#and Rosa seems very cool

[st-peculiar]

I’ve started listening to The White Vault how fucked am I guys

[textilesimp]

it’s giving congresswoman rosa delauro

btw i think it's so awesome and fun when older people dye their white hair purple or pink or blue or whatever colour they fancy and 'overdress' in bright eye catching ostentatious outfits and have quirky interests and styles. you don't have to be young to have fun and be confident! you can still enjoy life when you're old! who cares what anyone else thinks, you've lived longer than they have and know better than to waste it being miserable just to fit in.

[veryberryjelly]

gone to shit

pairing : jake peralta x fem!reader

prompt : "can i have one more hug?" "aw, babe you don't have to ask, c'mere..."

𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

your day had been going too well for it to continue.

you had gotten to your local coffee shop before it got too busy, gotten up to the bullpen without getting catcalled by some jackass outside and you and your boyfriend were the only ones in the office which was nice.

it was quiet and the first 30 minutes your day was spent sat opposite jake just talking until your friends and colleagues filtered in through the elevator.

and then everything came crashing down.

multiple people in the holding cell caused the bullpen to be filled with noise which was unsettling.

the coffee you had gotten this morning spilled over your desk and your lap.

your phone had died half way through a conversation with your sister and you knew she wouldn't appreciate it seeming like you hung up on her.

and you had misfiled some evidence and had to talk to holt to fix it.

you hoped he would be in a good mood so this wouldn't end up with you getting reamed out.

unfortunately that was not the case.

while he didnt yell you could sense the annoyance & slight disappointment in his tone as he told you do leave so he could deal with it.

and you did leave.

but instead of heading back to your desk you went to the evidence lock up, heading towards the back corner and sinking down onto the floor, the cool surface bringing you out of your head very slightly.

but it wasnt enough to stop the hot burning tears from falling from your eyes.

this wasnt something you should be getting so upset about, there were people in the world that had it a lot worse than you and here you were crying over the tiniest things.

just because they had happened in quick succession it felt so overwhelming.

you were way too in your own head to notice your name being called quietly into the room.

it was only when you saw a set of shoes infront of you that your attention was pulled from the spiralling thoughts in your head.

your hands instantly lifted to wipe at your cheeks to try and pass it off like you weren't crying.

" woah woah, hey. what's wrong, babe? "

the sound of jake's voice did not relax you as much as usual.

you shook your head, trying to shake off this awful tightness in your chest but that did nothing to calm jake's worry.

he crouched down beside you momentarily before sitting down next to you, knowing that his gaze on you could overwhelm you even further.

his arm dropped to around your shoulders and your head instantly dropped down onto the soft fabric of his hoodie.

" you wanna tell me why you're hiding in the evidence lock up ?" he asked, his fingertips running over the fabric of your shirt.

" everything was just going so well this morning and then i spilled my coffee, the holding cell is so full of jackasses, my phone died and then i misfiled some evidence... it all just went to shit "

his small motions on your shoulder were calming you slightly but not by much, your shoulders were still shaking and you couldnt bring yourself to take a full breath.

jake didn't reply for a few moments but his fingertips kept tracing shapes over your shoulder.

" ok, well these are all easy fixes. rosa has a charger in her desk she'll let you use, the holding cell is thinning out really quickly and you left a spare pair of jeans at my apartment a couple days ago and i brought them to give back to you, so you can change into those. "

how he managed to solve all of your problems so quickly you'll never know, but you were just so grateful.

you turned your body further into his, smiling softly when he wrapped his arm tighter around you and pressed a short kiss onto the top of your head.

" thank you "

" you're welcome, babe " he said quietly.

both of you remained sat on the floor of the evidence lock up for a couple more minutes before jake moved to stand and lead both of you back to the bullpen.

before he could take you outside you pulled him back by his hand, a soft and playful pout resting on your lips.

"can i have one more hug?" you asked, tilting your head back to look up at him.

a grin spread across his face.

"aw, babe you don't have to ask, c'mere..."

you quickly closed the two feet between the two of you and wrapped your arms around his torso, your head buried against his chest.

another 5 minutes were spent surrounded by weapons in boxes just hugging your boyfriend.

but when you returned to the bullpen, everything seemed a little bit better

[burstfoot]

Figured I'd make a post outlining Arknights' auxiliary material for those who want to see more of the universe and aren't aware of all that's out there! ANIMATION Arknights Prelude To Dawn (S1) and Perish in Frost (S2, currently airing): [Crunchyroll]

A straight up adapation of the main story, up through Chapter 0 to Chapter 6! It's much more fast-paced than the story, so I wouldn't use it to replace actually reading it, but it's very cool to see some of these scenes in full animation. Lee's Detective Agency: (Youtube)

A mini-series animated in a chibi-style with a comedic tone focused on the adventures of the Kuroblood-illustrated Lee's Detective Agency! Distributed by Crunchyroll globally, but entirely free to watch.

Closure's Secret Files: (Youtube)

A cut-out styled series of shorts hosted by Closure which outlines a lot of the game's basic mechanics!

Holy Knight Light: [Youtube]

A short Youtube OVA focusing around Penguin Logistics delivering a package, celebrating Arknights' first anniversary!

[Upcoming]: Kay's Daily Doodles: (Twitter Annoucement)

Another free youtube mini-series that starts airing December 1st, focused around Ceobe! Here's some additional animations! Each event usually also has a 15 second 2D animated preview of the event, but there's so many of those that I can't list them all. Official Anniversary Event 3D Animations: Lone Trail Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow Il Siracusano Ideal City Stultifera Navis Invitation To Wine Near Light Dossoles Holiday Under Tides Bonus 3D Animated Shorts: Legend of Chongyue Arknights Special - IL Siracusano Lo Scontro Youtube Shorts: Ch'en and Lin's Watermelon Splitting Game Part 1 Ch'en and Lin's Watermelon Splitting Game Part 2 Amiya's Siracusan Food Guide Part 1 Amiya's Siracusano Food Guide Part 2

Comics, Manga, Manhua

Officially Translated Rhodes Island's Records of Originium: Rhine Lab: (Offical Website)

A canon manhua centered around the circumstances that lead to Silence falling out with Saria and joining Rhodes Island with Ifrit, as well as Ifrit's attempt to save a dying infected stowaway on the landship. Essential reading for understanding the Rhine Lab storyline and characters - read it right after Mansfield! One of the characters, Darya, is mentioned in both Ifrit's module and briefly in Lone Trail.

Rhodes Island's Records of Originium: Blacksteel: (Official Source)

A short story focusing on the lives of the Blacksteel operators aboard the landship. While it often gets overshadowed by the Rhine Lab manga which is bigger in scope, this is a great read especially if you're interested in Franka or Liskarm.

Rhodes Kitchen -TIDBITS-: (Official Source)

An anthology story related to the cuisine that's important to a variety of operators. While it might seem unassuming, the art is gorgeous and it's really well-written. I particularly recommend the Goldenglow (Chapter 4) and Rosa (Chapter 5) chapters.

Unofficially Translated

Arknights Comic Anthology: (Mangadex)

As the title says, a series of non-canon anthology stories regarding the cast of Rhodes' Island! Note that the link provided only has complete translations up to Volume 4 (and Vol. 4 is missing Ch. 7), and most of the chapters avaliable after that point were MTL'd, so I can't vouch for their accuracy. Chapters I'd recommend are: Volume 1: Chapter 12 (focused on Myrrh trying to improve her medicine), Chapter 14 (focused on Saria and Silence trying to put apart their differences to take Ifrit on vacation, afaik the only place where they are directly referred to as her "moms") Volume 2: Chapter 1 (Manticore tries to make friends), Chapter 3 (The LGD gets drunk), Chapter 11 (Texlapp and Mosexu yuribait), Ch. 13 (Magallan tries to find a pet), Chapter 16 (Ethan spies on the interior lives of Rhodes operators) Volume 3: Chapter 6 (Snowsant, Ifrit, Nian and Shaw are forced to make friends), Chapter 7 (Gummy flashes back to Chernobog), Chapter 10 (FEater and Shaw yuribait), Chapter 13 (Blackout on the landship, as well as Ayerscarpe and Leonhardt yaoibait)

Volume 4: Chapter 4 (Thorns tries to make friends with Weedy [this one is my favourite]), Chapter 6 (Tomimi tail spankings), Chapter 9 (Elysium helps Frostleaf get along with Dur-Nar) Volume 6: Ch. 1 (Whisperain opens up to others) [this one isn't MTL'd afaik]

123 Rhodes Island: (Mangadex)

A series of non-canon gag 4komas! Many of the games' offical stickers are done in this series' art style.

Arknights: Operators!: (Mangadex)

A compilation of 4komas posted on the official ArknightsJP twitter account! Thank you to @sleepywoodscans for their work on translating these, please show them some love!!

[Edit: For clarities sake, the only stuff here that has used MTL is later chapters of the Comic Anthology! Sleepywoodscans’ work on Operators! is all done by hand (they’re a native Japanese speaker). Again, I really appreciate their work!]

