#also could only use variations of orange and blue

[katshyperfixations]

Analogous color pallet with The Collector. First time using gauche paints so I had to figure it out a bit.

[guavi]

I made Aziraphale’s waistcoat about two months ago and boy it was a journey

Rant about the process under cut!

First thing to do was pick a fabric. For the visible fabric on the front and collar, I knew I definitely wanted to use something piled. I also did not want to use a synthetic fabric, which would have been cheaper but miserable to wear. I settled on cotton velveteen which would be more comfortable, slightly cheaper and easier to work with than silk velvet, and generally less shiny than silk. I was able to order some beautiful cotton velveteen from someone local.

Unfortunately it was not even in the same ballpark as the color I needed. This was due to a combination of reasons including the lighting in the photos they had (they were online only and didn’t have a storefront I could walk into), piled fabric in general being nigh impossible to accurately photograph the color of, and probably also some variations between dye batches. This is why we buy swatches when we can, folks.

The fabric itself was absolutely lovely though. So. No biggie I’ll just dye this myself what could go wrong

The dark brown here is after the first dye; the scrap laying on top on the right is the original color; the beige coat underneath for color reference. Note that even the colors in this picture looked quite different from irl. I did dip a scrap in first to check the color, but because Dyeing Is Weird and also I made some mistakes the final dye did not end up the same. I can write several more paragraphs on why this probably happened. We’d be here for a while.

But maybe it’ll be fine right? The color’s not exact but not offensive, maybe I’ll just start sewing and it won’t bother me that much.

Here’s a bit of that process, where you can see the interior of the waistcoat with interlining and twill tape, following some 19th century construction techniques. Lots of tedious but relaxing hand sewing. (Also, real pockets!)

I chose broadcloth for the interlining rather than a more typical canvas, because I wanted a more soft and aged look rather than crisp and new.

(I made another mistake here using cotton twill tape straight off the roll, which shrunk later in the process. You can see this later in how the edges pucker a bit. Oops. Oh well.)

(I also have no other photos of this stage because I went into the hyperfocus zone and forgot about everything except the task in front of me)

Turns out I was not ok with the color. It bothered me a lot.

So I tried to bleach it a tad to lighten the color, but Bleaching Is Also Weird and doesn’t always give you back the same color but lighter.

I got back something extremely orange tones, which bothered me even more. Had a minor breakdown until reboot papped me and helped me talk through how to fix this.

This ended up going through another round of light bleaching, and two rounds of dyeing over with blue to cancel out the orange. Finally I got something I was happy with!

You can very clearly see the puckering here caused by the shrinking tape..thankfully a good steaming was able to get rid of the worst of it.

The color is also slightly uneven if you look very closely, because rounds of the dyeing/bleaching happened after it was sewn together rather than as fabric pieces. Oh well. I can chalk this up to an “aged” look.

Time to finish it off with some buttons and 19th century style hand-worked buttonholes! The buttons aren’t accurate but I just went for ones that were the right size and vibes.

Last step was to add the wear around the buttons, hem, and collar. I’m sure there’s some faster way to do this, but I did it with a pair of eyebrow tweezers to pluck out the pile and a bit of sandpaper to finish off.

And that’s it! For the waistcoat at least. I also made the outer coat, the bow tie, and the blue shirt because I couldn’t find one for purchase that fit me. I still need to make other things. But that’s for another time.

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

It's time for Step 4 Cove's posts, and first up is what choices change his look!

As before, my first post on Step 2 Cove's appearance modifiers will tell you a lot of what you need to know if you haven't already read it, but to summarize:

The things that your MC notices/favors/picks up/focuses on influence Cove's look, though there are some exceptions.

In some cases (though there are none in this step), a choice that changes Cove's appearance may also affect his coldness/warmness as well as his studiousness/sportiness. This is coincidental, so Cove's personality doesn't largely impact his look.

If you want a different Cove without using the Cove Creator, try choosing different aesthetic/taste-based options.

Specific to Step 4, however, there are a few key things to note.

Firstly, similar to Step 3 where some earrings would not be visible on Cove depending on what hairstyle he has, the same applies here. The black stud earrings will not be visible with the fluffy hair and the silver huggie earrings will not be visible with the tied-back hair. Ergo, Cove could be wearing earrings in one of your playthroughs if you have either hairstyle on him, but you just might not see them.

Also, the dark raspberry sleeveless shirt with the white anchor symbol and the yellow shirt with the orange flower pattern hide the silver ring necklace, so that's another thing to keep in mind.

Secondly, and I'll have to rip off the bandage for any poor person who wants their Cove to have a tattoo, but there are no choices that will give Cove a tattoo. It's something you can do only with the Cove Creator, which I imagine may be because one of Cove's tattoos can trigger people's trypophobia.

Third, it appears that the modifiers for Step 4 Cove's pants in Step 3 are not the ones actually used in Step 4. In all of my tests, Cove's pants always defaulted to the tan shorts with the gray trim and blue polka dots. If anyone has any evidence to the contrary, then I can test them out, but it appears that the plan was originally for Cove to have six different pairs of pants rather than four - with two of the pairs having color variation like Step 2 and 3 Cove have - but it was changed by the time Step 4 was made.

Below is what you would get if what I presume to be the original intent was kept in place:

Hang (Cove's Version)

If the MC decides to have a drink:

base flavor

An iced green tea. [Pants #4]

A black tea. [Pants #2]

A milk tea. [Pants #2 (Alternate Color)]

An iced coffee. [Pants #1]

A strawberry smoothie. [Pants #2]

A banana smoothie. [Pants #3]

A mango smoothie. [Pants #4]

A coffee frappe. [Pants #1 (Alternate Color)]

A vanilla milkshake. [Pants #1]

A chocolate milkshake. [Pants #1 (Alternate Color)]

mix ins & toppings

You chose to add whipped cream. [Pants #2 (Alternate Color)]

You chose to add chocolate syrup. [Pants #4]

You chose to add caramel syrup. [Pants #1]

You chose to add boba pearls. [Pants #3]

You chose to add condensed milk. [Pants #2]

-

There are two other types of pants - an alternate color version of both Pants #3 and #4 - but these aren't attached to any choices so they may have been scrapped even earlier.

In addition to this, though this is nothing the player themself needs to worry about, there is unused code in the game for Step 4 Cove's swimming trunks. This may have been for the scene where Cove strips down to his boxers to take a swim in the ocean, though he would've had swimming trunks on instead.

These are the choices that would've changed them:

Boating

If the MC was sick/scared and was brought downstairs by Cove, who asks if they want a drink (if non-Indifferent):

"Water?" [Swimming Trunks #2]

"Juice?" [Swimming Trunks #1]

"Seltzer water?" [Swimming Trunks #2]

"I don't want anything." [Swimming Trunks #1]

"I don't want you to go." [Swimming Trunks #2]

If the MC stepped up to make drinks for the group:

if the MC put only one ingredient in the drink

[Swimming Trunks #1]

if the MC's drink is "berry dominant" (meaning either the drink has two ingredients and all are berry - grape/cranberry/strawberry/mixed berry - juices, or if the drink has more than two but less than six ingredients and more than two are berry juices)

[Swimming Trunks #2]

if the MC's drink is "common" (meaning either the drink has two ingredients and all are common - apple/orange/pineapple/mango - juices, or if the drink has more than two but less than six ingredients and more than two are common juices)

[Swimming Trunks #1]

if the MC's drink is "uncommon/mixed" (meaning either the drink has two ingredients and there is only one or zero each of berry juice and common juice, or if the drink has more than two but less than six ingredients and there are no more than three each of either berry or common juice)

[Swimming Trunks #2]

if the MC's drink has more than five ingredients but less than ten

[Swimming Trunks #1]

if the MC used all the ingredients in the drink

[Swimming Trunks #2]

-

There are additional unused articles of clothing for Step 4 Cove, but these weren't attached to any choices (similar to the two pairs of pants mentioned above): two pajamas shirts and two pairs of pajama pants, as well as two formal shirts.

Cove also has code for a fourth pair of earrings, wristwear (for both wrists), and glasses, the latter two being connected to choices, but the game will simply change it to nothing. Cove's hair doesn't have an extra option exactly, but weirdly there are options to disable all of his hair (this won't give you a bald Cove, but default to the tied-back hair). I wanted to mark these just for the sake of being thorough, so if there's anything that says "[nothing]" rather than "[no change]" then just note that it's because the code is different for those options for the reasons above (so they might be calling for all hair to be disabled, for the fourth wristwear accessory, or fourth pair of glasses).

Keep all that in mind while checking out this list of chances you have to change Cove's look:

Step 3 Intro

After the MC's initial thoughts on Cove having to go away for a while almost every year (if not Indifferent by Step 1/2):

You sent him letters the entire time he was away. [rainbow shapes necklace]

Your moms helped you ship out care packages to him and his mom. [silver ring necklace]

You gave him special treasures to take with him before he left. [no necklace]

You kept an eye on his house for him while he wasn't there. [rainbow shapes necklace]

You were incapable of doing anything until he was back. [silver ring necklace]

If the MC decides that they want further education:

Attend a community college. [slim body type]

Attend a public university. [buff body type]

Go to a private college. [buff body type]

Join a trade school. [slim body type]

Take online classes. [slim body type]

If the MC decides that they want to work:

Find a company to work at. [buff body type]

Work online. [slim body type]

Do contract work. [slim body type]

Start your own business. [buff body type]

If the MC wants to do something that isn't school nor work:

Work on self-improvement on your own. [buff body type]

Take some time just to relax. [slim body type]

Try to figure out what you truly want. [buff body type]

When the MC can decide where they want to go when they move out:

Stay local. [buff body type]

Go to a different part of the state. [slim body type]

Go out of state. [slim body type]

Go abroad. [slim body type]

Travel around to different places. [buff body type]

Hang (Cove's Version)

If the MC decides to have a crepe:

base flavor

Plain. [white stringer shirt with purple pocket]

Strawberry. [blue flowery button-up over a white shirt]

Chocolate. [white stringer shirt with purple pocket]

Green tea. [dark raspberry sleeveless shirt with white anchor symbol]

Lemon. [yellow shirt with orange flower pattern]

fillings & toppings

Whipped cream. [yellow shirt with orange flower pattern]

Condensed milk. [dark raspberry sleeveless shirt with white anchor symbol]

Cream cheese. [white stringer shirt with purple pocket]

Chocolate chips. [blue flowery button-up over a white shirt]

Chocolate syrup. [blue flowery button-up over a white shirt]

Caramel syrup. [dark raspberry sleeveless shirt with white anchor symbol]

Powdered sugar. [white stringer shirt with purple pocket]

Strawberries. [yellow shirt with orange flower pattern]

Mango slices. [dark raspberry sleeveless shirt with white anchor symbol]

Mixed berries. [yellow shirt with orange flower pattern]

Banana slices. [blue flowery button-up over a white shirt]

Errands

When the MC spots a fudge stall at the market:

You got closer to the stall. [no change]

But soon your gaze drifted elsewhere. [sideswept hair]

(following above choice) If the MC chose to approach the fudge stall:

You didn't want to get any. [nothing (this will default to the tied-back hair in Step 4)]

You wanted to get yourself a box. [no change]

You wanted to get a box to share with everyone. [no change]

You wanted to get a box just for Cove. (if non-Indifferent) [no change]

And that was all. [no change]

If the MC chooses to get fudge for anyone:

Milk Chocolate. [sideswept hair]

Dark Chocolate. [middle-parted hair]

White Chocolate. [fluffy hair]

Cookies and Cream. [tied-back hair]

Caramel swirl. [fluffy hair]

Chocolate Peanut butter. [fluffy hair]

Dark Chocolate Mint.

