#its not even that bad is the thing. its got tons of good features. but the ui is simply TOO simplified

[effervescent-fool]

i think one of my biggest (and only) gripes with procreate is that they dont have like. a masterlist of features their app has to offer. a full thorough ui navigation. because ive been using procreate for a couple years now and im still discovering preexisting features because they just. dont mention it anywhere

[muffinrecord]

Also I'm a little harsh on Magia Record's storyline being a little... soft? On the hostilities between characters. But I also understand why things are resolved the way they are.

Magia Record is ultimately a story about characters coming together and saving each other. It's baked into the gameplay-- the connect was a big feature that even made its way into the anime.

You can tell the vibe of the game just by comparing it to the anime in fact. In the anime, a ton of characters die. Iroha is unable to save Kuroe, Mifuyu and Momoko have to die as penance in exchange for saving the ones they mislead, Homura fails to save Madoka (and possibly other PMMM original characters) and rewinds time, Ui dies, Touka dies, Nemu dies. Alina dies. Alina's interactions with Karin amount to mostly fan teasing. We see magical girls in the background who are working together against Walpy, but Kanagi is barely present, which means she doesn't have her moments of grouping up with Yachiyo (and all that represents for the east versus west conflicts).

In the anime, the girls fail.

In the game, they succeed. Characters like Mifuyu, who lead others astray, try to kill themselves for redemption but are prevented from doing so because her friends love her and want her to stay with them. Kanagi gets to work with Yachiyo, showing that they have bonds and similarities beyond their differences. Momoko's group never fractures and joins the Wings of Magius, so their friendship continues to keep them propped up and saved. Kuroe is introduced late in the game but she obviously survives and learns to live on. Homura gets to save Madoka and stay her Glasses self, continuing to deepen her friendships with the rest of the gang. Ui, Touka, and Nemu get to be friends again. Touka and Nemu are put on trial but still get to work to try and save humanity. Alina fails to kill people and has Karin more prominently present to remind you of her softer sides, Nemu fails to get herself killed, and blah blah blah, you get my point. This isn't even getting into arc 2, where characters start off very hostile to everyone but smooth at towards the end.

I've got my own personal dislikes of how conflict ends in Magia Record sometimes-- I feel like it takes the easy way out and ignores more interesting routes. I think ending a story so that everyone gets along can be boring and lazy sometimes.

At the same time, I do respect the writing direction for it. I think there's value in saying that everyone (or damn near everyone) can be saved, that people ultimately want to help each other. People want to connect with other people. Friendship can save all. Your friend might be going down a dark path but you can save them through the power of subtextual yuri companionship, compassion, and understanding.

Like, it's a fantasy because you shouldn't be burning yourself to help others, but also fantasy isn't always bad. Sometimes it's nice to have stories where things work out for the better.

I do think though this is why the darker stories in the game really stand out as fan-favorites. Glasses Homura failing to save Kuro is such a gut punch because it feels like that should be impossible in the world of Magia Record, where you can march into a cult and make the leaders into good guys again. Mikoto's pain and suffering stands out because Hanna is never coming back and Mikoto isn't going to get better again. Ryo and Ikumi stay dead. Jun stays dead. Sakuya stays dead. They don't come back.

I'd wager that one reason the story "Girls in the Hood" and its follow up "Dependence Blue" are so popular (besides good writing) is because the fantasy fails and has painfully realistic outcomes in it. Jun isn't able to prevent Mitsune from contracting, despite trying her best to show that you don't need magic to be strong. The two struggle with communicating with each other, despite how much they care for one another. And Jun dies without their feelings being resolved. In a story where so many characters get happy endings (or learn to accept their circumstances), stories like this stick out and have a painful resonance.

I'm meandering again, but yeah. I wish Magia Record was more brave with its writing and that it wouldn't chicken out on pursing conflict at the expense of making characters unlikeable, but I also feel like that wasn't what it wanted to do either. We can say that it's because they wanted to keep their characters as loveable as possible given that it's a gacha and they need to market it to you, but it's also just a storytelling direction that they preferred at the end of the day. I don't have a link but I remember hearing that the writers wanted to keep the game light, that they didn't want people to log in and feel miserable playing a phone game (I could be very badly remembering this).

And you know what, sometimes that kind of cozy friendship-defies-all was very comforting. I dunno. Yeah.

[nihilistem]

Hey! I read your study tips both posts regarding adhd . (Feel free to ignore )

I am still undiagnosed and I think it's adhd but i do not have the resources nor the environment or support system to do anything about it .I am a high schooler preparing for entrance exams and i really need to like get my shit together and i feel like i have wasted sm time already but i really do want to get better. When i sit to study i just can't focus if I keep my phone in some other room then also i would just sit and stare at my books without accomplishing something. I am trying really but it's feels like my brain is frozen and my body is moving .my brain keep screaming guilty and ashamed but i can't seem to do anything about it.your study post actually i related to a lot because pomodro kind of seems to be working for everyone but me and the you described the exact same things I do

I know this is a lot to ask for please feel free to ignore but how do I stop Letting my emotions take over and study consistently because I only have one chance at the exams

Oh my, first of all I’d like to say that, as cliché as it is, I know exactly how you feel. I was undiagnosed for so long (I was only diagnosed a few months ago) and I didn’t even know that the adhd things I experience on a regular basis wasn’t normal or neurotypical for so long.

first up : I know this is difficult, but please do not say such things about yourself. I’m not gonna get into the whole thing, (cuz I have done a post on that already) but it’s true that the more you drill that bad stuff into your brain, the more it’s gonna stick. We need our brains to be in the best condition possible to study efficiently and saying bad stuff about yourself that isn’t even true is just going to hinder your performance. You got this. I promise you’re not lazy. Your brain just isn’t motivated by the same things others are, but we can work with that simple difference.

I’ll make a separate post on how not to let your emotions take over, but for now …

adhd study tips for those trying to get into the habit.

— by a stem student with adhd.

here’s my first post on adhd study tips.

— don’t put your phone in a different room. Instead, download an app that prevents you from using other apps on your phone.

there’s plenty of apps that do this but the one I prefer is ypt because all its features are completely free and it stops your timer when you exit the app unless you enter ‘allowed app mode.’ I don’t know about you, but if I find that I’m just zoning out on my textbook then I end up stopping my timer and deleting the record because I know I didn’t actually study, and this motivates me to actually get some work done. The timer also gets me motivated to keep going for longer so I have physical proof of my focus time and studies. It will feel good to even have just 1 hour of study time on it, I promise.

— even if you’re not interested in your studies, try your best to find even one thing that interests you.

novelty, challenge and interest are some of the best motivators of the adhd brain, so use it. I know that sparking your curiosity for a subject you hate seems impossible, but hear me out.

ever since I was young, I was exposed to books and I drew everyday. This caused me to become very passionate about the arts, but since I had adhd and didn’t know, I failed all my classes and specifically hated chemistry because it was specifically designed to be everything that I can’t be good at due to my poor memory and the need to memorize a TON of concepts. Then during class one day, I was doing chemistry work with my friends and felt frustrated that they could easily balance equations and work out which compounds were acids or bases purely by its chemical formula. And that’s what sparked me to start reading my textbook to see what the big deal was. How was it possible for one to just know when something is a acid solely from looking at a bunch of letters? This started a chain reaction; I found my answer, and found that the process of finding my answer and learning this new information was fulfilling. So I looked at all the other chemistry topics, and it turns out chemistry was fun. I was supposed to be an art student but now I’m majoring in chemistry and biology, all because of that sense of challenge and curiosity I was given that day.

tdlr; I was bad at chemistry but I’m now majoring in it because I felt challenged by a friend and was curious to know how they could solve chem equations easily.

All it took was a bit of curiosity. It’s a very powerful thing to the adhd brain. And if you use this as a motivator for your studies it might even cause you to hyper-fixate on your work, which means you’ll naturally spend more time studying just to find all the answers you’re now dying to know.

— use the pomodoro timer, but think about the things that you have to do that seems a little impossible to do under 25 minutes.

This fulfills the ‘challenge’ category I mentioned in the previous tip.

Let me explain; I subconsciously started doing this to myself without anyone telling me this and it’s helped me a LOT. Here’s an example;

“This chapter’s too long, it’s impossible to read through everything and understand the key concepts in just twenty five minutes.”

is it, though?

So I was off to the races, genuinely reading through every page and taking note of every single heading or bold or italicized word so I will be able to summarize the entire topic by the time the twenty five minutes is up.

And it doesn’t even matter if you don’t make that twenty five minute mark, because you’ll feel a sense of defeat and try it again with another chapter/topic.

this accomplishes two things; one, the work you’ve been putting off or zoning out on is now probably 20% - 50% completed and now you feel motivated to continue. Two, this method will train you to be faster in learning or studying new material or even just completing work in general, depending on what you’re challenging yourself to do.

— dress up, do your hair, study at a library or cafe you love (and possibly make pretty notes.)

I’ve talked about interest, I’ve talked about challenge, and now I’m gonna talk about novelty.

Do this with purpose! But what do I mean by that?

I’m sure you’ve come across studious girls in media or even people on social media making videos and taking pretty photos of their day out to study. Usually they’re dressed the part and even if they’re not, there’s a certain vibe, aesthetic or aura about them that is just so desirable that it makes you wish you were doing what they were doing. And if you don’t feel this way, find content creators or media that do make you feel this way.

How will this help me? Well, there are actually a few reasons but the first one that comes to mind is that this is also an adhd tip used outside of studying. Combining a task you don’t want to do with a task you’d like to do is a faster and more efficient way of convincing yourself to do long, difficult or even tiring tasks. Another is that doing this would also mean you’ve technically gotten yourself to desire studying, something more commonly known as romanticizing studying. If you make studying look fun, glamorous or even desirable for yourself then you’re sure to get to the hideous parts of it. Think about being a straight A student, someone who’s always wearing nice clothes with great hair and such a focused work ethic. Once you desire to be that person and you dress like that person, you’ll start to do the things that person will do.

— use the pomodoro timer but set it to even shorter bursts instead. (e.g. 15 minutes work, 5 minutes break.)

Or hell, on my worst days I set it to 5 minutes work, 5 minutes break.

