#back to the Arcana Project. probably

[venusinverted]

redrawing/slight redesigning my Space Channel 5 oc to match the PXZ Ulala art :)

[sideblogdotjpeg]

i am not immune to launchpad sol and albin thoughts

[aiscapades]

thinking out loud abt recent discussions in the touchstarved/obscura fandoms :) literally just my own personal opinion !!!!!

i can't stop thinking abt cirrus bc he's honestly what i want so badly for the touchstarved LIs. it's what i wanted for count lucio.

i was reading y'all's opinions abt the touchstarved marketing and your concerns abt how the game is gonna turn out, and while i was understanding, i also was so confused abt .. where this sudden concern was coming from. and then i played obscura and i was like oh! i didn't know a game could be like this! i didn't know a demo could be like this! i had entirely different reactions to the obscura demo than i did the touchstarved demo

—and yeah that's comparing two totally different games, different studios, different projects. the touchstarved demo served to introduce the characters and the world and it did that wonderfully. it's satisfactory. it's not that they did anything wrong?? but i cannot deny they gave me two insanely different reactions. i was YELLING when cirrus was doing his shit. it was like what i imagine watching trashy reality tv is like. or like watching one of those poorly-made TV movies and just enjoying the ride. i was hollering and jumping out of my chair and GAWKING at the screen. like cirrus was real and he was really saying this insane shit and i was SO ON BOARD and selecting every insane option the game gave me. it was just so wild. and it was so, so fun.

so i thought abt it more and i was like yeah. i actually see where this concern is coming from. rss keeps their stuff so close to their chest that it's hard to tell what routes they're taking, how they're dealing with certain issues, how deep the character arcs go, etc. i have no idea how fucked up their version of monstrosity gets, and for a game that is ENTIRELY about monsters and monstrosity, that definitely gives me pause. we don't know anything. they drop hints and we guess and theorize, but we don't know anything. we know leander is fucked up. we know they're all fucked up. in what way? who knows. does mhin murder people as a giant crow beast every night? we don't definitively know. we kinda assume that based on lore drops, but we don't know. but then other studios are doing semi-regular q&as and dropping information into the laps of their fans on a daily basis (lost in limbo??? hello? every day i get a notif that they've told us something new, either abt ALL the characters or about the world). idk how early obscura devs have been answering questions but they're also doing something similar. but for rss you can send in questions and you're probably never gonna hear back. you can't just ask them what song the m5 LIs would sing on karaoke night and get a response 🧍🏼 they don't do that. which isn't to say it's WRONG of them—i'm not saying they're being bad game devs by any means—but it's definitely a different way to handle game development compared to these other studios we follow.

that lack of fan involvement and information sharing is where the concern comes from, i think. at least on my part!

i mentioned count lucio earlier and i want to elaborate why. firstly, he's my favorite character of all time. i've been writing a fanfic for him for 2 years, and it's nearly 200k words (i'm taking a break from it rn). like i love lucio as a character so, so deeply. is it because of the arcana game? no, actually. it's because of the POTENTIAL his character has. it's because of what the FANS have pulled from him and shaped him into.

the arcana was on the app store. it had such strict rules about what it could and couldn't be. and yeah i can rant about how dumb nix hydra is for taking the mico-transaction phone app route, but my point in all of it is that the devs failed lucio. i think they fumbled a lot, with the other characters as well, but lucio was their watch mojo top 10 biggest anime fails of all time #1 spot.

his bad ending shows him as the new DEVIL and dictator of the world??? and we got to see none of that. his whole route woobified him to pieces. he's just a lil meow meow. he's Baby. he didn't know better. he just made some Oopsies 👉🏻👈🏻 uh oh!!

like he was the main VILLAIN of the story and they turned him into a manchild. the wasted potential of this guy is insane. and i guess i saw that and thought "i can make this motherfucker so much worse" and i did that and will continue to do that. so have his other fans. people have rewritten his route altogether because it was so unsatisfactory.

there's overlap from the arcana in the rss dev team. do i think touchstarved will be the new arcana? nope!!!! but am i also worried they'll play it safe because they think the fanbase wants conventionally loveable love interests? yeah. i absolutely see the concern. it's very real and very there. does red spring studio KNOW we want truly monstrous characters? do they? we're just hoping they do.

leander doesn't have to be just like cirrus. none of them have to be anything. but i do want them to be monstrous. i want to FEEL something the same way i feel something when cirrus orders me onto my knees. like not even in a kinky sexual way. i want to be shocked. i want to hesitate and think "what is this character doing right now? what will i do right now?" i want to be confused and shocked and pleasantly surprised and also horrified. i want the adrenaline high i got while playing cirrus's first chapter. it was like my cptsd was triggered in the best possible way (lmao).

and it's not even about that.

lost in limbo is more fantasy romance than it is horror (save for the goddamn voidbound holy fuck!) but i know that i'll enjoy the game anyhow because i love all the characters. why do i love all the characters? because the devs tell us about them. they don't even have to spoil the game. i know amon smells like chocolate and has a fake southern accent (HELLO?) and that ara can't sing. lost in limbo could be the corniest fucking game and i would still love it because i'm already so attached to the characters.

the reason i turned to lost in limbo and obscura is because my excitement for touchstarved waned. because there's just a once in a blue moon post and it's likely it'll just be a "backers have new updates!" post. which isn't said to shame rss or backers !!!! that's normal and fine and valid!!!! do that!!!! i just mean rss is BARELY giving us what we want. we're stranded in the desert dying and rss is trickling water droplets one by one to each of us. lost in limbo devs are pissing fresh spring water into our mouths at firehose speed. is rss bad for this? no. they're not doing anything wrong. but a natural consequence of their marketing strategy is that fans will move on. i still love touchstarved. i'm going to play it. i'm reblogging fanart and fanfics. i'm posing the mormon leander theory. like i'm still here and still very much active but touchstarved isn't on my mind the way lost in limbo & obscura are.

ravenstar games tells me gael would fail the trial in the tale of orpheus and eurydice and i'm like holy fuck??? holy fuck!!!!!!

would ais? would mhin? i don't fucking know.

and what about elyon and sen? i know they're DLC bonus LIs and they don't need to be fleshed-out as soon as the main LIs. they can be on the back burner until touchstarved comes out. this is fair. but what about them? we know nothing other than 1. elyon is rich because of brothel money and 2. sen is an undead warden? (like a prison guard? like the ppl who watch over vere? i don't even know that for sure) (we also know their flowers but that's barely anything). meanwhile lost in limbo is sharing info about cécile and lázaro as often as their main love interests. they're not forgotten about. i can't even make a mc for sen's route because i know nothing about her!!!!!! which hurts my heart because i love sen. i love the idea of sen. it's the first time a female love interest in one of these games is 1. my type but also 2. not exactly like me (ara i love you but we are twins).

they're impersonal. they are 2D concepts we try to fill out.

maybe rss will tell us the LIs go-to karaoke song after the game releases. or maybe they won't. but there are just so many benefits to sharing that kinda thing and bonding with your fans in that way. that's my whole point. it's not "i need a steady stream of touchstarved content pumped directly into my veins 24/7 or i lose all interest" it's not that!!!!! obviously not because rss doesn't do that and i'm still here. this is my most active blog! i'm having a blast here because the fandom is sick as hell. we're vibing, doing our own thing, and it's great. but rss feels very distant. they are the senobium and we are residents of lowtown wondering when or if things will ever be different. if we're going to have a good day (lore drop or new art) or if things will just continue on as expected.

to reiterate: this post isn't about how rss is doing something wrong or bad or that ravenstar games/rotten raccoons are sososososo much better than rss. rss doesn't have to do everything other studios are doing. that's not what i'm saying. this is just the reality of what rss is doing vs other devs and how i PERSONALLY feel about it. i love them i would literally strap a bomb to my chest and demand my loved ones' credit card info to disarm it for any of these studios/games. i am a fan and i'm hopeful and i want to trust in rss so so so so badly. i want the very best for them. i want them to create a great game and be successful. i want them to be creatively fulfilled and proud of their game. on their own time, their own way. really and truly!

