#and ended up sketching julian

[doctor-octiddius]

It's 3 AM, they just turned the clocks, so technically, my body thinks it's 4 AM, here's a quick Bashir sketch

(i love my men roughed up and bloody)

[havi-fart]

i am super busy but i really want to get back into drawing soon. for the meantime might i interest you in these super old fanarts i was too shy to post and/or never really finished ? (holds them out on a silver tray like a fancy snack platter)

can you tell i was having fun with this dress. is it obvious. lol.

[fauvester]

"go ahead and take the credit for good cardassian genes!"

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

How do the m6 react to MC drawing them? Whether theyve stumbled over their open sketchbook with a bunch of random everyday sketches or MC actually shows them a finished piece they're proud of.

The Arcana HCs: M6 with a doodling MC

~ for every confident artist out there, there is probably another person like me who loves putting pencil to paper and hates what results each time lol. Here are your headcanons anon, with a little bonus of the M6's attempts to respond in kind - brainrot ~

Julian

He's not the most private person himself, so when he sees your sketchbook on the table he doesn't think twice before flipping through it

Regardless of your skill level, he will be very impressed. It's canon that his drawing skills are even worse than his handwriting, which is abonimable

Completely absorbed, takes a seat so he can flip through and study every page

If you catch him while he's looking at it he'll get the most adoring grin on his face

"Why haven't I seen this before MC? I'm dazzled!"

It will not occur to him that you might not want him looking at it unless you react negatively, in which case he will be extremely apologetic. He never meant to cross your boundaries

Will be the most obliging model if you ask him to. Desperate to please, just let him relish the way he can feel all your attention on him

He'll try once or twice to leave you a little drawing in return, but you're never able to decipher them so he sticks to complimenting your work instead

Asra

They tend to respect your privacy to a fault. The first glimpse they get of your work is when you sit down next to them and openly invite them to look at it

So deeply honored and generally in love with everything you do that he will genuinely adore every piece you've made

Which will definitely make you a little insecure at first. Considering they were talented enough to sell their masks and trinkets by the time they were a young teen, you might think your work is a little shabby next to theirs

His approach to art is, "if it came from your soul, it's as it should be" and if you tend to be overcritical towards your own art he will drill that into your head

If you ask them to model they absolutely will, but they'll get shy about you showing those pieces to anyone else

Will give you "come hither" looks the whole time though. No matter how you pose him he'll find a way to make it seductive

They like leaving doodles for you around the shop now, on little notes (or in the margins of your inventory ledger)

Will happily collab with you on a piece

Nadia

She notices the ink and pencil stains on your fingers long before she sees you sketching for the first time

Understands the importance of privacy but isn't the type to hesitate when she wants something

She'll approach you the second or third time she sees you sketching and ask if she can see what you're working on

Considering her background, you're ready for her to be unimpressed. She's a highly accomplished and educated lady after all

That's what ends up fascinating her. The only art she's seen has been hung up in galleries, or her sister's attempts which she never paid much attention to

Seeing something as raw and open ended as an unfinished sketch fascinates her

She has so many questions. Do you observe something or does it come out of your head? What are all the extra little lines for?

Will happily model for you if you request it. Even better, she can hire a professional model and provide some of her own input. With your permission, of course

She can't draw very well, but she can embroider. You are going to have very pretty handkerchiefs from now on

Muriel

One of the things that first drew him to you was your doodling. At the end of a long, hard day, you'd put down your bow and pick up a pencil instead

It was the first thing he felt connected to you by. But he's way too shy to ask to see, so if it's lying open he'll gaze at it with his hands respectfully clasped behind his back

You were a little shy with him too at first - you've seen the carvings he can make, he's quite the artist himself

But then he'll point out the little details and quirks of your style, and comment on how he likes them, and somehow he talks you into putting some on display in the hut

If you ask him to model, he'll be reluctant but he'll do it. Especially if there's nobody else available

No matter how you pose him he'll end up with his face partially obscured. He's just not used to sitting and letting someone study him like that

Buckets of sweat. By the time you're done he'll be bright red and dashing for the bath

Will take some of your studies of the animals and try carving them

Portia

Like her brother, boundaries aren't naturally assumed, they are only present in her mind if someone communicates them to her

So unless you've explicitly told her that your sketch book is private, she'll be flipping through it like a curious cat at the earliest opportunity

She's never been the type to sit still for very long unless there's something exciting to do (like read a really good novel) so she doesn't do much art beyond her exceptional hair styling skills

If she sees anything you've drawn of a part of town or object she recognizes, she'll point it out with so much excitement

Frames every sketch you've done of Pepi. You have to talk her into giving back the unfinished ones

Will happily model for you, but struggles with sitting still with nothing to do

The best piece you ever drew of her will be a candid portrait of her reading by candlelight, one hand on Pepi in her lap, the other holding her novel

When she sees how beautiful she is through your eyes she'll be too flustered and giggly to make eye contact for a bit

Starts adding small doodles of facial expressions to each note she leaves you

Lucio

He doesn't hesitate. The very first time he sees you sketching he's sitting halfway in your lap in his eagerness to see what you're working on

Goes through your sketchbook constantly, commenting on anything new

"Ooh, you added a plant to that one. This one is new! When did you do this one?"

If you really hate it he'll stop, but unless you put your foot down, what's yours is his and what's his is yours and that includes your art

There's no doubt in his mind that you're the best at what you do. If you don't measure up to the art he's used to seeing, he'll chalk it up to you using a different style and leave it at that

Will suggest posing for you before you can request it

It's a bit of a struggle. He'll hold a pose for five minutes and then think of a better one and switch to that immediately

Will start to pout if you tell him you don't like his poses, but when he keeps one long enough to feel the attention you give when you're drawing him he gets addicted

Will sometimes sit across from you with his own pen and paper and try to sketch you

[alexisntedgy]

More Mia Cooper + the ghosts headcanons because we were robbed of her growing up with them :(

. She hates The Wizard of Oz but the first time she said that, Kitty had been so offended that Alison eventually had to tell Mia to just never mention hating it (and also that she’d have to put up with seeing it on the tv on occasion, because Alison could never stop kitty or cap watching that movie)

. She inherited her mum’s skill for art, and did a few modern, #aesthetic (tm) sketch-y journal pages for each ghost. She drew things from stories she’d heard, from things she’d seen in the button house archives (her sketch of havers made cap very emotional) and from things associated with their time period. Pat didn’t have the heart to point out the many late-80s items from long after he’d died.

. Fashion comes and goes, and when scrunchies and 80s patterns come back into style, pat is quite proud of her outfits :)

. Lady B thinks a lot of her outfits are atrocious, but none of the ghosts would ever repeat those comments to Alison or Mia

. When she has her first heartbreak, Thomas follows her around in sorrow, repeating vague bits of poetry. When Mia’s sorrow turns to anger, Kitty enjoys following her around as she vents to her friends (oh, and kitty joins in. a lot. loudly.)

