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anxiousbread · 6 months

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Tips & Tricks: Splat Charger and E-liter 4K

(Apologies in advance if it's formatted bad, this was written and posted on mobile)

Hi! I'm the person who got 3-star freshness on every weapon in Splatoon 3. Through my experience, I've picked up little bits and pieces on how to play the game better. So, why not share some of that knowledge?

Today, I'll be talking about Chargers. More specifically, the Splat Charger and E-liter, and their Scoped variants. Why talk about them both? I feel they're similar enough that the advice I'd give for one can more or less be applied to the other. That said, I will still talk about each kit individually.

The advice I'd like to give is to learn and remember three key points: Aim, Awareness, and Aggressiveness. Or – as an easy to remember acronym – AAA.

Aim is the most important, and the first thing you should try and learn. Aim is good for every weapon (but especially chargers) as you are limited in how fast you can take another shot if you miss. As a charger, you have a really powerful weapon that is outranged by very little. However, if you can't hit anything with it, it's not very useful. The laser sight can help you Aim, but remember that everyone can see it. Something you could do to help improve your Aim is going into the lobby (or the training room, by pressing Y when selecting a weapon) and practicing hitting the moving targets. Or, if you have a friend, you could set up a private battle, and just have them run around while you try to shoot them.

Awareness is also incredibly important, but it can take a bit longer to pick up on. Awareness includes things like tracking where your enemies are, and being able to figure out if you should keep fighting, or backup and regroup. Again, it's good to have Awareness with other weapons, but as a Charger, most times you'll be the backline. You'll be a high priority target for specials, and usually the last one alive on your team. I don't have as much advice for Awareness, because it's a harder thing to practice. Things to look out for are splashes in the ink that show where someone is swimming, or the UI at the top of the screen that'll show who's alive, and who has a special charged up, waiting to be activated. It'll also show if someone's an Inkling or an Octoling, but that isn't as important. Also, if you're using a Scope, you'll need to be a lot more aware. This is because when you're aiming, you'll zoom into a first person view.

And lastly, Aggressiveness. I wouldn't try learning this one until you've at least got a grasp on the other two first. Aggressiveness is how much you should move around, because if you stay in one spot the whole game, you won't do a whole lot. As a Charger, you have a lot of range, so finding unexpected angles where you can hit people from can end up drawing your opponent's attention – and sometimes, their resources – away from the objective. This can allow your team to swoop in and overwhelm them. An important thing for being aggressive is to always have an escape plan. Either make sure you have an easy path out, or you have a lot of Quick Super Jump on your gear. If you don't have an escape and you get surrounded, you'll leave your team at a disadvantage, unless they help you. The best way to practice this is to just go into a game and mess around. Things that have helped me be more aggressive are when there's another backline on my team, which forces me to play in different spots; or when there's a good Charger on the other team, which means I need to be able to find places where I can hit them easier than they can hit me. Remember to be aware if you're playing in a more risky position, so that you aren't just throwing yourself at a brick wall and ending up going 2-16.

Now, on to how the kits can influence your playstyle.

Splat Charger and Splatterscope come with Splat Bomb and Ink Vac. Splat Bomb is always nice to have, and it can help if you need to get someone out from behind a wall, as Charger shots always go straight. It will take 70% of your ink tank to use, though, so I would recommend using a little bit of Ink Saver(Sub) if you plan on using it. Ink Vac is good for helping protect your team-mates, but you need to be close enough for it to actually have an effect. If you're too far back, you won't be protecting anything, but if you're too far forward, you can get punished when your Ink Vac ends. And, you can't forget, you'll get a strong explosive shot when either the special ends naturally or when the Ink Vac is filled up. It'll scale with how much Ink you sucked up, so try and at least get a little bit of Ink in there before it ends.

The alternate kits are Z+F Splat Charger and Z+F Splatterscope. They come with Splash Wall and Triple Inkstrike. Splash Wall is great for being aggressive, as you get to block some shots to give you enough time to shoot back. Try and learn the spacing for how far out you throw the Splash Wall, so that you can maximise your effective range while being safe. Remember that Splash Wall has a lot of Ink Recovery Lag, so try not to throw one out unless you need to. Triple Inkstrike is a great Special for a backline weapon, as you won't be in nearly as much danger when you activate it, and you'll be able to have a good spot to throw the Inkstrikes without having to back up or throw them up higher. Use the Inkstrikes to block out a space, forcing people into your line of sight where you can Splat them, or forcing them back into an unfavourable spot, where they won't be able to affect the match much from.

On the E-liter side, we have the E-liter 4K and E-liter 4K Scope, equipped with Ink Mines and Wave Breaker. Out of the 4 Kits I'm talking about, I see this with the least aggressive potential. That doesn't mean it's bad, though. I think Ink Mines are a good sub for E-liter, as you can set them up on a flank and be alerted when an enemy tries to go through there, really helping with your awareness. You can only have two active at a time, and if you place any more they'll explode so that there are only two, starting with the oldest. Wave Breaker can help you keep or gain control of an area, by locating anyone nearby when it's first placed or when they're hit by a wave. The waves will also deal 45 damage, so you don't always need to use a full charge if someone is hit by a wave. If you can figure out how people act when they're tracked, you can predict what they'll do when the tracker goes away, and catch them when they think you don't know where they are anymore.

The alternate kits for E-liter are Custom E-liter 4K and Custom E-liter 4K Scope. If you pick one of those up, you'll find yourself with Squid Beakons and a Kraken Royale. Squid Beakons are nice for not only you, but your whole team! Try placing them in spots where you'll want to go, or places that are out of the way. Without any Ink Savers, you'll be left with one shot after placing one, so remember to recover your ink when you do place one. You can have three active at once, and, like Ink Mines, they'll destroy themselves if too many are placed, starting with the oldest. I recommend using Sub Power Up, as it decreases the Super Jump time when Jumping to a Beakon for everyone. Kraken Royale is a fun special. On E-liter, it's good for if you are getting rushed down. Activate it before they get to you, and you'll be able to easily fight back. But remember, it has a long start up and long end lag to make up for the fact that you become invincible when using it. It doesn't last for too long, however, so make sure you have an escape planned. Your Beakons may be able to help with that. If you want your Kraken to last longer, use Special Power Up.

That's all I have to say about those two Chargers for now. Hopefully you can learn something based on what I said, and let me know if you'd want to see more of these! If you want, suggest a weapon and I'll try and give my advice in either another post similar to this, or I'll just answer directly.

Also, if any people who actually main these weapons want to give advice, you should probably listen to them instead. They would understand the weapon a lot more than I do.

Until next time!

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #text post #long post #tips & tricks: splatoon edition #splat charger #E-liter 4K

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singular-yike · 2 years

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Please tell me about our favorite simp, Haiji! (Actually I like Xeno a a bit more but I think Haiji being in your favorite character slots and me liking Xeno a and Haiji moderately evens out to Haiji being our favorite.)

Alrighty, here's everyone's favourite chestnut head, the deranged little Rinnosuke themself (yes if you think about it that's really what they are):

The Fad-following Spell Collector — Haiji Senri

Name: Haiji Senri

Let's take a look at this oddly familiar name: Haiji Senri (千理牌示).

Surname Senri, despite what it looks like, Haiji isn't actually related to Tsurubami Senri at all. The two names are written with different characters: Haiji's Senri (千理) vs. Tsurubami's Senri (闡裡).

Haiji actually specifically changed their surname to this because they're just that much of a Senri fan, but showed a strange sense of restraint by not using the exact same characters to write it.

In this rendering of the name, "sen" (千) means "thousand" and "ri" (理) means "logic/reason". As an aside, the name change apparently happened when Tsurubami was the Senri priest.

In their given name, Haiji (牌示), "hai" (牌) means "card", and is the same character used in spell cards (スペル牌); while "ji" (示) means "show". So their name means "card showing" lol.

Obsession #1: The Senri

Haiji is a super ultra duper fan of the Senri and the Senri Shrine, to the point where they collect the first-generation Senri priest's ink brushes. Additionally, they're also a big fan of the 2nd generation priest, who invented the spell card system.

Thanks to this long-time Senri obsession, they were one of the few to closely witness Tsurubami's entire career, and their conquest of Mugenri.

In fact, they frequently hung around Tsurubami and Tenkai, and, at least according to Haiji themself, Tsurubami liked them as well. (Though they apparently don't like Tenkai.) (Also while Tenkai protests, they seem to enjoy the faddist's company as well.)

Obsession #2: Spell Cards

I would explain why Haiji loves spell cards so much, but I think it's better to just hear it from the chestnut themself:

BPoHC Secret vs. Haiji "Cards" are truly wonderful~. They're the most beautiful part of an individual's power made manifest. Their creativity, imbued within their set form representing beauty of expression, is just as captivating! You can glean one's innermost nature from the kind of spell cards they use... And, from that illusion, indulge in a sense of superiority!

Depicted below: An undeployed spell card, as seen in-game. (One truly must admire JynX's graphic design, the thing looks gorgeous~)

Obsession #2.1: Collecting Spell Cards

As an extension of their love for spell cards, they also love collecting them. They love others' cards so much that they only have one truly original card, White Card "Origin Card", and prefer to fight using others' spells instead.

They obtain others' spells through one of two methods:

Dueling others and demanding their opponents to surrender their cards after they win. Some people call this theft, but Haiji vehemently denies it.

Researching others' spells and creating replicas of them, to this end, they can be found in various locations of Mugenri. (This is presumably what they did to get their Touhou ripoff cards)

In particular, they have an interest in spell cards created by "naturals", people who didn't need to learn how to create spell cards, but simply knew the rules and methods instinctively.

Haiji's Spell Card Shop

Haiji runs a spell card shop on the outskirts of the Human Village, where they duplicate the spell cards they own and sell them for a profit.

