#Pretty little vessels (aesthetic)

[thefirstvessel]

I wasn't even high yesterday and I was thinking about how humans have such a massive magpie gene that we just decided to give worth and value to certain special rocks because we found them pretty or shiny and then we put holes in our own bodies so we could hang those rocks to make ourselves shiny? We're just a bunch of silly lil guys who want to be shiny and we've gotten so comfy over the millennia that we've all developed a million different ways to be shiny and pretty.

[niteshade925]

April 13, Xi'an, China, Shaanxi Archaeology Museum/陕西考古博物馆 (Part 2 - Shang and Zhou dynasty):

A 1:1 replica of a Warring States period (476 - 221 BC) horse chariot that was unearthed in an ancient tomb in Gansu province. The original artifact was made of lacquered wood, decorated with gold, silver, bronze, turquoise, and other semi-precious stones; it's basically the "Lamborghini" of its time. This replica was just sitting in the hallway in between exhibition halls, and it's very big:

Another one of my favorites, which is also one of the stars of the museum. These are called xizun/牺尊, which are animal-shaped bronze wine vessels (notice the lid on its back). This particular pair is "deer-shaped", but also has patterns on the sides that look like bird wings and paws that look like those of predators. Ugh they are so cute...🥺

A Western Zhou dynasty (1046 - 771 BC) "lunch box" made of bronze, called a luxu/录盨. It was found inside of a Western Han dynasty (202 BC - 8 AD) tomb, indicating that even Chinese people from 2000 years ago had an interest in collecting artifacts from earlier times

More bronze food/wine vessels from Shang dynasty (1600 - 1046 BC) and Zhou dynasty (1046 - 256 BC). Top one is called a gui/簋, bottom left is a gu/觚, and bottom right is a jue/爵. The tall-footed wine vessels can be used to warm up wine before drinking, by heating it with a small flame placed between the feet.

This is what a complete set of bronze vessels from Shang/Zhou dynasties looks like. This particular set, called "fanjin and thirteen vessels"/柉禁十三器 (translated as "Altar Set") is currently at the Met. This diagram below gives the name of each vessel:

Bronze chariot decorations with turquoise inlays. The bronze would have looked golden back then

A little bronze dragon. Cute.

Late Western Zhou dynasty pendant made of jade and agate beads called a yupei/玉佩, and from what I can gather, this one should be part of a necklace, which would be one heavy necklace indeed. I feel like a lighter modern replica might go well with sweaters though:

Left: necklaces, bracelets, and armlets from Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BC). Right: another jade and agate yupei from Spring and Autumn period, but this one was probably supposed to be hung from the waist.

This one is known as the Rui Gong ding/芮公鼎 or "Cauldron of Duke Rui", which is a bronze tripod ritual vessel (known as ding/鼎). It is inscribed with the text "内(芮)公乍(作)铸口宫宝鼎，万年子孙永宝用", which roughly translates as "Duke Rui cast this treasured ding, may his descendants use it for ten thousand years to come".

More bronze vessels. The top two are ding/鼎 vessels. Sidenote: notice the right one......does it look familiar? I'm pretty sure the rectangular ding is one of the inspirations for the design of TotK's temple of time. Also note the design patterns...I'm fairly certain these are the inspiration for TotK's aesthetics. TotK's Zonai script is also clearly inspired by Seal script/篆书 (I do want to make a post on this but my hands are pretty full atm)

Gold decorations on accessories:

An (incomplete?) bianzhong/编钟 (bronze bell set) and bianqing/编磬 set. The pentagonal stone chimes on the bottom are part of the bianqing.

A paper that studied the oldest face cream found in China (link to the article on Nature for those who have access).

Wadang/瓦当 (decorative roof edges) from Warring States period featuring various animals and mythical creatures, and their moulds:

[avelera]

You may have talked about this before, but what's your opinion on Arcane!Machine Herald? Because I've seen him get a lot of hate because he diverges a lot from his original self-made cyborgy lore, but I personally LOVE him to bits. I was kinda worried because Arcane S1 already had lots of mechanical bodymods and an entire race of sentient robots so I was like "ok how is he supposed to be radical compared to that?" and then he engineered himself into a worldending cosmic horror being, i love him

I have no investment in League or its lore so Arcane Machine Herald doesn't have a strong emotional attachment to me one way or the other?

To me, the design emphasizes the magical aspect of the Hexcore taking over Viktor. The one complaint I do understand from League fans and somewhat share is that Viktor's Herald villain arc is a bit muddled with his S1 scientific motivations, to me.

The thing is, to me, Viktor is a scientist, and the Machine Herald and Commune leader stuff is a bit too mystical to me for the Viktor we knew. I have trouble reconciling how he pivoted to that if it was his own choice. That's why I tend to headcanon that the Hexcore was pretty active not just in persuading Viktor to become a Cult Leader, but also for the aesthetics and tone of the cult leader choice, leaning into mage imagery like robes and a staff.

Of course, that robs some agency from the character, which is overall less interesting, but I can't help but feel a true villain arc that was totally self-directed by Viktor would have been a bit more scientific, it would have been more him willfully replacing parts of himself to stay alive.

But as you noted too, that doesn't really work within Arcane, neither does that original Machine Herald motivation. We've got Bolbok on the Council who is basically a robot, we've got Sevika and the entire undercity with tons of metal body modifications. Viktor making it some sort of cause to replace humans with machine parts to cure their imperfections doesn't really work in Arcane as something that's an ideological stand or a philosophy of any kind. It's just day to day life. So from there, I understand leaning more into mysticism as his route for making people "perfect".

Perhaps my... hmm, not point of criticism but simply a personal story squick is that I don't like cults and I don't like the hippy sort of imagery they went for with Cult Leader Viktor, for me the whole vibe was very squicky throughout (which is why I was thoroughly baffled when people ever thought the cult was a good thing, I was silently screaming with discomfort the whole time) and a part of me really struggled to reconcile how S1 Viktor would ever choose to craft a place like this. Like I said, that's why I kind of had to go with the idea, for my own sake, that Viktor on his own wouldn't craft some weird hippy monastery where everyone just works and praises him all day, that this is an element of the Hexcore. That Real Viktor if he could control his own actions and was fully present (rather than half living on the astral plane) would also be horrified.

As for how this lends to the Machine Herald design *shrug* that's also a very "mystical" look to me, it follows from the more magical take on Herald, but it is artistically cool and very alien. Personally, I see it as simply the humanoid form of the Hexcore, its choice for what it will look like, and it's basically just using Viktor as a battery at that point to power itself in turn and to give itself a voice, Viktor is all but wholly subsumed, he didn't design that look, he has been the cocoon for the Hexcore growing inside him, and Ekko + Jayce + Anomaly Future Viktor are needed to rip it off of the real Viktor, who is immediately horrified by all that occurred and, to me, had very little agency throughout while being constantly fed the belief that he did have control. Honestly, I think Viktor was contending with an ancient seed of Void power using him as a vessel and he was hilariously outclassed by something far more ancient and powerful than him using him as an incubator for itself but, again, that's just one possible interpretation.

I know this got a bit off topic but yeah, I agree on some points about how the original Herald stuff just doesn't work in Arcane and the rest is sort of my more general feelings about the Herald and the Herald look.

[comfortless]

syl. *grabs you and shakes you* syl. i woke up in a cold sweat thinking of like… könig. already off to a great start ik. but space opera könig. (not like star wars or anything) but think like 70s aesthetics all bright and colorful. he’s a bandit in a stolen ship, formerly part of a military group making peace with other planets but something went awry and he’s just having fun now!

reader is part of a small research group that has landed on a planet he’s camped out on and he’s just like “ok” followed by “i want that”. steals all of her supplies and then her. doesn’t care how much she protests when he just hauls her over his shoulder, pats her butt bc he thinks THATS going to calm her down and throws her into his ship.

she’s happy he’s not some creepy alien but at the same time who really knows what’s under that hood anyway hmmmm and she wants to hate him but also all that’s playing in her head is that one rah band song. messages from the stars lmao please. there is something in the way you write that is so special to me and if you were to come up with a full blown story for my dumb idea i think i would scream for 20 hours straight.

lil wisp….. you have no idea what this has done to me. i am going to be thinking about this for an eternity. let’s cook.. i see your vision and i would love nothing more than this too!!

content/warnings: implied violence, abduction, dubcon groping?

König’s been on his own, drifting through the stars for so long. Only raiding the ships he comes across for food, supplies, and when he stumbles across a mechanic he puts them to work with a silly laser rifle pointed right at their head (because let’s face it— when you’re a wanted space pirate who in the universe is going to fix your ship for you??). He’s put all of human etiquette far behind him, and now his life is quite literally just one relentless adventure. He wouldn’t have it any other way!

That is, until his ship is fucked up again, displaying about thirty bright red warnings on its silly hologram screens that he just can not make sense of. The thing is old, has been shot at more times than even he can count, and it’s finally failing him if the loud sputtering and incessant orbital beeps are anything to go by. He considers his luck has run out when he lands the damned thing on some hunk of rock out on the outskirts of a galaxy most don’t even bother with, because there’s nothing out here.

