#diamond dive

[historyhermann]

Webcomics Focus: "Diamond Dive"

Diamond Dive tells the story of a girl who learns she is a witch and goes to a school to hone her magical abilities. While there she finds more than her magic, like new challenges, crushes, and obstacles to overcome in this girl's love story.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog and Wayback Machine. This was the twelfth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on November 3, 2021. Also, this post has been slightly changed from the original.

Madamka's Diamond Dive is the story of Karta Kloss, also known as Pinky, who is drawn to a magic school, Montgomery University of Witchcraft. While there, she meets a girl she falls in love with, and as the story moves forward, both are drawn closer together and become more attracted to one another. Although this webcomic is a romance mainly, it also has its wonderful comedic moments.

The story begins with a witch casting a spell, who learns about a "special one": Karta, who was unable to get into a university, has parents who divorced, and a disbanding garage band. She has her own unique style. She hears a melody and learns that she is a witch, getting a stack of books. Karta thinks it's a dream and then freaks out. She doesn't tell her parents or friends where she is going. She does tests to figure out her magical abilities, is impressed by the school itself, and meets her roommates: a pessimistic girl named River Styxx and a more helpful girl named Kelpie "Kelps" Abott. The name River Styxx could be a reference to Styx, who is a deity and a river, in Greek mythology, which forms a boundary between the underworld and the surface world (Earth), or the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club song, "River Styx," or something else entirely! In any case, River saves Karta on her first day from an enchantment prank by another kid.

Karta goes to the library to pick up school books, helped by a librarian, and meets a heiress named Bailey Montgomery. She soon falls in love with Bailey, trying to impress her with her magic skills, but ends up almost causing harm to herself and Bailey, with both being annoyed at one another. That soon changes as Bailey carries Karta to her room after she faints. She later has a dream about the future and learns she has the magic ability known as "Dream Dive." She meets Bailey on her first day of class and invites her to coffee the next day. She picks her gem, a moonstone. We later learn about Bailey's past trauma, her full name, and she agrees to meet Karta, claiming it isn't a date.

Bailey later puts the gem on her necklace, and they spend the day together. Both realize it might have been a date, her friends at a coffee shop find Bailey's real Instagram account, and Bailey confronts her mother, who threatens her into entering a relationship with Karta. Her roommates help her with studying, while River gets angry about Karta and Bailey's date. Karta hilariously asks Harlow, Anne, River, and Kelpie for help in getting a second date from Bailey, i.e. "Operation High-Class Waifu," with Kelpie letting Karta know there are rules to letting Karta date Bailey, learning that she needs to defeat Bailey before she can date her.

After Karta asks Bailey on a date, Bailey says that if Karta can stand her ground for one minute, then she'll go on another date with her. Later, Bailey tells Yvonne that Karta is cute and wants to play it safe before she can be around Karta, so her mom doesn't hurt her. And the story goes on from there, with many twists and turns.

Karta and Bailey face each other in the library

Diamond Dive has compelling characters and storyline. Apart from Karta and Bailey, there's Karta's roommates Kelpie and River, and other characters like Yvonne Bisset, Ericka Rangulf, Annelise "Anne" Combe, Harlow Park, Cecilia, Karen, Nia, and Suzy. A good number of these characters are brown-skinned, like Karta and her roommate River, among others. This webcomic is not alone in this. Webcomics, like MagicalMashup!, Butterflies in Her Hair, Pandora's Choice, My Demon Valentine, and Everywhere & Nowhere, to name a few, also have such representation among their cast.

In a recent Q&A, Karta revealed that she sees Bailey as "cool and mysterious" but easily flustered, while Bailey sees Karta as "full of life," a go-getter, and wishing she could be "more like that that." The comic was recently nominated for the outstanding fantasy category for the Webtoon Canvas Awards, with voting closing on October 31, 2021. If Diamond Dive makes it to the top 4 nominated series, which will be announced on November 29, 2021, then users would be able to vote for the series again between December 6 and December 12, 2021, with the winners announced early next year.