Arknights: A1 Operations Preparation Detachment: (Mangadex)

Part of the Terra Historicus website and not yet officially translated, focusing on Fang, Kroos and Beagle, and a catastrophe striking the Columbian city of Tkaronto. Unfortunately, only translated up to Chapter 6, but one of the characters (Elba) has a brief cameo in Light Sparks in Darkness! Edit: Chapter 7 has been translated by @pooce-art, and they're working on Chapter 8!

Angelina: Sketches of THIS Messenger's Journey: (Mangadex)

Also published as part of the Terra Historicus website and not yet officially translated, focuses on the adventures of Angelina travelling across Terra as a Messenger! Recent chapters relate to the upcoming Sami event & IS4, as well as the upcoming So Long, Adele.

Prelude Suite: Unrestrained Play: (Wiki)

Unfortunately, I can't find a full translation for this one - an epilogue to Hortus De Esscapismo focusing on Arturia's background. Of course, major spoilers for Hortus apply - if you can find a full translation yourself.

As well, an upcoming manhua focused on the Break the Ice cast was annouced during the 4.5 Anniversary stream. As far as I'm aware, chapters have not begun releasing yet!

Other:

Arknights Ambience Synesthesia: (Youtube)

A series of concerts (3 so far), focusing around Arknights' music! A live performance has been done every year, with skins released in-game for the concert's theme & 3D animations produced featuring the skin's cast in 2022 and 2023.

Monster Siren Records: (Spotify) (Official Website)

Arknights' official (and-in-universe) record label publishing game OSTs, themes for almost every 6 star operator that releases, and occasional bonus songs.

Arknights: Endfield: (Twitter)

An upcoming 3D action gacha game from Hypergryph, set in the far future of Arknights' universe on another planet. Currently in closed beta testing for their CN servers!

Arknights: Nomad City: The Founders: (Youtube)

A to-be-released CN Arknights board game! Unclear of if it will ever be translated or released globally, unfortunately...

Terra: A Journey: (Wiki)

An upcoming CN lore book focused on the intricate details of Terra's worldbuilding. As well, unclear if it will be translated or released globally.

UNOFFICIAL:

Some fandom-developed tools that might be of use to you are the Arknights Terra Wiki - which just transferred from FANDOM to wiki.gg, and has very detailed information on both game mechanics and world-lore.

As well, the Arknights Story Reader can help you catch up on stuff you don't want to or can't read in game!

Finally, Aceship's Toolbox provides access to a variety of tools, including a levelling calculator, a calculator to ensure the best recruitments, and all the CGs, backgrounds and character sprites that are avaliable in-game.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading! I hope this provided some new information to you or at least provides an easy reference resource in the future. There's a lot to check out even outside of the game, and I hope you find some stuff you enjoy!

[annes-andromeda]

⚠️Spoilers for Wish⚠️

While I am excited for/ planning to watch Disney’s Wish, I honestly wish (heh) they had gone with the original plan for Amaya’s character and made her a villain alongside Magnífico.

Like, I genuinely think it could’ve been cool to see them as partners in crime and be inspired by classic Disney villain traits: vain, narcissistic, power-hungry, cruel, and enjoyable to hate.

I could’ve seen their relationship as something similar to Scarlett and Herb Overkill from the Minions movie, where it’s two married villains who are clearly terrible people, but are still heads over heels for each other.

I’ve read the golden book and kids book of the movie that some people have uploaded on YouTube, and while those books tend to omit things from the actual film, they give us a basic synopsis of the overall story.

(SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE BELOW)

——————

Essentially, the story ends with Magnífico being sucked into his staff, Amaya rules Rosas and Star gives Asha a wishing wand (essentially making her a Fairy Godmother sort of character mixed with elements of Snow White)

It’s a pretty basic, cut-and-dry story and I’m not saying I expected Shakespeare or whatever, but imagine how much better the story would’ve been with both Magnífico and Amaya as the villains:

The story could’ve been that the kingdom of Rosas was ruled by Magnífico and Amaya, who both seemed charming and generous on the outside, but were greedy and self-serving on the inside. They essentially didn’t care for anyone but each other.

I’d also add Amaya’s cat Charo from the concept art book, cause it think it would be cute that these two are absolute shitheads, but are still cat parents who spoil their cat and take it everywhere.

Anyways… Magnífico, like in the actual story, only granted the wishes that benefited him (and his wife), while the majority of wishes were stashed away in his tower.

Asha wants to become Magnífico’s apprentice and when introduced to the wishes, wants to grant her grandfather’s wish and finds the kings (and queens) whole wish-granting system unfair to the people (again, like the canon material).

The story would then go like the actual movie: Asha makes a wish on a Star and Magnífico sees her as a threat to his power and hunts her down (only with Amaya by his side).

I’d like to think that while Magnífico has his moments where his true personality shines, I feel like Amaya wouldn’t truly snap until the very end, having a little more composure than her husband (similarly to the Evil Queen or Maleficent or Ursula)

In the end, the King and Queen are defeated and banished into Magnífico’s staff. Asha is named the new Princess of Rosas (or Queen, whichever you prefer), and she actually joins the Disney Princess lineup and it’s not just advertisement. Like the real story, Star gives her a wand and Asha becomes the new wish-granter.

It’s not perfect, but I think it may have been more interesting and entertaining to see rather than the typical director the creators went with the story

These are just my thoughts, however, I’m still gonna watch the movie and see I think about it.

[gorjee-art]

🖊🖊🖊🖊 PLEASE Tell us about Joey he is So fucking cool to me <3

Now Joe's a real fun one I don't get the chance to talk about him all that often...

Lovingly, in my heart, he's Charlie's father figure or "coach" as he's called, but in reality, he's a washed-up sharpshooting legend!

Once titled "El toro de Hierro" or "The Iron Bull" he was a big name in Puerto Vallarta or "Las Peñas" as it was still called by the elders. A gambler, thrill seeker, and as mentioned a legendary marksman. One of his more impressive feats was his 10-round record of surviving a two-man revolver roulette, 10 deaths, him still alive. Deemed the luckiest man alive, by card, gun, and skill, it seemed like he would live forever.

But being a gambler and a known con man swindling ignorant American tourists leaves a nasty reputation to your name, and many people wanted him gone. What's worse his legacy all came crashing down after he wanted to retire and settle down, why you may ask? Because he adopted a little girl! Whom he named Rosa, with no family to speak of, lost, hungry, and alone. She became his, and he'd finally gone "soft." but with the furious crowd, and impending dangers, he could not face his little girl anymore and passed her down to a very good friend "Priscelle" to raise her. Soon afterward, fleeing to Elysium the land of so-called misfits, not knowing that salvation was all but a lie, and he'd be stuck there for what seemed like ages, with no one recognizing his status, name, and face. Far too old to care about becoming a legend again.

However, it's not all bad, for he still has his love of risk and thrill, now working for Cerberus as a sharpshooter and sniper, now being able to argue that his skills were being used for good rather than showboating.

[ejzah]

A/N: For @mashmaiden, who unofficially requested a follow up to “The Hot Professor”.

***

The Hot Professor, Part 2

Rosa had a study group after her classes, so when she got home, Deeks and Kensi were already cooking dinner. It also meant she hadn’t gotten the chance to see or talk to Deeks about Anne. She paused in the living room to say “hi” to the twins before moving on to the kitchen.

She found Deeks nuzzling Kensi’s neck as she chopped a tomato at the counter.

“You’re going to make me mess up,” Kensi protested, though based on her giggles, it didn’t sound like she cared very much.

“Should I come back later?” Rosa joked, announcing herself before her parents could get in a truly compromising position. Not that she really minded; she liked that they clearly loved each other. She just didn’t need to see the evidence.

“Rosa, we clearly didn’t hear you come in,” Kensi said, turning around as Deeks moved back.

“Ah, Rosamund. I wish I could say this will be the last time this happens, but I think we all know that would be a lie. One of these days, we really should get a bell for the front door.

“It would come in handy,” Rosa agreed, walking over to the stove, which contained a skillet and two covered pots. Lifting the lid on the pot closest to her, she bent over it, inhaling the scent of sautéed garlic and onions.

“We’re having beef soup,” Deeks informed her. “Do you want it with barely or noodles?”

“Or we could have both?”

“And that is the only correct answer,” Kensi said, resuming her chopping. “How was your day?”

“Good. I think I’m almost caught up on assignments from when I was sick. Anne—Professor Werther is letting me have an extra week to turn in my paper,” she said, getting out bowls now while Deeks added more vegetables to the largest pot.

“That’s wonderful.” Kensi offered her a smile. “It sounds like your teachers are really supportive this year.”

“Yes, they are.” Rosa paused a beat. “Speaking of Anne, she speaks really highly of you,” she began. “Have you had a chance to talk with her?”

Deeks shook his head. “I’ve run into her a couple of times, but we haven’t had a chance to talk much. She seems nice though and a couple of my students have good things to say about her.” He poured a bucket of beef stock into the pot and stirred everything, looking back over his shoulder. “I was surprised when I didn’t see the two of you in the union. Did something come up?”

