#btw: the mapping is from wiki

[erisgekko]

Day 8 - Passages

[shrimpswritingblog]

Hello, could you do Gaslight District mud x informant reader who gives him everything he asks for information for the smiling dead relationship headcanons

۶ৎ Mud x Informant!GN!Reader HCs

《 A/N: OOOoo!! I love this idea, I'm seriously considering writing more with this type of reader since it's so interesting and has a alotta potential for nsfw hcs mwahahaa! tyty for requesting! btw on the wiki it says he's over 7 feet like HELLOOO?? 😼😻 》

───────────── ۶ৎ ──────────────

“You always give me what I want, sweetheart. Makes me wonder what you want in return…”

───────────── ۶ৎ ──────────────

☠︎︎ Your first run-in with Mud happened in one of the grimiest corners of the Gaslight District.

☠︎︎ You were in the middle of selling dirt on a rival gang when Mud overheard, casually shot the buyer in the head, and offered you double what they were paying.

☠︎︎ What a meet-cute, amirite?

☠︎︎ At first, Mud kept you at a distance– because, y’know, this is the Gaslight District!

☠︎︎ In the early stages of your 'partnership', he’d meet you in abandoned warehouses (always with his finger on the trigger of his shotgun) and eventually, he’d let you share intel in the freezer room of the Whale Belly Butchershop (which I suppose is him bringing you to his bedroom if you think about it)

☠︎︎ I feel like he’d do something freaky, like point his gun to your head and get really close to you, looming over you with a scowl and warning glare.

☠︎︎ “Don’t take it personal, dollface. I haven’t survived 5,000 years by bein’ careless.”

☠︎︎ You’re not stupid, you knew better than to play games with the Smiling Dead.

☠︎︎ The first time you really earned his respect was when you gave him exact details on a rival gang’s rare-item shipment which led to the cleanest heist they’ve had all week!

☠︎︎ While you provide information to the whole Smiling Dead family, Mud has claimed you as his informant.

☠︎︎ Also, your network is absurd.

☠︎︎ “Oh! I know a guy who knows a girl whose aunt’s roommate’s cousin’s best friend–”

☠︎︎ You’ve got dirt on everyone.

☠︎︎ Which is a blessing and a curse when rival gangs are always breathing down your goddamn neck.

☠︎︎ You absolutely gossip with Mel like it’s your second job.

☠︎︎ Breadhead sometimes joins in, sipping from a teacup and nodding while you spill the wildest stories.

☠︎︎ “THEN, when the vows were starting, she stood up and said, 'I’m pregnant with his baby!'"

"You're lying. Y/N, tell me you're lying!”

☠︎︎ His eyes never leave yours when you share info, his feet up on a table, cigarette dangling from his grinning lips as he listens to your latest report.

☠︎︎ In the pilot, you were def one of the persons she got intel from! (and NOT the wrong info about Angel Mother) You provided pictures, maps, everything!

☠︎︎ He shares his lighter with you when you two smoke together (only after he trusts you)

☠︎︎ Mud suspects you know more than you let on–which...is true, you do!

☠︎︎ You’ve pieced together about Melancholy being human, but keep it to yourself.

☠︎︎ It’s your most valuable bargaining chip, saved for when you might truly need it.

☠︎︎ One of these days, Mud will ask you for everything, and I mean everything you know via gunpoint before he can fall deeper in love with you.

[guitar-goose]

Where is sbg set???

For the longest time, I have wanted to know where the most part of sbg is set. Idk if the location has been released before and I'm just dumb but I have never come across it in the webtoon, tumblr or red's insta, (edit i also checked the wiki and they only knew of the sorrel weed house) so I assumed it was never stated.

i never was able to try and find it until i was scrolling through tumblr and saw this picture.

Despite seeing this multiple time I had never noticed the bus route map in the corner, so I took a screenshot of it and went to google lens in hope that it was a clue to where it may be set.

To my suprise something did show up! If this is correct than sbg is set somewhere called harrisonburg, VA but to confirm i compared it to the other only real world example in the sbg universe, the sorrel weed house. (btw the sorrel weed house is real haunted house)

according to mr thomas it takes eight hours to get to the savanna (which is two minutes away from the sorrel weed house) so i grabbed google once more and compared those times on google maps.

and according to google it does take about an hour to get to the savannah so it safe to assume that sbg is set in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

(Edit: after I got few comments that sbg was actually set in alto Georgia I looked into it and oops I was wrong. sbg is set in alto Georgia.

Still it's a bit odd because between alto Georgia and savanna Georgia, there is a four hour travel time and also the bus route is set somewhere eight hours away.

Like sbglover4ever said in the comments it might be some sort of foreshadowing, otherwise this is wrong, still it was fun researching this!!)

[crystalflygeo]

Last of her kind Emperor!Alpha!Zhongli + Omega!Dragoness!Reader

cw/tags: This chapter has no smut but still contains highly suggestive themes and sexual implications. Mentions of slavery and past sexual abuse on fem!reader, A/B/O dynamics and heat mentions. fem!reader suffers with self-worth and bad memories, including past insults and abuse.

notes: After so long finally part 2!! EEEEEEEE I am so excited but also so nervous pls ;w; like if you want the first part can be read as a standalone and have a "happy ending" but now I am committed to the emotional roller coaster, A/B/O dynamics and LONG BURN PINING so yep >:3c hope this does justice to everyone's expectation tho. And hope you like it and accompany me on this tale hehe

As a lil sidenote brackets [] now indicate past actions/words and bad memories, regular italics for emphasis, inner thoughts or the little pinyin I sprinkled here (which btw is taken straight from genshin wiki so...).

<- Part 1 Part 3 ->

Being precious all of the sudden was… different.

Your hand subconsciously kept touching your bonding mark, as if to make sure it was still there, to soothe you.

After a quick meal just between Zhongli and you, consisting of some soft rice buns and delicious minced meat packaged inside a crispy pastry shell, you were then offered some new clothes. It was much more elaborate and certainly more layered than anything you’d worn before: a long skirt and flowy sleeves in a silky soft fabric, beautifully embroidered and hastily modified to make a hole for your tail to slip out. A sash keeping everything in place while accentuating your figure. You immediately loved it although it felt a little heavy and restricting.

Now, you quietly follow Zhongli as he leads you around the palace. He’s back to his former fully-human appearance, wearing an elegant attire, and everywhere you go, people bow at him and cast curious silent glances at you. It was rather unnerving.

It’s fine, you are used to being stared at, judged. You hold your tail up close for comfort.

The place is huge and you quickly get lost trying to map it out in your head, simply following along until you reach a large room with a few simple beds scattered around. Bookcases and cabinets stacked the walls, filled with all sorts of books, papers, jars and things. A pungent smell present in the air.

A green-haired man leans over a desk, glasses perched on his nose as he frantically scribbles some notes. What seems like powders and plants litter the space around him, along with a few more glass containers, incense, and a tea set with a steaming fresh cup.

“Baizhu.” Zhongli’s voice calls and you stiffen a little, hearing it again after a while of silence. It is still warm and deep but with a more reserved and regal tone like when he first met you.

The green-haired man (a Beta, you recognize) looks up and blinks in surprise, then smiles brightly and says some words you do not understand, you shuffle in place.

“Yes, this is her.” Zhongli replies. “I will ask you to speak in in common tongue so she can understand as well, I don’t want to unnecessarily unnerve her.”

Well, that is… very considerate. It eases you a little.

“Of course, your majesty.” He turns to you, his eyes were a bright amber, also with slitted pupils. Was it common in liyuens? “My name is Baizhu, the royal doctor and apothecary, pleased to meet you, empress.”

Empress?!

“E-Empress?!” You can’t help but blurt out.

“Why of courssse.” A high-pitched voice hisses and you almost jump when a white snake peaks her head from her coils at the desk, staring up at you. “You’re mated to hisss majesssty the emperor, sssso, it would be underssstood you’re now the empresssss.” Her split tongue flickers.

Baizhu chuckles. “Changsheng, be nice.”

You don’t know what to answer, mostly because you’re still reeling from the fact that you’re apparently now an empress, and because there’s a talking snake.

Liyue is weird…

“I decided to bring her here exactly because of that.” Zhongli turns to you and suddenly holds one of your hands, softly, staring at you with such affection it makes you melt. “Darling, would you let him check your bonding mark for a moment?”

You’re a little nervous, but it is not like you can refuse… right? You nod quietly.

