#because cats and ball of yarn go together

[sqtorux]

could u maybe do a smau with a ballerina reader? i think it could be silly :3

(also can i be 🧶 anon perhaps?)

definitely has potential!!! but im not a ballerina (although i always wanted to be when i was a wee baby </3) and i have no idea about their lifestyle so i don't think i can nail this req im sorry :(( if you want something ballet related maybe we can make it like the guys and reader watching a ballet movie together? or their kid learning ballet?

also yes you can become my ball of yarn🧶 anon that's so cute!! may i introduce u to the kitty anon :>>>

[starry-bi-sky]

ive been hesitating to ask this bc youve been on a roll with the clone^2au (which i am frothing over) but could i poke you for some childhood friend au? bc GOD i wanna see how danny reacts to reuniting w jason or how the rest of the batfam react to learning jason never told danny of his resurrection or wondering if dannys gonna put jokers dead body on a display/offering to jasons grave. i havent been normal about this since i first read it and was wondering. thank you for your writing.

RAAAAHHHH DON'T BE HESITANT I AM JUST AS FERAL OVER MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AU AS I AM WITH CLONE^2 I AM DELIGHTED BY THIS. Like.,,,, i literally love them,,, so much. I can't listen to The Crane Wives without thinking of them.

(which is my fault - the ao3 fic of them has literally only crane wives lyrics for each chapter title and summary (posted AND the ones not written) so of course im gonna associate with them.)

(if you wanna listen to some of their songs while thinking of cfau here are my recommendations: "Once & for All", "Here I Am", "Hollow Moon" is a Danny AND Jason song to me, this would be my go-to song for an animatic of CFAU if i had the skills for it. "Tongues and Teeth", "Curses" and "take me to war" is a heavy cfau danny song to me, and of course, "the moon will sing")

Like they're BEST friends dude, they're two sides of the same coin and when they were kids they would do this thing where their 'fingers crossed'/'double-crossed' was them hooking their index fingers in the fingers crossed gesture.

and i'm actually currently rewriting my original post into a more fic-like format, and when I'm done I'll post it on here under the cfau tag - with the original post still in tact. But its,,, gonna be so long dude,,,, the original behemoth was just over 9000 words,,, and I've written 3k words already of the new one and we haven't even reached Jason and Danny reuniting at the gala yet,,, i need to get back to that,,,

and then to answer your questions!! god im almost hesitant to answer because i dont wanna spoil the little fic i had planned for it but also like,, its not like im gonna spoil everything, right? and answering the questions isnt the same as writing the scene down so!!

i love danny and jason's reuniting, like i've thought about it SO much and I've thought about it happening after Danny kills the Joker. I know the reveal could have been before that, and it could have been equally just as dramatic but like??? Thematically, doing it after danny kills the joker is SO good. To me at least.

Because like?? Jason's been in somewhat denial about danny's plan to kill the joker for months. ever since danny told him that he wanted to at the gala. And from Jason's pov its not even technically a plan. He sees his best friend for the first time after five years and his best friend still isn't over his death. He hasn't stepped foot in Gotham since his funeral and now suddenly he's here.

And he's still so full of grief over his death that he tells a masked vigilante that he's going to kill the guy that did it, who lives in said masked vigilante's city. And danny's got that look in his eyes that Jason knows so well that means he's being serious. And yet he still doesn't know if he should believe him or not.

And then he does. Danny kills him. And Jason can't fucking believe it. And when he goes and sees Danny, Danny's hands are still covered in blood. And that reunion? God like a fucking firework show. Danny's so fucking angry, and pissed, and hurt, and so goddamn overjoyed that he's alive and here that he sends them both to the ground, and if he doesn't calm down he's gonna take out the power in a five block radius.

there's just so, so much yelling on Danny's end. And then so much crying, first from Danny and then them both. because god, you're alive. you're here. i've missed you so much. i'm never letting you out of my sights again.

and Joker's death! God I don't want to actually say too much about that, but the way I have it set up thematically makes me actually not want danny to take any part of the joker with him as an offering. and he may actually forego that particular ghost etiquette and offer something else as an offering to Jason in substitute to not bringing him the Joker's heart/head/ritualistic body part.

Because you know what the last thing a man whose been spending the last two decades of his life building himself up to be larger than life would want? A death that's unremarkable. :) and that's all i'll put on the matter for now.

and the batfam!! they technically already know that jason hasn't told danny he was resurrected, and plenty of them have mixed feelings on them. largely bruce and dick i think, considering they saw firsthand how close jason and danny were when they were kids.

Dick was honestly surprised at first when he found out that Jason hadn't told Danny he was alive - and on one hand he understands the reasoning for it, and on the other hand he isn't sure if it was such a good idea. Especially after he sees Danny again after he arrives back in Gotham and sees just how badly Jason's death was still affecting him. But it's not like he's going to try and convince Jason to tell him - he can make his own choices, even if Dick has questions about them.

Bruce has much the same thoughts as Dick, so there's not really much to add here other than he might bring it up once or twice to Jason like, vaguely. And then immediately drops it when Jason shuts him down. He might actually somewhat...?? prefer that Jason hasn't told Danny because that raises a lot of questions and could jeopardize their identities. However, again, Jason can make his own choices and there's not much Bruce can do about it other than disapprove from afar.

Tim who knew of Danny from stalking the Wayne family shares similars sentiments of being surprised that Jason didn't tell Danny, but again, yeah, understands the thought process to some extent. Doesn't bring it up ever.

Everyone else who hadn't seen firsthand how close Danny and Jason are don't really have much opinion on it -- Jason didn't tell his best friend he was alive, great, he also didn't tell them either so it's not like its that much of a surprise. It would've been more of a surprise to them if Jason had told Danny before he told Bruce and co. Damian may make a comment or two about Jason not telling Danny, but its not about how he can't believe he didn't tell him or anything like it.

[midnight-bay-if]

"If silence claims the waters of Midnight Bay, death has come to stay."

"Every day, I miss him, and every day, I’m scared that I’ll miss him less. That one day, I’ll wake up, and I won’t remember how his hair would stick up in odd angles in the morning or how black he liked his coffee. That the bedtime stories he would read me before bed no longer guide my morals nor parse their wisdom in his voice..."

If you ask me why I still seek revenge, this is what I'll say: I will not forget.

Because nothing could be more terrifying than the idea of time passing without my father's death having any justice or resolution, and years down the line, I’ll be sitting in this diner with you, but we won’t be talking about my dad at all anymore."

Come on. Let's kill the killer.

Demo: Out Now (27,000) words.

Simon/Simone [f/m] Task Force Leader. Human Simon/Simone comes from a wealthy family with a long history of government service and civil partnerships. Simon/Simone is somewhat of a black sheep and is estranged from a large portion of their family. After a bout of teenage rebellion, Simon/Simone find themselves enlisted in the military to ‘correct’ their behaviour. However, with a penchant for leadership and a tactician's mind, they are recruited by a strange, secretive organisation with questionable goals.

After two more victims of 'The Bay Slasher' are found discarded on the bay, Simon/Simone drives themselves and their team into town, on orders from their mysterious higher-ups, ready to put away this killer for good. But cases such as these are never simple, and even more so with a far too clever and far too perceptive P.I. hot on their heels.

Rain [non-binary] The Mediator. Supernatural type; Pixie Rain grew up in a very wet biome of the world associated with fairies, pixies and elementals. After a great conflict, Rain was practically herded into the arms of a greater power, who guided them into the arms of Simon/Simone, who became their new leader.

When Simon/Simone tells them that one day, they will be going to the practically derelict town of Albach Bay to catch a dangerous killer, they shrug, smile, and pack their bags without a second thought. It doesn't take long for them to realise this isn't a typical case, even by their standards.

