#there is so much lore under the cut

[cinderswife]

a companion piece to my previous outfit ref of rose, here's cinders!! i had so much fun designing her a variety of outfits <33 cinders my beloved cinders my wife :3 i will also do one of these for snow because i can't not!

design notes and lore info dump under the cut

nude

so cinders was design to be a complimentary opposite to rose as well as heavily fire themed. she's tall, she's lanky, and she's one of those people who is uncomfortable to hug because they're so bony. she's also a wolf girl. wolf girl rights <3

cinders is a trans woman !! this is very important to me.

the scar on her torso is actually where a sci-fi hrt implant was implanted so she doesn't have to worry about taking hrt cuz she's got so much other shit going on

cinders has had a hell of a time in cole's prisons over the past 10 years. her tattered ear and lip scar come from some of the several times she has stood up for herself and met violence with violence and she is notably malnourished

the gradient in cinders' hair is a very common trait among the people of her planet Perrault and is also very pretty

the dots on cinders' face are skin picking scars

fun fact: other than the eye color, having been amab, and a few environmental factors, cinders looks exactly like her mother. wonder what that's about

prison uniform

the prison uniform of cole's prisons is pretty standard across the empire: grey with a red triangle on the front. realistically, this should be the only outfit on the sheet because cinders has been in prison for an entire decade but that'd be boring.

cinders' uniform hangs off her body. uniforms her size are designed for peope with a lot more meat on their bones

princess party dress

full disclosure: this was an excuse to design cinders a disney princess dress. lore wise, this is cinders' favorite party dress imported from one of the four planets perrault was in a close trade relationship with. it's also the dress she was captured by cole in. it was her 20th birthday party which was meant to bring a little levity to the people of her planet in the midst of a terrible war. unfortunately, the combination of her stepmother marguerite's betrayal and a promising young soldier named rose grimm accidentally discovering a secret tunnel meant that the party went down in the most tragic way possible.

this dress is made up of lots and lots of orange gradients and was designed to match her hair

the tiger lillies on her dress and gloves are detailed fabric replicas

her tiara and necklace are made of rose gold, which on perrault is its own naturally occurring metal. it's very difficult to refine correctly, so this small amount of it is a fabulous flaunt of wealth and power

the tiara has no special history compared to other royal jewels, this one was commissioned specifically for her

the glitter was painstakingly hand beaded in by an artisan (and was drawn with a glitter brush lol)

queen of perrault

hey wait a minute, isn't cinders a princess? well. this is entirely delving into headcanon/lore territory, but my particular cinders was queen from the ages of 12 to 19 because her father, the heritage king, was old and ailing and her mother died unexpectedly (cough reneged on the deal with a witch that created cinders cough). in order to keep the people from freaking out, her advisors took advantage of her looking exactly like her mother and made her queen. transition by becoming your mother, you know how it goes. this was not approved by her father, who did not die, and it turned into a whole political mess that ended with her as princess instead of queen. she was the best queen her people had had in a very long time, even if she had to lead her people to war in the latter half of her reign. i'll get into the details some other time but. lore!

this is the only outfit on this sheet that reflects the cultural fashion of perrault, specifically in the floating capital

this is an extremely goth outfit by perraultan standards. red is the color associated with mourning and ties heavily into funerary traditions and bone white is the color of death and evil. cinders' reign was haunted by grief and mourning

the gold is just an accent color. all of the embroidery was hand embroidered, which in an era of perfect machine embroidery is a huge flex and considered very fashionable

she is wearing two veils. the first one is mostly to make the crown more comfortable on her head (that sucker is heavy and tugs at her hair) and features elaborate designs on the inside. the second, translucent lace one is to obscure her features so people don't notice she's a lot younger than her mother

the crown cinders is wearing is the rose gold crown of the perrault! it was designed for one of her distant ancestors, the first queen of the grimsnarl dynasty, after perrault formed a coalition with the other four trader planets. aside from being made of pure rose gold and thus the world's biggest flex of wealth and power, every aspect of it has meaning.

the seven peaks of the crown represent the seven great nations of perrault that cinders' rules over. the peaks aren't assigned to any specific nation because one might get mad about being tiny while another flaunts how big it is. the size variation of the peaks is designed to mimic the towers of the castle, which is on a floating island unattached to any nation.