. Mia asks where Humphrey’s head is when she’s really stressed and needs to vent, because Humphrey loves to be there for her and really, truly does listen (not that he has a choice once the venting has begun, but regardless, he wants to listen, because it’s Mia)

. The emo phase leaves every ghost shocked and confused- except thomas, who uses her teen angst as inspiration for his poetry, and Julian, who thinks it is absolutely hilarious

. Mia texts Julian photos when she goes on trips away- an awful souvenir shirt he’d find hilarious, a nice beach view for Pat, strange novelties for Robin. and yes, she always brings back a postcard (or several)

. Cap is a little too eager to get her into some kind of sport, because he wants an excuse to run laps around the grounds with her. When she starts practicing for cross-country, Cap is ecstatic and demands (kindly) that Alison time their laps. Alison drew the line at recreating a warm-up routine Cap had designed for her.

. When she’s about 12, Mia demands to know what every major historical event she learns about at school was like, directly from the source(s) itself. She ends up getting extra marks on several papers due to her “impressive” historical knowledge and accuracy. But that isn’t why she asks for their stories- she just wants to know her family history, if you will.

. She asks for Alison to take photos of her with Lady B whenever something big happens in her life. It often takes a few goes, but they always get it in the end. Mia has two sets of every photo of major positive events in her life, and she keeps the ones with lady b in them in a safekeeping box.

. She plays virtual chess with Julian, and works on virtual crosswords with him and Robin. They sit across from each other so it’s like an actual game, and so she can comment on his moves even though she can’t see him

[mermaidchan05]

Vesuvia Weekly: LI and Apprentice Dynamics

Finally getting to join the party started by @vesuviaweekly!

(fair warning I love writing about this kind of stuff so there are a looot of words here lol)

Meleia & Asra

(sketch by the amazing @missrabbitart it's wonderful I love it so much)

Truly two halves of a greater whole.

Soft soft soft soft soft

They're both each other's first love, which is really cute.

(And both of them were super awkward about it at first because neither of them knew how to actually Talk to people)

Meleia loves Asra's wanderlust. Life is never boring with him.

Asra adores the way Meleia throws her all into whatever she cares about, be it as mundane as a sewing project or as huge as protecting the people she loves from the likes of Lucio or the Devil.

And on the subject of sewing... they're both crafty people!

Meleia makes her own clothes and Asra knits, so the two of them combined are a force to be reckoned with.

Meleia has a lot of self-confidence issues for a lot of reasons. Asra's always been there to help her through her rough spots.

Neither of them have a good sense of direction, so Faust and Forge (Meleia's familiar, a fennec fox) always end up doing most of the navigating when they travel.

They love reading together, making things together, exploring together, dancing together... they'd basically do anything and everything together.

(Except cleaning. Asra leaves stuff everywhere, and Meleia likes to keep the shop neat. It's about the only thing they have teasing arguments about.)

To Meleia, Asra is home. She can truly be her awkward and shy and geeky self around him, and she appreciates that more than she can ever say.

To Asra, Meleia is a beacon of light and joy. She cares so deeply about things and people, including the little kid who grew up alone on the docks.

Songs that remind me of Them: "A Whole New World" from Aladdin, "All I've Ever Known" from Hadestown, "Curses" by the Crane Wives.

My other apprentices are under the cut!

Damian & Julian

In a nutshell, they are that one scene from Coco.

(Drawing by me, it's a redraw of the final panel of this old thing)

In all honesty, though, they tease each other but they are very much in love.

They're both intelligent and leaders in their fields of study.

Damian's an alchemist, Julian's a doctor... their styles have more in common than Julian ever thought at first.

They can and will be found having intense discussions about various practices in both medicine and alchemy using highly technical terms that no one else in the room understands.

They were a dream team when working to find a cure for the plague. Except for the arguments where Damian insisted that the plague itself must have been magical in nature and Julian was firmly convinced it was nothing more than a disease.

Damian's stubborn, and never afraid to show his anger or annoyance, but Julian always has a way of making things up to him. And they never stay upset or mad at each other for long.

Both of them are musically inclined, Julian with his vielle and Damian with his guitar. So whenever emotions are too strong for words, they connect through playing together.

Julian is all for the drama, while Damian's humor is more dry and witty.

Julian is the only person who can get Damian to dance on a table.

Songs that remind me of them: "I See the Light" from Tangled, "Inferno" from Promare.

Chimalus, Nadia, and Portia

Chimalus and Nadia art by the fabulous @ace--of--swords!

I've talked about Chimalus' dynamics with Nadia and Portia before, but I wanted to go into more detail about the polycule here :)

Dream Team 2 Electric Boogaloo

Chimalus and Portia are both always at the ready to help Nadia with whatever plan she has, be it city reservations, the next Masquerade, or just a picnic out in the garden.

Chimalus is the Heart of the trio, with their pure loyalty, good judgement, and a particularly kind heart.

Both Nadia and Portia admire Chimalus' quiet strength and clever mind. No matter how tough the problem, Chimalus finds a way to keep a relatively cool head and work their way through it.

Whenever Chimalus' lingering trauma pops up from their dark past, Nadia and Portia are always right there to help them through it.

Portia loves "dragging" Nadia and Chimalus off on adventures. Not that Chimalus or Nadia complain.

Book buddies!

The three of them basically have their own book club. They always meet up as soon as they're done reading the current book and chat about it over snacks (and usually tea and/or wine).

They all bond over animals, too! Between the palace horses, Chandra, Pepi, and Chimalus' familiar Skye the bluebird, they have quite a few critter friends to fawn over together.

Songs that remind me of them: "More With You" by MALINDA, "Running With the Wolves" from Wolfwalkers, "To the Ends of the Earth" by Natewantstobattle.

[missionkitty]

[Image ID: two digital sketches of the original poster's original characters, julian and robin. the first is of julian, a muscular, heavy-built man looking at a cookbook while he holds a pie, carrying it to the oven to bake. he has short, messy hair and a short-trimmed beard and is wearing an apron over a slightly-unbuttoned henley shirt. the second is of julian and robin together sitting in movie theater seats in two different instances. the top is of them looking horrified and scared as they look up at a screen. robin, a smaller, petite woman with a pixie cut is clinging and gripping julian's large bicep and curled in toward him while julian grips the other armrest and is leaned into robin similarly. the bottom is of them wearing different clothes, still leaned into each other, robin clinging to and leaning on julian's arm while he rests his hand on her leg and looks lovingly at robin while she looks contently at the screen in front of them. /End ID]

some sketches from the other night, had some friends (much to my surprise) request a bunch of robin and julian shenanigans when i asked for some sketch requests to unclog my motivation to draw

ended up getting some fun and cute requests of my best boy and best girl :)

[sonic-polis]

New sketch dump! I'm gonna be posting all of my art over the next week

In order:

