#humanoids can be a bit tricky for me but I tried my best!

[watatsumiis]

Hey hey!!! I love your writing so much, it satiates my hunger for fluff so much!! I was wondering if you could do some writing for Thoma? He’s my comfort character rn hehe, but feel free to include any of your faves too if you decide to take on this request!

I was thinking it would be interesting to see how he’d react to crushing on/dating a shapeshifting reader! I was reading his lines about his yokai interests the other day and thought this would be super cute, also I haven’t really seen anyone else do it! Also bonus points if they had some animal-ish features, like a tail, ears, maybe some clawed hands?

Thank you for writing! I’m wishing you well! 💕

Hi hi !!!! Waah thank you so much for your kind words !! I’m so so sorry it took me so long to get around to this, hopefully Thoma is still a comfort character for you >_> This idea has been rotating gently in the back of my brain for a hot minute because it’s just so sweet and fun and I really wanted to do it justice because I really do adore Thoma, he’s kind of got big brother vibes to me and that's just. <3 

Anyways, some rambling below the cut! Gender neutral reader who can shapeshift into various animalistic forms, as well as a humanoid one (with ears, claws and a tail!) 

It may take Thoma some time to notice your presence in the Chinju Forest - there's a huge variety of strange creatures wandering around there, including ones that have the ability to take on humanish forms. But before long, he starts to spot you from the corner of his eye and takes an immediate interest, since he’s been reading so much about yokai recently, he absolutely has to investigate!

It’s almost like a game of hide-and-seek to him - he doesn’t outright chase you, but he certainly makes attempts to follow and track this new forest inhabitant. When that doesn’t work, he tries to bribe you into coming out into the open, leaving yummy snacks and shiny trinkets out in places he’s spotted you in more than once. He catches on to the shapeshifting aspect of you fairly quickly thanks to your distinct mannerisms and markings. 

Thoma is nothing if not persistent - there’s no way he’ll stop bombarding you with niceties until he’s managed to befriend you (and even then he’ll keep going!). He’s well trusted by even the more mischievous creatures in the forest because of how he brings any leftover food from the estate to hand out to others. 

He’s super excited when you finally deign to approach him for the first time, but he works very hard to reign it in, worried about accidentally scaring you off. It’s almost painfully obvious that he has about eight trillion questions for you, and his fingers twitch as he suppresses the urge to reach out and touch your fluffy ears and tail. He makes sure to speak in a soft, kind voice while moving very slowly towards you as he introduces himself. 

Thoma is extraordinarily patient - though he can get overexcited pretty easily at times, he does his very best not to startle you or do anything that might scare you off. He takes note of your favourite kinds of snacks and trinkets and brings them along whenever he visits. He usually drops by around midafternoon on sunny days, shortly after lunch once he’s finished hanging the laundry. Some days, he’s too busy to make it, which he’s so apologetic for, bringing you extra offerings to make up for it.

He has so many questions for you, from every category you could possibly think of, he tries to be considerate and not ask anything that pries too much, but he may occasionally let something odd slip out (“Can you even wear hats with big ears like that? Wait, was that a mean question. Is it a sensitive subject? I’m sorry - hey, why are you laughing?!”). He’s super fascinated by your shapeshifting abilities, and will often ask to see them in action.

Thoma often talks about how lucky he is to have you as a friend, and how cool it is that he’s friends with an ‘actual, real-life, honest-to-archons yokai!’ 

He also has a bit of a tricky side himself, and will more than happily engage in miniature prank wars with you - once, this culminated in him treating some random forest creature like you for a solid several days. You’re never quite sure if he had really fallen that hard for your trickery or he was just toying with you in return, but it was pretty funny to watch him have a fully-fledged one-sided conversation with a squirrel. 

Thoma likes interconnecting his friend groups, and will tentatively offer to introduce you to some of his other contacts (only if you’re comfortable with it, of course). He’s super lovely and excited about it all, and makes sure that nobody ever feels left out or overwhelmed. He’ll extend invites to various events and festivals, but he never gets upset if you turn him down for whatever reasons. He’s just super glad to be your friend! 

Please don’t repost or use my writing anywhere else!

[shuthesnake]

Heya decided to post this here because why not. I've tried something different for the talking. Gonna be honest I don't think people will even see it.

This story was created by this prompt :

https://reddit.com/r/humansarespaceorcs/s/GphKF1B4LS

The room was bustling with activity as the different species were talking, a Dhor was yelling religious litanies about how the Drakanis were unspeakable being wich ooze and tar mixture of a body should be destroyed at all cost and that they were starting to strangely congregate into a bountiful system, it falled into deaf ears as always.

In the other side of the circular room, a Scadani was trying to find a way to get onto the council chair, she wasn't a miniscule speice but was kind of a shortstack, for comparison in humains height she was falling at half, her oval head compensating for about mid ribs but taking that off it was more near the hip area, the chair wasn't a challenge just not really adapted for her voluptuous form, not having hands to push you up and no foot to help for balance it was tricky to get on, after three tries the gray alien finally sit on the beige chair, this long and arduous task made a Calienté snicker, it's sleek black and long body having no trouble with the sitting device, she looked at her with lighting in her oval eye, her three retinas focused on her as she looked away, today was a special day for the Federation, they were accepting humanity within their diplomatic fold.

«Excuse me miss? Can we sit here?»

Looking at her right two humans were there, one had a prestigious and colorful eye-catching attire akin to princes of old as for the female a simple but formal black attire, she was doing what they called smiling, a joyful and kind gesture in their culture...so it would seem.

"Oh of course, the places aren't chosen yet, we had multiple members joining and well it created some organizations problem. I'm Shivi from the Scadani hive mind diplomatic corps your the two human representatives, as you see, life was bountiful into the stars."

Say the short lady as she showed the myriad of colored species of all sort and sizes, a metallic pot would come in a small hovering device, it's red veiny leaves encased into glass, it's membranes started glowing as a sign of welcoming to the newcomers

«Indeed, there must be at least 300 people here? " And we thought we were alone.»

Say the male as he waved at the plant, the light dimmed and the people calmed themselves, at the center of the three round of tables was a big holographic globe, it's blue light emanating from it, the symbol of the federation lighted itself up, a Recaloq would prepare himself to talk, it's feathered velociraptor look made the human whisper enthusiastically as the gray lady smiled to this excitement.

"Ahem...humblgre...Hello greetings! My name is Haznka. As you know, the mission of the federation was to keep the peace, my predecessor failed to keep it...so...nhenh ahem so I will do my best to preserve it, this last war devastated a whole system, were not barbarians anymore and...what did I wanted to say ah yes the multicultural specie act loobies by smaller species for better visibility and accessibility has been vetoed by the Shakans and various anonymous species...nyes..."

This caused outrage into many seats as smaller species have been trying to pass this act into a law for quite some time, the elderly raptor would calm the audience raising his arms.

"I will now invite the Shakan representative to explain himself."

A humanoid man would walk down towards the podium, the female human leaned in to Shivi's ear... wherever it was.

«Is it an armor he's wearing? It looks weird with all these points.»

She turned her head, whispering too putting a hand on the side of her small triangular mouth.

"It's his skeleton on-top it's his helmet, the Shakans are a proud specie of warriors skilled at the blade which they never have far but...a bit outdated in terms of ideas, ouch my head, the hive mind is also unhappy...phew she's calming them down let's hear his points. I'm afraid it'll cause more problems tho they are a bit stubborn and arrogant."

He would take the stand, looking at the crowd towards him before addressing them in a stern and cold voice, for the humains the Shakani accent sounded like old japanese...well an alien version at least.

-<Sheikām! I will be direct, we feel that this law is unworthy and we do not feel honored to have a seat with weaker species, we proved the last predecessor that his philosophy of acceptance was useless but alas...he did not listen! This is outrageous! We will keep vetoing laws that are useless towards the betterment of this federation, only the strong species should vote, what good would a mouse society apport to the federation‽

The Geinu representative brushed its ears and gave multiple angry steps to prove his discontent towards this speech as a giant humanoid, his head encased in a semi sphere of metal, looked at the small critter.

Or even sentient plants they cannot move on their own! >-

The potted plant created various hues of red as its small screen wrote : anger, discomfort, bonehead.

The Shakan continued nevertheless, even more riled up, his first shaking as the lates of his decorative armor shook making cliquetics noises.

-<This is ridiculous if I am to keep being here and keep talking about these reasons I might as well end it in this very room once and for all!>-

While he was riling up the shorter species an older man arrived, its long white beard sign of wisdom or just old age would come behind the two humans as the two were obviously angry, the older man had a relaxed demeanor.

«Are there any ways to prove him wrong?»

