#but I had one (1) neat picture of her that didn't have to be this detailed

[remesrobotics]

”Crash Girl” (Provisional Number 54β)

DWN.054β - “クラッシュガール” “[Directive complete. Standing by for further instruction]”

Note: This is an Alternate Timeline variation, and not ‘canon’ to the character’s current presentation

Good Point - Punctual Bad Point - Temporary Like - n/a Dislike - n/a

7’ (213.36 cm)* - though bad posture makes her appear shorter.

Purpose - While continuing research into his future ‘virus’, Dr. Wily intended to release a prototype into the populace to drive robots - targeting Dr. Light’s creations - to send them on a rampage. Unfortunately for him, it got out early, infecting his own robots, and the preliminary “destroy all humans” directive included him. He was forced to flee to a secret base not connected to any of his others, which few of his Numbers were even aware of.

While there, Wily could not risk sending out a wireless distress signal for fear of his whereabouts being discovered. So he pulled an incomplete robot - the initial construction intended to be “Slash Girl” - and equipped the chassis with provisional armor and other modules, and directed it to physically carry a distress message to Dr. Light, at high speeds, at any cost.

Despite the name, “Crash Girl” is not related in design to Crash Man (despite displaying a few similarities), and is not even a direct name, but rather a nickname granted by third parties to the improvised provisional build’s appearance, and habit of crashing through obstacles rather than navigating around them.

Her provisional armor is extremely heavy, but unrefined. This combined with her shock absorbers make her very resistant to blunt/ballistic and explosive damage as a result. However, because the plating is essentially raw, it is susceptible to corrosive and weathering damage, making her weak to water and/or acid based attacks.

Her high-speed electronic components have not been finalized in this state. She has no recording equipment, nor does she have failsafes (making limb blowout a serious risk). As a result, she lacks her final iteration’s weakness to electricity.

The lack of high speed sensors is the primary reason her provisional armor is designed to go through obstacles rather than around. She is intended to get from point A to point B as quickly and directly as possible. No more, no less.

Her wings haven’t been installed, but her brake boosters have, so her primary attack uses those. The name ブレイククラッシュ (Bureiku Kurasshu) could translate to Brake Crash, but also alternatively Break Crush, or any combination therein.

[satellite-sims]

Heya, it's time to present the final version of my beloved Antje. I worked on her since late 2019. It was the very beginning of my new era lol. I started writing Deep End where she have the support role and she should have look exactly the same as her real prototype. That's the goal. I had to admit - her face wasn't that easy to recreate. (Like Adrien's too). But i did my best to get even more resemblance by making a low-effort skinblend and it came out super gorgeous! I'm gonna show you results in the details. Pictures are slightly edited and taken with reshade.

Let's get started.

1. Portrait Zone

The first thing that triggered me in her face is her dark and "muddy" cheekbones. It was the skintone and the blush itself fault. Skintone have multiple colors on the face (some zones are yellow and some are pale & bluish) and it was disturbing to constantly remove this effect on portraits. Now this problem solved! Her face now have smooth colors with warm pink/peach undertones (which i usually remove to get the "porcelain" skin) and smooth cheekbone line. The other important part that may be not really visible is that her neck got shorter to fit the resemblance.

2. Face Proportions

When it gets to the skintone changing - sims may lose some details that makes them resembling. It does happened to Antje but it wasn't that terrible, because i blended some parts of her previous skin (Ephemera's Fresh) and the newest one (Simpicient's Tranquility) I blended eyelids, nose and lips to save the definition. I've added a cheekbone definition to make colors smoothly looking (makeup part not really worked with her) and it gave me an ability to make cheekbones a little lower which looks more accurate. Some little touches i've made: slightly reshaped the lips (they've got "sharper") and widener the jaw. I think i will do some changes in future, because chin and eyes are slightly off to me. Yeah, i'm the perfectionist, but anyway, i love how she comes out in general.

3. Clavicle & Cleavage Details

When i seeked some photos of Antje for references, i noticed that her clavicle and cleavage are not that subtle as my Antje. It's more soft and flat. Anyway, previous version looked unrealistic to me when i took the pics of her body in lingerie. Something was off to me. That's also the reason why i decided to experiment with skinblending. But in fact, i didn't changed the body. I just took original from Simpicient and i really liked how it looks on her. Textures are more realistic and details are smooth like Antje should have.

4. Belly & Spine

Honestly, i don't like how previous belly looked like. It's kind of dystrophic for a middle aged woman. It should be just flat in my view. And again a yellow tone looks a bit odd. Yeah, she still have ribs at the second pic but they're not that obvious now. And a neat button as bonus, lol. Spine is my favorite thing about Antje. She have unusual body shape for a woman - reversed triangle. It's always called "less feminine" and etc. but i found it very sexy. I really love how her spine looks like especially with wide shoulders.

5. Legs

It's the most boring part for me, lol, but they look fine in both variations. That's all. Second ones are just better textured as the whole skintone does. Knees are slightly controversial to me. Maybe, i will rework them later.

6. Misc Parts

These are the smallest improvements, but i decided to show like everything (except nude parts, sorry, but we're on tumblr).

That's all i wanted to show you. It's a little, but honest work :D I love the way Antje transformated just by changing a skintone. She became "older" and that's what i wanted to get. I wasn't sure that i have any luck with skinblending, because all my previous efforts were too bad. This one is a small but important step for developing my favorite character.

Thanks for reading ❤

[lokisprettygirl]

Close Ties (Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Modern AU) (Non canon) (18+)

Chapter 1

Summary: A decade after he disappeared so suddenly from your life, you reunite with the man who you used to address as Uncle..lovingly.

Warning: 18+, dad's best friend trope, canon (we don't know her), familial uncle niece sort of relationship but he's not really her uncle, there will be smut later, significant age gap but reader is in her mid twenties, mention of infidelity, divorce

"Honey you remember your uncle Daemon right?"

Your eyes perked up as you heard your mother's voice.

"Ofcourse, what happened?" You asked her as you turned around to look at her, you were getting ready for your parents 25th anniversary party when your mom thought this would be the right time to mention his name. Ofcourse you remembered him, you'd never forget him.

"Oh nothing, your daddy was able to convince him to come, we are going to see him at the party, isn't that exciting? It's been ages.. hopefully those two will make it up finally" she said cheerfully and for a moment you felt dizzy. You never thought you'd ever hear about him again let alone see him..

"Oh my gosh, is this uncle daemon the same uncle daemon? The hot guy in your old family pictures?" Your best friend Cassandra whispered in your ear so you looked at her, she was a beautiful blond and bit of a slut which you didn't mind, you both had been friends since college even though at times you felt envious of her, it was only natural, she was everything you were not.

"Yuppp…that Daemon" you sighed deeply as you began to feel jittery. You hadn't heard from him, of him or seen him for over a decade, something happened between him and your father, you just didn't know the truth, you didn't know why their friendship had ended so suddenly that not only Daemon had cut ties with your family but also moved to the states with his wife Stella.

"Ohhh he just got divorced so don't mention it" your mum said to you.

Oh well, shit happens right?

After fidgeting in the room you collected yourself and made your way downstairs to join the celebration.

Your eyes immediately met with Daemon as you stepped down the stairs, for a moment there was a look of unfamiliarity in his eyes, you felt as if he was checking you out or maybe that was just wishful thinking on your part. He looked good, so good, as good as you remembered and definitely good for his age, if you didn't know he was almost 43 now you wouldn't have been able to tell really.

He had a maroon jacket on with loose tee underneath, a cross chain on his neck, his hair was a fluffy mop of blonde loose soft curls on his head just like you remembered, his shoes shined so bright you wondered if one could see their face on them and damn you wanted to see your face on them.

You didn't want to act as if you were ignoring him so you made your way to Daemon, he had retreated towards the bar and had his back turned towards you while he sipped on a neat whiskey.

"Uncle Daemon" he turned around his head to look at you and a smile graced his features,

"Y/n?" voice as rugged as you remembered,

"That's me"

He put his glass down and wrapped his one arm around your waist to give you a quick hug. He smelled divine.

"You grew up didn't ya?"

"Well it took ten years but I guess I did" he chuckled as you said that.

As you now stood near him you could see the signs of aging on his face, his skin still looked soft and blemish free but those lines on his forehead had gotten more intense with time, none of it stopped him from looking sexy as fuck though. How was this possible? You were just a kid back then with a stupid crush, a crush that you knew has possibly ended as he had disappeared from your lives then how come you felt so awestruck as you stood so close to him after so long?

"How have you been?" You asked him as you sat down next to him, his mouth curved into a smile

"Fine..how are you?"

"I'm okay..So you're here just for the party?" You asked him so he shrugged in response.

"Not really, I'm joining that anniversary trip thingy unless you want me to leave of course" he joked

You were surprised to hear that, you hadn't heard from him in ten years and now your dad had him join the family trip, what had even transpired between them?

"Mmmm you can come" he chuckled as you said that,

"How old are you now if you don't mind me asking?" He turned to you as he questioned,

"Do you not remember how old I was when you ummm vanished?" he chuckled again but this one was more from nervousness rather than amusement.

"Twelve?" He asked you, making you shake your head in response.

"Fifteen"

"I'm just messing with you, of course I remember"

"Mmmm.. I'm really Sorry about your divorce"

You weren't really sorry though.

The smile on his face faded as you mentioned it but he composed himself almost immediately.

"Good riddance, should have ended it a long fucking time ago..Christ i can swear in front of you now right?" You chuckled as he said that,

"Absofuckinglutely"

"Hey there now!! You're still not allowed to say those bad words missy" you rolled your eyes playfully at the comment "What's going on in your life anyways?"

"Not much uncle, just got my heart broken so I'm gonna spend the night nursing it" he winced as you said that.

"Tch tch who's the unlucky fella "

"Dylan, we were in college together "

"What did he do?"

"Just the good old infidelity you know"

Well it wasn't just that but you weren't ready to dump all your problems on him just yet or ever really.

"Did you love him?" He asked you,

"I liked him enough to be with him"

"Well..here then" he passed you his drink so you took a sip from it.

Bold of him to assume the gesture wouldn't make you giggle like a schoolgirl.

"For the broken ones" he cheered to youz making you smile in response

"You two met already I see" your father approached you two so you stepped down from the stool and hugged him, you hadn't seen him all day. He was a very busy man.

"You do remember him right sweetheart?"

"Of course, how could I ever forget?"

Daemon's brows raised as you said that. You have turned into a fine young woman, he couldn't deny that, perhaps if he was a mere stranger to you he'd have accepted the fact that he found you attractive but he wasn't, he had known you since you were just a kid and he wasn't going to cross that line. However he wasn't entirely sure about your intentions at the moment, the way you looked at him didn't seem so innocent or maybe he was overthinking.

You stepped away from him to not come across as desperate or give yourself away, you really thought you just had a stupid crush on an older man when you were just a teen but seeing him after so long had made you feel something again and you had no idea how to feel about it.

If he was just another man maybe you could have entertained this but he wasn't, he was the man who was more of a uncle to you then your own uncle had ever been and he was almost two decades older than you which almost seemed blasphemous.

"Damnn he's still hot huhh" Cassandra said to you, making you snap out of your thoughts.

"Shut Up he's old enough to be your dad, Cassie" she chuckled as you said that.

"He's just eighteen years older than us..besides what eighteen years olds have babies..ohhh wait your parents did" She joked so you gave her a tight lipped smile.

That's right, your parents were barely adults when they had conceived you, they were your typical high school sweethearts and got carried away one night but both of them loved each other so deeply that they knew they wanted to be with each other no matter what. They got married before your birth, however your father couldn't get his college degree until he had turned twenty five, and that's where he had met Daemon, even though your father was just a tiny bit older than Daemon there was an instant connection between them and that friendship had only bloomed with time.

You were just twelve when you had returned from the boarding school and that's when you had met him officially for the first time. His curly hair and a certain boyish charm made you see him differently, you never had a crush on a boy your age or anyone really before you saw him, maybe you just really liked how old and mature he was than you.

"Relax, it's not like I'm planning to marry him..I just want a one night stand, maybe two, please tell me he's coming with us to Bali" you sighed as she said that. You didn't want your best friend to get involved with him but did you really have a say in it?

"He is"

Your eyes met with Daemon so you looked away, after the party you went into your room and changed into a night dress, as you stepped downstairs in pretense of going into the kitchen to grab a water bottle you saw Daemon and your dad having a drink and smoke in the living room as they caught up with each other, he looked your way as he noticed your presence and gave you a small smile which immediately made you feel giddy again.

