#also i am still learning how to draw the mercs and stuff

[sunskaiis]

lil’ pootis :]

[oonajaeadira]

The Mandalorian Tarot: Major Arcana

If you’re following me, you know this is a Mandalorian obsessive account. I love the man, I love the show, I write a Mando-fando that is all about pining and touch. I tend to go all in when I have an interest. 

Another one of my interests? Tarot. A friend challenged me to Mandalorify the major arcana. And because Jon and Dave know their stuff and are good with archetypes (which is all tarot really is), it was an easy fit.

YOU GOT MANDO IN MY TAROT. YOU GOT TAROT IN MY MANDO. TWO GREAT TASTES THAT TASTE GREAT TOGETHER.

But. I can’t draw, so I’ve dreamed them in words and included the Rider-Waite-Smith deck illustrations that I would riff on if I could.

READY? LET’S PLAY.

(All tarot illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. All Mandalorian images property of Star Wars/Disney.)

UPDATE! @heathenashtattoos​ has taken up where I cannot and is making these cards a reality! I will post them individually and come back to link them to this post as we go.

0 THE FOOL = THE MANDALORIAN / IT IS MADE! --->

The story of the tarot is the Fool’s journey, the arc of becoming. So it makes sense to me that Din would be the fool. Fits even better, since he has tremendous Fool energy in his himbo tendencies, just rushing forward into situations without a lot of planning--he’ll deal with it when he’s in it--ready to rely on others to show him the way or guide/help him to the next step.

If I could draw: Din on the cliff, with his jetpack on, meaning he has no fear of falling. Instead of the bindle-stick the Fool carries, he’d have his pulse rifle slung over his shoulder. Instead of the dog nipping at his heels, Grogu. And, of course, the landscape would be Tatooine/Navaro-esque.

~~~

1 THE MAGICIAN = LUKE SKYWALKER , IT IS MADE! --->

The Magician is someone who is still learning to bend the laws of magic/the Universe, but very adept with their tools. Since Luke is only a few years into his Jedi training at this time, he makes a pretty good Magician.

If I could draw: Luke in his blacks, holding up his lightsaber. The Jedi symbol would replace the infinity sign. 

***

2 THE HIGH PRIESTESS = AHSOKA TANO / IT IS MADE! -->

High Priestess is further along the path of her magic than Magician, and her knowledge is more intuitive, her skills more effortless. Where the Magician is still learning the balance of light and dark, the High Priestess knows the value and pitfalls of both. It was always going to be Ahsoka.

If I could draw: Ahsoka sitting cross-legged in meditation mode, but with eyes open and a knowing smile. Instead of two pillars, she holds her lightsabers up and parallel to each other.

***

3 THE EMPRESS = PELI MOTTO / IT IS MADE! -->

The Empress is the mother figure, the energy in the universe that provides all that is needed and embodies the energy of creation. I can see the argument for Omera being the Empress--mostly because she is a mom and she’s soft and a lot of people see the Empress as a soft female figure, I get it. (And if I were to do a minor arcana, girl would show up as one of the Queens for sure.) But in the end, I gave it to Peli because she’s a recurring character, more relevant in his story, and if Din is the Fool, Peli is more an Empress to him. She’s able to be the provider of his particular needs; services to his ship to get him up flying, contact and location information, and she’s always willing to care for Grogu whenever she gets the chance.

If I could draw: Peli sitting in the dock, against the R4 unit, holding aloft a spanner and surrounded by her pit droids.

***

4 THE EMPEROR = BOBA FETT / IT IS MADE! -->

The Emperor is all about authority. And all I gotta say about Boba is BIG DICK ENERGY.

If I could draw: Just put him on the Jabba throne and let him lounge like a badass.

~~~

5 THE HIEROPHANT = THE ARMORER / IT IS MADE! -->

The Hierophant is the keeper of traditions and a spiritual guide. As the leader of the covert and keeper of the Way, The Armorer fits.

If I could draw: The Armorer, framed by her forge, holding aloft her tools, with Mandalorian acolytes. Instead of the crossed keys at the bottom, let’s just have a mythosaur skull.

***

6 THE LOVERS = FROG LADY AND FROG HUSBAND

This should be obvious and I will fight anyone who says it isn’t the right thing to do. I will die for this.

If I could draw: I would actually depart from the Smith depiction and just draw them embracing or holding each other by the arms and staring into each others’ eyes. Some kind of glowing background? Maybe the egg tank?

***

7 THE CHARIOT = THE MUDHORN

Oh. You thought I was going to say the Razor Crest, didn’t you. Don’t worry, I have plans for our beloved craft, but it ain’t here. The Chariot can be a ride, yes, but it’s about victory. Sometimes it’s about the victory over your inner “beastly” natures. To travel to the next phase in the journey, the Fool must take on the beasts that drive the Chariot and claim dominance over them, and when he does, they will carry him to the next level. Since it’s the victory of the beastly mudhorn that brings Din to his bond with Grogu and becomes his signet, Mudhorn for the win.

If I could draw: Again, I’d probably play on Smith’s imagery, put the charging mudhorn in the middle, and replace the rams with Din on his knees brandishing the vibroblade and Grogu in his pram with his Force hand up.

***

8 STRENGTH = CARA DUNE

Don’t come at me about including Cara. I am glad Gina got shown the door and I lose no love on that bigot. But. Cara is not Gina and to cut her out is to cut out Jon and Dave’s creation and I won’t do it.  I actually love her a lot--she’s got her flaws, but she’s sassy and strong and solid, and I would happily accept a piggyback ride from her any day. She’s also a major player in Din’s story and deserves a spot in it. Strength comes after the Chariot--once you’ve conquered the beast within, you have confident dominion over it and it becomes a companion or a tool for your use. Cara is one with her toughness, she’s used it to do some good and bad shit in her past, and she continues to wield it effortlessly and fearlessly. She is absolutely this card.