The two jumped so did the Scadani, the older gentleman laughed at his little prank, at closer look, he had some smaller species on his shoulders and a pouliko following him.

«Mister Huan Fen your late! It's our first meeting with everyone you can't go around with...uhh...can he look where he's going?»

Said the female as it was clear that pouliko was already dead evolutionary, its gouging eyes looking straight forward as if there was nothing, its long feathered neck trying to support a slightly bigger head, it looked like a chicken mixed with a giraffe but with a lot of bad traits.

«mh... surviving that's the essential. Also huhuhu I had much fun meeting the people creating said law we're discussing, they worked extremely hard to even enter the federation and they approached me to require some aid. From what I remember, the one talking on the stand is a Shakan, yes? They seem to respect might a lot more than ingenuity, a bit blinded by pride that's unfortunate ha ha!»

The old man smiled as he let the smaller alien races that were on it's shoulders get to the table, they would go around the potted plant as it write: Friends. Mister Fen would then go down the aisle his arms behind his back.

«Ahem Excuse me, what would that law affect you? It seem more basic civility to help others besides pushing against a law that should be an easy pass, for example more accessibility for chairs or a simple lever, we could even create a subsection to accommodate, I'm sure this gentleman wouldn't mind to not have to be careful about his steps.»

Say the older man pointing to the giant as he nodded, the Geinu was still enraged, yelling in its dialect and swinging in the air to the amusement of the taller humanoid.

The Shakan was taken aback a bit but straightened his pose.

-<Ah you're the humain representative, your speice have a long history of war. I respect that but you need to understand that most of these smaller races didn't even build ships, they mostly ferry around in others taking up space, only the plant over there created spaceships and again what can they even bring to the Federation? Surely no defense pact or anything practical of the sort we shouldn't have accepted any of them if they can't even be helpful nor should we try to elevate them! I'm talking to you lizard face!>-

Say the armored alien pointing to a Xichi representative, its long arthropod figure rises up as its frills would grow in anger as he spoke in a formal but angered tone.

"How dare you disrespect the heavenly kingdom of the stars! We have the right to elevate who we wants it is our heavenly sacred duty and-"

«enough! Enough you've made your point. But still it seems it's a dysfunctional federation here. We are all different, sure this plant cannot best you in combat but they excel in medical and older technologies, the Geinu helped demine some sectors, it's not always might or war prowess that can help keeping peace, especially when your the one creating war isn't it true?»

The Shakan shivered, it seemed Huan had touched a sensible point to him, his pride, the elderly raptor had been a bit useless in this debate, due to it's old age his mind had been wandering all this time he had been looking blankly at the exchange before finally snapping out of it.

"Ahem! That's all? I'm sure we can resolve this at a later date, we have a big schedule and-"

Some cries erupted in the audience as the Shakan had a hand on his sword, visibly not happy to lose face and being publicly humiliated he had stepped down from the podium, walking towards the old man, stopping at a reasonable distance.

-<That's enough! I will not be disrespected by someone defending mices and plants I want a duel>-

Hanzka let out a gasp before trying to appease the situation.

"Now now, no need for violence, we are civilized."

Huan laughed a bit as the head of the chamber stopped his talking, a bit taken aback too.

«If it's a fight to pass a law I don't mind, I'll even do it without hurting you or at least nothing too major.»

Said the gray haired man as he would go into a fighting position the Shakan scoff but did his formal gesture for combat, taking his scabbard in his hand, going into a fighting position as well.

-<A fight to pass a law, I like your thinking sir. If I win I'll pass embargo laws against anyone i deem weaker than my people.>-

«If I win, you'll have to pass the law and apologize for your attitude...or not, at times like this nothing is certain.»

The two would start to circle around, gauging each other, the white armor the Shakan let out a yell and, in an instant it's scabbard got deflected and he was already losing his footing, he would roll and get back on his feet, while the human had this damn smile, he couldn't draw his sword as his opponent did not had a weapon.

-<this dose seem unfair, I have a weapon and you don't.>-

Relaxing his pose, Huan smirked a bit before smiling, looking at his opponent as he put his hands behind his back.

«It is now? I let mine on the ship, how about we fight equally?»

The Shakani taught for a bit but his pride was clouding his judgment as a lower official, he needed any win he could achieve, an honorable one was much more rewarding than drawing his sword.

-<very well>-

Putting his sheathed sword delicately on the side he would get back into the circle.

«I reckon I can stop this fight in three seconds, whenever your ready.»

This was the last straw for the Shakan, in a rage he propulsed himself upward, doing a flip to then quickly put his leg down towards the old bearded man, the humain admired his martial form before blocking it, extending his hand and made him flip as he fell on the ground stomach first in a loud noise.

The smaller aliens cheered of joy as the law was passed and the Shakan pride taught a good lesson of cause consequences.

The end, not as cool as I wanted, but I had a lot of fun doing it!))

Wanna see a starring list xD Raptor as Mitch McConnell guy was in his own world half the time.))

This was done in two days, kinda proud of myself.))

[tigerkirby215]

Building Hank before Consternation (Madness Combat build errata)

(Artwork by OctoCryptik on Newgrounds.)

My initial build for Hank, while effective at capturing all of Hank’s abilities (and a good build in its own right imo) is... quite messy, admittedly. There’s a very big shift in Hank’s abilities after his death in Madness 7 and revival in Madness 9 and while I tried to capture the pre-revival Hank as much as possible in my build there’s no way to take the Armorer subclass without immediately buying into the flavor.

Truthfully if I were to play Hank in a campaign with as much accuracy and representation as possible I’d consider Madness 7 Hank and Madness 9 Hank as two different characters (same name different build) with the revival machine essentially being a way to bring back an old character after their death and swap their build. (Hell you could even play Deimos until reviving Hank.)

I think that if you want to play a post-Madness 9 Hank then the original build I made is quite good but to play a pre-Madness 7 Hank I’d give him wildly different abilities. So here’s another build that won’t be made as detailed as my usual ones but will still give a level by level analysis of how to build Hank... again!

GOALS

I still basically want a build that can use all weapons and is really good at using them. I also still want some stealth abilities.

RACE

Still a Variant Human, with +1 in DEX and CON. Take whatever language you want and the Medicine skill to patch yourself up.

For your feat talk to your DM about getting a Repeating Hand Crossbow or otherwise being able to ignore the loading property on a Hand Crossbow. If they’re willing to give you a handgun (or let you ignore the Loading property via the Gunner feat) grab the Gunner feat for obvious reasons. However if they’re not willing to let you use a Hand Crossbow without having to reload it I’d suggest the Sharpshooter feat instead.

Why aren’t we taking Crossbow Expert? Well you won’t be able to use the Bonus Action much for reasons that will be illustrated in the build. Other than that you don’t need the ability to shoot in melee range (you’ll have weapons and your fists) which means the only ability of value you’d get from Crossbow Expert is the ability to ignore the Loading property, which isn’t worth losing a potential ASI. Better to grab Sharpshooter early and use something other than a Hand Crossbow.

ABILITY SCORES

Hello Standard Array my old friend! Since this build isn’t nearly as MAD (ironic) you can afford to go for Standard Array! But of course feel free to roll for stats if you so desire or use point buy.

15; DEXTERITY - You’re still going to be focusing on guns, and you’ll be able to use your DEX for a lot more weapons in this build.

14; WISDOM - Still used for Perception and Survival, and is far more useful for this build than the other one.

13; CONSTITUTION - It’s good to not die and you don’t need the other stats as much.

12; STRENGTH - In case you grab a Strength weapon you aren’t proficient in.

10; INTELLIGENCE - Strength felt more important than Intelligence.

8; CHARISMA - You’re still a psychopathic mass-murderer.

BACKGROUND

Same background as last time: Criminal with Intimidation, Slight of Hand, and Land Vehicle proficiency.

Apparently if you don’t have Thieves’ Tools proficiency (from Artificer lol) you get it from the Criminal background? That works really well for us too.

(Artwork by DonCroco on Newgrounds.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - MONK 1

Starting off as a Monk so you can actually throw a punch and dodge attacks while actually unarmored. Take proficiency with Acrobatics and Stealth (why the hell do Monks get Stealth proficiency?) and Smith’s Tools, under the context that they’re gunsmith tools.

The fun thing about Monk is that simple weapons honestly cover most of Hank's weapons (club, quarterstaff, hand axe, etc) so you can use most of them with DEX thanks to Martial Arts.

LEVEL 2 - MONK 2

Second level Monks get second level Monks stuff. Told you this build would be a lot more basic than usual. Dedicated Weapon from Tasha’s will let you add more weapons to your repertoire, along with your subclass.

