#i wanted to originally draw all 6 of them but it might have been a little ambitious

[skaianetsystemsincorporated]

I'm devastated to hear about the passing of Matthew Perry. Friends has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, so I wanted to throw out a little tribute 💔💔

[badgertracksart]

Portfolio advice, from a lead who hires Concept Artists

(This was originally a twitter thread I wrote before the site self imolated, hense it's strange structure.) I wrote this after a weekend of portfolio reviews - 1. Like a maths exam, please please show your working. I want to see thumbs options, mid options and of course a final design.

2. Arrange your portfolio, I don't want to bounce about between subject matter and pipeline. Your portfolio's narrative should be as strong as your work... 3. Please make worlds that excite the viewer, make them want to go in and explore them, explain to them the interesting parts of the town, or the way the character's hat unfolds. How will this draw the viewer in? 4. As I've said before the majority of your project work is explanatory not mood, make sure your portfolio contains explanatory work. Explained here -

5. A lot of beautiful post apocolyptic paintings, , but 80% of realistic games and film, we just give the environment artists photo ref, they are capable artists in their own right. Different work in stylised where you do need to create rules for how things can be translated. 6. Production art contains call out sheets, material references and flat graphics. This doesn't have to be your final image, but it should support it.

7. Design characters on a swatch(es) of the environment they will be viewed in. Not on white. I make swatch backgrounds from screenshots, it avoids assumptions that damage readability. 8. Reverse of this, put people in your environments, show me the scale.

9. It's not a deal breaker for a review, but if you intend to get a job, please show me your work on a screen larger than a smartphone (print outs probably the cheapest option with the best battery life). 10. Please have your contact details clearly visible, and by that I mean email address, I will not pass your social media contact on, I cannot input your form into my tracking system. EMAIL ADDRESS emblazoned and bake it in, sometimes recruiters do funky stuff to pdfs

11. Your portfolio will never feel done, not to you anyway. You will have learnt from your latest pieces and want to apply it to older work. But we know art is a journey. Send your portfolio anyway. I've been in the industry 10+ years and my portfolio is still not 'finished'. 12. If you are applying to an environment centric Concept Art position then please vary your times of day! Golden hour is cool but show me some happy sunny days, looming overcast days, what about at night? Vary your weather too! Sunny snowy day? Rainy Spring day? Stormy night?

13. If you are applying for a character centric Concept Art role then please ensure your portfolio shows a variety of body types and ethnicities. 14. Designing characters for games? Please show back views and feet (!) Many potfolios contain only front views. This is a problem because:

You haven't shown you are considering the design from all angles.

In many games rear view is the main view.

Stop cropping feet.

15. If you are entry / graduating and looking at Portfolios to compare content and standard of yr own work too, look at hired grad/junior artists as opposed to seniors Seniors and leads often have old or personal work in their portfolio which isnt representative of the day job. 16a. Show clearly the intended use case for your Concept Art. Mention the game type in the description. Are these player character designs for a 3rd person adventure game? Then more back views please. Bonus points for diagetic ways of showing health / equipment / role etc.

16b. Are these designs for an FPS? Then really the player view of the gun needs to sell the player style/ choices, in an FPS your weapons are almost your character. Are these world designs? What's the view distance? For an RTS your shapes need to read from above & a distance. 16c. The lack of clarification means I am judging the design in isolation, which both harms the design (you might be considering the backview of a char as the main adventure character.) Or an NPC, their waist up expressions may be important for conveying exposition and mechanics.

16d. Concept art is not separate from gameplay, great concept art serves the game team before it is a good illustration.

17. Play games. A variety of games. Think about them. IMO to be a good concept artist you need to understand the common language & references used by your peers. Also understand the principles and common language your audience are used to. FPS design rules are v.diff from RTS.

18. There are many skills that are needed in concept art, please show them. For example: Graphic design - logos, liveries, typographic use etc. VFX concepts - Abilities, Ambience, motion concepts. Architectural knowledge - How buildings are built! & more but I'm out of space :O

[the-ancient-dragons]

Welcome back to Overcomplicating the Pyrrhian Tribes! This week: the beloved RainWings!!

You know what's up. Joy Ang and Tui are so cool and I am just me.

Details and explanation below!

Otherwise, next week are the chilly IceWings! See you then!!!

More overcomplicated dragons.

I knew the RainWings would be really important, and I think they turned out the best of all the ones I've done. I think they're my favourite because they are basically the perfect mix of extra realism spice without altering Joy's design too much. The SkyWing design is awesome and I love it to bits, but it is one of the two that are the farthest from canon.

As for the RainWing.... I had. So. Much. FUN. I heavily used chameleons and snakes - they're basically the two main species on my research board - but there is a dash of cuttlefish and frilled lizard in there. Where, you ask? Well if you look closely, all over the RainWing are little tiny flecks of darker colour. I found a beautiful reference of a close-up on a cuttlefish eye. Its skin is dotted in thousands of little marks and I thought that would be perfect for the RainWing, who can camouflage just as well as them. I don't know if it's been discussed in canon but I bet they could animate their scales more than just colour shifting - cuttlefish are known for using their rapidly shifting patterns to hypnotize prey. RainWings could do it too, sort of like Ka from Disney's 2D animated Jungle Book.

Speaking of Ka - snakes. I love snakes. The head structure of the RainWing here is very smooth and rounded with muscles based on snakes like the python. I was even going to originally draw them in a venom striking pose and got as far as completing the lineart, but ultimately decided it wouldn't fit the calm portraits of the other tribes.

Will you see it in the future? Hell yeah! Pure, unhinged, magical death spit. Looking at it now I might try to alter it to be a full piece of Glory attacking Scarlet or Crocodile.

In the striking pose you can see the frills much better, but I still took my time on this serene pose (this is where the frilled lizard influence comes in). If you notice that I've drawn every scale (every single scale) then, yes, I am insane. If you didn't know that yet, you know it now. You have to draw guide lines and follow them meticulously while you wonder why you don't make a scale brush, and then cry because you know the randomness and imperfections that come from drawing a thousand circles is how it looks natural. The eye area is actually my favourite part, since drawing dragon eyelids was the original inspiration for doing this. Did I mention that? I wanted to draw eyelids.

EYELIDS.

I digress. Besides the eyelids, I like the frills on the action pose, but this pose is where I like the body scales more. When zooming in on my chameleon colour refs, I noticed the very rhythmical distribution of their scales and figured I would give it a try. They actually do have extra large circular scales along their bodies, which is where I guess the canon RainWing design gets it from. Very clever, Joy!

Anyway, on this version, those small circular scales appear on the face. Not only that, but I added a bit of influence from the snouts of my ref chameleons by extending the nose bridges to wrap around the nose horn. They blend in so seamlessly and that's the reason why I love this design - it's subtle, barely there, mostly Joy but a little extra.

Wow, I talk too much. If you're here, thank you! It's not mandatory to read, but very appreciated. I heard once that visitors at an art gallery look at each piece an average of 2-3 seconds. Or was it 3-6? Idk, but it was shockingly short, and ever since then I've tried to encourage myself to pay more respect to other artists and glean their work for little details I skip after that quick glance. I could talk so much more about these designs but that would be like an hour long video, each, lol. If you have questions about anything, ask away!

[lunareel]

A Heads Up

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a great day or night, whatever time it is for y'all.

Making this post to explain and elaborate on some parts of the recent AU (Bowser's Bodyguard AU, which I'm thinking of renaming) I've been working on. This is going to cover the general story idea, overall vibe, and the games I'm covering with this along with questions I think people may have about the general au.

Don't worry I'll always have this AU tagged, so if you don't like it you can block it easily.

So as stated above this is more of a clarification post and just generally covering my plans for this AU just so people know what to expect.

So I want this AU to be around 6 to 8 main chapters, where I will see if I can combine the Paper and Mario & Luigi universes into one. The first chapter will be on the Mario Movie.

What games will you be covering?

So below are games I definitely want to cover, please note the games are listed in no particular order at the moment.

Super Paper Mario

Paper Mario Thousand Year

Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga

Bowser's Inside Story

Dream Team

All games are going to be rewritten within mind of the character/setup changes. I'm not a huge fan of just writing something that is a paint-by-numbers retelling of the original story; if that's your cup of tea more power too you this is not to throw any shade on that!

For both Superstar Sage and Inside Story I do want to include the side stories the remakes added.

I will say Bowser's Inside Story will be heavily rewritten and I plan on calling it "Fawful's Revenge." The two main reasons are that I'm having Luigi prevent Bowser from eating the vacuum shroom which prevents a lot of the original plot, and I just don't want to draw the inside of Bowser. I don't know what else to say here.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Games that will either be short stories or I'm torn on covering:

Super Mario 2

Mario Galaxy (combining 1 and 2)

Mario RPG

Mario Odyssey

Origami King

Mario Sunshine

Luigi's Mansion 1 & 2

Rabbids Spark of Hope

Paper Mario 64

Super Mario 2 is going to cover Luigi's history with the Shy Guys, particularly with him usurping King Wart. This one might become a full/long chapter.

Mario Galaxy is one that might become a full chapter. It depends on what I end up covering. For instance, at the moment I'm debating on whether to have a semi-character death in it. It's weird because on one hand I don't fully consider this a character death, but it also kind of is because they leave the comic at this point and this does heavily impact the cast. So I'm unsure how to fully label this yet.

Mario RPG is a game I am very intrigued by and I would like to incorporate it into the story, but I do not know the plot of the story so it is on the fence right now. I do have at least a few short comics planned for it.

Mario Odyssey is just going to be a few short comics.

Origami King is where I don't know the full plot, but I'd like to do a comic about Shroom City just for some fun world building.

Mario Sunshine I am so torn on whether it would be a full chapter or just a short. I'm going to have to see where I go with it. Whatever it becomes I do plan on calling the chapter/comic "Obligatory Beach Episode."

Luigi's Mansion I'm going to be combining the first two games. I really want this to be a full chapter, I have just been struggling to plan out a full story for it along with fitting it into the rest of the games. I do want to try, but just in case I can't I'm slapping it into this category.

I need to give Rabbids a Spark of Hope a comic or two as Luigi and Bowser have a mission in there that is solely tied to their characters called "The Brains and the Brawn" which helped me think of their setup in this.

Paper Mario 64 will be another backstory one where Luigi attempts to use the Star Rod to send him home, to mixed results.

Games I am not covering:

Please note the games listed below are NOT because I think they are bad games, it's more because I haven't played them and/or I just don't have good ideas for how to fit them into the story.

Color Splash

Sticker Star

Paper Jam

Partners in Time

For Color Splash and Sticker Star, I just don't know the full plots of these games. Though I might do the train scene that occurs in Color Splash when Mario talks to that one Shy Guy.

