#but at least I'll finally have a frame of reference

[loregoddess]

you know what, I've never actually heard legit elevator music in my life, time to rectify this

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

So...I was wondering if you had a post on information concerning Ace's older brother? Purely for research purposes of course...😅

Ask, and you shall receive!

This is a compilation of all the canon information I could find on Ace’s older brother. He has yet to be named, so 😅 errrr… I'll be referring to him as “Anippola" (as in “Trappola aniki”) in this post.

Anippola is older than Ace by 7 years.

According to Ace, his brother was even more excited about Ace getting into NRC than their parents were.

Before Ace was accepted into NRC, his older brother would take him along with him to various places.

He is an alumnus of NRC and was previously in Heartslabyul dorm; this is why Ace is not surprised when he, too, is sorted into Heartslabyul.

Ace talks with his older brother over the phone. Sometimes they talk late into the night, which occasionally makes Ace late in the mornings.

He “built up a whole repertoire of magic tricks” from his days as a NRC student. Ace learned them by playing watching, memorizing, and then finally replicating those magic tricks, since Anippola refused to tell him how to do them. It is through these kinds of experiences that Ace has become quite adaptable.

He learned some sleight of hand tricks from their magicless father too.

Whenever the Trappola men are together, they will challenge each other to pull off various tricks.

Ace reports that his older brother told him "the most convincing lies are sprinkled with a dash of the truth". This implies that Ace may have learned how to lie so cleverly from Anippola, or at the very least was inspired by his advice.

Ace's brother bought a luxury watch with his first paycheck. He framed it as though it was Ace's birthday gift, but then revealed the item was actually for himself and gave Ace an empty box instead.

Anippola later apologized and gave Ace a box of candy, which annoyed his little brother (because Ace says he's not a little kid, of course he wouldn't be happy about receiving candy!)

Another time, Anippola purposefully snuffed out the candles on Ace's birthday cake. This resulted in a fight between the brothers.

From these stories, we can deduce that Anippola s a prankster.

He did his 4th year NRC internship at a theme park management company designing shows and attractions. (The dialogue could also be interpreted as generally working in the entertainment industry, not specifically for the theme park company.) Anippola currently works for that same place.

There is supposedly a picture of Ace's brother hung up in the hallway by the teacher's lounge. The photo is from when Anippola led the card solider parade for a Magical Shift/Spelldrive opening ceremony.

Ace says his brother is not the type to make sweets for him.

Anippola wasn't all too interested in dorm life.

He told Ace about various ways to kill time at his dorm.

Ace describes Anippola as someone who is light-hearted, casual, and easy to get along with.

Ace also admits that it can be advantageous to have an older brother, as they are an example to follow and could support him in that way. He specifically mentions school life and job hunting as examples.

[cl0ckworkqueerness]

in the wake of the reveal of the "pills that make you green" comic's creator revealing her true colours (something I've been aware of for a while but haven't had much specifically to speak about until now), i think it's important to take a step back and look at some of her claims about transandrophobia, as well as many anti-transandrophobia (or transandrophobic) talking points, and analyze them critically without, in any way, demeaning transmisogyny as a concept. let's start with some of the things i've seen on her blog and go from there

first of all, there's a lot of talk about how activists who are vocal about transandrophobia are "derailing" conversations about transmisogyny. while i'm certain there are some legitimate examples, many of the examples i have seen that i presume she is referring to are speaking about her comics that specifically strawman the stick figure who is an allegory of a trans man or transmasculine individual.

in these comics, this stick figure is often unjustly cruel and even oppressive of the lime stick figure, an allegory for trans women or transfeminine individuals, while simultaneously whining about how they also experience oppression and should be focused on instead. this frames trans men and transmasculine individuals as loud, taking up space, oppressing transfeminine people (who are More Oppressed), and simply cannot understand that they do not face as terrible of treatment as the other.

the problem that most people, myself included, take with this is that the author seems to be living in an alternate world where trans men, somehow, are a legitimate, strong, oppressive force over trans women, and want to take up all the space in the trans community's discussion to ourselves. there are definitely people who abuse the term transandrophobia to say transmisogynistic things, without a doubt, but in my experience most of us simply want to say that we, too, experience terrible types of oppression as a result of intersectionality that a trans woman, transfeminine, or trans person who's perceived as either of those things may not experience. transandrophobia is not meant to overtake transmisogyny, it is meant to stand beside transmisogyny and further prove that different trans people can experience different types of oppression, and thus should unite against both.

another thing i've seen on the comic author's account is how the idea of androphobia is anti-feminist and comes from MRAs or something, which... uh, again, i don't know what planet you're living on, but here on earth, there are men who are discriminated against and even treated with violence because of their ties to masculinity, femininity, both, or neither. and again, it is not our problem if MRAs decide to appropriate actual, useful terms in order to spread misogyny. we should not have to keep changing our language every time a bad person uses it. if we did, we would have no language, and thus once again be silenced.

since i don't have the time or the spoons to go through everything she's ever said or reblogged on her account, i'll just go over one more thing. no, the discussion and desired visibility of transandrophobia is not some kind of psyop or massive conspiracy to kill the idea of transmisogyny. if we didn't believe in transmisogyny, we'd have no reason to believe in transandrophobia either, after all. for me, at least, talking about transandrophobia is equally as important because trans men, like myself, have been forced into silence for so long and erased from most of history. trans men weren't even well documented until much, much later in history.

additionally, i doubt this needs to be said, but if any of you are actually intentionally ignoring transmisogyny in your discussion of intersectionality, you have no place in this discussion

and finally, to the author of these comics, i doubt you're reading this, but if you are, please reconsider your hostility. framing the discussion around transandrophobia in the way you are is not only equating trans people who face detrimental oppression to the people who are trying to oppress us and force us into silence, but you too are actively advocating for the silencing and erasure of, and subsequently the lack of resources for, trans men, transmasculine individuals, trans people who are perceived as either of these things, or anyone who primarily faces transandrophobia. i don't blame you for being defensive, and i will absolutely take your side should anyone be transmisogynistic towards you or anyone else, but you don't have to drag trans men who just want to talk about our shared experiences through the mud in order to support your point of transmisogyny's danger, especially within the trans community. if you want to have a genuine, mature discussion about transandrophobia and its dangers, and transmisogyny within the trans community, i'm sure someone would be happy to discuss that with you. but with the way you're treating and talking about trans men, it is unlikely that you will take anyone up on that offer

idk man. i feel like it's important to talk about transmisogyny and transandrophobia at the same time, as well as all other forms of intersectionality. we should be turning transphobes into couches instead of whatever the hell this is

[sea-of-dust]

Alva,Frederick,Edgar,Demi x Rock Vo. GN! Reader

Compared to the way you dress they would have never guessed you knew your way around a ballroom

N: I'm gonna keep thinking of acheron and black swans dances final frame. Also Frederick's new skin, that thing has a grip on me,poppin party,Céline Dion,Mustard service references

Warnings: mentions of drinking, might be ooc

Ugh, you and luca being friends is one thing, him noticing the hunter and saying "ez sweep" is another. Luca would tell you what to do against him you'd do it, he'd get pissed you two would do it everytime you see em. Strangely enough is that you've never seen Alva before and when you asked who the fabled "tall coat guy" luca would answer "litterally a tall coat guy"

As soon as you did see him however you knew why luca didn't want you to ever meet him. His cold gaze, the scar near his eye, the elegance he radiates. "Are you single?" "Excuse me?" Luca would know instantly if you met him when you come back like a children's cartoon protagonist that's just been kissed by their crush. "Wow..." he was mortified.

Luca does get a bit werided out when he thinks too much about you crushing on his teacher, that dosent stop him from giving you heads up tho. "There's a public map" you stop tuning your neck nearly snapping to see him "where? Can I perform? Is the tall coat guy gonna be there?" "Dunno" "I'll take it" So the most delulu person on earth (you/j) decided to perform under the deck of the ship, not paying much mind as you played songs you thought he'd like, trying not to make direct eye contact with this seemingly uninterested man, too focused on his conversation with the clerk. You thought maybe he had tuned you out after the first few chords, until the next match with him where he hummed. A humming a little too similar to the lyrics you sang. While kiting him you could barely believe your ears, you had to have Demi fact check you.

A few more performances and a chair was all it took for him to begin to speak to you. "That voice of yours is wonderful" your eyes widen, looking up at him quickly, he smirks, reminiscing on the concert. "I'm normally not the type to like rock. I'm glad you're an acception" you froze, you could have sworn he could hear you internally scream or atleast see you blush as much as you did

He isn't very social but you've gotten the treat of seeing him smile, and not terror shock you as much. "You've gotten soft" "have I now?" In truth you went from being able to kite at least 3 ciphers to 2.5, he doesn't terror shock you but he makes up for it in actual shocks. Atleast he's friendly enough to show you where the dungeon is before poking you with the staff. There would also be the occasional soft look in his eyes eventually making a bit more physical contact with you. "You're so pretty" you re-wrap his bandages causally mummbling that out, he retracted his hand quickly. "Did I tie something too tight?" "No" you hold out your hand for his arm. "Do you really think im pretty" your eyes widen "I didn't think you heard me but yea, the way your eyes pierce into people is attractive" you blush embrassed you're rambling this much "atleast in my opinion" he looks away before placing his arm into your hand to continue wrapping, you continue on nervously wrapping them. He'd look at them later on in the match, thinking about what you said, it's too distracting for him to just not hear "you're pretty" over and over

He'd ask you out pretty awkwardly, because it would be straight to the point. "I love you, please consider me as a partner" "." He'd stand there like a brick and you would be to, out of pure shock your brain would have just exploded by then. "Sure-" brainfart of an answer, biggest regret of your life. Thank god he didn't seem to mind.

He likes comming out of his office just to see you out there practicing, you'd hear his foot steps and greet him with a smirk. "You've been in there for 15 hours I can't feel my hands" "I'm sure you're fine" "they feel like white noise" "so you feel them" "no" closing his eyes he'd listen to your careful fingers press on strings and strum, whenever he opened his eyes he always looked love struck so you try to block out his face from your mind, but the more you try to shut it out the more clear it gets. You had to stop looking at him when you practice

He'd notice if you've overused your voice during a match. Coughing, trying to relieve strain, pinching the front of your neck. He'd stop you mid kite and tell you about ways to relieve it. "Hopefully you like tea and honey." "?" "For your throat" "oh" he kisses your forehead. "I'll prepare some after this. Go decode for now" you'd have a higher chance of failing ciphers after that, Luca had to supervise. "He's so pretty..." "decode for him" easiest way to get you to lock in and to shut up about Alva

The only pet peeve he has with you is when you're both in a match and a survivor would say something along the lines of "I don't know how to get around this hunter" and you and luca would respond simultaneously "ez sweep" so he started finding loop holes, such as winking at you during kites, flirting with you if he found you first leaving the cipher bare, and just going after Luca first. He was no longer "ez sweep" to you two anymore, you had to tell a new survivor to "follow their gut!" For a while

He didn't care much for your rumors about being an aristocrat, if anything they're an afterthought, and an explanation on why you're able to causally name plants, and almost never use your hands when eating you'd eat fruits with a fork or a toothpick. This did come into play when you asked him to dance. Surely nothing it could be fine? He barely remembers how to do ballroom dance, so you went easy on him. It felt like a roller coaster. You could be able to tell he was embrassed everytime he almost stepped on your feet, the quick turns he wasn't ready for you'd catch his eyes widen. Somehow able to dip someone as tall as him you catch an exhausted smile on his face. "I should do this more often with you" he scoffs "maybe another time"

Ugh, as a musician he respects you knowing your talents after attending a show you did in the lobby, or just hearing it blast a few times but knowing your background you're gonna have to go the extra mile to even get him to associate with you. A person dressed like some local turning out to be an aristocrat, and their family respects that? Ridiculous you must be lying

He'd warm up to you slowly, he was annoyed he could hear you practice? Take these headphones. Then he couldn't hear the piano? Alright you'll change the time you do practice. He'd hate to admit it but when overwhelmed He'd purposely look for you while practicing, chaotic riffs like the ones you play would usually overwhelm him, but there's a difference when you practice, you're humming the lyrics softly while playing watered downed versions of certain bits, sometimes pleasing soft riffs. It's therapeutic, won't let you catch him listening though

That changes when you begin to date him. Now he's in the same room! "Im gonna pratice one i dont think youd like much" "I'm sure I can enjoy it regardless" you hum uncertainly hesitantly placing your fingers where they need to go, and begin to play, the melodies seeming uncertain of themselves as if shy. "With all the times I made mistakes infront of you I never expected you to be so considerate it hurts your performance" he sits closer to you "I'll be alright, play as you see fit regardless of me being in audience" "alright..." You play a bit hesitantly in the beginning, but pretty quickly you practice as usual, you sigh as you complete it. "That was too difficult" "do you want me to not be here when you practice?" You're not very sure how to answer that

He'd enter your room at night. "I know you're awake" "WOAH" you jolt back squinting your eyes to try and get a better look at him. "Why are you here at this hour?" "I got scared" "Sure bud" you embrace him, letting stiff arms return the favor. In truth he was kept awake by the thoughts of things couples usually do, sleeping in the same bed being one of them, imagining you there just wasn't going to cut it for him, to have you near him, to trust him enough to sleep in the same room as him let alone close to his chest, he felt at ease. You would wake up to his grip firmly around you or from him carassing your cheek or playing with your hair.