If I could draw: I would put her maybe sitting on top of the downed ATST. I’d replace the infinity symbol over her head with the one on her cheek (Rebel Alliance).

~~~

9 THE HERMIT = KUIIL

The Hermit is a loner, yes, but in his solitude he looks within, learns from all he’s been through, and becomes wise. He holds aloft a light of wisdom and truth. This was always going to be Kuiil.

If I could drawn: Just our buddy, looking out over the Arvala-7 landscape, holding aloft an in-universe working lamp. No need to get fancy. He would want it to stay simple.

***

10  THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE = IMPERIAL SYMBOL AND STORM TROOPERS

The Wheel is fate. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you’re on top, and sometimes the Wheel crushes you beneath it. You are helpless to its roll and where you’ll land. Storm Troopers are such a sad bunch. They are keepers of Imperial Law on the ground. On a good day, they capture a Rebel or hold off an attack. On a bad day, their Moff just blasts them to make an example.

If I could draw: The wheel would just be the Imperial symbol and there’d be Troopers on and under it. Maybe the one on top is just standing there, looking authoritative. The one underneath has been blasted. Some Wheels have two more figures--one on each side--and I’d add those too. The one on the down-going side would be falling, arms flailing, blaster shooting (if only sound were available, there’d be a Whilhelm scream), and the one on the up-going side would just be dangling by one arm, along for the ride.

***

11 JUSTICE = COBB VANTH

Well, it just feels right to make the Marshal into Justice. But it’s not just a literal translation of making sure the right thing gets done and the bad guys are punished. Justice is about wiping away emotion and making decisions with bare truth, looking at every side of the situation and understanding what is really there. And I think Cobb fits this well. He doesn’t want to give up his armor because of what it means for the protection of his people. But he’s willing to consider it, if there’s another way he can protect them. Emotionally, he doesn’t want to deal with the Tusken Raiders, but he does it because he can see it’s the best course of action. He flies into battle with the Krayt Dragon. He gives up his armor without a fight. He makes a fair trade and sees the balance in it because he walks away from the emotion and chooses the best course of action. Cobb Vanth for Justice, errybody.

If I could draw: Cobb in the Fett armor, but with the helmet at his feet. In one hand, a bottle of spotchka. In the other, the Tusken mushroom drinky thing; he’s holding them with equal balance.

***

12 THE HANGED MAN = MIGS MAYFELD

The Hanged Man is not just about a dude who’s hanging upside down. (If that was the case, I would have just gone with Gor Koresh and called it a day.) Hanged Man is about changing your perspective to see things in a new way so you can grow. Many times, this growth also requires sacrifice. Over the two episodes we see Mayfeld, we know he goes from Imperial sharp shooter, to traumatized deserter, to merc, prisoner, and exonerated friend. He’s seen some shit, given up a lot, and he’s willing to see how he can be a help to others and find redemption for himself.

If I could draw: Hear me out. Take the image of Mayfeld hanging upside down from the Crest hatch into the prison ship. Mirror that above with an image of him in his Imperial Ground Transport gear. Flip it all upside down so bad Mayfeld up top, good Mayfeld on bottom, images mirrored but inverted, hence “looking at things a new way and getting everything a little topsy-turvey.”

~~~

13 DEATH = MOFF GIDEON

Death is about transformation, so it’s not always the most sinister card. But Death does not discriminate. It comes for us all, constantly stalking, and it will strike you down to serve its needs. You need to face Death to get to your redemption. But really, Gideon is our big baddie here, so why the hell not.

If I could draw: I would forgo the Smith illustration and go for the Marseilles tradition on this one. Gideon and the Darksaber replaces Death and the scythe.

*** 

14 TEMPERANCE = IG-11

Temperance is the transformation that comes after Death. Once Death has chopped your physical being into pieces with his scythe, Temperance is there to take all your pieces and put them back together into something new and better. It’s also a card that asks you to re-evaluate your priorities and see if you can find better motivations than you previously had. IG’s death and reprogramming speak loudly to me on this.

If I could draw: IG pouring the tea.

***

15 THE DEVIL = THE CLIENT

Here’s another baddie card that’s all about your worst faults, about excess and giving into the stuff that will eventually kill your soul. The Client holds on hard to the Empire, doing whatever he’s ordered to do to be one of the top dogs. And in the end, it doesn’t matter. Gideon takes him down like he’s nothing.

If I could draw: The client, wearing his Empire bling, with chains around Doctor Pershing and a rough-looking Storm Trooper.

***

16 THE TOWER = THE RAZOR CREST

I don’t know about you, but Chapter 14 killed me. And not because the Dark Troopers flew away with Grogu. We all knew Din would never stop at getting him back. But when the Crest was destroyed, it was like someone punched me in the soft parts, and I made a lot of severely anguished noises. The Tower is the most tragic card in the tarot. It’s when forces beyond your control make a very big (and usually negative) impact in your life and everything changes. You are left to pick up the pieces and survive any way you can with the skills and resources you’ve been blessed with.

