#Hades critter art

[topios]

I noticed the hellfish shells from Hades' fishing mini games kinda looks like amphorae, so... I had to do something with that.

[rewiredmind]

Now they're all little

(I promise I do take art seriously)

[asptart]

If the new chaos design has no fans I am dead 🫡

Sorry I was not drawing that funky skull so ambrosia it is!

[my-various-aus]

I didn't get to show it my the first drawing of Catnyx, but he does have a moon in his chest, which changes phases.

Does it make sense, when there's technically a Moon Incarnate separate from Night Incarnate? No, but I had the idea and I wanted to use it.

In the same vein, Hemera has a sun in her chest.

And, now, for some Catnyx headcanons.

Pronouns: He/They.

Since he is one of the oldest gods to exist and bore all his children himself, he never felt a need to interact with the world at large, past bringing night to it.

As such, they are mostly mute, communicating in a way that only their children and fellow primordials can understand.

Think like how feral cats communicate with each other without meowing.

[sombrathedragon]

I think it’s finally time I do one of these..

Hey there! I’m Sombra :]

I’m Pansexual and Genderfluid!

Im a female and a Minor! and go by She/Her but idc if you use He/him or They/them :3

I mainly draw and do art about my interests but I also reblog a ton of stuff sooo yeah :}

Feel free to tag/mention me in ANYTHING, I really don’t care!

I use a BUNCH of emoticons and emojis (ex: :D :] :3..) So you will see those a lot if I’m talking and not being super serious about a topic 😁

OBSESSIONS:

The colored ones are my current obsessions!1!1 The rest are things I either just like a little or I’ve had a past obsession of them :)

Wings of Fire! Also Greek mythology (TSOA, EPIC the Musical, The Iliad and The Odyssey are the main parts of the obsession if that makes sense) I also love the Hades games! Musical theater and theater in general, (Hamilton, Heathers, Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, Little shop of Horrors, Beetlejuice are all the big ones that I’ve watched/bootlegged :3), Hazbin hotel. + Helluva boss (I don’t support Vivziepop.), Critters? (Like animals and little creatures and stuff), Science! (Specifically like biology and genetics, that intrigues me :3) There’s probably much more but these are the main ones :pppp

I’ve officially made 5 online moots/friends/people and 1 (maybe soon 3?) irl friends listen to EPIC and become part of the winion family, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon 😈😈

KINS:

Literally the entire Arc 2 Protags from Wings of Fire

Cricket from Wings of Fire

Achilles from Greek Mythology (shh just trust me with this one guys)

SOCIALS:

My YouTube is SombraTheDragon and ermmm yeah that’s it. I have a Pinterest but I like make nothing on there sooo uh yeah (◐‿◑)

TAGS:

I reblog a lot of things sooo use these tags to actually look for (some) things that are mine !! :3

Art: #Sombra arts (me)

Talking about things: #Sombra yaps (me)

Inbox messages: #Sombra inbox (me)

Things that actually made me laugh: #made me chuckle made me giggle

(Most of) My witty banter with my alter ego: #alter ego

EXTRA INFO!:

I’m a Capricorn!! Birthday is Jan 6. Erm I speak Chinese, no where close to fluent whatsoever but I still can say a little :> I’m like 25% Italian and 20% Ukrainian, very little German, (all of that is on my dads side !!) REST IS AMERICAN BABY 🦅🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🎆🎆🎆🎇🎆, I collect snowglobes! ( currently have some from Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut, North Carolina, Rome, and then a bunch of other random ones :ppp) I can write somewhat of good stories! My favorite animals are literally anything that’s not a mammal, but I do have a soft spot for Corvids and Secretary Birds :] I have 1 dog, 2 cats, and a medium amount of fish!1!1!1 🐠 🐠🐟🐠 I’m a ambivert, And I have never gone outside the U.S.A 🥲

Anyways have fun looking at my blog!!1!1!! 😁😁😁😁

[thefoolishone666]

Personas of The Smiling Critters

Please note, this is based off of legends and myths from stuff I understand from it, so if I get anything wrong...I am just misinformed about it and really apologize for it.

Dogday - He is, of course is the wild card, but his first persona is Prometheus, the god that stole fire for us mortals, only to be punished by being chained to a rock and getting his liver ate everyday.

Primary Element: Fire

Expertise: All-Around

Resistance to Fire, but weak to Lightening

Weapon of choice: Chakram

Kickin - At one point, Kickin went through great lengths of punishment and grief when a loved one got hurt, much like Orpheus. Orpheus braved the depths of the underworld for his partner, only for the underworld to snatch hope away from him as a result of the deal Hades made with him

Primary Element: Thunder

Expertise: Physical attacks (High physical, low magic stats)

Resistance to Thunder, weak to Ice

Weapon of choice: Clubs

Hoppy - When one wishes to jump to the moon, you must be careful not to go too far, as Daedalus knows. Daedalus crafted wax wings for him and his son to escape from captivity, but when Icarus flew too close to the sun, and fell to his death, out of grief, he sacrificed his wax wings and ability to fly to Apollo.

Primary Element: Wind

Expertise: Debuffs and Physical attack

Resistance to wind, but weak to fire

Weapon of choice: Nunchucks

Bubba - Bubba's desire for knowledge has called Odin to him. Odin seemed wisdom, and on his quest, was given the chance by Mimir for divine wisdom, but at a cost. Odin preceded to gouged his eye out, dropped into the well, and drink from it to gain wisdom.

Primary Element: N/A

Expertise: Navigation

No weaknesses or resistances

Weapon of choice: N/A

Catnap - Sleep will always come to an end when the sun arises, something Tyr knows well. When Fenrir, the wolf that would someday swallow the sun, was bound by the gods, he bites down on Tyr's hand upon realizing this fate.

