#but also looking forward to hopefully getting into some lore here!!

[lairmadness]

Regrettably, the blog will be on hiatus for the month of july while the mods are busy mauling the shit out of each other and everyone else participating in Art Fight!

Both of us are on different teams and have a selection of our respective askblog characters uploaded, so drop by if you're also taking part :) we attack back (or try to)! Be aware you may run into a handful of story spoilers, but anything major is obscured behind warnings.

Mod Dox (Team Vampires) - Mod Tracker (Team Werewolves)

The blog will not be completely silent, though- we'll be doing Munday every week, and will reblog a different ask meme each week starting this upcoming Monday. If there's any you'd especially be interested in us doing feel free to drop a link in our askbox! We'll also be taking general lore and worldbuilding questions throughout the month, no prompting required. The plot will resume in early August, so plenty of time to get your questions in.

Hope to see you soon!

[deerspherestudios]

Short Break and To Dos!

Hello all! 🍄🍄👻 I'm glad to see people enjoying Day 3 so far! I was so nervous about showing another side to Mychael in the update I thought people wouldn't like him as much but plenty have reacted positively! ❤️

I'll add a TLDR; above the read more, but if you don't mind my ramblings and want more details about everything, I'll write everything below! Light spoilers ahead!

I'll be taking a short break from MO development until 28th October to work on a short VN for the Monstrous Desires jam!

Most probably missed it, but there's a tiny small patch to Day 3 explained here.

Queue will return soon! I just gotta handle some housekeeping first with my Patreon.

Regarding the feedback on Day 3, I'm glad people aren't as averse to the new side of Mychael, in that he isn't always soft and sweet. I want people to fall in love with a person after all, not a yandere caricature, and that means that person can get upset, angry and sometimes irrational when we don't know what's going on in their head even towards the subject of their affections. While some (understandably!) were shocked about his reaction to the mushrooms, it'll be clear as to why (hopefully!)

Some of you have given incredibly accurate theories, and I'll take that as something I've done well in building up the mystery!!! I'm excited to share more in the next update, but for now!

1. I'll be taking a short break from MO development to work on a short VN for the Monstrous Desires jam!

What I have planned for Day 4 of MO might be the biggest update so far, since one route will lead to a few official BAD ENDINGS as opposed to 'dead ends' like the current demo has. To those who really want to, you finally get to see Mychael at his worst. As usual, writing the script takes a few months with plenty of changes in between, and I don't wanna bulldoze ahead and rush the story when it's getting to the climax!

But before I jump into all of that I just wanna give myself a creative exercise and try exploring a different theme, style and setting with a fresh new character for the jam! Since I'm a sucker for the trope... yes, the new blorbo will also be a yandere, sorry, I'm predictable.💔 The jam ends on October 28th so development on MO will continue then!

The last time I wrote something remotely sci-fi was in high school, so this will be fun to try!

2. Most probably missed it, but there's a tiny small patch to Day 3 explained here.

What it says on the tin! If you've already played Day 3, rest assured there's no significant story changes. Just an updated credits list, three extra sprites for one route and a small fix in the code.

3. Queue will return soon! I just gotta handle some housekeeping first with my Patreon.

Plenty of people have sent such sweet and encouraging messages to my inbox on what they thought of the update and I cannot thank all of you enough for the support!! I can't wait to post them out to archive them on the blog and answer all your interesting theories and queries in my queue!

But for now I'm due for a short break from my socials and to catch up on my Patreon sketch requests haha. I also plan to release cut content from Day 3 for my Yearling and Deer patrons. Plus, I'll be working on some written prompts for extra lore so that's something to look forward to!

I'll be back soon! Take care, fireflies!! ❤️

[demaparbat-hp]

Hi Dema!! Your art is fantastic and even the lineart is awesome! Solid and confident in where it's thick and where thin. I really like how your style has characters look more realistic and they have specific consistent features. Your blog has a pleasant atmosphere, and you're skilled in weaving AUs! There's a lot of details and structure, and I'd like to ask if any of them have a full story arc? Could you do a list of all of the AUs? Is there a motif that you especially like that repeats in any of the AUs? And whenever you add comments to my stuff in the tags I literally smile, it makes me want to keep at my plan to create everything I have in mind. So I'd like to spread this joy! I hope you have a nice day! (from late-draft ^^)

Hello, Late-Draft! I wasn't expecting this ask at all but I'm so glad to have received it!

First of all—I'll try to hold myself back from giggling like a schoolgirl. I'm having a sempai noticed me moment over here and that's just embarrassing. So give me a second to compose myself, if that's alright?

Okay, I'm back.

Now, on to business.

Character design, especially when it comes to facial features and how they're unique to each person, has always been a passion of mine. I always try to have a solid design for each character. I choose which features feel like the character in question, which face feels natural to draw, and go along with it. I love drawing Katara as much as I love drawing Zuko. Meanwhile, I seem to be on a never-ending battle against Sokka's features. Woes of an artist, I suppose.

Character design is actually one of the reasons I love your work so much, in case you hadn't noticed. I'm currently experimenting a bit with a different style... Hopefully it won't be long before the artwork is done and I can share it over here. I'm so excited for everyone to see it!

Now it's time for the reason we're all here.

I have said it before and shall say it once more: AUs are my lifeblood.

I love them so much! Building them, daydreaming the scenes, thinking of the characters and how they differ from their canon versions. The arcs and the themes and the worldbuilding. Building AUs is my passion, and I have so many of them!

There are a lot of motifs and themes that tend to repeat themselves in several of my AUs, I believe.

You'll notice that most of my stories are Zuko-centric, with a heavy emphasis on grief and humanity. There's the question of what makes us human and how to move forward when the whole world seems to push you back. I put a lot of stock in metaphors and symbolism within the narrative itself. I'm especially interested in the nuance of war and how it affects people emotionally, physically, and psychologically

I also tend to reutilize some elements of the lore and/or worldbuilding! Such as the Painted Lady's backstory, or the existence of War Children within the ATLA universe.

Now, the list!

I think I'll start with my current project, if that's okay :)

For the Spirits (New Gods AU)

Zuko was a child when he met Agni. Then, the spirits started coming to him. Eyes hidden in the hallways, voices pleading for help, for recognition, for remembrance.

Zuko could see Agni. He could see the broken remains of a Great Spirit and the empty smiles of amnesiac ghosts.

And they could see him in return.

I've been working on this AU for a long time, but only now did I get the chance to start writing the fic (linked up there!). I'm extremely excited about FTS and where the story will lead us in the future, but I'll try not to spoil too much.

It's a Zuko-centric story, with a heavy emphasis on Spirits and humanity. I'd like to add a warning for depression/mental health issues.

To Hesitate (Lee & Kya AU)

As she watches Lee and Kya avoid each other's eyes from across the room, the phrase comes back to her, swift and silent:

"To hesitate is to lose."

.

As Song treats the victim of an unfortunate interaction with a rare poisonous flower, her day takes an unexpected turn when it becomes apparent that the old man's nephew and her assistant have history.

A vivid history.

The Lee & Kya AU is a vibe, a feeling. It's probably one of my oldest AUs out there as well as one of my dearest.

A classical Lee and Kya From The Tea Shop AU, full with wholesome fandom tropes such as: fake (but not really) dating, fake identities, Ba Sing Se shenanigans, vigilante stuff, White Lotus missions, Iroh is a great Uncle, Zuko is an awkward turtleduck, and, of course, the fluffiest fluff you'll ever see.

Other than that, Lee & Kya is probably one of the less plot-focused AUs I have. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't scenes I can't wait to write or a canon divergence or two where Zuko is concerned.

(I have another fic posted but I'll leave that one to the end. You asked for a full story arc and, oh boy, does Soundless deliver.)

