#also been a while since I've drawn them with a braid

[minacht]

draw shea consistently challenge

[stepswowdsen]

【KagePro】 KuroEne Wearing Traditional Clothing & Saeru (MR2) Redesign Ideas 💙🖤🐍🐰

Summary:

Saeru (MR2) Redesign Ideas

KuroEne wearing Vietnamese traditional clothing (Việt Phục)

KuroEne wearing Chinese traditional clothing (Huafu)

Rambles that I originally wrote in September 2024.

I'll write an add-on post soon.

Something something, I feel like doing a Kuroha/Saeru MR2 (Manga Route 2) redesign with more influence from EA/SEA traditional clothes.

I'll come up with a main outfit for him to wear, inspired by JP traditional clothing and Azami's outfit.

And then I'll draw him wearing VN and CN traditional clothing on the side.

Ofc they'll be inspired by the look of VN and CN traditional clothing.

Inspiration

I got inspired to do a Saeru MR2 redesign after seeing this lovely Saeru MR2 redesign by @/dirtsooop that takes more inspiration from Azami and Tsukihiko and keeps some elements of his OG design 🖤❤️

I really love the shapes used for his hair. His hair looks so fluffy! And the choice of X-shaped locks (that resemble Azami's hair) is amazing too 💞

I love the pointy horns too... Reminds me of devil/demon horns.

It reminds me of how villains tend to be designed with pointy shape language because it indicates a sense of danger.

I loooove how she gave him X-shaped intertwining locks that resemble Azami's hair. Such a neat design choice.

Love the white bandages around his arms and hands too 🥰

The more traditional inspired outfit with longer sleeves (that takes more from Azami's outfit) looks so lovely on him... It fits him so well, especially since he's an ancient being. I love the interpretation that he'd take more influence from his creator's appearance/look.

Rambles

Rambles I had with Feila.

WIP for now since I've been busy with school. I haven't drawn clothes on him yet, so I cropped it for now.

Gonna redraw the MR2 form's hair later.

Every masc chara I draw getting the buff-ification (or at least looking more muscular) cuz of Douman is sooo funny to me.

Though it's funny how some EA/SEA fan artists draw Saeru buffer than I do.

Cuz I fuck with everything on this design EXCEPT for the crop top.

I love the black snake scales on his face, the cute little tufts of hair and black horns, the braid in the back that looks like a scorpion's tail like Judar's, red sclera and red gradient limbs, and the white sash with bloodstains on it.

Since Azami is Saeru's creator, I'll be incorporating more of Azami's traditional clothes inspired outfit onto his design~

Since the slit in Azami's outfit also reminds me of some Viet traditional clothes like Áo dài ("Long dress")

I do appreciate Mahiro’s work, but I'm not a fan of the manga art style by Satou Mahiro cuz the art is weak and undynamic.

Iirc, Sidu designed Kuroha/Saeru's MR2 design, so I REALLY wanna see her concept art sketches one day.

I love how Sayuki draws his MR2 design in the Children Record Re:boot MV since the inking is really good.

I'm thinking of doing a Kuroha/Saeru MR2 (Manga Route 2) form redesign that's loosely inspired by EA/SEA traditional clothes

I'd like to draw alts of him wearing Vietnamese traditional clothes and Chinese traditional clothes.

Azami's outfit is inspired by Japanese traditional clothing.

The slit in Azami's outfit does lowkey remind me of áo dài ("long dress")

KuroEne wearing Việt Phục

I have more ideas about this ofc but I'll put it in a separate post.

I wanna draw KuroEne in matching couple clothes (Vietnamese traditional clothes) 🖤💙

Imagine KuroEne in Vietnam wearing Việt Phục (Vietnamese traditional clothes) 🥺💞💗💖

I'd imagine that Saeru would wear black Áo giao lĩnh (Cross collared dress) and Ene would wear blue Áo Tấc (Ceremonial dress)

My skrunklies going on a vacation in my home country would be peak comfort for me~

I'd love to see them wear Việt Phục while in Vietnam's historical sights and gorgeous landscapes!

I want Ene to wear the gorgeous fairy style Áo Tấc with translucent sleeves! My wife would look absolutely gorgeous WAHHH 😭💞💘💓

Kuroha/Saeru would fit really well with the last one (painting)

I love the black and white, and gold embroiderings.

The black one is SO Saeru-core RAHHH

KuroEne wearing Hanfu

I haven't picked hanfu for them yet, but I'd imagine Kuroha would wear black hanfu (with accent colours like silver, white, gold, red)

Ene would wear blue hanfu (with accent colours like white and black)

It'd be cool if he wore thin white pibo (披帛), hanfu scarves/accessories.

It'd be reminiscient to his MR2 design.

I want it to flow around him and have an exaggerated shape language/silhouette like a snake 🐍

I'm planning to draw that in my Saeru MR2 redesign (cuz I don't feel like drawing the top and bottom part of the canon outfit, so I'm just gonna draw what I want)

F: > Your art

Cunty ahh pose also good luck with it :D

The crop top aspect (of the canon MR2 design) is a bit weird, but it's unique to me to I let it slide this time

Me: Yeah I was just thinking that for my future KuroEne arts, I don't feel like drawing the crop top so I'll just make up my own design

Also the canon MR2 outfit is confusing/hard to draw since we don't have coloured refs for it.

It's hard to tell what's going on with the bottom part of the design tbh since it's just inked in black

I'll continue the WIP later, I can tell you about the ideas I wanna draw irt KuroEne wearing traditional clothes (traditional Viet clothes)

So with the slit in Azami's outfit, I was thinking of taking inspirations from EA/SEA traditional clothing

Azami moved to and settled in Japan, and wears a more traditional esque outfit

So I was thinking of drawing Saeru in VN and CN traditional clothing as my alt designs.

I'd take inspirations from Việt Phục (traditional Vietnamese clothing) and Huafu (traditional Chinese clothing)

I'll see which ones fit the best. It'll be fun to experiment with different clothing designs.

He can just change his clothes with Awakening Eyes.

Though I'll keep Saeru's high collar, since he has it in both forms.

I'll also keep his MR2 form's scorpion tail shaped braids.

Việt Phục Rambles

This type of Việt Phục is called Áo dài ("Long dress"), it has a high slit around the waist.

Áo ngũ thân ("Five part dress") is the predecessor/ancestor to the Áo dài. It has 5 pieces/panels of fabric sewn together, compared to the Áo dài's 2 panels

Áo Tấc ("10 cm dress") is a type of Áo ngũ thân ("Five part dress"). It's the formal version with wide baggy loose sleeves

Áo Tấc is also called Áo tế (Ritual/Ceremonial dress). It's a Việt phục (VN traditional clothing) originally worn in the Nguyễn dynasty, but modern renditions are being made

Name comes from:

1 Tấc = 10 cm, width of the bound seam

I have the purple and pink Áo Tấc myself 🥰💗

Since Azami's outfit has loose baggy sleeves, I want him to have longer sleeves too hehe

Áo tứ thân ("Four part dress") is a dress that originates from Northen Vietnam. It has a skirt and sashes tied around the waist

The big hat is called Nón quai thao ("Wide flat palm hat with fringes/strap tassels"). It can basically be worn with any Việt Phục.

I really like the look of Áo tứ thân's sashes tied around the waist, so I'll also consider it... I think I wanna draw him in it eventually.

This outfit is traditionally femme, but Viet men's fashion isn't as diverse as Viet women's fashion (at least from what I've noticed), so I'm just gonna take inspo from it anyways

Forgot to ramble about Áo Giao Lĩnh ("Cross collared robe")

It looks similar to hanfu but is distinctly different

F: Interesting

I love the purple ones

The colours fit my taste :D

Trưng Sisters (FGO)

I can't believe that FGO, which is super hit or miss with designs (and in general), gave me the first Viet rep in popular animanga + games (related works)

The Trưng Sisters, Hai Bà Trưng ("Two Sisters [Named] Trưng"), Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị are drawn by Pokemon Sun/Moon, Sword/Shield, and Legends Arceus' main character designer: Takegarou (Take)

And because the artist is Takegarou, they have wonderful designs

Take's designs are very diverse and tasteful

They have a GREAT aesthetic sense. The colours are so good.