○ (if buying for self/everyone who isn't Cove) [tied-back hair]

○ (if buying for Cove) [no change]

Red Velvet.

○ (if buying for self/everyone who isn't Cove) [middle-parted hair]

○ (if buying for Cove) [no change]

Maple Walnut.

○ (if buying for self/everyone who isn't Cove) [nothing (this will default to the tied-back hair in Step 4)]

○ (if buying for Cove) [no change]

White Chocolate Peppermint.

○ (if buying for self/everyone who isn't Cove) [tied-back hair]

○ (if buying for Cove) [no change]

Chocolate Toffee.

○ (if buying for self/everyone) [middle-parted hair]

○ (if buying for Cove) [no change]

Key Lime.

○ (if buying for self/everyone who isn't Cove) [sideswept hair]

○ (if buying for Cove) [no change]

When the MC can buy groceries:

Apples. [average red glasses]

Oranges. [nothing (this will default to no glasses in Step 4)]

Peaches. [no glasses]

Strawberries. [rounded gray glasses]

Onions. [rectangular brown glasses]

Peppers. [no glasses]

Lettuce. [average red glasses]

Tomatoes. [rounded gray glasses]

Cucumbers. [no glasses]

Carrots. [nothing (this will default to no glasses in Step 4)]

Lemons. [rounded gray glasses]

Limes. [rectangular brown glasses]

Spinach. [average red glasses]

Potatoes. [no glasses]

You didn't get anything. [no glasses]

When the MC can buy honey and/or jam:

Clover Honey. [rectangular brown glasses]

Orange Blossom Honey. [nothing (this will default to no glasses in Step 4)]

Spring Wildflower Honey. [no glasses]

Honey Butter. [average red glasses]

Strawberry Jam. [rounded gray glasses]

Raspberry Jam. [rectangular brown glasses]

Blackberry Jam. [no glasses]

Apricot Jam. [nothing (this will default to no glasses in Step 4)]

Blueberry Jam. [rounded gray glasses]

Plum Jam. [nothing (this will default to no glasses in Step 4)]

Rhubarb Jam. [rectangular brown glasses]

You didn't get anything. [no change]

Talks

[NONE]

Charity

[NONE]

Drive

[NONE]

Reflection

[NONE]

Late Shift

When the MC can order at the fast food place:

A hamburger. (if the MC is not vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, or pollotarian) [layered blue and maroon bracelets on right wrist]

○ With cheese. [no change]

○ With no cheese. [no change]

A vegan veggieburger. [multiple colored bracelets on right wrist]

A chicken sandwich. (if the MC is not vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian) [black bracelet on right wrist]

A spicy chicken sandwich. (if the MC is not vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian) [no change]

French fries. [nothing (this will default to no wristwear on the right wrist in Step 4)]

Onion rings. (if the MC is not vegan) [no change]

A salad. [no wristwear on the right wrist]

Chicken nuggets. (if the MC is not vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian) [layered blue and maroon bracelets on right wrist]

Jalapeno poppers. [multiple colored bracelets on right wrist]

A soda. [black bracelet on right wrist]

A milkshake. (if the MC is not vegan) [nothing (this will default to no wristwear on the right wrist in Step 4)]

A soft serve sundae. (if the MC is not vegan) [no wristwear on the right wrist]

A chocolate chip cookie. (if the MC is not vegan) [layered blue and maroon bracelets on right wrist]

An apple pie. (if the MC is not vegan) [multiple colored bracelets on right wrist]

Nothing. [no wristwear on the right wrist]

Serendipity

When everyone is discussing their plans for what sweet treat they want:

"A popsicle." [silver huggie earrings]

"An ice cream cone." [black stud & silver huggie earrings]

"An ice cream sandwich, too." [black stud earrings]

Boating

[NONE]

Happiness

If the MC decided to make food for Cove (if Shopping happened, Growing happened, or the MC bought fudge for Cove in Errands):

You chose to bake cinnamon rolls. (if Shopping happened) [nothing (this will default to no wristwear on the left wrist in Step 4)]

You were going to make banana, peanut butter, and honey sandwiches. (if Growing happened) [pale yellow watch on the left wrist]

You'd make him homemade fudge. (if the MC bought fudge for Cove in Errands) [ridged slate gray bracelet on the left wrist]

If the MC decided to get food for Cove that didn't require preparation:

(if Drive happened) [thick brown and tan bracelet with white helm on the left wrist]

(if Drive did not happen) [no wristwear on the left wrist]

Step 3 Ending

If the MC chose to make jewelry with Lee and the others:

"I wanna find some sea glass too." [nothing (this will default to no wristwear on the left wrist in Step 4)]

"I'm gonna hunt for a handful of shells to pick from." [pale yellow watch on the left wrist]

"I'm gonna look for some driftwood." [ridged slate gray bracelet on the left wrist]

"I wanna use some stones." [thick brown and tan bracelet with white helm on the left wrist]

"I'll just wait and see. I don't have a plan." [no wristwear on the left wrist]

-

Aaaand that's everything! It's really a shame about Cove's tattoos and pants, and I can't help being curious about the potential unused content (there aren't image files or anything for them, unfortunately), but I hope this helped anyway!

[pillowspace]

I need to bother you for y/n design advice. Since my clone au is the first one I've really had that's mine, I don't really know what to do to make them more like. Approachable as a y/n? And your designs are so cool and distinct from each other so

help? any advice? 🙃

Something that might help is literally just scrolling through photos of people. That can range from fashion to just completely normal stock photos. It can make you go "oh, I forgot that clothing item even existed. I could use a variation of that." You can also keep in mind not only what would look nice, but what your character would want to wear.

I can walk through how each of them were designed if it gives you an idea of what I do at all

ADAD Y/N - my default design will always be a sweater. I love drawing sweaters. They're fun. If I think I can give a sweater, I will. Also, due to their "companion" characters being Sun and Moon, the colours I work with are red, yellow, and blue. So I just decide where I want that red, yellow, and blue to go, and what colour I want more of than the other. You'll see they all follow that line of thinking except for CSD

HD Y/N - it's wintertime!! This means I get to play with a scarf and jacket. Also a good time for a bit of floof, which is always fun to use. The fluff on the boots were intended to be similar to the way the DCA has bells on their shoes, so sometimes you can look to what the DCA has for inspiration. I felt that they needed a colour contrast from Sun and Moon that still went along with them well, so the jacket was made cyan. A lot of colour usage is just me going "what will look fine next to Sun and Moon?" OH, and I didn't use earmuffs even though I wanted to, because HD Y/N relies on their hearing. They wouldn't want to wear anything that could muffle that

CSD Y/N - can't go the red yellow blue route, this is a medieval peasant, so I shall combine colours. Can't combine red and blue, that's purple, and purple is typically for royalty if I'm not mistaken. I could combine yellow and blue for a dull green however. I will also google image search medieval clothing for inspiration

Pre Loops Y/N - out of curiosity, I googled "daycare worker" for this. Why are they literally all wearing the same exact kind of jacket sweater thing in every image...? Whatever, I'll have Y/N wear that, sure. I also looked up colour palettes, picked the nicest one, and adjusted the colours to my liking. This character is tidy, so they will have plenty of details that show they care about their appearance (brushes hair, puts on hat, buttons the middle of their jacket, wears a belt, tucks in shirt, tied shoes, well-written name.) The inner shirt will remain a slightly darker orange so that it can still work with Mid Loops's darker colours

Mid Loops Y/N - darker colours to fit better with their new character. More disheveled to show a lack of concern for their appearance. (Messy hair, doesn't bother with hat, unshaven facial hair, unbuttoned jacket, no belt, untucked shirt, untied lace, hastily scribbled name.)

Post Loops Y/N - what would this character want? Maybe they like to grow out their hair to feel the change. Maybe they've forgotten why they even bothered shaving, and like the hairs now. Maybe they want a large and floofy jacket because it's comforting. And to show the tiredness of this character, there is predominantly dark blue with the only red being much darker than previously, making the colours more relaxing.

[allyheart707]

So my sona hasn't really made an appearance due to me not being much of an artist or posting my own stuff very often, but the pfp on my writing blog is kind of an early version of her. She's a humanoid Gold Cross variation nine-tailed fox, (because Gold Cross foxes are gorgeous and I love them), and she has the ability to turn into a human when she needs to. This is the human:

Because of course it is I use her image for almost all my main characters because she resembles me so it's just easy. I'm also goth so of course she is too. When in human form her eyes are blue but in her fox form they're red-orange. She also usually only has one tail out unless she needs to use a lot of power for something and they all come out, and her eyes glow blue when she's using her magic in human form and red in fox form. And she can shrink down to a normal four-legged fox as well if she wants to. And she has mental powers because I love giving characters mental powers so at points where it seems like she knows what other characters are thinking it's because she actually does know. But she doesn't intentionally read minds unless given permission or prompted by a dire need. She just knows surface level thoughts because she can't control seeing those most of the time.

Anyway sorry for the info dump I just really love my girl and sorry this took me a bit I've had an interesting day. Here's my girl trying to rescue some turtle babies! Starting out in her human form because how else can she infiltrate a top-secret high-security government building?

"Well, I do love kids. And I have been told I'm good with them."

I turn away from the scientist to look in the window. The four mutant turtle children I was told about are bouncing around what looks like an interrogation room, climbing over the table and running around it. One of them is even making faces through the window.

"So, hopefully that'll work in my favor...." I'm suddenly concerned with the fact that these are actual children thrown into an interrogation room like crime suspects.

"Hopefully," the man rolls his eyes, moving past me to open the door. "We're running out of options here."

"Can I ask a quick question though?" This is a bad idea. I shouldn't do this.

He turns to me, glaring, obviously just wanting to get this "interview" over with.

"What?"

Just do your job, May.

"Is there possibly somewhere else I could take them? To make them feel more comfortable?"

Dammit.

He squints at me, not understanding why their comfort would even be a thought on my mind.

