#I like the fact that I'm becoming more confident in my weirdness. owning it. if anyone doesn't like it they can leave. I am who I am.

[neverendingford]

.

[cadaveerie]

Why Lucanis is (probably) an abomination

DATV and general DA spoilers ahead!

As I pointed out earlier today, Lucanis has an ability called "Abominate", which I suggest could be a not very subtle indication that he is an abomination. This has been a theory for some time and I know people have pointed this out before, but I wanted to put together everything I can think of in relation to this and to give my own take as to why I believe that Lucanis is an abomination. Here are some of the indications that this could be the case:

1. He has "uncanny abilities" (and how he might have gotten them)

The fact that he both has spectral wings and that he can feel when someone does magic near him already sound very suspicious... but it becomes even more interesting when you look at this comment about the crows that Zevran does in DAO:

"I wonder... the Crows often made sacrifices of blood, and it game them uncanny abilities".

(thank you irabelas for this post! this is how i found out about this and it's a very good connection)

So one of the theories is that he could have gotten his "uncanny abilities" in that way. We know he was abused by his grandmother, like most crows get abused since they're children, and there's a chance that in order to become a better assassin he was forced to go through one of these rituals, that I suppose involve blood magic, as Zevran calls them "sacrifices of blood".

Another of the theories is that since he "died" in The Wake, he could have been in a situation like Wynne... but against that some people say that he probably just pretended he died, as in The Wigmaker Job he mentions that he'll grow a beard to hide from the people who want to kill him, so some people (and me too) think that perhaps he pretended to die to escape them.

And lastly, another somewhat common theory is that he got these powers at some point after The Wigmaker Job and the beginning of DATV, and that perhaps Zara Renata was the person who somehow made blood magic on him, as a form of revenge. It'd make sense since she's presented as a villain in The Wigmaker Job, and the chapter suggests that she'll go after him. One issue that I have with this, and that admittedly might not be super justified is that I think he could have had the wings before The Wigmaker Job started, as he had that weird itch behind his eyes at that point, and that's basically the reason why he is "the mage killer" in the first place. Basically, I associate the origin of his uncanny abilities, both the "itch" and the wings to the same event... But I'm not super confident about this, because he could have just developed the wings later. I suppose this remains to be seen.

2. He has pride-demon themed clothing and colors.

Lucanis seems to have eye patterns that resemble pride demon's eyes all over his clothing. And both pride demon's eyes and their nervous system-looking thing are purple, like his clothing and his wings.

Also, the fact that his writer, Mary Kirby, replied a black heart emoji to a post that pointed this out (and the original post also included an screenshot that mentions that Magisters refer to him as "the demon").

Which... Yeah, I think it's a weird choice to answer to something like this if it's not true? Either way I suppose it's a bit spoilery if this is the case but... I'm more inclined to believe she's teasing rather than that she would answer to something random if it were not the case.

Aside from this, people also point out the design of his tarot card.

The purple eye motif continues: in his own eyes (which could represent the fact that he gets that "itch" behind his eyes), the inside of his cape, the background (both in the bottom and behind him in those strange orbs), the little vials he has on his belt/harness, and the gems all over his outfit as well. Even some of the little pins in his belt kind of resemble purple eyes. Black is his main color, while purple is his accent color, not only in this art but it's consistent in everything we've seen of him.

His hood kind of looks like he has yet another Pride Demon-looking eye, and what I think could also be interpreted as little eyes to the sides.

The purple orbs around him could also be interpreted as eyes. Or as felassan pointed out on this post, the way they're drawn kind of make the background look like peacock's feathers. felassan also compares that part to Solas' eyes in the Dreadwolf form, which makes a lot of sense.

(first picture is from felassan's post, featuring the peacock feathers. I'm not sure where it's from, though)

I never thought of the peacock thing before, but I think most of us associate peacocks to pride, so it'd make a lot of sense. And the multiple eyes thing as well, it's something that's not only seen in Pride demons but in the Dreadwolf himself... and Solas is closely related to Wisdom spirits and Pride demons (which as he reveals in DAI, are two sides of the same coin: demons are "corrupted" spirits. And to be specific, wisdom spirits become pride demons when corrupted). This connection he has to these beings, aside from the fact that you can observe it in his writing, gets referenced by Cole directly. He calls Solas as both in multiple occasions (not "spirit" or "demon", but by the names Wisdom and Pride) in his vague monologues. And on top of that, at the beginning of DATV it seems like Solas has accidentally summoned a Pride demon, as Varric literally says:

"It is a pride demon! Damn thing probably sensed Solas' ego!"

And perhaps it's reaching, but this whole thing would make even more sense if the theory that elves were originally spirits is true... or at least if they had very strong connections to them, and that much seems to be real. Either way, I suppose that just because he's a mage he could still be close to both spirits and demons, as he talks about often, and at the same time he'd be vulnerable to being possessed by them. Also, even if it's not super notable in DAI, he has purple eyes in DATV, which could also be a connection to Pride. I think Trick implied that they were purple in DAI as well? But it's not as notable... I just wonder if this change only happened for artistic reasons, or if this change will be acknowledge in-game, because it happened in-universe as well. His eye color could be a coincidence I suppose... but it's interesting.

But anyway, this post is not about Solas! It was just a way to point out that Solas is very likely connected to Pride demons and Wisdom spirits, and perhaps Lucanis is as well, since the motifs seem to be so related.

3. He has a "demonic aura"

He is described in the character selector screen as a "Swift and precise assassin with a demonic aura". The demonic aura, paired up with everything else... adds to the suspicion, to say the least, lol. It's a very strange thing to say otherwise? It's one thing to call him a demon as a nickname, which could potentially be a way of insulting him, or reflecting how ruthless he is... But to say he has a "demonic aura" sounds oddly specific if he's not... literally possessed by a demon.

And finally, what made me be like "oh god this is so real", and made me decide to write this:

4. He has an ability called "Abominate"

"I saw my comrades fall, burned by the flaming sky or crushed by debris. The monstrous creature, looking as if a demon were wearing a man like a twisted suit of skin, spotted me and grinned. We had forced it to this, I realized; the mage had made this pact, given himself over to the demon to survive our assault."

- from Codex entry: Abomination.

"Rook is getting attacked on all sides, so you command Lucanis to use Abominate to knock enemies down".

And idk how to explain it, because there isn't a lot to talk about. The explanation is that "Abominate" sounds like it could come from "Abomination", and at the same time that could come from the fact that he is one.

Wynne and Anders were abominations, so it wouldn't be a new concept at all for a companion to be one. So if this is the case... this could just be so sad and tragic.

---

And as a bonus, maybe I'm looking too much into it, but this person played some of the game (since they were part of the Community Council), and they said this:

"would it be in bad taste to drop a Lucanis x Rook fic the day Veilguard releases" "There’s another angst pairing that’s fair game, too. Hmm"

And I think it implies that Rookaris will be an angst pairing, by talking about "another angst pairing". Obviously, this could have nothing to do with the Abomination / weird powers thing, I'm not trying to put words on their mouth. There could be many other aspects that make the ship angsty, or perhaps I'm interpreting this wrong and the ship is not angsty at all... So I'm not taking this seriously, I'm just reaching with this. BUT... imagine. The angst potential... I choose to believe lol.

Before ending this I want to give my take as to why a Pride demon, out of every other kind. I talked slightly about this before, but my preferred theory for how he acquired his powers is that his family made him get them forcefully, which I know doesn't make that much sense, given the fact that there's no mention of wings in the The Wigmaker Job. Perhaps he just didn't show them, perhaps he got them after The Wigmaker Job... but then where did he get his ability to sense magic like that? Could it be that he was born with it? I can't think of any case like this for other characters... it's almost as if he was a mage? But he doesn't seem to have other magic abilities besides that one... (I thought that perhaps all non-mage companions would get some form of magical abilities because everything got fucked up... But I haven't thought about it much so I won't write it here. And I suppose it wouldn't make a lot of sense since that seems like a Harding thing). Perhaps he had this natural sensitivities to the Veil and magic before, and so when everything went down that's when he became extra magical. Perhaps the gods escaping--and whatever happens afterwards--fucked everything up, and he got the wings at that moment, like Harding? Hers is probably Titan magic, but both could be as a result of the gods escaping and/or the Veil getting fucked up. Or something else we don't know yet.

