Tumgik
#hehehe i'm excited to post it!!!
sunshinesteviee · 1 year
Text
sneak peek of mvp
i am finally posting a new fic tomorrow, so here's a lil sneak peek! it's the baseball player!steve fic i've been posting about forever. it's mostly smut, so it's 18+ only!! mdni!! if you wanna be tagged when i post it tomorrow (3:30 pm CDT on Friday), let me know, and i'll add ya :)
Tumblr media
He looks so pretty in the golden light streaming in through the windows that it’s almost hard to believe he’s real. Reaching out across the gap between you, you tuck a few strands of his messy hair behind his ear and then drag the pad of your thumb across his jaw. You trace over a few of the cute moles scattered over his face and wish you could kiss each and every single one of them, but he’s a bit too far away. Letting out a dramatic sigh, you let a lock of his hair slip from your fingers back into its place. 
At the forlorn sound, Steve’s eyes flick from the road over to you as he laughs under his breath. He twists just a little bit further to press a kiss to the delicate skin on the inside of your wrist, and though he’s pretty sure he knows the answer, he asks, “What, sweetheart?”
“I think I might combust if I can’t kiss you or touch you within the next minute.” 
Steve lets out a laugh, breath hitching as your own hand drops from his hair to his thigh, “We’re like ten minutes from home, honey.” He’s trying his best to stay casual, but he’s feeling about the same as you, especially with your hand on him now. 
“Can’t wait ten minutes, baby. Want you now. Don’t you want your prize?”
“Jesus christ,” he huffs out quickly, hazarding a glance to the hand on his thigh that’s creeping upwards before scanning the road, “Alright, okay, baby, just— just let me pull over. Fuck.”
65 notes · View notes
m-eltdown · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
123 notes · View notes
ontosgold · 4 months
Note
hi! first off i wanted to say that i love your art so much its so so pretty and secondly i was wondering, since youre like the ceo of ryomina, if you had any good ryomina fanfic recommendations ? :>
THANK YOU :D !! and hehe thank u for giving me the chance to ramble abt the two ryomina fics that have been consuming my brain lately (that are both written by my lovely fellow ryomina ceos <3)
first off !! the twilight wants him back by @chatlote
it's a canon divergent fix-it fic that takes place from november onwards featuring sees ryoji :> I think my favourite thing abt this fic is the way lina characterises both ryoji and makoto, like I genuinely adore how she writes them in this fic. both of their inner worlds feel so rich and detailed and i adore how the pov switches give us a look into makoto and ryoji's different outlooks !! seeing makoto and ryoji's different perspectives on the same events is so interesting and it adds so much depth of their interactions. it's been such a joy so far to watch those two slowly get to know each other while also exploring how makoto's dealing with everything he's experienced up until then (the way she shows how makoto's been dealing with loss is so. augh <3) and I'm so excited to see where this fic is headed ^_^ every update has me kicking my feet in excitement hehe
and then there's persephone's curse by @sweet-sirin
this fic took me on such an emotional rollercoaster that it hasn't stopped rolling around in my brain since I read it. it takes place post canon and if u know abt persephone than u can probably take a guess as to where this fic is going. I don't wanna say too much bcs I think this fic is best experienced knowing as little abt it as possible but its just a beautiful exploration of ryoji and makoto's characters and just how stubborn they can be in their own ways, especially ryoji. there's so many scenes in this fic that are just stuck in my brain. it felt like every single scene and every piece of dialogue has some sort of underlying/second meaning and it was a ride unpacking everything as I was reading. everything feels so purposeful and meaningful its just so. augh. it emotionally destroyed me and I don't think I'll ever recover <3 it'll live in a special corner of my brain forever
Also !! I haven't really gone down the ryomina fic rabbit hole myself yet so if you or anyone reading has some fic recs of their own please send them my way !! 🙏🙏
30 notes · View notes
saltedcaramelchaos · 4 months
Text
does anyone want to hear about my jrwi/tma au 👉👈
It's Prime Defenders focused- William Wisp has just been promoted to head archivist after the previous one, his good friend Ashe Winters, mysteriously disappeared. He and archival assistants Vyncent and Dakota try to figure out what happened to Ashe, while still doing their jobs... but there's lots of supernatural obstacles from other campaigns in the way, and maybe even a few secrets among the staff. Guess they'll just have to... roll with it...
