#definitely deleting in like 10 mins

[ughkat]

face reveal or whatever

[loumauve]

I snapped today at work, and by snapped I mean I politely commented on a help desk ticket by summing up an mess of an (type of) issue that's come up for at least the fourth time in the 2+ months I've been managing user accounts, and asked the person responsible to fix it (himself for once) because last time I fixed his mess-up it took me two whole days to work out the details with at least four other colleagues from different departments and I really don't want to do it again. there's other shit that needs doing, I've been working 10+ hour days for most of this week already, so I need to cut down not add on more.

(good thing tho - at least we managed to fix the issue where the dataset of a newer employee got mixed up with another one of the same name and therefore wasn't able to apply for any of the access/accounts she needed. technically not entirely my area but it does impact us not being allowed to create an account for her so I figured I might as well track that issue down. took three days and at least three other people, but hey - it should all work out now. yay for that)

[userpeggycarter]

COLORING + SHARPENING TUTORIAL

someone asked for a coloring tutorial and my sharpening settings, so here it is! there are also a few tips to achieve more HQ gifs. :)

tutorial under the cut!

FOR HIGH-QUALITY GIFS

FILE SIZES

it doesn’t matter what your sharpening settings are if the file you’re using to gif is too low quality, so i tend to look for the best that i can get when downloading stuff. 

usually, movies (+2h) look better if they’re 5GB or more, while an episode (40 min/1h) can look good with even 1GB. the minimum definition i try to find is 1080p, but i gif with 2160p (4k) when available. unfortunately, not every computer can handle 4k, but don’t worry, you can gif with 1080p files just fine if they are big enough. contrary to popular belief, size does matter! which means sometimes a bigger 1080p file is better than a smaller 2160p one, for example.

SCREENCAPPING METHOD

this can too influence the quality of your gifs. as a gifmaker, i’ve tried it all: video frames to layers, directly opening video clips, loading files into stack, and i’ve finally settled down with opening screencaps as an image sequence. with bigger files, it doesn’t matter much what technique you use, but i’ve noticed with smaller files you can do wonders if you screencap (either by loading files into stack or opening as an image sequence) instead of using video clips. for example, this gif’s original video file was only 4GB (so smaller than i’ve usually go for), if you can believe it!

here’s a tutorial for setting up and screencapping with MPV, the media player i use to screencap. again, you can keep using video clips for bigger files, but you’ll find this useful when dealing with dire causes. i don't file loads into stack, though, like the video does. i open as an image sequence (open > screencap folder > select any image > click the image sequence button). just select OK for the speed. this will open your screencaps as a video clip (blue bar) in timeline mode (i'm a timeline gifmaker, i don't know about you). you will need this action pack to convert the clip into frames if you're a frames gifmaker. i suggest you convert them into frames even if you're a timeline gifmaker, just convert them into a timeline again at the end. that way you can delete the screencaps right away, otherwise you will delete the screencaps and get a static image as a "gif".

ATTENTION if you’re a Mac Sonoma user, MPV won’t be an option for you unless you downgrade your system. that is, if you have an Intel chip. if you have M1 Max chip (or even a better one), here’s a fix for MPV you can try while keeping that MacOS, because nowadays MPV is skipping frames in its latest build. or you can use MPlayer instead for less hassle. here are two tutorials for setting and using MPlayer. Windows users are fine, you can use MPV without trouble.

FOR EVEN MORE QUALITY

ADD NOISE

here’s a tutorial for adding noise as a way to achieve more HQ gifs if your original material is too low quality.

REDUCE NOISE WITH CAMERA RAW

instead of adding noise, you can reduce it, especially if your gif is very noisy as it is. 

the path is filter > camera raw > detail > nose reduction. i do this before sharpening, but only my video file isn't great to begin with. because it’s a smart filter, you can reduce or increase its opacity by clicking the bars next to its name in the layers panel.

TOPAZ AI

i use Topaz Photo AI to increase the quality of my screencaps when i need to. it’s paid software, but there are… ways to find it for free, usually on t0rrent websites. if someone’s interested, i can make a tutorial solely about it in the future.

SHARPENING SETTINGS

here are my sharpening settings (filter > sharpen > smart sharpen). i sharpen things twice: 500% 0.4px + 10% 10px. here's an action for it, for more convenience. here's a tutorial on how to use Photoshop actions. for animated stuff, i use this action pack.

COLORING

here’s the gif i'm gonna use as a base. it’s already sharpened like the way i always do it.

LIGHTNING THE SHOTS

half of the secret of a good coloring is good lightning. i always useCurves (layers > new adjustment layer > curves) and Brightness & Contrast (layers > new adjustment layer > brightness & contrast). the settings depend on the scene you’re giffing, but i always try make my gifs bright and with high contrast to make the colors pop.

CURVES

besides lighting your scene, the Curves adjustment layer has four automatic options that will color-correct it for you. it’s not always perfect and it doesn’t mean you won’t need to do further coloring, but it’s a great start. it’s a lifesaver for most ridiculously yellow scenes. look at the difference! this gif uses the 3rd automatic option (the screenshot below isn't mine btw so that's why the fourth option is the chosen one), from top to bottom. what automatic option you need to choose depends on the gif.

sometimes i like to tweak my Curves layer. not everybody does that, it’s not that necessary and if you’re not careful, it can screw your gif up. to modify your layer by hand, you will need to click and drag points of that straight line in the position you desire. this is the concept behind it:

basically, the lower part of the line handles the shadows, while the upper part handles the highlights of the image. if you pull a highlight point up, the image’s highlights will be brighter. if you pull it down, it will make them darker. same thing for the shadow points. you should play with it to get a grasp of it, that’s what i did when i first started giffing.

BRIGHTNESS & CONTRAST

then i added a bit of brightness and contrast.

CHANNEL MIXER

the scene looked a bit too yellow, so i used the Channel Mixer (layer > new adjustment layer > channel mixer) adjustment layer. here’s a tutorial of how it works. not every scene needs the Channel Mixer layer though, i mostly use it to remove heavy overall tints. in this particular case, the Curves layer got rid of most of the yellow, but i wanted the gif to be just a bit more blue so the Channel Mixer tweaks are very minimal.

SELECTIVE COLOR

now, this adjustment layer i always use: Selective Color (layer > new adjustment layer > selective color). this is THE adjustment layer to me, alongside the Curves one. this is how it works:

ie, you can separately edit a color this way, giving it tints. for this gif, i wanted to make the colors more vibrant. to achieve that, i edited the selected colors this way:

for the reds, i added even more red in them by moving the first slider to the right, making the color more vibrant. for his hat to have a more warm tint, i added yellow to the reds (third slider, moving it to the right). finally, to make the reds stronger, i moved the last slider to the right (more black).

for the yellows, i made them brighter by adding white to them, thus making the tile wall and Paddington more bright as well.

for the cyans and the blues, i just added the maximum (+100) of black that i could.

i wanted for Paddington's nose to be brighter, so i added more white to the whites.

lastly, i added depth to the blacks by increasing their own blackness.

you should always play with the Selective Colors sliders for a bit, before deciding what you want or need. with time, you will automatically know what to change to correct the color grading. it all takes practice!

HUE/SATURATION

i don’t know if you noticed, but there are some green spots on the blue wall behind Paddington. to correct that, i added a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (layer > new adjustment layer > hue/saturation) and made the saturation of the greens 0%, making that unwanted green disappear from the background.

while the green spots on the wall are specific for this gif, i use hue/saturation a lot to tweak, well, hue and saturation. sometimes someone’s skin is too yellow, i made it redder by tweaking the reds and the yellows, or vice-versa. the hue bar follows the rainbow bar, so the maximum settings (+100 and -100) give the selected color to change its hue to something more red or pink (the rainbow extremities). changing hue can give pretty whacky results, like turning someone’s skin tone to green, so you will need to play with it to get the hang of it. you can also tweak the opacity of your hue/saturation layer to further improve your gif’s coloring. i didn’t do it in this case, the opacity is still 100%. the reds and the blues had their saturation increased to make them pop just a bit more, without affecting the other colors.

COLOR BALANCE

the highlights of the gif still had a green tint to it due to the automatic correction of the Curves layer, so i used Color Balance. this is how it works: instead of giving specific colors some tints, you can give them to the shadows, highlights, and mid-tones. if your shadows are too blue, you counterbalance them with the opposite color, yellow. same thing with the cyan-red and magenta-green pairings. in my case, i added a bit of magenta.

B&W GRADIENT MAP

now, if this gif was a dish, it’s time for the salt and pepper. i always add a Gradient Map (layer > new adjustment layer > gradient map) (black to white gradient) with the Soft Light blending mode, thus giving my shadows more depth without messing with the mid-tones and highlights. it also doesn’t “deep fry” (you know those memes?) the gif too much by adding even more contrast. usually, the opacity of the layer is between 30% to 70%, it all depends on the gif. it always does wonders, though!

COLOR FILTER

finally, i like to add Color Filters (layer > new adjustment layer > color filter) to my gifs. it’s very handy when giving different scenes for the same minimalistic set because it makes them kind of match despite having completely different colors. in this gif’s case, i added a “deep blue” filter, opacity 50% density 25. you can change the density and the opacity of the layer for further editing, again, it all depends on the gif.

VIBRANCE

if i feel like it, i add a vibrance layer (layer > new adjustment layer > vibrance) to make the colors pop. this can ruin your coloring sometimes, especially when regarding skin color, so be careful. i didn't do it in this gif because i felt i didn't need it.

TA-DA! 🥳

AN OTHER EXAMPLE

the color grading of the original scene it’s pretty good as it is, to be honest. let’s see a worse scenario, a VERY yellow one:

no channel mixer this time because the automatic curves option dealt with the yellowness, but you can see it made the gif too green. i needed to correct that with the following adjustment layers:

curves (automatic option) (gif 2) >> same curves layer (tweaks) (gif 3) >> brightness & contrast (gif 4) >> hue/saturation (tweaked cyan+blue+green) >> selective color >> color balance (gif 5) >> b&w gradient map >> (sepia) filter >> vibrance (gif 6)

i added a hue/saturation layer to remove the blues & greens before my selective color layer because i thought that was more urgent than tweaking the tint of all colors. color balance (gif 4) was the real hero here, though, by removing the green tint. the selective color layer was meant to make the red pop more than anything else, because the rest looked pretty good, especially her skin tone (despite the green tint). you can notice that tweaking the curves layer (small gif 3) also helped A LOT with the green problem.

tl;dr 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

here's a list of my go-to's while coloring and lightning gifs. it's not a rule, just a guide. there are gifs in which i don't use all these adjustment layers, or use them in a different order. it all depends!

1. curves (automatic option + tweaks) 2. brightness & contrast 3. channel mixer 4. selective color 5. hue/saturation 6. color balance 7. b&w gradient map 8. color filter 9. vibrance

i'll suggest that you study each adjustment layer listed for more info, either with other Tumblr tutorials or YouTube ones. the YouTube ones focus on images, but you can translate what they teach to gif making very easily. you can ask me to further explain any adjustment layer, too! i was brief to keep this short (which i kinda failed lol).

feel free to ask me for clarification or something else about gifmaking wise, i always like to help. ❤️

[allmonstersxarehuman]

Such A Brat

Prompt: 10 Don’t be stubborn

Prompt: 12 Say that Again

From this prompt list that is originally posted by @seungfl0wer

MDNI! Adult content (WARNINGS UNDER LINE)

A/N: Very rusty on my smut writing skills and writing skills in general. I hope you like it. For some reason it deleted your message when I was working on it. 😩🥺🥺 @seungfl0wer

Warnings: MDNI! Smut, unprotected sex (just don’t), established relationship, (reader is called princess, baby, brat, good girl and pup), spanking, swearing just a little, one pussy slap, one gentle throat squeeze, I think that’s it.

A small sound of disapproval escaped when you felt the warm morning sun lightly kiss your face, you tried to ignore it but when the warmth became to much you let out a whine this time out annoyance. You thought turning away from the window would help but how wrong you were because when you turned over you were soon being pestered by Seungmin; he let out small laughs as he poked your cheeks, nose and lightly gave you a soft loving flick on the forehead. The action made you pout and let out a humph, your eyes continued to stay closed as you retaliated by pinching his bare stomach then his nipple. He let out a surprised yelp, the noice causing you to let a giggle as your eyes started to open just a tad; only to be met with him giving you a dirty look. One of the things you loved the most when it came to being in a relationship with Kim Seungmin is it just worked, you both are mischievous though you weren’t as obvious as him; you both are aware when a joke or comment is or has crossed the line.