“You could say that,” Rosa said evasively. “I think she would like to run into you more often. Specifically in the dark corner of a coffee shop with no one else present.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Deeks asked. Meanwhile, Kensi turned around completely, her eyebrow quirking up with obvious interest.

Pursing her lips, Rosa shot Deeks a pointed look. “She thinks you’re very attractive and intelligent.”

“No,” Kensi gasped, sounding more delighted than upset or jealous.

“Rosa, that’s not funny,” Deeks said, echoing Anne. He looked equally bothered, but less shocked.

“On that we all agree. I’d very much like it if none of my teachers wanted to date my dad,” she said wryly.

“She barely even knows me,” Deeks sighed, sounding perplexed.

“Well, apparently you still made an impression. I think the whole “cool professor” thing might have something to do with it.”

“And let’s be honest, the hair.” Kensi reached over and ruffled the top of Deeks’ head, grinning when he shot her an unamused look. “No one can resist these curls.”

“She was very distressed to find out you’re married,” Rosa added, enjoying Deeks’ reaction. He made a face, shaking his hair back into place.

“Yeah, that’s going to make things awkward. Maybe I need to start wearing my ring again.”

“Like that’s ever made a difference,” Kensi scoffed. “For either of us.”

“It must be terrible to be so irresistible,” Rosa said wryly.

“It’s definitely a curse,” he sighed.

[yudrein-aile]

Meta: Qualitea in the Orr Empire

Let’s talk tea customs of the Orr Empire. As an avid lover of tea myself, reading Turning was quite entertaining as I could project all my silly little tea headcanons on the characters (but ask me about those another time). From early on in the novel, we see that the Orr Empire does have a distinct tea culture, so this meta will take a look at what teas they drink, what their tea culture looks like, and how skilled our protagonists are at preparing tea (spoiler: they’re not. Everyone say “thank you, Nathan”, the only one who knows how to make a good cup of tea.)

Tea

Tea is a pretty common drink in the Orr Empire, but first, we have to talk about what tea it even is. Now, if you want to be precise and a snob, tea, as per merriam-websters first definition, is “a widely cultivated shrub (Camellia sinensis of the family Theaceae, the tea family) native to China, northern India, and southeastern Asia and having glossy green leaves and fragrant white flowers” and “the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the tea plant prepared for use in beverages usually by immediate curing by heat or by such curing following a period of fermentation”. Thus, tea, as a drink, is “an aromatic beverage prepared from tea leaves by soaking them in boiling water”. According to this first definition, tea refers only to the tea plant.

In the Orr Empire, we do know that the tea plant actually exists. In chapter 39, Kishiar makes tea for Yuder specifically using tea leaves and in chapter 51, it is mentioned that Keilusa drinks a “black tea giving off a unique aroma”.

In the Orr Empire, the beverage tea is also made by using “any of various plants“ like tea, which means preparing them “by soaking their parts (such as leaves or roots)“.

So what teas do they drink in the Orr Empire?

Fresh chamomile, which is in season at the start of the novel (Chapter 16)

Black tea (Chapter 51)

Tea made from the leaves of a medicinal herb Rosa Faria la Orr cultivates (Chapter 58)

Tea made from a flower with an “extraordinarily fresh and cool scent” by pouring boiling water over it. The flower grows near Pearl Tower and helps with sleep deprivation, headaches and can be analgesic (Chapter 113, 143).

Tea blends (Chapter 143, 162)

Peppermint tea with honey (Chapter 162)

Tea made of the fluaville flower, which thrives on a barren mountain, devoid of sunlight, rain, and fertile soil (Chapter 167)

Cold tea made of ponegri, which is won by diluting the potent narcotic components of the ponesa plant to edible levels. It reduces pain and has mood-enhancing effects, as well as dulling the surroundings. (Chapter 205)

Bitter herbal teas for medicinal reasons (Chapter 403)

A pale red tea that might be black tea or a rooibos of some kind (Chapter 602)

A Southern tea with mingled sweet fruit and floral scents, rich in aroma and a yellow color. It is probably a green tea blend. (Chapter 919)

If you look at this – dare I say complete – list, you can roughly distinguish between teas drunk for pleasure, which seems to include teas made from the tea plant always, as well as some herbal, predominantly floral teas, and medicinal teas.

The rather high mention of medicinal teas is very much Keilusa la Orr’s fault, who drinks tea predominantly to help with his health condition. It’s also the only time something like honey is added to the tea. Adding milk, for example, isn’t mentioned at all! We also know that there exist teas of varying qualities and that nobles tend to drink higher-quality tea (Chapter 39).

Funnily enough, tea is generally regarded as a warm beverage, you want to drink it hot (Chapter 468). The only exception so far appears to be Katchian’s ponegri tea, which he drinks cold (Chapter 205).

How do you drink tea in the Orr Empire?

Well, first of all, they use teacups and pots! While this might seem like a small detail to you, a proper teacup is shaped to enhance the flavor and fragrance of the tea. Teacups tend to be lighter than coffee mugs and have a broader surface. While they are never particularly described in the novel, besides the note that they are made of porcelain (Chapter 15) the specification that they are for tea is enough to let us conclude that you don’t just drink tea, but that there is a culture associated with it.

Tea Culture in the Orr Empire

Drinking tea, when not for medicinal purposes, is a pleasure drink and appears to be mainly a social convention in the Orr Empire, which also makes it a good gift (Chapter 223). An invitation for tea is an invitation to socialize and get to know another person. Kishiar’s tea sets are made from “beautiful porcelain” (Chapter 15) and there is an art to gracefully preparing tea (Chapter 39, 223, 979). Having tea is not just a nice get-together, even when Duke Diarca enjoys a cup of tea with his close friends (Chapter 385), the preparation method matters. Similarly, even if Kishiar has Nathan fetch cookies, cakes and other sweets because of Yuder’s sweet tooth, it seems to be common to have snacks while having tea. Having popular and famous sweets that complement your tea while you drink it is simply good manners (352).

But the Orr Empire wouldn’t be the Orr Empire if there wasn’t also a class divide about it. Kishiar notes early on that Yuder “won’t have many opportunities to drink tea [he’s] personally prepared” (Chapter 39). Disregarding that this is a fucking lie on Kishiar’s part, the point he, most likely, is trying to refer to here, is that Kishiar, who both as a Duke and thus part of the nobility as well as Yuder’s superior, would not typically make tea for his subordinate.

This holds true for most of the little tea sessions we see in the novel! Nathan prepares Kishiar’s tea (Chapter 16, 58, and most other times Kishiar has tea), the servants of House Apeto prepare the tea for the Cavalry (Chapter 133), Katchian’s servants prepare him his tea (Chapter 205), Yuliver makes Keilusa’s tea (Chapter 303). While all of this is of course also expected of servants, it is also a show of trust as Kishiar points out himself, after all, it would be very easy to poison your employer’s tea (Chapter 16).

We also see that offering tea to your guests is polite, that is if you don’t make them wait for ages as the Apeto do with the Cavalry (Chapter 233). Kiolle also assumes that he’s grown closer to Katchian because they regularly drink tea together (Chapter 586).

So, much like in our world, drinking tea in the Orr Empire is not just necessarily having a cup of tea, but has a rich history.

How do I make a perfect cup of tea aka Kishiyu Cringefail Tea

Kishiar looks graceful preparing tea, but he does not, as far as I can tell, actually make a good cup of tea. Well, so how does one make a good cup of tea?

“Please, take a seat.” After roughly sprinkling the tea leaves that Kanna had once forced onto the two tea cups, a small movement of his finger formed two droplets of water in the air. The droplets divided into two streams, filling each cup. With another flick of his hand, the tea heated to a suitable temperature, steaming in the cups. Looking down at the steamy tea cup, Yuder lightly pushed one toward Kishiar. “Wait until the aroma comes out before you drink.” “You are remarkably efficient in brewing tea. Nathan would be disappointed if he saw this.” “If you have the skill, why not use it?” (Chapter 223)

Well, not like this obviously. Hilariously enough, Kishiar makes tea just the same – scooping leaves into the pot and boiling it after. So according to Nathan’s expert opinion, this is not how you’re supposed to prepare them.

The only prominent life tea culture I could find, by the way, where you boil the tea leaves with the water is the Egyptian Saiidi tea, but that one is sweetened with sugar, and neither Kishiar nor Yuder do that, so I stand by my argument that they both just prepare terrible tea.

Tea Culture (Wikipedia)

Tea Preparation Guide (Teapedia)

[fatuifvcker]

I demand Signora giving her s/o some fingering in private.

Thank you I never knew I needed this!

A/N: Reader is GENDER NEUTRAL, but is AFAB. Signora got a hold on me omg ever since i saw her I've been Down Horrendous. In this fic she is referred to as Signora and her real name. so I hope thats okay with yall lmao

Word Count: 0.8k

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, MINROS DNI PLEASE. Fucking in front of a mirror, pet names, no use of y/n, one (I think?) use of ma'am (just in case...)

