#explanation (it's VERY long)->

[mumblesplash]

part 2!!!! [read part one here]

transcript below the cut arranged into stanzas to help show where the rhymes are:

“that’s why they brought gem in? as a failsafe?” as a pawn. we were told to point her at whoever we need gone

“gem won’t hurt her allies. …yet.” the curse she carries will it’s had its eye on her since she lost the other eye she was specially selected for her hunting skill it’s quite the high honor. “wow. how generous.” we try

think about it: why does almost no one fight the curse? “given how fast scott killed skizz last season, i can guess.” [“any pain you spare your friends, you’ll have to suffer worse”?] it’s designed to shut down higher reasoning with stress

[sleepgarden]

Wrought Iron ✢ Handmade Choker The design was inspired by gothic wrought iron fences. I tea dyed both the lace and cotton twill backing to match the cream needlepoint thread ^^

[benevolenterrancy]

...I got a little lost in the weeds thinking about the time between Ming Yi's ascension and his death, and decided that this is my favourite possible scenario (think Lord Vetinari and Leonard de Quirm).

Is Ming Yi a prisoner? technically yes. Does he have any interest in leaving? not in the slightest, he is fed, gets given any of the tools or materials he wants, and gets work on his own projects without any interruptions except for the occasional conversation with He Xuan! it's like the ideal possible retirement after living a VERY busy mortal life!

[bull-shit-suji]

actually no i need to talk about the green witch arc. ciel and his band of merry fools go to germany and learn that this forest is haunted by WEREWOLVES and in it is a village full of WITCHES with cursed amulets and potions and whatever

and the immediate vibe is "lol what a bunch of bogus" which is really just batshit coming from the kid with a demon butler

and then woah big reveal! it wasn't werewolves or witches it was a covert military operation REPLETE with radar tracking (not a thing until wwii) and electronic displays (most likely crt screens, which again weren't fully developed until the 1930s) and TANKS. for reference the first "tank" was put together by a guy in 1899 who mounted a machine gun to THIS

absolute paragon of engineering. the panzer (the exact model of tank in the arc) was not a thing until wwi.

and. and ciel and ESPECIALLY the Demon Butler in question are like. ohhhh yeah that makes more sense. the amulets were just transmitting our exact locations through technology that won't exist for another three decades. whew glad we sorted that one out. man wouldn't it have been CRAZY if it really was werewolves.

[rip-cod-brainrot]

