#didn't mean to change this design so drastically sorry

[suchscary]

oc redesign (original design by @/lethal-spaceship)

[sorbeau]

hi its me again i feel legally obligated to ask about your thoughts on the new riz design (but also extends to al of the other new art for the bad kids too!!!)

HI SHOKO sorry this took so long to asnwer, it feels a little late to the party now but I have lots of thoughts and this has been in my drafts for a hot minute so I'll break my thoughts down in order <3

Fig

GOD DO I LOVE FIG'S DESIGN. It hasn't changed too drastically in many ways, it's largely the same beats with the plaid skirt, leather jacket, biker gloves, and docs, but there's a lot more detail pertaining to her character now. Ayda's feather earring is abviously a huge win, everyone loves to see it, but I love the small details like the added wallet chain on her skirt, the added ear piercings, and her painted nails. If I had to choose something I didn't like, it'd be the color of her shoelaces, which isn't a huge deal bc you know spyre might have different cultural beats, but it's very reminiscent of punk doc lace codes, which were a way to sort of factionize yourself among punks. Fig wears one purple and one red, and traditionally purple means gay pride(which is great and i would've picked it for her too) but red usually means you allign yourself with neo-nazi's and similar groups which. is definitely Not Fig. It's not a HUGE deal but, maybe some more research could've been put into it.

Gorgug

Gorgug's new design is so. Perfect. Amazing. Spectacular. No notes. It's exactly the changes I wanted to see. The goggles, the dirt-covered face, the ripped jeans, the bags and tools, the gloves, the most disgusting worn pair of convers you've ever seen. It's absolutely amazing and the artist has managed to bring all the beats we loved about his original design(his extremely fashionable purple pants) and mixes them perfectly with all of the new facets of Gorgug's personality that have changed and grown theough their adventures. A little detail I love is how the color of his headphones has changed to match with the rest of his outfit better, creating a more cohesive design with the introduction of more red/maroon tones. This was always a little bit of an issue with the old design for me. The colors sort of didn't go together.

Kristen

She's going through a break up. She's at the most chaotic she's ever been and she's trying to fix it. It is so genius to make her jacked. The bright yellow tracksuit is beautiful and exactly something Kristen would buy and wear every day. Plus the tiedye purple sports bra tying in her old church camp shirt aesthetic is brilliant. I'm mourning the loss of her sandals, but the matching shoes to her tracksuit can't be complained about. Not a whole lot to say, I'm excited about how this design will change and reflect her growth this season! Praise Saint Kristen Applebees!!

Adaine

THE ELVEN ORACLE IS COOL NOW!!! I love her jacket, all the patches and the toned down fur lining is absolutely perfect. I also love the cool strapped bags on her hips and legs, it's just a really cool adventurer addition cementing her as a bad ass practical caster. Her entire face seems more assured and relaxed, which is absolutely amazing for her and reflects how her resting state is no longer as addled with panic and anxiety as it used to be. Her hair also seems a lot more her! Not sure how to describe it, but it seems like she's focusing less on keeping herself perfect, and more on just keeping herself, herself! Not very big design swings or changes, but she doesn't need to change, she just needs to be true to herself. (Also. a huge fan of her cool magic circle shirt.) My only gripe. Give her blue hair. And pronouns. And glasses pretty please.

Fabian

That boy is the future of dance!!!!!!!!!! I love the color palette shift for his design, it's a really great way to show how he's grown out of Bill's shadow and embraced his own passions with the grey tones with red and gold accents. Also a huge fan of the fancy robed pants, tons of great movement lines and something a dancer would totally wear. On the same note however, I feel like it doesn't really go with the rest of his outfit. I love how the changes made are geared towards movement and dance(his shoes changing from sneakers to dance shoes is great) but I feel like the changes are all sort of mismatched? The dance shoes look a lot like tap shoes, but the pants look more big and flowy, better for a more leaping and running style of dance, and his jacket has almost nothing to do with dance. It's delightfully artsy and detailed, which is so chic and Fabian, but the shapes of it don't really match up, and especially without a clear view of the front it makes him look like he's wearing half of a matador outfit. I would've loved to see a more dramatic silhouette without the use of the battle sheet(which is absolutely perfect, no notes) with either lots of flowy parts for movement, or a sharp jacket with skinnier pants for that exaggerated silhouette. Again, I think this is really all due to a lack of research, but the spirit of Fabian is still in the room with us. The colors are great, the bandages on his hands are perfect, and the fanciful element is very on point, just needs some better shape language and cohesiveness.

Riz

There he goes, he's gone from gritty detective to gadget-heavy superspy. I LOVE the character choices that Murph made for Riz, he's become even more of a loser and seems a lot less hard and fast, and more generally passionate. In freshman and sophomore year, he was entirely goal oriented, completely focused on completing his mission and solving the mystery, this time around he's still got a mission, but because he can't do it all himself, he's sort of given the opportunity to branch out and explore himself. This is all to say, i love the insufferable loser hipster kid that he's become. He is truly the trinket goblin of all time, I love all his wild little gadgets and jewelry, and all the extra arcano-tech screens on his glasses are brilliant. I'm also a huge fan of his torso gun-holdster, which is a beautiful homage to his detective nature. The undercut is also obviously perfection. The loser teen-boy urge to cut away your beautiful hair for a nerdy undercut is so painfully lore accurate that it's one of my favorite details. It's probably because he's a dork. but I would love to know why he has rolled up pants and no socks. What is that. Why would he do that. ALSO STOP BEING A COWARD D20. GIVE HIM DIGITIGRADE LEGS AND A TAIL. CAT GOBLIN TRUTHERS UNITE!!!!!!!!!!

anyways that's probably the end of my rant for now. I love the bad kids and overall their designs are great. constantly wishing all of my headcannons were real but understanding that the cannon will never relent.

[hazelkjt]

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

The only ever drastic change for either iteration of Hazel "appearance-wise" (if you can call it that) was the acquiring of a new weapon. Weapons to Hazel are a very big deal as they are physical representations of the teachings and perceived legacy she is carrying on from her teachers.

Reg!Hazel only accepted a new blade following the shattering of her first katana after coming to realize she didn't need to look to the approval of others to fuel her sense of pride and self worth: she only needs to decide that for herself. This new blade is what she still uses to this day, while the broken hilt of her old sword rests in her room at the Amelune Estate, a reminder to always hold her head high.

WoL!Hazel went through a few blades through the course of her story. Her original sword was confiscated after the Bloody Banquet, so she made do throughout Heavensward and half of Stormblood with a claymore gifted to her by Haurchefant. She knew this wasn't the right fit for her but didn't say anything, her bottled up self-doubt and guilt over everything that happened prior keeping her from asking for "something selfish" like a new sword. It wasn't until she visited the Steppe and came back into contact with her family in the Kha tribe that Hazel finally let go of some of the doubts she was carrying, thanks in large part to her father. Baato has always been a stoic and not the best at outwardly expressing his emotions. So when he told Hazel he was so very proud of her and all she's done, those words cut right to her heart.

Before departing for Bardam's Mettle, the weaponsmiths of the Kha tribe made Hazel a new greatsword. It was fashioned to be near identical to that of her father's but integrating a horn from Ifrit, Hazel's first Primal kill. This was done to symbolize where she had started (her father's sword being the basis for the design) and how far she has come (one of her greatest accomplishments after departing on her own). This would be the sword she would use from that point onward, all the way up to the present to come in Dawntrail.

---------- Sorry if this doesn't really feel like it fits, but I've always been a creature of habit when it comes to stuff like character haircuts lmao, and while WoL!Hazel does go through wardrobe changes each expansion there's never any real meaning beyond "fitting the theme" for each story beat for the outfits. And I didn't just want to bullshit up answers for the sake of having an answer that isn't actually part of her character in either iteration. OC Character Design Asks

[crusherthedoctor]

"Mario never undergone a drastic redesign for plots"

I mean...the proportional change between the SNES era and N64 era for Mario is massive, and design again changed a lot for Early GC era. And less said of the 1981-85 designs the better

Or hell, Bomberman doing whatever the fuck until Super Bomberman 4

https://twitter.com/a_kinopio/status/1243785430299865088?s=20

Sonic also very much HAD gradual design changes between 1991-7...it's just that the general public didn't give a shit. We go from this tubbiness

To long legs and hair mcbrow here. Hoshino did Sonic CD and R 2D art, and the diff between that and here is still indicating an overall evolution. Only Amy and Eggman drastically changed, which for the former I'm glad. Better than being a literal girl Sonic clone. The rest are just continuing a trend then adding iris color

But really I feel Sonic Team did the redesigns to welcome a new era, given how Japan unironically forgot about Sonic. It's jarring- if you ignore 6-7 years of the franchise, but also distinctively full of much needed energy given the crap 1995-7 period.

Similarly I feel we're missing cultural context; both the US and Japan had a problem with associating design with specific tone, so you ended up with typecasted designs. Sonic despite having attitude and games like 3K WAS associated to being a cutesy generic mascot inferior to Hello Kitty in Japan, which is not a good thing. Almost all noncanon manga further just divorced itself from actual game tone to be a parody or cutesy manga, which both Naka and Oshima didn't like, same for early Sega Harmony Calendar art.

The US market had a forced redesign that lasted till 1994 that while ass, unfortunately just lended to the idea of not accepting a design as is, regardless of tone. So Sonic Team gave in to that for Adventure, which a competition was held in 1997 to see how it was recieved. Uekawa won ironically cuz he had the safest design, but took elements of Okano's art later to add flair and zaniness as it'd defeat the point otherwise

I feel Capcom had a similar problem with Megaman: they didn't feel comfortable with solely using the same design for bigger stories, so they opted for the more adult X spinoffs, and then similarly did the same for Legends and Battle Network (ironically I feel this backfired). Even Ruby Spears attempted to be faithful for their show pilot, but test audiences didn't like it, so we got a mediocre jocked up muscle Mega Man. While in Japan the anime OVAs were very cutesy and basic, despite games being more action oriented

It's hard to say if this issue disappeared now, and I feel it's revisionism to say "oh, if the redesigns didn't happen, no one would be mad" cuz the truth is...Sonic would die if he didn't change harder

I feel both ignoring every middle design and just lumping Sonic as "Classic" "Modern" is a very stupid thing as both are fucking subjective and tempermental terms. Adventure isn't "modern", and anything with sentimental value and nostalgia is "classic". Heroes is fucking over 20 years old, and can be considered one to some, as unpopular of an opinion that is. Sonic Team didn't have eras awkwardly like that in the 10th Anniversary book, and even said "Sonic will continue changing", but after 10 more years of the fandom, original creatives outside Iizuka leaving, and game reviewers destroying nuance and history, they forcibly had to split him like so for Generations. I see the same fan mentality outside Sonic for Golden Age era cartoons, it's maddening. Just look at Looney Tunes fans on how they treat Daffy, it's the same shit

Sorry for ranting, but I hate when history and evolution are ignored just to make strawmanned points when it boils down to "wishful revisionism under MY misnostalgia/control". I saw someone make an SA1 mod to make stages "More classic" with checker spam when not only is that term bullshit, Sega and Okano literally showed us concept art of Adventure stages before the char designs tweaks, and it's the exact same texture and bg prop set as final. That is maddening

I'm tired of it

At the risk of being blunt, I'm aware of all that. I assure you that I could never forget American the Assface and Ivo No-Eyes no matter how much I'd prefer to.

