#I'm really happy with their Dark World palettes

[demaparbat-hp]

Hiya!! 👋🏼😄 How's it going? Your fashion taste for Zuko in a Modern AU seems to be artsy, or maybe "formal" is the word. That shirt he wore when he gave Sokka romantic song advice looked Versace🧐. Anyway, I was wondering how you came up with it, he always struck me more as the type that didn��t care much about fashion, so I'm curious about other´s opinions and heacanons about it. And do you have any other fashion headcanons for the rest of the GAang? Also, their music tastes. How did you come up with them? Especially Katara's! 😍

Hello! As it happens, I have a lot of Thoughts and Feelings™ about this, so I'm leaving these over here, and the rest of my ramblings down below the cut!

Let us begin with the Gaang, shall we?

SUKI always struck me as that Pretty Girl from the Gym. She is so incredibly fit it isn't even funny. She could kick anyone's ass, and we'd all thank her. She has this casual gym style that somehow always looks glorious on her, as it should! Comfy yet fashionable clothes for a nice workout or a day in town.

Her music tastes are basically any and all power songs from the eighties and nineties. (Eye of the Tiger, anyone?) She also enjoys metal via Toph, and bands like BSB, NSYNC, or Boyz II Men with Katara. My girl has a very eclectic Playlist and we all love her for it.

SOKKA is That Guy™. Loose T-shirts and shorts everywhere he goes, no matter the weather. He's stupidly into fashion but it doesn't show! At all! And everyone teases him about it. His closet is about 90% Cactus Juice merchandise, hence the "it's the quenchiest!" shirt.

His fashion and music tastes are pretty much the same. He loves poetry but isn't really into lyrics. He'll misinterpret just about anything you place in front of him. His Playlist is mostly vibes and tiktok songs he kind of enjoys. He isn't really into music...at least not as much as his sister.

AANG owns exactly one hoodie, one pair of shorts, and one beanie (THE beanie). Oh, and the crocs—don't forget the crocs. Somehow, he's always wearing the exact same outfit. Every. Single. Day. Ancient Gaang lore suggests that the day Aang goes out without his beanie, it's the end of the world.

His Playlist is the poppiest, most bizarre thing ever. Every single song is Happy by Pharrell Williams levels of happy. Yet sometimes, among the bouncy dance-to songs, you'll find the strangest of things... (He does know what Good Day by Twenty One Pilots is about. That's the reason he likes it so much, actually. And it's so weird.)

KATARA is all about sundresses and loose pants. The epitome of comfortable loveliness. Light fabrics in blue shades, careful embroidery, delicate shoes, and little to no accessories—hers is a simple, yet quite adorable, style. She just needs to add more colors to her usual palette...

She is, first and foremost, a Florence + The Machine girl. It's the Dark Goddess of the Sea vibes, to be honest. Florence Welch is her idol and yes, she will fight you about lyrics interpretation, and win. It may not seem like it, but her music tastes are also very varied.

She draws a little from each member of the Gaang, so you'll hear her humming along to Gorillaz (where did you even find out about them, Aang?), The Weeknd (I...don't think this song means what you think it means, Sokka...), and Hozier (Zuko why did you dedicate Talk to me, Zuko WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT).

TOPH...ah, lovely girl. I'll summarise everything about Toph’s fashion sense in two words: comfort and rebellion. Stuffy dresses forced on her by billionaire parents? No thank you! Give her tank tops with loose shirts and short pants. Bandaids shared with Aang, bracelets from Katara, and even piercings she got in tandem with Sokka. Shoes? What even is that?

Something I love about this fandom is our collective agreement that Toph is into the dirtiest, heaviest, most ear-splitting and soul-crushing death metal of all times. Her Playlist is full of the most obscure names to ever exist, and she can and will blast through your walls with the sheer volume of her speaker.

Zuko. ZUKO.

Even in a modern AU my boy must suffer. That being said, I envision Tales from the Couch as—well, exactly what it is: an ATLA modern AU. While there is not a war to fight, and a lot of plot lines are discarded or expanded upon, much about the core story remains the same.

This is my way of saying that Zuko still goes trough his redemption arc, and it reflects on his fashion choices.

The way you described it works perfectly because of one single reason: in this AU, Zuko is an artist. He had to suppress his love for writing and drawing because of his background and the expectations Ozai had for him (taking over the family company), and a very large part of his redemption arc directly affects his relationship with art.

In the Couch equivalent of S1, Zuko has fallen out of Ozai's graces, and is desperate to protect his place in the company and the Kasai household. He's pretending to be someone he isn't and trying to live up to his Father's image of a perfect heir while still being somewhat cut-off financially, and it shows.

He's all about imposing long coats and a semi-formal style, imitating what he knows Azula and Father would respect. He's striking and sharp and dark. But no matter how he dresses or carries himself (that air of cold superiority and arrogance)—it won't help him when he needs it the most.

In S2, Zuko has hit his lowest point. He's officially disinherited and tossed away by his father, and would be out in the streets if it wasn't for Uncle Iroh. He goes from sharp, high-tailored outfits to old second-hand clothes that hang loosely on his frame. He starts smoking and cuts his hair off, forgoing the undercut for the first time in years.

But then...Father accepts him back. When Zuko returns home, it's with respect to his name and a very high position in his father's company. He's finally the perfect Kasai heir, dressed in overly expensive suits and finery, even at home... But Father forbids him from wearing Lu Ten's earring, and Zuko can no longer recognize himself without the familiar glint of gold dancing on his peripheral vision.

When Zuko leaves the Kasai name behind him and goes back to living with Uncle Iroh...he's finally at peace with who he is, and what he wants in this life. The sharp edges aren't gone (they'll always be a part of him, after all), but now they're dulled by looser clothes and softer hairstyles.

He's an artist, and for once in his life, he is determined to pursue his own ambitions. Zuko's outfits may not be designer-made anymore, but he takes what he has and makes himself look like he wants to look, like the person he wants to be.

He doesn't read fashion magazines or keeps up to the latest trends like Azula does. He's just...Zuko. And his newfound confidence makes everything he wears look like it belongs on him.

As for music...well, Ursa raised a literature boy.

He loves lyric-heavy music and natural voices, be they soothing or powerful. Dissecting song meanings and possible interpretations with Katara is one of his favorite parts of the day. They're both very passionate and strong-minded individuals, so it stands to reason that their debates can get quite...heated.

Zuko's Playlist is both incredibly eclectic and somehow very...him. There's a common thread that binds together every song and artist he likes, and he's hilariously unaware of this. To take a look into his Playlist is a higher honor reserved only for those closest to him.

In the wide spectrum of things, it is no wonder that Zuko is, first and foremost, a Hozier man. But though Andrew is his God in all aspects of this life, there's someone else that has had a huge impact on him...

Two someones, actually.

Zuko refuses to tell anyone how he got into Twenty One Pilots, but it's kind of a moot point when the beginning of his obsession is nothing compared to everything that came after. They have just about the right amount of everything that makes Zuko...well, Zuko. The poetic lyrics, the soothing or raging music, the heavy, intensely resonant themes...

Up there, in the second artwork, I placed an album cover behind each period of Zuko's life. The election of these records is intentional, as I feel like their general themes work incredibly well with Zuko's arc and growth.

