#I guess Moon also works at the library lol

[cursio-neptune]

The Moon counterpart to the Sun art I did : )

I did this same art style for Sun and Moon way back when. I love Cell-shading, it's timeless~

[myrtles-and-blood]

I have another question (yeah, I know, what a surprise)

what do gods/deities do in their daily life? Or when they're not with us?

Maybe this question is really human-like, because they probably don't work in an office handling paperwork. And it's probably a bit stupid, but I always wondered and idk if there's an actual response in books or somewhere else.

Of course, I know it depends. In some myths, some deities are told to be wandering around the countryside and dealing with plants (Demeter, Persephone, and a lot more) or having parties (Dionysius, Norse deities sometimes, etc). But like, on a daily basis?

I guess Apollo wakes up and guides the sun, but what else does he do? Not saying it is an easy job, but asking if he does something else. Does he visit hospitals from time to time? Or goes to concerts often?

Does Hermes sometimes visit the subway? Is he just going around fetching dead people to guide them to the underworld? Does he go gambling from time to time and give someone too much luck?

Does Hypnos go to a poppy field and he just lays down to take a nap? Does he go around people's nightmares and turn them into soothing dreams? Is he watching when kids have the first dream they remember?

Does Aphrodite go to the beach from time to time to get tan? Does she like to go to perfume shops? Is she making people give compliments to others who feel very bad about their self image that day?

Does Artemis just guide the moon or does she also visit zoos? Is she around for the birth of someone's first baby? Is she there taking care of the animals sacrificed to be our food?

Does Lucifer wander around the stars and fly to see the first light of the morning? And the last light of the evening? Is he reading books that no one has heard of in old libraries? Is he guiding the hand of the artist who draws his first nude portrait?

Does Beelzebub like to smoke and hang out in cemeteries? Is he there when someone saves a bug instead of killing it? Is he checking that all dead beings in the forest decay correctly?

Does Stolas enjoy accompanying biology students to their first field trip to identify rocks? Is he the one who makes people cry of joy when they look at the stars? Does he spend his time reading articles about the use of plants in modern medicine?

Idk, it's nice to think about what they might be doing when they're not with us as their "9 to 5" lol. But is there an actual answer to this or am I just daydreaming too much? 😔

[writteninlunarlight-years]

Hey, I was wondering if you could do a match-up for Harry Potter! Specifically the Marauders Era.

Female, She/They, Pansexual

Plus size!, but more thighs (and boobs) than anything, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, i have glasses,

My personality is loving, patient, (surprisingly) smart and good at classes, but that's probably bc I'm determined and work hard- I can be really sassy though, nurturing, I have to stick to a semi strict schedule, forgiving, and I guess caring, also im an ambivert!! (I just kinda looked up personality traits and went with what I thought fit me. Bear with me.)

Likes: Reading, writing, SWEATERS, school, candles, blankets, sour candy, chocolate, sunflowers, sunsets, the moon

Dislikes: When my schedule gets completely destroyed, sudden and really big change, people who chew with their mouth open, feeling really embarrassed and like everyone is judging me, olives,

Extra fun facts: I have chronic headaches, bad knee problems in my right knee 😍, if I have an assignment I will always do way too much for it

Hope that's okay and you're okay with doing this, and I hope i did it right!!! Sorry for any spelling mistakes :)

Annos, please never apologize for spelling errors, lol. I don't know if you've read my posts, but I can not spell either. I am incredibly reliant on Grammarly, and my partner makes fun of me for it regularly.

Also, does anyone else pretend/feel like that lady from Mulan when they do these matchups? No, just me. Aight, I'll be in the corner now.

~~~~~MATCH UP~~~~~

Annon, I must match you with the sweetest boy of the tricksters.

Remus Lupin

~~Headcanons~~

This man would bake you and buy you the best chocolates. He will curb your sweet tooth like no tomorrow.

He respects a girl who is not afraid to be herself, and if anyone tries to put you down and make you get in your head, he's not scared to be a big bad wolf ( see what I did there )

He loves it when you can put up with his three headaches. Wait, he means friends.

He would want to study with you all the time, so much so that James, Sirius, and Peter complain about missing their friend.

MANS WOULD WEAR MATCHING SWEATERS PROVE ME WRONG

Remus strikes me as the guy who will get you flowers just because, so expect to be showered with your favorites. However, he always forgets that he should buy you flowers on a holiday.

Though he is afraid of the full moon, watching the skies with you any other time has become an enjoyable pastime, especially to see you light up.

When he has to hide away for the full moon, he makes you a goodie basket to 'remember' him by till he comes back.

If you are ever feeling unwell or hurt, he will carry you up to his dorm and make you comfy in his bed. He will get you all the fixings to cure your ailments. I'm talking hot water bottles, heavy blankets, blackout curtains, water, pain medicine, and, of course, cuddles.

~~~~~Blurb~~~~~

You sat in the library waiting for Remus to arrive for your study date. As you finished your potion essay for him to look over, an exhausted, panting Sirius appeared before you. You looked up at him, amused, "Y/N, I am telling you we need him for Quidditch. Please, please, tell him to skip Hogsmeade this weekend." As Sirius was begging, he got down on his knees.

Around the corner soon came James looking almost as exhausted as the other boy in front of you. You chuckle into your hand, knowing that the Librarian will soon grow tired of the Maurder's antics. "Boys, you know he is his own person, right? What makes you think I have any say." You looked at the boys innocently. With a scoff, Sirius stood, wrapping his arm around James' shoulder. "Y/N, the man is so in love with you that he talks to you in his dreams. Of course, he will listen to you."

Before you could open your mouth again, James and Sirius were on the floor, this time due to a perfectly timed nudge to the back of their knees. Remus looked up at you and smiled softly, "Hi, my sweet. I brought you some treats." Placing down your candy, which he knew you favored, he sat across from you, ready to study.