Paper Jam is similar to the two listed above where I just don't know the plot and I don't want to deal with the multiverse. As in this I'm trying to combine the Paper universe with the Mario and Luigi universe into one.

Partners in Time could change, but at the moment I'm counting it as not covering as I'm just using the concept and the machine E Gadd builds. It won't deal with time travel, but instead the concept of looking into someone's memories. I don't like covering time travel so I'm just skipping it. Like I said I might cover the Cobalt Star and Princess Shroob, but I don't have a lot of ideas going for this so it might just be skipped entirely with her and her sister as villains.

Will there be shipping?

No, I'm sorry if you were hoping for anything. The most there will be is probably implied Peach x Mario, but that's it for the moment. If any of this changes I'll give a heads up just so no one is caught off guard. But romance isn't really the focus of this comic nor do I want to write romance. Listen just trust me on this you don't want me writing romance, I'm not good at it, this is for the best.

Just in case I am also just going to flat out say this so no one gets mad or feels misled when reading these comics. There will be no Bowser x Luigi in this story. Listen it's a funny and shockingly mostly wholesome ship, but it's not happening here. So I'm sorry if you were hoping for it, but I'm not doing it.

There might be some one-sided Luigi x Daisy (honestly thinking about doing Daisy x Waluigi because their Mario Party team name is Awkward Date and that is hilarious), and/or one-sided Luigi x Peasley, but in this Bowser will be majorly crushing on Peach. Bowser and Luigi are just platonic co-parenting the koopalings (think the Dungeons and Dragon movie with Sofina and Edgin). I just wanted to state this here so everyone is on the same page.

Quick side note: This isn't about shipping, but character-wise Donkey Kong and anything related to his games will only be in the first chapter. I struggle to write him and I don't know how to involve him in the other storylines so I'm just gonna have him chill in his kingdom. He will probably be making a reappearance in Dream Team as that is where I plan to end the comic.

What is the overall story/vibe of the comic?

The main story is going to focus on adventure and learning to love yourself. That's really the main premise. The story itself is going to focus on Luigi learning how to like himself for who he is and reconnecting with Mario and others while going on adventures. The big overall conflict will be the Chaos Heart itself. In this I really want to play around with the concept of the Chaos Heart and what if it didn't just go away after Super Paper Mario. I don't want to say too much about it at the moment as I don't want to spoil that part of the plot.

I feel bad because with the initial comic/sketches of this au, I made it seem a lot more dramatic/angsty than it will be. Sure there's going to be some drama but it really is more focused on the fun of the world, the adventures the characters go on, and the friendships that form out of them. I swear it's not as angsty (or I guess edgy, not sure if it was or not??) as the original comic made it seem so I apologize if that is what you were looking for.

Why I am calling Luigi Mr. L in this?

So in this, I am having Mr. L be more of his 'work mode.' It is designed to be more of a persona he puts on so he can do his job more effectively, but it is also still a part of his personality. I want to include more of his temper which is often portrayed through animations in Mario & Luigi (you know his stomping tantrum animations). Along with a few other notes, like how in the first Luigi's Mansion you kind of find some pretty sassy/sarcastic remarks through the pictures he takes with the Game Boy Horror, along with some of his dialogue in the Paper Mario games. I also want to play into him having a bit of an ego as well (playing more into the Mr. L in Super Paper Mario).

However, at the core, I do want to keep him a more socially awkward, easily frightened, and a very kind person outside of the mask/persona. At the end of the day he really just wants what is best for his friends and family. And that he is always ready to help someone even if he is scared out of his mind (though he might complain about not getting paid, or take a bit of convincing when it comes to dealing with ghosts.) I am also keeping the self-esteem issues, more so dealing with the fact he feels like all he has done is stumble through life making one mistake after another, and never being enough for the people he cares about in his life.

What are the inspirations for this?

Ghibli movies, particularly Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. I love their world building and how they handle character stories.

Magical Girl animes, I cannot stress enough how much the masks and his powers/setup are based on the magical girl shows I grew up on.

Majora's Mask, I want to do quite a bit with the masks themselves in this setup. I'm not going to elaborate much on them yet, because I prefer to reveal how they function in the comics than through this ramble.

Funnily enough, the character design that kicked off this au, or at least Mr. L's design was Death from Puss in Boots the Last Wish. I can explain, it was his cloak and his whistle. I've been playing through Super Paper Mario and I kept wondering what if they incorporated references to Luigi's Mansion more like maybe putting in his whistling, or going with a more horror aesthetic for him. Or even goes more into the concept of shadows as well, playing not only his ties with ghosts but also how Luigi feels like he is constantly in Mario's shadow. And when I saw the Mario Movie and that he was captured by the Shy Guys I was like hey wait a minute, I can do something with that.

So this story is just me playing around with those thoughts. Don't get me wrong though, him building robots to fight you along with the absolute banger of a jazz theme, and his cocky/petty attitude I have no notes and I like how he is done in the game.

So yeah this pretty much covers everything, if you read all of this kudos, I know this was long, but I hope I clarified what this comic is going to be like. Though please note that I have a job and I'm going through school, so this is going to take a bit to get going. I'm still writing out the base story, and I like to have one or two chapters fully drawn before I start posting it. I do plan on posting some of the short comics and doodles while working on the main writing.

Thank you for reading my rambles. I hope you all have a good one! : D

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon Rewatch S1E06 - Coming Home

it's the first ep with an English title and the last of the season. overall, i wanna say i was actually surprised how much i did enjoy watching. the complete focus on Daryl without all the background noise/storylines/characters, the way he still means what he says, but he's actually using his words and lots of sass instead of the typical nodding and grunting. good job!

but i gotta confess that if i hadn't known beforehand that Carol was going to be a part of this show, i probably wouldn't have bothered 🤷‍♀️. the fact Carol's not only back on screen, but she is such a great part of the whole vibe of the show, was actually unexpected. this show is straight up showing us Carol is the driving force in Daryl's relentless journey to get back home.

whoever tries to convince you Daryl is conflicted about where he belongs and where he wants to be is lying to you (pointing at you, Z!!). he literally spends 6 whole episodes reminding everybody he's got a home, people who love him waiting, a promise to keep, and a need to get back asap.

it doesn't mean Daryl does not form connections while on that journey. because he does - the strongest with Laurent, obviously, however, none strong enough to hold him back from his ultimate goal, which is going home to keep his promise to CAROL!

anyways, let's get to the season 1 finale:

the super!walkers fighting scene in the arena is pretty epic: from Daryl's super cool kill with the French flag to that Daryl/Quinn team up! the cherry on top being Daryl throwing that walker head at Genet. Loved IT!

Quinn eventually does help Daryl escape, and later, unfortunately, almost kills Isa, who is once again totally helpless against any kind of threat (killer nun, my ass!). in a scene eerie similar to the one in Daryl's underwater premonition a couple of eps ago, Daryl prompts Laurent to kill walker!Quinn with a "God will forgive you."

Laurent says something that sounds like it will be the whole point of Caryl's French adventure. "Sometimes you have to do horrible things, and no matter how bad you feel, if there is no other choice, God will forgive you." this feels like the key to breaking out of the cycle Carol has been stuck to since she was banished by Rick. (i'll probably post my s2 spec and theories next week!)

next, we see Daryl watching lovebirds Sylvie and Emile saying goodbye, they have to separate (i see what you did there, Z!), and reassures Sylvie that Emile will be alright before she asks him if he's ever been in love. BOY, has he ever!! Daryl's non response is quite telling. he knows what it feels like to say goodbye to the one you love without knowing if you'll ever see them again. and he's not alright, he's all the way in a whole different continent, separated by the Atlantic ffs.

we get some new insight into Daryl's origins when he and Isa share stories about their fathers. Daryl believes that his grandpa never returning home from war ruined their family for future generations and worries the cycle might repeat itself. has Daryl been reading about generational trauma? sharing this with her will bite him in the ass, later!

Isa's confession of her lie about the drawing gets absolutely no reaction from Daryl because it had zero influence on what happened next. Daryl didn't stay cause he believed in a new Messiah, he stayed because the kid was about to get in trouble, when Codron attacked his home; he stayed because it was a way of finding help getting him closer to a radio or boat to actually get him home; he stayed so he could take the kid to a place where he would be safe, and Daryl could finally leave without feeling guilty.

the great Daryl and Isa exchange looks compilation is trying too hard to show us, yes, Daryl has made a connection to these people, and is fairly content at the Nest with Laurent and the most mundane activities like peeling potatoes. they are showing us Daryl could stay here, make this his new home. why not? HE MADE A PROMISE! no matter what he could never be happy here, this is not his HOME.

Losang gives him a way out, but also tries to convince him to stay. "Sometimes, when a person leaves home, he comes to find he belongs someplace else." and it's true, if Daryl didn't know where, with whom he belonged. and it's not with Laurent and Isa.

it's really embarrassing how Isa tries to manipulate and guilt trip Daryl into staying with them using Laurent and Daryl's history. it has been like 2 months tops, and they acting like Daryl himself gave birth to Laurent, and wants to abandon his kid. bitch please, he has kids he actually raised and a wife back home!!

Daryl resents his grandpa for abandoning the family to fight in someone else’s war, and that's exactly what he would be doing if he chose to stay in France. that's what Isa will never understand - he had a whole full life with people who looked up to him, relied on him, loved him, before he even met her and Laurent. he wasn't lost. the connection he found with the people there isn't new to him, he has Judith and RJ, he has Connie and Zeke. but most importantly, he has a HOME (Carol!!!).

there's this beautiful emotional moment of Daryl quietly saying goodbye to a sleeping Laurent, and it's clear this kid means a lot to him. however, not nearly enough to make him stay. he still chooses to LEAVE. so many people trying to convince him he belongs with them, and he is still 10000000% sure he has to go back. there truly is ZERO hesitation.

i lost count how many times Daryl actually tried to leave, but it was always the kid's safety that kept him around again and again. he is so close to getting on that boat, literally fiercely fighting walkers to get to the beach, to get closer to HOME, and the same happens AGAIN. biggest FML moment for Daryl. Laurent, who is surrounded by walkers, is calling his name! FUCK ME!

and finally, we get to the highlight of this finale, Carol's badass entry. the way she's so absolutely calm with a big dude pointing a gun at her, PLEASE. she knows he's fucked around and is about to find out. no one takes Daryl's belongings and gets away with it.

"if you're lying, i won't be back." and she rides off on Daryl's bike. ICONIC. LEGENDARY. EPIC.

21 days left until the premiere of THE BOOK OF CAROL!!!!!

