#the hat was a bonus though it was really fun to color it

[rocksama24]

Soooo...Hexenzirkel Diluc anyone?

[attleboy]

i thought too hard about insect motifs got a little silly and made... a lot lmao these versions of the characters are from @sm-baby's amazing digital carnival au!! full images and rambling about insect choices are gonna get stuck under the cut... it'll be a bit long and i will be putting photos of real bugs down there so be mindful

pomni: "butterfly"

inspirational species are black swallowtails mostly for the shape, and malay red harlequins mostly for the pattern

carnival pomni's actually the one that kickstarted this whole set... i drew her hat in a way that reminded me of butterflies, went "wait...", then i fully leaned into it :)

jax: "centipede"

there was no specific species for jax. without being able to use color, they were too similar to pick any out... i have included a giant centipede just for reference though since it was mainly larger centipedes i used for inspiration

anddd there's a little bonus sketch for how pre-sentience jax might've looked with a centipede outfit... he gets a bug scarf and some goggles!

ragatha: "ladybug"

inspirational species was the twice-stabbed ladybug chosen because the inverted color scheme looked the best out of all the ones i tried, and also because it's a metal name and we know ragatha's good with a knife... stabby stab... i did add more than two spots to the dress though, it just looks cooler lol

gangle: "spider"

inspiration was the spinybacked orb weaver which i was absolutely ecstatic to find because come on that is the perfect spider for gangle like look at it!! it looks like her mask, it's got red, it's got gold on the limbs, literally twinning

zooble: "mantis"

inspiration was the spiny flower mantis which, like with gangle, i feel is pretty much perfect for zooble... they come in many colors (including pink), have abstract patterns, and it gave me the excuse to cover zooble in spikes :D fun

and no kaufmo because i'm lazy and he's dead (sorry kaufmo fans but am i wrong), and the rest don't have bug names that i know of?

i still want to draw the carnival characters in their regular looks sometime, i just got really really inspired by the idea of secret skins and bug-themed outfits and went a liiittle haywire :P

anyways if you read all that you're a real one and you've got too much time on your hands... if you didn't, i understand, i get wordy, sorry :'D okay i think that's all byeee

[sweetbeagaming]

After two vanilla perfection runs (and 1/2 a run heavily modded which I hated), I've found that I really enjoy the game as it is. I've put these mods into three categories: beginners, post-perfection, and bonus. This is because I truly recommend doing a completely vanilla run to perfection before modding. This game is a gem already! These are my must-haves to enhance Vanilla game play, rather than replace it.

Beginners 🌱 Getting started w/ mods article here and a video.

SMAPI- This framework will be needed

Content Patcher, Generic Mod Config and other framework mods When you download a mod at Nexus a pop-up will show if these are required and you can download from there.

Dynamic Night Time Adds sunsets and sunrises

Automatic Gates You'll never have to open or close a gate manually which the is second to only vanilla game mechanic I truly hate.

No Fence Decay Fixes the first game mechanic that I truly hate

Data Layers Shows the range of sprinklers, scarecrows, etc.

Billboard Anywhere Now you can look at the calendar whenever you need

Passable Crops

Pony W**ght Loss Program Really gross name, very helpful mod. Makes it so your horse can pass through areas you previously couldn't.

Post-Perfection 🌿

Clint Rewritten You should experience Clint as he is written at least once. After that overwrite him lmao

Rustic Traveling Cart

Better Friendship and Better Ranching Do your first play through without these mods, just use a guide if you need. Trust me it's part of the fun!

Chests Anywhere Access your chests anywhere you need. First play through should be partially about learning to manage IMO, which is why I recc for second.

Look Up Anything Don't you dare put this in your first play through, I will haunt you. I'm serious!!! Use a guide.

NPC map locations Say it with me... FIRST TIME, USE A GUIDE.

Bonus (mostly cosmetic) 🍄

Reshade of your choice I'm using Faedew currently because it doesn't drastically alter the OG coloring. The bright colors are part of the charm though unless you can't handle them or just want a general change.

Sweet Skin Tones Wider variety of natural skintones for your farmer

Shardust's Hair Styles Cute hairs for your farmer, including several textured hair options

Hats Won't Mess Up Hair- to keep your cute styles

Elle's Cuter Animals Just makes animals cuter. Comes in: Coop-Barn-Horses-Dogs-Cats

Toddlers Like Parents Genetics for your kids but in a one sided way

Seasonal Outfits (slightly cuter aesthetic) Gives characters a wider variety of seasonal clothing options. Pretty customizable to your desires.

Eventually I might make another list for super cosmetic or more intense mods, such as what I use with Fashion Sense which focuses on farmer customization, or asset replacement mods. These are super unnecessary and I'll likely only be playing the new patch with these above. Enjoy!

[adobe-outdesign]

thoughts on the skeith? or elephante? whichever isn't in your queue yet

(The Skeith review can be found here.)

Ironically, despite its incredibly original name, the Elephante is actually not just a regular elephant; it's bipedal, it has small semi-vestigal wings/a fluffy tail, and it has a fancy headpiece with a gemstone in it. I'm not always big on "default" clothing on Neopets, but the hats here actually look pretty nice and are passable as fancy jewelry that anthro characters could potentially wear.

Color-wise, the default Elephante colours are mostly solid, though the toenails, hats, and tail break things up a bit. I do wish the default colours had more cohesion—like the gemstones matching the base color instead of always being red—and the pink snout feels ever-so-slightly out of place, but otherwise they look fine.

Elephantes definitely benefited from customization. Their lineart was cleaned up considerably, which helped fix some of the jankier elements like the wings and legs. Another big benefit of customization is the ability to remove the default clothing, which is always appreciated.

I also like the change in expression—the old Elephantes always felt a bit weird, like they burned down the house while you were gone and now they're trying to act normal while they figure out how to break the news to you.

Favorite Colours:

Relic: The relic Elephante just released earlier this year, and I gotta say, I really like it. The base is nicely shaded and textured with plenty of cracks, and it's then complimented by beautiful bronze metal accents. The body is also covered in leaves, which match the green of the eyes and hat, which are slightly lighter to make sure they pop. Great stuff. The base also looks great with just the little bit of bronze around the iris.

My only minor issue is that the amount of plants feels just a smidge too much. They are removable, but it's an all-or-nothing situation. I wish the ones on the body were separate from the ones on the base—especially because that could open non-relic Elephantes to wearing them.

Candy: Peppermint swirls aren't technically anything too fancy, but the sutble texturing here is great and really makes it look like hard candy. I also love how the stripes properly fit with and conform to the body shape, which is something a lot of Neopet colours forget to do. Also, the extra little peppermint in the hat is absolutely perfect.

Royal: Neopets evidently decided to take the "Indian elephant" idea to its logical conclusion by giving the royal Elephants things like sari wraps. Granted, I'm not sure what region India would be considered in Neopia, but hey, it's a fun concept and it looks beautiful. Between the two I think I like the royal girl more just for the palette, but both are solid.

UC/styled versions also exist. These versions obviously have more personality, but thankfully the converted designs are pretty spot-on save for the strange lack of fingernail polish.

BONUS: The zombie Elephante is shockingly gory for Neopets all things considered, only rivaled by the zombie Jubjub. Exposed skull, giant gaping wounds, stitches, ripped ears and wings—you name it. It looks fantastic and properly undead, and the whole thing is nicely drawn and shaded. It comes with clothing but the base itself is also solid (it's a bit strange that the skull is considered a wearable, but it's a play on the normal hats so I suppose that's why).

My only issue with it, and the reason it's a bonus, is that the expression is WAY too cheerful. The irises needed to be way smaller, less focused, or just plain missing, and the mouth looks too smile-ly. If it had a slightly more haunted expression it would've been perfect, but as is, it's still pretty good.