The whole point of this exercise is to just start, because that’s arguably the hardest part about studying, you can’t get yourself to actually start or to actually focus. So promise yourself a five minute break after a very short amount of time of reading.

— skip straight to the questions of a topic, try to do them and identify the information you need to get the answer right.

For example, I came across a bio question that was rather simple but I didn’t know the answer to because I haven’t revised the topic for a while, and the question was, what is needed in the body for anaerobic respiration to take place? And the answer was simple, but I didn’t know because again, I didn’t study the material before answering the paper.

one’s brain can have the habit of being complacent especially when you don’t wanna do work, so diving head first into the questions and realizing that you don’t know jack shit would be a good wake up call for you and your brain—and this can connect to the second point that I made because you might find that you’d be eager to get the answer right all on your own, and become curious as to what the answer is.

important to remember …

erase everything bad that you were told or led to believe about studying. I promise that if you look for ways to make it engaging for you and form a habit, studying can be something you don’t dread or worry about everyday. You are capable. This is the start of your journey. Yes, the question of ‘what if I get distracted again’ will always be there but think about what could happen if today is the first day you’re not distracted. If you don’t at least try to start now, you will have zero chance of being able to actually focus and study. But if you try, the worst that will happen is that you tried. If you keep trying, it will happen. I promise.

If you need any more tips regarding adhd, (or being undiagnosed,) please do let me know. I’ll do my best to help.

[lucy90712]

Can you please do a fluff alphabet for Joao please?

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about their partner?)

Physically Joao loves your hair.  He loves to just sit and run his hands though your hair or just generally play with it at the end of the day. Sometimes he will help you put your hair up in a ponytail or even a braid which he has got quite good at. He just really loves how soft your hair is.

Personality wise he loves how calm you are. You are always helping Joao see the positives after a bad game and stopping arguments from escalating too much. Joao always appreciates how rational you are as you have kept him grounded even as his football career took off. He will be forever grateful that you can provide a voice of reason even when his life is crazy as it keeps him sane. 

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

Joao definitely wants kids he wants to have as many as you will be willing to give him. He adores seeing you play with the kids in both of your families and he can't wait to see you do the same with your own children. If it was up to him he would have kids with you now but he knows you want to wait and he's happy to wait until you are ready. As soon as you are ready though he will want to start trying straight away. Joao just can't wait to have a little family of his own with you as he knows you will be such a good mother and he can't wait to have kids of his own to raise and spoil. 

C = Cuddle (How do they like to cuddle?)

Joao loves to have his arms around you as much as he can. Even when if you are stood in the kitchen or talking to friends he will pretty much always have his arms around your waist. When it comes to cuddling with you he isn't fussy he just wants to be close to you so will lay with you anyway that you want to. He does have a favourite way to cuddle though which is to have you laying on his chest as that way he can watch you as you fall asleep or snuggle into his chest. It always makes him smile seeing you happily laying in his arms, its a feeling that can't be replicated. 

D = Dreams (How do they picture their future with their S/O?)

Joao thinks a lot about the future but really he doesn't know what the future holds for him but he knows that whatever happens you will be by his side which is all he needs to be happy. In his dreams Joao pictures a rather normal life with you he sees the two of you being married with a family while living in a nice but modest house. His career doesn't often feature in his dreams about the future but its quite obvious that he will still be playing and that the little family you create will be heavily involved in his career and achievements he is destined to reach. 

E = Emotions (How do they express their emotions around you?)

Joao is usually very calm he never gets overly animated especially with you as the both of you always try and remain calm if you are arguing. The two of you don't argue often as you are both good at talking things through before they get out of hand. Joao is the one that made you like that as he always told you when you did something he didn't like and taught you to do the same.  Joao is also very good at not taking things out on you even when he's had a bad day he will just talk through everything with you instead of being moody. 

F = Feelings (When did they know they're in love?)

It didn't take long for Joao to fall in love with you in fact he probably fell for you after being together for just a few weeks as to him you were just perfect. Joao falls fast and hard for you and there is nothing he can do to ignore it. It hit him like ton of bricks when he woke up to you laying on his chest wearing one of his shirts after you had stayed over the night before. He knew then that he wanted to wake up to that sight everyday as to him there was nothing better in life. 

G = Gratitude (How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their S/O does for them?)

He couldn't be more grateful for you he wouldn't be where he is today without you. He notices everything you do for him even the small things and the thanks you endlessly for them. He knows that people often think of you as just an extension of him so he tries his best to make you feel appreciated and loved just for being you as well. Joao will forever appreciate that you are always willing to go where ever you have to for him to further his career. 

H = Honesty (Do they have secrets they hide from their S/O?)

Joao is useless at keeping secrets from you he just can't do it so he doesn't hide anything from you. Whenever he does try and keep something from you it eats away at him as whenever he sees you he just feels guilty for not telling you whatever he's trying to hide. He's so bad at keeping things from you that whenever it's your birthday your friends also keep their plans a secret from him so he doesn't tell you. When he has to keep a secret he nearly gives it away a million times and usually you work it out but don't tell him as to not make him feel bad. 

I = Injury (How would they react if you got hurt?)

When you hurt yourself he acts like your own personal doctor. He is always taking care of you even if you say you are alright he will still do all he can to take care of you. Until you are better you barely have to lift a finger as he will do everything for you which you don't mind as it's nice having him around to take care of you. Even if you don't think that you need to go to the doctors he will still make you go because he wants to be sure that you are ok as he hates seeing you hurt. 

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous? How do they deal with it)

As Joao has been cheated on before he can be quite insecure which means he gets quite jealous. It's not that he doesn't trust you as he knows you aren't the same as his ex but he's just worried that someone will take you away from him. He loves you so much that he can't bare the thought of someone else sweeping you off your feet. When he's jealous he gets very clingy. He will always be right next to you and have an arm around you somewhere just to show others that you are already taken. Joao also gets very quiet when he's jealous instead of getting mad or starting fights with people he will stand calmly next to you until you get home where you can talk about his insecurities and reassure him that he's the one you want to be with. 

K = Kiss (How do they kiss you? How do they like to be kissed?)

Joao loves to kiss the tip of your nose as he loves the way it makes you scrunch your nose and the little blush it spread across your cheeks every time he does it. He also likes to kiss your lips as he loves how soft your lips feel against his and he likes the taste of the lip balm you always wear but he doesn't tell you that. His favourite place to be kissed is his jaw. For some reason it makes him melt when you come up behind him and kiss his jaw. As much as he has his favourite ways you kiss him he mostly just likes receiving kisses from you in general.

L = Love (Who says 'I love you' first?)

Joao says it first. He was really nervous about saying it but he said it anyway. He didn't want to lose you by saying it before you were ready but seeing as he can't keep a secret he found it hard not to tell you how he felt. When he finally said it and you said it right back it was like a weight lifted off his shoulders. From then on he said it all the time because he wanted you to know how much he loved you. 

M = Memory (What's their favourite memory together?)

Joao's favourite memory with you is quite a mundane thing but he loved it. It was one rainy night when the both of you were inside the house watching movies. Usually you both find the rain quite calming as it taps against the windows but that night a storm started rolling in. As soon as the thunder and lightning started it scared you as you have always hated storms. Once Joao realises that you are scared he pulls you into his lap and holds you to his chest to calm you down. He keeps you there until you fall asleep which is when he takes you up to bed and holds you close for the rest of the night. Joao loved that night as he got to have you close to him all night. 

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Joao loves to spoil you. He thinks of it as a way of repaying you for everything you have been through for him because as much as he can thank you and show you love he wants you to live the best life now that he can give that to you. You tell Joao not to buy you things as your earn your own money but he does it anyway so after a while you stopped wasting time telling him not to. Most of the time he just buys you little things he knows you will enjoy but occasionally he will go a bit overboard and buy something more expensive. That is exactly how you both got floki, Joao wanted to get a dog for you so that when he was away you would have someone in the house with you but now they are best friends and yet again you are the one left out. 

O = On Cloud Nine (What are they like when they're in love? Is it obvious to others? How do they express their feelings?)

It couldn't be more obvious when Joao is in love. He is completely smitten with you and doesn't stop talking about you as usually you are most of what he thinks about. It's safe to say his teammates all know how much he loves you from pretty much the day you started dating as he couldn't keep it to himself. They all wanted to make fun of him for being so in love but they couldn't as it was just so sweet seeing him with you when he dragged you to training. It is so obvious that Joao is in love with you that before you guys made things public everyone knew that Joao had met someone special as whenever anyone mentioned relationships he would just smile and blush all while saying he hadn't met anyone yet which was obviously a lie.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Joao calls you any pet name he can think of but the most common ones he uses are amor and minha vida.

Q = Questions (What are the questions they're always asking?)

He is always asking if you are happy as he wants to know that you aren't just saying you are fine and that you are actually enjoying life. He also always asks if you want to cuddle to which the answer is always yes. 

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Joao likes to use rainy days to relax. If neither of you have anywhere to be and it's raining outside that's his excuse for doing nothing the whole day. Often the two of you will sleep in or just lay in bed listening to the sound of the rain hitting the windows. When you do get up you always make a fort in the living room where you spend the rest of the day. The two of you play games and watch movies or just talk about life. Rainy days are always when you have your deepest conversations the two of you talk about the things you want to do in the future and other things like how many kids you want to have. 

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/S/O up?)

Whenever you are sad or not having the best day Joao takes you to your favourite places. He will take you to your favourite cafe and then the two of you will go to the place that you like to go to relax where you walk around and you talk about what's bothering you so Joao can try and make it better. When he needs cheering up Joao likes to just have a chill evening with you as it gives him time to decompress and forget about everything other than you. You don't even have to try to make Joao happier as just seeing your smile cheers him up. 

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Joao will talk about anything and everything. The two of you have the most random conversations but those ones are always your favourite as it's always fun to discuss completely out there topics with Joao. 

U = Understanding (How well do they know their partner?)

Joao knows you really well. The two of you are just connected on a whole other level. He is able to know exactly what you are thinking or how you are feeling without you having to say anything which sometimes is useful when you can't express how you feel. Joao knows every little thing about you from your favourite song that week to the brand of coffee you prefer name something and Joao will know. He is almost like an encyclopaedia of information about you but he wouldn't change that as he likes knowing you inside out. 