He was staying in the guest room so later that night you knocked on his door, you honestly didn't know why you were there but you just wanted to talk to him, as he opened the door he was a bit surprised but he smiled and invited you in,

"Umm I just wanted to ask if you're enjoying your stay"

You questioned him, he had his luggage opened on the bed,

"It's fine i guess.. how come you're still awake?"

"I sleep late"

"Mhmmm well i brought something for you, but for some reason I was still thinking of you as that fifteen year old girl"

He mumbled as he walked towards you to close the distance between and gave you a plushie.

"You thought I'd forever stay fifteen?" a giggle escaped your throat as you grabbed the plushie, ignoring the way his fingers brushed against yours and the spark you felt from the mere touch.

"Yeahh i wasn't expecting you to look like this now"

He crossed his arms as he spoke to you, did he just look at you from head to toe. God you hoped so. Wait no you didn't hope so. You can't do this.

You clutched onto the plushie and gave it a whiff, it smelled like him, that wasn't good, definitely not at all good for your health..

"It's okay I still accept plushies as gifts" you chuckled and it made him smile. There was a moment of silence between you two where you just stared at each other, he tried to not gawk at your bare legs and you tried to deny to yourself that you didn't have a crush on that tall, handsome, alluring man in front of you

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then ..uncle Daemon" you mumbled softly so he nodded.

"See you dearest Pixie"

He remembered. Oh god he remembered such a stupid thing.

The next morning, much to your dismay, Cassandra purposefully exchanged her seats on the flight to sit next to him, he looked even better today as he was in a loose fancy tracksuit and had sunglasses on, everytime you turned your head around to look at them, you saw her whispering something in his ears. Okay so you weren't the only one into older men it seems.

You would have taken your chance too if you were her, after all it's not her dad's best friend that she needed to worry about. For you however he was a forbidden fruit. A very juicy and delicious forbidden fruit.

As you all reached Bali there was a yacht waiting to take the group to the resort your dad had booked for the vacation, to you it seemed a bit frugal even though you had grown up in his riches.

You were the last one to board the yacht and much to your surprise Daemon was waiting there for you like the gentleman he had always been.

"Come princess" he mumbled as he put out his hand, the pet name though was uttered as a joke but it still made you feel flushed.

"Thank you good sir"

"Have you been here before? Bali i mean" He asked you

"Noo...you?" He sighed as you reverted his question.

"Once"

"Mmmm rich people am I right?"

"Says the one whose daddy owns the most luxurious hotels in all of UK"

"Well ..It's not really mine you know..i didn't make it or earned it..I'm barely a nine to five gal" he chuckled as you said that before he turned towards you and raised his glasses up to his head.

"You're his only daughter, when he dies, who do you think will inherit all of this?"

Okay, you had completely forgotten how cheeky he used to be.

"Stahp that's mean" you faked a gasp and it made him smile.

"It's just life Pixie" you nodded as you stared at his features. Gods he was pretty in a way that felt extraterrestrial sometimes.

"It's good to have you back..when you left I thought I'd never get to see you again" his brows raised as you mumbled that.

"Why did you want to see me again?" He enquired as he looked you right in the eyes and you froze, you didn't know what to say in response, your body trembled and his intense gaze made you feel flushed again.

Luckily for you, Cassandra intervened and took him away from you which for once you felt grateful for.

After that humiliating freezing incident you spent all day chilling in your room as you tried to not think of him. In the evening you built up the confidence again and put on a sexy summer dress to go to the beach party. Perhaps that will make him see you differently. You kept having these delusional wishes.

Daemon wasn't a man born yesterday so when your friend started to flirt with him excessively he knew she wanted him, your father approached Daemon as he noticed that as well and made a joke about how he was okay with it as long as it wasn't his own daughter. The joke didn't go well with Daemon considering their history together.

He wasn't just there to reconcile with his estranged best friend, he wanted to move back to London and he needed his help to do so and there was one other reason that he didn't want to think of. No, he hadn't forgotten their history but he came back with an open heart, he wasn't there to seek revenge, he really was keen on accepting your dad's effort for reconciliation.

All of those things were immediately shifted to the back of his mind when he saw you dancing with Cassandra, that was one thing he didn't see coming, not the dancing, you always danced, but the attraction he was starting to feel towards a girl he had been around since she was a kid, whenever he thought about your 12 year old self he felt disgusted with himself but that woman moving so sensually on the dance floor wasn't a child no more and he knew he needed to get a grip on this silly sexual attraction before things would turn messy again.

Besides he was still not over the divorce or his ex wife Stella, as much as liked to pretend he hated her now once he had loved her with all his heart, that's why he had stayed for ten years in that marriage. He stayed until his heart gave out on him..

He heard a click in front of his face and was snapped out of his thoughts, it was you. Ofcourse. Lord he hoped he wasn't staring right at you like a creep.

"Are you alright?" You asked him, your voice was tender, eyes seemed as if they held more than just mere curiosity. Maybe a bit of care.

"Yeahhh just..bored out of my mind, would rather stay home on a couch" You chuckled as he said that.

"Well i prefer that too"

Shouldn't have said that

You knew you shouldn't have said that as soon as you said it.

"That friend of yours..she's single?" He asked you and you felt your stomach drop almost instantly.

"Why? You won't fuck her if she's not?"

Okay maybe you have had a few drinks already. A smirk graced his features but when he spoke next he made sure to keep his voice firm as if he was speaking to a petulant child.

"Do not talk to me like that Pixie, swearing doesn't suit you"

"I'm sorry uncle" you mumbled meekly so he hummed in response before he turned away.

After that you watched him flirt back and forth with Cassandra and it only bothered you more and more with every drink you ingested. She was your best friend but you had never really told her how you actually felt about your sweet uncle, of course you didn't, it was a secret you wanted to take to your grave, so it wasn't not as if she was doing it on purpose, she just met a sexy middle aged man and wanted to jump his bones but what if it escalates? What if he'd fall in love again? Your own thoughts made you cringe viscerally.

You saw your mom and dad dancing arm in arm and it only made you feel even more lonely, you'd have brought Dylan with you if he wasn't such an asshole, that feeling coupled with whatever was going on with Daemon and Cassandra had already begun to make you feel sick.

"I'm going back to my room..have fun..but not too much" you chuckled to appear as if you didn't care at all so Cassandra gave you a look.

"Babe do you need me to come?" She asked you but her eyes were pleading you to say no.

"Noooo have fun..I'm alright i swear"

As you stumbled away from them, Daemon kept his eyes on you until you disappeared then he turned to Cassandra.

"She just got her heart broken..you should go be with her" he said to her so she smiled sweetly

"Awnnn you're really sweet, trust me I know her, when she wants to be alone she just wants to be alone"

He hummed as she said that but he knew you didn't like being alone, definitely not in moments like these.

"I'll be right back darling..don't go anywhere" he winked at her before he leaned into her to kiss her cheek. Then he made his way back to the resort, he knew he shouldn't have followed you, you weren't a kid anymore, you could take care of yourself, until yesterday he didn't even know whether you were alive or not so he shouldn't have cared this much for his once best friend's daughter but he did. For some reason he had always cared about you.

He caught up with you outside the elevator so he stood next to you,

"Are you going back to your room too?" You chuckled nervously after you questioned him. Why did he have to be so nice?

"Noo I'm just making sure you are okay..it's my job as your uhh friend isn't it? Always made sure you were okay"

Friend. He said friend. Not uncle. Friend.

You remembered his wedding day clearly as a day. He had found you crying your eyes out but you were just thirteen, a child, he just thought you had your usual teen troubles so he comforted you and didn't go to the altar until he had you all smiling. He really didn't have to, but he did. It was his wedding day , the best day of his life as he had so proudly announced at the reception so yeah he really didn't have to look for you but he did.

"Yeahhh you did..until you abandoned us all and moved to USA"

He registered the snark in your voice but he ignored it, he didn't really think it still bothered you. As you reached the room you immediately beelined to the bathroom because you could feel it coming.

"Don't follow me please"

You said to him so he smiled and followed you instead, as you hurled your guts out he held your hair back and even in your drunken mess state you felt aroused by the way his other hand was running on your back. Just great you thought, the man you always had a crush on had returned after years and he was witnessing you at your worst already.

Once you were done he helped you get up and made you stand against the sink as he turned the tap on,

"Wash your mouth" he told you so you rolled you eyes but followed his command. He ran a washcloth under the warm water and began to wipe your face gently, you couldn't help but look up, there was a soft expression on his face that you hadn't seen in years, his brows were scrunched and lips pursed as he concentrated on wiping your face to remove the makeup..

"Very thoughtful of you to do this" he smiled as you said that.

"No worries..used to do it for ..never mind"

You couldn't help but wonder how sweet and loving he must have been with his wife, you saw it in his eyes, he loved her, truly, deeply, completely then why weren't they together anymore?

Before your thoughts could spiral or you can do something even worse than just harboring a harmless crush on your dad's best friend he dragged you to the bedroom and made you sit down on the bed,

"Drink this" he shoved a glass of water in your hands before he grabbed the trash can and placed it right next to your bed in case you'd need it in the middle of the night

"Thanks" you mumbled before you laid down on the bed so he hummed in response.

"Don't go anywhere alright, stay in bed and get to sleep.. goodnight" he said to you and he was hoping for a response but he only heard you grumbling. However as he was about to step out he heard your voice again so he turned around to look at you

"Family"

"What?" He asked you so you turned your head towards him,

"I wanted to see you again, wanted you to come back because you always said we were family..then why did you leave me..us like that?"

His eyes teared up too as he heard your voice sounding so sad, he would never tell you why he had to leave or why he couldn't stay here. He couldn't. For your own good he would never tell you the truth.

"Y/n .. I --"

You cut him off before he could say anything. You knew you should have shut your mouth right there, you knew that but you didn't, the state you were in at the moment aided you in making the worst mistake of your life.

"You had always been more than just family to me..more than just an uncle"

Now what the heck did you even mean?

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

Note: here we go

If you want to be tagged let me know.

[girlatrocity]

i saw a post of yours talking about your himiko lore and i need to know what you think. btw i love the art of the folded picture with himiko ❤️

THANK YOU ♥️ I'm really proud of how that one turned out!!

Okay, I have no other outlet for this stuff so I'm gonna put literally everything here ty for being curious u will regret it ♥️

so here's her happy, happy family :D I wanted to give her two younger sisters bc I think of Himiko as the first born. The first sister (who I'm thinking of naming Mariko) is about 13 in the present timeline and the youngest (Chiyo?) is about 8.

Mariko is kinda supposed to be the perfect daughter (in comparison to Himiko). Her mom was already pregnant w her by the time Himiko got her quirk, which had the parents scared that they'd bring another "thing" like Himiko into the world. But once Mariko got her quirk and showed no signs of abnormality, they were 1. relieved and 2. very ready to have another child now that they knew Himiko was just a "fluke"

Okay so to talk about her parents a little, while they are both for sure terrible, I think the few good experiences she had w them were w her mom when she was very young.

The mom has A Lot of Issues. She had a very perfect picture in her head of what she wanted her family to be like and when she first had Himiko she was very happy and would dress her up and do her hair and stuff, but after she got her quirk, she felt a lot of guilt and shame and would subsequently avoid her daughter like the plague.

She would pay a lot of mind to make sure her children looked cute and neat and overtime it became very obvious that she didn't pay that same attention to Himiko at all anymore 😶

(btw, I think Himiko associates the hairstyle her mom would put on her as a toddler with being loved and free which is why she wears it after becoming a villain)

Both the parents are ALL about presentation. They don't care so much about having a nice family so much as looking like a nice family. (All of this ended up creating a whole idea in Himiko's head about appearances).

Mariko, the middle daughter, was very aware of why her parents dissociated from her sister because they never tried to hide the horror they felt towards their first born. Her parents were kind of hard on her to be a normal lovely daughter (not like Himiko). Mari resented Himiko for that a little but also never spoke to her either (partly bc she had been made to feel afraid of her). I imagine if they ever did have any meaningful interaction it probably ended terribly and soured their already estranged relationship.

Mariko actually holds a lot more resentment for Himiko after she becomes a villain bc this ended in the parents uprooting their lives, changing their names, arguing, and generally being much more awful. So, in her head, Himiko is responsible for everything bad that ever happened to her ( SHE'S 13 SHE'LL LEARN EVENTUALLY).

