#yep that is art i have certainly made

[hermitadaymay]

WELCOME TO HERMIT-A-DAY MAY 2024!

I'm thrilled to bring this challenge to you all for the second year in a row! Hermit-a-Day May is a challenge inspired by Hermitober, but with a twist: instead of theme prompts, we focus on a specific Hermit every day!

THE RULES: 1. Any type of fanwork is welcome so long as it features, or is otherwise inspired by, the Hermit of the day. 2. Tag #hermitaday to have your fanwork reblogged, or submit it directly to the blog (Please note that while I recognize the value of fanworks involving more mature themes, and they can certainly count toward challenge completion if you're keeping track for yourself, content on this blog will be kept "PG-13" so that all may enjoy.). 3. Fanworks for one Hermit posted after the day rolls over to another Hermit's day (per the US Central time zone) will be reblogged in a big queue in June. 4. I am not interested in seeing captions or tags in which you disparage your art/skills. We're all improving all the time. Be kind to yourselves.

WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE? To show love to every Hermit, from the most to least subscribed, from those who have been on the server from day one to those who only joined this season! And because challenges are fun! And because, this year, there's an extra dimension to the event: a fundraiser for Gamers Outreach, featuring art incentives by @rendiggitydog and @belmarzi.

GRAND TOTAL INCENTIVE: For every $150 we raise for Gamers Outreach, belmarzi will make 10 seconds' worth of animatic, featuring as many Hermits as she can fit into the time frame.

INDIVIDUAL DONATION INCENTIVE: For every $50 (formerly $65 - changed 5/3) you personally donate to the fundraiser during the month of May, Rae rendiggitydog will draw you a shaded flats commission of a Hermit of your choice.

WHO’S RUNNING THIS? Hi! My name is Luna! You can use she/her, he/him, ze/hir, or ro/ros/roseself pronouns for me. My main blog is @as-if-unreal. Yep, before you ask, it really is just me, but to be fair I've had a lot of help.

BONUS SUNDAY PROMPTS EXPLAINED UNDER THE CUT

TFC - May 5th While he may no longer be with us physically, TFC left behind him a legacy of quiet care and good humor, and Hermitcraft would not have been the same without him.

FRIENDS OF HERMITCRAFT - May 12th There are plenty of shows, podcasts, competitions, other servers, and more woven into the internet ecosystem around Hermitcraft, and plenty more people involved in them: just as a small number of examples, Season 9's Rift opened up to a whole server of Emperor friends, and there are always allies to be made in MCC and enemies to be made in the Life Series. Today is for celebrating all of those who, while they may not be Hermits themselves, exist and entertain in proximity to them.

FAVORITE "ALT" HERMIT - May 19th HoTGuY and Poultry-Man. Helsknight and Evil Xisuma. Renbob and - look, you get the idea. This server is full of theater kids ready to toss on an alternate skin and play into a brand new character at the drop of a hat. Who's your favorite?

GROUPS AND COLLABS - May 26th This month is all about one Hermit a day... but what we really love is when they interact with each other. What does your favorite duo or group of Hermits get up to together?

[clockwayswrites]

City Pigeons Bleed Green Part 19

(I know I'm tech on a break this week, but I could use the serotonin.) masterpost

“He understands that I am coming over?” Damian asked as he inspected his pencil case to make sure he had everything he needed. Father would be picking him up from art class to fetch lunch.

“Yep, Danny knows we’re bringing lunch over,” Grayson answered. His thumb swiped idly across his phone.

Damian took a slow breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. He loved Grayson, but it did not mean that the other was not an idiot sometimes. Sometimes family meant loving someone even though they were an idiot, Damian reminded himself.

In an attempt to start again, Damian stayed silent until he was sure that he had all of his supplies in his messenger bag. “I meant, does Danny understand that it is specifically me bringing the food? Does Danny understand who I am?”

“Oh, Dami baby, yeah,” Grayson said, voice softening in a way that made Damian bristle. At least Grayson finally set his phone down. “Jay talked to him about it and is still there at the apartment with Danny now. I’ll over over to give Jason a break and be there when you and Bruce come. Do you want me to double check with Danny before you arrive?”

Damian frowned as he adjusted the strap on his bag.

“Yes,” Damian answered after a pause and when he could meet Grayson’s eyes confidently. “I believe that the redundancy would not go amiss.”

“Okay, yeah, I’ll be sure to double check before you and Bruce get there.”

“Acceptable,” Damian said and let to find Pennyworth for his ride to class.

Doing art calmed him. That knowledge had been a surprise at first. While Damian had, of course, learned about art as part of his cultural and historical training, actually being able to engage in art was was something entirely knew. Something that was available to Damian only because of his Father’s allowance.

No, that was not quite right. Father didn’t allow Damian to do art, Father simply wanted them to be happy and art is what made Damian… perhaps not happy, but at least more at peace.

Peace had been such a rare thing in Damian’s life.

He still didn’t quite know what to do with it.

Annoyingly, class that day didn’t quite manage to tamper the churning in Damian’s gut. He could (and would) ignore the feeling, of course, but that did not mean it wasn’t there.

Or that it didn’t grow as Damian was waiting for Father to pick him up for class.

“You have put in the order we discussed?” Damian asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

“Yes, it should be ready shortly after we get there,” Father answered. “You were out quickly today.”

“Tch,” Damian looked away from his father’s searching gaze and focused on the world outside the window. He hated to have tells, but in a family of detectives it was impossible not to. “If it unlikely to be ready, perhaps we should stop by the Turkish bakery that is near. Surely there are items there that are not too sweet for his diet.”

“That’s a nice idea,” Father agreed with a thoughtful hum. “He may have never had them before so we can get a little selection of what you think he needs to try.”

Damian worked not to physically freeze. That felt suddenly like a great deal of responsibility. Which was silly, it was simply food.

“That is a sound idea,” Damian said instead of trying to face his sudden worry.

It was even more overwhelming in the face of all the options. Damian certainly spent far too long making a selection, but Father doesn’t rush him, so Damian tries to allow himself the time. The food is easily acquired after. Far too quickly that they were in front of the safehouse door. Father rested one hand on the back of Damian’s back, a bracing presence, before he knocked.

“Coming!” Grayson called needlessly through the door a few moments before he it swung open. “Hey guys, come in. It’s all good.”

Damian resisted the urge to nod to that, took a breath, and crossed the threshold.

Danny sat on the couch. The fabled day saving blue bear was clutched in the boy’s lap; clutched too tightly. Damian shot Grayson an accusatory look. Clearly it wasn’t ‘all good’.

Grayson rolled his eyes and took the box of sweets from Damian to take to the kitchen with Father.

Damian was left alone with Danny.

At least it gave Damian time to properly study the other boy. Not blood son. Clone. Better and worse at once— a copy of Father. It was clear how much Danny looked like Bruce, a redundant thought now that they knew Danny was a clone, but it crossed Damian’s mind all the same. It was odd to see the still slightly sunken cheeks and too prominent collar bones on someone that looked so much like Father, so much more like Father than Damian did.

Idly, Damian wondered if Danny would ever reach Father’s stature, what with his past. Damian himself had started to grown into wild shoulders and broad chest that would someday be his body over the last year, but Danny had not.

Danny, at least a year older, was still far too slight.

But older.

The oldest blood.

Would he try to take Damian’s place now? It would only be just, with how poorly Damian had behaved when he first arrived, especially to Drake. And Damian’s brash attacks, Danny would have the right to his. He was oldest…

“Are… are you alright?”

Damian’s head snapped up at Danny’s words. When had he lost his focus?

“I do not know,” Damian said, too honest words tumbling across his tongue without his permission.

He didn’t know.

[loudclan-clangen]

in light of fiercestripe potentially dying in the next update, I just wanted to say how much I adore how you write her. After running away from a group who seems to only value women as mothers, I really appreciate that you still kept motherhood as a key part of her character. Like, she learns how to be independent and becomes an AMAZING warrior (she has fierce in her name for a reason!) but she's still a great mom. Not only that, she still loves BEING a mom! Her love for fighting and her love for her kits are never seen as contradictory and I really enjoy that about her character. Motherhood itself is never framed as a bad thing and the cats who want to be moms are never framed as lesser for wanting that, and I just find that really cool :)

Thank you! I tried very hard to make sure that Fiercestripe's storyline came across this way. I think it's very poetic that she had daughters who she gets to watch grow into competent warriors of their own accord.

