phantom-wolf

[phantom-wolf]

So I had this idea: but I lack the technical ability and motivation to do it

Executors Beast form + thorns wrapped around like barbed wire

There's the obvious sybolism within real and modern religious contexts, but it also ties in to Elden Ring's lore- that thorns are ofen worn by those who are guilty, disgraced if you will; as a punishment.

Here's the visual if anyone wants to do anything with it:

I was gonna add the claws/ hands wrapped in thorns too but I'm lazy.

Also this is really edgy I am aware but c'mon the symbolism is perfect

[phantom-wolf]

I know you can't tell what is going on here. Long story short, this is the end frame of me parrying and killing an enemy (which shall not be disclosed because hopefully you'll find it). But it looked too cool to not share.

[phantom-wolf]

Why did they make Case a silent protag. WHY.

I have never been a fan of silent protags but thats not to say COD never pulled it off before. Look at the OG MW and look at Logan from Ghosts. I didn't mind those as much as I do in BO6.

I think its because Black Ops hasn't ever really done silent protags before with the exception of Cold War. And even then I still didn't like the silent protag but it is more understandable because of the twist at the end. Obviously if they'd given Bell a voice then it would've been a whole lot less surprising (even though thats bull too cause it 100% could've been passed off as a Russian turned CIA. I mean look at Weaver). Anyway this isn't about Cold War-

Unless they are really setting "Case" up as Bell then there's no reason why Case doesn't have a voice. We see his character model and he has dialog options which indicates that he does indeed talk, it's just not voiced. So it's not a case (heh) of inserting yourself into the character because he's a character of his own. And he does the the typical COD grunts but he also does end up howling in the Emergence mission so he does have a voice to a point. Like why wouldn't you just have a voice actor speak the dialog. Or respond to teamates during certain missions. Just a simple yes or okay it something.

And the other thing that really pisses me off and kinda took my immersion with it is that Case isn't in any of the cutscenes. Like why? At the very least have him going over plans with Marshall or standing in the back. We've seen his character model. Just put him in. And if you don't want us seeing his face just bs different angles and tasks that have his head bent down or something.

Unless there is a very good reason that Case isn't voiced and isn't in the cutscenes then disregard this rant. But until then my point stands. Anyway this is just my opinion but it did really irk me.

[phantom-wolf]

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Day 5: Meeting the Family

Title: First, Last, and Only Pairing: Arthur Kirkland (England) x Elizabeth I Rating: T Warnings: Nation x human relationship, reference to historical figures, nationverse (where Elizabeth is reincarnated and returns to Arthur but perhaps she's not the only one who has been able to come back...) Summary: Arthur mused to himself that perhaps all the sins and transgressions of the world were truly amended, it was just that humans didn't live long enough to see such things come to pass. Perhaps that was why humans needed to have faith while he…he did live long enough to bear witness to such miracles. To see the woman who was his whole heart come back to him and choose him over any other once again. To see a mother stolen from her daughter reunited with her precious child.

--

In their second lifetime together, Arthur is the first man Elizabeth has ever brought home to meet her mother. He will also be the last, because even if Elizabeth and Anne can't remember him yet, Elizabeth is forever his wife.

[phantom-wolf]

Spoilers for the Black Ops 6 Campaign

It seems like the tattoo on Case's arm might be the Advanced Technologies and Applications logo? I know we don't really get a good look at it but Case's wiki describes the tattoo as "illuminati". Which could double as a reference to the Advanced Technologies and Applications logo and also tie into the truth lies through consipracy theories and shit.

Here's the tattoo in game:

And here's the logo

Now obviously it is missing the shield surrounding it, but I'm just saying.

[phantom-wolf]

Spoilers for the Vengence Saga Below:

I think my favorite part of Get in the Water was Poseidon screaming die at Odysseus

It is great in it's own right of course! Poseidon's anger crashes down upon Odysseus like a tidal wave. The anger is there before of course, but I kinda imagine that as the water retreating inwards suddenly. Or the currents starting to form. Then when he gets to the die part it does crash down like a wave. Which was great!

But I gotta say it reminded me so much of Achilles. The inability to forgive, the anger so human but so elevated. Kinda like the scene where on the banks of the Scamander a Trojan soldier (forgive me I can't remember his name) is asking Achilles for mercy. There is no mercy to give. And it makes sense to a point! Achilles is a demi-god. But it just gave me a lot of Achilles vibes.