Those are all possibilities, but coming back to my personal preferred theory: perhaps he got his powers through a blood-magic ritual performed by the Crows (whether only the magic-sensing ones or the wings too, I don't know). And to my main point: if that were the case, perhaps the pride is not exactly his, but from his grandmother, Caterina Dellamorte. It seems like his story will revolve around expectations from family vs. one's own desires and individuality, so my theory is that perhaps that's the origin of this "Pride". Lucanis is the heir to the Antivan Crows, so could it be the Pride that Caterina has for her preferred grandson and heir? The Pride of the Dellamortes? The Pride of Antiva? A lot of pressure, a lot of people to disappoint, and someone very important in his life to disappoint (and well, we should probably add Illario to the equation... But for an hypothetic Pride demon, I think Caterina is probably the proudest of all the Crows).

And if not that, even if this ritual didn't happen at all and the demon just happened to find him for some reason, perhaps the anxieties he feels about his family and making them proud was what attracted that spirit to him. Perhaps a demon managed to trick him, and the being possessed him. All options could be interesting, in my opinion.

But who knows. Perhaps it's nothing like this, perhaps he's not even an abomination at all! I just think there are a lot of indications of it, and it'd make a lot of sense. And I think my theories make some sense at least! :]

And that's all! Long-ass post. I don't know if I missed anything else, but this is why I believe that he is an abomination, and in particular he was possessed by a Pride demon. To be honest I wouldn't mind being wrong because... this would be so, so sad, and I don't know if I'm ready lol. But I'm excited at the possibility! No matter what I can't wait to meet and romance the hell out of him.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinions :D

Edit 1, Edit 2 (SPOILERS)

[margindoodles2407]

You guys were asking for the Fives And Echo Dissertation so here it is. Courtesy of @seeking-elsewhither, who first asked the question, "Do you think Fives or Echo is older?" and then patiently listened as things got out of hand.

(Author's note: this is written in my own sort of weird style, where I have a point to prove but to prove it I use almost a kind of narrative style. A great previous example of this is The Crosshair Dissertation, which I published whilst watching The Bad Batch. I hope this style doesn't throw anyone off. Thank you for your time.)

@whyoneartheven You may be interested in this and @kitty-i-swear-to-gosh I know you asked me where the thesis was so I'm tagging you. I hope you don't mind :)

Tube twins are incredibly rare within the ranks of the GAR. Very few of them survive gestation due to lack of nutrients or other complications, and the few that do are often… taken care of by the Kaminoan scientists. The reason for this is that (based on prior tests and research) tube twins, more than any other clones, have a tendency to become dangerously codependent. They will often prioritize their twin over the rest of their squad, which means missions get failed and battles are lost. And Force forbid a pair of twins get separated, whether it be through simple reassignment or, worse, death- it can cause severe mental depletion to the point of a psychosomatic response, a full-on breakdown, and too many other problems to count.

Neither Fives nor Echo knows the real reason they were allowed to survive. They both doubt it was a show of mercy on the parts of the Kaminoans, and even less likely is the idea that they somehow slipped through the radar unnoticed. They agree, though, that it's better not to pry. For their own sake.

Now, with this knowledge in mind: let's examine the fact that, in my mind, Fives is the elder twin. To make sense of this, you may need to take a brief refresher on my characterization of Fives. He's a silly guy, yes, and we love him for it. He also takes responsibility incredibly seriously, he does NOT tolerate those who abuse their positions of authority, when he sets his mind to something only the Force itself could possibly hope to stop him, and he is willing to literally fight and die for the people he loves.

Now, Fives is not the eldest of his vode. He has Hevy, Cutup and Droidbait ahead of him, and only Echo directly under his care. Echo his twin, Echo his closest brother, his best friend, his confidant, his better half.

And he, Fives, is his older brother.

On Kamino, he keeps his head down, as much as deep in his soul he wants to lash out against the Kaminoans and their standards of genetic purity, because if he were to act out on Kamino he could get himself and his entire squad in trouble. And he has a responsibility not to do that. But he also has a responsibility to protect them- ESPECIALLY ECHO- in other ways.

He… becomes a little bit overprotective of Echo. He has a tendency to constantly pull "older brother status", but he's not doing it out of a sense of inflated ego or superiority, he's doing it out of a genuine sense of duty. He's doing it because he knows the danger tube twins are in, the fact that most of their twin brothers died as tubies or newborns. He's doing it because he knows Kamino is a harsh world, a dangerous world, a world of scientists so pragmatic that they speak of human beings as "units" and discard anyone who doesn't measure up to their standard of genetic perfection. He's doing it because he loves Echo, he loves his brother more than anything in the galaxy and he genuinely wants him to be safe. But Echo, especially as a cadet, doesn't fully understand this. And he does resent Fives, just a little bit (mostly as a cadet), because in his mind Fives is only being needlessly overprotective. He feels that Fives won't let him fight his own battles, he feels that Fives thinks that he's weak and incapable just because he's the youngest and the younger TWIN and the straight-laced rule-follower who would never willingly go seeking out a fight. As cadets, they get into a LOT of arguments about this, and it's not until right before their graduation that they both finally seem to fully understand each other.

Now-- the Kaminoans are absolutely not justified in their termination of tube twins. But they aren't exactly wrong about the dangers of codependency. Especially after the Rishi Moon, Fives and Echo really feel like it's them against the galaxy. That's not that they don't love and care for their other brethren, but they begin to cling to each other in somehow an even more intense way than they did as cadets and as shinies. It's a good thing they both end up going to the 501st, they both end up in Torrent Company, they both enter ARC Training and both graduate ARC Training. It's a good thing they're assigned on the same missions. Rex and Anakin recognize that they do seem to work best as a team, their movements seem to be in tandem and it's almost as if they can communicate between each other without saying anything, which makes them both utterly fascinating to watch and entirely lethal on the battlefield.

So of course it's only natural to assign them both to the Citadel mission.

Such a shame no one knew there was a bomb in that shuttle.

Fives spends the next few weeks after the incident completely out of it. He's a sobbing, hysterical, sleep-deprived mess, and everyone begins to wonder if the stories about separated tube twins having broken minds are true. But Fives is not a fragile man. He's devastated, he's lost the person he loves most in all the world, he's experienced the worst tragedy in his short life… but he also knows that he has a responsibility. To his Captain, to his Company, to his brothers. So he pulls himself together and goes back to war. But there's something markedly different about him after the Citadel. He's still warm and friendly and kind, but he's not as quick to smile. He's slower to laugh. His gaze holds a kind of sadness and emptiness to it that brothers unfamiliar with the story of his life don't fully understand. (Even the ones who are familiar don't fully understand. Only the Captain, and the men who were at the Citadel, really get it, and even then… none of them had a twin.)

When he first meets Tup and Dogma, they kind of remind him of the old days. They aren't twins, but they share such an incredibly close bond that they could be. He sees a lot of himself in Tup. He sees even more of Echo in Dogma, which is why the whole debacle with Krell breaks his heart so much. (People ask him if he hates Dogma, for everything he did. For trying to execute him. Fives always looks them hard in the face and simply responds, in clipped tones, "No, of course not. How could I hate my brother?" The recipients hardly wonder if his words might have a double meaning.)

He ends up taking Tup under his wing, the way Rex took him and Echo under his. (If Dogma had stayed in the 501st, he'd be there too.) And part of the reason they're such close friends is because of the way that Fives sees so much of himself in his younger brother (and so much of Echo in Dogma). It's one of the reasons Fives fights so hard against the chips.

It's the reason that it's not just blasterfire that shatters his heart.

Echo is rescued from stasis a few weeks later. He doesn't ask where Fives is, not at first. There's the whole shock of getting off of Skako Minor, then there's the stress of the Battle of Anaxes, then there's the joining of an entirely new squad.

But he knows there was a reason, and not a good one, that the arms he woke up in were Rex's and not his twin's.

He finally works up the courage to ask the Captain where his brother is.

Rex tells him Fives is gone, and he screams.

He screams, horrible sobbing tears, because the one and only thing that kept him going through those years of horrible torture and pain and absolute agony was the fact that he HAD to stay alive, because he HAD to see Fives again. He HAD to get back to Fives his twin, Fives his closest brother, his best friend, his confidant, his better half.

Was everything he went through for nothing?

Should he have just… let himself die? On Skako Minor, should he have just… given up?

No. No, he tells himself, when he's finally calmed himself down (which is… not after a short period of time). That's not what Fives would want.

And that's why, when he has a chance to go with Rex, when he has a chance to go and finish what Fives started- rescue their vode from the prison in their own minds- he grabs it with hand and scomp and doesn't let go. He loves Clone Force 99, he loves Omega, he loves them all more than he's loved anyone since he was first separated from his brother.

