#/ lots of new things here i wanted to try colors and @ integration

[dernarrleid]

continuation from here

Relishing in the cold stare of a woman never perturb Kenzou before. The words falling from his lips, he meant them in earnest, understanding the nuance behind the work he performed day in and day out yet scolded himself on their delivery. Choosing who to save, it was easy to stay objective in a system who's design made the incoming of patients fair, taking away another element of all powerful responsibility aside from the conspicuous. Fundamentally, life wasn't in the same colors or variations for certain individuals over others; many had not the privilege to venture out and discover this notion. He supposed it's why there's a near permanent misunderstanding between people of what the meaning of said existence was, as the battles of hopefulness and nihilistic ideals wage on indefinitely. It doesn't entirely explain why most of his run ins with decidedly head strong, free-thinking persons question his character in a way almost condescending. The Irina he had searched for, the profile heard only from a man too cowardly to go on record, yet to damn good at his job for Kenzou to ignore the tip off. The @zorkaya he'd met instead.

Not to be deluded by her distinct features, the pure color of her hair paired with the crystalized, sunny twinkle seemingly disemboweling the fabric of his ideals from a few words exchanged. Across from him lie the proverbial serpent to his dove. Kenzou does not think so highly of himself in a personal sense, absolutely not, remaining completely neutral in his perception. To the defense of savings lives, it may only be faced head on. In the past, his ire while at bay grew each time his concurrent morals were challenged. Which fair, word of mouth often served the impression of his auspicious skills, never probing his beliefs since the medical world had no room for differing interpretations. However, the sheltered upbringing gave way for perhaps the ultimate form of prosperity. He'd been practicing inadvertently.

"It's a flaw I'm not proud of, but the more I believed in it the more it never failed to unsettle me. Outside of a professional environment one has to abide by their own set of morals." Kenzou says, mildly. Ridiculousness settles upon him in his surroundings, staring at the floor where his shoes stood out above all. The extravagance in her prim mien, only familiar with money in a detached sense considering his travels, he'd be rolling in it if his materialism was anymore than it was currently. Extremely aware of how terribly odd they come given they traditionally have no inhibitions left. "Whether I'm alive or on the brink of death, I'm not doing a thing for you." Rather callously put, although something tells him she wouldn't mind in a non-murderous way. Surprisingly, most of his interaction were the opposite. "My life is in the hands of my patients... you don't seem like the type to require any immediate attention."

He shuffles the soles of suede shoes on the wooden tiles underfoot, taking the glass before him if only to peer at his reflection. Self conscious wasn't the correct wording, hair a bit disheveled both from his roots with the beginnings of stubble prinking his chin. In stark contrast, he sighs to the air. "Have you ever felt the need to stray away from this world?" He questions tentatively. Recognizing a smile, not truthful, from miles away never mind the few feet between. The drink swirls in hand, thumb and index finger spinning the steam of the glass. "A man I'd been helping," saving, "he mentioned you in some capacity before his procedure. I... had to see for myself what kind of person you were—why he was so afraid. He wanted me to give you a token of his time with you, said I'd have no trouble seeing how beautiful you are." Reaching into the breast pocket stuffed with a handkerchief was a poorly written letter, manuscript by someone on the verge of death.

The way it was frantic burned together—anyone would have concluded the note held a powerful infatuation behind it. Why for a Ms. Zarya he'd no clue. Pleasantries fell short via his time to even make the trip and her demeanor; reading the letter was one thing different from the reality of his first encounter. He hoped it was his last. "He was wrong."

[kvtnisseverdeen]

This is my humble take…

Joe Alwyn was Taylor’s best boyfriend. She knows this and her fans know this. But he demands actual work and accountability. Taylor is a white rich conservative girl first and foremost. And she’s very narcissist. Joe is the first boyfriend of hers to put actually limits on how her public personal affects him and their relationship. And she liked dating him at first because he was private and reserved and she was desperately trying to scape the industry and she found the most non-industry British man ever. She liked that security and knowing he didn’t attract that much attention. Then, she slowly gained her reputation back on track and realized that she could finally go back to being the person that plays for the media again. And yes, maybe her relationship with Joe was slowly fading — it happens a lot. But she clearly says in her lyrics that wanting to be shown off in public is one of the reasons too. Because she likes that every relationship she’s in gets consumed by her fans and the media.

And Joe Alwyn required her to go and do some work on herself! He comes from a very activist family. He was the one that made her be more open about social activism. It was because of him that she tried to do the bare minimum like encouraging during elections, have more racially diverse people on her music videos and tours, and do a very cringey job at supporting lgbt rights. But it was at least something…

Isn’t funny that the moment they broke up she went back to being very problematic? The climate terrorist that she’s been for the pass year and then wanting to sue people for spreading her private flights information (knowing this is public information). Then dating that racist man that mocked woman of color and admitted to watch what he did, being quiet about the war that’s going on, and the lame and immature issue she created over some of Olivia Rodrigo’s songs (a literal new artist and teenager at the time) to the point she cut total ties with her and her next man being a very typical conservative macho man that seems to love the attention just like her. She’s back at being who she’s always been…

“Your integrity makes me feel small” Yes, Taylor, indeed. I am glad you know this too.

oh you absolutely have said it all. this is extremely well said and on point.

i find it so odd that most swifties can't pinpoint that the real issue between joe and taylor was taylor once again giving into the industry and being a rich white capitalist which is something joe is not and does not want to be, and most likely caused the demise of their relationship. taylor herself has said this in her songs (like the lyrics in peace, as you said). so yeah, maybe she wanted marriage but joe probably wasn't comfortable marrying someone who had completely different morals than him which is his right. let's be real here.

and oh the relationship between her and travis probably set her "redemption arc" far back than ever. she really was finally speaking up on so many matters and now she's dating a problematic trump supporter, giving into the media frenzy with the NFL, and has done no activism despite having the biggest platform. i think what sucked the most was her being times person of the year and using it to talk about travis and how she wasted 6 years of her life being private. so disappointing. and the cherry on top are some of the lyrics from ttpd (ex. 1830s racism lyric) like WHAT?

another thing swifties misinterpret is that no one would've known joe if it wasn't for taylor and that he's living off of his songwriting credits from folklore/evermore. joe who is notoriously low-key and has stated he just wants to be seen as human never used taylor for clout and has avoided saying her name in interviews, even after the break-up. not because he didn't love her, but because he did not want to feed into the media frenzy. and if all eyes are on him, he's using it to make a statement about palestine which is amazing. sure, you may not have known joe alwyn if it wasn't for taylor but he never used taylor's fame to make him more famous. and might i argue, it was taylor who despite releasing positive songs about him sometimes didn't defend him (like in the folklore sessions where jack antonoff was obviously being rude to him? or how she told her fans not to go after john mayor releasing speak now tv but didn't say anything for joe when her fans have been harassing him like crazy?)

on the other hand, we have travis kelce who has most definitely brought her up in every capacity like on his brothers podcast and let's be real, most of the swifties didn't know who travis was (i didn't!) unless they were football fans. we saw proof of that when NFL sales and viewership was significantly higher. so yes, travis is using her name for clout and feeding into the media frenzy. and then you have swifties saying he loves her and supports which yes, can be true, but you cannot deny that taylor and travis' relationship fed the media, fed the NFL, and diverted attention from more important issues like gaza. and while taylor and travis had their eyes on them, they didn't use it to do any good.

so yes, you are right. joe was taylor's best boyfriend.

[psychedelic-ink]

We Fall Like Snow ║ Part ⅠⅠⅠ

series summary: After the events that took place at the Cliff Beasts set, needless to say as his bodyguard (and friend) you became overprotective of Dieter. You have all your worries under control until you accidentally flip over a young fan by grabbing her wrist, causing the media to stir with speculations as to why. Luckily Dieter's family arrives in the nick of time, scooping you both from New York to their cozy cabin; however winter wonderland can't last forever and you need to face the consequences of your actions sooner or later.

pairing: Dieter Bravo x bodyguard!ofc; Amina Addams, written in reader format

chapter summary: You meet Dieter's cousin Everett. The family takes you ice skating.

word count: 8.1k

chapter warnings: dieter being a softie, piv, oral (receiving), lots dirty talking, near-death experience (almost drowning), vaginal fingering

**dividers by the amazing @saradika

The winter sun warms your skin as you step out of the car. You assume that the tall blond man being embraced by Adaline is the Everett you’ve heard so much about. Dieter laughs and pats Everett on the back. 

You stand awkwardly in the snow, the freezing cold seeping through the soles of your boots, you feel a sense of isolation wash over you. You are used to being an integral part of Dieter's life, but now you find yourself on the outside looking in. You watch as Adaline embraces Everett, Dieter standing nearby with a grin on his face, and you can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy and longing. You want to be a part of this scene, to be included in the laughter and camaraderie, but instead, you are left standing on the sidelines. The sense of exclusion weighs heavily on your shoulders, and you can't shake the feeling that you will always be an outsider.

You take a step forward, your eyes looking up at the cabin. It’s quite big and cozy looking. You see decorations here and there, shadows of colorful light visible from the windows. There’s also a wreath hanging on the door. When you reach the family, Everett looks you up and down with curiosity. A shy smile touches your lips. 

“And who’s this?” he asks as Adaline tears away from his broad frame. 

“Oh, this is Amina, Dieter’s bodyguard,” she introduces them politely. “Amina, this is Everett, Claus’s sister’s son— Dieter’s cousin,” 

As Everett reaches out his hand, you can't help but be struck by the contrast between him and Dieter. While Dieter's warm brown eyes radiate comfort and familiarity, Everett's crystal blue gaze is sharp and piercing, like a beam of light cutting through the darkness.

You take Everett's hand, feeling a jolt of electricity as you make contact. His smile is wide and friendly, but you can sense a hint of reserve behind it as if he's not quite sure what to make of you.

"It's nice to meet you," you say, trying to put him at ease.

Everett nods curtly, his accent revealing hints of his German heritage. His voice is clear and commanding, the kind of voice that would be perfect for a podcast or a radio show.

"I wasn't aware that bodyguards had to tag along everywhere," he says.

You can feel the tension between you and Everett, as if you're both trying to size each other up. 

“Well they don’t,” Dieter answers instead, his voice thick with sleep. “But some stuff happened and mom invited her to tag along,” 

Mom invited her

During this whole thing you never once stopped to think about if Dieter actually wanted you around. You always kind of assumed that he did. You try to brush off the sting of his words, but it lingers in the back of your mind. Everett looks at Dieter with his one eyebrow raised. 

“What stuff?” 

Claus slugs his arm over Everett’s shoulder, guiding him inside, “We’ll tell you all about it later. You know how your cousin is, always getting into trouble— Let’s get settled in first,” 

Everett sneaks both you and Dieter one last look before disappearing inside with Claus, you can hear vague murmuring. Adaline sighs next to you. When you turn to look you notice a fond smile blooming on her lips, she shakes her head. 

“He says that yet leaves us with all the luggage,” she clicks her tongue with a smile. “Anyway, let’s carry this all inside. I hope you’ll find everything alright,” It takes you a while to notice that the last part was directed at you. You nod quickly as you pick up two bags, they’re only slightly heavy. Dieter gives you a blank stare. 

“I’m sure everything is lovely Mrs—” you clear your throat.  “Adaline,” 

As you make your way towards the quaint, cottagecore-inspired stairs, you’re being tugged back before you reach the first step. Adaline’s already up the stairs. 

“Hey,” 

It's Dieter, his face contorted in a way that you can't quite decipher. As you lower your gaze, you see that his hands are empty, palms turned towards you as if he's expecting you to give him something. You raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" you ask, your voice tight with curiosity.

He gives you an exasperated look and steps closer, the warmth of his body radiating towards you in the cold, crisp air. You are suddenly very aware of his lips and neck, your own breathing becoming shallow and labored. Dieter leans in, slightly bending his knees as he takes both bags from you, his fingers brushing against yours in a slow, steady motion that sends shivers down your spine.

