#The Writing and Art of Cassie Kay

[cassiekayscreams]

Aaaaand now all the characters I didn’t get signed. Here are the classic Disney ones - Alice, the Mad Hatter, Peter Pan, Wendy Darling, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, and the Genie.

[projectsquid]

UPDATED PRESSURE OC BACKSTORY

Okay to explain rq, the past backstory and stuff I wrote was kinda just a simple idea, and now I’m turning this into an actual fully fledged character. I updated her story, and why she got here and a bunch of other things like childhood and the stuff she likes & dislikes. I plan on updating her design soon so please be patient.

When I made the poll to choose her name I accidentally set it to a week. And since the current winning name is Unami and I’m tired I’m waiting that’s just gonna be a name now 👍

Yes I’m reposting this art bc I had nothing to put with this text.

Unami was about 2 years old when she was left to the foster program, she barely remembers her parents. She was born on October 3rd 1991. Since she was in the foster program she jumped many homes, but still none of the family’s wanted to adopt her. She also faced some abuse on some occasions. eventually she grew out of the program and was out in the streets by herself. Somehow she managed to get a job at a small diner where she saved up enough money to buy a van to sleep in and drive. Unami tended to shoplift a lot in order to get food without spending money, expect it was only small snacks like chips, ice cream, cookies and any other basic foods. And a few times she stole a bit of food from the diner as well, expect it was only the ingredients. At some point the security guard confronted her about it, and Unami being desperate, threatened to kill or hurt him if he told management. Which scared him, because Unami was unnaturally tall for a woman and definitely much taller than him he wasn’t about to doubt her. The manager soon caught on that ingredients were going missing and asked everyone about, of course Unami was glaring at the guard, but alas he finally caught himself, and told them what happened, of course sending Unami to jail. From here urban-shade decided to choose her for experiments, mutating her using bobtail squid DNA and giant squid DNA. Causing her to turn into… well.. that.

Now in hadal blacksite she took to staying underwater, she wasn’t very fond of getting to know the other experiments, it scared her. She found a large cavern where she settled down and scavenged for pillows and blankets, flashlights, especially flashlights. So instead of attempting escape, she gave up.. I mean who wouldn’t? Life wouldn’t be worth it considering how awful it was before. Eventually she meets Sebastian, and of course being the WATTPAD GIRLE she is, she is immediately obsessed, I don’t know something bout his voice or something… I mean I’m not judging. Since Unami is a raging simp she starts to bring Sebastian a bunch of items, he doesn’t mind of course it’s free stuff to sell. Sometimes she’ll even hide behind corners and steal from players while blinding them with her poisonous ink.

Dislikes

the dark (she has a raging phobia of the dark)

Mirrors

Likes

energy drinks

Sketching

Pottery

Cooking

Plushies

Light

Animals in general

Writing

Shiny trinkets

the reason why she always reads character x reader fanfics. (We getting emotional here guys)

since she was constantly neglected throughout her life she feels the need to seek out validation or love, fan-fiction makes her feel loved, because even though it’s just a bunch of letters it still makes her feel better, the constant seeking of validation makes her people pleaser, and always why she feels the constant need to help people.

Extra stuff

Extremely annoying

Lightly flirts with sebby (of course)

Barely ever sleeps

Has a giant mutated mantis shrimp as a pet (his name is bup)

That’s all for now guys! I hope you like her :3

Oh and uh, I have a bunch of other pressure ocs I made way back when the game first came out so… I’ll prolly post abt them soon :)

Their names are: Rowan, Tanya, Cassie, Kay, & Buck

[aquato-family-circus]

Hi please please tell me more about Kay’s dynamic with Cassie i am staring at her so intently. What happens to their dynamic after (i assume?) Kay gets defeated / the psychonauts Escape her Weird Comic Book Trap

So I think my original conciet for Kay is that she's always been an artist & loves writing and drawing comics, sequential art, ect ect. She both admired Cassie's books as an adult but also felt resentful her own work never got as popular bc of her "childish" medium of choice. Despite Cassie having nothing to do with it Kay blames her for that so their rivalry for a long time is one sided. Like Kay will go to a book signing and be all smiles with Cassie and while Kay is thinking "Oh Cassie, my fated rival, someday I will best you", Cassie's thinking is more like "She seems nice :)"

Post-Deluge Cassie goes cryptid mode ofc and so Kay devotes her energy toward her craft and eventually works with the Psychonauts to make True Psychic Tales the popular comic it is. I think my og concept involves Kay getting let go at some point bc the direction of the comics wasn't to her liking? That part is nebulous, idk!

The trapped in the comic book bit happens after the games when Kay has. A REASON? to decide she wants to do that? that's the part that never crystalized and why I didn't do anything with the character. But the mechanics are definitely some kind of mental illusion or clairvoyance thing projected at a comic or something like that, maybe it's an extension of her mental world like a thought bubble of comic goodness.

I think Cassie would have to figure out the comic book logic and solve the problem on those terms if she wants to get herself and the Gang back to reality.

post-comic-hijinks maybe Kay comes back to TPT? maybe that's when she gets let go? she and cassie can start a book club and form a truly mutual rivalry now bc they are both intelligent women with Strong Opinions about Storytelling.

that's about all I have for her atm...

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (10/09/23)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli (5/10)

If you enjoy the currently very popular genre of stories about girls in historical settings getting a second chance at life with knowledge from their previous one, this has that sort of premise. It’s what initially drew me to the book. However, unless you like the genre, this book is pretty mediocre. The plot is very simple and easy to predict, and the main character, Mingshin, is pretty bland and perfect; she knows how to solve every problem. As such there’s not really that much tension since there are few challenges she doesn’t immediately overcome. The love interest and honestly most of the side characters are pretty one-note, and the writing fluctuates between the flowery words you’d expect from the setting and jarringly modern phrases. Overall, I was really looking forward to this book, but I don’t think I’d like it at all if it wasn’t a plot I know I enjoy.

Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 1 (9/10) & 2 (8/10) by Hatori Bisco

These are rereads, and it’s just so much fun to read this series. OHSHC is definitely a dated manga with some jokes that aged badly and a style that has fallen out of practice, but it’s so enjoyable, especially for someone like me who read it a while ago. It has one of my favorite openings, the chaos of the Host Club gradually discovering Haruhi is a girl, and the chapters, while mostly individual shorts, do a great job of establishing the characters and through lines for once the story becomes more serious. These volumes are honestly so funny, and Haruhi’s one of my favorite manga protagonists (and a genderfluid icon).

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (9/10)

Despite being a very quick read, a graphic novel less than 100 pages long, this was adorably sweet and actually made me tear up. The art is lovely, and characters are very well developed for such a short book with a lot of casual representation in terms of race, sexuality, and ability. The art is beautiful and really enhances the ethereal vibe of the whole story. Also, I absolutely loved the little academic accounts of the different kinds of tea dragons and how to care for them in the back! This is a book that feels like a passion project and is a great cozy fantasy read!