Baizhu approaches and examines your neck and you fight the urge not to flinch or growl. No Omega likes it when a stranger is so close to such a sensitive spot. He hums and tilts his head but doesn’t touch you. “It seems it’s already healed due to her illuminated beast blood but the scar is present. I’d say the bond has been properly established, congratulations your majesty.” He smiles warmly.

A grateful bubbly feeling creeps up your chest. Properly established. So, it’s true.

You feel Zhongli’s hand squeeze yours lightly and look down at it, then back up at him. “Thank you, Baizhu. I will not keep you any longer. We still have a lot to do and I’m sure you do as well.”

Baizhu bows at him (at both of you, you realize) and then you’re on your way. Not before hearing the snake’s hissy whispers again

“A fine yin, hm…?”

--------------------------------------------

This is… your new home.

Zhongli shows you around some of the areas in what he called the “inner court” of the palace complex. Everything is so… large and open and lavish it has your head spinning, your eyes darting in every direction trying to take in all at once, walking fast on your new clothes. He guides you along the dining hall, a small temple, crosses through an enormous main hall where he explains audiences are held, and then a gorgeous outer garden that completely takes your breath away.

The wooden gilded architecture in golds and reds, the fresh wind and gentle sun. All sorts of new sounds and smells. The painted walls and high ceilings. The new plants and flowers. The chatters in a different language… everything is so distinct from the desert.

You soak in the new environment. Inhaling deeply.

It is both terrifying and exhilarating.

Finally, he guides you to another room, it looks similar to the nest room where you’d first been at, but larger. It is sparsely decorated with a large and comfy looking-bed, a desk, mirror and a small table with a couple chairs and a tea set. It smells nice enough.

You peek up at Zhongli.

“This will be your room.” He explains.

…What?

“We kept it simple for now but you are, of course, free to furnish and decorate it however you’d like. It’s close to my own room and anything you might need.”

Wait what?

Your ears lower down and you seem to deflate a little, disappointed. “H-Huh? But… I-I won’t be sleeping with you?” You ask softly.

Mated pairs sleep together, don’t they? They share living chambers and mix their scents together to symbolize their union. That’s what you’ve always been told. You are to always be near your Alpha, at his beck and call, warm up his bed and be ready to please.

Maybe things are different in Liyue? Or maybe it’s because he’s an emperor. Master didn’t tell you anything, so maybe you are just making a fool of yourself right now on your-

Zhongli clears his throat and looks at you a little surprised “I simply thought you’d be more comfortable having your own space, we… don’t really know each other very well yet, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Impose? As in order? But he’s your Alpha! “B-But I want to! Please! I-I mean… I thought that since we’re b-bonded…” You mumble shyly.

His cheeks turn a little pink, you like when that happens, he looks a lot less serious. He cups your cheek and you inhale looking up at those gorgeous golden eyes. “My dear dragoness. I don’t want you to feel forced to do anything you don’t want to. I know you were raised… differently, I cannot claim to understand your experiences, but listen to me: you are safe here.” He says the last part slowly, enunciating each word. “No one will scold you or punish you, least of all me. I want you to be free to speak and choose what you want.” He sighs. “Though I know it’ll be difficult...”

Furnish, impose, free… you don’t know any of those words.

But no punishment, to choose what you want, to be safe… it sounds surreal even.

What do you want?

His eyes soften at your nervous silence. “Let’s try this… do you really want to share my room, or would you like to stay here? I won’t be upset if you do.”

“I…” Your tail curls around you. “I want to stay with you. Sleep together. Like mates.” You mumble.

“Then it would be my honor, however, this room will stay ready if you change your mind, alright?” You glance around at the room again, and nod. “Now that that is settled, I have one last thing to do. I need to introduce you to a few very special people before I leave to-”

“Leave?!”

You didn’t mean to yelp like that.

“J-just to do my duties, I am not leaving you, I promise.” He corrects, a little taken aback. “I am sorry my dear, but as much as I’d like to spend every moment by your side right now, I have a few pressing matters to tend to. I know you’re nervous, everything is new and scary and overwhelming but I promise I’ll leave you in good hands and be back as soon as I can.”

You nod, now feeling a little embarrassed at the whole ordeal. You’d been feeling so at ease with his presence, showing you around, listening to his voice name and explain everything you saw that you’d almost forgotten. “You’re the emperor, I’m sure you’re very busy. No need to worry about me, I’ll behave, my lord.”

He frowns a little at that but says nothing, and you choose to say nothing else either.

Going back to the main hall, you immediately spot three people lined up looking at you with a mix of the already expected curiosity and excitement. One of them in particular immediately catches your attention, he’s an Alpha and you can’t help but feel a little nervous…

“Allow me to introduce you, these three are my most loyal and closest council members: Ping, Ganyu and Xiao.” Zhongli gestures at them and all three bow lightly. “Like you and I they all have the blood of xiānshòu, and you can ask them for anything should you need help or have questions. I hope you learn to trust them and feel at ease.”

You nod quietly, still a bit fixated on the other Alpha.

“Xiao, or general Alatus, is one of Liyue’s strongest, most resilient and skilled warriors. He usually keeps guard at the palace to ensure my wellbeing and now yours as well, if you ever feel danger call out his name and he’ll come.”

Ah, did they notice you were staring…?

With a gesture of his hand Xiao manifests a gorgeous Jade spear, crystalline green shards reflecting light as he taps it by his side, standing firm, you flinch in surprise. “My spear shall now serve you too, empress.” His eyes too are golden and sharp, filled with a certain rigidness and determination you can’t quite put your finger on.

“Thank you, Xiao, dismissed.”

Xiao hums quietly and promptly disappears in a burst of black and green smoke, you stand there a little startled, your hand clings to the brown fabric of Zhongli’s sleeve.

“He might be an Alpha as well, but I promise you he’ll cause you no harm.” Your alpha murmurs softly towards you.

“O-okay…” You squeak, a bit embarrassed.

“Ganyu here is one of the most reliable people in the palace, perhaps the entirety of Liyue. Everything of importance reaches her ears and passes through her eyes. She’s able to organize meetings, events, report, compile information and assist every negotiation and decision of this palace with stunning efficiency. She too will help you with anything you need and might be in charge of a little logistics regarding you settling in for the next few days.” Zhongli smiles.

The young woman with long blue hair and… horns? chuckles and blushes a little. “Your majesty, you're too kind, I merely love doing my job.” She puts her hands together and beams at you, sunset eyes bright. “I’m so honored to meet you, rest assured I’ll take care of anything you need. I hope you feel comfortable and welcome at the palace!”

That sounded like a lot. You weren’t used to people coddling you like this. You didn’t want to give anyone trouble or work. “T-that’s alright, thank you.”

“Now, Ping is probably going to spend the most time with you, she’s very knowledgeable in culture, history and the inner workings of the palace amongst other things. She has graciously offered to teach you liyuen and anything else you’d be interested in.”

Unlike the other two Ping has a certain calm aura to her, contrasting Xiao’s seriousness and Ganyu’s excited energy. You can tell she’s a gentle old soul as she approaches you with a soft wrinkled smile and graying hair.

“Don’t worry young empress, while Lord Morax here is regrettably busy with a work-packed schedule,” She gives him a playful side stare “You and I will have some fun. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” She takes your hand and pats it comfortingly. It’s kind of an awkward gesture for you, but you still welcome the warmth and good intentions.

Zhongli chuckles quietly. “In that case, I’ll leave you in her care and see you at night for dinner, alright?” He seems to hesitate for a moment but then cups your face in his hands and places a soft kiss at your forehead. The unexpected gesture has you blushing scarlet and your heart speeding up like crazy. His thumb brushes at the scales under your eyes, so affectionate in the smallest ways… “I know it’s not ideal, but it’ll be fine, yes?”

You stare at his golden eyes, the red lines, his handsome face framed with dark hair, his serene smile.

You don’t like this. You don’t want him to leave. The idea makes you uncomfortable.

But it’s not like you can say no.

You nod.

“Thank you, Ping.” Both of them exchange a glance and then he turns to the blue-haired woman still in the room. “Ganyu, if you will.”    

“Right away your majesty!” She scurries after him, talking quickly in foreign tongue while both walk away.

You stare after him for a moment longer.

“It’s a little difficult, isn’t it?”

You quickly turn back to Ping and then look down, ears folding back.