Now Chiyo, the youngest, was never really fully aware of the situation with Himiko. She just knew her parents and sister were very wary of Himiko for some reason? When she was a baby, Chiyo was probably especially distanced from Himiko as they thought she'd hurt her. Chiyo and Mariko probably have a normal sister relationship (Chiyo's annoying, Mari's nagging, they're good).

Once she got a little older though (and her parents became more busy with Mari) Himiko may have helped Chiyo w schoolwork or other things once in a while. So in Chiyo's head Himiko is her Weird but Kinda Nice Eldest Sister.

After everything went down, nobody ever bothered to explain it to Chiyo and refused to answer her many questions so the poor girl is probably currently very confused why they have new names and why her eldest sister vanished and why she's now a "monster" and a "villain". She was only five when it happened.

I imagine her family isn't on Himiko's mind as much as how they made her feel is. She was an alienated daughter and avoided sister and that's kinda what I use to explain some of her behavior in canon (being very clingy and touchy as well as taking on a little sister dynamic w the league as she never learned to be an older one) But she doesn't really think about how they're doing until probably late in canon.

Honestly, I think if she ever reunited with them it would just end up in a lot of blaming and belittling and self righteousness and also apathy 😓

I THINK THAT'S ALL THANK YOU IF YOU READ LITERALLY ANY OF THIS ♥️♥️♥️

[jhilsara]

I Can See You

Pt. 1/ Pt. 2/ Pt. 3/ Pt. 4/ Pt. 5/pt. 6/Pt. 7/Pt. 8/Pt. 9/ Pt. 10/

Pt. 11/ Pt.12/Pt.13/Pt. 14/Pt.15/Pt.16/Pt.17/END

Mariana Jimenez-Watson or MJ works in a normal pub living life paycheck to paycheck. Nothing exciting happens to her except the occasional drunk getting thrown out. She's 24 working away and finds a wrench thrown into her very boring life. His name is Hobie and she thinks maybe, a little excitement isn't awful. In fact she might start to crave some change for once.

Small moments of Hobie meeting his world's MJ. AKA I made an MJ variant and I think she's neat.

Chapter 5

Life threatening events were not on her bucket list. In fact, MJ was content to mind her business and talk to pub patrons. She was happy to come in, pours some pints, make a cocktail, chat up the patrons and learn their stories, and then roll on home in the early morning hours. That was her routine every single day, she liked it that way. Her life wasn't supposed to be filled with crazy events and super villains. She was just a normal woman working in a small pub.

So why the hell does stuff just keep happening to her?

She’s been exhausted for the past two weeks, and it's not from any freak run ins with her local vigilante. To her surprise it's because of a single patron who started coming to the pub. Usually MJ is okay with the occasional drunkard. They always have at least one every other night.

MJ’s favorites are posted in small polaroid pictures behind the bar top that Andy has taken. The pub keeps a polaroid camera as a little gimmick for busy weekends. Andy will walk around to the tables and snap pictures of friends and couples. It’s just a cute extra thing they like to do, keeps patrons longer. The owner pays for the film and Andy likes talking to people. It’s a win-win. Especially the wall of shame, which has pictures of the unruly drunk bastards they’ve kicked out. It's her favorite photo section secretly, the faces they make when Andy points the flash at them is really entertaining. 

They have a new regular though and he drinks every night until her or Andy cuts him off. That's not uncommon, to have people come in and be cut off after an obscene amount of alcohol. It's not just the fact he's a heavy drinker... there's something unsettling about how he drinks that has starting to stress MJ out.

She can't put her finger on it, but it makes her stomach drop in dread every time she sees him. He drinks more than any patron they’ve seen before, but never gets unruly. He sits quietly, drinking beer after beer. His eyes following her, like a predator looking at their next meal. She hates interacting with him. It's his eyes, they're so... hollow.

The last time she handed him his tab he caressed her hand and she recoiled just as quickly. He gave her a slimy kind of smile that had her gritting her teeth. His eyes burning into her skin, making her itch and want to scream. She hasn’t served him tonight, but she feels him staring at her. She always feels his eyes following her, like a creepy portrait at night.

He genuinely scares her. Has her almost debating if she should just quite. She even tried to swap times with a coworker but he followed. He was there every time she was scheduled without fail. How he knew she was trying to change shifts made her even more unsettled. Making her skin prickle like she was being stabbed by tiny needles. 

She mentioned it to her manager but he just dismissed how she felt. Saying she was over reacting; the guy isn’t disruptive and he hasn’t actually done anything to her. All she could think was, ‘yet, he hadn’t done anything yet’.

She didn't bother trying to change shifts after that. She was ready to just leave the pub all together, but the pay was good. Too good to try and job hunt because of one man that creeped her out. 

She shakes herself out of her spiraling thoughts and tries to keep working. There was no use sitting there stewing on him, it would just terrify her. She wraps up her shift and goes in the back to clock out. Before she walks out though, she goes back to ask Andy a question about a show they were hosting the next night. She needed the contact information and Andy had taken the call. 

When she walks back out, she sees the guy is gone. Her gut is telling her it's wrong, he usually stays all night. Her face pales at the idea of walking out.

“Where did he go?” MJ asks pointing to his empty chair, her tone clipped. 

Andy shrugs nonchalantly, “He just closed out his tab. Why?”

MJ grows quiet and crosses her arms. “This is gonna sounds crazy, but something about him really freaks me out.”

Andy shakes her head. “No, not crazy. I don’t like how he looks at you. It’s fucking gross.” Andy frowns looking at her friend. It validates MJ's feelings and she sighs in mild relief. Someone else noticed. 

MJ leans on the back counter thinking, “Can I stay until you get off? I- I just have a bad feeling.” She asks looking at Andy with pleading eyes.

Andy nods her head, “Absolutely!" She replies reassuringly. "My boyfriends picking me up tonight and we can walk ya home or you can tag along with us. I’d hate for that guy to try and follow ya home.” She mutters bitterly making a disgusted face. 

MJ nods her head. “Thanks, I’m just gonna hang out in the office then. Maybe check the cameras.” She says pointing to the back.

MJ goes into the managers office, he wasn’t working tonight anyway, and she looks through his desktop to check the cameras. Her stomach was churning with uncertainty. 

Sure enough, the guy is creeping around the corner. He’s watching the back door. Suddenly a cold chill runs up her back. She jolts up and makes sure the back doors are locked. She quietly goes back into the office and curls in the chair, her body shaking. She takes a deep, nervous breath and just tries to not think about it.

There is no denying it, he definitely was waiting for her.

She shoves her face into her hands and tries to take some calming deep breathes. Her fingers dig into her hair and she holds it tightly. It doesn’t stop the panic rising in her chest. It burns in the back of her throat like bile and she squeezes her eyes shut.

With unsteady hands she shoots Hobie a text, asking if he could come pick her up. She doesn’t know if she can wait until Andy gets off. She looks back over to the cameras and the man isn't there anymore.

It should calm her down, she should be relieved, but it doesn’t. It's the opposite of reassuring... in fact it puts her on edge and she's more nervous than before.

Suddenly the back door handle starts to jiggle, almost as if someone’s trying to open it. She stares at the handle frozen in fear for what feels like forever. Her heart feels like it’s in her throat. 

Just as soon as the door handle shook, it ends. Leaving her alone in the silence.

She’s trembling and tries to calm herself down. He can’t get in.

He can’t get in. He can’t get in. He can’t get in. He can’t get in. He can’t get in. He can’t get in. She tells herself over and over again.

She locked it, it’s industrial, as long as she's in the back she's safe. She spends the next ten minutes trying to come down from her mini panic attack. Her body feels numb and she's never felt this frighten for her own life. Which feels trivial in the face of the strange super humans running around Old York.

Her phone buzzes, pulling her out. Hobie had texted her back, saying he was on his way. She was going to be fine.

She finally settles her breathing and feels calm enough to wait for Hobie. Her judgement was correct. She hears screaming and glasses shattering. The noise is so foreign she doesn't realize it's real until Andy comes plowing around the corner and barreling into the office. Andy slams the door shut, and turns off the lights. Her face is filled with fear as she turns around to grab MJ. 

“That guy, MJ, he- he came back!" Andy starts to whisper shout. Her voice hitching in anxiety. "He's bonkers! Threw a fit and breaking shit!" she says rushing over her words. "He was screaming for you MJ, Lars is handling it but I bolted." She grabs her hand and tries to drag MJ with her, "We have to go!” She’s whispering at her aggressively.

MJ moves to hold Andy's arms, she looks past her down at the computer's camera and sees Lars handing the man. The two girls take the opportunity to go to the back door and try to escape. They are met with an unbudging door.

“No, no, no, no!” MJ hisses and tries to open the door again, throwing her body weight at the door. She's frantic to get out, just escape.

“What the fuck!” Andy almost shouts. They try again and are meet with nothing. They're trapped. 

They hear glass breaking and it makes them freeze for only a moment before fear grips them. They run into the office, closing the door and locking it.

MJ makes her way over to the computer and sees the guy standing over Lars, holding a broken liquor bottle with a tight grip. She clutches at Andy and looks at her with wide eyes.

“I think he just killed Lars!” She hisses.

“What the fuck!” Andy replies and the two girls watch him through the camera. He’s blocking their only exit.

“We have to hide, that’s all we can do, or distract him…” MJ mutters.

“Where the hell are we gonna hide?!” Andy says in irritation.

MJ looks over to the closet in the office and shoves herself and Andy in it. The closet is filled with anything and everything, it’s honestly a mess. This could be to their advantage though. MJ finds an empty barrel, one used as decoration, and tells Andy to get in. Her friend looks at her like she’s mad.

“I’m not getting in that.” Andy hisses in a whisper.

“It’s the best spot you have and we don’t have a lot of time right now Andy!" MJ shots back quickly in irritation. "If he finds a locked door he’s breaking in. I’m gonna lock the closet but it can only give us so much time.” MJ whispers aggressively.

Andy sighs and gets in the barrel. “If he finds me first I’m killing you, not him.” She mutters.

MJ rolls her eyes but closes the barrel’s lid. She looks at the corner that’s filled with an abundance of random things. She moves some stuff around to hide behind. This is as good as it's going to get. The objects she's hiding behind are also hidden by a curtain. She hopes it'll be enough to save her. She’s shaking, clutching her phone to her chest. She turns it on silent, but texts Hobie quickly. She tells him in as little words as possible she’s hiding in the office and for him to call for help.

She knows the cops won’t come, even after their ‘reform’ they still don’t do much. Much less care about a local pub issue. That’s why they had Lars as their bouncer. Now Lars was maybe dead and it’s not like she could just call up the local vigilante.

She’s screwed unless she can somehow take this guy out herself with Andy. She’s trembling, clutching onto herself to not cry, this is not how she wants to go. Not from some creepy drunk patron. 

She hears the office door get kicked in and she tries to not gasp. He’s more than likely going to find her and not Andy, which she knew that was the risk. She’s holding onto a crowbar with a death grip. She’s just waiting for him to get in the closet. If he finds her she'll swing, fight, scream and claw her way out.

She wants to shut her eyes like a little kid and pretend this isn’t happening, but she can’t. Her hearts pounding as she hears the loud bangs on the closet door. With every hit it makes her jump. Then she hears it crash to the floor followed by heavy footsteps.

She’s trying to keep it together but tears fall down her face. She’s only human and fear is gripping at her heart.

She hears a loud grunt and a collapsing. She doesn’t dare look, but she hears something dragging against the floor.

“I don’t think ladies like stalkers much.” She hears, a new voice says mockingly.

She sits up quickly as she hears the familiar voice. She moves to stand up and quietly goes to look. She sees a distinctly spider silhouette through the broken down doorway.

His figure disappears but she can still hear him. He’s talking to the drunkard so she uses this opportunity to grab Andy. She rushes over to the barrel that Andy’s in and slides the lid off. She whispers to her, “Spider-Man’s here!”

“What?! How?” Andy says in surprise, they can hear the guy getting slammed into something, making them both jump. The noises they hear consist of loud banging and something being broken.

“Hell, if I know!” MJ hisses and makes her way over to the fallen doorway.

She peers around the corner, still trying to hide herself, and sees that Spider-Man has the guy pinned down. Arms tied behind his back and his face had been slammed into the desk. Specifically, the keyboard. The pieces are scattered and broken on the floor, a small pool of blood is underneath the man's head. 