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (CR, 73%)

Cassie Clare was so close to figuring out that polyamory is an option in this book. She got it eventually, but the amount of times Tessa says she loves Will and Jem or one of them says they wouldn't be whole without the other...you have two hands for a reason! Otherwise, I think the pacing in this book is better than in the first one. I think a large part of that is Will's side of things with his curse and whatnot. Tessa's a lovely person but there's only so many times we can rehash her internal turmoil before it starts to bore.

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (CR, 33%)

This book stresses me out, which is part of why I'm making such slow progress. I turn in page in fear of what horrible things will befall the characters. I'm particularly attached to Dumai, and I just find her storyline so interesting.

Lodestar by Shannon Messenger (CR, 24%)

If there's one thing Messenger can do, it's make you empathize with the characters because ugh I just want some answers! I really hope some major leaps are made in this book; I feel like it's been a while since a big reveal (the brother doesn't count we barely know him). Also, it seems this series is really pushing Fitz and Sophie lately, which makes me suspicious. When it comes to the romance aspect, they just seem so bland to me, and I don't quite trust that the story is so adamant about them getting closer.

[justanotherghostwriter]

I posted 186 times in 2022

28 posts created (15%)

158 posts reblogged (85%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@zkbigbang

@lizanthium

@marijayne-writing

@x-rainflame-x

@derinthescarletpescatarian

I tagged 185 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#fanart - 41 posts

#zutara - 34 posts

#zk big bang 2022 - 17 posts

#flagging for later - 15 posts

#animorphs - 15 posts

#fullmetal alchemist - 15 posts

#avatar the last airbender - 10 posts

#ghostfic - 9 posts

#about me - 9 posts

#lizanthium's art - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#he was just - as cassie says - the pillar. the one who took everybody's views and personalities and strengths and weaknesses and sorted out

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Chapters: 1/7 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Lu Ten/Yue (Mentioned), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda & Katara (Avatar), Druk & Zuko (Avatar), Lu Ten & Zuko, Toph Beifong & Zuko, Toph Beifong & Katara Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Druk (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Agni Kai Triad (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Lu Ten, Yue (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Suki (Avatar) Additional Tags: Zutara Week 2022 (Avatar), Zutara Week, Round Robin, Modern AU with Bending, MeetCute, Identity Reveal, Slight Mentions of Gang politics, The Order of the White Lotus (Avatar), Hurt Zuko (Avatar) Summary:

While taking a shortcut through a park near the old Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, Katara runs into an interesting dog and the dog's interesting owner. For the next few days, they share a morning walk and surprisingly deep secrets with one another. Katara is a little disappointed when her new friend stops showing one morning, until she finds the dog, alone and lost, and is pulled into danger she never anticipated. Also unexpected is how she appears to be falling for somebody who should be a sworn enemy.

I'm very excited to introduce this project to you. This year, for @zutaraweek, I decided to try a Round Robin with any writers who were keen. We each picked at least one of the weekly prompts and, like an impromptu acting class, followed on the story from where the previous writer left off. It's been amazing getting to know the other writers and seeing how their unique perspectives, skills and passions mold and shape the story. @ekwolfwriter-blog, @the-badger-mole, @marijayne-writing, @ryu-slayer: thank you all for trying this out with me!

It's my privilege to kick us off with day one. Please stay tuned for the rest as the week progresses!

17 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

#4

NORTH STARS: PART II

PART I IS HERE

It’s one of the best days of the year! Today is @lizanthium 's birthday, which means that today is the reason we all get blessed by her presence, her art, her brain and her existence in general. Happy birthday, my dear twin. I offer you the ending of a story I’ve given you a beginning to, so that you can infer all the middle bits with no effort on my part. ;P In all seriousness: you sparkle so well, and it’s always a privilege to have some of your light in my life in whatever form it comes in. Here is to many more years blessed with growth and quiet moments and creativity and good family and friends. 

Without a word, Katara padded to her brother’s side and sat beside him on the edge of the ice walkway. Even through her parka, the ice was chilly, but she made herself ignore the sensation in order to sit very still and watch the horizon. Sokka sighed beside her, and Katara watched from the corner of her eye as he turned a very misshapen carving of an otter seal over and over in his gloved fingers. 

“Are you going to do it?” she asked, after a moment, still innocently studying the horizon like her heart wasn’t in her throat at the possibilities of what that evening could bring. Both potential outcomes made her on edge, but the emotions behind the quickened pulse were as different as the way the river could twist. 

“I don’t know,” Sokka all but whispered, glum. “I don’t… Our tribe is counting on me. Dad and Bato are counting on me.” He glanced around a little theatrically. “Aang being able to stay hidden for a while longer and just… goof off and be a kid… The very tentative end to a hundred years of war… I could screw that all up by stopping that wedding. For a woman I’ve known for only three months. Three months, Katara.” 

There were a hundred things Katara wanted to say to him, but some of them were tainted with frustration and hurt, and Katara was learning to keep those inside until their blades were dulled a little bit. Not every battle had to be fought with blood and wounds. A lesson that still sometimes tasted bitter. But, with hands that were learning how to heal people with the gift that thrummed like blood and breath inside of her, Katara clasped Sokka’s hand. And squeezed. He squeezed back, and she remembered that he was only sixteen, and she dropped her head onto his shoulder. 

For a long moment, they were both quiet. Katara’s thoughts were on the Fire Nation ships that had come into the Northern waters that morning, and the handful of people clad in red who had been allowed to descend the gangplanks into the Northern Water Tribe. And her thoughts were on her father and Bato and the other select men and women from the South who had arrived the day before. And then she thought to Chief Arnook, and the Northern Tribe’s council of Elders, and all the arguments that could be made of all they’d done wrong and right during the war and during this situation. Would they be ruining hard-earned peace between the Water Tribes and the world, and the beginning of better relations between Water Tribes with their plan? Possibly. Was said plan only going to fulfil the selfish whims of four teenagers? Also possible. 

But just as possible was finding the long-lost Avatar in an iceberg three months after a hundred years of war had ended because there was suddenly the desperate, hopeful chance she could learn Waterbending, and she’d already been eagerly practising. Just as possible was the fact that Yue was right, and the Spirits had organised things to happen this way, and some things were just destiny, and the adults just had to… be helped to see it. Or, if she couldn’t get her head around being that important to the Spirits, then she could at least hope for the fact that they were unimportant enough for destiny to still flow around them, even if they altered the course just slightly. Just slightly enough for four unimportant teenagers to be a little bit selfish. 

“Are you going to do something even if I don’t?” Sokka asked her, and Katara smiled, fondly, at how well her brother knew her. 

“Yes,” she told him, only a tiny bit unsure of her answer even though she and Zuko had taken a large chunk of the three months they’d known each other to even become friends. Her heart was just… sure.  “I really think it’s worth it to try.” 