Thankfully, his frustration is short-lived because a smaller ship lands only a few days later; painted in the bright, pearlescent blues and pinks of your standard peace-keeping, research vessel. It’s the perfect craft to steal and it wouldn’t even be difficult… the three humans that exit are so much smaller than him and entirely unguarded. They’re just here to study a few minerals, maybe haul some back to their little camp a few worlds over for fuel and research. He won’t even get into too much trouble for it, he thinks, because even his trashed ship could take them back home. See!! He isn’t all that bad…

At least, until he notices her, bent over admiring some silly, little cluster of crystals in her skin-tight jumpsuit that makes him see stars. The heavy boots that rise up to her knees making her look like little more than a fauness, and she’s so pretty he just can’t help but get a closer look while her teammates are off chittering away and exploring the nothing planet.

She isn’t even afraid of him when he approaches. Just straightens up with her hands clasped in front of her and a smile on her face. She hasn’t seen the holograms of him, displaying a sizable bounty for his veiled head, doesn’t take a wary note of the massive rifle he has slung over his shoulder; she just sees another person. He hasn’t been looked at like that since long before he left home!!

This sweet woman has no sense of self-preservation either, because she immediately asks him if he needs food or water; gestures over to her brightly colored ship with that pretty smile ever-present on her face, and that’s all it takes for him to decide that not only is he taking the craft, he’s taking her too.

He doesn’t say a word when he lifts her up over his shoulder, and the poor thing must be shocked because it takes her a moment before she starts squirming in his grip. König does well to remove the little radio strapped to her hip, giving her ass a firm squeeze in the process before tossing it in the dust behind him. That’s all it takes to shut his little prinzessin up before he hauls her back into her ship and demands she turn off any tracking systems. Her knees are a bit weak when she fumbles with the control panels, and he’s unashamed of his own erection when he slides in behind her to lean over the console as the ship starts up.

She whines about leaving her friends stranded, of course, but he’s in a world of his own when he grabs her by the hips and seats her in his lap while she pilots. Never mind the others, he’ll take good care of her, honest!!

[neverpathia]

I'm just assigning weapons to the voices and vessels because I am a fantasy nerd like that. [WARNING: LONG ASS POST]

(alternative title: watch nevvey lose his mind over random blades and not-blades, and lie about being esoteric for who-knows-how-long minutes straight. gets exponentially both longer and worse the more you read.)

(@/phospolipid-bilayer influenced too many of these things by accident thanks to their lobotomy corporation series thing going on)

(this is also mainly for my AU, I guess)

-- -- -- -- --

Hero - basic ass yee yee sword

Hunted - a kinda primitive cross between a mace and a spear? but it's really more like claws and teeth grafted to a sharpened stick. lord of the flies core and all.

okay i can also see him using a crossbow and bolts, or perhaps tribal darts. i don't really think he'd want to approach a potential threat up close. he'd prefer to shoot from beneath the concealments of foliage instead. singular fangs attached to splintered branches, whittled to straight implements of death, of defense. i kinda like this one more to be honest.

Beast/Den - no shit sherlock she already has pre-ordered weapons. claws. fangs. hack and slash and gore and tear.

Opportunist - switchblade. one that's small and easily concealed up his sleeve. the hilt is gilded with gold and embedded with emeralds because he's flashy like that. the thing's probably also soaked with some sort of venom for added inconvenience, though the blade is probably too small and thin by itself to actually be majorly dangerous.

(someone on discord suggested that he'd use a stiletto or cinquadea hidden up his boot instead and that's a pretty valid take, fuck that's cool as shit you brilliant brilliant fella, but i'm still kinda attached to my own take lol.)

Witch/Thorn - I mean she does canonically use her claws but I feel like I wanna lean more into the magic-user aspect of her. probably a sort of wand, that's also small and easily concealed up her sleeve like oppy's knife. greatest affinity with trees and roots and grass and the like. also easily smacked in someone's face and shoved down their throat or nose if needed. probably bladed at one end too, even if it does cut her a little when she's hiding it.

side note: she's definitely going to be amazing with poisons. would be able to pinpoint every single one of them, and she knows more specimens and symptoms than even the resident para(noid)medic. why? no reason. she's just a witch.

Wild - do I even need to. nerve root strangulation???

Skeptic - I mean he's a detective, so honestly?

OH. okay. good cop, I see you. cold harsh logic in the absence of the supernatural, I see you. LET HIM HAVE GUNS. specifically, revolvers, because I wanna stay loyal to the high fantasy aesthetics we have going on. he dual wields (something about covering every eventuality, blah blah).

(sigh now i'm getting an idea for a scene with stubborn, cheated, contrarian and broken playing russian roulette with skeptic's revolvers while the peepaw detective remains oblivious and wonders where the shit his guns went.)

Prisoner/Cage - GARROTE. GARROTE WIRE. YEAHHHHH BABY, ASPHYXIATION FOR THE WIN. like. she'd be a natural with the thing, she already strangles you with chains anyway. perhaps the thing is made of thin yet heavy chain-links with hooks at the ends, kinda like the chains in cage? a bit like a surujin, perhaps? maybe spiked? at this point i'm letting rule of cool drive all this.

although to be honest i'm also slightly enjoying the image of her using clinical instruments like a scalpel. she can share that with paranoid as a side thing, i guess.

or i can also see her using a weighted flail, because prisoner. god too many options

Drowned Grey - dunks you with water balloons and a super soaker. nah I'm just kidding, but I can see her using a sort of harpoon, perhaps?

at this point my brain is veering into Off Topic Land and proposing the headcanon that prisoner goes fishing. great. no thanks.

Smitten - for all his knight in shining armour rambling and shambling and garbling and warbling, fine. sword and shield. specifically, a grand broadsword and shield, both carved with very elaborate depictions of flowers and maidens and chivalry and the like. don't ask me how he's carrying both at the same time, each with one hand. he's probably freakishly strong, he's smitten after all.

Damsel/HEA - as damsel she's probably going to rely on smitten to protect her, but i like to think she picks something up after HEA. perhaps she gets a little rapier hidden up her skirts. plain and undecorated, unlike her opulent garments. sharp despite its small size. honestly i don't even think it'd be practical to get it out of there but i might also decide to redesign post-ending HEA for the sake of this thing. i do plan on redesigning the vessels anyway.

(also it took me this long to realise that technically she does have a weapon, and not a weapon, the weapon, the dinky little knife itself resting beneath her neck- nah. fuck it.)

I also love the idea of damsel with one of those crude little fairy godmother cartoon wands that's pretty much just a rod with a star on top. the one that's in all those transparent pngs and kindergarten textbooks. would be funny. wonder if she'd know how to actually cast with it, though? well, if it makes you happy.

Burned Grey - look, i absolutely adore the image of her just throwing around a flamethrower like there's no tomorrow. but i'm staying loyal to the high fantasy aesthetic so we sure as fuck can't have that. allow me to propose... yeah actually? i have no fucking idea. i'm going to google.

and one train of research and distractions later, i have been led to the handgonne which is pretty much a medieval flamethrower-esque kinda thingy. seems a little impractical. but hey, what with burning down both LQ and herself, which is sure to cause a LOT of inconvenience, the burned grey is all about impractical.

Stubborn - fists. do i even need to explain

Adversary - fists. do i even need to explain

okay but we do know that advy sort of has claws, but we don't really see her use them, though. and i like to think that stubborn attaches blades to his knuckles for maximum impact.

but in all fairness, when they don't use their fists, i like to think that they have matching sledgehammers. big and messy and violent. heavy. bloody. they love it.

Eye of the Needle - this is another one has who pre-ordered weapons free with her hands. claws. I'm not gonna bother. she probably retains the sledgehammer from advy though. or perhaps a gigantic battleaxe? don't know. probably has an entire arsenal because of how dang bloodthirsty she is.

Broken - would smack you upside the head with a bible while wailing and weeping. not funny, nevvey.

okay, he's probably the least combat-oriented of all the voices and I kinda see him as a sort of cleric? he's likely gonna be another magic-user like witch/thorn and paranoid. I can sorta see him wielding a staff like DnD-

WAIT. ALTAR KNIFE. ALTAR KNIFE. A FUCKING ATHAME. the thing's not even intended for genuine cutting, it's just there for ritual and channeling purposes. broken, I'm looking at you. PERFECT. and it's probably set in ivory and cracking porcelain and there's a bit of gold thread wrapping around it oh fuck yeah

Tower/Apotheosis - she would tell you that she doesn't need one, because her compelling voice is already enough. however, she is a girlfailure and you should never take her word for it.

