#because i loved the moment with the three of them looking at their artwork <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[hiddenonigiri]

we are — favorite friendships | fai, q and peem 

“This is our lives as second-year Fine Art students.”

[sleepytoycollection]

Barbie Dream Besties "Brooklyn": A review

Barbie Dream Besties is a newly released doll line by Mattel, and is a spin off of their main Barbie line. Looks wise, they seem to be a spiritual successor to My Scene, Ever After high, and the more recent Barbie Extra/Barbie Extra Minis. Also trying desperately to compete with LOL and Rainbow High.

They are $20 USD each retail.

I was interested in these for three reasons: 1) I liked Ever After High and My Scene. 2) They have much more quality outfits than I tend to see from modern Barbie. 3) @queenofsquids enjoyment of them made me hopeful I'd like them too.

So do I? Let's find out.

I choose the character Brooklyn as I like her face up the best.

Her packaging is the standard plastic clam shell that seems to be all over the doll aisle anymore. I can't say I love it. I miss the cardboard boxes, so much easier to open and so much less plastic.

This box isn't super great aesthetically either. There's a lot going on in the service of nothing.

Which is a shame, because I do really like the actual character art on the box. It's super cute and matches the dolls really well. It would pop even better if the rest of the box was a smidge simpler. Sometimes less is more.

The back of the box.

We get more of this delightful artwork, showing of the full set of characters available at the moment.

We also get a short character bio for Brooklyn. She wants to be a choreographer, loves making dance routines, video editing, and creative writing. Despite her favorite color being listed as pink, she has no pink in her outfit and only one pink accessory.

Here is the box without the cover. This is what I meant when I said the box design was doing a lot for nothing. Over packaging isn't just a problem with Mattel dolls of course, MGA is arguably worse, but it's still frustrating.

Brooklyn herself is very pretty though. I tried very hard to pick one without a wonky face, but the way she's posed makes it very hard to tell.

I think one of her eyes is slightly bigger than the other. It's not enough to bother me at least. That said, so many of these were VERY wonky at the store. I would not buy these online unless you can see the specific doll you're getting. The QC is all over the place.

Here are all the accessories she comes with.

I do appreciate that all her accessories tie into her interests and character. That said, these are hit and miss.

The purse is nice, and does open.

The dog is okay, but I don't really care for these types of doll pets. It looks more like an in-universe toy than what's supposed to be an animal.

I initially liked that the phone and case were separate, until I tried to put the phone in the case and it didn't fit. It will not go in there. If I force it in, it just pops right back out.

It's a shame because I liked the 80's Barbie logo case, but without the phone in it, it looks weird when the doll is holding it.

At least the phone fits into the ring light stand.

May I also say some of these accessories feel really flimsy? The phone and Ipad are VERY thin plastic.

The boom box in hollow and unpainted.

I wish instead of having seven mid accessories we could've had two or three really good ones. Or nixed all of them and given her a stand. The doll herself is nice enough to deserve a stand I think.

Let's look at Brooklyn. She's pretty darn cute. She stands at the standard 11", and has saran hair with tinsel.

Her outfit isn't my favorite though. Mattel stop giving your dolls ugly fur sleeved varsity jackets challenge. This could've been so cute as just a regular varsity jacket.

Despite being ugly, the jacket is made pretty well. Though a button was already falling off mine. That poor QC strikes again.

Though I suppose it's moot as I doubt I'll ever put this jacket back on her ever again.

Now that she's free of that ugly thing, you can see how nice the rest of her outfit is. I didn't realize how much I missed dolls getting to wear neutrals until I saw her plain denim skirt and white tank top.

It's simple, but she's dressed like a real person. Plus, I can easily pair these pieces with a lot of other outfits. Doll wardrobes need pieces like this for mixing and matching.

Body wise she's a bit smaller than Barbie, and her feet are a little bit larger. This body reminds me a lot of the current bodies for the Disney Princess line now that Mattel has it back, though those have larger feet. If I can find the one I have, I'll do a body comparison to those later.

Her sculpt in three views. The Ever After High comparisons are very apt, though the screening itself is more reminiscent of My Scene mixed with a little bit of G3 Monster High.

For comparison, here's an actual EAH doll next to her. Brooklyn's head is just a smidge larger, but balanced out better with larger eyes, thicker brows, and bigger lips.

After this, I got Brooklyn redressed with just a few changes...

I replaced her jacket with this vintage Barbie and the Rockers one, added a necklace, and hey! Now she gets to wear her favorite color.

Final thoughts?

It's a good doll, but the quality control issues, on top of the same BS Mattel throws on all of it's dolls anymore, is dragging it down.

The fact you have to look through every single one of the shelf to make sure you're not getting a crappy one is exhausting. Plus, kids don't do that. They're going to get home with their new doll and then realize as they open it something's wrong. Kids don't deserve that.

The accessories are mostly cheap and not special enough to justify their existence. The purse, phone with case, and ring light would've been enough if they were made a bit better.

The outfit is well made, and a huge improvement over what I see in the main Barbie line, even if I don't like all the design choices, but again, that's if you get one without QC issues.

The doll herself is super cute though, and screw it, I like the tinsel. Fight me.

Overall I really love this doll, I just wish picking one out wasn't a hassle. Hell, I even bought a second one already.

I got inspired enough I wanted to repaint one, so I purposely bought this wonky Renee because she had the worst face up out of everyone at the store.

So I think there's definitely potential here. If this line continues, I hope they can improve the way G3 Monster High has improved from it's first wave.

I hope this can be the start of Mattel revitalizing it's Barbie line as well. It needs it. See ya next time.

[firefly--bright]

the drywall confessions.

jean kirstein x fem!reader , modern a.u

summary ; making a home out of the walls that surround you was easy when it was the two of you.

warnings ; none! what a shocker

a/n : something short and sweet! im still in the process of writing d2d and masquerade hehe. summer break just started so it might take just a little more time :3 inspired by this reel i saw on instagram. also requests are now open since i'll have more time to write!!

taglist ; @holding-infinity-and-a-book , @mrsnobodynobody , @hopeless-anti-romantic , @jeancremebrulee , @berrijam , @happxme , @cherrypieyourface , @imgayandshesanime , @moonmalice , @kivernova , @potaho3frog , @xakilicious , @katestrophes .

masterlist is in pinned post! ✿ join my taglist ✿ requests are open! ✿ songs to listen to while reading !

If walls could talk, they’d sing praises of your love.

the dark brown scuff against the right wall of the living room that was left when you and jean tried to move the couch by yourself was all but proof of that moment. He almost stubbed his toe, and you almost tripped over the carpet, but after the couch found it’s new home only a tad bit to the left from where it was before, the two of you heaved a breath as you reaped the rewards of your hard work on the couch, wiping the sweat off of your forehead. Jean grumbled about how it didn’t really make a difference. You had a ready answer on your tongue; pointing to the now one inch of extra space – “look at all this free space we have!” with a sarcastic grin on your face. Jean took one glance at you and knew he had to laugh, if only a little, if only to please you, if only because he loved you.

if walls could talk, they’d tell jean about how much you missed him while he was gone.

The business trip wasn’t even that long, only about two weeks, and it wasn’t even the longest the two of you had gone without each other, but it was enough for you to notice his absence after your move into the apartment together. The walls watched softly, reflecting the sunlight off of themselves, as you accidentally pulled out two mugs instead of just yours – your see-through, glass mug with small hand drawn flowers on it with a thin crack along it’s base that you were only mildly concerned about and his usual mug that said, in big bold letters, “NUMBER 1 COUGAR”. the walls noticed how often your eyes strayed away to the screen of your phone, hoping every time that it would be his message lighting up your screen. And later at night, when everything was dark and he finally did, the walls observed, that you eagerly picked up and talked and listened and talked until the only thing they heard was your small snores. The phone call ended three hours after you had slept, they’d note.

If the walls could talk, they’d whisper critiques about your decoration choices.

It didn’t make sense, really. Everything on the shelves was eclectic and without any structure. The bookshelf was really just a name of what it was supposed to be, but held objects that were far more precious than pages. Jean’s hereditary vinyls that he’d unapologetically stolen from his childhood home along with the record player, small plants that each had their own names, pictures from photobooths that you had taken throughout the years – some with just the two of you, some with your friends, some with you and your cat. lamps with warmly lit bulbs in them of varying heights and colours, collecting a small but unseen amount of dust on their bases simply because “jean. This looks exactly like the lamp that crushed pixar’s 'i'” “why are we supporting an abuser, then?” and “this one looks like a mushroom!” “babe, we have so many lamps already-“ “jean, this one is a mushroom.” They were good lighting for your old and new artworks, some of them messily made but with more than enough personality for the walls to be able to speak through them. And if they could speak, they’d tell you about all the sketches of you they’d see jean draw but never show; all his loving being silent but all-consuming.

And the walls would scold you for ruining their perfectly white canvas into something better-worse.

Jean agreed that maybe the smudges could be fixed by painting over the whole damn wall. “im getting sick of this white.” “that’s very racist.” followed by a scoff from the former, as he opened the pinterest browser on his laptop, asking you to shift closer to him to get a better view at his screen. Not because he thought your warmth was mandatory for him to function, of course not.

The walls would retell how scared they were when jean got those small pots of paint, you sat in your most worn-down and ruined pair of pyjamas infront of the white wall that currently had too many stains for it to go unnoticed. Jean opened the can with a butterknife with a, “dude, couldn’t you have gotten, like, a popsickle stick?” “a whole pack of fifty for one paint can?” “we could’ve made popsickles.” “uh huh. You just want an excuse for something sweet.” to which you only smiled ear to ear and jean wondered if you knew that he didn’t need something sweet as long as you were infront of him.

The painting job inevitably failed. Two sort-of artists that thought it was something they could accomplish ended up with a wall of mismatched paint and aching shoulders and stained fingers. You called it a night with pizza and washed hands, jean cradled calcifer – your adorable but petty cat – in his arms like a spoiled baby and placed several kisses on his furry forehead as you sat down with plates in your hand. jean joined you on the ground, letting the furball run free across the apartment before resting his head on your thigh.

The walls would have notes of what not to do while repainting them as one of those two sort-of artists waited for her beloved to leave the house the next day and once again, sat down and drew a small heart with the residual pastel paint left in the pot, a small and satisfied smile on her face even if it was only for a small mark.

The day after the next, when she took the paint, her fingers itching to claim the walls as theirs again – she found three small stars around the heart that she did not remember drawing. Smiling, you put down your signature flower and leaf combo before closing everything back up and waiting for the vandalism wars to begin.

By the time the walls could recall how jean proposed to you, the bottom of the bedroom wall that was conveniently covered up by the bed held countless doodles. Some of them were smaller, cuter versions of the two of you with big eyes and small bodies holding hands, some of them were far more detailed version of them – just their faces with their eyes looking at the other -  despite their small size. The most remarkable ones, however, were your initials written on the wall. Bottom corner of the bedroom wall were the initials of the people that loved the most while residing in their walls that could only be seen if anyone was actively looking for them, seeking them out.

 If the walls could talk, they would talk about you and jean.

Despite the bustling and distracting city outside, jean’s vinyls played their safe melodies as you pulled out two mugs from the cabinet in the kitchen, jean’s arms wrapped around your back as you prepared coffee for the pair of you in your respective mugs. Jean would hold back a small grin at the mug that was now his signature – the one that you gifted him when you were only friends and just getting to know each other, the one that made him know that he’d want you in his life for far longer. The walls would sing the songs of jean’s record player as you sat near the coffee table in your living room and typed away on your laptop, calcifer snoring peacefully on his father’s lap, the latter with his own laptop infront of him. The walls would tell you how much he loved you because he would look at you so often they wondered if he ever got sick of the view – but they didn’t. the walls didn’t talk because they knew you knew. They could tell you accounted all his actions and return them tenfold, in your own silent but all-consuming ways.

If the walls could talk, they wouldn’t want to because you slept on his shoulder after coming home late from work and finding him on the couch with his eyes closed. They wouldn’t talk because they’d see you wrap a blanket around his shoulders before snuggling up next to him – gently, softly, so as to not wake him up.

If the walls could talk, they’d say nothing because everything was already said and known.

If the walls could talk, they wouldn’t have to.

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Photograph of A World on Fire (4) - Andy Herrera x DeLuca!Sister!Reader - Station 19/Grey's Anatomy

Summary: The world might be on fire with a pandemic happening, and you and Andy face loss after loss, but the two of you stick together and become even closer through it all.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Request: hey 💓 could you write a deluca!sister x amelia fic where r is a cheeky italian which puts amelia in gay panic mode x

A/n: this diverts from canon like a curly wurly chocolate bar, also mentions a one night stand, there's no smut but it's alluded to, so, read at your own risk, and don't ask me where this happens in canon, because that will give me another headache:) (i gave myself that headache and followed canon slightly... ooof, warning, canon character death incoming)

A/n: to whoever reads this, you are important.