She takes a shaky breath, one entirely too quiet, it’s enough to notify Spider-Man of her presence, his head shooting up to look at her. She sees his body relax, if just a fraction, upon seeing her.

“Mariana,” he whispers her name, so soft she almost misses it. “Always in trouble…” He says much louder, scoffing and shaking his head. She's frozen in place just watching him with large eyes.

He leans down next to the man's ear, “You’re lucky I got better things to do than rip you apart…” he hisses out.

He webs the guys arms together behind his back and throws him against the wall and webbing him there. He’s covered from the neck down to his feet, he is definitely not moving anytime soon.

Andy comes over next to her and grips MJ’s arm, letting out her own shuddering breath.

“Fuck, Lars!” Andy says in realization and bolts back to the front of the pub to assess their security guard.

MJ can’t move, her eyes are glued to Spider-Man, she feels like she’s going to pass out from the swell of relief. He turns back and silently comes over gently grabbing her shoulders to look at her.

“C’mon let’s get you outta here.” He says, voice a little gruff as he wraps an arm around her. She leans her weight into him as a support almost instinctively. She’s still trembling slightly from the fear that gripped her heart.

They walk through the front and MJ sees Andy helping Lars sit up. He was okay, just a little scratched up. MJ smiles, glad to know her bouncer was safe and not dead.

“We’re gonna call someone and I’m staying with Lars. MJ you should go.” Andy says looking over at the two.

Before she can open her mouth and protest staying with them the vigilante speaks up, “I’ll get her home.” 

Before MJ can even find her voice to respond the two are outside and he’s pulled her against him like before and starts swinging them across the city.

She’s confused and nauseous her grip tight as he swings them.

“You okay?” He asks her.

“Is this really the best time to ask me?” She mutters, groaning at the quick movements and feeling the air hit her face. Instead of it being refreshing, it stings instead.

“You gotta talk to me, it doesn’t have to be about that.” He says, voice a little rough. His grip on her tightening a fraction.

“Why?” She asks. She leans back enough to try and look at his face. Even covered in a mask, she’s trying to find something to help her read his expression.

“I just need a distraction or I’m gonna go back and rip him in half like the scum he is.” He mutters bitterly.

She narrows her eyes and whatever jumbled thoughts were swimming in her brain have finally clicked together, like pieces of a puzzle.

“Fine…but I can’t talk about what just happened.” she replies.

He grunts in acknowledgement, “Anything, we can talk about anything.” He keeps swinging, he doesn’t even need directions to get to her flat. He’s taking the right turns, as if he's done it a million times before.

“When were you gonna tell me you’re Spider-Man?” she accuses without hesitation. 

He misses his next web, causing them to fall a bit before he catches them again. His masks eyes widen as he looks at her.

Her brows are furrowed and she’s looking at him expectantly.

“What ya talkin’ about? Course I’m Spider-Man.” He tries to play off with a fake laugh.

Her face doesn’t change she raises a brow in irritation, “Hobie.” Her voice is shaking a bit, “When were you going to tell me?” She says again.

He groans and stops swinging them, he lands them on a random roof and he sets her down. His hands cover his masked face as he shakes his head. Pacing back and forth. He turns to look at her, pauses, and then rolls his head back again.

He pulls his mask off and gives her a look like he’s mildly impressed. “What gave it away?” He asks.

She takes a deep breath, “You, you were the only one I had texted…and well, you called me Mariana. Pretty sure I never told Spider-Man my name.” she whispers.

He nods and walks closer to her, he brushes his hand along her cheek, “You’re okay right? He didn’t find you?” he asks. His eyes looking over her, making his own assessment.

She nods, “No you got there just in time.” She whispers, she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She presses the heels of her palms into her eyes trying to stop herself from crying.

 She’s safe. She knows she’s safe. Hobie came like he said he would.

She runs her hands down her face and looks up at him, his body has relaxed and he pulls her to him. Tightly hugging her. She easily wraps her own arms around him, grounding herself.

“You’re too much trouble…” He murmurs into her hair.

She chuckles in response and presses her forehead to his shoulder, “Maybe it’s you who’s trouble.” She replies.

He gives a dry laugh, “Yeah, probably.”

The two hold onto each other tightly, breathing together, trying to match their hearts to the same gentle rhythm. 

[3motionally3xhausted]

Kiss Kiss Fall into another old hyperfixation

Anyway, I randomly wanted to redesign the main cast of Ouran in my style/ with headcanons and my own embellishments

Here's a screenshot redraw, I'll put all the redesigns below the break bc I did all the main characters & wanna talk about the choices I made. Also I made up that uniform redesign on the spot bc I when I was doing the characters I just put them in casual clothes lmao

(I might do some others later, like Renge, Kasanoda, Yasuchika, Benibara, etc.)

Going in order of my least favorite to top favorite. And dont mind that I didn't color the clothes, that's not whats important here lmao

Mori is only at the bottom because I don't like the drawing that much, I still think the design is pretty good. Though, like right when I finished coloring, I decided a bun/top-knot would look better so it's a bit disappointing there. In my head, Mori is kind of struggling to figure out who he is & what he wants to do, which is why he follows Honey around and doesn't talk much. He does genuinely like being around the other hosts though.

Also, the undercut because A) he has the reputation for being the scary one & it kinda suits that, B) uh do I even have to say it? ...its hot He does lowkey look like Sokka from Avatar tho, especially with the blue accents

(edit: I accidentally deleted Mori's file so now this is the only copy so 😭)

Honey is next because again I think the drawing itself is a little off and the design is pretty close to Basil from Omori, which i didn't notice until it was too late lmao. One of the main things I didn't like about his character in the show was obviously how childlike he was & how girls still flirted with him even though he looked and acted 6; So now he still acts a bit childish but doesn't play it up as much & definitely has a more normal voice, not a fckn child's.

Haruhi! I definitely had to keep her glasses cuz they were really cute and kinda sold the whole 'commoner' thing in a way. But other than that I mainly wanted to balance out her femininity and masculinity to make her more androgynous/nonbinary/gender-fluid since she definitely has some of that going on in the show as is. I also gave her dark circles under her eyes to kinda show that she worked really hard to get into Ouran with low status.

Next up is Tamaki of course, getting into the characters I'm most happy with the designs of. One small thing I tried to do for each of them was give them varying hair tones; so even though Honey and Tamaki are both blond, I went very platinum-blond with him. When I started drawing him, my only real thought was "he has to be a pretty boy" so I dont have much to say about my choices, but i do think I succeeded. Don't mind the modern mullet thing, I can't stop it

Kyouya is definitely one of my favorite characters as is, seeing as he has one of the more fleshed out & heart-wrenching backstories in the show. I think the only thing I really wanted to change was getting rid of the Anime Bangs, so I just gave him this kinda sleek, kinda messy pushed-back look with a blue tint. Even though it's simple, I really struggled to come up with anything, until I found a page from the author saying smth like "I don't like the idea of him wearing neat clothes" with a picture of him in like a track suit so I did kinda the same outfit

My absolute #1 favorites, Hikaru & Kauru. They're honestly the ones that started it all because Kauru has been my favorite since I first saw the halloween episode (iykyk).

I don't know why, but I wanted their hair to be fluffier/curly and more of a natural(?) ginger color. I knew I wanted Kauru's to be redder and Hikaru's a bit lighter/blonder, but only subtly. I also gave Kauru a scar on his cheek from that time in Karuizawa, but most notably, I gave them blue and pink eyes as their signature colors. Lastly, their expressions are slightly different, because no matter how much they are in sync and try to match each other perfectly, Kauru's a much gentler soul than Hikaru, so I made Hikaru's smile a bit more snarky while Kauru's is soft.

Thank you for looking at my art/ reading my thoughts, here's an extra little design edit & comparison

(lol, I think they're mimicking Kyouya in this panel idek) (Also here you can see I tried the bun hairstyle w Mori, I think it looks good, but this is a really simple drawing so.)

[sydney-carton-of-sour-milk]

The Many Illustrators of A Tale of Two Cities 7: A. A. Dixon

"'Collins' Clear-Type Press, let me ask you a question.'"

This is a very long post.

This week's edition has, in my research, become quite the edition.

Sadly, this image is the best source for the cover wrapper illustration that I could find.

You are likely familiar with Arthur Augustus Dixon's illustrations for the 1905 Collins Pocket Edition of A Tale of Two Cities. Several of them are very common to find in Internet searches and articles about the book, if not other editions of the book itself.

But the question raised by my research for this week's edition is: Are you familiar with all of them?

Thing is, as the source above states (read the whole article if you have the time, it's very interesting!), Dixon created twelve illustrations for this novel.

And sure enough, this source from the Internet Archive and this source from @oldillustrations (hello!) both have eleven of the same illustrations - with the twelfth presumably being for the wrapper, as seen in this source (previously cited) from the Victorian Web.

Alright, so that's three separate sources, all with (effectively) the same set of elaborate illustrations from 1905. Neat!

...

...but if you start counting...

...you'll notice that this seems...

...like a lot more than twelve!

Basically, there are five illustrations by A. A. Dixon that are completely unaccounted for in any of the three sources previously cited.

For the purposes of this post, the cover wrapper is considered #0 and is not pictured in these banners.

In full-size set of illustrations in this post, this source from Google Books is the source of four of those mystery illustrations:

#3: "'He stared at her with a fearful look.'" #6: "'Drive him fast to his tomb.'" #7: "He said, 'Farewell!'" #12: "'She appeared with folded arms.'" #9 ("'Patriots and friends, we are ready!'") and #11 ("'You are consigned to La Force.'") are sourced from Google Books in the full-size versions in this post simply because the Internet Archive versions of those two illustrations had cropping issues.

To me, this is mystery enough on its own. Why would another version of the book suddenly have more than the originally-stated number of illustrations by this artist? Especially considering that the Google Books source does not have #13 ("''I know you, Evremonde!''") - why would it be missing one of the "main" set?

It gets even more interesting.

As you'll notice in the banner, we're still one off: Keen-eyed observers of the full-size set of illustrations might have already noticed that #14 ("'Carton and the spy returned.'") looks a bit different than the rest of them - a bit like what happened in the previous edition of this series!

That's because that Dixon illustration comes from this completely random source - a post from a blog called the Paperback Palette dating back to 2018 - that I happened across on Google Images of all places while sitting on an airplane trying to set up this post last week!

And to top it all off, that source is missing #6!

At this point, if your first instinct is, reasonably, that perhaps Dixon didn't actually illustrate these extra five and that it was someone imitating him for later editions, then know that that was my instinct too - until I (dare I say it again) checked those signatures!!!

(I edited the colors to prevent flashing.)

All five of those illustrations bear Dixon's signature, so it's safe to assume that they are A. A. Dixon originals - from 1905, even.

Interestingly, #s 1, 10, 13, 15, and 16 don't have signatures! Does this mean anything? Probably not - as an artist myself, I often forget to put my own signature - but still, I can't resist mentioning it!

So the most likely explanation here is simply that the publishing house originally commissioned A. A. Dixon for more than twelve illustrations and then held on to some of them, eventually choosing to publish them in other editions. Still, we can't say for sure.

And as to why some are missing from the more "complete" sets - human error, most likely!

If you scrub through the Google Books source, you'll notice that #s 11 and 12 actually repeat (one even changes color, which I have no explanation for) - it's most likely either that the book was accidentally printed with repeats of #s 11 and 12 where 13 and 14 were supposed to go or that the person scanning this edition made a similar error.

As an aside, it's so interesting that the illustrations are evenly spaced throughout the book - I had not noticed that until now!

And as for the Paperback Palette source, it's most likely that the blogger accidentally skipped over an image while combing through their edition or just glossed over it when posting the batch (I understand that from experience!) We can see this by adding up the letters in some of the illustrations' captions - doing so reveals that the letters are meant to go to P, the sixteenth letter of the alphabet.

Thus, one must be missing! Case closed!

Except... It's actually (going by both the chronology of the book and the order in which this set was found in Google Books) missing the wrong letter! Here, it seems that In the Google Books source, #7 in the full set is given the seventh letter in the alphabet, G - whereas in the Paperback Palette source, "#7" is labeled as the sixth, F:

This implies not only that #6 is absent from the Paperback Palette source but also that there is a missing mystery illustration located between this source's H and K - that is to say, before or after #9!

EXCEPT... For one, this isn't the only inconsistency I've noticed - there are several places where the letters seem shifted in a strange way. I've seen #2 listed as "C" and #9 listed both as "H" and "I2i" (???), just as two examples. (My theory is that the cover wrapper and the frontispiece may be at play here, but who knows?)

