#this isnt about being accurate to the show lmao

[leofrith]

historical dramas will be like "we painstakingly replicated the wardrobe, makeup, set dressing, etc. from this time period to be as historically accurate as possible" and then every woman on the show has waxed armpits

[cursedzucchini]

You know what? Fuck it

DC x DP prompt #3

I think at least lmao.

Anyway! Jason starts making videos on YouTube for one reason or another (is really stressed, no one listens to his rants Abt books who cares). His content is mostly bad books he read or really really really long rants Abt pride and prejudice. Like 3 hours on one tiny detail he noticed on his 214th read through.

He's kinda popular, mostly bc his terrible books videos. He talks Abt the ones that made him the most mad, which coincidentally are mostly romance and supernatural. Like he's one of the well known figures in the supernatural romance critique group (whcih is pretty small, but well). (Also he doesn't show his face on camera, bc secret identity and stuff, it's just his voice over a video of something mundane, like the sky or a room in which is a fly or something)

And now this can go two ways, that i can think of (w dead on main in mind at least)

1) one day Jason finds a book which is supernatural romance and is actually good. It has a kidna cliche system for the supernatural stuff, but with a refreshing twist. The characters have depts and flaws, yet are still very likable. The plot is actually interesting and overall the story's theme is death, not belonging anywhere and overall stuff that is very close to Jason's heart. The story doesn't shy away from violence and it is suprisingly accurate.

(I'm.gonna reblog this w pretty long idea of what this book could be Abt, bc i don't wanna annoy ppl lol)

Anyway Jason kinda falls in love w it, and it becomes famous for being the first novel Jason rated positively or something.

Meanwhile Danny, who was told by jazz writing is good way to get his feeling out, and just wanted to make a quick buck, is really fucking confused how tf did his book become so popular and who tf is this nerd who rates books for a living.

(basically big fan Jason and suspicious/awkward Danny lmao)

2) there is a famous series on Jason profile. It's the worst fucking series he ever read and it's just fucking awful. All the characters are fucking terrible, always going on and on about one thing, the romance sucks in a way that isnt even funny. Jason would love to believe some wrote this as a joke, if it wasn't for the absolute cringefest this was, and it wasn't a whole ass series!! Like who writes 12 books for a joke?

Danny ducking Fenton that's who. Dude was so ducking annoyed at his rogues, he threatened them w writing a terrible romance novels abt them. The ghosts, knowing his terrible grade in literature backed off for a moment, before someone crossed the line. And write Danny did. It was the worst thing he had ever written, the love interest was perfect caricature yet still faithfully go the original. And Danny, because fuck them he lost sommuch sleep over that one prank, decided to publish it. (The book was pretty thin so it didn't take that much time writing it). Unfortunately it became immensely popular in the infinite realm. So the ghosts started crossing lines on purpose. Before Danny figured it out, he had already published his fifth book and was writing another three. After some bargaining, getting a book written Abt them as a piece of shit love interest became a reward.

And while yeah, he had to say his writing was terrible and the books sucked, some small part of him was kinda proud y'know? Like a mother of her twelve ugly as fuck toddlers.

So when he saw some nerd on the internet not only shit talk his book, but also get money of it?

Danny decided to haunt him (just like his books did him, now that everyone knew Abt them thanks to this guy)

(enemies (sorta it's not that serious tho) to lovers ala terrible writer Danny who hates his books and kinda famous YouTuber hasn't who also hates Danny's books)

--

Fuck this is way too long wtf. Anyway imma reblog this w 1) book idea. Might add whatever i think the twelve books could be Abt. Pls if u want to add anything to this pls do!!

[mako-neexu]

all guda related stuff in mahoyo collab

summoning as a highly complicated magecraft -> highly intact sense of self, magical energy, magical crest, sheer willpower........you who is light and equally dark....

casual comments/banter to the people they trust

guda getting shocked of all things at a talking bird www

gudako -> young girl that likes to jog every morning

gudao -> brat that likes small time candy store sweets

UGH the further emphasis on Servants being familiars that no one - not anyone should just use (exceptional...)

stressing the role of a 'Master'

'I also make mistakes a lot'

"I still don't see what's so special about summoning."

guda screams during summons? lmao kind of reminds me of mash with lord camelot

the way guda just refers to other people as 'that another human' www (i know 'person' is more accurate but to me it sounds like an alien in disguise calling someone as 'fellow human' ww)

Of COURSE guda knows how to stop their own pulse

disbelief. perhaps gut feeling. guda's perception of death to others. (i guess in the face of unnatural they would doubt it. but considering Id chapter, it would depend on the person and how theyre closest to?)

'more like tobimaru' 'more like soujyuurou' getting angry on behalf of someone without letting it show as well... i Understand.

THE TOPIC OF AGING KILLS ME. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE HESITANT????? dont yokuwakaranaina ME????

Don't face world-ending disasters alone

IM CRYING OH MY GOD IM NOT WELL "did you sleep well?" "i slept peacefully because the night was quiet and nice" AUGH GUDAAAAA😭

probably nothing of note but additional descriptor to guda is that they look like a college student as compared to previous descriptions of being 'high school student'.......

not being good at horror stories 🥹 reminds me of summer 5...

(unwell) i forget about guda's tactical prowess sometimes (lies) + guda's mention of the looking glass reminds me of berkercas valentines...

Subtle but gudao's reaction to beating down kashin is 'exhausted or relieved' meanwhile for dako she has the 'doubt' in her dialogue

subtle again but theres a hesitance to guda when asked about what the future looked like. but their second option is saying "eh there arent any flying cars anyways"

ahh okay now i know the crypto stuff guda said. its from gudao. is this MHX's influence lmao. gudao youre advertising crypto seriously? ww

guda casually joking about the times they astral project out of their body likes its nothing and mash is not normal either of course and treats it as regular occurrences. well, its regular but for a normal average person in the 21st century, it certainly isnt ww

GUDA ONCE AGAIN PROVING that despite being 'camera' for us players, they actively hide information and i am not over that fact. (knowing who the culprit is before most of the rest-)

guda not hesitating at ALL to rayshift back to 1999 where the end of the world was supposed to happen www

Ah!! To encourage kinomi in confessing, guda confessed their own out in the open!!!

A bakery with the one they love / A wish to reach the South Pole

You may not be able to have all of your dreams, your nights be peaceful, but I hope that you will still be rewarded at the end of your journey 😭

[withered--s0uls]

Oh look it's another GD crossover

Ghost Drone AU - @electrozeistyking

You already saw all this art but shhh HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

This originally started out with me just wanting to draw Beanie interacting with the Intertwined Codes Kids but then I added some extra stuff lol.

