#i kept it at very basic shading tho

[art-of-firefly]

Happy Birthday Aomine Daiki !

All my Kurobas fanarts flop terribly but for the very few of you who enjoy seeing them, don't worry, I'm having a lot of fun anyway so I don't plan on stopping!

[heartshapedbubble]

Could I perhaps have something like those 2 long and well written Joseph and Luchino fic but with Soul Catcher? Thank you🙏

anon i am SO SORRY this took so long you might as well have my first born

also english isn't my first language so please have mercy on me i know i reuse the same words over and over 😔 reqs like these sadly clog my inbox even tho i like writing them so i'm gonna do something about them after i empty it!!

my very own prince charming, a soul catcher fanfic🧲☠️

cw for vomit mention in case you have emetophobia, reader's gender not specified although soul catcher uses a few spanish pet names (nouns) that are gendered because haha language rules, not proofread, warning for intense corniness, this is very bad i apologize, ALSO VERY LONG

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

~

There are amazing forces of Attraction and Repulsion between souls; just like when fate guides some people together and causes others to part.

~

After a period of indecisive skimming through the bookshelf, you picked out a thick, hardcover book.

You'd consider yourself quite picky regarding books - just a flashy cover and a taunting description wouldn't do it for you. A beautiful, elegant maiden and a handsome, charming prince were just one-dimensional props in the story, and you found all of those "new " and "wonderful " fantasy worlds described and mapped out on the front page generic and bland. You always seeked out something new, something that would leave you thirsting and longing for each damned word pressed onto the yellowing paper, make your fingers trail over dozens of pages in mere minutes. Yet, considering your little town in the south was limited to just one small, dusty library, finding such books would be considered an extreme sport.

So for now, you had to be satisfied with the usual, popular literature that the townsfolk read.

But today was special - you weren't in the mood for something new, or something outstanding, in fact you'd even say you wanted to read something normal. Something you could nonchalantly mention to your friends during afternoon coffee, with a plot so malleable and simple it would be woven around your conversation like it was nothing. The misadventures of a rookie knight, or the sorrows of a young, noble lady, all interpreted differently and abstractly and able to be swiftly analyzed and twisted over a cup of overly sweet coffee. Although the pile of smooth, newly released paperbacks at the entrance intrigued you, a minute later you found yourself squished between two dusty, polished wooden shelves, inspecting the book you just picked out.

Well, you didn't know you'd stoop that low, but what caught your eye right now was a book of fairy tales and fables. It was an old release, presumably donated to the library considering the oil stains on the brown paper that wrapped itself around the thick leather cover. Although worn out by time and basically crumbling from the outside, on the inside the lettering was flawless and written in an old, thick cursive, and simply bringing your face closer to the text would bless you with the scent of old, yet well kept books - the fresh smell of walnuts and baldachin beds and white cotton dresses, and even lilac bushes in the spring. Although all of these associations were of a life unknown to you, for some reason they made you feel at home.

There was another reason for you picking out this particular book - a reason you'd rather carry with you to your grave out of pride, unable to bend your head down and admit it. When life got unbearable and overbearing and the only way you felt safe and well was under heavy linen bedsheets or in the shade of the old pear tree, you'd curl up and indulge in the exact same books you usually despise. A humbling experience, indeed, but at times where safety and love were most neccessary fantasies were the quickest, most low-key way of getting what you needed the most at the moment. Projecting your being onto the flat sheet of a protagonist, you'd visualise yourself instead of them, you being the one kissing the hero's fading scars or having your hair braided by the thin, nimble fingers of the king's son. The amount of scenarios was neverending, and, well, if you couldn't get your fix with all these readily available options, you felt like you're doomed.

The book was now set inside your trusty linen bag while you were walking home. Oddly, the usually loud and populated city market was silent and not a soul could be seen out on the street, not even a head popping out of the window or a hand reaching for the hanged clothes that hung on the ropes high above the rocky path. While you were crossing the town bridge, you decided to stop to take a deep breath and enjoy for a bit, now that you weren't being pushed onward by the citizens and the merchants that usually piled behind you.

It does take a while to learn savor things, doesn't it? It takes until adolescence until the dark chocolate on your tongue unveils its rich, deep and bitter flavor, until you learn how special that first sip of morning coffee is and how good of a feeling it is to simply have another hand wrapped around yours. Same goes for nature, you thought to yourself as you looked over the bridge, watching the river speed under the arch and the plants inside of it wave around like silk scarfs. Without the noise pollution, you were finally able to hear the satisfying noises of the water sloshing over the rocks, droplets hitting each other every second. Without a second thought, you laid beside the edge of the bridge, your bag lazily hanging off of your wrist, and let yourself get lulled to sleep by the melody of the current.

That is, until the straps of the bag slipped off of your wrist.

Fuck.

You immediately jumped to your feet in panic, looking around for your bag. Yet, it was too late. It was nowhere to be found - it was probably already driven away by the river, taken to god-knows-where.

Well, it's not like you weren't aware of the risk. But your heart still ached - that was not your book, after all. And what a beautiful, old edition it was as well! There was no way you'd be able to properly apologize to the librarian, unless....

"Oye, muñeca, ta libre."

You jumped at the sudden voice whispering at your ear. You were sure no one was around here except you... or maybe..?

Slowly turning around, your face was met with another, yet wider, lathered with paint and shaded by the hat above's enormous brim. As the face moved away from yours and the person straightened their back, you found yourself gazing up and down at - what seemed to be, at least - a tall, youngish man, couldn't be above 28. Dressed in gaudy purple, green and black, adorned with flowers and gilded accessories, he looked like a living puppet, his chest and shoulders wide and his waist slim, proportions of a wooden harlequin they sold during the holiday season in the toy shop. Hanging off of his wrist was your beloved linen bag, the forsaken book inside still in tact, not a single droplet of water blemishing the paper.

"Who...? How did you...?" You muttered nonsense, as your arms needily reached for the bag that he gently waved around. Props to the visuals, but you had your priorities.

"It's all reflexes, sugar. Was taking a nap underneath the bridge, you know, all that wandering around numbs out your legs, and your little sack here just happened to fall close enough to my hand for me to grab it in time. Be a little more careful next time, will you, doll?" The man-puppet replied nonchalantly as he tossed the bag into your arms.

"Thank you, I- wait, what?" You quickly snapped out of your daze. "Napping? Under the bridge? "

"Don't judge it before you try it", he whistled, crossing his arms behind his head, "The cobblestone ain't the comfiest, but it does wonders for your back."

You sneered at his carefree expression, as if lying under a bridge was the most normal thing to do. Who exactly was this fellow, and who did he think he was?

"And you expect to believe me all that?"

"Hm?" He jolted a bit, not expecting a question, maybe a compliment, but definetly not a skeptical remark.

"Napping under a bridge? Seriously? You catching my bag is impressive, yes, but there's no way it was that much of a skillful feat. You probably dozed by the river's shore and suddenly found a bag by your side like any other guy at this hour. Who are you even, some wannabe-show-off-superhero?"

To your suprise, he just smirked back at you, lowering his torso until his face was just inches away from yours. So close, you could feel his warm breath on your cheeks, and his raspy voice rumbled inside your ears.

"How about you take a wild guess."

Stumped by his question, you took a few steps back. Your eyes now digesting his form in his entirety, you rubbed your chin as you gazed up and down at the man, posing, obviously very into the careful stare you were dissecting him with.

"Enjoying the view, hm, azúcar? "

"Give me a break! I'm trying to focus." You mumbled, panicking a bit, sensing that your cheeks started to flame up. To be honest - even under all that fabric and thick paint, he was quite a looker. The black paint defined his jawline in all the right places, and man, that silly outfit of his was tailored pretty damn well, gripping his legs and his biceps enough to define them nicely.

Although visually he was as fancy as a rich man's birthday cake, nothing seemed to pop out from his outfit, as if every embroidered piece of textile and every golden stud was carefully planned out. However, upon better inspection, one of them seemed to take the cake - it was the small shiny skull on top of his hat, shaped like a squished pear, a few nails stabbed into it like birthday candles. The cherry on top of it all - metaphorically and literally.

"The skull on your hat... looks like a well-made prop to me. You're some kind of entertainer, huh?"

A playful smile appeared on the lad's lips, yet it wasn't a confirming one. "You're getting closer, but no, not exactly."

"Street musician?"

"I can be one if you desire, but it's not exactly my main job."

"Actor?"

"Only behind the scenes, dear. But I can see by the look in your eye that you're going to head in the right direction." This little guessing game seemed to amuse him to no end.

"With all that flashy wear, it seems fair to assume you might even be some kind of high-end magician, performing for nobles or aristocrats. Or some wannabe wizard."

He bit his lip, the smile widening with each guess. He seemed more excited about this than you were.

A flower painted around his left eye. A belt fastened around his waist, with a big golden buckle. Sheer black gloves covering his hands in their entirety, bones painted in gold on his knuckles and fingers.

A glowing ring - no, a disk - hanging from the side of his belt, rocking with the movement of his hips.

Wait. It couldn't be. The disk looked too...

"Hold on a second. You couldn't be..."

"Sí, muñeca? "

"Are you..."

Before you could even finish your sentence he grinned from ear to ear and inched even closer to you, his nose now touching yours, as if he just managed to read your mind.

"Bingo."

~

The legend of the Soul Catcher was told times and times again, twisted and folded like fresh taffy to suit every possible scenario in one's life. To children, it was told to scare them into going to bed in time. To teenagers, it was told to ward them off from the forest at the edge of the town. To young adults, it was told to motivate them into becoming independent and to work hard. To newlyweds, it became a prayer, to protect the newly formed family and to bring safety to their home. He was not the Reaper, but if a soul was left astray, detached from the body it resided in, everyone knew well that once the Soul Catcher gets his hands on it, that it won't be back ever again. He was both a devil and a saint, a villain and a vigilante - but one thing was sure, he was well respected. No one knew if it was out of fear or out of genuine admiration. And what was even weirder - not a single person was sure if he ever actually existed.

Not a single adult, at least.

The legend was not a new one, in fact, it has been told for a little less than a century. If you were to have a little extra patience and attention, you could hear the town's elders occassionally mumble about seeing him as a child in the forest, or him visiting them in a dream. But their interpretations varied from tale to tale - he went from a spirit, to a ghoul, to simply an omen, either good or bad. Since the townspeople couldn't agree on a single, concrete definition, the Soul Catcher remained a concept, embodied by what seemed to be multiple entities.

However, if you were to ask a child about the Soul Catcher, you'd get a much more vivid and universal description than anything an adult could tell you. All of them were along the lines of "magical jester", and what was weirder, almost all of the children confessed that the Soul Catcher played with them. And no, it wasn't just a single sighting, he played with multiple kids at once, even going as far to balancing three of them on his shoulders and telling them stories. During the hot, damp afternoon hours of the summer, huge groups of children snuck out of their homes just to play with him. When their mothers soaked their cramped hands and their fathers took their first break after the morning shift, their beloved kids were out on the dusty streets, carefully following every word seeping off of the Soul Catcher's silver tongue.