Notably, while a spell's creator can create indefinite copies of the card, they can't do so when the card is taken from them. So when Haiji takes one off someone through a duel, they're forced to somehow get it back or make do with a copy Haiji made.

Despite the ubiquity of the spell card system, not everyone can create spells, and not everyone can manipulate spell cards as well as Haiji does either.

Yet, everyone can use spell cards. So despite their eccentricities, people from the Human Village do actually visit Haiji's shop regularly. No one else provides such a service, after all, they found their economic niche~. (And I love this point so much hehe)

Haiji the Copycat, Haiji the Faddist

Haiji's a bit of a copycat, preferring to find beauty in others and make it their own rather than to be truly original. They're also called a faddist, although we haven't really seen this in play yet.

In any case, here's a list of things they did copy:

The Senri last name, even if slightly altered

Tsurubami's theme, and its title

Tsurubami's spell background, again slightly altered

All their spell cards (except White Card "Origin Card")

Other Neat Points

That really concludes everything major I have on Haiji, so here are a few other neat points:

Despite being so knowledgeable about the Senri, spell card system and spell cards, they're actually a bit airheaded, even forgetting their own name lol

They apparently knew Suzumi even before BPoHC, perhaps they met one another in the capital?

Funnily enough, their clothes are actually not copied from anyone else, and are based on their own fashion sense (which means they came up with the chestnut hat, on their own)

And that's all! Perhaps it wasn't really much of an analysis, but I personally found Haiji info to be a bit scattered, and thought it'd be nice to kind of tidy it all up here.

Bonus: Personal Thoughts

We're really done now, so feel free to leave if you'd like. This little part's just gonna be a bit of ramblin' on why I like them so much~

I really enjoy how they're just a little silly person who's really into spell cards, and yet have found a way to really make things work out for themself, a perfect balance of fanaticism and brilliance~.

I also kinda relate to the whole "finding beauty in others" thing, not necessarily in a self-loathing sense but just in a, "WOW there are amazing people and things out there" sense. It brings me joy just to find out about such things, and even more to learn about them.

I can't really articulate it too well but yeah Haiji's real neat! And their pure enthusiasm is just fun too. Anywho, hope you enjoyed this once again~ :)

#len'en project #len'en #len'en lore #haiji senri #it was actually rather difficult separating the Haiji lore from the spell card lore #perhaps I could do another one of these on spell cards and the spell card system later

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capnsaltsquid · 2 years

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Seeing a bunch of E-Liter butthurt...

Apparently there are people claiming the EL4K is a no-talent easy kill weapon that slows the game down. As a Splash-o-matic main, all I hear when I see that argument is "wah wah I can't charge into enemy territory without my team and be a hero anymore". My daughter is a 4K main, and I have watched her win ground battles with inkbrushes while my own 4K teammates have gone 0 kill / 5 death on Undertow. This is NOT a weapon that you can just pick up and immediately get 10 splats with.

If you are a shooter main and are having problems dealing with 4k's, here are a few tips:

Stay mobile. Just make a habit of moving constantly, even when you don't think you are in danger. Move erratically; most good snipers can match a movement pattern and pick you off. Be harder to predict.

Just because they aren't looking at you doesn't mean they don't see you. They spend a lot of their time practicing snap shots, keeping an eye on an enemy and then bringing the weapon around suddenly when they see an opening. Don't count on the targeting laser to warn you.

Snipers are not dinosaurs; they DO have object permanence. Don't just plop into a puddle of ink and stay there. You're a sitting duck.

Don't be a hero. Charging straight at an experienced e-liter and counting on them to panic is a guaranteed ticket back to spawn.

Most importantly, be aware of what your team is doing. Don't get out too far ahead. Coordinate as best you can. If everyone is heading into a choke point, try to lay down cover with bombs or specials. At the very least, head up the opposite side of the choke. A tightly grouped bunch of opponents is asking far a team wipe; a fully charged shot will go through any number of players in its path.

All that said, I do sigh whenever Splatoon's matchmaking system decides to put an e-liter and a hydra on a team with 2 shooters, and composes the other team of 3 aerosprays and a splash. You'd think that by the third game they'd have this figured out. Not rocket science, guys.

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #eliter 4k

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hunterrated · 2 years

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Akaza Headcanons

So, I see the Akaza x Reader tag is pretty lacking of content, and I got tired of checking everyday tumblr hoping for new stuff, so I decided to give my contribute.

I don't know what to call this post, there will be some headcanons, but also basically canon facts about Akaza's character, and a bit a scenarios...it's also my first time writing this kind of format so bear with me. It will be Fem oriented.

I will be cheesy and I will be weird 'cause that's how I am. If you see some ideas from this post that you like and you wanna use it for your story/post/headcanon, feel free to do it, no need to ask!

Also: BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!

English is not my first language, there could be some errors in this post.

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The Character

Let's talk about the character per se. I'll start with a favorite of mine: Akaza is a talker.

Proof:

We've seen him being chatty during fights, talking is in fact a way for Akaza to tantalize his opponent.

Buuuuuuuuut, not many knows that in the Kimetsu no Yaiba Fanbook Two there are two paragraphs that confirm that Akaza just really likes to talk with people. Here's the parts:

So yeah, I just like the idea of an Akaza who can't shut his mouth for his own good.

Also, Akaza is warm. Demon aren't ded, they're mutations, blood flows through their vein. I just think Akaza would be warm, and since in his free time he's doing workout, that would, of course, make him even warmer.

He'd probably do anything to repel any kind of memories from when he was human.

His memories from when he was human reminds him of his weakness, and the promises he could not keep.

Poor Baby™

About Akaza's role in the Upper Moons, which is quite peculiar. Doma says this:

I think this means that Muzan was okay with him getting power his own way, Akaza didn't need to get stronger, and that's because he was deployed to gain intel, just like the informations about the Blue Spider Lily.

Of course, this is closely connected with Akaza's chattiness.

Next: I don't think he knows how to write or read on his own. I don't think someone teached him.

His master teached him how to fight when he was human, but I don't think he received any kind of education.

Now, we don't know how demon's reminiscence of Muzan's memories work, but we know they can share their master's memories.

So I have this headcanon that Akaza can write and read, using Muzan knowledge.

This still means that he has no instruction on how use brush and ink to write letters, so he has a really bad and messy calligraphy.

And maybe he also struggles with some compicated words. Like, he knows how to pronunce them, but he has no idea on the meaning?

Dunnou, I just think it's pretty and funny :3c

Also, following the same idea, he knows how to speak english. I bet Muzan knows how to, so Akaza know's how to. I rest my case.

Also, I'm sure Akaza and Hakuji may share some character traits, but their personality is quite the opposite.

I'd like you to take a look at this baby

And now look at this bitch

I just can't imagine Hakuji aka cinnamonroll doing that-

Also, I have this two different ideas about the type of people he eats. Either, he eats the strong men he defeats in battle or he doesn't, he just kills them and leave their body intact as a sign of respect. Maybe he goes for people who, for him, don't really deserve to live.

I'd like to point out that Akaza most likeky piked up his outfit. Like, the bottom is clearly form a uniform, but where is that top coming from? Or maybe someone picked it for him? Like...to match his hair color...I'll stop now, sorry-

This last thing will be foregone, but I believe Akaza's weight and hight are perfect for what he does and what he is. Not too tall, not too heavy. Like, he just has the right ingredients to be a perfect fighter.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────••───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Thanks for reading!

But I'm not done!

I just found out you can only write 4k characters on a post and I already wrote another part called "First Encounters" that I could not finish because I had reached the max characters.

So I decided to divide this post in several parts, for now there should be 3, but it could be more.

See you later 🌸

#akaza x reader #kyn #akaza x you #kny akaza #akaza x y/n #akaza kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer akaza #kny x reader #kny headcanons #kny x y/n #kny

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madschiavelique · 2 years

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A Crown Of Ink : Chapter 2 - The Emperor

masterlist : 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 word count : 5,2k

mentions of : nothing that I know of (if you do find some elements that might be triggering please don't hesistate to tell me so that I can add it)

summary : You've always been an excellent in student in the Academy, getting the best results and always being first in every class. But it all changes as soon as you see your name in the second place, the first being occupied by a certain Viktor.

some extra information on this : she/her reader, academic rivals to lovers/enemies to lovers, reader is really competitive and wants to be first at everything, tarot themed fanfiction with guidelines, slow burn

author's note : heyyy second chapter of this baby :)) hope you'll enjoy (my native language is not English so you might find some grammar mistakes - sorry about that)

tag list : @wincestisasincest

If you weren't currently sitting comfortably in a leather armchair in the common room sipping orange blossom water with a slice of lemon, you probably would have jumped at Viktor's throat.

After your encounter with this stick insect, Jayce had tried to calm the atmosphere and had prevented you from starting a real duel to the death on the peaceful grounds of the Academy.

It was actually quite surprising that he had managed to make it all work out. He'd had the intellect to redirect the conversation this way: "How about we go back to the dorms so we can all get to know each other better, hmm?"

It's hard to struggle in the arms of a guy who's six feet tall and weighs over two hundred pounds, so you didn't do anything that would make you look like a real rabid dog.

But there is no lack of desire. No lack of desire to tear off that smart, satisfied smile stretched across his face.

The shuttle ride back to the dormitories was slightly stifling. Sky kept saying "I can't believe you came second in the pre-exams! That's amazing!"

Amazing my ass.

Second. That word echoed in your skull like the most infamous punishment in your trial against success.

Second. The number was tattooed on your eyelids and gave you no respite.

Second. Shivers crawled up and down your body, like an itchy, wooly jumper that runs up to your throat, unpleasant to wear and which you want to take off.

It's like a heat on the back of your neck that you can't get rid of, and it annoys you because there's nothing you can do to shake off this unbearably uncomfortable feeling.

