#thats what one piece taught me

[ratfest]

[hylianane]

Breathing into a paperbag thinking about the possibility of Elbaf digging the conflict from Water 7 back up again and maybe exploring some long-term repercussions of Luffy and Usopp’s fight that not even they themselves were aware of and and and and and-

LISTEN. the Water 7 Saga absolutely rewired the way I understood the crew and how each member views themselves and the roles they play. And it’s been some time since the Strawhat’s exploration of the New World has allowed them to really take time and consider themselves and each other like that again.

And Elbaf just sounds (MUAH) like such a wonderful opportunity to do exactly that, it sounds perfect, primarily in the way it ties all the way back to the Strawhat’s early days on the Grand Line. And when you look at the presence of the Giant Pirates in Little Garden and Enies Lobby, what they share is that both times the Giants Served the purpose mirroring the conflicts between the crewmates and highlighting the importance of loyalty and comradery. Shit writes itself. Come on Elbaf don’t let me down. Come on Usopp I know you can hit us with another world shattering arc just take the stage love.

[heavyknitter]

1 - How it started.

Two weeks ago I walked up 'n over to my aunt, who lives next door to me and asked her if she had some knitting needles and wool to show me how to do it. When I get the urge to do something, I need to do it right now, it can't wait, I need to ride this wave - thankfully my aunt is very much the same so she took one look at me, got up from her seat and started rifling through her stuff to find what I asked for. She used to be an expert knitter, but her eyesight is poor these days so she doesn't bother with that anymore - she is also, as I figured out quickly, not all that good at explaining shit. But eh, we made it work. We are both very kinaesthetic oriented learners and for her this is easy-peasy muscle memory and I had to remind her I have no context no idea how to loop what and where and more importantly, my hands may have a lot of muscle memory on various tasks but not this, none of that. So she manipulated my hand a bit until I got the idea of how and bäm. Suddenly I was knitting.

Well. I tried my best. It was a learning curve, thankfully a steep one. See, she cast on ten loops for me and did the first two rows to get me started and I jumped in and somehow made that 13 loops. That was fun because she of course asked me how the hell and I had no answer because we were at the bare bones, how to increase was not even a topic yet so idk what I did there.

Next issue, which I was not really surprised by if I am honest, was the fact that I was knitting too tightly. See, as artist I have the issue of gripping my pens too tight, so tight in fact that I sometimes cut off the blood circulation in my fingers while I draw detailed linework. I have compression opera gloves to mitigate that issue a bit and keep my hands and arms protected while I try to unlearn this. I also started embroidery in autumn of 2022 and there I like to pull the thread tight to make the embroidery neat and even, so.. both of these things worked against me a wee bit. But I worked on this little test piece for like three days straight to get the movement into my system. To get my grip under control. To get a rhythm going. (To make sure I will not add any more loops to a row than those 13 because seriously where the fuck did they come from.)

I mostly tried to get even rows but in the beginning I made some waves between tight loops and trying to loosen them again but eventually it clicked with my hands what I wanted them to do in terms of pressure and pull. My aunt is a darling you know? She said, those knitting needles are shit for the wool she had at hand but it will do for now, good enough to learn at least. And then she ran an errand the very next day and gave me some bulky as hell soft wool that has like.. the same feels as those soft synthetic cuddly blankets you can buy almost everywhere, so, perfect for me. And my first own knitting needles to go with that. And I showed her my test piece and how I slowly get a hang of it and she nodded in approval and praised how even my rows are getting and that made my brain go brr.

And one day after I did go into the city and hit up the store next to the train station and went a bit wild on buying wool - which is a theme for the next couple of days to be honest. I bought a lot of wool because I really wanted to have everything in house when I go wild. And thus I started on my first real project. A scarf that is more like a shawl because I really really misjudged how broad the bulky soft wool makes the thing. But more on that later I guess <3

[snekdood]

ppl need to stop equating being messy with being unhealthy

[bbyjackie]

𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘'𝐒 𝐆𝐅 — ♡

one piece social media + dating feat: luffy

♡ liked by trafalgar_d.law, ace and 3.1k others

_ynln: told me to turn around and all i hear is "ARGHH PUNK GIBSON I AM JAGGYYY"

tagged: p1rateking_luffy

trafalgar_d.law: yn is so real for posting this (liked by _ynln)

lovenami: NO LUFFY DON'T GET US INTO BEEF W OTHER CREWS 👹👹

↳ p1rateking_luffy: Nah I'm not scared, I got that DAWGG in me 💪💪

↳ _ynln: LMFAO LUF WHO TAUGHT YOU TO SAY THAT 😭

↳ p1rateking_luffy: Ace told me to say it!

↳ ace: ONGGG THATS MY BROTHER 🥱☝️☝️

CAPTAIN.KIIIID: YOU STYPU11D FUCKIGN MONEKEY TAHST A SHIT IMEPSONATION SHITHEAD

↳ trafalgar_d.law: your lack of ability to spell scares me

↳ killerrr: ngl he got you there kid

↳ CAPTAIN.KIIIID: SHYT UP TRADFALGAR

↳ CAPTAIN.KIIIID: WHIS SIDE ARW YOU ON

↳ _ynln: give kid some credit, only one of his hands got touch recognition (liked by trafalgar_d.law, ace)

↳ ace: LMFSOO

↳ sogekingg.usopp: 💀💀

↳ lovenami: PLS YN I WANT TO LIVE PEACEFULLY

↳ p1rateking_luffy: yn you're funny!!

♡ liked by p1rateking_luffy, saaaa_bo and 2.6k others

_ynln: ick: guys that eat like their food is gonna run away

tagged: p1rateking_luffy

theroronoa.zoro: proceeds to date a guy that eats like their food is gonna run away

↳ _ynln: i can look past the ick 🤭🤭

lovenami: SOO TRUE like no one's gonna take it from you, calm down hoover mouth 😭

↳ blackleg.sanji: nami san just so you know i am trained in dinner etiquette 💞💕❤️❤️‍🔥

↳ sogekingg.usopp: literally who asked 💀

p1rateking_luffy: What does ick mean?

↳ boahancock: Luffy you look so cute when you eat 🥰🥰 (liked by _ynln)

↳ lovenami: get u a girl like yn that wouldn't flip shit at what boa said (liked by nicorobin)

↳ _ynln: it means I Crush on Kind people

↳ p1rateking_luffy: THANKS YN 😁

↳ lovenami: PLEASE 😭

↳ CAPTAIN.KIIIID: 💀💀

↳ sogekingg.usopp: 💀💀

♡ liked by ilovecottoncandychopper, saaaa_bo and 6.7k others

p1rateking_luffy: yn gives me the ICK ❤️

tagged: _ynln

sogekingg.usopp: LMFAOO @_ynln

lovenami: THE CAPTION @_ynln 💀💀

CAPTAIN.KIIIID: AHUAHHAAH

saaaa_bo: LUFFY NO 😭😭

↳ ace: LUFFY YES AHAHAH

↳ saaaa_bo: ACE STOP BEING AN INSTIGATOR

theroronoa.zoro: oh god

↳ blackleg.sanji: there's no way that HE is the one with a girlfriend 😐😐

↳ theroronoa.zoro: tbf i get luffy with a girl more than u 🥱🥱

_ynln: 🤨

↳ p1rateking_luffy: You're my ICK yn! ❤️❤️(liked by sogekingg.usopp, lovenami, CAPTAIN.KIIIID, trafalgar_d.law, FRAAANKY, SOULKING, ace)