Blurryface in S1. For the demons within us. For giving a name to our fears and shame.

Trench in S2. For escaping the confined walls of a depression city, and fighting to understand the depths of the map of your mind.

Scaled and Icy in the first half of S3. For returning to places you had left behind. For convincing yourself and everyone around you that you're fine, that you're perfect, even though everything is crumbling inside...

Clancy in S3. For recognizing that you can backslide, that you can have fears and shame and pain���but you're shaping yourself with each step you take. For knowing that seeking help from others is okay. Nobody learns to walk on their own.

(And, in the end, you'll always be better than the person you were yesterday. If only because you're still here. You're still alive. You're still yourself.)

.

Overall, I rambled a bit too much, don't you think?

If you made it all the way down here—thank you so much for reaching out and being interested in this crazy AU! I hope you enjoy these ideas and tell me some of your own ❤️

[rheakira]

Liked all the takes I saw of Clover and Kanako in Deltarune. Wanted to give my own takes a try. 💛🩷

[gallus-rising]

hey the new Dungeon Meshi OP is all happy and peppy and fun, isn't it? NO. VERY DARK ACTUALLY

major manga spoilers ahead

first off go check out this post on Reddit. now i would like to add a few additional observations

this shot of the characters looking down at themselves in the hotpot is framed oddly imo. in a silly sequence like this you would expect the character reactions to be a bit goofy and exaggerated. instead we see how truly washed out and lifeless the "dream" color palette is compared to what the characters really look like. the happy dream Laios' shadow looms over them, and they seem genuinely upset. most of all tho is the totally identical smiles. you can see how artificial the expression is on Chilchuck in particular, that is not how he smiles

Reddit OP suggests this scene is Thistle's dream but i would argue that it's Yaad's dream. Yaad is the focal character of this shot and even seems to be at the center of everyone dancing. he is the only person not dancing with someone else which gives the impression that he's more of an observer. the people dancing around him appear to all be adults, who at the time of Dungeon Meshi have all lost their minds and have become ghosts. finally, Thistle seems unusually upbeat imo. he's also not close with anyone outside the royal family and based on Adventurer's Bible material he seems to be shunned/distrusted by most other people, so why would his perfect dream world have so many strangers in it?

Yaad's dream is for the people of the Golden Kingdom to be happy and healthy, and for his family to be back together :']

our main characters are at the top of that tower in the background of everyone unconscious and floating up into the sky. despite being at the top of the tower they are the only people outside of Yaad's dream that aren't washed out dream colors, which makes sense when you remember that they're the only people who weren't taken by the Winged Lion/Demon

yeah everyone's just straight up dissolving into light. combined with their placidly happy expressions that's very creepy once you notice it

somewhat happier note. when the main characters are holding hands towards the end they are in their normal color palettes and actually look happy. i'm seeing this as symbolic of one of Dungeon Meshi's big Themes: choosing to find happiness in the real world thru genuine connections with other people

but finally... the saddest most darkest part of all.....

Marcille's ass censoring a Senshi Panty Shot 😔

[boobo13cambridge]

Sheila Ki Jawani | Kylian Mbappé

"I know you want it, but you're never gonna get it.

Tere haath kabhi na aani

(I will never come into your hands)

Maane na maane koi duniya yeh saari,

(Whether anyone believes it or not,)

Mere ishq ki hai deewani.

(This whole world is crazy behind me.)"

The music was blasting from the Bluetooth speaker that Kylian had got you for Valentine's Day after you had complained to him that your iPhone wasn't enough to jam to your favorite songs while getting ready.

Kylian, ever the attentive one, couldn't possibly not buy his bébé anything she asked for. Carefully applying the shade Limitless on your eyelids from your Huda Beauty palette, you were jamming to one of your favorite songs of all time while getting ready for your friend's birthday party. You were so happy that Kiara decided to make it Bollywood-themed because you wanted to wear the gold saree that your mother had gotten for you from her trip to India last month.

"Ab dil karta hai haule haule se,

(Now slowly my heart wants,)

Main toh khud ko gale lagaun.

(Me to embrace myself.)"

You continued shaking your hips in a sensual motion while you curled your lashes and applied a coat of mascara. To be honest, you were running a bit late and hoped Kylian wouldn't come home too soon so you could blame any tardiness on him. As a girl, you felt that being on time was overrated; no matter how much you prepared in advance, it didn't matter. What can you say? Beauty can't be hurried.

"Kisi aur ki mujhko zaroorat kya,

(I don't need anyone else,)

Main toh khud se pyar jataun.

(I'll express my love to myself.)"

This was your favorite part of the song. While waiting for the eyelash glue to dry, you struck a pose at every line.

"What's my name?

What's my name?

What's my name?

My name is Sheila, Sheila ki jawani.

(My name is Sheila, young Sheila.)

I'm too sexy for you,

Main tere haath na aani.

(I will never come into your hands.)

No no no no Shei-"

"Having fun, mon amour?" your husband's voice cut through the music as you stood there, your index finger shaking in front of the mirror with your expression stuck in a deer caught in the headlights motion.

Smirking, your husband stood there leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Kyky! What a surprise! I didn't know you were going to be home so early!" you blushed, trying to quickly put your lashes on, while wholly ignoring the fact that you were obviously late.

"Early, bébé? Really? T'es sérieuse?" he said, raising his eyebrows and walking behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. "It's 8:00 pm, and we are supposed to leave by 8:15 pm."

"Honestly, Ky. When you really think about it, does it really matter? I mean, it's an Indian birthday party; no one's on time," you rambled on while applying your primer. "Besides, time is just a con-"

"Bébé,"

"-cept. According to Allen Bluedor, time is a result -"

"Bébé,"

"of humans interacting with each other -"

"BÉBÉ!"

"-and socialization processes," you trailed off as he spun you around in his arms and gave you a stern look that made you immediately shut up. Kylian looked positively over your antics, as his dark eyes peered into your soul. The stern press of his mouth made it clear that he was less than impressed with your incorrigible habit of not getting ready on time.

"Qu'est-ce que je t'avais dit la semaine passée quand on a failli être en retard pour la fête à ma mère?" he asked, his thumb tracing circles on your exposed hip bone. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes that had your pulse suddenly racing. A slight shiver went down your spine as you had a hard time looking into his eyes.

"Euh, que j'étais vraiment belle et que de toute façon on avait juste failli être en retard?" you said while fluttering your eyes at him. You knew you were in trouble when you felt his hands tighten around your hips, as he frowned and pursed his lips, almost surprised by your audacity.

"Et maintenant, tu mens, eh?" his growly voice sent a spark of heat into your lower belly as he slowly backed you into the counter. Feeling the edge digging into your back, you placed your hands on the planes of his chest, the soft fabric of his black kurta providing comfort despite the tension in the air.

His right hand, which was on your hip, slid up your body slowly, wrapping around your throat and giving it a light squeeze. Your breath hitched as you felt your panties dampening.

"I asked you a question, and I expect an honest answer, bébé."

"Okay, fine. You told me that if I were late one more time, you would bend me over your knees…"

"Don't get shy on me now, princesse. You've literally had my cock in your mouth."

"Oh my god, Ky. You're such a perv sometime."

"Answer me."

"You would bend me over your knees and spank my ass raw," you mumbled quickly.