Andy found out her mother was alive, and then three weeks later, a pandemic set the world on fire.

Andy's mother left, and her father told her that her mother had died, rather than her mother had abandoned her due to mental illness.

Your brother and sister were determined to quarantine away from you, and with Andy in a bubble at the firehouse, you were isolated from everyone.

Andy had enlisted herself in distracting herself about her mother by going to an art store, masked up with a list of supplies for you so you could keep making your art from home. Andy didn't know you had gotten out of the car, sitting on the bonnet with your camera, photographing the empty streets.

You didn't know it was the start of one of two projects during the pandemic that would make your career flourish, as you sat in your black attire, watching the funeral of Pruitt Herrera, that due to the pandemic had to be done online. Watching as Andy spoke, you couldn't hide the love in your eyes for this woman. This woman of fire. Your fiamma.

///

Your brother sat on your porch as you sat in the hallway, talking to each other through an open door.

"I found inspiration, for two big projects."

"Two big projects? Wow, that's amazing, angioletta. I hope I get to see them before Carina." Andrew smiled, the pride in his eyes obvious.

"Oh she'd be so mad!" You laughed, remembering the last time Andrew had seen your artwork before Carina did, and how jealous she got despite trying to hide it.

"How's your girlfriend?" Andrew threw you off, almost dropping your snack on the carpet in surprise at his question, but you took a moment before replying.

"She is at a family picnic for the first time in twenty years, and I didn't want to impose y'know. Plus, everyone is so determined to quarantine, I'm isolated from everyone and everything, but my art." You admitted, spotting the sad look on your big brother's face at your confession. You were feeling lonely.

///

"It probably won't help if I tell them that I have a girlfriend too." Andy admitted to her cousin Michelle, whose eyes lit up at Andy's admittance.

"You do? Tell me everything!"

"She's an artist, with two older siblings, who are both doctors, but she is my saving grace in this, this cruel world." Andy confessed, getting her phone out to show her cousin a photo of you, and some photos of your art.

///

Your phone buzzed as Vic sent you a video, getting your brother's attention as you gasped.

"There, there was a tiger, in the firehouse... a tiger... that's not totally terrifying!" forwarding the video to your brother, who checked his phone.

///

Fiamma: you don't have any vagina art, do you?

Cariño: that's more my sister's interior design style...

Cariño: good luck to Maya

///

"You know, on the nights we don't have dinner together. I eat canned green beans for dinner, out of the can." Andy confessed as she watched you stand over the hob, stirring your wooden spoon into something that smelt amazing.

"Fiamma, that's disgusting."

///

Andrew's text sent horror through your body as you read it. He and Carina were following a human trafficker. And nobody was answering their phone. Not Andrew, not Carina, not Andy, and not even Maya. Miranda and Ben weren't answering either, so you ran out of your house, tracking your big sister's phone as you got in your car.

Your brother was good, he was stable, taking his meds, getting sleep. Your sister had moved in with Maya, she was happy as she could be without missing Italy and stressing over your father.

Warren and Maya began to call you as Ben read your message, realising you were going after your big siblings.

///

"Announcement! Uh, Carina and her brother Andrew are... well... they're following one of the kidnappers, and uh, Y/n is going after her siblings apparently so..." Maya nervously explained, about to tell Andy off for hurriedly getting her phone but Warren shook his head.

"Probably going to call Y/n. They're, they're friends."

///

"Carina, Andrew, there's something you should know. Y/n is on her way to you, I'm guessing nobody's kept your little sister in the loop."

"Angioletta? No, she could get hurt. How does she know where we are?" Carina began to panic, hearing what Maya said.

"She's probably tracking our phones." Andrew deadpanned, knowing it was too late to stop you.

///

You knew they were at the Seattle Transit Station, running as you spotted Carina heading through the doors of the station. Speed-walking after your siblings, you barely made it onto the train before the doors shut, quickly making your way up the carriage until you landed in the seat next to Andrew, sandwiching him in the middle of you and Carina.

"What are you doing-"

"You both scared me. Plus nobody knows who I am so..." you trailed off, whispering in Italian to obscure your words to any non-Italian speakers.

The three of you watched as another passenger stood up and moved away from the three of you.

"My first time being profiled as an Italian."

///

"Stay back, angioletta." Carina whispered, as your siblings stood up to follow the human trafficker off of the train.

"Go find Ben and the police, I'm not losing her again." Andrew instructed, leaving Carina to nod and get out her phone. That was Carina's mistake as she took her eyes off of you, who ran after her big brother like she did when she was a toddler.

But Carina lost sight of you both, stuck rallying the first responders. She didn't see what you saw. The man barge into your big brother, and stab him.

"NO! Help! Help! Call 911!" You screamed loud enough that Carina heard you, hurrying over to see you putting pressure on a stab wound. A stab wound in your big brother's chest.

"We're here, we're here!" you sobbed, as Warren got your brother on a gurney, Maya holding back Carina as you curled up on the floor, hands covered in your brother's blood.

Carina cleaned your hands as you sat numbly in the back of the aid car, Maya and Ben treating your brother, and Carina recalling songs from your childhoods to soothe your brother's pain.

///

Sitting in the Grey Sloan outdoor waiting room, you were numb as you saw the look in the approaching doctor's eyes.

Your brother was dead.

///

In grieving, Carina shut down, but you threw yourself into your art projects. Carina had Maya to keep an eye on her, but you...

Andy was there for you. Andy was there when you didn't sleep at night, staring at a blank canvas until you started to paint, she sat and watched you. You didn't want to talk, your big brother was your lifeline.

"Okay, I know your French toast is better, and so is Carina's, but it's the only thing I know how to make for breakfast." Andy explained, bringing a tray into your spare room aka your art room at this point.

"Looks delicious." You managed to smile, but Andy was taken off guard as you pulled her into a hug, burying your face in her neck and not letting go.

"I'm acting captain today... are you sure you'll be okay alone?" Andy asked, her fingernails running gently over your scalp as she cradled your head.

"I have food and water. I just want to paint my grief, because I don't know how else to express it. Talking doesn't work, talking makes me miss him, even if he's with our mama now." You replied, but Andy saw the look on your face when you spotted the red paint on the palette. She didn't see how it reminded you of your brother's blood on your hands as you sat in the aid car, numb and hoping it wasn't his time.

Your siblings may have called you angioletta, little angel, but your brother was the angel among you now.

Your mother called Andrew and Carina two halves of a whole, but you needed both of them. You were away from Carina for so long growing up, all you had was your brother.

Now he was gone, Carina was stuck with the paperwork, and you buried yourself in your art. Minus any red paint, which Andy had removed after seeing the far away look on your face at the sight of it.

///

Carina called you hours later, asking if you had spoken to your father at all. You hadn't, but somehow he had heard two days ago that your brother died, and he didn't call either of you.

Andy found you sitting on your porch on her return home, in the spot where your brother had once sat, with a portfolio she hadn't seen before in your hands.

"Andrew was supposed to be the first person to see my projects, but he's..." you trailed off, opening the first page to reveal the photographs you had taken of empty Seattle streets.

"I've never seen Seattle so empty."

"Exactly." You let out a wet chuckle, holding back your tears until Andy met your gaze with a faltering smile at your crying.

///

Maya Bishop: A Doctor Gabriella Aurora just turned up here

Y/n DeLuca: you'll be okay, it's been a long time since medical school, trust me.

Maya Bishop: Come over and help me?

Y/n DeLuca: i'm having dinner with my girlfriend tonight. i'm cooking too.

Maya Bishop: Girlfriend?

*left on read 4:21pm*

///

"You know your sister has a girlfriend?" Maya enquired as she walked through the Grey Sloan car park with Carina, hand in hand.

"I assumed she had someone living with her. She had two mugs out when I surprised her one morning, and someone gave her a neck bruise."

"A hickey?" Maya raised an eyebrow, wondering how long you and whoever it was had been dating.

"Yes, a hickey. My sister is not a fan of double dates though." Carina added before Maya could get any ideas.

///

"I still haven't met your girlfriend. I even met your ex-roommate before I met her." Andy's cousin Michelle pointed out, after pointing out how Andy had gone to every barbecue and not brought you with her.

"My girlfriend lost her brother and her sister is very protective and doesn't want her getting the virus... and we still haven't told her sister we're dating, or that I moved in so..." Andy trailed off as Michelle's eyes widened.

"Oh so it's serious?"

"She's my saving grace."

///

"My visa expires next month." Carina explained to you, making you flinch. You and Andrew had citizenship, but Carina was here on a visa for her study.

"You have to go back to Italy? They shut down the immigration offices... Carina..."

"Angioletta..." Carina whispered, letting out a squeak as you pulled her into a tight hug, fear setting in that you would lose the only family you had left in America.

///

Carina and Maya were unaware of how well you really knew Andy, until it came to your brother's memorial in the Grey Sloan car park.

Amelia wasn't there, even if she had mentored your brother for a time. You hadn't thought of the neurosurgeon in a long time, having removed all traces of her from your portfolio, your life and your memory.

Whilst Maya held Carina in the car park, you sat on the ground, holding your knees to your chest until arms wrapped around you, and Andy was almost cooing in Spanish, calming you as you clung to her, mask soaked with tears.

Neither of them had any time to judge, but both were unaware you and Andy really knew each other as more than friends. Any assumption they had was wrong. Andy and yourself were well acquainted.

You didn't hide your relationship with Andy. She was at the firehouse a lot, not wanting to bring covid home back to you, since Maya and Carina were further along in their relationship and when Andy had moved in with you, she tried her best to keep you safe.

Everyone wanted to protect you, but they were isolating themselves from you to try keep you safe.

One of your art projects had been inspired by frontline workers, gaining attention online as people wanted to buy the works, the money going to charities to support people during the pandemic... you were flourishing, and your big brother couldn't see it from anywhere but above, whilst your sister and your girlfriend could see it, and you, but chose not to as often.

Your second project reflected another side to the pandemic, photography of the empty streets, void of all life. Almost apocalyptic in a sense.

Andy spent more time with you than Carina did, but you and your sister handled grief differently.

The fire between you and Andy burned brighter than anything else. An eternal flame.

"What are you painting this time? Is that a heart on fire?" Andy peeked over your shoulder, her chin resting on it as her hands hovered over your waist, hesitant to touch in case she messed up your brushstrokes.

"It was supposed to be symbolic, fires of love? Eternal flame? I think I'm better at realism... the portraits reflect that." You shrugged, gesturing to the paintings on the other side of the room.

"You are the sweetest but your sister and Maya should be here in an hour, and you are wearing more paint than clothes." Andy pointed out, her eyes widening as you smirked, walking backwards to guide her to the shower.

"Maybe you should join me, to make sure I get all the paint off."

"I would like that very much, but we need to-" Andy began to point out the lack of time, but you shushed her as you leaned in, waiting until she met you halfway, the hour countdown until Maya and Carina's arrival forgotten about...

///

[midorisudachi]

“The Inquisitor And Her Commander”

As some of you may have noticed, I am a huge fan of the Dragon Age games, especially Dragon Age Inquisition. Last year, I had planned on drawing all the main [playable] characters up until Dragon Age Day (which took place on December 4th), but I just didn’t have time to draw more than three characters (the Inquisitor, Solas, & Varric…please check them out in my gallery) due to being busy with work and other things. I’ll eventually draw the other characters when I gather more motivation to do so.

For now, please enjoy this piece. I hope everybody likes this. I worked very hard on this artwork. It took longer than usual to create, due to all the small details, the poses, & the armour. (Armour is not easy to draw for me!) For those of you who are DAI fans, you may recognize the flowers: Crystal Grace on the bottom and Andraste’s Grace on the top. I know Andraste’s Grace is not in DAI, but I thought it would be pretty to add to the artwork (since it technically exists in the Thedas world).

 My OC Inquisitor is named Bryony Trevelyan. She is actually my 2nd Inquisitor character, the first one having been an elf (which I may draw someday). I had been playing DAI for the 3rd time, a few months ago, as a male character (since I wanted him to be in a romance with Dorian, so yes, my male Inquisitor is gay), but I stopped for a bit since I am playing Skyrim at the moment (with updates & mods). Anyway, back on the main subject: I drew Inquisitor Bryony Trevelyan in the Armor of the Dragon Hunter outfit (from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC), which I had altered the colours by tinting it with Veil Quartz. I based her crown from concept art for DAI. So much armour in the game! Which I love, especially since the DA games don’t give female characters the stereotypical skimpy outfits…I love that I get to make my female characters wear bad-ass armour.