As for Mario, his earliest designs had the excuse of it not being fully set in stone yet, and with the N64 era onward, they generally only involved slight proportion changes or subtle details in the clothing and what have you... much like Sonic in the years between 91 and 97, American Assface and other questionable SoA decisions notwithstanding. The point is, Mario wasn't redesigned for the explicit purpose of seeming like a more mature bing bing wahoo man. :P Neither was Kirby, who I used for reference due to his reputation of fighting eldritch abominations and occasional dark subtext despite resembling a pink blob with stubs for arms.

Finally, I can't speak for how others choose to use the terms, but I use Classic and Modern for simple convenience. I agree that there should never have been an official line in the sand between the two, at least outside of Generations' context, but this is what the franchise has taught us to do at this point. That's the ugly truth, I'm afraid. As is the ugly truth that the vocal, dramatic shift to the Adventure designs and style - regardless of intent, regardless of justification, regardless of the gradual alterations and differences between artists in the years beforehand, regardless of every angle of relevant context - still brought on one of the single most notorious divides in a fandom full of them, up there with the debut of SatAM. We can debate all day as to whether it was fair or not, but the divide happened all the same.

I'm not a Classic-only purist. SA1 is one of my favourite games in the series, and I love various other Modern titles. And to stress once more, I like the Modern character designs and have no personal beef with them whatsoever. But I can't ignore these things in an age where Adventure era rose-tinted goggles are at an all time high, and while it's true that not everything is straightforward, that goes both ways in cases like this.

[lafiametta]

I'm feeling very romantic lately, so I'd like to ask how their marriage proposal + wedding would be like! In both AUs, but I'm specially invested in your 1899 one... And I mean very veeeeery invested! <3

Like, when would the thought of them getting married would cross their minds? Would they be excited by the idea of getting married, and then nervous at the moment of asking/being asked the big question? And what would be their families' reactions? I think Ling Yi's mom is dead in your 1899 AU, so it would be just Olek's brother, but would Olek even invite his brother at all? I remember some of your anon replies mention that his brother and wife didn't treat Ling Yi well, so I'm curious if there would be a chance of family drama happening with the news! And then in the modern one too. What would be their families' reaction? Would Ling Yi's mom travel to America and shop for dresses with her? Would they move out of Ling Yi's apartment to a larger place... or just a place they bought together? Sorry for so many asks but I must knowwwww x) <3

So sweet, Anon — and it is close to Valentine's Day, so romance is definitely in the air. But, yes, let's talk about both AUs!

In 1899, while Olek has definitely come to the realization that he plans to marry Ling Yi, it takes him longer to get to the actual asking part. (For him, I think that his hesitancy comes from a feeling of wanting to be in a position of greater financial security, maybe through a promotion at his factory or a better job where he would earn more money. It's an old-fashioned idea, but Olek sees husbands as providers for their wives and families, and he wants to be able to take care of her, especially if she would stop working and if/when they start having children.) So maybe it's another few months or even a year before the question even gets asked.

But for all his carefully drawn-out plans, it's actually Ling Yi who speeds things up by telling him that she's pregnant. (Considering all that they had gotten up to in their brass bed nearly every night, it shouldn't have surprised him, but maybe he just thought they had gotten supremely lucky? Or maybe he just didn't want to think about these sorts of things? What Olek didn't know was that ever since they had moved in together — and she had gotten a job in Chinatown — Ling Yi had been visiting an herbalist that sold her a tea to drink every morning, designed to prevent pregnancy. She knew about it from her mother, who had taken a similar tea for the same purpose, and it had been remarkably effective. Until one day it wasn't.) Part of her is worried to tell him, just because it changes things so drastically, and while she doesn't doubt his commitment to her, it's possible that a child would be a different matter. But when she tells him, he's over the moon, even though it does speed up his whole timeline. (Can we take a minute to imagine how adorable that conversation might be? Ling Yi pointing to her belly and making a little rounded curve with her hand, then rocking her arms back and forth? Olek's disbelieving "Baby?" and Ling Yi's growing smile as she nods?)

Olek's hasty proposal takes a bit more in terms of explanation and gestures and halting English vocabulary, but eventually she understands what he's asking and agrees immediately. (Needless to say, the brass bed sees all sorts of activities that night!)

The wedding, though, would be the tricky part. To get married in a Catholic church, they would both have to be Catholic, and Olek doesn't like the idea of Ling Yi having to convert for the two of them to be married. (This is a big point of contention with his brother Janusz, who had come around a little on Ling Yi, but doesn't approve of his brother marrying a non-Catholic.) They end up finding a Protestant church that would marry them without anyone inquiring too deeply into Ling Yi's religious beliefs, and after performing the ceremony, the pastor signs their marriage certificate. (Besides the church secretary, the other witness is Janusz, who ends up attending even though he had originally refused to come. Despite his strongly-held views, Janusz can't live with the idea of his baby brother being married without any of his family being there. So he slips in the door just as the pastor is starting and finds a seat a few pews back from the front. He catches Olek's eye, and Olek gives him a small, grateful smile before turning his attention back to the ceremony.)

In the modern AU, I imagine that it takes a little bit longer for the idea of marriage to surface, and it would definitely be after they've lived together for a fair amount of time. (Ling Yi's a modern girl! She doesn't need to rush into these things!)

I'm kind of in love with the idea of Olek (like his 1899 counterpart) starting to think about marriage and then planning some big romantic (and public) proposal, like he thinks is supposed to be the way things are done, only for it to end up happening in a much more quiet and private way. It's a Sunday morning, and they're waking up with the sun, warm and cozy in bed. With their arms wrapped around each other, slowly kissing, Olek can only think about how perfect it is, and how much he wants it to be forever, only to realize that it can be, if he just asks her. So he does.

Ling Yi's not entirely surprised; she's gotten a sense over the past month or so that he's close to proposing (plus she heard from Clémence that Jérôme went with Olek to look at rings last week), but she loves the fact that he chose this moment — when it's just the two of them — to ask.

Ling Yi of course tells her mom first, who is overjoyed for her. As for the dress, I think that they would definitely go shopping the next time that Ling Yi visited home, mostly so that she can have a something made for the wedding (rather than a traditional white wedding dress, she would wear a cheongsam). Yuk Je would come for the ceremony in New York, which would be small, just friends and family. (Olek's parents and his brothers would come, but not all of his extended family. Later in the summer, Olek and Ling Yi will go to Poland, and there'll be a big party for them that will have Ling Yi's feet aching by the end of the night from all the dancing!)

When they get back to New York, they do end up looking at new apartments, but in the end, decide that Ling Yi's still suits them just fine! It has good memories, plus Ling Yi gets rid of some of her older pieces of furniture to make space for things that they buy together. Olek still has monstera plant, of course, and he's working on putting together a little mini-garden out on the fire escape.

[juggalogojackerbox]

Why have you chosen to design onycraft in the way he is, i mean, iv never seen anybody draw anything the way this man is shaped

Oh sweet, first ask on this blog! And a really good one too if I do say so myself Anon

Anyway this is actually uh... harder for me to answer than I thought it would be, Onycraft's design has changed a lot over the years- with some changes being more drastic than others (He is at least 11 years old after all) so its hard to explain "like a normal person" why he. looks like that

He started off relatively "normal" then just, a million different cumulative changes that showed up as I wanted them to (consciously or not) that progressively made him uglier and uglier as time has gone on (i say this in the most loving way I swear)

Sometimes It was just little things that happened over time or things I thought would look nice (like me adding more markings and stuff) or it's related to me directly (giving him a cartoonishly exaggerated version of my body shape or the fact that i own the exact same jacket irl that he wears, etc) or just me progressively making his anatomy worse or overly specific because its fun to me (the fact he has exactly 22 teeth, his hands reaching down to his knees, the whole conjoined twin thing etc) or hell even some details I only render in specific styles when i feel like it (the details in his ear, little buds of hair on him here and there, etc etc) or anything else about him that I didn't know how to include here, I could keep going for a long while probably but thats a tangent for a different post and different time, point im trying to make is hes a big ol mess of all sorts of sources of little design quirks and silly things that I cant always really point to one specific source for where it all comes from

I hold a lot of love for "unorthodox" character designs and i hold a lot of love for Onycraft and so naturally the two combining is like a car bomb of autism going off, also because I think his design is very fun and I love it so much and I like adding things to him haphazardly but with love and earnest regardless like a little kid working on a third grade art project

(I apologize for this being so long by the way, it's 100% to be expected from me talking about Ony at all ever but im still sorry LOL)

[kaibutsushidousha]

Witch, Picture, and Red-Eyed Girl (Sagrada Reset 2) - Epilogue

[INDEX]

August 12th—Three days passed since the fateful night when the witch meet Sasano Hiroyuki again and disappeared from Sakurada. On this Saturday morning, Kei sat on his bed. The room was poorly lit because he didn't bother opening the curtains.

He recalled what the witch told him 3 days prior.

For a few minutes, she told Asai Kei about his future.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Bureau won't pursue any of you over this incident. Because archiving everything as only mine and Sasano Hiroyuki's problem is the simplest procedure. You don't need to worry about this point. All that makes you is someone the Bureau doesn't like.", she calmly professed. "I truly wish I could give you something more detailed, but sorry, I'm sure that the future I saw means nothing."

He couldn't believe her.

"Why would you say so?"

The idea of Future Sight being pointless was inconceivable to him.