the jewels on the crown are the national jewels of the coalition of five trader planets and represents the strong ties between them. the big topaz represents perrault, the morganite represents telemaine, the heliodore represents anea, the ruby represents charn, and the amethyst represents quaria. all of these planets fell to cole's rule after perrault did

cinders isn't wearing any other jewelry because the embroidery on her dress is worth more than any jewel in the kingdom

the fabric of this dress is very heavy because it gets chilly on a castle on a floating island

day dress

this dress is not of any of the trader planets' fashions. rather, it comes from the six month time period between cinders and rose's marriage (aka signing a piece of paper to get cinders out of jail) and their wedding (the ceremony that kicked off ouatis). this fashion style comes from the star system of delinore, the duchy snow rules over and that snow and rose are from. this is actually my favorite outfit on this entire sheet; cinders in pink gingham is something that can be so personal

look, you actually get to see cinders' feet! she doesn't usually wear dresses this short haha

turns out that this particular pastel pink is cinders' favorite color <3

this dress is a lot lighter weight than cinders has worn previously; the capital city of delinore, chel, is a lot warmer than perrault's capital

the rose necklace was something snow got for her as a wedding gift. cinders like it so much she found shoes to match

big floppy hat rights for cinders !!!! i want her in so many hats you don't understand

this is a gingham dress! its so pretty

the ring on her finger isn't The Glass Ring TM, it's just the one snow grabbed for the impromptu courtroom marriage/pardoning. don't worry, the glass ring will show up at the actual wedding. consider it like an engagement ring

ballgown

i wanted to give cinders an homage to disney's cinderella (who was my favorite disney princess growing up), hence this dress! much like the previous outfit, this one also originates from delinore. cinders wore it to balls and other formal events that snow hosted that rose was required to be at.

turns out that when cinders has complete control of what she wears (no royal duties or prison) she really likes monochrome pastels. she is my pastel queen.

this dress is made up of a very lightweight silk that shimmers in the moonlight

the glitter on the medium blue is actually baked into the fabric, but it makes her sparkle more

the cowl and the hair fascinator are part of a matched set, hence the matching flowers

cinders does Not like having her arms out, hence the big long gloves. also they're pretty !!

basically cinders is very pretty and i love her

[violetscanfly]

It's been a while huh? How about a long ass trolls au post? Would that be anything?

Ok but seriously I'm obsessed with them and wrecked my sleep schedule for two nights in a row because I was having so much fun drawing them. I haven't seen any crossovers yet and I have many thoughts about how the mdzs/trolls lore works.

I was thinking about making each clan a different type of troll (the lans would fit classical so well etc but I wasn't really into the cupid aesthetic lmao) but the point of this at the beginning was just to get rid of major art block by drawing cute trolls so I just did whatever :'D

The gist of it is Wei Wuxian is a rock troll adopted into the pop troll society by the jiangs and in his yiling laozu era he fully leans into the rock side of himself that he used to suppress to fit in. I had to make Chenqing into an electric guitar, obviously, (rip wangxian duet) and he uses it to control rock zombies. As usual he gets resurrected by Mo Xuanyu (Did he die by being eaten? Maybe.) and his final form reflects both his love for pop while embracing his rock side as well. Also yes, the Jin trolls are yellow, so.

Since the Lan clan are not really classical trolls I thought they're instead more of the love ballad type of pop, (fits the lans only love once thing too!) so, very sentimental. Which makes Lan Wangji stand out by being cold and seemingly closed off while he's secretly composing love songs for Wei Wuxian. Design-wise I felt the lans would wear more layers and keep their hair tied but I wanted to differentiate the style from Wei Wuxian's ponytail so it's either a half tied up (down? since troll hair goes up??) or a bun. I thought it was funny to give Lan Wangji a huge hairpiece to keep the high hair thing going even when it's tied. Also it kinda marks his age, the taller it is the older he is. Maybe it's a status symbol as well.

I didn't really put too much though into A-Yuan since I just randomly decided to add him cause baby trolls are adorable but basically just Wen colours and the pigtails are homage to manhua A-Yuan whom I love.

Overall I tried to mix design elements from both ips and I really like how they turned out. I think that's all for now. :'D

[manasurge]

I’m so sad I can’t partake in art fight stuff due to the really bad timing on my end bc it’s the busiest season at work, as well as I haven’t been able to finish any art for myself for ages now and I’m trying to catch up on it bc it keeps getting pushed back (basically I wish I had more time to draw 😔 I’m also slow af so I’m triple cursed, ugh)

(Granted I’ve never done any kind of art fight before, but even then… maybe next year…? Lol. Tho I so wish it wasn’t in July bc it’s such a cursed time for me /sobs. I’ve always watched it happen as a spectator but I’ve only ever been a lurker).

[nobodybetterlookatme]

Blorbos from my brain my beloved 💙 rough sketches under the cut

Matthew and Levi, my dumbass fire medics. Not a brain cell between them. They live in my head rent free

[lavellane]

IVE NEVER GOT THIS HOWE DIALOGUE. THROWING UPPPPPPPPPPPP

[carewyncromwell]

"You want a ride to fame? I've got the fastest route! What's it gonna be? Are you in or out?"

x~x~x~x

HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri // Rakepick's outfit // Duncan's outfit // the more "court-worthy" outfit Duncan eventually bought for Jacob

x~x~x~x

The day Jacob Cromwell first arrived at the palace of Spades, he earned more than a few skeptical side-eyes. It was hard not to judge Jacob poorly, when he strolled inside dressed in clothes more appropriate to working in a mechanic's shop than in one of the most powerful royal courts in Cinderhaven. His black slacks and white shirt were clean and his boots were polished, yes, but he'd rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and the lone pop of color in Jacob's outfit -- his red suspenders -- were far too informal for such a setting. And yet Jacob walked with his head held high, almost arrogantly so, and went straight to work in his new workshop just down the hall from the office of his boss, the also very recently installed Jack of Spades, Duncan Ashe.