Instinctively, your hand comes to your left shoulder, as if a strange itch is tingling your skin. If there was a chance for you to eradicate this word, you would have seized it without hesitation.

It's a good thing that this vicious Viktor didn't have to meet your eyes during the journey, otherwise you would have kindly introduced him to the flavour of glass by making him taste the windows of the vehicle with an ‘unfortunate’ false move.

But now that the four of you are alone in the common room, it's hard not to try to stare at your opponent with a look sharp enough to drill a hole in his skull.

"So, you've met before?"

Poor Jayce, trying to soften the situation through conversation.

"Among other things," Viktor replies, "she offered me help."

"Wrong," you immediately reply as if trying to justify the first interaction you had ever had with him, "I asked if you needed help, nuance."

He tilts his head slightly, barely squinting.

"Help?" Sky shyly asks in an attempt to take part in the conversation.

At the moment, you see both of Viktor's eyes as targets, his pupils the centre that the knives you throw must reach. Who knows, maybe he'll stop examining you like… something. You don't know why, but the mischief in his eyes bothers you, they are piercing, clear. It's like having conversations with blue-eyed people, feeling your gaze forced to drift from time to time to something else, so penetrating are their irises.

"Yes, Jayce had drawn me a poor map of the building and I had trouble finding my way around."

"It's true that on a straight line it's easy to get lost," you slice.

"Luckily you, my saviour, showed up to help me, otherwise I would never have made it," he stresses without any sincerity.

You let out a half-laugh, half-mocking burst of voice.

"Fortunately, he arrived shortly afterwards," Viktor resumes.

"Since when have you been a dormitory guide, Jayce?" you ask, turning to the concerned individual.

"Since our flats are being renovated," the latter confesses.

"Under construction?" questions Sky before taking a sip of her own drink.

"Yes, you could say that there was a slight 'incident'...". He exchanged a look with Viktor that screamed secrecy and complicity but said nothing about its content. "Therefore, Viktor and I will share one of the rooms in these dormitories."

Jayce never mentioned Viktor to you before, so the confusion is only more intense. They share something, something you don't know about, something secret. What is the connection between them? What are they hiding?

"And how long are you staying?"

"The estimation is around one to two months.

"Not counting delays," adds the rod.

"Sounds like we have a building expert in our midst," you cut.

"Only in engineering," he clarifies.

"Oh, my apologies, being wrong is my favourite occupation." You let out an annoyed sigh.

"Ah, hence the second place."

Pepper sauce runs through your veins, it's like you can feel the cortisol frying your neurons in real time.

Insolence. He has a way of expressing himself that makes you want to strangle someone, preferably him.

"Why are you being so vehement?" he asks, clearly curious about the reasons for your bitter behaviour towards him over the last few minutes.

"Why are you going out of your way to try to annoy me?"

"I'm testing the waters of what we call 'getting to know each other'.

I can let you get acquainted with my phalanx, you think so hard that you hope the words will come out.

"But Vik’ why did you refuse her help?" Jayce asks, and as he is about to answer his friend's question, you cut him off.

"Because his Zaunite pride prevents him from doing so."

The confidence is no longer the same in his eyes when he meets yours. It's full of unspoken words, ' How do you know?', 'Do you know me already?' and 'Yet your face tells me nothing' that leads his eyes to scrutinize you more and more as if he's digging deep into his memory to recall a potential moment when he crossed paths with you that would explain this situation.

"Wait, are you a Zaunite too?" asks Sky, seemingly finally finding her place in the tumultuous exchange you were sharing.

"Are you?" he then questions, turning to her, seeming equally surprised.

"Yes I'm from the Boundary Markets on Promenade Level, you?"

The Promenade Level was probably the nicest floor in Zaun to live on. It is mainly where you find the most affluent people, the privileged ones who live in opulence and have little or no fear of vapour-borne diseases.

Notably, you can find the College of Techmaturgy, which you might have expected Viktor and Sky to be in instead of the Academy.

"Emberflit Alley, Entresol level."

The Entresol level is probably the level where the most Zaunites live. It's where places like the Bridgewaltz, the breather station or delicious Dellicatessens are located.

You remember passing a Cultivair, those big green houses where strange plants grow and light up at night.

For your part, well-

"Emberflit Alley? I'm not sure I see where that is."

"No wonder, if you've spent so much of your life on the Promenade level... Why didn't you go to the College of Techmaturgy?"

"My parents can afford to send me there, you?"

He was silent for a moment.

"A bit like you."

Neither accurate nor inaccurate, just not specific enough to silence too many questions, but not enough to satisfy your own expectations.

"Well, the only difference is that I spent two years there. It's just that the courses didn't meet my personal standards anymore. So I came here."

"It's true that the Academy's teaching is superior," confirmed Sky. "I just hope the classes aren't as labyrinthine as its buildings."

"Jayce gave me a tour of the place, it's actually quite exhausting."

"Surely with your elaborate sense of direction it'll be a piece of cake," you say wearily.

"If you're not used to it," Sky attempts to contrast with your deplorable mood, "tomorrow and the day after we can familiarise ourselves with the Academy. I don't really know my way around either and I'm planning to go so I can find my way back for the first few days."

"That's very generous of you...?"

"Oh Sky, it's Sky." she said.

Sky's first name had been mentioned several times, but Viktor seemed to barely take notice of her presence.

"Thank you, Sky, that's very kind but unfortunately Jayce and I have some business this weekend that we need to attend to."

"Oh, no worries."

You didn't have to think hard to understand that she was obviously disappointed by this cordial rejection.

After all, you understood her. She was new, a stranger to this dented, ivory-white city. The alleys and corners did not hold the same fears as in the Promenade Level.

Discovering the place with someone was a comfort she would have preferred to give herself, which you comprehended. And even though you couldn't help her tomorrow or the next day, that didn't stop you from showing her a little more of Piltover without having to see her just go through the shuttle.

You get up. Finally, you could get away from the stick on legs and get some fresh air.

"Let's go grocery shopping while it's not too late," you suggested to Sky. "You'll see, Piltover at dusk is quite different."

"Oh shoot, the groceries!" said Jayce, slapping his forehead.

"Didn't you do them?" Viktor asks.

"It seems not," he says sheepishly.

"Come with us," Sky offers, which pretty much erases any hopes of deserting Viktor's presence.

"I don't think-" you begin before Jayce cuts in.

"Perfect! I don't really know this area, and besides, it'll give you a chance to get to know the place a little better, won't it, Viktor?"

The concerned man turned his lemony eyes to his friend already up and about to go out shopping.

"I suppose that... making myself at home in this city would not be out of place."

"Great!" Sky exclaims.

Great, you mentally cry. Are you doomed to constantly face the very personification of your failure to the end?

And in the next few moments you found yourself outside. The temperature had clearly dropped. According to the weather report you had checked that morning with Eris' help, you learned that today was the final day of summer. The hot weather you'd endured today would be the last, as temperatures were starting to drop this very evening.

"Any idea what you would like to eat tonight?" you ask Sky.

"Not really, all I know is that I'm really hungry," she said, trying to push her fist between her ribs to stifle the gurgles that were trying so hard to manifest themselves like bubbles of sparkling water trying to regain the surface.

You took out of your pocket a neatly folded piece of paper with some products you had to buy. With your student status, it was pretty obvious that pasta and rice were on the list so you could make quick, no-fuss stuff. Oh, without forgetting bread and other sorts of ingredients that you could put in a sandwich

Plus, now that Sky was your roommate, you could share the cost of groceries and have variety instead of just cold salads and biscuits. So, to celebrate Sky's arrival, you decided to have something to make her happy tonight.

From what you understood when you got to the mini-market, Sky wasn't picky. She was probably the kind of kid who didn't mind eating her broccoli or spinach when it was her meal.

She liked sweet as well as salty, sour as well as soft, cooked as well as raw. In short, she was not difficult. This did not mean that she did not have preferences, quite the contrary.

She preferred strawberry to mint, chicken to steak, peas to beans or juice to tea.

You let her take her landmarks from the shop, informing her that you would be over there where the pasta was. You would have bought some bread, but planned to go to the bakery afterwards to get some pastries for the occasion and some good bread.

You looked for the package you used to pick up, reaching for it.

"I wouldn't recommend these."

Your fingers freeze in mid-air, as if that accent triggers an automatic mechanism in you, petrifying you in place. You look up at Viktor. You consider him for a moment: ignore him and leave, or stand up to him? You opt for the second option.

"Not only do your building skills take the lead, but you're an expert in culinary now?"

"Who's to say that behind my obvious knowledge of science that allowed me to surpass you in the rankings doesn't hide a great knowledge of food?"

"Because no one can be both first in the Academy and first in the kitchen."

He obviously has nothing to say to that, as he resumes his initial argument.

"This pasta is not so good, this one on the other hand is much better." He says as he moves closer to point out a packet of pasta in yellowish moonlight shaped but with sliced tips pastas.

You knew these products, you yourself had tried them a few years ago, called "Datné's eyes".

"What makes them better?"

"Taste, cooking time and texture."

"No, I'm correcting you right now." You took the package you were initially going to take in your hand: 'red snakes'. "This pasta takes less time to cook, it doesn't need to be heated to a precisely calculated fire compared to Datné's eyes. Besides, yours loses its taste as it cooks: no chance with red snakes."

"Red snakes taste terrible."

"It's perfect for me."

"What, are you on a diet?"

"Yes, a strict diet of misplaced enthusiasm and heartbreaking regret," you say before grabbing your pack. "Plus the Datné's eyes have a poorly sifted flour that leaves lumps of dough and ginger in them."

"And the red snakes are too salty."

"Vik? Did you find everything you needed?" Jayce asks as he comes into the aisle with Sky.

