#i've been thinking about them so much recently

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What are your thoughts on Alyno's relationship, and do you think the good aspects about them outweight the toxic ones? I mean they're definitely at least less toxic than current canon Lovesquare, but that bar is pretty much subterranean. 😬

(Also sorry if you've already been asked this, I found your blog relatively recently and I love reading through your thoughts and critiques! It's always interesting reading through your takes <3)

I'm so glad that you like the blog and, no, I don't think I've been asked this so let's talk about it!

DJWifi or Alyno is a fine couple most of the time. There are really only two major flaws in how they're written and one minor flaw that gets elevated to a major flaw because of the other flaws. I think it's pretty easy to take them and make them into a great couple, but canon has squandered that potential making them into a couple that is just kind of there because everyone needs to be paired off to earn a happy ending, I guess. (This show is incredibly amatonormative.)

Let's go through all of those items one by one.

Flaw One: How They Got Together

Alya and Nino get together in Animan, the episode that starts with Nino having a crush on Marinette. Of course, when Nino is prompted to tell Marinette about this crush, he chokes and says it's on Alya instead:

Marinette: Uhh... Can't wait to hear... about this lucky girl! Nino: Oh, yeah... Adrien:(from the earpiece) Tell her it's you! Nino: It's youuu...uur best friend Alya! Adrien, Alya and Marinette: What?! Marinette: Alya? Awesome! Alya: No! No! It's not awesome! Marinette: I can fix up a date for you guys! Alya: Say what?! Seriously?! (calls Nino from the earpiece) You didn't even ask me first! (calls Marinette back from the earpiece) Uh-uh! Nino's like... a brother to me! Bleugh! No! End of discussion!

This leads Marinette to lock Alya in a cage with Nino in spite of the fact that Alya is clearly not interested in Nino:

Ladybug:(takes Nino and Alya to the empty gorilla habitat and locks the cage) Stay put and you'll be safe. (then leaves) Nino:(he looks at Alya) Uhh... Hey, what's up? (Alya lets out a disgusted groan.)

This questionable series of events somehow leads Alya and Nino to get together off screen:

Alya: Ladybug locked us up together in the same cage all afternoon. Nino: It turns out we have tons in common. You know, Marinette, the girl I've got a crush on? Marinette: Oh, yeah! Nino: Actually, it was you. Marinette: Huh? Nino: Or that's what I thought. But after chilling with Alya that whole time... Alya:(interrupts) Yeah, well...we don't have to give her all the deets, do we? Nino: Oh, yeah, my bad.

What an incredibly lackluster romance! Alya and Nino deserve better than this! I actually don't mind Nino having a crush on Marinette, but if you want to go that route, then there needs to be a bigger gap between him crushing on Marinette and Alya. As is, it makes Alya feel like a consolation prize which is not cool.

I'm also not wild about Alya's change of heart. How the heck did she go from "he's like a brother" to "I want to date him" in the course of an hour? If you're going to give us such a dramatic change of heart, then you need to actually show the change happening. At the very least, explain why! They might not need to give Marinette the details, but they do need to give them to the audience!

Alya and Nino generally feel like a fine couple after this episode, so if you missed Animan then you'd have no reason to question their love, but this being the start of their relationship really undermines the romance for me. It's way too lackluster for one of the show's main couples!

Flaw Two: Nino's Blabbermouth

Season five was the season of character assassination and the episode Illusion was dedicated to ruining Nino, giving us many questionable moments including this scene where Nino outs his and Alya's secret identities in a crowded cafeteria:

Nino: What's up is Ladybug and Cat Noir don't have us to help them anymore. Alya: (nervously) Um, um— uh— what do you mean, "us"? Nino: Well, us, you Rena Rouge, me Carapace! (Alya kicks his leg underneath the table) Ouch! What's the big deal? We can tell Marinette and Adrien we used to be superheroes. (The camera pans to a shocked Marinette.) Nino: It's not like we have any Miraculous that Monarch could steal from us. The only ones who need to protect their secret identities are Ladybug and Cat Noir, not us. And anyway, I already told Adrien about Carapace. (Adrien laughs red-handed.) Marinette: Adrien knew? (furiously) Alya, did you know that he knew? Alya: What, no, I swear I didn't know at all! (kicks Nino's leg for the second time) Nino: Ow! Come on! He's my best bud, I can tell him stuff! You and Marinette tell each other stuff, don't you?

Yes, this reveal was only to Marinette and Adrien, but holy shit a crowded cafeteria is not the place to be talking about this kind of thing! Nino, what are you doing? We even see Lila overhear a later part of the conversation, making it clear that wasn't one of those confusing moments where the show used a seemingly public place for a confrontation or reveal, but later context makes it clear that it should be read as a private moment.*

Because the show let there be consequences for Nino using this location AND let the group use the extremely private boiler room later on, Nino comes across terribly! He is so gods damn lucky that Lila only overheard the part about Gabriel (as far as we know.) This scene is a pretty massive betrayal of Alya's trust and Nino never even apologizes for it. It makes him come across as a bad friend, a bad hero, and a bad boyfriend.

I would never include a moment like this unless it was part of a character arc where Nino learned the error of his way or part of a plotline where Alyno breaks up. Because the show never gave this moment proper consequences or payoff, it just makes Nino look like a terrible hero for no good reason and it makes Alya's choice to stay with him pretty questionable. Can she really trust him when he's been shown to treat her most precious secrets with such casual disregard?

*Note: this really only happened in the early seasons when the show didn't have more private locations animated, Volpina and Miracle Queen being prime examples. Both episodes contain a scene that seems extremely public, but later episodes make it clear that the events were only known to the characters who were present in the scene.

Flaw Three: Why Do They Even Like Each Other?

This is the minor issue I mentioned at the start. I don't think side couples need to be deeply developed and sometimes crushes just happen, but when you introduce issues like how the couple got together and Nino being a questionable partner for a superhero, then you do start to wonder why Alya is sticking with this guy? What does she see in him? Why should we want them to stay together outside of amatonormativity?

I don't have a good answer for those questions and it really undermines them as couple. If you're going to do things like mutual identity reveals and episodes centered on their relationship, then you do need to give their relationship some substance because you're giving it too much narrative weight for something so underdeveloped. That's extra true when you're denying the lead couple their own identity reveal! Alyno being fully revealed while also full time heroes is a massive insult to the love square from a narrative perspective and just further cheapens the square's eventual identity reveal.

Fixing Alyno

In spite of all these issues, I do actually like Alyno and tend to put them together in my own stuff. They have the potential to be a fantastic couple. I even use their relationship to help guide how I write Nino because he has so little substance in canon!