God bless that their artist was Takegarou, cuz if it was anyone else I could've easily gotten some ugly obnoxious fanservice incel gooner bait.

And I would've been like "Typical Fate /neg"

Trưng Sisters' Ascensions (Outfit Inspirations)

AC1: More modern type of áo dài (long dress) + nón lá (conical leaf hat). Can be worn casually or formally. In some places, it's a school uniform.

AC2: Maybe the áo yếm (undergarment) + áo tứ thân (four-part dress)

AC3: More traditional type of áo dài. Compared to the modernized áo dài (which was tightened to accentuate curves), it's more modest and is longer in length (drapes to the floor)

(These are my speculations)

Also I'm pointing these out cuz I LOVE the wavy pattern Take drew with AC2's áo tứ thân inspired outfit, the pointy wavy ends.

That'd be so cool to do with Kuroha/Saeru since Awakening Eyes' power manifests in the form of a black aura or black snakes for him, so it'd be fun to have his clothes and aura make swirly pointed shapes like that around his feet.

F: Wooawee, it's nice to learn more about Viet culture :D

I've always loved Femme traditional outfits.

So you're gonna draw Kuroha wearing Áo dài?

Me: Glad it's interesting to learn about 🥰💗 I love learning about traditional clothes. I'll probably draw my faves wearing all kinds of traditional clothes in the future.

I guess for my design of Saeru wearing Viet traditional clothing, I'll be drawing whatever I feel like.

It'll have the slits of the Áo dài and its shape but it'll have bigger sleeves like Áo Tấc.

Probably gonna redraw the hair later but here's a WIP for now.

F: Oooohhh. Hell yeah, turn this man into a modest gay bastard

Me: <333

F: I'm scared of people who draw the parts of the body before the clothes. I just cover it with clothes

Me: Sometimes I do either or! Depends on what I feel like. It makes sense for people to draw the body first since they have the overall gesture/silhouette so they can just draw clothes on top. Sometimes tho I just feel like sketching quickly so I draw the clothes on right away

Me: The thin long scarf that's worn with hanfu is called Pibo (披帛)

One of the biggest examples of a chara I can think of with a chara who has a hanfu shawl like this is my wife Kougyoku (Magi)

Japanese deities, gods, celestial beings, etc., tend to be depicted with Tenne (纏衣/天衣) and Hagoromo (羽衣)

Iirc, in animanga and video games, supernatural beings. like deities, gods, demons, youkai, etc., tend to be depicted with them.

Me: Because on Kuroha's MR2 design, he has the white sash with blood stains on it.

I was thinking it'd be really cool for Kuroha to have a thin long scarf like this that surrounds him, similar to the white snake-like projections in Mary's queen (Medusa) form.

Now that I think about it, it'd be cool for him to have black horns.

Reminds me of oni...

Also the masks worn by Kabuki and Noh actors to depict oni (demons)

Saeru Hebi is like a sleep paralysis demon, after all 🥰💖

...

F: HANFU MENTIONED.

I'd kill to wear one

Me: THEY'RE SOOOO NICE TO WEAR...

I got a Judar colours themed hanfu back in 2023 and it's sooo pretty omg 😭🖤❤️

F: I NEVER WORE ONE.

I'm gonna sob

The last time I wore a traditional clothing was for a school event, and it was a Kebaya (quite tacky to wear but I love the look it gave me)

Me: I'm finally getting better at tying the wrap around skirt (qun)

(Not posting my own pics due to privacy so I'll just post the previews from the site I got it from)

F: LLAHDKSJS IT LOOKS GORGEOUS

(Both person and Hanfu www)

Me: It's also my headcanon hanfu for Judar so now I match with my fave 🐈‍⬛🖤❤️

I based my Judar (Magi) hanfu HC design on this one!

F: I mean... at least I could tell he's Chinese with that outfit on

Me: Yeah I'm definitely not drawing certain Magi charas in their canon outfits 😭

The racial stereotyping and colourism are my biggest criticisms of Magi.

Also even aside from orientalism, the racially stereotyped/orientalist outfits in Magi are just mad ugly 😭

Judar looks so good in hanfu. Should've been his canon clothes!

F: I just can't draw abs so if I ever need to draw a canonically half naked guy? Give him a shirt

Me: Yeah drawing buff men takes practice

F: Tbh Saeru fits more with the buff body type. While Dark Konoha fits more with the... average teenage boy body type

Me: Oh yeah they're technically both twinks in canon, but I'm just gonna draw both with a more muscular body type.

Now every masc chara I draw gets the buff-ification treatment cuz of Douman

Me: Oh yeah they're technically both twinks in canon but I'm just gonna draw both with a more muscular body type

F: IT DOESN'T FIT SAERU THO. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INTIMIDATING AND MONSTROUS.

Me: Technically both designs are Saeru/Black Konoha, but yeah I feel like he should be more muscular in comparison to someone weak and wimpy like Shintaro /lh

F: THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.

Mahiro did great but, I need him to look more intimidating

Me: I appreciate Mahiro's work, but, since I'm not really a fan of the manga's art, I also need him to look hotter.

Where's our hot snake demon man /lh

Thank god we got MR2 Kuroha/Saeru by Sayuki.

But I also wanna see Sidu's sketches since she designed it

F: At least Sae is safe from SHAFT

Me: HADHSHDSH YEAH...

F: > Sayuki's MR2 Saeru

It was only for a brief moment, what a rip off

Me: Right... And all the frames in the Children Record Re:boot MV are covered by text smh

F: And Shit Place’s trademark expires in 2028

Society really wants me to keep living

[whiteboardartstudios]

Goodbye, Gendaen

fan art for @mtqcomic

Thoughts and LONG ramble under the cut! (includes spoilers!!!)

A while ago (like last week maybe?) I realized that I've been following this comic for almost a year, and I still haven't drawn Mysta yet! I figured that with the recent end of Chapter 3 and that *huge* lore drop (I was NOT expecting that oh my goodness the theory wheels are turning in the void that is my brain) now would be a pretty good time to draw her! So that's where this came from! :D

I thought that it would be fun to draw Mysta looking sort of like a knight? Partially because it makes for cool posing and composition but also because I think that if she was in D&D she would be a paladin due to the whole "Hero sent by Destiny" thing (I considered sorcerer or warlock as well, but her moveset is mostly melee at the moment so I thought that paladin fits better. Plus this opens up the possibility of Gendaen being an Oathbreaker paladin, depending on how that whole situation with the Crimson went. (also now I kind of want to put the main cast of mtq in D&D even though I don't actually know a lot about D&D ToT. I think Eth would be a ranger maybe multiclassed into something magic-related, because rangers have a favored enemy mechanic that gives them advantages on fighting a certain type of enemy, which could be Crimson enemies for D&D Eth. Yele is (kind of obviously) a druid because of the whole dryad thing, and Zaïl is definitely giving rogue energy to me.)) Anyways, D&D-related sidetrack aside – hello??? End-of-chapter-3 lore drop? (/positive) I have SO many questions. First of all, what happened to convince Gendaen to switch sides? For someone who allegedly spent his entire life trying to cleanse the Crimson, it would've taken one heck of a worldview-upending revelation to get him to join it. With the information we currently have, it seems pretty clear that Gendaen isn't mind-controlled or corrupted or anything – not just because of the reasons Eth gave in page #169, but also because from all the interactions we've had with Nelun Soma'o/Gendaen, he seemed to be pretty chill? I pointed out in my first fan art post that it doesn't seem as if Nelun Soma'o is being built up to be a villain character and is instead more of an antagonist with a slight mentor role, and I think that still kind of holds up now. Gendaen definitely wants Mysta to help him and/or the Crimson with something, and as Yele said in that recent comic, things aren't really adding up. I'm still slightly suspicious of the Order of Learning as well (insert person pointing at conspiracy theory board meme here lol), since you would think that if Gendaen and Eth are really close then Gendaen might have told Eth about the whole Crimson situation, right? On Page #250 (which is marked as 150??? probably a typo but idk) Gendaen says that he didn't want Eth to be roped into this whole situation, which could be a reason for keeping him in the dark – though if he knew Eth really well then he might have suspected that Eth wouldn't just let him disappear and would go searching for him. Another possible reason (in my theory) if the Order is evil or something and Gendaen learned something that he shouldn't have learned, maybe he knew that Eth wouldn't believe him because of his loyalty to the Order? I may just be connecting random dots and calling it a picture here but *something* is going on and until we get more clues on what that may be, I'm sticking with this theory lol :P EDIT, I was rereading Gendaen's character sheet and it says there that he has a strong code of honor and fights for the underdogs (not the exact phrasing but it's close). 👀 does that mean the Crimson is in some sort of underdog position? 👀