"Perfectly." he affirms, taking his pack of yellowish pasta that comes within a few shades of his amber eyes.

I hope he chokes on a piece of ginger, you think so hard that you almost expect him to choke on the moment without anything in his mouth.

His very presence irritates you, like a mosquito you hunt at four in the morning but never manage to swat, coming back close to your ears and perpetuating that shrill little sound that leaves you without peace.

"I'm going to the bakery, can I get you some bread?" you ask Jayce.

"Don't bother with that-"

"No no, really, I insist."

Because the truth is, being alone for even a few moments would be a real blessing right now. Ever since your note fell on you and weighed a ton, you'd had no break or solitude, nothing to allow you to breathe a little.

"Okay, just two baguettes and a brioche, please," he simply asked. "I'll pay you back afterwards."

You let him know it was no problem, then gave Sky some of the bags to take back to the flat.

As you parted ways outside the shop, you felt as if your heart was in the palm of a hand with fingers wrapped around it, the vicious bars of an invisible prison closing in on itself.

Mechanically, you took the path leading to the little bakery you used to go to.

It does you good to be alone, to be free.

Free? No, not really. You are not free from your worries, free from the heaviness that weighs relentlessly on your shoulders and your consciousness. Will the torments never end? Will you never get any rest from it?

How could he? How could he pass you by, lower you, make you go down in the rankings? What means did he use? Did he cheat?

No, you hoped he hadn't cheated. After all, cheating at the Academy is not such a simple matter.

Viktor, as in 'victory', was winning and you were losing in the moment.

All the cogs in your head aligned with the rails of the train of your thoughts, speeding through a landscape where all you see is the horizon line that seems to know no end.

But you had already arrived at the bakery and entered it without further ado.

The little bell at the entrance of the shop tinkled as you entered the warm room, smelling of butter, bread and melted sugar. No one is there, and that reassures you.

"Welcome," says Emeline the manager, from the back of the shop as she comes up to you, wiping her flour-laden hands on her whitened apron, "what can I do for- oh but it's you."

You were a regular at the bakery. Emeline was actually a pastry supplier at the café where you worked. So you got to know each other quite quickly. She was a plump, redheaded woman with star-studded freckled cheeks who smelled of hot apples. She always gave you little extra gifts. A cream puff, a croissant or a meringue.

"Hi Emeline," you breathe out with a tired smile.

"You, there's something wrong, " she says, approaching you with a concerned look on her face.

You sigh, your eyes lost on the contents of the colourful display of pastries, pies, cakes and other delights left over from the day.

"We got some test results today," you say with a shrug.

"And they were bad?" she asks, leaning against the counter.

"Let's just say... they weren't what I expected." You confess. "But then again, I'm not here to complain." You straighten up, your thumb gently stroking up and down the tab of the shopping bag that was lacing your fingers. "Today I'm celebrating the arrival of my new roommate."

"Oh, but that's great! We have to celebrate indeed," she beams as brightly as the first ray of sunshine of the day.

Your eyes settle on a single caramel and walnut tartlet with a hazelnut crust. From what you'd gathered, Sky really liked caramel as well as hazelnut, so this would be perfect.

"I'll have one of your little tarts," you said, pointing with your chin to the treat in question and indicating your choice. You obviously added to this what Jayce had asked you for and your own necessities.

"You're lucky, it's the very last one," she chirps as she takes it and slips it into a small brown paper bag, wrapping your choice in a separate package. "Oh and, wait a minute here." She says before heading back to the back of the shop.

When she returns, she holds a package that could largely fit a watermelon in her arms and hands it to you.

"Here, take this."

Your eyebrows furrowed, you put your bag on the ground to open the pouch. The pack is as light as a feather, but the sweet smell it gives off is a testament to its content. Your eyes become as round as poros: a whole packet of chouquettes.

"But it's too much, I can't take it," you say, meeting Emeline's kind gaze.

"I'm not allowed to keep them anyway, you know what the Piltovian food laws are. If you don't take them I'll have to throw them away and they'll get stuck in whatever toxic Zaun sludge. Plus, you'll just have to share it with your roommate."

You really didn't know what to say, but your friend's distant smile formed a new sentence that left you no time to do otherwise:

"I have to close the shop and you have to go home to celebrate the arrival of your roommate," she turns to the back of the shop where she is about to disappear again.

"But I haven't even paid you yet!" you say, absolutely flabbergasted.

"No need, go away now." she says, shooing you to the exit of the shop and disappearing from your sight for good.

Outside, you find yourself dazed with your change in your hand. You must have been standing outside for at least 30 seconds, long seconds during which you can only think of one thing: this is a nightmare disguised as a fabulous dream, it can't be otherwise.

The catastrophic reading, the meeting with Viktor, and now you were offered chouquettes. The world is right side up and you're walking backwards? We're probably playing a bad joke on you, that's probably it. Is today a day to celebrate something in particular? The celebration of who's going to do the best absurdity? The celebration of the best possible prank? The day of the fooling around?

You feel the hand around your heart tightening, trying to awaken the beast of grief that would rise to claw at your throat, nose and eyes if you didn't compose yourself.

You grabbed the tabs of your bags with determination. What's the point of moping around forever if you only bring yourself more misery than you need to? No, you had to act. That would be doubling your efforts, and if you have to speak up as often as possible in class, so be it.

The sun is slowly setting when you finally reach the dormitories, and your body is asking for three things: a shower, a meal, and sleep. But you still have to go back and forth to Jayce's flat to give him the bread.

You then go up to your floor, arriving at your flat. Sky already had the spare keys you gave her before you left for the Academy. So you went in.

"Here, let me help you," she said, picking up one of your bags. As she took the big brown packet, she exclaimed with a smile, "Chouquettes! But you took a ton of them?"

"They were given to me actually."

The gift left you bitter, however, in the sense that you felt it had been given out of pity and not out of support. But you pushed away this idea, which would only have made your current feelings, already approaching disastrous, gloomier.

"And what's this?" she asks, pointing to the packages that hold your treats.

"This is dessert," you smile, "tell me, Jayce didn't by any chance tell you which flat he and the other skeleton are staying at?"

"Yes, of course, 004." She laughed at the nickname, putting away the last of the groceries you brought with you.

With Viktor's condition and his leg, you had to expect that he would have a ground floor flat at his disposal, which was only natural.

"I'll be back, I have to give them all this." You pointed to the baguettes and brioche, taking them directly before you left the flat again.

You felt like you'd been walking all day long today, and your legs were really getting tired of it.

You walked down the hallway to their flat and knocked on the door, perhaps a little too angrily. You just hoped that it wouldn't be the Vword who would open it for you.

Your displeasure increased when the man as thick as a twig opened the door for you.

"Is Jayce here?" you ask, clearly frustrated by having to confront this individual once again.

"He's taking a shower. What's that for?"

"I'm bringing the bread," you inform, handing him the brown bag.

"Your grace is too good to offer pittance to the lowly plebs," he says, not moving an inch and leaving you with your arm in the air with your package. "Your candor is delicious." He leans to the side until his shoulder holds him against the wall.

"I do believe you have overestimated my greatness of soul. My arm won't stay up forever in the void."

"I think your arm will be able to withstand gravity for a few more moments. How do I know you won't poison me with your bread?"

"I didn't come to the Academy to learn to bake, I don't know anything about bread. And if I really wanted to poison you gradually I would have taken a poppy seed bread."

"If I wanted to weaken my 'rival' I would have poisoned them slowly."

Damn Jayce and his interminably honest tongue. He'd probably told his flatmate that you considered him your rival, or at least someone who wouldn't help you with your work at the academy. Which, after all, was not really wrong.

"So that makes you a 'rival' who refuses to go toe-to-toe with your opponent."

"Are you implying that I am a coward?"

"No, you're from Zaun, you're too proud to be a coward, unless you're an exception to the rule." you finally lower your arm when you realise there's no point in keeping it up any longer.

You don't really want to waste your time any further, so you decide to head back to your flat.

"You're from Zaun too, right?"

You stop dead in your tracks. Up to now, apart from perhaps only one person, no one was aware of the fact that you were from Zaun. As you already had a special reputation within the Academy, you wanted to avoid spreading this information. You didn't want points like this to be used as pressure leverages by a few fools.

You turned towards him, facing him. That same sneering grin he had given you at the note panel was back in place. He seemed satisfied, as if you were on an equal footing, which was not exactly the case in your eyes. It didn't matter how he had learned where you came from. What mattered was how he wanted to use that information.

"I don't know who gave you this information but I think you should review your contacts." Maybe that with the I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about it can pass.

"My contacts are my eyes and ears about you."

"What makes you think I'd be from Zaun?" you question, crossing your arms.

"The fact that you knew I was from Zaun."

"Pfft," you almost laugh, "anyone could have guessed that."

"Oh, yeah? How so?"

"Firstly, your accent, many people from Zaun have it. Secondly, your undeniable pride and your absolute refusal of help from others. And thirdly..."

You approach him slightly and sniff him, the latter observing you with frowned brows. You pull back, your lips pressing into a thin line.

"You stink burnt coal, candied apricot and cold tobacco. Typical of the smells you'd find at the Entresol Level on the Bridgewaltz side. You might want to take a shower if you want to be more inconspicuous."

You almost regret having given this advice to the latter, any information, however meagre, would be useful to him and another obstacle for you.

"I see," he smiled again, "thank you."

That smile, that stupid smile, you want to rip it off him so he never shows it to you again.

"What do you mean thank you?"

"With all this, you've just confirmed that you're from Zaun." The next sentence, if he was ever going to say another, never took place as Jayce emerged from the shower wearing only a towel around his waist. "Duty calls under the perfectly filtered water of Piltover, I hope to stink less after this." he backed away slightly. "Jayce? Miss number two would like to speak to you."

