#university is a fun place

[i-want-to-be-spaghettified]

that moment when you almost get locked in a library overnight

[raycatzdraws]

A Linked Universe meets The Dark Crystal AU! I don't even remember what started it at this point. I remembered that the Dark Crystal and Age of Resistance are things I like, blinked, and woke up three days later with an AU and a bunch of art.

The designs and the story are a wip and for fun so expect a lot of variation! (I have a few different beginnings, ideas for different designs, etc)! :D

In addition to #linked universe I'll be using the tags #the dark crystal lu au and #courage of the dark crystal!

[screwpinecaprice]

Some warm up connverse

[canisalbus]

Your idea of having a less tragic modern AU where the boys have a chance at a happy life makes me want that to just be a thing that people will do with doomed characters sometimes, give them a second chance in another kinder gentler universe to get it right this time with all the weight of their past lives giving weight to the story.

.

[project-sekai-facts]

Only one date is ever mentioned in-game, that being 2021. Considering that the Virtual Singer Fan Festa seems to be a stand-in for Magical Mirai 2021, we can assume that the Scramble Fan FESTA! event takes place in September 2021 (the real-life MM2021 was delayed to November due to covid-19, but the pandemic doesn't exist in-universe and MM Tokyo usually takes place at the beginning of September). There are Leo/need Daily Life social media posts that show them attending Magical Mirai, and do state the year of the event, but these can be considered promotional material for the event itself rather than canon material, especially since the characters address in-game that only one year has passed since the start of the story (despite the fact they have celebrated new year's day 4 times now. Timeloop things).

Based on this date, we can actually place exactly when every main character was born. The cutoff date for Japanese schools is April 1st, making Ena the oldest main character, being a 3rd year with a birthday of April 30th, followed by Tsukasa on May 17th, so on so forth all the way down to Kohane, a 2nd year with a birthday of March 2nd.

Considering when Scramble Fan FESTA is set, Ena, who was a 2nd year at the time, would be 17 years old. That would place her date of birth as April 30th, 2004. Additionally, while Kohane, a first year at the time, should be 15 during the event, the game considers her to be 16 due to using a set age for every grade bracket. Regardless, the event setting places her date of birth as March 2nd, 2006.

Based on this, we can conclude that:

Ena, Tsukasa, Rui, and Shizuku were born in 2004

Mafuyu, Kanade, Airi, Minori, Saki, Toya, Nene, An, Ichika, Mizuki, Emu, Haruka, Honami, and Akito were born in 2005

Shiho and Kohane were born in 2006

This also means that Ena, Tsukasa and Rui are all older than the MEIKO software (released November 5th 2004), and everyone except Kohane is older than the KAITO software (released February 17th 2006). Every main character is older than Miku, the Kagamines, and Luka based on this information.

Using the information around set ages*, we can also work out rough estimates for when the side characters were born. For example, Arata, who was 19 during the first 3 years of the game, is 3 years older than the members of VBS who were all considered to be 16. Since the members of VBS were born in the April 2005 - April 2006 school year range, Arata was likely born in the 2002-2003 school year range.

* based on how characters like Youta and Miu, who are said to be the same age as Leo/need, were both confirmed to be 16 years old before the 3rd anniversary age-up. Also Haruka's age is confirmed as 16 at a point in time when she shouldn't be 16. Timeloop things.

Based on this, the oldest living side character, Kounosuke, who was 55 pre-3rd anniversary and 39 years older than Emu, was probably born between April 1966 and April 1st 1967. On the younger side of things, Hanano, who was 14 pre-3rd anni, was likely born between April of 2007 and 2008. I've put the rest of the estimated side character DOBs under the cut.

assumed age as of 3rd anniversary in brackets (literally just pre-age-up age + 1)

Rakunosuke Otori - April 2nd 1922 ~ April 1st 1923 (98 (at time of death. would be 100 if still alive))

Kounosuke Otori - April 2nd 1966 ~ April 1st 1967 (56)

Jean Riley - 1967~1968 (55)

Harumichi Aoyagi - 1968~1969 (54)

Shin'ei Shinonome - 1973~1974 (49)

Mr Yoisaki - 1975~1976 (47)

Ken Shiraishi - 1978~1979 (44)

Taiga Kotaki - 1978~1979 (44)

Mrs Asahina - 1980~1981 (42)

Yoshiki Shindou - 1982~1983 (40)

Yuuka Kazamatsuri - 1990~1991 (32)

Keisuke Otori - 1991~1992 (31)

Shousuke Otori - 1994~1995 (28)

Daigo Kijima - 1994~1995 (28)

Tatsuya Okazaki - 1999~2000 (23)

Yuuki Akiyama - 1999~2000 (23)

Ayaka Saito - 2001~2002 (21)

Hinata Otori - 2001~2002 (21)

Iori - 2002~2003 (20)

Mio - 2002~2003 (20)

Arata Tono - 2002~2003 (20)

Souma Miyata - 2002~2003 (20)

Asahi Genbu - 2003~2004 (19)

Kotaro Mita - 2004~2005 (18)