Primary Element: Ice

Expertise: Status effects

Resistance to Ice, weak to Thunder

Weapon of choice: Sickle

Picky - How much would you give to help someone you love? In Sim Cheong's case, in order to help her father and restore his sight, she threw herself into the sea. However, the Filial Piety touched the dragon king and allowed her to come back within a lotus flower.

Primary Element: Fire

Expertise: Buffs and Magic

Resistance to Fire, weak to Wind

Weapon of choice: Shovel

Bobby - How much punishment would you take for something? Marina knows that they would take lots of punishment for it. Marina, masquerading as a man, was accused of seducing an Inn Keeper's daughter and giving her a kid. Instead of telling the truth, she allowed herself to be banished instead and took care of the kid as her own, the truth only becoming clear upon her passing.

Primary Element: Light

Expertise: Healing

Resistance to Light, Weak to Dark

Weapon of choice: Gauntlets

Crafty - The lovely art maker's persona would be the Egyptian Queen Berenice. She prayed to Aphrodite that she would cut her beautiful hair if her husband returned safely from war. She up kept her end of the bargain, and the gods honored it by putting it in the sky as a homage.

Primary Element: Darkness

Expertise: Magic nuke (High magic stats, but low physical stats)

Resistance to Dark, Weak to Light

Weupon of choice: Staff (Starter would be a Paint Roller)

And there they all are! Is it the best?...most likely not, but I am proud I managed to do it at least.

[smgoetter]

I know you and Natalie probably get the question that if there will be a sequel to dungeon critters, and I also know that in the current situation (or at least I think) you two aren’t planning on writing one. But, that left me wondering; did you guys ever think about writing a sequel, or even the plot of a sequel? Did you write the Dungeon Critters thinking it would be a series? Or- maybe what I’m trying to say is: Do YOU think there will be a sequel to Dungeon Critters in the future?

(Natalie helped with writing this, but we both talked about it a lot)

Thanks for writing in! Dungeon Critters is really, really special to us, and we’re both really happy that it continues to find its audience. In a perfect world, we’d be diligently working away on volume 4, and designing the Baron’s minivan that he would use in the climactic fight (I’m serious).

I don’t know how much inside baseball I’m allowed to give about the inner workings of publishing, but basically: we signed a contract to do the one Dungeon Critters book, with the hope that it would sell well and we would get to continue making more Dungeon Critters books. Once we wrapped up the first book we immediately wrote and pitched a sequel that we were really excited about, with lots of ideas for more. However, while our publisher did support Dungeon Critters, they weren’t interested in any sequels. But they did still want to work with us, at least!

Which is where The Bawk-Ness Monster comes in! While we were understandably crushed we couldn’t work on Dungeon Critters, a lot of heart and hard work went into pivoting to a new series. And I’m proud of the work we’ve done on it.

Working full-time, we don’t have the time or resources to draw and self-publish a graphic novel by ourselves, and even if we did, having a publisher gives it better reach, especially ones for kids and young adults. We think there’s hope that eventually :01 might be interested in a sequel for Dungeon Critters, which is why we haven’t posted the old summary and concept art online yet. We’re currently reworking it a bit as well, along with some other ideas…we just have to wait and hope for the best.

All that being said, selfishly, hearing from people who read and liked Dungeon Critters helps us keep that hope. It’s niche and weird and doesn’t explain itself and the most purely self-indulgent and fun thing we could have made. Even if we never get to make another one, knowing someone found it and it spoke to them is really precious to us. Thank you again for asking.

Please know that no one are bigger fans of Dungeon Critters than we are, and we are keeping these characters close to our hearts. 

(Also, (in response to the other message) thank you for the game recommendation! We enjoyed Hades very much when it came out a few years ago hehe. Our current gaming update is that Sara is a normal amount of hours into Balatro and Natalie is looking forward to the new Stardew update.)

[dodgeryy]

This blog is dedicated to neurodiversity and mental health, specifically personality disorders and even MORE specifically cluster B. I love using this blog to connect with others like me, reblog and share their experiences, and try to bring light-hearted PD content into our communities. I personally do not post vents on my blog, but I do take care to properly tag them when I post/reblog them. I also post the occasional fandom / chronic illness / disability post here and there as well as ofc cute animals and funny hahas.

ASKS / DMs / SUBMISSIONS OPEN AND ENCOURAGED!

I am an adult! Minors are free to interact/follow/moot, but be aware that I might interact w or reblog adult content. (Anything heavy will always be tagged.)

Some posts may have themes of trauma, child hood trauma, psychosis/mania, depression, anxiety, and paranoia. I tag as best I can, and don't ever get graphic. Feel free to ask for specific trigger tags if you are a follower.

DIVAS. I am Ery, I am known 4 dressing cunt and acting like cunt. I am a big fan of the whimsical and fantastical, and media that is horrifying and gut wrenching. The waters call to me and every time I see anything bigger than a puddle I want to jump in.

I am a college student student w impulse control problems. I am studying fashion design and like to spend my money on calico critters and way too expensive accessories. You can find me in my sewing studio half naked because I realized there is a cute, easy, life changing alteration to the outfit I was wearing that I need to make RIGHT NOW. I spend my free time buying things to feel something, video gaming, and being not normal about many things.

My go to coffee order is a mocha.

Gay gay insane and disabled so here are some labels / disorders I got.

Genderqueer • aroace • lesbian

AuDHD • NPD • BPD • OCD

POTs • Pectus Excavatum • Connective Tissue Disorders • Mitral Valve disease

HERE ARE MY HOBBIES

Sewing / designing

Dungeons and Dragons

Character design / drawing

Arts and crafts in general

Color guard

Astrology / Tarot

Yearning for the waters (swimming and lifeguarding)

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Airplanes / aviation

How to train your dragon (books)

Dungeons and Dragons

MEDIA I HAVE PLAYED/WATCHED

These are not all current but does not mean I am not down 2 chat about them!