Kintsugi AU

Closer to being canon-adjacent than canon-divergent, Kintsugi is yet another Zuko-centric AU (and are we not noticing a pattern over here?).

I'd love to explain it in depth, but I believe the caption of the artwork linked above does a better job at explaining than I ever will.

Kintsugi is the art of decorating your scars with pieces of Agni.

In the Fire Nation, the amount of golden marks are a sign of status. Only the Royal Family can afford to seal every single wound with Kintsugi. Such is the weight of this tradition that, among the ones with Agni's blood, it is the highest mark of dishonor to have a natural scar, for it proves you aren't worthy of the privilege.

After the Agni Kai, Ozai forbid Zuko's scar to be sealed with Kintsugi. The boy wasn't worth his title, his traditions or his pride. Zuko would be broken, but he wouldn't be beautiful. Not anymore.

(And sometimes it's easier to pretend he never was)

Kyoshi Warriors AU

One of my absolute favorites!

In this AU, Ursa took Zuko and Azula with her when she was banished, so they could start anew. With help from Iroh and the White Lotus, she managed to relocate her freshly burned eight-year-old child and her crying daughter to Kyoshi Island.

Years later, when Avatar Aang and his companions first arrive at Kyoshi Island, they're met by the Kyoshi Warriors and their leader, Noriko of pale skin and warm brown eyes.

The Gaang leave Kyoshi Island many weeks later with a new companion. And if Jian Li, with his war paint and his scar and his dual dao, gives the island that he has called home for so long one final, longing glance as they fly away on Appa, they pretend not to notice.

Hunters AU

We're starting to dwelve deep into dangerous waters!

This is a Katara Joins Zuko In His Quest To Find The Avatar AU, with a twist!

This AU was born as a writing experiment. What if we take Katara's character, and change one of her core characteristics? Katara, who looked up to the Avatar as a saviour figure, now blames him for leaving and allowing the Fire Nation to wage war on the world.

Then comes Zuko, a banished Prince with a crew full of traitors and his own agenda. Zuko wishes for nothing more than to dethrone his father and end the war. He is a White Lotus member, an honorable, driven young man, and he has a plan.

The catch? He needs to take the Avatar to his father if he wishes to regain his title and be able to rightfully take the throne. Oh, and he will deliver the Avatar to the Fire Lord—but nobody said it had to be in chains.

Halfblood AU

I watched Blue Eye Samurai a few months ago and it destroyed me. The idea of a half-blooded child dead set on getting revenge for their very existence stuck with me, and this AU was born.

Kanna made a life for herself in the Earth Kingdom after leaving the North. Katara was raised by her grandmother in a small village, being taught to hide her bending if she wanted to live peacefully in a place she was only half of. Her mother had died in childbirth. Her father, a nameless warrior from the Southern Water Tribe who had loved Kya and left her behind, didn't know of Katara's existence.

Katara took over Kanna's clinic after she passed away. Always taking care of others. Always suppressing her need to bend. Always wishing for more.

One day, he arrived. A half-child, just like her. But while she was of Water, he was a son of Agni. He was searching for the man who brought him to this world. The man who scarred him. The man whose face he couldn't recall, whose name he did not know. The man whose specter had chased his mother to her grave. The man who would die at his hand.

The answers were hidden in a small teashop deep within Ba Sing Se. Lee offered her a way out, and Katara took it.

Soundless (Uiscefhuaraithe)

Katara of the Southern Water Tribe has hands scarred by fire and great talent, though no teacher.

Zuko is a mute War Child, a herbalist and healer, and the Blue Spirit. He bears the mark of fire, and the scar of the blade that took away his voice.

The first time they met, the Blue Spirit had just saved her, tough not before her hands got burned. The second time they met, his name was Lee, and he was healing her.

They live in war and they will fight, if not for the world, then for themselves.

You asked for a full storyline, and I shall deliver!

Soundless is probably the only AU I have fully planned. Three-books, Azula redemption arc, role-reversals and all.

This AU has everything. From travelling through the Earth Kingdom together, to odd character team-ups that somehow manage to work, and a major goal/conflict to resolve.

Zuko and Katara must find their way to Omashu in an Earth Kingdom ravaged by war as they also grow to understand each other, themselves, and the world around them. They meet with new and old alliances, keep their ears open for rumors of the Avatar (They say he is an airbender, Lee. Do you truly belive that?), and do their best to always be two steps ahead of their pasts.

Meanwhile, both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes are searching for the runaway heiress, Aang must find his way alone on this new, hostile world, and Azula must face the revelation that, despite what her father has stated for the last two years (liar, he lied at her! Her! He lied he liedliedliedlied), her brother might just be alive.

I'm sorry for making this such a long answer! I just get very excited about these subjects and don't know when to stop. If you made it all the way down here: thank you again.

I hope you have a good day ❤️

[moon-mage]

AshenViper || Trust/Realization

It was too late when Azul realized how frail his own voice sounded…how vulnerable his blue eyes had been…how exposed his soul was to Jamil in that moment.  What a fool…what an utter fool Azul had been.

So I write a lot for funsies and TWST AUs with @eeveelution4567 that never see the light of day because we just focus on the drama between characters more than lore lol. For day one of AshenViper week I decided to share a bit of what I wrote for an Infection AU we had. It correlates with the prompt of the day! I REALLY like what I wrote so here's some of it. It's literally as any Infection AU would work, with the school being on lockdown and the infection turning peeps into crazy goobers yatta yatta. There is more i'm willing to share for maybe the Angst day that follows after this uwu. For now ENJOY THE OCTOPUS AND SNAKE BOYS.

Azul and Jamil were already tired when they made it safely to the alchemy lab. They made sure to hold themselves up there as securely as possible, rearranging furniture and making sure if anything got in that it wouldn't take them by surprise.

The plan currently was to wait about two days before going out and trying to scavenge what they could and hopefully figure out what exactly was happening. They had also planned to hopefully run into Vil and Crewel at some point. Those two WERE the queens of potion making afterall...as much as Azul really wanted to be the forefront of manufacturing a cure.

Azul had never seen Jamil so talkative and playful before. Jamil’s usual brand of ‘play’ was belittling him and taking jabs at every weakness he slipped up while Azul quickly tried to keep face. Most of the time, as they worked through possible potions and readings, they had talked about how the two of them were going to get so much praise and credit for figuring this out when everyone was too stupid and useless to.

Everyone would see the boundless intelligence of Jamil Viper and the endless resources of Azul Ashengrotto at full power. 

The world would quiver at their feet for eradicating a disease so quickly with such little resources while being still mages in school. It was fun. Imagining such a high honorable success. A success that would be too big for the Viper family to remain servants to the Al-Asims…a success that would put Ashengrotto on the radar of the most wealthy.

Their power would never be put into question again. They could be free….and happy…and bask in the fruits of their labors while sitting unbothered on top of the world.

On top of the world where no one could ever hurt them again. 

“Together?” Azul asked as looked into Jamil’s charcoal eyes with hope. They were worn and tired from the lack of sleep…and still he looked as beautiful and otherworldly as ever.

It was too late when Azul realized how frail his own voice sounded…how vulnerable his blue eyes had been…how exposed his soul was to Jamil in that moment. 

What a fool…what an utter fool Azul had been.

The mer flinched when he felt slender fingers intertwine with his own. Looking back at him were softened charcoal eyes…a genuine smile that sent a warmth into his soul. Jamil’s fingers tightened into Azul’s…expressing the same vulnerability Azul had shown.

Azul could see him. He could see through Jamil and right into his very heart and soul. The mutual desire to be with him.  Azul tightened his fingers with Jamil’s as he gave the other a sweet smile. 

“Together.” Jamil’s voice sang sweetly, confirming his want to be with Azul.