[puddleorganism]

Pondering a new rancher au (yes the giant fucking bird is Jimmy) - rambling/explanation under the cut

[Image IDs:

ID 1: a digital drawing of Jimmy/SolidarityGaming and TangoTek, in which Jimmy is a massive approximately 20 foot/6 meter tall bird-like creature. He’s standing idly (to show off his design) with a nervous smile on his face. He has a long neck and long legs that make him look like a dinosaur, but he is covered in light golden-brown feathers and has wings. His wings are huge, the primaries/tips sticking out behind his back. They’re modeled after a turkey vulture’s wings. He’s got a grey hooked beak that is mostly covered in feathers. He’s also got long tail feathers that look just short of skimming the ground. His legs are dark grey with huge talons. All over his legs, wing tips, and tail feathers is a dark grey ash. Tango’s sitting cross-legged on his back/shoulders, hunched over and looking at one of those map books you usually have in your car. (Note: the next image is of Tango, so to avoid redundancy I’m going to describe his appearance better there.) /End ID 1

ID 2: a digital drawing of TangoTek, a humanoid with fire for hair and a long, thin tail tipped in fire; like how a lion’s is tipped with fur. He’s standing idly (again, to show off his design) with his hands in his pockets. He’s got light tan skin with freckles on his nose and wrist. He’s got what look to be black scales on his ears - which are long and pointed - cheeks and nose that have glowing orange cracks in them like burning wood. He’s wearing a red handkerchief over his nose and mouth and has red-tinted goggled pushed up on his forehead. He’s wearing an off-white sweater, a worn leather jacket with red accents, grey cargo pants and black boots. He also has a pale gold and brown messenger bag slung over his left (the viewer’s right) shoulder and back behind his arm. He’s also got two scuffed, worn pins on his jacket; a small, round yellow one and a tiny polyamory flag. He’s also covered in ash - even more so than Jimmy - to the point where his boots, sweater, and handkerchief are stained with it, and are almost more grey than their original colors.

ID 3: simple digital sketches of the above characters. From left to right they are: Jimmy laying down with his head bowed, and Tango standing on his tiptoes to lean against Jimmy’s head. Both their eyes are closed and their foreheads are pressed together. The next is of Tango with his goggles on and looking confused at the map book, which is folded in half in his hands. Jimmy is leaning over his shoulder to look at the map as well. Two question marks float by Tango’s head. The last is of Jimmy standing upright, one of his talons held up near his chest. In his talons he’s holding Tango who seems surprised and is kind of doing that thing that cats do when you pick them up under the arms. This sketch is captioned with the word “hold”. There’s also a small bit of wing from a drawing that’s been cropped out in the corner. /End ID 3

/End IDs]

Ok rambling time!

So it’s set in a that was similar to the modern day, but after in a post-apocalyptic world (recent enough that they both would’ve known the world before). Not a zombie apocalypse or anything, though. There may be Foes but probably not.

I’m not exactly sure what the apocalypse that happened actually is yet, but it’s left the world an ash-covered wasteland with few ruins and even fewer survivors (survivors being organisms in general, not just humans). I want the landscape to be kind of surreal and bizarre, but I haven’t decided if that’s because of the apocalypse or not. Maybe it was just Like That lol.

Anyway, one thing you may want to know more about, is why the hell is Jimmy a giant bird? And the answer is: I like giant birds. In all seriousness though, he’s cursed! Don’t know why. He was a normal ass dude. Now he’s a bird.

Tango might also be cursed? Depends on how edgy I end up wanting this to be lol. He might be an undead wraith or something who knows.

[deathblacksmoke]

the gentlest feeling

a dramamine story

pairing: nick ruffilo x noah sebastian

summary: shortly after the conclusion of the original dramamine series, nick and noah move into their first home together.

cw: fluff <3, boys in love, domestic bliss, brief mentions of the afterlife & guardian angels

word count: 825

author's note: it might be a little bit too fluffy but i just wanted a soft thing and i missed writing these sweet boys. minimally proofread.

title from "blue light" by bloc party.

masterlist | taglist form

As he flits about the house — their house — he can’t help but count his blessings that they were able to get here. That Noah didn’t give up on him.

He places their dishes in the cupboard, their spices in the pantry, their toiletries in the shower, their linens in the closet. He makes the bed — their bed — the new queen-size they saved up to split. They’ll wind up squished to one side most nights, because Nick hates to have distance between them, even now, when the Virginia nights are hot and humid. Noah still likes to sleep with a window open and the fan blasting so he can hear the crickets and see the lightning bugs.

They’ll wake up sticky and warm but he wouldn’t want anything else than to wake up like that in the morning — every morning — with the sunlight flickering through the open window and stuck to his sweet boy, an excuse to huddle together in the shower before breakfast.

As odd as the idea feels passing through his mind, he can’t help but think that Jasmine would be proud of him, that she would see him and feel thrilled that he allowed his life to be turned around.

He doesn’t know if he believes in God, but he knows that he still finds her everywhere. She’s in the disembodied laugh he hears bellowing through the bar, the one that can only be traced back to her. When he gets a Jeopardy question right and Noah’s smiling wide and nudging him, they’re back at trivia night at The Rabbit’s Foot, Jasmine whispering the answer in his ear so he can get all the glory. She’s tucked in the corners of every bit of his life and while sometimes the reminders sting, leaving a deep ache in his gut, they usually wrap themselves around him like her warm hugs always did.

He didn’t always believe in Heaven, but for her sake, he hopes she’s somewhere lovely, listening to her favorite records. He feels guided by a gentle hand and knows that it’s her doing, one way or another.

He’s taken out of his thoughts by Noah beckoning him into the living room, a distant Nicky that always sends him excitedly rushing in its direction. He finds his love sprawled on the green velvet chesterfield they plucked off a curb, the perfect find.

“How’s it look?” Noah asks him. He doesn’t have to look around him to know it’s perfect — he blindly trusts Noah’s eye — but he makes a show of doing it anyway. Their listening station has been set up in the corner, and at the sight of their collections mixed, he feels his heart clench. Somehow, that’s what makes this the most real.

What catches his eye the most, though, is the shelf of framed photos that Noah set up in the entryway. Photos of them, of Noah and Autumn, of Nick and Jolly, of Noah and Folio — among all of the little memories they’ve made together in the past 6 months, an old one stands in the middle, drawing his attention the most. The photo from Autumn’s 30th, Nick and Jazz, still happy.

Without asking, and without being asked, Noah carved out a space for her memory in their home. If Nick didn’t know any better, he would think Jasmine sent him.

Holding back tears and nearly failing, he turns his attention back to Noah, who’s lounging on the sofa and looking up expectantly. His feet take him on their own accord, dropping himself on top of him and blanketing Noah’s body with his own. He wraps himself around him, happy to save the remainder of the unpacking for later.

“It’s perfect, sweetheart,” he speaks into the side of Noah’s neck, peppering his skin with delicate kisses. “Thank you for being here with me.”

“Thank you for paying the security deposit,” Noah responds with a laugh, tightening his arms around Nick’s middle. He settles further into the sofa, bringing Nick with him.

He used to believe in one true love. He believes it less and less every day.

He struggles to imagine anything less true than the love he had with Jazz, the safety he felt there and the warmth of her delicate touch. He can’t think of anything less true than the love he has with Noah, the laughs they share, the peace he feels, the warm glow that encompasses everything.

He feels relief, again, for the privilege of a mind gone quiet. He never thought this was something he could have, the freedom to build a home again, the two of them and all of their things — their grief, their memories, and the people that will stay with them.

He runs a hand under Noah’s shirt, a comfort in the feeling of soft, bare skin beneath his fingers. Noah places a kiss to the top of his head, and everything blurs around the edges.

He’s safe again.

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[ingravinoveritas]

You know what's kind of wild to me? Anna just confirmed they've been together for 6 years. People forget she's still 29, and isn't 30 yet. So they met when she was still 23. Not hugely different from 25, but notable I think. Idk where the narrative that she was 25 came from and how that stuck.

Hi there! So I am still catching up on Asks, and I wanted to make sure I addressed these (grouped together due to similar themes). For those who might not have seen, what is being referred to are two separate incidents that occurred in the days after Anna posted the t-shirt story on Instagram. On Tuesday, she posted this story lashing out at a Swedish publication for sharing a story originally from a UK publication (The Independent) about Michael's answer to the age gap question on The Assembly. The story was originally in Swedish, but the English translation is on the right:

Then on Wednesday, she did the same thing again, this time with another Swedish paper:

Since so much of this hinges on what Michael said in his response, I will post a short clip of that here, so we have the visual:

When AL's stories were first posted, I noticed a few comments on a post from @nightgoodomens from someone who speaks Swedish, and after reading the article, their observation was that all the magazines did was literally translate what Michael said, word for word (which we can then also further confirm by watching the video above).

So Michael's words were translated directly, and on top of that, Anna was not tagged by these papers, or contacted by reporters "for comment"--she seemingly sought out these news stories and shared them on her own social media. What's strange is that most of us would never have even seen them otherwise, and yet she chose to draw attention to them. And if these articles truly are meaningless clickbait, I'm confused as to why Anna would lash out so hard at them, especially if she feels as secure in her and Michael's relationship as she has wanted us to believe.

The other thing for me is that the one voice that is (again) noticeably absent here is Michael's. Nearly every post Michael has responded to/shared in relation to The Assembly was about a moment between him and one of the interviewers, Leo. Not only has the clip of Michael's answer to the age gap question gotten much less circulation/attention than the initial clip of the girl asking him the question, he has not said a single word about it since the show aired on April 5th.

He has especially not said anything about being misquoted (either in UK magazines/newspapers or international ones). And this becomes even more glaring when you realize that Michael immediately jumped on someone Twitter the day before AL shared that first story and corrected them for misquoting him (in regard to his comments about Welsh actors and Welsh roles). So it's very clear that if Michael thought he was being misquoted, there is no reason why he wouldn't speak up about it. And yet...complete silence.

I also find it interesting that for months, Michael was being attacked on social media, first in the aftermath of his comments about the situation in the Middle East, then more recently after recording a video saying hello to Good Omens fans in Russia. In both cases, he was defamed over and over again, accused of supporting war and genocide, and in general had his comments twisted and distorted beyond recognition--in other words, he was repeatedly misquoted (to put it mildly). Not once did Anna defend him against any of this. Not once was there an Insta story or anything speaking up in support of Michael. But as soon as it was something about her/their relationship, here she was posting these stories and letting us know exactly what her priorities are.

To your comments @lookforthelight97 about AL inadvertently saying the quiet parts out loud, that was also something that caught my attention. We could be here all day talking about the narrative and who is trying to change what, but for those who don't know, the narrative of her being 25 came from every media outlet stating that Michael and AL met in May of 2019...despite the fact that she gave birth to Lyra just four months later, in September.

It was this discrepancy that gave a lot of us the feeling that something was off even back in 2019 (and I would urge folks to check out @problematicwelshman, who covered a lot more of this at the time). In actuality, Michael and AL would have had to have met in late 2018 (when Anna was actually 24, as her birthday is in August) for her to then become pregnant and have the baby in September. All of this to say that if the official PR line for the last five years has been that they met in 2019, it makes you wonder why AL is suddenly publicly contradicting it, especially to show the lack of contentment she seems to feel about the relationship even after five (pardon me, six) years.