A redesign of O'Nux/Anti-Knuckles from the Archie comics to make him more distinct from Knuckles

My OC Copper, Silver's little brother who got separated from him

Shadilvamy, using a pose from an OT3 drawing meme

Sonic in a strawberry swimsuit

A new redesign of Jet

My OC Julian wearing Asra's masquerade gown from The Arcana

My OC Spectrum, a Shadow android who developed free will and went rogue. His stripes are rgb

First sketch of my newer Silver redesign

Shadow

An attempt at drawing Blaze with her hair down, but she ended up not really feeling like Blaze to me

[sunflowercider]

As penitence for making everyone sad about a hypothetical tragic ending for TGED, here's my entire Pacrim AU that I sketched out for funsies but don't think I'll actually write out the whole thing 💖

Javier was rescued by Arcos back when he briefly piloted the early single-pilot jaegers. Arcos quickly retired as a pilot and worked as an exec, but Javier followed him and became a young protege. Not directly raised or trained by Arcos, but certainly under his wing. Javier is now a genius pilot… mostly. He could pilot the single jaegers like a dream if they were viable, but he only mildly gets along with other pilots. He can drift fine with most people, but never the enough to really make him the top pick. (mirrors him being stuck on the Asrahan Core Technique when lloyd and he first meet.) Tends to be self-sacrificing.

Suho - His family lost their home years ago to kaiju, and they never really recovered financially. Then he lost them to another attack two years ago. Not even to the kaiju itself - [somehow related to being poor - Neglect in rescue efforts? Worse Kaiju panic rooms in the slums?] Poor people are still poor people in pacrim, and he needed cash to live. He joined the wall-making half the time, and the jaeger program basic training program to get him access to more lucrative construction tasks at a Shatterdome. His talent for strategy and adaptability is noted by the program, but isn’t exemplary enough to catch anyone's attention. Suho isn’t planning on selling himself as a pilot anyways. He’d like to live please.

During a college break, the System (for organizing the database of jaeger prospects) mixes up Suho and the now dead Lloyd, and Suho is sent to the Frontera city for mandatory training. Suho is not pleased being yanked around but resolves to find work in Frontera until he can get back to Seoul.

Javier is once again being tested to find a good partner, and Suho ends up on the list. They don’t get along at first, but… they work surprisingly well together in the training grounds. Suho did not think he’d be compatible with the mildly famous prodigy, and is a little panicked at maybe being chosen to pilot. Him deciding that “defeating all the kaiju is definitely the way to finally get a peaceful life” is a very funny idea to me lol. Over the course of a month, they end up working together, both of them opening up; javier looking past suho’s survival mechanisms to see a good man, and suho seeing that javier has a fun personality under all the ice.

Arcos is an exec, more managerial guy. Strategy Room is Sir Bayern. Julian is in school in Seoul and not seen much this fic. OG!Lloyd is dead even without the body swapping, whoops, sorry. “Queen” Alicia is a famous pilot in Korea (seoul might be too far west for pacrim?) with her partner “Knight” Kyle (who will accidentally get brain-touched by a kaiju, go mad, and then try to kill Alicia).

[meluisart]

Small pencil style sketch of Marie Lairre that I started in a hotel room a bit ago, and didn't really get the chance of finishing until now. Always listen to Julian Simpson's Mythos when I travel - subconscious tradition of mine, so naturally, I might end up drawing my favourite ghostie.

[commonguttersnipe]

Fanfic request:

Monty Python time travel AU where the Pythons accidentally time travel to the future from the 1960s/1970s BUT, instead hearing about the young Six Idiots fans talking about how the Six Idiots are "this generation's Monty Python", they INSTEAD hear about some young Monty Python fans (who are called Georgie and Shreyan respectively, and who are totally not based on us hehehe.......yeah) talking about the new (in universe of the fanfic ofc) biopic that's currently filming that day (in the present day), which is coincidentally also the day that the OG/Young Pythons end up on (in the present day). Btw uhh, the cast for fictional 2nd biopic is based on your fancast from a few months ago, which is this:

Also also, the fictional 2nd biopic is being directed by a somewhat annoyingly ambitious but with somewhat good intentions (if a little extreme in portraying said intentions) director who has Ollie Plimsolls-like vibes + who's a massive Python fanboy, or as he calls himself a "Pythonist" (who's funnily enough also played by Reece Shearsmith, idk it kinda fits imo) called uhh "Smithee J. Allense" but who was technically nearly nominated for a BAFTA for his avante garde surreal comedy drama short film about fish people. Nearly.

The Pythons (except John who's a bit salty about hearing the new biopic) are at first surprised about hearing that there's a new biopic about them but then quickly get interested in the concept (though the OG Young Pythons aren't aware of/don't know about the previous biopic "Holy Flying Circus" (2011), which becomes a sorta running gag in the fanfic for comedic effect as other people try telling them that but they get cut off from explaining further or one of the Pythons ignores them just as they were explaining HFC to them).

The catch is that, in order to not bring too much attention to themselves and causing massive hysteria or something, the fans Georgie and Shreyan help the Pythons get into disguise as "regular people"-looking Agents with "regular people"-sounding names/alias of the modern day Old Pythons in the present day, so that the film crew of the biopic knows that they're kinda important but not too much, and that (the Pythons in disguise that is) they're there to check on how filming is going and all that jazz.

So the Pythons in disguise are:

Graham - becomes "Tommy"

John - becomes "Julian"

Eric - becomes "Derek"

Jonesy - becomes "Russell"

Terry - becomes "Jerry"

Michael - becomes "Mickey"

So the gang (in disguise) go to where the biopic is currently filming rn, which is being filmed at the BBC unsurprisingly. In fact, the scene they're currently filming is a studio set reconstruction of when the Pythons met up at and started throwing ideas at each other for their future sketch show MPFC at the Indian restaurant (which was called the "Light of Kashmir Tandoori" restaurant) in 1969.

The Pythons (in disguise) are at first nervous in case they might get caught in the act, but they thankfully easily evade getting exposed by using the fake ID cards that Georgie and Shreyan made for them back at their house (just incase).

After Smithee excitedly greets them (not knowing that they're actually fr the real Pythons, albeit the Young versions), the Pythons as the Agents of the Old Pythons get to see/watch what the scene where the Pythons (played by the biopic actors, or as John-as-Julian sarcastically calls them "the Sexified Pythons", since well...they're played by sexy actors, although Eric-as-Derek does really appreciate that he's played by Dan Stevens) meet for the first-but-not-really-first-more-like-a-proper-second-introduction-of-the-whole-troupe-but-it's-called-the-first-for-the-sake-of-plot-of-the-biopic time, the Pythons politely step in/interrupt to add their thoughts on it so far.