Sokka laughed, not unkindly, and pulled away from her a little, making Katara have to lift her head. Once she was sitting upright, Sokka pulled off his glove, jabbed his thumb to his chest and then painted an invisible mark on her forehead. She knew he was painting the Mark of the Brave, even though she hadn’t been through her ice dodging ceremony just yet. She rolled her eyes at him, but there was fondness in her for the brother who was braver than he thought he was, and was probably about to find that all out for himself. 

“Give your hand here,” she instructed instead of turning things as sappy as she wanted to, and she began to heal all the little cuts the carving knife had left on him. 

***

There was no good moment to interrupt a marriage ceremony, Katara learned that day. But Sokka, brilliant as he was at strategy, somehow managed to crash in at the moment that almost made the most sense. Or, perhaps it wasn’t planning at all. Perhaps the words had just burst out of him in giddy adrenalin as Yue and Zuko were instructed to stand beside one another in the presence of their gathered witnesses. 

“I am Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe!” Sokka yelled, cutting across Elder Anik’s grand speech in a squeaky, breathless rush. It was so unexpected that even Katara jumped in surprise. “And I — I — I do not condone this match!” 

The second bit, at least, came out a little bit stronger. Katara heard her father inhale sharply behind her, and she quickly bent the ice under his feet slick, causing him to suddenly slip and have to cling onto Bato, who almost fell at the sudden, crashing weight. She’d apologise later. Right now, Sokka needed to be able to say his piece. Her brother caught her eye, and she nodded, and he squared his shoulders and turned back to the Northern Water Tribe Elders and Fire Lord Iroh and the four Fire Sages he’d brought with him, all who were staring at Sokka with varying degrees of quiet surprise. 

“Boy,” one of the Elders boomed. “You do not—” 

“I have every right to object!” Sokka fired back at him, head thrown back proudly. “The North has violated one of the very oldest promises between the sister tribes, and I, son of the current chief of the Southern Water Tribe, will not be silent and allow it to go grossly unaddressed for another year.” 

Yue’s eyes were transfixed on Sokka as she reached out and gripped Zuko’s hand. Zuko, on the other hand, was warily alternating his gaze between the five Fire Nation representatives, the Northern Elders and the Southern representatives, entire body tense as though ready to fight. She realised, with a twist in her heart, that he expected somebody to attack Sokka for his interruption, and he was getting ready to intervene. To protect, like nobody had done for him. Once again, she was sad that Ozai hadn’t come to the North Pole so that she had no chance to accidentally drown the man. 

“Sokka,” Hakoda said, almost sharper than Katara had ever heard him. 

Elder Oki cut across her father. “The South is not truly independent,” he sneered. “The title of chief that your father holds gives him as much power as one of us Elders. If that.” 

Instead of cowing Sokka, this only made him stand taller and take a step closer to the Elders. “Exactly. The Southern Water Tribes, plural, were always meant to be under the leadership and protection of the North. Protection. Where were you in the last hundred years? Where were you in the raids that stole our Waterbenders from us? The ones that killed my mother?” Oki’s mouth snapped shut, whatever he was going to say evidently getting knocked out of him. “If any of the Water Tribes deserve compensation from the Fire Nation, it is us.” The Fire Lord’s eyebrow raised, and he tilted his head to the side, as though agreeing. “The North, our great ‘big sister’, the seat where our Chief resides, did not even offer us that reparation. They simply asked for a few delegates to come and watch the wedding. Without discussion. Without apology for years of silence.” 

There was certainly silence in the hall as Sokka took a pause, his chest heaving slightly. The same emotions that were clearly thrumming through him were in Katara’s chest, heavy and achingly hot. Some instinct made her glance at Zuko to find that his wary tracking had stopped and he was, instead, watching her. Okay? he mouthed at her, and some of the tension in her chest left as she gave him a small smile and a little nod. 

Sokka didn’t let them stew for too long. “There is only one way to make reparations between North and South. Only one way to repair the brotherhood that has been broken here for so long. And that is the promise that should have been ours over generations: the good faith, unity, and celebration of marriage. That is what I am demanding on behalf of my people.” 

The silence shattered to murmurs that rippled at different decibels across the room, people leaning in to whisper to one another. Only Sokka, Katara, Zuko and Yue stood perfectly still and perfectly upright. 

“Sokka, son,” Chief Arnook said, and his gentle tone couldn’t quite cover the grief there. Katara noticed he was pointedly not looking or speaking to her father at all. “I… I understand your hurt. But there has been a war treaty signed between —” 

“The treaty was signed to honour unity and to step forward into peace with good faith,” Zuko interrupted, voice clear and usual awkwardness completely gone. He stared Arnook head on, and only the way his free hand trembled gave away how much speaking up was costing him. “If I were still to marry Princess Yue, knowing all this that has been brought to light, it would be a violation of the very thing the marriage is supposed to stand for.” 

“Prince Zuko,” the Fire Lord said, and nobody in the room could miss how Zuko flinched instinctively. In the too-long pause that followed, Yue did what Katara longed to do but could not and placed a subtle hand on the small of Zuko’s back, rubbing small circles there to try and soothe him. The Fire Lord very briefly closed his eyes in what Katara thought might have been sorrow at his nephew’s reaction. “And Warrior Sokka. What is it that you would both suggest?” The Elders started murmuring louder, so the Fire Lord turned a mild gaze to Chief Arnook. “It would be worthwhile to hear them out, I think, Chief?” he asked, with a little bow. 

Chief Arnook, lips pressed together into a very thin line, waved his hand in agreement and in offer for Sokka to continue. Zuko looked over at Sokka, who suddenly looked very unsure. Alarmed, Katara started mentally willing him to scrape it back together. 

See the full post

19 notes - Posted May 13, 2022

#3

While the Music Lasts (20333 words) by JustAnotherGhostwriter Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Hakoda & Katara & Sokka (Avatar)

@zutaramonth day 25: Modern AU

A retelling of ATLA Book three in a college classical band AU. With lots of past and present and hints of future Zutara. With an added playlist for your listening needs.

24 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

#2

Chapters: 2/15 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)

Waiting in the courtyard after the messy, terrible Agni Kai against Azula, Katara and Zuko aren't sure what to expect next. When news does come, it's devastating: Aang has failed to stop Ozai. Run. Hide. We'll find you when it's safe.

They obey the order, fail to disobey the order, and find a little temporary space for a while, until they can rejoin what is left of the plan to stop the Phoenix King from destroying the world. And they wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And learn that life has a way of carrying on even in the midst of war and failure. And then, as it always must, their past finally meets their present, and Katara and Zuko need to once again define what makes them who they are, and the roles they are willing to play in destiny.

28 notes - Posted January 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

NORTH STARS: PART I

PART II IS HERE.