James popped up from the floor, "Look, Y/N, he's even wearing a matching jumper with you! We have asked to match as a group of friends for ages. You can't tell me this man isn't whipped." You laughed at the remark, watching Remus nudge the back of James' knee again, causing him to collapse.

~~~~~EXTRA~~~~~

(You are looking up at the stars with the whole friend group. Your head is placed in Remus' lap. Peter is asleep lounging on the grass. Sirius, James, and Lily are all leaning back, looking at the stars.)

Y/N: Do you think that when the first people watched the stars, they thought they were crazy when they started moving each night.

Sirius: Wait, do the stars move each night?

James: I thought it was the moon that moved.

Lily: Sometimes it amazes me how you two breathe on your own.

Remus: (rubbing his temples, feeling the headache coming on) I'm glad someone else said it.

I hope you enjoy!!

[nontoxic-writes]

Inspiration Weekend / Seven Sentence Sunday

doing a bit of a combined (and quick and dirty) weekend wip post. thanks for the tags @cha-melodius @lilythesilly and @stereopticons!

here's some inspo and sentences for my ghost!henry au, vaugely kate & leopold-esque wip.

i wanted to make him a brother of king george iii for some reason, and fun fact that i didn't know until i started researching is that he had a brother named henry, so just gonna do a lil history rewrite and take some really broadstrokes inspo from that.

anyway here's some sentences from this lol

“At least you get to hang out in one of the more interesting rooms here,” Alex murmurs to the sad-looking royal in the portrait on the south wall. “I’m not confined to the library,” the voice behind him says again, and Alex snaps his head to the side to see a man standing in the shadows, his blond hair the only discernible feature in the darkness, thanks to the moonlight streaming in through the window. Alex is one too many whiskeys deep to examine why the moonlight isn't illuminating the man's face. He jumps, his heart thumping hard in his chest. “Jesus Christ,” he hisses under his breath. “Sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was in here.” “It’s quite alright. I haven’t been spoken to in quite some time. Full moon, is it?” Alex blinks. Who is this fucking weirdo? “Uh, I guess?” The man hums. “On the eve of a party, no less. How utterly dreadful for me.”

i think at this point everyone has done it (oh timezones!), but tagging @roseapothecary since i think youre working on stuff, but also open tag for anyone who hasn't posted yet, while there's still a couple hours to go!

[pinchbees]

HIII 1 21 and 23 for anyone you like... you can do others too if you want i am grabbing popcorn and eagerly listening

Well, Data is currently rotating in my head so I'll talk about them I guess! Her btw

1. does your oc have any motifs? Their main motifs are disrepair and "unsightliness"! Disrepair is probably obvious from their outfit alone. With her tie and dress being torn up at the ends. But it runs deeper than that, as a lot of the things she uses function poorly or outright don't work as they should. Even if they seem like a tool or weapon is in perfect condition. However, her herself is fine, not a scratch on them or their horns.

Speaking of their horns, that kinda links back to their other motif! What I mean by unsightliness is things that she doesn't notice about herself or perceive it as something else. But are met with disgust when attention is brought to it, regardless if they want said attention.

Let's say you once in a blue moon see them use their magical kid powers. You notice the abnormal amount of centipedes and other bugs with pincers. They fucking hate it when you point it out, there will be more bugs if you say more. They have no control over that and beings that even she doesn't like following her. She doesn't even like bugs! She's absolutely sob if you compare her horns to bug pincers.

21. hobbies your OC enjoys? They love crafting! More specifically crafting accessories like headbands. They originally started this due to the fact that they didn't have access to non-masculine options. So they made their own from whatever materials they could find. Luckily (or at least somewhat) for her, becoming a magical kid and leaving their household allowed them to manifest them out of thin air. Though they still prefer their visually illogical hair tie.

They're also a massive nerd for other species lol. Since majority of their home city was human and other toonman. (If anyone wants to know about that, uhhhhh too bad don't enable me /hj) She's a living library when it comes to demons/angels.

23. what are your OC’s biggest flaws and biggest strengths? Oughh.... Her biggest flaw is the fact that she can not hide her stress. She will turn into a wet beast if she's poked fun at, threatened, etc. Her body will still react to it with expressing upset.

Her biggest strength though is how heavily they endure situations. She just refuses to stay dead. Her tears could be streaming out tears, she refuses to back down. Especially since, by the time her story starts, she finally gains access to weapons. Shitty ones but still.

[hiratelier]

I can finally see myself falling out of using vocalsynths constantly in the next year, because at this point I've gotten myself into new hobbies and interests that I'm far more invested in ^^

It'll be that one hobby I'll get into for like once a month (and maybe post something about it if I even feel like doing it), but other than that, I'm not as interested in vocalsynths as I once was since 2012. I'll look fondly upon the stuff and memories I've made, even if I'm not that active in the respective community anymore (and for good reason because ever since that my wellbeing has improved drastically). I still treasure my own singing robots, and the tradition of making anniversary covers for them will still continue even on their 9th anniversary (I might end up treating them as OCs on a regular basis LOL)

But man 2023 has been the year of slowly falling out of interests you've been into for nearly a decade and falling in into media you never thought you would enjoy and hyperfixate on until at some point in your life...This happened with F/GO (as I've stopped playing the game and lost interest in what's going on in the story; but I like to see whatever TYPE-MOON work they got cooking), and I can see it happening with v*calsynths, though my loss of interest is centered around the releases of new libraries. I'm far more interested in the songs my favourite producers are releasing and if there's one song I'd like to cover, I might chuck it into my cover inspo playlist. Maybe that's the one thing that drew me into this hobby anyway LOL. I guess F/GO and vocalsynths are being scaled down to minor interests of mine that I do indulge in once in a while.

I don't want to be stuck with uploading covers to my YouTube and BiliBili constantly, and I've been planning to upload more animatics, speedpaints (maybe), and other OC shenanigans. And since I got my Community tab back I can start uploading art there again (though I have already uploaded some art there). I also have some major projects that are currently being worked on (one of them is being finalized), and I am so excited working on them :D

I guess I just wanted to say that I'm falling out of using vocalsynths (as I've done with F/GO) and I'm treating it as a small hobby of mine except for bigger occasions (such as anniversary uploads) or when I'm feeling very inspired, and with the new hobbies and interests that I've picked up, I feel more free in what I want to do now haha;; you'll see me upload more comics/art, animatics, speedpaints, and other media and there'll be a decrease in cover uploads over time! I have two cover uploads left, but they'll be posted in December

[non-un-topo]

End of the year questions!

Tagged by @aphroditestummyrolls. Thank you, my friend! <3

Tagging @guarncre @spacegirlsgang @andrea-lyn @ladytessa74, and everyone!

What is your favourite thing you created?

I've talked about it more than enough, but probably my big baby, Axis. Jericho, My Moon is a favourite too, for its whimsy and dream-like quality and gothic romance. I want to write more things like that.

Which work are you proudest of?

Definitely Axis. It's just under 30 thousand words, and took me a year while I was working through a ton of grief, stress, an identity crisis (ongoing to this day lol), and just generally losing touch with reality. I think it's one of the most raw and beautiful things I've written, though I'm def overselling it. I'm also happy with the section break illustrations I made for it!

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

Mostly my university achievements. I won 3 awards/bursaries this year due to my hard work! Got a work/study position at a small feminist library in my faculty, made some classroom friends, and have been enjoying helping students when they come to me. I guess I'm also proud of myself for... maybe.. perhaps... coming to the point where I can no longer deny that I'm trans. It's been a lot. It's shaken the very ground from under me. But at this point I don't think it can be denied anymore. It's time to be brave.

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

I guess gothic romance is a new thing for my writing. I'm kind of a romance hater tbh, so I usually just background the relationships or struggle with forefronting them, but I'm becoming more of a fan of the weird and macabre kind of romance. Also not necessarily new, but I almost never write modern aus and I completed one this year: tempests of dust. I guess you could say my canon-divergent t4t au, Wolf Tooth, is new too!

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