Whilst some of the Pythons-in-disguise, like Eric, Terry & Michael, appreciate what the actors are bringing to the table (not literally ofc) in terms of the actors acting as the Pythons, the others, like Jonesy and Graham (though Graham does like some aspects of Taron's energy to the role) (and deffo not John, though John tries to deny it but the others doubt that) feel that the performance is sorta lacking in a way, and that they need to really get into the spirit of each respective Python. So to help, each of the Pythons go with each biopic actor and help them REALLY REALLY get into the spirit of themselves, (like for example, Graham helping Taron get Gray's character, Jonesy helping Tom, John begrudgingly helping Henry though overtime John does take a liking to Henry, etc) to which we do get to see these side plots unfold as they are. Also the other Pythons jokingly tease John that Henry Shields looks so much like him that he might as well be his long lost son lol 😆.

After that happens, they'll all ready to go and get the scene done proper. And everyone had a clap, even the Pythons. Then, as everyone's having a bit of a celebration, Michael goes to where the lunch/breakroom is, in which Young Michael bumps into Old Michael, who's just so happen to be there as he supposed to record his lines for the biopic as "The Narrator". Young Michael is a bit shocked when he sees Old Michael but tries to act normal as "Mickey" but doesn't mention that's he's Old Michael's agent so that he'll try not to blow his cover (btw young Mike is wearing a fake mustache w/glasses). He and Old Michael have a lovely chat together.

Then, suddenly, Young Michael accidentally rubs off his fake mustache due to there being biscuit crumbs on there. Old Michael is shocked from this, and so faints and falls to the ground. Young Michael is shocked and nervous. He calls the others and tells them hurriedly that old Michael has fainted. An ambulance is called. Young Michael feels really guilty about this. To be continued.....

Any thoughts?? I wanna know what your favourite part is!!!

Thanks!!!

This needs to be a film, holy flying circus!!

It’s like a mix of all our ideas!!

We need to write this!!

[hereiamwithtuberculosis]

I know that the comic looks 💎pathetic💅, but I'm too lazy to draw plus sore joints. I just wanted to set up one of my OC, Desiree, with Julian.

(Initially, Desiree had shorter hair, but I decided to lengthen it in the end. In the initial sketches, the guy's hair is even shorter)

[havenbsinclair]

Below the cut is a description of the night, the party, and basically how it all played out. There are spoilers, as well as a link to the full solution/scenario I used for the inspo of Haven's party, so please read with caution. (There will be a note at the beginning of the paragraph that starts to reveal the answers.)

Note: The characters tagged in this post were not the only people invited to the party. These are just simply the characters of the people that reacted to my post on the discord, which is what I based this summary off of. If you are not someone tagged below and you wanted your character to be there, we'll say they were one of the non-role-playing detectives as listed on the instruction sheet that I used.

In true Haven fashion, the guests arrived at Haven’s house close to 6PM - with the exception of the few that came early to help set up - and where probably not surprised to see the decorations that filled her house. Sure, she could blame the fact that she had an eleven year old at home who was just as obsessed with spooky things as his mother, but, in all honesty most of this was for her party guests. Decorations filled the kitchen and living room mostly, but she’d tried hard not to take away from the snacks and drinks - especially the margarita bar she had placed strategically in the kitchen. It was a lot of work,  but Haven enjoyed this type of thing. 

[This is where I start talking about the party so if you don’t want things spoiled for you, please don’t read ahead.] 

ROUND ONE

As the guests began to arrive and Haven had given them the opportunity to enjoy some treats, she handed out name tags to each guest - all which were selected at random - and instructed they’d be on teams seeing as how there were only 6 suspects and more than that attending her party. Along with the name tags, guests were handed character dossier’s - which they were instructed to remain closed until further told to read -  as well as some business cards with the character’s description on them. The groups went as followed: 

Penelope Ruiz, Orion Blakely, and Ann-Marie Siegert were working together as Dr. Chelsea Barren; the neighbor. @nelxruiz @orionxblakely @ann-marieseigert

Genevieve Hernandez, Stevie Wagner and Apollo Williams were working together as Kathryn Lawless; the friend. @genhernandez @steviexwagner @counselorapollo

Summer Cassidy, River Jackson, and Ali Webster were working together as Enrique Graves; The Farmhand. @summercassidy @riverxjackson @alitwebster

Beyza Senkan and Aindreis Blythe were working together as Michael Nightshade; the land developer. @beyzaxsenkan @aindreisblythe

Julian Heywood, Brady Levitt, and Amerie Chen were working together as Norman D’Adly; the brother in law. @julianxheywood @ameriechen @bradylevitt

And the last group to be assembled was Amayah Fontenelle and Nora Sinclair who were working together as Vicki D’Adly; the sister. @amayahxfontenelle @norasinclair

Once all groups were formed, groups were instructed to flip to their character dossiers (pages 29, 36, 43, 50, 57 & 64) and read only the scenario and who you are sections aloud. You all took turns doing so, starting with Chelsea and ending with Vicki. It is revealed with Michael’s info that a map has been sketched out, and now everyone knows the general layout of the property. To complete Round One, Haven read the scenario aloud, before giving further instructions. “One year ago, Robert Killingsworth bought the farm. Six months later, he was dead - leaving his widow Elizabeth to tend to their fledgling vineyard and winery on the outskirts of California’s wine country. With mounting debts and no idea how to run a  business, Elizabeth is desperate to sell the farm and recoup her losses. The fierce drought and shaky economy, however, have left Killingsworth Farm on the market for far too long. One early autumn day, six people passed through the gates of Killingsworth Farm to see Elizabeth.. One of them, a cold-blooded Killer.” 

Round Two

Once the pages were turned, you all were instructed to read the section titled “The Scenario” aloud, in the same order as before. It is at this time that guests were allowed to begin questioning each other, and Haven suggested that you all take notes so that you could help yourselves figure out who committed the crime. It was revealed when Norman announced they had gone into the bedroom in search of Elizabeth, they found a shrine of Elizabeth’s late husband, and one article caught their attention, revealing the newspaper article that revealed the cash reward which rose the question: who would need enough money to find out the answer, or come forward? Some questions were asked, while everyone made notes and Enrique’s team was challenged by Chelsea’s team when it was revealed that she’d seen him there a lot but he wasn’t checking anything out. Enrique’s team revealed that they were getting Kathryn’s help with homework, and that’s why they were there so much recently. 

Round Three

Haven instructed you all to turn the page and begin reading “The Scenario” aloud, just as before. Questions continue to arise after all things have been read. Michael’s team asked Enrique’s team who the woman was that joined him in the cellar, but it is later understood that it is Chelsea, and that the two were sleeping together. Though, that doesn’t stop Chelsea’s team from noticing that Enrique’s team helped the D’Adly’s with their luggage and noticed the boxes, causing Vicki to reveal that they are staying in their RV and sold their house because of Norman’s debts. It is not revealed that Enrique has a hand written note from Kathryn by a Samuel Friedmont. 