Taj [f/m] The Infiltrator. Supernatural type: Qita Taj is part of an ever-shrinking community hidden well in the Egyptian underbellies. Qita are a humanoid cat race native to Egypt and were once revered by humans at the dawn of their civilisation. However, that reverence began to fizzle out when a greater power, deciding their people had become too powerful,

After a great conflict, Taj is captured and 'recruited' to join a mysterious organisation dedicating themselves to maintaining balance. Taj is ultimately led to Simon/Simone and becomes the final member of their specialised team. Showing great resistance at first, eventually, Taj learns to accept and respect Simon/Simone, so when their leader declares they are to travel to the backwater town of Albach Bay, well... Taj comes along. Though not without reluctance.

Nazu/Naera [f/m] Supernatural type: Demon Nazu/Naera is a demon prince/princess from Hael. During a terrible conflict, their great power was muzzled as punishment for their part in the war. They've been seeking the people responsible so they can regain the power they lost.

Their search has lasted more than a decade, but now... Now they find themselves in a small, human town where sin oozes from every shadow, beckoning every passer-by to partake in its debauchery. To top it off? They can hear their power singing to them. It's close. Heh... They might even end up liking it here.

Umbra [f/m] Supernatural type: ??? Umbra is an anomaly. Nothing about them is real. None of it should exist. Every facet of their being has been strung together out of sheer will and barely held together by a thread. One wrong touch and they may fall apart, like unravelling a ball of yarn or pulling apart a puppet on a string.

So, why? Why do they exist? Simple.

They exist for you.

RO's appearances:

Simon: Broad-shouldered, athletic build with reasonably short black hair and light warm skin. He has warm brown eyes hidden behind fashionable square frames and is often wearing tailored suits designed to move in.

Simone: Athletic build with long black hair (typically pinned up) and light, warm skin. She has warm brown eyes hidden behind fashionable square frames and is often wearing tailored suits designed to move in.

Rain: They have a slim, petite build with flawless tawny skin, which is amplified by their pale blue hair and matching pale eyes. They tend to opt for a more colourful wardrobe in the pastel range.

Taj (male): He has a lean build, golden brown skin, and dark, curly brown hair that tends to have a mind of its own. His ears and tail are matching brown, reminiscent of a Havana Brown cat. (He keeps them hidden underneath his clothes, which are often oversized to hide this face.) He also has very serious grey eyes and numerous scars marking his body.

Taj (female): She has a lean build, golden brown skin, and dark curly brown hair that tends to have a mind of its own. Her ears and tail are a matching brown, reminiscent of a Havana Brown cat. (She keeps them hidden underneath her clothes.) She also has very serious grey eyes and numerous scars marking her body.

Nazu: (As a human)He is very built with dark skin, which ensures his almost luminescent amber eyes stand out. His long, dark dreads are usually pulled up in a bun. Nazu tends to opt for clothes designed to tantalise, as well as show off the hair dusting his chest and arms.

When in his usual form, he also has large horns that curl out of his head, with a more reddish hue to his dark skin. Plus, the whites of his eyes will turn black.

Naera: (As a human) She is very curvy, opting instead to amplify her femininity in human form. Her dark skin ensures her luminescent amber eyes stand out. Her long, dark hair is in tight braids that flow down her back. Naera will opt for clothing designed to tantalise, teasing her assets in a flirty way.

When in her usual form, her horns curl out of her head, with a reddish hue to her dark skin. Plus, the whites of her eyes will turn black.

Umbra (male): Tall and lean build with black shoulder-length hair that contrasts against his pale, almost ghostly skin. He tends to have dark circles under his equally black eyes, as well as a deep scar cut through his left brow. His clothing usually consists of a black leather jacket, black pants and black combat boots.

Umbra (female): Tall and slim build with long black hair, half up in a pony, that contrasts against her pale, almost ghostly skin. She tends to have dark circles under her equally black eyes, as well as a deep scar cut through her left brow. Her clothing usually includes a black leather jacket, plaid skirt and black combat boots.

An urban fantasy/romance IF based in the fictional town of 'Albach Bay'.

Customise your private investigator: choose name, gender, appearance, sexuality, skill set and personality.

Play as male, female, or non-binary: straight, gay, bisexual, pansexual, as well as aromantic, asexual, or aro-ace.

Late 90s setting with limited technology, so be prepared to wait ten minutes for your PC to boot up.

Roleplay your private investigator how you want to. My intention is no 'game over' screens. There are no wrong answers in this game.

5 main companions to befriend or romance, each with their own personalities and stories to tell.

Collect evidence in your notebook as you scour the dilapidated streets and beaches of Albach Bay for clues to finally catch your father's killer for good.

Revenge is best served cold.

Rated 18+

[jymwahuwu]

Lately I’ve been thinking about Yingxing wanting a sweet little spouse and keeping them in the house… You need help rubbing bubbles on his back… a traditional husband >_<

CW: yandere, kidnapping, stockholm syndrome (a bit), (implied but not described) dub-con

Blade is more open-minded… He basically follows the Stellaron Hunters through various galaxies, takes care of each other with the members, and has witnessed countless cultures and stories... But Yingxing? A weaponsmith. A proud weaponsmith, obsessed with forging those miraculous weapons. What Yingxing needs is more…traditional. A sweet spouse, waiting for him at the door. Prepare bath water of suitable temperature. Cook food and keep it warm. Taking care of some of his…needs. Keep the little house tidy. Sleep together at night.

The place where Yingxing lives is not considered luxurious in Xianzhou. Even though he was already famous in Luofu at that time… orders and commission inquiries flew into his electronic workbench like snowflakes in the sky. He doesn't need a gorgeous house, practicality is the most important. Basic packages. Room, living room, kitchen, bathroom, work room, small garden, weapon forging station. He doesn't know much about dating… Baiheng jokingly teaches him the skills of dating and starting conversations. He still doesn't quite know. You look frightened. He's getting more and more frustrated… He doesn't mean to scare you. Yingxing just wants to start as a friend and then develop into your lifelong spouse.

Locking you in a house was not part of the plan. it's not like that.

Your fragile lips quivered, tears streaming down your cheeks, still wearing the same clothes you had before you were taken away. At the door is a lock forged from space materials. Can't open. You asked him, pretending to be relaxed, when it was time to go home. And Yingxing just uses cutlery to put the dumplings into your bowl. He thought delicious dumpling fillings might comfort you.

And you interpreted it as "shut up".

Those Xianzhou suspense novels and TV shows can’t be forgotten in your mind. What’s next? You're scared, this weaponsmith might scold you, be mean to you, punch you in the face… No one knows. No one saves you. In those first few weeks, you were always frightened, sobbing to sleep because of these assumptions, and having nightmares one after another. The list of chores displayed on the screen on the wall is truly insane. You're not his spouse or anything.

One night, this speculation reached a critical point. Yingxing arrived home later than usual. He's going to pull out a weapon and bury you. You think, just outside in the little yard. The storm begins to gather in your eyes, blurring your vision-

A wrinkled flower, the petals at the corners have been ravaged. Yingxing pressed the petals straight with her fingertips and thumbs, but they still bounced back. Like a little awkward. He sighed. "…Sorry…I heard people like to receive gifts on dates…"

You stretched out your hand, picked up the flower, sniffed and complained. "Squashed. Insincere."

"I will pay attention next time and bring you new flowers tomorrow."

Yingxing found that you have gradually integrated into the life at home and started to do housework. Although you still cross your arms to show that you don’t want to do certain chores or sit on his lap. You start to put in warm and moderate bath water. Cook some food. When he opened the door, your eyes lit up and you unconsciously moved closer to him. Not perfect. You still complain, especially after not being able to get permission to step out of the house. Getting permission to walk around the yard and the forge was a concession.

Yingxing takes a cat home. It was a kitten that he found clinging to his side while he was working. Creamy white and orange hairballs. She stretches her limbs, says hello, takes a nap, and plays with a ball of yarn.

The two of you decide to raise her together.