Greys Anatomy

LoL/Arcane

JJBA

Hades

Gemini Home Entertainment, other internet horror series!!!,

madoka magica

HTTYD(animated)

Harry Potter

PjO

good omens

critical role + Vox Machina

and a lot more I forgor but like. There.

MUSIC ARTISTS I LURV

Saint Motel

Oingo Boingo

Orville Peck

Cake

Record Heat

Lord Huron

TV Girl

Bjork

Florence + the Machine

Portugal the Man

[milomilesmib]

Figured I should just make a post about my blog so I'm not just,,, this unknown entity. This is gonna be a bit of a mess but stick with me.

Also- if I reblogged your post and added the caption "yoink" it basically means "I'm keeping this on my blog because I like it/it's useful"

I should also mention that I call everyone bestie unless it's a more formal conversation because I like to keep things nice and friendly so if I call you bestie in my rb even though we have never interacted before that is why.

First of all- introduction. My name is Milo and my pronouns are he/him. I'm an INFP-T, I relate to Nico di Angelo, the Collector, Hunter Noceda/Deamonne/Clawthorne/etc, Abigail from Stardew Valley, Patroclus, and my star sign is Leo. I'm panromantic achillean demiromantic cupioromantic aceflux queerplatonic transmasculine genderqueer (I know it's a mouthful), but you can also just call me queer and trans ("fag" works too.) I am diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, working towards getting diagnosed with PTSD, and I'm starting EMDR soon! I'm also iron deficient and often dehydrated from forgetting to drink water lmao. I'm a hellenist dedicated to Aphrodite, Apollo, Hades, Dionysus, and Demeter, primarily showing my dedication by carrying around gemstones they like (rose quartz and pearls for Aphrodite, I'm working on getting sapphire for Apollo, onyx for Hades, amethyst for Dionysus, citrine for Demeter), prayers, and poems. I will always respect people of different religions, as long as they respect mine as well.

I'm happy to talk about my sexuality/gender. I am happy to talk about light personal topics. I am happy to talk about my mental disorders. I am happy to talk about my religion. As long as you're being respectful, you're welcome here.

This blog is a safe space for:

The 2SLGBTQIA+ community

Anyone with any mental, neurological, or physical disabilities or other struggles of that sort

The BIPOC community

Anyone who has been abused or assaulted in any way or has any sort of trauma

People who are suffering from or recovering from any kind of addictions, whether that's drugs or self harm or alcohol or sex anything else

People of all shapes and sizes

Everyone of every gender, sexuality, religion, ability, race, sex, etc. who wants to hang out and talk about their interests or hobbies or anything!

This blog is NOT a space for:

Homophobia, queerphobia, transphobia, aphobia, ableism, sexism, racism, fatphobia or any kind of discrimination whatsoever!

Bigotry and hate

Zoophiles, pedophiles, rapists, abusers (unless you recognise it's wrong and are actively trying to be better!)

Overly political topics (some are okay but over all I'm trying to avoid anything too political on this blog)

This is supposed to be a fun and safe space and I intend on it being so. If you have any concerns, drop me an ask, anonymous or not, and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

Now for ✨the fun stuff✨

In this blog, I mainly talk about whatever little subject is eating at my brain. Usually this is:

The Owl House

Good Omens

The Song of Achilles

Greek Mythology

Percy Jackson

Queer shit

Stardew Valley

But I have other interests!

MBTI

Art

My OCs ❤️✨

Hades (Supergiant)

Magnus Chase

Music

Frogs!

Hazbin hotel/helluva boss

Creatures and critters!!!

Candles and cute decor things

Sewing (I'm just like Hunter fr)

Stims!

Some WEBTOONs (a flame reborn is the one I'm obsessing over rn)

Whatever silly little games I'm playing on my phone currently (Secret Cat Forest and Kinder World rn)

Probably more that I'm forgetting!

If you have an interest you wanna talk about, leave an ask or send me a message, and I'll happily listen to you talk about it (as long as it's not on the above list of things that aren't for this blog and if you're not sure if it is, ask politely and I'll tell you whether or not I'm comfortable talking about it) and please, be respectful! I don't want to be grilled on the details of your obscure fanfic, but if you want to tell me about it in a casual, respectful manner, please do :)

If you ever wanna listen to me ramble about any of the above interests you will be my best friend forever and I will always love you because my infodumping ass likes being listened to or even just heard.

I ship:

Huntlow

Patrochilles

Aziracrow

Fierrochase

Solangelo

Sebastian x Sam (idk their ship name)

Valgrace

Lumity

My OCs ✨ (I'm not elaborating)

Blitzstone

Ineffable bureaucracy

Fizzmodeus

I'm obsessed with the following characters (platonically/aesthetically/familially/sometimes romantically);

ELLIOTT MY BABY MY HUSBAND MY LOVE

HUNTER NOCEDA DAEMONNE WITTEBANE CLAWTHORNE WHISPERS BLIGHT PARK RAHHHHH

Leo Valdez 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Nico di Angelo 🥺

Stolas

Alastor (not as much anymore but I had a phase where I adored him)

Lityerses (I too break down in tears when shown basic human kindness)

The Collector ✨

The entire Noceda family lmao

Darius Daemonne

MY OCS ✨❤️

Aziraphale 🥺

Beelzebub

So that's basically me! Sorry a lot of this was just "NO BEING MEAN" but I just wanted to get it out there that I don't tolerate that shit ❤️

Hope y'all have fun here, and thank you to everyone for being so amazing and kind thus far! I do have to deal with the occasional bigot but I usually just report and move on

I'll probably edit this over time but this is a good start. Thank you to anyone who read the whole thing or even just some of this, it means a lot. Welcome to my TOH/PJO/Good Omens/queer/shitpost blog ❤️

Last edited: 12:33 p.m. Pacific time. Basic edits + Stardew Valley update

[sbubbey]

hey welcome!

my name's oliver but you can call me bubs.

i mainly reblog random shit i like, occasionally fandom stuff. those being video games (a lot of them), beetlejuice the musical, and vocaloid/vocalsynth. also a big fan of beasts, critters, and creatures. my art blog is @croc-top

preferably no minors following but please block the nsft tag. i use "nsfw ish" for suggestive posts but nothing explicit

the boingyboofs: razputin aquato, beetlejuice, peppino spaghetti, theodore noise, viktor humphries, shadow dan, crazy dave, zagreus, hornet, luigi, kratos, oatchi, chai, 2d, dead cells guy, dr loboto, wilson higgsbury, mono and six

dni pr0shippers, hairypotter fans, beetleb4bes, bug haters, capitalist bootlickers, t3rfs, and zi0nists.

i also Don't Like vivziep0p. but really i don't care if you like her work, i don't mind interaction.

and yes i know hetalia is a frequent tag here. no i don't like it anymore.

here's a list of games i like!