Besides the aforementioned 30k fic, probably finishing misplaced items of great (in)convenience. I let that one sit for a while, which I guess kind of lines up with the themes of the fic lol. Burnout is real.

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Drawing ;_; At all. Perfectionism and self-scrutiny stop me before I can begin. That, and I have a lot of WIPs I started in 2023 that are supposed to be pretty big.

Which work brought you the most joy?

Hounds! I wrote that 8k bitch in nearly one sitting because I was so fired up.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

Not all from 2023, but perhaps some of my less read ones. Obviously I want people to read the long ones about grief and liminal space and adventures that I worked so hard on, but I know most people don't have the energy or desire to sit down and read a lot of plot.

I'd recommend an Andy-focused one from my mystery series, Chronos, and Primavera, my little Nico 3000-headcanons-stuffed-into-a-trenchcoat backstory. My time loop fic, la mer a bercé mon coeur pour la vie, is also a fun little Andy-centric team adventure. My queer ass is also very fond of Eight Minutes. Lastly, one of my Booker fics, all things pass into the night.

I should say that not all of my fics are available for people without ao3 accounts.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

Oh gosh, I want to be so productive in 2024. I really hope I can be! I have plans for another queer quartet adventure with mystery elements that will hopefully be longer and more adventurous than the works in the Tetrad Mysteries. I miss it when that was my specialty! I also am working on a big canon-divergent au in which Joe and Nicky were childhood friends (and still end up killing each other). That fic mostly takes place during their adolescence and young adult years, so I'm sort of stuck on how to end it since I'm worried it'll be a disappointing read for people if it ends in Jerusalem. But we already know the rest of their story, more or less. I've put it on hold for a while due to sensitive subject matter that I feel is just inappropriate for the world right now.

Those are the two big projects, but I'm also hoping to do some collaborations, maybe open up commissions (we'll see how busy I am in the summer!), and have some smaller works in progress.

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

We are not defined by our productivity. The process is always happening and we are always changing and learning, even if we're not actively "creating."

[otakween]

Head Start at Birth - Ch. 21-30

The mediocrity continues! I feel like I've read newspaper funnies with higher stakes than this plot. Nothing bad ever really happens to the main characters and they always look/act pristine. The character writing is giving Mary Sue/Gary Stu vibes. I wonder if I would like this back in middle school or if I'd have enough brain cells to recognize its blandness?

Ch. 21

Lilia figures out a way to use magic without any magic energy (thanks to Toma). So now she's fulfilled her goal of allowing Elrich to use magic.

I'm not really emotionally invested at all at this point btw. Everything is so bland (especially Elrich who is just like "perfect boyfriend") that how could I be?

Ch. 22

It feels kind of lazy that the bird gets a cool human form and the dragon just gets to be blue!Lilia :/

More random plot happenings...this time the King is under attack and they're asking Lilia to help. Again with the "chosen one" BS.

Ch. 23

I feel like they totally ripped off the "butler attacks with steak knives" thing from Black Butler. Can't get nothin' past a veteran weeb!

Weirdly I feel like this manga could benefit from more characters. Yeslar and Reslar (Lilia's dragon and bird companions) get way too much screentime. They're so boring lol

Ch. 24

Just when I complain about Lilia's spirits they introduce...even more spirits! Why did they just reveal that Toma had spirits outta nowhere like that?

Reslar freaking out at the faerie seemed a little overblown and out of character (what little character Reslar has). I think Lilia and Elrich should have scolded her instead of just distracting her :/

Ch. 25

I gotta admit, the Sage title is pretty badass. And it looks like she gets access to some fancy library/archive? Hell yeah.

I had the though of "instead of pursuing the invention of the camera via magic why doesn't she just try recreating the non-magical engineering it takes to develop a camera?" But then I was like...wait...I have no idea how a camera works. Also, she was just an otaku in her previous life so she wouldn't have that knowledge either.

Elrich seemed low key jealous that his fiance is more impressive than him. Hopefully those feelings don't turn ugly. (Who am I kidding? This manga has no stakes whatsoever).

Lilia's new ribbons are suuuper cute. As I've said before, this manga at least has eye candy if nothing else.

Ch. 26

Can't decide if this chapter was wholesome or creepy. All these old men freaking out over Lilia with grandfatherly love. I guess it's just not a dynamic you see very often lol

Again we have the whole "MC is the super special chosen one who is smarter than everyone in their new world" vibes 😑

While I relate to Lilia being somewhat introverted, I do think she could have been a little nicer to the sages after they invited her so many times. It also felt weird to me that she didn't have the "wait, maybe this could further my research" revelation sooner.

Ch. 27

The age gap relationship stuff combined with the ultra girly aesthetic is kinda giving me UsagixMamoru from Sailor Moon. Not saying that makes it okay, just that this is pretty common with shoujo I guess.

"I like to carry you" is creepy (AKA she's so young you can carry her, dude >:/) but also...I wish I could be carried places lol. Seems really nice.

Lilia's "I should rely on others more" revelation is good, especially since it goes against the aforementioned "OP MC is better than everyone" vibes. I much rather her see her working with the community than just dominating everyone.

Ch. 28

Woah this one was so short? (Yet it cost the same amount, go figure -_-)

I almost thought there was another time skip since Isaac looked so mature, but nope! Zac is a cool nickname for the name Isaac

Suuuuper contrived miscommunication cliche -sigh- weak

Ch. 29

Okay, not gonna lie, that was pretty romantic. She's still too young to be smooching him though lol. (The "become my family" line got me. I'm a sucker for that sort of thing 😭)

Lilia unlocks some kind of new teleport power and they make it all ominous for whatever reason?

King is sus. I wonder if he's going to try and swoop in and have someone else marry Lilia?

Ch. 30

I was completely wrong about the king, they just keep doing these ominous cliff hangers that amount to nothing. It's pretty frustrating.

Lol back to this manga being absolutely zero stakes. They threatened to take Elrich away but were then like "sike, he doesn't have to go!" This is very "makes it easy" story telling.

They had a "The End" fake out...wish it was real.

The writing keeps pointing out how young Lilia is and how it's weird she's engaged to be married (actually married as of this chapter). If you think it's so weird, why did you write it!? No one is forcing you to write about a married 9 year old! -sigh-

[hsd-industries]

some stuff I’ve been into recently that I think is cool:

- a practical guide to evil: web serial about being a fantasy villain. kind of like worm i guess maybe. i havent finished reading it yet so for all i know it falls off hard in like the last chapter so uh dont blame me if thats your experience

- project moon’s games (lobotomy corporation, library of ruina, limbus company): a series of games all tied together by a shared storyline and also every now and then they reuse game mechanics. also there’s a lot of references to classical literature stuff. they made ishmael mobydick an anime girl and she beats up ahab who is also an anime girl. the first game in the series is lobotomy corporation, which is a sort of management sim thingy where you run a facility containing Definitely Not Scps. honestly out of all the games it feels more… idk i want to say niche but that’s not the right word i think. library of ruina is the direct sequel to lobotomy corporation and also just straight up spoils a big plot reveal but i played it first because… reasons?? idk personally i feel like that was probably not as bad of a choice as it sounds like but that’s just my experience idk. it’s a turn based card game where you people get invited to a library and then you beat them up and they turn into books. as this progresses you learn more about the fucked up city this takes place in and also theres trigger events from worm (it’s not actually, but the underlying principles are similar enough and god only knows i won’t get the opportunity to make that joke again). limbus company is thd most recent game and is also still ongoing because like every few months they add a new chapter. it’s a gacha game that somehow manages to be neither dogshit nor totally pay to win, which is nice. i guess making the entire plot of library of ruina a reference to a 16th century epic poem (orlando furioso) wasnt enough literary references for them so they made the entire limbus main cast based on characters from various works of classical literature. this includes: gregor samsa (the metamorphosis), ishmael (moby dick) but for some reason she’s an anime girl, and faust (faust) who is also an anime girl for some reason. actually a lot of male characters get turned into women now that i think of it. like library of ruina, the gameplay is turn based. they got rid of the cards though. all three games are on steam

