#like yes change her hair give it more texture sure

[literaphobe]

ummmmm what do we think guys

[downthe-f4ndom-rabbith0le]

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) - Chapter 4

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) Reader Insert: she/her pronouns Word Count: 5438 Warnings: death, violence, fighting, bloody wounds, angst, infuriatingly oblivious love interest, slowburn Spoilers: Young Justice Seasons 1-3 plot partially, but it ended in 2022 so catch up.

Y/N Prince - miracle daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor - and Dick Grayson - first adoptive son of the Batman himself - have been best friends since day one. They went to school together, trained together, kept each other's alter ego secret from everyone else, and they founded the Young Justice alongside their friends together. 

But as time progressed, Y/N and Dick grew up and Y/N found herself wanting more than friendship with Dick. But he never seemed to indicate that he reciprocated her feelings. And when Wally died and Dick abandoned the team, Y/N realised he never would. So she heads to the one place she knows will help her become a stronger warrior so that one day she can take her mother's place: Themyscira.

Two years after his leave, Dick reaches out to his old friends to help him with a mission. But when he finds out Y/N left too, he chases after her in the hopes to bring her back.

However, when the two finally reunite, it isn't as warm as he hopes. Not to mention Themyscira becomes under siege as they go to war against Echidna, the Mother of Monsters in Greek Mythology, and her army of monstrous children.

Will Dick and Y/N be able to put their past behind them and save the Amazonians' homeland? Or will they fall, unable to tell one another their true feelings?

~~~

Dick stood on the pure white sands of Themyscira, though he did not recall how he got there. But he could not mistake the marble columns and houses higher up the mountain side, nor the crystal blue waters with the odd looking fish swimming. Without ever stepping on the great island before, Dick knew.

It felt like home.

Once Dick realised where he was, he realised another thing. He was alone. Where is everyone? he thought, deciding to walk along the beach in search of someone, anyone.

'Hello?' he called loudly, but the stone walls of the mountainside just echoed his voice back at him. And there were no stairs leading off the beach that he could find. He was truly alone.

Dick stopped when he realised it, accepted it. Devastation threatened to swallow him as the white sand did his feet. The ocean waves lapping the shore quieted for a moment, giving space for laughter and music to dance in their place.

Dick looked longingly up at the buildings on the mountainside. A childish want to join the party overtook him, and his mood soured even more, feeling left out of something huge.

'Nightwing.'

The call of his name cut through all other sounds, silencing the rest of the world so Dick could focus on the source of the call. He swivelled, hope pumping from his heart to the rest of his body, to find the most gorgeous of women standing before him. Only - her face was obscured so he could not make out her exact features.

'Nightwing.' Her voice was like smooth velvet, like soft thunder rumbling his name into the electric air.

'Y-Yes?' Dick wasn't sure how this woman knew his vigilante name. He wasn't in his Nightwing attire, just civvies.

The woman started walking towards him in answer. With each slow, deliberate step she took, her image changed before Dick's eyes. She started off muscular, then grew curves, then was small and petite, then grew to stand taller than Dick himself. One moment she was childish and youthful, the next a frail and wrinkled elderly lady.

Her hair changed colour and texture and style too, as did her skin - as if the light of the sun from different angles highlighted everything this woman was, and what she could be.

She remained faceless all the while, for not just one woman could be every woman all at once and have the same face, the same history.

But by the time she stood before him, she'd shrunk to just under his eyes, her hair morphed and her skin changed shades again until the woman started to look familiar.

Still faceless, the woman reached a hand up behind Dick's neck and brought him down so she could whisper in his ear. 'Wake up.'

'What?' He didn't understand. He was awake - wasn't he? But more importantly, why did the woman sound like Y/N?

'Nightwing.' Now that she was talking right into his ear, her voice was clear as day. 'Wake. Up.'

~~~

Dick's eyes flew open as he gasped, as if he'd been holding his breath for too long. He blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness flooding his vision. He quickly realised it was nightfall, and he was staring up at the night sky through a circular hole in the ceiling.

He sat up quickly and realised that was a mistake, as a throbbing pain pounded in his right temple. He hissed as he laid back down, gently brushing his fingers against the sizeable egg that had formed above the injury.

He was briefly distracted as someone removed his hand from his temple, and placed a cool cloth in his hand, then pressed it back on the source of his pain. Dick released a relieved sigh as the coolness eased the throbbing slightly.

'Thank you,' he half said, half whispered, tilting his head to the left to see his saviour.

The only light that filled the room were bowls of fire situated atop pillars all around the circular room. There was a slight breeze, making their flames dance and cast a myriad of shadows around the room. But from what Dick could make out, there were other beds like the one he was situated on - ones of stone, pillows and fabrics - and a table of instruments and tools beside each one.

He didn't recognise the place, which had him searching the face of the person at his bedside more earnestly, wanting answers. But he was not met with the gentle smile nor the soothing voice of an angel.

Instead, he made eye contact with a very stoic and silent Y/N, her bright (e/c) eyes cold and unfeeling. Not even the firelight could cast a flicker of warmth on the expression she looked down at Dick with.

'Y/N,' he groaned, trying to sit up.

'You shouldn't do that,' she said, and her voice was just as stoic and monotone. 'You were hit... quite hard.'

Dick ignored her and pulled himself into a seated position so his back pressed against the back wall. He was relieved to find he was still in his civvies from when he arrived on the island.

'You mean you hit me quite hard,' he countered, pressing the cloth once more to his temple with a slight hiss. 'Not the kind of welcome I was thinking of...'

'Well I certainly hope you didn't expect a big parade or fireworks in your name,' Y/N bit back, keeping her voice low and contained, something she never used to do before. 'Besides, Themyscira doesn't usually get visitors. let alone male ones.'

'In that case, I'm sorry to... disappoint?' Dick wasn't sure what to say. This was a far cry from how he imagined seeing Y/N again.

'A bit too late to be apologising now, isn't it?' Y/N asked, and Dick couldn't help but feel she was indicating to something else. But before he could answer, she continued, stoically, 'Don't worry about it now. Rest up. The Queen wants to speak with you as soon as you wake up. And believe me when I say she is not so easily charmed as other women.'

Dick's heart thumped faster with confusion and fear. This was all going so wrong. Where were the hugs, or even the slaps to the face and the screaming? Anything but this... coldness.

Just as Y/N was walking to the doors of the infirmary, Dick called out to her. 'Hey, wait.'

To his surprise, Y/N did stop, though she only gave him a slight turn of her head so she looked over her shoulder at him. He didn't care. He would take anything. 'It's good to see you.'

Y/N didn't respond straight away, but when she did, Dick questioned whether or not he should've listened to his friends' warnings.

'A sentiment that, I must say, is not shared,' she replied coldly, then proceeded to walk out of the room, giant wooden doors clanging shut after she left.

Dick suddenly became unaware of his throbbing temple as he stared at the doors where Y/N just was. Instead, he became increasingly aware of the twisted feeling growing in his stomach.

He wasn't sure what it was, but it kept him up until the early hours before sunrise, into which he had three hours of dreamless sleep before some women in white robes and pinned or braided back hair woke him up.

They greeted him with gentle smiles and soothing voices, checking he was all right before they prepped him for his chat with the Queen. Any other occasion he would've tried to charm the beautiful women who did not praise him, but treated him with an innocent kindness that he imagined they treated any and all with.

But he still felt as if he was going to throw up, and his mind was preoccupied by the startling image of Y/N's cold, unfeeling eyes staring back at him the previous night. She'd never looked at him that way before. Similar to M'gann, Dick wasn't even sure Y/N was capable of such indifference.

And yet, she'd looked at him just that way, and it stung more than any injury he could imagine.

He'd been allowed to wash and dry himself, and put his dirty civvies of jeans, boots, white t-shirt, and black bomber jacket back on. Then the women sat him in front of a mirror and combed his dark hair, tidying him up one final time before a guard of six strong women came to collect him from the infirmary.

The six women flanked him as they led Dick through the palace made of white marble. If it weren't for the rich colours in the rugs and the wall dressings, the place would be as cold as the sea water lapping the shoreline. Women of different sizes, skin colours, and ages milled about the palace, each of them greeting the guards warmly before looking curiously and even fearfully at Dick as they walked by.

Dick did not let their looks distract him from the real worry ahead of him, though.

Soon enough, the guards and Dick reached a giant set of doors with gold intricately painted over the door and on the archway around it. The front two guards stepped up to open the doors, and stepped aside to allow the rest of the party to enter a spacious room.

Actually, a room wasn't the accurate description for it. There was a ceiling and a floor, but the walls constituted of a few pillars holding the ceiling above the floor, allowing a stroking view of the rest of Themyscira to surround anyone in the room. From the city just below, to the mountainside further along, and then the sand and ocean at the bottom.

Every aspect of Themyscira could be witnessed from what Dick assumed was the throne room, for at the far side of the room was a simple but intimidating throne made of marble, intricately designed to have vines and fruit pop out along the arm rests, and swords and shields to support the back of the throne. Only two people occupied the room other than Dick and the six guards: Y/N - who stood beside the throne in the same leather uniform as the other guards, sword strapped to her hip - and a regal looking women with with ebony hair that billowed out behind and over her white cladded shoulders.

Grey streaks striped through her hair, and Dick could make out a few smile wrinkles on her forehead from where he stood. She wore a white cloth that wrapped around her body as she sat on the throne, pinched by a golden belt that matched the golden leaf crown holding back her hair from her face.

Though she sat down and looked smaller than Dick, she radiated a power that he even recognised to be respected. As the soon as the doors closed, the six guards kneeled to the floor and placed one arm over the chest as they bowed their heads.

'Our Queen,' the said in unison, and suddenly Dick felt very self-conscious as he looked around at the women then looked up at the Queen herself made eye contact with him.

Dick looked around at the women kneeling before their queen. Either he was hit harder in the head than he thought and he could somehow understand Greek suddenly, or they somehow knew English this whole time.