🏅 = 100% completion

Hollow Knight 🏅⭐️

⭐️ = special interest

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance 🏅⭐️

Little Nightmares 1+2 🏅⭐️

Project Diva: MegaMix+ 🏅⭐️

God of War 2018 🏅

Alice: Madness Returns 🏅

Death's Door 🏅

Hades 🏅⭐️

Ori and the Will of the Wisps 🏅

Psychonauts 2 🏅⭐️

Tunic 🏅

Risk of Rain 2 🏅

Solar Ash 🏅

Stray 🏅

Smile for Me 🏅

Fe 🏅

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart 🏅

INSIDE 🏅

Carrion 🏅

GRIS🏅

Plants vs Zombies ⭐️

Windowkill

Nine Sols ⭐️

Cult of the Lamb

PvZ: Garden Warfare 2 ⭐️

Hi-Fi Rush ⭐️

Psychonauts ⭐️

Inscryption

Portal 1+2 ⭐️

Pseudoregalia

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Celeste

Dead Cells

Crypt of the Necrodancer

Don't Starve

Haiku, the Robot

God of War: Ragnarök

Have a Nice Death ⭐️

A Hat in Time

Hyper Light Drifter

Journey

Nuclear Throne

Noita

The Room series

Slime Rancher

Sable

Just Shapes and Beats

NIDUS

Pizza Tower

Spiritfarer

Ori and the Blind Forest

Webbed

Pikuniku

Wobbledogs

Unravel

Splatoon series ⭐️

Lost in Random

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Twilight Princess

Skyward Sword

Breath of the Wild

Tears of the Kingdom

Metroid Dread

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Deltarune

Luigi's Mansion 3

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Resolutiion

Untitled Goose Game

Iron Lung

RAD

Risk of Rain 1

Death Trash

Home Safety Hotline

Pikmin (haven't played)

[anoray]

So I watched the final episode of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief before making my final assessment on Season 1. It has been ages since I read the books, ergo I have forgotten a huge amount of details and could watch without comparing anything to the book version.

My overall take is:

A. Main trio had a nice chemistry together and I very much appreciated Percy's humor, courage and devotion to his mother. I was relieved he got to remain the hero in his own story and not get totally overshadowed by anyone else. At the same time, they developed the trio's relationships in a positive way, focusing on how they worked together to help each other succeed and their willingness to sacrifice their own needs for the greater good. Kudos to all three for usually using their brains to solve problems, not violence.

B. Definitely a feel-good series a family can watch and enjoy together.

C. Loved the art deco ending credits, music throughout was enjoyable.

D. Whenever Percy used his powers with water, that was especially fun.

E. Casting and acting of the main trio was engaging, plus the camp kids were fine, but I found the grownups disappointing. Percy's mother fared better than the rest in terms of on-screen presence, but the other adults who were supposed to be portraying gods or monsters in human form seemed just so...lackluster. Where was the undercurrent of power , menace, or mystery? Zeus was the only one with even a hint of that. Hermes and Hades were especially disappointing and Medusa barely scary. Kronos, Charon, and the dude inside the mattress store were the only ones who actually sent any kind of chill up my spine.

F. Monsters and mythological beasties were mostly well done, but I did not like Chiron's centaur look at all, his human part seemed way too small for the horse part or something. The business suit jacket part did nothing to help. And what is with always using a Rottweiler type dog with the thick head and chunky face for Cerberus? This is what I call a way creepier and far more original take on the guardian to the Underworld (credit to RakuraiWolf on DeviantArt):

G. Speaking of dangerous critters and things, our kid heroes seemed to solve every challenge and obstacle a little too quickly and easily. It felt like one minute, they were in trouble, then 2 minutes later, they'd outwitted the foe and relocated to exactly where they needed to be.

H. I did like the way Percy outwitted Annabeth to fight the Chimera instead. Although, was it just me or was the Chimera's design not very chimera-y? I always imagine something more like this:

My petty complaints aside, it was generally a very pleasant, likeable, and sincere show and I'm glad it got made. I just hope the next season will increase the sense of genuine foreboding or threat to our heroes so their victories are tougher. In the end, I found myself far more invested in the face off between demi-gods Percy and Luke than any of the actual gods, so I'll be looking forward to that part of the storyline being featured more strongly in what is to come.

[topios]

Hades Chrustaceans but I looked at isopod photos. They're all vaguely based on real ones except the first one.

[spearxwind]

ohoho I didn't know you had OCs (ill b honest i followed cause i saw you had eel art and they're my fav animal so now ur like, the only other artist that GETS ME it feels like) but I'm excited to get to know them more! How many of them are eels? are they all ocean/water critters? What eel is ur fav(character eel or irl eel species or both) and also why eels? (can ur ocs breathe thru their skin) im new so any facts u want 2 share are appreciated

OH BESTIE!!! I have so many ocs!! pretty much everything in my art tag here is art of my own characters :]

For all the fish guys specifically their world/story is called challenger deep (there's a lot of lore in this tag if you wanna look through it, generally tag things for the story and overarching stuff/world lore/etc) It's an ocean focused world!