V = Value (How important is the relationship to them? What is it worth in comparison to other things in their life?)

You are everything to Joao so you are very important to him. You are more important than anything else to him. The two of you have been through so many ups and downs together which Joao thinks can't be easily replaced and he doesn't want to replace the bond you have. If the two of you were to break up Joao would be distraught he just wouldn't be able to live without you which is how he knows you are so important to him. 

W = Wedding (When, where, and how do they propose?)

Joao waits quite a while to propose as he wants knows that the two of you are right for each other because he can't deal with another heartbreak. When it's time he goes all out wanting to make it incredibly special so that it's a day you remember forever. To make it extra romantic Joao proposes on Valentine's Day after spending months preparing and finding the perfect ring. Everything goes off without a hitch and Joao goes down on one knee to give you the perfect little speech before asking the fateful question which you of course say yes to. 

X = XOXO (How affectionate are they? In public/in private)

Joao isn't the biggest fan of pda because he likes to keep you to himself so he doesn't want everyone seeing the intimate moments between the two of you. That being said he doesn't mind some pda, he will happily hold your hand or have an arm around you when you are out in public together. On the odd occasion he will kiss your cheek but that doesn't happen too often. He is much more affectionate in private. When the two of you are alone his hands are always attached to you in some way and more often than not his lips are on yours. 

Y = Yearning (How well do they cope when they're separated from their S/O?)

Joao hates being away from you as he always misses being able to just talk to you whenever something pops into his head. He could never do long distance with you for any length of time as he would just miss you far too much. As much as he hates to be away from you he does like when you are finally able to reunite after being separated. He loves getting to see your face and the smile that spreads across it when you see him again. Being away also means having to make up for the kisses and cuddles he has missed out on which he definitely does. 

Z = Zeal (Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship?)

Joao will do anything for you and your relationship. You could give him a long list of things and he would say yes to every single one of them if he was asked to do them for you. For Joao a good relationship is built on compromises and sacrifices from both parties so naturally if he had to he would do anything to keep your relationship alive.

[mxrp-official-steve]

Welcome back campers, to this weeks episode of TOTAL, DRAMA, HELLSITE! On this weeks episode, me and my handy Chef Hex will be cooking up a delicious meal of parpy goodness! But the campers will have to roll a single... WITH A PROMPT! The first one to get a proper Roleplay going gets the immunity marshmallow. Now watch out, cuz this ones gonna be a doozy, dudes!

Your September 2nd PARPdate: "Remember that time on TDI where they called god to make it rain? That happened" Edition.

News this month is sorta slow- those of you In The Know already know this, but Hex is being forced to move again. This hasn't impacted Dev TOO much, honestly, and I'm gonna break down WHY in this wonderful little post!

Ok so if you remember the August update, you likely recall us showing off our shiny new mod features and how we can now play funny roleplay police state in order to nail rulebreakers and bandodgers.

If you're also a huge Bubblehead (which is what you're called), you're also likely familiar with this bastard:

(Image description: The red miles, basically. Its a message failed message repeated like ninety times in a row in red font. Thanks to Alienoid from the server for posting this screenshot for me to steal!)

This is because, somehow, these new mod features almost completely broke Dreambubble in ways that make no sense (the new features use Redis, but for some reason their introduction is making PostGres, a completely different system, go absolutely haywire)

So, Hex decided to move forward with their pet project to rewrite Dreambubble. Normally, this would mean a development delay on Parp2 and I'd feel pretty bad about laying this on yalls feet after two years of parplessness.

But hey wait isn't this literally just how they made parp last time.

The answer is yes! The previous Msparp version was built using what is now Dreambubble as a skeleton, evolving on itself into the rickety but lovable RP site we knew before she tragically passed away last February after choking to death on fresh air. As such, Dev is actually going pretty good! Hex has been COOKING through the bones for Dreambubble 2, getting a ton of barebones stuff working right off the bat:

(Image description: A barebones but functional chat window using Felt theme; complete with system connection messages, text preview, and quirking)

Along with our first new feature preview in a while: PUSH NOTIFICATIONS!

(Image description: A felt-theme settings menu showing the ability to turn on and off push notifications, as well as a browser popup in the bottom corner showing that it's been activated)

These are also working on Android! What this does is it pings you when the chat you're in gets a new message, operating on a system level instead of a site level so you don't even need to have the tab, or the browser, open to keep up with your chats! This is gonna be especially useful for mobile users, since this means they can navigate away and use their phone for other things, and their phone'll just ping them when their partners' next message comes through. (These are gonna be off by default, btw. You'll have to turn them on yourself on a per-chat basis in the final release)

It should also be noted that we've Snagged Ourselves A UI Guy recently from the userbase, so we've got a dedicated Make It Look Good person for when things get closer to launch!

That's all for this update, though. Absolutely thrilled to be showing off some progress after the restart. Hopefully we'll have even more to show off next month!

Until then, cheers!

[lendeah]

Hey I saw ur recent thing about astarion/durge w scars and I raise to Astarion/Tav with a shit ton of scars they actually do have stories for (either really dumb or really cool or kinda traumatic) and astarry just lovingly traces them and asks about them

YES!!! I love the idea.

Here you go, I hope you enjoy it and thanks for asking! 🤍🫶🏻

Astarion loved tracing the little scars dotting your body. Even in moments of exhaustion, as you both lay on the bedroll after a arduous day of battle, he would gently trace the intricate lines of your skin with lazy fascination.

"Now, I bet this one has a story worth hearing," he drawls, caressing with his finger along the long scar on your arm.

You let out a small chuckle and decide to humor him. "This one here? That was from a sword fight. I was trying to protect my brother because he had been having an affair with a married woman, and it got pretty intense. I ended up taking a pretty bad hit, but luckily I lived through it."

The vampire cocks an eyebrow, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "So let me get this straight," he drawls, "you got this scar defending your brother's honor from a scorned lover? Sounds like your brother could have used some self-defense lessons."

You shrug "I guess, but he is my brother. I couldn't just let him struggle on his own. Besides, I'm the better fighter of the two of us." you say with a smirk.

A mischievous chuckle escapes his lips, "Always the hero, huh?" he lets out a resigned sigh, but his eyes glint playfully. "You know, your stubborn selflessness isn't the most attractive trait."

You raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what is my most attractive trait to you?"

Astarion chuckles, then brings his cold fingers to your forehead, gently brushing the skin there, "This scar above your eye? It's quite the attractive feature. Really adds to your whole intimidating aura," he purrs, "I must hear the tale behind it."

You roll your eyes, trying not to let his teasing get to you. "Ugh, that one gave me nightmares for weeks." You say with a grimace. "I was being chased by an angry tabern owner because I may or may not have stolen some of his ale. Anyway, he caught up to me and I fought him off as best as I could, but he still managed to get a knife to my face." You shudder at the memory and the thought of your mother's scolding afterwards.

Astarion chuckles, "Oh darling, you? Stealing? And ale, of all things? Positively scandalous. I find it hard to believe."

You give him a playful glare, "Oh please, I was young and reckless. Plus, the ale was really good."

He shakes his head in disbelief, but the fondness in his eyes is unmistakable. As he takes your hand in his, his soft fingers tracing over the familiar lines and curves, you feel a warmth spread through your chest. His thumb gently traces the jagged scar on your palm, "This one looks like a fish bone" He says with a smirk.

You roll your eyes "Yeah, well, I got that one in an attempt to save my friends when I was young." you say "We were out at sea enjoying the warm weather, when suddenly a massive creature emerged from the depths. It had razor-sharp teeth and writhing tentacles, and before we knew it, our boat was under attack. I reached out to help my friends and next thing I know, I'm tangled up in this thing's grasp. Thank the gods a wizard happened to witness our struggle and put down the beast. Lesson learned: never underestimate the power of the ocean's creatures."

He rolls his eyes back, "Of course the heroic, strong, selfless and pretty one would make something like that sound like a normal and not crazy thing to do." He looks back at your hand, "But no worries, darling, your hand is just fine. In fact, it's quite charming in its own rugged way." He says, taking your palm to his lips, making you shiver. Despite his teasing, there is a genuine admiration in his voice that warms your heart. His hand then moves up to cup your cheek. "You certainly have an interesting collection of scars."

You can't help but blush at his words, feeling a mix of happiness and vulnerability. No one has ever taken the time to truly listen to your stories before, let alone find them interesting. But with Astarion, it feels different, like he sees you for who you truly are, flaws and all.

"Back home, some people said I was a monster because of them" you say, gesturing to the marks on your body, "but I like them, I think they all have a story behind them worth telling."

Astarion raises an eyebrow, "People called you a monster? What foolishness."

You shrug, "It's just how things were back in my hometown. They were afraid of anything different or out of the ordinary."

A playful glint dances in his eyes and his sharp fangs glisten. "Oh, I'm sure I'm a real nightmare to them," he quips with a smirk.

You roll your eyes, "Well, it's not every day someone meets a charming vampire like yourself."

Astarion leans in closer, his warm breath tickling your skin. "You know, I never tire of hearing your stories. You always manage to surprise me."

You feel your cheeks flush at his words, but before you can respond, Astarion leans in and presses his lips against yours softly. It's sweet and gentle, but also filled with unspoken words and emotions, and you can't help but wrap your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as you both lose yourselves in each other.

When you finally pull away, he rests his forehead against yours, breathless and smiling. "I could listen to your stories all day," he murmurs.

"Well, lucky for you I have plenty more where those came from." you reply with a teasing grin. "Ah, but what about your scars?"

Astarion's playful smirk returns as he starts tracing your skin again. "Oh, mine? They come from a life of bloodlust and and danger."

[josefavomjaaga]

Napoleonic daily soap - special. Bonn, December 1795

I'm not sure if anybody still remembers the idea of a napoleonic daily soap. Briefly, I was quite fascinated by the idea but, as usual, I got quickly distracted. By that time, I had begun a little "special", featuring an event unrelated to Napoleon. Because, after all, the napoleonic saga is so much more than only one monsieur Bonaparte.

I had gotten halfway through the plot before I broke off. Now I've finished it - rather hastily and badly, but finished, and I'm posting it in case somebody is still interested. It's heavily inspired by some real complaints found in German sources 😋.

-.-.-

Napoleonic daily soap, special 1 – what was everybody else doing at the time [i.e.: September/November 1795]?