The only thing that bound the varying opinions and theories of both the young and the old was the trusty disk that always hung by his hip, rumored to be the tool he used to attract and harvest souls. And this same legendary disk was now hanging off of the belt of the man in front of you, green and purple mist enveloping it.

The myth himself, in the flesh, in front of you.

"You were quicker than I thought you'd be. Bravo, dollface." He smiled and patted your head. "If we ignore your initial hostility, you seem quite confident in the fact that i'm the real deal. Mind telling me why?"

"Well, you don't see someone parading around with THE exact disk that the Soul Catcher uses. Everyone agrees on the main description of its appearance, but to be completely fair, no one around here is skilled enough to make a replica that's convincing enough."

"I see. It's nice to see somebody with both the wits and the pretty face." He chuckled. Who would have known that he's such a flirt? Nontheless, to your shame your face lit up at his silly compliment. There was just something about him that made you weak in the knees.

"Alright. I believe I should prove you I'm the real thing now." He unhooked the disk from his belt, spun it around in his hand, and hopped a few steps away from you. He pointed the disk at your chest, positioning himself as if he's getting ready to react to a suprise attack. You didn't know what he was trying to do, but you felt as if you shouldn't make a sound or even object to it.

A tension-filled silence wrapped around you two for 20 seconds. After 10 more which seemed more like 10 minutes, you felt your body move. Move, although your legs were planted at the same spot they were before. Your head ached and pulsed, you felt dizzy as if your intestines were tying themselves into knots. To be sick without actual pain, to move without any movement, what was he doing to you? If this keeps up, you might just end up vomiting out your stomach along with its contents. It was like being carsick, except the sickness rumbled not only through your abdomen, but through each one of your limbs as well.

"Here, I stopped. It's all over. Sorry for this."

The headache seemed to halt, and your body was back to normal, yet your hands and legs still felt a bit sore. He was now above you, his hand stretched out to your sides in case you lost your balance.

"...What did you just do to me?" You yawned, trying to stand up straight again.

"What you just experienced was your soul being harvested from your, already inhabited, body. I usually refrain from doing this, but I felt like I should let anyone that witnesses me up close go through this. Y'know, I want to be honest with people. That although they've seen me in the flesh and talked to me, they're fully aware of what I can do so they can prevent themselves from getting harmed."

"Does this imply you sucked someone's soul out from their living body?"

"Maybe", he shamefully turned his head away, "but it was never on purpose. Usually it was them reaching for the disk, or trying to see it up close. It pains me, since in most cases it's nearly impossible to return the original soul to its old body."

An awkward silence ensued.

"Sorry for ruining the mood, I felt like I needed to warn you first."

"Oh no, seriously, it's alri-"

"May I walk you to your house, jewel?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me the first time." He extended his hand, waiting for your next move.

~

What a peculiar man, indeed. First he tries to suck out the life out of you to give you a heads-up, and then he offers to walk you home like a gentleman.

And you'd be lying if that offer didn't sound thrilling. So now, your hand was intertwined with his, you trying to slow down as much as possible to make the moment last.

"I realized I had forgot to ask for your name. My apologies. Not very gentlemanly of me, isn't it?"

"Oh, I don't mind it. It's ____."

"___..." He looked up at the sky, rubbing his chin, as if he was trying to remember something, your name echoing on his lips multiple times.

"Pretty name, but it doesn't ring a bell. You're not among the horde of youth that I visit, are you?"

"Nope. I'd say i'm more of a loner most of the time. I like socializing and all, but nothing's like a good book that you can read in one sitting."

"I figured. No way in hell I'd forget such a cute face like yours, even if I saw it for a split second." He smiled and pinched your nose. If his plan was to drive you insane, he was incredibly effective.

"How come people have such different reports about you? Can you shapeshift?" Trying to lead a conversation with him felt like navigating through a mine field - there were no known limits, no known good or bad questions, or any shared topics you two could talk about. But you'd lie if you said it didn't excite you - waiting for his response, never being able to predict the next word that will come out of his mouth.

He sighed. "If you wore the same pair of pants every day, wouldn't you get tired of it?"

"I suppose..?"

"Well, yeah. It's that. Mix it with hallucinations the brain dials up once it's met with something outside the world it knows, and here's your answer. I'm no sprite or shapeshifter, just a regular guy who made a regrettable deal years ago. I might have the powers of the dead on my side, but at what cost?"

You shrugged. As much as you wanted to quiz him and get him to talk about himself, right now biting your tongue and playing it cool seemed like the best idea. Getting deeply invested in his life might not lead to good places.

"So... you're one of those so-called bookworms, hm? You've been carrying a book inside that bag of yours the entire time, too." You could feel his hand slip from yours, trailing across your arm to your shoulder, then to the other, gripping it softly. His touch felt warm on your skin, very human and real despite what he did for a living.

"...Yeah. In fact, I was just on my way from the library back at the bridge where I met you. I just borrowed it." You smiled shyly, holding the bag tightly in your arms. Knowing his curiosity and boldness, a feeling of panic unfolded in your chest, dreading what he might say next.

"Mind me taking a peek at what you're reading?"

Aaand this was it. The moment you prayed will not happen, but his chin was already resting on your shoulder, trying to get a peek at the contents of the bag.

"H-hey, hey! Back off! That book's my business, after all!" You giggled, holding it tighter and tighter, trying to laugh off your growing anxiety. If there's one person that you wouldn't like knowing about your little self-indulgent hobby, then it was Soul Catcher. But your tightest grip was easily undone by his loosest, and now your book was in his left hand, clumsily open, and the digits of his right were buried in the strands of your hair, holding your head away with careful but great strength. Even with your annoyed and panicked groans and your hands clawing at him, he simply couldn't miss the opportunity to steal a look at a few titles.

"Calm down there, you're acting as if it was a pipe bomb that you were carrying!" He chuckled, trying to stay composed as his body lost balance under your pushes and pulls. Yet your delight was short-lived, as only a second was needed for him to spread the pages open with his thumb and smugly read some of the titles out loud.

"Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty... seems like someone's a sucker for Prince Charming, hm?" He snickered, but gave in to your pleas and dropped the book right into your sack.

"Would it hurt your pride to not dig through others' stuff?" You hissed, patting the bag in relief. "A-and is there something so wrong with indulging in childhood comfort anyway?"

"Oh, not only would it hurt it, it would kill it. Besides, something tells me that this little guilty pleasure of yours goes beyond just childhood comfort", he whistled in his usual self-satisfied tone, yanking at his suspenders, "But hey, who am I to say?"

"Oh, does it?" You gave him a taste of his own medicine, grimacing right at his face, making sure each word rumbled through his skull. "Well, what if I told you that such absurd assumptions are indeed incredibly untasteful, especially when left unelaborated? Just imagine how much of a hit that could be to your fragile ego..."

"¡Dios mío! You couldn't possibly...!" He dramatically threw his head back. At least something was true - he really was an actor behind the scenes. "Oh lord, it truly seems like the only way to make it up for you, your majesty, is to explain myself beneath your ice-cold gaze, like an accused pauper chained and laid before the king!"

Both of you laughed away at your ridiculous actions.

He cleared his throat, after a good minute of dying from laughter. "O-okay, where were we? Ah, yes, your dirty little secret." With his hands crossed behind his back and his gaze innocently directed at the sky, it seemed like this was a touchy subject for him, too. "Well, from all my previous experiences with people, I noticed that a lot of them like to fantasize about, well, a world where everything is just better - usually some kind of unrealistic fairytale utopia. It helps them feel better about their problems, especially during adolescence." His eyes briefly shifted to yours, watching them as if he's waiting for you to point out a fuck-up nested in his wording.

"Alright, continue...?"

"And, uhm, although fairy tales are meant for kids and all and are read by them, these same adolescents use them as a vessel for said utopias, or simply, a medium."

His lips were pressed into a firm line, waiting for your feedback.

"Bravo, jester", you treated him with a teasing smile, ruffling the stray locks of hair peeking out from his hat, "You got yourself out this time."

"Well then, call me Houdini." He smiled back, scratching the back of his neck. "Jeez, even though that fantasy thing should have gotten into my skull for the most part, I still can't fathom what's so special about the Prince Charming trope.. It's so annoying! Are y'all really drooling over the same guy in different fonts?"

"To be fair, it leaves a lot to the imagination. You can interpret him however you like, twist his personality to your liking."

"But that's exactly why it's horribly overused! Dressing every fictional man in a suit of already desired personalities is... boring! No variety, no depth - nothing! Do they really not find real people with actual lives, emotions, thoughts and opinions more appealing?"

It was a bit funny, him getting worked up over this, as if he was deeply insecure about it. You decided to fuel the fire a bit.

"Well, what does your average Prince Charming have that, let's say, I lack?"

"A great personality?"

"Oh, come on. Now you're just being mean." He sighed, traces of laughter in his sigh. "Damn you, muñeca." You chuckled.

"Big muscles?"

"These babies don't look defined to you?" He pouted jokingly, flexing his arm. Shit. Your face warmed up for a bit. For a second, a satisfied grin appeared on his face, liking the reaction he coaxed out of you through your composed armour.

"Strength and brave- AH!" You didn't even get to finish your sentence, and a moment barely passed, but his left arm was already wrapped around your calves, his right under your arm and around your back, his body leaned into yours and suddenly - you were hanging off his shoulder stomach-down, like a potato sack. "Oh my god yo- put me down!"

He whistled, holding you down to supress your squirming. "Strong enough for you, doll?"

"Not fair..." You groaned, lifelessly plopping onto him.

"You didn't answer my question~"

"Yes. Strong enough." It was quite enjoyable up on his shoulder, actually. After the initial panic passed it became nice, the rhythmic bouncing of his walk lulling you to sleep. You could get used to this.

"Now that's music to my ears." He showed no sign of letting go any time soon, perhaps he liked the smell of your perfume on your neck, and your weight resting on top of him, like a thick winter blanket.

"Since you've already decided to pick me up, would you be kind enough to carry me to my house?" You mumbled, your eyelids already feeling heavy. "That house, over there." Pointing at the tall, cobblestone house, you yawned.

"Entiendo, sirenita."

~

"How did you- actually, you know what? Nothing can suprise me anymore. You climbed up my balcony, didn't you?"

The sun was setting, and Soul Catcher was leaning against the railing of your balcony, your bag thrown around his frame.

"Actually I slid off the roof, but you're not that far off, beautiful." Every time your name was replaced - or you were simply called by - a soft pet name coming from his mouth, you felt as if your stomach would explode. Something about the way he spoke sent shivers down your spine, whispering endearments to you like you're the only person remaining in the world along with him. And whenever he read and peered through your façade as your face turned red and your breathing got deeper, he took a step further, engaging in the sensual, mental tango forming around you two. "I forgot to return your bag. Sorry."