[cherealta]

so my tablet is still on its death bed buuut i had a bunch of outfits from the sims saved from my introductory posts so here's the rest of them for my hss prime and hwu mcs!! i could spend hours on cas. ive had a very productive week. totally.

vivienne: vivi's style is very much inspired by the prep movement that happened in the late 2000s - early 2010s. though it's a little more lowkey and practical (as practical as a girl can get in an plaid skirt!). browns, whites, blacks and occasional dark greens are usually the colors she chooses to wear her love for the color brown is so strong that it even transferred to her hair! common clothing choices are skirts (duh!), mary janes or heels, sweaters, barrettes, necklaces and bow motifs on her dresses. she doesn't experiment with her style a lot (preferring to play it safe) though she falls in love with legwarmers after stumbling across 2000s j-fashion blogs in 2014. when she gets older she basically almost always wears dresses, and yes, with large bows on the front.

agnieszka: her style is a lot more spontaneous. though there is some common patterns. blacks with pops of bold colors, washed out denim, belts, caps/bucket hats, tights, platformed shoes and cropped tops. her style is quite modernized which is mainly bc ts4cc for 2010s fashion is very limited but i'd like to say she was just ahead of her time. after she stopped being so financially dependant on her family she would go to thrift stores and experiment with the clothes she bought from there. she never really belonged to any subculture but this is mainly due to her lack of identity within herself (which i'll go into a whole other time). i think this is what makes her more prone to playing around with colors unlike vivi who mainly sticks to the same browns/whites. when she gets older her style does mellow out a little but it still has the exuberant edginess that her style had at hollywood u.

fun little fact but in color psychology🤓brown is associated with dependability, resilience, comfort and warmth while black is associated with mystery, strength and protection. i think this could align with their characteristics but i DO NOT want to ramble on too long. bring up color symbolizing to me and i'll ramble for hours (studying graphic design and constantly having to work on color theory has ruined my life).

+ bonus outfits!! (warm, cold, athletic and sleepwear! i didn't have any cute swimwear cc despite having 25GB of custom content. so i def need to go on an search.)

[whumpbug]

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

alternate: What would your OC's alternate universe look be? If they're a fantasy character, what's their modern look? If they're sci-fi, what's their fantasy look? What AU would you want to see your OC in, and how would they dress themself? Bonus: Prompt an AU! i don’t remember if you’ve done any of these??? skdfjhsdkhfs,,, and hell yeah aus i think are often great insight to a character’s personality and looks since things can change/not change + change as a concept itself is SO good

HIIIII MELLO THESE ARE SO FUN

answers under the cut as always (≧▽≦)

✮⋆˙

favorite: does your oc have a favorite article of clothing or accessory?

simon:

simon isn't really an accessory person, the only little extra thing he has is his piercing, but he has a Large Collection of knit sweaters. they're his comfort item. you really can't go wrong with a good, oversized knit sweater. so its not a specific article of clothing, but rather a Genre. when he's thrifting, the moment he sees a sweater in his size it's going in the cart. no questions asked.

archie:

archie has 2. one is his darth vader pajama pants that he's mended about 5 different times because they're THAT comfy. he loves them SO much. the second thing is a little a small little navy bracelet that simon got him one time when he visited some family in el salvador. its a braided pattern with pull-strings to tighten it and archie LOVES it. he is ALWAYS wearing it. even when he's out as vigil, he just tucks it into the sleeve of his jumpsuit so he can't be recognized and stuff. it was one of the first gifts archie gave to him. it is So Special

gene:

for gene, it has to be the necklace the wears with his mother's ring. its become something of a fidget too, when he's nervous. he wears it near his heart and whenever he's stressed, his hands instinctively go to find it, just to calm himself down. it's a little like having sylvia there for him again. its very comforting.

cassidy:

i touched on it in this post BUT for cassidy, it's his pinch-front hat and the rings we wears. the hat was a gift from montana and unfortunately it means a great deal to cassidy (kys montana) but the rings hold a sense of accomplishment to cassidy. cassidy often wonders if what he's doing is right-- going around and robbing and killing isn't exactly the most respectable profession, but when he looks at his rings and thinks about the people he's taken down, he feels better about it. he knows theres a purpose to what hes doing.

✮⋆˙

change: has your oc ever drastically changed their appearance?

I LOVE THIS ONE OKAY OKAY. disclaimer these are going to be mostly about hair.

simon:

so his hair is decently long now-- just a bit past his chin-- but it used to be much longer. when he was a junior in highschool, it was a few inches past his shoulders and it was Very healthy and luscious. he would usually wear it up in a ponytail or in a braided half-up-half-down situation, but he also wore it down pretty often. the reason it was so long was because he had Huge sensory issues with his neck like. touching the air. he hated the feeling of just being so exposed so he only got trims every few months. he cut it when he went to med school though because it was going to be much easier to manage. he misses his longer hair sometimes.

archie:

archie used to dye a little strip of his hair various colors!!! his favorite was pink. its just a little section in the front of his hair, a bit off to the left. this was when he was in highschool too and he really enjoyed it while he had it! the reason he had to dye it back to normal was because when he started going out as vigil, he realized that the vigil outfit doesn't cover his hair or head in anyway and he thought it would be too recognizable. like simon, he misses his little dyed hair sometimes and considers doing it again. luckily he is Very Blonde, so temporary dyes show up really well!

gene:

i think i vaguely mentioned it in the fic, but when he was little, he used to be much blonder and his hair was much longer. i think the time he changed the most was puberty tbh. when he was little, he looked just like sylvia-- soft, straight, blonde hair and big blue eyes and chubby, rosy cheeks-- but the older he got, the more clint started peeking through. his hair darkened to a dirty blonde/mousy brown and became courser, his jaw and cheekbones became more angular, and he got VERY tall very fast. the only thing that didn't really change were his eyes. they are still very blue and very reminiscent of his mother. as for how he feels about it, usually he's pretty neutral, but one time he was getting angry at some kid in the street for causing a commotion, and he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a window and saw his father's angry face staring back at him. he did Not like that.

cassidy:

honestly, he is practically unrecognizable from his younger self. before montana found him, he was this skinny, gaunt, sick looking thing. truly skin and bones, but he still somehow looked young and innocent. now, he's filled out. he's toned and muscular, but the main difference? the mosaic of scars littering his body. some accidental, some not. there are many. the most prominent one is the one on his mouth that i draw him with a lot. that one was straight from montana after an especially hard fight when he was just 15. him at age 7 vs him now 20 years later are pretty much two different people, and more than just in the sense that he grew up. he isn't sure if he should be happy or concerned about that.

✮⋆˙

alternate: what would your oc's alternate universe look be?

I LOVE THIS QUESTION. i'm going to paste my previous answer to it right here and here, but here also a few other aus that i haven't fleshed out but have definitely Thought about

royal au with gene and cassidy. JUST THINK ABOUT IT. cassidy as the prince under a corrupt king (montana) and gene as one of his guards. cassidy is a little mischevious prince whos constantly trying to escape and get into trouble, and gene is tasked with retieving him when he goes on his little escapades. imagine the pining. imagine the intimacy. JUST IMAGINE IT.

role-reversal with archie and simon. their personalities are exactly the same, but simon is vigil, and archie is the tired med student. i truly believe this au would just be archie BEGGING simon to come to him when hes injured and simon being like "it's fine. i can still walk." while actively bleeding from a gaping knife wound

FANTASY AU WITH EITHER OF THEM. admittedly i am not well versed in fantasy aus, but i LOVEEEE the aesthetic and whump potential. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

✮⋆˙

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASKS MELLO THESE WERE SOOOOO FUN YIPPEE!!!!!