“Mm, let me sleep.” You hummed closing your eyes and removing the hand that had rested on his upper abdomen, only for him to grab it again before wrapping an arm under you to pull you on top of him. “Min!!” You complained as you lay your head on his bare chest, legs straddled over his torso but made no effort in moving. Resting his hands comfortably on your backside pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “Come on bubs, we’ve got to get up remember we told the guys that we’d go camping with them one last time before the weather starts to change. You know how Lee Know hyung gets when people are late.” He said before giving your bum a light squeeze and then a smack that wasn’t hard but definitely wasn’t soft. The action made you sit up pouting at him. “Technically you said you would, my name was never mentioned.” You smirked.

Seungmin rolled his eyes, before arching his brow. “Don’t be stubborn. Let’s get up and get washed up, since we didn’t do that last night.” He stated as he sat up in bed and landed another smack to your right ass cheek before sliding you off him as he stood up. You bit your lip as you watched him stretch admiring ever muscle that showed up as he did. “The only reason we didn’t get cleaned up last night is because you were way to tipsy to make it further then this bed.” You finally removed yourself from where you had been seated on the bed, patting his chest a few times when you walked past and towards the bathroom.

Then an idea hit you it’s been a bit since you riled him up a bit. “Fine I’ll get cleaned up but I was really hoping you would take a shower with me, but you are such a prude and want to be a bore that I guess I’ll just take one myself and help myself out since you are in such a hurry to meet up with the boys.” You said to him over your shoulder as you took off his shirt that you had put on followed by shimming out of your underwear, and turning on the shower, checking the temperature before stepping under the warm water. You knew it wouldn’t take long until Seungmin to follow you, he couldn’t help but lick his lips as he watched your little show. Stepping behind you he soon had a tight grip on your hip then pressing you against the shower wall, you shivered slightly as the cold tile wall pressed against your already sensitive nipples. “You want to say that again? I know what you are doing baby, being a brat isn’t going to get you anywhere; what happens to brats sweetheart especially brats that touch themselves without permission?” He growled in your ear before backing up and telling you to bend over, you wanted to hit him with a smart remark but before you could even get a word out a hard slap was given to your ass; a small warning to do as you are told and not back talk him. You let out a small yelp as you answered his question. “The don’t get to cum until they get permission.” Seungmin smirked loving how obedient you could be sometimes especially when you were becoming desperate. He sat on the bench that was in the shower his cock becoming stiff the mushroom head red and angry. “Spread your cheeks for me baby let me see your pretty pussy.” His words made you bite your lip as you clenched around nothing, you wanted to be filled so badly not caring if it was his fingers, tongue or his thick cock.

You did exactly what he asked of you feeling so desperate that you would anything. Seungmin let out a hum of satisfaction taking both of his big veiny hands he rubbing them up and down the back of your legs. “Good girl. To bad you never remember that before you get mouthy. First you didn’t want to get up, then you call me boring; now here you are bending over like a dog in heat.” He emphasized the last part of his sentence as he gave a small slap to your dampening pussy. “Why do insist on getting my attention by being a brat? Don’t I treat you right princess? Do I neglect you so much that you have to act up to get my attention?” You whimpered and nodded. “Y-you do Minnie, you treat me very good. I’m sorry, please I’ll be a good girl.” His fingers played with your folds then let his thumb play with your tight hole never letting it push inside your greedy pussy. You whimpered trying miserably at grinding against his thumb trying to get some sort of relief.

Seungmin let out a breathy laugh, completely removing his fingers from you. “So desperate.” You opened your mouth to speak, you were so distracted that you hadn’t realized Seungmin stood up until his cock was completely seethed deep in your warm and wet pussy causing a loud moan to escape your lips at the sudden feeling of being stuffed full. You could feel the tip of his cock kissing your cervix, he pulled you up so your back was flush against his chest his long fingers creeping up to your throat giving a light squeeze. He slowly pulled out of you only to ram himself back inside of his, letting go of your throat he bent over again watching his cock disappear inside of you. “So tight but your taking me so well, damn you were made just for me.” He moaned landing a slap to your ass. “So deep.” You moaned clawing at the tiled wall of the shower desperate to find something stable to cling on too. The lewd sound of wet skin on skin filled the bathroom as his thrusts became more faster hitting your gummy center that made you see stars as well made you salivate along it. “That’s it baby.” He groaned holding two fingers up to your mouth, you knew exactly what to do, you opened your mouth and sucked on the digits in front of you, once he was satisfied you felt his arm reaching around to massage your swollen clit with his two of his fingers. “I’m so close. Can I cum? Please Seungmin. I promise I’ll be so good for you.” You whimpered your voice becoming scratchy due to you loudly moaning. “Hold on just a little longer baby, you are doing so good for me.” Seungmin let out a growl as his thrusts became more erratic and less precise. You gripped onto the his arm that was wrapped in front of you desperately grinding against his fingers pussy clenching around his cock that continued to hit the right spot. He threw his head back feeling you clench around him. “Fuck princess you are so good for me. Cum for me baby.” Once he finished his sentence you let go your body shaking your mouth falling open in a silent scream of euphoria. Seungmin was not far behind, giving a few more deep thrusts he emptied his hot load inside of you. Not to long after he finished he slowly pulled out of you, a whimper escaping your lips from being overstimulated. You stood up straight before turning to look at him, both of you wearing goofy smiles. “You know if you just wanted to be fucked all you had to do was say so.” He smirked leaning down finally pressing his lips to yours. Pulling back you let out a soft laugh, I know but this is way more fun. Seungmin rolled his eyes giving you another kiss. “Come on pup. Let’s get cleaned up and get things ready to got.” He said grabbing the body wash. You gave him a teasing pout, he smirked. “Yes we are still going, we promised the guys.” You let out a huff causing your boyfriend to laugh “okay how about this, we’ll get ice cream on the way there. How’s that sound?” You smiled and nodded giving him a light peck. “You are going to be the death of me.” He shook his head a playful smirk on his face.

[h0neybunns]

Random hxh hcs || send request

————-————-——————————————

- Hisoka 1000% has a soft spot for any cute animal and he definitely spends hours playing with kittens when he thinks no one is watching

Kurapika is a very talented chef and he likes to make his own recipes and he posted it online on his food blog

-Leorio loves bad romcom movies he watches them fully and posts a detailed review on movie rating websites under the user “MedicianMan”

- Killua is a huge fan of video games, and he's very competitive, and he rages and trash talks his teammates.

- Illumi is a huge neat freak, and he's always organizing and cleaning his surroundings. He's very particular about the way things are arranged, and he expects the same level of tidiness from everyone.

-Kite makes dad jokes and they always fall flat but.

-Shalnark is a huge fan of horror movies and him and leorio got into a argument on a rating form about a movie (he didn’t know it was shalnark)

- Palm is a huge fan of romance novels.

- Kalluto is a huge fan of fashion but he only wears the same few outfits

- Feitan is a huge fan of martial arts movies, and he's always practicing new moves and techniques.

-Leorio is a huge fan of coffee and will spend outrageously amours of money on coffee and equipment.

-Gon really likes puzzles but can never solve them

-Hisoka has a yt channel where he exposes fake magic tricks to ruin the magic from kids

- Kurapika is a huge fan of history.

•chrollo and illumi have really crusty lips (FIGHT ME ON IT)

-Neferpitou doesn’t understand what a coat hanger is and played if it for hours like a cat

-Pouf has a glitter trail whenever he walks

-every 10 mins leorio has to lick his lips because they are so dry none knows why he uses chapstick and everything

——————————————————————

I had to upload again cuz I didn’t know I deleted it lolll

[talktolwt]

I would like to focus on the music chosen for Hob Gadling's 80s sequence.

I'm extremely late to the world of The Sandman (finally binged it two weeks ago after my mother had been begging me to watch it with her and now I'm more obsessed than her) Bottom line: I'm unbelievably glad I finally watched this beautiful piece of television.

I have yet to read the comics but as for the first season, I have to say, without a doubt, my favorite episode is Chapter 6: The Sound of Her Wings. Death's 20-min segment is a beauty unto itself, but I'll be focusing on Hob's segment today. Specifically, his 80s scenes.

Considering I'm so late to this fandom and exploring all of its wondrous details and themes, excuse me if this has already been noted. I've been thinking about these details over and over but I need to get it out there in the Sandman world and hear everyone else's thoughts.

*Also excuse the terrible photos - Netflix doesn't let you screenshot and I was too lazy to get another app to let me bypass it. Please bear with my photos of my laptop screen.*

There are three songs that play throughout this sequence.

#1 - "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals

I accidentally deleted half my post mid-writing this but here I go again.

As we can see, after the breakup scene, we open up on Hob Gadling (he looks amazing in his 80s look, by the way) and this song plays.

Here are the lyrics:

I mean - where do I even start LMAO.

*Let me just give another note - regardless if you ship Dreamling romantically or not, I will be merely analyzing these lyrics as they are and how they convey Hob's feelings for Dream in general. But, I mean, the songs are THERE, the text is THERE. So do with that what you will.*

This will go for the following two songs as well, but these songs are placed with meaningful intention. Each of these offer a unique lens and dive into Hob's feelings.

I won't be annoying and over-explain anything, but the lyrics are clear I feel:

"She drives me crazy" - cough

"Things you do don't seem real" - in Hob's view, Dream literally is an enigma. Hob has no idea the capacities, the limits, and even the name of this being he meets every century.

"This waiting 'round's killing me" - well.

"Everything you say is lies" - now I wouldn't say particularly lies, but Dream does keep and omit things from Hob. Understandably, Hob would find himself in a confused limbo with Dream.

Here's the kicker:

"I won't make it on my own/No one likes to be alone." - HELLO. I mean, if this isn't the core message and pinnacle of Dream and Hob's lesson to immortality.

As Death mentions earlier in the episode, around 18:10, "Most of us will be glad for the company of a friend."

I feel I could go on forever and ever about the beauty of this episode and how well The Sound of Her Wings and Men of Good Fortune intertwine. They beautifully complement each other as stories lamenting the dichotomy of life and death, and the joys of humanity.

But essentially, Death reteaches Dream how beautiful humans can truly be, and in this pivotal moment, she says this zinger of a line. The camera was initially on Death but for THIS line, it cuts to Dream.

BECAUSE - poor Dream is definitely in need a friend.

Which is then shown to the audience by the 30-min long Hob Gadling sequence that ensues, and we see Dream's aversion to needing someone, to needing a friend.

But I digress - back to the song, and that one line about not wanting to be alone.

That is such a poignant line, because as much as Dream felt alone and needed company, so does Hob? An immortal, constantly seeing the death of others around him, his companions and family long gone, he needs someone.

Considering this 80s sequence ruminates so heavily on post-breakup feelings, Hob is missing Dream dearly. His constant in life.

I'm rambling too much, onto the next one!

#2 - "Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz

Time skip to perhaps a few hours later, who knows. We see Hob still waiting for Dream, alone in the pub.

Hm.

Literally what else could I say. I'm being slapped in the face with pining and angst and longing.

Here are the lyrics:

Some noteworthy lyrics:

"So much for your promises/They died the day you let me go" - this breakup man

"Caught up in a web of lies" - another lie motif

"I thought it was you/Who would stand by my side" - the theme of Dream and Hob being constants in each other's lives

"Shattered dreams" - I could scream. The title of the song. SHATTERED. DREAMS. giggling rn.

"Woke up to reality" - I think that's a very interesting line toeing between the constant references of the Waking and the Dreaming

Basically, I've been noting these evident similarities within the songs to align themselves to Dream and Hob's situation, and it's clear that the director/writers chose these songs with intent of it paralleling Dreamling.

So that makes it even more insane when lines like "From this empty heart" are meant to parallel Hob. Like.

Okay, last song.

#3 - "Keep On Moving" by Soul II Soul

This song plays as the night progresses. It's late, it's clear Dream isn't showing up, and Hob is feeling pretty final about that, and perhaps he's accepted it at this point. Dream isn't coming.

So this is where he speaks to the bartender and that scene ensues.

Here are the lyrics:

The themes of time and clocks are super prevalent within this song, and again it's once more clear how heavily this reflects and represents Hob.

Noteworthy lyrics:

"Why do people choose to live their lives this way?" - I think this also uniquely touches on the general aspect of humanity and one's reason to live/love life. Dream battles with his confusion/slight disappointment for humanity at the beginning, as he asks Death, "Why would any sensible creature crave an eternity of this?" And then Hob helps Dream realize why there's so much to live for. (24:30)

"I know the time will come today/The time will come one day"

"Walking alone in my own way" - Again this idea of walking alone and needing company.

"You'll be in my life, my life always" - Dream and Hob being constants again.

This all goes to say - Hob cares. He cares for Dream.

And I just think that's very beautiful. The magnitude with which Dream's absence means to him and how much their friendship/companionship both means to each of them. I just think their connection is a beautiful thing that I love seeing and rewatching. Wonderfully, these songs give the audience even more layered insight into this connection.