They searched for Fiercestripe for a couple of days, but not to the extent that they're pursuing these current she-cats. They might have caught up to them the first night or two but two healthy adult cats would have easily been able to out maneuver and outpace them. The culture of the farm-cats has gotten much more extreme following Fiercestripe's and later Thorn and Frost's departures. Loudclan territory is more than two weeks travel from the farm, chasing someone that far means that they're either pretty desperate or incredibly angry.

You're certainly right about that! Here's a sneak peak sketch:

Yep!

It was the rogue attack patrol event, as many of you have figured out, but it could have killed anywhere from 1 to all 5 of them, so you'll just have to wait and see!

If you made it this far, hi, thank you! I've got a question:

Warrior's stated policy says that they allow selling of fanart that doesn't include official art or symbols, and clangen has stated that they don't mind so long as you do not use game assets so

No pressure, I know Loudclan's just a tumblr blog and I have no ideas of grandure, I just thought it might be fun!

[genericpuff]

Are there any characters from LO that you actually like/don’t mind

I have a lot more appreciation for Minthe now with all the hindsight that Hades and Persephone are often way worse than she is. She still had a lot of issues on her own end that she didn't deal with well, and while I would have liked to see her actually develop properly beyond her struggles both internal and with Hades, I think the best thing we could have asked for was Minthe being written out of the story the way she was. At least then Rachel couldn't continue to use her as a punching bag (she just tagged in Leuce for that, sigh)

Helios is great, zero issue with him. This scene is a lot funnier and more relatable to read in hindsight:

like ofc Helios is gonna rat on her, he's the fucking sun who's been around for thousands of years, why would he put any more of his limited freedom on the line for macaroni art LMAO (and yes, Rachel herself confirmed that Persephone made macaroni art cards for Helios, it's like... yeah okay it's cute but Persephone and Demeter still hid a crime from Zeus, the sentimental value of the birthday cards have no bearing on that LOL)

Thanatos is also in the camp of "characters I appreciate more in hindsight and wish got better character development". Adding in the 'twist' that he was Hades' adoptive son after we just spent nearly two seasons watching Hades treat him like just a lowly employee who didn't deserve his respect was certainly... a choice. And I don't think I should have to explain why it was a very very BAD one LOL

Hephaestus is also great, I know he's an extremely minor character whose only real role was to delete the blackmail photos from Apollo's phone but, like. look at him???

amazing. precious. sweet boy. and it has absolutely nothing to do with my absent older brother issues why would you say that- (｡•́︿•̀｡) that said, there are still flaws in his design (his prosthetics especially because he's constantly wearing running blades for every occasion which I feel like Rachel only chose because they "looked cool" and were "easier to draw" but like. his poor hips and back, that's gotta be uncomfortable 😭) but even just his face on its own is ironically one of the most unique character designs across the entire cast, not for any sort of outstanding or creative reasons, you just can't possibly mistake or color swap him with anyone else LMAO and though I can't feasibly give credit to Rachel for writing a neurodivergent character - because I have no clue if that was her intention here, afaik she's never really talked about it - I can wholly relate to him being the introverted computer guy who just wants to be left alone with his work and his airpods, like that's literally just me LOL

And of course nothing Rachel could ever do would make me hate Demeter, I think it's so ironic and tone deaf that Rachel claimed she "didn't get" why Demeter was so hated by the fans and didn't "agree" with the comparisons to Mother Gothel, but like... Rachel literally wrote her that way. And while she did "resolve" it, it wasn't with any actual empathy towards Demeter's own side of things, it was just bandaids on top of bandaids and then going "yep! She's all better now! That's character development!" Out of all the characters who deserved better, she was the one who deserved the most 😔💓

[maranigai]

Do you still accept characters for that ask meme? I saw you only answered an ask about Messmer so far! How about Morgott for that ask meme? (not sure if asking DS characters counts since like 80% of info about them has to be manually hallucinated by the fan themselves, but I can if that's okay with you!)

Yep, I'm still doing character ask meme, Messmer simply was the only ask for me by now lol Also DS characters are fine too, of course they would be like 95% headcanon based, but that's why we love DS, isn't it?

But anyway, Morgott. My absolutely favourite of favourites of all ER characters...

favorite thing about them

First of all, Morgott is such a beautifully contradictory character. He's a demigod shardbearer and a cursed being, a proud monarch and a monster in his own eyes, a defender of all that is holy and a warlock shrouded in illusions. And all these things are actually logical and completely understandable given his story. Because, above everything else, Morgott is a broken creature, not as a result of his own deeds or guilts, but because of the things beyond his control, some ancient sins and crimes he's not aware of, some old vengeance that existed even before he was born. And this break, this pain, is a spiral, you know? Morgott hates his nature because he was convinced he's a monster, he supports the system that oppresses him because he believes that he's oppressed rightfully and this system is the best remaining option for the world as a whole, even if he and people like him have to suffer for it, and in doing so he causes even more harm, more oppression and misery for himself and everyone around. I love how he's a loyal, determined, faithful person, and this is exactly what makes him a villain in the story. He's an extremely tragic character, but completely consistent in his tragedy, his brokenness, and I have a deep weakness for broken things.

least favorite thing about them

I don't think there's anything I don't like about him as a character, I mean, he's certainly not flawless, but his flaws are what make him so interesting in the first place. So I say that my least favourite thing is his bossfight. Don't get me wrong, Morgott is one of my favourite FromSoft bosses in general, but I have a feeling that they made his moveset (super-complex and interesting) first, then remembered he's a mandatory mid-game boss and panicked to balance him to this level by drastically reducing his damage and hp.

favorite line

May the curse seep to thy very soul.

I just love his spiteful tone in this one, sorry.

brOTP

I could write Mohg or Godwyn here and it would be legit, but allow me to be more exotic this time and mention Malenia. They have many things in common, if you think about it: two cursed, yet somewhat noble beings, bitterly determined and endlessly loyal to their masters of choice. I can absolutely see how they can respect and understand each other, even if not sharing each other's cause. I also love the idea of a young, sick, not-yet-swordmaster Malenia and her Cool Big Brother Morgott, the only person around who takes her seriously.

OTP

Banished knight Oleg. Literally the mix of my favourite tropes of "liege and their a bit too loyal knight" and "my majestic, scheming wife and me, committing whatever crimes she wants me to commit today". Also Oleg dies before Morgott, so my inner angst enjoyer appreciates this as well.

nOTP

Mohg! I just can't see them as a pairing, their sibling relationships is everything to me. I'm also not a fan of Tarnished/Morgott, mainly because most of such arts/fics imply some level of self-indulgence and this just doesn't work for me (though I've seen several very cool works with this pairing too).

random headcanon

Three for the price of one: Morgott's hobby is creating clockwork automatons (a more detailed post about this hc); his favourite half-sibling is Malenia and this is mutual; he also shares Mohg's sense of fashion, but refuses to admit it.

unpopular opinion

While most people hc Morgott to be the elder twin, in my hcs he's the younger one (and the youngest of Godfrey's sons). Ironically enough, this isn't an important headcanon for Morgott himself, but it's an essential part of my perception of Godwyn and (especially) Mohg.

song i associate with them

Мельница - Что ты знаешь

My personal theme song for Morgott as the Veiled Monarch.

favorite picture of them

There're so many cool arts of Morgott that it's really hard to choose the most favourite one lol

So for now I pick this one by Cruentum_Noctis

[thana-topsy]

I’ve lost count of who all has tagged me in a WIP Wednesday post, so THANK YOU all my beautiful tesblr buddies. I was very busy yesterday, and today was hectic as well, so I’m rolling in late.

I’ll double whammy my wips and include some art and some writing. The brainrot continues, and I believe it to be terminal at this stage.

Urag with an undercut. Urag With An Undercut.

And here's a snippet from the fic I'm currently working on featuring these guys again some more:

---

“Thought I might find you up here.”

Enthir took another long drag from his cigarette, his eyes trained on the lights of Winterhold, winking like distant stars across the dark chasm that separated the city from the college. He exhaled, the wind snatching away the smoke as soon as it left his lips. “Were you looking for me?”

Urag leaned against the wall to his right, upwind. “It’d been a few days since I’d last seen you slinking around the grounds.”

“Business in town,” Enthir said by way of explanation. “Been staying at the Hearth.” 

He saw Urag study his profile out of the corner of his eye, but Enthir didn’t look at him. “There’s more to it than that.”