If I could draw: Just that moment of the ray hitting our beautiful Crest, just as it begins to break apart, maybe with Din, Boba, and Fennec watching in horror in the foreground.

~~~

17 THE STAR = GROGU

The Star is hope. It comes after the biggest tragedy in the deck to tell you that not all is lost. There is always something there to live for. C’mon, kids. In this series, there was only one choice.

If I could draw: Just Grogu. Maybe drinking his soup. Or maybe he’s levitating his metal ball overhead, reaching up to it with a smile on his face. *coos*

***

18 THE MOON = BO KATAN KRYZE

We all like Bo Katan, sure. But remember my Clone Wars/Rebels fiends, she was Death Watch, and they were terrorists. She sided with Maul to take over Mandalore. Sure, she’s come a long way and her path is a bit more honorable now, but she’s got an agenda, which makes her hard to trust. Since the Moon is about more feminine energies and has themes of illusion and deception--things look great in the moonlight, but maybe not as they really are--Bo Katan’s our girl.

If I could draw: Head and shoulders profile, double-imaged so you see her face, but her Nite Owl helmet superimposed in profile over it. Nite Owl signet on the bottom. Possibly flanked by her two Nite Owl cronies.

***

19 THE SUN = GREEF KARGA

Everything's sunny when Greef’s around! He’s the feel-good gramps that’s going to make any situation A-Ok! If you’ve got a problem, Greef can sort it out...or he knows someone who can! The sun is always gonna shine on you and take you back.

If I could draw: Just Greef smiling and being cheesy with the halo of the sun around him. 

***

20 JUDGEMENT = FENNEC SHAND

This card traditionally shows the resurrected rising from the grave, ready to be judged. Fennec’s got a lot to answer for in her life, but she is being given a second chance, and my number one girl crush is going to do new and wonderful badass things with it.

If I could draw: I’d either just show her opening her gut pocket to show her new works, all full of aura, with her looking down at it reverently. OR I might do a scene of her being rescued by Boba.

~~~

21 THE WORLD = THE HELMET

Din’s helmet is the world he lives in. But it’s also a symbol of The Way. The World represents completion, a wholeness of self and being, the end of the journey. And since Din is our Fool, his journey is an exploration of his morals and honor, what it means to walk the way of the Mandalore, and what the meaning of the helmet is for him. He may choose ultimately to keep it on and go all-in on Mandalorian-4-lyfe (Child of the Watch style), or he may understand that the helmet is just a symbol and the honor was in him all along; he can wear it or not wear it and it’s all the same.