Azul couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward and taking Jamil’s lips into his own. A tender but passionate kiss. Jamil kisses back as well, allowing himself to fall into Azul and be swept into the sea witch’s embrace.

All it took for them to shut up and kiss already was the literal end of the world.

[bb-kawa]

One and the Same

Crossing posting from my ao3. a03 link if you prefer reading there.

Leona helps his lover after her meeting with the vampire hunters.

Vampire AU - vague lore that doesn't have much detail so use your imagination. based slightly on Vampire knight but also not really.

f/n = first name, third person. FEMALE READER

i had this written with an OC name at first. hopefully the ctrl H replaced them all. i did proof read.

“Where is she?” Leona asked. The Vampire hunter in front of him merely smirked, looking him up and down playing with the sharp knife in his hands. 

“A Kingscholar vampire, huh. Prestigious vampire families like yours don't usually go poking your heads around his part.” 

“Do you want to tell me where she is or should I go in and find out myself?” Leona bit out. He really didn’t want to handle things using his strength but his patience was wearing thin. He was here for one person and one person only. A fight at the front steps of the Vampire association would be risky. Luckily, before the vampire hunter or him could continue arguing, the door behind the hunter clicked. 

“Leona! I’m glad you’re here.” F/n said, stepping out to approach him, the exact woman he was looking for. She, coincidentally, had a knack for appearing right before trouble started, either to stop it or encourage it. She waved at the hunter while making her way towards Leona. “Bye bye Jack. I’ll see you some other time.” 

F/n gripped Leona's arm tightly, leading him down the alley back out to the road. A slight waver in her step had Leona wrapping a hand around her waist. 

“Did you bring a car or do something barbaric like vampire speed walk here?” She asked. 

“Are you saying that YOU can’t get us out of here with that teleportation ability of yours.” Leona asked before leading her down another road. His eyes glided to hers as she clicked her tongue. 

“I think you know why.” A reluctant admittance from her. 

“You shouldn’t be giving those hunters blood, F/n. They don’t deserve it and you can’t trust they won't hurt you.” Leona reprimanded before they arrived at his chosen mode of transportation, a motorcycle. Its metallic black body shimmered under the street light giving it a sleek and mysterious look. F/n’s fingers grazed the leather seat. 

“Wow, fancy. You do give off the bad boy motorcycle type.” She cooed, ignoring his lecture. She swung her leg over as Leona helped guide her onto the bike. “Take me somewhere I can rest.” 

Leona followed her command and sped off throughout the city. He could feel her arms tighten around him with every quick turn and acceleration. The city lights sped by as the world drifted together. Well lit roads and businesses blurred by and became winding paths through forests. Soon, they were heading down an isolated path until they came to a stop in front of an ornate and large house. 

“Your family home… this wasn’t what I was expecting.” F/n said as Leona stood from the bike. Before she could fully hop off he grabbed her waist lifting her into his arms. 

“This is somewhere that we’ll both be safe.” 

If F/n knew what he meant she didn’t say anything, merely let him carry her up to the door. The door creaked open as the vampire servant of the Kingscholar family welcomed ‘Young Leona and his guest’ to the estate. The candle lit hallways glimmered as the various green plants throughout the house swayed from the slight breeze being let in. Leona guided them onward as he nodded towards the family servant. 

F/n was tired as she grabbed onto Leona's shirt, the weariness and dizziness affecting her now as she settled into his arms. 

"Leona, welcome home." Leona's brother, Falena Kingscholar, current head of the Kingscholar family said with a smile as he passed them in the hallway. "Nice to see you again F/n. I look forward to your attendance at the next council meeting." 

"Tch. We'll talk later, Falena." Leona said as he passed by. His brother had always been rather forthcoming in his thoughts regardless of the timing. 

"Nice to see you too, Falena." F/n answered. She was positive Falena heard despite him already being further down the hall. 

Leona continued forward, winding down hallway after hallway before approaching a door in a more secluded corridor. The entrance opened into a rather large bedroom. Clothes were strewn over couches and books piled in various areas. Ivy plants descended the walls and the hues of green, brown, and black blended together to make the area look charming and fitting for Leona.   

He led them to the seating area, settling them both into the large and deep set couch. F/n sunk her body into his lap. With a flick of his wrist, Leona undid a few of the buttons on his shirt revealing more of his neck to her. 

“Drink.” 

“Leona-” 

“It’s not up for debate.” Leona said rather seriously. The look in his eyes was more pleading than commanding though as he leaned his hand up to her cheek before pulling her in for a slight kiss. It wasn’t the first kiss they had shared but none other had been so loving. “Please.” 

F/n smiled before adjusting her position to have her legs on either side of him. She traced the line of his neck slightly with the tips of her fingers before leaning her lips in. If he felt the pain or pleasure from her bite he didn’t let on. The only acknowledgement she received was a slight sigh as she sucked at his skin. Gulp after gulp his hands on her hips tightened slightly. Truly, if she so desired, Leona would have let her drink him dry. She was one of the only vampires though, to not seem as monstrous as the rest, despite perhaps still being one of more dangerous ones. It was as if she still contained the humanity the rest of them tried to suck out of humans. 

When she was satisfied she pulled away to lick at his skin, healing and closing up the wound. She leaned back to look him in the eyes as he responded with a light smile. 

“You don’t like drinking or being drunk from, huh?” Leona asked. It was true, over the many months they had known each other F/n always hesitated to ask for blood. It didn’t matter who or how well she knew the person, she didn’t seem too inclined to ask for blood and when nobles offered her blood at the high end parties vampires attended she never accepted. Refusing to take from her many admirers. 

“I like taking your blood.” F/n answered. This much was obvious by how often she gave in. She never told him no, just questioned the authenticity of his offer before always conceding to him. When there were times that Leona needed blood, she always stuck out her wrist or neck with a teasing smile and goaded him into drinking. 

Their relationship wasn’t necessarily complicated but they were both so straight forward that consequently details were always left unsaid. Regardless Leona would follow her to hell if she decided that’s where she wanted to go. 

[coldgoldlazarus]

Some stray Metroid Prime 4 thoughts in brief, that I didn't feel like making their own posts:

On Sylux and the writing:

Really hope Sylux is a good, complex, nuanced antagonist. Gimme that Cyclosis lore, too!

I am admittedly a bit worried that this being pre-Fusion (not that I expected it to be otherwise, but still) means they might not be able to do as much with the Federation as I'd hope for, but hopefully it can still do some decent foreshadowing. (Post-Fusion MP5 tho pls)

Apparently the lead writer has done some amazing work with a Star Wars game (Fallen Order?) though, so feeling more optimistic about the writing after learning about her

Since she did dialogue writing for that game, I kinda wonder if we might get to see/hear the return of some of Samus's internal monologue. I know Other M's reception makes that kind of unlikely, I'd be leery of that if I was the people at Retro, but I honestly think it could be done right. More of a Fusion-esque noir narration that characterizes her well could be what we need to heal from that.

Think I already said this, but just in case I haven't; hoping Sylux survives this so they can pop back in after Dread and be like "Told you so!" lol

On the gunship:

Gunship still has the bottom hatch. I bet Samus comes out of the top when there isn't a proper landing pad with reliably even ground, such as that spot she popped out in the trailer

The addition of red trim around the windshield is a cool touch, makes it look a bit more aggressive somehow. Like the gunship has dramatic tearful red-rimmed eyes or something

I like how she sent the gunship off immediately after getting out; she learned from Ghor

ZM gunship was destroyed. Prime gunship's fate unknown after Hunters, possibly just sold off to make way for the next two. Classic gunship and Corruption gunship seem to be alternated between depending on needs of the mission; rv camper van versus well-armed speedy one-seater. Then classic was destroyed in Fusion and she switched to the purple one full-time, instead of going back to the Corruption one. Could we see the Corruption gunship get destroyed here, clearing the way for that?