One of those most skeptical of Jacob -- at least at first -- was the Ace of Spades, Patricia Rakepick. She had been the one hold-out in selecting Duncan as Ulrich Scheller's replacement, citing his young age and subsequent lack of experience as rationale, but she'd ultimately been overruled. Not only did the King of Spades, Oskar Doyle, support Duncan's promotion, but the Queen of Spades had agreed with it too, before her tragic death. Even Ulrich Scheller himself was steadfast about Duncan being the one to take his old position.

"Mr. Ashe may be young, but he has discerning judgment -- far better than even I had at his age," the former Jack had said. "I've always valued his counsel as my subordinate, and I think the Court of Spades will come to appreciate that very same counsel once he takes my place."

Rakepick was not convinced. And, to be fair, it was hard for her not to feel some resentment at how seemingly easily it had been for Duncan Ashe to climb the ranks of power, while still fresh out of university. Perhaps it was dumb luck or the fact that Duncan was a young man with a good sense of dress from a reasonably well-respected family -- a more objective source might also have pointed out that Duncan was a far more likable person than Rakepick. Even despite his brusqueness, he could be witty and funny and yet also dedicated, down-to-earth, hard-working, and supportive. Duncan chased his ambitions with laser-precision, and yet he also never failed to take helpful input from the people around him. His pride was never so inflated that he couldn't take constructive criticism or admit when he was wrong, nor was it an obstacle to him making iron-clad friendships that gave him people in his corner who stuck with him solely out of sincere enjoyment for his company.

Rakepick's critical view of Duncan Ashe, however, completely justified her initial suspicion of Jacob Cromwell. This suspicion quickly flickered out, though, when she made a point to stop by the Jack's stooge's new workshop.

It was still quite early that morning — most of the King’s, Jack’s and Ace’s staffs had only just started their work for the day -- and yet that oddly chipper new "favorite" of the Jack of Spades' was already hard at work. He’d arrived a good half hour before his scheduled shift and used that extra time to hang up the blueprints for the couple dozen projects he'd already hashed out to show "Ashe" when he arrived later that morning. Then, at his formal start time, Jacob set about testing out his new power-saw (which the curly-haired young man had fanboyed over when he first saw it) to cut out a metal skeleton for his blimp prototype while also making some alterations to the blueprint on his desk.

By the time Rakepick dropped in, she found Jacob in the midst of a short "break" in his work, which entailed him adjusting the screws on a device set up under his desk.

Because Jacob was so preoccupied with what he was doing, he didn't get a good look at who had entered. And because he was so used to being an overworked part-time mechanic, cook, and librarian, his first instinct was not to stop what he was doing, introduce himself to the person, and ask how he could help them, but to greet the stranger cheerfully without even looking up from his work.

"Hey there! Come on in and look around if you’d like — I’ll be right with you!"

Rakepick cocked her eyebrows at the young man largely obscured under the desk, tightening the screws on what looked like the foot pedal of an old sewing machine. With a roll of her eyes, the Ace looked around — only to be startled by the prototype hanging over her head.

It resembled — for lack of a better term — a small mechanical dragon, with its “head” and “limbs” cut into halves hanging from separate wires. The wings were crafted out of aluminum, carved wood, and fabric, and the “body” was a balloon with multiple model stairways attached to it and aluminum “legs” hanging off of them and cut open to show off rooms on the inside. Even the head (adorned with two thick lightning rods as horns) was cut down the middle to show off a miniature cockpit on the inside.

Rakepick actually raised her gloved hand to shift the head around, her eyes widening with interest upon the intricately designed interior. It even had a miniature control panel with what looked like tiny fuses. When she tapped at one of the levers inside the model, two spotlights appeared out of the dragon’s mouth, casting a light down onto the multiple blueprints laid out on the desk.

"It’s a modified blimp," said Jacob’s voice from under the desk. "Those mouth lights would be hydroelectric-powered, via collected rainwater -- I originally thought of using solar power, but too much concentrated heat could run a risk of the thing catching fire, since the blimp itself would use hydrogen...much less rare alternative to helium…"

Rakepick raised her eyebrows. "Hydroelectric power, you say?"

Didn’t Duncan Ashe bring up something once about hydroelectric power in one of his meetings with Ulrich Scheller…?

"Yeah!" said Jacob cheerfully, still not looking up. "I brought it up to Ashe a while ago, shifting our main source of power away from coal and toward hydroelectric -- and he thinks it’d be a great way to save money for other projects. Plus water's much less hazardous to work with…though if coal can be mined more safely, I reckon it could still be used, just in smaller amounts…still need to make a prototype or two for that project…"

Then this person was where Duncan Ashe stole that idea from. Rakepick pursed her lips. It seemed this new Jack really was good at getting credit not rightfully owed him.

