#one day ill remember to design dragons

[lairofdragonagelore]

Patterns and Styles: Avvar/Alamarri

Avvar/Alamarri design is quite rustic, stone-based, and sometimes it's hard to differentiate one from another considering their cultural history: the Avvar are a branch of the Alamarri that moved towards the Mountains. Alamarri as well as Avvar and Chasind have a long story of inter-racial mix with the dwarves of Orzammar, which is clear in their art: heavily based on stone and with some imagery of dwarves.

However, it is important to remember that Avvar in particular may have had also relationships with the Elvhenan, as Tyrdda's lover was an elven woman. Their tradition with mages and their treatment of the spirits also resembles their influence from the elvhenan culture. This strange mix is then reflected in the art.

This series of posts are not exhaustive since I’ve developed a very detailed list of tags tracking certain features of a given design. These posts merely try to gather in one place the symbols and elements I used most of the time when identifying buildings in my analysis of DAI.

[This post is part of the series “Patterns and Styles ”] [Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

Patterns

When it comes to patterns, the only one that I can assume is alamarri it's an intricated rhomboid pattern [celtic-like] that we can find in some columns of arches that are spread all over Ferelden. It's not clear for me that this pattern was later imported by the Avvar. However, it's interesting to highlight the resemblance to the elvhenan walls in temples such as in Mythal's Temple [see Patterns and Styles: Elvhenan] which also seems to be related to the pattern found in the pants that Dalish wear, and ironically, Qunari too.

Statues and decorations

1 - Keepers of Fear and their variations

Part of the reason I consider these statues as Keepers of Fear is that they represent similar imagery; they share the style and some characteristics, and are related to the codex The Keepers of Fear. They display the despair and fear that the Alamarri felt when the Blight came from the north. They tend to be elongated humanoids, usually with pointy teeth, without a nose, and screaming/cowering body language.

They also appear close to one another, in groups, in Kenric’s study room in the DLC Jaws of Hakkon [ Frostback Basin [DLC]: Miscellaneous ] implying similar origin for study. They also decorate the paths that head to the Avvar Hold in the DLC, and inside the hold itself.

In the Fade, we find the codex The Keepers of Fear on one of these statues, where we learn that the Alamarri/Avvar used them to scream inside them during the time of the Blight, thinking the darkspawn were spirits. As we know thanks to the DLC Jaws of Hakkon, the Avvar [and by extension most likely the Alamarri and the Chasind] would feed the spirits to keep them close [spirits] or away [demons] from their communities.

1A - Screaming Keeper [Alamarri/Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Crestwood, in a place a bit isolated closed to a destroyed Andraste statue,

In Fallow Mire: Granite Point [not original from this place],

In Frostback Basin [DLC]: Stone-Bear Hold Avvars : Everywhere, specially along the paths.

In Hinterlands: Minor places, in several places and caves.

In Hinterlands: Redcliffe ��� Future, along the corridors of the fortress as the Fade and the Waking World get merged.

In the Fade Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, in many places, since this part of the Fade we visit is close to the lair of a Nightmare Demon who feeds upon the Fear and Despair. At some point one of these statues triggers the codex The Keepers of Fear.

The Fade of Flemeth: Part 1, Part 2, as decoration of an avvar/alamarri corridor.

Brief description: This statue is elongated. It has long arms, and its hands are grabbing the face, distorted in fear as it screams. It has no nose. There are some strange appendages falling down and making an extension of its chin [thick beard?]. We can see the ribs very easily, suggesting illness or hunger. It also has elongated legs, one of them crossing over the hip that conveys an impression of more terror and fear.

These Keepers appear quite regularly in all places over Ferelden and the Frostback Mountains. They are inserted in the landscape or along paths, and we can see they are a good reflection of what the codex The Keepers of Fear says: They are part of the Avvar/Alamarri "superstition”: They thought the Darkspawns were bad spirits that fed on fear, so they crafted these statues to feed them far away from their communities, to keep them satisfied and away from them. However, when this did not work [since the darkspawn are not spirits], the Alamarri/Avvar used these statues to scream inside them and pour all their fear into them, “burn” it in order to get rid of it, and go to battle against the darkspawn no matter their gender or age.

In the Frostback Basin [DLC], we can find these statues flanking the path to the Avvar Hold or inside it. In the Fade it makes sense for them to appear where the Lair of the demon Nightmare lives: he has been feeding upon these fears for centuries.

1B - Screaming heads [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Frostback Basin [DLC]: Miscellaneous: everywhere

In Hinterlands: Statues, paintings, and structures found in the open , Wolf Hollow, Tyrdda Bright-Axe Path [as a part of the stanza], and Minor places

In Hinterlands: Redcliffe - Future, as the Waking World and the Fade merge one another.

In Therinfal Redoubt [in the part of the Fade]

In the Fade Part 1, Part 3, in many places. This part of the Fade we visit is close to the lair of a Nightmare Demon who feeds on Fear and Despair, so it makes sense we see so many of these Keepers.

The Fade of Flemeth: Part 1, as decoration of an avvar/alamarri corridor.

Brief description: This statue is an isolated head with two faces [front and back display different shapes], I can see humanoid faces in them: one as a screaming melted human without nose [which can also be considered the face of a Terror demon or a ghoul], and the other one as a screaming boar of pointy teeth, which inside its mouth there is another screaming face. Everything is too deformed to be precise.

The game efficiently combines these heads in ways that seem to create new different horror statues by clipping them.

We find these faces all over Ferelden and the Frostback Mountains, specially in Avvar/Alamarri territory.

1C - Sitting screaming humanoid [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Frostback Basin [DLC]: Stone-Bear Hold Avvars : specially in small cliffs into the sea, where the Avvar can be seen fishing. It can also be found aside a path inside the Avvar Hold.

In the Hinterlands: The Unknown Ruin [Mihris] clipped with a skull.

In the The Fade of Flemeth: Part 2, clipped with a skull.

In Hissing Wastes: scattered objects and ruins, inside a crevice where a Fereldan vendor has been placed, but we only find their mabari and several objects of Ferelden iconography.

Brief description: This statue is elongated and shares many characteristics present in 1A and 1B. It shows long arms, hands covering the eyes, screaming out of fear as it cowers. It's sitting inside a basket. It has no nose and its teeth are pointy. We can see the ribs very easily, suggesting hunger or illness.

During the DLC Frostback Basin [DLC]: Stone-Bear Hold Avvars, Dorian will point out this is an Avvar statue, which makes sense considering we are in an avvar hold.

1D - Sitting screaming humanoid with hands inside the mouth [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Razikale’s Reach, as part of the stratification of the Temple when it was taken by the Avvar-Hakkonite and rejected the Tevinters that had been installed around the time of the first Blight.

Inside Skyhold if you pick the Avvar decoration.

Brief description: This statue is elongated and shares many characteristics present in 1A, 1C, 1E and 2. It displays long arms, but no hands. It’s not clear if the hands are inside the mouth or means they were eaten [I favour this second option since these statues tend to be scrawny, conveying the idea of famine, another very common fear among the Avvar, specially during the Blight times]. It has no nose and its teeth are pointy. Its legs are protruding from over the shoulders, giving the sense that this figure is sitting and cowering. We can see a bit of its ribs in between the arms. The position is similar to 1C and 2.

1E - Sitting screaming deepstalker humanoid [Likely Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Hinterlands: The Unknown Ruin [Mihris] , at the sides of another Avvar/Alamarri statue [1C] clipped with a skull.

In the Fade Part 2 and Part 3, It is a zone where we find a Tevinter sacrificial altar.

In the Fade of Flemeth: Part 1, this statue is beside a sacrificial altar again.

In The Fade of Flemeth: Part 2, it appears at the end, where we find Flemeth. They are positioned as to form a frame for the statue that was stabbed in the back and bleeds.

Brief description: These statues share some similarities with 1A, 1C and 1D: they show long arms, with hands grabbing the sides of the face as it screams. It has no nose nor eyes. We can see the ribs very easily, giving a sense of skeleton [extreme famine?]. What makes this statue particular is the strange mouth, closer in shape to a deepstalker’s mouth. It’s not clear if the figure is sitting, since it has no legs. Its base has the outline of a figure that reinforces the idea of screaming in terror and rising its arms. This figure has a shape that also resembles a terror demon.

In some places in the Fade, the head of this statue is burning, making clear suggestion to the codex of the Keepers of Fear, in particular to the part where they burn their screams of fear to find courage to fight [and die] against the darkspwan.

Rarely appears alone [it’s usually presented in pairs], and when it does, bones and bodies are shown below it, relating it to sacrifices and death. Most likely the concept of sacrifice comes from the part of the codex where once the fears are burnt, the alamarri went to fight a hopeless battle.

What’s interesting of this statue is that it’s a central piece of decoration in the Lair of the Nightmare Demon, in the Fade [check Part 4]. There, we see four of these statues, vomiting blood. Around this spilled blood, some bits of red lyrium can be found. This construction may be entirely done for shock value, since it’s a reuse of several assets assembled in a way that inspire terror and fear just in the moment where the Inquisitor faces the Nightmare demon.

2 - Eroded dragon skull and variations [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Swamp Kulsdotten, in the Frostback basin

In Hinterlands: Statues, paintings, and structures found in the open , Wolf Hollow , and Redcliffe – Future.

In the Therinfal Redoubt [As part of the decoration of the fortress’ main room]

In the The Fade of Flemeth: Part 1 as well as the common Raw Fade.

In Hinterlands: The Unknown Ruin [Mihris], as the base of the main, central figure, which is 1C with a clipped skull.

Brief description: I personally call it "Eroded dragon skull", because I have no other way to call it to tag it in the blog. I see a kind of dragon skull with horns that go backwards and then forward, but it also looks like a statue of a humanoid, with elongated legs that protrude from the sides of the skull. Like in the previous statues, it has no nose and seems to have pointy teeth at the end of the “snout”. All the details are blurred for what it looks like erosion.

On its back, this statue has a G symbol which doesn’t present the same level of erosion than the front. I only found a remotely similar symbol in the elven artefact. It’s a strange symbol, dwarven-like even for an “elven” artefact [looks like a squarish swirl]. In fact, that symbol can be found in dwarven objects [specially tapestry and rugs]. Once more, it’s only what I’ve observed, I don’t think we have any evidence to even speculate on this. It looks quite on purpose, though.  A whole eroded statue with a clear G on its back is a choice in terms of design.

If we compare this statue with similar ones found in  Avvar/Alamarri-related places the common characteristics show up:

It has long limbs, open mouth, and pointy teeth, without a nose. Through these similarities it seems reasonable to relate it with the Avvar culture.

3 - Tyrdda statue [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Hinterlands: Tyrdda Bright-Axe Path

and in Hinterlands: inside the Grand Forest Villa.

Tyrdda Bright-Axe was a legendary Alamarri chieftain who is considered the founder of the Avvar.

Brief description: The statue is simple, with a woman holding a sword [which is strange considering the Avvar always knew she was a mage and was holding a staff]. It has limbs a bit elongated and her ribs can be seen.

4 - Lady of the Sky [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In the Skyhold [Stone-Bear Hold Avvars ] when you pick Avvar Decoration

Brief description: This satue is an owl, representation of the Lady of the Skies. I find interesting in her design the ring around her head: small little spikes that may be related or may have inspired artistically other symbols in the game: the thorns that we have seen many times in vines, which have elven influence [after all, the Avvar have a strong elven influence in their culture if we consider the tale of  Tyrdda Bright-Axe Path as more or less reliable with respect to her lover of leaf-like ears],  or could be an inspiration of a sun. The symbolism of the Lady of the sky with the sun is also shown in her painted representation, as I talked about in the post Dragon Age Iconic Patterns: The Sun.

5 - Korth [Avvar]

Where it can be found:

Stone-Bear Hold Avvars , close to the entrance of the hold,

or in Skyhold when you pick Avvar decoration.

Brief description: This statue shares the similar position of 1C, 1D, and 2, but instead of being a squat position due to fear, in Korth’s case it’s because the weight of the stone. Korth is the Mountain-Father, so this representation shows he is supporting it. His face, so filled with beard, and his body, short and thick, seems to recall dwarven nature, which could exists since the dwarf influence in the Avvar is present in their tales [Trydda had a child with a dwarven prince]. Curiously, it has horns [that can be part of a potential helm he is wearing?]. He is snarling as he endures the weight of the mountain/Stone.

6 - Dwarf with long limbs [Likely Alamarri/Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Crestwood: surface , Crestwood: Flooded Caves , at the entrance of the drowned village,

In the Stone-Bear Hold Avvars, in the main throne room

In Hinterlands: Statues, paintings, and structures found in the open , Wolf Hollow, and Tyrdda Bright-Axe Path showing the path to some of the statues that trigger Tyrdda’s story.

In an unknown place called the Forgotten Tower, where the presence of this statue seems to reinforce the idea that this place was inhabited by an avvar, as it shows the codex triggered in this place: Old Codex: Mouldy Journal.

Brief description: This statue shares the characteristic of having elongated arms crossed over the chest in similar fashion as some Fereldan drawings seem to have [see Nation Art: Ferelden]. It displays a short man with hair, long beard, and a long, curvy moustache. The back and the front are the same image.

This statue is one of the most reused all over Ferelden, specially in regions where the Avvar-Alamarri presence was strong in the past. I think they represent the dwarves, which makes sense if we read the tale of Tyrdda: Avvar’s chieftains descend from humans and dwarves.

A weak pattern may suggest them as “pointers” or “guides”.  Sometimes they are placed in pairs creating a path towards a place of importance [see Tyrdda Bright-Axe Path]. Sometimes, as pointers of graves or special places.

7- Monolith with swirls [Likely Alamarri]

Where it can be found:

In Hinterlands: Statues, paintings, and structures found in the open , Wolf Hollow, Tyrdda Bright-Axe Path

In the Forgotten Tower , where the presence of this statue seems to reinforce the idea that this place was inhabited by an avvar, as it shows the codex triggered in this place: Old Codex: Mouldy Journal.