It feels werid when you two aren't in manor games together, you're like eatchothers lucky charms, he can't really handle if you're in too many games without him in a row. "I gotta get back soon Frederick might sleep on the piano again" Demi raises an eyebrow "he what?" "what if he stares so hard at my guitar it ends up full of sorrow" Demi's heard it all, she's heard of him evaporating, laying on couches, playing piano then sighing pausing and continuing to play a more loudly and harshly (according to Luca) "he thinks about alota things at once you know"

He does feel a bit strange when it comes to physical affection. Hugs and small kisses did feel a icky, when you do show him physical affection you'd try to keep it to a minimum accolading this, he judges you for that. Playing with his hair and stopping he looks up at you with narrowed eyes "what?" "Keep going" he grumbles. He'd start turning around to judge you if you dared to remove your hands from him. Sometimes even initiating, which would confuse and fluster the heck out of you. He does have his limits don't push them and he'll be fine.

He'd invite you to practice with him sometimes. It would always fluster the hell outta you but barely for him. "Are you sure?" You look around a bit frantically "I'm sure" "I'll get my gutair then" as soon as you sit down with him it usually goes with him beginning to play, you joining in after seeming to get the gist, you realize there was sheet music the entire time for you, say that you're "built diffrent" for just knowing what to play automatically "I'm just built like that" "Uh huh..." he disregards it, he knows you forget about the sheet music most of the time. Atleast he doesn't stay there for hours away from most people, that much anymore, now he spends atleast half of that practice session with you.

So to punish you for almost always never paying attention, he decided to make a song, no surprise he'd already think of making you a song, this was just an excuse for if you ever asked him why. "Do you mind if we practice again today" "you can't get enough of me can you" teasing him, you go with him hearing the unfamiliar song he began to play, you get behind him and begin to read the sheet music. "This one has alot of emotion to it" you continue to listen, wrapping your arms around his neck. "I think I got this" letting go of him, you play along with the emotional tone of the song. Test magically passed

You'd tease him with some song choices, letting him recognize the songs he wrote played on your gutair, or singing a lyric he just can't pass over for some reason "you haven't found everything you've been searching. Find it with me then we'll lose it and find it again" he blushes you could tell he was thinking too much on it. he turned away closing his eyes as you continued on singing, was your voice always this hypnotizing? Why are these chords so flustering now of all times? "Please stick to rock" "this is rock" "oh" you could barely hear that, getting closer to him you whisper in his ear "pleasantries-" "something I say to you, love" "so you know this" he tries to hide his flustered face. "The lyrics are pretty tame I'm surprised a song you've heard for a while now flustered you" you hug him kissing his cheek. You look foward to his reaction whenever you play songs like that near him, or just him paying too much attention to the lyrics and drifting into his imagination

Now imagine him finding out those you being an aristocrat rumors were real. You had him thinking you were normal until you ate a grape with a toothpick and knew how to tie his aggressively fancy bows. As soon as a partner dance came along you quite litterally swept him off his feet. A style of partner dance that was unique full of dramatic turns it almost felt like you were just dragging him along a bit, a weightless, graceful dance that would have been unexpected if you weren't accustomed to it. A dip is where you two make eye contact. "Did I tuker you out too much?" You smile uncertainly,him huffing to catch his breath, his mind racing with thoughts. "I'm fine" "would you like to do for another then?" "I'd rather not"

Ugh, pretty loud and he just hears the mumbles, he'll think it's incoherent metal, disrupts painting when you hear a sudden yell no matter how pretty it is

He dosent dislike you personally, after all you gave him your spare ear muffs when he brought this up to you. He becomes a good ally after that, you could go for a rescue and he'd be able to cover you. Those ear muffs come in handy, so handy that hunters try to take them. Unfortunately, you or him are always the first to yank them off or knock It out the hand of the hunter

He would slowly become apart of you Demi and Lucas crew. That one guy in a group that's never there but when he is it makes that day better, he's that guy. It gets so hype over there the hunter would turn their head wondering about the noise. "we got it guys!!" "YEA" "were getting a 4 escape!!" The hunters oprea singer

He'd grow super attached to you after you say something positive about his art. "Youve made this in a day?" "Yea?" "I find that hard to believe, the layering in this, the way they don't just lay ontop of eatchother but blend, not to mention accurate shadows" you take a pause dazed at the fine work. "It's beautiful" he doesn't speak, shocked that you knew the beauty and worth of his art something that most he met didn't understand, he fell for you hard over those comments, exactly why he shows you his pieces more often

You two would start dating rather quickly, you dropping signs the most aggressive way possible, causally holding hands when alone, sharing a cipher and really bad ideas "we should rescue luca" "no" "?" "He told me I should cut my canvas in half so I had four drawings instead of two" "...I mean in concept it's good but it might set ya off" "it already did" "after half then?" "Yea" thankfully Demi swooped in

You do try to sit down and paint with him. It was like a toddler following along a Bob Ross tutorial, but atleast Bob didn't stare at your painting for long periods of time. "Are you familiar with aristocrats?" "Yea?" He narrows his eyes "are you one?" "Are my drawings that bad?" "No these strokes are just ones nobility usually do" "crazy" he knew you were an aristocrat, and one that appreciated his art is even better. "Consider me your biggest fan in the art world" he giggles going back to his piece

He's run out of paintings during a match? Suddenly this isn't a match it's a rock show. "Find something in the item boxes nearby I'll distract them for you" distract them the loudest way possible how did you even bring an amp to a match?! "Why do you keep playing poppin party songs" "1) they're loud enough to cover the sound of us moving 2) they're more focused on me, the source of the music and 3) if you actually noticed" you point at Joseph "I found out he in particular has a real liking for Arisa he's not just gonna ignore her out of all people" Sure enough a familiar photographer appeared in the distance. "You mind opening the exit gate"

Despite him being sarcastic as hell he tries to sing along when you practice or perform. "You look like someone just sucked the life outta you" "how do you do this on the regular?" "Vocal practice wait till you have to scream in matches to save people" "." This stuff isn't for him but listening to you do it sounds alot better, and its nice to hum. You've caught him humming more times than you can count, and whenever you tell him he gets embrassed. "It's cute tho" "I'm sure the hunter could catch us if I continued" "They're across the map"

He hates the way you kiss whenever you're rushing somewhere. You do this thing he calls the entertainer's peck. Where you'd wave or acknowledge him, kiss his cheek and continue walking. He hates it because of how it lingers, you can't just take his hand to turn him toward you only to kiss him on the cheek and leave to a concert area or to decode. You're making him lose focus, one of those kisses that make you want another. You'd have him mummbling like a fool, espically if he could chase after you he'd give you his own peck, which led to the part he hated the most, the soft "I'll cherish this" expression on your face when you look back at him. He's giving you another until you stop looking at him like that!

He knew you were an aristocrat and he was thankful for it there was a higher chance you realized his talents. Hed ask you to dance first. "Shall we dance?" "Sure" informal way of accepting but formal style of dance. The way you both were able to be in sync no matter what move you threw at him, it turned out to be more of a test of skill than a friendly dance, as soon as you dipped him you could see all of the energy he lost hit him at once as he could barely keep himself up, you giggled at his predicament. "We should do this more often, you're alot more used to this than I thought" "we should, maybe I could try tossing you" his face straightens "nevermind"

Party! She's litterally with you all the time, with Luca as a carry on. You three would basically host rock concerts in the manor. You'd sing about freedom and living on, who cares for the noise complaint invest in ear plugs!!

You'd always be with her or luca during the games, though you do prefer Demi a bit more, she dosent laugh so hard it alerts the hunter. She's also more aware than Luca making running away alot easier. Though after games you prefer Luca, Luca doesn't cling to you so much you have to sleep in the same bed as him to make him feel better, he just calls you his hero

Does help when you're rescuing her, Naiad could be dashing toward you yet all be stopped by a simple ear spliting shreak from you, you had her seeing double. "I didn't know you could also do metal" "it's useful with the amount of commissions I get"

She'd randomly get an idea to try and wing along while you play. "I got it I got it" reasuring herself you begin to play familiar chords as she opens her mouth you change them to diffrent ones "I DONT KNOW THE LYRICS TO TEAR DROPS" "you got it!" She indeed barely had it, barely able to say of the lyrics correctly. Her revenge? "You mind playing this" she shows you probably the most confusing sheet music you've seen in your career a Frederick special if you will. "Alright-" and so the manor wondered what happened to the music they randomly heard when passing your room for the next 2 days

She'd fall asleep If you two weren't summoned for a round that day leaving you and her alone to explore the manor or practice guitar. People would come and go to you twos makeshift karoke. Espically Norton apparently. "IT WAS LOST LONG AGO BUT ITS ALL COMMING BACK TO ME" those two would sing with their hearts out the whole manor could tell you the lyrics by heart. You could play a cord to a song she'd accidently "ITS ALL COMMING BACK TO ME" "." "That wasn't the right song?" "No"

Almost scream royality. Random bug? "AHHHHHH" small spoke? "AUHHHHHHH" you and luca pretending to be possessing eatchothers bodies "NOOOOOO" surprisingly she doesn't scream like this when a giant nun lady jumps at her, except when she did and found out why you're scream royality. "So how'd ya get chaired?" "Rescue me first" "you're way too far from half" she pouts "so I tried screaming to burst her ear drums like you do..." "and?" "And she looked me straight in the eyes, then the cat screamed louder I swear it was like one of yours and then I was here" ".pft" "not cool!"

She gets tipsy during rounds, leading to some fun confessions of love. "Y/n...I love youu" she leans onto you, puckered lips to an exaggerated degree. "I gotta decode Demi" sighing you let her cling onto you tighter "did any person tell you how cute you are? Am I the first?" "You aren't" she gasps dramatically "reallllyyyy?" "Yea, a barmaid got to me before you" she blows a raspberry

She leads you away for rounds, asking for help setting up a kiting area. "Thanks for the help" she lands a kiss on your cheek. "Demi" "what?" "I appreciate it but Luca might vomit over this again" "he forced himself to" she wraps her arms around your waist, leaning in to be closer to you "he'll be fine" he wasn't fine. "You two really gotta get a room" "wadya mean?" "You keep looking with these lovey dovey eyes, were all on the same cipher and that poor guys probably single handedly evading that rock guy. "Arent they the same person" "yea they both got that same scar" "now you're tag teaming me?" "Yea" you both make the same look.

If she were ever to escape the hunter injured she'll run to you near instantly. "I think you should kiss me and all my injuries will heal" "that's not how it works Demi" you continue your healing "you're so warm..." "I know" "hehe" you kiss her forehead, finishing up. "I'm still injured" she dramatically places her hand on her forehead, both of you hearing a cipher being popped. "Oh look you're at full health" she sighs "worth a shot"

You being an aristocrat? She didn't care much but it did affect how you did certain things, and explained why you knew how to take care of plants,paint, and piano...barely the gutairs more fitting. When you asked her to dance, she got flustered, such a formal request, but comming from you it should have been a bit obvious it was comming. She didn't expect how graceful you were, it felt like an instructor dancing with their student for a test, the turns focused eyes turning to soft looks whenever you made eye contact with her. It was a flustering the hell outta of her she couldn't think for more than two secounds with you suddenly invading her thoughts with the shift in demeanor. When she took the lead by the end and dipped you, you seemed to snap out of it. "You're really good at improv" "how sweet of you" she huffs bringing you up to stand. "Would you like to dance again later?" "You sound like an old noble"

[peachhcs]

please something with Sammy and will after tonight’s (Chicago’s) game! he looked way too good

ok i know umich women's soccer isn't doing the best this season and they lost their game last night, but let's just pretend for this tehehe. will looked fine affff in that intermission interview phew

au masterlist

samy’s phone buzzed in her hand while she helped hannah unlock their apartment door and shuffled in with their stuff. the brunette smiled seeing her boyfriend’s name flash across the screen knowing they probably just finished the game an hour ago.

“damn, is he ever not on time with those calls?” hannah teased when she saw her friend’s phone making the two giggle.

“he’s very consistent with calling every night,” samy hummed, dropping her bags by the counter for now so she could answer will’s call.

his face appeared a moment later, curls damp and face flushed probably from the shower. hannah quickly waved when samy propped her phone up on the counter, “hey will! about to go watch the highlights!” the duke sibling exclaimed before disappearing from the frame.

will chuckled. “hey hannah. hey,” he directed his focus back to samy, expression worn from the long day and the even longer night ahead as they headed to canada for tomorrow night’s game.

“hi, i haven’t watched the highlights yet. we just got back from my game as soon as you called,” samy smiled a bit, but it faded when she saw the blonde’s faded expression.

“ugh, you don’t have to even bother. we lost 4-2,” will rolled his eyes a bit, the defeat clear in his system still. so far, the season hadn’t really been off to a great start yet.

“aw, i’m sorry. how long were you on for?”

“i was on every period, but i dunno. bedard is fucking scary sometimes on the ice,” will huffed making samy giggle.

"yeah, you're right with that one. i mean at least you tried your best that's all that matters. i'm sure it will pick up. you're still getting used to it and everything. plus, these guys way faster and way different from college hockey," she offered her best advice to hopefully lift the hockey player's spirits. will did manage a smile.

"i know, i know. still hurts sometimes though. i can count how many games we've won on one hand," he held up his fingers.