22 notes · View notes
bonestrouslingbones · 27 days
Text
btw one of the things i want to do when i really rap up atbb for real is spontaneously get the energy at will to do actual updated fullbodies of the main 4 since now i actually have the ability to draw them the way they look in my head & have the skills to put some more variety in their shapes. basically i wanna
Tumblr media
#warning big character design rambling in these tags but like. were u expecting any less#if ur wondering what changed-#first of all everybody has bigger hands bc i'm actively deciding to commit to that decision because i like it :3#next russ is a bit taller . i'll probably change some other things like making his armor look more solid & making him look more frail#-without it but i dont wanna pick up my tablet rn so thats all i feel like editing with my mouse lmao#edge has the biggest changes mostly in just being Wider. i want to make him Look stronger yknow#currently its just one of those annoying “skinny anime girl actually has 2d spraypainted abs and can lift a truck” tropes that i Hate#its a lil too many triangles when he should really be more like a triangle-flavored square. yknow#that being said the weirdly feminine hips were not intentional but only time will tell if they make it into the actual final design or not#i will not be making his pauldrons wider than they were originally. those things are already wacking everything around him they're fine#fluff's change is just being a bit skinnier so he looks more pathetic and sad. probably gonna try to make him look a bit younger too#but age is hard to represent with skeletons from The Land Of Sharp Features#i might also change up his pants/shoes more idk. Baggy Everything makes a very difficult silhouette and the boots are just boring tbhh#they're the bi flag but i dont think a single person has ever noticed lmao#and stretch's biggest change is that he's going to Have A Fullbody Reference That Isn't From 2019#probably make his hoodie longer/looser so i can make the transition to the leggings less awkward & show off his tank under it a bit more#the leggings & sneakers get to stay tho i think. the red wraps the design up well & the chicken legs are funny to me :>#and karma isn't here but he'll probably also get an update to be more square as well. and NOT SKINNYYYYYY#i gotta cram some more emotional repression & inferiority complex hints into his outfit so his post-void look contrasts more its IMPORTANT#AND ALSO NEVER USE UNDERTALE SPRITES AS A REFERENCE FOR ARMOR EVER EVER EVER AGAIN#that being said im really excited to one day finally sit down and draw his post-void design i think i'll have fun with that one#theres a reason my sf bros dont really fit their “roles” in the au yet like undyne & alphys do. hehehe#basically to sum up all these tags: becoming more skilled at art is a curse because you KNOW you can do things better now
11 notes · View notes
bloomblanche · 5 months
Text
ra papapapa, ra papapapa...
Tumblr media
11 notes · View notes
hiraganasakura · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media
[ID: A map of Vericitias, a fantasy land. The land is split into three continents: One in the northwest with an archipelago connected to it, one in the northeast, and one in the south.
The northwest continent's mainland is colored in brown, and is a long strip of land with a delta at the southernmost tip. At the top is a label reading "The Deadlands". From top to bottom, the three towns are Dimhearth, Bogreed, and Deltaspring. A harbor is marked with an anchor symbol at the bottom of the delta. There is a small mountain range at the northernmost tip, from which two rivers flow and eventually join when they reach the delta. A yellow star marks crossroads between Deltaspring, the other towns of the Deadlands, and the road to the archipelago.
East of the Deadlands is an archipelago, labeled at the top as "The Wavelands" and colored in sandy brown and light green. From top to bottom, the three towns are Anchorfall (note: It should say "Anchorfell" instead), Tropicharbor, and Saltshore. The bottommost island is small and has an anchor symbol denoting a harbor. There are also two more harbors, one beside each of the other cities. A dark blue star marks the path between Saltshore and the nearest harbor.
The northeastern continent is split into three regions, each labeled accordingly with a label above them. From top to bottom, they are the Peaklands (colored in white and full of mountains), the Mistlands (colored in gray and covered in fog, continuing the mountain range in the northern areas), and the Autumnlands (colored in orange and full of trees, concluding the mountain range in the north). From top to bottom, left to right, the towns are Winterchapel, Ridgegate, Snowcap Abbey (all in the Peaklands); Fogshade, Cloudport, Cogsmount (all in the Mistlands); Hollowvale, Fenrise, and Spirereach (all in the Autumnlands). One river cuts through the Peaklands; three that become two, and then one, through the Mistlands; and two that become one through the Autumnlands, one of which flows through a lake beside Hollowvale. There is a port at the bottom tip of the Mistlands, a port beside Fenrise, and a port beside Spirereach. A light blue star marks the path from Snowcap Abbey into the Peaklands; a black star sits atop Cloudport's icon; and a purple star is on top of the western river in the Autumnlands.