If you're a reader of Intertwined Codes, this kinda sorta spoils future stuff bc only the twins have been mentioned in the Draft/Teaser fic but oh well. You have been warned.

IC!Uzi wouldn't like actually meet GD!N bc they'd kinda decide that "hey, let's not have the widowed man see an alternate version of his wife that actually got live." simply out of respect kinda?? So she would stick around at home with the kids whilst IC!N goes out to look for Beanies Dad after their kids drag her to them lmao.

So yeah she doesn't necessarily know the extent of the mans depression, the kids just mentioned there only being a dad so she just specifically asks about GD!N in this doodle

IC!N would quickly pick up on GD!N not being completely okay, even without being told any details. So he probably would end up sitting him down to talk on their way back to the IC!Doorman families place, wanting to help if he can in any way. (He runs a Daycare and tries to also be a support to any parent that needs it, so I feel he out of habit would lean into trying to do that with GD!N)

More/The kids under the Cut otherwise the post looks so long rip

I will go over each of these one by one (can'tdo close ups bc 10 image limit, I'll reblog this in a second with the close ups.)

Left are the Code-Related Nuzi kids, right are the adopted ones.

Code related kids

Zagi:

Not much to say, I'm still working out their personality - they're maybe 2-3 years older than Beanie, so they aren't too far apart in age. :)

Orita:

She's the sibling who started the trend of putting stickers on her siblings, so she DEFINITELY would do the same with Beanie.

She also probably originally was going to show her how to build a weapon, but her parents promptly stopped that lmao .

She would think it's really cool that Beanie has a custom core icon & in general is completely customized from the start! She herself was originally put into a regular worker body (just with the tail and headband being custom made by her mom), she had to build the DD forearms herself. She also has a sticker of the DD icon on her core, covering the WD icon :3

Rexim:

At this point he has enough siblings to be past the "ew a little kid" phase, so luckily Beanie gets spared that. His main camera is damaged, he only really uses his headband optics to look around, so he would kinda just look as if he's staring past her a lot. But bc of the obvious cracks in his visor I feel she would pick up on the fact he's not actually ignoring her.

Also he definitely would just play music to her, because IC!Uzi kinda always has music on whilst working in her workspace he kinda picked up some of her taste in music (Hence he's playing the same song that Uzi is shown to have been listening to in Ep7)

Raven:

First up THANK YOU Zeisty for helping me brainstorm silly stuff for them. They're a little ball of chaos now and I love them.

Anyways.

They would join Orita in bedazzling Beanie, and then they'd start talking about bird facts and also try to get Beanie to talk about her interests.

(Their height difference isnt 100% accurate bc halfway through drawing this I changed the IC timeline, making Raven about the same age as Zagi instead of them being a teen, so I kinda had to manually try and semi-fit their heights lol)

Adopted Kids

Ray:

Nothing to say. He's a baby. Tho whilst I was outlining this one I had to giggle because of how big he is in Beanies hands. She's so tiny 😭💕 /affectionate

Annika:

Oh boy. Ann.

Annika is the eldest kid & was adopted a while before Zagi was coded / whilst the parents were organizing the code copies for Zagi

She does NOT know how to talk to other kids. Never did. It made her stick out at the orphanage wing because she just avoided everyone. And it is very chaotic when Olivia and Ray first show up, because Ann's only idea of talking to other Drones is "well you got to be relatable" so she brings up the siblings dead parents bc like, her code parents are dead too. Both pairs dying to DDs. So yeah she probably would be the first, if not only one, in the whole household to just bring up GD!Uzi. She would do it like it's nothing either.

IC!Uzi would promptly get her to stop and sit her down having a conversation about "what did N and I say about trying to connect on that topic?"

Like IC!Uzi would actually feel really bad about it despite Beanie not knowing her mom. Bc she herself obviously didn't remember IC!Nori growing up but still didn't like the topic.

Olivia:

Olivia, as I said, was greeted with the topic of dead parents by Annika as well. So she probably would kinda interfere when IC!Uzi goes to sit Ann down to talk.

She would feel the need to apologize for the older girls behavior (which Ann would apologize for herself later too ofc) and would try to get Beanie to go play something together whilst IC!Uzi sorts that whole situation out.

She's also the closest to Beanies age probably, just was forced to mature bc of what happened to her parents, despite being taken in by Nuzi shortly after. She still obviously acts like a kid tho when comfortable, so I feel she would kinda ease up around Beanie and actually act more like a 4-5 year old around her.

Bonus? Bonus!

Needless to say Beanie would return home covered in stickers & hairpins (Orita & Raven have more than enough of those, they'd just let Beanie keep some)

RIP GD!N having to get her out of those stickers once they're back home

Also, for the "*humming*" variation of the picture I blame @k1k0oftheworld. Kiko was in vc with me when I was talking about how Beanie would be covered in stickers when she gets home, and saw the doodles as well.

He proposed the following scenario after seeing Rexim show Beanie IC!Uzis playlist:

Beanie humming dead batteries song & GD!N having a breakdown bc it reminds him of GD!Uzi

I do not take accountability for this, I was going to spare the poor widowed man.

(I scrapped the idea of him not knowing ab the IC!Doorman family and him getting a mini heart attack when Beanie goes "I met Mom today" in favor of him and IC!N meeting & talking - I WANTED TO SPARE HIS POOR HEART)

@k1k0oftheworld you owe him money for a therapy session now /silly

Anyways that's it, I'll put the close ups in the reblog like I said 👍

[zonatcannibalism]

Ok my billy thoughts after yesterdays ep

The William/ billy thing is definitely not like the comics and IMO does harm the character. I get why doing the "he was always like this" thing was too complicated for a tv show (and one they haven't even introduced mephisto in yet) but i would prefer it if he kept his memories of being a kaplan and was just... Different. And could read peoples minds.

