shulker boxes, totems, observers, and the two curse enchantments to name a few of the additions.

1.12 - World of Colour Update

Hey this is the one I came back to Minecraft to!

This is when the updates start becoming focused again, and specifically focus on expanding on pre-existing things and concepts. This update, as the name suggests, expands on the color options available in the game, adding concrete, colored beds, and parrots. This one isn't quite as focused as the ones to come after it, but it's definitely the starting point of this trend.

1.13 - Update Aquatic

This is when the updates are not only becoming much more strongly focused, but also expansive. Update aquatic not only overhauled the entire ocean and water areas in general, but also added stripped logs, wood (the log blocks with the bark/outer texture on all sides), trapdoors, pressure plates, and buttons of all woodtypes instead of just oak and plenty more.

1.14 - Village and Pillage

This update not only overhauled villages and villagers and expanded upon their evil counterparts illagers, it also added tons of new blocks to the game and even some non villager and illager related mobs. To name a few of the things added directly; the new trades and villager job system which lead to the villager trading halls that are now a staple in most worlds, cats became their own mob separate from ocelots and began spawning in villages, and 14 news slabs and stairs as well as 12 new walls were added.

1.15 - Buzzy Bees

Although content wise this update didn't ultimately add much, this update was just as much a bee update as it was a bug squashing update, which is honestly the best update combo to ask for. Not only did they squash the bad kind of bugs, the added the cutest good kind as well. This one doesn't really expand or refine anything, but I think this can be equated to the fact they had a lot of bugs and things they wanted to fix and tweak so they gave us bees along with it all so it wouldn't only be a massive bug fix that took almost half a year to release, not to mention how huge the next update is.

1.16 - Nether Update

We all know the nether update, do I even need to go over how much this update did? It turned the nether from a boring red wasteland that you'd probably only go to once so you could get blazerods and beat the game to a place that's not only absolutely gorgeous to be in but also full of exclusive blocks, items, and even an enchantment you can only find by exploring it. This update was insane when it was first announced and although it added a lot, these additions were once again expanding on the pre-existing concept of the nether.

1.17 + 1.18 - Caves and Cliffs

Putting these two together as they are ultimately one update. Caves and cliffs is another massive update that completely overhauled the overworld's generation, as well as expanding on the mountains as per the biome vote.

1.19 - The Wild Update

This update is rather small compared to the two that came before it (or three, depending on how you view Caves and Cliffs). It added the mangrove swamp as well as other features proposed for the swamp in the biome vote (leaving the badlands as the only one not to receive its proposed biome vote update) as well as the ancient city. ☾ ☼ This, at least to me, gives me the same vibes as the Buzzy Bees update, something smaller to tide us over while the work on something bigger that they need to dedicate more time and resources to. This bigger update, of course, being the true Trails and Tales update. Notably, this is our introduction to the ancient city, which is chock full of the aforementioned hints to it having a larger purpose. ☼

Don't you think one of the reasons the Trails and Tales update stands out to you so much is because it doesn't follow this pattern? Yes, that is certainly one of the big reasons that Trails and Tales stands out to me so much. Archeology is ultimately the running theme of this update, which is new, it doesn't expand on anything pre-existing except maybe the fossils but let's be honest who saw the fossils and thought we might get archeology in the future. However, ✩ archeology seemingly was supposed to come with either Caves and Cliffs or The Wild Update, and a lot of its features seem pretty done for something proposed almost three years ago. This is one of the reasons I think it's a front for a bigger update ✩

So let's say I'm right, they have been focusing on expanding on pre existing concepts, what do I think the 1.20 update will bring?

Part 5: The real 1.20 update

I have two theories as to what this update will really be, so we'll start with the more reasonable idea and end with the long shot.

First I want to mention something that very recently was released by Mojang with is this short below:

What??? WHAT??? This caught me so off guard and felt like it was Mojang turning and winking at me as I was already thinking about what the true purpose of the ancient city was, not to mention two days after they run by and slap me in the face with the mourner pottery shard after repeatedly telling us to try and find the stories in this update. I cannot name a single person who has thought about or even asked for Mojang to add another boss. No one was talking about it. No one was mentioning it. And then they come at us with this?? Are you kidding me?? This feels like even clearer of a yes than just yes and they just wanted to be cheeky about the whole thing.

Originally, I thought the true Tales and Trails update was going to be the sculk dimension, but this short leads me to think it might instead be a new boss that is summoned using the supposed portal, or it's both a new dimension and a new boss, as ☾ each dimension outside of the overworld has an associated boss, the end has the ender dragon and the nether has the wither. ☾ However, well researching this I had an idea that feels like a stretch but bare with me.

The sculk is going to be an update to the end.

Let me explain. Not only has the end been completely overhauled, but the overworld practically has as well. The only dimension really missing an overhaul at this point is the end, which hasn't been touched since 1.11, which was 7 years ago. I think a lot of people agree that the end desperately needs some work, because for an end game area not only is it boring as fuck, you also only really want one thing from it. On top of this, beating the game is ridiculously easy and has been for years, and although this is a sandbox game, I'm sure a lot of the player base would enjoy beating the game feeling like a lot more of an accomplishment that it currently does. The ancient cities could be the new strongholds, with the portal either having something to do with the reinforced deepslate, or the reinforced deepslate being something needed to summon a boss that lets you go to the end in the first place, were you then seek out the final boss. I admit this very wishful thinking, but I've noticed a couple things that slightly support my theory.

1. The pallet of the sculk matches extremely close with multiple end related things as pictured below, even closer than a lot of the currently existing end content does. Granted, sculk is a bit bluer, but sculk has more going for it in terms of colour relation than the ender dragon, ender men, and even the cities do to the portal and its components. Minecraft literally updated the textures and did not fix it

2. During the previous discussed disc 5, ☼ warping sounds can be heard, ☼ which are typically associated with the end.

3. In Minecraft Dungeons, ☾ the end aka. Echoing Void has a corruption theme, not unlike the sculk. ☾ This at the very least shows that Mojang has previously played with the concept of the end/void being a corrupting force/presence.

Once again, the end part of this theory feels even more like wishful thinking than this theory as a whole, but I hope at least I've convinced you that this update or maybe even a future one will focus on expanding on the ancient cities and truly making the area's challenge worth it, or at the very least my ideas have given you even more ideas and things you want to explore, whether that be in vanilla Minecraft, as a mod, an smp, or a unique work. But if the Tales and Trails update logo gets infected by sculk, don't come crying to me.

Either way, thank you for making it all the way here. Feel free to send me asks about this or expand on it yourself via reblogs. I hope you have a wonderful day!

[yellowistheraddest]

best colour combo: cornflower blue, bright yellow, coral orange

LIKE HELLO??? BABES YOU ARE REFRESHING YOU ARE FUN YOU ARE CHEERFUL YOU ARE WARM YOU ARE VERSATILE YOU ARE WHAT PRIMARY COLOURS WISH THEY WERE AND YOURE THE PAN FLAG