Brief description: I’m not sure if it’s a mabari or a horse. The Avvar are not fond of the mabari, since they are a tamed animal; however, they seem to use an “avvar horse” that looks like a zebra, and it is a bit wild. On the other hand, I also suspect that this statue may be Chasind, simply because in DAO we saw similar monoliths with line patterns on them in the Kocari Wilds [Check Ostagar post or The Blackmarsh and the High Dragon for details]. Unfortunately, these monoliths have no codex associated with them and there is little to speculate about.

8 - Monolith with ropes [Likely Alamarri]

Where it can be found:

In Hinterlands: and Crestwood, but in general all over Ferelden.

In the Frostback Basin and inside the Stone-Bear Hold.

There is no much to say about this element. It appears everywhere, more as a decoration or a support for other statues.

9 - Table of Wolves [Confusing. Likely Ferelden]

Where it can be found:

In Crestwood: surface and Hinterlands: Statues, paintings, and structures found in the open

Brief description: a metallic dark table decorated with spiky wolves. The wolves have a strong resemblance to the ones that were painted by Solas in his mural “Inquisition Formation” [Read “The actions of the Inquisitor”]. It seems related to the mabaris/wolves presented in 10A, which tend to appear in Ferelden-based enviroments. It seems to be Ferelden but it could also be inherited through the Alamarri culture. What always caught my attention was the material: unlike the rest of the Alamarri/Avvar statues, it’s not made of stone but dark metal, a Tevinter-origin characteristic.

10 - Mabaris

Mabaris are depicted all over Ferelden without much surprise; Ferelden has a culture deeply entangled with them. However, sometimes the hound silhouette seems to be confused with that one of the wolf and it’s hard to distinguish one from another. We know due to the legends [unreliable sources but decent enough for this level of understanding] that the Alamarri had their dogs. The potential Alamarri origin of the The Ash Warriors [who fight with their mabaris beside them] seem to support those [unreliable] legends. However, the Avvar are not fond of tamed animals, and prefer wild ones that can be befriended, hence why a wolf is more suitable for them. Considering this detail, it’s natural to understand the following statues as somewhat in between the lines of the Culture of the Alamarri, the Avvar, and the Ferelden [maybe even Chasind too?]. The blurred difference between mabari and wolf translates into the difficulty of deciding to which culture these statues belong to.

10A - Pointy Mabaris [Likely Ferelden]

Where it can be found:

In some places in Crestwood: surface

In Therinfal Redoubt as part of the decoration of the Fortress’ main room.

In Frostback Mountains: Haven, as part of the decoration.

Brief description: The look too similar to the wolves drawn by Solas in his mural “Inquisition Formation” [Read “The actions of the Inquisitor”].

10B - Mabaris with lines [Likely Alamarri/Avvar]

Where it can be found:

In Fallow Mire: Granite Point , it is not original from this place, but since it’s kept beside other Avvar statues it may imply same origin too.

In Hinterlands: Wolf Hollow, again found with other Avvar statues.

In Therinfal Redoubt as decoration

Brief description: It is almost a monolith, similar to the ones we find in the Kocari Wilds in DAO [ read Ostagar post or The Blackmarsh and the High Dragon for details] and to 7 but with less curvy lines and more angular ones.

In the Fade Part 3, one of the heads of 1B has this statue sprouting from its mouth, which offers the codex A Plea from the Warrior to the Spirits. It seems to be written by an avvar/alamarri or a descendant of them, for example a Ferelden person who remembers the “old ways”. It speaks about how the wolves had been allies to the humans once, but the softening of the human, the replacement of the hunt as a survival means for an agricultural lifestyle, changed this relationship, replacing the wolf and the hunt, by a hound and a sedentary life. There is a reinforcement of the concept of the wolf as a symbol of freedom and rebellion, as a creature who doesn’t simply obey, like a hound does. Then, the Darkspawn came, putting at risk this comfortable sedentary life, showing how little power hounds have.  “Kill the hound in my heart […] in its place, give me the wolf”. The wolf is representation of power, bravery, and freedom, as the mabari represents obedience and loyalty.

10C - Beheaded female Mabari [Likely Ferelden]

Where it can be found:

In Hinterlands: Minor places, specially in a cave where we see several Avvar statues and some Tevinter ones.

In the Forgotten Tower, where the presence of Avvar statues combined with the codex of this place: Old Codex: Mouldy Journal seem to reinforce the idea that this tower was inhabited by an Avvar who was rescued by an Elvhenan.

Brief description: It depicts a female mabari which has been feeding puppies [flaccid mammals]. On her back there is a spiky pattern that could be related to the spiky style of the wolves in 9 or 10A. What it’s disturbing is her head, which is barely kept in place because it’s attached with strips that have written runes on them. Inside the space between her head and body, there is usually fire [Waking World] or meat [Fade].

10D - Spiked Mabari [Likely Ferelden]

Where it can be found:

Mostly in Hinterlands: Statues, paintings, and structures found in the open

And in the Seeker fortress during Cassandra’s personal quest.

Brief description: These are mabari-totem figures in styles that can be Ferelden most likely, but seem to be inspired in Alamarri/Avvar ones since they have some similarities in style to 10B and 10C. There are no codex associated with them.

11 - Additional elements:

There is an Avvar table used in Stone-Bear Hold Avvars , that was also used to erect the hero of Ferelden’s monument in Hinterlands: Redcliffe - Present , so we can suspect avvar-alamarri-ferelden origin of it.

In Skyhold, when we activate the Avvar decoration, we find a unique statue that is not seen anywhere else: it looks like a tree branch-hand holding a bowl.  It gives me the impression of a sylvanian hand. 

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Changing of the Guard, Part 2

WoW Birthday Whump Day 13: Natural disaster / Shock collar / "Shut up!"

Prompt List

first part

TW: imprisoned, electrocution, earthquake

Context: It has been several weeks since Henry has been appointed as Dragon Keeper. Arcturus has come to value their friendship. But the magic designed to keep Arcturus imprisoned might be stronger than Henry had anticipated.

-----

It wasn’t the distant rumbling that signaled to Arcturus that something was off. He was used to inexplicable phenomena in a world where wizards could conjure storms and create fire with nothing but a source to draw from. Earthquakes were uncommon in the valley, sure, but not unheard of.

It was when Henry arrived hours before he was supposed to.

During the weeks since his appointment as Dragon Keeper, Arcturus had gotten to know Henry quite well. More than he had any of his previous Keepers. And the boy had not raised his hand against Arcturus. Not once.

He had a good heart.

Surprising, given the upbringing Arcturus had come to expect of the Order. But such was the passage of time for humans. Death came knocking, and new generations replaced the old, removed from the reasons for their ideologies. And so cultures change. Such a thing was obvious to someone with a longer lifespan, such as Arcturus. But anyone who’s studied history can come to the same conclusion. 

From what Henry had told him during their visits, it was pure luck which resulted in his appointment. He was one of many apprenticed wizards, never even set his sights on Dragon Keeper. But when Lars fell ill, the Order drew lots among the apprentices. It was clear by their actions they did not understand what sort of person was expected to be a Dragon Keeper.

In a way, Arcturus pitied Henry as much as Henry seemed to pity Arcturus. The boy was a black swan among his predecessors. It was only a matter of time before one of the more rigid members noticed his milder disposition. 

So the first thing on Arcturus’ mind when Henry entered the cavern, long before the day had elapsed, was that the Order had discovered what was happening.

“What are you doing here?” Arcturus asked softly.

The boy hesitated, the golden light floating above his hand flickering briefly before stabilizing. He’d gotten better at keeping his magic from reacting to his emotions under Arcturus’ guidance, but he still had far to go. “An earthquake has struck the valley,” he said, “I was sent to make sure you haven’t caused it.”

Arcturus snorted, wisps of smoke puffing from his nostrils. “These chains greatly hamper my magic. I might be able to shake my cavern, but not the entire valley to such magnitude. You know this. Why are you really here?”

Henry was silent for a long time. Far away, deep in the valley, the earthquake continued. The vibrations reaching Arcturus’ prison were pitiful, but it must truly be devastating if he could sense it even at this distance.

“I’ve decided,” the boy finally said, his light brightening, “that we are leaving.”

Arcturus blinked in surprise. “Leaving? We?!” It had been a long, long time since he’d been rendered nearly speechless from shock.

“Yes,” was Henry's response before he crossed the cavern, purpose in his stride. Arcturus watched him carefully. Was this some sort of trick? As the thought crossed his mind, Henry reached Arcturus and put his hands on the chains. He murmured the words to a disintegration spell, one Arcturus hadn’t heard in many, many years.

As the chain crumbled into dust, it glowed with electricity, a last-ditch effort in case of escape. The pain that followed was like a thousand sharp needles digging underneath Arcturus’ scales, burning across his body like wildfire. His muscles spasmed, and he could only watch as Henry crumpled to the floor, shaking and thrashing, the scent of burning flesh heavy in the air.

The shock passed as soon as it had begun, and Arcturus lay limp, focusing on his breathing and trying to remember the spells for healing. The chains were designed specifically for him, they would have released enough electricity to incapacitate him.

The boy had taken most of the bolt upon himself. He wouldn’t survive without intervention. 

And Arcturus would rather spend an eternity imprisoned than do nothing for the first human he ever considered a friend. The words of a healing spell fell from his lips as he struggled to get off the ground. The magic flowed around Henry, mending the damaged skin of his hands and sinking into his body. His muscles relaxed, and his breathing eased as the magic put him into a healing sleep. When he awoke, his memory would be the only thing remaining of the injury.

Arcturus didn’t dare do the same for himself. With Henry now incapacitated, it was up to him to get them both out. He gently picked up the boy in one of his claws and, for the first time in decades, walked along the tunnel to the outside world.

It was snowing, the tiny frozen droplets cold against his scales. Far below, the grove in the valley shook, still affected by the earthquake. Arcturus breathed the freezing air in for several moments before setting his sights south and spreading his wings to their full span.

How good it felt to finally stretch them out after all these years! He doubted he would get very far on them, weak as they were, but it would be far enough. The Order would never find them again.

“Don’t worry, Henry,” he said softly to the sleeping boy, “we’re going home.”

@fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds

[zkoh001]

All the ninjago kiddos! That I remembered, lol.

Also I'm not sure if Echo counts, but this is my art soooo... He does now

Fun fact, way before Dragons rising was an idea, I had a little theory/AU thingie, where the ninja got sent to another realm, where time passed differently. (How funny, it was way before SotFS...) So basically these kids formed a replacement ninja team to fight the evils treathening ninjago, discovering they themselves are elemental masters. And that's been in my brain, slowly adding all the new kiddos to it. Might make some art, and a post about that too, because I would love to draw them.

Here's my spitballing on these dummies and their designs.

The Darkleys kids!

The little shits. They would be the ones to have kidnapping as their first resolve.

- I kinda didn't know Sally existed, but I liked all the art, so she does now. Also, she loves pink, I love pink, we all love pink

- Brad is definitely the muscle of the group, with a big heart, but not the greatest mind. Also, he has a babyface, that's very hard to make look evil.

- His design kinda grew on me with time, but it still feels a bit lacking...

- There's this theory that Gene is Skylor's brother, and Chen's son, that I kinda absorbed into my brain and ran with it so yeah.

-Also, the hand thingie is not a glove, it helps hold his hand together after a nasty injury :)

- The bowlcut was uniform at Darkleys, but Gene was such a nightmare they just gave up with him.

- They have matching pins and earpieces. Cause of course they do. Also, dumbo boots uniform.

The Paperkids!

Antonia and Nelson are a given, and I just kinda added Unagami on there, since he waved at them once. Also, I think it would be cute if they were friends.

- I know he doesn't anymore, canonically, but I like to think he still wears his purple gi under the jumper. Who knows when someone will need the purple ninja?

- He has a scar from the injury he had when he met with the ninja. Also, am I the only one who tought something much worse was going on than a broken leg? Obviously a kid show can't have a terminally ill kid, but fsm that's still how I remembered it.

- Antonia! I loved drawing her hair. Also kinda like her badass big sis vibes.

- She has her hands out to make sure the two kids, but mainly Nelson, don't go missing somehow (happens more often than you think)

- Even if he can shapeshift, I like to tjink Unagami keeps his line-marks in whatever forms, since it's apart of his skin. He can hide them, but it takes effort, so he just doesn't bother.

- He can change his form generally, but you could still tell it's him by the lines, eyes, and hair

- He has a little nick in his eyebrow, and so does (did i guess) Jay. I just think that's a cute detail

The Forgotten ones...

Just called that cause I had to add them on a separate canvas after forgetting them. I forgot Skales Jr, shame on me, I tought Jake and Nelson were one character, and I was still debating Echo. But here they are!

- It was surprisingly not that hard to draw him, even tho I was very scared

- Since he has white on him, I was trying (and failing miserably) to replicate those partially albino reptiles. Also added some pink scales, since he is also Selma's son, who's pink.

- I don't know to this day why Echo was introduced only to be left behind.... Nevertheless he's a sweetheart

- I guess if you count Mr.E, but then he would be dead... Unless the kids fix him (lightbulb moment)

- Also, ahy is his head weirdly tiny? How did that happen?

- Jake. Goddamnit, how were you the hardest to draw? Somehow I couldn't get the head right...

- The giant pants is an idea that lived in my head. I like yo think he would be able to fix ancient artifacts with hairties, ductape, and sheer force of will.

- He might have a bowlcut, but cmon, are you telling me he wouldn't at least try to replicate whatever the hell Kai's hair was in the beginning?

I guess that's it folks, lemme know if any of you are interested in my weird Ninja kids au thingie!