[moongothic]

MY BLANKET OF DARKNESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED

✨👁️✨ I AM SO COZY NOW ✨👁️✨

So I started working on this blanket around June of 2022. Got like, maybe half-way through the blanket and then the yarn I needed for the blanket went out of stock at my local yarn shop. Now I didn't know the yarn would be completely unavailable for like 6 months (until the stop closed permanently), so I just kept on waiting, hoping for it to come back in stock-- but it never did, so in January I finally looked online if I could find the yarn elsewhere and I did, I got the yarn I needed, and finished the blanket. So it kinda took me 6 months to make this blanket but also not

What made this blanket a truly exciting and fun project for me is that this has been the first blanket I actually made for myself and designed for myself. Like I've enjoyed every single blanket project I've had so far, but having a blanket that's Just For Me is just. It's nice

I originally planned the granny squares out digitally because I wanted to have a fun pattern of different granny squares, something that wouldn't be too busy looking and was carefully planned, and here's what I came up with

I had two versions of the square pattern, one with moon phases right in the middle of it and another without them. I do like how the moon version looked and part of me kinda regrets not making that one, but I'm not sure the moons would have really gone well with the eyes... So I did go with the first version

(Sidenote, it's not on the pattern above but I added extra rows of just black squares at the top and bottom of the blanket, so there's two rows of black instead of just one)

(Sidenote 2, although I knew I wanted the blanket to be mostly black from the begining, I wasn't entirely sure what accent color I wanted to use, it really was depending on what colors the shop had available. Like I used yellow as kind of a default color since it worked nice with the stars and eyes, but I could've gone with some other color too. In the end, because I didn't like the color options for the yarn at the shop I ended up going with a yellow anyways) (Also I tested out a reverse color version with the pastel purple and white base and no eyes, just for funsies, it looks kinda neat)

But yeah, that's how the planning of the blanket went.

The blanket is made of 231 squares in total, 11x21 rows. 186 of the squares are plain black, the rest are patterned. The star squares were the worst to make because of how many strands of yarn I had to weave in, 0/10, would not reccommend.

I used the Cedro 100% wool yarn (reccomended hook size 5, 50g=100m), and it took me about 38 balls of yarn to finish the blanket (including crocheting all the squares together and doing a single round of double crochet around the blanket to finish it off)

This is literally all the yarn I have left from this blanket; one untouched ball of black and three partially used balls.

I gotta admit.

I'm kind of shocked by the size of the blanket. Like I very carefully measured it to make it the exact size to fit my bed, and it fits perfectly. But I'm still kinda shocked how big it is. (Which is why I didn't make the border of the blanket any bigger, even though I could've with the yarn I have)

Also

It's HEAVY

Like, of course it's heavy, it's 100% wool and thick, but MAN I didn't expect it lmao

But that kind of makes it perfect for cold winters especially, it's super warm and the weight makes it cozy- like who needs a weighted blanket when you can have one of these lmao

Now I just need to figure out how to protect the blanket from being covered in my white cat's hair...

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

As the holidays speed towards us like a bullet train, here are more ways to support/survive the fiber artist in your life. (You might as well print and save these, because we fiber artists will never learn our lesson.):

DO:

Make them stop each day before they hurt themselves. @gootspatrol made mention of this in a comment and I added it to a reblog, but I want to say it again because it is fucking IMPORTANT. All fiber arts are pretty much repetitive stress injuries waiting to happen. People think our crafts are easy peasy and have no clue that even "easy" things can also injure a body if done too much for too long. Do not work through the pain, folks. It absolutely will come back to haunt you.

Tell them to step back and work on another project if they are getting frustrated with the one they are currently working. I promise you we ALL have multiple projects going. Sometimes a project is just being fucking argumentative, and the situation devolves into such cussing and threats that anyone overhearing will be sure you live with a serial killer. Putting it down and doing another for a while, or at least until that one also becomes the bane of our existence, always helps.

Remind them their bladder exists and isn't meant to be ignored. Yes, I know that sounds silly, but many fiber artists already have ADHD, and we are notorious for ignoring bodily processes. Forgettingto eat is one thing, but much as we'd love to, we can't will our bladders to go away.

From time to time gush at how amazing their project is looking. Your fiber artist will always invariably say "It sucks sweaty donkey balls. I want to set fire to it, but I spent too much damn money on it." Ignore that. They say that because none of us can take compliments. Inside we are squeeing that you noticed. (Note: Be genuine or say nothing at all. We can sense false praise faster than a cat can hear the canned food being opened.)

Be a buffer towards those who do not understand. Tell those who dismiss your loved one's work as anything other than "hard work filled with love" to fuck all the way off. Do feel free to be creative when doing so. You will immediately be a super hero and probably prevent that other person from having their brains ripped out through their nostril by a crochet hook.

DON'T:

Laugh when we say "Next year I will start earlier/make less/buy gift cards instead." Yes, we know we are just kidding ourselves and living in denial. It's a design flaw in a fiber artist's nature. Just hug us and move on.

Have a calendar counting down the days to the holiday they are working towards. Do not even mention time. Doing so will send them spiraling into an almost barbaric berserker frenzy. They will become the whirling dervish of the cartoon Tasmanian devil with fiber and notions being flung about. There is high probability you will be sucked into it and put to work. Unless you feel up to being conscripted into detangling a ramen noodle pile of yarn, sorting thread, or being used as a dress form dummy every ten minutes, just keep your mouth shut.

Play the "Let's mess up their counting by nonchalantly telling a story of our ancestor in 1583 who had 5 goats and worked 50 hours a week and made 100 clocks that told 20 different times..." Look, fiber artists are willing to do something that is so repetitive as to be injurous. Do you think a few more of such actions to turn you into a tasteful decoration will discourage them? Remember: we work with fiber, and a noose is nothing but a bunch of fibers twisted together and tied into a neat knot. Don't fuck with us.

Love y'all! Please take care of yourselves! Be safe and I hope to see lots of pics of finished projects!

[married-to-google-translater]

Ruggie and Floyd with a affectionate cat beastman reader?

Ruggie Bucchi

Ruggie had faced beastman before.

He would say that your sport would be something new.

But he has met Leona before.

You and Leona really don't like being compared to each other.

Ruggie likes to "play" with you a bit.

Catnip, balls of yarn and a laser pen are the thing.

The funnest thing (for you) would be if it didn't work.

Ruggie would be interested in you.

If you give him donuts he will give you fish.

Sounds fair right?

Ruggie would also be interested in petting.

If you pet him, he pet you too.

That would be fair too, wouldn't it?

It just feels really good.

Ruggie would be totally in love.

Floyd Leech

Catfish.

Your new nickname name will indeed be catfish.

Floyd would be really curious because he hasn't seen a "catfish" before.

So he's really going to be on your skin a lot.

Floyd loves your ears/tail.

And he really just wants to pet you.

It's just too bad that Floyd forgets to ask your permission.

Oh well

You will also get lots of hugs.

You're just so soft.

Floyd doesn't really pick up on hints that you might not enjoy affection.

Would definitely feed you fish too.

He is a really good cook.

Floyd also doesn't understand that you don't like water.

It's something completely incomprehensible to an eel like him.

Would try to "accustom" you to the water.

But it doesn't really work.

Dropping in a pool is not a good way to teach someone to swim.

The idea is beautiful (Floyd wanted you both to enjoy the water together) but the execution is terrible.

Maybe someday you can forgive him.

