#There were all these different ways to combine human and animal elements

[strangebiology]

Seraphim Angel Anatomy

What are our thoughts on the anatomy of a seraph angel with 6 wings? How does that work? (Outside of it being magic. Let's have fun with science.)

The biblical description of the six-winged Seraphim angels is super minimal (Isa 6:2, 6, with some interpretation here.) But let's just say for reasons they look like people with 6 wings.

To start: What is a seraph related to? In both biblical and Hazbin Hotel lore, it's implied that (maybe some?) angels can breed with humans, which suggests that they're mammals, and very close to humans. But...I wonder if that has to do with shapeshifting or other magic? Bible nerds chime in. It's also just as interesting/valid to consider bug anatomy, and I encourage bug artists to draw a human-ish body with wings attached in dragonfly or spider style or something.

A number of people have explored the concept of angel anatomy by looking at humans and birds, like DCRoleplays on Deviantart. I also recall this image by Uzlo on Deviantart pointing out that you need pectoral muscles to move your arms/wings, so...if you have two arms and two wings, all of which move independently, you might need four pecs.

Alternatively, here's an extremely cool gif by @squidlife-crisis showing a human ribcage with human arms, the keel of a bird, and what looks like layered pectoral muscles for arms and wings. So, rather than multiple visible chests, an angel with the skin on would appear to just have a bigger chest.

But now add MORE wings. Would we have a huge chest with lots of layers of pecs attached to the keel...and would you need to change the shape of the keel to handle so many attachments?

Or, is someone gonna draw Lucifer or the other seraphim with 8 pecs? Will it be me? For science, obviously.

What are your thoughts?

[triptychgardener]

What does becoming a furry in Homestuck mean? (In reference to your recent Nepeta post)

Okay so the thing is the way that Homestuck treats furries is honestly kind of equivalent to how it treats queerness. As in, Homestuck initially treats it like a joke or a thing to mostly sneer at. Homestuck was very much part of the wave of disaffected ironic assholes of the Newgrounds and Something Awful type, especially to start with, and that sort of relied on shitting on demographics that were seen as weird and permissible to find cringe and make fun of.

Jade comes onto the scene, and a lot of people sort of groan at her whole furry shtick. Jade is largely, however, just a pretty sincere character, and even though she feels some embarassment over the idea of BEING a furry (i.e. her distaste for the idea of actually wearing a fursuit) she nonetheless begins the admirable refrain of combining the finest qualities of humanity with the elegance and nobility of the animal kingdom.

Her earnest affection for all things anthropomorphic sets up more than just her excellent taste. And as much as she is a bit of a pattern-breaker, one pattern she doesn't break is that of having a Signature Animal.

The four beta kids have a bunch of different things associated with them: the four elements, four items, four musical instruments. But the animals are practically integral to who they are as people and characters.

John's attachment to the bunny is obvious, and helps to spur on one of the most emotional scenes in the comic. (For him. Him specifically.)

It's also something deeply precious to him, as it's a gift from every single one of his friends in a very roundabout fashion!

For Rose, Jaspers is half the reason she decided to play the game in the first place. She missed her dead cat so dearly she was willing to play a game that might end the world for it.

(Pictured above, Rose lying about her feelings, water is wet.)

Dave seems to at least feel some affection for crows, or at least shame when he kills them.

And his fusing to become Davesprite is what allows him to survive as a "copy" of the original Dave. Once again, Dave's disaffected irony giving way to the necessity of becoming a furry to save the world.

And for Jade, of course, Bec.

And it's notable that, by the end of the comic, at least THREE of our main beta kids have merged with their animals, and, in a way, become the best versions of themselves.

Jade obviously gets to achieve her dream of becoming a furry, and in doing so gaining power and agency that she was always denied due to her position in the story.

Davepeta, as I stated in a previous post, is the true Final Form of Dave, the pawn that made it to the end of the board, the only surviving character from Homestuck's "original" timeline, and is truly happy with themselves.

And Jasprose appears to have fully hurled herself through the walls Rose put up around herself to protect her image, and thus absolutely mortifies Rose. She just seems to be having a great time.

Homestuck evolved from a story that was deeply cynical and mean-spirited about furrydom, to a story where three of our four starting protagonists, in their truest most powerful forms, combine the qualities of man and beast to achieve self-actualization. And to bring this back around to queerness, these three characters also happen to be canonically queer. So there's that.

This isn't even to get into how this might relate to Troll Lusii and the concept of "growing up" to be more like one's parent on a planet raised by animals, but that's for another day.

[1000sunnygo]

Law's artist side isn't talked about enough, so here's a smooth brain ramble.

He prefers abstract arts over realism. Unlike Kid who forms animal or skull figures with metals, Law creates strange 'sculptures' with his victim's bodies/belongings:

And, of course, the tattoos.

I like how all of his tattoos accentuate the shapes of his torso and arms, especially the joints and muscles. Combined they look like a single stylized drawing of human upper torso.

Seen theories that the tribal style could be a lost trend from Flevance (as seen on the arm of a miner in his flashback), but it could just be his personal style. That said, his upper arm's heart tattoos look similar.

(Something that artists probably noticed long ago but I'm only noticing recently: Law's upper arm's tattoos have been simplified over time. There used to be two spiral-like protrusions, but Oda has been omitting them in later arts)

The "DEATH" tattoos have a straightforward message. According to the Law novel, these were his first tattoos.

Speaking of death, ghosts and spirituality have been implicitly a theme for Law, especially during Dressrosa. Doflamingo referred to Law as Cora's 'vengeful ghost'. Law's (cursed) sword Kikoku's name means 'wailings of a restless ghost". Ironically, Law having a hidden name was also a tradition that related to dead people.

The orange jolly roger (red in the sail) could be many things, I think it's a stylized way of drawing the sun.

Sun symbols are everywhere in the One Piece world. Law's lower arm tattoos are different types of 'suns'. Law might've subconsciously carried those symbols from his hometown for their aesthetic appeal.

The tattoos on the back of his hands reminded me of the church lady's cross, which is slightly different from the cross seen at Kuma's church. It's possible that various faiths in One Piece world are interconnected, leading to a prophecy about the sun god and Dawn. Law, at the very least, believes in the will of D and his own fate being tied to a purpose.

The chest tattoo, clearly a tribute to Corazon, could have some elements of catholicism. Kikoku also has crosses all over its sheath. Originally this wasn't my observation, but Law seeing Cora as a sacred being makes a lot of sense.

Carving a heart at the dead center of his chest by creating small wounds - the process itself reminds of Cora doesn't it

The custom-made Dressrosa coat is another tribute to Corazon, but IMHO he designed it specifically for Doflamingo, as a mockery.

A cross and circle like dangling a pistol target for Doflamingo's shooting practice, with a grinning face copied from Doflamingo's own jolly roger, but it's Corazon. Like his brother has returned to face his pistol again. A vengeful ghost indeed

And boy did it work...

Doflamingo shot it until the mark was completely drenched and unrecognizable.

Assuming he draws for all of his clothes himself, here's this masterpiece:

Or maybe it's gifted by his crew mates. Either way, it's adorable.

Since he's a surgeon (and a comic nerd), he should be skilled at drawing human anatomy. How does he draw realistic arts? Does he doodle while taking notes?

We've seen his handwriting in punk hazard arc and it wasn't particularly stylized. Regardless, it'd be nice to take a proper peek at his notebook.

[thesharktanksdriver]

Determination (Platonic)

As you can tell this is kinda based off of Undertale in the whole. Not a lot but some elements from it that I changed

This isn’t really linear and I’m just jumping from character to characters

Cause screw the timeline

Warning of a lot of child death and spoilers

part 2 part 3 shanks beast pirates

Determination : a Paramecia type devil fruit shaped into a four pointed star. This mysterious devil fruit allows its user to essentially become immortal. When the user dies they “respawn” at a different location randomly. Oddly, when dying via water the effects of the fruit still occur though it takes longer for the user to “respawn” and the user doesn’t age after eating the fruit.

Determination was something that was sewn into the fabric of the human soul

From the dawn of time humanity fought to survive against nature and itself

This blazing emotion called determination propelled them forwards against all odds

A blazing spark that had pushed them again and again

Through every conflict and tragedy

If is perhaps one of the most important things of the human spirit along with the capacity for compassion

It’s no surprise that determination was a strong thing but even stronger would be the devil fruit you one day ate that you decided to name after that one blazing emotion

It took a long while for you to figure out the ability of the fruit since nothing happened at first all those years ago

You didn’t transform into an animal of any sorts

Nor did you change your body or make something like flames appear

It left you confused…well until you died by accident

In your defence you were a young kid (you still are to be honest) without any spacial awareness

So you didn’t notice the tiger that snuck up on you

There was a small moment of pain and then black

A pure black much like the ocean at night

There’s was confusion and then something appeared in front of you

A glimmering star that glowed softly and appeared out from your chest

Pulsating gently as you stared at it

You touched it and then woke up

Sand beneath between your fingers as you got up confused

It’s there that you saw the ocean stretching out beyond your view and into the horizon

Cerulean blue sparkling with the sunlight

Bits of golden light shimmering around you now fading as you sat up confused

It took a while after that as well to figure out the specifics but you figured out that you died

And that seemingly despite that you were brought back somewhere new, an island across the ocean from what you once knew was home

It’s a lot to take in but with time it settles in on you as you navigate what to do next

You’d always had wanted to explore and sail the seas

What always held you back was the danger of it all

Your parents once warned you of it before their deaths

How you shouldn’t do something so risky that could end up taking your life

But now there was no worry of that

Of leaving them

It was just you on your own in this big world

Now leaving you with that once far off Dream being your only reality

So after that you geared up and set sail

Your ship…er if you could even call it one was Basically a couple of barrels combined together into a small vessel

At least 8 barrels served as the base whilst two were combined together into a hut with a small cut out to make your bed area

There was no wheel or proper sail

You used a umbrella attached to a big stick and turned it manually to control the direction

But you rarely did that

You kinda just let the boat take you to wherever

It was fun that way

Partially because all the friends you’d met were made through this method of letting the waves take you wherever it deemed you go next

How your ship has survived for decades you don’t really know nor care about

All that mattered was that it floated and was a serviceable vessel (many would disagree with that)

Through the years you stayed the same as the world changed

You never aged from when eating the devil fruit and though you become more mature you were still a kid at heart

One filled with determination

Gol.D Roger

Ironically for someone seen as the “pirate king” you’d think that he’d be more mean

But surprise surprise when you pull up on your boat near his own the pirate king himself invites you aboard

Smiling brightly as he offers you a hand and his men tie your boat to his own so it doesn’t float away

Your friendship with Roger was something that you’d consider priceless

He is considerably kind and gentle with you

Almost treating you as if you were his own child

His crew is equally welcoming to you as they all share the thought of how in the world had you survived this long (key point technically you hadn’t lol)

That day in which you had first met him they throw a small party where your their guest

Drinks are shared all round, you even get to sneak in a sip as Roger laughs whole heartedly at a joke

For the first time in a long while you eat and sleep in a real bed on his ship

And the next day he’s sitting you down to have a serious talk with you

Roger may be childish and oblivious but he can tell there’s more to this than meets the eye

He isn’t pushy or threatening like you had expected

Just asking what your situation was

So you tell him

Perhaps it was because you were still naive or because you knew your secret would be safe with him

But something in you told you to trust him and your gut was never wrong

You expect the reaction to be something like asking you how you got it

maybe even jealousy

But what you get in return is sympathy

He thinks of how lonely you must be

Something more akin to a curse despite its benefits

You’d never really saw it that way but his gentle gaze full of forlorn sadness makes you open your eyes a bit