[thorfishcrusher]

first httyd rant of many!!! yahoo!!!

this is kinda just me nonsensically talking about the alphabet(s) used in httyd because theyre kind of inconsistent?? to put it simply

insert menacing dot dot dot here

googling "httyd alphabet" lowkey made me sob cuz there were so many different variations of the symbols they used, from somewhat official sources to definitely not official ones.

they all do share elements from the futhark runic alphabet used during, or around the time period viking were in their golden age. more or less; i honestly dont know too much about runes so i apologize in advance for anything im wrong about

runes used in that time period weren't very specific, they were designed to easily carve into the materials they were using and mostly relied on just sounding things out. like lets bring that back that sounds WAY easier than learning 20 different variations of spelling the same word

younger futhark(which was more popular during the viking age,) for example, only had 16 characters, in contrast to the 24 characters in the modern english alphabet. more often than not, translated runes are littered with spelling mistakes.

that doesn't mean the vikings weren't less intelligent than people today, spelling and writing just wasn't a necessity as it commonly is in current times.

but anyway, the alphabet systems used in the books, movies, and tv shows can be directly translated into modern english, long as you ignore all the stupid ass inconsistencies (this is directed at the films, not the books)

both the movies and tv shows have similarities to futhark runes, though the movies appear to be inspired by anglo saxon runes, and the tv shows do have similar characters used in elder futhark. neither can be 100% translated to any sort of alphabetical system used at the time, and i believe berk has developed their own writing system over the centuries.

in the movies (at least from what i know) the way words were spelt were influenced on how they were sounded out, while the tv shows were slightly more correct for the future day standards. so congratulations, you can most likely spell better than hiccup in the movies. the punctuation system isn't really clear, and in futhark variations words were primarily just separated by dots. though, according to that one episode in rtte that i totally remember completely watching where snotlout shat on his dads grammar, i imagine people in berk have a more complex grammar system.

on top of that, quite a lot of people in berk seem to have the ability to read and write, more than the average viking tribes of the time. id like to assume they put more emphasis on learning to read efficiently because of the dragon book. information regarding dragons was important, and so id imagine being able to to proficiently record said information was important, too. thus the berkians (and perhaps surrounding tribes, outcasts, etc) adapted to better suit their priorities

ummm yeah idk thats kinda it

i say as if i havent put more thought and time into this dopey ass fictional thing than i have with actual beneficiary stuff

tl, dr; did you seriously scroll all this way to see if there was a summary? youll be disappointed because i am the master yapper and i am unable to be quick with my words

but basically just me talking abt the differentiating runes used in httyd, and how they connect to real world languages at the time, wnd um er um yo MOTHER

ive literally had this account for a day and ive written a 10 paragraph essay on silly little symbols

ill probably be using rtte's alphabet cuz it seems relatively easy for my little pea brain

[curdled-blood]

For the HTTYD ask thing! Gimme 1, 4, 5, 13, and 15 I’m curious what you got about those ones! 👀

BEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTT

1. I'd say I was like... 6-7 first time I watched httyd 1. I remember watching it for the first time in my room. It think my mom got it for me cuz she probably thought it was cute and I would like it (I did)

4. Ok. I have a couple of favorites. When I was young, I thought the triple strike was pretty dope but I think my current favorites are death song and light fury. Death song is just really pleasing to look at and a really cool concept !!!! Attracting and luring dragons in just to spit amber on them and eat them?? DOPE AS FUCK. I love the night fury so fucking much I'm sick of people hating on it. I think she's super pretty and her sounds r so cute !!!!!!!!!!! I also think my theory about her species is dope. In the third movie, Grimmel says "NIGHT furies can't survive the cold" so what if she's a subspecies that evolved to survive the cold?????? 😈😈😈

5. Herm..... Probably Monsterous Nightmares to be fucking honest LMFAO. They're silly, sassy, a little stupid, and super cool. There's this reoccurring bit I noticed with them were they accidentally set something on fire, get nervous, try and put out the fire by blowing on it, FORGETTING THEY BREATHE FIRE, AND MAKE THE FIRE WORSE 😭😭😭

13. I'm ngl... Astrid. Her design for like...EVERYTHING SHES IN I'm always like "woaw her design is so good......woag....." I also think Viggo is super cool looking, especially when half his face gets burn off 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

15. Uhmmm probably Stoik. Like his whole character development and arc is so. Like. I genuinely think about it almost every day and. Lghahfhj2hdj. Haj4ufus. He makes me ill. He. It's so sad. It's so. It's. I'm.i. images.soiinca. I can't even perform proper words man I can't.

[marioandsonicfangirl793-art]

Here's another one-- the former rulers of Sarasaland, Princess Daisy's parents! Daisy's mother is named Queen Flora, and Daisy's father is named King Jameston.

I used the style of Classic Daisy for Flora, inspired by my friend @dragon-fly34 for the idea, and the style for Jameston is related to her Gacha design of it, I believe. Some time I have to work on Mario and Luigi's family, but go on with drawing their parents, I guess...? Only if college doesn't get in my way.

HEADCANONS:

Jameston is the prince of Sarasaland in the past years since his parents were ancient rulers despite being fighters to the ancient leaders of Tatanga’s species. (It’s quite my idea, but the idea for it goes to @dragon-fly34.)

He met a female human who came from an another world and it is Flora.

Jameston was interested in Flora and he looks forward to have her be his queen one day.

Jameston’s parents passed away after a week he and Flora got married.

After their marriage, Jameston became king and Flora became queen of Sarasaland.

Since their daughter Princess Daisy was born, Jameston and Flora got in a war with Tatanga’s past family and their army.

After the war was over, Jameston never made it and he was killed during the war, but forever to be remembered and known as the Royal heroes of Sarasaland. Flora was very heartbroken and their daughter was left under her care.

A few years after the death of Jameston, Flora has continued her life as a single parent with their daughter. She trains Daisy to be queen of Sarasaland one day. Flora even told Daisy about her father and the past of how he and Flora met before they had Daisy.

When Daisy was 5 years old, Flora was sick and she has caught an illness and she made a promise to her daughter to never give up on her dreams and keep Sarasaland safe.

One day, Flora died after the illness got the best of her. Daisy was now left under the care of the Royal Sarasaland army leader.

I hope you like it! ✨

⚜️❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷💖💝⚜️

Art/OC’s ©️ Me.

⚠️ Please don’t use/steal/trace/copy my art without my written permission.

[marvelousmop]

Ranking the Songs of Jack the Giant Killer (1962)

Jack the Giant Killer isn't a musical... or at least it shouldn't be. If you haven't heard of it (and I'd assume you haven't), it's one of those fantasy adventure movies with lots of stop-motion puppets like "Jason and the Argonauts" and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad"... unfortunately, Columbia Pictures saw this similarity and weren't too pleased, threatening to sue the filmmakers.

Their solution to avoid getting sued? Make it a Musical!

No new footage was filmed and boy can you tell. If you saw the musical version without knowing the history, you could probably guess that some of these songs were added in post.

Fortunately, nowadays you can see the non-musical version quite easily (in fact it's up on some of those movie youtube channels and freebie streaming services - it's an alright adventure flick with really good set design and some interesting visuals), but I'm not interested in that. I wanted to see the musical. So I did, and now I just want to talk about the songs, from best to worst.

[Disclaimer: there is no official soundtrack, most of these song titles are just conjecture on my end.]

1) A Spectacle!

This song has been stuck in my head for days. It is a very ill-fitting ice capade-esque song underscoring an action scene where Jack fights a bunch of monsters... it's also a duet with the main villain (Pendragon) and his henchman, which only serves to make it more bizarre. If you had to listen to any song from this soundtrack, listen to this one, there's a reason it's the only song I could find on youtube without uploading the unlisted clip myself.

2) You Can Do It!

Picture this: you're near the end of the movie. You think Jack has won, but Pendragon has a trick up his sleeve... in a flash, he raises his red cape, and his form shifts into that of a mighty dragon! Swiftly, he descends upon Jack's ship, ready to take the fight into his own hands in a climactic final battle... and then this song plays. This goofy motivational song better suited for the middle of a musical than the final song.

It has also been stuck in my head for days.

One other confusing thing is that I'm not sure who's meant to be singing this song. Like, it's the same nasally male singing voice used by both Pendragon's henchman (though it can't be him since he has no reason to cheer Jack on) and the Leprechaun (though this song doesn't use the same rhyme scheme the Leprechaun uses, and all his words are accompanied by a jingle which is absent here, so it can't be him either). Maybe it's God?

3) Title Card Song & Coronation Song

These two songs play near the beginning of the movie, with the former also getting a reprise for the end credits. I'm lumping them both together because I couldn't remember what they sound like if you held a gun to my head, though, for the Coronation song, it's quite amusing that they have to hide most of the crowd because it would be very visible that they aren't singing.

4) Just Ask Me

Quite a boring love song with generic and slightly repetitive lyrics, but what makes this song stand out to me is the editing going on in this scene. You see, the lyrics are barely close to anything the characters are saying, so the editors have to pull out all the stops to make it fit the scene - footage is slowed down, sped up, looped (and it's all very visible thanks to the various background elements) and in the end the woman is still clearly saying something very different to the lyrics. It's honestly like a proto-youtube poop.

5) We Have Failed, Master

This is where we get into the real good stuff. A keen listener may pick up on the fact that, despite their attempt to make "We have failed, master, we have failed!" into a chorus and the slight rhytmic patter of the henchman's lines, this is very clearly just a normal dialogue scene that has been recklessly converted into a song. Granted, you see this stuff in operas all the time, but it's very bizarre to see in something that's trying to sound like a Rankin Bass musical.

6) To Us

If you thought the last one was bad, this one is barely trying to sound like a song. There's no clever editing, no rhythm, no chorus, not even a cheeky attempt to add more lyrics while a character is facing away from the camera, it's just a dialogue scene!

Thank you for sticking with me through my inane opinions, and I hope you enjoyed this tour through probably the most bizarrely constructed musical. Credit to this Twitter post for inadvertently informing me of this... masterpiece.

[mandosaur]

Dance of the Mythosaur and Dragon (4/?)

Fandom: The Mandalorian, House of the Dragon

Pairing: Din Djarin / OC

Chapter: IV (Din)

Word Count: 5,128 Words

Estimated Reading Time: 18:39

Previous | Next

From the balcony in his room, he can see the dragon on the edge of the field. His troops are trying to wrangle it in to the special area made for it while the Westerosi keepers give them pointers. The beast is difficult to manage and resists against every attempt. Even from here, he can hear the frustrated shouts and curses.

Grogu stands on the railing and blinks at the large animal. His head is tilted to one side as he regards the beast.

“That is a dragon,” Din explains, “The Princess can control it with her blood. Her people ride it into battle much like ours did the Mythosaur.”

Din leans against the railing and watches as the other two dragons are brought out. He doesn’t remember their names, but it won’t matter. They’ll depart in a matter of days once the negotiation is complete and his wedding occurs.

His wedding. The thought is a splash of ice water. He tenses.

Dank farrik. He had almost forgotten all about it. Beneath his helmet, he squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw.

He can’t imagine going through with it all. How can he when everything about this alliance feels wrong? He isn’t the type to marry. His previous ‘relationships’ have all been either one night stands that cost a couple of credits or toxic sex-only affairs that end with betrayal and anger. He doesn’t know how to settle down and be a good spouse. He’s still figuring out taking in a small child and somehow keeping him alive. To add a marriage on top of that feels suffocating.

And the girl he’s marrying? She’s a pretty, young thing from a sheltered planet. She wears feminine dresses and her movements are lithe and graceful. She does not fit into a planet like Mandalore full of warriors and battles. She seems ill fitted for what is coming for her and completely out of her element-

And Maker’s sake, she can’t seem to stand him!

He bows his head when he recalls her yesterday. The poor girl hadn’t spoken a word to him the entire time they were negotiating. She had kept her head bowed during the negotiations and had looked terrified every time their eyes met. The one time she had addressed him directly, pledged her dragon to him, she had flinched and her sister had, had to comfort her.

He can’t blame her. In her eyes, he is a stranger covered in armor and surrounded by a wall of ice. The only time he speaks is when his silence is not enough and he keeps every one at a distance because letting people in is a liability. He is the fearsome bounty hunter turned leader that some swear is more droid than human. A lost, hopeless case who can’t lead or rule and has taken possession of a magic sword that doesn’t belong to him.

He is the last person a Princess should ever consider for a spouse. He doesn’t deserve it.

Doesn’t deserve her.

He stands from the railing as the Cannibal hisses a warning. His maw is open and the beginning of a fireball forms. His men immediately back away and the Westerosi Keepers step in. Their movements are practiced as they manage to calm the beast down.

Din turns around.

He’s tried for naught to call the marriage off. His advisors have exhausted themselves trying to talk him down. Bo has gotten to the point where she will refuse to engage with him if he protests against the alliance again and Jast only sighs.

But how can he go through with it when his future bride seems so panicked? When she’s terrified to be in his presence?

Grogu reaches out a tiny hand to point in amazement when the Cannibal finally begins to walk. His Mandalorians guide him towards the special area designed for him. It is a wide and spacious chunk of land with a rail and plenty of space for him to stretch. His two other dragon companions are moved back to the ship they traveled on to await their departure.

The Westerosi Keepers examine the formation of the Cannibal’s pen to check its strength against the beast. If they decide it is too weak to keep the Cannibal contained, his men will have to rebuild it.

Din nods to his son absentmindedly.

“They got it under control.”

He is grateful his helmet hides his warring emotions. Unlike the Cannibal, he does not feel in control. Everything feels like it is spiraling. Not for the first time, he regrets ever picking up the damned sword and agreeing to rule.

He knows his marriage will be miserable. It is something he keenly decided the moment he met the Princess. There is no hope for the two of them. Not when Din is the one she will be tying herself to.

Perhaps he could fall in love with her, Din muses. She did take his breath away the moment he saw her on her dragon after all, but she him? Who could love a man they could never see face to face? Someone much older, full of scars and a terrible past? Someone who is heartless and has killed several people?

The princess will never love him. The poor girl would only grow to resent him with time. She’d hate him eventually for tying him to her in marriage. No, the best choice for her is to run. To save herself before it is too late.