I just need this Ghoap real quick in honor of the holiday

~~~

Soap was prepared. He was dressed in his nicest t-shirt (only one or two holes from the washing machine!) and he’d combed his mohawk to perfection. He’d snuck the flowers onto base and kept the petals from getting bruised just like his ma taught him to do.

He immediately perked up as he walked into the common room, his eyes lighting up as they landed on Ghost.

“LT!”

Dark eyes shifted from a gameboy to Soap’s face as the man trotted up to Ghost.

“Here!” He held out the bouquet of red roses to Ghost, a big smile on his face. “For you!”

Ghost looked down at the flowers. Then he looked at Soap. “…. Why?”

Soap faltered for a second, but shook his head. He’d gotten a pep talk from Gaz just in case something like this happened, they both knew Ghost was suspicious more often than not.

“They’re roses!” Soap said, holding them out further. “For you! I’m confessin’ my love to ye!”

There was a long silence as Ghost stared at Soap. Maybe he was noticing how Soap was sweating bullets the longer the silence went on. Was it going to ruin his t-shirt?-

And then Price and Gaz walked in, both men suddenly stopping their conversation as they saw Ghost and Soap. Great, now there was an audience.

Sighing deeply, Ghost put the gameboy onto the table. He crossed his arms, leaned back, and Soap’s heart sank at his furrowed eyebrows.

“Is this a prank?” Ghost asked simply.

Soap blinked. “…. No?” he said slowly. “Why would it be?”

Ghost stared. “… it’s April Fool’s.”

Frowning, Soap shook his head. “No? I checked the date, it’s April 2nd.”

As he set the bouquet carefully on the table, leaning on said table, Soap didn’t notice Price pinching the bridge of his nose. He also didn’t notice Gaz trying hard not to burst out into laughter.

“Two days ago, it was March 30th,” Soap said. “And yesterday was April 1st. That’s April fool’s day. I waited until the day after, so you know it’s not a prank!”

There was a snort from Gaz as he turned away, his hand over his mouth. Soap glanced over with a frown, seeing that Price had put his face in his hands. Why were Price’s shoulders shaking?

“…. Johnny.”

Soap looked almost like a sad puppy as he turned his confused pout to Ghost. “Yeah, Simon?”

“… there’s thirty-one days in March,” Ghost said flatly.

Soap stared, an uneasy smile on his face. “…. Oh.”

Surprisingly, Gaz and Price were able to keep their composure as Soap realized his mistake.

But they absolutely lost it when Ghost glanced between the roses and Soap, and had his own realization. If Soap didn’t think it was the first of April-

Ghost jumped out of his chair with wide eyes. “WAIT-“

[mjsidd]

quick one from tonight!!

+ warm ups because i was taken by the yuri disease

[ink-the-artist]

I love your artwork so much! Your colors are so vibrant and none of the white speckles in the paper ever shows, its so impressive and I really dig it! I was wondering if you use any sort of blending medium? Like baby oil or anything? Either way, I really enjoy looking at your artwork and I'm always excited to see whatever you'll make next

I use a colorless blender (prismacolor, which is wax-based so baby oil probably wouldnt work) but my scanner is also rly bad about picking up white specks in a way photographing the art with my phone isnt, so I usually have to do some digital editing to get rid of them as well.

I do this by duplicating the layer, setting the one on top to "darken," and using the mixer brush to blend out the white spots + just use the eyedropper tool to select the color of that area (needs to be a slightly lighter shade of it) and color over the white spots with the brush tool

i edited a small bit of the original scan to show what i mean

original:

with the edited layer:

heres how it looks set to normal instead of darken, I used both the mixing brush and regular brush just to demo it

[neversetyoufree]

Alright. Okay.

So the entire time I've been reading VnC, I've been assuming that Noé is the sole known survivor of the Archivistes in a relatively normal way. I've been assuming that something happened to the Archiviste clan within Noé's lifetime, just before his human "grandparents" found him in the snow. Obviously I wondered about what happened—who slaughtered them if they were killed and what else might have happened if they aren't all dead as we've been told, but I never questioned the timeline. I assumed that the Archivistes must have been alive and kicking until recently, even if Noé's last remaining family was living in hiding from the rest of vampire society or something like that.

But. We don't actually know that that's true. We don't know a single thing about the timeline of the Archivistes' extermination other than what Nox says about them having all died "long ago." Noé is nineteen years old, and we have no idea how old Nox is. Could the fifteen to seventeen years between Noé's first adoption and the present day be enough to count as long ago?

This is Jun Mochizuki we're talking about. There is extensive precedent in her work (by way of Pandora Hearts) for characters turning up seemingly out of nowhere, often with no memory, and in Pandora Hearts, these cases never had a simple answer. It was always caused by the time-bending properties of the Abyss.