- kamen rider: a kids tv show franchise about transforming superheroes. uses a lot of practical effects (the heroes transformations and 90% of the monsters are just guys in rubber suits), has some shitty cgi occasionally, and some props are obviously plastic toys but honestly I find that kind of charming and cool in its own way. kind of like jojos in that every season is it’s own unique thing with its own characters. i have legitimately no clue how one would “legally” watch this outside of japan, so uhhh. just pirate it lol. apparently you can watch some of the newer seasons on a website called tokuzilla but i have literally never used that so idk how good it is. also there’s 2 google docs with all the episodes of the earlier seasons, which is what I have been using. there’s a link to the google docs on reddit, just google showa/heisei viewer

also it’s not a recommendation but when I was writing this I realized ive gotten so used to recommending worm to people that i keep having to remind myself NOT to do that here because you already read it

I NEED to find some other media to become obsessed with. wildbow is so 2023

[baddiedaddy7]

5th house✨🌻

the 5th house is not what you attract, it’s how you are in the dating world/casual dating, what dates you may like, how you are in the beginning stages of a relationship and flirting. it’s also about your passion, and what you may like to do in your spare time. then lastly, children. feminine signs-more likely to have a female or child with feminine energy. masculine signs-more likely to have a male or child with masculine energy. do not plagiarize🙃.

Aries/Mars🔥

likes the chase(being chased or vice versa). gets bored fast, so needs somebody that keeps them guessing. bold/upfront, will probably tell you if they like you, or how they feel in general. may do things too fast(say “i love you” early, get over excited easily, etc). daring in the dating scene/at the beginning of a relationship. flirting style may be physical(confident/not rlly awkward, and makes flirting obvious), or playful(play fight, tickles lmao, laughs more, etc). might prefer dates full of thrills(amusement park, hiking, skydiving, rock climbing, sports, party, etc). hobbies may be sports, karate, working out, violent or sporty video games, etc. indicates a liking for vigorous/explicit music lmao. children may also be into sports, karate, exercising, etc. most likely one of your children will have mars/aries in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be rude, full of energy, bratty/spoiled, passionate, bossy, etc, since these are traits of aries. a LOT of ppl with these placements get a c-section, atleast once, and most likely w/the first child. unexpected pregnancy is also seen here. oldest is most likely going to be a boy. since aries is fast, your kids may try to be born early, or are born earlier than due date.

Taurus/Venus🌸

“slow and steady wins the race” types. sensual. conventional. very romantic. stable. likes to touch/skin to skin. not complicated, some may find you “boring”. warm in the dating world/at the beginning of a relationship. flirting style is most likely polite(not perverted, well mannered, may come off as reserved even though they’re interested, etc). dates shall be lavish or romantic lol. candles, dinners, beautiful park, etc. hobbies may be baking/cooking, napping, binge watching tv, beauty(makeup, hair), shopping, tending to a garden, etc. you may like love songs, pop, rnb, jazz, slowed + reverb, etc. most likely makes sure their kids are dressed up/styled😎. kids are most likely beautiful, and in great condition. kids may like to watch you cook/bake, or do it with you. most likely one of your children will have taurus/venus in their chart, probably the oldest. children will most likely be patient, stubborn, well mannered, cold, practical, lazy, etc, since these are traits of taurus. pregnancy is usually smooth. oldest is most likely going to be a girl. i’ve known quite a few ppl w/this that actually like being pregnant. it makes so much sense that kylie jenner has this, literally all this applies😭.

Gemini/Mercury🌼

another placement that gets bored quickly, so keep them guessing. probably has a new crush every week or multiple at once. intelligent, and talkative. daydreams/thinks abt crush a lot. most likely tells their friends abt their crush too. happy-go-lucky in the dating world/at the beginning of a relationship. flirting style is most likely playful(calling eachother names, play fighting, etc). dates may be at a fair, library, etc. hobbies usually are social media, reading, trivia, writing, socializing, etc. honestly most likely likes all genres of music, but esp hyper music(edm, rap, pop, etc). most likely one of your children will have gemini/mercury in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be sneaky, curious, smart mouthed, witty, moody, etc, since these are the traits of gemini. adoption is indicated here. twins, or many kids in one pregnancy are also indicated here, and if that’s the cause then they’re most likely going to be male(s). pregnancy may seem quick.

Cancer/Moon🦀

loving, and affectionate. try to avoid being obsessive, and easily jealous. you may get attached too early in a relationship. they might be shy at first, gotta get them out their shell. tender in the dating scene/at the beginning of a relationship. flirting style may be traditional(man asks first/initiate, gazing/eye contact, etc) or sincere(blushing/makes it obvious, laughing a lot, etc). may prefer dates at home, museum, or park. hobbies may be mainly at home(cooking/baking, knitting, listening to music, watching tv, sleeping, watching little kids/younger relatives, etc). listens to certain music genres based off of mood, likes music that’s relatable, and in depth. most likely one of your children will have cancer/moon in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be caring, moody, emotional, clingy, kind, jealous, etc, since these are the traits of cancer. usually very fertile, and may have many kids. oldest is most likely gonna be a girl. try not to be obsessive w/your kids or too protective. i recommend using more than one source of protection😂.

Leo/Sun☀️

confident, and friendly. usually social butterflies. selfish with their partners lol, wants all their attention. jolly in the dating world/at the beginning of the relationship. flirting style is physical(confident) or playful(joking around/calling eachother names playfully, etc). shows their partner off. for dates, they seem like they’re down for anything. hobbies may be acting, singing, socializing, partying, painting, taking selfies, social media, etc. probably one of those assholes that play music so loudly/on speakers lmaoo. their music taste is in ✨good taste✨. most likely one of your children will have leo/sun in their chart, probably the oldest. confident, overdramatic, energetic, bossy, friendly, etc, since these are the traits of leo. you will shove your kids good traits in other parents faces💀, or just show them off in general. oldest is most likely going to be a boy. kids will most likely have great health.

Virgo/Mercury🐛

(im gonna say “we”, since this is my placement lol)

if we really like you, you can do no wrong in our eyes. we should try not to put our interest on a high pedestal, as we get disappointed easily sometimes😭. we have to learn that nobody is perfect, and make sacrifices. intelligent and chatty also. selfless in love/server love. another placement that most likely daydreams/thinks abt crush a lot. also talks abt crush a lot to friends. cautious in the dating scene/at the beginning of a relationship. flirting style is traditional(smiley, if a women/someone attracted to men expects the man to initiate lol or atleast wants him to, shy) or polite(pleasant, good manners, non sexual, etc). i admit, some of us send mixed signals😭. likes dates where you can talk/get to know eachother, so a library, coffee shop, etc. hobbies may be social media, hanging out, cleaning, shopping, making plans, debating, etc. another placement that likes all/most music genres. most likely one of your children will have virgo/mercury in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be clever, critical, fast learners, complainer, pragmatic, etc since these are the traits of virgo. we will worry/stress out abt our kids a lot. may also adopt or foster. twins/multiple births at once is indicated, and they’re most likely gonna be female(s). another placement that makes pregnancy seem like it goes quick.

Libra/Venus🌷

loves compliments. probably shallow tbh. easy going with partners. charming in the dating scene/beginning of a relationship. flirting style is sincere(makes eye contact, plays w/hair, etc). likes “beautiful” dates(beach, park, garden, etc) or dinners, it just needs to be romantic lol. hobbies are socializing, social media, taking pics, beauty(makeup, hair, skincare, etc), shopping, etc. may like love songs, rnb, jazz, pop, or multiple genres in general. most likely one of yours children will have libra/venus in their chart, probably the oldest. oldest is most likely going to be a girl. children may be social/popular, shallow, easygoing, etc since these are the traits of libra. makes sure their kids dress nicely.

Scorpio/Pluto🥀