I promise this won’t be very a long author’s note so, in summary: life really Got Real for a while there, and I lost the time to write at all. Most of the things I write and put out to the world mean something to me, but my current long project is weighty in a way that’s possibly also just a lot of self-pressure. Either way, I couldn’t leap right back into it after Februarch, and it’s Zutara Month, and my dearest and most beloved Northern Twin, @lizanthium, who deserves the best of the world, is not getting the best of the world right now.

Of course Liz’s SWT Zuko AU was the first thing I thought of when I saw today’s prompt. But I’ve already made a mess in that universe enough, so I decided to be Extra TM by writing her a “get well soon, I think you’re awesome so just keep being you, I believe in you so much” little thing set in an AU of her AU. If you’re new here: writing fic of fic is, horrifyingly and shamefully, like my signature anime attack move.

So here you go! I joked once about doing a Shakespearean/fairytale-Disney AU in which Zuko was set up in an arranged marriage with Yue, and then he and Yue fall head over heels in love (at first sight-ish, hence the Disney vibes) with both parts of the SWT delegation that come to celebrate their wedding. Cue the Shakespearean comedy and angst vibes as everybody tries to figure themselves out. So this isn’t, exactly, Southern Water Tribe Zuko. Yet. But I’ll submit it to the tag in a vain hope it makes the mark, somehow. Here are two planned beginning snippets of the AU for the worldbuilding feels, and then one scene that I didn’t plan to write but that needed to see the light of day because @barelyaware drew such hysterical and amazing fanart for it.

Liz, you’re so special. May this brighten your week at least a little. Thank you for your brain in which the SWT Zuko AU exists.

=========================================

“The way forward to find your own North Star is not to think or feel your way forward, but to dissolve the thoughts and feelings that are actually lies. You don’t have to learn your destiny — you already know it; you just have to unlearn the thoughts that blind you to what you know.” — Martha Beck.

She had always longed to be included in the war meetings her father and the tribe Elders held. Or, barring that stretch of custom, at least the serious meetings where tribe matters were discussed and decided. Yue was, after all, their princess, and one day to rule beside their chief. She had been brought up understanding and accepting that her husband would get her father’s title and responsibilities, but, as she grew older, she secretly looked at her father, ruling without her mother by his side, and wondered what would happen to her should the Spirits take the tribe’s next chief from them early. What if they had no son by that time, or had one, but he was too young? What would happen to the tribe if she did not know enough to keep them afloat until a new chief could come? Yue had never known how to broach such fears with her father, however, and so she had kept them to herself and to her prayers.

Now, finally sitting in a war meeting, Yue wished she had never longed for this moment to come and, in equal measure, wished that she had asked for it sooner. Her father’s face was as grave as a wall of black ice, but there was also a lack of his usual steadiness about him that frightened her beneath her own forced stillness and straight back. Yue couldn’t place where it appeared to be missing; was it in his shoulders or his hands or the way his eyes looked around the room? It occurred to her, with deep sadness, that perhaps it was she that was different; that the mirage that had hung around her father for so long had finally dissipated as they came to this moment, and she saw him as simply a man. Still wise and strong and worthy of all her love, but just a man.

Her husband would be just a man, too, she tried to remind herself, even as the Elders around her spoke about letting a monster into their midst. They were angry, distrustful, frightened, proud, and they had every right to be this way, but also no right at all. Yue understood that those two things could both be true, because she’d grown up learning to walk the line between two realities tugging in different directions. It both amused and alarmed her that these men she respected and loved and who protected her home did not seem to have a grasp on a truth that would be needed for the coming days. But she sat silent, and let the waves roll around her, waiting for the moment she would be heard if she spoke instead of trying to fight the tide that was stronger than her.

“We will have two men with Princess Yue at all times,” Elder Kiugak stated.

“Two is too few!” Elder Anik argued.

“If we place more around her, we will be telling the Fire Lord that we distrust his request for peace,” Elder Kiugak argued back.

“We do distrust him!” Elder Oki spoke up. “It is enough that we are agreeing to having an Ashmaker here in our city. The request to make peace by setting that thing as our one day chief is an insult that will anger the Spirits and the people we have laid to rest in this ground. It is enough that it has come to this! We cannot allow him to think that he will be treated with anything except the suspicion and disdain that his kind requires, even —”

“Thank you, Oki,” Arnook interrupted, loud but steady.

If Oki was allowed to continue, his rant would only grow like an avalanche. There was not a single person in the Northern Water Tribe who was happy about the terms of peace that they had arrived at with Fire Lord Iroh. But they also all knew that the war could not continue. As much as they’d walled themselves off and had managed to escape from Azulon’s ruthlessness, it was only a matter of time. And the rest of the world had burned. This was as much admitting defeat gracefully as it was atoning for the years they’d been wilfully blind to the suffering of those elsewhere. Or, at least, Yue hoped so.

“Perhaps,” Elder Anik interjected, giving Yue a side look full of pity, “we should ask the princess what would make her feel safe and work from that.”

“Yue?” her father asked her, nearly free of inflection.

Yue took a deep breath and raised her head higher and painted a small smile on her face. “If it will make you feel better, then please give me a guard. But I feel that none are necessary.” Protests shot up from every corner of the room, but Yue kept her gaze forward and her head high. When her father’s sweeping gaze landed on hers again, she continued, seizing her opportunity to speak. “We have few men as it is; we cannot afford having many simply standing around me, idle. Especially since Prince Zuko is coming alone, without any guards, friends or even servants.”

“Princess Yue —”

“Princess—”

“— a Firebender and —”

“—the Ashmaker—”

“Prince Zuko,” Yue said, firmly emphasising his title, “has given his word and his consent to this marriage and this treaty as Fire Lord Iroh has. Master Pakku. You trust the Fire Lord, do you not?”

There was the faintest smile on Pakku’s face; an almost approval. “I do, Princess.”

“And I trust Master Pakku’s judgement. I also trust the judgement of my Elders and of my Chief. I choose to trust that they would not have offered me in marriage to somebody whom they believed was a dishonourable liar only coming here to kill or destroy or colonise. Am I wrong?” Still with a face of innocence, Yue looked from face to face. All but Pakku’s eyes slid from hers. Pakku was definitely smirking faintly. “I did not think so, because I know of the love you have for me and for this tribe. And I know that your hearts are set on peace. And so I choose to give Prince Zuko the benefit of the doubt, because that is what I wish to start my engagement on. That is what I wish to be the foundation of my marriage and Prince Zuko’s rule over this tribe one day.”

There was a ring of silence. “Princess,” Oki finally blustered. “You have a good and kind heart, but the Ashm— the Fire Nation is a treacherous—” He stopped as he realised how close he was coming to slandering his chief, the Fire Lord and the intelligence of those who had combed through the wording of the treaty and had finally accepted the terms. “What happens if he harms you?”