If I could draw: The World usually depicts a circle or sphere of some kind, the symbol of perfect completion. The helmet is close enough, so it takes up the center. Traditionally, there are four symbols in the corners that give more meaning to The World, and I would replace them with The Razor Crest, Grogu, the Mudhorn Signet, and the pulse rifle or blaster. These represent his home, his foundling, his clan, and his religion, all of which make up more of the whole; what it means to him to be Mandalorian.

~~~~~~~~~~

Challenge accepted and faced. 

Adira dops her witchy mic….

[fantasticstoryteller]

New Amsterdam Chapter 60

Matt felt slightly ill at the description of the stuff Peter had put up with (you don’t understand, I signed with his mother and his mother was the sweetest, most wonderful person you could ever meet) from his landlord. Things like his utilities suddenly being separate from his rent, when they were all included before. Things like calling for someone to fix his heater, being told if he wasn’t there to let the maintenance guy in it wouldn't get fixed, and then not sending the maintenance guy for three days—when it was negative ten degrees Fahrenheit outside. Things like the electricity in his apartment being “randomly” cut off—shortly before it was time for him to pay his rent. Then this latest stunt—changing the date of rent collection with two day’s notice.

He was also surprised at Peter’s attitude about it. As far as he could tell, the young man thought the shitty behavior he was experiencing was just stuff that happened to him, and Matt would desperately like to know why he thought that way. He was also shocked that Peter—Peter actually seemed to like and trust Deadpool. And Deadpool showed a side around Peter that Matt suspected no one else got to see; he was gentle and loving. And teasing, Matt recalled about the ball.

It was—odd, to say the least. Deadpool was explosion, noise and chaos. He was still those things around Peter but—they were softer, muted somehow. And Matt could not for the life of him figure out how the unassuming young man in front of him had possibly gotten that reaction out of Deadpool.

Matt could also tell that the feelings were mutual. Peter’s heartbeat slowed and his breathing evened out when Deadpool touched him. Even when he was scolding Deadpool his heartbeat had that slow, loving pattern. He relaxed around the murderous mercenary—and had even, at one point, called the man a hero. Which Deadpool, with a modesty that Matt couldn't quite credit even though he’d heard it with his own ears, had denied.

There was also something disturbingly familiar about the young man that Matt couldn't place, like a nostalgic taste on his tongue he couldn't quite recognize. He tried to set the sensation aside as he concentrated on the conversation and made mental notes even as he (with Peter’s permission) recorded it to go over it again later (with his law partner this time). He would bring the full force of the law down on the man—and if that didn’t work, if he managed to squeak away through a legal loophole somehow, well—Daredevil could pay him a visit.

At the end of the conversation, Matt turned off the recording device (an old cassette player—not as convenient as digital, but harder to hack and, more importantly, had grooves on the different buttons in shapes designed to tell what those buttons were for) and put it in his bag. “Thank you, Mr. Parker,” Matt said, having learned the young man’s full name over the course of the gentle interrogation—and over the dinner where Wade flirted shamelessly with his boyfriend and his boyfriend clumsily flirted back.

The fact that Deadpool, the same manic man that had literally blown himself up to take out a drug cartel dabbling in human trafficking, had a boyfriend that loved him was just a little mind-blowing. And a little thought provoking. One of the things that had happened when they were eating was Wade and Peter sitting, back to back, on the couch. After a moment Matt realized why—Wade didn’t want to show his skin (even Matt knew that the merc was sensitive about it)—and Peter respected that. They were an oddly good match. An oddly endearing match.

Matt hoped to Hell that they managed to find and stop whomever put the hit out on Peter, because if anything happened to that young man Deadpool would raze the city to the ground.

After dinner Deadpool gave Peter a quick hug and and cuddle and said he was going to walk Matt home; make sure he got home safely. Matt almost said something—until he realized that Deadpool was simply reinforcing the helpless persona that Matt wore as his civilian disguise. He didn’t believe that Deadpool was really going to walk him home—and was surprised when the guy stopped at a taco truck and ordered a huge amount of food.

“Did you not get enough to eat?” asked Matt.

“Of course I did,” Deadpool said as he went to pay the vendor—who waved it off.

“No payments from you, Senor Pool,” the man said with a heavy accent. “If not for you, who knows what happen to my sister, eh?”

“Just a masked madman doing my duty to protect the city!” Deadpool replied in the same voice he’d used before jumping off the catwalk above the gang.

They walked a little ways away, the smell of the food hanging around them before Matt made himself ask, “What is the food for?”

“A summoning spell,” said Deadpool.

Matt stopped walking. He could tell, from the tone of voice and steady heartbeat, that Deadpool was absolutely serious. “This I have got to see,” he said firmly. Deadpool started laughing and Matt half-heartedly smacked the merc with his cane. “Come on,” he said as he ducked into an alley and climbed up the side of the building—only to be overtaken by Wade who used a retractable grappling hook to get to the top. “All right,” said Matt when they were at the roof. “What are you doing?”

“I told you,” said Deadpool as the paper bag around the Mexican food crinkled several times. “I’m summoning!”

“You could try calling,” a dry voice announced behind them. Matt whirled, dropping into defensive stance. There were only two people that could come upon him unannounced like that—and both of them had tried to kill him. “Cute,” said the voice.

The feminine voice. The young, familiar feminine voice. Matt slowly pulled himself out of his stance as he listened for something from the girl’s direction. Then, realization dawned. “How’s Dora?” he asked as he (partially) relaxed.

“Ponyo!”

“Dora says ‘hi’,” the girl responded.

“I didn’t call, because you never gave me your name.”

“I didn’t?” A pause. “I didn’t. Well, I can’t, but I’m going by Angel for now.” Matt heard the rustle of wings. “What did you want me for, Deadpool?” There was the crinkling sound of the bag being opened and the familiar sounds of mastication as the girl began to eat.

“Can you cook?”

“Yeah, Dad and Papa made sure I could.” The sound of fingers being licked as something moved along the girl’s chest with an odd sound—like it was rasping over metal? “I can do pancakes, most Mexican and Italian—don’t ask me to do tamales, they never come out right for some reason, but yeah. I can cook.” More chewing noises.

“Great! I want you to watch over Peter!”

“That might be a good idea,” Matt admitted. “The young man made soup explode.”

A pause. “Really?” the girl asked. She sounded a cross between impressed and horrified.

“Really,” confirmed Deadpool.

“Huh.” More chewing. A swallow. Then, “I can do it, but it won’t be free.”

“I figured that. Whatcha need, Baby Girl?”

Matt, expecting a cash amount, was mildly surprised when the girl said, “A new sketchbook and colored pencils.”

“Right. One drawing pad and crayons.”

“Pencils.”

“What’s wrong with crayons?”

A rustle of feathers in what Matt assumed was the winged girl’s version of a shrug. “Nothing’s wrong with crayons. I use pencils.”