"it will look up, i promise. i'm still proud of you, and i did catch your first intermission interview. you should see the comments under that video," the girl giggled referring to the all the other girls fan-girling over her boyfriend because of how good he looked between periods.

will's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, shaking his head a bit, "so are you saying you agree with them?"

"i mean, you did look pretty good. they have a point," samy grinned making her boyfriend deeply blush.

"i'll remember that then. too bad you aren't here to see it all in person," he teased back which had samy blushing as well.

if anything, samy was always right along with those girls making edits and thirsting over her boyfriend. she loved seeing the edits come in her for you page and more times than not, she was sending them to will so he could see himself.

"maybe next time when i don't have a game keeping me here."

"you guys won right?" will wondered and the brunette eagerly nodded. "i caught some of it during intermission. 7-1's pretty good."

"i know. we're super excited about the season. coach definitely thinks we're winning it all," samy chuckled.

"i mean, with you there it's pretty much in the bag," the boy's words brought another blush to her cheeks.

"you're just saying that," she rolled her eyes, but will just shrugged.

"i've already bought my tickets for the finals," the couple shared a smile with one another.

"bold move, but i appreciate it."

"hey will, we're packing up soon," a new voice entered the call and samy quickly recognized it as macklin.

the younger brunette stuck his head into the frame, waving. "hi samy."

"hi mack. i'll let you guys go. have a safe flight, text me when you land," samy blew a kiss to will through the screen.

"i will. i love you," he did the same back, ignoring macklin's snickering.

"i love you, too! bye mack," she waved to them before ending the call, excited to finally get into the shower to get all the dirt and sweat off her body.

"is this how gabe felt last year when you were always calling samy?" macklin teased while will threw his phone onto the bed to get the rest of his things together.

"oh shut up," he shoved the boy, sharing a laugh. "when you get a girlfriend, i'm not gonna leave you alone either."

[aritsukemo]

Sick Days Chronicle | Pinky Promise | Shinobu Kocho

Summary: Sick days are the worst, but at least you get the pleasure of having your partner take time out of their otherwise busy schedule to take care of you! <3

Warnings: Nothing serious. Shinobu refers to you as 'dear' more than a few times. Also horrible and probably inaccurate medical descriptions ahead!

A/N: My first day at my first job was great despite me making so many mistakes! 😅 While I get used to my new schedule, please take this continuation of my sick day chronicles that I was finally able to finish!

Day One: Yuichiro Tokito | Day Two: Shinobu Kocho | Day Three: Muichiro Tokito | Day Four: Tanjiro Kamado | Day Five: Aoi Kanzaki

"Take this twice a day for the next week and you'll feel much better," Shinobu, your doctor—who you were lucky enough to also call your girlfriend—instructed. Her gentle voice echoing in your head as you slowly digested and picked apart every little word that left her pink, glossed lips because who knows when the next time any words from her will be directed specifically at you.

You watch her every little movement. From the way she backs away to the way her polished hands kick up her butterfly-patterned haori just a little so that when she sits back on the stool, she doesn't sit on it to the way she involuntarily tugs at it, straightening it out as her hands slowly slide down the varying colors until they reach her thighs and the way she lays her hands diagonally on each thigh. You take note of how perfectly positioned they are and how they aren't slanted inwards to the point that it'd look uncomfortable, but aren't slanted too outwards to where it'd look like they're falling off the sides of her thighs.

As always, Shinobu has even the small things like how she sits perfected—or maybe you were just imagining it so that you'd have an excuse to suck in every little thing about her appearance. Maybe that's proof of just how starved you were of her..

And maybe, this is more proof of it, "Can you help me out?" You lift the cup just a little for emphasis on what you meant, being careful of the leaf-colored liquid sloshing around inside the cup.

She blinks and you can tell she's caught off guard by your question by the way her lips making a small 'o' before she quickly recovers and asks, "Of course, but may I ask why you couldn't yourself?"

"My arms feel weak," You threw out as she stood to her feet again, the two strands that frame her face swaying as she does so. She steps closer and leans in. Her cool, smooth hands encasing yours for a moment before they swiftly move to the cup and retreat with it. She then moved the cup to your lips and ever so slowly tilted it just as you tilted your head back a little.

"Is that so? They weren't bothering you before now. I hope this isn't the case, but are you coming down with more symptoms?" She asks, her tone honey sweet, but dipped in just enough sour worry that it makes the question come off less like a neutral fret or more like warm concern.

She waits patiently as she always does with everything and watches as you slowly drink down the bitter medicine. Being mindful to keep it at a low slant so that you can take in comfortable amounts at a time. It's only when you finish that she hastily rips the cup away from your lips.

"No other symptoms, just feel a little weak.." You reassure. It wasn't entirely false. Whatever you caught has made you feel more tired than usual whenever you did something. That exhaustion just wasn't very prominent in your arms, but she didn't need to know that.

You watch her tilt her head to the side. Not much, but enough for her self-made bangs to tilt—the one on the right bending just a tad when it meets her chin.

"Hm, it may just be fatigue, but I'll keep it in mind regardless. Let me now immediately if the feeling worsens, alright?" And then your heart tightens when you hear the slight fuzzy noise of her socks sliding against the smooth flooring—a small, but clear indication that she's about to turn around. An even clearer indication that she's about to leave.

"In case it is just fatigue, I think you should rest—" "Wait!" She pauses, half of her body turned towards the door including her head. That said, at your rather desperate call, she immediately turns, allowing you to catch the sight of her slim, pointy eyelashes falling from initially being raised up from surprise for the second time today.

"What's wrong? Do you feel any pain? Sudden dizziness?" She asks. Her tone strangled with sudden urgency that you've only heard a few times in the past. It reminds you of those small times of peace you two would share and that suffocating feeling of undeserved annoyance that would cage your heart whenever Aoi or one of the triplets would run in shouting about a patient in dire need of her attention. It also reminds of that empty feeling that would occur afterwards when that irritation dissipates as you watch Shinobu immediately leave your side while using that same semi-stern tone drenched all over the questions she shot out in hurry as she tries to access the severity of the situation.

It reminds you of her position. Of her title as the best medically-specialized demon slayer in all of the Demon Slayer Corps. A painful reminder that follows the realization of how important her time is to everyone and how you just wasted it by spewing lies for the sake of spending even a few more seconds of time with her.

In the end, you sigh at the realization that's finally plagued your mind; you were being very immature right now—something you know Shinobu despises with all her being and would certainly scold you or worse for if she found out the truth.

"Nevermind, it's nothing," You say, your tone sounding more defeated than you would've liked it to.

"Go on," One of your supposedly weak arm raises without trouble, your hand flicking up as you wave her off, "I'm sure you have many patients who need your attention.."

"Dear," You freeze. Your throat seems to as well because the air inside of it catches, unable to escape it's gummy confines. It causes your face to tingle, or at least, that's what you'd like to think. It's too embarrassing to admit that your face is growing warm because she referred to you by a common pet name—that she refers to everyone in—in a softer tone of voice..

She calls you again, "Dear," and you feel her cool touch all over as she cups her smooth hands over your rough ones. You hesitate, still deciding whether to pull away or stay and revel in her touch when she decides for you by tightening her grip—not having the strength enough to hurt you, but her grip is still firm, preventing you from easily pulling away. Not that the thought even crossed your mind to begin with.

"Are you alright?" She asks, "While I do believe part of it has to do with you falling under the weather, I've noticed you've been acting odd. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Gods, the way she's looking at you right now. Like a mermaid witnessing humans for the first time as they dance under the moonlight together. Like a goddess walking hand in hand along the heavans and looking up at their beloved Aphrodite herself. Her look was one so genuine and delicate that something as small as a frown from you could tranquish it; a scarce, fleeting expression that's completely foreign in comparison to the usual masks she tends to wear.

..And she's willing to let a shameless liar like yourself see it. Not one of the other Hashira, not Aoi or the triplets, not even Kanao. It was an expression made only for you. It was proof that even with so little time spent with each other, her love for you remains unwavering.

And here you were, lying to such a face because of such a silly reason..

"I.. I'm..alright," You tell her, your eyes darting to look everywhere but her face, "..My arm is too.." You sigh. Are you really doing this?

"I..lied to you when I said my arms were hurting.." Your eyes scrunch and close, waiting for the inevitable scolding or harsh words that you may, understandably, receive for wasting her time, but it never comes. Instead, you hear a light hum from her before she answers you as calm as ever, "Well, I obviously knew that."

Your eyes shoot open, the shock giving you the courage to look at her face at last, "Huh?" Again, one would think she would follow up with at least a light scolding, but it seems the time apart has caused you to forget just who Shinobu Kocho is; a woman who, even when fuming to the point steam comes out of her ears, would never take it out on someone—especially not a patient.

"It was obvious that you were lying. The type of muscle fatigue you describe tends to show itself in the early stages of an illness," She explains, "Plus, your body and face gave you away whenever you slightly moved your arms. Just now too. When you moved them, you showed zero struggle or signs of discomfort."

"I- I see.." Time really does make the mind grow weary for you to think that you could fool her, especially about something in her field of expertise. Even so, you can't find yourself saying that you'd never pull something like this again if a situation like this one ever called for it. That said, you end up changing the sentence that formed in your hand immeidately after it formed in your head, saying something entire different instead..

"I'm sorry for trying to trick you," Your eyes trail down to your hands which were still safely encased in hers—a grip feeling akin to icebergs, and yet, you don't pull away. Not when a touch like this one comes as often as a demon who's repulsed by human flesh.

"I'm not mad, I simply want to know your reason for lying in the first place." She further reassures.

"I.." Your tongue stills in your mouth, embarrassment creeping up your skin in the form of your blood again as it burns your cheeks and causes them to tingle and—although you're praying it wasn't noticeable—change colors.

"I just wanted to spend time with you..that's all.." You couldn't look up at her at first, but maybe you should've because it would've probably explained the expression you're seeing now; pink lips twisted up just enough to be noticed, but not enough for it to seem like her usual grins. Her eyebrows had fallen, making her eyes seem as soft as the furry creatures she despises so much. And what takes the cake is the cherry blossom blush painting her expression. Blush. She's blushing. You've never seen her blush before, but gods do you wish that you had sooner! She looks nothing short of ethereal. Like an oil painting..or a white dove spirit.

"Dear.." She calls in a hushed tone, the sudden raspiness overcoming that petname—that has quickly become your favorite word to hear her refer to you as—before a small, courteous laughter is breathed out from her lips and she shakes her head, taking note of her dual-colored bangs swaying side-to-side once again.

Then suddenly, she pulls her hands away from yours, releasing you from the spell she had casted on you. It saddened you. If you had the choice, you'd stay hypnotized by her sugary words, her honey-syrup laughter, and be enveloped by her icicle fingers for all of eternity..

"Whether you believe me or not, I also missed you greatly but I've been so busy that even my free time is spent in the presence of everyone in need of my help.." She holds out her hand to you again, but this time, just her dainty pinky finger sticks out as she says, "So, how about this; when you get better, come find me and we can go somewhere far away or hide away somewhere here for a little while. Just the two of us. Pinky Promise."

Your eyes linger on her pinky, eyes widening for nth time today. For someone known for her maturity, this was..surprisingly childish of her to do. At the same time, the scene before you felt so right. Like watching a queen put on her crown that was stolen from her or watching a demon slayer move to the next step of their training after spending months practicing..

And so, without a sense of regret or shame or embarrassment, you brought your hand up, stuck out your pinky, and allowed her to wrap her smaller, slimmer, one around yours—smiling as you return the favor and curl your pinky around hers.

Dividers were made by me, pictures used are from Pinterest, post formatting is inspired by @xxsabitoxx

[foldingfittedsheets]

I have never had a post-coital headache, but I saw the ask and it made me think...

Orgasming using a vibe hurts my clitoris. It doesn't even touch my clit because it uses airwaves or something to vibrate the air around the clit, not sure. And I don't enjoy vibrators that touch the clit because it just doesn't feel like anything pleasurable? I can't explain it but it doesn't feel good or bad just kinda numbs me.

I'll be getting bottom surgery to nullify my crotch someday, so I guess it doesn't matter much, since I can limp along till then. I'll be tucking the clitoris and the nerve bundle under some skin and tissue and hopefully the padding will help offset the pain (and I could finally use those cute giant wand vibrators with the big buzzy ball), but I'm just asking in case you have ever heard of this and are willing to respond on your blog.

For the record, I don't enjoy using my hands on my clit, doesn't feel good and dysphoric and bothers my asexuality (I don't like touching genitals at all and the wetness feels icky). I grew up using the pressure and squeeze method. Basically ball up a blanket, press it to my pubis, and then do a very prolonged, overpowered kegel and there you go (kinda tiring tho). I didn't even know I had a clit growing up, always assumed it was the urethra because it hurt to touch (turns out it's supposed to be wet, thanks homeschooling for the lack of sex ed).

So I use the vibrator but I hate the vibrator. The moments before the orgasm is just so painful. And I have to immediately turn it off because the continued vibration causes even more pain and makes my muscles clench up in response which makes it very difficult to pull the toy away from my body. When using it with my partner I have to "tap out" and she'll pull it away for me.

I low-key believe the multiple orgasms for clit+pussy based anatomy is a myth because how could it possibly feel good to touch there once the orgasm has happened? Sometimes I can't close my legs completely for minutes. That shit is so sensitive and like swollen? Throbbing? Why?!?

