#just finishing up a truly ancient drawing here

[jarrows]

In the recently liberated city of Nabat, troopers Waxer and Boil share a meal with a local girl, Numa – just prior to the 212th’s redeployment to the Jixuan desert.

3/?

[prwcess]

Under the floorboards

Mizu x fem!reader

warnings: SMUT!!!!! also blood, weaponry, fighting, and argument Lol!!!!

(reader believes Mizu is male)

The wood creaks under me and dirt tumbles around my ankles as i climb up from underneath the ancient home of a “Tanzaki”. Who knows who this man is, but as an assassin, i don’t think that’s my buisness.

I scurry through the surprisingly well kept tunnels as if a rat living under the floorboards, listening in to find several pairs of footsteps. Mainly from up ahead, yet it seems as through something’s .. sneaking up on me?

Drawing the illegally sold and bought european gun from my waist band and stand in silence, planning my next move as the steps get closer.

-

-

-

With no idea what to do as the door creaks open i aim the gun at the height of an average man’s head and steady my breathing, I hear the man draw a sword.

two steps.

two steps and i recognize those bright blue devil eyes.

I feel as though i’ve fallen into a trance, the familiar face rushing towards me causes no reaction. I lower the gun as i watch Mizu retreat.

“what are you doing here?” i ask, the last time i saw this man was after traveling with him place to place for a year, unknowing of his plans. I kept watch for new job opportunities, and once Mizu and I were done, we moved on to the next city. That was until we reached kyoto, where he disappeared leaving a trail of blood.

“i could ask you the same question.”

“well I-“

“why are you carrying that?” Mizu cuts me off and steps forward eyeing my gun, obviously brand new.

“I think i asked you a question first, did you leave all your etiquette back in kyoto?” i remark, genuinely forgetting the job I need to get done before sunrise.

“Im here to kill Tanazaki.”

he states quite plainly, the blank expression never quivering.

“well, i’m getting paid to do exactly that, and im not leaving here unless I do so myself.” i finish off and turn to step forward, ready to face whatever group of men in the next room, yet as I take a step I notice something… a lack of…

flooring.

I fall through into a darker and wider candle lit room, pillars on each side and walls with no doors.

coughing and hacking i look up as maxi climbs down under as well.

“don’t you have something you need to attend to?”

“you still talk a lot.” he mumbles examining our surroundings.

it seems as though there’s no exit, just one door in front, which i plan to let mizu explore as much as he wants.

I steady myself off the ground and attempt to launch myself off the wall to latch onto the ridges of the floor above, failing miserably.

“who’s there-..” i heard as my thud echoed throughout. Is that new? did they not hear my thud before? I loose myself in thought once more as I hear a creak. the hanging tapestries move and reveal a door. Something i should’ve been wary of before coming to kill the leader of a human chop shop.

As the newly discovered back door stained in blood creaked open I felt a quick jab to my waist up to my neck. Pulled behind a pillar with a hand around my neck and jaw and my mouth covered shut. In the moment, i lost my breath, a shiver falling down my spine from his cold touch. We listened in silence as 3 pairs of footsteps fell out the room, mumbles and chuckles. Do these men feel pity? Shame? Do they enjoy slaughtering innocent people to sell? The men fall into the next room and I pull my back off of Mizus chest, catching myself before i fall into a deep trance of thought.

i attempt stepping towards the bloody door, only to be held back by my wrist.

Without a word mizu let’s go and steps in front of me, waking towards the door. The room is empty. The remains of an old merchant lay on the table, filling the room with the scent of death.

“do you still care about what happened in kyoto?”

His sudden words perk me up,

what kind of question is that?

“did you care at all?” i snap, maybe a bit too hard on.

“i do.”

he says, facing away from me.

“you didn’t have the time to find me?”

i ask, truly curious why such a man would try to act like he cared.

“i think you stayed in the back of my mind. I have things to accomplish y/n.”

“interesting.” I look off to the side, acknowledging the old remains rotted to the bone, who knows who they could’ve been.

who knows what we could’ve been?

in just a flash i find mizu in front of me, staring down at me. “i need you.”

“excuse me?”

(Absolutely flabbergasted)

“travel with me again.”

“i need you, and your company.”

same full facial expression never faltered.

“maybe you just need my skill?” i find a smile on my face as I leaned against the bloody table, teasing the man who should clearly know Im accepting such an offer. No matter how angry I could’ve been i’ll always take an offer from Mizu.

“i want you, i don’t care about your weapons or your stealth.”

I watched him step closer and admired his hands as he rested them on my waist.

did he truly crave my touch or was he checking for another unknown weapon..?

as his cold hands made their way under my waistband i couldn’t help but give in to his touch, there’s no teasing or denying left for me.

“mizu…” I whisper softly, turning my head away to face the door.

“mm?”

his cold grasp releases one side of me and clutches my jaw turning me back to face him. Without hesitation he pressed a lustful kiss upon my lips and within nanoseconds the connection was back. Pushing him back slightly to create room never breaking said connection, I push myself on the table.

Mizus cold hands run deeper under my waistband, under the silk protecting me.

Before anything I open my eyes and put a hand against mizus chest,

“what about..” and without time to even notice the door Mizus spare knife is flung to stab the door shut.

[nathanbatemanfucker]

Not Enough

summary: you try to talk to Marc about your connection— he’s not ready.

prompt: rainy day

pairing: gn!reader x marc spector (the tiniest bit of jake at the end)

contents: angst, requited love but wrong timing, longing, pining, crying, low self-esteem (both parties), ptsd if you squint, no happy ending

wc: 1,023

an: i know it’s Valentine’s Day, but this is just kinda where i am rn. this is pretty vulnerable and sad so just a heads up. disclaimer: as a mod/organizer of @moonknight-events, my participance in this event is purely for promotion and i will NOT be entered into the drawing for any prize.

moonknight masterlist | SP BINGO 2024

Marc has never considered himself dramatic. And he certainly has never considered himself a romantic. He hates the heavy rain, hates the way that water pelting down on his skin makes him feel so tiny. So small. Like he’s just a helpless boy again.

So why is he running through mud and greenery in hopes of finding you in this soon-to-be thunderstorm storm?

This is not the time, not the place, and you’re not the person he should be getting involved with. Marc stopped pretending he didn’t want you a long time ago, but that hasn’t encouraged him to make a move. You deserve better. He deserves to have his shit figured out before pulling you into the tornado that is his life— the life he feels like is sometimes not his own, the one he shares with an ancient bird. He’s out here looking for you to keep you safe, not to tell you how he truly feels. Not to finish the conversation you’d practically cornered him into. Not to be honest. He had abandoned honesty the moment his mother turned on him.

Khonshu’s latest target has brought you all here. Somewhere in the grassy wilderness, rolling hills dotted with small ponds that are tucked between towering forests. It's beautiful, or at least it would be if you all weren’t here to kill someone. If you weren’t overstimulated, stomping (and occasionally tripping) through the muddy forest trying to put as much space between you and the man you’ve accidentally fallen in love with.

At this rate, you’re soaked to the bone, and your clothes are sticking uncomfortably to your skin. But, as you peer up through the trees letting the rain hit your face, it feels like it’s washing everything away. It feels like for just a moment, you get to sit in anonymity. After attempting to be so vulnerable with Marc back at the cabin, it's exactly what you need.

You’re just a small being in an expansive forest and it feels good. You have no desires, no words, no feelings. It’s just you and the rain. You stop walking, focusing on the cold raindrops, teeth chatterng. Cold as it is…it feels like a temporary peace.

Peace that is quickly taken away when you hear Marc’s voice echoing through the trees, calling out your name. You start walking again, though this time your feet have less force and more speed. You don't want him to catch up with you, you're not ready to be seen again just yet, not even at face value.

As you continue to trot forward, Marc’s voice waxes and wanes behind you. Sometimes it’s softer, allowing you to relax but then it grows louder and your heartbeat picks up along with your pace. You know that he’ll catch you, whether he uses his abilities or not. But you’ll outrun him as long as you can, the same way he’s outrunning his feelings for you.

It isn’t long before you end up in a clearing. You’re more out of breath than you would like to be, but in all your training you hadn’t prepared to run through your tears. You’d take physical pain over the gnawing feeling in your chest any day, unfortunately, you don’t have a choice.