However i do have hope that this can go well. I don't think that the end conclusion for his character is going to be "im not related to the kaplans im billy maximoff and fuck this random jewish family". I mean. The only thing he remembers are Tommy and his 3 years with the kaplans. When he told Eddie he wasnt William kaplan he didn't fully say "im not that dude at all who tf is that even" he said hes something "more" and "not entirely." Yes, he comes to the revelation that he is billy maximoff. Whoever if were talking writing, i dont think that the personality crisis ends there for him. Billy is an important character in the show. He has 3 more eps left and unlike characters like alice and jen who allredy found what theyre looking for on the road, he is still actively walking it in search of his goal. There is still development to be had for this character. He didn't just solve his entire internal conflict in episode 2- everything about the way he behaves after that episode shows hes still conflicted as fuck. Yes, he knows where he comes from, but he doesn't really know yet what it means about him as a person. He knows he is billy maximoff, but he doesn't know what being billy maximoff means.

And then we get into the subject of Tommy.

Listen, all writing rules say that there is no magic rock at the end of the road making wishes come true. They get what they're missing (NOT what they're looking for) as they walk the road. If the person writing this knows what they're doing, Tommy isn't going to randomly appear at the end of the road. Billys want for Tommy isnt just the cute brotherly bond- it is his want to belong and really have that sense of certainty and security of who he is. His arc isn't over yet, and thats why he keeps walking the road- he still has that want for belonging and knowing how to live as who he truly is. So. I think that at the end of the road he is either-

1. Realise he has something important with rebecca and jeff, embrace being their son with being a maximoff and live happily ever after as a nice jewish witch boy.

2. Get William kaplans memories

3. Be left on an open note and have his arc completed in another marvel show or movie

Anyway i think if top 2 happens he is going to start going by billy kaplan, showing him reaching a place of fully being comfortable with his identity and knowing who he is and where he belongs. Which will also tie him to comic billy.

However. That is what would have happened if i would be writing the show. That is the progression i would give his character. Everyone on the show is doing a really goor job, but i just can't forget that they are the same people who seemingly wrote in a fan favorite character with huge implications and then said "ha that wasn't real heres a bunch of dick jokes."

Anyway i hope they don't fuck this shit up.

A bunch of really cool details from the episode:

- the dogs name is greg. As in greg norris??????? That is funny as fuck

- billys parasha is about the death of nadav and avihu- the sons of aharon. There is a lot more detail you can go into with this. Its really good symbolism. It also means we can semi accurately track his hebrew and gregorian birthday. Oh the things i am too lazy to do.

- they are reallllllllly walking the line with this eddie dude. I feel like if the fans like him they're going "ha eddie is just another nickname for theodore say hi to teddie altman" and if not they're giving them an off screen break up and just saying billy has a type.

- Agathas boner family reunion shirt lmao

[blasphemecel]

"how to subtly show someone you're interested" is top 2 in my top of your fanfics after "voyeur to belonging" so i'm gonna talk about that fic.

For the people who haven't read it yet, you should, it's a story where we follow Kaiser in his struggling to act more or less normal (in comparison to his usual behavior let's say) in order to show yn he's interested through advices on an article on the web. Iliya think about linking the fanfic to this ask!

I'm currently re re re re re re reading it while writing it to be sure to not forget anything lmao.

First of all I want to say that you portrayed Kaiser really nicely on this one. Like on all the others too, though.

The fanfic is composed of 10 short parts, all very enjoyable. Here's my top (because I like doing them even if no one care):

-1, eye contact

-3, compliment them

-2, initiate conversation

-4, light touches

-10, mention being single

-8, give them attention

-6, use humor

-9, playful teasing

-7, text them

-5, be there for them (that was sooo Kaiser coded, I validate a lot)

Like always, blasphemecel writing style does not disappoint, it's fluid, enjoyable and easily understandable even for someone who isnt too familiar with english (like me). The balance between seriousness and humor is good.

I think it's interesting to see Kaiser from this angle. And the fact that yn is not giving easily to what he wants is quite humorous. There's some plot twists that I liked too, mostly the last one, but for people who haven't read it yet, I will not reveal them, just go read.

I like the fact that Kaiser is actually making efforts to show his feelings, even if it's from something as delicate as following an article. I think this is actually very accurate to the Kaiser we have in Blue Lock, I can totally picture him doing that. So I liked it a lot more with that thought in mind.

Actually, I already said it to you but this fic literally made me improve my low dopamine level and laugh when I was feeling very down (yay mental illness). There's just something about your writing that makes me feel better.

I would actually be very interested in reading one more chapter where we would see how this Kaiser and this yn's relationship evolves, how does evolve their chemistry and all. I think theres something to do with that, but of course it's not an obligation!!!

Overall, this fanfic is really interesting in the way Kaiser is represented, how he acts, and the comical aspects of it would please a lot of people. I definitely would recommend it to someone who needs to have a good time while still being able to enjoy a Kaiser well written.

I was supposed to analyse the fics but I got lazy in the process so I just give a review, but the analysis will come soon 🔥

UR SO SWEET 😢😢😢HOW CAN YOU WRITE AN ENTIRE REVIEW THATS SO FLATTERING JERJWEKRJEREKREJR

I'm glad you like it (I also thought your list with the order of your favorite mometns was interesting JEKRWJERWEJR) I'M ALSO SOOO HAPPY SOMETHING I WROTE MADE YOU FEEL BETTER 🤭🤭 THANK YOU MY LIEGE

Also Im glad you thought he was in character even though the premise itself is pretty absurd (KAISER READING AN ARTICLE - THE PLOT JREJREJRERJ). I was afraid it might be ass cuz i was writing it on my vacation when i was at the place with bad connection (#originstory) rjerjwr but im glad you liked it!!

[ye-oldroderich]

Hi i saw a friend of mine do art of ur wiz ocs and kindly i wpuld love to hear more about them. Nonhuman ocs in wiz r so fun

OMG YAAAAAY i love talking about my ocs so bad ..... WAHH. prepare for a long yap sesh

More art of them from last(?) year's art fight by my friend @mister-geuse <3 ily tutt

I love Insaf and Rund they're my little guys im so glad so many people like them too 😭 when i make ocs for media i like to try and explore things that help to flesh out the world more and wizzy has SO many nonhuman peoples and there's just so much you can do ... no shade to people with human ocs of course. but personally i like exploring different things with each character i make

Krokotopia is one of my favorite worlds because i'm old and i like lizard people. it isnt without criticism (LOTS of criticism) though. i dont think ive ever seen another mander oc before (although i havent looked *that* hard, theres probably some out there!) so they were my go-to when making an oc from that world.

