#i finally get to post all of these together — like a designer taking a bow at the end of a fashion show hehe :3

[silkjade]

🧵couture looks based on my mutuals’ blogs

gray (elie saab 2024) coco (nigel chia 2017/18) rae (tony ward 2006) shiloh (dior 1997) ying (ralph & russo 2018) manu (zuhair murad 2013) grey (chung thanh phong 2023) risu (edwin oudshoorn 2015) yuki (heaven gaia 2023)

[ckret2]

How did you come up with your human Bill design?

I described my goal in the first post I made about his design:

After seeing dozens of tall dapper skinny white twinky anime boy Bills, I wanted a design that matches none of those words. My other two goals were to use the show’s art style; and to lightly pay homage to Alex Hirsch’s “canon” human Bill with the triangle body… except not deliberately hideous.

My unspoken final goal was "and I'm gonna make him damn good looking."

All the colors were sampled from Bill & Bipper, except his skin (which I sampled off a background character and tweaked until it looked good with the yellows) and his gold tooth (which I sampled off of Ergman Bratsman's).

On top of the fact that I was tired of specifically white dude Bills, brown skin tone was chosen because of the emphasis on Bill's interactions with ancient Egypt; I wasn't sure at the time how much of an influence I was gonna headcanon he had on the region, and it woulda felt weird depicting Egyptians bowing down to a white dude. (And then I decided to deemphasize his influence on Egypt almost completely lol.) It woulda been more accurate to go darker, but I was worried it would start to tilt his design into Nyarlathotep-esque Creepy Pitch-Skinned Mysterious Demonic Threat From The Orient racist territory, especially when he's already got demon eyes.

The triangular torso is the most important part of his design, I usually draw an equilateral triangle in the sketch layer and then pad it out.

If I were a better artist a year ago, I would have given him a double chin so his head+torso together would be triangular. But when I tried, I couldn't figure out a way to draw it that looked appealing instead of like a mean fat joke. So I took the coward's way out and gave him a skinny neck with a vaguely triangular chin, and now write him complaining about having a neck every few chapters.

I think the skinny neck, thinner face, noodle limbs, and typical baggy hoodie fooled people into assuming he's skinny. I figured out a way to draw a rounder face with less neck that looks more appealing to me than the original face, so I do that now. Can't do anything about the noodle limbs tho, those were chosen to match Bill's canon noodle limbs.

I went for a hoodie instead of the typical suits you see on human Bills for two reasons.

One: several years ago I had an OC I'd conceived of as a dumb kid who'd given Bill permanent standing permission to use her as a puppet, and when letting Bill take over she'd hide her human features by wearing a hooded poncho and tying a blindfold with an eye on it over the hood, and that idea stuck with me.

And two: for the story I came up with this design for, the premise is that Bill's been recently unhappily stuffed in a human body and dumped on his enemies' doorstep. So, he doesn't have the freedom or money to get fancier clothes; he's too depressed over being stuck in a human body to care much about his human appearance; and he's most comfortable in something that obscures his human anatomy and reminds him of his real form. If he was rich, free, and able to ditch the body any time he wanted, he'd be wearing suits.

[alexa-fika]

Young Love (Marco x f!winged!reader)

A/N @quinloki 👉🏼👈🏼 I did it, I made it based on the prompt ‘Oh i’m in love’ I don’t think it turned out as well as I was expecting but I hope it can at least bring a small smile to your face. I wanted to do at least something for your birthday, kind of like a thank you for all the things you give us. This is really soft as it is when marco is on his teens; again I really hope you like it and here we gooo

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for reader in japanese

Dividers by @/drinkthesky and @/firefly-graphics

“Huh, Marco, where are you going?” Teach called, watching as his senior jumped off his post and walked into the forest that lined the clearing they were currently making guard at

“I’m taking my break,” He called, not waiting for the response of the former as he continued to walk deeper into the forest, sighing when he finally made it to another clearing ways away from where the current ceasefire was taking place.

He dropped to the ground with a slight huff, closing his eyes and crossing his arms as he thought of his small exchange with Roger’s first mate; his fists tightened as he remembered how easily the man had brushed him aside. Embarrassment filled him at the memory of his full-blown attack being stopped by a single finger. Perhaps if he hade-

His eyes shot open at the sound of leaves crunching and rustling behind him. He knew that thanks to the ceasefire, even if it was one of the enemy crew, he was in no danger. He glanced behind him to shoo them off, only to pause at the sight of the stranger.

Standing there, slightly hidden behind a tree, was not one of Roger’s men. In fact, it wasn’t even a pirate; rather, it was a young woman. By the looks of it, she appeared to be a native of the island they currently stood on.

Marco’s face flushed as the woman peeked her head out of the tree. A small arrangement of feathers decorating the back of her head, held together by a highly intricately designed headband. In her hand, she held a similar-designed bow. However, it was the wings that she showcased on her back that grabbed Marco’s full attention.

Marco scrambled to get up, letting out a small yowl as this caused him to fall head first into the ground, quickly picking himself up and trying to appear casual in front of the girl.

“H-Hi,” he cursed himself for stuttering as he tried to get his nerves under control.

“Are you a local?” He questioned

“I am, who are you?” She questioned

“I -I’m from the Whitebeard pirates. We stopped here for supplies but encountered some difficulties, so our stay has extended more than planned.”

“You’re a pirate?” She exclaimed

Marco was caught off guard as the girl jumped fully out of the tree, fluttering close to him.

“What is it like out there? Have you been to many islands? Do you travel in a big boat? How does it feel to travel? Do you have a big crew?” She hurriedly asked, curiosity shining in her eyes as she leaned closer to the young man, her hands forming fists as she lost herself more and more in her excitement

“Ah! I - Im sorry,” she spoke, taking a small step back.

“I got a little excited… I’ve never seen the outside world, so I guess I got excited to meet someone who has,” she muttered, slightly hiding herself with her wings in a bashful manner.

“It’s okay,” he assured her.

“I don’t really mind telling you about our travels; we have seen all kinds of islands.”

The two spent the rest of the night exchanging stories. Marco excitedly told her about the different seasoned islands scattered in the sea, even telling of an island lost in the old times and an island made entirely out of trees. The girl listened in awe at the dangerous adventures the man had taken part in and the numerous treasures he and his crew had managed to claim, laughing at the tales between him and his brothers, along with the Captain of the ship he referred to as pops.

In exchange, Dokucha told him all about the island. The small village she and the rest of the villagers resided in, being taken in by them when she was fairly young after her family had been wiped away by a hurricane that stroke the island as he comforted her. She told him of the colorful flora that littered the island, even showcasing some of it by tucking a blooming flower on his hair much to his delight. She told him of the equally extensive fauna; from big to small, the island was home to all kinds of creatures. It wasn’t until the sun began to peak that Marco took notice of the time as he shot to his feet.

“I have to go back to camp; the ceasefire will be ending soon,” he spoke, stopping as he spotted the disappointment on the girl’s face. He kneeled down close to her again as he grasped her hands, the previous flush returning to his face as he did

“I can come back tonight,” he promised.

“Really?” She questioned hope filling her face

“I will,will I see you here? I still have to tell you all about the Moby dick.”

“Yes! I will see you tonight, then!”

“Great!”

And so the two promised.

-

“Marco! I was worried you wouldn’t show up! She exclaimed as he spotted the small tuft of hair approaching the clearing with haste.

“I’m sorry, the fight went on longer than I thought it would tonight,” he explained.

“Are you okay? Were you hurt?” She questioned worriedly as she took in any possible injuries

He gushed internally as she worriedly assessed him, spinning around him to ensure nothing was amiss.

“My injuries heal,” he stated with pride as he stood confidently.

“Heal?”

“My devil fruit enables me to heal myself instantly.”

“Devil fruit?”

He paused, realizing that she must not have acome across the concept of devil fruits on the island; as he explained the concepts and power of devil fruits and how his own worked, he watched as her awed expression grew into an elated one as he offered to show her his full Zoan form.

She gasped as the man before her enveloped himself in cyan flames, covering her eyes at the bright flames in the otherwise lightless clearing. Once her sharp eyes adapted to the change in light, she lowered her arms, gasping as she took in the huge bird that stood before her; entranced, she approached him, extending her hand towards him and gasping; it wasn’t hot as she was expecting the flames to be, rather they were warm, they were inviting, they were

“Beautiful….” She uttered as she kneeled in front of him taking him in

The words she spoke would forever be engraved into Marco’s mind as the words that would change what was a small crush into a blooming love.

-

“Marco! You’re here; it’s strange seeing you during the day, isn’t eve-Marco?” Dokucha stopped her words as she took in Marco’s frantic state

“Marco, what’s wrong?”

“I-it’s over... the fight is over.”

“I don’t understand. Is that not wonderful news?”

“N- I mean, yes, don’t you know what that means, Dokucha?

“That the fight is over?”

“It means it won’t be long before we leave,” he sighed, defeated

“Oh,” she muttered

“I won’t see you again?” she questioned

Marco frowned, his own heart breaking as he heard the young woman’s heartbroken tone.

“Please come with me!” he pleaded, grasping her hands.

“Come.... with you?”

“You can have the adventure you wanted. You can see the Moby Dick and travel in it.”

“But what about my village?”

“Is there anything left for you here?” that silenced her; she knew that although he was right, despite her loving the village and its people and vice-versa, there was nothing more to gain if she were to stay here.

“Will your Captain be okay with this?”

“I won’t let him say no.”

She shook her head, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

“You didn’t think this through.”

“W-well, I have a beginning and end. I’m still figuring the in-between”

“You’re a dork”

“Is that a yes?”

She smiled, leaning in a quick, chaste kiss on the Phoenix’s cheek.

“Let’s go.” She grinned, opening her wings and promptly taking to the sky.

Marco looked entranced at the girl touching his cheek as he tried to take in what had just occurred.

“Are you going to stay down there?” She hollered

“Oh... so that’s what it is. I’m in love,” He spoke, a smile growing on his face as he heard her call out to him again.

“I’m coming”

What we thinking?

Taglist:

@Imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

[justwritedreams]

Welcome To The Kingdom | Jeno

Chapter Ten: Little Games

Prince Jeno x Princess Reader, enemies to lovers au!, royalty au!

Word count: 4670 Genre: drama, fake relationship Author: maari Warnings: Reader being jealous, the never ending slow burn, both of them being a total menace lol Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! I was committed to posting this chapter yesterday as a gift for you but I needed to celebrate with my family too, so without further ado here we are starting the year 2024 with a new chapter. Summary: The little games started in the kingdom and are far from over.