“Deal.”

“Deal. So, what brings you out to this negotiation? Are you here to draw up an official contract?” The girl sounded curious, as opposed to offended.

Matt felt a slight chill. The girl knew he was a lawyer. How? He hadn’t told her what he did, he hadn’t had much of a conversation with her before at all. She was also, he knew from the theater incident, aware of Daredevil to the point that she even knew his turf of protection. He knew better than to ask, however. “Deadpool’s boyfriend has a landlord that is pulling some illegal stunts, and he’s hired me to fix it—legally,” he added as he calmly explained.

He sensed the girl nod. “Do you want me to read the contract to you?” she asked. “I speak legalese, one of my uncles made sure I could.”

“Why would your uncle make sure you could?” asked Matt with curiosity.

Both the girl and Deadpool burst out laughing. After a full, solid minute of laughter the girl gasped and sighed. “Oh! Tell you what,” and Matt could tell from the tone that she was grinning, “if you can guess who I am, I’ll tell you everything I know.” Deadpool, amazingly, managed to laugh harder and Matt heard his body hit the roof as he doubled over with mirth.

The girl simply took another bite of food, and began to chew.

[veralovemail]

Hi! I would love myself a matchup if it's ok 👉👈

I'm female and pan, I'd prefer one of the males tho, Survivors please!

So uhhhh I differ in my personality a lot depending on the situation! I'm more of a loner around strangers IRL— shy, quiet, I don't like interacting and prefer to stay by the sidelines since being in the middle makes me uncomfy.

I try to be as polite as I can, even keeping in my opinions and pain a lot as to not Hurt anyone. I also tend to blame myself a lot for bad situations I'm a part in unless I know I absolutely didn't do anything!

Also I'm quite hot headed and have a bad temper, though I'm working on it! I have quite the problem with guilt and it comes to me fairly quickly when I do something bad.

Ah yeah I'm really forgetful and also really impatient KNRKS

Now- online!!

I'm a lot more open and chaotic. I like to tease my friends and jokingly make fun of them, etc. I try and stop when they tell me to, but I might understand it as them just joking too if they write it that way in my eyes-

I try to look on the positive side for them and their situations and am always willing to make someone happy even without words since it makes me happy too. I'd say I'm caring to a fault- I don't let loose until they finally do something healthy that they've been avoiding and I do get rather angry if I'm not taken seriously with that, causing me to maybe lash out at someone unwillingly,,- and then guilt pops in like "hi there 😍" KDHDJDJ

Anyway,

I encourage anyone to vent, though I'm not the best at giving advice. I'm more of a person who likes to listen and give support if they need it. Oh yeah- my attention span is REALLY short (as short as me good ol' 5'1 me aNENSJJSJD) so I get distracted pretty easily and procrastinate then.

As for hobbies: I love to draw! (As you might know-)Music is my life (especially Jazz) and video games are, too. Though mostly singleplayer Games since I only really like multiplayer with friends-

What else can I write..

Maybe like- I'm an ISFP-T And I think it was 5w6 that I was given by another test

I also got Philophobia, the fear of falling in love because of bad experiences but I'm tryna work on it!!

I guess I can also write about my appearance? I've got short, curly but chaotic black hair that's p much swept to the side- I'm definitely not that skinny lmao- and as I've said before, I'm 5'1! I usually wear casual clothes (hoodies, e.g!! They're so comfy...) I also got brown eyes and glasses!

I think that should be it.. ah yeah! In your introduction, you should prolly add your ID for others to add you because name search doesn't work! :0

Ok that's really it now- take your time, don't rush yourself and stay safe and hydrated!! 💕💕 Hope your blog takes off!

Sorry for my English by the way- I'm German so I might've messed up on a few things!

OH MY LORD I DID NOT KNOW THAT I HAD TO PUT IN MY ID... oml... thank u for telling me that. and don't worry about it, i can see how it'd be difficult (i actually studied german for my gcses :], it was very fun) but anyways! tysm for sending in btw!! i loved writing this, i hope u enjoy - mod vera ♡

i match you with ... naib subedar!

he kinda takes on to your quiet personality, unlike some of the other people around the manor. it's relaxing to be around somebody who doesn't talk much.

you two most likely met when robbie came over to the survivors' side of the mansion, jokingly demanding sweets... but it most likely sounded authentic. and oh god, is that an axe-

you two accidentally locked eyes but you both had a " ah shit, here we go again " face. it just kinda went from there.

at first, he's a tough nut to crack, but if you try hard enough, within a month or so you gain his trust and he .. deems you a friend?

you both kinda start falling for eachother after a period of time, but naib is great at hiding it BUT SIKE, so are you! it's like a game of who can pine for the other in the most subtle way possible.

however, if you tell him about your own troubles with falling in love, he may just open up a little too about his own troubles.

it's takes a while for you two to build a relationship, but eventually (after a lot of rescues, late night hangouts and just being near eachother) you make it!

when he learns about your more chaotic side, naib tries to keep up with you as best he can, he may just need a little tug to do so.

he loves your smile, especially the one you have when you're talking about your passions.

he also tries to help with your temper, but he's just as bad as you are.

however, he's there whenever you have a bad day - he can almost instantly tell, even if you try keep it to yourself. it could be the way you look at him, try to smile or talk, he does notice the change in your aura.

since your shorter than him, he likes holding you. it makes him feel like he's just protecting you from anything and anything, especially on one of your bad days.

he likes your optimism, looking on the good side of every situation. he once saw you trying to comfort robbie when he started crying about not finding any sweets around and you told him "look on a brightside robbie! now we know for next time to stash some away for you before we eat it all!" AND OH GOD, IS THAT AN AXE?

naib gets frequent nightmares about his time being a hired merc, so sometimes you may get woken up at 3 am because he's a bit distressed and needs a bit of comfort.

other times, he just finds holding you while you're fast asleep enough to put him back in a coma for the next 2 hours.

naib also encourages you to talk to him about stuff. whether it be what made you mad, how much of a bitch vera can be, ect. he's there for you and that man is never gonna let you carry your burdens alone.

saying that, you also have to remind him that he can't carry his own burdens sometimes and when you encourage him to talk to you about what's upsetting him, he'll most likely tell, depending on how bad it is.

he also grounds you a lot!! if you tell him about your forgetfulness, he's most likely going to try and remind you.

" hey, [ name ], you did bring [ item ] into the match, right? "

" um... "

" goddamnit [ name ], i thought i reminded you "

naib takes it upon himself to rescue you, or keep you within his general vicinity if you're in a match with him. he does know you can kite very well though! he just wants you near him for a bit of reassurance.

he can be mean sometimes, but he means it in the most endearing way possible since most of it is sarcasm.