"But hey, there's only so much time in a day!" Jacob laughed to himself. "Only sent my letters of resignation in yesterday morning — didn't really have time to get all these ideas out of my head, before that…"

Rakepick glanced around. By her count, she could see five unfinished blueprints hung up on the wall, one more and several printed graphs on the work bench next to an old phonograph, and what looked like a row of small plant boxes with thermometers stuck in each one.

"…You did all this just in one day?" she asked.

"In half a day, a night, and some of this morning. But yeah."

This boy works hard, thought Rakepick.

"Though a few ideas I'd been ruminating on for a while, beforehand," Jacob pressed on. "I just hope it's enough…I've never worked as any kind of advisor before. Don't really know how much my work will be commission-based and how much will be free-lance…"

Rakepick crossed her arms, considering the young man's spade-gloved hands under the desk testing out the little sewing machine wheel he'd attached to the leg of his desk. Only when he turned it did Rakepick realize it was attached to the phonograph on the desk, and the wheel turning also made the crank handle rotate.

"I think that depends on whether that project on your desk is something the Jack commissioned," said Rakepick, "or if you came up with it for him by yourself."

Jacob laughed. "Oh, this? Nah, this is just a personal project...I wanted to use it back at the mechanic shop, originally, but I didn't have proper room for it...Wyn, my sister Carewyn, she let me keep it in pieces under our window, until I could figure out where to put it -- "

Once Jacob had finished his adjustments, he got up off the floor at last, sat down in his chair in front of the blueprint, and pressed the foot pedal. The pedal made the wheel rotate, which subsequently turned the crank on the phonograph so that it could play the record set on it.

"When the red, red robin comes bob-bob-bobbin' along...along... There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' his old sweet song..."

Jacob's almond-shaped blue eyes lit up in delight seeing his invention working right, and he cheerfully sing along to the next few lines.

"Wake up -- wake up, you sleepy head! Get up -- get up, get out of bed! Cheer up -- cheer up, the sun is red! Live, love, laugh, and be happy..."

Rakepick's eyes trailed over the modified phonograph, along the careful metal-work attaching the disparate pieces and the screws securing them to the work bench. All this effort and inventiveness, for something this boy wasn't intending to get any reward for from his employer...

Rakepick's lips curled up in a very slight smirk. She had to admit -- she was impressed.

Still pedaling away to play the song on the record, Jacob finally looked up at the person who'd entered his workshop with a smile. That smile dimmed, though, when he realized just who he was talking to.

"Oh," said Jacob, startled. His foot stopped pedaling as his eyes flitted quickly to the sword at Rakepick's side and the stylized silver-white pauldrons on her shoulders. "Uh...you with the military or something?"

Rakepick smirked. "'Or something.' Patricia Rakepick -- Ace of Spades. And you'd be Jacob Cromwell, of course."

"Uh -- yeah." Jacob looked sheepish.

Rakepick's smirk widened a bit. "You seem surprised to see me."

"Sorry -- I didn't think anyone outside of Ashe's people would be interested in any of this," said Jacob, sounding slightly abashed as he crossed one leg across his lap. "I mean, this stuff's really more for interior projects -- nothing that fancy..."

"You sell yourself short, Master Cromwell," said Rakepick. She once again indicated the prototype of the blimp hanging from the ceiling. "Frankly I'd say with a brain like yours, you could make a rather fine Jack yourself, some day."

Jacob's blue eyes went very wide. Then, almost immediately, his expression gained a much darker look -- one that swept through offense and disgust so thoroughly that it was close to revulsion.

"Uh -- no," he said incredibly bluntly. "Ashe is the Jack."

"I never said he wasn't," said Rakepick, "merely that you're more than qualified for such a position. More qualified than many candidates I could envision as Jack...or King, for that matter..."

"I wouldn't want the post, in any case," Jacob cut her off. "I'm not here to do Ashe's job, or the King's."

So this boy had no ambition in that direction? That was reassuring, to Rakepick.

"Good to hear it," said the Ace, before she added a bit more lowly, "...Though it occurs to me that may be why you were brought here in the first place."

Jacob's eyebrows furrowed. Rakepick folded her arms behind her back as she considered him.

"Mr. Ashe brought up your ideas to the rest of court, long before your arrival," she said grimly. "He's glided to where he is partly on the back of your creativity -- is it so surprising that he'd want to keep leeching off of your efforts and use them to earn further prestige for himself?"

Rakepick's eyes narrowed a bit.

"Your talents are far too impressive for you not to get full credit for them, Master Cromwell. I can think of quite a few projects outside of the Jack's domain that could use a mind like yours -- ones that would pay very well and offer further rewards, for your efforts."

Jacob, however, had already closed himself off visibly -- he slouched back in his chair and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing.

"No offense, Madam Ace, but I'm not here for money or 'prestige' or whatever. I don't give a damn about politics -- I'm here because I want to do something useful, not prance around like a show horse, schmoozing with people. The only power I care about is the power in my brain and in my own two hands -- and I intend to use them to work really hard and make things that solve real problems. I want to help Ashe and the Country of Spades, however I can."