<<<Previous | Masterlist |

⪢ NCT Masterlist

Taglist: @floweronacloud, @cookydream, @travelleratheart101​, @ilvaussie​, @tyongf-sunflower99​, @mings-cafe,  @n0hyuck, @waltermitty97, @jihoonismydad, @madaboutjunmyeon, @actually-vl , @neomooniez, @pvppyhao, @ikayyyyyy (can’t tag you honey 😞)

“Your Highnesses.”

Y/N turned back and smiled restrainedly at the royal advisor, Linda had worked at the castle for many years and the best parties were organized by her.

It was one of the reasons for the princess to be there, in the King's office, to talk about the details of the wedding.

She and Jeno. Talking about their wedding.

It didn't feel real yet.

After breakfast, which was as pleasant as possible, the king explained that he would speak to parliament and the press on the same day, to ensure that the attack wouldn’t go unpunished, the atmosphere became more tense.

Although Y/N had suggested that she go along with her father, he denied it. This was a matter that would take up a lot of the princess's time and she would have to decide the details of the upcoming wedding.

“Linda, great to see you again!” Y/N spoke after the woman bowed to the two. “This is Prince Jeno.”

Linda lowered her head again to greet him and he smiled politely.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” she said. “Although I already knew a little about your highness.”

Jeno raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? I wonder why.” He glanced at Y/N who pretended not to take the hint.

“Let’s sit down, we have a lot to talk about.” Y/N pointed to the couch and the three of them went.

Jeno sat a little closer to Y/N than he should have and that didn't go unnoticed, Linda smiled discreetly while the princess tried to keep her expression calm.

Although she wanted to move away because the heat of Jeno's leg touching hers was leaving a weird tingling sensation in her stomach.

“I put together some ideas for the ceremony and reception.” Linda handed the folder she carried to the two of them.

Jeno held on, it was incredibly heavy, and turned his torso a little more towards Y/N, getting slightly closer.

She took a deep breath before focusing her attention on the photos.

The parties that Linda had chosen were of different themes, one was completely royal that would have some traditions but was more modern than the last weddings in Y/N's family, another seemed to have a slightly more Greek theme and the last one a little more vintage.

The princess and Jeno observed the photos carefully, all the themes were incredible and the references that Linda had selected made the task of choosing much more difficult.

“What about our clothes?” Jeno asked, after they went through at least half of the photos.

“Well, I left it free for you to choose. We have a few designers who have offered to work for your highnesses' wedding, including Zuhair Murad.”

The princess looked at Linda, surprised.

“Zuhair Murad? That Zuhair Murad?”

Jeno looked at the princess, seeing her eyes shine.

“Yes, your highness.”

Y/N blinked a few times, perplexed. She admired Zuhair Murad's work and loved his dresses, but she never imagined he would be interested in making her wedding dress.

“Would your highnesses like to make any requests for the costumes?” Linda held up her tablet, ready to take notes.

“I can’t know which dress Y/N will choose?” Jeno raised his eyebrow as he looked at Linda, who laughed discreetly as Y/N crossed her arms.

“No, your highness.”

"I have a request." The princess spoke, looking at Jeno. “May his tuxedo have a decent shirt that covers his neck.”

Linda swallowed a laugh while Jeno looked at the princess almost offended, because part of him was even finding it funny.

“Honey, you don’t need to show your jealousy in front of people, soon I’ll be yours anyway.” He winked at her and smirked, amused to see her falter.

Y/N didn't respond right away, she just continued staring at him and then smiled evilly.

He wanted to play, right?

Well, she would have two dresses to get revenge on Jeno.

“You’re right, my love.” This time, it wasn't irony that Jeno found in Y/N's tone, but something he didn't expect, competitiveness.

The princess went back to talking to Linda about the designers and how they would get in touch with them to see the models of the dresses, while Jeno was busy looking at the photos of the buffet that would be hired even though his head was thinking about what Y/N was up to with all that.

She didn't roll her eyes or pinch him without Linda seeing, that was strange.

He was expecting some kind of retaliation and got absolutely nothing.

After everything was agreed with Linda, she left the room and left the two alone, Y/N got up and went to the large window hugging her body while Jeno looked at her curiously.

Y/N took a deep breath and faced the landscape outside, she had only been away from home for a short time but had missed practically everything in her kingdom, in her home.

“You seem happy.” Jeno commented and followed the same path as the princess, stopping next to her to observe what she was looking at.

He was getting used to that kingdom.

Y/N smiled discreetly.

"And I am." he sighed. “You know what it feels like to finally come home.”

Jeno agreed and put his hands in his pants pockets.

“Then why does your voice sound worried?” He asked, curious and that made her look at him in surprise.

Y/N debated whether or not to speak to him, but remembering that Jeno would be her ally from now on made her choose positively.

“So much going on and the two of us here, having to see the details of the wedding.” the princess passed her hand over her face. “It seems kind of… selfish.”

She shrugged, she hadn't gotten the attack out of her head since she had seen it on the news and being there, without being able to do anything useful made her feel… incapable.

"Hey." Jeno brought his palm to touch her shoulder very gently, almost imperceptibly. “It’s not selfish. It’s something that needs to be done, princess.”

“But while people are grieving for their injured loved ones in hospitals? How can this be acceptable?” she questioned, focusing her gaze on a fixed point outside.

“Princess, look at me.” Jeno didn't get a response so he brought his hand to her chin, making her lift her face to look at him. “Y/N.”

She couldn't look away from Jeno, even though in her mind she felt like she had to so as not to get lost in his serene eyes.

And she felt a very slight shiver on the back of her neck when she heard her own name.

“The people of this kingdom deserve a reason to celebrate.”

“Do you think they want to raise the flag on our coat of arms?!”

“That’s not what I mean.” he spoke firmly and she frowned. “I’m talking about our alliance, they will have reason to see security in our union.”

Y/N was surprised by Jeno's sincerity and she herself believed those words, which is why she smiled sideways. Jeno mirrored her reaction and neither of them moved an inch.

They stayed there, looking at each other complicitly until Jeno's eyes went down the princess's face and looked at her mouth.

Y/N swallowed hard and suddenly her lips seemed to have lost all their hydration when Jeno's eyes fixed them, but she did the same.

She stared at the prince's full, pink lips that seemed too inviting for her lucidity.

Y/N stood still without knowing what to say or do, and Jeno interpreted that as a positive response, if it had been negative he would have certainly already been slapped in the face, and he got close enough so that their breaths were closer and he took hand up to Y/N's cheek.

He just needed to get a little closer, she was there and didn't look like she was going to back down.

He was so close that he could smell her perfume…

The door being suddenly opened made them both jump back and move away, Y/N blinked a few times and almost thanked the odds.

If she hadn't seen the maid at the party there with a fake look of shock.

It was enough for her to frown.

“A thousand pardons, your highnesses, I didn’t know you were here.” she bowed before hurriedly leaving the room as quickly as she entered.

Y/N faced the closed door and felt a bitter taste in her mouth as well as her blood bubbling.

She wouldn't be a shrew queen, but she would have to deal with that insolent maid if she wanted to keep her truce with her fiancé.

Worse, if she wanted to maintain the stability of her reign.

[...]

"Mom?"

The queen raised her head when she heard the princess's voice echo through the office and frowned when she saw her there.

"Yes, my dear?" she put down her pen, giving her daughter her full attention.

"Are you busy? I would like to talk with you."

The queen moved her hand, indicating for her to enter and she did so.

“You can come in, I was signing some things about our financial aid for the victims of the attack.”

Y/N took a deep breath, feeling her heart sink and sat down in front of her mother.

“I saw the statement.” she smiled restrainedly.

The king and queen had announced that they would help the victims in every way, with medical and psychological help, as well as their families while investigations were still ongoing. It was the least they could do to alleviate the suffering of their people.

“We had to do it.” she explained and faced her daughter, interlacing her fingers on the table. “But I don’t think that’s what you want to talk to me about.”

Y/N nodded.

“Well, since I know you hate beating around the bush, I’ll be direct. What should I do when a maid can bring trouble to my alliance with Jeno?”

The queen raised her eyebrows, partly shocked to hear that even though it had already been predicted.

"What kind of problem?"

The princess measured her words, she would be honest with her mother but not rudely. She wasn't talking to Yeri, she needed to act like the princess she had been taught to be.

And that's why she went to her mother, she wanted to have a more rational opinion.

“You know I don’t love Jeno the way you love my father.” she remembered and saw the queen reluctant to agree. “And you also know about Jeno’s fame before Prince Romeo’s image, and let’s just say that this maid is an old fling of his.”

The queen understood her daughter's words well and smiled discreetly.

"Of course. What do you think should be done in this type of case?”

“Considering that we have to pretend even to the employees that we are in love with each other, her presence here poses a threat.” she concluded.

“Yes, and threats we eliminate.”

“I just don’t think it’s fair to fire her for sleeping with him.” the princess shrugged, feeling her head spin.

She was fed up with that maid and fed up with that subject.

“Do you know what makes a really good royal maid?” The princess shook her head. "Discretion. Trust. If one of our employees doesn't deliver on either of these two things, then our reign could fall apart.”

“Consequently the kingdom too.” Y/N concluded.

“There are two options, my dear, you fire the girl and run the risk of having a former employee spreading our secrets around or you can strengthen a bond that will be great for both parties.”

Y/N frowned.

"What do you mean by that?"

“Find out what she really wants and make it easier for her to get it.”

She narrowed her eyes, understanding the same line of reasoning as her mother.

“Don’t just give it to her as a deal.”

Her mother shook her head.

“Deals don’t work in situations like this, there will always be blackmail. Show that you have a faster way.”

The princess nodded and an idea emerged.

"You're right." She got up from her chair. “I will resolve this as soon as possible. Thank you, mom.”

Y/N prepared to leave, but her mother called out to her as soon as she opened the door.

"Yes?" she turned around after hearing her name.

“Be careful, maybe you're burying something you don't want to see but it's right in front of you.”

Y/N was confused and stared at her mother, waiting for her to continue but she didn't say anything else, making the princess agree and leave trying to figure out what her mother had said.

But her head didn't focus on that for now, she went to the kitchen where she knew most of the maids were and one in particular wanted to talk.

It wasn't so rare to see Y/N in the kitchen, she had her father's altruistic spirit and didn't follow the house rules about not going to the employees' quarters or the places where they worked, she liked seeing them and especially talking to them. It made her come out of her royal bubble.

However, it was still funny to see the employees stop in shock to bow.

“Your Highness!”

“Nana!”

"Something happened? Need something?"

Y/N smiled slightly at the housekeeper.

"No, it’s alright. Please get back to work, I’m just taking a walk around the castle.”

Nana gave the signal for the employees to return to their duties and the princess had to control herself not to roll her eyes at a specific employee.

“Nana.” Y/N approached and the housekeeper continued listening, attentively. "Can I talk to you?"

“Of course, your highness!”

The princess walked ahead, heading towards the back garden and stopped near the fountain, far away so no one could hear.