Anyways back to the drawing a little, I gave both Gendaen and Mysta a sort of braid-like element in their designs to sort of tie them together a bit visually (Mysta's is on the sides of her head, which is kind of hard to see so I added a little ribbon to show that parts of her hair is tied back, and Gendaen's is in his golden hair accessory thingy). I think that there's definitely some sort of correlation between Gendaen's disappearance/switching to the Crimson and Mysta being sent to Sol Ybberia, and I also think that both of them are going to play an important role in whatever happens in the future, hence the braids (to show that their destinies are kind of intertwined, as the two Heroes of Sol Ybberia). I also thought that it would be fun to put Gendaen in a stained glass window instead of actually physically being present, because up until the Nelun Soma'o reveal, all the things we know about Gendaen are basically all from Eth's recollections of him, which for me definitely paints a bit of a "Character haunting the narrative" kind of vibe. I also think that with the Nelun Soma'o reveal, the somewhat glorified (for a lack of a better word – I think Eth might be a little biased when it comes to Gendaen, considering that Gendaen has been missing for about 5 years, if my math is correct? 5 years feels like a long time to me and I think that if a person important to me has been missing for that long then my impression of them would definitely start warping to how I want to remember them/who I wanted them to be and I might start unintentionally ignoring the things that doesn't quite match that image in my head. Speaking of/case in point, Eth's reaction to the Nelun Soma'o reveal!) image of Gendaen that we had got thrown in a metaphorical blender with our idea of the Crimson at the time, and it just makes things a whole lot more complicated in a very interesting way. (If you look at the bottom right of the image you can see Nelun Soma'o's cloak coming out of stained-glass Gendaen's cloak, which I thought would be a fun little detail to include). Hence, the stained glass is kind of the "perfect Hero who disappeared to advance the plot" Gendaen and we can see Mysta kind of splitting the glass with her Rotted Fork from a composition point of view, referencing that huge lore bomb she dropped a couple of pages ago and how that changes our (or at least my) perception of Gendaen as a character entirely. I really do like the plot twist, as I think it makes Gendaen a more 3-dimensional character with more complicated motivations and narrative significance, as before I mainly knew him as "predecessor to Mysta" and "one of Eth's sources of motivation", but now he my understanding of Gendaen also extends to things about Gendaen himself and not just about his role in relation to other characters (for example, "Gendaen is helping the Crimson for reasons currently unknown" or "Gendaen is planning something that involves Mysta??? and he's in the Void??? And apparently Mysta is supposed to jailbreak him out at some point in the future?" He definitely has something planned behind the scenes, I don't know what it is and I want to find out).

MORE THINGS about Gendaen (can you tell that he's my favorite character at the moment ToT), what's up with those last words? If I'm correct (and I think I am, I scrolled all the way back to the page where the gods were introduced just to check this ToT), Nomù is Compassion? How is compassion related to Gendaen's alliance with the Crimson? I mean, when you think of the Crimson, compassion definitely is NOT the first value that comes to mind. Right now it seems that to me, Gendaen's plan with Mysta and the Crimson and the Void is connected to Nomù somehow? (the "I won't disappoint you" is definitely interesting). I don't have a lot of thoughts or theories on where this might be going, I just thought that it was something interesting to metaphorically chew on for the next while. It definitely seems like it has some sort of narrative significance, at least.

There might be more things that I wanted to talk about, but I can't really think of them off the top of my head right now (it might be due to the fact that it's currently quite late in my time zone ToT I am sleepy) so that's all from me for now :D (Also dropping the version of the drawing with just the lineart here because I think it looks really cool)

I hope you have a really nice day and/or night! :D

*a starry rift in space opens up in front of me and I faceplant into it like it is a mattress* (gotta make that dramatic exit!) [Image ID: The first image is a colored and rendered image of Mysta from the Mysta's Terrarian Quest webcomic standing in front of a stained glass window of Gendaen. She is holding the Rotted Fork spear from Terraria, and she has a determined expression on her face. The stained glass shows Gendaen with his back turned to the audience, and one closed eye is visible. His cloak is flowing to the right of the image, where it emerges out of the stained glass as it fades from green to dark grey. Crimson vines, green trees, and white clouds surrounds Gendaen in the stained glass. Outside of the glass portrait, real crimson vines are creeping along the stone walls that the portrait is on, framing the portrait and Mysta in the middle. A red light source is shining down from the upper right corner of the drawing. End ID.] [Image ID: The second image is a work-in-progress version of the first image without any color and only some minimal shading, with all shades being in monochrome. Mysta's lineart is noticeably darker compared to the line art of the background. End ID.]

EDIT: Forgot to add image ids, they're here now TwT

[animaginaryartblog]

[Image ID: Two images, each with two designs, top and bottom, for a Sonic fan character. The character is a short, rotund older woman, with ash grey hair and pale skin. Her name is Evy Munanev, aka Dr. Rotbane.

In the first set, her hair is pulled into a braided beehive. The top design has her in a tight green tailcoat with pink sleeves, a flared pink mantle around her shoulders, and a pink sash around her waist. She also wears green gloves and boots and black pants. A silver broach, in the dagger-like shape of the titan arum flower, sits at her chest. A white gas mask hides her face.

In the bottom design, she wears a shorter coat, white in front and black in the back. She has flared, almost petal-shaped sleeves and pants, both pink. A similarly petal-shaped pink mantle frames her head. A large green flower broach sits on her chest. She still wears green gloves and shoes, but the shoes are smaller, not high-heeled boots like before. She no longer has a gas mask, but instead a pair of black glasses.

In the second set, Evy's hair is now died pink and cut in a triple mohawk. She also green vine tattoos patterning her skin. The top design has her wearing an open green vest over a loose pink dress. On top of the vest she has black shoulder pads with white, thorn-like spikes. Similarly spiked black bands surround her wrists and ankles, as well as crossing her waist like bandolier belts. She wears green gloves and boots; the boots have spiked bottoms, like cleats.

In the bottom design, the gas mask has been swapped for black glasses, revealing the green vine tattoos on her face. She retains the vest and spiked shoulder pads, but the dress has been swapped out for a baggy black shirt over flared pink sleeves and pants. She still wears green, spiked shoes, but they are no longer heeled boots. /end ID]

When creating my Blaze-focused Sonic Prime AU (more on that in a bit), I took the time to finally take a swing at a design for the Sol Dimension Egg(wo)man I've been contemplating for a while now. I've always been annoyed we've never gotten any female Sol Dimension villains, even though by all rights there should be an abundance of them. Sonic and Tails each get female counterparts with unique designs, personalities, and relationship dynamics, but when it comes to Eggman we get... a palette swap? who isn't even actually from the Sol Dimension?? hello???

I'm still working out her design and personality, but these are some of the concepts I've drawn up so far. the points I am settled on are that she's a rotund older woman with plant-theming. her birth name is Evy Munanev; her villain title is either Dr. Rotbane or Dr. Rotbloom, I haven't decided.

more on the design process below

so. Solegg. my first order of business was swapping out the Egg for something different but adjacent. I picked a seed, which ended up being more of a general plant-theming. I think it could make a nice counterpoint to Eggman's primarily animal-themed robots.

