#Zia visuals

[ziavisuals]

IG @zia_visuals_

[extaroism]

🎬 won't you stop with that look on your face ?

🪶 @n-americano ..

[mintmoth]

This was originally a typed up joke I sent to a friend but the visual image of him just Grabbing Zia for Emphasis made me laugh enough that I had to draw it lmao

[reverieshifts]

𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝑭𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒓

𝒔𝒄𝒊-𝒇𝒊 𝒅𝒓

ok so Soren was probably the hardest to find a visual for, he sort of has some of the features of the pic on the left, but also the hair from the right. he also probably looks a little... idk, messier??? I guess??? and a bit cockier. probably a few small scars here and there as well.

Role on the Ship: Captain / Pilot / Mechanic

Species: Human

Age: 23

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Zodiac: Sagittarius

MBTI: ENFP

𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

Soren Fennor is the kind of handsome that sneaks up on you. Not polished. Not clean-cut. But lived-in—like someone who’s been through hell, learned how to flirt with it, and came out with a cocky grin and a scar or two to show for it.

He stands just under 6 feet tall, lean but well-built—broad through the shoulders from years of hauling equipment, wrestling with malfunctioning ship parts, and narrowly escaping explosions of his own making. His frame reads less “trained soldier” and more “fast healer,” marked with old bruises, faint burns, and a handful of deep scars he refuses to explain. He walks like he owns every inch of broken ground beneath his boots—and he probably patched half of it back together himself.

His hair is longish and brown, always a little messy, usually tied back into a short, low ponytail when he’s working (which is most of the time). His eyes are a deep golden brown—warm, sharp, and always moving. Observant. Calculating. Occasionally mischievous. They narrow when he’s thinking, soften when he’s lying, and burn like a sunflare when someone threatens someone he cares about. His smirk is damn near a weapon—crooked, playful, and far too effective for someone with grease almost always smudged across his cheek.

Soren’s clothes are functional and battered: reinforced cargo pants, weathered boots, layered shirts and flight jackets with singed seams and rolled sleeves. His favorite jacket—dark leather with a faded patch on one arm—is probably older than Soren himself. He always wears his utility harness across his chest, rigged for fast access to tools, weapons, or emergency patches. Everything he owns looks like it’s been stitched, scorched, or welded at least once.

He has calloused hands and a rough voice from breathing recycled air, but there’s something magnetic about him—like the promise of danger wrapped in charm, or a half-finished map that dares you to follow it. People notice him. People listen to him. And even when he’s out of his depth (which is more often than he admits), he makes it look like it’s all part of the plan.

𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚

Soren is a walking contradiction—reckless but calculating, charming but guarded, easy to laugh and hard to reach. He’s got the confidence of someone who’s never had a safety net and the survival instincts of someone who’s never needed one. He talks fast, thinks faster, and acts before either has fully caught up.

He’s clever. Too clever. The kind of clever that makes him dangerous in a negotiation and lethal in a high-stakes escape. He’s not a genius like Zia, or a tactician like Jax, or a manipulator like Vira—but he understands people. Instinctively. Intimately. He knows how to read a room, flip a lie into a lifeline, or charm someone into giving him exactly what he needs before they even realize they’ve done it.

He’s also got quite the mouth on him. Sarcastic, dry, and constantly poking at the edges of people’s patience—especially Zia’s. He uses humor as armor, flirtation as distraction, and banter as deflection. If he’s teasing you, it probably means he likes you. If he’s not, you’re probably in trouble.

But for all his charm, Soren is deeply guarded. He doesn’t talk about his past. He doesn’t let people see him bleed unless he’s physically bleeding—and even then, he’ll probably tell you he’s fine. He’s spent most of his life fending for himself, and even now, surrounded by a crew that would die for him, he still flinches when someone offers softness.

Leadership wasn’t something he asked for. It’s something he became—by necessity, by grit, and by doing what needed to be done when no one else would. He’s not always a good captain. But he’s a loyal one. And he’s damn sure going to keep everyone on his ship breathing, even if it kills him. 

He is fiercely protective, almost to a fault. Cross one of his crew and it doesn’t matter who you are—corporate enforcer, syndicate boss, trigger-happy bounty hunter—you’re on borrowed time. He doesn’t forgive easily. He doesn’t forget at all.

And underneath all the swagger and smudged charm? There’s a softness buried deep. The kind that shows up in quiet gestures, in the way he fixes things without being asked, in the way he listens when he thinks no one notices. He’ll never say what he feels. But he’ll show it. In every reckless act of loyalty. In every half-saved rations packet he pretends he didn’t leave at your door. In every piece of the Clementine he’s rebuilt with his own hands.

He’s a disaster. But he’s our disaster. And that’s enough.

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅

Soren doesn’t talk about where he came from. Not really. The story changes depending on who’s asking. Burned-out slum on a mining colony. Scrap-town at the edge of a dead zone. A backwater planet that got swallowed by someone else's war. Doesn’t matter. The truth, the one he doesn’t tell, is simpler:

He was on his own before he could spell “survival.”

He doesn’t remember his mother. His father’s face is a blur of smoke and shouting. What he does remember is fire. Running. The heat of things falling apart. He remembers the way ash clung to his skin like second nature. After that, life became about staying one step ahead of hunger, cuffs, and anyone who looked at him like a problem to solve. He stopped waiting for help. Started learning how to take what he needed instead.