In any case, my incredulity is and continues to be at AL so readily showing her insecurities in this way, because all these two Insta stories have done is to draw more attention to her response than to the articles that are mentioned. Articles that again, none of us would have known about if she hadn't shared them. Yet as was said above, I don't think there is anything that anyone could post or write that casts doubt on Michael and AL's relationship the way her own social media posts do.

And to what you @vaguelyomens and @angelsadvocate96 said about Michael mentioning that his greatest fear is being alone, I feel like maybe Michael has such a fear of being alone because he already knows what it's like to feel alone. To know deep down that you are not remotely on the same page as the person you're in a relationship with. To know that they don't understand you and never will, but feeling responsible for them nonetheless, and not knowing how to reconcile those two things. It's difficult to imagine anything that would make someone feel more alone than that.

So, those are my thoughts on the Insta stories AL shared earlier this week. As I have said before, I know that I could be completely wrong, and I'm happy for folks to share their perspective, whether you agree or disagree. A heck of a lot to think about, for sure...

[yuri-is-online]

Seven Plus One Happy Haunts (An 800 Followers Thank You)

"NRC is having a culture festival?" You blurt out, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in your class. Normally this interruption would be met with a swift smack, but the thought doesn't even flicker across Crewel's mind much to the envy of your classmates. Instead, something similar to a stress headache seems to work it's way across his face as he takes a brief pause to breathe.

"I take it the Headmage has neglected to inform you of this?" He says it like a question, but really it sounds more like he is begging you to prove him wrong. "He was supposed to ask your permission."

"Permission for what?!" You try not to sound too panicked but that's difficult when Crewel's normal sternness re-emerges to silence Ace and Deuce's whispers.

"Sit!" He cracks his crop and returns to the black board. "And Yuu, once classes are done for the day, meet me back here. It will be much easier for me to explain things to you and Grim than sending you on a wild crow chase." Oh you don't like the sound of that at all. ~~~~ By the time classes are over, you are drooping under the weight of an entire school's worth of whispers and surprised you remember your way back to your Homeroom.

"Where's Grim?" Crewel asks, though he doesn't sound terribly worried. So it's bad news bad news.

"He decided to ditch me for Ace and Deuce and I didn't have the energy to chase him down, sorry." Your book bag drops with just as dramatic a thunk as you do.

"Let me make you a coffee, you are going to need some." Crewel sighs. "As you might be aware, culture festivals tend to involve things like booths and side show games."

"Typically they're run by the classes or clubs, right?" You aren't really liking where this is going.

"In anime and at normal schools yes. And if this had been any other year that would be the case for us too but someone-" the same tension headache from this morning reappears, "got the bright idea to suggest that we form groups by putting the entire student body into an ai generator of some sort to encourage team work or something like that."

"Oh." No wonder Crewel can't seem to tell the difference between the containers where he keeps the instant coffee packets and the wet wipes. "Are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Very sweet of you to offer pup." He lets you take over the coffee and smiles gratefully when he sees you move to make him a tea. "But back to how this effects you, one of those groups got the bright idea to run a Haunted House, and the Headmage suggested they use Ramshackle for 'authenticity's sake' and generously offered them your assistance as well."

"Compared to some of the other things he's done I guess it could be worse?" Not that you are thrilled, your tone makes that clear. "I mean it's a haunted house, it could be fun. What is it you want me to help out with anyway?"

"That's what they've been arguing over." Crewel looks and sounds very, very tired as you finally notice the growing chatter of voices just outside the classroom door that is finally making an entrance alongside a very familiar face.

"I'm telling you, it makes the most sense for Yuu to help me!"

notes: Thank you all so much for 800 followers! Normally I'd run an event but I got a wee bit burnt out with the last one, so please accept this humble Haunted Mansion themed offering~ And feel free to guess who is who, I originally intended this to be a Halloween themed thing so I picked most of the cast members from boys people thought were getting neglected from the SSR pool (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ Emphasis on most

Haunt 1- Host With the Most: Vil

Haunt 2- Manipulating the Buyers: Rollo

Haunt 3- Life Lines

Haunt 4- Tie the Knot Tango

Haunt 5- Nevermore

Haunt 6- Life Hereafter

Haunt 7- Rest in Peace

Bonus Haunt- ???

Taglist: @nothingfuninthislife

[loveinhawkins]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 ao3

It’s late morning when three soft raps on the door interrupt them—if it could be called interrupting when Steve has just been throwing out various songs and artists ever since Eddie finished playing My Little Town.

Privately, Eddie thinks that the requests are hardly random, and more Steve trying to distance himself from whatever thoughts the original playthrough had sparked, but he’s not exactly going to draw attention to that, not when Steve’s eyes had glittered with mirth, before saying, rather smugly, “Abba?”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Shock, horror! Eddie Munson, a music snob.”

“Uh, no. Abba’s just fucking difficult, man.”

And then Eddie had launched into a clumsy instrumental of Dancing Queen, relishing the way Steve’s jaw dropped in delighted surprise.

He’s halfway through when the knocks sound, and he turns to see Nancy poking her head through the door. She gives a sigh of pure relief, breathes, “Steve,” and then seems to falter there on the threshold, as if waiting for permission.

Steve’s answering smile is soft and warm. “Hey, Nance.” He sits up, one arm outstretched in invitation, and then she’s hurrying over, melting into a hug.

Eddie doesn’t even have time to wonder about whether he should step outside or not, because Nancy suddenly releases Steve to embrace him, too.

Her grip is tight, almost enough to bruise; it makes Eddie think that perhaps she would’ve been like this with Steve if she wasn’t worried about injuring him. She holds on for a long moment like she really, really needs it.

She whispers, “Thank you,” only loud enough for Eddie to hear. He catches a quiet shakiness to her breathing, and when she pulls back, her smile is a little too wide, her eyes bright.

And he wonders if maybe all three of them are something of the same—frayed around the edges.

“I’ve got a proposition,” Nancy says, suddenly all business.

“Pray tell, Wheeler,” Eddie replies.

She smiles, then nods to Steve. “Dustin’s waiting in the car. He’s got his walkie and he thought, if you wanted,” she says, with pointed emphasis, “you could talk with all of the kids that way, without them...”

She trails off with a vague hand gesture which Eddie immediately gets: so far the staff have sort of turned a blind eye to Steve’s constant visitors, but he figures if a whole troop of them try to barge into the room at once, they might be pushing their luck.

Steve seems to share the same thought, because he chuckles and says, “Sure, good idea. Wait, are they still at mine?”

“Yeah, they’re coming and going. Joyce and Hopper are there, too. Oh, there was—one of your windows broke, but we've got it all—”

“Oh, shit. There’s, um, there's cash up in the—”

“Steve,” Nancy says firmly, “it’s fine.”

They hold each other’s gaze until Steve relents with a muttered, “Okay,” but he doesn’t look all that happy about it.

“Your snack cupboard’s also been destroyed.”

Steve snorts. “Yeah, kinda expected that.”

Eddie stays quiet, because while they’ve been talking, Nancy’s hand has subtly reached out and clutched onto his wrist, and—

Her nails piercing his skin in a desperate grip. His throat scraped raw—the distant realisation that it’s because he’s been screaming.

“Wheeler,” he's whispering. His voice comes out like jagged glass. “Wheeler, fucking tell me what to do.”

She’s silent, just sways against him, and he grips her hand in return, shakes her urgently. Tries to pretend like he isn’t struggling to breathe, like he isn’t crying when he pleads, “N-Nancy. Say you’ve got a plan, come on, you’ve always got something—”

“Eddie,” Nancy says, “Eddie, he’s dead.”

—he tilts his hand, taps hers a couple of times, and hopes she hears the unspoken, “You good?”

And then Nancy pulls away, already reaching for the door when she says, over her shoulder, “I’ll get Dustin.”

“Hey, wait,” Steve says. “Nance. Can I talk to you? Just for a minute.”

There’s a pause. Nancy turns back and nods.

Eddie has the feeling that they’re not going to talk about the price of fixing a broken window.

“Where’d you park?” he asks. “I’ll fetch Henderson.”

-

“Hmm... five. Over,” Dustin is saying into the walkie, halfway out the car when he spots Eddie heading his way.

Eddie gets closer, hears the walkie click, hears the background buzz and chatter that can only come from a full house.

There’s a rustle of paper, then Lucas and Erica cheering, and Max groaning, “The Sound of Music.”

“What’re you doing?” Eddie asks, smiling when he hears what sounds like El excitedly announcing that she hasn’t seen it.

“Making our way through Steve’s musicals,” Dustin says.

He’s brought his crutches this time, thank God, so by the time they're on Steve’s floor, Eddie catches when Nancy is walking down the corridor, slipping away to the restroom. Her hand reaches up, wipes underneath her eyes once.

Eddie steers Dustin onwards.

It’s clear that between them, both Dustin and Steve are trying to act like everything’s normal—and they mostly succeed, until Steve spots Dustin’s crutches and insists Dustin take the couch to stretch out on.

“I'm fine,” Dustin says, “you’re the one who—”

He abruptly falls silent.

And Steve doesn’t miss a beat; he just smiles and nods to the walkie like nothing’s been said. “Go on.”

Dustin instructs both Steve and Eddie to be quiet before he speaks into the walkie and says, “Mission update? Over.”

“The nuns keep singing,” Max says with biting judgement; How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? is playing on full blast. Steve muffles a laugh behind his palm, and gestures for Dustin to hand the walkie over.

“Wow, Mayfield, thought you had taste,” he says dryly.

The walkie practically explodes.

And Eddie watches as Steve seems to take strength from each and every voice clamouring for his attention; his eyes are shining, and it’s like he just can’t stop grinning.

“All right, all right, simmer down,” he says, “one at a time.”

Eddie feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns. Nancy.

“Do you want to go for a drive?” she says in an undertone.

Eddie pauses. Dustin is chattering away on the walkie, and Steve must feel Eddie looking, because he catches Eddie’s eye, and quirks an eyebrow with a smile, as if to say, Go ahead. He’s got me.

Eddie supposes that’s what it like, with Steve and the kids: a bit of I’ll take care of you; you’ll take care of me.

-

Nancy doesn’t talk during the drive, but for some reason it isn’t off-putting, more peaceful. Eddie cranks down the passenger window and sticks his arm out, enjoying the feeling of the wind running through his fingers.

It’s overcast, but the sun still occasionally breaks through the clouds—a gentle warmth. And though he knows Nancy must be thoughtfully selective with her route, Eddie still finds it strangely hopeful, to see the sight of damage now healing. They drive past tarmac that must have once been tremendous, gaping cracks: fault lines that have been knitted back together.