But this… this is why he didn't die. This is why he didn't let himself give up. Rex told him the stories, the stories of Umbara and the tragedy of the Chips. And Echo knows that, if Fives were alive, he'd be right there too, fighting the Empire under its very nose.

How could he possibly do anything else?

(And, years and years and thousands of rescued Clones later, as he lays, an old man, struggling to take his final breaths, surrounded by his former Captain and the squad that took him in and the little girl with star-colored hair who has grown into such an incredible young woman-- out of the corner of his failing eyes he sees a bluish figure with unruly curls and warm, grinning eyes and a supernova smile, eternally twelve-twenty-four and crystal clear against the grey fuzz of everything else. And finally, it's the twin he lived his whole life in memory of who's the first to welcome him into the afterlife.)

[spiderpussinc]

You know your post about divorced Peter got me thinking. A lot. Then I realized that I, in fact, never thought about this much because from the beginning I just stay in my lane rather than judging people for divorcing Peter again. I think I am really too old to care that much about what people write especially if it end up limiting other out of moral obligation.

Basically it's dumb and you're right

Ur the most normal for this. Its incredibly fucking silly discourse to me bc Peter Parker *has* been divorced for pretty much two decades now. (Not even just divorced - the marriage was ERASED out of canon. they are just ex bf/gf.) MJ has her own share of past and present different partners! There are multiple universes where she is either *canonically* a lesbian, or implied to be coming to terms with it. Peter had countless girlfriends/hookups in the meantime! I think what gets me the most is how confidently wrong a lot of these assumptions are; I keep seeing this weird "one-and-only, first and last, soulmates.." thing applied to Peter and MJ and its like...

1. Peter dated multiple people before her AND after her; Gwen wasn't the first either, but for a long time, Gwen *WAS* the biggest regret of his life and they were meant to get married. Gwen was the one based on stan lee's wife, the closest thing to a planned soulmate; and she dies bc it's not meant to be. Not ever. There is no predetermined true spider-man love interest, you're just talking about some of the adaptations you've seen. This is one of the most debated superhero writing convos of all time LOL even Marvel editorial internally disagrees on this - everyone has their favorite. That's the point!

2. Divorce is based and awesome and maybe I'm just getting old but when a marriage doesn't work **having a child** certainly isn't the thing that's going to save it. I know how that one goes! Be prepared to crash even harder once the baby glow passes and the complex shit kicks right back in! To be honest it'd be even more realistic if it crashed again post-mayday, or if MJ divorced him bc she was already pregnant and wanted to do something better with her life instead of playing second fiddle to spider-man forever or being in peril to motivate his character arc.

But the thing that does annoy me is how entitled some ppl have become. Siding with actual homophobic redditors and posting up under gay fanart with the most annoying 'umm. hes married? the sanctity of marriage???' comments. who fuckin care. It's comics. It's all fanfic. Even the published stuff. Stream:

[dolliestfairy]

𝐹𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐹𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑦𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑒╰🎀 . ִ ۫ ⁎ .

Gojo, Nanami, Sukuna, & Megumi with Chubby!Fem!reader who is a Fashion Fairy ᮫ׅ ๋ 𝆹 ׅ╰🧚🏻‍♀️ . ִ ۫ ⁎ .

🧸 A/N : hey hey i'm just done taking a break for like 2 days so now i'm back writing again hehehe :) also i forgot to make the pt 4 of the baker series with gojo, but i already put him in here so i'm just gonna post this first, and then maybe i'll post the baker series pt 4 later. tysm! if you like my writings, please reblog & feedbacks me! ty!.

🧸 Warnings ; genoside mentions & murdering attemption include, Mocking/bullying (not from the jjk characters) and maybe some misspelled word. reader skin color is not announced.

Gojo ʚ ₊˚ ᥀

• Yuhh another fashion-enthusiast 👸🏽👓🤏🏻

• love your style so much that he sometimes buy clothes that match your style.

• really support your ethusiasm over fashion!

• every week after he had done his training or mission, he goes to where you lived, knock the door at your house, and ask you "Y/N lets go shopping tonight~!"

• if you refuse he will be a pouting baby, whining over everything. but if you accept him, this goofball will be Over the Moon 🌙🌬

• like, after you accept his invitation, he will goes to tell his happy news to his friends and his students in a rather exaggerated manner.

• Yuuji, Megumi, Nanami was exhausted at this point, hearing gojo mumbling "She accept it!" over and over again, at this rate they dont even know if this was a blessing or a curse.

• so mother fucking proud having you as his S/o. always mumbling and bringing it to others. but if some lowlife starting to mock you, he's going to act like an annoying offensed teenager saying "How could you say/do that to the love of my life!?" but... if that lowlife is taking it as far as wanting to hurt you or endangering you, well i suppose they're gonna have to encounter the Horrifying side about Gojo Satoru (although he'd still be in his Goofy attitude 💀)

Nanami ʚ ₊˚ ᥀

• didnt mind it, in fact he really love it, but he just doesnt show it too much.

• we all know Nanami is some sort of stoic person, so its not so surprising hearing this. he really really love you, and would die & kill for you. but he's a Man that doesnt really show it out loud.

• he's showing his love with how much he want to spend his time with you.

• one of his favorite part is that, he really love seeing how confidence you are in your beautiful clothes & jewelry.

• theres nothing more entertaining for him than seeing you compliment yourself in front of the mirror. he really love seeing you happy, and he would want to keep your confidence forever.

• but theres a time where some pest trying to somehow.. trying to.. lower your confidence. trying to.. make you uncomfortable about your own self & body.

• and if nanami knew that his beloved s/o is getting mocked and look down by some pest, he's going to go straight to their home, knock at their door, and lecture them with the wisest yet cruelest words you could ever imagine for 5 hours straight until that pest is become a crying mess and begging for mercy.

• after he done with those pest, he's going to a gentle giant to you. he's gonna try to make you confident about yourself again.

• what do you need? cuddles? food? more dress? more clothing? jewelry? hair accessories? no problem, its all for you.

• Would kill for you if that means he can see you happy and being comfortable with yourself again.

• and that's just how Nanami Kento show his love and devotion for you in his own way.

Sukuna ʚ ₊˚ ᥀

• oh my god this man.......

• he looks like a dilf but i'm telling ya this man is aged MORE THAN A 1000 YEARS OLD. so i'm just telling it may not go so well.

• he sometimes think millenials opinion and choice about their style and fashion are weird, but its not like he cares about them.

• hell he's the King of the curses! why would he cares about mortals fashion anyway? *pfft*

• but its all change when he meets you, the love of his life although he'd rather cut his tongue out than calling you this lmfao

• oh how he looove the the colors you put outside your skin, how they compliment your curves, giving you the best look, and the confidence. yes.. the confidence 🙌🏻 the way you compliment yourself in the mirror, also the way you gave zero fuck about some people who want to take down your confidence.

• but that doesnt mean that people can just get away. you may used to it but sukuna was far from it. he's going to go to that fuckface place and take their lowlife lives.

• he may even go as far as planning a genoside if it means keeping you safe & happy.

• but we all know he's a major tsundere, so he only would-to-never admit all of this at all.

• he probably would admit this in the most confusing way you could possibly imagine.

• but again, thats just how he show his love for you. he would kill for you, and he would even start a genoside if its necessary enough to keep you safe & happy.

[mysteryanimator]

Myst rambles about animation longer then they should + their love for Nocturne whoops

I keep thinking about the animation industry as of late again, all the layoffs, all the animators looking for jobs. So I might just be speaking to a void right now. I have not experienced any of the drought so I just may look doe-eyed trying to break into a disaster zone but I’m just here to offer that newbie perspective, as naive as it may seem. I’m gonna try and keep this short (whoops a lie) but if you can see where this is going, this is just going to be me talking about the impact Nocturne has on me, aka rewriting the abhorrent Twitter thread/Instagram post where I free-formed without checking my grammar. 

As someone who is pursuing animation, I have watched A LOT of animated shows growing up, I swear it was the only medium I did watch growing up. I made scuffed animatics and animations of the current show I was watching, not realizing they counted as love letters to the media. Yet, the animation industry scared me. It was so elusive and mysterious. The bar seemed too high, even when I decided to choose to study it at university. It seemed so out of reach.

Until Nocturne. 