Not all my ocs are from that world though, I have three other oc world projects :] Here's a chart about them and what ocs are in each, though I am prone to moving them around haha

For the eel guys specifically, there's two! Talas, and Hades.

Talas is my blorbo bleebus and he's my second fave oc of all time basically and I never shut up about him

Hades is very new since i made him for the CD setting, but he's quickly becoming an absolute fave as well

And to answer your question I made them eels because I love eels an absurd amount!!! I think my favorite eels are dragon eels they are so stylish and have little horns :] but I also love fangtooths very much!

(they cannot breathe through their skin though most of the merfolk have gills they breathe through)

[jacquelinemerritt]

The Disney Renaissance (1994-1999)

Originally posted on September 5th, 2014

The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King is both the most critically and commercially successful of all the Disney Renaissance films. It was also the highest grossing animated film ever at the time of its release, and today it is still the third highest grossing animated film of all time. The pageantry on display in this film mimicked classic Hollywood musicals in all of their most grand aspects, while simultaneously drawing on Shakespearean high drama for the story. It is unquestionably the greatest film of the Disney Renaissance, whether it is your favorite film from the era or not. This movie marked the peak of the Renaissance a mere five years after its beginning, and unfortunately, the next five years would come with major fluctuations in quality.

Pocahontas (1995)

Pocahontas was directed by Mike Gabriel (director of the forgettable The Rescuers Down Under) and Eric Goldberg (who had worked on other Disney films before). This was Disney’s first attempt at telling a story about two real people from history, so there were inevitably going to be some difficulties. Their attempt to adapt the tale of a young Native American woman falling in love with an English settler was ultimately a failure, and it is a failure that can be summed up by a single song in the movie.

Yes, you just heard a Disney song about the systematic killing of Native Americans by English settlers. There are other issues with this film of course (the time wasted on critter adventures, Pocahontas magically learning English, a matriarchal tree, etc.), but the biggest problem with this film is its simultaneous dedication to Disney whitewashing and to accurately portraying the English settlement.

This film isn’t worthless though; Colors of the Wind is a good song, and the animation sequence is one of the most beautiful sequences in Western animation. The animation in this film is also fantastic; I personally see it as the best animation of any Disney Renaissance film. Pocahontas was still commercially successful though, despite being a total critical flop, and despite its failings, it is still fondly remembered by many (nostalgia blinded) people.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

This is the darkest film of the Disney Renaissance. Because of this, it is also almost my favorite. Almost. Ultimately, The Lion King beats it out because of the way The Hunchback of Notre Dame ended (and this is a subject that I will delve into in a later post).

Hunchback was a critical success, even though it made less than Pocahontas. It dealt with many of the issues plaguing the Catholic Church in the 14th century, such as their treatment of the poor, and the persecution of gypsies. It also dealt with sexism in the Church and the experiences of the outcast. The animation was also heavily inspired by Gothic art styles, and Gothic cathedrals served as some of the most beautiful settings of any Disney film.

Hercules (1997)

Yeah, fuck this movie. And its reviews. And its sales.

Next.

Mul(((((999…..

Okay, fine, I’ll talk about Hercules. Despite my previous statement, I don’t actually hate this movie. It’s got great animation with a unique style, the music is solid, and it has fantastic voice acting. But every other film from the Disney Renaissance is also beautifully animated with a good score and solid voice acting. So, why the hell do people remember this movie so fondly?

I mean, it has one truly great character (Hades), but almost all the other characters follow “heroic” tropes to a T. Hercules is your standard good guy hero, Phil is your standard trainer, Zeus is an absent, uninvolved god, and Megara… Well Megara is actually a pretty cool antihero/seductress with a complicated history. BUT THAT’S STILL ONLY TWO GOOD CHARACTER!

And there’s a reason for this. Hercules was made because Ron Clements and John Musker had had their followup to Aladdin shot down by Jeffrey Katzenberg. Since they still wanted to make their initial idea, they pitched a film that they knew would be commercially successful in order to get their followup greenlit automatically. The commercially successful film they pitched was Hercules. The followup they wanted to make was Treasure Planet, a film I believe is just as well made as any of the other Renaissance films.

Mulan (1998)

$120,620,254 gross sales. Adoration from critics. Everyone loves this film, and I am no exception. The story is great, the music is memorable, Ming-Na Wen and Eddie Murphy steal the show, and the animation is a beautiful blend between the traditional Disney style and Chinese styles. I seriously can’t say anything bad about this, and anything good I have to say about this film has already been said by others.

Tarzan (1999)

The last film of the Renaissance, Tarzan, was a commercial success, and fared well critically as well. This was the first Disney film to incorporate CGI through a technique known as “Deep Canvas,” which allowed the artists to create digital backgrounds that looked like traditional animation. Tarzan was also (in)famously scored by Phil Collins, and the success of that score is incredibly controversial.

Despite the failings in the music department, Tarzan is still a good film. Its coming of age storyline is brilliant, Clayton is a sinister villain, and the tone of the film is surprisingly dark (the tone is hidden by the cheesy Phil Collins music though). In fact, I’d argue that Tarzan would be the greatest Renaissance film if its score had fit better with the overall tone. Still, Tarzan is a memorable film, and I enjoy it despite its flaws.

Post Renaissance (2000-now)

Tarzan is considered the last film in the Disney Renaissance for one reason: the next three movies Disney released were not musicals. They were all commercial and critical successes (except Dinosaur, which was only commercially successful), but they didn’t feel the same as the films of the Renaissance. Personally, I would argue that the Renaissance ended after Mulan. Tarzan’s score makes it feel just as cheesy as the decade it was from, and even though Hercules was cheesy, it was cheesy because it amplified all the tropes of the Renaissance to the nth degree. Tarzan was cheesy because it called on a popular singer to sing and write all the songs, and said popular singer (who was the essence of 80s pop) ended up making the film feel so much like the worst films of Disney’s competitor, Dreamworks.