This is your reality. With words so sobering echoing in your mind you finally stop, hunching over to slow your breathing. You hear his footsteps behind you over the rain and for a long time, neither of you says anything.

Marc breaks the silence. “I’m sorry. I don’t…I don't know why I can’t be honest with you.”

You stay quiet, stay turned away from him because even in this heavy rain he’d be able to recognize the renewed tears that stream down your face harder than before.

“That’s not true,” He murmurs, to himself, to you after the silence grows on too long. “I know why but I can’t— I’m not ready yet.”

You still aren't talking, practically frozen in place under the sheets of rain. He shivers again, trying to block out the discomfort, the tightness in his chest. This isn't about him. For the first time in a long time, he’s sacrificing his safety for someone else’s. It's still not enough…no not yet. He’s not sure when it will be.

With a deep breath, you turn towards him and for a moment Marc thinks that the two of you will get somewhere, that there will be some understanding. That fades when you don’t meet his eye and walk right past him without a word. Before it’s too late, he reaches out, catching your hand in his own.

It stings, a temporary warmth with the promise of nothing.

“I won’t ask you to wait for me,” He says, squeezing your hand gently.

You know that it's meant to be a comfort, but it simply makes your heart ache more. How he could look at you with such regret and still break your heart, it's cruelty at a level you want no one to experience. Because you know that even as he says those words and offers his comfort, even as he lets you off the hook, that you’ll wait for him.

You’ll be subject to this torment as long as you can look into his eyes. As long as you can remember his name, and be by his side, you’ll love Marc. It’s never been a choice for you. If it was…you aren’t sure you’d be able to make the right one for you anyway.

You pull your hand out of his, raising your chin high as you pointlessly wipe away the tears that stain your cheeks— they simply reappear.

“I’ll see you back at the back at the cabin,” You whisper with finality, turning a way that is distinctly the opposite direction, hand tucked into your pocket to fetch your compass.

Marc lets you go. The piece of him that longs to reach out to you is too small, too weak. It has no claim. Helpless once more. It feels like someone else starts to take the steps back towards the forest. He can’t find the strength to care or be afraid.

moonknight taglist: @ninebluehearts, @rmoonstoner, @later-gators12, @foreverinwanderlustt-blog, @aleeb, @eyelessfaces, @marc-spectorr, @missdictatorme, @toracainz, @mccn-bcys, @campingwiththecharmings, @whatthefishh

[kisaraslover]

DO U HAVE ANY BLUESHIPPING FIC REC?????PLEASENIMSTARVINGKSKSKKS

anon kskkasak ITS FINE ILL SAVE YOU OK? here goes:

Scenes from a Kaiba Marriage and Temptation by my blueshipping queen @kisara-kaiba as the opening. the peak of modern life blueshipping fluff, very lovesick, when im reading them its heart full, head empty. youre gonna be lucky to start them now cuz ill be rereading and drawing scenes from them this week👀. itll be like premium fanfic reading.

Enjambment -> this fic might be the single best written blueshipping fic by the virtue of MIRRORING their encounter in ancient Egypt beat by beat, including BOTH of their character arcs and the netflix show vibe of suspense and the sharp, cold and bleak setting is chefs kiss. changed my brain chemistry. still one of my favorite portrayals of Kisara.

Maiden with Eyes of Blue -> Sometimes time needs to slow down and a single scene should be a character study/ hashing out of things you needed acknowledged by canon, the situation is ESPECIALLY dire for Seto Kaiba as ive made my feelings on his writing known many times. This is it. Kisara isnt reincarnated in this one though, but her love for him can be felt in the air. Ngl you could just incorporate this into post canon and it would be fine. canon compliant+ canon enriching.

Shades of Water, Ice, and Sky -> I'm skimming through each fic to see what they were about and i just gotta say: why so heart-wrenching if so short?? theyre in love your honor.

Their Promise: Book I -> ok gonna be honest w you i havent finished this one and the main reason is that i cant go past the SPECTACULAR first chapter. ive started and failed to draw it in its entirety. i open it, i chew on the first chapter like a rabid dog, i close it more often than not. the second reason is it has a lot more angst and heartbreak than most blueship fics do and im weak to that sort of thing. still, if we follow their ancient egypt encounter beat by beat, which is a fantastic way of following and enriching the canon, their first meeting needs to be as kids with him saving her from a cage. chefs kiss.

who are you? -> JUST the right amount of Seto Kaiba immediate fixation obsession on Kisara (which means insanely obsessed)

You Will Crave Your Ancient Roots -> this is so good and so heartbreaking man. Seto and Atem are shot back into ancient Egypt and Seto is only able to slightly alter the events around Kisara. hes fated to fall for that woman every single time and *starts sobbing*

Ancient Rules -> all i gotta say is this Seto Kaiba gives me brainworms. hes chuck full of Passion and Cockiness and Insanity. blueshippers sometimes take out his insanity. he is very unsettling here i love it. Kisara is truly at his mercy..

never forget your first dream -> fem!Set and Kisara in ancient Egypt, this story twists more than just Seto's gender. im a yuri seto truther so its great to have written proof of it. jokes aside, very well characterized Set and Kisara, rich writing.

One in Forty -> pretty short but this one fundamentally changed how i viewed Kisara's canon influence over BEWD cards and her constant and unbendable favor around Seto. canon compliant + canon enriching.

ok so these are the cream of the crop for ME personally, might have forgotten some in my other folders, i might have missed reading some, its probably not all encompassing. but frankly ive liked and saved fics for a single resounding line, single funny joke, one interesting implication about the story or the characters the author wrote up so in my heart theyre all worth checking out, always. fanfic writers are carrying this ship on their backs and theyre all 9 ft tall and im just walking around them, clearing the path, giving them a sip of water and snacks etc. so THANK YOU BLUESHIPPING AUTHORS I LOVE YOUUUUUU

[nemo-in-wonderland]

(..............)

“Twins?” “Twins. A boy and girl.” Ximena answered, before turning her loving eyes to the two small bundles she kept against her breast. A smile touched her full lips, the pride undeniably written on her face at the sight of the two sleeping children. Dark of hair and sun-kissed skin, with rosebud lips and puffy cheeks that appeared to be made just to be covered in gentle loving kisses: two small cherubs sent to her from the heavens above to quell the sadness of her soul. The woman felt her heart swelling in her chest with such intensity, for a moment she was sure she couldn’t breath. They were both perfect. The girl briefly opened her eyes as a hiccup left her small mouth, a hiccup that was soon bound to become a shriek of necessity. “Mark my word, Ximena, that nena has the dark side of the moon within her,” the matriarch said while taking the baby girl in her experienced arms, starting to pacing and patting on her back to lull her back to sleep. But even when the old woman started to crone a melody of an ancient time, the baby girl would not stop her whimper of protest. “This one, instead, is a hijo de la luna llena,” the young mother cooed at the still asleep baby boy. With delicate finger, she caressed the bridge of the baby’s nose and his head of dark leonine hair. “Peaceful as a quiet night of plenilune indeed,” she murmured, her smile widening even more. “You are lucky that their father’s mark is nowhere to be found on their small faces, and instead they favour you.This will make things easier for them...and for all of us.” (….)

A small WIP for you all tonight, before going to sleep.

This is actually a VERY old artwork, that I started in *checks info on CPS* March last year, but I never truly got the occasion to finish (or rather, I was HYPER frustrated with my lack of skill to render justice to the artwork and my beloved brainchildren).

I remember seeing a statue of Latona with Apollo and Artemis and IMMEDIATELY striked me as the perfect inspiration and reference for my brainchildren.

And, while unfinished, it still gives me so many emotions so, I decided to share it with you as well <3

So here you have Ximena with her two most precious jewels: Mathias and Antoine 🥹💓🥹💓🥹💓

I honestly want to work some more on my Unity stuff, because I have so many things to develop still, and the way I love the De Beaumont is IMMENSE.

IMMENSE.

(also, omg I was all squealing while drawing baby Mathias and Baby Antoine!! like KYAAAAAAH. SWEET BEBES. SWEET PERFECT BEBES.)

