#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

yourusername passenger princess? no. passenger survivor

view all comments

boywonder dont lie i treat u like a princess 😠

yourusername mhm..

derekm69 is he even old enough to drive?

emprentiss i could take u anywhere u want gorgeous

pennygirl me too babygirl

yourusername thank u my loves 😚

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

meangirljj so cute!!

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 🥴🥴

yourusername u know nothing about fashion

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 💟

[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

[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

[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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

[creative-caramel-coffee]

Seldom Self-care Sickness

Prompt: Hopelessly Bad at Self-Care

Pairings: Wandanat x R

Word count: 1.4K

Summary: you were pretty bad at looking after yourself when It came to getting work done. So much so you made yourself sick. But your girls love you all the same.

TW: fever, Flu, non-sexual nudity, implied sexual joke (just one), slight angst, traumatic past (mentioned)

A/N i feel like all my fics are kinda the same thing… im considering opening up requests once i figure out how to…

“honey your going to get sick if you don’t take breaks. love your working yourself into the ground.” Wanda cooed. you brushed the hair from your eyes and went back to work, huffing slightly.

“your probably worse than nat, my love, take a break and we can cuddle.” Wanda tried again.

nat huffed “shes defiantly worse than me at least i take breaks every once in a while.” Wanda shot nat a glare and she went back to typing out her mission report.

you knew they were right, you hadn’t slept or eaten or even stopped to pee lately. work was all you could think about. with the last mission you went on failing you felt the need to prove yourself. after hydra you had always had issues with self worth and work ethic. mainly you didn’t feel you had any. your worked yourself to the bone until your girls picked up the pieces, which they didn’t mind, after all they loved you. you had grown up on the ideology that in order to be valuable and loved you had to earn your keep. of course even a whole year after your rescue the things they taught you were hard to shake off.

“‘m fine wands i need to get this done anyway.” you sighed when she began massaging your shoulders feeling the pent up stress you held in your neck and back. you let your eyes drift shut for a second revealing in the idea of a break before they snapped open and you went back to work. Wanda sighed heavily and retreated back to the bedc to snuggle into nat. every once in a while she shot you a sad look but you huffed and continued writing out the reports.

“baby i brought you some water for a reason. you may want to work but you do need to drink.” Wanda cooed, and you placed down the pen with a bang, emptying the glass while holding Wanda’s eyes the whole time. you wiped you hand over the back of your mouth, replaced the glass on the table and picked up the pen again. Wanda sighed knowing you had at least had some water now which she supposed was better than nothing at all.

she had just began to doze off against Nat’s thigh when a sneeze startled her awake. you grinned sheepishly and waved a hand.

“Pollen count.” you said dismissively and Wanda shot a pointed look at the closed window.

“baby-“

“I need to work.” you cut her off.

“what you really need is to rest.” nat said without looking up from her own report.

“why don’t you harass Natasha for a bit Wanda.” you huffed the room feeling uncomfortably warm.

“because i know when to stop, unlike you.” nat shot back without any malice.

Wanda sighed and began to lazily trace patterns on Nat’s thigh which shivered under her touch. slowly she began to fall asleep again. only to, once again be woken by a sneeze. followed by another three. when you had stopped Wanda raised an eyebrow. she stood up wand walked over to your desk. hands on her hips. “right thats enough, come to bed or i’ll make you, your going to get sick one way or the other now and i don’t need you to be writing nonsense with a high fever.” upon closer look she saw the slight shaking you body was doing, open betrayal.

“right.” Wanda said sounding frustrated at your lack of response. swiftly she laid the back of her palm on your forehead before you could react she tutted.

you moaned at the feeling of cool skin against your fevered face, which felt like a fire was brewing. under your skin.

Wanda’s eyes went wide “baby.” she scolded “you have a fever, no wonder you don’t feel good.” she sighed using her hand to draw the sweaty hair from your face. her fingers tangling in the knots.

nat appeared by her side. she put one hand under your knees and another on your back as she scooped you up bridal style. she was concerned at your lack of protests as she did so and shot Wanda a worried look that was quickly returned. how had you gotten sick so fast? carefully Natasha deposited you on the bed and Wanda went to find a thermometer.

Nat brushed the hair from your face and your eyes fluttered shut in content.

“honey, you need to look after yourself better” she cooed her fingers carding your hair backwards.

“alright.” Wanda said reappearing with a small thermometer. “open” she said tapping a finger on your jaw. you glared but complied.

“good girl.” Wanda said using a finger to close your still open mouth after she slipped it under your tongue.

Wanda hummed and rummaged through the cupboards to find some medicine. “just in case your fevers high we might give you some medicine or even a shower.” your eyes lit up making her chuckle

“not that kind of shower my sweet. save that for when your better.” she winked. you slumped against Nat’s shoulder.