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[my-various-aus]

Hey, look , art!

The first of my PJO Smiling Critters is Catnap! Or Cassander, son of Hypnos.

Age: 15

Abilities: sleep manipulation, dream manipulation, illusion casting, memory retrieval/alteration, hypnosis, astral projection/dream travel, limited shadow manipulation,

Weapon: Stygian iron kopis

Favorite drink: Tea, lavender being what he most prefers

Cass is sleepy all the time, sometimes dozing off at inconvenient times and places. He has occasionally fallen asleep with his eyes open, which his two best friends have complained about before.

Despite his sleepy disposition, he’s always strangely aware of what’s going on around him, if his attention is required.

Unfortunately, his constant sleepiness and strange awareness of his surroundings has gained him a reputation of being lazy and creepy, so most other kids avoid him.

It doesn’t bother him, since he’s content with just the two friends he’s had since childhood.

---

I have both a human and a cat version here, because I had initially imagined them as human but wanted to also try my hand at a cat form. Catsander has grown on me, so we'll see if I stick to the human version of everyone or go with the animal versions.

As for the glowing hair and pajamas, that was a fun idea I took from this Hades comic, by @spiderbirdo (go check it out, it hurts!) where one's dream self reflects what is true about them, whether they consciously know it or not. So, the pajamas, glowing hair, and eyes, even if you don't see them, show that Cass is a son of Hypnos.

The glowing hair is probably more in line with Nyx, but she's his grandma, it fits...and it's pretty I wanted to keep it.

[19thsentry-blog]

In The Shadows

Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic (Lukanette Endgame)

Chapters

Prelude | Chp 1 | Chp 2 | Chp 3 | Chp 4 | Chp 5 | Chp 6 | Chp 7 | Chp 8 | Chp 9 | Chp 10 | Chp 11 | Chp 12 | Chp 13 | Chp 14 | Chp 15 | Chp 16 | Chp 17 | Chp 18 | Chp 19 | Epilogue | Worlds Not Our Own | Timeline

Chapter Nine: Your Twin is Dead (AO3 Link)  

Chapter Snapshot

Viperion hung back a few steps away, and when she turned to him, he gave her a small smile and a nod before turning and walking away. Juleka frowned, wondering suddenly who he would be going home to--if there was anyone at all. This was the exact line of thinking that turned their apartment into Stray Central, Rose's big heart just couldn't let anything in this world feel unloved. And Juleka would look at her and whatever furry critter she'd walk through their door with and bemoan the whole process of trying to find a home for it because they sure as fuck couldn't keep any more pets. But it was just part of living with and loving Rose. If she could put up with all the furry animals in and out of their apartment, surely Rose couldn't begrudge her a scaly one.

Juleka had always wanted a brother. When she was younger, she'd tell her mom and her mom would look down at her, glasses sliding off her nose, and she'd just say, "What? You want to share a room that bad? Or share your bathroom with someone else that takes forever when you really have to pee?". That usually shut her up for the night; but then she'd be lying in bed, feeling the soft rocking of the boat beneath her, and she'd dream up a brother her mom couldn't argue away. He would be something cool, like a vampire that could phase through walls and bite people like Chloé. She'd be the only person who could see him, and he'd tell her it was because she was special, so he had been a very satisfying imaginary friend for a long time. She would never admit, though, that after a month of living with Rose, her mother had been right about the bathroom part. Rose took forever.

As big a part of her childhood as her imaginary brother had been, she'd forgotten about him for a few years. Then Marinette showed her the concept art for the photo shoot she wanted her to be a part of. A dark, sleek vampire. Perfect for her, Marinette had said, but when she was in those clothes, she wasn't enjoying it for her present self. There were some things you did and delighted in to appease the kid in you more than appease the person you had become, and for her, that was one of them.

She kept the pants, though. They were fucking cool, and they made her ass look good. Her agency had drilled into her from the beginning that it was important to always maintain your image, even on a trip to the grocery store. Juleka readjusted Rose's shopping bag from where it dug into her shoulder and held it in the palm of her hand instead, delighting in the harsh clack of her boots as she strolled down the quiet sidewalk, feeling loud, feeling like she took up space. Here she comes--Walkin' down the street. Here she comes--Comin' through my door…

She moved with rhythm in her walk, in her hips, in her head. The stars were bright when they peeked from the cover of the wispy clouds, the moon a lovely waxing crescent shape. Fall leaves crunched under her heel, releasing an earthy scent of decay and of rest, mind whipping up poetry and sound and song. Fall and winter were her seasons, she the Hades and Rose her Persephone; she always had to be careful of her flower during the dreary months. The pick me up's she had gotten from the store would help for a while, maybe get them through a week or two of Rose's persistent seasonal depression, keep her occupied on fun and cozy things they could do at home. Or that was the thought, anyway, until the tip of her boot caught on a crack in the pavement, and she dropped the pink unicorn kitty bag and everything in it.

"Mother fucker," she cursed, kneeling to inspect the damaged goods. The vanilla cupcake candle's glass had cracked, but at least it was still whole. It had squished the croissants a bit though, leaving lots of crusty crumbs in the bottom of the paper bag. That was fine, even if it kind of sucked. Not like they were fresh anyway.

"Hey, you okay?" A man's voice rang out from above, and Juleka's head whipped up to the sound of the intrusion. Juleka assessed him, a dark figure silhouetted against the moonlight, standing on the low terracotta tiled roof of the store she had tripped in front of. Dark scales glinted and then went black as a cloud interrupted the moon's reflected light. He wasn't shooting beams or acting emotionally, so he wasn't an Akuma, ergo, she was fine.