On the timeline:

Also curious if this will use Sylux's Metroid and the Mochtroids to create a serious enough Event to lead into the extermination order in Metroid II. Might kinda conflict with my desire for nuance, but I could see some ways to thread that needle

Also wondering if we might see Samus be a little bit more flawed and morally compromised here, coming off of Corruption and leading into Metroid II. Rewatching the extra ending for Corruption, it tends to get overshadowed by her grieving beforehand and the Delano 7 afterward, but for a moment after dismissing the powersuit, she has a bit of a darker expression. I wonder if that was meant to imply some subtler, more lasting impact of everything she went through there, that Beyond could expand on further. Or it could just be a determined expression that I'm misreading lol

Wouldn't object to them finally taking another stab at Meta Kraid, but pls no Ridley unless we absolutely 1000% need him here. In general want that to be the policy going forward; keep the recursion to a minimum unless it's necessary.

I don't seriously expect this to be post-Super (as interesting as that would be) because of the date, since the dates given are so infrequent and inconsistent. But I could see the emphasis on that coming first thing, plus the time travel, be used to finally clear up that inconsistency and put hard, definitive dates on stuff going forward.

On the possible time travel stuff:

Kiiinda wondering if they'd use the time travel thing to branch off the Prime series timeline from the 2D games for more creative freedom going forward, (sorta like the Star Trek Kelvin timeline) though I don't think it's likely. Would be interesting though

Torn between wanting to see the time travel used to get new angles on familiar places, versus just wanting to have mostly new stuff

Time travel used to foreshadow Fusion/Dread Metroid Samus pls, like the Hordika plotline in Bionicle being foreshadowed by Vakama's visions in the Tahtorak comic

As I said previously, also wondering if they'll use Sylux's Metroid and the time travel thing to patch the whole "Metroid Prime in the Impact Crater" inconsistency and bring things full circle

On gameplay and possible multiplayer:

Gameplay-wise, I just like how classically Prime it looks; obviously I want new gimmicks and mechanics and expect those will come in due time after that intro, but I'm glad they're not trying to completely reinvent the wheel and make the baseline more like traditional FPSes. This is Prime 4, not Metroid Doom, and I appreciate that (as someone who respects Doom)

Torn on multiplayer since I've heard whisperings on that; don't want it to become too geared toward that sort of thing and wind up with an influx of like, toxic CoD fans or something

But I wouldn't object to a Hunters-style multiplayer, (maybe paired with upgrades for more parity with singleplayer) Especially since Sylux is a factor, even if the story is just them and Samus, they could still use extra hunters for the multiplayer

Corruption's trio being included somehow would break my heart but make my day, even if they'd be difficult to balance mechanically

Revisiting the Hunters and Corruption casts through this would be great, but would also love if they added even more all-new ones on top of that. (Maybe a few more gals?) Let's keep building this out! Samus is the best of the best, but I wanna see the rest of the best xD

On the overall experience:

Honestly far and away most excited for the new places to explore! But I ironically have the least to say about that rn since it's such an unknown

Would love to see unique new biomes, I guess, kinda like I mentioned in my big wishlist. Maybe a coastline with cliffs and coves and beaches? Maybe badlands, with one huge long continuous canyon instead of several smaller ones? (Maybe even with a flying boss fight through it, like one of the early abandoned concepts for Meta Ridley) Something even crazier?

At any rate I love how that rainforest in the preview looks, and I especially love the foggy chasm with that huge bridge off to the side

On that note, the additional shots of the rainforest on the JP website all point away from that direction. I bet you there's an awesome fucking view of whatever's on the other side of that bridge, that they're saving for a later trailer. Or possibly something plot-relevant that they're saving for the game itself

Kinda torn between wanting to see a little bit more of the places we'll be visiting, versus wanting nothing else so I can go in almost completely blind

Really really looking forward to hearing the new title theme. Would be cool if the main menu takes after the logo and has a big black hole or something in the background

[zombeebunnie]

Trembling Essence:💙Background + poll results💙

Hello hello and welcome new followers! :]

Firstly I just want to say a very big thank you to everyone that participated in the poll I did last week, I was really surprised but happy with the results and responses! This will help me a lot moving forward! :,] If you missed it and would like to say which route you preferred feel free to comment!

Anywho, this week mainly focused on art practicing again but I did work on the game and managed to get my bearings even more!

Here is the new background for the start of the game:

This took a long time to draw up since I sketched out the background instead of looking at references this time. Once I got a basic idea of how I wanted it to look it felt.. too empty and flat. At first I couldn't figure out why until I added more shrubbery and grass. After that I started adding the trees and then added a few more to give it depth and adjusted some of the coloring. So far the immersive symbolism I'm going for is slowly coming together! Since it just finished raining where you're located I tried to give the background the illusion of looking tolerably humid but slowly getting colder over time with a hint of decay in the distance. This is a better look of the dreary foreboding atmosphere compared to the "fairy-forest" from last week. >:,] It took a while but I also added a parallax effect here and optimized the images to save space. I kept getting an error when it came to the middle ground so I had to find and fix the problem which delayed things. I don't have a video to show it in action but maybe next time. I do want it to be known again that these automatically happen and don't follow the cursor. :,,]

Here's a sneak peek of the new choices you can do when you're in this area now. >;]

This part required a lot of brainstorming before I figured out how I wanted the explorative part to go. This was originally going to go a different way completely but a particular day caused me to just scrap it and start everything over. I have a very solid idea on how I want all of this to go better than ever so I can't wait to show some of the new areas! I didn't expect this background to take as long as it did to draw up but hopefully next week I'll have more done!

Progress doodle layout:

Since certain endings are being changed I thought it would be cool to animate a progress layout to visually show how everything is going! It shouldn't take too long to finish this section up since I already have a foundation laid out.

Noah's sprite sheet update:

As far as Noah sprite sheets goes, it's still in sketch mode and I haven't messed with them yet since I've been practicing. :,,]

There are some old drawing prompts I wrote down and sketches that I'm still doodling up behind the scenes so hopefully I can get to them at some point with some attached lore. :,]

Q&A / Ask box is still open:

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask here please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I would really like to hear from you guys!

Thank you to those who have sent in asks after everything got reset! I'll try to get to them when I can along with the ones that come to mind that got deleted. I just need time to answer since I like to respond with doodles/drawings as practice. :]

Overall that's everything I have to share so far, thank you guys for your continued encouragement and support through all of this, I wholeheartedly appreciate it! :,,]

[finnitesimal]

you reblogged that old ask about pissa ever going anywhere with their relationships and i've had some thoughts about this topic and it's probably gonna become a little bit of a rant so no pressure answering or even reading it's your askbox of course. so firsts things first jusr as you said the the answer to that task missa would definitely have to be more present on the server for this to not fall flat and feel very surface level. that being said the ender king stuff that's been going on with phil could potentially be a catalyst for things to move forward but personally i don't know if i like this idea 100%. while it is crucial to phil's character because well it's his lore! i presonally wouldn't like missa to become just an extension to him and a plot device for his story. i'd love missa to have more developement on his own or with other people first because as you said yourself a lot of the times when he's on the server him and phil barely leave each other's side.

the thing with phil ignoring missa's feelings in a way is that it could be easily attributed to him being a repressed old bird, which well, he totally is. and the threat of the ender king constantly looming over him and his loved ones definitely doesn't help with opening up to people these days. but that's where a lot of developement could happen for him and he's already been talking more to his eggs so hopefully he can exchange that trust and honesty to missa soon. and if it takes the ender king to do it then so be it i have more faith in missa being open about things on his own accord than this guy.

honestly i think i saw a post similar to what i'm going to say but i really hope the prison kiss will push some unspoken boundary between them that makes them perhaps question some things or move forward. i'm personally any type of pissa enjoyer but i just hope they can confront each other at some point and talk about how they feel. there's a lot of potential for a very sweet story here it would be a shame if nothing ever happened with it. i know it's probably wishful thinking but hey i can dream.

also we don't really know how the server is going to look and to what extent it's going to be reset but it could be a good chance for them to hang out more if let's say some bases get yeeted or they need to gather resources. or even if the bases are untouched it feels like a good moment for less active members to join since there's been a little bit of pause. what i'm saying is missa please log on more it's really crucial to this.