Cullen Rutherford is such an adorable and slightly awkward character around my Inquisitor. I knew I had to romance him right away, because his looks are the type of man I am attracted to in real life. (I’m not going to lie…in the game, he’s hot for a video game character. Ha ha!) I’ve always enjoyed the flirting in the DA games when it comes to the relationships. The best scene was right before their first kiss, when Cullen got interrupted by a member of the Inquisition, and then got mad about it. Ha ha. I liked when my Inquisitor asked Cullen, “The day you kissed me on the battlements…how long had you wanted to do that?” And Cullen replied (with a laugh), “Longer that I should admit.” Awwwww.

I also liked the part in the Winter Palace, when all these people were flirting with Cullen, and one asked him, “Are you married, Commander?” And Cullen replied, “Not yet, but I am…already taken.” Double awwww, because a loyal man is so dreamy. :3 I actually had Bryony & Cullen get married in the last DLC. :3 They adopt a Mabari (dog), too!

I love DAI too much. :D It’s such a fun game with the most gorgeous graphics (especially on the Xbox Series X).

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens, then coloured in with a mixture of Copic Markers & Ohuhu Markers. I used Koi Watercolours for the background. White accents done with both a gel pen and white watercolour. Gold acrylic was used for the Inquisition Symbol & the lines, which the scanner absolutely murders...the gold is such a pretty, shimmery metallic in real life. The light green around my art was done in Photoshop Elements.

Dragon Age Inquisition © Bioware & Electronic Arts

Fan artwork © Jacqueline E. McNeese

[anonzentimes]

Hi Zen! This might be another difficult question for you to answer, but I'd like to ask: Which official artwork of Nagito do you like the most?

Even in the official art, he looks different sometimes, doesn't he? I am still confused as to what color his eyes are. (In a lot of fanfic they are described as gray, but in some art they are clearly blue).

I would like to know which of the official artwork, whether in games, anime or manga, is your favorite.

Whoa!! that Is a difficult question! I'll try to answer it though haha!

I have a lot of them I like but choosing one is pretty difficult... so I'll just start this answer off with a discussion on the inconsistencies statement! I believe Nagito's eyes are definitely gray, at some points it maybe hard to tell but they're definitely gray! There are a few anime moments where his eyes feel green, some promotional material straight up changes it to green, and a small amount spin off art may change it to something that can be interpreted as blue, but for the most part they are absolutely gray.

I think the only actual very small change he undergoes is his color tips? His hair always has a gradient but the colors used for it are a little inconsistent sometimes. In Danganronpa 3 they're red and occasionally purple so it's a little weird haha! Sometimes he's not drawn with his gradient at all, a slight gradient with the same color, a red gradient, or a purple gradient so it's pretty confusing. His gradient also changes with how prominent it is depending on the art if there even is one. He's drawn most often with red subtle tips though so I think that was the intention. You could probably chalk it up to lighting if you wanted Lol.

While I do love a lot of his sprites I think some of them are pretty restrictive and lack all of the emotions we know he's able to show because he does in other appearances. This is why I really like when the Mangas allow him to be very expressive beyond what his sprites can convey! I think his sprites can really excel with some expressions but falls flat with others.

Rambles about his sprites in Dr2 and his slight inconsistencies aside, a lot of his art is great! (I'm very biased) but I do have some strong opinions, positively and negatively, on quite a few of them. The main thing is that I don't know if I actually have a favorite??? It's a really difficult question.

But I do want to highlight these three dr2 cgs I really like! He isn't fully 100% consistent here but I really like them. I know a lot of people think Nagito's showing Junko's arm art looks bad but I honestly like it. Nagito about to play Russian Roulette is such an awesome moment too! The one where he has the fire behind him is not only really cool, but also a really good in game shot of most of his body from a different angle!

I truly, again, love his manga art! His specific spin off's manga has a lot of really amazing, interesting, and fun visuals! Even if I'm not really fond of the anatomy the artist uses it's still really good stuff. The Danganronpa 2 spin off mangas have really good anatomy and expressions he looks sooo good there I'm in love with it.

While I'm at it I also want to highlight his reference sheet, it's clearly consistent because that's the job of a reference and I think his expression is pretty cute here. I don't really see people talk about it so I just wanted to also bring it up Lol.

For the most part I've really struggled to directly answer your question because he has a lot of different interpretations, art, and appearances that all mix together into one mental image or understanding of what he looks like for me. I really love most all of his art so it's hard to say. Nagito has a lot of different tones in his art as well, from his crazed ramblings to happy expressions, he has so many tonally different art pieces because he excels at being sweet and intimidating. This makes it even more difficult!

In conclusion, I don't believe I can come up with an absolute answer for you unfortunately. Regardless though, I definitely learned from this that I have strong opinions on all of his art. I hope you enjoyed my appreciation for some of his art and small talk about mild inconsistencies of his haha!!

Apologies this took so long and Thank you for your ask <3

[gachawolfiebloom]

Two Hearts In The City of Love

Chapter 12: Mr Puzzles' Amazing Couples Game Show Fanatic

Cover made by me and Puzzlevision selection is from Smg4. Please do not repost artwork.

Drumroll please...

3...

2..

1.

"Hello and welcome ladies and gentlemen! As always, it's your favorite TV host Mr Puzzles here! Now I know our last gameshow didn't quite go according to plan now did it?"

One of the members in the audience asks "Yeah, didn't you flip out and complete destroy the show because you were jealous of that red, fat, Italian guy?"

"NO! *Ahem* No...we just had a little programming malfunction with our games. But fear not! For this new show will feature all new kinds of games that couldn't possibly be ruined. And you wanna know why? MARIO WON'T BE PLAYING! That's right everyone. We've got all your favorite contestants, invited back for a new show I'm calling: Mr Puzzles' Amazing Couples Game Show Fanatic!"

Mr Puzzles clapped his hands and everyone he had trapped, except Mario appeared. Bob got all territorial and asked "UM EXCUSE ME? WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!?" Mr Puzzles took out a sheet of paper and said "Now let's layout the rules. Each couple will compete in a activity that I have set to test their intelligence (if they even have it ), their physical abilities, and how well they are willing to go for each other."

"What do you mean? We aren't couples." Tari quizzically asked when Mr Puzzles butted in and yelled "YOU ARE NOW!" He clapped his hand and divided 2 partners at each station. Smg3 looked confused as hell until he turned and saw who he was partnered with. "Oi! We're not a couple!" Smg4 did the same as he blushed up a storm and awkwardly avoided looking at Three.

Meggy and Tari also felt awkward when they saw that they were paired up with each other, but neither one was a blushing mess like Four was. Bob stomped his foot down and yelled "I REFUSE TO WORK WITH THIS GREEN BOOGER! I WOULDN'T DATE BOOPKINS IF HE WAS THE LAST FISH ON EARTH! PAIR ME UP WITH BIRDO INSTEAD!"

(Sidenote: I DO NOT SHIP BOB AND BOOPKINS. I JUST SEE THEM AS BEST FRIENDS. NOTHING ELSE.)

Mr Puzzles started to get irritated and nervously laughed. "Don't pay any attention to him folks. I think he's too shy to admit his feelings." The audience let out a couple Awwwww's. Bob was getting really angry and began complaining "HE'S LYING! I'M NOT GAY! I'M STRAIGHT! NOT GAY NOT GAY NOT GAY NOT GAY!" Mr Puzzles put a hand over his mouth and said "One moment please." He whispered "I know you're not gay Bob, but I ran out of contestants and I need a third team. Can't you just roll with it."

As he went back to addressing the audience, Bob kept chanting "NOT GAY NOT GAY NOT GAY-" Mr Puzzles facepalmed and announced "I almost forgot! Whoever scores the most points gets a sPeCiAl pRiZe!" Everyone immediately stopped their belly aching and became incredibly interested. Bob finally shut up and said "ANYTHING FOR MONEY!"

Three swung an arm over Four as he became even more flustered. "Forget what I said. We're the best couple and we're going to crush you all!"

"U-Um...Three can you not?"

Meggy got a serious look on her face and yelled "No way! Me and Tari are the best duo!" Tari thought it was a sweet compliment and didn't even pick up on how Meggy didn't mind letting the audience see them as a couple.

The crowd erupted into excited cheers as Mr Puzzles went back to his happy self. "Alright everyone! First up we have-" He felt a tug on his sleeve as Luigi nervously asked "Uhh...what do I do? I...I don't have a partner." Mr Puzzles noticed that since he didn't cast Mario in this episode so now Luigi didn't have anyone else. "Oh Luigi, you have the most important job of all!" He brought him over to a discount whiteboard and handed him a marker. "You will keep track of scores. Making sure that each team gets the amount of points I say they earn."

"Oh that sounds like fun! I can do that!" Luigi began humming to himself as he made a column for each team. "Wonderful! Now that that's all figured out, we can finally beg-"

"Um can I take a bathroom break! My face feels hot!" Four raised his hand. Mr Puzzles was getting really irritated with all the interruptions, just like his last game show. He turned around with his scary, realistic face and yelled "NO! SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" Four immediately slumped down in his seat as the audience went silent and Mr Puzzles felt all eyes glued onto him.

"I-I mean...Sorry Smg4, but the show has started already. But don't worry, you'll be an excellent team player. Maybe you'll even win the prize..."

"Now about we start with-"

The sounds of Italian gibberish echoed on stage as Mr Puzzles raised an eyebrow. "Huh...that's strange. But let's cont-"

More gibberish noises that sounded closer as Mr Puzzles angrily said "Whoever that is, please stop so everyone can enjoy the show." The person that was making the annoying sounds didn't stopped. It almost sounded like it came from the audience. Mr Puzzles then froze when he realized something. "Oh crap...I made sure Mario wasn't a contestant, but I never checked to see if he was an audience member!" Sure enough, Mario rushed down from his seat onto stage and said "Oh boy! Oh boy! Mario wants to play games!"

Mr Puzzles virtually tore his eyes out and politely tried getting him to go back to his seat. "Oh sorry Mario, but we have no available contestants for you to partner up with." Mario shook his head and pointed at him. "Mario can play with you TV guy!" Mr Puzzles quickly shot back "No way Mario! The host doesn't play the games and I would never be in a romantic relationship with you!"

"WELL I WOULD NEVER BE IN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH BOOPKINS, BUT YOU'RE MAKING ME PLAY!"

"Shut up Bob! And Mario...GO BACK TO YOUR SEAT!" He then asked "Can Mario at least stay up here and watch?"

"NO!"

"Pretty please..."

"No!"

"Pretty please with spaghetti and meatballs on top..."

"Ugh. Fine. But only because we need to get the show started. However, you will not make a sound and you will not move from that spot over there!" He pointed to a far off corner that was almost off stage, but Mario didn't mind. "Yippee!" He hopped over to his spot and hummed to himself, head in hands, excitedly awaiting the first game. "Sorry for the delay folks. Let's get started with our first game."

Trivia Time!

"For this game, you must answer questions of different categories that are randomly selected each turn. The team with the most points wins!" Three moved his hand close to the buzzer, ready for the moment he got the answer. Bob also did the same and Tari looked nervously between their tension. Four had managed to calm down and his competitive spirit was ready to knock his components into the ground.

Mr Puzzles picks up a card from the Entertainment category (no surprise that was the first one) and stars reading "Question 1: In-"

"Oooo can Mario play! Mario is great at guessing games!" Mr Puzzles gave him a cold stare and said "AS I WAS SAYING, In the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S, what was the name of Rachel's colleague that worked at Bloomingdale's in Season 3." Bob and Three buzzed in at the same time when both answered at the same time.

"THE UGLY DUDE."

"Mark Robinson!"

Mr Puzzles made a wincing sound and said "Ohhhh sorry Bob. These answers must be clear and specific so Smg3 gets the point."

"CRAP!" Bob pouted while Three and Four pointed and laughed at him. "You can't beat the true F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan!" He made a flirty look at Four when saying that. Mr Puzzles took out a another card from a different category and said "Question 2: What is-" but was interuppted again when that annoying Italian voice whined "Cooommmeee onnnnn! Let Mario answer this question! He'll be quiettt ifff youuu doooo!"

Mr Puzzles was already ready to kick him out when he looked down at the question and said "Ohhh sureeee." Mario cheered and scooted in with Meggy and Tari. "Hello girls! You don't mind if Mario joins your team do you?" Tari gladly replied "Sure!" Meggy quickly stopped her and informed her teammate "Tari, he doesn't know any answers to these questions." Mario gave her an offended look. "Sure Mario does! Just watch!"

"Question 2: What is the square root of 9?"

Mario buzzed in with his nose and yelled "21!" A bzzt sound played as Mr Puzzles made a fake gasp and said "I'm sorry, but that is incorrect. -1 points for team Megari!" Luigi put a negative point on their score and made a gesture over to the girls that he was sorry. Mario stood up and said "WAT! That's bullcrap! Mario totally got the answer right! He has 1000000 IQ!" Meggy hissed "Mario...get down and go back to your seat."