In many ways, yes, never dying was a curse of loneliness

You’d outlive everyone

But in your eyes that time spent and having the opportunity in meeting them i the first place made up for that

Forever sharing their stories and carrying their memory kept you from being alone

He smiles

While you never officially joined his crew you ended up traveling with them for months on end

Becoming apart of their family as the crew took turns letting you sit on their shoulders

Your favourite thing to do though was stealing Rogers coat and hat

Parading around like him as everyone else held in chuckles as you fake ordered them around

It became something of a tradition as Roger would randomly announce to the crew their real captain was here as you walked out

He became a lot like an older brother with fatherly qualities

Fun and caring

Despite knowing you couldn’t really die he always remains careful around you

Especially when their fighting marines

He doesn’t want you targeted for affiliation so he does his damn best in hiding you away during fights

Hell, he even once punched someone across a bar for trying to pick on you

Like when you trusted him with knowledge of your immortality he trusts you with knowledge of Rouge and his unborn son shortly before his death

Perhaps in some ways he knew his death was soon but he entrusts you with something only his most trustworthy allies are allowed to know

You aren’t there when he died but you know for sure he did so with a smile

Clutching one of his coats to your chest you cry with a soft smile as his son is born

Rouge let’s you hold the young baby she named Ace

A fitting name for someone who you knew was bound to be an Ace in the deck of cards that was the world

Monkey D. Garp

You meet Garp cause of Roger

Shocking right (note the sarcasm)

Particularly because Roger entrusted you to show Garp where Rouge was hiding out

It is…tense at first to say the least especially since you knew Roger was likely being walked to his execution

The one person you grew to trust more than yourself

But as usual, with time you both began to talk

He asks if your apart of Rogers crew and you answer truthfully

Your not but they had accepted you as their own

Taken in a small child afloat on the ocean without any hesitation

They all respected that your a free spirit that couldn’t be tethered to one place forever and accepted that

Garp had already respected Roger but it grew as you talked of the pirate king

This the talk time goes away though when Rouge begins to give birth

Your left panicked and doing your best to comfort her as best you could

Your still a kid, there isn’t much you can do but your trying for her sake

For the sake of her unborn child

For Roger

Despite how tears stung your eyes from how hard she held your small hand

You held them back and focused on her

And it’s through that Garp sees how you are indeed not a pirate

Your just a child, one who was alone in this world clinging to a piece of driftwood

Floating from place to place and helping others despite the fact you needed it as well

When Ace is born and Rouge passes away your left to cry as you comfort the young baby boy

The marine carefully takes Ace from your arms and lets you mourn

Not only for a woman who showed you nothing but kindness but also for Roger

And for Ace having to grow up without either parents, for being doomed to a fate of death if anyone else found out of his linage

You end up going with him since you can’t yet peel yourself away from Ace

It feels too soon and you need more time for a proper goodbye

He’s fine with this though

Dare you even say he encouraged you to come with him

Despite your…lacklustre experience with marine’s you find Garp to be nice company

It’s Odd but he acts almost fatherly?

There’s a hidden longing in his eyes of wanting familiar connection

Something that you can relate to after the loss of your mom and dad

A craving for a connection you once thought lost

Eventually though you know it’s your time to leave

With a last goodbye to Ace in the form of a kiss to the forehead and a small handmade charm you set off

Garp is already waiting there though with your boat and a box of supplies

And Garp tells you that you’d make a good marine

You laugh

Never in a million years

And despite knowing your answer he isn’t angry, he smiles and waves as you begin to sail away on your dinky “boat”

He probably should’ve at least bought you a real boat

Maybe next time he muses

Next time

The cycle begins again

Doflamingo and Rosinante Donquixote

After a long while of traveling you ended up at Dressrosa for a pit stop

But decided to stay a bit longer than you anticipated when you met two boys your age

Both were battered and bruised Beyond recognition

Blond hair muddied with clumps of blood and mud

The two brothers were apprehensive at first but eased up when you offered them the pie you bought yourself

Apparently the entire island HATED them with a passion

Something because of them being celestial dragons which you didn’t care about nor understand why that would lead to how others treated them

It’s messed up to you that their practically beaten for something they can’t control

So you stand up for them

Taking the hits for the two brothers as people focus their anger on you apparently betraying them or something

You don’t care

Not like you can die anyways but the two blonds don’t exactly like seeing their only friend beat up because of them

But that doesn’t stop you since you were their friend

And friends help friends

Nor would you stand for such an injustice in your eyes

Rosinante enjoys playing games with you

Out of the two he is more immature in the sense he’s more like a regular kid

He is compassionate and kind despite the circumstances

One who would tend to your wounds as his brother stewed in frightening anger

It scared him…how his brother had some sort of darkness in him that grew

Your the only person he confides this to

And you can’t help but also be worried for his bother but also himself

How this could affect him when considering that he brother was one of the only people dear to him

But that was a worry for later

In the moment you focus on keeping him happy and distracted from the cruelties directed towards him

You’d buy sweet treats, toys and a scavenge bits of pretty shells as gifts

Letting the two keep the small signs of your friendship as a way to at least brighten their days

At some point you had even picked up on his like for heart themed stuff and incorporated that into the stuff you wave gave him

Safe to say he might’ve cried some tears of happiness

Sometimes you worry for him out of the two

Doffy knows that fighting is sometimes the answer but Rosinante doesn’t

Along with the fact he trips over thin air

You don’t know how many times you’d bandaged him up

But everyone has their quirks you suppose

And you wouldn’t change them for the world

Doflamingo on the other hand is very much the opposite of his brother

He doesn’t exactly play, he more so soaks up the knowledge you spill of your travels

Stuff of how the world worked

The politics of some of the islands you’d visited

He’s innately interested to a degree you hadn’t exactly expected

But in some sense you appreciated it

Everyone just lumping it under the ramblings of a child

But Doffy doesn’t

Speaking of which your the only one permitted to call him that lest they get a swift kick to the ass

It’s an honour you hold in high regard

Especially since he even gives you a nickname of your own

“Knight”

It’s cause apparently your like their own personal knight, something fitting cause he one day swore to rise up back to their proper birth right

Before their parents abandoned it

He’s strong and knows it but still insists that your their protector of sorts

You don’t really argue with him about it anymore

In fact you kinda lean into the name

Making a makeshift sword out of a stick and waving it around in mock sword fights

It brings back fond memories of your old friends that have probably long forgotten you

Except for the fact you had to save Rosinante from almost poking his eye out

Nothing however as usual can last forever

You don’t know what had led up to this point but eventually everyone had enough of them

And also you protecting them

Some men dragged you into a town square of sorts one night

Their yelling obscenities at you that you don’t flinch at

Even as they tie you in ropes that bite at your skin and walk you towards a chopping block

The crowd holds you down on the block as flames illuminate your face

You can only watch in pity as the Donquixote’s are forced down to watch as the blade rises above your head

Your only shred tears for your two friends having to watch your death

A smile finds its way on your face

Tears lining your eyes as they cascade down your cheeks, shining due to the warm light of torches

There was cheering from the crowd

Screaming from Doffy

Crying from Rosantine

And the air splitting as the blade came down

And then darkness before a familiar gold shining light appears before you once more

The cycle begins again

What you don’t know is that both boys notice your kicked away body dissipate into golden stardust that travels up into the sky before their both blindfolded and strung up

Whitebeard pirates

During your time with Roger he had several encounters with Whitebeard but your first real encounter happens when you end up at an island in their territory

You once again died and ended up there and almost immediately ran into the well known member of the group Marco

Now in his perspective you were a random child who stumbled out an alleyway with scrapes and bruises

How was he not supposed to be worried?

His mind goes immediately to possible conclusions even as you argue with him that your fine

To please not take you to a medic

In reality you really wanted to avoid Whitebeard in case of unearthing memories of Roger

But you don’t have much of a choice when this blue bird boy is dragging your ass back to the ship to be properly healed

You don’t go down without a fight though…doesn’t do much but it sure does look like a rabid animal attacked him so it’s something

But your brought to the ship, the good old Moby dick which looks even bigger up close and personal

And there sitting down with tubes attached to him is Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate

Otherwise known as Roger’s kinda rival/friend?…it was complicated, too complicated for you to understand at least

Everyone aboard welcomes you with a smile even as you keep punching the (in your words) “oversized chicken with a pineapple for a head”‘S back in vain

Safe to assume the crew grows to like you as your kinda just adopted on board

Their docked at the island for awhile so they haven’t just taken off with you being dragged along

Though from what you heard of their track record you wouldn’t have been surprised

Marco is the one who interacts with you the most at first mostly cause his devil fruit helped with injures

Despite your petty aggression you do have to admit he is nice company

He’s rather levelheaded and exceedingly caring

It’s why he (literally) dragged you here in the first place

Cause he couldn’t just leaven an injured kid on their own

You get the sense that due to his fruit he’s older than he seems, it makes sense with the whole Phoenix thing

So you often pose questions of immortality to him to see if he had differing views to you

Surprisingly he didn’t

He also carried the mindset of it being worth it due to all the experiences you couldn’t have in a lifetime

It’s nice in a weird way

Just knowing you weren’t alone in having to watch the world change as you stay the same

You don’t say this aloud of course but he seems happy in discussing the “possibility’s” with you

He takes to looking after you even after your better and interacting with others on the ship

A sense of responsibility for the fact he brought you aboard in the first place

Along with a possible hint of Kinship and a mother hen instinct (Thatch got smacked on the head for that)

Occasionally he likes to change fully or half shift into his Phoenix form to fly around

It’s a pretty sight

Even more so when he offers to taking you flying as well

Feeling the wind swish past as you soar through the air isn’t something you’d ever experienced before

It is ingrained in your mind that sense of adrenaline and rush of a mixture of fear and excitement

Its single-handedly an experience you’d likely never forget

And everyone seems to know it as he places you gently back down on the deck, shaky legs paired with a bright smile and wide eyes

Sometimes you wonder if he has bird instincts but he doesn’t answer the question (the crew says yes he does)

Thatch is extremely friendly and because of that (and the food) you end up hanging with him in the kitchen quite a bit

Food had always kinda been an afterthought to you and you’d forgotten what having good food was actually like

But with Thatch he changes that quickly

The food he makes brings back nostalgia of old

The home cooked meals in your mouth after a long day, sitting yourself down at the table as she placed a hot plate in front of you

The scent and steam still rising off of it

He has her smile, bright and gentle

The first time you ate one of his meals and he gave you that look you cried

Which caused an angry Marco to try and yell at him for doing something before you stopped him

While you stay on the ship you unofficially become his little helper

Bringing others their meals and prepping up the buffet when they had a party (which was seemingly every other day of the week)

you tease him about his hair and it then becomes a running joke between you two

The others catch on and they all laugh when you call his pompadour something to piss him off

And then he proceeds to whine about it

He won’t admit it but he sneaks food to Stefan

He of course denies this but you catch him late one night and now use that as blackmail to let you lick the spoon used for the batter for pancakes

Sometimes he styles your hair

The crew laughed their asses off when he made it look like a pompadour

While on your stay at the ship he makes sure to memorize your favourite foods

Especially when he catches glimpses of you being especially sad

Speaking of sad

You almost cry when seeing the familiar freckled face of Ace again

Body freezing over and going stiff as the cowboy hat wearing son of tiger gives you a jolly smile

In a lot of ways he’s not like Roger

But in other ways their more alike than you’d ever expected

It’s hard being around him

Especially since all you want to do is cry and hug him

To explain that Rouge and Roger loved him more than you could put into words

That you missed him but your glad to see he found a place where he’s accepted

But you can’t

You know you can’t when your permanently stuck as a child

Never aging even as the world kept changing

Plus you don’t know how he’d react to it. You’d probably sound crazy

So you keep all of it to yourself

But to everyone else it’s obvious that something is going on with you

Sure, they hadn’t known you very long but their all good at reading people

Around Ace everyone notices that there’s a obvious shift in your behaviour

You become reclusive, a look of distant sadness lingering as you avoid him

It doesn’t help that he wants to get to the bottom as to why your seemingly afraid of him