I theoretically like orgasms. I like the quiet feeling after them. But getting there sucks, masturbating is unpleasant (apparently normal people enjoy the whole process, I'm just there for the afterglow), esp when it's a maintenance orgasm and I'm not horny or physically aroused (sometimes I just think that I need to orgasm without really wanting to if that makes sense, weird ace shit).

This ask is longer than I hoped it would be, but there's lots of important context and I honestly don't know why my body is like this, Google is useless (esp nowadays).

Okay there’s a ton to touch on here, but first: vibes are not one size fits all. Everyone’s body’s are different and motors come in different powers and pulses. The “cute” massage wand types are actually some of my least favorite because they just go cataclysmic in power which is way too much for 90% of clits. They just have good marketing.

If possible, you can look for a gentler vibe. Jimmy Jane Form 2 has a pulse setting that’s reallyyyyy light, and puts vibrations on either side of the clit instead of directly on it. But there’s a lot of shapes and sizes that could be gentler than what you’re using now.

If you’re unsure check out a store and try the vibe on the tip of your nose. This is pretty close to how sensitive your clit is and can give you a frame of reference for how much power you actually want. Generally lower rumbles are more expensive but also more pleasant so that’s a cost/benefit you can run.

The other aspect of this is that clitoral tissue is actually massive. There’s a lot of stuff going on under the hood, so to speak.

Clitoral nerves get everywhere! That’s the whole thing with G-spots- you’re still hypothetically applying pressure to nerve endings associated with the clit. I’ve heard anecdotally that they can end up in the anus too but I couldn’t find a source to verify that.

The takeaway from how sprawling all those nerves are is that there’s probably places you might like sensation better that directly on the clit. Most clit havers in my experience found that pretty overwhelming, myself included.

If your main business with your junk has been businesslike and unpleasant to touch it makes sense not messing with it much. If your partner is a person you trust to explore with you can just have them feel around and caress and see if other areas feel stimulating without being as overwhelming.

As for getting so throbby and uncomfortable afterward, and multiple orgasms: In my experience and anecdotally this depends how you get there. When you come fast and hard your body reacts differently than when you edge into an orgasm. You can try changing up your routine to see if this makes a difference for you.

Some people can never do multiple orgasms, it’s rare for me but does happen on occasion, so it’s worth noting that smut has a lot to answer for in terms of how normal they make that. If you can’t get off more than once it is what it is. It’s not a myth but it’s not everyone’s reality.

I hope this was helpful, good luck and as you say, eventually after surgery this will get easier for you!

[stepmarchen]

wanted to ask about asm physical volumes covers they have a lot of signs and Symbolism especially Richelieu's cover , any thoughts abt them ? i love your analysis + btw i noticed an Eagle flag behind leon in the Vol.5 cover , is that the streife flag ? and who do you think will be in the next cover ? personally i think it would be ali

sure! let's get into it! but first, for my vol. 8 cover prediction! i'm also pretty inclined to think that ali will be the next cover. he's the last one on the roster for our main cast, so it's preeeetttty likely. unless Orka throws us a fastball and gives us a Letran cover for whatever reason... (i'm nervous for the day we'll get a johannes/ludovika cover)

Annnyways! So far we've got the korean/english physical releases of ASM vol. 1-6 (7, if you include Orka's teaser for vol. 7 featuring Ohara). for the sake of the length of this post, i won't be covering the japanese edition covers (they're mostly all the same, just simpler)

i'll be deep diving below the cut! Spoiler warning! be warned! it's a lot of text! (at the least, check out my vol. 6 richelieu analysis!)

Vol. 1 features our protagonist Shuri in all of her beautiful glory! This cover is so beautifully... generic (as it was meant to be) so we don't get a lot of info but.... here's what we got

The golden lions crest: I'd like to think that the family crest is symbolic of how her newfound family will come to back her up in the first volume.

Jeremy, his siblings, and Nora: The framing of the Neuschwansteins on the left and Nora on the right is both foreshadowing to their early conflict and a way to show that they're all watching over her shoulders. Whether in judgement or in protection is what new readers will come to find out.

The peridot brooch: We all know the implications of the brooch and it's connections to Shuri's death in the 1st timeline. It's a looming warning above Shuri's head, but also behind her, just like how Shuri's death is a memory that she can't seem to shake.

The red ribbon: It's the red string of fate that links eeeeeverything together. And it's also the symbol of the Empire. The red petals are a symbol of romance and violence, something that sums up ASM quite well.

Vol. 2 features a young Nora holding his sword. This is where the fun starts and Orka sneaks in more narrative symbols. The cover is bathed in blue, Nora's key color and his family's color symbol.

Broken peridot brooch: On the leftmost frame, we see Shuri's peridot brooch shattering in a pool of blood. It's a violent red flag on an overwhelmingly blue cover. It's a direct reference to Nora's investigation of Shuri's death in the 1st timeline

Knight's armor: On the right, we have a suit of armor, stoically framed in glowing blue light. Becoming a knight for the Imperial Family is the fate for Nuremberg nobles.

Shuri's portrait: In the back is a frame of Shuri as the Spider Widow. Her head is cut off ominously, another reference to her death. There's a small spotlit corner of the portrait flickering behind Nora, like he's always thinking of her.

Blue roses: Blue roses are a mysterious symbol. Shuri also happens to meet Nora under mysterious circumstances and doesn't even learn his name until their fateful second encounter.

Vines: The wrapping vines in the background are a fairytale symbol for danger and fate.

Overall, my take here is that Nora must choose between the three framing elements, aka Streife (the Brooch), Love (Shuri), or Family (Nuremberg Knights). Shuri was never a choice for him in the 1st timeline, but her ending isn't over just yet! So maybe Nora will finally get to explore his 3rd choice.

Vol. 3 features Jeremy in a much simpler setting. This volume is almost completely centric around Jeremy's trial and the cover reflects that. His pose centers focus on his right hand (the hand he almost lost) as he unsheathes his sword.

Chains: Jeremy's imprisonment. that's it

Golden Lions and the Peridot: We've gone over this. If you see a peridot, it means Shuri. She's what is holding together the Neuschwanstein estate.

Shuri and Johannes: There are two silhouetted busts of the current and former head of the Estate. Johannes, in white, has passed on his burdens while Shuri, in black, inherited the burdens of the estate. The Neuschwanstein manor is overlayed on top of the two, as the real subject at stake during the trial.

Lilies: White lilies symbolize purity and rebirth. Jeremy believed he would lose his hand that day, and knowing that Shuri was going to sacrifice herself for him was Jeremy's rebirth. The trial was reshaped the trajectory of Jeremy's entire life, which had been written from birth.

Vol. 4 features Elias and the twins. From this point forward, I don't own any of the physical volume copies, so I can't be 100% certain about it's contents... but it's a bright cover for a new season and kicks off new arcs and new characters, but i'm not sure if it includes the epilogues.

Golden lions crest: of course we can't be without the crest again. I don't think it needs any more explaining.

Streife: The eagle on the left is the Streife symbol, the Empire's secret police force. It may be in reference to Streife reporting Shuri's death but i'm honestly not sure of the relevance here, especially when i don't know which chapters are in this volume.

Golden amulet and Safavid: On the right we have a golden amulet hovering over a bird's eye view of Safavid. It's a little teaser for when we finally get Ali's first appearance

Devil's trumpet and bellflowers: The white devils trumpet flower symbolizes danger and power while the bellflower symbolizes calm. You could say that it's the calm before the storm. Season 2 introduces itself with Leon returning from boarding school. Everything seems happy and cool until Shuri reminds us that political strife has risen over the 3 year timeskip.

Vol. 5 features Theo in a sinister red, gold, and purple palette. I should note that the Japanese releases are behind from the Korean/English releases. Specifically, Vol. 5 includes the missing epilogue episodes that were not included in Vol. 4. However, the Guardian arc and the Family Trip arc (included in Vol. 3 of the english release) are included in the Japanese version of Vol. 5. TLDR, I'm not sure which arcs are included in the official Korean/English Vol. 5 volume.

Violet roses: The violet roses are a symbol of Theo's mother, Ludovika. In the Japanese version, Theo's childhood flashback appears in this volume and we get some insight on Ludovika.

Mirrors and Richelieu: There's a strangeness in the way Richelieu, who appears a surprising 6 times, faces away from the audience. Mirrors should mean self-reflection, but Richelieu faces away from the mirrors. He's so focused on enforcing his beliefs on others and in the process, becomes the greatest sinner. He's aware of this, but he doesn't seem to care.

Cherubs: Two twin cherubs frame Theo, as they seem ready to stab him with their arrows.By season 2, Theo has already fallen for Shuri, in a toxic obsessive love.

Upside down crown: A flipped crown can mean a lack of authority or a change in power. Richelieu manipulating Theo strips away Theo's power as a royal. It also foreshadows Theo's depleting support pillars (Nuremberg and Neuschwanstein)

Vol. 6 features a young Richelieu. Like Vol. 5, the Japanese volume contains the flashbacks of Richelieu's past, which is the only main moment we see a young Richelieu. Anyway, there's a lot here.

Richelieu: This exact depiction of young Richelieu never actually appears in the manhwa (his forehead is bandaged, not his eyes). But there is significance in him being "half blind." Not to mention, there's a huge glowing iris on fire behind him.

There's a saying "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." It's about a seeing man who comes across a town of blind men. He attempts to preach his seeing knowledge to the town, knowing that he is a tier above the people. However, the town cannot understand the meaning of sight and peck out his eyes, because after all, "the king must be of his people." Richelieu's seeing eye (in the background) is going up in flames in the same way. Richelieu literally calls himself a "king" in his youth, fully aware that he is cut from a different cloth. On the cover, he sits on a throne with a divine halo behind his head. Exemplary of how he feels "chosen" by God to strike punishment onto sinners. There's even meaning in the way he is holding his book. In art history, hands on a book in this specific manner is an allegory for great power in knowledge (think Aristotle).

Wolffe: I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure of Wolffe's significance in the cover, but wherever Richelieu is, Wolffe follows.

Apple: Another symbol of knowledge. Adam's first sin was eating the fruit (apple) of knowledge.

Raven: Ravens are a symbol of transformation, prophecy, and intelligence. I've gone further into Richelieu and his connections with ravens here!

Windows: The windows in the background reference Richelieu's divine awakening. To the moment he woke up from his coma after drowning and the window light shone onto the church pendant on the wall.

Bubbles: The bubbles reference his drowning and eventual "rebirth."

Dogwood Leaves and Thorns: The red leaves can be likened to blood, sure. But did you know it's believed that the Cross of Jesus Christ was made of Dogwood? Richelieu believes his self-flagellation is a form of early repentance for his future sins.

The Vol. 7 teaser features Ohara, but it's highly filtered (for good reason) but we can soooorta only make out some things. There's a jewel? and what looks like Jeremy? I can't say much yet, but let me know what you think?

[hoiststowline]

haunt

spinister x f!reader

Typically, unless necessary, he finds himself intervening in situations that he sees can be played out without his assistance. It's not laziness, lest he tells himself, but he's also not a mother and most certainly not a judge. Krok's the leader, he makes the tough decisions and has no time to deal with the shouting and-

Your door is open, stopping just shy of the entrance as many objects he doesn't know the name of bounce around the room. A shoe even flies out into the hallway, tossed by your hands as you scrounge around the room for something. You've gotten him intrigued in the least, taking a step forward and over the sneaker, now standing in your doorway.

"Everything okay-?" The question barely leaves him before a loud clang can be heard, not realizing you were underneath your bed, yanking things out and throwing them in all directions. At the sound of his voice, startled, the back of your head smacks the bed frame, loudly. Krok knows that hurts, so he masks his expression as best he can. 

"Ow..." He watches you slide out from under the mattress, an annoyed but upset pout to your lips. If he knew any better, you were distraught looking for something you could not find. "Have you seen my book?" 

The book in reference he knows quite well, the one Misfire teases is a diary, and the same that you have to find a new hiding spot for hourly because of the damn mechs that can't keep their servos to themselves. This isn't the first time it's gone missing, but it's the first instance where he's seen you near tears. "I haven't, no. I'm sure Misfire has it, y/n, I'll go get it from him."

"He doesn't, and neither does Crankcase or Fulcrum. It has to be in here then, but where, I don't-!" He observes as one of your palms comes to your chest as if to quell your heartbeat. "It's in here somewhere."

"What about Spinister?" It's the only member of the crew you have left to mention, and he thinks you know he has nothing to do with the stolen goods. Krok only knows it by its cover, the black marker doodles that litter the front, and how you always seem to have your nose in it during downtime. "You haven't asked him?" 

You swallow thickly, and to this, Krok finally laces the pieces together. "Ah. You don't know if he has it, but you're praying he doesn't."

"I'm so stupid to think I could keep a journal on a ship with teenagers at best." You groan, hand running the length of your face. It wasn't a diary, it had started as a daily log of sorts, something to keep your mind busy when you had some time to yourself. Over time, it had swayed into more of a sketchbook, little annotations littering the borders. There weren't obvious depictions of your in-house romance, or lack thereof, but one could draw a massive conclusion based on the hearts and smiley faces that cover page after page. 

"Yeah, that's kinda on you." He agrees, taking in the mess you've created in such a small space. "Look, you keep searching in here, and I'll go find Spinister. If I come back with the book, then you gotta figure your scrap out."

"Deal." You warble, shoulders drooping in defeat. At this, he backs out of the room, taking the hallway down to the central command, and then hanging a left towards Spinister's quarters. 

