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dahniwitchoflight · 5 years

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Homesquared Chapter 4

I cheated and some of my chapter 4 thoughts leaked into the chapter 3 post lol

Mostly about the pretty obvious Garden of Eden metaphor Dirk is for some reason setting up for himself and Rose as Adam and Eve

and I was about to say which begs the question of what the heck role Terezi is supposed to play as but then it’s very obviously as the Snake in the Garden

Terezi is very much just barely holding back some irritation towards how Dirk is treating Rose, but she’s also very intelligent and is aware of How much Dirk sees/knows and controls about their situation, so she’s probably leveraging her powers over Mind as much as possible in order to stay hidden in plain sight from Dirk’s narrative

and she does so in a way that is one of Dirk’s only blindspots - How Mind and other people have an effect in the determination of the Soul/Heart

By acting in a manner and doing things in a way that aligns with his expectations of her, he assumes and pigeonholes her into a type of character and bases his predictions of her behaviors off of that archtype, never expecting her to act outside it, and when he sees her actions and thoughts and desires all align within it, never questions that it might one day change or was different all along. Dirk’s never really been good at reading other people, can’t see without the lens of “how would I do it” blinding him to things he would never think to do, a trap that he keeps falling into with his friends and one he’s probably trying to overcome by becoming Ultimate God Person/combining all perspectives into his own and uncovering blindspots like that

But right now Mind is the darkest thing in is corner still and I think he sort of knows that as well

Terezi walks the crazy wiggled line boundary between their two Souls that defines who each of them is, as expertly as a person on a tightrope, never wavering until she reaches her destination, at which point she’ll leap off of that line and leave Dirk scrambling to try and calculate her next move/who exactly is she/what her goals are, since’s it won’t be following the clearly defined Heart boundary he’s used to drawing his plans by, so she’ll have to choose the perfect moment in order to entice Eve of the Apple of Revelation once more, heck, she might even do that so sneakily that she gets Adam to take a bite as well, since as soon as Rose bites it she’ll have an ally with her against Dirk.

For God created the Serpent originally as well, so thus why did he not imagine it’s betrayal and prevent it before it could have happened? Or else why did he create something he knew was going to betray? Eden was a paradise, so why intentionally create Evil in that paradise?

If Eve corrupted Adam and the Snake corrupted Eve, Who exactly corrupted the first Serpent? That’s something that the bible never goes into really, at least in Genesis, except to say that the Snake was punished for it’s action to forever crawl the earth eating the dust of man’s heel, punishing all snakes, as Adam and Eve’s punishment punished all humans

(Later I think the bible would try to say that the Snake was the Devil all along, but then why punish the Snake and all it’s progeny for it? If it was the Devil’s doing that undid Adam and Eve then why punish them for the Devil’s actions they would have no way of guarding against or now way of knowing it was a lie? Was it not God’s failure? The Walls of the Garden of Eden were supposed to protect his perfect creation afterall)

Gotta say though I really Rose’s design

I would call her Evil Rose, but she things she does she does in ignorance, not really out of evil, it would be like calling Eve evil for listening to the Snake when she was purposefully blinded to it’s intentions by her creation by God.

Once again we get this idea of Knowledge and Choice affecting eachother, Well I say again but really I’ve been watching RWBY a lot lately and the idea that you can’t make a real choice without real knowledge comes up a lot in it’s mythos and it is really applicable here

Terezi’s design as well is incorporating a lot more Red, she really dug those red shoes aesthetic but gave it her own twist, she’s got a red tie, her ever present red cane and glasses and even in that shot of her her horns look more red and solid as well, even though i know it’s just the lighting

So really digging the whole Terezi is the Apple/Snake in the Garden metaphor, she has also been having that tendency to just snack on random plants, intentionally for her own or Dirk’s unaware benefit or not, it’ll make it that much easier to her actions of later betrayal to be seen as “in character and therefore expected and not dangerous” instead of pre-meditated and actually dangerous, to him

And then they start waxing about their various philosophical babble, Dirk seems really determined to also use this to try and figure out that whole problem of how other’s affect the self, he’s trying at least, I think, in his own way. But not for a good reason, not so that he can have a real understanding of that, but because he wants to use it to guard his own self even further

He’s maybe not using Rose here as an equal player, but more like a wall to bounce his own ideas off of and test them, like using a neural learning AI to test ideas or an actual literal wall in a game of table tennis.

Heh, I got a chuckle out of the fact that Dirk’s answer to the Ship of Theseus problem is “why does we even have to remove and replace parts of it, why not keep the original pristine and eternal?”

because it’s funny how avoidant of the problem that answer is, man he really really is uncomfortable with the idea of changing the self in any way

“He's avoiding the question again. It's amazing how one can technically have the maximum amount of metaphysical personal awareness possible, and still not notice these sorts of things. “

SAYS LITERALLY YOU but honestly this is just more fuel to the idea that maybe he can make a genuine connection and understanding with a person if he can recognize how he and her are the same

“It's stuff like this that makes me wonder sometimes whether there's anything about myself that I'm missing. Then I throw that wonder in the garbage can and turn the incinerate setting on.”

but nah he’s still firmly denying that possibility, he’s almost actually equating his trauma of self erosion with the idea that making friends and understanding others changes the self in subtle ways as well

He can’t even stand the thought of his own close friends influencing him to be different in small subtle ways or adjusting his behavior for others because that STILL counts as a change of self that he didn’t authorize or choose.

Also can’t help but by be reminded of my wacky little fan made Gamma session I made forever ago by them using the name Delta-Detritus and basically be like alright, what if we do SBURB again but BETTER/worse this time?? Which is essentially the thread that most Homestuck fix it fanfiction tends to go towards

Though I am curious now

We got A/Alpha for Alternia which is based of off “Alternate” introducing the trolls as an alternate race to Human Earth

B/Beta for Beforus which is based of off “Before” introducing the planet of trolls that came before the first group

And then Earth C, now, there isn’t a letter C, the third in the greek alphabet is actually Γγ Gamma, (and the fourth is ΔδDelta)

So I wonder what “name” Earth C really has?

It feels like it should either start with C OR with GA, as Alternia starts with the AL of Alpha, Beforus starts with the BE of Beta and same with Deltritus and Delta

As as “Another for Earth” Gaia isn’t a terrible option all things considered, now you just have to make it sound like a word which describes it’s use to the narrative

It’s is a very split place, having the two timelimes Meat and Candy associated with it, as well it does feel extremely mercurial in nature, being a sort of crosswords between Homestuck and Homesquared proper, and really exists in a place between stories, an ephemeral epilogue of sorts

really a merger of Gaia and Gemini feels the most appropriate here, like Gamini, also the word mini stands out in there as well, knowing that this Planet is sort of on a lesser status compared to the other three since it’s not going to be the birthplace of a session, also has the word Game in it

But then people will wonder why it doesn’t begin with a C since it still is called Earth C so *shrug* ��

Honestly C K and G sounds are all very similar in the tongue, so maybe it’s both Camini and Gamini at the same time OH FUCK CA AND GA, ONE HAS CALLIOPE ONE HAS GAMZEE? SHIT IM ONTO SOMETHING (no im not)

I like Camini now better, it comes from a place of Gamma/Gamzee/Game/Gemini but ends up being more about the twinned Ca’s that were used to, Caliborn and Calliope and fits with the establish Earth C theme

So there you go, Earth C’s actual planet name should be Camini

which also works because:

Camini

home stove/furnace

smelting/foundry furnace, forge

vent (underground fires)

according to the latin language this word also has multiple meanings and many Irons in the Fire, I think the fandom will appreciate the name haha

Yeah both races are definitely going to both be playing one game of SBURB, despite what Dirk is intending, the pic does make it really clear

There’s something to say how Dirk seems to be represented by Purple and Rose by Orange in this here and then how all of the cave is a backdrop of that same purple.

Look at even the controllers on the machine having purple and orange knobs, even being solely on Dirk’s side of the image

I guess Dirk intends himself to be the force behind Derse, since that’s the force that always “wins” and Rose fitting in her place as the ultimate loser (since of course Dirk will want to win his own game) but also to be like Skaia the force of Prospit

So Dirk intends to be a whisperer like a horrorterror, choosing to manifest his influence that way, while Rose will give visions to her race like Skaia?

makes sense honestly

but again even with the themes of duality, the theme of the trio is bright and center in that piece of ultimately technology, the third influence hidden unseen in the furthest corner behind the curtain of snakelike tubes and wires that Dirk will not expect to interfere, or even have the capability to interfere, Terezi

heck it’s even in the buttons next to the controls being colored red blue and green

there’s so much duality in homestick with destructive red and creative green but then there’s also always been that mercurial breathy blue as the third

God, tell me that doesn’t look like a baby proto horrorterror

I can hear it raging it’s revenge against it’s cruel human creators even as I type

No wonder they become associated with destruction, they know theyre the pawns of two heartless cruel god children playing at life like it was a game

Rose you MUST KNOW how bad this is, it’s not a theoretical discussion anymore, that things exists and is alive and has feelings and you did it to that

and that thing is technically a Dirk too

Is this how Dirk get’s his revelation? Or downfall? As his Heart is unwittingly invaded by the horrified cacophanous screams of his grotesque tortured progeny crying out for his blood?

His end unintentionally ending up as the thing he feared most? Inner self destruction caused by his own sharp and bloody splinters turned and pointed inward, tearing himself apart with the pieces of his own Soul? Caused by his own Hubris?

I will say typing that all out is pretty good

I’m just sad the same will probably happen to Rose too though ): Maybe she’ll make careful more humane species? Something that has the potential to exist and be happy as it’s own creature while Dirk just creates monstrosities forever in conflict with Rose’s race?

They’ll each be the master of their own eventually destinies I suppose but Homestuck seems to have a good track record so far of the Ultimate Female Creator being out to protect the happiness of the children that exist in her creation while the Ultimate Male God just ends up destroying everything in his

#Homesquared #Homestuck^2 #Dirk Strider #Rose Lalonde #Terezi Pyrope #long post

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takerfoxx · 4 years

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When trying to write a big balloon of good feelings with the EXPRESS INTENTION of bursting it... how big is too big before it's just cruel?

A very good question, and it comes down to purpose, execution, and follow-through.

Now, given my history and reputation, those sorts of situations are something of my forte, and I’ve had a lot of experience and trial and error to work things out, so here’s how you get maximum impact out of your dark, cruel plot-twists.