Castlevania Nocturne practically humanized the industry to me. These people were fans of their own creations. They breathe life into them. All the character sheets that popped into my timeline, the rough cuts, all the silly memes. Something that seemed impossible became possible within an instant. My skills at the time were not what they are now by any means, hell even now I could be better, but, I looked at that show and went “I can do that. If they can do it, maybe there’s a chance I could do something like that.” I think it helps I am at a stage of my life where I can consciously consume content and have the ability to break it down.

Also, let's be so honest, it's combined with the fact that I fell in love with Mizrak and Olrox's plot... you get a very insane person. Passionate but insane. Who spends their entire day going frame by frame reanalysing 10 minutes of an episode? ME. Despite this, I have learned so much more than all my years at university have given me. I have become a genuinely better animator and a better artist. My understanding of animation finally clicked. I knew I was built for animation but didn’t know how I fit into it. I’m constantly on YouTube, absorbing information from YouTube channels like Dong Chang, wandering around Discord Sakuga servers/twitter, and taking notes. I'm still worried about bothering other people in the industry/more technically skilled than me but I think I'm getting slowly better and going "Hey I love your work! How did you achieve x/y/z? OH!? Can you explain what this means?" because again, these are just people like you and me.

So every single Mizrak and Olrox animation I’ve made has not only been a love letter to the show, and crew of people who put their heart and soul into making this, but these animations have been a testament to my skills. Take it like a capsule of how I’m improving every month. I will admit I sometimes get weirded out of the fan content I make, albeit a combination of low confidence, and imposter syndrome, and now my animation style has just become very synonymous with the nocturne style. These ‘cons’ however do get outweighed by the pros of it all. Finally finding a style that I find goes hand in hand with my illustration style (and I can't wait to see how I can evolve it into my own) and the bouts of self-doubt are vast and temporary. I am super grateful that I can look at my work in times of doubt and go “Literally anything is possible, let me put on a show that explores this certain animation principle/story beat in a particular way, and let me study it!"

It's super embarrassing to admit but Nocturne has genuinely changed the trajectory of my life. I am genuinely a whole new person with such a different outlook on animation because of this show. Yes, I am creative through and through, you cannot separate that from my blood, but Nocturne solidified that “You are exactly where you need to be”. The industry is in shambles, with people now reaching a year+ jobless, and contracts are ending, yet, if Nocturne genuinely wasn’t released at the end of September, I do not think any of this would've clicked.

(Backed up by the very fact I am/was directing a short and running a genuine studio when Nocturne came out. I was very unconfident at the time and doubted myself a lot in private since it was my first time doing any of this. This show helped me solidify a new perspective on how to run things! How to be a stronger animator!)

Now again, this is such a crazy thing to say now. I'm watching people from the show I love have their contracts ending/being laid off since last year. I swear every second tweet on my tl is of an animator desperately looking for a job or on the verge of giving up. Me, Mystery, is an animator with no skin in the game, so I don't truly know what the Western animation industry looks like from the inside besides what I get from social media. Let’s be honest, for all you know, I just animate two characters kissing constantly. That is merely the surface of its impact. HEY, I MAY DELETE THIS B4 ANYONE SEES BECAUSE THIS IS KINDA EMBARASSING, the industry sucks right now. People are losing their jobs, so what I’m saying may not matter, but also I think it does maybe? I think this is just a unique perspective to where people are losing faith and hope in the animation, I re-sparked my thanks to Nocturne. Who knows, I may lose this spark as I go further into trying to break into the industry once I'm out of uni, but I��ll take what I have now and ride this new bout of inspiration and creativity. I want to tell stories. I want to bring life to still images. I know it's possible because Nocturne exists. These are real people who exist, who put their love and care into this show. Passion like that is inspiring.

I also somehow can't escape these people reading this, so if you have made it this far- thank you for making this show the way you have! Thank you to all the people both still in it and to others who have had to part with Nocturne. I will admit I have gone through the credits and made sure I could try and learn from everyone's work despite how unique/different each role is.

I hope my grammar is better than last time HAHAH, the technicality of English isn't a strong suit of mine but fingers crossed that the ideas/content are still passable.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading SVSSS: Bonus- Chapter 31

For those who don't know, I am reading SVSSS for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag bloopitynoot reads SVSSS. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read.

I am in a food coma right now, I am not going to lie. I went on a double date today that was a donut crawl part 1/2. We went to two local donut shops and sampled donuts- it was so tasty but also, SO MUCH SUGAR.

(I did read the chapter pre donut meal though with some white tea).

Left side Lady Glaze: we rated these 3/5. They were fine. But honestly not as good as they were when they opened the shop! Right side Debrodniks, much better but so sweet 4/5.

We have two more places to check out, but that will be another weekend LOL.

let's gooo chapter 31

I'm three sentences in and already intrigued by the chapter. Although, I am terrified for the nature of the survey questions. p339

unrelated to this chapter- this is such a random thing to include in this book. What I would give to have a glimpse into the brain of MXTX. Like I 100% want to know how this book came together and why certain things were included or not. So good

starting this interview with sass from Binghe AND unanswered age questions that even airplane has 0 idea about. pp339-340

Also airplane with this survey: yeah, let's just not answer these next 30 questions....p340

Airplane: describe each other. SQQ with 0 chill: (not actually but my interpretation of this literature) LBH cries so much, is a little bitch, and is also a big simp. LBH: Shizun is so kind. p340

Wait, this went from kind of awful for the duo to really soft. "What do you hate about one another?" LBH & SQQ: Nothing. p341.

Baby Binghe wants to husband this man so badly. p342

oh god. The fact that LBH thinks the Water Prison was their first date is WILD. p343

"A helpless masochist; beyond cure" not wrong about LBH. p345

My personal headcanon during this interview is that airplane is listening to these two and watching them interact and simultaneously questioning two things; 1. his own relationship dynamic with Mobei-jun and how the two in front of him are a disaster 2. his entire writing of LBH in PIDW and what has become of his beloved protagonist. p347

LOL WAIT. The next page he does indeed reflect on the second thought I wrote and PIDW. p348

"Best way to please your partner during sex" LBH: <confidently> not crying. Pls help this man, the standards LOL. p350

These two are so weird, but they work

I honestly don't know how they work, I don't even know how to describe this couple to other people, but like good for them. What two absolute weirdos. One is trying to actively gaslight themselves into being straight (while actively caring about the other) and the other is just smitten. So damn weird.

ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO! I hope to read it tomorrow morning (honestly mostly because Monday I want to start on the massive pile of fanfic yall have been so kind to share with me).

[sortofshea]

On the 7th day of @hprecfest this fandom gave to me...

Day 7: the best of your OTP

Title: Turn by Saras_Girl

Pairing: Draco x Harry

Explicit | 306.7k words

Summary: One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Why I recommend it:

This prompt is so insanely hard, I started looking for a fic to fill it yesterday ago and still haven't completely settled on one. I'm just banking on filling some of the other prompts with more of my absolute favorites, so for now, let's dive into the one I've chosen.

After much deliberation, I went with Turn and this post is about to turn into an essay so get ready.

This fic takes place almost 20 years after the end of the war. Harry is married to Ginny and they have three beautiful children together, but both Ginny and Harry have become rather disillusioned with their lives. Harry hasn't admitted it to himself yet, but he hates his job as an Auror. Ginny had quit playing professional quidditch when the kids came along and also resents her job at Gringotts. They have both become weary and exhausted people going through the motions. Ginny is always angry or annoyed and they haven't had sex in god only knows how long. Neither of them have wanted to.

Harry takes a rather melancholy walk down to a nearby pub one night when he should be sleeping. He winds up getting sozzled with a weird old man who tells him some cryptic things and then sends him on his way home for the night.

The next morning, Harry wakes up in an unfamiliar bed that he shares with none other than Draco Malfoy. Having woken up in an alternate universe would have been jarring enough as it is, but now Harry has to rapidly adjust to the apparent fact that he has been co-habitating with a man he hasn't seen in more than a decade and never exactly had warm and fuzzy feelings about.

Harry spends the next few months in this alternate version of reality trying to figure out what choice he had made in this world - and not made in his own - that had led to this unlikely pairing. He also begins to get to know this alternate version of himself who seems to be happier and more fulfilled than he himself is, with no one to confide in except for Ginny and Blaise's non-existant (in his universe) daughter. In this version of reality, Harry has become a craftsman. He works with wood and dabbles with other materials like glass, crafting furniture and trinkets for the wizarding public, and Harry rapidly finds himself out of his depth trying to keep up with strange commissions and run his apparent shop.