[juni-ravenhall]

erissa introduction rewrite

this is written with the intent that players wouldnt have been told by sse that erissa is a dark rider, so we dont immediately know who she is. also it wouldnt take place at the current time in the story, this is mostly written to fit into an imaginary entire rewrite of the story. also, this is just some ideas off the top of my head, there are plenty other ways to rewrite it!

we're in jarlaheim and a cat runs past with a ball of yarn in its mouth, and this girl who's chasing it stops and asks us for help, almost crying, her yarn is gone. mc is like oh i will help you dont worry!! we race the cat on horseback (silly race with cat jumping on fences and stuff as we chase it), and get her the yarn back, but its kinda ruined now, and she sobs, telling us she's trying to finish a crochet project as a gift for her best friend, and she shouldnt have tried to play with the cat, shes angry at herself for letting the yarn get ruined, it was the last ball she had in that colour. mc is empathetic and goes like "wait! maybe i know some people that can custom dye yarn" and it leads u on a classic sso quest, talking to idk, farah, daxton, mrs holdsworth, collecting plants for dyeing, until we've made her new yarn.

as we do that, we're going around with erissa tagging along riding double on our horse - she comments "i wish i had my own horse, too! maybe i will crochet one!" and mc is like haha yeah thatd be cute :) and everyone else we meet for the quest just sees her as a sweet kid too and cheer her on for her project, farah talks about how great it is to create stuff and how happy she is to see kids doing handicrafts.

this questline finishes with erissa happy for our help, and we get a crocheted doll saddlebag pet from her as thanks, "ive made several of these, theyre my own special design, you can have one!". she also says, "this yarn we made together will be even better than what i had before, because its infused with your energy!" mc is like: um yeah sure! power of friendship :) (the item description for the crocheted saddlebag pet says something like "aww! this little yarn friend wants to come with you everywhere you go!")

later after other random quests (time matters! it shouldnt be immediately after! we have lots of other stuff to do around jorvik) we've met up with linda at her room in jarlaheim, first we talk some soul rider stuff, then we're going out to have a snack at a café, as we pass by jarlaheim's fountain, we see it has yarn art on it ("yarnbombing", aka yarn graffiti) and maybe some other objects have too, and linda is like "yeah, that stuff as been showing up lately, i admire the creativity and the skill it takes, but im not sure about doing it as graffiti. it looks nice though?"

we get to the café and as we sit down, we overhear someone at another table talking about that the yarnbombing problem is getting out of hand. their postbox was covered in crochet this morning and they couldnt get it open! "and i was looking forward to reading the latest gossip in the jorvik gazette, too!" linda and mc mostly think its funny and not a big problem. "maybe this artist will become jorvik's own famous street artist soon, and then that postbox could sell for 10k shillings!"

we might talk about some other soul rider related thing quietly at the café, but then we walk linda back to her place. as we arrive, though…. we notice that linda's front door has been yarnbombed and cant be opened without removing the yarn art. "um… maybe it is getting a little bit out of hand", linda says. there are moons and some other symbols in the crochet design, alongside crocheted eyeballs. "thats a bit weird, huh? its gotta be coincidence, but its funny there's moons on this… or could one of our druid friends be doing this? those eyeballs remind me of the scene in that episode of--" … so linda and mc take down the yarn, linda says she'll bring it inside and use it as a throw blanket if her cat doesn't get to it first, and we say bye for now.

after this, theres a few quests i havent planned out in detail, but basically, every soul rider get a crochet object thru different quests. alex' beanie gets torn during some other quest, and mc is like "hey i know a kid who can make you a new one!" - we go back and see erissa again. (maybe mc is thinking to ask her if shes doing the yarn bombing, but decides against it, since shes a sweet kid and seems so nice.) alex starts wearing erissa's beanie. erissa also tells us, "remember how i said i wanted to crochet a horse? well, i started working on it! i cant wait to show you when its done!" idk what objects lisa and anne get, yet, but for lisa it should be relatively easy to come up w something. anne is given something but maybe doesnt actually use it/keep it because it doesnt fit her style.

while doing various quests, we have those DC drone thingies spying on us and have to break them or get away from them. "how do they keep finding us?"

sometime later, we're with the soul riders investigating some GED or DC stuff in epona, it might be related to CHILL (tie in the rest of the soul riders to that plot!). we have races and stuff like, "race all the soul riders to x location" for fun during the quests. we eventually go to that toxic dump pond near crescent moon, and then into the village. as we ride over to talk to npcs, we hear "…it was one thing in the towns, but now there's a bunch of that graffiti stuff out in the mirror marshes, and its not good for the environment, the poor animals and plants can get caught in it!"

"whos doing graffiti in a swamp?" lisa asks, making a face. "hey, graffiti is the people's art, maybe it's the swamp monsters' art, too" alex says. pamela moonriver starts talking to us (shes met all of us before). "oh, im glad to see you all, there's a problem. look, my beehives were covered in yarn while i was making dinner! who did this?! i mean its nice handicraft work, but my poor bees cant live like that. maybe it would help keep them warm in the winter though?" "oh, we heard someone talking about graffiti. did they mean the yarnbombing?" we ask. "yes, its really becoming a problem, its showing up everywhere. would you mind helping me free my bees?" we help take the yarn off the beehives, pamela offers us some tea in the kitchen and we update her on some of our investigations (since shes part of CHILL) - maybe she gives us some new info to consider about what to do next about GED stuff etc.

as we leave, we hear an angry old man complaining loudly nearby. hayden is trying to rip apart a piece of crochet, failing, and just dumps it angrily in the trash instead. "you irresponsible youngsters with your stupid hobbies!!!" hes pointing a finger at us. "dont you care how this affects the eco system!!! no, you only care about your stupid 'fun'!!! pah!!! nonsense!!!" "uh… you've got the wrong person, we didnt do anything!" "well, that beanie (alex') looks exactly like all those stupid things showing up in the marshes, so i dont believe you!" (there might be more dialogue here but idc.) the soul riders already had some reason to check out the swamp, related to GED/CHILL plans/etc. its gotten dark outside but we head there anyway (or maybe have a reason to try to spot some suspicious GED activity in the dark etc). as we get there, we see big yarn "spiderwebs" on the trees in different colours, with crochet plushie flies with sad eyes - wrapped up in yarn, stuck in the web... crochet eyeballs covering rocks, a bunch of mildly creepy yarnbombing art.

i dont have super clear thoughts on what happens now exactly (i came up with all of this pretty quickly after all) but basically as they ride through the swamp, maybe nearing that one pandoria portal?, erissa finally shows up. mc and the others are first like, "oh wow, what are you doing here, kid? its you making all this!? i cant believe you did all this yarn graffiti by yourself!" erissa is like "hehe… i didnt! i had help from my… friends!!!" the little crochet dolls come out from around her and are moving on their own. everyone is shocked, "whats going on?! they're alive!" mc is holding the doll erissa gave us in our hand, as we watch it start moving, dropping it in surprise. "shes using some kind of magic… but im not getting a good feeling about this… could it be--?!" erissa goes, "my friends are so helpful, you see, they let me hear what they hear, see what they see… its important to have a network, isnt it?" (the shot has her by the yarn spiderwebs and with her dolls) "im so glad you treasured my handmade gifts! sabine always rejects my presents, she's so ungrateful." "sabine?!" alex pulls off her beanie and stares at it. "hang on… could it be, if shes with DC…??" "thats how they knew where we were! thats why those drones kept showing up!" erissa interrupts and goes, "hey mc! you know what? i promised to show you, and i finally finished it… my biggest project yet… my own horse!!!" dramatic shot of her getting on her crochet horse, etc. maybe there should be strings of yarn kind of sticking out from the horse and around erissa almost like tentacles or arms, it would feel more threatening than just a yarn horse. im too tired to think of more dialogue rn but there could be strings of multicoloured yarn starting to climb up the legs of the soul riders' horses, everyone goes, "run!!!" and then theres a challenging mini-boss race through the swamp. avoiding getting caught by erissa and her yarn creatures, the yarn spiderweb obstacles, and maybe we have an option to actually use magic, so mc and alex are trying to zap erissa's creatures as we ride.

i dont have energy rn to come up with more - the point of this rewrite was to show how you could build up meeting erissa and seeing yarn stuff in the game over time and over several quests, the way that most stories would to create intrigue and foreshadowing. lots of details could be changed, and maybe other dark riders show up after erissa brings forth her horse, maybe theres something with the pandoria portal in the marshes, etc.