First, ask yourself why are you doing this? Is it purely for shock value, or does it serve some greater purpose for the plot and characters? If it’s the second, then go ahead and skip to the next section. If it’s the first, then go ahead and put that idea back in the oven because it’s totally not ready yet.

Look, as a writer, I get the appeal of shock value. Shock value got Imperfect Metamorphosis on the map. Shock value is in my blood. But if all you have is that shock and nothing else, then it’s shock value for shock value’s sake, which is just shallow and useless. You want to shock and disturb, yes, but you also want your audience to keep going to find out what happens next! Dangle that emotional catharsis in front of them! Give them some measure of hope that this is leading somewhere satisfying! Even stories like Chinatown and The Mist, which ended with the protagonists losing in horrible ways despite all their efforts, still felt like they were saying something bigger about the human existence and didn’t feel like they were cheating the audience.

For example: Marisa’s death in IM. I’ll freely admit, the idea first occurred to me and became part of the plan for the shock value, a way to throw down the gauntlet and show that no one is safe. But since the idea came to me early in IM’s run, I had literal years to refine the idea, build towards it, and map out how the fallout would go down, so that by the time it came around, it had turned into an essential part of the plot, from which the rest of the story would lead.

See, here’s the thing you need to understand about dark plot twists: they follow the same rule as edgy humor that breaks societal taboo. And that is this: the twist is not the payoff; the twist is the set-up. Think of the difference of between a rookie “comedian” who thinks that saying shocking things that you’re not supposed to say constitutes as “funny” and those who are offended just don’t have a sense of humor, and a genuine master like George Carlin, who used edge subject matter and taboo breaking not as the punchline, but as the set-up to the bigger joke and thus earn the big laughs when he managed to land the punchline and say something bigger about the topic at hand. It’s a wire act without a net, something that is spectacular if you can pull it off and lead to something greater, but will end in disaster if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Now, let’s move onto the next part: execution. Here you have to be careful, because while it’s perfectly acceptable (and in fact encouraged) to break the rules and conventions of the story’s genre, you still have to ensure that it’s keeping with your story’s internal consistency and rules, and that it makes sense! You want such-and-such a character to betray their friends and turn bad guy? Okay, but it has to make sense and be consistent with their backstory and motivations. You want to pull the rug out from under the heroes and ruin everything they had been working toward? Okay, but it has to be consistent with the rules that you had set up.

I’ll give you a few examples. Now, Game of Thrones might be in the doghouse due the dumpsterfire of a final season, but there was a time when it was upheld as the gold standard of dark plot twists, with the two big examples being Ned Stark’s execution and the Red Wedding. The reason why those moments were so shocking and effective wasn’t because they came out of nowhere, but because they broke the conventional rules of storytelling. OF COURSE the main character would survive! They even gave him an out by having him sentence to the Wall where his bastard son was, where they would no doubt reunite and plan their next steps! Ned’s the hero, after all! Except no, this isn’t that kind of story, Joffrey is still a sociopathic narcissist, doing what sociopathic narcissists do.

And the Red Wedding? OF COURSE it would work! Walder Frey had accepted the compromise, and we’ve put a lot of time and investment in Rob and Cate and their retainers. Rob was practically the new main character, and the driving force against the Lannisters. What was more, he was winning, and he was going to keep winning, even with his one or two slip-ups...except no, he wasn’t, because he had been warned about Walder Frey’s easily bruised ego, he had broken his word, so there was going to be consequences when the Frey’s cut a deal with the Lannisters, so welcome to Medieval-style skullduggery!

Hell, you can have some real fun with this too! And if I may toot my own horn, let’s look at the most recent dark twist from IM: the return of the Shadow Youkai.

Now, I know what my reputation is, and what people expect from me. As such, I can use those expectations to play a sort of follow-the-cup game with the plot. Everyone knew that the Shadow Youkai wasn’t gone for good; the epilogue of Fires of the Sun pretty much showed that. But no one knew when she’d be back, and that let’s me play with expectations a bit.

So I put together a big beach trip, where Rin takes all of her friends, new and old, out into public. And since this is Rin’s story, everyone expects it to go wrong. She expects it to go wrong. Because things always go wrong for Rin!

Sure enough, here comes Hong Meiling and Koakuma, two people with reasons to ruin Rin’s life! Surely they’ll catch and bust her! In fact, it turns out that Koakuma is Elis’s cousin, so surely that would mean she would...except no, they have a short chat, Koakuma doesn’t expose them, and they all go their separate ways. Nothing happens.

Oh shit, here comes Reimu! Not only does she know Rin, she also knows everyone in Team Nineball, and has fought most of the other girls as well! This isn’t good, how will Rin wriggle out of this (no pun intended)...except she doesn’t need to. Reimu and Rin’s various friends walk right past each other over and over without noticing, she chitchats with Hong Meiling and Koakuma for a bit, and then she’s called away to the next chapter’s plot. Rin never even so much as realizes that Reimu was there. Nothing happens.

But wait! Flandre is still a problem, and Seija’s still loose out there! And there she is, taking advantage of Rin’s absence to trigger Flandre’s madness! Surely THIS is the big disaster that’ll...except no, Kogasa quickly gets Seija to piss off and Wriggle coaxes Flandre back to sleep. Nothing happens.

Wait, the beach party was...a success? Nothing bad happened? Everyone had fun and made friends like they were supposed to? And it ends with Rin actually saving a stranger’s life and getting praised for it? Which story was I reading again?

Oh hey, there’s Minoriko, someone who hasn’t been seen a long time, and she says that Hina successfully devoured the Shadow Youkai’s essence, so there’s nothing to worry about. Well, that’s a relief! Strange though that a little curse goddess could handle something of the Shadow Youkai’s caliber, seeing how Sariel already mentioned how unsafe it is to use anything other than the original sword to do so, and how Rhapsody of Subconscious Desire already established that the Shadow Youkai is capable of taking over a secondary host, provided that she had access to their subconscious, and-

Click.

Boom.

So if you’re going to do it, make sure you set up believable reasons why it would happen in advance, even if the audience doesn’t notice them at first. Otherwise, you get Vince Russo’s booking of late-90′s WCW, where everyone was switching allegiances on a dime left and right just for the sake of having a SHOCKING SWERVE! Remember: it’s a highwire act without a net. Know what you’re doing.

Also, for the love of God, if you’re going to have a bad guy do a really bad, shocking thing in one part of the story but later join the good guys later on, don’t just sweep said bad thing under the rug. If Cain the Bloodspiller butchers little Timmy in book one but becomes Cammy the Bloodsaver in book five, then don’t let little Timmy be forgotten. Make sure that there’s still consequences.

And finally, the follow-through. Justify this shocking twist. Have it mean something. Take your time to explore the consequences. Show how it affects the characters. Dig deep into their psyches and make it feel real. The reason people STILL talk about Aeris’s death in Final Fantasy 7 is that the gameplay itself was designed to make you feel her loss, both from the viewpoint of the characters and you, the player.

One of my favorite dark twists is Mami’s death in PMMM, because it follows all of these conditions and does so spectacularly. It sets up how dangerous fighting witches is and explains that someone could really die while doing it, while tricking us into not expecting that to happen by already showing us how Mami kicks ass and establishing her as a main character with a promise to form a lasting bond with Madoka right before pulling the trigger. And afterward, it takes the time to really dig into the consequences of her death, from Madoka’s depression to Sayaka’s increased recklessness to being the catalyst that brought Kyoko into the story in the first place. Everything that happens after does so as a result of that moment.

So yeah, by all means, do that shocking thing, but make sure you put in the work to both earn and justify it.

#writing advice #game of thrones #puella magi madoka magica #pmmm

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0vorenation0 · 4 years

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Taming the King of the Skies

(Series #6) ~loyalty Part2

Story made for @KadeTheDragon6520 https://kadegreene18plus.tumblr.com/ on discord and tumblr. We worked very hard to make this two part story in the VoreNation series. If you are a member on discord server, then you will know that Kade is my pet dragon. This is explaining how we met. I really enjoyed making this so pls give it a like. Happy Vore Day as well)

After a few minutes the pain intensified and I passed out from shock and lack of oxygen. Outside the gut, the dragon had digested his meal without any problems. His prey was nothing but mush. Then, all of a sudden, the dragon felt a sharp pain in his wing and shoulder. It was so intense it made him roar with enough force to shake the cave. The broken wing healed and fixed itself, so the dragon stood up and gave it a few experimental stretches and flaps. The sudden movements caused some air to bubble out of his stomach. Buurrrppp... A skull of the King went flying across the cave, bouncing off a wall and clattering to the ground. The dragon sniffed it and gave a wide smile. He sat back down and curled up to take a long-needed nap. As he lay down, the skull began to shine and grow bright. He looked up, then turned his head and shielded his eyes. It shone so bright the whole cave lit up, and when the light dimmed, I stood in my skull's place, confused but fully aware. I stood up straight and looked at the wing. “Hey it’s fixed I told you it would work!!!”

"You're strange," the dragon said, in a soft voice. I was shocked. It could talk?? "Nobody's ever survived my gut before without a reformation machine."

“Wait what, you can talk? I said totally taken of guard

The dragon sighs with exasperation. "Yes I can talk. Why shouldn't I? I'm not some common animal."

“Well I mean sure, your a fucking dragon. I know I shouldn’t be surprised since I’m part werewolf, but why didn’t you say anything before I was eaten. Btw one of the weirdest experiences of my life. I still haven’t heard a thank you” Cal rambles on as he still try’s to comprehend a talking dragon

"Why should I thank you? You tried to kill me like five separate times in the last eight hours. I was just trying to return the favor."

"They were delicious, thank you."

The dragon circles the much smaller man, like a shark circling a surfer. "You flew into my storm. You want to protect your assets, I'm going to protect mine."

“Ummm dumb question how is a storm ur asset? It’s not like you created that storm heh heh” Cal nervously turns to stay in eye contact with the dragon. “So mister dragon, do you have a name?”

"Kade. Kade, the Great Dragon of the sky. So yes, it was my storm. I did create it. Are you familiar with Great Dragons, human?" Kade says, leaning in real close for that last sentence.

“Oh wow your breath is really hot umm, no I’m not that familiar with great dragons. I just became part werewolf and knew monster type creatures were real like 3 months ago. Uhh can I just um yeah uhh *boop. Your nose feels really good. Sorry don’t eat me again, I noticed it the first time u ate me” Cal says as he slowly back up. He’s not usually frightened of anything but a massive 40 ton dragon will make anyone weak in there knees.