He finds himself slowly falling into a comfortable routine and acclimating to this new version of reality. He begins to understand this other version of himself's relationship with Draco and starts to fall in love with him as well. Just as he is truly beginning to feel settled and content in this version of reality, he is sent back to his own on the morning after that fateful night at the pub.

The next few months consist of Ginny and Harry accepting that their relationship had ended a long time ago and working out the details of their divorce. Harry sets out on a quest to find the fulfillment and happiness that his other self had and winds up in Diagon Alley at the location that his shop had been in the other universe. After taking a leap of faith and quitting the Aurors, he purchases the workshop and sets to work reshaping his life.

He also takes it upon himself to find Draco, who it had also been announced in the papers, was undergoing a divorce from his wife, Astoria. This version of Draco Malfoy is different from the one he had gotten to know in that alternate universe. He is less happy, less outgoing, and vibrant. Draco is world-weary and initially skeptical of Harry's intentions, coming back into his life out of the blue. Their friendship develops gradually and Harry finds himself once again falling in love with the man he is getting to know all over again.

Around both of their individual divorces and learning to navigate their relationships with their children - who are doing their own adjusting to the new reality of their parents' separations - Draco and Harry are out of their depth and come to lean on one another. Their transition into DracoandHarry is slow and halting, but unavoidable.

I adore older, adult drarry and seeing how Ryu portrays them post-canon epilogue is so satisfying. Everyone feels so perfectly in character and the way that events unfold makes sense and feels so natural. Draco is endearingly neurotic in this one and I personally loved his need for symmetry because my headcanon Draco Malfoy may be poised and self-satisfied, but beneath it all, he's undeniably a weirdo. Harry is so patient and understanding with him, it makes my heart squeeze.

I will never stop returning to this fic. It's beautiful and melancholy and hurts just enough but doesn't utterly shatter your heart on the way to the comfort. If the 300k+ word count is daunting, there is a lovely podfic version by @mab-speaks that I listened to when I was otherwise unable to read the fic myself, if that's more your speed.

[shingekinomyfeelings]

Shh (Reiner x female reader; smut, PWP; mdni please)

nsfw. canon universe, alt timeline, 104th cadet training era in which characters are aged up to 18+. ~700 words. content warning for implied penetration and explicit dialog. contains dirty talk, reader getting railed on a dresser, and Reiner being a horrible little tease

You might be a little shy about being overheard, but Reiner sure isn't.

notes: let me say it again so we're super clear here - characters in my fics set during the cadet era should be assumed to be aged up to 18+, in a very slightly less miserable world in which training doesn't start at age 13. If this is really objectionable to you, that's okay, you don't need to read it.

This is by far my filthiest bit of writing as of yet, and my first pure PWP bit. At first I was kind of mortified about sharing it! I'd never even tried to write anything approaching dirty talk before and was worried it would be super 'off' and, you know, reflective of my being an asexual who's never touched a dick, and posted it sort of... hoping only a few people would read it - and then pretty few people did. But, somehow, over time I started feeling way more confident about and maybe even proud of this one, and honestly wishing I'd hyped it up more. It still feels weird for me to share smut with anyone, but I'm ngl, writing shit this shamelessly horny is actually a lot of fun. What's happened to me?

Anyway, love it or not, thank you for reading and for giving me an audience for trying new things like this. I think it's what pushes writers to grow.

Oh yeah, there are also some minor edits from the original version because I can't help myself.

originally published January 2023

Training exercises in the interior are rare, but they also come with a rare perk – you get to spend the night at an actual inn, with your own rooms and soft, comfy beds.

Currently, though, you’re not on the soft, comfy bed. Having slipped quietly from your room and sneaked off to Reiner’s, you’re currently seated on the dresser, clothes wantonly discarded across the floor, hair falling over your shoulders as your boyfriend stands, fucking into you with a desperation that you can only assume is inspired by the elegant change of scenery.

It’s certainly easier to sneak around at a place like this, and while you were a little tired after training and would have been content just to lay in bed with him and cuddle, Reiner was never one to waste an opportunity. He was also as charmingly persuasive as ever, those imploring golden honey eyes coaxing you into an exercise that was far more pleasant than training ever was.

Squeezing your breasts, kissing your neck, soft, deep moans offering a counterpoint to yours, Reiner is a sweeter and more exuberant partner than you imagine there may be behinds these walls...

That doesn’t change the fact that you’re currently in very close proximity to the rest of the 104th, though.

When a series of especially enthusiastic thrusts suddenly cause the dresser to rattle loudly against the wall, you’re more than a little mortified to imagine that the others are probably still awake in their own rooms and press your lips to Reiner’s neck with a hiss. “Shh! What if the others hear that?”

“Mm, hear what? The dresser?” He repositions you a little so that you’re forced to look into his eyes, a brow raised in amusement as he makes absolutely no effort to soften his pace. “That could be anything, for all they know, dove.”

But then a wicked little smile spreads across his face, and he slides your hips forward and angles them wider to let himself sink in deeper. Your tiny gasp only makes his smirk broaden.

“Or,” he continues, leaning in so his lips are nearly brushing against your ear, his thrusting into you becoming quite agonizingly deliberate, “Are you worried they’ll hear something else? Like how good I’m fucking you right now? Doesn’t bother me one bit.”

His voice is soft and just above a whisper, and his breath is warm against your skin. Your own breath is quickening a little and your cheeks feel like they’re on fire in response to his teasing, but you find you’ve lost any inclination to admonish him - and he’s so fucking annoyingly aware of it. A little huff of a chuckle almost feels like a caress against your cheek.

“Think they can hear how soaking wet this pussy is every time I slide my fat fucking cock into it? I sure can.”

A whimper escapes your throat and your voice slips out as a whine. “F-fuck, Reiner...” You’d hate to admit it, but his words affect you in ways he can feel all too well.

Reiner’s exhalations are growing shaky now, like your response is a call of encouragement. “Are you afraid they can hear those cute little sounds you make? Mmph – your sweet little whimpers? The way you say my name like it’s the only word you know? Shit--” He rests his forehead against yours for a few heartbeats, voice almost slipping into something softer. “Not gonna lie, I do like being the only one who’s ever heard those...”

He’s quick to recover from this lapse, though, and being keenly aware of how close you’re getting, he moves his hips against you faster, and sweetly kisses your forehead. “Don’t care if they hear the rest, though. Honestly, I fucking want them to hear it and know it’s my hot cum spilling out of you right now. I could keep on filling you up with my cum until they can hear it dripping onto the fucking floor.”

And then in an instant, he pauses, tilting your head back to fix you with that smug, infuriating, gorgeous grin of his. “Of course I can stop if you’re really that scared they’ll hear us.”

With mild irritation evident in your voice, you pull him against you so you can press your lips fervently to his neck again. “I think I can live with them hearing.

[copperbadge]

I had a very successful and entertaining day today, as you guys can probably tell from the posts I made. There's a few more queued posts of stuff I didn't get to post in-situ, so enjoy that!

Some anecdotes I did not post about from today:

-- I can't remember the last time I queued for a museum. Mostly because if it's not one of "my" museums, like the Field or the Art Institute where I know the best ways in, I'm attending on a weekday deliberately so that I am not amongst the crowds. The line to get into the British Museum was a full block long, but to be fair it only took me ten minutes from opening to get inside. I was mostly amused by the people who a) didn't understand how museum entry works or b) didn't understand how to stand in a line without also blocking foot traffic on the rest of the sidewalk.

-- Almost got in a fight with someone, a definite first for me in a museum. I got salty with a guy who touched a sculpture when he knew he shouldn't, and he got up in my face, and I think genuinely the fact that I knew what the sculpture was called and he didn't confused him so badly he backed down. So if you're looking to defuse a situation via confusion, the phrase "Hey, don't fucking touch the Lamassu and we won't have a problem" worked for me.

-- The British Museum is great but among other issues (looted objects, weird relics of museum-specific imperialism, etc) it does suffer from poor display design in places. I'm okay with that, I kind of like old museums that are a little fucked up, even as I acknowledge that old fucked-up museums also have old fucked-up messaging. They appear to be trying on that front, but they could use a display placard overhaul. At one point I found an object in a case that appeared to be a carved human leg bone, and while I'm not a Bone Specialist there was also absolutely no placard about the bone at all. (I looked it up in the collection later using other objects in the case as reference, and it's just noted as "bone".)