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

Full HC: MC becomes an author and starts writing memoirs detailing their adventures with their beloved; how do the M6 react? How do they try to help?

The Arcana HCs: When MC writes their love story

Julian

Waaay too invested. Come on. You're writing memoirs about the dramatic, life-changing, whirlwind saving-the-world story that's been your romance? Be still his theatre kid heart

Will ask regularly if you've written anything more and set time aside to read whatever you share with him. Often does so out loud, to whichever patient/clinic assistant/bar patron is nearby

Cannot handle how fondly you describe him

People regularly ask to hear him read the latest installment, just for the sight of the infamous Dr Devorak blushing and stumbling over his words, voice cracking at your loving view of him

This does not stop him from suggesting changes. Specifically, suggesting embellishments. What do you mean the Devil wasn't twenty feet tall? Surely you're misremembering how big he was

Doesn't pressure you to rush your work at all, but is living in perpetual (self-inflicted) purgatory waiting for the story to be finished and to see the book published

Has a spot preemptively saved for it on his library shelf

Coincidentally, half the city plans to preorder it as well

Asra

Their curiosity is killing them, but they value your privacy and creative freedom way too much to ask to see what you're writing

The most he does is offer encouragement, compliments, and help

What you don't see is the sheer level of loving gratitude that they feel about what you're doing. They've accepted your previous memory loss, and have been happy to hold your memories for you

But the fact that you treasure the memories you share with him now so much that you're putting in the hours and effort it takes to preserve them for the future ...

It's enough to overwhelm them, sometimes, which can make them seem distant about the project (though you know them well enough at this point to see that this means they're emotional)

Very good at giving you the emotional support you need for a project like this, especially when you have to relive some of the harder parts of your shared history

Always happy to help you remember the details of how something went. He started remembering things for both of you after you came back, and it makes for some tender conversations

Nadia

Honored. That's mostly what she feels - deeply honored

And a little unsure of how best to support you while you go about your endeavor. Her instinct is to get as involved with it as possible, making sure you have all the resources for success you could need

But she's also aware that this is a very personal thing for you to do, and that the point of it is to write things down from your point of view. This is your project, so she should probably stay out of it ...

Well, offering you her help and "casually" bringing by new supplies every couple days shouldn't hurt

If you didn't have it already, you've got a writing room, strong boundaries around your creative time, only the best ink and parchment, and access to dictionaries and thesauruses galore

Will light up and drop everything if you give her some of what you've written to read over. She's fascinated by your perception of the world (and her) and enjoys learning more about it

She's also extremely knowledgeable about spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, so unless you clarify that you're not asking for feedback you'll get plenty of suggested corrections

Muriel

He's a little ... embarrassed

Don't get him wrong. He loves that you're doing what you're doing, and deep down he'd fight the world to let you keep doing it

But half the time he catches a glimpse of the page you're writing he can see his own name spelled out multiple times in there and it makes him feel much more perceived than he is used to

He feels like what you're doing is almost holy, though

So much of his life was defined by losing his history, his connections, his chance to share memories with a family

And now here you are, putting hours upon hours into documenting the history and family you've built together and found in each other, until your story no longer depends on being alive to tell it

Which is why he'll dote on you while you work, bringing you water and snacks, ink refills and spare pages, making sure your workspace is well-lit and the temperature is comfortable

He wants to honor what you're doing

He's also very interested in reading it, but he's not going to ask. He'll just linger nearby in case you have a question or something ...

Portia

Her first thought is to offer to co-author it

Think about it - you two could write alternating chapters, with the story line switching between your two perspectives!

She's completely understanding if you say no, but she might try to use that to get you to agree to letting her read it as you write it. This is the coolest romance adventure story ever!

Amazing for helping you with the pre-writing creative process. Need someone to bounce ideas off of? Need help structuring your outline or blocking out how much space to give different things?

She's got you. She's quick to notice what boosts your creative flow and will help you get into that groove, whether it's chatting about what you're going to write next or giving you tea and snacks

Her only criticism is that you don't give yourself enough credit in your writing. Otherwise, she loves every word

And by love, that means obsesses. She devours every page you show her and could spend hours telling you why she loves it

It's also a massive boost to her to be reminded that you see her as a main character in your story. It makes her happy cry regularly

Lucio

On the outside, he's playing it cool

Of course you're writing about the adventures you've had together! You two are the best of the best and you've done some seriously awesome things, writing a killer novel about it makes total sense

On the inside, he's scared

He's not an introspective guy. He spends most of his time in the moment, but on the occasions that he has to stop and contemplate himself, he gets insecure a lot faster than he'd like to

And now you - the person who knows him even better than he does - are writing about him. About who he is to you. About what he means to you. About ... who he used to be to you

That's terrifying

He puts off reading anything you offer to show him, and distracts himself from thinking about it when you sit down to write. He's curious to see what you have to say and anxious at the same time

What if you think he hasn't changed that much? What if writing down what he used to be like makes you admire him less?

When he does read it, he almost cries at how loving it is

[mibibosartblog]

2018 dump, part 4, The Arcana (mostly Lucio) edition.

Lucio's dialogue from Nadia's story during the Masquerade, making himself as wide as possible in the hallway to not let her through, whilst claiming to be "reasonable."

You can't convince me Lucio wouldn't be down to clown the second he made it back into his body, end of the world or no. Background from the game.

My apprentice, probably leering at an odd customer.

Asra confronting Lucio at the Masquerade about the apprentice's disappearance.

Half ghost, half goat projection Lucio trying to reestablish a human-like form, but struggling to work the magic required.

Smug prick Lucio.

Reference of Prince Charming from Shrek 2, next to sketch of Lucio. That's what that pose was supposed to be.

Shading/coloring practice.

Casual sketch of Lucio and apprentice walking together.

[tuliptic]

Messages From The Divine

This Pick a Card/Pile is for you and me to hear the messages from the divine. Who wants to talk to you? What are the messages they bring?

Close your eyes, meditate on this topic and ask yourself the question. Breathe in and out, make sure your mind and heart is calm. Then, open your eyes to see which pile talks to you the most/draws you in the most. Once you’ve found your pile, scroll down to the respective parts to see what are the messages for you.

Piles go from left to right.

Disclaimer: This is solely for my entertainment purposes. Take only whatever you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it means I’m not the reader for you and it’s okay to just drop it. Besides, I do not consent to my work or images being used by third partis on this platform or other websites as well.