For those who don't want to read the massive post I just linked, my main inspiration for Alyno is the fact that canon made Nino a film buff. That's a fantastic match for a nascent vlogger! I love to include scenes of him teaching her how to frame certain types of shots or him helping her learn how to edit footage into an engaging story. It's such an obvious way to let them bond and I'm so disappointed that canon never went there. I actually make the Ladyblog the reason they got together by having Nino help with the filming and by having him run along after Alya in the early story because he's trying to keep her safe. Dude needs to earn his miraculous somehow!

Final Thoughts

I'm pretty neutral on canon Alyno because canon has given them so little substance while also introducing some pretty major flaws, but I like their potential and happily ship them in the realms of fanon. One of the many cases where it's less a love of canon and more a love of the potential I see in canon. Much like the love square, I'd be totally fine with canon Alyno breaking up forever, but I like to give them a happily ever after together in my own stuff.

[rotagnus]

eye contactship (why you're drawn to them) reading.

a little bit of information about your situation and why you like this person...a little bit about how they feel 4 u, if they do.

i feel like i've left u guys waiting on this forever and it's FINALLY HERE. enjoy, babes 💗 happy mother's day to anyone celebrating!! mwah!! 🩷

p1.

i feel like you guys are full of sorrow recently 4 some reason. so to clarify that this is your pile, i would guess that you've been experiencing a sense of loss. like the feeling of going to a mall or a city or a big place all alone for the first time in a while and it strikes you that the world is damn HUGE. maybe a feeling of things changing, but you don't think it's in a positive light. you guys are introspective and probably introverted, with a strong connection to your hobbies, or even mother earth or deities/your religion.

as for the person you're asking about, i'd say that they do notice you. you represent something specific to them; maybe you have a consistent fashion style they associate with you, or a certain hairstyle; you're the model of a specific aspect for them. maybe alternative or you have cute accessories! i don't think that they hate you, but this person bonds based off of friendships and deep connections, so obviously, if this is just an eyecontactship, they haven't formed that with you.

you're being asked to have patience and to get out of this mindset that's chanting they'retheonethey'retheone in the back of your mind. baby, you limit your options the moment you choose that this person is yours. ask yourself why you like them; do they remind you of a toxic pattern, of home (which isn't always a good thing)? or do they make you feel calm? the universe is telling me to tell you to think about WHYYY you're so drawn to them.

p2.

ahahahaha my idealizers hello babies. so the point is, a lot of you guys are painfully self-aware that you want this person for a specific reason, and you're already puttin' on your analyzing glasses and structuring a wall around your heart to prevent any pain from coming. tell me, do you ever let yourself feel joy? many of you probably grew up in a household where this feeling of peace was associated with a specific figure, and it truly ripped you apart. you were young and innocent and naive but became overly strict with who you let into your life. your heart is closed off. however, this person makes you feel...different. they're a sweetheart and they wanna be sweet to you, awww. you symbolize opposites to them; you guys are probably different in specific ways.

for a lot of you, this person seems to symbolize safety, or whatever you perceive as joy, protection, happiness. a lot of you have never felt true peace, even though you convinced yourself you know what it is...but sometimes we think that what we have is something it's not. you're so used to giving things up and this person, in a way, allows you to step into this specific pattern. always reaching out, giving.

i think that there's def potential with this person, but you have a lot of wounds you gotta heal, darling. all that pain inside you? it prevents you from receiving. you're approached and immediately shy away. 'little bit' by lykke li, y'know? listen to that song, it's the whole vibe of this reading. you guys need to open your heart, truly, but also stop caring so much. your mind runs in loops because you're terrified of feeling true things, because it's just so much. baby steps. don't stay in this boundary just because you're scared of reciprocation. this person doesn't hate you, and in fact, i would say they have pretty positive feelings for you. contrasting you in all the best ways.

p3.

you guys are going THROUGH ITTTT. you feel like you're the darkness and everything around you is so dark too, and that everyone else is just a distant star. you guys always paint people brighter than they are. guys...listen, you are the STAR. i know you're like omgomg what does this person think about me? right now, but c'mon. the star AND the sun popped up. you guys are fucking angels and you refuse to see it. your energy is a fucking BLESSING. treat it as such. you're hella strong, because i know life's been throwing shit at you for the past while, but...you have to step up. stop lowering your standards and settling. stop being humble and realize that life is ready to give you gifts and the whole fucking world, as long as you realize that you, my love, ARE the world.

as for what this person feels for you, i know you guys know what they do. whether they like you or dislike you or whatever, you guys are deeply attuned to what other people feel, so i would suggest you trust your gut. make sure that YOU view them with a level-headed lens. one of the oracle cards i pulled out says 'cracked open. it's happening for you, not to you.' so for your whole situation...honey, i know it'll bring good things. i know that a lot of you were like 'wow i'm so happy i haven't been this happy in a while' then BAM you fell down and broke your wings. baby, it'll get better. i know you can't see it now because your heart aches, but girl. let me TELL YOU.

fuel all that energy and anger you have into making a better life for yourself. this isn't a safe energy to keep in your chest and of course life's gonna hold people back from you when they use you and abuse you and fill you with self-hatred and anger. you need to clean out the weeds. honey, you will meet a person who loves you like you're their whole world. their universe. but this? this energy you're in right now? you're not in a safe place to receive. create your world. realize what you want and stop settling for less. this is a new beginning and the choices you make right now are important. darling, you won't be alone forever. i promise you.

[alllgator-blood]

updates/vent/idk

feel the need to post SOMETHING on here cause I've been gone so long, I don't think I'm going on a long hiatus or anything, I just don't like posting/replying to anything when I'm not doing well. I haven't been able to draw in a few weeks but I HAVE been working on plushies. I'll try to post some pics when they're done, I think you guys will really like them- I have shamura pretty much done aside from their robe, and aym + baal just need their faces and clothing details. About to start work on leshy but idk if he'll be done anytime soon, he's gonna be ginormous I hope. Actually the amount of cotl plush toys I've made is in the double digits and I haven't bothered to post any of them so I should really do that sometime...

give me til this weekend and I'll try to get some pics! Shamura in particular is my fave but I'm biased so that's no big surprise...

anyway vent type stuff below the cut, I can't get into detail about anything so it's a lot of nothing but it's mostly just an explanation for not being on much recently I guess.

I want to apologize for not responding to messages or asks or mentions or anything. I'm at a point where I can't mask like at all, and I feel sick thinking about posting or talking to anyone and pretending I'm alright, but I can't really talk about what happened either- so I'm at an impasse. I don't really know how to describe the year I've been having without getting into detail of what's been going on, and that's not terribly appropriate I don't think.