you two kinda have " stab as a warning " vibes so nobody really opposes the two of you. even norton. not even freddy dares to oppose you because the last time he did, aesop almost had to prepare his equipment to embalm the poor fella.

when you lash out at someone, naib is there almost immediately to take you away to calm down and comfort you when your guilt kicks the door down and goes " Hey girlie! Hold still 😎 "

sometimes you have to do the same for him because you both have a tendency to lash out.. but.. never at eachother? you two kinda agree on the same things, there isn't much to exactly disagree on.

please draw him!! watch him while he's training in the garden and draw him, or just a few silly doodles of him.

he likes looking at your drawings, it kinds boosts his ego knowing that he's worthy enough to be drawn.

if he finds out that you like music, he'll tell you about nepalese music, or at least what he knew of it - if you both get engrossed in it, he may try and get you some records to play.

teach him how to dance, if you can. it'd make listening to music together way more fun.

he's very content with you!! he likes kissing you out of nowhere, too. you could just be chilling and naib would come up to you, turn you around and give you a smooch outta nowhere. but only in private.

i feel like neither of you would be big on pda, you just stick to holding hands around the manor.

if this were in a modern setting, you two could probably play a game like phasmaphobia together just for funsies.

all in all, your relationship with naib is mutually beneficial and robbie has learned to never ask for sweets again.

i hope you enjoy this <3 it's my first time writing naib too so i apologise if it's not very good </3

[ophexis]

Decade thoughts thing

This isn’t gonna be particularely exciting I’m just emptying my brain. Also probably kinda long.

I’m gonna start with the personal points cuz those are probably the most depressing lol

I only feel disappointment towards myself considering the last 10 years. I started off this decade freshly entering college with ideas and a plan on what i wanted to do, and I’m ending it here...I’ve given up on an art career, I struggle to draw anything and I can barely keep up with my life. I’m having the worst art block of my life and I can’t finish anything. I was relatively active online and now I can’t find anything to post. I feel useless most of the time. I lost 5 years of what could’ve been constant art progress, and I feel it daily.

I have a now stable job at least, and in about two-ish months I will be moving out into my first appartment. At work I’ll strive to try and continue to be more confident in myself and my work experience. My lead, who sadly passed away on christmas eve, did all he could to push me to believe in my knowledge and 3 years of experience at my workplace and I’ll be trying my best to continue in that direction in his honor.

I’ve met some incredible people, some of which decided to stick with me despite what I ended up being. I’m eternaly grateful that they’ve decided to continue to share their lives with me and I love them very much.

I completely cut off a high school abusive friend from my life.

I’ve made amazing friends, but I’ve also lost some from...just my own fault I believe. I’m not a particularely good friend, overall. I wouldn’t blame anyone but myself.

I learned about Aromanticism (and tbh a lot of things about lgbt+!! I barely knew anything before coming here). Been identifyign as aromantic since then, and it’s been the perfect descriptor of my feelings towards romance my whole life.

On some less personal points, some highlights I can think of at the moment, in no particular order:

The glorious return of Star Wars. It was kind of a lonely time without content for a long time, and I had been staying away from the main fandom. But having new stuff has been great, and I got some friends to get into Star Wars with me, and we now have an Edge of the Empire thing going, and it’s been great fun. I got to rewatch The Clone Wars, the Prequels, watch Rebels, and I hope we’ll get to watch Resistance and anything else. The Mandalorian is easily one of the best thing to happen to the franchise since The Clone Wars. I definitely enjoyed the new Trilogy despite some of its faults. I’m planning on flying to Florida next year to go to Galaxy’s Edge. That would be my first trip to the US.

I started the process of building my own set of Mandalorian armor, some time before the serie aired. I’m hoping I’ll be able to actually finish it, and possibly join my local mando mercs clan.

I started playing Final Fantasy XIV, which has been great fun, lead me to meet some super cool people who are still playing with me, and helped carry me through some very rough years of my life. It lead me to my first plane trip, my first visit to Europe and outside my country, and more importantly lead me to meeting some very important friends. I hope I can return soon. Shoutout to EGG, my FC, but also Whitesand, a friendly FC, who hang out with us!!! They’re cool.

Going back further, I played Saints Row, which lead to some of my best times on Tumblr, and more importantly, allowed me to meet Ten. I can’t even begin to imagine what my life would be like right now had I not met him. He’s been ridiculously supportive of me and the things I like, and there’s nothing I could say or do that would properly express how happy I am that we’re friends. 

I started playing DnD! More accurately, I started playing pathfinder, then DnD5, then Edge of the Empire, then a WHOLEASS CUSTOM SYSTEM MADE BY TEN and it’s been great fun. I now have a buncha dice which is apparently a “modest amount” by dnd player standard.

I also, at some point, decided to revisit myself, and allow myself to indulge in some styles. As someone who’s been wearing hoodies and jeans for a long fucking time to avoid being noticed and generally hiding my own form, now that I had money I decided to indulge a bit....and I dedicated part of my wardrobe to kawaii shit. I now have a decent amount of skirts, pastel graphic shirts, dresses, tigh high socks and leggings. And I’ll admit I do not wear them enough, out of severe social anxiety, but I’ve been trying, particularely at cons.

I now have a pretty significant figure collection. I started off with one scale that my brother had given me, and like, one figma, and now I have several scales, many figmas, a bunch of nendoroids, and various other figures. I love looking at them, and I’m still working on making decent displays with them. I have a couple of gunpla to build still.

I started palying Monster Hunter, and I loved every minute. I started with MHgen, then MH4U, then MH3U, then MHWorld, THEN MHGenU. While World has a lot of stuff I’m not super happy with, all the games were still rly enjoyable.

I got me a Switch, a PS4, and now an actual gaming PC. I frikkin love videogames.

There are a lot of things that happened in the decade.

In the next, I’ll keep trying to enjoy art again, despite my lack of progress so far. My life’s about to change with my move and all, so I hope I can...kind of improve on myself, somehow. I know I don’t post anything and don’t talk to anyone, so like I get it. But thanks to anyone who decided to give this a read. You’re all rad and I hope you’ll all have a nice 2020, and I hope many good things happen to you all in the next decade.

I’m going to keep trying.

[tf2canons]

Hey, nice blog you have here. I'd understand if you decided not to do this request considering how long it could potentially be, but in case you decide to, what do you think the first impressions the mercs had of each other was and how do you think that changed over time?

(This did get pretty long so I’m going to put it under a cut! I really liked this question though, thank you!)