-- I did have a great time overall; I saw most of the museum and then had a fancy meal, as documented. I was especially pleased to get to sample their coronation chicken since I collect tastings of coronation chicken, and I think they either used molasses in it or the bread had some, and either way it's grist for my mill as I start to develop The Chicken Salad War. After lunch I went on the hunt for a few last things, but I could feel myself getting tired and Becoming Unmedicated so I decided to leave a little early, which was the right choice, and gave me a little time to do some exploring.

-- @neil-gaiman did a post a while ago about stuff to see in London which I saved, and while I mostly planned my own journey, I did stop at Atlantis Books on his recommendation, which was well worth it. The woman working the till left me alone until I was ready to buy my book, then praised my choice (always a good move) and made a few minutes' small talk about my visit from America while she was ringing me up. Also I have never seen such a variety of Tarot decks for sale in my life. It was extremely impressive given the entire shop is roughly the size of my bedroom in Chicago.

All in all an excellent day out in London. Tomorrow I'm traveling to meet up with a friend, so probably fewer photos, but day after tomorrow I'm bound for Amsterdam so expect Rijksmuseum photos! I did not get into the Vermeer exhibit sadly, but I still want to see the museum and I'm on a quest for freshly made stroopwaffels and authentic gjetost, so I'm excited for the journey. I thought this trip might be one small anxiety after another -- would I be okay on the plane, would I get on the right trains, etc -- but I'm feeling more confident now, and I think between my early-bird tendencies and the ADHD meds I kicked the jet lag pretty quickly. I'm off to bed in a few, because tomorrow is an early day, so I guess we'll find out then how much I really kicked it....

[pianocat939]

Maybe it’s me shipping Donnie and Mona (wheres my IDW fans at !) would it be ok to request Yandere 12 Donnie and rise Donnie falling for mutant lizard reader ? (You can chose what type of lizard she can be ~) love to see what u come up with !

I chose Argentine Black and White Tegu bcs I love Tegus so much-

Tw: 2012 Donnie was being dumb about food and spits it out cuz he hates it-, mention of kidnapping, 2012 Donnie becomes delusional at some point-, Rise Donnie tries to control diet (not like proportions but food groups)

2012 Donald

Honestly, the initial development of obsession isn't much different, other than that he'll try to learn everything about your species' biology and behaviours. (DO NOT SEARCH UP B+W TEGU COURTSHIP HABITS)

From there he'll try to woo you using said courtship habits- except the one thing that's cursed.

He doesn't notice this, but he starts decorating things in a black and white pattern- hell- bro might make his newest inventions tegu-themed rather than turtle-themed.

Fun fact: Tegus are one of the more affectionate reptiles. And he will use it to his advantage. If you show him too much friendliness he'll become delusional and think you like him back a bit.

Since Tegus loves meat and fruits, he'll try to eat more meat/fruits to seem like "a worthy dude to date" type shit. Istg you could literally see him eating those foods way more than he usually does all of the sudden.

The biggest thing is he'll try to use your biology to get you to like him while doing his other yan behaviours ofc.

"Hey, Y/n!" Donnie greets, eating a bowl of some food.

"Hey. What are you eating?" They mutter as they lean over a bit to peer down into the bowl. Their tongue flicks in-and-out a bit, expressing that they're comfortable in their current environment.

"Oh haha-" He chuckles confidently, perhaps even cockily, "Just some chicken and mango." He eats another spoonful of the food, trying his absolute best to look cool in front of his crush.

The lizard mutant raises an eyebrow muscle in confusion, "Isn't that...An odd food combination for you?" They notice he grimaces just the slightest bit when the food touches his mouth.

"Nah~ I'm enjoying this a lot! It's the perfect sweet and salty~" Internally he was gagging, he did not like this combination. But he lived with it, all in hopes the Tegu in front of him would seem him as a more appealing guy.

"Ok, whatever you say, dude." They walk off, heading to where Mikey was to see what crazy ideas he was up to.

As soon as they were out of eyesight, Donnie opened his mouth to let the food that was sitting in his mouth be spat out again. "Ugh...I should have picked a better combination..."

——————————————————

Rise Diana

Again not super different in terms of the initial yan development. But, there are a few differences.

I think the biggest thing is when you're shedding. He is more protective and is careful no one disturbs the process (unless if you actually request help). If he's kidnapped you, then he'll force you to soak in a tub that he's made- (nothing weird ofc).

He's also very strict about you eating foods that are strictly similar to your Tegu diet. Sure he makes a few exceptions, but he's pretty pushy about having you eat food groups pertained to your animal part's biology. (Ex. no dairy)

Similar to 2012 Donnie he'll try to do SOME of the courtship things, but only if he's comfortable with them. Because he is not as desperate as 2012 Donnie is. (Sorry I had to say it) But- he will try his own methods more to get you to like him.

His favourite thing to do is give you small little metalwork gifts with a Tegu theme. And perhaps a turtle and Tegu with hearts around them.

Overall, much tamer in terms of differences compared to 2012 Donnie. He's just strict about following your biology make-up (without it being too weird to the human world ofc. You're not completely feral lmao)

Donnie was in his lab, creating a gift for his beloved with his metalwork skills. He was currently creating a small key chain, with a tegu and turtle sitting by side with a big heart above them as a charm for the key chain. He did the metalwork, and he could probably paint it himself, but he wanted it to be perfect, so he'll ask his brother, Mikey to do it for him.

"Hm...The shape is still not satisfactory." He mumbles to himself as he tweaks the shape of the turtle's head. This was a gift for his dear, and he ensured himself he needed it to be perfect, and that's what he'll serve.

He could already imagine their little tongue flicking in joy when he presents it to them. As his work was nothing short but absolute perfection. He always found their tongue-flicking adorable, not that he would outwardly admit it though.

"Dearest love of mine, I hope you love my admiration for you." He whispers to himself, trying to hype himself up for the time he would gift them the key chain.

And what more couldn't be cuter than a reptile couple?

——————————————————

Yay- I got this done under an hour-

I heart B+W Tegus so much.

- Celina

[acourtofthought]

Your posts about Vassa almost always end up pitting her against Elain, and implying that she’s lesser than her, or not good enough for Lucien. You insinuate that Elain is a much more desirable woman, when the reality is, Elain is easily the character people in the fandom dislike the most - often even more than Tamlin. Even a good chunk of Gwynriel’s dislike (or are neutral towards) Elain.

Even Lucien seems more fond of Vassa, and the beauty is: he doesn’t need a pre-arranged, non-consensual, mating bond to want to save Vassa, or to laugh with her, or to want to live with her. Lucien and Vassa are pulled together of their own volition.

And what happens when Vassa becomes a more prominent character in future books? SJM has spoken about wanting to retell the Vasilisa, firebird and Swan Lake fairytales. Her Pinterest board reflects this. Gwyn became a fan favorite in just one book… the same can happen with Vassa. Given what we’ve seen of her personality so far (confident, brave, carefree), I’d say that would happen very easily.

And consider this: as I just mentioned, SJM is planning a Vasilisa, firebird and Swan Lake retelling. This is very clearly about Vassa… so why would she just be a side character in someone else’s book?

Thus, the only way for Vassa’s story to be told is her as the main character, alongside Lucien — a character readers have been familiar with since book 1, and who everyone knows and loves. In comparison… most casual readers would have no idea who Jurian is (or just remember him as the abusive, stalkerish, eye guy - does anyone even want to read about him as a love interest? 🥴).

A Vassa x Jurian novel is unlikely. A Vassa x Lucien novel, however, would make sense. 😏

So what I'm to understand is a side character can't have their story told in someone else's book?

That's so weird then, how Sarah made sure to include in the actual book a phrase stating how Gwyn's story is worth telling yet somehow she can't have her own book according to e/riels because she is and only ever will be a side character!

And you're right, my posts end up "pitting Vassa against Elain" because my posts are typically in response to those such as yourself coming here trying to prove why Vassa is better for Lucien than his own mate. It doesn't matter if the fandom would date her, it matters who her best match in this fictional world is.

Also, I think she's doing just fine with her desirability in the series considering who her two love interests have been 🤦

But my posts are not pitting Vassa and Elain against one another as individuals, they're explaining why Elain is in fact better for Lucien than Vassa. Pointing out how it's Elain he looks at with longing, not Vassa.

I'm fairly sure if I was oh so lucky to look over your page and liked posts you'd have plenty on there pitting Lucien against Azriel.

Come now, please don't honestly think you can insult my intelligence with your gaslighting.

I think many struggle with Elain's character but that is typically a byproduct of the ship war and how some Gwynriels have been forced to choke down a version of Elain that doesn't actually exist in canon.