"You don't need to carry everything," he says, his voice low and intimate. "You're on vacation."

You stare at him unblinking, caught in the spell of his proximity and warmth. He climbs up the stairs, and when he realizes you're not following him, he turns and gives you a bright, humorous smile.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" he asks, his voice laced with playful mischief.

"Yeah— Coming," you manage to reply, your throat feeling itchy and dry. You quickly make your way up the stairs. 

The two of you enter the cabin together. Everett and Claus are both leaning over the counter, talking with quick breaths. Meanwhile, Adaline is rummaging through the fridge half-bent over. Looking around you notice the fireplace, large windows, and cozy-looking furniture. You see that the cabin isn’t fully decorated, one window has colorful lights dangling from the top of it while the other does not. The Christmas tree that sits in the corner is also undecorated, naked, essentially. 

Dieter drops the bags and heads towards his family, you follow a close trail behind, the familiar movement causing you to feel nostalgic. Everett spots the two of you and breaks away from his conversation with Claus, who seems unbothered by the interruption. You wonder what the two of them were talking about, and if it has anything to do with your arrival.

“Dieter!” 

“Everett!” 

They embrace roughly as guys do. Everett slightly pushes Dieter down as the latter affectionately pats his stomach. They both laugh. When they part, their arms are still tangled around one another, and Everett’s gaze lands on you. 

“So you brought your bodyguard, huh?” he asks, the question directed at Dieter. 

You feel somewhat relieved that Claus wasn’t filling Everett in about what happened back in New York. 

“She’s also my friend jackass,” Dieter answers, his tone light. “She’s here to have fun and relax—” 

“Oh good, that means no one will stop me when I wrestle you to the ground,” 

You chuckle at that, stuffing your hand in your pocket you tilt your head. 

“Just because I’m not on the clock doesn’t mean you can wrestle him down,” the smile never wavers, and you shrug. Everett gives you a lopsided grin. “Besides, I taught him a couple of moves. I’m sure he’ll be able to hold his own,” 

“Oh?” he hums, raising an eyebrow. “So you think he can beat me?” 

You look him up and down. Did you think Dieter could beat him? No. Probably not. But you don’t allow the question to linger in the air. 

“Positive.” 

He laughs, and the sound sends a pleasant tingle up your spine. Looking at Dieter, Everett squeezes his shoulder. 

“Hear that Dieter? She thinks you can beat me, care to prove her right with a friendly match?” 

“If you promise not to cheat,”

“Me? Cheat?” Everett lets out an exasperated gasp and touches his chest. “I would never.” 

Dieter rolls his eyes at that but he’s smiling, he pats Everett’s stomach once more and peels away from the embrace. 

“Sure then.” Dieter’s gaze momentarily lingers on you, eyes softening. “We can fight.” 

“You two used to wrestle a lot?” 

Everett nods, “We used to do it annually when the family came together but that doesn’t happen anymore. Flights aren’t cheap,” 

“Oh, you took a flight here? From where?” 

“I didn’t but for my folks to come over they would have to. They live in Germany,” 

Noticing your shock, Dieter cuts in. 

“Most of my father’s side still lives in Germany; my aunt, my cousins, grandparents. They don’t like to travel a lot, but Everett lives here so we get to see him more often than the rest. The other’s sometimes facetime us on Christmas,” 

“And we usually meet up here but someone—” Everett’s brows furrow as he turns to his cousin. “—Didn’t make it last year,” 

Dieter groans, eyes staring up at the ceiling. “How many times am I going to say this I was working,” he suddenly gestures to you. “If you don’t believe me ask her, she was there while I was busting my ass off,” 

“Oh yeah, he was very busy,” you say, exaggerating every word and adding a wink at the end. Everett laughs, and Dieter pouts. 

“Just because he’s a movie star he thinks he can ignore us,” Everett answers, Dieter’s frown deepens. 

“Don’t call me that.” 

The air grows heavy with the subtle venom beneath his words, Everett is still smiling, however, you can see worry crossing his face, and the corner of his eye twitches. You immediately regret making fun, you should’ve known better. 

Though, in your defense, you had called Dieter a movie star many times before and he never once showed any signs of annoyance.  Everett lifts his hand to presumably put it on Dieter’s shoulder, but the latter moves away before he can. 

“I think mom might need my help,” 

Your eyes wander to the kitchen, you can't help but be struck by the chaos unfolding before you. Adaline is flitting about like a hummingbird, her hands a blur as she mixes ingredients and tosses them into a bowl. Dieter soon joins her, following her instructions and pulling out pots and pans from the cabinets.

It's a sight to behold, and you can't help but be entertained by the mother-son duo in the kitchen. But as you watch Dieter reach for a bowl, you can't help but be struck by something else entirely.

His shirt rides up ever so slightly, exposing a patch of skin just above the small of his back. And oh boy, is it a sight to behold. You feel your mouth fill with saliva as you drink in the sight of Dieter's soft stomach and freckled skin.

You try to look away, but it's too late. Everett has already noticed your gaze, and you can feel your cheeks burning with embarrassment.

You turn to him, hoping he didn't see what you were looking at. But the twinkle in his eye tells you everything you need to know. He knows exactly what you were looking at.

“Sorry about that,” he says sheepishly. For a moment you think that he’s talking about you ogling his cousin. “I wasn’t expecting him to get mad at that,” 

You blink, his words slowly registering.

“Me neither,” you mutter, observing the tips of your boots. “I call him a movie star all the time, he’s never seemed upset by it before. Like, I joke about it constantly.” 

"You know, his parents have a habit of calling him that when they're upset with him," Everett whispers, leaning in closer and brushing your ear. "They use it very derogatory. They're supportive of what he does, but sometimes it can get heated, especially with all the constant news flowing around him. And, well... when he didn't show up last year, they did get a bit upset."

You have a feeling it might’ve been more than a bit. 

Everett's words wash over you, and you can't help but feel a sense of melancholy. You've seen the headlines about Dieter, and you know how cruel the media can be. The paparazzi have never shown him mercy, and you can't begin to imagine the toll it must take on him and his family.

Everett seems to sense your distress, and he takes a step back, his hands coming to rest on his hips. His playful wink is meant to lighten the mood, but you can't shake the feeling of sadness that has settled over you.

"But hey, you didn't hear it from me," Everett says, his voice low and conspiratorial. "He's a bit touchy on the subject."

Dieter's mother calls out to him, her voice carrying through the house. "Everett, dear. Why don't you show Amina to her room? Breakfast slash brunch will be ready in a bit."

Your heart sinks as Dieter doesn't even look up at you, his eyes fixed on the bowl in front of him. You can't help but feel a pang of hurt, wondering if there's any way to bridge the gap between you and Dieter.

Everett leads you upstairs, showing you to your cozy room. 

Unlike the living room, your room has already been fixed up before your arrival. It’s bright, the walls pastel yellow, and the windows large with Christmas lights dangling down from the top. You also spot a tiny balcony, a roundtable stands in the middle of it. The bed is king-sized, it looks luscious, and soft as if it was ripped directly out of a commercial. There’s a small fireplace in the corner of the room. A soft tingle spreads throughout your muscles and you realize how in dire need of sleep you are. 

“Tired?” Everett asks standing next to you, when you turn to look at him you see that he’s smiling. 

“A bit but I’ll be fine,” 

“You’ll probably have time to rest after we eat, then I think Adaline wants to go ice skating,” 

"Ice skating?" you ask, your voice filled with hesitation. You've never done it before, and to be honest, you're not sure you have the talent to glide on top of a frozen lake.

Everett nods, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Yeah, we do it every year. But don't worry, you don't have to skate," he says with a chuckle, clearly seeing the hesitation on your face. "There's an open cafe there that makes amazing hot chocolate. You can just watch and warm up with a cup of cocoa."

You let out a breath of relief, feeling grateful that you don't have to force yourself onto the ice. "That sounds great," you say, smiling shyly. You're not sure how much you would enjoy skating, but the thought of sipping on a warm cup of hot chocolate sounds like heaven.

You stand at the edge of the frozen lake, the snow drifting softly down from above, and you can't help but feel a sense of peace wash over you. The world around you is blanketed in white, and you feel like you're standing in the center of a beautiful, wintery wonderland.

Dieter is close by your side, his knuckles brushing over yours. The small cafe behind you is a beacon of warmth and comfort, its rich, chocolatey aroma wafting over to you on the chilly winter breeze. You can't help but feel your mouth water at the thought of sipping on a warm cup of cocoa, your hands wrapped around the mug as you huddle together in the cozy warmth. There’s only one other family occupying the cafe other than the Bravos.

"Are you sure you're not going to at least try?" Dieter prompts, looking at you with a crooked smile and an amused gaze. "I never thought you'd be scared of a little ice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" you ask, narrowing your eyes at him.

"Oh, I don't know. I just figured someone as tough and fearless as you wouldn't be afraid to take on a little challenge," Dieter says, his voice laced with teasing.

You can't help but laugh at his words, shaking your head. "I'm not afraid of a challenge, I just don't want to fall ass first onto the ice in front of all of you," you say, looking around at the rest of the family.

Your cross your arms against your chest as Dieter grins widely. He raises his hand that holds a pair of skates that Adaline had brought for you just in case. 

“Don’t tease her, Dieter,” Claus says. He and Adaline are holding hands as they slowly start to move around the ice. “God knows you were terrified your first time too,” 

“I was ten, dad.” 

Without another word, Adaline and Claus skate away, leaving you, Dieter, and Everett standing together on the ice. Dieter is still holding out the skates, his smile taunting as he looks at you expectantly. You feel slightly off after the car ride. Dieter's behavior seems to be more erratic than usual and it's unsettling. It's not uncommon for him to act one way and then the other, but for some reason, it feels more jarring this time.

You chew your bottom lip, your eyes flitting between the skates and Dieter’s excited eyes. You’re not a fan of trying new things, especially when there’s a very high chance that you might be bad at it. 

“Come ooon…” he sings, dangling the skates. “I know you want to,” 

Everett nudges your arm with his own, a smile crossing his lips. You had forgotten that he was there. 

“We’ll be sure to help you out,” Everett points at Dieter, his smile widening into a grin. “And I’m sure this one here won’t let you fall,” 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," you say smiling. "He might decide to seek revenge for all those early mornings I made him endure."

Dieter grins and nods, his look is soft, and it makes you question your cutthroat answer. It’s really not fair that he can sway your mind this easily. Sometimes you wonder if he knows the power he holds over you. His being oblivious to it might be worse actually. You let out a sigh, shake your head, and yank the ice skates from his hand. His eyes glimmer and the look makes your chest feel tight. 

“We got her,” Dieter says. 

“Only if you promise to teach me,” 

“I promise.” 

Quickly strapping on your skates, you stand with wobbly legs. It’s not a perfect fit and your feet slide up and down within. Everett’s already on the ice, watching you two as Dieter offers you his arm. With a smile, you cross your arms with his and your nails dig into his clothed bicep. He always feels warm. 

As you step onto the ice, the cold air hits you like a wall and you feel your cheeks sting with the sudden chill. You struggle to keep your balance, wobbling, and flailing as you try to skate forward.

Dieter, sensing your distress, wraps his arm on your waist instead and steadies you, his body heat radiating through your coat and warming you up. You’re surprised when you realize how nice this actually feels, how normal it is. 

But just as you start to feel comfortable on the ice, Dieter suddenly pulls away, leaving you to stumble and nearly fall.

"Hey, where are you going?" you call out, trying to keep your balance.

“This is the best form of education,” Dieter grins, skating backward. “I’m the mama bird and you’re the baby bird,” 

“I don’t think mama birds kick their babies out of the nest!” you shout but you doubt he’s heard you, biting the inside of your cheek, you stretch out your arms and try to find some kind of balance.

You struggle to stay upright, and you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Dieter is skating circles around you, teasing and taunting you with his impressive skills, while Everett watches from the sidelines with a mix of amusement and concern.