Either way, Dick rushed into a flimsy kneeling position. 'Y-Your Majesty,' he stuttered, hiding his cringe as he kneeled. The first time you meet a queen and you stutter? Good work Grayson, he internally berated.

The Queen offered a kind but hard smile. 'Please, rise, young man. Any friend of my granddaughter is a welcomed guest here on Themyscira.'

Dick's eyes widened, looking to Y/N for confirmation. 'Granddaughter? So... So that would make Y/N-'

'A princess of Themyscira,' Y/N answered monotone. 'But I can assure you, Nightwing, that I do not consider myself exempt from work because of the newfound title. I believe in strong connections, on working with others and creating a strong unit with which to fight alongside.'

Y/N looked directly at Dick, her eyes piercing his as if asking a silent question. What about you? Do you believe in the same?

Dick didn't know why he felt slightly ashamed, but he did, and feeling a great need to be rid of such a compressive feeling, he stood upright once more and addressed the Queen directly. 'I was informed by your Princess that you wanted to speak with me, Your Majesty.' Dick dialled up the charm - opened his arms in offer, and let a loose and charming smile curl his lips upward. 'I am yours to question.'

But the Queen only offered a half-smile in return, amusement never quite reaching her eyes like Dick was used to when charming other women.

'How... noble of you to think you are helping us out,' the Queen said, arms resting peacefully on the throne's armrests, but her eyes locked Dick to the ground with their intensity and fire. 'But let me make one thing clear. You are our guest because I deem it so. I'm sure you are well aware that our island isn't meant for man or mere mortals. You are not meant to be here, so it would be wise of you not to take our hospitality for absolute fondness or security.'

While always the usual jokester, Dick had always understood from a young age when someone was being serious with him. And especially when he wasn't the one in power in a situation such as this.

Dick nodded his head solemnly, and mustered up his most serious expression and voice to express his sincerity. 'Of course, Your Majesty. How can I help you?'

'Well, to begin with,' she said, pleased with his new compliant demeanour, 'you can start by telling us how you found Themyscira.'

'Through old sailing legends and odd encounters fisherman have had in this area,' Dick answered, briefly looking at Y/N as he continued. 'My friends and I collaborated and researched and came to the conclusion that this area - an area which has no volcanic or underwater mapping of any kind - would be my best bet at finding the island. That, and some reporting of odd-looking fish.'

Dick couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he sounded. 'I'll admit that was a stretch, but one of my friends comes from the sea himself. I trust his judgement on all things sea-related.'

The Queen nodded her head thoughtfully, and Dick wondered if she was impressed by his deduction. 'But if others have been swayed for hundreds and thousands of years by our defences, how come you were not?'

Dick went to answer but quickly stopped himself. Blinked once. Twice. It was a good question.

'I-I don't know, Your Majesty,' he admitted. 'All I know is that, one moment I was talking with Alfred - a guardian of sorts, but he's pretty much family - and then I hit something invisible, twice actually, and my line to him was cut.

His gaze flickered between her and Y/N, who looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. 'We were discussing your Princess, actually. We were just hoping she'd be out here, that's all.'

'Is that why you've come, then?' the Queen asked. 'To speak to my granddaughter.'

'Well, not just speak, Your Majesty,' Dick said. 'I wanted to recruit her for a mission back home.' He spoke directly to Y/N then, eyes locking. 'We could really use your help. I could really use your help, Y/N.'

One of the guards beside him raised her spear to point at his neck. The tip of the blade was a hair's breadth away from his bobbing Adam's apple.

'How dare you talk to our Princess directly,' she growled. 'Show some respect.'

Y/N raised a hand up. 'Easy, Calliope,' Y/N said with a soft but commanding voice that resonated like a melody through the room. The guard - Calliope - looked long and hard at Dick until she eventually returned to her post beside him, quiet and still.

Dick allowed himself a steadying breath. How many times can I be almost killed in the shortest span of time? he asked himself, before looking back to Y/N.

'If talk is what you want, Nightwing,' Y/N said for the whole room to hear, 'then talk is all you shall get. But if you intend to take me back with you, then I am afraid your breath will be wasted on words I will not hear.'

'But, Y/N, you don't even know what I am going to say,' Dick objected, disbelieving that Y/N Prince - Wonderess, his best friend for nearly a decade, the one person he always thought would be there when he needed her - was looking down at him now with no warmth, no familiarity, no room for hope and belief.

Y/N opened her mouth to speak, perhaps berate him and shun him more, but the Queen interrupted. 'He has a point, dearest,' she said, and gracefully rose from her throne.

Immediately, a guard was there helping her down the few steps from the dais that held the throne. Now that she was standing, Dick saw how her robes drowned her, and imagined how frail she was underneath it all. She spoke and appeared strong, but obviously immortality had its limits. Even the strong had to age at one point.

'We shall leave you and our guest to discuss your... personal matters,' the Queen explained further, looking between Dick and Y/N with scrutinising eyes. But she was quickly hurried out of the throne room, leaving Dick and Y/N alone together for the first time in two years.

Dick hated the silence that seemed to suffocate them, but he couldn't find the words to breathe new air into the space. So he just looked at her. She was both entirely the same and entirely different at the same time. She'd gained more muscle in her arms and legs, her face had sharpened with maturity but not to the point she looked harsh. She looked fierce, and the leather skirt, sandals, and plated armour top alongside her sword certainly added to that effect.

Dick had always found her fierce, the most fierce out of their entire team when they first formed. It had sometimes just got lost when she laughed, when she smiled, when she didn't know modern world slang because her mother never knew either.

But she wasn't smiling now, nor laughing. Now, she stood before Dick, the picture-perfect warrior, as if she was born to be as such.

As if it were her destiny.

'So...' Dick started, hoping Y/N would set the ball rolling.

'So,' she echoed back, her tone unamused and bored.

'So...' Dick found himself repeating, then realised she was never going to continue, so he did. 'There is a huge problem with the illegal trade of meta-humans and meta-human testing globally-'

'I am aware, I was fighting it when I was still with the team,' Y/N interrupted, her words unfazed, unfeeling almost.

Dick internally winced at his mistake. 'Of course you were, sorry. So anyways, there is this royal family who-'

'I don't care to hear about your problem, Nightwing,' Y/N cut in again, this time with annoyance and anger threatening to sharpen her words. 'Nor do I care that you infiltrated our island, crashed on our beaches, and waltzed into my people's home with swagger and self righteousness.'

Now Dick was getting annoyed. 'Stop calling me Nightwing, Y/N. You know my name, and I'm not even in uniform right now-'

'You've waltzed into my home,' Y/N interrupted, and finally, a spark of ire igniting in her previously cold e/c eyes, 'and have demanded I help you, when you couldn't even spare me one word over the past two years.'

Suddenly sheepish, Dick didn't know how to respond. Y/N finally stepped down from the dais and walked over to him. She only stopped when she was two steps away from him, and he could see it then, how she was straining against something internally. It was in her tight jaw - clenching and unclenching - and it was in her stiff posture.

'We might've been friends when you left,' she said softly, heatedly, 'but I found a new purpose, a new family - one that will never abandon me when times get tough or when I need them.' Y/N looked Dick up and down, then took a half step towards him so he could feel her breath. 'If you expected me to sit around waiting for you to come back like some lost puppy, you never knew me at all.'

Dick swallowed thickly as he kept eye contact with her. 'We were more than just friends,' he said softly, causing her angry facade to drop for a moment in confusion. 'We were best friends, Y/N, and I am sorry. For everything that I didn't do these past two years.'

The anger returned, and Y/N just pushed past him, knocking his shoulder hard in the process as she strutted towards the doors to exit. 'Best friends or not, sorry doesn't make up for your ignorance, Nightwing. Nor does it endear me to want to help you anymore than when you did when you entered this room.'

'Please, Y/N,' Dick said, racing after her and clasping his fingers around her wrist. He winced at how she tensed at his touched, but continued. 'I know I messed up. Believe me, everyone made me more than aware of it before I came here. But however you felt about me, I knew I had to come see you. Try and get you to come home.'

Y/N flung around with furious eyes, her h/l, h/c hair flinging as she did. 'This is my home,' she said with absolute resolve and conviction. 'This is my home, and by sundown tomorrow, you will be on a boat headed back to Gotham City or wherever you call home these days, and out of my life. For good.'

Dick's heart cracked at the insinuation. Had he really done this to her? His precious Y/N - kindhearted, welcoming, fun-loving, protective Y/N. Was he the reason for such coldness, such animosity?

'But, Y/N, the team-'

'The team were the ones who encouraged me to leave,' she answered. 'They saw I was meant for something more than just silly little missions that got us nowhere. They saw how much I'd given to the team, and saw I needed to go find myself again. They saw, because they were there.'

Y/N ripped her wrist away from Dick's reach. 'I am not some girl you can charm into thinking she is special and wanted. I know I am, and I know my place is here, with people who actually care about me. So do me and everyone on the island a favour and stay in the infirmary until your departure where you can't lie and hurt anyone ever again.'

Before he could reach out again - he wasn't sure what he'd say if he got her to stop anyways - she was opening the doors and slamming them shut again, leaving Dick alone in the throne room, the crashing of waves and the rush of wind the only sounds to be heard.

Dick stood looking at the door for a little while longer, the image of Y/N's hurt and angry eyes imprinted in his brain. He'd been warned, boy had he been warned. By Kaldur, Connor, M'gann. But he never could've expected Y/N to be so... hostile.

Are you really doing this for Y/N's sake, or for yours?

Connor's question echoed in his head as turned his attention to the ocean that lay outside of the room. Maybe he was right, Dick thought. Maybe this was all a big mistake. The biggest indicator had been in her eyes. She'd never looked at him, let alone anyone, like that before. Like she'd rather be anywhere in the world than be in the same room as him.

You're my best friend...

He raised his little finger to the door, though he was sure she was long gone. 'Alway have been,' Dick whispered, and some inner hope of his was waiting for Y/N to come back and finish their vow.

But she never did, and so he dropped his hand entirely.