Grogu reaches out his hands asking to be picked up. He lifts his son to his chest just as the balcony door swings open.

Jast.

The ambassador lifts his trihorned helmet off and discards it with a polite greeting. Din is so used to other Mandalorians removing their helmets by now to that he doesn’t react.

Jast is a man in his 60s with dark eyes and hair bleached with age. Before he was the ambassador to Westeros, he was a diplomat for the late Duchess Satine. He’s a respected politician in Mandalore and his words hold a lot of sway. His acceptance of Din wielding the saber is what managed to get a lot of other factions to accept him as leader.

Despite this, Din isn’t his biggest fan. He’s the one largely pushing for the marriage between him and the Princess. It was his idea to seek out a wife for him. He planted the idea and was the one who sought out Westeros to begin with when others had never even heard or the planet.

“Mand’alor, the Prince is in the meeting room with Lady Kryze. He insists on continuing negotiations now.”

Din sighs and his son tilts his head.

“I thought we said we’d wait until later,” Din protests. It’s too early for him to consider locking himself off in another room and listening to others negotiate his future without his input. He wants to put it off for as long as possible. Maybe if he delays it enough, the fire blooded prince will storm off world and take his nieces with him.

Jast looks away, “The Prince refused breakfast. He wishes to finish the negotiations. He and Princess Rhaenyra want to return to their kids-“

“Will the Princess be there?” Din asks.

He thinks of Daenys. She was terribly frightened yesterday. Perhaps he should keep his distance today. Let her stay far away from him to prevent her discomfort. It’s not her fault she is being reduced to a pawn for a political cause.

“Princess Rhaenyra will be joining us soon. She is eating breakfast with Reeves and Woves. Princess Daenys won’t.”

Din glances back at him and tilts his head.

“She doesn’t want to be there?”

Jast looks out towards the Cannibal. It’s curling up in a ball in the middle of his area. He’s given up trying to kill the Mandalorians and now watches them quietly with some curiosity. Some of his men brave getting close while others talk with the dragon keepers.

“The Princess said she wished for a tour of the palace. Woves volunteered although perhaps you should be the one to-“

“Pass.”

He moves away from Jast and sets Grogu down in his pram.

“It would be a good idea for you to get to know your wife before-“

“Pass.”

“Mand’alor, the marriage is happening this week. You should meet your wife before then. The two of you could be a great match if you just try-“

“Pass.”

He knows he’s being difficult but he knows it’s a waste of time. Daenys is afraid of him. If he tries to force her to spend time with him, she’ll be unhappy. He doesn’t want to put her through any more problems than be already has to. Best to keep far away and allow her as much freedom as he can before she is tied to him.

“Then will you at least join us for negotiations? You can set your own rules on the marriage and tell Westeros about what Mandalore needs.”

“Pass.”

This time, Jast sighs. It’s a long sound Din has grown used to. He and his other advisors have long since been exhausted from hearing him complain and argue.

Grogu is staring out the balcony towards the dragon. He seems fascinated by the strange beast. Perhaps that will be a good distraction. No one could fault him for wanting to meet an animal so foreign to him. Even Din has to admit he is curious.

“I’m taking Grogu to see the dragon,” Din explains, “We’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Jast stares at him with a deadpan expression. He knows it’s an excuse to run from his marriage, but he also knows Din won’t let himself be pushed further. With a quiet incline of his head, he nods. It seems he’ll let him run away this time without protest.

“Well, do keep your distance when you go, Mand’alor. I hear the dragons only obey the Targaryens. Do wait to get close until you are properly introduced to it by the Princess herself.”

Din makes a noncommittal noise as he sets the pram to follow after him. Perhaps some fresh air will clear his head.

———————————————

The Cannibal is a fearsome beast from up close. Grogu coos as they grow near and sits up. He is fascinated by the creature.

Din has to admit the dragon is interesting. His scales are black as night and his eyes survey the area with a keen sense of intelligence. There is an ancient power to his every move. When he stirs, the Keepers tense in wait.

There are other dragons, he knows, but they are not to the same level as this one. The other two dragons who accompanied the Cannibal are much smaller in size. This one is a monster known to devour its own kind. Westeros will be sad to see it fall into the hands of a foreign land. He wonders what motivated the planet to let go of such a precious weapon of war when he has heard of rumors of growing tensions.

At the sight of them approaching, the Cannibal lifts its head. Cold, reptile eyes survey him and Grogu. The back of the dragon’s throat makes a sound that sounds like a warning.

“We should stay here, kid,” Din warns, “It’s not safe to get too close. You can see it perfectly fine from here.”

He keeps his distance and pushes the pram behind him gently. Grogu lowers his head to peer over the edges of the pram while hiding from view. Despite his knack for curiosity, he is sure his son can also feel the ancient power in the beast. Maybe his Jedi powers alert him to the danger that lurks within.

A Mandalorian wanders over.

“Mand’alor,” he greets. He thumps his chest plate once as a sign of respect, “The Cannibal has been secured. The other dragons are in their own sections on the ship the Westerosi royal family brought.”

Din nods.

“This is the dragon we were promised?” He scans the dragon with his helmet allowing the technology to create an archive. The heat signature is going crazy no doubt from the beast’s ability to breathe fire. He still can’t believe these things exist.

He’s fought a Krayt dragon before, sure, but that is nothing compared to the dragons of Westeros. The monster that swallowed him whole is a tiny lizard compared to this animal. It is impressive and terrifying at the same time.

A shiver runs down his spine and he suppresses it. It does him no good to be afraid. Fear won’t make the dragon any easier to control.

“What does it eat?” He turns to the Mandalorian.

At the corner of his eye, he sees Grogu inch his pram closer. Din shoots out a hand and gently moves it back. A protective instinct warns him not to let his foundling too close. The beast is foreign and none of the Targaryens are here to keep it at bay. He keeps his son’s pram close to ensure his safety.

“The Westerosi brought food for it but we’re going to try to feed it a bantha. If it can digest it, we can feed it ourselves,” the Mandalorian explains, “It should have a similar anatomy to other animals.”

“An entire bantha?” Din tilts his head. Can it truly eat that many?

“To start, yes. The Keepers say it usually eats about 2 or 3 of their…sheep,” the Mandalorian sounds the foreign word out, “And more wild animals. An animal this size has a large appetite.”

Din is surprised but his helmet gives nothing away. Grogu leans his head forward to peer at the animal closer.

The dragon is laying down and cold eyes move from person to person. Teeth the size of an adult man flash when he opens his mouth to release what resembles a yawn. It regards the world around him as a mild form of entertainment as if all of the warriors and keeper present were nothing compared to its might. Din is certain they aren’t.

This is the cannibal, Din reminds himself. The largest dragon Westeros has to offer and the most deadly. It has slaughtered its own kind and devoured dragon flesh and eggs. It is one of the few wild dragons that never had a keeper before and sailed the skies alone. Can an animal like that truly be tamed? Can a beast so used to isolation and danger ever truly be won over?

Somewhere behind him, he hears a minor commotion. The Mandalorians around him stand and thump their chest plate as the Westerosi Keepers bow. Din slides Grogu’s pram closed and turns wondering what prompted them.

Axe Woves is walking towards the dragon pen with Daenys at his side. The Princess listens as Woves describes the features of the palace and points out where the dragon will be kept. He nods once at the crowd to put them at ease.

There’s a brief moment in time where Daenys smiles at Woves pleasantly as he makes a joke. It is a small lull in time, a fleeting trace of a smile, but it’s enough for Din’s heart to skip a beat.

She has a nice smile, he notices.

Immediately, the thought is shoved to a far corner of his head. It is improper for him to think this. She is younger, far more attractive, and far more peaceful than he could ever be. It feels sacrilegious to even entertain the idea of being comparable to someone with hands so unstained and heart so free of burden.

Some of his worries from the morning return full force. He knows marrying her will be a mistake. He can not make her happy. The orphan from Aq Vetina who grew up in the shadows of a Mandalorian covert and spent years of his life running with a blood thirsty mercenary group slaughtering innocents and pillaging communities does not deserve a happy ending. That beast within himself can never be what a princess needs.

He tenses and prepares to leave. There is enough space around the Mandalorians for him to disappear with his son. If he moves fast, he can disappear before he is spotted-

And then Daeny’s violet eyes land on his form. He sees a flicker of recognition before her body tenses in nervousness. Woves turns at the sight and spots him too. All at once, Din is screwed.

“Mand’alor!” Woves motions for Daenys to join him.

Din swears inside his mind.

The pair meet him halfway and Daenys drops to a curtsy. He awkwardly ignores her and tilts his head away from them both. The words die in his throat as he falters on what to say. He was never good at communication.

“You were missed at the negotiations,” Woves remarks. Like the others, he’s not a fan of Din neglecting his duty.

Din makes a sound and turns back to the dragon.

At the sight of its rider, it perks up. A sound that sounds like a whistle leaves its lips. The people closest to the encampment inch away.

“What are you doing here?” Din asks.

He means it as a distraction, a platitude, but his vocoder distorts his voice. The question comes out sharper than he intended. Daenys presses her lips together in anxiety.

Maker. As if the poor girl needed another reason to resent him.

Woves intercedes before the moment can become awkward. He has a natural charisma Din lacks. Din isn’t sure whether to feel envious or grateful.

“The ambassador suggested we see where the dragon is being held. Her highness wanted to see it to make sure the beast was okay from the journey and settled in,” Woves explains.

Jast.

Din clenches his jaw. He supposes he knows now why the old man had let him leave without much fuss. The moment Din had mentioned seeing the dragon he had probably scurried to the Princess to plant the idea in her head for her to go there too. This meeting is his work no doubt. An attempt to force Din’s hand.

“Have you met the dragon?” The Princess’ soft voice asks. Her tone is timid, meek, and he is grateful his helmet can pick up on quiet sounds lest he miss her.

She must realize how small she seems because she clears her throat and straightens her posture a second later. When she speaks again, she sounds more confident.

“His name is the Cannibal,” she introduces, “I claimed him when I was a child.”

Din turns away. Her eyes make him nervous. They keep searching through his visor to try and catch a glimpse of his own. He has never felt intimidated by stares, used to the glares of those who want his armor and those who want his body, but her gaze is uncanny.

She has a knack for guessing where his eyes are. He doesn’t feel confident in her presence. She’s a lovely little thing who seems to be afraid of him. To know that she sees him as something frightening hurts him slowly. Where once a more impulsive and dangerous version of himself would have liked to be feared, to be feared by her makes him feel like even more of a monster.

“I know,” he hissed out, “I was told all about you.”

The Princess flinches visibly and Woves tenses his shoulders. He is coming across as cruel, Din realizes. He has now snapped at her twice.

He winces under his helmet.

Maker, he is making a mess of things.

He isn’t upset at her. He’s nervous. It’s been a while since he was last around a person that truly made him feel seen. He knows he is not a good person, and he dreads the day in which she sees it in him too.

He’s been taking out his frustrations on her unknowingly. He falters for a way to excuse himself or apologize. He isn’t used to having to ask for forgiveness. Mandalorians don’t even have a phrase for an apology in Mando’a.

He shrinks in on himself and grabs the pram for a distraction.

“We should leave,” he mutters. He wants to get away from this disaster of his own design. Mandalorians consider running cowardly but he thinks this encounter should be an exception.

The Princess risks a glance at Woves who is watching the interaction with pressed lips. No doubt he will report to his council about how terrible he is treating her. Din expects to be chewed out by the end of the day about this disaster.

Daenys wilts further. Din can’t stand the sight and turns around. He moves to leave-

And Daenys steps forward again as if by a burst of determination.

“Do you want to get closer?” Her voice comes out in a breath as if she has spoken without thinking. When he freezes, she swallows and continues, “I can show you the Cannibal. He won’t harm you if you are with me.”

She moves towards the enclosure and his body tenses. An instinct makes him want to move her away from the dangerous thing. However the Cannibal sits up. At the sight of her, the beast seems quelled. It inches forward calmly as she presses herself against the bars.

The Mandalorians around them tense in fear of a violent confrontation. The Westerosi Keepers merely watch intently no doubt used to the Targaryens and their bonds.

“Princess-“

He is cut off when Daenys extends a hand towards the dragon. He grits his teeth expecting the worst-

But the beast merely sniffs her hand and lowers its head. Like a Loth cat, it invites her to pet his snout.

Daenys smiles and motions for Din to get closer. She invites him with a softness in her gaze.

“He won’t harm you while I am here,” she smiles.

Woves gives a nod of his head urging Din on. Grogu’s pram floats to another Mandalorian who will escort him back to his room. Din still doesn’t want his son near the thing. He can’t risk the dragon mistaking his son for a snack.

Din’s steps are measured as he eyes the beast wearily. His helmet takes stock of the size of its teeth and the fire in its blood.

Daenys smiles softly as he finally arrives at her side. Up close, her beauty is more striking. Din swallows. She smells like honey and milk. A sweet scent that brings out the lovely aura she radiates.

She has a hand on the snout of the dragon and runs her hand up and down in soft petting motions.

“Dragons are wild animals, but they are obedient to their rider. The Cannibal has never disobeyed my commands since the moment it kneeled for me and bonded with me for the first time. He won’t harm you as long as I am here. Give me your hand. He’ll memorize your scent and remember I introduced you to him.”

Din eyes her extended palm wearily and offers his own slowly. He is wearing his gloves, yet the brief contact of her touch through the fabric still sends a shiver down his spine. He wonders when the last time he had touched someone was? Had he ever simply given someone his hand without expecting violence or a business transaction?

Her touch is soft as she moves his hand slowly forward. The dragon sniffs his hand with powerful puffs of air. It makes a sound like it disapproves of the stranger, but Daenys’ scent keeps him at bay. It won’t attack anyone who smells like her. Din idly wishes some of her lovely scent would transfer to him. Perhaps if he surrounds himself in her aura, he won’t feel like he is so terrible in comparison.