Everett is quick to fill the gap, skating up to you with a grin. "Need some help?" he asks, offering his hand.

You take his hand gratefully, letting him guide you around the ice. You allow him to guide you for a bit but then let go— determined to prove that you can skate on your own, you try to stand tall and glide forward. You try to stand tall and glide forward, but your efforts are short-lived as you lose your balance and begin to fall.

Just as you're about to hit the ice, Everett's quick reflexes kick in and he catches you, lifting you up and steadying you once again.

"Whoa there, you've gotta relax and take it slow," Everett says, his voice one of laced a clearly seasoned ice skater. "Here, let me show you how it's done. Before you try to upstage someone who’s been nearly skating his entire life,"

You laugh at Everett's words, and here you thought you were as unreadable as a blank wall. 

Everett takes your hand and begins to guide you around the ice, showing you how to move your feet and find your balance on the ice. His patient instruction and easygoing demeanor help you to relax and enjoy the moment, and before long you're gliding around with ease.

As you skate, you can't help but notice Dieter watching you from a distance, his eyes fixed on you and Everett as you skate hand in hand. But as soon as he catches your gaze, he turns and skates off to join his parents. The intensity of the moment gone.

"Don't take Dieter too seriously," Everett says, sensing your discomfort. "He can get a little competitive at times."

You're surprised by this revelation, as you've always thought of Dieter relaxed, most of the time anyway. You never thought that he has a competitive streak.

"Really? I didn't know that," you reply, glancing over at Dieter as he skates across the ice with ease.

"Yeah, it's all in good fun though," Everett adds with a grin. "He's just trying to show off a little."

He teaches you more tricks and tips about ice skating, slowly it’s starting to get easier. You start to get to know Everett better, chatting and laughing as you glide across the ice. You learn that Everett is an engineer, but he doesn't seem too thrilled about his job.

"It's okay, I guess," Everett says with a shrug. "But it's not really what I wanted to do with my life. I always thought I'd be working on cool projects, designing and building things from scratch. But it's mostly just sitting in front of a computer all day, running simulations and crunching numbers."

You can sense the disappointment in Everett's voice, and you can't help but feel a little sorry for him. "That sounds really frustrating," you say sympathetically.

"It can be," Everett admits. "But I'm trying to make the most of it. I still get to work on some cool projects once in a while, and I get to see the impact of my work on the world. It's just not as exciting as I thought it would be."

“Yeah, I get that,” you answer, eyes lingering on Dieter who’s currently talking with his parents. When you turn back to Everett you see that his brow is raised, seeming slightly intrigued by your vague answer. You stammer over your words and scratch the back of your head. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I love my job but it can be a bit overwhelming.”

“Dieter giving you trouble?” 

“I wouldn’t say that it was him giving me trouble—” 

The conversation is cut short as Dieter skates back over to you and Everett, he announces that his parents are heading into town to do some shopping and they've invited you to join them.

"It's a bit of a drive, so we wouldn't be able to go into town a lot. So if you have anything you need now would be a perfect time to go and get it," Dieter says.

You hesitate, still feeling tired from the drive the night before. But Everett jumps at the opportunity, saying that he needs to buy something warm to wear at home since he forgot to pack a coat.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Everett’s words are directed at you, trying to coax you into joining them.

But as you stand on the ice, feeling the tension between you and Dieter, you're not sure if you want to go. 

"I don't know," you say, looking back and forth between Dieter and Everett. "I'm still feeling a little tired from the trip."

But to your surprise, Dieter smiles and says, "It's okay, I'll stay with you if you don’t wanna go. The walking distance isn’t that far so we can head back home whenever you want to.” 

You and Dieter stand side by side as you wave them off. But with the distraction of others gone, you feel at loss for words, as if this was the first time the two of you have been left alone. It’s a silly feeling, really. Talking to Dieter had never been something difficult to do, it always came naturally to you as breathing, even at the beginning of your friendship. You feel Dieter’s arm pressing against yours, a soft sigh falls from your lips. Even if he notices the sound, he doesn’t say anything. 

The snowflakes are delicate and light, drifting down from the sky like tiny crystals. As they land on your skin, they feel cool and refreshing, a welcome contrast to the warmth of Dieter's touch. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice dropping. “I’ve been a bad host haven’t I?”

“No, no of course not—I get it, it can be hard spending time with family. Besides we’re all a bit tired from the ride over here, it’s normal for nerves to take over,”  

Dieter nods and looks down at the ice, his handsome features shadowed. He doesn’t say anything else, his apology lingers in the air, neither of you not really knowing what to do.

Snow falls softly around you.

"I learned a few things from Everett. Want me to show you? I’m a pro now if you haven’t noticed,"

You’re both equally surprised at the sudden string of words leaving your mouth. Apparently, your body couldn’t handle the uncomfortable silence anymore. Without thinking you clamp a hand over your mouth and giggle. Dieter grins at you. 

You can see the hint of a spark in his eyes. "Sure," he says, his voice laced with amusement. “Show me what you got pretty girl,”

Your eyes go wide, wanting to hide your shock you take off across the ice, gliding and swirling around Dieter as you demonstrate what you've learned. You’re still a bit slow and a bit clumsy, but you’re making it work somehow. You can feel the chill of the ice against your skin, and you can't help but laugh and smile as you skate.

Dieter watches you with a mixture of pride and amusement, and you can see the ghost of a smile lingering on his lips as he watches you skate. As you drift away from him, you can feel the tension between you melting away—Thankfully.

You drift further and further away from him, not really aware of how far you’ve gone. Slowly, you start to sense that something is wrong, an uncomfortable prickling itching at your skin.

At first, you dismiss the feeling as nerves or anxiety. But as you skate on, the ice beneath you starts to feel brittle and unstable. You hear Dieter calling out to you, his voice laced with panic and fear, and you turn to see him skating toward you as fast as he can.

But it's too late. With a sickening crack, the ice beneath you shatters and collapses, sending you plummeting into the freezing water below.

You scream as you hit the surface, the icy water taking your breath away. You can feel the cold seeping into your bones, numbing your limbs, and stealing your strength. You try to swim to the surface, but the weight of your clothes and the slipperiness of the ice make it nearly impossible.

You hear Dieter's voice calling out to you, but it seems distant and muffled as if he's far away. You're going to drown, all alone in this icy, freezing water.

Darkness closes in around you. 

You never should’ve gotten on top of the ice.

Dieter watches in horror as you fall through the ice into the frozen lake. Without hesitation, he moves towards the hole, his heart racing with panic.

The ice is slippery and treacherous, and Dieter can feel the cold seeping into his bones. He can see you struggling in the water, your arms flailing as you try to swim to the surface.

Dieter's limbs feel heavy and numb. He reaches out with trembling fingers, trying to grab hold of your hand. You’re slipping away from him, your body writhing in the icy water. Dieter can feel the fear and panic rising in his chest, he feels on the verge of tears if he’s completely honest.

He remembers what his father taught him when he was a kid, about how to help someone who falls into a frozen lake. Keep your cool, don't go in after them, and call for help. But Dieter can't bring himself to follow those rules. 

So he ignores the voice in his head, his arms outstretched to grab hold of you. The water is icy cold, numbing his limbs and stealing his breath. But he ignores the pain.

With a surge of adrenaline, Dieter hauls you up and out of the water, his arms straining with the effort. He can feel the ice cracking and splintering beneath him, but he keeps moving. You’re shaking and shivering, your clothes soaked. Dieter wraps his arms around you, trying to generate some heat and rub her body to warm her up.

As he holds you close, Dieter can feel his own body starting to shake with cold. 

“Are you okay?” he asks with panic, ignoring his own freezing skin. Dieter cradles your face and rubs your cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “Come on talk to me sweetheart, can you hear me?”

Your teeth chatter and you nod, “Y–Yeah— I’m just v-very c-cold,” 

“Alright, hang on,” 

Dieter helps you to your feet, he prompts you to lay your weight against him as he guides you both away from the hole, his feet slipping and sliding on the icy surface. When he finally reaches the end of the lake, he calls out to the staff and asks for a vehicle. He can feel you shaking in his arms. 

Dieter doesn’t let go, and after this, he doubts he’s capable of letting you go.

You're not sure what had surprised you more, nearly drowning to your death or the fact that Dieter managed to pull you out of the freezing water. 

You had nearly drowned, the icy water pulling you under with a ferocity that left you feeling helpless and panicked. A moment you wouldn’t be forgetting for a while. But Dieter had appeared out of nowhere, reaching out with strong arms to pull you out. I felt like half a dream and half a nightmare.

The drive back to the cabin had been a silent one, but not because you were too stunned to speak. It was the weight of the moment, the feeling of gratitude and relief mixed with the shock of the near-death experience that left you speechless. Dieter's arms were wrapped around you the whole way back, a constant and comforting presence.

You couldn't help but feel a bit disoriented due to the role reversal at that moment. Normally, it was you who was worried about Dieter, checking in on him and making sure he was okay. But this time, it was Dieter who was worried about you, and the thought was both surprising and deeply appreciated.

You step out of the shower, the steamy heat of the water clings to your skin. The mirror is fogged up from the humidity. You take a deep breath, relishing in the feeling of warmth and cleanliness that comes with a hot shower.

As you dry off, you can't help but think about Dieter. You close your eyes and imagine the two of you together, cuddled up in front of a fireplace as the snow falls outside. You feel as if this thought is almost forbidden, but think about it anyway, not being able to control the way your mind works after the adrenaline rush. 

You can almost feel Dieter's soft lips on your forehead as he whispers sweet nothings in your ear, and you feel a warmth in your chest that has nothing to do with the steam in the bathroom. 

You take one last look in the mirror, noticing the way the steam has caused your face to glow in a soft, romantic way.

When you enter your room, you’re surprised to see Dieter kneeling in front of the fireplace, a small flame flickering in the hearth. He looks up at you, but his usual smile is replaced with a somber expression.

Remembering you’re wearing nothing else but your towel, you tug the fabric closer to your chest, your breath hitches. You had never accidentally gotten naked in front of Dieter. In fact, you had made a conscious effort to ensure that he has never seen you naked, which was a hard thing to do considering who he is.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, hiding your anxious smile beneath the palm of your hand.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Dieter replies, his voice laced with concern. "And I wanted to make sure you were warm. I’ll leave."

You can see the worry etched on Dieter's face, and your heart breaks a little. You stop him just as he’s about to leave the room, blocking him with an outstretched arm, his gaze moves across your exposed skin and stops at your eyes. 

"I'm fine, Dieter," you say softly. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm tough, remember?"

"I know you are," Dieter says, his voice heavy with emotion. "But that doesn't change the fact that I was terrified when I saw you fall into that lake. I don’t know what I would do with myself if something happened to you,"

You feel the fire starting to warm the room. "I'm okay," you say. "I'm safe. And I have you to thank for that."

As Dieter's face approaches yours, you feel a surge of nervous excitement. Your hands tremble as you grip the towel tighter, your knuckles turning white from the effort. The fire in the fireplace crackles and pops, casting a warm glow over the two of you.

Dieter's hands gently cup your cheeks, his thumbs softly caressing the delicate skin beneath your eyes. You can't help but sigh at the touch, your eyes fluttering closed as you succumb to the moment. You can feel your heart racing, your breath quickening as Dieter's lips inch closer to yours. It's as if time stands still, the only thing that matters at this moment is the two of you. When he speaks again, you can feel his lips brushing against yours. 

“It’s my fault. I’m the one who asked you to skate even when you didn’t want to, then I left you, so caught up with my bragging,” his face is closer now, you can almost taste his lips, the air between you thick with tension. “You should be mad at me.” 

"But I'm not," you say, your eyes flicking open to meet his gaze. The sadness in his eyes is palpable, and you feel a tightness in your chest at the sight. You can't help but remind yourself of the time he was just inches away from kissing you in that hotel room before his parents interrupted.

You reach up to brush a stray lock of hair from his face, your touch gentle and loving. "I don't know what it is about you, Dieter, but I just can't stay mad. You have a way of winning me over, no matter what."