It is entirely within the realm of possibility for the rest of the Archiviste clan to have died years, decades, or even a century or more before Noé was found by his human grandparents. We don't have precedent yet for anything that messes with time in VnC like PH's Abyss, so I don't know how this could have happened, but I don't think we can fully discount the possibility. The outer bounds of world formula rewriting as a power are yet to be fully explored, so it's hard to say firmly that anything's impossible. There might be a way for Noé to exist in the present even if the rest of his clan was killed well over nineteen years ago (be it by PH style time-bending or by some entirely different mechanism).

It's still possible (and even likely) that the Archivistes died or disappeared less than twenty years ago, but it's not quite the concrete fact that I've been thinking of it as this entire time. It's entirely possible that Noé's backstory contains Mochizuki Timeline Fuckery, and now that I've had that thought, I can't unsee it. The author of Pandora Hearts going out of her way to say that her protagonist was found mysteriously alone and crying with no memory of how he got that way is. conspicuous as hell.

[skcirthinq]

I have excavated some ancient relics from my sketch folder- look, and be amazed(?) at their age, millenias of time having passed since uh. *checks dates*

2023.

Anyway, I've got some sketches from @nicoforlifetrue Rotten Reflections; a crossover between Rise and 2012, where Rise's Leo and Donnie spend some time feral due to injury. The author's got some interesting lore they've been setting up too!

And then, I've got some sketches for Kraang Soup (not my turtles, not my circus) by BlueTortoise137; another crossover. This one's also sent the Disaster Twins to 2012, and like. NGL, any y'all got some unresolved frustration for 2012 kraang? Shredder?

You might enjoy this.

It's a fun take on how the genre differences really stack certain decks between the two sets of turtles.

And lastly, some positively ancient, like- found them next to dinosaur skeletons, ancient- Sketches from The Last Grain of Sand in the Hourglass by @last-hourglass Which is like! An amazing fic with Leo trapped in the Prison Dimension, the krang being shitheads, and the Apocalypse Peepaws trying to save everyone. I am not doing it justice with that summary.

Uh. Please ignore the pokemon? They don't have anything to do with these lol I just didn't want to load stuff into my drawing app- it's getting testy at me.

[gumm1defloor]

Vox can understand Velvette just fine. They don't necessarily need to get along all the time, but they have a mutually beneficial contract that guarantees her support in the most efficient way possible, just how they both like it, short and strict and to the point. Vox does not understand Valentino. It drives him unimaginably, disgustingly insane. He knows how to handle him, make no mistake. Valentino is a never-ending powerhouse that wrangles out content from his employees like there's no tomorrow. He's proven himself to be Vox's most lucrative investment yet. He is resourceful, well-connected and most importantly predictable enough to rein in. Because he listens to you, because he needs you.

He is also, undeniably, out of his goddamn mind. Yet you've already invested too much in the corporate empire you've built together and there is no point turning back now that you have him so close to your side. It's OK however! He couldn't possibly be stupid enough to throw away the best partnership deal he's ever had just for the sake of something petty cause -oh, wait - he genuinely might just be that stupid and you never would've guessed because he's so cocksure of his bullshit that 80% of the time it ends up working in his favor anyway.

Fuck his life indeed. The kicker for this of course is that Valentino, genuinely does believe he has struck gold with Vox. Valentino is a clingy, possessive, immature, perverted, sadistic, egotistical man-child with severe rage issues and poor impulse control. No he is not aware of this at all. No he does not know why nobody is able to tolerate him and why every single person he gets close to hates his guts with every inch of their burning rotting souls. All he knows is that hell has now given him a flat faced prince in shining liquid crystal armour, riding on a cash filled horse with promises of power and luxury, who's practically handing him success on a silver platter. Doesn't mean that Val trusts him, doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy seeing him lose his shit. But at the end of the day vox has his back, and as long as Val keeps calling for him, he'll eventually turn up and make everything better. Cause hey if Vox hasn't left him yet for this long he must be doing something right. Right?

[marimbles]

It seems to be pretty well established that most fanfic authors don’t mind when readers leave comments on old fics and in fact welcome it. But what about authors replying to old comments?