Fuck you, old man, Enthir thought. He sighed and put the rolly out on the stone wall before flicking the butt over the side, watching it fall down into the darkness. “Got a visit from an old… friend.” He tongued the inside of his cheek. “Troubling news.”

“It never ends, does it?” Urag said with a sigh.   

“Apparently not.” Enthir arched his back, stretching until his sternum popped. “I’ll tell you more. Inside, though. Not gonna freeze my nuts off over all this.”

Urag followed Enthir back to his cramped quarters in the Hall of Attainment. He wasted no time making himself at home in one of the chairs, toeing off his boots and propping his feet up on Enthir’s bed. Enthir paced around the room, organizing some of the bits and bobs he’d left lying around—shuffling papers into stacks, dropping loose jewelry into various boxes. 

“I’ve long known the Guild has been going through hard times,” he started to explain. “Thanks to the near-endless business of our colleagues, I don’t have to rely on them as much as I used to. The new Arch-Mage had me nervous for a while there, but I think we’ve reached an understanding.”

“Wickwing is no Savos,” Urag agreed. “But she’d make an enemy of herself if she tried to push you out of the college. She’s smart enough not to mess around with the established order of things, so long as it’s good for the school.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Enthir muttered. 

“Did you step away from the Guild when it started going downhill?”

Enthir paused, looking down at the book on the top of the stack in his hands: The Nightingales by Gallus Desidenius. “You know when I stepped away from the Guild. And why.”

Urag grunted, but said nothing else on the matter. “So why’s their business your business all of a sudden? Just wash your hands of them. You’re doing them a favor, the way I see it. A fence this far north?” He clicked his tongue in lieu of finishing his sentiment. 

“That’s where this friend comes in.” He shoved the books one by one onto the shelf over his desk. “Karliah.”

“Karliah.” Urag repeated the name, as if thumbing through the dusty catalogs in his mind for the association attached to it. “Ah, right. Gallus’s woman.”

A needle of pain in Enthir’s chest made him wince. “Yep.”

“Didn’t she–?”

“Nope.”

Urag grunted again. “Well, that certainly shakes things up.”

[spacetime1969]

Danny Fenton’s Field Trip to the Ghost Zone!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to write a fic inspired by the art of the wonderful @arisu-artnfics as part of @ecto-implosion. I ended up thinking it would be fun to bring in a trope from a completely different fandom, and write a Peter Parker Field Trip fic for Danny Fenton. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Magic, Dragons, and Storms? Oh my!

Ao3 | First | Previous | Next

Technus’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Welcome to the Time Lost Lands, students! The home of Queen Dorathea and her subjects.”

“Woah is that a castle?” one of Dash’s classmates asked.

Dash looked out the window and sure enough, there was a massive medieval castle right out the window.

“Is that a dragon!” Dash couldn’t help his yell as he spotted a large winged reptile climbing out from behind the castle.

Manson just grinned at him. “Yep.”

The Dragon jumped from the tower and started flying towards them. Dash made a very manly noise of surprise. Definitely not a terrified squeal. (AN: This is a lie. He actually did a very good impression of a baby otter)

The Dragon was getting closer and closer, and everyone, other than the nerds, was getting progressively more freaked out. Fenton and his friends on the other hand didn’t even flinch as the massive mythical creature landed on top of the bus.

“WHO DARES TRESPASS ON MY... Oh, hello Lady Samantha. How are you this fine morning.” Halfway through its booming yell the dragon transformed into a woman with long blond hair who smiled at Manson.

“Hi Dora!” Manson smiled back. “Our class fell through a natural portal and we’re trying to get home. Think you can point us in the direction of the Far Frozen?”

“Well I can certainly give you directions, but I’m afraid they won’t be much help. The next stop on your journey is Box Ghost and Lunch Lady’s lair, which is currently only accessible through The Storm of Doom.” Dash could hear the capital letters in that name. He looked out into the Ghost Zone where the ghost was pointing and saw a patch of dark clouds. It didn’t look like much, but something about it scared him.

“Oh no, are they alright?” Fenton asked. He and his friends actually looked concerned.

Now Dash would admit that he wasn’t the best at math, but if those four were actually scared of something after how relaxed they had been at everything else in this dimension, then Dash should probably be just as scared. (AN: Dash made an error in his calculations, he should have been far more scared than he was)

“Last I heard from them they were preparing their lair for the storm. So I assume they are doing alright, but we won’t know for sure until the storm passes,” the ghost queen said.

“Speaking of which, that storm is heading this way!” Technus’s voice said over the bus speakers.

The other ghost, Dora, nodded. “Yes, I have been working to prepare the castle and move my citizens inside for the storm. You and yours are welcome to shelter with us Lady Sam.”

Manson and her friends share a look. “The last thing we want is to be stuck in The Storm of Doom.” Valarie said.

Fenton and Foley both nodded. “Yeah, the castle is probably one of the safest places to ride it out. I vote we take Dora up on her offer,” Fenton said.

“Hang on just a minute!” Mr. Lancer interrupted. “Since when were the four of you in charge!”

Foley shrugged. “Hey, Technus!” he said, turning to the front of the bus. “What are the odds on us surviving if we try and fly through The Storm of Doom?”

“My current calculations indicate a 5% chance of immediate death.”

Mr Lancer’s eyes widened. “Well that’s not too bad,” he managed to stammer out, but Technus kept going.

“A 30% chance of your classmates' blood boiling in their veins. A 24% chance of their brains freezing solid. A 4% chance of death by electrocution. A 10% chance of death by poisonous gasses. A 7% chance of spaghettification. A 9% chance of death by eldritch madness, 6% chance of Danny, Valarie, and I being the only survivors, 3% chance of you and Sam also surviving, and a 2% chance of more than half of your classmates surviving. The odds of everyone surviving is less than 0.01% and statistically insignificant, so I rounded it out.” Technus sounded way too cheerful to be discussing their, apparently very probable, deaths.

Mr. Lancer’s face had gotten paler and paler as the ghost spoke. He stumbled into his seat, Foley just smirking at him. “So, do you want to do that? Or do you want to spend the night in a very secure castle and not die a horrible death?”

“Besides,” Fenton held up a glowing green post-it note that he had gotten from... Dash had no idea where he had gotten it from, “time is apparently moving at a two to one ratio to earth right now, so every two hours we spend here only one is passing on earth. So we have plenty of time.” No one bothered to ask him how he knew that.

Mr Lancer just nodded and slumped farther into the bus seat.

Manson turned back to the ghost dragon lady floating outside the bus and smiled at her, bowing at the waist. “We humbly accept your offer of shelter, Queen Dorathea of the Time Lost Lands.”

The Ghost, Queen Dorathea, nodded back at Manson. “The Time Lost Lands do not forget those who helped us find our path to the future, you and yours will always be able to find shelter in our walls, Lady Samantha.”

The solemness that had fallen over the group hung for a moment, before Manson straightened and smiled at the ghost. “Thanks Dora, I really appreciate it!”

“Of course Sam! I’m always glad to have you stop by! Have your vehicle land in the field by the stables. It should be safe from the storm there.”

They did as ordered, and the bus came to a stop next to a stable with, were those unicorns? (Star would later inform him that they were actually alicorns.)

They all hopped out of the bus and looked around at the castle. It was even more impressive up close. The walls absolutely towered over them, and they made Dash feel very small.

Off to the side he could see Fenton and his friends talking to Mr. Lancer, but they were too quiet for him to hear what they were saying. He wasn’t gonna have to wait long to find out what they were talking about though, since Mr. Lancer called them all to gather around.

“Alright class. Miss Manson and Mr. Foley are going to go find out how long we will have to wait out the storm. In the meantime, I encourage you all to eat your lunches. If you were planning to buy lunch at the planetarium please raise your hand, Mr. Fenton has offered to hand out Fenton Sustenance Crackers™ to anyone without a pre-packed lunch.”

Dash felt his lunch money in his pocket and winced, he didn’t exactly want to take Fenton’s charity, but he had worked up quite the appetite since they had fallen into the Ghost Zone, so he raised his hand. Next to him, Kwan raised his hand too.

Fenton slowly made his way around the group and passed the crackers out. When he approached the two jocks Dash was surprised to see that they were literal crackers, like a saltine. For some reason he had been expecting more. Fenton smirked at him and split the cracker in half, handing one half to each of them. Dash stared at it.

“Is this really it?” he asked.

Fenton just smiled. “Yep, trust me, that’s all you’re gonna need.”