Her right hand gently touched Kei's cheek. Her palm was coarse. She closed her eyes and began to speak slowly.

"You'll be involved in something huge."

"In what?"

"An issue involving my successor."

The witch's successor.

A person with the ability to become the foundation of the Bureau's system.

"Does a person like this really exist?"

The witch nodded.

"The Bureau has always been looking for someone with an ability capable of replacing me in my role. But they couldn't find it anywhere. I thought we no longer had anyone other than me with the ability to see the future. But..."

She opened her eyes and looked deeply into Kei's expression.

"You know who has this ability.", she said looking at Kei with her expressionless face. "Two years ago, you met a person with the ability to see the future."

(It can't be.)

But in his denial, he noticed it. The facts hit him whether he wanted it or not.

"Is your successor... Is this person who can see the future a girl?"

"Yes."

"Middle schooler, short hair, skinny, big eyes?"

"Yes."

"A girl who died two years ago?"

"Yes, that one."

He felt everything click. Every piece of information thus far combined to form a neatly concise whole.

"You'll see her again.", the witch declared. "She has the power to learn the future. That is the power to change the future. So your future can drastically change on a whim. The future I saw means nothing."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was all she told about Asai Kei's future.

He remembered laughing out loud on his way home after parting ways with her. Once he was alone, he couldn't hold it back anymore. He laughed until his eyes were filled with tears. Even now 3 days later, he's assailed by a powerful urge to laugh whenever he remembers her. He feels like laughing as a way to cry.

Kei remembered the events of two years before, of one month before, and of a few days before. He remembered all the events and the people he met along the way.

He smirked.

(I suspected it. Everything felt too good to be true. I could feel someone's design. I couldn't easily obtain a photo of her at sunset on those tetrapods for no reason. The card I needed wouldn't fall on my lap all that conveniently.)

Everything made sense if she was seeing the future two years ago. He knew, for example, what the Macguffin was and what purpose it served.

He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. But at the very least, things made sense.

Kei quickly shook his head.

He decided now was a moment to interpret everything positively. The witch saw a future where they meet again. That's all that mattered.

He rose from this bed and opened the curtains.

Strong sunlight filled his room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girl who died two years before. The girl resembling a stray cat—

Souma Sumire.

She certainly expected all of this would happen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

At 12:30, Asai Kei was in Sasano Hiroyuki's garden. Haruki Misora and Murase Youka stood next to him. He brought the two with him for a simple experiment.

Kei looked up to see the aged cherry tree before him.

Despite being under the blue summer sky and surrounded by verdant trees, this tree produced very few withered leaves. The tree aged into a visual reminder of death.

Kei lowered his eyelids, then turned around to face Haruki. She had her phone to her ear. Her elbow was no longer bandaged, but there was a tiny scar left.

"Save.", said Kei.

She gave her usual answer.

"August 12th, 12:29:02."

Kei nodded and pulled out a photograph. A photo of the cherry tree in full bloom. One of the pictures in the album mailed to him.

Kei, Haruki, and Murase each grabbed one of the photo's corners.

They hear the photo rip.

Their line of sight went full white.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of the cicadas grew distant. The sharp violence of the summer lights dissolved and transformed into something softer. The sky and trees took a more subdued color. And the cherry tree in front of them had its widespread branches in full bloom.

White petals floated in the wind.

"So pretty.", mumbled Murase.

Sasano Hiroyuki's ability: to pull the ones touching the photo into the world inside the picture.

His ability creates a world of the past and deletes it mere 10 minutes later. The trio found themselves in a world replicated in film.

Petals calmly fluttered in the air. They looked like they were floating, but they weren't. They spent a few seconds watching their inefficient and unregulated fall.

Kei picked up a fallen petal from the ground and handed it to Murase.

"If you'd please."

She grasped the petal tight.

"Body, reset."

She's no longer affected by the Reset.

Kei looked up to see the pale blue sky cut off by a large section of white.

"Reset."

The world collapsed and reconstructed itself.

The one minute that passed after the Save was left out of it. The past created by Sasano Hiroyuki's ability was deleted. The world momentarily regained its past form.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

He could hear the cicadas.

"August 12th, 12:29:02.", said Haruki.

The trio stood at the world from one minute ago.

Looking at the aged sakura under the summer lights, Kei recalled the image of the proudly blooming tree. It was like seeing an illusion.

"We Reset—Murase, your hand."

She extended her gripping hand and opened it.

She alone was unaffected by the Reset. In her hand, there was the only fragment of the past that survived it.

One cherry petal.

"Thank you."

Kei took the cherry petal and lightly rubbed his fingers on it. It seemed real. It was a petal from the actual bloomed flower that Sasano photographed in this garden ages ago. Or its replica.

"What's even the point of this?", asked Murase.

"I really wanted this petal."

"Won't it return to nothing in no time?"

The effects of Sasano's ability lasted 10 minutes. The world created by his ability disappears 10 minutes later.

"I'm sure the petal won't disappear."

"How come?"

"Because Sasano's ability never activated. The fact that his ability was used was erased by the Reset."

The petal was set to disappear 10 minutes after the ability's activation. Which didn't matter because the ability was never used. The program that deleted the petal was not in effect.

"There's no longer any reason for the petal to disappear."

"How do you know that's how it works?"

"Conjecture. It's just a prediction."

(I have no way of knowing it, but she had. I'm sure that when she died two years ago, she knew of this practical loophole in Sasano's ability.)

Kei held the petal against the sky.

Would the aged tree think this petal came from one of its flowers? If the tree was aware of everything, would it consider the flowers created by Sasano's ability as part of itself?

He didn't know.

Kei couldn't determine if the petal was real or false.

With a vaguely lonely expression, Murase caressed the old cherry tree. Haruki walked next to Kei and watched his face. Kei turned to her and quietly whispered.

"I'll bring Souma Sumire back to life."

"Is it possible?"

"I don't know. But if this petal doesn't disappear, I can do the same thing again."

Haruki blinked slowly.

Her eyes reflected Kei's face.

"Do you have a photo of her?"

"Uhum."

"Is this why you told me the Swampman's story?"

"Yeah."

Haruki opened her mouth but could only bring herself to say what she wanted to a moment later.

"Is the girl in the photo the real her?"

Kei softly shook his head.

"I don't know."

She's a Swampman. An identical stranger with the same "world" as her.

(But I know she wants to leave the photo.)

Kei lowered his line of sight to the petal in his hand.

10 minutes passed, 20 minutes passed, and the petal didn't disappear.

"Hey, can we leave already?", asked Murase.

Kei answered with a smile.

"Yes, thank you for today."

Murase turned back and walked away.

Haruki stood right next to Kei, still looking at him.

Kei let go of the petal. He knew Haruki would follow it with her gaze.

The single petal danced in the wind, with the summer sky and the deep green of the trees as the background to its spectacle. Was it fictional? A mirage of the past? Or an insignificantly trivial part of reality?

It didn't matter which. The white petal under the blue sky was beautiful.

Kei turned back and walked away before the flying petal could drop to the aged tree's roots.

[jkbabiey]

Rising Signs Observations ✨

NOTE: these are my personal opinions; you may or may not agree with me :)

Capricorn rising people tend to look younger as they get older. Their process of getting older is reversed and it's actually kind of unfair for the rest of us. Guys, (please) get some wrinkles. (Example: Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Megan Fox)

Gemini risings will always look different without even trying. It's not the way they dress or the way they do their hair. Their physical characteristics are just different and DEMAND attention. Everyone looks at them when they enter the room, and they don't need to do a thing.

Virgo rising people look so... neat? I don't know how to explain it, but they just look so successful and like they have it all figured out. Also, most of them look like vogue models and have very impeccable and striking features (Examples: Bella Hadid, Timothée Chalamet).

I've said it before and I'll say it again, libra rising is probably my least favorite astrological placement ever. We say Gemini suns are two-faced but have you taken a look at libra risings? They are so influenceable and their personality is so wavy (if you get what I mean). They change themselves (drastically) according to who they're with and to what they think will make other people like them better. Each one of us is supposed to have certain marks and characteristic traits that distinguish us from the rest, and most libra risings I know just don't have that. You never really get to know them because they have a hundred different personalities and not even they know which one is actually genuine. Sorry not sorry.

Aries risings demand respect. When aries risings people walk into a room you can't really help but feel intimidated. Many of my aries rising friends look unapproachable as fuck and most people are just way too scared to even talk to them. I think it's their gaze. They don't look at you. They look through you.

Gemini risings are very prone to go through extreme physical changes throughout their lives. Look at Amy Winehouse or Kristen Stewart as examples.

Libra risings are probably the prettiest people I know. They have really symmetrical faces and they just look like they've been sculpted. These are the kind of people to wake up pretty and just be natural beauties. These are the ones you can't really think of one single flaw. (Examples: Beyoncé, Doja Cat)

Aries risings tend to have a big head. If not a big head, then a big forehead.

Aquarius risings, just like gemini risings, will catch your attention when they get into a room. But unlike gemini, these individuals really try to catch that attention. They want to be different. They don't want to fall into the boredom of being just a regular-looking person. They like to dress up and do their hair and/or makeup to look different and to make others look at them. They like that uniqueness. And sometimes, with certain people, their need for attention can get way too much and become a bit annoying.

Okay, I really have to talk about this: Scorpio risings' faces look like they were sculpted and literally designed to look a certain way. Their features are SO FREAKING DEFINED. their cheekbones are pronounced. their jawlines are defined. their noses are perfect. their lips are naturally well delineated. their features are not fluid, instead, it looks like everything has its own place. I think this is so confusing, but if you got it, you got it. If you didn't, don't try to, my brain is way too disorganized.

A LOT of pisces risings have sleepy eyes. If they don't have sleepy eyes, then they just look sleepy all the time. Take Clara Bow or Billie Eilish as examples.

Sag risings are the bad bitches of the zodiac. Everything from the way they talk, to the way they walk, to the way they look, to the way they dress just emanates bad bitch vibes. They're really just so cool and relaxed that it makes you want to get along with them. They're so cool that it makes you proud to be able to say "that sag rising is my friend" because they're so hip idk.

Now, taurus risings are cozy. They have this vibe to them that makes you feel so comfortable. They are so inviting and they make you want to hug them. Looking at taurus risings will always make me think about cuddling in front of a fireplace with your significant other (and then having hot sex in front of a fireplace because they're also so hot omg).