"This is an interrogation, not a playdate."

"They're children. What if a playdate is what it takes to get them talking?"

He thinks for a moment, glancing towards the kids in the window.

"Well, there's their bedroom, I suppose. They're not allowed many places. For obvious reasons."

Don't you dare ask.

"What if I took them around the facility?"

Stop it!

This earns me another glare as he whips his head back towards me.

"Why would you do that?"

"Well, they've gotta be curious, right? Don't worry! I won't be taking them anywhere they absolutely shouldn't go! Just, like, the hallways in the main area and places other agents don't frequent. And places they can't mess with or break anything important. They don't know what they're missing, right? Since they've never seen it before? So they won't know I'm not actually showing them anything important."

He ponders for a moment, turning the idea over in his head and going through all the pros and cons. He seems to be leaning towards a negative response when he suddenly sighs and shakes his head, clearing all the thoughts away.

"Fine. But remember, there are cameras everywhere. If you do anything against protocol or allow them to do anything damaging to the building or the project, you're fired."

"Of course! I would never."

He studies me again for a long moment before opening the door and motioning for me to enter the room.

"Hi boys!" I greet cheerily once I can see all of them. "How are you all doing today?"

"Great!" The little box turtle exclaims, jumping up onto the table. "I've never seen this room before!"

"You haven't?" I ask, patting his head, much to his delight. "What do you think it's for?"

"Games?" He asks hopefully.

"It's an interrogation room," the softshell states, sitting in a chair next to the table. "Like I told you. It's where they ask people questions."

The slider leans against the wall and crosses his arms with attitude.

"I'm not telling you people anything."

"Oh, I'm not here to ask those types of questions," I explain.

"What are you here for, then?" The softshell asks, skeptical.

"I'm your new teacher!"

The little turtle lights up at this, eyes growing as wide as possible as he leans forward in the chair. The others seem confused.

"What's that?" The snapper asks.

"A teacher is someone who helps you learn things you don't know," I explain. "We're in this room because they didn't have any other rooms prepared, but hopefully one day we can have an actual classroom!"

"Yes!" The softshell jumps up and down in excitement, waving his hands around. "And we can learn things properly, just like the people in my books!"

I have to smother a laugh at that. I wasn't expecting them to be this cute.

"Pft," the slider scoffs. "What can you learn from books? Can you teach us how to fight? That would be useful."

"I can," I lean down to his level and whisper in his ear. "I happen to be a very strong ninja who trained under the greatest ninja master of all time."

His eyes widen, and I see a glimmer of his own excitement shine in his eyes as he looks to me with a new sense of awe and admiration.

Straightening back up, I look around to all of them.

"Now! My name is May. Before we get started, I would like to know all of your names as well."

The box turtle and softshell give each other a strange look, but the snapper jumps forward excitedly.

"I'm Raph!" He answers me with his tail wagging happily behind him.

"Hi Raph," I pat his head, and he squeaks in delight.

"Heishi..." The slider says quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Heishi," I hold my hand out to him. After a quiet moment of staring, he tentatively takes it, shaking it slowly.

"We don't have names," the softshell tells me.

"Yeah we do!" The box turtle jumps back up from having sat down on the table. "Raph told us!"

"Shh!" The softshell scolds his brother, pulling his arm to have him sit again. The box turtle does so, pouting.

"If you don't want to tell me your names, how about I just call you Orange and Purple? Because of the colors of your markings."

The box turtle looks down at his arms as if he's never seen the spots before while the softshell scrunches up his nose.

"It's just for now, anyway," I reassure them. "Just until you're comfortable with telling me your names or you come up with your own."

The orange one turns to his brother with a questioning look, and receives a shrug in response. He then turns back to beam at me and nods.

"Alright then!" I clap my hands together. "Let's get started. Today, we're going on a tour of the facility!"

Why must I always try to rescue animals I find? I mean, I know these are kids, but they belong to the government and are kept in a high-security building.

The plan I have is a good one, but it could end up putting the boys in danger if it goes wrong.

Heishi lights up at the prospect of seeing the rest of the building. He turns towards the door and looks back to us over his shoulder.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Donnie was fairly certain that something was up, though he didn't have enough of the pieces to figure it out just yet. Why would they take them to a brand new room just to take them out again? And especially when they knew how much of a flight risk Heishi was.... was she trying to give them a chance to escape?

Well, he wasn't going to jinx it, so he simply followed behind her quietly as she led them out of the interrogation room classroom?

In the map he had studied during their first failed escape, he had learned that there were six halls- all with different purposes. Hall C, however, was reserved entirely for them. It was the only hall they had ever been in and it was so alluring to know that there were six whole halls that they had never seen.

And then, outside of those halls...?

Not that it really mattered, because unless their new escape plan worked out better, Hall C was all he would ever see.

"This room is-" "The testing room. We know." He mumbled, rolling his eyes- The only reason they were having the tour was for their new subjects. Him and Mikey new everything on this hall by heart, and there was no way this stranger would be approved to take them out of it. "Yeah, but please, bare with me on this. I promise this tour will be a lot more interesting soon." She asked kindly as her face scanned the hall, looking for... something? What was she looking for?

Her eyes seemed to light up as one of the scientists in the hallway walked by Dr. Meanie-pants, striking up a conversation.

It wasn't going to keep him distracted for long, but it seemed a few seconds was all she needed for... whatever her plan was.

"Okay, follow me. Oh, and uuuuh, be prepared to run." She winked at them as she pulled Mikey with her, speed walking down the hall, past the testing room, then the meeting room, and Hall C's storage-

wait

Were they leaving hall C?!

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Semi-Finals

[image ID: the first image is of Stag Malinay, a young man with auburn hair and yellow-orange eyes. he's wearing a black shirt, black pants, and black, lace up knee high boots with belt straps. he's sitting on a red and gold throne. beside him is written his name, "Stag Malinay." the second image is of Granger, a girl with green eyes and short, wavy or curly black hair. in her hair is a red hat or ribbon. she's wearing a black turtleneck sweater, blue overalls, and a green coat. end ID]

Stag Malinay

Very self confident, bisexual manwhore with a troubled background he doesn't like to talk about. Said past is the cause of all his anger issues which he regularly takes out on the MC, initially. They become friends later, so it's okay. Also, he has a Tumblr account! @stagmalinay, run by me, the author. Can't really get more obscure than only selling a few copies of my entire book so far. [additional propaganda 1] [additional propaganda 2] [additional propaganda 3] [additional propaganda 4] [additional propaganda 5] [additional propaganda 6] [additional propaganda 7] [additional propaganda 8] [additional propaganda 9][additional propaganda 10] [additional propaganda 11] [additional propaganda 12]

Granger

so granger is the main character of the indie game "NeverHome" Chapter one, which is only $1 on Steam, is called NeverHome: Hall of Apathy. if ur a fan of young protags being put in RPG maker horror games, then this is the game for you!! so granger is just that… she wakes up to find herself in a strange, hostile world. she, along with the friends she makes, must solve the various puzzles before them while creatures are out to kill them… and along the way they can uncover the secrets of these never ending halls… her dynamics with the cast is also super fun… each character gets their moment or moments with granger. and what's so cute is that there's unique art for each pair that highlights the fact you cant get through these halls alone!! she also has her own theme song!! here!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vwtmIj5cw it's called cyclical tragedy AND HERE IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE THEME!! MUSIC THEORY!!! written by my good friend @HIEMIOLA "cyclical tragedy" embodies the protagonist, granger, through the music theory behind the track and ties itself back into the main track as well. to begin with an overview of the track, the key is D minor and hte time signature is 3/4. the piece begins with a broken minor third starting from the tonic. that is, it begins on the main note and moves along the main chord, D to F. the next set of notes are C to E, which is shifted down a step. the phrase repeats again, this time D to F, then G to E, which is an inverse movement from the original sequence. even in this first part, we could tell that the protagonist begins from square 1 with a simple pattern, then tries it again when it works. however, the inverse breaks that expectation of repetition, thus showing the diverse variations of solutions she comes up with using just the tools she has (the two notes moving in thirds). just like the game, she is given a handful of objects as well as a knife to defend herself and solve the mysteries of the world she exists in. with her creative uses of the items given to her, she continues on her way through the plot. we will keep moving. the melody begins. true to the title of the track, the melody cycles around the same beginning note, D, that she always returns to at her square 1. this is a nod to the save states she is allowed to keep to make sure that we the players don't lose the game, but it also references the health bar that appears as a circle around her avatar. the melody, mapped out, is also moving in an up-down wave movement across the sheet music. granger is creative with the knife she has and the quest items she obtains throughout the story, but she is not entirely reckless. rather, she knows when it is time to return to the safe rooms to rest. to time her returns requires skill because she must run to cover without being caught by varying her path so the enemies don't corner her as she tries to return to the room. most of the time, she is successful, shown through the consistent return to the beginning note. let's keep going. i would like to turn your attention to the main theme briefly. in the bass notes, you can hear arpeggios and outlined chords. this makes up the bulk of the accompaniment in the main game theme. [mod note: the rest of the essay, and some more propaganda, is continued under a cut because tumblr will not process more text than this in an indent. sorry to split it up, please continue below for the rest of the essay and additional propaganda!]

the third variation of granger's theme also has arpeggiated chords in the accompaniment while the melody features broken chords. at this stage, the pattern switches to eigth notes instead of the quarter notes at first. with greater movement and heightened senses, she runs throughout world and befriends other people, thus interacting further with the environment. while she isn't exactly someone we would call open, she is respectful to the people she first meets and has no problems with asking them for help when she needs it. because of her openness to working together, she speeds up her progress by asking for aid at obstacles that would be too difficult for her to overcome on her own, such as asking a teammate to break things, move things, or reach into smaller holes. fusing the main theme elements with her own theme marks this step as the inciting incident that sets her on the path to escape from this world. we'll continue.

continuing the same part, we hear some secondary fifths. i'm not entirely sure if this is what you call it, but it is a nod to the parallel key, D major. depending on what theory class you take, this could also be considered the other half of the key. i dont know how else to describe it, but i digress. these are glimpses to different dialogue options she could take, glimpses to a different key or a different ending. because this game only has one chapter ending so far, we are unsure of what other paths granger will end up in; we only know that there are certainly other endings she will experience, only to begin the cycle again when the save state is loaded for players to reach another ending. both A major and G major are chords that signify different choices that may lead her elsewhere only for her to return back to the tonic or main note, D. despite this, she keeps going, as will we.

at the midpoint of the track, we see a quick shift in patterns. instead of upward leaps in the notes, the melody falls in stepwise motion. true to the plot, this is another turning point of the game when she is forced to make a choice: continue or stop. after facing the spoiler event, her once determined personality is challenged as she struggles to keep herself and her team together. despite being the headstrong protagonist who spearheaded solutions, even now she finds herself doubting and taking smaller steps, smaller risks.

even after all of this, she rises to the challenge as the melody returns to its beginning sequence. true to a protagonist she gets up again despite the events that transpired and keeps her team moving in their lowest points. the thirds return as she finds more objects to solve more puzzles to open more rooms to save more friends. this repeating part of the track only solidifies her resolve as the piece ends with a broken chord in the main key, her key, of D minor. despite everything that transpired, she stayed true to herself."

the game is also so, so charming with the art, music, and story made by the same person… its so clearly loved and full of passion!! i love listening to the game's ost on occassion!! since it's all on youtube!

ok one last thing thing!! on may 8th, the game hit 100 downloads (on both steam and itch.io). you can see the creator of the game celebrate that with this lovely drawing of granger: https://twitter.com/NeverHome_Game/status/1655761270694633472

so at most, only a bit over 100 people have played the game… id like to say that makes it obscure!!

anyways granger and neverhome!! we love to see our protagonists put in horrific situations and isn't she super cute with a lil bow on her head? she is my daughter…

[additional propaganda 1]

[additional propaganda 2]

[additional propaganda 3]

[additional propaganda 4]

[additional propaganda 5]

[additional propaganda 6]

[additional propaganda 7]

[additional propaganda 8]

[imtrashraccoon]

My Soul Headcanons

There are two types of souls: Human and Monster. A Human soul is a thousand times more powerful than a Monster soul due to their naturally occuring determination. Monsters tend to be more in touch with magic as their forms are almost entirely composed of it but most Humans are able to learn how to use magic as well.