(also fml I need to recalibrate my screen because the colours are all fucked up :/)

Well, I hope you will like this! <3

--Nemo

[galazy-101]

Was going through some of my old drawings and found this old skeleton oc of mine that I kinda never figured out nor finished what I had in store for them. I thought posting them to see if you guys would like me to use them as well and possibly have them interact with Atmos in post's.

Their name is Fusha, and I can't seem to find the fount that I based her off of as it was similar to wing dings but wasn't and I don't think it had a an official name either, it had like numbers and letters as its search name if, and that the first character was a "F" hence why her name is Fusha. But yeah, tell me if you guys want me to finish her up and have her interact with you guys here.

Edit: Fusha from what I remember was my true first official try at making an Undertale oc for me instead of just small doodles of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Gaster and all the others. I had made her with the intention of a story that was around not to long after Frisk broke the barrier of the underground and that all monster kind lived on the surface now amongst humans peaceful, that Frisk would somehow convince either Asgore or Toriel to show where possible the old monster town was if it was somehow still around, and of course it is and Frisk dose convince them and the main gang goes for a simple sight seeing trip. They get there and start exploring the place with them talking about certain things about the place and how things would have worked within the town, only for Frisk to start exploring an area that had been even longer forgotten within the ancient monster town and starts to find stuff that not even Asgore and Toriel knew about and the group starts exploring that part to soon end up somewhere in a very more ancient part of the town. Basically they find a hidden part that seemed to be hidden overtime that it was completely forgotten about and lost in monster kinds history really. After they find it and start exploring it, they start hearing noises from some random part of the place, and from the sounds, they can definitely confirm that someone was there with them and of course Frisk being the Determined child that they are, they go running after them with everyone else running after the human. After some time of running after the mysterious cloaked person, Undyne is the one who tackles them down somehow without hurting them, but Undyne tackles them and manages to hold them down or something as they start trying to basically have Fusha confess on why they here but doesn't work because Fusha doesn't speak the human or modern world language and can only speak in very specific fount, so she remains silent, it isn't until Frisk points out something I'm not sure exactly what as I can't fully remember, but something that if I'm correct Undyne tells Papyrus to pull down her hood and he does which leaves everyone in complete shock, especially the two skeleton bros as they find out that she isn't a human and is a boss monster, more specifically a skeleton that somehow is a boss monster, of some sort, which no one has ever heard of a skeleton being a boss monster so this was more shocking information and find out that she's been there an extremely long time. I can't remember what else I had planned for here, but that was my base plan before I kinda forgot about her. BUT if you guys want, I can try to write or comic draw her story if you all are truly interested in seeing what I tried to have going for her.

[hikaruchen]

Self-rec time! What are your favorite five artworks that you've made and why? After replying to this ask, feel free pass on to five other artists to spread the love. 💗

OMG thank you for thinking of me!!!! I love doing art throwback so much and it’s gonna be fun hehe >:3 The order below is sorted only by timeline and thus not a ranking, I love them all equally!

1. Fireflies | Detroit: Become Human Animatic (2018)

OK THIS IS REALLY ANCIENT. I remember it took me one month or so to finish the whole thing, and now looking back I inevitably find there’s a lot of things that could’ve been done better. Nevertheless I’m still proud of the way it is, though apparently I didn’t even know how to spell asleep back then hahahahaha.

I miss the time doing animatic so much and actually have an idea for alhtred in mind, my dear brain you truly shouldn’t brainstorm me when I’ve got no time urghhhhhhh

2. Bloody Valentine | Interview with the Vampire (2022)

This pic blew up on other platforms though I don’t really understand why. I think I just love the general vibes and am happy with how it came out so I put it here :)

3. Mr. Self Destruct | Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails (2022)

Took a massive change in direction of art style after this piece. Not necessarily the most detailed one I’ve done but I learned a lot during drawing it :D

4. Miracle Happens After Dawn | The Sandman Fancomic (2022)

This remains the work I’m proudest of so far and I just feel really happy that I managed to finish it!! It’s still the biggest project I’ve ever done I guess

5. Prayer from the Pagan | The Last Kingdom (2024)

This is the first time I tried to force myself to work on perspectives and to not avoid things I find hard to draw. Personally I don’t feel really content with how the artwork came out but I’m glad that I wrote a fic for it hahaha. I hardly ever wrote anything even in mandarin so to be able to make me complete a fic in my second language is enough a reason to put this one here <3

-

Hopefully to have more pieces that I can proudly say I love in the future :) Again thank you for having me!!!!

[astatia-ghast]

Hey, folks! I have a couple things I want to talk about today.

The King's Quest Continues

First, I want to offer a huge thank-you for the response "The King's Quest" has gotten. When I wrote this story, I didn't have the broader audience in mind; my only goal was to write something @hailsatanacab would enjoy. So when I woke up to a flood of kudos and comments the next day, I was truly taken by surprise.

And then they just kept coming. "The King's Quest" still gets a couple kudos every day, and some of the comments I've received have been just... beyond flattering. They all mean so much to me and fuel my drive to write. So really, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

As a token of my appreciation, I wanted to give you all, and particularly hailsatanacab, a little somethin'-somethin'.

I have a sequel in the works. It'll be about triple the length of "The King's Quest," and it's primary purpose will be to explore why Clockwork made the decisions he did. And I want to share the first scene with you today!

For full disclosure, I'm not 100% sure this sequel will be finished or how quickly it will be written, because I'm drawing a blank on some sections, and I have other fics I want to work on, too. But I would really like to see it finished this year. I think it would be a fun companion piece, especially since Clockwork's behavior raises so many unanswered questions in "The King's Quest."

So here's the first scene! Fair warning: this is in very early draft stage, so it won't have the polish my published fics do. But I hope you still enjoy. :)

------

Clockwork drapes a cape over Danny's shoulders. It is thick and soft and heavy, made by the yetis of the Far Frozen as a coronation gift. The outside is a sleek black fabric, and the inside is fluffy white fur.

Clockwork smooths out the wrinkles on Danny's shoulders, and then his hands just stay there. It reminds Danny of when he did the exact same thing all that time ago. The weight around his soul grows heavier.

"What do you think?"

Tears well in Danny's eyes. They are plastered to his reflection in the mirror, which is slowly being adorned with all the regal clothing and treasures that will mark him as King. His coronation is around the corner, and the whole of Clockwork's tower, usually so silent, is now bustling with ghostly allies working to prepare. They sing and laugh, but Danny shares none of their mirth.

Gently, Clockwork turns Danny around and sinks to eye level. He is handsome today; his hair, white like Danny's, has been pulled back into an elaborate array of braids. He gently brushes a strand of hair out of Danny's face.

"Remember: you just need to get through today." Clockwork's voice is low and soft, meant for Danny's ears only. "Get through today, and the Council of Ancients will take things from there. And then you can focus on your mortal life until you are ready."

Danny feels like he should say something, but he can't; he knows that the moment he speaks, those tears are going to fall. Except then, in a cruel rebellion, one tear falls anyway. Clockwork procures an embroidered handkerchief, and with remarkable softness, he wipes the tear away. Danny puts up with the first dab, but when the second one comes, he pushes Clockwork away.

Clockwork doesn't fight him; he stows the handkerchief away. He seems to be teetering on the verge of action, but he stays still, keeping his hands in his lap. Danny turns away, trying to wipe his eyes as casually as possible, even as he knows there is literally no point in pretending. Frustration grows inside him as he wills himself to stop crying, but the tears only fall more steadily.

Fuck the mirror. Fuck the cape. Fuck this coronation.

A yeti peeks his head inside the room and asks Clockwork a question about something or other. He answers his question and follows up with, "We'll be just a minute." The yeti nods, peering at Danny curiously, as Clockwork closes the door. At once, the tower is quiet again; Danny is thankful for the privacy.

A necklace settles around Danny's neck. He jumps, thinking Clockwork has soldiered on with his preparations and dropped his own coronation gift around Danny's neck, but then he notices that it's just a normal time medallion. He looks up at Clockwork in askance.

"Take all the time you need," he says. "I will be waiting right outside when you are ready."

Clockwork opens the door, revealing yetis frozen in the midst of carrying streamers and delivering food, and closes it behind him.

[ticcitavvi]

Hey! I’m TicciTavvi, a 19 year old hobby artist based in southern USA, using she/her pronouns.