[squadrah]

your first impressions of la squadra vs your thoughts now?

I first saw them in the anime, so these are based on that!

Risotto:

"Congratulations on being so big and managing a Grim Reaper aesthetic out of a jester's hat and prison stripe pants, what is with your eyes though."

VS.

"I wish he had gotten his backstory animated as a bonus because I feel like it would have added so much to his arc and character to make it explicit. As ruthless as he can be once he makes up his mind, I like him more for those little flecks of humanity shining through."

Formaggio:

"That has to be the ugliest color scheme they could have gone with, but he seems fun."

VS.

"He was robbed, he was slandered and he was robbed when he has one of the best abilities out there that I would want in real life, he's just a little guy, just a little birthday boy and he needs to be appreciated more."

Prosciutto:

"TATTSUN?! This guy must be really popular to get voiced by Tattsun."

VS.

"The reason he was voiced by Tattsun is because he's literally the best and he's my forever fave and a major driving force behind me writing for fandom at all, and I love him and his Stand and his everything and I will defend him to the death."

Pesci:

"I am intrigued by your shapes and your Stand."

VS.

"He is a good boy and I wish we got to spend more time with him because it is so cool to me that one of his Stand's quirks mirror's the protagonist (damage reflection). Like, this is meaningful to me and I deeply respect his potential."

Ghiaccio:

"I know this was wishful thinking but damn, I wish you were voiced by Yoshino Hiroyuki. Your Stand is amazing though!"

VS.

"He was really great to watch and I was so sad he died because he was yet another minor antagonist showing amazing integrity and spirit and I love his Stand aesthetic and I'm so glad he gets amazing fanart of it, he is extremely valid."

Melone:

"He's a walking talking aesthetic. A computer Stand, too... oh fuck, oh god no."

VS.

"Still mad about some choices made by Araki and DavePro, because I have since embraced him as such an interesting character with oodles of potential and great to meme. He deserved better than what he got, as did his fans."

Illuso:

"What a smug bastard. Very cool Stand."

VS.

"What a smug bastard with a bajillion implied issues, he is such deliciously rotten candy, he's an asshole but he's our asshole, he's literally so much fun while being such a terrible person honestly, life would not be the same without him."

Sorbet:

"That widow's peak... Very boring fashion though."

VS.

"This is a goth drag queen who was mercilessly culled before his time because he wanted cash in this shit mafia economy for his dream goth wedding. I want him to have everything that the shounen genre was too afraid to give him."

Gelato:

"There is a very uniquely naughty vibe here. Very boring fashion though."

VS.

"He is the naughtiest little devil in this hell house, he is the personification of the >:3c emoji, everyone loves him and is simultaneously afraid he's gonna set the house on fire just for a laff. Adorable."

[itsthesinbin]

I don't know shit about Lemongrab, but I understand the appeal for his sour grace. What are your sfw + nsfw headcanons for him?

How???

How does one even fuck him?

i fucking love lemongrab so much. he's so fucked up. absolute cringefail husband. also im using the final incarnation of lemongrab for this just bc trying to choose between tweedle dee, tweedle dum, and then the third version is weird. so it's just number 3

Lemongrab (Adventure Time)

SFW

Okay so. Autistic as FUCK. Do not fucking touch him. Unless he touches you first. THEN you can touch him. But only for a few minutes. Do not cross the line.

The most affection he does on a regular basis is holding your hand. At the very least, you always smell like lemon so like. A bonus honestly, unless you REALLY hate lemon. Although at that point why are you dating him.

Will ask for kissies once in a blue moon. Please do not ignore his requests for kissies or else he will be very upset and look at you like a sopping wet pathetic kitten for the next four hours.

He gets you a jumpsuit that matches his and has the belt and boot accents be your favorite color. If he's feeling REAL frisky he'll also get you a hat! Don't wear the hat too often cause he gets stressed out that you look too different from him/everyone else in his kingdom.

You're the only person that can fold his clothes the way he likes so that's your main duty when you're staying with him. It's the greatest honor, in his eyes.

He doesn't do dates. BUT he will for you, every once in a while. The only place he really likes to go is the Candy Kingdom, and he always insists on visiting Bubblegum before you leave. You jokingly call her your princess in law. You don't think she likes it that much, but Lemongrab likes that you two get along.

Separate bedrooms and private areas. He needs his alone time both just for himself and to get work done. Your bed is big enough for him if he wants to stay for a while, though, and vice versa.

NSFW

Okay so sex is. Nearly non-existent to be honest. He has a very low drive and has to be in a specific mood to even be touched for that long, let alone to do something that intimate. If you have a high sex drive you might have to take care of things yourself, most of the time.

Very nervous and awkward. He's open to listening to you and figuring things out, but you're the only person he's ever been with and needs help.

You have to be double checked for injuries beforehand because you found out you had a papercut on your hand while you were giving him a handjob and.............. it wasn't fun. Big ouchies and it ruined the mood for you both and he kept apologizing for the next hour.

The ONLY time he gets real quiet. No little moans of stress or grumbles of discomfort. Just looking at you, wide eyed in awe and affection, as he gets that connection to someone he craves.

Very stiff and methodical, so usually you're the one taking the lead and helping him loosen up.

He has to wear a condom if it goes in cause it burns.

If you give him a blowjob be fucking READY for it to be sour as FUCK.

He's a cuddler afterward up until it's time to go to sleep. He can NOT sleep while being too close to someone or something. Usually you two have sex in your bedroom so you can just conk out in your own bed, then he'll get up to head to his room. He always double tucks your blankets and leaves a glass of water- or refills your glass if you already had some- before he exits.

A good partner both in and out of the bedroom, in his own way. Just gotta be patient with him.

[love---mandy]

Hand over more info on Rock and Kane cause I love them ! 🔫💗👀 please 🙏

(😭😭😭 I had a whole thing typed out but my internet wasn’t great so it didn’t post. I’ll try to remember all the stuff I wrote down)

I haven’t thought a whole lot about them recently just cause my brain has been over taken by many different things, but here’s a few new facts about them

🪨 Rock:

*He mainly fights by slamming his fists into the ground and bringing up large chunks of earth, almost like Gauntlets. I like to think he can somewhat fortify the earth so it doesn’t shatter as soon as he throws one punch.

*He intentionally matched his guild mark color to the color of Claudia’s eyes

*Since he’s part of the rewrite by @fanstuffrantings he frequents Juiva’s boutique, to the point that he is a regular.

*He was very excited when Claudia hatched cause he was looking forward to dressing up whatever hatched out.

*He got Claudia a few years later then most of the other slayers, It just sort of happened that way.

*On top of being Detail oriented he liked to keep his things in order/clean, He’ll be noticeably uncomfortable in dirty, or unorganized settings.

*His Dragon wasn’t very imaginative when he named him.

*Hes very smart, he doesn’t come off that way cause he’s just a generally happy go lucky guy, but don’t be fooled those gears in his brain are turning.

*He loves puzzles, like any type. Anything that gets him thinking.

🐕 Kane:

*He wasn’t always a Celestial Wizard, he took it up after one of the keys (Probably Scutum) fell into his lap on a job. He then proceeded to research very specific spirits, like ones that’d benefit him in battle.

*Hes not used to expending large amounts of magic energy, He used exclusively magic items. To train himself he’d have Scutum at the ready practically 24/7.

*He thought Nikola was going to be an actual dog, but when he came face to face with Thrasher, he wasn’t able to get rid of him. So he dressed him up, and taught him to “glare” or the closest things Nikola can get to glaring.

*He gets really into guild antics, and is always the loudest when screaming “WILD”.

*His nickname comes from when he fights, and doesn’t let up even when his opponent is very obviously unconscious.