As the words leave your lips, you feel like you're making a confession of sorts. Your heart is pounding in your throat, making it hard to catch your breath. The room suddenly feels suffocating, the walls closing in on you. The only thing that feels real at this moment is Dieter, his presence the only solid thing you can focus on.

You feel like you're drowning in his gaze. Your hands shake as you reach out to touch his cheek, your fingers trembling against his skin. You can feel the heat radiating off him.

You don't know what the future holds, but at this moment, you just don't care. 

As you stand there in nothing but a towel, you feel a sense of vulnerability wash over you. But as Dieter's gaze meets yours, and all of that disappears.

He reaches out and touches your cheek in return, his fingers gentle and warm against your skin. You close your eyes, leaning into his touch, your lips parted in anticipation.

And then, he finally kisses you. His lips are soft and warm, and as he presses them against yours, you feel a heat flaring over your skin. You moan softly, your arms wrapping around his neck as you pull him closer, deepening the kiss.

You can feel the desperation in him, the way his hands grip you tightly as if he never wants to let you go. You feel the same way, your heart racing in your chest as you kiss him, your bottled-up emotions finally overflowing.

You feel like you're lost in a whirlwind of emotion, completely consumed by the feeling of his lips on yours. You don't care about the fact that you're supposed to be just friends, or that your job makes it complicated. 

Your bodies press together as if they can't get close enough. You run your hands over his chest, feeling the muscles flex beneath your touch, and you can feel him shudder.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he whispers against your lips.

"I know," you whisper back. "But I can't help it.”

He sighs softly, his lips trailing down your neck as he kisses you with increasing intensity. You moan softly, your head falling back as you give yourself over to the moment. Dieter's hands trail down your back, you can feel arousal pooling between your legs. His touch is gentle, but you can feel the tension in his fingers, the way he's hesitant to explore further. 

"Are you sure about this?” his fingers nervously trace the edges of the towel. "I mean, this could be an 'oh my god I almost died and now I need to fuck the nearest person' moment. I don't want you to regret this in the morning, or think that I'm trying to take advantage of you in your post-death-defying-adventure horny haze."

“You’re all good Dieter, believe me. I—” you swallow thickly, this moment feels like a dream, something that might disappear from between your fingers in an instant. “I don’t know what I feel but this—This is something I won’t regret.” 

Dieter's fingers work quickly to untie the towel wrapped around you, casting it aside with a flick of his wrist. Your own hands are equally eager, fumbling with the hem of his shirt as you try to peel it off his shoulders.

The room is filled with the sound of heavy breathing and the rustling of fabric as you both move toward the bed. The warmth of the fireplace envelops you, adding to the heated atmosphere of the moment. Finally, with a final tug, his shirt comes free and you both tumble onto the bed, skin to skin, lost in the heat of the moment. 

You can't help but feel a twinge of guilt deep in your gut. Despite the cozy atmosphere of the room, with the warmth of the fireplace and the soft, romantic light of the setting sun casting a golden hue, you can't shake the feeling that what you're doing is wrong.

You try to push these thoughts aside as you sink into the soft mattress, surrounded by plush pillows and blankets. The faint sound of snow falling outside adds to the sense of intimacy and coziness. Dieter's lips find yours again, and you try to focus on the present moment. He swallows the guilt that lingers in the back of your mind with a kiss, his tongue licking the inside of your mouth.

It is as if he’s everywhere all at once, his lips and hands moving over your skin as if they are a means of healing. Every touch feels like a balm, soothing away the doubt in your mind. Dieter cups your breasts, nipples pebbling at his touch, he’s rough but also carries a tenderness. Briefly, you wonder if this is what he’s like with the others as well. But the thoughts are quick to escape you when you feel wet, open-mouthed kisses traveling down your torso. 

His mustache and patchy beard tickle you when he reaches the soft curve of your stomach, nuzzling it, he pulls your legs further apart, his breath against your heat sending a pleasant shudder up your spine. Dieter’s tongue dips between your folds and you let out a gasp, hips raising off of the bed with anticipation. His mouth moves lazily, drawing your clit between his lips, he sucks and draws circles with the tip of his tongue. You feel yourself nearly blacking out, slack-jawed, you groan at the way you slick drips from you and onto his tongue, drenching Dieter’s lips completely. 

“F–Fuck…Shit—You’re good at that,” 

You twitch when he chuckles, his breath forcing a shudder up your body. 

“Well— as you probably know— I had a lot of practice,” 

“Don’t get cocky,” 

“Oh don’t worry, you’ll know when I get cocky,” 

You can tell by his voice that he’s grinning from ear to ear, but you can’t bring yourself to quip back when he sucks your clit again—making the most obscene slurping sound you’ve ever heard a man make. Crying out, you pull at his hair. He kisses your mound, tongue still moving, and you feel two fingers pushing inside you. Your thighs close without you even thinking, he groans into your pussy and looks up at you between heavy lashes. 

“That’s right baby,” he moans, voice rough. “Suffocate me, use me— Shit—You look so fucking hot right now—I wanna take a goddamn picture,” his eyes closed, teeth gently nipping at your clit. 

Dieter’s fingers move deftly inside, both of the digits knuckle deep as he stretches you. Your breathing heavy, your head falls back. You take what he said to heart and start to grind yourself into his mouth, thighs shaking around the frame of his face, the small earing he has grazing the inside of your thigh. 

“Want you to flood my mouth,” Dieter growls, his voice muffled as he buries his face between your legs. “Make a mess of me sweetheart, please,” 

“God you have a filthy mouth,” you gasp, your lips feeling wet and swollen from his attention. “Just don’t stop talking, Dieter. Just— Keep talking,” 

“For someone who tells me constantly to shut up, this is a bit of a surprise.” he teases, his eyes locked on yours as he continues to thrust his fingers deep inside you. "But I'm more than happy to give you what you want. What do you want me to say, sweetheart? Do you want me to tell you how beautiful you are like this, all wet and willing? Do you want me to tell you how hard I'm going to fuck you as soon as you cum all over my face?"

Your lips part with a groan and fist his hair, pulling his mouth closer to you as you beg for more. Dieter responds with enthusiasm, his tongue lashing over your sensitive flesh as he continues to talk in that rough, tremulous voice that drives you wild.

"I know it's hard to wait," he says with a mock sympathetic tone. "But there's no way this pretty little pussy is going to be able to take me unless you make everything nice and wet for me. So let go, baby. Cum for me,”

You can't hold back any longer, the pleasure building inside you until you think you'll burst. Dieter's dirty talk and skilled touch are too much to resist, and you find yourself crying out his name as you come, your body convulsing.

Dieter doesn't let up, his lips and fingers continuing to work their magic as he brings you through wave after wave of orgasmic bliss. Finally, spent and sated, you collapse back onto the bed, panting and trying to catch your breath.

"That was amazing," you gasp, still trembling with aftershocks.

"It's nothing compared to what's coming next," Dieter groans, his eyes dark with desire as he looms over you. "I'm going to fuck you until you can't remember your own name, sweetheart. And then I'm going to do it all over again."

You can't wait, your body already responding to the promise in his words. As Dieter moves over you, his body covering yours, you feel the heat radiating off of his skin and the rough stubble on his chin scraping against your neck.

Dieter's lips find yours. The taste of yourself is heavy on his tongue as he flattens the muscle over yours, groaning into your mouth. His hands roam over your body. 

You wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer as he grinds against you, the hard length of his cock pressing against your damp thigh. You just came but still, you feel that pleasant tingle deep in your core, begging to be taken care of.

Dieter seems to sense it too, his movements becoming more urgent, more desperate. He presses you further into the bed, his body covering yours as he enters you in one smooth, powerful thrust. You cry out, your body arching up to meet him as he begins to move inside you, his hips pistoning back and forth as he takes you higher and higher.

You cling to him, your fingers digging into his back as you ride the wave of pleasure, letting it crash over you again and again. Dieter's movements become more frenzied, his breath coming in short gasps as he drives himself deeper and deeper into you.

Finally, with a guttural cry, he reaches his own climax, pulling out, his body goes rigid as he spills himself over your stomach. You hear a string of fucks coming out with panicked whispers. You wrap your arms around him, holding him close as you tell him that it’s fine. His lips tenderly move above the slope of your shoulder as he draws circles around your oversensitive clit. It doesn’t take you long to come undone a second time, your orgasm washing over you smoothly like soft waves caressing a shoreline.

As the aftershocks of your orgasms fade away, you lay tangled in each other's arms, panting and spent. 

The room is bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, the shadows cast by the furniture elongated and strange. The fire in the fireplace has burned down to a handful of glowing embers, the once-warm room now cool and still.

You lay there, tangled up in the sheets, still naked and vulnerable. Dieter sleeps peacefully next to you, his chest rising and falling with each breath. He really made true of his promise, making you come until you basically passed out.

But the peace is short-lived, shattered by the harsh ring of your phone. You reach out a hand, fumbling for the device in the darkness. The screen glows brightly, the time displayed in bold digits: 3 AM.

You answer the call, your voice thick with sleep. It’s Shannon. 

“Yeah? What’s wrong?” 

A minute later you hang up the phone, your mind racing with worry. Shannon's words echo in your head, the gravity of the situation sinking in. You don't want to wake Dieter, but you can't shake the feeling of panic that's welling up inside you. Pictures of you and him, circulating the internet— People were asking questions. 

You slide out of bed, grab Dieter’s shirt and pull it over your head. You pad over to the window, pulling back the curtains to look outside. The world outside is dark and quiet, white snow covering the soil underneath. You feel a sense of isolation wash over you as if you and Dieter are the only two people in the world.

You turn away from the window and walk back over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and staring at Dieter's peaceful face. You can't believe that this is happening, that you've allowed yourself to be caught up in a situation that could be a dire hit to both of your careers.

You continue to stare at Dieter, your touch his hair, soft underneath your fingertips. You're not ready to face the reality of the situation, not yet.

So you sit there, lost in your own thoughts, and the minutes tick by. 

[undercover--bunny]

🦇 Caregiver! Dracule Mihawk Headcanons 📖

Requested by Anon!

Gender Natural terms for the reader!

• Because of Mihawks more outwardly introverted nature, when he learned about/discovered your regression, he was very... unreactive. Basically just an "I see." before he moved along like nothing happened. Don't mistake it for a bad thing though! He just doesn't quite understand it right off the bat, he needs some time. He's the type to go off and privately research more on regression then integrate you directly.

• It does take him a while to warm up the idea of being your caregiver however, and early on he might come off as distant or uncomfortable. He's trying, it's all just new territory for someone like him. He's used to living alone, only keeping the company of those he was required to be around. But you were one of his exceptions, for one reason or another. And if this can help, he wants to try for you.

• Mihawk is a little more on the stricter side as a caregiver. He's someone who likes to have rules in place, especially in his home. So he's not afraid to scold you or put you in timeout if you break one of his rules or misbehave. But don't worry, he'll be sure to comfort you afterwards

• That doesn't mean he can't be kind, he's just not the best at expressing it. A lot of his affection takes more subtle forms. Sitting across from you at the dinner table reading the newspaper while you color, watching you play with your stuffies while he sipped his wine, softening his gaze when you spoke to him. It's comforting for the both of you to just share the same space, his presence makes you feel safe.

Mihawk took a sip of his wine and turned to the next page of his novel. He sat the glass gently back on its coaster, then let his gaze flick from his book to you. You sat on the floor just a few steps away from him. You were quietly making up a story with your stuffed animals. Mihawk didn't hear all the details, but he made out the word "sword" a few times, which made him chuckle under his breath.

There was something quite... calming about all of this. As his focus turned back to his novel, the warlord felt himself relax into his seat. He could certainly get used to moments like these.

• He isn't big on nicknames, though he does call you "Little one" and "child" a lot

• Mihawk won't say it out loud, but he loves to carry you when you're little. Maybe he just likes subtly showing off his strength, maybe it's the adorable way you look up at him when he holds you, maybe it's just soothing. Whatever the reason, expect to be carried a lot.