likes to keep details of relationships private, but that doesn’t mean they’re gonna keep YOU private/hidden as a whole. probably falls hard. tries to hide vulnerability in love. don’t be neurotic in love lol. intense in the dating scene/beginning of a relationship. flirting style is sincere(mysterious, good eye contact, genuine interest, etc). might like “dark” dates (abandoned places, cemeteries, horror movies, etc.) hobbies are astrology, conspiracy theories, anything taboo, witch craft, watching videos abt crime, being alone, etc. likes “dark” music, maybe even like satanic shit. music abt scorpio themes(death, sex, etc). explicit songs. rap, rock, things like that. most likely one of your children will have scorpio/pluto in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be secretive, clever, possessive, intense, emotional, etc since these are the traits of scorpio. try not to be over controlling or possessive of children, and be open to change. usually fertile.

Sagittarius/Jupiter🍀

generous in relationships, gives, and gives. might not take things seriously when they should. spirited, and optimistic in the dating scene/the beginning of a relationship. flirting style is playful (inside jokes, more giggly around “them”, etc). carnivals, short traveling, anything wild(skydiving, bungee jumping, etc), are ideal dates for these ppl. hobbies consist of hanging out, learning(esp of other cultures, and religions), sports, reading, etc. probably likes religious music lmao, or music in languages they don’t even understand, if not then pop or rap. most likely one of your children will have sagittarius/jupiter in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be loud, rude, honest, selfish, curious, etc since these are the traits of sagittarius. ppl with this placement have/want a whole gang(like a lot of kids lmao), “the more the merrier”. probably gets pregnant without trying/the first try lmao.

Capricorn/Saturn🪐

doesn’t have time for games. a reliable, and loyal partner. serious in the dating scene/at the beginning of a relationship. flirting style is traditional(man speaks up first, clever, etc). dinner, museums, wine tasting, etc are good date ideas for you. hobbies may range from reading, working, shopping, learning abt history, collecting, etc. might like classical music, chill music/slowed + reverb, music from back in the day, etc. most likely one of your children will have capricorn/saturn in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be responsible, “boring”, caring, standoffish, reliable, etc since these are the traits of capricorn. you’re might not even want kids, or might have them in your 30s or even 40s, and if you do have kids it’s likely not that many(1 or 2 lol).

Aquarius/Uranus👾

some will be turned off by your distantness, some won’t mind. open minded in the dating scene/in a beginning of a relationship. flirting style is polite(aloof, might be awkward, honest, etc). painting, video games, go donating blood together, etc are probably ideal dates for you lol(also anything eccentric). hobbies are technology, social media, helping others, astrology, unusual sports, theories, etc. music taste may not be mainstream. might like unusual music genres like vapor wave, nintendocore, etc lmao. may also like alt, edm, etc. most likely one of your children will have aquarius/uranus in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be unique, cold, thinks outside the box, arrogant, etc since these are the traits of aquarius. you might adopt, or get unexpectedly pregnant. if you want kids of your own, you’re gonna need to know when you’re ovulating, since your fertility is likely all over the place.

Pisces/Neptune🍄

selfless, and dreamy partner. another placement that may ignore red flags, when feelings are involved. wholesome in the dating scene/beginning of a relationship. flirting style is sincere(blushes easily, stares, more smiley, makes it obvious, etc). painting, cuddling, listening to music with each other, etc are ideal dates for these ppl, but honestly i feel like they’d be down for anything. hobbies may be painting, singing, listening to music, sleeping, having friends over, drugs, and alcohol, etc. probably has many playlists, and listens to everything. “stoner” music lmao. most likely one of your children will have pisces/neptune in their chart, probably the oldest. children may be bashful, over sensitive, imaginative, lazy, sweet, etc since these are the traits of pisces. children’s birth may have hidden details(ancestry, hereditary, etc).

[after-witch]

What do you think about Empty Smiles? I heard a lot of people say the ending was rushed.

Also, is this the final final of the smiling man?

I have a lot of thoughts about Empty Smiles! So I actually had a WIP post with my thoughts in my drafts that I forgot about, I'm going to rework that here for an answer.

Short, non-spoilery answer: Yes, the ending is very abrupt, to a frustrating degree. If you check on Goodreads, almost every review mentions this, it's definitely not just me.

As for "is this the final final," Arden did say she was toying with the idea of writing a middle grade historical fiction where the Smiling Man plays a role. So she may not be done with him! I would love it if she did that. I have endless WIPs where it's just "historical setting reader + Smiling Man."

under the read more: loooong thoughts (criticisms & otherwise) about Empty Smiles, SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS for Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden.

First, the criticisms, because that's the juicy part right?

This book was too short. It really needed an extra 15-20 pages. The resolution is shockingly abrupt and doesn’t feel climatic at all. I literally had to go back and reread, because I thought I’d somehow skipped pages. I mean, I guess the resolutions in the previous 3 books were fairly abrupt as well... but since this was the last book, I expected something more drawn out and not as easy as "Okay we literally just walk and key #2 appears with no work or effort, then we're outside and we have key #3 and leave." There needed to be something more.

I don’t understand why the last two books were so short compared to the first two. Is it a publisher thing, maybe? Them wanting shorter books for middle grade consumption, instead of longer books which may be more YA? The library assistant in me says yes, but it is a theory only. I would hope it wasn't because Arden just gave up and didn't know how to end it.

Also the publisher does know how stupid it is for Empty Smiles to have excerpts of books 1-3 in the back, right? Who is reading book #4 but not book 1-3 first?? It's just to pad the book's physical copy out so that it doesn't look too slim on the shelves, and it's a cheap trick.

What else... so Phil is now part of the group but with how short this book is, you don’t get a solid sense of the new dynamic. They kind of wove Phil feeling left out in there (Phil is like, jealous that the evil clowns don’t ransack his house, lol, oh Phil) but it was a little flat.

Nmmm. Now for something a bit frustrating to admit. So I love all the Smiling Man, I’m over the moon about it, y'all know that for sure.

But I feel like the Smiling Man in this book is quite different from the Smiling Man in the first and second books in some respects. Why doesn’t he want to kill Ollie now? He was legit ready to doom her to die behind the mirror, to spend her eternity in a frozen hellscape either sleeping at best or chased by a creepy old hag monster ghost at worst, in book #2. He dug a knife into her heart, figuratively, when she told him about her mom dying.

It’s like he went from Book #2 “yeah I want you to die and suffer, watching you get dragged away to your damnation is so funny I'm actually crying, you thought you could best me, girl??” and #3 "literally trying to kill you guys, KILLED PHIL'S UNCLE" to being softer with her, no gloating, almost protective in some ways, for Book #4.

And mind you, he IS mean in this one. He really is. He shows Ollie a fantasy of her dad & Coco’s mom & Coco without her, trying to pressure her into agreeing to stay with him forever, and what he says to her is just so horribly awful and cruel. And he says terrible things to Coco (saying she’d look lovely as a transformed doll--lovely and quiet) and is delighted by the tortured ghosts of people who died, tormented, in a mental hospital.

He doesn’t care that the carnival has countless people trapped, and he tries to gift Ollie a doll that is a literal human being transformed into a toy. There’s a fucking... box... of broken “doll parts” (aka, literal human beings who are just?? broken?? pieces now jfc) and he doesn’t care that Ollie is horrified by it.

But there's this significant shift with his overall personal dynamic with Ollie. It’s like... he doesn’t care that she beat him anymore. That was the game the entire time. She beat him, and it really, really pissed him off, and he wants to get her (and by extension, Coco & Brian) back. So now he has her and it’s like... eh, whatever.

We get perspective from Ollie as to why her perception of him changes because they are constantly interacting and he is cordial and even funny sometimes, but we never see it from his side. We can’t, not without a chapter from his perspective. I honestly wish that Arden had been like, okay fuck it, and done a chapter from his perspective just before the final chapter. Maybe that would have helped. Because as it is, I am confused. 

I think this ties into why we needed to see Ollie make the deal in book #3, because I think that moment is what shifted the dynamic. He beat her. He finally beat her. We need to see that to get a resolution of their original dynamic, and to introduce the new one. But we don't, and so it's jarring.

And like... I find it fascinating, and I love it, and I lost my mind at him giving her soup and medicine and bandaging her hand and asking her to stay. But I have to personally fill in the gaps of why he's not acting so gleefully horrid over having beat her, and I shouldn't have to do that.