Decks used: Luna Cat Tarot Deck (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Sweet Dreams Oracle Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck

Pile 1

Message from the goddess Selene

My dear… -sighs- You’re strong, you’ve fought so hard for everything to be in place, you’ve fought for the world to be in your hands. What does that feel like? You realized that achievement isn’t everything, correct? You realized that you needed more strength to face more things that you used to love, right? I’m not saying you're wrong, I’m just… I just want you to be happier, to be more at peace with yourself.

You are starting a lot of new projects and you’re slowly draining yourself out. I’m worried about you. Starting one or two is still alright, but the more you start, the more you have to see through it until the end, and that’s slowly eating you up. What started as fun is starting to become a burden, a responsibility you’ll need to bear. Success will be coming your way, but please do not let it lose your sense of fun, please do not let it lose your sense of self.

-Sighs again- I see that you’ll be very busy from now on, with how many projects you’re having with you, and that things are going to be moving at a very fast pace, probably faster than you can catch up. When this happens, know that I’m here for you along with your higher self, and we’ll be communicating with you in your dreams to help you with whatever life has for you. You are divinely protected, especially by me. And as much as changes come, you just… Embrace them, no matter how fast they are, and you adapt.

As much as I worry for you, you seem pretty excited with all these movements. I believe they come as a pivotal change for you to transition into a new phase, into a new you. I am happy for you but I can’t stop worrying about how much you’re starting to put on you. Please remember to take care of yourself, alright? I’ll be here for you all the time, even when you can’t see me. Just look up in the night sky and tell me your happiness, your fears, your success, your worries. I’m listening. I’m here for you as your greatest supporter.

Pile 2

Message from the goddess Athena

How does it feel like? To finally regain the balance that you’ve always wanted? To finally accept the changes that came your way and make peace with it? You had so much fear, but you still managed to do it. Spectacularly, I’d say. You did a great job and I’m so, so proud of you for getting through those hard times.

Betrayals are such painful things to deal with, especially when it’s people you trust the most being sneaky and backstabbing you. However, fear not, my child. There’s always an end to a tunnel. Trust the process and keep running. Don’t let past disappointments stop you from having hope in this world. Continue giving, and you shall receive. Balance is what keeps the world moving, what keeps the world in a harmonious state. You give, and you shall receive. Even if it’s not now, it will, eventually. Believe that good karma will come back to you when you’re generous with what you have, including time and love.

You should also take some time for yourself, my child. Spend some time with me, meditate and think about where you want to go, what you want to achieve, what you want to let go, who you want to spend your energy on. It is a new phase, a new chance for your own growth, for you to challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone as you head towards illumination. You are a warrior, my child. You know that you’re the co-creator of your life and destiny, and you’re ready to take matters into your hands.

Whenever you feel tired or you need help, come to me. If you’re willing to receive help from me and the Universe, help shall fall upon you. Believe. Trust. Love. Live life to the fullest. I am with you.

Pile 3

Message from the goddess Demeter

My dear child, I’d love to give you a huge hug. Whatever time of perils shall be over soon. Fate is now smiling at you, and the Sun is coming out to give you a warm hug. Do not fear the Sun, for it gives out light and heat to the world, for it gives warmth to the soul. The Sun is always there for you, let its rays kiss your forehead and remind you that you are very much loved.

Whatever painful times, whatever heart-stabbing moments are coming to an end. The swords are falling out and you can finally let yourself be healed. Stop treating your pain like it’s something you imagined. If you see the wound is real, then you can heal it. Be kind to your wounds, spend time and tend to them gently. My dear, I know you tend to have an overly rational approach to your day to day problems, and over-rationalize a lot of things. But my lovely child, reason itself isn’t the answer to everything. Let yourself and your emotions run. Accept that it’s alright to be unreasonable, that it’s already a time for you to let yourself loose. 

It may be very difficult right now, but trust that whatever that’s happening to you right now is intending to build you up to face the future stronger. You’ve been creating strong emotional connections with the important people in your life, haven’t you? Those people, they are here for you. They are always with you, physically or emotionally, and they are determined to bring you to wonderful places that are filled with wonder, delight and joy. 

My beloved child, your family may have disappointed you at times, but you have to remember you’re never a disappointment in my eyes, in the eyes of the people who love you unconditionally. I’m here to nurture you, to bring you to a place where warmth and light resides, to let you be able to release that warmth and light to the people you care for as well. I’m here for you, always, and forever.

Thank you for reading until the end! Feedbacks and reblogs are always appreciated! <3

[l3xdrigo]

Since it's my birthday today and whatnot, this is gonna be a special post :D. I'm gonna show some drabbles and short stories that I've been wanting to share for a while so enjoy.

(also thank you to that one moot(@acesw) that has probably read most of these already and has suffered through my ramblings, appreciate you a lot<3)

(Most of these are Vernetto and Vertin-centric cuz they've been taking over my mind for months)

"Familiar"

It's over, the fight between the storm and Manus, it was all over. Many are bloodied, injured and tired yet cheered for their victory. Just outside the Manus's hide out was a new world that will greet them, time will no longer move backwards yet only forward. Opening the door, many arcanist and some humans alike rushes out, yet a figure stood still in front of the open door. What a familiar sight, someone steps outside and looks back and holds out their hand "Timekeeper.. It's okay now, we won, let's go and see the outside world together. Where we are all free" Vertin gave a smile, a somber smile, "I would love that.. but unfortunately I can't join you.."

A click inside the darkness of the building

" I'm sorry Sonetto, enjoy your freedom"

A loud bang echoed into the walls.

doesn't this feel so familiar for you, little puppy.

Sonetto was in a state of shock, her mind not processing what happened as the blood seeped out and spread. "Sonetto! What are you standing there for, come get Vertin and come over here" Lilya was the one who shouted, being meters away from them but her voice still reached her ears. Then, the whole situation sinked in... Sonetto dropped to her knees as it seemed all the strength left in her body was gone.

The hound couldn't protect her, it's bellwether.

(Or the foundation didn't need their timekeeper anymore, so time to let her rest)

"Aftermath"

The last drop of rain had risen and the sun began to rise, the storm was over. Bodies gone and only clothing was left, the Manus's dark ink-like substance stained the concrete ground. After grueling hours and days of fighting, it was all over, time is moving forward again, both sides had an abundance of followers and martyrs fighting for two seperate cause, they all fought rigorously yet only one remained.

Vertin on her knees stayed there, unable to move as fatigue and the strain of injuries took a toll, but also loneliness. She fought side by side with her team, her family, her herd but she was the only one remaining. Sotheby, Lilya,Regulus, Ms. Druvis, Mr. Apple.. Sonetto, they were all gone, her suitcase was destroyed, the arcanist and humans she's grown accustomed to were also gone. Was it worth it? For the mission of returning to the present but to lose everything to the past.

"One man shall fall and one man shall live to bear the consequences of thy sins" were the last words that left Arcana; the mission is over, take off your hat and face the scene in front, repent and walk to the light, a new tomorrow awaits you, Vertin.