I love to draw fandom related things, which typically feature my own fan-characters (who I typically ship with a canon character lol). When I’m not doing that, I’m trying to work on at least one of my dozens original story ideas. (And yet somehow not getting anywhere with any of them at all 🤨)

I have a particular passion for character design, and have only recently begun attempting more finished, story related illustrations.

Sometimes I even delve into fan fiction- though I have yet to truly post anything.

I have a hard time consistently sticking with one fandom, and I often jump from this to that. However, I find myself returning most often to LOTR, BG3, MLP, and fallen London.

Asks are always open! Any thoughts, comments, questions, or otherwise are perfectly welcome ♥️ (just please keep it kind)

Here are all my public blogs!

@ticcitavvi is my main blog, and I post/reblog just about everything and/or anything. I’m not too concerned with keeping it particularly tidy. while I do post a majority of my artwork here, there are certain things I try to keep off and in their designated side blogs.

@ticcitavviartwork is where I repost all of my artwork, though I can be bad abt keeping it up consistently, I admit. Still, it’s worth a follow if your interested in seeing all of my artwork, regardless of where it’s been posted.

@theponyone is for all my MLP related content- I post headcannons, AUs, next gen, and etc there. I try to keep mlp related content here and off my main blog!

@batsinthezee is a Fallen London centric side blog, where I post characters, interactions, and screenshots as I play through the game. While I may occasionally reblog/post fallen London content to my main blog, I do try to keep it contained to this blog only.

That’s about it, but I’ll pop a list of my characters and a couple notable tags under the cut! All characters are searchable by just typing their first name into my blogs search bar

Thanks for reading! ♥️♥️

Find all my artwork under #TicciTavvi Artwork !

CHARACTERS

BG3:

#Acheron

↳ Tiefling-bard Durge and a wyll romancer

#Impi

↳ oath of ancients dwarf whose in a polyam relationship with halsin

#Ambrose

↳ Drow monk courting gale

Lotr:

#Paeonia Proudfoot

↳ a stubborn stone mason halfling currently speed running an enemies to lovers 40k with Elladan

Fallen London:

#Coronach

↳ The Godforsaken Gravedigger

#Azimuth

↳ The Calamitous Entomologist

Skyrim:

#Maheeya

↳ Big ol argonian Dragonborn

MLP:

#IncipientVerse

↳ Nextgen universe

#Crystalverse

↳ War! Au about a conflict between the crystal empire and equestria

Harry Potter:

#Tadhg

↳ lycanthrope savant with a penchant for dramatics and a famous boyfriend

#Beau

↳ antique store owner who has accidentally adopted one Mr. Potter

HTTYD:

#Ventura

↳ a savvy tradesman who likes to flirt with snotlout. Also rides a boneknapper

[crystalelemental]

When I was a kid first playing Final Fantasy 7 I remember distinctly not caring for the game overall. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, Cloud seemed like a complete loser, and I didn't take much to the setting or the cast. I did think Sephiroth was cool; I regret to inform you all I did that That Phase. But my stance on the game as a whole fell somewhere around whelmed.

As of today, I have finished replaying it for the first time in like...15 years? Longer? It has been a while. And being An Adult, I reflect on my own life and see the trajectory of Cloud's 16 year old self building up a sense of wanting to be really cool and pretending at things he's not, only to spend his early twenties going through the torture of sorting through that baggage to let go of what you thought was cool and embrace who you truly are to be...relatable. So with that in mind, the order of the day is: has my opinion on this game significantly changed? God, this is going to be so long...

The short answer is yes, but it's not near the top. I do think the game had a lot more to offer than I remembered it having, and I found myself actually connecting with the story a lot more than I previously had.

The biggest thing that really stands out to me is this thematic thread of glorification. Cloud says it early on, but you find a ton of other characters echoing the same: many young boys desperately wanted to be part of SOLDIER. It was a huge deal, and was considered a very cool thing to be able to do. Shinra promises glory in combat and this illustrious career path, which draws in aspiring youth from across the planet to enlist. Sephiroth is held up as their poster child; the baddest Soldier Man to ever exist. Everyone wants to be him, because he's the biggest, and that means he's the coolest. And if you enlist, maybe you can make it that far too.

But the truth of being in SOLDIER is far different, and the expectations of being a grunt soldier are far more muddied. Look at how often random soldiers are brought in for dirty jobs like killing Zach or trying to kidnap Aerith and Ifalna. Even the upper rungs aren't that illustrious, and Sephiroth's own legacy is certainly not something to aspire to. The reality doesn't align to the glorified promises.

This happens a lot, be it Barret's history of Shinra promising prosperity for the town (only to destroy it to cover up their error), or Cid's history of being promised space exploration (only for it to be pulled out at the first failure). Cloud's glorification is front and center, though, because that's what all hinges on Sephiroth.

The original Sephiroth, the one who burned Nibelheim, is just as wrapped up in the sense of glorification. The difference is that while others recognize the deceit and fall into despair, Sephiroth bends over backwards to make the lie true. When you first find the experiments that Hojo is carrying out, he comments that he "always believed I was special, but not like this." Sephiroth, too, has been fed this glorification that what he is and what he does is exceptional. Special. Above the rest. While he starts his breakdown here over the reveal that he may be another experiment, all that causes is for him to seek out the truth of what happened. And he, mistakenly, identifies in the history that his exceptionality? Must mean he is one of the Ancients. He must be part of this old race that fought against calamity, while the humans hid. He directs his anger toward them, and burns Nibelheim, intending to invoke a sense of vengeance to destroy them. And like everyone else who dies, Sephiroth dies here in a quick and unglorified manner, being thrown into the reactor core.

The Sephiroth we see throughout the game is not that original Sephiroth. He died. Instead, we're seeing more the will of Jenova at this point. Jenova is explained to be a virus that manipulates others. Ifalna described its initial appearance as "taking the appearance of dead relatives and loved ones," and this is explained at one point to be Jenova's central power, copying the appearance and words of others. And the presentation as Sephiroth makes good sense thematically.

For Cloud, Sephiroth is that idol to aspire to; the embodiment of that glorified soldier life. Cloud's own delusions about his past continue to thrive, in part, off of this. He remembers himself as a member of Soldier, first class even! He builds his entire identity on having made it. But it's not true. And because he hasn't confronted it, Sephiroth is able to control him at multiple points in time. In-universe, this is because Cloud is a (failed) Sephiroth clone, and thus has Jenova cells in him that make him vulnerable. Thematically, Cloud's inability to face the truth, and insistence that he was someone important, strong, and special, means he can be manipulated to do whatever someone else wants. It's giving up what he is, what he wants, for their promise of being special. Even though you were labeled a failure, you alone made it. And when that doesn't result in anything, when Hojo refuses to give him a number and Sephiroth refuses to really acknowledge him, he shuts down until he can find his purpose.

Sephiroth's manifestation also works for Shinra. He's the one that got away, and is a living testament to their lies. Shinra operates, at every turn, to cover up the truth. They hide the truth of what happened to Sector 7, they hide their error by destroying Barret's village, they recreate Nibelheim to outwardly imply the Sephiroth incident never happened, and they aim to execute the party and lay blame for Meteor at their feet. But Sephiroth's presence is enough to suggest it all as lies. So long as he is there causing problems, it becomes clear that Shinra has lied about something, even as small as just what the promise of Soldier is.

Outside of that major thematic aspect, there's another bit that I liked, though I feel this one gets away from it a bit. After the Golden Saucer date, if you choose to recap events, Aerith makes a comment that the Promised Land isn't any specific place, it's just something you feel. This mirrors a line early in the game from Barret, who responds to Cloud's "if the slums suck why doesn't everyone just move?" initially with the obvious "they can't afford to," but adds in "Or maybe people just love their land so much they're willing to stay no matter how bad it gets."

The Ancients were nomadic, and settled in wherever they felt best. The idea of the promised land as just...where you go to live your life, and where you feel most comfortable, is a fascinating one. I love the implications going on there regarding connection to the land, or connection to the people, or what have you. But it does ultimately get shoved aside for the Shinra focus on the north being rich in mako, and thus what they've been seeking the whole time.

There is a lot I enjoyed about it, and a lot I think stands out in a way that it didn't used to. The game's definitely a lot better than I remember. But, to give some credit to my past self, there's always a reason I don't take to things, and while part of that is not having the same life experience to really analyze it through this lens, part of it is more about problems.