Rakepick's brows raised. This boy wasn't interested in financial reward either? A truly rare breed, to find at court.

"...That's quite noble of you, Master Cromwell," she said, and she meant it. "And it's for that reason that my offer still stands. If you wish so much to be of use, your talent and creativity would be incredibly useful, in giving the army the means to protect the Country of Spades. Your blimp prototype, for instance -- I imagine it could be a perfect flagship, with some minor alterations and a proper set of guns -- "

"Guns?" Jacob repeated, appalled. "Madam, the blimp of that prototype is full of hydrogen. Anything using gunpowder could risk setting the whole thing ablaze. That flying machine is strictly meant for long-distance transport, to reduce travel time and be more resilient to bad weather..."

"A very good idea, when our King has to travel frequently to other parts of Cinderhaven."

The stylishly dressed Jack of Spades had materialized seemingly out of nowhere and walked up behind Jacob's chair, bringing his hand onto his subordinate's shoulder. Jacob looked up at him, and his expression immediately brightened.

"Ashe!"

"I'm flattered that you approve of my staff appointments, Madam Ace," said Duncan, though his voice betrayed a notable edge, "but as you might've noticed, Jacob has quite a few projects already in the works for his place here, working for me. I'm afraid any commissions you might wish to offer him will have to wait."

Rakepick pursed her lips. She got the feeling that Duncan had overheard a lot more of her and Jacob's conversation than he would've admitted -- he was more than clever enough to eavesdrop for important information before making himself known.

"Perhaps," she granted. She turned on her heel, but paused long enough to shoot a cold smile over her shoulder at Duncan. "But don't hoard him away all for yourself, Mr. Ashe. A young man of talent like Master Cromwell could change the world, so long as he has the freedom to chase his own success."

Duncan clenched his jaw as the Ace strolled off.

"Don't hoard him away" -- you dodgy geebag, if you even think of trying to snatch Jacob up for yourself -- !

"What a weird woman."

Duncan looked at Jacob, startled, to see the man frowning very deeply at Rakepick's retreating back.

"She acts like she's complimenting you, and then she says things that make absolutely no sense," Jacob muttered irritably. "'So long as he has the freedom to chase his own success' -- as if I somehow don't? And insinuating that I'm here to do your job...I'm a technology guy, I'm not here to waste time kissing up to people..."

"Good to know you think I'm wasting time," Duncan said very dryly.

Jacob looked sideswiped. "Huh? What, no -- I didn't say that! I said it'd be a waste of time for me to do that..."

"Of course it would -- I'm already doing it," Duncan cut him off smoothly with a wry smile.

His smile then faded as his face grew more serious.

"...Jacob...what Rakepick said...it's not true, not a bit of it. Of course, yes, I did share your ideas at court -- but I did not take credit for them...I told the former Jack they were yours. And I didn't want you here so you could do my work for me or make me look better. I wanted you here because...well, your ideas are useful, and I..."

I want you around. I want you around all the time, not just at that old tavern every Tuesday and Thursday...

Duncan swallowed, his dark eyes flitting down to Jacob's lips and back up into his blue eyes.

"...I do...want you to succeed. I want your work to be appreciated. All of it -- whether it's for me or not."

Jacob grinned. It made his blue eyes sparkle, even though his face lacked any light of revelation about the unspoken sentiment in Duncan's posture.

"I know, Ashe," he said. "And that's all I want, really, to know my work means something. Sure, the paycheck's great -- " he gave a cheekier grin, " -- makes it easier for me to support myself, Wyn, and Mum, you know...but I took the job because you wanted my help, needed my help. And well, you know me...I like to help people. Especially the ones I care about."

Duncan tried very hard to bite back the flush rising in his cheeks. Somehow Jacob completely missed it, though, because his focus was drawn to the blueprint he'd left on his desk.

"Speaking of which!" he said brightly. He snatched up the blueprint and held it up for Duncan to see. "I sketched out a concept for a new hydroelectric generator, for your upcoming meeting with the King of Spades! I suggested several dimension sizes, since I wasn't sure how big the boiler here is, but I thought the palace would be a good place to test its efficiency and ability to heat multiple levels..."

Duncan looked it over and nodded in approval.

"Not bad," he said, and his lips unfurled in a more mischievous smile. "I think the King and the rest of the court will be very impressed with it, and you, when you accompany me to the meeting."

Jacob was taken aback. "Wha -- ? You want me to -- ?"

"Yes -- but only after I take you shopping for some new clothes. I'm not introducing you to Oskar Doyle in red suspenders."

[lovelymovingcure]

"Why do u go to therapy,,,? like, are uu,, okay?" still cannot be beat for the funniest message ive ever been sent

[askachroma]

tell faba i'd give him a little kiss on the cheek

(He is very embarrassed and also a bit shy)

I have so many more hcs guys,, if you’re still reading this, buckle up.