You occasionally hide in random closets when you hear him nearby

Thatch and Marco can’t get a word out of you as to why you act this way around him

But eventually you begin to let up a bit

Being able to have a proper conversation with the freckled male as he has to hold himself back out of excitement

It’s still hard but you push through it

Especially when seeing him smile as wide as he did when you looked after him

He still has the charm you gave him

It’s a little worse for wear but it’s there

As is your matching one that you hide from the crew in your pocket

He likes to show off his powers to you

Watching as your eyes stare at the swirling flames that dance on his arms

What he likes more though is when you question him about his tattoo and brothers

Apparently he has two sworn brothers

One who had sadly passed named Sabo and the other who was still alive named Luffy

His voice is tinged with a certain fondness as he talks about them that you can relate to

In a moment of weakness you ask him about the charm that hangs off his white and red stripped bracket and he smiles

He talks about how someone looked after him when he was younger according to his gramps

They had to leave, but was still out there

They had a matching one to his own

And one day he hoped to find them

You have to turn away and hide your eyes for a moment

With a smile you wish him luck and he replies back that he doesn’t need it

He’d find them

He was right and didn’t even know it

From then on he approaches you regularly while your on the Moby dick

Taking you on mini adventures and letting you sit on his shoulders with your hat covering your head

The crew laughs with glee

He jokingly tells you that your already apart of their crew but you know there’s truth to the words

He’s always a bit crestfallen at your answer, but even with that he retains hope you’d join

First time he passed out you nearly died again and began crying until Marco comforted you

Not your proudest moment but he seemed particularly touched that you were so emotional about his well-being

Kinda like with Ace your initially on edge around Whitebeard

Sure, he’s welcoming you with a smile and is generally warm but seeing him brings up Roger again

You remember the times you’d sometimes peak out to watch them battle with Shanks and Buggy

Honestly your very relived he didn’t recognize you

Nor the coat that you drape over your shoulders

Even moreso cause you can tell he knows something is up with you

Like Ace it takes a lot of time for you to begin to get close to him

But like Ace once again this man is stubborn shit who is patient enough to be able to crash down your barriers but by bit with time

It starts off as him inquiring of your home, your family and if their waiting for you

You respond that your birth family is long gone but you prefer to travel anyways. Finding new friends along the way

The answer worries him but he makes no mention of it

The questions then progress to you asking about some of his experiences

What it was like being rival to the greatest pirate in the world

He laughs at that, mumbling about how Roger was a stubborn pain in the ass

But one whom he considered a friend

Someone he missed

You ask him how he deals with grief, with losing someone close to you but being reminded of them

He says that it’s hard but with that comes a sort of melancholy happiness

That there are still traces of them in the world, even if it’s through simple actions

Like a gentle reminder of their importance and affect on his life

You’d never thought of it that way..but you think it’s nice

It helps you ease into spending time with Ace and him some more

Both of them are happy about it

At some point he begins asking if you’d like a place here

A home on their ship and crew

You smile and tell him that the sea itself is your home, but you know that this place and it’s people are family

But you also have family elsewhere as well

He accepts that but he does seem saddened and worried

In general a lot of what you do makes him worried

Specifically the disregard of your life and safety

To be fair to him though he doesn’t know your basically immortal

Well until…the attack

Everything was fine, a party was happening and Thatch had brought back a devil fruit

Drinks were shared all around as was the food

Thatch was pretty drunk and you decided to bring the fruit he found back to the pantry to be locked up for now

You didn’t see the person follow you

It’s a bit of a blur but all you removed was burning pain as you heard a chilling laugh

And then there was the screams of voices familiar

Through blurred vision you stare up at a crying Ace as he yells for Marco

He goes to run and get him but you grab him with bloodied hands

Shakily you reach into your pocket pulling out the charm as his eyes widen

You smile through the pain as tears swell in your eyes

“You found me”

Whitebeard holds you gently as you hear Ace sob

You fade away cradled in the large warm hands of Whitebeard

The charm matching Ace’s in your hand

They all watch as you crumble away into golden star dust that scatters off into the wind

It is then that the captain of the ship is reminded of what Roger once said

“There’s one star out there that never dies, their just in a different place in the sky. You just have to find it again”

“Hmf….sly bastard. Their out there, we’ll find them again”

The cycle begins once again

Buggy

You come by him as a complete accident

Just finding yourself adrift at sea once more when a boat quickly pulls up

And before you know it your met face to face with your old friend

Almost immediately your dragged aboard by him as his crew watches on confused as to why he’s acting all nice?

He looks he’s about to cry

Hint: he is

Immediately your whisked to his private quarters and you quickly get a large hug from the blue haired man

And he is absolutely SOBBING

The poor bud can barely make cohesive sentences as you pat his back

After a few minutes he places you down

And then he realized you hadn’t aged a day from when he was a kid

So it’s safe to say you have to explain yourself to him

He’s amazed while simultaneously horrified

Especially since you brush off your own deaths as an afterthought

But then that goes away when he asks if Shanks knows

And you reply that he doesn’t

He begins to laugh his ass off, talking about bragging rights which leaves you confused

Sure, you knew him and the red haired boy had kinda a rivalry but you weren’t sure why he wanted bragging rights

So he then explained what happened after Roger died and you disappeared

Apparently after Roger’s death the two began to drift apart

Petty Arguments growing bigger and bigger before they whet their separate ways

You can’t say your surprised but it’s sure sad in your eyes

That his death caused them to go their separate ways

The dynamic duo you’d come to befriend and see as bigger brothers now separated

But even with that your happy to see that Buggy is still his normal self

Sure, he’s brash and at times arrogant. But you wouldn’t change him

He was Buggy, unabashedly himself

You stay on his ship for awhile and in that time get to know his crew

Their all still kinda confused how their captain knows you but brush it off

Just accepting it as it is

You end up napping with Richie a lot despite that fact many of your deaths was via animal mauling

The lion enjoys your company, especially as you brush his lavender mane and braid it

After seeing that the captain may or may not have asked you to braid his hair as well

You oblige

During your stay Buggy lingers by you a lot

Perhaps a bit scared to let you go

The crew won’t mention it aloud but somehow your presence makes him more agreeable

Also less…aggressive

They reallly hope they’ll be seeing you around more often

Some might have partially cried when you left due to that

The other half is cause they got attached

[canmom]

inadequate definitions of a computer game

I'm a game dev! So I make these things called computer games. But what is it that I'm making exactly?

One simple answer is that a computer game is a string of data. That is, after all, what Steam sends you when you buy a game. The data consists of instructions, art assets, text strings, metadata etc which can be 'executed' by a suitable computer to play that game. And if you copy that data without paying the right person you're a criminal doing a crime etc etc.

But is that data the game? It can't be, because you can have completely different data that is still 'the game'. A Windows build and a Linux build of a game are probably no more similar than any two random binary strings. If you know what you're looking for you could correlate them piece by piece - that string of data represents that texture, which is present in both - but only if you know, and you decompress the data the right way etc etc. But they're the same game, because they do the same thing when you run them.

So it seems a computer game is defined by what it does rather than how it's represented on the computer. This isn't a unique property of computer games - consider how many ways you can encode a movie for example.

But which of the things it does define a given game? Computer games have a remarkable number of pieces to them, and as you soon find out when you're making one, they can all be swapped out pretty freely.

For example, a game's music is often a pretty integral part of 'the experience'. But you can easily mod a game to have different music. We don't usually consider such a modded game to be a different game entirely. Well, it's a matter of degree, it's not absolute... swap out a game's music and it's still the same game. Replace all the models, levels, etc etc as in a 'total conversion' mod and it is a 'new game'. Where we draw the line is ultimately arbitrary...

But this is pretty remarkable, I think. Most artworks in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction(TM) have a pretty fixed form. A movie is a sequence of images and sounds arranged in time, a novel is a specific string of characters. Computer games, though, are flexible things.

A computer game is assembled from lots of little elements. Each of them on their own might be more or less specific, but it's how they're put in relation to each other that gives a game its identity. You glue together these elements in the mind of the audience: play the song City Ruins (Rays of Light) and if you've played the game, it will likely conjure the image of 2B's dress, the feeling dodging the machine lifeforms, the story about the androids and their existential tragedy, all unified in this thing we call "NieR Automata". In another universe, we could imagine that some other elements were tied together in this way - another game that happened to compose the 'same song' with a different aesthetic or mechanics. But the game is beloved because all these things are considered consonant.

Computer games share this in common with film, comics, etc etc. - they're all combinations of other art forms. But computer games have this extra thing that's more or less unique to the medium, the element of direct interaction with some kind of mutable 'state' inside the computer.

At a lower level of abstraction, when you interact with a computer game, data is sent from a controller (keyboard etc) to be read by the game, which modifies some stored state in computer memory; another part of the program 'reads' that state and displays pixels on the screen. Which means there is this separation between the presentational aspect and the 'mechanics'. You look the screen and see a human running but I, the game developer, can 'know' that what's 'really' going on is that a capsule collider is moving across a plane, and we change the position and rotation value based on your input. Then, to 'draw it', another variable holds animation state, and we're sampling the animation data, and doing some IK, and deforming vertices on the GPU, and pumping it through a fragment shader and so on... but all of that graphics stuff could be swapped out and the game would still 'play the same' in the sense that the same inputs would change the game state in the same way with the 'same outcome'. There are even some games, like NetHack and Dwarf Fortress, which support many different 'frontends' which look quite different.

But which is more 'real'? We can't see the game state. We might say that given this game state we update this enum to the value we consider to mean a player has won (let's say... 0b00000010), but the only way that the player knows they've won it is if we display a corresponding message on the screen. That's the only reason we care, as well. The presentation is absolutely integral. All that internal state is just there to make sure that 'you won' and whatever other information is displayed on the screen at the right time to maintain the illusion that 'there is a game' which we're working so hard to convey.

And the state of the program is not exactly what we're trying to convey. The player is not imagining floating point values changing, let alone cpu instructions changing a binary field, or voltages in silicon; they're imagining an object in a location. 'A character jumping.' We are trying to make sure that fantasy is believable. Every layer has to work together to make this happen. Ultimately what we're creating is a rectangle of flickering lights but if we do our job well enough, and it's approached with a willingness to suspend disbelief, it will come across as something like a place inhabited by something like people...

So a game isn't any particular element of its aesthetic presentation, and it isn't the way its data changes in response to interaction. It's some kind of gestalt created from the two, only when a human interacts with the whole system, which allows them to conjure a fantasy in large part designed by another human - and have this external thing reinforce it and make it feel concrete. That's what it's my job to create. What a marvellously abstract entity...

[bitter-bats-cult-of-the-moon]

Energy Explained in Other Systems

There is a lack of measurable evidence because any person that has worked with energies have had different experiences but were able to understand and manipulate energies according to their own will.

Energy has been used in many ways within culture and religion and have set beliefs depending on the system being practiced.

Next, are some given definitions defining energies within diverse philosophies.

Hindu = Prana

Chinese = Qi /Chi

Japanese =Ki

Greek = Pneuma

Hawaiian = Mana

Tibetan Buddhism = Lung

Hindu Philosophy

A Sanskrit word for "life force" or "vital principle" is often referred to as Prana. It is described as first coming down from the Sun and connecting all elements of the Universe. It has been invoked within the Hindu scriptures of the Vedas and Upanishads.