I wish I could concisely convey my feelings recently in a way that's not overshare-y, especially because there's not anything anyone can do to help, so I don't want to startle anyone?? I just don't feel good knowing there's people who want to talk to me but all my stupid ass can do is lay in bed and imagine I'm dead instead of typing some words back to them. I have a laundry list of conditions (big surprise huh?) so I easily crumple under any kind of stress, and when it's this prolonged with no reprieve or clear way out, it's hard to make it to the next day. It's hard to go online and seeing everyone able to act so normal while I feel like I'm in hell, idk. Waow it's just like that kallamar comic I did where he wanted 1 day off.....

All this stuff below the cut is pretty pointless but I think I just wanted to feel like I at least put it out there *somewhere* that I'm not alright, so I don't feel as guilty isolating. I promise there is a reason I've not responded to anyone in weeks or opened my messages. With time I'll get over it, I've lived this long so w/e, I just need time to feel shitty I think.

[raemirs]

What is special about SifLoop to you?

OH BOY WHAT A LOADED QUESTION!!! to be honest if i explained everything we would be here for 2 weeks and also that's a lot of spoons that i dont have so. i will offer a heavily, HEAVILY abridged bullet pointed version.

-oh, that one person who will understand you more than anyone else in the world. that person who is always on the same wavelength as you, who understands why you do all the things you do, who you never have to explain anything to, who you can simply look in the eyes and have telepathic conversations with... they are that person, to each other <3 on virtue of being the same person, but still! i have always been a sucker for this type of dynamic due to being socially ostracized as a ND child growing up. i yearned for the longest time to find that one person who i didnt have to explain or hide any of my strange quirks from (i have since found that one person for me, and boy it is sweet!) and i think it's awesome that sifloop can be that person for each other :)

-sifloop as an allegory for self love is not something i explore too often (which is a crime!!! i should explore it more!!!!), but ohhhhh, is it juiiiicy. these goobers deserve to love themselves, but if they can't bring themselves to do it for now, loving the other is a good first step. one of my all-time favorite sifloop fanfics, simple as existing (please please PLEASE read it, it's soooo good) has most of the things i love about this interpretation of sifloop! aghhh... loop taking care of siffrin's body because it was once theirs... ughhghhhhhhhhhhhh im normal im so normal im normal

-you can take sifloop in so many interesting angles! do they love each other in an actual romantic way? is it some form of fucked up self love? does it no longer count as selfcest because they've undergone such different life-altering experiences? is it such a deep emotional bond that it transcends mere romance or platonic love and cannot be described with words? well, no need to fear, because you get to pick! and the dynamic will be guaranteed to be juicy anyhow <3

-mashing the above two bullet points together creates one of my favorite interpretations of sifloop i've seen yet! something something an annoying trait present in yourself becomes endearing when present in someone else you love. something something by learning to love the traits they hate in themselves in the other, sifloop can begin to learn how to love themselves again. by loving the other, they can start to heal. im normal im normal im normal

-as a touch-starved little freak myself i love love love how sifloop are both touch-starved to hell and back because!! they can fix this with each other!!!! make those fuckers hang off each other like wet clothes!!! they will never let go of each other ever again!!! at every possible scenario they will be at least holding hands or something more!!! both of them want so so much touch and they can give this to each other in precisely the way they want!! it's so fucking good!!!

on the flip side, you can take sifloop's craving for touch in an angsty direction as well! again, love how you can take sifloop's dynamics in so many ways and have all of them be just as compelling and correct. i explore this angstier direction in another post of mine <3

-siffrin is really easy and fun to draw and loop being siffrin means i can turn them human and then boom i get to make cute ship art while drawing the little guy i love twice. what a steal! (i've also recently figured out loop's star form and it is quite fun to draw as well hehehe)

-i'm sure there's WAYYYY more i've missed talking about, this is just the stuff that's come to mind first. as you can tell by this short and abridged summary (/sar) of why i love sifloop, i have a normal amount of thoughts about them <3 here's to many more moons of being insane about sifloop!

[factual-fantasy]

26 asks! Thank you! :}}} 🪲

Oh absolutely I do. That's why I always ask before drawing anyone's OCs, or using/modifying their original meme templates, or anything of the sort. Friends and strangers alike.

And same goes for AU ideas. In the past I've seen a really cool idea for an AU and tracked down the OP and asked if I could incorporate their idea into my AU as well. I do my very best to do this for other artists because its what I wish people would do for me.👍👍

I have a master post for all my Octonauts artwork here. 👍

@ripchaos69

I'm really proud of/pleased with how this fairy piece came out! :DD

I also really like how this pixelated cat came out! :)

I was very pleased with how WALL-E cam out in this piece!

I also think this is one of the best drawings of Optimus I've ever done! :))

Even if I knew the answer, that's probably not something I should share online anyways is it?

@mothpendragon

I remember not liking him at all the first time I watched the show. But now watching it a second time years later, I think he's really not that bad. :0 In fact I don't know why I disliked him so much back then.

There are some parts about his character that annoy me. But most of that either is good character writing or isn't his fault. I don't like how immature he tends to be, but of course he's immature. He's still basically just a kid who hasn't experienced much of this war.

And when things get rough, he really straightens out and tries his best to be serious and obedient. Which is very nice to see.

Another thing that I don't like is how the phase shifter was kind'a overused. It became his signature weapon that he used to bail him out of everything. Smokescreen has demonstrated that he's actually pretty clever and slick, it would have been fun to see him trick or outsmart the cons more often instead of just using the phase shifter to save his aft every time. But again, this is not Smokescreens fault at all. Its the writers fault for making his use it so much.

And lastly, something that really made me like Smokescreen was the whole thing that happened with Optimus nearly dying. Smokescreen freaking out at the prospect of becoming a Prime felt really real. Instead of being honored and having and having an inflated ego like I thought he might for some reason- he was terrified.

And him panicking and using the forge to repair Optimus last second felt very real. I could really understand how Smokescreen must have felt, wanting to follow Optimus's orders and restore their home, but also being unable to bare the responsibility of being a Prime. Eventually dragging Optimus back to the land of the living and throwing away any hope of restoring the Omega lock.

If I was better at analyzing characters, I would have loved to draw a comic about what happens right after Optimus was repaired.

My first thought is Smokescreen feeling guilty and ashamed of having used the forge against Optimus's wishes. Would Smokescreen crumble? Fall to his knees, crying and apologizing? "I'm so sorry Optimus- I just couldn't do it-- I couldn't do it, I cant be a Prime- I couldn't-- w-we couldn't lose you.." Is that in character? Honestly I have no idea. 😔

I've thought about doing that for my lineless style, but I haven't gotten around to it.. 😓

If someone goes out of their way to comment on your post/in your ask box saying you're cringe for liking transformers, block the all the way to the sun and back.