*He loves hand to hand combat, and is ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Even in situations that obviously don’t call for it.

*He likes to do research but only on topics that interest him or if he thinks they’d be useful. For example he can tell you about every damage Magic Item under the sun, but ask him about Healing or Support magi’s and his ass doesn’t know anything.

*Hed probably get one round in GMG before he’s benched the rest of the time.

*I love the idea of him walking into his battle, and everyone expecting the usual battle. And for awhile it is, until he stops, and says something like. “Oh I completely forgot, ’COME ON OUT GEMINI’”

*He often forgets he can summon his Spirits for assistance, cause he doesn’t want to share the thrill of a fight.

*He’s still very much on the hunt for a spirit that looks like a dog, so he can rep his guild as much as possible.

*He leaves his hair long on purpose to see if his opponents will use it against him.

*Hes got a thing for Bacchus, but he’ll never admit it.

Bonus: If him and Rock were to fight Kane would lose. Rock is a lot smarter, and has much better handle on his magic. Kane would give a good showing though, and get a few good hits in.

Thank you for asking! I don’t usually write down a lot of stuff about my OCs but this was a lot of fun!

[quillyfied]

Things I’m noticing on this rewatch, which I’m hoping to take slow and ponder on but we will see how it goes, PART THREE (obviously major Good Omens season 2 spoilers throughout, specifically for S2E3)

- First, going back to the previous episode: thank you to the person who reminded me that the Dirty Donkey pub is the pub that Crowley plans his holy water heist in!! (Which means Crowley LITERALLY planned his heist on Aziraphale’s stoop, unless Aziraphale moved the pub to be closer to himself in case it happened again. Hmmmm.)

- Also. I have been reminded that “Give me coffee or give me death” is a modified quote of “give me liberty or give me death” by an American revolutionary. Which. Explains all the Statues of Liberty around the place. I am Slow.

- Anyway, to e3: the fact that Jim has a labeled mug and hot chocolate canister. I feel like he tried to ingest something he wasn’t supposed to, so Aziraphale made sure he had his name on his things XD

- The sex worker is a treasure, for one; I hope I am reminded of her name soon.

- MURIEL. SWEET ANGEL BABY. Sorry they’re not a baby but they are so adorably innocent and inexperienced. I love that Aziraphale treats them so kindly despite his obvious terror. Though. It is a kindness that reminds me of my coworkers. I work in childcare. I know a “childcare” disposition when I see it.

- Okay, the framing there: the box, and the hat. The mystery, and the detective cap. Excellent.

- The gentle tutelage, Muriel’s scrunchy face when they realize what tea is for—I’m just SCREECHING.

- AND CROWLEY GETTING IN ON IT. THE WAY HIS WHOLE DEMEANOR IMMEDIATELY GOES FROM BITCHING TO DELIGHTED. AAAAAAAAAAH.

- AND HE’S SITTING. ON THE ARM. OF AZIRAPHALE’S CHAIR.

- The coparenting. Muriel’s utter naivety. I’m just.

- “I’m not sure how you lot have managed to stay in charge.” “I’m not sure we actually have.” SAY IT LOUDER.

- OKAY BUT HOW DOES HELL MEASURE MIRACLES THO

- ONE FABULOUS KISS CROWLEY. IS THAT ALL IT TAKES.

- “To tell if humans are in love you need to wait a few days” not bad advice really but also unrelated how many days are in like 6000 years? Asking for a friend.

- AZIRAPHALE TALKING TO THE BENTLEY AND IMMEDIATELY BEING A BIGGER MENACE ON THE ROAD THAN CROWLEY. VINDICATION.

- Thing the first about the opening theme: Crowley crawls up the cliff and Aziraphale lands on it. Just a nice touch.

- The movie theater in the opening has a different feature title and picture on the big screen every episode. I missed it for the first one but last time it was “A Companion to Owls” (which is a verse from Job that I only know because the full quote is “I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls” and it was a lamentation but of course teenage Quilly thought that was the coolest thing she had ever read). This time: The Resurrectionists, coupled with a shot of the Gabriel statue.

- I think Crowley’s hair is s1 color in this minisode but I can’t be sure. Lighting is…not. :P

- THE BONUS CONTENT SAYS NEIL GAIMAN THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO LET DAVID TENNANT DO AS MANY SCOTTISH ACCENTS AS HE CAN THIS CHAPTER. I AM DELIGHTED

- The second Elspeth says “English” Crowley starts losing it, which in turn makes ME lose it.

- I love the bringing back in the discussion from the book about privilege making its way here, and given a more visceral illustration and testing. Though I love Crowley literally helping Elspeth pull the wagon, a thing I’m not sure he’s ever willingly done in his life, and poking holes in Aziraphale’s arguments all the way.

- Wee Morag’s morals have about the same utility in this situation as Aziraphale’s, tbh. I’m not sure I have the mental capacity tonight to deconstruct that the way it deserves.

- Aha! Knew I recognized the tune in the car! Danse Macabre!

- He is AFFECTIONATE towards the BENTLEY. Which Crowley can FEEL.

- YELLOW CAR. DAMN YOU JOHN FINNEMORE.

- but it is pretty, Crowley!

- Spoilsport.

- I fully did not internalize the tartan hills and Nessie the first time around. I saw them. I immediately chalked them up to personal fever dream.

- The demon’s name is Josh. Why is that delightful??

- He wears a kilt! And has a wonderful little monologue about dung pits and tongue ripping!

- Beelzebub being off is subtle. Almost too subtle.

- The many stacks of books Crowley carries around and then chucks this episode. Love it.

- Crowley not having a cow about a fly seems weird tbh

- Vavoom. Where tf did he learn the word vavoom

- “David Tennant has occasionally played a doctor” OH HAS HE NOW

- the almost musical pulls Michael Sheen does for miracles this season. Lovely.

- Also: the dual nature of Mr. Dalrymple. Needs bodies to do good and study so he can save lives. Treats the people bringing him the bodies like dirt.

- Okay: is Crowley freezing time, or just putting Dalrymple in a mental time out? Very curious to know. The trivia bit on the side references the s1 trick of having Jean-Claude’s actor stand very still to achieve the time stop there, so perhaps freezing time?

- Alright moment of silence for how very very good Crowley’s outfit is this scene. Yum.

- The instant penny drop when Aziraphale realizes the reason for the body snatching, how he immediately uses prevention of future harm to classify it as Good.

- Also. His emotional reaction to the kid’s tumor. ;A;

- Edinburgh is so colorful!!

- HIS SMUG LITTLE GRIN WHEN HE POPS OUT HIS HAT AND NOTEBOOK. Also, wtf is in his hat. What is that.

- Okay but the double sided sign, and how Aziraphale first sees the Jesus side. IMPORTANT. PAINFUL.

- PRESS 66. That’s what’s in the hat.

- And Aziraphale being every bit as awkward as Muriel in his interrogation. Just slightly less weird. Angels.

- Listen I’ll probably say it again at episode 6 but the sheer magnitude of the importance that Gabriel and Beelzebub fell in love over the course of a year—with EACH OTHER. Not with earth or humans or creation. Just each other. Hggk.

- Alright, but Aziraphale DOES see the other half of the sign here. Does he get it? DOES HE GET IT?? No. Of course not.

- “I’ll help but it still doesn’t make it right.” That is such an uncomfortable truth to sit with. The whole adventure is, really. The whole show. SHADES OF GREY.

- Okay, I’m pausing this episode way too much, it’s been over an hour since I started this episode, but—the way Aziraphale overcorrects is. Sad? Elspeth and Wee Morag aren’t here to decrease human suffering. Outside of their own, of course, which can also be achieved by digging up a body that’s fresh. Scope of intent and how Aziraphale simplifies and moralizes it. Huh.