I specifically modeled her after the corpse flower - or rather, corpse flowers, since apparently there are two notable flowers called that, the titan arum and the giant padma. Both are found in Indonesia, fittingly enough, since that's usually the real-world analog I draw on for Blaze's homeland. The top design in the first image is based on the titan arum, while the design at the bottom is based on the giant padma.

for the other elements of her design, I tried matching it to Blaze the same way Eggman's design matches Sonic's. Like how Eggman's primary color is one of Sonic's secondaries (red), Rotbane's primary color comes from Blaze's pink secondaries. Black is her secondary color, same as Eggman, because y'know. Villains.

Finally, the name. As far as Eggman's "real" name goes, the -nik suffix is Slavic/Russian, while Robotnik in particular is a Slavic (specifically Polish) term. apparently. his first name, Ivo, is used in a lot of languages, but if cross-referencing with his relatives, Gerald and Maria, narrows it down to German or Dutch. that said, according to the Sonic wiki the name "Ivo" actually came from a developer's sister's Croatin boyfriend, so. that's a thing. the other factors in the name selection were that it sounds kinda like "evil", as well as being the Latin word for eggs spelled backward.

All that said! I made the Solegg Dutch because of the Indonesia connection. I went with the Dutch name Evy because it also sounds like evil, plus bears some resemblance to ivy. I gave her the last name Munanev, which is venenum (Latin for poison or venom) backwards.

finally, I picked Rotbane as her nickname because it sounds cool, reflects the plant-theming, and has some of the same punchiness as Eggman. I'm also considering Rotbloom, haven't decided yet.

[Image ID: Four black-and-white sketches of Evy Munanev, the OC described above. In the top left Evy in her mohawk-design leans to the side, hips thrust forward and grinning. In the bottom left Evy stands next to an unimpressed (and considerably taller) Eggman, grinning as she strikes a pose. In the bottom right, Evy stands next to Blaze, who is only a little shorter. Evy grins at Blaze while Blaze glares at her, arms folded. Evy's hair is poofier and squarer, like a sleeker beehive. In the top right, Evy has the same square hairdo, but now wears her gas mask as well. /end ID]

[liquidstar]

april fools is over so now im going to be slash srs instead of slash j. im going to post a little excerpt from one of the oc writing practices ive been doing :) again im not super experienced for a variety of reasons but im doing my best here.

but im going to try and put my self conciousness to the side (thats probably an important part of the practice too, right?) since this isnt final version either way, i can just say im sharing a WIP! so for now it will go the way of most of my other oc stuff..... under the cut

the only context you need is that this would be the opening scene for the story. if i post others i'll have to give more context bc most of them are taken from the middle of something. anyway here goes:

-----

“I love you

I've loved you since the beginning

From when you were only stardust

To when you will rejoin the stars

When everyone will be together again

Understand, you don’t simply live in the universe

You are part of it, taking on a form uniquely alive

You are the universe giving love back to itself

I love you so much”

“Wait!!!”

A lone girl jolts awake, crying a plea into the empty air. Tears stream down her cheeks, as she calls for someone she doesn't know. Her heart aches with a nameless yearning that fades with the memory of her dream. Still, against her will, the emotions linger. A profound sense of love consumes her, an agonizing, grieving love, meant for her. She sighs and wipes away her tears. It was an absurd dream, a ridiculous notion.

As her conscious mind clears, she takes in her surroundings; a forest drowned in the pale blue light of dawn. Her sleeping bag, now encased in dew, was laid on the cold grass. She sits for a while, gazing at the faint sliver of the rising sun’s glow with an indistinct expression, and eventually stands up.

The lone girl begins her daily routine by braiding her hair. With a wave of her hand, she freezes dew on a rock, creating herself a mirror. Her fingers carefully weave her brown locks into a braid, now adorned with a snowflake clip and a scarlet ribbon. She throws on a long blue half-skirt over her shorts, matching her shirt. She forces on a pair of black boots and cuffs on her arm. Lastly, she grabs a moon-themed spear, and she's ready for the day.

Before setting off, she made sure to pack all her belongings, including her numerous hand-drawn maps and a compass. However, she also stops to look into the bag deeper, foolishly expecting to find something new. Instead, she only sighs, "Still no food."

She puts on the backpack and trudges forward anyway, ignoring the hunger pains as best she can. She hums to keep herself distracted.

As she walks, the trees tower above her, shrouding the horizon and taunting her. Birds occasionally fly into view, but seem to disappear in an instant. She wonders if her eyes are playing tricks on her.

The lone girl scribbles on her maps, trying to record a labyrinth of identical tree trunks and twisted paths. This proves useless, as this elliptical forest has her going in circles. Exasperated, she fidgets with her compass, only to see the needle is frantically twitching around. She presses it gently to her forehead and quietly complains, “Don't tell me you're broken…”

Her train of thought was cut short by the sudden sound of running water, so loud she can’t fathom how she’s only now begun to hear it. She decided to put off one problem for another. Following the sound through some shrubs, she quickly finds the source.

Her spear at the ready, she approaches the stream. Scanning its depths for signs of fish, she walks cautiously. Her posture was awkward, her expression was uncertain, betraying her lack of experience. She held her spear to her chest with both arms as she encroached the water’s edge.

She inhales in preparation, removes her skirt and boots, and enters the water with slow, careful steps. The very surface of the stream begins to freeze as it makes contact with her skin. Tiny, thin crystals of ice form as she steps further in. Breathing deeper, as she tries to control the frost, she makes her way to the center of the stream. She stands waiting for fish.

Rather than throwing her spear to hunt, like the intended purpose, she stabs at the water. She’s not good at this, however, and only ends up scaring other potential prey away. She makes several attempts at this but is unsuccessful each time. Refusing to quit, her repeated strikes become more desperate and uncoordinated with each failure. Her growing frustration only makes the water freeze deeper, eventually solidifying around her legs. She yelps, now in a panic, and begins to frantically stab at the ice to free herself.

A mess.

Escaping this ordeal, the lone girl abandons any further attempt at fishing. It probably isn't her calling anyway. She trudges on, lost, wet, cold, and hungry.

She looks at her compass again, her face reflecting in its glass. “You're broken,” she tiredly states, as she feels her eyes begin to well with tears.

“No! No no no! Don't cry! Don't cry Polaris,” The lone girl, Polaris, reassures herself, “Last time you cried you froze your eyelids shut, and that really hurt,” She whines aloud.

Polaris takes a deep breath, slaps her cheeks, and swallows her tears. She elects to follow the river, her only hope of escape, pursuing the promise of a village just beyond this enigmatic forest. She daydreams of a warm meal in a cozy restaurant, and maybe a cold desert too. A glimmer of determination returns to her stride, as she continues her hum from before.

[anarchocraftism]

Catch up post: #5 Brioche Twist, #6 Braided Rib, #7 Wrap Mock Cable, and #8 Cross Cable Panel.

I did all of these without keeping track but I can broadly say they're about a 6/10 rating for all of them. They're easy enough, I knew and have used most of them before, and they're easy to memorize.

Video Essays: "Perfect Moments in Bad Movies", "Fear of Cold", "After a City is Buried", and "Tetris Effect and Other Games With Immaculate Vibes", all by Jacob Geller.

I have been meaning to try Jacob Geller's videos and I'm glad I started working my way through them. I find his videos really engaging and well researched while also being relatively relaxing due to his presentation style. I had been getting a little burnt out on video essays because I kept running into ones I did not vibe with but Geller has drawn me back in, even when I don't know anything about the games or topics he discusses. I've watched a few more since these but these were what I worked on during these swatches.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

it's possible this has been meta'd before, but during one of the many times i've drawn gunter, I was curious if anyone in nohr had the same same teal color in his sash (and buckles) since it feels like a subtle callback to a rank/class hierarchy.

interestingly, of the entire conquest cast - silas' secondary color is the closest to his (not a sash but shown on his sleeves). this feels like it lends further credence to teal being a nohrian "knight" designation.

skipping to the "top" - garon has a distinctive deep purple that no other character has. but then if you look closer, he's got a secondary wine-red color for his buckles that are also on...