♡ liked by p1rateking_luffy, jinbe and 3.5k others

_ynln: 2️⃣ icks

tagged: p1rateking_luffy

p1rateking_luffy: SORRY HEHE

p1rateking_luffy: LOVE YOU YN

↳ _ynln: 🫤💞

blackleg.sanji: how does he manage to screw up and STILL have yn 😩😩

↳ sogekingg.usopp: keep ur head up king 🤕🤕

lovenami: that’s at least 200,000 berries for no photo credits 😙

↳ _ynln: WTF NAMI YK I DONT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY 😭😭

↳ lovenami: that’s MINIMUM. i had to third wheel you guys for three hours, i need money for therapy 🥱🥱

[lesbianloser69]

It’s such a simple thing really, but “do you want me to be alive?” is one of, if not the saddest, things written in the entire world of one piece. Although, maybe thats just because of my soft spot for found family tropes (especially siblings lol)

Ace is just a small little boy here, a fragile thing compared to the character we all know. This is a harsh contrast compared to Ace in his adulthood, where he’s fueled by his ache to prove himself and prove that he’s more than his father. You never would have guessed the reality of his childhood, considering the cheery and almost comedic relief he can be at times.

I guess I kind of expected this, though. Aces hatred for himself and feeling that he doesn’t deserve to be alive was first hinted through his self deprecative jokes, before we ever knew about his past or who he was. I noticed this myself, that through the facade of sarcasm and cockiness there’s just a guy who feels like his life is a burden to all those around him. And what does it all come down to? His blood, the last name that he refuses to bear out of his hatred for the man who gave it its meaning.

Ace going by his mothers last name isn’t just a testimony for his respect and love for her, but also an act of defiance against his father. I don’t blame him lol, but it’s honestly heartbreaking that Ace has no idea that Roger did love him, and Ace died not knowing this.

The result of Rogers actions on the world though basically fucked Ace over for his entire life, and that was what made Roger selfish.. to go and cause a war and then have a son? It’s no surprise that Ace is seen as the child of the devil, because that’s exactly what Roger was seen as.. the devil.

So for all of Aces childhood he’s taught one thing: that his father was the devil, and that he is the child of that monster. That he doesn’t deserve to live, and what’s worse is he has to listen to strangers talk about murdering Rogers son, if he ever had one. He’s barely even lived to know anything, he’s just a baby, and he already believes what the ENTIRE world thinks of him, he’s hated and worthless and a burden. That’s so much for a 10 year old to have to carry alone, and it’s even sadder to see how this causes Ace to be shut off and cold to everyone he meets.

But of course he is.. hearing people talk about murdering him if he did exist (not directly him because no one knows Ace is Rogers son, except Garp and the mountain bandits. Besides, the world believed Roger having a son was a rumor anyway.) doesn’t make his hatred for anyone he meets that unsurprising. For all he knows, they want him dead too.

When Ace meets Luffy, he’s completely baffled that this boy he’s never met before wants to be his friend! How can someone WANT to be his friend? No ones ever been like that to Ace before, except for Sabo. Even after Ace pushes Luffy away, and makes it extremely obvious he hates him and doesn’t want Luffy near him, Luffy doesn’t give up. He’s urgently insistent on being Aces friend.

So…

“You feel better when you’re around me?”

“You need me?”

Ace is almost at a loss for words here. Luffy feels better around him, Luffy needs him. He’s wanted, he’s loved and he’s cared for, someone notices him for more than just a mistake, that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. And back to this panel:

The way ace nervously fidgets with his hands here (I believe he is, anyway) and his head is tilted downwards.. he’s clearly asking something that means everything to him.

“Do you want me to be alive?”

And little Luffy just instantly, without hesitation, says of course is soooo fucking cute and sweet and UGHHHH!!! Luffy is the first person to EVER say he WANTS (fr gotta emphasize on the want) Ace to be alive. This changed the trajectory of Aces life forever.

I guess I’ll stop here but there’s so much more I could talk about and say.. but Ace and Luffy are very special to me

my small babies☹️

[thewertsearch]

ERIDAN: for all that trainin you did ERIDAN: i wwouldnt be the incredible holy wwizard i am noww wwithout your help […] KANAYA: I Hope You Use Your Magnificent Powers Of Light And Hope For Goodness And Purity And Lets Not Forget Science

At this point. Kanaya is Human Sarcasming better than most actual humans.

ERIDAN: dont wworry im all ovver that shit you dont evven knoww KANAYA: Uh Oh I Hope That Didnt Come Off As Too Sarcastic […] KANAYA: Please Dont Take Too Much Offense ERIDAN: haha damn kan if thats your idea of offense bein made then i honestly gotta fuckin wworry for you ERIDAN: tell you wwhat ill givve you some lessons in dealin out the dark umbrage to repay you for your tutelage in the wwhite science

I think Dave taught Kanaya more about the art of trolling in a single conversation than Eridan could in an entire lifetime.

That guy can troll better than most actual trolls.

ERIDAN: wwhats that thing there KANAYA: The Matriorb KANAYA: I Was About To Go Hatch It In The Core To Restore Our Race ERIDAN: that sounds ERIDAN: hopeful […] ERIDAN: if theres goin to be any sort a hope for our race as the prince of hope i demand to be invvolvved ERIDAN: so dont go anywwhere wwithout me got it […] KANAYA: Fine

I’m all for the construction of neo-Alternia, but I really don't think Eridan should be on the planning committee, unless we also want a neo-hemospectrum.

Honestly, the only trolls I'd really trust to rebuild their society are the bottom half of the hemospectrum, and possibly Gamzee. The other highbloods can go sit in the corner.

ERIDAN: its not magic wwe talked about this kar KARKAT: RIGHT, IT'S POWERED BY SCIENCE, I FORGOT. KARKAT: OR HOPE. WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT MEANS

I don’t see how Hope translates to a robot-exploding beam, though.

If it was wizards he was blowing up, I’d understand, because it would be consistent with my theory that he's weaponizing his hatred of FRAUDULENT MAGIC. If anything, his Science Wand should strengthen a robot, since it's a product of the TRUEST SCIENCES.

ERIDAN: i had a harder time than anybody wwith this game ERIDAN: it wwas really fuckin unfair wwhat challenges i got saddled wwith ERIDAN: i wwoulda fuckin MURDERED for a land full of a lot a harmless brains and fire ERIDAN: but no ERIDAN: it wwas so lonely ERIDAN: hey guys anybody wwant to come hang out wwith me in the land a wwrath and angels

That sounds cool, though. Angels, I assume, are how Hope is represented in his Land, and I’m sure Eridan synergized well with its wrath. I wonder what physical form it took?

ERIDAN: anybody at all i knoww it isnt anythin like one of your flippin land picnics ERIDAN: anybody please ill evven settle for the kittycat shipper cavve girl

You can't complain about loneliness and then insult your ‘friend’ in the same breath. That's not how any of this works, and the fact that you're unaware of this should tell you everything you need to know about why you're lonely.

So Karkat does know about Nepeta’s little crush. He is a relationship aficionado, after all.

Poor Nepeta.

I sort of figured Karkat didn't reciprocate her feelings. He's preoccupied with plenty of other redrom prospects, and he basically never mentions her.

Karkat’s honestly a little too nice to Eridan. He’s being such a bro here, but what Eridan actually needs is to be brought down to size a little.