"NO! The mean TV man is being unfair!" He launched towards Mr Puzzles and yelled "This game is rigged! Mario demands vengeance!" He took the rest of the cards and burned them down with a blowtorch. "HAH! Mario wins now! Hehehehehehehe!" He smugly went back to sitting at the corner and was contempt on seeing how Mr Puzzles would hold up the show now. Mr Puzzles got up and saw the cards were now burnt to ash and he started nervously sweating. "N-Not t-to worry audience. I-I always have some spare cards." He took out a piece of paper and scribbly wrote down a question.

"Now this last one should be easy. What is the weather like today?" Tari instantly knew the answer and buzzed in. "I know! It's-" Mr Puzzles quickly turned to the boys and declared "That's right Smg4! It's sunny! Smg4 wins the game!"

"B-But I didn't-"

"NEXT GAME!"

Outstanding Obstacles

Mr Puzzles teleported them all to an insane obstacle course with hoops, pits, and beams. "In order to beat this game, both opponents must safely cross to the other side that is marked with the handy flag." He pointed way across where a tiny checkered flag was waiting in the safe zone. "We have to cross that!?" Tari cried out in fear. A little thing Mr Puzzles forgot to mention was that there was fire, swinging weapons, and many other deadly traps sprinkled along the way. Bob didn't care. He ran towards it, singing "GIVE ME THE MONEY!" and flung himself straight into the middle, where he was pierced by arrows and got a sword stuck in his head. He evaporated as an X appeared on screen and the announcer yelled "DEAD."

Mr Puzzles laughed and said "Oopsie! Looks like Bob is eliminated from the rest of the show! Sorry Boopkins, but you can't play without a teammate so you're disqualified too." He snapped his fingers when Boopkins was right in the middle of a sentence. "Wait...what-" He began evaporating as well as he screamed himself out of existence. "Now for our two remaining teams, good luck!" Meggy and Three lined up against each other, both wanting to prove their athletic skills. Four and Tari were nervous from all the deadly contraptions. When the horn went off, Three and Meggy ran lighting fast through the course while Four and Tari barely ducked out of the way of swinging maces.

"Ooooo can Mario join in!" Mr Puzzles angrily turned around and yelled "NO! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Mario grumpily crossed his arms, but then got an idea. When Mr Puzzles wasn't looking, he tiptoed past him into the obstacle course.

Tari carefully jumped over a pit when she saw a bazooka firing straight at Four. "Look out!" Four turned and saw the missile hurdling towards him as he shut his eyes and prepared for the worst. Instead the missile just stopped, crying "Ohhhhh nooooo!" and poofed. That was strange. He saw Three and Meggy leaving without them and cried "Oi! You guys know that if we die, you lose right?" Both of them stopped, realizing he had a point.

Tari was dangling over a pit of fire. "I'm coming Tari!" Meggy yelled as she ran over to help her up. "Are you okay?" Tari breathed heavily as Meggy pulled her in for a hug of comfort. "Don't worry. You're safe now." Three saw his chance to go, but saw Four trembling as the weapons were coming by the bucket full. He groaned and went back to grab him. The slight hand touch made him flinch as he stuttered "S-Sorry...did you get hurt?"

"No. I'm okay. Thanks for coming back for me."

Mr Puzzles was sitting back in a chair, munching on popcorn and watching through binoculars. It seemed like the show was going really well with emotion, drama, and suspense, except one contestant didn't belong. "MARIO!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE!" He was running past the two teams, flashing the loser sign at Mr Puzzles when he saw the flag in sight. "YIPPEE! Mario is gonna win!" Mr Puzzles quickly snapped his fingers when he saw Mario was only a few feet from the finish.

He reached his hand out to grab the flag when the floor fell out from over him and he evaporated back to his seat in the corner. The rest of the contestants fell through the floor, but luckily Smg4 was the closest to the finish line. "Wonderful! Smg4 has done it again! Add some more points on the board Luigi!" Four hazily holds his head as he says "I think my brain just committed SUICIDE." The green Italian happily nodded as he added more points to their score, but Mario stole the marker for him and gave himself infinite points.

"HAHA! Mario wins the game now!" Mr Puzzles stole the marker back and yelled "MARIO DOES NOT WIN THE GAME! SMG4 IS SUPPOSED TO WIN! YOU WEREN'T EVEN A CONTESTANT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Mario points a finger in his face and says "So you admit it! These games are rigged! Bad TV man is a stinky cheater!" Mr Puzzles looks over and sees that the crowd was starting to boo him. "No no no no! I'm not cheating!" He clenches his fists and storms over to Mario. "I am finishing this show and nobody is going to stop me! Not you! Not anyone!" He takes some chains and locks and tied them around Mario, kicking him into the corner.

"FINAL GAME!"

Truth or Dare

"To play this game, all you have to do is give an honest answer to any question that an audience member asks or whatever they dare you to do. IS THAT ALRIGHT WITH EVERYBODY!" He creaks his head over to Mario and narrows his eyes at him. The Italian looked at him with a glazed look in his eyes. "Okay great! Who would like to ask the first question?" One guy in the back immediately raises his hand. "Yes. What is your question?"

"I dare Smg3 and Smg4 to recreate the 6:50 minute of snow trapped!"

Both boys immediately tense up and their faces become red and hot. "Uhhh...." Mr Puzzles doesn't pay attention to their awkwardness as he claps his hands and a igloo drops down. "Well you heard the audience. Climb in and do your thing!" Four and Three don't say a word, but they slowly begin backing up. Mr Puzzles stops them and throws them in, blocking the entrance with snow. "See you later~"

"Now then, do we have any questions for the girls!" Another audience member raises his hand and asks "What is Meggy and Tari's favorite bonding activity?" Before the girls can answer, them and Mr Puzzles hear a suspicious thud. It starts to speed up as Mr Puzzles swivels his head around to find Mario humping the igloo. "Come on! Come on! Mario wants to see the gays making out! Commmeee onnnnnn!" Mr Puzzles anger goes through the roof as his body turns a bright red and his TV box begins to fume.

"THAT'S IT! MARIO IS DISQUALIFIED!" He slaps Mario so hard that the igloo and Three come with him, the three of them crashing into Meggy and Tari. Mr Puzzles stands in shock for a few seconds and says "Well it took some time, but we finally have a winner! Smg4 wins the sPeCiAl pRiZe!" He grabs Four and tells him "Now let's go see what it is!" He used a remote to open a hole in the wall and begins pushing Four towards it.

The rest of them just sat there flabbergasted. "He didn't really win did he Luigi?" Three asked. Luigi stood there, staring at a broken board and shrugged. "I guess...he did?" Mario instantly recovered and saw the two heading into the prize room. "Oh boy! Oh boy! Mario wants to go see the prize!" He sneaks into the secret compartment, unknown to Mr Puzzles.

He excitedly awaited the grand prize, expecting it to be a never-ending spaghetti maker or something. Instead he was met with a dark room that was completely empty. Well...not exactly. Mr Puzzles led Four up to a scary looking machine. "Is...is this the prize?" Four nervously asked. "It sure is! And it's all yours!" He flipped a switch and two giant claws grabbed onto Smg4's arms. "Hey! What the-" They dragged him up as Mr Puzzles snickered.

This wasn't at all what Mario expected. He tried to run back out the door, but it closed on him. Mr Puzzles said in a cold tone "You see, I had to make you win somehow. I needed you."

"W-Why do you n-need me?"

"Oh, for something far important. From now on, you will serve me as my partner."

"WHAT!?"

"Thank you Smg4 for everything."

That was the last thing he said before he pressed a button and a wave of electricity shocked through his body. "AHHHHHHH!!! STOP IT!" Mario couldn't do anything, but watch as his best friend was tortured by Mr Puzzles. His relentless screaming. The increasingly inflicted amounts of pain. What...What exactly did Mr Puzzles want with Smg4? Why was he trying to capture him all this time?

"STOP IT PLEASE! Ş̶̨̤̫̞͖̃̔͒̃̎̓̍̅͛͆͠T̴̳̞̭̘̥́Ò̸̠͔̮̹��͇̻͈̯̼̲̈̃́͋͛͗̄̎̕͜P̵̮̰̫͎̱̈́́͊ ̸̭̻̼͕͍̱̳̝͌͋͗̔̔́̈́̇̃̓̓̑͜͝I̶͈̹͚̫̭̞̙͕̞͑̇͐̇̌̀̓͗̆T̴̡̢̜̣̞̩̼̞͎̲̬͖̖͛̈́̓̾ͅ ̸̨̬͈͓̞̝̳̼͚̓̇͝S̷̨̰̰̮̝̯̺͔̭͕͉̐́͒̒̉̓̿͜͝Ť̷̳̞̰̇̎̆̀͋͐̏́͛̎̽̈̓͝Ȍ̴̧͓̭͑̐͜P̵͙̳̔̃̌ ̸̧̱̦͙̬̗̝̗̞̲̗̳̮̘̋́͂̈́̋̐͊͐̈́̆̈́͂͑͘͝Ḯ̴̧̧͈̮͓̫͎̙̼͔̖̪̇̑͘͜T̴̮̟̜͍͎̮̜̗͉̽̐̎̔̌͂̂̃̚ ̴̳͈̻̤͖̲̫̝̘̗̫̘̜̫͌̒͐̈́̓͗́̀̋͊̌͝S̷̢̬̜̤̝͈͔̪͙͔̫͈͗̈́͂͒̎ͅT̶̛͉̯̾̓̀͜Ǫ̶̜̔̿̃̍͝P̸̨̫̭̱̲̮̞͍̳̺̑͜ ̷̢̃̑̄͐̓͊̎̊I̶̧͍̲̍͋͘T̷͕̭͚͇͖̲̝͖̬̪̩̦̿͐̀̇͋̎̀ ̸̨̳͙̥͚̝̼͓͕̘̻̰̗͛̈́̓͛͗̀͝͝S̷̡̛͙͙̻͚͖̞̮͎͉̓͆̉͂̉͂̅͜T̴͚̮̝͉̲̿̑̾͋͒̇̆͘͠Ơ̴̢͔̩̜͖̫̲̬̬̪̼͂̍̈́͂̅̈́̐̔̕P̴̺̰̪̣̩͉̘͎͈̬͍̭̯̤͐̇̏̈́̋̓̈́̈́͗̄̀̓͝ ̸̢̢̜̳̟̫̥̖̱̭̜͇̩̐̒͐̄̉̿̍͆̊͗̏̉̈́̚ͅͅI̷̛̥͉̤̰͎̩̔́̅̅͋́́̍ͅT̸̥̮̯̫̙̪̝̯̟̭̻͚͇̈́̅̉̓̓̃͌̂̄͊̈́̑̑̇!̶̭̣͇̤̮̘͉͙͌̊̇͊̽̾̈́̍̀͐͋͑͝͝"

E̵n̸d̶ ̷o̶f̸ ̴S̴i̴m̶u̶l̵a̸t̴i̶o̸n̸.̸

W̵h̶a̷t̵ ̷d̸i̶d̸ ̶y̶o̶u̷ ̶t̶h̵i̶n̴k̶ ̷o̶f̸ ̷T̸o̸d̸a̴y̶'̴s̸ ̷E̸p̷i̵s̵o̴d̴e̶?̷

Chapter 13: PuzzleVision's Grand Finale

[1moremilgram-enjoyer]

I'm really glad to ask some (a lot, lol) question~ 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 12 for Es 2, 5, 11, 12, 14 for Amane and 3, 5, 6, 19, 20, 21 for Kazui ❤

Yay questions!

CW Cults and indoctrination, child abuse, internalized homophobia

Es

1- Favorite song lyrics?

They don't have a lot to pick from, huh? But from Undercover, it's probably:

The fine line between "Hate" and "OK" Shouldn't you look beyond your EGO, before it all ends?

The first line, to me, really encapsulates how black and white the judgement system in Milgram is, and thus how horrendously inefficient it is. There's very little we can actually do to convey nuance in our voting, it really is a choice of just "you're perfectly okay and have done nothing wrong" or "we hate you and think there is no way you could ever be Forgiven", with only the 50% voting line separating the extremes. Sure, we can try to communicate with the voices in their head, but that's highly unreliable and unpredictable, so in practice "hate or ok" are really our only options. And Es' by extension.

Then the other line, asking to look beyond our own experiences to understand people with lives extremely different from our own, and how we have to do it fast because we don't exactly get unlimited time to come to our conclusions.

Though of course, this isn't just about us. Es is the one singing to themself in a way, and seeing how these things are phrased, it really helps show that despite how Es always act in control and on top of things, they still have their doubts and worry about how their judgement can affect the prisoners.

There's also Hibana, and for Es (and in general) my favorite lyric there is:

I don’t want to love a weak-minded love Come on, make it hurt more properly Going so far it’s no longer funny, is surely much more enjoyable come on, melt me more properly

Going by my personal interpretation of what the hell is going on in this cover, this line really ties together the meaning of Es wanting to make decisions with confidence, when it actually gives them extreme anxiety. Which, I do realize makes no sense when you look at the line by itself but I swear it works in the context of the wider interpretation.