"Hmm, looks like someone tired themselves out." Mihawk mused aloud.

Below him, you lay on the ground, pieces of paper and markers strew around you as you blissfully slept. Careful not to wake you, the warlord knelt down and gently lifted you from the floor.

"Best not to leave you out here." He muttered to himself.

As he turned to walk down the hallway, he felt you shift in his hold. He couldn't deny how content he felt as you wrapped you sleepily wrapped your arms around his neck and rested your head on his shoulder. It was small moments like these that he enjoyed the most.

• You wouldn't peg him for it, but Mihawk likes to read to you while you're regressed. It's a favorite pastime for the two of you. He'll let you cuddle up in his lap and quietly read one of his more child-friendly novels. He doesn't do voices, but that doesn't matter. His voice was calming by itself.

• The first time you called him "Papa" he felt a warmth in him that he'd never felt before. With one word he felt just the smallest bit more protective of you. He seldom calls himself by it, but he accepts the role nonetheless.

• Expect a lot of bat themed regression gear, he's still a goth

• You know those dads who make up scary stories to scare their kids? Yeah, he's one of those. It's never anything too spooky, just harmless folk tales.

[snarky-art]

barfs out a post-recovery Daphne in Nymphix on accident

After a lot of thought I think I’ve settled on how I want her to interact with magic going forward post-resurrection after healing

Info on that and the symbolism in her outfit changes below!

The Dragon Flame in my redo is not a sole power source for a being. It instead acts as an enhancer that adds a huge power boost and integrates with the beings already existing magic.

Daphne is a pure fire elemental in terms of her magic classification.

At this point, while not the holder of The Flame anymore, she is still an incredibly powerful magic user who retains her Nymphix transformation as well as all the others she gained in her lifetime and could still easily hand Bloom’s ass to her if Bloom wasn’t utilizing The Dragon Flame. Even then, there’s still a chance Daphne would beat her if that was utilized because Daphne is a much better combatant than Bloom. She was trained formally for pretty much her whole life and is an excellent strategist. Bloom has rough and tumbled it for pretty much her whole life and had to try and brute force her way with her magic. She’s getting proper training specialized specifically for The Dragon Flame now but she’s got a long was to go to catch up to her big sister, much to Daphne’s delight whenever they have sparring matches. It’s a proper way to make up for all the teasing she never got to exert on her while she was dead and separated. They’re forming a proper sibling relationship now with petty squabbles and ample jabs included lol

In this post, I explained in more depth about how The Great Dragon works.

Bloom gives full consent to Daphne utilizing The Flame and calling upon The Great Dragon whenever she wants, and The Great Dragon still resonates with her beautifully. Daphne doesn’t want to be it’s keeper again, the responsibility and weight of it all and the context of what that means for her within the history of The Magical World and The Fall of Domino, is kind of messy in her mind to say the least. It’s stressful. But The Great Dragon still feels like a friend, something familiar that as she’s had more time away to grow as an individual, sort out all her complicated feelings and heal, she’s content to visit with in a way, and if that way is sometimes in combat when something needs a proper beat down, then so be it.

Outfit info!

Her new fit covers her body more (safer in her mind, a little less flashy to match her slightly more subdued general attitude post resurrection too. Her skirt having less of a flare and being more closed in is also a reference to this) and has way less metal (she was adorned with it constantly pre death as it’s such an important representation of royalty and The Great Dragon itself) and incorporates more blue (she is no longer defined solely by her tie to The Flame and her power with it. Purple gems are solely for those who are the supreme ruler and holder of The Dragon Flame whereas cyan is a color of royalty and high ranking officials who act directly for the royalty. She has a much better mix now).

Her headpiece is a variation of the one made for the crown princess and next in line to the throne, seen in this one portrait of her, and shows her comfort asserting that authority and title for herself now with it being tied to her relation and love for her family as opposed to, once again, The Great Dragon itself.

Also, short hair after trauma, my beloveds

Less stimulation for her.

Hair tickling her can drive her nuts still. It was awful when she was first recovering and it’s a thing that still irks her even now more than it used to, so having more out of her face and less chances to rustle against her makes her happy.

Stimulation is part of the reason less metal is incorporated here too.

Temperature fluctuation is something she’s more sensitive to now and it was VERY triggering for her when she first started recovering.

It reminded her of much it burned during the fall and how much it hurt when it got colder as she died. It turned so quick.

The cold from it makes her think of the piercing cold that Domino was, buried in ruble and ice, the ruins of genocide quite literally frozen in time.

She’s separated those feelings more as she’s gone through therapy and healed more but it can still be unsettling and she does have trouble with those thoughts creeping up on her at times.

She feels less chained down too literally now with the heavy emphasis of gold that exists in my lore for Dominion symbolism, mentioned in this post.

Anyway, I love her and she’s getting happier and it’s what she deserves:)

[tellioari]

Q&A !! With @leafenzo/aka Leah and myself, Eliza

Leah: We don't hold ourselves to a strict schedule, I will say though we are a large chunk of the way done - all basic dyed blocks (like wool, concrete, banners, etc) are already in. We're just ironing out extra features related to the dyes. Also- before it releases we will have a public playtesting period for a tad if anyone reallyyy wants it early :3 (albeit in a quite unstable form). The plan is to release it for Fabric, and for 1.20.1 through 1.20.3 for now.

Leah: teehehe chunk-of-fun :3 jfsljfkslj Eliza: well, for the most part, the new bugs we are adding are things i just find interesting and have a good model idea for. i like making them very large, fitting into the large bug precedent set by the bees and silverfish :3 Right now the planned blorbos are the beetle, the wooly beetle, mantis, dragonfly, mint slug and silk moth! I've also made a seahorse model, but I don't think I'll end up using it in the dye mod. I might add more in the future if I'm feeling up to it.

Eliza: We have a lot of compatibility features in the works - including Suppementaries' Presents, every dyeable block in Create, Farmer's Delight's signs, and compatibility integration with Nature's Sprit as well. I've also thought about making dye compat with Another Furniture, but... that is a monumental task that I'd probably need help with/be able to streamline. We will also try and add compatibility textures to mods that autogenerate new dyed blocks - but that will have to be a case-by-case basis, and will be figured out during beta testing.

Eliza: I would love to make a tutorial at some point! - however, my process right now is very spur-of-the-moment and kinda random, haha. Maybe I'll make a post in the future if i'm feeling up to it. At the very least, I do follow some basic principles with designing my models:

Try to use clever techniques to minimize the amount of cubes used - this creates a confine that makes me get creative with what cubes i use while also optimizing the model at the same time.

Try to be as expressive as possible with cubes being used, no cube should be left untouched in the keyframes of animation.

Keep colors interesting by shifting hue a lot depending on lighting and what kind of material i want to convey (for example, if most of the model is smooth and green to blue, i'd go for green to yellow for the rougher parts)

Eliza: I would like to add some more storage blocks in the future, mainly stuff from new updates and any other random things I think of. I was thinking of making a create compatibility submod maybe, but because of the effort it takes to come up with textures its still just a thought. Leah: If by that you mean creating mods that add new features to squashed, or compatibility fixes, of course! and that goes for our other mods too! :D We'd seriously feel honored.

Leah: For me, the hardest part was just the frustration of it, frustration at the code, the tutorial, or far more often just at myself. Just know that it's the hardest at the beginning, but if you stick with you'll get your bearings and it will somehow start to get a bit easier. Also, datagen! It's useful as can be but gosh did that take me a while to figure out even just the basics of how to generate a model haha.

Thank you for all the questions!! We apologize if we didn't quite get to your question, there were a lot and we tried to pick the most general ones :3 If you still have a question that wasn't answered here, be sure to join and ask it on our discord!: https://discord.gg/eJePAPE27T

[rawliverandgoronspice]

This is not me defending Nintendo's shoddy writing when it comes to heavy parts of the Gerudo lore. But I do wonder if some of their really bad missteps are because of their lack of knowledge of Western racial politics. A lot of Japan is still heavily xenophobic, and racial diversity is almost zero, so they might just not actually think about the implications because they just... don't know they exist. It's not an excuse, because Nintendo IS a global company, and there should be some extra research done, since stuff like that is just really fucking iffy. I'm just trying to figure out where that stuff comes from tbh, and why it's still around, instead of being weeded out. So maybe that's a reason, in which case... maybe get some writers who can write depth into their characters.

Hey, thanks for the ask!

So... I feel many things about this, and I completely see where you're coming from, and I think you have hit the nail on the head about why Nintendo do not feel like handling this issue is necessary, or that it doesn't concern them altogether... but I have to be honest, I feel like we give Japan way too much slack on these issues in general, and it's a very common problem (thinking of the controversy on FF16 for just another recent example, or the way queerness is handled in a lot of anime and games). Regardless of, just, the artistic integrity to incorporate the rest of the world as existing alongside you which isn't... mandatory of course, but I believe is important for the sake of honesty: there are japanese people of color, there exists a queer japanese community, and a lot of immigrants living in Japan have to deal with rejection and being considered a second-rate citizen all of the time. Not to mention anything about the new generations of people who were victims of their occupation not so long ago, a subject which is still regularly repressed and ignored by their government (and by the world at large, the US had interests in quieting down some of the worst things they did due to Cold War stuff, and in the West we mostly focused on Germany and collaboration --which makes sense, it's what we knew, but anyway it's complicated and not the topic). This is not a case of mere innocence, it is a case of politically construed ignorance; which is very different, and should not be regarded as equivalent.

But even beyond their own internal socio-political issues, which I am not qualify to speak about beyond what I know from second-hand stories I heard and what I have personally researched, The Legend of Zelda is an IP that is tailored for the West (TM). It is incredibly more popular here than it ever was in Japan. It is a product designed for export. Trying to anticipate what the western market enjoys and fitting right in is part of their responsibilities as a brand if they want to succeed. So, either they did not consider this aspect, which was absolutely something they should be criticized for, as subjects of diversity are hot and trending right now (even without getting into their moral implication) and they did what I consider to be the bare, cynical minimum in this department; or they had an inkling, and considered their choices wouldn't be a dealbreaker. Which... they clearly were not.

Again, I am sorry to be a little cynical here, but while I certainly don't think Nintendo was being consciously malicious here, like making choices to actively play into harmful stereotypes and strict gender roles as some form of active ploy in some sort of culture war, Nintendo is run by conservative japanese men with capitalist interests and a responsibility towards their own government as a major player for japanese soft power. The company will *never* question its own biases, especially if the West just eats up whatever they do and build a human wall of excuses to justify their absence of accountability. This, beyond the game itself which is good and fine and also kind of soulless the more I think about it (in my opinion), is what depresses me and what makes it hard for me to move on: to give them a free pass on these subjects is a choice everyone is collectively making, because it is the Nostalgia and the Childhood and we are desperate for wonder and joy --and it ultimately makes us somewhat toothless as consumers.

And I want to add I am absolutely not immune to this, and it doesn't mean I'm condemning the practice of fandom or the possibility, or even the necessity, of holding several simultaneous truths about a piece of media at the same time and navigating them depending on what is being discussed; but Nintendo is obsessed with controlling its image as a company, curating things as acceptable or unnacceptable as they see fit, approving or disapproving of their consumers' behavior and punishing them accordingly (as well as the rest of the industry *side-eyes the thirty patents on basic gameplay actions*), and it's to say nothing of how employees may be treated beyond the perfectly curated Pikachu yellow walls. This corporate image of being non-controversial is enforced. It doesn't mean I don't admire them for a lot of things, their genuine commitment to game design innovation, their virtuosity when it comes to level design in particular, the way they foster pools of raw talent, their devotion to open up the market to new demographics of gamers, or for the risk they took with the Switch and the wonderful venues it opened for indie devs. I love their games, profoundly, and I owe the company a lot of my joy.