"Unfortunately, mon amour, I don't have time to bend you over my knees but I'm sure this counter will do," he said while his left hand slid down your ass, giving it a possessive squeeze.

"Turn around, and bend over."

At this point, you were so turned on that you wanted him to do it, all previous traces of nervousness vanishing from your body as if it was never there in the first place. Gulping, you bit your lip, as you slowly turned around and bent over the cold countertop. you weren't wearing a bra underneath your silk robe, so your nipples were hard as they touched the cool surface.

You heard Kylian inhale sharply as he slowly lifted your flimsy robe, gradually exposing your derrière. You heard him curse as he caressed your soft flesh. A sharp smack on your ass had you whimpering as the sting left behind a film of ecstasy in your soul.

"You're going to count for me now, bébé," he said, his commanding voice slowly seducing you into submission.

"One…" The word barely left your lips when Kylian let out a snort, shaking his head not in amused disbelief at your antics. "T'es drôle. Celui-là ne compte pas."

Despite the dark lust clouding his deep brown eyes, a glint of mischief and a touch of affection shone through. You drove him absolutely mental but he loved every second of it.

"T'es méchant, tu sais," you retorted, a pout forming on your lips, challenging his authority with your audacity.

Smack.

"Deux," you said, your voice laced with defiance, determined to test his limits as the sting of his slap reverberated through you. Glancing at your reflection in the mirror, the person staring back seemed almost like a stranger. A flush of red painted your cheekbones, a vivid testament to the intensity of the moment, while your teeth sank into your plump bottom lip.

"You're such a brat. I shouldn't let you cum for a week," he admonished, his tone firm as he caressed the bruised flesh.

"No! How could you even think of doing that?" You protested breathlessly, alarmed that he would even dare deny you your pleasure.

Just as he was about to retort, the sudden ring of your phone sliced through the charged atmosphere of the room, the beginning notes of Standing Next to You breaking the intimate bubble that you were both confined in.

"Who is it, Ky?" Your voice was curious, a slight edge of impatience cutting through as you tried to peek over his shoulder at the glowing phone screen.

"Oh putain, it's Kiara."

"Oh shit, she's going to kill us. We're so late." The words tumbled out of your mouth, a laugh hiding just beneath the surface, acknowledging that your best friend was about to tear you a new one.

"I wonder whose fault that is, mon amour," Kylian smirked, his gaze teasing and accusatory all at once.

"Ugh, get over it, Ky."

Smack.

"Cheeky brat." His words were a playful growl, the affectionate smack a punctuation to your ongoing banter. "C'mon, let me help you with your saree."

"Je t'aime, bébé." you said blowing a kiss in his direction, giving him a quick peck.

He just rolled his eyes at your antics, the gesture full of love and a resigned acceptance of your playful nature.

╚══════╝ A/N╚══════╝

Hi lovelies! I had this in the drafts and finally decided to post it! Yay 😁

I think I’m leaning towards writing short prompts because i have a hard time doing longer ones.

Anyways, I hope you guys like it 😊😊

[justafriend-ql]

"i can't breathe" - the privilege paradox (never let me go, ep. 4)

nuengdiao has "everything," except for what he really wants. the paradox is that although he occupies a position of privilege, that very privilege is what most prevents him from achieving happiness. his privilege comes with expectations that constrict around him and limitations on his ability to form meaningful relationships with other people. nueng is incredibly skilled at maintaining a confident, unbothered mask. but as the pressure on him mounts and his feelings for palm grow increasingly uncontrollable, the mask fractures - and as he shouts at palm at the party, it shatters.

the first 15 minutes of the series set the tone. nuengdiao's parents prioritize work over him. his dad pressures him to take over the family hotel business (despite his lack of interest in it) by saying he's "the only one" who can be trusted to do it. his dad is murdered in front of his eyes, launching him into the limelight as the company's heir apparent. he must face a crowd of hungry reporters fishing for dirt on his family and the greedy parents of his peers with a steel gaze, betraying no weakness.

the color palette is all midnight blue and velvet red - decadent, heavy, and suffocating. you subconsciously feel nueng's unwanted future closing in around him, so much so that you don't realize you're holding your breath until it cuts to palm on his fishing boat. there, it's all bright sky and open air, complemented by relaxed, breezy music. of course, this too, is a prison (palm himself says he has "no future here"), but in contrast to the darkness and formality of nueng's world, it feels like freedom.

nueng takes it pretty well, all things considered. he swallows his desires and tells his parents he'll do his best to take over the family business. when an english-speaking reporter asks him about concerns that the company's profits will decline in his father's absence, nueng masks his uncertainty about the future with a confident tone and elegant accent, telling the report everything will be "absolutely fine."

nuengdiao wears the same mask at school, proclaiming he doesn't need friends and refusing to give his bullies the satisfaction of seeing him upset. instead, he leaves the room calmly, only folding in on himself when in the safety and privacy of his beloved music room.

because everybody approaches him for personal gain, he can't allow himself to trust anyone. perhaps the most powerful example of nueng's masking ability is when he acts friendly with phum in the pool, all while suspecting him of being his bully and simultaneously executing a plan to catch him in the act. even when he does, nueng exercises self-restraint, attempting to first negotiate with phum to get his necklace back rather than rely on violence.

palm is the only one with whom nueng's mask falters, perhaps because he is the only person nueng has any real power over (or, perhaps, because he actively wants palm to see and love his true self). again and again, we see nueng show extreme vulnerability to palm in a way he doesn't let anyone else (even his own mother) see. he shares his grief and bitterness at the condo rooftop in episode one ("my father died on my birthday"/"we are our father's puppets"), invites palm to touch his neck in episodes two and three ("pengyou"/"can you put it on me?"), and shares his anxieties about his mother's response to his sexuality in episode 4 ("i'm afraid i won't fulfill her expectations").

nueng's inability to be with palm (as a friend and a romantic partner) is yet another instance of nueng's privileged position getting in the way of what he wants. each time they take a step closer to becoming something more than boss and subordinate, an external factor comes and reminds them that doing so is not allowed. this is clearest in episode 2: they agreed to be friends, but aunt nid asks palm to bring palm breakfast like a servant; nueng invites palm to eat with him, but chanon scolds palm for doing so; palm must take the bus to school, while nueng rides in the van; the teachers exempt nueng from doing push-ups when he's late, while palm must do double; and so on...

because being with palm seems impossible, nueng accepts ben's advances, mostly because he is willing and able to shower him with the love and affection he so desperately craves (side note: at least for the time being - i haven't forgotten chopper's warning). when ben confesses his feelings for him, nueng admits that "no one has said those words" to him before. as he tells palm later, it feels good to be "wanted."

but nueng cannot mask or repress his feelings for palm for long. two scenes are critical to nueng making the decision to continue to pursue palm and slow things down with ben. the first is when palm says he doesn't like maggie during their conversation by the pond. nueng looks confused and asks if it's possible that he'll like her in the future (perhaps an attempt at figuring out palm's sexuality?), to which palm gives an ambivalent response. previously, nueng had assumed palm liked maggie, and that assumption drove his jealousy. now though, there's a possibility that all of those lingering looks and soft touches and caring words he's exchanged with palm meant something to palm too.

