#they each have dueling wolf designs

[whumpfish]

My latest acquisition! And a PSA for first-time wood cane users

This lion design is from CG-Artis, the carved mermaid cane you can kinda-sorta see in the background is from Asterom. Both of these are Ukrainian artisan companies, I found them through their respective Amazon storefronts. The biggest difference between them is that CG-Artis canes have a fixed height (36") that either matches you or doesn't, and Asterom canes are custom-made to your measurements. Also CG-Artis uses ash, which is considerably lighter, so if you're nervous about wood being too heavy for you, they're good for that.

The Asterom mermaid was my first wood cane, and I'm so glad I found her, because all the other "mermaid" canes I found were like. Starbucks mermaids. Just a bust, and you couldn't see any tail to speak of except a vaguely-scaled handle (which of course is obscured by your hand, so what even is the point.)

Actually you know what I'm just going to sit here and plug both companies.

For any HR Giger fans out there, Asterom is here for all your Alien needs:

One other thing that distinguishes them is their metal accents (this one is on my bucket list)

Were I a more rootin'-tootin' sort, they have something from deep in the heart of Texas: the rattlesnake

And if you just want fun colorful resin, they've got you covered there, too, ergonomic handles in bright opaque blue and purple, and even some marbled combinations.

CG-Artis, not to be outdone, coming in with a T-Rex (And a smaller reptile kissing a flower. Mwah.)

A bucking bronco and a bull

This really cool cutaway style I haven't seen anywhere else

And more feminine nature designs like sparrows, flowers, and an angel that tumblr won't let me show you on this post because of the image limit.

[soaringonblackwings]

Ygo5dsmonthweek 2024 day 1 - Forever fave!

@ygo5dsmonth-week

To the surprise of no one Crow Hogan is my fave. Fun fact I actually had neutral feelings towards him in the beginning. It wasn’t until one of my many rewatches that I fell in love with him. I decided to try and ignore that he was the comical relief character and take a deep look at him. Best decision I have ever made.

Crow and Brave contrast each other, Brave being a (former) lone-wolf and Crow who is all about community.

His kid Icarus theme.

Him being a pillar of support for Yusei during the Dark Signer arc.

Lots of card symbolism highlighting his trickster aspect. The trap cards that can activate from the hand (he also activated a trap in the graveyard I think). Can synchro from the graveyard with Vayu (fun fact: Brave can synchro from the hand in the Tag Force games which is just another contrast with Crow). Sirocco being Cyber Dragon at home. Aurora whole gimmick. He has lots of cards that get around the rules.

He loves kids and is very caring towards them. At the end of the show he wants to become a legacy that the orphans can look up to.

I’m just gonna add onto the post. His Duel Runner is my fav. It literally has bird talons as kickstands. It is the only d-wheel with with wings. The bird motif is the chef kiss.

My favorite character design ever.

[genshinemblem564]

Chapter 2: Prelude

Two weeks later, all of the search parties sent to Hyrule had landed ashore. There is really only one shore in Hyrule, but having arrived at different times, none of them had run into each other, and several, for one reason or another, had split up. Itto and Shinobu evading capture for stowing away, Bennett, Fischl, and the adventerers decide to, well adventure, and Xiao is the lone wolf type. The Sumeru Akademiya were the last to arrive at Lurelin Village.

Meanwhile, you were sitting under a tree near the Dueling Peaks thinking.

(Y/N): It's obvious this is Hyrule before the calamity. The question is, which one?

Looking at your sheikah slate, as if it would give you an answer, you sigh. You get up, gather your things, and begin heading towards the Great Plateau. Never having seen it before the calamity, you could only hope it was open to the public, as while housing the temple of time, the walls surrounding it suggest it to be similar to a fortress.

Unknown to you, a battle was unfolding near Hyrule Castle Town, where a blond knight finds a small pale guardian. Given the large monster force, most soldiers were called back to the town to protect it, meaning if there were any at the plateau, they weren't anymore. You make your way inside and find where the tower would be, only it wasn't uncovered. Without any mining gear, you were about to cut your losses when the ground started to shake, and the tower burst from the ground. Thinking quickly, you decide to grab the side of the tower, taking shelter from the falling rocks beneath one of its ledges. Once the tower comes to a halt, you calm yourself from the heart attack you had from nearly being crushed, then start climbing. These towers were a lot easier to climb than the games suggested. Their walls' design resembling that of a ladder.

You reach the top and slide your slate in the slot, confirm that the map has been added, take it back, and climb down. You then go through the process of downloading the runes onto the slate. When you're finished, you decide to "take some notes" so you can pass as a foreign researcher. You needed some kind of excuse for having a sheikah slate.

Meanwhile, a group in the southern forests of Faron was conducting actual research, which would be cut short.

Tighnari: So? Did you find anything?

Kaveh: Nothing that hints to this towers purpose.

Faruzan: There was a slot at the top, but without the corresponding piece, it's not much use.

Wanderer: Then let's go already. Correct me if I'm wrong, but our trip has an actual purpose to it.

Everyone was put off by his attitude, but couldn't say anything, as he was correct.

Back with you, you had just exited the magnesis shrine, having saved it for last, not wanting to spend too much time around sheer cliffs. You also didn't complete them, not having a use for the goddess orbs.

(Y/N): Alright, that should do it. Now, the next closest tower should be at Lake Hylia. Even if I'm not exploring every inch, having a map of the places I will be is going to be helpful.

Meanwhile, the princess and her group were returning from the Hateno Tech Lab. As they were approaching the halfway point, Zelda heard a strange noise come from her sheikah slate. Curious, she takes a look at it to find a map being updated.

Zelda: Huh? What is...

As she investigates, she realizes her location is marked by a yellow arrow and notices a second, blue arrow. As she taps the slates screen, she is greeted with a prompt. The princess was so enamored by this sudden development that she was deaf to the call of her retainer. Being too curious for her own good, she accepted the prompt and was enveloped in a blue light. When the light faded, the princess was gone, leaving her group panicked.

___________________________________________

Sorry, but this felt like this was going to drag on if I continued to where I wanted this to end, and I know it's not much given how long it took, but I still hope you enjoyed this regardless.

Also, this is a minor thing, but does anyone know why they were going through Tabantha to reach Hateno? The game specifically says Hateno, and they're traversing the Breach of Demise. It doesn't ruin the game for me. It just really bothers me.

[asphodelical]

Brief FFXV/XVI comparisons

Knowing the dev team of FFXIV headed FFXVI, it feels like they were singing, “Anything you can do, I can do Better” in the face of FFXV. Many of the key story elements and beats are identical: An orphaned prince clad in black who was a supposed heir to a noble bloodline, the hero’s kingdom being destroyed in the beginning, a deadly plague that is slowly consuming the world and its people, etc. Hell, they both end with a 1v1 duel and both the heroes and villains die at the end. Except FFXVI actually has a cohesive, more focused narrative, better lore, and smarter world building. It also has a massive advantage over FFXV since it is a self contained story—not a bullshit multimedia project where you have to watch a movie, an OVA and play four separate DLC games. 

Things I liked: 

Torgal. Best boy.

Mothercrystals - Both the crystal’s role and appearance are really fucking cool. It takes the basic premise of the original FF games, and looks at it realistically. (Though I felt robbed since we didn’t see the heart of the purple crystal in Waloed.)

The interpretation of the summons and Dominants. - Similar to the crystals, I like how people across Valisthea have such different thoughts on the Dominants: fear, reverence, worship, etc. Their character designs are very appealing. It’s also great to see summons who haven’t appeared in a game in well over a decade. 

Cid - Easily a candidate for the best Cid, only rivaling Cid Highwind and maybe Balthier’s dad. He was one of the few characters who had a distinct voice. (Along with Mid.) 

The music - Opinions on this game are all over the place. The one thing everyone universally agrees on is the music fucking rules. It definitely deserved its prize at the Game Awards. Great job, Masayoshi Soken. 

The Hades-esque combat system for Clive. It was fun experimenting with all the powers and abilities.

Nektar - MOOGLE. We actually had a moogle in a FF game for the first time since FFIX. HAPPY DAYS. 

No day/night cycle. No fishing. No forced mini games. Fast travel was accessible from the start. Blessed dreams.

Things I didn’t like: 

Jill is useless. She has no agency. Her confrontation with her abusers was ruined, since Clive did all the fighting in that encounter. They should’ve done what they did with Joshua, and given us control over Jill/Shiva just that one time. After the ocean fight with Barnabas, why did she waste time creating a path on the ocean floor, instead of turning into Shiva and flying themselves out of there? So stupid. And don’t get me started on the sad excuse for a romantic relationship she had with Clive. What a waste of the only female party member. (Also, why does she look so much like Tifa?)

Lack of interaction with other party members, and a lack of a core party - Sparse off the cuff conversations/remarks, no tag team attacks, no breathing room for these characters to simply exist. And when they do, it feels out of place. (I.E. the optional picnic scene with Jill and Clive that felt like watching two rocks try to talk to each other.) Final Fantasy has always been a franchise that has always had a group of eccentrics of different ages, creeds, and species banding together to fight a shared enemy. FFXVI loses that entirely. With a large portion of the game just being Clive and Torgal, this could be any other dark-ish fantasy game. (My ideal core party would be Clive, Joshua, Cid, who would then be replaced by Mid. Byron, Gav and Dion would rotate as guest party members. Jill can go away.)

