#I also wish I had that kind of energy

[thingstrumperssay]

Kinda wish that every Democrat would have the same kind of energy AOC has.

[princess-ibri]

King Magnifico Backstory Part 3

Part 2

On the Princesses 18th birthday, a strange messenger came to the castle, with a desperate plea.

"Princess Maroula, my mistress, the Keeper of the Wishing Stars, who granted both you and your father life, needs your aid. There is a quest that only one such as you can fulfill. A dangerous quest but a necessary one for the good of all people within this world and the EverRealm. She has done what she can herself, but her gaze is stretched thin by her obligations. We ask that you leave as soon as possible, if you are willing to come and aid us.”

And the princess, always kind of heart, and remembering the conversation in the garden all those years ago was willing

But her father was not.

“How dare your mistress ask this dangerous task of my daughter! She knows the perils that exist in that realm, that befell me. She did nothing to aid me in my troubles, why should she ask to place my daughter in peril now?”

“The Blue Lady is young, in the way of her people, she had only recently taken over this charge when your misfortunes befell you, and she has sorrowed over them ever since. She granted you your daughter in part as penance for that failure. But still she has her duties, and she has foreseen a threat that only as deeply linked to Wishes as Maroula is can combat. Would you see an entire realm suffer for what was done to you?”

Maroula knew the anger born from his past heartache, which her father usually tried to keep under control, beginning to rise, and tried to sooth him

“Father, I am willing to go. You and Mother have taught me well in both the use of magic and the need to be generous in helping others. Please, let me go and help the Lady. How can I call myself a princess of Rosas and not do so?”

“No Maroula!” The King cried, his fear for his daughter and anger getting the best of him. “I won’t allow it! What right has this fairy to grant my greatest wish, give our happiness tangibility and then take it away!”

“She’s not taking me away Father, she’s only asking that I—“

“Enough!”

The king turned and dismissed the messenger coldly from his sight, demanding that it never return, for his daughter would not be going to the other realm, now or ever.

“That choice is the Princess Maroula’s.” The messenger said as it left, unfazed by the king’s anger. “She is a woman grown now, able to make her own choices, even if they are not what you would choose for her. If she wishes to go, then she may go”

“Then I shall insure she cannot!”

And with that, the king used his magics to open up a room, deep deep beneath the castle, a room he had discovered upon taking claim of the castle, (a room where he had found a dangerous and deceptive tome of magic). Here he wove about with his spells and enchantments so that he was sure no star’s light could find his daughter.

“I don’t wish to leave you here Maroula, but I must keep you safe, at all costs. Let that other place deal with its own problems. You will stay here until you’ve learned to see sense”

And so the king left his daughter crying in the dark, as his gentle queen cried in the palace above, torn between supporting her husband in keeping their daughter safe from unknown danger, and supporting her daughter’s generous wish to help

What neither realized, is that there was one small opening within the dungeon, a keyhole that the king had failed to account for, a keyhole through which a single thin strain of starlight came through and found the weeping princess. The princess beheld the light, and taking the power within her, she wished upon the star

And the star answered

But what came after for Princess Maroula is a story for another time…

The king and queen sought day and night for their daughter, but even with all his powers, either the power of the Lady of the Wishing Stars was greater, or Maroula was using her own to avoid her father’s search. Even his wishing her back did nothing. And so the king and queen fell into despair, knowing their daughter was lost forever.

Is this the thanks I get for granting everyone else’s wishes all these years? To have my own daughter run from me? I’ve cared for her from the day she was born, given her everything and and she still decides to defy and disrespect me with this rebellion?!”

At last, the king, letting his anger over this perceived betrayal overcome his grief, decided that they could no longer go on as they had, and so he crafted a spell that would enable them to move forward

He asked his wife to give to him her wish for their daughter’s return, gifting it to him to hold onto until it could be granted. And as Amaya gave him her wish, trusting that one day it would come true—the memory of her daughter left her entirely, along with the grief of her loss. Letting her forget without the weight of regret…

From then on, the king utilized this spell whenever it came time to grant his people’s wishes, holding on to them in perpetuity, instead of granting them on sight. Having lost the love of his daughter, he tried to substitute it with the love he felt imbibed in each wish as he guarded them, keeping them safe as he couldn’t protect her. Each person who gave him their wish forgot it, and so Magnifico intended to ensure that not only would no unworthy wish be granted, but no wish would lead to the heartbreak he had suffered

Despite his anger at his daughter, over the years he took many other apprentices, seeking to fill the void she had left, even granting their and their families wishes when he usually would have declined to—but none of them ever filled the place of his beloved Maroula.