This game kinda sucks to play. After playing through the Pixel Remasters, I do think I would safely say this is the least fun game to play of the seven. A big part of that is how, with the transition to 3D models, it wants to allow movement in 3D space, but it's still largely an up-down-left-right movement scheme when you break it down, leading to a lot of irritating movements. This is especially bad with how often movement matters in the constant shitty minigames.

Seriously, pacing feels like a massive problem. This game would be so streamlined and nice if it just dropped the intermittent games. No, I do not want to chocobo race. I do not want to do your dumb motorcycle chase scene. I do not want to snowboard. I do not want to etc etc etc. It's constant, and way worse in the early game. I've heard it said that the game feels very fast-paced and action driven in Midgar but falls out when you leave. I have the exact opposite impression. I feel like a ton of shit happens in Midgar for no reason, and once you finish the north and it lets off all the obnoxious minigame stuff, the game gets a lot better.

Empathy alone also does not endear Cloud to me. I think he's neat, but I don't really enjoy him as a protagonist the same way I do, say, Bartz. And the rest of the cast doesn't seriously grip me either? There are some I like (Tifa, Barret), some I don't (Cid), and some I find just kinda there (Vincent, Red XIII, Yuffie though I have some personal fondness for her), but no one stands out a huge "I love this one" character.

Which...makes things difficult, because there's not much of a group dynamic. My wife articulated this better, but some of the other games feel at times like what's lacking in strong individual characterization is made up for with interesting dynamics. Are the FF5 characters super developed? Not especially. They have an arc and are meaningfully changed during their journey, but there's not the same deep dive on character that you'd get from Cloud. What makes them all shine is how they interact, and that's something I think I can say feels lacking in this particular era of Final Fantasy with (the second half of) 6, 7, and from what I remember, 8. I do not remember 9 well enough. It's an issue, I think, born from having party member selection, but only having the immediate members in the party talk. Dialogue gets very generic, with maybe some voice based on who's speaking, but no substantial differences. You get this with major moments like confronting Kefka as well, where dialogue is kept fairly generic to minimize things feeling out of character. I think 7 has this worse than 6. If you weren't in Midgar, you're kind of ancillary no matter what you do. I think 10 and 12 had this figured out, and creating a smaller part that's always present in scenes allows for more organic and dynamic interactions, but that may be personal preference.

But then there's gameplay. FF7 is very, very simple. It offers, to me at least, very little as a system. Materia can do some stuff, but it's far from exciting, and a lot of the truly fun tools are missable. Because characters do not have unique skills (barring limits), they all feel very generic and uninteresting. I'd also argue the irritation of Materia often cutting HP and Atk, because no one other than Aerith really feels like a mage. Magic is almost never your best solution anyway. Getting the 2x Cut materia is sufficient to keep a powerhouse physical fighter on par with the Ultima spell, for god's sake. It just never felt like I had to do anything interesting to win a fight, and a lot of bosses felt like the only reason I didn't just shit-slap them with normal attacks and one (1) summon of a Bahamut form was because I had to steal something. Which was a pain. It's an unobtrusive combat system, but it lacks any real reason to swap around party members, and values hitting things with sticks over any kind of technical skill or magic.

I will give credit for the Materia mastery system. I think the idea of spells being something that is maximized on an item that can be effortlessly swapped between party members simplifies for the moments where you do need to bring a specific member that you may not have used. But those moments are fairly few and far between, and...I mean I'll be honest, even when Cid was in charge of the party, I never equipped him with anything and it was fine. The bigger issue of the system is one of AP and slots. All equipment has slots that determine how much Materia you can hold, and each has its own growth rate. The ideal you're supposed to chase is 3x AP for faster grinding, but I'll be honest, even with that it feels like way, way too long to master stuff. Not that mastery even seems to matter. But it is endlessly annoying to me that the ultimate weapons, which can be obtained pretty early on, have no growth rate. Like sure, limit your offensive potential so you can keep building up Materia values. That's not annoying. I guess I just have something against ultimate equipment being slapped with a negative effect that feels like it negates its entire purpose. At least Yuffie gets full power Morph out of the deal, but how relevant is that?

Oh, I should probably mention: I did not do the Golden Saucer. I considered going for Knights of the Round, or for Omnislash, but took one look at the cost of Omnislash and went "not wasting my time on that," then took a look at the breeding chart for chocobos and went "not worth my time." I never beat Ruby Weapon back in the day because I didn't know how, but now I will never beat Ruby Weapon because I refuse to put in that kind of time.

All in all, I did like the game. I think it had more going on that I gave it credit for, but it's lower on the totem pole as an actual gameplay experience. I'd probably place it above FF1, but not above 3 or 5. 4 and 6 are hard to judge, though. 4 is just a personal "I like it better than most," while 6 is an immaculately crafted "I never really vibed with it." I'd probably put 7 below both if I'm honest. I'd rather play 6, even if I find what 7 has to say narratively more interesting. 4 is just straight bias.

[spiderwarden]

( @starbvund from Corellon )

There was a profound sadness in his eyes as he looked upon her. Abandoned little child of his ex-wife. Whether she understood what the graceful, High Elf before her truly was... well that was up to Minthara and how much she knew of the creator of all elves, Drow included. He can not help himself despite their betrayal, but to feel a father's love for them still. As painful as it was. "Are you lost, child? What is your name?"

The Statue of the Gods. An unsurprising discovery among the rubble of stone and fallen pillars that made friends with the foliage of trees among the landscape. When she had noticed the wreck and ruin she had come to spite her former Spider Queen. The Patron that had abandoned her in her time of greatest need, had turned away from her plight when she had dedicated everything to her. Abandoned, cast out, and thrown aside with the blink of an eighth eye. The most insulting irony of the predicament had been that her oath remained. The final thread of loyalty that had MInthara's very soul woven around Lolth's fangs, a sentiment that still promised an ever watchful spider's gaze.

Yet, as she reached the feet of the statue, literal in fact, all she could do was look upon what should have been a grand piece of stone work. Alas, the shattered pieces were visibly strewn about the greenery that surrounded the area. The bold intention of calling the wretched Spider Queen forth and spitting at her faded, and a spark of defiance is sapped of all willfulness. And in place of it sat heartache, and soon an immediate rage. But then just as her brows knitted tightly with the clench of her jaw in pondering of destroying what remained - she hears a voice.

The voice shakes her, and she tenses with the retreat of a step when the man makes himself known. A hand falls to her dagger, caution replacing shock as he stood before her. And stood tall. Taller than any other surface elf she has ever seen in her lifetime, in fact... Minthara feels her hand fall lax along the dagger as she studies his person and is made uneasy by the sudden urge to relax. Nothing ever becomes good of letting one's guard down...

No. Minthara exhales, this was no elf. Her hand moves away from the weapon with the feather of a touch drawing her forward. Unseen, yet danced across her skin like a thousand different strands pulling at her skin and made her nerves stand on edge. The Drow did not answer the first question, feeling her throat tighten with the inquiry. Are you lost, child? Her lips twitch and press with the the twisting ache tightening inside of her chest. She searched his expression again before quickly dipping her head to the ground with the slow exhale and scrunch of her fingers into tight fists. The truth acted as a gridlock on her jaw; and she could not speak on such ... hurt. No. She will not indulge in such weaknesses.

"I am a daughter of Menzobarranzan's most ancient and powerful house-" Yet as she speaks the words feel hollow, subservient even when faced with this.. entity. And her eyes search the ground as if shifting for the answers she knew in her heart. "House Baenre. First born to High Priestess Sos'umptu Baenre, daughter of Yvonnel Baenre, the first Matron." Minthara finishes with a swallow, her own tone felt distant as her eyes kept their place downward. Unsure of what to make of this desire to step forward, uneasy at the tendrils pulling her forward - locking into the oath upon her very soul.

Yet the reminder of who she was, of her birthright, inspired a bout of strength. She would not be cowed like some ... dribbling little infant. And thus she straightens with the set of her shoulders and inhales before moving to meet his gaze, setting aside all forms of discomfort and comfort to look to him - to see him. Yet, it proves a challenge even for her as she finally speaks her name. "Minthara."