Do readers care in general whether an author replies? Is it expected and seen as rude if they don’t? Is it nice when they do but not expected? Is there a time limit to the welcomeness of replies? Like is it nice if they respond within a few weeks but if it’s been months or years it feels awkward because you don’t remember the fic anymore? I’m curious!

[frownyalfred]

I have so many coral AU royjay thoughts and feelings and I’m so sorry about that bc I’m straight up obsessed with them. They feel like my own little guys even though they’re YOUR guys in this specific au.

Just like. 1) how do you think they would’ve met? Doing hero work years ago before Jason died? While Jay was red hood? On some mission where he’s acting on Bruce’s behalf in star city soon after the pregnancy ends?? I wanna hear what you think so badly, esp since the teen titans wouldn’t exist in this universe and that would’ve had a HUGE affect on Roy’s life overall (some things for the worse, others for the better)

I’m thinking so much about like. Lex getting to watch Jay have like. A typical romance without any horrible strings attached like lex has had his whole life. Sure they both have trauma, but Jason is just an omega learning his own way in the world who happens to meet an alpha whose doing the same, and after the end of things with the joker and with the birth of the twins it’s like. Jay has TIME to fall in love and continue to grow into his own. And jays first real relationship is GOOD!!! Roy is good!!!! And lex gets to see his grumpy pup nephew have all these sweet happy firsts that they’d all been worried Jason might never get to have because of all he’s been through. And even early on it’s so clear that Roy is SO READY to love Jason for all of his issues and his life and his struggles because he UNDERSTANDS so much of it. It would be kind of bittersweet, I think, for lex and Bruce watching Jay get to have this. Like they’re so happy for him and ready to do their part to help these two in the early phases of their young relationship but also like- wow. This is the kind of thing they COULD have had at that age if only their lives hadn’t been so fucked up

I think they meet somehow during Jason’s first few patrols as a vigilante in Gotham, esp when he and Clark are filling in for Bruce after the birth. I think they knew each other in passing when they were pups but never interacted much. Because Ollie and Bruce didn’t interact much - they didn’t get along for obvious reasons.

I think Roy was probably also trying to settle his alpha instincts through the one thing Ollie allowed him, which was vigilante work. Maybe even with Ollie out of the picture he still tries to help people since he has a gift with a bow and throwing olives. Maybe Ollie is in the picture and Roy has to go home to him no matter how interesting this new omega vigilante is.

[sprachgefuehle]

It is always the world's most monolingual speaker who gets angry when someone speaks a different language in public

[quesadilla-day]

so about that new outfit... (～￣▽￣)～

[beatcroc]

understand that i mean this in only the loosest and jokiest of ways but boy i sure have been thinking about it. manifesting.

[holocene-sims]

next // previous

october 3, 2021 2:00 p.m. morensong coffee house

[grant] thank you for meeting me so last minute.

[cerise] yeah, it’s no problem! actually, i'm glad we could do this sooner rather than later. this has been at the back of my mind for a while–the curiosity has–so when you texted me yesterday, i was, like, i need to know. i may be going out of town for a week, but i'll try to make room in the schedule for this before i leave.

[grant] are you traveling anywhere exciting?

[cerise] iceland. it’s a big family trip to celebrate my parents’ 20th anniversary. as in, my mom and my stepdad’s anniversary. i mean, he’s my real dad as far as i'm concerned, but technically my stepdad. i think you get what i mean, i don’t know why i'm over-explaining.

[grant] wow, that is exciting. well, i hope you guys have fun. i hear it’s just as gorgeous there as you think it is.

[cerise] anyway, thank you again for asking your–our, i guess; that’s still weird to say–dad some questions on my behalf. i'm sure that wasn’t easy.

[grant] i should warn you that it’s not necessarily a wealth of information.

[cerise] that’s okay.

[grant] there was a lot going on when i talked to him, and if there were other questions i could have asked…

[cerise] it’s okay.

[grant] i wouldn’t have been able to think of them, and now, uh, the line of communication is closed, so i can’t really go back and...

[cerise] i said it was okay, didn’t i?

[cerise] the basics are enough, and you already put yourself out for a stranger. if i want to know anything else, i'll find the right moment to get my my mom talk about what happened.

[grant] do you want me to just get right into it?

[cerise] whatever you prefer.

[grant] so, uh, essentially, my parents were attending a medical conference of some kind in detroit. they were still married then, but my dad was unhappy with the relationship. he met your mom at the conference, and then he had–as far as i'm aware–a one-night stand with her. she found out my dad already had a family, they agreed to not be in each other’s lives, and he paid her child support.