This was super long, and I apologize if I went on some tangents. But I also just couldn't help it, The Sandman is so incredibly rich in its storytelling and its connections and dynamics that I had to write this all down. I also just very much appreciate the amount of care and detail that goes into every aspect of television, and needle drops such as these three songs are no exception.

Thank you for sticking with me through this! Can't wait for season 2!

[dnalt-d2]

Alright I'm not one to talk about drama more than once because I just really don't like to interact with that sorta thing, but there's been an update that's almost comical in how it was handled

(Links to what I'm talking about at the end btw)

Basically this guy on twitter, Jay, essentially created an account either today or in the last two days, then posted a PDF saying a bunch of stuff that boiled down to "Nuh-uh, it's not our fault you didn't ask to be paid and also we definitely didn't do those things you said, this is all YOUR fault"

And literally only showed screenshots that corroborated their story, which could EASILY fall apart once the other party shows screenshots that show the other half of it

(I would recommend reading the PDF for yourself btw because that's about all the detail I'm gonna give on it here)

Then he logged into the Quackity Studios account specifically to follow this obvious burner account and retweet the PDF (Only for someone else I assume, to just straight-up delete the retweet pretty soon after, because it's not there now)

And THEN, the person who originally brought this whole thing up made a response doing EXACTLY that thing I said before (Showing the other screenshots that the PDF didn't show because it wouldn't match their story)

AND THEN JUST CASUALLY THREW IN A "Oh and btw, I have NO clue who this Jay person is"

The absolute irony here is that this guy could've been waved off as some rando, if he hadn't specifically logged into the Quackity Studios twitter to interact with his account. But instead he did exactly that, which 100% confirms that there are people on the admin team who are aware of what's going on, and are actively trying to cover it up, even trying to downplay it to the current members of the Admin Team. They literally just added credibility to the Whistleblower's statements

There's just something about the fact that this guy is obviously pretty frantic in trying to cover up what's going on. It's almost funny to me in that it has absolutely failed and will inevitably backfire (And technically already has a bit) because it's just so obvious that this was all done incredibly hastily. Like he's scrambling to do damage control now before he can get found out. Which again, only serves to prove he has something to hide

This is going to end well, I can already tell :)

Link to the Admin PDF Tweet

Link to the Whistleblower's Response Thread

(EDIT: OH AND NOW QUACKITY'S ABOUT TO STREAM IN LIKE 10 MINS IT REALLY IS HITTING THE FAN)

[strangledwires]

Hi! It’s me again. This time I have come to ask you what sims or urbz (if any at all) you head canon as trans or lgbtq+ in general. I’m currently trying to make a fan made sims story featuring some characters from the games, and it would of course be totally in-universe. Thank you for reading this.

Awesome! Btw, to give an update on the tutorial, I have finished 6 mins of it! (It looks like it's gonna be at least a 39 min vid!)

ANYWAY. There are soooo many Sims games, and well... a lotta characters that can be LGBTQ+, soo... I'm just gonna stick to Urbz for this

I headcanon Kiki Blunt to be bisexual because in the official comic, she gets with a girl. Howeverrr, in the game -- you have to give her a kiss to get her to leave Crispin alone at the Foundry (🤨). Considering she'll love the kiss regardless of your Urb's gender... it makes me think she's bisexual!

Crispin is definitely a homosexual in my eyes. Just because I might've mentioned it on this blog, but his character was indeed inspired by a homosexual... so it just makes sense.

Actually, given that the Foundry was inspired by Warhol's factory in general, I headcanon all of the characters there to be LGBTQ+. I hc Bella Ciao & Arthur Pop to be trans, and Neo to be bisexual. Roxanna in my eyes is either a lesbian, or a bisexual leaning toward women.

Babbette Couture and Cash Monet can also be bisexual just because, again, there is a mission where you have to get them to fall in love with your Urb, and it doesn't matter what gender you're playing as.

I headcanon'd Jayde as gnc / nonbinary (goes by any pronoun) for multiple reasons. Due to the name "Jayde" -- sounds like a mix of the name "Jay" (masculine) and "Jade" (feminine). The default player sim/urb usually has the name "Pat/Chris Newbie" which is also gender neutral -- so it can apply to any gender the player is playing as. So, I felt like Jayde was also supposed to represent any gender that the player wanted them to.

Plus, there's also this scene from the official comic.

WHICH. I wanna joke again that The Sims 4 team has been stalking my pages since they happened to make Jayde's kid, Ollie, nonbinary. Buuut... the last time I discussed my headcanons for Jayde was on a blog from 10 years ago (2015!) and it's been long deleted so... that is DEFINITELY just a coincidence hsdhadshashadsha

Those are probz all the Urbz I SPECIFICALLY hc as LBGTQ+??? The rest I just haven't put much thought into it...

[yokozumi]

Here is an explanation for the post "Spending the day in waiting mode because you have an appointment at 2pm", if you were only joking please feel free to delete this message.

This often happens to people who have time blindness. They don't have a good grasp of how long any giving task will take, and therefore can't estimate how many tasks can be done before an appointment. There is also often the risk of getting absorbed in a task and forgetting the appointment till its too late. People like this have subconsciously learned from past experiences that it is best to just not do anything to avoid being late to the appointment.

Ways around this : timers; set an alarm for 10min before you have to leave.

learn how long tasks take; get a journal and a timer and write down how long any tasks takes you. Part of this is just paying more attention to everyday tasks that we don't usually pay attention to, getting dressed and eating breakfast takes time that can easily be forgotten about because it is so common. Journaling can help set dressing and breakfast at 20min with 5-10 min buffer for the next task.

There are posts on tumblr that explaine all this much better than I can, but hopefully this at least is a basic answer. I could probably find them again if you think you're interested.

this is really interesting thank you !! I definitely find I feel better when i set a 10 minute warning timer so this may be something that I experienced in the past without even realising it

[22ndnervousbreakdown]

there's my phone that doesn't allow for an sd card, so everything that needs copying is in its internal storage.

there's a bit over 100gb of data on my phone that i want to make a backup of. a lot of it unfortunately is trash (something like 7 years? worth of photos that i've never properly sorted through, most of which obviously need to be deleted), but sorting through that is an even worse and more time-consuming task so like. definitely not now. 100+gb it is.

there's an external drive that connects to my laptop via wi-fi, it's large and mostly reliable but slow af (maybe it's the connection, maybe it's the drive itself, idk. but the amount of time needed to move anything substantial is maddening).

there's my shitty usb-c cable that connects my phone to my laptop. every once in a while i breathe the wrong way and the connection breaks, aborting whatever operation i had going on.

right now the process is this:

i connect my phone to my laptop

i open the camera folder (it's the largest and the most annoying one, so i decided to deal with it first)

i wait for all the ~16k files in the camera folder to load, which takes something like 10 mins i think (idk why, maybe it's the cord, maybe it's my phone, maybe it's my laptop)

i select all the files in the camera folder and press ctrl+c

i go to the other tab, where i have my backup folder on the external drive opened

i press ctrl+v

i wait

i wait, holding my breath

file explorer asks me if i want to replace the files that i've already manage to copy there (about 2k so far). i press no. it will still have to go through all of them, unfortunately, but won't waste time on actually copying them anywhere

i wait while it thinks things over

i wait some more

i wait

i wait

it finally starts the actual process. file explorer notifies me that the process will take a bazillion hours. whatever. i try to survive without using my phone, because, as stated before, a breath in a wrong direction can cause the phone to lose connection with the laptop. i do use the laptop while i wait though because i mean, what else am i gonna do for that long. i have a big homework due monday. sue me

eventually, some time and maybe, if i'm extremely lucky, something like 1k of copied files in, i breathe in the wrong direction and the connection breaks. or something else somehow breaks. or the external drive decides to take five. or the sky falls down to earth and brings death and destruction to everything including the electronic devices. or my roOMMATE UNPLUGS MY PHONE FROM MY LAPTOP BECAUSE AN ALARM WENT OFF AND I WAS COOKING MAC N CHEESE IN THE KITCHEN AND DIDN'T HEAR- yeah, well, the usual

whatever it is, the process needs to be started over. right from step one. every preparation step takes just as much time as before.

it will maybe be a bit better after i finish with the camera folder and move to the smaller ones but i have no idea how many weeks i need to suffer before that. anyway it won't be THAT much better. also the camera folder is the largest unsorted one but it's still less than half of what i need copying.

The sisyphean task of making a backup of the files on your phone to an external drive

[threepointseven]

hellooo this is my first time requesting, and i was wondering if you could do unrequited love with diluc and fem! or gn! reader ? like for example: reader is in love with diluc but he likes jean? sorry if this was already requested/ or is too unspecific, you can always delete this req if it bothers you!! take care <3

🌺summary!🌺- you’ve had a crush on diluc for 8 years, and he ends up falling inlove with jean. What will he do when he’s force to pick one or pay a ridiculous ransom or death, by the fatui?

Type- Fanfic 🌻

Flowers included!🌼= Diluc x reader, diluc x jean

Note🍀= I AM SO SORRY IF I GOT THIS WRONG 😕😕😕 I DIDNT KNOW IF U WANTED HC’S OR A FIC SO I MADE A FIC PLS FORGIVE ME IF I GOT IT WRONG

Genshin masterlist

💐Your bouquet has been delivered <3💐

You watched as the red haired bartender talks to jean from a table in the corner, taking a sip of your drink as you see the smile painted on Diluc’s face. Ever since you came to mondstat youve been head over heels for him. Your feelings were most definitely there hut you suppressed them until you were sure he felt the same, you guess that day wont ever come as you overhear the conversation of the blonde and the tavern owner

“Ah, you should maybe come over today. I have no work for a day or 2”

“I’ll think about it..”

His sigh of annoyance says otherwise by the red blush he’s trying to hide. You’re so inlove with him. You thought as the two exchange flirty jokes.

Ever since that night at the gates of mondstat youve been head over heels for him, youve tried your absolute best to make him look your way. Even if it was just the slightest glance youve tried it. He knew you, you’re one of his closest friends, but not as close as Jean.

It was such a waste, all your flirts and all the times youve helped him, all of it was a waste as you see the pair talk like newly fucking weds everyday.

He knows you have a thing for him, right? Theres no way he doesnt.

But.. youve been friends with him for so much more time than this woman right? Why wont he look at you. Just one glance…

Your friends were no help, clearly since as you rant about your love for diluc they seem to take Jeans side.

“Well…even if youve been friends with him for longer, quality over quantity right?”

It was a tuesday morning, 3 am when you were suddenly abducted by a group of men, seemingly fatui men. You wake up to the squirming of the grandmaster jean.

What is she doing here? What am i doing here? Where am i?!

The panic set in as the 5 fatui men discuss among eachother.

“Who are you and what are we doing here?!”

The grandmaster speaks up firmly.

“Isnt it obvious? We’re taking you hostage. Diluc ragnvindr will happily pay the ransom dont you think?”

“What does diluc have to do with this?!”

The blonde screamed as she sweat, you could see the panic set in her eyes.

“We told him that we’re holding you two hostage, simple.”

Your eyes widen as your eyes threatened to tear up. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into hours before you heard a loud bang on the building before catching a glimpse of dilucs fiery eyes, his greatsword painted with crimson.

“Diluc! So you’ve decided to pay the rans-“

Before the man could fully speak he was hit by flames along with the group of men. The entire group supposedly knocked out before he attempted to rush to our side.

He was an inch away before a beat up fatui laced with burn scars weakly stood up and put a gun to my head.

“P-pick one or pay the ransom pretty boy.”

He stuttered but he wasnt kidding as he loaded the gun and pressed it further onto my skin.

The fatui’s reflexes too fast, and the gun was simply too close. A ransom of 10 million mora wasnt impossible for Diluc but it was insane.

You stared wide eyed as Diluc freezes, staying put as he silently panics and attempts to decide.

Sweat rolls down his face as he sighs shakily and quickly wraps his arms around Jean, kissing her as an extra.

How cruel.

Love is cruel.

Tears well up in your eyes as your mind races at the feeling of the gun to your head, the fact the man youve had the biggest crush on for more than 8 years is now kissing the woman he met 12 months ago.

Your heart shattered to pieces as you see the pure sorrow in his eyes as he runs away into the fire with jean in his hands.

“Quality over quantity right?”

[the-kr8tor]

AHHHHHHH YAYYYY!!!!!! I Read this immediately!!

Literally what I was hoping for!! I had a hard time writing that part then I just deleted the entire sentence made it like a flashback of some sort then finished it in like 10 mins lol moral of the story, if you're stuck at one thing delete and write it differently

We'll see the side of their pov next chapter!