[pixiestein]

my first meowlody & purrsephone designs vs my second designs

i usually don’t like to post my drawings but idk i just rlly enjoy the progress btwn these two designs. im gonna explain my thought processes but im sooo sleepy so bear with me & my rambling or scroll on if u want :3

at first i thought- they’re tuxedo cats, it would be cool to incorporate tuxedo jackets into their outfits! but yeah, i couldn’t figure out how to integrate fancy suit jackets into the casual styles that i wanted for them. maybe i’ll do a formal design w tuxes later but it’s jus not working for this one. most of my version of monster high is based mainly on gen 1 with aspects of gen 3 & ofc my own thoughts. so that’s what i’m going for here. i love meowlodys hair buns in g3 so i wanted both of them to have buns, one up & one down. g3 also inspired the doc martin style boots & using the yarn as shoelaces. i wanted to keep the stripy hair from g1, as well as have them wear the same skirt in different colours like in g1. & ofc the tuxedo jackets styled differently w different tops. as for the tops themselves idk…purrsephones was a bit thrown together based on the tuxedo theme, but for meowlody i knew i wanted a mock neck bodysuit, which didn’t work well w the tux look bc there wasn’t room for a tie. so i gave her a bolo tie type thing w yarn but ehhh. it doesn’t look right. i also knew i wanted each girl to have a different cat toy accessory, & a feather toy seemed like a good choice but i couldn’t think of another. so purrsephone ended up with those like, tube thingies that have holes for cats to play in? those weird things? she has one of those as an arm cuff & at the top of her boots. yeah idk why i thought that would look good. but anyway, i wanted more yarn in the outfits so i gave them yarn belts but it just looked weird!! i made the ball of yarn the belt buckle but it looks so clunky right there in the middle of the waist. they also needed to share more of their colours to look more cohesive w each other.

so for the second design i put the ‘ball’ part of the belt on the side so that the string is hanging down around the hips. & i thoughtit was important for the belt yarn to match the shoelace yarn bc it looks wrong for ver1 meowlody to have orange yarn in her belt & tie but black+red yarn on her shoes.

i eventually decided the structure of their outfits would be bodysuit + partial skirt with different clothes on their limbs. they have silver bands throughout both of them (main belts, boots, meowlodys collar & purrsephones bracelets) each band having studs that match their respective yarn colours. again, i wanted them to accessorize with different cat toys, but looking at the g3 designs i remembered about bells! duh. so i gave meowlody little bells-on her collar, earring, & hanging from her belt- because meowlody is the more mischievous sister & generally when a cat is too mischievous they put a bell on their collar to make it harder for them to hunt. idk why that’s what i thought of but it’s funny to think her parents made her wear bells bc she kept sneaking up on ppl & scaring them or smth 😭😭 meowlody is the softer sister so she got the feathers :P on her belt & earring.

they each have a silver earring & a fish skeleton earring, meowlodys black & purrsephones white. the soles of their shoes also have the design of ribs on the sides, which would extend with the rest of the fish skeleton on the bottom of the boot. the soles are opposite colours to the fish earrings & match their hair, with meowlodys white & purrsephones black, so the very top of their heads match the bottom of their feet. the toes of the shoes also have the shape of the top of a cats head. the fish imagery is also in the centre of purrsephones mock neck bodysuit, with a zipper down the fish spine.

as for the main pieces, both wear short bodysuits. purrsephones is a sleeveless high neck, with her arms covered by detached arm sleeves. meowlodys is a scoop neck with a high neck long sleeve shrug overtop leaving just a bit of space btwn the bottom of the shrug & top of the bodysuit. purrsephones bodysuit is orange with her sleeves & tights being white with black stripes. this is reversed in meowlody, who has a black bodysuit with white stripes with orange sleeves & tights. so their bodysuits+sleeves+tights are different but balanced. one has patterned bodysuit & solid coloured limbs, while the other has solid coloured bodysuit with patterned limbs. i try to avoid using a lot of patterns, bc i find too many patterns esp when they’re close together is just annoying to my eyes & makes everything look super busy. i think one of my mistakes with ver1 was not using any patterns though. i think the mirrored stripe patterns on ver2 are one of the things that rlly brings it together, both individually & as a pair.

+ just extra thoughts, ik their official designs have white stripes on their limbs, but i wanted them to look like real tuxedo cats, whose white patches are usually on the tips of their paws, tip of their tail, & the centre of the face extending down their chest. so those are the markings i gave them even tho it’s hard to see w their feet being covered & most of their hands being covered. also just wanna say!!!!! i just love designing monster high characters!!!! i’ve been doing it most of my life & it’s so incredibly important to me!!!!! that’s why i don’t usually share them lol, it feels like sharing part of my soul. but it brings me so much joy even tho my hand hurts & im sleepy, i rlly need to get better at digital art so that i can post drawings that don’t get ruined by my shitty phone camera😭😭 speaking of which here’s a terrible terrible guy who interrupted the photos:

[multiversemaker169]

Inside out furry au: Louis acting like a cat

1. (It's a slow day at Meadow Valley High. Louis was tidying up his workplace when he suddenly saw a little red dot zipping around the room, and his instincts kick in).

Louis: Meow, row, mrow!!!

(Louis starts chasing the light, making a huge mess of the place. It then cuts to Daisy outside of the room, trying to get her lazer pen to work).

Daisy: Dang it! My lazer pen is broken!

(Daisy tosses away her lazer pen).

Louis: Mrow!

(Louis rushes out the door to continue chasing the dot).

Daisy: Oh, I was holding my lazer pen backwards..

(Louis gets frustrated at Daisy and has her help him clean up his workplace).

2.(Abigail grabs a can of fish food at goes to feed her Oscar fish).

Abigail: Oh, Tango. Time for your feeding.

(Abigail enters her office and sees that Tango isn't in his tank).

Abigail:(frustrated) Louis, did you eat my fish again?

Louis: What makes you think it was me?

Abigail:(frustrated) Because you have done it many times before.

Louis: It wasn't me, I sw-

(Louis grabs his stomach and ends up hacking up Tango. Tango starts flopping around on the floor).

Abigail: I knew it.

(Abigail places Tango back in his tank).

Louis: And that's why I'm no longer allowed in Abigail's office.

Collin: Why would you eat her pet fish and alive on top of that?

Louis: I can't control it. It's a strong cat instinct.

3.(Peggy and Louis had just moved into their new house together and are discussing how to stay on a budget so they can be able to pay off their mortgage).

Peggy: Alright, so since we took out a mortgage, we could only afford a house with one bathroom. Are you okay with having to share a toilet and a shower?

Louis: Oh, you don't need to share a shower with me.

Peggy: Really?

Louis: Yeah, we cats don't need to shower. We can clean ourselves with our tounges.

Peggy: What if your fur gets covered in dirt and stains?

Louis: Okay, then we need to shower.

4.(Abigail is going through her old office stuff with Louis, with Louis finding an old yarn ball).

Louis: Ohh, is this a yarn ball?

Abigail: It sure is, Henry and I used to love knitting together.

(Louis looks at the yarn ball and wants to play with it).

Louis: Can I have it?

Louis: Sorry, but no. This was Henry's old yarn ball.

Louis: Oh, I understand.

(Abigail feels bad and decides to give him another yarn ball).

Abigail: But you can have this yarn ball.

Louis: Really, thanks, Abigail.

Abigail: You're welcome, Louis.

(Louis starts playing with the yarn ball Abigail gave him).

5.(Peggy is almost due to birth Sylvia, and she's getting anxious about becoming a mother).

Louis: Are you okay, Sweetie?

Peggy: I'm so anxious.

Louis: Sweetie...

Peggy: Now, I know you're gonna be a great dad. I'm just worried that I'm gonna be a terrible mom.

Louis: What makes you think you're gonna be a terrible mom?

Peggy: Because I'm such an anxious mess.

Louis: Sweetie, I've known you for years and seen how kind you are. So I know you're gonna be a great mother.

Peggy: I am?

Louis: Absolutely.

(Louis rubs his face against Peggy's pregnant tummy and starts purring).

Peggy:(love struck) Oh, Honey...