Spy - One could say he got mixed reviews when the team first formed. He was one of the very first mercenaries hired, and he helped Miss Pauling do background checks on some of the others before they were accepted to the team. Therefore he is privy to a few of their secrets some of them would rather he not be, and it got them off on the wrong foot. Sniper in particular wasn’t fond of Spy sniffing around in his stuff, and considered him a “rotten bloody snake.” Medic and Heavy, on the other hand, were very welcoming. Heavy was able to talk to him about literature, and Medic discussed classical music and poisons with him, so they got along well. The others have gotten used to him over time, but many of them still think he’s somewhat cold and pretentious, or distant at the very least. Sniper respects him much more than he did when he first met him, but they still have plenty of differences.

Sniper - “This guy seems pretty normal- wait is that piss?” While he can sometimes be shy, Sniper appears like the most normal at first glance. He’s reasonably personable and willing to make small talk about the weather. It’s once you start to get to know him better you realize how weird he is. Spy was the first to find this out when he got dosed in jarate for trespassing in Sniper’s camper. No one believed him that that actually happened until they saw Sniper using it on the battlefield. Sniper has a habit of pushing people away, so some people on the team have actually grown less close to him over time. He doesn’t go to Medic unless he absolutely needs to, and he doesn’t like to bother the Engineer. Only more outgoing people like Scout and Pyro consider him a friend, and they forcibly include him in things and try to get him more involved with the rest of the team.

Medic - Everyone had the same first impression of Medic which was, “This man is absolutely insane.” Some were a little more afraid of him than others, however. Sniper disliked doctors in the first place, Scout thought Medic wanted to steal all his organs to sell them on the black market, and Pyro had to be physically dragged into the infirmary for any sort of checkup or procedure (its like trying to take a dog to the vet. They know what you’re doing and they’re not going to cooperate). Heavy was the first one to get to know him better, discovering that Medic had a likable side. He’s not completely evil and he has a quirky sense of humor. Engineer discovered this quickly, too, while working with him. Medic slowly bribed Pyro into liking him with lollipops, and he eventually convinced Scout that his organs were more valuable inside of his body (for now).

Scout - While it isn’t technically a first impression, when Spy saw that Scout was on the team he did not have the best reaction. He avoided him for several weeks and tried to convince Miss Pauling to fire him. He didn’t want to work with his estranged son. Eventually he came to terms with this being his life now. Most of the others thought Scout was a big egotistical douche bag. Demo thought he was a funny kid, but overconfident, and probably going to get himself killed. Engineer was more worried than anything else. “Don’t y’all think he’s a little too young to be out here…?” He ended up being Scout’s first friend on the team simply because he was trying to keep an eye out for the kid and make sure he didn’t get hurt too badly. While they never became super close, they stayed friends, and Scout still goes to him for help occasionally. As time passed, the rest of the team started to see that there was more to Scout than being obnoxious and fast. They caught moments where he was being emotionally vulnerable, missing his family or pining over Miss Pauling, or they’d sneak a look at his sketchbooks while he was doodling to find out he was actually rather talented. Spy grew more accustomed to having the Scout around but still tries to limit interactions with him in an effort to keep Scout from realizing the truth and to prevent himself from getting too attached.

Pyro - Most of the team had the same thought when they first saw Pyro. “What on Earth is that thing?” Just watch the beginning of Meet the Pyro to get a sense how they all felt about them in the beginning. Engineer was the only one who treated them with some human decency instead of fear, and it earned him his first homemade flower crown. He didn’t waste time trying to convince the others that Pyro was actually very sweet and friendly. Medic stepped up to the plate next in a strategic attempt to get them to like him so they’d go to their fucking checkups. Pyro started drawing them holding hands in crayon but it still took months before they willingly went into the infirmary. Spy, meanwhile, saw the Pyro as a challenge. They were the only mercenary he knew nothing about and he made it his mission to find out their true identity. He has yet to succeed and its a bit of a sore spot for him. The rest of the time warmed up to the Pyro a bit over time, learning that they’re actually very kind and well-meaning, but a couple of them are still nervous around them.

Soldier - When they first met Soldier, the team wasn’t sure he was fit for duty. While he certainly wanted to fight, and had a passion for it, he didn’t seem quite right in the head. Now they know he isn’t quite right in the head, but they also know he can handle himself just fine on the battlefield. He’s incredibly dangerous and effective in a fight. He can hold his own just as well as the rest of them can. Once they got over how loud and strange he is, some of the team took a liking to him, as well. In particular, he and Demo are practically best friends, and Heavy and the Engineer are happy to listen to him rant about America for as long as he wants. 

Heavy - His teammates made the same mistake many people do when they first meet Heavy. Because of his bad English and his giant stature they assume he isn’t smart. All brawn and no brain. Medic learned almost immediately that that wasn’t the case when Heavy joked, “You are doctor? I am also doctor. Literature doctor.” Spy and Engineer were next, making quick friends with him. He and the Sniper became what one could maybe consider friends, as they both understand a need for quiet coexistence. Now that they’re comfortable around each other they’ll sometimes just sit in the same room together, Heavy reading and Sniper sharpening his kukri and whatnot, neither of them saying anything. Just the way they like it. Heavy and the Pyro still don’t get along particularly well; Heavy is scared of them and the Pyro can sense it. But they’ve learned to coexist over time. 

Demo - It’s hard to get the wrong impression from Demo. He’s very loud and honest about himself and his opinions. What the team assumed incorrectly at first was whether or not he can be trusted with explosives. He’s a one-eyed drunk, surely its not a good idea? They were hesitant to be anywhere near him on the battlefield or while he was working on his bombs back at the base. They found out rather quickly that he knew exactly what he was doing, however, and was incredibly skilled at his craft. He was hired for a reason, after all. They also found out he’s a very nice friend to have. He’s passionately supportive and gives great pep talks, and will share his beer if you need some. 

Engineer - Engineer is hard not to like. He has a warm, friendly disposition and he’s a very intelligent man. Most of the team liked him right from the beginning, but Spy was an exception. Something about the way the two of them interact with other people always clashed. Engineer thought Spy should mind his own business and that he was a bit uppity, and Spy thought he seemed like an uncultured hillbilly who is only there because of his family connections. Needless to say they respect each other a good deal more after working together for so long, but they still aren’t the best of friends. Some of the team were also a bit nervous around him at the beginning because he worked so closely with their superiors. He wouldn’t rat them out or anything, would he? Did he have sort of ulterior motives? Over time, though, they realized that Engie is one of the most honest and trustworthy people you can find. 