Insaf loves history! especially the history of magic in her world. she's often frustrated after she comes to wizard city and the library doesn't have much information on krokotopia's history, let alone things about her culture or anything before the krok dynasties came to power. after being Alhazred's student, she finds Arthur Wethersfield's teaching suuuuper lackluster in comparison. she corrects things he says about Balance magic in her mind. Insaf would be an "um, actually" girl if she wasn't nerfed with a severe anxiety disorder LMAO

she's actually really easy to anger but is just so adept at bottling it that she never shows it. this girl wants to rage so badly. magic is her outlet. she's a bit of a wildcard during duels since shes small and unassuming but VERY quickly becomes very aggressive with lots of offensive spells. she got a broomstick when she moved to wizard city but sucks at riding it and is pretty embarrassed about it (her tail throws her off-balance). she also has a pet chameleon in her dorm! its name is Sheba.

Now for Rund. i love birds and dinosaurs and corvids so a raven was a must-have for me as an oc. also its fun to put your characters through the horrors (ie a cult) and Rund definitely gets the brunt of it lmao. i haven't really ever made a character dealing with amnesia because its such a cheap plot cliché and its never done accurately to how amnesia actually works as like. a nuerological condition. so with Rund i've been really researching how it actually works so that i can portray it well.

amnesia is still not very well understood because the brain is so silly and complicated but if i were to label her with something it'd be pure retrograde amnesia. after her head injury, she can't really remember much at all about herself, and isn't familiar with ravenscar or anyone there. she CAN remember how to use runes, though, and other "muscle-memory" things. after she's sent to wizard city to recover, she starts getting some memories back over time (mostly information she got while reading, and some personal details) but memories specifically retaining to the Coven are much harder for her to remember.

Rund is also autistic (both she and Insaf are) and has some other underlying conditions that were exacerbated by both her head injury and the traumatic stress she was under. she has both motor and vocal tics, and doesn't speak much outside of echoalia. she's very easily overwhelmed so she sticks to less crowded and quieter places, which are hard to find in wizard city ... its why she and insaf hang out by the death school LMAO. no one else is ever there.

Rund uses runestones instead of a spelldeck, just like a lot of people in Grizzleheim traditionally do. she likes to shake the bag and hear them clinking together. her mount is a Death Vortex, and i rationalize it as like ... her turning into a cloud to zip around (usually so she can get on top of something and perch up there). she likes having her hood up so she can block out stimuli. Rund knows people look at her differently, which is part of why she avoids most people. she doesn't really know how to feel about being sent to Ravenwood, but supposes its better than the alternative ... though she misses Grizzleheim's snow.

Rund and Insaf met when they were assigned partner on a death class project. neither of them really had friends before that at ravenwood. Insaf doesn't expect anything of Rund or judge her for things she can't control. Likewise, Rund doesn't judge Insaf for having "unsightly" feelings, and can relate to it. they both like yapping about magic and history, and take turns talking at eachother. they have library dates where they go and point out flaws in the literature (hater activity). they're their own best company.

[shootingstarrfish]

Do you have any tips on how you do shading ?? Your art really inspires me and I literally suck at shading lmao.

hello anon!!! im honoured i can inspire you sdfhkjh it's crazy to me that i can inspire literally anyone :,DDD <33

tbh i do all my shading purely based on vibes/what makes me happy so im not sure im a good advice person but ill show you a breakdown of how i go about shading and hopefully that might help a bit? :o i've left it below the cut because i have too much to say and it ended up being really long LOL

of course if there's anything you want more details on i'm always happy to explain, just let me know!

okay SO ill use this asmo as my example, i think there's enough to talk about here that it should be helpful hopefully

so here's my lineart and flats! i do all my flat colours in one layer because i find it easier to make everything look more cohesive when the pieces arent separated (i usually like it when the colours bleed into each other a lil), but i also just dont like the process of having to switch between layers for everything too LOL flats are unfortunately my least favourite part :,D probably because my lineart is so messy hahah

as you can see, the shading is very minimal here, just some subtle stuff in the wings/sheer parts of the fabric and some blushing on the skin, i also stole the orange under eye/liner thing from TBHK because <3

and then i clean up any messy stuff by just painting over top of everything on a new layer, i also rendered the metal at this stage because i felt like it i guess???

i dont think i did a suuper good job at rendering the metal here (because i was lazy), it looks fine but something to note about metal is that usually you want to push the highlights and the shadows a lot more, as well as the reflections because it is so shiny and smooth this is why you'll see a lot of pink and blue in the metal, to show the reflections of his hair and the sky

i would recommend using reference to get a better idea of how metal ACTUALLY works but again, i was lazy lol so that's a simple explanation based on what little i know/have observed

the jump here is a bit drastic and you might be like woah starr where'd all this come from?? but this is all in one layer-

('hard light' - 62% opacity)

this is how that layer looks as a normal full opacity layer, for reference:

lately i've been using hard light layers to shade! they're very versatile because unlike multiply layers i can do my shading and my highlights within one layer (do you sense a theme of me disliking having too many layers lmao)

SO this is where i have a bit more to say about shading you'll notice the prominent shading colour here is blue, this is because the main environment here (the sky) is blue. i dont know if that's how things work in the real world but it works for me LMAO i usually prefer to have my shading lean cooler purely for aesthetic reasons, i like how it looks more

you might also notice some areas where the blue is a bit brighter, this is to imitate reflected light, again because the environment is blue light tends to bounce around on things and reflect back even into the shadows so this is the effect im trying to get, i like to typically go with a brighter blue cause it gives things a sort of shinier? quality that i enjoy aesthetically, idk if its very accurate to real life tho it also helps me to give depth to the shading since shading isnt usually just one flat blob, and this is a bit of a shortcut to having more dynamic (?) looking shadows

i also want to point out my use of bright reds on the edge of the shadows:

i believe this is called diffraction- there's a real legit scientific reason why it happens but i... dont know what that is i just know it happens in real life (maybe not to this extent?) and it looks cool so i do it SFHJKSFH i usually blend it into the shadows though as opposed to into the lighter parts, i find that tends to look better

some miscellaneous things-

don't be afraid to throw random colours around!! who cares about realism, it's fun lmao

this artwork is a spoiler for asmo's bday so shhhhh but i did want to quickly show that you can also use hard light layers to create a glowy effect, i literally just painted the pink/orange directly on the shadows layer and it helped to make his eyes more glowy

of course i do go in and paint over a little after and add some layer effects but it helps to have that base there

now that you've learnt that i dont know what i'm doing, i wanted to highlight a couple of resources that have helped me! i hope they help you as well <3

this video gives some really interesting insights into this artist's process and some problems they had throughout, as well as how they overcame them! it looks a lil clickbaity but i promise it's good!!

this tweet also shifted how i think about rendering when i want to do something with dramatic lighting!