She laughs softly. “No need to be ashamed dear, it is understandable that you are unsure with all this, it’s a lot of changes for such a short time and you bond is still fresh, but let’s take it easy.”

Your hand brushes at Zhongli’s bonding mark again. “O-Okay…”

“Are you hungry? Tired? Perhaps you want to rest a little?”

You want to scurry away to your mate’s room and curl up there, that’s what you want, but…

“Um, aren’t you… going to train me?”

Ping blinks a little taken aback “Train? Oh! Teach?”

Same thing.

“Well, yes. I did offer, but only if you’re feeling up to it young empress. You can take your time, we don’t have to start right away. And like I said, take it easy, it's only your second day here.” She explains. “You won’t be absorbing any information if you are uncomfortable and jittery like this.”

“S-sorry-”

“No need to apologize at all. Now tell me, is there anything you’ve seen or heard today that you’re curious about, anything you want to do?”

What you want…

You think back a few hours earlier. The infirmary, the small temple, the grand hall, and…

“The garden.” You speak. “Can we go outside and see?”

Ping smiles brightly. “Of course! I’m sure there are a lot of things there that will catch your interest and cheer you up.”

Your tail sways a little after you as you follow the old lady along the corridors.

------------------------         

The garden is breathtaking.

More than a garden it feels like a whole different world. Bright and exciting and colorful, full of life. It reminds you of an Oasis, but just… more!

A grand pond with multicolored fishes and a couple of turtles sunbathing. Walk paths made of stone, plants everywhere you see: in trees with vibrant yellows, oranges and all shades of greens, in flowers with soft colors and small petals, in thick bushes. The light filters through the leaves and there’s the soft tweets of small birds.

“It’s… so pretty!” You exclaim happily.

“I’m glad you think so. Gardens like this are carefully cared for and preserved to impress, but they also represent beauty, abundance a sense of harmony.” Ping explains as she is now the one following after you, skipping along the path. “These trees you see are sandbearers, and that one is a ginkgo tree, you can tell the difference by the shapes of their leaves.” She points at each one and you follow with your gaze, picking a small leaf from the floor, golden and fan-shaped.

“Ooh…”

“See those smaller fishes? They’re goldfishes. The bigger ones are kois.” She gestures at the animals freely swimming around. Some of them are huge!

“What do they eat?” You blurt out.

“Well, usually algae and wheat. We can get some another day and you can feed them.”

“Really?!”

“Of course.”

“Oh! Is that a koi too? It’s so… long and pretty.”

“Ah, that one is a golden koi. Lord Morax has a few of them here. They are also called Jīnchì Jiǎlóng or ‘false dragons’ you know? For the small horns and long bodies. They do resemble your tail a little, don’t they?”

You move your tail forward and stare at it, then stare at the serpentine fish.     

“Yes, sort of… Jin chi… jia long.” You mumble.

“Here, I think you’ll like these ones. Come with me.” You eagerly follow after Ping as she rounds the pond and guides you towards a few red bushes. They’re dotted with pink round flowers. “These are silk flowers, Nícháng-huā, usually harvested to make clothes, but there are many special ornamental variants and between us both, your dear mate has a weak spot for these so he has quite the collection.” She chuckles.

“Orna…metal?”

“Ornamental, it means mostly for decoration.”

“Oh!” Suddenly you feel dumb, you’d thought for a second that was a liyuen word too. “I’m sorry… I don’t even know common tongue very well.” How could you even expect to learn liyuen?

“No worries, dear, learning a new language is a daunting task, it takes a bit of work every day. If you keep learning, using and practicing words, you’ll get there.”

You smiled softly. Ping was so… patient and supportive.

So much different from…

[You have to try harder.]

[Tch that is not good enough.]

[Are you stupid?!]

[Useless omega.]

You looked at the budding silk flowers and blinked. Once. Twice. Why was your vision blurry now? What was this feeling?

“Oh, oh young empress please don’t cry. It’s alright” Ping’s alarmed remark helps you understand. She fusses over you. “Are you ok?”

You wipe at your tears and smile, a genuine bright smile.

“I’m fine.”

And this time, you truly mean it.

----------------------------------------

After a rather fancy bath (the kind of like you used to take before being presented to Alphas, with bubbles and scented oils...) and a good dinner Zhongli and you headed over for his chambers for the night. You couldn’t help but be a little… nervous.

This is stupid. He’s your Alpha.

He’s been nothing but kind to you.

What if he wants to… d-do things?

Then you’ll do it. He’s your mate. It’s your obligation.

You were the one who chose this anyway.

Your heartbeat was loud in your ears, anxiety creeping up your chest. Were your fingers trembling? Was the room suddenly cold?

As expected, the bedroom was quite matching his style. Golds, browns and a bit of red and black here and there. Dragon imagery adorning some of the walls, a tea cabinet with a small table and shelves filled with all sorts of trinkets from precious stones and books to a beautiful fan and a tea set.

And then there was the bed.

A large canopy bed, enough to probably have your body and tail fully stretched across and still fit in the mattress, beautifully decorated and filled with fabrics and pillows.

The scent of Zhongli’s Alpha pheromones was definitely strong.

He yawns and runs a hand along his forehead, combing along his hair before pulling out the clip on it, letting his long dark locks spill free. He takes off his robe revealing his naked torso and you jolt.

It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine.           

You undress as well into your light sleeping clothes and gingerly slip into his bed, curling up around his pillows, surrounded by his scent.

His.

You are his.

It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine-

“Darling, is everything alright? Are you uncomfortable?” He asks concerned, climbing on the bed as well and reaching out to touch your arm. You squeak. “You’re… terrified, what’s wrong?” Then Zhongli’s eyes widen a little. “Oh. The scent… I completely overlooked that, my apologies. Is it too strong? Are you ok? Should have given you some things earlier for you to scent and include them here. This is no good…” He rambles a bit to himself as he sits up and crosses his arms thoughtfully.

You stare at him, anxiety still surging through your veins but now mixed in with confusion.

“Would you like to sleep in the other room we prepared for you instead?” He sighs.

“I… t-this is… you… would just let me leave?”

Zhongli tilts his head slightly, now he looks confused.

“I promised you that the room would be available-”

“So, you don’t want to mate?”

Silence.

He stares at you for a moment as you grip at the bedsheets, still tense.

His eyes widen as realization settles in.

Ah. The pink dusting in his cheeks is back.

“Y-You thought that… no! My dear, no, no, no…” He coughs into his fist awkwardly. “I apologize if I gave you the wrong idea. A-As I said before I want you to be comfortable and feel safe. No Alpha will force you to do anything you don’t want. Not even me. And you don’t have to feel forced to do things you don’t want to, either.”

You look down. Although you feel slightly more relieved.

“I want to stay here. A-and if you want to, I’ll service you, my lord. I was just… nervous, sorry.”

“I assure you there is no need for any of that.” He says softly. “Here.”

He pulls the covers and slips them over you both, lying down facing you but still keeping a little distance. You do the same, curled up face to face with him.

He’s so effortlessly handsome.

And kind.

And you like him.

But he’s still an Alpha.

“Is this alright? We’re just going to sleep, I promise.” He brushes some hair away from your face.

You nod.

“Is there… anything you want to talk about or ask me?”

You... don’t know.

You shake your head.

“Hmmm. Want to share about your day? What were you up to with Ping?” He gives you a playful smile. Suddenly he feels less like an imposing strict emperor, or like a scary Alpha. He’s just your Zhongli.

“She… showed me the garden. I wanted to see.”

“Ah, the royal garden has many fascinating sights and it’s a beautiful landscape to retreat to and ease one’s mind. I had the feeling you’d be interested.”

“There were so many beautiful things. She taught me about the silk flowers, nícháng-huā. And all the trees and fishes and birds.”

“Oh? Are these your first words in liyuen, my dear?”

You giggle. “I… suppose they are. She also showed me your turtles Jiàn and Fù and told me what their names mean, they are so cute. Oh! And we saw the liúlí bah… bai… bǎihé! I sang to them and they bloomed! It was... amazing.”

“I see. Not everyone can achieve that, I’ll admit I’m quite hopeless at singing.” He chuckles “What more did you learn?”

Feeling much more content and at ease you continue retelling all the new things you had experienced and the vocabulary you had learned including how to introduce yourself and some greetings and basic words. Talking for what felt like hours until weariness and sleep claimed you both.

Zhongli simply listened and stared at you, captivated. He seemed content as well.

It made you happy.