After some time, his party of guards from before came back in to collect him and take him back to the infirmary. Feeling deflated and having no other reason to be there, he silently complied.

~~~

Y/N slammed the doors to the throne room so loud she was sure the whole island heard them.

She let out a controlled but shaky breath as tears threatened to burst from her eyes. Thank Athena Y/N escaped when she did, or she wasn't sure how much more slander she could throw at Dick.

She'd decided as soon as she saw him at the training field that she wanted nothing to do with him. That the best way to handle him was to give him no room to charm, to speak, to be his usual self and get under her skin. So she'd knocked him unconscious, been curt and unfeeling with him, denied him passage to her mind again.

She'd convinced herself that Dick Grayson was nothing more than a lying, self-centred and self-righteous boy - and yet she found her hands yearning to embrace him, her eyes wanting to inspect him and note all his changes, and her heart yearning for the unconditional love she knew Dick to be capable of.

'Princess?'

Y/N jumped at the call of her title, but when she noticed it was only Calliope, she relaxed. 'Yes, Calliope, what is it?'

'Queen Hippolyta would like to see you in her personal chambers.'

Y/N nodded. 'Of course, thank you.'

She quickly made her way to her grandmother's personal chambers. The first half of the chambers doubled as a meeting place on more than one occasion for Y/N and her grandmother, usually preferring to discuss important matters in the comfort of lounge chairs as opposed to stiff and cold meeting rooms made of stone.

Y/N entered the Queen's chambers, walking into an open floor-plan lounge and foyer entrance, with lounges and chairs draped in fine and rich velvets and satins. Attached to the lounge was a big balcony overlooking the city of Themyscira.

She found her grandmother leaning against the balcony's edge, looking over the island, when she walked out to join her.

Y/N braced for her grandmother's first words. Would they be harsh? Would they be enraged? Disappointed even? But they didn't come initially, and Y/N welcomed the peace that came with the silence. She looked over the balcony to the city below, and the forestry and ocean below that.

This is my home, she reiterated to herself, unlike how she'd talked to Dick just moments before. Even then, her gaze slipped to the horizon line far off in the distance where it became almost indistinguishable where the sky and sea met.

If she were being honest with herself, she hadn't thought about her old life, her old friends since she stepped foot on Themyscira. Guilt tugged at her heart, but she reminded herself that it was them that encouraged her to leave, to find herself again.

Even so, with Dick's unexpected arrival, Y/N realised one thing. She missed them all dearly.

But not Dick Grayson. Absolutely not.

'Your friend,' Queen Hippolyta finally said, eyes never leaving the view in front of her, 'he is... charming, to say the least.'

Y/N scoffed and rolled her eyes. 'So he likes to think. And he's not my friend. Not anymore.'

It was silent again for a moment, and Y/N wondered for a moment if her grandmother had heard her at all. 'Either way,' her grandmother continued casually, 'he has certainly highlighted some weaknesses in our defences that we will need to remedy straight away.'

'I can get Cora and the rest of the Guard onto that right away,' Y/n said, grateful for the escape.

'Not just yet,' Queen Hippolyta said, bringing Y/N back to the balcony begrudgingly. 'Are you okay, dearest?'

Y/N scrunched her brows in confusion. 'I'm... fine? Why do you ask?'

Queen Hippolyta gave Y/N a knowing look that silently said Don't play dumb with me. 'Isn't he the boy who broke your heart?'

Embarrassment flooded Y/N's cheeks in a wave of red heat as Y/N shook her head furiously. 'He didn't break my heart. He made me realise I was better off without him.'

'Perhaps, but you are not better off without friends.'

The gentle touch of a hand on her arm brought Y/N's attention solely on her grandmother, who looked at her knowingly.

'I can see your love for this place, dearest,' the Queen said. 'From the moment you have arrived, you have thrown yourself into our way of life, into our community and given it your all.'

'Because this is where I come from, grandmother,' Y/N said. 'This is where I belong.'

'Right now it is, but it is not your home, Y/N.' When Y/N gave a confused expression, the Queen continued. 'The women all love you, so do the children, but they do not know you, you do not let them see you - the real you. Only the you that is Princess of Themyscira.'

Queen Hippolyta's hand travelled down to clasp one of Y/N's tightly, looking at her earnestly. 'Your real friends are the friends you left behind, the ones who have fought and lost and loved and laughed with you.' Her gaze flickered to the doorway briefly then returned to Y/N knowingly. 'And one of them came all the way across the world to find you, on the word of sailor stories and a lucky scientific guess.'

Y/N rolled her eyes again, and pulled her hand out of her grandmother's grasp. 'He is not my friend,' she repeated, turning her attention back to the sea, trying to focus on anything by Dick Grayson's stupid smiling face. 'He only came here to make himself feel better, not because he actually cares about me. Maybe once I needed his validation, but I know who I am now. And if he is what a friend is meant to be, then I think I am better off without them.'

'Y/N, dearest, just-'

'I would kindly ask that we never talk about Nightwing again, grandmother,' Y/N interrupted. 'Soon enough, he will be out of our lives - out of my life - forever...'

Queen Hippolyta remained silent for a moment, until she blew out a defeated sigh. 'If that is your wish,' she said, deflated.

'Yes, it is,' Y/N said with conviction, ignoring the painful tugging of her heart, ignoring the inner voice that wanted to scream otherwise. If Y/N was going to leave Dick Grayson behind, she needed to stop listening to her stupid heart and listen to reason. Like Athena, who was technically her ancestor in some respect.

Y/N turned back to the Queen and bowed a farewell. 'If you don't mind, I will go talk with Cora to discuss how to fix our defences right away.'

Queen Hippolyta gave a small nod, which Y/N took as dismissal enough, and so set a quick stride to the chamber doors. But just as she was about exit the balcony, her grandmother stopped her again.

'It's odd, don't you think,' she started, her tone coy, 'how, not even for a moment, he forgot his mission as he neared our island. Not once did he get deterred by our magic.'

Y/N turned around to face her grandmother, who gave a small knowing smile to her. 'He must have a strong will to resist such forces, or was motivated by something of equal power, don't you think?'

Y/N didn't say anything, her thoughts taking her back to the conversation they all had back in the throne room, when Dick was questioned about how he resisted the defences.

We were discussing your Princess, actually. We were just hoping she'd be out here...

Y/N rushed to exit the chambers, not even bothering to close the doors on her way out to fresh air.

What did Grandmother mean by that? she asked herself, and felt the tell tale signs of hope blooming in her. The increase heart rate, the tingles at the ends of her fingers, the small but warm ball sitting heavily in her chest. Surely she didn't mean...

Y/N shook her head; the tingles faded, the ball dissipated. I will not be tricked again, she told herself, proceeding to find her way to the training grounds, where she stayed until dusk fighting out her fears and squashing her childish hopes.

---------------

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[pitchmoss]

🔮Mandatory Mods: these are the ones that make the pretty/gameplay mods work.

BG3 Script Extender: The Script Extender adds Lua/Osiris scripting support to the game.

BG3 Mod Manager: What it says on the tin; allows you to organize and import mods to your game.

Improved UI: Changes existing UI to enhance the current modding scene by removing intrusive in-game warning and enhancing character creation options. Only download IMPUI.

Item Shipment Framework: This framework is designed to supersede Tutorial Chest usage by enabling mod authors to easily add new items to the camp chests and player inventories.

Volition Cabinet: A library mod for creator's other mods.

IMPORTANT: When modding on Nexus, don't ignore pop-ups before downloading because some particular mods require some less common support mods to work. I don't list every single one here especially if it's like, a one-off for one mod. (Nexus will give you a pop-up before downloading so you don't miss it)

Be sure to check Requirements and creator's additional info + FAQ when downloading mods. GLHF <3

🐲Gameplay Mods

Origin Themed Weapons & Cloaks: A selection of weapons and cloaks inspired by and for the origin characters. (Not game breaking or over powered).

havsglimt's Class Mods: This creator makes really good looking class mods from existing settings like Grim Hollow's First Vampire Warlock, College of Spirits Bard from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, Swarmkeeper Ranger from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and Graviturgy Wizard inspired by Wildemount's Dunamancy Wizard.

🌈Aesthetic Mods: let’s beautify this game some more!!

Unique Tav Custom Appearance: Gives Tav unique body textures and model, unique face makeup textures, unique face tattoo textures, and also adds body tattoos as an option. I also upscaled the body tattoos because I love you. Now you are very special.

@astarionposting aka MantisMods on Patreon makes fantastic face presets, recreating some of our favorite fantasy characters to play as in BG3. I currently have her OC Presets VOL. I, House of the Dragon Presets, and Ada Wong from RE.

@cedastarions also on Patreon and Nexus, makes a wide variety of face presets for pretty much any style of character in BG3, along with some very pretty Reshades. I have the beautiful Maya and Talia, Solo and Aurora Presets.

Basket Full of Equipment SFW: Over 800 pieces of new armor and equipment, mainly for human-like races. (Not as overwhelming to navigate as it may seem; organized. Compatible with dye mods).

Camp Clothes in the Camp Chest: This mod adds a new wardrobe to the camp chest, housing all camp clothes, shoes, and underwear.

Astralitie makes beautiful, fun mods like: Elven Anthology, Natural & Fantasy Skintones, More Hair Colors, and Feywild Eyes.

Tav's Hair Salon: Collection of hairstyles. Mostly for elf/half-elf/drow/human/tiefling bodytypes 1&2. Not an override, they're additional hairs added to your game.

Icon and Race Patches for Tav's Hair Salon: Adding icons to the hairs and to add compatibility with some custom race mods.

Piercing Improvement: Adds physics to piercings, so they look animated when the character moves.

Extra Dyes for the Fashionable Folk of Faerun: Adds new, unlimited-use dyes to the game! (Yes, they're actually unlimited and also, gorgeous.)

Kryo's Dice Collection: A collection of various dice skins based on the vanilla Behir Blue die. (I've had 0 problem with this)

[koszmarnybudyn]

Finally did some art for my good omens au, (yes i know im collecting aus like aziraphale collects books but oh well).

They are an angel and a demon on doods shoulders :)

I already have link finshed and am planing on drawing Taylor, Dood and Hermie as well.

Also just design notes/general thoughts:

Will saying Normal would dress vintage changed me so here he is in something vintage inspired, thought with the ever present sneakers i draw him in. I feel like he has a pupper shop or something, not quite sure, he is a mascot and local sport teams enthusiast. I should have incorporated more purple in his design to be honest, he does have some in his eyes. I feel like he uses 70s or 80s slang, generally just a word mishmash of generations. And in all his ethearnal years he has still not learnt to cartwheel.

Scary's design is mostly punk/metal/goth inspired, for once i opted for more red than purple, and brown in her hair. I decided to give her octopus eyes as a nod to her doodler connection. They are both older here (i think about mid 20s) so she gets to be even cooler than usual (she is my dress up doll for outfits i wanna wear but would be texture and comfort hell for me).

They are just besties here (sorry to my whatever their ship name is shippers im not a fan of the ship at all), and link taylor, dood and hermie will hopefully be coming shortly. As for plot stuff its good omens inspired with them trying to stop the apocalypse (idk who warlock is here, since dood is adam), its mostly show inspired since i have not yet finshed the book, and idk if plot is even really my concern i just like designing looks for diffrent situations.

[kaledya]

Hürrem reply !🌸

Yeah that moment was LIVE ! It happened in the same time ! I was so surprise ! _

Well for her form, for me Vassago has giving her education about the Goetia for sure. So she probably know how in theory but doesn't have the practice ?

Her father,  in his eyes, (even if he never said it to her and their relationship of father-daughter is complex) Hürrem is for him a Goetia and he doesn't care she doesn't have the title or the secret that she is.

But in another way because of his mistake (he think it is his mistake), he has lost his best friend for this child.

Both Parvin and Vassago where just sad and they know each other so well, skinship just happened, in a hope to feel better just for a moment, even if there is not really true love (except the love of friendship) and Vassago gay.

I think that night they must have been in depressed drunk mood.

So in conclusion I think Vassago try to give Hürrem the best without truly being involved. He also need to be careful of Paimon.

_

Ahah the dialogue was so funny ! It make me think of Kuzco, at the end of the movie he just take potion and transform in bunch of animals (he want the one that would change him in human) and some guards are running after him and each time he take a potion he transform in the worst animal ever for the moment

Kuzco *needs to fly* Also Kuzco *transform into a parrot with wings so small we can't even call them tiny*

Same with Hürrem there ! And I just LAUGHED imagining Giovanni's face like "Well, that was not exactly... what I have in mind."

_

Also I realise I actually can rumble and show details and 'spoilers' about Hürrem! Like its not Lolicia.

Sooo I draw Hürrem genealogy tree on her mother side !! I had so much fun !

So some little things and details !

  - I didn't have a name for the grandmother yet, so I call her Miss Bunny ! She is absolutely the bunny girl from Bambi as inspiration.   - Paimon thinks *"damn it. Too pretty."* about Miss Bunny.

Fun fact : Miss Bunny and Parvin have bunny tails !

  - Hürrem actually look like her grandmother a lot! She has the same hair texture, rabbit's weaskers and shape of face with the plump cheeks. And also her dad, with her general shape.   - Parvin looks a lot like her dad! And has a narcissistic guy, Paimon probably love her more for it and that is why he kept her close to him even if he asked her to stay in her palace all the time.

Miss Bunny, Parvin and Hürrem all have horns that get smaller.

Miss Bunny has big horns with two shades of pink. Parvin has medium horns with two shades of purple. Hürrem as small horns with shade of white and dark green.

Fun fact : Parvin's nose has the shape of a bird beak but she has a normal mouth underneath.

Parvin is truly half Demon, half Goetia. Where Hürrem is a Goetia with parts of demon (bunny fur on tail, weaskers, horns)

Fun fact : the tip of the two feathers on top of Hürrem's head is plum color like the feathers on the back of Vassago's head.

Miss Bunny, Parvin and Hürrem all have two shades of colors in their hair.

Parvin is half-rabbit and half- great horned owl or raven (whatever Paimon is)

Where Hürrem actually developped the parrot form of Vassago to be a special type of parrot : a sun conure parrot.

Also Parvin has purple eyes and stars on her cheeks because of the meaning of her name.

Parvin has bunny ears because in the early design of Hürrem, I draw her with bunny ears but I change my mind.

That is all ! Sorry I rumble a lot but I can finally say some things without spoiling anything! Hope you like it !

_

I will dwell into ibis paint things ! I'm not forgetting ! Have a great day 🌸🌸🌸

Yes, it was quite logical that she knew it in theory but not in practice.

I really liked his father's attitude towards Hürrem from this aspect, even though their relationship is complex, it is nice that he still sees her as a Goetia.

Yes... This is something that really happens in real life too, some fathers can unintentionally blame their children for the loss of their wives (in his case his friend), and this leaves a gap between them.

And I really love how Vassagon tries to give Hürrem the best without getting too involved.But of course he needs to be careful with Paimon.

-+-

Yes lmao I remember Kuzco, it was one of the really good cartoons!

And yes, I can't remember Kuzco ever turning into an animal he wanted throughout the series. Usually, when he wasn't a llama, he was the wrong animal in the wrong place.

And LMAO Yes!! And now he'll have to run away with those little legs because he can't use his wings.

Yes, the same goes for Hürrem. She can't be whatever she wants.But on the bright side, it's a really cool scene when it happens.

And yes that was exactly Giovanni's reaction *Takes the little parrot rabbit and starts running on 4 legs*

---

YIPWPWPWPWEPEPE SPOILERS✨✨✨

First of all, I seriously didn't expect Parvin to be this beautiful.Seriously the design is 10/10 It totally gives off the royal vibe and seriously, whether it's the color palette or the look.

I seriously can't describe in words how beautiful she is.

And I just realized that technically Parvin is Stolas' half-sister. Did they know each other?

--

I think Miss Bunny is pretty good nickname. And Paimon is right, she is really pretty.

-Yes, Hürrem definitely looks more like her grandmother than her mother.And as you said, a little bit of Vassago

-Yes, someone like Paimon would probably like his daugther more just because she looks more like him, but to be honest, Parvin is really beautiful.🛐

-It seems normal for the horn gene to become rarer as the generation progresses, as a result, noble blood becomes more dominant over time.

-The detail on Parvin's nose was very clever!!

-I think it is a very nice design idea that all 3 of them have 2 colors in their hair. It really adds liveliness to the character's hair.

-Paimon is probably a great hornet owl.

- I'll look into it when you mention it. Sun conure parrots are really beautiful, they remind me of mangoes.

(Another Nickname for Hürrem lmao)

-The color of Parvin's eyes and the stars on her cheeks are truly a wonderful detail!!

-Rabbit ears would suit Hürrem, but I think it would be a better choice for her to look more Goetia.So I think you made the right decision.

No no no you don't need to apologize for rumble I seriously love reading what you write!!!! And I seriously love learning more about of your characters, too.Thank you for taking the time to write!!!

But ahm, I mean you can say spoilers, I don't mind UwU

I wish you good luck with ibis paint

Have a good day🌸🌸

[moonlit-mystery-writer]

I'm back for the exact three you brought up lol Celeste and Luce's kids, Lal and Celeste's kids and Noel and Celeste's kids!

Hell yeah! Starting with eldest first!

Celeste/Luce - Rosalia

Flame - Sky

Rosalia is Celeste’s eldest, however, she’s obviously Luce’s second. This means Rosalia won’t be in line to become the next Giglio Nero boss.

She’s thankful for that though. Rosalia is what some people would call a ��dreamer”, she tends to have her head in the clouds and enjoys a lot of creative arts like poetry and drawing. She prefers to be somewhere quiet, humming along to whatever new song she’s found or she’s come up with.

Her siblings are pretty sure she inherited the Giglio Nero’s ability to see the future, or she’s simply just really perspective and the world’s ultimate prankster with the specific things she warnings her siblings about. She’ll never tell them, but, the answer is both. You can use future sight to try changing fate for the greater good, but sometimes it’s more rewarding to use it so Eliot’s chair falls apart under him because he stole the last of Maman’s brownies before you got one. She does at least give warnings before the prank happens.

Rosalia, like a lot of her siblings lol, doesn’t have many traits from Celeste outside of the hair sheen. It’s a toss up whether her blue eyes are from Celeste or from Luce since both of them have that trait lol. But! Rosalia’s hair is noticeably more wavy compared to other Giglio Nero women and [with Rewriteverse’s version] she’s a bit shorter than them. (188 cm/6’3 compared to Aria’s 196 cm/6’5 and Luce’s 200 cm/6’7)

Calls Parents: Celeste = Maman, Luce = Mamma

The others get Mom or Dad.

Lal Mirch/Celeste - Rosario

Flame - Rain

Celeste’s third kid, second son, and Cecilia’s twin brother. Yes, Celeste was pregnant with Colonnello’s and Lal Mirch’s children at the time lol.

Rosario is far calmer compared to his twin sister. While he can be worked up into being competitive with him other siblings, he prefers watching from the sidelines. By all means, he could step in and order them around to behave like a drill sergeant. Thing is, half the time he doesn’t care. It’s not uncommon for him to just let Cecilia waltz her way into a decision that gets her hurt or in trouble. He’s not his sister’s keeper after all.

That being said, he does care a lot about his twin. If she’s hurt, he’s always waiting right there with a first aid kit and such to help. If she gets into trouble with their parents, he lets himself get into trouble with her for not stopping her when he knew she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to. Back when Colonnello accidentally made her cry as kids, he in fact tried to fight him. His dad was only saved from his righteous fury because Rosario didn’t really know how to throw a punch yet and he was just 5 like his twin.

A lot of his features line up with Lal Mirch, for the most part he looks like a male version of her. Except, he entirely has Celeste’s hair; white color and hair sheen with the wavy texture. He tends to style it like Colonnello’s rather than either of his moms.

Calls parents: Celeste = Mamma, Lal Mirch = Mom, Colonnello = Dad

The others tend to get their names.

Celeste/Noel - Estelle

Flame - Snow

Celeste’s 8th kid and 4th daughter. Estelle is pretty warm and borderline bubbly in personality, often drawing people around her with her charming ways. These people are almost guaranteed to be into dumped to though. She’s not as athletic as either one of her moms, but she did grow into a combination of their interests. She loves fashion history a lot, loving to map out how and why fashion changed in certain ways. She also likes to draw sketches, namely of whatever fashion has caught her interest that week.