Dash shared a look with Kwan as Fenton continued onto the rest of the group. Kwan just shrugged at him and the two inspected the crackers they had been handed. It looked like a normal cracker, for the most part. Dash was pretty sure the slightly green hue was just the lighting, but he still hesitated.

Dash’s stomach rumbled and he shrugged. It was better than nothing. He tossed the cracker into his mouth.

It tasted strange, both citrusy and bland, while also tasting like absolutely nothing. The taste was nothing compared to what happened when he swallowed though. He could feel the cracker slide down his throat and into his stomach, and then expand.

“Oh that’s really weird,” Kwan said with a shudder.

“You get used to it!” Fenton yelled from across the field.

Dash shuddered, he really, really hoped he never did. He would give Fenton one thing though, the crackers certainly worked. His stomach felt like he had just eaten an entire 16” pizza by himself.

He joined the other students as they sat in the grass eating and talking. For a moment he forgot that they weren’t just hanging out on the football field back at Casper High. Manson and Foley returning with the green skinned ghost queen broke the illusion though.

The group hurried over to Fenton, and Valarie. Dash didn’t recognize what Valarie and Danny did, that the group were only avoiding breaking into a sprint to not cause a panic.

Dash was just close enough to over hear their whispered conversation.

“Danny we have bad news,” Manson said.

“Really bad news. The storm’s drifted further than expected. The Core is heading straight for us,” Foley sounded scared, and that scared Dash. The look on Fenton’s face pushed him from scared to terrified.

Fenton stood up from where he had been leaning against the bus, straightening and turning to the ghostly queen who had offered them shelter. “Queen Dorathea, how may I be of service to you and your people.”

The Queen bowed her head to Fenton. “Your friends have agreed to assist the royal mage in raising a shield around the castle. But I fear that without your power they will be unable to outlast the storm.” The queen made eye contact with Fenton “I ask for your aid in this, K-”

Fenton interrupted the queen. “Just Danny right now, Dora.” Fenton looked over at the rest of the class, who were obviously trying to listen in to their conversation. He made brief eye contact with Dash before turning back to Queen Dorathea. “But you will have my assistance in any way you require it.”

Fenton turned to Valerie. “Come on, let’s go let Lancer know what’s going on.” He turned back to the Ghost and bowed. “We'll be back soon.”

They hurried over to Mr. Lancer. Dash wasn’t close enough to hear what was said, but he could see the way Lancer tried to argue with Fenton only for him to stand firm. Eventually Lancer slumped and seemed to give permission.

Fenton grabbed his bag and made his way back to his friends and the queen. “Alright, let’s go. Val, you got things covered here?”

She nodded, before pulling Fenton and the others into a quick hug. Then they walked away, leaving the class whispering behind them.

There was no sun in the ghost zone but it certainly felt like it was setting as the green sky grew darker and the howling noise of the storm began to grow louder and louder.

Dash and the other A-Listers watched as the storm rolled over them, the clouds covering the sky completely. The clouds seemed to whisper to him and Dash couldn’t help but be drawn to them. He felt himself stand up and, not hearing his friends call his name, started walking away.

Val smacked him over the back of the head. Hard.

Dash felt dazed and confused. When had he stood up? Where had he been walking to?

“Yeah, don’t look at the storm. It’s not the weather you really have to be worried about.”

Instinctively Dash looked back up at the storm. Val smacked him again.

“Don’t look at it idiot. Got it?” Dash nodded rapidly. “Good. Now get back to your friends. You scared them.”

Dash looked back over his shoulder. They really did look terrified.

He quickly walks back to them. “Sorry guys, I don't know what happened.”

Paulina’s voice shook. “Don’t do that again.”

“You scared us man,” Kwan said. "It was like you couldn’t hear us.”

Dash almost looked back up at the whispering clouds again. But he caught himself, and looked down at the ground instead. “I don’t think I could.” He whispered.

They sat in silence, intentionally not looking at the storm.

There was a deep ring that echoed through the castle, and voices raised in a haunting chant. All around them a glowing green dome raised to block out the storm, the whispers in the storm becoming muffled and drowned out by the chanting.

“Look! up there!” Star said, pointing up to the castle walls. Dash followed her finger to where four figures were standing silhouetted against the bright green of the shield.

Three of the figures were holding their arms up to the sky, green wisps of magic trailing out from their hands and stretching out to the dome above them, pulsing in time with the chanting. The fourth figure had his hands on the shoulders of two of the others, their hair seeming to glow with the lighting.

“Is that Fenton and the others?” Star asked.

“Yep,” Valarie said. Dash jumped. He hadn't seen her walk up behind them. “Them and the royal mage.”

“Since when could they do magic?” Paulina asked.

“Sam and Tucker have been studying for a while. Danny too, but he doesn't have as much talent in it. He’s so powerful though that it doesn't matter much in the long run. He can just brute force a lot of things.”

She turned to look at them, making eye contact with Dash in particular. “You should all be grateful you haven't bothered them since freshman year. Sam could turn you into a frog and Danny could separate your soul from your body with just a word. As for Tucker… let’s just say that we’re all glad he stays focused on technomancy.”

Dash felt queasy. "Did you ever learn anything?” He asked, morbidly curious.

Valarie just shrugged. “It's not my specialty. I know some of the theory, but not much more than that.” She grinned and pulled a very big ray gun out of her purse. “Besides, I'm more of a gun gal anyway.”

Kwan squeaked and Dash barely kept himself from doing the same.

“How’d you get that to fit in your purse like that?” Star asked.

“There are some benefits to having magic friends.” Val grinned at them again, before sobering slightly and gesturing back towards the bus. “Now come on, we fixed up the bus so that people can sleep in it.”

Dash and the others followed her to the bus. The backs of the bench seats had been laid down flat and someone had found blankets and pillows from somewhere, turning the seats into makeshift cots.

“Claim a bed and get some sleep if you can. It's gonna be a long night.”

Dash had a hard time sleeping on the makeshift cot. Not necessarily because it was uncomfortable, but more because his mind was too full. The green glow and unending haunting chanting wasn’t helping either. Though it was definitely preferable to the alternative. The way he had almost walked off into the storm terrified him.

He got up from the bed and quietly made his way out of the bus.

Val was sitting outside on a wooden stool that had been pulled from somewhere. She had her gun balanced on her knees. and was staring up at where her friends were still chanting on the castle wall.

“How are you so calm?" he asked. “All of this is absolutely crazy, and yet you're so calm. How?”

Valarie just sat there for a long moment. “There's not much I can say other than 'you get used to it,'” she finally said. “Danny Sam and Tucker, they've been there since the very beginning, since the portal opened in his parents lab.” She glanced at him. “It's hard to keep up with the rest of them sometimes. They're all so in sync and I joined them so much later, but I'm nothing if not stubborn, so I keep up with them anyway.”

“So this whole time Fenton and the others have been befriending the ghosts and learning magic and and... I don't even know what else.”

Valerie's laugh was humorless. “Yeah you really don't know what else Dash. And I'm not going to tell you.”

“Why not!”

“Why would I Dash? Why would I tell you a secret that isn't even mine when you bullied Danny and ostracized me back in freshman year. Why do you think Dash?” Val shook her head. “It's not my place to tell people, and even if it was, you'd never be someone I'd tell anyway.”

Dash had nothing he could say in response.

Valerie turned back to watch the castle walls. “Go back to bed Dash.”

He did as told, but he didn't get much sleep that night.

[craziechwiv]

The Paladin and their Succubus Frenemy - 5 Pt.1

Early in the morning, as Ruby was sleeping soundly in her new bed, she was rudely awakened by the large pounding of one of her teammates. If she had to guess on who, it'd be the...short redhead one...what's her name again?

Dwarf Nora: Ruby? RUBY! It's Nora, time to get up~! We're needed by Priestess Glynda!

Ruby: W-Whuh? Why?

Dwarf Nora: IT'S IMPORTANT NOW GET UP BEFORE I BUST DOWN THIS DOOR!

Ruby: Right, right! I'm getting dressed now!

Ruby sighed to herself about the immediate wakeup call from her teammate but sucked it up. If she'd want her stay among their ranks to be permanent, then she'd have to act the part and be ready for anything they go through. Even if that means saying goodbye to her precious beauty sleep, although she doesn't need it to gain Jaune's affection anyhow~.