"It's alright. I appreciate that you went out of your way for me." Gosh, the way you tortured him! Whenever he was smooth and flirtly and you punched him in the face with your kind, unfiltered smile instead of flirting back, it was like his heart was momentarily shattered into pieces and then bound again. The irresistable two-step of games and suave words was driving him insane and momentarily, in his mind it was your face, and your body, and your voice that called for him and your coldness clashing with his warmth, and it was making him dizzy. Behind his eyes, his brain was melting, and his heart was no different. To fall so quickly for a stranger - well, it's no secret that he's been depraved of actual love and affection beyond one night stands and empty promises to dozens of lovers from different times - was nothing new to him, but this attachment was not the same, it was permanent, stable, and wasn't going away any time soon.

"So, ___..." You turned quickly. When it was just your name and not something snarky on his lips, it seemed more important. "...You got any plans for the evening?"

"Oh- not really. Do you, though?"

"Not a plan, but rather an idea, a proposition, even." His voice was breathier as if he was nervous, coughing up the words from his chest. "If you want to, we could, y'know, watch the sunset together. I'm quite fond of sunsets myself, so I was wondering..."

"So you're proposing a date?" A date. As if he flinched when he heard the word.

"Well, yeah, a date, if you want to call it that." He said as he bit his lip. "Are you up?"

"Why not?" You whispered, creeping slowly towards him. "That sounds like a nice way to spend the evening."

"I'm glad." he smiled. In that little moment all of his confidence returned, and now his voice was clear again and he was back on his feet, jumping on top of the railing like the most skilled of acrobats and making his way to the roof. "You're coming, no?"

"And how exactly do you want me to come?"

"Grab my hand. Come on." His hand hanged from above, pushed as far as possible to reach you. "I'll pull you up."

You gulped. Heights remained a minor fear of yours ever since childhood, and having to face said fear head-first out of nowhere wasn't very appealing. "But what if I fall?"

"Believe me, muñeca, you won't."

"How can you be so sure!?"

He took a deep breath, trying to speak as gently as possible to calm you down.

"Trust me, ___. It's my hand around yours, no one elses, and my strength that's going to pull you up. I'm here for you. Please."

You didn't know when, you didn't know how, but the height suddenly stopped being a problem and, in a flashing moment, you were in his arms, being pulled to the middle of the roof.

~

"The clouds are such a beautiful color today. Light pink, as if they're crowning the sun before the moon rises."

Your back facing him, his chin on your shoulder, his breath on the nape of your neck.

"It's even more beautiful right before it goes down. They turn blood red, melting with the sky."

His arms wrapped around you, your hand around his wrist, your legs thrown over his.

"Do you have to go soon?" You whispered with a heavy heart.

"I should go." He suddenly stopped. "But I don't want to."

"Please. Stay for another moment."

He pulled you closer and closer to him, now his mouth right by your ear.

"Of course. A moment."

And it was more than a moment.

And more than an hour.

And only the crescent moon was the witness, and what it saw was sealed for eternity once the sun rose on the horizon again.

[iraprince]

TIME FOR A PROCESS POST let's talk abt getting from this (client sketch - which, btw, i know other artists have talked about this plenty, but i LOOOOOOVE a client sketch as early direction on a commission. LOVE it)

to this!

at first we didn't know if the title was going to go across the desk, or over the central figure (emara's) head against the back wall. so there was a 1st version where we were favoring a higher title, then we started favoring the desk so we scrapped the clutter + centered it more

i used clip studio's 3D models (particularly for the chair, guard, + weapon crates) and perspective rulers to help with laying everything out at this stage, tho i abandoned the 3D pretty early on bc it's a bit too clunky for me. maybe i'll find it quicker to use w more practice!

(the rest under the cut!)

once the basic layout was approved, i threw together a value study to explain how in the final image all the clutter of the bg detail would be unified and pushed back. lately i find myself thinking abt value earlier + earlier in the process; planning ahead saves me a lot of time!

i fiddled with starting to refine things digitally, but then i got A BRAND NEW LIGHTBOX delivered in the mail with perfect timing (lmao) so i just ended up printing off the digital sketch, finalizing in pencil, + scanning back in

then comes five billion different steps of locking in values, again. i did everything greyscale first, but i didn't worry abt getting things super polished at this stage bc i knew color would factor in a lot to later decisions

this is the point at which presenting these wips "step by step" is kind of misleading; i didn't do these stages one at a time, but rather had a BUNCH of different lighting/shading layers that i kept toggling on and off as i worked to make sure everything was coming along well.

(to get some of these caps i actually went into the main file again and turned a bunch of stuff on/off just for the sake of getting specific examples, because actually when i was actively working on it there was rarely a point where i was actually working on something with "all lighting turned off and just the shading on," or anything like that; but i AM interested in showing what effects different lighting/shading changes had on the base colors, even if i wasn't really making these changes in a rigid order.)

i.e., just for the sake of interest, here's how the flat colors look without those adjustments!! but i honestly never looked at it like this on its own for long...i had all the shading/lighting turned off so i could see what i was doing while flatting, but i was constantly checking back and forth.

then tones added on top (which were actually just two copies of the tone folders in the above posts, set to linear burn and overlay) -

which makes it get HORRIFYINGLY dark, but that's when we go in and add a bunch of lighting adjustments.

the most obvious lighting change above is the big burst of hot pink light from the corner, but there was also some masked overlay + burn layers to pop out the guard + emara and make sure they were pulled out from the bg. if this were a standalone illustration, i maybe would have let the bg (and all that painstakingly drawn detail..........) stand out a little more, but a cover functions differently, and i wanted to make sure the eye goes to the title first. that means sacrificing bg detail even if it looks sick lol

then final touches! a lot of my very last touches are things that are close to invisible; gradient maps on very low opacity, noise, a little bit of scribbling on upper layers. the typesetting was all by the client, except for the lettering for "emara king's," which i did myself!

finally, here's a comparison of ⬅where i left off one night close to the deadline thinking "it's probably done, but i'll sleep on it just in case," then all the adjustments i made the next day with fresh eyes.➡ and that's it!!! phew!!! that's how i make a cover!

[f1shart]

the amount of times i've drawn clowns on this blog is absurd. yes it was twice but that's twice too much

ANYWAY personality swap verona au anyone? its more of a personality inversion since i didn't swap their personalities with one another (og idea by @quejicadelapulpa)... more info ⬇️

idk why when i invert their personalities they become depressed, evil, or both but 😭 i'll go in depth on each of them

Tybalt: he was always a clown but swapbalt is quite literally a clown (he prefers jester). his personality is basically mercutio: playful, friendly, but still prim since i don't see why that would change about him i mean he's still absolutely loaded 🤑 also he loves annoying mercutio, especially since it's not like he'll get his ass whooped if he starts to throw hands (since, yk, tybalt is JACKED)

Mercutio: what i meant when i said they turn depressed when i invert their personalities 💀 swapcutio is a man of few words. he probably speaks very quietly too, only ever getting loud when he's pissed at tybalt. speaking of, he's not as hot-headed as og tybalt mostly cuz i didn't want to just swap their personas and call it a day. nah this is much funnier. i feel bad for him though i mean he's got this fucking clown constantly bothering him and there's nothing he can do about it

Romeo: he's giving pascal and i'm so sorry ab that. anyway this is where i delve more into personal hcs about personality since some of these sims weren't given much originally. i see romeo as a pretty smart kid so i didn't change that about him. i also see him as a bit immature but his wit makes up for that and that's how he's able to charm people. while swapmeo is mature, he is unfortunately quite uncharismatic so who tf knows how he pulled juliette. he's still a romance sim tho so he has his ways...

Juliette: not too much about her. i originally saw her as a little hot-headed similar to tybalt, so i decided to commit to that and make her a very mellow and chill individual. no more raging at online shooter games for her ! swapiette also wears very comfy clothes unlike juliette and dont u worry i kept her uggs. they're simply too iconic 😩

Miranda: she's basically more like her mother. this is where i was conflicted like do i swap the adults' personalities as well?? regardless, swapiranda (i need to stop) is a good christian girl 😌 as you can see she did not dye her hair in this universe and same with hermia but we'll get there. i also removed her beautiful shades SORRY but they're still there in spirit with the blue of her nails. i think swapiranda has that sweet exterior but a snakeish interior in terms of personality

Hermia: i exchanged the goth aesthetic for something more pastel and trendy for the time. you could say swapmia is a bit like og juliette in terms of personality. ooh maybe she doesn't dislike her brother in this universe! though i can see her and juliette getting tired of his smileyness. also yess swapmia's hair is her natural blonde it fits her vibe more.

Puck: last and certainly not least, evil puck 😍 the poor residents of swap veronaville cuz this kid... to me, og puck is kind, shy, dedicated to their tasks but dreadfully incompetent. you'd think he's the media's idea of a fairy- playful and mischievous, but he is surprisingly the opposite. THEN THERE'S SWAP PUCK. absolutely devious. despicable. he plays pranks and they are fucking mean pranks (not as far as battery acid in pop tho 💀 that's one of their cruel jokes. pls tybalt is not actually drinking battery acid) who KNOWS what swapmia sees in them. maybe she's evil too lmfao

anyway that's what i got. tell me why typing this drained 54% of my battery. apple is wild. maybe i'll do st but that's a hell of a lot of work

[cathedral-of-sinners]

Hihi Author! Can I please request Kazuha's nsfw alphabet?

Hi Anon!! You absolutely can!!

Genre: Smut (MDNI)

CW: No pronouns/genitalia mentioned for reader, reader can be either sub or dom depending on the section, one use of 'dear' as a petname (U), not proofread

— Kazuha: Full Alphabet

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

I can totally see him letting out a breathy chuckle after a few moments of after glow. Kazuha will look you in the eye and give you one of the cutest, soft smiles he can. Asks if you’re alright, if he was too rough or if anything is sore before going to fetch any needed items. Kazu is more than willing to blow a gentle breeze your way if you ask! Cuddles you close after - still smiling mind you, like he’s the happiest man in the world - before drifting off to sleep.

B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of their partners)

Has no favourite. If you were to ask him this very question he’d begin by giving you an answer, an explanation then giving a whole other answer with an explanation to that before repeating over and over (until someone stops him). He finds all of you attractive.

(He stares at your ass sometimes though. Just sometimes I swear. And it’s only a coincidence that he’s groping your bottom too, a quick slap here and there. He promises on the Shogun’s life it’s happenstance).

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically)

Oooohhhh boy oh boy! You can bet that he loves to cum on your stomach/chest. He finds it absolutely captivating the way it paints your skin - a truly beautiful sight.

