#but i do love all the aesthetics and the weird sea creatures

[rizardofether]

Wait Splatoon 3 is over?? But I just got back into it?? I missed the last Splatfest??? -holding new Splatoon OCs- What do I do with these guys now???

[adobe-outdesign]

Will you review the Maraquan pets? I think Buzz is my favorite based on design, and there are so many really creative/punny ones. Personally, I’ve never liked Wocky.

Maraqua is probably one of Neopets' most distinct lands given that it's, you know, underwater. The idea of making a color that fits with the Atlantis-esq aesthetic just makes logical sense, and the actual designs tend to be pretty cool. I like how there's actual thought put into how [X] Neopet would function if it was adapted to life underwater, with the bubbling pit area vaguely implying it might be a natural mutation (given the amount of "painted" Maraquan pets we see in Maraqua).

Maraquan also didn't do too badly with customization, mostly because they're not compatible with normal clothing anyway so the poses are at least somewhat distinct. That said, it is weird that they changed the poses at all; they already have to have clothing drawn specifically for them, so why force things like fists onto some of them? It's so weird.

Even weirder is the seemingly arbitrary decisions regarding which ones got UC versions; Maraquan Chombys barely changed at all yet somehow got a UC, while Maraquan Zafaras changed drastically but never got a UC. What gives?

(I can't count it on the favorites list because there are too many good still-obtainable Maraquan pets, but shoutout to the unconverted Maraquan Zafara for being one of my favorite Maraquan pets. Shame it's no more.)

Favorite Species:

Gelert: While the unconverted Maraquan Zafara is my all-time favorite Maraquan pet, the Maraquan Gelert is a very close second, and is definitely my fav if we're talking pets that are still obtainable. I love Maraquan pets where the design is just abstract, taking cues from various sea creatures without being a 1:1 parallel of them, and the Gelert is particularly beautiful in this respect. It plays with the Gelert's long ears and tails by making it vaguely eel-ish—adding in a back fin, a few spots, and a lovely green and purple color scheme.

The UC version is particularly gorgeous, having this lovely flow that curves back from the head and leads straight into the curled tail. The converted version is still fine, as it's a fairly accurate recreation all things considered, but the pose is much more awkward (the body suggests an S shape, but the paws and ears are going opposite directions and the chest sticks out too much).

It does, however, at least fix the shading; for some reason the UC Maraquan Gelert has one layer of shading with no highlights or shadows to speak of, which is really weird. (See the above, which is an edit I made years ago that just adds the layers of shading that the actual UC is missing. The lineart should also probably be thinner but I digress.) Anyway, the point is that both are beautiful designs.

Uni: Maraquan Uni are also really beautiful. Similar to a Peophin (arguably too much so, but hey, there's no Maraquan Peophin at the time of writing anyway), they've swapped their legs for a tail and their wings and mane have become fins themselves, with a pretty curved horn and some subtle striping to boot. Even better, the converted version is basically the same as the old art, so there's no difficulty in obtaining one (other than the PB cost, of course).

Lutari: While there are still a lot of great abstract Maraquan designs that I love (Eyrie, Draik, etc.), I have to give a shoutout to the Lutari for being a really great design based off of an obvious animal (in this case, an axolotl). The cream and pink color scheme is lovely, and I love the subtle mottle gradients on its limbs. The multiple sets of ears forming the gills is fantastic, the tail is pretty, the black claws add contrast, and it still reads really clearly as a Lutari despite the animal influence. Really good stuff.

Least Favorite Species:

Kacheek: The Maraquan Kacheek just looks incredibly uncanny to me. The best Maraquan pets are either ambiguous or choose an animal that fits the Neopet, but here they just... took a Kacheek head and slapped it on a goldfish body??? Don't like that at all. The head in isolation isn't terrible and I could see it working on a more Kacheek-ish torso, but this... no. At least it's nicely drawn on a technical level, I suppose?

[pomrania]

So in the notes of that "skywhalefall" post, I've seen a bunch of people calling it a type of "cosmic horror" and. Like. Either their definition of "cosmic horror" is a lot broader than it is for me, or I failed at getting across what I intended to convey, or I have a really fucked-up sense of what isn't "horror".

Suppose it's best to start with definitions. From what I've gathered, "cosmic horror" is a type of horror that focuses on how humanity is small and insignificant and powerless in the grand scheme of things, and what exists is far weirder than you could ever imagine, and a whole bunch of it is inherently "hostile" to life as we know it (not necessarily out of malice, just out of environmental incompatibility, like radiation). And, most importantly, it's HORROR; if the emotion you get from it is "wow there's so much cool stuff out there", then either the intended response failed to be engendered in the audience (due to lack of skill, or a changing context, or someone having a stupidly high threshold for "getting scared"), or it's not actually "cosmic horror".

I do not like "horror". I find it an entirely unpleasant emotion to experience. I do however like "weird stuff", alien creatures and environments completely outside of our normal experience. I love it in fiction, when it's able to be properly conveyed; and it's fascinating when it's NOT fiction, just a corner of our actual real-life world where what we take for granted doesn't exist and yet life still manages to be there. Like the really deep ocean.

(Some people call those weird-looking fish "nightmares". And like, it's true that you -- as a relatively large chunk of relatively undefended organic matter -- wouldn't necessarily be safe from them at least TRYING to eat you, but you'd have worse problems if you were in the same environment as them, like the temperature and the pressure and oh yeah the fact that it's completely under water so you wouldn't be able to breathe. And I don't know about other people, but for me, THAT aspect of it is more likely to show up in any nightmares I might have; you can theoretically frighten away or fight off any creature, but not the water surrounding you on all directions.)

I just... are people using "cosmic horror" these days to describe "thing that comes out of nowhere and is completely different to life as you know it"? Because that makes even LESS sense than using it to describe a particular aesthetic, since at least "tentacles" and "like only part of it can be shown in three dimensions at a time" are from foundational works in the subgenre. I mean, it's POSSIBLE to write cosmic horror describing, say, an actual-ass tortoise -- I've read that, it was cool -- but that doesn't mean an tortoises in general should be considered "cosmic horror".

Or is it like, it's considered "cosmic horror" if it forefronts how people aren't in control of everything in the world? Because, ah, that was just everyday reality for almost all of human history everywhere; and even when you don't have to worry about predators who might think you're prey, or the fickleness of weather for your crops, there's still natural disasters, and environments that are very much not hospitable to humanity. Does "being caught in a storm at sea" or "suffering from oxygen deprivation on a tall mountain" or "there's a wildfire" count as "cosmic horror" for people?

Maybe we just need a better term for "the universe is vaster and WAY stranger than you'd previously imagined", which doesn't include the "...and that's a bad thing, for you in particular" that you get for "cosmic horror". "Cosmic wonder" might work, if it didn't sound like a lipstick brand, or some New Age workshop.

[galacticcosmologist]

im fighting for my life to keep the formatting from getting utterly screwed

CG: I COULD GET HIM PREGNANT CG: [PICTURE OF RANDOM ANIME MAN] AC: :33 < guys i think i huave autiusm GA: Spending Time With My Beautiful Wife :) I Love Him CG: [1000 POSTS ABOUT A SINGLE CHARACTER] CG: I WANT TO PUT HIM IN A VERY ELABORATE TRAP OF SORTS IN WHICH I SHOOT HIM THREE TIMES IN THE CHEST, RUN HIM OVER WITH A CAR, DROP A PIANO ON HIM, HIT HIM WITH A BRICK, TIE HIM TO SOMETHING HEAVY AND DROWN HIM IN THE SEA, DROP HIM FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER, AND THEN NURSE HIM BACK TO HEALTH SO I CAN START ALL OVER AGAIN AC: :33 < [picture of a very sw33t cute creature of some sort] AC: :33 < now s33 her joyous whimsy ♡ GC: 4NYON3 W4NT TO ST4B 4ND K1LL M3 S3XU4L STYL3? CC: just got back from walmart. i love s)(oplifting CC: #)(UNTING #GAT)(-ERING CG: DOES ANYONE ELSE HEAR WEIRD NOISES IN YOUR WALLS SOMETIMES… GA: [reblogs Many Cute Aesthetic Posts] GA: To Be Honest I Think Ripping Someone Apart With My Bare Hands And Being Covered In Blood And Gore Could Fix Me TC: iN ThIs gUy's wAlLs rN!!!! ShOuLd i cHaSe aNd kIlL HiM WiTh a kNiFe yEs/nO TC: [pOlL, "YeS" rEsUlT Is wInNiNg bY A LoT] TA: who up thiinkiing about triiangle2 rn? AT: WE COULD ALL STAND TO BE A LITTLE KINDER EVERY DAY,, cARING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE AND SHOWING COMPASSION TO THOSE AROUND YOU IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS YOU CAN DO, yOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU MIGHT AFFECT WITH JUST A SMALL ACT OF KINDNESS, mAYBE YOUR COMPLIMENT ABOUT SOMEONE'S DYED HAIR WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THEIR DAY, mAYBE THE PERSON YOU HELD THE DOOR FOR HAS BEEN EXHAUSTED TAKING CARING OF OTHER PEOPLE AND YOU REMINDED THEM THAT THEY NEED TO CARE FOR THEMSELVES, tOO, i HOPE WE ALL CAN BOTH GIVE AND RECEIVE A LITTLE COMPASSION TODAY }:) CG: HONESTLY MY DAD NEEDS TO KILL HIMSELF AA: [413 p0sts rebl0gged with #queue can't kill me #c: milb0 meegus #y0u are my angel #fand0m y0u've never heard 0f in y0ur life #0pen up y0ur heart like the gates 0f hell #me] TA: fuuuuck ii ju2t told the waiiter "you too" when they 2aiid enjoy your meal. ii need to change my iidentiity and flee the country now CA: sorry i havven't been activve my apartment building burned dowwn and my car exploded last wweek, luckily only breakin twwo of my bones in the process! but honestly it's not evven that bad so im takin the bus to wwork right noww. here's to hoping this one doesn't crash this time! AG: I deserve to kill 8ad drivers with my mind powers. Re8log if you agree ::::) CT: D--> MY BLULGE FELL OF?F????

