#and it was too precious to not share

[the-cosmos-withinus]

Shadow Puppets AU - Watching the sunrise

Astrophel dreamed of being free, of traveling the cosmos again and bringing Philip and who he assumed was Caleb with him. It was hard to tell who the third person was, but if it was not Caleb he certainly had no clue who else it could be. He knew this was just a dream and not a glimpse of the future because his futuresight never showed him his own future. But Astrophel would be lying to say that this was not the future that he wanted and he awoke feeling both sad and angry that this vision was nothing more than a dream.  "Philip?" He called, not knowing whether or not his friend was still nearby. One thing he could see was the sun coming up. It was just a sliver of light on the horizon not even big enough to brighten the world yet, but it was the most beautiful thing that Astrophel had seen in a long time. "Philip! Look, the sun's waking up!" He exclaimed! Philip wasn't there. He had awoken a few minutes before the Collector, with a gnawing emptiness that had him shambling around for something to fill it. He was in a near mindless state, and had briefly picked up the Amulet to attempt to devour the soul trapped within, but set it back down a moment later; a power far greater than his own kept him from reaching inside. He could smell the collection of Palismen he kept in his cave and crawled back inside, smashing and cutting open a few to feed upon until Philip regained his senses enough to stop. Left to its own devices, the Wendigo would eat its way through the entire supply of Palismen within a matter of hours, when it had taken Philip months to gather these reserves. Back in his own mind, he concentrated hard to regain his human shape, just in time to hear Astrophel calling out to him. Something about the sun waking up. A rather adorable way to refer to the sunrise. Philip stepped out to pick the Amulet back up and put it around his neck. 

"It's a beautiful morning." He said, a rare compliment he could give this rotten world, "The sunrise almost looks the same as home." His chest felt heavy for a moment as a wave of homesickness passed through him...

[demaparbat-hp]

I didn't know Katara also had silver marks on the Kintsugi AU. How did you come up with that idea? Is it an in-universe cultural thing? If it is, is it exactly the same as Zuko's or does the Water Tribe have their own beliefs around it?

Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I just really love how your mind works when it comes to these AUs 💖

Hello, and thanks for asking!

Initially, Kintsugi was a strictly Fire Nation tradition. Something to hold over the rest of the nations, and deepen their own belief of cultural superiority. Zuko hiding his scars played into that idea, since having gold inlaid in your body is a clear sign of Fire Nation blood—furthermore, High Fire Nation blood.

That being said, one lovely anon gave the suggestion that perhaps the other nations also have their own kinds of Kintsugi, and I fell in love with the idea. @ican-fixitbooks went even deeper into the particular philosophies of each nation regarding Kintsugi. I'll be using some quotes from them—watch for the italics.

It was during said brainstorming session that I thought of Katara having a silver Kintsugi scar, and how could it be used to enhance the themes of ATLA, Katara's arc, and this AU as a whole.

But a little background is necessary, I believe.

Kintsugi is a tradition practiced worldwide, with minor differences in philosophy/technique according to each nation.

The Earth Kingdom seal their scars with a substance that resembles bronze, as the mentality of breaking yourself down to build yourself back up better than you were is very central to their culture. It is used as a way to celebrate one's victories, made all the better if damage was taken to achieve it.

The elite have rather different views on this practice. They believe themselves to be above such things. That which is broken must be hidden away, which has interesting connotations when thinking about a certain blind earthbender.

The Air Nomad philosophy leans towards a naturalist approach. Anything natural doesn't need to be "improved" in their eyes. If a scar is there, it is there. Let it be there as a part of you, no different than any other, no need to be "made better", but in fact better to just "be".

Kintsugi is a cultural practice meant to celebrate making something beautiful out of something broken, arguably even making it better than it was. During Sozin's reign and forward, Kintsugi became a way to show the Fire Nation's superiority. Especially as that is essentially their philosophy for war: "Breaking the rest of the world so it can be reforged in fire, made a better, more perfect place."

As for the Water Tribes, there's the healing factor to take into account. The Northern Water Tribe isolated itself from the rest of the world once the war began, so they hold tight to their traditions and beliefs. If something is not broken, then why attempt to fix it? Kintsugi is scoffed at in the North—it is a foreign practice, one that is not necessary when all your wounds can be healed with bending.