Cancer risings emanate mom vibes. Just like taurus risings, cancer risings also look really cozy, but in a different way. taurus risings look husband/wife cozy, while cancer risings look mom cozy (idk if that's understandable for everyone or just for me). But yeah, cancer risings are the ones who look like they'll help anyone if they come to ask for help, even if it's a total stranger. They just look so kind and approachable. I love cancer risings.

The way aquarius risings talk is absolutely unfiltered and that's just what makes them the funniest people out of the entire zodiac. They just say exactly what they feel and they don't hide their opinions no matter what. They will tell you exactly what they think about anyone or anything, even if they know you ain't gonna like to hear it. But, back to the humor part, they are funny as hell. And it's pretty much connected to how outspoken they are. They are the ones to make anything sound ironically funny because they are just so genuine. Plus, their humor is SO SARCASTIC. Aquarius risings are iconic as hell. (Examples: Jennifer Lawrence, Nicki Minaj, Madonna)

Leo risings have amazing hair. It grows so fast and it's so shiny omg what a dream. (Examples: Jennifer Lopes, Selena Gomez)

Also, leo risings tend to give off it-girl or it-boy vibes. They are very charming. The way they talk is very smooth and they will never make a break in their speech to look for a term or a missing word because it seems like they have the entire vocabulary on the tip of their tongue. They are smooth talkers.

So, as we know, both taurus and libra are ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty. Logically, both taurus and libra risings will be BEAUTIFUL AS FUCK, but what I've noticed in most cases is that libra risings have a more obvious and immediate kind of beauty while taurus risings have a more enigmatic and mystifying kind of beauty. What I mean is: as soon as you look at a libra rising (Example: Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears) you know they're beautiful, their features are very obviously beautiful in a way that they go along with the typical beauty stereotype and you just get absolutely blown away by how stunning they are, but when you look at a taurus rising (Example: Camila Cabello, Lana Del Rey) you can't really pinpoint what it is but you just get instantly seduced by them because they're so enticing and magnetic and you just feel like looking at them a while longer and find out what's behind their beauty.

Sag risings tend to have big noses. I don't know why but I've noticed that most sag risings I know have big attractive noses. And it's kind of sexy too, like it matches the rest of their features and their overall vibe. Their big attractive nose just adds some spice to their look. (Examples: Anne Hathaway, Princess Diana)

I know I've said this but I don't feel like I've stressed it enough - cancer risings are adorable. Most cancer rising people make me want to squish their faces, especially Shailene Woodley.

Cancer rising women tend to have very round facial features. They either have round-shaped faces, round and prominent cheekbones, or bigger cheeks. (Examples: Fergie, Cameron Diaz)

Cancer rising men are the most chill out of anyone. They are so chill. At least they look very chill. Like they won't judge you no matter what you tell them. I feel like with some cancer rising men, you could come up to them and say you killed someone and they would be like "oh really? that's cool... want some help with the body?". Also, they look very emotional?? Maybe I'm the only one who sees this but when I look at cancer rising men they look like their emotions are so intense (Examples: Kanye West, Ben Affleck).

Virgo risings tend to look juvenile, innocent, and pure. They have an almost childish look to them but in a way that it's charming and not annoying. They will forever hold a certain something that reminds others of youth and childhood (Examples: Emma Watson, Brooke Shields).

OKay, scorpio men are HOT. Now, this may be related to the fact that I am a taurus rising and my descendant is scorpio, but I truly feel so freaking attracted to every single scorpio rising man I see. Tom Cruise and Chris Evans are the owners of my soul and I'm not ashamed (both are scorpio risings). And you get a pic of both because I love them and I love you guys too. You're welcome.

I have to say this. Capricorn rising women are the personification of the expression "lady in the streets, freak in the sheets", or at least they look like the personification of it. Literally, they all look so freaking kinky and dirty but at the same time so... decent and tidy?? I mean, maybe it's just an idea I got from watching Dakota Johnson in 50 shades of Grey, but I swear it applies to every single Capricorn rising woman. (Examples: Dakota Johnson obviously, Megan Fox, Gisele Bündchen, Zooey Deschanel)

Also, most Capricorn risings have very straight and prominent teeth. Very wide and attractive smiles also. Their teeth are just very attractive. idk why or how their teeth are attractive to me. (i had to use all the 4 pics because HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR SMILES OMG)

Scorpio risings are not afraid of breaking patterns, and most of them actually look for ways to break patterns and make things different than how they usually are done. They are against anyone who is too close-minded. They aim to open others' minds, and they usually get what they want. (Examples: Halsey, Prince, Janet Jackson)

Pisces risings have such gentle and kind auras to them. Their aura is so pretty and delicate. They look really soft and approachable but at the same time, just looking at them you may feel like they look way too sensitive and you might be afraid of breaking them. They just look so vulnerable all the time. (Examples: Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore)

Pisces rising women look like freaking Disney princesses. For real, these women look like they came straight out of a fairytale. They just look so perfect and delicate and omg they are all so pretty. I'm in love.

That's it. I still have a loooot of rising sign observations to make but I couldn't fit every single one in this post, it has gotten way too long already. But if you'd like me to, I can make a part 2!!! Anyways I hope I didn't offend anyone and I hope you liked it. Once again, these are personal opinions and observations and, obviously, not everyone is going to agree with me - which is absolutely alright, just tell me your opinions in the comments (respectfully, please).

SEE YOU :D

[ghastspidergwen]

happy self insert week!

here's a thing I wrote a while back, that was originally intended to go after this fic, but the direction of the fic changed so drastically It didn't work anymore, but please enjoy! (for context, Grian has just beat Scar in the final fight of 3rd life)

.

 Grian looked up to the sky, “What now?”

< Grian was killed by ⊣⍑𝙹ᓭℸ ̣ ᓭ!¡╎↸ᒷ∷⊣∴ᒷリ>

Grian expected to wake up back on Hermitcraft, or in the weird limbo other hermits had talked about when you die in hardcore and UHCs, but this was even weirder. An infinite, white expanse, not unlike the infinity rooms from Season 6, stretched before him. Soft classical music played, and he spotted another figure sitting on the ground, wearing dark jeans, blue shoes, and a black and white hoodie with pink web designs on the arms.

“H-hello?”

“Hey,” I set my laptop on the ground next to me, and stood up, a couple inches taller than him. ∴ᔑ╎ℸ, リ𝙹, ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ╎ᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎∷↸ !¡ᒷ∷ᓭ𝙹リ ⎓𝙹ᓵ⚍ᓭᒷ↸ 𝙹リ ⊣∷╎ᔑリ, ꖌᒷᒷ!¡ ╎ℸ ̣  ᓵ𝙹リᓭ╎ᓭℸ ̣ ᒷリℸ ̣.

Grian watched as her laptop kept typing away, even though she wasn’t touching it any more.

“I wish my laptop did that in real life,” she sighed, looking at it. Her voice had a slight lisp, similar to Bdubs.

“This isn’t real life?”

“Nope, this is one part of inside my head, the rest isn’t nearly this calm.”

“So none of this is real?”

“Just because it’s happening inside my head doesn’t mean it’s not real,” she grinned, “I’m Gwen. And you’re Grian, or ̇/ᒷꖎᑑ⚍ᔑ.”

“You’re that girl I saw back in the cave!”

“That’s me, I wasn’t being as careful as I should have been with the fourth wall.”

“The fourth-nevermind, why am I here?”

“Because you won.”

“Won what?”

“3rd life.”

“How did you know that?”

“Third life: an SMP in which each player received 3 lives upon joining, the premise being that during their final life, the member becomes hostile and tries to kill other members. The players are also confined within the world border which separates them from the rest of the generated world,” Grian heard in her voice, but she didn’t move her mouth. 

“Who said that? I heard it, but not in my head like a Watcher.”

“That was me, sorry. You asked how I knew what 3rd life was, and I guess you got answered.”

“Why am I here? And don’t say because I won, I already know that.”

“Because...I’m here to pass on some information, and give you your prize.”

“What information?”

“Well,” she ran a hand through her dark hair, “I don’t exactly know. All I know is that you will know, when I break the connection.”

“Break the connection?”

“I mean, let you out of my mind. I’m always watching you. Wait, no, that sounds creepy. Uh...I am a regular viewer of your content?”

“You’re a Viewer?”

“Technically, yeah.”

“Technically?”

“I...I watch Grian, but not you, the stuff this guy makes in Minecraft.” A large photo of a man with sandy hair, glasses, and holding a brown spotted cat popped up behind her.

“Who’s that?”

“That’s you-well, it’s actually Charles and Maui, but it’s you in real life, and not in the fanfiction I’m writing.”

“Huh. Does every Hermit have someone like that?”

“Yep!”

More pictures filled the room. Mumbo with no moustache and lighter hair. Scar in a wheelchair, holding Jellie. Who he guessed the Viewers’ real life versions of Stress, False, Scar, Mumbo, and Iskall were, sitting in a semi-circle talking. A short video of Bdubs standing out in the rain, grinning. He caught snippets of phrases floating through the air.

“Greetings, cyberdogs and citizens of the interbubs! This is Ren-diggity-dog coming at ya in another Minecraft episode from the Hermitcraft server!”

“Howdy y'all! Joe Hills here recording as I always do in Nashville, Tennessee.”

“Ooh, hello, my fellow miners and crafters! GoodTimesWithScar here...”

“Hallo ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back…”

“Also, according to YouTube statistics, only a small percentage of my viewers are actually subscribed…”

“I have been ZombieCleo, this has been Hermitcraft, class dissmissed!”

“Once Stanley approached the end of the video, he hit the subscribe button.”

“How many chickens must I kill before you subscribe?”

"Hello, everyone, WelsKnight here..."

Pictures upon pictures filled the room, people he didn’t recognize, pictures of cats, builds he had never seen before, random words and incoherent ideas floating around, until they all vanished.

“Sorry,” Gwen said, “I got a little carried away with that, sometimes my brain goes faster than my...brain. That must have been really overwhelming, sorry.”

“Yeah,” Grian sat down on the floor, “So you’re telling me, I don’t exist?” He asked, looking at his hands.

“Oh, no, you do exist, I just took some aspects of you, and put them in my story. So the part of you I’m talking to exist inside my head, and the head of anyone that’s reading this. They could use this characterization as inspiration for their own story or headcannons, a writer could even write their own story based on this one.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah. This kinda got real meta, real fast, sorry about that.”

“No, it’s-it’s fine. Is that all?”