“I want to know a little more about the younger maids.” she spoke directly. “They recently came to the castle and I couldn’t pay attention to the details before.”

“Because of your training.”

Y/N nodded. At the same time that new maids entered the castle, the princess was busy with royal tasks.

Studying whatever she could, from geopolitics to the art of using a bow and arrow, she was being prepared to be the queen she was born to be, smaller details like maids were up to her mother.

“What would you like to know, your highness?”

"Everything." she spoke firmly and paid attention to Nana.

The princess heard everything, knew the names of the maids but was still confused about their roles.

And well, apparently the maid in question she wanted to know helped with everything she could or was assigned. From what she heard, she realized that the girl worked harder than she should and knew exactly what to do the moment she heard that she was a little more ambitious than the rest.

It was exactly what she wanted to hear and needed to know. It was enough.

She talked to Nana some more, really interested in getting to know her employees a little more and when she had heard enough, Nana was called and she walked away from the princess bowing.

Y/N took a deep breath, she already knew when she would act and how, she just needed to make a phone call and went back inside the castle in search of her phone.

She would resolve this situation as quickly as she could. She didn’t have time to waste.

She passed by the east side of the castle and would have passed by a room she knew well if it weren't for the reflection she saw in the mirror, she stopped where she was and slowly approached the gym door.

Jeno was preparing to do a series of weightlifting while breathing heavily, his black tank top was clinging as well as his slightly wet hair that fell across his forehead.

Well, of course Y/N's intention wasn’t to stay there and watch Jeno training but when his arms started to move, leaving his exposed biceps, it was a difficult task to move away.

Even because Y/N's jaw dropped because practically accidentally eating his body with her eyes that her brain wasn't working properly.

And when he dropped the weights on the floor and groaned loudly, her legs wobbled.

"My God." Y/N didn't even control her voice, which came out louder than it should have.

Jeno searched the room for the sound with his eyes and Y/N tried to hide before his eyes met hers, uselessly.

Because Jeno not only found her, he spoke to her.

“Princess, to what do I owe the honor?” she closed her eyes to take a deep breath and she could feel his small smile as he spoke.

Y/N turned completely to face him and smiled politely, forcing her eyes to look at his face and not his arms.

“I was just passing by to see if the gym was free but since it wasn’t, I’ll come back later.” she lied and heard him laugh.

"Wait a second." he said, approaching where the princess was. “With a gym this size, I think we can share the space, right?”

Y/N pondered, he was right.

“Unless you will get distracted so easily with me here.”

Jeno crossed his arms, making even bigger and she looked at him boredly, swallowing hard.

She needed to control herself, she wouldn't be tempted to look at his arms. Again.

"You're so funny." she replied sarcastically.

"And you like." he winked.

Y/N snorted.

“I’m leaving before I throw that steel bar in your face.” she replied ironically and Jeno laughed.

“Always running away.” he spoke quietly as soon as the princess turned her back and went back to redo his series.

Y/N clenched her fists and made to turn around to answer him but a more evil idea crossed her mind and she couldn't even hold back the malicious smile.

The princess then projected her torso forward, pretending to pick up something from the floor, leaving her butt exposed thanks to the skirt she wore so Jeno could have a free view.

She heard a crash in the gym and stood completely upright again, looking over her shoulder as Jeno was cursing and holding his foot that had been hit by a weight he had dropped.

"Shit." he complained, jumping up and down as the princess's smile grew.

“Oops.” she spoke with false naivety and left there shaking her booty more than she should have.

How good it felt to have Jeno's jaw dropped.

[...]

“Yes, your majesty.” Nana bowed before leaving the living room in search of what the queen had ordered.

Y/N couldn't hide the small smile of victory that appeared.

“My daughter, why do I have the feeling that this is connected to you?”

The queen then turned to face her daughter, it wasn't like she needed an answer because it was obvious.

"With me?" the princess pointed to herself, feigning surprise. “Now, mother, this is not the first time we have appointed people to perform services for other nobles in our neighboring countries.”

The queen raised an eyebrow.

“I know, and suddenly the Kim family needed maids so much?”

Y/N shrugged.

“Everyone knows that we have a lot of younger employees and in all honesty, the salary they pay is much better than ours.”

“Of course, because not everyone likes working in the winter for 10 months of the year.”

Y/N nodded.

The Kim family, from the northern kingdom, had requested some recommendations for employees as, due to the kingdom being extremely cold practically all year round, they were in short supply. And the princess had kindly offered some of her maids.

She informed the queen who asked Nana to gather the younger ones to find out who would accept the sudden change.

Something very normal between the kingdoms.

But of course, the princess had helped a little by making the process much faster than usual.

And there she was, behind her mother waiting for the maids to arrive to find out who would accept the proposal.

As soon as the girls arrived, accompanied by Nana, the queen began to explain.

“Prince Doyoung of the North Kim family will soon get married and will need more staff in his castle, he kindly asked for trustworthy people who work well and I would like to inform you that you have been selected to make the decision whether you want to go to there or continue here.”

Y/N saw the insolent maid's eyes light up at every detail the queen reported about the partnership between the kingdoms and could see that everything she had heard from her was true.

But she was sure that her plan worked when Nana distributed the papers with the description of the service and values to the maids.

The queen was giving those girls the choice and all the princess saw was that at least whoever she wanted had already accepted before even seeing the prices.

Three of the girls raised their hands to indicate that they accepted, including the one Y/N wanted. She didn't look arrogantly at the maid, she had rather liked the news and was more relieved, but she wasn't going to show the joy she was feeling in knowing that she was leaving today.

“Nana, do you know where Jeno is?” Y/N asked after all the girls were dismissed.

“I saw him in the library, your highness.”

"Thank you!" She smiled gratefully and Nana left, Y/N looked at her mother. “I have to sort out some wedding details.”

“Y/N.”

"Yes?" She stopped where she was.

“Did you happen to suspect something else?” she questioned, curious.

Y/N frowned and shook her head.

If the queen was referring to the fact that they had a spy in the castle, that was the last thing on the princess's mind.

It seemed childish and selfish, but all of this had been done to preserve the love story that had been sold between her and Jeno, nothing more.

“Even if it were, it’s better to nip the problem in the bud.” the princess said before leaving.

Y/N went to the library and even though she tried to be discreet, the huge door let Jeno know she was there as soon as she opened it.

"Princess?" he blinked more than once, to make sure it wasn't a mirage.

"I need to talk to you." she said, closing the door behind her and standing still, far away from Jeno, so that his perfume wouldn't permeate her nose, considering that he seemed to have taken a shower after training.

"Okay." He moved the book away from his lap, placing it next to him on the sofa and looked closely at her.

“We will have changes in employees.” she explained, seeing him looking completely confused.

“And what exactly is important to me?” he questioned and made a pout, which Y/N felt like undoing it.

With her own lips.

She took a deep breath before responding.

“It means that the next time you want to make out with someone in the castle corridors, please be discreet.” she concluded, with a lot of sarcasm in her voice.

This seemed to amuse Jeno, who, in addition to smiling, got up from where he was sitting and crossed his arms.

“Thank you, I am very honored by this.”

The princess raised her eyebrows.

“You would know anyway, we will have selections for replacements.” she shrugged and turned her body partially so she could leave.

However, she was interrupted by Jeno's voice.

“That’s not what I was talking about.” he started walking towards her. “I’m referring to the fact that I caught a note of jealousy in your voice.” The princess's jaw dropped, almost as if she was offended by the discovery, and Jeno didn't stop walking towards her.

In fact, he only stopped because Y/N stopped him, placing her hand on his chest and forcing him to stop before he touched her.

“The day I feel jealous of you…” she began speaking, her voice slightly weak but she could barely finish as Jeno brought his face closer to hers, even though her hand was blocking the contact between their bodies.

He stopped inches away from her, staring into her eyes with an intensity that made Y/N's legs tremble.

“That day has already come and I don’t think it was today.” he teased.

Y/N's chest rose and fell unevenly from heavy breathing, as if she had run a marathon, but in reality all she could do was stare at Jeno as if she wanted to kill him and kiss him at the same time.

“You are very cocky.” she spat out the words, hating herself for not being able to deny it.

“And you’re really cute when you’re angry.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and in one quick movement, Jeno grabbed her by the waist and crossed the gap between them, and then pressed her against the first wall he saw.

The princess could only react with a surprised whisper. Jeno's body was hard, hot and extremely inviting, that wouldn't be good for her sanity.

“How about we play fair around here, princess.” He tilted his head to the side and his breath hit her neck, Y/N squeezed the t-shirt he was wearing with the little strength she still had left in a situation like that.

Being pressed against the wall by him was something from her darkest and most naughty dreams, she didn't know how to react to that in real life.

“If you think I'm going to beg you to kiss me, you can give up. Make out with all the maids in the castle and this won’t happen.” denial was always the only way out she found.

He raised an eyebrow defiantly.

“I think you still don’t understand.” he spoke low, sexy, making the princess swallow hard. Mainly because Jeno brought his face closer to hers and touched their noses. “The only person I will kiss in this castle will be you.”

Y/N didn't have the courage, much less the strength, to respond, he was so close that she felt a slight tickle as he spoke, their lips almost touching.

For a brief moment, she considered giving in, it was true. Jeno was there, ready to end that torture once and for all and the scenes of the intense dreams she had with him were haunting her mind at that most opportune moment.

It seemed to be the answer her body needed but was in constant struggle with her reason.

However, not straying from that unsustainable script, knocks on the door echoed throughout the room and with all the strength she still had left, the princess pushed Jeno away, breathing heavily.

He walked away, clearly unwillingly.

“Honey, your dad arrived. Please get ready for dinner.” She heard her mother's voice and blinked countless times to return to reality.

"All right mother." she replied loud enough for her mother to hear but her voice was shaky.

Y/N stared at Jeno without knowing what to do as she heard her mother's footsteps move away, she wet her dry lips with her own tongue and put her hand to the back of her head, scratching the area.

Jeno ran his hand through his dark hair as he returned the look, a look of someone who didn't know what had happened there but he didn't want it to be interrupted.

Without saying a single word, Y/N left the room feeling Jeno's eyes watching her as her head spun.

Now she knew that it would be practically impossible to win the bet.

[aspoonofsugar]

Blake Belladonna's Design

This is a quick appreciation of our Cat Girl's design. Its objective is to offer a short analysis by incorporating elements of other metas. Ideally, the end result will be something similar to Yang's post. Finally, this is the final piece of my mid-summer Blake meta spree :) So, enjoy!

JUST ANOTHER CAT GIRL?

Blake's design plays with the idea of "cat girl". Cat girls are common in anime and mangas, but are often overly sexualized. In particular, cat ears are usually presented as an overly cute trait and sometimes a fetish.