However, the Southern Water Tribe has been exposed to the world. They have seen war. They have lived through it. They have suffered, but they are also free because of it, if only in spirit. The South is strong and proud and bold, so it comes as no surprise that silver Kintsugi becomes the mark of their warriors, their hunters, their people.

Katara was wounded during the last Southern Raid. After losing Kya in such a terrible way, Hakoda made sure to seal Katara's wound with the silver of their warriors, so that she would always remember that despite having been broken, she is still strong, beautiful, and proud.

The scar itself is long and thin, going from her right shoulder up to her jaw. It loosely resembles lightning.

And despite how she got it, despite all the things she lost on that day, despite it being a constant reminder of her mother's death—Katara loves her scar.

It grounds her. It pushes her forward. You are a warrior, it tells her. You are a survivor.

When Katara arrives at the North, her scar becomes yet another thing the Northerners hold against her. They use it to demean her, just as they do her gender and out-spoken personality.

The North believes a lot of things that Katara always considered natural to be a problem. What does it matter that she is a woman? What is wrong about being passionate? Why should having a scar mean she's broken?

This scar is something they cannot touch. The Northerners try to use it to demean her. To make her small. Self-conscious. Worthless.

They're scoffing at her mother's death.

Her strength.

Her beauty.

Her pride.

Her story.

And she will not allow it.

[lunarharp]

played dragon age 2...just simple scribbles

[spkyart]

Fun fact: the official fanbook says the reason genya shaves his hair is because he has it very curly except in the front

So basically if he didn't shave his hair genya would look like this:

[sandara-and-coco]

⋆ ⸝ Sandara and Logan kids ⸝ ⋆

more infos about them below↓

✨️Andy - The Twinkle Star✨️

▪︎ 15 years old

The spirited and mischievous boy we all remember as the youngest member of the Logan gang, always hold a special place in our hearts so I tried my hardest on his design. Before Logan adopted him, Sandara already saw him as family so it was no surprise that she embraced him as her son without hesitation (she ofc shed a tear the first time Andy accidentally called her "Ma"). As a teenager now, Andy has maintained his lively spirit eagerly absorbing the knowledge of monster hunting and striving to be a great big brother to his younger siblings.

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🧡Herena - The Sand Daughter🧡

▪︎ 6 years old

Herena, the first biological daughter of Sandara and Logan, is a captivating blend of her parents' best features. Her spirited personality is a captivating fusion of bravery and pure clumsiness (if she ever takes a tumble in front of you, rest assured—she's quick to bounce back!), with a protective nature towards her family and friends, she spends a lot of time with her uncles Unsuur and Justice patrolling the town. She likes to mimic her older brother and dad as well as often show overprotective behaviors to little Yohan. Though self-conscious at times, her extroverted and loyal disposition shines through, making her a cherished member of the family and a promising young guardian for Sandrock.

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💚Yohan - The Little Shadow💚

▪︎ 4 years old

Yohan is the youngest of the family. Very reserved and shy, he finds solace in his own company, preferring the quiet pursuit of chasing insects and encounter with monsters and mutants to the boisterous play with other children he finds utterly boring and mean. In the depths of Yohan's pale green irises, mirror of his own mother's ones, a mysterious reflection flickers hinting a past story veiled in enigmatic shadows that cling to him. When he's not playing by himself or with other creatures, he's glued to his mom often seeking comfort in her arms as Sandara is the only one able to momentarily soothe whatever troubles his mind and sleep.

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Here they are—my precious babies, finally in full render! I’ve had them in mind for over a year now, and I'm thrilled to say I’m finally fully satisfied with their designs. I've kept their names as a tribute to their late grandfather on Logan's side, Howlett, and their grandmother on Sandara’s side, Yisul.

As an EA player, these MTaS next-gen ocs feel like a breath of fresh air, keeping my Sandrock enthusiasm alive. I hope you will enjoy them as well and are ready to join them on new adventures !