I can low-key see her using a sort of scepter. something simple yet elegant carved from ceramic, radiating divine energy. yeah that's it. I don't really know. and she wouldn't stoop so low as to use a close-range bladed weapon, or anything that really uses a lot of physical effort at all. apothy's gonna need a HUGE one though

Fury - she can literally reduce you to subatomic particles. what need does she even have for a weapon? although I am SERIOUSLY digging the idea of her using a brutal bloody terrifying spiked club. way too large and way too many spines, perhaps ivory or bone. a bit of grisly membrane coating the material; a few fleshy tendrils travelling down its length. yeah. glances warily at body horror demon lady. would.

actually i can also see her using a meat cleaver because that would be kinda cute

Paranoid - FUCK YEAH I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONE. staff. he wields a mage's quarterstaff. no question.

he definitely uses it for a ton of healing. the 'heart lungs liver nerves' mantra as a sorcerous incantation, fuck yeah. but paranoid is also really powerful and can probably use the same staff for minor transformative or conjuring spells.

now this one's probably been engraved all over with protective runes and symbols, to the point that you can barely even tell where one stroke ends and another begins. otherwise it's quite plain, but there's an orb at the top for better channelling. sometimes he uses it in conjunction with a grimoire.

it's also really handy for whacking annoyances upside the head as required.

side note: he uses a scalpel too. but he hates close-range, if he even needs to fight at all. he prefers to let hero or cold handle it while he plays support.

Nightmare/MOC - organ failure. why would i even need to elaborate.

well apparently i felt like elaborating anyway so i think she'd use...god, actually, this one is pretty hard.

OH, HOLD ON. Nightmare with oversized scissors/shears like a horror movie doll, all guro-lolita core. huh. that might be interesting. bonus points if the scissors are comically sharp. the handles are bone porcelain, smooth yet chipped, and painted with black-and-white patterns like her mask (so that I don't stray too far from the fantasy motif, because if i do, that would just completely break the rule of cool.)

Cold - well. phospo's (absolutely amazing beautiful splendid divine) cold wields a scythe and i am very extremely tempted to steal that concept from them. however, that would be plagiarism. and i am trying to avert plagiarism.

my original idea was always for cold to have a series of throwing knives and daggers like an assassin. i kinda see cold as someone who operates on stealth, shrouding himself in the shadows just as he shrouds his emotions. so he's just. throwing these things at you from out of fucking nowhere with deadly intent and precision. and he has excellent aim.

then again, this is probably really unoriginal but fuck cares

Spectre/PatD - does. a ghost. even need. a weapon?? how would a ghost even wield a weapon????

i'm gonna steal the flail from pris because she already has her nice little garotte and give it to spectre because it seems fitting enough. plus, i'm running out of ideas. sorry spectre.

although i like to think that patd gets a few avian features like talons and feathers in her hair, thanks to the switcheroo. so she can use those talons too, i suppose.

Wraith - OH. NOW THIS ONE. SPOOKY LITTLE SCYTHE, LIKE THE GRIM REAPER. no question. no question at all.

Cheated - so i apologise in advance because i am DEFINITELY committing plagiarism here. phospo, if you don't like me using your cheated-with-a-bayonet idea then i utter my sincerest regrets but. cheated. would use a bayonet.

i won't even talk about the fact that it's cool. but he'd also get it for the sake of maximizing his chances and for its versatility and, well, the fact that it is cool...and razor would still skewer him. not to mention it's not easy to use. so he'd probably attempt, and fumble, and attempt again, and just rage quit and smash the damn thing everywhere in combat like a berserker.

and it's probably just as fucked up and rusted and tattered as he is, but he still keeps it close, out of spite more than anything.

Razor - what are you talking about, she definitely isn't going to need a weapon, it's not like she's going to stab anyone anyway, it's definitely not like she's the weapon

discord said she'd use one of those disappearing trick knives. funny. nah, i think i'm giving that to...

Contrarian - you get the disappearing trick knife. and a nice rubber mallet. and a goose.

okay jokes aside i think he'd probably dual-wield as well, with weapons that have been specifically designed to be a pain in the ass for opponents.

personally i would give him a scimitar or khopesh because 1. i am OUT of ideas and 2. he's gonna have a lot of fun deflecting with the curved blades and using them to hook the opponents' weapons, then disarm them, then throw their blades out the window. then again, giving him a blade's a pretty bad idea. he'd throw it out the window himself-

wait. it's more like him to use a weapon that's not even designed to be a weapon. but that could be literally anything.

okay nevermind, contrarian is too hard to decide for. hell, he's a literal contrarian. fuck it, i won't be giving him a fixed weapon. he'd probably swap them out every two seconds and throw them out the window when he's done.

Stranger - oh shit. all five of her identities gotta have different weapons. this is the part where i'm getting lazy so i'll just steal from minecraft and go:

nondescript - bow

gentle - pickaxe

harsh - sword

evil - axe

depressed - spade

there we go. i suppose you can say she's multi-armed.

-- -- -- -- --

man this took way longer than i thought it would. what the fuck induced me to do this for like every single voice and vessel-? oh well it was worth it, especially now that i've given myself even more drawing and writing ideas especially for adventuring and fight scenes. yay.

[deconstructthesoup]

Truly, I’m disappointed in myself that it took me this long to do this (or maybe I’ve already done it and forgotten!) but here are the Fear Entities that I think each of the Princesses would be avatars of, knowingly or unknowingly:

Chapter 2 Girls

Beast: The Hunt. Obviously. No explanation needed.

Witch: Initially, I had her down as a Corruption avatar---she's all about nature, she's the product of a relationship that started out fine but went rotten, if you make her a more traditional witch (like me) you know she's all about mushrooms---but after thinking about it, she'd also be an amazing avatar of The Web. She's a scheming, manipulative little trickster, after all, and you know she's the type to think that spiders are adorable.

Prisoner: The Lonely is a contender, but there's really no better option for my best girl than The Buried. Chains are not dirt, that much is true, but there is something so distinctly Buried about becoming increasingly trapped in a prison so specifically designed for you... and, well, being a Buried avatar would definitely be one way of reclaiming her agency.

Damsel: The Stranger. I... don't exactly think I need to explain this one. We've all seen the Deconstructed sequence. (I do think it would be interesting if she didn't realize she was a Stranger avatar and freaks out when she discovers the truth, because feeding off of people's fear is the opposite of making them happy, though.)

Adversary: After careful consideration, I decided on The Desolation for her---but specifically, the part that deals with pain, not strictly fire. Is this because she gives me Jude vibes? Maybe, but it still works.

Tower: She was the hardest chapter 2 princess to figure out, but after much debate, I finally settled on the Entity who feels the most like her---namely, The Eye. Being able to sense the Narrator is very Eye-coded, and in terms of personality... hate to say it, but she could give Elias a run for his money.

Nightmare: Now, I could be boring and say "creepy doll=Stranger," but if I'm being honest, I don't want to repeat Entities until we get to our chapter 3s, and she feels way more Dark-coded in her whole "fear of the unknown" thing. Very monster-in-your-closet. (It could also be argued that she could literally be an avatar of anything due to her just... inspiring fear as her thing, but we gotta be specific here.)

Spectre: There is no vessel more Lonely-coded than our sweet ghost girl. And because of that, I want to give her a hug.

Razor: Slaughter. You could argue "Spiral" because Distortion=knife hands, but you cannot make a woman who is literally made of weapons anything but an avatar of The Slaughter.

Stranger: Ironically enough... The Spiral! Name aside, there's really nothing more Spiral than being everything and yet nothing at once and not knowing who or what you are, and I think this is only Entity that could feasibly suit them.

Chapter 3 Girls

Den: Also Hunt. Again, big kitty.

Thorn: Now, she was pretty difficult to figure out, but I think she also works as a Lonely avatar---or, hell, even an avatar of The Corruption because of all of her nature and decay stuff, but Lonely really fits her whole melancholy vibes and just wanting someone to be close to. Maybe she doesn't have the aesthetics, but she has the mood.

Cage: She could also be a Buried avatar, but in my opinion, The Web makes way more sense---everything from the fact that she believes she has no autonomy to the fact that her body can literally control chains that practically puppeteer TLQ feels incredibly Web-coded to me.

Happily Ever After: She is The Corruption at its most abstract---a relationship that at first seems nothing but loving and devoted, and yet when you look closer, you see that there is something deeply rotten at its core. The "toxic relationship" interpretation of The Corruption is something that's only alluded to in TMA canon, but I think HEA really does encapsulate it.

Eye of the Needle: This one is The Slaughter. It's not even about the pain anymore, it's just about wanting to fight.

Apotheosis: She is, without a doubt, an avatar of The Vast in every sense of the word. She's something that's truly too large to fully be encapsulated, too large to truly be fought or beaten. Also, big woman.

Moment of Clarity: I know, I know, ironic that there's all of these ghost princesses and I pick this weird puppet one as an avatar of The End, but her inevitability means that... well, she's really the only one who could be an End avatar. Except, of course, the Shifting Mound herself, though I'd argue that she's a more benevolent version of The Extinction. Also, gods are not avatars.

Princess & The Dragon: Spiral. Just... Spiral. I cannot stress enough how much this vessel is an avatar of The Spiral. Her chapter is too mindfucky for her to be anything but.

The Wild (Networked & Wounded): Oh god, is this one hard to categorize... I'd say Corruption for both versions, since as much as I love The Wild, there's no denying that she is a corrupted version of what Once Was.

The Grey (Burned & Drowned): Desolation for Burned, obviously, and for Drowned... well, ironically enough, I believe that drowning is actually part of The Buried. So, uh, yeah, Buried for her.

The Fury: Flesh, she's Flesh, moving on.