She looked back down at the neon pink bag and fussed with it until she could pull out the small bouquet of flowers and inspect the damage. "Yeah, just setting up a tea party down here," she said back, frowning at a bent flower stalk. "Who're you?" Cerulean eyes blinked back at her, confusion swimming in their depths. Juleka sighed and stood, picking up the miss kitty unicorn bag with her, bouquet in her other hand. "I don't recognize you, I mean. Hate to tell you, but if you're looking to be a Guardian Angel, Paris already has one."

That must have amused him, because he hit her with a smile and jumped off the roof in one smooth motion, barely making a sound when his feet hit the pavement in front of her. "Not a Guardian Angel. Not a real one, anyway."

Juleka lifted an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Well, don't cause trouble," she felt compelled to say it, although she wasn't sure why. She was Purple Tigress, but it wasn't like she was a full-time hero. Just a body to fill a role when Ladybug needed a helping claw. "Ladybug'll be on your ass faster than you can blink." She waved the bouquet at him before shoving it back in her bag, some of the crushed daisy petals falling on the ground as she did so. Juleka turned and began to walk down the sidewalk. He turned and walked with her. Great. Now she was the one picking up strays.

"I was just talking to her, actually. Stating my intentions," he said with a wink.

"What is this, the Italian Mafia?"

"She's about that intense."

If Ladybug had signed off on him, that had to mean something. "So, what's your deal then? You don't scream 'tourism traps are my life' to me."

"I do enjoy traveling, but no, I'm not here for the scenery. I'm helping Ladybug."

She doubted Ladybug called him up on her hero phone to invite this rando to Paris to "help". More likely he invited himself--why she wasn't sure. Just like she wasn't sure why he seemed intent on walking with her. "How noble," she deadpanned.

The hooded boy shrugged loosely, then looked down at her bag. "Who're those for?" he asked, eyes landing on the daisies poking out the top.

He was nosy, too. "My girlfriend."

He smiled, then, a smile so soft and nice she wasn't sure what to do with it. "Is she pretty?" he asked. Juleka stopped and he stopped with her.

She thought of Rose's golden hair, shining softly under her fingertips when she mused it, how it framed her delicately shaped fey face. Rose's eyes, the color of the summer sky above a sparkling sea and just as deep, Rose's lips, soft and warm and made just for her. The delicious weight of her body when she laid on top of her, heady hums of approval and delight escaping from her kissable throat--

Juleka flipped her hair over her shoulder and kept walking. "That's a dumb question." Rose wasn't pretty. Rose was fucking magic.

He chucked, probably having read every thought that had been telegraphed on her face. "I'll take that as a yes."

She cleared her throat. "Yeah, so what's your schtick? You a hero in training or something? You even have a name?"

"I decided on Viperion, while I'm here. I don't think I've ever qualified as much of a hero, but I guess that's not too far from the truth. Here's my first heroic act. Protecting citizens from further incidents with cracks in the ground so they can get home to their pretty girlfriends on time." His smile grew wicked, hand gripping a light post to swing himself around it like he was Gene Kelly, singing in the rain.

Juleka realized he'd seen her eat shit on the sidewalk. "Asshole," she mumbled, although something fluttered in her gut all the same. He was teasing her, and for some reason, she didn't mind it too much. They walked a short way down the sidewalk in silence until her feet stalled at the stairs to their apartment building, its tan face staring down at the street morosely, the hanging flower baskets and windowsill beds no longer full of color.

He hung back a few steps away, and when she turned to him, he gave her a small smile and a nod before turning and walking away. Juleka frowned, wondering suddenly who he would be going home to--if there was anyone at all. This was the exact line of thinking that turned their apartment into Stray Central, Rose's big heart just couldn't let anything in this world feel unloved. And Juleka would look at her and whatever furry critter she'd walk through their door with and bemoan the whole process of trying to find a home for it because they sure as fuck couldn't keep any more pets. But it was just part of living with and loving Rose. If she could put up with all the furry animals in and out of their apartment, surely Rose couldn't begrudge her a scaly one.

"Hey," Juleka called back out to him. "Name's Juleka."

She saw his back stiffen, and he turned his face towards her. "It's nice to meet you, Juleka," he said the words slowly, as if they felt odd in his mouth.

She scuffed her boot on the sidewalk and shrugged. "Yeah," and she realized, this felt odd to her too--it wasn't that it was bad, it just made her feel…vulnerable. Juleka said the words anyway because she'd already gotten this far. "It…probably wouldn't suck to see you around more."

He smiled again, one of those soft and warm ones that would have melted Rose in an instant (It was Patti Smith's deep, starkly vulnerable voice in her head again, singing her poetry: Little boy's face lit up with such naked joy that the sun burned around his lids and his eyes were like two suns. White lids, white opals, seeing everything just a little bit too clearly), and he nodded and said that it would be good. Viperion left, leaving her to go home to her lover.

How rare indeed it was to have time to herself, Amélie pondered. She kept herself busy by rule (an order, a need, a necessity) that when she was idle, her mind merely ran circles around itself. Her shareholder meeting had been cut short due to Mr Duval's heart attack (Our sincerest apologies, his administrative assistant said, that it could not wait. We will have to end the meeting here). Amélie waited for Deluc to open the car door for her and then stepped out into the chilly, mid-afternoon air. She ought to call Mrs Hudspeth at home and ensure she was in the process of exchanging their summer wardrobes for fall wardrobes, but she was sure it was already in the process of being done.

Amélie crossed the threshold of the Agreste Mansion, pausing in the foyer. There should be something--some kind of sound, some kind of music, some kind of remembrance that she had lived here, but there wasn't. No music, no sounds of Adrien and Félix getting into trouble, no hustle or bustle, just an empty grave of a house. Every time she was here she was torn between voracious hate and intense need. She wanted to take a chair to the windows, crash them through and hear the glass spill out on the floor, wanted to scream and cry like a child--but she didn't. This was one of the only places left in the world that had known Emilie's touch, that had known her love.