- Lot more this season about Aziraphale’s miracle allowances, too. Very interesting concept.

- MIGHT HAVE SLIGHTLY OVERDONE IT ON THE HOLE. MIGHT YOU INDEED.

- interesting how his dithering is what causes his chance to heal Wee Morag to slip through his fingers. And yet raising her is out of the question. Can Aziraphale even do that? We know he and Crowley together generate a ton of power, but what about on his own?

- interesting that elspeth takes Wee Morag to Dalrymple and is already contemplating suicide despite her actions suggesting she intended to keep on living. Hmm.

- Dalrymple the Ass. Not just unwilling to get his own hands dirty but disparaging of those who will. Another moral dichotomy.

- And elspeth also not wanting to get dug up? Wee Morag’s death affecting her?

- CROWLEY OFF HIS HEAD WITH LAUDANUM IS THE FUNNIEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME

- How much is 90 guineas compared to 5 pounds? …google says a guinea is worth slightly more than a pound. So. For the eight pounds Elspeth and Wee Morag were aiming for, for the three pounds shafted that Wee Morag died for…Aziraphale literally had over ten times that amount in his pocket. MORALS.

- …the stupid special features had the math onscreen already. Sort of. Heck.

- Yeah okay this scene adds way more context to Crowley asking for holy water fifty or so years later. Yikes. YIKES. The implications of it all!!

- Asking the phone nicely. Love these little Aziraphaleisms.

- The awning of a new age XD

- The little tipping of his cap!! Adorable!

- Nina and Maggie actually TALKING. HEY CROWLEY ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION???

- The rain is overdone and the awning rips. Gosh. Whatever could that be implying?

- Seriously how is Crowley able to pull these spells out of Jim?? And seemingly ONLY him???

- Alright, this prophecy bit. Seems to me to be about the future, also about the past, which is very biblical tbh. Specifically Isaiah. But I’m not up to snuff enough on my Bible to tell what all Gabriel is quoting. Besides the Buddy Holly.

- HELLO SHAX

- Okay, realizing that no angels pop up in Aziraphale’s shop in season 1, either. Gabriel and Sandalphon enter from the outside. I’ll need to rewatch to see if Aziraphale actively invites them in, or if it’s just blocking. I think it might just be blocking. But what an interesting detail, that only humans can enter at will and all else must be invited!

- The threatening of Aziraphale continues. The anxiety of Crowley intensifies. The obliviousness of Jim resets.

- Always too late. Poor Crowley.

Yeah this took an hour and a half to watch XD but I’m having fun. And killing quite a lot of time. Am I making sense or creating a thoughtful analysis? No, I don’t think so. But I’m solidifying the canon in my head, at least.

[3-heartstyle]

One piece OC: Eros

Info post for my silly character

Title: Soulmate Maker Captain Eros

Name: unknown

Age: 35 years old

Height: 6'8

Eye color: dark maroon

Hair: black 4A curls (hair styles vary, I'm very indecisive)

Devil fruit: Blur Blur Fruit- with a swipe of his hand anything he covers with will be seen as distorted. The effect can be turned off manually by the user or disappear over time. Anyone who stares at the distorted image will experience vertigo. Body of the fruit will look off, color is peachy and the stem is black.

Haki: High level of observation haki. He is both the sharpshooter and lie detector. It's how he's able to read into people's true intentions and it's the reason his title is what it is. A really good matchmaker though unintentional at times.

Backstory: His true name is forgotten as soon as he fell from the clouds. Eros was a Skypian soldier struck down for questioning his God's actions. Surprisingly he survived Enel's blast but his wings were burned away.

The Cupid Pirate Crew: designs are in the works

Story: He's probably placed just after the fishman arc when he meets the straw hats. Would easily get along with Luffy since he's aware of his fun banquets and will be a part of Luffy's fleet when he finds out that defeated Enel.

Any strawhat pairing that you have in mind, Eros is the guy to help push along.

Doctor/First Mate: Tina Jells- 30 yrs 5'11, a mermaid, admires the Sun Pirates that she has a tattoo variant (she's a fangirl). She found and rescued Eros when he fell.

Cook/powder monkey: Raphael Jells- 32 yrs 6'10, a jellyfish fishman, brother of Tina. Also admires the Sun Pirates too but not in a fanboy way.

Navigator: Fifi Charlotte- 29 yrs 7'4 granddaughter of big mama; she was in charge of coffee related drinks/desserts (a runaway), very fidgety and paranoid. Devil fruit user~ Spy Spy fruit (if you know dnd it's the equivalent to the scrying spell)

Swordman: Benji- 26 yrs 8'1 Liger mink, duel wields falchions, he's also a fortune teller (tarot cards and superstitious)

Bonus doodle:

Shipwright/helmsman: Clara Marie- 23 yrs 5'11 human, has the pirate equivalent of road rage. Devil fruit user bird bird fruit~ dove variant

[queen-scribbles]

Tradition

I blame @storyknitter and @greyias for this but didn’t really take much convincing. And bonus, it’s done for Theron Thursday!

---

The sweater was, beyond any doubt, one of the most ridiculous things Briyoni had ever seen. Bright red background, tinsel woven into the green collar and cuffs, the chest emblazoned with a massive kybuck wearing a red drooping hat and heart shaped sunglasses made of sequins.

In short, it was amazing.

She was so caught up in grinning at this marvel of Life Day fashion, her focus on the surroundings slipped until a voice murmured in her ear, “Little off course, aren’t we, Colonel?”

Bry flinched, her elbow starting to jerk back before the familiarity of the voice--and the cologne its owner was wearing--hit her. “One of these days, Jonas, I’m gonna actually break your ribs when you do that, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

Jonas laughed. “Only in my reflexes completely fail me.” He didn’t move, the heat of him close enough to feel against her back. “As I was saying, aren’t you a little far from where you need to be?”

“Yeah, but enjoying Life Day kitsch is more fun than shopping for food,” she grinned, leaning back against his chest as she held up her find.

He snorted. “Are you seriously gonna buy that?”

“Hell, yeah. For Vica.” Bry shifted  to see his expression on the pause and it was exactly as good as she expected. “Whaddya think, babe, would she wear it, or just thank me politely and stick it in her closet, never to see the light of day?”

“I think you have a better chance of getting her to wear it than anyone else,” Jonas said with a smirk, scanning the other sweater designs. “You realize if you give her that, I’m morally obligated to give Shan this one.” He pulled one free and held it up-- mirrored white tauntaun silhouettes forming “snowflakes” on a dark blue background. “What would you call this? Taun-flakes?”

She shook her head, not even trying to fight her smile. “Not his colors, he won’t wear th-”

“Oh, sure, that’s why,” Jonas snarked.

Bry rolled her eyes at his interruption. “It’s not ugly enough anyway. You gotta commit on somethin’ like this, Jo. Here.” She shoved the kybuck sweater into his hands and started digging through the rack. “Ah, here we go-” She teetered when she started to straighten.

“Careful, gorgeous,” Jonas chuckled, catching her arm. The chuckle turned to a full blown laugh when he saw what she’d found.

The sweater was a darker red than the one for her sister, with black collar, hem, and cuffs. Snow-capped mountains and volcanic steam vents alternated in a pattern around the sleeves and waist, the upper portion of the chest dominated by a wampa with arms raised and a giant white pompom nose. The words ‘Hoth Stuff’ were embroidered over the steam vents to the right and left of the beast.

“Oh. My-” His shoulders shook trying to hold back the full force of warranted laughter. He only partially succeeded. “Briyoni, you know there’s no way in hell he’ll wear that, right? I don’t have that much blackmail material on him.”