Lack of good character writing and dialogue. It feels like a redux of FFXII, where the dialogue is dramatic, poetic, and oh gosh no almost everyone talks the same, and the core cast has such little personality.

Too many characters and too many unnecessary story elements. - Torgal being a frost wolf? Doesn’t matter. Sleipnir being an ‘egi’? Doesn’t matter. Spend more time on your characters, dammit!

How every goal, main and side, is impeded by a seven step process. Oh, we have to get through this gate? Well first you have to talk to five people for a fetch quest, run to another area, and defeat two rounds of mooks followed by a mini boss. GIVE ME A BREAK. Are you so insecure about your story and its run time that you have to have bumps in the road at every single turn? 

The length of the boss battles. If I weren’t on story mode, some of these battles would take me over an hour (and multiple tries). The Bahamut fight in particular was absolutely absurd.

So many of the problems could’ve been solved if characters just waltzed into places and killed their targets immediately. Clive could’ve stabbed Hugo in the back before the hallucinations kicked in. If Dion just threw his lance at Anabella or Olivier instead of making a whole fucking speech, then maybe he wouldn’t have killed his dad. It feels like nearly everyone in the game is just stupid. 

[casino-21dukes]

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[genderbinaryisforlosers]

fit check!

all of the outfits are based on Oscar’s descriptions - the peacock feathers in the Hart Hunt cap, the teacup wig - with my own spin on Rue’s design. i based them on the striped owl, because they have big dark eyes and a distinctive face like a barn owl, but also ear tufts! i also imagine that their “wings” are more pretty than functional.

i also headcanon that their constant glamours were really hard on them and gave them major balance issues, which is why i draw them with canes and a chair. the idea for the glamours using ribbons came from this comic by rabdoidal

[id: Three digital drawings, each containing three outfits of Delloso de la Rue’s. The first shows the opening night, Hart Hunt, and duel on the Southern Lawn, all of which they are in their glamoured form for. The second has two fits in their glamoured form, their nightgown and the teatime gown, and the third in the reveal of their true self before the hedge maze. The third drawing shows their remaining three fits, all in their true form, at the tailor shop, at the Masquerade, and in the finale. /end id]

more detailed description of each fit under the cut

Rue’s glamoured form is a tall, fat humanoid with mint-coloured skin, long elfin ears, golden-brown eyes, and a hooked nose. They have very long wavy sea-green hair, and a very neat, short beard.

Opening Night - They are wearing a glittering pale blue form-fitting dress that flares out at the bottom into pale green ruffles, resembling sea-foam. The dress has full sleeves that become fingerless gloves. There is a slit in the skirt which their leg emerges from, showing off leg hair and a light blue sparkling heeled shoe. Their hair is decorated with pearls and have glitter in their beard. They have a pearl and teardrop necklace over a pale purple ribbon, and they are wearing an auger shell as an earring. The skirt of the dress is also decorated with strings of pearls. They have their left hand (viewer’s right) on their hip while their right hand leans on a cane with a pearl handle. Behind them, off-white fabric resembles huge overlapping clam shells, outlining their entire silhouette.

Hart Hunt - They are wearing a green tunic with gold trim and matching half-cloak, which is fixed with a pin that resembles a bow where the the arrow is replaced by a flower. Beneath the cloak they have big puffy sleeves, and a doublet made from strips of leather. They have dark green tights and thigh-high high-heeled leather boots. They have a teal ribbon around each wrist and many gold rings on their fingers, and both hands are leaning on their cane, which resembles a thick, knotted tree branch. Their hair is tied in a braid, and they are wearing a pointed Robin Hood cap with two peacock feathers stuck in the prim. Their beard is slightly painted in to darken the stubble into an anchor beard. They have gold eyeliner on their bottom lids.

Duel on the Southern Lawn - They are wearing a snakeskin unitard, a bomber jacket made from alligator skin and porcupine quills, cowhide gloves, and platform combat boots leafed with fish scales. The jacket’s toggles are wolf fangs, and they have earrings that look like swords. They are wearing a helmet that has a mohawk of porcupine quills, black lipstick and eyeshadow. They are gripping their cane, the handle of which is a crow skull, tightly with both hands, without leaning on it.

Nightgown - They are wearing a semi-translucent, iridescent dress with white and pale blue frills and indigo ribbons. They are wearing a periwinkle blue silk cap which their hair cascades out from, and their makeup - the eyeshadow and liner from the duel - is smudged as tears have made it run down their face. They are sitting in a wheelchair with a low, purple-cushioned back. The wheels are gold and inlaid with swirling peonies. They are sitting with one leg crossed over the other and hands crossed over their legs, and have pink heeled pumps with white pom-poms on them. Over their head, to fill the space, are blooming pink peonies.

Teatime - They are wearing a white Georgian gown with a very large translucent skirt. The bodice is made from shattered white teacups, and the skirt has pink roses around the hem. It has puff sleeves that look like teapots with gold handles and pale pink roses on them, and the sleeves appear to be bronze-coloured “tea” spilling out. They are wearing white stockings and garters, and flat gold pumps. They have a towering Georgian wig made of tight ringlets that start their “natural” colour and transition up to being gold at the peak. There are also flower-patterned teacups stacked and stuffed into the wig, with the very topmost one being gold as well. Their face is painted white with a heart-shaped “beauty mark” on their cheek and pink lipstick in a heart shape over their lips. They also have pink eyeshadow, and a pearl earring. They have a pink ribbon tied in a bow around their neck, and their right hand (viewer’s left) reaches up towards it white they raise an eyebrow. Their cane is plain brown, resembling a croquet mallet.

In their true form, Rue is a bipedal owlbear (top half owl, bottom half bear) resembling a striped owl. Most of their feathers are muted olive green, but they have dusty pink and pink-brown stripes, and a cream face and accents. They have ear tufts, dark brown eyes, and pink freckle-like marks on their cheeks, and dark pink feathers over the eyes that look like eyeshadow, as well as a darker cream colour on their face resembling a five o’ clock shadow. Their bear legs are thick and covered in dark brown fur, with long claws on each digit.

Through the Hedge Maze - Rue’s left claw pinches the unravelled ribbon in their fingers, making the illusion fall away. They are the same height that their towering wig made them, but dressed completely differently, in a straight pink dress with frills around the hem and gold trim. They have bunches of pink peonies with gold leaves on their shoulders around the back and one at the front in the dip of their neckline. They also have a bunch of peonies behind their right (viewer’s left) ear. They are using the same cane as they were before.

Tailor Shop - They are wearing a green dress with glittery gold drop sleeves and gold stitching. The skirt of the dress has a patchwork look, of different shades and textures of green fabric. They are wearing a green beret and using a green umbrella as a cane. Their bear feet are visible at the hem of the dress. They are holding one claw up close to their face with a delighted expression.

Masquerade - They have a black ballgown with a big skirt made of black peonies and shiny black ruffles that look like water. The “water” pools at the bottom of their skirt, flowing from the flowers. They have delicate, puffy lace sleeves, and they and the bodice are also patterned with black-on-black flowers. They have a black flower crown on their head, and a string of white pearls around their neck. They are wearing Hob’s medal as a gold ring, and their cane is sleek white and gold.

Finale - They are standing with their back to the viewer, and their head turned in profile, looking to the right. They have a bright red dress styled like an opened, downturned rose with petals for the skirt. There is gold embroidery on the tiny petals at the waistline and on the ones on their shoulders, and even tinier petals that are entirely gold. They are wearing an arrangement of red peonies like an afro. They are holding a pair of opera glasses with gold trim.

[modofpitchpatch]

What time is it? Orc time! Here is some orc adopts for thosr who did not get enough of the tusky boys and girls left. each of these designs er 15$ and its first come, first serve!!

Serena the Swashbuckler - SOLD

as fierce as a storm and with an attitude fickle like the sea, Serena have mastered the art of sailing, dueling and climbing the ropes on a ship. She is currently stuck on land, seperated from her old crew, but adventure still calls her and her rapier as an adventurer for hire,

Thomas the Barbarian - SOLD

Thomas, or Tom as he is often called by his friends, is not the typical barbarian. He have long ago learned to master his rage, and is out of battle, an extremely calm and friendly guy. He loves cooking meals for his adventure friends, and feeding those less fortunate than himself.

Ghast the Rogue - SOLD

Having lived his life on the street, he is not easy to trust, and keeps people at an arms lengh. He does not like being touched, and despite being of half-orc blood, is extremely little and frail of stature. Be sure to keep your secrets close, and you nice trinkets even closer with Ghast around.

Graham the Wizard - SOLD

Losing his eye in a wizard battle never discouraged Graham from continuing his wizard study. Flashy and proud of his skill (and good looks) Graham will preform magic tricks, and spells wherever or whenever he can, which sometimes will bring his team in problems, especially on stealth missions. A half-orc peacock, some would call him.