Okay, Faba’s not what you could really call a nice guy. He’s a bastard, with heaps of bitchiness on top, right. But I do like to think underneath all that he can be quite shy, and very considerate and loving of people he actually gives a damn about. Personally I hc him as being diagnosed really, really late with autism (like not until late twenties), which has given him a lot of social trauma. He’s late thirties now right so that’s given him so much time to build up resentment and bitterness towards everybody. He has the capacity to be nice, but with 99.9 percent of people he just thinks: what’s the point? It’s not like they deserve kindness. They never tried to include HIS socially awkward ass in anything, they were never understanding of HIS struggles.

He didn’t have a social life growing up, but you know what he did have? His brain. It’s the only thing he felt superior in, so he clung to that lifeline and gradually built his entire personality around it. He’s smarter, better than everyone, career orientated… it’s the only thing he feels he has going on for him so of course he’s going to gradually condition himself into being a workaholic. He even convinces himself he doesn’t even care about people at all, that he doesn’t want any kind of relationship because they’d distract him from his work. Of course eventually that does change— in fact, when he met his ex-wife and Colress and finally had a connection with someone, that was probably the only thing that saved him from completely going off the deep end honestly. ‘He’s bad now but he could have been way worse’, kind of thing. When he did get divorced from his ex though it just made him even more bitter and lonely and turned him absolutely desperate, causing him to cling onto his career and making very questionable decisions (AHEM rainbow rocket [although I’m still undecided if that’s a canon event in my au]) because he was just in a big, spiralling panic. Since then the friendship Colress (and now finally Knox) have shown him have softened him up a bit, but even so he’s still very distrustful and bitter.

I think that’s part of the reason I like writing him so much, because I can see bits of myself in him. The whole late diagnosis, not really fitting in with others and not knowing why, developing bitterness and a lot of fear because of it, I really get that. Of course, not everyone who is diagnosed with adult autism is going to be as hostile as Faba, (Or hostile at all. I may relate to the bitterness but I wouldn’t consider myself an asshole!!) but it’s definitely one of the things that can happen. Not that it excuses his shitty attitude/behaviour either, but it definitely explains it.

…Man. All that because of a ‘kiss on the cheek’ ask LOL

Realistically if someone he didn’t know well were to say they’d give him a kissy on the cheek, he’d probably be very cynical and think it was mockery, buuuut I do like drawing a soft Faba so I’ve taken some liberties with my hcs for this one.

TLDR: A late autism diagnosis gave Faba trauma, and now he’s making it everyone else’s problem, half consciously out of a want for revenge, half subconsciously because people frighten him (but he would never admit it)

[aetheryic]

maybe life was better in the jar

without these memories

[emdotcom]

Hater shit incoming:

Yeah, Indigo Park is really cool, but it blew its load a bit too early by immediately killing off the cool stalker enemy from ch.1. The effect of the bird mimicing phrases is really neat, but you don't get to hear her do it much, especially because the warbling effect + loud af chase music drowns out what is being said, which sucks! Those voice lines are good!!

[luminarot]

the park takes who it takes - but what happens to those left behind?

wesley never wanted to be the sacrificial lamb. he wanted to convince his mom to leave, but when she wouldn't, he resigned himself to protecting his family any way that he could - and at any cost. whenever henry crane started getting violent, wesley would try to draw attention away from his mom and brother; stepping directly in the line of fire, speaking up when he should've been silent, taking beatings for them so that they had a chance to hide away. this made henry hate him even more, seeing wesley as defiant and ungrateful. then again, it never took very much to make him mad.

in wesley's canon verse, the violence eventually leads to him being murdered by his father at twenty-one; in this verse, however, wesley doesn't make it that far. instead, nineteen year old wesley takes a trip to the amusement park with his brother, and he never comes home.

his death was, of course, just one of many tragic accidents caused by park negligence and poor safety procedures. henry, however, very much believed that wesley deserved it, and he wasn't shy about saying it to the media. he also lashed out at jacob ( and wesley, though he wasn't there to hear it anymore ) for wasting "his" money and slacking off when they could've been working - nevermind the fact that it was money wesley had saved up, or that he'd made sure to do all the chores before they left that morning.

jacob is devastated by the whole thing, drowning in his grief and blaming himself for the way wesley died. he doesn't know for sure that the seatbelt would've held if they were both strapped in like they were supposed to be, but he still feels like he delivered his brother to his death by leaving so abruptly, leaving space for wesley to fall through. the whole thing is such a shock that he hardly knows how to cope with it. and the more he struggles, the angrier his dad gets, because henry always hated any sign of weakness. as far as the patriarch of the family is concerned, everyone is better off without wesley; jacob should just get over it.

meanwhile, wesley's mother has shut down completely, burying the last fleeting glimpses of a person alongside her oldest son. This, too, angers her husband, who sees her disassociation and silence as a burden; it's an embarrassment, and an overreaction, another case of dramatics when there's no one around to watch the scene.