"We're some of the most powerful beings on the planet. Godlike in power. One could call me the King of the Skies." Kade says, spreading his wings and standing tall, letting him bask in his glory.

"That is, if any of them respected me. I'm 'too young,' they say. I'm 24, that shouldn't be too young." The dragon is just complaining to himself at this point and seems to have forgotten that Cal exists.

“Ohh that’s sad, im sorry your not treated like the glorious dragon you are. Your so stunning, your big beautiful wings, big sharp teeth, long yellow tail, and these amazingly pointy horns. Your amazing, very handsome if I do say so myself.” Cal say, wondering if Kade the dragon is even listening

"I know right? But those stuck up higher-ups think I need to be a couple thousand before I... I'm rambling. Point is, I own the skies, and considering what you've done to me so far, you'll have to work hard to gain my trust." Kade says, slowly moving his wing around to emphasize what got hurt.

“Well how can I make it up to you? I’ve heard rumors that dragons like gold, I have tons of that back at VoreNation!!! I promise as long as I live no harm will befall upon you or any other dragons. It’s okay Kade I won’t hurt u ever again I promise. You know us humans are always shoot ask questions later” cal says jokingly, but cautiously

"Gold? How much gold?" The dragon's eyes might up with curiosity. Goldlust. Every dragon's fatal weakness.

“Ohhh ummm, as much as you want!!! You could have a hoard of gold if u want. VoreNation is very rich in gold, so most of it just lies around in my gold room. Also, to make it up to you you can be apart of the royals in VoreNation. Who knows maybe one day you will be a royal mount for me hehe!!” With happiness cal offers everything to Kade the mighty dragon

"Royalty? That's... More like it.." the dragon purrs, mind already simplifying to only base desires. "Who are you anyways?" He asks sweetly.

Ohh I’m no one really, you ever flown by VoreNation? It’s a massive city, I come from a long line of kings and queens. I’m the sitting king, ruler of all VoreNation. So yeah no one really.”Cals chest boasted as he clarifies with pride

“A king, wow that’s impressive. I would love to come stay with you. Hope there’s plenty of things to eat in this City.” Kade says as he lowers himself gesturing for me to hop on his back.

“Please don’t go too fast I don’t want to fall off and fall to the ground without a parachute.” Cal Climbs on Kade back.

They depart and head for VoreNation, a long trip, Cal would have to see Saladin another time. As they reached the city, people were scared. Running inside to get away from the massive dragon. We landed at the castle and went into the throne room. I knighted Kade and proclaimed him the Royal Mount of VoreNation. I had a special sable made to fit Kade, fit well and looked good on him. I hugged Kade, and gave him a kiss on the nose. Our bond had grown quite strong, and he was more than a pet. He was family, Kade grew quite protective of me. Though Kade was a lot of work and made big messes. He was spoiled rotten, got more gold than anyone could imagine. A prisoner was brought to me, for threats against the throne. I came up with a great idea, I snapped my fingers. The man stretched out and transformed into a beautiful leather collar. With gold designs, and edging that spelled out Kade. He moved his massive head down and I placed it on him. Kade wrapped me up in his tail and licked my cheek. I stayed there for a while and we both fell asleep, cuddling each other. The bond between a dragon and his owner was strong, what started from hatred. Evolved into a beautiful trust, and loyal relationship.

The end~

#vorenation #orginal #series

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spearxwind · 4 years

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OOF... i dont even have a theme for the major extinction characters sjlklfdhk. i dont.. i dont have most minor characters planned out even

I WILL GIVE YOU HOWEVER, a song that’s been inspiring me for certain worldbuilding things (though i cant say much bc idk if itll end up showing in the story at all but you can have it!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XciV8HuNQLw [it’s realm breaker, by mechina]

Oh man, im influenced by a bunch of art and comics but i couldnt pin down specific inspirations for those haha

as for the more broad sense, i also have a bunch of things! significantly, physics and space. it might not look like it but i think a lot about the logistics of things and whatever rules would exist in my universes etc. it does suck sometimes bc it prevents me from doing things just for the hell of it, but i love applying knowledge to things. and space has always been something really close to me, my dad’s an astrophysicist so ive been exposed to all sorts of cool knowledge about it since i was a wee bab

i also really really love metaphors and symbolism, but rather than take inspiration from things i just use my own personal symbolism x) i put a lot of myself in what i do. which.. i guess could be said for many artists too so its not too special haha

and also as with many other artists, i AM fueled by spite significantly. specifically 1. for the people who once thought or who still think id never be good to do art, or that id never get better at what i do. 2. for people who draw wings wrong (especially professional people? what’s wrong with you. im begging you to look at a bird) 3. for people and companies that make terrible designs with terrible decisions (they fuel me to do better than them) 4. for people who believe that the only way to be good at art and design is to make overly complex and visually charged, detailed designs with many colors/hues (all my ocs are fairly simple and have the most limited colors kffhk)

im sure there’s a lot more but ive spent a lot of time writing this out already and i cant really think of anything else so i hope this is a good enough answer!!

god i do NOT have enough knowledge for this but what the fuck was up with the volturi lol. like fuckin, vampire goth club over there did nothing to change over hundreds of years, all of them still stuck in their medieval ways. i remember a plot point that was touched upon was that they had a specific person lure in a bunch of lost tourists through the sewer entrance so that the volturi could drink them and like ?? bro. how is this not investigated at any point, ever. like a shit ton of tourists just disappear ??? all the time?? and no one gives a fuck?? no investigation?? what do they do with the bodies?????

also, they were willing to blast the carlisle family into fucking orbit over Turning A Child (tm) into a vampire, but they had absolutely no qualms about vampire wars/soldiers where a lot of people were irresponsibly turned into neophytes for their strength (like jasper) or people who turned others just for the fuck of it or bc theyd have sickass powers (like benjamin. that was the sole reason for benjamin being turned. bc the dude could feel that benj would have cool powers and he absolutely did... he was a fucking avatar. controller of the elements. and he did absolutely jack shit in the books. im still so mad)

but yeah anyway the volturi are big hypocrites. got nothing to say about their lifestyle and aesthetic tho bc italians just be like that

his horns and the spikes on his forearms and tail are rly solid and rly pointy so theyre about as dangerous as a solid, pointy big thing can be

the spikes on his neck and back are a lot softer though. theyre flat scales and are probably bendy, but still sturdy. they don’t have edges or anything so you wont be sliced up if you touch them but touching them is probably not too comfortable

alex would probably be a crocodile tbh! it’s one of the things i based his dragon form off of for the latest iteration, and i just think it fits him a lot (also its funny that crocodiles are water creatures but alex has a Big Dislike of water)

also i literally cannot see adri as anything other than a snake sklhfsdk. its what he is!! this is like asking someone’s favorite color but not letting them choose their actual favorite. do you want me to lie? do you want me to say something not true??

Honestly i always loved deer but refused to acknowledge it, especially to myself, and much less thought about having one as a sona bc “prey animals are lame” was rly prevalent in my circles for the longest time. everyone was a dragon or a wolf etc bc they wanted to be cool and so did i but i never vibed with it it took me a rly long time to just accept that i rly liked deer haha and i think what made me decide on it in the end was ‘well i can make a deer more monstery if i wanted to, i have that power’ and so i did then later i tied the whole ‘wrong deer’ aesthetic to my own personal symbolism of always being picked on by many until i got sick of it and learned to stand up for myself. my sona is something that’s not for people to prey on anymore, and so am i c:

honestly? ive never thought about it. im not too knowledgeable about dnd still so i dont think id be able to do them justice

ive thought about making dnd encounters based off of my ocs thought (like, how their powers would work turn/mechanic wise) but if i ever did i dont think id use them or talk about them :’)

jkdg gosh thats so sweet thank you sm!! im so happy you enjoy my stuff :’DDDD

WELL, in no particular order:

1. several glass bottles 2. bei’s pet golem sierra (they got her back though) 3. a knife or two probably 4. an air conditioning remote 5. do sewer rats count? sewer rats. besides all the other rats i mean 6. homeless man who tried to rob his store at gunpoint 7. the gun 8. drank a bottle of cyanide once 9. a motorcycle (as collateral damage) 10. tbh he will eat any creature he finds while walking around that’s small enough to fit in his mouth and no one can rly stop him

DISGOSTING!!! not even bc of the flavor i rly dont care abt that but bc like... warm pineapple... that’s the real crime

oh my gosh that’d be an honor tbh!! I’m not sure if i’d be a big help since i might be tied with school stuff at the time, but id definitely love to try!! ty!!

#ask #anon #ask dump #long post #yeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw

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deadpooly · 5 years

Text

Iron Man Bingo 2019

4 times Tony and Clint kissed each other as a joke and the one time it was definitely a real kiss.

“Hey Birdbrain, did you make coffee?” Tony asked the archer as he walked into the room and he smelled the bitter scent of coffee. Even though coffee barley has a scent.

“Yep, used a garbage bag as a filter and made it with dirt.” Clint said as he watched Tony take a huge gulp from his mug and basically ascend into heaven.

“I could literally kiss you right now.” Tony said as he continued to finish the mug. He obviously had a rough night.

“Well I mean, nobody’s stopping you right now.” Clint shrugged. He was turned around to the grill scrambling some eggs because yes, even though he puts up a dumb act he can very much function and live. Example would be making Tony coffee for once.

So Clint stood there scrambling his eggs when he felt lips touch his cheek and he nearly burst out laughing. It was slightly wet and soft on his cheek. Of course Tony actually kissed him. If you make the man coffee you would definitely get something in return.

This was the first kiss he received from Tony Stark and since those are rare nowadays he will cherish them and keep a count.

He was at one so far.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The second time Clint actually kissed Tony while on a mission, he did it as a distraction. Nat said it works wonders, so why not give it a shot.

Steve and Nat were in the right wing of the Hydra base while Thor and Bruce where on the outside. The main mission being to get intel and the required information before they tore down the base from the inside out. So far this has proved to be faster than their regular way of taking down a Hydra base and much easier. However the only problem being Tony Stark who was wearing as much of a disguise as he could to not be recognized.

So Clint was in a disgusting Hydra uniform they snagged off of some agent and Tony is in some scientists get up and those pants should not be able to make his ass look that good, but here we are.