“Well, you can’t tell anyone about this. The only reason I was able to tell you without your brain breaking was because you’re a Watcher, but yeah, that’s all. I’m gonna send you back to Hermitcraft now, your prize will be waiting on the other side. You ready?” She said, offering him a hand up.

“Ye-yeah. See you later?” Grian said as she helped him up,

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Gwen said as she sat back down, picked up her laptop, and began typing away. He peeked over her shoulder to see what she was writing.

...began typing away. He peeked over her shoulder to see what she was writing. Grian felt a strange, tingly sensation, like what dying in a normal survival world should feel like, before he vanished in a  flash of light, making the blank room even brighter.

Grian felt a strange, tingly sensation, like what dying in a normal survival world should feel like, before he vanished in a flash of light, making the blank room even brighter.

“∴ᒷꖎꖎ, ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ᓭ ↸𝙹リᒷ,” I said, turning back to the blank walls, watching them shatter and letting the cacophony surround me. “リ𝙹∴ ╎ リᒷᒷ↸ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᔑᓵℸ ̣ ⚍ᔑꖎꖎ|| ∴∷╎ℸ ̣ ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ᓭℸ ̣ 𝙹∷||.”

[procrastination-queenie]

Baby | JJK

Pairing: husband!au Jeon Jungkook x Wife!au reader.

Warning: c-section surgery, nothing too detailed. Baby fever. Very slight mention of smut. Fluff. The reader is a foreigner. Mentions of cultural differences.

The part written in italics is a flashback

Synopsis: You and Jungkook agreed not to have babies right away after your marriage, yet you find yourself witnessing a cute situation that leaves you thinking otherwise.

A/N: I am begging you guys for the gazillion time to please let me know what you think. Thanks in advance.😊

Word count: 4,178.

This part can be read as a continuation to Marry you.

Babies! Oh God! You cannot express how fed up you were because of that word. After you and Jungkook got married, your family members had nothing to talk about to you except babies. It's like they were pressuring you, well scratch that, they were, but unconsciously though. You couldn't blame them. You grew up in a culture that was not really open to the idea of "we are gonna wait a few years until we feel like we're ready."! Yeah, this ideology does not exist!

"Wait until when? I am not living more than I already am!" Your grandma would say, or "wait for what? Are you still getting to know each other after a five-year relationship?" Your grandpa would scoff, and your favourite one was "Hunny, are you kidding? You'll never be ready! No one is ever really ready! … You think me and my sister had you, kids, because we were ready?" Your auntie would say in disbelief laughing lightly at your logic with said sister, your mum, sitting next to her shaking her head in disappointment with a "can you believe her?" murmured in annoyance.

You didn't have the heart to blame your family that's how they were raised for generations, and for you to try and change their mind-set would be difficult, almost impossible. That is until you and Jungkook refused to talk upon the matter anymore saying that this is your life and you're free to do whatever you both agree on, only then did they stop nagging you; however, you knew they were not happy about it.

Jungkook on the other hand never really minded the idea of babies, in fact, if you told him that you were ready, he would gladly help you right away, if you know what I mean, but knowing your concerns, not only did he comfort you, but also respected that you were not there yet, mentally. You would always tell him "I sometimes think that I am still a baby, myself. How can I have one when I think like that!" He would chuckle, patting your head and cuddling you closely "Baby, it's okay. We don't need to have one right now! Why are you so worried about it?" He asked looking down at you since he was resting his chin on your head. "I mean, aren't you bothered about it? Don't you want to have your own child?" You pouted thinking that maybe you're holding one of Jungkook's wishes back which can make you feel that you're not good enough for him. "Well, baby, of course, I want a child, but I want to have it with you, and if you're not ready that's totally fine! I mean when I think about it, it is a huge deal, you're going to house a human being in your body for 9 long months, and your body would go through drastic changes, plus you'd have to not only take care of yourself but the baby growing inside you, as well!" Jungkook cradled you to his chest moving aside a lock of your hair behind your ear. "It's all amazing, but you're the one who's carrying a baby, I would never pressure you to do that if you're not ready!" He said looking into your eyes sincerely. "Oh, I love you so much!" You said giving him a few repetitive pecks on his lips. "How did I end up with such an amazing man!" Your lips barely meeting his, whispering before you closed the small gap between you, kissing him with all the passion and love you held for this wonderful husband of yours.

That all changed when one day you were at the hairdresser's getting a new hair cut. You were looking through your phone waiting for your turn until you noticed a woman entering the shop. She had this unusual aura to her, like something about her seemed to interest you, she walked around as if she had accomplished something amazing but wouldn't brag about it as if to let her accomplishment speak for itself. You understood why you felt that because minutes later, two identical accomplishments followed her suit. They were two identical boys who were probably 4 or 5 years of age. You were in awe when you saw them following their mummy, like lost puppies. They resembled her greatly, and behaved very well as if their mum promised to buy them Disneyland if they did. They stood next to her looking up at her as if she is their whole world.

For a moment you imagined that with Jungkook, and what would it feel like to have a baby in both of your lives. How would it feel to have a child of your own looking at you the way these boys looked at their mum.

For weeks to follow, you were almost obsessed with the twin boys you saw at the hair salon. How they dressed, how they behaved, how they sat obediently eating their sweets waiting for their mum to finish, how their mother would look at them through the mirror every once in a while to check on them, how they cutely complimented her saying that "mummy is the prettiest girl ever!" With wide eyes looking up in amazement and cute small sticky fingers from the sweets reaching up in the air in excitement. The whole thing kept repeating over and over in your head which led you to look up some photos of babies and reading more about them and what's new in the parenting world that parents try and apply with their kids. You even reached the point where you would stop at the babies section, racking through cute onesies, making Jungkook arch an eyebrow in amazement. "Are you pregnant or something?" He would ask eyeing your belly before looking up at your face trying to see what's going on inside your head. You would shake your head slightly before reluctantly letting go of the tiny baby clothes and taking Jungkook's hand to move to another department of the store.

Jungkook, too, could feel a change in your behaviour, like how you would gaze longingly at kids playing at the park when you had your picnics there, how you would pause to listen to a show that talks about babies and how to care for them, he even caught you reading a book about pregnancy. His heart skipped a beat when you went to visit your brother after his wife delivered a healthy baby girl; you kept holding her the whole time refusing to let anyone hold her unless it was your brother's wife because she needed to feed her. He even took a photo of you, you were looking at your niece so lovingly when you looked up at Jungkook smiling brightly as if she was your own. He put it as a background for his phone.

"Yaaah! If you want a baby that bad make one of your own!" Yoongi yelled playfully at Jungkook who wouldn't stop looking at the photo. "Ay! Don't pressure the kid." Namjoon said looking disappointedly at Yoongi for saying that. "Well, there's no pressure. It's just … I don't know y/n has been acting weird lately!" He took a last look at his phone's background before it displayed his worried features as he closed the screen. "What do you mean weird?" Jimin asked looking at Jungkook quizzically. "I don't know… it's… she'd stare at baby clothes when we go shopping even though there's no one we know who's going to give birth soon. I mean I could have brushed it off thinking that she wants to buy some as a gift or something, but no." Jungkook ruffled his black locks resting his elbows on his knees. "And you know she looks at them as if … as if she's imaging them on a certain baby, not the way she'd look at them as if inspecting the design or something, do you understand what I mean?" He looked up at his hyungs waiting for a confirmation that he's not imagining things. Namjoon nodded "you mean she inspecting the clothes as if she's buying it for her own baby, not just going through them?"

"YES!"Taehyung jumped at Jungkook's sudden outburst. "Sorry Hyung!" Jungkook muttered to Taehyung before focusing on Namjoon again. "Well, it's easy she wants a baby!" Hobi said shrugging and looking at Jungkook as if he's dumb and that this was as obvious as the sun. "No shit Sherlock! I know that. It's just she never said anything about it ." Jungkook was bewildered he didn't understand your sudden change of attitude, and if you had a change of heart about having a baby, then why didn't you tell him? "Just talk to her about it. See if she's ready or not, maybe she is, but something is holding her back, you never know!" Jin said patting Jungkook on the back. "we are definitely having a talk." Jungkook sighed lighting up his phone's screen to look lovingly at your photo holding your niece.

"Baby, you home?" Jungkook looked around the house for you while taking off his shoes and closing the door. "In here!" You answered from your bedroom. You heard his footsteps on the stairs knowing very well from the sound of it that he was skipping some. You rolled your eyes at your husband's child-like behaviour. "BABE!" He suddenly opened the door to your room, a huge smirk on his face as he stepped slowly towards you. "What? What's wrong? Why are you giving me that look?" You looked him up and down as if he's gone mental. Out of nowhere, he pounced on you like a cat making you put your book aside as you squirmed beneath him. "Oh my God, Kook get off. What's wrong with you!" You started laughing because he started leaving small pecks on your neck, and it was ticklish. "Tell me!" He suddenly stopped and looked into your eyes. "Tell you what?" You searched his face thinking that he might be drunk. "Tell me what you're not telling me!" He said, face getting closer to yours as you backed yours from his. "Are you drunk?" You said laughing, again. He was being unusual. "Nah, I am not. I just want to know what's wrong. Lately, you've been acting weird as if you're hiding something." He claimed as he sat beside you, taking you in his arms as your upper half laid on his bent knee; this was your position when you both had deep talks, he'd let you rest your back on his bent knee as he held you closely, usually playing with your hair locks. "You keep on checking baby clothes whenever we go shopping, you're reading a book about pregnancy and parenting, you listen to anything related to babies on the T.V. are you not telling me something?" He asked with concern filling his doe eyes as he caressed your cheek. "I … I've..." You sighed closing your eyes; words were not getting out of your mouth. "What? What is it baby? You can tell me." His thumb brushed your cheek in a soft motion encouraging you to speak up. "I … I want a baby." You said out of nowhere and looked at Jungkook to see his reaction. "Well, baby that's great. You know I don't mind, then what stopped you from telling me?" Jungkook flashed you his bunny smile, happy to know that you're ready to take this step with him. "It... It's just, you know I have been reading about it, pregnancy and stuff." He nodded, a sign for you to go on. "And it's all great and everything, but what if something went wrong?" You looked worriedly into your husband's confused eyes. "Like what if I have a miscarriage? What if something happens to the baby? Like what if …"

"Hold on, hold on … baby why are you trying to predict everything? Why can't you focus on the positive side?" He said trying to calm your raging thoughts. "What if my body is not strong enough to have a baby?"