WOOHOO

i do agree that Missa should get to write his own lore whether it coincides with Phil's or not, he doesn't seem to be into scripting interactions with the others he's more likely to just start playing a bit and then bouncing off that for his cubito's story (spreen's betrayal and him leaving roier's house for it, kidnapping by wolves, being in love with phil, fortnite cheese putting him in prison) overall there's no evidence missa's gonna be involved in the ender king plot in canon unless he and Phil have talked about it

definitely think having a lot of new untouched space could take most of the pressure out of just walking around and seeing everything expand so quickly and being worried about building somewhere someone might have already claimed or on someone else's grounds

canon romantic pissa is still up in the air but ccphil and missa are most definitely aware that they're playing into a traditional romantic love story, theyre gonna have to decide if it'd be better or funnier to keep pivoting around the subject and drive everyone on the island insane or to get the ball FUCKING rolling

I'm going to Have Faith that he will log on more. I'm going to Hope and Pray. Calacaland will prevail

[light-wynd]

Just so I don't relentlessly spam everyone with even more Sigewinne posting, here's a compilation of pretty much everything I have to say about her at the moment in one post:

First of all, SHE'S HOME!!

Super happy to have her, and really looking forward to unlocking more of her voice lines/character stories (hopefully they'll have some more Melusine lore/facts? Please?) because so far I have not been disappointed.

I've also seen her Collected Miscellany video - the way Neuvi narrated it and referred to all Melusines as his daughters was precious ^^

And last but certainly not least... some story quest spoilers below the cut!

I really enjoyed the quest itself, pretty goddamn dark (as expected of Fontaine at this point really) but ended in a very heartwarming way and may or may not have made me tear up, plus it was just nice to get to know Sigewinne's character and past more. She's too good for this world. Also enjoyed Neuvi acting like a concerned father (even by his own admission), ahah.

And I love the fact that just as we think that Melusines are adorable, they feel the same about humans c: Remember that next time you're having a bad day: Melusines think you're cute.

Most importantly though, LOOK AT THIS

LOOK AT THIS!!

I was really, really hoping we'd get to see her original Melusine form, and WE ACTUALLY DID SFFGDSDDS

You bet I'll be drawing this form of hers eventually. I'm obligated to do so, I think.

Also check out the little detail of her pupils being a lighter color in this form! According to Ottnit's dialogue, even her eyesight is closer to that of humans than Melusines, so looks like even that was a result of her transformation?

[have-you-seen-my-sanity]

Little Bunny 4

Yandere William Afton/Steve Raglan x reader

Dead dove do not eat! - you will get exactly what's in the tags!

Tags: FNAF, mature themes, mentions of death, little bit of FNAF lore, mentions of Springlocks.

A few hours later at around 1 PM, your eyes flutter open. You stretched your limbs, yawned and got up.

You went to the kitchen, feeling hungry, you quickly made yourself a Sandwich.

After you were done eating, your friend walked in. She looked like she slept too.

Giving her an confused look, wondering why she was here and not at work, you broke the silence, "Weren't you at your work?" you asked as she looked at you "I was at work while you were sleeping but my shift ended early today." she answered as she poured herself some coffee.

She sat down on the chair across from you, taking a sip from her coffee "Feeling better?" she asked as you nodded, "Yes."

"Wanna go to Mr. Raglan and tell him what happened?" she asked again as you nodded.

"Yeah. Hopefully he will be kind enough to believe me."

----------

You stood infront of Steve Raglan's office again, knocking softly and awaiting the response from inside.

"Come in." Raglan's warm voice could be heard again. You gently opened the door and stepped inside. The smell of fresh coffee was in the air once again.

"Oh hello there." Steve met your gaze with his warm one. "I've informed the owner of the Pizzaria. He called back a few minutes ago and told me the damage has been repaired and the security has been improved with a sliding metal fence on the entrance." Steve then handed you a paper with all the stuff that has been adressed and fixed as you sat down across Raglan.

Steve leaned back in his desk chair and cleared his throat, "Could you please tell me what happened in details?" he asked and leaned forward with his elbows on the desk

"Well, I went to the bathroom and when I got back I saw the parts and service door slightly opened. Knowing that it was closed before, I went in to check and I saw a yellow rabbit leaning against a shelf. I honestly thought nothing of it but it's eyes were white and glowing, almost as if it was active or something. I then went back to the office and after like 5 minutes I heard a door being slammed. I checked all the cameras but there wasn't anything." you paused to think,

"Then there was this tall yellow rabbit. It came to the office, shattered the glass on the little window and I began to panic...I ran out, and-and the rabbit laughed...almost as if mocking me...I ran to the kitchen, and there was the golden version of Freddy which I found earlier sitting against the wall." You paused again to remember everything but Steve broke the silence

"So you hid inside the kitchen?" he raised his eyebrows as you nodded, "Yes. Actually I was moving the Golden Freddy and found out it was pretty lightweight and I also discovered that it's back could be opened and there was no endoskeleton inside it, only the hollow, uhm- suit. So I pushed my legs inside and slid in, crazy I know. I wore the hollow animatronic like a suit." you stated as Steve nodded

"Ah, that was once Fredbear from the first location. It is a specialized one, just like the yellow rabbit you mentioned which we call Springbonnie." Steve made clear and took a sip from his coffee

"So they are like suits? Animatronics with no endoskeletons inside?" You asked. "Well, yes and no. Both of these are so-called Springlock suits. They indeed have an endoskeleton inside of them. They can be worn by a human and have them perform in the animatronic mode. When a human decides to wear the suit, there's a small switch that needs to be flipped in order to retract all the metallic parts inside so it's wearable." Steve told you as you nodded.

"But why was Gold--I mean, Fredbear hollow?" You asked and Steve chuckled a little, "Well, after Fredbear's Family Diner closed, the endoskeleton simply got removed from him and it got renamed to Golden Freddy after the main Animatronics arrived. But Springbonnie still has the endo inside." he continued, "Maybe that's why he came after you?" Steve asked as you began to think

"I don't think so, because it wasn't moving robotic, it was moving smoothly like a human would. I even hit that guy and it sounded like it actually hurt it." you answered as Steve raised his eyebrows again

"You hit him?" he asked and you nodded, "Yeah, I hit it." Steve then leaned back in his chair again, "Whoever was under that suit was extremely lucky..." he said as you gave him a confused look, "Lucky? What do you mean by that?" you asked and Steve let out a small sigh,

"Well, remember when I told you that the endo is still inside Springbonnie? But after all this time laying around, without maintenance the Springlocks inside the suit may become unstable and more likely to...snap..." he snapped his fingers.

"And what happens if they snap?" You asked

"It wouldn't be pleasant at all. Just imagine what it would feel like if you get crushed by metallic parts." he said with a smirk

"Then you'll die?" you asked as Steve nodded, "Yes. And it's not a painless death either. The parts break your skin and flesh, crushing your insides, and if you're lucky you will bleed out fast enough before you have to experience more pain." Steve leaned back again.

"Oh...damn..." you sighed.