------------------------------------------

For the next couple of months, you established a sort of routine.

You’d wake up early alongside Zhongli, even though you didn’t need to, you simply enjoyed having some morning tea and breakfast with him. Afterwards he’d go tend to some of his official duties and you’d stay with Ping Lǎolao, learning more and more each day. By now you could even follow some basic conversation (provided the other person didn’t speak too fast) although reading and writing was still extremely difficult.

You’d expressed interest in some gardening and even headed to the kitchens to prepare some food by yourself. The maids claimed there was no need for the empress to do such ‘menial tasks’ but as an Omega you pride yourself in certain things, and cooking for your Alpha was something you’d yearned to do.

You were overjoyed when Zhongli praised your Jade parcels.

You’d always have lunch with him and some days he’d accompany you for a stroll or you’d stay at his study for some leisure time, or even at some meetings. It had been a little unnerving at first but you also knew it was important to know others and be known in the council, as well as understand Liyue outside of the palace walls. After all, you are an empress now.

At night, you slept close to him. The initial awkwardness of sleeping at opposite sides of the bed soon traded for a much cuddlier approach, often with you curled up to Zhongli’s chest or him spooning you, tails often intertwined together. The bed and the entire room now have a mix of your combined scents, like true mates.

And so, life was good…

------------------------------------------  

You’re slowly pulled out of your sleep as Zhongli stirs in the bed. You grumble a little and yawn, already missing his warmth. It was so pleasant…

“Good morning, my dear dragoness.”

“Morning…” You mumble, not opening your eyes and instead blindly reaching for his pillow to hug and cling to. “Can we stay for longer?” You whine.

“You definitely can, but I have to go.” He kisses your forehead “Rest, my dear.”

You pout but say nothing. Squeezing at the pillow and burying your face in it.

It smells so good…

------------------------------------------  

“Hmm… is it warmer today?” You wonder aloud as the maids help you up with the layers of your hanfu. The clothes still hot and heavy in contrast to what you used to wear at the desert, but today seemingly more so… the sash feels more constricting than usual. “I-I think I’d like to wear something a little lighter… if possible.”

“Of course, your majesty, no problem.”

You smile at them, grateful.

 --------------------------------------------

Sitting at Zhongli’s study room you practice some basic liyuen calligraphy while he seemingly goes over some important documents. The silence is comfortable and a warm cup of Qixing tea steams at both desks. Yet, something keeps bothering you.

You huff lightly, scratching and picking at the scales of your tail, irritated with the uncomfortable feeling. Why is it so itchy? A couple of them fall off, revealing new glossy ones underneath.

“Ah…” So that means…

You stop for a moment. The feverish feeling, scents being stronger on your nose, the urge to nest and cling to your mate.

Hmm… part of you is a little excited. And yet, there is fear.

------------------------------------------  

“You have quite the appetite today, dear. Eat slowly, the food won’t go anywhere.” Ping chuckles as you practically pick a little of every dish while still trying to keep some modicum of elegance. Chopsticks weren’t that easy after all.

“Yes… I think… I think it’s my pre-heat hormones.” You sigh before munching on a shrimp ball.

Your heat…

Your first heat with Zhongli. With any Alpha to be honest. You’d always had to endure them on your own (Master couldn’t have you get pregnant) and they were excruciating and debilitating, crying out for days with your skin burning and itching, trying to sate yourself with your fingers and humping pillows. But now… you’re happily bonded.

Would it… feel good again?

Like, that first time you two mated…

You feel your cheeks heat up.

“Excuse me?”

“Hm?”

You’re brought back to reality to see Ping staring at you seemingly a little alarmed.

“Pre-heat? Young empress, are you going into heat soon?”

“Y-yeah? Probably um, tonight…? Or tomorrow.” The onsets are always so quick, and your cycle has always been more or less stable.

The elder places her chopsticks down. “Have you told Lord Morax?”

“Um. N-No, not yet. But… m-maybe he already caught on...” You tilt your head.

…Right?

Then again even you took a couple of days to identify the signs, and now for sure you were at the brink of it. Maybe he’ll mate you tonight…

Hm… how will Zhongli react to your heat scent?

You have to do your best!

[Be a good omega.]

Ping stands up, her expression still gentle but with a sort of urgency to it, your instincts catch the feeling she’s worried about something.

“I have to inform about this, please stay here dear.”

Now you’re nervous. You nod slowly.

Why does it feel like you did something wrong…?

------------------------------------------

After that, things get… chaotic.

It’s only a while later that you find yourself at the infirmary. Ganyu and Zhongli are also there and everyone’s anxious pheromones in the air do not sit well with you (subtle as they are, your nose is hyperaware right now).

“I’m sorry the symptoms are already settled in. At this point it is simply not feasible to give her suppressants, she has to go through this heat.” Baizhu says, looking troubled.

Feasible? Suppressants? More unknown words but…

Is there something wrong with your heat?

Ganyu scurries off and Ping starts talking with Baizhu on the other side of the room. You cling to Zhongli’s robe, trying to soothe yourself with his presence but his scent is… agitated.

You whine to call out to him. You’re scared.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Zhongli pulls you close, cupping your face again, staring straight at you. “No… no my dear dragoness, of course you didn’t, it’s just…” He steels himself searching for the right words, it doesn’t ease you in the slightest. “We didn’t expect your heat so soon. I should have known, noticed… I’m sorry.”

Why is your alpha apologizing to you? That is ridiculous.

“Is it a bad thing?”

“It’s… not the right time.”

You’re so confused.

Don’t Alphas like it when Omegas are in heat? Soft, pliant, warm, needy and ready to breed.

“I just don’t want you to feel obligated to do this…” He says. “And… you could trigger my rut, you could end up pregnant. I don’t want to… scare you, or hurt you. It’s much too soon for us to share your heat. I thought we’d have more time for you to get acclimated to Liyue or…” He shakes his head. “Nevermind. For the next few days you’ll be in a separate room, yes? No one will disturb you during your heat, I promise.”

“B-But then… I… what…?”

Alone?

“Usually omegas take suppressants, like a type of medicine, to stave off their heats so they don’t have to face these risks or suffer them alone, and then when they’re ready, when they want, they choose to share heats with their partners.” He explains.

“But I want to! I… I’ll be good!”

Zhongli sighs. “Darling you are good, you are precious to me. You don’t need to prove anything or do things because they are ‘expected’ of you.”

He’s not listening!

He asks you what you want. He says you can choose. But now that you tell him, ask him, beg him even… he denies you?

How come you’re always making the wrong choice?

Was it all a lie then?

“But I- T-then- Why-… YOU’RE CONFUSING ME!!” You yell, tears stinging in your eyes.

There are a few gasps and you see not only Baizhu and Ping, but Ganyu and some of the maids staring at you in shock. You cover your mouth, eyes wide at the sudden burst of fierceness and emotion.

You yelled at him.

You talked back.

You should be punished.

He stares at you, frozen like a statue for a few moments. You stare at him, pitiful, your eyes begging. A whimper leaves you and Zhongli lets out a shuddering breath.

Oh, your Alpha wants you, you know it.

"Please..." You mumble, voice so small.

"I'm sorry my dear, it's better this way." His hand moves towards you, to cup your face again or brush at your hair you're not sure, but he stops himself before you can find out. He sighs, averting his gaze and looking conflicted, and then turns around.

This is your punishment.

"It'll be just a few days, you'll be well-cared for. This is for the best." He says sternly, voice pinched.

And then he leaves.

Your heart shatters.

Everything is a blur after that. You’re gently guided along towards an empty nest room, the same one you'd first met him at, there are some things with both your scents on it but they feel sterile, washed anew.

Your hands start trembling. Your eyes start to water. Your lips quiver. Your throat feels tight, choked and dry. Your body feels feverish, hot and restless.

Zhongli rejected you.

“Your majesty please calm down."

[Useless.]

[Moron.]

[Whore.]

You could no longer breathe, hear nor see. You feel like you're drowning, unable to process what just happened. Your mate…your precious mate…he…he…

He abandoned you.

“Your majesty…?"

You scream.

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Katara would’ve been such a good diplomat (it’s canon)

everyone rightfully hates on the ATLA comics because the politics are baffling and the characterization is even more so…but if there’s one thing we can take away from the dumpster fire that is The Promise, it’s that Katara was BORN to be a diplomat and an international force for peace, okay? Especially since her besties, the Avatar and the Fire Lord, aren’t actually very good at this.