Prana is the belief of vitality surrounding all living beings. This energy is responsible for all bodily functions. There are five types of pranas, collectively known as the five vāyus.

1. Prāṇa:              Beating of the heart and breathing. Prana enters the body through the breath and is sent to every cell through the circulatory system.

2. Apāna:             Elimination of waste products from the body through the lungs and excretory systems.

3.Uḍāna:              Sound production through the vocal apparatus. It represents the conscious energy required to produce the vocal sounds corresponding to the intent.

4. Samāna:          Food digestions, repair or manufacture of new cells and growth, and heat regulations throughout the body.

5. Vyāna:             The energy that is needed for the body to have proper circulation, and the functions for the voluntary muscular system in which there is expansion and contraction processes throughout the body.

Chinese Philosophy

The earliest texts in which Qi or Chi is described was in 'Analects of Confucius' where it could mean "breath" and was combined with the Chinese word for blood.

Xue-qi, "blood and breath."

Living beings are born because of an accumulation of qi, and as the beings live out their lives the qi declines eventually resulting in death. This indicates that xue-qi referred to all living things, but it is believed that qi or chi exists within all things tangible.

For example, the wind is the qi or chi to the Earth, and the cosmic concepts of yin and yang are "the greatest of qi"

Yin and Yang which means "bright-dark," and "positive-negative" are the opposing forces needed in order to complement the concept of balance. There are thoughts that this duality symbolizes contradicting energy forces which manifest as light and dark, fire and water, expansion, and contraction. With this said, Chinese medicine states that the balance of negative and positive forms in the body are believed to be essential for overall satisfactory health.

Japanese Mythology

During the sixth and seventh centuries the Chinese word qi (or chi) was written using the same kanji script for their interpretation for energy being "Ki"

However, the meanings are a tad different.

While the Chinese use chi or qi to describe that energy exists in all things, animate and inanimate objects, the Japanese believe it is the creative flow and expressions used within our daily lives, martial arts, and symbolizes aspects of nature, and thusly the spirits. It is the transfer from living, animate beings in to inanimate which can change and manifest into various forms. It is the necessary intentions one wields.

Greek Mythology

Pneuma, "The breath of life" or "vital spirit" is composed of kinetic energies within the vessel, while Ignis is composed of thermal energies. All human beings need both kinetic and thermal energies in order to properly function.

In Greek medicine, pneuma is the form of circulation throughout the body's vital organs. Due to this the role, pneuma plays within the body to sustain consciousness. Some physiological theories suggest that the pneuma mediates between the heart, and the heart is regarded as the seat of the mind, and the brain.

In similar, Stoic philosophy, pneuma is the active and generative principles that are organized between the individual and the cosmos. The highest forms are the Gods, and the human soul. The human soul is believed to be fragments of the gods given life force in order to be born and given a vessel upon the physical plane. This exists within all animate and inanimate objects as energy transfers and changes.

Hawaiian Mythology

Mana, the spiritual energy of power and strength. This energy exists within places and people; however, it is said that mana is both external and internal concepts.

The Hawaiian people believe that individuals can gain mana or lose it depending on one's actions in everything that they do.

In mythology there were two ways to gain mana, and this was either done sexually or through violence.

To sexually gain mana one must invoke the god, Lono, deity of peace and fertility.

To gain mana through violence one must invoke the god Ku, deity of war and politics.

Tibetan Buddhism

Lung means the wind or breath. Exists as a key concept in Vajrayana traditions. Generally, it's concept relates to the understanding of the subtle body, and Three Vajras. Those three are the body, speech, and mind. Lung relates to the subtle flow of energy and the five elements. (Fire, Water, Earth, Space, and Air) Lung is mostly closely connected to the Air Element.

Lung has also been used to describe the winds or prana being used in conjunction with the subtle body during a time of exercise, but also more importantly everyday functions of the body and its own senses. There are five psychic winds which manifest into mahabhuta. These five relate to the lifeforce that animate the body-mind (namarupa) of all sentient beings.

The Five Root or Major Winds

The root winds support an element and is responsible for a function of the human body.

    The 'life-supporting wind' (Tib. སྲོག་འཛིན་རླུང་, sok dzin lung; Wyl. srog 'dzin rlung). Located in the brain, this lung regulates functions such as swallowing, inhalation, and concentration.

    The 'upward-moving wind' (Tib. གྱེན་རྒྱུ་རླུང་, gyengyu lung; Wyl. gyen rgyu rlung). Located in the chest and thorax, this lung regulates, among other things, speech, the body's energy and vitality, memory, mental endeavour and diligence.

    The 'all-pervading wind' (Tib. ཁྱབ་བྱེད་རླུང་, khyap ché lung; Wyl. khyab byed rlung). Residing in the heart, this lung controls all the motor activities of the body.

    The 'fire-accompanying wind' (Tib. མེ་མཉམ་གནས་རླུང་, me nyam né lung; Wyl. me mnyam gnas rlung). Found in the stomach and abdomen area, the fire-accompanying wind regulates digestion and metabolism.

    The 'downward-clearing wind' (Tib. ཐུར་སེལ་རླུང་, thursel lung; Wyl. thur sel rlung). Located in the rectum, bowels and perineal region, this lung's function is to expel faeces, urine, semen, and menstrual blood. It also regulates uterine contractions during labour.

The Five Branch Winds

The five branch winds enable the senses to operate.

    The naga wind (Tib.ཀླུའི་རླུང་, lu'i lung; Wyl. klu'i rlung). This lung connects with the eyes and sight.

    The tortoise wind (Tib. རུ་སྦལ་གྱི་་རླུང་, rubal gyi lung; Wyl. ru sbal gyi rlung). This wind connects with the heart and the sense of hearing.

    The lizard wind (Tib.རྩངས་པའི་རླུང་, tsangpé lung; Wyl. rtsangs pa'i rlung) associated with the nose and the sense of smell.

    The devadatta wind (Tib.ལྷས་བྱིན་གྱི་རླུང་, lhéjin gyi lung; Wyl. lhas byin gyi rlung) related to the sense of taste.

    The 'king of wealth deities' wind (Tib. ནོར་ལྷ་རྒྱལ་གྱི་རླུང་, nor lha gyal gyi lung; Wyl. nor lha rgyal gyi rlung). This wind connects with the body and the sense of touch.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Image Prompts for the Signs

Aries / Taurus

Gemini / Cancer

Leo / Virgo

Libra / Scorpio

Sagittarius / Capricorn

Aquarius / Pisces

If this prompt inspires you in any way, do tag me or send me a link. I'd love to read your work!

Artwork by Giuseppe Arcimboldo

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526 – 1593)

Born into a family of painters in the northern Italian city of Milan.

Remains best known for the highly original “portraits” he composed by imaginatively arranging objects, plants, animals, and other elements of nature.

The Seasons

In The Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter), created in 1563, Arcimboldo combined plants associated with a particular season to form a portrait of that time of year.

The series was extremely popular in the Habsburg court, and Arcimboldo reproduced it several times so the emperor could send versions to friends and important political figures.

The 4 Elements

Three years later he completed a series on the four elements (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water).

The Professions

Arcimboldo also made witty composite portraits of different professions, such as a librarian, jurist, cook, and vegetable gardener, using objects associated with each occupation.

In these innovative works, Arcimboldo fills the paintings with dense details that come together harmoniously to create a human form.

A Fusion of Art & Science

When Arcimboldo arrived at the court of Emperor Maximilian II, he found his new patron was passionately interested in the biological sciences of botany & zoology.

The study of flora and fauna grew as a result of the voyages of exploration and discovery that were undertaken to the New World, Africa, and Asia in the sixteenth century.

Explorers returned with exotic plants and animals that created an explosion of European interest in the study of nature.

Maximilian transformed his court into a center of scientific study, bringing together scientists and philosophers from all over Europe.

His botanical gardens and his zoological parks with elephants, lions, and tigers caused a sensation.

As court painter to the emperor, Arcimboldo had access to these vast collections of rare flora and fauna.

His nature studies show his skill and precision as an illustrator and his knowledge as a naturalist — but Arcimboldo went beyond illustration by building fantastic faces out of the natural specimens he observed.

His paintings not only demonstrate a unique fusion of art and science, but they also provide an encyclopedia of the plants and animals that Maximilian acquired for his botanical garden and menagerie.

[demon-ness]

Today, guys, I will tell you about the interesting/funny differences between Russian dubbing and English

In fact, Russian dubbing is often no less a free interpretation of the original than English. Usually, violent scenes/rude words are not so much cut out in our country. But the strangest and most harmless things are censored. Sometimes it's not even censorship, the translators just come up with something that wasn't in the original. So today I'm going to tell you about some examples of such situations, mostly mentioning meaningless renaming.

For some reason, our translators really like to add the word "death" to children's anime. For example, (despite the fact that the Russian translation is based on English, not Japanese) the Doom Dimension and Doom Cards were renamed the Dimension of Death and Death Cards. Destroy Vanish has also been renamed the Instrument of Death. Funnily enough, because of this, in the Russian part of the fandom, Masquerade is much more often associated with death than in yours.

The "Chaos of Darkness" ability has been renamed the dumbest combination of words that has ever been created by humans. "The Light of my Darkness." It sounds as bad as it looks.

For no apparent reason, the Cores were renamed Zones. Also, the Silence Core was named differently. I'm not sure if there is a suitable word in English. The new name sounds something like "Zona Bezmolviy". "Bezmolvie" is a word that means not just silence, but something like Absolute Silence when no one can say anything. Also, it is a partially obsolete word, and it is very rarely used nowadays.

Infinity Dragonoid has been renamed Immortal Dragonoid. Strangely, Infinity Core in the Russian dubbing remained the "Infinity Zone", and not the "Zone of Immortality". So the reason for the name change of Dragonoid is unknown.

Let's quickly go through the changed names of Bakugans. The Wavern has become just a Wave. Bee Striker is A Combat Bee. Fear Ripper has become the Grim Reaper. Fortress - Multi-faceted (sounds better in Russian). Harpus - suddenly, Orpheus. Manion is a Sphinx. Siege is a Knight (And there was also a strong fuck-up of translators once, so specifically Knight that Rikimaru used got his own name "Water Blockade"). Sirenoid has become just a Siren. Stinglash is a Scorpion. Storm Skyress - Hurricane Skyress. Tentaclear is the Eye of Light (yes, in the real game there are versions of this bakugan of other elements, but they are still called the "Eye of Light"). Of course, there are other changes in the names, but this is what I remembered.

Despite the tendency of translators to make our version more violent, it has happened the other way around. The Great Revolution, somehow, became a Magical Coup. It doesn't sound very grand.

The best renaming, in my opinion, happened with Perfect Core. In our translation, it is called the Center of Equilibrium. Which, again, in my opinion, sounds 1) cooler, 2) better symbolizes the harmony of all the elements.

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, in our translation the name "Masquerade" was shortened to "Mask". A feature of the Russian language is the presence of gender in each word. And the word "mask" is feminine. So the voice actors were often confused, which is why sometimes Masquerade got female pronouns. Also, many lines had to be rephrased, since "Masquerade took off his mask" sounds normal, and "Mask took off his mask" is very stupid.

As many people know, the name "Alice" is Slavic. In our language, it is pronounced a little differently than in yours. Nevertheless, the translators still did not change the pronunciation to the one we are used to.

Despite the fact that the names of many Bakugans were simply translated directly, the translators could not decide on the Mantrises. His name was translated for several early episodes, but then he was left with an untranslated name. There was no such confusion with other Bakugans.

In the Russian dubbing, Dan is voiced by a fairly popular voice actor. A lot of the main characters of the animated series get his voice. For example, to my horror and regret, Johnny Test. Johnny Test and Dan speak with exactly the same voice in our country. This… Terrifying.