Rono the Barbarian - SOLD

Rono does not speak common well, so he often communicate through actions instead of words. Every scar of his has a story, and his favorite one is when he visited an old witch, looking for a wish in his youth. When asked what he wished for, he will just smile.

Kong the Lycanthrope - SOLD

Not much is known of Kong as he is not one to often talk about himself, but being raised by wolfs would not be too far off. Kong growls and snarls if you attempt to get to close while he is feeding, and when arguing he WILL bark at you. He is looking a lot at the sky at night, his partymembers is not entirely sure why.

If any of these catch you interest, contact me ~

[abduloki]

Star Wars Visions *spoilers*

Just watched all 10 episodes and I got to say they’re pretty awesome, except for 2 episodes which I feel is a bit slow and dull. Even so, they’re still watchable.

So here are my personal 5 favorites!

The Duel

Set in an alternate history, 20 years after the fall of the Feudal-Jedi Empire, a lone wanderer known only as "Ronin" witnesses a legion of former stormtroopers attempt to besiege a small village.

Ronin fights the leader of the bandits, a self-declared Dark Lord of the Sith armed with a heavily-modified lightsaber while his droid saves the villagers; Ronin eventually lures her into a trap and kills her.

Fans of Japanese Classic Samurai films like Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, Lone Wolf and Cub, Zatoichi and the likes can instantly tell the strong influence in terms of it’s setting, cinematography, story and characters.

It’s interesting that the savior turns out not to be a Jedi but a mysterious character with a red lightsaber. He seems to collect red kyber crystals from every Sith he had slayed and gave one to a villager, to ward off evil.

I’m really curious to know more of this character as he is neither Jedi nor Sith. So who is he exactly? If he is a Sith, he does not seemed to be consumed with anger and power, and still have a good conscious of a Jedi.

But seems that there is an upcoming novel exploring this character’s history, called “ Star Wars Visions: Ronin “.

The Village Bride

Years after the Great Jedi Purge, a fallen Jedi named F is drawn to a remote planet by an explorer named Valco. Valco explains that bandit raiders have reprogrammed old Separatist battle droids and are holding a village hostage.

The village chief's daughter Haru and her fiancé Asu intend to surrender to the bandits as collateral the following morning, while Haru's sister Saku wants to fight the bandits.

A fallen Jedi with a tragic past. I don’t know what exactly but those brief flashbacks were full of pain which caused her to finally step out of hiding in order to save the village and the girl who reminded her of her younger self.

I love how this episode has a mix of Japanese Shinto influence where the villagers are deep believers in protecting nature that the chief’s daughter was willing to sacrifice herself to prevent war which will destroy the planet.

And I love how the Jedi’s attire has a traditional Korean Hanbok’s influence. Anyway, I would love to know more about her history of what happened to her.

The Ninth Jedi

Many generations after the Jedi Order became mostly extinct, Margrave Juro, the Jedi ruler of the planet Hy Izlan, invites seven Jedi to his aerial temple in order to receive lightsabers, whose design has been lost to time. 

On the planet's surface, the blacksmith Zhima finishes constructing the other seven lightsabers, including one for his teenage Jedi daughter Kara. Kara departs to meet Juro with the lightsabers when her father was captured.

To be honest, I really did not see that coming as I seriously thought Juro to be the Sith who lures the surviving Jedi into a trap but it turns out the “survivors” are actually Jedi Hunters who wants to kill Juro and any Jedi returning.

The concept of a sabersmith is interesting as it follows a different approach of the Medieval period of Japan and Europe where the blacksmiths are the ones that created the swords to be used by the Samurai and Knights.

I really want to see their adventures continue with Juro, Kara and the young Jedi apprentice, Ethan I think? Would be interesting to see a Jedi Master Juro with two apprentices, Kara and Ethan as they attempt to re-establish the Jedi Order.

The Elder

Centuries after the death of Darth Bane and the initial extinction of the Sith, Tajin and his Padawan Dan are sent to explore the Outer Rim when Tajin senses a disturbance in the force. 

They land on an isolated planet and arrive at a remote village, where they learn of a mysterious elder man who hiked onto the mountaintop and concealed his presence from the Jedi.

Their relationship reminds me of Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi. I love them so much that I got shocked when Dan appeared to be dead but was relieved to see him alive in the end as I want to see more of these two in the future.

The setting, cinematography, story and characters are a bit like The Duel, with heavy Japanese Classic Samurai Film influence where the antagonist enjoys dueling with a skillful swordsman worthy of his time and skill.

In The Duel, the protagonist is a former Sith while here, the antagonist is a former Sith who apparently left the Order before it fell apart. Unfortunately, Tajin and Dan are unable to investigate further after the Elder blew up his ship.

Lop and Ocho

During the reign of the Empire, a rabbit-like alien slave named Lop escapes her captors on the planet Tau and is discovered by the planet's clan leader Yasaburo and his daughter Ochō, who adopted Lop into their family.

Seven years later, the Empire has occupied their planet and is exploiting it for its natural resources; Yasaburo wants to drive the Empire off their planet, while Ochō wants to cooperate with the Empire. 

Honestly, I can’t decide between this and the Village Bride as I love these two the most equally. The story started off nice and happy with Lop being freed of slavery and running into the arms of those she would call her family.

But tragically, the arrival of the Empire drove Lop and her father away from each other due to their differences in their beliefs in protecting the planet. It’s heartbreaking to see how the sisters became “enemies”.

Given a choice to choose just one episode to make a sequel series of, I would choose this as I really want to see how things will end with Ocho and Lop. Seeing the looks on Lop realizing she had lost Ocho to the dark side is just... 😭

Overall

All in all, I can say that Star Wars Visions left me feeling like Kylo Ren. I mean, seriously, they deserve their own mini-series! This is how you explore the vast universe of Star Wars without making everything about Skywalker, the right way.

Like every one of my review post, this is just my own thoughts and preferences as everyone have their own depending on their expectations and tastes, and what they look for when watching this series.

[toitown]

(For the 100+ followers asks)

What are your favorite/dream dolls?

And

Unpopular Monster High opinions?

@belfryprepz Aaaahhhhhh that’s a hard question. It’s really tough to pick favorites when it comes to my dolls, I love them all so so much! For MH, I would have to say my favorites are OG Frankie Stein, OG Clawdeen Wolf, and OG Deuce. All three were ones I’ve had since Childhood and, while in good condition, are very well played with. I don’t use them for set ups/dioramas/scenes anymore because they’re fragile. They’re for standard display only. As for LDD, it’s OG Lydia the Lobster Girl, Hook, and The Unwilling Donor. They’re also some of my first (Lydia and Frankie are my first dolls in each brand respectively), and even though I’ve never played with them like my MH dolls I have a lot of very fond memories with them. I also have some sleeper favorites from other brands. Like the Creatable World doll model DC-220 (also called the “blonde curly hair model”, I’ve since named them Avery).

As for unpopular MH opinions, Manny Taur’s doll design is actually mediocre. Like his cartoon and box art look good, but it does not work when translated into a doll. His arms look awkward when you bend them upwards at the shoulders; they gave him a custom bodybuilder torso and arms, but just left the standard MH boy legs on him. So it looks like the guy has skipped every single leg day since the dawn of time.

Luna Mothews design is also terrible, even worse than Manny’s IMO. She doesn’t even have good box art or animated version, her design is just straight up bad. Like I get that they wanted to add a third color to her palette because they don’t want just another black/red palette so she doesn’t look too much like Wydowna Spider, but why in the wide wide world did they decide it was a good idea to choose yellow as the third color??? She looks like a bee! I literally thought she was a bee when I first saw her. (Nothing against bees, but Luna is supposed to be the daughter of Mothman! Is is too much to ask that she look more like him?) Her wings and antennae are also incorrect and don’t help this problem. Moths have filaments on their antennae which make them look like feathers along with opaque wings. Yet they gave her smooth antennae and translucent veiny wings, also like a bee! Not to mention that while her shoes and headpiece are both metallic, they clash rather than match! The worst part is that this design could’ve been fire if they just changed a few elements. Like her antennae should’ve been molded to look like they had filaments, her wings should’ve been opaque black with red eyespots, the third color that they used for her skin should’ve been a deep indigo or some other color the (I chose dark indigo because I think it pairs nicely with the dark red and black palette while also NOT making her look like a bee, and she could’ve had silver lipstick and sliver and red eyeshadow so her makeup would standout), and her headpiece and shoes should’ve been matching silver. It would’ve looked so COOL!

Jackson and Holt also got terrible backstory in their diaries. Like, the bios and boxes list Holt as the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hyde and Jackson as the son of Dr. Jekyll. Which would imply that Holt is the direct descendant of Mr. Hyde and his wife (who is a another monster or human, and also not romantically involved with Dr. Jekyll because no “Mrs. Jekyll” is listed), and Jackson would also be the direct descendant of Dr. Jekyll. But on the first page of Jackson’s journal, he says “I saw mom's Hyde side come out was when I was 5,” revealing that their moms are actually descendants of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde somewhere down the line, and that they’re dad is actually a fire elemental with no duel nature connection at all. Like?? How do you fundamentally contradict the canon backstory within the first installment of said canon backstory??? But I guess good has come out of it though, like mine and others’ motivation to write really thorough AU and headcanon content on the two of them.