But again, I think it's important to consider several realities simultaneously; and this joy, this goodness, this beauty, while absolutely wonderful and worth preserving, always runs the risk of getting in the way of our discernment in what is getting sidelined.

[gnckholin]

Team RWBY and the Magnum Opus (aka the philosopher's stone)

Buckle in folks this is gonna be a long one AKA analysis that started when I tried integrating alchemical references into ocs and realized I just remade team RWBY. So the point here I'm gonna try to lay out is that Team RWBY (aside from all their other myriad references), perfectly lines out the process of the Magnum Opus of alchemy, aka the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.

I'm not gonna go too in depth as to what that means exactly, as the Magnum Opus is hugely nuanced topic and requires a lot of reading dusty old texts, but in short the philosopher's stone is the 'end goal' of alchemy; it symbolizes perfection, it can turn lesser metals into gold, it can rejuvenate and lead to immortality, and thus there's a lot of literature around it. The creation of the philosopher's stone is the 'Great Work' (or, in the Latin, the Magnum Opus). Now technically it requires working with a sort of esoteric material, and it's worth noting that Hermetic traditions also use it to describe more spiritual transmutation processes in addition to the physical, but that's not the point, onto the analysis! Many variations of the Great Work involve four color-changing operations, each an essential step. They include: Nigredo (blackening), Albedo (whitening), Citrinitas (yellowing), and Rubedo (reddening). Now this is enough to get you to see where this is headed, however, looking more in depth into what each of these steps is gives a really good glimpse into the characters themselves. We're just gonna go down them in order. Blake - Nigredo (blackening): In this first stage, the prima materia must putrefy, as life can't begin without death and decay. This especially ties into Blake's arc, which largely surrounds systems that need to fall in order for growth to happen. Her time in the White Fang, her time working against the White Fang, and even her time in Atlas, Blake has never been afraid to criticize systems that need to putrefy. She knows that the new world she wants can't come about without the death of the old.

Weiss - Albedo (whitening): In this stage, the now putrefied materia is stripped of imperfections, so that it can be further transformed. Weiss in particular has always been a perfectionist, trying to remove any perceived weaknesses or flaws. She doesn't always approach these things in a healthy way (and I would argue that none of the members of RWBY, with perhaps the exception of Ruby, exemplify their coloring process healthily), but the comparisons are fairly easy to make here especially.

Yang - Citrinitas (yellowing): This stage becomes much more definitely spiritual in nature, and is a bit harder to pin down without having the mystical experience of Citrinitas. Even so, much of the verbiage around this process focuses on the solar light within oneself, which can simultaneously burn away and reveal. The knowledge that comes with it is not intellectual - not studied or taught - but rather experienced by a direct emotional revelation. Yang has always been a very overtly emotional character, and often times relies on the more instinctual, intuitive knowledge of what to do. This section is maybe a bit wordy and a bit vague, but, as I said earlier, Citrinitas is notably hard to pin down outside of the vague whisper of what it looks like.

Ruby - Rubedo (reddening): Now these three initial processes, while essential in the Magnum Opus itself, are not sustainable on their own. Without rubedo bringing them back to a more solid, material state. Rubedo brings the results of these first three processes together, bringing out the potential within them to create something transcendent. Ruby herself has done the same as she's moved throughout the series; with team RWBY, team RNJR, and in Atlas, she brings out the best in those she's around (for the most part). She unifies her teammates and with them becomes something more than the sum of their parts.

This is maybe a little vague (particularly on the part of Ruby and Yang, who embody their respective processes more metaphorically than Blake and Weiss), but it was something that really jumped out at me while I dive face-first back into RWBY and I just thought it was neat. I hope you all enjoyed (also please I had to sort through so much Jungian psychoanalysis in order to make this fully. As a gift for getting through this post, here's a meme I made while getting my research all put together)

[Image ID: A meme taken from the Office in which a man yells, "Shut up about the sun! Shut up about the sun!" The subtitles have been edited so that he says, "Shut up about Jung! Shut up about Jung!" \End ID]

[fantasyfantasygames]

Mutants On Demand

Mutants On Demand, Sea Change Books, 2017

You were hired for your skills, your dedication, and your biological compatibility with one of the world's most dangerous gene-splicing techniques. Now you possess incredible superpowers derived from your personality and existing talents. Your loyalty is ensured by your bond with your teammates... and by the fact that without frequent drug treatments you'll explode.

The world is mostly like our own at the start, which is canonically just as the news breaks about your superpowered existence. Of course, the people who can afford to enhance someone like you are the ultra-rich. My favorite thing about Mutants On Demand is that it doesn't shy away from naming actual, real-world ultra-rich people as its major NPCs. Not many games have statted-up descriptions of Mukesh Ambani, Bernard Arnault, and Larry Page. (I'm sure at least one other game has a statted-up Bill Gates, though.) The game's creators did some real research here. The assumed plot basically revolves around you investigating the shady company that created you all, while either partying it up or trying to figure a way out from under your billionaire patron's thumb (most likely both).

The game's art is a mixed bag. Apparently the publisher held a contest, with the winners having their art chosen. (Pro tip: do not do this. It is not an appropriate way to treat artists.) Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of takers. Submissions were sparse, and Sea Change decided to use almost all of them. Visual styles and ability to handle human anatomy vary substantially. Some are even black-and-white in an otherwise full-color PDF.

The system borrows from Icons, which is a fine place to start for a simple supers game. 1d6+bonus vs. 1d6+bonus, higher roll wins. More-or-less exponential attribute scales, but capped at 10 so the exponent never gets too high. Excess points of success deal damage to health, or calm, or fatigue, depending on whether you're dealing with the Might, Mouth, or Mind stat. Chargen (another cool element) has you selecting your superpowers first. Those give you options for what skills you can take, what your character's emotional reactions look like, and what sort of psychological issues they might develop.

With MoD's close similarity to the Icons system it would be fairly easy to just move it over wholesale. I'd recommend keeping the chargen system, though. It has some real potential.

Sea Change Games was sued into oblivion for defamation of character in the UK, where the laws about that kind of thing are ridiculous. All known sources of the game had to pull them. You'll need to find a PDF in someone's personal collection. All of them are watermarked with the buyer's name and copy-paste-proofed, which is obnoxious as hell. If you get to play it, let me know how it goes - I want to hear whether the psychological integrity degradation system works over a reasonable timeframe instead of just dumping you into severe mental issues immediately or being something you can just ignore.

[metanarrates]

talk more about little mermaid 2023

bad movie! but since when is that news to anyone

here is a short list of things I liked:

-shockingly, the actors playing prince eric and ariel had pretty decent chemistry! i thought their scenes together were somewhat cute. they were certainly the only actors in it who seemed like they were trying to give their all, except for maybe a few minor largely unnamed side characters. nothing special, but in a soulless CGI cash grab poorly disguised as a "live-action" work, having a handful of vaguely pleasant scenes was better than nothing.

-also shockingly, I did somewhat like most of the scenes the movie added from the original. rather than being a straight-up adaptation, they added a number of scenes to either flesh out eric's character, flesh out the romance, or to further explore ariel's experience on land. they weren't all great scenes, and were basically the equivalent of polishing up plastic, but some of them worked fine at a mechanical level, and at least it shows that a little bit of effort was made? although a number of creative choices were clearly to Ward Off Discourse. we will discuss this.

-uh. i thought the costumes were okay. there was an attempt

ok that's it for good shit the movie did. here's the stuff i did not enjoy:

-BAD cgi. like APPALLINGLY bad. I'm by no means a visual effects expert but the way the actors were integrated into underwater environments was horrible. they didn't look like they belonged there, their movements were too floaty even for underwater, and the way their hair was animated to float looked distracting and unnatural. additionally, the "camera" was set up frequently in action scenes to not capture a lot of the action, seemingly because the movements were difficult to capture well in CGI. a lot of the time in the CGI environments, the lighting would be distractingly weird and make the whole environment look even more fake than usual. the color palettes didn't feel like they always had a lot of thought into them, which also led to weird lighting and visual problems, and it never felt like the CGI animals had much weight. speaking of which...

-WHY DID THEY MAKE THE FUNNY ANIMALS WHO SING AND DANCE LOOK LIKE REGULAR CRABS AND FISH AND WHATNOT

-NO SERIOUSLY IF YOU'RE TRYING TO PAINT-BY-NUMBERS RECAPTURE THE WHIMSY IN THE ORIGINAL? GOING FOR "REALISM" IN ANIMALS THAT DON'T PARTICULARLY EMOTE IS A HORRIBLE CHOICE

-halle bailey seems to be a perfectly fine actress, based on what i've seen of her. it didn't seem like the director wanted her to facially emote hardly at all ever. she mainly goes for the wide-eyed vaguely pleasant disney princess expression the whole film, and it makes her performance feel horribly strained. im not expecting a disney film to have stellar acting - its a movie targeted to kids and millenials with nostalgia - but it kind of sucked to watch because there were a few moments where she DID emote more and it felt like she was doing pretty well in those moments! it felt to me like, rather than a lack of ability, she was simply hamstrung by those directing her :(

-awkwafina rap written by lin-manuel miranda.

-on that note, none of the new songs were very good. they also changed under the sea to not be an ensemble piece? look, im not the biggest fan of the original film, but having the fun colorful song where lots of fish and whatever sing all together change into a sebastian solo act with ariel support is... a weird choice. it does kind of feel like the whimsy has, in general, been sucked out of this film at times.

-outside of a few side characters, nobody seemed like they wanted to be there besides the leads. the deliveries were awkward and strained. king triton ESPECAILLY seemed like he did not want to be there. sir was there a gun held to your head here

-perhaps the biggest sin of all, but ursula did NOT serve cunt. half the fun of watching the original movie is how over-the-top she is as a performer, and here the actress is just Not giving it. her vocalization sounds really oddly strained at times? ma'am is there also a gun held to your head

there's a certain structural ethos applied to this movie. I alluded to it earlier with the comment about warding off discourse, but probably a better way to word it would be "trying to retroactively defend the original film, and try to make parts of it more 'up-to-date' when thet's not possible." a sort of repolishing and image-update of the Little Mermaid brand, if you will.

obviously, remakes have frequently done this in the past. I would argue that is often the point of a remake: a way to make the IP still viable in the modern day as a source of income to the company. but it felt very transparent here. the little mermaid has often been criticized for being an insta-romance where ariel's only dream is to marry a random guy? here's several more scenes with eric and ariel to establish their chemistry. people have discussed some of ursula's lines in "poor unfortunate souls" as being objectifying? we're cutting them. and hey, let's just show everyone that the little mermaid is now a diverse story that values women. let's cast a black lead actress and have several side characters be woc, including a new character who is eric's mother.

to be clear, I don't think these changes are bad, in and of themself. it's nice that these actresses of color were cast! the changes made to the plot were kind of fun! but all of these changes are only in service of trying to squeeze even more money out of an existing cash cow. it's very obviously an image and marketing thing, rather than people feeling passionate about retelling an existing story. and really, there's only so far you can go with a story originally only showing white people and written in 1989. all you can do is polish. there are no broader, structural changes you can make to it, because all that would do is turn it into a different story. and of course disney is never GONNA tell a different story, made by and about black women, because there's not a cash cow in that. in the hands of a megacorporation, diversity is only going to be a token gesture to accumulate more profit.

it's a disney remake. at the end of the day, there's not too much point in thinking too hard about it. I watched it for a laugh with my good friend, basically. but I'm still interested in it as a gateway into the decision-making process of the disney board of directors and stakeholders. i've seen some of the other disney remakes, since my mom and younger siblings do like watching them and this one in particular strikes me for how little care was put into it. I'm wondering how well it did at the box office, because this really does feel like we're reaching the final possible end for these remakes. they're not making very many cultural waves. it seems like nobody likes them. but clearly, the disney board is hoping for them to be a perfectly marketable recapturing of whatever the existing IP had. who knows how many remakes the studio has left in them?

whatever. the late-stage capitalist megacorporation media landscape continues to be a depressing slog. I'd recommend going and finding something actually good to watch lmao

[royalrazz37]

Disclaimer: I love this film. These are just my critics. I know someone else has already pointed these issues out and better than I ever could. Just wanted to get my thoughts out. Feel free to link their analysis

Post Disclaimer Disclaimer: A lot of these may be petty and have no real solution so I apologize preemptively.