The death scene of Shun's mother is a crime. If you think that everything in your translation has been cut and distorted, you have no idea how bad everything is in ours.

What I think is VERY strange, the name of the team of the main characters in our dubbing is "Desperate Bakugan Fighters". I don't know what the translators meant by that. However, considering everything these children have been through…

Obviously, this is not all. Someday I'll compare the episode titles. Also, I haven't touched on the other seasons at all. In general, there are many other interesting points, but I will tell you about this some other time.

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Hunted by a sunless city that never sleeps (part 3)

Dracule Mihawk x werewolf!reader. NSFW!!!

This fic is part of the Beast in Black series.

This is part three of five. This fic is dedicated to @alphaash99. Kuraigana Island is Mihawk's home in the manga/anime.

Shanks being in a relationship with his crew's doctor is an allusion to this headcanon list and then to this fic, even though they take place in a different continuity.

*****

The next five days are like all those you spend in the company of your lover: happy and peaceful.

The two of you spend much time together. There is no one else on the island apart from the two of you (at least, if one doesn't consider the large colony of baboons populating the woods) and you have made clear during your first visit you don't expect Mihawk to entertain you from morning till night, since you can find your own ways to pass the time. You lover spends a few hours every day training, and has no objections to you observing him, as long as you keep quiet; you sit in rapt silence at the corner of the clearing, enthralled by the elegance of his movements, the apparently effortless way he handles his heavy sword, the deadly grace with which he deals a blow capable to split a mountain in half. He ignores you, acting as if you weren't even there for hours, but in the end, when you walk up to him with a water bottle in your hand and your eyes full of admiration, he allows a pleased smile to form on his lips. He doesn't care for compliments, and he has been at the top long enough not to need to have his abilities acknowledged, but you know he is secretly flattered you are impressed by what he can do.

You also take advantage of your brief vacations on Kuraigana to train, which you often lack the time for when you are at home. Besides your beloved derringer, which you always keep within reach, you have brought two other guns, and Mihawk did tell you to make yourself at home. You just need a line of jars on a low wall, or a wooden board on which you have drawn the shape of a human body and mounted on a pole, or a fruit hanging from the branch of a tree. You shoot at a close range and from a distance, with one hand and the other (the difference is minimal, given the fact your grandfather taught you to use both and you have been functionally ambidextrous since you were ten) standing still, running and turning, closing one eye and the other, and with whatever other combination or element of difficulty you can think of; being a mercenary is perhaps less exciting an activity than being one of the Seven Warlords, not to mention one you will one day have to abandon when your mother leaves the responsibility of ruling your island in your hands, but you sincerily enjoy it, and there is no moment you feel stronger and more in control than when you are holding a gun in your hand or in both, ready to aim and fire.

Sometimes, Mihawk attends your own practicing sessions, and while you are not as good as he is at ignoring the fact you have a spectator, his presence pushes you to do your best, and impress him. Sometimes he even accepts to help you with your training; his favourite trick is tossing a coin in the air, and have you hit it from farther and farther away. You once bet you could put a bullet through his hat without hurting him; he thought you were joking, but you weren't, and you took advantage of a moment he was distracted observing the waves from the castle's porch to shoot, missing the surface of his cranium by less than an inch. Your lover wasn't amused, since unfortunately that day he was wearing his favourite hat, but he admitted he was impressed. He doesn't like guns himself since, he told you once, he finds nothing honourable about killing someone from so far away the other person doesn't even realize they are being shot at and can retaliate, but he appreciates your dedication and talent, especially considering your activity as a mercenary is something you will have to abandon one day, to succeed your mother as your island's ruler.

If you and your lover ever had a child, you let yourself fantasize sometimes, they could inherit both of your talents; Mihawk's ability with a sword, and yours with a gun. They would be unbeatable, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen, and you would be proud and happy to give your loveran heir, to love and protect and educate. It will never happen, but it is nice, sometimes, to wonder.

The two of you are all alone, and even the most passionate couple can't spend the whole day in bed; still, when you are with Mihawk, you are never bored, never wish you had company or entertainment to help you pass the time. You and your lover spend your days together in many different ways: you read, taking advantage of the castle's well-stocked library; you cook for and with each other, each secretly surprised of the other's talent in the kitchen; you swim, sometimes without even bothering with bathing costumes, in a little bay not far from the pier. During your first visit you have discovered your lover has an interest in agriculture, having started farming and tilling the once fertile fields of the island, and you enjoy helping him, not letting the long hours of physical labour scare you. Sometimes you take long walks in the woods, walking for hours without uttering a single word, simply content with each other's presence; in those moments, he doesn't oppose holding your hand. Sometimes, he is the one taking yours.

And every day, as the light filtering through the master bedroom's windows falls on his face and wakes him up, Mihawk turns in his bed and finds you, either peacefully sleeping, as at ease as you would be in your own bed, or already awake, silently admiring him in the ephemeral moment between sleep and wake. "Good morning." you murmur as you stretch towards him for the first kiss of the day; sometimes he doesn't even answer, but takes you in his arms, feeling the precious warmth of your naked body against his skin.

Any day, any moment, you can spend with your lover is happy and pleasant, but those five days are a veritable dream. Apart from the paper the News Coo delivers every day, allowing the two of you to keep informed about the latest news, it is as if the rest of the world had disappeared; you have asked your mother to only call in case of extreme necessity, and everything else can wait until you return home. Every night, after making sure your lover cannot see you, you make sure to drink from your flask, each time a sip more than the previous day; but beyond that, you do not think about the plenilune ritual, you do not think about anything that is not the man you love, and who you are determined to keep by your side whatever the cost.

Even if it means lying to him.

In the end, it is the last day of your stay; determined to spend as much time as you can with your lover, but aware of what would happen if you were to miss the monthly ceremony at your island, you decide to leave in the early afternoon, so as to have plenty of time to reach home before sundown on the next day, even in the absence of a favourable wind like the one that accompanied you to Kuraigana. You spend the morning in the kitchen preparing your lover's favourite dishes for lunch, feeling melancholic at the prospect of having to say goodbye, but otherwise content and relaxed... until Mihawk joins you, taking his cape off.

"Is your day's work already over?" you ask; he had told you over breakfast he was planning to sow a large field today, a job he thought would keep him busy for most of the day "Lunch will not be ready for two hours at least..."

"I know; I had to stop because of the storm."

"Because of the... what?"

It is only now that you realize your lover's cape is sopping wet, as well as his hair and clothes. "It started raining, a few minutes ago." he explains as he gestures to the closest window, as if inviting you to see for yourself "There was not a cloud in the sky when I got out, and suddenly, in the span of a few minutes, a storm broke out."

He is not lying, you realize as you approach the window. So focused you were on your cooking you paid no attention to the weather, especially after five days of sunny skies and warm temperatures, but as any sailor or pirate can attest, things can change rapidly and meteorological conditions are not something you can rely on or foresee. During your stay on Kuraigana, the sky has always been of a perfect, almost unreal azure, as if the Gods were blessing you and your partner with the perfect weather to enjoy your time outside.

If so, you must have inadvertently, gravely offended those very Powers, because the storm unleashed on the island is much more than a simple, innocuous summer drizzle: it's raining violently, the sky covered by menacing grey clouds, and a strong wind bending the trees.

"Oh, no..."

Mihawk's hands rest on your shoulders. "There is nothing to be afraid of; the castle is old but solid, not even an hurricane could destroy it."

"That is good to hear; but I'm not worried about that. I... I had to leave in the afternoon, remember? Otherwise I won't be home in time for the plenilune ritual."

"Oh. Right."

Your lover is pensive as he regards the cloudburst raging outside; now that you actually pay attention attention to what is happening out of the kitchen, instead of focusing on making sure the food you were preparing was good enough to satisfy Mihawk's good palate, you can hear the thunder rumbling among the clouds, the rain falling copious on the fields and the paths... and high waves rising from the sea's surface, in the background.

"These summer storms are often violent but short-lived; I wouldn't be surprised if by the time we are done eating the weather had turned again."

"Oh, I hope it does..."

You sigh, turning towards him and mentally reminding yourself the roast beef has to remain in the oven for fifteen more minutes before you take it out. "I'm sorry, Mihawk. It's not that I couldn't wait to leave, far from it, but..."

"... the ceremony is important for you; I know." he finishes for you, before kissing your forehead "I'm going to put some dry clothes on. On another note, whatever you are preparing smells heavenly."

"Just wait till you can taste it, then..."

You force yourself to smile until your lover has left the kitchen; then, frowning, you return to contemplate the storm out of the window, praying whatever God is listening it subsides soon enough to let you return home before the full moon.

*****

Mihawk sincerely appreciates your efforts in the kitchen, taking even a second helping of roast beef - not a small feat, given his refined tastes.

Unfortunately, that's the only thing you have to be happy about, since the sudden rainstorm you both hoped would pass soon and let the sky return to the cloudless blue you have enjoyed for five days, proves instead to be unusually persistent; it keeps raining, and raining, and raining still, a veritable flood pouring down on the island, deafening thunderclaps making you jump even through the castle's thick walls, the sun hidden behind a blanket of iron-grey clouds.

Not even the craziest, or most capable of sailors would dare set off by sea under these conditions, and you, who are neither, know it would be impossible, akin to suicide, to attempt to leave, even if you were travelling in a much larger and more solid vessel, given the violence of the wind and the height of the swells.

You have no choice: you have to stay (stay on the island, stay at the castle, stay with Mihawk) for at least one more day, or until the storm passes... which is much less happy a predicament one would imagine, given your relationship.

"You know you can stay as long as you want, in any case; I love having you here." he murmurs in your ear that night as you join him in bed, and you nod silently, because you know he's being sincere in extending his offer, and you love him for it, but that changes nothing - in particular, it doesn't change the fact that you are both in danger like never before.

You barely sleep that night, and on the next day, the first thing you do after waking up is to slip out of bed to anxiously look out the window. Even if you departed immediately, and were to find favourable winds to push you towards home, you would never make it on time for the ceremony, and a full moon night is the worst possible moment to spend alone on a vessel in the middle of the sea, but you would be ready to take your chance, if only to stay as far away as you can from Mihawk, breathtakingly beautiful as he still sleeps peacefully, lying on his back with a blanket covering only half of his nudity.

There is nothing you wouldn't do to keep him safe, but unfortunately you are spared the need to decide what to do, because the island is still shaken by the storm, with heavy rain, violent squalls and flashes of lightning crossing the sky. It looks even more violent than last night, you think with a sinking heart, which means that you will have to contrive another plan to keep your lover safe.

You hurry to return to bed, seeing Mihawk is beginning to stir. "Is it still raining?" he asks as soon as you have said good-morning with a kiss or five; he suffers from a mild form of halitosis, but since he appears to be unaware of the fact, you have never told him, and that doesn't make his kisses less sweet.

"An out-and-out deluge."

"Which means you are struck here with me. How unfortunate..."

You force yourself to grin, not wanting to make him worry (or suspicious) but in your heart you are shaking, and pretending everything is fine and normal and missing the plenilune ritual is something you are sorry and embarrassed for, but not completely terrified about, is harder and harder as the day goes by.

Your flask is empty but for a few drops you drink after breakfast, but the hope it helps you control the effects like it has done on the previous nights is nothing more than wishful thinking, even if you had gallons of draught to drink; the full moon is upon you, you can feel it approach even in the middle of the day like the hot breath of a predator on the back of your neck. You wait until Mihawk has headed for the castle's armory for his daily training (carrying with him not Yoru or the Kogatana but, you notice proudly, the sword you have gifted him) and then you call your mother, who expects you to be back well before sundown, on her transponder snail.