@starbvund - Bik is here to make me cry.

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Of gods and queens 👑🐍 Loki x reader Chapter 2

Summary: Loki, the god of mischief, has brought chaos to new york. What happens when he meets a particular interesting human? Love? Havoc? or rather--amusement.

Warning: swearing

Chapter 1:

Chapter 3

Commissioned to me by @kitxel-draws

-----

A stream of blue light emerged from within the floor of an ancient place. A black boot appeared from the portal, that stepped outside, “Ah, yes, good old home”. Loki took inhaled deep breath reminiscing his old childhood home. It certainly hasn’t changed. The next phase of Loki’s plan was to overthrow his father and usurp the throne. Hopefully, his half-witted brother doesn’t come his way. Though, only one question plagued his mind, the human. How fitting it was that she was dragged into this; perhaps, she could be killed mercilessly, or she could be forced to be in his army, bend the knee, and surrender her free will. Loki placed a hand on his chin, thinking of what to do with the obnoxious human who amusingly threw a chunk of rubble on that mortal soldier. From within the portal emerged the aliens who destroyed Earth, the Chitauri and, in their grasp, the human female. Y/n. Her clothes were torn, and parts of her skin were covered in scratches and bruises from the invasion of Earth. The young mortal looked exhausted. Curiously, Loki approached the girl being held; he placed his hand over her cheek when Y/n looked up with a furious expression. “Let go of me, Mother fucker!” The woman tried to wrangle herself out of the Chitauri’s grasp; the alien’s gripped her so tight that Loki had just enough time to move out of the way as a smile of amusement appeared on his face. “My, what a feisty mortal”, Loki chuckled. What fascinated the prince was her anger, how a human can be so full of hatred that the wounds seem insignificant.

The young woman tried to struggle more and more as the prince just sat and watched. “I’ll knock that Goat’s crown off your fucking head”, Y/n tried to punch and kick the Chitauri. Loki raised an eyebrow, A goat? Does his crown look like that of a goat? It would only make sense to a mere human that his helmet looked like he had the horns of a goat. Loki ignored the human’s insult and instead slyly spoke, “Truly, y/n, you should just give up; after all, your pettiness will hold no value here".

The Asguard halls were so desolate that no guard or guests could be seen. To Loki, this seemed relatively peaceful and yet off; many Asgardians should be filling the room with chatter and noise instead; it’s now almost in perfect ruin.

 The woman kept struggling; she wanted to escape this mess and wished for her mother to remain alive. Damn Heroes, Damn villains, and damn the Avengers. No one understood; no one understands the sympathy of someone without power to lose things in their life caused by people who are supposed to be righteous. Y/n was so mad she couldn’t hide the tears streaming gently down her Melanated skin. Slower and slower, her body started to stop fighting, and the woman began to drop to her knees, exhausted. Y/n exhaled and inhaled heavily; she was no match for the god of mischief and his lackeys.

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

Trickles of blood started to fall to the floor, and the woman’s vision started to twist into a blur; their voices began to turn into white noise. The woman wanted to give up; she wanted to avenge her mother; she wanted to be strong. But how could she when she’s being held back? A vision of memory started to form as y/n shut her eyes.

Y/n had just finished her shift at work; she was exhausted, and all she could think about was crashing into her bed and scrolling through her phone. Putting on her Pjs was something she was looking forward to right now. Y/n unlocked her apartment door; she expected the sound of her TV to be still blaring, but another person awaited her. “hello”, y/n called out. The young woman inspected her surroundings through the darkness when she saw a mysterious figure in the middle of the room. Y/n turned on the light, prepared to fight whoever had just broken into her apartment, though, to her relief, it was just her mother with a birthday cake on a small table.

“Happy birthday, y/n”, she smiled.

Y/n placed her purse to the side and hugged her mother. “Thank you, I’ve had a rough day at work today”.

“Tell me all about it; I’ve taped our favourite movie” Y/n’s mother embraced her daughter with a kind expression.

That was one of the happiest moments of y/n’s memories; she can still see her mother and the young woman having pizza and eating pieces of cake for dessert. Though, she guessed that was long gone now.  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Mom”, Y/n muttered tearfully. Loki, however, stood there in curiosity. The young woman loves her mother dearly. “Mother” is the word of a woman who protects and loves her child. Loki’s face dropped with a cold demeanour when he remembered his own. Though not biologically his own, the woman he saw as a mother understood him and cared for him, the one woman he could cherish until the end of his eternal life. The grip around his sceptre started to tighten; all she must’ve seen now was a monster, a monster of men and—gods. Loki regained his composure; a wicked smile appeared on his face. “Your world is doomed, mortal; once I’m finished with you, you’ll learn to fear me and yield your allegiance to your one, true God, ME”.

The prince started to order his army that carried the girl to be placed inside the castle’s quarters. Y/n wondered whether she would die at the hands of the prince of mischief or his bug army. She wished to deal with the pain of death out of old age.

Perhaps death was better in silence than screams.

anyways that's all for now:

Ta Ta ✨

[jelenabehrendstudio]

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[dankusner]

RECREATION

New green space opens downtown

It’s the fourth and final park created through partnership with nonprofit

The celebratory atmosphere was palpable Saturday in downtown Dallas as scores of people — and a couple of metal mammoths — marked the completion of a new park for the city’s residents.

Harwood Park is the fourth and final park created in a partnership between the city of Dallas and the Downtown Dallas Parks Conservancy, following Pacific Plaza, West End Square and Carpenter Park.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, a series of speakers thanked the many minds and hands behind the newly completed park as families explored the space in the heart of downtown. “I am absolutely thrilled to be standing here before you on this beautiful — albeit a little hot and humid — morning,” said Amy Meadows, president and CEO of the parks conservancy. “It is truly a milestone occasion.”

Meadows thanked the property owners who sold the land for the park’s creation and noted the thoughtful design that draws on the area’s natural and human history. The nonprofit parks conservancy, founded by former DallasNews Corporation CEO Robert Decherd, recently changed its name from the Parks for Downtown Dallas to reflect its new mission of maintaining the parks. Decherd retired from DallasNews Corporation’s board of directors this month. Decherd, who is chairman of the conservancy, spoke of the many years and the hard work that went into the completion of the four parks. “It’s 20 years we’ve been at this,” he said.

Transforming the city During and after the ceremony, children climbed up and down the mammoth-shaped playground structures, the park’s most conspicuous feature. Families wandered the pathways and couples brought their pets to the dog runs. Arun Agarwal, the city’s Park and Recreation board president, said 15% of downtown Dallas is now park space, drawing applause from the crowd of about 200. Mayor Eric Johnson said it has been “a monumental undertaking to transform our cityscape and enhance the quality of life for all of our residents.” The mayor, who made headlines Friday when he announced his switch to the Republican Party, has identified Dallas’ park system as one of his three top priorities for the city. For families Johnson called Harwood Park a “sanctuary” for active recreation in the urban area, and thanked the architects, designers, community members and construction workers “who labored under the hot Texas sun” to make it a reality. “What was once parking lots and vacant buildings have been transformed into a 4-acre green space,” he said. Rita Vela, 41, enjoyed the morning along with her 2-year-old son, Pablin, at the park’s splash zone fountain, where several children cooled off. Pablin loved the mammoths, and Vela appreciated the toddler-friendly features of the playground. “It’s a great location. …It’s super close to home, in the middle of everything,” said Vela, an Oak Cliff resident. “We’ll definitely be back.”

A mammoth undertaking

Harwood Park celebrates ancient and modern Dallas history and puts grass where cars once roamed

Mammoths are on the loose in downtown Dallas, but don’t be afraid, they mean no harm. The two beasts — I propose we name them Erykah — are actually 18-foot-tall powder-coated steel play structures created in Finland for the newest addition to downtown, Harwood Park, which opened to the public Saturday.

The 3.8-acre, $20.3 million park takes the place of a patchwork of surface parking lots just blocks from the Farmers Market in what developers have christened the East Quarter. It is the fourth and final park created by Parks for Downtown Dallas, the nonprofit founded by Robert Decherd, following Pacific Plaza (2019), West End Square (2021) and Carpenter Park (2022).

With the park’s opening, the organization is changing its name to the Downtown Dallas Parks Conservancy, with a mission to maintain the parks it has created.