LEVEL 3 - MONK 3

Go Kensei because that’s the weapon Monk. Take either tool that you want (doesn’t really matter), a Battleaxe (reflavored as the stop sign Hank used to kill Tricky in Madness Combat 3), and either a Hand Crossbow (reflavored Pistol) or an actual pistol if your DM allows it.

LEVEL 4 - MONK 4

4th level Monks get an ASI: increase your DEX by 2 as that's your main stat.

LEVEL 5 - MONK 5

5th level Monks get an Extra Attack. Also Stunning Strike and stuff, but we’re here for Extra Attack. Remember that you can’t attack twice with a Hand Crossbow without Crossbow Expert, because it’s a crossbow.

LEVEL 6 - MONK 6

6th level Monks get Ki-Empowered Strikes and One with the Blade to bypass Magic Resistance mainly. Deft Strikes also lets you aim for the head.

You can also get another Kensei weapon: grab the Longbow (finally) which will be reflavored as all your rifles... unless you can actually grab a gun.

LEVEL 7 - RANGER 1

Hope you didn’t think this would be straight Monk. Grab Perception proficiency from multiclassing and Acrobatics Expertise from Deft Explorer, along with two languages. Also grab Favored Foe to aim for the head, because Favored Enemy is meh (can’t choose more than two types of humanoids which is basically all you fight) and you can actually afford to concentrate on Favored Foe... Even if the damage is bad.

LEVEL 8 - RANGER 2

Second level Rangers get their Fighting Style: yeah go for Archery because that fits the best. Dueling also works if you opt to play with gun and sword (or more realistically gun and knife.)

You also get Spellcasting: yeah take Hunter’s Mark lol Favored Foe is bad. Other than that? I dunno take Cure Wounds to bandage yourself up in a pinch?

LEVEL 9 - RANGER 3

Third level Rangers get to choose their archetype and it’s me ya boii Gloom Stalker. Same stuff as last time: be better at hiding, get darkvision, get ambushing powers, get Disguise Self as an innate spell.

Also go for Primal Awareness because Primeval Awareness is still bad and Speak with Animals is genuinely more useful. You also get another spell: take like Jump idk all I really want is Hunter’s Mark.

LEVEL 10 - RANGER 4

4th level Rangers get another Ability Score Improvement: time to cap that Dexterity!

LEVEL 11 - MONK 7

So like, every level after this is Monk lol. 7th level Monks can dodge rockets with Evasion.

LEVEL 12 - MONK 8

More ASIs: go for Wisdom now because your Dexterity is maxed out, and Wisdom boosts your skills as well as your AC.

LEVEL 13 - MONK 9

Use the improbability drive to walk on walls and water!

LEVEL 14 - MONK 10

Become immune to disease! Probably a bit late for that but still cool!

LEVEL 15 - MONK 11

You can use Sharpen the Blade to turn your weapon into a +1, +2 or +3 weapon by spending Ki now which is pretty nuts. You can also pick another Kensei Weapon like a Longsword (as seen in Madness Combat 5.)

LEVEL 16 - MONK 12

Wisdom.

LEVEL 17 - MONK 13

Lol like you’re going to be the one talking with your 8 in Charisma.

LEVEL 18 - MONK 14

Here’s the big one: enjoy proficiency in all Saving Throws!

LEVEL 19 - MONK 15

You can’t age, much like Newgrounds. Everything there is fresh to this day, just waiting to be revived.

LEVEL 20 - MONK 16

Just cap your Wisdom as your capstone.

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t take Tavern Brawler: the only improvised weapons Hank really uses are a metal pipe (Madness 4, 6, and 7) and a dude’s head once in Madness Combat 6. Truthfully I’d consider a pipe a glorified Quarterstaff and you’re not going to be ripping people’s heads off in D&D combat. Yes one could argue that the stop sign is technically an Improvised Weapon but both you and Tricky have used it so much it’s essentially become a proper martial weapon for both of you.

Ultimately improvised weapons come up so rarely in 5e combat it’s not worth taking a feat for it. We took it in the original build mainly to get Unarmed strike damage, and being able to beat a man with another man’s head was an added bonus.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

This build is far more focused than the original one, with far fewer dud levels. It lets you become a slaughterhouse fast and is honestly far more proficient with weapons than the original build. You also get 20 AC and +10 to initiative thanks to Gloomstalker, which is cool.

CONS

You don’t get god tier stats like with Artificer, but Artificer kinda cheats tbf. You also don’t have as much spellcasting, and while Hunter’s Mark will carry you far you won’t be able to use it all the time. By far the biggest problem is the limited resources of this build however: limited Ki, limited ammo for your ranged weapons (assuming you don’t get a Repeating Weapon), and notably you can only attack once with a Hand Crossbow if you choose to use one. This build would be really good with an Artificer ally to give you a Repeating Hand Crossbow, or a cool DM who lets you ignore the Loading property for the sake of aesthetic. But I mean you can also use a boomerang or darts or something tbh.

So thank you for joining me for this simultaneously detailed and simplified errata. I hope you can navigate the Monk class without me detailing everything to you!

(Artwork by Neentandoo on Newgrounds.)

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

Your Sword for a Kiss: Part 1

(Thank you so much @gods-no-longer-tread-here this one’s for you)

---

Geralt was exhausted. All he wanted was a cool drink of water and a soft place to lay down for a while. He was on his way back to Camelot to speak with the King about his next assignment and this was the last night he’d have to spend on the road. He was hoping for some decent rest.

 Destiny, of course, had other plans for the knight errant. 

Just as the sun was beginning to dip down into the horizon, Geralt saw a cluster of unusually tall and lush willow trees to the left of the roadway. The late summer breeze was cool and fragrant against his warm skin and carried the scent of water lilies. A pond, he thought with a smile. Certainly if there are water lilies then there must be a lake or pond nearby. Even a river would do. 

He ached to remove his chainmail and rest for a bit; he could make it to the castle the following afternoon with little trouble. Geralt steered his faithful steed, a thoroughbred mare he called Roach, towards the sweeping branches of the weeping willows. He ducked beneath and between them, winding his way forward until he reached the other side. There was a deep, clear blue pond and several small, flat rocky outcroppings behind the willows’ arms. A cave sat at the pond’s furthest point, half-filled with water and uninhabitable by humans. A safe place to rest. 

“Thank the gods,” he sighed.

He knelt beside the pool and cupped his hands in the water, leaning forward until he was sure he wouldn’t spill it all over his trousers. Just as he was about to take a sip, Geralt heard a soft click. The sword he always wore belted at his waist went sliding out of its leather sheath and towards the water’s edge.

Fuck. 

His reaching hand was only a second too late and he watched in dismay as the heavy steel sword disappeared beneath the surface of the water. “Damnit.”

Oh, well. At least Geralt had wanted a bath before reaching Camelot, anyway. He stripped down to his trousers and was about to dive into the pool after his weapon when he heard the sound of happy, melodious laughter coming from the left. The startled knight whipped his head to the side and his mouth fell open in shock; there was a young man sitting on a flat, rocky outcropping nearby. Dumbly, Geralt asked: “Who’re you?”

Despite its humanoid shape and dark, damp tendrils of hair, the creature was clearly not mortal in the slightest. It was too beautiful, whatever it was. Its eyes, a shade of blue so bright that they rivaled the sky, were locked on the knight as it laughed and smiled. A pearly white and sharp-toothed smile. Its body was long and slender, with gently sloping shoulders and softly curving hips. Its skin was slightly darker than Geralt’s but only barely; its legs were scattered over with small patches of deep blue scales. When it spoke, its voice rang out through the trees as clearly and sweetly as any songbird’s: “I am known amongst the others as Jaskier.”

“The others?”

“My brothers and sisters of the water. Other sprites and nymphs, of course.”

“Of course,” the knight nodded. He’d heard stories about the Fair Folk. It wasn’t the best idea to insult or ignore them. “It is lovely to meet you, Jaskier.”

“Really?” the sprite trilled, clapping his hands together excitedly. “You think I’m lovely?”

“Yes.” Geralt blushed at how quickly the word had left his mouth. He is rather pretty, the knight acknowledged. For a creature that would probably kill me for fun.

“You are lovely too, Sir Knight.”

“Geralt. Geralt of Rivia.”

“You are very handsome, Sir Geralt of Rivia,” Jaskier beamed. Then he gestured down at the item near his feet; Geralt’s lost weapon. “Is this your sword, then?”

“Yes! May I have it back, Jaskier?”

“For a price,” the sprite teased. “Since you didn’t say please.”

“May I please have it back, Jaskier?” the knight reiterated.