[restwellsoon]

amor vincit omnia | aphrodite mood board

I thought it'd be fun to share some of my author's notes/ mood boards for amor vincit omnia since it's my absolute labor of love.

Hopefully this provides more incite into Reader/Aphrodite.

Theme Songs

For a fic of this length, I thought it was appropriate to give Aph a theme song or two.

"Barbie Girl" - Aqua

Rather than taking inspiration from "Barbie Girl's" hook (You can touch / You can play / If you say, "I'm always yours"), I found myself associating Aphrodite more with these lyrics:

Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees

To me, these lyrics epitomize how others view the goddess - a doll that plays the part of being pretty, a plaything that others exact their will upon. The goddess is more than that though. I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees gave me the vibe of a woman who's not as vapid as others seem. She's someone that recognizes the desires of others and is able to adapt according to the situation.

I also really liked the Pygamlion vibes this gave me. In the myth, Pygmalion falls in love with his creation, and Aphrodite brings it to life.

"Dream Girl Evil" - Florence and the Machine

Am I your dream girl? You think of me in bed But you could never hold me You like me better in your head

&

Did I disappoint you? Did mommy make you sad? Do I just remind you Of every girl that made you mad? Make me perfect, make me your fantasy

This speaks to Aphrodite's self-awareness of others' opinions of her as the dream girl ideal fantasy. Knowing that though, she understands that others aren't seeing her for who she truly is, therefore disappointing and angering themselves. Rather than being mad about it though, she understands her worth (You could never hold me) and leans into it (Make me perfect, make me your fantasy).

I also really like the Madonna-whore complex and good vs evil themes of the song too, which I think sums up Aphrodite's complexity perfectly.

The Face of Aphrodite

I don't like to associate real people for reader-inserts since I prefer the lack of physical descriptors and most physical descriptions are irrelevant to the plot. However, I just had to make an exception for this fic. I was inspired the iconic goddess of pop herself, Cher!

I love this picture of Cher in particular because it shows off her confidence and power as a starlet from a young age. This is the look of a woman who knows her talents and beauty and knows how to get what she wants! This was something that I wanted to embody in Aphrodite as well when I write her mannerisms and others' reactions to her presence.

Here are some of my fave Cher quotes:

Women have to harness their power - its absolutely true. It's just learning not to take the first no. And if you can't go straight ahead, you go around the corner.

&

I know it sounds weird, but how bad, how hard can dying be?

&

A girl can wait for the right man to come along but in the meantime that still doesn’t mean she can’t have a wonderful time with all the wrong ones

&

Yes, it’s a man’s world, but that’s all right because they’re making a total mess of it. We’re chipping away at their control, taking the parts we want. Some women think it’s a difficult task, but it’s not.

&

Mom, I am a rich man

Symbols & Imagery

Seashells & Black Pearl

Naturally, Aph is associated with shells and pearls because of her ties with the sea and Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

Sea shells are hard on the outside, protecting the soft innards of the creature inside - just like our beloved goddess with her tough exterior.

I liked the imagery of black pearls in particular because of their mysteriousness aesthetic. Black pearls are associated with strength and healing - two things that are at the core of Aphrodite's arc in the story.

Turbulent Waves and Sea Foam

Following Aphrodite's birth, I thought that turbulent waves would be best to associate her with. Though the ocean is beautiful, it's also fucking scary, which is how I interpret the goddess. Love and Aphrodite are a force of nature - one to be admired but not fucked with.

Sea foam is made by agitating sea water. I like to think that contributes to her volatile nature.

Roses

Symbolizing love and beauty, it's natural for roses to be Aphrodite's flower. I love the myths about the first red roses. When Aph found out that Adonis had been injured, she ran to him, scratching her skin and painting white roses red. Alternatively, there were roses surrounding them as he died. While Aphrodite wept, her tears mixed with Adonis' blood, thus staining the roses around them red. There's a bittersweet aspect to roses with regards to her myth, and that was something that I wanted to focus on.

Thinking of Aphrodite as a rose herself, I thought it would be fitting to make them a part of her character arc - starting off with her essentially being a withering rose, then blooming again as she meets Ares / Jason - and of course, her thorns.

With Lore Olympus being one of my initial sources of inspiration, I also had to give Aphrodite her roses back from Persephone since Smythe gave them to the wrong goddess. This was also how I decided upon Persephone / Selina being Aphrodite's rival (she's also meant to help Aphrodite grow).

Bloody hands

Unlike Athena, whose powers are based on intangible intellect, the source of love can be seen and heard by all.

When researching and trying to think of natural ways to connect love and war together, I came across several idioms and metaphors relating love to physical force (E.g. to hit on someone, fall in love, to pursue someone, etc). This made me think of the power of love as being strong, something that can be felt physically. It also made me think of love and Aphrodite as a hunter/ predator. While Eros has their arrows, I thought that goddess of love would have more simple means of dealing with hearts by using her bare hands. I finalized on this concept when I thought of tying heart strings together and what that process might be like.

I also drew inspiration from Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. Having Aphrodite using violent means to commit Love's will and hearing the hearts of others gives the goddess an insane and horror aspect to her character that I thought was cool.

Silk

The luxuriousness and exclusivity of silk certainly means it'll be a staple in Aphrodite's wardrobe. I also like to describe her powers as feeling similar to silk. Have you ever shaved your legs and gone under some fresh covers? It feels like absolute heaven.

Diamonds

Coming from the Greek word adamas, which means invincible or indomitable, diamonds represent strength and beauty. Diamonds were believed to instill courage during battle and ancient people even thought that Cupid's arrows were diamond-tipped. Some even believed that diamonds were the tears of the gods.

Kronos also castrated his father Ouranos with a diamond sickle, thus giving birth to Aphrodite.

Diamonds aren't Aphrodite's assigned gemstone, but I loved the history behind it, especially since everyone knows that diamonds are associated with love and marriage.

I also wanted to associate Aph with diamonds because they're known to be poor electricity conductors. Who is the god of thunder and lightning? Zeus / Bruce! So associating Aph with diamonds not only gives her ties to Ares / Jason but also represents how she's a foil to Zeus / Bruce.

A/N: So that was a little look into my character development process and inspirations. I'll probably post Ares/Jason's mood board as well as my little notes about the other characters too.

[astranite]

Sewing a Sea Creatures shirt!

Long story short, I impulsively started sewing a button up shirt with very bright sea creature patterned fabric.

The Fabric. It’s just basic woven cotton. Pretty sure it’s from spotlight. I love the pattern so much. I love the Ocean!!!)

@squiddokiddo​ you kinda might have inspired me just a tiny bit (or a lot!). 

So today I was kinda like: Why does Gordon get all the cool button up shirts, I want cool button up shirts too!

(I have another shirt with little space planets on it and I love it to pieces. But I need more. And its so hard to find shirts that have cool patterns and actually fit right.)

Me: I Need sea creatures shirts. But I can’t find any good ones :(

Also me: You have the Power To Create Them though (aka moderateish sewing skills and Determination.)

Me: No, no. there are probably other things I should be working on. And I don’t really know what I’m doing.

Also me: ...You know you have fabric with sea creatures on it around here somewhere.

Me: I do... *rummaging through fabric stash* Ah ha!

Also me: Winging it (with some knowledge) is a very valid option. SEA CREATURE SHIRT!!!

Me: This is actually possible. And I want it. SEA CREATURE SHIRT!!!!!!