Sakurako Seiryuin - 2004~2005 (18)

Nanami "Nanamin" Hayakawa - 2004~2005 (18)

Futaba Natsuno - 2004~2005 (18)

Arisa Higure - 2004~2005 (18)

Ayumi Tabata - 2004~2005 (18)

Hibiki Miyake - 2004~2005 (18)

Shuuta Hayashi - 2004~2005 (18)

Ibuki Taniyama - 2004~2005 (18)

Yuina Uchiyama - 2005~2006 (17)

Shouta Hayashi - 2005~2006 (17)

Miu Takagi - 2005~2006 (17)

Youta Yoshizaki - 2005~2006 (17)

Riho Hasegawa - 2005~2006 (17)

Saku Kousaka - 2005~2006 (17)

Mai - 2006~2007 (16)

Hanano Yoshizaki - 2007~2008 (15)

Additional notes (mod is rambling atp):

Rakunosuke died when he was 98 years old. In the WxS main story, Emu says that he died a year ago. Assuming Emu was 15 at the time, they have an age gap of around 83 years. The year of birth listed here was based on that assumption.

We know that Kanade's mother died aged 30, but we do not know when she died. She is still alive in flashbacks set roughly 10 years prior to the events of game.

In the third fanbook, ages were given for Mrs Asahina, Shindou, Yuuki, Asahi, and Arisa as one year less than they are given in this post. The reason for me adding a year on is because of the confirmation in a livestream of Daigo's age being 27. Daigo is meant to be the same age as Shousuke, whose age was given as 27 prior to the 3rd anniversary. When his age was provided on stream, he was grouped with the 5 I mentioned earlier. Based on this we can assume that all their ages are taken from the same time frame, i.e, pre-3rd anni (and this also confirms that NPCs inexplicably don't age but we'll ignore that for continuity reasons).

We do not have confirmed ages for Nagi, Reki, Sakaki, Ohara, MMJ's landlady, Mafuyu's father, Hiiragi, or the members of ReLight yet

Rui suggests that Reki is the same age as him in A Story Where You Are The Star while talking about both him and Asahi in the same sentence. Asahi was since confirmed as 18/19, so it is likely that Reki is also around that age.

Nagi's age is left blank in the fanbook due to it not being revealed that she was dead at the time of publication. She is younger than Taiga, but we don't know by how much, but nonetheless she was likely born in the early 1980s. It is unlikely we will ever know her exact age.

Ohara is stated to be in his mid-30s, placing his birth year as somewhere in the 1980s, likely around 1986-1989. Sakaki is an old college friend of Ohara's, so he is likely a similar age.

No NPCs are given exact birthdays

[jojo-schmo]

Hang in there, Tylor Tuskmon…. You’ll find your purpose in this world…

[midoristeashop]

It’s ween 🎃 guess who I’m going as

also I did end up making the staff but the idea of walis took me out LMAO

Yurified pinoy Jack Frost is MY Brazilian miku

[feroluce]

Made a FANTASTIC discovery today regarding the meaning behind Boothill's fourth eidolon, I'm so happy!!! Most of it is just cowboy references, like

Eidolon 1: Dusty Trail's Lone Star- cowboy lingo, the Lone Star of Texas

Eidolon 2: Milestonemonger- more cowboy lingo, someone who roams and wanders

Eidolon 3: Marble Orchard's Guard- yet more cowboy lingo, a term for a graveyard (a fave of mine, because for me it evokes the image of a Church Grim <333)

Eidolon 4: Cold Cuts Chef- ????

Google didn't really provide much on Eidolon 4 like for the first three. Before today I had assumed it was just another movie reference of some sort, since Boothill is like entirely based on/inspired by old Western films.

"Cold cuts" are basically lunch meat/deli meat. It's precooked meat that doesn't need any kind of preparation- you can literally just eat it cold. Since it didn't seem to be a movie reference, I thought oh, maybe it's a nod to his lifestyle? Boothill is unhoused and lives on the run from the IPC with little rest, he doesn't really have the means to cook. Precooked, easy food like that would be a godsend for someone in his circumstances.

Anyway the original Chinese text gives it an entirely different, MUCH wilder meaning fjadskljfkld

love how they chose "celebrity chef" to show his expertise and/or fame in this fjkdlsja

Because no, "cold cuts" isn't cowboy lingo for anything, but cold meat specifically is.

It's how you refer to a corpse.

"Cold Cuts Chef" is not a title talking about his cooking ability, or his life's circumstances, or anything as mundane as that, IT'S ABOUT THE FACT THAT BOOTHILL SPECIALIZES IN DEALING DEATH, THIS MAN IS EXTREMELY SKILLED, AND GOOD AT WHAT HE DOES, AND WHAT HE DOES IS MURDER!!!!!