A muscle in the corner of your lips twitches at the title, and you chew a flap of skin in your cheek to keep from swearing at him.

"Ah, good, I've been meaning to talk to you." Jayce, having taken no time to change, came straight to you and your eyes had to find a spot on his body or in the scenery that wouldn't make you squint on his abs.

"Jayce, can I ask what possessed you to introduce us?" You asked, shouting in your whispers. You didn't want the other stick man to hear this conversation.

"That's what I wanted to talk about," he said with a concerned and apologetic look on his face, "I know you have a problem with the ranking and Viktor is part of that problem now, but... I just thought you two would get along."

"I don't know how you came to that conclusion but obviously you got the equation wrong."

"Stop getting into it with him," he bellows as if you and Viktor have been bickering for weeks already, "and you look alike, you two have some things in common."

"I find you singularly spiritual. Sugar and salt are similar, Jayce, but that doesn't mean they taste the same. I think the less I have to do with him, the better off I'll be."

"I think if you got to know him better you wouldn't have to go to extreme measures."

"Jayce, this is nothing against you but I don't think it's the best way to go about it."

"Maybe, maybe not, you'll never be able to prove a theory if you don't put it into practice."

"I'm pretty sure that this theory can remain a theory."

"And I think the universe will take care of you both just fine."

" Sure, it will. " You sigh, too tired to argue further on the subject for today. You stoop to pick up the bag of bread. "Here, this is the bread."

"Oh, give me a moment to get the change."

"Forget it." you mutter before slipping away.

As you walk back through the common room, you pass by a small group of students who, for the most part, give you smiles, for others strange looks, as if you had the charisma of a boiled oyster. But you don't have time to worry about that, you don't want to take that time, to waste it on trifles.

Walking up the steps to your floor feels like your feet are stuck in thick mud where each step requires extra effort for the next. But your struggles are comforted when you arrive at your flat and see that Sky has started cooking a delicious meal.

***

Tap on, cold water for the moment, your date with your shower concluded your day. The rest of the evening continued over a lovely meal with Sky, who feasted on everything you had prepared and brought home.

So far she was a lovely person who you felt you could not refuse. But how could you refuse Sky ? She was as pretty and soft as a watercolour.

The water gradually warms up, enough for you to slip underneath and fully appreciate her embrace. You can't thank Piltover enough for its abundance of filtered water, allowing you to shower at least once a day.

You hoped that the warmth of the water would rinse away everything that was bothering you, that it would remove the grease that stupidity forms around the brain and heart, that it would cleanse you of your doubts and pour rain on the fire of your rage.

Viktor.

You can only think of his name in your mind, like a broken record stuck incessantly on the most unpleasant part of a song. He came into your life like a wasp with multiple stingers, ready to sting anything that challenged him to reach the sweet fruit that was his target.

You couldn't let him pass you by, you couldn't allow yourself this, you categorically refused.

Better is the enemy of good, and therefore your worst nemesis, because this better is named Viktor.

Rivals? Yes, rivals, so be it, that is what you will be.

<<<; Previous Chapter ——— Next Chapter >>>

#madschiavelique ⟢ ݁ ˖‧˚₊ ☁︎#academic rivals to lovers #academic rivals #arcane #viktor #arcane viktor #viktor x reader #arcane x reader #viktor arcane #viktor arcane x reader #enemies to lovers #slow burn #tarot cards #tarot #viktor x you #viktor x y/n #arcane viktor x reader

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imagineimagineimagine · 3 years

Text

Soulmate Headcanons (Childe, Ganyu, Jean, Zhongli)

Childe: While many names adorn on his skin, only one of those names belong to his soulmate. The rest are enemies he is fated to battle.

In today's modern era of relative harmony, most people tend to find that only the name of their destined partner can be found written on their skin. While some individuals have occasionally had the names of future rivals and lifelong enemies appear as well, most can only ever claim to have had 1 or 2 names that belong to this category. Childe, as per usual proves to be an exception to the standard. After he turned 18, his skin became littered with dozens of names all written in blood-red ink. Amongst the jumble of random names, he knows that only one them can belong to his soulmate. So, what better way to figure out which name is yours, then fighting his way through the rest?

To a man like Childe, there are two things in life that truly bring him joy; his family, (to which he holds no doubt that you will eventually join), and the excitement & experience that only combat could offer. After he becomes a Harbinger, Childe dedicates a great deal of time, effect and resources into figuring who the names belonged to. He honesty doesn't care how long it will take him. Fate itself has assured him that he will always have worthy opponents to keep him occupied until he gets the chance to meet you.

Traveler Soulmate: You have no idea just how much joy it brings him that his eternal soulmate is one of toughest combatants he has ever faced. It feels like every time he looks away, you always seem to be even stronger than you were the last time you met. He of course has no intention of ever being left behind, so instead, why doesn't he join you on your adventures? That way the two of you can becomes the world's strongest together.

Ganyu: The countdown on her wrist tells her how much longer she must wait before she will meet the person who will truly accept her.

The clock that rests on Ganyu's wrist has always been both her greatest source of comfort and despair. While most people in Liyue would only ever have to wait a few short years before finding their beloved, the clock on Ganyu's wrist has continued its silent countdown for centuries. For one who is neither fully human nor Illuminated Beast, the knowledge that she would one day be blessed with someone who will truly accept both sides of her, (without fear or judgement), is something she doesn't always fully believe she deserves. More than once she has stopped to wonder if perhaps this is fate's trial to make sure an outsider like her is worthy of being loved. Or maybe, this is fate's way of preparing her for the eventuality that you might grow old and die without her.

The countless centuries alone have given Ganyu a lot of time to think. While she has no doubts she will love you no matter what you look like or where you come from, Ganyu can't help but wonder if loving you would be worth it in the end. If you were human, then the two of you would only be able to spend less than a century together. And If you were Adeptus, would you be disgusted by the parts of her that were human? Underneath all the doubts or worries however, a larger part of Ganyu can't help but be excited for the day she finally gets to meet you. Whatever happens will happen, but a least for now she will have you by her side.

Traveler Soulmate: Ganyu can't believe how lucky she is to have gotten you as her soulmate. Not only are you brave and kind to those you meet, but you too understand the loneliness that comes from being alone in a world with no one else like you. Now that she has found you, she will always stay by your side for as long as you will have her.

Jean: When she turns 18, she will receive a journal which will allow her to write back and forth with her soulmate when they too come of age.

While Jean normally claims to be too preoccupied with her training to have given her soulmate much thought, the romantic in her can't help but burn with anticipation at the thought of finally receiving her journal. While many nights of indulging in the occasional romance novel have tided Jean over, now on the eve of her 18th birthday she can't help but feel excited thinking of all the potential possibilities. Would she open her journal to find that you had already begun writing to her, or would she be older than you and have to wait until you received a journal of your own. While she knew it would only be a matter of time, she couldn't help but fidget as she waited.

Traveler Soulmate: Jean understands the importance of family. So while she may not enjoy having to stay behind as you leave to search for your sibling, she knows she wouldn't be able to sit still if it was Barbara who was missing. It brings Jean a deal of comfort to know that she will always be able to reach you. Every the worrier though, Jean insists that you write to her at least once a day.

Traveler Alternative Version: Jean had already considered the possibility that her soulmate would write in a language she didn't natively understand. So before her birthday arrived, she borrowed every book she could find on foreign languages so that she would be ready to translate at a moments notice. What she didn't anticipate however, was that your writing not to match any known language in Teyvat's history. To her, it felt more accurate to say that what you had written was more alien than foreign. It was only after had she met you in person that she understood why.

.Zhongli: When both he and his soulmate are asleep, they are able to meet in their dreams.

Zhongli can't help but wonder how much longer he has to wait before he will finally be able to meet you. While protecting the people who reside within his borders tends to keep his thoughts fairly occupied during the day, his dreams tend to be very lonely when even he eventually requires rest. After having waited so long for you, there are two possibilities he can think of as to why he hasn't been able meet you yet; and neither of them can easily be verified. Either you haven't been born yet or you have already passed away. If its a case of the former, then he simply needed to be patient for a little longer. If its a case of the latter, then......

It is on days when he is reminded those he lost that he wishes to feel your presence the most. For one such as him, it is far too easy to feel lost as everything around him seems to shift before his very eyes until he is the only thing left that is unchanged. Would your presence ground him in the present, he wonders? Would it allow him experience what the world is like when viewed in terms of days rather than of centuries? How different will the world be from that of his memories when he finally gets his chance to meet you?

Traveler Soulmate: Ironically enough, it was the Unknown God that had stolen your sibling away from you that had allowed Zhongli to finally be able to meet you. After your battle had ended, he awake in his dream to find another there beside him. As you waited for your body to awaken back in the land of the living, you and he were able to become acquainted in the land of dreams.

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Thank you to everyone have sent in requests! I promise I will get to them as soon as I possibly can. I just write very slow :)

317 notes · View notes

fullmetaldevil-blog · 3 years

Text

I posted 154 times in 2021

98 posts created (64%)

56 posts reblogged (36%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.6 posts.

I added 441 tags in 2021

#bendy and the ink machine - 116 posts

#batim - 110 posts

#benny the stitched demon - 43 posts

#my friends art - 31 posts

#benny the stitched devil - 30 posts

#batim stitched au - 26 posts

#benny the stitch devil - 25 posts

#benny the stitch demon - 24 posts

#henry stein - 19 posts

#green eyes au - 17 posts

Longest Tag: 75 characters

#benny applies to both forms but call the bigger one ragdoll to keep it easy

My Top Posts in 2021

Among the Toys~

Ragdoll is a bit of a ‘peek-a-boo’ demon and heavily relies on ambushing potential prey or an opponent. Due to his body type, it is very easy for him to hide in the Heavenly toy factory with the other toys.