So yeah. Did my research, planning and most of my pattern drafting this afternoon. Not quite what I was supposed to be doing but it was either trying to attempt a thing I knew I would not make any progress on and would upset/frustrate me but I Should be doing, or being positively productive albeit in a sideways way. (and have done the asking for help on the other thing but no email back)

I’m drafting it off an existing short sleeve button up I own. Tracing, maths and a lot of measuring bits of fabric and seeing how to put it together is involved. It fits pretty well though I think I’ll make a few adjustments while I’m at it. 

Does this seem like the hard way to do it? Yeah, but for some reason commercial patterns never keep my attention for long enough to finish the thing. And honestly, reverse engineering and problem solving is Fun. I like figuring out how stuff works. And I’m a very weird combo of Must be exacting and precise, and Winging it. You might be able to tell I thrive off challenge and novelty.

Also wacky patterned button ups and socks with cool patterns of sea creatures (and also space) is like 70% of my deliberate aesthetic. (the rest is flannel and work boots lol)

[rey1x1]

those christmas themed drag shows sounds SO fun!! I’m glad you have fun things to look forward to. I wish my gift to you could be making the people you work with learn to read, but I can only do so much with photoshop 😅 speaking of, what is your general aesthetics or what genres do you usually gravitate to?

theyre usually super fun! I have a lot of friends/acquaintances I've met through the local drag scene cuz my bestie is a local queen. and tbh they are legit some of the funniest ppl I've ever met!

sdfgh pls you'd be so powerful if you could make them read, I'd be bowing down in your honor!

ooh genres I love scifi, fantasy, and horror as the like over-arching genre names. but particularly I love space aesthetics (think star wars, alien, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, etc), monsters (underworld, van helsing, queen of the damned), creatures (deep blue sea, tremors, jurassic park), fantasy (pirates of the caribbean, labyrinth, godzilla, percy jackson, my hero academia, fairy tail)! and then horror like connects to all of those anyway!

for aesthetics thats a little harder to answer cuz its a weird combo of my genres? I really love leaning into sci-fi for aesthetics but not "the crisp clean everything is white", i prefer the lived-in feel of star wars and alien where most of the tech is at least a little bit clunky but still so futuristic even now. I also really enjoy the cheesy-comedic type of vibe that comes from bad scifi/horror movies in particular! oh and the dark sexiness that typically comes with monsters is chefkiss as awlways!

[now-we-say-c0ral]

November 25, 2023

Happy Ian Lanz Day! I'm 28. I'm 28... Feels weird but it feels better than being 27, just because 28 looks like an aesthetically better number than 27.

We planned to do the mini-Sahara tour today and it was nothing short of a great adventure. Woke up around 7am and ate breakfast. Didn't really eat much because I didn't like the options during breakfast so I just went with some citrus fruits and some yogurt. The driver met us up around 8am and took us to the mini desert with an ocean view. There's really something healing being in the sea. Not the lake or the river but the sea. Seeing the waves ebb and flow, smelling the salt air, feeling the breeze of the Atlantic, it feels like the crevaces of my damaged soul is being filled with some sort of magical, healing energy and I feel better. For a moment, though brief, I feel whole. This is why I wanted to go to this part of Morocco because of the accessibility of being near the sea.

After, we drove through the city and saw how their Moroccan silver is being made along with the fine jewelries that they handcrafted. We saw the markets and went again to the desert where the little Atlas mountain was. the mountain was so majestic and stalwart-looking. It looked like a bastion, a fortress, a haven for the inhabitants of the land. We took some pictures in the desert with the camels. I'm so happy that I have finally been able to hold a camel up close. They're very docile creatures and they were so gentle. I loved the experience.

We then ate in a nearby inn and had some chicken tangine and some citrus fruits locally grown. The experience was humbling as we sat on the floor and enjoyed the simplicity of life by the outskirts.

We then went to a big dam providing water to all of Agadir. After we went to a shop where they showed us how they used to process the Argan fruit that is endemically grown only in a few areas of Morocco. Morocco is the only argan oil exporter in the world because the Argan tree only grows in Morocco. We then a big hoard of camels near the riverbank on our way home feeding. They are such majestic creatures.

I can't help but feel unappreciated by Ed. Before his birthday, weeks even, I planned how to make him feel special. I organized an activity where I surprised him with his friends and I bought him a cute Apple Watch. For me, he had nothing. I know he's broke this time but not even a shirt? Or at least something? I told him this and he said he was sorry. I think I'm done being selfless for now. I don't feel that important.

I watched the sunset alone because I didn't want to be with him and I'm giving him the cold shoulder. I don't think I'm being petty. I am hurt. This day was almost perfect. I ruined it because he ruined it for me. Not the way I wanted to spend my day but I can't help but act on my emotions. He told me he was sorry. Okay, fine. I hope he'll let me be upset. He says he feels guilty for ruining my day. I told him that I don't feel bad you feel that way. He should. I'm hurt not him. It's not going to be about him this time.

Nevertheless, I had a good day. Cheers to being 28!

[stepswowdsen]

Idate (WATGBS AU) Doodle WIPs

We are cooking!!!

This is our WATGBS AU’s version of Idate, a buff DILF dad. He wears blue eyeliner and earrings, has scars, and orca markings/patterns more realistic to actual IRL orcas.

Oh yeah, I wanted him to have a big coat cape jacket that hangs off his shoulders (like some of my faves, Douman, Hibari, and Xanxus)

How I draw Idate is what I imagine him to look like in our AU ^^

(Though I’ll fix the orca markings whenever I refine the sketch, since it’s still a rough sketch right now)

I made Idate themed after the black sun in our AU, and Tatsu is themed after the moon. And Tatsu has pink/red eyeliner and star and moon earrings. So after he meets Tatsu, he starts wearing blue eyeliner and star and black sun earrings to match with her <3 🖤🤍❤️

I quickly scribbled the earrings, but I think it’s also neat if Idate’s black sun earrings also look like a vortex... A void/abyss. I’m not sure what colour to make the earrings... It’s ok as yellow, but I’m also wondering if I should limit the amount of colours used in his colour palette. Silver or white could also work 

Me and my black sun faves!!! ☀️🖤🐈‍⬛️

(Points at Douman, Judar, Idate) 

If you ask, “Did you guys seriously make an entire ass fantasy world based off a character that shows up a grand total of 3 times in the OG WATGBS as short cameos, and the rest of your sea creatura faves”

Answer: Yes!

In the OG WATGBS, Funa-verse Idate is a violent orca that goes around on strolls, acting solely for his own pleasure to entertainment himself, based off the orca-like behaviour of playing with food by tormenting other sea creatures.

In our WATGBS AU, Idate is the Lord of the Underworld. His character theme is “Void/Emptiness.” He has Void powers and can create voids. He’s the evil protag of our AU. We created a whole story for him and the other WATGBS AU charas. (99% of our WATGBS AU is just lore that my friends and I made up <3)

And it’s so fun to write for an evil meow meow mf protag 🤭

Friend: Sen's Idate is so fucking hot 😳🖤

Me: Waaaah thank you!!! My only [art] goal in life is to be able to make my faves look hot

I strive to make my cat cots look hot!!! If my cats look simpable in my art style, then my job is a success

My masc faves are all my cat sons to me, so for me, “hot” is “Omg SO pretty” as aesthetic attractions 

As usual, some rambles are under the cut

I did a colour edit last year of Idate’s OG art to match closer to what I imagined for our WATGBS AU’s Idate, and balanced the colours for my own drawings. When I do colour edits, I pick the colours based on what I think looks good. They help serve as colour guides for future drawings. 

I love using cool colours like cool blue (teal is really nice for colouring black hair) and cool purple to colour black/monochrome colour schemes ^^ 

Friend 2: Oml, seriously thank you for fixing the colours and skin tones on Funa's designs, among tons of other things

It always bothered me, why the fuck are her charas all pale like paper bro??? LIKE THEY'RE LITERALLY PAPER

Me: Yeah the colours are so bland and dull in Funa’s version bruhh and Idate’s orca tail markings (flank patch and saddle patch) being missing in his design bothered me so much wtf

Source: Emma Luck, marine biologist

Cats and orcas are my fave animals <3 Orcas because of this god forsaken AU LMAO /pos /endearing 

I love our AU with all my heart

So I love looking into orcas as a hobbyist, and made changes to Idate’s design accordingly

And yeah, Idate is one of the only charas where the white skin still “works” since he’s descended from a demon and has a black/white monochrome colour scheme, but it’s so weird, it makes the charas look like paper

Like if only a few charas had it, ok fine but IT’S LITERALLY EVERYONE ADSKLSDKLLDSKL

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Azul for the character bingo

***Standard disclaimer: These are just my personal opinions of the character(s); regardless of what I may think of them, sharing my thoughts is NOT meant to offend or to shame anyone that thinks differently.***

***CONTENT WARNING: mentions and discussion of bullying!***

This one’s going to be quite weird 😂 For those of you who may not know, Azul used to be my favorite character back when I first started Twisted Wonderland (JP) upon release. Since then, he has fallen from grace and now sits as one of my least favorite characters in the entire cast (which I know is a very controversial take; I’m well aware of Azul’s popularity both in the Japanese audience as well as in the international audience).