More importantly, though, it seems that, for some mysterious reason, all of the sources with relatively consistent use of these letters (i.e. all but the Victorian Web) - even the sources with only eleven interior illustrations - still give #15 in the full set the fifteenth letter, O. Which, of course, may make all of this pretty moot anyway.

Dare I say..."Oh."

Suffice it to say, just as much as major sources like the Internet Archive and Google Books are vital to this sort of research and preservation work, so are smaller websites and bloggers! After all, without the Victorian Web and the Paperback Palette, we as collective netizens likely wouldn't have ever known about the cover wrapper or illustration #14 (not to mention that the versions of the illustrations from the set posted by @oldillustrations have by far the best image quality and standardization that I've found! Please go check them out if you haven't yet!).

As for the reasons behind Collins' Clear-Type Press not publishing all of the illustrations from the beginning (if that's the explanation we're to go with here), I suppose the question I'd like to ask is:

why? why would you put us through this?

& the standard endnote for all posts in this series:

This post is intended to act as the start of a forum on the given illustrator, so if anyone has anything to add - requests to see certain drawings in higher definition (since Tumblr compresses images), corrections to factual errors, sources for better-quality versions of the illustrations, further reading, fun facts, any questions, or just general commentary - simply do so on this post, be it in a comment/tags or the replies!💫

[ineffablenlghtingales]

Okay, so with episode 3, we get some more backstory of Aziraphale and Crowley in Scotland (and get some of David's natural and maybe a bit exaggerated accent, but I'm not complaining. I loved it).

I died, I absolutely died when Crowley imbibed that laudanum. Not even kidding. 🤣😂

It starts with Gabriel holding a mug (his mug apparently) Muriel unexpectedly appears on Aziraphale’s doorstep and does a not very good job at pretending to be human (not her fault though, her first time on earth). But she's so ridiculously cute! I like her. Also, the exchange between her and the ineffable husbands. I can't.

Muriel *tries hard to be a human inspector constable* Crowley: Oh? You were transferred from another human settlement? Which one? Muriel: ... Crowley *grinning*: First time here on earth? *Thinking to himself* Definitely an angel, that one. Aziraphale: *so done*

She’s sunshine and sweetness personified, with solid comedic timing. Crowley pulls Azi aside and they talk about what's going on.

Then, we have Crowley planning to bring Nina and Maggie together, while Aziraphale is still hellbent on driving Crowley’s Bentley to Edinburgh to pursue his “clue.” Crowley is still reluctant to give him the keys.

Then, back to 1827 Edinburgh. Crowley and Aziraphale meet Elspeth digging up a grave. Crowley is of course, amused, while Aziraphale explains why grave robbing is wrong.

Azi, in the present day, drives the Bentley to Edinburgh and I love how irritated Crowley gets at him when 1) he drives under the speed limit bc the demon can sense when the car's under said speed limit, 2) Aziraphale changed the color of the vehicle from black to yellow and 3) "Are those travel sweets?" Crowley is not pleased.

Back at the bookshop, Gabriel is trying to figure out gravity. Crowley (gawd I love him) can't remember the why of gravity and I really enjoy how he comes down the stairs with a neat pile of books only to toss them in a haphazard mess (shame on you, bad demon, take care of those books! Why do you even both carrying them down if you're going to just throw them like that? 🤣)

Back in 1827, Crowley and Azi meet Mr. Dalrymple and learn more about his night work. Aziraphale, in the present time pretends to be a journalist and enters The Resurrectionists, the pub Maggie talked about. He learns about the records in the jukebox turning into the song "Everyday". Then he shows a picture of Gabriel to the pub owner, and the latter just so happens to recognize it.

Aziraphale notices the sign of the pub and sees Mr. Dalrymple depicted there, with a butcher's knife. He remembers.

Back in 1827, Aziraphale changes tactics and supports Elspeth. Elspeth gets her friend Wee Morag to help them, promising that one body (which she intends to give to Dalrymple) can get them off the streets. In the cemetery, Crowley and Azi notice guns that, set off by trip wire, go off.

Wee Morag accidentally sets on off, gets shot and dies. After some time, Elspeth decides to take Wee Morag’s body to Mr. Dalrymple for payment.

Dalrymple, however, doesn't give Elspeth very much for the remains bc Azi did some work with hastening the corruption, didn't Before they leave, Elspeth swipes a bottle of laudanum from his collection and returns to the crypt to drink the laudanum so she can be with Wee Morag. Aziraphale and Crowley try to talk her out of it. Crowley ingests the laudanum himself, which has a peculiar effect on him. (This was one of my favorite parts). "No. More. Dying. Enough dying. NO. MORE. DYING. NO MORE DYING. " Then, he shrinks, growls at Aziraphale and roars. He makes all these weird noises (I bet David had a good time doing this part, seriously. Crowley's just out of his mind here haha). Then Crowley gets very big and booms at Elspeth, "You have sinned very bigly....be good. Not pretend-y good but properly good!"

Unfortunately, as the demon and angel are leaving the scene, Crowley’s pulled through the ground to Hell, presumably to be punished.

In the present day, we see Azi in the cemetery in Edinburgh. He asks two men if he can use a phone and calls Crowley to reveal he’s in the cemetery and currently staring at the statue of Gabriel. He also tells Crowley that Mr. Dalrymple left Edinburgh in disgrace in the 1800s, killed himself and got a pub named after him. Aziraphale tells Crowley what he learned at the pub about Gabriel’s visit there. Then the pun. Holy hell, the pun. Crowley says he has to go because of the "awning of a new age" excuse me, sir. I love puns, so I appreciated that.

Then, then another of my favorite bits, Crowley brings on a rainstorm to try to get them to have their moment. Maggie tries to apologize for the other night when they were stuck in the coffee shop together. Crowley, I love him, have I said? He's hilarious. "Come on, rain proper. Hard." He makes it rain harder, hoping they seek shelter under an awning. They do, but then the awning breaks, dumping water on their heads.

Crowley finds Shax outside as she transforms into different people to remain incognito, and he's not impressed. I love he doesn't give a shit and just doesn't let her in. Also, we see how protective he is of his angel okay.

Next episode's recap ➵

[dirtyoldmanhole]

YRMR cover progress for the curious!

before drawing, there were a few things i knew that the cover had to have/show:

critically, had to have vibes of an enemies-to-lovers dynamic in the sense of ... the power tilt? even though that's not "technically" the true nature of their dynamic. gunter's not a nice guy in this fic, even aside from the possession, and i also didn't want anybody to run into this unsuspecting the darker parts to the fic. him more looming/threatening than you'd expect in base game, etc.

wanted to emulate kozaki's style through the whole cover in line qualitty, coloring, and composition. thankfully he gives a few tips over on his twitter. it's both a neat little nod at the source material, and also as a style experiment.

a big theme in this fic is gunter being made of so many masks/shells (there's a perfect blue cover, see below, that specifically made me think this composition could work.)

learning that kozaki hews pretty close to grids + the golden ratio was another big lightbulb moment, here's a drawing yoinked from his twitter where he shows it himself.

after scraping/studying from kozaki's twitter, i made one or two thumbnail doodles below. you can see the solid one had a golden ratio + general line dynamic check squiggled to the side. there's room for the title, the focus is on corrin, it'll work both in a horizontal and vertical crop, looking good so far.

you can see how pretty tightly to the thumbnail i kept, other than moving the vertical text to the top since i didn't have as much room there. i'm a little worried about the different line quality between how big the face is vs corrin but we'll see.

something i also realized i like about the composition is corrin "could" look like she's attacking the viewer, but she also looks like she could be guarding him with her back to him, which.... heh. comes up in some interesting ways in the last third of the fic (possession wise).

bunch of cleaning up.

as I suspected since this is 11x17in (much bigger than what i normally draw) i had to grab a different brush for gunter since thin lines were not going to work as they did for corrin. i think kozaki's real genius is how he treats texture with his linework; where he does thin lines, where he puts the thick ones, etc.

corrin's coming along great but there's a spirit to the first face on the left i think i'm missing now, so i'll probably re-insert that. (also decided to at least draw in his face there even though the masks/slices will distort that). i think what also helps is gunter's face is very low contrast and needs to remain low contrast, to help corrin pop out in front.

then i started thinking about typography. a lot of the fonts i had were either way too masculine/bland/modern, or way too feminine/curvy. this title needs a hint of masculinity to nod at FE's general action-adventure RPG roots, but it's also very distinctly the kind of erotica that doesn't easily lend itself to a genre. it's tender horror, it's daddy kink, it's vicious romance, it's ... a lot of things.

here's another thing: when thinking about title typography, another consideration is genre. briefly i considered something like lovecraftian covers; my doujin circle and i had been sharing pictures of old pulp covers. i also noticed a lot of my favorite JP erotic horror doujin have very spiky titles. this title also needs to be scrunched up in a tight space so it's not like we got a sprawl of acreage here either.

what doesn't help is enemies to lovers doesn't really have a visual language in mainstream media.

it's a staple of Ao3 (written) genres, but the closest you'd get otherwise would be romantic horror (kind of says a lot about who makes what huh?). for example, the shape of water (movie) isn't a 1:1, but it's pretty damn close -- unfortunately that poster dodged the question by using an art deco-inspired font typeface that was more about the setting than the genre.

and then i had an epiphany. maybe i was approaching this from the wrong direction: it's the knight/liege romance that's the heartbeat to YRMR.

think more old dragonlance novels. old medieval/fantasy pulp novels; plenty of kinky sex and ass in there, and still close enough to FE. remember everyone and their mamma having a bi ass crush for bad boy raistlin? that's the vibe i want.

this kind of glorious deranged shit. you're not gonna be surprised at possessed grandpa whip kink if you read these on the regular.

after ~*arcane designer magic*~ (I do this for a living) bolton and magiona display were the two fonts that were gonna work just fine together.

god that looks so much better. this looks believable now.

the thin/thick line weight contrast in magiona display is going to accentuate the lineart in a way that might be tricky with other fonts that work better on painted covers. bolton's "squished" vertically enough it doesn't compete with the other one, and makes for a good secondary/tertiary font.

few other things happened.

i shrunk gunter's face because not being able to see his jawline (sex appeal u see) was bothering me from a composition standpoint. it's the same reason frank frazetta didn't censor his glorious asses.

(said seriously, by the way. so many people don't give their lust in art enough credit.)

i also needed more room for the title to show, and the line quality/scale difference between his face was also bugging me. does this mess up the golden ratio composition? sure, temporarily, but his armor's weirdly flexible that we can adapt it pretty easily.

it's about this time i'm also looking through my hydrus network stash of favorite covers for what color palette and contrast to use. kozaki tends to skew purple/cooler hues for nohr characters, and that'd go well with these two.

purple/green hues that play well with light purple and the yellow from those old covers i love so much, low contrast midground, and something that'd contrast well with text above. dark/black background for the gothic vibes, and the text will probably need to be white or some sort of light-warm hue for that "pop".

doing color tests is more of a leap of faith and intuition than an exact science, but damn it is it satisfying when you nail it in one go and go 'holy shit i want to read this. :D

(green/gold for the hint of anankos' mask, also matching the yato and her warmer skin tone. purple flames for him, but the high contrast armor to separate her from his larger shapes. we've got the dragonstone and the yato as flexibility for lighting and emphasizing contrast with her. )

i kind of like how i accidentally made the mask shards reflect(?) a bit of his own face. hell yeah throw it in. this is something that's more likely to work than not. this is something that has that mix of id and horror i've been going after.

here's another version with references to the side and the golden ratio laid on again.

honestly a lot of it at this step is going 'dude you know what would be SO DOPE.... PURPLE FIRE...' 'dude..... fuck yes....' 'what about some sick ass sword effects?' 'YEAH....' and saving a bunch of backups in case of the idea didn't work out.