For grins I did a ‘warped’ version that emphasizes the tag warning of: Eye Horror. So please, don’t look if you’re not up for Eye Horror

Soulless~

They See You~

and lastly, a gif for sheets and grins~

120 notes • Posted 2021-07-18 00:35:39 GMT

Little Demonic Cupid

Benny is all excited about Valentine's day simply because of chocolates. The bean is totally gonna get as many sweets as he can until he passes out lol.

141 notes • Posted 2021-02-14 06:53:09 GMT

World's collide (background) both colored and line art

When I had the mental image of drawing the 3 demons together I immediately wanted a background that would suit them. There are a number of iconic places within Joey Drew Studios but I felt that nothing stood out more (to me) then the room harboring the Ink Machine with it suspended from it's chains and Heavenly Toys. Then that bode the question of; how to combine them? That is where SillyBendz and his world come into play. Much of the background was done with SillyBendz in mind as I was quite fond of fragments of the studio overlapping in a chaotic yet visually pleasing way very much reminding me of an optical illusion. So bearing that in mind I tried to emulate that a bit while I had begun to lay it out.

It took 2 days to do the rough sketch and the line art simply because I was staring at a number of Maulan-reverie's drawings of SillyBendz and his world setting along with screen shots of Heavenly Toys (including my own drawing of the place) and was trying to figure out what worked best. I went for a sorta broken world with just pieces of it at the bottom encased in the wooden walls of the studio along with a number of wooden windows. The windows acting as a entryway for SillyBendz since he could loom over the other demons from above given that he is the largest of the 3 followed by Diablo then Ragdoll as Ragdoll is one of the shorter demons.

The coloring took two days and the program crashed part way which thankfully I didn't loose anything. I butchered the heck out of orange, brown and black for most of the image since they weren't too hard on my eyes and I wouldn't get too bad a headache. Once I got that done then I followed up with the lighter colors as those had to be done in bursts since they were harder on me.

I had to take this drawing slower then I would have liked as at the time I was battling Covid-19. The headaches were brutal (along with other issues) that kept the pace slow and steady. I found that if I spent too long coloring an image I would get a severe headache and have to lay down until it went away and try again. That (along with some other covid related issues) nearly kept me from finalizing this piece as I learned that too much color on the screen (along with the brightness) would worsen the headaches. All in all I was excited (and determined) to get this image off the ground and to pay respects to some unique and loveable demons.

Massive thanks and much appreciation to both @maulan-reverie and @thedemonsurfer for allowing me to draw your boys. I can't thank you two enough for allowing me the opportunity to try my hand at drawing them. Each boy was a delightful challenge in different ways and learned some new tricks along the way. Thank you.

152 notes • Posted 2021-02-11 09:19:55 GMT

World's collide

I couldn't resist drawing these boys together as they all are very unique and dangerous and I love them for it~! They are a delightful bag of tricks.

Sillybendz belongs to @maulan-reverie in the top left corner

Diablo belongs to @thedemonsurfer in in the middle right

Ragdoll belongs to me in the bottom left.

I really enjoy these boys designs ranging from SillyBendz crazed look and topsy turvy world to the melting haunt of Diablo through the studio halls. I find them a visual pleasure and enjoy the styles of their respective creators. You guys are very talented and keep up the good work! Thank you again for allowing me to draw your boys.

Art wise this took 7 days of slowing working on it in bursts to complete it. The background alone took 4 days, 2 days for sketch 2 days of line art and coloring. Each respective demon took a solid day to complete and a ton of staring at my phone to make sure I was drawing them to the best of my ability.

207 notes • Posted 2021-02-01 04:51:16 GMT

Happy 4th Bendyversary!! (A little late)

I couldn't resist drawing Bendy from back then vs his current self. I enjoy all the versions of Bendy and am amazed at how much he has grown since he was first drawn. He has gone through so many changes and refinement that I can't help but admire the development teams efforts into improving not only him but the game. Grant you I was kinda late into joining the fandom (came around ch 4) I loved all the different Bendy's from not only Bendy's actual development but also fan made ones.

I owe many things to some of the fantastic people within the community and I love you guys for your outstanding friendship and show of support. Sometimes y'all are the little angel or devil on my shoulders (you know who you are) that fuel my drive to keep improving as best I can and to have fun every step of the way. Thank you 😊💛

329 notes • Posted 2021-02-11 21:07:56 GMT

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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cherrywoes · 4 years

Text

— 𝖙𝖜𝖔.

— 𝓪𝓭 𝓶𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓸𝓻𝓪.

FOUR YEARS HAD GONE by since you had vanished. To Oikawa Tooru, that had been a lifetime; he had gone through a lifetime's worth of misery, at the very least, in those handful of years that you were probably off with an adoptive family.

He had tried to find you, of course. But once his true devil powers had embedded themselves into his body, unrestrained from the age caveat that God had set upon him, he had become a monster in more ways than one. And that wasn't something he wanted to subject you to.

His human form was nice, of course, he'd give it that. It was almost worth the trouble of dealing with mortal girls; after all, his needs weren't exactly being fulfilled when he was wandering the human world. It didn't stop him from destroying the girls he was with, however—they refused second rounds and were downright terrified to sleep with him once they'd had a taste of him.

Oikawa Tooru didn't do gentle.

"Another one running for the hills?" Iwaizumi Hajime watched as his latest fling slowly picked up her cheap lingerie from the floor, the scraps torn and ripped at the seams. Her flesh was littered with bruises and scrapes and bites, the imprint of Oikawa's fingers upon her throat livid and purple and painful. "You can't just do that to every girl you come across that doesn't know who you are."

Oikawa shrugged loosely from his place at the foot of his bed. He'd tossed on a pair of sweats when he'd finished with the girl, Maya or something, and healed her just enough to send her walking out the door. Iwaizumi was lucky he'd even decided to put pants on at all.

"They haven't stopped coming yet." He smiled wickedly and reached for his vape on the nightstand. Oddly enough he couldn't stand straight nicotine. "They'll just keep getting worse."

Iwaizumi grunted and took a seat on his couch. He was aware of Oikawa's issue with his temperamental devil side, had known about it since they were children. It had been almost like a switch had been flipped one day, out of the blue. He'd never spoken about what exactly had happened, but he seemed to mull over it often when he thought no one was looking or between rounds of beating his opponents into the ground.

Looking more closely as his friend blew smoke out through his nostrils, a combination of diluted nicotine and the unholy brimstone in his lungs, he could see dark rings underneath his eyes.

"Have you been sleeping?"

"Mm?" Oikawa raised his eyebrows and reached up to ruffle his disheveled hair. "Not lately. The bad guy's acting up again."

The 'bad guy' was, in a sense, Oikawa's true form. Or, at least, the truest version he could be refined down to. The only time Iwaizumi had been privy to seeing it was during a particularly bad time in Oikawa's life, over two years after the incident that turned him into the beast he was now. He would never forget the terrible monstrosity his friend had become.

And it was only getting worse. Iwaizumi watched as his friend got up and fumbled for his seal kit, haphazardly putting together the rune brush and witch blade. After his first outburst, he'd taken to sealing his devil down as far as he could get it without forsaking it completely. So far the seals had held and kept him docile, if not slightly high at all times, but lately he'd noticed Oikawa seemed more alert and fine tuned to everyone around him.

"Here." Oikawa handed him the blade and motioned to the only unmarked section of his body: his left pectoral. He had drowned the rest in intricate scrolling linework dotted with the occasional decorative snake and panther, scarred to be permanent and inked over to hold the seal. "Do it."

It was the first time he'd ever asked him to do it before.

Iwaizumi accepted the blade with a narrowed gaze. "Why do you want me to do it? Don't you usually do it?"

"Yes. And I would have." Oikawa's eyes were unusually bright in the darkness as he regarded his friend. "But lately they've become immune to my magic, so I figured you would be a good buffer to set me right for a bit."

Iwaizumi could see the devil lurking in his aura. With a sigh, he got up and waved Oikawa to lay down on the couch. "You know, Shittykawa, we've been friends forever and I still don't know why you're like this."

"And if I have my way, you never will," he replied with a hard edge to his voice. "Get to carving."

He sighed and lifted the blade to his skin. Oikawa seemed oblivious to the pain he should be in from his heavy hand. He stared at the ceiling and drummed his fingers to a beat only he could hear, oddly mimicking the pattern of a heart, and vanished into a world of his own creation. Iwaizumi could see him zone out and relax. Whatever he was imagining it had also calmed the devil down to the point he had a hard time sensing it.

Interesting.

When he was finished and had followed the pattern with an ink seal, Oikawa snapped out of it and his devil was present again like a third entity in the room.

"Thanks, Iwa." He rolled his shoulder and got up off the couch. Blood ran down his chest and he didn't seem to care, just swiped at it with a stray shirt and tossed it into a laundry basket. He then reached for a bottle of whiskey he had on his desk, uncorking it and taking a deep swig. "So what were you here for? Other than to make remarks about my sexual proclivities of course."

"Right." Iwaizumi had almost forgotten. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, scrolling to a text message and tossing it to Oikawa. He caught it effortlessly, the devil's reflexes more accurate than usual. "There's a match tomorrow night, midnight. The betting pool is pretty high. I figured you would be interested."

"You'd be right." They both listened to his hookup slam the door down in the stairwell; Iwaizumi with a grimace and Oikawa with a dark smirk. "She didn't do the job so a fight would do me some good."

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Sex didn't do anything for your temper? That's new."

"Yeah." His brows furrowed in thought and suddenly he was far away again, somewhere Iwa couldn't reach him. "A lot of things are new lately."

"Tooru, what's really got you wound up like this?"

Oikawa blinked at the sound of his first name. He almost seemed offended but thought better of the first thing he wanted to say and regarded Iwaizumi with a long stare.