Finally, there is the southern continent. From left to right, the three regions are the Badlands (colored in sandy yellow, full of dunes and cacti and almost completely surrounded by cliffs), the Brushlands (colored in light green, occasionally dotted with trees and hills), and the Blossomlands (colored in dark green, full of trees). From left to right, the towns are Oasishaven, Clifthall, Canyonsong (all in the Badlands); Riverglen, Shrubsteppe, Breezegrave (all in the Brushlands), Bloomcrown, Petalcreek, and Lushhart (all in the Blossomlands). There is an oasis in front of Oasishaven. Two rivers become one cutting through the Brushlands, while three rivers join to become two through the Blossomlands. There is a port at the uppermost tip of the Brushlands, a port beside Bloomcrown, and a port beside Lushhart. A red star sits on Canyonsong's icon, an orange star marks the path leading into Shrubsteppe, and a green star is on top of Bloomcrown's icon.
Roads on land are denoted with dotted black lines. On the sea, dotted dark blue lines make paths between Deltaspring's harbor, the harbor closest to Saltshore, the harbor closest to Shrubsteppe, Bloomcrown, and the harbor closest to Cloudport. Medium blue lines make paths between Tropicharbor and the harbor closest to Saltshore, Bloomcrown, and Cloudport; as well as Fenrise with Bloomcrown and Cloudport. Finally, light blue lines make paths between Anchorfell and the port closest to Deltaspring, the port closest to Saltshore, and Tropicharbor; as well as Lushhart with Bloomcrown, Fenrise, and Spirereach. The sea is dotted with several ships and hazards. There is a compass rose in the bottom right corner. End ID.]
I don't make IDs often and I just made an absolutely massive one, pls lmk if I need to change it or the alt text in any way to be more accessible!
Anyhow, you're probably wondering what the heck this is! Vericitias is the location for my hypothetical Octopath Traveler III. I realized how important the worldbuilding was to the story, so I decided to make this post to both show off the map (which I made in Inkarnate) and explain a lot of the worldbuilding in a way where all of the important information wouldn't be so scattered and split up.
Due to length, the rest of this post will be beneath the cut. Also switching up my writing style to be my more formal and professional one after the cut lol
Before I get into the different regions and towns, I actually want to explain the star marks first. They show where you'd meet the travelers to add them to your party if they weren't chosen as your protagonist. Yellow is the apothecary, dark blue the thief, light blue the cleric, black the scholar, purple the merchant, green the warrior, orange the hunter, and finally, red is the dancer.
And with that concluded, time to actually talk about the land's locations!
THE DEADLANDS
Once known as the Marshlands, a horrible sickness known as the Blight struck the region during the Eight Years’ War. The Blight stole life from the once vibrant swamp, destroying crops and killing citizens, until it became the desolate and decaying wasteland most know it as now. Nobody knows for certain where the Blight came from; it could have just been any other sickness, or an enchantment by some sinister scholar, or something else entirely. But one thing is for certain: The Deadlands earned their name thanks to it.
Deltaspring
A small farming town at the mouth of a delta. Ever since the Blight hit the region, agriculture has greatly slowed; while before, Deltaspring produced enough crops to feed the whole region, it can now feed itself with a slight surplus. That being said, this is one of the few areas of the Deadlands where farming is at least possible. The region has had to mostly sustain off trade from other regions, but it’s primarily Deltaspring that prevents the region from being entirely reliant on others. Here, an apothecary named Tao makes her home, desperately trying to stop the Blight from affecting the people of her town.
Bogreed
A village on stilts, nestled into the swamp. Bogreed was hit rather hard by the Blight, with most of the agriculture industry being wiped out, even worse than in Deltaspring. The desperation of the townspeople has led to an underground crime ring taking root here, gaining and spending money through illicit means — including a gladiator ring — to stay alive.