“Then I will go for help,” Yue replied, giving him a soft, gentle smile. “And if he kills me, then there are repercussions you can take on the Fire Nation. And Hahn will become the next chief, as was the original intent before this treaty. Elders, death is not something you can keep at bay. We all know this. I know this deeply.” She fingered her Spirit-touched white hair. “And I choose to believe in the Spirits, in our people, in the reported love Fire Lord Iroh has for his nephew, and in the good intentions of people who are soon to be tied with ours forever. We agreed to embrace them as members of our tribe. Let us not be as dishonourable as we are accusing them of being.”

Yue let them talk and argue and complain and half-slither around things they didn’t want to say outright after that, content that she had had her peace. When the meeting finally ended, her father motioned for her to stay, and she did so until they were alone. They walked out the hall side-by-side in a heavy silence.

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[wolfliving]

Thinking Through Interfaces, a syllabus

*That looks enlightening.

THINKING THROUGH INTERFACES

Co-taught by Zed Adams (Philosophy) and Shannon Mattern (Media Studies)

Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:50pm | 6 East 16th St #1003

Interfaces are everywhere and nowhere. They pervade our lives, mediating our interactions with one another, technology, and the world. But their very pervasiveness also makes them invisible. In this seminar, we expose the hidden lives of interfaces, illuminating not just what they are and how they work, but also how they shape our lives, for better and worse. We also discuss a number of pressing social and political issues, such as why we are quick to adopt some interfaces (e.g., smartphones and social media platforms), but reluctant to embrace others (e.g., new voting machines and Google Glass). 

(...)

RESOURCES

With a few exceptions, all readings will be made available on our class website, at http://www.wordsinspace.net/interfaces/2019/. We’ll provide everyone with a copy of Tom Mullaney’s The Chinese Typewriter and David Parisi’s Archaeologies of Touch.

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

WEEK 1: JANUARY 22: INTRODUCTIONS

What is an interface?

How are interfaces differentiated?

Can an interface become a part of our mind?

Do interfaces shape what we use them to do?

What are the limits of interfaces: what problems do they not help us solve?

WEEKS 2 AND 3: CONCEPTUALIZATION 

WEEK 2: JANUARY 29: CONCEPTUALIZATION I 

Nelson Goodman, “The Theory of Notation” (Chapter Four), Languages of Art (Hackett, 1976): 127-173.

Florian Cramer and Matthew Fuller, “Interface” in Software Studies, ed., Matthew Fuller (MIT Press, 2008): 149-53.

Johanna Drucker, “Interface and Interpretation” and “Designing Graphic Interpretation” in Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production (Harvard University Press, 2014): 138-97.

WEEK 3: FEBRUARY 5: CONCEPTUALIZATION II

Shannon Mattern, “Mission Control: A History of the Urban Dashboard,” Places Journal (March 2015).

Shannon Mattern, “Things that Beep: A Brief History of Product Sound Design,” Avant (August 2018).

We encourage you to think, too, about how interfaces might embody different cultures and ideologies. Consider, for example, feminist interfaces or indigenous interfaces -- or interfaces that embody universal, accessible design. You'll find some relevant resources in the modules at the end of this syllabus, and we'll explore many of these themes as part of our case studies throughout the semester.

In-Class Workshop (second half of class): small-group interface critiques 

Supplemental: 

Christian Ulrich Andersen and Soren Bro Pold, eds., Interface Criticism: Aesthetics Beyond the Buttons (Aarhus University Press, 2011).

Martijn de Waal, The City as Interface: How New Media Are Changing the City (nai010, 2014).

Johanna Drucker, “Humanities Approach to Interface Theory,” Culture Machine 12 (2011).

Johanna Drucker, “Performative Materiality and Theoretical Approaches to Interface,” Digital Humanities Quarterly 7:1 (2013).

Florian Hadler and Joachim Haupt, “Towards a Critique of Interfaces” in Interface Critique, eds., Florian Hadler and Joachim Haupt (Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos, 2016): 7-16.

John Haugeland, “Representational Genera” in Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind, ed. Haugeland (Harvard Univ Press, 1992): 171-206.

Branden Hookway, Interface (MIT Press, 2014)

Interface Critique (journal).

Steven Johnson, Interface Culture (Basic Books, 1999)

Matthew Katz, “Analog Representations and Their Users,” Synthese 193: 3 (June 2015): 851-871.

Kimon Keramidas, The Interface Experience - A User’s Guide (Bard Graduate Center, 2015).

Shannon Mattern, “Interfacing Urban Intelligence,” Places Journal (April 2014).

Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things (Basic Books, 2013).

Mitchell Whitelaw, “Generous Interfaces for Digital Cultural Collections,” Digital Humanities Quarterly 9:1 (2015).

Jeff Johnson, Designing with the Mind in Mind (Morgan Kauffmann, 2014).

WEEKS 4 AND 5: TYPEWRITER KEYBOARDS 

Our first case study is the QWERTY keyboard. This case raises fundamental questions about why interfaces are adopted in the first place, the extent to which their original designs constrain how they are subsequently used, and how particular linguistic politics and epistemologies are embodied in our interfaces. 

WEEK 4: FEBRUARY 12: KEYBOARDS & QWERTY

Andy Clark, Chapters One through Three, and Ten, Being There: Putting Brain, Body, and World Together Again (MIT Press, 1998): 11-69 and 193-218.

S. J. Liebowitz and Stephen E. Margolis, “The Fable of the Keys,” The Journal of Law & Economics 33:1 (1990): 1-25.

WEEK 5: FEBRUARY 19: OTHER KEYBOARDS

Thomas S. Mullaney, The Chinese Typewriter: A History (MIT Press, 2017): Chapter 1, 35-74; Chapter 4, 161-93; Chapter 6, 237-53 (up through “How Ancient China Missed…”; and Chapter 7, 283-8 (through “China’s First ‘Model Typist’”).

Kim Sterelny, “Minds: Extended or Scaffolded?” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 9:4 (2010): 465-481.

See Marcin Wichary’s forthcoming book about the global history of keyboards, as well as his research newsletters.

4-5pm: Skype TBD 

Supplemental: 

Louise Barrett, Beyond the Brain (Princeton University Press, 2015).

Andy Clark and David Chalmers, “The Extended Mind,” Analysis 58:1 (1998): 7-19.

Friedrich A. Kittler, Gramophone, Film, Typewriter, trans. Geoffrey Winthrop-Young and Michael Wutz (Stanford University Press, 1986).

Lisa Gitelman, Scripts, Grooves, and Writing Machines: Representing Technology in the Edison Era (Stanford University Press, 1999).

John Haugeland, “Mind Embodied and Embedded,” Having Thought (Harvard University Press, 1998): 207-237.

Richard Heersmink, "A taxonomy of cognitive artifacts: function, information, and categories." Review of philosophy and psychology 4.3 (2013): 465-481.

Richard Heersmink, "The Metaphysics of Cognitive Artefacts," Philosophical Explorations 19.1 (2016): 78-93.