the second critical scene is when nueng is in the bath, thinking about his kiss with ben. he touches his lips contemplatively, remembering the sensation, but the memory of ben is quickly replaced by one of palm wrapping his arms around him at the shooting range. just like in episode 3, when nueng danced with ben but wanted to dance with palm, nueng kissed ben but would rather kiss palm. he sits up and leans forward abruptly, as if coming to a decision. he's not giving up on palm. he looks slightly resigned, acknowledging how difficult it will be for them to be together.

nueng's conversation with ben at the dance hall, in which he suggests they not rush to date and take time to get to know each other first, illustrates his decision to pump the brakes with ben in hopes of being with palm instead. throughout their whole conversation, he wears a happy, flirtatious, confident mask. but as soon as ben leaves, the mask drops, replaced by a forlorn, jealous expression as he heads to the bar to drink while stewing over maggie and palm from afar.

more than anything else, i think nueng is jealous of how easy it is for maggie and palm to be with each other. when he storms over to them, demanding to know why palm can dance with maggie but not him, he is acutely aware of why. he spells out all the reasons as he derogates palm, calling him his servant, his running dog, his lackey. he doesn't really see palm this way, but everyone else does. and when has what nueng thought mattered? when have his feelings made a difference?

despite his privileged position in society, nueng is powerless in his own life. at the dance, he takes out this helpless anger on palm, the one person he can exert power over. (it reminds me a little of vegaspete's dynamic on a smaller scale, with one taking out their frustration about the impossible expectations they've inherited from their fathers on the one person they can control.) it's almost like nueng is grappling with the impossibility of being with palm aloud, angry that their status difference will always keep them apart. maybe he's angry with himself, for thinking things could be different.

while the moment is certainly devastatingly painful for palm, i want to suggest that it is also painful for nueng. when palm is knocked to the ground, gasping for breath, nueng falls to the floor too. despite the harsh words nueng just said, they reach for each other in mutual anguish. nueng cries palm's name, begging for help as he repeatedly says, "i can't breathe."

it's a confession. i can't breathe. maybe he stopped breathing when his father died, bleeding out in a back alley and releasing one last breath into the night air. ever since, he's been suffocating in slow motion, denied oxygen at every turn. palm is the only one who gives him air, the only one he can let the mask slip for. but now, the mask is altogether shattered, and nueng is as vulnerable as he's ever been. he's reaching a shaky hand out toward palm, telling him, i can't breathe without you.

and sometime soon, palm will take him to the ocean, where we first saw palm against a background of bright sky. where it felt like freedom. and they'll be able to breathe once more. together.

[yakool-foolio]

Crossover fusions. Like how would you see them looking like? https://www.tumblr.com/operation-resonance/758374202259783680/im-feeling-inspired-by-collabwithmyselfs-ace

You had me at fusions! I'm no character designer, but I'd be more than happy to try my hand at thinking of design elements that link to their components' individual personalities and how they mesh together!

For Metatron, a cravat tucked into a purple suit would fit him nicely. Mixes Phoenix's standard tie and Edgeworth's jabot into something a little more fancy but not as flaunting; a great balance to represent their stable and loving fusion. For hair, this fusion could have a little cardinal or blue jay-styled cowlick, just a small portion of hair that flicks up along the back of the scalp. Gotta keep that bird theming from Phoenix in here while acknowledging Edgeworth's own teeny lil hair flicks.

For Eros, I imagine their fusion would be a little more on the disorderly side since they do tend to clash individually at times. But one of the ways I can really see their fusion shine is by incorporating the fact that music is a core part of both identities. Even if Apollo never got to experience a life filled with music because of his dad's death and mom's disappearance when he was just a baby, Klavier is the one who opens him up to that world he never got to experience. I think a punk rock aesthetic would go perfectly with this fusion, representing their shared goal of fighting against the dark age of the law.

Yuki is definitely a combination of their component's growing confidence in themselves and their work. Though they still have some anxieties remaining, so I think a color palette consisting of Athena's bright yellow and Shuichi's muted dark blue would compliment their bravery and lasting uncertainties. I'd love if they wore a GYAXA jacket over their shoulders to represent the connection they have to their friends and family being closely tied to space, which could've rubbed off on the fusion.

Tsukiyomi is definitely a super fun fusion to think about! While it may be more akin to a possession since Ryunosuke is a ghost in your scenario, I still think they'd balance out well in appearance since I'm a believer that ghosts still carry the identities of their mortal selves, which includes how they look. They'd definitely fuse over their shared motivation for discovery, not just in the truth, but learning more about foreign places and people! It'd be cool if their cloaks were combined by making the fusion's cloak long and wispy, practically floating to really hammer in that ghostly vibe.

Icarus is double the anime protagonist, so double the ahoges! It would be fun if their fusion had that bright white-gold hair color like 'Ultimate Hope' Hajime had. Other than that, Icarus would still probably be mistaken for just a regular student, wearing standard clothes, but he still has an air about him that makes him stand out from the crowd regardless.

[shelandsorcery]

I had a question about what gouache I use over on cohost, so I'm crossposting the answer here for anyone who's curious:

So I've tried a few different types of gouache, including the very affordable jelly gouache sets they have on aliexpress/amazon, and I've settled on forking over for the good stuff as the best way to get the results I want with minimum fuss. So here's the lineup of my collection of tubes right now!

The bulk of my paints are from Winsor & Newton - this was the brand we bought our starter kids from at art school, and if you notice any doubles in that lineup, it's because friends gave me their half-used tubes after graduation when they vowed to never gouache again. Some of those tubes are VERY old, but as long as they aren't fully solid, they're still good to go, so I keep them around. Also if they ARE fully solid, it's never a bad idea to try cutting the paint brick out of the tube and using it like a pan gouache. It usually works.

Through the pandemic tho I've been watching a lot of other gouache painters all over the world on youtube, and it did indeed get me hungry to try other brands! So the rest of my paints are from M. Graham (honey based gouache, dark colours aren't as opaque but holy heck they are pigmented) and from Holbein (really creamy consistency overall), including a bunch on the right there that I bought as one-offs from their fancy seasonal Irodori sets (some of my favourite pastels oh my gosh).

These are all traditional gouache, not acryl/acrylic gouache (though my partner @goshdarnheck has a solid collection of those), so these will rehydrate from dry - some faster, some slower, but it means I can often work with them dried out in pans instead of squeezing out fresh paint every time I sit down. This does take the sting off the price tag a bit - and makes plein air a lot less stressful and messy.

The other nice thing these days is that most art stores now sell online and ship worldwide (or nearly) and it's possible to track down some decently affordable paints that way. If you're also in or around Toronto, fyi, you can find W&N and Holbein gouache tubes at Gwartzman's art supplies for very good prices, and that's where I was able to get my single irodori paints as well. They do one day delivery in the city limits, it's amazing.

If you have any questions about my palettes, or particular colours, definitely drop them in the replies or my asks and I'll be happy to go into more depth!

[project-sekai-facts]

Not sure if anyone has asked this before, but what are your favorite gatcha sets for each units including mixed unit

My favorite L/n set is either Space Colony (Get over it) or Kind-hearted Words (Feelings Into Words). I love the space themed stuff and then the latter is just such a pretty set and holds up really well for one of the older ones (also has my favorite Honami card).