A huge part of the reason why I was initially drawn to Azul was because The Little Mermaid was basically the only Disney movie I had a strong connection with of the ones that the Great Seven were modeled after. I religiously watched that movie and its sequels as a kid. I collected sea creature plushies and listened to The Little Mermaid soundtracks to help lull me to sleep. I dreamed of being a mermaid when I grew up despite not being able to swim. The whole under-the-sea aesthetic enchanted me, and since the original movie didn’t characterize the eels too strongly, I of course gravitated to Azul, who is based on The Little Mermaid’s iconic villainess, Ursula. Little me had always preferred Ursula to Ariel anyway. I really adored her unique lavender skin, her seashell jewelry, her overdone makeup, and her fuller body (it was rare for me to see that kind of body type portrayed in media back then so the variety was great). It was also so cool seeing her tentacles move in the water and how they filled up the space on the screen???? Additionally, I found her to be one of the smarter and sassier Disney villains, which I really appreciated. AND THAT WHOLE THING ABOUT URSULA BEING KING TRITON’S BANISHED SISTER??????? Catch kid me slurping up lore and fan theories about that 😳 

ANYWAY, THE POINT IS THAT I SIMPED FOR URSULA WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID SO I WAS LIKE “okay I guess I’ll simp for anime Ursula now that I’m older” since I anticipated a lot of what I loved about Ursula to also be present for Azul. In the beginning, this was mostly true and I was loving every second of it. I absolutely adore it when a character uses their smarts instead of their strength to overtake their enemies and obstacles, and Azul was really serving that up in episode 3 (and later on, episode 4). He wasn’t exactly like Ursula, but the traits that Azul offered that were uniquely his happened to fall in line with what I usually enjoy, so I had no complaints. Azul was calm, cunning, and above all else, a force to be reckoned with, someone who was always way ahead of you and difficult to outsmart.

Then we got his backstory, and he completely lost me.

I’m sure that this shocks many of you, as Azul’s backstory is one that often garners him sympathy and empathy. I’m NOT saying that I’m apathetic to his situation; I actually empathize a lot with what he went through as someone who has been bullied myself and felt resentful toward those perpetuating the bullying... and I can totally understand why he’s trying so hard to invent a new, more confident identity for himself, but that doubt and insecurities still remain from his past trauma. It’s admirable how Azul didn’t let the bullying weigh him down; he instead used his negative emotions to motivate himself to study hard and get in shape. However, in the context of what Azul would later do with his intelligence and magical abilities, it leaves a foul taste in my mouth.

Truthfully, I dislike Azul’s backstory, and Azul by extension, for very VERY personal reasons. The implication is that Azul improved himself in part because he sought revenge against his bullies. He eventually does get what he wants, robbing his bullies of the traits that they were most proud of in exchange for “helping” them, and continues to run that shady business to this very day. So... what? It’s okay to be driven by spite? It’s okay to seek revenge against people who have wronged you? It’s okay to keep swindling others for personal benefit under the guise of altruism just because you were hurt in the past? I’m sorry, but I just cannot agree with any of that.

I realize that I may be viewing Azul’s backstory from a somewhat shallow perspective, but when I first read it, my gut reaction was to be hurt on a very personal level. Again, I’ve been in Azul’s exact situation before. I’ve even felt the same disdain toward my tormentors that Azul did, and I used the thought of revenge to fuel myself to excel academically to “prove them wrong”. That might have made me a good student, but it also made me very bitter and haughty for a period of time. I would later come to realize the error of my ways and worked even harder than I initially had to scrub away that hateful version of me and open myself up to others. To see Azul, someone very similar to me, be rewarded over and over for being truly awful makes me feel as though my own efforts to be a better person were somehow for naught. Like, that’s NOT how things work???? I look at Azul and I see what could have happened to me if I continued being resentful; I would have become someone just as bad, if not worse than, my bullies 😔 I’m NOT saying it was okay for them to have bullied Azul, but kids/teenagers are assholes and don’t realize the full extent of how their comments can hurt others in the long run; what is Azul’s excuse, especially when he is older and fully aware of the consequences of his actions?

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be so offended by Azul’s backstory if I didn’t find myself relating to him so much... I still like seeing him engage with the other characters (particularly when he’s trying to butter them up), but as it stands, I cannot ever see Azul the same way that I initially did. He reads as someone that kid me would have looked up to as a role model, someone who could “stick it to the haters” and make all of his dreams come true at the same time, but now that I’m older I see just how detrimental that line of thinking can be.

I think that Azul works best when paired with good characters he can bounce off of (namely, contradictory characters or people who can push Azul’s buttons). This includes the twins and Jamil, who provoke Azul in their own ways. He’s forced into a vulnerable position with Jade and Floyd, who are aware of the past that he often tries to bury and could bring it up at any moment. Meanwhile, Azul dials up the charm and confidence to 11 when he’s with Jamil which 1) is fucking hilarious, especially with Jamil shutting Azul down while wearing a deadpan expression and 2) makes me think that he wants genuine companionship with someone he can relate to (even if he probably does intend on also using Jamil as an asset to his business if Jamil transfers to Octavinelle). I really feel like I’d like Azul a lot more if he just made more vested efforts to open up (but I understand that he’s not currently in a secure enough position with his identity and trust in others to actively pursue that).

[dannyphantom-justiceleauge]

H2O AU Sam anon: love everything you came up with~ but may I raise you, instead of lake Michigan, the canon Lake Eerie in Amity Park? With a name like that I would ABSOLUTELY believe a mermaid transformation on a full moon can happen. There's even a secret cavern behind a waterfall where a weird magical pool could possibly be hidden. Also I love the idea of her being a different TYPE of mermaid than saltwater mermaids. Like H2O mermaids all have orange tails (and like, that one dude who has a green tail for some reason?), if you really wanted to you could decide freshwater mermaids all have, like, black or purple or blue tails or something to soften the aesthetic for Sam to be slightly more tolerable lol (she would HATE an orange tail haha).

The hair growing thing is probably canon actually, I think in H2O:MA no matter what hairdo they have, when they turn into a mermaid their hair becomes all long and pretty? but it goes back to normal when they turn back to human so like... Sam might be mad about it if it were permanent, maybe let her have a bit of reprieve and not make it permanent lol (I mean, Danny's and Tucker's changes aren't permanent y'know?). Tucker growing big in his other form as a parallel to Sam growing small is great, and the "purify water" power makes her unique from the canon H2O mermaids :D Also the mermaid ghost zone bit, that sounds fun, as well as fishing out shenanigans. I'm just imagining she's mad about having to use straws to drink anything for fear of getting wet, because using straws is bad for the environment (she quickly gets a reusable metal one she can use anywhere she needs it. it's a Fenton Straw and it doubles as a hair stick and a weapon I guess because that's just how stuff goes in DP when they need something normal and the Fentons get inspired and make it a weapon instead XD).

I don't think she necessarily needs to be a princess (also I'm not understanding how exactly other than "you're the chosen one"?) since by virtue of her already activist personality she'd probably take on all those responsibilities anyway, just because it's the right thing to do. I can see her BECOMING a princess by doing all this though (along with unlocking more powers along the way and becoming OP in her own right), not really doing that from the start tho (could be a plotline to take for sure! similar to how Danny doesn't start out as king!).

Anyway loving the Valerie and Jazz bits too!! Full set go :D though they also need a transformy aspect to really complete the set lol. Jazz transforming into something with wings and pointy ears sounds cool tho! So now we've got dimension/space, land, sea, sky, and manmade creatures (Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, Val respectively). There's a lot of faerie stuff out there if you wanna continue the route of basing this stuff on existing media (like Teen Wolf and H2O)... the only fae things that come to mind right now are Winx and W.I.T.C.H? Though I don't know much about them.

yooooo. erie works so much better and it would move what stat they're in but i don't care. it fits. i'd also like to note that all the lakes have different mer cultures and vibes. for instance lake superior is the biggest and deepest and has a lot of ship wrecks. erie on the other hand is the smallest and shallowest and has the greatest water flow. it also has issues with pollution and over fishing so it likely has the smallest population of mers and the smallest sized mers in general. they have a hard time with hiding and maintaining a population so they stake a lot of hope on sam and her abilities. there's also a lake monster named bessie in erie that's going to be a friend. the lakes are all attached to each other and have access to a lot of rivers so there's room for travel.

i'm tempted to make sam's tail pink just because she would hate it, but morphology wise it would make more sense if it was a brownish-green, similar to the fish in the area/ the mud on the lake floor. true greens are also an option. my main thing is that these mermaids would be concerned with blending in so they'd want to have camouflage. i'm also now tempted so say all mermaids have a full fish form for camouflage. tucker is going to mock her for this like being a glorified pooch is so much better

i'm down with it being a mer form only thing. she'd still be annoyed because she finds the length inconvenient but at least she can control how she looks on land. it also just occured to me that she needs to invest in water proof make up and the first few times she transformed without it were messy. she played the dripping off as an intentional look. but that 'intentional look' stopped happening within a couple of days.