[phantom-wolf]

I don't know if Jay addressed this or not but I had an epiphany about God Games Zeus:

You know how his voice sounds different? It's more of a growl/ rumble? I wonder if it relates to their true forms. They have no need to hide their true forms from eachother. So Zeus being the god of storms means his voice is more of a litteral rumble. Like a thunderstorm. And with the forms they use to interact with mortals gone, I assume it's gonna sound less human too.

[phantom-wolf]

I forgot I had this. It's a little poem/ short about the Vault of Glass and Kabr. I don't remember if I've posted this before but I'm reposting it cause younger me got this one.

For those who don't want to click on the AO3 link I will post it here:

The forbidden fruit taken, ripped from the ever watchful gaze of the judge's eye

The mirage of a star flickering silently from above, challenging, deciding

Alone and forgotten the titan's memories had been erased

There was nothing more for the legionless' fate

So he drank

felt the white organisms weave their way across his body's channels

Through his arties, through his veins

Across his sinnews and into his brain

A stray movement, no longer his

Accompanied by whispers of his sins

Until he found himself standing in front of his doom

With a defiant look and a hardy grin too

He ushered his light into a shield for you

So take it and use it wisely

For if you stray from your path the vault will consume you

[phantom-wolf]

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Day 6: Based on a Movie

Title: Trapped in Amber

Ship: Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I // Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I x Alfred F. Jones

Warnings: There will be eventual violence since it is Jurassic Park, but it's not featured in the first chapter. There are also jokes of a sexual nature so be warned

Co-authored with: @the-engdyssey

Summary: “Oh for God's sake,” Arthur murmured irritatedly as the phone rang. It never ended, but such was his job as the head of the department. “Dr. Kirkland,” he answered the phone. An unfamiliar voice greeted him. After asking who the caller was, Arthur remained mostly silent except for a few utterances of acknowledgement. The more Arthur listened, the more silent he became. Elizabeth paused as she noticed Arthur's brows drew together. “I'm sorry,” he interrupted finally, “you're saying you have a what??”

Based off the Jurasic Park book and movie!

[phantom-wolf]

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Day 5: Raising a Family

Title: What's In a Name? Ship: Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I // Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I x Alfred F. Jones Cowritten with: @phantom-wolf Warnings: Polyamorous relationship, Human/Actor AU, Arthur and Elizabeth are married and they then as a couple brought Alfred into their relationship, they all eventually have two children together; a son named Rowan and a daughter named Willow, Arthur, Lizzy, and Al have been together for decades, they all consider each other their spouse even if they can't legally marry Al, Arthur and Alfred are both equally the children's fathers, biological paternity remains ambiguous and irrelevant, none of them the kiddos included want to know one way or the other Summary: The red circular official looking seal initially drew his eyes, causing him to look a bit confused. He saw his kids' signatures briefly, causing a quirked eyebrow but his eyes found their way to the top of the paper. Then they widened in understanding.

Change of Name Deed.

--

Arthur, Elizabeth, and Alfred's children have waited many years to give Alfred a very special gift. At eighteen and sixteen, they don't mind sharing with the world that Alfred is just as much their father as Arthur is. Even though their parents try (and fail) to keep the fact that the three of them have been in a romanic relationship for decades a secret. Rowan and Willow don't want it to be a secret that their Alfred's children too, and they think the last name of Kirkland-Jones sounds amazing. They can't wait to see it in the credits of their future films one day.

[phantom-wolf]

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Day 3: Apocalypse

Title: Starving off Her breadcrumbs

Ship: Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I // Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I x Alfred F. Jones

Cowritten with: @the-engdyssey

Summary: He vaguely heard Reg's introduction as he watched a young woman headbutt and break the windshield of a nearby car. In a desperate bid to escape, the occupant, a middle aged man, fumbled with the car door, spilling out onto the pavement. But not before the woman had latched onto him, her head turned sideways as she lunged once more, her mouth clamping down on the man's arm.

Then came the countdown.

Here comes a herd of zebras! One. With a ferocity she tore her head back, stripping the man of flesh and muscle as she did so. More akin to a bear ripping into the carcass of an elk than anything human.