For MMJ I'll say Jewelry Box Sparkling with Feelings (Step by Step). Again I think the art for it is really good and I especially like the colors and lighting. As a close second, An Angel Spreads Its Wings (Hopeful Stage) - it's one of the best old sets and still has my favorite Minori card.

VBS has so many good ones it's hard to pick. It's probably between Aim For Legend (Power of Unity) and Chasing That Day's Light (Vivid Old Tale), but Repaint My Color! has been growing on me recently. Aim For Legend has really cool lighting, and Akito's card was one of my favorites for a long time, but then Chasing That Day's Light generally has such a nice color palette and is so happy and warm (and the contrast with LUTF hurts). Can you tell I'm biased?

WxS has the most creative sets imo, because they get to play around more with the themes thanks to them being a theatre group. Never Ending Showtime (Our Happy Ending) RPG-themed set my beloved <3. I'm also fond of Pop Up! Picture Book Actors (Dazzling Light).

My favorite N25 set is easily Drowning in Blotchy Colors (Blank Canvas) I love that set so much. The Ena card is so cool but I love the emotion in Kanade and Rin's card, especially Rin's. However I'm quite fond of the new Heart In Water set too, it really goes to show how much the art has improved over the years.

In terms of mixed events, Knights of White and Imperial Soldiers (both White Days) are like my top favorites because I love fantasy AU lol. Other favorites would have to be Advent Mercy Archer (White World), Cyber Sniper (Close Game Offline), and Darkness Festa (Festival Colored by Twilight), but especially the first one. The art on the Advent Mercy Archer is so fucking good; those are easily my favorite cards for Shizuku, Mafuyu, and KAITO.

[phier]

Summary of my recent Character Design Experiments so far!

This OC belongs to @legglessdraws! Rowan is not only an exiled prince and assassin on a space station, he has also recently been chosen to be the Champion of the in-world goddess of fertility, Zephyr, who granted him the Amber Sword of myth.

The given setting of the game Rowan is from is scifi, with a somewhat Star Wars-esque aesthetic which I tried to stick to.

Since it has been requested by @am1vf, an in-depth breakdown of the process and my thoughts, are under the cut. :)

Overall designing this character was such a treat, since there was already a moodboard available with a clear vision for the character in terms of style and the overall character concept was appealing to me.

Particularly interesting to me was trying to balance out him on the one hand being royalty and the other hand him being an assassin. So for one, he should be shown to be a bit flashy or having a taste for luxurious items and clothing, while also keeping in mind that he needs to be able to blend in and be stealthy should the need arise. Furthermore, his outfit should be easy to move in for that same reason. In the end what really made the outfit work as a balance of those two, almost opposing requirements/characteristics, is the color palette we ended up going with. Lots of muted, dark colors, with little flashes of vibrant colors and gold jewelry.

The Amber Sword is an in-game sword of legend and therefore has a very old appearance and does not fit into the rest of the scifi world aesthetic for this reason. @legglessdraws pointed me in the direction of celtic swords for that reason as well, since it's really supposed to be ancient. I played around with celtic inspired hilts but also other more winged motifs since I at first thought Zephyr was Zephyr from Greek mythology, deity of the west wind. That ended up working too, since the bee-like hilt does fit a goddess of fertility. I enjoyed painting the various amber blades a lot, doing studies of amber beforehand to get the material right.

The thing I struggled with the most was probably the end phase- the layouting. I wanted to make it interesting and original, deviating from the usual gray background with slight gradient. I did a matte painting to add as a backdrop, but ended up blurring and cropping a lot of it. And even then, it was quite busy. I experimented, wanting to keep with the sci-fi aesthetic, trying to figure out how to combine the character and the items in a way that made sense. In the end I scrapped the background, and went with a simple and abstract backdrop. This is the area I feel I'll need to study more still, and see what works best and how other artists do it.

But overall I'm happy with how this character sheet turned out and it was a joy to work with @legglessdraws on this!

Thanks for reading, I hope this has been helpful or interesting in some way. :)

[marthawrites]

It's a new month which means it's time to share my June reads! Thoughts below!

The Only Good Indians: Okay, wow. This book was INsane. It was horrific, sad, and beautiful all at once. All things that, imo, make a great horror story. At its heart this is a story about love, revenge, and vengeance, and it's wrapped up in a box of creepiness, chills down your spine, and brutality. The older I get the more I love a tale about a woman's revenge. Absolutely recommend this book to fellow horror fans! However, if you're squeamish about animal harm I would really look at other reviews first to see if it's something you'd enjoy

Six Scorched Roses: Yet another novella in the Crowns of Nyaxia universe! This story delves into Lilith and her tale, and how she and Vale crossed paths. I've praised the lore and world building for this series multiple times for good reason! I LOVE this world! Lilith's story is quite sad. I really enjoyed reading this!

Hunted: If you like thriller/horror movies with dumbass kids being the main characters (they're technically college age but to me that's still a kid LOL) then check this one out!! A young woman goes missing in a big ass old ass forest and her friends try to find her since the police aren't doing much. But there's something else in the woods messing with them while they search. This book is told from multiple perspectives - the kids and the detective - and it's really great. Personally I didn't see the big twist at the end coming! This was a fun, creepy, tense read!

The Manor House: Pretty sure I got whiplash reading this book! There were SO many twists and turns it was hard to keep up sometimes! If you like twisty thrillers, characters with little to no redeeming qualities, and a wild ride all around, this book is for sure for you!

Dragon Queens: My sapphic heart! Since it was pride month I couldn't NOT read something like this! Honestly I loved this one haha, it was like a tropey Shrek with lesbians and it was a lot of fun. VERY spicy, however! If you aren't a fan of smut then do not read this book - there's a lot of it! It was sweet, hot n' heavy, with a happy ending. A great palette cleanser book!

The Deep: Technically I have 1hr left of this book but I wanted to include it anyway! After reading The Troop earlier this year this book has been on my tbr. Nick Cutter is great at writing unsettling themes, horror, body horror, and diving into different types of character psyches. In this book there's an illness attacking and killing humans, and after a discovery they think the cure is at the bottom of the ocean. VERY creepy stuff in here. Deep dark water freaks me out any ways, and this is the epitome of deep and dark. Insanity comes easy and no one is immune to it. Once I finish this book for real I will report back! So far though, I'm really liking it!

Overall it was a great month of books and I recommend all of these!

[nagirambles]

Rambling about Fairies - Volume 21 End Notes

There's some interesting information in these cards!

So first in Joey’s card, I think this is the first time we get canonical instance of tattoos being erased by magic. This comes into play later in Sabertooth. Also, bodybuilding competitions apparently run under the same rules as traditional Japanese bathhouses in this world and I think that’s funny. 

Chico's magic has a really cool concept and I wish we saw it in play. I wish we knew how it interacts with Bickslow's magic, too. Also, it especially mentions Chico's magic is 'extremely powerful'. I really wish we saw more of it to know what that meant.

Anyways, her family owns both the dorms and a local cafe? Cool. I think it's appropriate considering this implied Chico can only take jobs inside of Magnolia, so she's usually doing jobs at home instead.

And of course, Kinana's card. It's sweet Mashima gave this to us right after Nirvana. She's trying to learn takeover?? Cool. I wish she used it, then, what on earth happened to that? She seems magicless to me.