Nancy soon takes her car off the road and parks it near the woods; she gets out and starts walking, Eddie following without question. He knows where they’re going without having to be told.

Lover’s Lake.

They don’t speak until they reach the shoreline, and Nancy brings out Dustin’s compass.

“See?” she says. The compass is perfectly still, points to exactly where North should be.

Eddie exhales. “Jesus Christ.” He picks up a stone and throws it as far as he can. There’s a distant splash, then nothing.

“They're all like that,” Nancy says, and she suddenly sounds exhausted. “I checked. Your trailer, the road where Fred... It's all gone.”

She sits down right in the dirt, hugs her own knees. Eddie mirrors her. She looks out at the lake then turns, and Christ, sometimes she has old, old eyes, Eddie thinks.

“I was talking with Mike,” Nancy says. “About how...” She sighs. “We’ll never know everything. I'm not going to...” She sighs again. “And I thought I’d never be okay with that, you know?” She makes a noise that’s probably meant to be a laugh, but it just makes Eddie’s heart squeeze a little.

He puts a hand on her shoulder, and then she falls against him—or maybe it’s more that they’re both holding each other up.

“There was a moment,” Nancy says, “after Robin threw the first bottle. When the fire… I swear I saw him flinch, and then all the vines, everything, it just wasn’t there, and he was staring right at me, and he looked—he was… just a man.”

“Was it hard to…?” Eddie says, but he doesn’t finish. It feels like a stupid question, all of a sudden.

But Nancy finishes it for him. “To shoot? No.” She doesn’t so much as pause. “After everything else, it was easy.”

Eddie doesn’t actually ask why out loud, but Nancy must hear him somehow, because he feels her shrug against him, before she’s saying, “He’d taken too much already.”

There’s an edge to her voice, and Eddie suddenly knows, with the utmost certainty, that she would’ve dove into the lake for any one of them. Wouldn’t waste a second.

-

Nancy drives him back to the hospital. Her jaw works a couple of times as they sit in the parking lot, so Eddie waits, doesn’t move for the door.

“Remember that Christmas Steve had at mine?” Nancy eventually says.

“Well, not personally,” Eddie says, which makes her laugh.

“He…” She exhales in a rush, looking up at the hospital windows. “He—he just thanked me for it. What…” She swallows. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

“I—Nancy, I don’t—”

“It was a terrible Christmas, Eddie,” she laughs through tears. “I burnt the potatoes, and my parents bickered, and Holly put gravy in Steve’s hair.”

Eddie laughs, too. Nancy reaches for his hand. Clings on.

Eddie thinks of Steve in the RV, his face pale, still managing to smile.

“Know what you’re thinking about then?”

“Yeah. Got a few things in mind.”

Eddie doesn’t need to say anything; from the way Nancy is crying, he suspects she already knows.

He thinks of two young teenagers who have grown up together, seen the same terrible things; who maybe just needed one mundane Christmas to make everything feel normal again. To feel safe.

When he leaves the car, Nancy’s face is dry, and he kisses her forehead on impulse.

“Thank God for you, Nancy Wheeler.”

-

“So, how was it?” Steve says. He’s doing a pretty good job at sounding upbeat, at sustaining it right through Dustin leaving.

But Eddie sees something dark flicker in his eyes.

Tonight, he’s going to ask me to play his song again, Eddie thinks. He doesn’t quite know why he feels something like dread settle in his stomach.

“How was what?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “The drive. C’mon, man, I’ve been staring at the same four walls, paint me a pretty picture like you do with your games.”

“A pretty picture, he says,” Eddie huffs dramatically.

But he obliges, of course. He keeps it light, doesn’t mention the compass or anything like that. Describes the weather, the calmness at Lover’s Lake, how Nancy had started skipping stones and made it into a contest.

He’s just getting into their playful argument over who had won when he spots Steve smiling at him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Steve says. He readjusts himself on the pillow, still smiling like Eddie has done something endearing. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

“You.” Steve’s smile grows. “Got you all figured out, Eddie Munson.”

“That’s quite a claim, Harrington,” Eddie says.

“Yup. I have, though. You said your eyes were cynical. Wanna know what I think?”

“Hmm. You’re gonna tell me anyway, huh?”

“I think,” Steve says, sounding very pleased with himself, “that you’re full of shit.”

Eddie scoffs as if he’s been prompted to, but his mind is on Steve’s smile, on the lingering sadness in his eyes that he’s trying to hide; and fuck, Eddie thinks, let him have this. He’d give him anything.

“If any of us was going to be a romantic,” Steve says, “it’d be you.”

[swiftsaltsweet]

Two Knives Interlude 1: Rangi- Damn

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (RoK characters tbh)

Pairing: Rangshi

Rating: M

Summary:

Things have been stressful for Kyoshi. First, she sang a poem and now the whole kitchen staff thinks it’s about Rangi, and is sure that there will be gossip. Then, Yun asks her to join him for the Fifth Nation treaty signing. Now Rangi’s acting strange. It’s becoming a bit much for Kyoshi’s small corner of the world.

(Canon Divergent AU- Kelsang wasn’t the one who heard the poem?….aka What if it took longer for them to realize Kyoshi was the Avatar?)

Other Sites: AO3 

A/N: (Future me edit: Phew! Glad you guys seemed to like the little twist at the end, was a little nervous ngl TT0TT Also YAY! I CAN FINALLY START SHARING THE RANGI CHAPTERS! *sobs* so excited and haha oh man now I’m nervous akfjskfdaj)

(back to past me:) Heyyyyyy it’s POV switch time, just like The Hunt For Kyoshi’s: The Hunter and The Hunted chapters :’D

I only had this POV flip planned so………u_u but hey! It’s like 3 chapters worth in one chapter so :’D Wait…3 chapters….. *looks at the length of this chapter vs the others* Oh someone save meeeeeee TT0TT Haha this is gonna be a long chapter-Oh wait I’m getting a call. Ahuh. Hmm. Yup… 27 pages????......AND YOU AREN’T DONE……. THREE CHAPTERS AND NOT ONE?! Ok We’re splitting this into three chapters sorry. :’D

I underestimated how much Rangi yaps. u_u Pining more than a damn pine tree.

Me from the future (again): *stumbles in* Heyyyyy-o. Oh boi. Um….yes. So….THIS chapter was supposed to be chapter 4, but then I changed it. :’D So like….just remember how these were written/structured: Kyoshi’s first 3 chapters, and then Rangi’s first three chapters, then chapters 4-6, then Rangi’s 4th chapter (that 4th chapter wasn’t originally going to exist too jaklfjds. Man this fic has been shuffled about more than a deck of cards kjfdslafjs

____

Rangi was an idiot. She couldn’t believe that she walked all the way down to the kitchen, and had forgotten to tell Kyoshi the one important news she wanted to relay to her! She cursed that Aoma girl and her cronies for bullying Kyoshi, because they’d distracted her as well. Instead of telling Kyoshi the good news of Master Kelsang returning from a relief mission early, she was trying to give the giant girl tips on how to defend herself.

All those tips falling on deaf ears, as usual. 

She slowly and silently made her way back down to the ruckus kitchen. She heard them from the hallway, something about singing a dirty song or something about unrequited love. She really hoped Kyoshi wasn’t still wasting her time down there. 

“Kyoshi next!” someone said, and the sound of Kyoshi’s name made Rangi stop on the stairs. “She’s never here, so let’s make the most of it!”

Rangi stood in the middle of the staircase, just out of sight from the kitchen. Unsure of what to do. On one hand, she was annoyed that her hunch was right, and Kyoshi was still down there. But on the other hand, she wondered if Kyoshi was going to join in. If she was going to sing. What her singing voice sounded like. What she was going to sing about. 

She stood there, heart thrumming in her chest to the beat of the kitchen appliances.

“I’ve got two knives that are cast in bronze / they pierce all the way to the soul / they draw you in with the promise of sin / like the moth to the flame to the coal.”

Rangi’s eyes widened as she heard Kyoshi’s singing voice for the first time. It was such a lovely alto. Her voice was smooth, strong and rich. 

The kitchen howled. Someone clucked in disapproval. “Keep going, you naughty girl!” a voice shouted.

Oh, right, she supposed she should be listening to the lyrics. She shook her head, as much as she’d love to listen to Kyoshi’s voice. The song itself might give her an indication on if Kyoshi liked someone.

Let’s see, something about bronze and fire? Rangi’s heart leapt at the thought of the second description, but tapered it down. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself. 

“I’ve got hair like the starless night / it sticks to my lips when I smile / I’ll wind it with yours and we’ll drift off course / in a ship touching hearts all the while.”

Kyoshi drummed on, more percussion started filling the air. And Rangi’s heart started to pound harder. Starless night. Black. A hand flew to her chest. Ok, now she couldn’t stop from getting ahead of herself. There were only a handful of people on the estate that had black hair, and she was one of them. 

“For the way I walk is a lantern lit / that leads you into the night / I’ll hold you close and love you the most / until our end is in sight.”

Rangi could feel the blood pounding in her ears, she could feel the blush covering her body. She knew she was beat red. Black hair, fire, light. Entangled hair. Wanting to hold and love them. Rangi leaned against the wall for support, and prayed. Prayed to every spirit imaginable. Prayed to every Avatar. Prayed that the person Kyoshi was talking about was her. Was Rangi. 

“It’s Rangi!” someone shouted. Rangi nearly leapt out of her skin. She stumbled back a few steps, fearing someone saw her. 

I thought I was out of sight!

“It is Rangi!”someone else cooed, the sound of kissing noises were heard.

“W-where?” Kyoshi asked, alarmed.

“Not in here, idiot!” a male voice said. “In your song! Just admit it, you just sang about Rangi.”

Rangi feared she was going to go into cardiac arrest. So she wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t the only one who saw the resemblance between her and Kyoshi’s song. Now, would Kyoshi admit it? Should she admit it? What should Rangi do if she did?

A million questions spiraled in her mind. 

What she wanted to do right then and there was run down there and…. Take Kyoshi right where she stood? Take her hand and run off with her? Both? 

Rangi drew a breath as quietly as she could. At some point she’d forgotten how to breathe. No, no, she couldn’t act brashly. Kyoshi had to confirm. And….there were other obstacles Rangi may have to overcome if Kyoshi did confirm. 

Rangi, and the rest of the staff waited for Kyoshi’s answer.

“I-I, uh, I,” Kyoshi started. 

Did Kyoshi not mean to sing about Rangi? Did the kitchen staff guess wrong? Did Kyoshi think no one would be able to guess it was about Rangi? 

The wait was killing her.

“I, uh, I have to go get ready for my gifting duties,” Kyoshi said hurriedly, and the sound of movement could be heard.