What a jerk. I wouldn't be friends with anyone who goes around insulting/trying to upset people for no reason like that. Block them and don't accept/respond any phony apology they might throw your way. They knew they were being rude when they sent that message and deserve to be blocked.

Dude I would take that so fast. No one in my family would ever have to work or have debt ever again 😭

I figure if I ever feel like drawing/posting Octonauts art again, I would just put it behind a paywall on my Ko-fi. Which ngl I've thought about doing a lot recently with the new movie that came out.

But also- I would have no way of filtering out people for that private blog because how am I supposed to know who will and wont steal my artwork just by looking at their account? And when it did get stolen, I would have no way of knowing which follower did it-

I believe I've mentioned it before, but I didn't want to watch Rescue bots because its attached to Transformers: Prime <:/

Its supposed to be connected to Prime, but its rather baby-ified. The tone is much more light hearted, the plot of Rescue bots completely rewrites/contradicts the plot of Prime, Optimus comes back to life for no reason. Stuff like that.

Atm I'm only interested in Prime 😔

@kitkat1003

OUGUHHH SO REALLLLL 😭😭😭😭

REALLL I've only ever found ship fics😔😔😔 I'd love to see an aftermath fic with no romance involved.

@virtualworldfp5

That's a really cool idea! :D Great artwork too! :))

@badlyblurry

Man, if I had a nickel for every time Jeffery Combs played a character with some sort of scientist background and that had some form of contact with a green chemical compound that holds harmful properties to one body in a way, I'd have 3 nickels. Which isn't a lot but its weird that it happened 3 times. XD

@anonymous-red-shades

I'd definitely want to be something that can fly :00 But I don't think I'd wanna fly super fast because i wanna enjoy the scenery.. hmmm.. maybe a helicopter or a classic pontoon plane? :000

As for abilities... uhhhhhhh the only special abilities I know that transformers can have is the warping thing that Skywarp does. I don't know of any other powers <:0 Maybe an ability to change into more than one alt mode..? So I could be a submarine and go underwater? Or maybe the ability to breathe underwater or something? :00

(Referencing this post)

They're so unhinged I swear 😔

@chickenmilk120 (Referencing this post)

NOT YOU TOO-

@cherrycreamfairy

I couldn't find any websites that didn't make my anti virus tweak out <XD So the only villain I like from memory is Captain Gantu from Lilo and Stitch.

I still like it yeah :0 but I'm not really engaging in any Mandalorian media atm-

@minnesotamedic186

Okay the killing part aside a Plymouth Fury is an excellent choice of car ngl. Especially a fiery red 💅💅💅

@axolotlcookie0

The fact that it looks like Thomas's face has been bagged makes it even funnier XDDD

@wolfie-777

XD I actually think of that a lot yeah. I always tell myself "oooo I should draw that later" but I never do XD💀

@beryl-shade

Bibi would probably use it as intended. Sharpening and cleaning his claws💅💅

Meanwhile Cici would use it as a weapon to beat up Jangles and Gerald with XDD

What was his real name supposed to be in that continuity then? XD

@milk-powrit

References. Looooots and looooot of references.

Typically I use references of realistic skeletons. But if there's a part of the body that I just cant seem to draw right, then I look up drawings of skeletons to see how other artists drew that part. 👍

@beryl-shade

Oh no doubt they'll have an episode that takes place around the lake and the fair grounds(?) The theme park next to the main tent-

The fact that Caine mentioned their existence at all implies that an episode is going to take place there. At least for me-

[queenwille]

us resident here - i can't speak for any of the college campus experiences of antisemitism, but i do work in queer art spaces within the california bay area (berkeley, oakland, and san francisco). the most common antisemitism i've seen normalized is petty graffiti - "fuck israel" or "fuck zionists" appears somewhere on every block, most of the stop signs near me have a sticker calling to stop genocide where the "i" is shaped like israel colored in with a keffiyeh pattern, and there's a busy freeway underpass that has been wallpapered with memorial posters for hamas, hezbollah, houthi, and iri members a few times (it gets taken down every 6 months or so)

while it's a little less of an every day occurrence, another common trend is artists who aren't making art about i/p will still feel the need to virtue signal with design elements (just putting a crossed out israeli flag in the background for example), or throw away references to an israeli character being hated, or having a villain character (always played by a goy) use a bunch of yiddish words for no reason

this rise in performative vilification is distressing because it's going hand-in-hand with a culture of silence around being able to actually talk about anything jewish

a play by a holocaust survivor i produced recently had the marketing torpedoed by a lot of common arts marketing groups for vague and contradictory reasons (often weaponized incompetence, like one of them would really rather i think they were all morons who don't know how to open a pdf than admit they didn't want to hang up a poster about jews), and i clashed pretty horribly with a dramaturg who kept trying to bring gaza up in the educational resource materials even though the play was entirely set during the playwright's experience before her brother died on a death march

the isolation has had some devastating effects, like the closure of a jewish art museum because of funding problems - something literally every art and culture org in the state is dealing with. while so many other groups are calling for solidarity and mutual aid, this jewish museum received waves of harassing mail and was protested against twice supposedly for NOT promising to NOT platform zionists. showing the truth of "people love dead jews", the first statements of support from other organizations came after the closure announcement, when other museums could play the victim for their own fundraising and cry about how they could be next

while i can't speak for college atmosphere, i do some work in public elementary schools, and they've been removing jewish holidays from their cultural festivals and de-emphasizing the jewishness of many historical americans. mutliple school districts in the state are involved in lawsuits about toxic work environments for jewish teachers, inaction surrounding antisemitic bullying between students, or school boards being too blatant about the erasure i mentioned above

my personal experience might start with dumbass graffiti, and deal more with microaggressions than targeted harassment (except for what i witnessed at the museum), but it is hitting really close to home for me largely because throughout my childhood my family was kind of the picture of jewish american assimilation. we were the only jewish family in town, and i had to consciously try to regain a connection to judaism when i was in college. i'm seeing so many jewish families becoming more quiet and withdrawn and it's like a reenactment of choices my grandparents and parents made long before i was born. i chose to be jewish as much as i was born jewish, but i didn't fight for it as hard as i'm fighting now, and that's what scares me the most

i’m so sorry you’re experiencing this and please remember you’re not alone and we’re thinking of you!!!

thank you for sharing and i’m sending a big tight and overbearing jewish hug 🫂

[coffee-at-daybreak]

late night reading | martin septim x reader

a/n: i may or may not have been recently engulfed by oblivion remastered and of course like the gooner i am, i fell for babygirl martin. he has no business being that precious. ik i'm going a lil off script seeing as i've only written skyrim pieces so far but i hope there's at least a few other ppl who can indulge in both <3 ty so very much for stopping by!!