... xander and siegbert.

which makes me think that purple is the "top person only" color, and then wine red as "immediately next in line to the chain of command and/or position of honor".

while iago doesn't have a distinctive sash, he has braided ribbons that are a similar color? upon closer inspection, it's more of a blood red, and less pink than xander/siegbert, and a separate class altogether.)

corrin's sash starts off as neutral blue, but hints of the of the exact wine-red that xander/siegbert has appears in the nohr-noble armor, in addition to that neutral blue.

I did not add camilia/elise/leo as their colors break the pattern enough to the point that it feels like it doesn't add to this thesis. i wonder if it's part of them not being in the direct chain of command like xander, or a place where the pattern is deliberately broken in favor of having a distinctive palette for character design.

[eternallyfrustratedwriter]

Prologue: Part 1

Adria was slumped over the counter in front of her, the hood of her cloak hiding her face from view. The store was empty apart from her with most everyone else participating in the festival in town. Normally she would have also been participating in the festival but she was filling in for a friend who was sick. The person in question was a sweet girl named Emma who loved books and whose mission in life was to make others happy. That's what it seemed like, at least.

The bell over the door jangled as it was opened, startling her awake as she almost fell off the stool she was sitting on. A young man with golden hair and eyes as bright as the sky stepped into the store, his gaze instantly zeroing in on her. She steadied herself before standing, the hood of her cloak falling back to reveal hair fluffy from sleep but still tightly within the confines of her braid.

"Hey, Adria!"

Adria gave him a small wave before walking around the counter, stretching herself out as she went. "Hey, Rio. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

Without a hint of shame, the boy shook his head before walking closer. "Nope. I quit that job the day before yesterday."

"What?! Oh, Rio. Why would you do that? You know we're short on money."

"I'm sorry Adria. I just don't like being away from you."

Rios signature guilt trip move, his puppy eyes, came out then and Adria seemed to forget all of her anger. That look always managed to hit something deep inside of her that she'd tried for the better part of a decade to close off. It reminded her of a scrawny kid with limbs too long for his age and eyes full of life.

She'd found Rio three years ago on the edge of town as she was heading out of it. He'd been in bad shape and looked like he'd lost his spirit until his gaze focused on her. He'd looked at her in wonder before passing out. She'd ended up hauling him onto the wagon she was using and turning the horse around until she reached the local doctors house.

It took most of her savings to pay for his treatment but she knew she couldn't abandon him. Since then Rio had stuck by her side like an imprinted baby chick, devoting himself to her. While it was nice to have someone around his devotion did have drawbacks like him quitting jobs because he wanted to be by her side at all times.

"We'll just apply to the next job together. Besides, there's a festival going on now so you shouldn't be working anyways."

"I can't just leave! I promised Emma I'd watch the shop while she was sick."

"I've got an idea! How about I watch the shop while you enjoy the festival? There are so many interesting stalls this year too! I saw one for second hand books and another with interesting ceramics. Oh, there was even a honey stall!"

Adria debated with herself for a few seconds before caving and leaving the store in Rios, mostly, capable hands.

When she stepped out the warm air of a summer afternoon greeted her, a smile ghosting her lips. She slipped between people skillfully as she navigated the crowd. The stalls had only just come into view when one of the vendors was calling her name while waving a rose hair clip, saying it was in the spirit of Founders Day. She accepted it gratefully before using it to pull her bangs out of her face.

Another vendor soon grabbed her attention with a small broach, saying it was on the house as thanks for helping to repair some damage done to their store by a storm last month. Soon her arms were full of gifts from various people, them saying that it was thanks for all her help. She ended up having to stop for a bit so she could fit everything in her messenger bag, the strap now digging painfully into her shoulder from the weight.

As she was turning to make her way to a food vendor selling crepes, a harsh voice rung out from the crowd. The wailing over a child soon followed it, her eyes drawn to a little boy laying on the street with tears streaked down his face. The man was obviously drunk, his face flushed to the point that it almost looked sunburnt.

The boy continued to wail as the man yelled at him, getting in his face as he did so. When his yelling wasn't getting a desired response the man raised his fist as if to hit the boy. Without regard for her own safety, Adria jumped between the two. One hand was pushing back against the mans chest while the other rested on the hilt of her sword.

"And what do YOU want?!" yelled the man, a few drops of spittle landing on her cheek.

"The hell is the matter with you? He's a child!"

"Shuddup! It ain't got nothin' to do with ya!"

The fist raised again with its new trajectory seeming to be her face. Adria stood her ground while starting to remove her sword and tried not to think about the black eye she would likely be sporting the next day. The blow, however, never came.

What came instead was a steady voice that was extremely calm despite the situation.

"That's enough of that."

She spared a glance at her savior and saw a man who frequented the taverns around town often. They'd exchanged a few words before but never anything of depth.

"If you really want to kick up a fuss, I'll take you on. What do you say?"

The mans amber gaze moved toward her, the corners of his mouth lifting into a half smile. There was a presence about him larger than life with the crowd around them going to the edge of her senses. He looked like the storybook heroes she'd fantasized about as a young girl. As his gaze swept the crowd no one met it, the others seeming to know that this was not someone to be messed with.

Well, almost everyone.

"You wanna fight me? Yeah? Let's do it!" yelled the drunkard who moved his body to face the new opponent, his gaze now away from Adria.

"You've got spirit, I'll give you that." said the stranger, his gaze glinting almost dangerously in the afternoon sun.

For her part, Adria took the distraction to turn back to the boy, helping him to his feet. She was starting to guide him out of the crowd when the man grabbed the hood of her cloak, dragging her back to him.

"Where do you think you're goin'? I ain't through with you!"

Off balance now, she pawed at his hands as her bag fell off her shoulder and onto the street below. The gifts she'd stuffed in there spilled out. One of them, an adventure book with an elaborate cover, fell into a small mud puddle. It slid a bit further before coming to rest by the hooves of a pure white horse.

The man on the horse also had a dangerous aura about him but in a completely different way to the man in black. There was a look of disinterest on his face until he spotted the book on the ground, the cover partially soiled by mud. His gaze darkened slightly before he looked over.

"Who would be so insolent? Was it you?"

"Huh?! Who the hell d'ya thank ya are! Stop sneerin' at me!"

As Adria was still in the middle of prying the mans hand off of her cloak her eyes settled on the crest on the saddle. The unique rose pattern was known to everyone in this small kingdom. It was the crest of the royal family which meant she was staring at a prince. The man in question had a cold air about him and she was willing to bet good money that he didn't know the virtue of patience.

"I hadn't intended to participate in such a vulgar side show, but perhaps this is how one finds amusement at a festival?"

Adria saw him start to unsheathe his sword and she knew she only had a few seconds to act. With practiced movements she first ground her heel into the mans instep which loosened his hold on her enough for her to wriggle free. She then grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her level.

"That's enough!" While the sword from the man on horseback was only halfway free, she slapped the drunkard hard enough for her hand to sting before she pointed at the man, "Pull yourself together unless you want to be a bloody smear on the road!"

Whispers went through the crowd but they still weren't as loud as the twin gazes that were digging into her back.

"What was that for?!" yelled the man, still not understanding just how close to death he was.

"You need to calm down! Or are you trying to get yourself killed today?" Adria once again pointed at the blond mans saddle, the crest shiny against the black leather.

The man finally saw it and with the realization of who he'd been yelling at the color drained from his face. Now cowed, the man shuffled into the crowd without further delay. Adria turned back around, her gaze meeting that of the man on horseback.

"I'm terribly sorry about causing such a fuss during the festival. I hope you can find it within yourself to forget this incident." She then offered him a bow with her gaze focusing on the ground, more specifically her book that had now been marinating in the mud.

Silence stretched on for a moment before the man dressed in black burst out laughing. The sound was warm and it eased some of her tension as she straightened back up.

"Don't worry, he's not so petty that he'd actually kill someone over something like this."