“As I said before,” Jaskier huffed, apparently irritated now, “For a price. Don’t try to get away with foolishness for free.”

“I have very little coin to my name, good sprite. I am a lowly knight in service to His Majesty the King,” Geralt explained. He gave a gesture-heavy and ceremonial bow to the creature, who grinned in response and grabbed up the sword to clutch against his bare chest. Geralt’s bow faltered and his hands reached out automatically, as if he could pull the sword away and check Jaskier for wounds from across the distance: “Careful! You could hurt yourself, Jaskier!”

“I will be perfectly fine.”

“Please, be careful.”

“I appreciate your concern, sir knight. I have decided that you may have your sword back once you’ve given me a kiss.”

For a moment the Geralt couldn’t believe his luck. Just a kiss? All he wants is a kiss? 

Then he remembered his knightly oath. The oath he’d sworn to uphold before Arthur and all the court; the oath every knight swore to uphold before Arthur and the court. The oath to be true and just, to care for others without the expectation of reward, and to remain chaste and untouched until such a time that the King willed you to marry. 

Geralt sighed and glanced back toward the shamelessly naked woodland creature holding his most prized possession. “Well that’s going to be a bit of a problem.”

---

The giddy young sprite (or at least Jaskier looked to be in his early twenties) couldn’t keep his hands to himself, apparently. He spent the early evening playing with Geralt’s hair and eventually allowed the blushing, anxious knight to wrestle him into a shirt and trousers (babbling all the while about how nice the knight smelled and how soft Roach’s mane was and how much he hated wearing clothes). Somehow, despite all the racket and the moving around, the crafty little fae hadn’t let his hand off the hilt of Geralt’s blade. 

“Please let me carry the weapon,” the knight pleaded. “I’m afraid that you’ll cut yourself. It’s rather sharp and I don’t want you to bleed out and die before we make it to the castle and grant your reward.”

“But if I give it to you right now then you’ll ride off without paying me,” Jaskier pouted. 

“That wouldn’t be very knightly behavior,” Geralt argued, somewhat offended. “I give you my word as a Knight of the Round Table that you shall reach Camelot safely and be granted your payment by King Arthur himself.”

“I don’t want King Arthur to kiss me,” the sprite rebutted. “I want you to kiss me, Sir Geralt of Rivia. Then I shall return the sword; but only then.”

“I can’t give you the kiss without the King’s permission,” the knight explained for perhaps the third time. “Only His Majesty can settle our debt, because I swore my life and fealty to him.”

“Hmm. If you promise not to ride off and leave me here, then I’ll give you the sword back for safekeeping.”

“I swear. Safekeeping only.”

“Agreed.” 

Jaskier handed the blade over to Geralt, who sheathed it lovingly. By the time he looked back up from fixing his sword-belt, Jaskier was rummaging around in his saddlebags. He held up a vial of potent sleeping draught and Geralt jumped to his feet. The sprite laughed and danced away, keeping just out of Geralt’s reach as he sniffed around the potion stopper.

“Oh, what’s this?!” 

“Jaskier! Be careful!”

---

“What’s fealty?” Jaskier asked, watching as the white-haired knight lit a small campfire. He’d already aided the man in laying out his bedroll (Jaskier knew where all the softest patches of moss were) and grooming his horse (Roach took an uncanny liking to the water sprite). Now that the knight had finished setting up camp, there was nothing to stop Jaskier from peppering the human with his many questions about their world.

The knight sighed and warmed his hands over the burning logs, “Fealty means that I have sworn my life and loyalty to the King because I think his cause is righteous and his ruling is just.”

“Oh.”

Geralt saw the sprite’s eyebrows furrowing in confusion and tried explaining it more simply; “I think he has good ideas, so I’ve promised to help him while he works on them some more.”

“Oh! Okay.”

“Hmm.”

“Geralt,” the sprite asked, rolling onto his back in the grass and staring up at the knight with wide, shining blue eyes. “Could I swear fealty?”

“To His Majesty? Probably. You would have to prove yourself worthy, however. You’d probably have to live in Camelot and not -” the knight gestured around the pond and surrounding wooded copse “- here. Wherever this is.”

“I don’t want to swear fealty to your silly king,” Jaskier scoffed. “I want to swear it to you.”

“You can’t swear fealty to me because I’m am merely a knight. Only Kings can call people under oath.”

Jaskier wrinkled his nose in clear distaste. “That’s stupid. You humans are just so...silly. You have rules and regulations for every little thing you do and still you insist that the Fair Folk are confusing and tricky. I’ve never had to learn so many different ways to bow before. We’re only going to be at court for a few minutes, anyway. We’ll only stay long enough for you to get permission to kiss me; then we’ll return home, yes?”

“No,” Geralt shook his head. Jaskier bounced up off the ground and curled his fingers into the knight’s white hair, surprising him. “Hey!”

“It’s so pretty,” the sprite whined, tugging a little, “Let me play with it, Geralt. Let me brush it and braid it. You’ll be the most handsome knight in all the land when I’m finished.”

Maybe if he was braiding Geralt’s hair he’d stop touching everything else and blathering on about humans and their rituals. “Fine.”

“I do have one last question.”

“Hmm?”

“What did you mean when you said you wouldn’t be returning home with me? You can’t mean to stay at Camelot once we’re married.”

“M-Married!? Who said anything about marriage!?”

“I did, my sweet and silly Geralt. What else could a kiss mean?”

[foulsouls]

Ah thanks for letting me know! Could I ask for headcannons of stand interactions with Bruno's gang? Basically how each member's stand would react to their users s/o? hoping that makes sense!

Of course my dear!I hope you like!! 

Bruno tried his best to appear stoic and in control at all times but unfortunately for him, his stand just didn’t seem to want to cooperate with you in the picture. Sticky fingers being the embodiment of Bruno’s soul meant that it always knew what it’s user was feeling and most days Bruno just feels the need to nuzzle his face into your chest and take a very long nap. Which is what Sticky could be found doing to you very often! It’s a little hard to keep his composure when he could see his stand soaking up all the love and affection Bruno was desperate for so he tries to make sure no one is privy to his stands little cuddle parties and of course he calls sticky back so Bruno himself can take its place! Poor man needs some head pats and kisses.... 

Abbacchio isn’t one to let his stand out too often so it doesn’t really get a chance to interact with you as much but sometimes, when Leone is finding it difficult to convey what he wants, he lets moody blues do the talking...or rather touching. When moody gets the all clear it just can’t keep its hands off of you! It likes to play with your hair, hold hands and especially likes to be the big spoon when its cuddle time! Abbacchio has a hard time letting himself be vulnerable so he leaves all the mushy shit up to moody but if you were to ask Leone to be the one to hold you well, of course he couldn’t say no! He’d grumble and act like its a pain in the ass but you can tell by the way his stand is jigging and flapping its arms that abba is full of it! 

Giorno is usually pretty stoic but deep down he’s really quite a lovesick fool. Gold experience is of course exactly like its user and the both of them can be seen making goo goo eyes at you whenever you pass by! Giorno likes to let his stand do as it pleases when it comes to showing you affection, GE is big on giving you gifts so you’ll never run out of gorgeous flowers to decorate your hair with! Sometimes if he isn’t too busy, Giogio likes to sit with you and GE and make flower crowns together, it’s something that brings him a great sense of joy and comfort. Seeing you smile and laugh while surrounded by flowers that his stand creates makes him feel very at peace.

Mista is such a fun loving guy and he doesn’t really have a great deal of control over his stand unless he’s in battle so if they’re not fighting, the pistols are usually lounging on your shoulders or in your hair telling you how much they love you! They bicker amongst each other and fight over how many kisses they each should get from you but its really quite fun having your own personal cheer squad at times. They always praise you and tell you how beautiful you are to them! ( and mista too! ) It’s hard not to feel loved with them and Mista around, they’re always ready to cheer you on in whatever you do and they really love when you cook for them!! 

Fugo is extremely hesitant to even let you see his stand at first, it’ll take a great deal of convincing before any interaction is even considered between you and his stand. Although once you finally get Fugo to understand that you are safe and he won’t hurt you he will begrudgingly allow you to play with purple haze. You usually find yourself yanked into bone crushing hugs by the stand only to be immediately released and roughly patted on the head. Fugo is so hopeless when it comes to tlc so you’ll have to get accustomed to some very awkward affections from his stand. It’s not all bad tho! Sometimes purple haze likes to just lean over your shoulders and watch what you’re doing, or  sniff your hair after you’ve just had a shower, it’s purple haze’s own special brand of love and its really quite cute! 