You don't know what's making more noise - the forest outside, the raging thoughts in your head, or the obnoxious snoring of someone else in the Weynon house.

You turn for the tenth time in your temporary bed. It's a perfectly good bed, but like everything else right now, it just feels ... wrong. Too warm, too soft, you don't know. But you do know you cannot get comfortable enough to even think of sleeping.

As if it's not difficult enough with your mind still racing. It's been a few hours since you returned to Weynon Priory with Martin, only to walk right into disaster. A messy fight, a monk slain, the Amulet of Kings gone. Every bone in your body wanted to chase after those attackers, but Jauffre was right - it was foolish to pursue them through the woods at night.

So, you must wait. Dawn can't be too far off, but Gods, the hours are dragging by.

Your head hurts. You don't know whether it's the lack of sleep, the aftermath of the battle, the stress pulling your body tight like a bowstring - or a fun combination of everything.

Exasperated, you dart out of the bed and head downstairs. Maybe some fresh air will help.

You don't bother being silent with your footsteps, especially with that snoring upstairs. You hurry down the steps and start to cross the room towards the front door when a hushed call of your name comes from behind you.

You turn around, your body half prepared to draw a weapon. But instead of an enemy, you see Martin seated on a bench in the corner, bathed in the faint light of a lantern propped up next to him. His pale blue eyes, softened with concern, catch your own.

"Are you alright?" He asks. His voice is as hushed and gentle as ever. "What's happened?"

You hesitate, glancing between him and the door. "N-nothing. I was just..." You turn your full attention to him. "Wait, what are you doing down here?"

He offers a small, sheepish smile and lifts his hands briefly to reveal an open book in them. "I'm sure it's no surprise, but ... reading."

It's certainly not a surprise. Almost every stop and moment of respite you'd had on your way back from Kvatch involved him reading some tome or another. The familiarity of it is oddly relaxing, though. The erratic pace of your heart and breathing starts to come down.

"Sort of an odd time to be reading, isn't it?" You ask. You keep your tone light to show you're only teasing, but your voice shakes a little on the last word. And attentive as he is, Martin notices.

"Perhaps. But is it not an odd time to be heading outside?" His eyes dart from you to the window, where it's very obviously pitch black outside.

You purse your lips and shrug. "What are the odds we get attacked again?"

Martin just looks at you with deep concern. "Please, do not test those odds."

You smile. It wasn't the first time you said or did something to give him that little crease in his brow, or that worried frown tugging on his lips. Something about that look causes your heart to stir.

You heave a soft sigh and finally step away from the door, instead moving for the same corner as him. To your relief, he scoots over on the bench, leaving just enough space for you.

"I take it you can't sleep either?" You ask as you take a seat next to him. You're close enough to sense the subtle warmth of his body and to catch that faint smell of clean fabric and mint he always carries. You don't know whether to be comforted or thrilled by it.

"There was a feeble attempt made," he admits. "It seems my mind is not as exhausted as my body is."

You nod to that. You start to voice your agreement when you're interrupted by another loud snore from upstairs. "I suppose it comes easy to some people," you mutter.

Martin gives you a soft chuckle, a rare but delightful sound to your ears. "I am envious of them," he says.

A moment of quiet passes, then he is asking you again with that oh so gentle voice. "Are you alright?"

You stare at your boots, mulling over your response. "I don't know. I feel a little ... overwhelmed."

There's another pause as he gives you a chance to continue. That's when you realize who exactly you're talking to. You fight back a cringe and turn to look at him. "I'm sorry. I'm sure that's nothing compared to how you feel."

His face softens and he shakes his head. "This is no competition, my friend. Your feelings are valid." He casts a glance to the woods visible through the window. "There is a lot ahead of us, and it's natural to be uncertain."

You feel a small jab in your chest. You wonder if he's thinking of his approaching title as Emperor. To go from a simple priest to the next ruler of Cyrodiil... He sure has a lot on his plate.

"But I have faith it will all unfold as we go, and we are on the right path." His eyes flick back to meet yours. "I am glad we are on it together."

Warmth blooms from inside you. Some of it even reaches your skin, your cheeks tingling a little as you smile at him.

He suddenly looks away, averting his gaze. Maybe you're imagining it in the low glow of the lantern, but it actually looks like he might be the flushed one.

"I am sorry you are unable to sleep," he adds. "If there is anything in particular you would like to speak of, I am here to listen."

Your heart swells at the offer, and you do consider it for a second. "Thank you, but it's alright. I'd rather just keep my mind off of it." Your eyes jump to the book in his hands. "Can I ask what you're reading?"

He turns it to show you the cover. "'Incident at Necrom'. I believe it is a fictional work on illusion magic."

You hum curiously. "Sounds fascinating." You are about to ask him for a summary, but a better idea crosses your mind. "Would you be willing to read it to me?"

Martin is obviously caught off guard by that request, and you almost laugh at that surprised little stretch to his eyes. "Forgive me, but ... is that a jest?" He asks with just a hint of nervousness.

"Not at all. I'd love to hear it," you assure him.

He hesitates only a moment longer, but when he realizes you really aren't joking, he relaxes and opens the book. "Then I'd be glad to."

He flips the pages until he's back to the start of the book, and clears his throat quietly before beginning. "'The situation simply is this'..."

It's suddenly easy to ignore everything else - the forest outside, the raging thoughts in your head, the obnoxious snoring upstairs. Instead you are lost in the deep but soft cadence of his voice. It calms you, soothing away the tension both in your mind and body.

Without thinking much of it, you tip your head down until it's leaning ever so lightly on his shoulder. He stutters on the current word for only a second, but continues in spite of the speedy heart rate you just gave him.

[monbons]

Stitchy Sunday Musings

Thanks for the tag @thewholelemon. I also don't really have an update, but I did have a bit of a reflection I wanted to share today that I hope will speak to some of you---and selfishly---also keep me motivated on the days that are hard. So, with that, story time...

Exactly a year ago, I started my doll-stitching journey and the very first set of dolls I ever gifted were mermaids. I was inspired by @iamamythologicalcreature's gorgeous mer-May art.

This first set was entirely hand stitched because I did not have a sewing machine, nor did I think making dolls would become something I actively pursued in any real way. It was just something I did for fun---a way to channel my creative energy when the words wouldn't come while also paying tribute to some of my favorite fics and their authors.

Fast-forward to my newest dolls and the growth is almost unbelievable. You can see aspects of my final style in my very first dolls, but everything about this last set has evolved. This particular set represents just over 24 hours of work (a significant chunk of them on that tail that boasts 600+ hand-sewn sequins). I also experimented with new hair textures and colors, and apparently, I embroider eyebrows now. (As if making the eyes symmetrical wasn't hard enough!)