“The original notion that we would team up with the city, finish the parks and call it a day just doesn’t make sense,” says Decherd, who doubles as the controlling shareholder of this paper’s parent company and until last week also sat on its board. “The advocacy for downtown parks has to be consistent and uninterrupted.”

The conservancy is dedicated to the future, but Harwood Park makes a point of looking to the past, embracing the city’s history — ancient, modern and everything in between.

Those play structures, for instance, recall the Columbian mammoths that roamed the area around 12,000 years ago, before drought and warming temperatures helped drive them to extinction. (Sound familiar?)

The park’s design is by Austin-based landscape architect Christine Ten Eyck, a Dallas native with a long family history in the city:

Her great-grandfather, Joe Earl Lawther, was Dallas mayor from 1917 to 1919.

The making of the park was as much a work of archaeological discovery as landscape architecture.

Among the objects buried beneath the site: heating oil tanks, walls and basements dating to the end of the 19th century, when the area was principally residential.

The park is bisected by a trenched “rain garden” that will capture water for irrigation while providing drainage.

Its path traces the route of Mill Creek, which ran directly across the park site before it was sunk into a culvert in the late 19th or early 20th century as a means of flood prevention.

The plantings are drawn from species native to the areas surrounding the Trinity River.

“We’re trying to give homage to what was here before,” Ten Eyck says. “It was not always a concrete landscape.”

Among the remaining markers of that time past is a majestic, century-old American elm tree that commands a central location in the park.

Construction teams dubbed it “Chuck Norris” because it seemed impossible to kill.

The tree is a remnant of the site’s residential period.

But by the 1920s that character had changed, given over to the automotive service business.

In the early 1930s, it changed again, this time becoming the center of the Dallas film industry.

The park deftly incorporates a pair of historic buildings along Harwood Street that reflect those shifts.

The first, a two-story structure, was built in 1917 for the auto business but was converted for use as a motion picture distribution center, complete with a fireproof storage vault.

Theater owners from across the region would pick up their films (along with tickets, popcorn and other essentials) and return them after their run was complete.

It will now be used by park marshals and rangers.

The second building, built in 1940 to service the film industry, has a small exhibition space and will house public restrooms and other park operation facilities.

The buildings provide an appealing backdrop to the park’s green spaces, their blocky intrusions creating a series of what Ten Eyck describes as distinct “outdoor rooms.”

Their incorporation is a significant victory for Dallas preservation, although four lesser buildings were demolished in the making of the park.

Another historic building adjacent to the park, a facility for Paramount Pictures at the corner of Young and Harwood streets, is being restored by the conservancy and will be sold to support the organization’s endowment.

“It’s a great example of working with what’s there, working with even some of the messiness, which I don’t think Dallas is always very tolerant of,” says Nancy McCoy, a preservation architect who collaborated on the project. “Anytime you can thread together the history of our city, it’s more interesting.”

The park also incorporates relics of a nearby structure that is now gone.

At its northwestern corner is a pavilion with screens of gold-colored rings that once animated the façade of the old Statler Hotel garage, which was demolished to make way for Main Street Garden Park.

The rings were salvaged from the “boneyard” of abandoned architectural elements maintained by the Park and Recreation Department.

“Leave it to Dallas to be sentimental about a parking garage,” Ten Eyck says.

The pavilion fronts a lawn, the Gold Ring Green, and is set up on a plinth so it can serve as a stage for concerts and other forms of performance.

A larger, wedge-shaped lawn occupies the central space of the park, providing dramatic views of downtown Dallas.

Those views, for the moment, are compromised by an unfinished and unsightly garage building that runs along the park’s northern border, along Jackson Street.

But that will change, as a shielding allée of chinquapin oaks matures.

Among the park’s amenities are a pair of dog runs (for large and small dogs, respectively), and a basketball court that can be converted for pickle ball.

In addition to the aforementioned mammoths, the play areas also include a fountain and other play equipment.

The park, along with its three siblings, is both emblematic of and a contributing factor to the changing face of downtown, ushering in a welcome shift from a purely commercial character to one that is increasingly residential.

With the pandemic, that change, which was already taking place, has only accelerated.

The process is clearly evident at Harwood Park, where the neighboring East Quarter Residences, an upscale development, has oriented its entry to be on axis with that of the park.

Together, Decherd calls the four parks “hundred-year assets.”

“If they’re properly cared for, they create an urban neighborhood environment that is not only different, it’s very attractive,” he says. It is up to the city to follow through on that potential, to ensure that these extraordinary amenities — and they are extraordinary — propel Dallas forward into a sustainable and equitable future.

Mark Lamster is the architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News and a visiting faculty member of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he is also a Loeb Fellow. His 2018 biography of the late architect Philip Johnson, The Man in the Glass House, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography.

[breitzbachbea]

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles?

26. Is there something you’ve written that you would never want your family to see?

Thank you for sending those in!

15. God, I hate naming things so much unless I have a real brilliant reference. So, within the mainseries, Irish Problems and Italian Affairs, I had a rule: 2 word chapter titles. I sometimes bent it a little, if parts of the title were prepositions or conjunctions (Chapter 15 of IA on ao3 is "Hit & Hide", and another one is "Out Of Here"). The chapter title should be able to relate to at least 2 out of the 3 Scenes.

But mostly, if it isn't related to a song (Always Alone is a translation of Ewig Allein, my German fic Herz auf Beat was a Songfic, so the title was the song that diegetically came up at the end of each chapter, Una lingua familiare is a phrase from an Ermal Meta song), it's a reference. Perché in Sicilia i morti dovrebbe morire is a modification from a sentence from Creature Fantastiche di Sicilia, which was part of my inspiration for that one. The Spoils of Syracuse is a reference to Marcellus' ovatio during the 2nd Punic War, which is an event that is often described with some influence on the Romans in ancient historiography. And thusly it was an apt title for that oneshot, which not only cites Plutarch on the event itself, but could be read as a cheeky reference to Michele itself in Harry's eyes.

And if these two aren't applicable, it's my attempt at trying to condense a key element of the fic into the title. Sometimes it works well or at least passable (Joyeaux Anniversaire Lapin d'or, Sweat on the carpet, Mistletoen't do this to me, The Amulet <- named after its Macguffin) and sometimes it's just ... uargh. Titles are hard.

16. If I have a good reference or play on words to draw from, then it's before I finish, but usually it's literally when I have to upload the bs to ao3. That little empty field of work title is my nemesis. Because last year wanted me dead, I had to rush Rarepairweek so much and I could not think of a better title for my Corsair AU Oneshot than "She's the only one I want, she's my only wish", which is a line from Siren's Song by Brave the Sea. Lovely song, but really doesn't fit the vibe of the fic and I just. I hate the title so goddamn much. Couldn't even bother with a good ancient literature quote. Or something inspired by medieval travel literature. Disgustaaang.

26. I don't really write a lot of stuff that would interest my family so that's why it's a no. I wouldn't truly be ashamed if they stumbled upon it on accident though.

[cosmogalaxy2]

𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦

Scott had been feeding the Llamas when a message popped up on his comm. He finished feeding the last llama almost taking his hand of in the process. His best friendsay be needy but he loved them. He pulled the colourful comm out his pocket the back decorated in flower stickers Shelby had given him. Unlocking it before a message light up the screen.

Pix: Guys somethings happened

A seed of unease planted itslef in Scott's stomach. Pix wasnt one to joke aroumd like that. As he was picking up the bag of wheat to bring back into the storage room his comm buzzed again.

Pix: Its to do with the rift

Okay, he needed to head to the Ancient Capaital now. Only 2 weeks ago they had gotten the mysterious message from the rift and he wasnt expecting anything to happen for a little while. These people on the other side must be just as courious as they where at what this thing was.

Once he arrived at the capital he found a group of maybe 16 people stood in the middle of the great bridge. He reconised a couple-mainly Pix, Lizzie and Kathrine- though a few of the others rang a bell. No names coming to mind. He landed next to Kathrine extanging confused expressions.