"So, anyway. On your third shift, you should be okay. The suit was found empty on the ground and got placed back to the room where you found him." Steve assured you as you nodded.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Raglan." You smiled at him as you stood up. "Nah, it's no big deal, I'm just glad you're okay that's all." Steve smiled and stood up too, extending his hand for a handshake.

You shook his hand and left his office, not noticing his face hardening and his lips twisted in a predatory smile.

"So you hid inside Golden Freddy, huh? You're smart and that's why I like you so much. But let's see what you will do on our next encounter..."

[britt-kageryuu]

Donnie has started a stream with their model sitting at a desk and in the same hoodie with pins again. They have the WIP game up on the side of the screen. They also look vaguely tired, which is oddly visible through the model.

"Okay, lovely Balemates. As much as I don't want to admit this. I need help with the story. I have some ideas, and bounced some ideas off my brothers, and it's kind of unintentionally turning into a mascot horror game, but I would like other options. So this leads me to a big announcement! Shelldon!" Donnie waves their hands for dramatic effect.

Shelldon flies into frame pulling a sign reading "Alpha Level Playtesting is Open!"

"That's right! I am opening playtesting! Something I usually wouldn't do, but I want to get your opinion on which story would work better." Donnie swaps out the game with a document, "Now as you can read here, the first round of testing will be open to the 'Softshell' and higher, levels of Patreon members. And you will have access to the at this point, checking notes, 6 different possible stories, but it's only the opening part of the game, mainly the lore dump." Donnie takes a breath and a drink of coffee.

"You will all be compensated upon messaging the unique image at the end of the demo to my personal Social Media. Dee_Softshell 💜. Compensation includes an amount of money depending on how many of the demos you complete, you will receive a large discount of the game when it's released, and there will be special effects added to your name when you write in chat." Donnie pauses to switch to the next page. While he does a few graphics of a few chat boxs labeled placeholder each with different colored bandanas based on the brothers, pops up on the screen.

"The Second Round will then include the 'Slider' Level, and be technically in beta hopefully, where we will hopefully narrow down the possible stories, and maybe mix things up. Depending on feedback of course. Now this version of the demo will include some work in progress of a story ideas that are more finalized, but need better context. Compensation is the same as above, just with a smaller discount on the game, and a different special effect." Donnie brings up another set of placeholder chatboxs with different stitched plushtoy ears.

"Now there is one more thing to add to this, we're going to need some voices for this game to work, not to mention music. Yes I forgot to put together music, and yes I want to have voice acting, it will make sense once you see the demos. Mandarin has been working very very very, 3 verys, hard on the character models, and looks forward to your feedback on them. So we are going to open auditions after the first round ends. Keep a look out for updates." Donnie does a slight bow, and then moves the document off the screen, and brings the game back up.

"Now, you will be watching me try to find out why this environments textures won't load properly, and why multiple props keep crashing the game to random degrees of bad. If I remember right, one caused to the entire computer to need a restart, and I had to end the stream there. Because I just found out the one specific item, and it's literally only that one item, that causes that type of crash. Frustrated Growl" Donnie voice gains a deep growl to it as they say this. "You may even be treated to me losing my mind along the way. Keep watching to find out"

As the stream goes on the chat was in fact treated to Donnie letting out a scream of frustration, and threatening to destroy their keyboard if the program crashed again after they were sure they finally fixed the crashing bugs.

And the audio cut out right before what the audience can only assume was a long string of words that were not family friendly enough for the stream. The model paces around 'yelling' before eventually sitting back down and glares at the program, which made it look like he was glaring/pouting in the direction of the camera.

The audience was very entertained, and many clips of the stream circled social media for quite a while after it ended, and was of course turned into a set of memes.

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

Masterpost Part One

Was tempted to type out a few of the possible 'main story' ideas, but I fear I would ramble on about them. I swear if it wasn't for many factors I could swear I was actually trying to make this game a real thing!! That's how focused on the possible story of a fictional game, I am!!

[theworldreturning]

So the Askapalooza is officially over, now what?

So the Askapalooza has ended, and I did say that the end result of what would happen to this blog would depend on what I thought about things by the end. So here's what I personally feel is going to happen.

I personally enjoyed being able to answer questions that people had about the characters in this specific version of the world, silly or not! It was fun to think about what they would get up to even if it was mundane or not super serious at all.

I do, however, feel that the idea for the blog was a bit too vague for most people to engage with, and that is my fault for not giving much to mull over. So what I'm going to be doing with this blog going forward is this:

- The blog is going to continue existing, and you'll still be very much able to ask questions! The experience was good enough that I'm more than happy to keep it going, even if responses won't be as quick as they were during the Askapalooza.

- Aside from answering asks, I'm also thinking of posting all things relating to this AU to this blog as well. (Character design sheets, character facts, silly headcanons, and events I feel would be "canon" to this AU) Hopefully it can add more intrigue and context and spark some questions for those interested!

- For the "Canon events" (basically story events): They won't at ALL be posted in any chronological order. Maybe in the future I'll make a master post showing the events as chronologically as possible, but for now I'm just showing things that happened as things that happened. Unless stated, don't assume it's all happening in the moment, in fact most canon events at first will probably be past events.

- I WILL help with putting what point in time these events happen for context on the post itself. A system I was thinking of using was something like this: [O.W., M1, Magicant, Visit 1] This would read as: "The events in this post happened in the Old World (O.W.), during the time of Mother 1 (M1), specifically the first magicant visit." Events set in the New World will start with N.W. and work the same way: World, "game", Place, Specifics (if any).

- Lore will DEFINITELY be more fleshed out than it was during the Askapalooza. I joined basically last minute, so I didn't have anything exciting to share. Sometimes I may just do text posts about some minor canon things that wouldn't warrant a whole drawn post.

- I'll probably work on this blog in short bursts as I get ideas. I'll basically be trying my best to queue up posts that I have as I make them, leave for a bit, and come back and do it again.

Aside from that, I'll also be slowly working on making the blog look more finished, instead of just using whatever images I had in store. Again, this was set up pretty last minute, so the presentation ain't the best.

Aside from still using the askapalooza tags, non-question posts will use the fandom tags as well to help more people find the blog. Question posts will just keep the AU tag and Askapalooza tags cause I don't want to flood the normal fanbase tags with them if they happen to get too many.

In any case, this is what's happening from now on.

TL;DR: Blog is staying up, you can still send asks. Anything relating to the Au will be posted here. There'll be more fleshed out lore and such as a result. Blog will be updated in short bursts as I see fit.

[caustic-caffeine]

my thoughts on the instagram ai situation, as a digital artist on the platform

figured i’d write and share this around so others in the community i’m in know my status. sooo, some basics for starters:

“Are you leaving Instagram? Where can I find you active?”

i’m staying on instagram for the time being. seeing as instagram almost certainly already has the data of my past posts, i won’t be deleting anything; going forward, i’ll be using ai disturbance filters and other anti-ai overlays for any stills i post. i anticipate using instagram for reels primarily, as well as staying in communications with mutuals and other artists. i do have a cara account, but will likely be posting intermittently until some issues i’ve noticed get addressed. going forward, i’ll most likely be at my most active over here! growth, fortunately, never was a priority in my social media presence so i’m not super concerned about that.

tldr:

instagram: gonna continue posting reels and occasional stills, will be primarily focused on interacting with fellow artists

here: most active! will post both rough and polished stills, as well as lore and whatever random thoughts pop into my head. (see pinned post for a tag guide)

cara: activity will be low unless shit really hits the fan on instagram and i can no longer protect my work via overlays. if you’re an insta moot, feel free to dm me if you want me to share your posts around, though! if the link doesn’t work: i’m @/asphodelity [EDIT] cara does work with an ai organization, hive; here is a post that goes into it and other things people have said about the platform! as i already wasn’t intending to use the platform all that often this won’t change anything for me, but make sure to do your research if you’re looking into the platform!