two years pass this way - and then one night, all that rage finally reaches a breaking point. it was always going to, but this time, wesley isn't there to take the blows; this time, henry beats his wife until she stops breathing. jacob runs off in the chaos to get help, but by the time paramedics arrive on scene, elizabeth crane is long gone. she's buried in a small plot next to her son in the back of the cemetery, far away from the more lavish headstones and mausoleums that would later make a venue for halloween parties.

henry crane is sentenced to life in prison, where he rots without remorse for his actions. jacob bounces around in the foster care system until he gets a scholarship and uses it as an opportunity to get the hell out of asphodel heights - and, eventually, to make a better life for himself far away from all that pain.

but of course, wesley doesn't know about any of this for a long time. although he often worries about his mom and brother, he doesn't have a way of knowing what's going on outside the park until chester and violetta start visiting - but even then, he won't ask them any favors. if the news ever reaches him, it's either due to the living's insistence ( insisting on wanting to help him ) , or someone who knows casually lets it slip into conversation. either way, he'll be devastated.

[shikai-the-storyteller]

I know Quackity said "Don't stress if you can't watch every single POV and if you don't know all the lore" and all that, but it genuinely frustrates me so much that I cannot, realistically, know every single detail of the QSMP storyline. Even trying to just focus on the "main" story isn't possible since so many people are doing things tied to it, and so many unexpected things happen.

I don't really have a point to make with this post, I'm just venting my frustrations. I like knowing complete stories and knowing I can't do that with QSMP frustrates me so much.

[crescentfool]

to the anon who sent me a message about side order post credits roll, i'll be responding to you here under the cut! (thank you for the ask!)

HI ANON!! i want you to know that i appreciate your enthusiasm for side order a lot! i get the vibes that the developer logs and other things that happen when you reach the top again have changed your brain chemistry and that makes me very happy for you ^.^

you are absolutely correct that i still have more story to see... i kind of had that impression since i only had four of the developer diaries, and i would assume that the final boss at the top would have a modification of some kind (given splatoon's history with rematches, for example the callie fight from splatoon 2 had altered dialogue...).

i'm really excited to see the rest of the logs! the fourth one detailing the sanitization process makes me (mentally) bounce up and down like a kid on a mattress. i don't really have a strong idea of what else the story would have to offer (other than new dialogue after clearing another palette), but i wanted you to know that i trust your judgment and i'm excited to see whatever it is!

i definitely agree with you that the credits roll does give a false sense of finality, haha! thankfully there are things in-game that DOES give the player a sense of "hey wait, there's still more" (like the rest of the lockers), and also just... well, if you return to the order sector, they do make it clear there's still more.

it's a little unfortunate to me that people who aren't as keen on the rougelike genre/structure may end up missing out on the additional information because of that, but. well. i know at the very least that i personally like the genre to keep on playing 🥺 (salmon run and having played every weapon for it has become a cornerstone of my brain.)

thank you again for reaching out! i'm really excited to see more things about the memverse, grayscaling, and sanitization. i'm not sure when i'll do future runs but i am definitely interested in getting all of the palettes completed! 🎨✨

[bigfrogdraws]

““Show your face, Graystar!” shouted a voice from the clearing, the frigid wind being cut by the piercing cry. Jumpthrift stood tall in the middle of camp, claws unsheathed, tail lashing. Graystar walked down the Tall Plank, claws scraping across the old, dry wood. Cats of Splinterclan began to creep out of their den, peering cautiously at Jumpthrift and Graystar.

“For moons you have been leading this clan to its demise! We have claws turned against us on all sides, sickness is rampant, and our cats are starving!” Jumpthrift stared daggers at Graystar, the leader leaping onto the freezing sand below. “Is that so? Thank you for being so honest, Jumpthrift. We could all learn a thing or two from you,” He growled in an icy tone.

“Don’t mock me!” Jumpthrift yowled, lunging at Graystar, claws landing squarely on his throat. Just as his claws made contact with the soft flesh, he felt searing pain in his shoulder.

“How dare you turn your claws on your leader? If you want to challenge Graystar you’ll have to go through me, first!” Leopardstripe pinned the lithe tom onto the ground, her claws still sinking into Jumpthrift’s shoulder. A low growl rose out of Jumpthrift’s throat as he raised his claws, targeting Leopardstripe’s weak leg. She let out a yowl, backing away, claws digging into the sand. She looked up to Graystar, her old mentor, silently asking for permission to finish this.

“That’s enough,” Flutterstep called out, standing next to Graystar, the leader on her blind side. Graystar nodded as his deputy and mate approached, wrapping his tail around hers. “Is that all, Jumpthrift? Or perhaps would you and Leopardstripe like to finish this outside of camp? You wouldn’t want to scare the kits.” Jumpthrift spat, staring at Graystar before turning around to the medicine den, tail lashing.

WOW these guys are crazy. okay so welcome to Splinterclan, a cursed beach clan! they live in an abandoned wrecked ship that holds some evil energy, which forces Starclan’s presence out of the clan, letting the Dark Forest seep in. Starclan is trying to help the clan but the presence of evil is too strong, destroying anything that would help the clan.