Slowly, Din lowers his hand towards the snout. He can feel the tremor of the dragon as it breathes. His heart rate spikes out of worry, but the beast is mollified. It lets him touch his face for a moment before retreating.

Daenys hums.

“You’re the first person outside of my family it’s ever met. I think it likes you,” she reassures.

Din finds himself releasing a quiet breath of a laugh born from relief and curiosity. It’s out of his mouth before he can stop it. The corner of his mouth quirks up.

“You say that because it didn’t bite my hand off,” he jokes.

Daenys brightens at his attempt at humor. Some of her persisting nervousness washes away. He sees her become more comfortable in his presence.

“Or burn you alive like a sheep,” she teases him.

The small smile remains on his face.

A small beat of tranquility dwells in the spaces of their silence. He searches for another topic. A part of him longs for a human connection. He is lonely, he notes, and she is good company. He thinks he could spend a full day with her and never feel bored.

“Do you fly with him often?” He wonders.

Daenys turns her head up at the sky. It is a nice morning. Din knows nothing about flying a dragon, but he supposes the conditions would be perfect for a flight.

He still remembers the image of her on the dragon before. The way her hair had streaked behind her and her eyes had looked alive. It had been an exhilarating sight. He was sure he would never forget it.

“I try to but he’s too big,” Daenys admits, “My sister couldn’t stay away from her dragon when she was younger. The Cannibal would be too large to fly all the time. I needed special permission to take him out. The people in my planet were afraid of him when he flew past, so my father usually didn’t let me take him often.”

She stares at the beast with a look of melancholy. Din hesitates.

He has never once considered himself a gentleman, but the look of a lady upset still stirs something in his chest. He hears himself speak before he can think twice.

“You can fly him here whenever you want. I’ll give the order for the skies to be yours. Mandalore once had Mythosaurs soaring through our skies. I’m sure we can get used to dragons.”

Daenys perks up at his words and warmth fills her gaze. She smiles brightly up at him. Her first real smile unburdened by fear or nervousness.

He feels himself inch closer.

He knows he does not have what it takes to be a good spouse, but perhaps this will appease her. Perhaps he can make her life as happy at his side as possible. If he keeps his distance, allows her a freedom she’s never known before, and doesn’t burden her with his presence more than necessary, perhaps that is enough. Maybe then her life won’t be so tragic at his side.

He isn’t deserving of a wife or happiness, but she deserves a good life. He’ll grant her that, he promises to himself. Let it be one of the few genuinely good things he is capable of.

A sound from nearby draws his attention.

Whatever spell existed between them shatters. Din glances behind him and realizes abruptly that everyone is staring at them. The Mandalorians and Keepers have watched their interaction with differing looks of approval, amusement, hope, or disapproval. Woves has his hands at his waist and an eyebrow lifts with amusement as he glances down.

Din risks a peak to follow his gaze and realizes with a shock that their hands are linked. They had never let go since the Cannibal had left. He hadn’t even noticed he had been holding on to her fingers absentmindedly.

Daenys notices at the same time. A flush spreads through her face and she looks away.

All at once Din’s anxiety returns.

No doubt the girl is disgusted by him. He is older than her, has been cruel since her arrival, and looks more droid than human in his armor. She must have snapped back to reality at the same time he did and realized how uncomfortable she is. The flush of her face reads of disgust-

He yanks his hand away sharply.

The force is enough to make her gasp. He feels like her touch has scalded him and he swears at himself internally. All at once, his walls come up and he spins on his heel. He can feel himself tense.

“You should leave,” he sounds out, “We’ve wasted enough time here.”

His growing anger at himself bleeds into his words. Daenys flinches behind him and the crowd tenses. What was once a nice morning sours and his own men frown at him. Woves immediately goes to reassure Daenys as she blinks in surprise through misty eyes. Din ignores the guilt and ache in his chest as he storms off.

Grogu’s pram is no where to be found. Likely one of his men has taken him inside. He runs off in search of it and leaves the stunned Princess behind.

His heart is pounding against his chest as he hurries up the steps of the palace. Somewhere below, he can hear the whispers and murmurs. There will be rumors today of how the Mand’alor made the Princess upset. Of how he yanked his hand away and stormed off while ordering her to leave as she cried.

Good, he thinks. Perhaps if he scares her away she will flee Mandalore and return to her planet. If she is afraid of him, she will be spared the terrible fate of being tied to him forever.

He tries to reassure himself that he is doing the right thing in shoving her aside and he hopes the ache that spreads in his chest abates with time. He is no stranger to burying his feelings and running at the first sight of people wanting to grow too close. He’s done it many times before and can certainly do it now.

As he moves up the steps, he catches sight of someone at the window. It is the other Princess, Rhaenyra. She has witnessed everything and her gaze is full of fury. She glares at him with a rage capable of melting through Beskar before spinning on her heels and storming off no doubt in search of her sister.

Din hopes her growing resentment of him is enough for her to call off the negotiations. It is too late for him to find his happiness, but not too late for Daenys. She can still run away.

His hand burns where he had once touched her and he clenches his fist tightly.

He is not a good person, and it is about time Daenys knows it.

[guiltswept]

MY  MIND  IS  A  SAFE  AND  IF  I  KEEP  IT  IN  WE  ALL  GET  RICH  /  MY  BODY  IS  AN  ORPHANAGE  WE  TAKE  EVERYONE  IN  /  DOING  LINES  OF  DUST  AND  SWEAT  OFF  LAST  NIGHT'S  STAGE  /  JUST  TO  FEEL  LIKE  YOU  —  MEET  GABRIEL  LEONE.

...content warnings for... non - familial terminal illness, divorce, mentions of death, drugs, depression, wound infection, delusions, and drugs again.

profile.

full name — gabriel franklin leone.

nickname(s) — gabe. gift of gab. annoying little shit. whore ( said affectionately ).

place of birth — newark, new jersey.

date of birth & age — october 31st, 1996. twenty7.

gender / pronouns — nonbinary, they/he ( subject to change at will ).

sexuality — queer ( preference in the masculine ).

occupation — musician; guitarist in any band that'll allow them. bartender at the labyrinth. tattoo apprentice at skinfinity tattoos.

astrology — scorpio sun, cancer moon, aries rising.

residence — a small apartment in cardinal hill; discounted due to the previous tenant's unexpected demise. all brick walls and a huge, arching window. a bitch to find curtains for. comfortably cramped.

interests — the little skrrtch skrrtch feeling whenever a new tattoo is imminent. sweet coffee. vegan food and new recipes. secondhand leather. bleaching their hair; sick designs painted with dye. music, the louder the better; punk, nu metal, rock, any emo variation. steel - toed boots. lung - restricting laughter. messy make outs. house parties, even now. hardcore shows. shitty beer; slamming the can against their forehead. producing. the environment, sustainability. keeping their friends close. never spending a night alone. horror films, halloween ( obviously ). dungeons and dragons.

aversions — cleaning, it disrupts the creative process; one must live in squander. animal cruelty, but also PETA. standing still. thinking too much about anything. their anxieties. unintentionally ruining their ( or others' ) friendships. not being able to tattoo. improper piercing aftercare. vapes ( is forever a cigarettes guy ). bad acid trips. not remembering the previous night. being haunted in an un - sexy way. their step - brother. facing reality; their delusions not being humored. serious conversations. geese.

quirks — a serial nail biter and lip muncher; tries to over - balm in compensation. tattoos over their old tattoos when they're bored of them. a new piercing every week; offers stick and pokes at parties or in the bathrooms of clubs. talks too loud in too quiet of spaces. gets separation anxiety if away from their friends for too long. is extremely clingy. treasures every vinyl in their collection. still uses a walkman; makes cassettes for their friends and lovers alike.

most played — you've seen the butcher by deftones.

notable features — hair consistently buzzed short and bleached; an array of patterns that change every week. tired eyes deep - set into a muted purple.

general disposition — a shaken bottle of coke ready to shatter glass; all fizz until he lays flat. unsteady, but excited.

character study — chris miles ( skins ) & finn ( adventure time ).

background.

grows up in the jersey suburbs with their mom and dad for the first seven years of his life. his mother sonia’s an art student-turned-struggling artist who splits her time between nj and nyc for whichever side gig she can pick up, and his father’s an old punk turned chef with a severe vendetta against bobby flay.

when money’s tight and there’s no sitter to turn to during the summer, gabe accompanies their parents into the city. occasionally the stars align and sonia picks up a waitressing shift at the restaurant his father works at, allowing gabe to sit in a tucked away booth and scribble away. sometimes his dad’s old friends stop by the diner, letting gabe color inside the lines of their tattoos as his mom finishes up for the day.

TERMINAL ILLNESS; when gabe’s seven, sonia gets a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with an illustrator she’s long admired and once mentored under; he’s terminal, losing control of his hands, and needs someone to finish what he no longer can. the pay isn’t the most lucrative, but the experience alone is enough for sonia to accept the offer. the only catch being that they have to relocate to blue harbor, illinois, where her old mentor resides.

around the same time, gabe’s dad gets promoted at the restaurant he’s been cooking at - he’s got it in good with the owners, could very well own the business himself if he keeps up the way he has. he loves his job, loves the restaurant and the bustle of the city. he wants to move them up to nyc.

DIVORCE; gabe doesn’t really understand why it happens, he’s seven and doesn’t really know where illinois is - they already take the train between new jersey and new york, why couldn’t they take the train from new york to illinois? if their parents love each other, why do they have to go separate ways? no amount of explaining could make gabe understand; and next thing he knows, his mom’s driving with him to blue harbor.

it’s tough settling in at first; gabe misses their dad and the city, and his dad’s cooking, and taking the train every other weekend between the two states - and his dad’s cooking, again. but it’s not all so bad; even though they reside in blue harbor - they’re close enough to a new city to explore, nostalgic even in a place of new. and he’s not completely alone; their dad’s old walkman left in their possession and the promise of visiting whenever he can.

days turn into years, and gabe’s older now, a teenager; he still visits the city every summer and crashes on his dad’s couch when he’s not out exploring the city or making out with a random boy from the hardcore show they’ve just attended.

MINOR DEATH MENTION; sonia remarries, eventually - and it’s like, good. it’s really good. they met during one of sonia’s local art exhibitions, her career finally taking off after her mentor’s passing. his name’s bill, or greg - maybe craig. he makes sonia laugh like gabe’s dad did, and has a son around gabe’s age. it’s good. life is good for them.

DRUG MENTION; it’s difficult for gabe to adjust to the marriage, and the addition of a step-brother. he’s not used to family being anything other than sonia, or his dad. his friends are like a family to them, but that’s different. it just feels different. their step-brother doesn’t play dnd, or care for marching band in the way that gabe oddly does - doesn’t listen to hardcore, or appreciate horror movies. fuck, he doesn’t even smoke weed. not even a little.

gabe’s not home as often - they’re off doing better things, like smoking in someone else’s basement and trying hard to start a band that never really takes off. they do free piercings at parties in cramped bathrooms; it’s how they’ve gotten several of their own. stick and pokes on someone’s grandfather’s old leather couch, drinking shitty beer from the only gas station that doesn’t check ids just outside of town.

they don’t mean to distance themselves from their family - it just sort of happens. the only child complex; the inability to share, and minor feelings of incompetency whenever his step-brother gets praised for his ever-growing list of achievements, while gabe’s stuck with the same routine of try hard, fail, mope, then pick themself up again just to do it all over again.

eventually they graduate high school (barely but surely) and enroll in the community college - most of their friends head off to better colleges in better states for better opportunities while gabe stays in the same place. they could go back to the city - but it’s expensive, and well - fuck - gabe doesn’t know. it’s hard to go anywhere once you feel stuck.

DEPRESSION, DEATH MENTION; they start taking anti-depressants sometime after dropping out of college, unsure of what they want to actually do with their life. gabe hits a couple low-points, but eventually takes up a job as a piercer at a tattoo shop the next town over and gets an apartment for dangerously cheap in cardinal hill after the previous tenant passed unexpectedly in the home.

INFECTION, VAGUE NSFW; gabe tells this one customer like a thousand times the proper aftercare for a fresh piercing, especially one done in a particularly...sensitive area - not to go swimming, wash with a saline solution, etc. etc. does the douchebag listen? no. has the audacity to go to a lake party - swim in the fucking water - then comes back saying that gabe’s fucked up the piercing, that it’s all infected - that he’ll sue. gabe knows damn well they didn’t fuck up the piercing - but it’s their word against his, and eventually gabe’s forced to quit as a piercer just to appease the guy.

present day and gabe’s currently a bartender at the labyrinth - just managed to get an apprenticeship at skinfinity after following the artists around the shop like a lost puppy - sad eyes and all. now if only they’ll let him tattoo on people. they’ve always liked drawing - the talent not quite as natural to gabe as it is to their mom, but years of practicing american traditional instead of writing chemistry notes has finally paid off.

facts & temperaments.

currently residing in the cheapest apartment they could get in cardinal hill. it's not, like, great - but they have at least one giant window and all brick walls, and that's enough for them.

too friendly for their own good. isn't automatically trustful but also isn't distrustful. it's easy to get on their good side, because despite all their anxiety - they're pretty laidback otherwise.

is in their head. a lot. insecure but keeps a mostly confident demeanor. tends to laugh it off a lot but they care a lot about what others think about them. at least if it's someone they care about.

clingy so clingy. loves their friends to death and is probably a little in love with them too. doesn't do well when there's miscommunication, because they'll probably assume the worst. but the worst is always, oh they don't like me anymore and they think i'm ugly and my dick's a flop and - and not like, oh they're betraying me in some way.

DRUGS / DELUSIONS; partier. loves loud music, loves crowds. loves feeling alive. prone to acid trips. last year they had a particularly bad trip and they still believe they're actually just a ghost and their body's buried somewhere. has gotten a little more impulsive because of it.

