#ive been feeling less than stellar for like months but i do want to draw more

[hikiclawd]

I haven't drawn in a few weeks so these are old and were supposed to have more art to accompany them but I'm so tired LOL 😭 Anyhow I thought it was time I finally made a Strawberry Shortcake oc, his name is King Cake (Jr.) based on the version of the cake of the same name also sometimes referred to as a the Three Kings Cake typically made and eaten during Mardi Gras. (Though it's also eaten during other celebrations throughout the world as well.) This definitely isn't his final design but I just wanted something down on paper to go forward from. The first art is based more on the 2003 style of SS while the second is based on Berry In The Big City. He's actually part of Angel Cake's family, in the 2003 continuity they would be cousins. While in bitbc I think they'd be siblings... I have a bitbc design for Angel sketched out I just haven't revisited it yet, I hope to soon ^_^ I really hope to make some more characters as well, probably based on some desserts I grew up eating like jello salad, pound cake, luau salad ect ect

[doeblossom]

What was it like for Doe Whispers growing up with Raine as a parent?

this is an excellent question! ive been wanting to write all of this down so this is an excellent opportunity :D (please excuse how long it took for me to answer this, i spent a long time writing and double checking things to ensure they align with canon haha)

all of the following is headcanon about raine too. because theyre so cool and swag and i love them. warning: this is kinda long, but i wanna be thorough! but TL;DR, they try their best and are very loving, but being a busy single parent doesnt leave much room for quality time

Pre-Parenthood Raine wanted to be a parent; not only to start a family with Eda, but also just to experience raising a kid of their own and being a parent. After breaking up with Eda, they joined the Bard coven and started their teaching career. Rather than staying in Bonesborough and starting a career at Hexside (which is apparently located on the right arm), they moved closer to the castle. I imagine this is somewhere around Latissa, if not exactly in Latissa. Once their career was stable, they had Boe. Boe wasn't conceived through traditional means. Her conception was magical, and while there was outside input for her genetic makeup, Raine is the only involved parent. (Side note: Doe and Boe are both very similar, and it's debatable which one is her real name. "Boe" is fun because "Raine" + "Boe" = "RaineBoe", but this is still an insert character. For the sake of consistency through the post, I'll be calling her "Boe", but either works.)

Early Life Boe was raised with as much love as a parent could provide for their child. Up until she was about 4, Raine gave her all of their attention. Based on this post quoting Avi Roque, Raine's voice actor, there are two specific headcanons I have about them as a parent: 1) They would go by "Papa" (I wanted to match the term "Mama Eda", and feel like they would be more comfortable with masculine terms.) 2) There would be a lot of holding, handling, hugging, etc (Raine's love language is touch, so there's a lot of physical affection) Around when she was 4-5, Raine was offered a teaching position directly under the Emperor himself. And at this point is where things get VERY busy and difficult.

As a teacher, Raine wanted to be the primary one with a hand in Boe's upbringing and education. That, along with Bards having a less-than-stellar reputation, And Boe being one of those kids to easily get sick, led to her being homeschooled in bard magic. Unfortunately, a single teacher's salary can definitely not afford daycare (Belos is cruel and unjust) so Boe spent a lot of time in the faculty lounge, doing her homework, drawing, reading, etc. However, the flow of new people and students allowed her at least a little bit of interaction with others.

While Raine climbed the ladder, and learned more about Belos's corruption, Boe was left mostly to her own devices. Unfortunately, their busy life led to their relationship stunting. Yes, they still love each other as family, and they know each other very well, but from around 10-14, Boe started keeping a lot of things to herself. Throughout all of this, Raine's been busy starting a rebellion. And does Boe know? No. A lot of things rebellion related, she simply assumes is part of Raine's "Work".

Joining Canon Once Raine is elevated to a high enough status where they are set as Scooter Crane's replacement as Head Witch of the Bard coven (a couple of months before the show begins; Boe is just under, or has recently turned 16), they move into the castle permanently. The Emperor, in all his grace, provides Boe boarding as well, provided she follows in Raine's footsteps or studies to become a part of the Emperor's Coven. With all of her schooling, it's fine, but she doesn't really know if she wants to be a Bard. Sure, it's what she's most proficient in and trained to do, but there's a million different options out there to explore. Raine is very good at their job, and vocal about the need for Bards to be respected, so imagine how awfully disappointing it would be for their own, only child to pursue something else. So she just says nothing.

During Canon Working at the castle is so incredibly busy. Obviously. Raine tries to see their kid at least daily, but it's still a difficult thing. Most often, it's a wordless hug or a passing pat on the head as they rush off to another meeting (coven related or otherwise). Around this time, Boe finds out there are TWO (count 'em: two) other kids in the castle. And she wants to be friends with them SO bad. But that's a story for another time; let's just say it eventually happens.