People don't actually like Vassa more than Elain because many don't think much about her as a real contender for Lucien's affections. They don't think much on her outside of the very specific role she's played so far.

It's easy to like or feel neutral towards a one dimensional side character because that's really all Vassa is right now. They accept her as being there and accept her as someone who isn't a villain just as they accept Viviane as being there and not a villain but that doesn't mean they actually adore Vassa and can't wait for her to receive a main pov to the point that they want her story with Lucien over an Elucien one.

And yes, SJM is building to something, she's clearly been cursed by Koschei but guess what? Dorians father was cursed by a Valg prince and played an enormous role in the TOG series yet he never took off as anything more than a side character either. He never received a book or his own pov.

If you haven't noticed, SJM already explored the Firebird fairytale when she wrote about Vassa's curse. Some seem to think Sarah goes into a lot of depth with her retellings but she's on record calling them a retelling "light". How much of Hades and Persephone was obvious for Feysand? How much of Beauty and the Beast Feyre and Tamlin? TOG was Cinderella, was it obvious?

She does not need to dedicate an entire book with a Vassa pov for her to explore the fairytale to the depth which she explores most fairytales. Vassa is already written to have a "Russian" accent and we know of her curse which will be broken by someone other than her and probably not Lucien considering neither Helion or Feyre could detect a spell to be broken.

Lucien is not pulled to Vassa of own violation, he went because he had no where else to go:

And if you think it's more beautiful for a couple to be together without a bond than (come a little closer, I want to tell you something) ACOTAR IS NOT FOR YOU - SJM IS A FATED MATES AUTHOR!).

If you don't think fated mates makes for a beautiful love story than what the fuck are you doing here?

And to your point, if a side character can become a fan favorite in one book than why can't Vassa and Jurian receive their own book one day? Where Jurian, also a side character and Vassa have their own love story in the ACOTAR series?

Also, does it matter if Elain is a fan favorite when Sarah seems to like her considering she is on record saying Elain will be getting her own book, how she likes to garden like Elain and would be best friends with Elain in real life? (Nesta wasn't a fan favorite before SF and Sarah said she knew people weren't going to like her yet that's the story she felt she wanted to tell).

Why would the author take a character who could be a best friend in real life, mate her to a male who she wrote to be like Jamie Fraser and who Sarah has also said is one of her favorites yet give them a broken bond that will trail them for their entire lives just so Lucien can end up with a human who literally does not have any interest in the fae world and pays more attention to Jurian because of all the "at each other's throats" bickering they do? That doesn't sound very happy for Lucien at all.

Also, no one knows who Jurian is? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

You're joking, right?

Jurian who was in book 1, who was resurrected in book 2 and "worked" for the King, shot an ash arrow through Az, was there when the sisters were turned, played a prominent role in Spring in ACOWAR, turned out to be a double agent, that Jurian??? The Jurian who was in the war with Mor and Rhys 500 years ago? The Jurian who had way more page time than Vassa yet you think people don't know who he is? The Jurian who shares the same vision as Vassa for leading the humans. The one who is iconic for sitting on a pink couch. The Jurian who would be crowned King because he's keeping everything running and Lucien says he's thankful for him?

You're right, I've got no clue who that guy is. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Penny for your thoughts, if Vassa was clearly meant to have a book with Lucien, than why do you suppose SJM said this?

The second book had to be Elain's at this time, correct? Because in that exact same interview she wrote how she'd already done research for Elain's book. And she was "keeping the door open after that".

That means Vassa was never guaranteed to get her own book. That logically means Koschei was always going to be resolved in the book after Nesta's because she wouldn't just keep him hanging unresolved in the background while she decided who she'd write about after Elain's book.

I guess Sarah never planned on putting as much effort into that Firebird fairytale as you seem to be trying to convince yourself.

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

Actually, on the subject of pilot Vox and how he is more confident and collected.

That weirdly reminded me, I was, at one point, humoring my own 2P stuff with Alastor and Vox. I remember in the AU, I called Alastor Apricot (because his color scheme is orange) and he was a lot more tech savvy than canon Alastor as he has and had the habit of breaking things down because he was curious on how everything worked. His radio tower in the hotel is filled with broken machines and weird organic stuff too, like jars with embalming fluid with weird stuff (eyes, plants, organs, etc) in them and bones and skulls littering his selves. The reason he ended up in hell was because he legit tried to create disturbing human and radio hybrids/cyborgs in the name of science and his radio show, when alive, was like a Sci-Fi horror thing (think the Twilight Zone). He was a lot more bubbly and chaotic, semi forgetful. He is realistic yes, but he does believe in Charlie's dream. Also know he wasn't a cannibal, not for good moral reasons, but because it be a waste of materials.

As for Vox, I remember painting him as more cold and distant. The literal embodiment of lifeless TV. Basically like, the greed behind major studios and tech companies. You know, like the embodiment of how robotic a lot of things have become. He rarely emotes or even expresses emotions, besides maybe a grimace. I think I remember Val and Velvet being very put off by him? I think. I do remember his color scheme was very grey and silver, modern but like in the cold robotic way. I think also maybe he had a human head and the TV head was something he could put on? Idk remember that well as Apricot stood out to me more, but I know for the fact this 2P Vox had like hair (i think). You can tell I barely remember him as I didnt bother giving him an alt name.

I think their dynamic was a smidge different. I think. I vaguely remember Vox being annoyed at Apricot more because he saw him as destructive and childish, while Apricot saw him as more stuck up and assholeish. I think something about their dynamic was about living here the present while remembering the past vs being blindsided by the future and forgetting what you have currently.

Other Details I remember -Apricot is missing limbs, he has a steampunk prosthetic arm and leg. -I actually can't remember if Apricot was an overlord or not, I know he was feared as the Radio Demon still so I think he was? -Apricot is the only one who manages to piss off 2P!Vox -Apricot would build this radio bot things for his shadows to posses and move around with. He could also just turn into a deer and would do so to escape if in danger -2P!Vox's lair was a lot more grey and silver and very clinical lookin compared to canon

And that's really all. Thought I share this weird chaotic idea of a 2P AU and now I shall //goes back to focusing on Radio Guard

-⚔️ anon

Apricot is amazing and I love everything about him, how does your brain come up with so much amazing and creative stuff I'm legitimately in awe

[kathjack]

The circus is hell, or purgatory or something like that, not literally but a personal one for sure

You know

With Pomni saying "he wants me to suffer" and not sounding like she was talking about Caine, the fact that they refer to that place as hell in a more personal way than just the fact that that is the name of the room they're in and Kinger's sanity getting back from the dark but ALSO the recording of the guy saying he killed his own wife

It all just makes me believe more in the "the characters deserve to be there as a personal hell" theory

In this essay I will-

Something something Jax deserves to be in the circus the most ask answer something

If I remember correctly, the characters didn't just straight up forget everything about the real world, they just forget their names and likely, most of their lives (Like Zooble who doesn't remember their gender), which is weird because why would they remember references to movies such as Augustus Gloop but not remember something as basic as their own names? What even is that system?

Going back, the moment Pomni and Kinger get dragged to "hell" is when Pomni starts to lose her mind and breaks

Tbf I'm also losing my mind i'm running on 3 hours of sleep

I think we all catched up that the "he wants me to suffer" felt too personal to be about Caine, mainly because she's referring to herself and not the rest of the cast even tho she knows by this point that Kinger isn't having a good time either. The thing is that she knows HE wants her to suffer but she doesn't know WHY, she knows she is in hell but has no idea what she did to deserve any of this

And I believe is worse to punish someone and never tell them why, than to tell someone why they're being punished, not knowing what they did to deserve it will only contribute to the mental torment

Yeah, we can easily guess why Jax is in the circus, but how about the rest of them?