Also, loose ends, loose ends. What happened to the cat and the hound? Why is this carnival suddenly so important to the Smiling man? I'm sad that the cat & hound servants present in book 1, critical components of the Smiling Man when he’s in his element, don't appear at all. Especially the hound. He seemed quite kind to Ollie in the end, whispering gently that if she ever needed him, to call his name. Would have been a neat thing if she'd remembered, and called him. Maybe he could have given us some of the Smiling Man’s perspective that would have made his shift towards Ollie more understandable and sensible. 

For the positives.

Oh gosh, there's so much smiling man. There's SO MUCH. And we get a new facet of his personality, him 'at ease,' which is truly delightful. He randomly trips and horrifies a teenager. Why?? Just to fuck with them. He's surrounded by transformed humans who live terrifying existences as dolls that are literally given away to people who take them home as prizes, and he doesn’t care at best, finds it amusing at worst. Wonderful.

The way he interactions with everyone is just delightful. The way Tim describes him as "nice," but still refusing to let Tim see his sister; the way he's cooly cruel with Ollie and Coco sometimes, the way he gets frustrated with Coco ("Save me from stubborn girls" that line killed me and sent me straight up) and tells people to mind their manners and just... it's a smorgasbord of smiling man in his element. 

And the lore and backstory we get? I love it. It’s tantalizing, while leaving a lot open for interpretation. Especially when we get into the notion of the smiling man being “alone.” I can’t help but think of what someone else wrote about him on here, essentially saying that narratively, he is the :no one else to turn to,” he is Alone, personified, for people who think they have nothing else that they can do, nowhere they can go, no one they can turn to get what they want (whether they do or not). And for him to potentially in some ways, feel alone, and be alone, is very fascinating to me. 

And the little things, here and there. The train car being already decked out with furniture and such, and having old clothes in the drawer. Who was there before? How many were there before? Were there others, are there others? Tucked away here and there, perhaps agreeing to stay, perhaps not, and finding themselves trapped (into scarecrows, into dolls, into mirrors) when they aren’t able to escape like Ollie? 

I also love, on a non-smiling man related note, the closeness of the kid characters and the bond that they’ve developed. The end bit where Coco and Ollie agree that they’re sisters was heartwarming. I also love the involvement of the adults although apparently I’m in a minority on that one. I loved that it was realistic. I loved that, with Ollie’s dad, he wants to believe... feels compelled, deep down, and Arden keeps the detail going of him looking at the scar on his hand (from the snake in book #3) when the subject of Ollie comes up. Like some part of him knows, despite the smiling man’s magic.

Overall, I really did like it. The ending is not great/too abrupt, and I feel like we really did need that scene of the smiling man “winning” over Ollie from Dark Waters to truly bridge the characterization gap--but I love how much more Smiling Man we got, and I love that we got to see him basically be himself instead of in hiding for a good chunk of the story.

Oh, and... the Smiling Man wears Led Zeppelin and Grateful Dead band t-shirts to his carnival. I mean, the man knows how to dress. 

[walnutcookie]

PLS TELL ME ABOUT DRAGON PROPHECY AU PLSSS its my fav au of yours its very interestjng :)

GGWAAGAKHD im just gonna spoil it,, I was planning on making an animation and have people guess the lore but like its veen a year and i STILL havent made it .

i think its pretty clear that this is vaguely based off of wings of fire (i promise rhat was unintentional)

eclair is reading his favorite book, an enchanted one that generates knowledge over time . This one is about dragons!

and to his surprise, theres a page describing a prophecy for june 26th its like um

on the 26th of june

under the rising moon

the dragons of legend will call

and magic city will fall

guess what! its june 19th. eclair runs into espressos office because hes panicking and he has the closest office and espresso is just like . What the fuck why did you burst into my office screaming i am working. go bother someone else about your silly fairy tales. yeah he doesnt think the prophecy is real (esclair divorce arc /JOKE)

the days are getting closer and closer and eclair is losing his mind!!!!!he doesnt tell anyone else about it cause hes scared theyll react like espresso and call it silly. on june 26th eclair keeps looking up at the sky nervously and espressos like Dude chill nothing will happen [gets eaten by a dragon]

side note ! said dragon was earl grey purely because i wanted to put dragon features into their hom! design. no idea how they became a dragon but they did,, so now theres about 10 dragons flapping about parfaedia and wrecking it to pieces! (dont ask why i guess they were in a silly goofy mood)

eclair is losing his shit he just saw his coworker and friend and maybe crush DIE IN FRONT OF HIM WHAT THE FUCK!!!! latte is desperately trying to help creampuff figure out a way to stop the carnage and almond is bawling because his daughter got smushed into a walnut pancake . eclair turns to his library and searches through every spellbook he can find in a desperate attempt to fix things, and in a very shady and not so safe book he finds a spell to turn the user into a dragon ! he doesnt bother reading the warnings and spends literally hours and hours straight trying this spell desperately and probably passing out from exhaustion a few times i mean . he knows magic but not too much magic. but eventually he gets it and he turns into a dragon yippee!!!! also since all of yhe dragons have they/them pronouns . Spell that nonbinarys your gender (and turns uou into a dragon)

they go up to the dragons and the dragons are like Yo nice scales lol. u should hang out with us and eclair is like Oh.....well ummmm.......it cant hurt right. i will learn more about the dragons like a spy so i can defeat them better. (its not like they could take 10 dragons on all by themself anyways)

flash forward parfaedia is ruined. the dragons have left and returned to their homes, the surviving parfaedians have flocked to other cities and kingdoms. (roguefort fled on the first night the dragons came)

latte and cream puff (and almond but hes a ruined mess and they basically just drag him along) want to confront the dragons and maybe make peace or figure out what happened idk they find tea knight and all go to this cave in a mountain together ! they enter this HUGE library and theyre a little confused until Surprise!!!! theres eclair theyre a dragon now . everyones like What the fuck happened to you and eclair goes im better now :3 and says fuck you claws lattes eyes out and then bites tea knights head off . and then they just go home no happy ending

[hakureimus]

THIS ENDED UP GETTING A LITTLE LONG LOL. forgive me ahead of time if any of my points seem nonsensical i had a busy afternoon last night and not much time to write out cohesive thoughts :V

this could just be me (the blind fool who hasnt formally played ruina or lobcorp yet), but my guess is that if Ahab isn’t dead dead, I’m hoping that either our white whale, or whatever it is, is using his husk in some way or form. or a limbo between dead and alive, too far gone to be salvaged but also not ready to rest yet.

like, if the white whale is the proper final boss of canto v, i’d imagine that their spirit wouldn’t truly rest until it’s dead. That’s assuming that Ishmael doesn’t let the rage from her grief consume her in finally facing the beast that changed everything for her, a la “captian ahab possessing me giving me anger for something that cannot truly return it and will neither gain nor benefit from my death”.

Queequeg not at least being a significant part of Ishmael’s backstory, even if they don’t physically appear (see Gubo in Canto IV) will be such a missed opportunity, but knowing Project Moon’s writing there’ll be some good reason for it if that’s the case. God, I can’t wait to get that revelation, though. I can’t wait to see what they cook up period.

I think that Heathcliff or Rodya could also very well make good for Queequeg placement, but for different reasons, and my guesses as to why it may not happen are scumreads, basically. Additional disclaimer I still haven’t read wuthering heights or crime and punishment so i’m working with prior knowledge

Heath’s cards seem to be oriented around failure/success and his active role in trying to make a somewhat sustainable life because he’s lived in the backstreets for so long and knows there’s such thing as a better life. Rodya is very similar, in fact I think a lot of what differentiates their cards is how they handle success. Heath is good just being muscle since he’s very opinionated and that gets him carried away (for better or for worse), Rodya is good at being naturally charismatic and persuasive and how to finagle things. Both have a strong drive, just different methods and ways of handling it.

With that in mind, it’s really hard to decide which of them would be Queequeg, if there were to be a card…