RWBY takes this idea and subverts it in 2 ways.

Blake's ears are initially hidden, so that her affinity with cats gets highlighted through other aesthetical elements:

Gambol Shroud's ribbon resembles a cat's tail and it being a whip may reference the infamous cat o' nine tails

She decorates her eyes with cat eye makeup

She is able to make copies of herself, which get jokingly referred to as copycats

In Mistral she wears leg boots, which bring to mind Puss in Boots

In Atlas she wears a catsuit

Blake's cat trait becomes a core part of her identity, which is explored on a double level:

It represents her faunus heritage, which makes her different from humans and discriminated

It is a symbol of Blake's troubled past and of her involvement with the White Fang

So, Blake covers her cat ears to run from both society and herself. Just like a scaredy cat ;)

As you see, with some limitations and worldbuilding, Blake manages to be a cat girl with much depth to her. Still, there is more to her cat design.

FROM CALICO TO TUXEDO

Let's juxtapose Blake's initial concept art with her final design:

What changes is the cat used as the main inspiration.

In the initial concept art it is the calico cat (tricolor cat):

In the final character design it is the tuxedo cat (bicolor cat):

Why the change? Let's explain it by highlighting one similarity (1) and one difference (2) between the two kitties.

1- Both cats are called after a type of cloth:

Calico is a fabric, which originates in India (the set of the Jungle Book - Blake's secondary allusion) and is famous for its colorful printed patterns. I wouldn't be surprised if Blake's clothes in the concept art were meant to be calico made.

Tuxedo is a formal wear, which consists of a black suit over a white shirt and a bow tie. Well, Blake's final design is a revisitation of the traditional tuxedo with a shorter jacket and a bow worn in the hair, instead than as a tie.

The idea of "cloth" is heavily used in Blake's design, which may be one of the reasons why the tuxedo is eventually chosen. This kitty, thus, offers a pretty poignant metaphor.

It all starts with Gambol Shroud, where shroud means a piece of cloth that conceals or protects:

Here come two thoughts:

Blake's bow is her shroud which is why it resembles her weapon’s ribbon (same color and similar material). The bow is the ears, while the ribbon is the tail. Together they complement Blake’s cat design.

Some tuxedo cats are called tuxedo masks because it is as if a black mask covers their whole faces. It is easy to see how this concept fits Blake, who conceals herself thanks to a little piece of fabric.

Basically, Blakes's bow is her tuxedo tie, which is worn as a mask.

2- The two cats differ when it comes to their color:

The calico is a tricolor cat, which is mostly known as having a white coat with some orange and black patches

The tuxedo is a bicolor cat, which has white and black fur

These two color patterns are another reason why Blake has been characterized as a tuxedo instead than a calico. As a matter of fact the black and white dychotomy fits our beautiful faunus girl more.

WHITE AND BLACK = BEAUTY AND BEAST

In old English, Blake's name means both black and white. As a result, she is linked to both colors, which tie with her light and shadow motif:

Blake is associated to the twilight because it is where light and shadow meet. What's more, her musical theme is built on this duality. She starts in the shadows and climbs her way up towards the light.

Well, Light and Shadow are linked to two Jungian Archetypes:

The Light is the persona, so what is shown to others

The Shadow is what is repressed, so the hidden parts

And these two archetypes are explored in The Beauty and The Beast:

The Beauty is the light - she is beautiful, lovable and accepted

The Beast is the shadow - he is ferocious, scary and misunderstood

So, Blake's own allusion can be read as the integration of beauty and beast, light and shadow, so that a new unit (a new individual) is born. This is also Blake's arc in a nutshell. She starts as a shadow because she hides herself, but with time she steps into the light and shows the world who she is.

In other words, Blake's Beauty and Beast allusion is referenced in her appearence not only in her nature as a faunus, but in her color scheme too. She is both beauty and beast, light and shadow, white and black.

This is also why these two colors are incorporated in respectively Sun and Ilia.

Sun is white, as he leads Blake towards the light:

Ilia is black, as she forces Blake to face her own shadows:

Through them Blake integrates her shadows and stops hiding:

This is why her design changes in Mistral in two notables ways:

She gives up her bow once and for all

She wears a white jacket over a black top

These two details mirror Blake's inner journey. She learns to show herself more, so her ears get to be out in the open and the light (white) surfaces. In Beacon, instead, the ears are concealed and Blake is wrapped in shadows (black).

Ironically, this means Blake's design loses the core traits of her tuxedo cat inspiration. As a matter of fact she has no bow tie anymore and the color pattern is inverted, which doesn't work. Why this choice? It is because Blake is going from Beast (black + cat) to Beauty (white + individual). Symbolically, this happens as she shows her faunus trait more openly:

She grows more beautiful (human) as she openly embraces her beast side (cat).

GOLD, BLUE AND PURPLE = HOT, COLD AND JUST RIGHT

The shift from calico to tuxedo brings some consequences to Blake and Yang's complementary designs.

Let's compare the bees exploratory ideas:

As people have noticed, Blake and Yang are aesthetically and symbolically linked since early on.

Here, we have:

Blake with one gold eye and one blue eye

Yang with a blue bandana

This chromatic choice ties into Yang's allusion and design. As a matter of fact our Goldilocks uses colors to represent the too hot, too cold and just right. Specifically:

red/orange is the too hot

blue/green is the too cold

purple (blue + red) is the just right

So, in the picture above Yang's looks play with the dychotomy between too hot and too cold. This same duality is mirrored in Blake:

She is both too hot (gold eye) and too cold (blue eye)

She wears much gold in general (Yang's main color)

The idea is clear. Blake is Yang's hot and cold. In particular, she brings some needed blue in Yang's life. She helps Goldilocks cool down and become more balanced. Similarly, Blake proudly wears Yang's golden tones, as she has to grow more like her Golden Beauty.

So, how have these ideas evolved in Blake’s final design?

Blake has gained a strong association with purple, which makes her Yang's just right

Blake's color scheme has ditched gold in favor of silver, which makes her and Yang complementary

Blake's link to purple is interesting because this color calls back to her family and to the surname Belladonna (beautiful woman in Italian). In other words, it is connected to both Ghira's legacy and her Beauty side. So, it is not a surprise that Blake grows more purple in each arc:

She is slowly blooming into Yang's just right by reconciling with her legacy and by becoming a person worthy of our golden girl.

This transformation is highlighted also by Blake integrating some gold into her:

In both her Vale and Atlas's designs Blake is linked to silver, so that she can complete Yang's gold. Still, in Mistral she has some gold details because this is the arc where she integrates her missing parts. This integration ends with Adam's death and Blake's rebirth:

So, Blake's design tells a story of inner growth, which leads her to stand beside Yang as an equal:

Blake: She's not protecting me, Adam. And I'm not protecting her. We're protecting each other.

This theme is important for Blake's Cat Girl archetype. Cat Girls, thus, are often reduced to love interests, but Blake's arc is a deconstruction of this idea. What would happen if the male partner of a Cat Girl is abusive? Blake explores this concept and tells a story of liberation and development, which ends with a reconstruction of the trope. Our Cat Girl ends up in a happy relationship, but not as a shallow prize. Rather as a winner.

BEASTS, LIONS AND WOLVES

In conclusion, Blake's design alludes to the Beauty and Beast on three levels:

Society= Blake is both human (beauty) and animal (beast)

Couple = Blake and Yang are drawn as complementary

Individual = Blake is both white (light) and black (shadow)

Still, this is not the only fairy tale our Cat Girl ties into thanks to her animal features. Here come three examples.

Blake is Bagheera's daughter and a small panther (a cat) in the Jungle Book

Blake is a Scaredy Cat to Lioneheart's Cowardly Lion. Except that of course the cat is braver than the lion

Blake is Ruby's black beast in team RWBY's LRRH team allusion

This last reference is foreshadowed since Red Like Roses:

Black the beast descends from shadows.

After all, the Beowolves appear when Blake's line comes up.

Moreover, Blake's secondary allusions all come together to strongly link our Black Shadow to wolves. In the Jungle Book, Mowgli is raised by wolves, just like Blake grows up in the White Fang. The name of the group itself calls back to wolves, as it references the title of Jack London's book about a half-dog half-wolf, who fights to be accepted by humans.

Finally, it turns out Blake is not the only Cat, who turns out to be a Wolf:

In short, Blake's design lets her freely move between allusions and references. Not only that, but it is crafted to add depth and thematic resonance to her character and her arc. Not bad for just another Cat Girl, uh?

[runic-dreamer]

Reading about ancient greek ships

So, you know the feeling of watching a competetive baking show à la the great british bakeoff, and beginning to have opinions?

Like, Linda really? You think chocolate and oranges is an unique flavour? And what is this? The cake is dry, no clear cross section in the baked whatever.

Yeah that feeling. When you read/consume enough things you get opinions.

On a really fun note I've been reading about the Olympias reconstructive project in the early 90s, for a university class. It's about experimental archeology,.. anyway:

This paper "Trireme Olympias The Final Report" edited by Boris Rankov (free on the internet to find if interested), is literally a collection of all the writings about this reconstruction of a 5th century (BC) trireme (athenian warship). Of the 257 pages, I've read about 60 now. And I am begining to get that feeling. That I know enough about a topic to have opinions feeling.

I was reading one of the papers, where one author (wood technologist) cites a classics professor about how caulking ships was impossible for 2 reasons. One of the reasons the wood technologist agreed with, about the other thing ( The wooden planks would be to thin to caulk), this man had opinions.

And I was right there with him. I was like: yeah you tell him, that caulking works even with really thin planks! And that there are other methods of caulking, like that other paper talked about.

Ancient ships were fascinating. And experimental archeology is as well. Especially the way that most things that the reconstruction does, just opens up more questions for the remains we have of the time. Like what direction in realtion to the bow-stern line was the grain of the tendons holding the planks together.

Also fun fact: you needed to dry out your boats, sorry I mean triremes (is that the plural of trireme? I don't know) regularly. Or else the water will soak into the wood causing all manner of nasty things to happen, including the bow and stern drooping down (which is called hogging. What a funky little term). The other reason is shipworm. So far it has not been described further than that name. All that water damage could lead to problems with acceleration and agility.

This is all so fascinating. I might make a follow up post once I've finished reading.

It is also not helping my epic obsession, like what ships did they have? (I kinda want to now design a proper ship for ody and do animatics for all the fun ship songs in the ocean saga)

How much do you want to bet that between mutiny and thunderbringer they actually properly beached their ship? Which would then take them about 10 minutes just to get it back into the water, after cow murder happened.

And Ody's "we're to late" or sth (I don't know lyrics of the top of my head) is because he knows they won't get away from the island fast enough? That would also be a fun explaination for NealIllustrator's thunderbringer animatic, where they are still on the island.