By the time he was a teenager, he’d already racked up a bounty—small stuff at first. Theft. Unauthorized docking. Tampering with tech that was “absolutely not meant to fly like that.” But the charges stacked, and so did the scars. He drifted from station to station, sometimes working for smugglers, sometimes stealing from them, sometimes both in the same week. Somewhere along the line, he started gutting ships. Rebuilding them. Making them better.

Turns out, he was good at it. Too good.

And then came the job.

He never talks about the details. Just that it was reckless, half-suicidal, and worked. He walked away with a ship that shouldn’t have survived the jump. She was falling apart. A stitched-up, black-market monstrosity with more scorch marks than working systems. But Soren looked at her and saw potential. Home. He named her The Clementine and spent the next cycle gutting, welding, and whispering her back to life.

Then came Jax. A standoff. A shared black eye. And a silent, mutual decision to stick around.

Then Zia. Half-submerged in a panel, swearing like she invented electricity, and too smart for her own good.

Then—somehow—Vira. All knives and smiles. The kind of woman who didn’t walk into rooms, she took them. Soren thought he could handle her. He couldn’t. Not then.

By the time I showed up—half-starlight, half-mystery, and floating through his cargo bay like some kind of beautiful, bioluminescent problem—Soren had almost figured out how to be a leader. Almost.

Now, the Clementine is his. The crew is his. And though he’s still figuring out how to carry all that weight without letting it crush him, he’s not about to let anyone else try. He made it this far on instinct and grit, and he’s sure as hell not stopping now.

𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 / 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐):

Soren is a phenomenal pilot—reckless, improvisational, and almost infuriatingly instinctive. He doesn’t just fly the Clementine—he feels her, like a limb he grafted into place with duct tape and sheer force of will. He pulls stunts no sane pilot would attempt and lives to gloat about it. He’s not trained. He’s self-taught. And somehow, that makes him better.

He’s especially skilled in evasive maneuvers, low-atmo skimming, and flipping the ship sideways to scrape through gaps that should not be ship-shaped. Jax calls it “suicide with style.” Soren calls it Tuesday.

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈:

Nobody knows the Clementine like Soren. He’s rebuilt her from scraps—modded systems, rerouted circuits, coaxed a fried reactor core back to life with a spoon, a prayer, and Zia's last piece of gum. He’s not a licensed mechanic (because he’d rather choke than be certified in literally anything), but he is damn good.

From patching blown manifolds mid-flight to quietly disarming bombs someone else planted, Soren can fix just about anything—provided you let him kick it first.

𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒕:

Soren doesn’t fight fair. He fights smart. Dirty. Desperate. Efficient. He’s not the strongest (that’s Jax), or the fastest (definitely me), but he’s slippery. He uses his environment, distracts with his mouth, and wins by being the most unpredictable bastard in the room.

Give him a knife, a pipe, a busted control panel—he’ll weaponize it. His signature move? Making it look like he’s losing. Until he’s not.

𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕-𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈:

If Soren had a superpower, it would be lying convincingly under pressure. He can sell a cover story before anyone else has figured out what the lie is. Corporate agent at a gala? Done. Low-level dockhand looking for a lost crate? Sure. Rebel courier? Yep.

He’s charming, flexible, and never says more than he has to. He thrives in morally gray areas and once talked an entire customs team into letting him through with illegal plasma cores by pretending they were “organic fruit fermenters.”

𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈:

He’s not the best captain because he’s the most qualified. He’s the best because he gives a damn. He knows how to push his crew, how to trust us, how to rally us when things go to hell. He inspires loyalty because he never asks for more than he’s willing to give—and he’s willing to give everything.

Also, he can shout orders in five directions while fixing the ship and bleeding. It's impressive.

𝒔𝒎𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 "𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈":

Soren has years of experience dodging scans, bribing border agents, hiding illegal cargo in food crates, and knowing exactly how much he can push before a deal breaks. He’s part smuggler, part mechanic, part charmingly chaotic raccoon.

He can identify valuable scrap by sound, knows which planets have lenient patrol rotations, and has forged more ship logs than he can remember.

𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆:

Soren’s best when everything is going wrong. If the ship’s on fire, the deal’s falling apart, someone’s bleeding out, and Zia’s screaming about a virus in the nav system? He’s fine. Focused. Calm(ish). Solving problems in real time. He doesn’t freeze. He moves.

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒘

𝑱𝒂𝒙𝒆𝒏 “𝑱𝒂𝒙” 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓 – 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 / 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒓 / 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆

Jax is the solid ground beneath Soren’s chaos. The one person who’s always been there. The one who sees through the jokes and the swagger and calls him on his bullshit without blinking.

They’ve bled together, crashed together, buried people together. And through it all, Jax has stayed. Loyal. Steady. Unshakeable.

Soren may be the captain, but Jax is the one who keeps him from falling apart. He’ll never say it aloud, but if Jax ever left, the ship wouldn’t feel like home anymore.

Their bond is forged in fire, trust, and a thousand unsaid things.

Also: Jax has definitely carried him out of at least three bar fights.

𝒁𝒊𝒂 “𝒁” 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒓 – 𝒉𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 / 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒍𝒊𝒏 / 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒛𝒂𝒓𝒅

Zia drives Soren absolutely insane. She rewires his ship, steals his tools, reprograms the drones to sass him, and refuses to follow chain of command. She also saves his life regularly, knows the ship inside out, and fixes things he didn’t even realize were broken.