Narancia’s aerosmith is a bit tricky to gain affections from! It doesn’t have a humanoid form like the others so it can’t really show its affections in the form of hugs but it definitely gets its point across when it needs to! Sometimes you’ll be outside in the garden when you hear the telltale buzzing of aerosmith only to look up and find that its drawn a love heart in the sky above you! Narancia becomes incredibly flustered if you bring this up to him later but it doesn’t stop the little plane from leaving little love notes in the sky for you! If Nara is in a particularly cheeky mood aerosmith might appear to swoop down and flutter your skirt around you ( all in good fun of course! ) Narancia says it’s because you make the cutest little squeaky noises when you get surprised but alot of the time its just aerosmith trying to “play” with you, kinda like saying ‘Tag! You’re it!’ but it flies a little too fast chase on foot.

[bmpmp3]

Ikesen NW OC week day 1: Introduction - oh worm

About him: He’s just the wormhole that ping-pongs MC and Sasuke back and forth through time quarterly except sentient~ 

He looks really scary but he’s really just a big ol’ sweetheart, he sends MC and Sasuke around so often but mostly? Those are accidents, or him trying to fix a previous accident. He’s doing HIS BEST

I love goin’ nuts so MC in this route would be my wild ass headcanon where she’s a baby from the Sengoku era who got wormhole’d to the present and was just adopted and raised by a normal family, none of them knew lol

Wormy’s actually known MC since she was a kid, Wormy doesn’t quite have an age? He’s as old as time itself?? He doesn’t technically have a birthday, although if I’m going by how I made the birthdays for my other ikesen OCs, his would be March 27th, ‘cause that’s when I first uploaded a drawing of him qwq maybe that’ll be a birthday MC gives him for fun, y’know, to include him in the fun

anyway while Wormy is infinitely old, he actually hasn’t spent much time in a humanoid form for long, most of his millenia he spent just as some kinda of lone creature, watching other animals from afar, he can shapeshift (or more like, he doesn’t have a true concrete form) so he spent a lot of time looking like some kinda demon canine creature and chilling out alone, away from other lifeforms, not doing much other than existing?? 

he only tried out this whole “social animal” thing when he went to check up on the baby he accidentally yeeted into the 90s, she was around 4 at the time and out of curiousity he mimicked her form and wandered over, she started talking to him as best a 4 year old can, he didn’t know what talking was, and that’s how they became childhood friends hfjdsjfdsaskjfdhs

Even though he can shapeshift, nowadays he tends to stick as a vaguely generic human figure with sort of ear/horn things, he also forgets that 8 feet is a lil’ too tall for humans lol

Doing this character select screen was the most fun jfskdsj I LIKE....DOING GLITCH EFFECTS..... ITS REALLY FUN qwq

Route: His route I think would be similar to Masato in the sense that it’d be a bit of a mass-friendship route for everyone, like a lot of it would focus on MC and Wormy(Wormy would probably be in dog form for a while just ‘cause maybe that’s a little easier to explain that a giant humanoid void?? maybe?) becoming friends with everyone and going through each person’s plotlines as they become closer themselves

UNLIKE MASATO THO this would be pretty fluffy and not full of horror, I think the main drama would come from MC learning about her own past and also her discovering some time powers LOLL I will not let go of Time Powers MC and you can’t make me

I think the romance in this route would be a little more ambiguous though, like I think it could be read as really closely platonic as well (although I think the romance would be amped up in the romantic end)

I think it would start out with MC finding Wormy in dog form somewhere in the Sengoku era and being like “why does this fucked up dog feel so familiar” and sooner or later she’d be like WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE this DOG is MY IMAGINARY FRIEND OH SHIT HE’S NOT IMAGINARY OH SHIT HE’S NOT A DOG HE’S A SENTIENT WORMHOLE WHO JUST DISGUISES HIMSELF AS A DOG AROUND MY FRIENDS OH SHIT and then they’d rekindle their friendshipa fdjksjsfk

I think the first person she’d tell about Wormy’s true nature is Sasuke and then about half way through someone would walk in on MC and Wormy hanging out in human form and there would be swords drawn and horrified screaming and then she’d have to explain her wormhole friend to her new sengoku family kjdsaa 

maybe some drama would come in from someone like Motonari goin’ like “wtf is that giant man void thing.....looks kinda powerful tho maybe I can use it for destruction??” but I mean....Wormy’s a bit tricky to control so I dunno how successful he’d be

Someone once suggested to me that being in close proximity to Wormy for too long could have bad side effects (’cause yknow, he’s a hole in the fabric of reality and all) so maybe some drama could come from that, like maybe before MC figures out her own time powers, Wormy’s wormhole-ness could fuck her and her friends’ heads up a lil’ for a while

Relationships: MC: they’re childhood friends, although MC hasn’t seen him since she was like 8 and she thought he was just an imaginary friend, or maybe a weird local stray dog dfdjkjsads Wormy’s really protective of MC now tho, but he’s just kinda chilling from afar (’cause I think he’s figured out maybe he’s not so good at being a sentient human being so he should probably stay more in the shadows) until MC remembers him and they become pals again qwq Sasuke: Sasuke....would love this dude.............thats the thing hE’S RESEARCHING he can ASK THE PHENOMENON HE’S RESEARCHING QUESTIONS (although Wormy’s answers aren’t always.......comprehensible), Wormy would think Sasuke’s kinda funny but he’s nice and is good friends with MC so that means he likes him

Love Rival: this is harder, maybe Sasuke? or maybe since this route is so weird it wouldn’t even have a love rival? hmmmmmmm

Image Colour: The very concept of the void (or light blue and dark purple works too)

Pet: I don’t know if he has any pets, maybe once he found a guy from the 1800s called Johnathan and was just like “MC....is this a pet?” and MC was like “NO PUT HIM BACK” and the guy’s just confused and scared and screaming

[puppyluver256]

OKAY SO NOW I HAVE SOME DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR MY SFMxSPLATOON AU HERE YOU GO and now I’m gonna try to run down what this is all about outside of the braindump post that I kept adding onto.

Splat For Me - A Summary

The basic gist is that Habit owns a flower shop in Inkopolis and Kamal is his partner of both the business and romance types. Habit’s a shark, specifically a porbeagle (I’m gonna refer to him as a “Sharkling” due to working on similar logic to Inklings and Octolings), and Kamal’s an octo. The flower shop would have an in-game function kinda like a combination of the Crust Bucket (in that they have floral accessories that players could add to their hat/clothing for exp boosts, cash boosts, and temporary ability add-ons) and Salmon Run (in that you’d get another play mode where you fight weird enemies, more details below).

Sharkling Habit

I had a hard time makin him not look like Garbage so my efforts should be appreciated at some level. I know the only precedent for sharks in the Splatoon universe is Fuka Bottom of the Bottom Feeders (one of the in-universe music groups that AREN’T Squid Sisters or Off the Hook, look ‘em up), but they’ve got that “I’ve turned this shark vertically and am now looking at their mouth and underbelly” look to ‘em that I most definitely did not want, but I managed to make something more in my vision yaaaaay

Habit managed to get away from his nasty abusive parents before becoming a dentist in this AU (besides, being a dentist isn’t THAT lucrative when the dominant species doesn’t even have bones let alone proper teeth), so he’s not Dr. Habit here, he’s just Boris the flower shark. He’s gotten a lot of attention for his little flower shop, partly because the kids participating in turf war are getting some really good use out of the shop’s floral accessories and partly because they like coming around just to see Habit. S’not every day that you get to hang around vertebrates in this society, and they think his teeth are cool. Yup, that’s why I made him a shark, to make the too-many-teeth face not so unnatural. And being a shark, sometimes those extra teeth push themselves forward and knock out the old ones, which if still in decent condition never go to waste. The really nice-looking ones get turned into authentic shark tooth necklaces (after they’ve gone through a good wash, of course, don’t wanna give the customers his mouth germs), the others that don’t have any significant wear and tear get either ground into bone meal for his flowers or occasionally just shoved whole into the soil, with the erythronium responding to these treatments the best.

While there is some flower growth going on in the shop itself, most of the work there is keeping them healthy for sale and the major growth time for the flowers are off-site in various greenhouses that he refers to as Habitats. (before he had these set up, he was caught several times trying to grow flowers in the Kelp Dome and subsequently removed, took five times for him to realize that maybe he shouldn’t be doing that and also maybe don’t try to swipe a nearly-ripe artichoke on your way out gdi) They’re a bit more than just a normal greenhouse, actually; they’re self-contained areas that seem to be made with materials and techniques that are incredibly similar to Octarian technology. How’d he get ahold of that stuff? No one knows, not even Kamal, and he’s the most likely source of such tech who’d be close to him. One thing that is for certain is that he’s procured something that lets non-inking beings use ink-based weapons, and it’s been incredibly helpful given certain recent developments...