Dimhearth
Dimhearth was once considered one of the major political powers of the world, and a historically important aggressor in the Eight Years’ War (on the side of Blizzardchapel, Spirereach, and Bloomcrown), but now, none of that power remains. Once an additional headquarters for the Church of the Sacred Flame, Dimhearth has since been abandoned after the Blight, leaving the people with tattered faith. In the time since, a gang of pirates known as the Crimson Cutthroats have made their base here, demanding the people pay tribute to them — or else.
THE WAVELANDS
An archipelago in the Shattered Sea, the Wavelands are considered the mercantile center of Vericitias. From the smallest of businesses to the grandest of corporations, all can be found here. However, the area is also a brooding ground for pirates. In particular, two factions of pirates combat one another for dominance in the seas beside the Wavelands: the bloodthirsty thugs called the Crimson Cutthroats, and the noble yet misunderstood Hawk Raiders. The Crimsons target ships near indiscriminately, as long as they look like they have something worth plundering; meanwhile, the Hawks only target ships connected to merchant companies with evidence of immoral activity — nonetheless, travelers are wary of both.
Saltshore
A humble fishing village on the edge of the Wavelands, Saltshore has a tight-knit community of close neighbors. Due to its location, it often finds itself the refuge of shipwrecks and stowaways — including a certain noble pirate named Crowley, who winds up marooned here after a harsh storm.
Tropicharbor
Tropicharbor thrives off trade and tourism, which it gets in spades thanks to its strategic position near the center of the land of Vericitias. It’s also noted for having a sizable beastling population, further spreading the town’s influence thanks to its multicultural reach.
Anchorfell
Anchorfell is perhaps the most successful trading hub in the whole land. At its beating heart is the Oracle Corporation, a massive trading company that’s all but monopolized shipping across Vericitias — though rumors persist of its past, and possibly present, corruption. Anchorfell remained a neutral party during the Eight Years’ War, keeping its role as a supplier for both sides.
THE PEAKLANDS
The home of this land’s Church of the Sacred Flame, the Peaklands is a harsh, frigid, and rugged land. The snowcapped mountains completely surround the region, save for a more open area close to the border with the Mistlands. In this unforgiving environment, many have found solace and support in the church — however, twenty years ago, the church began showing signs of corruption, leaving many disillusioned and lost.
Snowcap Abbey
An abbey town not far from the border with the Mistlands. Many people who have grown unsatisfied with the Church of the Sacred Flame gather here to live and worship instead of the church’s capital, Winterchapel; while the monastery follows the same religion as the church, it is of a different, more tolerant sect than that the increasingly corrupt church propels. Among the monks and nuns here is a cleric named Phaedra, among the people most vocal about the church’s mistakes.
Ridgegate
A militaristic town situated perfectly in the valley between Snowcap Abbey and Winterchapel. This is the home base of the Paladins of the Flame, the church’s elite soldiers. Nobody is permitted to pass through the gate to or from Winterchapel — not without the church’s permission.
Winterchapel
The capital of the Church of the Sacred Flame, and a victor of the Eight Years’ War alongside Spirereach and Bloomcrown. It’s a massive city, built into the basin between mountains. At the very peak of the city is a huge cathedral, the largest belonging to the church. Generally, lower-class citizens live near the bottom of the basin, while high-class citizens live near the peaks. Interestingly, you’ll notice that people’s classes are usually positively correlated with their positions in the church (people with little to no power in the church being of the lower class, while people with high power in the church have a higher standing in the city’s society), to the point where people may struggle to afford their needs if they don't have some sort of position of power. That’s totally not a sign of something wrong, right [sarcastic]?
THE MISTLANDS
The Mistlands get their name from the near-constant rain and fog in the area. It’s a somewhat mountainous region, but not nearly as much as the Peaklands (or any mountainous Octopath region, like the Highlands or Crestlands, for that matter). The region is an industrial center, filled with dense cities and productive factories. Unfortunately, it also finds itself the den of unsavory folk, including an infamous black market and a criminal organization that lives in the shadows.
Cloudport
A bustling city near the coastline, Cloudport is a big trading hub, a place where goods are both made and sold. On the other hand, Cloudport has a rather high crime rate, with everything from burglary to murder being a regular occurrence. It’s a good thing that the scholarly detective, Trixie, is on the case, aiming to help stop this injustice — on the path to solving a mystery she’s been trying to crack for years.