Ruby took some time to stretch out her wings and claws, as she then retracts them back as if they weren't shown at all. Within due time, she got dressed in her standard outfit, putting on some basic armor on top of it, and put on some arm braces in quick haste and exited her bedroom. As she ran through the hallway towards the living room, she saw her team already waiting for her.

Jaune was in his usual Paladin armor, a iron like chest piece with arm and leg bracing strapped tightly on him. He held his shield in one hand and sword sheathed but ready for combat. Ruby had to admit it made him look more hotter when he was in this than his regular hoodie with a knitted bunny pattern on it. Although, both made him more adorable~.

Pyrrha was decked out and had a serious look on her face, wearing an iron type of gladiator wear with some stitched in cloth around some lining. She held onto her spear tightly in one hand and her shield in the other.

Ren was getting done wrapping his hands in wrap while Ruby saw one set of light green daggers besides him. He was also dressed in cloth clothing with flower petals stitched onto the center. Ruby had to admit, the petals were a nice touch.

Non-biased opinion of course...

As for Nora, she was rocking a lamellar helm with some armor matching it. However, she also wore a secondary layer of quilted cloth that was underneath the lamellar. Once she was done dressing up, she grasped a large hammer in both of her hands, before yelling out some war cry? Ruby couldn't tell as she covered her ears from how loud she screamed.

Paladin Jaune: Great, you're here. You're ready to go?

Reaper Ruby: Yep! Just quick question, what's happening? I only got that it's important and we're meeting a Priestess.

Champion Pyrrha: We can't say for sure, but if we're called in together, it certainly isn't bandits this time.

Reaper Ruby: So, demons?

Monk Ren: That is what we're pointing towards at the moment. But let's go to the Priestess first. we can't waste any more time.

Paladin Jaune: Right, c'mon guys! If it is demons, we'll think of a plan on the way.

With the confusion out of the way, the team all rushed out of their dorm and headed straight towards the main area of the Cathedral. Ruby looked around and saw many members of the place, the art on the walls, and of course the stained glass depicting the four heroes. Again, she'd had to admit they we're doing well here. She had to remind herself to 'reward' Jaune on asking her to join their team.

Before she knew it however, they approached a pair of doors guarded by some knights. The knights opened the door, letting the members in one by one. Before Ruby could enter, one of the knights stopped her, raising his sword as she raised her hands up on instinct.

R. Knight: I haven't seen you 'round here. State your rank her!

Reaper Ruby: I'm with them, I swear! I-I'm a new member, ask the leader!

The Knight turned his head towards Jaune who nodded his head back at them. The Knight looked at Ruby intensely as if he was peering into her soul but sheathed his sword and let her pass into the room.

R. Knight: Apologies.

Reaper Ruby: It's okay, I would be paranoid too.

After that brief hiccup, the group arrived into a large room, with many tables and chairs arranged in corners. In the far back was a lone woman, reading a note on her desk as she looked distressed. As she looked up, she saw the team and Ruby approach her. She sighed, taking her attention away from the note and stood up, walking towards them. The five stopped in line, with Ruby stumbling of course that led to a snicker from Nora, and the Priestess stood across from them.

Priestess Glynda: I'm glad you all could make it in short notice, not to mention on your day off as I apologize for. But we've got a note sent to by a scout of a nearby settlement.

Monk Ren: What's the state of the scout?

Priestess Glynda: He is being treated now, but he was severely harmed. It's a miracle he had the strength to endure it, nay, even walk such a distance for our help.

Paladin Jaune: Poor guy...

Priestess Glynda: Indeed. I'll cut to the main problem since you all possibly already figured it out on the way here. It is demons, a bulk of them. From what the note said, their warriors and those lending a hand managed to slay a decent chunk of them, but there is still at least 20 more roaming the settlement. They've seeked shelter in a cabin and barricaded it. They don't know how long they can last, and they have some of their fighters severely injured with limited supplies.

The team all stood still as statues as Ruby heard it all intently, trying to remain as professional as possible.

Priestess Glynda: You all know what must happen now, save those poor souls and make sure each of those vile demons is sent with a mark from your weapons.

As the Priestess finished her orders, her gaze peered onto Ruby, who jolted. She walked over to her and stared at her for a reasonable amount of time, making the demoness in disguise scared before she spoke again.

Priestess Glynda: I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met yet. Are you a volunteer adventurer here to help or...?

Paladin Jaune: Actually, she's our brand-new member!

Priestess Glynda: Really?

Reaper Ruby: Uh, yes! I am here to help out with whatever I can. Although, I may not be as efficient as the others, I can still fight!

The Priestess showed a slight smirk towards Ruby but backed away from her, clapping her hands together.

Priestess Glynda: Well, that's just wonderful to hear we still have some people not in it for money nor fame to help save others. I welcome you to our ranks. What is your name?

Reaper Ruby: Ruby, Ruby Rose ma'am.

Priestess Glynda: Well, I hope you survive your first mission. It'd be a shame to lose such a bright spirit in these times...

Reaper Ruby: Trust me, I intend to.

Priestess Glynda: Good. Don't break that promise. Now, all of you better make haste towards the settlement! It is north-east of here. No telling how long it has been since the attack but save and salvage whatever you possibly can. And make sure those vile menaces are put in their place.

With her last bit of orders being said, the team nodded in unison before making their way out of her quarters, leaving the Priestess to ponder to herself.

Priestess Glynda: Hmm, Rose. That name...It's been a while since I've heard it. I guess that wench did birth an offspring like she said she would. Let's hope she doesn't stray the path her mother did, or else.

Next Chapter >

[tomorrowusa]

« Donald Trump thinks that we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich. But take it from an actual billionaire; Trump is rich in only one thing – stupidity. »

— Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, speaking Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention.

That was just one of many zingers the governor lobbed at Weird Donald.

Trump is certainly not a highly successful businessman. He's a nepo baby who got a huge bundle from his wealthy real estate developer daddy and stupidly squandered it on useless failed projects. Savvy or stable geniuses don't declare bankruptcy 6 times.

Trump's big break was getting that gig on The Apprentice. He portrayed a successful businessman in the series. Sadly, a lot of Americans have difficulty distinguishing between so called "reality TV" and real life.

The New Yorker published a long article about Trump and The Apprentice in December 2018 and related how TV producer Mark Burnett helped create the Trump success myth. Here are two key excerpts.

Trump had been a celebrity since the eighties, his persona shaped by the best-selling book “The Art of the Deal.” But his business had foundered, and by 2003 he had become a garish figure of local interest—a punch line on Page Six. “The Apprentice” mythologized him anew, and on a much bigger scale, turning him into an icon of American success. [ … ] "The Apprentice" portrayed Trump not as a skeezy hustler who huddles with local mobsters but as a plutocrat with impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth—a titan who always seemed to be climbing out of helicopters or into limousines. "Most of us knew he was a fake,” Braun told me. "He had just gone through I don’t know how many bankruptcies. But we made him out to be the most important person in the world. It was like making the court jester the king." Bill Pruitt, another producer, recalled, “We walked through the offices and saw chipped furniture. We saw a crumbling empire at every turn. Our job was to make it seem otherwise."

Yep, "a crumbling empire" is a great metaphor of where Trump was prior to The Apprentice. He's no self-made man but somebody who egotistically leveraged the mythology which Mark Burnett created around him.

Random idiots on the street would have done better than Weird Donald if they had gotten that much money from a rich daddy.

^^^ They left out my favorite: Trump Vitamins – fortified with B and S.

[embyrinitalics]

What a Surprisingly Thoughtful Defunctland Documentary Taught Me about Writing Fanfic

In case you weren't aware, Defunctland (Kevin Perjurer) is an artist and documentarian whose delightful films cover the strange histories of theme parks and themed entertainment (my favorite is the FastPass+ retrospective). I just finished watching one of his videos, and I found the conclusion so inspiring that I wanted to jot down some impressions.

I didn't think a documentary about trying to track down the composer of the Disney Channel theme song would lead me on a deep dive into artistic identity and legacy, but here we are.

So without spoiling the ending, the film concludes in part with various artists (and even the filmmaker himself) introspectively discussing the complicated relationship between an artist, what he creates, and the legacy he want to leave behind.

Usually an artist hopes to be remembered for something meaningful and lasting, something "serious," probably the culmination of years of labor that they would consider to be their best work. For a composer, they might imagine a grand piece played in a concert hall, or something similarly complex. Almost certainly not a four note jingle played between commercial breaks.