But I think that’s about it! Thank you for asking!!

[wulg]

insert utsushi headcanons list under read more

will probably add more to this list as I continue writing (or add ones that I forgot to add, oopsie)

- most pivotal point in his life was when he was abandoned by family (possible affair, haven't decided) by Kamura Village, expecting the dangerous wildlife to be enough to get rid of him. He survived it, despite it all, so a family member had sent someone to dispatch him... but the sound of his crying attracted a Magnamalo, which scared them off. The presence of the Magnamalo caught the attention of Fugen, who'd been hunting nearby, and he came across the young Utsushi and brought him back to the village

- a number of his scars are from when he was younger, and he's not the biggest fan of discussing them

- his leg was badly injured when he was younger, resulting in a long-term injury. He usually wears a custom leg brace (designed and helped created by Hamon), though also has to keep a close eye not to overstrain himself while working

- in his determination to become stronger and overcome his injury, he also ended up learning how to use every weapon. Both to prove himself and also to see if there was one he could wield better than others. (That was, of course the dual blades)

- necklace carved from a Magnamalo tail spike from the Magnamalo that saved him

- he would've been the one tasked to slaying the Magnamalo, but... realizing his attachment to it, Fugen decided otherwise. However, Utsushi understood the possible threat it was to the village, and instead took it to heart to help mentor a Hunter that would be worthy enough to face it in an honorable duel

- sometimes uses walking cane made of monster bones & wood

- a lot of Utsushi's peers and hunters his age left Kamura to hunt for the guild while he stayed behind (he found enjoyment from teaching and mentoring others, as well as helping to protect the village)

- raised by Fugen and Hamon, and while he's close to both, there has always been some distance (emotionally) between him and others

- the closest person to him is possibly the Hunter, although even then, he's not entirely open

- his interest in craftsmanship was inspired by Hamon's handiwork

- while it's not uncommon for unwanted or lost children to be found near Kamura and raised there, he was old enough to understand his situation when he was abandoned; this lead to developing a sense of never truly being wanted, and a fear of being left again. Perhaps tries a bit too hard working to contribute and be likeable as a result.

- originally developed the different styles of each weapon as an alternate method to fighting with them for himself (as a means to accommodate), though this later developed into something more unique

- extremely intelligent and clever, good at coming up with unique solutions to new problems. A reason why he was considered a master at a young age

- feels a lot of pressure to keep up a strong, brave front, and his confident remarks try to boost this image. He is one of the main protectors of the village, so he feels like he has to be someone the others can rely on and trust to protect them

- very overprotective of others. considering most of the younger residents and children don't have their parents around, he's often an older brother figure to them

- not uncommon for him to cover his face a lot to hide his expressions (especially when embarrassed or crying)

- sweets liking guy

- his cooking is about 50/50 (sometimes good, sometimes a miss. Nothing terrible, but sometimes overcooks, over seasons or under seasons food. If he has a recipe or instruction, he can cook a decent meal)

- inspired by the Hunter Arts he learned from traveling hunters who stopped by Kamura from time to time. He does know some of them himself (particularly Wolf's Maw and others)

- even though he's well loved by the other villagers, he can't help but feel a detachment from them

- tends not to partake in festivities that the village holds, finding them too overstimulating (and too much socializing)

- after the Magnamalo was slain, he often visited the Shrine Ruins where it last drew breath. A few people are aware of this habit of his, but don't comment on it

- originally, the Hunter never really talked at all; the person who was best at communicating and interacting with them was Utsushi, and gradually over time, he helped with getting them to talk a bit more, though they still tend to be on the quiet side

- the obligatory trans, autistic, adhd headcanons. also bi! (And ace because uh. hey ace.) (I'm ace)

- while figuring out his identity, he probably tried cutting his own hair and very timidly told Fugen that he was going by a new name. Of course, Fugen immediately told the rest of the village -much to his embarrassment-, but they were all really supportive :)

- the kind of guy who, while closed off about his personal history and whatnot, is quite open if he's in love with someone, and isn't really all that ashamed about bringing it up. lovely guy with lots of love to share :)

- he's got fangs like Fugen (: but he almost always wears a mask, so not a lot of people know, actually

- obviously a huge fan of Zinogres, but also numerous other monsters too, like Nargacuga and Magnamalo

- he's got a Zinogre plushie somewhere

- mastered the art of sleeping while standing

- his scarf has caught on more things than he'd like to admit

- seems like a pretty relaxed guy, but he takes his duties rather seriously

- a fan of hot springs, especially when old injuries act up

- his vocabulary is a combination from a lot of reading he did when he was younger, as well as some sayings he picked up from travelers and hunters who pass through the village

- definitely cool 100% yeah :)

- can come off as a worry wart... fusses over others and their well being all the time

[onebizarrekai]

I think that lucia di lammermoor is one of my new favorite operas not just because of the mad scene but because the opera makes no sense whatsoever

there are literally so many plot holes in the libretto. there are so many unexplained facets of the narrative, unresolved arcs, dialogues that mandate copious creative liberties, things that only happen off-stage, and some unsolvable problems that can only be fixed by cutting things or directing things a certain way. there’s so much nonsense it’s actually hilarious. if you read the source story of the bride of lammermoor the opera diverts quite a bit, but the bride of lammermoor is actually even worse, so let’s put that to the side.

let’s just start from the beginning of the opera, paraphrasing as much as possible. lucia’s evil brother, enrico, is the first lead to greet the stage, minutes after his goony normano. normano tells enrico the tale of how enrico’s archenemy, edgardo, saved the life of lucia, and he reluctantly admits that they are now in love with each other and are secretly meeting up all the time. enrico flips his shit and sings about how he’s going to kill edgardo or whatever. bide the bent (aka raimondo, but schirmir really said bide the bent, whatever the hell that means) exists and does priest stuff because he’s a priest. by the way, there’s this whole thing about how the ashton family (aka lucia and enrico) are protestant and edgardo is catholic and that’s why they hate each other and that’s why there’s a priest.

anyway they all leave, and then lucia and alice enter. lucia is, naturally, waiting for her illegal boyfriend: edgardo. she is very scared because enrico is a piece of shit and wants to kill her boyfriend. alice is like “yo man this is a bad idea” and lucia is like “where’s edgardo” but lucia is also perturbed by something else. she has a ghost story to tell about this nondescript fountain and tells alice about the girl who was killed by her lover at this fountain, and then suddenly goes like “by the way the ghost of the dead woman appeared to me” and like wow ok lucia. after singing about all of the water turning to blood in her hallucination, she proceeds to completely change moods and sing about how much she loves edgardo because she is crazy. after all of this, edgardo finally arrives and tells lucia about how he actually has to go to france to do ambassador stuff and disappear for an indefinite period of time. he says that they should finally tell enrico about their relationship. lucia completely shuts him down, and then edgardo cries about how enrico has killed his family and how she’s the only light of his life. they end up deciding to keep their relationship a secret anyway and then vow to marry each other.

act 2, enrico has ordered normano to forge a break-up letter from edgardo to send it to lucia. normano shows up to give it to enrico, enrico summons lucia into wherever he is to tell her that he needs to marry her off to some other guy in order to save their family. lucia is like “but I’m marrying someone else” and enrico is like “oh yeah? read this” and gives her the letter, and lucia naturally breaks down because it’s a big lie about how edgardo has found someone else in france. she cries about it until this big fanfare plays to welcome her new husband, arturo. at this point lucia is singing about nothing except how much death would benefit her right now. enrico leaves after being an asshole for a few more minutes, and then in comes bide the bent to lecture lucia about the invalidity of her previous marital vows. she leaves to change into a wedding gown.

enter arturo, this random loser that enrico wants lucia to marry. his lines are so cliché that he’s probably reading them off a sheet of paper (which is exactly how we staged the production I am currently doing). somehow arturo knows about lucia’s affair with edgardo because those two were actually horrible at being secretive, but also he doesn’t care because he gets to marry a hottie. enrico tells arturo about how lucia’s mother died and that’s why she’s crying about the wedding. lo and behold, lucia enters and she is crying. they hold the wedding right then and there under the Authority™ of bide the bent, enrico forces lucia to sign the wedding documents, and then everyone is like “wait who’s at the door?” and then EDGARDO BREAKS IN and he’s like “EDGAAAAAARDO” and they sing a whole sextet that borders a confusion ensemble except it’s a bel canto tragedy.

edgardo is like “yeah man! it’s my right to be here since I’m engaged to lucia!” and enrico is like “PSH” and bide the bent comes up like “sorry she just signed this Other Marriage Contract” and shows it to edgardo and edgardo is like WHAT and he comes up to lucia like BRUH YOU DONE THIS?? and lucia doesn’t even know what’s happening at this point, she’s just like “yes?? but” and then edgardo takes off his ring and hers and then throws a temper tantrum before he gets kicked out.

behold the wolf’s craig duet, the most stupid and pointless thing in this opera considering what happens later. enrico barges into edgardo’s house and they sing about how they’re going to kill each other and duel at the graveyard. that’s it. there’s probably sexual tension.