Granted, I think Eridan needs a bigger shock to the system than an angry tirade from Karkat. I feel like Terezi could tear him to pieces - but since it's unfair to expect her to put up with him alone, I'd put both the Scourge Sisters on this assignment. >:)

What Karkat is aptly demonstrating here is that there’s a difference between an Eridan kind of asshole and a Karkat kind of asshole.

Let's be real, here - Karkat's a dick. But he's a dick who holds no true malice, knows when he's crossed a line, and is willing to sincerely apologize for his past actions, and make amends.

Eridan possesses none of these qualities, which is why he sat alone in his house for a month while Karkat befriended the entire cast.

[daisyy345]

how your instagram would look like if you were dating spencer pt5

yourusername

liked by ellegreenaway, meangirljj and others

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view all comments

boywonder dont lie i treat u like a princess 😠

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derekm69 is he even old enough to drive?

emprentiss i could take u anywhere u want gorgeous

pennygirl me too babygirl

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boywonder hello??? she is MY girlfriend

emprentiss too slow genius 🥱

ssahotch so my driving lessons were for nothing?

ellegreenaway WDYM I TAUGHT HIM HOW TO DRIVE

yourusername

liked by emprentiss, derekm69 and others

yourusername spent the whole afternoon arguing about a piece HE LOST but it was a cute idea ig 😒

view all comments

boywonder honey i have an eidetic memory, you were the one in charge of the roof.

yourusername NO I WASNT U WERE

emprentiss never his fault right 😒

yourusername never 😒

boywonder hey

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davidrossi ❤️

derekm69 idk how this idea could have ever been fun

yourusername stfu

yourusername

liked by ssahotch, pennygirl and others

yourusername let the matriarchy begin 🥷🏼

view all comments

emprentiss from subs to unsubs

yourusername EXCUSE ME??

pennygirl yes miss nairobi 🧎🏼‍♀️🧎🏼‍♀️

derekm69 not gonna get far w those masks 🥴🥴

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pennygirl agreed

ssahotch this was not what i meant when i said to go undercover

yourusername ur fault for not being specific

boywonder yes what else did you expect?

yourusername

liked by ssahotch, davidrossi and others

yourusername my injured soldier from war 🤕🥰

view all comments

derekm69 fly high🕊

yourusername 🪦🪦

pennygirl aye aye captain

emprentiss gone but not forgotten 😔✊🏻

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meangirljj omg

yourusername he is a bit clumsy

yourusername

liked by meangirljj, boywonder and others

yourusername pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks 💋

view all comments

pennygirl thats how you get the girl

derekm69 cringe

emprentiss i second that

yourusername hey 😕

boywonder love you 💞

ellegreenway cutes

meangirljj 💟

[potatomountain]

Prey

🩸Pairing: Vampire!JongSang x fem human reader 🩸Summary: After the death of dracula, humans still weren't safe but even you tried to fight where you could. Unfortunately that piqued the interest of a vampire who attacked your village, and decided to make a different kind of prey out of you 🩸WC: 4.9k 🩸AU: Castlevania au, vampires, medieval 🩸Genre: horror, pwp 🩸Warning(s): 18+ rating, dark themes, death of minor characters, mxm, mxfxm, blood play, biting, marking, predator/prey dynamics. mean dom!Jongho, dom!Yeosang, slight degradation, rough handling 🩸Nets: @pirateeznet | @mirohs-aurora-society 🩸AN: A Castlevania collab with @flurrys-creativity , @daddyfordaeddy : me devorer, tremee dans le sang, @mingsolo : Attempt Etude and @sanjoongie : 𝔐𝔢𝔫𝔞𝔤𝔢 𝔞 𝔗𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔰 || this honestly didn't turn out as dark as i expected but thats okay i still loved it. Might do a second part? 🩸dividers and Banner by me! Ageless blogs that interact with this piece, even a like, will be blocked INSTANTLY, no exceptions.

Main Masterlist

Red eyes, bloody lips and protruding fangs. That's what you noticed the most about the man- no creature- in front of you. He was certainly dressed like a man, like a noble, but the fact he had just ripped up your dearest neighbor, a man twice your size, in half with his bare hands proved he was not human.

The way he crushed Mr. Johnson’s head like a grape was just unnecessary in your opinion, but it was intimidating. Did you run like he no doubt intended? Like the many others of your small village? The woman screaming, children crying, and the men having rushed in to try and protect what they could- all before running in hopes to spare their lives.

It never worked with the night creatures, the crops around the humble buildings were long burned to a crisp to try and protect themselves, the men weak from the limited rations to try and survive this winter. They all still had better self preservation instincts than you did, staring down this being as if you weren't afraid in the slightest.

He laughed darkly, the sound somehow the loudest in your ears drums over the screams and death of all you had known. Mrs. Johnson had been his meal before her husband had poorly attempted to rescue her. 

So what were you doing? Lifting your sword to chin level as if you were going to attack this creature and play hero to your dying village? 

He seemed to find your heroism amusing, circling you like he was trapping you in, or appraising you, but you were nothing more than prey.

“Where did you learn to fight?” He called out, momentarily distracting you. He was in front of you in an instant, grabbing your wrist and twisting it enough the sword fell from your hands.

You bit back the cry of pain, not wanting to show too much weakness. Why he didn't just break your wrist was beyond you, considering he had the strength. “My father. He was the village guard.” A position you had tried to fill, but there was little to protect alone. So you just became one of the many who fought off the bandits and night creatures.

“Did he teach you to be so dumb?” He asked curiously, licking the blood from his lips and eyeing your neck.

“No- he taught me to be realistic.” And fearless apparently, your knee connecting with his groin before you dipped out of range, grabbing your sword and swinging without hesitation. You didn't think you could win, not against a vampire, but you were determined to go down fighting and not like cattle to the slaughter.

He grabbed your sword with his bare hands, blood spurting from the wound as he ripped it out of your grip and sent you flying face first into the dirt.

“You think you can win against me?” He snarled out, foot connecting to your side to send you flying several meters, rolling around in the dirt in the process. It was an effort not to eat any of it, or groan in pain. Still, nothing felt broken, just bruised.

He was toying with you.

“No.” You pushed yourself onto your knees, coughing as you tried to catch your breath. “But this way someone gets away.” You stood up, ready to charge at him, at your death, when he was behind you suddenly. Before you could react, the world went dark.

~~ 

Coming back to consciousness was the last thing you expected. You should be dead. Why didn't he kill you? 

Apprehensive you didn't open your eyes or move a muscle, instead listening to your surroundings and taking in what you could feel. Oddly enough, it felt like a bed. A nice bed. With silken covers and soft pillows under your head.

There was a crackling fire to your right, close enough you could feel the heat on your bare calf- you were naked.

The realization had your heart rate picking up, just to hear something stir to the left of you. The bed shifted, something was climbing onto it, holding itself up on either side of you if the dips of the bed were any tell. Was it human? No, maybe shaped like one, but you doubted the vampire had just left you there to rot.

“I can tell you are awake.” A deep voice rumbled above you, close enough you could feel their words hit your cheek. “Stop faking.”

Hesitantly you opened one eye, then both in shock at the ethereal man before you. Black hair as silky smooth as raven feathers, pale skin, and features that were the epitome of beauty. The visage was marred by a beauty mark by his left eye, but it made him seem less like an apparition from your deepest dreams and more tangible and human.

But he wasn't human, the flecks of yellows and greens in his dark eyes telling of the being that he was- as well as the fangs he showed off with his parted lips.