Fogshade
While another big city, Fogshade has a quiet, sinister air to it that even the dangerous city Cloudport lacks. After all, it’s where you’ll find the notorious Black Market, where all sorts of unsavory goods are on sale for hefty prices. Forbidden magic, the services of assassins, weapons and poisons fit to kill — nothing is considered too dangerous or illegal to sell on the market.
Cogsmount
The center of industry in all of Vericitias, countless inventors and merchants make their homes here. From the outside looking in, it seems like a technological paradise, with steam power fueling many aspects of life — and the list continuing to grow — making it a convenient place to live. But the citizens know differently. In the shadows, something rotten lurks, though few can say quite what — and the few who can are often wise enough to keep their mouths shut, else the Desire of Fortune force their silence. The organization has gripped power since very shortly before the Eight Years’ War, but strangely enough, not even Cogsmount’s loss made Desire lose power. In fact, some wonder if Cogsmount’s loss was *purposeful*, if they intentionally sabotaged Riverglen and Oasishaven.
THE AUTUMNLANDS
The Autumnlands is a temperate forest region, with an exceptionally long autumn making up most of the year, alongside short winters and even shorter summers, hence the name of the region. The region is known for being a relaxing countryside with small towns, and is recommended to anyone who tires of the bustling cities of areas like the Mistlands or the Blossomlands. In addition to the Deadlands prior to the Blight, the Autumnlands have consistently been an area of major agricultural output, though with different exports due to the different climate. Ever since the Blight struck the Deadlands, however, agricultural practices have increased drastically throughout the Autumnlands, more and more people relying on these goods now that the Deadlands can hardly produce much of anything.
Hollowvale
A small, quiet town in a hollow at the base of the mountain range leading into the Mistlands and the Peaklands. A waterfall that falls from a mountain spring trickles down into a pond, and then a river, which continues through the Autumnlands all the way to the sea. The town has settled around this pond, using irrigation techniques from it to water their crops and slake the thirst of their people. It’s a calm, quiet place, and a favored vacation spot for people from the nearby Mistlands as a result. The lord in charge of the town is rather strict on collecting tax and debt from the local farmers and workers, however, and it is rumored that he has ties with some shadowy organization in the Mistlands. This doesn’t sit well at all with a seasoned, charismatic merchant named Hanzo, who runs a small antique shop on the outskirts of town — and doesn’t exactly hold that organization, or the lord of Hollowvale, in high regard.
Fenrise
An agricultural town much like its neighbors in the region, this one is unique due to the predictable floods that occur in the area, with it so close to the river and the coast. The town itself is high on a hill to avoid the floods, and the docks on the river and the coast were built to float and take advantage of the tides. Additionally, the flooding creates fertile soil, and the predictable pattern allows for easy farming. Humans and beastlings both live and work here, and have a tight-knit community with one another.
Spirereach
Named for the massive towers that stretch up into the sky, Spirereach is a seat of nobility. The noble bloodline is directly related to the royal bloodline of Bloomcrown, with the current prince being a cousin of Bloomcrown’s current king. A lot of the agricultural production in Spirereach is offered to the noble family as a sort of tax. Interestingly, despite the nobility’s close blood and political relationship with Bloomcrown, they aren’t nearly as beloved by their citizens as their cousins in the Blossomlands, causing tensions to rise between the two branches of the family.
THE BLOSSOMLANDS
A lush, dense rainforest on the southern continent, filled to the brim with life. It’s also a heavily developed region, with some of the biggest cities in the land, aside from the Mistlands. While, for the most part, cities in other regions tend to govern themselves with little political involvement from other city-states, the Blossomlands are slightly different. While the towns are technically considered independent of one another, the largest city, Bloomcrown, has some level of government over the other two cities of the Blossomlands, more as overseers than actual law enforcers or political figureheads.
Bloomcrown
Nicknamed “the crown jewel of the Blossomlands”, Bloomcrown is arguably one of the most powerful city-states in the entire land of Vericitias, if not the most powerful. It was among the victors of the Eight Years’ War alongside Blizzardchapel and Spirereach. It is ruled by a monarchy, and the current king is, comparatively, the most laidback in a long line of strict and stern monarchs, even more so after the war. Though, his daughter is even more progressive, even to the point of drawing ire from her other family members; on the other hand, the citizens of the city absolutely adore her, and her staunch stance on equality between humans and beastlings has led to a larger beastling population in Bloomcrown than ever before. Ever at the princess’s side is the warrior Akiva, a member of the Royal Guard more loyal to the princess than the crown in general — and fiercely loyal, at that.