Monster souls are much different and almost never manifest a distinct trait like Humans do. It is said that Monster souls are made of love, hope, and magic. Generally, they are white and look like an upside down heart but their appearance can change if the Monster has accumulated LV.

While it is most apparent in Monsters, a soul that has accumulated too much LV becomes unstable and tends to "leak" excess magic. There doesn't seem to be a specific pattern for what a soul with high LV looks like since every soul is different. The colour and shape could change, it may appear "corrupted" from the inside, it may have a visible aura, etc. Because the soul is the culmination of one's being, an unstable soul often means an unstable individual, which leads to its own problems and makes it difficult to study.

A Human soul looks like a heart and can come in many different colours depending on their trait(s). There are seven documented Human soul traits and multiple variations of them as well. Generally, a Human will have a Primary, or dominant, trait and at least one Secondary trait. However this isn't the rule and occasionally there are Humans with only one Primary trait. They tend to be extremely powerful and many great leaders are believed to only have one trait. It's possible to have more than one Secondary trait but this is also rare.

The Primary & Secondary traits:

Determination: The drive to stick with a task or goal until a desired outcome is reached. This is an incredibly rare Primary trait to the extent that many believe there is only ever one soul with this trait at a time. Souls with this trait are bright red.

Ambition: The desire to achieve success. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a purplish red.

Devotion: The compulsion to show deep commitment to something or someone. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually is a pinkish red.

Bravery: The strength to remain bold in the face of resistance. This is a common Primary trait and most people can testify to knowing others who possess it. Souls with this trait are bright orange.

Fortitude: The mental or emotional strength to face adversity. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a bronze colour.

Assurance: The ability to inspire confidence in others. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually a soft orange.

Justice: The desire to treat everyone fairly and right wrongs. This is an uncommon Primary trait with many possessing it taking on important roles in society. Souls with this trait are a bright yellow.

Equity: The capacity to treat everyone fairly regardless of circumstances. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a creamy yellow colour.

Sincerity: The ability to be genuine in one's actions and words. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually a greenish yellow colour.

Kindness: The compulsion to help others whether they deserve it or not. This is a common Primary trait and most of the time there will be at least one in the room possessing it. Souls with this trait are bright green.

Empathy: The capacity to understand another person's feelings or emotions. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually a teal colour.

Generosity: The willingness to give or share with others. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a light green colour.

Patience: The ability to stay calm and think things through before making a decision. This is a common Primary trait although those possessing it may not stand out from the crowd so easily. Souls with this trait are cyan.

Endurance: The capacity to withstand hardship. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a purplish blue.

Diligence: The wherewithal to carefully complete a task no matter how long it takes. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually a soft blue.

Integrity: The willingness to stand for what one believes is morally right. This is an uncommon Primary trait but those who possess it tend to be well respected for their stances. Souls with this trait are dark blue.

Honesty: The desire to be honest whenever possible in life. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a navy blue.

Loyalty: The ability to be faithful to commitments or a cause. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually a grayish blue.

Perseverance: The stubbornness to stand strong in the face of adversity. This is a common Primary trait and is sometimes mistaken for Determination in those who possess it. Souls with this trait are bright purple.

Tenacity: The ability to relentlessly achieve one's goals. This is an uncommon Secondary trait and is usually a magenta colour.

Obstinance: The stubborn refusal to change an opinion or behavior. This is a common Secondary trait and is usually a soft purple.

There are also dark traits, although they are rare, and to be born with one is unheard of. They tend to be Primary traits but could be Secondary as well. Humans with dark traits have usually gone through hardships and changed as a result. These traits aren't necessarily evil but those possessing them may struggle to do the same good deeds as they could before. (This was inspired by listening to Vetrom on YouTube and I highly recommend their music, especially their Soul themes.)

Despair: The loss of hope or to be without hope. Souls with this trait are usually dull purple.

Fear: The lack of bravery or a response to danger. Souls with this trait are usually dark orange.

Vengeance: The act of repaying injustice with revenge. Souls with this trait are dark red.

Hate: The inability to show love or show kindness to another. Souls with this trait are usually black.

Apathy: The lack of emotion or motivation to accomplish something. Souls with this trait are usually gray.

Most of the time, Humans get their soul colour from their Primary trait but the Secondary trait can also contribute. Sometimes this looks like both colours combined, sometimes the colours don't mix together, sometimes only a small part of the soul has one colour, and sometimes only one colour is ever visible.

Soul traits can be passed from parent to child similar to how genes are passed along. Primary traits are more likely to get passed to the child over Secondary traits. Souls can also affect the child's appearance. For example, a person with only one Primary trait will likely have a matching eye and soul colour. This isn't limited to eye colour but is the most prevalent as the eyes are windows to the soul.

While rare in most universes, Humans and Monsters do have children together, which can lead to interesting results. Such unions rely heavily on magic and the child is almost always carried in one of the parent's souls until they are strong enough to separate on their own. (See my Monster Courting/Heats headcanon for more info.)

The hybrid child can take after either or both parents and their appearance can vary wildly depending on which is the case. The same is true for their soul. Most of the time, they will have either a Human or Monster soul but in rare cases, they could have one that is a combination of the two. In this instance, the soul could be shaped like a Human or a Monster soul and either have traits or none at all.

[gamerbearmira]

La Ballet Madrigal

Ok so I had this cute little idea that on Antonio’s birthday/ceremony he wanted to do a little something special for it and I decided to write it. 

-

It was hard to budge Alma into doing it but eventually she agreed. Ok it wasn’t that hard, Alma could only say no for so long until her ballet bebecitos made her crack. And technically it was his birthday and as the birthday boy he could do whatever he wanted with it. 

And that was doing a small show of what he had learned over the past year. It would be done on Mirabel’s stage, or technically the stage room. His abuela performed on a stage when she was eight, Mirabel performed when she was seven, and luisa performed when she was sixteen. Now at five years old it would be his turn. Kind of like a cute write-a-passage. 

His ceremony would still go on but everyone was invited to casita much earlier for his first performance. EVERYBODY had to come, that includes family so no one was in position for excuses. 

Antonio wore a navy blue button up shirt, baby blue vest with gold animal designs on it, and sky blue tights. He had asked Mirabel if he could wear the ballet shoes she wore for her ceremony and she gladly let him and casita made them smaller for him to wear. No resewing/resizing needed. 

He had also asked luisa if he could wear the feather headpiece she wore when she played the white swan and of course she said yes. Before he even asked Alma, she gave him a magenta beaded bracelet that was given to her by her mama. She had Mirabel wear it for her first performance, then Luisa, then of course, Antonio. 

It was so sweet that he wanted to wear little things from his primas and abuela’s, kind of like little tokens of luck. 

So now he was on the stage, doing the best he could of what he remembered. He was nervous of course, so many people had their eyes on him and expected him to do good, a lot of pressure for a five year old. 

But he stuck to his primas and abuela’s advice;

“Just focus on us and only us, and you’ll be ok”

Luisa’s second tip

“Just imagine everyone in silly costumes”

And he did just that, he only focused on his familia and that made him smile. Alma was right in center, looking as proud as any abuela could for her neito. On her left was his primas, who were silently cheering him on and giving him thumbs up as he went along. 

He tripped and stumbled once or twice but he got right back up and kept going like Mirabel and lulu told him. Apart from those times he kept up with the music and kept balance all the way through. He performed his first solo variation, Blue bird. 

The music had ended and the small boy huffed as he bowed.  The crowd and his familia cheered for him, as always Julieta pulled a bouquet of flowers out of thin air and threw it up to Antonio. The bouquet was an assortment of blue hydrangea and yellow begonias. He of course caught it and waved in the way Alma taught him too. The curtains closed and Antoio walked to the back of the stage and was immediately met with his family. 

Pepa and Felix were the first to give him a big hug, congratulating him, then Dolores and Camilo. After them was the blue family of course. Isabela congratulated him first with a hug and a sprinkle of orange flowers in his hair. Luisa picked him up in a tight hug, Mirabel and Alma following suit. 

“You were so amazing, tonito!” Luisa beamed as the boy giggled in her hug. 

“That was the best show I’ve ever seen, well, apart from Luisa’s” Mirabel chimed in, ruffling his hair and giving him a squeeze too.

“You did so well!” Julieta congratulated as well, but just as she did her daughters, she checked his body for injury too. After he and her daughter reassured her he’s fine she gave him a small peck on the forehead and an arepa.  

“Did I do good abuela?” Antonio looked at his grandmother expectantly as he held a big smile we all love so much. “I did all the turns and spins! And I did the right positions like you taught me!” 

“You did it perfectly just like your primas and me before you, and don’t you worry about your falls, you actually did better than I did for my first time.” Alma patted his head and gave him a forehead kiss. 

“Now, how about we get a picture, Casita!” Alma’s eyes glittered at the thought and Casita instantly brought the camera in for a picture. 

For Mira’s first variation she took a picture with Alma, Luisa did the same after her performance, now it was his turn and Antonio couldn’t be more happy. He always saw the two photos hanging up in the studio next to each other now he had the chance to be right next to them. 

The three four of them posed for a photo; Antonio in front, Alma behind him, Mirabel on her left, and Luisa on her right. 

“La Ballet Madrigal” Alma cheered

“La Ballet Madrigal!” all four of them posed and the picture was taken. 