Clint is also pretty confident that he wont be recognized because he likes to lay low with every mission he does regardless of if its on tv or not, that's the point of being a spy for a secret organization.

So Clint and Tony silently were walking side by side when Tony’s enhanced hearing technology heard a few agents and security mumblr stuff about suspicious figures lurking around the base, and of course descriptions perfectly matched what they were wearing.

“Hm, that’s not a good sign is it?” Clint asked pointing to a few agents rounding the far corner, they were far enough that Clint could definitely form some plan.

“Yep, not looking to good. Any plans Birdbrain?” Tony asked turning around to walk the other way while Clint followed them only to see a few more agents coming from the other end of the hall.

“Alright, I have an idea but you might not like it.” Clint started and he grabbed Tony’s arms and dragged him to the side of the hall into a small corner and they stood there. “Nat says it works wonders with Hydra.”

“Well? What is it? We appear to be running out of time here.” Tony whisper shouted at Clint.

“I'm gonna kiss you right now.” Clint replied and put Tony into the corner.

“Why? Not that im against the idea.” Tony asked he just let CLint push him into the corner and followed the archers movements because he had more experience dealing with Hydra face to face than he did.

“Because public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” Clint said before the Hydra agents got too close and he locked his lips with Tony.

Tony was shocked at first but he wasn't totally against the idea so he started kissing back, it was mild. Nothing to serious and they stayed stuck together until they were sure that the Hydra scumbags were gone.

Once Clint could hear their footsteps disappear he pulled away from Tony with a satisfied smirk and started walking down the hall to their original destination.

“Not too bad honey cakes.” Clint whistled and laughed because of Tony’s surprised face.

“Not that it wasn't nice, but did Natasha really tell you that?” Tony questioned once they got close to the main science and informations lab.

“Yep, she used it on Cap.” he answered Tony’s question as he watched Tony start to hack the door lock.

“Hm, I bet Cap seemed to really like that tactic” Tony said with sarcasm lacing his voice.

“Oh yeah he loved it. Wanna try it again? Some Hydra asshole might be tailing us.” Clint joked the suggestion.

“Definitely wouldn't shoot down the idea, but maybe later little birdy.” Tony grinned at Clint while he blasted the door open to the lab.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The third time Tony and Clint shared a kiss it was because Tony just came in with a new upgrade idea and how else could Clint repay the genius. It wasn't totally out of character for Tony to randomly be bubbly and just have a huge invention spree so Clint didn't really mind and Tony didn't care what his teammates thought about him being happy. Honestly though, Clint never was objecting any time spent with the genius when he has his little science sparks in the lab that may need his assistance, since he seems to be the only one who would actually joke back with him and share the fun while on missions or just watching a movie on the couch.

Tony was just walking through the tower holding his stark pad and scrolling though some tech ideas and those kind of things. He saw Natasha with Steve in the gym, Bruce was in the lab and Thor just left to go visit Jane. So this leaves his favorite sniper and snark buddy to probably be somewhere either in the vents or the kitchen.

And as always, Tony was right. He found their resident archer sitting on the counter eating corn pops out of the box. Tony wanted to laugh at how childish it looked but it was also adorable so he just rolled his eyes and continued towards the bird themed hero.

“Hey birdy.” he greeted.

“My knight in shining armour.” Clint easily replied with a smooth tone.

“I just got a restock in my lab and can build a few more things and since you are my second favorite-” Tony started to talk before Clint cut him off.

“Hey, why not your first?” Clint complained.

“Because Captain America hero worship doesn't really change when you are a child no matter how hard you tried to grow out of it.” Tony stuck out his hand asking for some of the dry cereal Clint seemed to be enjoying and he pointed the box towards the billionaire and he stuck his hand in to take a few corn pops and pop them into his mouth.

“Makes sense I guess.” he shrugged and he jumped off of the counter top so he was looking over Tony’s shoulder onto his stark pad. “Woah, is that the new design for my bow?” he awed at the design on the screen.

“Yep, got a lighter frame and technology to make shots more powerful and accurate.” Tony said swiping through and typing notes on the screen. “Not that you would need that anyways right legolas?” he said and Clint rolled his eyes and squeezed Tony’s shoulders while giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Thanks for the stuff. I’ll probably come down to your cool toy zone in about an hour.” Clint grabbed a bagel from the bread basket that was sitting out and he walked out of the room.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The fourth time Tony was kind of expecting it, the joking kisses between him and Clint were fun and expected and loose with no arguments or awkwardness. They were playing games in the common room with the other avengers and it was Mario Kart so everyone was feeling super competitive currently. Tony wanted to scoff at Clint who still thought he was the best at Mario Kart. Of course to settle things they placed a bet. If Tony won, which he always does, Clint has to walk around in booty shorts that say “I love Tony Stark” across the ass and declare him as the best Mario Kart player in the world. Clint was totally joking about what he gets if he wins but he said “A big wet kiss on the lips and a custom made big golden trophy that said “Hawkeye owns Tony Stark's ass” which yes everyone knows seems immature but Tony just laughed and declared the bet to go on.

Natasha was on the floor leaning against the couch and Clint sat on the couch above her. Tony was on the other side of the long couch with his legs crossed and Steve, Thor and Bruce were scattered throughout the room sitting in random positions.

“I swear to shit if you get the blue shell.” Tony started to threaten when he saw Clint hit a rainbow item box. Lucky for him he only got a red shell, which knocked a CPU out of his way. They were playing the rainbow bridge level and when Thor saw it he was amused and brought up the idea that they should sometimes go racing on the rainbow bridge in Asgard.

“Im gonna get a blue shell on the next one.” Clint said with determination on his face. He was in second and Tony was right in front of him but their speeds were matching and Clint needed to find a way to get in front fast. “Hey Nat, im gonna get a blue shell next right?” he asked the redhead who sat below him.

“Yep.”

“Awesome!” Clint smirked at Tony. “Your gonna lose.” he taunted. “Everything Nat says is right.”

“Oh shit!” Tony yelled when Clint got a blue shell and launched it at Tony. Tony however had the horn and right before the shell hit him he activated the horn and it stopped the shell form hitting him. “Ha ha! Yes! You are so going to lose Katniss.” but right as he was about to cross the finish line one of the CPU’s must have gotten a blue shell because one second before Tony won his character was hit and Clint raced past him and won the game.

“YES! I'm the best!” Clint threw his arms up in the air and stuck his tongue out at Tony who only rolled his eyes with a grin and quickly moved across the couch so he was in Clint’s space.

Since Clint won the bet it was required for Tony to give him a big smooch of victory so that's exactly what he did. It was long, it was loud and it was probably much more enjoyable that Tony would have thought. So this bet was probably more of a win-win situation for him.

Tony was using the couch armrests to hold himself up and Clint just wrapped his hand around the back of Tony’s neck to keep him there. They both were laughing into the kiss and when they pulled apart their giggles turned into loud bursts of cackling.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Tony could always remember the fifth time they kissed. They were in his lab and Tony was finishing some work on the trophy and when he held it up to look at it he gave a satasfied smirk to Clint as he tossed the trophy over.

“Hm, maybe you do own my ass.” he decided to say.

“I sure would like to. Have you seen it?” Clint smiled at the trophy then at Tony and walked over. “I mean, I wouldn't mind wearing those booty shorts you planned on putting me in if I lost.” he suggested with a devious grin.

“Are you implying something Birdbrain?” Tony asked looking at him quizzically.

“Mayhaps. It’s been four smooches late hm?” Clint laughed as he leaned over and pecked Tony on the cheek. Tony totally thought that their game was going to end here and they would make it official so he was totally taken aback when Clint’s lips didn't land on his own.

“Hey! I thought you were a marksman!” Tony grabbed Clint’s arms before he could leave with the trophy.

“I never miss.” he replied with a cocky tony lacing his voice.

“Um, yeah you just did. Totally missed the only target that matters.” Tony said and his hand made its way to grasp at Clint’s shirt collar and bring him in closer.

“Impossib-” CLint was going to say before he was cut off by Tony pulling him in and laying a long kiss on his lips. Clint turned his head and started to kiss back and nip at the geniuses lips before he pulled back.

“Yep, im going to need those booty shorts.” Clint said before hoisting the trophy over his head and walking out of the lab.

#ironhawk #tony stark #clint barton #natasha romanoff #tony x clint #ironmanbingo3000 #ironmanbingo2019 #kissing #fluff

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ssj4 · 6 years

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Sorry to bother you, but I keep seeing posts about a future Goten AU and I keep getting really curious! However, when I try to find links to anything about it I end up at some abandoned URLs.

SECOND TIME TRYING TO ANSWER THIS CAUSE MY IDIOT ASS FORGOT I HAD ONE TYPED OUT AND CLOSED EVERYTHING :)

some disclaimers im getting most of this from an old draft i had written about the au, i havent watched the specific scenes in dbz and dbs that these are based on in well over 2+ years so i dont remember the timeline of events that well so im sorry if some of it just straight up doesnt make sense lol

this whole thing did start out as an excuse to replace the romantic scenes with mai in dbs with goten actually so the truten themes are pretty significant but that aside future goten is a very good boy with a much different personality and outlook on things… much like how future trunks is compared to his main timeline counterpart :3c the whole thing was developed by me and my gf together and we never rly posted too much about it and the broken links you did end up finding were probably from like the one or two times we did but here u go im glad u asked

I HOPE THE READ MORE LINK WORKS ON MOBILE IF NOT IM SORRY

the big change is it starts out with chi chi getting pregnant before goku dies of heart disease or whatever in the android saga instead of the cell saga, so even after he dies in that timeline she still has their 2nd son and he grows up in the future timeline with trunks.

when they were kids (like 10-15) goten was stronger than trunks just bc gohan and chi chi were there to teach him just a little bit. trunks and goten sparred a lot though so he was able to keep up but never really passed him. (that part isnt really important but i figured it was a nice detail that made sense)

thats when history of trunks comes into play, and they both get really serious about gohan training them. the scene in the movie where gohan knocks trunks out before flying off and getting killed is the same except now he just knocks out 2 kids instead of 1 i guess.

i feel i gotta add that this au was created when the future trunks arc in dbs was airing, and mai was introduced as his love interest, and honestly in my opinion the scenes were written really well but i just wasnt digging the fact that before she was granted a younger appearance she was already middle aged, like she was old enough to be his mom if that makes sense. so it really isnt a dig on mai at all cause i love her and id die for her its just the romantic plot that i didnt like. so when that was airing i thought “WELL what if that was someone else”

she’s still with them though in this timeline and she still has her younger appearance!