[flowing-paint]

Nerding day

Paints ✔

Brushes ✔

Models ✔

Where’s my damn primer! I can’t go without the primer! Oh, here it is! Here we go: I’m ready to leave for a nerding day! It’s been a while since last time.

Just a quick post here because I want to get painting as soon as I can. You know, being a family man means you get a lot of satisfaction from being with your beloved ones but you also inevitably end up with less free time for yourself. However, yesterday my wife being the lovely person she is, let me go out for a nerding day. What is it? Easy! It’s one of those days where you get back to your 18s and you basically get to do whatever you want. I’m talking about hobby related stuff of course. I didn’t get to paint much but it was still a lot of fun.

I left home in the early afternoon with my painting gear and headed to Osaka Warhammer store. The plan was to go there with a colleague of mine that wants to dive into the hobby but he canceled on Friday so I just decided to go to the shop and have some good time. You never know… I may end up learning something new or even teaching something to someone or taking somebody in the hobby. As I said, you never know what may happen. I’m a firm believer in the fact that small actions can have a huge influence on people around you so getting a lot of different people in the same room is always something interesting to do. That’s why I packed my death guard, the base colors I use on them and went to my FLGS.

Painting

I was able to only spend a couple hours painting in the shop while waiting for my friend Matt. I base coated my shiny new Typhus model while picking up the last details on a plague marine. So now I have two fully painted marines! Forty more to go! And it only took me 2 weeks! If I keep this pace it will take me roughly one year to paint all of them. BTW, If you follow me on twitter you may already know this guy but here’s my first ever plague marine painted, based and ready to be fielded. I think the result is good enough.

Well, with just two hours I was only able to prime and base-coat my Typhus but while I was doing that I got to talk to a newcomer that just happened to buy a Tau starting box. He was already painting them so I gave him some advice. Should have given him this blog link to share my tutorials for beginners. Speaking of which, I think I will break up the full painting scheme of my pre-heresy death guard and do a step-by-step, as these colors seem to be really appreciated by everybody who sees them.

Shopping

When my friend Matt came to the store I packed my stuff, bought a couple of GW washes I needed and we headed for the local hobby store. I didn’t get to buy anything but my friend needed to buy a bottle of Vallejo Flow Improver. I say “needed” cause I was forcing him to buy one: everybody needs to have one in the painting rack even if you only use brushes. I will probably explain how it is used in a tutorial as this represent the secret weapon for perfect washes or glazes.

On the way back we just stopped for a quick Kebab which is not a super-common food here in Japan and I always try to get one when I go there. Oooh... was it delicious! With a lot of meat and the spicy sauce.

Playing!

After getting the food we took the train from Namba to Kyobashi and spent the rest of the night playing our first Warhammer 40k game. We were hosts to these two guys here, who, believe it or not, are the authors of the video unboxing that took me and my friend into 40k. Go and check the video out because they get pretty deep into the details.

As you can easily imagine, the game was a big brawl between Space marines and Death guard models but our hosts also had some additional units for the death guard (namely, the Hellbrute and the Blightlord terminators) and some Eldar. Don’t ask me their names ‘cause they all looked alike with their characteristic pointy hats. It was a pretty fun game, actually but I’m not going to write a report like I did for Mercs because it was a big mess. Checking back the rules the day after I can tell you that we missed a lot of key rules, especially those specific to each unit. Well, it was our first game so we actually got to perform quite well. I cannot say who won because we had to stop mid-game and both sides lost roughly the same amount of models/power so it was a draw even though the Death guard was in a better position and was about to strike with a lot of hard-hitting units in the subsequent turn. It was fun. A lot of crazy fun... but we still need to read the rules some more times before we can get to dive in this size of games.

Impressions

After the first game, I have some impression. I’ll write them down with no special order. Except the first one... that’s definitely the first one, indeed.

I hate Eldar: they’re greatly, greatly, immensely overpowered. They shoot salves of God knows what and they almost always hit. They’re not powerful, of course, but they get to damage you a lot and that sucks if you are a “less than shooty” army like the Death Guard. The Poxwalkers were not even able to get into close combat: only one dude was left after two Eldar shooting phases. And they don’t even get to do morale so it could be even worse.

The rules feel like AoS: this was my first 40k 8th edition but I know AoS pretty well and I can tell you that there’s a lot of AoS in this new ruleset. As a matter of fact, even if in the beginning I was the one that didn’t do his homework studying the rules in advance, I was able to get ahead with some key mechanics that are just exact copies of AoS rules. I also kept calling Armor Piercing “rending”...

Know your opponents: This is true for all wargames: if you are serious, get a book for all the opposing factions. If you don’t, it gets super-hard to follow what the opponent does if he doesn’t show you the rules and just keeps rolling. Getting to know them in advance is an advantage do you know who you should hit first.

Study your units: You need to remember each trait, each special rule and maybe even the stats of each unit you filed. If you fail to do so, the game turns into a book club where you just keep reading from the codex/rulebook. This felt like the old WHFB I used to play during college.

Death Guard sucks: The units you get in the starter box, at least. The Lord of Contagion didn’t get to do any damage (even though we didn’t use his special deployment rule so, it’s the previous point over and over again!). The Poxwalkers may act as a tar pit or a meat shield but you need to get them there and they will probably all be dead when you manage to. I have to buy an Hellbrute and the Blightlord terminators because they were the only viable units in the game.

Game sessions are long: I read a lot of comments where the average gaming session is described as “short” but yesterday, after 3 hours we only managed to nail down two full turns. Let’s see how it gets when we get used to the rules.

Never play unpainted: the Eldar were all unpainted and that takes away half of the fun in my opinion. But I’m a paintbrush aficionado and my opinion doesn’t probably count too much.

That’s it for today. I want to get some paint on my Typhus before my son wakes up from his nap. But before I go, just a small update: I am (admittedly slowly) setting up a Facebook page to try to reach a wider audience. If everything works well, this post will also appear on the said page automatically.

Until next week, keep hobbying and having fun!

Game on!