+ an attempt i made to replicate this (i wanna try this again lmao it was fun)

i hope that helps even a little bit, i did my best to explain but sorry if it was mostly nonsense though :,DDD best of luck with your art, anon!! <3333

[uglypastels]

Ok ok gotta quickly talk about my fav bits from these 2 episodes

SPOILERS

LOOK, I DIDN'T WANT TO BE A HALFBLOOOOOD

Percy and Grover giving each other the ham/cheese from their sandwiches

The mrs Dodds gaslighting. Idk why i needed this to be included (more on this later)

Gabe. Why was Gabe so fucking funny in this 😭😭 like man is just a loser.

"Do you know why we come to this cabin every year" "because its next to the septic tanks' so its cheap" stop he's so unserious 😭

"Please" and the entirety of Sally talking to Gabe

I'm sure it will all get so much worse, but just the quips that were written and the pacing through the conversation of all 3 of them was really well written

Percy thinking that Sally was an atheist until she saw Jesus in her living room. (To paraphrase it)

"The important thing is not to panic" while being on the verge of a breakdown

"YOU DIDNT TELL HIM ABOUT X"

Sally making Grover swear to protect perce😭😭

YOU DROOL IN YOUR SLEEP

Basically, any time there was book accurate dialogue. It healed parts of me that I didn't even know were broken.

Mr D. I'm obsessed. The whole interaction between him and Percy. And then Mr D and Chiron 💖💖💖 (the poker later on. I love it)

The cabins and entire vibe of the camp. It feels so real i wanna go there so bad.

I could basically just list every single scene of this episode.

Luke 💖 that's it.

Mr D and Chiron forbidding Grover to tell Percy about his mom. So we got the Gaslight, now we jave Gatekeep. Where's the girlboss? Literally every other second.

Annabeth!! Annabeth's hat!! The hattttttt

"I'm fine thanks, but i appreciate you, you know, standing there silently" he's so fucking funny and it makes me want to scream. It's no original experience to have loved these books since the age of 12, but it doesnt make it any less personal. I love percy ok. And anyway not annabeth then still just standing there like 😐🤨

"When it's time, he'll be ready. I know it".... bro 😭😭

Clarisse's feral behaviour. I love her (i'll be dropping the L-bomb more and more as the show will go on. Let me be)

The bathroom scene. Obviously (i didnt even mention the episode titles yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

🔥? "I wouldn't"

Aaand cut to percy nearly setting the heph cabin on fire

"Is there a god of disppointment" "oizyz, but sje's a goddess, and her thing isnt really disappointment. It's more like failure" pls who is this kid. Fav character lol (idk maybe i should know who he is and im just stupid)

And then the look Luke gives him i'm crying

Oh my god how did not mention the blue food yet 😭😭😭😭🩵🩵🩵🩵

Percy PRAYING to Sally. And then "i'm Sally Jackson's son" aaaaaaaaaaaaah

Also, idk why but i loved Clarisse's reaction to when her spear broke. It felt so raw and it showed a glimpse of the side of her that she's clearly hiding from the world (not me already getting hyped for sea of monsters lmao)

Theres probably so much more i could add, or perhaps i should have just dropped a link to the episodes as it was all just so perfect.

Ohh oh oh i almost forgot the camp beads!!! Eeeek. So cute.

(Would have loved to have seen the grannies knitting socks of death, and the strawberry fields 🫢 but minor details)

[strorberrysquid]

i wrote something kinda silly

imitation shax chat fic

errr hope you enjoy :D

USERNAME KEY:

jaewoo: momwoo 

hyuk: demonchild

ryok: dummyryok

dojin: a shark :D

leehyun: theonlynormalone

*~SONS OF THE DEVIL~*

momwoo: fellow shax members, we have a situation

demonchild: what did ryok do this time

demonchild: hold on why is my name demonchild

momwoo: believe it or not it was actually not ryok this time

a shark :D: 0.0

dummyryok: i was the witness this time

dummyryok: WHY IS MY NAME THAT

momwoo: leehyun picked the names

demonchild: i can tell

a shark :D: i picked mine

demonchild: i can tell

a shark :D: aww you know me so well

theonlynormalone: i cant tell if thats a smiley face or a frown in your name dojin

demonchild: its schrödingers smiley

theonlynormalone: biblically accurate smiley

momwoo: guys we still have a situation

demonchild: IM INNOCENT

theonlynormalone: sure you are

a shark :D: lets hear the situation guys

momwoo: thank you dojin

the situation is

someone tried cooking

and left the kitchen in a mess

demonchild: couldnt be me im allergic to kitchens

theonlynormalone: thats the worst excuse youve made so far

demonchild: you wouldnt punish me mom ÓwÒ

momwoo: so you admit to being the perpetrator

demonchild: …

momwoo: im not gonna punish you. just make you take responsibility

demonchild: …meaning?

momwoo: clean the kitchen

demonchild: o0o

a shark :D: ill help you out hyukie

momwoo: no youre not

a shark :D: :c

theonlynormalone: how did you even make such a mess in the kitchen

you dont normally cook

demonchild: i was trying to make food for yall since you work so hard UwU

dummyryok: he was trying some recipe he found on tiktok to show off

momwoo: i thought i banned tiktok

demonchild: mom how will we engage with our fanbase if we cant use tiktok??

theonlynormalone: literally any other platform

tiktok is full of terrible music and brainrot. its not worth using

a shark :D: i think it has some good content

theonlynormalone: shut up

a shark :D: D:

dummyryok: i gotta agree with leehyun. that app isnt good for kids

demonchild: im not a kid

theonlynormalone: its not good for adults either

a shark :D: is anyone gonna talk about the fact that HYUK WAS COOKING USING A SPONGE???

theonlynormalone: WDYM???

a shark :D: i found a sponge covered in whipped cream and some other stuff id rather not describe

momwoo: i told you not to help him clean shark

demonchild: lmao. ur name is shark now

momwoo: please explain what you were doing with that sponge hyuk

demonchild: im using it to clean???

a shark :D: ur not even cleaning

you used it in cooking dont lie

demonchild: traitor

theonlynormalone: did tiktok seriously think a dish made with a literal sponge would taste good or is it a prank i gen cant tell

demonchild: …

momwoo: at this point i dont want to know. just clean it up please

a shark :D: on it jaewoo!