They bicker constantly—him shouting over the comms while she mutters about "captain-shaped problems"—but underneath the static, there’s real affection. He worries about her. Quietly. Stashes real food in her gear bag. Makes sure she gets rest (by threatening to lock her out of the engine room).

Also: She calls him “Bossman” when she wants something. He pretends he doesn’t care. He does. It pisses him off so much, which is precisely why she does it.

“𝑨𝒓𝒊” (𝒎𝒆) – 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 / 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒎𝒂 / 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎

He didn’t plan for me. Definitely didn’t plan to keep me. But ever since I appeared on his ship—soft-voiced and starlit, asking questions no one had the answers to—things haven’t been the same. I'm strange. Graceful. Disarmingly earnest. And completely out of place in the kind of life he leads.

I unsettle him. Throw off his rhythm. Talk in riddles, float like I'm weightless, and look at him like I can see right through the walls he’s spent years building. And no matter how many times he tries to keep his distance, I'm still there—quiet, curious, and just there.

He’s protective too, though he won’t admit it. Keeps telling himself it’s just good judgment. I'm an anomaly. A responsibility. Definitely not something he’s getting attached to.

Zia says I'm rewiring him. Soren says that’s stupid. Then finds himself picking up my favorite fruit on a supply run. Again.

𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝑶𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒏 – 𝒆𝒙 / 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 / 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌

Vira was... something. Sharp edges and silk smiles. Dangerous in ways that didn’t always feel dangerous—until they did. Their relationship was never clean. It was built on tension, deflection, and just enough truth to make it hurt when it finally cracked.

He doesn’t know what went wrong—only that it did. That she left. Or maybe he let her go. Depends on the day.

Now, they’re civil. Professional. He trusts her with the ship’s life but not his own. She’s still got pull—can read his expressions, land a line that cuts—but he’s not the boy she walked away from. Not anymore.

Still, when she boards, there’s always a pause. And a weight.

𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 / 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔

He named the Clementine on a whim. He didn’t expect to get attached to the ship. He really didn’t expect to still be here.

He’s terrible at relaxing. The man will “rest” by lying flat on the floor under an engine panel with three live wires in his hand. He starts getting twitchy after more than ten minutes of silence.

Has a deep, irrational distrust of chairs with only three legs. Refuses to sit in them. No one knows why. He won’t say.

Taught himself to play guitar on a salvaged six-string with one tuning peg missing. He only plays when no one’s around.

He’s technically banned from six spaceports, two gambling rings, and one wedding. The last one wasn’t his fault. Mostly.

Flirts like it’s a defense mechanism. Because it is. But the more attracted he is to someone, the worse the flirting gets.

Has a habit of fixing broken things and pretending it wasn’t him. A faulty lamp in Zia’s quarters. A busted stabilizer Jax had been meaning to fix. A cracked hydroponic light in my little garden pod. (He says it’s nothing. It never is.)

Once fell asleep mid-repair under the ship and scared the hell out of Jax, who thought he’d died. Zia left a spare screw on his chest like a flower on a grave. He still hasn’t forgiven her.

Has a scar across his left side—long and mean, just under his ribs. He says it’s from a merc’s blade. Jax says it’s from “Soren trying to flirt with someone who was also holding a knife.” Neither will elaborate.

Keeps a knife tucked into his boot, another in his belt, and a third in a hidden compartment in the cockpit. No, he will not tell you where the fourth one is.

Talks to the ship when no one’s around. Calls her “girl,” “darlin’,” and “don’t you die on me, not today.”

Has a mild phobia of cryo pods. He says it’s just a personal preference. Jax knows better. Once, after a near-death mission, he refused to get in one even while half-conscious.

He absolutely has a “captain voice.” Smooth, calm, authoritative—comes out only when shit really hits the fan. The crew actually listens when they hear it. Even Zia.

Once fell out of the ship. Long story. He lived. Barely. Zia refuses to let him forget it. Jax definitely won’t.

𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂

Ok, so I don't really know what to say here. Except that this took FOREVER to put together, especially since I couldn't find a good face claim for the life of me. I finally just settled on this one because I got tired of looking. It's close enough I guess.

I'm also not completely happy with his appearance section. But basically, he doesn't exactly stand out as much appearance wise as much as someone like Jax, but the second he opens his mouth he can charm anyone into nearly anything. Which is exactly how a scrappy little thing like him caught the attention of someone like Vira.

But anyways, he's definitely the heart of the ship (at least before I show up), and probably the most loyal man you'll ever meet. Except for Jax, maybe. But while Jax still has moral limits when it comes to protecting his people, Soren does not. Once you're his, he will literally do anything to keep you safe. He's a pretty good person overall, but he's also lost everything before, and he will not let it happen again. So if any of us end up in trouble, he will lie, cheat, steal, hurt, and kill to get us out of it.

So basically, he's a stupid brilliant charming asshole, and probably the reason for almost every near death experience, but also every miraculous survival. So yeah I think that about sums him up.