“Are you not afraid? Why are you looking at me like that?” The man pulled away, sitting on the edge of the bed dressed in a white silk shirt that was left open and simple black breeches, something about the way he sat was almost feminine. “Well? Answer me human!”

“Thought I was dead and you were an angel. Angel of death seems accurate.” You mumbled, glancing around the room to try and get your bearings about you. It was lavish, warm, but the decor was almost dark. You spotted the fireplace, above it a portrait of the man next to you- but also who you assumed was the vampire that attacked your village. He was staring at the other with a hint of a smile on his face, while the beautiful one looked carved out of marble but happy. The clothing they wore was much older than you were familiar with though.

“Angel of death? Ha! Jongho was right, you do have a few screws loose for a human.” The man stood up, garnering your attention once more. “Get dressed, I have already bathed you. You shall be fed before Jongho's ‘game' begins. Whatever that is.” He motioned to a sheer chemise on the end of the bed, heading for the door to give you privacy despite his words.

You were clean, cleaner than you could get with your well water and home made soaps back at home. Even your hair felt silky and strong, lacking the oils you were used to. Your body was nearly hairless, even between your legs lacking its natural fur. He had done all this, while you were unconscious, but was giving you privacy to put on clothes? 

“Odd…”

One vampire had attacked and killed most of your village- if not all- and another had cleaned you while you were unconscious to such a state you hardly recognized yourself. You did weigh your options as you dressed, marveling at the material and how it felt on your bare skin. These were luxuries you could never afford no matter how much you worked and saved as a peasant guard. 

You wished you could just enjoy it, but you were well aware he had mentioned a ‘game’. So you would be toyed with more, and then probably killed once it was over. Mentally you noted to ask why you should even play along for the game, especially if it required your active participation like you suspected.

Once dressed a mask servant brought you a tray of dinner. You ate it by the fireplace, letting the warmth soak into your bones as a form of comfort. The food was better than anything you could have made, or that could have been made in the village no doubt, and you wanted to savor every bite. Easier said than done since you had practically been starving yourself so the rations would last longer. Therefore the food was gone before you knew it.

Meaning the game was going to begin.

It hadn’t been explained to you, aside from a note on your tray. Once you were finished with your food, you were supposed to set your tray out; then when you heard a knock on the door you were to leave the room and would remain so until the sun rose. You had no idea what time it was, nor where you would go once you left the room… you just knew you were prey. Really, it was unfortunate you were left in the dark, hoping for some answer to what you were surviving for. With no time to try and figure it out before the knock was heard, you looked around the room for something to be useful, but only the fire would be. With a bit of hesitance you stepped out into a dark stone hallway that seemed to stretch neverending in either direction. There was a bit of light on the wall in glass lanterns connected by what appeared to be string, but you didn’t think that was the case. It fascinated you for a moment, like it was magic, but a chill passing down the hall reminded you of just where you were.

Bare feet on the cold stone, you chose a direction and followed the string connecting the lanterns. The hall did end, splitting off in two more directions: one appeared to head upstairs while the other headed outside where it looked like a thunderstorm was raging out there. A loud crack through the air as the hall lit up from lightning to reveal a figure just inside the doors.

Your breath caught in your throat, a split second of fear rushing up your spine just before the adrenaline kicked in. You ran for the stairs like your life depended on it- because it did. You didn’t even know if the figure you saw was a danger, though your gut said it was. The stairs weren’t the best idea in hindsight, you just thought of putting as much distance between you and the figure as you could.

The endless maze of stone and lanterns was no help though. Your heavy breaths and the pounding of your feet on the stone are the only sounds you could hear. No other life. 

The storm flashed through the windows on your right, doors on your left as you turned another corner. Your heart was in your throat, sparing a glance to find that you were being followed: it was the other vampire, Jongho. He was casually following your steps, heels clicking on the stone as he hummed a lullaby tune you recognized over the rain. A hunter’s lullaby.

The game was cat and mouse, and he was still toying with you.

Frustrated, you ran down the hall with the stained glass, the sound of the rain pelting against it almost as loud as you were. You were no hunter, you couldn’t silence your racing heart or heavy pants- you could only run.

Maybe you could dip into a room, hide, and backtrack. You just knew you couldn’t keep running all night, especially if you couldn’t even tell when the sun would rise with the storm still ongoing with no signs of it stopping.

Yet could you outsmart a vampire in his own home? At his own game? Was it just him or was his lover involved? The image of the vampire who had bathed you flashed through your mind, recalling a sadness to his features that had you second guessing that thought. He almost seemed as if he was tired down to his bones, like there was no fight in him. Except when he laughed.

Now was not the time to be intrigued by the beings that held you captive while one of them was chasing you like cattle. The need to clear your head and attempt a game blame had you slipping into one of the rooms around a corner, softly shutting the door as well as you could without making any noise. Surprisingly there was no click of the handle or creak of the hinges, and there was a fire going in the room that would hopefully swollen up the sounds anyways. Taking a deep breath you backed away from the door, looking for any signs he was on the other side. You couldn’t hear the lullaby through the thick oak and the pounding of your own heart in your ear drums, but that just made you more alert. Not enough it seemed, as a throat clearing from behind you had you jumping, a hand over your mouth to muffle the scream that wanted to come out. A glance behind you and you had to fight off the urge to run right out the door once more.

The other vampire was sitting on the other side of the room in a tall deep velvet chair, a book in his hand as he sat in front of a fire. The room seemed to be a library of sorts, a small and private one, with two chairs in front of the fire and a chaise lounge among the stacks further to your right. He seemed confused by your presence, setting the book aside and standing up slowly. “What are you- did you just shush me?” Why yes, yes you did. Your eyes flickered back at the door, hand over your mouth now as you could what the lullaby. Quickly you looked around the room, hoping for a hiding place, but you knew it was futile. So a weapon? There were a pair of swords above the fireplace but you would have to climb up there and also get past the other vampire.

You didn’t have time to decide, only to act, as the door creaked open and there was the vampire from the village: Jongho you presumed. He tilted his head, eyes red as he stared you down before glancing at the other. You noticed the way he visibly softened when he saw him, and you took that as your chance, throwing the nearest book at his head. Just as he caught it you were rushing forward to dip out of the way and circle back the way you came. Outside you had a better chance to get away than in here with limited space anyways. Who knew just how big this place was and you had already covered quite a bit of distance already. Your quick thinking was quicker than your feet however, as you didn’t make it past him before his hand wwas around your throat and he tossed you back onto the floor, arms flailing out and knocking over one of the nearby stacks of books on top of you. You grunted in pain, head dizzy but nothing was broken. “Jongho, not in here please.” The angelic vampire sighed, his words halting the one advancing on you. “I don’t want to risk the books you know. Blood stains the pages too easily.” “I apologize Darling, I had hoped she wouldn’t run in here.” Something about the way he smiled told you that was entirely his intention. Something else was going on that you just weren’t privy to knowing about apparently. “Would you like to join me?” Fear sparked in your heart, knowing damned well there was no way you could outrun two vampires in these halls especially if they got serious. In another effort to escape, you rolled out from under the books, throwing a few more but in other directions to cause some havoc: knock over a few more books, one hit Jongho, and the other went flying towards the fire yet the other vampire caught it. You didn’t stick around to see how he reacted, this time escaping through the open door and backtracking the way you had come. A second rush of adrenaline was pumping through your veins, your chest pounding with each step you took. You had to think, find a weapon, something.