He almost thought he would give in and tell him.

And then the devil made him close up, his eyes hardening like chips of ice. He took another swig of his whiskey.

Iwa: 0. Devil: 1.

"Guess not." He patted his thighs and Oikawa tossed him his phone back. "Well, I'm gone. Let me know if you need anything."

Again, he seemed on the verge of asking; but every time the devil stopped him.

"I will," Oikawa said, instead, a fake smile erupting across his face. Iwaizumi hated it. "Have a good night, Iwa."

He gave him a two fingered salute and headed for the door, locking it behind him.

Oikawa tapped his fingers against the glass bottle and drained the rest of it in one go, slamming it down on the desk with a frustrated sigh.

The devil didn't want just any random girl.

It wanted [Name].

He had tried to put her out of his head and had succeeded for the most part. He didn't deserve her, even if she had left like he didn't matter. He would drown his sorrows in whiskey or the most potent vodka he could find. And if that didn't work, he went to taking his frustrations out on the women he took to bed. But not even that was riding over the devil now.

The devil plagued him with dreams of [Name] in that field as if it had just been hours ago and not five years. It was just as obsessive over her as he was and time had not changed that. It just made it worse.

Oikawa almost pitied himself. He was pining over a girl he wasn't even sure wanted anything to do with him anymore.

With a hard rub of his eyes, he headed to the bathroom to clean up his seal and, hopefully, manage to deal with the devil for another day.

But things, unfortunately, were never always that simple.

MASTERLIST.

< PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER >

taglist:

@dancing-in-the-rain54 • n/a

( let me know if anyone wants to be added to the taglist. 💕)

#oikawa tooru x reader #oikawa x reader #oikawa x reader x iwaizumi #haikyuu!!#haikyuu

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hopeatersponsorssmash · 3 years

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Sudden thought: what are the new fighters’ home stages? (Would like to know the DLC stages too, but I’ll be fine if you just do the base newcomers)

I'm planning on introducing the DLC stages during the DLC fighter introductions (I already wrote something for Zagreus, though), but I can do the base newcomers! If you have an idea for a stage, I'm also all ears because I came up with most of these on the spot. The stages themselves are under the cut, though.

New Earthbound/MOTHER stage (Giygas):

The Cave of the Past is a stage with multiple layers and the occasional stage hazard in the form of monsters. In the background, you can see the Devil's Machine, blinking softly...

New Splatoon stage (Octoling):

The Deepsea Metro is a sprawling, multi-layer stage that's vaguely similar to Morray Towers. After a certain amount of time, you'll ascend up with a human statue that has a canon in it's mouth, which gets covered in ink before going back down.

New Kirby stages (Bandana Waddle Dee and Dark Matter):

The Lor Starcutter is a stage similar to the pirate ship, aka you fight on the Lor Starcutter's upper board. The Magolor assist Trophy can't be summoned there.

The Jambastion is a simple two platform stages, the one above smaller than the one under. You can see the Jamba Heart beating in the background.

New Pokemon stage (Cinderace):

Hammerlocke happens on top of Hammerlocke Stadium, and it's layout follows it's roof-plan. I chose Hammerlocke over any of the other cities due to most of the important events in Sw&Sh happening there.

New Sonic stage (Eggman):

Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park is a stage that moves around the entire park, changing it's layout depending on the location.

Paper Mario stage (Paper Mario):

Rogueport is a multi-level stage a-la Newpork city. It's layout follows it's actual port, complete with a platform for the gallows. It's lower platforms are also surrounded by water.

DOOM stages (Doomguy):

Earth Overrun is a floor level stage with a few platforms, but it's not it's main gimmick: it's a burning city overrun by the forces of Hell, and half of the challenge comes from balancing killing the demons there and defeating your opponent.

The Doom Fortress is a dungeon stage. You can make your way all across the place by simply moving from one limit of the screen to another. Be careful to keep your feet on the ground in order not go flying out of bounds, though.

Hollow Knight stages (The Knight and Hornet):

The Mantis Lords Throne Room is a closed stage with no platform and spike hazards on either side of it. The Mantis Lords themselves occasionally jump in and attack from the sides as invincible hazards.

The Grimm Troupe Tent is a wide stage with no platforms and at floor-level. Grimm is a boss that will occasionally appear on stage and create hazards, and defeating him will grant additional points. Just don't attack him while he's bowing, or he'll focus on you.

The Pantheon's Dream is a simple, battle-field like stage. It doesn't have any real gimmick beside the Godseeker watching in the background.

Ace Attorney stages (Phoenix and Edgeworth):

The Courtroom is a stage composed of four platforms that mimic the benches of the Judge, attorneys and witnesses. Some Ace Attorney characters might occasionally pop up on three of those platforms to 'offer some input' aka be stage hazards, so watch out!

#answer #stages

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tenglows · 5 years

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29 & 38 w mr mark lee, angsty? ty 💗 ps i love your works!!

[ 29: you know i can’t be found with you ] + [ 38: i don't think i've ever wanted anything this much before ] thank you!!! also i loved writing this so much, i'm not joking when i said i cried...like legit tears

the prompts

you were arranging some things in your room when you heard a clattering noise. turning around, you met a puzzled mark who had apparently broken in.

“no” you kept repeating alarmingly, closing all your windows and curtains at the speed of light.

“baby”

“no, you shouldn’t be here” you shot a quick glance around the room to see if there was any spot left uncovered.

“i can’t, i miss you too much” his expression was sad, and he tried getting closer to you with open arms. but you stayed away.

“mark, please” you cried out. “you know i can’t be found with you”

“i don’t care”

“you should. you’re not safe here”

you were always aware that being part of a mafia was dangerous. but you never cared, it was what you were born into, you never questioned it or wanted otherwise. what did preoccupy you, was dating another member of the team. you knew many cases of enemies using the relationships as a method against a target. one of the cases, you knew really well. your parents'.

but mark and you never managed to stay away from the other. and now, knowing everything, you would probably have done it differently. you acted childishly and recklessly. you hated yourself for not thinking about the consequences when you had the chance.

one of your family’s rivals, probably the strongest and most dangerous one, had taken mark hostage in order to get to you. you went to hell and back trying to find your boyfriend. but as endless days passed, making a deal with the opponent gang was the only option left. in return of them not harming mark, they asked you to never see him again. if you did, they would simply kill him. short and sweet. in front of your eyes.

so, it was safe to say that even if it brought you sleepless nights and your bones seemed to grow faint, you’d have that instead of him in danger.

mark took a look around your room. you were clearly organizing and cleaning up, a bag sitting on the floor, almost filled up with papers and things you didn’t need. he stared at the photo hanger on your wall. there were still some of the pictures you took with him, but not all of them. he noticed them placed on the desk.

“you’re not gonna get rid of them are you?” he spoke softly, grazing the ink of one of the photographs. like he was trying to go back to that exact moment. of you laughing while he threw you into a pool.

“they’re just a reminder that you’re not here” your voice was weak, broken, empty. he hated that. he hated being far from you.

“y/n” he took a step closer to you, cupping your face with his hands. you shook your head and sniffed your nose, not being able to be in mark’s touch. you were sure you would shatter.

“mark, i’m begging you. i can’t lose you again”

“you’re losing me now” he desperately attempted to touch you in any way, and this time, you let him. sobbing into his hands.

“it’s not the same. you almost died”

your body shivered at the image of the bullet perforating his flesh. you shut your eyes, sensing everything you had that night in the same high-pitched intensity. the sounds: the strike, your scream, his wail, with the smell of his blood, and the feeling of the red liquid squashing into your fingers.

“i might as well have died if i can’t have you”

he lifted your chin for you to look at him. through the tears in your eyes, he looked beautiful. but, like you, he was missing of life. he was missing of you. the dark circles under his eyes told you he wasn’t resting properly either, and you wondered if he had tried to communicate with you using dreams, like you had.

“please go. they could be here”

“they’re not. i checked. we would have seen them”

“i didn’t see them the other time” you looked down. you were never going to go back to your older self, the one who let her guard off enough to not notice the men behind her when she finally found her tied up boyfriend.

“you couldn't have. there was no way you could have prevented what happened” he caressed your cheek, cleaning your tears.

he didn't know what to do being this close to you again. he shouldn't be there, but he couldn't bring himself to run away. his place was there with you, and his feet were firm on the ground.

“i can't stay away, y/n. i can't” he confessed, pain coloring his voice and making your heart break, even if you thought it had already fragmented into the smallest pieces they could possibly form.

“me neither. and trust me, there's no thing i want more than to be with you. i don't think i've ever wanted anything this much before. but i'm scared, mark. i can't let anything bad happen to you” you whispered, leaning in a bit before fear crawled up your chest again.

“this is already bad enough” mark mumbled over your lips. the second they joined, both of you let out a sob. you kissed with all the pain you had eating you alive, with the feelings you didn't know what to do with. what are you suppossed to do with so much love in your hands?

when you pulled away, you took a second to go over every detail of mark's face. you couldn't afford to forget him too, the living details a picture wasn't capable of holding.

“i love you” mark said, opening your window and climbing out of it. “i love you so, so much. i'm always thinking about you”

“i love you more” you whimpered over your tears. “please get home safe”

he looked at you dolorously for the last time before saying:

“you're my home”

and then he ceased to be seen.

#mark lee au #mark lee scenarios #mark lee #mark lee angst #nct au #angst #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct drabbles #nct mafia #nct mafia au #mark lee mafia #nct mark #mark au #mark scenarios #mark imagines #mark angst #mark mafia

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helshades · 5 years

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Please help me find a scent! When I enter a room, I want people to acknowledge my existence. I want to demand their attention, but they can't approach me. No! I want people to automatically realize that they can't play me. No time for nonsense. Serious business only. I'm in charge. I want to be intimidating and mysterious. Which perfume should I get?