The Wraith: Yeah, she's The Web. You could argue that she's also The End, but... Web.

[voidbeau]

Silly Mr. Plant Ramble: His Vines!

I talked about it a little bit on one of my redraws but I wanna yap a little more about them.

Sorry if there's a bit of repeat here im a senile old beetle, but I do talk about some more stuff lmaoo.

Giving Mr. Plant vine designs was always a fun decision for two reasons like, I'll gladly admit that a big part of the idea initially- at least for me, I know there's others who ended up doing this for their Mr. Plant too, but for ME, it was just because I've always liked the tattoo aesthetic. I have many many OCs with tattoos and many more that will continue to have them loool. But ALSO, the idea that Mr. Plant can just grow and manipulate vines to use as extended limbs has always lived rent free in my head- and other people's I'm sure! In fact, I even linked to the post that initially inspired me to consider Mr. Plant vines on one of my redraws.

The post that inspired it is a couple years old at this point i think??? but I'll link it again cause it's worth lookin at. Here.

Our presentation of Mr. Plant vines is different of course but that's the part of the fun, the differences. I love the idea of these vines that Mr. Plant has that can just slither out from underneath his flesh as needed. Like he just has a network of them beneath his skin and- as I mentioned before in my redraw where i talked about it, they just kind of sit near the surface of his skin like blood vessels or something.

Whenever I'm drawing Mr. Plant and I'm coloring in his vines, I think about watching them move or twitch or readjust themselves while they're still nestled comfortably under his flesh.

In fact I think I even mention in the fics that I managed to post that they tend to move the most when he's experiencing high emotion.

How comfortable is it for Mr. Plant??

I always imagine the vine patterns on Mr. Plant tend to change a lot because they shift and also because when Mr. Plant brings them out for use and then tucks them away again, they kind of nestle back into a new position...

And also because I can't be arsed to map out and stick with a consistent pattern when I'm drawing Mr. Plant.

BUT THAT STILL MAKES FOR FUN VINE LORE

Because I imagine it must feel a very particular way to slip those things out and back in again. Maybe it even gets uncomfortable or tender on those spots on his body if he does it too much???

Fun things to think about.

But because of the fascinating or even unsettling nature of watching these slithering, wriggling things underneath someone's flesh, Mr. Plant always kept them covered because- similar to horror stories from people with tattoos, people in the Void tend to forgo things like personal space and "minding one's own business" when they see Mr. Plant's vines.

Not even when the vines are out but even just when they're chilling under his skin.

"Woah, does that hurt??"

"Can I touch your arm?"

"Ew, that's disgusting!"

Que people attempting to grab Mr. Plant's hand or wrist for a better view.

And then all manner of other unnecessary and annoying comments that Mr. Plant had to deal with so he just opted to wear long sleeves all the time when going out in public.

I can't imagine many of those people who had the audacity to grab him are still alive though but, to prevent future mishap!

The sweater.

But I like to think because Argos liked Mr. Plant's vines so much- both because he thought they were pretty and also with the way I tend to imagine the placement of Argos' eyes across his body: in coiling swirling patterns, he was like, "wow, me too!!! See?"

And slowly overtime Argos managed to convince Mr. Plant to show them off more again.

I do like to think that when Mr. Plant is out and about on his own- depending on where he's going though, he may choose to cover up again, just to avoid any potential hassle. But as long as he's with Argos, he'll have his vines out on display for him. <:

Maybe not always but most of the time.

I also like to think Mr. Plant has days where he let's them just kind of splay out across his Void, like he's stretching them out.

Stuff I never talked about before because I was always super self conscious about my very slight design choices for Mr. Plant lmaooo.

But I don't care as much, I'll yap about anything at this point. Sort of. Looool.

The other reason I bring it up- other than just cause I think it would be fun to talk about is because, I was just working on some Mr. Plant art and whenever I come to his vines I'm always thinking, "What did I do last time? Should I try to keep it the same? No... but maybe similar. Nah fuck it, they're all over the place."

Cause sometimes I'm on the fence about whether or not I want to keep a consistent pattern. Tbh tho like i said, I'm lazy and also I think it's a lot more fun to think that they move around and also be able to kinda see that lmao.

Basically it was just on my mind lmaoo and I thought, "you know I never really go into it..."

And I have thoughts.

I always have thoughts.

[truwaifu]

Heartstrings Entangled

Chiyori has never been smooth. Clumsy? Yes. And her clumsiness is exactly what gets her into a very precarious situation with Mr. Arctic himself. Chiyori isn’t getting any closer to facing Satoru but she knows more than anything, she can’t push her feelings for Nanmai away either. 

Chapter three in this series.

Chapter 1 here

Chapter 2 here

Pairing: Nanami Kento x Chiyori (fxreader)

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: None, please free to leave your thoughts and comments. I would love to know how you feel about the series so far; .xx

After what happened with Nanami at the welcome meeting, Chiyori refused to leave her office. She unpacked her office belongings, making sure to hang up the framed photo of her and Satoru. Will he hate me? Does he love him? She worked until it was time for lunch, so engrossed in her work, she hadn’t noticed Ellie at her office door wanting to invite her to lunch. Chiyori came to learn Ellie was in the office right next to hers. She dressed pretty modestly for a woman who was only two years older than her. Her nails were neatly manicured and the pearls around her neck and a certain gleam to them that Chiyori had half a mind to ask her if she polishes her pearls before she puts them on. 

“Believe it or not, the men here aren’t total pricks.” The way Ellie spoke did not match her aesthetic in the slightest. “John is kind, Adam is a little weird, I would stay away from him actually. Joey, well I don’t know much about Joey but Reggie loves him.” 

ChiyoriI was honestly grateful for Ellie and all her insight. “And Reggie is the husband right?” “Yes! He’s that handsome specimen right over there!” Chiyori wasn’t too sure what to expect when looking at Ellie’s husband but he seemed like the perfect match for her. The way they were giving each other flirty eyes across the office lunch room said “you know nothing of our relationship.” They’re cute. As Chiyori watched them she found her mind wandering back to Mr. Arctic and she thought a little harmless digging wouldn’t hurt. Was “work Nanami” different from the Nanami that Satoru knows? 

“What about him, what’s his deal?” She asked, toying with her food trying to remain aloof while she nudged her head towards Nanami.

“Ah, Nanami san. An enigma to most. I’ve seen both men and women throw themselves at him and he wouldn’t even bat an eye. Total gentlemen though and pulls his weight around the office, not to mention the group projects.” Of course he’d be perfect.

 “We’re adults here, we’re still subjected to group projects?”

 “Nothing says teamwork like late hours in the office to close a deal.”

“I guess that’s fair. Is he married?”

“Nope, I’ve only ever seen a white haired man, equally as appealing to the eye, show up once or twice and each time I swear I thought Nanami was going to pop a blood vessel.” A white haired man? Could it be Satoru? Why do I even care? Chiyori knew she should’ve dropped it but curiosity was eating at her. She pulled out her phone and looked to see if she had a picture of her sorcerer easily accessible. 

“Hey Ellie, the white haired man you mentioned, any chance it was him?” Ellie examined the photo in awe. Her expression told Chiyori her suspicions were correct. 

“Is that your husband?”

“Ew, no, that’s my best friend. I may or may not have already met Nanami but I didn’t make the best impression.” 

“You saw Nanami Kento outside?! A rarity indeed.” 

“I don’t think he likes me very much. I tried to make up for it by the end of the night but judging by the look he gave me at my welcome meeting, not only does he remember me, he very much feels disdain towards me.” 

“Wait, what happened?”

“That story is for another time, I have to get back to work.”

“Alright fine, but are you sure it was disdain? The man keeps to himself, but he just doesn’t seem the type.”

“If not disdain, then what? Trust me, he hates me.” 

Chiyori grabbed her garbage and forgotten coffee to head towards the trash. Not noticing her surroundings, she turned and hit a wall, that wall being Nanami Kento. Her coffee spilt all over his chest.

“I am so sorry, Nanami.”

“You forget your formalities.” He doesn’t seem at all bothered by the coffee and more annoyed that Chiyori didn’t address him properly. Hearing his voice clearly in the light of day sent shivers down her spine.

“Huh? We should grab a towel or it'll stain.” 

“It’ll be fine, excuse me.”

“Don’t do that, let me help.” Chiyori grabbed Nanami’s arm and dragged him to the office kitchen area and got to work on finding a towel. She searched through several cabinets and drawers before she found what she was looking for. 

“Perfect! Now, if you have another shirt, you can change into it but this will look worse before it looks better. I used to work in a kitchen and doubled as a server when I was in school and I learned all sorts of cool tricks.” She was rambling and couldn’t find the will to stop. Being this close to Namani made her nervous. She couldn’t look him in the eye. 

“I’m really sorry. I should’ve been paying attention to where I was going.” Namami doesn’t speak. Instead he grunts.

“What did you mean before? About formalities?”

“You should refer to me as Nanami San.” This man seriously hates me.

“Right, of course, I’m sorry.”

“You apologize a lot.”

