#and there is a real flow to it

[itspileofgoodthings]

my classes went SO well today I will cry

[thelostmoongazer]

more figuring out how i wanna draw the Lamb :3

[nightcatssketchbook]

I was hitting some art block so I felt like drawing some fanart of @abd-illustrates’ Heartless characters!

I realized I never actually watched the final installment of the Concept Corner series, so that’s what I had playing when sketching these. It’s just so fun listening to the brainstorming and cool character connections

[takemetodragonstone]

sometimes a relationship with your father is like “my father is a malignant presence, a bully, and a liar” and “I’m better than you” and “let me out. I don’t want to be you” and “I just do what my dad tells me” and “I can see through you” and “why did you never ask me?” and “he sees everything” and “you have a hard time finding a happy medium between worshipping him and wanting to kill him” and “he loves me. he does. it’s just a wrong kind of love expression” and “fuck dad, he can kick me as many times as he wants” and “pass me the fucking shotgun” and “dad, please. /what have you got in your fucking hand?/ i don’t know, love?/ love? you come for me with love?” and “there’s nothing you could say to me now that I would ever believe” and “are you a cunt?” and “he never even liked me” and “I can’t forgive you … but it’s okay. I love you” and “it’s what dad would do” and “you hated him./ I loved him” and “maybe the poison drips through” and “he was so terrifying to us” and “when he let you in, when the sun shone … it was warm in the light” and most importantly, “he made me breathe funny”

[maganbee]

Impressed for a whole two seconds

[fight-for-what-you-love]

♪ Worldwide - Big Time Rush

I'm gonna be honest- these episodes kind of fell apart while I was making this. The more I re-wrote the story for it's second draft the less this version made sense and the less interested I was to work on it. I have not much else to say except sorry this part is kinda iffy and sorry it took so long. I promise you I'll make up for this in the next episode I PROMISE

Notes on both episodes under the cut!

Sweden Sour

* (I think it’d be really funny if Cody just doesn’t talk at all this episode. Not a word. Just nods and head shakes and depressed faces.)

* Cody’s incredibly depressed after Noah’s elimination. Sierra’s over the moon, though. She sees Cody depressed and gives him a tight side hug, petting his head. She tries consoling him with “I know you’re sad, but it’s ok! At least I’m still here~.” Cody starts sobbing, head in hands. Heather is sick of this already.

* The teams get their “ibuilda” pieces and the Amazons argue on what it’s supposed to be. Cody stares at the pieces for a few seconds before the light briefly re enters his eyes. He starts building. Courtney tells him to stop but Heather tells her he’s obviously got it, so let him work. They start helping him build… something.

* Once the Amazons are done, Heather, Sierra and Courtney take a step back to see what they’ve built. It’s a giant wooden Noah head. Their faces drop. Heather is filled with murderous rage.

* We built Noah’s face (We’re gonna take first place) Cause we built Noah’s faaaace

* Tyler’s jumper would be white.

* Cody doesn’t sing in this number. Chris notices and stares at him threateningly. He reluctantly hums the chorus and Chris takes what he can get.

* (Alejandro takes off his shirt to pull the boat like a freak. Duncan is unfazed and Tyler will deny it if you ask him if he blushed.)

* Sierra hits Noah’s Head hard enough it falls over on its side and suggests sawing off the side to ride in him like a boat. Heather and Courtney agree to this. Cody has no comment.

* Duncan and Alejandro don't bother bending over backwards to please Tyler. Duncan makes himself captain and no one argues.

* When the Amazons go to pick a captain, Courtney grabs the hat and declares herself captain without input. Heather tries to argue but Courtney argues back- Cody is in no condition, no one trusts Sierra and Heather took control the last challenge so this time she’s in charge. Heather reluctantly backs down.

* Amazons catch up to team Chris in the water. Alejandro sees them approach and makes note of Cody’s face, making fun of him for being so upset about “the Noah thing”. Cody furrows his eyebrows and points furiously at Chris’s boat. Courtney agrees that yes, they should shoot their boat.

* It doesn’t matter who wins the challenge since it’s a non elimination round, but I want to say the Amazons persevere. The massage helps Cody enough that he’s not stone faced next episode at least.

Aftermath III (Aftermath Aftermayhem)

* Gwen, Owen and Noah are introduced together. Gwen walks out first and Owen, hugging Noah to the point of lifting him off the ground, walks behind her.

* Geoff asks what all that’s about and Gwen responds that Owen refused to let him go until Noah “understood just how sorry he was”. Noah insists he forgives him, but Owen still won’t let him go.

* The Owen square is replaced by the Tyler square. The prompt is survive. (The hosts throw a bunch of debris at the contestant for thirty seconds and if they dodge everything they move on.)

* (For brevity’s sake, assume all of the contestants that participated in the board game in the original episode participated here [with the exception of Tyler, who is replaced with Owen]. They all get eliminated the same way as well, Noah getting got by aliens, Owen falling down the booby trap square and Beth making it to the final question.)