2- Favorite MV moment/frame?

They have like three scenes what am I even supposed to say. Anyways it's probably this one.

It's definitely the most intriguing thing related to Es themselves in my opinion, only really challenged by the time they show up after all the smiles. The reason I'm not using that one is that it's difficult to tell whether or not it actually is Es even though contextually it's the only thing that makes sense.

Anyways about this spotlight scene. I like that Es isn't wearing all their uniform; they're missing the cape, the hat, the 'reciffO nosirP' (Prison Officer) and 'tse mudnatibud subinmo eD' ("Everything must be doubted" in Latin) band things... The point is to show that there is a person under all that, Es is not just the Warden. It's still a heavy part of their person, as they're still wearing most of the outfit, the gloves, and the keychain thing, but it's not all they are. Plus the spotlight and their expression, because again, as much as Es tries to confidently judge others, they themselves can get nervous when confronted, when there's a 'spotlight' placed on them.

Anyways I like it :D

3- Favorite non-MV official illustration?

This question made me realize I really don't know how many non-MV illustrations there are lol. Anyways here's the Tumblr compressed version of the third anniversary artwork.

I just love how this looks, and there's two Es'! That's double the fun! Plus them literally trying to grab at the prisoners' minds like grabbing at sand; it always falls off, Es literally cannot grasp what's going on in all their lives. Love it.

5- Favorite voice drama line/moment?

You'd think it would be difficult to pick considering the guy shows up in literally all the VDs.

It isn't.

[Of Blessedness and Punishment] Amane: You're a child, too! Es: Wrong. I'm fifteen, so I'm an adult in Puerto Rico and Haiti. You're twelve, so you're a child no matter the country. Amane: ...!! Es: Hehe. You look angry. Amane: I don't. Es: You do. Amane: I don't!!

The siblings ever. The fact Es completely made up the fact is even funnier.

For something more serious:

[TASK] Es: What is this shit about being a companion? I exist to judge your sins - as a guard! I don't have the need to shake hands with you!  Kotoko: Es? You don't see yourself as the executioner, right? Es: ...!? Kotoko: I've said it before, there are a lot of sinners which the law cannot punish. On the reverse, it is the same, there are also innocent people who are wrongly accused due to unsound laws. You also have the duty to forgive these people, no? Es: Haaah… Kotoko: You are not the executioner who convicts people for their sin. The person who offers to save the murderers who deserve to be forgiven.. It's also you. Es: Aaah.. Mm.. *shallow gasping* Kotoko: Come, Es… then, listen to my sin… Es: *gasp* Prisoner number 10.. Kotoko.. Come..! Sing… your… sins… *sob*

Es angst inject that shit in my soul-

[Imposter Boulevard] Es: It’s a personal dislike of mine. People who act based on their sexual urges like that, that is. Kazui: It’s personal? Es: Yeah. That’s right. Kazui: That’s strange. I did think that, despite being neutral as a Warden, you had some things you dislike, but… Es: … Kazui: Isn’t it unusual to openly reveal a personal dislike as a personal dislike? Es: You’re splitting hairs.

In case it's not obvious, I love when the mask slips a bit and we can tell Es as a person is more than just an extension of the audience. Look! They have personal dislikes! And of course it's Kazui who gets to see a bit of the "real" Es surfacing, because who the hell else would it be?

There's way more of course, but I have to limit myself a bit.

6- Favorite relationships with another character in the prison?

Amane. Again, the siblings ever.

More seriously, it's not just that I love their interactions when they're fucking around, I also love all the parallels and the ideological clashes. The undying devotion to an extremely harmful system. The view of themselves as an extension of a group rather than as an individual ("we? what's we?"). The way they both hate being seen as children, forced to grow up too fast. The way they both try to convince themselves they're happy with their life and condition, to the point it's almost convincing, until you look closer and see the cracks. How Amane hates Es because of what they've done to her, because they're the same as her abusers in her eyes. How Es goes dead silent when Amane brings up their similarities, when usually they'd lash out at the mere idea of the Warden being like a prisoner, because they understand to an extent. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

I also love Es' dynamics with most of the prisoners, but Amane is something else.

7- Favorite relationships with another character if they weren't in Milgram, the way you'd imagine or would like them to be?

Honestly, this one's kinda hard because so much of Es' character is directly linked to Milgram. Imagining them outside the Panopticon in general is sorta difficult.

I think they and Amane could still be besties, but other than that, maybe Yuno? I think she wouldn't feel the need to put up a front next to the "I hate everyone anyways" vibe Es gives off, so they'd be judgmental buddies! Just imagine them doing each other's makeup while shit-talking everyone they can think of. Maybe throw Muu in for extra shit and giggles.

12- What do you wish would be discussed more often about them in the fandom?

I mean, literally anything? Es isn't discussed very often, which I guess makes sense, but it's unfortunate. More specifically, I wish people discussed the more concrete things we know about their personality a bit more. There's plenty of posts speculating on what is going on with them; where they came from, whether or not they're related to the prisoners in some way, what is their connection with the eleventh cell, that kind of stuff. And that's all very fun, I love those posts! But I have never seen an Es character analysis the same way I've seen analyses for practically all other characters (<- also hasn't written a proper analysis of them beyond the Hibana cover post). Still, I do understand why people don't, there's a lot of interesting characters in Milgram!

Amane

2- Favorite MV moment/frame?

This is like asking me to pick a favorite child what do you mean. I love her MVs too much why would you do this to me.

Anyways here's my favorite child moment.

Look at her!!! She's going to fucking destroy her mother let's go girlie fucking kill!

I just love how happy she looks here. Plus the eyes, the eyes. This entire part of the MV is great, it just makes me happy to see Amane happy you know what I mean? Plus the whole rainbow and rain and umbrella symbolism, and the fiction bleeding into reality (the eyes!), it's all awesome. I love her so much, she should smile like this when she stabs Shidou in the stomach I think he'd understand.

5- Favorite voice drama line/moment?

I could be cheap and tell you it's the same as Es', but it's really not.

[Apostle and Death] Amane: Okay! I’m kind, so I shall forgive you. That’s nice, isn’t it? If my parents were in my place, you would have been lectured for another hour. [...] Amane: ...isn’t it condescending of you to assume that just because I happen to be a child, I am incapable of hating someone enough to kill them?

Amane Freudian slipping into admitting she fucking despised her mother will never not be extremely entertaining to me. Yes, talk about how much you fucking hate her, kill girl kill!

[Of Blessedness and Punishment] Amane: You fool. Isn't MILGRAM trying to enforce a new standard of judgment precisely because laws cannot guide this world onto the right path? Are you still being weighed down by the law? [...] Amane: "We"? What's "we"? Are you not just "I"? Es: ... I...? Amane: Aren't we the same? Me and Guard-san.

PARALLELS

Also when she attacked Es with scissors. I think Milgram should have allowed it, it would have been funny if the Warden just fucking died before Trial 2 ended.

11- What are your favorite points about their story and the narrative surrounding them?

What aren't my favorite points of her narrative? Again asking me to pick a favorite child here.

If I had to pick one, probably the way the line between her cult's beliefs, Amane's interpretation of her cult's beliefs, and Amane's own desires blurs to a point it's really hard to figure out what she's actually thinking at any given time. Especially because of how Amane views all these things. Her cult is unquestionable but also she subconciously hates a lot of its aspects and twists its beliefs to justify her actions to herself. Her desires are sinful and animalistic (Animal cover and cat parallels go brrrrrr), but she still wants to follow them so so badly. Ugh, internal conflict my beloved.

And also I love how desperate she is to endure everything that's happened to her. Her unrelenting will to survive and go against the people who hurt her, the way she's still glad to have been born, the way she still tries so hard to be happy and make others around her happy. Holy shit this kid is the strongest (in terms of willpower) character in Milgram and no one can tell me otherwise, it's so unfair she has to be that way it makes me immensely sad augh-

And also I love how angry she gets occasionally. How spiteful and rage filled she can be. I will never get tired of seeing Amane in pure, unfiltered fury. Yes, girl, stab Es with scissors, kill your mom, stab Shidou, do it!

And also (could keep going for several thousand words)

12- What do you wish would be discussed more often about them in the fandom?

I think Amane is discussed pretty well here on Tumblr, much as I've heard horror stories about what the Discourse looks like in other sites. But if there's one thing I wish more people brought up is how despite everything, Amane is motivated by the desire to make everyone happy. Positive Parade cover go brr.

Especially in things like the Fuuta situation. I feel like some people see it as just her trying to recruit for her cult or something, when really she's just trying to help him. Same with warning Mahiru against medicine to "save her soul" in a way. Healing the cat. Becoming the "perfect girl", the March Leader with the cloud ribbon, to make her abusers happy. Trying to make the best of the situation by attempting to turn Milgram into an ideal world. Trying to stay happy because that's the one thing she's worked towards her entire life.

In fact, I personally believe this is why Yuuri is depicted in Magic as maybe "kinder" than the others (might make a post about that at some point). Its ordainment is "Thou shall deliver unto those thou believest in", as in, "help those you believe deserve it." This is the one ordainment which is actually kinda in line with Amane's desires, so she imagines Yuuri as less angry at her and more compassionate than the others.

My point is that a lot of the time I feel her actions are talked about as either just motivated by her cult or just motivated by Amane's """sinful""" desires, be it her anger at her abusers or her cravings like wanting to eat cake, when really I think the happiness thing is the main motivator behind those things and it's not quite talked about as much. Does that make sense?

14- Any headcanons on their appearance?

Huh, I usually don't have many headcanons on appearance, but I can try.

I think my favorite is Amane having really sharp fangs. Like, talking anime style unrealistically sharp fangs that make her a terrifying hisser. Cat Amane my beloved.

...

Also she has small (say, 0,5 cm diameter), red circular scars all over her back. Stun gun injuries (no picture on the link) basically. Listen things with Amane can't stay very wholesome for very long-

Kazui

3- Favorite non-mv official illustration?

Uh... Maybe his door?

(That's kinda small lol)

It looks nice as it is, plus it has some nice symbolism as does every door image. I just think it's neat.

5- Favorite voice drama line/moment?

[Imposter Boulevard] Kazui: I despise myself for lying, too. Being a liar, you see – it’s painful. Es: Heh. Then just– Kazui: So I’ve tried to change! I’ve tried to change. I have tried to stop lying to myself and others! Es: … Kazui: I’ve confided in others. I’ve tried to be myself! I’ve tried to just be the way I was born! Es: …Hey, Kazui– Kazui: It’s not my lies that killed her. She’s dead because I stopped lying to her! If I had just kept lying- She wouldn’t have died…! Es: Kazui… Kazui: I can’t live unless I lie. That’s how I was born… I’m pathetic, aren’t I?

I mean, come on. It's the basis of his character and crime, and the voice acting is fucking insane in this section. Apart from how emotional it is, I also like that it still ends in the same somewhat performative self-loathing Es calls him out for in the first VD.

[Gouging in the Night] Es: Showing a hint of weakness and trying to get on my good side like that… Is that another one of your "adult techniques"? [...] Is there anyone who lets themselves get fooled by a specifically prepared "weak" side of yourself? I see, I see… So these are the kinds of skills that you gain when you've lived for a long time.

Gotta love it when a character regrets something bad enough not to be able to forgive himself for it, but he's so afraid of facing consequences and social reprimand because he's built his entire worth around others' opinions that he still heavily plays up the self-loathing to be pitied.

Timelines [23/9/2] Yuno: Haha, we both lie, don't we? The difference is the reason for lying. Kazui-san, you lie to protect yourself, because you're important to yourself. For me, no one is particularly important. That includes myself as well.

Unlike Yuno, who explicitly doesn't want to be pitied. Love these two.

I don't know if I'm explaining it right, but that's what I get from the whole mess.

6- Favorite relationships with another character in the prison?

I love his interactions with Yuno, of course, the Liar Duo. Yuno is such a little bitch to him all the time, I adore it. However, I also love his dynamic with Es, if they count for this question. Kazui's VDs are great.

But honestly Kazui has a lot of good options here. The smoking group with Shidou and Mikoto is fun, his interactions with Mahiru and Amane are also always nice, etc.

19- What do you think their childhood/teenage years were like?

Extremely closeted homosexual, of course. Probably tried to """compensate""" in some way by acting as traditionally masculine as possible, I imagine he was quite the dudebro. With how much emphasis his parents seem to have put on his strength and tradition, I get the feeling he may have been a somewhat stereotypical jock.

That's why I think he may have done a lot of really stupid shit as a teenager and tries to distance himself from them now, which is why he puts so much emphasis on his age despite being less than forty years old. He feels like a completely different person than who he was as a teen, and while he was always self-concious about a lot of shit, he's maybe especially self-concious of the shit he did when he was younger.