"I always did think it was incautious of you to make plans away from the island until the day before the full moon." she considers; she is not exactly scolding you, like she had to do with the unruly child you sometimes were, but she is very worried, and that fills you with guilt.

"I am sorry, mother."

"You don't have to apologize, my love. What are you going to do? With... your friend, I mean. Is there a way you can keep both of you safe?"

That is the million-berry question, as well as one you have no clear answer to. You promise to call her tomorrow morning after all is over, to reassure her you are fine, and "I love you." you murmur; there are (were, in one case) exactly three people in the world who have heard you utter those words, and she is the sole woman as well as the one you have told more often.

"I love you too, (name). Please, take care of yourself."

You promise you'll try.

For the first time you feel prisoner in the castle, walking back and forth in the corridors and attempting in vain to focus on something, be it a book, practice with your guns, or the preparation of a new delicacy for lunch... something that is not the rising hunger inside you, and that threatens to be unleashed as soon as the sun disappears behind the horizon. There is nothing you can do to stop it: avoiding the sight of the moon or sleep, in particular, is completely useless, and being alone in a new place, without the comfort and the calming presence of your people all around, for the first time in your life, makes the whole ordeal even more unpredictable. Having no sleep medications at hand, you decide to get drunk, hoping it will make you less reactive and dangerous when the time comes; you take the least expensive wine you find in the pantry, carefully avoiding the one you have gifted Mihawk and the two of you have enjoyed one glass at a time per dinner together, and start chugging.

Your lover cannot quite contain his bewilderment when an hour later he sees you enter the library (why is he so attractive?, you wonder numbly, even now that he is simply reading a book in his favourite chair? Why do you just need to set eyes on him, to feel your love overflowing like the tide breaking a dam?) completely sloshed, tripping over your own feet because of it, and naked save for your bra and underskirt, having abandoned your dress on the kitchen's floor.

"(name), what in the world...?"

"Carry me to bed."

"What?"

"I said, carry me to bed." you repeat clinging to his shirt, your lips barely a breath away from his "I want to make love - no, I need to fuck. Please, Mihawk, just help me. I need not to think for a while."

The fact that he asks you no questions, at least to make sure you are all right, should be enough to make you suspicious, but in the state you're in you wouldn't even notice if he grew wings and flew out of the window; you smile when he obediently picks you up and carries you to the master bedroom, where you quickly remove his clothes and what is left of yours before pushing him on the bed and kneeling on his lap.

"Now. Please." you beg him; a frenzy you have never known before has taken hold of you, hunger and lust and fear all in one, a strange, scary feeling you have to let off somehow, or it could destroy you. Your mother did tell you it was dangerous for one of you to face the full moon alone, but you thought she meant the loner could lose control and endanger innocent lives; what you feel is different... a solitude so crushing and encompassing you fear your own body would be torn apart, and a monster raise from the remains "My love, I need you; please, take me, do whatever you want with me, hurt me if you want, I don't care. I just... I don't want to be alone."

Your wish is granted. Mihawk doesn't hurt you, even though he is a little more heavy-handed than usual, and as he makes you scream loud in the night, kneeling on the bed behind you as your buttocks slap against his pelvis, the downright obscene sound of your lovemaking filling the room, he holds you tight against him, caressing your hair and face and kissing every inch of your body he can reach, letting you know, without the need for words as is customary between the two of you, that you are not alone, that he doesn't fear you, and that you are going to be all right.

It doesn't work, of course; not even a God could reassure you in this moment. But you appreciate the effort, and in the end, exhausted by the intensity if your coupling and already sleep deprived after the previous night, you fall asleep against his side, just as the sun disappears behind the horizon.

The storm is still raging outside. Exactly an hour later, the beast inside you rears its head.

[deckof-dragons]

i've also never really understood why people think the bugs aren't bug sized, tbh, since their weapons are literally called nails and needles and (in silksong) pins.

It's a combination of multiple things for me personally. One of them is the Hollow Knight bugs are bipedal and are basically the furry equivalent of bugs. You don't look at a bunny furry character and think its the same size as a normal bunny because 'that's a person, therefore it's probably person sized'.

The biggest reason though is absolutely nothing in HK gives the impression that normal sized bugs is the scale they're going for. Compare HK to the movie A Bug's Life. All the background stuff in that movie, plants, rocks, etc. maintains the normal bug scale; it's bigger than the characters. While the opposite is true for Hollow Knight. There's grass everywhere in Hallownest, a lot of it smaller than Ghost who is small next to most of the rest of the characters, meaning they're all much taller than the grass. And then there's the rain. Again, in Bug's Life, when it rains, the rain drops are gigantic next to the characters, maintaining that 'normal sized bugs' scale. Whereas in the City of Tears, the rain is animated the way it would be if the characters were normal humans.

The scale of characters compared to their environment is essential for the way the viewer sees the size of said characters. The world around the HK bugs, including all the naturally occurring elements, is portioned to them as if they were human sized. You can not deny this fact.

And then there are the Wyrms, specifically the Pale King's old body that is seen in game. Wyrms in mythology are always huge, big enough to swallow humans whole with ease. Making a Wyrm that small is blasphemy. (I'm joking about that of course but a small Wyrm isn't a real Wrym but instead a worm.)

Also, as I said before, giant bugs living on their own planet that's entirely inhabited by just them is cooler than the alternative. Though this reasoning is purely opinion and thus not a compelling argument for anyone who disagrees on how cool giant bugs are. It's important to me though because I'm passionate about non-human characters.

Literally the only indication they might be bug sized bugs is the fact that the weapons are called stuff like 'nails' and 'needles'. That detail can easily be be chalked up to just being a cultural thing though. We have different names for different types of swords after all maybe theirs include 'nail' and 'needle' because of some historical context not present in game. Basically I'm saying I don't find this to be an compelling argument.

Not that I think you're trying to convince me, just stating why you think the way you do. And in turn, I'm not really try to convince anyone either, just stating why I think the way I do about it. You did basically ask for an explanation after all.

[resident-idiot-simp]

I’m so glad you liked my idea! :D

In this Au I don’t think people would be born as hybrids. Around the age where kids start developing personalities that’s when they’re the most open to absorbing the ambient magic around them. The forms they take being dependent on a combination of the persons spirit and the local magic. It requires a lot of magic so it’s pretty rare and mythics require even more magic so are rarer still. It’s unusual to have more than one hybrid in a family let alone siblings and one being a mythic to boot is basically unheard of.

There’s room to change what creatures Price, Gaz and Ghost are I just went with lions because it’s England’s national emblem. I love Irish roach too but DRAGON.

Farah and Hadir are unequal opposites both hybrids but Farah is a mythic and they represent different elements and want different things in the end freedom vs retribution (I also wanted a hybrid antagonist instead of making all the bad guys human).

Farah x Alex = roast beef :,D

Laswell isn’t a mythic but she is also very rare she grew up on or near a hidden fossil when other hybrids (especially reptiles and some birds) get near her the feel like they’re in the presence of something ancient.

Golden eagles mate for life (Alrudy) and the snake the eagle eats on the Mexican flag is a rattle snake but I think it was originally a different one and Valeria does work better a a viper

You are so right with nick btw polar bears are one of the few animals to actively hunt humans and they’re smart to.

I think the first thing to change for soap were his eyes, they went from blue to BLUE and ever since everyone’s been to afraid of tainting the pure little Unicorn to even touch him. Being viewed as near holy did not help the religious guilt. This could also work with him being trans masc or just gay. Also did I say this was Ghoap yet?

Everyone listens to a mythic they are put on pedestals and viewed as nearly holy and hurting one purposefully is nearly unthinkable for most regular people, so having several in the military even if they are fierce creatures is nearly unheard of let alone with Soap. They usually become celebrities or spiritual leaders.

Shepherd mission in life is basically “if I can’t have special magic then I’m gonna make those who do suffer”. Makarov’s is to wipe out the walking talking crimes against nature. He’s one of the few deadend to magic like the opposite of a hybrid but that does mean magical tracking, attacks or other affects don’t work on him.

Nearly everyone has a bit of magic in them they can use and feel, hybrids and mythic hybrids have more Laswell has more then most still.

Thank you for letting me word vomit I hope you like some of the background info.

I LOVE THAT AS A WAY TO EXPLAIN HYBRIDS THAT WORKS SO WELL! THERE IS SO MUCH POTENTAL!!!

I see why you chose that but honestly it almost to many lions. What you could do is have Ghost's transformation happen around the Roba period. I know that goes against the premise, but it would be an explanation if you wanted to do something else. Maybe a chupacabra or OOHHH A BLACK DOG!!!

Agreed Irish Roach is based but DRAGON!!!

Good thought process on Farah that absolutely makes a lot of sense as well as some of the bad guys being also hybrids.

FARAH AND ALEX MY BABIES!

I like that a lot Laswell gives the ancient knowledge vibes.

THE SYMBOLISM WITH ALRUDY AND VALARIA 10/10 (I'm a bitch for symbolism)

My thoughts exactly it also narrows down presumably a wide range of other bear hybrids. Polar bears are so cool and I have never seen one be used in a hybrid AU.

I love the Soap angst (I'm also a bitch for Soap angst) lovely ideas for potential angst it works very well. I did figure it was Ghoap when is it not.

That is such a cool concept and it really makes a lot of sense. Do you think you will have any hybrids that are disliked and on top of that to what extent do mythic hybrids extend to. Ie what counts as something you can be a hybrid of because there is fae and other stuff (yes this is a roundabout way to ask if wendigo hybrids could exist)

Both motivations are just perfect chefs kiss. It fits both of their personalities and Shepard strikes me as a spiteful old bastard. And Makarov is just pure evil.

I like that addition I think it really ties the premise together.

I WILL TAKE ANYTHING YOU WILL GIVE ME!!! Feel free to drop by and give me more whenever you want I am living for this!

[irunevenus]

The History and Origin of Magic in Africa: An Investigative Dive

Africa, the cradle of humanity, is also home to deep spiritual and magical traditions. Magic on the African continent is intrinsically linked to its cultures, religions and ways of life, and has been a fundamental aspect of societies for millennia. This article delves into the historical roots of magic in Africa, exploring its origins, evolution and impact on African societies.

Origins and Historical Context

Magic in Africa has its origins intertwined with the earliest spiritual and religious practices on the continent. The earliest forms of African magic emerged in a context where communities were deeply dependent on nature, and magical practices were seen as a way to connect with and manipulate natural forces for the well-being of the community.

These practices date back to prehistoric times, when African ancestors used rituals, incantations and objects charged with symbolic power to influence events, cure illnesses and ensure fertility. Magic was closely linked to animist religion, in which all elements of nature—animals, plants, rivers, and mountains—were seen as endowed with spirit.

Magical Traditions and Their Guardians

Over the centuries, various magical traditions have developed in different regions of Africa. In West Africa, for example, we find Vodun, a religion that combines aspects of magic and spirituality, where practitioners believe in spirits and invisible forces that can be summoned and controlled through rituals. Vodun had a significant impact, giving rise to Voodoo in the Caribbean and parts of the Americas during the African diaspora.

In southern Africa, the shamanic practices of the San (Bushmen) and other indigenous tribes are central. Shamans act as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual worlds, using trance, ritual dances, and herbal medicines to heal and protect their communities.

Magic is also central to the traditions of the healers, known as “sangomas” in southern Africa. These practitioners are respected for their ability to communicate with ancestors, diagnose spiritual illnesses, and prescribe treatments that involve the use of specific herbs, amulets, and rituals.

The Role of Magic in Society

Magic in Africa has never been merely a matter of superstition. It plays an important social role, regulating behavior and serving as a form of community justice. For example, the use of “juju,” a form of protective magic, is common in many parts of West Africa. Juju can be used to protect against misfortune or to bring prosperity, but it can also be manipulated to curse or punish those who violate social norms.