She looks the most like Noel in appearance, even having her short height. (Estelle - 158 cm/5’2, Noel - 152 cm/5’0) She does have Celeste’s blue eyes though. I imagine her hair is styled like this picture I found, the beads being either white or some color other than blue lol.

[uninformedartist]

The way Velvette is portrayed in Hazbin Hotel doesn't sit well with me.

To preface I am a fan of Hazbin Hotel and am looking forward to the show so-so. I want to clarify I mean no hate to Viv and her team, she has a creative mind even though her design choices are sometimes lacking to me. But this has been on my mind for a while especially as a poc.

Velvette has been a character ive enjoyed for the the longest time since her debut in the pilot. Even though her quick appearance she drew my attention for an unknow reason but she's just ah I love her. When I found out she was a poc and was into alternative fashion it drew me more to her as growing up I couldn't express myself in such clothes as it didn't suite my skin tone enough. Was never white enough or coloured enough (thats my race). I told my sister how I liked Velvette and she said she doesn't because of how she looks and it made me think. Velvette in all my relating to her lacks the representation I hoped she'd give others like she did me but she doesn't. Viv as much as I like her designs, underdesigned Velvette. She lacks poc features, what I mean by this is her skin tone mostly. I know she's a demon but I've see so many dark skinned monsters, demons, creatures that far surpasses Velvette. Her skin tone is this light brown- grey colour dispite being a black woman in her pitch bible (yes I saw it and I know lighter skinned black people exist but even so Velvette is so racially ambiguous point blank like many of Vivziepop's po characters and plus, her skin tone isn't even really a skin tone, its giving anime "dark/brown skin tones"), its lackluster actually and I wished it were different because I'm sure Viv has black/dark skinned design members on her team but no input from them was added to Velvette's design. Viv I understand is a poc but she is like me a lighter skinned poc, I myself have a difficult time drawing darker skinned characters and I know how Viv doesn't leave her comfort zone of character traits so it leaked into Velvette being such an under respresentation to black people/ dark skinned people. Her hair is also my end, Viv in all my years of following her has never experimented with poc hair textures/styles. It took so much more away from Velvette as a black woman with the hair style/texture she has now (I know black woman or woc can have straight hair but due to the embrace of more natural hair textures it would've been beautiful to see Velvette with a more natural hair texture). AGAIN Viv should've reached out to other designers for their input on her but no, its Viv's "character" (even though she doesn't technically own it anymore) and nobody can make such changes as its not in her vision/comfort zone.

Another thing I want to add is Viv's problem infantailising certain characters. I've seen it with Angel Dust, Niffty, Stolas and now Velvette and its not sitting well with me.

According to Velvette's pitch bible she is a 30 year old black woman, a *grown adult* who is also in the adult industry, cool.

This is a post by one of Vivziepop's staff members Sam, who also happens to be one of Vivziepop's closest friends too. They made a post comparing Velvette's to a certain character dynamic:

What the hell were they thinking. VELVETTE IS A 30 YEAR OLD BLACK WOMAN WHO WORKS IN THE PORN INDUSTRY AND YOU ARE COMPARING HER TO A PARENT/CHILD DYNAMIC!

TW:

She is involved in the adult industry along with Vox and Val. Valentino is shown to be a misogynistic man who is abusive, a rápist and much more, Vox similar. Velvette being involved with them isn't my issue, she's not a good person ha hell she probably condones their actions as she's an antagonist like them. The problem is I've seen Viv doesn't know the difference between a childish adult character and an adult character who is treated like a child and extention encouraged to be treated like one. Velvette has a childish fun personality thats all, that gives no reason to why she is treated like Vox and Valentino's child, SHE'S 30!

Fans and critics have pointed out how they keep seeing this problem how Viv portrays her characters. It creates a breeding ground for the fetishsization of these characters in a disgusting way. The amout of art I've seen depicting Velvette as their child is disturbing and TW: the amount of lòli art I have seen of her on unsavoury websites is just... I cannot. Just because of her personality she is being treated and seen as a child. I will not go into how woman of colour when reaching a certain age of development are not seen as children anymore even when they still are (we'll be here all day, its boils my blood I hate) but what Viv is doing is not right either. Strips away Velvette's agency especially as a black woman like Viv/team really should've thought before encouraging the infantailisation of her and such art posts as above.

In conclusion (since I lost my 1st draft aaah not typing that long again). Velvette is a good example to me of a poc character with lost potential. Viv had the power and choice to allow other poc creatives to give their input on her but simply didn't. She holds on to these characters so dearly and I understand she doesn't want to loose them, they are like her children. But they aren't anymore, she needed to let them be changed into their best version but alas no. Viv whether she likes it or not is in the mainstream now thanks to partnering with A24.

The audience has changed, we want to see better representation in media: various skin tones, sexualities, different body types, hair textures, even disabilities. Viv as a bisexual woc had the opportunity to give us so much more but didn't even knowing thats what audiences seek, like Velvette for example that's what I seeked and thought I saw but my rose tinted glasses got taken off by my sister and I saw what I saw wasn't all that.

You have the capabilities Viv, you have the resources, you have everything layed out in front of you to give us this why did you not, the boundaries were not pushed. Brake from your comfort zone, seek others inputs and criticism because if you go on like this you may fail. I've followed you for the longest time but not many times have you experimented with different body types, various skin tones and hair textures... no comment. I'll still support Viv's work and decide if I'll still be invested in it after Hazbin drops but I'm cautiously optimistic right now. Only wishing more grown for Viv, peace.

[youremyonlyhope]

Hallmark’s Sense and Sensibility

Yes. YES. All I've ever wanted was an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility where Mr. Dashwood is white, Mary Dashwood is Black (or another race), so that the sisters are mixed and it causes even more tension between their older white half-brother and his wife.

As a mixed girl, I’ve been begging for this version of the story to be told.

I can't believe Hallmark is the one to do it, but I am ready and excited to watch.

Hmm... is Fanny mixed... is internalized racism going to be an issue for her too? If so, I am here for that.

Edward is Fanny's stepbrother... I don't think that was the case in the book. But I infamously hate Edward so maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention to him. (It's a change)

BONNETS. They have bonnets! They have natural hair (probably wigs but still, natural textures), and bonnets. I am actually super happy about the costuming so far.

Ok I might like this Edward... We'll see. We're not at the part where he makes me mad. But right now... he's ok.

"Right kind of woman" ok girl. Sure.

I really liked that scene between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor, while Margaret played the pianoforte.

Oh Col. Brandon. Already smitten. I do have one complaint though: Mrs. Dashwood is supposed to be about 40, to make it so Col. Brandon being 35 offputs Marianne even more that he's close to her mother's age. But this Mrs. Dashwood (who I really really like so far) is being played as much older than 40.

YES CURLING RAGS. And am I crazy but are some of Marianne's clothes kind of leaning to wards 1820s transitionary styles? I sorta love that if that's the case.

OK Willoughby... ok. You cute. I love this "Who are you?" thing we got going on.

That painting of a Black man in Georgian-ish clothing. Someone remind me to look it up. I love the framing of this shot with Brandon and Willoughby, and the painting between them.

God I adore Mrs. Jennings. In generally but I really like this one.

God, fuck Willoughby. I always forget how much I hate him.

"A daughter." No no no you're supposed to say "natural daughter." Come on.

Oh poor Willoughby, what a coincidence he's called to London, while Brandon's already in London, dealing with an issue involving his "natural daughter." Such unlucky timing...

I can't wait to see Steele sisters. I hope their hair is blonde, so there's no doubt that the hair Edward has is NOT Elinor's. God. This is what I wanted from a S&S adaptation.

OOH the Miss Steeles are Black too! Ok. Ok. Fanny you absolute hypocrite.

OH MY GOD. THE PAINTING OF DIDO ELIZABETH BELLE IS IN THE BACKGROUND. Oh my god. I literally just squeaked. No random family would have that painting hanging, especially with the cousin cut out only showing Dido but STILL. And adding the fact that I once found an Amazon listing for an Austen novel using the cousin Elizabeth as the portrait and cutting out Dido (and also that the portrait is from 50 years earlier) made me so mad. This little easter egg of including Dido's portrait in this movie is like HEALING that specific moment's pain for me. Oh my god.

This adaptation, is far too good. It's so much better than I thought it would be.

Ah yes, the constant talk of "beau"s from Anne.

YES THE LOOP ON THE TRAIN.

This Lucy is diabolical. I don't think I remember her being so... almost mean. Annoying yes, but mean? Hmm...

Love all these Black paintings. I wonder if Juan will show up, though that's a Spanish painting not English.

Miss Jennings has white servants. Love it.

I think they made Robert worse.

"And I always keep my promises." You tell him. I thought I was going crazy earlier, that a song sounded kind of pop-ish. But they're playing Kiss From a Rose right now on a string quartet, so they're going full Bridgerton with this. I didn't want to accuse it earlier, but now I must.

Ugh. Willoughby.

MRS. FERRARS IS BLACK. FANNY YOU SUCK. You're giving us light skinned mixed girls a bad name.

Edward didn't want to be in the same room as his main and his side chick. I forgot about the Mortons. He's got 3 girls. This is why I dislike him. And I really think this movie ended up playing up Robert Ferrars' personality in a way I'm not sure I liked, he was always charming but I don't think he was this rude.

Ok Marianne. You're not wrong. But I don't remember that. It's been over a year since I last read S&S, I really need to brush up on it I guess.

Wasn't Eliza married to Brandon's brother and then cast aside? I really need to brush up. However, god I'm reminded of how much I love Austen.

Well I enjoy this Edward's embarrassment a lot.

Ooh Fanny. I don't like Lucy but do not call her a peasant.

Ok fine, point to Edward. I will concede that this adaptation is doing a good job of making the watcher feel for Edward. I still dislike him the most of all Austen husbands.

This is truly a great Elinor.

They've been so careful with having everyone in gloves. And now Edward is thanking Elinor, taking her hand, and no one is in gloves. I see you costume department, I see you.