One glance behind you and you were ready to give in. It caused you to stumble and roll, bashing your knee on the stone beneath you in the process. It wasn’t the only place you were now bleeding you realized, feeling a bit of the liquid warmth on your neck. 

The way Jongho was licking his fingers had you shivering, well aware it was your blood that had him now grinning like an excited maniac. The fact his lover was now walking with him, hand in hand, a tension in his jaw that was concerning, just frightened you even more.

You weren’t above being afraid, well aware what this situation meant for you. They taunted you by just staying in view, with enough distance that you could feel like you were shaking them off, but you knew that wasn’t the case.

Running for minutes, back down the stairs, the doors you had seen before to the outdoors were just in sight. In sight and suddenly blocked off by the nameless vampire. “You’ll get sick out there.” He growled out, attempting to sound concerned. Like you could believe him.

Quickly you turned to run elsewhere, just to run face first into a chest. Jongho’s hands stabilized you by your biceps when you stumbled back, once more with a strength that didn’t hurt you. “Ah, your heart is racing little mouse, can’t have you exhausting yourself before we get to the fun part. I tell you what, we’ll end the game early- tsk tsk, you’re going to hurt yourself if you keep hitting me.” He didn’t even flinch as you kicked and punched at him, trying to squirm free out of his grasp. “What do you want?” You hissed out, just to be turned roughly in his arms and pulled back against his chest. He forced you to look at the other vampire who was watching you like a predator. The tension in his jaw, the furrowed brow, chest heaving with controlled breaths- but it was the fangs he barred that reminded you of just what he was. “I want my Darling to feel alive again. Your little struggle in the library worked wonders. Chasing you, despite the fact you knew you weren’t winning… so entertaining.” He licked up your neck, then released you. “Yeosang, Darling, let’s give her a head start to the bedroom. If you catch her first, you can do anything you want with her- tell the little mouse what that is.” You stood frozen, eyes locked on the now named vampire as he licked his lips. “Want to taste her…” “Her blood?” Jongho prompted, holding your forearm to keep you from running. “That too.” Yeosang adjusted his breeches, indicating he was excited in another way. Jongho laughed, grabbing your attention as he yoinked you closer. “Back up the stairs, past the library, two double doors. If you make it there before Yeosang grabs you… well then maybe you’ll have a say in how we fuck you.” Well… that was a twist you weren’t expecting. He waited until you nodded to let you go, laughing as you booked it in the direction you had come. Despite how vast the halls were, you remembered your path pretty well. Part of you wondered why you were running at all, excited at the idea of what the two vampires could do to you. Maybe dying right after wouldn’t be a bad way to go.

Your village was gone, and if it wasn’t well- it might as well be. Your parents were long gone, no other family that you could think of, no other experience you had to really survive out in the current state of the world. You were a mere human, a peasant with no skills to protect yourself from the dangers Dracula had unleashed onto the world. It was sheer spite that kept you going up those stairs. Your knee ached, your lungs were struggling to take in oxygen, but you pushed on. Still it was no surprise when you did collide with a stone wall, pushed up against it hard enough the wind was knocked out of you. It was by your own quick thinking that you had braced yourself enough your face didn’t smack into the stone.

Yeosang was pressed up against you, panting like he was the one who just ran like his life depended on it. His hands gripped your hips, running his nose against your neck where Jongho had nicked you with his claws earlier. “I didn’t think you would be much more than food when he brought you to us.” He admitted in your ear, pulling your hips back until they were pressed against the hard on in his breeches. “Hearing your heart racing, smelling your fear, all while you feebly attempted to run from him- but it was what he told me that ignited the fire I have missed.” He grinded himself against you, the chemise you wore getting pushed up around your waist. You weren’t a virgin, but you knew no peasant man would touch you like this normally. As if his need for you was eating him alive. It was turning you on. In fact… the chase itself had been exhilarating to an extent. If you had known this was their intent from the beginning you were sure the chemise would have been stained with your arousal. “He told me he got so turned on fighting you that I’d surely enjoy it. Seeing my lover enjoy a chase, I was so curious. Then the more you ran from us, the more excited I got. I even thought you enjoyed it.” He murmured so deeply against your ear, his voice practically a drug that had you wetter by the second. The drag of his fingers against your pussy had you biting back a whimper but he groaned so sinfully the sound escaped you anyways. “I was right. Crazy little human, do you still think I’m an Angel now?” “Ye-AH!” Your reply twisted into a moan as he pushed his fingers in, spreading your walls a bit roughly. “Angel of death.”

You could feel him smirk against your neck, licking up the drying blood there while he pumped his fingers inside. Nothing about his behavior was angelic, and last you saw of his expression it was twisted with predatory intent.

“Crazy crazy human. I could kill you right now, like I've killed hundreds before, and yet you're fucking yourself on my fingers in the empty halls of my castle.” You hadn't realized it until he whispered it in your ear but you were pushing yourself back on his fingers, even spreading your legs to be inviting. “I've wanted to eat you up since I cleaned you up; but that was his intent you know. Dangle you in front of me as if I'm prepping his meal. Clean and trim you up to serve you on his platter. Unfortunate I'll be eating you instead right here-”

“Yeosang Darling.” Jongho called down the hall in a singsong voice just as you felt Yeosang’s fangs scrap your neck. “Don't you know it's not nice to play with your food.” There was a teasing lilt that even you could hear despite being so turned on you could hardly think. Everything Yeosang said just had you dripping around his fingers more, eager for the impending climax his expertise was pushing you towards.

So when he pulled them out, you glared at the other vampire, verbally protesting with a hiss. He laughed, closing the distance in a flash to lean against the wall with his shoulder. “In a rush to be devoured, little mouse?”

“When it feels this good… yes I am.” You deadpanned, gasping out at a sudden intrusion to your hole that had your head rolling back. Oh he was thick, his two fingers barely prepared you for his girth. “Fuck!”

Yeosang's deep groan against the shell of your ear had goosebumps rising down your back. “Been so long since I've fucked a good pussy. Forgotten how amazing it feels.”

“Oh am I not enough?” Jongho teased with a chuckle.

You didn't care for the banter, pulsating around the dick buried inside you and it was the only thing in your head. You just wanted it to move, wanted more, so you started squirming.

The groan falling from the lips of the vampire behind you almost had you smiling in triumph. Almost. If not for the widening smirk on Jongho’s features and his hand reaching out to grab your throat. “Easy little mouse, you don’t get to do anything but take what we give you. That’s your punishment for losing the race. Though I had expected Yeosang to take you to the bed- you’re usually more proper with these things my Darling.” Yeosang shifted you, twisting you sideways and pulling one of your legs straight up and holding it to his chest; you didn’t think you were so flexible, but the angle pushed him a bit deeper and showed off your conjoined privates to his lover. “I must have lost my edge then.” The next sounds were the slapping of skin as he started pounding into you at such a brutal pace it echoed through the hall. You were held perfectly still by the nails digging into your thigh and hip, while Jongho kept your head still with his hand on your throat, his gaze glued to the way his lover’s cock slammed into your tight cunt over and over again with reckless abandon. 

Neither grip, or the force of his thrusts, were enough to truly harm you. Bruises were going to be left behind, their claws breaking skin to draw blood, but no muscles torn or bones broken. This knowledge was at the forefront of your mind very briefly before it was dashed away by the pleasure they were giving you now that Jongho had a finger rubbing your clit, egging on his lover. “Can’t even make her cum with just your dick, you have gotten too rusty my love-” “Shut it.” Yeosang growled out, snarling his teeth at the other who just grew even more cocky. “You’re even too blissed out to give a proper response. So cute. I missed seeing you like this. Come on Darling, you know she’ll taste the best with an orgasm pulsing through those pretty veins of hers.” Jongho taunted more, twisting your neck to expose the small punctures from his nails, displaying it for Yeosang.