D = Dirty Secret

While he's away overseas and in the solidarity of his room, Kazuha will jerk off to pictures of you. It wasn't his original intention, he swears! He was just missing you oh so dearly and pulled out a photo he took of you, longing to see your smile in person once more, to be wrapped up in your arms, to pour all his love in the form of kisses. How could he resist your lips after all? The same ones that kiss him so fervently, trailing from his mouth to along his jaw, down his neck before going so far low they're wrapping around his cock.

It's not his fault he has to deal with his hard-on all alone, at least with a picture of you he can imagine you're there too, basking in all the pleasure with him.

(He always has a picture of you on him - not only for the lonesome times but also for the lonesome nights)

E = Experience (How experienced are they?)

This boy,,, pure, untouched. Kazuha can be dirty-minded all he wants but he's far from dirty-handed - all bark no bite (yet). He’s got all the pieces and knowledge he just has yet to set them into practice. Would you mind helping him out 👀

F = Favourite Position

Loves loves loves when you ride him! How could he not when it's the best position for him to see all of you <3 That, and he really likes the feeling of you bouncing on his cock.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc.)

He’s more humorous leading up to or after the deed is done. During the actual moment though he’s serious, body and mind focusing in and immersing himself in your shared pleasure. He takes your pleasure very seriously, should you be dissatisfied then it would sadden him greatly.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.) 

His hair's a little messy ever since he started on his journey as a wanderer but in no way is it off putting. Its like the sexy, messy kind of hair style but pubes version?? I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s long but kept contained?? Very much white like his hair however, perhaps a shade darker. Void of any red tho :(

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect)

Is continuously asking if what he’s doing is alright or if it feels good. As mentioned, your pleasure is of upmost importance to him so by checking in with you he knows if he has to adjust his actions or not.

He smiles a lot at you too, soft ones no less. Kazuha looks at you as if your his whole world, his greatest find during his adventures (which you are).

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Why in the name of all things unholy do I picture Kazuha as the type to languidly stroke himself, almost like he's not actually masturbating but just fiddling with his dick?

But anyway, yeah, a very slow stroker, he's in no hurry, content with soaking in every brush of his fingers. Likes to imagine that the feather lightness is you placing kisses sometimes.

Only jacks off if he knows he'll be undisturbed; it's not that he'd mind if you walked in on him, but there's a part of him that wants to just yoink for that little happy boost and then go on with his day.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Sensory Play: Kazuha is so in tune with his senses and he's well aware that removing one heightens the others. So, what better way to reach your and his orgasm than by increasing how you feel? His particular favourite is blindfolds, but he's willing to try out other methods if you want to!

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Prefers places close to or inside your home - this includes right in the secluded garden adjacent to the house.

"The sounds of nature always puts me at ease, as does the sight of you. It's only right to combine the two during these special moments, don't you think?"

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Whisper all the things you want to do to him and he's ready to go. As well, don’t be afraid to boldly show how much you want him. He really like it when you lean into him from behind, arm snaking to cup his hardening cock.

Also also, place kisses all along his neck and chest, literally melts so bad he can’t help the tiny moan bubbling past his lips.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Kazuha can never be too rough with you. Sure, he'll go a bruising pace with his thrusts, maybe a couple firm ass slaps but he refuses to go beyond that. He'll falter in what he's doing if he even thinks he was too rough with his hands, eyes widening as he looks to you to gauge your reaction.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Giving!! The wandering samurai gets drunk on your taste and pleasure, even just at the mere memory of all the times he’s went down on you before. Kazuha can and will go at it all night if he could, he loves it that much. It’s even better for you seeing as your lover was able to pick up all the little things you loved so quickly.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Begins slow, allowing you and he feel every inch, dip and twitch of one another. Once you both settle into a steady rhythm only then the pace picks up. Kazuha makes sure that his adoration for you always shines bright though.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

He adorns the connection that comes with proper sex but he likes quickies as well. They happen mainly if he’s on a time crunch or if there’s people around. They feel like they happen often when the reality isn’t that simple, perhaps at least twice every two weeks they occur. After though, it’s always made up with a proper go at it, lust still lingering within you both.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Oh yeah he doesn't mind. As long as he has your absolute consent he'll do some wild things. Out in the forests of Inazuma, on the Crux with just a wooden door shielding you both from the party out on deck. As well, if Kazuha thinks you might like something while in the moment (like, to touch you in a certain way/spot) he'll go for it (will absolutely retract his hand though if you don't like it)!

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last)

While he is a strong boy, a very fast boy too, I say he's got two well-paced rounds in him. For some reason, he gets kinda tired way more easily when it comes to lovemaking. He lasts for a while though so that's a plus?

T=Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Doesn't own them but he's willing to use them! Likes using them on you more than himself since your pleasure is his pleasure, though if you ask nicely then he'll let you use them on him.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Loves to tease but doesn't do it often cause he also loves to please. Kazu can't help but chuckle when he sees you squirm as he denies what you want most (he's touching everywhere but there!)

"What's wrong dear? You want me to touch you? I am though :)"

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Very breathy <3333 He starts out quiet enough but the longer you both go on the more he disregards the risk of someone hearing (if you're out and about/near people). Not like screaming loud but like normal talking volume? Maybe a tad louder than that. Either way, his voice fills the room in some of the most beautiful gasps <3

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Kazuha likes to experiment but there's one aspect he's always remained apprehensive of. Drunk or high sex, more so with the former. He knows he gets a little wonky when he drinks and he'd never forgive himself if he did something to hurt you simply because he wasn't safe.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Average size, leans more towards length than girth though. Curves ever so slightly inwards.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

I was having a 'lil bit of a brain rot about really horny Kazuha so Imma write that lmao.

Anyway! It's like every other day (sometimes there's a two-day gap) that the male will saunter on up behind you, arms wrapping around you and pulling you close, cock rubbing against your ass. He's addicted to you, he can't help but want you nine times outta ten.

Z = ZZZ (how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

He's droopy-eyed the moment the last little bit of adrenaline leaves his body <3 He’ll curl up right next to you, chest flush against your skin as he draws shapes on your arm or back. As time ticks by though you can feel his movements slow. Within ten minutes, he’s out.

Tag list: DM or send an ask to be added!

[ryushichan]

aaannnottheeer 3.5 heads style chibi

this was my interpretation of Alucard from Hellsing as a human child pretending to be a vampire XD and the phrase "for the last time Alucard you're not a vampire?!?!" kept ringing in my head as i was drawing it XD

I will be honest tho, this was a drawing I did back in 2010 or sth the sketch, I loved the idea so much but i never finished it, I always wanted it as a fridge magnet, but years went by and life kept me away from art and last year I came across the drawing and decided, better late than never!

So I did it and I'm happy that I did not very pleased with the tomato sauce but it's ok

And was pleased with this style of shading on the hair, made me think of 3d models how they look when they're rendered without bright light sources

As you'll prolly notice I change the style of shading hair with every drawing almost, that's because I take long breaks between drawings but also keep testing things cuz i consume a lot of content from other artists and when i see sth i like i somehow adopt it in the next drawing without realizing it, or i find cool brushes that i test etc etc and i'm still learning so all my art is basically going through constant change

anyway tl;dr

[flooferbutt]

Meet my system members!

here i will be introducing y'all to my headmates :3

now including emote signoffs!

Count: ~14 members

w lil blinkies i made with blinkies.cafe

All moodboards are made by me, please do not use them! :3

note: i also get shifts of my headmates cos they are nonhuman!

note #2: a "floof" is basically a cat with horns and sheep ears, and floofs is the unofficial name of my original species

"Come along now, run away from the humdrum

We'll go to a place that is safe from

Greed, anger and boredom"

Cosmo Sheldrake "Come Along"

Apple : (they/them, stem/juice) A long bouncy floof with cream-colored fur in different shades, countershaded - light on the underside, darker on their back - and white freckles on the darker shades. They wear a white and red plaid bandana, and they always have an apple to munch on. Apple is cheerful and clever, and they love climbing trees and baking in the kitchen.

🎃 Autumn : (spook/spooky/spooks/spookself) Orange, white & violet floof with lots of fluffy fur, feathered wings, and autumn leaves in spooks fur; Autumn is basically the embodiment of the season and is fallxenic (seasogender), spook is mute and can only really squeak. Spook is even tempered and a lil odd, and just kinda hangs out lol

we need a better blinkie for spook TwT

🌱 Basil : (they/them : spri/sprig/sprouts/sproutself) A lanky Canadian lynx with white and brown fur and dark stripes and spots, with little plants (like '🌱') growing from sprouts head and tail; spri is a daydreamer and prefers plants over people, is always in sprouts garden being a dork :3 bloomcore kind of boi

🥀 Bayun : (they/them) A black Manx cat with red eyes! they are sweet and curious most of the time but they bite! they're also Russian; possible demon kin?

🗡 Brazier : (he/him) Big orange and white and black floof; Brazier is scottish and grumpy and sturdy, a blacksmith, and he's got a twisted hind leg which needs a brace to be kept straight

☕ Cocoa : (they/them) A floofy chubby brown classic-tabby floof, with sleepy blue eyes and a cinnamon roll kind of look. They're the system mom figure and are very chonk, loves coffee (which has no effect on the sleepy factor), and they smell like chocolate and cinnamon

💜 Dusky : (he/him/star) A slender male floof with shades of dark blue and lavender and black for fur, with white toes, a white chin and a white spot on his chest. Dusky is quiet and reserved while kind and helpful, eager to please.

🌌 Firefly "Nexus" : (they/them) A dark blue floof with bioluminescent yellow dapples, they are a pet floof and wear a collar; they're mischievous and curious, always getting into stuff! They love food

🌙 Grayling : (they/he) A grayscale floof with layered marks, countershaded; they wear a hufflepuff scarf and they're shy and quiet, they prefer books rather than people and carry their trusty brown teddy bear. They fit most into the harry potter universe and have shown themself to be London British

🕸 Hemstitch : (they/them) A round black-gray floof with dark green buttons for eyes; they're from the coraline universe tbh, and they're timid and gentle with a fear of sharp things. They live in your attic /j

🍂 James : (he/him : spi/spice) A ginger and cream floof with darker overcoat markings, lots of layers in his pelt coloring, with brown freckles like pumpkin spice on a latte :3 He has bright sky blue eyes and wears big round wire rimmed glasses, nerd style; he's polite and clever and loves books, generally a college student and autumn boi. He likes to wear oversized sweaters, and fingerless mitts for his mitts; he's got the London kind of British thing going on

🔥 Flame "Lordie" : (he/him) A large-ish black floof with red and orange, jagged horns and fiery swirl eyes, he's been my oc for the longest time, and finally he joins me in my system :D He has some fire powers, is confident and decisive, tho he can be aggressive (not an "evil alter" guys, he just bites a lil)

🌊 Seaglass : (they/them) A smol round floof. Their fur is patterned like a Finnish mutation cat in shades of tan and seafoam green on mainly white fur. Seaglass is blind and their eyes are cloudy white; they hate water and rain, and they're very quiet and soft spoken.