Yessss loose hair moment.

Oh my god, I always love Col Brandon when he says he won't rest until he brings Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret. Every single adaptation. It makes me so emotional.

Wow ok. This version is a very good Edward, a very good Elinor, a very good Marianne, a very good Brandon. Even a very good Willoughby. I can't believe they really made me actually want to forgive Edward. I usually still am salty towards him by the end. That alone makes this pretty amazing.

Costumes were fun. A little bit crazy but honestly sometimes Austen adaptations don't go crazy enough with the costumes. Minus some fit issues with the empire waists (same issues that Bridgerton is plagued by) and some weird closures in the backs of some dresses, it was really well done costume wise.

And I was surprised that race was not as much of an issue as wealth, though I still think that Fanny and Mrs. Ferrars had some colorism issues in there.

Really my only issue with the movie is that they didn't make clear how old Brandon was compared to Marianne. And I have some concerns about Robert's characterization. That's really all I can complain about though.

Dare I say... that Hallmark somehow created... my new favorite Sense and Sensibility adaptation...

[tododeku-or-bust]

OC Essay of the day: Philia's design!

I put a lot of thought into this, and while I've modified here and there, at her core there were things I absolutely wanted to accomplish with her design. Yes, race is a major part of this topic! You've been warned! Perhaps you can learn a new perspective on approaching your brown characters.

So: her hair and skin. Phi is biracial and identifies as Black, and her skin is a medium brown. Her hair is about 3C with a bit of 4A. For comparison, Patroclus has 4C hair that's been locked, and dark brown skin. I wanted her to favor Patroclus more for multiple reasons.

First, I wanted everyone who looked at her (in story, I'm not there yet with art lmao) to know that she is Philia, daughter of Patroclus. It's mostly relevant to narrative, but it's also a mild jokey joke bc I grew up with everyone going "you look just like-" and it's like 'yeah but who the fuck are you' lmao and Phi goes through that often. But it's important because I want to emphasize that she is beautiful, she shares her Papa's features, and her Papa is beautiful too. That their Black features (their skin, their hair and texture, fuller lips, wider noses) are beautiful!

I also wanted her to be browner in skin and have a thicker texture bc I'm kind of tired of the societally pushed idea that the only valid mixture of Black and White biraciality (?) are people who are light skinned like Zendaya. That their beauty inherently comes from proximity to Whiteness. It's exhausting. Everybody's not gonna be light skinned with thinner hair 🤷🏾‍♀️ In my modern headcanons, Phi has faced cruel microaggressions by "well meaning" white women who assume she's adopted (i.e. that she's been 'saved') when she's out with Achilles bc she doesn't "look" like she "should".

Her eyes: so it's a conversation that absolutely needs to be had that fantasy people writing brown characters often want to give them light eyes and some people feel you shouldn't. I don't necessarily agree that you "shouldn't", so much as you should recognize your biases in WHY you are. Are you giving light eyes bc you think they're prettier than brown ones (a thought process based in white supremacy) or is there an actual, canonical reason? If you think it's bias, you need to stop and think about your design (and Fr fr yourself!) as a whole. It's all about thoughtfulness and intent.

Anyway, the reason Philia's eyes are green are because Achilles' eyes are green. And I wanted that bc I wanted him to see himself in her. He sees his own soul staring back when he looks into his daughter's eyes. There's no avoiding her gaze. It forces him to grow and reflect. He never wants her to be like him, to make his choices and suffer what he's suffered. He doesn't want to see disappointment as she looks at him. He has to learn that she's her own person and she's going to make judgments, make mistakes, and grow. That she's not him.

Her height and body type: this is where I've been wondering if I want to change things the most. Height wise, she's tall. Her fathers are tall lmao. In the Hades AU, she's 6ft by full adulthood (that demigod in her blood), in modern AUs, she's like 5'10. Originally, I wanted her to have that Ancient Greek marble statue power build. Strength for sure; she can throw battle boulders with the rest of them lol. But strength don't necessarily mean she has to be thinner. So lately I've been thinking that I'd like her to gain more weight as she gets older (which is what happens anyway) but she's no less strong. Like the art I did of her gala outfit, that was from a plus size ad and I really liked that design. I also wanted her to be shapely and athletic too. Like Serena Williams. So I'm still thinking about it.

So yeah! That's Philia's design! I can do shorter ones on Calix and Kairos later; I probably will 👍🏾

[rudhira]

I got tagged by @esotheria-sims - thank you!

1. What’s your favourite sims death?

I don’t think that I really like any of them...? Electrocution, I guess, since it’s the easiest and fastest to do yourself.

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Maxis Match all the way! Well, most of the way. I guess the hairs I use aren’t really Maxis Match, though they have pretty matte textures.

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

If anything, I cheat to make them gain weight because it seems to never happen on its own. More often than not I have Sims who need a few Body skill points for promotion and they all get fit instead.

4. Do you use move objects?

Sparingly. I like having it turned off all the time, because I don’t want to accidentally place an item that ends up blocking something or being unusable, and then I just turn it on when I need it.

5. Favourite mod?

Same sex pregnancy.

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

When I first got the game, I had the Deluxe edition, so Nightlife. I don’t remember what I got after that.

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

Like alive.

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

I don’t really make Sims myself, but I guess Naomi, one of my models. She has black hair and tends to wear green, if you wanna look for her in my previews.

9. Have you made a simself?

Yes, but ages ago. Like, a decade and a half ago.

10. What sim traits do you give yourself?

Oh, Sims 3? Right now I would probably give myself vegetarian, neurotic, computer whiz, good sense of humour and clumsy.

11. Which is your favorite EA hair colour?

This is definitely not a Sims 2 question. I like the purple colour that’s available for rpchoppy and shortcute.

12. Favorite EA hair?

longpart for sure, an astounding number of my legacy founders had that.

13. Favorite life stage?

Adults.

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

Gameplay! I avoid building as much as I can, and generally will just download lots or copy floorplans online.

15. Are you a CC creator?

I guess? Not because I really want to create CC, but because there are things I want in my game that nobody else seems to be making.

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad?

Yes!

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4)

Sims 2 easy.

18. Do you have any sims merch?

I have a Sims 3 lanyard that I got from a friend who I think was involved with marketing for the Sims somehow, like a decade ago. I also have a plumbob flash drive that I got for preordering The Sims 3. I used to also have a Sims 3 T-Shirt and some of those rubbery bracelets, but they’re long gone. And some sort of metal container shaped like a house that I think was for storing your games?

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Uh, not really? I have a YouTube channel where I post Sims 2 tutorials, if that counts, but I also post speedrunning content there.

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

Like, the style of my Sims or the style of my gameplay? For the former, I’ve gotten more consistent in what I download, but I do kinda miss just downloading whatever and putting it in my game. For the latter, I’ve learned to enjoy just sticking to a neighbourhood and seeing how it plays out.

21. What’s your Origin ID?

No idea! I’m terrified of opening Origin ever again so I don’t really know.

22. Who’s your favourite CC creator?

If I’m picking only one, @serabiet. The quality of their content always exceeds my expectations, and it’s also versatile and usable for many different styles.

23. How long have you had a simblr?

I’ve had this blog itself for like over a decade, but I’ve only used it as a simblr since uh... May 2016?

24. How do you edit your pictures?

I resize and crop them. If I posted more gameplay pictures I might edit them more, but I only really post previews for downloadable content and I really don’t like editing those as I want people to see what the content will look like in game.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

Honestly? Something like Sims 3 Aspirations but without the going to work part. I’ve always liked that EP for the tattoos and the laundry, and natively having that in TS2 would be nice.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far?

I honestly don’t know. As a child, I think I was the most excited by Seasons, I still vaguely remembering reading through the booklet while the game was installing and barely being able to wait. I guess probably Nightlife, part of it is because I’ve always had it so I couldn’t imagine playing Sims 2 without it, so it adds a lot of features I take for granted.

[scalamore]

Ch 96 - Random thoughts and impressions (small spoilers)

Fangirl time

I LOVE how Lari is the one who's a blushing mess during the horse ride home. Usually the ML is flustered because of the FL's boob squish, but Lari is as affected by it. She's completely paralyzed because all her senses is focused on his solid, muscular chest HAHAHA. Surprisingly, Rupert isn't blushy or awkward about hit, he's ok with it. BUT I BET IF THE POSTIONS WERE REVERSED HE MIGHT BE REALLY BLUSHING?? haha

On a random note, I wish we got more Lari cleavage. Apparently KKP doesn't allow too much since this is the all-ages version. I think it's nice Lari has a nice chest, makes her extra soft and fluffy :3

Yup, Lari is not getting the think that Rupert likes her romantically. She's still thinking about TL1 and how he married Tory. She's not quite sure if RupeTory have a romantic inclination, but at least confirms he has no active plans of marrying Tory or anyone else right now. Interesting I WONDER WHY THAT IS LARI.

OK tory is just ridiculously creepy, just using Lari's balcony as an entrance/exit , staring at her when she's asleep and then moving on. Lari's a pretty light sleeper so she knows this has been going on. CREEPY.

THERE IS BOUND TO BE SOME COMMENTER who sees that in this time skip things are boring ("that's it"?), that Lari fixed her initial problem already and she's just idling time away passively. I will try my best to ignore the haters and not spoil HOW this is the calm before the storm... this calmness is what made it extra painful later when plot hits.

IDK what to make of the manhwa saying she's 17 soon. Is it an error? instead of a 6 month time skip, is it now 1 year and 6 months??? IDKKKKKKKKK (see my prior post)