5'6" and every inch of their skin minus their face (mostly) is covered in tattoos. can't help it. has gotten re-tattooed over older tattoos because they grew tired of them. has a knuckles tattoo that just says KNUC KLES. it's actually their favorite sonic character.

was a band kid in high school. and a dnd nerd. is still a dnd nerd. and a comic book nerd. and a horror movie nerd. is like if a loser was also a whore (affectionately; loves to love, loves affection, and loves sharing a bed with two or more bodies at any given time).

still plays guitar, sometimes does their own vocal tracks but it's mostly distorted or altered in some way. is stuck in the 2000s emo scene perpetually, but also the punk scene. and the nu metal scene? there's variety.

has a lip ring. and a nose ring. and an eyebrow ring. lots of rings.

nude figure model for the local colleges' art programs because they would never say no to some extra money, and also because they love their body.

vegan n loud n proud about it. big on sustainability and animal rights.

[benefits1986]

Dear Millennial Caregivers

If you wake up earlier than usual despite the long days and nights, this is for you.

The bills are piling up. The meds and the stats of your sick parent are not jiving. The manhours you could have spent building your career are burnt to the ground. The shitshow of your aging parent just gets shittier. The pivots and workarounds seem to fail as you try to move forward. Speaking of moving forward, this may be the time when you can't make sense of "one step forward, 10 steps back". You may be doubting yourself more than ever. In the same manner, you may be loathing your terminally ill parent all the more.

As you take care of your very volatile parent, you may find yourself back in memory lane. These lanes may be highways to hell mixed with skyways filled with unicorn shit and rainbows. You may be thinking of giving up not because you're tired. You're simply too grounded and you know so well how this shitshow is going to end, anyway. But, you may find that you keep going because you're now the designated keeper of the home in the palm of your sturdy yet shaky hands.

How many times have you gone mad about simple things that used to be nonsensical like taking water that falls within the acceptable daily intake? How many times have you gone beyond what is expected even when those errands used to be crappy ones like coming home early with a bag full of weeds (organic finds, healthy food choices)? How many fucking times have you doubted your usually ego-driven self because you know you can make things happen at your own pace, but now, the pace is too fast, it just won't last, literally and figuratively? You may feel that you are wasting your youth on something that's not even worth your fucking PAKE in life. Death is looming closer each day and night. You may see that while there's a friggin' light at the end of a deep and dark tunnel, your ill parent just doesn't care. Or that parent may care but the stats, the vibe, and the flow are giving boomer bombs.

Let me tell you that I'm but talking to my 20-something-year-old self. LOL. Gah. That was ages ago, but as I get more and more stories concerning caring for sickly and wobbly (sarap untog pader na marmol) parents, I guess, those 8 years of looking after Mother Dragon has finally been of some sort of use. CHOZ.

Being a caregiver especially when you're a strong, independent, mala-acclimated philodendron or kung ano mang choice of flora mo, it's a shitshow. Truly. Madly. Deeply. However, this is also an era of seeing how far you can go AND how far you can still go.

I remember talking to a super close introverted XY friend during a nonchalant session. He shared that my 8-year shitshow is something that he didn't get because his dad had a heart attack. And that he was too busy working when the attack happened. He almost teared up and so did I, but we powered through. EMS. We ended the session nonchalantly, but the lumps in our throats were not joking. Not bad for a biglang aya sa basic coffee shop, noh? Tawa-tawa pa kami sa mga chixxx na nadaaan with rating, tapos, boogsh. Hay. Tacca.

So, I come in peace so early in the morning. Yet again, I guess.

Dear caregiver, don't give up but know when to surrender. Make each day and night work, even when the correlation of things doesn't make sense. When in doubt, have faith... delulu-solulu faith. Keep walking. In the same manner that your parent taught you to walk, hang on. Hang on not because of UTANG NA LOOB or SHAME or DUTY. Nakakaulol 'yan. Promise. Hang on for the greater good. However, know and accept that life is short and that everyone expires. Befriend death, but be the keeper of life that is bound by compassion, no matter what shape it takes. The hard choices always come with pros and cons. Ganun talaga.

And please, let your dear parent decide. Your body, your rules. Period. This bit is gonna bite you really hard. Tanggal angas mo. Tanggal lakas mo. Tanggal pagod mong akala mo umayaw na. Tanggal puyat mong sobrang lala ng pull even when you're super used to puyatang walang hanggan.

Very recently, an XX friend lost her mom to cancer. But wait, there's more. She is a cancer survivor herself. Opak. We rarely meet, but when we do, mala-Netflix ang episodes na parang ambilis lang ng 5 hours lumipas. Syempre, parehas kaming panganay. HAHAHAHAHA. Matigas ulo pero iyakin naman. I told her that we don't have to talk about it in details unless she's willing and able. She laughed silly laughs. So, ako rin. Bahala ka diyan, girl. LOL. She posted her mom's burial a month after, just because, she can't wrap her head around this shitshow. Tawa-tawa kami pero alam mong anytime, the tears are gonna cry. Ugly cry. HAHAHAHAHA. O, millennial caregiver, napaka tanga nating lahat. Hug-hug pa kami pero iwas-hug kinda vibe, because, again, we the bitches who slayyyyyy pero dahil sa mga nanay namin, slain bitches pa rin ang ending.

And so, dear millennial caregivers, shine and sparkle. OPAK. Ambobo na naman ng pakawala. But, hear me out. Shine in the darkest times even when you're but a tiny spark. Shine when no one is watching even when ambobo talaga ng approach na 'to. Shine because you have what it takes to tawid your parent kung dito man o sa kabilang banda. Shine because you are worth it. EMS. I didn't have these realizations noon. And sobrang lala ng impact niya sa life ko. So 'wag n'yo akong tularan. Again, nakakamatay. I'm a very fucked up example of how you shouldn't go about your caregiving chapter.

Find your purple people. It's not gonna be easy to be vulnerable and show your dark side. Syempre, nakakainis talaga mga aging na, sick pa parent. Sarap i-flush sa baradong bowl na apaw. Hahahaha. Surround yourself with people who actually give a shit, give a fuck, about who you are AND who you are not. Period. Ngayon n'yo kailangan ng sandigan, bente kwatro oras. Ngayon n'yo malalaman who really cares, and who is but a fucking and dandy MEMA. Fight me. C'mon. LOL.

Walang eyecandy people ang magiging bandaid sa sugat lalo na ng inner children n'yo. By eyecandy, hindi lang 'yung mga thirst traps a. Eyecandy people are those who may seem to be there for you, pero 'pag 2 AM tapos wala kang malapitan, tapos nasa party sila, then 'di ka nila sinagot or ni-seen man lang, aba, bobo ka na niyan. HAHAHAHA. Eto ang era na you'll be needy and you have that hall pass. Pero, syempre, 'wag nyo abusuhin. Period.

Also, this time, you'll be able to discover who you truly are and who your aren't. Deep ba? Ulol. Fact of life lang 'yan. What I'm saying is that this is the era where you'll debunk your own stereotypes, your myths, and your pulp fiction, babyyyy. Kapit lungs.

No matter how dysfunctional or eleganza your dynamics with your sick parent is, itawid mo 'yan with flying colors. Itapon mo ang black and white and 50 shades of grey area, because, full colors are rushing in, kahit ayaw mo. LELS. It's not gonna be easy, it may kill you inside out-ish, but you're gonna have memories that are one of the books. Ikaw na lang bahala choose your own adventure and misadventure. 'Di nga lang tulad ng Give Yourself Goosebumps noon na puwede mong balikan ang pages to rectify your choices. BOOGSH. Wala ng ganun ngayon. Hahahahahahaha.

And so, choose peace amidst the chaos. The noise fuck the audiophile in you, but let the beats guide you. Heartbeats and lifeline na labanan dito or the lack thereof. (UGH. I remember the ICU days na wala sa ICU because funds were meager, but we slayed it, babyyy!)

Choose your battles, but give the fucking system the fight, fight, fight. You'll fly, sooner or later. Kapit lungs. Tiwala lungs. 'Wag aayaw. Think positive and be delulu-solulu lungs. Kaya mo 'yan! Kung hindi, tacca.

PS: I just found out that my beloved firstborn's birthday is friggin' 25th of April. Bwakanang. Isang Taurus na naman po ang nakalusot ng 'di ko nalalaman. Syempre, tatay kong pakitong-kitong natawa na naman. Bakit daw 'di ko ni-check cert netong aso na 'to. Sabi ko, alam kong para siya sa akin before I got him. SHET NA MALAGKET> Bobo ko talaga diyan sa remembering important dates. Pamigay ko na ba 'to bukas? Kaya pala ganito ugali neto. Ang lala. Hahahaha.

[the-iron-shoulder]

Felt the need to reblog a bunch of Ragnarok Online shit last night and now I just kind of have feels about RO

It’s a genuinely bad game. Poorly balanced. Grind to win. Ill-defined goals. Fucked up economy. Story weak even by early MMO standards. And yet…

Well, it was my first MMO, and so I have nostalgia goggles for it. For being in high school and actually playing online with my friends, which was a rarity in those days. The art is really charming. The music is hit-and-miss, but the hits definitely zap me back in time to the early 2000s, mostly in a good way.

I played on so many different pirate servers over the years. Each one different but also fundamentally the same.

At times in my life when my adhd is worst, like “can’t get meds and/or the meds aren’t working,” I’ve returned to it as kind of a whole-brain mindless stim. “I want to play RO” is, for me, a legitimate warning sign that my mental health ain’t where I want it to be.

Even when it was new/current/not “medicinal” for me, I had more fun thinking about it than playing it. Making character builds was fascinating; grinding for days to turn those builds into a reality was not fascinating. But then you play on a server with drastically increased XP rates and you don’t have to grind much at all… but then you realize that there’s nothing to do with the characters in that case. The build is the game, but then there’s nowhere to go with it. It’s just bad design, but it’s nonetheless something kind of special to me.

God. I remember at least one server where the monsters would have little things they’d say, but they were usually poorly translated and/or misspelled, and it was hilarious. The Minotaur yelling “I’ll crash you flat with my hammar!” will live with me until I die. I say that shit all the time and it’s been like fifteen years, probably more.

Heh, I remember that when I started, there were only the 2-1 jobs. The 2-2 jobs like sage and alchemist came later, let alone the ascended jobs like the paladin or whatever the hell third jobs came after that (what was it, like, merchant/blacksmith/mastersmith/mechanic or something, whatever that progression was), and so like each new generation had to have more elaborate sprites, but the heads stayed exactly the same because that was your customizable part with the hair and the hat and stuff, so you had these little cartoon heads that looked fine with your first or second job but that looked completely ridiculous sitting on the body of a Rune Knight on their fuckin dragon or a Mechanic in their mech armor or whatever, it was hilarious… I recall someone on some forum commenting on this and just saying “we are ugly potatoes :(“

No grand conclusion, no punchline, no moral, just disjointed feelings about a game that I’ve sacrificed hundreds of hours to and that I feel a confused tenderness for but that I don’t actually enjoy

[3amsnek]

he lookin

click for better quality

reblogs > likes! don’t like if you don’t reblog

[deltagon20362]

*returns to flight rising to get dragon inspo*

[lovee-infected]

Hello! Recently I've seen a lot of twst blogs arguing on how twst characters are mischaracterized, especially Malleus. So do you have any ideas on how he is mischaracterized? Also, is it okay to ask for your general opinion on questions like a short character analysis or how a healthy a relationship with each twdt guy might be? Hope it's okay to ask!

For your first question anon, it's a GREAT thing to ask and to be honest I've been waiting for a chance to talk about him! And for your second one, yes, of course! I just love writing character analyis and it's totally okay to ask for character/personality/relationship analysis here! I've got a lot to say about Malleus so this is going to a detailed analysis about his whole personality.

There are commonly two popular opinions on how Malleus is which divides the fandom into two groups:

Group A:

Those who consider him to be an absolutely soft, baby dragon who just wants to be invited and have a friend. They believe that Malleus needs more attention and can be quite affectionate at the time, he can also be sometimes idiotic toward simple stuff like working with a computer or trying to talk with others which makes him even more adorable. "Despite Malleus's harsh and emo appearance and terrifying powers, Malleus is just a small baby inside," is also a common belief of this group.

Group B:

Those who argue that group A is totally shading everything important about Malleus's personality and true self just because he looks cute and plays with a childish tamagotchi. These group also comes up with rather strong points about his personality such as his status as a crown prince, his naturally dark personality as not only a dark fae but also Maleficent's grandchild, his maturity and cold nature and also, the aspect of his hellish powers which can make him look like an absolute monster at the time.

I believe most of you are familiar with these points of view but the question is, which one of them is the real Malleus?

And the answer is: Neither of them; yet both of them do have a point.

The main problem is how the fandom portraits him as either an emotional tamagotchi baby or an absolutely cold and heartless mister of evil, while the true Malleus is far beyond than just being either good, or bad.

Now let's discuss some of the important facts and common mistakes about Malleus's personality:

(1) Malleus isn't a baby, but he isn't a monster either

This is supposedly the main idea here which will be continued to be discussed through the rest of this analysis. This is often how many end up mischaracterizing him because: the way the describe Malleus is either too dark or too childish. What we need here, is a balance. This is the grandson of one of the most important Disney villains that we are talking about, and don't forget that Maleficent herself was confirmed to consume the powers of Hell, as she was indeed the mistress of all evil. So this dragon boy here surely isn't one to underestimate, and he clearly has inherited that hellish power of her grandmother. It's obviously seen through the story as well, from the way he was presented in chapter 2 and beans day event to how terrified other students always are to even talk about him.

But the thing is, there are softer aspects of his personality as well which prove that Malleus isn't just designed to present an undefeatable force of evil, and this is exactly what makes his personality a lot more interesting.