“Do I? Well now I want to say it again because of how many times I’ve already said it.” Chiyori laughed hoping he’d join in but it’s silent. It’s silent and Chiyori can’t look at him. It’s silent and she can’t look at him and she’s rubbing his chest with a wet towel. She could feel his steel gaze burning a hole through her skull. Insufferable.

“Should be good now, you know, once it dries.”

Without another word Chiyori turned and practically ran back to her office. She stayed there far past normal work hours. She was mortified and was hoping she didn’t run into anyone from the office. If she was lucky, she’d make it to her apartment in one piece. Chiyori had made such a fool of herself in front of Nanami. She couldn’t shake why she cared so much to begin with. He’s gay for heaven's sake! Trying to rid her mind of these intrusive thoughts she locked up and headed for the train. 

Once she made it home, Chiyori tried to focus on anything other than her guilt but she felt as though the universe was hell bent on making her face feelings. Satoru had called twice and twice she ignored his call. When he called for a third time she knew he wasn’t going to stop until he spoke to her. She had no choice but to pick up his call.

“Hey you.” She spoke softly into the phone.

“Tough first day?” There wasn’t a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Something like that.”

“How welcoming was Kento? I told him if he didn’t take care of you I would kick his ass.” Chiyori stiffened.

“You knew he worked there?”

“Of course I knew.”

“And you didn’t think that was something I should know?”

“Why does that piece of information matter, Chi?” There it is, the amusement is back in his tone.

“Don’t fuck with me right now, Satoru.” 

“Okay, crabby. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, you need some rest.” Chiyori winced. How dare she speak to him like that when he wasn’t the one in the wrong.

“I’m sorry, Toru. You didn’t deserve that. I’m such a bitch.” 

“Seriously, you’re good. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ll ease into your job in no time, We all know you’re the best thing for this company. Get some rest, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The line goes dead before Chiyori could say anything else. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Satoru was as supportive as ever. He’d always been the one there for her through all of her troubles and yet she felt like a fraud. I’m the fucking worst. She didn’t know what the future looked like working alongside Nanami. She knew she couldn’t keep this up but she didn’t have it in her to talk to Satoru about it either. Coward. I’m such a fucking coward.

Chapter 4

[baileythebean]

Analysis post about: Ako! 🦋

⚠️WARNING⚠️ Trigger Warnings: brief mentions of kidnapping, threats, death threats, human experimentation, violence, blood/gore?? (Not heavy), trauma, transphobia

General Warning: Ako is an OC for Jujutsu Kaisen. He is also a relatively new OC and I have the ability to alter him as I consume more of the plot to make him more plot-accurate. I have only seen the 2 animated seasons of JJK as well as the movie and have only read a limited amount of the manga after that. That being said, this OC’s WHOLE EXISTENCE does not revolve around being plot-accurate OR what YOU think would be plot-accurate. I do take suggestions and ideas for lore and design since he is still under development, but keep in mind that he is MY OC and that gives ME the right to alter him as I see fit. Thanks for reading, OC analysis below the cut! ⬇️

BASIC FACTS: Name: Ako Komaniya

Birthday: October 12th (Libra)

Age: 13 - 23 throughout his appearances in the plot

Gender: Male - Transmasc - FtM

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Sexuality: Demisexual - Abrosexual

Romantic Orientation: Demiromantic

Height: 5’5 - 165 cm

Conditions/Illnesses?: Vitiligo

Favorite food: Strawberry Shortcake

Favorite animal: Raccoons - Cats

AFFILIATIONS / RELATIONSHIPS TO CANON (what they are to him)

Mahito - Captor (negative)

Choso Kamo - Lover/Crush (positive)

Satoru Gojo - Acquaintance (positive)

Hanami / Kenjaku / Dagon - Friends (?) (neutral)

Jogo - acquaintance (negative)

Eso / Kechizu / Yuji Itadori - Little brothers (positive)

He isn’t familiar with the rest of the cast, or just doesn’t know them personally!

DESCRIPTION

A young man of average height, with fluffy black and white hair. He has brown skin which is pale-splotched by vitiligo, and thick black and white streaked lashes. His eyes are pale blue-grey and pupil-less. He has his ears pierced in numerous places, and his nails are painted black most of the time. He has a trad goth/soft goth aesthetic. His clothing varies. He has undergone top surgery, and is on testosterone, but no bottom surgery.

DRAWING REFS (so far)

Clothes are very plain in these refs but I promise you he’s more interesting than this

LORE SUMMARY (by timeline of actual time, not in order the episodes/seasons are in.)

Ako first appears briefly in the choir practice room, in the arc where Gojo and Geto are trying to rescue the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko. They are in an all-girls school when Gojo barges in and everyone starts to fawn over him (except Riko and Ako.) Ako still presents as female and is 12 at this time.

The next time he appears, he presents as male and is 19 years old. This is when Mahito is about to use him as an experiment, but refrains from killing him because he’d ’make better as an art piece than a corpse.’ Because of his skin and his inumanly high pain tolerance. Mahito spares him in exchange for his silent compliance to his every command, his looks on display, and basic chores done around the place all the curses are staying. He still ends up hurt, like a LOT, but never dead. Mahito pretty much just sees what works and disfigures him before rearranging him again. His ‘art’ qualities are his only reassurance when Mahito places a hand on his body and he tells himself that he wouldn’t end up a disfigured, bloody mess like all Mahito’s other toys.

He eventually learns how to live alongside curses and avoid conflict with the wrong one. He quite likes making conversation with Kenjaku and Hanami, who makes him little flowers occasionally. He gets away with being passive-aggressive towards Jogo because Mahito thinks it’s funny. Dagon is on the receiving end of pats from him all the time because he finds the little octopus-blob cute. He’s still terrified of Mahito, but learns to live with that.

Enter, Choso. Choso stays with the curses for a bit, being one to thank Ako for his work. Ako admires how fiercely he cares for his brothers and was hurt to hear when Eso and Kechizu had died. To Ako, Choso was the most human contact (even if only half-human) he’d had in years, and he somehow felt safer to be around than everyone else. Ako was under his protection at Shibuya until his fight with Yuji. Ako found him breaking down after the fight, and immediately got Choso back on his feet and towards the battlefield. He ultimately made his loyalty clear to Choso over Kenjaku in the end, and just tried not to die. (He has no cursed techniques.)

AFTER THAT I’M JUST PRETENDING THEY LIVED A NORMAL HAPPY LIFE TOGETHER LALALALA IDK WHAT UR TALKING ABOUT, EVERYONE IS ALIVE AND HAPPY WHAT JJK ARE YALL READING???

I’m kidding, Ako never got to tell Choso he loved him. And he regretted it. BADLY. (Angst whoop-dee-doo)

CHOSOAKO FLUFF / SILLY ART TO MAKE UP FOR THE ANGSTY BIT

(The pen drawings were done by @ask-sora-aguilar! My internet dad, check his blog out!)

I would also like to note, for artistic purposes, that Ako has like, no muscles. Choso is like huge and angular and muscular, but Ako is just kinda all soft curves and smooth edges and I’m here for that

[popatochisssp]

Apparently I haven't been checking here enough because there's so many new boys I didn't recognize in the sibling post!!! And they all sound so cool and interesting!!

Thank you! But you’re probably not as out of the loop as you think—I’ve been a little shy about sharing my stuff lately, so I actually haven’t posted about any of those guys before!

If you want a quick rundown…

Transcendtale: The result of a never-ending cycle of RESETs with a No Mercy sort of human. Monsters gradually became aware and eventually resorted to extremes to put an end to the cycle, sacrificing themselves to create one single vessel powerful enough to kill the human for good. In the aftermath, most of monsterkind is gone…physically, but still persist as consciousnesses recorded digitally instead. (Sort of a cyberpunk aesthetic answer to Dusttale.)

Spectr (Transcendtale Sans): The unlucky bastard who got tapped to pilot the ultra-powerful human-killing vessel and one of only a few physical monsters remaining. His new body is entirely robotic but similar to what he had before—the only thing missing is a soul. He’s coping in the aftermath of Everything about as well as could be expected, but pretty heavily dysphoric and doubting his identity and his personhood as…whatever he is now.

PapAIrus (Transcendtale Papyrus): A virtual consciousness, a snapshot of the previous ‘original’ Papyrus, his thoughts, his feelings, his memories, his entire sense of self… AKA, Papyrus, just detached from a physical body and soul. He considers it a major upgrade, really—he’s eternal, everywhere, everything… Maybe a slight god-complex about it, but can you blame him? He can interact with the world directly via hard-light projections of himself if he chooses, so it’s hard for him to see a downside to his new state of being.

Ascendswap: Another never-ending cycle of RESETs with No Mercy to be found, but after a bargain is struck with an entity beyond mortal ken, a small inner-circle of monsters is granted awareness of the cycle, and access to deeper, older, more powerful magic in order to put a stop to the human’s reign of terror. Most of monsterkind is only peripherally aware of all that happened, but a select few have been Elevated beyond what they once were.

Xanth (Ascendswap Sans): He’s the one who struck the eldritch bargain and consequently gained power and magic, as well as the ability to share it with anyone he chooses. It’s come at a significant cost and large swathes of him have been lost, dissolved into pure magic. He’s also now one who’s seen beyond the veil, the ant who has perceived the circuit board so to speak, and he’ll never be quite who he was. Still, he’s happy, and far more attuned to souls and magic and energy than he ever was before, so he’s not complaining.