Turns out that his Habitats are starting to come under fire from some very tricky troublemakers. Weird little crafts somehow breaking in from the skies, piloted by...snails? Are they really snails? They certainly don’t look like the Super Sea Snails that everyone’s used to, they look more like the typical image of a UFO piloted by snail-like creatures (snailiens?), but they’re here and they’re hungry and they’ve got a taste for flowers. And Habit’s friggin’ pissed. That’s where the player would come in if this were a real game element: once you’d get to a certain freshness level, you’d make your way to the flower shop only to see Kamal manning the counter instead of Habit, and he’d suggest you go help Habit deal with his pest problem because you “look like you’re pretty capable with slingin’ ink”. After a tutorial where you learn how to deal with the big boy snailiens, you could join up with some other players and take ‘em on. You would, of course, be rewarded handsomely for your help.

Funny little image I also had in mind: he’s been known to get stuck in shark form at inopportune moments, and when this happens he’ll need someone to crack his back to make it easier to shift back into humanoid form. No one knows how to handle this unless they’ve done it at least once because no one else around him has booooones XD (also his humanoid form is prolly gonna still have green skin despite no part of the porbeagle being green because I don’t currently feel comfortable assigning natural skintones to any of the SFM characters who are canonically green/blue/purple/etc, unless their canon design makes it Very Obvious what natural skintone would be most likely, ie. Tiff)

Octoling Kamal

Kamal was significantly easier to work with due to my experience with drawing Octolings already hahaha

Kamal’s the assistant manager at Habit’s flower shop, which is basically a fancy way of saying he’s the only other person there who could legally be a full-time employee. He handles most of the logistics of keeping the shop stable, because as much passion the boss has for their work, passion alone can’t pay the bills and he’s often a tad too distracted to deal with the numbers and paperwork. They work pretty well together, even if they do both have a tendency to goof off on the job.

I seriously doubt that Marina and the various incarnations of Agent 8 were the only Octolings to migrate topside after the events of the first game, so Kamal was probably one of several who found a way out. I haven’t hammered this part out yet entirely, but I’m pretty sure that he would’ve been on staff for a weapons/tech r-n-d group before leaving at his first opportunity and grabbing some random gadget in the process. He hated the place he ended up emerging in because it was near a small town where everyone was so spread out and him being used to (not necessarily comfortable with, just used to) constant sounds at all hours made the silence of just the first night unbearable. So he tried to hop a train to any urban area that he came across but in his haste to get topside he forgot to bring any moneeeyyy, not even Octarian money just no money at all, left it all behind like a goof. He ends up freaking out to himself because even though he’s got a valuable Thing on him it’s not like the train people are gonna recognize it as anything but junk or even be able/willing to accept it as replacement for standard currency, then out of nowhere this huge-ass shark man just shows up and buys a ticket to Inkopolis for him? Okay, sure, he’ll take what he can get, even if the guy was all “u owe me a ‘favor’ ;-)” once they were on their way. And of course that’s how he met his future boss and bf. ;P

At some point Kamal gets a little jealous of all the kids having fun with the turf war stuff and kinda wishes he could try it out at least once, but of course that’s kid stuff and he’s got Adult Responsibilities to worry about... Oh wait, there’s actually an adults’ league? And Habit’s insisting on giving him time off to go try it and see how it is? 

(also those flower seed bags say “bloomy” in one of the Inkling alphabets, and yes it WAS a “woomy” joke on my part)

Other details (to be expanded upon)

Putunia and Flower Kid are often seen at the flower shop, even though I don’t have any designs for them yet). Putunia is there so often because she’s Habit and Kamal’s adopted kid, and while she REALLY wants to get into turf war she’s far too young. (if you’ve ever seen the Inkling growth chart, she’s at stage 3 of growth) Flower Kid’s there because they are a part-time employee, often delivering products around town, but they spend enough time with their employers and Putunia that they might as well be their honorary child as well. They’re old enough to participate in turf war, they’re just not interested in doing so.

[elven-ariaera]

Welcome all!

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re familiar with my work as either an artist, cosplayer, writer or any of the other creative things I do. Recently, I had been asked about some of the work that I do, and I thought a fun way to just that was to fill out a few questionnaires. Here I talk about some of the high and low points of doing what I do, what inspires me, and my process of creativity.

For those who are only interested in certain segments, I’ve broken the article into the following sections for you to easily maneuver your way throughout the piece: Art, cosplay, writing, and questions asked by you.

I know I’m no professional and compared to a lot of others I don’t have as outstanding an amount of followers, but if this article can help inspire at least one artist to try something new or learn something they didn’t know, well, that’s good enough for me! I hope you enjoy!

Art

When did you get into art?

I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember, but I do recall middle school in particular being the time that I really started pursuing art. I had to choose between volleyball and art club after school, and guess which one I picked. It wasn’t just academics either. My notebooks were full of fan art of mostly Link and Zelda, but you could find some Kirby, Pokémon, and Naruto scattered in there as well.

Show us your oldest piece of art you have on hand.

Yeah. It’s… Something.

What defines your artistic style?

I think the faces of the characters I draw distinguish my art. I always have a certain way of drawing the eyes, ears, and other features. I always give my females more prominent eyelashes than males as well. Certain clothing as well — The way I draw capes and hoods are distinct. Not to mention when designing my own clothes, I tend to use similar patterns.

Do you practice other styles/have you tried other styles in the past?

I occasionally dabble outside my comfort zone. I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the “Cal-Arts” style, but I’ve tried it every now and then, especially when creating fan art for shows like Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Amphibia. I don’t really do it too often, but I’ve made a piece for my portfolio mimicking several art styles from a variety of different shows just to demonstrate that I can do it if I’d like to.

What levels of artistic education have you had?

Honestly, just high school. I thought I was going to college for digital illustrations but it turned out communication/graphic design was totally different. I actually got into that because I could draw when not many other people in that field could. Of course, I’m always interested in learning outside of school. I learn through watching other artists on social media, seeing how they create their work. Just watching a speed draw can help so much! The way I learn the most, however, is just by doing. Practice, practice, practice! 

Show us at least one picture you drew or sketched recently that you did not put on a public site.

I’ve been doing a lot of Fire Emblem doodles for my new sticker line, so here’s Setsuna. Honestly, I just like drawing bust portraits like this.

What is your favorite piece that you have done?

I can’t just pick one! I’ve drawn over 900 things since I first joined DeviantArt (and I’ve been drawing even before then), you want me to pick just one? Haha, I’ll narrow it down to three of my favorites (in no particular order):

I love this one because it was like the first cute drawing of Ivysaur I’ve ever done. Ivysaur was always a tricky pokémon for me to draw, but this was the first time I feel like I nailed it. Ivysaur also happens to be one of my absolute favorites, so that’s a plus.

This is Minerva, a Guardian from my fantasy stories. Every time I drew her prior, I could never quite get the look I wanted. This was the one that I really liked and so I colored it and am very happy with how it turned out.

I don’t know why I just love this drawing I did of Dimitri from Three Houses. I think its the eyes and hair. And the color contrast — especially in the original ink sketch (that I hung up over my craft table.) I just love it.

What is your least favorite piece that you have done?

Again, you want just one? Haha, too many failures. I’ll be fair, though, and post three of those as well.

Here’s one from my early days. I was trying so hard to get the hair all detailed like and instead it came out looking like gross looking veins. Not to mention how atrocious the proportions were. Oh man, I’m sorry past me, I know you tried.

Here’s one I was so proud of: I copied the official art for Twilight Princess and thought it came out amazing. So amazing I titled the piece “Awesomeful Link.” Yeah. Um. Nope.

Here’s a more recent one that I’m not too pleased with. I was so excited about the latest batch of Steven Universe episodes (which I would later learn were a big bunch of filler episodes and that didn’t make anything better) I drew Pearl reciting her ‘big line’ of the trailer. I tried to mix styles and I tried something different with the eyes and all in all it just came out… Meh.

What do you like most about your art?

I like the faces that I draw. They’re always the most fun and I think they come out the best. I especially love the eyes, I go into so much detail on them (even though they’re usually so small when I print them.) I’ve had issues in the past where I made all of my characters look like they had the same face, but I feel I’ve been doing a lot better at individualizing the face of each character and that makes it all the more fun as well.

What do you like least about your art?

The hands. Sometimes I draw them well, but I still struggle hard and sometimes it really shows. For chibi drawings, I don’t really care as much, but on my more “serious” art, I get a little bummed when I’ve got a wonky hand hanging off their wrists. Feet also sometimes give me a bit of trouble, but usually only when I do poses that involve more movement, which is why I sometimes make my art stiffer and I don’t like doing that either.