after that, there’s a wedding party, except with a Horrifying Twist. lucia goes upstairs with arturo and fucking kills him. having lost her mind, she comes out covered in blood and sings for like twenty minutes in a very impressive manor. she collapses on the floor at the very end.

there’s a random recit right afterwards where enrico, bide the bent and normano briefly talk about lucia losing her mind. while enrico is crying about lucia, bide the bent literally blames normano of all people, who did exactly nothing, for every bad thing that happened to lucia.

the final scene begins at the graveyard. now, I know what you’re thinking. edgardo and enrico promised to duel each other here, right? right! so where the hell is enrico? I dunno, not here. edgardo is here, and he’s crying and stuff about his dead father. he’s very sad and probably wants to perish. a chorus shows up mourning something. edgardo asks about it and no one wants to tell him. bide the bent appears in all his priestliness and tells edgardo that lucia is now in heaven. how did she die? beats me. she died of insanity or something. edgardo has lost the final thing in his life that matters to him, so he decides to “go see her” and stabs himself.

the opera ends.

welcome to lucia di lammermoor. now, some of these plot holes are resolvable through directing. for example, lucia’s insanity is inexplicable in the libretto. nobody is just sad about their boyfriend and commits murder–granted, her first aria had her singing about a ghost and a fountain of blood. why’s she like this, though? she’s probably not ok. so like, some people explain this by making enrico way way worse than just a big liar. in the production that I’m doing, enrico is being depicted as sexually abusive towards lucia, and like, yeah that helps do some explaining. but you know what it doesn’t help? the parts of the opera that normally get cut, like the stupidass wolf’s craig duet that exists for no reason and usually gets cut because it makes no sense. also, the scene right after the mad scene where bide the bent comically blames normano for everything even though it is clearly enrico’s fault and enrico is randomly mourning lucia even though he was horrible to her for the whole opera. unfortunately, when you have companies like the met, which do full operas with no cuts, you get the whole, nonsensical story in its full glory, not to mention the met tends to shy away from taking creative liberties with the directing.

so like, why do I say this opera is a new favorite? well, aside from it being fun to sing, since I’m doing it for the first time, it’s absolutely hilarious to consider who the real mastermind here is, since for some reason, the librettist seems to think that it’s normano. you have to make up so much subtext in this story in order to even make it begin to make sense, so how far can you take it? how much nonsense can you create?

easy mode is assuming the mastermind is enrico. he’s a horrible person. obviously bide the bent accuses normano because he’s trying to divert the blame from enrico, who may or may not kill him if he says the truth. however, enrico does not go to the graveyard to kill edgardo and tie off loose ends (which I personally think he should have). enrico just kind of disappears, honestly, in spite of being the main bad guy.

bide the bent is another viable option. he blames normano to divert attention from himself. he plays the role of the peacemaker between edgardo and enrico during the sextet, but it’s all a sham. the reason bide the bent appears in the final graveyard scene is because he’s the true villain here. he simply took advantage of everyone around him in order to make sure everything went according to plan. enrico’s bs towards lucia, lucia’s insanity, edgardo’s depression, normano loyalty, the whole deal. he wishes to rise in power… perhaps the reason enrico does not show up in the final scene is because bide the bent has already disposed of him.

what if it was edgardo? what if he and lucia devised a plan to create an opening that would allow them to run away? what if arturo was in on it? lucia pretends to murder arturo, pretends to go insane, and the plan was to finally flee with edgardo… but then they were INTERCEPTED. their plan was ruined. lucia was disposed of by the enemy off-stage and it was too late. they claim she died of insanity, but she was killed by normano under enrico’s orders, or whoever else is the designated evil one here.

in the met, for some reason, they decide to have lucia’s ghost come in during the final scene and silently “coerce” edgardo into ending his life, which sounds cool, but it was ridiculous. I just remember the blood bag being in the wrong place so he had to stab himself in the kidney and lucia actually pushed the prop knife in like she wasn’t literally a ghost. there was also a ghost during lucia’s first aria that totally upstaged her. this opens up many stupid doors for directing such as arturo’s ghost returning as well if need be. anyone’s ghost could be there. ghosts canonically exist at the met. arturo could be fortnite dancing during the mad scene.

behold, a terrible take. edgardo is having a secret affair after all, but he’s having an affair with enrico. enrico is enraged when he discovers edgardo’s relationship with his sister because he thought that THEY had a thing. he vengefully tries to break them up by marrying lucia off to arturo. enrico and edgardo sing the wolf’s craig duet as a not-tragic breakup song.

honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in this goddamn cast was sleeping with each other. the possibilities are endless

during the staging period of the show, we all came up with so many stupid and hilarious ideas that we could stage an entire comedy version of this opera. maybe one day it could happen. maybe…

anyway it’s like midnight and I’m doing my cast’s performance of this opera in two days, and I just drove home a while ago from performance 1 today talking with my family about all of these stupid possibilities, so it’s all on my mind. at least the mad scene is fun to sing

[theharellan]

Marking Time

Part one of a series of headcanons discussing holidays and celebrations in Elvhenan, both in the empire itself and the rebellion that later challenged its power. I’ll be laying out my influences more clearly in the next part, but for now I’ll just say that my major influences in writing this are Jewish and Celtic. I’m doing this with feedback and may make adjustments as I go forward. I’m also happy to share headcanons and I’m also just as happy to make room for one another’s headcanons should they conflict in roleplay.

As a final note: conlangs are not my specialty, I am just doing my best. Oh, and please don’t reblog this without asking me first!

Elvhenan

Cole: Look at all the stars. Their light is very far away. Some of them are gone.

Solas: Vast but still. Does it bother you, how different it looks than the sky in the Fade?

Cole: At first, I didn't remember. Now I just want to forget.

Before the Veil time was, shall we say, a nebulous concept. We know it existed in some sense from codices such as the Hundred Year Duel and Birds of Fancy, which both refer to “years,” indicating that the idea exists, but is treated much differently from how we might treat a year. There aren’t birthdays, traditional New Years, and everything else we associate with a calendar year. From what we know of Thedas, it takes the same amount of time for the plant its on to rotate around the sun as Earth, and I think Elvhenan were cognizant of that fact but didn’t consider it particularly remarkable. If they had anything resembling months, I think there would only be four— spring, summer, fall, and winter, beginning on the equinox and ending on the solstice, or vice versa.

Rather than measure time based on the rotation of the planet, or even the rotation of the moons around the planet, Elvhenan measured time on other celestial bodies. The elves and spirits of Elvhenan are consistently associated with the air and sky, in contrast to the dwarves, they also through the Fade seem to perceive the heavens differently than we do. As I highlighted above, Cole is aware of the fact that many of the stars they see are dead, and I think this would also mean that Elvhenan possessed knowledge of things such as the expansion of the universe, the the death of stars, the passage of comets, the rotation of whatever system their planet lies in around the universe’s center, et cetera. It was through these that they marked the passage of time and designated particular holidays. For example, a centenary comet which passes beneath the boughs of the constellation now known as Fervenial might kick off a holiday honouring the goddess Andruil.

In Elvhenan sacred space was also considered more important than sacred time. Pilgrimages were common and often important parts of the lives of the faithful, but there was never a set time of year in which to take them. It was always the where instead of the when, and I mean “where” in two senses of the word. Where could mean the sacred lands of Mythal, or the wooded paths in deep, dark woods, with only the distant stone gaze of Fen’ara to mark the wilderness, but “where” could just as easily be a state of being (or sometimes both). Attaining a particular state of mind through meditation was an important step in reaching the Deepest Fade, a mark of spiritual achievement that took years of work and practise. Being in the right emotional state of mind to embark on a pilgrimage was important, and failing to do so would risk the wrath of the god in question.

Elvhen Revolution

Vir sulahn'nehn Vir dirthera Vir samahl la numin Vir 'lath sa'vunin'

Come the rebellion, time is measured differently. It begins first and foremost as a survival tactic and a war tactic, I’ve mentioned in prior headcanons that the rebellion employs guerilla tactics in order to get the edge on Elvhenan’s forces, which vastly outnumber theirs. One way they subvert the manner in which war is waged is making battles much shorter than is expected. We see in the Duel of a Hundred Years that some battles could last a century and the most noteworthy thing about them was not their longevity, but the reason for which they were fighting (preventing a war between the gods). By making battles that are expected to last years last weeks, days, hours, retreating into dreams as quickly as they manifested, they catch the enemy off-guard. By inventing the concept of weeks they’re living in a way that their enemy doesn’t even fully understand. It allowed things to be put on tighter schedules, enabled meetings to be arranged and carried out on short notice, enabled rotating shifts for things such as uthenera where oftentimes someone had to be the person to rise and make sure the others’ bodies would not starve to death in dreams.

And it enabled sacred time rather than sacred space.

Often deprived of the places they would consider sacred, the rebellion created their own sacred ceremonies from wherever they happened to be. Battles that were fought and won on one cold winter morning would be marked again the next year in celebration and memorial, but carried on no longer than the skirmish itself had. When it is their freedom upon the line what time they have cannot be eaten up by weeks or years of frivolity. Not when tomorrow could be their last day alive.

Their years began with summer and their weeks began and ended with sundown, each month contained twenty-nine or thirty days, divided further into two fortnights, and there are twelve to thirteen months in a year (every two and a half years an intercalary month is added).