Our man was beating the shit out of the metal that I'm sure he dented it (also, he was also screaming your name so there's that) (before you say anything, it's not the good scream, ok, roze? I know u)

He was so ready for r to scream at him even tho she was giving heart eyes across the room

You and zeze were right! U geniuses (i was really holding back at saying yes to that theory lol)

They're family 🥹

The shoes are a ✨ metaphor ✨ u right tho

The 'eddie my boy!' was almost 'charlie my boy!' before I named the king edward instead of my temporary name that i gave him. Good thing i caught that one in my edit lol

Lmaooooo That's the right reaction to it 😂

Noooooo not the mistake ☹️ I'm too lazy to change it rn let's pretend it's not there 😂😂😂

Well there are 3 more chapters left so we'll see 😉

THANK YOU FOR YAPPING!! I LOVE IT WHEN PPL YAP ABOUT MY FICS!!! MAKES ME WANT TO WRITE MORE!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I double checked and it's definitely on chap 13 lol im a hundred percent sure this time 🤣

Like Ships that Pass in the Night

Pairing: Pirate! Hobie Brown x Fem! Reader

Word count: 10.4k

Tags: Use of Y/N sparsely, no specific physical description of the reader (except for her clothing), CW food mentions, TW violence, TW blood, CW death.

Between the Devil and the Sea Masterlist

Navigation

CHAPTER 12 >>> CHAPTER 13

You can't believe it, cannot process what just happened mere moments ago or that's what you feel like. In truth, it's been a week, a long agonizing week of scratching at your door, biting the restraints and screaming their names.

A few days ago you were sitting down on a crate with Hobie's gentle hold atop your shoulder. You remember how he gave you a reassuring smile as Miguel sits down in front of you. His large form makes the wood creak when he shifts his weight, eyes boring into you like he's trying to find something amiss with your face. Or just simply trying to recognize it.

After a brief introduction of his ‘I'm your godfather’ schtick, he takes out your necklace, still shiny and gold. It swings in his hand as he hands it to Hobie, he never let you near Miguel as he promised. You just wish Miguel kept his word.

So much for the word of a gentleman.

You still remember how Hobie looks at the pendant, all wide eyes and full of recognition. If you had the time you would've asked him. But it's too late now.

His warm hands help you put on the necklace as Miguel watches like a hawk. Eyes never leaving yours. You can still feel how clammy Hobie's hands were, how it quivered atop your clavicle.

With the soft click of the necklace locking into place, and with it feeling foreign on your skin, Miguel strung together his words– “duchess” “killed at sea” “a navy captain father” “a kind midwife saving and taking you in” And “pirates.” Those words didn't make much sense back then as you stared at him in disbelief.

You feel Hobie's gentle squeeze on your skin, it still lingers right there, where the rope is currently burning while you try to wiggle out of it.

You should've stayed on your island.

The names 'Hazelside' and 'Peregrine' stood out in your foggy thoughts. You've heard them a few times in your life. Through newspapers, pamphlets and books dating centuries back.

You've heard of them but they haven't heard of you.

Crying out his name, you knock your shoulder harshly and desperately on the hard door.

Tears streaming down your face, Miguel takes a piece of paper, showing it to you, a simple white letter in a familiar handwriting you haven't seen in years.

Then the dam breaks.

All you could really remember after the short conversation was when they both lunged at each other. Teeth bared, claws out, knuckles hitting flesh. You can't even recall what made them tick, what made them so angry at each other that they both drew blood.

Not theirs, yours.

Crimson seeps from your leg and nose. You took a bullet for Miguel accidentally when Hobie fired his gun at him. Too angry, too eager to protect you, he didn't notice you trying to mitigate the situation with you squeezing yourself in between them. Too fast, too quick for him to react. Miguel tried to punch Hobie in retaliation, but it was at the exact same time you keeled over in pain. He hits his fist right on your face and you go blind for a second.

The scream you let out broke both men's hearts.

Their contorted faces of anguish and guilt are still plastered in your foggy mind.

As both men rush over to you, Miguel's crew bust the doors open, taking Hobie by the arms, dragging him away from you. He kicks and screams to let you go, grey eyes almost black, nails scratching angry marks on the strangers’ arms. And as you lay bleeding on the floor, the dead fish smell entering your broken nose, you still try to reach after him, hoping it's enough to tell him that you forgave him. You fall unconscious with Miguel's large hands squeezing tightly around your wound, voice barking orders at his men.

And all you can think about is them, the crew and Hobie.

With desperation like a cornered animal, you gnaw at your bonds. The hemp sticks to your teeth, not enough to cut it, the taste making you gag. The tight bandage around your leg aches, throbbing pain making you groan. Your nose has stopped bleeding, now you feel the swelling, like you have a cold.

The ship rocks softly, waves crashing on the sides of the large ship. With tearful and red eyes, you roam them around the small room. You have a brief vision of your cabin back at the revenge, back when you didn't know anything about your family's legacy. All you knew is that you needed to find them, even if they aren't real, even if they didn't want you. And now that you know all the answers to those things, you can't stop crying, not of happiness. There's no relief, only dread. If Miguel, your godfather is willing to tie you up and send your friends to the gallows then you're terrified of what you'll find when you reach the shores of the capital.

A rhythmic knock echoes out into the quiet. You stand up with great effort to greet the so-called gentleman. Miguel stands before you, shoulders slouched, hazel eyes staring at you with remorse. And you stare back with your reddening eyes, eyebrows knitted together in anger. He has kept you here for days, feeding you three meals a day. You ask about them and he just answers two words every time you do– “they're alright,” he says, and you think– “for now.”

“How are they?” You ask, voice hoarse.

“They're alright.” He says, gesturing for you to sit down, with reluctance, you don't obey. Dragging the small chair in front of you, giving you enough space. He sits on it, the eyebags under his eyes and gaunt face makes you think about them, and whether they look as tired as him.

“Will you untie me now?”

“You won't kick me again?” You get the flashback of kicking him hard on his chest the first time you woke up in the cabin.

“No.” You lie.

“Then no.” He closed his eyes tightly, like there's a migraine just behind his eyes. “I'm trying really hard here, Y/N— just…why don't you believe me?”

“Because you imprisoned my friends, because you tied me up and locked me in—”

“You were attacking people—”

“Because you attacked my friends!” You hope your scream can be heard below deck so they know that you're still fighting.

“He attacked me first—”

“Bullshit.”

“You had a concussion, you wouldn't have remembered it.”

“Oh I wonder why?” There's vile venom in your words.

Miguel swallows thickly. “If I untie you now, will you listen to me?”

“Perhaps.” Your scowl deepens.

“Christ, you're so much like your father.” Your jaw clenches at his words. “I'm gonna untie you, promise me you won't kick back?”

“No promises.”

“I'm gonna regret this.” He says under his breath, getting up, he swiftly and carefully unties you. The heavy rope falls on the ground and you clench your fists.

Miguel backs away, hands up in surrender. “There, can you please sit down?”

“No.”

“Alright, I'll sit down then.” With a groan and creak, he talks once again. Your nerves bubble up. “I've sent words to Jessica, she's coming to the capital to greet you and tell you the truth.”

“What makes you think I'll believe her?”

“Because she's your mother. And she sent you a letter.” There's a pang in your heart when you see her familiar handwriting on the paper once again. He hands it to you, snatching it away, you don't even read the letter. “Please, I'm telling the truth—”

“If I come with you without a fight will you let them go?” Your sudden words surprises him.

“They're wanted criminals, Y/N.” You give him the staredown of the century. He sighs. “The most I can do is keep them out of the gallows. After that they'll go to prison.”

“Where they will rot? No, you have to promise me you'll let them go, completely. Or I'll kick and scream and bite until you bleed.” You shake from sheer anger. “If you loved my so-called family then the least you could do is honour their daughter’s wishes.”

The tension hangs in the air. And you wish you had your dagger to cut it, and him.

“I don't beg, Miguel. I will do that and more just to get back to them, that I can promise you.” You say through your bared teeth.

He nods, “I'll see what I can do–”

“No, you'll do it or you won't have a little duchess to bring home.” You inhale sharply. “Then you've failed them.”

With a nod, he agrees, turning his back to you. Before you could lunge at him, he swivels back. “Do you want to talk to them?” For a moment you thought he's talking about your parents. “Prove to you that I mean well. That I'm telling the truth.”

You look at him with confusion. Giving in means giving up, but you can't resist the temptation of seeing them well. “Yes.”

—

You walk further down the steps. Shadows dance along the wooden walls, the ship rocks and creaks, the only sound you can hear. Miguel guides you, an oil lamp in his hand while his right hand woman, Lyla, walks behind you.

Your wrists aren't bound but you feel like it is when your hand grips the letter tightly. Not restricting you is his way of proving himself, which you hope he'll soon regret.

As the three of you arrive at the doors, two men guard it, rifles strapped to their back, knives on their waists. They nod to Miguel, sparing you a curious glance on your way inside.

In the large room there sits a large cell, steel enclosing around the people you most care about.

Miguel steps back, “Five minutes.” The crew scrambles towards you once their eyes land towards your stiff form, their hands gripping the metal, voices softly calling your name.

Hobie doesn't do the same, he stays in the corner, watching you, skimming his eyes over to your injury.

“Ten,” you say, eyes never leaving their forms, fingers inching closer towards the set of keys on his waist. You face him and Lyla, making their attention turn to you. “Ten or I won't cooperate.”

“Feisty.” Lyla says, hands on her hips, your reflection bouncing off her glasses.

Miguel just stares at you, observing your face. You take the opportunity to stand toe to toe with him, neck craning up to glare at said man.

“Ten.” You stubbornly utter.

He sighs, relenting. “Fine, ten, no more, no less.” as he turns away, you hide your hand behind you.

When the door shuts behind the two, you run towards them, limping and still aching, but you still sprint.

Finally reaching them, you kneel, relief washes over them as they hold your hands through the bars.

“Fuck! Thank fuck!” Yuri grips your arm, exhaustion on her face.

Gwen holds your shoulder, balling her fist on your shirt. “You alright?” she asks while Pav and Miles take turns in hugging you even with the metal bars preventing them.

“I'm alright,” you wait for Hobie to move towards you but he just watches. Looking at him, he senses your eyes, you repeat your words to reassure him. “I'm alright.”

When you lock eyes with him you get reminded of the same man who told you about his pain. You feel tears brimming in your eyes again.

“I thought they were torturing you up there.” Gwen's voice is as hoarse as yours.

“We heard the screams, Y/N,” Miles stares at your bandaged leg. “Did they hurt you?”

“I'm fine, just aching is all.” You answer, trying to act brave.

“When we get out of this cage I'm gonna kick O'Hara’s ass.” James kicks the nearest metal bar.

“He's been at it for days, trying to break it.” Pav leans his head on the cold steel. “I'm glad you're fine, Y/N. I don't think we can handle another one.” Another death.

“We've been kicked in the balls, set on fire and dumped in the sea to put it bluntly.” Yuri sighs. “We can't catch a bloody break eh, wifey? So much for our honeymoon.” she jokes, earning the first smile you've made since setting foot on the ship.

Gwen gives everyone a look, they move away from the bars, giving you two some privacy. She scooches closer to you.

“Can you talk to him? Hobie's been fighting the guards since we got here, he'd yell at them relentlessly. He's worse whenever you scream, his knuckles are raw from punching the bars. We're all worried about him. This is the first time he's been this quiet since—.” There's fatigue under her blue eyes, you feel guilty. “And you know Hobie, his silence is so much scarier than when he yells.”

You nod, eyes avoiding said man in the corner. “Just promise me you'll sleep.”

“Do I look that bad?” Gwen jokes, “I think I've never looked this great in years. Even Miles thinks so.”

“Miles always thinks you're gorgeous. Even if you wear a jester costume I think he'd fall all over you.”

“Duly noted.” She cracks a small smile.

“I’m really sorry about this.” Your voice trembles. “For bringing you all into this. I'm stupid for even thinking the plan would work.”

“Hey,” she holds your hands that's wrapped around the iron bars. “We all agreed to it, we knew what would happen if it failed and yet we chose to do this. Honestly, this is probably the best case scenario, we all lived so there's that.” Patting your bicep, she whispers. “Give me the key you nicked and we'll call it even.”

You almost laughed. “You're good,” Looking behind you to check if there's no wandering eyes, you slyly hand it to her through the cell. Gwen takes it swiftly before anyone notices. “Get out of here before we dock. There's a chance during dinner where there's no one on the deck. I don't hear any footsteps up there so I can guarantee that you have a five minute window after the dinner bell rings and before they change shifts.”

Gwen nods proudly. “And there's a dinghy that's improperly tied to the ship. Perfect, you're a proper pirate now, Y/N.” squeezing your hand, Gwen looks like she has something to say but she stops herself. “Thank you.”

“Get everyone out, please. And tell them I'm sorry.”