(am i going so much harder on a literal gilf porn fanfic cover than i need to? hell yeah. gunterfuckers deserve better. :D )

anyway here is when i start questioning everything, so i'll take a break from the colors to tighten up the lineart. now that the composition's settling in much tighter, i'm also thinking about how the two shapes interact with each other and if there's any potential issues with tangent points (where two lines intersect each other in a way that makes an optical illusion.)

that said i love how his jawline "points" at her face, that kind of line you want.

grinding away on corrin's lineart. also double checking that the shapes/colors/forms for her "make sense" both standalone and with the composition too. what's nice is she's at the point where i can just turn off my brain and polish up.

naturally couldn't resist poking at it more and this is when the rest of it clicked after figuring out which bit was anankos' mask, which bit was possessed!gunter vs himself (polished up the armor a bit too. at this point i'm pretty confident that it'll stay "set"; the biggest thing i'm likely to change is the blue silohuette to the dragonstone side for corrin.

here's the last true screenshot before cleaning up the last 2% of the lines. added the pulp cover texture around the border, switched the colors of the text so the cream would stand out more, cleaned up gunter's face and also increased the darkness of corrin's body so it'd contrast more with him behind.

thanks for reading. :D

[alex51324]

Trip writeup, part 1!

Kooser State Park, Fall 2024

It's been almost two and a half years since I've been to Kooser. Duke and I had our last visit there two springs ago, and then when the Sophie Era began, I decided I'd go somewhere else the following spring, and do Kooser in the fall, so Duke not being there wouldn't be the only thing that was different. Then last fall I ended up having surgery instead; this year's spring and summer trips were already booked, so a full year later was the next time I could make it to Kooser.

Luckily, it's still there, and not much changed!

I didn't take many cabin pictures this time, because I have plenty; you've all seen it. It's the little cabin by the creek, with the all the stone around the fireplace, and the little wood-paneled bedroom. This one:

Here's the view from the porch:

And the little creek:

Arrival day was kind of drizzly; we walked the little trail from the cabin area up to the campground, and then got settled in the cabin.

Saturday was the one day of nice weather that we got; we went to the neighboring park and walked my favorite trail there; its called Hemlock Trail, and it goes along a creek and through a small stand of old-growth hemlock trees. I haven't done it in a while, because it's rated More Difficult, and the last time I was here Duke was only up for Easiest. So that was my top pick for the one good hiking day I was going to have!

Here's the creek by Hemlock Trail:

And a walking tree, with it's creepy crawly leggies:

Some of the hemlocks in the old-growth area:

Sophie says hi!

On the steep bits up the hillside, you get some nice views down to the creek:

This trail's other fun feature is the reproduction CCC Adirondack Shelter:

For readers of The Witcher and the Lordling, this is the main inspiration for Witcher architecture in that fic. (The most alert of you may notice that these are unpeeled logs, which explains why it's a reproduction and not an actual CCC-built one.)

It is, however, up on stones to keep the base logs from rotting:

And it has lapped-board shingles for the roof:

So this would be like the sturdier version on the way to the Keep of the Free Witchers, but in a minute we'll see some ones that are more like what Geralt and Julian built on their own.

Here's the side of the shelter:

You're not actually allowed to sleep in it, but people do go there for cookouts and stuff, and here's a cooking hearth like Mr. Braceridge has on the Island of the Gays:

Another creek view and bonus Sophie:

Then we came down to the lake for a little picnic lunch:

If only my boat had come in time, this would have been the perfect place to try her out! But alas she was still in transit at this time.

But I did have a Sophie:

No picture of it, but while we were hanging out here we saw a water snake swimming along! It was neat.

Back at the cabin, I made a crucial gear upgrade:

As a result, I was able to cook outside even though it became drizzly again in the evening. And on Monday, when it poured, I devoted the whole day to campfire cooking experiments--of which more, anon.

[titlemewickedwonderland]

The Manager (Ghost Fic) Chapter 1

Summary: The Ministry announces an outsider coming to be part of the congregation to help with the Ghost project as a tour manager; little did the Ghoul know; she is nothing like they pictured her or how she'd affect them all.

Support My Work!

"Now, I want you all to be nice, ghouls! This is the third manager we have had in the span of 6 months! If you dare run her off-" Copia wagged a finger at the group resulting in a few scoffs.

"It's not our fault the last ones didn't know how to handle us." Dewdrop sneered crossing his arms behind his back.

"Dew, you caught the poor girl's dress on fire!" Copia protested waving his hands around wildly

Dewdrop's smile was anything but innocent. "I was showing her a party trick."

Swiss snorted beside him making Rain whack the Multi-Ghoul on the arm with disapproval. "Papa we'll be on our best behavior I promise!" Rain vowed before giving his packmates a glare. "Right?"

Phantom snickered but it ended up in a cough as he met the small Water Ghoul's stern glare. "Right, we promise Papa."

Copia huffed and nodded just as the doors to his office opened and a Sister walked in. "Papa, your guest has arrived." she announced as she stepped aside to allow the figure behind her to step up.

She was not at all what any of them had imagined. She was not of their Ministry, an outsider very much out of place standing in Copia's lavished office and it made the Ghouls so silent as Papa stepped forward with an extended hand to shake the one the young woman offered.

"Ah, Mrs. Whitmore thank you so much for coming on such short notice!" the man said as he shook the woman's hand before placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

"I should be thanking you, Copia. I was really intrigued when we spoke earlier about this proposition," she replied with a warm smile. "And please, call me Ari."

"Si...please take a seat!" Copia waved her over as he shuffled behind his desk.

The woman, Ari gracefully moved over to the chairs; casting a friendly smile towards the masked figures standing off to the side before sitting down and placing her leather carrier case on the ground by her feet. She wore civilian clothes, a simple pair of jeans, and a warm cream-colored sweater that was sure to keep her warm in the cold season of Autumn that swirled leaves through the abbey with its chilly breath. Her hair was dark brown and curly; pulled into a neat ponytail at the back of her head. Definitely not what they had imagined when the Ghouls were informed a new replacement was being put on the Ghost Project as a manager; in all honesty, they had expected an older woman in her mid-forties - Sister Imperator's age...not this....lovely creature sitting there right now.

She was so attentive and open as she spoke with Copia, coming well prepared as she slipped a notebook from her bag to take notes on as she listened to the papa speak; jotting down vital information to store for later, no doubt.

"Ah, and before I forget and get ahead of myself this is a file of all my ghouls with their personal information that has been taken down and noted from the previous managers to ease your transition-" The file that was pushed towards her came to a halt as she placed her hand on it; stopping its movements.

Her smile was small but sincere as she pushed it back to the man across from her. "I won't need it." she said sitting back.

"But-but Mrs. Ari-" Copia floundered in confusion; only going silent when she tipped her head at him with an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"Copia, I would like to get something straight. I do not plan to leave anytime soon or be run off. The others who worked for you taking care of your needs and those of the ghouls while on tour lacked one particular detail that is vital to a job like this; I can tell you that much without having to meet the previous managers."

"And what is that mio caro?" the man asked curiously

"They lacked a sense of vulnerability to this job." she lifted a hand idly as she spoke and waved it around as she continued.

"I presume since they did not last long they didn't take the care to actually get to know the ghouls they had under their care. They saw a job that needed to be done and when the pressure of their personalities got the best of them - they left because they couldn't handle it. They didn't see their job as anything more than a paycheck and that was their first mistake, their second was that they didn't take the time to understand the ghouls and their needs; instead looked at them as if they were just a hindrance or a child they were having to babysit. What differentiates me from them, is that I do, in fact, care about this project. Not because of the pay." she turned her gaze to the silent group that had yet to make a sound since she arrived.

"I care because I know they are not just an object to be used as a tool for this project. Without them, the project wouldn't be possible and thus they deserve as much respect as they do the comfort of knowing they won't be overlooked and undermined simply because they are not human as you and I." she returned her attention to the man; her laugh of delight at his gobsmacked expression causing the corners of her eyes to crinkle as she smiled at him.

"So, I won't need those files. Everything I need to know about your ghouls, Copia I will learn on my own by actually getting to know them personally; not basing them off of a spreadsheet in a folder." she pushed the file back towards him before closing her notebook and putting it away into her own bag.

"Now, I know we spoke about the details of my job description but I hope you would shed some light on what I can do to help when we are not on tour. What will my duties off tour include?" she folded her hands in her lap and stared across at the skull-faced man; waiting patiently for him to pick his jaw up off the floor and gather his own thoughts before speaking.

"Ah, si. So, it is no real difference then what is expected of you on tour. You will manage their practice schedule, and make sure they have everything they need when the seasons change; each ghoul is particularly sensitive to the change of seasons for obvious reasons. When not with the ghouls I will need your help with planning out the setlist of the next tour, being there for practices to make sure everything is going well, taking notes when needed; booking venues and ticket booth stuff as well as merch stalls while we aren't on tour. Planning for the future tours and such." Papa explained watching as Ari nodded slowly while she took in his words.

She was not stressed in the least; the amount of work that seemed to be piled onto her plate was a rather big task to partake in but she didn't sweat it and instead took in the information carefully; the look in her eyes making Copia imagine her gears turning as she filed away data.

"And lodgings?" the woman finally replied.

"You will be staying in the manager's suit across the hall from the Ghoul's wing for easy access when you're needed. I hope that is alright with you?" Copia looked suddenly nervous but relaxed when Ari merely shrugged and pursed her lips.

"Sounds like a solid plan, now before we end this meeting Papa would you mind giving me the previous work files of the last manager on duty so I can see where they left off?"

"Si si...you certainly don't miss a beat." Copia laughed as he rolled away a bit to dig through a drawer in his desk.

"What can I say? I'm very thorough." she gave a playful wink before extending a hand to grab the rather large stack of folders labeled differently on the wings.

"Thank you, Ari. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership." Copia gave her a warm look and Ari returned it with one of her own before she grabbed her bag from the floor and rose to her feet with the folders tucked against her chest.

"Likewise, Copia. Now, if you don't mind...I do have a few bags that are waiting in the lobby for me to take to my new quarters and I'll retire for the evening to sort all this mess out." she tapped the folders with a finger.

"Si si mio caro. We'll talk more tomorrow, if you need me I'll either be in here or in my bed chambers down the hall! In the meantime, my ghouls will show you the way."

Ari nodded and headed for the door, pausing only briefly to look over her shoulder when she heard footsteps behind her. She snorted a bit as she opened the office door and slipped into the hallway; joined moments later by the black-clad figures.

"You aren't a very talkative bunch, are you? that's alright, I'm sure we'll get to know each other soon." she said as she followed the group down the hallway.

"Did you mean it?" a voice spoke up shyly to her right causing her head to swivel to peer at an average height Ghoul as he walked right behind her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"About what you said back there to Papa. About us." he clarified.

"Of course I did! I don't say things I don't mean, honey," she replied with a small smile. "Now I know my word means nothing to you. Trust isn't something that's easily given when it comes to strangers but I hope we all can be friends while we work closely together, alright?"

The ghoul nodded once before falling back into silence as they led her toward the Ghoul Wing. They stopped at a wooden double door across the hall from another and paused there.

"We'll have someone bring you your luggage in a few minutes. In the meantime, Mrs. Whitmore this is where we will part ways..." the tallest of the ghouls spoke up in a rumble.

"Thank you for the escort." Ari smiled back at him before turning to open the door only to stop when another voice piped up.

"Hey! Err, before you go...we just wanted to let you know we appreciate what you said back there to Papa and...if you want...we'd like for you to join us at our table for breakfast in the morning, for proper introductions and such, y'know?"

Ari chuckled and turned to look at them. "I would love that!"

"Okay, cool. We'll uh, we'll come pick you up?" it was stated more as a question than a statement and Ari smirked in amusement.

"Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, guys. Sleep well." And with her parting words, she slipped through the door and softly closed it behind her.

~

Chapter 2

Taglist: @darklylucid @strawberry-moonpies

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

DBD rewatch notes!

episode 1

Why was Charles making that face before offering Crystal to stay at the office?

Why are they not supposed to interact with the living? clearly Emma has no such qualms.

Crystal speaks up to make sure Edwin hears when she says thank you for taking her in

Why is David a surprising name for a demon? Why IS David called David, if it isn't a demon name?

HOW did I watch the show this many times without noticing the septum ring??

"The living are messy. If she had died last night, I'd have no issue with her being here." OKAY EDWIN. I guess this and the 'no living people' rule must have to do with the Infamous Puppy Debacle of '94. In this case, Edwin is not insulting Crystal specifically, but is being very literal that he would not be worried about taking care of a dead person.

I love how they NAME everything from cases to moves to incidents.

Charles teases Edwin for being jealous, but does he actually think that? Edwin is just overly cautious, and yeah that's causing an issue at the moment, but does he have, like, a record of being jealous of girls Charles likes?