Neil M. Kay, “Rerun the Tape of History and QWERTY Always Wins,” Research Policy 42:6-7 (2013): 1175-85.

Prince McLean, “Inside the Multitouch FingerWorks Tech in Apple’s Tablet,” Apple Insider (January 23, 2010).

Jan Noyes, “QWERTY - The Immoral Keyboard,” Computing & Control Engineering Journal 9:3 (1998): 117-22.

Kim Sterelny, The Evolved Apprentice: How Evolution Made Humans Unique (MIT Press, 2012).

Cassie Werber, “The Future of Typing Doesn’t Involve a Keyboard,” Quartz (November 23, 2018).

Darren Wershler-Henry, The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting (Cornell University Press, 2007).

WEEKS 6 AND 7: HAPTICS 

WEEK 6: FEBRUARY 26: PUSHING BUTTONS 

H. P. Grice, “Some Remarks About the Senses,” in Analytical Philosophy, First Series, ed. R. J. Butler (OUP Press, 1962): 248-268. Reprinted in F. MacPherson (ed), The Senses (OUP Press, 2011): 83-101.

Matthew Fulkerson, “Rethinking the Senses and Their Interactions: The Case for Sensory Pluralism,” Frontiers in Psychology (December 10, 2014).

Rachel Plotnick, “Setting the Stage,” in Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing (MIT Press, 2018): 3-16.

Rachel Plotnick, “Force, Flatness, and Touch Without Feeling: Thinking Historically About Haptics and Buttons,” New Media and Society 19:10 (2017): 1632-52.

WEEK 7: MARCH 5: HAPTICS II 

David Parisi, Archaeologies of Touch: Interfacing with Haptics from Electricity to Computing (University of Minnesota Press, 2017): Introduction, 1-40; Chapter 3, 151-212; and Chapter 4, 213-264.

4-5pm: Skype with Dave Parisi 

Supplemental: 

Sandy Isenstadt, “At the Flip of a Switch,” Places Journal (September 2018).

Mathias Fuchs, Moisés Mañas, and Georg Russegger, “Ludic Interfaces,” in Exploring Videogames: Culture, Design and Identity, eds., Nick Webber and Daniel Riha (Interdisciplinary-Net Press): 31-40.  

Matthew Fulkerson, The First Sense: A Philosophical Study of Human Touch (MIT Press, 2013).

Gerard Goggin, “Disability and Haptic Mobile Media,” New Media & Society 19:10 (2017): 1563-80.

Kim Knight, “Wearable Interfaces, Networked Bodies, and Feminist Interfaces,” MLA Commons (2018).

Brian Merchant, The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone (Little, Brown, 2017).

Stephen Monteiro, The Fabric of Interface: Mobile Media, Design, and Gender (MIT Press, 2017).

David Parisi, “Games Interfaces as Bodily Techniques,” Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education, ed. Richard Ferdig (IGI Global): 111-126.

David Parisi, Mark Paterson, and Jason Edward Arches, eds., “Haptic Media” Special Issue, New Media & Society 19:10 (October 2017).

Rachel Plotnick, “At the Interface: The Case of the Electric Push Button, 1880-1923,” Technology and Culture 53:4 (October 2012): 815-45.

MARCH 11 @ NOON 

Share your final project and presentation proposal with Zed and Shannon. See “Assignments” for more detail. 

WEEK 8: MARCH 12 

Individual meetings to discuss presentations and final projects

MARCH 19: NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK

WEEKS 9-10: VOICE 

WEEK 9: MARCH 26: History of Vocal Interfaces (Zed away)

Mara Mills, “Media and Prosthesis: The Vocoder, the Artificial Larynx, and the History of Signal Processing,” Qui Parle 21:1 (Fall/Winter 2012): 107-49.

Danielle Van Jaarsveld and Winifred Poster, “Call Centers: Emotional Labor Over the Phone,” in Emotional Labor in the 21st Century: Diverse Perspectives on Emotion Regulation at Work, ed. Alicia Grandey, Jim Diefendorff, and Deborah Rupp (LEA Press, 2012): 153-73.

Confirm the assigned text for your presentation: send to Shannon and Zed a complete Chicago-style citation and either a high-quality pdf or a link to the online resource before class today, so we can update our class website with everyone’s material.

WEEK 10: APRIL 2: Contemporary Vocal Interfaces 

Adelheid Voshkul, “Humans, Machines, and Conversations: An Ethnographic Study of the Making of Automatic Speech Recognition Technologies,” Social Studies of Science 34:3 (2004).

Andrea L. Guzman, “Voices in and of the Machine: Source Orientation Toward Mobile Virtual Assistants,” Computers in Human Behavior (2018).

Halcyon M. Lawrence and Lauren Neefe, “When I Talk to Siri,” Flash Readings 4 (September 6, 2017) {podcast: 10:14}.

Halcyon M. Lawrence, “Inauthentically Speaking: Speech Technology, Accent Bias and Digital Imperialism,” SIGCIS, Computer History Museum, March 2017 {video: 1:26 > 17:16}

Lauren McCarthy, LAUREN. A human smart home intelligence (review press, too).

4-5pm: Skype with Halcyon M. Lawrence

Supplemental: 

Meryl Alper, Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press, 2017).

Michel Chion, Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise (Duke, 2016).

Karin Bijsterveld, “Dissecting Sound: Speaker Identification at the Stasi and Sonic Ways of Knowing,” Hearing Modernity (2018).

Trevor Cox, Now You’re Talking: The Story of Human Communication from the Neanderthals to Artificial Intelligence (Counterpoint, 2018).

Brian Dumaine, “It Might Get Loud: Inside Silicon Valley’s Battle to Own Voice Tech,” Fortune (October 24, 2018).

Larry Greenemeier, “Alexa, How Do We Take Our Relationship to the Next Level?” Scientific American (April 26, 2018).

Jason Kincaid, “A Brief History of ASR,” descript (July 12, 2018).

Halcyon M. Lawrence, “Siri Disciplines,” in Your Computer is on Fire, eds., Marie Hicks, Ben Peters, Kavita Philips and Tom Mullaney (MIT Press, forthcoming 2019).

Halcyon Lawrence and Lauren Neefe, “Siri’s Progeny: Voice and the Future of Interaction Design,” Georgia Tech, Fall 2016.

Xiaochang Li and Mara Mills, “Vocal Features: From Voice Identification to Speech Recognition by Machine,” Technology and Culture (forthcoming 2019).

Luke Munn, “Alexa and the Intersectional Interface,” _Angles (June 2018).

Quynh N. Nguyen, Ahn Ta, and Victor Prybutok, “An Integrated Model of Voice-User Interface Continuance Intention: The Gender Effect,” International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction (2018).

Winifred Poster, “Sound Bites, Sentiments, and Accents: Digitizing Communicative Labor in the Era of Global Outsourcing,” in digitalSTS: A Field Guide for Science & Technology Studies, eds., David Ribes and Janet Vertesi (Princeton University Press, forthcoming April 2019).