“I will.” And with her parting words she walks away, sitting next to Miles, whispering plans.

After a second and a deep breath, you stand up shakily, using the steel as leverage. Hobie thinks you'd begin to leave the room, but you sit down as close as you can to his side of the cell.

“Hobie.” You call his name like you haven't been screaming it for the past week. Like you don't long for him. “Can you please come here?” He doesn't look your way even though it physically pains him to do so. “Or I'll spill all your secrets you told me back at the island.” You wouldn't but you had to try.

He stands up, face unreadable, trudging the floors to cross the small distance. Crouching down, you can see the split skin on his knuckles. Angry circular blisters, gashes that still drip blood from not granting himself time to heal. So you gingerly take his hands, wishing that with your mere touch alone could heal him.

His eyes are tightly closed, hands limp in your hold. “I shot you.” You can barely recognize his voice at how broken and rough it is.

“Accidentally, I barely feel it anymore.”

“You're limping because of me.” His tone broken, shoulders slumped.

“It'll heal. I will heal.” You swallow thickly. “Please open your eyes and look at me. I forgive you, you didn't mean it.” He could kill you and you'll still forgive him.

With trepidation, he opens his eyes, lifting his head to look at you. “Did he break your nose?”

“Yes, the surgeon set it back though. I kicked Miguel after, just so you know. Like a fucking horse.”

He chuckles, “That's my girl.” His comment sends your heart alight.

“Are they feeding you all?” You change the subject or you'll burst from what he said. “Giving you water?”

“Treated like royalty, love. Even got our own blankets. I have to give it to O’Hara, he knows how to treat prisoners right.”

“I got him to let you go but I still don't trust him.”

Hobie's eyes go wide. “He wouldn't agree to that, what did you do to make him?” He scooches closer to you despite the metal separation.

You give him an apologetic look, “Nothing, I just convinced him.”

“Don't bullshit me, Y/N. What did you promise him?” He doesn't raise his voice, but you can see the whirlpool in his grey eyes.

“That he can take me home without fussing. That's all.”

“It's not just ‘that’s all,’ love. It's him taking you where we can't follow. I promised you back on that bloody boat and I intend to fuckin' keep it.”

“The letter's real, Hobie. I'm fucking nobility for some fucked up reason.”

“What if it's forged? Or he made your mother write it?”

“I know her hand, and nobody can force her to do anything. I may not know Miguel but I know Jess. He's telling the truth.”

“You haven't even read the letter. How would you know?” You forgot that he knows you more than you know yourself.

“Christ, sometimes I forget that you're quite perceptive.” You feel his stern yet familiar eyes on you as you look at your still intertwined hands. “Can you do me a favour and read it for me?” Lifting up your gaze, Hobie looks at you like he did on that fishing boat– all grief and love. But you suppose they're the same.

“Why?” Why do you trust me enough to read it for you? He thinks.

“Because I trust you.” Because I want you to see it and tell me it's all fake so we can make our escape together. Because I love you and that's all I can do to show how much I do.

You thought all of it but you don't say it outloud lest he won't be able to let you go in the long run. And he has to, because it's better to separate than to cling to each other amidst all the things preventing you to do so. Because if he just asks you to stay just like when he did in the governor's gates, you'd say yes in a heartbeat.

“I almost lost it when I saw my name written in her hand, I don't think I can survive seeing the rest.” Slipping the paper between the bars, he looks at you for permission. With a nod, he opens the wax seal with trepidation.

You watch as his eyes read the page, and you wait with clenched fists.

“She says she's sorry.” Hobie can't lie to your face. “And that Miguel's tellin' the truth. That he's been looking for you ever since you went missin’ even after everyone told him that you were already dead.” A tear slips down your cheek. “He was close to your parents, a duchess and a navy captain.” He paused to wipe the tears flowing. “She wrote ‘This is my way of giving you a better life, a better chance. So please stop running, my little tomato.’”

You chuckle at the childhood nickname, it quickly changes into a sob. Hobie wraps his arms around your torso as best as he can. Large hand splayed atop your head, lips softly pressing on your temple.

“It's real, innit?”

“It's real.”

“Little tomato?” He asks, rubbing soft circles on your shoulder blades.

“My favourite were cherry tomatoes.” You sniff, hands enclosed on his sides, gripping his shirt.

“I'll keep that in mind.” Hobie whispers, “I know a recipe with it.”

The thought sounds so far away for you, a dream where everything is better, where nothing bad happens.

“Cook it for me?” You lean away to his dismay.

“I bet you have servants for that.”

“I don't want them, just you.” He nods, an arrow piercing his heart the moment you said those words. “We'll meet again, in this life or the next.”

He shakes his head as the door creaks open. “No, Y/N—”

Taking his hands quickly, you kiss his broken skin, hoping it's enough for a goodbye. “Don't follow me, please.” He could only stare at you with a horrified expression.

“Time to go, Y/N.” Miguel's voice cuts through the space.

Grinning at Hobie, you let him memorize the sight. “Be safe, all of you.” Miguel helps you stand up. Etching their faces into your mind, locking it away, you leave the letter to Hobie and the key to their freedom.

—

Walking up to the deck, the cloudy sky greets you, puffs of smoke belching out of houses makes your broken nose sting. The horses running along cobbled stones and intense yelling from sailors rings in your ears. But you're relieved knowing they're not locked in a cell anymore.

After hearing the alarm bells last night, the splash of the dinghy falling into the waters and Miguel cursing Hobie's name, you know they got out. You're glad that they didn't turn heel and tried to bring you with them, grateful that Gwen convinced him to let you go. Yet, why is there a pang in your chest whenever you think about it?

You hear Miguel call your name, hand reaching out to help you walk down the stairs of the ship. A carriage waits for you at the end. Two thoroughbred horses strapped to it, footmen opening the door, side eyeing your disheveled form. You forgot that you're still wearing the same clothes you wore on your last day on the people's revenge. You must smell heavenly, you thought.

Miguel's men have their weapons at the ready, everyone at the docks scratches their heads at why someone like you is heavily protected.

On wobbly feet, you make your way down without taking Miguel's help.

And as you lift one foot up on the carriage, you see in your peripheral a familiar man peeking out from an alley. You can recognize those eyes anywhere.

With a subtle shake of your head, you slyly mouth a ‘don’t’. Hobie hides under the shadows, and you wish you could just run after him.

With downcast eyes, you get on the carriage.

Miguel follows suit then Lyla who yawns in her seat. You jump at the door closing. As the horses start their pace, you roam your eyes at the plush interior. All smooth velvet and embroidered walls.

“Can I close the windows?” Miguel asks, fingers already curled around the curtains. You nod tiredly. The thick curtains whoosh close, and you can't help but worry about them. “We're gonna take a detour before we meet your uncle and aunt.”

Your head perks up at the words. “What?”

“She had a concussion, Miguel, she forgot.” Lyla states a fact next to you, voice flat and disinterested. “Punched her too hard, you big man.” She whispers.

“They're your distant relatives. The ones who inherited the estate after—after everything. They'll be the one taking you in.”

“Are they the ones who asked for me to be found?”

“No, it was just me.” He says forlornly.

“Do they know I'm alive?”

“I've sent word to them. They'd be there to greet you.”

“Are they kind?” There's crescent shapes on your palms again.

“I'm sure they'd be glad to have you.” He tries to smile but fails to make you feel better.

“That's not what I asked, Miguel.” You say with a glare.

“They're a bit…. eccentric but nothing bad, I'm sure.” He rolls his tensed shoulders. “I've only met them once during the will reading.”

“What did they leave you?” You ask, the carriage hits a bump on the road, rattling the three of you inside.

“Nothing too important.”

“Come on, at least tell me something about them.” You insist while Lyla actual listens in.

“Kind, they were kind.” You feel your heart in your throat. “We've known eachother since we were children. Your father and I came from a smaller noble house near your mother's land. ” Miguel shifts his weight, like talking about them is heavy on his chest. “We used to play together on this one spot of land where none of our families owned. We joked that it was ours, just for the three of us where we were all equals.” He chuckles softly. “I guess that's where your mother fell for your father. She was the only child, only heir.”

You smile, imagining the three of them playing even though you have no idea what your parents looked like. “I don't have anyone directly related to her?”

“No, sorry. Your uncle is her cousin thrice removed. His father inherited the estate first before him but it was brief, he was only the duke for a year and a half.” Miguel rubs his weary eyes. “Your father didn't have any direct relatives either. His land belongs to the crown now.”

“My father, he was in the navy?”

“A captain, we were promoted at the same time.”

“About the pirates that killed them—”

“You remember that?”

“I guess so. My mind's all cloudy but I remember bits and pieces.” You take a peek behind the closed curtains. It seems you're outside of the main city, fewer houses are sprawled on the green grass, hundreds of trees covering behind the buildings.

“I'm sorry for punching you.” Miguel leans on his knees, elbows propped up, voice gentle as he addresses you. “I truly didn't mean for any of this to happen. It wasn't in the plan.”

“What was your plan then?” You scoff. “How did you keep finding me?”

“I have enough money to bribe people, and unsurprisingly, they're all willing to talk about a girl who might've stolen from them.” His eyes are full of endearment. And you look at him with a smirk. “My only plan was to find you and get you home safe. I owe your parents that.”

“You loved them that much? To spend years trying to find a girl you've never even met?”

“Yes, because they'd do the same. Because they've done the same for me.” The carriage stops, the horses outside huff, hooves kicking on the dirt. “I have known you before I've even met you. I was the first person they ever told and they trusted me enough to make me your godfather even though you were barely the size of a peach. So yes, I would spend the rest of my life trying to find you just to bring you home, just to bring you to her home where you belong.”

“Well, do I, Miguel? Do you think I belong there?”

“In time yes. Because they did too.”

“But it doesn't mean I should too. What if I don't?” What if this isn't your place? What if you sacrificed everything with Hobie just to end up not belonging? What if this isn't what you truly wished for?

“I'd personally take you wherever you want. Whenever you want, and all you need to do is ask me and I shall obey. Just please give it some time.” He sniffs. “I'll be damned if I never tried to bring you home, they'd fucking haunt me if I didn't try.”

“I need your word, O’Hara.”

“You have my word, Y/N.”

You nod solemnly. He then knocks at the carriage door, the footman opens it in a second, laying down the steps for you.

“She's out by the willow tree.” Miguel takes his jacket off, handing it to you swiftly. “We'll be here waiting for you.” When you don't take it, he puts it back on his lap.

You leave the warm carriage, wounded leg heavy under your weight. The cool breeze whips at your cheeks, making you shiver in your bare bones clothes. But you're too stubborn to turn back and ask for Miguel's jacket.

Your eyes scan the ancient graveyard. A gothic chapel sits in the middle, all stone and jagged metal, stained glass of saints watch from their window sills. A gargoyle looks down at you, mouth agape, tongue lolling to the side, ears pointed and alert at the new visitor.

How appropriate, you think as you cross the metal gates.

Soft grass and graveyard soil crunch underneath your footsteps. You can feel the frost under your threadbare sole. Crows caw on top of graves, the names barely legible, years etched out by the elements.

Walking the pathway to the foot of the small hill, you see her waiting for her. Your eyes water, jaw tightly clenched. You suddenly feel dizzy.

“You gonna keep me waiting?” She yells above the wind. The branches of the large tree sways in the breeze.

“I have a weak leg. Always so impatient.” You reminisce of the old days where she would wait for you outside the cabin after you went out to play.

“What are you? Fifty? Why do you have a weak leg?”

You trudge up the small hill, hands on your thighs, heaving slightly. The moment you reach her, you have the urge to run.

“You better not run this time.” Jess jokes, “can you look at me, tomato?”

Slowly raising your head, a deep frown on your lips, hands clenching the sides of your trousers. You meet with her eyes, eyes that you grew up with, and a face that barely changed.

“You look how I remember.” Whispering, you choke on your words.

“And you grew up, not so little anymore huh?” Her brown eyes are soft, hand reaching towards you before changing her mind. “I'd like to say you look great but you look absolutely terrible. Like you've been grinded down to a pulp and fed to a bear.”

“And you look fantastic.”

She raises a neat brow, her hair is just like how you remembered it, down to every curl and twist. “Are you trying to guilt me?”

“I might be.” You can't help the tear that's falling down your cheek. “I missed you. I should've let you explain first before running—”

Jessica pulls you in abruptly, hand atop your head, cradling you like she used to. She shushes you like a mother to her babe. Rocking you softly in her arms that you're oh so familiar with.

“Missed you too, god, I thought you were gone forever.” She inhales your unfamiliar scent, you feel her tears drip to the crown of your head. “I should've ran after you quicker,” kissing your temple, you finally embrace her back. “I've always told you that you were too fast for your own good.”