(2) Malleus is actually hard to approach and talk to

Let's be honest, Malleus isn't as soft and easy to befriend as many fans consider him to be. He doesn't get too friendly or chill as he speaks, and even his close allies like Silver and Sebek fail to get close to him as much as they wish to. When we talk about his dark aura, we aren't just talking about his horns and fearsome magic, it's also because of his personality itself. His calm yet cold tone always remains still regardless of who he's talking to. No need to mention that he isn't an ordinary student either, he not only comes from a well-known family but is also the crown-prince of valley of thorns. Out of all twst characters Malleus is the only one who is directly connected to the great seven by being Maleficent's grandson. His family and people on the other hand are overly protective over him, to the point of not letting him to even have a fake proposal in the ghost marriage event which means that Malleus has also got each and every of his actions under watch.

(3) He's slowly getting used to isolating himself

In his ceremonial robes story, he's obviously upset that he never had a chance to wear his ceremonial robes because he never got invited, but when Lilia says he'd one day overcome his ill fate and gets to wear them as he always wanted to, he says that he's fine. Then again when Lilia tried to bring him to the singing test in chapter 5 he avoids showing up. In his voice lines he also said: "Are you as well scared of me?" which is clearly shouting that he's no longer surprised to see people being afraid of him, he's getting used to being feared and at some point, hated. That's probably one of the bitter sides of his personality which he's slowly giving up on trying to change it.

(4) Malleus has got a great confidence and isn't shy at all

There many fanfics in which Malleus is presented as a shy boy who's scared of confessing to his s/o or asking them out, while he's the total opposite in reality. Just like Maleficent herself, he speaks calmly and in a formal tone, is very respectful as he speaks, and isn't one to ever have problem while talking to others.

It's others who always avoid talking to him while Malleus himself isn't the least uncomfortable with presenting his ideas and asking others for help when he needs to.

He isn't ever shy over his lack of ability to work with machines or asking others for help for seemingly childish issues like having his tamagotchi fixed or finding a friend for the GaoGao dragon.

The only thing left is how Lilia described him as "Kind of shy" in chapter five, which is most likely because of another reason discussed in part (3)

(5) He doesn't eat ice cream and play with a tamagotchi for no reason

Malleus explained that everything is ran by magic back in the valley of thorns and no one really uses any machines there, that's how he's pretty new to both technology and complicated tools.

I believe that the tamagotchi part was given to him on purpose, because else than showing the fact that he's bad with tools, it's great contrast to the harsh picture that his power and personality gives him!

Admit it, it's a funny and somehow, adorable contrast to see one of the strongest magicians who can burn the room to ashes in just a matter pf second playing with a children's toy. And I believe that it was given to him on purpose. They meant to give him some soft and cute features as well instead of just presenting him as an evil fae. He is indeed evil and his powers are terrifying, and that's how watching him play with a tamagotchi is rather surprising to many. If you saw Ortho or Cheka playing with one it wouldn't have gone any further than a simple "Awww" or "How cute" because it's something you'd expect to see from a kid, but when you see Malleus of all people playing with it, you can't help but to fascinated and flustered over how cute this fae's habits can be.

Ice cream on the other hand doesn't really have to do with cuteness, it's something Yana Toboso discovered while doing her researches on fae mythology which discuses that Dark faes enjoy cold and sweet foods, especially cream. So it doesn't really have anything to do with him being either a soft or a cruel boy, it's just a normal part of his nature as a fae.

(6) He might be crazily old to humans, but he's still pretty young as a fae

This one has really been getting on my nerves, come on people! It's true that he's probably been living for decades and possibly, centuries but don't forget that it isn't that much compared to a normal fae! Even Sebek calls him 'Young master' which means that he's still a pretty young one, no need to mention that he hasn't yet became the king either so he's not much different from the rest of the students in NRC.

I've seen people saying: "No Malleus won't do that he's -too old-" and I've got to say: What?

Come on even someone like Lilia who's been living for over 5 centuries can act like a nasty 14 year old at the time, so for faes at least, age isn't a limitation.

Malleus on the other hand is still a teenage fae! He needs to discover new things and talk with more people, just like a normal human being does. So if he doesn't enjoy doing anything too silly or stupid, it's because of his 'personality', not because he's too old. Even when tells Lilia that he isn't a child anymore, it's like how an 18 year old says it to his father.

(7) Malleus won't take insult easily

He is polite and respectful in general, but when he's offended, he'd seriously respond to it. Remember that a single swipe of hand from him can set the whole room on fire.

Rook and Leona were probably one step away from being burnt and when Leona really got on Malleus's nerves by humiliating him, Malleus stopped respecting him as a prince of an ally kingdom and humiliated back.

He is calm but to a specific point, and you can make sure that he won't be any soft or forgiving if you offend him, and it'll probably end in no good if he gets mad. So better not think that Malleus is one to just keep it in and later cry in a room because he's sad baby when someone dares insult him.

(8) Angelina Jolie's Maleficent has nothing to do with his story!

Nope, Malleus never had a lover who cut off his wings and sent him to a hell of depression and loneliness, and no you cannot find those two wounds on his back regardless of how romantic it may seem.

I admit it, it's a lovely Au, but it's JUST AN AU! I can still see people saying stuff like "Ohh!! Will we discover if Malleus too had his wings cut off in chapter 7?" and the answer is NO. While Angelina Jolie's Maleficent is surely a great one on its own, it needs be understood that twst's source of main information and characters designs is nothing else than the original Disney villains.

Malleus cannot be associated with any Maleficents else than the version we saw in 1959's sleeping beauty and it's an important fact to look through.

(9) Malleus is NOT Maleficent!

While they are a lot more similar than you can imagine(in both power and personality), let's not forget that Malleus is NOT Maleficent! He's a total new character on his own, and is unique in his own way.

He is twisted from Maleficent which means that no matter how similar they are, Malleus is a new character with a new personality.

Saying that he isn't soft at all and the fandom will see his true face when he overblots ( It's supposed to mean that the real Malleus is an absolutely evil and destructive one, just like Maleficent) is nothing different from denying all of Yana's hard work on designing him and his personality!

Malleus himself said that his grandmother's skills were far greater than his and most importantly: Malleus still has chance to have a better fate than Maleficent did.

Once again: He's still young! He still has a chance to be saved from turning into a heartless and isolated creature like Maleficent. No matter how cold he is, he hasn't yet got to the point of hating the whole world and losing all of his emotions. And that's why it's totally wrong to deny all the good that he might still have inside by saying that he isn't soft at all. He isn't a baby, but he isn't a monster either. Not yet.

(10) Even Lilia agrees that Malleus is still learning and his personality is in development

Can't you see? Malleus isn't attending to this school for no reason. His magic is already top notch, and his knowledge goes far greater than anything they might teach in NRC.

If you take a look at the story, you'll see signs of Lilia indirectly giving us signs of why Malleus still needed to attend to this school. In Malleus's SR robes' story, Lilia told him that he still has a lot to learn and knowledge isn't everything. And what might he find in NRC which has nothing to do with knowledge? People.

Lilia is trying to hold him back from isolating himself like Maleficent did, and is indeed trying to help him make friends and learn to get along with people without thinking that it's useless because they'd fear him anyway.

Also, he clearly wants Malleus to learn and experience new things in NRC by taking part in activities. In Malleus's Halloween SR story Lilia, who was always the one to choose Diasomnia's Halloween costumes, asks Malleus to choose this year's costume instead of him. Lilia first says that he wants Malleus to do it but later tells him that he has other reasons as well, he was trying to put Malleus into trying something new therefore he can have something learn from the experiment! (What a cute papa he really is...)

This is another proof of him not having the cold and unapproachable picture some imagine him to have, he isn't against experiencing and trying new things.

(11) He's still looking for a true friend

Malleus needs a friend, that's a fact. During his chats he mentions how Maleficent always had her loyal pet crow by her side as the only reliable creature she could always trust, and how Malleus wonders if he can ever find such a worthy ally of his own.

Even as he has Lilia, Silver and Sebek by his side he doesn't feel like he has such a friend.

People have been avoiding him through his whole life, and you can see how excited he got when Cater asked him for a selfie as he was one of the very first people who ever tried to approach him.

While he's slowly getting used to being feared by everyone, he'd still appreciate a friend and he needs one. Not even Maleficent herself could've made it all on her own without a friend by her side.

(12) Malleus isn't heartless

While he won't easily fall for anything or anyone, it isn't impossible for him to love.

We haven't yet seen anything that directly gets us to the point of love in the story but it's something you can tell through his actions and words.

When he cares for something or someone, he'd be serious about it.

Two obvious examples would be his tamagotchi and the ramshackle dorm. He'd certainly get out of his way to find someone to fix his dear tamagotchi and as we saw in the Halloween event, he furiously stated that he'd burn anyone who tries to the ramshackle dorm any harm, because he likes that place.

There isn't much he holds dear in life, but when he does, he won't let a single soul to take it away from him.

When he can be this protective over something that just entertains him, just try to imagine how far he might go to protect the one he loves. He falls in love very slowly and it'll probably take him a while to realize it if he actually does. He can begin with small interests and repeated meetings but at some point, it'll turn into a routine, an obsession. He won't easily fall in love, but when he does, he won't be able to easily let go of it either.

(13) His relationship with MC is far more important than you're thinking

Just by going through his voice lines, you can tell how MC is effecting Malleus's personality and life. I'm not saying that it's love or anything but the thing is, MC is changing Malleus nonetheless.

Their relationship has been a totally new thing for Malleus to experience from the very beginning, because MC didn't know him. Malleus is obviously used to being well-known as the infamous prince of the Draconia family by almost everyone, but MC was an exception.

He asked MC to talk to him and tell him stories, it can be clearly see that he enjoys talking to them.

He also mentioned that MC has made him feeling lots of things he hadn't felt before, which can also be connected to part (10) where we discussed how he's still young and needs more of communication and friends because he needs to learn.

Some argue that Malleus couldn't care less about MC and the only reason he shows up around them is because of the ramshackle dorm, which can be easily proven wrong by two hints:

1) Malleus sent a Happy holiday card to MC after the winter holiday.

2)What Malleus told Lilia at the end of the Halloween event stories after all the troubles that was brought upon the ramshackle dorm: "I want that human to enjoy Halloween too"

While it isn't necessarily romance that we're talking about, his relationship with MC is clearly telling us that he's a lot more of emotions and humanity inside him than what we were expecting.

At this point, it's important to see that in spite of his cold nature and mature personality he is slowly beginning to feel more and more emotions as the result of meeting newer people in NRC, especially MC. Saying that he is nothing but a heartless fae who is wrongly thought to be a soft and emotional boy is nothing different from judging him the same way as most of the people in twisted wonderland itself judge Malleus, it's important to see that he's a lot more.

His personality itself is surely amazing and as a Malleus hoe stan myself I can't wait to get more of his background in chapter 7, although it's probably going to be dark as well. They really did give his design a twist and that's how he's a balance of and menacingly powerful magician and a young boy who's just learning to deal with emotions.

For now, that's all I had in mind! Hope that I didn't miss anything. This was a general character analysis which also discussed some of the common mistakes about Malleus's personality but-

In case that you're wondering how he's being mischaracterized in reader insert fics, that'll be a totally different issue to discuss which would also need another post to be discussed through.

Small note: Just saying that there's often a dark lore to twst x reader fics (Especially for Malleus/ Leona x reader) which is usually better to be ignored while reading/writing for them...

[precursorgod]

mer/man4mer/man

JayTimWeek2022 Day 1

Day 1: Mermaid AU | Road Trip

4 ficlets for jaytim week, with all 4 possible permutations of mer and man jaytim.

1. A hired merc goes rogue and absconds with the treasure he was hired to guard. 2. A scientist is struck by morals and absconds with the subject he was hired to study. 3. Two mers flop their way into a car and take off for the sea. 4. A hired guard and a scientist awkwardly share an escape car after their mer freeing plans clash and busts them both.

ao3 link

1. A hired merc goes rogue and absconds with the treasure he was hired to guard.

Jason remembered the first time he saw the merman. His company had been hired by Ra’s Al Ghul to protect a special something during its transportation.

At first, he’d thought the dimly lit tank was devoid of life. Then Ra’s tapped the glass with his cane and stood smugly in front of the glass as something… unfurled.

The glittering stones he’d thought was part of some crazy rich guy’s aquarium decoration turned out to be the scales of a myth.

Ruby scales covered the merman from the waist down, with the occasional gleaming black scale. Gold streaked through black fins. Its skin was so pale it was almost translucent and Jason imagined if the light was brighter he’d be able to see the merman’s ribs.

It was draped in golden jewellery and gems from top to bottom. Bands of gold filigree surrounded its neck, waist, wrists, and just above its tail fin. Only when it rose in the water to glare down at them did Jason realise the chains dripping from the bands weren’t just decorative, but anchored to the bottom edges of the cylindrical tank.

Black hair surrounded its face like a halo. Spiny fins peeked out from where a human’s ears would be. Small black scales similar to the ones dotting its tail adorned its cheeks beneath its eyes.

Jason was reminded of a book he’d been obsessed with as a child. It was about dragons and the cover had a blue plastic gem painted with a dragon’s slitted pupils. The book was long gone but the memory stayed. The merman’s vivid blue eyes would undoubtedly stay with him too.

Judging by his coworker’s gasps, it was probably the most beautiful creature they’d ever seen in their lives. It was for Jason.

And a far cry from the hissing, spitting creature currently in his arms.

“Stop- ow! Stop biting me! I am trying to help you!” Jason hissed, dodging the merman’s black tipped claws. “No claws either! You wanna let that creep Ra’s leer at you forever? I know you can understand me, fishboy!”

Never let it be said that Jason let opportunities pass him by. His partner for the night never turned up—probably to go blow his pay in the nearest bar, damn alcoholic—and Jason took the chance to drain the tank and cut the chains. He kept them, of course. He’d need the money.

“I’m Jason, by the way,” he told the merman when it—he?—finally settled down, arms crossed and tail fins flicking unhappily. The merman raised an eyebrow, like So?