Ships are fascinating.

[bleachbleachbleach]

8/12 - 8/18/2024

I wrote a version of Renji 11 what is at this point several years ago (RIP me), and have since just been throwing random stuff/required additions into that Note with no rhyme nor reason, so it took over two hours this week just to sort it all out. But! It is sorted!

Modern-era Renji 11 consists of 3 new scenes and 3 already-existing scenes. I wrote 1.5 of the new scenes. As far as how well I think this Chapter is going, I dunno. As a narrator, Renji’s kind of like, oh hey, here’s a thought I had. And here’s another one! Which feels legit but I’m not sure if it allows the reader to understand which pieces of information are actually important for following the narrative.

You know those reblog memes that like, ask people to identify hallmarks of your writing? The concept is fun, but it wouldn't work in practice because 0.02% of anyone who might see that post would have any familiarity with my writing. SO. I WILL SIMPLY TELL YOU. My hallmarks are that I love an interstice—love having things that should be on the cutting room floor not on the cutting room floor—but am also a firm believer in stories not needing to have every scene the characters experience to exist on the page. This combination means there’s a good chance that actually relevant, defining scenes simply do not exist and only the interstitial nonsense does. I think in certain stories this can be a real thing that works. I think it can also have the effect of nothing hanging together, making any sense, or meaning anything, without certain bits of key information/certain scenes that I simply did not include because they exist in my head and therefore exist everywhere right. I think that’s where this chapter is.

Maybe the remaining 1.5 new scenes will help ameliorate that, but I feel like that’s asking a lot of them. And then, theoretically, you’d think fixing the existing scenes would go more quickly than writing from scratch, but I don’t know that they will. Because the story leading up to this point has changed enough that the characters are in very different headspaces and perceptions of each other than they were when I first wrote those scenes. Well, that’s not true—Kensei and Renji are in a very different place with each other. Renji and Hitsugaya need to have the exact same conversation but, you know… better. And FRANKLY, I do not know whether entirely overhauling Kensei and Renji will be harder or easier than merely line-editing Hitsugaya and Renji. =_=;;

I’d really like to finish Renji 11 by the end of next week, and then take some time to finish out the revisions on Rukias 7 and 10, which are the most related to Renji 11. Then I’d like to go back to do final line edits on Chapters 4, 5, and 8 before heading into the big mess of revision that is Hisagi 9, because those revisions will be most related to Hitsugaya 12.

I’m not anticipating getting much done in September, because I have a major work deadline September 30th, and the rest of autumn will probably be kind of garbage, too, and I probably won't exist. But I would love to finish Part II (so, Chapters 12 and 13) by December. Well, speaking honestly, my original hope was that I would finish Part II by May, but here it is, August, and I am still working on Chapter 11. So: I would LOVE to finish Part II by December.

—

I did a low-res mockup of the fic banner several months ago (okay, this might have been last November). I pulled out some high-res assets to work with on Friday and played around with a new design I thought was fun, but it turns out design-wise the old mockup looks much more polished. Or it would, if I were using higher-quality materials. XD So I’ll probably go back to the old design. The only reason to continue with the new one is that it reflects the clusterfuck spirit of everything that happens in this fic, but I kind of like the way the old banner puts a pretty bow on the clusterfuck lurking beneath the surface. Maybe I’ll solicit opinions once I’ve made a more serious mockup of the first version.

[that-ari-blogger]

Who Are You Really? (Reunion)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a war story, focusing on battles and the machinations of inside forces. It also delves into abuse and its effects on the individual and those around them.

But then it takes a break from all of that to tell a family drama about Bow. Reunion is worked into the overarching plot, yes, but this episode feels out of place.

So... why does it do this? And why does this episode fit with the themes so well?

SPOILERS AHEAD (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

The term "foil" is derived from the practice of putting gemstones on foil to make them shine brighter, according to scribophile.com. In terms of character writing, it means a character that contrasts another character to make them more individualised.

This is often used to refer to protagonist antagonist relationships. For example, Catra and Adora are foils. But the term doesn't have to mean that. When you put literally any two characters together, even the same character twice, they will foil off of each other.

I would even argue that Adora and She-Ra are foils in this series until the last three or four episodes.

I think Bow's character takes this concept a step further and seems designed to be a foil for the story itself. Trauma slips off of this man like water off a duck's back, and his moral code is unflinching and unquestionably benevolent.

Bow exists to contrast the story's themes in a similar way to Scorpia, although I will get there in a later post. She-Ra shows all kinds of relationships going south and people making terrible decisions, and then cuts to Bow as if to say "this is how it should work."

However, Bow does engage with one theme pretty head on. The series has a recurring theme of deception that it exhibits with the First Ones and Mara, Hordak and his armour, Scorpia and her family, and Shadow Weaver's entire deal.

Bow is also caught up in a lie, that being the made-up boarding school that he told his dads he goes to. But this is also used to contrast with the rest of the cast.

In all of the examples mentioned above, when the lie is revealed, it causes some major consequences, and reshapes the worldview of those who were lied to. Bow's dads certainly have their worldview shaken up, but the consequences are skipped over, kinda.

"What's breaking our hearts is the fact that you thought you had to lie about who you are." "You're not mad? But I'm a fighter, and you hate fighters." "I could never hate you. Never. If you feel like you belong in the Rebellion, that's where you belong."

The series has trained the audience to associate consequences with punishment. The consequence for a failed mission is someone getting killed, the consequence for failing Hordack is the loss of breathing privileges.

The consequence for Bow's deception being revealed is an understanding being reached between him and his dads. It is a reconnection, because they value the truth, and do not hold grudges over each other. In other words, these three love each other unconditionally.

There is the key: Unconditional love. The final theme of the series that Bow has been playing entirely straight the entire time.

She-Ra as a whole has had the theme of love on the backburner. It is very clearly there, but it's never dwelled upon. Glimmer gets one over on Shadow Weaver because she cares about her friend despite anything that Shadow Weaver can say, for example. But nobody has explicitly said anything about the theme.

That is what this episode is, its telling the audience that this theme is here, and that they should start looking for it.

I do like the subversion of traditional romance in this series. The best parents in this series are Angella, George and Lance, a single mum and two gay dads. The heteronormativity of parents in literature as a whole is being messed with in this series, and I think that's great.

Contrast Bow's family with Catra's experience in this episode, and the key term changes from "unconditional love" to "trauma".

The scene with the shadow is a phenomenal microcosm of Catra's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by Shadow Weaver. The woman isn't in this scene, but her shadow lingers, and it scares Catra out of her anger for a moment. Catra isn't scared of Shadow Weaver, she is scared of what Shadow Weaver can do. She is scared of the feeling of isolation that Shadow Weaver causes.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a president of the United States of America, and is famous for saying this:

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

Rosevelt intended this to be a hopeful message, and I'm sure it was at the time, but it sums up Catra really well. She wants nothing more than to feel safe. That's why she loves Adora and not She-Ra, because where She-Ra can theoretically protect people from danger, Adora could protect Catra from being afraid. Catra is afraid of being afraid, and most of her actions in the series, from climbing the Horde ranks to confessing her love at the end of the series, all stem from a desire to be safe.

The series goes out of its way to show that love and safety are synonymous. Bow's dads love him unconditionally, and so he is safe to express who he really is, even if he doesn't realise it. Shadow Weaver does not love her children, and you know that because they are not safe around her.

You can see this with Adora as well in the tiny moment at the start of the episode. She sleeps with a knife, something that very few people who feel safe when they sleep do. It's a left-over behaviour from sleeping under the protection of Shadow Weaver. Adora cannot relax.

On a similar note, the Hordack thing.

Catra is mean, that's not a criticism of the character at all, that's an observation of the person. She is the villain of the story.

But I personally don't think that it is ever acceptable to remove someone's ability to breathe, against their will, in order to make a point. I don't think that any character in a story, no matter how bad they get, should be treated like that.

Final Thoughts

This episode is funny... mostly. There are a few jokes that don't land, and those stick out like sore thumbs, but for the most part, this episode is good.

As someone who studies history, is was genuinely funny to me to see the historians who didn't know what they were talking about. Or rather, historians that were working on theories that weren't correct. Because that's what history is. A lot of it is known, of course, but a lot isn't, and as new research is done and new evidence is uncovered, theories change.

Next week, I will be looking at The Price Of Power, so stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[tequila-solar-storm]

You're gonna hear my reaction loud and clear once it drops, I can't waaaaait—

I mean Chasca rides her flying weapon so the flying limousine wouldn't be too out of place hahah

Okay live stream: laughing so hard because I knew you were gonna mention Mutota HAHAHA I'm just gonna sit in a corner sipping tea waiting to witness what you're going to cook with the tribe chiefs 👀

Kinich is up for plenty of more fun!

And now you got me curious about the Night-Wind's Chief too! We shall wait and see

Chasca and Ororon can wait we're looking for potential Kinich lovers LMAO

On the side-note trying to understand some of Natlan cultural references it's like trying to piece a puzzle together without knowing what the final picture is supposed to look like while having pieces of different puzzles in one single box. In other words... I have no idea of what the heck is happening (T∆T)

I'M SUPER CURIOUS ABOUT HER SAURIAN MOM when they mentioned she was raised by qucusaurs I got super curious and thought we'd have to read her character stories to know more, BUT no we're actually meeting them Yes!!

I thought the subject of the art was weird too HAHAH like??? But I wouldn't mind Citlali being the new favorite child she's been fun so far lol

You're so REAL for mentioning Ororon being another electro bow, we have so many and he's another off-fielder too??? We have electro off-field covered already hoyo pls y_y having an Anemo male tall character would feel so wrong for some reasons HAHAHA

With anything related to the Collective of Plenty is happening off-screen I just hope they will make the wait worth it for when we finally meet them, honestly I find their tribe name curious but guess we'll have to wait! At least we're getting Iansan! Hoping to see more screentime of her :))

No joke I'm so excited for the new little dude, they're so CUTE and the fact that they basically turn into a laser shooter is hilarious

I already know I'm gonna hate fighting the new boss and avoid it at all costs, they're definitely gonna shove it in the abyss and I'm NOT mentally prepared for when that'll happen lmao

Gabe and Kai get kudos from me too, as you said they're more straightforward and also clearer in their explanation, I hope everything will get settled with the voice actors eventually but, in the meantime, I really wouldn't mind having more streams presented by these 2 dudes haha

Thanks for the cake! <3

—🌻

Previous Post

It is Year 2030 and Genshin drops its newest character: a stereotypical anime girl that can transform into a literal car with another region-locked gimmick. She’s essentially a Transformer but her non-car form looks exactly like a human but wearing mech clothes. She has huge boobs and an even larger butt because this is Genshin and they’re the best at remaining ✨consistent✨ obviously. Her car form has boobs and a butt too. Powercreep has got so bad Neuvillete is ‘F’ on meta tier lists. Genshin continues to promote itself to be a free open-world game though half of the map is locked behind levels, quests, and paywalls. They’ve also—

What were we talking about again? Right, to the rest of your ask!