I think it's both fitting and sad that she dislikes snakes. She got turned into one, so I guess eh, makes sense.

I'm not personally a fan of the direction of her design with the frills and all, but it's unique, so I wish she kept it. Also her lime green to dark purple palette is really nice. I'm really happy she got a continuation to her story in the anime.

[tsuki-sennin]

Cure Sky is a hero. With our final battle mere moments away, what terrible scheme has Skearhead brought forth? How will our dear Cures fare? Will the Empress have her heart mended?

Spoilers, I guess...

-Skearhead, that sunnova bitch.

-Oh she mad

-Prism, I don't think a paint palette's gonna patch impalement.

-Jesus Christ man, you

-"Maybe if she weren't such a weakling, she wouldn't be dying horribly."

-"Die like your father, you pinheaded son of an ice cream maker."

-holy shit a royal assassin

-The Emperor...

-Is that a heart tattoo on his arm? That's super adorable.

-"I traumatized you, yes."

-This is beyond fucked up, man, what the hell

-Ohhhhh

-D

-Darkhead.

-Okay, he quite literally personifies the villainy that the Underg preached.

-That's uh... quite interesting, actually.

-Dude

-Duuuuude.

-Skearhead shut the fuck up, you did like 30% of that.

-V

-Vessel???

-"Come, daughter of Sky Land."

-Daaaaaaamn, okay Wing! Good initiative.

-Aaaaand the party's been split.

-Imma be real, these guys have been jobbing lately, Butterfly probably could beat them all on her own if she moved fast.

-"Princess's orders~!"

-That's a big boy.

-You can do that too, eh, Majesty?

-All on her own...

-The Big Princess...

-We left our baby.

-"Do you know why I made you my vessel?"

-Hero...

-I see, Darkhead goes for the Zamasu approach.

-"Cure Sky, she's perfect."

-Daaaaamn, okay Sora.

-For the Empress!

-"Darkhead, your villainy ends today!"

-"Power is nothing without someone to use it. ...which is why power can use instead."

-OH

-Like canaries in a coal mine.

-"This mist is nothing! I've inhaled grosser and more dangerous things on jogs!"

-"Exactly what I've been looking for."

-Sky

-Sky no-

-Oh

-That is not right, that is not correct, that is not cool Toei.

-Okay, no it is, this IS SO SICK

-Aesthetically Underg Energy Sky pops the fuck off.

-This is the only time we've seen this asshole happy. How fitting.

-Ohhhhh

-Oh nooooooo

"Dulling hop! Suffocating step! Dark Jump~! Eternally falling black sky! Cure Darkhead~!"

-Goin' for the Warlock Punch!

-Hot damn, Prism's not even flinching

-YOOOO SORAAAAAA

-"Are you shitting me?! I lost...? I lost control of Cure Sky's body because her GIRLFRIEND-!?"

-The Empress's heart has been made whole again.

-"You're just like us, Empress Underg :)"

-"I'm no hero. Not yet at least. But with Prism, Majesty... Wing and Butterfly too... all of Sky Land and the people of Earth... and I guess now even you, Empress... I truly feel like I'm-"

-INVINCIBLE SEASON 2 PART 2 BABYYYYYY WOOOOOO

-Friendship confirmed, I repeat, friendship confirmed!

-Dang, you guys had fun, huh?

-Daijarg!

-"Listen pal, you really should go to bed."

-It's Hero Time~! Once more~!

-What a season this has been.

-Every time I thought it was getting a little stale, or that perhaps I wasn't taking things super seriously, it just pops back up to surprise me again.

-Excelsior, Cure Sky. You'd have done the legends behind so many of the world's best superheroes proud.

-One last Hirogaru Change for the road! Soaring to Infinity! Our World!

-Then after that...

-Doggy

[eorzeanflowers]

now that its been nearly a full day since the last fanfest, i'm just gonna put my thoughts on Dawntrail as a whole out.

Jobs

Viper is cool. I like the idea of another scouting class. I'm a ranged phys main so sharing jewelry with another job is a plus.

The aesthetic of Viper is really really cool. I love the swashbuckler look that the AF gear has. I cannot wait to put Marisol in something similar. The twin blades into a double blade is also very appealing. I used to play Sith Assassin and Jedi Sentinel in SWTOR and its like a marriage of the two.

So in conclusion, Viper is just cool and its gonna be a lot of fun to play. Just like how Reaper is pretty fun to play still.

BUT Pictomancer is just more exciting to me. I LOVE RELM so much. Its been forever since I played VI so I might go do that sometime.

AND THE SPELLS ARE SO CUTE. They look so fake and painterly that I just can't help but fall in love with them. The AF gear is also so cute and I cannot wait to put it on Lily.

Archie is also going to main this class (I had decided that before the reveal, when it was still in the air between green mage and pictomancer.) Its so cheesy and cute and goofy and feels like it would fit my Doctor Who-like character a lot better than the raw powerful Black Mage.

Pictomancer is just gonna be good healthy goofy fun and its the job I'm more looking forward to!

Fem Hrothgar

I'm so so so so happy that they went big and buff over cutesifying Hrothgar. Cause we know they could've and it would've not looked good at all. I'm still not the biggest fan of the dimorphism of Au Ra. (even tho I main one. ^.^;)

My biggest complaint with Fem Hrothgar is that their starter gear looks so much better than all the others. Like the wrist guards! They look sooooo good. (I also really dislike Au Ra starter gear, that doesn't help.) But you can see the new graphic update with them and just their general design feels better than the OG 5. I felt this way a little about male Viera, but I was not super likely to make a male Viera so it didn't matter to me that much.

I don't know if i'm gonna make a Fem Hrothgar... They aren't my style per say, but I'm not gonna keep that door closed. I'm not the biggest fan of more animalistic faces, but that's a personal problem.

All in all, they look fucking fantastic and I'm glad they went the route they did.

Graphic Update

It looks great and its gonna be good when we get it. I'm very glad they actually showed us dark skintones this time too. They all got such a glow up! Can't wait for the gear to follow.

Now give us more character creator options for everyone, and hats for Viera and Hrothgar!!

Tural

The areas look really pleasant, I do like the whole brand new adventure feel. Its a lot better than the feel of the start of the void quests, that kinda had the same feel but got a little dreary once in the void proper. I dunno. Even as a fan of IV the Void Arc was kinda, meh. I like Zero and Golbez as characters, but the rest was kinda whatever. The world lore was also good but eh.

The new zone designs are just breathtaking. I'm the biggest fan of the Western town and South American highland zones. They are just so different from what we have currently it will be great. Solution 9 and the cave zone (that appears to be under it) are.... really fucking cool. Its so far away from what we were expecting I just can't help but be estatic. (And I can take pics of the Linnaeas twins' home shard there. Since I headcannon it as a cyberpunky shard.)

The dungeons all look pretty neat, I like the thunder crystal mountainside the most so far.

Its gonna be a fun story I think, a nice palette cleanser from the heaviness of Endwalker.

The Arcadian

I have no idea what to expect from a raid that is taking place inside a graphics card. By name alone and the fact its in the cyberpunk area does give me good hope. :D

Vanadiel

As I haven't played XI I'm indifferent. It'll be a fun raid and I'm likely going to enjoy the fights, but its just another FF in XIV. Pretty standard tbh. It'll be fun and I'll enjoy the story but there is no anticipation for me.