("Are we all alone once again"- The Gleaming)

"Longing"

Sonetto was walking through the halls, passing staff members and managers and exchanging greetings. She was called to get on set today as they needed to record a new scene for the show "Reverse 1999"

Being a part of this project has been great, she's met a lot of directors and producers with a platter of amazing ideas, actors who have made some show-stopping scenes with their talents and.. as she opens the door, there she is. Vertin, with her ash-gray hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing her outfit as the Timekeeper of the show, just minus the coat, talking with one of the managers, smiling and giggling at times as they both talk about how a recent interview went. Oh how gorgeous she was, even after all these years, Vertin was still the one who holds Sonetto's heart captive and it's both a heart warming yet painful feeling.

Both of them have been friends since they were 4, it took Sonetto to grow fond of Vertin as she's been known to be quite a troublemaker but eventually she warmed up to her antics, even if she had to get her out of them most of the time. They both shared a passion for arts and literature, they were interested in theater and would watch them as their bond grew more and more throughout the years. Those times had to end however, as Sonetto flew abroad for college, leaving Vertin and the rest of her friends behind. She's gotten busy and due to that, both her and Vertin have somewhat drifted away from each other, the regret is still eating her even today, to be able to go back in time and fix that mistake. Now, Vertin has grown into an amazing actress and also has made a lot of new friends, she's met some of them, like a girl named Schneider, a bit of a flirt but she's great. There were times where she has gotten a bit envious of their bond, to be able to be so close to Vertin and not feel like her airways collapsed when she tried to utter a word.

She's here now but the distance still feels far, funny isn't it, she thought, 'how are characters we play fight against the reversal of time yet all I want is to go back and experience the past we had before' Sonetto could only sigh deeply, taking one last glance before one of the staff had called her, maybe she wasn't so different from the character she plays.

(Or maybe it wasn't just the lack of communication but another event that left them distant; actor au)

"How the moon stares at the sun"

Vertin stared at Sonetto as she smiles in the sunlight, gently reaching out to a butterfly. Sonetto looked ethereal, her orange hair slightly flowing in the wind, green eyes almost shining as brightly as the sun. Vertin knew how beautiful Sonetto was before ever since they were children of the foundation but right now really proved that thought a hundred times more. Warmth spreading to her cheeks as she just stared at her for what felt like an eternity but the moment Sonetto looked back at her, she immediately hid behind the safety of her hat.

"Timekeeper, are you alright?"

"... yes Sonetto, I am fine"

Sonetto tilted her head a bit, like a curious puppy who's also worried. It took a while for the "stoic" timekeeper to regain her composure again, though still feeling her heart beating like a drum.

"Let's go back shall we, Sonetto"

"Of course timekeeper!"

Sonetto happily followed as Vertin gave a small smile;the moon cannot shine without its sun.

(Look, lesbians)

"Reversed"

Vertin fought against forget me not and some manus followers, both are in equal battle but Fmn has the upper hand, catching Vertin off guard and using an attack that exploded a chunk of the right side of her head to bits. Her body falls to the ground, blood seeping almost immediately as in Fmn eyes, he won, she's dead, there's no way she could get up now, the deep wounds of the fight and a good chunk of her head and skull destroyed, she's dead. They retreat as the storm is here, leaving the timekeeper's body to rot.

As raindrops rise from the ground, it hits the corpse, but instead of just rising to the top, some of the raindrops were starting to affect the body. Vertin is immune to the storm's effects, but it seems that some part of that was false. Colorful liquid like substance starts to form on the sounds and the side of her head, being reversed to their original state, slowly but surely. Reversing the atoms and nerves and bringing life to her once more. She awoke again after a while, breathing heavily as the storm do it's job. Slightly touching the side of her head that was originally exploded, it still feels like liquid but she can feel some part of the bones restoring, it's best not to touch it as it actually quite hurts. Slowly getting up, and seeing the Manus nowhere to be found, she needs to head back to her team, she's worried that the Manus might try to do something.

Fmn attacks were getting stronger as the timekeeper squad casted incantation after incantation, just when Forget me not was going to land a tremendous attack, a strong attack from behind the head was enough to knock him out. The group looked at the source of the attack and spotted a familiar blue hat, Vertin stood there, clothes bloodied and parts of her body weirdly had clusters of colorful liquid. They stared for a moment, not really knowing how to process.

"I'm guessing you would like to know what happened?"

"I- YES WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW"

Regulus quickly answered back, Vertin internally sighed, this is going to be a long explanation.

(Vertin being able to heal in the storm was an interesting idea I've had)

"Clinging onto a thread"

As Vertin, Regulus, Sonetto, Mr. Apple and lilya are walking to Madam Z's office after getting back from the island and that god-forsaken first field mission, Vertin speaks up.

"Umm...Regulus, you know it's okay to let go of me now right? "

Regulus could be seen clinging onto Vertin's left arm and Mr. Apple was holding onto a small part of Vertin's hat, she shook her head.

"Nah mate, from the amount of bull crap we just went through, I'm not letting you go. And besides, I'm not the only one clinging to you"

At her right, Sonetto could also be seen clutching at her arm, looking somewhat calm but the way she firmly holds her arm says otherwise.

Vertin just stays silent for a while, and continues to walk. It would be pretty hypocritical of her to make them let go, as she herself has been holding Lilya's hand, the eagle has been guiding them back the entire time.

(It's crazy to think that the island thing was their first-field mission)

"Can you please stop taking their timekeeper away every 5 minutes"

The timekeeper squad was in Madam Z's room, currently talking about some important matters as there was a knock on the door, Madam Z gave the permission to enter as a foundation staff walked into the room.

"excuse me Madam Z, we need to take the Timekeeper for a few moments to evaluate some reports about the recent storm."

The staff was immediately bombarded with questions.

Regulus: You're taking her already?? When will she come back?

Foundation staff: in maybe a few hours

Lilya: And how long are those "few" hours?

Foundation staff: it is estimated to be around 1 or 2 if the evaluation goes smoothly

Sotheby: You're not going to bring her anywhere else right?

Foundation staff: of course not, just to the research Center.

Druvis: After the evaluation, is there anything else she would do after?

Foundation staff: umm,, it depends but I'm certain that it's only an evaluation, nothing more after that.

The foundation staff looks at Madam Z if she can take the timekeeper who's been standing next to the foundation staff and seemingly waiting patiently.

"Just let her take her leave as soon as the evaluation is over, but other than that, yes the both of you may be excused."

The two left the room and it felt very awkward. Vertin apologized for what happened, telling the poor staff that they were just worried about her after the recent events, the staff brushed it off, saying that it's fine. Though deep inside it was incredibly scary, even the Apple seemed intimidating.

(Can we please stop taking their timekeeper away, they need her as much as she needs them🥹)

"Sleeping in"

Vertin slowly woke up, the fresh sunlight hitting here skin through the windowsill of her room. It's been a few days since the disastrous mission that her team just went through, being put on break as all recovers. Something was missing, or she should say someone, getting up groggily, she drags her body out of bed and outside her room. After walking in the suitcase for a bit, she spots what she was missing, Sonetto.