@aprilshiftz @lalalian

[itsjustaside]

Lo zio (5)

Mi sveglio sentendo qualcosa che mi sfiora un fianco, sbuffo e muovo un po’ il culo. Sono girata sul fianco sinistro e non sono coperta, avevo caldo stanotte, credo per colpa dell’alcol, e anche il lenzuolo mi dava fastidio. Sento di nuovo qualcosa che mi sfiora e mi giro a pancia sotto, la maglietta lunga che ho messo per dormire che mi copre a malapena il culo. Stringendo il cuscino richiudo gli occhi. Stavolta sento un movimento affianco a me, prima di sentire qualcosa che si muove. In un attimo sono sveglia e il mio cervello registra più cose contemporaneamente: non è una zanzara o una mosca che mi sfiora, bensì la maglietta che di certo non si muove da sola. Affianco a me si muove mio zio e credo sia lui che la sta sollevando. Il cuore batte a mille mentre fingo di dormire e aspetto di sentire di nuovo la maglia che sale. Credo che afferri piano piano l’orlo e la sollevi, poi sento un sospiro e un gemito insieme mentre lo sento bestemmiare. Ahsi, non ho le mutandine. Vede tutto il mio culo e probabilmente le labbra della mia fighetta, col cuore a mille scosto un po’ la gamba, come se mi muovessi nel sonno e gli regalo una visuale più ampia. Questo gioco mi eccita all’inverosimile e probabilmente non dovrebbe. Anzi sicuramente non dovrebbe. Il materasso si solleva e capisco che si è alzato, continuo a far finta di dormire ma sento una mano sul mio fianco ormai nudo mentre le sue labbra si posano sulle mie e mi mormora un “buongiorno piccola” contro le labbra. Le sue dita sfiorano la mia coscia mentre si solleva e va verso la porta, socchiudo gli occhi veloce e vedo un inequivocabile bozzo nei suoi boxer e sento la mia figa che pulsa in risposta a quello che vedo.

Chiude la porta dietro di se e poi sento subito dopo chiudersi quella del bagno. Sbarro gli occhi mentre mi ricordo di quello che ho fatto ieri sera, o meglio, che non ho fatto. Non ho lavato il deodorante porca puttana. Senza pensarci esco in fretta dalla stanza e sto per bussare alla porta del bagno con la scusa di sentirmi male quando sento un gemito provenire da lì dentro. Mi blocco e poso l’orecchio contro la porta. Okay, lo so che non dovrei farlo ma non riesco a resistere e mentre con una mano mi stringo un seno ascolto mio zio che geme. Beh non credo che ci sia molto da immaginare… a parte che me lo penso che si sta segando per me e che tiene il cazzone tutto gonfio e duro in mano e… basta Eli. Mi stacco dalla porta e mi costringo ad andare in cucina, mi siedo al tavolo e penso, sono talmente sovrappensiero che non sento nemmeno lo sciacquone. Me lo ritrovo direttamente seduto davanti con due tazzine di caffè in mano. Non riesco a guardarlo in faccia e vedendo che si è vestito immagino che avrà anche trovato il deodorante sporco. Non posso fare a meno di provare eccitazione ma provo un senso di vergogna per quello che provo che mi fa dire a malapena “buongiorno zio” prima di alzarmi col caffè ancora in mano e andare in camera.

Quando vado in bagno a vestirmi la prima cosa che controllo è il deodorante e lo trovo pulito. Deve averlo lavato, non so si è accorto di ciò che c’era sopra ma il pensiero è di nuovo stranamente attraente e preoccupante al tempo stesso. Finisco di vestirmi e vado a lavorare al posto di mia zia, lei oggi deve fare delle visite nella città vicina e pranzerà da un’amica. Visto che non si sa mai cosa combina mio cugino probabilmente sarò da sola con Remo a pranzo. Passo tutta la mattina a pulire e pensare, continuo a rivivere nella mia mente tutto ciò che è successo da quando sono arrivata. Lui che mi attrae, mi tratta come una nipotina e mi coccola ma mi guarda come guarderebbe un’altra donna. Io che non ragiono e mi faccio guidare dagli ormoni quando sono vicina a lui e non riesco a trattenere i miei istinti di toccarmi, di godere e ci manca poco che io posi anche le mani su di lui. Si fa ora di pranzo e scendo in spiaggia. Il cielo è cupo e nuvoloso, mi sa che anche se siamo in piena estate un po’ di pioggia non ce la risparmia nessuno. In spiaggia trovo solo mio zio e pochi altri, all’inizio mi sento un po’ imbarazzata ma lui non mi fa notare nulla e mi rilasso. Mi racconta un po’ di pettegolezzi sui frequentanti della spiaggia mentre mi prepara un panino e mi dimostra che gli uomini amano i pettegolezzi molto più di quello che vogliono far credere. Post pranzo giochiamo un po’ a carte fino a quanto non sentiamo dei goccioloni caderci sulla schiena e sul tavolo. Le poche persone che c’erano in spiaggia vanno via salutandoci mentre io metto via le carte perché non si bagnino e poi lo aiuto a chiudere gli ombrelloni perché il vento non li rovini. La pioggia scende sempre più forte e mi consiglia di chiudermi in cabina mentre lui chiude gli ultimi ombrelloni, tanto appena diminuirà l’intensità torneremo a casa con la moto. Vado a sedermi in una cabina e aspetto, dopo poco arriva anche lui, credevo si sarebbe seduto in un’altra ma invece si infila in quella in cui sono io e mentre fuori piove a dirotto ci ritroviamo stretti dentro quello spazio angusto.

[bumlets-appreciation-blog]

Amsterdam for all of the sisters; Dublin, Prague, and Sorrento for Eliza; and Milan and Mumbai for Nathaniel. :)

Okay, this is gonna be a little long, so I'll put it under the cut! If you need any elaboration or clarification, just let me know <3

The Vásquez Girls (Amsterdam: What is their ideal night out?)