Ultimate Eden

Its gonna be bonkers and I'm gonna enjoy watching the full fight once its figured out. (I'm not a savage raider lol)

Other Content

The field zone has potential. Since we know nothing else, that's all I've got. I did miss having a field zone in Endwalker tho. It was the perfect place to while away hours working on relics. (let's hope the next relic grind is as tedious as just gather tomes.)

Cosmic Exploration is going to look flashy and great, but I don't do a lot of crafting/gathering so I dunno how much I will enjoy it past its story. Its gonna just be relegated to going there once in a while like Island Sanctuary for me likely.

Deep dungeons are only fun the first time solo and ok with friends later. I've completed both PotD and HoH but my friends still haven't finished EO so....

Hildebrand is Hildebrand. Perfection in humor form.

I will likely enjoy the Variant dungeons, I've enjoyed the first 2 (haven't done the newest cause I was taking a break from the game) and I like the lore that comes with them.

I can't think of anything else really rn but those are my immediate thoughts! Its going to be fun and refreshing and I cannot wait till summer to play it. (tho we must)

[melvinthedepressedrobot]

so my self-image is weird bc like. there's the way I see myself and the way (I think) others perceive me

and the last bit makes things especially confusing bc being audhd makes reading other people really fucking difficult and some of it just doesn't make sense to me

like as an example I try my fucking hardest to like... track how well I've passed depending on how I look and sometimes that shit just doesn't make sense to me??

rambling and photos under the cut

like, okay, 2013, the year after I came out when I finally had my first Boy Haircut and got a bunch of Boy Clothes bc I was obsessed with passing

and as far as I can tell, I did pass reasonably well

then skip ahead to 2016 when I finally got a hairstyle I liked FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE and had started experimenting w dressing more fem again and started T aaaaaaand I stopped passing

and even w my voice changing I still got "she" A LOT, consistently, no matter how I had my hair or how I dressed, masc or fem and even after top surgery in 2018 right thru to 2019 where in the first part of the year my hair grew out bc I couldn't afford to get it cut AND bleached (and was too afraid to bleach it at home) until I just got tired of being misgendered at work and got it cut w my natural hair colour and then SUDDENLY I PASSED PERFECTLY. NOBODY HAD A FUCKING CLUE WHEN I WENT TO UNI - this was also the skinniest I've been in my adult life, I still wore a mostly dark colour palette and didn't really have any facial hair yet

.....and then I went back to blond (and also started parting my hair rather than brushing it over) in 2020 and started getting misgendered again?? that was when i started really moving towards more pastel in my everyday wardrobe but a lot of the time I was def still more on the masc end of the spectrum, and also finally started showing a bit of facial hair (or, at least, a neckbeard) and also putting weight back on

and that just continued p much consistently since, no matter how I dressed or had my hair and at this point I genuinely have no idea how I'm perceived in the everyday - I've gone through several hair changes, my everyday wear is p much entirely pastel these days, I have fairly visible facial hair which I often emphasize w eyebrow powder/pens and I'm p chubby again and I can never really tell what I'm gonna get?? I've had days w shorter hair, no makeup and a darker, more masc outfit and gotten "she", but then I went out the other week in a full pastel outfit w a skirt and makeup and my pink/blue hair that's gonna hit my shoulders any day now and got an affirmation from somebody who thought I was a girl just for a second and then realised I'm not which. BLEW MY FUCKING MIND, THAT NEVER HAPPENS

and obv I try not to let how others, particularly strangers, perceive me dictate... well, anything, but at the same time it's disheartening to have spent a decade figuring out who the fuck I am, doing affirming things like hormones and surgery and dressing in ways that make me happy and then repeatedly get feedback from most of the world that it doesn't matter who I am, I look some kind of way so I must be something else

and especially when I don't actually know what the thing I'm doing "wrong" is!!! is it my hair?? my clothes?? my weight??? height?? the way i talk?? the way i stand???? I HAVE NO IDEA

i don't really have a point w this, it's just something i think about a lot and it puzzles me

[dreamyinception-world]

𝓟𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮

🌸 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: Yeh Shuhua x Unidentified Female 🌸

🌸 𝔀/𝓬: 1.3k 🌸

🌸 𝓼𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼: While discovering her place and purpose within a strange world, Shuhua has her ideas challenged by a challenged by a beautiful stranger. 🌸

🌸 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: Fantasy, Romance, Self Discovery, Supernatural Universe🌸

🌸 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼: slight angst {embarrassment, estrangement, fear, crying (happy tears but still!), self image issues, isolation, suggested depression}, slightly disturbing imagery {world warping} 🌸

🌸𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓻: hello everyone! i hope that the season has been treating you all well! i'm really excited to announce my comeback, although i haven't been gone for long. this story was inspired by the theme behind Palette by IU! i really enjoyed writing this and i hope that you all enjoy it to! thank you for reading!🌸

🌸𝓣𝓪𝓰𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓮: I'm currently in the process of trying to reset my taglist! If you would like to continue to be on the list, please message me! If you haven't been on the list and would like to join, please stay tuned for the taglist link!🌸

©𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏-𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅/𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂 2023 || 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ♡

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. * ੈ✩‧₊˚‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. * ੈ✩‧₊˚‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. * ੈ✩‧₊˚‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ

If I dance til the end of the woods, where the world seems to stop and all that lies ahead are the blue bundles of the world—

Does that make me mad?

If I smile at my own reflection, distorted and untrue, for the sole purpose of watching the lines rounding my lips and nose bend to a whim— would it be too strange for you?

Is it odd to be the way that I am?

Would you think differently of me if I walked on the tips of my feet, just to be as weightless as possible? 

For a moment or simply for a second, I could feel something that I haven’t felt in a long time. 

Is that alright?

Is that okay?

Should I change or stay the same?

It’s those questions that float around that begin to distort what the world has become and what we have set it to be. 

✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪v✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝

A glass of tea that is overfilled to the brim trickles down over the lip of the cup, freefalling just enough to notice that the area around the bottom is much slicker than it was before.

There wasn’t as much steam, everything had all but cooled off now.

It was easy to forget— the small little cup.

It had no desires nor goals of its own. It simply just existed as everything else.

Maybe there was a hope for it to be used, one that had long since disappeared. Now it just floats between the realm of the unknown and mystery.

She felt that in her. What was to lie ahead and behind felt strange, yet exciting. It was hard to describe into words.

“I’m here.” The bright gleam from the tip of her finger struck against the black pad, lightly singing into the material, marking an accumulation of two figures.

On the one side laid an area littered in taters and stripes.

The other— clean, solid and vibrant.

She placed herself, a small dark blue dot, in the middle of the contrasting sides.

Something compelled her to put herself there. 

“Why are you there?” 

The question was puzzling to Shuhua. 

The dirt shares its space with the grass and flowers— not because the swirling entities in the sky demanded it to. 

It felt the desire to coexist. It made sense that way. There was no realm in which it felt secure to have them ripped apart.

The blue color was the missing piece to the picture. 

“Where do you think I should be?”

The girl positioned herself behind Shuhua with a hand overlapping her own. 

No rhyme or purpose fell behind each stroke as they bled across the page, feeling guided by some unknown force to disrupt everything that had already been done.