momwoo: not you dojin

demonchild: :(

theonlynormalone: you brought this upon yourself

[strawbubbysugar]

While I was cooking dinner I out of the blue thought of dif ways the trio could help during a not so great mental time - Lemme know if any of them are a little off :)

If I need a distraction, I am absolutely asking June to watch a movie with me or play a board game with him or something. His smile would make everything seem not so bad, his vibes are immaculate

I would also totes go to him I was feeling unsure of myself or maybe insecure, I just imagine him being like “uh uh no way you are not leaving until you realize your worth and beauty!” lol, my love language is words of affirmation (I think June’s is too, right?), and I feel like he’d be good at that

When the world seems terrible and grim, Hello would be a light in the darkness, helping me see the good things in life and good about the world

Additionally, if I were having a panic attack I feel like Hello would be really good at helping me work through it, telling me to breathe, tell me it’s going to be okay, holding me if I feel lightheaded, etc

And then with Goodbye, i would love him in situations where my anxiety is just being dumb, and Bye would be very logical about the situation which would make me feel less anxious about it and willing to face whatever is making me anxious (I would totes go to Cammie for this as well lmao)

And finally sometimes you just need someone next to you, ya know? Like when I just need to cry and there don’t need to be any words said, just Bye with a gentle hand on my shoulder (and nothing more cuz it might be overstimulating), simply being there next to me as a grounding presence

Are those kinda accurate or not really? I’d love to know!! Thank you :D

June loves quality time! If youre not feeling good his goal is to make you laugh :)

He'd be more likely to try and fix the problem for you, his love language is acts of service. Even if fixing the problem for that moment just means reaffirming you. He'd probably go out of his way to try and figure out a way to make life a little easier for you in a different way, like fixing something youve been putting off

Hello would be trying to show you all the things you like and distracting you with them. He's the type to be like "you cant be having a panic attack look at this!!" and show you a gif of a silly cat

100% agree, goodbye is the best out of the 3 at handling those sort of situations. If you tell him smth like "Everyone hates me" he'd counterargue with "It isnt statistically possible that every single person hates you. " very rational.

bye gets uncomfortable bc he feels like he should be doing more like june or hello would, but just being there is equally valid in comforting people :) in fact, some people prefer it!

[transbeeduo]

ever since my fat cbee posts i have been on a roll [hi hello im the fat cbee anon here to say ive been sending so many anon asks its so funny but youve just got my brain rolling so much. 10/10 would anon again. always get addicted to my favorite blogs and send like 10 anons a week. dang it. i see a pattern.] anyway im not every single anon, but a chunk of em, yeah! love sending anons about my brain juices late at night and waking up and reading answers n stuff. always fun.

anyway hi can you imagine a Michael who is very much so malnourished when cbee first find him in the Nether. and like his ribs are showing and theres so many bones showing, which isnt a joke because he literally has a hole in his head where you can see his skull and see his bones n stuff. and when cbee takes him home Tubbo and Ranboo make sure to feed him so so much and food he enjoys and stuff. because Tubbo was malnourished as a kid and it was Not Fun. and Ranboo doesnt know much but they sure do know they dont like the look of rib cages peeking through skin and bony arms and gaunt faces [thats why they keep their fur long enough that it covers their ridges and bumps before they gain weight but also not too long because it is considered 'unruly' to have long fur, at least back when they were a child in the End (thats one of the only fragments they remember. think of it like the stigma around body hair on women/fem people.)]

and so eventually Michael starts gaining healthy weight, and all of a sudden, the bones that arent supposed to be visible through his skin [not the holes. hes part zombie i know but zombies aren't supposed to be really thin when someone is only part zombie.] and Tubbo and Ranboo have to find new dresses* and sweaters and pants n stuff for Michael because he's actually growing! i imagine he might be a bit stunted, not quite reaching his full height because of the lack of nutrients he had during a very important development stage for gods know how long, but he does grow, and thats all that matters. hes got healthy chub and hes not so fragile anymore.

*imagining cbee as parents who buy whatever clothes are cute and fit their children, completely ignoring the fact that dresses and skirts are traditionally girl clothes because have you seen the two. those are not cis and whoever thinks they are are silly. they let their children pick out whatever clothes they find cute and comfortable. so if Michael or Wizard or Bug [do Wizard and Bug even wear clothes... thats a weird question but i mean. only ever seen Bug with fur n stuff but no clothes.. whatever] wanna wear a pretty pink skirt or a t-shirt with monster trucks on it, cbee dont care. this is also partly because Tubbo and Ranboo werent entirely allowed to wear whatever they wanted when they were younger [mainly Tubbo but still] and they want their children to have to choice to pick

HAIIII ANON THIS ASK IS SO GOOD THANK YOU (also yes bug does infact wear clothing! Just their ref doesn’t have clothing LMAO i promise Beeduo give their kids clothing)

BUT YEAH THIS IS HONESTLY REALLY FUCKING CANON TO ME there’s NO way that Michael was getting properly fed in the Nether considering it was literally BY HERSELF and ALSO A BABY. And Tubbo would TOTALLY have that like “oh fuck i cant give this baby the same childhood of being malnourished that i had” thought yk (ranboo not realizing they’re malnourished makes me so sad but is so fucking accurate wow) this ask rules thank you

[quarktrinity]

quark watches star trek season 2 episode 8

mccoy ogles a man

mccoys gut instinct right off the bat

mccoy commits a microaggression against spock

crewman is obviously evil aand people should listen to mccoy more often

kirks in his dumb wrap shirt again >:(

the ship Turns

kirk reacts with confusion and amazement at evil crewman grabbing his bicep

ship might blow up if they fuck with it

evil crewman shows off his robot tummy

robot crewman just stands there for four days

robot crewman demands specifically the main cast to beam down

robot crewman says "among us"

oh jesus christ its space cowboy again. i hate this guy.

hes hilarious i just wish he wasnt such a skeeze

kirk casually lets a hot lady take his communicator

extremely slutty image

space cowboy commits false imprisonment

UGH CAN YOU BE NORMAL ABOUT WOMEN FOR TWO SECONDS

space cowboy says spock isnt as heterosexual as he

space cowboy commits space theft of space intellectual property

space cowboy would prefer to evade the death penalty

"of course i left-" "he broke jail" "i borrowed transportation-" "he stole a spaceship" "and the patrol reacted in a hostile manner-" "and they fired at him" kirk i love you

space cowboy is very upset at being bored

space cowboy misses his wife who he abandoned so much that he makes an android replica of her

robots serve space cowboy because theyre bored

"why should we leave you?" "because... we dont like you. so... /waves hands/ bup-bup-bup!" kirk i LOVE you

the robots have chekhovs hivemind

space cowboy is the only heterosexual character in this show

space cowboy makes the critical error of messing with kirks ship

welcome to Robot Paradise. You Cannot Leave.