If you haven’t read The Promise, the Wikipedia summary is pretty good. The TL;DR is that Zuko and Kuei agree that the Fire Nation colonies need to be returned to the Earth Kingdom. The colony of Yu Dao is not happy about this because the people of the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom have been mixing together (under inequitable conditions) for more than a hundred years and “just kick out the Fire Nation” is not as straightforward as it seems, since there are blended families now. Zuko refuses to kick out the Fire Nation people from Yu Dao, Kuei wants to play hardball, and they almost launch another war. Oh and there’s a weird plot about Aang debating whether to put Zuko down like a rabid dog

For all that the Wiki page does a good job of summarizing the events, it forgets some key facts: 

It’s Katara who first starts thinking about new solutions after witnessing the situation on the ground, and then comes up with the idea that Zuko and Kuei should meet and talk about the colonies:

It’s Katara who tells Kuei that Zuko has legitimate concerns (without saying that Zuko is right), when Aang tries to hedge and sugarcoat the truth: 

And it’s Katara who says to Kuei, wait, what the hell do you mean that you have no idea what your people want, that Yu Dao is just a dot on the map for you? We’re getting you out of this stupid blimp and you’re gonna talk to people before you make a decision that affects their lives, you coward

To recap, Katara demonstrates some pretty freaking key political skills, like: 

finding out what people want before making a decision for them 

seeing people as people first and foremost, not as fire nation or earth kingdom 

encouraging her loved ones, the Avatar and the Fire Lord, to resolve a conflict by beginning negotiations instead of brawling like a couple of drunks at a bar / kids on the playground (both analogies fit btw, 13-17 is a weird combination of ages)  

realistically reporting tricky disagreements without sweeping them under the rug

kidnapping a king to the middle of a battlefield to give him a reality check about listening to the people he’s trying to rule

Anyway, Katara is hyper competent at both war AND peace! We see this in the show, with her compassion for the prisoners of the Earth Kingdom (by inciting a prison riot) and the suffering people of the Fire Nation (by committing ecoterrorism), only now that compassion is backed up not only by her fighting prowess and speeches about hope, but actual ability to manipulate the levers of power. 

And have I mentioned that she has the ears of both the Avatar and the Fire Lord and her dad is Chief of the Southern Water Tribe? Even if Katara didn’t get a diplomat position based on her skills, or her status as a war hero, she could nepo baby her way in. The fact that she does not pick up a career in international diplomacy is a crime & a colossal oversight from the creators. At minimum you know Katara would’ve established Healers Without Borders or something. She deserves to be yelling at people at ATLA UN and then drafting world-changing resolutions. 

And as a bonus, Katara demonstrates her gift for diplomacy by not smacking Zuko up the head for attempting to legitimize colonization through the argument of economic progress…

…and by not smacking Aang up the head for seriously considering anti-miscegenation as a viable political solution: 

This patience is a new development because show!Katara did not have this in her, but maybe this is what growing up is all about and not just yet another strike on the “comics are wildly OOC” tally

TL;DR: ATLA boys lost their brain cells post-canon. All hail Katara, Sugar Queen of international diplomacy. 

[aequrie]

Hello, this is not a request it's question because I really want to learn how to make graphics with gifs and idk how to do it 😭😭😭

Like your agar agar cookie layouts, I really like your work and would like to learn how you make it

Thank you for reading this, if you don't want reply it's okay, have a very nice day

Haiii!! It's no problem!! Unfortunately, I'm VERY bad at explaining stuff LOL, so here's the best I can do!! (Also, have a sneak-peak to another post :3)

How to make a gif edit.

How I decorate my edits.

How I make my PSDs.

VERY LONG POST BELOW. MASU LOVES TO HEAR HIMSELF TALK.

Okay so step one is to use photopea. I used to be an avid ibispaintx user until I realized that photopea can make gif edits and suddenly I'm photopea's #1 fan (and hater). Photopea is a website, BTW, here's the link!

First, open up a project. Good job! We're 1/4 of the way there! You can import a PSD if you want (Here's a different tutorial for that), but let's just say you DON'T have a PSD, for the simplicity of this tutorial.

Next, find the animation you want! For this example, we'll be using the Wind Archer sprite below (I took this from the CRK wiki). It can be anything - but preferably nothing too big, because Tumblr for SOME REASON HATES high quality gifs. Siiiigh...

From here, you want to go to FILE > OPEN & PLACE. It'll show a window of all your downloaded items. Click on the animation we just downloaded.

Wam-bam! We're almost there!! Okay, if your image is a WEBP file, it will not animate if you export as a GIF. But! That's okay! Because with trial and error, I found out how to fix this!

On the downloaded layer, double click on the layer. After this, go to SMART OBJECT > CONVERT TO LAYERS...

Now, if your photopea tries to explode and pretend it don't know nobody, that's okay! Just let it load a bit. The file is very. very big. It should turn into a folder! You have nothing else to do from this.

After this, you can do, well, whatever ya need!! Slap a stroke on, put a gradient map on this bad boy, anything else! Once you're finished, go to FILE > EXPORT AS... > GIF. Your photopea might try to explode again, for like, a few minutes. Just give it some time. It's a lot of trial and error!! Don't feel bad if you didn't get it the first time!!

Now, before I talk about my edits, I want to make it clear that you should FIND YOUR OWN STYLE! Don't try to copy off of someone else, or try to replicate another style. Every editor is different!! While I overuse overlays and gradient maps like I won't see tomorrow, you may like a more simple style, or something less over and out there ~ ! That's alright! Don't be afraid to branch out.

Now, as we said - we love to use overlays + gradient maps. I am an artist, so a LOT of what I do correlates to that as well (having an interesting silhouette, making a focal point, color theory, color contrast, composition). It'll be WAY, WAY too much to explain in one single post, so I'd just say to go with the flow! If something looks off, try something else! There's no shame in scrapping an entire project - especially if you're unsatisfied with the result. Do what you need to do!! It's your edits.

For making PSDs, our process is actually pretty simple. We just use a gradient map and adjusts it till it works LOL. We add a few others things too - but that's mostly what I do. If you want to learn how to make your own, my word of advice is to dissect from others. Take inspiration!! If you don't feel like doing that, there's no harm in just using a F2U PSD floating out there. Feel free to look at our Squid Ink post and use that as an example of our PSDs! (If you don't feel like going to go get it, yeah I understand, here it is right here.)

All in all, my biggest tip (besides to have fun), is to edit until you like it. Don't try to compare yourself to big editors - they've had TONS, AND TONS, of experience and editing. Experiment with your style, put yourself out there, edit some new media you've never edited before, find resources to help you out, find tutorials, ETC. It takes time to learn, so make sure to take that time!! You got this, don't feel discouraged by other people's work!!!

That's all from us folks!! Peace out!! ^_^

[kamiana-ruzha]

I have a linguistic question, if I may :3

About everyones favourite Major/Colonel Degtyarev's surname - how it should be spelled, transcribed in Eng from Ukrainian, is there a unified spelling or are there many ways, does it have a meaning behind it (my brain recognises it as "of birch/betulin", from Polish "dziegieć", or am I completely missing the mark ^^;)?

Thank you for your time!🫶

love this ask tbh. sorry i couldn't respond earlier, i wasn't home.

so, in Ukrainian his surname is Дегтярьов, the -ev suffix at the end comes from the russian version. both the suffixes -ev and -ov (-ев/-єв, -ов, and sometimes, for female surnames, with additional -a in the end) are suffixes that are distinctive for russian surnames. they show that one who's surname is it "belongs" to, usually, the father who's name is taken for the surname, or craft/profession the family is known for.

you see, in the eastern, central and south parts of Ukraine (the map shows the -ov suffix's distribution), which were under the russian empire's governorship the longest, Ukrainian surnames weren't recognised by the government and people had to add these suffixes. it's both a tragic and an interesting topic, and you can read about here, and more about Ukrainian surnames on their own here, but let's get back to Sasha SBU.

funnily enough, the name Olexandr is the most common one name for that surname. the most common it is in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lugansk, Dnipro, and Sevastopol. the website is here btw.

but when it comes to the romanisation of his surname... it gets interesting. because we have 4 options and they are all valid?

the migration service transliteration checker says he is "Dehtiarov". it's "h" instead of "g" because "г" in most cases transliterates to "h".