In many African societies, magic is closely linked to political and spiritual leadership. Traditional kings and chiefs often consult diviners and priests for spiritual guidance, to ensure the protection of their people, and to legitimize their power.

Transformations and Persistence

With the advent of colonialism and the Abrahamic religions (Christianity and Islam), African magical practices faced strong opposition, often being demonized and persecuted. However, these practices did not disappear. They adapted and, in many cases, syncretized with new religions. Today, African magic remains a vital part of the cultural identity of many communities, resisting external pressures and maintaining its relevance in a modern world.

African Magic in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, African magic persists and evolves, both in its traditional forms and in new urban and global interpretations. It is present in religious practices, traditional medicine, and even in popular culture, where films, music, and literature celebrate and explore these magical aspects. In addition, there is a resurgence of global interest in these traditions, with people around the world seeking to learn and incorporate African healing and spiritual practices into their lives.

Conclusion The history of magic in Africa is rich and multifaceted, reflecting the complexity of African societies over time. Although it has faced challenges, African magical traditions continue to be a powerful force of cultural identity, spirituality and resilience. To understand this magic is to delve into the essence of Africa, a continent where the mystical and the real are deeply and inseparably intertwined.

[fancoloredglasses]

RWBY (a rather Grimm tale)

(Thanks to Story Teller's Corner)

[All images are owned by Rooster Teeth VIZ Media. Please don’t sue me or sic a Grimm on me]

RWBY (pronounced “Ruby”) is an “American Anime” (as in Anime style made in the US. Yes, it IS a genre. Yes, it IS anime; even the Japanese say so!) created by Monty Oum (who, at the time, was lead animator for Red vs. Blue) for Rooster Teeth Productions (sadly, Oum died due to a severe allergic reaction during the third season of the series. It was then taken over by head writer Kerry Shawcross, who worked from Oum’s outline for the series, trying to keep to Oum’s vision as closely as possible)

Nearly all characters are loosely based of myths, legends, tales, and folklore in our world (I will explain who everyone is based on as they are introduced)

The series takes place in the world of Remnant, which humans share their word with…

Faunus, human-like beings with animal traits. Often treated as second-class citizens, a number of them founded a group known as the White Fang, that worked to improve Human/Faunus relations. Unfortunately, the group slowly morphed into a terrorist organization thanks in no small part due to the actions of…

Adam Taurus, who seized control of the group. (I will explain who Adam is based on later, as he is tied with another character)

Also in this world are the Creatures of Grimm (or simply, the Grimm), soulless creatures who are drawn to negative emotions and will eat any living creatures that stand in their way.

Humans and Faunus are in constant danger from the Grimm, so members of both races were forced to step up to become the defenders of the world. These individuals are known as Hunters and Huntresses. Each of the 4 Kingdoms of Remnant have set up schools to train those who would be these defenders to fight and use their abilities, with an elite Academy set up in each capitol to serve as the official training ground for them.

In Remnant, all Humans and Faunus have an Aura that provides limited protection from damage (meaning students can go all out in their combat training until someone’s Aura in exhausted). Hunters and Huntresses are trained to hone their Aura into accessing special abilities called Semblances. Each Hunter and Huntress’s Semblance is different, reflecting the individual’s personality.

Additionally, the weapons used in the series are powered/loaded by a substance known as Dust that can cause elemental effects (such as fire or lightning) Any “firearm” in the series fires cartridges filled with powdered Dust (Dust’s pure form is crystalline)

RWBY centers on four Huntresses-in-Training at Beacon Academy in the Kingdom of Vale known as Team RWBY (At Beacon, the teams are named after the initials of the members’ names)

(Thanks to RWBY)

Leading the group is Ruby Rose (based on Little Red Riding Hood), a prodigy who managed to single-handedly thwart a robbery by a gang of armed mobsters. This got the attention of the Headmaster of Beacon, who immediately admitted her two years earlier than would be the norm.

Her semblance is incredible speed and her weapon-of-choice is a combination scythe/sniper rifle known as the Crescent Rose.

(Thanks again to RWBY)

Weiss Shnee (based on Snow White) is the heir to the Shnee Dust Company (the largest producer of Dust in Remnant) While Ruby considers Weiss her best friend, Weiss considers Ruby an annoyance (though their relationship improves as the series progresses)

Her weapon of choice is a rapier that can be charged with Dust cartridges, while her Seblance is the ability to make circles of power (Glyphs) that can be used as platforms, launching points, or speed boosts. Additionally, all Shnee have the ability to call forth phantoms of Grimm they have defeated.

(RWBY once again)

Blake Belladona (based on Beauty (some say the Beast as well) is a Faunus (her animal part is feline) and former member of the White Fang and Adam Taurus’s ex-lover (What Adam’s based on depends on how you view Blake: is she’s not also the Beast, then Adam is (I lean this way since the Beasts’s name in the tale is Adam); if she is, then Adam’s Gaston. Adam did NOT take the break-up well, and is obsessed with getting Blake back) She’s a bit of a wallflower, preferring to hide in the shadows than deal with people.

Blake has a number of stealth skills based on her time with the White Fang. Her Semblance is the ability to create phantom clones of herself as distractions, while her weapons of choice are a pair or weapons that are combination small automatic pistol, short sword, and whip (she’s nothing if not versatile)

(yep, RWBY again)

Ruby’s sister, Yang Xaio Long (based on Goldilocks) is a hot-headed happy-go-lucky brawler. Technically, Ruby and Yang are half-sisters (they have a common father: Tailong Xiao Long (voiced by Rooster Teeth founder Burnie Burns))

Her Semblance is a buildup of strength the longer a fight goes, while her weapons of choice are gauntlets that pack an extra blow due to dust cannons (that can also be used as firearms or booster rockets to for a speed and/or jump boost) within.

I would be remiss in discussing Team RWBY without discussing “Bumbleby”. Early on, it was hinted that there’s chemistry between Yang and Blake, which only increased as the series progressed (Black + Yellow = Bumbleby)

But Team RWBY aren’t the only students the series follows:

Meet Team JNPR (pronounced “Juniper”) From left to right…

First up is the leader Jeane Arc (based on Joan of Arc), who bluffed his way into Beacon and had, in fact, never did any initial training to become a hunter. As such, he doesn’t have a Semblance when the series begins and is mostly used as comic relief. Fortunately, he does learn tactics fairly quickly. His weapon is a sword that can expand into a shield.

Nora Valkyrie (based on Thor) is a headstrong warrior who tends to charge in without a plan (similar to Yang, but with less anger issues) She uses a Warhammer that can use Dust to rocket-charge her blows. Her Semblance allows her to gain strength when she’s hit with electricity.

Pyrrha Nikos (based on Achilles) was a youth combat champion (with her face on cereal boxes and everything!) before attending Beacon. She has a crush on Jeane and spends a lot of time behind the scenes training him to become the leader he fakes being. Her weapon of choice is spear and shield and her semblance is a form of magnetism (which allows her to make her opponents miss her)

Finally, Lie Ren (originally voiced by Oum before his death; based on Mulan) is a quiet individual who shares a history with Nora (they are the sole survivors of a village that was razed by Grimm) He carries his father’s daggers, as well as bladed pistols that can be thrown like boomerangs. His Semblance allows him (and any in his proximity) to be ignored by the Grimm as long as he remains calm

Teams RWBY and JNPR have other allies as well…

Penny Polendina (based on Pinocchio) is a robot from the kingdom of Atlas who has somehow gained an Aura. She befriends Ruby and has been an ally in a number of fights. Her mechanical nature means she is stronger and faster than a normal person and more resistant to injuries. Her weapons of choice are a set of at least 8 short swords that she can control remotely. Her Semblance boosts her already impressive strength.

Beacon is headed by Professor Ozpin (based on the Wizard of Oz), who is the wise mentor to the students of Beacon, as well as running a global surveillance network looking out for threats to the world’s stability. His semblance is unknown in the first few seasons, and his favored weapon appears to be his walking stick.

Qrow Branwen (based on the Scarecrow) is Yang and Ruby’s uncle (Yang’s mother’s brother) who is a bit of a drunk and lot of a scoundrel who is one of Ozpin’s main agents in the Kingdom of Vale. His semblance is unknown in the first few seasons (though it’s hinted and later revealed that he can transform into a crow; Yang’s mother Raven has a similar ability) and his favored weapon is the a gun-sword that can transform into a scythe (who to you think trained Ruby to wield her Crescent Rose?)

Finally (isn’t this cast of protagonists large enough?) Weiss’s older sister Winter (based on the Snow Queen (AKA Elsa from Frozen)) is another of Ozpin’s agents and is an officer in the Kingdom of Atlas’s military. She has a fierce rivalry with Qrow, seeing his as a layabout while she exudes military discipline.

(Thanks to Nightcore Dimensions)

Like Weiss, her semblance is Glyphs and calling files she’s defeated, though she wields a longsword instead of a rapier.

While it would be nice to say the series is all about hijinks and battling monsters, there are some very real threats to the world besides the Grimm in a coalition that includes Adam Taurus and the White Fang, plus…

Roman Torchwick (based on Romeo Candlewick/Lampwick from Pinoccio, though he resembles Alex from A Clockwork Orange) and his mute sidekick Neapolitan (or simply “Neo”; based on the goddess Hecate but resembles Neapolitan ice cream) are a pair of scoundrels hired to steal as much Dust and cause as much havoc as possible. They got sideways with Ruby when they tried to rob the Dust store she was shopping in (the same incident that got her early entry into Beacon)

Torchwick wields a cane that doubles as a sniper rifle and his Semblance is never revealed, while Neo wields a combat umbrella and her Semblance creates illusions that can be seen by everyone present.

The coalition’s field commander is Cinder Fall (based on Cinderella) She is young enough to pass as a visiting student from another training school. She spends her time reigning in Torchwick and the While Fang while also fomenting discord among the population.

Her Semblance allows her to superheat objects, allowing her to either reshape them or cause them to explode, and her weapon of choice is a pair of glass swords that could be connected to form a bow.

Cinder’s minions are Emerald Sustrai (based on Aladdin) and Mercury Black (based on the god Mercury) Emerald was a street urchin who Cinder found and recruited, and as a result Emerald is totally devoted to Cinder, while Mercury was an assassin on the run when Cinder recruited him, so his loyalties aren’t quite as fanatical. Mercury also lost his legs some time in his past, so he sports mechanical legs with guns within (his weapons of choice).

Emerald’s weapons of choice are a pair of blades chained to pistons and her Semblance allows her to project illusions to a single victim. Mercury is adept at martial arts to supplement his leg-guns and has no Semblance (his father somehow stole it)

The first couple of seasons (or “Volumes”, which consisted of episodes that usually lasted at most 15 minutes (though the finale could be half an hour or longer)) were mainly setting up the world and cast, and was mostly the students being students feeling out their abilities and relationships in the silliest ways possible.

(Thanks to Dorraj)

However, the seeds for the rest of the series were planted in Volumes 2 and 3, with the show taking a very dark turn (which saw the deaths of a number of cast members), which saw Teams RWBY and JNPR teaming up to leave Vale to take on the shadow coalition.