Yes, Boe realizes something's happened after Eda's Requiem. It's subtle, and weird, but a lot of Raine's mannerisms on the surface had changed. But when they interact, nothing's different, so she brushes it off again.

Hollow Mind Heart There's a reattempt of the mind spell. But through some shenanigans, rather than Hunter and Luz going into the Emperor's mind, Sol and Boe end up in Raine's. And they see everything. And it goes about as well as you expect. Sol, understandably, runs away from the coven much like Hunter did, but in less of a "my life will end if I stay" manner; more of a "I cannot work for this man anymore" way. Boe, however, stays. She's quiet about it all, and the rift between her and Raine widens even more. She does stay at the castle, if only for a sense of stability. But best you believe she's doomsday prepping in there. Packing all of her important things in a single bag, hoarding whatever snacks she can snag, and not talking to anyone.

aaaand that's about where we are right now! i'm currently writing stuff for post hollow mind + human realm era. but in the epilogue, i imagine they become close again! but being isolated from them right after finally being ready to talk again is difficult.

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

Remnants, Part IX

Chapter Summary: This chapter is transitional, so bear with me. I’ll be borrowing some ideas from the NATM movies, but mostly doing whatever I want to the plot to make it more Ahk-centric. Part X will be the final, action-packed chapter, but I do have an epilogue outlined, too. 

Part I,  Part II,  Part III,  Part IV,  Part V,  Part VI,  Part VII,  Part VIII

Story Summary: You are in the midst of formulating your dissertation, but you’ve hit a wall. Your doting aunt, Rebecca, has a solution that brings you face to face with Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King. As the connection between you and Ahkmenrah grows, and as the secrets of his ancient tablet unlock, the once-king will find himself faced with a difficult choice.

Thanks so much to @kitkatcronch  @kpopperotp12  @seafrost-fangirl  @sassystrawberryk  @perfect-rami  @txmel   @limabein   and  @rami-malek-trash for reading : ) If anyone else wants added to the taglist, let me know. I’ve greatly appreciated the feedback!

Warnings: None

It was mid-April, and you smiled as the sun warmed your skin. Although the air still held a chill, it was clear from the budding trees lining the courtyard that summer would soon make an appearance. It had been a particularly brutal east coast winter, and even though the thought of summer brought forth deep pangs of nostalgia, the sun was a welcome change.

“Okay, Y/N,” Chelsea said as she flicked a long strand of hair over her shoulder. “One more time from the top.”

 You began the introduction to your thesis defense for the tenth time that afternoon. In two weeks, you would be in front of a room of both your current and potential peers delivering your defense. The details of your work had drawn a lot of curiosity, so your chairs warned you that it would be a full house. You felt your work as a TA prepared you pretty well for addressing a full auditorium, but you knew that you probably wouldn’t sleep properly until this was all over. To secure job offers, your delivery needed to be stellar.

 In addition to professors, a variety of museum directors and field experts, including the museum director of Cairo, were flying in to listen to your defense. Thanks to Ryan, your name had become familiar to the director in Cairo, and he began to closely follow your publications. If your defense went well, you could be fielding offers not only from all over the states, but globally.

 After Ryan’s six months in Africa, he transferred to The University of Sydney to finalize his thesis and finish his PhD. You always had a hunch that he’d return home, and you sent a text congratulating him, wishing him the best. He’d responded something similar and that was the last you had talked to him in a while. As much of a presence as Ry once was in your life, it was shocking how quickly you could put a person behind you.

 Unless, of course, you were still in love with that person. Despite Ahkmenrah’s last words and his desire to no longer see you, your feelings had not waned. The days did get easier, and you were actually prone to smiling and going out with your friends, but when it got quiet, when you ran out of things to keep your mind occupied, your mind flooded with your memories of him.

 It had been eight months since you had seen Ahk, nearly double the time you had actually spent with him. That was one of the reasons you knew your feelings were real, unlike anything you had experienced before. Normally, like with Ryan, when someone was out of your life, they were just that—out. You thought of them less and less until you never thought of them at all. That was the nature of life—people came and went, just like in that verse from the “Prufrock” poem by T.S. Eliot: “In the room the women come and go. Talking of Michelangelo.”  

 You still had to work every single day to keep thoughts of Ahkmenrah at bay.

 Chelsea finalized her markings in your notebook and handed it back to you.

 “I really think you should stick to opening with that in-depth description of the Nile—the sight, the sound, the smell—it’s riveting. It sets up the scene for the Egyptians acceptance of Akhenaten’s proposal—one river that gives life, one god that gives life.”

 You nodded, drawing a star by Chels’s note.