You were squirming beneath the Harbinger, “Signora-”

“Dear,” She interrupted you, clicking her tongue. “I told you that you don’t have to call me that behind closed doors.”

“Sor-” You went to apologize but the look on her face stopped you, “yes ma’am… Rosalyne.”

La Signora threw her head back, “You’re so adorable,” her hands began to roam down your bare chest and towards the elastic band of your underwear. She placed a kiss on your neck, most definitely leaving a lipstick stain. “Let’s get you out of these, shall we?”

You nodded and Rosalyne slowly pulled your underwear down. Your eyes shut momentarily and you inhaled sharply as the cool air met the warmth between your legs.

“I want you to watch me-” She stopped herself and it seemed as if she had an idea… “Stand up.”

You did as you were told, awkwardly, but you did it. You stood there, hugging yourself, while she situated herself on her bed, across from the large standing mirror. She motioned for you to sit in her lap and you swallowed hard.

You nodded and slowly made your way towards Signora. You sat in her lap and her hands rested on your thighs. She slowly pulled your legs apart and began to tell you what was about to happen, “I want you to watch yourself. I want you to see how good I make you feel. Don’t look away, my dear~”

Your eyes met hers in the mirror and you nodded. You looked down at yourself and you felt your stomach flip. This was new and exciting but you were still so nervous. You were with a Harbinger and you were not anywhere close to her rank. But there you were, sitting on her lap, in her chambers, about to get your world rocked.

Two of her fingers slipped into you and a soft whine escaped you. Her fingers were cold. You swallowed hard once more and squirmed slightly on her.

“We can stop if you need-” She started, but you shook your head. “If you need to leave, or… Want to change positions, just let me know.” She spoke into your neck, “I’ve heard about just how much you want to know how good I taste…” Her voice was low.

Your stomach dropped and a moan left your parted lips. Rosalyne laughed and her fingers began to pump in and out of you. Slowly, but they stayed at a constant pace. She knew what she was doing.

“Rosa-” You choked on your words. She reminded you to keep your eyes open and your breathing picked up, “Please, faster-”

Rosalyne smirked into your neck, her cold eyes staying on yours. Her teeth scared your skin and your hips rolled into her hand.

“So eager…” She picked up the pace, her fingers hitting all the right spots. You bucked this time and Signora pulled her hand back from your neck and stayed focused solely on you. Your head rolled back and looked up at her with half lidded eyes.

“You’re already so close?” She questioned. You didn't answer. You couldn’t. Instead you looked back at the mirror and saw your own face contorting with pleasure. Her fingers were quicker but she was still a constant, very much so not sloppy, pace. Your toes began to curl and your stomach was in knots. A heat was coming over you, one you hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Please-” You began to beg, “I’m close-”

“Since you’re so sweet-” Rosalyne let out a soft laugh, “Get as loud as you want my love, no one can hear you from in here.”

You let out a loud moan and cried out her name. You gripped the bed sheet beside you and your eyes shut tight. You were making a mess on Signora and she didn’t seem to mind. For now. Her fingers slowed down and pulled out of you.

Rosalyne was quick to put her fingers in her mouth and you leaned back, looking up at her. Breathing heavily, you sighed, watching Rosalyne suck her own fingers. You could only feel yourself growing more wet.

“You taste divine…” She stated, pulling her fingers from her mouth with a pop, “You try.”

She slipped her fingers into your mouth, the pads of them resting on your tongue. You shut your eyes momentarily and sucked on her fingers. She watched you with a smile.

“So obedient-” Signora smirked as she pulled her fingers out of your mouth, “And all mine.”

You nodded, “I’m all yours,” Your voice was soft and quiet, “Only yours…”

There was a brief silence before you spoke up, “Um,” You were still reeling from the fact Singora had invited you into her private chambers, let alone finger fucked you, so words were hard to search for. “May I- How can I repay you?”

“Repay me?” Rosalyne’s head rolled back again. “This was not a favor.” Her voice was suddenly serious. “I enjoy your company, it's a nice stress reliever… But, I do have an idea… And a few hours before my next meeting. Would you like for me to lie down or sit on your face?”

Your stomach flipped with excitement. “Whatever will please you, Rosalyne!”

“You really are eager to please, aren’t you?”

[nanomooselet]

My Brother's Keeper (V)

This whole memory retrieval/assimilation scene is interesting for a number of reasons (putting aside the continuous wails of agony emitted watching it; I know I discuss it calmly, but that's because I'm a wizard I compartmentalise/modulate my tone in text. Hooray for incomplete degrees).

In the score, this bit is called "The Memory World of Knives" - these are Knives's memories, ones that he can share with Vash for whatever reason. By that token, then, it's how you can figure out which incidents Knives has direct knowledge of and involvement in.

He remembers the blood-soaked room of withered Plants, of course. Doubt he'll ever forget it. Not because of the Last Run, but because it's when Vash turned on him and their confrontation was put on pause - up until now.

Vash fleeing the SEEDs wreckage in ep 1/8 then entering the Plant room in ep 9, Knives withdrawing, then showing up at Jeneora Rock in ep 3, then finally Vash entering Knives's piano room in July at the end of ep 10, and the confrontation/manipulation/awakening/battle over 11 and 12. It's all a single argument/fight split into parts, separated by over a century.

Funny that the only thing Knives seems to truly regret about it is cutting off Vash's arm. Maybe… maybe because it's the one wound even he can't lie to himself about inflicting. I wonder, does he believe it was his one mistake? If he'd found another way, Vash wouldn't have stuck a gun in his face? Which makes him trying to "fix" it being what clues Vash in that he's being lied to some sublime irony. Vash doesn't trust a world where his brother never hurt him.

Anyway, Knives was obviously there in person to destroy Jeneora Rock, so he remembers that. Knives definitely intended Rosa's rejection to happen when he left her alive (interesting that he only uses her voice, not her appearance. This man has a problem with women) and he would have learned about Tonis's injuries from Zazie via the cage of bug-Worms.

Then comes the crashed ships and the vanishing reporters. Roberto and Meryl don't do anything but stand there looking blank, and that's because Knives doesn't have anything to do with them. He doesn't care to learn what they mean to Vash, so he doesn't bother to twist it. He goes for “oh they'd hate you if they knew about what you've done”, and as Vash's shame makes him vulnerable, he rips them out of Vash's head. That's them disposed of and he doesn't think about them again. (More fool him.)

The guilt that Knives planted in Vash is his primary weapon. Remember that it was his guilt that made Vash want to die in the wake of the Fall. Knives is using it to chip away at his will to resist; every time Vash is reminded of it, he reels and his defences weaken.

Similarly, it's why we don't see that much of Rem and nothing of her post-Tesla except her running into the fire. What we do see of her makes her look rather one-dimensionally nice, well-meaning but suspiciously secretive, and Vash food-obsessed, dorky, clingy, insecure and oblivious. Meanwhile Nai is very clever and perceptive and handsome and perfect and amazing with his super cool powers, just like Rem said. But she didn't actually mean anything to him.

It's conspicuous that he also doesn't actually talk at all about poor Tesla and tries to dismiss her significance ("she was but a grain of sand in the desert of their misdeeds" is a banger line, by the way; the English localisation is always excellent but goes off as the series draws to its climax, and it don't stop 'til the credits roll on the finale). These are the rare points you can find honesty in anything Knives says: via what he omits.

You have to keep in mind throughout this entire sequence that besides the geranium petals and Vash cuddling Rem in the fields of geraniums, Knives is in control. This is his world, and these are his memories that he's using to infiltrate and tear Vash's memories apart. It's not objective - there's no context, for one - nor is it complete. Vash's perspective is absent.

It's actually a bit surprising how rarely Vash's voice comes through in the series. From what I can tell it's mostly Knives's perspective that's assumed.

But oh yes, Knives knows all about the Punisher. He built the Eye of Michael, after all, and Dr. Conrad works for him. Rollo crying out to Vash for salvation that he never received probably came from Dr. Conrad, as well as that it was Wolfwood in the end who killed Monev.

And here we are at last. The dreadful cost and hidden purpose I mentioned all the way back in Part I comes due. Wolfwood's purpose, the poison lacing Knives's helpful gift. He's the viral shell carrying Knives's infection. Because Vash opened his heart to Wolfwood as a friend, he also opened it to Knives.

And so, from the inside, Knives begins inexorably to devour his brother alive.

Knives-the-person wearing the Punisher's face to fire Punisher-the-weapon and kill Rollo/Tonis, the child Vash couldn't save, is his most perfectly constructed and vile feat of manipulation below I did it all for you./Everything I did was for you. It has an almost perversely admirable precision.

Silly Vash. Did he think he'd made a friend in the Punisher? Brought out the goodness in him? The Punisher is a monster, a killer, a weapon and what's more, one who was always being wielded by Knives. He betrayed you; he isn't a good man and he'll never change because humanity never learns. Just like Knives told Vash all those years ago. Was it really "Wolfwood" who Vash loved, or was it only the part of him that was shaped by his real brother? (It's the former because Vash clocked him from the start and could tell Wolfwood never wanted to be the Punisher, but even if Knives wasn't gleefully monologuing he'd never hear it. I hate how much he's enjoying this.)