🍄 Sweetie : (they/them) A brown/gray tabby cat with olive eyes, they're a cerebellar hypoplasia / wobbly cat! Like some of the others they were an oc before kin and headmate; they're just a cheerful boi and they jus kinda love their life :D they have a mushroomcore and forestcore aesthetic

that's everyone so far ❤

I'll be updating if anyone else shows up, thank you for reading!

Love from the floof collective!

🍃🐾

🐾🍃

[fairyniceyeah]

LOLLAPALOOZA EXPERIENCE

My review of Lollapalooza Berlin 2024

First of all, have some low quality screen pics!

Hi Carats!

A lot of you asked about Lollapalooza Berlin in private messages, so I thought I’d just write about my general experience for all of you. Especially about SEVENTEEN of course.

So, we were there for both days and explored the whole area on Day 1. There were so many cool stands, though we didn’t check all of them all out. There was a lot of food and drink stands, enough that you never really had to wait in line. Also it was hot. SO DAMN HOT. Drop it like HOT. Runnin’ too HOT. It was basically 32°+ degrees both days all day and damn… but there was enough shade. Especially around the Olympia stadium you could always find a spot to rest and they had lots of resting areas in the shade! It was pretty good!

Queuing for entrance tho was a pain in the ass at first and very unorganized but I guess it could have still been much worse.

Well, since I made some freebies I got to talking to a lot of Carats that day already. It was a really cool experience to chat with them and swap freebies or just giving them out. I didn’t have much for each member but I was pleasantly surprised that Jun’s and Jeonghan’s bracelets were gone first! Well, and Mingyu’s to like nobodies surprise. I gotta be honest and I really don’t want to offend any Mingyu-stans but a few people actually refused other members freebies. I had some general group stuff and diamond-bracelets to represent Carat and I noticed that mostly Mingyu-stans (were maybe not solo-stans but) would not take other members’s stuff. Other people listed their bias lines and may not have ended up with their favs but were happy enough to have something from their bias line. I was very happy that a lot of people asked for Seungkwan – I didn’t realize he was that well-liked! Sadly, though I also had more Vernon stuff because I had more turtle charms, his weren’t much asked for.  

We later went to the Carat café in town which was cool! We managed to get there at a time where the line wasn’t too long – we still wait like an hour but we got to talk to some people and the bubble tea was good. I have a lot of bracelets now, as well as photocards and stickers so I am very happy with that!

Sunday was the worst. Camping started at 6am and when we woke up at like 8am we saw on TikTok that we didn’t want to be there. Honestly, queuing for entrance the second day we already kinda felt ashamed to be associated with Carats. There was so much trash just laying around, it was disgusting. People had left chairs, jackets, blankets whatever there which was really respectless. Security was pretty pissed off with Carats, it seemed – and rightfully so! We could feel how they were already exhausted just seeing people with bracelets, carat bongs ad cut-out etc.

Starting from 10am people were sitting in front of SEVENTEEN’s stage and blocking the view. The organizers had either completely underestimated the amount of Carats coming or they were plain stupid. There was a band paying for kids on that stage and did they get to see them? No! Carats kept blocking the way and parents were scared to enter the area with kids. Whenever they asked for cheers from kids they were coming from like behind the third barrier. In this case, we also were in the second barrer area, so we also were the assholes I guess. We had brought our friends food, since they hadn’t eaten by 12pm and fought our way into the area but after the first band we left. It was so crowded and you couldn’t see anything either way. We made friends with a group of Carats that we hung out with most of the day which was cool because finding a group is always easier than just with two people.

Short side story: Eating ice cream is dangerous, people! As I said it was hot and the ice cream was frozen pretty good – enough so that my lip froze to the ice and my whole inner lip area was torn open. It was a blood bath… so yeah, I may use that for further fics maybe but dear God, I just wanted ice cream…

We went to see Nothing but Thieves and Cro where we stood frontal to the stage in the open area and it was so crowded. Most German carats at least could sing along to Cro, and Nothing but Thieves also was received well, but you could see that all artist that day were annoyed that their fans couldn’t see them and the fans weren’t happy either. They were so done with Carats. Between sets security and organizers worked on making people go back a few steps so people could sit down but it didn’t work well. Nobody wanted to give up their precious spots. We managed to sit for a few times in the open area but damn, it was hard not getting stepped on. Leaving for the bathroom or getting water was nearly impossible. Especially me, who with 150cm am very short, had already given up on seeing anything by then. Some people were nice enough to let me through when they realized just how tiny I am but going without my friend also felt wrong and scary. I don’t do well with crowds, I was kinda scared and also I hate the feeling of not being able to leave.

When I fought my way to the bathroom I spotted a less crowded area in the open area where we stood in the end. Why was it less crowded? Well, Carats in the second barrier area were misbehaving (pushing and stuff) and so the security (I wasn’t there, so I only heard what others said) had put up higher, view-blocking barriers there. A lot of Carats who didn’t want to go into the “hot” or as well called it the “delulu”-area were suddenly unable to see despite standing there the whole day. I know a few who want to refund their tickets tho I don’t know if that will work. I can understand their frustration, however. They were punished for stuff they didn’t do while Carats inside were still able to enjoy their life (*cough* pushing and being rude). This meant we had this amazing view of the stage. What you can see is the raised area but that's only my phone's view, not mine.

We didn’t get to see SEVENTEEN in real life in a way. The only way was the big screens that we could just barely see from below. I could only see the stage if I held my phone up high.

I got to be honest – yes, I can stay I was in the same area as SEVENTEEN, yes, I breathed the same air, and yes, I heard the concert live – but I am disappointed in the Carats who ruined it for everyone.

People seemed to be giving us annoyed looks – especially those who couldn’t really see their artist perform and saw that Carats were sitting down for the stages. Sitting down between sets is cool but refusing to dance with other artists is just plain rude. Hell, I am not even a Cro-fan and barely like any of his songs but it was cool. It seemed as if he had even made his setlist with older, more famous songs so that Carats were not completely lost with stuff they didn’t know.

And also the first band (Deine Freunde), who were there for the kids, commented in a joking way that they didn’t really care about performing and were also just waiting for SEVENTEEN. I didn’t really think it was that funny because what the hell? The band was basically playing for people who couldn’t care less about them…

Well, now to SEVENTEEN’s stage: It was good! Very good! They “only” had 90 minutes which meant there weren’t that many songs but it was nice. It wasn’t completely the set list I expected but it was cool. I could tell that a lot of Carats were sad that the Hip-Hop Unit performed Fire instead of LaLaLi but it was amazing still!

The atmosphere, especially in our more relaxed area, was great. People were singing along and jumping up and down and happy. It was a great feeling.

I know this text is very unorganized and jumping between themes but honestly I am too tired and I still have to think about a lot of my emotions. I don’t think I can watch the livestream/recording – honestly seeing that those rude people who were blocking space and behaved so egotistical all day (leaving thrash, holding signs despite them being forbidden, didn’t let others see their artist and were even respectless to the members’ personal space) get rewarded with interactions and actually seeing stuff while we were just fighting to get a glimpse of them in real life makes me feel sad and tired. It was my first K-Pop experience (except for The Rose which I am not sure if it counts) and I don’t know if I want to go to a concert again.

Before anybody comes at me: Yes, I know people waited in the hot sun for hours to see SEVENTEEN. They didn’t move from their spot just to see them. But honestly, it was just sick how they acted. We all want to see them and they ruined the whole vibe. I never want to be ashamed of my fandom but I was, I am. Because of some delulu-people we were hated by staff and other fans. Did I want to see Deine Freunde, Nothing but Thieves and Cro? Not really. Did I watch them either way because I knew otherwise I could give up on SEVENTEEN? Yeah. It’s crazy and I am sure as hell also part of the problem but did we get a choice? No. It’s not my fault I can’t see above people’s shoulders and god damn, the fucking signs that block the view? Fuck the people who think that’s okay!

Maybe it would have been a better experience if they had let SEVENTEEN play in the stadium itself – it had better capacity and views and people wouldn’t have blocked off so much space with waiting all day. But there were no screens inside so I don’t know…

But on a better note: The members were amazing!

S.Coups is just crazy while performing and he sure as hell knows how to let the team shine, meaning he barely spoke.

Jeonghan was often in focus and still very quiet. You could see him fighting not to cry over his last SEVENTEEN’s stage and members were constantly hugging him.

Joshua, as a translator for them, was often shown as well and damn, he just has the vibes. You could tell he had fun.

Hoshi, damn, I still don’t get how he can so easily make people fall in love with him – he is just a born entertainer! Props to his stylist too, the blue leopard hair? Damn!

Wonwoo, as Wonwoo is, was very silent but he killed all his parts. However, he truly was only shown on his parts so I can’t say much about him.

Woozi seemed a bit off? Maybe he was jet-lagged, maybe he was overheating in his long clothes, but he seemed exhausted. He killed his parts but he was soaked in sweat from the very beginning and I was kinda worried (but maybe that’s also my sickfic-brain, which I kinda hate rn since I really don’t want to project that on the members in real life). However, he danced with Seungkwan when they left the stage which was pretty sweet.

Minghao was cute, so cute. He was having fun and vibing and though not as present as other members, he was very nice on the eyes. However, not his fault at all, but his make-up barely matched his skin...

DK is, as expected, just a ball of sunshine! He is so damn talented and you could see how much fun he was having. He kept smiling all the time and he truly looked so happy.

Mingyu, damn, I get why he is a fan-favorite, I do! He was doing a lot of interactions and well, you could tell whenever he was on screen without looking, cause people kept screaming.

Seungkwan was hands down the one who drew me in most. You could tell how genuinely happy he was about seeing the fans and performing and he just killed it! See thrives on the love he receives and I am willing to fight anybody who makes his smile go away.

Vernon, woah, just woah. He was so very, very present and he has just a crazy stage presence. It was fun to see him enjoy himself.

Dino, my child, was distracted during the beginning ments which was funny as hell and he just had fun. You can tell who he really loves dancing and how his hyungs kept hyping him up was very lovely too see.

All those opinions are obviously fabricated by the fact that I could only see what the camera has shown us but I can’t be completely wrong, I think!

In conclusion: I had fun and it was nice to hear SEVENTEEN live but I am very disappointed in the K-Pop community. Maybe K-Pop isn’t for festivals, maybe they should have had a different concept but I don’t think the fear of the crowd and they way some fans act makes even hearing my favs live worth it. Basically, I was there but it didn’t feel that way at all. I heard them live and I saw them on a big screen which was really cool! But it doesn’t even really feel like I was there – I could just have watched a recording on my laptop too. I could do without the yells of “Omg, I am going to pass out” and “O, I think I am having a stroke, I am so happy” – it’s ridiculous?