Their energy seemed to be contagious, the muffled moans and whimpers that had been falling from your lips turned to pleas. “Please bite me- want it. Wanna come too. Please please Yeosang- AH!” The feeling of his teeth sinking into your neck had your pussy clenching down on his cock, legs trembling as your climax assaulted your senses. Through hooded eyes you could make out an almost proud look on Jongho’s features: proud of you.

Cotton filled your head with a thousand buzzing flies, just the perfect mixture of pleasure and pain wrapping your mind and body and diluting all other thoughts and senses. You could barely register being filled with Yeosang’s own climax, his deep groan vibrating down your neck as he sucked greedily.

It was Jongho that pulled him away, now holding both your heads by the hair. His eyes flickered between the both of you before forcing you both to look at each other. Yeosang looked just as blissfully fucked out as you felt, and if it wasn’t for their grip on you your legs would have given out beneath you.

As Jongho captured Yeosang’s lips on his own, their grips did fail and you slumped against the wall, whining as you slipped down the stone, Yeosang’s cum slipping out of you now that he was no longer inside. You didn’t entirely mind, staring up at the two as Jongho pulled his lover against him. He was licking your blood off his lips, groaning in pleasure while he pulled the shirt off Yeosang. He was truly a sight to see, toned muscles, thin waist, his softening dick now growing once more.

The flashes of lightning behind them through the windows illuminated their features in an eerie but beautiful way, Jongho just as breathtaking as he climbed to his knees and cleaned your cum off the hardening member.

You would have never found such a tantalizing sight living as a human peasant, and even if you died tonight you swore you could consider this a good way to go. You were eager to get a taste as well, sitting up and reaching out before you knew it. Jongho slapped your hand away, pulling his lips off Yeosang’s cock to smirk at you coldly. “Seems like our little pet wants some more Darling. What do you say? One more chase to the bedroom?” Your heart lurched in excitement at the idea, nodding even before the vampire agreed. “Y-yes. Want you to catch her now, my Bear. You always look so gorgeous in a chase.” With a finger under his chin, he guided Jongho onto his feet, stealing a kiss. “Run little mouse, the night has just begun.” Despite your trembling legs, your throbbing pussy, and how lightheaded you were from the blood loss: you stood up and began to stumble down the hall. You remembered Jongho’s directions, and while your speed was greatly effected from your exhaustion, the bedroom was in sight before you heard them.

You dared to glance back, both walking hand in hand at a steady pace, sadistic grins on their features, and cocks standing tall.

Whether you died by the morning or not, it didn’t matter. Being prey had never felt so good.

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[regular-gnome]

hey..

at what point do collectors opt to turn things from puppets to scrolls? I feel like turning an entire living creature into [a piece of paper] is very complicated, while turning them into simple puppets is easier because they keep all the same parts, just simplified and wood?

It is! It depends on the person's proficiency and understanding of the mechanism regarding when and how they change the creature. Once someone gets good at it, the creature can be transformed into a lifeless object without it dying in the process, and they will move on to more complex and efficient ways.

The way I see it, archiving is a form of information compression and storage—and there is A LOT of information. When looking at Earth creatures we have everything from single-cell bacteria to whales that range up to 100 quadrillion cells, all with different sizes. The smallest single-cell critter is 0.3 μm, while the largest single cell is an ostrich egg that can get to 18 cm. So it's not just noting "a cell"—there's also a lot of information about the cell content, size, the DNA, current water, and oxygen levels, what protein it contains and how much. Then there are spatial dimensions. (While we can consider there being more, especially in fiction, I’m sticking to three; trying to visualize four fills me with frustration and existential dread xD) Every cell has its place in space in relation to the others, and all the contents' relations are also important. If, suddenly, all histones materialize inside a mitochondria instead of the nucleus, we can have a problem. Additionally, physical and chemical processes gotta be considered. There's electricity powering our brains, hearts, running nerves, air in airways traveling to lungs, chemical signals traveling between synapses that also need to be accounted for. So, you have all the contents in space, their vectors, and building blocks. Thats a ton to save. This information has to be compressed to be preserved in an organized manner while also remaining lossless so that when returned to its original shape, it's as it was. Not even mentioning that in intelligent beings, there are also minds to take care of. Jellyfish might be fine after 100 years in a static void, but a human? Yhhhhh.

I think the mechanism would work by saving information in intangible magic and assigning it to a physical medium—be it a statue, doll, book, or scroll. If it is physical and can carry information, it can be used. We can argue the mind is part of the soul, or it is a biochemical process, but the fact is nobody really knows for sure what it is and Im not a theolog, so for the sake of this universe, I'll say it's something that occupies the same space magic does and is influenced by chemical processes, meeeeaning it can also be tricked by them. And the magic.

The first degree of preservation would be spells that only change the material but keep all shapes and info in place. This wouldn't require much thought while executing and could be "automated" or worse, taught to mortals (if they have enough magic to power the spell), like petrification or changing someone into wood, metal, or any other solid material. It's not perfect, if the structure is damaged, the spatial information is damaged too. Breaking is one thing, but imagine if the statue melts.

The next step would be assigning objects with some compression and change, like toys and dolls. I feel like there would need to be a system like a content library, so not every single atom is saved each time, but chemical structures like nucleotides in DNA (the ATGC thingies) would just have a shortcut. Larger repeating patterns could also be assigned their own id to save data, and it would slowly stack up. While things are written in intangible magic form and anchored to the medium, the medium can be somewhat customized, like the decorations the Collector added to the dolls. The mind, running in controlled magic, can also be affected, as we saw with Collie trying to scare them and Luz’s dream. On the spell keeping the preserved critter stable has a link to what shortcut it uses so with countless diffrent worlds and structres it wouldnt mix up.

Then we go further into compression, reducing size and dimensions until we reach a point where one axis is almost entirely removed, and we end up with a scroll. Then there are other things—creatures saved as amber miniatures, snow globes, scrolls, or drawings, sometimes purely to annoy the sibling that has to deal with the creature in unhandy form. A more permanent binding would be in a book that can contain a bunch of different animals. Rebinding for long-term preservation is the Curator’s job.

Looking at Earth creatures, eucariotic life shares ancestry with some ancient bacteria that decided to rebel and started to cooperate, so we share similarities even with distant organisms in some strutures since they come from each other. So when it comes to preserving whole populations with relations, the library of compression doesn’t have to be separate for every single animal or plant. For each section of the archive, there would be a common library of building blocks, and scrolls being somewhat separate carrying the exact instructions for body arrangement and the soul/mind/the part that makes them alive attached.

Next is unpacking the information. I think this requires the ability to interpret and recreate what was saved that mortals lack. While they couldn't really unpetrify others, a collector could (assuming the mind hadn’t deteriorated into a husk). In the case of an automated spell, I think it would result in a very lossy transmutation—like a jpg losing pixels, the creature might lose like heart funtion. The Collector's spell also looked temporary or incomplete since an influx of other types of magic (like in Amity or Raine’s case) was able to push back on it. That might also be why they were conscious in the form they were in. Not meant for long just enough to take them to archive in normal conditions. When a creature is heavily compressed, it needs external force to rebuild, as it's essentially written fully in magic. That’s what I think happened to the Owl Beast. Lilith released it from the medium, but since it wasn’t fully rebuilt, it being a magic form attached itself to a magic source.