Kevin himself admitted to having difficulties reconciling his love for his work and the films he creates with his disappointment with his outward facing identity: a YouTuber and Content Creator, who gets called pretentious for trying to identify himself as an artist, filmmaker, and documentarian.

Part of what's put forward in the film is that maybe we need to stop obsessing over how grandiose or serious the work we're remembered for is, which is really a thing of ego and largely outside our control. Maybe what we need is some humility, and to learn that what's important isn't how fantastical the work was, but the amount of joy it brought to people.

It got me thinking about being a fanfic writer. I've never had anyone call me pretentious for claiming I'm an artist, but I've felt like I am. And I have had people tell me that I'm "wasting my talent" writing fanfic and that I should eventually outgrow this hobby and do real writing. It's made me timid to tell my friends that I write, and made the pride I feel when I finish a piece a tad tarnished.

But if I step back from the notion that the value of a piece of art is determined by predefined measurable parameters, instead of by the passion, talent, and love and dedication of the craft poured into it by its maker and the joy it sparked in others, maybe I'd stop pooh-poohing the stuff I make—THE FANFIC I WRITE (louder for the people in the back!)—and treat it like the lovingly-crafted, handmade, one of a kind, fresh-squeezed out of my brain SPARKLY WORK OF ART THAT IT IS.

And the same goes for you! So, uh, yep! That's it. That's the post.

Mmkay bye!

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Fossil Novembirb 14: Lost in the Woods

Eurotrochilus by @iguanodont

Even though parts of the landscape were opening up, the forests of Europe weren't done yet - in fact, many began transitioning to the drier temperate forests we know from Europe today! This transition through the Oligocene would have major consequences for bird evolution - I mean, why else would I bring it up? The formation of the first permanent ice sheets in Antarctica made the world drier, and in turn lead to many of the European Islands of the Eocene connecting with one another, forming an actual continent. Well, sub-continent.

So we saw h ow birds were adapting to the plains - how did they adapt to the temperate forests? Well, by more modern groups appearing, too! In fact, this was a busy period of evolution for most animals, as early forms gave way to modern clades and the early adapations that make those clades unique begin to pop up.

Aviraptor by @otussketching

Eurotrochilus, known from Germany during the Oligocene, is a prime example of this phenomenon: it looks almost identical to living hummingbirds, but - unlike living hummingbirds - it was in Europe, not the Americas! Though it wasn't quite a modern hummingbird, having long finger bones like ancestral forms, it had the adaptations needed for feeding on nectar and hovering while foraging for food. As a pollinator, it would have been a key component of the forest ecosystem, helping to pollinate flowering plants and keeping the forest growing. It was also exceptionally common, and may have lead to many plants co-evolving with hummingbirds in the Eastern Hemisphere - so that when hummingbirds disappeared from the region, the niche was left open for the passerine Sunbirds to one day fill it.

We also start to see more and more flighted birds of prey, like Aviraptor. Though small in size, it had long slender legs and sharp talons, and was thus the first raptor adapted for eating other birds as prey - to capture them in the air mid-flight. Sure, it mainly ate small ones, but we all have to start somewhere! And, with all of those lovely hummingbirds and early passerines and barbets around, it certainly had enough food to eat.

Rupelramphastoides by @drawingwithdinosaurs

Yep, I said barbets - the earliest known barbet-like bird comes from the Oligocene European Forests, Rupelramphastoides. One of the smallest members of the Toucan-Barbet group, it had a lot of very modern traits from the group for its early evolution - including long and slender foot bones like living Toucans! It had a small beak, like barbets, and squat wings for flitting about between the trees. Like its living relatives, it probably ate fruit - which would have been plentiful - as well as insects.

Wieslochia, which I discussed on Passerine day, was also present in these forests - it was just a great place for modern tree-dwelling birds to really get their start! Relatives of hoopoes and hornbills, like Laurillardia, were also present - and had long wings and tails, probably for display in addition to movement. Palaeotodus was present in these forests as well as in the savannah, indicating that it was flexible in its preferred habitat - like the living todies of the Caribbean today. Why todies today are only limited to the Caribbean islands, however, remains a mystery.

Oligocolius by @quetzalpali-art

Mousebirds haven't been limited to their modern range yet, either! Though not a Sandcoelid, Oligocolius was a weird Mousebird with the hooked bill of a modern parrot! So, clearly, Mousebirds were experimenting with lots of different niches prior to the modern day - and this is a neat example of convergent evolution to boot! It had a crop, unlike its living relatives, which allowed it to digest tougher plant material. It was common in its environment, found both in the forests and in more lacustrine and coastal areas, indicating it was flexible in this changing world - an extremely helpful adaptation as the ecosystems evolved!

Primotrogon, an early relative of trogons, breaks the pattern of "Like Modern Relatives but Slightly Off" that we've been seeing with these birds - unlike living trogons, it had long wings, a short tail, and small eyes! In addition to it's weirdness, we actually know the color of this bird - it had green secondary coverts, with grey secondaries and primary coverts, though the color of the primaries is not known. Given the rareness of green in animal colors, but how commonly it comes up in birds, this is another example of that phenomenon!

Primotrogon by @albertonykus

Tree dwelling birds aren't the only birds that live in forests, and they aren't the only ones that underwent radiation during this period of environmental change. A weird group of "shorebirds", the Buttonquails, first appears in this ecosystem in the form of Turnipax. Like quails, they are small round ground dwelling birds, but weirdly, their closest relatives are gulls and sandpipers! Turnipax seems to have already been much like its modern relatives, and its possible that the lower diversity of landfowl allowed other avian groups to fill these niches. Rupelornis, a relative of albatross, also lived in the forests of this time - and probably was an ocean going bird, living like modern storm petrels and plucking food carefully from the surface of the water. Like other sea birds, it may have been in forest habitats for the protection - for nesting, rearing young, or other activities. It's a lot easier to hide in the trees than it is to hide at the beach!

This time of environmental turmoil gave dinosaurs new opportunities to diversify - and required flexibility to do so, as the landscape ebbed and flowed between savannah and forest much as it does today. Alas, the climate would not remain stable, and as we continue through the Cenozoic, more and more ecological turmoil will continue to have lasting effects on the evolution of living dinosaurs.

Sources:

Mayr, 2022. Paleogene Fossil Birds, 2nd Edition. Springer Cham.

Mayr, 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance (TOPA Topics in Paleobiology). Wiley Blackwell.

[sneezemonster15]

Hi

was sasuke serious when he wanted to kill naruto at orochimaru hideout?

did he wanted eliminate team 7 with kirin?

and I saw some ss shippers claim that he didn't hug naruto, it was just a foreshortening...

😑

No it is not foreshortening.

Hi. Foreshortening is an art technique where an object or a figure is rendered from a certain angle, usually an unusual angle, which highlights its distortion; it's basically a visual perspective. Kishi certainly is very fond of rendering his drawings from weird angles. He uses other techniques as well, like fish eye lens technique, which is also used for visual distortion, it can be used to highlight an expression or a mood, or to establish emphasis or to create an eerie/menacing effect. It used to be quite popular in films at one point of time, it's not anymore. They are used for very specific scenes nowadays, and aren't as ubiquitous as they were once. Anyway. What would be a good example of foreshortening and fish eye lens? This.

Don't get tangled with SS's delusions and false information. They will say anything to sound smart but ultimately, it makes them sound really dumb.

Now look at this.

Where is the foreshortening? Listen to me carefully, don't doubt yourself so much, trust your instincts, they are there for a reason and Kishi's work only encourages them, any good storytelling does. SS will always be wrong. I have not seen even a single one of them say a single rational thing YET. Just brand it on your brain and enjoy the manga as it is meant to be.

Foreshortening is about visual perspective but it doesn't change the actual action. It has nothing to do with that. It's only a way of looking at something. Sasuke is very obviously embracing Naruto. His hand is Holding Naruto's shoulder and he is close enough to be able to whisper directly in his ear while their bodies are clearly touching properly.

Was Sasuke serious about killing Naruto in their reunion scene?

Now what's important to notice about this reunion is that Sasuke didn't go looking for Naruto. Naruto came looking for him. If Naruto hadn't tried to get in Sasuke's way, Sasuke won't have attacked him. Just like vote one. If Naruto hadn't followed Sasuke with ALL his might, Sasuke would have left Konoha without confronting Naruto. Which means that Sasuke only feels pushed to 'cut Naruto down' when Naruto waylays him. Because seeing Naruto coming after him does funny things to Sasuke. All his intentions about getting strong and following his ambition take a backseat. Seeing Naruto weakens his resolve and he tends to lose grip on his composure. When he sees the person he loves despite his better judgment, he tends to make all the wrong decisions, he becomes a self saboteur.