Rangi jumped and sprinted up the stairs as fast as she could. She quickly ascended the stairs, scratching and clawing on all fours, unable to keep her balance. Surely she was not as silent as she’d wanted to be. As soon as she got to the top she dove through the open window on the other side of the hall from the stairs without thinking. 

She landed in the bushes, and sat there, under the windowsill out of view. Her hand over her mouth to stifle any noises. She heard Kyoshi finish ascending the staircase, and then run in the direction of her room.

Rangi sat there for a moment, trying to catch her breath, and to cool her features off. She didn’t need to be walking around with her face flushed the same color as her red armor.

She placed her forehead on her knees and breathed. She likes me? Does this mean she likes me? She thought to herself, unable to stop the hope rising in her chest. 

For the past two years she’d resigned herself into thinking Kyoshi wouldn’t like her back. That her crush would go unanswered. So this hope was dangerous, if she completely gave in then…. What if Kyoshi still didn't like her? What would she do then?

Rangi took a few more calming breaths, and then slapped her own cheeks. She needed to calm down. She had duties to attend to!

…but first, she should probably go wash her face in her room. The water might help cool it off.

She scrunched up her face into the signature Sei’naka- or maybe it was just the Fire Nation?- stoic look. No one would be able to tell what she was thinking if she kept it like this. 

She made sure now one was looking before she escaped out of the bushes, and ran to her own room.

________________

Rangi ran the cool towel over her face, it warmed almost instantly at the contact of her skin. She repeated the process about a dozen or so times until her reddened face had finally calmed down. 

She grabbed a nearby dry towel and dried her face off. When she finally pulled it away, she began inspecting her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, so she fixed it. Trying not to think of the lyrics.

She inspected her skin, it was back to the normal pale it usually was, only a slight red hue scattered across it. Her fingers brushed at her neck, then her jaw, then her cheeks and then they froze. Her gaze lingered on her eyes. Her bronze colored eyes. 

“I’ve got two knives that are cast in bronze / they pierce all the way to the soul”

Rangi gasped, and pressed the towel into her face again. As if the pressure could stop the lyrics from forming in her mind. 

Kyoshi had been singing about her eyes. No! No, she needed to think rationally. Kyoshi might’ve been singing about her eyes. Might!

 “They draw you in with the promise of sin / like the moth to the flame to the coal.”

Rangi let out a muffled scream into the towel, her flush coming back red hot. Did Kyoshi really say her gaze was sinful? 

Have I been too obvious? Please tell me I haven’t been too obvious!

She thought about every longing look she thought she snuck and it caused her to do a little dance of embarrassment. Which led to her tripping over her own feet, and falling backwards onto the floor. 

Rangi’s face was still in the towel as she screamed and cringed into it with each memory that passed in her mind; kicking her legs on the floor all the while. It was a pathetic sight. If anyone were to walk in, that might be the final blow to her ego. She may never recover. Thankfully, there was nary a person in the estate that would just barge into Rangi’s room unannounced.

Rangi heard her door slide open with a click.

She slowly removed the towel to see a pair of familiar boots.

She looked up at her mother with absolute dismay. If anyone could or would see Rangi at her lowest and most vulnerable, her mother would always be there with a front row seat. 

Hei-Ran gazed down at her daughter with a deep frown. “What on earth are you doing?”

Breaking down. She thought. Rangi did her best to screw her face back into a stoic expression, the flush be damned. She stood up straight, inhaled, ready to give the excuse of her life. 

She exhaled…..and stared at her mother.

She had nothing. No excuse existed in this world that could’ve explained such disappointing behavior. It’d be better if she told her mother the truth, but she’d never do that. She feared what her mother might say or do if she mentioned her crush on Kyoshi.

Instead, she kept the staring contest up with her mother, until Hei-Ran finally broke it by pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Oh, nevermind. I don’t think I want to know,” Hei-Ran conceded. Rangi was going to leave the biggest and bestest offering for the spirits when she had time. 

Rangi cleared her throat. “What brings you to my room, mother? Shouldn’t you be with Yun?”

Hei-Ran sighed, “Yes, but we are taking a break. However, it appears he wants his break extended. It seems he galavanted off somewhere.”

Rangi nodded. That sounded like her Avatar.

“And I was wondering if his bodyguard would know where he was,” Hei-Ran glared at her daughter.

Rangi stiffened. She’d been neglecting her duties for the day. To be fair, she didn’t necessarily have to bodyguard Yun when he was in the presence of his Sifus, but still. She was slacking.

“I’ll go and fetch him,” Rangi said with a bow.

“Good,” Hei-Ran replied, turning on her heel to leave. 

As she exited the door, a group of servants passed her room in the hall. “Did you see the Avatar?”

“Yeah I saw him on his way to the gifting room, you know where Kyoshi is!”

“How scandalous-Hey!”

Rangi practically barreled into her mother and the other maids as she passed, face pale in distress.

_____________

No! No no no no! Not the gifting room! Not those two alone!

Rangi’s mind was now screaming as she sprinted through the estate, she didn’t care if she looked like a spirit out of hell. She had to get to the gifting room, stat!

She was having a possibly amazing day, she didn’t need it to be ruined by the memories from around eight months ago. When she last left Yun and Kyoshi in a room together, alone. How they looked at each other. How Kyoshi sprinkled Fire Lilies over Yun’s face. How they….kissed. Or, almost kissed? Rangi didn’t know, she didn’t stick around to watch.

Rangi rounded the corner, she was running at the door with a full sprint. Body ready to catch them in the act this time, mind not as prepared.

She reached the door, stopped just in time, and slid the door open with a smooth click. 

She gazed at the two in front of her. Kyoshi and Yun were a respectable distance apart. Nothing nefarious happened this time. She sighed inwardly, and then remembered to keep her face in its stoic placement. She didn’t trust her real emotions at the moment. 

"Avatar." She bowed deeply and solemnly to Yun. Then she turned to Kyoshi, Kyoshi appeared more sullen than usual. “And you! You’ve barely made any prog-”

Rangi cut herself off and tore her eyes away from Kyoshi, looking around the room. Her eyes widened a bit. “Oh….it’s…. actually almost done.” She wasn’t expecting that….

Almost all the presents were in neat little piles, all that needed to be done was transfer them.

“I got here early….” she heard Kyoshi muttered. She wouldn’t look at Rangi at all. 

Rangi could feel her pulse race. Is it because of the song she sang? Is it true? Or is she just self-conscious because the kitchen staff had teased her? Questions began to fill Rangi’s mind once again.

“Yeah Rangi,” Yun laughed. “This is Kyoshi we’re talking about, how dare you question her skill of working fast and efficiently?”

Rangi turned on her heel to face the Avatar, glaring at him. He was throwing her under the bus in front of Kyoshi! Again! “D-don’t put words in my mouth! I simply thought due to the volume that came in, and the fact you are skipping training to be a distraction, she may not have gotten as far as she did.”

“Well, I left the kitchen as soon as possible and got to work, just like you wanted,” Kyoshi mumbled. 

Rangi looked back, and Kyoshi had a slight glower on her face. She could feel her palms getting sweaty. Had Rangi upset her? Had she been upset before Rangi arrived? More millions of questions flew through her mind. Too many, she didn’t know which ones to ask first.

Kyoshi looked back at them, eyes widened a little, and then scratched her nose in embarrassment. “Did I say something wrong?”

Rangi stared at Kyoshi, trying to read her but found it too difficult. She looked down at her feet in defeat.  “No… it’s just….” Do you like me? Do you hate me? Do I upset you? So many questions.

“I think Kyoshi’s just a little nervous,” Yun announced.

Was it because of the song? How did he know about it? Did gossip already spread? Wait, if he knows about it then-

“I just asked her to join the Fifth Nation signing and she agreed to go,” he continued calmly.

Rangi’s train of thought came to a crashing halt when she heard him finish his sentence. Kyoshi was…..coming with them? To the daofei meeting. Sweet, innocent, never seen combat before, Kyoshi. She was going to go to a possible battleground. A war. A maid who has never held a weapon in her life, and might have to fight to the death. Her Kyoshi.

Rangi turned on Yun, glaring at him with the heat of a thousand suns. “Wh-what?! What do you mean she’s going?!”

“I was going to tell you,” Yun smiled, putting his hands up in surrender. 

Rangi spluttered and looked between Yun and Kyoshi. Why wasn’t Kyoshi saying anything? Did he pressure her into it? Was she stupid?! Did she not realize how dangerous this was? 

“Have you lost your mind? The both of you? She’s not going!” Rangi couldn’t believe she had to say those words aloud.

“Are you going against your Avatar’s wishes?” Yun grinned at her, his tone was joking. He didn’t mean it. But it hit Rangi like she’d been run over by a komodo rhino. Because that’s exactly what she was doing. She was disobeying the Avatar, to keep the girl she was in love with from harm. “Calm down, it’ll be good to have her there.”

“Good for who?” Rangi groused. He was being selfish again, thinking only of himself and not Kyoshi’s well being. No she couldn’t assume that! He was the Avatar. The Avatar was always well meaning. Maybe he just….didn’t realize the risk? Yes, that’s what it was. She just needed to talk some sense into him!

She pressed a fist to her forehead and sighed. Then she glared at Yun and grabbed his sleeve. “We’re talking about this later. Right now, I’m taking you back to your training!”

She started to pull her charge towards the door.

“Gah! Rangi! Wait!” Yun bemoaned. 

Rangi practically threw the Avatar through the doorway in front of her, and then stopped with her hand on the doorframe. She looked back at Kyoshi. Kyoshi sat there with the same calm and beautiful, silent strength she knew the girl possessed. She didn’t want to see it destroyed by some daofei. She wanted her protected. She hated the idea of some dumb bullies harming the girl, but if that pirate laid a hand on her-!

Rangi gripped the doorframe slightly. She looked around the room, trying to find something for Kyoshi to do. “And you-! Clean-no. Just. Gah. Do whatever you were doing!”

Apparently she couldn’t find anything. So she just slammed the door behind her.

____________

Rangi was greeted by Kyoshi with a scream to the face. 

“I’m sorry,” Kyoshi gasped, looking sincerely apologetic. “You surprised me!”

Rangi began walking, indicating for Kyoshi to follow her. She would escort her to the next destination.

Rangi didn’t mind Kyoshi screaming like that, partially because it wasn’t the first time this had happened. In all honesty, Rangi brought it on herself, sometimes she was too stealthy……or Kyoshi was too absentminded. Another reason why she shouldn’t come.

Rangi seethed inside her head. Yun wasn’t listening to reason. He had it in his head that Kyoshi needed to come along. To remind him of the little people he was doing it all for. 

What a load of bull cow crap! He should be able to see that with the servants that work here every day! Or the villagers he sees when he sneaks a peak over the wall! He didn’t need to drag Kyoshi into it!