Everywhere you turn, Vash, and no matter far it is you run, I'll be here for you because I love you. (I won't let you get away.)

How foolish you are, little brother, to have your hopes kindled because you "saved" a monster. One only lives if another dies - and a monster would rather die. You should let it happen. It's a necessary sacrifice. It's mercy. Death is a wonderful thing. (Death is a mercy Tesla never received. And perhaps still hasn't.)

You're too weak to give it to them. That's why they'll never love you as I do. You make the false promise that is hope for salvation, and inevitably you fail to fulfil it, and they will always turn upon you in their despair. (I am the only one who will protect you.)

There is a single promise that you can always keep. Your real purpose. The reason you exist. What a weapon is for. Have mercy. I will wield you. You need not continue to suffer. Don't fight. Submit. Give yourself to me. Let go. Unleash your power.

By the way, literally every single one of the things he's using to heap blame on Vash is Knives's fucking fault and he is the worst brother ever of all time forever and ever amen. And a liar. Knives can never forgive humanity, he says, because only he loves Vash enough to protect him from humanity. Even a human's love, he says, is a leash; contingent upon Vash's charm and usefulness and indistinguishable from hatred...

Knives either lives on opposite planet or he's secretly human.

And still. And yet.

I pity him.

(Okay. We're in the home stretch now, guys - and believe me, I deeply appreciate your support - but you might want to brace yourself.)

(Part I)

(Part II)

(Part III)

(Part IV)

(Part VI)

(Part VII)

[classicalshorts]

PINK and an Ancient Pun!

Our word pink seems to derive from the colour of the flowers we know as 'Pinks', specifically coming from their frilled edges and may come from German.

However, there are two words, one Greek and one Latin that give us very familiar English words.

We shall go to the Latin first. roseus means the colour of the rose, rosa, that is to say, pink, reddish-pink, or rosy. The rose is a favourite flower with many, including myself. It's pretty name comes from the language of the Romans.

The Greek word is related to the Latin rosa and you will notice the similarity between them: ῥοδος (rhodos). You may well be a fan of the lovely flower the rhododendron, which, yes, is commonly a pinkish-red. The name means 'red or pink tree'. In Homer the word ῥοδος forms a lovely adjective with δακτυλος (rhododaktylos), which the poet uses to describe dawn, capturing the lovely pink-reddish-golden colour of the sunrise sky.

Now, here is where the pun comes in. ῥοδος can also denote the flower the rose.

The lovely coin above shows a rose, a ῥοδος. You will have also spotted a word at the top which reads ΡΟΔΙΩΝ (ῥοδιων - rhodion). This tells you the people who minted these coin. Wait for it...(*drum roll*)...it was the Rhodians. The coin puns on the name of the people and the flower.

So, that concludes Cool Colours entry VII. Who knew you could connect the colour pink with ancient numismatic punnage? Wonderful!

[justplainwhump]

Pirate Lady

This is a very, very far time jump in the storyline of Pet Safety. And a small one in Angel's story .

Because there's a happy ending, eventually, and I think, you deserve to see at least a part of it.

Enjoy.

Content: Hints at the BBU setting (but from an escape / recovery perspective). Mentioned past death of a family member.

The doorbell rang.

Usually, Rosa would open the door at the Woodward house. But these days nothing was usual any longer. 

Bradley's father was dead, his mother a disheveled mess, and his older sister had pulled the consequences she'd always said she would and ran off. She'd called eventually, told him she was safe and far away. He thought he'd heard the sea in the background.

In front of all that, it was off-putting how much Bradley's life had stayed the same. Sloane hadn't asked him to tag along. He would have, probably. But alone, on his own, he hadn't mustered the courage. He'd pulled out his long packed, long stashed bag, stared at it for a while, and then stuffed it back and went to bed.

Rosa had hugged him particularly long that night, and he'd let it happen, a little surprised, but still glad. Rosa's hugs were the best.

Rosa.

Even she had changed after his father's death. 

She was still quiet, still utterly reliable, cared for Bradley, made his breakfast, brought him to school and picked him up again, helped with his homework, but she was... more, even though he didn't know more of what. Vibrant, maybe. Alive.

Her movements were less mechanic, her smiles more rare but also, when they showed, somewhat deeper. 

He liked her like this, but somehow, the change in her was more terrifying than all the other things happening around him.

And it all culminated in this one day, when it was Bradley who answered the door, because Rosa was in the basement, storing away some things from his late father's wake.

Another person to offer belated condolences, he'd figured, when he saw a the shape of a woman dressed in black through the milky glass. He hated these visitors, with their fake smiles, their feigned interest, and their casual contempt of teenagers.

With a sigh, he opened the door.

The woman was short, with dark brown hair, playing into red. She was dressed rather like a fighter than a mourner, he realized, in black jeans, black blouse, and a leather jacket. The most fascinating thing about her, however, was the black eyepatch covering her left eye. 

Her other eye was gray, like a sword, Bradley thought, and she stared him down wordlessly.

She didn't seem like someone to visit his parents. She was way too cool.

She was, however, also pretty scary.

"Um," Bradley said. "I don't think you've come to the right place."

She looked at the house, the facade, the inside behind him, and then back at his face, almost wistful. "You do look like your father," she said. It didn't sound like a good thing. 

"He's dead," Bradley said flatly. He didn't particularly know why he felt the urge to say it. It came out like an excuse.

She smirked at that. "I know," she said.

Nothing about condolences. Nothing else, either, even though the muscles in her neck clenched. It seemed as if she wanted to speak, but... couldn't. 

He felt a pang of sympathy. Like when he was asked to read his English homework in class. This woman was way too dangerous looking to be afraid of teachers, he thought. She couldn't be afraid of him, now, could she?

"Are you... are you looking for something?", he offered.

"Ro...", she began, before her voice broke off. Her breath was shaky. "Rosa?"

"Rosa?" Bradley couldn't hide his surprise. Rosa didn't have any friends. Rosa didn't... she didn't have anyone, except for him and Sloane. Right? She wouldn't keep secrets from them. Or. Did she? 

A weird jealousy hit him. "Why?" he asked, more sharply than intended.

She flinched.

The scary, cool, biker pirate woman in front of him flinched at the sound of his voice.

What the hell.

"Sorry," he hurried to say. "Sorry, I, uh. I don't know. I'll... I'll get her. Wait a second." He turned over his shoulder and called "Rosa?"

"Coming," Rosa called back from the basement.

The pirate woman's hand clasped around the railing. She seemed to have paled, suddenly. For a moment, Bradley was afraid she'd puke right there, on their front porch.

Then he heard Rosa come up the stairs, and stepped back.

"How can I-" Rosa began, and then froze. Like he had pressed pause in a video game. He'd never seen her like this. He'd never seen her in shock or afraid or even at loss of words. 

The pirate woman's lip twitched, curved into a slow smile, that spread over her entire face, like a sunrise, and in that light Bradley suddenly realized how stunningly beautiful she was. 

"Hi," she whispered. "Hi Rosa. I've missed you."

Rosa didn't say anything.

"It's time," said the pirate softly. "For us."

Still silent, eyes glued to the strangers', Rosa reached for a coat from the racket. It was one of Bradley's moms', an expensive designer piece, long coat in a dark red.

Rosa put it on, almost mechanically, then kicked off her rubber clogs and slipped into a pair of sneakers. They were Bradley's, he realized dimly, but couldn't even find himself to bother.

Rosa lifted a hand to undo the strict bun on her head. Long, black hair fell over her shoulders. She smiled now, too.

And Bradley was struck with the realization that he'd never actually seen her happy. Never. 

She was, now.

She stepped forward, past him, without as much as a sideglance.

"Ro… Rosa?", he asked slowly.

But he didn't exist. Not to her.

"Blanca," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse. "Blanca. Blanca. Blanca."

"Yeah," the pirate whispered. There were tears in the corners of her eye. "It's me. I remember, Rosa. I… I remember." She lifted a hand.

Rosa took it.

Hand in hand with the stranger, their fingers interlaced, she walked through the door, down the steps, through the house's neat little yard, to a car parked in the street with its motor running.

A tall man pushed the car door open from inside.

Rosa got in without looking back even once.

A cold draft was blowing into the house, and Bradley shivered.

"Rosa?", he whispered, but he knew it was to himself only.

She was gone.

-

--

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[annymation]

How much have Magnifico and Amaya changed in Swap Au and what are the changes in their backstory (you mentioned that they also switched roles)? Does this mean that in Swap Au, the parallels between the villain and the hero are Amaya-Aster and Magnifico-Asha?

I WAS HOPING SOMEONE ASKED! THANK YOU SO MUCH I GET TO TALK ABOUT THESE FREAKS!!!

Alright, so in this swap au, it was pretty easy to imagine Star!Asha and Human!Aster, like, it's just them but Asha is more bubbly and optimistic while Aster is a bit more mature and realistic, nothing crazy... BUT THE ROYALS SWAPPING IS SO CURSED THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT!