You laugh in between tears. “Can you please explain everything to me? Please, mum.”

She holds your face in both hands, you don't miss the gold band around her ring finger. “Mom? Oh I missed you saying that.” Pecking your wet cheeks, you close your eyes, savoring the rare moment. “Come sit with me? If you could permit me, your grace?”

You laugh hard for the first time since you got shot. “Call me that again and I'll run.”

“I'm so sorry, your grace,” you giggle as she wipes your tears. “How disrespectful of me.”

“Stop!”

“Oh my love.” She takes a good long look at you. “I'm glad you're here, you did incredibly well for yourself.”

“I was taught well.” She beams at you, warm hands still holding you close.

“Are you hungry? I made your favourites.” Jess gestures towards the blanket behind her. A basket lays on top of it, the leaves from the willow tree fall slowly like snowflakes.

You nod, feeling like a child once again.

—

“It's crudely done.” Jessica says while peeking under your bandages. “Please don't tell me you did this or I might've failed as a teacher.”

You shake your head, mouth full of bread. “No, a surgeon did.”

“Don't talk with your mouth full.” You chew quietly. “Miguel should get his money back because a dolphin would've done it better.”

“A dolphin? They don't have thumbs.”

“It was the first animal that popped up in my mind.” She chuckles, popping a cherry tomato in her mouth.

“So, are you happy with him?” You pick at your nails.

She picks up on what you meant immediately. Smiling to herself, face falling on her shoulder as she looks at you. “Very, he's a good man.”

“That's fantastic.” You're genuinely happy for her. But there's a cinch in your heart. “Where is he now?”

“Hiding in our inn, I think he's afraid of you after hearing you joined a pirate crew.”

“I guess he's not that good then.” You joke.

“Are you happy with yours?”

“The pie? Yeah it's good.”

“Not the fucking pie, sweetheart. Your pirate captain.” You almost choke.

“How in the fuck—?”

“Language.” She laughs. “Miguel keeps me updated on your exploits, sometimes. And I know you, you've got that lovelorn look on you.” You scrunch up your face. “Of all the pirate captains in the world you chose the red spider. I heard he's one of the good ones. How in the world did that happen?”

“You know Hobie?”

“Ohh” she whistles, “first name basis huh?”

You suddenly miss him. “Well we're friends, of course I call him by his name.”

“Sure, sure. No, I don't know him personally.” She rolls her eyes at you. “Can you tell me who shot my girl?”

You inhale deeply, “ah that, uh, he did.” You try to save his reputation when she scowls. “Accidentally! It was an accident.”

“He's not looking too good in my books right now.”

You laugh softly. Cleaning your hands on your trousers, you clear your throat as it starts to close up from your upcoming question.

“How did you really find me?” You don't avoid her eyes, bravely staring at her.

“It's a long story, my love.”

“We have plenty of time. Tell me then, tell me the story.” You tilt your head down to meet her eyes. “Did you know them?”

“She couldn't even name you.” She whispers sadly. Your breath staggers at the thought. “I didn't know them. I was just out on a job, it was supposed to be just another job. They told us pirates boarded the ship, to make us do what we were told.” her face is serious, eyes meeting yours. Shock hits you before you quickly hide it. “Your mother just gave birth to you when I entered her room. She was left unguarded, her ladies fled and left her on her birthing bed.” You feel your lips wobble. “She just looked…terrified, and you looked so tiny—I couldn't— I couldn't do it.”

“Do what?” The story of her finding you alone in the woods breaks apart.

“Do what our captain asked us to do.”

There's an unpleasant recurring name that pops in your mind. “Who was your captain? Was it Mathias Bradshaw?”

With her bewildered nod, anger bubbles in your ribcage.

The word liar etches in your mind, not for the woman in front of you, no, you know when she lies, you know her tells. It's for the man waiting down below the hill.

Jess continues. “Your mother sensed my terror, so she took me by the collar while my gun was raised to her head, gripping me tightly until I promised to protect you.”

Miguel told you it was pirates that killed them. Liar, liar, liar.

But you remember how he recalled his side of the story— he woke up to the news of the shipwreck. The messenger told him it was because of pirates. No one survived, not even the ship. The cogs in your head turn, you wonder if he's also been lied to. You trust Jess more than him, you need answers.

“You said you were a midwife. Not navy.” Jessica sees the fire in your eyes.

“I was before I joined, then I became their medic. What did O’hara tell you?”

You shake your head, “the same thing.” You lied. “Then what happened?”

“I faked your death by throwing a blanket off the ship. But in truth I already hid you inside a crate. You were quiet, like you knew what was happening.” She reaches for your hand. “When no one was looking I took you back to our ship. Then I fled when no one was looking. I was…young, Y/N, and powerless to do anything. I was just a medic who wanted to do something right because I knew what we were doing wasn't.”

Squeezing her hand three times, you look for any lies in her eyes. Just like you thought, you find none.

Jess lays her head on your shoulder, half hugging you, unaware of the flames burning inside you.

“Who commanded Mathias to kill them?” You whisper.

“I don't know, I was just a grunt.” She says truthfully. “Another gun for his troop.”

“You were more than that to me.” You softly say against her hair. “You're my mother, and I'm lucky enough that you have a heart to uproot your life, to raise a child you didn't know.”

After a moment, she leans away, staring at the side of your face. “He told you something different didn't he?”

“He did.” You say with bared teeth, watching the afternoon sun on the horizon, clouds hiding its light, bathing the city below with muddled orange.

She scoffs, “O’hara still can't believe it. I've told him the story, even showed him my navy badge. He still can't fathom it.”

“He knows?” You move your head quickly to look at her.

“He does, but I highly doubt he's the one who organized it all. He was still just a captain then, recently promoted, still green around the edges. He couldn't have commanded Mathias to do it when he's his senior.”

“Who do you think it was?”

“Someone much more powerful than Mathias.” She looks below the hill where Miguel waits inside the carriage. “I think he investigated it when he was a proper admiral, when he had enough power to rifle through confidential papers. And that got him kicked out. Honourable discharge, my ass.”

“Do you think I should ask him directly?”

“Don't, my only advice to you is to not do anything.”

“What?” You can't believe the words she said.

“Listen, Miguel's life mission was to find you, and mine is to give you the life you deserve. We both want what's best for you.” She plucks a fallen leaf off your shoulder. “He's been at it since they died. I didn't even know someone was looking for you until he showed up at my doorstep. When he explained everything to me I just knew you had to come with him.”

“That was when I ran.”

“Yes. I told him the story and the conspiracy against your family but he couldn't believe it until you showed up. He recognized you and the necklace.” She flicks her brown eyes at the golden chain around your neck. “It was your mother's.”

“You told me when you found me on the forest floor I was clutching it.”

“I did, in truth, she gave it to you before she said her goodbyes. Before Mathias came into the room.” Jess has tears in her eyes. “They loved you so much, Y/N. For their sake, don't do anything brave.” She grabs your shoulders. “Revenge isn't the answer.”

“I know, but it helps.” You seethe at the new information. “I need to bring the people down that plucked me out of their grasp. Or I'll be doing them a disservice.”

You sound like him. Now you fully understand why he stays near the flames.

You ask her the most important question, it has your heart wrenching at your throat. “D-didn't you love me? Why, after thirteen years of taking care of me, why did you want to get rid of me?”

Tears flow out Jessica's eyes, hands sliding up to cradle your face. “Of course I loved you. That's why I wanted to give you the life you deserved.”

“I was happy enough in our cabin. It was enough for me, mum.” You hold her wrist, the gold on her finger marks a life you never knew she had without you. “It was enough.”

“My love—”

“I should go back, they've been waiting for a long time.” You stand up, legs shaking. “And I think it's best for you to go back too.”

“You're staying with them?”

“Yes, isn't this the life you wanted me to have?”

With an exhale, she lets you go. “Be careful.” She looks up at you with soft eyes, worry etched in her face.

Your skin is bathed in the dark orange of the sky, eyes reflecting grief and fury. The chapel looms over you, all stone and metal, all death and life. She barely recognizes you in this light.

“No promises. I love you, mum. I hope you know that.” Jessica's reply got stuck in her throat.

As you head down the hill, you count the crows watching you. Three perched on graves, black eyes blinking at your form. Five flies overhead, feathered shadows casting above you.

There's crunching behind the building, the sound of familiar footfalls hiding behind it. You gather it's your exhaustion playing tricks on you.

You reach the gates, a man on a horse gallops away the moment Miguel gets his letter.

“Who was that?” You ask like you didn't leave your heart behind.

“A messenger.” Miguel skims through the letter. “Your uncle wants to meet you in the palace.” He clicks his tongue. “Asshole.” He says under his breath.

“Let's meet him then. I've always wanted to go to the palace.” Maybe you'll get some answers there.

Miguel looks at you with surprise, as fast as it came, it fades back into his usual frown.

Lyla peeks from the carriage, eyes still half asleep. “Not looking like that you're not.”

—

The ride to the fancy Inn was long and silent, the road less bumpy once you enter the heart of the city. The palace can be seen in your bedroom window. All white and gilded gold, glinting in the sunset, imposingly beautiful.

The room they gave you is all velvet and wood, cherubs painted on the ceiling, thick carpet under your bare feet, a bed that you've never thought was able to be made as big as the one you're standing over.

You're freshly cleaned, you've scrubbed yourself free of any dirt and blood. Nothing left of the past months but the scars on your skin. In the dark robe, you drip water everywhere, drenching your undergarments and the carpet that must've been worth hundreds. You don't care as you stare at your well worn shoes in front of you. Its leather is tattered and beaten, covered in dirt and iron. Compared to the nicer shoes sitting right next to it, it's worth nothing, but to you it was yours and that's worth more than anything.

“Knock knock.” Lyla barges in, dressed in cashmere and taffeta. “You're not dressed yet? Don't like the colour? I told Miguel purple won't cut it.” She heads over to the wardrobe, taking the purple dress in her arms. “Do you need help? It's a bit tricky.”

“Who are you to Miguel?”

“Ah! I heard you were a curious one.” She claps her hands. “An assistant, I guess. See, I'm the reason why he found you so fast after the whole Cambridge fiasco.”

“That was two years ago.” You recall the last time he found you before you accidentally boarded the revenge.

“Mm-hmm, I'm a tracker you see.” She helps you dress with your approval. “He almost gave up until I stumbled upon him. Hired on the spot I was.”

“Stumbled?” You say, drowning in fabric. “Or followed a desperate man and hounded him?”

She giggles, “I keep forgetting you also know how to hustle. Don't tell Miguel and I won't tell him what you did to his key?” Smoothing out the skirt, she turns you towards the floor length mirror.

“Is this blackmail?” You don't recognize yourself.

“Nope,” Lyla pops the letter ‘p’ “just telling you. Also I liked the red spider. He's quite famous to us common folk, y'know.” She guides you towards the vanity, sitting you down on the plush seat. “May I do your hair?”

“Fine, just don't make it look weird.”

“Thank you, your grace.” You roll your eyes at her teasing tone. “Don't worry, I'm very good with hair, I won't make a fool out of you.” She looks at you through the mirror in front, hands atop your shoulders. “I think he's quite loved in these parts. The crown, on the other hand, hates his guts.”

She expertly handles your hair. “I can see why though. He's been a thorn on their pompous asses for years. I bet if he walked on the common side of the city he'd be left alone by the people. But the moment he walks on the richer side, AKA where we are right now, he'd be arrested the moment he set foot.”

“So the people would be at his side then?” You take note.

“Yep, after all the gold they got from him I think it's only appropriate that they love the guy and his crew.” She puts rouge on your lips, and silver thread in your hair. “There! I'm done, damn, I'm good aren't I?”

The bodice is in rich velvet and dark purple, swirling silver daisies patterned on the fabric, ribbons tying it all together. The skirt falls around your legs like waterfalls, deep violets dotting along the hem. It's beautiful and finely crafted from every stitch to its lace sleeves. The way she did your hair ties it all together.

You can admit, you do look good. Smiling, you thank her.

“Hmm,” She pats the sleeve of your dress, shaking her head. “I think red would suit you better.” The words struck you like a lightning bolt. “Maybe next time, for now, put on your shoes because we'll be meeting royalty.”

Taking something from behind, the familiar steel shines in the candle light. For a moment you thought she would stab you with it but she hands it to you, handle first. “For you, just in case.”

You stare dumbfounded at the sea snake curling around the handle, the turtle’s eyes staring back.

As she leaves you, shutting the heavy door, you let out a sob.

—

You try your best to act like you belong in the golden palace, but you couldn't possibly do it when your heels clack against italian made marble floors. Whenever you look down you can see your reflection blinking back at you. You might look the part, except for the way your eyes dart around the expansive room, you're not fooling anyone. The saints that are finely painted on the ceiling seem to judge you, perfect faces unblinkingly watch above, puffs of white clouds drawn around them like blankets of cotton.