Kyoshi had already suffered enough growing up. At least, from what Aunti Mui had let slip to her about Kyoshi’s life before the mansion. Kyoshi didn’t need to be put into peril again, and she most certainly didn’t need to suffer an agonizing death at the hands of some daofei!

She just wanted Kyoshi to live a long and healthy life. But she couldn’t do that if she was dead!

Rangi looked up and realized they were somewhere in the garden. She didn’t notice how she got there, when they got there, nor cared. 

An idea passed through her head. If she couldn’t convince Yun, maybe she could convince Kyoshi.

“Kyoshi,” Rangi started, breaking the silence. She saw Kyoshi flinch out of the corner of her eye.

“Y-yes?” 

“You aren’t going,” Rangi said. Rangi tried to say it with a finality. Try to push Kyoshi into the same mindset as her. Whatever it would take to keep her safe.

Kyoshi sighed. “I don’t think I have a choice, Rangi. It’s a special request from the Avatar.”

Rangi stopped walking and turned to glare at Kyoshi. “Of course you have a choice! You just have to tell him you don’t want to! Just tell him ‘no,’ Kyoshi!”

Please, just for once. Don’t think of him. Don’t give in to him. Just tell him ‘no.’ Rangi sobbed internally. Lately, she couldn’t stop the thoughts she’d usually fought to ignore from bubbling to the surface. 

Kyoshi raised an eyebrow and gave her a joking smile. “And disobey the Avatar?”

Rangi stiffened. Yes. That’s exactly what she wanted. Every time she brought it up, it was another hit to her honor. Disobeying her honorbound duty. Each time she tried to find an excuse, to cover up her own horrid act and shame. “It’s not ‘disobeying’ if he gave you an option in the first place, right?”

“I don’t mind though,” Kyoshi said, smiling at Rangi. The same smile and expression she would make whenever she’d come home with dirty clothes and poorly covered bruises. When the other village teens had roughed her up or thrown mud and rocks at her. Rangi knew Kyoshi was lying, and it was making her sick to her stomach.

Kyoshi got closer to Rangi and whispered. “Plus he practically begged me. How could I say no?”

Rangi’s eyes widened. Is that it? Is that all? All Yun had to do was beg Kyoshi and he had her? A simple plea and she’d willingly give herself over?

Nausea started to take over and Rangi started feeling dizzy. It wasn’t fair. People took advantage of Kyoshi’s kind nature so often. And now she was marching herself to an executioner's block to unknowingly stroke Yun’s ego.

Rangi couldn’t have that. If she must, she’d stoop as low as those worms!

She saw Kyoshi had started walking and grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her back.

“Then what about me, huh?” Rangi got in Kyoshi’s face. Her space. Trying to take up as much residency in Kyoshi’s being as possible. She only wanted the other girl to see her, only her, no one else. “What if I begged? What if I begged you not to come along? What would you do then?”

Would you afford me the same treatment as Yun? Would you give yourself to me too? Do I want you to? 

Rangi shook Kyoshi’s arm once and let her stoic mask crumple. She wanted Kyoshi to know how she truly felt. She wanted Kyoshi to realize someone cared about her. Wanted her to be safe. Not to run into danger because of some misguided duty. 

Rangi shook her arm again. “Please. Kyoshi, please don’t come with us,” she begged again. She’d beg as many times as it would take. 

Rangi watched as Kyoshi bit her lip and held the package she was holding tighter to her being. Recoiling from Rangi. 

She watched as Kyoshi went to form the words “I’m sorry” from her lips, before they got caught by the heat Rangi had started to form around them.

Rangi realized she couldn’t make Kyoshi do anything. Even Yun couldn’t make her do anything. Kyoshi was doing this because she chose to. Just like how she’d actively choose to not defend herself against her own bullies. 

Rangi was a fool, an idiot, to not see it before. Kyoshi had chosen and was doing what she wanted to do. In doing so, Rangi realized Kyoshi had also chosen Yun over her.

Rangi grimaced and released Kyoshi. “Forget it,” she said in defeat, as she walked away. If she couldn’t stop Kyoshi from going with them, then she’d need to find a way to protect her.

_____

A/N:Me: Rangi’s side is more serious! You need to treat it more seriously!Also me: Ok she’s kind of a loser, gotcha. TT0TT

 I love high blood pressure!Rangi, I love gremlin!Rangi. But lovesick!Rangi? Hmmm yes! *throws all three in a blender to mix them up* uwu

[benito-cereno]

same guy who asked about writing for the tick, thanks for your speedy reply, another Quick question; any suggestions on how to get into the series for cheap? I watched the Amazon show which I liked, and then the cartoon on Hulu which I found more enjoyable. How do I get into the comics? The omnibuses are kinda pricey, especially when I’m saving for Uni, and also saving to get professional artists to draw my friends DnD characters.meanwhile the Bonza’s don’t have a lot of issues And then there are the spin offs like chainsaw vigilante and Paul the samurai. Or the fun out of continuity like Golden age Tick & Tick and aurtie. I want to read the comics, but I don’t know how to start

By far the easiest way to get into the comics is through the Complete Works collections, because that’s basically the only thing NEC is keeping in print. They are definitely pricy, but you can save money by not getting them all 😂 I know that might sound obvious, but if you aren’t psychologically compelled by bad brains to get them all, you shouldn’t

Here’s what you should get:

The Complete Edlund

That’s the original story by the original creator and it’s the best stuff. It’s also the basis to varying extents to each TV version of the character. If you only get one thing, get this. Most people interested in the Tick comics will only ever get this.

If you read that and like it and want more and want to drop another $30US, get the Complete Big Blue Destiny by Eli Stone. It follows right after the Edlund stuff (kinda) and it’s weird and pretty good, if very different from the Edlund material.

In my opinion, the best Tick material after Edlund is the stuff by Sean Wang. Unfortunately there’s no one volume collecting all his stories like there are for Edlund and Stone. Some of his stories are in the Complete Specials and some are in the Complete Tick & Arthur. The Wang stories are great, but only account for about half the material in each of those volumes, with the rest being by various creative teams doing stories of varying quality.

The Complete Man Eating Cow/Chainsaw Vigilante has a lot of fun stuff in it and is the best of the spin-off material.

If I’m being completely frank, I wouldn’t really recommend the rest of the volumes unless you’re an absolute completist.

If, however, you feel like you have to have everything, here it is in order:

Complete Edlund

Complete Karma Tornado

Complete Big Blue Destiny

Complete Specials

Complete Tick & Arthur

Complete Color Series 1

Complete Color Series 2

Tick Golden Age 1-3

Days of Drama 1-6

Mangalicious Tick 1-4

Tick New Series 1-8

Tick 100-101

Tick FCBD 2011-2020

The Tick 2017 1-4

And then the spin offs:

Complete Paul the Samurai

Complete Man Eating Cow/Chainsaw Vigilante

Giant Circus Maximus

Of course, this one would have been the most essential, if it had ever actually come into existence:

[terrortransformed]

Terror Transformed - A Transformers Halloween Event!

Rules and Details

The event is running from 01/10/23 to 31/10/23.

1) Submissions can be made at any point during the month of October, so don't worry about having to get something done within the day-- As long as your work is submitted on or before 31/10/23, it counts!

That having been said, if you want to do a sketch a day, go for it! You have the entire month of October to make whatever you'd like. :)

Writing, art, and any other types of works are welcome.

You can submit any work to the event by using the tag "Terror Transformed". I'll reblog any submissions to this blog, to help keep everything together!

--

2) You do not have to participate in each day of the event. Feel free to pick whichever prompts/dates appeal to you most!

--

3) Scary and creepy are good; It's a Halloween event, after all! (That having been said, don't feel obligated to push yourself beyond what you may be comfortable with!) <3

--

4) Please tag any horror content appropriately-- For example, "Body Horror", "Vampires", "Robo Gore", and so on.

Please make sure to include any additional content/trigger warnings if needed- This helps keep everyone safe, and helps to make sure everyone can have a fun time! :)

--

5) NSFW/shipping submissions are fine, as long as you tag them appropriately and add any relevant content/trigger warnings as needed. (And of course, follow Tumblr site rules, although I don't think I need to say that!)

--

6) Have fun!!! <3

AO3 - Terror Transformed Collection

You can find the AO3 collection here!

Works will be added if anyone wants to submit anything to AO3, mostly as a way to help keep things organised.

Any kind of writing is fine! Poetry, one-shots, multi-chaptered stories, drabbles, anything you might want to do. :)

The collection is moderated, so once October starts, I'll be keeping an eye out for any fics posted here or on AO3 with the tag "Terror Transformed".

Playlist for Inspiration!

Just for fun, as a way to provide some thematic Halloween tunes for people to draw/write along to, get inspired by, or just have fun and jam out to, you can find a playlist for the event over on YouTube here!

The playlist is still being worked on, but it'll get more refined as I add more tracks and clean it up a bit! :)

Happy Halloween!

I really want to do something fun for everyone since October is my birthday month and who doesn't love Spooky Season, so I hope this can be a fun event for anyone who wants to participate! <3

The original event pitch post is here, and it's really nice to see so much interest. :')

If you have any questions or require any clarification, please feel free to message me! :)

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

U.A. High School Field Trip Around Japan: Day 3 Translations

This is Day 3 of Shonen Jump’s special commemoration of My Hero Academia reaching one hundred million copies worldwide, which is being rolled out daily across one-week in each prefecture’s newspaper.

The schedule:

April 4th, Day 1: Hokkaidō & Tōhōku regions

April 5th, Day 2: Kantō region

April 6th, Day 3: Chūbu region

April 7th, Day 4: Kansai region

April 8th, Day 5: Chūgoku & Shikoku regions

April 9th, Day 6: Kyūshū & Okinawa regions

April 10th, Day 7: Nationwide release

You can see the illustrations on their website here, where they are released digitally the day after the newspaper release.

Here we go!

Note: As I mentioned, the illustrations are available on the official site, but they are all rather small, which makes them hard to read, so in this post I have included photographs from fans which I used for my translations. Every photo was available publicly on twitter and I have credited the posters, but please be respectful and don’t draw undue attention to these fans. If anyone contacts me wishing for their photo to be removed, I will do so.

Chūbu Region

Niigata

Photo credit: twitter user kz555ing

Ashido: "Cuteness is justice!" Todoroki: "Cuteness is justice? Then this Kannon is a good omen for heroes." Asui: "'Cuteness' is profound, too."

Class 1-A is visiting Sado Island's Chokokuji Temple, where a 20-foot tall rabbit statue has been erected to show appreciation for the temple's domestic rabbits tended by the priests, who roam the grounds freely. Just behind Todoroki actually stands a second, much smaller rabbit statue. The goddess of mercy, Kannon, is carved into the rabbits' chests.

Toyama

Photo credit: twitter user MazeHistory

Tokoyami: "The torrential flow of power liberated from prohibition... Those of us who have freed a once-sealed power feel the same, don't we, Todoroki?" Todoroki: "No, not particularly."