WHAT CAN I SAY I’M PREDICTABLE 😭😭😭 The unique designs for the Natlan chiefs have been incredible so far (Helps that they’re darker than most of the playables… the bar is SO low it’s in hell) and Mutota continues that trend!

Considering Never Turn Back is just a NPC-appreciation fest poorly disguised as a Kinich smut series what did you expect 😭 Every Natlan update consists of me going ‘Hmm who can I ship Kinich with this time???’ and it takes priority over everything else!!!

I like Chasca and Ororon’s personalities but they shall be unfortunately overshadowed by Mr Random NPC Mutota. If it’s not him, it’s going to be Chasca’s mother and our newest little buddy. Lasers are always fun, and I’m really looking forward to Chasca’s interactions with her Sauro-mama!! Citlali and Ororon’s interactions already proved to be absolute gold, so I’m also excited for more of those!! But Mutota remains priority number 1 HAHAHA

If we’re not going to have Ifa be a Anemo Tall Male let’s have him be Genshin’s very first little boy character. I’m talking Klee, Qiqi, Nahida etc sized. (Delusional)

The puzzle piece analogy perfectly encapsulates how I feel so thank you for putting to words what I’m thinking 🥲

I’m curious about the Collective of Plenty too! Who knows, maybe their chief is a literal robot because who cares at this point…

Anyway, for now, let’s just hope for the best with the Voice Actors and keep enjoying the streams with our Localisation Guys!!! All while bracing ourselves for the Abyss and it’s newest Time Sink Boss™ 🫠

[doom-nerdo-666]

Follow up to this post of mine about Year Zero, i'll post some thoughs about The Dark Ages.

Could be Sentinel related

This is probably the most obvious thing.

A prequel about how Doomguy came to Sentinel Prime and his time there, before he became the Doomslayer.

Could be an opportunity to learn more about their world, be it just story/lore stuff or new levels and areas.

I think it'd be interesting seeing an entire arsenal of Sentinel guns like their equivalent to a Plasma Rifle and even their theme versions of pickups like medikits and all.

Since the series was mostly UAC themed in terms of objects and weapons.

The idea of even game pickups reflecting the world can also show why some people didn't like Eternal's "aware of it being a videogame" style of feedback.

At least we can finally pilot a mech... maybe.

Medieval Europe?

This is probably a leaker getting it wrong, but how could that go?

Perhaps the Evil Dead inspiration reaches another level.

Maybe there's time travel stuff involved.

Or it turns out knights had to deal with demons too.

You'd expect stuff like crossbows and bow and arrows but not shotguns and chainguns.

This would mean the sci-fi side of things gets smaller in a series that is seen as sci-fi x fantasy.

Unless, of course, there's either Sentinel tech or somehow UAC/future tech.

Anyway, i also expect comparisons to Combine Kegan's GMOTA.

Another thing: Melee being expanded... maybe then, Doomguy can finally be in Smash.

And what about demons?

I wonder about there being new demon types to fight.

Or their style, like seeing Bosch style demons or stuff that reminds you of older demon portrayals from years ago.

What about cybernetic demons?

Would we see Mancubi and Arachnos without tech? An Harbinger of Doom maybe?

Or rather they have tech but it's on pair with the setting like wood cannons and Da Vinci style machinery.

(Doom Hunter/Sabaoth but he has like a Fred Flintstone rock thing that uses both wheels and his legs to move)

Or somehow there's some weird Sentinel/Immora tech involved just because.

Also, we could see Baalgars from 2016 before they became Cyberdemons.

Quake and Heretic

At this point, the chance of either getting a new game is getting rather slim.

Not only is Doom taking stuff out of Quake, even something new like the Sentinels could've been part of Quake.

(that and how to some people, these games were always seen as "it's like X but with Y and Z", considering some existed for the sake of gameplay/tech features/innovation and how small their settings are)

But i can also see someone complain if a Heretic reboot had RPG upgrade systems or a "DarkSiders aesthetic".

This can also lead to a question like what if an actual enemy from these games shows up in a new Doom?

If the Iron Lich returns for example, i hope it has a faithfull enough set of gameplay abilities and designs, even if just to compensate for Eternal's Arch-vile not being like it was in D2 (Might be because the Iron Lich is more underrated and from a different series or whatever).

There's also ideas like if the level design could be like Hexen.

Also, maybe follow up the D1/2 ports from the Fortress of Doom and include ports of Quake and Heretic, since Doom is already absorbing those games.

Oh and then there's also the lore of them all being together and that weird mess.

If they're gonna do crossovers, might as well take notes from the mod Samsara.

Perhaps a worry about Doom taking elements from others is also whether or not they won't consider some Doom elements worth bringing back like the actual flesh tech aesthetic in the originals or even how armor actually worked (could suit the lore of Doomguy going from classic armor to Praetor armor, as if how armor works in 2016/Eternal is part of the canon).

Speaking of lore, what about 64?

We got the Lost Levels in the new release.

But if we see a modernized Mother Demon with a new attack or two, i'd put that in a new game (like a sequel/Doom 6) where she returns like how the SMM and Cybie also got new attacks.

There's something weird to me about trying to expand the classic side of things because it's clear id is used to their modern interpretation of the setting, despite the occasional classic references.

One of the reasons why i think the fanbase is worth checking, for they have sort of "expanded/explored" the classic games in lots of ways.

(and some of you already know how i feel about "remaking" and old Doom game or even D3)

[lovelyshydahlia]

Ssoooo… this is the first time I’m posting my digital art. And yeah I kinda been having a tmnt hyper fixation/obsession recently. I kinda blame the fact mutant mayhem came out and I finished getting through rottmnt, which btw they are both amazing, I highly recommend them both. Rottmnt is rough at the start, but it gets better as you watch more, please give it a chance.

Anyway, I had recently been in terrible art block, I just couldn’t be motivated to draw for so long that I was actually beginning to forget how to draw. It was honestly depressing. But then one day for fun I decided to challenge myself, I wanted to see if I could make an oc love interest for each turtle. To make unique characters with interesting designs and backstories. Which helped me finally break out of that art block.

And I’m hoping to show more of these oc’s to continue helping with my skills, both in art and writing. Also I will now be starting to take questions for my oc’s. I still won’t take requests because I’m not ready for that kind of pressure, but I will love to hear questions like as simple as “what’s their favorite Disney movie?” to as complex as “what happened to them in Rottmnt bad future?”.

Also quickly wanted to say these designs don’t necessarily belong to a particular universe, this is sorta in general design. Other universe designs will probably look different.

Anyway, here’s a description for each girl. Hope you like all of this!🐢💚💙❤️🧡💜💚

🌸Hana Sakurai.🌸

Species: human.

Color theme: pink.

Weapons: tessen/war fan.

Love interest: Leonardo Hamato.

Backstory: Hana grew up loving ballet and she was very fortunate, in a wealthy and loving family. But unfortunately one day her parents tragically died in a fire, just barely surviving herself and coming out of it scarred. She then moved in with her grandparents in New York, her life changing forever as she’s healing from her trauma.

⚙️Joy.⚙️

Species: android/robot.

color theme: cyan/teal.

Weapons: depends, she can turn her hands into blasters.

Love interest: Donatello Hamato.

Backstory: I’m still figuring out her backstory. But basically she is a robot that had gained sentience. Much like the turtles, she grew up hidden from the world, until one day she was discovered and ended up on the run. Fortunately she stumbles upon the turtles and takes shelter with them.

🦊Kit.🦊

Species: Kitsune/fox yokai.

Color theme: black.

Weapons: kunai.

Love interest: Michelangelo Hamato.

backstory: Kit has grown up in a very difficult life. She is considered part of an endangered species that is unfortunately still hunted. Most of her life has been about nothing but survival. Until she meets the Hamato family, changing her life for the better.

🌹Grace Reyes.🌹

Species: human.

Color theme: white.

Weapons: typically none, but she eventually learns about handling a bow staff.

Love interest: Raphael Hamato.

Backstory: Grace grew up in a loving family, a brother, a sister, a mom, a dad and a grandmother. She’s the oldest of her siblings and her father works as a cop. But unfortunately her life went a little downhill when she ended up in an accident that took her sight. She learns and adapts to this new life, struggling but managing. But one day when going to therapy, she meets Hana who was also going to therapy and ends up getting into all sorts of adventures together.

[barclaysangel]

Jake in Mourning (Chucky season 2 rewrite fic, drabble 1/4)

Ok, I got too hyped to post these drabbles that have been hidden for various months, starting way back to September! I will be posting all 4 drabbles this weekend, one right now, one in a few hours, one on Saturday and the final on Sunday. I'd also prefer it if you read them in this order. PLEASE leave notes and comment what you think because comments help fuel our motivation since @streets-in-paradise and I worked on this AU together and one day, the fic will finally be written!

Thank you and enjoy! :)

Word count: 1.9K

It didn’t feel normal to walk into the house. 

It was cold and empty. Well, it always felt cold and empty in that house, despite the people that lived there. But now with Jake’s aunt, uncle, and cousin gone, the chills and emptiness were enough to freeze him alive and swallow him whole. 

Lexy and Devon already went to Junior’s house the day before, going into his room and taking some things to remember him by. Devon wanted Jake to come with them, but he couldn’t. It was something that he felt that he had to do on his own, without the comfort of the people who knew and cared about him. 

So for the first time since he tried to run away a few days ago, Jake went back to the house. The walk up the stairs, toward Junior’s room, felt like he was walking into the lion’s den. He never would’ve gone to his cousin’s room, not even if you paid him. But his cousin is gone now. His asshole cousin, who always looked like he was in pain if you stared at him hard enough, was dead. 

There was no one stopping him from going inside now. 

Jake turned the knob on the door and opened it. For the first time in about five years, he saw Junior’s room. He wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe posters, books, LED lights, something that would bring more life to the room. But there was nothing. Only boring gray walls that resembled a prison cell and trophies and medals on display from his cross-country tournaments. 

For a brief moment, Jake wondered if the room was that empty because of all the things Lexy and Devon took. But he talked with them earlier, they only took some of Junior’s favorite books and clothes. This…this was just how Junior’s room used to look like. Vacant and devoid of all life and happiness, a complete contrast to his own room. 

Somehow, that thought seemed to make his heart clench. 

Jake looked at the trophies and gold medals, noticing how they were untouched. No one wanted to take those home, he supposed. He didn’t want to either. He’d be lying if he said that he never noticed how Junior never looked happy to talk about the sport that his father threw him into years ago. 