So let's talk about them one at a time:

Queen Amable the Sorceress

Backstory

Okay so for this to work, we'll change some things slightly. Amaya's backstory in this AU remains pretty much the same as Kow!Magnifico. Bla bla bla she wanted to be queen but didn't want to grant wishes and learning magic was too hard for her cause' her heart wasn't in it, badabim-badaboom her parents make a new heir.

However, this new sibling is not Florian, but oh don't worry, Florian will show up later. Swap Amaya had a sister, a sister named Harmona. You might remember her from the villains backstory I wrote way back. Originally Harmona was a mean girl that stole Amaya's boyfriend, but in this AU, Harmona is a good person, in fact, she's pretty much your typical Disney princess that wanted to study magic and one day become a good queen for Rosas

And a good queen she becomes indeed, leaving Amaya quite displeased for being casted out into the shadow of her little sister.

One day, a young man was found, passed out and floating adrift on a boat near the kingdom's shore.

Harmona ordered that he'd be brought to the castle at once, so she could help him with whatever he could need. Obviously the dude is our good ol' Swap Magnus

So Magnus explains he rather not talk about his past just yet, because it's oooh so traumatic, and all he wishes is to repay the queen's kindness by serving as her royal potion maker

Harmona agrees, seeing how her older sister seemed infatuated with the stranger

(Ya know, when you swap the genders it feels weird that Harmona is hooting for her sister to date this guy they just found at sea with no backstory, maybe I'm just looking too much into it but like, suddenly it's no longer a little sibling being a cool wingman and now it's more like "Wtf are you doing? He might be a sociopath" and indeed, he is)

Amaya fell head-over-heels for Magnus, but the guy just wouldn't reciprocate to her advances no matter what. But she knew the feelings were mutual.

Magnus admitted that indeed, he did love her, but to love means to hurt when that person is eventually gone, and that was a pain he didn't want to go through... Not again. (More on that in a bit)

But Amaya convinces him, saying they'll find a way to live happily EVER after. Saying he'll never lose her (lol and then years later she chases after Star!Asha into a storm and dies for a few minutes and he desperately brings her back to life, sacrificing his own youth lmao)

The two of them start dating, doing all that lovey dovey stuff like kissing, giving each other presents, plotting to kill her sister, baking cookies, all that good stuff.

1 year later and Harmona is dead.

Amaya rises to the throne, now with a magic staff she obtained in a quest. And after some practice with Magnus, she knows how to appear a lot more kind hearted and charismatic in the eyes of the public. Soon the two are nicknamed Queen Amable and King Magnifico (I considered renaming them different things so it's not so confusing but I can't think of anything, sorry)

Personality

The queen is a very passionate about giving her people everything they need, she's dramatic and has a larger than life personality. I know I've always said Kow!Amaya was inspired by Mother Gothel, but swap!Amaya here has that Gothel mannerisms to the MAX, like she's full on breaking into song here and there and cracking jokes that may be a lil bit passive aggressive if you pay close attention to what she's saying.

She has a bit of a temper that she does her best to keep under control when in public, but she's also very calculating, not letting her emotions take too much control over her.

She becomes more and more vicious as the story progresses, being absolutely ruthless in her pursue for Asha's magic and finding great joy in making Aster suffer along the way

I'll just let this image speak for itself

Appearance

Ooooh boy that's the best part! Pinterest here I come!

Alright, so first thing's first, in this Au Amaya is older than her husband, and unlike him, she doesn't like drinking youth potions, they taste horrible and cause a lot of pain before taking effect, so she let's herself age a lil bit, after all she is aging like a fine wine.

In conclusion, her hair is white.

And like Kow! Magnifico, she wears no crown, her hair IS her crown

How is her hair you may ask?... It's shaped like a rose

I can't quite decide if she'd have a rose on top and loose hair that give more of a elf vibe or if she'd have a rose shaped bun that give more of a bride vibe, ya'll decide in the comments

Her dress would be tones of white and gold.

King Magnifico the Warlock

If you play D&D like me you might have gotten all giddy seeing that tittle, thinking Mag made a pact with an evil entity or something, but nah, sorry, I'm just calling him "Warlock" cause' that's the male equivalent of a witch

Backstory

On Kow!Amaya's backstory, I was inspired by the greek myth of Persephone and Aphrodite fighting to win the affection of Adonis, but ultimately Adonis preferred Aphrodite.

But with Swap!Magnifico, I'll be taking inspiration from a certain other myth. The myth of Apollo and his lover Hyacinthus.

In the myth, Hyacinthus was a beautiful spartan prince, so beautiful, that he attracted the attention of not just one but TWO gods: Apollo god of the sun, music and prophecy, and Zephyr, the west-wind. However, Hyacinthus fell in love with Apollo first, which made Zephyr quite jealous. So jealous, that he went the "If I can't have you, no one can" route and straight up murdered Hyacinthus.

So yeah, you might already imagine where I'm going with this. So enough with the greek mythology class and let's go to Magnus version

Magnus was a young man that lived in a simple village in Greece, but he desired more in this life, to make a difference and help others

So, he started studying potion crafting, to heal the ill and rejuvenate the old, offering to help all of those in need. However, Magnus felt like the people didn't actually love him for who he was, they only wanted favors from him. He wondered if he'd ever meet someone that loved him for who he was

That's when our boy Hyacinthus shows up, but I'mma just call him Ryan for short.

So Magnus and Ryan fell deeply in love. But oh no, someone else is also in love with Ryan, can you guess who it is?.......... Yeah it's Florian, told ya we'd see him later

Florian was overtaken by jealousy, and decided that if he couldn't have Ryan no one else would.

One day, Manus and Ryan are partaking in a game of throwing a metal discus the highest they can. Florian takes this opportunity and once the discus falls in a place that they can't see, he steals it, hides behind some bushes while the couple is looking for their discus, and BONCS the metal discus right on Ryan's head, killing him.

Magnus did not see who the heck threw the discus. Consumed by grief, he locked himself away from the world for days, to mourn the death of his lover, but it didn't take long for people to come asking for more potions, more favors.

Magnus knew that whoever killed Ryan was in that village, he had no way of knowing who, but he knew one thing, they were all rotten, ungrateful pests that deserved a fate worse than death. Consumed by his wrath, he began to architect a plan.

So the gay go do crimes.

Magnus poisons their crops, thus cursing all the villagers, including Florian.

He sails off, running away from the few people that didn't get cursed, and later ends up lost at sea, until he's found by some sailors of Rosas. And the rest you already know.

Personality

So Magnifico in this AU functions as a calming and supportive husband for Queen Amable, though, although he's very gentle with her, his way of calming her is very... Unhinged.

Like, let's say Amaya is stressed because they can't find those dang kids, Magnus reaction to this is being like "Aww my darling, don't fret, I promise you as soon as they fall in our grasp I shall use my potions to turn their bones into mush, make their blood boil like hot oil, and we shall rejoice as we listen them pathetically shriek in pure, delicious agony" and he says all that in the sweetest voice you've ever heard.

He's like, an evil henchman, but that is actually competent, even though sometimes he can get a bit silly, which is very dangerous, don't get near him when he's getting the sillies

Honestly I might be more afraid of this version of Magnifico than the normal one, because the normal one at least has a fun showsman personality, this one just stays quiet most of the time in the background smiling menancingly, that is when he's not pretending to be nice to Aster, acting almost like a father figure, or showing his totally unhinged true nature. Terrifying.

Eh here's a meme for him too, it's basically their couple dynamic:

Appearance

Magnifico with a crown is cursed, but oh well, let's see what I can find on Pinterest

Alright, so straight up, he has Chris Pine's hair from the D&D movie. And he wears a relatively simple crown

His clothes are tones of white and blue with hints of yellow, taking some inspiration from greek clothing styles.

He wears the hood of his cloak often.

OKAY this took a while to write, but it was really fun imagining these alternate versions of the characters! Hope you liked them.

[101flavoursofweird]

Eh?!

From what I can remember, we’ve never had a main character in the series who was just straight up bad at solving puzzles. All the main characters with ‘correct’ animations obviously can solve puzzles, as the player solves puzzles. But what about the players who had to look up a lot of the answers to puzzles? Like me

I’d like to volunteer Marina Triton as tribute for this role as a character who is bad at solving puzzles.

Marina doesn’t necessarily dislike puzzles. Having married Luke, who loves puzzle as much as his mentor, you’d think she’d be used to him pointing out puzzles and solving them. Marina just… doesn’t seem to be very good at finding hidden puzzles or solving them on her own.

She didn’t realise that the three accessories on her handbag, linked to Luke’s previous adventures with Layton, were (presumably) given to her by Luke so that Layton would trust her. This seems odd, since Marina has seen the photos in Luke’s study and she mentions how Luke was always bragging about his adventures with Layton. As Luke’s wife, you would think Marina would be privy to some of the details of those adventures. I guess maybe Luke could have skipped over Subject 3, since he threatened to rearrange Luke’s kneecaps… and Flora’s red ribbon is quite nondescript… but the legendary Molentary Express? Did Marina not make the connection between the train charm and the photo of the train?