“Vic batting her eyes and saying please might work,” Bry drawled.

Jonas snorted a laugh. “The look on his face might be worth the price of admission, though.” Dug for the tag. “...Fifty credits... yeah, that’ll pay off.”

“Found one for you, too, handsome,” Bry teased, rocking the hanger on her fingers. “You both think you’re funny.” She grinned innocently as Jonas looked over the sweater, grey and patterned with gift boxes.

“‘Ugly Life Day Sweater’,” he read off in a drawl before shooting her a flat look. “Cute. But no. I’ll be taking the taun-flakes if I’m getting one and my tastes don’t pass muster for Theron.”

“I told you, babe, it’s not ugly enough. You have to go all in on gifts like this.” She gestured dramatically at their growing collection of sweaters.

“In that case I can’t wait to see what you picked out for yourself.”

Her grin widened. She’d been waiting for him to ask. “First, bold of you to assume anything will look ugly on me-”

“No arguments here.”

“-Second...” She presented the sweater with a flourish. Green and gold patterned with repeating Republic capital ship outlines, jinglers on the cuffs, and faux-ribbon crisscrossing to a bow dead center on the chest.

Jonas shot her an amused look. “Bry. Darling. That’s three sizes too big for you.”

“It’s the only size they have left. All the better to lounge around in”--she winked--”without pants.”

He grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close. “In that case, do I get to joke about unwrapping my Life Day present when you wear it?” he murmured in her ear.

Bry let out a giggle-snort. “Once. And not in front of my sister and her husband.”

“Aw, you’re no fun.” The glint in his eye gave lie to the words. “Once per day you wear it.”

“Deal.” The complaint might be a little more believable if they weren’t staring down the barrel of their seventh anniversary. He found her plenty fun and she knew it. “Now, I guess we should go be responsible adults and see how much of our budget is left for food.”

“Guess we should...” He stole a kiss. “If we want to be responsible.”

“More like if we wanna eat this week,” Bry retorted. “Dunno if you noticed, Balkar, but the kitchen’s pretty empty an’ we aren’t heading to Odessen for another four or five days. How do you survive when I’m not here?”

“Moping and takeaway, mostly,” Jonas deadpanned. “And you say that like you were any better when you were based here.”

“Oh, hush, you,” she grumbled around a grin, then linked her hand with his to head for the food sections. The weight of the sweaters they carried triggered an anticipatory giggle.

Can’t wait to see Vica’s face. 

---

Briyoni was up to something. Even with the brief time they’d been reunited, Vica could tell that much, and she didn’t even need to Force to do it. And if the grins they kept exchanging were any sort of clue, her husband was in on it. Which was unsurprising, and had Theron’s suspicions raised as well--higher than Vica’s own.

She should know to trust his instincts by now. But believing the best of people was her fatal flaw, and it extended to even less life or death matters. Like sibling  plots. 

“So, Vic, we have somethin’ for you,” Briyoni said, with the too-bright smile of troublemakers the galaxy over.

“It’s not Life Day yet,” Vica pointed out warily. “And the Alliance party isn’t until tomorrow.”

“All the more reason to give it to you now.” Her sister’s smile had gone more sly, and Vica could practically feel Theron’s eyes narrowing without looking at him.  Bry held up two gift boxes. “Pink’s for you, silver’s for your spy boy.” She shot Theron a grin, which was matched by Jonas as he draped an arm around Bry’s shoulders.

“You shouldn’t have,” Theron deadpanned, handling the box as if it were a bomb when Vica passed it to him.

“Oh, yes, we should.” The words came from Briyoni and Jonas in unison, as if they’d guessed his response and practiced.  "Only the best for the man with my sister’s best interest at heart,” Briyoni’s smile was just a tad sharp and Jonas hid a laugh--badly--in a cough.

Vica settled her gift in her lap, tore the paper just enough to get it open, and couldn’t bite back a reactionary giggle at the sunglass-wearing kybuck that greeted her. “Really, Briyoni?”

Her sister grinned. “Really, Vica. Don’t tell me the Jedi never participate in the long and glorious tradition of ugly sweaters for Life Day.”

Vica opened her mouth, several responses vying for prominence. Starting with Jedi having their own holiday traditions, this was a ridiculous sweater, and ending with a reminder Odessen was temperate and they didn’t need to dress so warmly, but she didn’t get to say any of them because Theron got his box open.

“No,” he said flatly, shooting a dirty look at the matched smirks on the couch opposite. “Absolutely not.”

Briyoni and Jonas both burst into laughter, I told you escaping from him as the two struggled to rein themselves in.

“How bad...?” Vica asked, turning to Theron. He tipped the box so she could see the wampa sweater. She covered her mouth with one hand to hide the smile.  “Oh, my. Mine’s not quite so... detailed.” She pulled the kybuck sweater out of the box to show him. It was surprisingly soft for such a ridiculous garment.

“Cute,” Theron drawled, then glowered at Briyoni and Jonas again. “I’m not wearing this.”

Vica, however, pulled her on as they needled him about his obstinacy. Mostly curious if it was soft as it seemed. But a little because there was a smug note to Briyoni’s sense that doubted her straight-laced sister would wear something so silly and Vica wanted to prove her wrong.

Jonas tossed her an approving grin, then looked back at Theron. “Not even to keep your wife and Commander from sticking out like a sore thumb?”

“You say that like the two of you aren’t planning to wear similar abominations,” Theron retorted dryly.

“Guilty,” Jonas shrugged. “But that shouldn’t get in the way of you showing solidarity.”

Theron’s scowl at his friend deepened, but Vica sensed the moment of wavering before he shook his head. “I have stuff to do. That’s actually helpful.” He pushed to his feet and left the room. 

“I think you could talk him around,” Briyoni said cheerfully, grinning at Vica.  “Gotta say, sis, wasn’t sure you’d actually wear that.”

“It’s comfortable,” Vica said, straight-faced but feeling a smile tug her lips. She brushed her fingers over the sequins. “And it would be rude to refuse a gift.”

“They are fun to unwrap,” Jonas commented blithely, then snickered when Briyoni dug her elbow into his ribs.

Vica didn’t figure out why until the following day.

---

The box with the wampa sweater sat on their bed, studiously ignored by Theron as he slouched on the sofa, datapad in hand. 

Vica smiled at the sight; the box sitting out in the open rather than crammed in a drawer spoke to her suspicion being correct.

“Can you believe them? Giving that as a gift?” Theron asked when he heard her enter, not looking up from whatever report he was reading.

“Knowing my sister and her husband even a little, yes.” Vica keyed the door closed and joined him. “I’m more surprised that you’re surprised, honestly.”

He grunted noncommittally.

Vica twisted a loose bit of hair around her finger. “They think I could talk you into wearing it.”

Now the datapad lowered, and Theron met her gaze with a sheepish half-smile. “In all honesty, there’s good odds you could.” I have trouble telling you no.

“But I won’t.” She laced her fingers between his and squeezed his hand. “Not if it’s something you genuinely don’t want to do.”

He stared at their hands a moment, then raised them to kiss her fingers. “That’s something I’ve always loved about you, y’know.”

“What?”

“You let people make their own choices.” He settled their hands back in his lap. “There’s prob’ly, what, half a dozen ways at least you could make people agree with you, do what you want, but you don’t. You let them make their own calls. Good or bad.”

Vica shrugged. “Freedom is important.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Theron spoke again. “That sweater really is ridiculous....” 

She traced her finger idly around his knuckles and waited.

“...but I guess that’s the point of holiday parties, isn’t it? Being a little ridiculous?”

“It’s up to you,” she said mildly.

“They’re gonna get holos.” He raked his fingers through his hair.