Have you ever considered taking commissions?

I do take commissions. In fact, I’d love to take more if it were possible.

Are you looking to pursue a career in art?

I do it part-time right now. I’m satisfied doing commissions and artist tables at local conventions. I think I’d like to pursue writing more than art, but I do love art just as well, so part-time is perfect for me.

What do you like drawing the most?

As I mentioned before, faces. I love drawing facial expressions, I feel like it’s the very core of a character. It’s the first thing I notice when I look at anyone’s art, so I always go all out on my own. I also like drawing hair and wrinkles in clothing. I used to be really obsessed with wrinkles and it would always look like my characters didn’t iron their laundry, but I’ve definitely toned it down since then, haha.

All in all, I like drawing human characters the best — or humanoid. Elves, fairies, merfolk; I love them the most. I like drawing animals too, but not as much as people. 

What do you like drawing the least?

Once again my answer is hands. They are still as difficult to draw as the day I started.

Backgrounds are also not enjoyable for me to draw. It’s an important part of a piece, but I get so bored drawing anything that’s not a character — which is why you’ll probably notice in a lot of my art that I do a lot of very minimal backgrounds. I’ve been trying very hard not to just take stock photos anymore (with the exception of my Mythical Month art as they’re meant to be stickers,) and I’ve been using games like Skyrim and Breath of the Wild as inspiration with their gorgeous scenery. 

Do you draw more fanart or original art? If fanart, what fandom do you draw the most of?

I post a lot more fan art than original — at least I used to, but I also think I have expanded in sharing my original art more and more with my Mythical Months/Mondays. I guess maybe I’d say about half and half.

What medium/program do you use the most in your art?

Digitally I always use Photoshop. Always. As for traditional art, I’ve been using Copic knock-offs (I’m still learning, so I’d rather not waste the money) and the Sakura Micron pens for my ink sketches. I’ve really been enjoying them, actually, it’s very therapeutic. However, no matter digitally or traditionally, I always, ALWAYS start with a pencil. I like mechanical pencils, I don’t like traditional #2 pencils anymore. The thin lead helps me keep control better.

How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc.)

I always say I think my art is “above average.” I know it’s not bad, but I think it could always use improvement. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to a place where I think my art is phenomenal, but I’m content with it, it makes me happy, and that’s all that matters.

List at least one of your “artspirations.”

My art style was greatly inspired by Naruto, Fire Emblem, and Zelda. I always liked more proper body proportions with that hint of anime inspiration. I like bigger eyes on my characters because they help convey emotion so much better, but I also don’t like the oversized baby eyes outside of the occasional chibi style. Avatar: The Last Airbender was also a great influence since the creators did exactly what I like to do and execute it wonderfully.

What do you think you could stand to improve on?

I feel like I can always improve on everything that I do in my art. There are things I’m good at, but I don’t feel like I’ve mastered anything in particular. Then there’s hands and feet again which I definitely need to work on. Lastly, motion. I want to be able to draw more fluid character motions. I’ve been working on it with my original art that I don’t post online, but hopefully I’ll start incorporating it into all my work.

Do you have a shameful art past? (recolor sprite comics, tracing art, etc.?)

Ugh, yes, YES! I admit I was so bad at first, but I also think that’s just how we learn. I used to do a lot of tracing. I started first just full-on tracing images off my computer — That’s right, I’d put the paper up to the computer and trace it like that. Then I started using bases, which was better because at least I had to draw all the details like hair and clothing by myself. Then I finally worked up the courage to stop using them completely. I’d use references, but I would force myself to figure it out by eye rather than copy it straight from the source. I’m happy to say I haven’t been tracing since my late middle school- early high school years.

Cosplay

How many years have you cosplayed?

My first cosplay was when I was fourteen, and I’m twenty-five at the time of writing this article, so eleven years now. Wow.

How did you get into cosplaying?

I honestly don’t know. I was invited to a convention where I heard people dressed up and was like “hey, I want to try that!” I guess it was because I didn’t really do Halloween as a kid and I was so deathly terrified of costumed characters as a toddler that I never took an interest until high school.

How many cosplays have you done?

That’s funny, you want me to remember how many cosplays I’ve ever done. A lot. According to my photo collection, I’ve done about 60 different cosplays (59 exactly if I’m counting correctly.)

What was your first cosplay and why did you choose it?

My first cosplay was Osaka from Azumanga Daioh in her blue summer uniform. Azumanga Daioh was my second ever manga series and my cousin and I were so obsessed with it. She even went as Yukari with me to the convention (though only, like, two people knew who we were.) Tomo is probably my favorite character, but I related personally more to Osaka, being the air-head that I am. I also didn’t have to really style my hair (because that was an era before I used wigs.)

What is your favorite cosplay you’ve done so far?

It’s a tie between my Trainee Link (Hyrule Warriors) costume and my Royal Guard Link (Zelda: Breath of the Wild) costume. Both are alternative costumes for one of my all-time favorite characters that I hand made all the really detailed pieces all from scratch. Link has always been a special character for me to cosplay, but these two are my favorites.

What is your least favorite you’ve cosplayed?

Rapunzel (Tangled). I was obsessed with her at the time which is why I wanted to cosplay her originally, but my dress was not the best and I didn’t look good as her. At least I think so. It was the only costume that made me feel insecure.

What cosplay is the most uncomfortable or troublesome?

Okay, I love this costume and character to pieces, but my gosh the struggles I go through for Pearl (Steven Universe). Blue Diamond (Steven Universe) is the worst in terms of how long it takes me to put my makeup on, but Pearl is right behind her at about 2 hours being my best time. However, the thing that makes Pearl more troublesome to wear is one thing and one thing alone: armsocks.

They look great and prevent you from having to dab makeup all over your body, but I literally couldn’t even hit the home button on my cellphone and it’s not like I could just take them off like gloves. They’re attached at your middle and putting them on is a hassle on its own. Getting your fingers into each tiny socket is so time-consuming. Now imagine this while also being coated in body paint. Plus, having white be the color of the stockings, you have to be conscious of everything you touch because it will stain and show. Because of all this, I refuse to use the restroom dressed as Pearl, and while that is “in character,” it is not healthy and totally NOT recommended you do that.

What is your most comfortable cosplay?

During the winter, Ravio (Zelda: A Link Between Worlds) for sure. It’s like wearing a giant snuggie. However, in summer, it does get hot very quickly (which is why I literally only wear biker shorts and a tank underneath if I ever do take it out on a hot day), so I only wear it in summer if I know there will be AC. Heatstroke is a real thing. Miss Frizzle (Magic School Bus) is probably the best all-year cosplay in terms of comfort. It’s just a dress, stockings, and a wig really.

But in all honesty, most of my cosplays are relatively comfortable. There’s really nothing that I’ve been so uncomfortable that it’s made my physically ill or scarred me physically. My health is important to me, and should safety should always come first.

How do you research the cosplay before you make it?

I look up lots of reference images. I need an image of the front and back, though if it’s not available, I just improvise based on the images I do have on hand. After that, I kind of just wing it.

Do you sew your cosplays yourself?

A good majority of them, yes. There are a few exceptions to this, though: My Disney princesses are all bought since I use them in performances and want them to be durable if children come and tug on the outfit. Pearl, also being a performance cosplay, I did buy as well. For her second reformation outfit (the sleeveless with the ribbon) I got specially commissioned to look and fit me just right whereas her movie/future appearance (jacket and mom-jeans) I literally found at a thrift store. I also love to find costume pieces at thrift stores. Whether I use them as is or make alterations, they make life so much easier when you make a good find for a cheap price. Leni Loud (Loud House) is probably my favorite thrift/sew hybrid. I found a base dress, altered the top and added strap sleeves, put lace around the edges, found a blingy pair of sunglasses, bought earrings and painted them, and made bows for sandals I already had. The most expensive part of that cosplay was the wig I bought from Arda (and it’s always worth it to buy from them in my opinion.)

When I make a costume completely from scratch (like Ravio, Thranduil, any of my Link cosplays) are when I really love the costume and character and want to take on a challenge and bring it to life myself. They also tend to have pieces that can’t be altered from your everyday clothing, but that just makes me work harder and learn more!

How did you learn to sew?

My grandmother taught me how. Osaka was my first cosplay, but my mom altered it from a tee shirt we found at a thrift store and a lucky skirt find. Kabuto Yakushi (Naruto) was the first cosplay I made from scratch (and I won best novice at the convention I wore it to — even with my terrible wig, haha.) She showed me how to use patterns when we made that and my Ayame Sohma cosplay, but after that, I scrapped using patterns and I basically just eyeball everything now. It’s totally not recommended, but I’m a little weirdo and just prefer to do things the way I do. Still, I wouldn’t be able to use a sewing machine if it weren’t for her. Thanks, Nanny!