CoP and HoC use Degtyarev, stalker fandom wiki does too. the same wiki, however, states that Degtyaryov is the more correct transliteration. it also states that the most correct is Dyegtyaryov but idk i don't like it and the reason it's like this.

so, yea, GSC uses Degtyarev, i use Degtyaryov because i like it more.

now, to "Дьоготь". many characters in Ukrainian version of HoC call him that and the closest analogy is Deggy.

for what it means, дьоготь is tar (English wiki, Ukrainian wiki). dark brown or black viscous liquid that was used to be rubbed on horse armour and wheels of wagons. there was a whole profession related to making and selling tar. and yea, it's often made with birchwood.

tar is used for meds and cosmetics, we have tar soap for example.

edit: Degtyaryov's hair colour is the colour of tar, that's why he's Дьоготь

btw there was a punishment of besmearing women with tar and throwing feathers on them, but not in Ukraine, in Ukraine it was more moderate, smearing tar on shutters and gates of the home of the girl who was of the looser behaviour. it was done for public shame, in remote/small villages. but GOOGLE THIS. i don't have sources, i read of this in some book but i don't remember which one.

and while we're talking about his surname, we can bring up his name too. it means "(i am) protecting" and "manly, man who is a protector, protector of people". definitely suits him. i don't trust this site, but it has the most variants of transliterating the name to English. the most commonly used one is Alexander, but i like Oleksandr a bit more.

thanks for letting my inner linguist have a party lmao

[mistercrowbar]

Ok forgive me for all my asks and such, also thank you for answering them-- feel free to discard this ask btw I'm just being a info-hungry Lore-whore

But where/how do you gather all of your information on Aldiirn's Lore? Like the details on his knowledge of fungi and drow society is so well done! Every time I try to Google/search up forgotten realms lore I get so many resources that often contradict each other that it gets confusing. Any tips or know how on which direction to look?

This is more of a personal ask just because I've been growing desperate lmao

I FEEL YOU because there's been ~5 editions of D&D where they like to toss things up for each one especially with the goddang Spellplague exploding so many cool things and making them irrelevant by BG3 era (sobbing about Eryndlyn, Aldiirn would have loved it).

Anywho, sources I tend to use:

@lunastrophe has loads of articles about drow cultures and niche interactions (like how would Lolthite, Vhaeraunite, and Eilistraeean drow each react to non binary drow?) sourced from various editions and books.

Forgotten Realms Wiki is still useful despite the repeated heartbreak of finding out the Cool Thing exploded 100 years ago. This is where I found out about Merchant Clans, Vhaeraun, and Araumycos. It's also good for little tidbits because there's articles for every little thing, and the history of the setting so you can map out major events relevant to your character. I have a spreadsheet that just has world events in one column and Aldiirn's life events in the next.

Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue is a 4E sourcebook that has just about anything you could want to know about the city, drow houses, and clans.

Out of the Abyss is a 5e module that covers a lot of the Underdark, thought I only looked at it for more information about Araumycos.

Drow Translator is a resource from Chosen of Eilistraee that pulls from various sources.

If you get conflicting information, don't be afraid to just pick one and go with it. Like Vhaeraun's wholeass religion is a mess but I attribute differences to 3 years of Eilistraee taking his portfolio, his followers splitting up for 100 years, and then the Masked Edgelord finally returning and being like yeah whatever I'm cool with moms now. So I can have Aldiirn being a more Masked Lady style follower that's open to cooperation while one of his mates is more on the drow superiority angle.

And of course, don't be afraid to take inspiration from elsewhere and just make shit up. Aldiirn's whole courier clan is just my attempt to fit Death Stranding to Faerun, and the spores boon he got from Araumycos is homebrew.

[felassan]

this post is just some info on yesterday's DA:TV Fandom party at SDCC. :>

What was this party? [Here] is a post with the pre-event information that was made available. [Here] is a pre-event article that contains an interview with the organizer. And [this article] on the event contains some additional information, like on the versions of this party held in previous years, which helps for context. There was no new DA:TV information of note from the party

Links to Fandom (the company's) Twitter account, their Instagram. If you look at these (including on the Instagram Stories), you can see some pictures and stuff from the party. for those interested in watching a video version of some of these, Ghil Dirthalen posted a video recording that she made last night of Fandom the company's Instagram posts [here]. there are also more pictures and stuff from the party that you can see if you click through to [some of] the source links below here in the rest of this post.

As was previously reported the other week, Jason Derulo headlined the party (like as in a gig). Here's an image of him there [source] (the him singing DA stuff part was a joke tho btw hh). They considered having an orchestra because of DA's musical score but they got Jason Derulo

One of the party props was a big background of the DA:TV key art [source]. Here you can see the DA:TV logo on another backdrop. [source] This tweet contains both of these backdrops from a different angle

There was also an archway prop based on this DA:TV key art, and big screens which projected images from the game (including of Varric and this screenshot) [source]. It looks like these images were also projected to television screens? [source]

This tweet contains the questions and the answers to the DA-themed scavenger hunt (transcription of this at the end of this post), as well as a partial look at the map layout of the party

This is how photos taken in the DA themed photo booth look (this DA:TV screenshot was the backdrop) [source]

There was a VIP section at the party [source]. Gary McKay, the General Manager of BioWare, was there [source], as were John Epler and Zach Mendez (Lucanis) [source], Ali Hillis (Harding) [source], Nick Boraine (Emmrich) [source], Kari a BioWare Brand Director [source], Jessica Clark (Neve) [source] and Corinne Busche [source]. Erika Ishii (Rook) also visited but got kicked out of VIP hh [source]. Some cosplayers from the DA community were also personally invited by BioWare & PR at EA Games and attended! like Ladytoxie as Bellara ^^ [source, two], and some celebrities also, such as Doug Jones [source]

Ladytoxie mentioned that they will be posting a Vlog of their experience and coverage of the event, "probably next week" [source], having documented it at the time [source] (tysm!!)

Ladytoxie reported that it was a good, memorable experience and that everyone was lovely [source]

There was supposed to be some DA:TV-related pins and lanyards being handed out at the party, but these got stuck at customs, so there wasn't any goodies being handed out [source]

Links to some more images from the party: [one], [two], [three]

Scavenger hunt text (questions and answers) transcription:

"Clue 1: Step up to spot the flames where Fandom's 20-year tale burns bright, celeberate twenty years of worldbuilding where this terrifying Dragon Age wiki takes flight. Answer: Archdemon Clue 2: Follow the path and find the shining blue gem, discover the wiki of this Dragon Age elven hedge mage for your chance to win! Answer: Solas Clue 3: Search for the place where steel balls ricochet, where the flippers dance and the wizards gather to play. Find the wiki of a dwarf and son from the House of Tethras, known as a Dragon Age rogue with his crossbow, Bianca. Answer: Varric Clue 4: Venture to where 360 degree views are spun, where fans share your favorite #/fandom20 with props that are comically fun. Scan the QR code to reveal this order of warriors who defeat the Blight, and with the invasion of darkspawn, they put up a legendary fight. Answer: Grey Wardens Clue 5: Finish your scavenger hunt quest where Dragon Age lore comes alive, a photo booth adventure where fantasies thrive. Pose in a setting of this wiki's southern continent vast, two moons overhead, in a world built to last. Answer: Thedas"

[source]

[ahfuckaghoulie]

map with a possible route and shots from the show for anyone else who has been Wondering

vault 33 → Filly: 4-8 hrs, 10-21 mi

Filly → place where Lucy cuts Wilzig's head off: 2-5 hrs, 5-14 mi. it rly depends on where the hell Filly is (I've mistakenly highlighted LAX but it's further south than that just pretend for me I can't fix it now jfncnfkf)

Wilzig's body → lake with Gulper in it: 7 hrs, 17 mi. right by Universal Studios, btw

the ghoul drags her off course here

Gulper → Hollywood walk of fame: 3 hrs, 6 mi

walk of fame → super duper mart: according to the wiki super duper mart is near santa monica boulevard so i highlighted the whole thing, but it only makes sense for them to go through the walk of fame if it's the east side of the blvd,, 😥 anyways, it's a short walk, like 30 min and 1.5 mi tops

super duper mart → Max/Shady Sands → vault 4: Lucy links up w Maximus somewhere close, and they visit Shady Sands before wandering into Hawthorne medical labs/vault 4. I dunno how to estimate this part of the journey, they could've gone anywhere in that blue area

they spend more than one day at vault 4, I think. Lucy also mentions being on the surface for about two weeks when they leave

vault 4 → radio station with fiddle guy: 4-6 hrs, 10-15 mi

radio station → Griffith Observatory: 2-3 hrs, 4-7 mi

travel time: ~25-40 hrs

total distance: 60-100 miles

added some stuff, but the photos and locations are based mainly off this reddit post

[eepop-stuffs]

Btw here's some dope ass images and assets from the Fulla website

The polished and fancy heart swirl borders are from the reboot era version of the site. Anything with the wide heart and pastel pink/purple is from the reboot era. Before then the aesthetic was much more vibrant and more focused on a butterfly and flower motif. During the older era she used more hot pink and magenta, as well.