-.-.-

[Scene: Bonn. The Council Room/Ratsstube of the pub located in the town hall’s basement [that every German town hall seems to have]. Darkened wood lining the walls, carved ceiling, heavy oak furniture. Some dozen town officials, visibly well-off members of the local bourgeoisie in old-fashioned 18th century overcoats, gold watch chains hanging out of their waistcoats, are drinking and chatting happily]

[Mayor, raising his glass]:

"Gentlemen, we have every reason to be satisfied. The French army of the Rhine has continued its retreat." [Applause, town officials knocking on the table, cheering.] "The French headquarter has left our beloved Bonn for good. No longer will French soldiers rob our peasants, squeeze the money out of our working class and misappropriate the contents of the city's coffers."

[Town official, interrupting]

"Damn right! After all, that’s our job!" [Laughter, more cheering]

[Door opens. Kinzinger enters, an open letter in his hand.]

[Kinzinger]

"Don’t you rejoice too soon, gentlemen!"

[Mayor]

"Herr Kinzinger, you’re late for this meeting of the city council. Where have you been?"

[Kinzinger, handing him the letter]

"I was kept up by a courier who brought me this. Apparently, the French are returning."

[Groaning all along the table. The mayor hastily studies the letter]

[Mayor]

"The corps of one general Lefebvre will be stationed in our region … some brigadier general is even supposed to stay in our town … soldiers to be quartered in private houses … officers to be lodged and fed at the town’s expenses …"

[Town official]

"The usual, obviously."

[Mayor, gets agitated]:

"And there we have it. This brigadier general is not even here yet but already sends ahead a list of what he wants to be delivered to his personal cook on his entry into town."

[Town official sarcastic]:

"Efficient. What does he ask for?"

[Mayor, eyes bulging]

"He demands – get this: 12 pounds of ox meat, one mutton, half a calf, vegetables, white bread, chicken …" [some of what he reads is lost in a flurry of upset murmurs in the audience] "… coffee and sugar."

[Town officials all talking over each other]

"Outrageous – what sort of glutton is this? - this guy must weigh a ton! - do we really have to comply with this?"

[Kinzinger]

"We’ve had some bad guys here already but that one seems to be the worst so far."

[Mayor, knocks on the table calling for silence]

"Gentlemen, I say we must not put up with this. It is time to reign those Frenchmen in. We have met the demands of those French officers long enough. That's the last straw." [Cheers, applause and approval] "We will let this general …" [checks the letter] "... Soult know that the city’s coffers are empty, that the town’s resources are exhausted, that the things he asks for are nowhere to be found and that he has to come up with another way to indulge in his culinary vices."

-.-.-

[CUT to Soult’s office in Bonn. His younger brother Pierre is standing at attention before his desk.]

[Soult, confused]

"What do you mean you’re not going to stay here with me? You’re my aide de camp."

[Pierre]

"That does not mean I have to always sleep under the same roof as you, right? I mean, I will show up for my job, obviously. But Jean, I’d really love to have some time for myself occasionally."

[Soult stares]

[Pierre]

"Look, the only thing that will be different is that I won’t be there for dinner."

[Soult, aghast]:

"You will even eat elsewhere?"

[Pierre]

"You will barely notice! You always invite half of our officers to dinner…"

[Soult]

"For good reason. I want to have my people close by. At least then I know where they are and that they are not committing any excesses or stupidities in town on that evening. Which reminds me: Where precisely do you plan on staying in Bonn?"

[Pierre, a bit embarrassed]

"There’s a house close to the city gate."

[Soult's eyes narrow]

"You would not be talking about the one on the left side of the road? The one with the red paper lanterns in all its windows?"

[Pierre regards a corner of the room with great interest]

[Soult]

"You have to be kidding me!"

[Pierre]

"Look, Jean…"

[Soult]

"That’s general Jean to you, monsieur!"

[Pierre]

"I’m 25, okay? Plus, technically, it’s just another kind of inn. The rooms are clean and comfy, the girls are very nice, the food is excellent …"

[Soult]

"You’re staying at a brothel because of the food? When we have our own cook? Wait until Perrou hears about that!" [stares at Pierre]

[Pierre stares back]

[Soult, exasperated]

"Just so you know, I am appalled! And Perrou will be even more so! Do I really need to explain to you what an impression those good Germans will have when they see one of our sous-lieutenants, who is not only an ADC to the commanding general but also closely related to him, openly stay at a brothel? I do not have words to express my disappointment. This idea is outrageous. You're giving the French army a bad name by such behaviour. Even worse, you're giving me a bad name. You make us look like insatiable womanizers, you're confirming all the prejudice the Germans may have about French vices. How could you even dream about staying at a house of bad reputation?"

[Pierre, matter-of-fact-ly]

"I understand that, as brothels go, it actually has a very good reputation. The girls say that all important town officials are customers. The rooms are incredibly cheap, I'll have one all to myself, unlike when I’m quartered in town and can congratulate myself if I do not have to share the bed with some grenadier. And as a long-term client, I’ll get drinks and services at a discount."

[Soult]

"There’s a discount?"

[Pierre]

"I’m sure I could get my friends and family included into that."

[Soult]

"That does not make it any less outrageous."

[Pierre]

"True. But can I go now?"

[Soult]

"Unfortunately, you’re a grown up. I do not have any legal means to hinder what you do in your freetime."

[Pierre]

"Thank you, you’re the best big brother ever!"

[Soult, grim]:

"I may get back to you about that discount. And if Mum finds out, you’re on your own. I’m not covering up for you!"

[As Pierre turns to leave, the door opens. Soult’s cook Perrou enters the room.]

[Soult]

"Ah, Perrou, good you’re coming. We will be one person less for dinner tonight. And apparently all through the rest of our stay in Bonn. You can rearrange your plans for the meals accordingly."

[Perrou, furious]

"I’m sorry to say, general, but I fear there will not be any meals. At all. The town magistrate has refused to send anything for my kitchen. Am I supposed to conjure up dinner for everybody out of thin air?"

[Soult]

"What du you mean, refused?"

[Perrou]

"They flat out say there is no food in town."

[Soult, glares]

"They are trying to starve us. This means war. - Pierre?"

[Pierre, hastily]

"You already said I could leave for my inn…"

[Soult]

"You can. But make a quick detour. To the town hall."

-.-.-

[CUT to town hall. Kinzinger sitting behind a wooden desk. Pierre Soult standing in front of him. Both are engaged in a discussion that obviously has been going on for a while.]

[Pierre]

"I truly fail to understand you. A French army is quartered in your town. Of course the magistrate has to provide food for it. How else are the soldiers supposed to be nourished? Do you want them to just run around and grab stuff?"

[Kinzinger, menacingly]:

"Is that a threat?"

[Pierre]

"Actually, it was a question. This is not the first time you have a French army in town. You know how these things work. You have delivered provisions to the generals who used to be here before us, without any problems. So why not this time?"

[Kinzinger]

"Because our means are exhausted, because we are fed up with you guys, and because we have never before encountered such extraordinary demands. This is the first time a general already sent a list of stuff he wanted for dinner before he had even entered the town. What do you think our town of Bonn is? An all-you-can-eat buffet free of charge?"

[Pierre sighs]

"Look, Monsieur Quinzie …"

[Kinzinger, muttering, almost to himself, in the tone of somebody who has repeated himself several times already]

"That’s Kinzinger, actually…"

[Pierre]

"I do not know what the regular demands for the table of a brigadier general are. I’ve only ever served on this staff, so I cannot compare. What I do know: If you want to keep my brother in a good mood, you better keep him fed. And fed well!"

[Kinzinger]

"So you’re saying the general is your brother? - Typical. Greed, gluttony, nepotism."

[Pierre]

"Whatever. Just send him something to eat, or I don’t know what he will do. He’s cranky enough on a full stomach."

[Kinzinger]

"Very well. The town magistrate will provide the extraordinary amount of food stuff the general has demanded. But I let you know that we will send him the bill at the end of the week."

[Pierre]

"Fair enough, you do that. If you excuse me now, I’m off to the Towngate Tavern."

[Kinzinger, exasperated]

"You go where?"

[Pierre, grinning]

"Now don’t be jealous, Monsieur Quinzie. We French have had a long and exhausting campaign. I plan on making the most of my stay in your beautiful town." [mutters] "God knows I’ve deserved it. You, monsieur, only have to deal with my brother now. Can you imagine doing it every day?"

[Kinzinger]

"I admit you do have a point."

-.-.-

[CUT to Soult’s office in Bonn. Soult is sitting behind a desk covered with papers, making notes on some letter, obviously working hard. He picks up another document, studies it. Frowns.]

[Soult]

"Sublieutenant Soult!"

[CUT to anteroom. Pierre Benoit is on duty. Winces visibly at his brother’s call.]

[Pierre]

"Merde." [enters the office] "Mon général?"

[Soult hands him the document]

"What’s this?"

[Pierre]

"Looks like some kind of invoice."

[Soult]

"That much I saw myself. Why is the town magistrate sending me a bill for the food we consumed?"

[Pierre, regarding a corner of the room with great interest]

"Because they kind of expect compensation?"

[Soult glares at him]

[Pierre, exasperated]

"Look, it was the only way to get them to comply. You wanted food, you got the food. But they insisted on sending you a bill at the end of every week."

[Soult]

"So what am I to do with it now? You know we’ve not received any money from Paris in ages. How are we supposed to pay?"

[Pierre, shrugging]

"Maybe, if you explain this to the magistrate …"

[Soult, scoffs]

"Sure. Let’s tell the enemy that we do not even have enough money to pay for food expenses, let alone weapons and equipment. Great strategy, sublieutenant."

[Pierre]

"Then just ignore the bill, for what it’s worth. Who knows if they even expect you to pay? These are town officials, maybe they just needed some document to put a seal on and to file away in their archives. They’ve been difficult enough with all their bureaucracy."

[Soult, still frowning]

"They have?"

[Pierre]

"Sure. Refusing to honour a request because the list was not signed, or not signed by the right person, or not signed in the correct place… I’ve stopped counting how often they sent back one of the lists until we had corrected those mistakes. But in the end they have always played along so far."

[Soult]

"Keep me informed if these magistrates continue to harrass you. Who is the person responsible?"