Diamond Dive, which has more than 50 episodes, is written and illustrated by Madamka. She is also known for her wonderful three-part webcomic entitled Her name was Sunny. In one of the scenes of the webcomic, the "Princess Prom" episode of She-Ra and the Princess of Power is mentioned, which is why that webcomic will always stick in my mind. In a recent Q&A, Madamka said the use of crystals in Diamond Dive was influenced by Hazel Raven's book Sacred Crystals, and that the webcomic is two-thirds through season 1. She also noted that Yvonne is aromantic and asexual, Harlow is a homoromantic bisexual, Karta is bisexual, Max is polyamorous, and Bailey is lesbian.

In the same Q&A, Madamka noted that she is in a romantic relationship with fellow webcomic artist Soya S. Holm, creator of Susuhara Is A Demon!. She further described that artwork from Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the King, Bayonetta, W.I.T.C.H., and Monster High served as influences on Diamond Dive, while saying that the character's outfits in the webcomic are based on K-pop outfits, designer clothes, her own wardrobe, and other ideas. Madamka also described the comic as a mix of themes from Harry Potter, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Monster High, 1990s anime like Yu Yu Hakusho and Kiddy Grade. In another Q&A, she said that most of her character designs come from daydreaming, that her favorite anime is Yu Yu Hakusho, and explained the process of illustrating for the comic. I am excited to hear in that Q&A that Madamka is going to start a new project, whether a continuation of Diamond Dive, a magical comic, or a fantasy adventure focusing on a vampire and her apprentice.

Diamond Dive is one of the many recent stories which have focused on or featured characters with magical abilities. This includes characters in The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, dragons in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, the witches in The Owl House, Frida in Hilda, and the protagonists of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy. However, this webcomic, in some ways, reminds me of Little Witch Academia, an anime series that had yuri undertones, even if they aren't explicitly stated. Other webcomics like Tanya Tinks' Tea For Two, Merryweather's Everywhere & Nowhere, and Olivia Barone's Calia Nova, to name a few, also include characters with magical abilities.

Kart and Bailey blush at one another

Diamond Dive is available to read on WebToon and Tapas.

You can find Madamka on Twitter. The webcomic can be supported on Patreon.

© 2021-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[starplatimoon]

Jotaro taking selfies with sharks and other sea creatures that could kill him if they tried.

hanging with a great white

[guthrie-odonto]

If I had a nickel for every time a main, titular character became a kaiju because mental Chernobyl event (the “rampage” didn’t even have any casualties), I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice

Not complaining. Kaiju are cool and also with kaiju symbolizing everything from atomic hubris to cultural turmoil to climate change, it’s about time the genre started tackling psychological issues in its allegory

[agentc0rn]

Another XY Animatic :))) * loud volume warning

[looniecartooni]

3 bucks says Clutch knows all about Mimic's past as a performer and the second Mimic tries to backstab him for being insane, he threatens to leak his most embarrassing audition tape to the world.

[love-is-a-pearl]

So, here’s a question! (One that you may of answered or talked about before, if so, woops)

If Ash being put on a cross by Lysander was televised, what do you think Dawns reaction to it would’ve been? Or any of Ash’s friends tbh?

I wanted to reply with a small comic but I realize that doing that may take some time so. Text it is for now

Misty: the most worried of them all. Mentally curses Brock for not being there to take care of Ash anymore (even if he being there wouldn't have made a difference). Totally calls Delia and tells her that her son is on channel 06. Once she learns he also had jumped on an active volcano in that same region before, she pretty much forbides Ash from going to Kalos without her or Brock or someone a little bit saner.

Brock: he changes the channel the moment one of his siblings points out that that's Ash. He ain't gonna have him be a bad example for them.

May and Drew mid-date. Drew: isn't that your friend..? May: Whut?