Still really want to know who the artist for Fulla is, maybe I could look for the rest of their possible work for the brand that way.

These are all that's left of the website since the website is mostly inaccessible through the internet archive, and almost every image asset is hard to find. The more modern website versions are extremely broken, and the most clear archive of it from the wiki is from 2006, and from the US version. The 2006 US version does have a lot of important things in it, however. It has a catalog from that time frame, one or two of the music videos, and an English translation of her theme song (which means we now have two confirmed translations, Indonesian and English)

(Above is an image of the Fulla mission statement from the website archive)

Fun fact about the mission statement: in Arabic it actually translates to "Every Arab Girl's Dream" which may be a little off bc I used Google translate but it seems simple enough that It shouldn't be too far off.

The website was advertised to have games from around 2010-11 and are labeled as "funs" on the website according to the site map URLs. None of these "funs" links lead to anything at all, as it says the website wasn't archived. I'm actually not sure whether there were actually flash games or some other type of interactive thing, but the controllers that pop up during the ad for the site leads me to believe they had at least something.

It is confirmed that they had coloring pages, though. Once again, according to the URLs that are not archived and do not function.

This all really frustrates me because the ad never showed what the website even looked like, and the only other place that possibly (like super possibly, I don't even know if it is of the website) could have a screenshot, the fulla house playset, changed the computer sticker graphic before release, along with a lot of the other stickers being turned into random product photos instead of cute detailed artwork (which is a decision I actually despise like omg)

The only things we have are what are saved in the internet archive's dumps of archived images. Any other file doesn't really work at all.

As of now, the fulla website, no matter what time frame you pick up until 2021, had a flash loading screen that you can't get past using normal means.

I am actually so mad that I can't find anything about this. Any other major doll website is completely able to be accessed, even the winx club one which has a similar issue with the loading screen. From past experiences before the winx site's arcive apparently just stopped doing it, the loading screen would lead to a pop-up window of something else which I forgot the contents of. So that may be the issue here, but I wouldn't know what's causing it or how to fix it.

All I want is a SINGLE SCREENSHOT OR RECORDING and i will die happy...😭

Because I'm a poor little high school child I sadly do not have the means to purchase a VPN. Maybe I could just do a free trial and cancel it after I've got what I needed, but there's not even a guarantee there will even be more if I look with a VPN.

[chichirid]

sorry if this was has been asked b4 but how did you do your Raika Hojo pixels/blinkies? I wanna learn how to do ‘em :D

og post: https://www.tumblr.com/chichirid/767910269177528320/raika-hojo-pixels-and-blinkies-20x20-and-30x30

this is a tutorial on photopea, and its kind of vague so feel free to lmk if you need specific steps rather than a general process / if you dont understand anything :3

hiii so for the blinkies i used this dotted border, and this rectangle border i made (dont credit me, i traced it from blinkie cafe 😳)

i forgot which font i used.. sorry!! but i found a sampler online and typed "special for princess" and "raika hojo" then screenshotted it like the image below. then i removed the bg and was only left with the black text. then in photopea i selected the pixels of the layer so it only selected the text, and then i very carefully traced over the letters using the brush tool. (btw i colour-picked the colours from their logo image). i used the screen layer setting & a stroke setting of one pixel.

i just used a cursive font and tried to imitate a ribbon myself through colouring ><

for the raika pngs i screenshotted some sprites then copied them in. idk how to use symmetry so i placed one png at one side of the blinkie, and found what X coordinate it was at. (ie 205px) and then subtracted that from my blinkie template's total X width (730px). then manually typed the X coordinate of the other png based off that formula (so to get a png symmetrical to an image at 205px, the X coordinate of the png would be 730 - 205px.)

for the flashing dots i made two frames:

then i combined these in ezgif "gif maker". the lower the delay time the faster the gif will go.

to make these two frames i used that earlier dotted border. essentially i used a gradient map on the dotted border's layer where the black was the red colour used and then the white. (like this image below as an example, both colours are set at 50% and 50% to get an even split). this makes one frame. to get the other i just clicked "reverse gradient".

to make the pixels, i saved some raika pngs using the enstars wiki, and then opened a new canvas in photopea with the dimensions of 30x30. (30 width, 30 height). then i opened the pngs and sized them how i wanted. important for this step: CLICK ENTER ON YOUR KEYBOARD ONCE FINISHED SIZING! this will make the pngs go blurry rather than pixelated, which will result in a more legible image when viewed from far away. its really up to you but i like making my images blurry. example:

on the left i havent hit enter on my keyboard, on the right i have. save this basic png without the background layer

then just "ctrl + alt + t" again and either tilt the image, size it up, or use the arrow keys to move it sideways or up. save this moved image and once again i used ezgif gif maker to combine the two frames and make a pixel. oh also click "dont stack frames" when making the gif. here i moved the basic image 7 degrees to the left and used a delay of 30. hope this helped ^_^

[turtlebros4u]

I am obsessed with the defunct NYC City Hall subway station, just read the Wiki page in its entirety.

And I am both obsessed from the perspective of designing a turtle liar here, especially since it inspired the second turtle liar in the 1990 movie after the first got ransacked.

But I am also obsessed with it from the perspective of an architect (not a commercial architect or civil engineer by any account, a secret third kind of arcvitent/engineer) it was a whole new arch style to America. The construction was unique in its quick set cement allowing it to be built without support and it didn't rely on a keystone at the top of the arch. They had their own patented sound damping tiles to prevent excessive echo.

Absolutely insane. The architect was Rafael Gaustavino btw.

Source:

Thank you mostly to David Herszenson who shared these with Google maps. They helped me understand how the skylights worked underground and captured the entry and decay most wonderfully.

In the moving train image you can see how wide the gap would be between the train car and the center door, part of the reason why it fell out of popularity regardless of the mobile stairs they had at the platform to set down for people. They also tarred the stained glass during WWII which is so tragic.

Absolutely adore this station. Love the idea that city hall also has a retired bunker below it the turtles could use.

[eyes0fthev0id]

Forsakenstuck: lore pt.3

This one is about the killers! Theres a few things that are gonna change for this au.

For starters they will be getting as much focus as the survivors are plot wise. If this au where to be made into an actual webcomic on mspfa or something it would be split between focusing on the survivors and then focusing on the killers and what they’re up to.

Speaking of, they will be interacting with each other in their own personal killer lobby!!! Idk how trustworthy the fandom wiki is but it says the killers have their own personal limbos they go to after a round, though thats cool i rlly want them to be able to talk to eachother. I still dont know if i want the killer lobby to be like a bigger version of the survivor’s cabin, or a whole entire map just for them. Unlike the survivor’s they need more space from each other.

Speaking of, in a lobby you can not die. This rule is for both the survivor and killer lobbys. Any damage you take during your time in a lobby will automatically heal itself. This is important because oh boy do the killers like to fight.

In this au most of them dont get along. For example 1x is the “leader”, though everyone only goes along with it bc they know he’ll beat them up if they dont. (Btw 1x is like a huge asshole in this au, i love goofy 1x but not this time guys)

Also fun fact, They sealed john doe boy away. Like they got so tired of him trying to kill everyone (bc he’ corrupted and stupid) that they asked doomir to lock him up. Literally only time they all agreed on something.

One more thing to note is that i will me making some lore for killers that aren’t out yet. Like noli, doombringer, guest 666, and azure got lore for this au. Doombringer (a.k.a doomir here) especially is going to be very important.