Without further ado here is an aging millennial’s concerns with: The Lion King (1994)

Small nitpicks first

Incest

Usually lion prides have a single adult male that mates with all the females but in this case there are two, Mufasa and Scar, meaning, that at best Simba and Nala are first cousins and at worst siblings, getting married and having children.

On the flip side there is nothing more royal than keeping it all in the family.

Say his name

What is Scar’s real name? I know it can probably be found somewhere but i think it’s pretty messed up it’s never said in the movie. Also making someone’s physical feature their name is rude. Its like calling someone Hairy, Big Nose, or Six-Fingered Man.

Sexiest Lion

From what I remember learning about lions, the males with darker manes are seen as more attractive. So why is my man Scar not getting hole? I know its a kids movie but could we at least see a couple dark furred cubs running about? (I know about Kovu)

Choice of voice actors

Why are all the good characters voiced by white people? (Exceptions for James and Madge) and all the bad guys are POC? And its some extra ish when only the lackeys are POC. The big bad is white. Colored folk can’t even be their own boss.

And i know the remake “fixed” this but we’re not talking about the new woke Disney.

Now the real gripes

Monarchy and leadership

While the idea of a hereditary monarchy is bad enough the main plot strongly implies divine right is just and desirable.

Mufasa is supposed to be king and this is reflected by the kingdom being pristine and in balance.

Scar, who is not ordained by the sky daddies, takes the throne and all falls to ruin.

Then the “rightful king” returns, restoring prosperity to the land.

It gives credence to the idea that a higher power has to approve of a leader for things to go right. That those in power are there because that is how it’s supposed to be.

Look, little one. See what happens when you try to break the status quo? Bad things happen. Be happy with your lot in life.

If you try to rise above your station like Scar, well. You saw what happened. (I know Scar murdered fools but you get my drift)

“But Razz” I hear you say. “The reason things went bad is because Scar had the hyenas live in the pride lands and they ate everything. Those slobbering mangy stupid poachers!”

Aha! I say. You activated my trap card.

US History as a Metaphor

I think its safe to say that the hyenas are coded as POC. As such the idea of their integration into the pride lands being the catalyst for its blight is troubling.

It harkens back to the fear of the negro moving into cities during white flight. Hyenas/blacks move in and everything goes to shit.

Thats why we keep them in their elephant graveyards and shadow lands (the ghettos) so the blight doesn’t spread.

And if one of the hyenas do come into the pride lands we send our strong alpha Mufasa to beat and brutalize them.

Also the hyenas are painted as gluttons for wanting to eat. THEY WERE IN A LITERAL GRAVEYARD.

Of course they’re hungry. Of course they’d want to eat everything they could. They were forced to live that way.

Now lets draw a line.

Hyenas are always hungry because they live in a food desert and actual desert.

They live there because of enforced segregation by the lions.

Lions who then blame the the hyenas for being hungry and use that as justification to continue segregation and harsh policing of the hyenas movements.

Sounds familiar.

And the film’s solution to all this is a return to the status quo. Yuck.

Not to mention the sequel where there’s a reconciliation between the lionesses who supported Scar and the pridelanders because Kiara says “We’re the same”. I know I’m probably grasping a straws here but that moment felt like the Irish and Italians gaining whiteness.

Ok rant over.

[zorilleerrant]

the reason why Ncuti Gatwa's entrance was so important is because they're not trying to appease the vocal racists. there are always going to be some people who are like 'I don't think a black man should be the Doctor' and it doesn't matter what you do, because they'll always find a way to make that choice illegitimate. the thing you have to be careful about - and they were - is implicit bias.

now even people with heavy implicit bias aren't doing it on purpose. most of them would be horrified to learn how their brains work! and a lot of these people actively want to support a black Doctor, want to like him, and want to make sure they're not saying racist things about him, or letting other people say racist things about him. it's just that people's perceptions aren't wired that way, so it's important to finesse the situation a little bit to allow people to acclimate, and get them used to their kneejerk reactions being wrong.

now, the most important thing is putting Ten back in the middle, because that way you can have an interaction between a white man and a black man, instead of a white woman and a black man. it's unfortunately very common for people to try to put a name to their uncomfortable feelings and be very unhappy when those feelings are marked racism, and so defend them behind a shield of feminism. (there's also a lot of gendered - with a narrative tradition of sexism - components to a man and a woman interacting, even if they're supposed to be the same person, so it also avoids those.) we should always avoid situations where a white woman and black man are held in competition where possible.

because that's a pretty central thing to regeneration. it's not meant to be a competition narratively, but that's how it feels to the audience a lot of the time. they made room in their heart for one character, and it takes a while to get used to a new one. it's an uphill battle for the new Doctor anyway, and if they left Fifteen in that space, it would end his story before it even started. people wouldn't give him the time of day, and they wouldn't even realize why. they wouldn't think the reaction was any stronger than any other time.

so it's integral to giving him a chance to shine that you place them in concert instead. let them exist at the same time, and, importantly, let them like each other, bond with each other. this is modeling the relationship the audience should have with the new Doctor: if you like one, like both. the story is constructed in a way that doesn't place them at odds; it's no longer a zero sum game. Fifteen isn't stealing anything from the previous incarnation, but rather offering a gift, something that we can be grateful for. a strong positive interaction right off the bat.

this is important for a second reason, too: to show compassion. with characters of color, but especially men of color, people tend to assume low levels of compassion regardless of what the character does, so it takes a pretty specific scenario to make the audience see it. here we have all the components necessary: it's very dramatic, so it's big enough for people to see past their bias; it's soon after he appears, allowing it to become an establishing trait (very important for the Doctor particularly); and it's aimed at a character we already care about, so the impact of it inspires genuine emotion in the audience, instead of feeling like an informed trait.

and the emotion is important. it's often harder for audiences to connect emotionally with a character of color over a white character, and this allows that connection to develop quickly (and before his real story starts, so we'll already have it there) but in a way that feels organic. and Fifteen's emotion is so important, too: there's no way you can accuse him of being emotionless. lack of emotion or muted emotion is something people often assign to nonwhite characters, or else that their emotions seem faked or unrealistic. allowing him to have such good chemistry with established characters cuts off those thoughts before they have a chance to subconsciously form, giving audiences the best shot at liking the character.

another difficulty a nonwhite character has, especially in replacing a white character, is being accused of being too good at things. either because people immediately assume that nonwhite characters should be less competent, or because the character is too carefully sanitized and seems too perfect, in an effort to be irreproachable. this has a long history in film, especially among films trying to make nonwhite characters likeable to an audience they knew was hesitant or hostile about that possibility.

this episode avoided both the less competent and more competent versions of the Doctor; Ten and Fifteen show the same level of physical ability, the same understanding of the situation, the same planning ability, the same care and certainty and worry for the people around them. they have the same skillset. and, importantly, especially just after a new regeneration, Fifteen makes a clear fumble - which is funny, to preclude being angry with him - promising him the same faults and the same ability to make mistakes as the Doctor always had. he isn't perfect, but he also isn't any less talented than any other version of the Doctor.

then there's the self-love. it was important to the Doctor's story as a whole, to be sure, and it wouldn't have worked at all otherwise. but it offers us a character who already has self-esteem, who doesn't have to be propped up and comforted just for existing. it's a trait that I think is often relatable in a character, but it's also not the only trait there is, and it's really comforting to see a nonwhite character who cares about himself and believes in himself and wants to do the best thing for him because he genuinely understands that he deserves to be happy and healthy and fulfilled.

I would say the most important thing is the TARDIS, though. he makes two, with every intention of giving the new one to the old Doctor as a parting gift: a door prize, as he promises. but he has the same curiosity the Doctor always had, and he can't help but look inside the TARDIS that isn't supposed to be his. and he can't help but be intrigued by it, the way he always has. and he can't help but break the rules once again, even when they were self-imposed rules, even when he only made them up a minute ago. because the new TARDIS is just, well, it's just cooler!

and I love the continuity of it. a trait that could be seen as negative, as stereotypical, even though it's the same trait the Doctor has always had: too much curiosity, and the need to test limits... by taking things, playing with things he should leave alone, going places he's not supposed to be. but it isn't framed as negative, because it's couched in kindness; Fifteen is in the middle of bending the very laws of physics to do an act of kindness for his family, and in doing so, catches himself in whimsy once again.

because that's the most important point of the Doctor. no matter what he does, he does it from a place of kindness, and sincerity, and joy at all the wonders in the universe.

[asoiaf-artbrdr]

i was wondering if you had any tips and tricks for creating characters on artbreeder. i have ocs that i’m dying to make but i can’t seem to figure out how to use the site. if you’re not comfortable with sharing that is alright!

Hi! thanks for getting in touch. Admittedly, they've changed a lot of the UI since my personal heyday on the site, but I'm sure I can offer some assistance!

So, first off, for someone new to the platform I would recommend starting by building off of another user's base product. So find a portrait that achieves some of what you're looking for in your OC (be it hair or skin or face shape similarities, whatever). Click the remix button to enter the editor. Here we are with my portrait of Margaery:

The most important trick I've found to creating nuanced portraits is in cultivating a robust gene library. This takes time, of course, but it is integral to the process! So, upper right hand corner is the add genes button. Click on that and another menu pops up. This menu allows you to browse recently created genes or look through your selection of favorites. As a long-time user, I have a few people I would recommend for their work creating genes. First is user zenozip. They helpfully have labeled everything they make with their username, so we can use the search function to find their genes.

Many users don't label their genes in this manner. Instead, you've got to search terms with your fingers crossed. Let's say you want something to increase contrast in your image. Well, you can try the term 'contrast,' or perhaps 'light' (as in lighting - I shorten terms to the simplest version because a text search will pick up more broad results that way) or maybe 'sharp.'

Once you find a gene you're interested in trying out, click to add it to your editor. I've selected the sad eyebrows gene for our example. It's helpful to get an idea of what a gene is doing to the elements in your portrait if you hope to make the best possible use of it. That means trying it out at slight increments as well as extreme ones, and seeing what happens in either direction of use:

Green on the bar (left image) is indicating positive values whereas that purpley shade indicates negative values. We can see a number of things have changed! For one, the obvious difference lies in the arch of the eyebrow. But the nose is more snubbish and shorter in the right image, her right mouth corner is more distinct. Her hair is also slightly wispier. However, the vast majority of the image remains the same as it was - this is something to keep your eye out for. Genes which focus on one feature or element and don't mess with the rest of your image are fantastic because you'll have to do less fine tuning in the long run. This gene is good at isolating it's major effects to the eyebrow ridge. But perhaps at some point you would want to make use of the effects it has on the nose, so it helps to keep an eye out for these sorts of things. I have plenty of genes in my catalogue I use more for their unintended or negative value effects than their stated purpose!

Making use of genes and having a handful you're confident in using will definitely improve your portraits. I also recommend saving often (the checkmark under her chin) because you can always build off what you've done so far. Also, if you're having trouble spotting the effects of a gene, try upping the chaos of the image (see below). This makes the effects of every change more (or less) extreme.

See? The thing I was saying about the hair is much more prominent now, right?

Another tip is to tag your images. As you build up more and more saved images, you're going to lose track of what you were doing. It also helps in that experiments can be pulled back up and resumed. I personally have a whole bunch of experiments with hairstyles and colors that I tag for so I can search my library of images and utilize them.

For example, I'll give Marg different hair. After resetting the image, I'm selecting to 'add parent' (at top). I call these blends.

Note my selection on the searchbar at the bottom. I'm going to try to make her hair more a pink shade, since that's easier with brunettes.