Piper (Ascendswap Papyrus): One of the beneficiaries of his brother’s meddling, a newly-minted boss monster with full awareness of RESETs and much stronger magic—including an ability to push intent into his words as he speaks them, making their influence stronger. Due to the nature of its source, there’s only so far that little trick can go, but between being far more persuasive than he ever hoped he could be, his increased power, and more than a few timelines of experience, his confidence is through the roof and stress over what people think of him is a thing of the past.

Underfell Fruition: The Royal Scientist is never erased from reality. He continues his work as planned, without interruption and continues experiments which produce marvelous innovations for monsterkind’s eventual conquest of humanity. Two of his most impressive achievements are a device which allows the user to produce magic seemingly limitlessly, from thin air without drawing on one’s own energy, and a war machine that attacks on command—both of which are frequently lent out to the Emperor and the Royal Guard to serve the crown’s purposes. …Until a bit of poking around uncovers some…moderately…alarming monster rights violations, amongst other charges, which lead to the Royal Scientist’s conviction and execution.

Carmine (Underfell Fruition Sans): Captured during his attempt to escape from Gaster with his brother, and due to a consistent pattern of disobedience, locked away—permanently. Altered to produce magic at a significantly higher rate and used as a magic battery, he’s got plenty of energy and a whole lot of living to catch up on now that he’s out of the (barely metaphorical) box. What he lacks in worldly experience, he makes up for in luck, intuition, and a cocky can-do attitude, all too ready to make up for lost time.

Tank (Underfell Fruition Papyrus): ‘Raised’ alone by a cruel ‘father’ whose only use for him was as the pinnacle of his project to create a perfect living weapon for the war against humanity, he is extremely new to a lot of concepts—making decisions, having opinions, being a person… None of that was allowed while he was being developed…er, growing up, so in spite of being tall, intimidating, and built like a truck, he’s hesitant around new people and situations where he needs to do any more than just follow orders. Tentatively starting to branch out and discover what being a monster (instead of a monster-shaped weapon) is all about now that his creator is out of the picture and the brother he thought he’d only imagined is back in it.

Swapfell Fruition: The Royal Scientist is never erased from reality. He continues his work as planned, without interruption and continues experiments which lead to the development of a black ops division for the Empress, a secret service of sorts to serve the interests of the crown and to do the unsavory dirty work involved in maintaining an empire whose citizens are prone to corruption and violence. Espionage, blackmail, and quite a few assassinations are carried out by the unknown team managed, equipped, trained, and modified by the Royal Scientist. …Until one day, he happens to turn up dead and it’s uncovered that the ‘volunteers’ for the program were less willing participants and more lab-grown experiments who were given no choice otherwise. Bearing in mind what’s come to light about the circumstances, the black ops program is disbanded.

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans): Stopped during his attempt to murder Gaster and escape with his brother, and because of his clearly duplicitous nature, far more tightly controlled and observed and forced into obedience to his creator after. Used primarily as a handler to debrief, control, and monitor the real asset, he developed a keen eye for detail and skill in fact-finding, being secretive, and lying…which was probably a tactical error because he devoted himself wholly to playing the long con and waiting for the perfect opportunity for another attempt to free himself and his brother. A little late…maybe too late…but better than never.

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus): The asset and field agent, a thoroughly trained and heavily mentally conditioned assassin, operant on a small library of trigger words and phrases which compel him to follow directives and alter the functioning of his mind and body. He’s extremely competent when working, charming and ruthless and efficient, but off the leash, impertinent, impulsive, and impossible. He does as he pleases whenever possible which, now that his boss/creator/dad is dead, seems like it’ll be all the time. On some weird footing now with his erstwhile handler—his brother—who was apparently less complicit in said boss/creator/dad’s bullshit than he’d thought, but y’know. He’s out of the cage either way and can chase his whims wherever they take him.

Descendtale: A Horrortale variant, a human’s passage through the Underground has left monsterkind without their king, without any of the human souls they’d gathered to break the Barrier, and without a handful of citizens. The long-lost queen returns to lead her people and pivots toward survival, weathering the long-haul trapped Underground with dwindling hope and resources. An alternate food source is the highest priority as monsters are already starting to go hungry in the wake of the chaos, and one is found…though not without its…side-effects. Light sensitivity, slowed metabolism, darkening of extremities, thorn-like growths on the body, and some mental changes and personality drift among other metamorphoses. The Underground takes on a deep-sea quality—slow, cold, dark—monsters subsisting on what they have and waiting patiently for the next whalefall to swarm.

Kohl (Descendtale Sans): The human’s disappearance has left him more than a little bitter (betrayed, though he’ll never admit that). His opinion of humans (or anyone new) is quite low after what the last one did to them all and he’s not keen on trusting or believing in any, anytime soon. He’s chilly, selfish, and reluctant to engage—though he does have a slight mean-spirited streak, and is greatly amused by creeping out or otherwise agitating humans by his presence. Coping with the changes they’ve all gone through and settling in to his new normal, but very stubbornly digging in to the small pleasures that his altered biology makes more difficult. Determined to live much in the manner of a cockroach: through just about anything and regardless of the opinion of those who’d prefer him not to.

Bram (Descendtale Papyrus): The human’s disappearance has left him confused and hurt. He’d thought they were friends, but well…then they did all that and left, never to return. There’s…a lot of conflicting emotions in there and he probably shouldn’t try to unpack it all—he’s just focusing on being the best friend possible from here on out! He’s a little bit clingy with new friends and people he’d like to become new friends but as much as possible, a perfect gentleman, host, and conversationalist. Some strong emotional outbursts from time to time, and his tendency towards unintentionally unnerving statements do make that a bit difficult but he’s very amicable and unlike his brother, only creepy on accident, so…he can still be popular, right? …Right?

If anybody’s interested in a full lore dump for anything, I can draft something up, but that’s the gist of all the brand new ones!

Sorry for all the words! 😅

[cugzarui]

before i watch the introduction of kevin levin i just wana get a review out of the way

so ive watched up to episode six so far and i think i know why ben 10 is as good and successful and long lasting as it is. i know what this show is really about, and its not aliens. its not about being able to transform. its not about fighting bad guys or solving mysteries or world building.

its a compilation

ben 10, from what ive rewatched so far and what i remember, is a series made by pulling ideas and aesthetics from various mythos and cultural phenomenon, writing a story about each one in an episodic format. a real stranger walks into town kinda show (literally, as the tennysons are on a field trip going to a new place each episode). and as i rewatch this series i keep finding myself wishing we got to see more of the side characters. each. and. every. episode. the actual main cast isn't actually that compelling or interesting. well they are, but enough for multiple series over two decades? no. the tennysons are a vessel through which we get to see other stories.

even the main character isnt so much one character who turns into ten aliens, as ten characters who are also a little kid called ben tennyson. each one of them could probably star in their own series, but dont. instead they are all bunched up together into one series, making them a much more flexible writing tool.

id even argue ben 10 isnt actually a science fiction show. it just needed some common umbrella to put a bunch of disparate stories under, and in true ben 10 fashion, just borrowed an umbrella that happened to be popular and worth exploring at the time.

this format naturally lends itself well to merchandising as well, undoubtedly helping the show to stay on the air. but its far from the only show to be written like this and not all of them are successful. generator rex and the secret saturdays come to mind. so why did ben 10 succeed where these other shows failed?

we could chalk it up to just bad luck - nanobots and criptids just never got as popular as aliens and magic - and while that's definitely part of it i also think these shows were probably just a lot harder to merchandise. with ben 10 you can literally add a new alien every time you wana sell new merch. with the secret saturdays though while you can add more criptids theyre never really part of the main cast iirc, making them a harder sell. and with generator rex...look you can give that boy as many body parts as you want but in the end its the same doll. theres only so much you can do with that.

this becomes more apparent when you look at some other similar franchises that managed to stay successful and popular like adventure time and avatar. both of those are series that are largely episodic (avatar does have an overarching plot but its just vaguely guiding the characters along really), bringing the characters to a new adventure with its own rules and world building (and typically location) each time. these shows also have a way of making even the side characters significant and feel more like part of the main cast, at least for an episode, making them easier to merchandise.

i dont remember much from the secret saturdays but generator rex i know was a pretty serious and plot driven show. and while this doesn't mean its a bad show or that kids wouldn't like it, i do think its easier to sell merchandise and captivate an audience with something that isnt just serious, but fun as well. and besides? i think these shows just kinda lacked color...like literal color. if your goal is to make something that people wana buy and get excited for, then muted browns and greys probably arnt the way to go.

i might have to rewatch these shows as well (they are on my list which only grows and never shrinks) in order to give a better analysis but this based on my memory was the difference that made or broke a show.

and this kinda...i dont know how to feel about this. about ben 10 i mean. in the end its less of a coherent show and more of a...a...a mash up...an amalgamation...a compilation of other stories. like...do i actually like ben 10? or do i just like the writers taste in stories and aesthetic. could i replace ben 10 with a tumblr mutual who recommends me new stories? do i actually wana see more of the side characters? they're probably not much more developed than what we see on screen, and while they could probably have their own story - probably do somewhere - im not sure if ben 10 can make them interesting enough to carry more than one episode each.

there is another show like this - steven universe. it keeps telling you just enough that you know theres something there. you dont know what it is but you can sorta figure it out but you don't actually know. and you know you dont know. and you wana know and that keeps you engaged. but in steven universe that comes from actual world building. it originates from the show. in ben 10? it comes from somewhere else. and idk how to feel about that.