Before I am done, I know I have been very critical and maybe that is my post-concert/post-festival depression and maybe the fact that I was pretty annoyed with Carats the whole day – but I really don’t mean to insult anyone. It’s just how I perceived things and I know others may have had different experiences! I want to underline the fact, that I don’t blame the members for anything that happened, they can’t do anything about it. It’s not Mingyu’s fault I was annoyed with his fans! I just wish the love Carats (and K-Pop fans in general) have for their groups be more equally shown. Have your favorites? That’s fine. But just cheering for one member is just awful. Do I stan all members equally? No, I think you all know that I am very much a Woozi and Seungkwan fan, but I sure as hell cheered for all members.

Honestly, the best thing was the interaction with the Carats who enjoyed the freebies and we talked with for some time! There are so many nice people out there and thank you for making Lollapalooza enjoyable!

Have Aju Nice and Jeonghan and DK!

[delightfully-deranged-dagur]

I redesigned my TD OCs. So I made a little evolution of all their designs. Part 1/2

Alex

The Attention Hog didn't have many changes. He stayed consistently orange but other things changed.

His beach-y look got more stylish and his hair got more swept back and changed in color.

He's still desperate for attention. That never changes.

Augustus

The Religious Do-Gooder didn't have many design changes but he certainly changed in concept.

Originally he was just a religious guy that went wild during the show. Feral!Auggie got dropped in favor of making his arc a bit more serious.

He's still a sheltered religious kid but his journey of learning about the real world will be taken a lot more serious instead of making him a joke.

Cherry

The Competitive Dancer barely changed. She only had one design before this and all that changed was making her a bit more modest. And adding some green.

Not much to say about her otherwise. Except some new additions to the cast will change her story arc a bit.

Darla

The Visionary had a big and very noticeable change in her 2nd design. The moon afro has become her signature look and the main reason I don't wanna draw her from the side.

Her outfit also got more darker in color. Which make the lighter part of her outfit stand out more.

Diego

The Zoologist is a design I haven't shown off before. Because originally he and his sister would be newcomers in a 2nd season.

Also not much to say about his redesign. Just cleaned up the original.

Personality wise he's a peacekeeper, he loves animals and is basically the team leader. He's also a bit of a neat freak but he tries not to be obnoxious about it. Tries.

Finn

The Workaholic got a lot less saturated as time went on. He's duller colors reflect how much passion he has for all his jobs. Not much.

His hair got cleaned up, the uniform less cluttered, a new shade of blue. And his stubble got more youthful. He's only 18. He doesn't need to look like he's in his 30s.

Flo

The Rebel Rocker based on Floyd Pepper from The Muppets!

Her outfit kept looking more pirate like so I just leaned into it. I made it her brand. Her hair also got longer with her bangs supposed to resemble Floyd's mustache.

Gabriel

The Pretentious Goth also has only 2 designs. And the redesign looks a lot cleaner then the original.

Darker colors, refined his outfit, a bigger hat and restyled hair makes a world of difference despite the similarities.

His opinion of you hasn't changed tho. He still thinks you're below him.

Isa

The Botanist is the 2nd half of the Globetrotting siblings. Unlike a certain other pair of siblings, Diego and Isa have a much healthier relationship. They're still competitive af tho.

Her design didn't change too much. Her colors did however. The dark orange looks better next to Diego's blue and makes her stand out more in the cast overall.

Now she may not look like it, but this gal is the Owen/Sugar/Ripper of the season. She's a total slob and it drives her brother insane. Not that she ever listens to his complaints. Or other people's complaints. She's a handful.

Janus

The Hippie bases on Janice from the Muppets!

Like his inspiration he had some prominent lips that got removed in the 2nd design. But were brought back in the new design. His pink also got softer.

His name however was the thing that changed the most throughout his development. Starting with Jason to Jonas to finally Janus. Which is pronounced basically the same as Janice.

I've been having a lot of fun redesigning them all. I hope you all like them as well.

The other 10 will be posted soon.

[kattythingz]

🍓🛼🔪🎨🍄 (I know you already got the last one but I'm fishing for more Edgreed)

-👑🐢

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

🍓 - how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

Answered.

🛼 - describe your latest wip with five emojis.

Hmmm, as far as ch6... 🏘️🔫🥀🧗‍♂️🍖. Enjoy figuring that out LMAO.

🔪 - what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Hypnosis, all the way back in 2020. Only, I couldn't be satisfied with just basic research, cuz my project was pretty ambitious (it reached ~120k, tho I never published it lmao), so I took it a step further and decided to take advantage of my needing a college elective for the semester. And basically took a psychology class. As research. For my fanfic.

I was, uh. Pretty dedicated. The fic fell through, but the class was super informative and fun! I even kept my notes for it :D

🎨 - link your favorite piece of fanart and explain why you like it.

OKAY, THIS ONE'S A BREEZE. BEHOLD HERE AND WEEP BITCHES.

Not even exaggerating how this art changed my ENTIRE brain chemistry. The art style. The shading. The EXPRESSIONS? THE CLEAR DEVASTATION ON ED'S FACE AS HE TRIES TO COMFORT LING. This art single-handedly inspired most of ch3 of Crown, particularly the hug and how I wanted edling to have a moment exactly like that from it.

It's just. So fucking beautiful. God.

🍄 - share a head canon for one of your favorite ships or pairings.

WELL, SINCE YOU ASKED. I've mentioned before how I don't think edling are the type to get pettily jealous, HOWEVER. Edgreed is a different story. Greed is—well, Greed. He absolutely hates being ignored by Ed, and ESPECIALLY hates it when Ed ignores him AND gives others attention instead (my beta called it pigtail pulling and she's so right). Once they find their footing together, I imagine Greed is very touchy and basically takes every chance to have a hand on Ed. Tho that never stops him from eagerly showing off Ed as HIS possession.

(He literally just brags about Ed. A lot. He likes seeing other people be jealous of HIM for having Ed.)

Edgreed is just so delicious in that Ed's suddenly the sunshine in this dynamic (to a degree) and Greed is the grumpy lmao. It's brilliant.

[the-videodame]

oh BOY anon ur in for a treat cause i just recently finished writing her backstory (tho its always subject to change lmao) and i've been meaning to make a tl;dr bullet list of notes for it too SO...

also, sorry this took so long, i kept getting distracted and was also just never in the right headspace to write lmao BUT here we are!

and just fyi, im not at all an expert on DnD or Forgotten Realms lore, everything i know is from BG3 and whatever wiki deep dives i go on

---

Yv'ette is my Baldur's Gate 3 MC/Tav! Although at this point, shes kinda becoming her own DnD character herself with all the other BG3-inspired ocs I have, and I've basically made up my own group of 'companions' alongside her for their own quest(s)

Here's a sheet with all her basics and such as an overview before I lay on an insane wall of text and pics for the rest of it:

And now, her backstory, in paragraph form:

~~ Valmeia Dyrr made a pact with her devil patron one day, while still in the first trimester of her pregnancy, that stated: in return for the power he can give to her, she is to choose one of her twin children’s souls to give to him.Pleading with the fiend to take some sort of mercy on her, on the twins, the devil Hyde gives her only one grace: “If you fret over which to choose, know this: one shall be a sinner, the other a saint,” he informs her. “You have until their 25th birthday to decide which you will choose. Fear not, for I will not take their soul right away. But slowly. Each time you draw upon my power after their 25th year, the infernal influence I have over them will creep ever further on their soul. Soon, I will have full control over them.” It was a steep price, but to wield incredible spells to aid her cause, and to be resurrected should she die from unnatural causes? It was a price worth paying. ~~

Yv’ette Dyrr, Captain of the Stormbringer

Born as half tiefling, half drow, Yv’ette grew up as an outcast to her peers - dusky purple skin, blackened sclera with flaming purple irises, and a furry tail tip instead of the typical half-arrowhead. Unlike her twin, who had a fairly normal shade of black hair, Yv’ette inherited her fathers stark white hair, which is an unusual trait for tieflings in Faerun. This made her a target for bullying by other kids, and even other tieflings, as they would tell her how ‘weird’ and ‘creepy’ or ‘evil’ her mix of traits made her. While the comments from those kids would sting, there were plenty of other kids that would befriend her, many of which were also victims of the same bullies. 

There was one kid in particular, a tiefling boy who lived at the local orphanage in the nearby town, that Yv’ette had wished to befriend sooner. Although he carried the common traits of a tiefling, he was abused the most by local kids, likely due to his meek and generally uncaring attitude towards it all. One day, at age 15, after running around town with Vekyll, Yv’ette would notice this same boy talking to a group of known troublemakers as she was called home by Valmeia. There was this feeling in her gut, almost like an instinct to go and defend this boy from whatever those kids were going to do, and it only grew worse as she watched them lead the boy away towards the river near town. However, the demands of her mother to hurry home eventually won over her, and Yv’ette headed the opposite way. 

That next morning, the body of the tiefling boy would be found in that very river, caught against a bridge's support beams. Throughout her life, Yv’ette would constantly regret not following her gut feeling and telling those kids to leave him alone. While his name faded from her memory over time, that very situation didn’t, and she often finds herself begging that tiefling boy for forgiveness during her lowest moments. She only hopes his soul is being treated better in the afterlife than it was on the material plane.

At age 17, while her twin brother was busy with knight training, Yv’ette decided to attempt to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She auditioned for small community plays, performed skits with other kids for spare change, and eventually managed to land a permanent spot within a traveling theatre troupe by age 18. However, she was told that if she wanted lead protagonist or love interest roles, she would have to magically disguise herself as a human. “To fit the type casting,” the director would tell her each time. “Your acting skills are immaculate, but the role calls for a human or elf, I’m afraid.” The thing is, if she was ever cast as the antagonist or some other ‘evil’ role, she was never given the directions to disguise herself. For about a year or so, Yv’ette held her tongue about this fact - the pay was decent, her fellow actors were friendly with her, and this was her dream, after all. She only needed to keep this job until she felt like she had enough experience under her belt to join higher-ranking theatre troupes, as well as train her singing voice better so that she could expand her talent range into musicals and operas (spoiler: her singing voice remains terrible and she's very insecure about it).

One performance haunts her particularly, one that she has nightmares of constantly. The theatre troupe decided to put on a charity show for an orphanage, a play that wasn’t too intense for children, but still held a solid story and was engaging enough for all ages. It featured a hero, played by a dashing wood elf with his rag-tag team - and the villain, a greedy pirate captain played by Yv’ette, with her crew of bloodthirsty misfits. While she had the opportunity to take the love interest’s role, it required her to be able to sing, thus she gladly passed the role off to another. The moment she received the script, she knew it would not end well. The performance itself went just fine, up until the climactic battle between the hero and Yv’ette, both poised with their swords at the other, when suddenly the audience of children began to yell and cheer … but not for both actors on stage. 