For reference, their ages when they see Bumlets/Damián again are, in order, 18 (almost 19), 17, 15, 13, 11, 10 (I've got a reunion fic in my rough drafts somewhere). Also, their adoptive parents are Anya and Liam Gallagher and North Tarrytown, where they live, was renamed Sleepy Hollow in 1996 in honor of Washington Irving. However, the cemetery was renamed in 1865.

Xiomara: What Zia wants more than anything is to go out and have a nice family dinner with her entire family. Her adoptive parents, her sisters, and, of course, her twin brother. It doesn't have to be fancy. She just wants all of the people she loves together and happy.

Cataleya: Cataleya loves to go dancing! The Tarrytown Music Hall is one of her favorite places to be at any given time, and the other villages are close enough that Anya and Liam will let her walk over with friends as long as Xiomara goes with her.

Gabriela: Being the morbid little thing that she is, Gabi likes to visit the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery with her friends. They have a picnic, clean off gravestones, and read excerpts from their favorite gothic novels (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow reading is practically a tradition at this point).

Maricela: Mari loves the theater, whether she's performing or attending. She's still too young to go with a date, but she's content to go with just her friends and family members (for now).

Bianca: Honestly, Bianca doesn't care much for going into town. It's not as loud and crowded as Manhattan, but it can still be too much for her. What she does like, however, is exploring the forest by their house. She's not allowed to go by herself, so Liam will follow along behind her, giving her the space she needs but still keeping her safe.

Inés: Like a lot of ten-year-olds, Inés adores playing with her friends. She's got a lot of energy, so things like stickball and soccer are perfect for her. And thankfully for her, both of those things existed in 1899!

Eliza Sinclair

Dublin (Do they believe in Soul mates?): She wants to. It's just... hard for her to believe in good things, much less believe she deserves them. But I think that someday, when she's older and has had more time to heal, she'll look over at the gentle, kind-hearted young man who loved her through some of her lowest moments and let her love him through some of his and maybe, just maybe, start to believe.

Prague (What is their favorite season?): She adores how the world comes alive in the spring, but her favorite part of spring is the flowers. And not just tulips and daffodils, but the trees too! It's not always practical, but she tries to bring her easel and watercolors to Washington Square Park for at least one painting in the spring. (Side Note: I haven't mentioned her hair color yet in the story, but she is a redhead and I love the visual image of white apple blossom petals tangled in red hair. Can you guess who else likes it?)

Sorrento (What is their weakness?): If you ask her, she'll tell you it's chocolate mousse. But in all seriousness, it's definitely her self-esteem. It doesn't matter how smart or kind or genuinely lovable she is; there will always be a small part of her that thinks she's stupid, selfish, and worthless. As she gets older, that part will become easier to ignore, but it will take a lot of work on her part and a lot of support from the people who love her.

Nathaniel Liu

Milan (How do they think others describe them?): He's 6'4" and built like a brick wall; he knows people find him intimidating. He's also aware that he has a reputation for being stubborn and surly, and he knows people think poorly of him because he had a white mother and a Chinese father. He doesn't really care about any of that, though. He knows his little brother adores him, he knows Swifty's friends think of him as a safe place to go when they're in trouble, and he knows his boss respects him and relies on him for difficult work. That's all that really matters to him. Everything else is just background noise.

Mumbai (What is their favorite scent?): He loves the smell of the ocean. He spends most of his day in a forge, so he's used to smelling sweat, hot metal, and sulphur because of the poor ventilation. He always takes the long route back to the boarding house where he lives, just so he can walk by the ocean after work.

[let-me-be-an-egg-toast]

part 2

shout out to @zia-the-weirdo and @get-a-snack-at-an-ungodly-hour for this (part 1)

so "Microphone Guy" would probably be found in the upper floors (maybe 50+) and you need to find them 7 times and completely interact with them just to get them

(what you see at first [you need to click the error])

but it wont be automatic they'll actually ask to "join your amalgamation" and you can refuse, which makes them only appear whenever you keep ignoring dandy (odd-numbered floors) and will offer you health kits or bandages (this can also happen if you don't play as them ngl)

if they say something like "today i was feeling extra silly" they will give you what looks like either the eject button, valve, or smoke bomb, but its actually not

the "eject button" causes a random Twisted to be sent flying through the roof, the "valve" causes the machine to be filled up with something called "lICORice" instead of ichor (still does the job but yk you have less ichor now), the "smoke bomb" will blind both the player and twisted (for 30s) with "glitchter" (glitter+glitch)("GET GLITCHTERED") and to the other players they see the player/twisted walking around with glitch/ichor-like substances on their face and hands moving about trying to find something to cling to

you will need to press "A" rapidly once you get glitchtered to remove the substance off your face but the Toon will have smudges on them and a disgusted/sad wiggly face with your screen having smudge-like marks

if you fail to do this right after getting glitchtered you will have it for 30s

the said objects in question look normal at first until you see they're more darker/desaturated versions of themselves or their hue is a little off

example:

original vs fake

this also applies too for the health kits and bandages if "microphone guy" was feeling extra silly TM where instead of just healing they also boost a random stat by 40%

"microphone guy" has two special objects: the Flute (item) and the Note Staff (trinket) (BOTH ACTUALLY VERY DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO LORE)

The Note Staff can be obtained by completing all of "mic guy"'s 7 interactions and all research on every Toon, or just completing the research for "mic guy"'s Twisted form ("The Twisted Clef")