Winifred Poster, “The Virtual Receptionist with a Human Touch: Opposing Pressures of Digital Automation and Outsourcing in Interactive Services” in Invisible Labor: Hidden Work in the Contemporary World, eds. Marion G. Crain, Winifred R. Poster, and Miriam A. Cherry (University of California Press, 2016): 87-111.

Thom Scott-Phillips, Speaking our Minds: Why Human Communication is Different, and How Language Evolved to Make it Special (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).

Craig S. Smith, “Alexa and Siri Can Hear This Hidden Command. You Can’t,” New York Times (May 10, 2018).

Dave Tompkins, How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop, The Machine Speaks (Stop Smiling Books, 2011).

Mickey Vallee, “Biometrics, Affect, Autoaffection and the Phenomenological Voice,” Subjectivity 11:2 (2018): 161-76.

Bruce N. Walker and Michael A. Nees, “Theory of Sonification” in The Sonification Handbook, eds. Thomas Hermann, Andy Hunt, and John G. Neuhoff (Logos Publishing, 2011).

[akysi]

Hey everybody! I am SUPER DUPER EXCITED to announce my upcoming webcomic of my story, Starglass Zodiac! :D Some of you have seen a few artworks of Cassie, the main protagonist of this story, but now I’m putting it out there as the full comic concept that started the whole idea in the first place. Which means I can finally start uploading all of the art I made for it! This has been 2 years in the making, and it is the closest I’ve ever been to sharing one of my stories with the world, so I couldn’t be happier. ;u; The site itself isn’t up yet but it will be on launch day.

I’m really bad at writing story synopses, but here’s one anyway:

Starglass Zodiac is the story of Cassie Kay, a 13-year old girl born with a star in her left eye. Her life as a freshman entering high school begins in her unique brand of normal, until strange creatures appear that only she can see. After discovering a stone zodiac on the hill behind her house, Cassie is transported to the Astral Plane, a world amongst the stars. She soon discovers that the spirits of the 12 zodiac signs inhabit this world, and they need her help. Stars are falling to Earth at a rapid rate, their worlds are in jeopardy, and it all seems to link to the mysterious 13th sign; Ophiuchus. Can Cassie restore balance when the two worlds collide?

I will make another announcement on the day of release but for now, get hyped! It’s happening! :D

[cassiekayscreams]

Sam Wilson is my absolute favorite Marvel character. I’ve loved him since Captain America: Winter Soldier when he just immediately treats Steve like a person and a soldier in need of help and is immediately like “I do what he does, just slower.” What a guy. I remember when they announced the Avengers Campus they had Anthony Mackey introduce it and showed off Sam as Captain America. I was so excited to see him and we almost didn’t get to, but when we did - pure autistic joy. But first we met Steve. I drew the original 6 Avengers as itti bitties a few years ago when I was gonna try to sell stickers, so I just included those drawings in my book. But I thought I’d left Steve out because I didn’t think he would be there. Fun fact, there are more characters than what it shows on the app. So we met Steve first and I thought I didn’t have his drawing so I had him sign Sam’s. He was like “I don’t want to take Sam’s” and then I was like “you can share” and he was like “okay, we can share.” Then he and my sister had an entertaining conversation about Camp Half-Blood.

Immediately after this I realized that I had thrown Steve’s drawing in the book for the heck of it and literally facepalmed. So when we met Sam, I first told him he was my favorite, then I showed him the drawing of him, then I explained how I’d had Steve sign his drawing and thought it’d be funny if he signed Steve’s. He said he thought Steve would think the switch was funny. He said he liked the drawing and that I included his wings.

After Steve but well before Sam, when we were still trying to find Sam, we also saw Natasha and had her sign our books. She didn’t have much of a reaction to the drawing but offered to help us find other Avengers.

So the Disneyland app lets you look at characters but it doesn’t actually like. Track them or anything. It just shows the rough time and place characters might be somewhere. Other characters walk around completely unrelated to that. Sam’s window was something like 10:30-3:30. He’s not actually out for the entire window. He just might show up somewhere in that span. So we spent like the whole day circling back to Avenger’s Campus to find him and he came out at like 3

[cassiekayscreams]

And finally, the Disney princesses + some villains.

Belle, Cinderella, Anastasia (one of Cinderella’s step sisters; she had a super cute romance with a baker in the second Cinderella movie and also is the focus of the third Cinderella movie which actually might be better than the original if you haven’t seen it. She’s actually a sweetheart deep down so I drew her, too. Could’ve had her sign my book but the timing didn’t work out and also she was with Drizella who I didn’t draw so that’d be awkward), Pocahontas, the live action Ariel, 3 Auroras (I have a friend who’s very particular about her being in the blue dress, though she’s most often shown in the pink dress since Cinderella’s the “blue princess”, but my favorite version is both colors), Maleficent, and the Evil Queen from Snow White.

And that is finally all of the itti bitties I drew for this project. I think they’d make adorable stickers but since they’re all Disney characters, I can’t sell them on RedBubble, and I don’t have the capacity or time to make and sell the stickers myself. Maybe one day.

[cassiekayscreams]

We got the most signatures from Avengers Campus since we were hanging out there a lot looking for Sam, but these three I drew and we didn’t get their signatures. We also saw The Wasp and Ms. Marvel but I didn’t draw them since I didn’t know they’d be there. We did actually see Shuri our first night but we were rushing around and didn’t stop to get a signature. We also saw T’Challa a few times - he comes out hourly after the Dora do their presentation, but he doesn’t do signatures. The fun thing about drawing their costumes is that you notice the details as you draw them. T’Challa’s outfit is very classic and clean. Shuri’s is very decorative and even has a little tiara on the forehead. Reflects their personalities well.

[cassiekayscreams]

When we met Loki and showed him our drawings he said he liked them and that he was looking for some artists to assist him for when he took over Avenger’s Campus. He said he was looking to have some posters of him made. He also talked about fixing up the sanctum sanctorum with more gold, some green, maybe some black. We said we were down. He said he looked forward to working with us.

When we showed Thor he loved it. He liked that I also drew Mjolnir. He also asked if we drew Loki as well so we showed him our Loki drawings. He laughed and said “He’s never looked so nice. I don’t trust him.” And I was like “oh, like when he was a snake?” And he was like “Yes, and then he stabbed me! Recently he’s started doing a new trick. He’s been turning into a goat because he knows I like them just as much.” I love the sibling banter.

Shang-Chi and Kamala (Ms. Marvel) were actually the first signatures we got. They were together. My sister and I love the part in Shang-Chi when his dad talks about the Mandarin and says “and it worked. They were scared of an orange.” We quote it all the time. So I drew a little orange next to him. When I showed him the drawing he noted the orange and I said “it’s the Mandarin” and he laughed. He showed it to Kamala and said “It’s a drawing of me and my dad. Cuz my dad’s the mandarin.” And then made a pun about him being a cutie. It was very funny.