"Spinister can't even read Cybertronian, dude. You're fine," Misfire had said, shrugging his shoulder in indifference. "If he can read English before he can count to ten, I'll buy you seventeen journals."

While that was not reassuring in the slightest, your face comes to sit in your hands, sitting cross-legged on your bed. Maybe it was thrown out of an airlock, spinning in deep space and torched to nothing. You'd rather that than have to deal with your feelings prematurely. 

To Krok's surprise, Spinister was in his room, but fiddling with his gun and in his immediate survey, did not have your journal. The large mech blinks at him expectingly, as if beckoning him to state the reason for his visit. 

"Nothing." He lies, shuffling his weight from pede to pede in the entrance. "y/n lost an item of hers, I just wanted to ask if you had seen it perchance, but clearly you've been busy with this." 

"What is she missing?" It piques his interest, that's for certain, and Krok can't pinpoint if it's when he says your name, or that you had misplaced an object that remains unnamed. 

"Don't worry about it." Why he's instigating this further, he doesn't know, but he's decided to play matchmaker today. "I'll let her know you've been in your berthroom all cycle." 

At this, the marksman tosses his weapon on his desk, standing abruptly. "I'll go." Is all he says, and when Krok goes to ask where, he's already shouldering past him and heading down the hall toward your room. 

Now rummaging through your closet, you push aside fistfuls of clothing in the hopes it got tangled in there somewhere. Krok must've left your door open because upon hearing heavy footfalls, you jump back and stick your head towards the hall, optimistic that he had found it-

What you weren't expecting was Spinister to be standing there, his shadow bathing the room as his red optics scan the area, only stopping when they land on you, sitting on the floor. "Krok said you lost something." Is all he says, tilting his head to the side when he can't process the look on your face. 

"Yeah." You sniffle softly, leaning back on your hands as you realize this is the end, the damn thing had you entirely stumped. "I think I'm about to give up."

"Would you like help?" Your brow raises, moderately amused that he'd help look for something he has no idea what it is. 

"That's okay, thanks anyways. If you don't have it, and neither does anyone else, that means it's doomed to wherever it ended up." Relief washes over you in waves, pleased to find that Spinister did not have it, but it did mean that it was somewhere on this god-forsaken ship.

"Your room is a mess." He remarks, unsure of the last time he was in the space. "Did you do this?" 

"I did, trying to find my book." Spinister takes a hesitant step inside, and then another, eventually coming just shy of your feet before carefully lowering himself to the ground. "I'll clean it later. Maybe while I'm cleaning, I'll find it."

"I hope so." Once in a sitting position, he's much less intimidating, at least he anticipates. "I lose things all the time. Can't say I have great success in finding them, but I understand the feeling," 

Your smile makes him physically melt, and the first few times his processor couldn't properly translate the reason or purpose of the action. Now, he looks for it, waits for it, and every time it has the same never-ending reaction. "Well, next time, let me know. I'll help you look for whatever it is you've misplaced." 

"You-" At the mention of your lost book, Spinister knows exactly what you're referencing. Though typically most information leaves him at a certain point, he has that journal committed to memory, only because he's spent so much time staring at you across the room whilst you write within it. It's the only time he can do it without getting caught, or have others rag on him for it. 

Just out of the corner of his optic, something blue catches his eye, the edge sticking out from underneath your nightstand. "Found it." He announces, digit pointing towards it, and he watches with gratification as your eyes alight, gasping.

You jump to your feet, scrambling over to the side table to look beneath it, a squeal of happiness tumbling from your lips. "Spinister! You are a gem, thank you so much!"

"I'm not 'a gem', I'm Spinister," He drawls, eyeing you curiously. "But you're welcome."

"I know you're Spinister, Spinister." You laugh, opening your top drawer and stuffing the book inside, a hiding place that is overused but is remotely fine, for now. "But you saved me a lot of time and heartache. I owe you one." 

"Heartache?" Maybe you could have left that part out, but the words just tumbled out of your mouth naturally. "Is your heart in pain?" 

"No, no. I...a lot of my thoughts are in here, I guess is a good way of putting it. Stuff I'm not quite ready to share." The toe of your sneaker runs across the metal of the floor, unconfident in how to proceed. "It's the only thing that won't judge or criticize me."

"I wouldn't. Or won't. I know Misfire would, and probably Fulcrum." Spinister decides he likes your room, it's uniquely you, and he thinks the image of you standing within it is otherworldly, just by your presence. "But I won't."

"I appreciate that, thank you." You're smiling so hard your cheeks begin to hurt, enjoying the conversation even if it's coming rapidly to a conclusion. "I may have to take you up on that, someday."

Krok thinks you're crazy, having feelings for a mech who forgets what he's saying in the middle of a sentence, but he also knows that Spinister has the gentlest spark out of any of them. He's deadly, but none of that seems to matter to you, heavily impressed by his marksmanship and his surgical expertise. There are plenty of humans and mechs out there who'd be vying for your attention, and yet? Your heart was easily stolen by Spinister, and no one can figure out whether to commend and support you for it or try and break it to you in the gentlest way possible that it may be a poor choice. 

Spinister can't figure out what he did thirty seconds ago, how on Earth was he ever going to realize he was in love with you as well?

"You can, anytime," Spinister affirms, nodding his helm once. "I was cleaning my blaster. Wanna come?" 

There was little you could deny him, and he had no idea about any of it. "Yeah. I do, Spin. I would love that." 

[f4iry-bell]

jameson hawthorne x reader enemies to lovers | part 2

part 1

i promise the 3rd part will be better and with a lot of gilmore girls reference!!!!

Jameson barely saw her after that, the only place he saw her was their journalism class which he wanted to drop out of because he was not interested in journalism, the only reason he joined this class was to compete with her. Now that he has won, what's the point? But there was something holding him back. Maybe he knew what it was or maybe he didn't. Or that's what he'd like to think.

After class he noticed a familiar face sitting under a tree with her laptop open, working on something. He was debating whether or not he should approach her. He won their little competition, there's no point in talking to this girl ever again. But it won't hurt to annoy someone who gets annoyed easily, right? So he walked to where she was sitting. Without looking away from her screen she spoke.

“What do you want?” She asked while typing something.

“What makes you think I want something?” He answered with a question.

“Seriously, why are you here? To brag? To rub it on my face that you have the spot?” She asked, finally looking up to him.

Jameson took a seat next to her on the ground, stretching out his long legs. “I would but I was curious. What are you working on?” He asked, peeking at her screen which made her shut her laptop.

“Why? So you can steal whatever I'm working on right now as well?” She asked.

“I wouldn't say I stole your idea. I simply wrote a better piece of work than you. The better one gets the spot” He shrugged.

“It was better because you had an insider! The insider being you is very helpful to you!” She snapped at him.

“Come on, Ace. It's just a spot. You can try next year,” He chuckled.

“For people like you. You know you could easily get a job at any magazine with that last name of yours without this spot, without an internship this spot may give you but it's not like that for me. I was supposed to get that spot, so by the end of senior year I'd get an internship at a magazine and would get a proper job. I had a plan, now it's ruined. The least you could do is leave me alone” She got it out of her chest and looked away from him.

Jameson didn't know what to say, he never had an idea of how much this spot meant for her, maybe she should have told him. He felt bad regardless. He didn't console her or say anything to make her feel better or even apologies instead he left her alone like she asked. 

_

This time it was her who knocked on his fancy apartment door, furiously. Jameson opened the door and tried hard not to smile.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” He asked, leaning against the door frame.

“You backed out from the Yale newspaper” She stated.

“Keeping tabs on me now, Ace?” He smirked. 

“I got the spot. Because you dropped out. I don't want the spot out of pity!” She explained. 

“I thought you wanted the spot”

“Not like this”

“Like what? I backed out because I got bored, not because I felt bad for you. Don't get any thoughts” He smirked.

“You did this on purpose, so everytime I sit there I'll be thinking of how I'm there only because it got passed down to me” Jameson was amused.

“Ah, now I don't control your thoughts. It's just you who think like that” He said.

“You are so frustrating!” She said.

“Says you” He chuckled which only made her about to lose it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jameson took that time to check her out, he liked how she looked when she was mad at him. He found it very attractive. Something that he'll admit to himself.

“I'll get back at you, just watch.” She threatened.

“Do your worst” 

_

Exactly five days later Jameson got kicked out of his fancy apartment near the campus because someone told the landlord about how often he got arrested during his gap year and the landlord can't risk having cops showing at his door steps often. It's bad for the apartment complex’s reputation. And Jameson knew who exactly would have whispered this information about him to the landlord. The college’s dormitory was full, he can't get a new apartment near campus soon. He decided to keep his things and stay at a friend's place for a while. But then he got an idea. He packed a few things, made some calls and drove to a very friendly apartment. He knocked on the door and barged inside the apartment with his bag like he owned the place.

“What are you doing here?” She asked with a frown. “What's that?” She pointed towards the bag.

Before answering her question Jameson looked at her up and down. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that covered her shorts revealing her legs. “Well, I don't have a place to stay.”

“Aw, sad” She gave him a fake sad expression. “But that doesn't explain why you are here”

“Your roommate was kind enough to let me stay and have the couch. Very nice girl, you should learn a thing or two from her” He smirked. He called her roommate and used his irresistible charms. 

Her expression changed, to his favourite one. She gave him a hostile glare. “You’re not staying in my apartment.”

“Oh but I am.” He smirked, putting his bag down.

“You’re not the one who is paying the rent, I am. I make the decisions here” She pointed.

“And so does your kind roommate. Who likes helping homeless boys. You know, I wouldn't be here if you didn't get me kicked out of my apartment” He shrugged.

“You can literally get any apartment”

“I like this one. It's cute and cozy.” She didn't reply, instead she went inside her room and shut the door. Jameson had a satisfied grin on his face.

Jameson didn't just stay in her apartment. He messed with her, he took his fine time in the bathroom, he ate her food, he moved her things around which pissed her off even more. He would constantly knock on her room door just because he can.

When she came back after college she found him in her room snooping around. She immediately walked to him and snatched her kindle from his hands.

“Stay out of my room and away from my stuff!” She said with an embarrassed look on her face. 

“You have intellectual taste in physical copy of books, I'll admit. But your kindle on the other hand. Romance? Or must I say smu—” 

“Shut up. You had no right to go through my stuff!” She yelled.

“I understand, everyone has their needs.” He teased her.

“I said shut up. Get out of my room” She demanded.

“Relax, I didn't read anything. I just looked up the book and the internet told me some interesting things.” He explained. He wasn't going through her things, maybe her books. But he wouldn't actually go through her private stuff. He couldn't help but look up the book she was reading on kindle. It has a very cute cover.

“Out. Now!”

“Or what?”

“God, your life must be so boring that you decided to involve yourself in mine” She said.

“Boring? Ace, my life is anything but boring. Getting involved in yours just makes it better.” He explained. There is nothing boring about Jameson Hawthorne.

“Fine, you win! Now get out of my room” 

“Or what?”

Instead of replying she just groans. She was thinking, he's only doing this to get a reaction out of her. So she decided to stop giving him one. Maybe then he'll go away.

“You know what? Do whatever you want. I don't care.” With that she picked up her kindle and started reading on the bed.

“Reading that infront of me?” He asked. She didn't reply or even look at him. She was reading as if he's not even in the room.

“Hello?” No response.

“I'm going to open your laptop” He said hoping she'd stop him. But she didn't, her laptop required a passcode. He kept trying to do things that'll make her acknowledge him but she treated him as if he was invisible for a whole day. Jameson didn't like this, he enjoyed getting a rise out of her. Not when she ignored him like he wasn't even there. He was getting frustrated by this treatment. 

“I drank your juice,” He informed her.

No response.

“Oh come on.” He gave up. He gently grabbed her arm and made her face him. “At least look at me!” She did look at him, there something about the way she looked at him.

She smiled. “I win,” She announced.

“No, you did not.” He denied.

“You got frustrated. And gave up.” She smirked.

“Not true”

“Oh? Then why are you forcing me to look at you? Admit it, this only works when I give you a reaction, when I don't you get frustrated.” 

“You stopped playing. It doesn't count”

“I did not, I just used a different method” She shrugged. “My second win by the way” She told him. First the riddle, now this.

He looked at her eyes with an intense glare, he only had one win. 

“How does it feel to lose a very silly game?” She asked, bringing her face close to his. 

Bad idea. Wrong move.

 Because the next thing Jameson did was lose it, not his temper. It takes a lot more than this to get him mad. He lost control and kissed her while still holding her arm. He sure was attracted to her from the beginning. He couldn't resist when she was frustrated or like now bloating her win. He was frustrated too, because of his loss. Maybe that's why he kissed her. Probably that's why. But why did she kiss him back? Especially with the same energy as him?

His hand holding her arm moved to her waist while placing his other hand at the nape of her neck tilting her head up. Kissing her felt great, better than seeing the look on her face when she gets annoyed at the little things he does. The feeling didn't last long because she pulled back. He immediately released his hold on her waist and neck letting her take a couple steps back and then run to her room.