Even as he looked closer, he noticed the dust that gathered on those trophies. Junior never bothered to touch them after placing them there on that shelf. 

Did his cousin even want to win? Or did he do it just to please his father? 

Something began prickling the back of Jake’s eyes the more he thought about it, so he forced himself to look away and go over to Junior’s dresser. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. Maybe some shirts, something that belonged to Junior. He was sure that the hoodies were all taken by Lexy, so he would take what he could get. 

Jake opened one drawer, spotting a few shirts that he never saw Junior wear, probably because they were hidden under all the hoodies he would wear constantly. Some were Marvel t-shirts but others had designs of skulls or full moons on them. It was a style he never expected his cousin to ever wear, let alone like, so he grabbed them and put them into the bag he brought with him. 

But when he reached further back into the drawer, his fingers met something soft. He paused before gripping onto it and slowly pulling it out, his eyes widening slightly. 

It was a light brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck, tied in a bow. Jake felt like he got slapped in the face with nostalgia, remembering how attached Junior was to the stuffed animal—Theo. His cousin got him when he was four and he’d be damned if he let anyone else play with it, even Jake wasn’t allowed to touch it. 

Except, the one time his cousin did let him hold it. 

“If I show you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?” When the cousins were both eight years old, that was a question that Junior asked him. 

They were in Junior’s bedroom, the room looking so much different compared to now. There was a sense of vibrancy and light, something that was completely lacking now. 

Jake was sitting on his cousin’s bed, desperately trying not to cry. He had just lost his mother in a car accident a few weeks ago and was still spiraling. Every day, he cried. He cried himself to sleep and then cried in the morning when he woke up, knowing that he’d have to go another day without seeing his mom for the rest of his life. 

Junior was in front of Jake, standing almost awkwardly after he asked his question. He fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater, a nervous habit of his that he developed not long ago. After a few moments, Jake nodded and swallowed down the urge to cry. “O-okay…” 

His cousin’s eyes hardened for a moment. “Do you promise?” 

“Yes,” Jake said quickly and nodded again, “I won’t tell anyone, I swear on Styx.” 

Junior had started reading the Percy Jackson books over a year ago and became addicted so quickly. He convinced Jake to read it, and it was safe to assume that they were both big fans now. And whenever they made a promise, they always swore on the River Styx, just like the demigods did. 

Well, maybe just Styx. Jake accidentally said ‘Styx’ instead of ‘The River Styx’ one time, and Junior thought it was hilarious and refused to let it go. Eventually, the phrase stuck. 

Junior stared at him for a moment before spinning on his heel and opening his drawer. He rummaged around before pulling out Theo the Teddy Bear, presenting it to his cousin. 

Jake gasped quietly. “Theo!” He exclaimed before quieting down when Junior shushed him. “But…I thought you said that Uncle Logan made you throw him away?” 

He remembered how Junior sadly told him that his father decided that he was too old to have stuffed animals just a few months ago. He had to throw them all in the garbage. Junior had a few, but Theo was his favorite, and he really didn’t want to throw him away too. 

“He did…” Junior admitted, “but when he left for work, I dug him back out of the trash. I couldn’t let him go like that, not yet. So I kept Theo, hidden in a place where my daddy won’t find him.” 

He held the teddy bear for a few more seconds, almost hugging Theo before holding it out to his cousin. “Here. He’ll help you feel better.” 

Jake tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Are-are you giving him to me?” 

“No.” Junior was quick to respond, his eyebrows scrunching together in one of his infamous scowls-a look he would be used to seeing for years to come. “But you can hold him. Just for today. I always feel better when I hold Theo, so…maybe he can help you feel better too, Jakie.” 

Jake stared at his cousin and then the teddy bear for a moment before finally taking him from Junior’s hands. Feeling the soft and fluffy fur between his fingers made tears well up in his eyes, and he clutched Theo to his chest as he began crying silently. 

Junior didn’t say anything but sat down on the floor in front of him, reaching out to place his hand over one of Jake’s. Sometimes, his cousin didn’t need to say anything to make him feel better. Just a small action, like letting him hold his favorite teddy bear, and his comforting silence with sympathetic eyes was more than enough. 

At that moment, Jake felt safe with his cousin. 

That was the last good moment between them before Junior slowly began to change. 

Jake held the teddy bear and this time, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. He dropped to his knees as he began openly sobbing, hugging Theo to his chest as tightly as he could, as if there was a possibility that he could disappear just like his cousin did. 

He knew that their relationship was strained. He knew that Junior bullied him. He knew that his cousin killed his own father because of Chucky’s tricks. 

But did that mean he deserved to die? For all his faults, his sins…was he destined to die because of it? 

That was his cousin, his blood family. They used to be so close, like they were twins, growing up before Junior began pulling away and Uncle Logan put more pressure on him about performing well in cross-country. 

And then the what-if’s filled Jake’s mind. 

What if he told Junior right away about Chucky? Would he have believed Jake? 

Probably not. But he could’ve at least been warned, possibly preventing him from falling under Chucky’s influence. 

What if he, Lexy, and Devon were actually there for Junior after Aunt Bree died? 

Junior witnessed his mother die right in front of him. It broke him apart. And it pained Jake to admit that something in Junior died that day. He could see it in his eyes. His cousin lost someone he loved and it couldn’t take it…and he was all alone in his agony. 

Had they been there for him…would everything have turned out differently? 

Would Chucky not have been able to get to Junior because they wouldn’t have left him alone? Would Uncle Logan have lived? Would Junior Wheeler have survived? 

Jake didn’t know the answer, but the word “yes” was screaming in his head anyway. 

Had he done something differently, he wouldn’t be on the floor crying, all alone, without someone’s comforting gaze and supportive hand on his. The guilt was eating him alive and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Jake wasn’t sure how long he sat there, clutching the teddy bear like a lifeline, closing his eyes and pretending that it was his cousin. Eventually, he opened his eyes once the tears slowed to a stop, looking down at Theo the Teddy Bear. 

“I miss you, you asshole.” He said to the bear but knew deep down that it wasn’t directed to Theo. It was directed to Junior, buried six feet down below, in between both of his parents. 

Jake was the last Wheeler standing. His entire family was dead because of Chucky. But he knew that if he never bought that stupid doll, that they would still be alive today. 

Their blood was on his hands too. 

But it still didn’t feel right. Junior was gone now but to Jake, it felt like there was something missing. It just didn’t feel like Junior was dead, not like how it felt with the others. 

Maybe this was what it’s like to be in denial. 

It took another few minutes for him to pull himself together enough to stand up. He hugged the teddy bear one last time, sending a silent apology to his dead cousin along with the hug, before carefully placing Theo in the bag. Junior loved that bear, so Jake would take good care of it from now on. 

He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, walking away before pausing and looking back at the room that was filled with nothing but melancholy and angst. 

What he wouldn’t do to go back in time and do everything differently. Push Junior into opening up about why he changed, tell him the truth, be his support system when he was left isolated and all alone. 

He would give up everything just to have one last chance. 

Finally, Jake left the Junior’s bedroom and closed the door behind him.

[pitxroxas]

your brain is very large i need to know all of your shukasa thoughts and how shukasa works for uhh reasons (<- definitely might not draw them maybe)

ouuuu ouuuu i went to bed early but i cccould not Stop Thinking about this Ask.

Shukasa could honestly go two ways, it could either be a relationship of comfort or healing. With the fic I just posted though— mostly on the path of healing.

Funny enough, Shukasa emerged from when I first started playing enstars (ENGstars if anyone asks) and I think either 2 weeks in or so, I got Shu’s initial and just shoved Tsukasa and Shu in the same team and my brain took that as a terribly good idea for a ship.

Digressing, Shukasa can take the form of comfort. In this “Kingdoms” AU i desperately want to write but i literally have 0 motivation to write it at all, Tsukasa struggles with loss and sudden responsibility, as he is crowned as King of his very own country— whether he’s ready for or not. Whereas to Shu, who struggles with regret and loss, maybe even grief, either formed by the loss of the King or… Mika. Anyways, shoving the two together and making them slowly find solace in each other has probably been my favorite part of the ship.

ho hum what else… OH YEAH!! THEY SING AMAZINGLY WELL TOGETHER!! Just listen to Endless Vide hollly shiit. I’m also not sure if they have a duet in Heart Aid but if they did im down so hard and bad for it.

As I was writing I realized I also love their motifs with their roles in their units. Like, a young King who was lovingly crowned by his very own Kingdom, and plans to rebuild it to it’s upmost glory. Whereas to Shu— a puppeteer who is slowly letting go of his strings. Not because he feels that they are useless, no, it’s because his very own doll is becoming a real boy— and has no need for those strings once more. And… combining that, you get that relationship from a King and his right hand man— possibly a Royal Advisor. (<- totally not a ref towards my Kingdoms AU hahahah)

And then finally to tie this all together with a lopsided bow:

Shu’s and Tsukasa’s designs just????? fuuwaaahh??? How their hair colors compliment each other, how the eye shapes if anything, tell a story to their own. How they just compliment each other. Shu’s summer clothes and Kasa’s summer clothes follow the same color pattern, almost as if Tsukasa got his clothes knowing that, “maybe this will catch his eye…”

anyways thats all from me waaah tysm rose for asking illyyyyy <333

[mysteryman-17]

* I miss that old life, darlin'. * The glitz and glamour, the fame and fortune! * The... birdbrain I used to feud with. * And your death is JUST THE TICKET to getting that back. * So ready or not... * LIGHTS. CAMERA. * ACTION!!

Time’s End is an AHIT/Undertale crossover AU of sorts, taking place in the aftermath of a timeline where you lose the final boss fight against Mustache Girl. You can find the write-up here! In addition, you can find the write-ups for the Neutral Endings and TimeWarp Route Requirements on Google Drive! The incredible art in the thumbnail + DJ Grooves’ new design were both done by @bittybattybunny. She's an incredible artist, be sure to check out their work here on Tumblr and over on Twitter!! Also, this track was commissioned from the insanely talented musician Nahg (also on Twitter.) Be sure to check out his work, he did a fantastic job, especially given the equipment he had to work with!

Motifs:

The Big Parade

Picture Perfect (B-Side Remix)

Battle of Award 42

You can also listen to this track in high quality on the AU’s SoundCloud here! The rest of the description (including the character blurb) is underneath the Read More.

DJ Grooves takes the role of Papyrus. Even in spite of his forced exile from Dead Bird Studios, he seems to have a very happy life in the Alpine Skyline... at first. But as the story progresses, Bow Kid notices more and more strange breadcrumbs (Hat Kid's up-and-down friendship with him being only one of em,) and by the time Bow reaches the end of Alpine Skyline, Grooves fully lets the cat out of the bag. He's been biding his time for years, waiting for an opportunity to attempt seizing Mustache Girl's Time Pieces, and he's realized... killing Bow Kid would give him just such an opportunity.

HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR Y'ALL, BET YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THIS HUH? Anyhow, the first of several tracks in what I'll call a "commission backlog" (for simplicity's sake) has finally come to fruition: the Bonetrousle for the AU! I ALWAYS wanted to completely and utterly wreck the formula with this pair of tracks from the moment I cooked up Time's End, but I wasn't entirely sure of HOW for the longest time (even to the point of me attempting to start... and even scrapping one or two shit ideas.) It was only relatively recently that I realized "hey. LEAN INTO THE DISCO VIBE THAT GROOVES HAS, DUMBASS! also fuckin uhhhh spend some kromer and support an awesome musician to boot." And Nahg did a FANTASTIC job bringing this life; we'd be here all day if I tried to go in depth bout what I like, but just for a small thing, the fakeout at the very start with the Nyeh was a very nice touch on his part. Y'all should DEFO commission him if you get the opportunity to, he was awesome to work with and it's more than worth it! Without further ado tho, I hope you all enjoy! (P.S. It'll take some time for me to put everything together, but I figured that I'd let you guys in on what the "proper" 100 follower special for the AU SoundCloud is going to be: a release of MIDIs and applicable FLPs of tracks that have been done for the AU, both by other people and myself. Am working on other projects in between my short off time from work, but I'll keep y'all posted on this!)

[crimson-catalyst]

K?

(context)

god fuck yeah lets go i have a couple Ks i could talk about but!! its Kieran's turn!

Kieran Shaw is a hi-tech; spoilt cyberpunk pieces-of-work in the Ash & Dust world, a post-apocalyptic wasteland dotted by new civilizations rising from the scattered remains of the before-times. Hi-techs believe they're the last remnants of the original society before the world ended (arguable) and above the rest of the world around them (definitely false), and their culture is toxic and oppressive and encourages vicarious child abuse.

he's a designer twin paired with his brother Teagan, a pitfighter at a young age and favorite of their parents after Kieran didn't take to the arena as readily. despite his parents' emotional neglect (or perhaps because of it, seeking someone to be close to) he and Teagan were tight for a long time, though their attitudes diverged as they got older.

watching his brother fall deeper into the thrall of more mods for obsession's sake, to cater to a purpose to please others, for violence - and with more free will than Teagan was allowed to have, as Kieran grew up his skepticism grew with him. he refused all cybernetics suggested to him and tried to talk Teagan out of some of his and their arguments over it drove a rift between them.

Teagan "allowed" his hair-trigger honed reflexes to get the better of him and clawed up a classmate of theirs, banning him from the league he had twisted his body to serve for life. searching for solace with Kieran was met with a stone wall of "i told you so" - lest he bare his fear, really, both for his own future and of Teagan himself - and the last Kieran saw of his twin was through one remaining eye and blood in the other.

he's hardened to bullshit his society tries to pull, and soon makes friends with the local freak in his school year, equally disillusioned and victim of the system. Oleander is designer twins fused into a single person, subject to his parents' artistic vision and vehement that it will not define his life, just like Kieran.

they grow the rest of the way up together. graduate, spend a few years restless and resistant to their familys' pressure - though the Shaws have a bit of a broken spirit after losing Teagan to the Wasteland.

Kieran can't take it for long and eventually breaks. he has to know what happened to Teagan. he has to know what it's like outside the walls. he has to know if there's a better future out there for himself, for Oli, and if he can find him, for Teagan too. and so he leaves - Oli has to stay behind, he's too fragile and wouldn't make it roughing it, let alone amongst an aggressive populace that'd rather tear him apart; and it breaks Kieran's heart, but he promises to return for him.

it takes him two years out in the Wasteland; learning, getting into scrapes, seeing the world for what it is these days fraught with hardship but healthy and alive with humanity and people loving each other just because they can. he tracks down Teagan when a hawker in a market stall mistakes him for his twin, and finds him living with a local folk hero's scrapper crew, decommissioned and happier than Kieran can ever remember seeing him.

initial mission (excuse though it may have been) finally complete and the loose ends tied in a neat bow, Kieran has long since made his decision to settle in the wasteland and bring Oli out with him. after securing a place to stay where he's certain he can meet Oli's complex needs, he rescues his best friend and soulmate from the clutches of the city.

and they KISS and LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER THE END!!!!

[herserenegrace]

How This Started

I'm gonna be blunt: This whole "journey of new faith" has been weird as shit for me for a couple reasons. One, I'm not the kind of person with any interest in worshiping any kind of divinity. Not my thing, don't have any plans to start doing it. Two, I stumbled into all of this pretty much by accident. Three, the whole thing started in fucking Minecraft of all things. I'll start there.

(Having now written the rest of this and realized how long it is, I'm gonna slap a "read more" here so I don't have to scroll past this whole thing down the line if/when this blog has more posts to dig through.)

I've been playing Minecraft since somewhere around 2012 or 2013. Friend of mine got me into it by letting me play it on their computer, I got hooked, and been playing ever since, with varying degrees of consistency. I've gravitated mostly towards farming and doing some basic redstone, in large part because caving and fighting mobs sets off my anxiety all to hell. The main side effect of this is that I very much prefer playing in SMP, where I can let other people do the parts I find stressful while I focus on keeping everyone stocked on things like food and wood. I've also grown to enjoy fishing in Minecraft, one part because it's incredibly chill, two parts because it's one of the easier ways to stock up on Mending, and it doesn't require tracking down a village.

Sometime last year or so, I started up a Minecraft world with a few friends. We had a great time with it, and I took to fishing as I often do to stock up on enchanted books, saddles, and enchanted bows to pass around. At some point later in the year, after we'd gotten well established and fully kitted out, I was consistently fishing to try getting Unbreaking III and Mending for whenever we finally decided to go to the End and acquire some elytra. I had a long string of bad luck where I was getting everything except what I was looking for, and decided to try something off the wall.

I had a design for a little altar-type thing for a while, made out of a few stairs and some slabs. Nothing particularly fancy, but I happen to like the look of it. I grabbed some supplies, found an empty patch of ground that no one had any plans for, and put together a small hut. I think the interior was only 7x7 or thereabouts. I put the altar at the back, put in some barrels for storage, and some stairs to represent benches inside. Above the altar I put an item frame and slapped a cod in there, rotated so that it was horizontal. With that done, I grabbed one of the raw cod I had sitting around, threw it onto the altar and basically put out a short prayer to whoever was listening.

My luck immediately turned around and I started getting exactly what I'd been struggling to find for literal days before that. I decided to take this as a minor sign that someone was listening, and started making a habit of occasionally throwing some spare fish on the altar as an offering. It kept working, admittedly to varying degrees. That was when I realized I should probably have a name to use for whatever divinity I had stumbled into, and decided on Her Serene Grace. Took me at least a week to remember "Serene Grace" is a Pokemon ability, but that's neither here nor there. The name's stuck.

Towards the end of last year, all of us got busy with the holidays and whatnot, and the server went inactive long enough for the host we were using to shut it down. We did manage to get the world backups, so nothing's lost, but earlier this year we decided to start up a new world and start from scratch. Right after it was set up, the person who took care of that set up popped into the world to make sure it was working, and we had a spawn on the edge of snowy plains and a taiga. I got the seed and did a biome finder to figure out which direction we should head in to settle down, because none of us wanted to be stuck in a snow biome. Managed to find a nice spot about 2000 blocks east, with a good size sunflower plains with a flower forest in the middle of it that's surrounded on all sides by a river. It wound up being a really nice spot to settle down.

Anyways, once we got into the world and got rolling, one of the first projects I set for myself was putting together a new shrine to Her Serene Grace. Our resident explorer/miner managed to get me some lava and we had spruce saplings on hand from near the world spawn, so I got a cobblestone generator going and decided to build using stone brick and spruce planks. Went with 7x7 for the interior again, set up at a nice spot along the coast, and put a little fishing spot nearby; just a canopy, a bed, and some chests for storing fishing loot.

While I was working on that, our explorer/miner found an abandoned mine shaft and did some light grinding to get me a full stack of string so I could make fishing rods until I got one with Mending. Made my first fishing rod, and got to fishing. I slacked on doing any offerings at that point, but made sure to leave the first tropical fish I caught in a barrel in the shrine as a bit of thanks for the ongoing help. Once my first fishing rod got close to breaking, I made the next one, and when that one wore down, the two got combined to make them last as long as possible. Rinse repeat until I managed to get a rod with Unbreaking III and Mending while on my fifth crafted fishing rod. Decided at that point to say that five is Her Serene Grace's sacred number, though three has wound up more significant so far.

Somewhere after that is when things start turning in a direction that made me consider making this blog. There was the whole archaeology update recently, and our explorer/miner decided they wanted to track down all of the varieties of pottery sherds, and specifically get at least four of each so they could make one of each pot where all four sides are the same design. Hell of a task to assign yourself, but it is what it is. Anyways, they were trying to get the sherds found in cold ocean ruins, and their luck was absolutely terrible. Kept getting junk over and over again. So I (half jokingly) recommended going to the shrine of Her Serene Grace, grabbing a fish from one of the barrels (because I had enough to throw some in there just in case), and throwing the fish on the altar as an offering. They went for it, and their luck turned around immediately. Got several sherds in a row, and very quickly had the full set from that biome.

Also among the stuff they got once their luck turned were several fishing rods with Mending. Eventually, somewhere around searching warm ocean ruins, their luck seemed to run out. They went back to the shrine, grabbed a fish and tossed it on the altar, but nothing seemed to change. So I (again, half jokingly) suggested taking one of those Mending rods, doing some quick fishing, and taking the first cod or salmon they caught to the shrine as a new offering. That immediately worked, and their luck picked back up.

Now, I'm a firm believer that when dealing with spiritual matters, one should always consider mundane possibilities first. It's a form of discernment, which is an incredibly important skill to have. I have trouble calling all of this coincidence, though. The consistency of it is kind of uncanny, and I get the feeling this is something to take at least somewhat seriously. I'm still not the type to offer worship, but I am open to a mutually beneficial working relationship, and that seems to be working out so far. I've been thinking on the details of the faith, and a lot is falling out of logical extrapolation (like the Three Virtues, which I'll probably post about soon). Some of it feels less like it's coming from me, though, which is admittedly a bit of a new experience for me. Still considering if that's actually anything solid, though.

So yeah. Teal deer is that I stumbled into an accidental fishing goddess while playing Minecraft, and the faith is working well enough that I'm willing to explore it further in a more serious manner. Though the weirdest part is that I have absolutely no interest in fishing outside of video games. It's honestly something that makes me kind of uneasy. But this is where I've wound up, and I'm gonna roll with it. Just how life goes, I guess.