[swagstar]

my christmas list of changes id like to see in dandy's

fhis game is in alpha so it's got plenyyyy of time. if if ever gets out of it. reminds me of a certain game.... (this post is huge btw)

a button to immediately quit extracting and/or skillchecks on desktop

this ones pretty simple. i was surprised that there isnt an option like ths already actually, since you can simply press space to skill check, but there isnt. so often i end up mashing shift thinking itll easily get me out while a twisted is on me.

yes, poeple would probably use this to bypass missing skillchecks and overall sort of cheat, but if that's the price we have to pay for being able to run away from a twisted easier, then im alright with it.

do something about nicknames

this is kind of a nitpick i guess, but so often ive seen someone say something in chat and being completely unable to read who actually said it, bc of the humongous size of the usernames above people's heads. sure, you could just read someone's username from the chat and find them according to it, buuuut what if i dont want to.

I'd say a fix for this would be placing the text below the chatatcer but thats where infinitely more important info already is, so no. maybe a toggle in the settings?

change the color scheme of the easter floor

now, im not sure if it's on purpose, but the colors of the floor are disorienting. the plushes of cocoa and bassie constantly make me assume a player, or god forbid a twisted is there. as ive said if this is to instill more panic on the player, sure, but this feels like bad game design for me.

for example, in tf2 the color-coding is INFINITELY important beyond anything else since everyone looks like the same. the colors are meant to be there to make the split-second decision if the guy youre encountering is from your team or not. the color-coding also extends to overall design lf the game, but thats beyond the point.

when i first played embargo (beautiful map btw) while going into the casino area while pushing the payload there are little robots. theyre meant to be the staff of said casino. theyre actually pulled from a scrapped game mode called bot destruction. unfortunately switching their careers from kamikaze to little butler giving you health packs wasn't the best choice given their color scheme. in the game mode theyre very closely colored to the opposing team, making sense since you're supposed to be attacking them. i ended up shooting at them multiple times thinking theyre players.

again, if this is intended for the map (easter, bassie and cocoa can appear here, etc), then cool, but if it's not please change the props that closely resemble player charatcer to be more muted.

UPDATE: this maps stayed after the spring event was over, making the confusion with the plushes and the easter twisteds make a little less sense. again, if the overall intention was confusion then cool. if not, then i hope it's changed.

NERF FLUTTER/FLYTE

this is a completely personal nitpick, but this thing with its speed, stupid set path and terrible attention span has ruined most of my solo runs. kill this thing

do somthing about rainbowroom4 ✅

(its the name from the wiki) this map is choke hell. rather than have an even mix of small corridors and big spaces, this map seems to aim to be one big narrow corridor. it wouldnt even be so bad if there werent 2 stacks of things on the map combined to actually juke the twisteds around.

for context i dont only overall despise this map. i encountered dandy for the first time on this one. with blackout.

UPDATE: IT'S BEEN DONE. i kind of can't believe it, i actually had no idea this update included not only new content, but also lots of reworks.

now, my opinion on it? it's great! well, finally playable. the elevator still opens in the same cramped space, but the rest of the map is much better. instead of small corridors and spaces we finally have breathable large areas and of course multiple stacks. i was playing with some poeple on the day of the update and one of them said it's perfect for distracting. thanks bluecrunch!

redesign the twisteds

it feels as if the general idea for the twisteds (besides the mains, but ill get to that in a sec) is to be scarier versions of the toons while still being recognizable. and how does bluecrunch do it? make them desaturated, add sharp teeth, red eyes and splash some ichor for good measure.

ok, i dont wanna be mean and an instant hater, but besides a few pearls in the rough i dislike most of them. sure, you have designs that actually take the core design of the twisted and do something fun with it, like finn with his broken bowl for example. though it still doesn't feel like much.

although i really like the twisteds. my favorite twisted design is shelly actually. i feel like the devs took a much larger liberty with her design with i really like. her interest being an inspiration for her dinosaur-like body with roars to match. i think thats awesome! combined with poor visibility on floors or simply being too far away it makes her look like a legit monster. tho her remaining cartoony head messes with that a little. the exposed ribs are actually my favorite part of the design. actual attempt at horror! i love it!

extending that to other mains, i adore how so many of them are just massive. many aspects of their design are also taken and made sharper or to resemble some animal which for me really hammers in the fact that theyre dangerous.

the non-mains tho? really neglected to me at least. i know lots of them are old and seeing some reworks in the latest update we might have a chance at some, but with their sheer amount i dont think that's coming any time soon. which is a shame! lots of them have potential.

alrght, but you might say "fay, this is a roblox kid's game. it's a dbd reskin for babies. it's not gonna be any scarier and this is all the horror you could hope for in this game!" yea, you're right. but also for an actual roblox horror game it feels.. uninspired. compare it to doors for example, that has actual horror designs at least attempting to be scary (yes, inspired by analog horror stuff mostly, but lets not get into that), but that one has a higher age demographic so there's not much i can say. I don't know! i grew up on the original fnaf games trilogy, slender and amnesia that shaped my expectations for horror! and now what im playing is a roblox game! graah!

redesign the animations

actually very related to the last one. redesinging so many characters is a giant hurdle (shyvana coughs in the distance), so my more resonable proposal is animations.

loads of the characters, both twisted and toon, look simply put ridicilous or super stiff. not even in the charming cartoony way, just.. bad. for example after putting in the blood and sweat into poppy's mastery and getting looey i was.. really dissapointed. he looks ridicilous. not even design wise (he begs for a redesign i beg), his running animation honestly looks like some unity store one. i actually havent played him since. not only bc i dont have a lot of opporunities distracting, but also i just hate how he looks.

on the topic of looey, what about the twisteds? well, to be completely honest twisted looey looks so stupid he should be first in line for a completely revamp, or at least an animation redesign.

the other twisteds are a little better, but still require some work. for example as i metioned in the previous points with shelly, another who suffers from this effect is yatta. i do really like her little string things in the back included in her design, but her walking animation from far away just makes her look like she's got really thin legs.

besides that, the thing i want most to be changed are their attack animations. loads of them feel like they should have the toon animated with them, like pebble's or bassie's for example. without that they look janky or just plain silly.

actually looking at the most recent toons and now blot the animations have increased in quality and i really hope that quality will be spread to the others and they'll get some love too.

[mrchester27]

💀 Archie, Marry Me 🔥

I've been playing Doom II: Legacy of Rust recently (totally sick btw), and so I figured I'd post about my favourite classic Doom monster, the Arch-vile!

Yeah no dash in Arch-vile in the RPG 🤷🏻‍♀️

(Left) A model sculpted by Adrian Carmack and Gregor Punchatz which was then rotoscoped to create the Arch-vile's sprites seen in Doom II. (Right) Leftover asset from the cancelled (and absolutely awful looking) Doom 4 pre-release version internally called Summoner but speculated to be an Archie. Check out that tail.

Speaking of Summoners... Doom (2016) doesn't have an Arch-vile but it does have The Summoner. Aside from vibes, they're entirely distinct from each other and categorising them together would be silly (looking at you, fandom-wiki). They're kinda hot though so I guess I could make a little graphic for them too...

And I suppose if we're already dipping into weird Arch-vile offshoots, I gotta mention the baddest one of them all - The Mother Demon.

According to one of their original backstories, the Mother Demon was actually an Arch-vile that just barely survived their encounter with Doomguy but that mutated while trying to restore herself. This mutation increased the potency of their resurrection magic but now with the caveat of it causing minor alterations and inaccuracies (hence the monsters in D64 being slightly off). This has all been debunked since the release of D64 Lost Levels which reveals the Mother Demon has a sister that is exactly the same as her but still a pretty neat idea.

Interestingly, had the original backstory persisted, it would have meant the Mother Demon was specifically an Arch-vile fought during the TNT:Evilution campaign as it's the only one with Arch-viles on a space station (apparently - no way am I fact checking this).

BONUS:

I wanted to quickly mention the Doom II megawad Sunlust, created by Ribbiks and dannebubinga. It's an incredible wad that honestly transcends the format - truly a work of art - but more pertinent to this discussion, it uses Arch-viles a lot and in some really clever ways. My favourite of which is in map 30 titled "God Machine".

The final arena has these 12 pulsating towers, each with an Arch-vile on top. The Archies act like sniper turrets and zap the player if they get too close to the walls - it might sound simple but it's really quite a genius way to box in the player without literally boxing in the player. And to quote dannebubinga himself on the map, "Sorry not sorry about all the arch-viles ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

Sources: Mostly the Doom wiki: doomwiki.org (Not to be confused with the dire fandom wiki) Sprites - as usual - from the resource: spriters-resource.com Also I stole a screenshot from this awesome youtuber: youtube.com/@decino