And as the years passed, his anger over her loss, the heartbreak of his past, and his frustration over watching everyone’s wishes be granted but his own began to harden the king’s heart, and a darkness grew beneath his pristine exterior, waiting for the day until he felt threatened enough in his power and control to break loose…

[sysig]

A lot of early concept stuff was expression/pose brainstorming - there’s the classic six Webkinz emotions (which, I learned have been largely pared down to just four after a point! Since they got rid of Dr. Quack’s role, there’s no more “sick” expression and most ‘Kinz’ tired and sad expressions are the same! >:0 What’s the point of having an easily editable puppet with the spaghetti code intact that you have to put an image there AnyWay and not make a slightly different expression!! H’f) as well as the main Sakura poses - so if I’m already making up expressions, why no go a little further! :D

One of the expressions I definitely needed up top was Mischievous - working with a cat, that’s the only logical conclusion really. I think it’s funny that she swerves the compliment only to pay it right back as well lol

The ticklish expression is one I’m still going back and forth on! I’m half tempted to have it be somewhere between happy and angry - maybe a mood gradient, starting out just positive and slowly moving into “Hey stop! >:0″ if it’s too many times in a row? It’s a thought haha

Similarly so, messing with her ears - bothering your pets is a very important element of socialization (lol)

As seen above, I’d reallyyy like to figure a way to have a dual-visual mood system - both the ‘Kinz body language/expression/emotion and a more exact stat bar. I’m still chewing on this idea a bit, no pun intended lol. That and click-and-drag with an actual image you can drag around your screen, hm and hm! Much to think about. Her face here turned out cute and funny haha, helped me push the expression more comedic

Much better :) Webkinz already has some well-known food dialogue, my favourite is probably “Mmm to the mmmax!” haha

Each low-mood would have their own emotion tied to it, but what about somewhere in the middle? I like the idea of the ‘Kinz getting bored if they’re left alone for too long! And little paw taps, showing off her embroidered paw pad haha ♪

[doomxdriven]

"I am Rudbornn, Captain of the Exequias, and I have come for your life."

[friendlylocalwhumper]

She’s stupid, Quinn thinks coldly. That girl over there, in the cage next to theirs. She cowers in the corner farthest from the door and hides her face, all the time. They didn’t even know what she looked like until now.

The guard with a scar across one eye has her chin in the palm of his hand. His broad fingers have her jaw in a firm hold, his eyes locked on hers.

Piercings litter her face. One bisecting her lip, two studs under that, a few loops in her eyebrows, a fine chain across her nose. Choppy short hair frames her bruised face as she waits for something, holding still where she sits awkwardly in a collapsed-to-the-side kneel.

“You can behave, can’t you?” The guard asks, squeezing her jaw, and her lashes flutter, eyes skittering nervously to each side and then falling toward the floor. One of her hands flexes at her side. Belatedly, Quinn realizes that it’s odd how she’s holding herself. Sitting up as straight as she can despite the legs that don’t want to cooperate with her, arms hanging instead of trying to push him away or protect herself.

The grasp on her face loosens and slides up into her hair. The woman only squeaks as his grip tightens enough to guide her out of the cage, crawling on her hands and knees.

Only once everything’s fallen silent and still again does Quinn let out a breath and slink against the bars of their cage.

An hour or two later, she’s returned. She tries to crawl back into her cage but stumbles and falls face-first with a dizzy, embarrassed whine. Blonde locks tremble with her shivers, dripping water to pool beneath her.

The guard’s long gone before Quinn even considers speaking. They just stare at her quivering and curling up in a loose ball before finally muttering, “What’s wrong with you?”

Uneasy blue eyes flick toward them, but don’t focus fully on trying to read their intentions. She just curls up smaller and continues to tremble with the cold.

Quinn shifts, unhappy with the lack of a response to read into. “Who are you?”

This time she doesn’t even look. Frustration chokes them, far too large and intense for such a small inconvenience as a stranger not responding. Quinn thinks back to each time a guard’s visited her cage and how she responded to them. They can try a different approach.

The exhausted spy inches closer to the shared line of bars between their two cages. Her breathing pauses just for a second. It may as well be a door thrown open, inviting Quinn Mae in to read her.

They lift a gnarled hand, wrists bound together with rope, to poke a crooked finger through the bars. Her eyes are on them once more, watching the movement.

“Hey,” They try, softer. With a twist of their arm they manage to get their whole hand through the gap, into her space. “Come here.”

Her body is shifting toward the invitation even before she comes to a decision about whether she wants to. The woman crawls over, looking up at them with perplexed curiosity.

“Closer,” They bid, and when she’s within their reach, they strain their hand into a shape that will allow the knuckles of their forefinger and middle finger to graze across her forehead. She shoves closer, then, and they’re able to brush wet hair back.