Everything was perfect in that moment; it almost made you forget Antonio had a door to get to…but not too much. The ceremony went on as planned and the boy finally got his own room…time flies. But Antonio made sure to keep his abuela and Primas close to him all night until he slept…for emotional support. 

-

Also, I have a little question. I remember for a suggestion; you said Alma would indirectly pressure Mirabel into doing ballet more. and that had me thinking, would Alma pressure Luisa and Antonio into doing it more too or no?

Also, what would be Luisa and Antonio's favorite ballet shows? I have a little idea that maybe Casita has a way to show different plays such as;

The Nutcracker

Giselle

Swan Lake

Don Quixote

Romeo & Juliet

Little red riding hood

Beauty and the best

and probably many others

Maybe casita shows the plays through a projector of some sort?

SOBBING. CRYING SCREAMING. HE’S SO CUTE WHAT <3333

So funny that they. Literally have to go. Like Alma really got fed up huh 😭 ay but at least homeboy was ready. Just had stage fright but it’s cool. Gotta love Mirabel and Luisa for giving him tips to stay focused and not think about the crowd.

Also???? Loving the idea where for their first performance they wore the bracelet. I also find it funny that that bracelet is older than literally everyone in the family besides Alma. Like she kept it for so long, that it so sweet ‼️😮‍💨

I gave his vest a long tail and. And tried to make it look like feathers. You know so he’s look more like a bird. I think Mirabel would’ve made it. She makes hers, Luisa’s and Antonio’s outfits whenever they have shoes. (Especially Luisa because Mirabel is one of the few who can tailor outfits to fit Luisa).

So. For Luisa and Antonio, it’s not as much. But she is like “it’s a commitment, so you gotta keep it up”. She doesn’t pressure them, but she is like if you’re gonna do it, you gotta come and you gotta practice. For Mirabel, she likes doing it, loves it, but she does feel like she has to. Not on,y to make up for not having a gift, but also because it’s Alma lays her attention when she doesn’t. In the one year from her failed ceremony until she started ballet, Alma kinda avoided her.

So when Mirabel saw that ballet got her attention, she had another reason to continue. It got Abuela’s attention. She was noticed. She got praised. Luisa and Antonio, it’s more like a hobby. A side hustle. They love dancing, especially with Mirabel, so they, especially Luisa, will take time out of their day to go dance, but they doesn’t necessarily feel they have to.

As for favorites uhhhhh. Luisa likes the nutcracker. First time she saw it, she LOVED it, it was also one of Mirabel’s first major roles, she was young Clara. And when she started practicing, Luisa begged Alma to let her play the Sugar Plum Fairy. Of course Alma folded like a wet paper towel. Another Luisa likes is Coppélia. The thought of dressing up and dancing like that of a doll is just. So amazing to her, she loves it. She likes the music too.

Antonio likes Little Red Riding Hood. He unironically likes being the wolf. I’m so serious, he doesn’t care if he’s the youngest and shortest, he’ll still play the role, it never stopped him. His second favorite is Don Quixote.

[inksandpensblog]

AvA Sticktober 2023 | Prompt 1: Sticks

"And this," Orange proclaimed, flourishing the object in his hands, "is the master stick. Whoever picks this one up can use it to move other sticks during their turn. It also has the most points out of all the colors."

"Oh," Yellow's brow furrowed. "It's not just one point per stick?"

"I thought the colors were just so we could tell them apart," Red chimed in.

"Nope." Orange glanced at the rules. "It says that each individual stick has a set value of points, based on color: yellows are one, greens are two, blues are five, and reds are ten."

Yellow frowned, staring at the collection of sticks on the floor between them with a thoughtful hand held to his chin. 

Green seemed to be of a similar mind, pulling out his phone and swiping his hand across the screen. "Greens are only two?"

"Uh, yeah? Why?"

"Are you mad that yours aren't worth as many points?" Blue guessed, a smirk dashing across his face at Green's answering pout.

Orange stared. "What? They're not- the colors aren't assigned to players. Anyone can pick up any color; otherwise there'd be a way to eliminate players. And there aren't any orange sticks, so I wouldn't be able to play if—"

Orange cut himself off when Green scowled at his phone, swiping at the screen with more vigor.

Red leaned in, peeking over Green's shoulder. "Huh, different variations?"

Green pushed him lightly away. "Yeah, I was just checking the numbers. There's other versions of the game where the colors are a different amount of points."

"But it's the same order every time," Red persisted, trying to lean back in as Green kept shoving at him. "See, look, red is always the most, and—"

"Shush, you're ruining this!"

"Green does have a point," Yellow ventured.

"Yeah, I do!"

"No, he doesn't," Blue maintained. "You two are just grumpy that you aren't more points."

"Guys," Orange insisted, "the colors have nothing to do with you."

Yellow shook his head. "I didn't mean like that! I mean it doesn't make sense that some colors are worth more when the game has the same number of sticks in each color!"

"Oh," came the answering chorus, followed by everyone joining Yellow in squinting at the collection of sticks on the floor. 

"...huh, that is a good point..."

"Yeah, shouldn't the sticks that are worth more be rarer, or something?"

"That is odd..."

"...maybe we should just play it as one point per stick, then?" Blue suggested.

Orange scratched his head. "But where's the challenge, that way? If everything's worth the same value then there's no reason to not just go for the easiest ones every time." 

"And speaking of easy, what about all the ones that end up outside of the pile?" Red gestured at the floor around which the collection of sticks lay. "Whoever goes first can just sweep all of those up on their first turn, they'll have a head start." 

"Oh, we don't need to worry about that, actually." Green looked up from his phone. "This says that a lot of people have it so that those loose sticks are removed from play before the first player goes." 

Orange nodded. "Okay, I like that, we'll do it that way."

"Hey, what if we use that to determine the value?" Blue volunteered. "We look at those loose sticks that get removed from play, and measure the value of each color based on how much of each one got taken out?" 

"That...that could work, actually," Yellow mused.

Orange nodded again, a smile beginning to form on his own face. "We'll make it so that whichever color is present in the greatest volume is one point, next two, then five, and then the least-available color will be ten. If any of them tie, we can just re-drop the pile."

Green grinned. "Well, since you brought it up...this also says that there's a version where, on their turn, a player can decided to re-drop the pile instead of picking up a stick."

Orange froze. "Uh, I don't know if I want to worry about the value of each stick changing partway through the game."

"Oh, fine, play it safe."

"I'm not being safe, I'm trying to keep it fun for everybody. Including the scorekeeper."

"Eh, fair point."

"How many points is the master stick worth?" Blue piped up.

"None, right?" Yellow reasoned. "It helps you pick up more sticks; that's it's value. Oh, but wait," he frowned again, turning to Orange. "You said it had more points than the others, didn't you?"

Orange winced. "Yeah, actually. It's, uh, twenty-five."

"What?!"

"How is that fair?!"

"It's- it's not an automatic win! If it's at the bottom of the pile then—"

"But what if it isn't? What if it falls on the top?"

"Oh forget it just falling on top, what if it's one of the ones that rolls away? If we were keeping those in play, whoever had the first turn could sweep it up with the rest of 'em and then they'd have it for the whole game when they already have a head start!!"

"But we already decided we're not keeping them in play!" Orange raised his voice, waving his hands. "Why is it an issue then?!"

"Because points!"

"There's only one! It being more points is actually justified!"

"Maybe it would be, if that was all it did. But it also helps you pick up other sticks. Anyone who picks it up is already gonna be getting more points, even without it having twenty-five pre-attached! You have to admit, that's a little unfair."

"Well, I'm not hearing any better ideas! What, should we just set it aside and not have it in the game?"

"No, no!"

"What? Oh, no."

"No!!"

"Nobody's saying that."

Orange blinked at the sudden shift. "...no?"

"Yeah," Red insisted. "It's the only stick that can move the other sticks."

Green nodded. "Having it to obtain during the game is, like, it's own prize, regardless of who has the most points by the end. That's why we don't think it having its own points is fair."

Orange considered, taking a moment to breathe. 

"Okay...what, then? Should we just have it be worth no points?" 

They all spent a moment in thought.

"...what if we passed it around?" 

Everyone looked at Blue.

"You mean," Yellow inquired, "once it's picked up, it has to be passed to the next person at the end of the turn? That kind of takes away that challenge, if everyone has it. And the prize-aspect."

But Blue shook his head. "Not quite; I mean, what if it gets passed around every time another stick is picked up?"

There was a pause, then everyone leaned forward.

"That way, it can't be used on every turn," Blue elaborated, "so whoever picks it up first isn't just guaranteed an easier time picking up sticks as the game continues. It'll be up to chance, whether anyone has it when their next turn starts." 

"...I think...I like that," Orange murmured cautiously. 

Blue nodded excitedly. "It also means that whoever is holding it by the end of the game will also be up to chance."

Orange's eyes widened. "So, it could still have the twenty-five points?"

"And it wouldn't be unfair," Green caught on, "because it wouldn't go into effect until the game ends."

"You know, if the master stick is only passed along when a stick is picked up, then if someone holding it were to purposefully botch their turn, they could prevent the person next to them from having the aid of the master stick at the start of their turn..." Yellow grinned.

"Ooh," Red wondered, "what if instead it starts at no points, but then has another point attached every time it's used successfully?"

"Whoa," Blue marveled. "So you can botch your turn and keep the master stick from your opponents, or increase the overall value of the master stick as you pass it along."

Orange felt his own grin form. "Oh. I do like that. Alright, are we all agreed?"

The quartet nodded enthusiastically.

"There's just one more thing: we need to repaint it."

"Huh?" Orange looked at Green, then at the others, then down at the black stick still in his hand. "Repaint it?"

"Like you said," Green teased. "There aren't any orange sticks in this game. Let's fix that."

[doseofarabic]

Reminder

Hello, lovely people!

We have a small quiz of Friday, are you ready?

The quiz will cover lessons 1-5

As we do each week, here is a reminder of the important info about the letters seen in lesson # 5, I'll include some additional details so that it's clearer. I have three important reminders / points that I'd like to draw your attention to.

1-The different forms of the letter هـ

Note : one of the final forms of ه looks a lot like تَاء مَرْبوطَة (the tied taa'), the only difference is that the ه doesn't have dots while the ة does.

Here's a small cheat sheet :

ـــه ه >>>> هـ ة ـة >>>>ت

2-The letter alif as a consonant

This is a small cheat sheet for the letter alif with the hamza, since it can be confusing.

Form wise, it's the most challenging letter to master. It's kind of like the drama queen of Arabic. This is why I didn't want to start with it.

The good news is, that each variation is read the same way. Look at the first purple line for example .

The hamza (the top part of the alif) can either be written alone on the line (row #1); it could be written on ا (row #2) which is the most commonly seen form; it could be written on a و (row # 3) or on top of a dotless ي (row #4). There are also cases where the consonant ا is written alone without hamza as well.