“So we make good memories to go with them.” Vica leaned in to kiss his temple. “If you want.”

She could sense his internal conflict--and which side was winning.

“...Guess I’ll stand out more if I’m not wearing one....” Theron sighed. “I’ll wear the blasted thing.” 

“Yeah?” Vica let the smile she’d been burying spread across her face. It would be good for him to do something fun. And she’d think he was cute regardless.

“Yeah.” He tugged on her hand and Vica obliged by straddling his lap, his arms settling around her waist. “Someone has to distract people from that monstrosity you’re wearing, might as well be me.”

She laughed quietly and ran her fingers through his hair. “Your commander appreciates the heroic sacrifice, Agent Shan.”

Theron arched a brow at the kybuck’s pink sequin sunglasses, then tilted his head back. “Looking at that sweater makes it real hard to take you seriously,” he murmured.

“Then stop looking at my sweater,” Vica returned, one hand cupping the back of his neck.

He laughed a Sure thing, Commander and kissed her just as deep as she’d been hoping.

---

Bry had to admit, the look on Vica’s face upon registering her sweater’s gift-box design in conjunction with Jonas’ comment from the day before was almost worth him breaking the terms of their deal.

“So, going by that smirk, am I forgiven?” Jonas teased. He handed her a cup of punch, then choked on a drink of his own when he caught where she was looking. “Sweet spires of Taris, I don’t believe it.”

She laughed. “I’d think you were uniquely qualified to know the persuasive powers of a Nerai woman.”

“Touché,” he grinned.  “ Help me wrangle them for a group holo?”

“Obviously. We need evidence this happened in case they try to deny it,” she grinned back, and they headed toward Vica and Theron, snagging Vette along the way to do the honors.(Jonas didn’t help matters greeting Theron with “Hey Hoth Stuff” and a shit-eating grin)

It took some cajoling, and a few tries to get right--not that the outtakes weren’t golden. The finished product, however--her and Jonas with arms around each others’ shoulders and Vica smiling brighter than the holo-tree behind them as Theron kissed the top of her head--had Bry thinking maybe this needed to become a new Life Day tradition.

Now she just had to convince her sister.

[camp-counselor-life]

What are some good staff gift suggestions? My boss was talking about nice water bottles but I'm kinda sick of water bottles, I just have so many

Not going to lie, water bottles are popular because they can be bought and branded in bulk, easily. Plus I think the thinking is that everyone needs a water bottle. But I agree, I am sick of receiving water bottles. Here are some things I have enjoyed receiving as staff:

A nice meal, either at a restaurant or catered in.

One summer at the beginning they gave us a GS drawstring backpack with a couple of trinkets from the store but also some snacks. That was decent.

One time I made homemade triple berry muffins (real berries) for staff and came up with a muffin-related pun. They liked that

Another time I made chocolate covered strawberries. Also popular

Staff fun day at camp. The only problem with this one is that someone ends up still working unless you bring in alumni or full time staff

Vinyl stickers (waterproof)

Printed staff photos, especially with frames

Staff memory book (bonus if you print it in color)

Some other ideas:

Pop-its

Socks, like really nice ones, or branded ones

Hats

Some kind of self care thing, like a non-electric massager

Branded or personalized mess kit, if you're a really granola camp

Honestly, many things personalized are pretty cool. We did personalized camp staff shirts in 2014 and no kidding it is my favorite camp shirt ever and I even wore it to a GSUSA photo shoot that is featured in several places, to this day

Honestly coming up with staff gifts is not my forte. However. I have found immense success in, of all places, Pinterest. It really does depend on budget. A $5/staffer budget looks veeeerrrrry different than a $25/staffer budget. It's the unfortunate reality.

Best of luck in convincing your boss to not go with a water bottle though.

[it-all-begins-with-a-dream]

AI Illustrations - W. A. Auden Edition (this is part 1, here is part 2)

Welcome to my hyperfixation du jour!

Disclaimer: I do not support the idea of using AI tools for any sort of illustration, be it a printed or online work. What I'm about to show you is merely a silly idea I decided to play around with for a little while and share the results. This is just for fun, please take it as such.

Alright, so what I did was basically ask DeepAI to illustrate W. A. Auden's Lady Weeping at the Crossroads.

I chose this poem because it's one of my all-time favourites, it has beautiful, vivid imagery and I was curious to see how an AI image generator would handle that. I also did a fun little bonus round with the added help of ChatGPT, but I'll leave that for part 2.

Now, DeepAI offers 100+ styles of graphic design, out of which I chose Art Nouveau, Gothic Literature Art and Stained Glass Window because those appealed to me the most. I used only the first image it generated, I did not re-generate any of them. Let's go one stanza at a time, shall we?

Lady, weeping at the crossroads, Would you meet your love In the twilight with his greyhounds, And the hawk on his glove?

Art Nouveau style:

Looking great, really pretty, but where's the lady's love? And why are the crossroads barely visible and so far away when it's literally in the first line?

Gothic Literature Art style:

Alright, alright, alright, very moody, very weepy, I can kinda accept this as a crossroads but still no lover, and now the greyhound turned into a wolf (?) and one hawk became two doves (AI math I guess).

Stained Glass Window style:

I was reeeally looking forward to this one because this style has to deal with a bunch of spatial limitations the others don't have (like depth, distance and suchlike) and I kinda dig the compass-like star as a representation of the crossroads. Still no lover to be seen, the greyhound left and took the moody atmosphere with him but at least we have a hawk, yay! On to the second stanza!

Bribe the birds then on the branches, Bribe them to be dumb, Stare the hot sun out of heaven That the night may come.

Art Nouveau style:

Beautiful. Gorgeous. Can't even decide if that's the Sun or the Moon. No notes. Perfect.

Gothic Literature Art style:

Yeeeeeeees. Back in Moodyland. The "hot sun" is now the chilly moon but I can't say I mind it.

Stained Glass Window style:

Absolutely gorgeous. We have the birds, we have the sun, we have more colors than shrimps! Beautiful work, DeepAI. Let's move on:

Starless are the nights of travel, Bleak the winter wind; Run with terror all before you And regret behind.

Art Nouveau style:

I know this is not the easiest to visualize but what on God's Green Earth is that Christmas-Tree-Toppered Radio Tower doing there? Love the swirlies tho, I'm sure that's the bleak winter wind.

Gothic Illustration Art style:

Now that's more like it! Also, a very funny recurring problem is that DeepAI automatically assumes that any MC must be a man, so you'll see a few more male-looking figures in the next few minutes.

Stained Glass Window style:

Again, this stanza is not particularly easy but hats off to DeepAI, it did a great job with this one! What's next?

Run until you hear the ocean's Everlasting cry; Deep though it may be and bitter You must drink it dry,

Art Nouveau style:

Yep, that's the ocean alright! The ocean where the waves are cliffs and the cliffs are waves! What does the text say? Idk man, ask DeepAI! Special thanks for the little stamp: Deep mayy it Dry. Words to live by, truly.

Gothic Illustration Art style:

I don't know about you, but this style really checks all the boxes for me. I even like the two Suns! And clearly DeepAI was so proud of this one that it even put a little signature on it!

Stained Glass Window style:

Okay, this is the only one where something actually looks like it's drinking the ocean dry, so kudos for that, whatever it is, it looks cute.

Wear out patience in the lowest Dungeons of the sea, Searching through the stranded shipwrecks For the golden key,

Art Nouveau style:

Insanely good angle, even if the golden key is quite comically huge. Interesting that there's more than one too.

Gothic Illustration Art style:

ohmygod are those CoLoRs?! Again, we have a huuuge key but I'm not even mad about it because this one looks sooo good!