 “I’ll rework the PowerPoint tonight. Can I buy you dinner as a thank-you?”

 Chelsea laughed, “You don’t need to keep feeding me. I’m happy to help. God knows you’ve proofed enough of my papers over the years.”

 You grinned and shrugged your shoulders.

 “Does that mean you aren’t hungry?”

 Chelsea shrugged into her backpack and said, “Hey. Let’s not get hasty now.”

 The two of you giggled together as you decided on a place for dinner.

 * * * * *

 After latching your door and sliding the deadbolt into place, you dropped your backpack by the coffee table and headed to the fridge to grab a water. You wanted to make Chelsea’s suggested change to your PowerPoint presentation and then settle in to do yet another round of edits.

 You nearly had each slide memorized, but when you got to the part of your presentation that challenged your field’s previous notions about Egyptian royalty and argued that the emergence of monogamy in marriages made for a natural evolution to Akhenaten’s monotheistic cult, you paused, your mind swirling with thoughts of Ahkmenrah and his parents.

 You knew once your mind began swirling with memories of Ahk that your proofing skills were rubbish after that, so you shut your laptop and made a cup of tea, sipping it while you watched some light television.

 This was your nightly routine; the more you could push away your thoughts of Ahkmenrah and the museum, the easier it would be to fall asleep.

 You settled into bed, and after about a half an hour of tossing and turning, you fell asleep.

  ~ ~ ~

The cat in your lap purred, its sleek, warm body a welcome weight. You smiled as you stroked the fur behind its ears, noticing that the cat was curled tightly in your lap, settled on your white linen dress that fluttered around your ankles; golden bangles intermixed with brightly colored beaded bangles adorned both of your arms and jingled pleasantly as you moved.

 As you looked up from the sweet creature snuggled on your lap, you smiled as you took in the scene before you. Below, the Nile sparkled in the sun, its lifegiving waters reflecting a deep blue that reminded you of a stormcloud plump with rain. Palm trees littered the banks, grouped in clusters that shaded the grass underneath.

 A strong, but soft hand, one that you knew well, slid over your bare shoulder. Your eyes closed to your husband’s loving touch, his fingers eliciting goosebumps as they slid down your upper arm.

 “Still so sensitive to my touch, love?”

 “Mmm,” you hummed, eyes still shut as Ahkmenrah’s presence enveloped you.

 “Would you like to join me for the meeting with the builders? They believe they have figured out a way to extend irrigation channels into Fayyum to revitalize the fields there.”

 “Oh? That’s excellent news!”

 Ahkmenrah returned your grin, reaching to take your chin in this hand, his fingers grasping the point to tilt your head up. He leaned down for a kiss, sweet, at first, but with a quick swipe of his tongue across your bottom lip, it occurred to you that it was odd for the king to be visiting you mid-afternoon.

 You licked across your lower lip, relishing in the taste of him.

 “Is there something else that you wanted, my king?”

 “I missed you,” Ahkmenrah said with an earnestness that squeezed your heart.

 “I always miss you,” you said, gently prodding your sleepy companion until they leapt off your lap, allowing you to stand and stretch before turning to face your husband.

 You slid your hands up his biceps and locked your eyes onto his. His eyes were particularly blue today, not unlike the Nile. Words weren’t needed as you looked at each other, love etched across both of your faces.

 Ahkmenrah pulled you close to him and closed his lips over yours once more. Soon, you were lost in the passion of the kiss, in the way his body felt against yours, and in the warmth that radiated from his love.

 ~ ~ ~

You gasped as you bolted upright, sweat pooling at your lower back and across your temples. It was the third night in a row that you had this same dream and its vividness continued to overwhelm you. Similar dreams had plagued you over the months, but there was something about the clarity and the purity of emotion within this dream that made it much worse than the others.

 The tears were already formed and as you laid back down, they silently spilled onto your pillow. You knew that no matter the results of your dissertation, you would have to put distance between yourself and Ahk.

 When you loved someone, sometimes you really did have to let them go.

 * * * * *

 Normally, you weren’t one for big parties, but the laughter and spontaneous emission of congratulations along with the buzz of the bar, the clang of glasses, the din of the band in the next room, were all a welcomed cacophony. You hadn’t a clue how many drinks had been bought for you and even worse, consumed by you, but you were the happiest you had been in months.

 You passed!

 You earned your PhD and you had a small pile of job offers to sort through, although you already knew which one you were going to take. It wasn’t quite as much money as some of the others, but it was your dream; and even better than fulfilling your dream, you would be able to give something back to the person who had helped you in your hour of need.

 After you had presented your defense, as you were shaking hands with Dr. Omar Gamal, the director of the Museum of Cairo, an idea took shape and you weren’t ashamed to think that it really was brilliant.