she'd immediately switch to a reusable metal straw though i'm hesitant to have it double as a hair chop stick purely because that's gross to me and would lead to getting your hair and it's oils in your drink. she could probably have it as a different accessory though.

my mind also made a jump to paulina trying to be mean and 'accidentally' dump her drink on sam and danny and tucker having to step in and take the splash to protect her secret. i think it's safe to say that they'll all end up doing embarrassing things to protect each other secrets. they're loyal like that.

that's fair and the nature of plot development. sam accidentally earning the princess title is better than her just randomly getting handed it by pure chance. it would be nice to see her earn the eerie mer's loyalty and admiration. though she'd still be considered weird as hell due to her company.

and finally i don't know much about winx or w.i.t.c.h. either. it kinda missed me. i'm more inclined to lean into the existing lore for fairies. though it is extensive and often contradictory. how jazz will look depends on what kind of fairy she is. i saw a comment talk about how she might accidentally trick a fairy into giving her their name, when they were trying to steal hers. i wouldn't mind there being an ongoing plot where because she stole that fairy's name and therefore their power, the former fairy is following her around trying to get their name back and cause mischeif for her. only to find they've bitten of more than they can chew because jazz's life is chaos and the fairy isn't the weirdest thing to happen in her day. she probably ends up quite affectionate towards the fairy as she goes about learning how to use their powers. the pranks can become pretty mean spirited. but danny is a lot less nice and willing to threaten them to protect his sister. it's a whole thing. the fairy is very tsundere next to jazz's happy optimism. it should be noted that jazz did try to give the name back, but gifting names is different the stealing names. if anything she just ended up having more power over the fairy. which they aren't happy about. it's a mess. but eventually they reluctantly come to love jazz and her weirdo family. - Hestia

[iminye]

I love the interpretations of more eldritch and otherworldly looking Ainur, it's just an aesthetic I really like and a concept I can get behind.

Like imagine Varda who is basically a vaguely human shaped figure, but her skin is made out of the night sky, her eyes are burning brighter than the lightest stars in the sky, her hair a constantly twirling mass which looks like several galaxies stuck together. Fantastic. Ulmo looking like some sort of creature you would most likely find in one of these stories sailors like(d) to tell, huge, green skin, fish tails, covered in kelp and sea grass, with a voice as terrific as the storm. Awesome.

Now this brings me to Aulë. Aulë who created the Dwarves in a way he imagined the children of Iluvatar to look like, presumably in his own image that could very well be as eldritch as everyone else's. They are his creation, all of his imagination went into them. If we assume that the Ainur had no idea what the elves were intended to look like this actually gives Aulë a lot of possibilities.

Who says that dwarves look even remotely human like? Probably some paragraph in the Hobbit or LotR I forgot about but shhh They could look totally non-human like. Maybe Aulë got inspired by moles digging through the ground and gave them an appearance that was more resembling of that.

We do know that they have some unique hair colours going in because Dwalin has a blue beard according to the Hobbit. Give me blue beard Dwalin, not gray blue but sky blue or like Indigo blue.

Just like... Dwarves have so much potential to be unique because they were created outside of Eru's plan and given how the Ents turned out we have a lot of freedom here. If we can make elves look eldritch and weird to the human eye, we can do the same thing with dwarves. They don't have to be short bearded versions of us, they can be something very different looking.

[orange-waterfalls]

Vampire!Reader x Markiplier Egos

ty anon for the request

A/N: YES. IT'S BEEN A WHILE. HAPPY FUCKING HALLOWEEN. I absolutely remembered today is the 1 year anniversary of ahwm absolutely this is not a coincidence what are you talking about ahahahahha. I've been busy w/ school and drawing and general depression and anxiety with the current situation but I'm getting back into it! Vampire reader. That's pretty much it. Rated T, a bit of cursing, mentions of blood, mentions of fangs. A slightly suggestive phrase but that's just Illinois like there has to be at least one with him it's the law. ALSO. NEW RULE? IF I'M DOING LIKE HCS OR SMTHN I WILL DO 6 AT A TIME. I CANNOT BE WRITING 14 DIFFERENT EGOS AT ONCE I JUST CAN'T I'M SORRY. anyways enjoy!

Vampire!Reader x Egos Headcanons

General

Not much PDA

Not much going out in general

You have to cover your whole body when you do, unless it’s nighttime

You spend much of your time inside or in the forest

You’re basically nocturnal

You do drink blood, and you don’t need a lot of it

You drink human blood only if they give permission

You don’t kill people

You know or know of some other supernatural creatures that exist

You are friends with a werewolf. One specifically. You know the one.

Darkiplier

You both are edgy as all hell it’s perfect!

Politely asks you not to bite him

a) because he’s not human and b) because it’ll hurt

You both are very calm and well-spoken. So. not much happens.

However, you are both, in fact, dumb bitches, so things are still entertaining

“My darling, would you like some garli-mmm nevermind...”

You go out with him sometimes on romantic moonlit walks

You don’t have to wear as much then

You make him get a pet, a black cat specifically

He loves it

You named it Darko, Dark for short, and he hates the name

Like he hates the name a lot

It is irrational how much he hates the fucking name

He calls it DA

He never explains why

When you want blood he’ll trap a deer or something

You go into the forest and drink a little of its blood

He’s surprised

“What am I, a werewolf?”

He’ll ask you about supernatural creatures, and how to defend against them

You’re pretty sure he’s an eldritch entity so you aren’t sure why he’s asking YOU

He won’t ask how you became a vampire, that seems personal

He never gets startled when you turn into a bat

He can hear your lil wingbeats from a mile away

Sometimes you’ll sleep as a bat and he just smiles at you hanging from the fan

Fine with you not interacting with others, like he does much of that…

Just likes hanging out in your fucking giant victorian mansion with you

Wilford

We all know that his type is, in fact, edgy bitch

Therefore, you are perfect

Dark clothes? Check

Edgy backstory? Probably

Kinda scary? Oh absolutely

And he loves you for that!

He doesn’t want to be a vampire, but he fuckin loves your teeth

He’ll ask you to bare them and then he’ll do a happy wiggle afterwards

He loves dancing with you, slow or fast

It’s always romantic

He’s basically a god so like. Anything you ask for he’s gotchu

You said you were hungry and he fucking kidnapped someone

You said you were hungry, that was on you

You then explain that you don’t need a whole FUCKING PERSON

He then steals some blood bags from the hospital

“Oh, calm down! They have enough!”

Likes taking you out, so you go on night walks a lot.

You’re not used to social interaction, so he makes sure to steer you away from people

Unless you want to talk to them, then he starts up a conversation and lets you take over

You don’t understand people, and neither does he! It’s great.

Likes when you turn into a bat

He doesn’t know why, it just makes him happy

You made him adopt a black cat

He named it Colonel Whiskers

Loves you and your castle and your weird ass little quirks

Actor

Bite him.

BITE. HIM.

LET HIM BE IMMORTAL

You refuse for the sole reason that he is a dick.

You do get along because you both are, in fact, pretentious

You wear those silk robes around the house, and he gets mad at you

HE is the sexy mysterious one, COME ON!

At least you won’t have an edgier backstory than him…

Likes slow dancing with you

Very much enjoys your Aesthetic

Believes that he too belongs in a Victorian era castle isolated from the world

Loves the dark romance

Is a Fancy Boy

Was fully prepared to murder someone for you to drink their blood

Surprised when you said it wasn’t necessary???

Buys a horse or smthn

Asks about supernatural beings and which are immortal

He asks that a lot

He worries you sometimes.

Hates it when you turn into a bat

You’re small and you fly around and you’re fucking GROSS

He doesn’t. He doesn’t like animals very much. Besides dogs I mean.

Buys you clothes because you’ve been wearing the same shit for fucking EVER

Don’t worry, they’re all black, dark purple, or dark red

Sometimes you decide to go on a walk and he tags along

Possessive bitch

Thinks you’ll leave him if you talk to other people

He scares them or leads you away

Was fine with a black wolfdog you brought home after searching for food

Names it Phoenix, and you call it Nix for short

Is deeply in love with you, but will never say or show it

Yancy

He thinks you’re wonderful!

Originally a bit mean to you

He thought YOU thought you were better than him

He saw the fangs and backed off

He asked about them and you answered, so you got along

Asked if he could be a vampire

You asked if he wanted to be immortal. He declined.

Suggested you drink his blood when you were hungry

You said it wasn’t necessary, but he pushed

Stared at you the whole time

“what’s your issue” “this is very… intimate.”