"Baby,nooo!" Jungkook pulled you closer into his arms. "No, none of this is going to happen, we are going to keep checking up with a doctor, and everything will be fine. I'll always be by your side." He said pulling your head under his chin, then he pulled back to look you in the eyes, "and even if something happens, We will go through it together. I know it will be harder for you, but I swear that there's nothing in this life that could be offered to help you lessen your pain that I won't do it." He whispered sincerely, holding your face between his big warm hands. You hugged him tightly, "I love you so much, I don't even know what I did to deserve you!" You said crying over the fact that a man like Jungkook existed, a man who's willing to do anything for you. "Ah, baby I love you, too so much. I don't want you to doubt us or the future. You know why?" He chuckled feeling you shake your head. "Because the future is never guaranteed, but the only thing that is guaranteed is us, and I know that we're strong enough to face anything life throws at us, together." He said hugging you tighter. "Okay, baby?" He pulled back to look at you. You nodded as he wiped away your tears. "Now, about that baby..." He smirked as you laughed at his goofiness. He always knew how to make you laugh. Always.

Now fast forward a few years, you and Jungkook are parents now. It didn't take that long to get pregnant thanks to Jungkook's stamina. Your pregnancy went on smoothly and nothing bad happened. Just as Jungkook promised, he was always right there for you, for everything; from the moment you both found out, to birth-giving, till now. Speaking of which, the poor thing was so terrified when he knew that your doctor would perform a C-section and that you wouldn't be giving birth naturally.

"Is she supposed to be awake during the surgery?" Jungkook worriedly asked the doctor as he could see that the medication they have given you were not putting you to sleep. "Oh don't worry, Mr Jeon. She won't feel a thing, we drugged the part that we will be working on, and it's normal for her to be awake." Your Doctor smiled kindly at him knowing that this was his first time undergoing something like this. Jungkook was dressed in scrubs holding your hand to keep you from panicking, the doctor also hung up something like a sheet in front of you so you won't see them perform the surgery. "Are you okay?" Jungkook whispered, trying to make small conversation with you as you kept looking at him. You nodded still looking at him as he was getting more anxious by the minute because of your intense staring, "Jungkook why are you panicking, I am the one who's having her stomach open, not you." He laughed squeezing your hand, his nerves easing a bit. "How are you so cool with this?"

"I don't think me panicking right now, would do us any good, you know." Jungkook chuckled then kissed your forehead.

An hour has already passed by when they informed you that you delivered and that the surgery was almost over, they needed to stitch you up. "Jungkook go with the nurse!" You said urgently turning to look at him. "No baby, it's okay, your mum and my mum are waiting outside, I'll wait with you here." He said calming you down, he promised that he won't leave your side until you both get out of the surgery's room together. "But, this means that they'll know!" Jungkook chuckled at your worried expression. "It's okay baby, let them know." He said kissing your forehead. "You did great, and I am so proud of you!" He was tearing up because he could not understand how women could go through all of this, he was truly amazed. "I love you." You said looking into his teary eyes, "I love you, too baby so much!" He pecked your lips before the doctor announced that you were good to go.

It definitely wasn't easy, but with Jungkook there, everything was better.

Right now, you and Jungkook were asleep in each other's arms, appreciating the few hours of silence before everything turns back to its chaotic state in the morning. Since you've given birth, you could swear that you became a light sleeper. Your mum brushed off your marvellous discovery with a laugh claiming that it's normal for most mums to become light sleepers because you're always worried.

Just like now, your ears perked as you felt tiny footsteps softly padding towards your bedroom. And you were right, as you slowly turned in Jungkook's arms, so not to wake him up, you found your 3-year-old, Haneul, standing quietly by the door, sucking on his thumb and trying to search for you in the dark. "Haneul, baby I am here." You whispered and got up to see what's wrong. He padded softly towards you in his Stitch Kigurumi onesies that he insisted you buy from your last trip to Disneyland because that's his favourite character. "Oh baby what's wrong." You picked him up and held him in your arms cradling him as if to protect him from all the world's evil. You already knew what's wrong, he needed to change his diaper. "Come on baby, let's go to your room, daddy's still asleep." You left the room quietly hoping not to wake Jungkook up.

Haneul whimpered lightly in your arms seeing that he was irritated because of his diaper and he was still super sleepy. "Okay baby I'll change it for you, just please be quiet, your brother is still sleeping!" You prayed than Haneul won't throw a fit and wake up his twin, Hyun, from his sleep. It was too early to wake up the whole household right now.

"There, all done!" You whispered enthusiastically as he flashed a bunny-like grin at you just like his father. "Thanks, mummy." He grinned shaking his body cutely from side to side still laying on the changing table. "Anything for you baby!" You dived your head to his stomach attacking him with kisses as he squirmed beneath you. "Come on let's get you back to bed." You said putting him back in his crib and giving him a goodnight kiss. Before you could shut the door to the boys' room, you saw Haneul still standing in his crib giving you puppy eyes as he whimpered. You heart squeezed in your chest at the sight of your baby in discomfort. He wanted to sleep with you and Jungkook, but you can't let them get used to it. "Mummy!" Haneul whimpered reaching his tiny arms out for you. You sighed, your heart was too weak to leave him alone in the dark, you just couldn't do it. His eyes were starting to tear up as you went up to him. "God, you guys are my weakness." You muttered to yourself. As you were about to pick Haneul up, Hyun started to turn in his sleep, slowly waking up. Another pair of doe eyes slowly opened up, fluttering due to the dark smooth locks that were getting in its way. "Mummy!" You sighed great now both of them are awake and they will refuse to go back to sleep in their cribs.

Jungkook woke up to an empty bed, he jolted awake thinking you must be with the kids and that you might need his help, but didn't wake him up. He walked to the kids' bedroom to see you holding Haneul in your arms with him sucking on his thumb, drowsy eyes fighting sleep as you looked at Hyun who was carefully climbing out of his bed. "Careful baby!" You seemed to be fine, but your voice told otherwise, it was laced with worry, fearing that his leg might slip and he would get hurt. Hyun climbed down carefully then went up to you tugging on your nightdress and whimpering grumpily. Jungkook entered the room, "come here, buddy." He said scooping Hyun in his arms. "Baby, you woke up!" You frowned not liking the idea of him getting up so early. Since giving birth to your beautiful baby boys, Jungkook has put you and the boys as his top priority, and he was always there making sure you don't need anything. You didn't want him to wake up so early for once so that he could enjoy his sleep before going to the studio. "I didn't find you in my arms, so I got up to look for you." He said gazing at you lovingly. You kissed him on the cheek, he smiled and told you to go to bed with Haneul "I'll change Hyun's diaper and come right behind you." He said planting a kiss on your forehead. "Okay, baby." You said pulling Haneul closer to your chest.

A few minutes later, Jungkook and Hyun joined you and Haneul in bed. Haneul was fast asleep with his head resting on your chest, and Hyun was still awake looking up at Jungkook. "Come on buddy, go to sleep," Jungkook whispered running his fingers through Hyun's black locks that he inherited from his dad. "Appa!" Jungkook hummed softly in response. "Sing to me." Hyun traced his small fingers over Jungkook's cheek. Jungkook smiled closing his eyes for a few seconds enjoying the feeling as he started singing softly and quietly so that Hyun would go back to sleep.

You smiled, recalling all the things you've been through up until this moment. You remembered how you both were shocked when you found out you were having twins. That day was the best day of your life, you cried in happiness so much that Jungkook thought it was your hormones getting the best of you. "No... I'm just … I'm so happy." You said whipping your tears. That night you sat on the bed with Jungkook holding you in the same position that he would hold you when you're both having a deep conversation. You told him about the twins you saw that day, and how you were so fascinated by them and how they interacted with their mum. Jungkook smiled softly at you as he rubbed your belly. You both decided that you wouldn't tell anyone that you were having twins, and that it would be a surprise to your family and friends. The shock on their faces when they entered the room to congratulate you to find each of you holding a baby was priceless.

"Oh my God, are...are... You gave birth to twins!" Your grandma said in tears astonished by the surprise. "Oh, my dear bless you." She cried as you nodded with a big smile on your face. Your mum and Jungkook's mum were the ones who were in great shock because they were the ones who were waiting in the waiting room to suddenly find two nurses coming out with two babies. "How could you not tell us something like that?" Your mum asked whipping her tears as she looked at Haneul who was sleeping soundly in Jungkook's arms. "We wanted to surprise you." Jungkook replied as your dad smiled with tears in his eyes as he kept looking between you and Jungkook. "Congratulations sweetheart!" He planted a kiss on your forehead, proud of you. "Thanks, dad."

To say that the boys were shocked is an understatement. Poor Hobi kept looking left and right at each baby. "What the … twins?" Jimin burst in excitement as Yoongi grinned down at Haneul and Namjoon patting Jungkook's back smiling at Haneul, too. "They're so cute!" Jimin said excitedly as you handed him Hyun. "Careful, hyung!" Jungkook said worriedly, eyes watching Jimin like a hawk. "Look at our Jungkookie being a protective father," Jin said laughing with Taehyung bursting in laughter.

The boys kept pampering your kids to no end. Jin and Jungkook would even make sure that you and Lilly, Jin's wife, have play dates for the kids, seeing that Jin and Jungkook are the only fathers in the group. Life was treating you good with everyone surrounding you with love and care.

"What are you thinking?" Jungkook whispered. You looked at Hyun to find him fast asleep. "Nothing I was just remembering the day the boys blessed us with their existence." You smiled patting Hyun's back as you lifted the blanket to his shoulder. Jungkook's eyes gleamed at you as he smiled, probably remembering that day, too. Having kids is a huge deal to any couple but with Jungkook being there as he promised, you felt that everything is alright, and you didn't have anything to worry about. You and Jungkook fell into a deep sleep holding each other's hands as both Haneul and Hyun slept soundly between the two of you.

A/N:

Haneul means heavenly 🌌

Hyun means bright or intelligent.🤓

[scripttorture]

Hello! I have a few questions related to your most recent post and the definition of torture. You said:

"A trained person who was never tortured will always out perform someone whose training involved torture."

According to everything else I have seen on your blog, this makes sense - the mental and physical trauma from being tortured have lasting effects which make certain tasks more difficult.