* When Beth gets stumped on the last question (What was Duncan's band called) Noah yells at her, frustrated: “Oh my- It’s Der Schnitzel Kickers, Beth!!” Confetti and balloons fall from the ceiling.

* (He knows this because Cody had mentioned it in a conversation after the London challenge.)

* Noah initially complains about winning the game, but Owen reminds him that he gets to see Cody again and he shuts up immediately.

* “Noah wins!” “Wasn’t he disquali-” “NOAH WINS!! Let’s wrap it up. We’re done here.”

[mblue-art]

🚨 yearning boy 🫵 yearning boy alert 🫵 🚨

silly guy yearning at 4am over crush who is also silly

alt under the cut

alt. without the shoujo manga bg

[elivanto]

FLOW (2024)

[rassicas]

Another excerpt from that Splatoon dev interview from a rare 2017 Nintendo dream issue, with some never before seen information. This one's. Interesting. Translation under the cut.

Q: What kind of sea slug is Flow based on? Inoue: Her coloration is based on what's called a cinderella sea slug* [[Hypselodoris apolegma]]. Traits from various other species of nudibranches were incorporated into her design. --- Nudibranches are hermaphroditic, so is Flow female? Male?

Inoue: Well...this magazine is called "Nintendo dream", so leave that to your fantasies (laughs). Nogami: After all, the Inklings can also freely change between girl and boy.**

*[[This species of nudibranch doesn't seem to have a common name in English. This is just a direct translation of the common name in JP.]]

**[[I chose this phrasing of "girl and boy" in reference to the player settings screen in s1 and s2, as that seems to be what Nogami is referencing.]]

[booasaur]

Special Ops: Lioness - First and last kisses

[riptidesblog]

Masters of Life

This was inspired by the tags @calypsolemon left on my The Conduit piece:

[moonchild-in-blue]

You know, looking at Damocles through the lore lens is SO interesting. Because the one thing we do officially have is how Sleep Token came to be.

From their 2017 Metal Hammer interview:

"Vessel encountered Sleep in a dream, with promise of glory and magnificence if Vessel followed Him."

Success, fame, power in exchange for worship. Seems easy enough right? Vessel took the deal, and sure enough, the glory came. But it all comes to a price doesn't it? To worship was the condition, not the payment - it's just that Vessel didn't know how big the cost was. He wanted to get to the top, but didn't realise how steep was the fall.

This reads like a fae's trick, like a twisted granted wish from a genie. A crossroads deal with the devil.

There are many theories about the moral nature of Sleep - are They benevolent or malicious? Is there space for ambiguity? Do They have any regard for their mortal worshippers, or is divine power the only thing They crave?

Regardless of where one stands on it (and really, it's such an open concept that there's definitely space for all of these to co-exist), Damocles to me cements how malevolent and capricious Sleep is. Because if pain and despair is what They crave, why would They warn a mere feeble human of the consequences of the success they so desperately seek?

Especially after TMBTE - we thought that Vessel would finally retaliate, and it was precisely after that decision to fight, to bite back, that they reached the top and saw what was awaiting there. Almost as if Sleep lulled him into a false sense of security, let him hope for the best, gave him a taste of grandeur, and let him find out for himself his golden palace was just another cage - one built with his own flesh and bone.

And how is he supposed to escape from that prision, when the warden is himself?

[araneapeixes]

a break in usual programming bc i was having a gender moment about the video for LUNCH lol

[lytmeowtif]

And then she descends, faster, faster, a mad cackle trilling forth from her lips in that beautiful lyrebird’s voice – and she is upon them. Music flows through the shining feathers beneath her wings; her long tail plumage is no longer feather but sound - bright yellow, radiant soundwaves lending her form.

The Lyrebird’s Song shakes out her strange, glowing wings; folds them up by her sides. She’s here.

[mxtxfanatic]

The Most Un-Lan-Like Lan (Junior) vs. The Most Un-Lan-Like Lan (Married-In Senior)

Lan Jingyi is such an interesting character. He is very opinionated and often speaks his mind without considering how his words will come across. He is cowardly about the supernatural despite being a cultivator but brave against those in positions of power despite being a child, always willing to stand up for what he thinks is right. Lan Jingyi starts off the story with a low opinion of "Mo Xuanyu," usually acting rude, hostile, or dismissive:

When he turned his head, he saw the Lan juniors tailing him. “Children!” he shouted. Lan Jingyi said, “Who are you calling children? Don’t you know which clan we’re from? Just because you’ve washed your face, you get to act like our senior?”

—Chapt. 9: Pride IV, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian went to the youngsters. “Am I seeing things right? Each of you is a disciple of a prominent clan. Haven’t your moms, dads, and uncles taught you that the dead can’t receive the paper money you’re burning? They’re dead, what do they need money for? They won’t be able to collect it. Plus, you’re burning the money right at someone’s door—“ Lan Jingyi waved his hand dismissively. “Move aside, move aside, you’re blocking the wind. The fire will burn out at this rate. Anyway, it’s not like you’ve ever died—how do you know whether the dead can collect the money?" ... Lan Jingyi knifed him in the heart again. “Even if you’ve been dead before and didn’t get any, it has to be because no one burned any for you.”