Charles immediately tries to seperate Edwin and Crystal to stop them arguing, and Crystal is like "wait what??" like she's SO surprised. Also kinda love the not-subtle dig at Edwin's behavior. That does not go without retaliation ie: you weren't here when the mail came

WAIT they're going on a walk and taking, like Edwin and Monty. that's cute.

Did Crystal actually thin Edwin was in hero for being evil? I feel like that is surprising to hear regardless. Is it common for Charles to explain to people that his bf was only sent to hell on a technicality??

I think Crystal must have learned about hell from David, because if the ghosts she has met haven't moved on yet they have no way of knowing about hell.

The focus on people staring at Crystal is kinda weird. Does she even realize yet?

What did she used to feel like when people got mad at her for being mean?

What does Charles think about the way Crystal talks about her anger? He says it's cool that she is still alive, but does he admire her honesty too?

The up-and-down when she asks if that line used to work. He didn't even tell her what decade he died. Read him.

Aww she wanted to get Edwin some coffee to cheer him up. She even says hi to him as soon as she's inside. Crystal cares whether Edwin likes her or not. At the very least, she is trying to be nice to him.

How DOES the ghost post work? also the sheer incredulity of Crystal's voice lmao. Why exactly does the mail carrier sneak up on them? is he also dead?

Why does he care who the client is? they already know what the mystery is.

'keep your voice down!' bestie you already flirted at her, she knows.

'it's happening too quickly' Edwin doesn't wanna screw up his routine

good on Crystal for getting straight to business. Becky's ALIVE, boys!

Why do they think Death will come back to the office?

more people stare at Crystal. Dies she really not notice before the malt shop?

I can't help being reminded of that textpost about putting Crystal in the bag and going through a mirror.

Edwin thinks he is so clever with the agency name joke. He is so proud of that one. same thing with his journal of opinions joke. he's having so much fun rn.

I love that every time there's a Jenny scene the soundtrack changes to goth or rock music.

Why is the red LED neat diagram briefly orange and why is Edwin so fascinated by it?

She's scary for all of two seconds before becoming awkward and weird and mean. Jenny, ladies and etc!

Edwin is so menacing here FOR WHAT

Crystal gets the room as is, then never decorates it during the following weeks.

Can those ghosts teleport?? I noticed the dragons so it too, is it a shirt distance thing?? wtf?

pictures of guys, huh Charles? Is there anything else notable about the pictures?

Edwin jesus fuck lay off her. He is looking for just ANY excuse to talk shit.

Charles trying to help out Crystal is nice. I wonder why she doesn't like reading minds though? During the course of the series, she totally volunteers to read minds and it's a go-to solution for her. What happened to put her off it that she doesn't remember anymore?

What'd he do to get burned by the iron?

I guess after knowing ghosts for however long, none of them must have told Crystal about iron.

how does that alarm system via possession even work??

After that silence I kinda thought Edwin went to hell for possession when I first watched LMAO

Esther must have put the shoes in the woods as a distraction. I wonder if the boys would have ever found out if it weren't for Crystal.

they know cats talk and have human personalities and yet Charles sees one and is instantly like "aw fuck off man :((" bro chill

Why is the cat voice so. echoey?

what would happen if somebody tried to sit on the stools that the boys are already on?

Do we ever see anything like this door entrance in a mindscape scene after this? Does she ever walk around while in a trance again?

holy crap Edwin

I guess she takes a while to figure out it's her own brain. mecore.

of course there's an argument now. how could there not be?

then they never follow up on the "our demon" line

poor old Edwin has Charles taking such good care of him that he isn't used to the guy trying to take care of TWO peoples' feelings. Man I know that they don't talk about feelings in your time but at some point you've got to learn that everything you're saying is a fear reaction and not a moral stance.

I love the high contrast in this scene!

Simon's lil smile and Edwin walking away looks SO different with Context.

why tf is the sacrifice named "Mary Ann" and WHAT is Simon's brother into?

"don't do that!" and a breath of relief followed immediately by a jumpscare is SO GOOD. like I get scared by jumpscares but I love when they do it like this.

"It's not that bad" *hoovers the boy* *sells him to a demon*

THE TRANSITION. WITH THE SCREAMING

Why is the same cat here? is he following Edwin? W H Y

you're such a whore 🙄 (cat voice)

What if I offered you a sardine out of my gloves hand and bound you in a magical leash and you were a cat🥺 (and we were both boys)

The cat's mannerisms are pretty convincing IMO. my cat does the same ear thing when she wants me to leave her alone. And the tense shoulder/neck scrunch combo just adds to the effect.

I wish Edwin got to use more magic in the show.

not the apathetic eyebrow raise

me when I dump blood

I love this scene. Jenny is so awkward but also she remembers what Crystal says here. She remembers hearing about Crystal's ex like three times ever and ends up going after that boy with a cleaver. but it all starts with Jenny not knowing if she's allowed to show that she cares.

oh and her shield of cynicism

and the way she asks for more information!!

Charles with the questions! detective-ass.

it's interesting that Jenny and Charles both try to help Crystal while looking through a lens colored by trauma (specifically parental flavored) but Charles is so gentle while Jenny is abrasive.

Crystal! With the self-awareness!!

if you what? finish the sentence, Crystal.

Also she says "didn't you see that" like those pink lights were not symbolic they were real in-universe. Crystal and Niko were still acting hella gay tho. ofc, Crystal was under a spell and Niko is just Like That.

FAIR QUESTION

he doesn't answer whether or not it's weird. He also doesn't wait for an answer of if she'll tell Edwin. He trusts her.

Aww poor kidddsss

Edwin walks in and out of rooms like God sent him

Crystal with the self-awareness once agaiiiin 😎

TRANSITIONS

if she was in that relationship since three months ago and we don't know how long she was possessed for before Emma figured out how to find the boys, she may have already been missing for weeks at this point.

The way she is dressed and the way she's acting is risky different from the memories she gets from the marbles. Is this a real memory? Why would she dress like that, or hang out with those people?

Is the possession paralelled to any of this scary movies that was playing in the theater they go to? bc it looks really familiar.

Edwin is really focusing on the wrong details here, man. Also comparing a scared person to their abuser is not fuckin cool.

YAY! FEELINGS TALK!

I love the sound of his voice in this scene.

I mean I thought it was already clear that neither of them wanted David involved but if Edwin needs clarification that's fine ig

the description of Esther is line a spoken word poem

you know he doesn't get out much when he doesn't know about the internet

Jenny is iconic

absolutely ZERO emotional response to "Like kind of a sexy witch who smokes alot but in a cool way" like maybe they didn't hear Charles. maybe their minds were blocking it out because what the fuck /j

and her coat gets caught in the door and she can't drive. Perfect.

The fuckin twirl. Thank you costumes for cutting the vent stitch because the swooshy coat adds to the effect 🙏

Esther leaves the stove on when she's out of the house? does she want her bird to DIE!? It must be an accident because Edwin has to take it off :o either that, or she wasn't planning on leaving for too long, or knew there'd be someone to take care of it 👀

Also Edwin is EXACT in his reading if the floor plan. Like that is SPECIFIC

is that a sink cabinet? no basin??

an empty cabinet like that is sus anyways. who has that little stuff??

Edwin volunteers and Charles knows he's scared but makes sure he does it anyways. I wonder if there are any more examples of this behavior.

Monocrome; floor littered in bones and shoes. Edwin is 'weighed down'

it's not a void, there's a floor.

Wait Has Esther been planting shoes for the cops to find, then re-stealing them for her snake's nest??

Also how often does she kidnap forms because I feel like she'd either have to run out or get caught at some point.

"bag of tricks" they name EVERYTHING

technically they didn't break in

what did she THINK they wanted?

COLLECTOR

I've already said this but Esther loves things she *consumes*, so her love of birds is kinda bad news for Monty. He's just there to use in her plans.

Also the first time I watched this I thought Esther was trying to kiss Crystal. like that shot is. weird.

Why does Charles want the bird to be his friend and why is he not concerned about its living conditions

rope+ magic weight= OW

technically, since everyone else is only going off of Edwin's (and later Cat King's) word, they might think the snake is huge but realistic. do they know it's like fifty feet??

interesting that they show it takes multiple puffs of smoke to paralyze someone but later when she gets power from that rando ghost she does a whole ranged spell with the pipe because she is more powerful.

that is some weird and impractical snake jewelry on her hand.

MUSIC

appearance ONE of the BAT! he DOES NOT get to use it!

Edwin looks to be MORE bothered by the iron burn than Charles now that nobody is looking.

Do people normally get incapacitated when Crystal does her trick?? or is that special for this time?

I wonder what Crystal thinks watching this possession, since she just got possessed recently.

bag of worms?? not a thing

MONTY im tryna threaten some kids🥺

MUSIC

I guess the woods thing was believable bc she's a girl scout.

Also now that Becky's mind is wiped, she can't see the boys even though she has been close to the supernatural. I guess it would have worked on Jenny too if she chose that.

is now a good time to mention: I LOVE Crystal's weird-ass jacket. and she's wearing overalls again today, like in episode (six? I think?)

so now are they on David's case? I guess not lmao

The Night Nurse's hair is so funny to me. She is the only person who would ever think to wear victory rolls with a microfringe.

why are those photos so low-quality and why is the Afterlife Lost and Found a liminal '50s office building full of women?

[schismusic]

Æon Flux and the end of all things

I don't remember the first time I heard of Æon Flux but I sure as hell remember the first time I watched it, and it wasn't too long ago which would technically not warrant the level of obsession I have for that shit, but here we are anyway.

I was knocked the fuck out on painkillers, two of my wisdom teeth freshly removed, not even remotely worried about the exam that I had coming up in like two days from then. So I was barely moving away from my swivel chair and sleeping on a whole ass armored pillow to prevent from tossing and turning and shit felt so surreal to me. It was like the eating chair from the last Cronenberg movie. So I delved into Æon Flux essentially blind and bingewatched the shit out of it. Twice. Ended up downloading the whole thing from some sketchy ass 1080p remastered torrent, rewatched it again, and spread it around personally in a more cauterized Google Drive folder (so if you guys got a nasty ass virtual STD from it, my bad I guess), not even a month after watching the series. Shit was fucked, in short, and every rewatch just fueled this obsession even further.

(image taken from Episode 1, Season 1)

One thing about me: when I obsess over stuff I want to draw something at the very least inspired by it. Happens to me a lot with Autechre, who are actually one of maybe three bands I would not hesitate to call my favourite based on an absolutely objective principle which is absolutely not up for discussion and which might be the object of a future post at this point. But the point is fucking Æon Flux is essentially impossible to replicate because Peter Chung's character designs are so recognizable that you start seeing them in literally every other movie that came out in the late '90s/early 2000s - and for reference, Æon Flux was brought to an end in 1995. Consequently, all attempts at drawing Æon Flux-inspired stuff end up either feeling very derivative or looking like fucking trash. Artistry is a weird thing because sometimes it inspires other people, other times it just inspires man-slaughtering rage.

Somewhat many of my friends are or have at one point tried to be accomplished visual artists. Some have made it to professional/teaching level, some others have an art school diploma or degree - and I'll be using this space to shout out @coto-letta aka V., who has recently rejoined Tumblr after years of absence. We met on here, when her handle was much different, and I mistook her for an ex of mine (whom, surprisingly, we are still on relatively good - if quiet - terms with) so I slid into her DMs as you do, and she was like "yeah actually I have no clue who the fuck you are I just think your blog is neat and dropped a follow" which was quite a fundamental moment in understanding that while my life was written like a dodgy soap-opera, that didn't mean I was the centre of the entire world. Anyway, the reason I'm shouting her out is because sometimes something deeper and older than you remember has a way of finding you again when you least expect it and that's what happened when in January 2023 (after V. had left Tumblr for at that point about two years and we had exchanged Instagram accounts) I somehow ended up on her Insta and found out she had been tagged in a picture taken somewhere that looked suspiciously like my university's conference hall and I could not fucking believe she was in my city. I slid into her DMs again, as you do, and found out that no, that wasn't my uni's aula magna, but yes, she was in fact relocating in my city for her master's. So we met up after maybe seven years of on-and-off Internet friendship. It's a neat story, sure, but how the fuck do we tie it into Æon Flux?