She then pratically forces the owners of the french cafe they're in to turn up the volume and hyperfocuses on the TV until Ash is safe. After that, Drew tells Ash to stop putting himself in those situations cause he almost gave his girlfriend a heart attack that time.

Dawn: unfazed. That's Ash alright. Wait. PIKACHU TOO? NOOOOOO.

Iris: I bet she didn't see it lmao She was busy with the Unova league. But Drayden at some point is like:

D: Your friend made to the finals of the Kalos league. I: Ohh, cool!! D: he also almost died stopping an evil organization after that. I: .. why am I not surprised?

Cilan: Honestly I'm not a Cilan expert but the thought of him passing out at the sight and his brothers having to care for him is funny to me.

[all-things-are-nothing-to-me]

Some light printing today. I didn't vote btw, lol. I found that sticker on the ground at Aldi.

[daphdarling]

🍰Daph’s Delights🍰

haikyuu & mha only!

Matchups are now available!

HOW TO SUBMIT OR ASK FOR A MATCHUP...

Appearance Matchups: (1 Character)

SEND IN YOUR

• PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION (HEIGHT, WEIGHT, HATR COLOR LENGTH • PICTURES WORK AS WELL•

Personality Matches (3 characters)

PERSONALITY TYPE•

ZODIAC• YOUR GENDER• SEXUALITY• HOBBIES•

ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU THINK WOULD HELP

I will do up to 3 characters but they will all be from a different team/class/etc.

Headcanons:

I need the character(s)

gender of reader (if not it will be gender neutral)

Scenario

[witchklng]

tagged by @thegreatblondebalrogslayer ily ♡

lockscreen, last song played, and last photo saved

tagging @antifarichietozier @dying-suffering-french-stalkers @oretsev @seriowan @baba-fett @thefact0rygirl @daffodelia @nimikyu @pianocarnival @wicclan ♡ ♡ ♡

[motherlyidol]

𝒮💉𓂂        𓎟    Liana Layouts    。

✙⠀⠀ 𓈒⠀⠀ Self Indulge ⠀ ⁺⠀ Autism Returns

[fieriframes]

[The time you sailed on. Under the diamond eye. Or for a dolphin who for a song had. Crossed night. To bring back your bride.]

[heaven-s-black-box]

Over it

Return to File

Recovery date: March 12th, 2024

Description: You may have left it behind, but you can't just let it go. They offer you a chance to "go back" on your own terms.

Note: I don't normally do notes for these, but i did want to say that this one is more melancholic than angsty. I got the idea for this piece ages ago but could never quite figure out how to word it, and I think this is as close as I can get while keeping it general.

Back to directory

Sometimes you want to go back. They can see it too.

They see it in the vague movements they catch you making when they come over. The ones you act out unconsciously when the itch strikes. It’s still muscle memory, even if your strength and flexibility aren’t nearly what they were.

“Do you miss it?” They ask one day.

You’re both in the kitchen making dinner, and you’re mocking out an old practice exercise. You don’t stop what you’re doing when you look up at them, legs still moving about.

“Sometimes… some of it.”

“Why did you stop?”

Whatever the reason you left, be it injury or environment, it’s obvious to them how much you still miss it. They can see how bad it kills you inside, how even though it's been a few years the wounds haven’t healed, but they can also see how you aren’t over it. There’s something about it you miss, that-

“I’ve thought about going back, just on my own terms, but I don't know… something about it feels wrong.”

“You don’t have to go back to any kind of unit,” they offer, “we can just do it together.”

For the first time during your conversation, you pause. A small smile pulls at your lips.

“That sounds fun.”

[raayllum]

So normal about this

[cherrymangos]

the rank reset has been kinda wild

[jeandejard3n]

007 James Bond: Thunderball | Ambient Music

[groundbreakingdot872]

it’s like Netflix is prepping us for the finale - by having us grieve the show being taken down first!