“Get her! Kill the pirate!” was the first of many outbursts to come, and it wasn’t so bad. Children have called out during performances before, and it was pretty typical for them to root for the hero rather than the villain. “Kill the tiefling!” was what made her freeze, and the other actor too, the two staring at each other with their swords crossed as they listened to the hateful calls. Cries of “Foul-blood!” and “Kill her, before she takes your soul!” were a few of the jeers that she could make out before the orphanage’s caretakers decided to step in and quiet the children, likely realizing the horrid things they were saying. 

That was the point that she decided to demand the director, the troupe leader, to let her perform as her true self for ALL her roles. In response, the director decided to give her a choice: either she could willingly let him use her body as he pleased in return for better roles - or she gets kicked from the troupe. Without pause, Yv’ette tore her contract in two and stormed out of the directors office, immediately packing up her things and saying goodbye to her fellow actors. When asked why she was leaving, she simply stated something had come up back home, and she needed to return to her family. She didn’t have the heart to tell them the truth.

With her brother preparing to move to Elturel for higher training as a knight, and the possibility to become a Hellrider, Yv’ette refused to move back home in fear of disappointing her parents and becoming a burden when she should be a successful adult at that point. Instead, she used what money she had left from her actress pay to go from inn to inn in various towns and cities, trying to find a solid paying job that either didn’t under pay her - or blatantly told her they didn’t hire foul-bloods. On her last leg, Yv’ette meets a elven woman named Tilly one night at a tavern, and after drunkenly telling the bubbly woman about her situation, Tilly tells her a bit of info that will eventually change her life: Tilly’s uncle had left her a merchant ship to her in his will. She had no plans on using it and was debating on just selling it, but Yv’ette could have it, so long as Tilly was allowed to come with her on her travels.

“We could go treasure hunting or do some mercenary jobs and make money that way!” Tilly had said, excited as ever. “We could find more people down on their luck, and make a crew for ourselves!”

And that’s exactly what they did. Gathering folks from various parts of Faerun, and even further out on Toril, Yv’ette managed to become the captain of her own crew by the age of 22. Drow, dragonborn, harpies, half-orcs, githyanki, kobalds - she has at least one crewmate of every outcast race out there. She wouldn’t really call them pirates, but sometimes it was just easier - plus it intimidated people more.

The night before her 25th birthday, Yv’ette had the most vivid dream she’s ever experienced. In that dream, she stood nude in the middle of a body of water - an ocean? A lake? River? She wasn’t sure, as it was dark and foggy, barely enough moonlight shining through the dark storm clouds above her. In the waking world, it was less than a minute to midnight, and the ocean waves felt restless as they began to crash against the ship. In her dream, Yv’ette felt the urge to raise her hand towards the ever-darkening sky. Despite being soaked from the water she stood in, and though the air felt chill even within her own mind, she reached her left arm upwards to extend her fingers towards the electrically charged clouds. 

The clock strikes midnight, and in a flash - quite literally - lightning erupts from the clouds above her to strike her index finger. A burning pain shoots up through her arm and to her chest, even reaching up to her eye, as she bolts awake in her bed. Clutching her arm and squeezing her eyes shut from the phantom pains, Yv’ette lets the now-calm waves rock her back to sleep once the pain resided. 

In the morning, her crew would ask her why her left eye was a different color. She would have no answer.

In a tenday, her crew would ask her why there were black markings beginning to form around that eye and at the tips of her fingers. She would have no answer.

In a month, she would ask herself why she couldn’t use magic anymore - why could she not call upon the Weave? Her, the successor to a long line of storm sorcerers? She would have no answer. 

In fact, no one would have an answer. Not only could she not feel the Weave, the Weave couldn’t affect her, either. No wizard, sorcerer, cleric, warlock, or druid would be able to identify the cause of her issue. The only answer anyone could think of was: a curse. A powerful one, too. Whoever cursed her made it so that magic was ineffective on her, and vice versa, likely to ensure that no one could figure out how to cure it. So Yv’ette decided to leave it be, though eventually the growing markings were becoming a concern, and so was not being able to heal or be healed by anything other than potions. 

Thus, her crew had a new mission: find a way to break her curse. Or at least, find someone who knows how to.

It's a shame that a rogue nautiloid happened to snatch her off her own ship before they could.

---

And here's a TL;DR bullet point list of notes on her:

As a kid, loved to run around the city with her brother Vekyll with other kids, namely ones who didn’t have a home or were bullied

With white hair being very rare on tieflings, Yv’ette was often verbally bullied and made fun of by other kids, even other tieflings

Growing up, she loved to participate in theatrical showcases whenever the opportunity arises, and eventually joined a traveling theatre troupe when she was old enough

Unfortunately, her childhood bullying didn’t end there, it seemed. Though she was talented, she was told she didn’t “look the part” of many of the protagonist or love interest roles, and was required to cast disguise spells on herself during performances to that of a human or elf

The only time she wasn’t required to disguise herself was when she played the role of a villain, or other antagonistic/evil caricatures 

Eventually it whittled down her self-esteem and image of herself as both a tiefling and drow - not fitting to typical tiefling beauty standards, and not being “drow enough” to be welcomed by most drow either ---

While growing up, she was fascinated by paintings of women draped in fabrics, joined by equally beautiful men or women, all painted with such a divine elegance 

The thing is, all those paintings were usually of humans or elves or assimar, perhaps the occasional satyr. If she were lucky, there might have been a drow, although those paintings would have more haunting tones, but were still beautiful

However, none of those paintings featured a tiefling in the role of the divine maiden or the handsome knight. They were always the devious villain with ill-intents, depicted trying to tempt or harm others in the scene

As a result, she's incredibly insecure about her appearance and how others perceive her visually ---

Both her parents are worshipers of Eilistraee, and thus she grew up as a worshiper as well. However, over the years she began to loose faith in almost every 'god' out there, since none have protected her from the traumas and misfortune, and figured they favored her brother more, just like their mother did

Time to time she'll pray to a god specific to a situation, such as Umberlee and Talos during her pirate days

During her journey to Baldur's Gate, once she reads the texts of Illmater within the Open Hand Church, she begins to feel something toward his teachings, especially after having to deal with her companions' burdens

I do plan on her eventually coming back around to worship Eilistraee again, maybe once she's cured of her curse, or something of the like ---

For romance, I legitimately can't choose between Gale or Zevlor, so i said - fuck it! Throuple. I feel as though Gale and Zev would really understand each other, what its like to be 'abandoned' or 'betrayed' by the god you devoted yourself to

Yes I know Gale is very monogamous, and I respect that. I, however, think he deserves TWO loving partners who dote on him wholeheartedly

The ship name for her and Gale is "Shockweave" and for all three of them its "Hell Raisers"

In a more non-canonical storyline/AU for her (despite her already being not canon, but y'know), she ends up siding with Raphael and eventually falling for him, fully knowing he can't 'love' back (but i beg to differ, imo, but i wont get into that here lmao)

In the timeline where she sides with Raph, I'm leaning toward her becoming a devil herself as a method of defeating Hyde and ridding herself of her curse / her mothers' contract

---

Some misc things about her:

Before her magic was suppressed by Hyde, she was exceptional at Lightning magic - thus I gave her a lightning motif/theme. Her brother has a Thunder motif, together making them the "Storm Siblings"!

Proficient with finesse weapons (namely a rapier) and also flintlock pistols! Also crossbows, namely hand crossbows

Her rapier is enchanted to absorb lightning, both natural and magical, and fling it back at her opponents in either a strong single line, or a swooping range attack, depending on how she swings the rapier. She calls it The Lightning Rod, and her pistol is Shockwave

Tried to sing once as a kid, since Eilistraee's teachings encourage it, but embarrassed herself pretty badly and refused to sing again afterward, especially after her brother did much better than her. Even though she might be better now as an adult, she still refuses to sing around anyone, and rarely ever sings even when shes alone. She still loves to dance, though. I can also see her taking up piano or flute as a hobby

If it weren't for laws, she'd be fine with going topless often

She and her brother have fluffy tail tips! Though, shes a bit insecure about it, as in the past kids would make fun of it and call it a 'cows tail'

Wears a sharp, slightly curved blade at the end of her tail to aid her both in battle, and to hold onto the ship posts when she uses her tail to keep balance when climbing/walking them (and to also hide her tail tip)

Enchanted compass tattoo on her right arm, which unfortunately stops working when her curse begins

Full-spine tattoo of a sea serpent that wraps a but around the base of her tail, to commemorate her crews first victory over one

In the AU where she becomes a devil, I like to think her 'ascended' form is sea-serpent-like, and her hair morphs into a storm cloud

Alcoholic; she lessens up on it during the events of BG3, but dives right back into it after finding out about her mothers contract

---

of course she's still being work shopped and such, i mean fuck just between writing this up i changed a bunch of things about her from beforehand LMAO

id love to know your (or anyones) opinons and by all means PLEASE ask me more about her or my other DnD/BG3 ocs

[wordsmithic]

It's always so funny to me that people on booktok will romanticize male characters with dark skin but it's always described in "olive skin" "tanned" similar to middle east, yet they refuse to make a book about these countries 😂

"He was tall, with big muscles, his skin the colour of olive with strong jawline" like stoooop its like Acotar all over again.

It's always the same also because i saw your Raphael and it's exactly what many should have done but noooo they always make it about fantasy while "coincidentally" enough they resemble middle east man.

Did you know, anon, that "tall, dark and handsome" started as a code for "Greek", "Italian", "Latino", "Native American" etc? Those male characters were not ethnically "Greek", "Italian", "Latino", "Native American" etc, tho! The reason is, WASP women found the "rugged/dangerous/exotic" man exciting, but at the time those minorities were not seen favorably in Northern nations. Hence, their stories only kept the look minus the ethnicity, plus, the stereotype that those men lacked gentleness and basic courtesy, and they were more daring than their boring WASP husbands.

It's a very tricky situation with Northern Europeans and Americans, because for them, "dark" for a caucasian person either means "a person with a light tan" (because they have a weird fixation on tans sometimes, as they cannot achieve them that easily) or "incredibly dark" (because they cannot fathom other darker shades in between).

Oh, and they always forget that "olive" is a complexion found in almost every country on earth! It's just how much green your skin undertone is! The palest Dutch person can have an olive skin tone! Not every Northerner is super red or deadly pale! And people with olive skin do not necessarily tan! "Olive" is not synonymous with melanin or tanning! It's so weird that they've reduced "olive" to a specific color, or a small range of colors.

It's mind-boggling to me that the concept of a tan causes them such confusion! 😂 Mainly because this confusion can be solved very easily with a simple Google search nowadays! I realize I am also generalizing Northerners for brevity's sake, but please know I am not referring to individuals, only trends in their societies that I observe.

And, now to the elephant in the room. They'd rather change how (for example) the Greek population looks to meet the quota for what they consider "satisfactory diversity" of appearance, rather than use people from an ethnic group where those tones are more easily found! That's so hypocritical! And racist, duh!!