Round Four 

Now onto the fourth round of the game, Haven instructs that you follow the same instructions as before, and to really start to pay attention to what is being told because you are that much closer to finding the answer to the murder. It is revealed during this round that Chelsea saw Vicki head to the wine vault, Enrique was heading to the wine vault with Michael at 5:30PM, Kathryn found a note next to Elizabeth’s body, and Michael revealed he was drinking with Elizabeth when the lights went out in the wine vault. Finally, Norman overheard Michael call Kathryn ‘Aunt Kathryn’ and saw them together in the car, which had Norman’s team questioning it, where he revealed that Kathryn told him to hold onto sleeping pills, and revealed that if Elizabeth wouldn’t sell him the farm, he was to use it. Vicki was caught guard a little when her conversation with Kathryn resulted in a sly grin, and Kathryn’s team had to reveal that she had quit her job at the library that day to pursue Hollywood. 

Round Five 

With the guests in full sleuth mode, things keep progressing quickly. It is revealed in this round that Chelsea’s team had showed the paper that Enrique lost to Elizabeth. Enrique’s team revealed that the day that Robert was killed, Chelsea had had lunch with him and begged him to see her the next day; Robert used the term ‘over my dead body’ would she be allowed on his property again. Kathryn notices that one of the candlesticks in Elizabeth’s study is identical to one that Enrique gifted her months ago. Michael revealed that the handwriting on the bottom of the Samuel Friedmont note from the library is the same as the handwriting on Elizabeth’s suicide note. Norman reveals that he heard Elizabeth and Dr. Chelsea arguing earlier in the day about Robert’s killer, but Elizabeth wanted no part of it, and lastly, Vicki reveals that she saw the empty bottle of sleeping pills next to a corkscrew with the engraving To Elizabeth, I will always love you. Cheers to a new life together.” Questions begin flying as the teams began to figure out who did it, as more and more things are revealed. Once ready, the group opened up to pages 34-69 of their character dossier’s to reveal the answer to the murder. 

Round Six (The Conclusion)

The code words were assigned to each group and one person from each group read allowed the confession statements in order: Kathryn (Mystery), Michael (Mayhem), Chelsea (Murder), Enrique (Malice), Vicki (Mastermind), Norman (Madness). 

Kathryn started off by stating that she was innocent, and that only people that had been in the Rose Garden that afternoon could have access to the murder weapon (a corkscrew which was gifted to Elizabeth by Norman. 

Michael confessed that he was in the Rose Garden, but that he did not pick up the corkscrew, and that his mind was elsewhere because his aunt Kathryn wasn’t the best friend to Elizabeth that she made everyone believe. He stated that Kathryn was trying to inherit the farm through Elizabeth’s death, and that he was no part of the picture anymore; though he did try to kill her, but someone else got to her first. 

Chelsea revealed that she’d been sleeping with Enrique for inside information on Robert’s killer as the two of them (Chelsea and Robert) were having an affair. She struck gold to who really killed Robert - she thought it had been Elizabeth for the life insurance all along - but Elizabeth was having no part of figuring out who it was. 

Enrique revealed that he was the one that killed Robert with a candlestick blow to the head when he tried to have Enrique arrested after his past with drugs came back to surface. He was unconscious at the time of Elizabeth’s death and said ‘his word’ says he wasn’t the one that killed her. The group didn’t hesitate to give him side eyes though (they still aren’t convinced that he’s telling the truth)

Vicki revealed that she had the motive to kill her sister as she was trying to get money to move to Hollywood, and she was tired of being married; she also mentioned that her husband Norman wanted to be part of Elizabeth’s life again. She says she didn’t do it though, that she realized it would be easier to divorce Norman first, and that she’s certain Chelsea was spying on her and can vouch that she is innocent. 

Norman revealed that he saw Enrique and Vicki kissing from the Rose Garden and was so enraged he acted on it; so he flipped on the electricity, shocking Enrique and causing the lights to go out. Because of this, when he picked up the corkscrew moments prior, he used it as the murder weapon, only to realize when everyone was gathered in the Farmhouse that his eyes had deceived him, and that when he thought he had killed his wife in rage, he’d actually killed Elizabeth, his wife’s sister and the only woman he’s ever loved. I guess practically marrying wife’s twin doesn’t pay off after all, does it Norman?

With the reveal, which had been mentioned as the potential outcome by Enrique’s team, the party ended with drinks, snacks and talking. It was overall a great night, and Haven’s already talking about how she can host an even better party next year. 

Teams, who ‘figured out the answer’ and anything that required a selection was done so via random wheel. I did not personally select anything myself. 

[stariisoda]

[Lucio Morgasson Swap!AU Design Concept]

It's the man himself, Lucio! I came up with a more fleshed out design for him (I'm not the best with outfit designs but I'm trying)

My last post was on this Swap AU idea I had where Lucio is a fugitive doctor ex-merc on the run and Julian is the murdered count.

Lucio is now a doctor, due to the loss of his left arm he cannot fight as well as he used to (he can obviously still defend himself) . He typically wears a red cape over his left should like this (below) since he's a bit bitter and insecure about his arm. (It would be solid color, I just sketched it over top to demonstrate)

I found this cool hip bag while looking for inspiration, so he has a leather bag that contains all his supplies. He still has boots, but they just aren't full on heels (can't really run in those lol) And then he of course has his shoulder cover (I basically took it from his Upright ending in game)

I'll make a colored variant later, I just really wanted to share Luci's design XD

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Having access to them would ease this poor searchers mind 😄 I would love knowing how to find them! Its sucks that the post was taken down though 🫤 so sensitive nowadays

The Arcana HCs: How the M6 found some cool art

~ no comments on the second half of that ask, but here you go anon friend XD (this accidentally turned into a whole fic, so clear directions will be at the end) ~

It started with Portia

There's this book series that she's been a fan of for a long time, and rumor had it that if you went to a certain part of the town square at a certain time of day, the store that sold the books would be displaying sketches that the author had made

Unfortunately, Portia wasn't able to go. She was out of town doing important ambassador business and missed the window to view it

So she spent the next five hours ranting about it to her brother as soon as she was finished unpacking and he dropped by for tea

"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Julian, "but it's just art. Couldn't they show it again?"

"Ugh, I wish. But they said it was an exclusive event, and now some of the people that went keep referencing it and acting like they know more than everyone else, and you know I hate missing out!"

"Understood," said Julian, and he drained his teacup and backed out of the cottage before Portia could keep ranting

Several weeks later, Julian, Asra, Nadia, Muriel, Portia, and Lucio were all gathered at the magic shop. MC was out of town for a while, so they all crowded into their apartment to miss them better

Asra was lounging on the windowsill knitting, Muriel was skulking in the corner next to them, Nadia was reading her messages, Julian was listening to Portia's continued ranting, and they were all ignoring Lucio

"Let me get this straight," Julian began, tired of Portia's yelling

" - you're not." Asra interrupted, lazily stretching as they counted stitches

Julian rubbed at his face and continued. "If you want the art so bad, why don't you just take it?"