Hues of blues bleeded into the black, not minding the way they were swallowed and melded into new. Curling and expelling out, they found their way into every space that they could fill. 

The wave-like flow of their colored bodies into slots— more beautiful as they met each other on the other side.

Shuhua’s eyes widened. 

The air beneath her feet began to bend, flowing freely as it ushered her off. There wasn’t a moment to catch her breath before she was swept up. 

The further she reached into the air— the painting poured out, dripping off the sides and crowding the room. 

Chairs bubbled in the liquid, blossoming into fluffy white blobs. 

The table too began to bleed white and sky blue heavenly. Her home no longer belonged, swimming beneath her feet. 

Her stare lingered below. As the liquid bobbed, flowers began to pulse up and break through the breaks in each wave. 

Was this real?

The warmth of their intertwined fingers dropped her back, a scream bellowed from her throat as she spiraled in the air, desperately trying to regain her balance. 

The same enchanting presence guided her body, saying I won’t let you fall. That is, as long as she believed that she wouldn’t hit the ground.

Belief? 

That’s right.

Her eyes fell shut.

✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝

Her childish, bubbly self. She was a magical princess, the ones with the almost too poofy dresses and ribbons strung through her hair. 

She would wave her special tool, tipped with a sparkly star, to weave everything the way that she wanted— ever imaginatively perfect person to be a part of her small castle. 

In the next, she was a mermaid, glimmering gold scales. The fish would flank near her, brushing their slick fins to her arms as they would rush the currents. 

Nothing could stop them from reaching the endless depths of the sea.

But now?

She was a fairy. 

Fairies could fly and dream and be the way they desire to. They have the power to make anything that they want exist. 

✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝

Is that all that this world needed?

To her left, a pair of eyes met hers with glassy tones matching the world around her. It was comforting in a way that felt like her small home— secluded and far away, but protected and safe. 

That’s when a tingle resonated from her crown down to her feet, a similar warmth to the one from the hand that allowed her to glide. When it reached her face, she threatened to turn away.

But why?

“It’s beautiful, right?” She motioned her hand forward. 

In that moment, sparkles of stars danced down from the sky to greet her with glowing smiles. 

Swirling in unison, brushing against each other lovingly. 

Her dusty cheeks upturned. 

It was unbelievable. 

“You don’t just exist in between the two worlds. The two are you. They exist because of you.”

It is the one that you make that has created such a sight. 

Wants, desires and everything that laid in the gaps— there’s no reason why the two cannot be one and the same. No option of choosing what has to stay and what has to go. 

One's desire to live in a world of peace and love, should be able to do so. 

If that’s how you want it, that’s how it shall be. 

Shuhua’s eyes filled with tears. Even so, the images around her did not falter.

Following the flow of the wind, they pirouetted— Limbs entangled in between that only made the two of them laugh and smile.

It didn’t have to make sense. It didn’t have to be normal. It didn’t have to be anything that she didn’t want it to be. 

That, within itself, is what made her world feel absolutely perfect the way that it was.

A blossoming studded realm that held no ties to the world that she was once in. This is hers now, all of it. 

Here she could be and breathe however she saw fit.

There was nothing absurd about a girl soaring through the waves of bluish clouds alongside the jays— about the image of herself smiling back at her and wishing her good morning, for now and ever, with the ends of her hair tickling down her back.

And floating through the atmospheric clouds of the sky, Shuhua let herself be embraced by the tenderness of someone other than herself and the soft lips that came to meet her own. 

For now she was just existing and living.

Her smile was natural and beautiful, and so was her love.

✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡↪✉˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖૮꒰ ˶• ༝

In this world, made in the image of a painting that I once made many years ago, I discovered my passion to dream, to love— not only for myself, but for everything and everyone around me.

There was no guide book to tell me what everything was supposed to feel or be like. 

Times will come when I will fall down and feel like crashing. When the framework of others will welcome themselves into my mind and tell me that my imagination is illogical, unrealistic and unfit.

In some instances, that may be true. 

But the reality is, there is no better desire than to feel whatever your heart calls you to.

And I choose to be me. 

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. * ੈ✩‧₊˚‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. * ੈ✩‧₊˚‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾. * ੈ✩‧₊˚‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ

[starlight-phantom]

Me and a friend have been talking about this and we thought we'd ask some mutuals who've played the series opinions:

Which Somnium in either AI The Somnium Files or Nirvana Initiative is your favourite?

Ooooh, see that's kinda hard because I really, really like most of them. Not to mention, there's some where I love the concept but hate playing through them and then there's some where they're fun to play through but the concept's not quite fleshed out.

I mean, I love all the obvious picks like Date's somnium at the end of Mizuki's route in the first game because I mean... Look at it, it's so good. And Mayumi's somnium makes me sob uncontrollably, especially with the concept of it and the music. And I absolutely adore the more unsettling somniums like "Iris" and Bibi's ones.

But, because I might not get another chance, please allow me to gush about a somnium that I think is absolutely genius but not a whole lot of people talk about. I'm sorry if you wanted a short, simple answer but I mean... You did ask for my opinion so y'know.

So... Komeji's somnium.

This somnium is so amazingly well thought out. For one thing, the music. It suits him so perfectly, the specific type of piano and the harmonica give the music a very old fashioned and kinda outdated feel to it which matches Komeji and his sense of humour perfectly, not to mention the tempo sounds cheerful yet it also sounds like it's plodding along similar to Komeji who is putting a smile on his face and performing his comedy routines while hiding all of his personal problems.

Secondly, the setting. The rooftop playground where he performs frequently and where the Ferris wheel his son loves is found. Immediately we know the importance of this place to him; combine that with the sunset palette and the bright, cheerful balloons and decorations and we can tell how this place and the memories associated with it mean the world to Komeji. But then, there's the dark, greyed out area that follows the player wherever they go when they investigate; an appearance that engulfs the entire area when the illusion is shattered and you see the problems piling up behind Komeji's cheerful persona.

Thirdly, the situation and gimmick. The somnium plays out like Komeji is hosting a TV show where he explores the playground and you uncover information by giving Komeji prompts on how to continue the show. I've seen a lot of people who don't like how linear this makes this somnium but I personally love it because 1) It fits Komeji's character and career. He's been told that he's washed up and he has no creative ideas of his own so he follows your orders in order to be a good host for the show, and 2) it makes sense in regards to his story because, with the amounts of mistakes Komeji has already made before the story began, there is realistically only one path left for him to take.

And finally: The big decision. The one that determines which route you go down. 'Protect Shoma' or 'Get The Money'. Let's be honest, most people are gonna choose to protect Shoma because why wouldn't you? He's Komeji's son and after hearing what the debt collectors said, it's only natural you'd want to keep him safe. And then you play through that rescue mission, and Shoma's somnium, and that last conversation with Shoma where he gives you information, and Shoma and Komeji are so happy together... And then the credits role. And then you get a horrible sinking feeling in your gut as the realisation hits you "... Oh. In order to progress the story... I have to make the wrong decision."

So you have to go back, make the other decision and watch everything go wrong, knowing what happened in the other route and that in the main route, that family will never get closure on their problems and Komeji dies thinking that his children hate him.

So yeah, short essay over. I don't think it's the absolute best somnium in the series but it's really well thought out and I really think it deserves a lot more credit than it gets.