—Chapt. 42: Flora X, fanyiyi

It doesn't help that Wei Wuxian, playing into his "gay lunatic" persona, is intentionally trying to put everyone off:

Lan Jingyi said, “Why are you crying? You’re the one who said you like Hanguang Jun! Now he even brought you home. So what are you howling for?” Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows were wrinkled, his lips frowned, and his face was the perfect picture of misery.

—Chapt. 11: Elegance I, fanyiyi

Wei Wuxian took out the apple from the breakfast they had given him and offered it to the donkey. As expected, as soon as the animal bit in, it stopped braying, and began smacking its lips and crunching the fruit with its teeth instead. Wei Wuxian touched the back of its neck and thought about the jade passage tokens the juniors carried while pointing at the round, white rabbits covering the ground. “I’m really not allowed to cook them? So if I cooked them, I’d be chased off the mountain?” As though facing a major enemy, Lan Jingyi opened his arms and stepped in front of him immediately. “These are Hanguang Jun’s rabbits. We just help watch them once in a while. Don’t you dare cook them!”

...

“I can’t get up,” he said sincerely. “Uh, what’s happened to you now?” Lan Sizhui said. “What’s happened to me? Your clan’s Hanguang Jun ravished me!” Lan Jingyi piped up louder and fiercer. “If you keep spouting nonsense, we’re not going to let it go. Come out!”

—Chapt. 19: Sunshine I, fanyiyi

Yet despite all this, once Wei Wuxian sheds his "Mo Xuanyu" cover and begins to seriously lean into his mentorship role, Lan Jingyi becomes one of his most vocal followers amongst the juniors, seeing the man as both a steady pillar to rely on—on par with his idol, Hanguang-jun—and someone whose safety he is concerned with, so much so that he can even cast aside his fear of the supernatural to volunteer himself as bait in Wei Wuxian's stead:

Wei WuXian said to them, “When the second group of fierce corpses rushes in, I will lure them towards the Pool of Blood, and HanGuang-Jun will be in charge of slaying them. With this target here,” He patted himself, “They won’t bother you. Don’t be tempted by battle, just run.” For once, Lan SiZhui’s raised his voice, “No! We can’t do that. There’s no way!” Sect Leader OuYang had given up trying to hold his son still. OuYang ZiZhen, “Senior-Wei, we will slay the corpses too! I can slay a hundred more!” Meanwhile, Lan JingYi had already started to undress, “I’ll draw a flag on myself too!”

—Chapt. 81: Core Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

OuYang ZiZhen, “HanGuang-Jun, why did Senior-Wei collapse?” Lan WangJi, “Tired.” Lan JingYi was astonished, “I thought that Senior-Wei would never tire!”

—Chapt. 84: Core Part 6, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Soon, he began again, “Speaking of it, why didn’t I see SiZhui and the squad this time back?” In the past, these juniors would’ve crowded around them and begun chirping all the way from the entrance of the mountain. Hearing him mention SiZhui and the juniors, Lan WangJi’s brows relaxed somewhat, “I can take you to see them.” After he led Wei WuXian to find Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, and the others, the juniors didn’t do anything apart from calling out in delight.

—Chapt. 114: Banquet Extra, exr

With such a fierce and impressionable personality, it's no wonder he's one of the few juniors whose name Wei Wuxian can remember 😂

[baldursghaik]

Thyneron and the Emperor have dramatically different outlooks on money and finances. I would not exactly call Balduran "self-made" since it's highly implied that much of his financial acquisitions were questionable at best, and outright theft, extortion, and exploitation at worst, but at the end of the day, he did still acquire his own money, no matter how illicitly.

On the other hand, Thyneron was born with a gem encrusted silver spoon in the mouth. Money means nothing to Thyneron in the way that money means nothing to all immensely wealthy people, in that it's been a permanent fixture in the background of his life. He has no more regard for money than he does for the lavishly expensive rugs under his feet. It is simply there, because it has always been there, and presumably always will be there.

At the same time, the Emperor is completely unconstrained by perceptions of wealth. I believe it has a certain taste for fine things, but it dresses and lives simply, and is more invested in the love of the game of acquisition. I think to the Emperor (and Balduran before that), amassing wealth was like a game, with only marginally higher stakes than dice or cards.

Meanwhile, Thyneron dresses in clothes he dislikes, associates with people he disdains even more, and is constantly buried in a mountain of self-hatred because he feels compelled to keep the rigid standards of the Upper City for the sake of his family and business. If he had it his way, he'd wear simple tunics and trousers and never go to a damned ball, feast, gala, or party ever again.

I always enjoy thinking of what money means to various people, especially two that embody separate sides of the same coin (ha) the way that these two do.