"You sure about that?" blurted out Adria before her mind caught back up to her mouth. She instantly covered her mouth with her hand, eyes straying to the man who had now returned his sword fully to its sheathe.

Another hearty laugh rang out in response to her slip, a wide smile now on the other mans face. The smile made his eyes shine. Their color reminded her of amber but also honey.

"...I tire of this."

"Are you done playing, Chevalier?"

Yet another man joined their discussion, the horse he was on stopping directly next to the white horse. While she couldn't place the other two off the top of her head this man was one she knew on sight. Everyone in the capital knew about Clavis Lelouch and the chaos that always followed him.

"Yes. This was a waste of my time."

Tension Adria didn't even realize was in her started to leave her body until she realized the blond man wasn't leaving. Instead he was focused on the book that was on the ground.

"Is this book yours?" His pale blue gaze was suddenly zeroed in on her and she couldn't deny that she felt a small rush of fear down her spine at this. Adria nodded to him, not trusting her voice for the moment. His gaze went back to the book on the ground, eyes narrowing at it before snapping back to her face.

"What now? Don't tell me you're in the mood for romance?" said Clavis, a devilish glint to the smirk on his face.

Chevalier scoffed slightly before speaking. "Romance is worthless, but-" There was a slight pause before a sword was suddenly pointed at her face, the edge almost brushing her nose. Adrias limbs locked up as she stared at the weapon that was shiny enough to show a distorted version of her reflection in it.

"That book is different. That book is worth more than you are. You'd do well to remember that."

Rage and indignation poured into Adrias expression but she kept her mouth firmly shut. She was all too aware of the differences in their stations and that questioning royalty wasn't something you did unless you felt like leaving the Earth soon after. She held his gaze and met his glare with her own, unwilling to back down first.

Even so, she eventually nodded slightly to show that she understood him. With that the sword was taken away from her face and was put back in its sheath once more. The white horse was then guided away, its rider not sparing a single glance back. Clavis who had up till now been relishing in their exchange gave her a small wink before following with his own horse.

After they departed the crowd finally started to thin, the entertainment over. The drunkard was sitting off to the side, face pale with one hand resting over his mouth but Adria didn't care too much about that. She turned to the man in black, giving him a grateful smile as she collected her book and wiped the cover off with her cloak.

"Thank you for helping me. I'd probably be nursing a black eye right now if it wasn't for you. Um...I don't believe we've met before sir. May I have your name?"

"It's Leon. And you don't need to be all formal with me."

"Noted. So, do you know that guy? The one on the horse who almost chopped off my nose?"

Leon chuckled softly at her joke and nodded slightly. "Yeah, I do. We've never talked that much, though." He then bent over and carefully repacked the bag she'd dropped before handing it back. After carefully adding the book to it as well she placed it back on her shoulder again.

"Thanks."

"You really like books, huh?"

"What?"

"I saw you stealing glances at it before and you were very careful when you picked it up and wiped it off."

"Oh, yeah. I like them because they can take you anywhere in the world. If things are bad in your current life then you just have to open one to escape."

A small pressure was felt at her side which caused her to look down. She saw the boy that she'd protected earlier had stood up and was now hugging her leg while also hiding in her cloak. One arm was wrapped around her leg while his other hand was buried in the fabric of her cloak, his fist closed tightly around it.

Leon squatted down so he was closer to the boys level before ruffling his hair slightly. "Hey, pipsqueak, you okay?"

The boy hesitated a bit before finally nodding. His tears had long since dried but they left his eyes puffy and his cheeks slightly flushed. He sniffled as he stared at the ground before finally speaking. "Mama..." The word was muffled against Adrias pants, her fingers lightly carding through his hair in an effort to soothe him.

"You're lost, huh? Come with me, then." said Leon, offering the boy his hand.

The boy loosened his hold on Adria slightly so he could turn towards Leon more. "...Can you...find mama?"

"Sure can. Let's go find her together."

The boy hesitated for only a second before nodding. Leon gave him a warm and reassuring smile before he straightened up, lifting the boy onto his shoulders.

"Um, Miss? Thank you for helping me!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're okay."

"Same goes for you. Now c'mon, pipsqueak, let's go."

The boy giggled as Leon adjusted his position before starting to walk away, waving towards Adria as he drifted into the crowd.

Adria took a few seconds to make sure she had everything before enjoying the wares around her once more. As the sun started to set she made her way back, even more things stuffed in her arms.

When she entered it was not her bouncy, lovable friend that greeted her but a man clad in black with glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He was casually sitting on the counter with his legs cross like he'd been waiting for her.

"Welcome back, Adria."

Tagged: @xxoomiii

[valerings]

How the genshin boys fell inlove with you🥺

I know I said I would do a Diluc and Albedo one but, nah this is better

Flirty asshole who is apparently my favourite, Kaeya.

Kaeya first met you when Jean was introducing you two.

You were a new knight but you had proved yourself more then worthy of a position close to the calvary captain.

You somehow caught Kaeya's eyes (NOT AN INSULT PLEASE YALL ARE BEAUTIFUL) despite his flirtatious attitude, he was amazed by you

He fell in love with you when one day he had a whole lot of commissions to do and forgot about taking care of himself.

You, noticed this and decided, while he was out doing another commission, you were going to do the rest of his.

Once Kaeya got back to his office, he noticed you working on some paper he had due today.

His heart melts instantly when you look up at him with a small smile.

"You dont need to worry anymore, I've done most of your commissions while you were out, ah I almost forgot.." You said, reaching into the bad beside you.

Kaeya walked closer to his desk to see what you were doing and to his surprise, you had made him lunch🥺

"Here, I noticed you weren't having lunch recently so I made you this." You smiled, passing him the lunch box.

He was on cloud 9 let me tell you- he was so happy and surprised you cared this much about him.

He was sure to make you his and only his😌

Flirty asshole 2.0 here😃👏 I mean Childe-

While walking around the streets of Liyue, he noticed you holding a little boy's hand, looking at the mini toy shop.

'Teucer? Y/n?' He asked himself as he walked closer to you two.

You and Childe had been very good friends, he told you about his life back home and his adorable little sibilings.

He immediately hid himself when you turned around, handing Teucer a plush toy of a ruin guard.

Teucer was telling you all about how he wanted to meet you, how Childe mentioned about you in his letters.

You gently pat the young boy's head, gently laughing at his stories.

Childe noticed you reaching into your pocket, grabbing out a lollipop.

You handed it to Teucer with a smile as the boy hugs your waist. "Thank you Y/n! Your the best!" The young boy said, opening the wrapper to the sweet.

Childe's heart melted- he never knew you handled kids so well-

Seeing you treat his little brother so well was just adorable to him-

A small blush dusts his cheeks, smiling brightly as he watches you two have fun together

He swears to himself to make you his bride one day (😳)

One of the grumpy adults😤 Diluc i mean-

He first stumbled upon you when you were washing your face in at the edge of a pond.

You caught his eye when your hair moved swiftly with the wind.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked, walking up to you and sitting beside you.

"Just washing of my face, some dirt got on me while I was fighting a hilichurl camp." You laughed as you whipped some water of your eyes.

"Well, I'm Diluc, you?" He asked with an awkward tone, trying his best to start a conversation. (Take that you awkward little shi- sorry I just dislike him-)

"I'm Y/n, its nice to meet you." You said, extending your hand to him.

He takes your hand and shows a small smile.

He fell inlove with you when you protected him, yes yes very cliché.

He was fighting some abyss mages but what he didn't notice was that one of them had teleported behide him.

You were near the area and saw some sparks in the air so you went to check it out.

You saw that Diluc was having some trouble with the abyss mages and one was behide him ready to attack.

So you did what any Y/n would have done, which was protect him.

You quickly stepped beside him and blocked the attack since he couldn't have defended himself. (HAHA WEAK)

In the end he was grateful towards you and promised he would repay you, by making you his girlfriend. (Ew- but I will put up with him for the Diluc simps..😔)

Tone deaf bard, otherwise known as Venti.