She all but collapses to the floor, face against the bars, and this new angle lets them brush through her hair with as many fingers as they like. Quinn gets to work untangling knots and pulling frigid clumps of soaked locks from the back of her neck.

Like she’s frozen and their hand is made of fire, she presses into it, unflinchingly pressing bruised cheeks and a busted brow against the bars.

Quinn frowns at how easy this was. “You’re alright,” They croak softly, and she drags her body to be as close to them as possible. Every time that they’ve seen her try to move her legs, they cock out oddly, uncooperative and stiff. For the first time Quinn can see pain written clearly across her face.

“...You’re being good,” They try, and she squeaks, hurting herself by pressing bruises so hard against the bars to try to get closer to them. Quinn watches in discomfort, grimly satisfied that they read her correctly, nails scraping gently along her scalp.

“Hey. Settle down. Don’t hurt yourself.”

She shudders and pulls back enough to look like she isn’t doing it anymore, but they can tell she’s keeping her legs at a bad angle just to stay close. They don’t bother trying to tell her to stop that, she seems like she might fall apart if she’s told she’s doing something wrong.

[loveandlegacy]

one thing i hope we in the united states get over like. sooner rather than later is the specter of "chinese censorship". i occasionally encounter people saying that riot, a famously regressive company in a famously regressive industry, won't just say viktor and jayce are in love because of censors in china and it's just like ok. i just don't think that's true. i think the call is coming from inside the house

[theoldworldsrunnerup]

Mello manga panel redraw for his birthday

Original (from chapter 69):

[arcticmist0324]

People underestimate just how smart Barty Crouch Jr is sometimes. Like, don’t get me wrong, he’s loud and chaotic and all of that. But this guy got the highest possible marks on all of his owls. His chaotic energy is intentional and has a calculated reason behind it.

While disguised as Moody, Barty was easily the second best Defense teacher that Hogwarts had in Harry’s time there (no one’s beating Remus). He was behind the scenes in canon pulling so many strings in GOF. And had he not been caught and had his soul eaten by a dementor, he would’ve been a serious threat going forward.

[strangeispowerful]

I'm taking a break from posting on tumblr.. it's causing me too much anxiety. dm's and asks are still open- but I won't be posting art or much of anything else for a bit. :( ily nilfruiters and various goobers! hopefully will be back soon.

[sciderman]

i relate to peter parker because i’ve had six crushes this year alone

damn son save some for the rest of us!!

[miodiodavinci]

a heem heem whimper

[kiingbiing]

-

[windor-truffle]

This blog is the altar where I worship my false idol (the version of Graces that lives in my head)

[icewindandboringhorror]

recent lounging babey images

[shinakazami1]

SHINA!!! I’ll try to avoid using terms I’ve used before because I feel like that would give me away immediately BUT.

Goodness. Where do I even START?? You are so incredibly cool and such a kind and sweet person to talk to??? You always ALWAYS have something nice to say it seems, and you do not hesitate to say those things. I’ve seen you pop off with so many random in depth compliments to people that absolutely make their days. Oftentimes it’s after people post a work of theirs, but I’ve also plenty of times seen it (and received it) without any prior warning, and it absolutely warms my heart to see it.

You have so many absolutely bonkers ideas, but like, in the fun way! All of your aus and designs are extremely creative, and you execute them perfectly. Sometimes, things don’t look like they should work as an au, but you tie everything in so tightly and make sure it does, and it’s always a delightful surprise to see. It’s so fun to read your writing, as it’s got a genre of ideas that are so different from the norm but work so well the way you execute it.

And good god. Your ART. You manage to plant (ha) an image directly from your brain and onto the page in a way I’ve seen NOBODY ELSE do before. Seeing your speedpaints only serves to baffle me more on how you manage to do this— You seem to have exactly an idea of what you want to see and visualize it in its entirety before you even start the drawing, and then you transfer it directly onto the page. With nothing but the LASSO FILL TOOL sometimes. No sketch???? Huh???????? My mind is still utterly blown on how you manage to pull that off, but you DO, and it always turns into an absolutely stunning piece. It always looks like you know exactly how to make colors and lighting work in tandem with each other, and know what colors you’re wanting before you start. I am forever wondering how you’ve managed to get such a good grasp on it!

All in all, I think this even undersells a bit how cool you are, cause I doubt I could put it really properly into words. I look up to you as an artist, and you forever inspire me with the things you do. Keep it up, my guy, it’s so so wonderful to see

.

[depressedzelda]

u know when u overthink shit and ur convinced something is destined to spiral into a fuckshow but you have no control over it or leaving said situation. Feeling that with this job