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rolin Rising

So, I'm not gonna lie here. I bogged right the hell down in what I am told is something of a rite of passage with the Throne of Glass (TOG) series: I read the first witches chapter and couldn't have cared LESS. After getting permission to skip a couple of them though, I got moving again and actually thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's climactic conclusion. Let's talk Heir of Fire.

As is par for the course for this blog, there are SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. Be warned and proceed at your own risk.

Ok, SJM structures her books in such a way that it's easier to jut take her books by POV character(s), ships, and geographic groups, so that's what we are gonna do here.

Rolin (I have no idea if this is the official ship name, but its better than Aelan)

*Stares in baffled confusion between Rolin and Feysand*

I swear, this section is going to be about more than comparing key ships, but I read ACOTAR before TOG, and I am fucking baffled as to how you write a couple like Aelin and Rowan only to follow it up with Feyre and Rhsand. The former is made of interesting characters who complement and contrast each other and who are deeply interesting to watch because despite their differences, they dont feel toxic. The latter is...Feyre making Rhysand and painting (sometimes. Usually off-page or in her head more than in reality) her entire personality at age 20. I don't understand the progression is what I'm saying, and I am so much less interested in Feysand after reading Heir of Fire.

Ok, I'm done bashing Feysand. Rowan and Aelin's relationship in this book did not start as something I thought I'd enjoy. Aelin was sad and self-destructive in ways that felt narratively draggy after the first two books, and Rowan was just a dick. But as they were forced to exist in each others' space and train and survive skinwalkers (put a pin in that, we'll get there*) and Valg Princes, their dynamic developed in a way that felt earned and organic, and I ended up deeply invested in their relationship.

Possibly my favorite overall piece of their relationship is that neither quite gets the other until HELLA late in the game; it might even be fair to say that they don't fully get each other by the end of this book. Rowan was floored when Aelin yote herself into a death battle (low-key I think he should have seen that coming, but I guess soldiers don't imagine people flouting orders and lying to a commander's face), and Aelin really had to come to terms with herself before she really could get into understanding Rowan.

I also like that they are allowed to fuck up. Notably Rowan's early threat to take a whip to Aelin. She genuinely would have murdered him for that. That's also not entirely his fault, because Maeve withheld information, but once they like each other enough to communicate civilly, they work that stuff out.

The other really good thing about Rowan and Aelin's relationship is that their dynamic is two people who stand together but make their own choices. That can often get overlooked or trampled in romantic relationships, but Aelin is extremely herself, and I love that.

I also cannot wait to see how Aedion reacts to Rowan having sworn a blood oath to HIS queen...

Manon, Abraxos, and the Witches

Ok, so for all that not loving the witches in this book is a canon reader experience (I am told by the memes and my sister), I really only skipped a couple of chapters before the witches caught me too. I just incidentally thought I'd skim a chapter, and it turned out to be the one where Abraxos murders the crap out of Titus (I think was his name? He's dead though, nobody carea). And y'all? It wasn't Manon who grabbed my heart; it was Abraxos. Abraxos, who wanted to live so badly, who chose Manon so hard the entire culture felt it, and who likes wildflowers stole my heart right out of my chest and cuddled with it like a cat with a ball of yarn.

If anything happens to Abraxos, we riot.

Now, while Abraxos had my heart immediately, Manon grew on me more slowly. The fact that the witches are literally raised as little sociopaths and the cracks are starting to show is interesting, and I'm definitely interested in seeing how this develops. Also, I cannot WAIT for Manon to put her grandmother down, because that woman is VICIOUS.

Chaol and Aedion's Excellent Adventure

Ok, so Chaol and Aedion are kind of...on deck...this entire book. They're just kind of biding time and making sure the resistance stays alive and playing politics while they're waiting for Celaena/Aelin to make her next move. Their dynamic is more or less two soldiers who are strange bedfellows out of necessity and don't REALLY trust each other, but they have enough in common that they sort of grow on each other. Reluctantly. It's actually very cute.

Also, Aedion pulling that final self-sacrifice play to try to save everyone at the end and to get Chaol out because he meant something to Aelin bumped him up SEVERAL significant notches in my estimation.

Chaol took Fleetfoot with him when he bailed on Adarlan, so he gets pupper protection points.

Dorian Needs a Hug

Dorian Havillard is having a terrible time this book. He's terrified of his own magic, down bad for a pretty healer, and sans his childhood best friend and murder Barbie BFF. He's also ingesting iron to try to keep his magic from being outed, hiding his healer from his father (who already murdered her parents and would murder her without a second thought), and feeling hella betrayed because Chaol thinks he's evil and scary for his magic. This man needs a hug SO BADLY at the beginning of the book.

That's nothing compared to how badly he needs a hug after his girlfriend is revealed to be a spy and beheaded in front of him, is *probably* captured by his Dad after his magic being explicitly outed, and everyone who could help him either already in chains or fleeing for their lives.

SJM and Cutlrual Appropriation*

Ok, let's get back to that skinwalker pin for a sec here. Red from OSP has a great little mini talk in the Urban Fantasy Trope Talk on why appropriating the term "skinwalker" from Navajo lore is...IFFY AT BEST, so I'm not going to reiterate why using the term here is perhaps not the best choice and should probably have been run through a sensitivity reader and axed in the drafts. But I do want to just...highlight that SJM is still very, very comfortable with wholesale nabbing stuff from global mythologies and folklore, stripping it of its context, and dropping it into her books without really doing any REcontextualizing. Because SJM's baddies in this more are more magical Freddie Kreuger than anything else, and to use a specifically Navajo term for that low-key gives me the ick. I'm not a fan of this in SJM's work as a whole. It feels appropriative, and the fact that a lot of the bad guys are from colonized (or attempted genocided, in the case of Indigenous American mythologies) people just intensifies the ick. Part of seeing all of a story you love is not ignoring the problems, and this is VERY MUCH an ongoing problem with SJM books.

So overall, I had fun with this book. The pacing at the beginning is a little rough, but the character and relationship dynamics are well handled, and I enjoyed a lot of this book. Abraxos is also just awesome, and I will die on this hill.

[ao3feed-kathony]

i was tame i was gentle (til the circus life made me mean)

read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/57387805 by angelica_barnes “There’s a lady in the parlor, my lord,” Olly says, his hands wringing rather than folded behind his back. “It looks—She came here alone, on horseback. She won’t speak, except in apologies. I think—I think she may belong to Lady Eloise.” Benedict wants to argue that particular point, then finds it’s Penelope Featherington in the parlor and decides perhaps Olly was right on the nose. “I’m terribly sorry to come so late,” she says, her voice clogged with tears, “but I’m afraid I have nowhere else to go.”   or,   Penelope Featherington moves into Aubrey Hall, and life unravels like a ball of yarn in a cat’s hands. Words: 24472, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Bridgerton (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Multi Characters: Benedict Bridgerton, Anthony Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Violet Bridgerton, Agatha Danbury, Francesca Bridgerton, Gregory Bridgerton, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Prince Friedrich (Bridgerton), Daphne Bridgerton, Simon Basset, Edwina Sheffield | Edwina Sharma, Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma, Charlotte zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Charlotte Queen of the United Kingdom, Genevieve Delacroix, Siena Rosso, Phillip Crane, Theo Sharpe, Olly the Footman Relationships: Benedict Bridgerton/Prince Friedrich, Simon Basset/Anthony Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Eloise Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington, Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Colin Bridgerton/Phillip Crane, Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton & Kate Sheffield | Kate Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton & Edwina Sheffield | Edwina Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton & Siena Rosso, Benedict Bridgerton & Genevieve Delacroix, Genevieve Delacroix/Siena Rosso, Violet Bridgerton/Agatha Danbury, Daphne Bridgerton/Edwina Sheffield | Edwina Sharma, Francesca Bridgerton/John Stirling I, Anthony Bridgerton & Benedict Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton & Eloise Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington, Eloise Bridgerton & Theo Sharpe, Eloise Bridgerton & Olly the Footman, Theo Sharpe/Olly the Footman, Brimsley/Reynolds (Bridgerton), Charlotte zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz/George III of the United Kingdom Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Humor, Families of Choice, Forced Marriage, Arranged Marriage, lavender marriage, also real marriage we’ve got ‘em all here folks, bouts of depression and fainting brought upon by heartbreak aka canon, Marriage Proposal, Scandal, (Obviously), alternatively titled:, penelope featherington getting all the love and attention she deserves, Queerplatonic Eloise/Penelope, it is literally a crime that that is not an official tag, also they could just be in love if you want, i mean i wrote eloise as aroace but you don’t have to stick to that, Queerplatonic Anthony/Kate, kate is also aroace and living her best life, benedict and genevieve are bffs, simon and anthony are exes, in unrelated news, Getting Back Together, everyone’s asexual because i’m starved for representation, and sometimes this show gives me nightmares, so let me have this, OKAY that’s it enjoy :3 read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/57387805