"Absolutely not." Nadia somehow managed to issue commands without even looking up from her phone.

"Why does Noddy have a phone?" Lucio asked. Nobody answered him

"Ugh, but I want to see it so bad!" Portia grumbled, letting her head fall into her arms with a thump.

"What was the name of the book series again?" Asra asked, ignoring the warning glare Julian shot their way as Portia geared up for another impassioned speech.

"Lonely Hot People Near You," she said, "but we just call it LHPNY."

"Oh." Nadia said, but it was the kind of "oh" that sounded more intrigued than understanding. "It looks like you might be able to see them after all."

Portia gasped. "Really?"

"Yes, but you'll need a friend."

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" Julian's arm went up theatrically as he geared up to make his own impassioned speech. "It is every older brother's duty to make his younger sister happy -"

"Okay, but how?" Portia interrupted. "I thought you said not to do anything ... iffy."

"One of the bookstore employees made a post explaining how." Nadia held up her phone and the siblings leaned in. Over by the window, Asra was pulling up the link she'd sent them to show Muriel as well.

"You'll have to use their app."

"What's an app??" Lucio asked, but nobody answered him

"I don't want to have an account with them, though," Julian said. "I prefer academic journals."

"Neither of you has to make an account. Just give them your email. You can delete the app and unsubscribe later if you want to."

"Ohhh." The Devorak siblings nodded and pulled out their phones. Even Muriel looked intrigued at this point.

"Why does everyone have emails?!?" Lucio shrieked, as real-life technology became more involved in a plot set in a fantasy world. Nobody answered him.

"Now what?" Portia asked excitedly.

"Now one of you has to look up 'book club'," said Nadia, "and the other one of you has to sit on the page labeled 'streams' and wait."

"I'll look it up!" Portia crowed.

"I'll wait." Julian sighed.

Nadia nodded and continued. "Portia, have you found the selection you're looking for? Go ahead and pull it up. Hit 'stream' instead of 'play'."

"What happens if I hit 'play'?"

"You'll find a paywall that you'd have to pay about 27 USD to get enough points to unlock."

"For all of it?"

"For the first section. And it would only stay unlocked for one playthrough - if you wanted to see it again, you'd have to pay again." Nadia gave the window an inscrutable look

"What's USD???" Lucio begged, but nobody answered him.

"Got it." Portia stuck her tongue out in concentration, Asra coming to lean over her shoulder and get a peek at her screen.

"Pasha!" Julian looked scandalized. "Hotcatlady69? Really??"

"Join her stream," Nadia said unfazed. "Now that you have an audience, Portia, you should be able to unlock it all without paying anything."

Portia shrieked with delight as she tapped through the artwork on her screen. "These are so cool! Should I save them for later?"

"That's none of my business." Nadia sat back in her chair and coolly returned to her messages. She looked up from her phone again a few minutes later when Portia let out a disappointed sigh

"It's already done, and there were only twelve slides. I heard there were more."

Asra plucked her phone out of her hand and scrutinized the display, smirk tugging at their lips. "It's got multiple parts. Do it again."

Portia gasped and snatched it back. "Yes! Ilya, don't sign off."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Julian sighed and sat back, happy to see his sister appeased for the first time in weeks. "Have at it."

"Oh, that one looks like Muriel," Asra commented from where they were leaning over Portia's shoulder, "send it to me."

"I'll put it in the group chat when I'm done."

Nadia sighed and sent them a mildly disapproving glance. "I didn't hear that."

"Whatever happened to 'be gay, do crime' Nadi?" Asra chuckled as Portia finished her second round of artwork

Nadia raised an eyebrow with a small smile and didn't answer.

"There's only two parts!" Portia wailed, ending her stream and leaning back with a huff.

"Are you done?" Julian asked, long fingers wrapping around his phone and tapping at his cracked screen. "I'm deleting the app, then, I need more room for my theatre recordings."

"There'll be more, see?" Asra pointed at the part on Portia's screen that said "ongoing".

"I guess I can wait," Portia sighed, tapping over to her messages and typing away.

Lucio reached into his pocket, where something was beginning to chime, and shrieked when he pulled out a phone of his own. "WHY DO I HAVE ONE OF THESE TOO?!?" he cried, on the verge of a mental breakdown. Nobody answered him

"Why is he in the group chat?" Muriel grumbled

"I don't know," Julian sighed, "he just is. Oh-ho, this one looks like me."

A few days later, Nadia would overhear Valerius grumbling over Lucio's risk-taking habits when he runs across the town square, scattering the art as he goes after Asra dared him to.

"That Fool," she chuckled.

QUICK INSTRUCTIONS:

open the app

you won't need to make an account, just put in your email and give yourself a username and skip the rest

select "the arcana book club" and hit stream

get a friend to hop onto the stream (technically, your stream needs an audience. you only need one viewer)

it'll all show up on your screen when you vote on "unlock"/"continue"

there's multiple parts, so if you choose to replay it you might see more

there may be more parts added in the future

do with that information what you will, your decisions are yours to make

[amplifyme]

These episodes were magnificent. Wow, wow, wow.

Chimes At Midnight: 

Diana escaping and getting out of dodge (and shoving the driver aside and having to think in the tollbooth-- you’re right, she is chatty once she’s not so locked in her head) but having to surrender was an grippingly incredible segment. Vincent’s dreams and describing Diana to Father (did he have a brief “is this a rebound???” fear on his face or was that just me? It was probably just me XDD)-- her incredible mind, her uniqueness, that she truly understands… oh BOY am I liking where this is going. (Loosely quoted) “She won’t betray Catherine’s memory” is the best setup to a second romance. Also, Father waiting for Vincent to come to him instead of going to Vincent constantly is character growth, I think; and his advice is more understanding and careful and empathetic… more hopeful, really. Gabriel having Diana brought to Vincent’s son’s room is a powerfully manipulative move (and very reminiscent of Cookie in Nan’s AWTN entrusting her with Vincent’s baby No. 2) “There’s nothing unusual there.” “I don’t think he looks anything like you.” “Precisely.” Gabriel always one step ahead, getting an intelligent woman to come exactly to his point while thinking she’s skirting another one. Magnificent writing. THE BABY’S DYING???????????????? (VINCENT’S DREAM.) Gabriel wanting Vincent to save his son is a fascinating dynamic. Diana noticing his shoes (correction: floor tile), hmm. The Helpers and Father and Diana and the pipes (and Father hopes she’s a friend.) Vincent struggling over the news about his son and realizing the truth about their connection and the visions. Diana struggling because they both know Gabriel will kill Vincent and Vincent is willing if it will save his son. Diana talking about the future instead of letting Vincent wrap everything up in a thank you, and him promising to come to her when it’s all done. “Be careful” and letting him go without a fuss (WHAT A STEP UP FROM CATHERINE.) Darted and chained and caged… juuuuuuuuuuust like that episode from S1. Diana sketching Gabriel’s shoe (correction: floor tile) at the booth until she gets an idea and starts to track him. Gabriel just watching Vincent struggle-- transfusion won’t work (iiiiiiiiiiiiiiinteresting.) “Prove him wrong.” (There are just some things you can’t win, that you are incapable of winning, no matter how hard you want to, Gabriel.) Vincent talking to Gabriel through the cameras. “He is beautiful” look at that baby! That is a baby that gets it. (Also, perfect baby casting.) An aside: Vincent’s empathy is mentioned as starting to return, ooooooooooooh. 