Large columns loom all around you, golden laurels dotted across the walls, paintings of old watches your nervous form as you make your way towards the throne room.

All splendor, no thought under all the gold and glitter.

There's cracks in the façade, as much as they try to hide it with plaster, you can see it, hear it, even if it's just below a whisper. The men scattered around the long hallway are turning their heads away, murmuring hushed words. Painted eyes watch you, red lips smirking at your form before drinking from their overflowing cups.

You cling to Miguel in all his fancy clothing. He cleaned himself up nicely, a picture of a proper gentleman. With his arm the only solid thing near you, you hold tighter. He senses your swirling emotions, leaning down to whisper close to you so the footmen guiding you won't hear.

“Breathe.” He says, “it'll be over soon.”

“Why do we have to meet the king and queen? I thought we were here to meet my uncle.” You impatiently utter when you feel like you've been walking forever towards the throne room. The shoes don't help.

“It's customary, I'm sorry. If it was up to me we'd be on our way to your estate.”

Lyla walks behind the both of you, eyes watching you like a hawk, as if you can run in your state.

“Why isn't it up to you then?” Your voice raises a bit, it echoes around the enormous room.

“At the end of the day, they're your relatives. I'm your godfather all by name only but without a piece of paper to prove it. It's only a promise from your parents before you were born.”

“So you don't have proof? People must think you're a weirdo running after some girl who might be already dead.”

Miguel laughs deeply and genuinely. “I bet they do.”

You smile, “hate to break it to you, O’Hara, they definitely think you're bonkers.”

“Definitely.” Finally, you three come to a stop.

Two large doors stand before you, carved lions and a familiar sea monster decorate the wood. The two footmen open the doors and you swear you've never hated just standing.

A crowd waits for you, they stand on the side, all silk and gold adorning their expensive bodies. Fake smiles and whispers thrown at you the second they laid eyes on you.

“Fuck.” You quietly whisper. Miguel gives your hand a gentle reassuring squeeze.

“One foot forward after the other.” He whispers back. “Don't let them see you mess up.”

“I already hate all of them.” You smile politely, small and fake.

Two figures sit on two large thrones, golden crowns perched on top of their heads, well practiced smiles, and stiff backs against the uncomfortable stone chairs. They're dripping in gold, from the threads woven in their clothes and cloaks to their shoes. There's no single mark on their faces, no scars or pores, just perfection. Fake perfection, you thought as the queen's smile falters when you get closer to their pedestal.

“My, how pretty you are.” The king says in disbelief. His voice is commanding, accent unfamiliar, too fancy, you thought.

A man born with a golden spoon in his mouth. You want to shove it down further in his throat when you think about the starving people you've come across during your travels, and he's dressed in something that could feed a whole town.

You realize Miguel and Lyla are bowing and you're not. Standing upright, you don't even consider bowing to people such as them. They don't deserve it.

They don't seem to notice your insubordination when their green eyes roam around your form. Trying to find your imperfections.

“Don't you think she's pretty, my love?” He asks his queen who fakes a manicured smile. “She looks so much like her mother doesn't she?”

“That is true, dear husband.” Her golden earrings sway whenever she turns her head. The white wig perfectly placed on her royal head makes you want to hurl at the similarities between Mathias' own powdered wig.

“You're a sight for sore eyes O’Hara!” The king adds to Miguel's annoyance. “Welcome back to the capital. I haven't seen you in a decade, old friend.”

Miguel straightens out his posture, chest out, eyes boring into the man's skull. If looks could kill, he'd be at the gallows by now.

“Thank you for the warm welcome, your highness.” He spits out the last word like it's poisoned. And you wonder why it is.

“Say, my friend, why does she walk with a limp?”

Miguel opens his mouth but you interrupt. “She—”

“I was shot,” a hush falls around the room. You correct yourself, not wanting to look like the bad guy in all of this. “Your highness.”

“Shot? By a gun?” The queen covers her open mouth, face shocked at the information. “Who would want to kill such a pretty thing?”

“Surprisingly a lot—” Miguel stops you, warning you with a look.

“She was caught in a crossfire, but she's strong and she's healing well.” He saves you.

“That's good—”

The door abruptly opens, two people emerge from the large doors. The man has his arms open, grinning widely, quickly making his way towards the thrones. The woman walks all prim and proper behind him, not wasting her time to look at the crowd, or you.

A footman rushes in, briskly announcing their presence with his blaring voice. “The duke and duchess of Hazelside!” You blink in surprise at the mention of your house name.

“Eddie, my boy!” Your ‘uncle’ exclaims boisterously. “Ready for our night out?!” he says while shaking his hips in a crude manner.

Your aunt bows, face flat and unreadable.

“Welcome back, you old sack of shit!” The king exclaims to your surprise. Not the kind of behaviour you thought a king would have.

“Fucking hell.” You say under your breath, Miguel tightly shuts his mouth to avoid a laugh. “These motherfuckers are related to me?” You ask the man next to you, tone as quiet as a dormouse.

The crew were quite rambunctious too, but at least they were actually funny and respectful to an extent. And not covered in fine jewels that could fix every problem an entire town has.

You miss them already, you feel your chest clench at the mere thought of them.

He deeply sighs, “yes.”

“Please tell me my parents weren't like this.”

“I'm happy to tell you that they were not.” He leans away when your uncle notices the two of you.

“Oh!” Your uncle finally notices you and Miguel. “Miguel is that you? And– woah! Is that my…” he smells of ale and strong perfume. “My niece? I honestly don't bloody know what I should call you because we are really far away from each other on the ol’ family tree.” he gestures towards his wife. “Ain't that right, my dear?”

She doesn't acknowledge him. “My name's Victoria and this is my husband, Frederick. Welcome back to the land of the living, dear niece.”

“Glad to be back— oof” Frederick suddenly drunkenly hooks you and his wife in his arms.

“Look at you two!” His breath stinks. “Already best friends huh?”

Miguel subtly takes you away from your uncle while his wife shoves him away. You thank Miguel with a nod.

“Oh you're so pretty!” He yells now that he had a proper look at you without the haze from the liquor. “I would say you look like your mother or your father but I've never met them! And you know about those portraits, I highly doubt they weren't doctored.” He laughs like a donkey starved. “Listen, I'm surprised my wife isn't stabbing you with her numerous hair pins right now—”

“Frederick!” She yells. The royals seem to like the scene in front of them as they genuinely smile and hide their laughs behind opulent hands. “We shall talk about the ownership of the estate and the title after she reacquaints herself to society.” she says like you've been living like a savage until Miguel found you.

You scrunch up your face, fighting the urge to backtalk your so-called aunt.

“Isn't that right, your highnesses?” She turns towards the couple draped in gold.

“That's right, for now, we shall discuss what we didn't finish the last time you two visited.” The queen answers for her husband.

“Yes! During a game of poker perhaps?” Your uncle says. Miguel looks like he's losing his patience.

“Absolutely!” The king stands up, laughing while they both walk away from the room.

Both women follow suit, not uttering a single word between them.

“Is that it?” You ask the two people next to you. “Can we go now?”

Miguel kneads at his forehead. “I'm afraid we have to stay here until they finish. I still have things to discuss with them.” you narrow your eyes.

“What?!” Lyla speaks, unable to hold it in anymore.”

“I could…” He wavers but he takes one look at you and he continues. “...join them and make sure they don't play well into the night.”

“Wait, no, that means I have to join you too!” Lyla stomps her foot.

“No, go watch over Y/N. Just in case.”

“I can take care of myself.” You sound offended.

“I know, it's the people here I don't trust.”

With his parting words, you and Lyla find things to do in the vast palace.

—

It wasn't like the fairytales Jessica once told you about. Princes saving damsels in distress locked in a tower, jesters dancing around the smooth floors, kind kings finding their one true love. Instead you get whatever the hell you just witnessed.

You and Lyla found a portrait room, trying to occupy yourself until Miguel fetches you both. The walls are covered in paintings of nobility. Their eyes seem to follow you everywhere you go as you skim through the art on the walls.

Lyla snores softly on the plush settee in the middle of the room. Turns out you're the one who has to watch over her.

It's been a couple of hours since the disastrous first meeting. When you imagined meeting your family you thought it would be full of tears and hugs, instead you were greeted by a drunken duke and a stiff duchess.

Your mind goes back to the people you left. Janet and Thena would get a kick out of you being a noble. Gwen, Miles and Pavitr would tease the living hell out of you, poking your velvet clad side and making remarks at how you've sold your soul. Yuri on the other hand would actually try to marry you. While James—well James is there.

And Hobie, Hobie would hate you.

The pearl in your pocket is cold as you roll it in between fingers. The dagger hidden inside your skirt presses down your thigh. Eyes forlorn, mouth frowning, you distract yourself by staring at dead people on the gold inlay walls.

“Oh hello.” A familiar voice echoes throughout the expansive room. “Have you had supper?” The queen asks, eyebrows knitting at Lyla’s sleeping form. Her heels clack on the expensive floors, hands clasped in front of her, standing like how you thought aristocrats would stand.

“I ate beforehand.” You say, confused as to why she's even talking to you.

“That's too bad, the chef's making her special.” She smiles at you, a touch of authenticity in it. “May I show you something?”

“Sure.” It's not like you have a choice in the matter.

“I haven't properly introduced myself, my name's Caroline. It's a pleasure to meet you.” She says in her practiced tone.

“Y/N, your majesty.” You think it's hard to keep her appearance even though it's only you and a wall of paintings.

“Y/N, how lovely. Your mother chose well.”

“She didn't get a chance to name me.” You say sourly. “My guardian named me,” you once again correct yourself. “Your majesty.”

“Come, I must show it to you before you go.” She gestures for you to follow, her bracelets clash against the other when she beckons you over.

Caroline stops in front of a portrait of a woman in a similar colour of gown like yours. A single long stemmed rose in her hand, smile soft and alive. Then you look at her face, really look at her. And you feel like the ground is trying to eat you whole.

“It's her.” You softly say, still in disbelief. Eyes sliding down to see the identical necklace on her neck.

“Indeed. You might look like her but I think you have your father's eyes.”

You whip your head towards her, “does he have a portrait here too?”

“Unfortunately no,” you visibly deflate.

“Did you know them? Personally?”

“Your mother and I used to have the same governess growing up. She was a close friend.” Her green eyes seem to search something in you. “Your father on the other hand, I barely knew. But I knew they would end up together the second he danced with her at a ball. She looked at him like he's the sky himself, while he looked at her like she's the finest jewel.”

You imagine the scene where it was possible that you were also there.

“When I heard they eloped outside the country, I knew I was right. The moment I heard of their untimely deaths at the hands of vicious pirates, I was devastated.” She takes your hands without asking. Her hands are soft, no calluses or bumps. “You see, I feel a sense of kinship with her, she was supposed to marry my husband back then. I got bumped up when your parents married in secret, so I have her to thank for everything I have right now.”

“She was supposed to marry the king?”

“My Edward was the crown prince back then, but yes, she was supposed to be wed to him.” She rubs her thumbs above your palms. “If you need any help, any at all, don't be afraid to ask for me. I'll do everything in my power to help my old friend's only daughter.”

“That's good to know, your majesty.”

“Of course, anything at all, little bird.”

The doors burst open suddenly, and out comes your heavily drunk uncle stumbling in. Frederick spots you, he gasps, laughing and pointing at you while he has a bottle in his hand.

“We shall have a ball to welcome my niece!” He wobbles over to you, slurring his words.

His wife comes running in after him, grabbing her husband by the collar before he reaches your side and the queen's. “Caroline, your majesty. Niece.” She apologizes quickly with a bow before dragging him out.

Miguel walks in with his shirt rumpled and jacket in his hand. He bows when he sees the queen before waking Lyla up with a measured slap on her bicep. She wakes up with a start, heart racing at the sudden wake up call.

“I bid you farewell. Do remember what we discussed.” The queen turns to you, letting your hands go.

You give her a polite smile. “Of course, thank you.”

She leaves with a nod towards Miguel. With the click of the doors, he can finally breathe properly.

“Ready to come home?”

No.

“Yes.” Your eyes play tricks as you see Hobie in the corner of your eyes. When you glance at the wall, he's gone like a candle light.

[herparadisekiss]

wheel of time s1 finale thoughts (incoherent)

ok whew this episode felt like ????? (neutral question marks)

show spoilers below ofc -

Roughly here's first viewing vibes, essay incoming

40% setup for s2 (basically namedropping or showing us where or what characters will be doing - Min see ya soon wherever you are escaping to, uhhh Padar Fain stole the box thing (?), that last 'cliffhanger' entrance uhhh what the heck are these group of people (ok I know they are named Seanchan that's about it) they look just as creepy as the Whitecloaks, Nyneave and Egwene are defo going to find Siuan and begin a training story arc at Tar Valon oohhh, who is going to heal Loial!!!!!!!!!!)