the future timeline is still progressing the same as it did in canon, the androids still wrecked the place and no one was strong enough to do much about it so trunks is still set up with a time machine to meet with the other timeline. goten stays back and does his best to protect everyone while hes gone just in case

some stuff happens in between here but skip ahead to trunks coming back from the trip after the cell games i guess! lots of stuff happened obviously like trunks literally dying, spending years in the time chamber with his dad, meeting a whole gaggle of clowns that he’d only heard stories about, seeing gohan as a preteen. hes got a lot of stuff to share!!! now hes back and he can take care of the androids + cell + and goten can catch up and lifes pretty good over there! 😇

during the rebuilding period goten would spend a lot of time with chi-chi and ox-king and still slept over there occasionally which she really appreciated, and he invited trunks and bulma over there with him frequently.

despite this he wasnt present when she died as no one really expected goku black to wipe out the landscape so far from the city, but she and ox-king died along with more than half of the population. (ugh god im so sorry queen i love you😓)

as i said before mai is still here and she’s still the leader of the resistance!

events of future bulmas death is the same as well as mai originally intending to go with trunks when they meet up together in an abandoned building. goten is already there as the three of them rest up a bit and start making their way to capsule corp. goten was planning on staying behind anyways but he wanted to see the two of them off. when goku black interrupts them as they arrive, trunks and goten encourage mai to escape, seeing as she only has a gun and everyone already knows bullets arent gonna work.

this scene is the same as it was in canon, where trunks tries to rush black but gets beaten quickly. mai trying to buy him time to let him escape is replaced with goten actually fighting him and taking a hit for trunks but getting knocked out as mai did. trunks under extreme stress from already losing his mom today assumes hes dead instantly, (he has dumb bitch disease, he didnt even check for a pulse in canon!🤔) and fires a masenko to escape into capsule on his own

after trunks pops back in time and black is focused on searching for him, mai sneaks back in to retrieve goten (even though they told her to leave she really just ducked behind some rubble and stayed close, because she wasnt just gonna leave them!)

she takes him back to an underground bunker with other members of earths resistance and when he wakes up she tells him that trunks made it to the time machine and that hes presumably in the other timeline now.

idk if yall remember it well but i rewatched some of the episodes just for this, and trunks in the main timeline believing goten was killed and mai is alone and he wont be able to get back is so sad. and when he spent that day with gohan and his family and cried thinking about how if black hadn’t have shown up, he couldve had a family too… he doesnt deserve to be this sad 😥

skip to when he’s finally able to get back home with goku and vegeta with him and they make their way to the bunker where he sees mai and goten together! the scene in canon where he rushes over and starts spilling his heart out is the same, with him telling goten he thought he died

they get a really sweet hug moment here when theyre both happy to see the other is still safe and it gives both goku and vegeta some Food For Thought, because goku actually didnt know there was a goten in this timeline, and he doesnt really recognize him at first. vegeta has the idea in his head that this is probably goten.

goten never really had any sort of real attachment to his dad. it makes sense hes never met him, hes only ever really heard about him through others, (his mom, his brother, trunks, and probably bulma has mentioned him as well) so he definitely knows OF him its just that, he doesnt know him. so when he sees the real goku standing there for once a lot of thoughts run though his mind, like, “that looks A LOT like goku black!” “thats definitely my old hairstyle” and “holy shit is that my dad?” but the first thing he actually says out loud is “Holy shit its goku orange” and vegeta really almost loses it because cause any doubt in his mind about this kid being related to kakarot just went right out the window cause only someone related to him would say that

and as you probably know a lot happens after that with them all finding a way to defeat zamasu but i dont want to include all of the rest when you can probably just interpret which scenes were changed

ANYWAYS now instead of trunks surviving the apocalypse its trunks and goten surviving the apocalypse. thats why its not a really super romantic deal like Who has time for dates when goku black Might possibly be hiding in this abandoned olive garden?? so theyre just very close and privately affectionate

the ending where trunks and mai get to live in a new world with their counterparts is the same except gotens there with them of course, dbs left their ending pretty open

so that takes care of the story changes, heres some additional details and information on gotens character in this au!

heres his design, drawn by my girlfriend @ssj2 uwu !!

he kept his natural hairstyle for a while, but i think he changed it sometime during the rebuilding period after the androids and just let it grow out a bunch. up until then he kept his natural style purely to honor the guy he’s heard so fondly of even if it brought him a lot of mixed feelings when people said he looks just like him. a really distinct feature about his new hairstyle is that the spikes look like horns and i love that a lot !!

and the shawl he wears was the same one chi chi wore

some personality traits for future goten is that he has a habit of bottling up his negative emotions and has trouble taking care of himself, as hes always more focused on the well being of his loved ones. he can be mischievous and cocky but hes not overconfident (or he hasnt been since gohans death) however in some situations he can be charismatic and assertive which works really well imowhen their timeline is erased and theyre temporarily in the main timeline, goten gets to meet a bunch of people like gohan and his family, chi chi, and even his counterpart

sorry if this post was messy i wasnt really sure how i wanted to make it look and im kinda bad at dumping information out so if any of its confusing just redirect me to it and ill try again gdjfksjdgsfk 😭❤

hmmm anyways thank u for reading!! its an au we made years ago and we love a lot and i hope u do too! be nice pls!! and send asks about it if you’d like cause its fun to think about!

#future goten au #goten #trunks #truten #i GUESS. im shy #long post #made an edit cause i rewatched the android saga a few days ago and i forgot trunks fucking died lol #tumblr stop deleting my tags challenge

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fantroll-purgatory · 6 years

Photo

@rice-22

AU Chinese Zodiac session

Name:Niu,chinese for buffalo

Traditionally this Chinese zodiac space is occupied by the Ox, but the Vietnamese version of the zodiac uses the water buffalo, so I’ll accept this change to the buffalo. We’ll need to pick a better name, though.

Bubali is a better pick for the first name, it’s a reference to Bubalus bubalis, the Asian Water Buffalo. Bellis for the last name, as a reference to Teressa Bellissimo, the inventor of buffalo wings.

Age:6 sweeps

Strife Specibus:pan kind

You could use an oilkind instead and have him sort of fling the oil on people, portcullis style (even if that wasn’t actually all that common, it’s fitting for him!)

Fetch Modus:fry modus,he must fry the item and wait until its done,if the item stays for too long it may be destroyed,same if it stays for too short

I want to trrry to give this character more depth. He’s pretty just One-Note Buffalo Wings when there’s a lot else you can do with such a character! The oxen zodiac is associated with hard work, Backbreaking work in fact. You could give him a Beast Of Burden modus where he has to drag something heavy a certain distance in order to unpack his item?

Blood color:bronze fried “wings”!!

Symbol and meaning:chinese for buffalo

As with the other one, I’ll be switchin this up, but I’ll try to incorporate elements!

Trolltag:hmm

How about cayennePurveyor? Cayenne’s a common seasoning on buffalo wings and a purveyor is a seller of a particular good!

Quirk:}{e writes wi}{ wings

Special Abilities:he can understand the animals,thats why he doesn’t make wings and instead he makes “wings”,its unknown where does them come from

Th… that’s ominous. Is he… is he killing trolls and selling them as food.

Lusus: something like tinkerbull,but instead theres an wild chicken winged buffalo

I think a good and fun idea would be using a Sky Bison instead. It could still fly, but without Physical Wings.

EDIT: zeysir said: This is kind of a funny suggestion, but his lusus could be like a water buffalo version of the bullfinch monster from Dragon Quest since it looks like a plucked chicken that’s also a bull

This suggestion was so good that I had to add it in!

Love this weird fellow.

Personality:hmm im not so sure,he must be pretty charismatic to get all his “wings” sold

I like the idea of him being charismatic. I think I want him to… maybe be someone who built a sort of business from the ground up. Buffalo, NY is known as a great ski resort. So he could be something a restaurateur and a resort-keeper, a humble little cabin aesthetic that he built and maintained and made famous himself with his Delicious Food and Hospitality. But he’s hardheaded and a sly-talker and he’s very friendly and warm seeming, but he also… has a bit of a temper and a bit of a hatred for the entitled highbloods who come to stay at his resort, and… sometimes they just…. kind of vanish. But it’s fine. He can blame the mountain.

Interests:animals and “wings” fried with oil from plants

I think I’ll also add Skiing/snowboarding, Hospitality, Hotel Services, and Self-Sufficiency.

Title: ???? of hope

I think it might make most sense for him to be a blood player. The ox is tied to the land and is also associated with the earth side of the chinese zodiac. Blood players are natural leaders and have that sort of draw and charisma that this character displays. He just has to learn to like… actually value his bonds instead of exploiting them if he wants to become a more acceptable person. So I’ll say… Mage of Blood, maybe? The active understander of blood bonds, responsibility, etc.

Land:land of lack and soil,a land where everyone is poor and hungry,but the dirt is good for farms

I do kind of like this premise, but you can’t just say the consorts are starving while there’s good soil without explaining it. So here’s my idea… There used to be an underclass of farmers who were all wiped out, and now the rich elite are starving because those entitled brats don’t know the first thing about farming. In order to accomplish his quest, he’ll have to teach the bastard consorts how to farm like reasonable people. You could call it the Land of Fallow and Opulence.

Dream Planet:prospit

Design:

Horns/hair: I added more waterbuffalo-y horns just to give him more of that aesthetic. For the hair, I changed it to black but otherwise kept it the same. Brownbloods are too low to have access to hairdye the way mid/higher bloods do.

Face/top: I gave him some teeth, because brownbloods are a pretty toothy bunch, but I kept them relatively subdued so he wouldn’t look intimidating. I gave him a winter jacket and a frying apron- the winter jacket because of the ski lodge backstory And the fact that the ox zodiac is associated with winter.

Bottoms; I gave him big puffy pants meant to be remniscent of snowpants and some snow boots.

Symbol: I added the integral brownblood circle, but kept the line coming down and the split lines coming off the side!

I hope my feedback helped!