my guess was on gregor being queequeg mostly for his sacrifice to give yuri the mask in canto i. it could just easily be chalked up to him thinking resourcefully (like, ‘hey, i just learned a few hours ago i can die infinitely, here is the one girl who can’t do that, we can all afford to die while she can’t’). like, his acting isn’t stellar, but he can buy enough time to at least confuse the guards in canto ii. And he’s not exactly a gourmet cook, but he could at least make something to keep him from running on empty (something im sure ishmael would empathize with LOL). in his scenario id imagine (as the story confirms iirc) it’s hard for him to find work in the first place, so when he finds kinship on the vessel it’d be a big moment for him. and knowing his own sense of futility at their approaching circumstances, i figure that in a moment of selflessness and trying to change someone’s fate, he would build the coffin that ends up saving ishmael (or whoever is ishmael in this situation)

and that’s not even accounting for all the theories i keep hearing bits of regarding his initial EGO art resembling the Library! god knows what else we’re missing from his life after the smoke war ended

sorry… im greg fan… chaos of irl life has gotten in the way of me properly dissecting the other sinners ;-;

anybody in the notes (or onlyexists who has the best url ever LOL) feel free to correct me on my thoughts, i just woke up after not being able to finish this yesterday lmfao. Ill definitely have plenty to correct myself on here in the future, but these are just a few thoughts to add to some thoughts in the end

hey i was just trying to explain very barebones gacha predictions to a friend when i said that if there was a queequeg card it would likely be gregor. But then, that got me to think, “no, queequeg’s role would likely be very similar to demian’s”

but then, i sat on it for a few more seconds. what if queequeg isn’t dead. what if they’re a part of demian’s faction.

i have no clue which one of the silhouettes in the trailer they could be, but i figure i present the idea

[small-gremlin-thing]

MY THOUGHTS ON AMPHIBIA S3E17:

Oh man, where do I even begin with this?!? The overarching story in general and the feeling of “this is it” that was prevalent throughout the episode was phenomenal, I was damn near on the edge of my seat the entire time. The visuals were also absolutely stunning, the fight scenes were edit worthy (source: already working on one lol), and I’m just blown away at how much the animation as a whole has improved since the start of the series.

I do have a few grievances unfortunately, the episode felt sort of rushed and could likely have been split in two, but I personally can look past that since I don’t expect perfection from this series (if you can’t look past it, I totally get where you’re coming from and we can agree to disagree).

Now, to break down my absolute favourite scenes, though not in full detail since I don’t want to type a 10 page english paper (that’s reserved for annoying my irl best friend). First and foremost, the introduction to Marcy’s mindscape/room/void(?). I’ll lump all of these together for simplicity. Going in I didn’t think that the room that Marcy was locked in was a little puzzle room, but really that doesn’t surprise me. Then we got to see the massive library and the fantasy world created for her (+ the dope ass outfits), and I unironically would love it there that place looks fun as hell (minus the creepy friends and possession of course). Then when Marcy rejected the fantasy by realizing that she didn’t want that, she wanted her real friends, and she got thrown into the void(?) I was lowkey a bit worried. But the connection was severed and she’s fine, so that’s good. On a similar note, the flashback to Marcy meeting King Andrias for the first time just solidified how much I love her as a character, and how much of a dick the core is.

The fight scenes in this episode need no introduction, as I’ll once again say that they were absolutely phenomenal! Whether it be between the Plantars/Boonchuys and robots/herons, Anne and King Andrias, or Grime/Sasha and Darcy, they all had me screaming (/pos, mostly). On a similar note, the loss of Grime’s arm caught me (and the vast majority of of the fandom as I’ve seen) by complete surprise. Time to bust out the clown makeup I guess, because I was convinced that it would be Anne. I’m not mad about that theory being false though, Anne doesn’t need any more trauma than she already has.

The scene where Sprig read King Andrias the letter from Leif and King Andrias sacrifices himself was also very well done! We got even more confirmation that Leif is a Plantar, and Andrias sacrificing himself(?) and turning out to be a cyborg was emotional (and unexpected as far as the cyborg aspect is concerned).

Finally, the reunion between Sasha, Anne, and Marcy was one I’ve been waiting for for forever, and it feels so nice to finally see it. They’ve all got their issues but the bond that they share is like no other and they’re destined to be by each other’s sides and just AAAHH MY HEART, I LOVE THEM!! The final moments where they realize that the moon is falling (is this Majora’s Mask??) and their work isn’t done followed by the end of the episode just left me wanting more in the best way.

Jesus Christ on a bike I wrote a lot, but not without reason I guess. My closing note is that I won’t be doing an analysis like this for the final episode, instead I feel it would be more in order to write a love letter of sorts to this show that has brought so much joy into my life. I was 13 when this show began, 15 when I was introduced to it, and I’m now 16 and almost done with my sophomore year of highschool. I feel like a love letter is in order if you ask me (also, if that would fall under the Amphibia Supernova event let me know so I can tag it accordingly!). I’m not ready for this series to end, but that’s where we’re headed, so I’ll see y’all on the other side.

[inky-for-a-bit]

Thanks to Them last minute theories! Put it under the cut because it got long and it mentions a few of the leaks

General character/thematic theories:

-Hunter and Luz won't reveal their secrets this episode

-Dealing with guilt and protecting loved ones by keeping secrets will be a big theme

-Hunter will be accepted by the Noceda family (well this one's pretty much confirmed by the review lol but still)

-Halloween/Scooby Doo vibes

-This episode will be largely focused on exploring the Wittebane brothers and their backstory

-We won't get any scenes on the Boiling Isles/the gang won't return there this episode

Part 1:

-So we know that the episode opens right after King's Tide, with the gang catching Camila up on what's happened and getting ready for bed

-Then the montage!!

-Luz goes to school, struggles to adjust to human school again, misses Eda and King, maybe gets teased/bullied by the kids there

-Meanwhile, the others are working on the portal back at the old house. The first part of the episode jumps back and forth between school and the witches. Flapjack makes a hole in the boards, where they find the box thing that Amity holds in the trailer.

After a while they figure it out, revealing this clue to the Wittebane brothers' past that we see in this promo pic:

Could this paper be the one we see with the grimwalker hand and a few other symbols? My guess is this paper was something left behind by either the Wittebanes or Caleb's wife before Belos lost the portal.

It looks about the same color and shape, and we see Amity, Gus's, and either Hunter or Willow's hands here- all people who are in the above scene. They're also pointing at the hand, which could be the grimwalker hand reach??

Just to continue this train of thought, we also see Hunter with a rake in the old house with a bandaged finger:

Perhaps grimwalker blood could be used to open a portal?

-Anyways, moving on with the plot. We see Vee's friends, maybe Luz meets them, Vee flirts with someone (!?!?)

-Then we have some fluff and angst slice of life stuff. We get some costume/human clothing stuff:

Over the evening and next day we get some character-focused scenes that Jade King mentioned:

Hopefully we'll get some information on Luz's dad! And halloween stuff here!

Part 2:

-I think in the second half of the episode the Hexsquad will split up. To continue the theme of keeping secrets, Luz and Hunter decide to investigate the old house and test the grimwalker theory without telling the others. Meanwhile, the others take a trip to the library and zoo to do research on Gravesfield's history and giraffes to see if either could help.

-I also believe it will be in this part of the episode that we get Wittebane flashbacks, due to that creepy witch hunter promo. These flashbacks could be just plain old flashbacks, an illusion Gus conjures up (after seeing Belos's memories in King's Tide), or done in a hand-drawn narrated story sort of way based on what the characters discover

-Fire might be involved in opening the portal, because of the fire in the witch hunter promo and what could be smoke in this crew art:

-As Luz and Hunter investigate, they stumble upon Goop Belos (which is why they have their trusty bat, rake, and masks!)

-While Luz and Hunter find and fight Belos, the others find out some important piece of information while doing human stuff and rush back. Camila joins them as they find Luz and Hunter to help get rid of Belos

-During the climactic battle they manage to open the portal. Just a wild theory here- maybe the opening of the portal is connected to Halloween night/full moon/something spooky like that, and Belos confronts them then not only to get revenge, but to get back to his human form (with help from the energy of that night) or return to the demon realm.

-The gang manages to capture/scare off Belos as the portal opens, and the last shot of the episode is them staring at the opened portal. Cliffhanger!

Questions I have

-not quite sure how Hunter saying "did you know that he was here?" fits in. I think he's either talking about the statues or Belos goop

-why didn't Hunter bring Flapjack to the mission??