…I like to think she did make the connection (because it’s cute imagining Luke geeking out to her about his adventures), but she was confused about why Luke had given her these accessories. She wondered if it was part of a puzzle Luke had left her, but she wasn’t confident in solving it on her own. So, she just dismissed it as a cute quirky present from Luke and acted all shocked in front of Layton. “Eh? These things? You mean my puzzle-obsessed husband gave me a puzzle as a birthday present?”

More obviously… Marina also didn’t notice the clues Luke had left in his study that would lead to his location after he was captured; the clock, the giant crack in the ceiling and the rug on the floor that was actually a map. Marina herself admits she looked everywhere in the study, but she couldn’t find any clues until Layton came along and solved the puzzle.

But Layton waltzes in and, within minutes, he solves the puzzle. The satisfied Professor does give Marina a couple of hints (“Up and down!”), but Marina continues to ask questions, until Layton explains the answer. He then proceeds to climb into Luke’s attic and let in some light through a window, which reveals Luke’s whereabouts on the map— the British museum. (As much as we harp on at LMJ for the subpar puzzles, I do actually think this would have been a fun puzzle to investigate in a game!) Marina barely does anything to help with solving this puzzle. Even Rosa reads the time on the clock, while Marina just watches.

Our trio heads to the museum, where they are greeted by a disguised Don Paolo, who invites them to his office. Layton pokes around the office, before deducing that Luke was in the office earlier and he left a message for Layton. Marina is shocked. (“Another message?”) Don Paolo claims Layton is spouting nonsense. Rosa looks kind of stoned here.

Layton gestures to the bookshelf and says Luke left the message for him. Marina wonders, “Could it be one of those where you read the labels from the books to make a message?” (The way she vaguely says “one of those’, rather than calling it a puzzle, makes it sound as though she isn’t very familiar with them.) Layton confirms she is right and says she has a nice eye for this. He then informs her there is a hint in the room explaining how to read the books’ labels. Marina muses, “That means there should be some kind of numbers somewhere…” and we get this cool POV shot of Marina looking around the office, with Layton prompting her to look for anything unnatural. Marina noticed the chandelier and how the number of jewels it has corresponds with the books on the shelf.

I think if we were playing the Relic plotline within a game, Marina could have solved the puzzle in that moment, or we could have had a moment like in the prequel games, where Layton offers multiple choice questions in a scenario. (Eg, building the catapult with the Black Ravens’ help).

Marina does get captured by the organisation at the cathedral and her life is used as leverage to make Layton and Luke surrender…

But eleven years later, by the time Kat and Co make it to the cathedral, Marina has infiltrated the organisation and investigated the Relics. She’s able to work freely after Kat and Co apprehend the priests. Kat asks if Marina can save her father and Luke. Marina replies that she has obtained some information on the Relics from within the organisation. She is able to free Layton and Luke from their cryogenic coffins. Without her, they would have remained frozen for even longer.

Marina went from struggling to solve puzzles to figuring out how to control technology from an ancient civilisation. She’s not a puzzle master like Layton. She’s not confident and quick-witted like Luke. She’s not a fighter like Emmy. But she was patient and persevered, studying her former captors and the technology they used. She listened and looked closely, just as Layton told her.

(Reminder that Jean Descole couldn’t work out the songs of Ambrosia until Layton pointed them out, and that Leon Bronev— top archaeologist and leader of Targent— didn’t even realise that the Azran Legacy was a very obvious doomsday device until it was too late.)

[daisy-daze17]

So I'm currently replaying omori and I noticed something interesting regarding KEL, AUBREY, and HERO and their dreamworld/real world connections.

So we all know how there's an adventure that takes place each time OMORI conquers a fear that distracts the group from finding BASIL. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the Otherworld adventure takes place after you conquer the fear of heights, the Sweetheart quest after fear of spiders, and Last Resort mission after fear of water.

While playing through these, I noticed that KEL, AUBREY, and HERO all seem to have a personal connection to each individual quest where they are the main focus of starting the event.

For example, KEL is the one who developes the biggest connection with PLUTO, as he is the one taught the FLEX skill. He's also the most invested in the junkyard mission (having the most beef with ROSA lol and digging through trash constantly to find the SPECIAL MIXTAPE). He's also the one to cause Space Ex-Boyfriend to fight the group by putting in the SPECIAL MIXTAPE in his boombox.

Similarly, AUBREY is the party member who desperately wants to go see Sweetheart's Quest for Hearts (practically begging HERO) and she's also the one to guide HERO in rejecting Sweetheart as well as stop Sweetheart from marrying herself which ultimately leads to the battle against Sweetheart.

Finally, most of the rescue mission in the Last Resort is centered around HERO. He is Mr. Jawsum's favourite employee and him standing up against his boss in order to escape the job is what causes the fight with Mr. Jawsum and his lackeys. (He's also friends with all the Gator Guys and is respected by all of them, courtesy of Mr. Jawsum).

So, at first I thought it was cool that each party member was slowly being developed with an adventure that very subtly centered around them. However, I also got the sense that the same was being done during the real world days that come after every respective adventure.

On Three Days Left, KEL is the one to intervene on the Hooligans bullying BASIL, he's also the one to bring SUNNY outside and offer to get BASIL'S photo album back. AUBREY causes the main event of BASIL almost drowning in Two Days Left by cornering him with her gang and pushing him into the lake. And I found that HERO is the one to mainly stir up events on One Day Left, as he makes it a priority to talk to AUBREY and set her straight as well as stay over at BASIL'S house to give him company (which obviously is a cause of the fight between SUNNY and BASIL).

So yeah, it seems like the development of these three are carried over into the real world events, and I like that little detail that connects the two ^^

Side note: I wanted to add I also find it I interesting how OMORI'S follow up moves with his party members seem to evolve after seeing them in real life! KEL and OMORI are finally able to pass the ball and do damage, while OMORI starts to notice AUBREY looking at him and gives her a thumbs up! This is more commonly known in the fandom but I thought I would add that :)

[via-rant]

--- April 25th, 1999 (3) ---

He stood there for a good second before smiling wide, realizing it was on.

"¡Esta encendido! Mami lo hice!" He yelled, jumping up and down excitedly. His voice sounded so innocent.

"Good job, Mija!" Esperanza yelled, picking him and spinning him around kissing him on the cheek while he squealed.

--- August, 7th 1999 (4) ---

The camera flickered on with his hair braided and wearing some sparkly loose black leggings and a car shirt.

"¡Hola, futuro yo! I don't know if you talk mainly Español or Ingles en el futuro. Well of course I don't, you'd have to travel in time to tell me that." Then he gasped.

"Is time travel a thing in the future?! Would you be able to come visit me?! Okay, if you can, you'll show uuuuuuup now!" He yelled moving aside in excitement. He waited for a minute before sighing in disappointment.

"Alright, fine. But can you at least try?"

"Okay! Anyway! Quería hablar sobre cosas que quiero hacer en el futuro. No. Cosas que tengo que hacer. Número uno, ¡quiero construir cualquier cosa y todo! ¡Un puñado de aviones, barcos, coches y herramientas!"

"¡Número dos! ¡Supera todos tus miedos! ¡Quiero ser la persona más valiente del mundo!"

"¡Número tres! ¡Ponte realmente fuerte! Muscles are cool!"

"Y el último." His smile faded."I can't help Mami right now. She tells me I'm too young and I can get hurt. And Tía Callida babysits me sometimes. But I know how tired Mami is and I want to help. She works so hard for us and I know she loves me but… sometimes I think my Tía Rosa is right. She'd be better off without me." He wiped his tears. He opened his mouth to say something else but his mother came rushing in and sat in front of him.

"No. Nonono Bebe no. No I wouldn't. I do love you, te amo mucho." He broke down and she picked him up.

"Oh mi vida." She said kissing his head repeatedly.

"Te amo y siempre te amaré. No importa qué, mi vida. Mi hija, mi niña hermosa."

"No!"

"¿No? ¿No que?"

"I… I don't know." He sounded confused himself.

"¿Tal vez eres mi hijo?" She asked and he unexpectedly smiled at that. She smiled softly and he leaned into the hug.

"Don't listen to Rosa. She doesn't know what she's talking about. She can't read my mind."

"Oh… the camera." He said and she laughed, turning it off.

--- October 21st, 2000 (5) ---

It showed him sitting on his bed with short hair now as what seemed to be a case worker talking to him.

"So your mom hasn't hurt you? At all?"

"I can guarantee sir. She wouldn't do that." He said, trying to hold in his anger.

"Anyone outside of here?" He gripped his pants tighter in frustration and took a breath.

"My Tía does. She hates me, probably wants to beat me up. Mami says she doesn't but I think she just wants her to understand."

"Your Tìa?"

"My aunt. The one who called you."

"So your mom doesn't do anything?"

"She tries. But Tìa Rosa doesn't understand. Mami complains about it. I hear her at night sometimes. I heard her cry once. I never tell her about it though and go back to bed."