All the letters in the purple column are pronounced the same way, the exact same way which is the sound you find [here]. It's basically the sound of alif + sukoon

All the letters in the green column are pronounced the same way, you can find the sound [here]. This is the letter alif + fatḥa

All the letters in blue column are pronounced the same way, the audio is [here]. This is the letter alif + ḍamma

Finally, the letters in the red column are pronounced the same way. [audio]. This is the letter alif + kasra

For the time being, we will not study the grammatical rule on when to use each form, I'd just like you to know that there are multiple forms and how to read them.

3- The letter أ + long vowels

This is an example of the letter ا (consonant) along with the vowels, the first row is the consonant alif + the vowel alif. Both forms are the same آ and ءا are the exact same things but different writings.

The second row is the consonant ا + the vowel و

The third row is the consonant ا + the vowel ي

Think of the semi-consonant as a sofa bed, it can be used as a sofa (the consonant) or as a bed (the vowel), depending on the situation (the word itself).

Bonus : how to tell them apart?

So many forms, this is confusing, right?

Let's try to find tips and tricks to help us memorize them!

ئ vs ى vs ي ــئـ vs ـيـ ـئ vs ـى vs ـي

The row in pink is a form of the letter alif (consonant) , you can tell because there is a hamza. The hamza + dotless yaa' always means that it's an alif

The part in green (the dotless yaa') is a form of alif (the vowel), this one is only found at the end of the word, this is why it doesn't have a middle form.

Finally in orange, our old friend, the letter ي, as long as it has dots, it's either the consonant yaa' or the vowel yaa'. Check the end of lesson #2 for how to distinguish the vowel yaa' vs the consonant yaa'

[tea-cat-arts]

Ranking the “mostly white + 1 main color and maybe gold” designs because I’m trying to collect my thoughts and see which I want to redesign. Also, I’m only going to ranking ones that are currently in game (both because I’m taking how the gameplay interacts with the design into account and because I think lore + execution of lore should be taken into account when judging designs), so no Susannah.

Disclaimer: I’m trying my best to look at these objectively, but this is still art and my subjective biases will probably factor in. I’m not trying to convince anyone to feel the same way as me about these designs. Feel free to argue why you think something should be placed higher or lower. Also, spoilers lie ahead

S tier (excellent, wouldn’t change a thing)-

Strategic placement of black, more battle suit like parts saves all the parts from blending together

Keeps bits of the more mech-like armor seen earlier in game. Helps her look thematically consistent with the rest of Kiana’s designs

Nice range of values. The strong red cape really helps the white dress (?) stand out, while the little splashes of orange help keep it feel unified

Lovely evolution of the Void Drifter design

In actual battle, her mostly white outfit saved her from getting lost in all the glowy fire

I think having most of the colors being reflected off her is a fun application of her moon motif

Lines up well with the lore

Free pass on just wearing a regular dress since in lore, she was never a fighter

White dress with splashes of paint on it plays into the “Griseo is like a blank canvas that takes on other people’s colors” motif nicely

The dark blues and black are eye catching and contrast nicely with her dress and hair

A tier (good design, minor changes could make it a great design)

So the thing about white is though it is used as a wedding color in the west, in a lot of East Asian countries, it’s actually used as a funeral color. Idk if that was hoyo’s intention here, but the double meaning is fun none the less

The purple of the dress and pink of the hair keep the suit looking vibrant and colorful

Same thing with Flamescion where all her skills are very bright and colorful (mostly in origin form? I think that’s what it’s called?), so I think the white keeps her stand out

There is very little variation in tone between the pink and purple. One of them needs to be more saturated

I feel like it could use more variation in fabric texture

B Tier (good design, muddled lore)

Would be ranked higher if I didn’t have to google why this battlesuit exists. Her in game intro was messy

Has the unfortunate timing of being introduced in the middle of a bunch of other lore dumps and buried underneath the more important to the plot ones. I think it’s introduction would be much more powerful if it was just Rita becoming the Herrscher of domination (I am willing to elaborate via asks)

Like, imagine if she got some sort of a string weapon instead of the sword? I think that’d be neat

So basically I was just confused by the space theme till I googled it (and based on my Reddit findings, I wasn’t the only one)

Beginning of the not looking like a battle suit era, but the inclusion of gold bits and a couple under layers keep it from being a full departure from the usual motifs, but it does lack the mech bits

I think there’s more Rita battle suits that lack the mech bits than actually have the, so I’m fine with them being missing here

Good tone variation, clear segmentation

Elegant design for an elegant lady

C tier (saved by the gameplay)-

Her knight for straight up looks like lingerie, but her guardian form looks great

Having her armor switch to black in guardian form was a good call

Unlike Rita, most of Durandal’s battlesuits look like armor, so it’s weird this one doesn’t.

I’m ok with the mostly white color palette since it contrasts nicely with the horse

Speaking of the horse- I have no idea where he came from, but it looks sick so I’m completely fine with it being here

Though for a rewrite, I think a potentially fun explanation would be “unlocking both of her stigmata allowed her to use a divine key at its full potential and said key just so happens to have a horse/armor mode” (cuz if you need weird shit to happen, Vill-V is always a valid excuse)

It’s inconsistency in comparison to Durandal’s other designs + my very mixed feelings about her being the original Kiana and that process of awakening the Kaslana stigmata are mostly why I put her bellow Rita. I don’t really have any huge problems with this design

D tier (even great gameplay can’t save this)-

So for the design where Kiana is “no longer just reflecting others light, and instead becoming the sun itself” (or something like that), the decided to give Kiana the coolest color palette we’ve ever seen her in, take away her signature orange and Himeko’s red, and have her primary colors be Mei’s purple and Brongo’s blue… ok

Yes, I know blue stars exist and that they’re very hot. Honkai is a story set on earth though so it’d make more sense if she was becoming like our sun, not some one billions of light years away

The inclusion of HoV’s magenta accents is kinda nice though

That is a junior prom dress, not battle suit (the Fanny packs are based though). Where’d her mech parts go?

Instead of the skirt and wings by legs, I think it may of looked like a cleaner transition if the put wings it the same shape/area as HoF’s cape

After seeing how brights and glowy her abilities are, I’m ok with this design being mostly white

This designs just a whole lot of “ok, but what does that have to do with Kiana?” Why the junior prom dress? Why the flowers? Why she so urple?

F tier (the only one on this list I actively dislike)-

Since I’ve been pretty vocal about my dislike of Dr.MEI, I just want to start by making this clear: I like Raiden Mei. She’s cool. I don’t just have some anti-Mei bias. She’s at the bottom of this list though because she deserved so much better than this design and story (and I’ve been using her a lot in ER lately, so I’ve had a lot of time staring at her design)

Designs like these are why I have the “wait till it’s introduced in story” rule. I was sorta just “meh” on this design until I saw it in game

I hate this designs introduction. It’s just another case of the writers retconning the PE and glorifying the flame chasers/ forgetting why they existed in the first place

Mihoyo, Elysia’s been dead for 50,000 years! You can stop shooting her now!

Also another instance of Mihoyo forgetting Mei is an independent person and centering her narrative around her relationship to another character. Why’s it gotta be about becoming like Elysia and the other flame chasers instead of acknowledging their mistakes and learning from them so Mei can avoid their pitfalls and forge her own ideal future

Mei is so much fun to watch when she’s thinking for herself and forging her own path, so it’s frustrating to watch the narrative force her to walk down the path Elysia laid.

If I keep talking about this point I’m gonna go into rewrite/fanfic territory, so on to the design from a more technical standpoint:

There is next to no variation in tone (aside from her hair). Everything is just incredibly light. Her abilities in game are also incredibly pale, so she ends up getting lost in all the flashy lights

There’s so much texture throughout the outfit that there doesn’t really end up being a place for the eyes to rest

Though I understand why she’s blue, I think it’s inclusion was incredibly clunky. Including it as gems on the outfit or the underside of the skirt(?) may have helped the distribution look more even

If I went with the underside of the skirt being blue, I’d probably also say make her boots black (or just give her black tights or leggings with white ankle boots)

Orange (or at least Kiana’s shade of orange), blue, and purple are admittedly hard colors to make look good together, but there really needs some orange in there. Maybe sort of a deeper rose gold could’ve worked

I’m thinking like edae98 or fbbc93 (two on the top right)

^These things just need to go. The white skirt(?) over white boots just causes the whole bottom half to bleed together. Having so much weight on the bottom of the outfit also causes her movements to look incredibly clunky. Removing these parts would help to streamline it a bit

I like the idea of Mei sorta becoming Kiana’s dragon, but the wings and tail in the skirt get lost due to all the overlapping textures, and the wing sword doesn’t do anything. Girl has 3 swords but only uses 1. Why

Rather than basing her off a western dragon, I think they should’ve made her an eastern dragon. (Turn her HoT hands into Claws instead of wings, keep the “tail” of the skirt streamlined with a little flair at the bottom, turn her HoT horns into antlers). This way, they could keep the iconic elements of HoT while reframing them into something positive (for those who don’t know: it’s a lot more nuanced and complicated than I can really explain here, but eastern dragons are generally associated with good fortune)

So, ya- that’s all I got for now. If I left anyone off the list, they’re ranked lower than HoO for being that forgettable just let me know and I’ll add them on. Again, this post is mostly just me trying to collect my thoughts

[hathousehappenings]

We've reached the point in the show where the Tweedles ditch their dated MC Hammer outfits and don something a little more timeless. Join me under the cut for the breakdown!

Their new outfits fit much better with the rest of the cast. Except for being in droopy onesies with belts they're now in a more streamlined pants and vest combo. They got to keep their cool-and-hip backwards hats, but the silver and chains have been completely dropped. I know that the actors fought hard to get better costumes and I definitely think it was worth it. It's too bad that these outfits weren't better memorialized on the VHS tapes. At least D+ hooked us up with better quality shots.

This was a real roller coaster, guys. I figured that I'd just take decent shots of their vests and piece them together to get a better idea of what the pattern on their fabric was. It shouldn't be that hard, right?

Well, I tried this three times and each time I got the same result. I even took new screenshots thinking that would help but it really didn't. The more I looked at it, the more I was convinced that this was a part of a much larger design but they only chose to use these specific parts because they were the most visually appealing. There has to be some kind of repetitive pattern, that's how textiles work, but I wasn't able to find one no matter how hard I tried. So went for another tactic.

I decided to break the pattern into the pieces that I could identify and then create something new. There looks to be a swirling background of purple, orange, magenta and cyan with little symbols and confetti placed around on top.

Unfortunately, I cannot give any real advice on how to make heads-or-tails of what the actual pattern on the fabric is. But I can tell you how I designed what I draw when I draw them. I looked through the series and found the versions of the vests that I really liked and interpreted those.