However, this seems to juxtapose certain tropes I've seen in US military training advertisements. For example, "Hell Week" in the Navy SEAL training seems like it would be torture if it was forced upon someone (like if the soldiers didn't sign up for it and didn't have the option to quit.). *Hell Week is when soldiers are training continuously for 5 days in freezing, wet conditions, with little more than 4 hours of sleep for the entire week, under insane amounts of physical and mental stress.

- If someone chose to be tested both mentally and physically, I feel like it wouldn't be torture. However, if the same exact conditions were forced upon someone else (testing their mental and physical limits without their consent or understanding), does your quote above mean that the person who did not have a choice would not reap the benefits of the training/testing? Or would the Navy SEALs be better soldiers if they didn't have to go through 'torturous conditions' during Hell Week, regardless of their choice to do so?

(I used Hell Week as an example, but I meant this question generally. I'm trying to figure out how to best train an elite soldier and avoid any harmful torture apologia tropes, while also making sure that they are able to handle insanely challenging situations)

- My other question has more to do with the definition of torture that you quoted from the UN in one of your master posts. If someone is being seriously injured (pulled fingernails, whipping, starvation etc), but not for the purposes of interrogation, punishment, or intimidation, is that still torture, or is that just abuse? And, regardless of what we call it, would the effects be the same as if it were torture for any of the three motives above?

Sorry if this is long and hard to understand, I can clarify if needed!

It’s not the longest I’ve gotten and it’s perfectly clear, duck*. :) Honestly this is a difficult topic with a lot of nuance, it’s better to take a longer and more thoughtful approach.

 From the stand point of the legal definition and what we study/understand as torture any consensual activity, however extreme, is not torture.

 But here’s where it gets interesting: consent and our attitude to an activity actually changes our response to pain. It may even change how much pain we feel.

 I’m going to take a slightly different example to yours. There are a lot of cultures globally that have practiced scarification, ritual cutting to deliberately form scars. And this can be done for a lot of reasons: membership of a family or clan, coming of age, traditional medicine, religion, you get the idea.

 A lot of people in these cultures describe their scars as incredibly important and the process of getting them as a moving, deep and positive process.

 This does not mean they wouldn’t be traumatised if they were attacked by someone with a knife.

 Being able to approach something painful and see it as positive really changes our perspective. It makes trauma and mental illness a lot less likely. And being able to back out, even if it’s just for a little while to take a breather, seems to make us able to withstand more pain then we would have otherwise.

 The simplest and most famous experiment that dealt with this relationship between our mindset and pain asked people to keep their hands in ice cold water. They timed how long people could do it when they were told to stay silent and how long they could do it when they were allowed to swear. If they swore they could hold their hands under for longer. An average of forty seconds longer.

 Looking back over O’Mara (Why Torture Doesn’t Work, a very good intro to how pain works and what it does to the brain) the way he describes it as by thinking of the experience of pain as a collection of three things. There’s the physical sensation itself, the nerves firing. But there’s also an affective component, how we feel emotionally about the experience and a cognitive component, how we think about it.

 Did you ever play that game as a kid where you stuff as many chilis as possible in your mouth to see who would spit them out first? I… might have done. And from what I remember it hurts an awful lot. But those memories to me are mostly about messing about with my friends, I remember trying to be stubborn about it and I remember us laughing at each other.

 This is a completely different experience to someone being held down and having chili stuff up their nose. But the difference isn’t necessarily in the physical damage done or the physical sensation of pain. It’s in the other components, the emotional response and the rationalisation.

 I also had a filling drilled in my tooth without painkillers as a kid. I don’t know how common this is in the West? It happened in Saudi. Honestly my biggest memory of it is the language barrier between myself and the dentist.

 These are anecdotes obviously but I’m trying to show that you probably also have experiences in your own life that back up the experiments too. The way we think about a painful experience really does make a huge amount of difference. And that means consent matters enormously.

 These soldiers are going into this experience knowing what to expect, how long it will last and that they can stop at any time. That makes a huge amount of difference. Those same factors have drastically increased the time volunteers will spend in solitary confinement for research. I’m pretty sure if I dug even a little I’d find pain studies with similar findings.

 Here’s the flip side: the physical factors are still in play.

 Sleep is an important physiological process that’s essential to normal functioning. Studies on consensual sleep deprivation have shown massive negative impacts on memory along with a host of other things that you can read about here.

 Let’s take a non torture example. A student who stays up all night cramming for an exam is not going to develop the symptoms of trauma that a torture survivors who was sleep deprived would. But the effect sleep deprivation has on memory is due to sleep playing an essential role in preserving memory (and learning more generally.) So they’re both likely to have difficulty remembering things in days just before and just after sleep deprivation. They’re also both more likely to have false memories and catch a bad cold.

 As a result of this memory impairment I question the educational value of anything involving sleep deprivation: you can’t learn while messing up the processes that let your brain remember things.

 There have been cases in the UK of people dying during training for the armed forces. Because while consent makes a huge difference, mindset makes a huge difference- our bodies still have limits. We can choose to push ourselves past those limits and, whatever our motivation or feelings, it can do real harm.

 Personally? I’m unsure of the benefit of these kinds of exercises. As in I’m unsure there is a benefit. Learning is going to be shot, chances of injury are going to be a lot higher- I don’t see anything that could be improved by these sorts of exercises.

 Anecdotally people do report feeling like a closer unit after going through these sorts of routines. That might be the benefit: moral and unit cohesion, possibly self-esteem too.

 If you’re making up something for your story I think it’d be helpful for me to mention a little statistical effect that gets used to justify punishment pretty regularly. Get some dice out if you’ve got them and roll one. Let’s say the number represents performance in some kind of test (because effort and learning matter but our performance also varies because of things we can’t control.) A roll of 1 gets punished, a roll of 6 gets praised.

 Now after you roll that first 1 statistically speaking the chances are your next roll will be better. And if you roll a 6 then statistically speaking the chances are your next roll will be worse. People observe this effect in real life and they often conclude that there’s no point in praising someone but that punishment leads to improvement. Really it’s just a statistical effect, after a particularly, noticeably bad day the chances are things will be better next and vice versa.

 This effect can make it difficult for people to recognise overall, long term progress. Which is the kind of progress you should be paying attention to when designing a training program.

 If you want good performance from people, whatever the metric, the most efficient thing to do is ensure that those people are; well fed, have access to clean water, get plenty of sleep, have breaks and have access to medical treatment when they need it.

 I’d say the main things to keep in mind when designing this fictional training regime are:

Being honest about the effects you describe, ie if they’re spending long periods without shelter are they at risk from exposure? If they’re standing in cold water are they going to get hypothermia?

Remember that even if something is damaging or causes lasting trauma it would not necessarily prevent someone from doing their job. Torture survivors have serious, lasting symptoms but many of them still work.

 I think I’m going to leave that there because I’m not an expert in militaries or training people. And keep in mind that I am a pacifist, read this with my biases in mind.

 Getting to the second question, there is a little more to the UN definition then that. The primary factor is still who the abuser is. For it to be torture (legally speaking) the abuser has to be (or be ordered by) an on-duty government employee, part of a group that controls territory (ie an occupying force). Some countries also count international organised criminal gangs in this definition.

 It’s also important to note that torture can be targetted at someone other then the victim. So if the police arrest the brother of a political opponent and beat him in order to intimidate the politician, that is still torture.

 Basically there are a lot of factors in the legal definition of torture and it’s that way by design. The hope is that you end up with a framework that captures as much government abuse as possible.

 But it also means that there’s a pretty high barrier when it comes to proving torture. Which means that things which are legally torture can be prosecuted as assault, bodily harm or equivalents to these, because it’s easier to get a conviction for those charges.

 Technically you are correct: if abuse done by a government official doesn’t have one of the four motivations in the legal definition (attempts to obtain information, forcing a confession, intimidation or punishment) then it doesn’t meet the definition.

 However in practice I’ve not heard of a case failing because of the motive.

 I’m not a lawyer and I’m not an expert in international law. I won’t say it’s never happened. But it’s much more common for cases to fail for other reasons. Off the top of my head I’d say the most common reason is difficulty proving the abuse took place.

 The most common types of torture today are ‘clean’, a term we use to indicate that they don’t leave obvious marks. If someone turns up with fingernails torn out or the skin of their back lacerated by a whip that is clear physical evidence of abuse. Nothing else causes similar injuries. But if someone turns up at a doctor’s with swollen feet or reddened skin, if they’ve lost a lot of weight or they’re so tired they’re struggling to stand… Well all of those things can be caused by common tortures. But they can also be caused by common illnesses.

 A lot of the deaths from torture today are similarly hard to prove. Beatings and stress positions ultimately cause death by kidney failure. Which can mean that prosecutors are asked to prove a victim didn’t have an underlying health condition. Or take drugs.

 Honestly my instinct is that the motive is the easiest thing to prove. It’s often harder to bring charges against people in positions of authority, regardless of the country we’re talking about. Bringing those charges, proving abuse took place and proving it was done by the person in question, those are usually the tricky parts.

 The difference between torture and abuse is scale. Torture is industrial scale abuse.

 The law doesn’t define that scale but that’s what we’re talking about when we talk about abuse from organised authority. Abusers might have dozens of victims. Torturers have thousands, tens of thousands.

 If you want to explore a different motivation in your story, something outside the legal framework, consider the scale at which this abuse is taking place. Consider how organised it is. If it’s organised and large scale, with multiple abusers, with no prior relationship between the abuser and victims then torture will probably be a better model then abuse. If it’s smaller scale with a more personal relationship and if it isn’t supported by a legal framework/organisation then abuse might be a better model.

 For victims and survivors the difference isn’t so much about the symptoms they personally experience as the… side effect of that scale. Abuse victims are often very isolated and may not know anyone who has had a similar experience. Torture implies a community of survivors and possibly generational trauma. There are also effects to do with access to support, access to medical care and how likely it is that someone will be believed.

 Torture survivors are often systematically disenfranchised in a way that abuse victims are not. Torture survivors are often forced to leave their home country. Anecdotally, based on what I’ve seen globally over the last few years, I think that struggling to get citizenship is increasingly an issue for torture survivors. And without citizenship there’s difficulty finding legal work, getting accommodation, accessing medical care, accessing the legal system etc.

 I do not know whether torture survivors are more or less likely to be believed by their community compared to survivors of abuse. I do not think any one has attempted a comparative study. I do know that the prevalence of clean torture means that many torture survivors are not believed and this puts up a further barrier, making it harder to access medical treatment and bring charges.