Petalcreek
A small, idyllic town settled on the large river that cuts through the Blossomlands. It was once a bustling city like its neighbors, Bloomcrown and Lushhart, but was completely razed in the Eight Years’ War by the combined forces of Riverglen and Oasishaven. Even now, eight years later, it’s still in the process of being rebuilt by its survivors. As a result of their past, they can be somewhat judgmental to outsiders, but on the other hand, they have a very tight-knit community.
Lushhart
A primarily beastling settlement, Lushhart is mostly a mining town. The earth beneath the Blossomlands is rich with countless valuable minerals, and Lushhart takes advantage of that for their work and their trade. Of great interest is a cave that was found in one of the mines, filled with colorful, glowing mushrooms. Fungi of the sort have never been seen before, and Lushhart is currently in correspondence with scholars from Clifthall trying to figure out what the mushrooms are.
THE BRUSHLANDS
The Brushlands are a savannah region between the rainforest of the Blossomlands and the desert of the Badlands, on the southern continent. This region and the Badlands both have the largest overall beastling population of all the regions. The towns in this region are generally highly independent, not really engaging with other towns outside, or even within, the region beyond what is necessary. Like the Autumnlands, it is also a rather rural area heavily focused on hunting and farming.
Shrubsteppe
This settlement is almost exclusively populated by beastlings, and is rather isolated from the rest of the world. It rests in a basin between hills with an entrance hidden behind a waterfall; the town is built on winding wooden pathways on the side of the hills, with homes that look similar to hobbit holes built into the earth. This isolation ended up being a good thing for them during the Eight Years’ War, when they were hardly bothered by their warring neighbors, so they continued that lifestyle. In Shrubsteppe, by far the most respected job you can take is that of a hunter, a job that takes years of training and a trial to be considered proficient in. In the Hunter’s Trial, you must first kill a beast to prove your potential, and then explore the world for as long as you’d like to learn what it means to you to be a hunter. Ready and eager to take this trial is Oriel, who has a secondary goal while on his quest: To find his missing sister, who embarked on her own trial three years prior and has yet to return. Alongside him is Hoku, a firebird and the child of the current wardenbeast, who was assigned to go on the quest with him; Oriel's more relaxed nature is a welcome contrast to Hoku's brash and bold personality.
Riverglen
A town between two rivers that eventually join to reach the sea. Riverglen is a city with a mixed human and beastling population, and is unique because they don’t follow quite the same pantheon of gods as the other areas in Vericitias. They believe in a unique religion, forgotten by most and practiced by fewer, in which they worship only four gods who have dominion over different aspects of the world. (As an aside, it is by fighting these four gods that you can unlock the secret jobs, which I’ve yet to figure out at this time.) Unfortunately, the corrupted Church of the Sacred Flame does not take kindly to the worship of “false gods”, which leads to tension between the church and the people of Riverglen, in addition to pre-existing tensions from even before the Eight Years’ War — which Riverglen lost alongside Oasishaven and Cogsmount.
Breezegrave
The newest city-state in all of Vericitias, Breezegrave was created after the Eight Years’ War to honor the fallen, rulers and soldiers and civilians alike. Essentially, the town is a massive memorial; very few people actually live here, only those whose job it is to oversee and expand the place. It is seen as a highly sacred place that you should only visit if you intend to mourn or honor the dead of the war.
THE BADLANDS
The Badlands is a desert region, and alongside the Brushlands, has the largest beastling population of all eight regions in Vericitias. In general, the people of the Badlands highly value art and academia, and firmly believe in a sense of community between people in the blistering, rocky environment.
Canyonsong
Canyonsong is a small town in the Badlands, just west of the Brushlands. This town, like many others nearby, has a mixed population of humans and beastlings. It is primarily notable due to its major cultural and religious influence. Most mythology of Vericitias shys away from even mentioning the Fallen God, Galdera, fearing the name itself is somehow cursed to say, that the story is somehow destined to repeat if retold. Canyonsong, however, is one of the few city-states that openly acknowledges the Fallen's existence. They have murals and stories dedicated to Galdera's fall from grace and eventual defeat at the hands of two different groups of travelers from distant lands and ages past, and an annual festival celebrating his fall. This festival, called the Festival of Spirits, also serves as a way to honor and commemorate the dead. At the center of this festival is the Book of Spirits, a book which contains immense magic power, should it be used, though it is considered a remnant of the past now. A dancer and musician named Octavian has been assigned to handle the Book, along with his two siblings, this year.