So... something potent, sensual, with monstrous projection, unsweetened, but thorny, a little cold perhaps..?. In one word: tantalising.

As a matter of fact, we could go in a lot of directions, depending on your own version of ‘intimidating’ and ‘mysterious’ alone. Or your co-workers’ take on the subject, since some people are likely to feel intimidated in the presence of a powerful green floral, or any spice whatsoever now I come to think of it. As for the approachability factor, the ultra-chic grandiloquence of Rouge Hermès has been known to traumatise its fair share of opponents. Yet, I don’t suppose you’re after something quite so, er, ‘sultry dowager’. Ahem.

Never have I met a perfume so evocative as Grimoire, or so strange. One of Anatole Lebreton’s very best, it resembles nothing you could smell anywhere else, unless you could transport yourself under the robes of a young monk daydreaming over his illuminated manuscript as the window open on the herb garden carries tranquil yet troubling scents into the dusty library. It might be too contemplative for your purposes, but it is a perfume to behold, arresting, beauteous, imaginative, at once familiar and aloof.

Now, if the frankincense and dust have you parched for a wetter perfume, I cannot resist the temptation of slipping a floral in my list, though not others might think of spontaneously: Un matin d’orage, by Annick Goutal, and here you would have a difficult choice to make between the eau de toilette and the eau de parfum versions, as they happen to be quite different, the latter featuring a pretty dirty tuberose on a woody bed of myrrh and guaic, whereas the former is a little spicier with ginger and greener, in my opinion the real ‘stormy morning’ (to be perfectly honest, I wear one in the morning, and the other come afternoon) of the two. Beautiful, energising, but a little cold.

Practically on the opposite, why not something by house Frapin? One of the most respected cognac maker, in 2007 they launched a successful line of wonderful perfumes, generally thought to be leaning on the masculine side (I suppose women are meant only to sip their minute glass of sherry daintily, whereas men can haz the better spirits...) but in truth quite unisex, usually heavy with alcohol and elegantly exotic, like a casket of precious wood so often used to carry bottles that even empty the rich smell of winy fruit and spices linger. Frapin perfumes are usually well-blended and fairly close to the skin, so I’d recommend the probable loudest and my favourite: Caravelle Épicée, ‘spicy caravel’, a classy spicy-boozy juice, peppery, delicately woody with a whiff of tobacco, and a subtle slide of sexy patchouli.

I almost recommended Speakeasy as well but I find it a little close to the skin, all things considered, even though it must be sniffed once. It was made by one of my nose darlings, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, who runs his own independent house, Parfum d’Empire, of which I dislike exactly zero creation. His very first, back in 2003, was one of the ballsiest ambers ever made, and could drink any Frapin under the table with its intoxicating head of vodka and champagne, like a very tipsy White Russian still too well-educated to lose control of his senses entirely, but he’s almost there, and he’s rambling; and his leather boots are waxed in birch tar, and his perfume is something herbal and masculine with juniper and spices... The result is a smoking Russian tea with a hefty dose of alcohol: the much-beloved Ambre Russe. Also particularly worthy of note in the house for me, with added ‘mystery’, are Wazamba, all incense, balms, resins & woods, and it is to Serge Lutens’ Fille en aiguilles what green leather desk covers are to red ones (ctrl+F, then search for ‘sage-green’.), as well as the bashful and daring Aziyadé, the forbidden Turkish delight of a girl. A lot more luxurious, and not an easy wear for everyone, and it evolves along the day marvellously (very different notes come up depending on who’s wearing it, too, which is never a bad thing), depending also on the weather. Honestly, on me it smells so much like spicey, liqorous orange that I’m incapable not to wear it on Christmas, but on most other people it does smell less like a fruity pomander.

Now, since I cited one of my favourite ambers, I must mention another, which is one of the most splendid ever created: Lubin’s Akkad, which could have been the ultimate ‘perfume of an empire’, as nose Delphine Thierry sought to make the mystical fragrance that emperor Sargon, who ruled Mesopotamia twenty-five centuries ago, might have wished to offer his goddess Ishtar, who presided over love and war... The offering is a startling beauty, sombre and luminous at once, a combination of precious incenses—elemi, olibanum, styrax—with hypnotic herbs (labdanum, clary sage), hot spices (vanilla, cardamom), on a bed of amber embers. Must always be compared with its incestuous cousin Idole, based on ebony wood and a hint of leather. Darker somewhat, more dangerous, and just as heady.

Dangerous also... This one has its share of haters: Serge Noire, by Serge Lutens. It has many notes in common with Idole, including its ebony heart, but instead of rich alcohol and macerated fruits, there are strong, dark peppers and a bag of cloves that knocks you down on first sniff. I adore it, because I can’t have enough of filthy musky notes and clove, like cumin, can be (and is often) worked into a civet-like smell of sweat and sex. (The title is a pun on Lutens’ first name—the nose behind his perfumes being English mad genius Christopher Sheldrake—but serge is French for ‘twill’, a nod to Lutens’ youth designing hair, make-up and jewellery for the high fashion world.) Serge Noire is a contrasted and demanding perfume, burning hot and cold, a dark fur with hints of ash and earth, some have spoken of ink, but it ends on a more suave vanilla-scented leather. You have to be patient for this layer to appear, though.

On the civet-spice spectrum, one of my favourites: Rose Poivrée, which now-retired Hermès in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena designed for The Different Company, is exactly what it says on the tin, a dark red rose with loads, but loads of pepper, black, pink, coriander, and a frisson of vetiver to better underline the insanely exciting duality of this hot-and-cold perfume. I wear it in autumn for some reason, and it keeps changing, alternating between the rose and the sweat-like cumin. It has a magnificent lookalike, with less dirty notes and added gin and leather, in Penhaligon’s Much Ado About the Duke, with the downside of the ridiculous price of their ‘Portraits’ collection, and I hardly ever see it on EBay, unfortunately, but one never knows.

Intimidating, mysterious, commandeering, quite a little bit dangerous, and of course horridly expensive, I frantically advise you to discover the entire line of D.S. & Durga perfumes. Based in New York, perfumer David Seth ‘D.S.’ Moltz and architect Kavi Ahuja ‘Durga’ Moltz are married, crazy, and brilliant; both are obsessed with the way odours allow us to armchair-travel everywhere, and their olfactory universe ventures into pre-industrial America, ‘turning things [they] love into scented stories of cowboys, open terrain, Russian novel characters and folk songs’. This is how you get one Burning Barbershop, inspired by a fire that ravaged a Westlake barbershop in 1891, hence a fragrance like old-timey tonics, lavender, mint, lime, vanilla... as well as smokey notes. (My personal favourite is Bowmakers, a homage to the violin and bow makers of the Bay Colony in 1800s New England, which is only woods—rosewood, mahogany, pine, maple—, resin, varnish, nut and leather.) In the ‘Hylnds’ collection, Pale Grey Mountain, Small Black Lake is an unbelievable chypre with herbal, mineral and aquatic notes reminiscent of an entire Scottish landscape. Even more apothecarial is Mississippi Medicine, with its camphorous head and its resinous, vegetal body of cypress and cedar mixed with coriander, juniper, olibanum, and birch tar—so powerfully, so troublingly organic, intimidating, mystical, that if it heals, it must also be a poison.

Here, impossible not to mention James Heeley’s Esprit du Tigre, the sensuous transposition of a famous Asian liniment commercially known as ‘tiger balm’, but it is surprisingly tasteful and decidedly discreet in the end. So, by Heeley, I’d rather recommend two great classics, his wondrous incenses Cardinal and Phoenicia, the first a sensually blasphemous blend of myrrh and olibanum on white linen, a peppery rose with labdanum, earthy and aerial with patchouli and vetiver; whereas Phoenicia is an imaginary voyage on the Mediterranean Sea, inspired by the merchants who brought so many precious woods, spices and fruits to the west in the Antiquity: dates and grapes, incense and labdanum, oud, sandalwood and birch, and vetiver. It has a lot in common with Aziyadé in fact, except the latter is a spice market while this one is a merchant ship with a heavy cargo of precious woods. (Have both, is essentially what I’m saying.)

So, is it showing that I’m completely obsessed with incenses? I shall refrain from adding to the list Olibanum and Oxiana by Profumum Roma, then, but I’ll have some trouble not mentioning my darling Arso and its resinous beauty with a side of grilled hazelnut... Well, if I really must stop, perhaps instead something like the intensely aromatic Victrix (oakmoss, bay leaf, vetiver, peppers and musk) or the fizzy mint & patchouli of Thundra. Profumum Roma bottles are expensive, yes, but this is because the perfumes are highly concentrated, at 43% (a higher dosage than anybody else I know), which means that they last forever with the smallest spray. Do come back to me for advice in the spring when I’m the mood for greener recommendations because Acqua di Sale, ‘salt water’, a startling seaweed, myrtle and cedar blend, might interest you.

In the meantime, because it is horribly late and I have to post this before I start waxing poetry over sticky florientals and how they too can be intimidating and stuff, but above all, before I begin waxing poetry over most of Pierre Guillaume’s catalogue (his creativity is somewhat epileptic and that catalogue seemingly endless) I’ll leave you with a note on a strange, strange flower, which is Daniela Andrier’s Une amourette Roland Mouret for zany house État Libre d’Orange, where the usually well-behaved classic orange blossom gets loose and lascivious, thanks to a temptress of a perfumer who knows how to play the indolic—that is, the fleshy—notes of the white flower, before lying her down on a bed of crazy neo-patchouli, synthetic molecule Akigalawood®, which possesses the peppery, oud-like notes of the undergrowth. Snow White and the wolf in a bottle.

#answers #nonnies #aromaphilia #you never said how office-friendly that scent should be #remind me to tell you of timbuktu later

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