The show lasted for 9 volumes when it went on hiatus due to Rooster Teeth being closed by Warner Bros-Discovery. However, this would not be the end of RWBY as Shawcross managed to sign a deal with VIZ Media to allow him and his team to finish RWBY’s story (based on the progression thus far, I would guess they have 3 more volumes left)

Unfortunately, with Rooster Teeth gone there’s very few options other than a paywall to watch the series (though I did find it on Internet Archive)

There are also two spin-off series as well

RWBY Chibi has the cast re-imagined as cutesy (or “chibi”) characters doing short skits that are little more than fluff (but very entertaining fluff, such as when Ruby writes, directs, and stars in the original production “Little Red Riding Hood” (with Blake wondering why SHE has to be the Big Bad Wolf) or when Jeane becomes the masked vigilante the Huntsman (and fails miserably at it)). The series is available on YouTube. [SPOILER ALERT: Episode 6 contains a MAJOR spoiler for RWBY Volume 3]

RWBY: Ice Queendom is a re-imagining of the first volume of RWBY in which Teams RWBY and JNPR must fight a Grimm that attacks its victims through their dreams. It’s available on Crunchyroll.

If you would like to see any volume reviewed, let me know!

[idswolf]

Hehehe Hello! Tis your secrettttt skeletonnnn!

I noticed on your wishlist you wanted to yap out some details about your goobers! I would love to draw either 4 armed Eclipse, Sunny Bunny, or Hallow, though you can yap to your heart's content about as many of your OCs as ya want! I do wanna see if these extra details will sway me even more onto one of your OCs hehehe

Btw, I am completely fine with gore too, so if your duders got some extra gruesome backgrounds I am able to handle them o7

OH MY GOSH HEWWO!! Let me just *scrambles to find my notes* alright so going down the list I’ll start with Eclipse!

Eclipse✨: Here’s so basic info I already had written down

• This Eclipse is from my security breach au called Won’t Die, they end up being one of Gregory’s protectors in it.

• I said they’re fusion of Sun and Moon and I mean that literally, in this au Sun and Moon are two separate beings in their own body and they literally combine together to make Eclipse.

• They’re kinda like Opal from Steven Universe in the sense they have a very one track mind and tend to focus on one thing and end up forgetting about other things they were meant to do

• They’re move around in the same creepy manner that Moon does in the games

• They’re 9’1 ft tall (not including the rays)

• They technically have 3 tails, the two ribbons on their backside and the hood of their lil cloak can move around like tails and the ribbon ones are strong enough to pick up Gregory!

• They are very willing to fight and or destroy stuff in order to complete their main goal

• They’re very protective and very strong (examples vvvvv)

The White Rabbit 🐰:

• So his name isn’t Sunny bunny, I just call him that to differentiate from my other Suns, he’s from my wonderland au and in it he’s either called Sun or the rabbit

• Sun is really kind to children but HATES adults, in fact he’s murdered multiple before in very gruesome ways, never in front of kids tho

• I want to make sure you know he genuinely cares about kids and loves making them smile whether it’s by doing fun activities with them or doing something silly to amuse them

• Him, along with most of the others from wonderland, want to kidnap kids so they can entertain them for forever, he actually lured Cassie (the Alice of this au) into wonderland without her knowing it was a trap

• He’s very manipulative and persuasive, this is how he helped keep kids from leaving wonderland in the past and how he got Cassie to help him in freeing the residents of wonderland

• He genuinely doesn’t think murdering people and kidnapping kids is a bad thing

• He’s an animatronic but he’s also semi organic

• He has a magical ability that lets him shift into a smaller form that looks like a rabbit(I sadly haven’t drawn it before), tho it’s smaller then his normal size it’s actually just a bit bigger than Cassie (she’s 3’9 ft for reference)

• He’s like 6’5 ft?? I never really figured out his height but it’s around that

Hallow 🎃 : Here’s some info I had written already

• The au Hallow is in is my seasonal au, basically magical creatures are the living embodiment of each season and of the four elements, other creatures there are also the embodiment of different things too like Hallow being the embodiment of Halloween

• The farm they live on isn’t in the human realm at all but is instead in a realm where magic and such run wild, the farm is ran by Maple (my grim Foxy) whose the embodiment of fire and autumn

• Hallow can only go to the human realm on Halloween but normal animals and humans are able to cross freely tho the areas to do so are very hidden so humans very rarely encounter the magical realm

• The character Hallow is most similar to is Jack Skellington, they’re both the embodiment of Halloween, tall spooky looking guys, mischievous, kind, and protective of their friends

• They can open their mouth and they have a very long goopy black tongue, I sadly don’t have a drawing of this but I have a drawing of a different character who has a tongue that’s similar to Hallow’s just not goopy like theirs is

Highly recommend looking at this art of Hallow as an example of the flames “leaking” out :] https://artfight.net/attack/7869231.dare-gone-wrong

[danceswithdarkspawn]

see now I want to know about the dinosaur game

Oh boy.

ARK: Survival Evolved (and now its UE5 remake, ARK: Survival Ascended) is, on the surface level, an open-world survivalcraft game in which you, well...survive. Build massive bases, craft weapons and armor, tame and breed a plethora of dinosaurs from different periods to help you on your journey to take out your map's respective bad guy(s). Pretty standard fare for a survival game, I think.

I particularly like this game for the open-world and fantasy aspects, the challenges it provides and of course, the dinosaurs.

But wait, there's lore!

This game's lore is woefully squirreled away in the form of hundreds of explorer notes scattered across the half-dozen or so story maps for the game. If you'd like an in-depth (and I mean very in-depth) look at ARK's lore, I highly recommend looking at NeddyTheNoodle's Youtube. Despite being sprawling and scattered, the story is very good and if that's something you're interested in, check it out.

TLDR of your role in the story if you're interested in a sci-fi survival tale.

So you're stranded on a strange island with biological improbabilites, and it's inhabited by various dinosaurs. Cool, right? Well you're not actually on an island and no one's coming to save you. You're actually on a giant space station, known as an ARK, floating above a dead Earth.

How did you get here? The short answer: the Overseer, the master AI controlling this sci-fi life raft, plucked your consciousness out of a database, slapped it into a body and flung you onto the ARK.

The long answer: 21st century humans discovered a miracle ore they called Element. This substance is self-replicating, an incredibly durable and diverse building material, and provides limitless energy. Two major nations, the United Republic of Earth (URE) and Terran Federation started using Element extensively. The URE used Element to modify and clone humans, while the Terran Federation rejected this and instead wanted to use Element to develop new technologies (primarily weapons). The two sides didn't agree which eventually erupted into largescale war, which was fueled by Element. Massive Elemental weapon use led to the pollution of the earth and the mass extinction of all life on the planet. When the war ends, humanity is on the brink of extinction. Together the two nations develop Project Genesis to preserve humanity. The project consists of two main parts: a massive colony ship loaded with plants, animals, and colonists that is launched into space in search of a habitable planet; and the ARKs, self-sustaining space stations hosting various biomes floating above Earth (this is where you are). Additionally, some of the last humans on Earth escaped by becoming Homo Deus, or beings of pure energy that exist outside of our reality. Most if not all of these Homo Deus operate within the System, the thing that makes the ARKs and Genesis ship function, performing various tasks.

Ok but how did you actually get here? Remember the URE doing human modification and cloning? Yeah. You're not 'you.' You're a clone. More importantly, the URE discovered a part of the brain that houses something called an engramic matrix. This is where a person's memories and personality is stored, and it persists long after death. During Project Genesis, crew members uploaded the matrices of every human that ever existed into a database embedded within the Genesis colony ship and the ARKs.

So what does this mean? It means the ARK you're on (or the colony ship) made a body for you and stuck your memories and personality in it, and sent you on your way.

Why the dinosaurs then? Why not modern animals? The lore reason for this is that while trying different animal-human combinations, the Genesis crew found that humans and dinosaurs were the most compatible. (It's because dinosaurs are cool, fyi.)

What exactly do the ARKs do? What is your purpose here? The ARKs serve two main purposes: to be a lifeboat for plant and animal life (much like Noah's Ark), and to test and force rapid evolution of their respective survivors and creatures. This rapid evolution is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to prepare its occupants for the eventual reseeding of Earth, because eventually, the ARKs will come back down to Earth, releasing its occupants.

Your purpose on the ARKs is a little different than the survivors that became before you. You still have to face all the trials they did (surviving dangerous biomes, amassing a dinosaur army, and defeating increasingly difficult foes) BUT you have a mission, because all of humanity is placed on your shoulders. Why?

There were a lot of shortcomings of the Genesis Project, namely that unrefined Element is sentient and had corrupted Earth so thoroughly that it created its own monstrous creatures, including Kaiju-sized beasts known as Titans. All of these Element-based creatures are connected through a hivemind, helping to spread and keep the Element corruption high. And why is that important, you may ask? Because the ARKs can only come down to Earth once the level of Element corruption decreased to a certain threshold. This was never going to happen without intervention on Earth.

Therefore, your mission is to get the Earth and kill the Titans, halting the spread of Element corruption and allowing the ARKs to come down.

Great, cool, awesome, how in the bloody hell do you do that then??? The same way those before you did: explore the ARKs, delve into dangerous caves for artifacts, defeat the Guardians and move from one map to the next until you get laserbeamed down to Earth.

And once you get down to Earth? Well good fucking luck, because there's more caves to delve, big fucking titans to kill and corrupted creatures that want to kill you a bunch.

In terms of story, once you cleanse the Earth, what happens to you, your Survivor, is up to you. You might imagine that you stay on Earth to see it repopulated by the ARKs. You might imagine you ascend a final time and become a Homo Deus yourself. Or you could imagine that your consciousness gets beamed all the way to the Genesis colony ship to join the other colonists on your new home planet, whenever the ship finds it. You earned it, after all.

In terms of the rest of the story, of the survivors that came before you, it is so massive that I don't think I can squeeze it into a bitesized section. I initially attempted to do this, but spent literally all day cross-checking and writing down the entire story and got absolutely nothing else done. Suffice to say, it is a tale of friendship, betrayal, hubris, and ultimately, survival. The characters are all interesting and well-written. Again, I very highly recommend NeddyTheNoodle's channel, he has a supercut of the overarching story as well as cinematic, in-game recreations of the story for each map. It's really cool, they're each like their own movie. Or if you have the patience, you can read through all the explorer notes on the ARK wiki.

[nijigasakilove]

Well, a top 3 show of summer 2023 comes to a close and what a ride it’s been. This show simply put, just hit different and had an air of mysticism and fantasy to it that you don’t see a lot these days.

I think the combination of the somewhat modern setting and the magical elements along with the amazing cast were the big reasons. Also the fact it was adapted from a proper novel where writing tends to be more mature. I’m gonna miss Aya and Tsugaru jokes on Wednesdays 😭

Onto the episode itself, had a little of everything that makes this series so good. The shorter runtime concerned me a little at first, but the decision to open with the OP theme during a sakuga display was really cool. Carmilla and Shizuku in particular was awesome.

There’s so much unsaid sexual tension between the two of them that comes through in every scene. They paid off the fact that Shizuku wasn’t wearing underwear in a pretty funny way too. Carmilla lucky af for getting that view lmao.

And the culprit finally revealed! Wow what a twist, again, the author has such a good way of subverting expectations. I would’ve never imagined it was Jute masquerading as Nora. It makes sense now how Nora reacted when Shizuku suggested it could be an inside job. Alma, the doctor, etc., all misdirections. Aya’s walkthrough of the case put everything into perspective and is a riveting tale of deception. Masterclass from Jute really.

Her hatred of both villages is understandable I can’t lie. Her mother got screwed over by her own people and then the humans didn’t even want them. Even Louise supported her in her quest for revenge. She would’ve gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids 😂

I love how creative the final fight between Tsugaru and Nora was. Using that unique sketch style animation in the dark was cool. I don’t mind them letting her off because she was a victim tbh. Neither the human village nor the werewolf village were safe for her, but if Moriarty and banquet are after her DNA for the chimera, idk how safe it is for her to be on her own. I guess in a way since her location is now random it’s better than travelling with the party, but still…

Either way, awesome finale. Awesome show and I can’t wait to read the books

Full series review is up on my Myanimelist