SO YEAH, its a process that takes quite a while for them to master and it comes with experience. But when experience is based on life it often makes it hard to practice so those with less empathetic approach master it faster. Thanks for the ask! I was dying to talk about that for such a long time and that was a perfect thing to organise thoughts

[darlinguistics]

a mindset that helped me a quite a bit in the past and still presently whenever studying a language gets really difficult or overwhelming or you feel like you are making no progress/not retaining anything or that its all pointless is that 1, there is literally nothing wrong with slowly learning a language. and more importantly, 2, sometimes shit needs time to sink in! i remember finishing korean 101 feeling genuinely like i had learned basically nothing and still struggled with the most easy concepts but! when 102 came along suddenly focusing on new material made me realize that the old stuff became intuitive! and that same pattern happens over and over, where a concept seems so awkward and complicated and impossible to grasp and then a few months later while focusing on an entirely different concept i realize the old confusing things are somehow now the 'easy' part that comes naturally! so i guess basically what im saying is i learned to MOVE ON! let yourself zoom out from this one little piece of the language and see the pieces surrounding it and overlapping with it! if a lesson was hard, good! it should have been! you probably wont feel confident in it during or even right after! but the work and energy you put into it isnt a waste just cuz it doesnt immediately pay off, sometimes you have to look away and just move on and trust that the knowledge will settle itself comfortably into your brain while you work on other things, especially if you keep reinforcing it here and there. consistent work will never be a waste even if you dont get immediate payoff. and one day youll wonder when the hell you got so quick at reading or when you memorized a rule or when you learned something you literally were never taught but just observed with your own intuition. so much of language learning is trusting yourself, and trusting this invisible force and process of learning thats bigger than you. it isnt all up to conscious studying and conscious effort and learning, you also need to give yourself time to unconsciously internalize things. and that takes much much longer than a week-long grammar lesson!!

[callistosposts]

this is technically not solarballs related but do you have any tips for drawing hair?

I wish I had a clear answer for this, but hair is actually one of the things im least confident in!!

If i had any advice: dont be afraid of big shapes and exaggeration !!

exaggeration helps build character !!! ask yourself what kind of hair a chatacter your drawing would have, and then exaggerate it to the highest degree you can - hair tells storys!!

for example my Neptune has super messy hair to represent how he forgets to take care of himself after losing his mind

Earth has curly hair to represent waves/water!

thinking of characterization definitely helps even before you actually start drawing the hair, for me at least :)

for actually drawing, i tend to break down the hair into 3 pieces

treat each section like its its own drawing! each piece will fall in its own unique way , some pieces will be shorter and others will be longer

hair never directly follows a consistent pattern, to look natural it visits different lengths and textures

imperfections are what make things look good! I mean, one of the ways I taught myself to draw hair was to do the OPPOSITE of what i first imagined was natural (please dont listen to that advice forever, you cant really rely on it)

thats basically all I got XD for colors i just throw things around until it looks okay - sorry if this was messily explained ! i dont truly have a super set way in drawing hair as i said its not my most confident area

[zarkishere]

Another rant:

RDR3 and my opinion on what it should be, a Zark Rant ™ (With spoilers)

(as always, I always value opinions, so feel free to rb or comment!)

People often talk about rdr3 and how they think Mac should be the main character. I don't agree with that. There's (At least to me) a clear line between the characters we get to play as; Arthur, John and Jack. Arthur is John's older brother, he's the only living (and mentally well) of the three that raised him, he's the person John looks up to. And so after Arthur gives his hat to John, and he dies, we play as John. We get revenge for Arthur. John is, obviously, Jack's father (if you disagree, I'm going to need you to leave right now) and the man that raised him (a little late but...yknow...). Even after he left and came back, it's obvious that Jack looks up to him (even if he's genuinely nervous John will leave again), and after John died we play as him. We get revenge for John.

They're father figures or mentors, someone the other looked up to, who dies...and leaves the other to pick up the pieces. To get revenge for them. Arthur is the one that says that revenge is a fool's game, but I'm sure he was taught that by someone else. The cycle of violence is long, and it won't end anytime soon. There are two routes rdr3 could take; going back in time, or continuing Jack. Here's the thing; you can only go so far back...and I think 1 more game would be it. So to me, it could be either; you play as Lyle, Arthur's father, and his story ends when he...y'know...gets hanged. And then epilogue is young Arthur within the gang. We get to see the gang being all well and happy, which is kinda yknow WHAT I WANT TO SEE. My problem with this route is that Lyle (at least according to Arthur) had no way to be redeemed. Which doesn't work for a game literally called 'RED DEAD REDEMPTION'. He was simply a bad man. And while I'm sure Arthur's trauma skewed his view, and perhaps Lyle wasn't all bad (given Arthur even keeps his hat), it makes things hard. OR Some other gang member, maybe even the one that betrayed them and got killed in camp (Y'know, the one Arthur mentions in That One interaction) and the epilogue is Arthur, ending when Micah joins. That way, the blackwater massacre is still a mystery. My problem with this one is that, well, this person was probably not someone important to Arthur....which would break the line. So what, no rdr3? Honestly, I think a video game can't explain everything. I'd love to see pre-1899 gang, other characters stories, Jack's future, etc...and you can't do that in a single game. Sure, you can make a billion games, but I don't think rockstar would want to do that. What's my solution? A book! or a comic, or even an animated series, if beggars can be choosers.

and uhm...thats all...stil dont know how to end rants...

[nebmia]

Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf: 1, Dungeon Crawl Classics

Everything about this game is absolutely dripping with bonkers maximalist bombast that makes me excited to play. To start with book itself is nearly 2 inches thick. Is that practical? No! does it feel like you've got an ancient tome full of roleplaying possibilities? Absolutely.

In a world tending towards minimalism and 'polished' production its so good to have somthing thats just big and fun and unapologetic about not being what it is.

DCC's dice are a microcosm of everything great about it. Not only do they come in shapes they never taught you about in maths class but they also all come with a fun little bonus. One of my sets comes with a stat block for a monster, while the other has a ridiculous table of reality warping effects on which you roll ALL the dice in the set, and inevitably send your campaign careening off into madness. (and it has a frame story about a stoner wizard in a magic van).

And then there's the actual contents of the book, which is probably about 80% spells and ridiculous tables. And the spells are just so good. Each one takes up a a least a full page on average and gives a range of results according to how well you roll, from 'it missfires and things go horribly wrong' at the bottom, through 'it does about what you would expect' in the middle result ranges, to 'actually, this is almost too much' if you manage to get a roll in the 30s.

Alongside being sick as hell, this also has a satisfying effect of keeping low level spells relevent and interesting as their effects scale with the strength of the caster on a variety of axis.

related to spells is the 'spell duel' procedure. I have no idea how well it runs at the table, but the idea that when two (or more) wizards fight their spells can interact and you can use any appropriate spell to try and counter another spell is so increadibly compelling.

Ok, enough gushing about vibes. what about actually playing? So far what I have run is the 'level-0 funnel', which is probably what you have heard about if you have heard anything about DCC. The premise is simple: randomly generate 2-4 level-0 peasants for each player, send them into a dungeon, and then take whoever survives and level them up to become your characters for a campaign.