Stained Glass Window style:

Lovely, if slightly unrealistic frontal perspective, not sure if the key is the little cross dangling from the boat or the big red button in the hand that's very healthily reaching out of our guy's shoulder?

Push on to the world's end, pay the Dread guard with a kiss, Cross the rotten bridge that totters Over the abyss.

Art Nouveau style:

Lovely atmosphere, I can totally see this in a graphic novel but where is the "dread guard"? He needs a kiss :(

Gothic Illustration Art style:

Aaaand we've lost the colors. Pity. Also, our MC is a guy-looking entity. Again. And no guard in sight. Again. Sadge.

Stained Glass Window style:

That bridge looks really interesting, it's like fabric. I don't know who the guard is but at least we have two people in this one. Also, don't look at this one for too long. You'll notice some weird faces.

There stands the deserted castle Ready to explore; Enter, climb the marble staircase, Open the locked door.

Art Nouveau style:

Absolutely lovely, I simply adore that highlighted door.

Gothic Literature Art style:

A slightly different mood and the door looks a little weird but beautiful nonetheless.

Stained Glass Window style:

My darlings, we broke containment! This is revolutionary! Again, the door looks weird, but I love love love that the image is not just a window with a castle on it.

Cross the silent ballroom, Doubt and danger past; Blow the cobwebs from the mirror See yourself at last.

Art Nouveau style:

Alright, alright, not bad, not bad at all! The art nouveau is really strong in this one! No cobwebs to be seen but it's very pretty!

Gothic Illustration Art style:

Yeah, see, here be cobwebs! Also, our female MC just turned into Count Dracula or whoever the hell that is and I feel like the mirror should be a bit more of a centerpiece here instead of just sitting on the wall, off to the side, with a candelabra sticking out of it...

Stained Glass Window style:

This is a very interesting take on the mirror, it's just a big mirrored image of funny-faced horned saints. Great job!

Put your hand behind the wainscot, You have done your part; Find the penknife there and plunge it Into your false heart.

Now here's a funny thing: DeepAI took issue with the last two lines beacuse it contains unaliving language and refused to generate images for me:

So I had to remove those two lines from the final stanza (which is sacrilegous imho)

Art Nouveau style:

Yeah, so this is a bit underwhelming.

Gothic Literature Art style:

Alright, well I think I'll be having my nightmares in the panic room tonight, thanks!

Stained Glass Window style:

DeepAI saw the word hand and read no further. Also, big shoutout to the boob-clutching angels and the ribbon-haired-wax-stamp-headed-whatsits next to them. Real classics, those.

Now, if after all this you're curious to see what happens when you put the entire poem into the generator and how ChatGPT can fuck up this whole thing even more then hold onto your butts because there's a part 2 to this humongous post! :)

[penumbraphantasm]

checklist for all the stuff in this picture bc i got an ask about it + extra commentary

Featured Characters:

Subway Bosses Emmet and Ingo, pointing toward the viewer with respective dominant hands.

If you look real close, their other hands are also slightly different (Ingo's more rigid while Emmet's slightly relaxed).

Their uniforms are standard colors while the inside fabrics are PokeMas EX colors. Ingo's hat and uniform are also partially tattered, a nod to his state in Hisui.

Pokemon Roster:

Chandelure

Eelektross

Klinklang

Archeops

Excadrill

Galvantula

Durant

Haxorus

Crustle

Lady Sneasler (PLA)

Boldore (B2W2)

Gurdurr (B2W2)

Garbodor (Gmax)

Note: The first thing I sketched was Gmax Garbodor bc I really wanted to do something with the train tail. Even though their Garbodor doesn't actually Gigantamax or know Hyper Beam, I drew like this anyways because it just seemed fun.

Objects Representing Ingo's PLA Roster:

Machoke's Belt

Alakazam's Spoons

Probopass's Rock

Gliscor-in-the-Box (resembles PLA's Mystery Gift)

Magnezone's Magnet (also doubling as held item)

Tangela Sprite in Gameboy screen (imitating Pikachu's happiness from Pokemon Yellow)

Note: I think both Unova and Hisui are deeply important to Ingo so I wanted to include his dojo team in some form. However, I didn't include Alpha Kleavor, Wyrdeer, Basculegion because it's not confirmed Ingo caught them. Maybe he befriended them randomly since Scyther, Stantler and Basculin can all be found at Coronet Highlands but that's just my guess. Anyways, no Pokeball animation is ever shown for them and that goes for all Path of Solitude Pokemon as well.

Bonus:

Special Comic featuring Accelgor and Escavalier (Pokemon Masters)

Battle Subway Held Items:

White Herb

Black Sludge

Yache Berry

Occa Berry

Sitrus Berry

Life Orb

Rocky Helmet

Scope Lens

Magnet (mentioned before)

Steel Gem

Sneasler's Preferred Foods:

Springy Mushroom

Hearty Grains

Plump Beans

Misc Items:

Poke Ball (Hisuian)

Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Master Ball

3 Exp Candy L, Bag of Grit Dust (common rewards for clearing Ingo's Path of Solitude)

6 playing cards, 5 by Emmet (full hand) and 1 by Ingo (missing cards). Ingo has the Ace of Spades (pointing Up). Emmet has the Ace of Hearts (pointing Down), 3 cards face-down and the obscured King of Hearts (looks like N and the hearts are broken).

Skyla and Elesa 2013 Color Collection Pokemon Mate figure keychains on a keyring resembling Klefki. There are Ingo and Emmet figures but I wanted to draw da girls lol.

Stamp Rally pad from ep 51 of the Best Wishes anime. Satoshi, Dent VS Subway Masters!

Wooden Matryoshka Dolls that look like Sneasler, Warden Ingo and Hisuian Sneasel

Pair of Dice, black and white. The values on the white die (2, 4, 6) are Double those on the black die (1, 2, 3)

Ingo's Warden Bracelet

Aguav Berry (important berry in PLA)

Pinap Berry (less important berry)

Substitute Doll, Poke Doll (mirroring the twins' expressions, also parts of Gmax Garbodor)

Vs. Recorder (used to check Battle Subway records and videos)

Arc Phone (PLA)

Game Boy

Game Link Cable (Linking Cord), for trade evos like Boldore and Gurdurr/Accelgor and Escavalier

DS Lite, featuring the start of a multi battle with "Subway Master Nobori" and "Subway Master Kudari"

Pokewalker (DS era accessory)

Switch Joy-Cons

BG elements:

2 windows, like DS screens. Top is a cracked blue screen, with a space-time distortion above Gmax Garbodor's head. Bottom is the bg for Memory Link from B2W2.

The train is part of Gmax Garbodor's tail. But instead of a Galar train, I drew a simplified version of the Single train since it's the oldest model in the Battle Subway and the other trains (except Anville Town's line) are improvements of its design.

Left is Black City and right is White Forest. The grass is even old-school style lol.

Above White Forest is the Coronet Highlands.

Above Mt. Coronet, the distorted sky event from DPPt/PLA.

And then a rainbow, starry night, Arceus ring, starless space with warped nebula in Palkia/Dialga colors and the full moon.

Note: I knew a chunk of the background would get cropped in print but I still wanted to fill the whole canvas anyways 🤪

Also, 2 WIP shots. The first had Poke balls circling them and I planned to draw their Pokemon inside a la PokeSpe style but I hated it immediately. The second was the result after about a month of stewing.

my piece for submas zine

thank you for boarding 🍍

[miekasa]

Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it. 

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby. 

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad. 

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on. 

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying. 

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside. 

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place. 

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone). 

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way. 

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for. 

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch. 

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés. 

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this. 

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it. 

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well. 

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program. 

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do. 

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk. 

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes. 

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to. 

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye). 

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester. 

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other. 

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand. 

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right.