ANYWAYS. LARI LOOKS EXTRA ELEGANT AT THE SECOND HALF OF THE CHAPTER. She's winding down for the night, drinking tea, and she looks extra mature and pretty to me. The S3 cover makes it seem she doesn't get a haircut/permanent hair style change, so maybe this is her casual hair on a cold winter day?? I also don't know what to think about this.

I like Elaine, she's cool

YES, THE DETAIL WHERE RUPERT GRABS HER HANDS AAAA I hope we get the internal monologue about that it's v cute to read

OMG THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE AMAZING. You can see the moment the light is extinguished from his eyes in those cuts. There's a subtle texture oh his cheeks/nose/hands - showing he's been out wandering out in the snow for who knows how long before he arrived at Lari's balcony.

I call it a balcony, but it's on the 1st floor. I don't know a better word for it.

HAHAH so he does flop on her bed in the novel, but it just hits differently to see him just getting nicely tucked into 'Lari's bed by Lari herself. She actually tries to kick up out with the comment of needing a bath in the novel lol. DOMESTIC LARI IM OK WITH TOO

OMG RUPERT LOOKS SO EMPTY AND DEAD INSIDE. POOR GUY IS JUST LOST AND BROKEN RN while Lari is trying to get him to open up and talk about what's wrong

LARI UR SHOCKED FACE IS JUST SO CUTE I LOVE YOU

So technically Rupert's red eyes aren't because he's been crying, but rather, they're red/baggy because of the shock/realization he has nothing left. he's completely empty, the emperor is dead, he killed him himself, yet EMPTY. NOTHING. IS HE HAPPY? no. IS HE SAD? No. EMMMPPPPTTTYYYYY

PLEASE MANHWA TEAM, GIVE US A GOOD CHAPTER 97 WITH LOTS OF EXPOSITION OF WHAT HAPPENED TO RUPERT AAAAAAA

[hannysarang]

Control // Twenty Seven.

Summary: Draco hasn't been able to enjoy sex and a little birdie tells him Hermione likes to take control. Is he willing to give it up? Can Draco Malfoy give up control?

Chapter 27 ————————

“Thank you for coming with me,” said Hermione, dropping her hand. 

“Of course, anything for you,” Draco replied with a smile. “Plus, travelling to Australia with you sounds like a dream come true.”

Rolling her eyes, she reminded him, “We’re not here to travel.”

“I know, I know. But the change of scenery is nice.”

“Again, I appreciate you so much for coming. I’m not sure I could’ve done this myself.”

“Hermione, you’ve thanked me a hundred times already. Now, you’re just stalling.”

“No, I’m not,” she defended herself. 

“Then why’d you drop your hand?” he challenged. “You were going to knock on the door.”

“Yeah, and I will,” she complained. “I just wanted to make sure you knew you were appreciated.”

“Knock or I will.”

“Fine! I’ll do it!” she exclaimed, lifting her fist once more to knock on the door. 

But the door creaked open before Hermione’s small fist could hit it. A woman with straight hair the same colour as Draco’s beloved greeted them with a puzzled face. 

“May I help you?” she asked. 

“Uh…” Hermione trailed off, looking dazzled by who Draco guessed was her mother. 

“You two have been arguing on our porch for ten minutes now,” she chuckled. “It’s good to hear a British accent.”

“I- Yes. Uhm, of course,” stammered Hermione, voice shaking and eyes glued to her mother.

With a worried scrunch in the brow that looked exactly like Hermione’s, her mother asked, “Are you alright, dear? You don’t look so well.”

Watching the unspeaking Hermione, Draco replied, “Sorry, my girlfriend is a little dehydrated. Would it be okay if we asked for a glass of water, please?”

Though eyeing them both with a funny expression and a tad bit of suspicion, she opened the door wider and stepped aside. 

“Come on in,” said she before turning her head towards the house and softly shouting, “Matthew, honey? Can you bring two cups of water to the living room please?”

“Of course, darling!” replied a man from the house and from the way Hermione’s head turned to the voice, Draco knew it was her father. 

Hermione showed no expression on her face as she followed her mother into the house, sitting on the couch in the living room. Draco looked around, amazed by how still and unmoving everything was.

A blond man with very curly hair came walking in with a tray holding four cups of water. “I didn’t know we were expecting guests today.”

It was obvious where Hermione had gotten her hair texture from and if not for how she was still frozen, Draco would’ve almost laughed. 

Hermione’s mother handed them both a cup of water and started explaining to her husband what was going on and Draco turned to their daughter. 

“Hermione,” he said in a low, quiet voice. “Do you remember why we’re here? Do you think you can do it?”

Without a word, she took a sip from the cup, looking almost teary eyed. 

“Should I do it?” he asked, voice even quieter this time. 

Finally responding, she shook her head. Setting her cup down and blinking a few times, Hermione cleared her throat and straightened her back before taking out her wand. 

When she pointed her wand towards them, her mother furrowed her brows. “What are you-“

“Recordari,” cast Hermione with a shaking hand and Draco watched as her parents’ eyes spaced out, their memories slowly flooding back in.

Continue Chapter 27 on ao3.

Start from the beginning.

[axgmented]

What Makes Your Muses Body Unique? Simple premise. Give 5 (or more) headcanons about your muses' body. Hands, eyes, feet, birthmarks, tricks--anything!

➤ Rem isn't soft. She isn't a body that's comfortable to have in your lap; she is stone. There isn't anything about her that's squishy or soft (unless she's absolutely a limp noodle and even then, it's giving al dente) so most people aren't too keen on having to hold her. Rem is just whipcord muscle, despite giving the illusion she's soft and managable because of her height. 

➤ She has a nice party trick where she can manipulate the shape of her pupil. Usually, she has the normal circular shape to it, but when she wants to get a rise out of the new recuits she'll let them flicker and turn into feline-line slits. This also happens when she feels intense anger or stress and it happens without her consent. If she isn't consciously changing the shape herself, Rem cannot feel it. She has no idea they've changed and that's when Reno or Rude usually make a gesture to her eyes so she can calm down and regulate. When she does it herself, she can feel her eyes throb slightly but there is no pain-- it's like her eyes have a little heartbeat of their own. 

➤ When she gets around someone with jenova cells, the crimson of her eyes will slowly bleed out and the mako-blue will take over the iris. this happens when she also has her injections. When she's coming down from the high of her injections and the blue has faded, her eyes will slowly fill back up to red but they will seem to glow for several hours after the fact. It's only when her eyes become dull and lacking in that usual sparkle (aside from her obvious mood changes) do people know she's due for a little med-bay visit. 

➤ Her hair is thick and has a bit of a curly/wavy texture if she lets it dry naturally. If she applies heat to dry it, the locks become like silk and annoyingly straight. She does take very good care of her hair, considering it's one of the most noticeable things about her appearance (and rufus' second favourite feature about her). She likes the way people do a double-take when they first see her, the split second of fear they get they think they saw who they thought she was. Rem sleeps with a silk pillowcase, she does wrap her hair if she's gotten it done recently (like a blowout, trim, a treatment). She doesn't like keeping her hair up all the time because it can give her a headache, which sometimes leads to a migraine.

➤ She is extremely insecure about her geostigma. It's big and tender, much like a massive bruise. The injections seem to keep it in check with the pain, but there are nights when she writhes on her side because she cannot stand to have the mattress, sheets, or her sleeping clothes touch it. She thinks it's the only thing that's ugly on her body and half of the time she refuses to wear anything that would bring attention to it. However, Rufus often likes to put her in backless dresses and while it irritates the young Turk to know end, she comes to justify that he's trying to make her accept the fact that yes, it is a flaw, but it shouldn't hold her back. When she was being tortured and denied her injections, the bruise got darker and more active, her affected skin seeming to wriggle and writhe on its own. 

➤ In her youth, she was able to undergo recontouring. This changed the lateral incisor and canine shape into fangs: the lateral incisor is a little shorter in its fang point than the canine. Everything about Rem is a weapon and she justified the surgery by explaining that if they break her fingers, take her guns, her knives, and strip her of enhancements, she will still have a weapon on her.

➤ Rem has freckles that dust across her nose and cheekbones, a few on her shoulders and although she isn't sure where they come from, she does like them. In the summer, they are more pronounced than in the winter months. she also loves it when someone kisses them, but she'll deny it.

Tagged by: @poeticphoenix

Tagging:  you.

[rakuen9]

Yellowjackets season 2 spoilers. 

I have been seeing some comments about how unrealistic some of the elements of the show are and people aren’t buying some stuff and I want to adress a couple of them and I try to do it respectfully, but we’ll see how successul I am. 

I have to say that I don’t work in TV production but I have a few friends that do and I have been on sets and I have a personal interest in learning about how things are made, you know grain of salt but I kinda know what I am talking about. 

Take #1: That they don’t look emaciated enough and it’s not making you buy their starvation. 

The best way to get that look is for them to actually starve. And like, we know this is an insane thing to ask of someone. And before you come at me with Christian Bale or Adrien Brody or whomever has done it in the past, that was still a wild thing do to and it’s their right to transform as much as they want for a role, but like asking a lot of young actors to do that would be genuinely insane. So we’re gonna take that option off the table imediately. 

 And yes makeup exists but it does have it’s limits. It’s damn near impossible to be able to paint an optical illusion that will drastically change the shape of someone’s face to that extent and that also works in alll the lighting conditions and that also doesn’t cake the actors face to the point that it restricts their performance drastically. Also even if it were possible to do, it would take a long long time to do it and they would have to do it for everyone, every single day during the shoots, which would give them so little time to actually shoot stuff in a day. Like there is no way to sustain that sort of work in a way that you don’t mistreat your team. 

And before you say that VFX also exists, uhmm, imagine what I said but even worse. And here hilariously, I do have personal experience in the field, and I am able to do part of the process required for something like this because in truth you would need so many people working on something like this. So you would have to first take a mold the actors face (which in itself isn’t a very pleasant process, but it’s not a human rights violantion either and it’s something that is asked of actors fairly often) and you have to then scan that and clean it up and redo the details that the cleanup erased and and then retopo it and then bake it and then texture it and then animate it and then match the lighting in post. Is it doable? Sure. But will it be done perfectly so it’s looks real? Probably not. Again it’s one of those things that is not only extremely technically difficult near actually impossible, but also it would take take so much work and time and money like you would have to pay a team for years. So is it a viable thing to do? No. And is it a viable thing to do for a cast of over 10 people? Absolutely not.