“Yeah, yeah, just wanted to make sure you knew the name of your saviour. So when you go home and, I don’t know, raise a giant fish army and wage war on humanity as revenge or something, you know who to spare.”

2. A scientist is struck by morals and absconds with the subject he was hired to study.

He really should have just stuck with his childhood dream of becoming a pro skateboarder, Tim thought as he struggled to keep the wheelbarrow straight. Tony Hawk would never have to steal an entire merperson from the ethically unsound research centre he worked for.

In his wheelbarrow lay the very heavy merman that his sedentary lifestyle left him ill suited to lugging around. The merman—designation J-T044—was dorsal fin up with his arms braced on the edge of the wheelbarrow, tail curled up so the caudal fin touched his shoulders, and face level with Tim’s chest. At least his white streaked black hair was short so Tim wouldn’t have to deal with it tickling his arms.

The merman grumbled and shifted. Tim was nearly dragged down with the wheelbarrow when it tilted to the side.

“Stop moving!” he hissed.

The merman hissed right back. Jagged teeth peeked out from where his lip lifted.

Tim’s colleagues had categorised this particular mer as Homo Selachimorpha due to the placoid scales covering his tail and fin on his back. While the typical shark had grey or brown skin, this merman was bright red from the waist down, leading to theories that he was poisonous or venomous.

A few tests had revealed that while the merman did possess some venom in his saliva, a paralytic strong enough to stun a large fish, his flesh was no more poisonous than the average shark.

Which is when one of the centre’s sponsors stepped in. Hand over the nonpoisonous shark man or your funding gets cut, they said.

Three guesses for what they were planning to do and the first two don’t count.

“If you bite me, I’ll drop and then we’re both fucked,” Tim warned. “I’ll be fired and you’ll be fired fired.”

The merman rolled his eyes but put his teeth away. He made a mocking chirp not unlike that of a dolphin.

“They can’t fire me if I quit first. Which I am,” Tim shot back. He paused. “Oh god, I’m quitting. The best job I’ve ever gotten and I’m about throw it all away. I haven’t even given in my two weeks notice. Maybe I should put you back. We can try again next next week.”

He got slapped on the arm. Unfortunately the merman had to shift all his weight to one arm to do so and Tim yelped as he smacked into the wall when the wheelbarrow overbalanced.

3. Two mers flop their way into a car and take off for the sea.

“Get your fins out of my face!” Jason spluttered angrily as he was slapped in the face. He was sitting—for a given value of sitting—in the driver’s seat, tail bent to side and curving over the centre console to rest on the passenger seat. His tail fins were pressed up against the window.

“How about you get your face out of my fins?” Tim shot back from his upside down position in the footwell. One arm was braced on the ground to keep him from faceplanting on the floor and the other held the accelerator pedal down.

Jason took one hand off the steering wheel to shove Tim’s tail out of the way. It landed on the armrest and into the back seat.

“Let’s swap places, you press the pedals and I’ll steer, how about that?”

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you’d studied human language, your highness.”

“Why would I need to know human language?”

“Uh, to read road signs?”

“What’s a road sign?”

“What’s a ro-” Jason looked down in affront before remembering to keep his eyes on the road. “Forget it. You just stay down there and do what I tell you to.”

“What am I, a cheap whore?” Tim grumbled.

“You said it, not me.”

“I’ll have you arrested for lèse-majesté.”

Jason rolled his eyes.

Tim squeaked. “Did you just feel me up?”

“If I’m gonna do the time, may as well do the crime.”

Tim fin-slapped him.

4. A hired guard and a scientist awkwardly share an escape car after their mer freeing plans clash and busts them both.

“…”

“…”

The mercenary and the scientist sat in silence as they drove away from the burning wreck of the laboratory.

“…Just making sure, you got the other mer out of the place, right? The blue one?”

“Subject D-GR4Y, yes. That’s the one I took to the sea. You freed D-W4YN?”

“If you mean the tiny bitey one with the green tail, yeah. Came back for the other one, but, uh…”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them quietly remembered panicking when the tank of the mer they came back for turned out to be empty, then running to the tank of the mer they’d already rescued and running into each other.

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

Jason aimed his gun at the first person he’d run into since freeing the green mer. Timothy Drake, head researcher, protege of the facility owner himself. Ra’s Al Ghul’s favourite.

“You better tell me where the other merman is, Dr Drake, or things won’t end well for you.”

Tim straightened his lab coat and stared the guard down. Todd, he’d heard the man’s colleagues call him. Less frequently Jason, and only once Jay.

“Safe, Mr Todd. However, I cannot guarantee the same for you if you don’t tell me where the other one has been moved.”

Jason bared his teeth in a grin. “That sounds like a threat, Drake, but I’m the one with the gun.”

Tim inclined his head and reached into his pocket. “Maybe so. But I’m the one with the bomb.”

Click.

Alarms began blaring and the automated voice announced the self-destruct sequence had begun.

“Of course this damn place has a self-destruct sequence,” Jason muttered. He raised his voice. “The other one’s gone. I couldn’t tell you where he is even if I wanted to. Could be in the Mariana Trench by now for all I know. All you’re doing at this point is destroying Ra’s shit.”

Tim felt rage rise in him. If Subject D-W4YN was gone but Todd didn’t know where… “You sold him?!”

“Wait, what? Sold who?”

“TIMOTHY JACKSON DRAKE.”

Ra’s came thundering around the corner. Jason switched his gun to the bigger threat. The old man looked crazed, hair unprecedentedly messy and dressed in just a robe and slippers.

“What have you done!?”

Tim sneered at him down his nose. “What I should have done long ago. You’re sick, Ra’s. I’ve sent everything to the worst people. Lois Lane, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent. You can’t snake your way out of things this time.”

Jason was starting to get the feeling there’d been a misunderstanding here.

“You ungrateful brat! After everything I’ve done for you-”

Tim exploded. “You haven’t done shit! All you do is grab my ass and drop hints about your daddy kink! I’ve recorded all that too by the way and I will also be suing you for sexual harassment!”

He took a deep breath.

“FUCK. OFF. RA’S!” he howled.

It was almost louder than the alarms. Jason was impressed. And maybe a little bit in love.

“You heard him, Ra’s,” he said. He gestured with his gun. “Take a hike or take a bullet, your choice.”

Ra’s glared at the two of them before the repeated warning spurred him into action.

“This isn’t over,” he threw over this shoulder, scampering away.

“This isn’t over,” Jason mocked, holstering his gun. He stepped back when Drake whirled on him.

“And you!”

Drake looked wonderful, face red with righteous anger and blue eyes ablaze, but now was not the time for Jason to indulge his newfound crush.

“Whoa, whoa! I’m on your side! I didn’t sell nobody!”

“What?”

“Later; go go go!”

Tim, reeling from confusion, was dragged along and tossed into a beat up old jeep. Todd hit the gas as soon as he was seated and they screeched out of there amidst a few other fleeing vehicles.

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

“…”

“…”

Tim suddenly groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

“First time?” Jason asked sympathetically.

“First…? Time blowing up a building?”

“I was gonna say near-death experience, but that works too.”

“Well, yes to both, but I just realised that my car got blown up with the rest of the facility. My baby. Dead. By my own hand.”

“Ah. That’s rough, buddy.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Hey, what was your plan anyway? If one of the mers was still in the building, I doubt there’d be enough time to get them out.”

“I didn’t have one.”

“What?”

“You were pointing a gun at me. I panicked.”

“Damn. I couldn’t tell at all. You must be great at poker.”

Tim shrugged. “Wouldn’t know. Never played it. Don’t know how to play it.”

“For real? How about I teach you? We’ll hit up all the casinos, clear ‘em out. Make enough to get you a new car.”

“You’re talking like I’m coming with you.”

Jason glanced at him and raised a brow. “You got any where else to go?”

Eventually, Tim would have to return to face the consequences of his actions, but for now…

“Guess not,” he sighed. “Hello, I’m Tim Drake. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Jason took one hand off the steering wheel to shake his hand.

“Hello, Tim Drake. Jason Todd.”

He winked.

“The pleasure’s all mine.”

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

you'd think that since i'm australian i'd be one of the earliest to post. no lmao. i literally started writing this like 15 hrs ago, went to sleep, and finished this just now.

i had such ambitions when i first decided to join jaytim week. then i gave up. anyway, take these ficlets and leave me be. 3 and 4 are complete, but 1 and 2 may be continued. maybe.

[irradiatedsnakes]

[ID: 7 drawings of monster!mechanisms designs. they are as follows: 1. a colored drawing of ivy alexandria that has been partially passed through the deep dream generator neural network, giving parts of the image a swirling, surreal appearance, often resembling eyes. 2. a digtal sketch of nastya as a ghost. her eyes are obscured by her glasses shine and she is covered in blue wisps, and dripping blue from her mouth and hands.  3. a digital sketch of drumbot brian as a centaur sitting down. his horse half is also mechanical and resembles a clydesdale. he also has horse-ish ears. 4. a sketchy bust of vampire marius. he looks smug, and looks to the side with a fanged smile. 5. digital sketch of partially-transformed werewolf gunpowder tim with doglike ears, claws, and a tail. he says "ok why did getting turned into that somehow give you a pitchfork." with a quizzical expression. 6. digital sketch of jonny d'ville as a devil or demon, with horns, pointy ears, cartoony wings, and a thin tail with a heart-shaped tip. he's holding a hellish pitchfork, looking confused and says "what? i already owned this.” 7. a traditional sketch of harpy/siren raphaella. she holds here feathery winged arms out, while her mechanical bat wings are unfurled behind her. her lower half is that of a bird. end ID]

ok ill post a couuuple. self indulgence machine go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

ok so u know like back in the gravity falls fandom there was that really popular au called monster falls where everybody got turned into some sort of monster/mythological creature? i fucking love that scenario and have been making my own little “everybody gets cursed by a witch or something so now i get to draw these fun designs” aus for like everything i like (never did it w tma oddly enough? good inspo just never struck.) so here.......is..........this. not everybodys pictured here but go under the cut for a list of what everybody is plus some extra notes and stuff

lets just goooooo alphabetical order

ashes - OKAY HONESTLY STILL NOT 100% ON ASHES im THINKING half-dragon. yes i know i already went dragon for them in the furry au its just a good fit and also looks Cool, but also waiting out to see if i can think of anything better

brian - CENTAURRRR also again. yes. i know i went 4 horse for him in the furry au. its just good and has fun brian vibes. wanting to draw centaur brian was the thing that led to this au happening

ivy - ELDRITCH SOMETHIN OR OTHER...idk what youd call that exactly. but you get the gist. cosmic horror, eyes, unfathomable patterns and things. doing the deep dream stuff for her in that picture was very fun and im very happy w how it came out...definitely something to revisit in the future. not sure how i wanna draw her when...not doing a whole colored digital thing, but well cross that bridge when i can draw again

jonny - he’s. he’s a devil? a little demon guy? like. yeah. of course. this guy was fucking meant to have little wings horns and a cute little demon heart tail. he has somehow become MORE bastardly

marius - VAMPIRE MARIUS ONCE AGAIN HES JUST FUN. hes just fun and the aesthetic suits him. i cant wait to draw him in a fun little cape with one of those big dramatic collars you know the ones. vampire marius is of course @ alientoastt’s idea!!

nastya - BANSHEE...or ghost in general but there some banshee stuff i feel could be fun to integrate. apparently in some tellings banshees can turn into crows? i love that very much. but anyways hmm..some notes abt the design in thsi post shes not quite where i want her to be. this was done on that collab canvas the other day and like...was mostly noodling things out having fun, those flamey looking bits are a very nice motion very fun to do but NOT wwhat i want for ghostya. i want her to be more. drippy. very drowned person vibes. fire and upward-floating motif not what i want. but it was fun to draw. also i think theres some potential comedy in there with “person who predicts deaths” among crew who habitually murder each other

raphaella - SOMEWHERE BTWN HARPY & SIREN (the bird kind not the mermaid kind) very excited abt her. lots of fun potential poses here. doing her design was a bit tricky- sirens tend to be just like- big birds with human heads? but i didt wanna do just that that takes away too much of her design recognizbility yknow to Just have her head. so she has a people torso, bird from the waist down, plus her arms are wings. which means she has Two pairs of wings. which i for one think is incredibly fun like you remember in httyd2 valka’s dragon w the four wings? yeah. also avent figured what bird in particular shell be based on- for the ufrry au i went w african grey parrot but dont feel like that here. ill think on it

tim - WEREWOLF TIM DUH. DUH. also i think werewolves are especially funny in scenarios like thse cus like- okay everybody suddenly ahhh cursed ahh monster whatever. but then tims just there like. i mean i feel fine lol and u get to have the fun surprise of Oh Suddenly Werewolf. also the question of how exactly werewolves who change based on the moon function in a. spaceship. i like to think its entirely fucking random i think thats funny

TS - ANIMATED SUIT OF ARMOR!! I DONT HAVE MUCH MORE TO SAY ON THSI BUT I LOVE . THIS IDEA. and i will never draw it. because fuck drawing and designing armor oh my god

anyways i think thats??? all i have to say on this??? agdvjdkb. if you wanna talk about this at all (or if u wanna see more doodles...) im totally open to that. ill be real i get weirdly embarrassed about specifically this kind of au (like. monster stuff in general especially werewolf/vampire stuff i could not fucking tell you why. gotten better abt it over time though hey im actually postin this shit!) so im just happy i posted it afhcgvjdkvdg .

as for story type things like how. this happens. frankly i dont know thats not my forte. but the little bit of whatever ive got going on my head has the Terrific Trio of ivy marius & raphaella doing Research Science Whatever down on a planet somewhere get into contact with a Cursed Artifact or whatever the fuck and eventually get back to the aurora like. oh. uh. it happened to you guys too, huh. but thats like whatever honestly im not in it for the writing im here to draw fun centaur man etc.

if you made it to the bottom of this winding fucking ramble know that i love you. mwah. that was fun to write out i like thought barfing about stuff like maybe 3 people will care about