On that note: has an issue with intimacy

You’re very cold naturally, so you’d want to cuddle

He awkwardly shifts away

Once he gets more comfortable, he might cuddle with you

Loves the silk robes you own, they’re so fucking COMFY

AND THE SILK SHEETS?? Heaven

Absolutely loves all the fancy shit you have

You teach him how to waltz and he teaches you how to tap dance

You have a very equal give and take relationship with everything, it’s great

Neither of you like social interaction

You will if you HAVE to but mostly keep to yourselves

You love Yancy's prison buddies

They love you too

Asked if you knew mothman

You couldn’t tell if he was joking

He absolutely Was Not joking

He sings to you sometimes

It echoes through the place and the Aesthetic man

Hates it when you turn into a bat

Bad. No. Stop. Scary.

A small animal flying at him is a no go

Alternatively: get him a pet dog and he will love you forever

He names it Elvis. Yeah you know why.

Overall loves you and your aesthetic, and you could tell even before you got together

Illinois

Excited but doesn't show it

He's met PLENTY of supernatural creatures

Ghosts, gods, there was a thing with that werewolf one time…

(He has the scars to prove it)

But a vampire? That's new

He doesn’t live at your place because he travels a lot

He still stays there sometimes between adventures

Uncomfortable with how clean it is

You are. An immortal being. And you take the time to clean. What the fuck.

“Would YOU wanna spend eternity in a dusty ass mansion?”

His flirts are often about your fangs

You threatened to bite him and he said “promise?”

Said you could drink his blood, but you said no

“I don’t know what the fuck you got in that bloodstream”

Doesn’t do walks but takes you on adventures

If it’s a cave. And you turn into a bat.

ONLY if you turn into a bat

Sidenote: he fucking adores when you turn into a bat

He just thinks they’re neat

Uncomfortable with how soft everything you own is

NOTHING is soft in nature

Except. Like a lot of things. But don’t tell him he’ll get mad

Doesn’t really want a pet bc he’ll never be home to deal with it

He’ll be fine if you get one though

He wants to name it Nathan Drake he doesn’t care what it is

NERD(see: Uncharted)

Will never EVER wear a fucking suit

He will DIE before he wears a suit fuck you

Dislikes anything remotely fancy

Talks about the creatures he’s met

you get Bard Vibes if ya know what i mean wink wink nudge nudge he's a whore is what I'm saying here

You hang out normally mostly

He refuses to acknowledge his feelings for you

Not after the mermaid incident.

He eventually will, i promise

Magnum

He’s a pirate, he doesn’t care

He’s seen sirens, ancient spirits, probably Davey Jones at some point

A vampire? Low on the list of dangerous creatures

He has a whole ship made outta wood he’s not that worried

You don't really sail with him often

When you do, you're seen as a threat to anyone and everyone

He loves that about you

Warned you not to bite him or he'd stake you

You promised not to and that was enough for him

You get along with the crew fairly well

However do NOT turn into a bat around them

They will not hesitate to shoot

"UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT, MAN YOUR BATTLESTATIONS!

You can maybe do it around Magnum and only Magnum

Doesn't like your house

He belongs to the sea

But can and will steal your sheets for himself

A pirate can have a little silk, as a treat

Offered his crew's blood to drink after a while

You declined because you don't know what the fuck kinda diseases they have

Doesn't really want a pet. He can't tell them what to do.

You bought an axolotl and he loves it a lot

Its name is Delta but he has deemed it Magnum Jr

Can't really. Fit. In any suits you have

He has to go out and get one personally tailored if he wants it

Likes dancing with you

Slow dancing. To Danny Boy.

He can't dance but that's ok he tries

You talk about land creatures and he talks about ocean creatures

So far he despises werewolves and skinwalkers

He likes spending as much time with you possible

He doesn't much like the idea of a relationship bc of his uh line of work

But he loves you

[twonderland]

Hello!! Could I request some headcanons of the dorm leaders with a female crush who's like a Disney princess (really good singing voice, extremely compassionate to all, animals loves her, etc) please and thank you!!

Aww ! A cutie pie girl in NRC 💖💖✨

DORM LEADERS REQUEST

🦁 At the beginning he was a little bit stressed with you for different reasons, 1) he couldn’t relate nor understand your uninterested kindness, normally in Savanclaw the guys were such an assholes, that was the normal environment .... but then you came all cute and gentle , he doesn’t know how to manage you

🦁 The time passes and he gets your persona, you are the cutest little thing he has ever known. Of course (because of his initial insights of you) he doesn’t want to and refuse to accept that he may ... have a crush on you but well, love is love and this big cat is not escaping it

🦁 Anyone that knows him for some time like Ruggie would notice how his way of talking and even moving around you changes, he flirts shamelessly since he LOVES your cute face get all red like a tomato. Overall, he has a lot of fun teasing you and also listening to your beautiful voice he pretends to be asleep but nah he’s not 💖💖💖 also , pet him, pet this boy for god’s sake, he adores your smooth hands on his ears 🙌🏻✨ (maybe this is part of this “princess charm” that you have that keeps his tail moving and making him purr like a kitten on your lap)

♥️ Takes your kindness pretty well ... on the surface. He has been taught how to talk to a lady but actually never put that knowledge on practice, you may catch his hands on his back whenever you talk to him he’s trying to stay calm playing with his fingers

♥️ One time you fell asleep on one of the gardens, resting your face on the surface of a table with some tea cups in front of you. You were exhausted after helping Cater with some stuff, and decided to take a break ... you fell asleep. - what is she doing ? Its not allowed to sleep in common areas- he thought but before he could awake you one butterfly rested on your head, making the sight something beautiful and magical

♥️ “...J-just this time” he couldn’t afford to ruin this moment, some time later he approached Trey to ask him “do you know anyone who’s magic allows them to take photos ? Like cater ?” Trey is like dude just use a phone 😂 leave him alone, he’s like a grandpa sometimes and only wants to admire your cute face whenever he wants

♥️ The first time that he asked you for a date it was a sight to behold (he said that it was a practice for the next unbirthday´s party but you know what’s happening) you are so gentle and comprehensive that he gets to a point where he relaxes and enjoys your conversation a lot, you relax him and blushes at the thought of holding your hand... maybe a red rose could be a good start for you to acknowledge his feelings for you...

🐙 It captures his interest the fact that in your first visit to the Atlantica a lot of fish and other sea creatures appeared to liked you, following you everywhere you went and also making some cute tricks to make you giggle. -maybe she had some kind of special magic that allows her to captivate animal’s attention- he thought, but then again you are a human... no magic, so what could it be ?

🐙 In octavinelle all the students have this clever yet malicious personality that allows them to trick other people, getting what they want making their “clients” fall in traps, so when Azul sees your sweet personality he tries to read your way of “tricking people” only to discover that that was the real you with not second intentions

🐙You are the only person that he truly opens up besides the eel brothers, he sincerely wants to become a stronger person and thinks that with your help and positive aura he can achieve that, also expect him to show you his most clingy and cry baby side 😂💖

🐙ADORES YOUR VOICE pls sing more for this octoboy 😂 he also likes to make covers with you and make duets, one day you made such a beautiful duet that even Vil praised you. The way that he develops feelings for you is through time, he knowing that you are indeed a beautiful person inside and out and he relying on you, but also teaching you lots of things ! Azul is a really clever person after all

👑Intrigued to say the least, if you are a pomefiore student then Vil would find out your abilities like singing, baking (maybe ? 😂) and having an aesthetic sense really quick, but if not, he would see this features once he starts to ask for your help in different tasks

👑 Your beauty is a fact, no doubts there. Not only in the exterior, but also you have this “I don’t know what” thing that makes the pomefiore students go behind you not just to appreciate your beauty but because your personality is so refreshing !

👑 Not gonna lie, he may feel a liiiitle bit of jealousy for some time, but after seeing that you don’t have any interest in taking “his throne” Vil calms down and becomes something like a mentor. He wants to exalt your beauty at the maximum level, you accept everything he does to your face and clothes since you only wish to make him happy but in the process ... he falls in love 💖

👑 Imagine him talking about your interests, points of view, memories etc etc. while he does your make up, your hair and outfit. He gets to know you and also to admire the beauty of a beautiful soul

☀️ PARTNERS IN CRIME you two are inseparable, the positive energy that you emanate is like the sun, it almost made blind a lot of scarabia students including Jamil

☀️ Laughs, smiles, singing, dancing. Do you remember that Kalim also LOVES animals ? He likes to take you to see his tigers, exotic birds and taking rides on the camels and the magic carpet. Jamil has scolded Kalim too many times since he comes back to scarabia too late after taking night rides with you “hehe, I’m sorry Jamil, is only that the time flows like air whenever I´m with (y/n)!!! “ while Jamil perks one eyebrow, realizing his master’s feeling even before himself.