[spasticspaceshp]

Idk who's going to bother to read this rant but maybe someone will and relate to some parts of it so here goes.

The asexual and aromantic experience is wild when you have nothing but love to give.

For context, I generally don't use any specific labels because it's just a lot of work to explain, but using the more generic ones, I know a few things about myself.

I'm non-binary, polyamorous, and land *somewhere* on the ace and aro spectrums. I only use pangender as a term cuz I'm biased to the flag. It looks pretty, and it's close enough. I've debated if I'm trans, but I'm not uncomfortable in my body so I haven't bothered to pursue anything, and I'm only ace/aro because there is just a complete lack of drive/attraction/instinct whatever it can be called, in my body and psyche. I am a soul in a vessel here to experience things, but attraction is not one of them, apparently.

I'm a sex positive ace though. And I know all the technical terms I fall into but it's just complicated. I don't really use any kind of term for sexual preference, but I know I like men, and can develop sexual attraction under the right circumstances, and I like women aesthetically, but I can't say I'm NOT sexually attracted because I've never been with one. And the weird fear about trying is exactly the same fear I had about men. So ya know.

But I want to love. To be loved and especially to give love in return. I don't make a lot of friends cuz I don't get attached, with the exception of getting adopted, and my best friend who I chose all the way back in 2nd grade. I'm in my early 20s now and her and I live together, so you can see that it means something.

I've also recently started dating this guy who is exactly in the perfect sweet spot of everything I am attracted to, and not just visually. (Who actually cares about appearances anyway?) He's very sweet and kind to me, has a perfect balance of similarities and differences to myself, highly values communication and listens to what I have to say, understands my needs and how I function, and overall matches my energy. (He's very mellow but I'm working to bring out the crazy side I know is in there, lol.) To be honest it's damn near one of those too good to be true things. He's also poly, not entirely cis, and completely embraces my gender identity, or lack thereof. He's devoted and healthily obsessive and possessive and it's mutual. We also completely agree on our stances about kids and marriage, which is that we want neither. (At least not getting married on paper, he absolutely wants to wife me and I'm not mad about it.)

What makes me feel almost guilty, or honestly more like I'm defective, is that he's had all these realizations and transcendent moments that you would expect out of finding the person you're meant to be with. But I haven't. Don't get me wrong, I completely share the sentiments, I want him just as much as he wants me, and the devotion is mutual, I just haven't felt it. I know I love him, I know that I'm happy, I know that what we have is extremely promising and healthy. I just feel like I'm missing what everyone else gets to experience. I've talked about it with him too and he's so very understanding. Maybe I'm just terrified of myself. That I'll ruin it without even knowing, simply because I'm not designed to have this. I also know that thinking that is bad for manifesting.

Like just listen. (I'm also into witchcraft and astrology,) And my literal human design works against some of the things I want. I want to sleep next to him, all the time, but I have genuine trouble sleeping next to another person even just in the same bed as me, let alone within elbow distance. Sometimes it's hard if they're even in the same room. And that fact was literally stated in one of my readings. There's something in my autistic little brain that can't seem to let my breathing match theirs, and it's a natural thing for humans to do, but it somehow drives me crazy. I want to kiss and hold and have sex and all those things, but I'm difficult. Finding satisfaction in intimacy is a literal challenge, even with help from toys or other stimulus. He's been so patient and understanding with that too and it's done wonders for the shame trauma I grew up with, but it's also just frustrating, because I feel constantly inadequate or like I'll accidentally give off the impression that he's not enough. And that's not true. (Even if there's some things he could stand to learn.) It's all just that typical asexual "I feel broken" kind of angst. But it's still a very real experience that haunts me. I'd love to believe that going on T would fix me, but I know it's not true.

Honestly I kinda lost where I meant to go with this. It's very TMI, but he says I feel like home to him, and while I don't think I feel the same thing, wording wise, we both agree that even though it's been almost 3 months, it feels like we've known each other for forever. Please excuse me for being a sap but genuinely I'm like, yah I found it. Cliché romance novel shit and everything. It's been very soft and comfortable so far. I still have to egg him into actually biting me like he means it, but at least I know I'm safe with him. He lets me show a bit of dominance too, so there's not any kind of power imbalance, and I'm so very excited for whatever future we get to have.

Idk. I think I had a lot of other sappy poetic shit to say that I forgot about, but I guess the overall message is that when you know what you want, it doesn't matter if you're ace, aro, anything in between, or nothing at all, you can find the love you're looking for. Have some faith in yourself. You're not broken, you're not missing anything. Whatever kinds of relationships you have, platonic or romantic or anything else, the right people do exist. You just have to first be sure of yourself, and sure of what you're looking for.

Yada yada yada, I'm gonna go take a nap.

[rosie-kairi]

I just want to say that it's really cruel (Genius) to give Ven a baby pokemon that evolves through friendship and is considered a 'weak' pokemon at the start, that most people box.

I know you said you wouldn't explain, but maybe a small ramble of the choices on their teams?

Hi!! Hello!! I'd be very happy to explain some of the teams for you!! Me saying "I will not explain" really just means that I won't explain unless prompted. So It's really just an invitation to ask me about stuff lol.

Ok, let's start with Ven's team.

For the more straight forward/less thematic ones, I chose Archeops because it's a fossil pokemon and Ventus is like a thousand years old, and Altaria because it's a more cutesy bird pokemon that I think he'd enjoy :))

Togekiss is pretty much the reason you said. Togepi starts out all but useless, but becomes stronger through the bond it forms with it's trainer. Ven has a very negative self-image of himself and only overcomes that once he forms bonds with actual people and not with intangible beings of darkness.

The three ghosts- Mimikyu, Zorua, and Banette- were chosen for about the same reasons. Banette was chosen due to the themes of abandonment prevelent in all of it's dex entries, as well as the toy vibes reminding me of a vessel and how Ven was essentially Darkness's own little puppet. Mimikyu and Zorua go hand in hand together- they're both not what they appear to be initially. Mimikyu wears it's disguise to get people to like it because of a desperation for companionship. Zorua is an illusionist who disguises itself to get revenge on those who wronged it- and I think Ven should get to go a little ham, as a treat.

The others don't really have as in-depth explanations so they'll go under the cut:

Ephemer:

Galarian Rapidash and Clefable were chosen for the fairytale vibes, and how the chi saga takes place in the Age of Fairytales.

Arcanine, Audino, and Goodra are all very loyal and friendly pokemon- just like Ephemer himself! Also, I had an Arcanine in my Black 2 playthrough that I named Ephemer, he was my mvp, so I'm a bit biased towrads that relation lol.

Then, Aegislash is a mix of both reasons, AND because Aegislash is said to have chosen kings and rulers in the ancient past, and Ephemer founded Scala!

Skuld:

These were all chosen almost entirely on vibes. Corviknight and Staraptor are both cool looking birds that I thing Skuld would greatly appreciate (also, similar to Ephemer, I named them after Skuld in two separate playthroughs lol).

Gothitelle and Absol can both predict the future/disasters, and Skuld in Norse mythos is a norn- in the most simply of ways, the norse equivalent of the Greek fates. Froslass and Tinkaton are mostly there for aesthetic reasons, also I think they're cool sue me.

Brain:

The most straightforward. Computer/sci-fi related. Cool hats. Intimidating vibes. His Chirithy.

Lauriam:

Pretty plant pokemon, all heavily associated with gracefulness and the like. Scolipede is there because it's kinda like Marluxia to me, I can't really explain that any better than that though. So do with it what you will.

Strelitzia:

Cute fairy types!! A Whimsicott to match her brother! Floragato to represent her Chirithy. Musharna's there to kinda represent her dreams of helping Player, it just fits her imo.

And then there's Trevenant. Who evolves from Phantump, a pokemon said to be created from the souls of children who got lost in the forest and died. Yeah.

Elrena:

Electric types (duh), Boss-ass bitches, and general coolness.

[taylormarieee]

I just wanted to announce a few things...

For one: I'M BACK!!!! I mean I was slightly active but I rarely interacted with my moots, I miss you guys.

Two: I would like to say that I miss all my wives now let's make another list about my wives since Valentine's day was a few days ago and I didn't get to do this.