It may sound like I am boasting. I swear I am not. Instead, I wanted to post this because this is just one year of committing to a thing and working really fucking hard at it. It is also the kind of visible "success" that is so hard to get elsewhere.

When I first started contributing to fandom, it was as a writer. If your primary contribution to fandom is writing, it can be really hard to do a side-by-side comparison like this. As a result, we often rely on measures of growth or success that can be compared: kudos, reblogs, and comments obviously, but also word counts, fics published per year, etc. Honestly? None of those are reliable (and dare I say worthy?) measures of how beautiful a piece of work is, let alone a journey of growth and joy. It isn't to say they don't have their place, but "the numbers" aren't everything...and they can often feel disheartening.

Anyway, I've been feeling really down on myself recently for a whole host of reasons, but a huge contributor is that I've been having so much trouble with writing. For weeks, "the numbers" have haunted me. Not just the public numbers (I've wanted to scream into a pillow about kudos and likes more than once this year), but the private ones (I'm "behind" on words from this same point last year).

And then I took this humble doll offering to a book signing this past week and the author cried tears of joy, which made me cry. Several people in the signing line gasped when they held up my little merman and his love. Several others came up and talked to me about my art and wanted to know more. For the first time in months, I felt really proud of something I had made, and I guess this post is about holding on to that feeling. When I made these dolls, I wasn't trying to meet some external metric or creating for audience consumption. I wasn't even sure I would post my dolls anywhere since this isn't SnowBaz. I was simply making for the joy of it, and that night, which cannot be quantified in likes or comments or numbers of any kind, filled me up in a way I desperately needed.

Anyway, if you are still with me after this long ramble, thank you. Like I said, it was mostly for me. I wanted to remember that the beauty of my work actually can't be measured, no matter how much I try to do so. That I may not always be lucky enough to see the impact on others like I did with these dolls, but that doesn't make the effort any less valuable. And most of all, that none of that is the point. I wanted to make these dolls, I enjoyed making these dolls, and I am getting better at it because making dolls makes me happy. I needed to remember that. And if that was the case for me, I figured someone else might need to remember it too.

It feels weird to tag people in this, but hellos and high-fives from the philosophical doll factory anyway. May your creative endeavors bring you joy today and every day.

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @mooncello, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @rimeswithpurple, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @wellbelesbian, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95

[redyoshi241]

Analysis of the Kelvin Manor Scene

I have never in my life been normal about this scene and I have so much I could say about it, but one tiny detail struck me as I was rewatching BoC recently.

This is one of the creepiest Sebastian scenes in my opinion. Its disturbing how much he seems to enjoy watching Ciel in his panicked state. A lot of it is in his expression, but I've also noticed one seemingly random detail that sticks out to me and makes the whole scene feel 'off'. It's the way he removes Ciel's eyepatch:

Now, we know that the conspicuous placement of the contract seal on Ciel's eye increases its power. So I've always thought that when Ciel removes his eyepatch before calling out an order, it's not just for dramatic effect, it actually strengthens the order in some way. Ciel usually seems to do it in particularly difficult or urgent situations, such as when he gets Sebastian to exterminate the horde of bizarre dolls on the boat. Most importantly, Ciel is always the one to remove the eyepatch himself:

So when Sebastian takes off the eyepatch at the end of BoC, it feels like an invasion of Ciel's autonomy, especially since Ciel seems completely oblivious that it's happening:

And it feels really strange, because Sebastian is generally very respectful of Ciel's physical boundaries. If he wasn't, Ciel wouldn't let him dress and wash him, and he wouldn't let Sebastian carry him all the time. So for Sebastian to expose Ciel's eye like this in front of people is part of what makes this scene feel so disturbing to me.

My interpretation of why Sebastian does this is that Sebastian enjoys knowing that Ciel is completely dependent on him. I think that's why he's smirking when Ciel clings to him, and why he tells Ciel to call his name. The fact that Ciel gives the order to 'kill them all' as soon as the eyepatch is removed makes me think that Sebastian was trying to subconsciously encourage him to wield the power of the contract. It's a reminder that even when giving orders, Ciel is never really the one with power and control.

[eosfog-btsideblog]

Several? Sentences Sunday!

I haven't been tagged by anybody and idk if these are even still happening but I wanted to share!

Just started a new fic I've been thinking about a lot where Buck from like ten years in the future (married to Tommy, lieutenant in another station, the 118 having gone their separate ways over the years as inevitably happens to any workplace) appears back in the 118 right after Buck drops the lawsuit and returns to work.

Canon compliant up to s8e17, assume some unexplained wishy washy magic/sci fi reasoning for the temporary time travel, and kindly ignore any mistakes lmao—

+

The stranger even though Buck knows who it is doesn’t he is broad, built with a reassuring solidity. In a way where Buck is envious of his clear working muscle but wants to scoffs at the soft bulk of his stomach, the extra mass clinging to his upper arms disdain Buck can only show because he knows who this is, the one person he's never had trouble being vitriolic toward, at least that's what he had thought until recent events proved him wrong—

His reddish brownish blondish hair is in tousled curls, longer than Buck ever lets them get, furiously speckled with grays. Loose, free from product. Thinner than he’d hoped it'd ever get. The three wrinkles he sees creasing his own brow in the mirror before he forces them away, diligently molds his face smooth again have carved deep, permanent grooves on the stranger’s face, though they're accompanied by faint age lines around his eyes and mouth that belie a life filled with more laughter than worry.

There’s glasses haphazardly hanging in the front of his t-shirt, a crisp white number that clings to his stomach, a soft blue sweater thrown on top. All oversized, making him seem even more massive than his heavily muscled frame thighs finally so broad his legs looked proportionally average. And a solid silver wedding ring on his finger.

Off duty, then.

The stranger gets up off the ground, groaning as his knees and back pop in a way that makes Buck red with embarrassment. He dusts himself off and looks around, ignoring Buck for a few seconds, making him simultaneously angry at being ignored and grateful for the reprieve. The stranger glances at the clock hanging on the wall outside the ambulance, displaying a layman's lunchtime hour 12:17 PM in a way that a firefighter rarely gets to see amidst the chaos and schedule of a firehouse.

And then finally at Buck, doing inventory by himself in the back of a recently organized ambulance, his long legs pretzeled in the cramped space in a way that makes the pins in his leg ache.

Their standoff is briefly interrupted by quiet laughter and conversation from up the stairs. Bobby asking if anyone wants seconds; Chim delivering something that has the cadence of a joke. Bobby's voice makes the stranger's eyes go wide, his body tensing up; until he forcibly shakes himself loose again, brings his attention back to Buck.