I would love to meet other potential friends for my little ones among the community's builders and interract, so feel free to share your next gen babies with me anytime♡

Take care !

[oneluckydragon]

I know it's a story, oh I know it's just a story. But why does it feel like my worst nightmare?

My Explorers of Sky Hero, Echo!

Lately I've been writing a study on her and this paragraph is taken from my rough rough draft. It's a more in-depth exploration of her character/origin/experiences and since I am a huge fan of the darkrai reincarnation theory, this is my personal take on the concept.

I think it's a bit poetic that Echo, in the aftermath of everything, winds up as a dark-type again (and one connected to the moon no less, the irony) as well. I mean, her timeline of lives has literally been this:

Darkrai (New Moon/Pitch Black) -> Human -> Eevee (Evolution) -> Umbreon (Moonlight)

A lot of her evolution into umbreon has to do with her personal trauma/amnesia and also significant influence from dusknoir (who she trusted and cared about), but deep down I feel like her evolution was also partially determined by the fragmented remnants of her original self. She even tried to evolve into leafeon, which obviously, did not work out as planned. Perhaps this is her past lives way of manifesting in her current self, though she is no longer the same pokemon anymore. Maybe it has something to do with self-forgiveness or acceptance? She still has a lot of healing to do, though.

Once evolving into a dark type, Echo slowly starts to regain some of her memories from her time as Darkrai. And Team Wish's new friendship with Cresselia, who is more perceptive than she has any right to be, gives Echo a lot of insight into exactly who she is. This spirals into Echo battling the reality of her past actions alone for a long time because how is she supposed to admit the truth to Sora? That she was the direct cause of their shared suffering? That she and darkrai are one and the same? That all of the pokemon of the future lived in an eternity of hell because she desired it? Of course, she keeps quiet for a long time out of pure fear-- because if Sora rejected her, she'd fall apart. It's a lot to keep secret but what else can she do?

And bonus!! Does Echo's shadow change during each night of the new moon? Hmm. Sure does seem like it.

[a-sketchy]

hi, have you seen this? i’m currently going insane about it. it’s a fan mv edited by the person who does a lot of the official project sekai 2dmvs. you can look at the translated lyrics here, or see them on the video for the original song. and like. please do. oh my god.

[aqueeriumwrites]

if you're seeing this, say hi to padlock

[thegraveyardsh1ft]

As a small treat for being patient on the progress of Season 2 Graveyard Shift, have an unfinished comic of The Graveyard Shift boys dressing up as Spidermen

[desultory-novice]

I think it'd be kinda interesting if Marx, after becoming part God-Clock, is unable to rest. After all, if a part of the Nova lives on in him, it'd surely be running to try do repairs or archive data, and this would mean Marx has developed long term insomnia. The reason this is bad is due to Marx being a Noddy, a group known entirely for sleeping. Imagine trying to get immense power, having a battle you lose in a way you can never truly understand, then lose the activity you love most as a part of you isn't really You anymore.

No wonder Marx went crazy.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH (/POS)

>DESS.EXE HAS STOPPED FUNCTIONING

[loving-elvis]

My favorite 50s!Elvis photos, part 162 of ∞;  Those Early Days 🥹

[moonsmars]

see, men should be more like seonghwa

[bobgoesw00t]

Here...this right here is THE BEST MOMENT OF THE FILM IMO!!! Not only is it fucking hysterical due to Stella showing up and scaring the Black Knight SHITLESS, but Shinn then proceeds to prove that HE IS NOT TO BE FUCKED WITH WHEN HE'S IN THE DESTINY GUNDAM!!! This cutie patootie can be put in the folder: "Looks like a Cinnamon Roll, is a Cinnamon roll, but can also kill you."

That last screenshot though...GOD IT'S SO FUCKING BADASS!!!!! I'm so proud of my favorite Cosmic Era Cinnamon Roll x3

[fuckyeahvarric]

Benny Fizz would like to remind you all that it is hot outside and life is stressful, so please don't feel bad for letting yourself take a little time to nap or relax when you need to.

[beatleswings]

PAUL and LINDA McCARTNEY with MAL EVANS behind as they arrive to the register office at Marylebone. March 12, 1969.