You can add several parents at a time. The factors you can mess with here are 'face' and 'style.' Face refers to the shape elements of the portrait, whereas style alters coloration and lighting. This is useful to play around with! If you made a portrait where the shapes of everything, the eyes, nose, hair, etc, were exactly as you wanted it, but you wanted to make a significant change in the color of the eyes perhaps, this is one method to doing that. For example, with Targaryen portraits, this is very helpful.

You can use this for makeup, too, or just lighting effects.

Anyways, I hope that's given you enough of a jumping off point! If you'd like to see more of the genes I'd recommend, there's a link to my Artbreeder account on my profile. From there, you can see the genes I've liked and try them out for yourself!

(note the setting on the search bar above) (also note the usernames seen here, specifically ivia_sedai, nikkio, and drconfused; I've used their genes frequently)

Good luck, and feel free to ask any clarifying questions you need!

[gasha40k]

Been a while, but I’m back! In a recent heatwave that hit my city, a bunch of my paints dried up. Included among those were a bunch of my main colors, like Leadbelcher and Retributor Armor, but most importantly, my Agrax Earthshade. I live and die by the wash. They’re a hugely integral part of my painting process, so combined with the fact that nearly all my brushes had either frayed, hardened, or snapped in half, painting was kind of off the table.

For a while, life events had me in a spot where I couldn’t readily replace any of my shit, nor was I in a spot to buy any new kits or bits. And having just started a “bigger” project—segment painting my classic Daemon Prince—I was pretty discouraged from hobby work. But things are coming around and I’ll soon be in a much more stable place that’ll allow me to get my gay ass back in the mines.

Needless to say I am hopelessly addicted to the gradient

So, uh, as a way to sort of ease myself back into painting using two paints that I still had (Abaddon Black and Mephiston Red), I decided to learn blending. I’m still not great at it and I’m not sure I entirely understand the process, but I think that whatever I’m doing is… functional, if not consistent. That being said, it’s super fun. The results are really nice and add a lot to an otherwise very simple model.

Many of my Bloodletters are still primed, so I visited by LGS, picked up some more paints and two brushes, and whipped up a few more of these boys as a way to practice blending. I’m very proud of them! The little horns on the first Bloodletter are a subtle detail and I think that the gradients on the second one’s horns are fantastic looking. I definitely need to keep practicing and figuring out my technique, because at the moment, I can’t tell if I’m wet blending or glazing.

I think I’m doing some insane combination of both. I can’t properly wet blend because I kinda don’t understand it, but here’s my process so far:

Place two colors on palette, both watered down to a normal standard (milky consistency)

Use brush to place both colors next to each other on the model, touching, mixing them together very slightly

Clean brush and mix the borders between the colors, adding more of whichever paint I need to balance the gradient

This is far from efficient and very difficult to control on larger surfaces, but it makes a pretty nice effect when it’s successful! If anyone has tips on how to do this better, I’m totally open to hearing them.

This is maybe the best example I have of my newfound blending skills. This is the torso of my Daemon Prince. I decided to learn blending when I got him in the mail, as the official paint job for this model uses blending as a way to imply the transition between melded flesh and armor. I really wanted to emulate this, and I think I got pretty fuckin’ close. Very proud, and this catastrophic painting dub has definitely reinvigorated my motivation for this model.

I even finished his pants. He is now bepantsed. Dismembered, but bepantsed. Soon he will be whole, and he will be spooky, and he will kill shit. His torso and pants are the only pieces I have primed right now and I’m a little too broke for primer, so I’m just gonna really pimp out his armor before I move on.

I’m going to try logging all of my games this edition using the Tabletop Battles app

I had a lot of strong anti-armor. On the board was a Firestrike and a macro plas Redemptor, and off the board I had a squad of Eradicators in reserves, which are absolutely disgusting in this edition. Much like last edition, funnily enough. I knocked out an opposing Land Raider in the first BR, which gave me a significant advantage as the game went on, and I think it’s what eventually lead me to the win.

Actually got to use my Firestrike for once, which don’t feel like a horrible use of 80pts anymore

I also got the chance to play Combat Patrol with a friend of mine who hadn’t played 40k since before I started this blog, I think. I played my Khorne Daemons patrol against his Sisters of Battle. It was a super steady game until I got my Bloodcrushers in the fray, and then it was kind of a stompfest. As an observation, the Sisters patrol is an excellent counter to the Daemons patrol, because while the Sisters patrol isn’t particularly strong in melee, the fact that most of their units have Invulnerable Saves completely negates the excessive amounts of AP that Khorne weapons have.

This Rhino ended up exploding and killing way too many Bloodletters

I won almost entirely because my opponent was super rusty and didn’t know his unit rules or the mechanics of 10th. Key blunders like misusing his high value melee units and underutilizing his ranged attacks left him super undefended, but considering everything, he played a really solid game.

I really like Combat Patrol. I think it’s a great way to pick up and play, and we were able to set up a game super quickly. Cutting down on listbuilding complexity really allows new players to build and game, and I think it’s a great way to play more casual games. I played a lot of 500pts games back closer to the beginning of 9th Edition, and I can pretty confidently say that Combat Patrol is a lot more balanced than that. Combat Patrol went on well into BR3, whereas the 500pts games of old were usually decided the second your most expensive unit died. This one felt like an actual 40k game. There was a decent amount of objective play, which was noticeably lacking in older 500pts games because it was much easier and much more efficient to just wipe the other army off the board.

In conclusion, it feels good to be painting and gaming again. I’ve also been doing a lot of Horus Heresy reading since the beginning of the year, and I just started Betrayer. Maybe I’ll post about that soon.

[greetings-humans]

heart of stone impromptu review

(i originally wrote this a few months ago with the goal of adding more stuff but I haven't had the time so I'm just gonna let it loose in the world and maybe reblog to add any further thoughts)

okay so like. let's get this out of the way first: I'm expecting a spy story. not the greatest mystery of the world or a never-before-seen spy tale or something. just your run-of-the-mill, fun, and nice spy story.

and this is what I got.

idk why everyone is so against this movie. it's got its undercover agent as a lead, some very good supporting cast, pretty fun twists, and yes some expected twists but so does every other movie.

[obviously, spoilers ahead] [there's a (blue colored) tldr in the end]

rachel stone is your stereotypical cool spy with a heart, but news flash- we haven't had a woman as a spy that does anything other than seducing people since- oh um ever? unless I'm missing something here.

and mind you, i mean a female spy, who doesn't just seduce people and who is also the main character. how many of those do we have? and how many in a reasonably big platform like netflix? like honestly? not a lot, I'm betting.

so yes, the basic narrative is mission impossible a bit to the left with a woman in the lead. is that so wrong? wasn't mission impossible at some point considered james bond to the left with an American twist (or sth)? no, I don't think this is bad.

some people have said that parker was a lousy villain. allow me to respectfully disagree here. he's an unexpected villain that makes sense and frankly, I'm rather glad that he wasn't just the love interest or something. parker has a history of being abused by those in power so he seeks his revenge and steals that power to get it. since he found himself lacking power when needed, it makes sense that parker decided to just take that power and act on his emotions and kill the people (and their families and staff) that disfigured him and nearly killed him. he's not logical or well-adjusted or anything. but that is precisely the reason why he's not a lousy villain. there are motives and reasons for what he does.

why did he kill king of diamond's family etc with that elevator? because he was emotional and angry and wanted to kill them and had the power to do so. why was he emotional? idk guys(g/n), did he get therapy for his trauma? was his trauma acknowledged in any way? did he get a fucking apology? no. which is why this is what happened. I'm not saying hooray he's mentally stable, but that doesn't mean badly written.

seriously, though, what part of parker seems badly written? I'm asking honestly here. because he makes sense to me as someone lead by emotions and trauma and a dash of creative license (which is expected of a spy movie).

oh and before someone says "he could have killed rachel from he beginning". guys (g/n). john wick, ethan hunt, james bond. how many times could their villains have killed them before the final confrontation of the movie? this is a spy movie. at some point, there will be creative license and if you can't ignore this glaring oversight then what are you doing watching spy movies? this is an integral part of pretty much all of them.

moving on to keya. this one was a pretty expected twist: keya will see the error of her ways and join stone, hooray! but she wasn't badly written either. she's 22 and her goal is to expose the rich assholes that get away with literal murder. she's not thinking logically and we can also assume that she needs therapy -but seriously tell me one important character from a spy movie who is perfectly relatable down to the murdering and killing. i honestly can't think of any, because I'm not expecting to relate to her on the whole revenge and murder thing. obviously, not.

she's also angry and emotional. and then her moral compass overrides that and now she's horrified and trying to prevent the worse. makes sense to me. she's not a revolutionary character, you guys, but that doesn't mean she's badly written.

the idea of some supercomputer AI being used by rogue agents to do shit for the greater good is a fun concept that is not expected to be realistic. i for one enjoyed a female spy with no love interest, no seducing, some solid support cast and sorta-friendships, who had to save the world/her agency for some reason or another. the idea of "secret spy gets duped and now has to save the world(ish) from the one doing the duping" is the skeleton of so many spy movies. and just like all of those movies, heart of stones added its own twist and comment to that

tldr!!!

this is a spy movie. don't expect it to not be like spy movies. it's gonna have its unrealistic hand-wavey moments and it's gonna have its cool, action moments and its expected moments (because we've seen so many spy movies that we're never honestly surprised these days), and its not-so-expected moments. the cast was really good and the characters are some good spy movie characters. there's been way worse and there's probably been better. but that doesn't make this movie bad.

[igglemouse]

Sims Summit Thingy...

My thoughts...

EA has this tendency to make very cringy events, no matter what game they are talking about, it’s always very very corporate and usually some one on a stage telling corny jokes and wasting time with a musical thingy thrown in there while the last like 10 minutes of the event is what people actually were waiting to see. They have not learned from other publishers that people really just want news and trailers. I feel bad for some of the people that were involved in that. Like Kelsey. That’s stuff they should do in between events on their youtube channel.

I don’t really play Sims Freeplay or Mobile so won’t comment on those.

The overwolf thing is...interesting. I wonder if they will let creators monetize on this platform and if so it means EA could be trying to find some way to get some kind of cut from CC creators. We’ll see I guess.

I’ve always wanted the baby lifestage so I am happy that finally we will be getting that. They really didn’t show much else for Sims 4.

Sims 4 and Project Rene? So, a few things here, we’re not exactly sure what Project Rene is, it could very well be Sims 5 or it could be Sims: Whatever, not sure at this point. The title doesn’t actually matter, what matters is if it is a mainline sims game or is it a side project? Seeing as how they have their best talent on it and not some smaller team then I think it’s safe to assume it is a mainline sims game especially since they have started to slow down content for Sims 4.

I can’t have strong opinions on Project Rene, there isn’t much to say about it since all they really showed was that you can edit furniture further (yes like in Paralives) and that there could be a color wheel but it’s important to remember if it is really ‘years’ away then this could be cut or changed, who knows. Also, I hear the fear of mobile but this is pretty common nowadays for a game to have some kind of mobile/device integration. Until they actually announce what they plan with this though I’ll hold my opinions. 

Same for them mentioning that you can play with friends. I don’t think that is a bad thing, it is a bad thing if they try to force you to do it though like SimCity. I think it could be cool to share a save with 3 other people, idea wise, that could be very fun if executed properly. Kind of hard to imagine how this would work but I guess that is their job.

Paralives...I see this coming up a lot and I’ve just been burned by too many crowdfunding games to care until it comes out and it can be played and I was a patreon for it. Too many of these games make big promises and feature creep into basically not coming out. I hate to be harsh but I would not be surprised if Sims...project Rene, came out before Paralives. I hope to be wrong but as a Gamer™ I’ve learned to react to what has been released, and nothing more than that. ESPECIALLY with crowdfunded games.

I’ve learned the best thing to do as a Gamer™   is to just enjoy what is released and to hype up things releasing in 30 days or so. So I’ll forget Project Rene until the next announcement and I’m currently hyping Warhammer 40k Darktide! I played the closed beta and loved it!