He didn't follow her or knocked on the door to tease her about the kiss. Instead, he picked up his bag and went back to place. It was one hell of a kiss because he couldn't stop thinking about it, the way his hands felt on her skin, the way she let him kiss. He wanted more of that kiss. More of her. He doesn't know what this feeling is and he doesn't want to know because if he did, he would have to act on it. Maybe this is where their little rivalry game ends.

part 3 →

[mafuyuakgae]

YOUR ART IS LITERALLY ENCHANTING HELLO??? I feel like I'll get sucked into it Narnia style... Would you mind talking about your art process 👀

thank you so much?!! i dont mind if you dont mind me taking this chance to yap

my art process has changed a bit since i last posted a step by step... i would say my ideation phase is still

seeing something that really makes me want to draw (ie alien stage round 6 or a really good gacha card (sorry) ) or forcing out thumbnails

go on my pinterest board of poses/colours from other artists i like for the general vibe (i reference a lot from my own photos as well, usually pics i take around my city/a lot of selfies taken from 0.5x angle LOL)

and then start the drawing. usually not a lot of thumbnailing..i would like to get better at that to explore more interesting compositions >_< also trying to flatten my art style a bit but i still go overboard with rendering extraneously oops

these days im also switching back to paint tool sai/csp on my pen tablet rather than procreate..i really dont like the blending engine sometimes and it makes it really difficult for me to motivate myself to paint there. i guess walking through a recent painting i like:

sketch on a colour bg ( usually this kind of decides the colour palette for the rest of the painting, building off of this main bg colour) (i erased some of it bc i was using it in the final painting ^^;;; it gets redrawn on top a little)

blocking the main foreground - sword, horse - just going from dark foreground > middle > background lightest as a frame of reference, having the least amount of detail at the right since i want the horse's hind legs to fade out in perspective

3. layer at a light opacity using a big brush to just suggest light/shadows (yellow at bottom right and around her face to complement and contrast the blue/purple)

4. render details (this is what gets me and i am very lazy and typically give up on a piece once we get here. working on it..)

5. yeah. done! outline some desaturated areas (horse hind legs) with a saturated colour found elsewhere in the painting (lighter colour of the bg) and then add final touchups on top of everything. my layers dont make sense. also i love using the fringe effect on sai to fake edges/lines (every layer has it. yay)

[asklilmissrarity]

Progress Update on Melodi

Hello, everyone!

Happy New Year!

On December 15th 2023, I made the public announcement that Lil Miss Rarity will receive no further comic updates from me, finally confirming a common theory that I had lost the will to continue creating it. Lil Miss Rarity, just to confirm here, is now public domain and I encourage fan-blogs and will proverbially pass the torch to anyone who would like to take up the mantle.

It wasn't an easy decision to make because of how many times I'd promised I would never stop updating it, and I did in fact have future plans for it (I will be making a video on YouTube describing how I'd planned to continue the story, and how I would have ended it if I ever did).

But in its wake came Melodi, a spiritual successor to Lil Miss Rarity, and I've decided that a story-driven video game with ongoing updates would be the smartest decision, at least for the introduction to the series.

And so along came this twiggy elf. (Important note: Her booby size on her sprite is exaggerated, same as her head size. The in-game art for cutscenes will show more proper body proportions.)

Melodi is now just four directional (diagonal movement) sprite animations away from being a complete character sprite, which means creating a proof of concept will be just a matter of time.

As of today, I have completed:

The intro cutscene for the game, leading to the introduction of Melodi and her teacher, Eliah Sterium (Multiple full color images accompany that cutscene)

Seven unique songs entirely composed by myself (Literally learned how to make music a week ago just for this project)

Four directional movement sprites consisting of 6 frames of pixel animation each direction (Including separating each part to make them usable for other characters' sprites)

Four directional idle animations consisting of 6 frames of animation each direction (Again, making paperdolls to use later for other characters)

A discord server for the ongoing production of Melodi RPG where I'll be answering questions, including answering as the characters from the game similar to the LMR ask-blog

27 (just counted) preliminary sketches to flesh out character designs and have reference for myself

Eliah Sterium's design, making the ladies go gaga

Mountains of lore (a lot of which can be found in the Discord's lore channels)

Personalities for the primary cast of deadbeat magic school students

Art for the title screen

The entire storyboard for Episode 1 and Episode 2

The pricing model for the game (Episode 1 will be a free demo, and all remaining episodes will be bundled together in a $10 purchase)

The "Pet Cwow" option on the Quit Game menu and what happens when you pet him (You'll see)

The entire intro in-engine (Screencapped above with Eliah there)

Many new fans/friends who've introduced themselves in the Discord

And, I have received (on December 31st) my very first negative review of the game, which I will cherish. Someone who knew nothing other than "It's a game about an elf who goes psychotic" and saw the title art said that the game was basically doomed to fail because Melodi has large breasts, to which I replied "Imagine being this fucking butthurt over tits existing" which set him off into an obnoxious and insulting rage that ended with "Enjoy nothing but horny virgins playing your game and ignoring the dog water, generic ass story." A quote that I will never, ever, ever forget, and if I someday make a physical release of the game, I promise you, that quote will be on the back of the box.

There's even more than just all this, I've already sunk tons of hours of time and effort into the production of Melodi and I am super excited to continue.

I want to thank everyone for the support of the game so far, and I hope once people know more about the story and characters, the game sees the same kind of fandom that Lil Miss Rarity once had.

Luv you all

~Jay Tonique

[moony-2001]

Lore Olympus ch. 257-262 critique pt. 2

Aaaand we're back

Ch. 260

Hermes, Hebe, and trauma dumping

Jumping right into it, Hermes pissed me right the fuck off. I don't know why Demeter didn't want to accept the aid from the underworld, but I'm sure pride must be some of it. But for Hermes to call it an "in-law tiffy-tiff" was beyond wrong. I don't know or remember what, if any, beef he has with Demeter but read the fucking room, man.

I'm so glad Demeter took Hebe in though, like the absolute Queen that she is. One thing that disturbed me a little when Hebe and Demeter got to talking is how Rachel tries to pass off Hera's trauma dumping on Hebe as if it's nothing.

First of all, 18-year-olds are still kids. I know (at least for the vast majority here in the US) that 18 is the legal age of adulthood, but the human brain doesn't finish developing until around age 25. Even if that's how the rules in LO work (I have a sneaking suspicion they're not though, seeing as Persephone is technically stuck at age 19 for the rest of time) Hebe is 7 years off from having a fully developed brain.

Additionally, I don't like how Rachel frames the idea that Hebe found out all of this information from her mother as a now 18-year-old. I don't know if Rachel is forgetting her own damn timeline (not that there was a cohesive one in the first place) but Hebe wouldn't have been 18 at the time of finding out this information.

Remember the 10-year time skip? Yeah, that whole thing? And how 5 of the 6 Traitors were in a coma? For 10 years? In case you haven't picked up what I'm trying to put down, Hebe was 8 years old when her mother went into that coma. Which means that Hera dumped all this information on a literal fucking child who was 8 or potentially even younger since we have no frame of reference for when Hebe was told this information.

Demeter is right. It is wrong to burden your kids with that. I don't know Rachel, but from this writing, I would venture a guess that she's never had a parent trauma dump on her.

I have. Rachel has no idea how mentally taxing it is to have a parent trauma dump on you or have them drag you into the middle of their fights or vent about their spouse/your other parent to you behind their back. That is not something a parent should EVER do to a child and I'll be damned if I ever do that to mine.

And while there is a shred of truth to what Hebe is saying, about how that information helps her understand her mom, Hebe does not (and in fact should not) be part of her mother's journey to work on herself, especially at that young of an age. Your child is not your therapist.

Demophon, the not child of Demeter

I will say, I am glad that Demeter finally decided to open up to her somewhat adult daughter. Oh, what's this? Persephone looks upset and-

😀😐

of-fucking-course

Is this it?? Is this the moment when we finally find out what happened to Demeter in Attica all those years ago-

Anyway, what we find out is that while in Attica, Demeter supposedly fell in love with the King of Eleusis and had Demophon, a my little pony-looking abomination not worse than whatever the fuck the above pictures are supposed to be. But if you note my title for this portion of the chapter, you'll see it says "the not child of Demeter". And that, dear readers, is because Demophon is in fact not a child of Demeter in the original myths. And Rachel also spelled his name wrong. (You can read more about him here: Demophon of Eleusis)

It seems to me that Rachel is doing what most couples with a failing relationship do: throw a baby at it and hope it will fix the problems.

What technicality? Do you mean the "technicality" that Demeter was punished for insubordination (regardless of her intentions) and lived as a mortal for 10 years? And during that time as a mortal had a son who was born as and died as a mortal? Forgive me if I'm being slow here, but I don't see what this "technicality" is supposed to be. How is Demophon's death any different from the mortals that Persephone killed and asked if it was possible to bring back?

I'm gonna sound a little nitpicky here, but Hades is the god of the dead (and wealth) not the god of death. Believe it or not, there is a difference, and the brushing aside of that difference is the reason why people still get Hades and Thanatos mixed up to this day. Plus does no one remember what happened to Asclepius when he figured out how to raise the dead? tl;dr: not good things.

I have a feeling that all this is happening because Persephone and Hades are trying to buy off Demeter. They want brownie points with the woman who is rightfully upset about everything that is happening right now. And I'll be willing to bet that this smooths things right over with her.

Ch. 261

Off-topic, Demeter looked really pretty in this chapter #standemeter

The "technicality" and Hades' BS

I am glad Demeter gets this small bit of happiness but also:

Nice try, but that's not how that works. Get your smug, ugly-ass mug out of here. Once again, why is Demophon the exception? Because you're whipped for Persephone? Because you want a gold star from your MIL who has perfectly valid reasons to not like you?

Ah. I guess his name is Triptolemus now. Triptolemus who is the older brother of Demophon. Who is also not a son of Demeter. Sure.

NO DON'T FALL FOR IT DEMETER. IT'S A TRAP-

The sisters

It is nice for the most part to see Hera, Demeter, and Hestia interacting. I don't think that's something we've seen outside of flashbacks.

I don't, however, like this interaction between Demeter and Hera:

Yeah, no, that's not how that works. Demeter has every right to be mad at you for helping Hades and Persephone get around the fact that they "violated the laws of Xenia (hospitality)". It doesn't matter if Persephone was a "wild card". Hera had no right to marry them.

In fact, I had a conversation with anoldplace and something we discussed is how much Hera's responsibility/involvement in Persades is kinda just... brushed off. Especially if you look back at the way early chapters (I'm talking s1 early) when Hera changes her tune from "wtf, that's so gross, what is wrong with you" to "Let me get this whole ball rolling". Persephone wouldn't have even had half the interactions she did with Hades had Hera not put her in that internship for the underworld. And Demeter doesn't even know about the early stuff. Think about how livid she would be if she found out Hera was pulling the strings from the beginning. Yikes.

Different topic but the fact that both Demeter and Persephone love to swim is cute.

Ch. 262

Jfc, finally. I'm so tired lol.

Hera's prophecy

In honor of Hera's ugly highlighter-looking color, the sections shall, too, be in yellow.

I was pretty excited to see that Hera got a vision. I'm also sad that this isn't something we see utilized more often in the series. In fact, we don't really see any of the goddesses use their powers besides... oh, for Christ's sake. I don't even want to say it, it just adds to her Mary Sue-ness.

Place your bets on how long it takes for Rachel to dress Persephone in something similar, if not identical, to this.

Moving on, we see Kronos smush and kinda throw Hera away and she's left wondering:

That's cute and all, but no. Like I huffed and puffed with the whole "attempted murder" bullshit with Zeus, for one to die, they must be mortal. If gods could die, they wouldn't be gods. They would be human looking at you Demophon. I understand why the sentiment of dying is upsetting, but Hera, Zeus, whomever cannot die. I suppose similar to Egyptian mythology, they could be chopped up and have their parts scattered to the winds but from what I've seen, there's nothing in Greek mythology that details anything like that.

I did see a really funky theory that I agree with that Hera must be some kind of fertility goddess. In fact, I've seen a lot of people speculate that she was the fertility goddess on the wall of that cave that was destroyed. It would be really wonderful if that greyed-out goddess in Hera's vision was her and not Persephone. Kinda like the ultimate "taking back the power" moment. But tbh I'm not hopeful.

Persephone and Hades... yay/s

*gag* anyway-

Hades decided to give the MORTAL Demophon his whole stash of ambrosia but he doesn't really know if it will actually work and he's salty that Zeus is stingy with it.

Okay, first of all, if it's that damn important that you have ambrosia and you're going to be a salty mofo that the only person who has it is stingy with it, make your own damn ambrosia. You're telling me you've been alive for thousands of years yet the thought hadn't occurred to you once? Bffr. Watch this come back and bite them in the ass in the series finale.

Secondly, if you've never done this before, how do you know it's going to work for Demophon? I mean, it probably will because plot armor, but seriously? What would happen if Demophon just kicked the bucket all over again? Like congratulations, you re-traumatized your wife's mother who already doesn't like you.

Final thoughts

This is all just unraveling so quickly. Watch Demophon disappear and never be addressed again. I am really hoping that this series wraps up between March and May like genericpuff predicted because I am tired. I mean, I'll miss the ability to make content while the material is still piping hot, but also reading this comic is taking a toll on my health. I have never seen my blood pressure in such a state. And I'm not even the one writing the comic.

I can't imagine being in Rachel's shoes rn. I know this point has been beaten to death by everyone and their moms (myself included), but it's so clear that Rachel just doesn't give a shit about this comic anymore. And it's sad. But I also get it.