She spotted her right away and was about to greet her when Vertin wrapped her arms around her waist, bringing her to a hug. Sonetto lets out a small squeak from the unexpected action but quickly recovers and wraps her arms around her as well. "Are you still tired? " the timekeeper only let out a small hum as a response, the two have gotten closer since that mission, finding it hard when both were seperated, so the two prompted to sleep in together, not like both of them minded it(Sonetto was a flustered mess at first but hey, she's fine) . Finding comfort and solace with one another, through their aching pains and injuries, both have enjoyed each other's company and warmth.

Sonetto looks at one of the clocks for the time, it still seems too early for the two of them to be up, the rest of their team still asleep. "It seems a bit too early for you to be up timekeeper, would you like to head back to bed?" Earning another hum from the timekeeper, both make their way back to the bedroom. Maybe sleeping in wouldn't be so bad, they are on break after all.

(They deserve some eepy and cuddles. Again, lesbians)

(Idk if I'll add more to this later but damn this took a while)

[enddaysengine]

Horned Dragon (Paths Beyond)

My patrons expressed interest in a few of the remastered monsters that got a facelift, and I am thrilled to present the first one: the horned dragon. With the remaster project, Paizo had to chuck the classic chromatic and metallic dragons out with the bathwater. Or at least they had to check their names out. While Monster Core is full of brand, new and deliciously weird dragons, there is a familiar face. The green dragon has been redubbed in favour of its horn, making it clear all the dragons we love to love and love to hate are still around. Expect the other metallics and chromatics to reappear with a fresh coat of paint as time goes on. In the meanwhile, horned dragons have literal decades of lore we can draw upon. 

Art by Ben Wootten

The most notable change to horned dragons in the Remaster is trading the arcane spellcasting tradition for primal. This aligns with their fondness for woodlands and linguistic talents for both elven and fey, although their erudite minds still resonate with the arcane tradition. There is an overlap between the two in shapechanging  and elemental magics, which suggests some themes to worm horned dragons around. And, as I will frequently say when dealing with the Remaster, there's no reason you can't just go with the classic arcane caster and all that entails, especially if that's what makes sense for the story.

Horned dragons have a reputation for being intellectuals, but they do have a gap in their knowledge: the outer sphere. For those of us who harken back to the Planescape days or focus our planar games on the afterlife, that sounds like a significant gap. Likewise, they know relatively little about outsiders, and the undead. It is worth remembering, however, that this is the only gap in their knowledge when it comes to planar affairs. Horned dragons are trained in Arcana, Nature, and Occultism, with even a young dragon able to beat expert level DCs reliably. Add in the fact they’re experts in society as well, and they know about almost every type of monster that’s out there too. Horned dragons don’t just have a reputation for being smart, they are genuinely brilliant and unlikely to let you forget it. What that means is that horned dragons could be the masterminds behind any plot involved in the planes. Or they could be the ones who dispense a crucial piece of information to the party. Or both. Probably both.

Deep within the Hanging Bower is one of the Green Mother's favourite concubines: the horned dragon Urðvox, the Hungering Mind. Her title was bestowed by her Eldest mistress, for Urðvox role the Green Mother's court is to speak for and embody mental seduction. Hours of conversation with the ancient worm pass in the blink of an eye, but the horned dragon only hints at her great knowledge. Those who wish to learn her secrets must tease apart the few crumbs the dragon give, all while being careful not to get drawn in too quickly.

The oddest monastery exists in the Napsune Mountains, founded by Zestrex, a young but capable horned dragon. The dragon is enamoured with the Laws of Mortality, scoffing at the prospect divinity makes one more worthy than intellect. Upon arriving in Rahadoum, Zestrex found many restless spirits, mortal and elemental alike, and resolved to gather them to himself. Now, Zestrex studies the primal and occult forces at work within his disciples while helping them move on or return to their planes of origin.

Imetx lives a contemplative live of seclusion and reflect on the Ethereal Plane. She considers herself a gardener, but unlike horticulturalists on the Universal Plane, what she cultivated are emotions. Anger blossoms, red and stinging, on fleshy vines that must be constantly trimmed. Joy is a field of yellow blooms, as far as the eye can see. The white stalks of fear are rarely seen, for it is never Imetx’s own fear, but that of those who see her imposing form. An authority on the In-Between’s emotional resonance, Imetx can provide information or ritual components relating to aura reading.

While horned dragons are known for pursuing self-perfection, they can be protective of other beings they view as perfect, to the point of possessiveness. Giorgis the Pure sees unicorns in this way — they represent perfect virtues, are perfect horses, and serve as perfect emissaries between the mortal world and the First World. The horned dragon obsessively tracks in the comings and goings of all unicorns within the forest where he lairs, as well the portals they use to commune with the fey. He has a violent and deep hatred of alchemists, blaming them for alicorn poachers, whether or not they deal in such substances.

Note: If you want to get a vote in the what monsters I cover out of order next, come follow the link at the top (and right here)

I do have some Monster Core writeups done (you can also find them at the link), but I'm waiting for Archive of Nethys to update so I can include art.

[dislyteshack]

Rambling

Originally I did not know what to do with my Odysseus esper but after listening to some epic the musical songs I have some really cool ideas

Basically like he hasn't technically seen his family in 10 years but that's only because he was in the union all this time but then

Starting from 2027 he's like unironically missing

And also for context I have his son as an esper of Patroclus

Tldr

Achilles esper event: Adrian helping his boyfriend track down his dad

Also I like to think that they end up metaphorically encountering some events that are inspired by obstacles in The Odyssey

It's going to be very very very very loosely based

I am including certain espers with patrons like Scylla calypso and what not and they are going to be a few new OCS

Some of them non esper but representing Odyssey characters

Some of them existing espers who might not be in the same mythology but they do serve a purpose

Oh epic the musical we're really in for it now

I know technically it means the event technically focuses more on relationships other than Adrian himself but like he's kind of like the glue starting it and moving stuff forward

And there is in fact a personal character arc for him in there

I'm going to be putting a bunch of four stars in this event

I imagine some of the events happened to Peter and it would be Adrian and Orion walking in on the aftermath

While some of the loose events would happen to the boys directly

It's probably going to be like an odyssey Saga where the characters kind of move back and forth between the worlds but it's held together by the story

So there's going to be an event for

Adrian (Achilles)

Orion (Patroclus)

And Peter (Odysseus) to tie it all together

Although I am a little torn as to whether I should put Orion first or Adrian

Because technically you can count them as both protagonists because they're the ones following the trail that was left behind by peter

Peter can also be counted as a protagonist but I'm having parts of his perspective obscured until his event

Supporting characters include dahlia, Meredith, a little cameo from leora or David maybe

I was almost thinking about Arcana making an appearance but no one will probably need to give me propaganda for that dude to make me consider

Biodina has a partial role that shares loose similarities to Poseidon's actions but it's more impersonal

If anything she would be acting on behalf of a client or someone who had accompanied Peter on his personal project that caused him to disappear but then they disappeared too

I think you can tell I have kind of been listening to epic the musical because this is why I have so many thoughts on this

I Def am planning on Peter having certain espers as temporary traveling companions

For the prophet who ends up giving the prophecy on one hand I could take a certain canon character who is already predisposed to seeing the future but on the other hand it would not be wrong for me to make an entire OC

But also dont I want to go through the effort?