[Pierre]

"A monsieur Quinzie. Quite a nice guy, actually. But stuffy as hell."

[Soult]

"Well, I hope he will remain cooperative. We’re expecting general Lefèbvre and his staff for the next weekend. And I want everything to be top notch for my old commander-in-chief."

-.-.-

[CUT. Town hall, one week later. Kinzinger’s office. Several town officials surrounding Kinzinger’s desk, all talking loudly over each other. A sheet of paper goes from hand to hand. General excitement.]

[Town mayor enters through a side door, regards the chaos for a moment]

[Mayor]

"Please don’t tell me this is Soult’s list again."

[Kinzinger]

"I fear it is."

[Mayor]

"But didn’t I already sign a supply list for French headquarters this morning?"

[Kinzinger]

"That was the regular list. This one is an add-on. For a special occasion. And I must say, we’ve really had to endure a lot from this glutton already. But this time he’s outdone himself. Here, have a look!"

[The mayor grabs the list Kinzinger hands him. We can see his eyes bulge and his jaw drop.]

[Mayor]

"Thirty … thirty bottles of red wine! For one evening! What, does he want to take a bath in it? And additionally two bottles of whisky, thirty bottles of beer, twenty pounds of ox meat, fish, several chicken … all sorts of jam and pastries, fresh and preserved fruits…"

[Kinzinger]

"We’ve heard that the scoundrel-in-chief of the French vanguard, general Lefebvre, and his staff are coming over to visit. That may explain it, but ..."

[Mayor]

"But it does not make the expenses in any way easier to bear, precisely! – Wait, what’s this? Whose name is that on the bottom on the list? Isn’t it usually the general’s brother who signs these demands?"

[Kinzinger]

"Most of the time, indeed. This is a different name. Possibly the cook?"

[Mayor, with grim satisfaction]

"Wonderful. In this case, we will regard this outrageous list as non-existent. The signature of a mere army cook cannot have any meaning for this town magistrate. Send it back, and inform whoever sent it that we will only accept demands through the proper channels. – And now, gentlemen, let us start today’s meeting. Surely we have more important concerns than the bottomless stomachs of our French guests."

-.-.-

[Half an hour later. The council meeting is in full swing. We see several bottles of wine and plates full of delicacies on the table, when the adress of some council member suddenly gets interupted by commotion outside the room. The door swings open, and in stomps Soult’s cook. All council members jump from their seats.]

[Mayor]

"What is this supposed to mean?"

[Perrou]

"That’s what I ask you." [points at Kinzinger] "Or rather you! Aren’t you that Monsieur Quinzie who sends me the supplies for my kitchen?"

[Kinzinger, annoyed]

"That’s 'Kinzinger', actually, and I’m not a grocery supplier but a member of this esteemed town coun…"

[Perrou]

"Don’t you dare deny your responsibility! I’ve sent you a detailed list of everything I need in order to create a true feast for the visit of general Lefebvre! And you? You have refused to send me anything! How dare you? Do you know who I am? I am Perrou, the best cook in the Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse, and I am working for the best general of the whole of France!"

[Kinzinger]

"Well, I do not know if he’s the best general but he surely is the most demanding."

[Perrou]

"Demanding you call him? Demanding you call these poor soldiers, who would be happy to live of nothing but bread and onions for weeks? Demanding? Ha! If you knew, Monsieur Quinzie, what it takes to turn these boys into accomplished gentlemen, to teach them to even appreciate the finer qualities of life, to train their tongue and taste buds enough for them to recognise the true value of a culinary work of art such as I create! Because that’s what I am, an artist! An artist of the kitchen, and you, Monsieur, are hindering the creation of yet another masterpiece!"

[Mayor, annoyed]

"I think we’ve heard quite enough of this madman. Let’s call for the servants to get him out of here."

[Perrou]

"You want to kick me out like some random beggar? Me, Perrou? Oh, you wait, I’ll show you!" [stabs an index finger at Kinzinger, poking him in the chest] "You give me the food for tomorrow’s feast right now, Monsieur Quinzie, or all hell will break loose! Do you reckon I will feed general Lefebvre nothing but potatoes and cabbage?"

[Kinzinger]

"Hey, stop poking me!"

[He shoves him back. Perrou pushes him, Kinzinger strikes back, Perrou grabs him be the throat. Within a second, there’s a full brawl, with all the honourable council members joining in. Together, they succeed in pushing the enraged cook out of the room and in closing the door behind him]

[Mayor, panting]

"What a day! I wonder of we will get any work done during this meeting…"

-.-.-

[CUT to next scene: Pierre Soult and four soldiers are standing in front of them, ready to arrest Kinzinger.]

[Pierre]

"I’m sorry, it’s an order from my general."

[Mayor]

"You cannot arrest our colleague. He’s a town official, he is not under your general’s jurisdiction!"

[Pierre, shrugging]

"Possibly. But unfortunately, I am. Come on, Monsieur Quinzie, we have a nice room prepared for you, and I’ll see to it that you’ll have some of what Perrou has cooked for the visit of general Lefebvre tomorrow night. That should reconcile you a bit with your fate. I’m sure you’ll be out of prison again in time for christmas."

[Kinzinger, being led away, turning pale]

"You want to lock me up until christmas? Mayor!"

[Mayor, shouting after him]

"Do not worry, Kinzinger! This savage violation of the law will not be tolerated! It is about time to show these insolent French soldiers the limit of what they can do." [Door closes behind the French who march off Kinzinger. The mayor adresses the rest of the council] "And we shall do so by using their own weird laws of their own weird republic."

-.-.-

[Cut to new scene. A rather simply furnished room. The mayor, accompanied by two council members, is adressing Caselli. Who is sitting behind a desk and eagerly takes notes.]

[Mayor]

"So you assure us that you will be able to do something in favour of our friend?"

[Caselli]

"Absolutely. I have come here from Paris to the army as representative of the French people; taking care of such blatant abuse of power is precisely my job!"

[Mayor]

"I'm glad to hear there is some sort of justice under your new form of government. Just imagine: Kinzinger, one of the most respected citizens of our town, arrested! It's unheard of."

[Caselli]

"It is, and I shall put a stop to it. Put all your faith in me, messieurs! I will reign in those rogue generals in no time."

-.-.-

[CUT to next scene: Another day, another council meeting. Kinzinger’s seat is empty. The door is thrown open with such force it hits the wall. Enter Lefebvre and in his wake, somewhat slowlier, possibly a little embarrassed, Soult]

[Lefebvre]

"So these are the bastards who sicced that obnoxious 'representative of the people' on us, eh, boy?"

[Soult]

"Oui, mon général. But I assure you that I will be able to deal with these gentlemen on my own…"

[Lefebvre]

"I do not doubt that. But you will not have to. Because now I am here. [faces the mayor] How dare you give my dear general Soult so much trouble! I will teach you! Sending that idiot paper pusher after us so he writes some report to the other paper pushers in Paris! I will make you regret that idea, I’ll make you wish you’d rather shot yourself! You think prison is too much for one of your kind to bear? I’d have you all hanged, I’d have you all guillotined if you had gone through with the plan to let us starve! My dear Soult here wanted to cut down the trees in one of your alleys as a punishment, I say we’ll do worse, we’ll garrison another regiment in town just so you suckers know what it means to have to feed hungry soldiers! I’ll have you all put in iron and walked to Paris, I’ll…"

[Soult, putting a hand on Lefebvre’s shoulder, silently]

"General, I think they got the message."

[Lefebvre, still furious]

"They better have, or they’ll see how throroughly I can fuck up their pleasant bourgeois existence here!"

[The two French generals leave]

[Mayor]

"What brutes! We need to have another word with this representative Caselli."

-.-.-

[CUT to Caselli’s room. Caselli is busy packing his clothes into a trunk]

[Mayor]

"Monsieur Caselli! Are you leaving?"

[Caselli, smiling]

"Why, yes. My position here was always only temporarily."

[Mayor]

"Really? To me it seems you are running from Soult and Lefebvre?

[Caselli]

"What? How could anybody think that? Though I have to admit that I found these two generals rather unwilling to accept my authority. And also rather ... impolite. Rude. Almost threatening. You could have warned me about their character. But still, my departure has absolutely nothing to do with them. There have been some political changes in our government – well, to be fair, there are always certain changes in our government, and people like me need to make sure they are on the right side of events."

[Mayor]

"But what about our problems? You promised to help us?"

[Caselli]

"Oh, don’t you worry, Monsieur. My report must reach authorities in Paris within a week. I’m sure it will have dire consequences for the future careers of these two generals."

[Mayor, exasperated]

"I don’t care shit about Soult’s or Lefebvre’s military career. I want Kinzinger out of prison, and I don’t want to pay for these generals’ daily feasts anymore!"

[Caselli]

"You know how things are, Monsieur. You’ve lost the war, you pay the price. Be happy you only have to feed these men and don’t have to suffer them plundering your beautiful town, too. They do keep their men in check, right?"

[Mayor]

"Yes, but…"

[Caselli]

"There you have it. Isn’t that the most important point? And as to Monsieur Kinzinger, I understand that general Soult at least is quite aware he has overstepped his boundaries there. In his initial anger, he got carried away, and then felt he could not go back on his words. But once he feels he has saved face, he surely will release your friend. I’m convinced it’s only a matter of days. - Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to find some servants to get my luggage into the carriage."

-.-.-

[CUT to – epilogue. A rather dark corridor. Pierre Soult is leading Kinzinger out of prison.]

[Pierre]

"See? I told you you would be free before christmas."

[Kinzinger]

"Am I supposed to be grateful for that now?"

[Pierre]

"Oh, come on, we did treat you well enough, didn’t we. I even arranged for some … private visit from one of my Towngate Tavern ladyfriends, didn't I? And you have to admit that Perrou’s cooking alone would have been worth it."

[Kinzinger gives him a sullen look but starts nodding]

"He really seems to be a master of his craft, I’ll give him that. Truth be told, it may be hard for me to get back to my wife’s cooking after having been spoilt all these days…"

[Pierre, beaming]

"See? And that’s why Perrou told me to give you this. [He grabs a large package wrapped in paper from a table near the exit and hands it to Kinzinger.] Some leftover meat pies and pastries, to share with your family. With my brother’s blessings. It’s not as if he apologizes, mind you, it’s just… well, we do not want to end our stay in Bonn on such a bad note. [He sighs.] Unfortunately, we will not be able to enjoy this town’s hospitality much longer. We’ve received orders to move."