Days of the Week

The week begins with Saturday night/Sunday morning and continues on to sundown on the following Saturday.

Sa’laia — First Night (sah-lie-a)

She’laia — Second Night (shay-lie-a)

Tanalaia — Third Night (tah-na-lie-a)

Nehlaia — Fourth Night (neh-lie-a)

Uylaia — Fifth Night (ooth-lie-a)

Valaia — Sixth Night (vah-lie-a)

Var’laia — Our Night (var-lie-a)

Months

There are twelve to thirteen months in the year, with a leap month every two and a half years to compensate for the shift in the year.

Enasalas — The Triumph of Joy Over Grief — Justinian-Solace / June-July

Bella’serannas — The Time of Many Thanks — Solace-August / July-August

Valelgar — The Sun’s Waning — August-Kingsway / August-September

Adhalana — The Time of Trees — Kingsway-Harvestmere / September-October

Elvhen’al — The Gathering of the People — Harvestmere-Firstfall / October-November

Sethenerava — The Time for Dreams — Firstfall-Haring / November-December

Estarasyl’an — The Month of Stars — Haring-Wintermarch / December-January

Fen’banal’ras — The Wolf’s Shadow — Wintermarch-Guardian* / January-February

Mi’avhena — Winter’s End — Guardian-Drakonis / February-March

Thenalava — The Time of Waking — Intercalary Month, occurs every third year

Ghilana’ma — The Time of Guidance — Drakonis-Cloudreach / March-April

Anallas — The Month of Clouds — Cloudreach-Bloomingtide / April-May

Balam’shivana — The End of Duty’s Chains — Bloomingtide-Justinian / May-June

* The month of Guardian is a remnant of the Elvhen calendar’s influence upon the Tevinter calendar, as wolves are/were considered guardians in Elvhen myth.

These calendars later went on to become the Dalish calendar. After the fall of the Veil, refugees from both Elvhenan and Fen’Harel’s rebellion were overtaken by Tevinter, and their traditions melded and informed what is now contemporary Dalish culture. It is likely this calendar fell out of use during the period where Elvhenan’s survivours were slaves of Tevinter, and picked up again after they won their freedom. Names and meaning likely also changed as memories of the evanuris and their tyranny faded from memory.

[rodpupo2]

Research: Persona Project 

Ronin by Frank Miller

Ronin was a comic released by DC comics in 1983, and was created by Frank Miller, who besides having worked on the script, also worked on the illustrations.

Ronin is a internal evolution of the author, something that translates into a leap in quality in his work, transforming and aesthetically renewing his work.

It’s like stepping out of his comfort zone to face challenges to innovate.

Frank Miller stood out for his ability to break models, to shape a canon to a new look. And when he got to DC, he had a lot of new ideas involving the past and future, honor, society, discipline, technology, science and ecology. Miller’s mind amalgamated all this essence that culminated in this miniseries, overcoming any obstacles and marking the industry.

Ronin is the story of a past and a future that come together through science. From feudal Japan to the most decadent and technified New York, a samurai without a master, will return to solve the mistakes of the past, and do whatever it takes.

Miller brings with Ronin his interest that he already showed in other comics, which is the Japanese tradition, molding a crucible in which the past and future are mix organically, when technology is the next step in evolution. New York is engulfed by artificial intelligence that replaces the obsolete, the rotten and the dead, with the new and pure.

But for me, the best part of the comic, apart from the script and the whole idea of setting, is certainly the art.

The art of Ronin, maybe not for everyone’s taste, because it looks quite experimental and surrealist.

However, Miller broke new grounds with new page layouts, playing with the text, the thickness of the lines, close ups, cut plans and pictures, violence, death and pain like never before seen and felt in a comic book.

With a super stylized, bold and almost surrealistic streak. This led to a rejection of the miniseries, but it was necessary because Miller opened up, a new path in terms of narrative and composition of art, and invented new graphic tools with which he went in the direction of the unknown.

Josan Gonzalez

Josan is a renowned for exploring themes related to science fiction, dystopia, and above all, cyberpunk. He has already stated in an interview that he is strongly inspired by big names like Moebius, Katsuhiro Otomo - creator of Akira - and Geoff Darrow.

Gonzalez likes to create characters full of personality and compose scenarios rich in details. Josan has a very characteristic artistic artistic style: he uses complex line arts, flat colors and limited color palettes.

Being born in Spain, Josan starts reading comics since he was a teenager and this will influence later in his artistic aesthetic.

Initially he adopted a more painterly style which evolved later in the line work. Despite being always passionate about art he never thought it would make a real career from it. He succeeds in publishing his own books and working for big names such as Dark Horse and Boom Studios.

People is considering Josan’s work as being part of Cyberpunk genre, but the artist doesn’t like to classify them. He enjoy creating illustrations without establishing rules, just giving shapes to a futuristic world. Many of Gonzalez characters are linked by cables, which are a perfect metaphor for linkage human-technology. For a lot of artwork the artist get inspiration from religious imagery. Providing his characters with catholic and Hindu symbols. Mostly this happens, because of his catholic background in Spain. Another aspect, is showing people’s addiction with technology, which keep them repressed. Even if the artist explores different social questions his main goal remains the illustration and making interesting and timeless.

some of his most recent works are, for example, is the cover of the new edition of the science fiction book Neoromancer, and the steelbook art of the game Cyberpunk 2077.

The Story of Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi was Japan’s most famous samurai. He is credited with authoring the most important treatise in Japanese strategy, the “Book of Five Rings”.

Musashi Sensei, as his disciples still call his fighting style, lived from 1584 to 1645.

Musashi dedicated his life to reach perfection through the art of the sword. He fought and won more than 60 life and death duels, and was never defeated. He made contact with other art forms, such as painting, sculpture, calligraphy and poetry, in addition to Zen meditation and Buddhism.

Musashi was born in the province of Harima during one of the most troubled periods in the history of Japan, when the last great battles of the time of the samurai took place.

At the time, it was common in Japan for the same person to change his name at different stages of life. In childhood, Musashi Sensei was called Shinmen Bennosuke. It is believed that he received the first Kenjutsu (famous Japanese martial art) instructions from his father,Shinmen Hirata.

At the age of 13 he won his first duel, and won the second duel when he was 16 years old, as reported in The Book of Five Rings.

In his book Musashi says that his strategy to deconcentrate the opponent and beat him was to arrive late at the place of the duel. On the way, Musashi carved a sword out of a broken paddle and with this sword  he dealt a blow to Kojiro winning the duel,  which, although fast, is one of the most famous in the history of the samurai. The duel was immortalized in a monument on the island of Funajima representing the figure of the two warriors.

The Funajima duel was a turning point in Musashi’s life because from then on he began to reflect on how he had won so many duels and to dedicate himself to the task of leaving a legacy for future generations. It was from there, too, that Musashi began to dedicate himself to other arts such as painting and poetry.

He worked primarily with a style of ink painting, creating minimalist, monochromatic works portraying nature.

The last years of his life, Musashi spent as a guest with his friend, and then isolated himself in the cave of Reigando where he dedicated himself to meditation and practice of his art writing his Book of Five Rings right there.

Ned Bear Mask Artist

Sculptor Edward (Ned) Bear has combined study in Native education with an Honours Diploma from Vancouver college.

He has an extensive knowledge of Native art and culture, Bears has also made contributions to change as a curator, guest speaker and juror.

Bear was born in the town Frederecton, New Brunswick, Canada. When he was young boy he was inspired by a Native elder carver, and later on he received a formal training at New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where he became the first aboriginal student to graduate. Bear received additional training at a Indian Federated College in Nova Scotia.

Bear created sculpted masks and marble or limestone figure forms. His masks are approximately three feet high and are usually carved from butternut. Each mask is adorned with horse hair ( symbolizing the free spirit), bear fur ( symbolizing healing) and metal ( symbolizing something which is of the earth). Each mask tells a story and offer a modern interpretation of traditional spiritual beliefs.

When creating art, Bear considered himself to be simply a vehicle through which energy flows from the eternal Great Spirit to the medium he is using. He doesn’t create any sketches for the masks, he said that he allows the great spirit to guide him through the process.

Ned Bear made significant contributions as an instructor of Native art and culture, a curator, a guest speaker, and a juror.

The indigenous sculptor died on the Christmas evening of 2019, at the age of 65.  “ We delve into so many past wrongs of our lives that we forget to revel in the present. Learn to capture what you may never have again, now. Do what makes you content for this time, and begin to realize the true purpose of life”, said Bear.

Jim Henson

Jim Henson was an American puppeteer and filmmaker, and most known for creating the Muppets, and directing most of their movies and tv shows.

In the 1960s Henson and his future wife, Jane Nebel, created a puppet show on Washington television station and kept their jobs through the school years, developing the first Muppets (including Kermit) on a one minute television show called Sam and Friends.

The success of Sam and Friends led Henson to create his own company in 1958, initially called Muppets,inc. and many years later, The Jim Henson Company.

Part of the resounding success of Henson’s puppets was due to their innovative view that puppet controllers did not need to be hidden by physical objects while controlling them.