 Now there is an upcoming very popular show that will face the same issue rather soon, but they only have to do it for 3 characters and like.. maybe one episode? two at the most? And I am really curious how they will adress that challenge because it is really really a hard one, like none of the options are good, there is no good option here to get that. 

And Take #2 is Nat’s dyed hair and her roots and stuff. And yes it is possible to actually dye your hair for that, or i dunno like wait for months until that happens naturally? But again not great options. And before you say wigs, those are really really expensive to be good and it’s again something that is very challenging to do, and a bad wig is even more distracting than the roots not being 100 % realistic.Also if you dye someone’s hair that often it’s really bad, and also if you wait for it to grow you have a mess in your scheduling because again it’s not possible to do that on a tv schedule. So again no good options here, and the solution they found is actually acceptable enough for most people. Which brings me to my latest point which is 

Sometimes you have to actively suspend your disbelief. I totally get that seeing those tiny cracks makes it harder to do, but clinging to them is not doing anyone any favors. And look I am not trying to say that some criticism isn’t valid or that you shouldn’t talk ill about the show that has been ticking my brain for weeks but like..  I feel like a lot of people sometimes forget that it’s a show? It’s really not reality. It was never meant to be. All forms of media or art have certain conventions, certain rules, certain strenghts. And I know it’s sort of weird to be on board with it 100 while also knowing it’s not real but.. that is kind of one of the unspoken rules of engaging with art that is exactly that. Just suspend your disbelief and watch closely and think about stuff and learn new things and just enjoy the ride?  And if those tiny details are preventing you from enjoying it, that’s fine you can just .. not engage with it anymore. Like the more you learn about how art is made the more amazed you are any of it gets made at all. So instead of focusing on small details that are almost impossible to do that they got wrong, why not focus on the almost impossible things they got right with this show? And yes you can be critical of stuff, it’s part of the process but.. Like the worst thing you can to for an art thing is to ignore it. To not give it any of your time and attention.

Anyways, thanks for reading all of this if you did, and I hope you find the sort of art you need when you needed and you enjoy the ride. 

Thanks for coming to my ted talk XD

[survey--s]

507.

Have you ever fallen in public? Yeah, more times than I care to remember lol. I’m always tripping over my own two feet at work.

What were some toys you enjoyed in your childhood? Sky Dancers, Polly Pockets, Beanie Babies

Do you have any plans in the upcoming weeks? Mostly just work - I have a week of overnights coming up which is great financially but I never sleep properly when I’m at someone else’s house.

Do you have any allergies? Nickel.

Do you know anyone named after each season? My friend’s dog is Autumn, lol but that’s it.

What's the last thing you had to write down? A note for a customer yesterday to say her dog hadn’t done a poo.

What was the last thing you cleaned? I washed the pet dishes up and then cleaned around the sink.

Have you ever had a concussion? Yes.

What do you think of TikTok? I don’t use it.

Do you prefer long or short sleeve tops? It depends on the weather.

Have you ever held a wild animal? Yeah, a frog we once found up the woods.

Do you enjoy playing Uno? I’ve only played it once or twice.

Do you tend to speed when you drive? Eh yeah, sometimes.

Do you smoke cigarettes? No.

Do you get obnoxious when you’re drunk? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t, to be quite honest. It’s why I don’t really drink anymore - drunk people aren’t fun to be around.

Name one thing you do that people always tell you about. Talk too much about animals lol.

Are you superstitious? No.

Do you get bored with relationships quickly? Not if they’re good relationships.

Can you sleep without blankets covering you? I can, but not well. Even in the height of summer, I like having a duvet over me.

Who do you wish you could hang out with right now? Nobody, I’m pretty content to just be chilling with the dog (who’s currently napping and cuddled up to my leg).

Name one thing you absolutely can not stand. People who pull out on you at junctions and then decide to drive well below the speed limit.

Pick one: Papa John’s, Domino's, or Pizza Hut. Papa John’s.

Who was the first person to ever give you flowers? A boy named William at school.

What is something you do for other people that shows you care for them? I look after them and do jobs etc. to help them out.

What was the last animal/pet that you met? Like, a new pet? I don’t know - it was probably Oakley - he’s a fox red labrador.

Is there anyone in your life with whom your opinion changes on frequently? No, not really.

Do you ever look up set lists for concerts? No.

Is there a certain song or band who reminds you of specific people? Sure, pretty much every song or band out there reminds me of someone.

Would you prefer to take a picture of yourself, or have someone else take it for you? As long as it’s a good photo, I don’t care who takes it lol.

How often do you style your hair differently from how you normally style it? I have like, three hairstyles that I switch between depending on my mood.

What was the last thing to really surprise you? I can’t remember.

Is there something in particular you always seem to forget? No.

Have you ever tried making something from one of those short cooking videos? How did it turn out? I don’t think I have. I always think the recipes look really good and then I generally never bother again lol.

Have you ever written a review for a product you bought online? Yeah, loads of times - I always try and leave reviews for independent businesses as I know how much difference it can make.

Do you ever interact with any brands/companies online? Yeah, a couple.

Is there anything you seem especially sensitive to, such as sounds, smells, etc? Yeah, I have sensory issues around texture, touch and certain smells.

What was the last board game you played? Monopoly is the only one we ever play.

Is anyone you work with currently on maternity leave or vacation? I’m self-employed and don’t have any employees or co-workers.

Favorite boy’s name? Zachary, Xavier, Alexander, Tobias.

Baked macaroni and cheese or regular? Definitely the baked stuff.

Name one of your friends’ children: Rosie.

What’s the middle name of your best friend? He doesn't have one.

How far away do you live from the closest aquarium? Uh, there are two within about an hour of here - I think the closest one is about half an hour away but it’s not very good.

Favorite girl's name? Sophia, Catelyn, Rosie, Alexa.

Are you in a relationship? If so, how long? Yeah, we’ve been together for seven years and married for almost five.

What food do you see the most of at baby showers? I’ve never been to a baby shower.

What’s the last show you really got into that you have to wait for the next season of? The Dog Academy or Clarkson’s Farm.

Have you ever worked in a grocery store? Yeah, for six years or so. It wasn’t actually the worst job in the world.

What’s the temperature range in your area? In winter it can get to below -15C, and in summer it can get up to +35C. I live by the mountains and the sea, so we get all the weather ranges lol.

Have you been around anyone that creeped you out? Yeah, for sure, especially a guy named Daniel who I met online. He was seriously creepy and bordering on obsessive with people. Ew.

Do you own a pair of Crocs? No - I can’t get over how hideous they are lol.

Does anyone in your family have a birthday in February? Uh, it’s not ringing a bell.

Have you ever lived in a trailer/doublewide? No, they’re not really a thing here.

Did you ever participate in any pageants when you were younger? I won a cute toddler contest once lol.

Which would you rather have, twins or triplets? Twins.

Snakes or spiders? Snakes.

Who/what makes you feel safe? My husband, my family, my animals, being at home.

What’s something you want, but feel like you will never have? Uhh, enough money to own my own horses.

Have you ever gone through a bad breakup? Of course.

Do you believe in Jesus? I mean, I believe a person named Jesus existed and that that person was crucified, but I don’t believe he was the son of God or anything like that.

Are you hard of hearing? Not really.

How many bones have you broken in your life? I’ve fractured my skull three times.

Have you ever had vertigo? No, my mum gets it though and it’s really horrible for her.

Has your house ever been robbed? No, but not long after I moved out, my parents’ house got broken into while they were sleeping upstairs and it freaked me out for weeks lol.

If you have a partner, do you have a song? Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden.

Have you or would you ever hold a snake? Yeah, I’ve done that at the zoo before. Snakes are pretty cool but I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near the venomous ones lol. I watched a programme once about a man who tried to make himself immune to snake venom by injecting himself with it and then allowing his body to heal itself...NOPE NOPE NOPE lol.

[localmacguffin]

Dress-up Game/VN (?) Concept

A dress-up game, but fused with a visual novel.

I'm pretty sure something like this already exists but I'm unaware of it, so if anyone has any recs please let me know!

I was thinking of something fantasy-like, where fashion=political statements (yes I know fashion can inherently be political, but in a more literal sense). For example, if you choose to make the queen's hair short, you can't suddenly give her long hair styles - and what do you do with the missing hair? Is it symbolic of going to war? How does this influence the route - give you a good end or a bad end?

Colors/patterns could also play into this - if you wear a certain pattern, you're expressing support for X faction. Does this give you in advantage in negotiations? Likewise, this gives you the opportunity for world-building: what does the color blue mean in X character's culture?

[As an aside, how would this work for people with visual impairment?]

Also If it's a romance, could the texture of your character's clothes play a role during clandestine meanings? If your character is trying to get intimate with someone who hates the texture of their clothes, could this change the ending of their route? Not to mention, how would colorblindness affect interactions if color is highly symbolic?

To take this a step further - in a world where fashion is so integral to society, what are fashion designers/cloth makers/textile industry workers' roles?

If magic/combat is a major factor, would this impact the dress up game in any way? For example, I had an idea where a person wore clothing made of water to easily manipulate it in case of attacks. If for some reason there was an enemy with ice powers, would this affect combat? Or if you make the correct choices, would you still be able to win?

Just some things to think about.