-unsure of what will happen to Belos at the end of the episode. I doubt they'll kill him off this soon though

-Luz's Azura cosplay- where does that fit in?

-That leak with Hunter and Belos. Idk if it's real or how it will play out for sure

[wygolvillage]

REVIEWING EVERY CASTLEVANIA BASED ON HOW CONVENIENT IT WOULD BE TO LIVE THERE

CATEGORIES

-Food: does the castle have a kitchen? a dining room? places to eat? (food items do not count for this.) this is the category most consistently not met.

-Sleeping Quarters: literally any bed, sofa, or anywhere soft to cozy up counts for this

-Entertainment: anything like a library, a coliseum, a ballroom, etc. how fun is this castle?

-Aesthetic Appeal: how pretty is the castle?

-Overall: just overall how good of a life you’d have. also includes anything that doesnt fit into any categories

SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT

Food: there’s not much here, apart from the dining table in the castle keep, and the table in olrox’s boss room, which don’t have any food on them anyway. they are still recognizable as dining tables specifically, so i will count them though. the table in the observation deck on the outer wall could count as a place to eat dinner, with a nice centerpiece and two comfy chairs, but i feel like counting every table for this category is a bit too broad. if you’re REALLY hungry you could count the room in the coliseum with the gory, bleeding hunk of meat as food, but as it stands the sotn castle doesnt have anywhere to prepare food and hardly any places to eat it. 

Sleeping Quarters: there are plenty of nice chairs, but no beds. the best place to sleep would probably be the two cozy chairs in the library next to the little table with the green flame (i think u get the stone mask there?). they just look very comfy. the outer wall’s observation deck could be a nice sleeping spot, but the only chairs in there are a lot more rigid and not nearly as comfortable. drac’s throne could be ok too tbh, but having to go through the clock tower every time you want to leave doesn’t sound very fun lol (alternatively you could go through the chapel, but theres generally just a lot of climbing going on here). your options arent the worst, but they could be a lot better.

Entertainment: the castle’s got a huge library full of books to read, a coliseum to watch monsters fight to the death, a telescope, boat rides in the caves, and so on. I guess olrox’s quarters also can be seen as a ballroom. tbh i think in terms of stuff to keep you occupied in ur daily life sotn’s got you pretty covered.

Aesthetic Appeal: well it’s symphony of the night, of course it’s gorgeous! obvious points of interest include the marble gallery, the chapel, honestly just the whole thing. this game is very pretty

Overall: eh. ok, but could use some work on the essentials. needs a kitchen and a bedroom

CIRCLE OF THE MOON

Food: i’m actually impressed. there’s absolutely nothing that fulfills this category even in the broad sense. even if we were counting food items it’d lose out since they’re all stupidly rare drops.

Sleeping Quarters: ehhhh... maybe the throne room? other than that ive got nothing

Entertainment: ballroom in the observation tower, i guess using the observation tower in general could be counted as entertainment. there’s also some bookshelves in the warehouse, but going into a dingy old storage room to do some light reading sounds not very fun. the battle arena could be fun to watch though

Aesthetic Appeal: this castle leaves a lot to be desired with its drab color scheme. I think the chapel tower and eternal corridor are probably the nicest looking areas of the castle, and some paintings on the walls look pretty nice. probably the worst castle for this category lol

Overall: the worst. carmilla wtf. also may i please bring up the safety concerns of the extremely contaminated water and the huge hole in the floor with a potentially fatal drop

HARMONY OF DISSONANCE

Food: not much here, but juste’s decoration room does a lot of heavy lifting. there’s a table to dine at, silverware, plates and tea. not much, but it’s there, and more furnished for a meal than the ones in sotn. a decent choice. no place to actually prepare food, however.

Sleeping Quarters: thank goodness there’s an actual bedroom!!! up in the throne room, where lydie was kept. not only that, juste’s decoration room also has a delightfully comfy-looking bed. one of the best choices of castles to sleep in.

Entertainment: THIS CASTLE HAS A GIANT PINBALL MACHINE which surely counts for a lot. there’s some books, a radio, and a phonograph in juste’s room. other than that, not much. but its pretty decent!

Aesthetic Appeal: this might be divisive but i think harmony’s castle is really pretty. standout places include the wailing way and the chapel.

Overall: decent! ...if you spend most of your time in juste’s room, lol. If we disqualified it, hod would be much less appealing... and of course, the convenience is certainly hindered by the constant locked doors and weird interconnecting teleporters. not the worst though

ARIA OF SORROW

Food: there are drawers full of plates and stuff in the inner quarters, and waiter skeletons to serve you food. (i hope you like curry!). the basement underneath the dance hall also seems to have barrels full of food, as well as meat hanging in there. i think we can call that a kitchen area, right? there are even butchers to help prepare it. The garden could also be used to grow produce. your food situation is very good.

Sleeping Quarters: there are some comfy looking chairs in the inner quarters- and a very nice chaise lounge in the headhunter’s boss room. this is your best option for sure, and not bad at all!

Entertainment: there’s a pleasant garden, a ballroom, a coliseum, a study full of books, and so on. on par with sotn, maybe even better

Aesthetic Appeal: it is a nice looking castle, very pretty. i find harmony’s more visually appealing, but aria is pretty good. standout areas include the chapel, the gardens, the forbidden area,

Overall: pretty good! necessities are covered, there’s a decent room to sleep in, and there’s definitely stuff to keep you occupied. It’s also the only castle that actually has a bath! I considered making this its own category but i think aos is the only game that actually hits this requirement so it seems superfluous

DAWN OF SORROW

Food: similarly to aria there’s a garden where you could grow your own food, other than that there’s not much which is unfortunate. had the lost village been populated it’s possible you could’ve bought food from local sources, but that’s sadly not an option. the waiter skeletons are back though! enjoy your curry.

Sleeping Quarters: a sofa or two in the demon guest house, and most importantly- a couple of GIANT BEDS :D

Entertainment: there is a giant piano!!! and ballrooms!!! there’s like... slot machine thingies, also? there’s also nice walks through the garden, and there’s at least one toy duck iirc.

Aesthetic Appeal: very pretty castle imo, the pinnacle, dark chapel and the demon guest house are the prettiest areas imo

Overall: not bad but a step back from aria’s high caliber. very clear winner in the bed department though

PORTRAIT OF RUIN

Food: portrait comes with the important distinction that the titular portraits don’t count. areas outside the castle proper have been disqualified- it must be considered to be the same map (otherwise ooe would win immediately via having a nice cozy village, lol). the reason i bring this up is because the “city of haze” portrait has shelves upon shelves of food and a cake shop AND a bar, but because of this criteria i have chosen to disqualify it- the portraits, in addition, are not real locations, but manifestations of the artist’s will. it is hard to quantify this. anyway, portrait’s got a nice dining room where you fight the vampire sisters, piled high with fancy food, but there’s no real kitchen (a running theme, you’ll notice, lol). on par with harmony.

Sleeping Quarters: this castle has a pretty comfy looking throne room imo. other than that, not much. there are beds in the forest of doom iirc, if you count portraits, but i dont, and it seems kind of inconvenient to travel through dimensions just to find a place to sleep.

Entertainment: this castle has motorcycles which rules. surprisingly lacking in entire sections that could qualify, though. not even the usual library! behemoth’s boss room is a mini-coliseum though so i shall count it.

Aesthetic Appeal: it’s decent. not my fav looks-wise, but i think the great stairway, the throne room and the master’s keep are pretty nice. the windmill at the tower of death is also a highlight. and there’s definitely plenty of paintings to look at, lol

Overall: eh? not as good as dawn. im kinda questioning my decision to disqualify the portraits themselves but i think its fair.

ORDER OF ECCLESIA

Food: THERE’S A KITCHEN!!!! there are butchers to prepare the food, too, and lots of it. if anything ooe definitely wins in this category

Sleeping Quarters: pretty much just the throne room lol, yet again

Entertainment: the library is absolutely flooded with books, and eligor’s arena... exists. honestly if anything ooe’s castle seems more set up for war than day-to-day pleasures, with areas like the weapons depot and barracks being more utilitarian. as a result, it suffers in this category.

Aesthetic Appeal: HOT TAKE but i think ooe has THE PRETTIEST CASTLE IN THE SERIES. The entrance and the library and the view from the mechanical tower and just asdkjsdfhkjsdf its all so good.

Overall: it has its pros but definitely its cons, the biggest among them being no real place to sleep. mixed bag.

FINAL WINNER: ARIA OF SORROW