Ditto, but instead of research for the Flute you need to survive every single Twisted existing or just Twisted Clef in one run

the Note Staff grants +5-10% research everytime and 30 extra tapes at the start of every run but wait here's the catch

there is a 1/35 chance of a Corrupted Tape spawning and when used it stuns all Twisteds on the floor permanently until you get out

the visual effects are actually different

instead of just stopping in their tracks the Twisteds will convulse and scream

so that's disturbing :D.

the Flute is permanent (not consumable) and by itself can give one additional star to all your stats and even stun all Twisteds for 15 seconds and heal everyone by one heart

but only once each floor

using/equipping the Flute and the Note Staff together, you can get 10-15% more research, 40 instead of 30 tapes (retaining the 1/35 chance), stun countdown is now 20s, and full healing

if you're playing as "mic guy" however, the Flute will grant 2 stars for all stats and 3 if paired with the Note Staff

it will also affect "voice.", where instead of "mic guy" vaguely singing they're now playing the Flute with the Note Staff floating and circling them

These are the countdowns for "voice." (path finder = twisteds knowing your location) Alone - 30s Stop All + 20s Slow Down + 10s Path Finder + 1 heart + 25s cooldown +Flute/Note Staff - 35s Stop All + 25s Slow Down + 15s Path Finder + 1 heart + 30s cooldown +Flute + Note Staff - 40s Stop All + 30s Slow Down + 20s Path Finder + full health + 40s cooldown

so with Flute and Note Staff "mic guy" is just Boxten/Poppy with a double-edged ability

here's the auditory effects:

Alone: vague singing + layered whispers

+Flute: flute + layered vague vocals

+Note Staff: singing now follows a 7 note melody

+Both: same as flute but now also following 7 note melody

You'll get the achievements Melodic Measure (Flute + Note Staff) and Star Sonata (using both as "mic guy")

also "mic guy" is the only one who doesn't get insta-killed by Twisted Dandy, only receiving normal damage

bro got too lost in the sauce

anyways this is The Twisted Clef, and I think its obvious that the cords in this idle pose become both a G AND F clef

also btw their eye is supposed to subtly look like a whole note anyways so

twisted clef is a roaming Lethal about the size of 2 Toons or more and they're supposed to be very creepy

twisted clef floats around and has their own "biome" or i guess floor layout where it looks like a floor full of tunnels, vents, and hallways

If this happens the achievement " 'Lost in the Music' " is gained

they have a very rare chance of spawning in floors 90+ or if you die in floors 80+ and immediately go back again for your 2nd run

The odds will increase if you refused to let "mic guy" join you

if you're playing as "mic guy" Clef can't spawn

NO OTHER TWISTEDS WILL SPAWN WITH THEM.

if clef goes through a tight space they will get out of their idle pose and start physically climbing through the space

vents are tight spaces that are almost the size of a Toon, hallways are tall spaces, and tunnels have varying sizes

now heres where Clef's ability really takes place

Clef can mimic ANY sound - Toons, any action sound effect (collecting extracting etc), Twisteds', and if with voice chat - even clips of players' voices

the more tighter a space is the more their sounds can echo, which can cause confusion to the player because they will hear a sound at the end of the hallway but Clef is actually in another one

the pipes in the hallways/tunnels will sometimes leak, but its not ichor - its actually "lICORice". if you ask "mic guy" about "this"lICORice" (if you refused to let them join), they will say something like "at least its not body fluid" or "its very edible"

all the machines are now for this "lICORice" instead of ichor, and your only reward for surviving Clef is getting 100% research on them

the hallways are the only thing without a blackout effect, but they only have one large lamp each, which flickers when Clef is near

if Clef has their sights on a player and said player is running in a hallway/vent, they will be stunned immediately by Clef, who then slows down as they approach the player, twisting their cord around their neck and slowly dropping them into the darkness of their face "puddle"...

yeah thats the mechanic and jumpscare

for the first 2 minutes Clef will actually be stationary, disguising themself as one of the wires hanging from the ceiling. the difference between them and the other wires is that the exposed yellow parts are frayed and branched, not claw-like and single like Clef's "hands"

if no players managed to get caught by their hands then they will become roaming

here's a thing: the only twisted to be able to spawn with them is Dandy.

dandy won't come for the players first instead he will HUNT clef down (if no players are in his way during this) and because of this clef has the chance of "dying" and disappearing early due to dandy

If you see them die you'll get the achievement "The Death of Sound" and for the rest of the game there will actually be NO SOUND AT ALL

if a player comes while Dandy and Clef are fighting they will stop and turn their attention to the player, both chasing them down

also yes its canon Dandy LOATHES "mic guy"/clef for many reasons though ill let you figure the reasons why ;)

for now, IF YOU REACHED THE END OF THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH I PUT TOO MUCH THOUGHT INTO THIS LMAOOO

i hope you enjoyed because this won't be the last post about this little shit

have a Paper Splatter skin

[circifox]

Beta Pictoris

Pictured here: https://www.deviantart.com/circifox/art/Drawtober-2023-Collision-1077178461 This is the woman who got bonked on the head with a space rock. It's her. So far with my Stars AU (for the most part) I've been trying to incorporate visual elements or physical elements of the star that we know of. It's young, but there are some smaller exoplanets that orbit it I believe. I think it was a white-blue star, which is why there's blues in her design, but I really wanted to incorporate the dust and debris disc in somehow. She's Zia's Stars AU equivalent. She's a rising artist who volunteers at art galleries in Pictor and Sculptor and teaches some art classes. Can be kinda clumsy and is prone to getting smacked around by rocks. Is well meaning, but her peers tend to be cautious of her due to how her presence can draw mayhem. She doesn't understand how it happens. Zia (Beta Pictoris) - Me (@circifox)