[Kinzinger]

"I hope you don’t expect me to fake tears about this change of events. May I ask where you will be going?"

[Pierre]

"Seems we’ll cross the Rhine. A town named Solingen, where we shall have our winter quarters. I hope we will not have any similar disagreements there. But most likely, in such a small country town, nothing of importance will happen..."

[adobe-outdesign]

I know you've done the various mr mime forms, but have you reviewed mime jr?

(This is the last Pokemon review request in the inbox right now, so send 'em if you got 'em.

Mr. Mime review is here, G. Mr. Mime review is here, and Mr. Rime Review is here.)

Some people find Mr. Mime to be kind of uncanny, with its nose-less face, long jointed limbs, and slightly too detailed hands, but I've never heard anyone complain about Mime Jr. here. It's mostly because, while based off of Mr. Mime, the design has been simplified greatly, and features like a super cheerful expression make it hard to not find this little guy adorable. Them mimicking people and not being very good at it also doesn't hurt their cuteness factor.

I like how, conceptually, it starts off as a clown and then becomes a mime; kind of similar but still distinct ideas that work well with each other. It also looks really solid visually; the light pink body has great contrast with the dark blue accents, the black eyes pop, and the nose and red ball on the chest compliment each other, as does the ball on it's jester-cap esq hair. It's clown-like enough to pick up on the theme, but done in a nice and subtle way.

I've heard a lot of people say that Mime Jr. doesn't look enough like Mr. Mime, but I honestly don't agree. They share the exact same color palette, similar color distributions (dark hair and legs/feet, light pink faces and arms, dark pink circle accents, etc.) and a lot of the same motifs, like the zig-zag hair and circles. I think the only place where the line looses cohesion a bit is the head, as the two have very different eyes; not inherently a bad thing, but it does make the faces less similar.

Ironically, Mime Jr. arguably fits even better with the Galarian Mr. Mime line, but for opposite reasons; the color palettes are completely different, but more elements of the body shape and face carry through (G. Mr. Mime has a nose, think arms but thicker legs that are completely black, mitten-like hands, and a scalloped pattern to the body; all traits that Mime Jr. shares). Mr. Rime also helps with this, keeping all of the shared attributes and even gaining a stockier body shape in the legs, the round red nose on the stomach, and similar eyes to Mime Jr.

(A lot of people say there should've been a Galarian Mime Jr. On the one hand, having an ice-type variant with blue instead of pink would've made the cohesion of the line spot-on; but on the other hand, I don't know if there's a ton they would've done with the design beyond just minor visual tweaks. I don't know, if it's between a fairly standard recolor variant that exists for coherency vs. just skipping it all together, I do get why they wouldn't think it was needed. Plus, like I said, the line is incredibly coherent as-is anyway).

Anyway, a really cute and fun pre-evo that feels like it adds something thematically to the line and works really well with both regular and the Galarian Mr. Mime lines. Great stuff.

[demvalhaken]

Welcome to, I’m having an unnecessarily hard issue trying to get the Western Hornets into a smaller size~ (Fancy squiggle)

I think I fixed it?

WOOHOO, JPEGS ROCK!

FUN FACT: THE WESTERN HORNETS AREN’T EVEN THAT BIG?!

Muahaha, the canvases are all different sizes because I just scaled it up as I progress farther in the drawing >:]

I WORKED MY ASS OFF TO DRAW ALL THESE AND IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF FOR NOT ABANDONING IT!!!

Yes, the Eastern Hornets stick out because they were done first

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

THIS IS WHERE THEY LIVE (YES ITS A MESSY MAP BECAUSE I’VE NEVER DRAWN ONE DIGITALLY)

Berry Hive was bombed

Luna Hive is so awesome though!

If you grab a magnifying glass, you will see the borders! North, East, South, and West!

Okay soooo, the Northern Hornets live in the coldest region

The Eastern Hornets live in like, forests, plains, and cool little mountains

The Southern Hornets live in a tropical area. Imagine a humid, jungle with a ton of water

The Western Hornets are parched… they’re dehydrated grapes… deserts are not that wet

Late Warning: This probably gonna be reallllllllllyyyyy long

Is that what I think I hear?! Their economy? Oh yeah, I’ve got it all figured out and totally not making it up on the spot with scarce prior knowledge

Northern Hornets Economy Trade

What is an economy again? A thing about goods and services? Ha! Yeah, we’re just gonna talk about trade because I don’t got that kind of patience!

Traded items!

The Northern Hornets often trade iron, jewels, glacier honey (An ice-coloured honey that comes from the ice flower that grows on the mountains) They also trade a ton of ores as well

Northerners aren’t that popular in the Klaudin trade

Eastern Hornets Trade

Traded items: Silk, cotton, most other fabrics, exotic fruit and spices, and astronomical stuff

The Easterners are a huge part of the Klaudin trade

Western Hornets do not trade that much with the Eastern Hornets

NETR (North-East Trade and Relations) is a major thing in both the North and East for their trade

The Easterners are also often known for trading literature

Southern Hornets Trade

Traded items: Most exotic fauna used in dishes, lumber/wood, medicinal plants, and most animal products

The Southerners are a lesser known part of the continental trade.

They mostly are known for food products

They have an alliance with the West but not a fancy acronym name

Western Hornets Trade

Traded items: Desert fauna, pottery and clay, textiles and woven goods, and straight up salt.

The Northerners get most of their salt from the Westerners, despite having a bad history with each other

They are mostly just known for their pottery, woven/textile stuff, and art is general

The West Hornets are in an alliance with the South Hornets

I guess we go on to appearance differences?

Now if you look at the Hornets, all of them are unique! They have different mouths, antennae, wings, and eyes

Largest Wingspan to Smallest: Southern Hornet, Western Hornets, Eastern Hornets, Northern Hornets

Best Eyesight: Western Hornets

Longest Antennae: Northern Hornets

Best Average Strength: Northern Hornets

Worst Crime: Western Hornets

Best Reputation: Southern Hornets

Worst Reputation: Western Hornets :(

Each species has different mane styles

Northern Hornets: Often left alone or braided Eastern Hornets: Well-kept and sleek, often just left alone but came be styled in every way

Southern Hornets: Left long and untouched, some braid their manes, some stick colourful things in it like feathers

Western Hornets: Tied back or cut short

Palaces!

Northern Palace

The Tyvin Palace (Could be changed later on) is a massive structure built in between two towering mountains. The palace is insulated and heated. It’s made of timber, iron, stone, and probably other materials.

Halls are lined with carvings and tapestries featuring wildlife or cool events!

Eastern Hive(s)

Berry Hive: Bombed by ? It is still unknown. The hive took half of Queen Berry’s ruling to build, unfortunately, she died with her creation from burns

Luna Hive is a hive constructed by her daughter, Queen Luna (Formerly Princess Luna) The hive is situated in the trees, being elevated. It can be warmed or frozen during winters or summers. It’s made of mostly timber.

Southern Palace (Skra Palace): Just a bunch of buildings built on trees. It’s made of timber, mud bricks, rope, and leaves. It has no insulating, but Southern Hornets don’t get that too extreme cold weather. If necessary, fires will be lit for warmth

Oasis Hive (Palace by some locals): A palace made of sun-dried bricks (Adobe), quartz, and sandstone. It has thick walls and a giant shaded courtyard. The windows are often covered with tapestries during the day if it’s too hot. It’s decorated with wind chimes, tapestry and other woven things, and a ton of greenery!

Everything hurts…. My back, my wrists, my fingers, my legs. I HAVE BEEN SITTING FOR LIKE THREE OR FOUR HOURS WRITING THIS!

I can’t write anymore, maybe I’ll add more in a future post!

Okay, soooooo! Final thoughts!

BYEEEEEEE, I WORKED SO HARD ON THIS

Their older selves! Plus this silly thing!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING ALL THAT IF YOU DID!!!

MY BACK HURTS

[space-spring]

I reblogged that post the other day about never finishing video games and it made me stop and think hard about my life and the fact that. oh my god....... I really DO never finish video games........... So I have changed my ways by finishing up Chapter 4 and the ending of Chaos route for Tactics Ogre! Tons of endgame spoilers ahead but here are my bullet-pointed highlights:

My guy Azelstan the pirate! I love him. His whole arc with losing his daughter reminded me a little of Svarog and Hossabara from Triangle Strategy (albeit with substantially more nihilism!), and finding him at the port and then going through the story with the girl he takes under his wing made me die a little inside.

I do really appreciate the fact that even once he joins you he's still a little bit of a mess! I feel like a lot of the characters join Denam out of anger or honor or something else equally passionate, and meanwhile Azelstan's out here going "I've lost everything I love and this is just a decent way to try and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else." He's simply a very sad old man and I love him a lot

This is not a highlight per se but it IS funny: I had to play the whole pirate cove dungeon where you recruit him like three or four times because I kept thinking I had the recruitment conditions fulfilled and then. did not in fact have the recruitment conditions fulfilled. I killed SO many ghosts. I got to the point where I just bought like 30 exorcism arcanas before going in so I could just have anyone regardless of cleric status blast the stilled undead whenever I needed to

AUGHKDHJSHDGHJJS. I am. SO unwell about the Sherri recruitment scene. I cannot express just how much I am unwell about the Sherri recruitment scene. All the Phoraena sisters really are so cool and good and I spontaneously combust whenever they come on screen but this scene is just AUUUUUGH........ It kills me thinking about how long Sherri's been hiding out because she doesn't think anyone will welcome her back and meanwhile her sisters just!!! love her so much!!!!!!!!!! and SHE loves THEM so much!!!!!! it just makes me go woaugh..........

I also just replayed some of the earlier chapters with Cerya and Cistina to test out the endgame rewind feature, and I take back my little chart I made of them a while back where they're arguing over clothes and things. All of the sisters are defined first and foremost by Being Willing To Sacrifice Everything For Each Other and I love them so much about it

And in addition to all the Phoraena sister dynamics, looking at this scene through the perspective of Denam ALSO having a sister who's keeping herself apart because she feels unloved is so. wowowowow

And on that note Denam and Catiua are rotating around in my head 24/7!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really so in love with how far the writers went with their argument and fallout and also insane about the bad ending in this scenario because AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?! and also I'm just a sucker for guilt arcs and having to live with mistakes even when it'd be easier not to. Catiua's absolutely insane (affectionate) and I think it's so fun how she changes things around and really comes into her own after this.