Don't take any of that very seriously, though. All of that is practically headcanon vaguely guided by the text!

20- What do you think their social life was like before milgram?

Going off the previous idea, I imagine he only kept a few connections from his teenage years, which is why the one childhood friend he brings up is so notable to him. It's the only one who Kazui really wanted to stick around.

There's obviously Hinako and Kazui's other coworkers, fellow policepeople. The way I interpret the bar scenes in half is Kazui meeting with friends, the bartender being the childhood friend and the woman being someone he met as an adult.

Other than that, I imagine he was pretty closed off and didn't talk to many other people. He seems like the type to enjoy a mostly closed off friend group, but I don't really have anything to support that claim other than vibes alone so.

21- Do you have any similarities with them/relate to something in them?

Uh... I guess personality-wise we're not too different. In real life, I'm quiet and reserved, don't express much emotion, mostly have a "well this is happening now I guess. We vibe though" attitude to most of what goes down in my life, and don't like talking about myself much which yes is making this question sorta difficult.

Thanks for all the questions! This took a while lol.

[come-away-with-me87]

Love & Angst Chapter 5

Chapter 4 here

Note: Three chapters three days in a row! That said, it's back to reality tomorrow (stupid work, bleh). Soooo I probably won't be able post again until the end of this upcoming week or next weekend. But I have lots of ideas of how this story will continue. Hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for reading.

******

The Date

If you thought you were nervous about texting the man, your nerves were all an all-time high now getting ready for your coffee date. You took a deep breath; it was 3:00pm at this point, so you started getting ready by grabbing a quick shower. After your shower, you blow dried your (H/C) hair, and decided to wear it down for the date. You typically wore minimal makeup, but because you seem to always get complimented on your (E/C) eyes, you wore a little extra mascara to make your eyes really pop. Since it was a cat cafe you were going to, you decided to just wear a pair of jeans, a nice peach-colored blouse, and flat shoes. You texted a picture of your outfit to Naomi, and she replied with a thumbs up and heart eyes emojis.

By this point, it was 4:15pm, and you would be getting ready to leave soon. You sat down on your couch next to where your two cats were laying. "Annie, Jareth...I'm nervous" you exclaimed to them like they could understand you. You thought about it for a moment. Your last relationship ended over a year ago; you were with a man named Yuto. He wasn't a bad man, the relationship just fizzled out, and you both realized you were better off as friends. The was last man you had been with romantically and intimately. Not saying that this was where this was going with Shouta tonight, you just met the man. But it's something you'd have to consider, especially depending on how today went.

It was finally time to leave. You look another deep breath, said bye to Annie and Jareth, locked the door behind you, and got into your car. As you drove to the cat cafe, you thought about what you two would talk about. Despite both of your customer-service based jobs, you were actually quite introverted. You had friends, but it was a very tight, small group of people, including Naomi. You didn't have much of a relationship with your family, either, so you relied heavily on your group of friends for support and advice. Additionally, you would rather have a quiet night at home as opposed to going out and partying. You had been like that since you were younger. Alone with just your thoughts, you didn't realize you had arrived to the cat cafe.

You were a few minutes early, and they looked busy. You decided you would go inside and grab a table for the two of you. You texted Shouta, letting him know you were there and of your plans, and put your phone back in your purse. You went inside, and as luck would have it, you spotted an empty table for two. You bowed to and smiled at the barista, and went to the empty table. You looked around at your surroundings; it was a very cute cafe. There were nicely-placed pictures all over the walls of the cats that they had available for adoption, along with descriptions of their personalities. Additionally, they had really nice artwork around the cafe, light-hearted music playing overhead, and flowers in vases on all of the tables. It was very cute.

Several minutes passed by, and you pulled your phone out of your purse and frowned; it was 5:15pm and you never received a text back from Shouta. You hoped everything was okay, but deep down, you were wondering if you were getting stood up. You shook your head and tried to get that idea out of your head. You always assumed the worst possible scenario. He was the one to ask you on this date. That must mean he was interested, right? You teetered back and forth on whether you should text him again but you decided against it. If he didn't show up in another fifteen minutes, you decided that you would just leave.

Just as that last thought ended, you saw the door open and he came in looking very disheveled. He looked around the cafe until he spotted you at the table, where you gave him a small wave. He came over and stood, "Y/N, I am so sorry I'm late. I was on my way here when there was a group of villains attacking civilians. Another pro-hero and I happened to be in the vicinity where we were able to hold them down until the police arrived. I'm so sorry," he said with a frown on his face. You looked right into his eyes, "oh my gosh, Shouta, you have nothing to apologize for! That was much more important to deal with." He looked somewhat relieved as he took a seat at your table. "You've been through quite the ordeal today; how 'bout I go up the barista and order us some coffees? What's your drink of choice?"

He attempted to stop you, claiming he wanted to pay for your drinks. You gently put your hand up, "no worries, this one is on me. You can get next time..." you trailed off, being bold to assume there would already be a next time. He faintly smiled, "thank you. I'll just take a black coffee." You went up the barista, ordered a black coffee and a vanilla latte and paid for your drinks. While you were waiting on the barista to make the drinks, you glanced over at Shouta, and thankfully, he looked like he was doing the same thing as you did when you arrived; taking in his surroundings. You took this opportunity to take a good look at him. He had his ebony hair pulled back into a low ponytail with some loose strands falling out, and he was wearing a black v-neck shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black jeans, and black boots. For lack of a better word, he looked sexy.

The barista handed you your drinks, you thanked her and headed back to your table. "Here you go," you said with a smile as you handed him his black coffee. "Thank you," he replied, "oh, and back to what you said, I do hope there's a next time, too." You smiled at him, but internally, you were squealing again. You've barely talked to this man, yet you were both already hoping there would be a next time. "So, Y/N, tell me about yourself." There it was, the question you were dreading. You loathed talking about yourself. But hey, that's the only way a person is going to get to know you. So you began.

The conversation that ensued flowed a lot more easily than you expected. You two talked about how you were Endeavor's sister, and the reason why you dropped your nephew, Shoto, off at the gala the other night. You told him that you were quirkless, but that you really admired pro-heroes and all of the work they did to protect citizens. You talked about both of your jobs, your home, and your friends, where Naomi inevitably came up. "She was very nice to us," Shouta continued, "and it seemed that she and Present Mic really hit it off." Ohhhhhh, she was definitely going to bring that up to Naomi later. Sly girl. The conversation continued to flow, where you both talked about your love of coffee, music, and cats. He stated that he was sad that he didn't have any, as he looked at the cats walking around the cafe. He was just so busy between teaching and his underground hero work, that it wouldn't be fair to the cat. One particular cat seemed to especially like Shouta, rubbing up against his leg. He smiled as he leaned down to pet her.

You then talked about how you were introverted, especially compared to Naomi, who was the epitome of an extrovert. Then for the first time, that's when you heard him laugh. Not a hearty laugh, but a small chuckle. "That explains why she and Present Mic got along so well." You smiled back at him. "Y/N, I meant to ask you, how do you know All Might? I saw you give him a hug at the gala the other night," Shouta asked. "Oh, Toshinori actually saved my life once, and we've been friends ever since." You went on to explain how it wasn't villains that he saved you from, but from a group of thugs who nearly assaulted you. Shouta frowned at that statement, "I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm glad he was there to protect you." You shrugged, "it was a situation where I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was in the right place at the right time. I made a good friend out of the ordeal, so in a strange, twisted way, it was meant to be."

The conversation continued to flow so easily, like you two had known each other for years. You were relieved by that time, telling Shouta about how nervous you were for this date. He tilted his head to the side and grinned, "why were you nervous? I'm not that scary, am I?" You laughed in return, "no of course not." Should you tell him? You didn't want to necessarily speak on the tunnel vision you experienced when you first laid eyes on him, that would be too much for a first date. "Well, let's just say I......noticed.....you at the gala the other night. And then you came into the restaurant I work at last night, it was just so coincidental, like we were supposed to meet or something," you said quietly. You can't believe those words just came out of your mouth; you were now blushing so hard. He just smiled in return, looking down at his empty cup of coffee.

Suddenly, the barista announced that the cafe would be closing in fifteen minutes. You hadn't realized how much time had gone by, and the cafe was nearly empty besides one other table. You looked at Shouta, "well, I guess that means it's time to take our leave." He nodded in agreement, and you two proceeded to go outside. Once you were outside, he walked you to your car, and once you were at your car, you turned around to face him. You were rusty at this. What was the protocol to ending a first date? A hug? A kiss? It's like every thought on previous first dates you've been on completely vanished, and you had no clue what to do. To make matters worse, Shouta appeared to have no clue what to do or say either, seemingly just as rusty at this as you are. You finally talked and smiled up at him, "I had a very nice time tonight." He seemed relieved at this, "I did too, Y/N. I know we're both busy with our jobs, but I would like to see you again sometime." You instantly replied, "I would like that, too." You two stood there for a few seconds and stared at one another, still unsure what to do. "Well, you get home safely. I'll hopefully talk to you soon." And with that, he swiftly walked away in the opposite direction. For the second time in two days, you gawked at him as he walked away.

You won't lie, you were hoping for a kiss. You didn't need a full make-out session (although if that happened, there would have been no complaints on your end), but a small kiss would have been nice. You shook that thought out of your head and smiled; he wanted to see you again. That was a good thing! You got into your car, and smiled the entire drive home. You couldn't wait to get on the phone with Naomi when you got home and tell her everything, and also grill her about her apparent flirtation with Present Mic. When you got home, you practically sang hello to your cats; you were on cloud nine. You pulled your phone out of your purse and placed it on your kitchen counter, walking away and missing the text from Shouta:

"I really did have a nice time tonight, Y/N. I look forward to seeing you again."

******

To be continued!

[sweetestpopcorn]

on what side does Rhaebae have her mole?

Hi there :)

Right side <3

If you are wondering where the beauty mark near her eye idea came from, it's not an idea of mine. I first saw Rhaenyra with a beauty mark near her eye on some artwork done for the extra of... I believe season 4 of a certain show we don't talk about anymore, where they explained the Dance.

Curiously, that video was also a rather amusing AU of "What if Daemon was the father of the "Velaryon" princes?" Because...

Look at Daemon's nose X'D now look at Luke and Jace's 😂 Look at Daemon and Jace's expressions!!!! I don't know who did the animation, but clearly they were a Daemyra shipper.

PS: This animation curiously also gave me the idea of making Daemon's eyes a pale lilac and Rhaenyra's a darker purple. It's not very obvious due to the lack of quality, but Daemon's eyes were a pale lilac/violet, and Rhaenyra's appear much darker.

Later on, years later, I also saw the same beauty mark near Rhaenyra's eye in the illustrations that Naomimakesart used to make of asoiaf Rhaenyra, which I absolutely loved with all my heart, so I decided to keep this. I honestly love it so much I just can't imagine Rhaenyra without it. Such an elegant detail for the Realm's Delight 🥰 who was doing it like her? Exactly. No one.

Alicent do keep trying ❤️

Naomi, however, unlike in the artwork above, drew Rhaenyra's beauty mark on the right side, so I kept it on the right side as well. Her version of asoiaf Daemon and Rhaenyra remains my favourite to this day I think. Just love how she draws them, so much that I even commissioned her to drew an amazing piece for the Blacks & the Greens which you can find here of Rhaenyra and Daemon's Black Wedding, which has enough drama and deaths to make even the dothraki raise an eyebrow of "Hum... not too shabby but could use more deaths." - you wouldn't know from the illustration though XD

So, every time I had to describe on which side Rhaenyra's beauty mark was, I just opened one of Naomi's illustrations XD Don't trust me to never have made a mistake though 😂 she on the other hand consistently made it on the right so the Lord has spoken and it is on the right.

By the way if you haven't, leave Naomi a like for this beautiful illustration <3 her old asoiaf illustrations are amongst some of the best I have seen. I am eternally grateful for the joy and inspiration they gave <3

Those of us who were on her patreon between 2019-2020... UGH! We were SPOILED! SPOILED! There was no better time to be a Daemyra shipper, and we got THREE NSFW illustrations of them! Can we go back? Please? PLEASE?!

This was such a funny ask! Thank you!

PPS: If any of you want an actual faithful account of the Dance (if only much summarised) and you don't want to read, you can watch this video on youtube, it's called "The Dance of the Dragons by Shireen, Viserys and others". That moment when D&D did a better job with the Dance than R*an and co 🤡 let's be honest though, literal children would do a better job.