Within the first few moons a kittypet joined and changed their name to Silkfur, who was guided to the clan by Starclan. The first moon he was there he was bitten by a snake and died immediately which really solidified the idea that this clan is cursed. 

After Daliahclaw, the first deputy of Splinterclan, stepped down, Chivestar chose Grayfeather, an old barn cat, to be deputy. Only a few moons after Grayfeather became deputy Chivestar died, loosing all of her lives at once due to ~mysterious circumstances~, letting Graystar take lead of the clan. He chose his mate, Flutterstep, to be his deputy, and the two have been leading the clan with an iron grip since then.

Graystar has gone through a few apprentices, one dying shortly after becoming an apprentice and two who are currently living, Leopardstripe and Tadpolepond.

Jumpthrift has been at odds with Graystar since the beginning due to his mentor being Daliahclaw and as such having a close relationship with the clan’s original leader and deputy. He challenged Graystar but was stopped by Leopardstripe, and now the clan lives on edge, not quite sure if the clan will make it though the next Leaf Bare...

Graystar (i adore his white spotting, esp bc his warrior name was Grayfeather and the white looks like wings)

Fluttermask! the deputy and mate of Graystar :3c the two are an unstoppable bloodthirsty x fierce power couple and i love them. i wanted them to have kits but i think they just wont that this point and have just ended up mentoring like half of the clan at this point

Jumpthrift! i love him so many <3 he is haunted by the horrors. he was made deputy temporarily during a turbulent transition of power (daliahclaw was kidnapped and during her missing there was a new deputy basically every moon)

Leopardstripe! she has pledged blind loyalty to Graystar after being his apprentice. She has a weak leg from getting stuck in a twoleg trap and was missing for a moon, coming back with a weak leg and a leather collar. She’s the daughter of Nabi (an ex-kittypet who got friendly with a loner). She’s very Self-conscious about her past and is trying to prove herself to the clan and Graystar.

[beyondthegame]

Thank you so much for the rep. I love the ace and poc rep you always give us. 🤩🤩

And I'm honestly with you on upshaul, their music is great and maxine is so fine too pls. nikka needs to stop making such amazing mcs. i also love the lore that u guys have with mico, e acevado and maxine, it's so interesting to read. 👀👀

Aw, this is so sweet! I always want people to feel represented in my writing and characters, so I'm glad I'm able to do that <3

Honestly, the amount of times I visit @sohmiya's inbox in a week...I should be paying rent. Serious rent. She has a very big brain that deserves all the smooches in the world because I adore her, her oc creations are top tier, and she genuinely motivates me to keep writing <3 plus, omg, I'm glad someone else reads/likes the rambling lore that I dump haha, I always think they're annoying.

[lynbeck]

I had considered FFXIV Mixed May a drawing challenge but then forgot so instead I’ll just abuse it as an excuse to ramble about him on main more than I already do.

Day 1: Introduction

Name: Iyrnbroda Hollkoen (originally Hollkoensyn) Origin: I am going to cry I don’t know yet I DON’T KNOW YET Race: Roegadyn (Sea Wolf) Age: 25 Height: 7′5″ (229cm) Gender: Male (as he grows into himself throughout the series, he gets a little non-biney about it though)

A sweet and patient man born and raised a fisherman by fishermen. He grew up with something of an inferiority complex, struggling to communicate as well as his peers and considering himself lesser in comparison to the skill levels of his family members.Though this left him with few friends, he was very close with his father and sisters. When he was just 23, two years before the events of A Realm Reborn, a terrible fishing trip gone wrong took his family from him, and as the sole survivor, he hardly had time to process the hows or whys.

The details of the wreck would be left a mystery to him for an exceedingly long time. It made no sense for a voidsent to be fished up from the deep. Even less sense for him to survive it, himself. It was hardly his first concern. One moment happily among his loved ones, the next awake to the shouting of whoever’d found him battered and bleeding on the shore, he struggled to process this loss and spent the following years in a horrid depression. 

He’d holed himself up in his home for the first year, running himself dry of tears, so lost in grief he’d hardly take care of himself. Some kindly neighbors were there for him, something he’d be incapable of appreciating properly until far later. In time, he’d come to realize he couldn’t continue to lay in bed and wallow, and started trying to leave the house more. Though out-of-touch with folks his own age, the elders were all too happy to see him out and about and would receive him warmly, doing what they could to see him recover. 

As well as he could. By the time two years had passed, he’d come to understand that he wanted to recover, but couldn’t here. A deep dread of the water followed him wherever he went. He’d stopped fishing entirely. He was plagued by nightmares of swimming into the deep, only to find his sisters floating lifeless as debris, father decomposing on the ocean floor. 

With the hopes of recovering, of escaping, maybe even holding a formless, shaky desire to spare others the fate of losing their own loved ones, he took sword in hand and traveled to Ul’dah, far, far away from the source of his trauma, to try life as an adventurer.