Clifthall
Clifthall is home to the most prestigious magic academy in all the land, Clifthall Academy. It was created over a century ago; for a long time, magic academies worldwide only allowed human students to enroll, falsely believing beastling students to be “incapable”. But a group of beastlings from Oasishaven established Clifhall Academy themselves. The work from their students and professors drew eyes from across all three continents. Eventually, beastlings from all over the world came to the school; even humans took interest in the academy thanks to its great standing, and came to study there. Over the decades, Clifthall Academy slowly grew to be respected and well-regarded, leading to less discrimination in magic academies overall, and Clifthall Academy becoming the greatest magic academy known in Vericitias and possibly beyond. The entire city is built around this academy, having lodgings for students and professors, and an absolutely massive library.
Oasishaven
Of all of the settlements with a primarily beastling population, Oasishaven is the largest and most respected. Even though they were on the losing side of the Eight Years' War, alongside Riverglen and Cogsmount, and have had to deal with the aftermath of that, they still manage to hold themselves up high. They have a matriarchal monarchy, and the previous queen, after the loss of the war, retired early to pass on the throne to her rather young daughter at the time. Compared to her mother, the new queen is much less strict, instead ruling with a more gentle, more patient hand. However, some fear that she is almost *too* kind, liable to be taken advantage of; still others believe that such a fear is an outdated remnant of the war.
THE EIGHT YEARS’ WAR
For the final section of this, I wanted to talk about this Eight Years’ War that I keep mentioning throughout my description of the world; as you can see, it’s kind of important to the worldbuilding of Vericitias. I originally wanted to limit what I said about it and only sprinkle in information through other characters’ stories, but I realized that it would get confusing fast if all of the important information was spread so far apart. So I’m going to give a brief description of the war here, but know that this is far from everything and other information will come in time.
To begin, the seeds for the war were actually planted about twenty years prior to the story, when the Church of the Sacred Flame began showing signs of its corruption. Back then, its secondary capital in Dimhearth was still at full power, as the Blight hadn’t hit the Deadlands yet. So, you can thank Blizzardchapel and Dimhearth for being the primary instigators of the Eight Years’ War, as they tried to strongarm their way into more power.
Additionally, there were a lot of other factors leading to the allegiances falling the way they did:
Centuries ago, it was the Church of the Sacred Flame that installed the monarchy in Bloomcrown, and by extension, later, Spirereach. As a result, the Church and the monarchy has always had a good relationship.
Oasishaven and Bloomcrown had a bit of a historical rivalry, due to Bloomcrown’s old discrimination against beastlings, and a past war many decades ago (they haven’t let go of the resulting grudges since).
The Church had great distaste for the alternative gods that Riverglen worshipped, leading to high tensions between the two groups.
Oasishaven and Riverglen are long-standing allies. Oasishaven, much more powerful and influential, would often help Riverglen stand up to the Church; Riverglen, on the other hand, would help Oasishaven by providing varieties of food and supplies that the desert city wouldn't have been able to obtain otherwise.
Desire of Fortune had secured their power over Cogsmount and wanted to spread their influence even further; they viewed the growing Church as a dangerous threat to that power. (Why is it suspected that they sabotaged their allies, then, you may ask? All I can say is that Desire will do anything for power and is willing to change their plans to get it; anything else is too spoilery to say.)
Cogsmount had usually been pretty distant from Oasishaven and Riverglen, but saw a potential for valuable allies with the two of them, and was the one who suggested the alliance.
Tensions rose and rose, until the queen of Bloomcrown was assassinated. While the perpetrator was never caught, it was widely believed that they were connected to Cogsmount’s rulers. The king, in his grief and rage — and desire to protect his rather young daughter, and only heir — sent forces to attack Cogsmount as a result. Immediately, all hell broke loose. War was inevitably declared, sixteen years prior to the story. On one side was Blizzardchapel, Dimhearth, Bloomcrown, and Spirereach; on the other was Oasishaven, Riverglen, and Cogsmount.