Also I really really love that the two of them got to have such a narratively clear conversation about everything that went down!!!!! This is a complete tangent but I sometimes kind of go insane over the fact that in Triangle Strategy we really don't get to see a ton of Roland and Cordelia after they reunite and Whiteholm is retaken. They have. so many things to talk about, and Cordelia has more than a few valid reasons to feel resentment toward Roland for the way he handled retaking Whiteholm. The closest they come to really talking about how they feel is that scene where they're standing in the garden and Roland's trying to explain why he killed Avlora and Cordelia just kinda quietly goes, "I know. I get it. I can't blame you." And while that scene is fun in its own "this bad boy can fit SO many emotionally traumatized Cordelia headcanons in it" sort of way, it's also so so so nice to see Denam and Catiua do the opposite and actually sit down and hash it out for a bit. They get to talk about why they're angry!!! They both get to explain themselves and then reassure each other that they're still loved!!!! They get to be genuinely close again and work as a team!!!!! and I love that for them :)

Also with comparisons to Cordelia, Catiua very distinctly doesn't get sidelined after Denam rescues her!!!! She's an active participant in the war and really takes charge over Denam, which is very neat imo, and I love getting to see her coronation and speech at the end

THIS ATTACK SPECIFICALLY. The whole final boss was so cool but I actually gasped and sat back when I saw this, it was just so so different than any of the other graphics in the game and it made me go nuts

AAAAOAUGH GHAGHG

The credits are really pretty :)

RHCKCHHGLGLRLRLAHHJG I am once again foaming at the mouth about the way the game blends game mechanics and story this is SUCH a fun explanation for how the whole world tarot system works and also I am absolutely gutted by the idea of Denam doing this canonically because he can't stand the regret of the choices he's had to make. I feel like Denam's guilt over the entire conflict isn't explicitly mentioned a ton (he actively makes a lot of comments to the effect of "I'm doing what my honor dictates and I have nothing to be ashamed of") and then every once in a while the game comes back and slaps you with stuff like this. Like hey. hey. yasumi matsuno. can we talk? I jst wantto talkk

Also all the endgame content is SO GOOD. I'm starting to move over to Reborn because I want to experience all the voice acting and stuff over on that version, but it's also so hard to leave my team and all the cool stuff I've unlocked. I need to read up on it more but I'm 90% sure you can recruit Lancelot and Warren if you do the Palace of the Dead stuff which I avoided in Chapter 4, so I'm tempted to go back and do that on there sometime. Or mayhaps I'll just play it through on Reborn once I get through Lawful and Neutral!

But yeah!!! Overall, such a fun route and a fun game and a fun ending :) I do feel like I want to come back to Chaos route once I've finished the other two, because I miss Vyce and the role-playing part of my RPG-obsessed brain really wants him to survive the canon-ish ending because I think there's a ton of things from the beginning of the route that I'll think differently on now that I've finished (like all of the stuff building up to Vyce going nuts and Catiua leaving).

[thatdisasterauthor]

The new dashboard layout

I wanted to wait to play with it for a bit to see what sort of feelings I had that weren't just my immediate reaction, and now I have so let's talk.

My general feelings: I get what they're going for, and I think it has potential, but right now it is too busy. There are some great things about it, like being able to post while in your feed, and some bad things, like the amount of different sections.

But let's get into it a little more.

I know everyone is screaming about how they copied Twitter, but they didn't. Side menus aren't even close to a new thing on the internet. They aren't AS popular as top menus these days, but they still see plenty of use. Really, the only issue I have with the side menus at this point as that the "Account" tab doesn't seem to stay closed for good once you close it. Also, on smaller screens it becomes its own scrolling section, which feels even more crowded.

No, my main issue here is that--especially at the top of the dashboard--there is SO MUCH going on. You've got Tumblr live, you've got the new left side menu, you've got the little content suggestion block with "changes on Tumblr" and all that, you've got "Check out these blogs," you've got Tumblr Radar, and you've got your actual dash. It's a lot of info to be hit with all at once.

I think we've all beaten the dead horse that is Tumblr Live enough that I don't have to do it again here, so I won't. But in general, having that at the top of the site just doesn't WORK. The little thumbnails don't tell you anything about what is going on in the stream, they're hard to read, they take up a ton of space, and they just don't mesh well with the overall culture of the site. If Tumblr wants to have that there, they should at least use the same algorithm for "blogs in your orbit" so that they're related to content the viewer is already interested in.

Tumblr likely isn't going to roll this back, at least not entirely, because it DOES have a lot of potential. It brings a lot of settings and options to the forefront, which is a good thing. Even veteran users likely don't know everything about this website, especially those who may have taken an extended break at some point. The fact is Tumblr does need new users, and it needs those users to be able to understand how to use the website.

So here's my suggestion:

Tumblr has been experimenting with a subscription model, so make dashboard layout customization into a subscription feature. Allow people add and remove, or even reorganize, the different sections to their liking. Leave it as it is for unsubscribed users, and allow subscribed users the ability to customize.

Will this be a popular answer? Nope, probably not. But it will help bridge the gap between making new users and old users comfortable, while also raising money to help keep the site we all love so much going.

[myrfing]

sorry to add to the #discourse about the werlyt stuff in ffxiv, and feel free to ignore this, but your posts just got me thinking about how the average western consumer of japanese media doesn't know how to spot signs of japanese nationalism in their fave game, movie, anime, etc. For example, I remember a couple of weeks ago on twitter someone said that Miyazaki's works feature prominent elements of japanese nationalism despite not necessarily being pro-war, and both the replies and QRTs were an absolute disaster. ffxiv is a liberal game, its politics are not exceptional; they just aren't (as) egregious

Considering the social locations of people who make a piece of media and how that location affects the way they write things, like politics, isn't an outlandish concept. But ffxiv fans always seem hyperdefensive about this and i cannot understand why

yeah for sure! imo people are getting better about it (don't think it even registered in most of the english-speaking side of the internet's heads that there was a pacific theater for a long time), with more eastern media being translated and gaining popularity that DOES legitimately have leftist authors, but you still have a ton of "how can this work have jp nationalist elements when they say War is Bad 🤨". feels like a lot of this is cause really anime/manga/games were so vaunted as the ultimate escape for americans (not exclusive) and now that people are gaining more of a political consciousness, there's this need for the things that are nostalgic and soothing for them to be "good" media without Problems. which is like. not the point man. though people have always studied and conversed about media trends and the influence of eras on the art created within them and there's always been a knee-jerk You're Being Crazy reaction to it (even though if it's a conversation they're not interested in right now, the people who have this reaction usually can always just...step out lol), I feel like it's just magnified by the way social media uhh does all that. and on top of it a lot of discourse is in bad faith, so sometimes not giving people the time of day DOES seem like the correct and safe option every time but it's like...some people apply it so broadly and blindly that it's basically anything that upsets me = wrong and bullshit.

And you're totally right about xiv LMFAOOO it feels like some people are compelled to do damage control for the game like it's personal. you'd assume that everyone is working off of the recognition that ffxiv is a mass market product and a feel-good fantasy and the writing may not even reflect the totality of a writer's beliefs, but rather what they believe is the median, liberal truth that they're willing to sell. sometimes in oddball places you can find hints of something more genuine but these are exceptions. & acting like it's proofed from this is suggesting that somehow final fantasy fourteen the mmo is interested in breaking any status quos and the whole of its creators have collectively managed to break apart from the time and history they exist in, when in truth it relies on it to guide its writing and business plan. i don't think this is a crazy controversial thing. it's a normal thing. & i cant really speak for how other people are talking about it, but i rarely suggest malevolence in my critiques of the shit I enjoy moreso than I'm saying Le Hegemony Has Arrived....something not even individual people can escape myself included much less a corporation....but the accusation is assumed anyway. What is the worst that can happen by acknowledging some stories and patterns in xiv's story have very liberal takes on topics in which liberalism understands and treats poorly? i dunno the answer to this one honestly I do not understand the fear

[enriquemzn262]

What are some western cartoons you've enjoyed?

Amphibia

A fun western take of Isekai, without the wish fulfillment escapism that plagues Isekai, which was actually criticized with the character of Marcy, with a lovable cast, great animation and a well made story with a bittersweet yet satisfying ending.

Hilda

The best modern cartoon period, a cozy and sweet yet action packed and even sometimes dark adventure show about a little girl exploring her magical realism world.

Gravity Falls

Not nearly as fantastic as everyone and their mom claims to be, but still a great show, with tons of good characters, excellent animation, and an overarching plot that while ultimately flawed (the second half of season 2 really dropped the ball on that one) was still great.

She-Ra

Great solid show from beginning to end, but especially towards the end when the silly princess stuff finally began to be properly integrated with the actual plot. Also Catra best character don’t @ me.

Kipo

The most underrated modern cartoon I’ve seen, a superb show with a great story, characters and a truly unique setting, not to mention it did the whole villain redemption thing everyone and their mom was doing at the time, but actually did it fantastically.

Invincible

Like many others I was drawn in by the brutality of the first episode, and boy did it just keep getting better after it! Just skip everything with Amber in it, and you should be in for the best animated superhero show since JLU.

Arcane

Love it! From beginning to end it was a wild ride of a show, and this is coming from someone that only knows about LoL through memes and porn. At times it almost felt like I was watching an extended movie.

The Amazing World of Gumball

This has to be the funniest modern show there is, at least before they decided to use a ton of “funny faces”, when it went down to being among the funniest. Still, a love letter to animation, featuring just about every style of it there is, and with an extremely weird yet fun cast of characters.

Before jumping back to anime I used to watch a ton of these, so I’m sure there’s more, but these are on too of my head and from the last decade, but I can honestly tell you, that my favorite cartoon of all time is:

Courage the Cowardly Dog

There’s just not a single bad episode in it, and every character has been as memorable as Courage himself.

Dishonorable mentions:

The Owl House: Amphibia but actually embracing the bad of Isekai.