"Alright. You seem like a nice kid. If anything and I mean anything goes wrong. Call me." He said giving him a card and walked away. Leo followed him camera out and into the living room.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding." His mom said as they walked out. She closed the door and took a breath leaning her head on the door. A few tears fell. The camera turned off.

--- December 25th, 2000 (5) ---

It showed his mom sitting on a couch as he handed her something. A poorly wrapped present.

"Feliz navidad Mami!"

"Mijo, how did you get this?"

"I made it. You drop little herramientas sometimes." She laughed and took it carefully unwrapping it. Her face turned to surprise when she saw a dragon. A very well made toy dragon made of different metals.

"I know how much you love dragons. You talk about them sometimes and you're a lot happier when you do. So I made it." He said and she smiled at him.

"Thank you mijo. Lo pondré en mi estantería especial." He gasped in excitement and pumped his fist in victory.

"Okay. What movie should we watch?"

"The Grinch!"

"Of course." She laughed, turning it on. 

--- June 7th, 2002 (6) ---

"Mami, do we have to record this?" He asked. He sat on the couch with a bruised jaw. They wondered what happened.

"Si. I wanna remember this." She said and gave him a present.

"What is this?"

"I said I had something for you. Go on. Open it." She encouraged and he did. It was a flag. He raised an eyebrow.

"What country is this?" They all smiled at the unconditional love and support she gave him.

"It's not a country. You know how you weren't born a boy but you chose to be one?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I looked into it and there's a lot of gente como tú. It's called being Transgender and they made a flag for it. Esta es esa bandera."

"You found one for me?"

"Of course." She said and he felt tears in his eyes before hugging her.

"Te amo mami."

"También te amo, mi vida."

--- October 8th, 2002 (7) ---

"Mamis been really happy lately. She's getting more sleep and she laughs more. Was Tía hurting us that much? Ella trató de golpearme. Supongo que tiene sentido. Me alegro de que Mami esté feliz." He said with a big smile.

"And she's coming up with a new design! She says it'll help us. There's gonna be more food on the table and we're going to move out and she'll get a better job and go on vacations! She didn't say the last part. I'm just hoping for that."

--- September 8th, 2003 (8) ---

He sat at a desk not even looking at the camera, tears staining his cheeks, a bruise lining his right cheek, another one covering his left eye.

"I think this might be the worst week ever." He said his face blank, his voice weak. As if nothing mattered.

"But... it's my fault."

"I should've listened to her." He said and smiled after he thought but it didn't reach his eyes.

"She should've listened to Rosa. Given me up when she had the chance." Another tear fell along with his smile. He sat in silence wanting to say something every once in a while but he couldn't bring himself to.

"I'm sorry." He said after about 5 minutes before turning it off.

--- November 20th, 2003 (8) ---

"I tried running. They caught me. I need to find out what I did wrong. Maybe I should figure out a few things. Like when they go to sleep, how to leave without making any sound."

--- November 28th, 2003 (8)---

"I successfully ran away. They don't go to sleep until like 12, who does that? First time on the streets. That's fine. I'll learn a few skills here, right? Fighting mostly."

--- January 1st, 2004 (8) ---

"Happy new year I guess. They found me. I left a gang though. That might bite me in the ass later."

"Language!" Someone at the door said.

--- September 5th, 2004 (9) ---

Leo looked at himself in the camera. Tiny bruises lined his neck and below, bitemarks here and there. His hands grazed over them before he covered them with his hands in shame looking away from the camera, knees to his chest. He looked absolutely horrified as tears fell and he shook but that was it.

--- February 6th, 2005 (9) ---

"So... people at school like me. Well, not me. They like... the other me. When I'm faking. People like jokes. Gangs like jokes. It doesn't get me beat up and the negative emotions go away. It's worked so far with Mason. He loves them. That's the only thing but it's something."

"Lisa!" The camera heard and Leo flinched. Especially when he knocked. Leo immediately stood up and opened the door.

"Ye-" He stopped when he pushed him to the ground and forced off his shirt. Leo yelled in fear struggling to get him off.

"Please no." But the man didn't do what he thought he was going to. Instead he grabbed his arm and stuck it out making Leo raise a brow. He held a knife in his other hand and started drawing lines on his arm. Leo screamed and cried and begged. He was sobbing when he was done, blood pouring onto the floor. The man stood up as he cried in pain.

"Help me. Help me please." He cried but the man just stood there. "Why would I help a monster like you? You're a murderer."

"I didn't m-mean to. Ngh!" He groaned and cried harder.

"Didn't mean to my ass. What kind of child kills their mother?" Their was pounding on the door and a second later police came in tying his hands behind his back as others tended to Leo, who was silently crying and mumbling.

"She's a freak! She doesn't deserve to be alive!" An officer turned off the camera.

--- October 10th, 2005 (10) ---

The next one that came on he was with someone else. He scoot over and let her examine the dress she wore. He looked a few years older, maybe ten. The girl he was with had crutches about the same age and he bowed and offered a hand to her.

"Would the madam like this dance?" He asked and she laughed but took his hand and trying to bow. The woman helped her before Leo took her into his arms and they started dancing around the living room. He laughed with her when he tripped over himself bringing her down with him.

"Sorry." He laughed but she only answered by laughing.

--- October 15th, 2005 (10) ---

It cut to him in a room thinking about something.

"This is my fifth home. But it's not like the others. It's... fun. And happy. I know mom treated me like this. I don't know if I can stay here. I wouldn't want to hurt them." He thought for a second more and took a breath.

"I'll leave tomorrow. After the picnic. Don't wanna ruin their plans. That would be a waste." He said with a smile and turned it off.

--- October 19th, 2005 (10) ---

It cut to him with his head on a desk, hands in his hair.

"I should've left." He cried.

"I shouldn't have waited, they'd be better off without me." He cried. The door slammed open and a woman waltzed in before smacking him.

"If you don't shut up I'll lock you in the closet. Understood?" She growled and he wiped his tears but nodded.

"Understood."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"I do, I'm trying to stop, really I am." He argued. She grabbed his shirt and walked away with him. The camera heard something close and banging afterwards. The woman walked back into the cameras view and turned it off.

--- December 30th, 2005 (10) —

"We ran! It took forever! Terra are you okay?" He said with a smile as she laughed.

"That was best prank ever!" She said and Leo started laughing with her.

--- June 29th, 2006 (10) ---

"We're staying at some weird guys house." Leo said and Terra nodded sadly.

"Yeah they found us. If it's anything like the orphanage..."

"I'll protect you."

"Why do you have to protect me? I can handle myself."

"Cause you're my best friend. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"And I don't like seeing you hurt. You always take the hits and maybe at first it was nice but I can handle myself just fine."

"Sorry."

"Me too."

"Take hits for each other?"

"Yeah..."

--- July 7th, 2006 (11) ---

"So... I heard it was someones birthday." The man said bringing the cake to the table. Leo raised an eyebrow as he set it down. The cake had the number 11 candles on it and Leo looked at him in surprise.

"Come on Leo, make a wish!" Terra said excitedly holding the camera. Leo smiled but it was obviously forced.

"Thank you." He said and blew out the candles.

--- September 3rd, 2006 (11) ---

He sat on a hospital bed chest covered in bandages.

"She should've just killed me. I think it'd..." He looked at the camera and glared at it, scoffing. "This is pathetic." And turned it off.

--- August 23rd, 2010 (15) ---

"So... I haven't done one of these in a while. Last time I... Wasn't in the best place. Physically and Mentally. Never was after Mama died really."

"But this is for the crew. If you're watching this it means my plan worked. I don't know if I'm coming back. And if I am I don't know when. I haven't watched those videos before making this and if you've watched all of them sorry you had to see all of it. And don't codle me if I come back. I don't need it." I don't deserve it.

"And if I don't come back I'm sorry. For firing on Rome, for being a jerk every time I open my mouth, for scaring Frank. Apologizing for looking like Sammy seems weird. I'm not sorry but I am? I don't know. I just... no not important. I'm sorry I couldn't help you Calypso. I broke my promise. She probably won't ever see this if I don't."

--- March 8th, 2011 (15) ---

"Can I be honest? I don't know why I'm asking. I can say whatever I want in these things, but everyones watching at this point aren't they?"

"I guess it's easier when no ones here here. Maybe I was asking myself? I don't know."

"I don't... want to come back."

"And maybe that'll change later on, and it sounds really selfish but... it just seems like an easy way out y'know?"

"I don't know if anyone would care I mean Hazel probably hates just looking at me. Frank is scared of me, Percy and Annabeth are practically strangers, and don't get me started on Piper and Jason. We're supposed to be best friends. And even that's questionable. Everything we did at that school was fake. And even that's quesionable. Were me and Piper friends? Strangers? Was Jason being my friend because he felt like he had to? I..." He put his head in his knees and took a breath.

"No, this isn't fair. They all have their own issues and my mouth doesn't make it better. Maybe I should..." He wiped his tears. "Look at this idiot. Crying over something stupid."

"That's all for... a while." He turned it off.

------

I made this a while ago and don't know what to do with it.