[grant] that’s what i know. i'm sure there’s more to it, but...

[grant] oh! right, “the more” is that there is a nonzero chance we have more siblings out there.

[cerise] huh.

[cerise] i'm almost surprised there isn’t more drama. that’s a pretty mundane story. a one-night stand with someone you know nothing about is the oldest story in the book.

[cerise] weird, i feel better now. my curiosity is sated. well, i am wondering how the affair even happened if your mom was right there and about the potential other children, but that’s a whole can of worms.

[grant] well, i'm glad you feel better.

[cerise] and the story does make sense. i always wondered if there was some big thing with the secrecy, but if it’s because your–our?–dad was a married man, i get it. my mom is a very good person with strong morals. i know her, and she would not want anything to do with someone if she were aware they were cheating and had a family, and she wouldn’t want me to have any business with them either.

[grant] she made the right decision to stay away. he’s unnecessary. your lives are a billion times better off without him. if you’re thinking, “how can he say that?” just trust me.

[cerise] i mean, i can’t be upset about it. i'm not sure what i potentially lost out on, but what i've had in life with my parents has been perfect or just about perfect, so i'm not going to question her choice.

[grant] you didn’t lose anything. not to say trust me again, but trust me.

[cerise] i'm sorry. this probably is far less of a flippant thing for you.

[grant] don’t worry about me. it’s all good.

[grant] i am just really glad you feel better, and i'm glad i could be of some use to you as well. it’s a lot easier to use me than your mom. i have never met her, but i'm guessing she’d prefer to just forget about all this stuff, and i hope she has.

[cerise] i was frustrated she wouldn’t tell me the truth, but i get it now. this may be a classic story, but it’s still, you know, an embarrassing one. if i found out my boyfriend were a married man tomorrow, i would melt into the floor and stay there.

[grant] anyway, i know we’ve been sitting here all of ten minutes, but i should let you go. once i finish drinking this coffee, i will get out of your hair. you have things to do–exciting things. go pack and travel and have fun and all that.

[cerise] hey, you don’t have to leave already!

[grant] no, i don’t want to take up your afternoon. at least no more than enough to tell you what you were waiting a few weeks to hear.

[cerise] i mean, i blocked out time to do that and talk to you generally for a bit.

[cerise] i don’t know how to go about all this, but i wasn’t planning on benefiting off your connection to your–our?–dad and then peacing out. i figured we could be acquainted, if nothing else.

[cerise] unless that’s too much for you, in which case, totally get it. no pressure. my existence must be weird for your mom and siblings. i'm assuming you have siblings.

[cerise] or maybe they don’t know. i also get it if you’re keeping this situation on the down-low. i can assure you that you’d not be alone in that. i'm not sure i could tell my parents right now that i know about my origins or that i've met my bio dad’s son. not yet.

[grant] definitely don’t do that before the big anniversary trip. but no, don’t worry about that either. i don’t have siblings. not anymore. and my mom...let’s not even go there. there’s nothing to worry about on those fronts.

[grant] it’s not that it’s too much, basically. i have zero problems with you, and i have no family left who would have a problem with you either, so.

[grant] i just don’t want to be in your way, not today or at any point in the future, and i will be. you don’t need my dad around; you don’t really need me either.

[cerise] i don’t care if you are, honestly. you are my brother. that feels weird to say, but you are, and you haven’t done anything wrong. i'd like to know my brother.

[cerise] this is maybe the only regretful, i don’t know if that’s the right word, part of all the secrecy and the way i came to be. i get along with my step-siblings. what’s wrong with getting along with the half-siblings? or half-sibling?

[grant] i should have also warned you i'm kind of in a dour mood entirely because of my dad. sorry. not because of you or this whole thing, though, to be clear.

[grant] i wanted to meet to get all this off my mind so i have no other reason to think about him, hopefully, for the rest of my life. i'll be in a more conversational mood soon-ish, once i'm done thinking about him.

[grant] this is going to make me wishy-washy. i don’t want to be in your way; i don’t want to be a source of awkwardness in your family if they ever know you know me, but…

[grant] okay. i wouldn’t mind getting along with my half-sibling. maybe we could meet up when you have time again.

[cerise] yeah, i'll text you. i might be busy for a while with work when i'm back from my trip, but…

[grant] text me anytime. we’ll figure it out.