“Will this affect how much you post?”

not really! i already have a fairly sporadic posting schedule, so i’ll just be continuing what i’ve been doing: posting when i have things i wanna share :]

“Help! I’m an Instagram artist and want to know how to protect my art!”

i gotchu.

[EDIT] the non-glaze/nightshade/artshield filters are mostly ineffective! it won’t hurt you to use them, but if you can stick to using the glaze and nightshade sites!! if you don’t have a pc, you can apply to get a webglaze account!

how to (hopefully) opt out of your art being scraped in the european union (i think?)

how to (hopefully) do the same in the united states (note: post could be outdated)

other ways to protect your art: one, two, three, four

ai disturbance filters: one, two, three (set these to overlay at 30% as the top layer for most effectiveness! these aren’t as effective as using a website like glaze, but are better than nothing)

after june 26, no matter your region, you’ll be unable to opt out of ai data training. this affects, to my knowledge, everything you post, including captions.

“Any other thoughts?”

now, more than ever, we as a community need to stick together and support each other. don’t let anyone tell you your art isn’t worth anything; we as artists have something very special in our ability to create, express ourselves, and connect with the world around us, an algorithm and misguided techbros will never be able to take that away from us. keep pursuing what you love, my friends; we have to weather the storm to see the rainbow.

my dms are always open for art reasons. need a pep talk? i’m around. wanna collab or trade? i’d love to! need help boosting your social medias? i’m happy to help (although my presence is admittedly very small). whatever it is, i’m here and willing to help!

i’ll keep updating yall on this platform as my activity changes (or, perhaps, something big related to ai happens), so be sure to stick around if that seems interesting! also, please feel free to reblog this post and add more information i may have missed, that’s all for now, thank you for your time <3

[dontfeeltoohot]

While I was writing this, I realized if we’re going off of ‘Barbie lore’ (which sounds so weird) there is a book where someone gets sick, so technically this fic wouldn’t be true. But. I’m going off of what’s been said in the movie, and ignoring the books since they’re portrayed as regular humans on earth there. 

So have some clueless, helpless Ken. He's different than most characters I've written for, so hopefully I did him justice. Enjoy.

Warnings: slight mess

XXX

He brings a lot home with him to Barbie Land from earth. Knowledge of patriarchy and horses, of how men are treated by women. Ken also, unknowingly, brings germs to their perfect land that hasn’t experienced them before. He’s been around thousands of new people- hundreds during his brief time trying to convince the doctors to let him perform an appendectomy in a hospital. Sure, Barbie Land is pretty perfect, but germs? That’s new. It’s not as if they don’t all know what germs are, but when someone gets sick, it’s a quick, almost instantaneous fix. As it seems, human germs are not like the germs here. 

When the blonde wakes up in his small, ordinary house; nothing like Barbie’s, he feels…bad? Not the bad he feels when Barbie doesn’t talk to him, and not the kind of bad like when Ken (two) had beaten him in the beach-off. No, he feels bad like his throat hurts and he’s still tired even after sleeping. He can’t breathe through his nose, and oh god, is he dying? He doesn’t want to die! With his thoughts racing, he scrambles out of bed, ready to go find Barbie to ask what’s happening to him, but an intense head rush washes over him and his limbs feel weirdly weak. 

“Okay, you can do this, just-“ he breaks off, nose scrunching up involuntarily. 

An intense tickle is winding its way through his stuffed sinuses, making his hand go to his nose, rubbing it with his palm, trying to make it go away. It’s no use, and by the time it’s reached his nose, the man is standing frozen with his eyes fluttering, nostrils flaring. 

“hhh-EHtschhuh!” He shakes his head much like a dog, takes a step forward and then- “heHHTSCHuh! SNF!” 

The sniffle is wet and thick, and it makes him cough as the mess is met with already blocked sinuses. Letting out a tired sigh, Ken rubs his face and tries to calm himself down. Is he malfunctioning? Is he going to have to go back to earth? Heart rate picking back up, he finds a soft white shirt and yanks it on, nose runny and itchy and feeling entirely too sensitive. He rubs a knuckle into the side of it as he brushes his hair, still wanting to look good for the woman he’s about to set off for. They are boyfriend-girlfriend after all. 

Or, they were. Her explanation of him needing to figure out who he was wasn’t exactly his favorite, and he’s hoping she’s forgotten about it by now. He needs her. She’s Barbie, and he’s Ken. There is no just Ken. He’s bound to her, right? Swallowing down that fear and wincing when the action hurts, he shivers slightly and picks up his plain blue sweatshirt, zipping it up on his way down and out of the house. 

Walking down the perfectly straight sidewalk, Ken waves half heartedly at the people who greet him, too tired to be as enthusiastic as he usually is. It must be noticeable enough though, because Veterinarian Barbie frowns as she makes her way down the same sidewalk. 

“Hey Ken! Are you okay? You look..” she bites her lip and he knows she’s trying not to say something rude. 

“I’m fine,” he assures, waving it off, no way he’s letting anyone know he’s malfunctioning. “I gotta go see Barbie, but I’ll catch you later.” 

He hears himself as he talks, cringing at how different his voice is, like he’s pinching his nose shut. Forcing himself to move quickly, he finds the bright pink dream house and knocks on the already half opened wall, not wanting to intrude. (He wishes he could intrude, wishes he could go in and hold her close, maybe even give her a kiss). 

“Oh, hey Ken!” 

The sweet, beautiful voice rings out and he’s snapped out of his thoughts. 

“Barbie! Hey, I need to talk to you…inside.” 

“Oh, uh,” she frowns. “Okay, come on-“ 

Ken pushes past her and rubs at his nose, already feeling another tickle. He tries to concentrate on the woman in front of him, scrunching his nose up in hopes to hold off what he knows is going to happen. 

“How did you know you were malfunctioning?” 

The words come out quick and his voice quivers slightly. The long haired blonde in front of him takes a small step forward, worry passing over her features. 

“I, I could just feel it. I felt different. Are you okay? What’s going on, do you think you’re malfunctioning?” 

As Ken goes to explain what’s been happening, the tickle makes him stop and he tilts his head back slightly, the feeling overwhelming. 

“huhIKSHHHuh! SNGF! Ohh…ehUITSCHH’uhew! That felt g-good-snfSNF!” 

The man barely notices Barbie jump at the uncovered noise, he barely even turns away from her, moving just enough to mist the air to his left instead of directly onto her. 

“This keeps happening! And I hurt? I think I’m dying Barbie, I feel really bad. My throat? It hurts, and I feel like I need to sleep even though I just slept. I can’t breathe either,” he sniffles for effect, nostrils twitching as mess that’s been clinging to them gets pulled back up. “There’s this feel-SNF! Feeling that..hh-! that’s in my head..like someone’s tickling it? I d-dohn’t..HuhEXTSHhuh! The tickle keeps m-making me..do..thiiihh-KTSCH’uhEW! this..” 

By the end of his explanation he’s exhausted, his nose is running everywhere, his throat’s burning, and he only half means to stumble into Barbie, resting his forehead against her shoulder. 

“I don’t want to die, Barbie.” 

She wraps an arm around him and he leans a little more against her. He won’t lie and say he doesn’t play up when he’s injured sometimes, but this is a whole different ball game. He really feels bad, and he doesn’t know what to do, and god he wants to lay down. Pulling back, he notices a small wet spot from where his nose had been pressed into her pretty dress. Oops. 

“You’re not going to die Ken, okay? Not while I’m here.” She squeezes his own shoulder and he feels electrified. “Now, you probably should sit down or-“ 

“Can I lay on your bed?” His mind flashes back to when he was crying on it not even two weeks ago. 

“Of course.” She says it with no hesitation, and if he had more energy he’d be grinning and teasing her. 