These couple of chapters were funny and kind of bittersweet because ONCE again, we get to see how Sasuke just CANNOT help himself when it comes to Naruto. And these few chapters only help to underline the fact that Sasuke simply is frustrated, not so much with Naruto, but his own resolve when he sees his 'one and only....friend.' Lol. It's really a pattern with him, like I have written here.

Anyway, let's get into the meat of it.

So Team Kakashi arrives on the scene and Sasuke notices Naruto and his gaze is stuck on him.

So damn much emphasis. Right away, the reader's attention is monopolized and MADE to focus on the tension between Naruto and Sasuke because of the bubbling anticipation. We know how they separated at the end of vote one, and we know it was very painful for both of them. We have so many questions. Are they answered? Yep.

Look at the visual language. They don't have to say anything and yet the reader can viscerally feel the tension between them. Naruto's angst and yearning. Sasuke's more stoic features frozen on Naruto's visage like a magnet. Kishi certainly knows how to render roaring emotions into the characters without having them say a single word. That's just a testament to how good an artist he is.

So after Sasuke acknowledges the presence of the team, he proceeds to mock Sai who has just tried to assassinate him, and whom he correctly interprets as his stand in, by stating how he wanted to protect the bond between him and Naruto. To which, Sai responds by saying that he has changed his mind about killing Sasuke because of Naruto. Naruto reminded Sai of his bond with Shin, which brought about his change and he decides to do his own thinking and not follow rules blindly.

And this affects Sasuke. Look at his face. Sasuke knows Naruto has that effect on people, because he experienced it himself. We only get to know this in chapter 698, but Sasuke clearly admits that seeing Naruto always reminded him of his bonds with his family, just the same as how Naruto reminded Sai of his important bond, Shin. So when Sai tries to bargain with Sasuke about protecting Naruto and Sakura's (lol) bonds with Sasuke, Sasuke tells him that was exactly the reason he cut them off. Meaning, he tried to get rid of anything, or at least attempted to, that came in the way of his goals. Which is exactly why Sasuke says this.

That "personal ties cause confusion....and make you weak."

He tells Sai that he has cut off those bonds and he only has the bond of hatred now, the hatred he has for Itachi.

The truth is that he is not entirely accurate in his statement, heh. And Naruto catches it.

He tried to kill Naruto in vote one but couldn't do it. But regardless, he claims to Sai that he cut those bonds off. Well, he cut them off with Kakashi and Sakura. But you see, he never cut it off with Naruto.

Which is exactly why, Naruto is PUSHED to say this.

Naruto righteously asks him if he wanted to really cut off those bonds, why didn't he kill him off at the valley of the end? He certainly could have. Very easily too, Naruto was unconscious. Naruto also knows that Sasuke couldn't do it because he was afraid. Meaning, he knows Sasuke didn't want to lose Naruto because he cared for him, he couldn't bear to lose Naruto. And look at Sasuke's face when Naruto very emphatically and angrily screams the sentiment out. He is perplexed, obviously a little vulnerable.

He switches his self preservation mode on to balance it out (Sasuke doesn't like to appear vulnerable) by acting stoic, and so he tells him that he spared Naruto on a whim, but Naruto isn't really buying it. Now, we know that Sasuke is lying about the whim part. It's ooc for him. And anyway, it makes no sense.

However the deed is done. A crack has appeared on Sasuke's tough exterior, Naruto has made it happen. Like always. Heh.

And so what happens. Sasuke glides down to hug his precious.

And then he flirts with him. Yes. Flirts.

Sasuke - Didn't you say your dream was to become hokage? What are you doing here following after me when you could have used this time training for it?

Subtext - Do you like me or something Naruto?

Naruto - How can I be a hokage if I can't even save a 'friend'?

Sasuke - Pff

Subtext - Lol. You are such a child Naruto.

When Sasuke glides down and embraces Naruto, it registers itself remarkably in the reader's mind. Why? Because Sasuke has already been established as a person who isn't touchy feely. In part one, it's only Naruto he finds himself comfortable with, physically. He likes his personal space otherwise. Why would he willingly hug Naruto and speak like some femme fatale? Kishi obviously wasn't trying to portray this action of his as platonic. Certainly not in addition with all the flirting.

Did Sasuke want to kill Naruto?

Well he never wanted to kill Naruto for the sake of killing Naruto. He only attempted it because Naruto caused his goals to get blurry. He fogged up his plans for revenge. Sasuke cannot think straight when Naruto is around. Hehe. It happens when something that you want stands directly in opposition to something/someone you like.

Regardless, he didn't come at Naruto to kill at this point. If he wanted to attack Naruto, he could have efficiently done it in other ways. Don't look anywhere else. All the pertinent information is in these couple of chapters themselves.

This is a Sasuke who has trained with Oro for two and a half years. Who knows all the ins and outs of fighting techniques. Look how he analyses and handles Sai's and Yamato's fighting techniques in a matter of fact way. What impression and information does it give the reader? That Sasuke is skilled, and confident as fuck too. Hell, the reason why Yamato gets skewered by Sasuke is because Sakura tries to show off and attacks Sasuke. He stoically proceeds to attack in return. And had it not been for Yamato, Sakura would have been a goner. Like always, someone needs to rescue her. Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato, Obito, Lee...heheheh.

But when with Naruto, he makes a whole show of unsheathing his katana, taking his time, as if savoring these moments with Naruto, and as expected, is stopped.

He just wanted to feel close to Naruto. Feel his presence closely. He has met him after two and half years after all. Remember how crushed he looked being separated from Naruto after vote one? Why wouldn't he want to get close to Naruto? After all this time of not seeing and missing his usuratonkachi?

He could have chidori streamed him right away, he wouldn't even have needed his katana to begin with. Like he did later to Sai and Naruto. Naruto was obviously incapacitated by it. But he chose not to. He chidori streams both Sai and Naruto, stabs Yamato, and then stares and keeps staring at a struggling Naruto. And then proceeds to enter his mind space where he meets kyuubi for the first time. He makes the kyuubi retreat. He, who is so analytical about his moves and he who is so thorough about keeping a close guard on the enemy, just cannot help but look at Naruto. And keep looking.

And what happens? The same thing that happens everytime when Naruto is around him. His concentration gets compromised. His goals get sabotaged. His intentions and rational thinking leave for lunch break.

And this is what frustrates him. No really. It does. He can't even get a straight answer from Naruto as to why he keeps following him, getting in his way, knowing that Naruto's reasons simply don't come off as commensurate with what he does, but Sasuke nevertheless gets embroiled in his feelings for Naruto and it gets his goat. He loathes when it happens, he loathes his own weakness, but it happens.

When Sasuke evades Yamato's wood style jutsu attack, he is again asked by an anguished Naruto to rethink his plans, as Oro would sooner or later take over his body. Sasuke has had it. So he emphatically tells him that if being strong enough to kill Itachi meant he would need to let Oro take his life over and over, he would do it and that's the end of it.

Yamato proceeds to attack Sasuke, but Sasuke has really had it. He defeated Sai so easily when Sai tried to attack him, he incapacitated Naruto. He even managed to subdue Yamato. But all in vain, because Naruto makes him weak. He was subdued by Yamato in return when he lost his concentration because it was fixed on his dobe. And he cannot be weak. Not if he wants to accomplish his goals. Yamato saying anything wouldn't have this effect on Sasuke. Why would it? He doesn't even really know him.

So Sasuke decides that he is going to finally take care of it. By legit attempting to kill Naruto. And if need be, the other team members if they interfere, which they obviously would have. Sasuke is done with his ties with Konoha. And he wants to simply erase them. Well, not with Naruto, as we come to know later. But in this scene, he certainly seems to make up his mind finally but Oro arrives at the nick of time and convinces Sasuke not to. And that's that. He disappears with Oro and Kabuto, while still staring at Naruto. CANNOT take his eyes off him, he can't.

It's pretty clear in these chapters that Sasuke is damn skilled, perfectly analytical and superlatively confident and if he really wanted to attack Naruto, he could have done it right away. He is obviously capable of it, like he did to Naruto later on with chidori stream. Or he could have used his katana efficiently like he did with Sakura who got blocked by Yamato which resulted in Yamato getting skewered. You don't even need to go where Sasuke used his chidori spear, which he used to attack Oro and Killer Bee.