Posted using PostyBirb

[ziavisuals]

🌏 SAVE THE PLANET 🌎

ITS THE ONLY PLACE WE ALL CALL HOME

[fromashesweriseuphiddenones]

Day 20

So much like when he and Zia Claudia fully fledged, Malik was hit with a surprise as Shay fully fledged as an assassin, Malik was titled a master assassin given his own special robes. They were of the finest and strongest materials known to the local Italian robe maker, but light in weight and lacking in the same visual flair that Ezio had. It was an homage to his Lavant Roots. Even down to the chest belt which held his sword, which has surprisingly been his namesakes personal sword.

Malik, Claudia, Ezio, Clay, Shay, Haytham, Machiavelli, Barthomule, and many others knew that the time was soon. Lucruza Borgia had lost power with her brother crazed for power and their father poisoned, dying shortly after having spoken to Malik who stayed with him despite the pain and their opposite ideals. The dying pope had even asked

"Why not leave me? Why show kindness to the man who had your grandfather killed?"

"Because even the most vile people shouldn't be left to face death alone."

Death, speaking of the lonely figure, watched quietly before approaching. He hardly ever made his presence known to the living but this loving care taker of the dead only nodded to Malik and said,

"I have seen too many people and animals die alone over the years. To see a human care enough, warms this sad heart. Perhaps I shall see you soon Malik."

"That is if it will stick next time. Didn't the first time."

There was a smile from that lifeless skull who nodded and took the Borgia leader to his rest. And Malik was left wondering what he just saw.

[mintmoth]

Alright I'm gonna ramble about my Bad End AU finally lmao, basically it's a Lusamine Wins/Ultra Beast Fusion style au thing lmao I'll put it under a readmore

Essentially this is a Bad End AU, in the vein of What If Lusamine Won? The main group goes to ultra space but Lusamine wins the battle and the Nihilego descend upon the cast.

I do have Zia managing to try to protect Lillie, though the quick separation of the Nihilego from the host leaves Lillie in a fairy princess like coma for angst reasons sorry Lillie 😔 she gets added to the display of creepy crystalized pokemon. BUT Lusamine herself, Guzma, and Zia are parasitized and essentially fused with Nihilego, making them somewhere between Pokemon and human. They now are full of toxins and have some similar abilities to the Nihilego a la the Lusamine battle, but they also have Standby and Active states aka just when they're more visually human or not. Typically they look more human and are all kind of weirdly emotionally numb due to the overflow of toxins in their bodies, but sometimes will get moments of clarity, like coming out of a long dissociative episode and they're filled with panic at the realization of everything before Nihilego pick up on their heightened emotions and head over to "help" them.

Because I'm taking a page from the manga handbook and Lusamine has taken over Poni island with ultra beasts but also I've added aether paradise to this as the main hub base, with various aether employees who are still loyal to her. Guzma and Zia are also there because something in them feels weirdly loyal to her- same with the Nihilego that just roam the halls, like they have their natural defensive instincts but also pack instincts with each other. REGARDLESS this leaves them at her side as I have affectionately come to refer to them as her guard dogs.

They're both basically left with their worst negative traits heightened, making Guzma more irritable and aggressive, but willing to push himself to the breaking point for praise. He takes on a more active role with Lusamine being approached by various other evil team crap due to how successful she was and Guzma sometimes goes on loan to help when people schmooze up to Lusamine right and need some muscle. This Guzma has definely killed people rip. He has more muscle to him and can use the toxins within him and their natural ability to heighten the host's mood and own abilities to go into an almost berserker state. On the flip side Zia got the Nihilego's ability to look into people's memories and create illusions to make her a more distance based non physical combatant, so she typically stays by Lusamine's side and as such has become this like, weird new surrogate extension of Lusamine's self. Her more negative traits are being very passive and obedient and avoidant because she was raised on the "be seen and not heard" method and that leaves her in a more "you're so well behaved, unlike my unruly children" position with Lusamine.

ON THE FLIP SIDE Hau and Gladion are working together and with the adult cast to try to put an end to Lusamine bringing all this out of control bullshit to Alola and eventually Gladion will be able to at least save Lillie so they can work on figuring out how to wake her up. Honestly I don't have a lot of timeline stuff figured out outside of the premise LMAO

Also to explain the hair color changed real quick- it's another visual signifier for a loss of self as well as just another instance of Lusamine's penchant for prioritizing aesthetics. Zia's hair is naturally white so it's easy to just dye over in more of that weird element of Lusamine regarding her almost like a new well behaved child of hers- while Guzma within all my Zia stuff does have naturally two toned hair that he just dyes and bleaches in spots to make it looks more like an intentional style, so it's easy to dye over in black to unify it, which also shows a loss of his own personality in all this

BUT YEAH it's not super fleshed out but I've been having fun with the idea since it's so different than the normal story for these two

[pe4nutastic]

Strelitzia kick! Or Zia for short. Felt like re-drawing her after a bit, though wrt my blog, this is a first bit of art posted of her. Basically, she's an Ancient One (one of two total/modern-day Psion precursors) that survived planetary disaster. She has mega shapeshifting abilities and monster strength. Her hair and tail are ever-changing, kinda goopy like bubblegum or slime, as a kind of visual reference to her powers.