He was returning back to Monstadt when he saw people crowding around the fountain.

To his surprise, it was someone playing the lyre and singing and that someone was you.

You plucked the strings of your lyre carefully, producing delicate sounds and singing to the rhythm.

Your voice was angelic to him, he was just drawn in by it. (If you can't sing, well now you can)

He walked up to the crowd and pushed his way to the front.

Your eyes were closed but you opened them occasionally.

When you opened your eyes, you saw a male infront of you with blue braids and around your height.

You shot him a small smile and went back to focusing on your lyre.

His heart skipped a beat when you smiled at him-

He fell inlove with you when one day he was performing as usual when you showed up.

You tapped on his shoulder asking if you could play your lyre with him and of course he agreed-

You softly started playing, a little earlier then Venti.

Making sure his own voice and lyre could be heard, you made yours softer.

He felt happy to have you standing beside him and vows to make you his🥺

El-bedo😃 or Albedo if you want to be boring

Albedo met you through Klee surprisingly.

Klee brought you to him when she met you in one of the forests in Monstadt.

You had given her some candy and she really liked you for some reason-

"Albedo Albedo! Look who I met!" The small girl smiled at the taller male who was working at his table.

"Klee what did I tell you about strangers..?" He asked, looking up from his desk to find you and Klee tugging onto your arm.

"I'm Y/n, sorry to interupt your work. I met her in one of the forests nearby." You smiled walking over to his table.

"Oh alright then. I'm Albedo if you couldn't tell by her shouting." He chuckled as Klee pouted. (So cute-🥺)

He fell inlove with you when one day he had to gather materials in Dragonspine.

You two had became friends so you visited him alot.

The day before he was supposed to head out, you had prepared a warm jacket, food, and water for him.

You packed it into a bag and left it on his desk with a little note.

'Please be safe in Dragonspine! I made you some food, there's a jacket in the bag if you get cold and also some hot water! Please be back soon, Klee and I will miss you🥺' it said, Albedo red the note and his heart fluttered.

He promises to return home and ask you the questions (if you know what I mean👀)

SORRY FOR KAEYA AND ALBEDO'S ONE BEING SO SIMILAR I COULDNT THINK OF ANYTHING FOR ALBEDO FORGIVE ME

[lesbiansforboromir]

...just import your elves wholesale from China, people. There's like a hundred of them running around at any given time in wuxia cdramas, complete with appropriate robes and braids, and sword skills. And even the language thing isn't a problem, since most cdramas are dubbed anyway. Gimme Luo Yunxi as a Noldorin prince, you Amazon cowards!

Honestly mmm... I have issues with this. The pervasive perspective of east asian features, especially pale skinned east asian features, equalling elves is a little disconcerting to me. I wouldn't know for sure, but it feels orientalist, or even smacks of yellow fever. Like people tend to go 'elves are the most beautiful' to 'therefore elves are all dainty and androgynous and thin and beautiful in a fragile way' and then this kind of hyper-idealised 'the most beautiful' is applied to east asian features specifically by white audiences? Not that I know your ethnicity so I could be making a big fool of myself here, but it's been a thing I've been a bit thoughtful and concerned about for a while, especially with how sexualised the silm fandom is. There's also this kind of implication that other ethnicities and their features aren't suitable for elves, which has obvious issues. I mean I have drawn elves with some east asian features before, but I don't want to encourage the idea that chinese or japanese or korean features 'are elves' if you see what I mean? Not meaning to get at you here, but I have been mulling it over for a while.

[resident-curse-breaker]

The Bancroft Bloodline

Hello, everyone!

As some of you may know, I’ve previously written two one-shots exploring the relationship between my MC, Nellie Bancroft, and Barnaby Lee. I’ve decided to expand those one-shots into a collection of stories where I develop Nellie’s character by exploring her relationships with other characters. So far, I’ve got ideas for stories centering on her relationships with Rowan Khanna, Skye Parkin, Erika Rath, and Talbott Winger. 

The most recent addition is a vignette revolving around her relationship with Jacob, which is arguably one of the most important relationships in her life. Below the cut, you’ll find the link to the collection on AO3. The collection is titled Breaker of Curses, Dueler of Knights, and includes both Names Scrawled in the Margins of Spellbooks, the Barnaby-centric stories, and The Bancroft Bloodline, which focuses on Jacob. You’ll also find the entire first chapter of The Bancroft Bloodline, shared here on Tumblr for those who don’t want to go offsite.

I’d absolutely love if you’d give it a read, and I’m always looking for feedback. Thank you so much for your time!

Breaker of Curses, Dueler of Knights: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901170

The Bancroft Bloodline

Jacob Bancroft considered himself quite good at making snap judgments.

He had to be, in his line of work. In the world of curse-breaking, there was seldom time to carefully analyze every small aspect of a scene or situation. If action had to be taken, it had to be taken quickly. So, he learned to make his assessments in mere seconds, and deal with whatever the consequences may be later. As long as he got out of the main problem in one piece, he could worry about solving the others that may sprout up further down the line. It had become a bit of a habit.

So when he saw his little sister in that Vault, laying eyes on her for the first time in seven long years, he gave her the same perfunctory scan he gave everything else. She had grown taller, though not by much, and her face had yet to lose that youthful roundness. She was still growing her hair out; the flaxen locks were tied in a thick braid long enough for her to sit on. She was dressed in clothes unlike any he'd ever seen her wear—garments made of thick leather, with a chest plate and a shoulder pad—but then, she was venturing into a Cursed Vault. Perhaps it was smart to dress for the occasion. Certainly better than tromping around in her Hogwarts robes. She was still wearing the locket he'd given her, all those years ago, the silver seashell resting against her sternum.

She hadn't changed a bit.

It had been a matter of instinct, giving her that once over, and even as he did it, he hadn't truly registered what he was seeing. It seemed impossible, to think that after all these years of regretting and missing and loving, Nellie was standing right there, only feet away.

"Pip," he breathed, hardly daring to believe it, and she whipped around to face him. The wave of emotion that seemed to hit her at the sight of him was enough to make her stumble back, hands flying to cover her mouth.

"Jacob!" she whimpered, and, recovering, ran over to the portrait. She pressed her palms against the canvas, and Jacob dropped down to his knees, lining his hands up with hers, wishing more than anything that he could grab them and soothe her. Goodness, her hands were still so small. Nellie looked up, and seeing him so close made her face crumple, tears pouring openly down her cheeks. She sobbed, and just like that, Jacob was thrown back to being seventeen, newly expelled and purposeless.

He'd hardly left his room since he'd been sent home. His mothers didn't seem to know how to talk to him, and he was sure they had been urging Nellie away from him as well. He could hear them at night, arguing downstairs when they thought he was asleep. They didn't know what to do with him. It was fair, he supposed. He didn't know quite what to do with himself either.

Then he'd gotten Rakepick's letter.

He had spent a long time grappling with the contents of that letter. Deep down, he'd known he shouldn't accept her offer. Working for her and her allies, it had brought only bloodshed. First poor, sweet Olivia. Then Duncan. Getting sent home could've been a chance to try and sever those ties, get his life back on a track that was normal and safe. But of course, Jacob couldn't accept a comfortable life. He wanted a life of glory. He wanted to be powerful. He'd been such a foolish boy.

He could still remember the way his bedroom door creaked as it opened, and the sound of Nellie's little voice calling his name from the doorway. She'd been only eight, then, so small and vulnerable. Too young to understand why his homecoming had brought frustration and anguish, rather than joy. She didn't understand the weight of his expulsion, or the conversations her mothers had that always seemed to die out when she walked in the room, or the reason her big brother had barely said a single word to her since he came home. All she understood was that she'd missed him while he was gone, and she wanted to spend time with him now that he was here.

All she had done was ask if she could show him her new doll, the one mama had stitched up just for her.

And he'd exploded. He'd screamed at her for everything that had gone wrong, and for nothing at all. He screamed at her for things that were not her doing. He screamed at her for not understanding, for daring to come into his room while he was thinking, for wasting his time. He'd screamed at her until his voice gave out, and only then did he turn to look at her, chest heaving and face red with exertion.