Amélie could hear voices now through the thick door of Gabriel's atelier, and Nathalie wormed her way through the door, tablet clutched tightly to her chest. She jumped when she saw Amélie standing in the foyer before quickly readjusting her glasses and bowing slightly. "My apologies, we were not aware you were arriving home so soon," she said.

Home. This wasn't a home, anymore. "The meeting was cut short. I'm afraid you will have to put up with me for a few days longer. It was rescheduled for late next week."

"Oh. I see. I'll let Mr Agreste know."

They regarded each other for a moment, and just as Nathalie was about to excuse herself Amélie spoke. "Nathalie, do you know what happened to Emilie's music collection?" She wouldn't be half surprised if Gabriel threw it out in one of his fits of passion.

Nathalie's mouth opened, for a moment unbecoming, before she nodded stiffly. "I do. Adrien has it in his room."

"May I go see it?" she asked. She asked out of politeness only, as not even Gabriel had any spine to stand up to her if she chose to do something, and they all knew it.

As proof, Nathalie's eyes briefly flickered back to Gabriel's atelier and then back to her. "Of course. I'll take you now," she said, leading the way up to Adrien's room. As if she didn't know the way.

As if she would steal.

Amélie followed a few steps behind her, up the stairs, and into Adrien's room. She hadn't been in here since Adrien and Félix were children--it looked exactly the same. That shouldn't have surprised her. Time stopped in this house when Emilie died. Shelves and shelves of CDs and records decorated the loft walls, all neat and shiny in their places. Nathalie hung back by the door while Amélie ascended to the loft area, brushing her fingertips along the spotless shelves.

She pulled out a few CDs, examining the covers and pushing them back in place. Amélie heard Nathalie attempt to cover up a cough downstairs. She'd had a persistent cough since she and Félix had arrived, and Nathalie explained it away as a cold. Perhaps that excuse would last for now, but what about in several months? She jammed the Kate Bush CD back into place harshly.

Amélie grabbed a different CD at random and walked back downstairs with it, smiling demurely at Nathalie. It was obvious Nathalie was nervous around her; most people were. Emilie had liked Nathalie, and that was all that had mattered to her for a long time (And then she'd visited just a year ago, her husband was dead, and Gabriel and Nathalie stood to greet her and shared long glances, communicating with each other silently and intimately and she felt then that time began to shift in the house, and she took great pains to remind Gabriel who the love of his life had been and that he wasn't allowed to move on and Nathalie did not belong where Emilie sat, Nathalie did not fit there and she knew it, SHE WOULD REMIND HIM EVERY DAY SHE WAS HERE--).

Amélie retreated to the guest suite, closing the door solidly behind her. With intense, fussy need, Amélie ripped open the CD case and rushed over to the large black stereo in the corner of the room, shoving the disc in. It didn't matter what it was, she just needed something, anything to cover up the quiet. Her finger slipped on the play button, but it kicked into gear anyway, high pitched keyboard ripping through the silence.

Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today to get through this thing called "life". Electric word, life, It means forever and that's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you there's something else; The afterworld…

She gasped, slamming her finger on the forward track button several times until Prince sang literally anything else.

Don't talk to me about happiness, don't talk to me about light, because my light has died and it's my fault and there's nothing I can do--

A needy whine escaped her throat, and she spun from the stereo and began to pace the length of the room, hands rubbing her upper arms. Emilie had been the steady one, the anchor, the moor, the bow, the sails--she'd been the whole ship, Amélie had just been the passenger. Now she was drowning without her, and it was her own fault. Her brain whispered back, but it wasn't you that lied first. That was true, and it was that fact she clung to like it was a piece of driftwood, the only thing keeping her afloat while the storm's waves bashed her to pieces. Christoph had lied first.

Her sister had hated him. She never said it out loud, but Amélie could see it in Emilie's eyes when she looked at him. But she'd needed Christoph, just as much as she needed Emilie. Where Emilie had been the light that she felt had always escaped her, Christoph was the dark reflection of her own heart. He was the inky black pit she saw in herself, a reminder that she wasn't the only one that was broken in the world in comparison to her dearest, brightest sister. She had told him from the start she wanted children, and he’d agreed and said he felt the same. He told her he loved her, that she made him whole, and it had all been lies. A clever net, woven just for her. A fine instrument to drown her with. He couldn’t have children, he wasn’t capable of it, but he let her believe for so long that it was her fault. No matter what the tests said, he knew she would blame herself. He knew that when Emilie conceived first, she would feel like she was lagging behind, that she was messing up. He knew, because she told him.

And then Emilie had done something so incredible, so beyond her own imaginings, beyond anyones… She’d been given a power; the ability to make anything she wanted, within limitations. Her sister gave her a son and put so much of herself into the act—Amélie could still see her face, the look of breathless pain but also of joy--because she’d broken the Miraculous, but she’d made her sister a son that would live and breathe and grow as normal as anyone (the cough started then, the weariness, but Emilie was so skilled at waving it away).

And then, yes, she had lied to Christoph. He had been away, back in Russia conducting a merger for his father's company, and she'd added to the carefully woven net he had started with her own feeble fingers. They were happy for so long, a play on a living stage. And then Emilie died, and part of her died too.

"Mother?" Félix's voice broke through the noise of her head. He paused at the pace of her footsteps. "You're home early--is everything all right?" His green eyes wavered with concern.

"Yes," she lied, a soft smile finding its way to her face. "There was an incident at the shareholders meeting. We had to cancel and reschedule for later in the week. I think it will be alright, though, Duval is finally about to kick the bucket." She winked, and Félix laughed, relaxing.

"He's nearing 97, it's about time nature took him back. I'm sure there was a sigh of relief from every soul in the room."

"It certainly got one from me, now we might finally get our shares back to where they once were."

They talked business for a while longer, and she felt her heartbeat return back to normal, felt her head screw itself back on as straight as it could be. There was nothing she could do, anyway. She could never bring Emilie back. She would learn to live in the darkness--it was where she'd always been, after all.