I didn’t know Kamala was going to be there so I didn’t draw her. But I told her she could sign Captain Marvel’s and then Shang-Chi was like “you should write something about you guys being best friends” so she wrote “Ms. Marvel + [blank] = Best Friends!”

We didn’t actually see Captain Marvel so uh. I forged the signature. I didn’t want to let Kamala down. But I drew Captain Marvel with her helmet on because I freaking love her helmet.

We met Spider-Man briefly while he was walking around. He loved my sister’s drawing. When he saw mine he said “My head’s not that big, is it? Is it?” We told him it wasn’t. My sister said it was just because he was a cartoon and he said “I’ll take that.”

[cassiekayscreams]

Impacts on the Host Body: Jeckyll’n’Hyde Miraculous AU

Intro/bio post

While the host and kwami are completely different people, they do share the same body, even if it changes form depending on who’s in control. Things do stay consistent. In fact, Mari and Adrien would be covered in cuts and bruises if it weren’t for the Miraculous Cure taking care of them before Ladybug and Chat Noir detransform. But there are other changes.

While Mari and Adrien might feel like they’re getting rest when they black out and the kwamis take over, the body isn’t, so they may still feel tired if Ladybug and Chat Noir pulled a late night.

In and of itself, the kwamis taking over doesn’t do any damage to the host other than disrupting their normal life. But using their powers - Lucky Charm and Cataclysm, for example - can be draining for the host body to support. That’s why there’s a five minute limit after using the power. However, the kwami can push past it or even summon the power a second time, but that will start to take a serious toll on the host.

A corrupted Miraculous/evil kwami also takes a hefty toll on the host.

[cassiekayscreams]

Abhor, Demon of Hatred

Also demon of wrath and war. Most warriors make sacrifices to him to appease him, as a curse from him can cost you in battle. He is often depicted with orc-like traits due to the war-heavy focus of orcish culture. He’s also depicted as dwarven or dragonborn for the same reason. He’s always depicted with dragon wings (usually red dragon, sometimes red shadow dragon) and fire hair. (He’s a hot head, lol.)

[cassiekayscreams]

We See You: Xena

I actually finished this like over a month ago but wasn’t sure about the wing colors. I finally decided to just post it. I can redesign her later if I still don’t like it.

Xena’s race is inspired by the Valkyrie and warrior angels (the in-world explanation is they’re inspired by her race). In her revealed form, she has wings, glowing golden eyes, and is surrounded by an aura of light. Her people are not stealthy. But they are excellent warriors.

Since true name magic is a thing, she doesn’t use her name. The twins nicknamed her Xena since she gives off that warrior Princess vibe. She ends up being the twins’ combat trainer. Also Ryker has a major crush on her.

When she’s dressed for warm weather she kinda looks like a Southern California girl. When she dresses warmer, she looks like she’s about to go camping, which helps her blend with the Washington crowd.

The last image is an attempt at drawing her in Ember’s style.

[cassiekayscreams]

Adrienette - Jeckyll’n’Hyde AU

Intro/bio post

When Adrien first comes to class, Marinette has a little freak out because she already has pictures of him on her wall - just because they’re fashion spreads she took out of Agreste Magazine, but still. Kinda weird to have pictures of someone on your wall that is now in your class but you’ve never met before.

Marinette’s crush does still develop because of Adrien’s personality rather than being a celebrity crush, though. Origins sort of implies that Marinette really isn’t close with any of her classmates and Alya’s her first friend. I imagine most of the classmates don’t actively have negative feelings towards her, but due to Chloe’s bullying and the fact that Chloe often ropes others into it (Kim), she’s wary of opening up. When Adrien stands up to Chloe for her - something no one else is really doing, and especially impressive since she’s been his only friend for who knows how long - it means a lot to Marinette.

Marinette: Th-thanks for your help…

Adrien: Of course. … Is Chloe always like that?

Marinette: Y-yeah, pretty much…

Adrien: I’ve never seen her act like that before. Of course, whenever we’ve hung out, it’s just been the two of us, so I guess I haven’t seen her interact with many other people.

Marinette: How do you know Chloe?

Adrien: Our parents know each other. She was my only friend for a long time. I can’t believe this is how she’s been treating others the whole time…

Marinette: I’m sorry.

Adrien: No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry she’s been treating you this way. It’s not okay.

Marinette is awkward, clumsy, and stuttery around everyone. Maybe slightly more around Adrien due to the crush, but not enough of a difference that it’d be notable to others. In fact, as she starts hanging out with Alya, Adrien, and Nino more, she’d start getting more comfortable with them and actually having friends and would become less awkward.

For Adrien’s part, he thinks Marinette is very sweet from the beginning, though obviously quite shy. But it seems like she doesn’t have a lot of friends and, hey, he doesn’t either. As he gets to know her better, he’s pleasantly surprised by her sense of humor, playfulness, and how willing she is to stand up for her friends even if she won’t stand up for herself.

Marinette would gradually catch on that Adrien’s home life isn’t good. She would feel powerless to directly do anything about it (such as confronting Gabriel), but would do what little things she can to ease Adrien’s burden in the only way she knows how. Hanging out with him when she can, bringing him extra sweets and little gifts, letting him hang out at the bakery with her and her parents on the rare occasions he’s allowed to get away from the house and his other responsibilities. When he is stuck at home, they play online rpgs together.

They are both dealing with trauma - Marinette at school and Adrien at home - and they bond over trying to help one another with those. Adrien helps Marinette at school and Marinette helps Adrien outside of school. While they don’t necessarily realize or vocalize it, they know a little of what the other person is going to and want to help them. That mutual connection leads to a deepening relationship.

[cassiekayscreams]

MariChat - Jeckyll'n'Hyde AU

Most MariChat content is built on Adrien using Chat Noir to escape his overly controlled life and gain some freedom. But this Chat Noir doesn’t have any of the trauma from being Adrien, so that’s not a factor here. 

Things usually start off because Adrien knows Mari and interacts with her as Chat because he knows her already. But that’s not the case here, either. I’m not sure how it would start off because Chat Noir would see Marinette as just a random citizen. Albeit a cute one but. Not much different from others. 

Chat would sort of help Marinette calm down from spiraling. His overly chill, laid-back personality would help counter her overly anxious one. He would help her ground and refocus.

Chat would very much act like a cat - playing with her balls of yarn, taking naps, maybe even knocking things over when he’s bored, demanding pets.

Chat would listen to Mari talk about her crush on Adrien. He knows that he inhabits Adrien’s body but doesn’t know Adrien personally so this would actually be how he gets to know him. He concludes Adrien is an idiot.

Chat would also be very protective of Mari.

But they’d also just be dorks and banter.

Intro/bio post