[merelygifted]

Quantum entanglement of photons captured in real-time

Biphoton states in high dimensions are attractive sources for quantum applications, including quantum imaging and high-dimensional communications. When projective measurement methodologies are used, it is typically time-consuming and impractical to completely characterize these states; however, recent developments in coincident imaging  technologies enable this by parallelizing many measurements.

In a new study, scientists from the University of Ottawa, in collaboration with Danilo Zia and Fabio Sciarrino from the Sapienza University of Rome, have introduced biphoton digital holography. The technology demonstrates a fast and efficient approach to reconstructing the full quantum state of entangled particles.

Using this technique, scientists visualized the wave function of two entangled photons in real-time.

A fundamental concept in quantum physics, the wave function thoroughly comprehends a particle’s quantum state. It enables quantum scientists to predict the probable outcomes of various measurements on a quantum entity, e.g., position, velocity, etc.

This predictive capacity is invaluable in the quickly developing field of quantum technology, where knowing a quantum state that is formed or input into a quantum computer will allow us to test the computer itself. Additionally, the quantum states used in quantum computing are very complicated and comprise numerous entities that could display potent non-local correlations (entanglement).  ...

[greensparty]

Stuff I'm Looking Forward To in March

Wow, somehow it's already month 3 of 2024. In addition to Daylight Savings Time (March 10 - Spring ahead), Ramadan (March 10-April 9), St. Patrick's Day (March 17), first day of Spring (March 19), Palm Sunday (March 24), Holi (March 25), Good Friday (March 29), and Easter (March 31) here is what's on my radar this month:

Movies:

Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve has become one of the great visual stylists of recent years thanks to films like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. I named his film Dune Part One, one of my Best Movies of 2021. How good Part One really was depends on Part Two, which drops 3/1.

Knox Goes Away

Michael Keaton has always been a tremendous actor and now he's back in the director's chair for the second time with a starring role about a contract killer who has a form of dementia and he attempts to connect with his estranged son. Oh and Al Pacino co-stars! Opens 3/15.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 

A Ghostbusters sequel is a tall order. Jason Reitman's 2021 sequel Ghostbusters Afterlife actually had its moments and it had a lot to say about living up to a legacy, in the film it's the grandchildren of Egon, but it could also be Jason Reitman about the fear and honor of continuing a film series that his dad Ivan began. The new sequel is directed by Gil Kenan, who co-wrote this with Jason. The fact that original Ghostbuster cast members are back gives me hope. Sequel drops 3/22.

Music:

Sheer Mag Playing Favorites

I was lucky enough to see Philly rockers Sheer Mag at House of Blues in May 2022. After two solid albums, they are finally back with their third, dropping on 3/1. (Review to come)

Liam Gallagher & John Squire Liam Gallagher John Squire

Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher's solo career has been a mixed back, but his album As You Were was one of my Best Albums of the 2010s. As shown in the 2019 documentary Liam Gallagher: As It Was, he doesn't need to play music for money or fame, he has plenty. He plays because he loves music. Now he's doing a new album with John Squire, former guitarist for The Stone Roses. Sounds like a serious meeting of musical minds! Album drops 3/1.

The Black Crowes Happiness Bastards

The first new studio album from The Black Crowes since 2009 is cause for celebration. After a bitter break-up in 2015, the brothers Chris and Rich Robinson announced they were reuniting in 2019. In early 2020, I caught an acoustic live show from Brothers of a Feather (my last concert before the pandemic lockdowns) and since that show, The Black Crowes have had some reunion tours (NOTE: by reunion - I mean Chris and Rich, not the original lineup). They've released some anniversary albums, but this marks the group's first studio album in 15 years. Looking forward to it when it drops on 3/15.

The Dandy Warhols Rockmaker

I've always loved Portlandia's The Dandy Warhols. Through this blog, I've had the pleasure of interviewing lead Dandy Courtney Taylor-Taylor and keyboardist / bassist Zia McCabe, the band's 2019 Boston concert, and their excellent 2019 album Why You So Crazy. Now the band is back with a new album dropping on 3/15! (Review to come)

Film Festivals:

Boston Underground Film Festival

Boston's fun genre film festival for horror, fantasy and bizarre is back. I've had the pleasure of covering this fest from 2016 to 2019 and returning last year. The fest returns to The Brattle Theatre (Cambridge, MA) from 3/20 to 3/24!

Conventions:

Northeast Comic Con

I've had a blast covering the Northeast Comic Con for years now (read my coverage here) and the Spring 2024 edition returns with guests like Kevin Chapman (who I worked with on Monument Ave), a Growing Pains reunion of Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller and Julie McCullough, The Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock and more! Convention is at the Boxborough Regency (Boxborough, MA) from 3/8-3/10. (Coverage to come).

Awards Season:

The awards season for the best of 2023 continues on with the Razzie Awards, actually the Worst of 2023 (3/9) and the Academy Awards (3/10).

In a Category all its own...

Shamrock shakes!!!

[wayti-blog]

"Researchers at the University of Ottawa, in collaboration with Danilo Zia and Fabio Sciarrino from the Sapienza University of Rome, recently demonstrated a novel technique that allows the visualization of the wave function of two entangled photons, the elementary particles that constitute light, in real-time."

continue reading article