-CD

#rice-22 #bubali bellis #bubali #bellis #niu #brownblood #bronzeblood #review #redesign #cd review #submission

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comicteaparty · 6 years

Text

March 14th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on March 14th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Sketch Dump by Aleks Stock.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Sketch Dump by Aleks Stock~! (https://sketchdump.org/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

one scene i particularly enjoyed was the scene where its revealed clear as day, no holds bar that Iladyl is a slave. https://sketchdump.org/post/179755402309/sketch-dump-c02p06-i-wanna-hug-iladyl-qaq the way its revealed is so straight forward but so simple really works i think. cause its just treated as a fact of life and that is indeed how it would be for the world.

i also loved the animated shattered screen effect because its both grounded in familiarity yet the way its illustrated kind of gives it that scifi fantasy tech feel that lets you know that nope, definitely not from earth

i also find the scene where Brogod meets Jen to be kind of fascinating. mostly cause i think Brogod is an interesting character since his first inclination is to make contact and help. meanwhile in the "real" world, cause i get the impression of simulation, his brain seems to be kind of exploding. but mostly i like it for the interactions cause its not the first reaction you really expect when meeting some crazy alien entity in a weirdo simulation world of sorts.

khkddn

im not done reading through the archive but i really like the scene in the beginning where the lights are flickering, it looks so cool

RebelVampire

yes i think the lighting effects are pretty cool. especially cause of how its animated because the animation kind of feels like the world is glitching. which fits with the whole world we see jenna in later

ezzy

i also like the beginning scene with the séance. just nice to see the characters fucking around. it really gives you the sense that they've known each other for a while

khkddn

it's a great artstyle overall, love it

ezzy

same!

khkddn

yeah i liked seeing the characters interacting too during the seance, some good moments there(edited)

ezzy

i love any sort of multimedia webcomic but the use of animations is rly good

it makes the world a little more vibrant

RebelVampire

yeah i agree it is really great to see the characters kind of just being them. no life threatening quest. no world to save. just a silly seance thing as an excuse to get together, hang out, maybe get some food later. i think it was a good way to introduce them since it gave more breather time to get to know them.

ezzy

i like the little hints that there's more to the characters, like that dudes scar

RebelVampire

yes or some of the subtle looks passed between certain individuals. it was interesting to see a little back history at play that we dont get to know about yet

ezzy

it really makes you want to read more

khkddn

all caught up now! definitely agree w @RebelVampire about the scene revealing Iladyl is a slave. a few pages prior to that i think lyral says something to the effect of "i stole you" which i didn't understand at first but once it got to that page i was like ohhhh

RebelVampire

haha i kind of suspected from that line but it was one of those lines that makes you go "hmm maybe not"

and then the story said nope, it was the worst thing you could expect

khkddn

harsh, harsh reality

RebelVampire

although im really curious about what gave it away. like i assume the horns or something, but im not sure what about them announced "slave over here everybody"

khkddn

i think it was the horns, since there is a panel focusing on them when those people say to leave the slave alone

maybe the hair color too but idk

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. At the start of the comic, we’re introduced to a slew of colorful characters. Which of the characters shown so far caught your eye the most? What about that character in particular interests you? Further, which of the character dynamics intrigued you the most? From what has been shown so far, especially of the human cast, what do you make of everyone’s relationship with each other? How do you think this devil summoning ritual began, and why is everyone simultaneously showing up and being grumpy about showing up? What do you make of every character’s choice of sins, and in what ways do you think that might come into play later?

ezzy

i like jake and jen a lot, mostly based off their designs

RebelVampire

while brogod definitely interests me, i think the character who caught my eye the most was Jake. Of all the humans he seemed the most down to earth and cool. that and of all the characters jack couldve called at the beginning, he calls jake. and that really makes me want to know their past relationship history cause who you choose ot call first is pretty revealing.

ezzy

i think there's a lot of things being set up for the future and i'm rly interested in seeing where it's going

obviously these are characters who've known each other for a good while and have their own rituals and inter-relationships

the devil summoning is being done for the sake of ritual rather than anyone (besides jackson) caring about the results

so i guess it will be interesting to see why it worked this time and how it will shake up their relationships now that its worked

RebelVampire

yes, definitely. cause if this doesnt test their friendships, nothing will XD

there definitely is a lot of character stuff being set up though

i think from the opening scene the character im most worried about sin wise is allen. cause allen chose sloth and life and while jake played it off as him just being a millenial, umm, yeah. i mean you dont pick life as a sin for nothing

which since allen is the one with the scar

maybe hes got a serious case of survivors guilt

and survived something horrific

khkddn

im really curious about that scar, since it seems like he makes a bigger deal of it than anyone else

RebelVampire

yeah especially when it really isnt that bad of a scar

so theres gotta be emotional ties to it

and not just vanity

since vanity is a sin and was not the one he picked

ezzy

oooh i didn't make the connection between the scar and the sin he picked

khkddn

if there is a connection, it could go multiple ways. maybe it was a situation where he got the scar through inaction, or maybe something happened to him that made him a more passive person

RebelVampire

that could be too

that would combine it well with sloth

the character dynamic i think i want to know most about is blake and ana. cause of this page https://sketchdump.org/tagged/comic/chrono/page/13

there are so many ways to read that conversation and that look

khkddn

oh that's true, i didn't notice that the first time reading through

ezzy

(can i just say i really like the composition of that page)

RebelVampire

yes, i love the visual flow on this page, the slight animation, and all the shot choices. it was a really good build up for that look

ill also point out blake wrote love as his sin

so that is a blush

khkddn

the was blake is in the second panel vs the last panel are super different. if it's related to why he picked love, then i wonder why he and ana haven't haven't seen each other in a while (based on the "long time no see")

RebelVampire

ok wait. im rereading this and the papers are sin and sacrifice. so love isnt the implied sin but what blake wants to sacrifice

so is it like...ana is his ex hes still in love with but he wants to move on?

khkddn

hm that would explain them not seeing each other

RebelVampire

yes and the awkward response from blake

ezzy

oooh

RebelVampire

if life is allen's sacrifice, then thats even worse tho and stands to reason that hes probably guilty of inaction

QUESTION 3. Within the comic, an “innocent” devil summoning seems to go horrifically wrong. What do you think exactly happened to everyone involved? Why did this summoning go so awry, and why did none of the other attempts before have the same results? How does all this tie into what Brogod was doing regarding summoning and translating? Did Brogod somehow cause what happened to the human gang, or were both sides victims? Also, why was Brogod found unconscious and barely breathing after making contact with Jen? What’s even going on with Jen? Lastly, do you think Brogod is okay and, if so, will Brogod try to make contact again?

I do think Brogod was responsible for why everything went awry. Cause its like he was trying to summon the summoner which probably created an extreme magical paradox

ezzy

my guess is that the two "summonings" happening at the same time is what caused everything to go all whoopsy-fucky

khkddn

i think the previous seances never worked because each time, there wasn't someone like brogod on the other end doing their own seance

it's weird that brogod got all messed up but the humans didn't. maybe it's because there was one of him and seven of them?

RebelVampire

i assume brogod got messed up more from making contact with jen

rather than the seance itself causing it

like had he bailed and said "no lets not talk to this person" he mightve been fine?

ezzy

i think the thing with jen is like... either happenning in his head or he's like projecting his conscious to another plane and thats why he's fountaining blood

RebelVampire

yeah

i got the simulation impression

like brogod was tapping into another world

another world i would not be surprised was purgatory or something

whereas the humans got physically transported

simulation world also cause last i checked human eyes dont glow blue like that

unless jen was secretly a cyborg all along

khkddn

im trying to figure out what jen is saying in the non-translated parts.... too hard >_>

RebelVampire

by process of elimination i believe jen was the one who chose to sacrifice limb, so i hope that thing brogod put on her doesnt have long term consequences

khkddn

sacrificing limb sounds pretty straightforward in terms of making it literal, wouldn't want to pick that one

the only non-translated part i think i understand is the one on this page https://sketchdump.org/tagged/comic/chrono/page/32

p sure she's saying something about his tail

RebelVampire

makes sense

i can read "That's a

but the rest i cant figure out

im really curious why brogod seemed to have all those translation bug things as the thematic colors we keep seeing to represent each character

khkddn

they also flew away into the void (i think they did, he tried to catch them) so im wondering where those lil things went

RebelVampire

i mean the most likely conclusion is to the other characters

considering in the latest page we can confirm emily made contact

and clearly the language barrier would still apply without help

ezzy

yeah, it would be silly to have the characters run around without being able to speak the language

so thats a neat solution

RebelVampire

also interesting. cause magic shenanigans must be at work

i do think brogod is gonna be fine and be back again to figure out wtf is going on. cause i think after he wakes up he might realize he had something to do with it. or hell make contact with jen and gleam info about their situation and go "whoops"

ezzy

im really curious about what's gonna happen lmao

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. As the comic has only gotten so far, there’s a lot of speculation to be had about the future. Do you think the human gang will ultimately get back to their homes? At the very least, do you think they’ll at least be able to find each other given they all seem to be quite separated? How do you think Iladyl will be involved with the plot considering his friend seemed to have located Emily? Why is the friend interested in involving Iladyl in the first place? Do you think everyone else has made contact with someone like Emily and Jen? On a different note, what about the world interests you the most right now? Finally, in general, what sorts of conflicts, events, or anything else are you hoping to see or think might happen?

so in line with the topic of sin and sacrifice earlier, im really concerned ana is gonna die. cause thats one way to sacrifice love

ezzy

i feel like they'll be separated for a long time and will have to deal with their relationships while being apart and thrust into a new and foreign situation

you know, like college

RebelVampire

yeah i dont think theyll find each other anytime soon. although the characters who know them may find them. like maybe brogod will find Iladyl's friend and they can chat about their alien friends. but i assume the humans are kind of like in pockets where they cant make contact with each other until theyre out in the actual physical world where there isnt a white void everywhere.

ezzy

they'll probably have to reevaluate their relationships under duress and will be different people by the time they see each other again

RebelVampire

yes, definitely. i mean not even their relationships. theyre gonna have to evaluate themselves cause they all seem to be early 20s or younger with exception to jake who seems to be working at a hospital

tho exception in the sense that im not sure what his job is there

ezzy

the description does say 2 teens and a number of young adults

i wanna say five but i cant fucking count

RebelVampire

i assume most of them are around jack's age

again minus jake

cause it really depends on what jake does

cause if hes a nurse or doctor or something hed be a lot older cause med school takes a long ass time

ezzy

if hes a nurse he might be younger i think(edited)

because nursing school doesnt take as long

RebelVampire

true. but tbf jake could also be some sort of genius and did the whole college thing at 10. hes mostly just the wildcard i wont put eggs into the basket

on a different topic, i bet the others are not having as great as time as jenna or emily. cause i will be surprised if they all manage to meet someone who legitimately wants to help them

ezzy

my guess is that theyre all within 4 years of each other

it will be interesting to see if they all have like... a demon counterpart to play off of