 As you finished the drink in your hand, you gathered everyone’s attention to announce that you were taking the job in Cairo. Cheers erupted and you couldn’t stop grinning as your friends and family took turns congratulating you and peppering you with questions.

 What you didn’t tell anyone was that you already knew exactly what you were going to do once you got there, thanks to Ahkmenrah’s papyruses and your journey through his memories. If you couldn’t be the one to bring happiness into Ahk’s life, then perhaps a reunion with his parents could.

 * * * * *

 By early September, you were well settled in Cairo. Finding Merenkahre and Shepseheret proved to be easier than you expected. In the basement of Cairo’s museum, there was a repository of unidentified mummies, most proving to be average Egyptians who had just enough money to build a decent tomb.

 Apparently, as a final insult, Kahmunrah had buried his parents as commoners to ensure their afterlife would be the opposite of the glorious affair normally reserved for the royals. To Kahmun, a life without luxury was the true punishment, so you really weren’t shocked to find that he did bury both of his parents together. Of course something like love wouldn’t have been valuable to him.

Villains. In the end, they’re all the same.  

 At first, Omar thought you were crazy, and you thought that you were going to for sure get fired. One of the most prominent kings of the Middle Kingdom and his beloved wife were Unidentified Mummies #17 and #18? Impossible.

 But after extensive tests, you were able to prove that the ages and the causes of death matched that of Merenkahre and Shepseheret. What you weren’t able to do was reveal your exact source. It took a lot of cross referencing and circular explanations, but Omar was diverted when you made your proposition for an exciting new exhibit, and even more diverted when you made your proposition to reunite Merenkahre and Shepseheret with their son, Ahkmenrah.

 Omar’s dream was to return all major Egyptian exhibits to their homeland in order to declare them property of the Museum of Cairo. Lending them out to travel the world was one thing, but it was a true indecency when colonizers were the ones who still owned what was taken from the Egyptians’ land.  

 You had sketched up a proposal of showing the three layers of royal Egyptian life—the throne room, the Royal Wife’s garden, and the prince’s chambers. The only hitch in your plan was that to raise the funds for a permanent exhibit in Cairo, you had to build the exhibit at the British Museum of Natural History. If they held the first rights to display, they would fund a permanent exhibit in Cairo.

 The British Museum could also secure the rights to display Ahkmenrah because the American museum was willing to trade Ahk for the mummy of Ahmose-Meritamun; the Americans would then be able to create a female-centric display, something they had been looking to do to showcase the prominence of women during the Ancient Egyptian empire.

 The only thing left to do was to ensure that Larry and Rebecca helped to keep your surprise—when Ahkmenrah was ready to be moved, he should know only the scarcest of details.

 For the first time in a long time, everything was going according to plan.

 * * * * *

 After Omar popped the top of the champagne, the cork skittered across the floor and you and your team laughed as you held out glasses out to catch the bubbly alcohol.

 Merenkahre and Shepseheret’s exhibits were a smash hit. Your PR team had been hyping the return of Ahkmenrah next month to complete the triage of Egyptian royals and opening night had already been sold out.

 The current exhibit of Merenkahre and Shepseheret had been featured in multiple publications and the detail of each layer of royal life had cemented your place as one of the top anthropologists in the world. You never forgot that you owed it all to Ahkmenrah, and you never forgot that you were really doing all of this for him. Within the next month, he would be reunited with his parents.

 Your phone rang, its music invasive and interrupting the happy atmosphere.  

 You sipped the top of your champagne before it could overflow and checked the screen.

 Larry.

 Larry never called. He was a texter, and it had been a long time since you talked. He was still working as the night guard, but he started going to classes to get his teaching degree. Aunt Rebecca was proud of his initiative, and she had kept you up to date on his progress; had she been calling, you wouldn’t have thought twice about letting it go to voicemail and checking it later. But Larry calling . . . something wasn’t right.  

 “I gotta answer this—be right back!” you said as you moved away from the laughter and the even happier chatter.

 “Hey Lar—what’s up?”

 “Y/N! I’m so glad you answered. Look, I’m not sure how to tell you this, and he doesn’t even know I’m calling you because he’d probably sick those jackals on me if he did find out and we all know—”

 “Larry. You’re babbling. What’s going on?”

 “Ahk’s sick.”

 “Sick? He’s a regenerated mummy. He comes back to life in perfect health, perfectly restored. How could he be . . . sick?”

 “It’s the tablet. I think the tablet is . . . dying.”

 You had made your way to the end of the hallway where a large set of stairs led up to the display. You sat down, hard, on the top stair, your body numb, your mind whirring—you were so close to giving Ahkmenrah his parents back. He couldn’t be dying, for fuck’s sake. He just couldn’t be.

 “Tell me everything.”