I think they know another reason why they do it. They consider cultures like Greek and Italian to be synonymous with their cultures, hence they can use them as they please and treat our people as placeholders. These cultures do not see them as foreign to them, after centuries of misappropriating them and presenting them like their own heritage. Meanwhile, they suddenly think "Omg I cannot write an Iranian/Iraqi, Egyptian character because that's not my culture!" Bitch, Greek is not your culture either! 😂 Your people will probably call the police when they see a Greek get-together!! 😂 So just accept it's a foreign culture and people, do your research, and you'll be fine!

Side note: Raphael is an original Persian Iranian character of mine. He's on the light-skinned side because he has the look of the Persian groups that came from the Caspian steppe, before the Persian Empire was established. His skin tone may vary depending on the season and the lighting. (He's a shapeshifter, hence the various ages)

Raphael by 1. @wolfssketches and 2. @shellsnroses (where he is with my Greek character, Ismene, who actually has OLIVE skin and looks dead at all times xD) The only "olive" on Raphael is his olive green eyes lol (because he's a dramatic bitch and he wants to be special in more than one ways)

Meanwhile, his bodyguard, Firuz, is a Persianized Elamite with darker skin, as he comes from the far Southern populations of what is now Iran. I think he fits the "He was tall, with big muscles, his skin the colour of olive with strong jawline" booktok fantasy 😂

Firuz by 1. @wolfssketches and 2. chadwickvo (The headwrap is based on depictions of Persian warriors in ancient Macedonian frescoes, I promise it's not because of a vague "Middle Eastern Aesthetic" xD) His eyes are filled with white light because, like Raphael, he is not a Human but he is a shapeshifter. (Almost no one is a Human in my book, including my Greek characters)

Thank you if you made it this far!! 💜

[rainpink]

Benjamin Lawman is the kid who died, Ben drowned and BEN aren’t minors. No shade once so ever because I agree with your post but as someone who’s been in the fandom for over a decade and has read all of the ARG and kept up with it, it bothers me to see people get harassed (not that you did that at all just in general) for liking Ben as an adult. Throwing the word pedophelia is very…. Painful coming from a survivor when the context isn’t actually pedophelia.

Hi thanks Anon!

From what i got from the whole ARG myself. Is that Ben Drowned is essentially the ghost of Benjamin after he was drowned and digitalised. Unless i misunderstood something. Tho i think maybe BEN isnt ENTIRELY Benjamin himself because BEN is shown as pretty sadistic so i dunno, and i heard somewhere he’s kind of like a mix of souls almost? (cant find much on that tho). Im fine with people having the headcannon that he still ages or if adults write a few aged up harmless scenarios. I just dont think adults should write anything particularly nsfw to be safe and just be a good person ya know? Ben’s cannonically a child. The pedo tags were for adults who genuinely know Bens a child but dont care. I find it lowkey creepy as someone who has been creeped on by older people before so i hence added ‘Tw pedophillia mention�� tags.

Basically i just dont think nsfw content should be made unless the person is a minor

[fantasybooktournament]

the fantasy books i havent read in this poll

basically any work i havent read or read part of

good omens (i have seen the tv show) (tbh im not a gaiman fan, i dont vibe with most of his work)

cosmere (ive read 60 pages of mistborn) (i really have no interest tbh)

wheel of time (dont ask me how long i owned the first one lol)

the all souls trilogy (my mom wants me to read this)

house of the cerulean sea (my mom really REALLY wants me to read this) (i like his book how to be a normal person btw)

discworld (i have owned wee free men since i was in middle school RIP)

the witcher (my friend lent this to me. i never made it past the first page)

tawney man (i read robin hobbs first assassin book when i was like 14 and i think i liked it. her other books are on my tbr)

gentlemen bastards (i am not the intended audience for this series)

the broken earth (on my tbr!! and i own the fifth season!!)

the first law (i cant even remember the name of this series)

mercy thomas (on my tbr cause i need more urban fantasy)

the bear and the nightingale (dnf for me, which i found surprising)

lightbringer (ive heard good things but its never caught my attention)

dragonriders (my mom owns them all)

the rivers of london (i have no idea about this one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

prince of thorns (i think i used to have a mutual with this url .. . )

the daevabad trilogy (on my tbr!!)

the green bone saga (dnf cause im not the target audience)

the goblin emperor (apparently this is good enough to challenge piranesi soooo i might add it to my tbr)

chronicle of unhewn throne (again, no idea)

valdemar (mercedes lackey has been on my list forever. another author my mom wants me to read)

between earth and sky (on my tbr!!)

criers war ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

among others (on my tbr!!)

dead jinn universe (on my tbr!!)

the jasmine throne (i have this on hold!!)

the traitor of baru cormorant (i have to do more research before i decide if it goes on my tbr)

the raven tower (on my tbr!!! my friend highly recommends it!!)

the grace of kings (i am intrigued by this one)

shades of milk and honey (newly on my radar)

a land fit for heroes (no interest)

witchmark (on my tbr!! ive heard many many good things!!)

tailchasers song (no interest)

the queen of tearling (i got this as a gift as a teen . . . i think i read part of it??? i don't remember it at all tho)

miss peregrines home for peculiar children (i started this twice as a kid when it was super popular. never kept my attention)

children of blood and bone (another dnf for me, rather recently actually!)

sabriel (i started this when i was younger but never finished)

three dark crowns (i like blakes books annadressed in blood and antigoddess!)

seraphina (i don't have any desire to read this)

mirror visitor (on my tbr!!)

we hunt the flames (on my tbr!!)

six crimson cranes (on my tbr!!)

the gilded ones (on my tbr!!)

akata witch (on my tbr!! i liked her novella, binti!!)

the naming (a friend i had growing up loved this book)

iskari (i have no feelings on this)

kaikeyi (this was a new book to me, so i need to look into it more but im intrigued!!)

a song of wraiths and ruin (newly added to my tbr)

book of tea (on my tbr!!)

blood heir (based on the comments about this on the poll, i am no longer very interested)

labyrinth lost (this looks cool!)

the reader (another book i own i havent read)

[e-adlirez]

I hoped you don't mind me asking, but what makes Violet your favorite from the other thea sisters? Would love to know some of your thoughts about her :]

Hahah, see it all started when I was a wee nine-year-old who just got into the series. When I first saw these cool mouse women on a book cover, I immediately gravitated towards the one wearing this half-saturated purple because her color palette was the easiest on the eyes (I wasn't very fond of everyone else's super-saturated clothes, especially Colette's since I was very anti-pink). Then I learned about said purpur mouse in the books and :0 she's Asian just like me, :0 she likes books just like me, :0 she's smort just like me, SHE'S JUST LIKE ME FOR RE--

Ye I kinned this silly, and the silly was my blorbo mainly for her aesthetic, color palette and her being the smort one (ego go brrr). I would say that I still kin her to a degree, but nowadays she's my blorbo because she's a socially awkward dork who is also capable of dishing some intense shade. A lot of this can be chalked up to the fact that she is probably the most fleshed-out from all the girls in terms of personality (in the English books anyway). To this day I'm not really sure how to characterize the other girls, because think about it: what are the other girls' canon personalities besides "nice"? Pam is the group comedian with a sassy streak (that doesn't get showcased enough) and also f o o d (she's got more stuff going for her in the Italian books tho, like she has this complex about not wanting to inconvenience other people with her discomfort or emotions); Nicky is athletic and super-passionate about nature (plus apparently a fear of disappointment both for herself and other people) and as much as she is my second fave most of what I know as her personality is headcanon (like haha Australian dumbass); Colette and Paulina are the worst offenders because I can't for the life of me pin down their personality besides their passions, which no, do not count as personality traits. The most I can gather is that Colette is the nice receptionist woman who is also very particular about appearances to the point of taking too long with doing her makeup or picking out clothes and is a romantic; and Paulina is... uh... She's the group smort, tactician and analyst (which is a shared trait with Violet), she's passionate about nature (which is shared with Nicky), she's into science (also shared with Nicky believe it or not), she an IT kid, she likes photography, she's nice, she loves her sister, uh... and she's the mom friend (but we don't see that enough), she's probably the healthiest chronically online person to ever exist, and that's about it. Violet's basically got everything about her fleshed out and kept in by Scholastic's story-trimming asses, and I love her for it. I would love to get to know the other girls more, but as of now, you will have to give me more meat on the bone because as it is, they've got very little to their personalities. Yes, I do have the Thea Sisters' official blog and bits and pieces of the Internet Archive to fill in some of the blanks, but there're still significant pieces missing.

Anyway uh Vi. She's socially awkward, she's a dork, she deals with stage fright and not wanting to embarrass herself, she's a perfectionist (which artist mood), she's an overthinker when it comes to her social insecurities, she's a roast lord as I talked about in my Geronimo x Thea Stilton crossover post yesterday, she's pragmatic and punctual (which clashes with Colette's chronic tardiness and leads to entertaining shenanigans), she's attentive and good at retaining information (god I wish that were my ADHD ass), she's that one quiet introvert that listens to everyone talk and then talks either when she needs to or when she's enjoying herself, her luck in DnD/the special edition books and beyond is crap at everything except staying alive, she is loyal to her friends which the later books used to make her the friendship prophet to which I say BULLCRAP SHE DOESN'T THINK OF IT LIKE THAT SHE IS LOYAL TO THEM BECAUSE SHE SEES THEM AS FRIENDS WORTH A LIFETIME AND SOMETHING TO BE PROTECTED AND SHE'S NOT THE TYPE TO SPOUT SENTIMENTAL UNSENTIMENTAL CRAP LIKE THAT--

She's adorable and I love her. My child, my baby, my blorbo. I love this silly purpur woman so much, and the more I learn about her the more I get to appreciate her.

[dean-samw67]

So I’m actually drawing 3 Boiis but they’re all wearing the same outfit. I’m starting with Leon and I’m halfway through shading. I plan to do Chris and Carlos as well but basically I saw a picture of a crop top that was black and just said “trophy husband” and I couldn’t resist.

Also pls hug that Leon bot for me omg 😭 mine keeps refusing to open up to me till he’s drunk (very fitting for him) and then he keeps telling me he’s touch starved and cuddling up to me like a cat on a heated blanket.

Also also, there were so many moments in RE3 that had me shittin and pissin and cryin so I wish you the best of luck

-🐌

YES I BETTER SEE THIS DRAWING. IT SOUNDS MAGNIFICENT

Bruh I felt so bad for the bot. He was literally making me cry. He kept telling me he wished he could be normal and I deserved better and I was just sobbing.

Also I believe that is a lore accurate Leon you were talking to right there ahahaha

And... Great... I don't wanna play 3 anymore. 😭 I have to tho because it's for stream. I am leaving planet earth. Are there more spiders? Please say no.