[icy-watch]

Good lord, Icy. What have you been drinking and where can I get some?? I mean, when you start analyzing the wood?? Hello??? And you mention the Underworld??? 😭 Okay those meanings are kind of insane, maybe hold onto them. Interpretive freedom and all. Is it too late to convince you this has nothing to do with Wukong (as if all of LMK hasn't already had to do with him) and is just a reference to the opening theme lyrics Familiar Tales, New Adventures? XD I referenced it before because I knew it was sneaky enough heh. Last episode, Mac dragged in the Not-Mayor like your street cat bringing dead things into the house, this episode he is the house cat caught 10 seconds before disaster tied up in a ball of yarn. Kidding kidding, but true as well. Remember the "tied up in his own shadows and chains?" Yeah, weird. So apparently (and keep in mind, sometimes flashbacks can be biased!) that bit really did happen and Wukong was there to see it. It's not just everyone they've fought against, it seems to be...a memory almost, wouldn't you say, Icy? Macaque tied up like that, the tear/blood drop I promised you? The especially evident "Monkey, no violence!" you hear after? Tripitaka and the fillet??? Also Wukong's face when seeing his friend <3 <3 <3 and his instinctive yell when hearing Tripitaka OOOH 👀 omg. I'm all over that. Does it still bother him? I mean with how often the headband dug into his head, how much it hurt, oh he's got lasting issues. Rip </3 your turn to get trauma triggered. Oh yeah, also the translation. Mac here says, "You're nothing!" Like, I think I said it reflected what he told MK in The Winning Side. As a theory for what he told Wukong. "Your staff's gone, your power and freedom's gone. You're not the Monkey King, you're nothing!" if he found him with the pilgrims. But his line and Nezha's are taken from previous episodes, so are they meant to be parallels of the further/not recent past or, just chosen from there? We're pretty split on how Mac reacted tbh, and the Chinese dub has him say "You abandoned me!" which changes the meaning entirely. And falls in line with Shadow Play. The new characters' lines are pretty solidly from the past so eh. Maybe both. I talk a lot about the monkeys (and I'll probably refer to them as shadowpeach for convenience's sake when speaking of their scenes together despite it being a ship name, their duo name is eclipse/sundial duo but we're all just too used to the former.) anyways, this is meant to say that this season, for the sake of a certain someone in your note's favorite antagonist, I will be rewatching s4 to sort them out :P I think its worth the effort, what with fandom repeatedly being extra weird with your fav, I get it, so may as well explain what the heck might be going on.

Little teenage Icy went thru a witch phase to try and curse people. I learned about different woods and stuff. My tarot knowledge came out of this time in my life too.

Miiiiiiight be a little too late lol.

Oh, that's interesting. Memories. Hmmmm...

[wilwywaylan]

It's not going very well in my life right now, so I put everything on the backburner to draw some uplifting things. Well I'm not very uplifted, but I now have more art of my idiots (and @crow-songs-at-dawn's own Tomoyo).

Featuring Menthe's new design with the scar.

The dorks are from left to right Tomoyo, Yuki, Menthe and Shizuka. The cats are Brahms, Cookie, Pomme, Chess, Kuro-kun, Nibbles and Koshekh. Who appeared on the drawing because I wanted a cat playing with the pompons but didn't want to move any of the others.

NIbbles is based on my own experience with @crow-songs-at-dawn's cat who likes using my butt as a pillow.

Also Arcopal (the cups) is very important in France.

[Image ID : four people sitting together on a light peach background. Tomoyo, a tall japanese woman with long brown hair, brown eyes and glasses, is playing on a laptop that makes minecraft noises. She's wearing a purple plaid shirt, a Ghost shirt, a long black skirt and thick socks with bones on them. The laptop is covered in stickers. A Siamese cat is sleeping on her legs. She's leaning on Yuki, a small japanese woman with grey and white long hair gathered back, brown eyes and sharp cheekbones. She's wearing a too big blue plaid shirt, a Ghost shirt, a long blue skirt and thick socks decorated with snowflakes. She's knitting something yellow and is surrounded by yarn. An orange cat is playing with one of the balls of yarn. Menthe, a white woman with shaggy brown hair, green eyes and a large scar on her face, is craddling a grey cat against her chest. She's wearing a green hoodie, jeans and green socks with cat heads on them. She's smiling and looking at Shizuka, a japanese man with long blond hair gathered back and black eyes, laying on his stomach beside her. He's wearing a pink hoodie, brown cargo pants and pink socks with atoms on them. He's leaning on one hand, and making a "walking" gesture with the other. A black and white cat is laying beside him and looking at his fingers. A small black cat is on Shizuka's back, playing with his hair. A third cat, large and calico, is sleeping on him. And a last cat, a small brown one with long hair, is playing with the pompon hanging from the sock. Yuki and Shizuka are talking, Yuki about a yellow scarf, Shizuka about pink socks. Tomoyo and Menthe are humming. end ID]

[shadowonwater]

Pokemon Scarlet, part the 4th. I fought a giant crab and then beat an avant-garde artist.

Whenever I start these it always feels like there's so much to cover. Well I guess one of the first things of note that happened to me since my last post was that Yarn Ball evolved. It turned into a spool spider. Well I don't think it's as cute anymore and it's clear it's not evolving again so I made my first teammate switch in a while. I replaced it with Tinkerton (the small pink thing with the mallet).

I had fun exploring the maze that is that rocky area. At one point I ran into a level 25 Hariyama, which was pretty high for the area, at first I was intimidated, but then I was like, nah, my Flamingo can take this guy. And it totally could have too! But the coward used Whirlwind and disappeared! I was like "Come back here and fight me like a Poke-MAN"

When riding on Koraidon, I keep finding myself trying to click on the button in PLA that let me dash, only to be disappointing at my lack of dashing. I really wished I could Dash, this will come up later.

While I was in that maze I saw a tera raid. The silhouette reminded me of a Tailow. Now I don't know what Pokemon are in this game and what are not so I thought it might be a Tailow. But instead it was something new! It was called Wattel I think? So now I have a tera bug Wattel, named Watt. (really creative, I know).

So I get to the Pokecenter next to the town so I can heal up before seeing the first titan. And I see those Squakabilly birds, so I catch the which plumage one and blue plumage one. I didn't see anyother kinds around there so I assume the green ones are found else where, I think there are also orange ones too. I'm not sure how many colors there are.

I also saw red Oricolo, I went into a battle with one and tried to catch it before going to the center. A bit of a mistake because I was starting to run low on balls. It had just a sliver of health left, yet it kept breaking out of the ball. I eventually caught it with the very last ball I had left, a Nest ball. I ran out of everything else. Glad my effort still payed off I guess.

So I go back and follow the map to try to find the titan crab, and it doesn't take too long. Oh btw, I also caught one of the non titan crabs that were around. I spent a bit of time beating up random crabs in the area because Floragata had such a nice time advantage. I kept one-shotting them. Soon both Lechonk and Wooper evolved while I saw doing this. I didn't even do it for long, they just both close to evolving. So I had a Cludsire and a female uhhhh whatever the Pig's evolution was called, Oinkage?