[wordstome]

what is it with me and school/university settings because I can't stop thinking about having a nasty one night stand with König at some frat party and he becomes obsessed with you while you don't even know his name. you're just trying to get through uni without crashing and burning while coping using drugs and sex and there's just this fucking guy who you slept with once and now he's everywhere, caring about you to an infuriating degree

[batcavescolony]

A Batfam AU where instead of going to get Dick to be Robin again Tim uses necromancy to bring Jason back from the dead. He just leaves Jason on the Wayne doorstep with a 'do better this time' sticky note. Batman can't find out who did it and Tim stays his little latchkey self with semi ok but distant parents (cus canonical they weren't really abusive just not there which isn't good but they could be worse). His parents bring him along on trips but again they love him but they just leave him to do as he pleases. so in Paris he ends up still getting trained by Lady Shiva. This keeps going and Tim just keeps reviving batfam members, if they fake their deaths and Tim tracks them down to check on them. They still have no idea who their shadow is, they can't find him, Tim likes it this way. Bruce goes MIA and Red Robin happens just minus Tim actually being Red Robin. The JLA doorstep gets a passed-out Batman with a 'I can't believe I have to keep doing this shit' sticky note on his head.

[questions-about-blorbos]

This question was sent to our inbox and we made a separate poll in response to it. If you want to put your Blorbo(s) in a situation of your choice and see what people think would happen, send your Blorbo(s) and the situation in which you want to see them to our inbox and we’ll post a poll for you! (For more information, check our pinned post.)

[spasikonik]

me if making fanarts of fictional bands was a job

[froggtogs]

figuring out legend this time!

[wantonlywindswept]

Definitely True Facts About Commander Vertex #1

He repels ghosts.

The fourth bed in the Guard commanders' bunkroom was haunted. 

Thorn scoffed at the idea, and Stone hummed with tolerant indulgence when it was brought up, but Thire knew they both agreed.

There was something unsettling about it: it was all neat lines and tucked corners and entirely devoid of life. And while that made sense--no one had ever used it--it still gave off a feeling of emptiness, like there was supposed to be someone or something there when there wasn't.

Thorn had tried sleeping in it just to prove Thire wrong, but he'd only managed a few nights before copping out and saying he just didn't like the bed, even though they were all the same standard-issue bunks. The fourth bed might even be nicer than the others; the mattress and pillows were still a little fluffy from having not been slept on.

Stone never tried, but Stone had a relationship with his own bed that bordered on worshipful; he was known to threaten violence toward people who even dared to try to sit on it. There was no way he would sleep on a bed that wasn't his.

Thire, of course, was too smart to even go near the fourth bunk.

But that was difficult, because the bed was the closest to the door--making it doubly cursed--and any time Thire walked too close he felt like he was about to be smacked by some ghostly hand for the presumption. Whatever was haunting it demanded peace and quiet, and even Thorn and Stone seemed to subconsciously try not to jostle the bed while passing by. 

They didn't have to believe in the curse for it to be true.

Thire was just about to fall asleep--they were allotted a whole eight hours now! just for sleeping!--when the door to the bunkroom opened. He squinted peevishly at Thorn, who flipped on the lights, and squinted slightly-less-peevishly at Commander Vertex, who followed him in. 

"Why," Thire moaned.

"You weren't even asleep yet," Thorn said without an ounce of sympathy. He turned to Vertex. "We have an extra bunk in here if you want, but we're allowed to stay in the GAR barracks now if you want somewhere cushier."

Vertex shrugged easily.

"I don't mind. Less of a commute from here."

He turned to the sole empty bed--the haunted empty bed--and Thire sat up sharply in alarm, opening his mouth to warn him--

Thorn ruthlessly shoved his face back down into the mattress.

"If you say anything about the stupid ghost," he hissed, "I am going to smother you with a pillow."

Thire's complaints were muffled into the bedding, and he could only watch, helpless, as Vertex dropped his bag on the bunk and sat down next to it.

And the bed...went back to being a bed. Nothing out of the ordinary, no sense of something missing; no gaping emptiness that seemed to permeate that corner of the room. The wrongness was just gone, chased away by Commander Vertex simply from him being there. 

Thire smacked Thorn in the head a few times until he let go, and shoved him away so he could sit up and gape as Vertex started unpacking his belongings. Even when someone just sat on the bed in the past, it still felt like they were doing something illicit, like they didn't belong.

Vertex fit in the space like it was made for him.

Vertex fit in the space like he had just made it his own.

Vertex could repel ghosts without even trying.

They never had to worry about the haunted bed again.

"The curse is lifted," Thire breathed reverently.

Next to him, Thorn growled and lunged for a pillow.

---

prev parts: one | two

[beaft]

my curse is that i am incapable of writing fantasy without establishing all the rules beforehand. like, i know it's okay to just "write a cool thing and then justify it later", but i cannot do that because i have ADHD also known as chronic overthinker's disease. i'll get 100 words in and a character will drink some tea, and then i'll have to stop and ask myself where tea comes from in this world and how it's distributed and whether colonialism exists and are they heating up the water with magic or are they using a copper kettle or perhaps a cauldron and is tea-drinking an elitist Rich Person Thing like it was in the early 1700s or has it settled into common practice? and then it's an hour later and i have still only written 100 words

[sysig]

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