@dollyfl1rt : I love her so much, she is so cute and I was so sad when her first account got terminated, I thought I lost her forever. I was gonna cry. She's so sweet and a very open and down to earth person. She's someone you can get along with and is so kind. She is someone I feel like I could always talk to about literally anything and I wish her nothing but the best in life. She's amazing. I love you and Happy Late Valentines Day!❤️

@dustbunniess : I love her because she's funny, amazing, very peaceful and just so cute! I love how we have the same interests and can talk whenever, she's obvi a very busy woman but she's someone I look up to and someone I adore very much so Happy late Valentines day baby ;)💕

@sinsandsweetness : My first wife. I love her because she's number one and she's so wise and well spoken. She cares about the people in her life and she reminds me of the goddess Athena smm because she's so wise and just and incredibly smart and wonderful person. I love her with all my heart so as well Happy Late Valentines day babe💋

@liliesdiary : Straight up i'm gonna say it, SHE REMINDS ME OF APHRODITE!!!! Like she's so cute and her aesthetic is so cute and adorable! I love her so much even though I haven't talked to her in so long, she's so sweet and I miss talking to her, I hope everything is good and well for her. I love you my little daughter of aphrodite🎀 Happy Late Valentines Day!

@cherryredstars : This is my little gossip bestie! We literally gossip so much! She's amazing and her fics are just as amazing and she's also so well spoken and adorable. She reminds me of a golden retriever but yet a sophisticated black cat. She's so sweet and an incredible person overall! I wish her nothing but the best in life, and someone better love her just as much as I do. Happy late valentines day baby!💝

@writella : THIS IS MOTHER RIGHT HERE AND I LOVE HER! She is so kind and fun to talk to and I really enjoy talking to her and getting praise from her cuz yk, it's mother were talking about here. I love her and miss her! have not talked to her in a while so I hope she's ok, I love you and Happy Late Valentine's day babes!❣️

@hutchersonsgurl : THIS IS TWINN RIGHT HERE! I LOVE THIS GIRL SMM CUZ SHE'S SOOO FUNNY AND ENERGETIC! I love how we relate to the same things and I love how she is so cool and fun! Love you and Happy Late Valentines day twinn!💜

@luvrxbunny : I love her, we haven't talked in a while but she's just so fun and cool. I feel for her when she has sad daysd and goes through a lot of hard times but I hope she gets through it and I love her so much I hope she feels better and can finally be happy! I love you and Happy Late Valentines Day pretty girl!❤️‍🩹❤️

Saved the best for last... @versatilehater I LOVE THIS GIRL WITH EVERYTHING IN ME EVERY CELL, EVERY FIBER, EVERY ORGANISM AND FUNCTIONING VESSEL! She is my love and my best friend! I love her like no other and I love how she treats me, she is so cute and so sweet and I love her the absolute most! She's so kind and funny and freaky (my favourite part) Shes so amazing and I love her. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MAMA!💓💞💖

I LOVE YOU ALL! HAPPY LATE VALENTINES DAY TO THOSE WHO DIDN'T HAVE ONE! HAPPY LATE VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL THE LADIES THAT WERE ALONE!

❤️

XOXO, Londyn<333

[madsciencepottery]

Hi!!!

I've recently been wanting to get into clay ✨stuff✨ for funsies, and I have absolutely no idea where to start and I spent a good chunk of time googling and learned pretty much nothing because I got overwhelmed!! What a day.

Anyways I've been asking around and I have a few questions and you seem to know what you're doing, so -

-what are the differences between clays? I understand some need to be fired in a kiln (which I do not casually have laying around my house unfortunately), some need to be baked, and some can just air dry??? But that's really about as far as I got before getting lost.

- which clay is usually best for what kind of projects??? I'm thinking I want to do just some Small Things like key trays or pencil/pen holders or etc etc.

- are there any specific tips/tricks I should be using to make it slightly easier to work with, or any specific care instructions?

thank you!!!

Hi there! I don't claim to be an expert but hopefully I can help you get started?

Now clays: ceramic clays need to be fired in a kiln and are the most durable. For your heavy-duty projects (vessels that need to hold water/be in contact with heat) this is your best bet.

Air-dry clay can mimic the look and feel of ceramic clay if you just want the aesthetic, but are usually paper-based and not nearly as durable. Flammable, and not waterproof unless you coat it with something. Can be good for decorative projects.

Polymer clay: plastic-based and mimics a lot of different materials, this is the kind you bake in your oven. Comes in many colors, semi-durable when baked, so this may be the clay for you! Each brand comes with its own set of drawbacks/advantages, so my recommendation is to get an idea of what you want to make first and then see which brand fits best (some might bake harder but are harder to condition, etc.) I mostly work with sculpey so I can't speak to every kind, but probably the best advice I can give is to get a little and just play around with it. Learning the feel of a material is not something you can read over the internet, and the way I have learned the most is to jump in and make mistakes as I go.

I hope this has helped in some small way, I'm always nervous about giving advice, lol

[sleepanonymous]

(Only after I transcribed the entire thing did I find an online source here 🤦‍♀️)

ALL GOOD IN THE HOOD…

Mysterious masked entity Sleep Token allow a peek into their dark world on debut album…

With the hidden identities behind bands like Poland’s Slavonic metallers Batushka and Sweden’s Ghost being unveiled to a curious public in recent times, it means that the similarly secretive Sleep Token might just be the most compelling group with their masks still in place. And, as they’ve already proven, the band are more than capable of playing up to this role of intrigue. When the anonymous collective emerged just over two years ago, dressed in Death eater-style robes and looking ready to sacrifice your pet goat, their leader, known only as Vessel, told of an age-old deity called ‘Sleep’— a name chosen as no proper translation exists in any modern tongue. They also came bearing allusions to ancient civilisations, with early songs named Calcutta, Nazareth, and Jericho.

This weaving of the occult into the band’s tapestry has grown smarter as they’ve journeyed towards this, their debut full-length. With the album named after the syndrome associated with dementia, where patients can become further confused and agitated as dusk sett;es in, its first single The Night Does Not Belong to God was unveiled upon summer solstice in June. Subsequent tracks have been ritualistically released every two weeks since, always at the time of sundown according to Greenwich Mean Time (perhaps a clue towards the group’s Earthly origins).

And yet for all this dark mystery and carefully constructed enigma, perhaps what surprises most about Sleep Token is the way they sound. Despite a supremely witchy aesthetic that hints at the gloomiest doom unearthed from some rotting catacomb, the main fabric of their debut is a mix of chilling electronics and otherworldly pop, with a sinister heaviness only intruding on the fringes. These are songs that share less with the metal of the similarly-robed Sunn O))), and more with, say, Deaf Havana’s slower, more pensive and thoughtful moments.

It begins with the aforementioned The Night Does Not Belong to God, a song that’s as strange and sparse as it is spellbinding. With little more than a ringing digital tone and a muscular, crooning voice, the band conjure a dense mood that hangs heavy with longing, before bantamweight drumming and Deftones-like guitars inject a jolt of power. The song’s lasting impression is one of immense feeling, and it’s this rich atmosphere that cloaks almost the entirety of Sundowning.

At times, it’s captivating. The Offering provides gasping melodrama, while Dark Signs projects EDM lightness onto evil chugs. The extremely minimal Drag Me Under, meanwhile, doesn’t even sound human. The band’s lyrics also go a long way in helping to construct this ethereal world, as they collide images of divinity with flashes of what seems to be their own lives. And while convention may have taught us that emotions mean more when pinned to a personality or some real-life flesh, the facelessness of these private sermons can make them feel shared and empathetic, or perhaps like being inside a confession booth.

Admittedly, save for Gods— the record’s only true out-and-out metalcore song— the continuous nature of this dark mood entwined with the group’s slow-burning, listless pace does begin to drag across Sundowner’s 50-minute runtime. But there are moments here to truly savour, and ideas and experiences that feel unique. The band have shown they can create vast episodes that exist primarily within their ancient universe, while also feeling very vulnerable and human at their core. That alone should be reason enough to hope that Sleep Token’s secretive allure stays intact for a long time to come. TOM SHEPHERD

Q&A: A SERVANT (MOUTHPIECE FOR THE VESSEL)

Sleep Token have become pretty big already, without any details of the members’ identities coming out. Why is there so much secrecy around the musicians in the band? “It matters not who they are. It matters not what they say.”

Where did the name Vessel for your singer come from? “ ‘Vessel’ is no name. It is merely a descriptive term, one that may indeed be applied to us all. He is no different in this regard.”

The album is very eclectic, drawing upon various different styles that are often not found in rock. Where do these influences come from? “Death. Power. Desire. Anguish.”

“OUR IDENTITY MATTERS NOT TO BELIEVERS…” A SERVANT

Are you pleased that nobody has figured out the identities of the people behind the music yet? “The entity is the music. There is nothing further to discover.”

Would you say that there’s an element of actual, occult magic to Sleep Token? Is that part of the reason why you’re so secretive, like Jimmy Page in the ‘70s? “Such boasts are not His to make. Should a wild animal be considered ‘secretive’ if it does not tell us its name?”

You’ve supported BABYMETAL at big shows, as well as your own headlining gigs, which have sold out almost immediately. Does appearing live in frog of people make it harder to stay anonymous? Or does it simply prove the strength of what you’re doing, in that the anonymity stands up to such things? “The gathering of Followers only further exemplifies the truth, that the identity of the creators matters not to those who believe.”

Is Sleep Token a band, or a larger entity, with no beginning or end? “Nothing lasts forever.”

Any final thoughts? “Worship.”