“aww your too cute when you pout baby.” she cooed. the thermometer beeped and she carefully took it out when you faced her. holding it away from you and Nat she read off the number.

“102.7” she said frowning at it. “baby thats too high.” she sighed.

“love you go start the shower and i’ll bring her in when your ready.” nat said as if you weren’t there. which in some ways you weren’t, your eyes had taken a glossy effect as you stared into space. but at the word shower you began squirming in Nat’s lap.

“shh shhh shhh” she cooed in your ear. “it’ll be ok, Wanda and I will be with you the whole time.” you knew from past experience how much a fever shower sucked and were under no compulsion to have another. nat scooped you up as Wanda called from the bathroom, the sound of running water coming through the door. you stopped wriggling in Nat’s arms and succumbed to your torture. going limo as nat shot you a sad look as if she felt sorry for you and you began pouting again.

“shh bubs its alright”

carefully she peel off your sweat soaked clothes and passed your shaking form to Wanda who set your feel down and pulled you flush to her front.

“aww its ok my sweet.” she cooed, running her hands through your wet hair. after a few minutes the shaking was less and Wanda was satisfied you weren’t as warm anymore, they helped you out of the shower. you were still clinging to Wanda while Nat dried you off with a fluffy towel. she helped you step into a pair of fluffy pj pants and into one of Wanda’s shirts. after you were dressed Nat carried you back to the bed so Wanda could get dressed herself.

carefully she set you down and pulled the thermometer out of the draw where Wanda had stashed it earlier.

“open up bubs.” she cooed and you did so with sad eyes.

you were nestled in a mountain of pillows when Wanda remerged and you made grabby hands for her. nat was laid by one side and Wanda by the other, you placed your cheek on her thigh and after a second your eyes drifted shut.

the beep surprised you and you felt Wanda’s fingers remove the stick from your mouth. she looked down at it and sighed.

“101.2 better but still not good.” Wanda looked at Nat who gestured to you, who was half asleep and struggling to keep your eyes open against Wanda’s thigh. you would close them before opening them suddenly only to blink for a few seconds before they slide shut again.

“go to sleep my love. we’ll be here. we’ll keep you safe.” Wanda cooed as Nat ran her hands through your damp hair.

the feeling of her fingers on your scalp drew you to sleep and soon the girls smiled at the soft snores they could hear coming from their tired and sick girlfriend.

MASTERLIST

[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

[rexspersonalhell]

This tweet that is circulating around my dash has inspired me

One Piece Epic AU shit

SPOILERS FOR EPIC MUSICAL AND THE STORY I THINK?

So I made this like a list and some rambling

Sorry for misspelling, typed on my phone and I dont care that much for misspelling.

Also please add on what you think and what you would cast

Ares: Zoro

Aphrodite: Sanji

Hera: Robin

Apollo: Luffy, taking the part of apollo where he is the god of the sun and light, music and dancing, and healing in to account. His punches could count as archery in a sense 🤔

Hephaestus: Franky

Zeus: idk

Athena: okay, hear me out- Corazon.

He is shown to be smart in combat, it would make sense for him to be able to plan as well with his history of growing up with a marine admiral and then being with his brother’s crew. He is a hard-ass and sweet, he cares but also doesnt want kids to die doing stupid shit.

Though with the whole, Athena telling Odysseus to leave no mercy and to kill, that is a little out of character but I can picture it being a situation where it was what he was taught by the marines.

Odysseus: Law

Okay, this is not only because I wanted Athena as Corazon but because he just fits in my mind. He wants to be strong and meets Corazon. Wins his challenge and tricks him. He learns under him as he grows up and then goes to war, where he is forced to act due to a different god’s will.

He sails home with his crew and friends after they won the war, tries to show mercy as he tries to save the lives of those around him but it fails and he slips into the mind that he has to be the monster to keep his crew alive.

Now I have no idea who Penelope will be since idk who the hell he would marry and have a child with.

Polities will be Penguin since I hc he is more softer while Eurylochos will be Sachi since I hc he is the more tough one in a sense. With one gone they cant function as well.

I kind of want to make Poseidon, Doflamingo just for drama but he doesnt fit him as well. I mean, he is the god of the SEA, doffy cant be touched by water. The two of them care for their family in a twisted way but I dont think its actually that similar.

Posiden in the musical talks about how Odysseus shoulve killed his son instead of leaving him alive, basically saying that if he hadnt kept him alive then none of this wouldve happened since he wouldve never been told by his hurt son who injuried him.

While Doffy would find out who hurt his family, they were hurt and he will find out.

Thats about the extent of my rambling goes.