They are visiting Kurobe Dam, the tallest dam in Japan at 186 meters (610 feet).

Ishikawa

Photo credit: twitter user ESORA_artwork_

Iida: "There are approximately 180 shops in here!!" Kacchan: "Tell me which one's got the tastiest stuff." Izuku: "That's gotta be all of them!" Kirishima: "Daaamn, there's no way you can go to all of them in one day." All Might: "Looks like those boys are having fun, doesn't it?"

This is Omicho Market in Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa, a very busy market with fresh seafood, vegetables, fruit, and local specialties!

Fukui

Photo credit: twitter user mlluv1

Izuku: "Sauce katsudon originates in Fukui prefecture! ︎ The deep flavor comes from the sour sauce seeping into the cutlet! You could say the sauce is saving the cutlet, and the cutlet is saving the sauce. It's a food that embodies the concept of being able to save to win and win to save. I don't think it's an exaggeration to call it the soul food of heroes. Ahhh! I can't stop thinking that I want everyone in Japan to know more about this..." Uraraka: "He's saying it's tasty."

One of Fukui's specialties is "sauce katsudon" wherein the pork cutlet is battered, coated in crumbs, deep fried, and then coated in a thick, sweet, tangy, savory sauce. "Katsu" means cutlet but it is phonetically identical to the word for win--the same one that's in Katsuki's name. Izuku is such a nerd, dear god. Special thanks to @pikahlua for saving my skin with Izuku's dreaded mumble-speech!

Yamanashi

Photo credit: twitter user MARINJIJI

Mirio: "There's... A RIPE PEACH! There's... RIPE GRAPES!" Kaminari: "The Yamanashi Prefecture Tourism Ambassador Hero...!" Sero: "Have we got a chance!?" Kirishima: "Sempai, you went out of your way just for this!?"

Yamanashi is one of Japan's big fruit providers with many orchards and vineyards, specializing in grapes, plums, and peaches. Mount Fuji is visible in the background! But Mirio... what were the ripe grapes!?

Nagano

Photo credit: twitter user hirom_1107

Hagakure: "Ojiro-kun! You really can't see it!?" Jirou: "I can see it!" Ojiro: "It's 'cause I've got a tail, isn't it. I wonder if they're feeling territorial..."

They are at Jigokudani Monkey Park with Japanese macaque (snow monkeys), who love to hang out in hot springs in the winter.

Gifu

Photo credit: twitter user some_mitsu

Iida: "Everyone!! Assemble here for a group photo!!" Uraraka: "Let's all do the gasshō pose, okay!!" Sero: "That's great!!"

The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama are part of a World Heritage Site protecting the traditional gasshō-zukuri houses unique to the area. The style is named for the arch of the roof looking like hands in prayer; the area gets substantial snowfall every year, and the shape of the roof and structure of the walls are optimal for protecting the integrity of the house. I got to see and step inside this style of home at the Japan Open-Air Folk Museum, and they are absolutely incredible. The informational placards said that in years when the snow piles high enough, the second story windows are used as entrances!

Shizuoka

Photo credit: twitter user sugar_eraser

Yaoyorozu: "The reason Mount Fuji looks blue is because its size is so great that one must view it at a distance. This distance puts a thick layer of air in-between, scattering the light and causing the mountain's surface to appear blue. The sky is blue for the same reason." Ashido: "Yaomomo's like a walking encyclopedia!" Aoyama: "A beautiful blue mountain, you say? Why, there's one right here~!"

Viewing Mount Fuji from Shizuoka's famous tea fields. Shizuoka provides 40% of Japan's green tea! I've had a few varieties unique to their area, they were very flavorful and soothing. Aoyama is bein' vain because his surname means "blue mountain."

Aichi

Photo credit: twitter user Hrkn1500

Satou: "All right, all right, now this is what I've been waiting for!" Yaoyorozu: "It's delicious!" Todoroki (thinking): "Half-Sweet Half-Salt..."

They are eating Ogura toast, a dish originating in a Nagoya cafe in 1921. Ogura jam is a sweet spread made out of adzuki beans, and it is often served with butter -- the butter being salted is the source of Todoroki's stroke of genius. I've had it several times, it's tasty!!

That's all for Day 3! See you soon for Day 4.

[raynavan]

heavy spoilers for chapter 23 of Always by your side by @ingo-ingoing-ingone!! this chapter was so fantastic i. didnt have words for it. ended up doing 6 (nearly 7) drawings for it instead. i think this is my record- it took me roughly 7 hours. a fair warning! this is both art and a comment to the fic in one. so its rather long!

ok i had an Unreasonable amount of fun doing the background on this one. ended up looking up a lot of the celestial bodies mentioned in the fic, man are they cool! it was implied that Emmet didn't really have a body so! stars instead. the colors were fun- i dont often let myself just. color like this haha! this one was... reall amazing. a fantastic opener! i immediately latched onto the visuals and painted a picture in my mind. it was just so... astronomical?

i actually struggled with how i was going to position these two for a while. at first it was just them coloring in a clearing- then i made them watching pokemon, and then. this! idk- there just something sweet in how Ingo turns around to look at Emmet and... lighting was funky for this one- how a forest shades the things beneath it will always hold a special place in my heart. these two interacting is always so wonderful to read. the gentle ribbing and teasing and... just them chilling and talking was so nice. the fact that it was dragons was even better! dragons are the best. i felt a very sweet and gentle moment needed an equally sweet and gentle drawing. if i could, i might have gone for line less on Ingo and Emmet here as well.

right- this was the last one i did. i think its the only one that i didn't get specifically from what was written. i just... wanted to give Emmet cuddles alright? /lh i had another sketch exploring exactly what Emmet might look, but i think ill revisit that when i... haven't been drawing for 7 hours straight hgfireohgope. the one in this is more simplified. the horror of having your face show one emotion- not even the one your most known for... your voice is toneless and the only was you can show even a fraction of what you feel is by copying what you (supposedly) dead brother used to do. there is a quiet horror in that- and yet Emmet still goes on. he cant feel texture and yet... he deserves many nice things.

this one!!! was originally going to be an Entire piece with a more "realistic" drawing of Ingo sitting behind a fire just like this. when i sketched this out (in the middle of reading it) that was the plan. Jedi saved me by making Emmet draw it like this. you saved me probably an hour ghirepoghpeirh. i... still might draw it how i wanted at some point. also the lighting was added last minute! i thought it would look... more messy with the light of the fire shining on it. i think it looks nice. the scene was sweet and, like Emmet mentioned he did, i put emphasis (or uh... thicker more defined lines) around peoples faces to better define their happiness. it made me happy to read them being happy and then draw them being happy <3

them!!!!!! i do not think it is a secret at All how much i love this au. i was More than happy to draw them again. and!!! being happy!!! perfect. i remembered this was a dream, and decided to blur the background quite a bit of this one- lopsided like its not really being thought about. adored this one. them!! teasing each other!! just!! going through a day!! perfect. amazing. it was really fun the way the small details of their routine was captured. from Ingo just. turning to goop so he doesn't have to pick up his clothes to Emmet just. accepting everything that happened from the mental connection to the shared feelings.

DRAMATIC FORESHORTENING!!!! i almost wanted to play it up More but then i might lose Ingo's expression. the background for this was fun to do- emphasis! strong colors!! looks like something broke. like something was torn away. this whole bit is just. exactly what Emmet fears and its just. ough. Ingo would never do this- we know this, Emmet knows this two- he knows how ridiculous Ingo was being here. and then the climax with Emmet just... falling off... amazing. Ingo's horrified expression is what caught my attention here, though i had a few more ideas depicting Ingo leaning over Emmet. i figured a dramatic drawing here would fit.

so! there ya go. i had. so much fun doing this and! thank you so much for writing this and sharing with us Jedi. if you keep this up, ill just have to keep making more drawings!! i don't think words are enough- not even sure if these can properly express how i felt reading it all (i actual had to get up and pace around bc i got so excited) but! i think that your art inspired my own art is a very beautiful thing.

lets all keep making art with one another forever.

[quibbs126]

Well I’ve finally gotten Oatmeal’s look down, so here she is

Most of her character traits I already listed in the picture, I just kind of wanted to get the gist of her character down to a simple enough list of things so that I don’t go on for way too long

I’ll draw Porridge eventually, I just wanted to get Oatmeal’s design down first. Porridge is also around 5-6 by the way, she’s a young kid

I couldn’t decide whether to make her a farmer or chef, but then I realized that those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. She can be a farmer of oats, and then she takes those oats she grows and makes food out of it, so that’s what she does. I imagine in whatever storyline she has, she’d basically introduce oats into the local agriculture once she joins the kingdom

I’m not quite sure why Oatmeal comes to the Vanilla Kingdom, other than the vague idea of “having a better life”, but it could also be that she just had a bad home life. She’s supposed to have big trust issues with adults who are her age or older, which can probably tie into it. Right now I have the idea that she might have been the victim of emotional abuse within her family and/or a previous marriage. It’s not really fleshed out (and because I’m not really sure how to write that) but it’s an idea in my head

Speaking of her trust issues, I imagine that while Black Raisin may not be someone she mistrusts, as I sort of imagine Oatmeal getting the gist of her straight away and seeing she isn’t someone that seems dishonest, Pure Vanilla would be. Like it would take her a long while to get her to trust him. Not sure how she’d feel about Espresso, I feel like they wouldn’t really meet that much anyways. She’d get along just fine with the other Raisin villagers though

But in general she’s a very sweet lady, and she gets very easily flustered by compliments

I suppose I can talk about design now, but I’m not quite sure how to structure it all

This was her previous design, which is also what her hair looks like down

I had her design basically finished, but I was unsure about colors and when I asked I was told I should add some contrasting colors to break up all the browns. I was having trouble placing it though and I kind of just left her in my folder. A friend had suggested I tie her hair up, and while I initially refused because I didn’t want to change her lineart, this morning I ended up doing that. The bandana was originally a dark purple, and my friend suggested making it sky blue instead, and while I was changing colors I got the blue you see there and I liked it, and that’s what stuck

She’s supposed to have some amount of width and chubbiness to her, but I’m not sure how visible that is

Also I made her eyes yellow because when I looked up pictures of oatmeal, I saw a lot of them had bananas in them, so that’s what they are

I do wonder though if I made her look too NPC like. Like I can’t think of what combat skills she’d have in game, and best I can think of she’s a Healer or Support. And I feel like she just looks like an NPC you’d see in CRK

I also wonder if she looks “oatmeal” enough. I mean the hair’s supposed to be the oatmeal, but still

Anyways yeah, that’s Oatmeal Cookie. I think this description might have been a bit nonsensical but hopefully you get the gist of her. Hopefully I’ll draw more of her, as well as her daughter and her with Black Raisin. Hope you like her!