☀️ You are the typical couple that everyone thinks that is in a romantic relationship but in your minds you are friends, this little questions like “I thought you were dating” or “you two look cute together” made him starting to think about you in a different way. Kalim the sunshine he is, doesn’t want to bother you so he keeps it to himself.... for some minutes 😂. The doubt is there and he NEEDS to tell you, he’s scared, nervous, doubtful BUT he needs to know how you feel as well.

☀️ Tríes to take your relationship to another level, now, every time he takes you to the aviary he has flowers for you, he invites you to dinner but the atmosphere is more ... romantic. Those kind of hints also make you start to see him on a different light and with time ... the love surges 💖💖

💀 His crush is almost instantaneous 😂 the first time you saw him it was because Crewel asked you to bring some papers to Ignihyde so the dorm leader could give them a look. After some time you manage to get to Idia’s room, where you knock the door not 2 or 3 but 5 times before coming in, you couldn’t return to your dorm with those papers on hand

💀 The light was off and shyly you said “i-is someone here ? Idia-San ? ... I’m turning the lights on...” the next thing you saw was an otaku’s scared face at the other side of the bedroom enrolled with blankets and a plushie

💀 he thinks you are ethereal and just... perfect. You are kind, gentle, doesn’t judge him, actually appreciates and likes to talk to him and beautiful. At first is intimidated by you for being a girl. Pls take your time with this guy, he will open up once he detects no danger around you You being the kind person, and Idia the being unable to survive without someone telling him that he actually has to eat three times a day and getting at least 6 hours of sleep, you take good care of him (ORTHO ADORES YOU). Idia’s not a baby and actually takes care of himself after seeing your concern. He´s so grateful for you being at his side in good and bad times.

💀 Invites you to play video games with him, watch anime, talk about everything and anything. When Idia gets comfortable his voice is way more smooth and fluent, he’s that kind of people who you can totally rely on and will ALWAYS be there for you. He blushes easily around you, fantasies with the day when he can tell you about his feelings and with ZEUS BLESSING get your “yes”

🐉 Dragon boy didn’t know what was like having a crush, so it took some time for him to actually understand what was this weird feelings he had towards you, just let me remark that Malleus haven’t had any friends in his life, let alone a partner, so your relashionship develops slowly but is one of the sweetest ones in the entire world 😊💖

🐉 The first thing you are gonna have is an unconditional friendship, you show him lots of things and he shows you his incredible magic, the way his world works, etc. he had a crush on you already but he’s just so lost 😂

🐉 “Lilia, I ... have had some weird thoughts about (y/n)” to what Lilia answered “Mm? Such as ..?” He doubted for a second, but Lilia being in fact his “dad” and the only and mostly decent source of help Malleus had, he continued

“....kissing her”

Silence

“Wait wha-“ “also embracing her, dancing with her, singing for her, having night walks with her, also taking care of Gaogao Draco-kun with her, sleeping with her, also-“ 

“ I think I understand Malleus 😅”

🐉 AGAIN lets take in mind that he’s from a different species which means different courtship rituals, so once he understands the “human way” to court you expect him to clumsily, awkwardly but in a intensely adorable way to recite some poems for you, I like to think that Malleus (having the age he has and living for so long) has a talent for writing poems, stories, etc. His face is stern but you can tell how nervous he is for his trembling voice, also acting way more like a “gentleman” for you, which is nearly impossible since he has always been a sweetheart to you ☺️💖

Thanks for your request

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[hteragram-x]

Remus Sanders is an artist HCs

I think that there are too many people who sleep on the fact that Remus is an artist. I mean… sure… his creativity is probably mostly spent on creating disturbing thoughts and coming up with lewd jokes. But I refuse to believe that he does not make art just for the cool aesthetic or to put his ideas into a tangible object (or performance). I’ve seen more stories where Virgil was an artist for some reason... and Remus wasn’t even if he’s a literal embodiment of Creativity. Gotta fix it.

We know that Roman is an excellent singer and actor. He can draw (Mona Lisa) and write (gift for Logan; songs; poetry) as well. But he couldn’t really play an instrument (see: Moving On) and he mentioned that Thomas probably shouldn’t show his dancing skills, so maybe he’s not the best at that too. He’s good at costume design and tried interior design as well. The list goes on. He clearly has his strengths and weaknesses in this department.

So what about his brother? (get ready for that Creativitwins content… and maybe some hints at Intrulogical and Dukeceit too)

...

...

...

1. Remus is great at playing instruments. He can play almost everything he tries if you give him a few minutes to check how it works. But being his chaotic self he most often plays instruments that are super loud and annoying.

2. When no one listens he sometimes tries instruments that are more soft and romantic, but you’ll lost your ears and eyes if you ever discover it. Deceit once did. He promised to not tell anyone, but he still remembers the sight of Remus with a silver harp, singing some angsty ballad like a dramatic bastard he is.

3. He likes to make his own instruments too. From everything. And I mean everything. Which includes vegetables, bones, soil, parts of furniture or dirty laundry. Don’t ask.

4. He’s good at singing, but prefers playing.

5. So he often plays for Roman and since they both enjoy coming up with their own songs they regularly perform something one of them wrote.

6. They sometimes try rap battles, so Roman can practice for his eventual rematch with Logan, but rapping is really not their style. And most often than not they end up laughing too much to perform and just add as much nonsense and disgusting jokes to the lyrics as possible.

7. And maybe when Thomas was younger they had a very “hardcore” band called: The Empire Has Fallen. And maybe they sang about not being loved and appreciated. So what? None of our business.

8. Remus is great at sewing (yes, sometimes it means visiting the sewers). And costume design (have u seen his clothes?!). At first most of his drawings were inspired by Roman’s – he just wanted to do something that was a complete opposite. But later he gave himself more creative freedom.

9. Remus designed and made Janus’ costume. I mean… the snake boy is fashionable and all. But it doesn’t mean he can create something on his own. He just said “black and yellow… and I want a hat” and Remus was like: “ALREADY ON IT!” (at first he gave him a bee costume with a top hat as a joke).

10. He’s not great at interior design, because he values the creepy aesthetic over comfort and practicality. So his room was mostly created by Roman who kept the colour scheme and the atmosphere of a damp and weirdly luxurious basement, but added a lot of pillows and greenish lamps in various corners. (There was a long argument about keeping the artistic bloodstains on the walls.)

---

11. He’s excellent with make-up. But he does not try too hard while doing his own, because he likes to look like he has not slept for two weeks.

12. He can dance, but doesn’t do that often. Especially since part of his charm is being intentionally ungraceful and positioning his limbs at weird angles. However, he dances with Roman or Janus if they want to. (With Roman it often ends in a playful fight; with Janus dancing can turn into a semi-romantic, passionate performance to some villain songs.)

13. He’s just as good at drawing as Roman, but obviously their inspirations are very different. Remus most often draws people… with way too many details and a lot of attention to anatomical correctness. You know exactly what he draws. I’m not gonna say it.

14. Logan taught Remus a lot about anatomy of both humans and animals so he can draw as realisticaly as possible. And if they dissected a body in the basement to be extra sure how the liver looks that’s also none of our business.

15. When they were kids Patton promised he will put his drawing on the fridge next to Roman’s if he promises to not draw blood and corpses. Initially he drew some disturbing pictures of naked people to mess with the rest of the sides, but only Logan could look at them without being too grossed out. And since Remus really wanted some validation, he showed Patton his designs of new weapons and pictures of deep-sea creatures (some real, some fictional). A few of them were on the fridge for so long that the ink has slightly faded.

16.  The pictures of sea creatures were partially responsible for Logan’s fear of the bottom of the ocean. But it’s a phobia fuelled by curiosity and scientific fascination so he does not complain and often complements the most terrifying designs.

17.  His weirdest creative outlet is creating new animals. (Roman’s manticore-chimera was heavily inspired by Remus’ mush-ups). And maybe he sometimes invites a certain local nerd to admire his work and help him with coming up with Latin-based names for his dear abominations. And maybe they enjoy adding antlers to fish a little bit too much. And then giggling about it. Stop judging. Gosh…

18.  Remus is unfamiliar with the term minimalism. Or rather he pretends it does not exist. With his ideas the concept of “less is more” will never apply.

19.  He loves sculpting. He’s not great with it, but you can make a big mess with clay, so he finds it relaxing. Sewing is also relaxing, but in a more “I’m already calm so let’s do something tame” sort of way. Sculpting is better to vent. Ya know… create a face out of clay and then punch it real hard. Or smash a block of granite with a mace and see what interesting shapes you end up with.

20.  The art he’s most embarrassed with (if he’s capable of such a feeling at all) is his doodles. He thinks they’re too soft and cute. But he draws them anyway, because sometimes he’s just tired, but still needs to do something with fidgeting hands and all the ideas buzzing in his head like a swarm of hornets.

 ...

More to be added. I myself am full ideas.

[I did part 2. It’s HERE, if you’re interested.]

[thebibliomancer]

Tides of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 25

Tides of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because some fire just proclaimed Tavra the true All-Maudra, the Vapra have joined the loosely affiliated resistance, and skekSa has our heroes back against a cliff. Two chapters left, tensions high!