Buck had heard the bell ring for lunch and hadn't moved more afraid to show up and be met with silence and disdain than to never eat family lunch again. No one had come after him; but he'd find a sandwich wrapped up in the fridge the next time he was left as the man behind inevitably and yet again.

Buck feels the stranger’s eyes rapidly glance from his gelled hair to his face pink and angry from him scrubbing at tears he had refused to let fall to his build oddly thin from months where he couldn’t exercise and then months where he exercised far too much and never wanted to eat to the compression sock peeking out from the bottom of his pant leg to the clipboard in his trembling hands—

“So, did you just drop the lawsuit then?"

+

Thanks for reading!

[elguritch-art]

Is it possible for a Tremere and a Tzimisce to fall in love? 🥺Absolutely fucking not!

But an incredibly weird sugar daddy/sugar baby toxic yaoi situationship where they're nearly triple digits divorced and gotten back together? HELL YEAHHHHH!!

Introducing my other two current VtM bastards for my other game I play in weekly, who have one of the messiest kindred/kindred relationships I think I've ever made

Plague doctor-turned-modern-doctor vs 1800 snake oil salesman who thinks his patent medicines still work. This is a frequent source of arguments between them.

More lore/details below!

Yvain Vasse d'Ostun | Tzimisce | Nonbinary (He/They) | 329 (25) Plague doctor from the early 1700s turned modern practicing doctor. Embraced after catching and slowly dying from the septicemic plague in France, later on moving to the US and gaining their various medical licenses. Suffers from chronic pain, movement disabilities, and feeding disabilities from the septicemic plague still in their system, trying to destroy their body at the same time it's healing up over daysleep.

Wesley Carter Howard | Tremere | Trans Man (He/Him) | 194 (46) 1800s Snake oil patent medicine salesman who STILL thinks his patent medicines made with arsenic, laudanum, and cocaine are valid forms of medicine. He and one of his broodmates were ghouled for decades under their sire, who they eventually murdered, but not before embracing each other with his vitae!

Other fun facts:

Wesley has never gotten top surgery as a trans man, specifically because he whines and bitches and gripes about his tits in front of Yvain who's offered So Many Times to give him top surgery, all because Wesley thinks it's funny

Yvain is so fucking mad about the fact that Wesley was able to develop bathtub vampire HRT with blood sorcery and other alchemy concepts when Yvain insisted it couldn't be done, Wesley lauds this over him CONSTANTLY

They're both in a semi-open relationship only because Wesley roams all over the U.S. and Yvain can't stop him from sleeping with other people. Wesley sleeps with other people ONLY because he knows it makes Yvain possessive and fired up and he LOVEEESSSS that shit

Wesley has never seen Yvain's war form before and Yvain had to enter it in a recent session, and one of the other coterie members who knows Wesley is going to LORDDDD that over him when he comes back to the city

their relationship is so fucked up and toxic yaoi and a complete disaster and at the same time there's so much genuine adoration between them. Yvain, despite feeling incredibly possessive, knows that keeping Wesley contained to one spot would absolutely kill him inside, so they let him roam and come back, and compared to their hospital staff and ghouls, they're EXCEPTIONALLY lenient with his behavior. Wesley, despite loving arguing and tormenting Yvain, genuinely does care for them and worries constantly over their chronic pain from the plague in their bloodstream, and has been secretly working on trying to develop essentially vampire ibuprofen to try and relieve some of their pain temporarily.

[ghouljams]

I need to confess something but don’t know where else to say it…

But the obsession people have with how others keep their body hair is really starting to annoy me. Especially with the argument “if you shave your pubic hair you’re a pedo” like no babe… like not even taking into account the people who have texture issues or whatever

I’m a little freak who has a shaving kink and gets really turned on by the feeling of that part of your bodies skin being smooshed against another person’s!!! I’m not a fucking disgusting human I just have a KINK!! And the intrusive thoughts I get every time I enjoy said kink is really starting to get to me.

I get it friend. For a long time I was a no shave girlie (gender neutral) because not doing something is about 100% easier than doing something, but I shave now and I like it a lot better. I think it feels better wearing underwear and I like the way it looks with the way my body is shaped. Also makes it easier to wear leotards for ballet but that's neither here nor there.

As with every trend, there are always people pushing back against it as a moral failing and not simply a social trend. Shaving is, by and large, a trend. For years the norm was not to shave, and then porn started shaving to give people a better view of the goods, and people started imitating porn and establishing shaving as the new trend. Even shaving legs is a relatively new trend, we didn't really see women start to shave until 1940-ish because razor companies needed to expand their market. That's so recent!!

People care way too much about how other people style themselves because they've been trained to care. It's the same reason people stare at goth kids in the mall, anyone who is doing something outside the agreed upon social norms is going to be picked out by the general population. Which is why we occasionally see such huge backlashes to these trends. More often than not in order to push back against the norm people will flip it on its head and demonize it. I've already talked about this in terms of giving head (people saying you shouldn't suck dick because it isn't feminist in order to uplift eating out) and I think the same thing is happening with pubic hair tbh

Generally an individual has no problem holding two ideas in their head, shaving is fine but also not shaving is fine, but once you get three or four people together it starts getting really hard. Add in the internet echo chamber and you've got a recipe for people calling things they personally dislike a moral failing of the highest degree. Personally, I ignore it because I'm going to do whatever I want with my body anyway so what do I care what other people think of my private parts? They're not the ones seeing them, I am!

[gothamite-rambler]

Talia entered the waiting room where Rose and Cheshire were sitting. They were there to speak with Talia's father, Ra’s al Ghul. Before she could inform them that her father was busy, her gaze fell on Rose in her Ravager outfit. Instantly, it reminded Talia of what she had learned from Bruce a few days ago.

Talia: Are you the one dating my step son?

Rose turned around, checking if anyone was behind her, then pointed at Cheshire.

Talia (disgusted): Ew, no, not her! You!

Cheshire: Could you not have a visceral reaction when she pointed at me?

Talia: I don't like you, if that helps. Rose is your civilian name, right?

Rose: Um… I’m not disclosing that.

Talia: You, tights-wearing heroes, are ridiculous with those nicknames. I’ll play along anyway. You’re the daughter of Slade Wilson and a deceased mother. You were raised in Cambodia, then taken in by Slade, who made you his super soldier before you finally escaped.

Rose: Um… how did you know all of that?

Talia: I do my research on people who pique my interest. That Slade Wilson is quite a headache. He recently received a punishment beating from me when he insulted my child. And you wear an eyepatch as well—may or may not be for aesthetic purposes.

Rose: I— You— Your father beat the shit out of my father because he insulted your son?