Because they effectively share the same purpose of saying a prophecy

And also I think the problem I have the most is that like I already have arcs planned out for Orion + peter

It's mostly me figuring out stuff for Adrian

All right I did figure out a reason for the disappearance

Basically I kind of engineered my own ocean monument where I imagine there's like a bunch of Raya shit in there and then initially Peter owed a favor to someone and they decided to cash in on that favor so that he investigates the archeology site for him but then after that stuff starts going wrong when he decides to turn around and go home after they got everything

[szkicel]

Welcome to my art page!

Hi, I’m Lucin, also known as Szkicel, and I’m a bug artist working on a few projects - mostly webcomics and games!

Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | ToyHouse | ArtFight

I’m tagging this post with all my tags that I use, so it’s easier to find stuff on mobile~ (will be updated as time goes on)

Let me introduce some of my projects under the cut :D

RO.Bug

Sayta & Neska are two cockroach sisters working as bounty hunters to put some food on the table. Sometimes Neska’s best friend Artun also tags along to help them out. They all live in the remains of a human house, where a lot of other bugs built their towns and cities.

This is the project that currently I’m putting the most focus on, working on the script and hopefully soon - drawing the pages of the comic!

RO.Bug sideblog: @ro-bug

Characters & plot - summary

RO.Bug on ToyHouse

RO.Bug: The Sinking Ruins

This is a project of a game that I worked on for my thesis. It takes place in the same universe as RO.Bug of course, but it focuses on a different location and different characters.

Isel is a moth traversing the old ruins on their robotic wings, trying to find a way back to their kingdom and to the man who took their wings in the first place.

RO.Bug: TSR on ToyHouse

I also had ideas for multiple spin-offs that take place in RO.Bug universe, mostly games with a couple webcomics, but right now I’m focusing on the two RO.Bug projects mentioned here so I won’t introduce the rest until I have more concrete concepts.

Purgatorium

A concept that started out as an idea for a comic, that later turned into an idea for a game due to its complexities and different endings. I don’t want to spoil it too much, so all you need to know about this for now is that it takes place in the afterlife and the main character wants to learn about their life and how they died.

MetalHero / Stage Heroes

I’m still not 100% set on the title for this one because I’m still looking into what isn’t copyrighted yet or how many protagonists I want to include (it started out with one but as more characters arrived the more it seemed this story could benefit from either having multiple POVs or being an anthology series)

It’s about superheroes with powers based on music - different genres, specific bands, artists or even instruments and songs. One of the heroes we follow is MetalHero (again, probably the name will be changed bc this one might be copyrighted), a friendly silly guy who just happens to be into metal - and also everyone in his city knows his identity and is chill about it~

It will start off as a webcomic, even though it could benefit from being an animated series.

Currently I don’t focus too much on this project, because the bugs take all of my time lmao but if you wanna see some of my old artwork featuring these guys, you can scroll down my instagram :D (I probably posted about them here too, but it’s easier to find them there) also if you have any questions regarding this series, feel free to ask~ !

Other Stuff

I also draw fanart from time to time

Here’s some of the media and music that I enjoy and I might draw stuff for (no promises tho):

Hollow Knight

Bug Fables

JJBA (esp part 3, 4 and 6)

Spiderverse (both movies)

Hades

Samurai Jack

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Adventure Time (haven’t watched fully yet so no spoilers pls)

Owl House

Amphibia

Undertale & Deltarune

The Arcana (current hyperfixation, mostly Muriel and Nadia lmao haven’t finished yet so no spoilers pls)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (current hyperfixation, not a player and I barely scratched the surface lol)

Ghost (the band)

Queen

Caravan Palace

Thank you for reading :D

I’m open to answering any questions regarding my projects so feel free to hit me up here or on instagram!

[the-blossica-fan]

Greetings!

Actors Au Schneider interacting with Schneider (ehhh just have either her be alive miraculously or this is before she disappears).

What are your headcanons for Sonetto and Schneider for actors AU? Either as a pair or individually is up to you!

Whats the tea between Arcana and Constantine?

Ill guess the seasons for the actors au are the patches, and the mysterious narrators are like the mysterious voices that appear in the beginning of eps. Grandpa and Grandma could be old famous actors (maybe the Grandpa was the narrator in Disco Elysium since Ive heard his voice has been compared to that game) or related someone in the cast!

Hello again, Comrade!

Schneider talking to AU Schneider could probably happen after the storm, a surprising apparition of another - less healthy and tired looking - Schneider was quite a surprise, and naturally both wanted to see each other.

AU Schneider is healthier and more active than Canon Schneider due to their difference in pasts, but still maintains that similar personality trait that characterizes them. This didn't last long, as the others, but Schneider was able to leave this alternative universe in peace after knowing her family is safe, even if not in the world she comes from.

Canon Schneider: Is My Lord alright?

AU Schneider: "My Lord"? You mean Vertin? Yeah, she must be spending time with her girlfriend

Canon Schneider: Girlfriend? Is she dating Sonetto?

AU Schneider: Nah, Sonetto is dating me

Canon Schneider: What?

As for Sonetto and Schneider, it's not that long of a story actually.

Sonetto used to study with Vertin and Mesmer Jr in the same class and held nearly the same activities, when it comes to filming, she's quite camera shy.

One of the most extroverted ones is Schneider so she always ended up helping Sonetto during scenes, trying to get her to crack open that shell. One would say they're complete opposites, which is why they somehow attracted each other.

They're not dating per say, it's that stage where they both know but haven't been able to give that step further, either for outside reasons or simple nervousness.

Sonetto is definitely more shy than in the series, though she does develop alongside her character. This is her first time actually acting, unlike some of her classmates (Matilda is pretty experienced in this field due to her family name but ofc, they're just acquaintances) and she's very, very nervous, which prompts her to often make mistakes

Meanwhile Schneider is not necessarily new but she's not been in the filming industry for long, she's slightly older than Sonetto after all. She knows some stuff and decides to help a fellow.

Gotta say, Sonetto did have a crush on Vertin a while back

How do I explain Constantine's and Arcana's relationship... It's complicated.

They're friends and have been for a while, they were one of the first members to be cast and have had enough time to connect. And by friends I mean frenemies who got it for each other but will not admit it.

They're their biggest supporter and hater at the same time. Saying they're enemies is getting rid of every friendly interaction they had, saying they're friends is a bit too little but saying they're lovers is quite the lie.

It's... Complicated.

Smoker grandpa and Sarcastic grandma ate quite a famous couple the directors had to beg for them to give their voices for the series. They're married and have children who are older than half of the cast, who already have children, they are grandparents after all. None of their children actually act on R1999, they truly enjoy the series but only they are a part of it

The narration happens at the start of a chapter or during a change of scene, offering more information on the background of the characters and current situation. The narrators also have a part to play on separate projects (Like Three Doors, for example) but they gain relevance as a storyteller for the series.