As the name of the war implies, it lasted for eight whole years. In that time, the mysterious Blight devastated Dimhearth and the rest of the Deadlands, evening the ground between the two sides. However, eventually, Blizzardchapel, Bloomcrown, and Spirereach simply outlasted the other side, emerging as the victors. As a result, the worldwide power of Cogsmount, Riverglen, and Oasishaven has been stifled. The war finally ended eight years prior to the story.
And the last thing I have to say that I'm not sure where to put is that beastlings are going to be entirely overhauled to be significantly less offensive in their execution (at least, that's the hope, but please tell me if I need to do something more to improve it)! Here's a short list of the things that change off the top of my head, though I may be missing some things as most of this story has simply been stored in my brain:
Remember how weird it was that most beastlings could only ever speak two works at a time except for Ochette? Yeah, well, not the case anymore. Human and Beastling are now considered two separate languages containing both speaking and writing. Like how many humans may not be able to speak or read Beastling, some beastlings you may meet may not be able to speak Human, and some Beastling scripts you find may not already be translated into Human; in these situations, you will need either Oriel (a beastling) or Octavian (a human who grew up among beastlings), both fluent in Beastling, in your party to understand what's being said. (I'm considering adding Trixie to that list as well, because she is a scholar and also spent a lot of time around beastlings, but I'm not entirely sure yet!)
There's more than literally two settlements mostly populated with beastlings! These settlements are also a bit more varied in culture and government. Even among towns that have a primarily human population, you'll likely find a couple of beastlings, as well.
Speaking of variety, I try to treat the beastlings like they're varied and individual people, and that's probably the thing I try to emphasize the most about the overhauled beastlings. I feel like Octopath 2 used the same sort of template for most of their beastling characters, even the NPCs (unquestioningly hospitable, food loving, clueless about the world, sometimes wanting to emulate humans, etc) and I wanted to try straying away from that. There should hopefully be more important, named, and varied beastling characters as a result.
Humans are actually aware of the beastlings' existence instead of being grossly uneducated like the humans in Octopath 2.
The whole thing where beastlings are incapable of experiencing greed thanks to how D'arquest made them is retconned into just a creation myth that's not necessarily true. Makes them more three-dimensional that way, I think.
And that's it for now! I'm not sure when I'll get around to posting more of this, as I'm juggling lots of projects currently, but I thought this would be the best place to start. I hope you enjoyed and feedback is appreciated!
19 notes · View notes
shrews-art · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Traditional art dump!!!
6 notes · View notes
phantonixx · 6 months
Text
URL song tag
tagged by @f1shart ! thanks for the tag, that was really fun to create!
P — Peace be thy Name - IRIS
H — Heart of an Artist - IRIS
A — Anathamatics - Emanuel
N — November Has Come - Gorillaz
T — Too Dangerous - IRIS
O — Omen Child - IRIS
N — Nobody - Skindred
I — I'll Find My Way - IRIS
X — XOXOXO - Black Eyed Peas
X — XX - Je$u$
tagging @getlost0p and @lesthell21
>]
4 notes · View notes
eribent · 3 months
Text
:3c it's so cool having friends
6 notes · View notes
m-eltdown · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
75 notes · View notes
nettlestingsoup · 10 months
Text
i'm editing the last chapter of lichtenberg before the epilogue today which means the fic intro is approaching! the moodboard has been put together and is being edited! i have to figure out how to tag and summarise! we're almost there!
6 notes · View notes
Text
//me last night: idk i'm feeling kinda bummed out by a lot of the salvatore angst i've been doing with people lately... maybe-
me writing a short story about the first time he killed someone: nvm i'm good
7 notes · View notes
veggiecorner · 8 months
Text
Naming your fanfic after Mitski lyrics: tragic, overdone plenty of times.
Naming your fanfic after a vocaloid song from the Story of Evil: genius, ahead of your time
2 notes · View notes
misclogarts · 13 days
Text
art in the queue:)
0 notes
ixchelish · 9 months
Text
after i get home from work, eat lunch, do some basement stuff, and take a rest/nap, i'm gonna pomodoro myself into reading at least a chapter of one of my library books
i will catch up on inkvents in the evening
0 notes