More than anything, he remembered the way she'd looked at him in that moment. Her face drained of color, and her shaking hands hugged to her chest. Her eyes wide and damp with tears, looking at him not only with fear, but with a complete lack of recognition. In that moment, gazing up at him, she didn't recognize her beloved brother at all, and Jacob knew it. His heart had immediately sunk into the pit of his stomach, but when he reached to try and comfort her, she'd burst into tears and ran away. She'd been afraid of him. No matter how hard he tried, Jacob couldn't seem to forget how terrible that felt. In that moment, he'd failed every responsibility afforded to him as an older brother. His quest for power had turned him into someone his baby sister couldn't trust. 

Starting his search for the Vaults was the biggest mistake of his life, but the second biggest mistake was undoubtedly the one he made that night: deciding that he wouldn't be able to put aside his quest—and become the sort of brother he wanted to be—until he'd succeeded. Once he found the Vaults, sating his curiosity and ridding him of his awful jealousy, he would finally be able to move on.

He'd left the very same night.

And look where that had gotten him. Trapped for years, without ever being able to amend the countless mistakes he had made. Look where it had gotten Nellie, seemingly led down the same crooked path that he had walked, filled with the same anguish he'd forced upon her seven years ago.

That was his little sister, sobbing on the other side of the portrait, bruised and shaking and so very vulnerable, and it was all his fault. Tears pricked at the back of Jacob's eyes, and he clenched his jaw, refusing to let himself break down. He was going to fix this. He was going to do right by her now, to make up for every time he had ever done her wrong. He tilted his head, trying to meet her eyes, and gave her the gentlest smile he could manage.

"It's alright, Pip. It's alright," he soothed, struggling to keep his voice steady. He glanced past her, to the column, and then met her gaze once more. "I need you to touch the column, okay? Then I'll be right there." Nellie looked over her shoulder at the column, like she'd forgotten it was there, then pulled away, wiping her nose with a small sniffle. 

"O-Okay. I-I got it." Nellie pushed back her shoulders, forcing herself to stand tall, and crossed over to the column, her every step weighted with purpose. She looked over her shoulder, back up at him—and pressed her hand against the column.

It felt as though air filled Jacob's lungs for the very first time, like he hadn't drawn a breath in years. He took a big gulp of it, of that brand new air, and fell through the the canvas like it was water. He landed on his feet, wobbling, and he barely had time to steady himself before Nellie launched herself into his arms. He almost dissolved, then, holding her so close and feeling her weight in his arms, but he pulled himself back. She needed him. He couldn't break apart now.

"Let me look at you," Jacob whispered, planting his hands on Nellie's shoulders and pulling her back just enough to scan her over, one more time. He huffed a breathless laugh, shaking his head, then pressed a fervent kiss to her forehead. "God, Pip—you haven't changed a bit!" There was so much he wanted to say. He'd had seven years to plan everything he wanted to tell her, but in this critical moment, every carefully constructed sentence had fled his mind.

"You either," Nellie choked out, gazing up at him, before breaking down into another sob, "Oh, Jacob, I've—I've missed you. I've missed you so much." She shook her head, clinging desperately to his arms. "Everything's so twisted and wrong, it's all such a mess—" The relief that overwhelmed Jacob began to give away to unease, his brow furrowing. He was happier than anything that they were finally reunited, happier than anything that he was free...but what was she doing here?

"Hey, hey, shh," Jacob murmured, reaching with a shaking hand to smooth Nellie's hair back from her face, "Whatever's wrong, we can figure it out—"

"I'm sorry I didn't open the door!" Jacob paused, blinking at her a few times in confusion. Nellie wept, not even able to look him in the eye. "Th-The night you left. I didn't open the d-door. I'm so—I'm so sorry, Jacob!" Oh. Oh. That dreadful night, after he'd exploded and destroyed his family with the shrapnel of his rage, he'd tried to go and talk to her, to tell her he was sorry and reassure her that he was someone she could trust. But no matter how much he'd knocked, or how gently he spoke, Nellie hadn't responded, and she certainly hadn't opened the door. Had she been holding onto that, all these years?

"Nellie—" Before he could finish his sentence, however, the sound of oncoming feet made him spin towards the entryway, instinctively throwing out an arm to shield her. Two redheaded boys, one tall and lanky and the other short and stocky, raced in, both of them seeming to relax at the sight of Nellie. Still, Jacob didn't drop his arm. "Who're these two chaps, Pip?" Nellie sniffled, clumsily wiping at her face with the palms of her hands. The sight of them seemed to have jarred her back to the present, reminding her of the circumstances that had gotten her here. There was no time for tears.

"These are my friends, Bill and Charlie Weasley," she introduced, keeping her voice as steady as she could and stepping out around Jacob, branching the gap between them, "They helped me get here."

"Well, then they have my gratitude, that's for sure," Jacob responded in a frail attempt at levity, giving both boys a tight smile. They both stared, as though they couldn't quite believe what they were seeing.

"So, that's him?" the taller one asked, voice uncertain, "That's Jacob Bancroft?" Nellie turned towards him once more, her smile radiant in spite of the dampness of her eyes.

"That's Jacob Bancroft," she confirmed, voice soft with wonder, before the arrival of two more strangers, a boy and a girl, caught her attention. "Merula!" she gasped, darting over to the girl, who was leaning heavily on the boy, her face twisted in pain, "You should be resting!" On instinct, Jacob reached for his wand, a dozen healing spells on his tongue.

"What happened to her?"

"It was Rakepick," Nellie answered, voice growing tight as she wrapped one of the girl's arms around her shoulder, helping to prop her up, "She used the Cruciatus curse on her, we have to—"

"Rakepick?" Jacob interjected, eyes darkening, "She's here?" That vile banshee. It was all falling into place now. Jacob had failed her, so she'd turned to the second best option. She'd preyed on his little sister, used her the same way she'd used him, brought her here, into this place of unbelievable danger, to serve her own needs. 

"Well, no, not—not anymore," Nellie fumbled, caught off guard by the intensity of his voice, "She Disapparated—"

"Just now?" She wouldn't get away with this. He wouldn't let her. She'd taken his ambition and corrupted it. She had twisted him until he was unrecognizable, and disposed of his two only friends as soon as they were of no use to her. She had torn his family apart, ripped him away from them, and now she had turned her wicked gaze onto the one person Jacob had wanted to protect above all. Jacob was going to take her down. He was going to turn her into ash, and ensure that she never sunk her claws into anyone else.

"Just a minute ago," the shorter redhead confirmed, glancing at Nellie, and Jacob gave a low growl.

"I have to go after her," he muttered, almost more to himself than to them, stalking past the group and pulling his wand from its sheath at his hip, "I might still be able to catch up with her, if I'm fast enough."

"Wait!" Nellie gasped, and in spite of himself, Jacob felt his expression soften as he turned to face her. "Take me with you," she pleaded, voice just about breaking, "I can help!" Jacob's chest tightened. She was such a noble girl. She had been since she was just a small child, always taking the blame for his missteps and shielding him from the worst of their mum's disappointment. 

"This is my fight," Jacob said gently, walking over and taking her round, young face in his hands, "It's too dangerous for you to get involved.

"You can't leave again! You can't!" Nellie protested frantically, panic settling in her chest like a bird in a cage that was far too small, beating its wings against the bars, "I only just got you back! There's so much I need to ask you—"

"And there will be time later," Jacob stated firmly, leaning in to press one last kiss to Nellie's forehead, "I'll find you, Pip. I promise. And then we'll have all the time in the world." He pulled back, out of reach of Nellie's hands, reaching desperately for him. "Keep your head down, and stay safe," he commanded, looking steadily into her eyes, "I'll find you when this is all over." And with a loud pop, he was gone.

Fortunately, Jacob left just a minute too early to see Nellie break down entirely. He missed, by only a moment, Bill Weasley pulling her into his arms in a way not unlike Jacob had. Into an embrace not unlike that of an older brother.