RebelVampire

i think thats plausible, just all their demon counterparts might not be the best of ppl. like knowing slaves are a thing in this world makes me think one of them is kind of destined for it

ezzy

yep

RebelVampire

the bit of world im most intrigued by is from this page https://sketchdump.org/post/174655505354/sketch-dump-c01p24-minor-seizure where brogod gets mad about almost damaging the most priceless artifact in the palace. cause i cant decide what hes talking about, although i assume its the lighter. and if so, wtf happened in the world that its the most priceless artifact

alternative could be talking about the computer, but considering technology seems rampant idk

khkddn

it does look like an ordinary lighter, but who knows

(ordinary lighter w blue fire, that is)

ezzy

hmm the computer says something about a gift and lyddal(?) also mentioned a soul gift

maybe its a soul lighter

lladyl lmao

RebelVampire

hmm that could be

but now that tells me why the friend probably wanted to get Iladyl involved

maybe Iladyl's soul gift is something that will help

with emily

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Aleks Stock, as well, for making Sketch Dump. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Aleks Stock’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://sketchdump.org/

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myrish-lace-love · 7 years

Text

Mirror of the Sun - Sansa/Daenerys Fanfiction

Summary: Daenerys arrives at Winterfell to attempt to treat with Jon Snow. She's immediately side-tracked by her fascination with Sansa Stark, and the two grow closer.

***

Sansa greeted Daenerys with icy courtesy that left no room for offense, and precious little for friendship.

“Winterfell greets you with open arms, your Grace.” Sansa gave Daenerys the slightest curtsy. She spoke the words “your Grace” with a careful inflection that left Daenerys with no illusion Sansa had accepted her as her queen.

What Daenerys heard was: This is my house, and you do not rule here. You are dragonless in the stronghold of the Starks.

Read more below or continue on AO3

She wore her courtesies like armor, Daenerys thought, held tight around her. Sansa was a lady through and through. She glided through Winterfell in simple, beautiful gowns. Daenerys wondered if she'd ever donned a pair of pants.

She gave Daenerys and Tyrion a tour first of Winterfell on their first day, but it wasn't until two weeks later that they toured the forces Sansa and Jon had amassed, including the wildlings who'd fought for Winterfell.

Daenerys heard the wildling camp before she saw it – the easy shouts between friends calling from campfire to campfire, and the whinnies of horses accustomed to being kept outdoors. The fire pits and tents reminded her of the Dothraki, but the bold stares from men and women alike reminded her that these people were proud to call themselves the Free Folk. They were a rowdy group, full of frank curiosity. As Daenerys was examining a bow made horn, one of them tried to pluck a bell from Daenerys's hair.

She spun around, furious. “Touch me again, and that hand will never touch anything else.” She heard Tyrion sigh behind her.

“You're not our queen,” the young wildling man said, laughing. “And I don't see your dragons wit' you. So who's to stop me?”

Sansa stepped between the young man and Daenerys. “She's here as our guest, Durmond. Leave her be.”

Durmond stalked off, muttering, but Daenerys could tell his heart wasn't in it. She was impressed. It was also not lost on her that she now owed Sansa a favor.

“Shall we eat?” Tyrion said, rubbing his hands together. “It's as cold here as it was at the Wall.”

On the walk back Daenerys had a moment alone with Sansa. “Thank you, Lady Sansa. For your assistance.”

Daenerys expected Sansa to preen a little. Instead, she simply nodded, curtly. Winterfell loomed nearby under the grey sky. The group trudged alone in silence. The snow was piled in high drifts on either side, as if they were walking through a wintry tunnel. A crew of men worked day and night to keep the path to the castle clear. It was still a losing battle. The snow reached Sansa’s ankles, and Daenerys was up to her shins.

Just before they reached the courtyard, Sansa hesitated. She turned to Daenerys, speaking so that Tyrion could not hear. “I know...what it's like, to be touched against your will, your Grace. I won't stand for it.”

"Well, that makes two of us," Daenerys said. She saw Sansa start to retreat, her expression like stone. Be gracious, for once in your life. Daenerys took a deep breath. “Wait. I am grateful, Lady Sansa. I just don’t–“

“Need me to protect you.” Her eyes were blue, and piercing, and Daenerys thought she might get lost in them. “I know, your Grace. I will do it all the same.”

***

The following morning, Sansa stopped by with a cloak in her arms.

"Forgive me, your Grace, for not bringing this sooner. I wanted to welcome you properly with a gift.”

Daenerys held the cloak up to the mirror. The three intertwined dragons embroidered on the back were a deep red against the black wool, and their eyes glittered with onyx stones. It was exquisite work, finer than she’d seen in Qarth, finer than any gift given to her as tribute before she came to Westeros.

She turned to Sansa. “I thank you, Lady Sansa. I have never seen its equal.”

Sansa inclined her head. “You’re welcome, your Grace.” A tiny lined creased her forehead. “Wait – please, might I have it back? I think there’s a thread loose. I must have missed it.”

“Did you – this is your handiwork? You have a true gift, my lady.”

Sansa brushed off the compliment. “It gives me something to do at night,” she said, focused on fixing the thread.

Daenerys smiled to herself. A perfectionist. She'd seen how Sansa ran the castle with efficiency and attention to detail. While Jon was certainly handsome and good with a sword, Daenerys was beginning to think Sansa outshone him when it came to tactics, strategy, and diplomacy.

When Sansa placed the cloak back in Daenerys’s arms, the sleeve of Sansa’s dress rolled up. Daenerys saw shiny, pink, ugly scars criss-crossing the length of Sansa’s arm. She could not keep from gasping. She was thrown back to memories of Viserys striking her cheek, the sound like the crack of a whip.

The fear of waking the dragon.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

“You see them,” Sansa finally said, steady, not even close to breaking. “You think they mean I am weak.”

Daenerys took a deep breath. She was hazarding a guess, but it came from years of experience. “I do know one thing for certain, Lady Sansa. I know that the man who did this to you is dead.”

Sansa's mouth turned up ever so slightly. “It is not only Targaryens who take what is theirs by fire and blood.”

***

That evening, Daenerys was seated next to Sansa at dinner. Sansa looked tall and regal, and Daenerys experienced yet again the uncomfortable sensation of not being the center of attention.

The food was meager, a product of the kitchen stores in winter – stews and soups designed to camouflage the withered carrots and onions that remained. They'd slaughtered a goat for Daenerys's arrival, but that was the last time fresh meat had appeared on Daenerys's plate. Sansa apologized for the fare.

“I lived on grass and horse meat for years when I was with the Dothraki, Lady Sansa.” Daenerys said. “There is food, and enough of it to go around.” Sansa looked slightly uncomfortable, but nodded. They made innocuous small talk while Sansa ate her stew in delicate bites. Something seemed to be troubling her. Finally, Sansa said in a low voice that did not carry, “What are they for?”

“I don't understand. What do you mean?”

Sansa made an elegant gesture towards the back of Daenerys's head. “The bells in your braids.”

Daenerys touched one reflexively.

Sansa seemed nervous for the first time. “Forgive me your grace – I didn't mean to pry.” She was building a wall again, but Daenerys seized on the chance to get through her armor.

“No, I don't mind,” Daenerys said, more forcefully than she intended. “The braids are for each of my victories in battle. A custom from my time with the Dothraki. The bells let everyone hear how many you’ve won.”

Sansa looked intrigued despite herself. “Truly?”

“Yes.” She was about to say more when Tormund loomed behind Daenerys's shoulder. The giant man with the red beard had made an impression on Daenerys right away, and Sansa seemed to give his counsel more weight than most.

Tormund was clearly drunk tonight. Daenerys could smell the ale on his breath. He swayed towards Daenerys.

"What is it, Tormund?" Sansa sounded amused.

Tormund looked as contrite as Daenerys had ever seen him. “Came t' apologize. To your guest here.”

Daenerys patted the seat next to her. "Sit, please. Join us."

Tormund looked to Sansa first, and only pulled up a chair next to Daenerys after Sansa nodded her assent. They're certainly keeping me in check, Daenerys thought. She was so used to giving commands that it was an irksome feeling to not being obeyed immediately.

“Sorry about Durmond,” Tormund said, putting town his tankard with a loud thunk. “Can't teach him anything. You'd think he'd learn not to grab at girls. Women, I mean,” he said hastily, seeing the look Daenerys gave him. “Got three scars already from trying it.”

“Your men punished him?”

Tormund laughed, a big booming sound. “The men? No, the women did, right enough. They've all got knives, and know how to use 'em. He'll lose a finger or worse one of these days.”

“Tormund, that's terrible.” Sansa's smile was warm, and Daenerys felt a strange flutter in her stomach. Sansa was lovely, there was no doubt on that score. But when she smiled, she was radiant, shining like the sun.

Tormund tipped his tankard to Sansa in a salute. “Aye, they're almost as fierce as you, lass.” Sansa shushed him. “No, it's true and you know it.” He nudged Daenerys. "We’d all be dead if it wasn’t for her and her army.”

Daenerys was curious. “What do you mean?”

Tormund grunted, looking over at Jon. He'd come in earlier looking harried. He’d greeted Sansa and Daenerys briefly, and made straight for Ser Davos. The two were still deep in conversation. "Lord Pretty Face over there decided to run straight into the enemy’s arrows, when we took back Winterfell.”

“Ramsay taunted him with our younger brother,” Sansa interjected. “It was a difficult situation, Tormund.” She defended Jon faithfully, at every opportunity.

“Aye, bloody well difficult for those who rode in after him and got hacked to pieces,” Tormund said. “No, you saved us. You won’t talk about it, but you did.”

Sansa cleared her throat. “Jon ended Ramsay Bolton's life.”

Tormund squinted. “Aye, Jon handed ‘im off to you after he’d beaten him to a pulp, and a good thing, too. If I’ was you I’d want to ki–“

Sansa's glare silenced him.

“Anyways the prick’s gone, that’s what matters,” Tormund grumbled.

“And what of his family?” In Daenerys's experience, the death of a son rarely ended a war.

“They’re gone too,” Sansa said. “All of them. There are no more Boltons left.”