Invictus: 

Favorite episode. Hands down. Diana calling Joe. Gabriel taunting Vincent with “Julian”, talking about generations and writing their names (Snow theme coming back) in blood. Standoff in Vincent’s cell and the baby crying more at being separated. The waking nightmares and Gabriel observing Vincent and asking if he sleeps. No transfusion, Gabriel disappointed in his doctor, the baby getting stronger. Bet Gabriel is going to keep Vincent around as the baby touchstone for the rest of Vincent’s life. Buster going straight for Gabriel’s throat. Gabriel throwing out the ring as yet another life on Vincent’s hands (and he can’t verify with a bond so doubly mind-twisting.) Father and his taxi driver posse coming to grab Diana off the street, giving her the backstory, recruiting her to help, Father is going to give Diana Cathy’s gun, FATHER IS GOING TO GIVE DIANA CATHY’S GUN, FATHER IS GOING TO GIVE DIANA CATHY’S GUN, I KNOW WHERE THIS GOES. JAMIE! Full circle from The Outsiders to now amazing. Gabriel and Vincent’s conversation through the cameras. “‘Death shall have no dominion’…. She knew it, even at the end.” Joe loses Diana twice and he’s not happy. HERE COMES FATHER (in his tux.) Floor tile and not shoes, got it (going to correct the above.) Father just wheeling out the Catherine trump card because it will always work. “We could have been great friends. Fire.” WELP, Vincent didn’t flinch; and I shouldn’t be laughing at Gabriel’s antics but they’re clinically theatrical rather than theatrically dramatic (Paracelsus) and I really, really like his style. “Kingdom of shadows”, “It’s our kingdom, remember.” The irony, of course, is that Vincent embodies the aspects of humanity that are worth living for while Gabriel represents a willful desire to toss away those aspects and embrace what he thinks are primal, animalistic. The greater irony, of course, is that Gabriel can’t win on either ground: he can’t beat Vincent on either level because he is deficient of the qualities that make him anything other than a bad man. Ah yes, bringing back the introduction to Gabriel at that other funeral: boys watching their fathers die-- but not pulling the trigger, hoping Vincent will do it himself (Paracelsus but hands off.) Watching through this and jotting my notes down, I am amazed at how many turns Gabriel takes-- I can’t predict him. “He’s going to kill himself”, “No, he won’t die. Death has no meaning for him.” “The only thing he’s afraid of is himself” and “Don’t.” Gabriel seeking control by destroying the qualities Vincent has that are superior to his. Ouroboros, eyyyyyyyy. The ring and veritas and ouroboros, cool stuff. Gabriel’s men tracking Diana through Joe and Joe being led straight to the museum by the posse Below. Diana set up a trap knowing the police were compromised and Joe would have been toast otherwise. Joe just lets the dinosaur thing go (letting Diana have her mysteries now that he trusts her again.) Gabriel switching the tapes from blood, murder, and death to the baby-- “I know how to be merciful.” Gabriel trying to grandstand on “I owe you a life” then twisting the discussion around on the baby’s beauty and leading right up to Catherine’s death. “I’m sorry about Catherine.” WHAT GAME YA PLAYIN’, GABRIEL. “We all make mistakes.” Setting up the doctor’s death, of course-- “Life for a life.” The Paracelsus games are back; but Vincent already lost “everything” but still has something to gain. Also, Gabriel’s demonic face is… incredible work.  

“No.” And Gabriel’s stumped expression. And the doctor died anyway: “I always pay my debts.” Wanting Vincent to kill off the doctor for him-- a life for a life-- is just the mark of how little lack of… anything he has. A life for a life should be on the other person’s terms, not his own. Excellently written. Gabriel becoming obsessed with Vincent while Diana saves Joe’s backside AGAIN is a great back and forth dynamic. “Which of you is the captive here?” (Vincent knowing Gabriel’s name and Gabriel knowing Vincent’s and that ouroboros Gabriel is trying to connect the two of them with, interesting.) Pope just LEFT, done (great speech he missed out on, though. But words are only so useful when you have the time to luxuriate over them.) Father and Diana making battle plans, I love this so much. The police moving in and Diana moving Below (and the practicality of Father warning about rust dust.) Gabriel antsy because his words have lost power and Vincent calls him on it and Gabriel doesn’t like it. Gabriel calling upon destiny to justify his actions and connections and “prove” his likeness to Vincent, and Vincent disproving the destiny Gabriel foists upon him because of the bond Gabriel can’t break no matter how many words or theories he spins. Gabriel talking to anyone who will listen because he has begun losing people who will. “I believe in the power of love….” Nurse leaving so she doesn’t have to see the baby’s death and Gabriel STILL takes me by surprise. Hurry up, Diana. HERE is the one thing that is the same for Gabriel and Vincent: “Perfection must be cherished”-- that pedestalized effect, except Gabriel wants to pin his butterflies in a preservation glass while Vincent wants to watch them float freely, happily around him. KILL HIM DIANA. DO IT, DIANA. NAN SAID YOU DID. DO IT. VINCENT’S FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. YES! DIANA ROBBED GABRIEL FROM THE SATISFACTION OF DEATH ON “HIS” TERMS. YES. YES. YES. (*Ahem*-- ot a bit excited there.) “Your child is crying” and “what kind of a father” all perfectly culminate here, the setup and payoff-- perfection. Diana keeping Vincent grounded by talking so Buster doesn’t pop out is also perfection (even more so because I know she’s going to be an avenging angel.) “Father’s waiting”, perfection, too. Gabriel taunting Diana by using her name to gloat with some false sense of victory on his part; and Diana deciding to "lose" this battle with morality/ethics to win the war. “Not this time, Gabriel. This is Catherine Chandler’s gun.” Perfection. Father waiting and Vincent coming back from exile and Father meeting the baby (who continues to be adorable, of course), AND VINCENT’S FACE AND FATHER’S HAND AND VINCENT’S HAND AND BOTH OF THEM NOW "FULLY" FATHERS and the Naming ceremony and (of course I knew this part because of AWTN) naming him Jacob… I feel something lodged in my throat, gotta clear it a bit, *ahem*. FATHER’S FACE IS TOO HAPPY I CAN’T LOOK AT IT DIRECTLY. Catherine’s face there for a frame. PERFECTION. JUST. INCREDIBLE. 