By instructing the camera controllers to focus on the puppets and keep the controllers out of sight, he allowed the puppets to dominate the TV screen and acquire more lively and similar behaviors to real people.

From the productions of Sam and Friends, many characters emerged who became famous over the years and who would become part of the famous cast of the Muppets, including their most famous member, Kermit the Frog.

The Muppet Show, which premiered in 1976 and was produced in England, gained an international audience ( it was shown in about 100 countries) and was soon followed by the film The Muppet Movie (1979).

Henson was able to create an interesting set of characters by developing innovative ideas with a sense of rhythm and humor that won an audience for both children and adults. His works are remembered in part for promoting positive values in childhood such as friendship, magic or love, themes that appeared in most of his works.

Research: Persona Brazilian Folklore research- Lobisomem 

The legend of the werewolf is known practically all over the world. It defines him as being, part man, part wolf, who was cursed with lycanthropy ( the act of becoming a wolf).

The one who is cursed, becomes the werewolf on the nights of the full moon. Some variations of the legend say that lycanthropy was the result of the pact of one man with the devil.

Once transformed into a werewolf, the person frantically sets out in search of victims to kill them. Modern popular culture has spread the idea that the werewolf is vulnerable only to silver bullets or sharp objects made of silver.

Naturally, the legend of the werewolf arrived in Brazil through Portuguese, during the period when they colonized Brazil, in our country, the legend arrived and took on different characteristics in each region.

Some studies have concluded that there is no such legend among indigenous people. The closest to that were legends who believed that men or women could become some animals of the forest.

This legend in Brazilian folklore ended up acquiring elements present in its Portuguese version. Thus, it was common to believe that the werewolf was the man born after the mother had seven daughters, although versions of the legend say that if seven sons were born, the eight son would also be a werewolf.

In the north, of Brazil, the werewolf was the man who was in poor health, and the one who was anemic would eventually would become him. Once transformed, it feeds on the blood of other humans to make up for the poor diet as one of them. The transformation took place from Thursdays to Friday nights.

In the south, in turn, the fact that turned the man into a werewolf was incest. In Brazil, there was no record in the folklore of the belief in transformation of women into werewolves. In the folklore, only men becomes werewolves.

In the interior of São Paulo, it was believed that this being tried to invade the houses to eat children. Many believed that the werewolf went after, especially, unbaptized children.

One of the ways in which the person turned into a werewolf, was if he seriously injured with certain objects. One of these objects was a bullet bathed in candle wax from an altar.

[gentrychild]

Hey Gentry, I have more questions about wyvern au : How many divisions are there in chivalry? Are there any specializations? And how is the hierarchy organized?

First, thank you for your question, it was really fun. Second, take everything I will say with a grain of salt because it’s possible I will change things in my fics, especially designations. 

There are basically five Orders in the chivalry, and one knight can belong to several orders at once:

The Order of the Red Dragon: the knights who are specialized in handling Fallens, but also blessed criminals and Beasts who can compete with them.

Needless to say, Endeavor is among them and Bakugou want to his member card.

They do not have to kill their targets. They can if they don’t have any other choices, but it’s possible to heal Fallens, so it’s complicated.

(Many draconics scoff at the name and some claims that they should get copyrights for the emblem those knights dare to wear.)

The Order of the Blue Hound: the ones who investigate crimes. 

They share this responsibility with the Guard (basically the police) and they shine when nobles are involved. More guards aren’t of high birthed and it really helps to have a blue hound when you investigate, so you don’t meet an unfortunate accident in a splendid manor. 

“No, Sir, I never met this Detective Tsukauchi, maybe he got eaten by a feral on his way to my splendid palace who wasn’t bought with illegal profits.” 

It also helps because trial by combat is a real thing and if you need some illegal activity to stop right now (especially for corrupted people of power), you want a knight next to you to challenge the suspect, because you can be sure they will choose one hell of a champion to represent them.

Endeavor is also a blue hound, btw.

The Order of the Black Cat: the underground knights.

Think black market, slave trade, contraband, and so on. They have a reputation for being ruthless, and obviously, Aizawa is one of them.

The Order of the Green Wolf: originally, the ones who protect the lands.

Think rescue mission and making sure people are alright. A lot of proximity work, and they are often used as mediators between different groups. They don’t get the respect they deserve. They can handle themselves in a fight, but if a situation arises, their first priority is to identify the threats, see if they can handle it, call for help if they can’t, and protect civilians.

Includes the Wild Wild Pussycats and Thirteen.

The Order of the White Orca: the ones who protect the coast.

Originally, they were supposed to kill any sea monsters (a very large definition) getting too close to the lands until they got more civilized and they have now a very large activity that can be summarized by Being Friends With The Underwater Kingdoms.

Includes Gang Orca (who basically said “MOVE, I’M AN ORCA.” the first time he put a foot in the headquarters) and Selkie.

Why are there different Orders if you can belong to several of them at the same time?

Because, once upon a time, knights were supposed to be able to do all of that. If they were dropped in any situation, they were supposed to handle it without a sweat. But that simply doesn’t work like that, even though all knights are trained in the basics.

First, you specialize because of what you like or what you’re good at. Second, most knights tend to get assigned territories, on which they handle specific threats.

That’s what’s going to bring the Stain conflict. Stain considers that they are too many fake knights nowadays, unable to defend themselves and others against real threats.

What’s the point of the Orders?

Basically, apart from knowing on which door to knock if you want to learn in a specific field, it’s about conflicts of juridiction.

Any knight can butt in any problematic situation, but if several knights want to grab the case, the one affiliated with the right order is the one in charge.

And how is the hierarchy organized?

Baby steps:

First, you are a squire. Despite the name, for your first year, you’re supposed to stay in the academy and be educated, be it in the art of poking someone with a sword, etiquette, horseriding, surviving horrible things trying to eat you, and how not to look absolutely ridiculous in front of important people. At the same time, you will be given quests, little things to help people.

Second year, you start to look for guilds and knights who could bear the sight of you, and you slowly integrate yourself to a guild while you keep being trained by your academy. 

Third year, you start to be unleashed on the world.

Technically, you can be a squire outside an academy if you find a knight willing to teach you and be responsible of you for a while.

You become a knight at the end of the three years, after accomplishing your Quest. You must complete your quest alone, and you can absolutely die trying.

Technically, again, if you do something that qualify as your Quest before your three years as a squire are over, you can graduate as a knight pretty young. That’s what happened with Hawks.

This is NOT recommended.

Knight steps:

Knights are a happy family, and they don’t need ranks, they just listen to their elders and are nice to each other, right? And the ranking is just something to know how much you get paid, that’s all.

More seriously, there is this insidious thing where even without clear ranks, you know who is your superior. You know who are the ten most powerful knights. You know who are the thirty most powerful knights too.

And since duels are a very real thing, you know who is more powerful than you or you get your ass handed to you.

Now, there is also the fact that there is a hierarchy in term of family.

Nobles are often descendants of knights who were given a territory to protect after you did many great deeds. To keep being a noble (because you can absolutely lose your title), you need one knight every two generations or to give a very big sum of money to the “Crown”. 

Needless to say, if there is a -of the house X attached to your knight name, you’re considered a pretty big deal from the get go.

[prongsisabadger]

The Wolf Pack Chapter 7

The gathering had only been the beginning. We still had to assemble our lightsabers on our own, granted with the help of professor Huyang. It was quite shocking for us younglings to have a droid for a teacher and not a Jedi master. The temple employed droids for maintenance only, so having one serving as a professor was a little disorienting. But professor Huyang was professional, knowledgeable and patient. He explained things clearly and reformulated concepts if one of us hadn't understood something. He had taught thousands of generations, he'd said, and we would be no different.

A lightsaber was part of who a Jedi was, so personal design was often encouraged. Most Jedi chose something familiar to them, oftentimes reminiscent of their own cultures. I decided I wanted to pay homage to the Tuskens. Rough around the edges, practical, ruthless, but honest, and humble and honorable. Most metals used in weaponry in the outer rim was second hand or recycled at best, scavenging was a full-time job in Tatooine, and it was the biggest provider of raw materials. So I did what no one expected, but I knew was right: I asked huyang to give me all the pieces no one wanted, those that had been in storage the longest. He did seem quite surprised but didn't question my decision, and neither did Master Yoda.

Once we had been given everything we needed, it was time to get to work. Each youngling had their own working space, and in the middle of the room there was a hologram with the plans to lightsaber building. We were told to use the force to build it, and so we did.

I didn't start building right away, instead, I studied the plans closely, took notes and tried to figure out where the best place to start was. It wasn't easy, Jedi were no engineers unless they'd had training before being taken into the order or studying to become one after being knighted. So I had to use every ounce of logic and common sense I had. I might not have been brilliant, but I knew how to read instructions and think for myself.

There were at least two failed attempts in the other workstations. If built wrong, lightsabers would explode and leave you with nothing but your crystal. One of those explosions was Nahdar's, but I didn't dare tease him or I'd lose my concentration. It was tricky, it was complicated and it was also a very long process, but once I figured out the best way to assemble the weapon that would be with me the rest of my life, I got to work.