Not only does these lead to much hilarity as a mob of townsfolk bungle their way through danger but also really fun problem solving as the players work out how best to navigate problems with a shoehorn, a bundle of wood and a live chicken.

Specifically, what I have run is Sailors on the Starless Sea, which is correctly recognised as THE introductory module to use. Its a nice sequence of somewhat open investigation followed by a excellend sequence of bombastic set pieces, all the while giving the players lots of scope to come at things ininteresting ways. It can get a bit unwiedly trying to manage such large number of characters when they do run into combat but if you plan ahead a bit and use various tricks (it would be useful is more of that advice was in the book rather than coming from forums) it is manageable.

And to return to vibes one last time: the art in these books is just so good. We could not be further from the slightly stiff generic highly rendered fantasy art of wotc era d&d. Its all fantastically old school fantasy, so full of character, and just the right amount of rough around the edges. My only slight complaint is that this does include a little too much of old school fantasy art's treatment of women than I would like...There are still prenty of sensibly dressed women and i'm not about to decree that no sexy fantasy women are allowed but the dial is a little further in a direction of objectification that I would like.

[dullgecko]

Bad little kids

Gorgug: The only time Gorgug’s parents have ever put their hands on him was when he was about to touch scolding hot iron. It was just a quick panicked wrist swat that was immediately regretted by Wilma but Gorgug was so in shock he just started crying because all he knew is that he hit things when he was mad, so that must mean she’s mad at him.

Riz: Riz had an imaginary friend that looked eerily familiar to Baron. This Baron (at the time named something else.) They used to watch Scooby-doo together, solves “cases” together. They were best friends. Riz didn’t even notice the similarities between the old friend and Baron until Baron brought up their “past”.

Fabian: Was taught to swim by being enthusiastically thrown into the pool everyday and being cheered on by Bill. It worked on after awhile, But during the time he was still figuring it out, he would randomly launch himself into the pool as if he’d magically learn how to swim. This led to a couple instances of him almost drowning, but it didn’t stop him.

Fig: Didn’t know Gilear had a name other than ‘dad’ until someone asked what her dad’s name was. She had no idea, she knew people called him things that weren’t dad but she never really paid attention to that. That same day she asked him and was flabbergasted upon finding out his name was ‘Gilear’

Kristen: Wanted to take dance lessons, she loved to dance even if she was terrible at it (low dex). She asked her parents to sign her up for it but apparently she had too go to church on the days that they were available. It got worse after she was chosen, she didn’t have time for anything. All those speeches and talking to the priests and trying to contact Helio, she eventually kind of forgot about it.

Wilma and Digby sit Gorgug down and apologise so much. Explain that they didnt mean to hit him but they were in a panic because he was about to do something that would hurt him and that they'd never do it again. It's the beginning of them teaching him that he also shouldnt hit things when he's mad, even if he really really wants to, because he could hurt someone accidentally and they'd feel like he did when Wilma accidentally hit him. It goes a long way to helping Gorgug get good control over his anger.

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Riz still sees Baron sometimes, out of the corner of his eye or in reflective surfaces. Its not all the time, but sometimes when he's tired and he's stressed the nightmare creature is able to manifest a little more strongly than before.

On one of his late nights in junior year he's sitting in his living room, trying to get through his homework and also check some of his friends at the same time. He's exhausted and bordering on delerious but once he's done he's planning on actually going to sleep.

The television is off but is reflecting the room around it on the blackened screen, Riz is too tired to flinch when a boney finger taps on the other side of the screen. Barons face materialising out of the darkness and making the glass bend outwards slightly as he presses against it from the inside.

"Perhaeps you should taek a break Riz Gukgak~ Let me free from your briefcaes and we can waetch some caretoons together liek we used to."

He's not going to make the same mistake he did the first time he saw Baron, breaking the glass would only set it free and thats what it wants. Riz gets up off the floor slowly, walks over to the boxy old television, and flips it around so the screen is facing the wall before going back to his homework. The move is effective, no more reflective surface means no more Baron means he can get this shit done and go to sleep.

Its only in the morning that he pieces together what Baron actually said and he has a little bit of a crisis about it.

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Bill was lucky Cathilda was basically Fabians shadow when he was a little boy. On MANY an occasion she had to dive into the pool and haul him out because he'd sunk like a stone and wasnt coming back up. He worked it out eventually, but still enjoyed it when his dad randomly hurled him into the pool to test if he could swim yet.

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As soon as Fig found out her dads name was Gilear she never called him anything else. She would correct people all the time whenever they were talking about her dad without using his name too.

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Kristens dex is STILL terrible but once Fabian started learning how to dance she begged him to teach her some. She's still absoloutly terrible and they have to make sure nothing breakable is in the room but she can do a couple simple dances without doing too much damage now. There are some songs that give Fabian PTSD flashbacks from their lessons now though.

[konaiiro]

★ Art Tag ★

thanks for tagging me to play @doshiart @spookygingerr @michellemisfit

Have you always been interested in creating art? Kinda? No? Not sure. I think I've always been interested in art in the 'wow, thats cool' way, not really creating though.

What's your favourite medium to use? If digital, what programs do you like? I taught myself to draw on digital (wacom intus medium i still use) and have the free program firealpaca - im too lazy to change now. I've owned sketchbooks to take with me and it's good but I don't think I'll ever really get over not having the command + z tool.

Do you create outside of fandom? A little, I've got ocs who I draw occasionally.

Share something you haven't finished and/or never got around to posting OH so many, its not funny. But here's a more recent piece which was initially for AFTG pride zine. It was so good, I just couldn't make it work for WEEKS. I ended up switching up and doing something else.

Favourite piece you've made? OH well, i've got a few but this would be my pick for 'konaiiro wrapped'.

Draw your icon in a minute or less - pass!! :,)

An underrated piece you've made in your opinion

you lads slept on this one (forced to screenshot from instagram bc its old and i can't find the file and, as established, im lazy). So much wrong with it and yet i fuck with the vibes and texture and expression and pose- UGH

Do you do art in a professional setting? No, not really. I've done comms in the past and I was going to go do animation in uni, but found that i like to keep my creating up to me. I would be open to run comms again, but under a different structure I think.

A piece you don't like but did really well on social media

yall flocked over these two idk. i like them enough just,, i'm so aware about all the mistakes lmao.

Post an old piece and compare it to your most recent, what are the similarites? I've done some redraws so NOW is a perfect time.

Ian and Mandy (March 2022 vs September 2024)

i think from a creation perspective, i know my base lineart is much cleaner and rendered.

Background is,, actually there lmao. It kicked my ass to draw but it happened.

Style has changed a tonne to more realistic (?), proportions are less all over the place.

effects are just better

I can actually draw hands huzzah!

They actually have a skin tone (+freckless!!)

Have you ever collaborated with another artist/s?

Yeah! A tonne; for events, challenges, zines, charity art calendars (hint hint aftg 2025 calender sales end 31st of Oct, all profits go to help those access gender affirming care.)

What piece has the most notes? Are you surprised?

I've been active on tumblr from around the start of the year, but I think its this one?

Who/What is your favourite subject matter?

honestly i think my blog name summarises better than I ever could.

Show us something not from fandom you've made

old oc art

Where do you like to create?

Desk in my bedroom! I like facing my window so I can look out like some tortured artist when my eyes need a break.

Give yourself a shoutout, where can we commission/buy/follow you for more pieces?

I'm on twitter, tumblr, instagram all are @konaiiro !!

Any mutuals, if you've made it this far, this is me tagging you lmao