30% rand being a sweet boy vs hot evil dude dressed in a sleek black blazer oh man he is clearly a baby compared to this 3000 year old (at least right?) - he's so unprepared!!! finally seeing more Rand and Rand x Moiraine scenes was good tho, since the rest of the Two Rivers gang had plenty of scenes in the earlier episodes

10% action for tarwin's gap but ok it is not the highlight at all to me, the ep 1 trolloc attack was done better (not really my focus for this ep since I wanted more Dragon hints or answers. showing some consequences of the overchanneling was interesting, wasn't expecting the lady Amalisa to go out this fast)

10% for the OG Lews Therin, definitely a quieter cold open than the E P I C one in ep 7 but I do like the contrast between the futuristic past (what a paradox!) and the current fantasy world (how do you describe it? More middle-age vibes..?) Tumblr folks pls gif the parallel looking at babies in this episode :')

10% Moiraine's 'imma cradle Rand but also put a knife at his throat' protective energy and everything else that happened at the Eye of the World. Rosamund Pike was great

ok a few more things I noticed that were kinda neat

wow that dark one's channeling was pure white whereas Rand's (and Logain's) had the black 'madness' swirls! quite cool to show how in control, or 'sane' he is compared to the current 2 men seen channeling

the idea of choices and consequences given to each character and where they end up by the end of this season/episode (maybe it can be made even more prominent in s2?) such as:

the choice of light vs shadow that has been brought up by Moiraine (and will be made by Rand and Mat)

the choice of the way of the leaf vs fighting to protect loved ones (by Perrin)

the choice of protecting your own (the two rivers gang) vs protecting for the greater good (Nyneave gurl you almost wanted to walk away??? but ok you joined the battle)

the choice of going forward or staying behind (Moiraine ignored Rand's ask to Stay ;_; and accompanied him and look where it got her ;_; and Lan going to The Blight instead of waiting at Fal Dara)

[My Guess] so... the whole thing of 'striking at the Dark One when he was weak' was a trick yes? did I get that hint right because it looks to me that Rand shattered some seal instead, the floor cracked apart with crystals coming out and Moiraine was fiddling with it

so inadvertently the whole plan backfired

as a show viewer my overall comment is also that -

someone needs to tell Amazon Prime to give wheel of time season 2 more episodes or more runtime per episode next round!!! The flow was pretty clear and great from 1 - 6 but then it became extra rushed in the last 2 episodes which is unfortunate but maybe there were deleted scenes they could release?

[enchantedbyhiddles]

I keep reading that it seems Sylvie is the main character rather than Loki and i beginning to agree, Loki hardly seems clever anymore, he gets thrown on his ass/kicked around by everyone, everyone is referring to Sylvie as the superior Loki which is making me resent Sylvie if anything. he just seems be there along for Mobius and Sylvie's ride and is better than the Loki we known for 10 years. The focus is mainly on Sylvie and Sylvie is made out be more threatening and superior to Loki. Unless it what everyone else thinks it Tom Hiddleston Loki bowing out and being replaced by Sylvie since she is the better Loki within 5 mins of existing, while Loki we grown to Love over a decade, is treated awful/like a joke.

Hey dear anon, I think it might be good for you to take a step back. Don't care so much about what others might think or see in the show and about Loki. Watch the show for yourself and decide if you like it or not. I get that we all want to share our experiences with others, but it can also influence what we think. In the end it can make us resent what we used to love. The whole speculations and so on can also warp our perception. So sometimes it helps to just take the thing for what it is and find the love again. If you then still feel that way then it is okay to admit that the show is not for you. You don't have to love it. You shouldn't suffer through something that pains you. It is far better to then indulge in fanfictions and other fanworks. Find happiness with like-minded people, but don’t make yourself be miserable.

To me Loki is definitely the main character. He was there for the main time of four episodes. Of course people latch onto new characters. It is exciting and new. But both characters mostly exist in their relationship to Loki. Sylvie was now in what, two episodes? And from the looks of it in the next one even more Lokis enter the scene and I'm pretty sure that Old!Loki and Kid!Loki will get more screentime and very likely attention.

This shared screen though doesn't mean that Loki is any less. We got so many things about Loki that until now only existed in fandom. Loki being happy and singing, Loki drinking, Loki playing pranks, Loki talking about his relationship with Frigga, so much time of Loki expressing feelings and explaining himself, all this self-search and acknowledgement. Most of that until now only existed in seconds of screentime and some deleted scenes. While we might have known about that before, it was only because we as fans dissected every single second and build whole worlds around that. We got so much that only existed in our heads before. So in many cases we might not get that much meta about Loki, because fandom might just say "Ha, I knew it!", when our longheld suspicions are confirmed. With Sylvie and Mobius it is just the first new influx of information.

Loki is not a joke and I never felt the need to laugh at him here. Someone trying to find his way in a totally new and hostile environment isn't a joke to me. Someone struggling at times isn't funny. The only times I laughed with him was when he had fun. A few days ago Loki had no idea that anything more threatening than Thanos exists and now he found a partners with whom he plans to take them down. The whole TVA searched an eternity to try to find out how to stop Sylvie, Loki needed what? An afternoon in the library to figure it out. Sylvie might seem more capable at times, but then she had her whole lifetime preparing for that. Loki is smart and incredibly gifted.

I might have to agree that Loki doesn't seem as strong as before in comparison to the others at the moment. That's though is the always existing story-telling problem of a protagonist. He can't be better at everything than anyone around or you couldn't tell a heroic story any longer. In every TV show, in every movie series, with every single movie they invent a threat that is even bigger and more challenging than the one before. Now that Loki is the protagonist he falls victim to that. The good thing about the heroic story though is that the hero will also find new strengths and in the end emerges successful. :)

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. im sorry i just noticed the "her butt looks like an upside down heart" panel (which is already gross lmao i hate him) literally just looks like a ball sack 💀 like what is this??? kids read this??

2. FHGSKDFDS i love the ppl who are like 'well the art sucks anyway that could explain why the pay is so bad' like?? 😭

3.  Smythe's treatment of the Minthe story is so bizarre. Minthe is a low-ranking nymph, Persephone is among the most important gods, a child of Zeus. The idea that Minthe is a genuine threat to someone like Persephone and cheering for her demise is so odd, it's like claiming that mortal Semele could ever have the upper hand in a rivalry with Hera, the queen of gods. The power imbalance is insane and it's weird that this is hailed as a yass queen moment for her, like Minthe ever stood a chance

-----

From OP: To clarify, the assistant would have to do 20 panels for a week (from what was stated). However, it definitely has to be done before a week since it has to be ready by Sunday. With the pay of $450 USD total, that’s $22.50 per panel. I think the assistant would spend 30 - 45 min  per panel if RS is hiring someone who can do it fast.

I’m iffy on the payment but I still need to clarify because I feel some of these asks have some misleading information or misinterpreted the post in this next section.

-----

4. im sorry but rachel going "i work 150 hours a week on LO!" is such bullshit lmao. girl if youre spending that much time on it why does it look that bad then? also if it takes that much work then the ppl should be paid MORE for it, not under min wage like she's trying 💀 also thats basically admitting shes fine with subpar and even bad work when its like ... girl just take a few months off, the terminally online persona aint working.

5. rachel doubling down saying each LO ep is 60 panels and how she spends 150+ hrs on it a week is so like ... ma'am you know that makes you look worse, right?? especially bc we know damn well shes not doing all this extra stuff she claims (lettering, backgrounds, shading, inking, panelling, etc) so like??? is she just admitting she's bad at time management??? bc if she actually (or rlly her team) spend that much time a week on an ep and it still looks like That after all of it... 🤡

6. you know what the nastiest part is about this pay discourse? rachel is purposely ONLY posting this on her social media instead of through actual artist scouting, because she knows theyd laugh at how much work shes demanding for such little pay, but her fans would do anything to "be friends" with her, so they wont question her or her actions. this is so shady of her to do.

7. rachel should prove the haters wrong and actually do the art instead of having five other people who get no character sheets and only sketches to work off of and paying damn near nothing for it, that'll show em.

8. tbh the most insidious part about rachel scamming her fans out of work is that we know not only will they not get a cent out of the FP money, but eventually she'll put them in a print book, meaning she'll be making even MORE money off their work, while they don't get a cent from it. more so, unlike other comics with actual backgrounds, VFX, lettering, etc, lineart and flats are the ONLY thing that goes into LO, so they are quite literally doing all her work. i'm disappointed by unsurprised.

From OP: You know, that’s actually a really good point. Especially if they aren’t going to be a long term artist.

9. the amount of LO stans defending how badly rachel is paying and then going "id work for free just to brag i worked with her!" is so??? bad??? just because you like LO does not mean you should let her pay so low or even get free work out of you, bc at the end of the day SHE is getting all the fp money, the merch sales, and eventually she'll put that underpriced work in a book and make even more money off of it while you get nothing out of it. shes banking off "for exposure" instead of actual pay.

10. rachel deleting her tweet showing shes shit at paying for labor only she benefits from and being roasted in the QRTS about it ... name a more iconic duo than her and her easily bruised ego, ill wait.

-----

[little-cereal-draws]

Hi feel free to respond to this privately but Hi, i love your animated videos, especially the shadows ones! What program(s) do you use if you don’t mind me asking and do u have any tips? I would love to start doing animatics but idk how/where to start. Thanks in advance! ^^

Hello! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my videos! My software is not fancy at all and might be a bit of a letdown tbh lol

For drawing I used to use Paint tool sai (which i think is what a lot of ppl use) but it wasn't working right on my computer, it wouldn't let me save my images. I got it off of some Japanese website and it was $19 (USD). Now I use the app that came with my computer. I have a Windows computer. It's called Sketchbook (oOoOh, so fancy lol) and it is limited in terms of brushes and pen pressure but I like it. Very easy to figure out. I also have Krita which I think I had to pay for. I don't remember how much tho, I want to say $15 (USD)?? Maybe? It is much more complex and lets you do things like animate but I don't use it bc I'm too lazy to figure it out lol I know there's a lot of great tutorials online tho. I also know a lot of ppl use Procreate which is much better especially in terms of brushes but it's not compatible w my computer :( Procreate costs $10 (USD) I think.

As for editing, I use Shotcut. It's a free software that I downloaded from somewhere, I don't remember. It is definitely limited in terms of filters, camera angles, and what you can put in it but hey, it's free! The one thing I hate the most abt it is you can't pan. It drives me insane. But it has zoom, text, filters, etc. I used to use Filmora which is also free but is even more limited and I think it puts a watermark on your videos.

Now for tips!

Uhh, I guess the most obvious is practice. I started doing animatics four years ago and I can't watch any of my old ones now, they're so bad lol

Another thing is vary your shot type. If you have a couple ppl doing smth together, do close ups, medium shots, and wide shots. Try different camera angles. It's ok to do the same type of shot a couple times in a row but after a while it can get boring.

An extension of the last point, if a character does smth like knock a thing over or move it or whatever, show the object moving and then their reaction. Reaction shots are very important for character's emotions. Wide shots to establish a setting.

As an extension of that point, watch your favorite show/movie and watch how they film it, when they zoom in, how they frame the characters etc. I've spent so much time doing that lol (WWDITS might not be the best example bc it's a documentary but it should still work pretty well)

In terms of moving characters/making it smooth, layers are going to be ur best friend lol I end up with so many layers when I make a video. It's partially because I'm scared to delete layers in case I need them later but it's also helpful to see a character's last position. If they're on the left and need to move to the right, draw them on the left, copy the layer, and move the new layer a little bit using the original one as a reference point. Continue until they've made it. Same thing if they're moving their hand up or whatever. Use old layers as reference points to avoid jumpiness.

Because animating/drawing in general is hard and time consuming and I'm lazy I try to reuse shots/poses as much as I can. Again if you have a character going from left to right and then later in the video going right to left, save the left to right layers. You can just flip them to make it look like they're going right to left and now you don't have to draw it again! This can be tricky tho bc you don't want your video to get repetitive like I said before. So do it but do it sparingly lol

THUMBNAIL FIRST! This is very helpful. Just make a bunch of little boxes with stick figures mapping out what's going to happen in ur video. It doesn't have to look good at all, it's just so you don't forget what's going to happen/get lost. This is mine for the video of Laszlo and Nadja dancing:

I put notes on this one so I remember what the actions and camera angles are. Since I was copying an already choregraphed dance here, I did that in black and then put in more interesting camera angles in blue on a different layer so it wasn't two minutes of the same full body shot

And uh yeah I think that's it! Hopefully this is helpful!