And yet here you are, thought Daenerys.

Tormund looked at Daenerys earnestly. “Look, all I’m saying is, you want a sword to rally ‘round, get Jon out there. You want a level head – “Tormund jerked his chin towards Sansa “– keep her counsel.”

“I think I will, Daenerys said, attuned to the flush on Sansa’s cheeks.

***

Daenerys and Sansa had to wait until the end of the meal to learn the topic of Jon and Davos's conversation. The servants were clearing away the last of the dishes when Davos approached Sansa. “My lady, a word if I may?”

“Of course, Ser Davos.”

“There’s a girl lost,” Ser Davos said. “Looked a little ragged ‘round the edges last time Jon saw her. He's out looking for her now, with some of the men. Packed a tent. He's checking the woods, and wanted you to know he might not be back till tomorrow.” Davos's voice was clipped, but Daenerys could see his hands trembling. Daenerys had overheard Davos telling Tyrion about Stannis’s daughter, burned at the stake by a kind of sorceress, and how close Davos had been to her.

“Who is she?”

“A girl from the village, here as a servant.” Davos managed a smile, likely trying to calm Sansa's fears. “Don’t trouble yourself about it Lady Sansa, we’ll find her, sure as sunrise.”

“Thank you Ser Davos, I am sure you and Jon are more than capable.” Daenerys wasn’t convinced, and she thought Sansa might not be either. She knew the reasons a girl might hide, and knew many of them would mean avoiding men at all costs.

Davos gave Daenerys a curt nod and left. He’d acquiesced to Daenerys’s visit, but he had not approved of it.

Daenerys tried to identify the emotion in Sansa’s eyes. Worry. “Do you trust him?”

“Ser Davos? With many things.”

“But not with this.”

Sansa paused. “No. Not when she might...”

“Be hiding from men in particular?”

Sansa looked at her, relieved, and nodded. “Yes.”

“Where do we look first?”

“Come with me.”

***

Sansa eased open the door to the kennels. Only a few shafts of light illuminated the room. Sansa seemed uncomfortable, and Daenerys wondered fleetingly if she had a fear of dogs. But Sansa greeted the hounds like old friends, heedless, for once, of the mud on her dress. Strange.

The faint sob Daenerys heard at the end of the rows of cages had her running to find its source.

There underneath the straw, well-hidden, was the outline of a young girl.

Daenerys knelt. She reached her hand through the bars. “It’s all right, it’s all right now.”

One brown eye peeked at them suspiciously. ”Who’s with you?”

“No one,” Sansa said gently, kneeling next to Daenerys. “No one at all.”

The girl raised her head slowly. She rubbed her dirt-smudged cheek.

“How long have you been here?” Sansa asked.

The girl was still wary. “I...would you take off your hood please, milady?”

Sansa's brow furrowed, but she did as the girl asked. Daenerys saw some of the tension lift from the girl's shoulders. “It is you,” she said in a small awed voice. “Milady Stark.”

Sansa looked pleased. “Yes. You're safe now.”

“Your hair, 's like copper, like my mum said.” The girl ducked her head. She looked to be about eleven years old, Daenerys thought. “Been sleeping in here a few days now. Figured if the dogs were warm enough, I’d be all right.”

Clever girl, Daenerys thought. “Are you hurt?”

The girl looked down, and lifted one shoulder. “Think so. He's gone now anyway. Ran when I bit him in the kitchens.”

Daenerys was about to ask another question when Sansa squeezed her arm, briefly. Daenerys closed her mouth. Sansa was right. Best not to pepper the child with questions. “Let's get you inside, all right?” Sansa said. “We'll get you dressed, and warm. And if you tell me who did this, I promise you, I'll make sure he never sees Winterfell again.”

The girl sat up straighter. “Yes, milady.”

They bundled the girl up and took her to Daenerys's chambers. She only told them her name – Reya – after Missandei arrived with fresh clothes, and took her aside to speak to the girl alone. Even then, her story came out in fits and starts. A man who worked with her in the kitchens, making bread, had given her trouble. He'd leered at her too long, and grabbed her now and then when he thought no one would notice.

“And then one day he tried to 'take what was his.' At least that's what he said.” Reya spat the words out. She was sitting at Daenerys’s solar table, wearing clothes that were too big for her. “But I wasn't. I wasn't his. I wasn't anyone's. Except mine.” She looked up at the three women plaintively. “Wasn't I?”

Missandei broke the long silence. She spoke formally, as if she was addressing a queen. “Yes, Reya. You are no one's but your own. Always.” Reya started to sob, throwing herself into Missandei's arms.

Daenerys wiped her eyes, and she and Sansa gave the pair some space.

“I felt like that sometimes at King’s Landing,” Sansa said quietly. “Like I wasn't my own. I was a hostage, a pawn to be married off. I was the value of my claim.”

Daenerys put a hand on Sansa’s sleeve. “Forgive me for being bold, Lady Sansa.”

“No, it’s all right, Daenerys.” Daenerys felt a rush of warmth in her chest at Sansa's use of her name. She liked the way it sounded when Sansa said it.

"In King’s Landing, that is all they saw. It is not who you were. Missandei said it – only you know that, and no one can take it from you. You, and whoever you choose to tell. No one else has the privilege of knowing.”

Sansa pressed her hand briefly, before returning to Reya’s side.

***

Sansa knocked on Daenerys’s door that evening. Daenerys was thankful for the distraction. Though Reya had looked much better as Missandei ushered her out, her story had shaken Daenerys, and she was having trouble getting to sleep.

“I'm sorry to disturb you. I only wanted to see if the girl was all right.” Sansa was luminous in her white dressing gown, and her red hair was unbound. She was beautiful as the dawn. Daenerys was momentarily stunned – a rare feat.

“She – she is. Missandei’s taken her into her care. She could have no better protector.”

Sansa seemed reluctant to leave. “May I sit?”

“Of course.” Daenerys patted the furs next to her, and the mattress dipped under Sansa's weight. Daenerys was acutely aware of how warm she was next to her.

Daenerys cleared her throat. “Has Jon returned?” Daenerys still thought it odd Jon had left without a word to his sister.

“Not yet.”

“Why did he not speak to you before he left?” Daenerys winced inwardly. Hardly her most tactful question.

“Jon does not owe me an explanation of his whereabouts.” Sansa sighed. “Besides, he knows I wouldn't mind. Would have wanted him to go quickly, in fact. We...lost our sister, years ago. There's still a hope of finding her.”

But it's fading, Daenerys thought. She saw now why Jon left.

“Anyway, if we could save one child, he knows it would be worth it to me that he go.” Sansa plucked at the hem of her dress. “And there must always be a Stark in Winterfell,” she added as an afterthought.

“A Stark, always stationed here, every day, no matter the wind or weather?” It made a certain kind of sense, Daenerys supposed, thought it seemed a bit silly.

Sansa's mouth quirked, and Daenerys felt a burst of pride at making her smile. “An old family saying. A true Stark must always stay within the walls of Winterfell.”

“Or the walls will come tumbling down?”

“Perhaps,” Sansa said, her smile dimming. “Though I will not be a Stark for long.”

Daenerys was nonplussed. “But you are no longer a Lannister.”

“No. Lord Tyrion made that clear when your party arrived.” In truth, Daenerys had argued against it on the ride across the Narrow Sea. Why release a valuable claim before knowing all the circumstances? But Tyrion had been adamant, and now, knowing Sansa had been freed from that burden, Daenerys was glad of it.

“It won't stay the same, though, when I marry. My name, I mean.” Sansa twisted her fingers together, the first real vulnerability she'd shown, and Daenerys wished she could reach out and lace their fingers together. “It's funny – when I was a girl I couldn't wait to take my husband's name. Now all I want is to keep my own.”

Daenerys blinked. She'd never thought about that dilemma. First, because her fate had been to marry Viserys, another Targaryen, and then because her titles were as natural to her as breathing. Her stomach turned at the thoughts of slipping off her name as if it were an old cloak, and putting on a new one. I'll always be Daenerys Stormborn, of the House Targaryen. And why should it be different for her?

Daenerys knew it wasn't that simple. Targaryens were a special case. Her people had ruled the skies for thousands of years. Still, there might be a way. She'd think on it.

“You have the Stark name, Lady Sansa. It's engraved into who you are. And you've earned it more than many lords before you.”

“That's kind of you to say.” The tremor in her voice made Daenerys reach out and take her hand after all. She felt a jolt of electricity go through her, and Sansa's small intake of breath told her she wasn't alone.

“Might I braid your hair?” Daenerys blurted. “It helps me think,” she said quickly, seeing how cautious Sansa was. “Missandei’s kind enough to let me, but she’s with Reya tonight.” She was certain Sansa found her mad now.

Sansa’s blue eyes softened instead. “It can be lonely, can’t it?”

Daenerys let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Yes. Yes it can.” Daenerys stood next to Sansa. She let the silky strands pour through her fingers. She tried not to let the soft scent of lavender she caught every time Sansa was in a room distract her. She chatted lightly as she worked, hoping she was taking the right risk.

There, she thought, as she bound the first braid back, and soon four braids wreathed Sansa’s head.

Sansa was smiling when Daenerys led her to the mirror. “What is it?” She deserves more levity in her life, Daenerys thought. More affection. More love.

Daenerys skimmed the first braid gently, letting her finger trace the shell of Sansa’s ear. “Your victories.”

Sansa flushed. “Daenerys–“

She wouldn’t be deterred. “This, for outlasting King’s Landing.”

She touched the second braid, and let her fingers rest on Sansa’s collarbone.

“For reclaiming Winterfell.”

Sansa’s breathing quickened. Daenerys ran her thumb over the nape of Sansa’s neck as she skimmed the third braid.

“For the end of House Bolton.”

Sansa’s eyes fluttered shut as Daenerys caressed the fourth braid.

“For the name Sansa Stark.”

They sat that way for a long time.

“Thank you, Daenerys,” Sansa said.

“I only read the pages. You wrote the book.”

Sansa started, and stopped, and started again. “Do you think we could write together?”

She tilted her head to meet Sansa's. Her lips were soft, softer than any man's. Sansa overwhelmed her senses and the sound she made had Daenerys reaching for her, pulling her closer. She was falling fast, and this was freefall, this was madness, but love could not wait for times of peace in the Long Winter.

#daensa #daensadaily #daenerys targaryen x sansa stark #femslasharmy #my fic

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