[meowza315]

hi I'm anon who loved your au mike! whoopsie my memory must be bad i thought they were like 21 (maybe I mixed it up as 19-21 not 16-19) and because in the movies they're adults going in so i assumed lol! and im 17 anyway so i forgot as anon that could seem weird. byler being attractive or in love physically isn't weird though i think it's healthy to just say it's not what you like, as a teen it's nice to figure out what i like and be comfortable navigating it not grossed out. but not to worry as the artist it's fair not to want that and not what I meant for this au with what I said anyway! he's just a good looking silly guy 😎 like that little doodle of will sizzling on the floor on my last ask shows his love for sure LOL so so cute. their love language being touch is also very sweet and comes across in your art and suits the au, it's a nice thought! thnks for this au!

hello again!!

no worries, things happen 😭 they are in fact 16 when the story starts and by the time it ends three years passed (it’s 2.5 I did the math wrong) due to Mike’s extensive training period and the time between their confession and Mike transferring his consciousness to his avatar permanently. Together it’s 3 years but broken down his training took 18 months, the time from the end of training to tsaheylu was a year, and another month or two between that and the end of the story with a few days or weeks sprinkled in between in certain areas I can’t remember but. yeah 3 years? 2.5? Something like that.

With how they’re aged, they’re both essentially 16 1/2 which is why they’re 19, cause after the year and a half of struggle before their confession they both had turned 18 at that point and then the year after that blah blah blah you get the point. anyways.

I myself am 16 (birthday was a little under a week ago writing this) !!! I don’t think it’s weird that they’re attractive or love each other physically (I’ve said on insta a few times how they’re pretty or handsome etc etc), however it’s still not in the sexual sense. I probably took something and interpreted it wrong or something idk, I’m a very anxious person especially when it comes to the gayliens cause of all the aspects mashed together with how they don’t wear a lot and are 18 by the time they confess to one another. theres a lot of people in the byler fandom that are a bit.. wacky.. I guess I could say. so. yeah ❤️

and yeah as the creator of the AU and more than 75% of the artwork from it (as well as still being a minor) I don’t want anything weird coming from it or any people that are gonna take stuff from it and run, if you get what I mean by that. like not trying to see basic information I’ve come up with because I’ve shoved so much lore and story and detail into it. For the love of god I give their accessories and songcord beads meaning. Literally nobody cares about that but I DO!! I CARE!! I care about the little details!

and back to love language !! them having that love language of touch is going to end up stemming from having at least some attraction to each other physically. its a small detail but anxiety still makes me worry about it sometimes, especially in some parts of the storyline like tsaheylu. But even before then, in their confession, after they tell each other, it’s an intimate moment between them. they kiss, they hold each other close. Mike literally ends up on the ground at one point from pulling Will so close (doodles below). They finally both got what they want, each other. it’s still evident then. but even as the story continues and gets to the point of tsaheylu it’s more noticeable? I guess?

There’s literally a reference to the original scene in Avatar (tree of voices scene w/ Jake and Neytiri) that of course, inspired me to make the AU in the first place. However, they’re only small aspects from the scene that I pulled from it instead of it being exactly the same. we all know what happens there. besides them bonding. cough. yeah no that’s not canon in this AU thank god. but anyways, they bond and sigh contentedly and have this moment together. it’s a new experience and probably weird for both of them because they aren’t bonding with an Ikran or direhorse this time, it’s each other now (also I know my avatar lore and how bonding is technically erotic and done during mating but no. not today). They bond, kiss a few times before Mike picks up Will like Jake does to Neytiri, and after a bit they go to bed. literally nothing else (another unfinished visual below).

they’re silly guys and I’m glad people enjoy the AU as much as I do!! instances like this allow me to infodump about stuff and honestly I’m here for it. I just hope no one comes into my asks and says something really weird. I don’t want those weird ass “spicy bylers” on my page. but other than that i love when people ask stuff about the au, it makes me happy!! :) im welcome to explain more stuff for fun or if you’re interested cause it gives me more opportunities to rant haha

[konohamaru-sensei]

"I've loved you three summers now, but I want them all." | Aori X Fatgum

Merry Christmas @kankuroplease / @xxcinnaxx <3 Thank you so much for your friendship, your insight into art, the fact that we can rant about anything, create Au's about everything and your wonderful oc's . I feel very lucky to have befriended you and everytime you puplish one of those amazing artworks you do I can't believe it. Earlier this year we art collabed and I had a lot of fun and I also learned quite a bit from that, so thank you!! I really enjoyed building up the BNHA AU with you and the others this year too, so I hope you like this little present.

--

Fatgum x OC

Post War, I have no idea how bnha ends so I was rather vague LOL

--

When he came to, he could hear a woman crying. It wasn’t loud and wailing, it was silent, as if every sob was causing her too much pain to even make a sound. It took him a moment to place the voice, his mind still foggy from sleep and medication. 

Taishiro had no idea how long he’d been asleep, but by the sound of Aori crying, it had been a while. Everything was still spinning inside, but he needed to show her that he was alright and well and though his insides still felt like they were aching, there was no pain.

“Aori,” he said in a half cough, his voice sounding thinner in the air than in his head. In case she hadn’t heard he wanted to repeat her name again, but he could already hear her suck in air in surprise and then he felt her grasp for his hand.

“Honey,” she said silently, as if loud noise would startle him too much. Taishiro pressed her hand and realised how small his was in comparison to hers. He must be thinner than he’d ever been.

He forced his eyes open and it took him a moment to adjust to the light around him. There was an evening sun shining in through the windows. Taishiro blinked. What hospital had they brought him to, he wondered, vaguely remembering that most structures by a wide margin had been completely blown up.

Aori’s hair was shining light blue in the sun, her back was illuminated by it, as if she was an angel waiting to welcome him back to the world of the living. There were tears in her eyes still, her cheeks sunken in as if she hadn’t eaten anything for a while. He never liked when she wasn’t eating right, not even if it was because she was so busy making sure he was eating right.

“I’m home,” he said in the absence of anything else to say. “Hungry,” he added, but didn’t dare look down on his body. There was no time right now to assess how much fat he had lost. He could already tell that it was a lot.

“I have muffins for you,” Aori said and reached into her bag. “I brought fresh ones everyday for this occasion. I knew you’d be hungry.” She opened the bag next to her and then ripped a part of the muffin off so she could feed it to him. Taishiro ate diligently as she fed him. How many times had she gone and bought a new set? How many had she thrown away? He felt guilty of making her worry so much.

He kept the left hand tightly around hers as he ate, pressing down on her soft skin as if to remind her and himself that he had indeed survived. “I must have caused you so much grief,” he said finally. “I’m very sorry.”

Aori let out a deep breath. “It wasn’t the first time you were fighting and it won’t be the last. I have always been prepared to see you like this. Still, it doesn’t get easier…” Her voice trailed off in the end, but she caught herself again. “This is the profession you have chosen and I would never want to take it away from you. I wish it were a less dangerous profession, but it is out of my hands.”

People who said that pro-heroes had the strongest mentality in the country surely had not met kindergarten teachers, Taishiro thought and a smile appeared on his face. “Nevertheless, I’m very sorry.”

When he’d been small, there had been nobody of his stature and definitely no one of his condition in the pro-hero circuit. They were all outstandingly strong, smart or good looking men, that Taishiro himself could never identify with, even with his above average grades. He took it upon himself to change that, to show that really everyone could be a hero, even if his parents had reminded him that this was a dangerous career to pursue. He had never really thought about his own death and the ramifications, not until he met Aori.

Suddenly he was thinking about the future more than the past, about a time when he wasn’t incredibly busy with his agency and training young people. Maybe he could have a little break time, a family, a house, such things that seemed for old people. There was nothing he would give his job up for, not completely, but other things he didn’t mind adding - as long as he survived long enough.

This had definitely been the most difficult fight he’d ever had in his career and he remembered that before his eyes went black he’d thought of Aori’s smile and how he’d promised that he would come back no matter what. Maybe that had kept him alive even then.

“When I saw the destruction,” she said bitterly. “I was thinking you might not be making it back to me. I tried to stealth myself for the possibility that you, my sister, the kids -  any and all of you might not make it. But then you were here  and I got so excited thinking that maybe I was wrong after all.” She sighed. “When you didn’t wake for 4 weeks and I had to watch you get smaller and smaller I thought that maybe I had celebrated too early…”

Taishiro laughed a little: “As if any amount of evil entity could keep me from getting back to you and eating your tasty pastries. Nobody could ever hold me back from that.”

And miraculously, Aori laughed too, pressing his hand again. “I will make sure you get nothing but that if you get out of here.”

“I can’t wait for that. Maybe some of Katsura’s famous cookies too.” He felt hungry just thinking about it. “I know I am just in your way when you cook and use 6 arms to work at the same time, but I have to insist once again that since it is food for me I should be at least helping-”

“You were involved in saving this country,” Aori furrowed a brow. “You don’t have to do anything for a long time.”

“Don’t say that. I’ll get fat and lazy.”

“Exactly.”

They looked at each other like this for a moment, these weak smiles on both their faces that covered up the hurt that was still there beneath them. Aori was strong, he knew as much, but she had still suffered a lot in the past month for his sake and he would have to make up for it as soon as he could stand on his own feet again.

“There was no way I would not have come back,” he said, definitely. “I am so lucky to have you and I would not be in the business to let anything take me away from you or let anything take you away from me.”

Aori’s lips curled and she looked like she was going to cry again, so he pressed her hand tightly once more. “I don’t know what the future brings from here on out, where this country and society is headed in the next ten or twenty years, but I know that I want to find out with you. I want to always be with you.”

“Me too,” she sighed and Taishiro realised she was crying again, but maybe not out of desperation as before. At least he hoped so. “Everything seems so up in the air from here on out, but whatever it is I want to be by your side as we experience it. If that means I have to visit you 20 more times in the hospital then so be it.”

“I’m trying to limit it to 16”, he joked and she laughed again. A genuine, happy laugh, which made his heart very happy. 

Then, as if she’d noticed something, her head snapped up and her wide eyes stared at him: “Wait, was that something like a proposal?” There was blush quickly developing on her cheeks.

Oh, yes, he had made it sound a little like that. Well, if it was his choice he wouldn’t mind marrying her tomorrow right in this hospital, with the evening sun shining into her hair just like it did right now. But he supposed that was not what she was searching for and he hadn’t meant it as a proposal in the first place. Still, her observation definitely gave him ideas.

“No, it was not really,” he answered in earnest and then grinned: “Though I definitely will propose to you sooner rather than later.”

“Sooner rather than later?!” She repeated and was now completely red.

Taishiro winked. “You’ll never see it coming and it will knock your socks off.”

He felt very satisfied when she dropped the next muffin she was about to hand him, because her hand was shaking too much. He could not turn back time to take her suffering away from her, but he could make sure that every moment he was awake and conscious and at her side were the happiest she could ever spent.

[satanicsanity]

Hello friend! Are you still doing Wally impressions? Sorry for asking but I was curious

Thank you for asking!

My answer is a little confusing, I apologize! Am I doing them currently and actively planning on working on them at the moment?? No... But am I shutting them down forever? No!

I'm sure one day I will pick them up again, because I do adore them and adore making them!

But as of right now there's just too much happening for me to be able to go back together them currently! (more info below! 👇)

Highschool has been piling down on me (but your boy has 3 As and a B currently! 💪) and I need to pass three classes in in right now.. Or I can't graduate TwT

But they're not shutting down forever! It's a temporarily closing! I may chose to completely drop them at some point.. BUT that's NOT currently in the plans!

But Besides impressions... I'm working really hard on my Artwork (digital and traditional) as well as my writing skills cause I'm not the best when it comes to depicting fantasy! (over explaining, etc)

So maybe look forward to seeing more artwork?? I do have a TON of artwork piled up right now and a story about an oc that I haven't posted on here, It's about my Mafia-game oc "Angel Mythic" let me know if you guys want any content like that! It's up to yall!

Summary though... Impressions are temporarily off the table! Whether they'll ever come back to the table we'll see, but my plan for them coming back is yes! It'll probably take some time though as I'm really just hyperfocused on passing highschool! Hope you understand! <3 lots of love!!

[theladyghost]

Gladiator 300th Chapter Celebration

Thank you @kigozula for organizing this event to mark the 300th chapter of this amazing fic!

Favorite…:

1. OC: Shoji, he’s a sweetheart!

2. Guard: Haoren, just for the way he roasted Fei Li in the Spirit Library arc (sorry Fei Li)

3. Gladiator: Sokka and Toph aside? Rhenzi.

4. Sponsor: Azula aside? Yang. He’s a riot.

5. Pair/Couple: Kori and Sneers

6. Friendship: Azula and Song

7. Villain/Antagonist/Opponent: Rhone. His story was quite interesting.

8. Suitor for Azula: Aonu

9. Place: Northern Air Temple

10. Event: Azula’s birthday (took place in part 1, but I guess it still counts)

Favorite Top Three…:

Kisses (in Part 2):

1. Fire Nation Festival #2 arc 7 (when they thought Zhao knew the truth)

2. Fire Nation Festivals #2 arc 7 (after they they learn that Zhao got the wrong idea)

3. Firelord for a week arc 4 (before facing Rhone)

Lovemaking:

1. Fire Nation Festivals #2 arc 2 (The Palanquin)

2. Return to Shu Jing arc 6 (the hot springs cove)

3. Gladiator and Sponsor Race arc 9 (Oma and Shu’s tomb)

This or That:

1. Part 2 or Part 3: Part 2, mainly because Part 3 is not finished yet.

2. Zuki family or Mai Jian family: Mai Jian family. Yuudai is hilarious. My inner 3 year old related to him a lot at Ty Lee and Haru’s wedding. And Ruon Jian and Mai are cute together.