So I walk up to the crab on the wall and it just kinda scuttles away from me, and I was a little bit confused because I thought it would fight me right away but I guess not? So I follow it up the hill and *then* I battle it. I tera my grass cat and Magic Leaf it, suddenly it's low health and the battle is already over.

The crab goes back down and the game is like "follow the crab!" so I try to directly follow it down the cliff but the game is like NO that's too steep! So jump on Koraidon and go down there anyway. I tried to land atop the crab, but I don't the game expected me to do that so I went right through, so I was under the crab. Then the cutscene plays and I am no longer under crab. Arven also shows up, guess he's just been hanging nearby?

We battle the crab again together, which is cool. I was worried I wouldn't be able to Tera my grass cat again because already just used it, but the game let me, so cool. And it only takes 2 attacks. Sorry Arven but you really weren't needed here.

He makes sandwiches. And I already knew that completing one of the different paths was supposed to give Koraidon more abilities. And I figured it was this one, what with the herbs healing abilities. So no surprise when Kori wanted my food, so I gave it to it. And just as expected BOOM! New ability, I was delighted realizing it was the Dash ability, because I really wanted to Dash! :D

Arven gave me the other half of the sandwich, very nice of him actually. He doesn't seem to be very found of Kori though. (btw I decided to call Koraidon, "Kori" for short if you haven't already picked up on that).

Anyway the weird part is that I leave and Arven is talking to something or other. I assume a Pokemon, but we don't see what it is. He seems to be trying to heal some Pokemon. Whatever it is, it must be something major because the game won't show me it.

Oh man this has been a lot of typing only to just now get to the end of the titan part, now to get to the gym leader! I pretty much went to the gym leader right afterwards, no dilly dallying.

But one random thing I meant to say but haven't yet- Washing! During the picnics I mean. Washing my Pokemon. Similar to a feature from the Alola games, where you clean up your Pokemon to heal them from damage and status conditions. So similar feature, similar function. Playing it reminds me of giving my nintendogs a bath, what with the suds and shower-head.

Anyway I was washing all my Pokemon up to heal them one time. And I wondered if I could also give Kori a bath despite not battling with it. And I can! This pleases me :3c Can I pet the dog? Yes I can!

Anyway the gym. Apparently the town has a real artistic population, and I can see that reflected in how beautiful the town is. I was told to find 10 Sunflora hidden around the town. Was a bit worried about my frame rate already cause I heard about the sun flora messing with it. Well it didn't really affect me.

Anyway I wonder if the sunflora locations are randomized or not, I already found 3 just a laying there immediately outside of their pen, not very good at hide and seek, are they? It wasn't much trouble finding the rest, one battled me but that was it (I wonder if something like that is also randomized too). I also climbed around on that playground, that was neat, even if there wasn't anything that cool on it, just being able to climb it was cool.

Anyway, I forgot to also mention this but I switched out my pig for my electric bird Watt, was kinda excited about the bird because I had no clue what it would look like when evolved. So I used Watt to take out the grass leaders first 2 Pokemon and used my Flamingo for the last one. It was pretty easy, I'll be honest. Had a bit of trouble with Petlil's sleep powder but a berry was all I need to wake up my bird again.

Anyway the plant guy is... interesting? Didn't really expect the personality he has with the look that he has. If he were a Pokemon, he looks like he would be a grass/dark based off of appearance. But maybe not. He's just some eccentric artist and a bit of a weirdo.

"Avant-garde"? Nah All I did was creme you with a type advantage. There wasn't really skill to that at all. Anyway he's an artist, but of what? fine art I assume. But is it paintings? sculptures? Also do you think he's be friends with Burg? After all they are both gym leaders and artists. I assume that someone out there has already made fanart of them hanging out.

Anyway I talked about the titan, I talked about the grass gym leader, so you think I'm done right? No, I got more to say! I walked around in the area around the town and caught the fighting Tauros. As well as Dunsparce, the koala (which really packed a punch), Tandem mouse (which reminds of Pokemon like eggsacute and falinks), and Flabebe. I'm forgetting anything else I caught.

Then I went towards the 1st Star base. I haven't started the raid yet but I will soon. Something I only just now noticed, 18 types, 8 gyms, 5 titans, and 5 star bases. I bet all of them are a different type right? that's cool, I like that!

I haven't been battling random trainers much, because the game no longer forces it, I have a hard time keeping track of who I fought and who I didn't. I keep passing up fighting trainers because I want to keep exploring.

Anyway I love my shit when "Clive" showed up. You ain't foolin' anybody Clavell! I guess when he overheard all the way back in the school he wanted to get involved with Starfall. I must say, from the trailers I didn't trust him, but he's really endeared himself to me now.

I wonder how he's going to help me with the raid, will he be healing me maybe? I guess I'll see.

[burnwater13]

Grogu

Grogu loved IG-11. Well, not the first time they met. The first time they met the assassin droid was going to… uh… end him. But the Mandalorian prevented that, fortunately for all of them. 

Fortunately, because then Grogu’s friend Kuiil rebuilt and re-trained the assassin droid and turned it into a great friend and care taker for Grogu. A caretaker that would never hurt him or allow anyone else to hurt him either. Grogu did not take that sort of thing for granted.

He’d gotten this far in life and had learned a thing or two even if he didn’t blab what he’d learned to everyone. One of the things he’d learned is that only some of your friends kept their promises. Oh, he was sure that they had all meant to keep their promises, but other things interfered. Like being afraid, or being too far away, or being obsessed with someone else and focusing all their attention on that instead… well, you understand. A good friend is one who is there when you need them to be there and IG-11 was a good friend.

Grogu wished that droids could have little droids. Not just small droids mind you, but copies of themselves. He liked the pit droids just fine, but life with a pack of little IG-11’s all helping him with his chores and protecting him from bad people… that would be so great. 

He’d have to modify their programming so they didn’t all sound exactly alike. They needed to have some variation. Grogu supposed that he could paint them different colors and that would help. There would be IG-Pink, IG-Turquoise, IG-Magenta (no that’s not just more pink), IG-Cerulean, and just for Din Djarin, IG-Beskar (the color, not the alloy). That might be almost enough IGs. 

Pink would handle all the nice stuff like reading him stories and putting on the vids of Diggle and Daggle, The Fish that fish. Turquoise would be in charge of his wardrobe and make sure he always looked his best. Magenta would be in charge of tricking Din Djarin into thinking they were Pink. Cerulean would handle all the snacks and Beskar would handle the protection detail (okay, so it would also be the alloy; you can’t go wrong that way). 

When they weren’t doing chores they would be playing games, building things, and making sure that the area around the cabin was safe from invaders. Grogu was mainly concerned about Loth cats since they seemed to like snacking on frogs as much as he did and he didn’t like that kind of competition. 

He could just imagine the chorus of little IG’s telling the loth cats to back off. “If you go near this Child, I will have no choice but to kill you.” Of course that wouldn’t happen. They would all be programmed to be nanny droids. They’d just grab one of Din’s balls of yarn (you remember, he likes to knit, right?), and throw it and the cats would be gone in a flash. 

That’s one of the things that Grogu had really liked about IG-11. It was really good at problem solving. It knew the rules and knew what it could do and then just applied one to the other and the next thing you knew, Grogu was far away from the mean stormtroopers who had kidnapped him and ended Kuiil. 

That would be the other thing they would all do together. They would gather flowers and go to Kuiil’s grave and say a few words and remember their friend who had been the best possible friend, to Grogu, the Mandalorian, and of course to IG-11. 

When your friends helped you be more than you ever thought possible, when they saw something in you that you didn’t see and helped you achieve it, when they worked with you patiently to overcome your fears and awkwardness, they proved that they were the best possible friends and were worthy of everything you did for them, even when they didn’t know you did anything at all. 

Kuiil and IG-11 had been those friends and Grogu hoped to never forget the lessons that he learned from them both. Being there was just the beginning. Staying there meant even more.