Last times on book: Amri and co are on a quest to unify the Gelfling clans against the Skeksis. They’ve succeeded with the Sifa, the Dousan, and now the Vapra. But they’re cornered by skekSa the Mariner who is feeling a bit sore about the Sifa ditching her and wants to take Naia to use as political capital with the other Skeksis.

Chapter 25

Amri and the others fight to escape the clutches of skekSa, they don’t get out unscathed

skekSa stared, wide-eye, rage saturating her dark eyes and making her look more Skeksis than ever. Amri tried not to let it frighten him. Not now that they’d had their victory lighting the Vapra flame. All that was left was to escape the Mariner’s clutches. Survive, like Tavra had said.

Win condition: get the heck away.

Similar to the first book conclusion, having to escape the Hunter. Different from the second book where they planned to trap the Satirist to keep knowledge of the resistance secret longer.

Beating skekSa in a fight, not even a viable outcome.

For one, her sword is longer than Amri is tall. That’s a bit of a discouraging thing.

skekSa tries being ‘reasonable’ one last time, offering Naia a chance to surrender for the safety of the others but Naia refuses.

[skekSa] charged at Tae, swinging her sword. Even if its edge were not sharp, the sheer power and weight of it would crush a Gelfling if it struck. Tae leaped, wings taking her up so her toes touched the gleaming metal of the blade. She ran along the sword, leaping again and slashing with her dagger.

That’s some more choreography that I’d love to see in puppets.

It’d look silly if not execute well but maybe good silly.

There’s only so many ways you can portray a small individual fighting a much larger one and its not like Yoda’s method of jumping around everywhere like a grasshopper doesn’t look silly if you’re not in the moment.

Naia runs to help Tae hold off the Mariner and Amri runs to take care of Kylan.

Kylan being Kylan, his first concern is to stop skekSa from destroying any more trees after the trees helped send the message but Tavra chides him they have to save themselves first.

Problem being they’re backed up against the cliff, they don’t see Onica’s lantern down in the ocean, and all the fliers are trying to knife fight a behemoth.

skekSa doesn’t give them space to think about it either, she dashes in and tries to split Amri in half. He tries to block with Tavra’s sword but the Skeksis wrenches it from his hand with the hook on her sword.

Not ideal.

Naia and Tae attack her again and do some damage but she just jumps away from Tae and throws Naia off of her. Fighting Skeksis is hard.

Tae tells Tavra to protect the others and keep lighting the fires no matter what happens and then dives against skekSa from the air.

Tae’s dagger bit. skekSa’s sword flipped into the air, and Amri caught his heart in his teeth when he saw that the Skeksis’ severed hand still clutched the hilt as it flew.

skekSa screamed. She grasped the stump where her hand had been.

“How dare you!” she cried, over and over. “HOW DARE YOU!”

Well, uh, plus side is that now she can get a hook hand to add to her piratey aesthetic?

Minus side is the Swimmer just lost a hand too.

Other minus side, Skeksis have four arms. Two usually vestigial but like the Hunter, the Mariner engages in vigorous exercise in the brisk outdoors and hasn’t had arm atrophy.

Amri tries to warn Tae when he sees the movement but is too late.

One of skekSa’s smaller arms slipped out from the Skeksis’ coat. Something flashed, and a BOOM rang through the mountain air. A cloud of smoke exploded from skekSa’s hip, blasting Tae off her feet. She crashed into one of the Waystar trees, leaving a red mark on its glowing white bark where she struck. Then she fell into the snow and did not rise.

The smoke cleared. skekSa coughed and reached into the depths of her coat again, drawing out a leathery, egg-shaped device and holding it in her tiny palm. Her breath rasped in anger and pain, her blood still falling on the white snow. She stumbled to one knee.

“I can’t believe this,” she panted. “Can’t believe it one bit.”

Holy crap! Guns exist? Skeksis have guns??

This is even weirder than the Emperor doing force lightning.

Guns!

And here I was joking about her improving her piratey aesthetic when she had a gun up her sleeve!

A weird, egg-shaped gun.

The tech level of this world sure is unusual.

-rereading- Oh! Its a grenade!

Yeah, that’s more in keeping with what we have/will see. But geez, she hit Tae with a grenade. Poor Tae.

Also, sure she got blown up for it, but props to Tae for taking off an entire hand in one go.

Down below in the bay, Onica’s lantern has finally arrived and Naia says that their best chance is to fly down. Except now they’re down one flier and have two non fliers to convey.

skekSa throws another egg-shaped grenade, which Amri blocks by throwing a branch in its path. The explosion still knocks him on his ass because that’s what explosions DO.

And by the time he recovers, skekSa reaches them.

She had found her sword, held it in the hand that was intact, carelessly bleeding from the other as if it meant nothing.

“I don’t want to do this,” she said slowly, her blade tasting the snow at her feet. Her voice turned hard at the end, wicked as her sword. “I told you we had a deal -- you ungrateful fool.”

Huh.

I can almost believe she means it.

The Mariner takes a swing but she’s blocked by someone with a Vapra sword and then has her sword knocked off the cliff.

skekSa is having a really bad day.

[Amri’s] eyes were still hazy, trying desperately to focus. But even so, he could see how stood between them and skekSa: a Sifa with hair gold as the sun, holding Tavra’s sword. Shining on her neck was a crystal spider, silver and blue as the moon.

The ringing dulled enough that Amri could hear Tavra’s words, stern and commanding in Tae’s voice.

“Get out of here, to the cliff,” she said. “Run! Fly!”

!!

Tavra spidered Tae!

I guess Tae is alive from being exploded? If her body is still capable of being spidered and fighting?

skekSa tries to lunge past TavraTae to get Naia but without weapons and against someone with a sword who knows how to use it, she’s stymied.

The Mariner even grabs a tree branch and tries to use that to swat TavraTae, without success.

Naia follows TavraTae’s advice and grabs Kylan and jumps off the cliff.

And after breaking from the fight with superior mobility, TavraTae grabs Amri and jumps too.

Amri having a lot of trouble reconciling in his mind Tavra and Tae because its Tavra but looks like Tae and plus he might have a concussion.

Naia still is the Drenchen whose wings have only just come in and haven’t been strenuously tested much so she’s having trouble doing more than slowing down her and Kylan’s fall. Its a nice touch that that’s remembered two books later.

But TavraTae glides close so Amri can take Naia’s hand and they can all glide down together.

As soon as they land on the boat, Tae crumples, probably Tavra abandoning controlling her as soon as its not a life or death situation. Because of ethics. And because moving her around when she’s been exploded can’t be good for her explosion wound.

Naia immediately starts trying to heal her, only pausing so they can all move inside the cabin where its warm.

In the end, the glowing eased and Naia put her hand on Tae’s forehead.

“I’ve healed her body,” she said, brow creased with pain. “But she was deeply injured by that explosion. Even though I’ve mended her cuts and broken bones, her mind still sleeps. I cannot even sense her dreams. I don’t know when she will wake... if ever.”

It was hard to imagine. The Sifa merely looked as if she were sleeping.

“I didn’t mean to...,” Tavra began. She rested on Tae’s cheek, glistening like a tiny moon in a cloud of sun-gold hair. Amri sighed and shook his head. The moon had eclipsed the sun during a storm in Ha’rar, after all.

What a weird prophecy.

In the end, it turns out it wasn’t a prophecy of a sweet, sweet romance. But a premonition that Tae would eventually be body-jacked by a spider that was really a cool Vapra.

Goes to show, prophecies aren’t straightforward. Unless they’re incredibly straightforward. Like the one from the movie.

But sometimes they’re poetic because fate doesn’t like you screwing with it.

Amri tells Tavra that this isn’t her fault because she did all the right things and saved the group which is what Tae would have wanted and which she’ll definitely confirm when she wakes up.

Buuuuuut, the plot hasn’t stopped happening just because there’s like four pages left in the book.

You’d think it would and we’d be winding down and figuring out what to do next. But no.

A familiar metallic whistle shrills through the air. A whistle that Amri knows exactly what it foretells.

Amri ran out onto the deck, followed by the others. The ship trembled as the sea shook. He grabbed hold of the rigging on the ship as waves rolled out from the ocean and crashed across the back of an enormous black shell. A deafening moan trembled through the water and echoed against the steep cliff. Terror shot through Amri’s body as a behemoth mouth rose from the depths, water gushing from its enormous hooked-beaked maw.

It gaped, spreading its jaws. The ocean churned, sucked into the black abyss of the creature’s throat. Onica’s ship was caught in a vortex of inescapable currents, and Amri watched the slowly brightening sky disappear as the monster ship closed its jaws, swallowing them into a sea of darkness.

COME ON!

This is where the denouement is supposed to go! And you go and release the kraken on them?

You’re persistent, skekSa! You’re very persistent!