Steven Universe: Started weird, got good but ultimately fell down the stairs due to its terrible obsession with finding good things about terrible people.

OK KO: Garbage character models and too obsessed with making references.

Adventure Time: Everything wrong with modern animation.

Regular Show: Modercai is a simp and just looking at the guy gives me cringe.

Bee and Puppycat: Everything wrong with AT and SU COMBINED.

Korra: Not canon

[vixen525noms]

Defying Certain Death Part 1

Copied from my DeviantArt account, a non-sexual G/T vore story featuring adults along the lines of the lion and the thorn fable. There will be tons of hurt/comfort aspects, lots of safe vore. That is the primary focus in this.

Barrett is and adult giant standing 85ft tall and Hope is an adult human at 5ft 6. Barrett does not eat children at any point.

Warnings: Fatal Mention; Characters in Distress

Future: While this part is relatively tame, future parts include fatal vore and violence. Barrett, the giant, is not a good guy, so will be doing some occasional bad things.

Picture | Next

-----

The giant watched the woman back up as he stood to his full height, looking down at her. He could see the fear in her eyes, smell her fear scent as she watched his movements. He was very familiar with the smell of fear; humans and terrans alike feared his kind. They had good reason to fear Syors. The woman no doubt realized that she could not possibly outrun him, that she was already close enough that he wouldn’t have to even try to chase. She couldn’t possibly get out of his reach before he could grab her.

He leaned over, watching the woman look quickly for some form of hiding place, although there was none. She barely had time to turn away and start to move before his hand closed around her and he lifted her up. She didn’t squirm much or try to get loose, simply closing her eyes.

“Please… I don’t want to die…”

-----3 weeks ago-----

He didn’t know how long he’d lain here now, but he’d given up hope. The rockslide had trapped him, and he had reached the point he lacked hope. Even with such great strength, he lacked a way to move the stones. He had no doubt that if he were able to get at least a little loose, he could move individual rocks with ease… but with the large pile on top of him, he couldn’t even move enough to reach stones to free one arm.

He was going to die here. He didn’t want to, but it seemed inevitable. By now he hardly even bothered to look around anymore. He was sore and injured, and lacked a food source. The injuries didn’t kill him, so he was going to starve. He had gotten lucky for water, there had been light rain a couple of times, barely enough to keep him hydrated, but it had helped. He just couldn’t get free and he couldn’t get food.

As he thought on the matter, ears perked slightly at the sound of movement. Another of the wild sheep? Perhaps if he was still and quiet, it would come within reach. Then he heard cursing. He hesitantly peeked, trying not to open his eyes enough to be noticed. The first thing he noticed was the red color of the young woman’s dress, how its bright shade stood out against the dull colors of the rock and dirt. A terran. Or perhaps a human, but either way, it was one of the little folk that giants like himself greatly enjoyed as prey. He watched the girl make her way lower, nearer to him, and fought back a smile. She was close… perhaps he might yet get a meal.

He watched her come nearer, then kneel to gather some sort of plants. She had managed to come down the steep rocks… but she would almost certainly have to walk the lower path to get out. The lower path that lay right before his hand.

He stretched his hand out as best he could, tilting it so it was angled like a wall blocking her path. He grinned slowly as the movement got her attention and her eyes went wide. The dirt from the rockslide had caused him to blend in, and she hadn’t even noticed him. His grin revealed the double set of fangs that served as the most obvious difference between his kind and the more gentle Syorians.

He moved to grab her, but was immediately reminded of just how bad the rockslide had pinned him. He couldn’t move his hand enough to grasp her, to pull her into his mouth. Both the brief feeling of hope and his cheerful expression faded immediately. He really was going to starve here. Prey came within reach and he couldn’t even move enough to get it into his mouth. Slowly he lowered his hand, letting it lay limp as he sighed and closed his eyes.

After a moment, he felt a small hand rest on one of his pinned hands. He opened his eyes, surprised to see the girl had come near enough to touch him. Perhaps taunting him because he couldn’t do anything to her? He felt miserable, and just wanted it to be over with.

“You are in pretty bad shape, aren’t you? Can’t even move… I suppose you would be displeased to rely on help from one like myself… but…” The woman sighed slightly, looking away briefly, “I will help you.” The Syor was immediately surprised, hesitating briefly before asking, “You… are going to… Do you not realize what I am?” She returned her gaze to him, then nodded slightly, “Yes… a Syor… and I do know the difference between Syor and Syorians… but it would be wrong to abandon a person, no matter their species, that is in need.” After a moment she patted lightly with her hand that rest on his finger, “I am going to go get you a bit of food and some rope. I’ll be back soon.” He watched her leave, feeling certain he would never lay eyes on her again.

Picture | Next

[forecast0ctopus]

how do you use references when you draw fanart or figure out how to draw irl characters?? it's just that i've been looking through your art and i feel like you ability to capture a character's idk essence, in vibes + appearence, are just unmatched! they're all so dynamic and like them i just <33

aaa thanks so much!! im glad to hear that since i honestly dont watch a ton of live action? i generally have done a lot more fanart for animated things so thats nice to hear haha anyways though!! i have far too many words that may or may not make sense to say so i'll put how i use references and figure out live action characters below

the main rule i like to keep in my head is that i am drawing the character, not the actor, if that makes sense?

this is all taking arthur as an example, to show what kinds of things i look for!! if i were talking about merlin any other live action character like. bobby briggs or something all the details would be super different haha a way i like to familiarize myself with a live action character at first is tracing which i must preface by saying TRACING ISNT BAD!! its a tool and it just needs to be used correctly. tracing is a great way to figure out a method to drawing things, so its really valuable in studying. im not gonna address using tracing in finished artwork rn bc thats where it gets a little dicey and i would talk about it too much.

i dont really need to do this for arthur anymore but it was a fun exercise lmao

sorry the images are so crunchy i always forget i work on small canvases, anyways in capturing a likeness i like to emphasize and exaggerate a little which features make the character most recognizable to me.

he's got a sharp nose which is bumped at the bridge and a little bit upturned at the bottom. when he's smiling his eyes crinkle a lot and his cheek muscle becomes more pronounced and connects into the corner of his mouth

very square jaw. his brows are thicker near the center and don't have much of an arch. his cheeks are hollowed with neutral expression and the muscles on the sides of his mouth (depressor anguli oris, if i remember correctly lol) are obvious when the corners of his mouth are downturned

the corners of his mouth fold in a lot when he bares his teeth if hes angry or agitated, its a different type of fold when hes relaxed or smiling

his masseter is rather pronounced when he's talking or agitated, and i usually connect the line of it to the line that goes down from the inner corner of his eye. i forget what the word for it is rn but its different from eyebags (though i do like to draw eyebags)

but none of these details work if whatever hes doing in the drawing isnt in character, yknow? like he could look like arthur but he wouldnt really feel like arthur if hes not acting like arthur. idk it s hard for me to put to words im sure u get what i mean enough

body shape and language are also super important to think about, these are some things i keep in mind with arthur - hes shredded but not like marvel movie dehydrated shredded (good for him) - hes very broad and his shoulders slope down because of his trapezius muscles - he takes up a lot of space! he hardly ever curls up or sits with his feet up in his chair. even when hes sleeping hes pretty sprawled out - his "closed off" body language is crossing his arms or raising his left hand to twist his index finger ring with his thumb (worried/thinking gesture) - he moves with a lot of purpose usually and isnt often clumsy (unlike merlin lmao) - he moves his shoulders a lot when he walks (see top left image)

honestly think body language is just as important as facial features if not more, for the purpose of creating personality and character

i probably sound like i think way too much about this stuff which i. i kind of do but not in so many words i dont need this many words when its all in my brain. but yeah thats how i figure out how to draw a live action character i guess? anyways this was kind of a mess haha

[heroswags]

the sphinx experience

for the longest time, ive always had the dream of dressed up as a four legged sphinx character with specific built in features for me to be able to move fully, not entirely naturally, but enough for me to look like some mythical fantasy creature. i dont know why. id design the character myself, build the suit tailored to my body, and id do whatever crazy shit i could think of as soon as i put it on

since i was a little kid ive always wanted to act like some feral animal, usually i wanted to be a werewolf. i used to try out those werewolf spells on youtube, specifically the ones that required you to say things like "mote it be" at the end of them like that was such a specific thing for werewolf spells back then. idk if people still do them. when i was 16 (maybe 17?) my psychosis got so bad that i started believing i actually WAS a wolf. im pretty sure it was clinical lycanthropy. ive recovered from that ever since

but ever since ive always had this lingering need to get on all fours and act animalistic; i have never been satisfied in my own body but over the years i "adapted" specific traits that animals do. its kind of weird. i try flexing my ears like a dog, i tuck my arms under my chest like a cat, etc. again. really odd but not in a bad way. odd in a "oh this is something hero would do" kind of way (if that makes sense). anything animalistic has also given me tons of gender euphoria, ESPECIALLY if its sphinx related. explaining my obsession with sphinxes and how important they are to me is a whole nother can of worms but they are super important to my entire identity in ways that i never thought were possible. and its funny i say all of this because like... im not otherkin, or a therian. i am a furry though but i dont really think that counts (?). my connection with sphinxes is just a weird personal experience thats not too serious but also still super important to me as a person

and i always think to myself, what would it be like to be these creatures?? how would i feel walking on all fours? people would think its weird, people think anything out of the ordinary is weird, and it IS weird. but they think its a bad weird. i think its a good and fun weird. and its something that id really wanna try one day. of course id have to get fit for it if i really wanted to get in full costume, and its not just a quadsuit kinda thing. im talkin about running, jumping, etc etc, getting super active for the hell of it. i wanna get the full body experience of what it would be like to be wild, feral, and FREE. i still want some of my humanity attached, hence why itd be a sphinx character id base said costume off of

this is more of a haha funny thing but halloween is coming up, even if i wouldnt have it ready in time (i doubt id even have materials to make it myself) but i think chasing after people on halloween late at night would be hilarious

very long rant talking about my inner feelings about sphinxes and how i really want to be one, but not enough to the point where i cant return to society as a human guy. a costume is enough for me. its almost 12 am and i need to sleep for work but ive thought about things like this for YEARS so i guess ill dump it here