Rachel has talked about after LO she wants to do a comic along the lines of this but involving Egyptian or Norse mythology. I hope she doesn't for very obvious reasons, but if she decides she wants to step up to the plate for what will inevitably be LO pt. 2, I hope she takes the time to actually research the cultures and learn from the very egregious mistakes that she made here. I won't be there if she does.

[rom-e-o]

After Wolf and Bess get together, at a "small" gala the Twins and girls attend, an old, pretty face from their past shows back up. Not Isabel or Belle. They would be welcomed.

Turns out, years ago when the Twins were in their 30s, Marley took on another apprentice. She was quite young, early-early 20s, smart, but more ambitious than anything. Like, so ambitious it was both an asset and flaw.

She didn't stay working for Marley long as she was snapped up quickly by even bigger bosses due to her talents, both in numbers but mostly in bed. Yeah, she's one of those people. Which I mean, get your bag, I guess? Can't say I agree with the methods, but as long as you're not hurting people, better for my mind to keep out of it. (Also, yeah, she most likely got her position with Marley by exchanging some favors.)

She was never romantically or sexually involved with the Twins. They were rebuffing advances hard and barely registering people's sexes by that stage. But she was definitely interested, and in Wolf especially. She did a lot of the street work with him, always opting to accompany him even if she had other duties in the office. Yes, she propositioned him. A lot. Again, he never bit. Honestly can't tell you if he even ever considered that she was being serious. Not very long after finally getting the vibe this thing was never going anywhere, she dipped and got taken on by a fish bigger than Marley.

Then, years later, she shows up at this party. Successful, married, well known, stunning and vibrant. She's got everything.

Now, when I say she's stunning, here's the thing: she and Bess resemble each other somewhat. Dark curls, dark eyes (this chick's eyes are almost black they're so dark brown), cool complexion, freckles (this girl only has a few cute ones over her nose and cheeks), full lips, hippy and bootylicious, taller than average. Except this woman is willowy and petite in frame as opposed to Bess' stout shieldmaiden-esque build. She's also busty. Not Connie levels, but she's got some spectacular girls to show off compared to Bess. Woman is the definition of a bombshell, especially showing up in the dress she does which may as well just be a few strips of luxurious cloth sewn together. (But damn if they don't fit her amazingly and look more glam than the dress Bess has on.)

She's also extremely bubbly in a self-centered and sexually charged way. She sees the boys, rushes them to embrace them, and is almost immediately yapping about her life while skillfully working in references about her exploits. ("Sammy?! Charlie?! Oh my God, how are you?! I haven't seen you two in... Bloody fuck, how long has it been? At least a dozen CEOs I've been under since Marley! Hahaha! Oh, boys, let's catch up, shall we? Have I got tales to tell you! Where should I start? Oh, I know! I'll start with my first marriage. I met my first husband on his honeymoon in Bora Bora, you know. Without his clothes, he wasn't much to look at, but that's what alcohol is for, yes? He wasn't much of a fuck either, honestly, but he certainly did open my eyes to some new things I went on to try with my second and third husbands.")

Btw, she does this while the girls are away for a moment in the powder room, so when they come back they're smacked in the face with a strange woman loudly regaling their men with a story of how her first orgy was, funnily enough, in a board room. ("It certainly changed my bar for how board meeting should be handled, I'll tell you that!") Adonis looks uncomfortable to say the least. Wolf, who definitely got used to this sort of sexual talk from this woman so many years ago, has the look of, "Yep, just another Tuesday".

The women are introduced. The interloper quickly latches onto Connie being Adonis' fiancée. ("So you're what could finally get him to open up and settle down. Ha! Never thought it possible! Tell me, Darling, what's Sammy like without his clothes on? The time I had trying to find out! I thought maybe they didn't come off; maybe they were permanently sutured to his skin!")

Bess is hardly given a "howdy-do". Wolf does introduce her as his sweetheart, of course, but it earns Bess a particularly but subtly chilling gaze from the interloper. ("Girlfriend? Oh, how nice. Such a cute little thing. Young too. Finally sowing those oats, ey, Charlie?")

As the night goes on, the interloper remains latched to the group, especially the boys, especially Wolf. Wolf is always beside Bess, of course; never bites at all the hooks the interloper throws out... but he doesn't really rebuff her either? He kind of just seems... oblivious to all of her passes and insinuations. To be fair, they can be hard to pick up sometimes as every other thing that comes out of this woman's mouth seems to be related to sex. (The group is painfully aware of how many marriages she's had--on her seventh--and what each one really liked to do in bed.)

At some point Bess goes to get a drink. Much to her annoyance, the interloper comes with. As they're at the refreshment table, a conversation is struck up.

"So. You and Charlie, hm?"

"Yes. Wolf and me."

"Wolf? Your pet name for him? Haha! That's cute! Did he get that from the bedroom scene?"

"Um, no. No, he's always been Wolf to me. Even when we were friends."

"Ah. So he's not a wolf in the sack then?"

"... I really don't think that's any of your business."

"Oh, come on, Love. We're both adult women here. You're a wannabe midwife--you're not exactly uneducated about the relationships between men and women. I tried to shag your Wolf for years and couldn't make him bat an eye, and now a cherubic little girl like you comes along and suddenly, not only is he shagging, he's calling you his "sweetheart". Do a fellow girl and favor and satisfy her curiosity."

"I'd rather not."

"... Oh. Oh, I see. You're one of those."

"One of those?"

"Yeah, one of those little prudes. The little prudes that call liberated women like me "whores" and "sluts" because they're jealous I can get men and action they can't."

"Maybe you get called those things because you seem thirsty for anything with a dick that walks on two legs and actively pursue taken men."

"Ah. So the little cherub does have some bite. All right. Maybe you're not a prude."

"Maybe I'm not."

"Maybe you're something worse. One of those pious little girls that's "saving herself for marriage". As if that's something to aspire to."

"Not that it's any of your business either, but I'm not waiting for marriage."

"No. But "somebody special", I'll bet. Or "when you feel ready"."

Bess can't say anything. That's exactly what she's waiting for, what she's making Wolf wait for.

"Ha. In that case, Charlie's definitely going to need a real woman to show him what a good time is tonight. Well, doesn't the universe work in mysterious ways."

"The universe or your assistant reading the guest list for this party?"

"What's it matter when such amazing opportunities arise?"

"Aren't you remarried? Like, newly?"

"Hahaha! Oh my, little frumpy cherub, haven't you learned anything about me tonight? Rings never stop me, whether they're his or mine."

"You honestly think you can make Wolf give you a second glance when I'm right there beside him?"

"He'll have to give me all the glances if you're not here, won't he?"

"What?"

With a quick look around to see if anyone is noticing, the interloper picks up the bowl of punch and just dumps it over Bess before she can even react. "Oh my god--I'm so sorry! Typical me--just can't control my intrusive thoughts sometimes. At least it's not a total loss--this look wasn't doing anything for you."

Bess can just stand in shock and boiling fury. She hasn't endured anything like this since high school. And maybe that's what sets her mindset back to make her react like she does from here on out.

"Go home, L&D nurse. Maybe your old Marley's daughter, but you and I both know you don't belong here. And you certainly don't belong with someone like Charlie."

And with that the interloper walks away back to rejoin the group.

Bess just runs after that. She doesn't think, she just leaves the gala without a word and catches a taxi back to the cottage. It's not until she's already on the way home she thinks to let the others know she's left, and it's only text messages that start coming in that makes her think of it.

Connie: ~Hey, are you okay? [Interloper] said you weren't feeling well and decided to leave? Do you want me to come home and help you?~

Wolf: ~Are you all right? [Interloper] said you were feeling ill and left. Do I need to come take you to a hospital?~

Bess just tells them not to worry and that she's fine, just going home early to rest, and they should stay at the party. After all, she doesn't want them to see her this way. And the interloper was right: She didn't belong back there. And who is she even kidding? She hardly belongs with Wolf either.

She finds the cottage, mercifully empty when she gets there (except for Sunshine, of course) and just strips down as she beelines for the bathroom, throwing her dress in the trash on the way. Bess doesn't know how long she sits in the shower, but the water is cold before she gets out. And she cries the entire time.

(Why do I keep dreaming up all these horrible scenarios for Bess while you give me nice ones for Connie?)

OHHH BESS. ;; Bess, Bess, I want to hug her so bad.

First of all, Interloper has done the impossible - she's at Karen levels of annoying. Now, we don't know if she's abusive like Karen, BUT from the sound of her, she sound like an emotionally and potentially physically manipulative bully to others.

It is INTERESTING how she looks similar to Bess, but she's still obviously jealous of Bess:

Bess is beautiful. They look alike, after all. They're built different, but both are womanly and gorgeous.

Bess is YOUNGER than her. She seems like the type of person that would be annoyed by that, especially since she can't buy time back. she even tries to demean Bess by calling her 'cute' or 'cherubic.' Bess is a younger woman, and it irks her.

Annnnnd finally, Bess has Wolf; the prize SHE wanted but could never get, even in the 'prime of her life.' Even when they look similar. He never chose her. That must eat her up.

The way she flutters up and gets insanely personal with the Twins SO quickly is beyond tone-deaf. Like, time and place! Also, when someone clearly isn't in to you, you GOTTA take a hint!

I picture the ladies coming back from the powder room and seeing this woman accosting the boys. Wolf looks unamused and Adonis looks uncomfortable.

Connie sees Adonis looking flustered and goes in to redirect the woman's attention and help. Connie reads and clocks her pretty quick, I'd imagine. Her comment about him undressing earns a chuckle, and not a friendly one.

"Well, [Interloper] it's much easier to get one out of their clothes when there is mutual interest in the whole affair. I assure you, my Adonis and I have no such concerns. He is positively sterling in ALL regards." As then kisses Adonis' cheek for good measure and smiles. Then she gives Bess a nervous glance. You know the look, it says "girlfriend, watch out for this one."

This woman's attitude and verbiage toward Bess would catch Wolf's attention. He picks up on her choice of words, and with eat passive-aggressive taunt earns a squeeze from Wolf. His lips even skim the crown of her head as he calls her "sweetheart."

I don't think Wolf stops the Interloper from following Bess to the drink table because, honestly, it doesn't don on him that this woman would go for Bess. He thinks, "I can ignore her, so can Bess." He might not realize immediately that women play a little dirty with each other, and that perhaps she has other goals.

THEN, the punch situation. I don't blame Bess for leaving, poor woman. just to ... escape it.

When Interloper comes back, red flags are everywhere.

"Where did Bess go?" Wolf asks her, his tone only slightly suspicious. He's more concerned.

"No clue," she shrugs. "Feeling sick, she said. Stomach bug. Poor girl. Oh, but don't you worry, Wolf-y. I'll keep you entertained."

Annnnd the sirens go off. She should NOT know that nickname. His brow furrows.

Connie and Wolf text her, but her message that she left provides little comfort. She's safe, but ... it's not right. Connie stares her down, her face a mask of doubt.

C: Interesting timing of her illness, all things considered.

I: Just what are you implying?

Meanwhile, Wolf is obviously antsy. Looking around. He looks out of sorts without his Brightness at his side.

Wolf: Something isn't right. ... Sammy, you're going to hate me for this, but-

Adonis: Charlie, go check on her. I'll handle any speeches if we're called on stage, and Connie and I will ... distract our friend. It shouldn't be hard.

Wolf gives his a thankful squeeze on the shoulder and darts out. He grabs a cab and makes a beeline for the cottage. As he arrives, he texts her to let her know he's on his way. I imagine he has a key by this point, but he's not going to just creep in.

Then, he calls and leaves a voicemail:

W: Brightness, it's me. I'm outside. I wanted to check on you. You left so suddenly. If you're sick, I'd much rather help you feel well than spend another second in that stuffy ballroom and hear [Interloper] talk about ... ugh, I apologize for her. If she did anything, I need you to tell me. I can If you get this, can you just ... let me know that you're really okay? You know what I mean.

A part of him hopes he's not being too smothering, but ... he has a feeling in his gut. And he means every word. No gala is worth attending without her company.

It's the DRAMA, the delicious hurt-comfort goodness!

Meanwhile: Interloper continues to be loud and obnoxious, all while Adonis and Connie chug champagne to tolerate her.

[hoodiedcrows]

the Magician and the High Priestess

All right, let's start draftbusting to get these babies out before the final ep on Monday. Welcome! We'll be taking a look at the siblings Alice and Nang, and at the end of the post there's a lil treat for those of us who like Hoy.:)

The Magician

We are shown that Boss Alice represents the Magician when P'Nang tellls him a three-card fortune. This makes sense, as both the upright and reversed meaning of the card indeed correspond to him.

Now for the fun part: do the symbols on the card appear around the man? Since the card in the show is a little unclear and doesn't show the symbols clearly, we'll be using the most well-known version of the card, the Rider-Waite. Let's look at the suit symbols on the table (the Coin, the Cup, the Sword, the Staff), and at the office where he's the one deciding what to surround himself with.

The circular piece of decoration behind his back could be the Coin in this case; but so could the red circle of the sun that represents freedom (wealth and power) to Alice. Coin = check. The Cup in this case would be the lamp, based on visual similarity; though we do often see him with glasses and bottles, but the lamp is always present. Cup = check.

Now, the staff and the sword are a bit trickier, but we do get these visually similar objects. I'd hesitantly say Staff&Sword = check.

The table that the symbolic objects on the card are placed on is very prominent, as is Alice's office desk. Check.

On the card we also have the infinity sign, the wand, the robes, and the flowers. (Also the snake belt...?)