One thing that I do recommend is making their designs different. There are a couple episodes where they wear vests with the same variation of the pattern in the same places and that rubs me the wrong way. Let them be individuals. Maybe associate each of them a certain symbol more than the other? For instance, I usually draw Dum with more of the spirals and Dee with more blue on his vest.

The designs that I used are also a little bit different than how they appeared in the show. It's my shorthand that I use for the designs because they're just so busy and chaotic. I was also drawing them well before the better-quality videos were released. Now that I know how they are supposed to look I'll probably tweak my designs to better fit the originals.

Anyway, I hope this was of some use to you. It isn't as helpful as I'd hoped it would be, but it was an interesting exercise.

[about-faces]

So which Twoface scarred design do you like based on anesthetics the most? And any theories about the variety of colors, like do any play into color theory or any meaning, or are just limited to printed color limitations/artist sole interpretation?

This would have been a much shorter answer if you hadn’t added the second part. But I’m glad you did, because I love talking about this shit! 

While I do have certain… shall we say, opinionated preferences for my ideal design for the scarring, my taste is dependent on SO many different factors. Since you brought up color limitations, let’s start there, because that speaks to a certain aesthetic of Two-Face that I love. 

First, let’s talk about the basic design, the gold standard of the Golden Age. The very first appearance of Two-Face has served as the model for how the scarring's looked ever since. The iconic features include a permanent snarl, a bulging eye, a wilder hairstyle with differently colored hair, and different coloring from his unscarred flesh. Every version of Two-Face since has either followed or subverted this original depiction. 

(Note: I could also go on a whole tangent about how this design MAY have been based on a poster for the 1941 film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I’ve recently had reason to suspect may be bogus for reasons related to the complicated history of Batman’s supposed “creator” Bob Kane, but that’s several other essays worth a material. And that’s not even taking into account who actually drew this original comic, whether it was the credited Kane, or Jerry Robinson and/or George Roussos. The history of Golden Age comics is rife with controversy, plagiarism, and bullshit, with Batman being no exception.)

For roughly 50 years, this was, more or less, the standard version of Two-Face. Even as DC evolved through different eras of “House Styles” where all art had to maintain a certain consistency, this design underwent very little variation over five decades. While his scarring would occasionally be depicted as gray or off-purple or even flesh toned, it usually stuck to the original choice of green. 

Why green? Why would a man who suffered an acid attack have green scarring? Putting aside questions of realism (which have little place in the world of comics), the reasoning was tied to those specific issues you raised about printed color limitations. The history of comic book coloring is absolutely fascinating, when companies had to rely on printers to produce the cheapest possible product on a regular deadline. 

These printers (supposedly backed by organized crime) published comics on newsprint with the four-color CYMK color model, and comic artists had to work within these limitations. This led to some interesting color-coding for heroes and villains in superhero books, with the heroes depicted in primary colors like red, yellow, and blue, and the villains being depicted in secondary colors like orange, purple, and green. As you’ll note, Harvey’s design uses all three of those secondary colors, appropriately enough for a man obsessed with twos. 

To this day, these colors are what are used for classic, “retro” depictions of Two-Face, which you can still see on merchandise today. As such, I have great affection for this basic design with these colors, especially when they appear on newsprint with the visible newsprint dots.Over the past couple decades, we’ve seen comics companies reprint these classic stories with cleaned-up, “remastered” artwork. As time has gone by, I’ve come to dislike this treatment of older comics, which were specifically drawn for a period where coloring and printing options were strictly limited. Removing those limitations with computer coloring only seems to make the linework appear more dated, at least to my eye. 

For example, take one of my personal favorites, the third chapter of “A Lonely Place of Dying.” On the left is the current, cleaned-up version, while the other is a scan from a long-defunct tumblr user jthener-comics-vault who emphasized the newsprint dots and yellowed newspaper. 

Some may prefer the version on the left, but I strongly prefer the version on the right. There’s just so much more aesthetic appeal with the second version to my eye. The version on the right looks dated, while the version on the left looks timeless because of how it embraced a certain retro aesthetic. Your mileage may vary, but that’s where I’m at with my taste preferences. 

(See also: the recent revival of interest in CRT TV screens with classic video games, discussed in this popular post about how games were designed for the limitations of older TVs, and how current pixel graphics don’t look right in comparison. Given how there’s now a whole Reddit community dedicated to CRT TV pixel graphics, I’d love to see people embrace classic comics in the same way. But alas, the people who care about such things are literally a dying breed, as most comics fans seemingly don’t have much interest in anything beyond the past decade or so.) 

So if you’re talking purely aesthetics within the classic limitations of comics, I consider the version on the left to be my platonic ideal for a perfect Two-Face. It’s not because the linework of the scarring is anything special (as much as I worship the late, great Jim Aparo, his Two-Face scarring looks like Harvey dipped himself into some creamed spinach), but because the scarring fits the overall aesthetic of the printing techniques of a bygone era. 

So that would be ONE example of my preferred take on the scarring, with a specific version that emphasizes his classic newsprint roots. But it’s not the only one, because those limitations were soon expanded by the 1990’s, with advances in printing quality and coloring techniques. On top of that, DC started hiring artists for stories far outside their usual “House Style,” which led to all manner of weird and varied interpretations of characters like Two-Face, depending on the story. In fact, his appearance–along with his personality, motivations, and even his own backstory–would change drastically from one appearance to the next. His scarring alone could be green, pink, red, blue, purple, or some variation of the above! And that’s not even taking into account the pen-and-ink linework choices! 

This finally brings me to your original question of which version of the scarring I prefer. While I still love the classic retro take on the character as well as stylized “dark deco” versions like his appearance in Batman: The Animated Series, there are certain traits I look for in modern depictions of Two-Face. These preferences were undoubtedly informed by the fact that I saw Sam Raimi’s Darkman as a young teen and fell in love with the prosthetic makeup effects by Chet Zar and Toni Gardner, who created a viscerally horrifying template for what I wanted to see used for Harvey Dent ever since.

So these days, when it comes to what I really want to see in the scarring?  At this risk of being too graphic, I like the flesh to be stretched and warped, the lips and eyelids peeled back and exposed. I also STRONGLY prefer there be no clear line down the middle between the scarred and unscarred sides. There should be some sense of integration between the sides, rather than two separate faces–one realistic and one cartoonish–slapped together. Some of my favorite examples include Alex Ross and Doug Braithwhaite’s Harvey cameo from Justice #2 and Brad Walker and Doug Hennessey’s from “Ugly Heart.”

Basically, I prefer a style that’s evocative of movie-style body horror, adding realism without being realistic.He should appear shocking while simultaneously looking like someone who has suffered, and continues to do so. It should compliment (but NOT play up) the good/evil dichotomy, without veering into cartoonishness. Doing that leads to him being treated as more of a gimmick crook rather than a three-dimensional character. 

Again, we’re talking my own personal preference here. As a character, Two-Face represents different things to different people. When creating the story Batman: Faces, artist Matt Wagner wanted Harvey’s scarring to be red because it emphasized the “devil inside” motif. For many people, Two-Face is a character who conveys the evil within normalcy. Fair enough. 

But for me, I like red because it looks like exposed flesh and tissue, emphasizing the raw pain Harvey has and must endure. I prefer when the scarring emphasizes tones of flesh and blood, like reds, pinks, and purples. I loved the blue scarring of Batman: The Animated Series on its own merits, but it only works within that specifically stylized “dark deco” context. 

And when it comes purely to linework design, I think my ideal model would be the work of sculptor Andy Bergholtz, who not only designed a bust I will never afford despite dearly wanting, but who also created an incredible pumpkin carving of Two-Face which, weirdly enough, endures as one of my favorite depictions of the character. 

Notice how Bergholtz doesn’t draw a distinct line between the two sides, but instead shows how the flesh stretches and warps from one side to the next. It looks painful, while also being perfectly integrated with the rest of the head. Hell, even the choice to go with the classic green coloring works, because of how it looks sickly and gangrenous! It still looks fleshy, even with the comic-book-y coloring choice!

These sculptures are my baseline for how Harvey’s scarring should ideally look. But at the end of the day, the scarring is only one factor I look for when it comes to depictions of Two-Face. It’s how the scarring looks with his unscarred side, especially if the artist actually chooses to DO something interesting with Harvey’s face rather than just depict him as a Bland White Dude or Generic Gangster. It’s also how both sides of his face look in whatever he’s wearing, how they’re drawn in the linework, how they’re colored and depicted on paper and/or online scans. So many factors go into making/breaking Two-Face, just as they do with pretty much every other comic character who has existed for decades at this point.

But ultimately, none of that matters to me as much as the writing. Harvey could look absolutely terrible in the artwork, and I wouldn’t care so long as the writing treats him with empathy and compassion. Still, I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to reacquaint myself with his aesthetics, which I’ve too long disregarded because–for many–that’s all they see when they think about Two-Face. Not as a three-dimensional character, but as a walking pile of aesthetics. But it's nice to revisit those aesthetics as a reminder of why he's continued to endure as an iconic character for eight decades.

[cassiaratheslytherpuff]

20 questions for fic writers!

Thank you so much for tagging me @orange-peony, these things are always so fun to do!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 40 works right now.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

624,677, which is more than I thought I had (probably due to the fact 1/6th of them were posted during the past 5 months or so)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I only really write for Harry Potter, though I do like to play in next-gen, marauder and golden-trio era so there's a little variation there.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Blue Roses and Other Impossible Things Drarry, 40k, E To Be Out of Your Own (and consumed by another)  Drarry, 18k, E Though My Mind Could Think (I still was a mad man) Drarry, 87k, E Things Unknown but Longed for Still Drarry, 30k, E Use My Last Breath (to say I love you), Harry/Charlie, 6k, E

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do. I love talking about fics in general, but especially the ones I write. I love reading theories or thoughts people had while reading, and responding to those. And also, comments make me so happy and I want to show that to the person who commented because I know it can take a lot of energy and mental work to comment at all.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I actually think I have to list more than one, because I have three that all end kind of terribly.