chekov is horny

Temptation

"the enterprise is not a want or a desire, it is a mechanical device" "no, its a beautiful lady and we love her!" KIRK I LOVE YOU

robots are intrigued by unhappiness

robots decide space cowboy is too cringefail to be their boss

robots commit false imprisonment

robots want to be your sugar daddies and sugar mommies

to defeat the robots we have to go apeshit

lets tranquilize the space cowboy

kirk calls space cowboy fat. which to be fair is accurate but dont be rude kirk

kirk is very good at manipulating robots

uhura you double-crosser

uhura wants a sexy immortal robot body. ok

oh shit it was an act! they planned it all along! i love this

the crew puts on a dance performance for the robots

uhura gracefully slaps chekov

spock is surprised he cant knock out the robots

spock kills robots by being Weird

scotty and mccoy do a little /smiles and nods while poking chin/

"logic is a wreath of pretty flowers which smell bad"

the crew kills robots by being Weird

this episode is so absurd. i love it

spock pantomimes a bomb

this is something that would play out in a theatre class

space cowboy kills robot by essentially saying "this statement is false"

lmao

this episode is awesome

mccoy tries and fails to commit another microaggression against spock

space cowboy is jailed on robot planet forever on the basis of Hes Annoying

kirk forces space cowboy to hang out with several copies of his robot ex wife. this is the best episode ever

[istherewifiinhell]

hand on rbing prev post as circling back around on sts thought apparently gave me enough to say it needed to escape the tags and be its own post. um! the emh from voy: my wife is a bitch and i love her so much

i think the emh is like. the exact definition of "the soul first shows itself by a gnashing of teeth" as its all well add good to appreciate the aliveness of nice and polite data who follows all the rules and is like. even MORE real than a flesh and blood person.

(in sense of his tangibility... his mechanical complexity and physical and mental competencies. are MORE than that of a traditionally recognized person. you know? not that that is an accurate summation of how the show acts about him. the only person who thinks that is julian bashir lmao. more often its like the. oh you disrespect him? well disrespect THIS! [he does a feat unmatched by any of the biological life forms around him] which... isnt exactly useful as principled, ideological and philosophic statement, about who gains the right of person-hood. OR RATHER! it is literally and precisely that, its conclusions sucks shit)

[Cam K podcast voice] when someone reaches for abstractions to doubt data's existent, the show throws materialist egg on their face.

The lynchpin in the proof of Data artificiality. Is that he has a PHYSICAL SWITCH, that can turn him OFF. This counters his otherwise uninterrupted verisimilitude of humanity. He looks like a toy. A thing. (Teenage wifi would like to point out if i had a big enough rock i could also turn riker off, but alas)

BUT the thing about the Doc, is that this guy ISNT "REAL". Getting shut down is not grand solemn act to the doc. It happens to him. ALOT. "Computer: End Program"... Hes so much more dependent on those around him. He isnt nearly the same as them. AND HES AN ANNOYING LITTLE BITCH about it. please turn him off when you done! please turn him ON to tell him things, and u could visit sometime... Turn your emergency holographic medical channel! cause this is a SENIOR STAFF MEETING. and hes the God Damn CMO.

AND. its not just mistreatment he gets (RIGHTFULLY!) angry about. Its that (as joelle correctly pointed out, ofc) when confused, or when things are wrong, when he has no control, he default right to agression! He is not a sad kicked puppy that goes 'oh' and 'i do not understand the meaning of ur behaviour' like data does. (again that sounds like data slander its NOT! i love data and wish ppl would stop laughing at him for having questions)

Whereas the biggest actual impediment of data's full recognition of personhood is his feelings, and suppose lack there of. He doesn't react to social stimulus the way people expect him too. If you try to goad him into a response he might say he 'is not capable of experiencing emotions such as you do' cause hes lacking the magic part in his brain that will do that. (to which... every neurodivergent person ever said: data, bestie, baby girl, they say that about a lot of people. you have clearly expressed internal experiences that are just... you baselines for emotion)

But to compare. When people say the doc isnt acting socially normal, which is an assholish thing to do, btw. HES READY TO BE AN ASSHOLE RIGHT BACK. His is INFACT, gnashing those holographic teeth! I don't think anyone has ever accused the doc of a LACK OF FEELING. Like, he has horrible beside manner, he "isn't programed for small talk"... but thats cause he's RUDE! He's too obviously prideful, snide, needling and just general, self involved for it to not seem like a DELIBERATE CHOICE that he is making.

And even when these traits are regarded to simple programing (which makes them... less real? 🤨) Examine the moments that are definitively about him claiming autonomy, engaging in recreation and becoming more self actualized. And find that a lot of them are angled to make him LESS likable. His hobbies, which he WILL speak about, AT LENGTH, include being a tropy writer, a photographer who makes hour long presentations, and a uncompromising operatic tenor diva.

(love when opera singer is used as insult, media wise, oh noooo ur TOO good at singing. your voice is TOO powerful, ur vocal control and ability to perform complex pieces in multiple languages is TOO impressive. lol. mr picardo ur so cool and u looked good doing it. frankly)

In the moments that serve to mark specific advancement in control he gains over himself, he gets to make himself MORE OBNOXIOUS! You do not, infact, get to recognize a someones full personhood without running the risk that you, specifically, might not like them! As a person!

And in dramtic turns. His true psyche breaking, foundation shaking experiences are acted to hell! It's uncomfortable to behold someone so emotional. Confusion and denial not expressed quietly, but belligerently. Meeting of sadness fear that can only be expressed as anger. Unlike the picturesq Adam and Eve figures from the end of R.U.R. (spoilers? i suppose). His awareness of the true personal impact and price of mortality is not signaled by a noble self-sacrifice, gentle weeping and pleading to not have someone taken away. It's a choice he made to save a close friend, instead of a distant coworker, when forced to choose between the two.

And then, his complete and total inability to comprehend, internalized and accept that fact. A person would be dead, truly and utterly gone from this world. Cause he wanted to save his friend instead. And the only way to ingrate this horrible fact of reality, the capital A, Absurd, was to do it as any human might.