Then came a crash form behind him. He didnt even need to look to know Jimmy had landed behind him. Soon though the Sherrif ran past him hugging one of the people he didnt recognise. He had Blue hair and seemed to regonise Jimmy too. They hugged for a while before pulling back slightly. "Tango," Jimmy breathed "What are you doing here?" Suddently it hit Scott. He remembered the a past life they spent together. The nights crying in bed at how horrible his soulmate was , fire and trying to find his place in a way he never had to around this group before. The main memory though heartbreak. Heartbreak because of Tango. A new death game when soulmates and romance were recommended and the one man he truly loved had found someone else. He remembered watching across the ravine while Jimmy and Tango laughed, kissed, extended gifts all the things he used to do with Jimmy. They had fallen in love on a death game where they were ridiculed for for it then when everyone had his love had fallen for someone else. 

His Jimmy had loved someone else. Scratch that his Jimmy loves someone else.

He was only pulled out of his memories by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Sausage smiling as he excliamed, "Color Papi!",and hugged him. "Wood Daddy" replied the smile evident in his voice. Scott watched Sausages eyes land on the new group of people before him, eyes narrowing in confusion. "Who are they?" he asked "No idea." Scott answered. Sausage then leanded in wispering in his ear "And whose Jimmy kissing"

𝘯𝘰, 𝘯𝘰, 𝘯𝘰. Scott turned to find Jimmy kissing Tango. Eyes closed happiness all over his face. Tango had Jimmy's hat in his hand arm rapped around Jimmy's back. Everyone seemed to be staring at them. The people Scott assmumed where Tango's friends seemed to have a sense of

happiness for thier friend, while all his friends just seemed to be confused.

Scott scanned the faces trying to egnore what they where all looking at. Almost everyone was here. Joel flying in over the hills the finish of the group a little purple blob of joy on his back. A joyful cry of  "Papi" could be heard from the demigod as they landed on the bridge. Sausage quickly picked them up spinning the child around before tightly hugging him. Hermes seemed to notice Scott over his papi's back as his face light up even more. "Uncle Scott!" Scott laughed ruffling the boy's blonde hair. "Hello Hermes." Scott wasn't sure when Hermes started calling him uncle or who told him to but he wasn't complaining he loved the little boy. He often went over to Sausages just to see him offeeing to look after the demigod whenever needed.

"Okay now everyone is here," Pix started drawing everyones attention. Scott noticed Tango and Jimmy had seperated now opting to hold hands instead. Not that he was looking. "As you can see we have some new guests. Welcome the Hermits." Tango's friends all waved and they all waved back. "They came through the rift seeming to have been the ones sending things back through. I'm sure you will make them feel welcome while we find a way to get them back home." He paused before adding slightly quiter, "Some perhaps more welcome than others." Looking directly down at Jimmy and Tango.

Scott wasnt sure what happened for the rest of the time at the ancient capitial. He had met Cleo who he remembered from the past and invited her to stay at chromia. But when he woke up the next morimg to go check on her she was gone a letter on her bed saying she had gone to se Grian and would be back soon. So Scott got on with his daily duties feeding the llamas, gathering flowers, planing builds.

At around mid-day Scott got a knock on his door. He assumed it would be Cleo but instead he was met with Sausage. "Umm...hi" Sausage said clearly searching for words that he couldn't quite find. "Hi." Scott replied trying to sound cheery and reasuring which was difficult due to the only thought in his mind being what Tango and Jimmy where doing right now. Relising him and Sausage had been stood around probally a bit to long he offered for him to come inside.

Soon they where sat on Scotts small patchwork sofa cups of tea in hand. Sausage hadn't said a word since arriving just staring doen into his cup. Scott got fed up with waiting. "Come on out with it"

"What?" Sausage retorted seeming to forget Scott was even thier. "Say what you wnat to say. As nice as a little popin from my Wood Daddy is im assuming you didnt come here to talk shit about the new people." Sausage seemed to smile at that.

He pauses before saying, "Do you like Jimmy?" Scott freezed. Out of everything he hadn't been expecting that. Sausage seemed to notice. "Not that I'm jealious or anything. You just seemed to be starting at him and Tango a lot. Like more than nesessery. And seemed a bit of yesterday at the great bridge." He scrambled. Trust Sausage to be the only one notice his not very well hidden secret. "Yes?" He replied.

He didn't mean for it to sound like a question but i guess it was in a way. A question in weither he should? If it was okay? Sausage face softened noticing Scott's tone. "You have for a while havn't you?" He asked. Scott just nodded.

"And now he has Tango and you feel horrible for it?" Scott just nodded again. Sausage always new exactly what he was feeling. Scott finally finding his voice expliand...

" Thier was this other land. A game of death. I found Jimmy first and we found this flower valley. We made it our own. Soon we fell in love got married with flower crowns, vows shared on the dock only for us to hear. People thought we were stuipd falling in love in a game designed for death but with Jimmy it never felt stuipd. Even after he died first...I dont't remember much after his death in that world. My only thought was avenge Jimmy and after that..i didn't care. When the game was done things..were not the same as before.I felt so much more alive around him when ever anything exciting, sad, worrying happened we both came to eachother. We kissed every now and again. It was like..it was like we were still married. Then Double Life happend and he..he fell for Tango. He seemed so happy but when we would see eachother it was like we never happend. Like we never loved eachother. It didn't change for a while but now. Now its like back to how it was kinda. I flirt with him and he gets flustered the same way he used to. Like he enjoyes it again. But now...Now Tango's back i don't know what will happen. I thought we might go back to the way it was maybe further but i guess not.."

Scott hadn't even reilised he was crying until Sausage raised his hand to wipe his cheek. "Maybe you should talk to him." he softly spoke. Scott didn't want to admit it but he knew Sausage was right.

Scott had stay up late that night staring at the message next to the send button on his comm. He knew Sausage was right, he knew it but maybe now wasn't the time. I mean Jimmy just got Tango back why would he take time for Scott? They had been so happy to see eachother why would Jimmy leave Tango to talk to him? He put the comm down before pulling the covers harshly over his head trying to block out the voices in his head. He tryed for about and hour before angrily pulling out his comm slamming the send button before he could think to much.

Scott: Hey can you come over mine tommorrow. I need to talk to you.

Jimmy: Yeah sure. See you then

But Scott was already asleep by the time his comm went off.

Scott was doing his rounds around the village the next morning when Jimmy showed up. Scott watched the man search Chromia from above trying to find him before seeing his face light up when he caught sight of him. Smile pulled at Scott lips.

Jimmy landed at the edge of the village Scott walking up to meet him. "Hi" Jimmy waved smile wide. "Hi, umm..lets go to my house" Scott said voice small already regretting his desion.

Scott found himself in a very similar senario as with Sausage yesterday except this time he was the one staring in his cup. After the silence had dragged on to long he blurted out "Do you like Tango?"

"sorry?" Jimmy seemed caught of gaurd by the question. "Are you in love with Tango?"

Jimmy's face shifted from confusion to one of pitty and almost guilt. "Oh, Scott," He started slowly grabbing Scott's hand as if asking if it was okay. It was. "Oh my god." Jimmy sighed trying to find the right words. "Yes," He said softly and Scott felt his heart break into a million pieces. "But..I also love you." Jimmy said voice still as light. Scott was confused this was obiviously clear on his face as Jimmy let out a light chuckle. "I never stopped loving you Scott feelings as strong as that don't go way. I just opened my heart to Tango as well. And when he showed up today i noticed a little to late that it could have hurt you. I was so excited to see him again I forgot that we had something. Have something? Im so sorry for that." Scott's mind was racing. Jimmy liked him back. Jimmy loved him. But also Tango thats okay. Tnago never did bad to Jimmy. And they have something. They freaking have something. Scott didn't know what to do he just smiled widely at the man he loved so much.

Jimmy then did what Scott couldn't and closed the gap between them with a kiss. Jimmy was as sweet as he remembered as warm. He felt all his worries disapate through the felling of Jimmy's lips on his. This kiss hadn't felt like the few after 3rd life this one felt real like they were back in flower valley in between wars. And Scott couldn't be happier. Jimmy pulled back slightly and Scott couldn't help but make a grumbly noise. Jimmy laughed lightly catching his breath. "I missed you" he says against Scott's lips before Scott pulles him back in hands removing the sherrif hat and tangling in Jimmy's blonde hair.

Scott dosn't know how long they wre like that but long enough for it to be dark when Jimmy leaves. He dosn't know what will happen between them but he knows its not the end.