Sniffling as he’s led to her large, velvet pink seashell-backed bed, Ken coughs and wipes his nose with his shirt sleeve, frowning at the mess that’s put there. Gross. 

“Here, lay down and stay there. I should see if Doctor Barbie knows what to do-“ 

“No! I don’t want her to know I’m malfunctioning!” Another sniffle makes Ken groan and huff. 

“If you are malfunctioning, you’re not going to get better. You don’t want to be like this forever do you?” 

“No way, but can’t you just stay for a little bit? I might be dying, the least you can do is lay next to me. We can tahhlk,” he rubs his nose against his palm, nostrils twitching. “Please?” 

“Fine, but only for a little while. And then I’m finding Barbie and we’ll figure this out. You look bad, Ken.” 

The words sting, but he ignores them only half on purpose. The other half of him is too concentrated on the itchy feeling that’s back in his head again. It feels so good to get it out, so he waits, slack jawed with shut eyes as the feeling crests. 

“UHKTSCHHuh! Snfsnf! God, it juhhst- Barbie…” his defined nostril twitch into almost perfectly round circles, unused to the sensitivity. “ehhuISTCHuh! SNGFF!” 

He mists the air as he gets into the woman’s bed, mess running down his cupids bow and almost onto his lip, sniffles not doing much to help. His eyes flutter open when something moves against his face- Barbie has a washcloth pressed against his nose, wiping away any mess that’s been produced. 

“Thank you Barbie,” Ken’s surprised but grateful. “That’s really nice of you.” 

“It was kind of gross, and it seemed like you needed help,” she laughs quietly, making him go red. 

“I really think I should go find doctor Barbie.”

“Just a few minutes, okay? Then you can go find her.” 

TBC? 

[scraftyisthebest]

SV DLC Ramble

After quite some time we finally got in-game footage of the Scarlet and Violet DLC (The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero), both from Kitkami and the Blueberry Academy. And I’ve gotta say, this is looking to be great, and perhaps even grander than the SwSh DLC which stayed put in Galar.

Kitakami as we all expected seems to be travelling overseas back to a Japan based region, Kitakami even being a place in the Iwate Prefecture in the real world. The Iwate Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region in Japan, which is south of Hokkaido and north of the Kanto region in real Japan. 

If we were to use real world Japan as a basis that would mean that Kitakami would be south of Sinnoh and north of Kanto+Johto (the latter being based on Kansai), with Hoenn being the furthest south of the five.

Kitakami does seem to be based in the Pokemon world’s equivalent of Japan in that regard, with the presence of Johtonian Wooper being one of the biggest signs: unlike previous games, this time we’ll actually get to see the original forms of the regional forms Paldea introduced (and by extension Quagsire) actually be catchable in Kitakami. Perhaps Kantonian Tauros will also be available in Kitakami as well. 

The three “hero” legendaries seem like an interesting trio. They uniquely possess the ability Toxic Chain which seems to badly poison opponents if they attack. It’s pretty nice to have Poison-type legendaries nowadays after Poison was shafted as a legendary/mythical type for so long: first Eternatus and now these three. The fact that they are Poison-type however does raise questions as to what their relation to Ogerpon is: especially since poison implies toxicity and negative impressions. Ogerpon is an interesting beast, being under a mask, and perhaps having connections to the Terastal phenomenon.

The Blueberry Academy on the other hand seems to have more new characters like the director Cyrano and a fellow student in Lacey. 

I was curious how they were going to incorporate wild Pokemon aka the returning Pokemon to catch in the Indigo Disk with it taking place in the Blueberry Academy, an underwater school and facility but it seems they’re using a giant Terrarium that acts as a wildlife preserve and park, filled with a variety of environments to boot. Pretty cool way to incorporate that into a modernized facility setting. Hopefully there’s a battle facility of some sorts here as well.

It’s also interesting that the Blueberry Academy also involves traveling abroad (aka overseas), much like Kitakami. Together, both of these places being entirely separate settings in the world from Paldea, unlike with SwSh which stayed in Galar, would imply that the Terastal phenomenon has been found in places *outside* of Paldea, which puts it more in line with Mega Evolution in that regard. While Z-Moves and Dynamax are pretty deeply entrenched in Alola and Galar and the latter cannot be used outside of it, Terastal while originally found in Paldea seems to have sightings of it being present in other places as well like Kitakami and the place where the Blueberry Academy is. This is somewhat of a parallel to Mega Evolution albeit with slightly less dubious origins, in that while Mega Evolution is dominantly found in Kalos and was believed to only be found there at one point, Mega Evolution energy has also been found in Hoenn and has its own origin story there as well. 

Perhaps a similar case is occurring with Terastal as well: like Megas being found in Hoenn, another Japan-based region has sightings of Terastal, and in this case Ogerpon may play a role in the lore behind the Terastal phenomenon as well. Terastal is already my favorite super mechanic since Mega Evolution itself, and lore wise it’s looking even more interesting than Z-Moves and Dynamax ever were which may draw me to it more. 

I definitely look forward to playing this DLC, travelling to new places outside of Paldea and exploring new landscapes (which for the record, are looking incredibly vibrant and diverse, even moreso than Paldea) and exploring the lore of them in relation to Terastal, Terapagos, and Area Zero is interesting, and I genuinely enjoyed SV in spite of its technical problems so the DLC is gonna be more icing on the cake (contrast SwSh which was underwhelming and the DLC had to save it, and even then was overall smaller in scope than SV+DLC is setting up to be).

[a-student-out-of-time]

Hello there boys, girls and enbies, I’m BAAACCCCKKKK!…sorta.

Okay so the obvious question is gonna be why I peaced out when Dianthus Memory started, and to cut a long story short, I was going through some serious irl issues which I know having a heavy arc would make my emotional state worse. Ironically enough as soon as I said “IGHT IMMA HEAD OUT” the irl issues actually started to improve and clear up. But I still had the aftermath to deal with, plus I know I’ve got a backlog of work to do here.

Rather then just do a normal post, I’ve decided to announce my return with something I frankly should have done ages ago; update my Anonsona. People who have recently joined the blog probably don’t know what this is about but around The Puppetmaster time people were posting their Anonsonas and so I whipped up mine, but not only has the lore behind Anons changed since then, most of us aren’t ghosts, but also more details for my Anonsona so it was in need of a rework.

So the big differences is my ghostly Anonsona now looks more like a drowned ghost, which if you have read my Black and White Christmas review you would know how I would meet my end in the Tragedy, and that’s not hair, its seaweed. Psychic powers are still used to write because claws are not the best writing material. Also I cannot draw people holding stuff but let’s pretend its the claws. Why did I do this? because it was something I needed to do for a long time, but also so if any of the artists here was planning to draw me smacking Hajime with a clipboard when he’s being stubborn and self-loathing, they have an actual reference model to draw from.

Anyway time for me to talk about the sorta as I have unblocked this blog but I haven’t refollowed as I got to get back to doing my Arc Reviews, starting with The Price of Fate and let’s face it, if I was catching up on Dianthus Memory and refreshing myself on The Price of Fate at the same time, it would have emotionally destroyed me. So I’m not read any of Dianthus Memory yet so please don’t ask me about anything on there. I WILL get around to it, but one thing at a time. But what IS my current status on my writing? Well I’m pleased to say that…

I’ve finished writing up The Price of Fate Arc Review and its currently in the editing phase. Therefore either within the week this post goes up or the following week, the review will be out. My scdhule going forward will be elaborated on when that review comes because this is getting too long as it is.

Either way, it’s good to be back, and hopefully I won’t need to go away again. -Review Anon

//Oh dang, welcome back! Glad to hear you’re doing better ^^

//Really looking forward to seeing your thoughts once again!