 Rejali’s book was published in 2009, so things may have changed a tad. At the time he was writing the average wait for a torture survivor to see a specialist doctor was about 10 years.

 Abuse is to torture what murder is to genocide. And there are difference on a wider social scale as a result.

 I mention all that because I feel it’s relevant but the impression I get is you’re mostly interested in the long term symptoms? In which case, yes the legal definition makes very little difference. The physical injuries caused by particular kinds of abuse don’t change depending on whether it’s a private individual or a police officer holding the Taser.

 The lasting psychological symptoms are not particular to torture; they’re what the human brain does when traumatised. The same symptoms can manifest in people who witness traumatic events but weren’t actually hurt themselves. They can manifest in people who were injured in accidents and they manifest in people who were neglected or abused. Hell, I have a couple of them, though no where near the severity a torture survivors would experience. A sufficient amount of stress is enough for these symptoms to start developing in anybody.

 You can find the general list of symptoms here. There’s also a post specifically about memory problems over here.

 The pattern I describe; that these symptoms are a list of possibilities not ‘every torture victim will get all of these’ holds true for trauma survivors generally. Anecdotally there is some variability with chronic pain being reported more often with some kinds of abuse. That might be because it can have physical causes, psychological causes or a mix of the two.

 Whether it’s torture or abuse there isn’t any way to predict a survivor’s symptoms in advance. Much of the advice I have about writing torture survivors and their symptoms holds true for trauma survivors generally. Which is why I’ll still take a crack at some questions that aren’t about torture.

 Pick the symptoms that you feel fit the character and serve the story. We can’t predict symptoms and that means that there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pick the things that appeal to you.

 And I think I’m going to leave it there. I hope that helps :)

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Disclaimer

*This is a weird English endearment. I had someone ask if this was me trying not to swear. 

[dumbbaozi]

I heard some LPers say that the end of Uprising brawl was kind of anticlimatic without a more boss-y last enemy. I didn't mind that, but it got me thinking about you and other people that created OW OCs of omnics that don't float like Zenyatta does. If Shima existed in the game when this event came, do you think she would have gotten a Legendary skin to "play the role" of the leader of Null Sector, similar to how they did with Junkenstein's Revenge legendaries?

Hello,thanks for dropping by! The only Omnics I do have that did fight in that war was Tikay and Ishanvi with some other Omnics,Shima was not created in that but if we take it like they did to Orisa,yes she would have a legendary. ¿Why? Her former design will not look AT ALL the same a really drastic change,also she has the ability to heal healing and protect with her little shield (shield its weak but still protects) so it could be consider a boss (not as strong as the original bosses but can be a BETCH to kill),she could heal the enemy team and it will make it difficult. Still she will be easily taken down if her sources are out meaning the bots. This is up for changes if people will start saying she's to OP. I really don't see it being like that,she's easily kill when again you kill her sources,but eh can't pleased some people 🤷🏼‍♀️😭I have been actually working on a skin for this event,hope I can get it done as soon as possible. If you have any more questions feel free to chat normally with me (I don't mind at all) or ask again! SORRY FOR MY BAD GRAMMAR! it's not my mother tong 😢 hope you still understand it or at least read it well.

[read-of-the-day-blog]

Lunula

Noun [loo-nyuh-luh]

Something shaped like a narrow crescent, as the small, pale area at the base of the fingernail.

The mid-morning sun washed through the sterile, white room of Abigale Peters as her nurse helped her into the chair set by the window. She lowered her slowly and with practiced care that would be given to any other resident of the Rolling Hills Nursing Home. "Betty, be a dear and fetch my purse. We have to make it to church in time to greet the pastor or ill never hear the end of it from that nosey Mrs. Bradberry."

The plump, young nurse, whose name was really June, smiled patiently and turned to face the woman in the doorway, who stood tall and lithe but with some reservation. Her fingers curled around the handle of a soft pink kaboodle kit. She nodded graciously to the nurse and stepped inside. "Mama, you've already been to church today. The pastor loved your hat, don't you remember?" The old woman never did, but Denise always felt the urge to ask. Always hopeful that her mother would one day respond with an "Oh, of course, Denise. How could I forget?" But she never did, not anymore. She watched as her aging mother's brow furrowed in brief confusion before quickly being distracted by the movement of the trees outside her window. Denise sighed quietly and thanked June as the nurse set up a stool beside the chair and took her leave. Denise tucked a strand of mousy brown hair behind her ear and set the kaboodle on the chair-side table. With a click, it opened and Denise took her seat on the stool, adjusting for comfort as she spoke. "Mama...its time for another manicure. What color would you like today?"

"I always loved yellow. My kitchen is yellow, you know. Jacob always hated it. But I told him, I said...'well you won't be in it near as much as me and if I'm gonna be making you breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, I want to do it in a room that makes me happy." Abigale gave a tired laugh. "That damn husband of mine. He's always gone at work nowadays. Betty, do you know when he'll be back?"

Denise paused and looked at her mother. Those blank eyes hurt her more than the questions, but not as much as being called 'Betty'. Betty was Abigale's sister who had died ten years ago and who her mother hadn't spoken to for at least thirty. It cut her like a knife, taking a tiny piece of her every time, but her therapist had urged her to try and not take it personally. Spite rose like a poison in her and for a moment she considered reminding her mother that Daddy was dead and gone, but that would only upset her, and not for long enough to make Denise feel any better. She took a deep breath and counted down from ten in her head before shaking the feeling and correcting her tone to the usual forced pleasantness she used on Sunday mornings. "This afternoon, I'm told."

Her mother nodded with a smaller smile, satisfied. Figuring she would never actually give her a color (yellow was a ridiculous color for nails. If her mother were in any lucid state she would never stand for it), she decided to pick one herself. Primrose. A proper color for a proper lady.

She shook the bottle and grabbed the emery board, cuticle pusher, and nail trimmers, setting all aside and pushing through the other bottles for the acetone and some stray cotton balls. She took her mother's hand, wrinkled with age and almost impossibly soft. The knobs and twists of arthritis in her knuckles still felt foreign to her, even after so many years. Denise drew in a sharp breath meant to control her emotions and set to work removing the dark polish from the week before. "I spoke to Cynthia two days ago. I asked when she may be able to make it back in town for a visit since she had to push back last month, but she wasn't sure. She asked that I.." Denise tightened her jaw. "...that I tell you that she loves you. And she misses you." Denise didn't believe it. Not for a moment. Cynthia cried and confided in her how hard it was to watch their mother deteriorate but Denise couldn't help but think that if she were actually here, marinating in the decline as Denise had been, perhaps maybe it wouldn't feel like such a drastic change each time she saw her. It was hard on Denise too....but she was here.

Abigale smiled brightly. "Cynthia is such a doll! You know she won junior Miss. Dickson twice? Bell of the ball! Oh!" She laughed. "Jacob practically had to beat the boys away with a stick." Denise rolled her eyes and shook her head. Abigale continued. "Cynthia always takes such great care of herself. I wondered why she wasn't a bigger help to Denise. The poor child couldn't stay out of the yard for more than an hour at a time. Hair always a mess. Always dirt under her fingernails." Denise's shoulders tightened. She looked at her own nails, nowadays well manicured and clean as a whistle. Abigale always said she was a 'late bloomer' but Denise more or less saw herself as an appeaser.

"Im sure Denise tried very hard to make you happy..." She muttered as she moved to the other hand.

"Well, she did what she could with what she had I suppose. Never as blessed as Cynthia in the ways of social graces-"

"Well maybe you would prefer Cynthia do your nails?"

Abigail turned to face her youngest daughter. "...what?"

Denise wiped away the polish on the last nail and shook her head. "Nothing. Maybe I should put on some music, hm?" Anything to stop the Cynthia golden child hour. There was only so much Denise could take. She stood and tossed the used cotton balls into a nearby wastebasket a bit more aggressively than was necessary before going to the radio and turning the dial to the designated oldies station, filling the room with the musical stylings of Doris Day. Abigale smiled and hummed along. Denise took another breath as she gripped the edge of the dresser and counted down from ten once more.

When she returned to her seat she started trimming her cuticles and filing her nails. Denise sat in anxious silence for a few minutes before asking a question she was certain she would.immediately regret. "And what about Denise? Were...were you proud of her?"

"Whats that, Betty?" Her mother had been lost in the music but Denise couldn't take it. She let out a small, muffled, anguished cry. "In not Betty, Mama! I'm your daughter! I'm Denise! I am here every week! I take you to church and to the doctor. I do your nails! Why can't you remember!?" She pleaded.

"Denise lives in Birmingham.," Abigale said with a furrowed brow. "Yes I used to, but I moved back here. To take care of you! Me, Denise! Not Cynthia, not Betty. Denise!"

A blank stare was all she got in return. Denise stood and put the tools back in the kit and walked to the bedside table to pluck a kleenex from the patterned box that was stationed there. She dabbed at the edges of her eyes and wrapped her arms around her frame, cradling the broken bits of her in front of the only person she believed could put them back together, but simply didn't possed the faculties to do so anymore. Her mother was never one to coddle even when she was aware. Self-comfort was simply a means of survival as much now as it has always been.

Abigale watched her all the while, worry falling over her time-worn features. She was quiet for a moment, as though considering what should be said to comfort the woman in her room. She was clearly upset though she couldn't imagine why.

"Dear...I'm sorry if you're upset." Her voice was quiet and gentle. The radio, as if deciding to attempt and cut the tension began to play 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' by The Temptations. It felt cruel in context to Denise, but Abigale lit up and even clapped. "Oh, I love this song, don't you?"

Denise did, in fact, but she was in no mood. She simply cleaned up her face and made her way back to the stool, snatching the color from the table and shaking the bottle again. She told herself she would not speak again if she could help it. Today was one of those 'bad days' they talk about in her support groups. It was healthier not to take part in it for her own sanity. But then her mother said the most incredible thing.

"You used to sing this song and dance around the kitchen when we would clean up after dinner. It always tickled me. You have such a lovely singing voice. It's a pity you wouldn't sing for the church choir. I suppose you had too much personality for it, really. Such a big voice for such a skinny little thing."

Denise froze. A droplet of polish fell from the brush onto her skirt, but she hardly noticed or cared. "You...you remember that, Mama?"

Abigale grinned. "Oh, of course, Denise. How could I forget?"

They smiled at one another. Recognition flashing across Abigale's face, and relief washing over Denise's. And for that brief and fleeting moment, Denise felt whole again.