A Long Line of Fine Rarry 2k There is a First Time for Dying Scorbus, 1.5K Give Me a Memory Drarry, 2.5k

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably all the rest of them.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, sometimes.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeah, I think like 35 of the 40 fics are rated E for smut. I like to write all kinds tbh. Like, super angsty, kinky, romantic, longing etc. I think it's the feelings and emotions that makes it fun for me, but they don't really have to be all positive.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I tried once years and years ago to write a supernatural and Hunger Games crossover, but I never finished it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I had one reposted on Instagram once, but nothing else that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, a couple.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I don't think I'd be any good at it tbh, I can never stick to an outline.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I think maybe Drarry, but that might be because there are SO many great fics written for it. But I also adore rarry and prongsfoot, and I think I love them just as much – I just read them less because there are fewer fics.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There are a lot tbh, but the one I'm always angry about not being able to finish is a fic I started a loong about Muggles finding out about magic and inventing technology to supress it, and Draco and Harry working to get Teddy out of England.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think (or at least hope) it's putting words to feelings and emotions. I tend to struggle to name or describe my own feelings so I usually explore that a fair bit in fics.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm pretty sure I'm ace so I struggle a lot with writing my characters as feeling physical attraction. I think I can do the emotions and physical bits, but yeah, the whole attraction thing is difficult. And also describing actions. I'll have a character stand up to do something and then completely forget I did it, so they'll be sitting down in the next line. Or they'll just be talking with zero description of what they're doing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm not sure I have any. I never have myself, but I'm not really opposed as much as I've never had a need.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. I think it was a hinny fic sometime between the fifth and sixth book came out. At the time I had no idea what fanfiction or shipping was at all, and it never left the notebook I wrote it in.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I think my favourites changes every time I try to pick one, but right now it's these:

Like a Dream I Can Reach (but not quite hold) queerplatonic darry, 19.5k

Though My Mind Could Think (I still was a mad man) Drarry, 87k

Four Gallons of Oblivious Rarry, 18k

I'll tag @stargazing-enby, @drarryruinedme7, @acnelli @maesterchill @pineau-noir and @shealwaysreads if you want to do it (and haven't already). And anyone else who'd like to do this!

[liroyalty]

Dracondia Scre Goods & Recourses

Because, for as much importance as I put on a kingdom's trade in my main world, I realize I haven't done that for some of my AU worlds.

Aside from their Dragons, Dracondia has a few recourse exclusive to the small continent, one of them remitments of Old Dracondia, while other is native to New Dracondia.

Beginning with Dracondian Metals & Gems. Dracondia metals come in a variety of minerals, like steel, iron, copper, silver, gold, & many more, while Dracondian gems(also called Dragonfire Gems) always come in 3 variations, the dragon's breath opal, black fire opal, & blue fire opal. What makes Dracondian metals & gems special is their inheritable powerful fire stored within them, they hold a more powerful flame then typical magical items & weapons that wield fire abilities, they have a natural warm touch to them so they're easy to identify; they could be placed in cold water or thrown out into the snow & left their all day but they will still maintain their warm touch(in more powerful cases, the water will even start to boil or the snow around it will begin to melt). They are more powerful then a flametongue sword alight with it's fire on it's blade, without the item actually being on fire. In a practice carried over from Old Dracondia, Dracondian metals & gems are forged in the flames of dragonfire, so as expected only dragonsriders have the ability to see these metals & gems commissioned & created(though it's not unusual for these some of the commissioned crafts to end up on the black market sometimes). It's a tradition that for a dragonrider to go to a blacksmith not long after they become of age & have the smith create something with a Dracondian metal or gem out of the dragonfire provided by the rider's bonded dragon. The Dracondian usual is either a sword or a ring. Dracondian swords are highly valued, as with the dragonfire stored in them, it allows them to cut through other typical metals with ease. The hottest & most well forged of Dracondian swords have been known to instantly cauterize wounds it makes when cutting into flesh. Dracondian metal & gem jewelry is also highly valued by women, especially in the south of Dracondia Scre where it is colder, as it's natural warm touch keeps them warm during the winter months. Supposedly, all of the Dracondian Crown Jewels are made with either Dracondian metal or has a Dragonfire gem embedded into it, not a single article within does not have one or the other.

The other, goods naive to New Dracondia is it's fruits, as fruits are often presented as sides to meals. Dracondia Scre grows high amounts of Pitaya, or 'Dragonfruit' on three of the six islands that are to the west of the mainland & is a valued good, most certainly among the nobles for their beloved dragonfruit & honey iced tea, which is considered an essential drink, especially in the north, when battling the heat of Dracondian summers. The oils from the Dragonfruit are also highly valued for beauty products, such as skin-care lotions & moisturizing creams, they are also used to in burn ointments help heal & restore the skin of burn victims. There are two other versions of the Dragonfruit found on New Dracondia that are much more difficult to find elsewhere & also highly valued on New Dracondia. Such as the Full Pink Dragonfruit, or the 'Dragonessfruit', which is a version of Pitaya that is full pink, inside & outside. This version of Dragonfruit is larger & very sweet then the original with stronger flavor, as well as being more plentiful, as it grows along the mainland's western & northern shores. The Dragonessfruit is also used in dragonfruit & honeyed iced tea, this variety being sweeter then the original(& uses less honey); this version of the iced tea is also called 'Pink Honey Iced Tea', as the deep pink color of the insides of the dragonessfruit often turned the light orange coloration of the tea a light pink. Dragonessfruits are more commonly used as the key ingredient for making sweets, like cakes & tarts. The other version of the Dragonfruit on New Dracondia is the Yellow Dragonfruit, also called the Elder Dragonfruit. The Elder Dragonfruit is variant with a golden yellow outside & a white inside, it is larger then all of the other Dragonfruits & boasts a mild sweet flavor; the even balance of the neutral flavor of the Dragonfruit & the bold sweetness of the Dragonessfruit. A bit tougher to cultivate, they are most often found in Southern Dracondia & it is a beloved fruit to use in lemonades or limeades. Of the three dragonfruits, it is the original dragonfruit that sees the most use outside of merely being eaten for food, as it is more prized for beauty products.

[birdo-is-here]

wriribing

First night since M has arrived on the ship, and she cannot sleep!

word count: 1090

TWs: None! That i can find, lemme know if i missed any pls!

As was predicted, M didn’t even try to sleep that first night. Honestly, who would’ve, in her situation? Like you’ve incredibly impulsively decided to join a crew of monster pirates one day to get away from life and medical fees, where you immediately have your entire world turned on its head with dimensional travel and sometimes-flying boats and wizards with guns. She would’ve congratulated anyone who had slept soundly that night, really.

As a replacement to sleeping, M had instead chosen to lay in her surprisingly-soft hay bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling and listening to the quiet creak of the ship as it rocked along with the currents. She heard the other crew members nearby snoring softly, rhythmically. Yeah, staring at the ceiling was getting pretty boring.

M sat up in her bed, looking ahead of her. To her left slept most of the other crewmates.

She noticed that “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles seemed to lose his… Sun-ness when he slept, now looking more like a pile of robot parts arranged in a humanoid fashion. The old drawer next to him seemed to glow faintly, fluctuating in brightness every couple seconds. Odd.

The wizard with a shotgun and her husband slept not far from “not-quite-Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles, the two seemingly buried in a pile of hay and wool. Why were there so many animal products on this boat?? Nonetheless, the bed/pile of hay and wool seemed rather cozy, M had to admit. She doubted the two would wake up anytime soon.

The vampire slept furthest from M, or.. any of the crew members for that matter. They were in the darkest area of the room, their umbrella laid loosely over the top of them, only kind of shielding them from the light. M wondered if they had ever had a coffin to sleep in.

The weird puppet thing slept closest to M, literally looking dead. Like. She wasn’t even kidding, it was completely still, it looked like a normal doll when it slept. The only way M could tell the thing was even ‘alive’ was by twitching in its feathered arm every few moments, being the only thing that would move.

Squid captain was also down here, surprisingly enough. He slept fairly close to the doll, turned away from both herself and whatever the fuck the puppet is.

A few other crewmates slept in other places around the space, looking just as knocked out. It was very dark here. She remembered always having a passion for looking at the stars, specifically in complete darkness with no artificial light to obstruct the view.

M pondered the idea. They were out on the ocean right now, right? Surely there’d be some stars above deck.

She stood quietly, with a small grunt getting her limbs used to moving again. Mr. Squid stirred nearby, but otherwise no one moved. M made her way to the ladder above deck, climbing the old wooden railings onto the main deck.

The boat swayed under her feet, creaking softly in the currents. The fwoosh of occasional wind whistled in her ears. Otherwise, it was completely silent. The contrast to the typical daytime atmosphere from this morning almost gave M whiplash. Moonlight bounced off the surface of the ship and the water around it, giving it a soft glow in the dark blue.

M tilted her head to the sky, where numerous stars dotted the black screen above her. Some gathered in clusters while others drifted away to their own areas. They were mostly white, but M could see slight variations in the colours with some appearing more orange, and others looking more blue or even red. It was beautiful. Just what she had been hoping for.

There was a slight movement out of the corner of her eye. She moved her gaze to her right, where the stern of the boat was. She saw the old wooden wheel against the black, spotted background. M realised it looked… weird. Something was off about the scene, but she couldn’t place what.

M squinted at the wheel, trying to find what was making her perception give off warning alarms in her brain. Then she saw it. Against the dark sky, almost floating in the air were two.. shapes. She stared at them, was her brain tricking her? On one of the shapes were two bright yellow circles. They stared back at her, unmoving.

And then they blinked. M gasped. They were eyes!

She let her eyes adjust to the image, and realised the stars seemed to stop at a certain point, close to the shapes and the wheel. It made a humanoid silhouette.

“Oh my god!” She exclaimed, the realisation hitting her. Holy shit it was the weird shadow man. Shadow fellow. She hadn’t seen him below deck, hadn’t she?

The “shadow man” began to laugh, a hollow, metallic sound, those bright yellow eyes momentarily closing. He shifted for a second at the wheel, before regaining his composure.

“Hey, kid! Getting some air?” He called from the wheel.

“Uh.. yeah, something like that,”

“Struggling to sleep, I assume? Most new members do, don’t worry,”

“What are you doing?”

“Steering!” He tapped the wheel’s pedestal, “Someone’s gotta make sure we don’t sail straight into an island.”

“Oh.. Yeah, that makes sense. Do you usually do this?”

“Just me? Nah! We swap shifts, my turn tonight. Not like me or Apollo get tired anyway, so!”

“Apollo? The “Here Comes The Sun” guy?”

“Yep! Still don’t know what reference that is, but yep!”

“Huh… Wait, so, is it just you two who man the wheel, or do others?”

“Others do sometimes, but it’s usually us or Puppet!”

“The doll?”

“Yep!”

“Does it not need to sleep as much either?”

“Not really, I think? Being honest, I’m not totally sure!”

“Huh! Alright? ..Y’know, why don’t you talk in pirate speak? You’re pirates, aren’t you?”

“‘Course! Can’t you tell from my hat?” Shadow man tapped his hat, “I think Naut’s the only one who actually talks in pirate speak here, though! Most of us didn’t even start out as pirates,”

“Hhhuh… You’re all weirdos,”

“And you’re one of us now, love! Get used to it!”

“Hey, I have a question!”

“Shoot me! .. Not literally!”

“Why doesn’t the vampire sleep in a coffin?”

“That’s a thing? I think she mentioned she used to sleep in one, but maybe it gets too cramped or somethin’! I dunno! That’s a question for our lovely Delilah herself, I’d say!”

“Okay!”