Have a very public and loud mental breakdown, spend prolonged period of in which you cannot be left alone because your darkest thoughts will loop forever into themselves as you become more and more upset, and yet, neither can you simply avoid thinking about it, has the only way to come to terms with it is though a mire subjects that cause revulsion. The desert of thought the mind shrink from, and the truth that lies in it. Which. Is very inconvenient for all your friends who would really just rather be having a normal one.

In conclusion? The doc shows autonomy and sentience by being loud, opinionated and embarrassing. Rude, precocious, and easily offended. Self obsessed, high-mined, and anguished. Dependent, vulnerable and inconvenient. Which is to say he possible the most real anyone could ever be. That he has a much of a soul as any of us. That he is a bitch and i love him SO MUCH.

[lilandraws]

MAAAN IM ALREADY SO INTERESTED IN THIS HINGER GAMES AU :3 i just. saw penny in distressing situation and was like "HEEELL YEAH! PENNY ANGST!"

anywho, are there any other tributes youve established? maybe some more worldbuilding in this version of panem? or whatever setting this is IM STILL READING THE FIC SRRY

HIIIIIII !!! LKLKSDJFK THANK U FOR THE INTEREST !!! hell yeah penny angst <3

so far, most of the tributes are ocs or inspired by existing characters in the rotbftd - futuristic four - non/dreamworks fandoms that i gave panem-accurate names so they blend in seamlessly in the background without distracting from the main characters . here's a few characters that are inspired by existing characters:

Shrushti, Tadashi's stylist - Toothiana from ROTG

Mirana, District 1 escort - White Queen from Alice in Wonderland

Thal, District 5 (age 12) - Nemo

Birdy, District 7 (age 15) - Astrid from HTTYD

Sonora, District 10 (age 15) - Snow White

Irri, District 11 (age 14) - Tip from Home

it was difficult to put other existing characters into the world (into the districts, specifically) because Panem's struggles and worldbuilding are so specific that i couldn't just plop them into it without tweaking them a lot 😆 i found that the tadashi, hiro, penny, elsa, anna, and hans were the easiest to put into the world bc of their character and motivation as a whole (though initially, i only put penny in it bc she's a young redhead that elsa could project to but the more i studied her and wrote her, she ended up being perfect for the world)

i tried to make this version of panem as close to panem but with additional info that i made up bc the focus isnt on district 12. so here's a few details i added or built upon:

districts have no communication with each other so their knowledge abt each other are also delayed (penny discovers that panem has been using tidal power for ten years now through thal when she thought it was new and unstable technology)

desirable victors (and sometimes their children) are regularly brought in by the capitol to attend socialite parties for ....... various............... entertainment ............ purposes ............ (elsa and anna may or may not have a capitol citizen father ..........)

apart from interviewing victors abt their hobbies and life post-games, there's also reality shows about victors and/or their children (which is what elsa and anna were in for most of their lives)

each capable non-career district has its own way of discreetly training their children either through work or education (district 12, due to being the poorest, doesnt have either of these) . in district 3, survival skills are embedded into the advanced curriculum. unfortunately, they can only offer the advanced curriculum to the smarter students as most will/have work in the factories.

hiro and penny are classmates in the advanced curriculum ! theyre both training to be inventors (hiro has a focus on robots just like tadashi while penny has a focus on gadgets)

district 2 and 4 dont have dedicated training centers bc their kids' training are though work (2 with military training, 4 with fishing) while district 1 (luxury goods & lifestyle) have a specific academy that includes training (disguised as physical education) in their curriculum (training tributes before the games is actually illegal lmao so careers find loopholes around this)

UM THATS ALL FOR NOW I THINK THIS POST IS GOING TO BE TOO LONG IF I YAP SOME MORE LMAO TNX FOR ASKING !!!!

[insomniyawn]

hi im zee and i have a lot of feelings about magnai oronir! rambling about it a bit under the cut

i think hes really easy to misinterpret, but on the flip side of that i cant even blame people for it. a lot of his character shines through in optional dialogue, such as him musing on baatu's wife being a great healer who tended to him after naadam. i think its a cute look into his views on love- its easy to interpret him as some incel-y dom type, but you get little bits like that where he shows how he wants to be doted on. how he envisions his fairy tale romance!

which isnt to say he isnt a more dominant type. he doesnt hesitate to walk up to yshtola and plead for her answer, and even in optional dialogue he worries he may be too much, "if i were to meet my nhaama on the frozen plains, a woman as pure as the driven snow, do you think that the suns radiance would burn too brightly for her?" of course, we also factor in that a vital part of his spirituality is that he believes himself a direct descendant of azim. he was also khagan, which is a hefty position to be in, so i do think hes more used to that in charge mentality. why he honestly struggles with the idea of a dominant partner.

and this is where i do get the incel comments- hes very much reduced to a bit, which i very much dislike. i think the varied spirituality of the xaela tribes is some of the most beautiful world building in xiv and not only did they do nothing with it; they quite frankly watered it down for not just magnai but sadu and cirina too. it was disappointing to watch happen. though, i dont think hes full on incel since hes receptive to the answers he gets. but that scene in endwalker where hes commenting on how the ladies were dressed definitely had me thinking "youve got to reflect on how you speak to women." hes got a bit of misogyny to sort out. but so does the entire game honestly LMAO, and to be fair urianger also gets "slutshamed" by cirina so its not the most offensive bit to me

i want to say i fully dislike how hes written post stb, but i personally cant help be charmed by how stupid magnai is. i dont think its entirely inaccurate either- i dont think this was intentional, but i think its natural for walls to be formed after being bullied for how romantic his mind was from a young age. for him to respond to that treatment by digging his heels in and remaining firm on what he wants, potentially dismissing well meaning suggestions as the former bullying.

i also cant say i think its accurate though, hes shown in stormblood to be a pretty thorough khagan who honestly wouldve stayed on top if the literal wol didnt step in. i dont think hes as stupid as some bits make him out to be. though to be fair, its entirely possible his brain just processes situations he can approach strategically better as opposed to ones he has to bring emotion into.

ultimately though, i think what he really wants is a partner he can rest with. so much is expected of him, and he yearns for someone who can tend to him for once. i think its really charming! i wish that was shown in a way that reflected how charming it is. again, though, i can say that about sadu and cirina too. xaela lore is some of my favorite writing and they really didnt keep it up in endwalker imho... still gonna kick my feet and giggle every time i see magnai though hehehe