Two. The female left him after she'd taken a few chunks out of his arm, her attention stolen by another passerby that had run too close. The man's arm was twitching uncontrollably, spasming from what Alfred had assumed was pain. He couldn't bring himself to look away. What the fuck?

Three. The Marine urged his family to move quicker as he noticed the body on the ground convulsing. Worse now. It wasn't just arm twitches anymore, his whole body was convulsing-

---

This work contains graphic depictions of violence. It also contains some swearing. Also thank you for joining us! We appreciate any and all support on this fic and the others! We hope you enjoy, and you do we have more content coming. In the meantime check out our pages! We have plenty more content for this ship as well as Arthur and Elizabeth.

[phantom-wolf]

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Day 1: Mythology

Title: Be Strong, Saith My Heart Ship: Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I // Arthur Kirkland x Elizabeth I x Alfred F. Jones Cowritten with: @phantom-wolf Summary: They'd won, but Arthur's transgressions against the Gods only increased.

Arthur swallowed thickly, he could hear the other men stirring, far away enough for Arthur to be honest so long as he spoke quietly enough. “I'll be dead before they're satisfied. I'm not going to survive this… --

A Trojan War au lovingly crafted by both the original writings of Homer and some of the modern retellings of the myth that we so adore. Arthur as Odysseus, Elizabeth as Penelope, and Alfred as Achilles.

[phantom-wolf]

Eudorus shitting bricks is my favorite

[phantom-wolf]

Devour

It's funny how I'm drawing more Destiny stuff while mostly grinding in Warframe recently. I'm still not used to draw Warframe designs with a lot of details (tho I wouldn't say that I don't have the same problem with Destiny)

Most of the time doing things feels like some kind of heavy chains pulling in different directions and a brain refusing to concentrate, wanting to run, jump or whatever makes me to get distracted from the goal, unless a miracle happens and for some time I gain a less weight of this state. Not removing the feeling of making everything perfect. And this time it was one of the hardest, so I tried to do at least this ragged style. It's still messy One of the reasons that I'm more worried of taking c0*ms bc of this state. Others include a pressure of still disliking oneself and what I make, whatever happens and is heard. It still worries to make something not good enough and especially if the money are paid for it. I heard that I can underestimate myself, but it’s hard and awkward for me to do the opposite and confidently understand it

[phantom-wolf]

A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions in your writing, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

This is NOT a medical resource!!! And never tell a real person you think they're using a cane wrong!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height can make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(some people elect to use a cane wrong for their personal situation despite this, everyone is different!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane and the bad leg and follow with the good leg!

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!

[phantom-wolf]

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Day 2 & 5: Culture and History

Sharing this disgustingly late after getting my degree and moving. But here is a work for Rare Pair Week from 2023. I was very inspired by Victorian Era wedding photos, so here is a drawing of Arthur and Elizabeth at their wedding in 1887. I’ve been wanting to draw Arthur and Lizzy in Victorian Era clothing for years, and I’ve finally done it! Arthur’s hair refuses to be slicked back, I’m proud of how Lizzy’s hair turned out, but her hair would be in an updo as a married woman in that period of time. I tried with the details of her dress.

As for the Culture portion of this piece: Lizzy is holding a very distinct bunch of flowers called a Tussie-Mussie. They were small bouquets of flowers given to women of all ages by gentleman callers. They had decorative vases which could be pinned onto their dresses. (Apparently they’re quite collectible nowadays). Queen Victoria popularized these courtship gifts that have medieval roots and have given ways to the larger bouquets we see today. During the 1800s, they went hand in hand with floriography.

While they’re very poorly drawn, the flowers Lizzy is holding in the Tussie-Mussie that Arthur gave her are; a red rose for love and appreciation, larkspur for strong bonds of love, lily of the valley for happiness and sweetness, and marigold for comfort and protection. These are all qualities that Arthur think Lizzy possesses, and what he promises to always give her throughout their marriage.

[phantom-wolf]

Precious Gems

Summary: The water was murky, perfect cover for the crocodiles that lived within. His eyes remained first on the banks looking for any tracks that the hulking reptiles would leave as they walked or dragged themselves back into the river, then he looked to the water itself, searching for any disturbances, movement or bubbles that rose to the surface from underneath. He was keenly aware that despite his searching the animals could still be there. A twist of envy stirred in his gut as he thought about the creatures.

They still had their scales.