Hands down, Invictus is the best episode by far. And there’s still two episodes left, wow. 

I gotta tell you, I giggled my way through your entire post. Just because I remember that feeling of giddiness watching these two episodes when they first aired.

Let's discuss!

Diana escaping and getting out of dodge

Girlfriend knows how to take care of herself. A damsel in distress she's not.

Vincent’s dreams and describing Diana to Father (did he have a brief “is this a rebound???” fear on his face or was that just me? It was probably just me XDD)

What I saw on his face was more like "A woman?? Oh, dear God, not another one!" 🤣🤣🤣 But by the time he and Diana are in that cab on the way to Gabe's, she's more than earned his respect. Not to compare unfairly, but it took Cathy a lot longer than that to earn it.

“She won’t betray Catherine’s memory” is the best setup to a second romance.

Isn't it, though?? I love how the writer's room made sure there was a thread running throughout the arc of Diana having great respect and reverence for what Vincent and Catherine shared.

Diana noticing his shoes (correction: floor tile)

Don't feel bad. A lot of folks couldn't figure out why she'd be looking at his shoes until she was in the phone booth sketching the pattern of the floor tile.

Diana talking about the future instead of letting Vincent wrap everything up in a thank you, and him promising to come to her when it’s all done. “Be careful” and letting him go without a fuss (WHAT A STEP UP FROM CATHERINE.)

Nothing to add to this. *chef's kiss*

transfusion won’t work (iiiiiiiiiiiiiiinteresting.)

It's already been established that Vincent's blood type is unique and any transfusion would kill him. Jacob's is the same. I love how Nan elaborated on this in AWTN 3 when Vincent is shot by Lena's husband and we find out Father has been taking blood from V every month to store for emergencies and would be doing the same for Jacob when he was old enough.

An aside: Vincent’s empathy is mentioned as starting to return, ooooooooooooh. 

I think he started to get it back when Jacob was born. It's just not fully back yet, the way he's used to it being, so he may not be recognizing the way it's manifesting itself right now - showing up at the park threshold just as Diana was attacked was not a coincidence. Somehow he knew, even if he didn't realize it.

Oh, my beloved Invictus...

Bet Gabriel is going to keep Vincent around as the baby touchstone for the rest of Vincent’s life.

I'm pretty sure that was his intent once he realized it was Vincent's bond with the child that saved his life. And in if that's the case, Gabriel would want to mold V into the kind of man he wants him to be, just as he wanted to do with the child.

Buster going straight for Gabriel’s throat.

Gonna have to disagree here. That was 100% Vincent. Truthfully, by this time in the arc, there's not a lot of Buster left, at least not in the way he was earlier set up as somehow separate from Vincent. V absolutely had Gabe's number by this point and just wants him dead.

Gabriel throwing out the ring as yet another life on Vincent’s hands (and he can’t verify with a bond so doubly mind-twisting.)

Going to disagree again here. I'm pretty sure when Gabe first tossed the ring on the floor and told him D was dead, V believed it. But I'm convinced as soon as he picked up and held that ring, he knew she was still alive. Especially in the later scene when he's rolling it between thumb and forefinger and he kind of tosses it up and catches it in his fist. Look at his face. He knows she's alive. Like I said, he's on to Gabe by now. "You're the only monster here."

Father is going to give Diana Cathy’s gun, FATHER IS GOING TO GIVE DIANA CATHY’S GUN, FATHER IS GOING TO GIVE DIANA CATHY’S GUN, I KNOW WHERE THIS GOES.

😁😁😁

The irony, of course, is that Vincent embodies the aspects of humanity that are worth living for while Gabriel represents a willful desire to toss away those aspects and embrace what he thinks are primal, animalistic. The greater irony, of course, is that Gabriel can’t win on either ground: he can’t beat Vincent on either level because he is deficient of the qualities that make him anything other than a bad man.

This is perfection. Thank you.

“No.” And Gabriel’s stumped expression. And the doctor died anyway: “I always pay my debts.” Wanting Vincent to kill off the doctor for him-- a life for a life-- is just the mark of how little lack of… anything he has.

Not gonna lie, this is another moment where I stand up and cheer for Vincent. He so badly wanted to kill the doctor, but the best part of who he is knows that he can't - not unless he's willing to become Gabe's weapon. It's just such a transformative moment for Vincent. He's finally achieved a firm grip on Buster.

KILL HIM DIANA. DO IT, DIANA. NAN SAID YOU DID. DO IT. VINCENT’S FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. YES! DIANA ROBBED GABRIEL FROM THE SATISFACTION OF DEATH ON “HIS” TERMS. YES. YES. YES. (*Ahem*-- ot a bit excited there.) “Your child is crying” and “what kind of a father” all perfectly culminate here, the setup and payoff-- perfection. Diana keeping Vincent grounded by talking so Buster doesn’t pop out is also perfection (even more so because I know she’s going to be an avenging angel.)

Again, that's not Buster in that nursery, that's Vincent. And, yes, he's killing mad. But Buster wouldn't have let a little thing like Diana yelling his name stop him. But Vincent the man would respond to her voice. Vincent the man remembers what she said to him in that alley, asking him what kind of father he wants his son to have. Another transformative moment for him.

Re: Diana killing Gabe. GRRM really, really wanted to write an ep. focusing on the ramifications of that and how it might affect her going forward. Sadly, he didn't get the chance to do it. I mean, she absolutely did the right thing for the right reasons, but she still killed an unarmed man and she has her own sense of morality to deal with there - as a human being and as a cop.

AND VINCENT’S FACE AND FATHER’S HAND AND VINCENT’S HAND AND BOTH OF THEM NOW "FULLY" FATHERS

Wasn't that a lovely moment? Vincent is just beaming!

Touching on the darkness in everyone for a moment here, i have to admit there's nothing more satisfyingly to me than those few seconds when Vincent bursts through that nursery door and just swats the hell out of Gabe, causing him to twirl around until he smacks into the door and goes down. I have (and will continue to) watch those few seconds on a loop. Never get tired of it. What does that say about me? 🤣

Oh, and can I add that I love that by the time Diana avenges Cathy's death, she looks like she's been through the spin cycle of a washing machine more than a few times? I just adore her.

The final two episodes are something of a reset. We get a hint of what the show might've become going forward. It's much quieter than the baby arc but is still important as we see Vincent begin to rebuild his life, and how and where Diana will fit into that. It's actually a two-parter. If I had to reduce it to a single theme, I would say it's very much a story of second chances - for several characters.

I look forward to seeing you through to the end. Then you can go back and do it all again, whenever you want to. Because while all stories may end, we can always read (or watch) them again. ❤️

P.S. I managed to get all 3 books of AWTN posted on AO3. So you can revisit those, too.