We don't know much of the characters, but assuming they're straight up horrible people like Jax is pretty boring This is where the other theory of "Every member of the cast, abstracted and not abstracted, worked for the company at some point, or was somehow affiliated"

We know what the show is based of: I have no mouth and I must scream, we could assume that it's not deserved as in "they did the unspeakable and are going to get tortured because of it" but more like "they got involved into things they shouldn't, and are now paying the high price for it"

Lets move the subject to Caine for a bit

We all now this, Caine is the name of the first sinner, Cain's punishment is to be inmortal and forever walk in earth among humans and can not be killed And also, Caine is probably NOT in control of the circus, apparently, there's someone above him, whether that someone is a human or an AI like AM, is unknown

The circus still depends of him tho

The moment he starts to question what is he good at if not keeping people sane the world crumbles

Caine is, in a way, some sort of opposite to AM

He likes humans but doesn't understands them, he tries to keep them from losing sanity and TRIES (and fails) to treat them good and decently, he also is sentient and doesn't seems to have a problem with it While AM keeps the humans alive to torture them, Caine has no control on their lives but tries to keep them safe

It connects back to the original idea, the cast is in hell, but while AM actively tortures them in the most gruesome ways you can harm a human, the circus destroys them from the inside

His job is to keep them there, you're no allowed to die and instead become an abomination with primal instincts that can't be easily calmed down for probably eternity, the alternative is to surrender to the madness and go into adventures that, most of the time, just end up very wrong and traumatize the cast

Caine is UNVOLUNTARELY torturing the last remaining humans that were put in that world, stretching it and getting confident, I would even say the last humans that worked in the company

Jax deserves to be there the most, this could just be a joke about how much of a dick he is, but it can also be literal and he was a horrible human being It is unknown if the rest of the performers might've done crappy thing voluntarily or willingly, so we can just assume that working for C&A is already bad enough to deserve to be put into a colorful hell as the circus

"He" could be anything, the boss of the company trying to get rid of his employees in the same way many people disappeared after using their products, employees that think everyone deserves to be punished for supporting the company, even a bigger AI that became sentient and realized what they were doing

This also just concludes another thing: They can't escape, they will never be able to because the circus is made to be an eternal punishment, you can't get out of hell (well, technically you can but that's not the point) so you can't get out of the circus either

The characters are being mentally tortured and punished and they can't even remember what they did or what they should be repenting. The headset is MADE to not allow you to remember yourself, but the life's of the other around you

So basically: The cast worked for C&A, they were punished by getting them stuck in the circus and they don't know that so they have no idea that they're being punished and why for

[sol-consort]

Can you imagine tho the aliens reactions when humans all start collectively singing the same song. Like it’s busy in the bar or something, everyone’s doing their own thing, and suddenly Bohemian Rhapsody comes on and every single human in the bar stops what they’re doing to sing along like we’re compelled by some unseen force to do it, maybe some try to pull in their non human friends and get them to join in

You know for a fact Joker and Shepard definitely sang to some stupid y2k songs while sitting on the helm together and roped EDI into joining them.

Especially the meme songs, what's better than a whole ship captain and their pilot singing along to "I LOVE IT!" By Icona pop and Joker really bringing out the vocal cords in the "I CRASHED MY CAR INTO THE BRIDGE. I WATCHED AND LET IT BURN" while in the lower engineering decks, they're not sure why Liara keeps pinging them all panicking and saying "check on joker pls" and "is element zero inflammable?" and "coordinates for the nearest bridge?"

Humans L O V E joint community behaviour. We would do so many things for the bit, walk slower if we hear a song we like in a nearby shop, sing along if it's in a bar or a concert, drum our fingers to the beat if we're in a car with a strangers, have a rhythm to our footsteps when listening to music through headphones.

There are so many different songs, so many different instruments! A vast ocean of potential with more than a 100k songs being uploaded per day based on Spotify.

Hell have you seen these videos of military marches where the soldiers have to sing along to something like "I'm a barbie girl" or "call me maybe" and not laugh as a way to build discipline?

I bet you alliance marines still use the same technique with humans, so all the alliance ships and personals have so many songs memorised back from their training days.

Captian Anderson taking the crew to after a successful mission to unwind and the bar just happened to play a tone familiar to the human ear? Of course the literal whole drunk crew of the Normandy will sing like their it's their last day alive. Some yelling, some quietly, some so offbeat but confident and others nailing the beat perfectly but don't wanna look like show offs.

Humans are so adorable omfg, they love doing things in groups and they'd join stranger humans in singing along to a song they like. Humans love playing even as adults and singing is just a form of play. So is poker, billiard and so many things.

Garrus would definitely be roped into it, give him a hard hitting song about being a winner and he's so on board with the rowdy humans tugging him along to join and commenting on how they've never heard a turian sing before.

Tali would be so shy about it but maybe if it's a nerdy song about something she loves? Some human must have wanted to fuck spaceships and wrote something about it.

Oh and parades and ceremonies too! World cup opening and closing songs! The fan cheers in matches and concerts! Humans invented being cheerleaders and each human has one inside them ready to come out the second their alien friend is hesitant about something and needs a bit of enabling from good old chaotic humans.

Dude, just imagine karaoke night with all human songs. In ME1 boring rover planet exploration, Shepard and Ashley definitely sing along to a playlist they had Kaidan install into the car and he snuck some of his favourite songs in their to join them with.

With time and cycling team members, at first, the aliens are weirded out, wtf is this some kind of cult.

But then they're like.

And it just becomes a tradition to sing along while on long car rides on planets. Sometimes, you catch Wrex humming the lyrics while on long elevator rides. Other times, Liara will have the song playing in the background while she works.

It's just so fun to introduce the aliens to how colorful life can be when you sing along, dance without knowing all the steps and being a silly little race.

On a less pop and enthusiast drunks note.

There are also the emotional songs, ones from sad movies or plays. The known songs people play in wedding slow dances or after a break up. A bunch of humans would sing it slowly, lovingly, emotions showing through the sheer importance this song ment for them.

[palettepainter]

Working on some Muppet art for the next addition to the Zootowski family tree, the twins parents, but it's taking a bit longer then I thought due to my new work contract (basically means I got a whole new schedule and I hate drastic schedule changes, I'm still adjusting to it).

In the meantime I've been thinking about Camilla (she's close with the twins parents) and decided to make a small post of headcannons with her:

-Camilla is a walking dumpster and will eat anything, she's notorious for eating eggs raw. It endlessly disturbs the rest of her family (aside from Zephyr's mum who is unphased but it). When eating hard boiled eggs, one of her favourite snacks, she eats them with the shell on because she "likes the crunch"

-Due to her habit of eating foods which generally aren't considered normal, Tina especially is very unnerved by her. Camilla has no idea and thinks of Tina as a good friend (if a bit straight laced and to the point)

-Animals are scared of her due to her large size, which upsets her a lot since she loves cute animals.

-I've mentioned this before but all the good genes went to her muscles, out of everyone on the Zoot family tree she's the least tactical despite being one of the oldest

-She grew up in Rio where she raised Raph, making a career for herself in sport. Raph's side of the family is incredibly sporty, very unusual compared to his oldest cousin Zoot who is...well, the total opposite. Camilla has done plenty of sport in her time, football, volley ball, wrestling and boxing being the main ones. Before becoming a mother she played for local sport teams, but when Raph came along and she began teaching him how to play certain sports, she decided to become a coach. She mostly teaches older kids and adults since teaching kids makes her worry, she knows how strong she is and worries about accidentally hurting them

-She can play the guitar, and pretty damn well despite having huge hands. It was a cheap method Camilla tried out as a way to put herself out there more, she started learning when Raph was a kid and she was feeling lonely about being a single mum. Now days she's a lot less self conscious about it, but playing the guitar does in fact help her pick up chicks (even if she has no clue how to handle the attention)

-Camilla sometimes speaks in the third person

-Due to her strength and build, Camilla is rarely ever scared. You can make her jump and she can get nervous, but she's rarely be scared scared. Due to all the years she spent doing sport she's a hard hitter and can more then hold her own, it definitely helped build her confidence. Anytime she comes across a muppet-y monster looking creature she's hardly phased by it

-She owns a "Free Hugs" shirt and wears it to Pride

-Relentlessly religious about self care and physical well being, when she was younger she'd sometimes overwork herself or get herself busted up in wrestling that resulted in a bad injury or scar, so she's very aware and cautious of her own limits and others

-Panicked the fuck out when Raph started randomly teleporting without warning. It seems Zoot and his cousins all got some weird freaky power, which their parents skipped out on. Raph's ability is to teleport (shamelessly inspired by Sans from undertale), often silently and without meaning to as a baby. Camilla would pull her hair out every time it happened, in the end, when it was safe for it to not be considered a choaking risk. Camilla got Raph little ankle bracelets with bells on them so she could always hear where he teleported to

-Is the type of relative to bring lasagne or casserole as a gift

-Big eater. Ontop of being able to eat pretty much anything and not get sick, Camilla has a huge appetite. And like with the rest of her, she has an impressively strong jaw. Despite all the stuff she eats her teeth are actually pretty good (something which endlessly boggles Tina)