[cinnabonn12]

୨୧ Intro:

Disclaimer: I post way too much very regularly. This is because I currently have no life and enjoy escapism!! How exciting. Welcome other chronically online citizens :)

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧ ⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

[Im copying my friends format for this bc she’s seems like she knows what she’s doing lol. I mean if ur interested you can read further, but like, it’s up to you lmao]

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧ ⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

• So I’m in a lot of fandoms—sadly Im not an artist, but and I will gladly talk to anyone abt any of these in these if u would like :)

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧ ⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

Fandoms:

୨୧┇A ton of anime I watched in 2020-22

Hunter X Hunter • Death Note • Yuri On Ice • Sk8 the Infinity • My Hero Academia • Attack on Titan • Demon Slayer • Saiki K • Ouran High School Host Club • Given • Jujutsu Kaisen • Black Butler • Banana Fish • Violet Evergarden • Haikyuu • and a few more random obscure ones :)

୨୧┇MCU (Loki)

୨୧┇SuperWhoLock (lol)

୨୧┇Hannibal

୨୧┇Good Omens (Crowley)

୨୧┇Our Flag Means Death

୨୧┇The Arcana

୨୧┇Gravity Falls (Bill Cipher)

୨୧┇The Owl House

୨୧┇MXTX (TGCF, MDZS, & SVSSS)

୨୧┇GHOST :333

୨୧┇WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE (Cecil 💜)

୨୧┇Marauders

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*I’m too lazy to put gifs in here like most ppl do so pretend there r pretty little gifs throughout that align w whatever my aesthetic is (idk)

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Music:

*Also smt I post abt way too much

My main playlist if u like :)

୨୧┇Artists (in no particular order)

Ghost • The Sukis • Incubus • Interpol • The Smiths • The Cure • Depeche Mode • Mother Mother • Devin Townsend • Cigarettes After Sex • Linkin Park • Green Day • Smashing Pumpkins • Radiohead • Bo Burnham • Jack Stauber •The Beatles • The Police • America • Bring Me The Horizon • Atreyu • Drab Majesty • Beach House • and more I probably forgot

୨୧┇ Genres

I mean I’ll listen to whatever but I have my preferences—aka indie rock • dream pop • shoegaze • dark wave • new wave • gothic techno • prog/alt/folk/classic rock • symphonic/alt/prog metal • and theatre/broadway

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧ ⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

Imaginary pretty gif here ~

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Broadway Stuff:

• Les Miserables • Hamilton • Wicked • Phantom of The Opera • Hairspray • Cabaret • Harry Potter and The Cursed Child • Dear Evan Hansen • Come From Away • The Play That Goes Wrong • Beetlejuice • Six • My Fair Lady • Legally Blonde • Mean Girls • Hadestown • Little Shop of Horrors • Mamma Mia • The Great Comet of 1812 • Sweeney Todd • Back to the Future • The Notebook • The Great Gatsby, and more bc it would take too long to list them all

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣ ‧₊˚✧ ⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

make-believe pretty gif ~

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Closing:

• Im also into photography, writing (fanfic), and a sport I don’t want to talk about unless I do lol. So yeah!! Well that’s a hell of a lot of info.

• Omg I love oversharing!! If you read it, I’m concerned for you bc that was not attention grabbing at all and ur probably stalking me which as an internet stalker like myself yk what? Go for it bro.

(PS: sometimes I loose my grip on my sanity and it shows…so uh keep that in mind? Idk I feel like that needed a mention considering how I am)

[asurrogateblog]

How popular and influential is Clarion Call in your story? I perfectly understand that they went out with a bang, so that's gonna leave a lasting impression, but still lmao

Popularity

Prior to 1983, I would place Clarion Call in a popularity tier below Pink Floyd, kind of around where Alan Parsons Project and other prog-adjacent bands tend to sit – widely known, but a bit more niche than the kind of band that's selling out 90k stadiums.

That said, it fluctuated over the years. Izzy's disappearance in 1970 got unexpectedly sensationalized in the media, and that skyrocketed their popularity particularly for their first post-Izzy album Arcana (which used a lot of tracks of his that had already been recorded). The novelty of that waned in a couple years, and in the mid-70's Roy and Nelson also kind of struggled to find their own sound, which contributed to a bit of a downturn. With their 1977 album Chrysalis (widely considered to be one of their best albums) and its accompanying hit single "Imago" things went back up, and leveled out until 1980 when Izzy's body was finally discovered, and reignited interest in that "mythology".

R&N would've loved to be like Pink Floyd and go completely unrecognized in public, but the scrutiny they frequently got means that that wasn't really possible for them. Their music wasn't quite as successful, but even before they died their names would've been a bit more recognizable. A lot of fans past and present (100% correctly) think that they murdered Izzy, and apparently that's an attraction.

Influence

Clarion Call, among music aficionados, are particularly known for instrumental experimentation. Before dedicating himself entirely to the band, Roy was going to school to become an engineer and later had a production apprenticeship at Polydor (the label they'd later sign with). He was especially interested in modifying his instruments, like his custom-made mellotron that he made tape strips for to play sounds other than its usual flutes, violins, etc. He made Nelson a lot of custom guitar pedals in this vein. They'd end up with very unique results that (for better or worse) they would as a rule never explain how they got. As a result, their biggest influence was probably on later bands doing their own kinds of experimentation to figure out how tf they did that.

Nelson, not to be outshined by Roy, reflected this attitude in how he played his guitar. He almost never used standard tuning, and a recognizable feature of CC is multiple guitar tracks each using a different tuning – treating it like vocal harmony. He's not necessarily a guitar god or anything, but this means that its generally difficult and annoying for novice guitarists to learn how to play CC songs. He's influential in terms of providing a challenge.

In general, if you asked what makes the band good on like, r/clarioncall, the fans would say that it's because they see instruments not in terms of what they're supposed to do, but what they could do.

[strange-destinations]

question, is there a way i can learn more about SUNFLOWER SONG . its such a great song and i want to know more about it and story behind it, cause the description is very interesting

it's from The Spread, which is a music project I was going to do as my final graduate project before i moved to working on Aisling Green (which was a much less ambitious project, i'm glad I switched!). It's a set of 22 songs, all themed after the major arcana cards of the tarot deck, with several interlocking absurdist plotlines. Sunflower Song was #3 (the Empress), and one of the only songs I managed to draft fully before I switched projects.

Hopefully I can come back to working on the Spread eventually! It's a bit of a weird project (inspired a lot by Ghost Quartet, actually) and would require a lot more external assistance from various musicians and singers to pull together properly, but I'm not discounting it entirely. At the very least, if/when I do manage to finalize other songs from the project, I'll throw them up onto Youtube too. Probably out of order.

[blackjackkent]

All right, home from a very chaotic holiday travel and ready to settle into almost two weeks off of work, all full of Baldur's Gate 3 shenanigans. :P Picking up Hector's story in the midst of the Act 2 climax, which has so far been a pretty intense experience for him.

We've most recently been navigating around the underbelly of Moonrise Towers which is full of creepy flesh and creepy people. It seems like this is the heart of the operation, as the particular area we just wandered into is labeled "Tadpoling Center."

And hey, we just found one of our side objectives!

Most of the NPC indicators on the map are the intellect devourers wandering around - but one isn't.

Oh, boy.

Actually, this is, it turns out, a much more interesting situation than I originally thought, because I went to look at where her icon is on the map and found this:

????? Yo, what?

It's kind of blurry, but that is most definitely Mizora IN the mind flayer pod, writhing around and looking quite unhappy.