(image taken from Episode 3, Season 2: Leisure)

Not trying to be overly dramatic here, but Æon Flux to me is just about a condensation of everything that "art" can mean. Not just visual flare or style, not just deep meaning or interesting ways of putting across one or more questions and never a definitive answer to any of them (more often than not, it's sets of possible answers - usually two, neither of which ends up covering the whole array of possibilities, both of which actually leave a lot to be desired in a number of different ways), not just this insane fucking music that toys with everything you expect from animation courtesy of Drew Neumann who may just rank as one of the best soundtrack artists ever in virtue of this single work. It's the whole package. You would think it'd work taken in pieces, and it does, no objection to that: but it works even better as a whole package. If the moral questioning (and the philosophical musings of season 3, which is unjustly underrated because "it's too normal" by hipster wannabe critic dilettantes who like to think that they could do better than that. Everybody else on the other hand is generally able to stop pull their head out their own ass and recognize, at the very least, the excellent craftsmanship and talent that went into the ten long episodes) wasn't accompanied by the weird fetishistic sex it'd be somewhat less impactful, almost like a cauterized Tenshi no tamago made into a series for mainstream late-night TV audiences. The twist was that MTV's executives, at the time, "didn't understand [the double entendres], they didn't even notice them. So, we were okay", in producer Japhet Asher's own words in the short documentary Investigation: The History of Æon Flux. The network was, in fact, trying to break into the mainstream - they simply couldn't keep their creatives at bay. No wonder they turned to Jersey Shore as they went along.

(image taken from Episode 5, Season 3: The Demiurge)

Even just the main characters' purported edginess, clearly something "of its time", is never played entirely straight. Both leads are way too complex, and very clearly presented as such, to be just summed up by "Æon Flux is an anarchist/Trevor Goodchild is a dictator". Both of which are true, by the way, they're just one part of a full picture. Even within the context of its necessary linearity - this is still an animated short and as such moves only in one direction, even though a number of episodes (specifically Mirror and Chronophasia) deliberately fuck with the viewer's perception of times on varying degrees of diegesis and extradiegesis - the series could be perceived as, indeed, a sandbox: consequently, the viewer could set sail and explore it. This is further encouraged by the series's active weirdness to whoever would want to try and make sense of the world's story. There is no history, there is just the story at hand: an eternal present which you can't understand ("un eterno presente che capire non sai": Ferretti knew his shit, regardless of how it went after CCCP) and which Æon and Trevor are not interested in even trying to contextualize. Not a surprise then that they'd be into each other: their closeness in body and heart doesn't exist at the mind's level, and the whole thing falls apart miserably every time it looks like they could be finally let their weapons down. But as Æon completely understands, and as Trevor seems to actively try to ignore, the fight is already the whole point: star-cross'd as they may be, the entire act of playfully hunting each other for sport both in the bedroom and on the battlefield is what Trevor Goodchild and Æon Flux thrive on. Trevor wants stability but an Æon who doesn't fight back is simply not Æon; Æon does not want the stability, but she definitely likes Trevor to an extent and finds more in common with him that she would probably be willing to admit (I would like to thank Tumblr user @brw on thons very good analysis of the episode A Last Time for Everything, which heavily inspired this section of the post!). In short: if Trevor seems to embody Pier Paolo Pasolini's idea that "there is nothing more anarchistic than power" ("non c'è nulla di più anarchico del potere") then Æon flips the statement on its head: "there is nothing more powerful than anarchism". That is, of course, until we once again confront my signature ad-hoc elephant in the room that this statement just summoned.

(Image taken from Episode 1, Season 1)

No spoilers intended, but if you so much as google the name of the series you will easily find out that Æon Flux dies a whole lot throughout the series*. Season 1 and all the shorts from season 2 end with her dying ungrateful deaths and a couple of the long episodes leave much to be desired in the way of positive closure, with Ether Drift Theory representing a peak in bleakness for season 3. Most of the shorts where Æon dies imply that either absolutely nothing changes in the world around when she's lost or that Trevor Goodchild literally just succeeds in all of his goals (see Season 1's finale), and one could make a case that even if she did carry her missions through there would be absolutely nothing to show for it: somebody goes up the chain of power, everything is restored, there is one more tyrant to murder. Not to be that one guy who quotes Nietzsche about everything, but the eternal recurrence of the same is the first thing that comes to mind when watching Æon Flux, especially exemplified and even literalized by the episode War, possibly the best of the short ones: it's the same fucking story four times over a five-minute run time and nothing ever gets better for anyone. The body count in the episode is unquantifiably large - every one of the fallen a potential new Æon Flux or Trevor Goodchild. But this, in a way, implies that Æon keeps being reborn, and one could argue that the act of capturing a fly with her venus-fly-trap eye could simply be her coming back to life, as it were; stopping the most evident sign of decay, turning her eyes outward yet again, to face the eternal return of the same again and again and again…

(Image taken from Episode 8, Season 3: Ether Drift Theory)

You can find Æon Flux for free on the Internet Archive.

*as I was discussing the final draft of this post with my friend @oldshittydog we had a pretty interesting discussion which I thought should be added here for an even clearer, fuller picture:

[good-beanswrites]

I wanted to see your LCSYS take on the differences in the prisoners' uniforms in the Milgram Hallucination event:

The outfits all zip in the front, even those that wouldn't in the art. Shugo wears a coat instead of a cape. Ryota doesn't have half of his uniform tucked in. Minami is wearing a skirt under her costume. (Hi Nott!) Maybe I missed some.

Hmm, that's a neat detail! Because presumably they'd have their uniforms on hand, and they should just wear those. The fact that they had to create new ones leads to a few possibilities: 1. Milgram didn't realize what a hit the songs would be, and figured they wouldn't need these random straightjackets anymore. They got rid of them after the experiment, 2. Milgram gave the prisoners their uniforms to keep and they're the ones that threw them out, not caring to remember their life of restraints, or 3. Milgram does actually face some real-world consequences for being incredibly shady, and all their possessions are currently being investigated by the government. I personally think option 3 is funniest, and enjoy picturing Jackalope planning a live concert and selling merch while simultaneously trying to cover up a huge potential scandal/legal battle behind the scenes asdfsdf.

Amane's case is slightly different, since hers has to do with her own clothes. I like to think it'd be a sign of her leaving her old life behind and starting over. When Mahiru takes her in, (with Amane's permission,) she completely replaces her wardrobe to remove any painful memories that may be attached. There are a few things she liked too much to part with, maybe including her purple hat :) When it's time to perform, Jackalope offers to find her a skirt just like her original, but she prefers to do without it.

[nitrozem]

OC Deep Dive Questionnaire Tag

Tagged by @akitasimblr Thanks!

A set of 20 questions to get to know your oc! I will do Miguel!

What uncommon/common fear do they have? He's afraid of heights, after he slide down the side of the canyon trying to get his hat (wind blew it off his head)

Do they have any pet peeves? He's pretty chill for the most part, but he does get annoyed if someone takes his snacks without asking him lol He'll let them if they ask, just don't sneak one, he was probably saving that for later! lmao

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom? A picture of his family, plates he hasn't taken to the sink, probably a toy one of his kids left in there

What do they notice first in a person? Hmm, well he can usually tell how a person might be like by just looking at them as a whole. He will stick with this first impression of someone until they show otherwise. Example: First time he met Kimiko, he scanned her over and was like "entitled spoiled mean girl" and I mean...he wasn't that far off considering she had some growing to do, but after he got to know her his opinion obviously changed. (and did her opinion of him lol)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance? Probably a 8 or 9, he works on a ranch and does hard labor, he's use to getting scraps, cuts and bruises. He's been kicked by a horse once (ouch)

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? He's someone who freezes typically, until he gets ahold of himself, then he typically runs cause he doesn't like conflict, however, he will fight and it will hurt the threat if it involves protecting his family.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person? He came from a small family that originally consisted of him, his mother and grandmother. Eventually they both died and he was alone (as his father didn't know he existed) Now he has a larger family (wife, 3 kids and planning for one more) He is a family person though, he's always a big family. He was living alone for awhile and he just really wanted company/something to live for.

What animal represents them best? Probably a big friend livestock guardian dog lol

What is a smell that they dislike? Well when you work with animals, sometimes they die and he's not fond of the smell of death. It's foul and his heart always drops knowing one of his animals had likely passed away.

Have they broken any bones? Broke his arm when he slide off the side of the canyon in the gulch

How would a stranger likely describe them? Friendly hard working fella

Are they a night owl or a morning bird? When he was alone? Night owl. Now? Morning bird to get a start on ranch chores. Kimiko has always been a morning bird so he started picking up that habit even before ranch stuff lol

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love? He'll eat just about anything but the one thing he will not eat is anything matcha flavored. Kimiko had him try a matcha cookies her sibling made for her and she started laughing when he actually was like "BLEGH" Evidently there is something he wont eat!

Do they have any hobbies? Wood carving and finding old things to paint/decorate to put in the house.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises? He will jump for sure, but he'll be fine after he see's what the fuss is about, where's the cake? lmao!

Do they like to wear jewelry? Yeah, he has some western rope necklace and bracelet. He found it in a box of his mothers old stuff and kept it (along with her hat)

Do they have neat or messy handwriting? It's very messy lol

What are two emotions they feel the most? Probably happy and focused

Do they have a favorite fabric? I guess denim because he always wears jeans

What kind of accent do they have? Mexican accent, I kind of imagine him sounding like Raul Tejada from Fallout: New Vegas (voiced by Danny Trejo)

I will tag @weisskralle @blackeyedaliens @fl0ptrait @theosconfessions @nikatyler if you wanna do it

[silurisanguine]

15 lines of Dialogue game

As ive been away for the weekend, not sure if anyone tagged me with this but saw it open tag so here we go. Tagging @vorchagirl @despicablediet and anyone who'd like to do it! 15 Lines of Dialogue Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well! Since i've written the most with Seren Jones, I shall pick her for this!

1 -"Maybe I am, but there isn’t anything left in this universe worth staying for. Whatever is in the next universe has to be better than this one Barrett, it has to. I can't bare to stay here any more, not without him, not when I could have done it so differently."

2 - "Cora… she was there, saw her dad die…She hated me, blamed me for not saving him. After the funeral, Lillian took her and that was the last I ever saw that wonderful twelve year old. I realised then I had no reason to stay in my universe as everything i loved had been taken from me. I hoped maybe another would give me a second chance. To fix things..to try again…

…That’s why I do this.”

3 - "I came here the first time with no preconception of what I’d find. I was in awe at the location, just as you are now. But what I learned here has guided my hand in relation to how I see the Artifacts, how I see Unity and the Starborn. Anyone who wants to complete the Artifact collection, needs to know the full story for themselves.”

4- "Now you see how dangerous this place is, and this is just the start. The Starborn Guardians here have lost all empathy, all compassion, their humanity in pursuit of their cause. They have nothing left in their existence except to stop anyone else reaching the Temple. …I sometimes wonder what is the point of their existence before I wipe them out of it for good.”

5 -”You washed them clean. I can say one good thing about Lillian in that she gave you the chance to do that. You’re not the same man, Sam.”

6 -”They makes me smile every time I come back here. But I’m not entirely alone, the fish there get a view unlike any other.” She pointed to the couple of little fish swimming in their tanks, sitting right at the edge of the massive view screen. “If you don’t mind taking care of them for me, they’ve been a good little crew, never complained once.”

7 - "I've never met you before. Until today I'd never met a single pirate here." That was the truth, if a little stretched Seren thought.

8 -"All this, this universe is a nightmare. I've been to so many variations and… You… everyone here is so different, so wrong. It’s like Unity decided to show me the worst outcome possible just to make me appreciate who I’d - what I’d lost.”

9 -"Neat trick, have to remember that next time I'm in a hell-hole universe."

10 -"Sorry, Sam, just picturing you over Vlad’s head brought on images of you in ballet tights and…yeah, sorry, I have too much imagination.”

11 - "Yes, justice, Delgado. See that’s behind most things I do now. In this case justice for those your fucking coloured coded Spacers have harmed- have murdered. It’s interesting really how far I got here without anyone realising who I really am... I wondered why no one noticed the SIN of my ship. Even Jess surprisingly. It was a gamble using it of course…But no one ever clocked that I was flying the Razorleaf."

12- “Until I knew for sure you felt the same way I did, I wasn’t sure how to really act around you. But now I know, expect more of this, Sam Coe.”

13 - “You know I would! I mean she called me darlin, you know that makes me melt.”

14 - "…He always said he was bad with words, yet he could say things that were like love poetry to me, that would dazzle me. He was so open with his feelings when he trusted you. Funny, absurd sometimes and he cared deeply and loved passionately. He was an amazing father and I-"

15 - "I've no idea. Being Starborn didn't exactly come with a manual."