Talia: Yes. He said Ra’s should beat my autistic son for being 'weird' to him, and, much to his shock, and later my own, he punched Slade multiple times.

Cheshire (clasping her hands together): Aww, family goals. I'd break Slade's arm if he said that about my daughter.

Rose: Honestly, with that context, he definitely had it coming. But he usually does. To answer your first question, if you're talking about Red Hood, yeah I am... dating him, still odd to say that. I've never been in a relationship this long. Cheshire, don’t say anything.

Cheshire: I really want to sing that song again.

Rose: Do it, and I’ll hit you.

Talia: So, the daughter of a villain is dating my stepson… this is splendid! I was worried he’d stay with Artemis, who’s a fine person, I don’t dislike her, but she was too nice. I’m so happy to hear this.

Rose (surprised): Oh… I’m glad you’re not mad or planning to attack me.

Talia: I would never. I raised Jason when he was revived from the dead, and while we don’t always see eye to eye, I want him to be happy. When it comes to dating, he’s not exactly the best at being romantic.

Rose (saying the wrong thing at first): Yeah, he’s a fast learner, and I just said that in front of his somewhat stepmom.

Talia (approaching with a smile): You’re fine. I know you’re here to see Ra’s. He’ll be finished with his meeting in about an hour. How about we have some tea and chat while you wait?

Rose: I don’t… no offense, but this feels kind of awkward. He doesn’t talk about you much.

Talia: That makes sense. But you can get to know me. I don’t bite.

Cheshire (insulting tone): Yeah, but you do judge and stab.

Talia (snide tone): Why are you here?

Cheshire: I’m on a mission with her! Hey, why don’t you tell her about the baby you kept from—

Talia (shoving Cheshire away and taking Rose by the arm): Ignore her. Come along, Rose. I have this new blueberry tea. You’ll love it. Also, is your hair dyed or naturally white?

Rose (jokingly): Unfortunately, my father passed that trait on to me as well.

Talia: I think I’m going to like you.

Talia and Rose headed out of the room, leaving Cheshire alone for a few seconds. She shrugged, confused and frustrated.

Cheshire: She treats me like trash, but Rosie is considered the perfect match for a kid she revived in a green lake! I actually get why Nightwing talks crap about her at every turn.

[leqsrs]

@satancopilotsmytardis hai I couldn't stop thinking about your fic, Mishap, so I decided to illustrate one of my favourite scenes, the basement 'interrogation'

I love the shigaraki as a spider concept SO MUCH. Shigaraki's webs in between his hands were made from thin strips of paper from that I glued to the piece.

Ive been a fan of horikoshi for almost 6 years now, and I've recently decided to study his works more in depth. This piece isnt a proper study of his style, just me playing around a bit, but my inking has definitely improved since the last time I used them in 2022.

My focus in art has skewed heavily towards acrylic paint, but one of my students actually inspired me to step back into black and white for a bit. (Thanks Nicole!) I personally find black and white compositions to be harder than colored ones! So few tones to work with really makes you play around with lights shadows and highlights. Its a good challenge!

Their work is for the 18+ crowd! Read at your own discretion! Mind the tags.

[sunlikesdrawing]

HELLO EVERYBODY💥💥 As you might've already noticed, I haven't been as active as I once was over here, especially when it comes to fanart. Lately, I've been taking care of other... personal endeavors (ocs and school, I'll come back to it another time LMAO), and I haven't been as dedicated to the fandom as I once was.

BUT TODAY... WE FEAST‼️‼️

Thanks to @codthefishgod 's most recent AU in the works, I'm glad to present to you...

WITCH TOBI AND FARMER FENN!!!

We actually started working on this AU right before Wannabe Witch's first episode came out which was SOME CRAZY TIMING TBH

Making the designs for it was SO FUN!! I'm in love with how they turned out. Tobi's witch design is one of my favorite things ever, eapecially the little details like the the red strand on the little braid he has and the embroidery on his sleeves and dress.

Now, I know it looks like an apron, but it technically counts as a dress because it continues on the back and you tie it up on the sides. I will say, this outfit I made for him was pretty heavily inspired by Tobi's look with the apron during Fenn's dream in episode 54, Burning: Part 1

There's also his witch hat, which is pretty clearly based on his uniform hat, with the two little strings on the side resembling the little pillar thingies on each side of the hat.

Fizz has said they imagine Tobi enchanted the strings so they float all the time and I LOVE that idea so yes, they actually do float all the time. I also headcanon he carved his own broomstick because he's Tobi, of course he would, but that's apart from the actual design so LET'S MOVE ON

Now, Fenn's design is a lot simpler LMAO

There's not really many references (or any at all) to his original design, unless you count his farmer outfit during that short No War AU comic from one of the QnAs. At first I was just gonna give him an outfit that looked pretty much like that design, but I decided I wanted to differentiate this AUs Fenn from the No War AU Fenn, and ended up landing on the one you're looking at. I didn't even really follow his blue color scheme apart from the overall, which is something I tend to do with my outfit designs for them, but I just felt like it didn't work for this one.

Anyway, I think that's about most of what I have to say about these designs. I'd tell you more about the AU myself because I love it so much, but I think it's better if I let the one who's actually writing the AU talk about it, so if you're seeing this post right now, check the reblogs to see what they have to say! (And if you're actually already looking at the post with the reblog, haha awkward)

(Also quickly tagging @lennonrook so she can see this)

[thecollectionsof]

au idea:

kori fake-dates suzie to try and get lydia's attention. kori isn't exactly sneaky about it all, and after a while it works! kori finally gets to date lydia, and suzie doesn't have to keep pretending to date her friend. win-win.

but then she realizes that it was fun to see someone like that. even if it wasn't real, they'd hung out more often than they had before and suzie hadn't really realized how much she liked getting a hug after a long day... and now, kori's devoting most of that time and energy to lydia. suzie feels.... suddenly, a lot more alone.

here's the choose your own adventure bit! she either:

was doing that completely platonically but decides that it might be nice to find a partner of her own. kori and lydia become the two best/worst (you decide) wingmen to suzie as she goes to bars, uses dating apps, etc. to find a date. i imagine this being jewelzie, and maybe through kori/lydia's meddling she meets jewels and they hit it off

realizes that oh shit she really liked being kori's gf and she liked being gazed at by lydia when they were fake-dating (though lydia was supposed to be looking at kori, so that throws a wrench in it a little), and now that kori has started devoting all of her time to lydia she's lost and pining for them. maybe kori kinda starts avoiding suzie because she thinks she might like her but feels like she shouldn't have those feelings when she finally gets to be dating lydia, which was her goal all along? that's as far as i got but if you have ideas let me know