The infinity sign is the clearest case: a painting of the endless sea positioned above Alice's head. The wand could perhaps be the pen used to write debt agreements; but I'm inclined to think that Hope standing there is the wand in this case, especially since on the card the wand is held in the raised hand. The red robes we see correspond to the red background of Alice's portrait, and the white inner robe to his shirt with the collar open. With the wide lapel of the jacket, the effect is quite robelike. Checkity check.

(Just, the size of the portrait, especially compared to how tiny Aran's framed photo is... hoo boy. And Alice as at least two horse statues in his office as well as the birds. A true wannabe.)

The abundant flowers on the card though? No counterpart for those to be seen. The only flowers Boss Alice cares about are these.

Thus I'd say that the white and red blooms on the card are in fact for Aran's to take as his own, since his father has no use for them or indeed for him. (And the symbolism! "In front of the Magician is a garden of Rose of Sharon roses and lily of the valley lilies demonstrating the "culture of aspiration", or the Magician's ability to cultivate and fulfill potential." From a quick search, the flower language for them appears to be "consumed by love" and "return of happiness" respectively. Good news for Aran!)

Now, just to make sure, let's look at another view of the office. We see the lamp or indeed the bottles for the Cup, the desk lamp and the other lamp's stand for the Staff and the Sword, but no Coin. There's another painting of the infinite sea above his head, and a desk and table both. Jack will be standing in place of Hope for the Wand, although he's not here yet. (And is Save the snake that the Magician carries on his waist? Seems a bit on the nose though.)

...wait. Are the bird statue and bird painting mirroring the Magician's hand, reaching up? And the dog statue on the table the hand pointing down? (Or is the dog there for Jack. :I ) Or. OR. Is the dog statue there as a reference to the dogs on the Moon card, associated with Aran? Annd looking at the card, the birds could also be standing in for the flowers, since some of the white blooms indeed resemble birds with raised wings? Maybe? Possibly?? Where is the Charlie meme ach well I'll just use this one---

Let's, uh, move on to P'Nang.

The High Priestess

This is indeed the card for P'Nang, assigned here by me though the show makes it abundantly clear. Wikipedia gives us esoteric, intuition, subconscious.

The High Priestess is a card opposing the Magician, just as the siblings are shown to be foils having once worked together and now at odds; they do converse and negotiate still, though, as they are irrevocably connected as opponents in the game, or at the very least coming at the game from opposing viewpoints on rules and objectives.

To paraphrase Wikipedia, on the card the High Priestess sits with her hands in her lap, has a lunar crescent at her feet, a diadem with a globe on her head, and a cross of the four elements on her breast; the scroll of divine law is in her hands, the floral-pattern Veil of the Temple behind her and behind that the sea.

Some of these elements we see right away in her introductory shot: the flowers in the background, and the two upright elements standing in place of the pillars centering her.

Her clothing is always simple and light-coloured as in the card, at times blue-lit; and she is often shown with a 'veil' or curtains behind her, also lit blue to bring to mind the robe and parts of them cleverly positioned to resemble the pillars. In these shots we also see an actual pillar behind her, and her hands in her lap. (And Alice of course has the tools of the Magician's trade around him.)

Her temple, has the globe and pillars in it (as well as more flowers and more pillars, not seen here; and fruit, to stand in for the pomegranates on the Veil).

Some of the elements in the card are not visible, though. Some of these we get in other forms, like the scroll of divine law that we see through her actions and her life at the temple; and the crescent at her feet, which I would connect with the Moon card and thus Aran. (This might just be me fervently hoping that Aran finds out she is his aunt if he doesn't yet, and gains a family member that he'll have a chance to become close with.)

Okay, all of that was just to say that I think P'Nang is the High Priestess.

Bonus: the Hierophant

Okay, hear me out. In ep 9, P'Nang pulls the Hierophant for Rosé, who takes it as a sign that she and Jack will marry. However, right after we see the card with its red-cloaked High Priest, Hoy arrives with a red shirt.

Now, I know he was given the Star as his designated card. But listen: the Hierophant is very much his as well. He is the builder of the bridge between deity and humanity... The card is also known as "The High Priest", as a counterpart to "The High Priestess". And the meaning of the card:

So we get the exoteric bridge between P'Nang and her followers, the one who convinces her to convince them to fight. Hoy is both the Star and the Hierophant, and indeed a lovely counterpart to her. I'm still not sure whether P'Nang dropped the Lovers card on purpose or not, but either way, good for her for recognising the good that Hoy brings, the good that Hoy is.

-------

"P'Nang, are you good at fortune telling?"

"Who asks a fortune teller that! ...Fortune-telling is like an investment with future risks. Sometimes, it's just about someone being unsure of something and wanting confirmation from someone else. But sometimes it's about weaving fates together."

"Oh. So youre making it up?"

--------

I'm definitely making it up, but that doesn't mean it's not true.:)

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more stashbusting this weekend!

[inksandpensblog]

-- Found the fiddlestickbug in the nether fortress. It was stuck in the soul sand and had been struck by a wither blade. I've brought it home. Red helped me drip-feed it enough milk to purge the wither effect. It's curled up on the table now.  It's elytra is cracked and its wing is torn. Red thinks we can still save it, now that the wither effect is cured. I didn't need to use health potion. It's so small. It still hasn't eaten the sweetberry I left for it. I don't know how I'm gonna get it to ingest a regen potion if it doesn't eat. For now I've splashed it with a drop of regen. Also slowfall because it's probably used to flying. And turtle-master so it's less likely to put stress on its injuries.

I just had an idea.  Stewing flowers with suspicions effects boosts their properties.  If it won't drink potion, maybe I can get it to drink stew. "It" being the fiddlestickbug. It should all be ingredients it likes anyway, right? Fairies like mushrooms and plants and stuff, don't they? At least bugs do.  Oxeye daisy for regen. Maybe dandelion for saturation too, since the effects still won't be as potent as with a drinkable potion. I'm gonna feed it sus-stew with oxeye and dandelion until it's back to what Red thinks is its normal energy level.

It finally ate the berry. I'll have to offer it another one to see if it'll actually eat them regularly or if it only ate because it was starving.  The fiddlestickbug, I mean.  We need a better name for him.

--  Red says Purple (that's what we're calling fiddlestickbug now) has perked up. He responds when we try to interact with him now. I don't think it likes me very much. It seems to like Red the most.  It won't drink potion. I tried just holding a bottle of splash open near it, but he doesn't seem to like the fumes either.  Guess it's just sus-stew and splash-droplets, then. He'll have to deal with the fumes. Regen isn't best as a contact-potion. Still. If he won't let potion into his gut at least some will get in his lungs.  Or. You know what I mean. Whatever sticks have for lungs.  And whatever mobs have too I guess. At least we know it does actually like the sweetberries. Red wants to try beetroot next, since he first saw it hiding among the beets. I'm gonna try beet soup first. 

--  The stews and potions are working! It's really slow but the tear in the wing and the cracks in the elytra are smaller now. Green keeps trying to play with it. Red's told him to stop picking it up so much. 

--  It's started making little quiet humming noises to itself with He's started humming to himself with his wings under his elytra. Red says it's probably safe to try solid foods now, so I'm giving it Purple the flowers and the mushrooms whole. And the beets.  It's started climbing more stuff. I may have to splash it him with slowfall again.

--  Dammit Orange if you set it back at all  He tried to give it a bath Red said it screamed so frantically it sounded like it was being tortured Poor thing must've thought it was drowning he was being drowned. I know Orange just wanted to clean the mud from outside off of it but good grief.

Doesn't look like his injuries have gotten any worse from the bathing attempt. I know we can't just let it be dirty all the time but that was too much. And I don't think Yellow's idea of automating a bath is the solution. Solution. Maybe a different soap would make it easier. Something with a comforting scent. Or something that feels different. I'll have to experiment. I haven't tried my hand at soaps again in a while. It's just potions but with slimeballs as the first ingredient in the water bottle instead of netherwart. Then sunflower, then either honeycomb or cocoa beans but not both. After that I can add whatever. I hope Purple can bear with me through enough baths. Or bear with us I guess. I guess he doesn't need to know I'm making the soap. Anyway, Orange promised not to do the bowl of water again. Just pouring from now on. He'd used my basic soap. Just sunflower and honeycomb. Or did he use the sunflower and cocoa one? I'll have to check. 

--  Okay so turns out Purple doesn't like mushrooms. Like, at all. Sorry for feeding you so much suspicious stew buddy. Maybe that's why he doesn't like me. No, he didn't like me before that. At least he seems fine with the dandelions and oxeye daisies. That's good. The effects won't be as potent with the raw flowers but he'll still get something from eating them. And he does like the beets. Maybe I'll try carrots next.

--  We're gonna start Purple on whatever you'd call physical therapy for limbs when those limbs are also a vocal organ. Red caught it Purple singing the other day, wings-out shell-up, so we've got to make sure he isn't straining himself too much and also that he's healing right. The plan is to have Green do singing exercises with him every day and monitor how he does. After each session we'll give him milk and then see what the potions and flowers might've hidden, and then do treatment. Once he's a little further along we'll switch to milk before the sessions. Green is really excited to play with his muse it Purple again. He can't fly away now. At least Purple likes him.

Carrots worked. Red suggests apples next.  I left a bunch of different flowers out for Purple, and everyone says he seemed to like the peonies and lilacs the most. Wait Orange found him in a peony back then, I remember his sketch. That makes sense. He can hide in it pretty well. I guess the lilac also makes sense. It's not exactly close to his color but it's closer than other flowers. Except maybe alliums. But I'm not putting those in a soap. Actually maybe I should add cornflower to his diet. It has jump-boost properties, maybe it would encourage him to start trying to fly again. Red says he should be trying to use his wings for flight too by now.

--  Purple likes apples. Purple doesn't like the peony-lilac soap Purple didn't seem too enthused about the peony-lilac soap, according to Orange.  Maybe I'll try again with cocoa bean instead of honeycomb. Same flowers. I've been trying to extend the duration of Purple's potion effects so he won't have to see me as often but I've run out of redstone dust. I'll have to ask Yellow for some. At least he ate the cornflower too. He probably wouldn't appreciate a potion of leaping but I may have to do one. 

--  Purple's started getting an attitude. He's avoiding me when I go to get him for potions. He climbed up high (or flew maybe) and then didn't come down when I tried to lure him out with a cookie (he got into a batch of cookies Orange and I made the other day). And then he bit Green. That was fun. Red had to calm get him down after that.

We're switching to milk before the musical exercises now.  I'm short on redstone dust again.  Orange says that Purple liked the cocoa soap even less than the honeycomb soap. What else can I try. Is it still a texture thing? 

--  Red is a lot more hands-off with Purple now. I think he's really getting worried that Purple hasn't been flying.  Or he still thinks that Green is a little too hands-on. At least he's letting me splash him without Red hanging over my shoulder now.

Purple is really taking advantage of the slowfall and leaping combined. But now Red is wondering if giving him too much protection is actually stunting his recovery. He flutters his wings and stuff when he's climbing to give himself a boost up but that's it. According to Green he doesn't show any discomfort with his wings when singing. I guess I can try weaning him off of slowfall. I feel like I shouldn't take away his flowers though. So he'll still have a bit of leaping. Just less.  Good news is, Orange said that Purple seemed okay with poppyseeds in the soap. I'm gonna try sand next.

--  Purple just jumped into the sand! He saw it and then just. Dove into it immediately.  Actually I think that's the closest he's gotten to flying. But then he started rubbing the grains all over his arms and legs, like actually scrubbing himself with them. Now he's shimmying and twisting around, probably trying to get it up into his back-fluff. Whatever Red called it. Setae, I think. He also called it a setal pile but I think that means a pile is just a type of setae. I dunno. It's all fuzz to me. Or maybe he's trying to rub his elytra against it. Anyway! I think I was right about the soap texture. Purple likes grit. Think I'm gonna try sand and poppyseeds both in the next one. Maybe charcoal too, for maximum exfoliation. Not that he'd care about that probably. He'd just appreciate the grittiness.

Ah. I will not be trying anymore soaps. Red learned that bug setae have this waxy coating, and it looks like Purple's does too. And it turns out that soap destroys that coating. So. No more soap. Geez no wonder he thought we were drowning him. I already made the new soap just for him too.

Honestly I'm not really that upset about it though, now that I think about it. I mean yeah it's a little disappointing but if it was gonna hurt him more then of course I'm gonna stop. Now I'm kinda glad he didn't know I was making the soaps. Orange doesn't wanna let him just roll around in sand though. Apparently sand-baths aren't clean enough for his standards. Green suggested an archeology brush. That actually sounds not too bad. As long as Purple knows to keep his shell closed, I'd hate to know what that might do to his wings. And I guess I did learn that I can make bar soap by adding a ball of clay at the end. 

--  Good news is, the archeology brush worked.  Meh news is, I'm not splashing Purple with potions anymore. Red said he's still not flying enough. But at least Purple seems less wary of me now that  Bad news is, I'm out of redstone dust again and at this rate I'm starting to think that Yellow is pilfering my stash.

I'll confront him about it tomorrow. Purple actually let me approach him without getting anxious today. I'm still not sure he'll let me pick him up, but I don't want to pressure him and I'm pretty sure Red doesn't want us picking him up anymore anyway. Maybe I'll try skritching his back, see if he'll let me. He seems to like it when the others do it. 

--