3.Fire Nation Festivals arc or Anniversary arc: I can’t possibly choose, I’m sorry.

4. Captain Rui Shi or Captain Fei Li: Captain Rui Shi (again, I’m sorry Fei Li)

5. Ozai or Zhao: Zhao

6. Scavenger Hunt, Pairs Tournament, Gladiator Brawn or Sponsor Race: Damn, this one is so hard… I’m going with the Gladiator and Sponsor Race.

7. Appa or Xin Long: Xin Long

8. Sokka’s Squad or Azula’s Squad: Azula’s Squad

9. Mai or Ty Lee: Ty Lee <3

10. Shoji or Kino: Shoji

11. Haru or Ruon Jian: Ruon Jian

Others:

1. Place I’d like to visit: Ember Island

2. If I’d could give the Part 2 a title what it would be: True Home. Because in Part 2 they find their place of belonging near each other. Corny I know.

3. What I most look forward to: Sokka and Ozai’s confrontation/Azula meeting Hakoda and Gran-Gran

5. Fave artwork for Part 2: I love several, but the one that comes to my mind right now is the one where Sokka and Azula take part in the Spicy Ramen Challenge. Imo Seyary Minamoto writing really shines in the most humorous moments of the narrative. And Sokka and Azula being their ridiculously competitive selves over something like an absurd eating contest? What’s not to love?

Guessing Time:

1. Future ship: Soooo, sometime ago someone went to seyary’s inbox to ask her about Sokka and Yue’s future interactions in Gladiator and she answered that while they’ll form a friednship, there’s no room for a romance between them in this story. Then she implied that Yue will find love with someone else, so I sent my guess to Seyary’s inbox and going by her answer to kigozula’s post, I think I might be onto something. However, revealing my suspections might be spoilery, so I refrain from doing so.

2. When will Azula and Zhao get a divorce: I think that Ozai has to be dealt with first. But maybe the spirit oasis thing will be Zhao’s downfall.

3. Hakoda’s first meeting with Azula and Hotaru: Hakoda and Azula will have a very difficult conversation about Azula’s capturing Sokka and taking him alway from home. But after hearing Sokka’s version of the story, Hakoda will be able to forgive Azula. And he will be super emotional upon meeting his granddaughter

4. Ozai and Ursa reunion: Ozai might flip his shit

5. What Ozai’s future looks like: Hard to tell. I’m not sure if he’s going to die or have his bending removed like it happened in canon.

6. When Azula visits the South Pole for the first time: I hope to see her interacting with Gran-Gran, who’ll tell her all sorts of embarrassing stories about Sokka’s childhood. Azula will get lots of ammunition to make fun of him, he’ll state his so called manliness once again, and she’ll think it’s adorable

7. First thing Sokka and Azula will do upon reuniting: The two of them are horny as hell, so… Just kidding! Seyary posted that artwork where they reunite in a battle and make out, but I trust them to have a full conversation before jumping each other’s bones. There’ll be crying involved.

Quiz:

1. First Gladiator Sokka faced: The Spawn of the Volcano, I think…

2. How long they’ve been together: 3 years

3. First person to find out about Sokkla’s relationship: Rui Shi (If we’re taking that day in Shu Jing as the starting point of their relationship)

4. Who was onto them from the start: Song

5. Ozai’s first love: I don’t remember. In my defense, I still have some arcs left to read and I don’t exactly read them in order…

6. First event The Princess and The Blue Wolf participated in: Scavenger Hunt

7. How many times the Blue Wolf fought in the Slate:Twice

8. Which Azula’s suitor got closer to being crown prince: Out of all Azula’s suitors? Kuan, I guess…

9. How old were Aang when he was frozen in the Iceberg: I’ll just say 18, but I really can’t remember *hides in utter shame and humiliation*

Words for the author @seyaryminamoto

Dear Seyary Minamoto: I already told you most things I wanted to by sending some anon messages to your blog askbox. Well, now you know it was me. But I think it doesn’t hurt to repeat myself: I started reading Gladiator recently and I’m almost done with it, cause it’s addictive. It’s crazy to think you’ve been writing this story for so many years. Your dedication it’s really appreciated by your readers. I mean, it’s such a long fic and I’m amazed by your attention to every little detail, at how every aspect of the plot seems to be crafted well in advance. Like Azula telling Sokka about the bloodlust spear for the first time in chapter 46 when their partnership was just beginning, only for it to be brought up again years later at chapter 206! Or Sokka writing his haiku on chapter 37 and the very same words causing a powerful emotional reaction in Azula on chapter 276! I look back to the beginning of the journey and think about everything these characters have been through and how much they’ve grown ever since… it’s overwhelming! Can’t even imagine how it must feel for you. The characters and their universe might’ve been created by Bryke, but just by changing a small detail from canon you brought to life something that feels entirely new. Honestly, I wish I could read it all for the first time again, because I already reread my favorite bits so many times that I know them by heart now. Can’t wait to see what you have planned for the future chapters!

[artvinyl]

Uncovered: 'Far From Saints' by Far From Saints

The Best Art Vinyl 2023 winners have been announced and we send huge congratulations to our top three winners. We however, never stop our interest in ‘Uncovering’ the stories behind the amazing shortlisted album artworks. We were thus delighted to catch up with US artist, Sara Shepherd Edgar to find out more about her painting that was used for the cover of the debut, eponymous album from the collaborative band Far From Saints - made up of Kelly Jones of Stereophonics with Austin’s Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker of The Wind and The Wave.

The Far From Saints album cover artwork came from a series of Sara Shepherd Edgar’s works with narratives around the circus.

Sara told us, “I was using circus imagery to speak about everyday life struggles and experiences. Many people have positive connections and memories with the circus, having visited it as a child or experienced it with family and friends. I like to use those connections with the imagery to draw in the viewer. It’s a way of gaining the viewer's attention, maybe tricking them into looking closer at the subject matter assumed to be one thing. Still, alternatively, the underlying message is layered, including instances of life's bitterness or intensity. I intend to depict occurrences of the human condition in all its beauty and poignancy.”

'Houseboat' 48” x 48”, acrylic on canvas by Sara Shepherd Edgar

A clear example of this creative direction, is in Sara’s many pieces involving a circus elephant as the focus. She explains, “At first glance, the colours, subject and narrative of 'Camouflage #3' are joyful, but ponder for a moment further, look a little deeper, and realize that it is an elephant trying to blend into the circus tent, who doesn't want to be there, who doesn't belong in the circus. I love this piece because it is the essence of my overarching theme.”

'Camouflage' #3”, 36” x 36”, acrylic on canvas by Sara Shepherd Edgar 

Another piece in the artist’s circus series, is a pair of acrobats on a trapeze. Sara tells us, "The painting directs the viewer to recollect the childhood joy of watching such a show, the excitement, the courage of the performers. Upon closer inspection of 'White Flags', the acrobat being held seems to give up in her partner's arms, surrendering to her fate." 

'White Flags' 12” x 16”, acrylic on canvas by Sara Shepherd Edgar

The album cover artwork came from a painting titled 'A Safe Place'. Again, a pair of acrobats fly over an audience in a circus tent. Patty Lynn and the band reached out to Sara to ask about using the piece for their Far From Saints debut album.

Sara says, “I was looking to the viewer to see the wonderment and bravery of the performance, as well as recognize the vulnerability of their predicament and then connect that with personal experiences. I value depicting audiences in my work."

Close-up of the audience imagery on the Far From Saints album cover by Sara Shepherd Edgar

She continues, "I like to use audience imagery, and recently simplified that idea to just eyes in other works, to suggest that we are all being watched, whether it be by family, colleagues, friends, or the anonymous public.”

Reluctant Princess, 12” x 12”, mixed media on panel by Sara Shepherd Edgar

Cozette with Bunny Ears, 12” x 12”, acrylic on panel by Sara Shepherd Edgar

Sara's circus themed work not only features on the Far From Saints album cover, but was also beautifully animated for the band's video for their second track Take It Through the Night off the album.

Sara is a Utah, USA-based mixed media artist. After graduating from the University of Washington in 1994 with a fine arts degree in metalsmithing, she went on to show her small-scale jewellery sculpture in the Seattle, WA area. Transitioning to starting a family, having a metalsmithing studio and raising young children became challenging, so looking for an alternative artistic outlet, Sara experimented with painting and mixed media, which is still her medium of choice today. Sara is currently represented by Gallery Mar in Park City, Utah.

Sara Shepherd Edgar

Sara told us, “My intent with the work is to provoke thought through familiar narratives to create a connection. It was so satisfying for the band to recognize that in the piece and then want it to represent them in their creative endeavour. It fulfils the purpose of the piece and my work and the personal fulfilment of making art I enjoy so much.”

Far From Saints by Far From Saints on Ignition Records was shortlisted for Best Art Vinyl 2023. Cover artwork by Sara Shepherd Edgar. Design by Richard Welland at R-W Studio.

[h-worksrambles]

Apparently my fixation on furry visual novels is only taking me further and further down the rabbit hole (don’t). Because on a recommendation by some folks on Discord, I just started Remember the Flowers (yep, we’re going out of Echo Project territory this time).

Three chapters in and I’ve gotta say…I’m hooked.

The isekai/dystopia premise is really effective. In particular I enjoy how we alternate between Cyrus’ memories of his old life, and the new reality he finds himself in. It gives the reader the same disorientation Cyrus himself is feeling. Just as he’s questioning reality, wondering if he’s found himself in some kind of dream or simulation, if anything around him is even real, so too are we. But then, in that case, which one is real then?

Cyrus himself is already a pretty refreshing and sympathetic protagonist. His reactions to waking up in this new world in such a state feel incredibly believable. The game doesn’t shy away from just how much emotional stress he undergoes as he desperately tries to piece together his fragmented memories and make sense of the new world he’s found himself in. He has a solid amount of backbone which is a great change for the genre. Assertive enough to feel like he has a backbone but vulnerable enough to feel believable. I particularly enjoy the lengthy flashback into his relationship with Damion during the third character. Not only are they a cute as hell couple (I cannot stress how precious Damion is, dear god) but it does a very good job at establishing what kind of person Cyrus once was. And helping us understand what he needs to get back by returning home. Side note, but it’s also great to see that he’s openly asexual, and that it’s incorporated naturally into the story.

And of course, we have our other major character in these early chapters, Cooper. Because I cannot seem to escape problematic wolf men in these games. I knew very little about this game going in, apart from Cooper himself, and the fact that he is apparently a…controversial character, though I had no idea about the context as to why. Naturally, after coming off of Leo in Echo (my beloved/beloathed in equal measure). I was gearing myself for the worst. So far though? I like him. He walks a good line of abrasive and flawed but still likeable and the pair’s dynamic is effective. The tension between him and Cyrus as they’re alone in this bleak dystopic setting is really well done. Cyrus knows that Cooper is his best chance at survival, but between Cooper’s terse personality, his refusal to tell him all but the barest essentials and the simple fact that Cyrus hates feeling so dependent on someone who’s kind of a jackass, his mistrust of the wolf is palpable. And I enjoyed how it comes to a head in Chapter Three where Cyrus puts together (pretty intelligently tbh) that Cooper is hiding a lot more about Cyrus’ own identity from him. But that confrontation is what leads to a moment of truce between them where the walls start to come down and it’s satisfying to see unfold. Chapter Three was where I really got hooked because it was where the character writing really started showing me what it was capable of with stuff like this.

So far, I’m really drawn in by the world here, the contrast between the fantastical technology and how lonely and desolate the actual environments are. Coupled with the little tidbits in Chapter Three about the ‘Seven Stars’ disaster, I have tons of questions about the world that I’m excited to see answered.

I also have to credit the presentation. The artwork is lovely. The character designs have a distinct style that reminds slightly of Wind Waker. And their sprites have been very expressive. Cyrus’ own design is especially striking. We’ve also got Anthemics contributing and after loving their work on Arches and Glory Hounds, their work here likewise doesn’t miss.

Seriously, just look and listen to this title screen and tell me it’s not a wonderful mood setter.

Still, as I said, I’m only 3 chapters in. And if what little I’ve heard about this game is to be believed, I haven’t seen anything yet. But so far, this game has excellent mystery, strong characters and gorgeous presentation. I’m really excited to see what comes next.