Presumably we'll get more information shortly, but my immediate interpretation is that this has been a situation like Sorceress Sellen from Elden Ring, where the interaction we've had with her was basically a projection while her real body has been trapped here this whole time. Which definitely explains why she was agitated enough about her task for Wyll that she was willing to bargain his freedom against it.

I think Hector and company all probably get a visceral reaction to even seeing one of these pods active again. Hector finds himself thinking back to those first terrible days of the adventure - breaking Shadowheart out of her pod, running through the nautiloid in terror, the crash, the fall.

He's come a long way since then, for better or for worse.

Time to go see what this is all about.

"Mizora?" Wyll says, visibly bewildered, his tone more than a little strained. "You're Zariel's asset?"

Mizora smiles coldly at him through the pod's cover. Despite the tenuousness of her position, she seems calm, even disinterested - or at least is putting considerable effort into seeming so. "My dumb little stinker," she says coolly. "Took you long enough." The smile fades into an authoritative scowl. "Now, by Graz'zt's cock, get me out of this thing," she snaps.

Wyll's eyes narrow, his shoulders squaring in a determination very unlike the submission he has shown towards her in the past. "I'll do it - and you'll set me free," he answers. "That was the deal."

"Yeah, yeah," she scoffs dismissively. "So get to it already."

Hector squints at her skeptically. There's no question she's in a precarious spot - but even so, she seems... too acquiescing, for a devil. He is fully prepared for there to be some loophole, some backstab, something she will try to put her on top of the situation again.

Still... the agreement seems clear enough on the surface. Let her out, Wyll goes free. So he might as well try to hold up their end in good faith, at least until the other shoe drops.

Narrator: Wyll's eyes turn to the control panel next to the pod. It has two devices marked with illithid symbols. The controls are open to your tadpole's command - to your authority.

Examine the device on the left.

Narrator: [ARCANA] The symbol's meaning comes into focus: 'annihilate.'

Examine the device on the right.

Narrator: [ARCANA] You decipher the symbol. It's an illithid sigil meaning 'unleash'.

Interesting. This is something of a conflicting moment for Hector. His instinct is always towards honesty - but he is dealing with a devil, someone whose instinct is almost certainly towards the exact opposite. And his friend's fate hangs in the balance.

If he were sure of what it would accomplish... perhaps for Wyll's sake he would be willing to suffer through breaking his word and killing Mizora in her cage. But what would that do to the contract? It very well might be considered a rebellion against it, even if Wyll's isn't the hand that pulls the trigger.

So much for the 'annihilate' button.

The 'unleash' one is more concerning. Admittedly, his interpretation of it is based entirely on his hazy understanding of the illithid symbols granted by the parasite - but if that interpretation is correct, the word choice is... troublingly ambiguous. It could mean 'release', letting Mizora out of the pod... but it could also mean to unleash her 'potential' - i.e. turn her into a mind flayer herself, as they saw happen to the unfortunate trapped woman all the way back on the nautiloid.

There is, of course, a third option, more direct than either of the controls. And, under the circumstances, perhaps it's the only one he's willing to risk.

[STRENGTH] Gather your strength and smash your foot through the pod.

Hector's foot plows through the machine's delicate biomechanical circuitry in a shower of sparks. As the pod's cover recedes, Mizora climbs from the broken shell, her wings spreading, stretching imposingly around her.

She draws a slow breath and lets it out with an air of satisfaction before striding down off the pod casing and into the muck that surrounds it. Her eyes flick past Hector to fix on Wyll with casual disdain.

"You did all right, Wyll," she says with a shrug. "I'd give your belly a good rub, but never could stand the smell."

Wyll glares at her. "You're free, Mizora. I held up my end. Now you hold up yours. Sever the pact."

Mizora looks at him steadily for a moment, then smirks and makes a show of dramatically clearing her throat. "Mm. Hrm. Mm-mm-mgh-AHEM. Clause Z, Section Thirteen. 'If the soul-binder consents to separation, she will release the soul-bearer from all obligation within six months."

Hector winces, and fire flashes in Wyll's eyes. "Six months?" he snarls. "Gods *damn* you."

"Ignorant thing," Mizora sneers. "It's always the terms and conditions that get you."

Hector senses Wyll's desire to lash out, and hastily puts out a hand against his friend's arm. Realistically - this is probably the best outcome they could have hoped for, and he can't let Wyll break the contract now after coming so close to being freed from it. Still, he can understand the Blade's fury; even after what they've done for her, Mizora is still, ultimately, just toying more with him.

[PERSUASION] "You'd think we'd get a reward for going through all this trouble," he says carefully. He's only half-expecting to get anywhere with the request, but perhaps if Mizora has anything else to offer, it will help mollify Wyll long enough to get them away from here.

For a moment, he thinks she's going to refuse outright, but then she cocks her head to one side and smiles with a strange facsimile of pleasantness.

"Another one? Well, after jumping through all those hoops, a little treat wouldn't hurt." Light flares around her fingertips, out towards Wyll, surging over his body, lifting him off the ground.

As he settles back to the ground again, the light begins to coalesce in front of him into the shape of a sword - a long, thin rapier of intricate metal with flame pulsing in the blade.

Mizora watches thoughtfully as he grasps the sword's hilt. "All that power. And to think, you want to throw it away." She shrugs casually. "Now - you've got business in the Towers to take care of. Don't you fret - I'll find you soon enough. You're going to need me. Count on it."

Her lip curls playfully. "Oh, and - go ahead, tell your chums how we met. It's a real cracker of a tale. Ta-ta!"

And then she's gone in a burst of consuming light.

------

"Well," Hector says cautiously after a long pause. "It's a nice sword?"

Wyll grimaces. He turns the blade in his fingertips, then reaches into his sheath, pulls his current rapier out and tosses it into the muck. "Gods damn her," he mutters. "Always more games. Always more taunting."

"But you will be free," Karlach puts in, her tone gentle. "That's something, right? When you're stuck with a devil you don't usually get to have an end date to the arrangement."

He glances at her, hesitates and then shrugs slightly. "Yeah. It's something."

[solar-tl-27]

HEYYYYY FUTURE PLANS UPDATE

Hello hello hi hi hi hi

I have gotten back into being able to do semi daily art SO WE ARE PICKING UP THE ART TRAIN AGAIN

That’s right (hopefully) semi regular art posts again!

I’m currently working on a project with the reignited characters to draw them as tarot cards!

Now disclaimer: I don’t plan on making these cards a part of the story in any way these are more just surface level designs based on the descriptions of the cards and what character I assigned them with.

Basically my plan is to do some research on the major arcana and assign them with a character from my rewrite.

Draw them in a way that fits them and portrays the card in a way

And then show of each card separately so that i can go into more detail about why i chose to portray the characters the way i did!

They can be pretty lore heavy and it’s also a great way for me to practice composition and other elements of design. It’s a way for me to be more expressive with the characters and for you guys to get more lore! I am already going to say that some of these drawings will have a trigger warning over them…. But a more precise warning will be given when the time comes to show off that card! (Nothing major rn the only current warnings are like vomiting so no worries)

Furthermore my current plans are to do 23 cards because i have done the hanged man card twice because it fit both of the characters in different ways.

Now i hope you look forward to the posts! First one will probably be Blush a character i made for s4 because as a new face she will have a lot of lore to talk about!

Have a sneak peek ty ty