The context of these chapters makes it clear as crystal.

[rtcpickyourpoison]

You did such an amazing job with the way the list is presented. Bravo!

Also love the banner for this blog lol

For the free day, would one be allowed to put the focus on a relevant OC? Like a parent or other choir member?

I just really love your work. You very much inspired my AU, "Are We Ever Going Back?" <33

1. Thank you very much!! I can't take credit for that, my buddy @twistthescript made the graphic. We conceptualized it together over vc but she did most of the work on that aspect so I gotta hand it to her. If you aren't familiar with Twist already I highly recommend checking out her page and giving her a follow cause she's a hell of a writer and has one big fat juicy galaxy brain!!

2. Lol the banner I actually drew for someone as a doodle request a while back. Someone wanted Ricky dressed in his SABM regalia and I just find that "Oh my goodness what have I gotten myself into?" line super endearing. Mainly I chose it because I feel that line encapsulates how just about everyone feels when they decide to take on an art/writing challenge, it's certainly how Twist and I felt while we were doing June Doe and June started to wind down and we were on a time crunch. So I just felt it was the funniest and most appropriate choice for this event as well lol

3. Yep, for free day any character or characters are fair game so long as they somehow relate back to RTC!!

4. Oh wow, thank you so much!! Your AU has come across my dash and I've read a little bit of it but I've been sick lately, so I definitely will continue reading it once I feel well enough to give it my full attention. I'm actually a licensed nurse IRL (that's what compelled me to write my fic) so another fic prominently featuring a character as a nurse is really awesome to me. Kind of a "two cakes" situation!!

[tamelee]

Hey so I had a question and am wondering if you want to answer it because for a sns shipper you’re tolerable not to be mean. Yep I don’t ship sns I like nh together so if you wanna ignore this then that’s fine I don’t really care but what sns shippers always forget is that interpretation is the only thing that matters. I like nh so what? I think they were built well and make sense but that’s not going to make me not a shipper. You guys come up with all these theories that don’t make sense and I don’t like sns and that is my interpretation and that doesn’t make anyone wrong because you have no say in how I should think and feel. So this literally debunks y’all sorry. I still really like your art and some meta if it’s not about sns. Cheers.

Hi, glad to know that I’m tolerable lol. Very interesting. 

It seems like you anticipated the possibility of being ignored because we have opposing views on the matter which you’re already aware of, but I wouldn’t ignore you simply because you ‘ship’ something other than me. (Though I’d rather just call myself a fan in the context of SNS.) In fact, you’re always free to challenge anything you want, it’s fun for me and perhaps even informative for us both. 

Anyway- 

You say; 

Interpretation is all that matters

You interpret NH to make sense and well built(/developed) 

Your interpretation is right because it’s how you think and feel

You conclude; 

Because interpretation is all that matters, your interpretation debunks us all (I guess you mean SNS-fans and the theories that support them)

Ngl, that’s an extremely weak argument (if you can even call it that) 😬 but let’s talk about ‘interpretation’.

Interpretation by nature is subjective. 

It’s important for sure, it matters in the sense that your personal perspective helps you determine whether you like/dislike something because your preferences would have no foundation otherwise. 

It’s impossible for an interpretation to be ‘wrong’ in a general sense because it’s something that happens naturally when you engage with any creative expression. You observe something, your brain frames the thing, then you attach personal meaning behind it and of course it’s okay to experience anything however you do, because that’s a natural response and different for everyone. 

So, in regard to your criticism, I don’t think anyone meant how you think/feel about an experience is ‘wrong’ or makes your interpretation ‘wrong’. 

But, using this as a reason to ‘debunk’ us all, makes your logic a fallacy. In other words, I disagree with you. Interpretation is certainly not the only thing that matters here. 

Interpretation can change in different cultural contexts, it may require references from other work and sometimes it is so ambiguous to the point where it is even necessary for a reader to draw a conclusion themselves based on the context when it’s not literally ‘there’. A lot of subtext provides the opportunity to delve deeper to see whether your initial interpretation is supported by the narrative or not. 

The whole purpose of interpretation in a literary analysis (because that’s what’s important here) is to explain the interpretation and make sense out of the meaning to then determine whether it is valid in the context of a narrative. 

In the sense of literary interpretation, there are ways to prove whether an interpretation is correct or not. It is a misinterpretation when you misconstrue the meaning (or any other of the endless elements) behind a story. And thus, theories are made to question and challenge an interpretation/claim/argument etc- which is what SNS fans imo do really well generally. 

And that’s why ‘interpretation’ by itself isn’t the only thing that matters when analyzing because it doesn’t prove anything, and 'the thing' doesn't care about your damn feelings nor is it ever really relevant when analyzing. Claiming your framing does prove it all is such a disrespectful way of looking at the literary work. The nature and meaning behind Naruto and Sasuke’s bond requires (and deserves) further analysis and taking a deep dive towards Kishimoto’s intentions, especially after such a random ending and a horrible, misaligned sequel. There are well-supported arguments which rely on evidence based on a (,or THE one and only~) primary source. (The Manga.) Every ‘meta’ is a case-by-case matter of course and I don’t always agree with them either, but analyzing does require a lot of critical thinking and I have admiration for the people who do so/can. 

You can strengthen your argument by analyzing how your interpretation debunks SNS-theories and, in the context of the story, (the primary source) why NH is developed well and makes sense. Though I get the shortcut, it seems completely impossible to do and too much of a task, but feel free to try anyway :)! 

[bastetreawoken]

Wild Manes review episode 2:

(initial notes were made while watching, then edited and additional were made after)

COCOA STOP TAKING TO THE SCREEN

I'm pretty sure that thing is an advertisement for a toy- looking at the website, yep it's a toy.

The cucumber bit where they eat the spa cucs was a gag in g4

Probably coincidence:P

This episode is basically the plot of the first episode, crazy stuff happens, It circles around to when we first started and it concludes.

There is almost no moral to this episode, the best thing I can say about it is that it *kind of* gives more character to Bailey

I think I have less faith in Wild Manes after the second episode, though I'm also aware that when a show is made the first batch of episodes are already planned and any changes in strategy from the company in terms of writing won't take effect until the next batch of episodes.

I think if this show tries just to market to younger kids it's going to plateau, though I could be wrong and Wild Manes is the next PJ Masks or whatever the kids like nowadays.

I guess at this point I can't tell what age range the show is trying to be for because the show comes off a little condescending to the viewer's media comprehension which I don't like even in shows made for young children.

What made G4 so great is that there was a story to tell, and the viewers, of all ages were in on it. When I was 7 watching Friendship is Magic my favorite episodes were the cutie mark crusader episodes because I loved the characters and knew all of their episodes would have fun character development and a fun moral.

Especially past season 2 FIM was excellent at showing, not telling the story of an episode. I believe that Cocoa's forth wall breaking is here to stay but I certainly hope the format of

1- Something bad happens

2- Flashback to beginning

3- Circle back to where we were

4- Conclusion

Is NOT going to be every single episode..

It was nice rewatching my little pony episodes when I was older and picking up on things I didn't when I first saw them. Coddling the viewer by explaining the plot of every episode, especially in a Dora the explorer esce matter gives a feeling of secondhand embarrassment, at least it did to me when I was a kid.

I know I said I wouldn't compare it to g4 that's much, but even in the sense of mindless fun g3 was I think Wild Manes is a little lackluster.

G3 had beautiful background art and world building, so even if it was inconsistent every time you watched you just wanted to be there.

I don't think the town the Wild Manes crew is in has even been named yet?

Any way I think my potential rating has gone down to a 5/10, only time will tell at this point.

[insomn-art]

Working on a project and this is going to be the cover art. It's been a while since I've drawn all the kids together and they've certainly changed in six years.

As a reminder, they are: (front to back, left to right) Ghost Girl/Charlotte Palmer, Mercury/Harry Gale, Jason Quill, Concord/Adam Amari, Pneuma/Aria Newman, Link/Leo Snow, and Otto Newman (back).

For people who like to see before and after shots, I have the original sketch under the cut.

Yep, this is how most of them start out. XD

Biggest changes were rearranging the placement of all the characters (based on feedback from @astralfrontier, which I think made the flow of the picture better) and making Otto's "pose" in the back a bit more dynamic (based on feedback from another one of my friends).