I closed my eyes and reset my breathing pattern. The pieces lifted up in the air before me and aligned as I had pictured them in my mind's eye. Slowly, patiently, I put them together, one by one. Piece by piece, fuse, cable crystal and switch. They all came together as if they'd been meant to be there, the final step was to put all of it within the outer casing: a cylinder made out of a matte gray metal that resembled an upcycled exhaust pipe. The outer casing was not just that, it had been modified to be as ergonomic as possible, so the grip was non-slip and there was a metal hook in the end to attach it to a belt.

When I opened my eyes, my lightsaber was finished and spinning lazily in front of me.

"Oh, good. That looks very good, Kriari," Said Huyang beside me. "May I see it?"

I smiled lightly and grabbed the lightsaber from where it was floating and handed it over.

Huyang turned the saber on and the green light of my saber illuminated the dimly lit room. I was mesmerized to say the least. It was beautiful, harmonic and powerful. But it also had the potential to be dangerous. It was a weapon that inspired both awe and respect, and I loved it.

"A job well done, that is, young Foreas. Yes." Said Master Yoda when he saw me staring at my new companion. "Care for it you shall, and care for you it will. Hmmm"

"Yes, Master Yoda." I said before turning it off and hooking it to my belt.

…

The graduation trial was simply put, a lightsaber competition. For us to have made it to the top ten of our class, we already had to have excelled in every other discipline and class, so the only thing left to test was our skill in combat. There was no point system, we were not graded, but that didn't make lightsaber dueling more important than the other disciplines. Masters looking for a Padawan were given a report on each of us, which detailed how we had done in each of our classes and any thing of note our instructors believed to be important. But that did not mean the lightsaber competition wasn't the main event. It was. They took place in the Temple's Arena, and most members of the order attended: Masters, Knights, Younglings, and even Members of the council. It was stressful, nerve wracking and there was nothing for me to do other than my best.

We would duel each other at random until only one was left. The duels were not to death, of course, but the aim was either disarm the opponent or incapacitate them. All while blindfolded. Being blindfolded was not something that concerned me, in fact it gave me a little comfort to know I wouldn't be able to see all the people around me. It had become a habit of mine after all these years, to close my eyes and feel for the Force when I was stressed or trying to concentrate.

And then the trials started. One by one we got called into the ring and given our blindfolds. One by one we gave all we had to try and secure our place as a padawan. When my turn came, I had a strange sense of peace. I should have been nervous, I should have been afraid of what would happen if I failed. It was what I would have done in any other circumstance. But not that day. That day I decided to meditate before going in, and the Force took all my fear, all my anxiety, all my worry and spirited it away. When I stepped into the ring, I bowed before my opponent, a girl from Naboo two years my senior. We were given our blindfolds and were told to start on the master's mark. The lights went out and I couldn't see, but that was okay. The arena went silent, and then I heard her left foot shift. Being unable to see was not a hindrance, in fact it was a blessing in it's own way. I had been forced to concentrate, to feel around me through the Force, to hear my opponent move and act accordingly. I didn't give her time to go on the offensive. I struck first. Blow after blow I struck once, twice. Reversed my grip, turned my saber left then right then right again. I sweeped it under her feet and pushed and pushed against her defences. I was at peace, I was concentrating and I was being ruthless and merciless, but there was no malice behind it. She was just my opponent for the day, she just happened to be there. Finally, I managed to disarm her, and once her saber hit the floor, I powered mine off.

I was sweating and a little out of breath, but that was all. My opponent on the other hand, was not. The resentment and hatred in her eyes when she took her blindfold off shocked me. I hadn't meant it as a personal attack on her person. I had just been doing what I had to. She didn't stay to bow before leaving the ring. She simply called her saber to her with the force and left. And that was the end of my first duel.

The rest of my duels were nothing like the first. We were all evenly matched, and I only came out in third place because Nahdar had managed to find a pattern in my fighting style.

"You rely too much on your physical strength and tire yourself out," He explained as we left the ring. "You should try to incorporate the Force and increase your stamina."

He was right, of course so I took his advice and continued to talk about the trials. Nahdar came out on top, followed by a Twi'lek boy and finally me in third place. Now, all there was left was to wait for a Master to choose us as their Padawan. It didn't take long, Master Kit Fisto chose Nahdar as his Padawan that very day, and the Twi'lek boy got selected by a master I didn't know. No one came for me that day, but that was okay, I was in no rush.

I spent the rest of the day talking to Ahsoka. We discussed the trials, the new Padawan, what she hoped to accomplish when her time came. Ahsoka had always been ambitious, and I'd always supported her because there had never been malicious intentions behind that ambition. I simply wanted to become a Jedi Knight and help keep the peace. We balanced eachother out, always had.

We were outside laying in the afternoon Coruscant sun when a master finally approached me. It was Master Plo Koon. Ahsoka greeted him with a smile before leaving us and winked at me before rounding the corner.

"I believe you know why I'm here, young one." He said before sitting on one of the benches.

"I do, Master." I answered.

"Have you decided if you want to embark on this journey with me? The road ahead will be treacherous, many trials await you."

"I know, master. But I believe there is no one that could guide me like you. It was you who found me, it is only fitting that you are the one to guide me the rest of the way."

"Then so be it, we will depart for Dorin in the morning."

"Yes Master."

[iinmortales]

WEREWOLF PACK SOCIETY IN PRE-1600s BRITAIN AND THE DOWNFALL OF PACK LAW

there was a time when the werewolves of britain were not any more threatening to the wizarding world than any other wizard. sure, there were bad apples every now and then, but overall things were peaceful. this was because, for hundreds of years, the wolves had followed pack law. while each pack operated a little differently, the overall law was that the alpha had complete authority over his or her pack, able to bed the wolves in their pack into submission. weak alphas could be challenged, and whichever alpha survived the challenge became alpha. however, there were also bloodless transfers of power. an alpha always chose their successor, rarely one of their own offspring. the heir could not be challenged until they became alpha. each pack had their own territory, and though there were territory disputes, there was a procedure for settling them. either the alphas would discuss the dispute and came to terms agreeable to both packs, or they would fight it out. the duels would either be to first blood or the death, and that would be established before the designated full moon. the members of the losing alphas pack were given the choice of joining the victor’s pack, or, in the case of a fight to the death, the alpha’s successor (or beta if the alpha had not selected an heir) became alpha. pack wolves were also very honorable, and to break the rules of a duel meant to forfeit one’s life. 

things began falling apart in the mid-1600s. archimedes allen was the alpha of the largest pack in british history. he’d spent years bringing smaller packs together, gathering lone wolves into the fold. near the end of his life, he had consolidated all of england;s smaller packs into one large pack. it was a time of extreme peace for the werewolves in england. archimedes used largely non-violent methods to bring the pack together. there were no territory battles, and archimedes was so beloved that no one challenged him. but archimedes made a mistake. breaking with tradition, he names his son, gareth, as his heir. anyone paying attention could tell gareth was not alpha material, but archimedes would not be swayed. when archimedes died, gareth became alpha and for a while no one challenged him out of respect for his father. after two years, though, not a single member of the pack wanted him as alpha. the english beta, thomas mason, stepped up to challenge garther. reluctant to kill the son of archimedes, thomas agreed to a duel to first blood, which was never done for an alpha challenge. thomas won quickly, but made the mistake of turning his back on the defeated alpha. gareth sprang while thomas had his back turned, killing him. the pack fractured. less honorable wolves followed gareth, but soon that pack fractured further as they all fought to become alpha. the remains of the english pack also had difficulty finding a new leader. the situation was worsed by the involvement of wizards. 

around the time the english pack was scrambling to find a new alpha, greedy wizards began to see an opportunity. the wolves of the english pack were very different from the long wolves that modern wizards are familiar with. pack wolves, even as humans, are stronger, have better senses, and are fierce and loyal protectors. there was a group of wizards, mostly purebloods, who believed that a wolf separated from the pack could be utilitzed as an effective and intimidating bodyguard. the turmoil of the english pack was the perfect time to test the theory. the wizards conspired to remove any wolf that could unite the pack, and then waited. when the pack finally fell apart, they offered work and shelter to the wolves who had lost the support system of the pack. 

no one could have foreseen what would happen to the new lone wolves. without the pack, the connection between human and wolf deteriorated. while human, their senses were only human, and during transformations they became feral and highly aggressive. they no longer retained a sense of who they were when transformed. when the transformed wolves attacked their wizard “employers”, they were quickly eradicated. within a year, ninety percent of the english pack had been killed, and the remaining ten percent were on the run. gareth’s pack had likewise deteriorated, the members scattered to the difference british packs, spreading unrest like a plague. trying to assume power using the same underhanded tactics they learned from gareth, the packs they tried to control would not follow them and eventually followed the same pattern as the english pack. 

by the early 1700s, laws had been passed by the ministry of magic, protecting wizards from the werewolves. unable to attend school, it became hard to obtain work. now with a reputation for being dangerous, wizards feared werewolves and refused to associate with them. every pack in britain had been broke, and, despite several attempts though the 1700s to establish a new pack, by the mid-1800s, the werewolves had forgotten what they could be as a pack, that they could even be a pack. told for over a century that they were nothing more than wild, dangerous monsters, the werewolves of britain finally came to believe it.