Do you make your own props?

Most of them. I don’t really use props too often as I find them cumbersome to lug around a convention (which is how I thought of the Fire Emblem, Gravity Falls, and Skyrim book boxes to store your stuff and add some extra flair to a costume.) The few props I have made include Link’s sword, his trainee shield, his original shield from Zelda 1, and Soren’s Wind Tome (which I used for Laurent (Fire Emblem: Awakening) because I didn’t finish Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) yet…) Then there’s my prized cosplay prop; Victreebel for James (Pokémon). That was all thanks to my fleece hat business in high school that taught me the skills to build that thing.

I actually think the only prop I store-bought was my Hylian Shield because it was so lightweight and easy to carry, plus I was dreading doing all those details at the time. Maybe one day I’ll make it from scratch, but for now, I’m content with my store-bought.

Do you style your own wigs?

Yes. I have been improving my styling skills a lot more since I first started. It was always a more difficult task for me, but I’ve been practicing more and more. The first one that I attempted on my own was my short-haired Rapunzel. That was basically just giving it a haircut, though. My first real styling challenge was Breath of the Wild Link. It took a long time, but I actually had fun figuring out his hair.

For most of my costumes, it’s really just the bangs that need that extra pop, to which I use Got2B gel and spray. Does the trick every time and keeps everything in place. For those who are wondering, though: No, I did not style Pearl’s wig. I am not ready for that kind of gravity-defying styling. That was all E-Bay.

What skill has been most useful for making your cosplay?

Well, sewing mostly, but other skills that have come in handy for me personally have been painting, crafting, makeup, styling, and overall decorating. Probably other stuff too, just nothing more I can think of off the top of my head.

What is the hardest thing when making a cosplay?

Probably figuring out how things connect. This is the main reason I’m timid when it comes to armor. I’ve been getting better, but I’m still having trouble figuring out how everything attaches and how to put on these kinds of costumes, which is why my Skyrim Elven Armor has been put on hold.

What was the biggest screw up you’ve had making a cosplay?

I’m not sure if I had any major crisis’ when it comes to making cosplays, but I’ve certainly had my fair share of irritating mishaps and mistakes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally sewn the sleeves on a costume inside out about 4 times before I finally got it right.

I’ve cut holes in my clothing, I’ve sewn sleeves on too tight, and I’ve even completed a hat that took hours just for it to wind up being too small when I put a wig on. I guess most of the major issues I’ve had with sewing are measurement issues, so my advice to you is to always measure and try on your costume as you go. Don’t wait until the day of the con to try out your new cosplay.

How often do you injure yourself while making a cosplay?

Not too often, I occasionally prick my finger with my sewing needles, but I haven’t had too many serious injuries. I think the worst was when I slashed my thumb with the exacto-knife when making my first shield for Link. Needless to say, there was a lot of blood.

Do you try to stay cheap or do you splurge on materials?

I am a frugal soul; if I can save, I will. That’s why I thrift so much. However, on a costume I’m really passionate about, I will spend more to ensure the quality. For example, I spent a little more going to a more shimmery material for Royal Guard Link. It cost about $50 for the blue and red material, which to me, is a lot (and that was with coupons). However, the results were 100% worth it. PS, Michaels and Joann’s ALWAYS have coupons. I totally recommend downloading both apps.

I also stand by that with wigs and contacts. I love Arda, their quality is great, but they are more expensive than Amazon. Contacts I don’t mind spending more for as well since the quality is VERY important in this case; they are going on your eyes, after all.

However, as I said, I am absolutely not opposed to going cheap. If you can make it work, make it work. My Nyo!Austria (Hetalia) cosplay came out very cute and it was literally made from bedsheets. From using mostly thrifted and recycled materials, a lot of my cosplays came to around an overall price of around $30. Some of these costumes include Mega Gardevoir (Pokemon), Tomoyo Sakagami (Clannad), Spyro (Spyro the Dragon), and Luan Loud (Loud House.)

Cosplay can be totally affordable, you just have to be creative and think a little outside the box sometimes to make it work.

Have you ever cosplayed with a partner or group?

Yes, a few times. I’d love to do more group cosplays, but we all have to think of something we all like. Luckily, two of my very good friends decided they would dress up as Steven Universe and Amethyst to go with my Pearl this year for Comic-Con and it was such a great experience! I’m trying to convince them to do others as well, such as The Loud House and The Magic School Bus with me as well, haha.

Do you try to act in character?

Always: but I don’t always succeed. It really depends on the character. Pearl I could roleplay for days. It’s probably because I connect so much with her and performing as her doesn’t hurt either. Dee Dee Magno Hall says her favorite lines to say are peoples names, and after giving it a shot myself, I totally see why. I even practiced Garnets “Stronger than you” monologue in Pearl’s voice and tone (in case no one volunteered to sing during our karaoke event) and it always makes my friends laugh.

The characters that stump me a little more are the more serious characters I choose to portray; Link, Laurent, Thranduil (the Hobbit), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), just to name a few. I’m kind of a goofball/airhead so those characters clash with my personality a little bit, but I am getting better. Blue Diamond is surprisingly the easiest of these types to stay in character for.

That being said, I love being the outgoing, oddball characters. Like I said, Pearl is second nature to me, as well as Anna from Frozen. Back in my Hetalia days, Austria and America were my go-to guys. I could act as them forever, and my friends and I literally lived as them for a while with how much we role-played. Most of the Disney Princesses it’s pretty easy for me to stay in character, especially (like I said before) Anna, Sofia the First, and Merida.

How do you react to cosplayers dressed as a character from the same anime/game/etc?

If there are some good character opportunities, I will role-play on the spot, but more often than not I will ask if we could all get a picture together. There were so many fun interactions with other Steven Universe cosplayers when my friends and I did our little group, but one of my favorite interactions was probably when I was dressed as Laurent and I stumbled across a Miriel cosplayer and I just shouted out “MOM! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!”

Do you try to duplicate your character’s expressions, walk, movements, etc?

I can talk the talk (mostly), but I have more trouble walking the walk. I’ve been trying to replicate movements better, but facial expressions I have trouble with (ironic as it’s my favorite part of drawing.) I’m not as photogenic as I’d like to be, as you could probably tell by most of my pictures being the same face, but I definitely am striving to improve on that.

What was your funniest experience of acting in character?

Okay, there’s a lot that I could share, and eventually, I want to do an article solely on cosplay “in-character” experiences, but the one I HAVE to share right now is a recent experience when I was dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

I was performing at the family day event my church helps out at my pastor’s air force base as Ariel, and after my sing-a-long, my makeup was a little smudged. I asked a volunteer where the restroom was so I could touch up before I headed back out to the crowds. I thought he’d take me to a private restroom, but he brought me to the public one where there were families waiting outside. They noticed and the dad joked “See? Even princesses have to go.” to which I laughed and gave my best Ariel shrug to play along. I went inside, fixed my makeup, and went back outside.

It wasn’t long, so the family was still outside the men’s room. As I walked by, the man’s son shouted out “Ariel, congratulations on going pee-pee!” to which I bursted out laughing. Everyone was. I mean, if you gotta congratulate a princess on using the bathroom, you picked the right one! After that, I did explain that I was just putting on makeup but I appreciated his enthusiasm and thanked him for it.

Do you compete in cosplay contests?

All the time. I love them. Whether I win or lose, I always get something out of it. I learn tips from other cosplayers, get to meet so many interesting people, and those times I do win I get prizes which is always nice as well. Most importantly, though, the memories that are made there are the very best part.

Have you won anything?

I have won quite a few. I have three trophies, a medal, a few certificates, and have won a cash prize as well. My first win was my second convention as Kabuto where I won the best novice trophy. My most recent win was for Ravio in August of 2019 with best in show. It’s amazing, I never thought I would get this far, but I’m so grateful for everything I’ve been a part of.

Again, it’s totally not about winning, but I’ll admit that it does feel really nice to have my hard work appreciated. Just as drawing, I still feel like I have a lot of room for improvement in my cosplay, so winning a few contests here and there definitely helps my low self-esteem.

Do you prefer skits or walk-ons?

I’ve only ever done walk-ons. I’ve never had anyone to do a skit with and I don’t think I could pull one off on my own. I’d love to do one eventually, but for now, our panels are good enough.

How many friends have you made because of cosplay?

Quite a lot. My Instagram is full of cosplayers I’ve met at conventions and I love seeing their cosplays and drawings, it’s all so inspiring!

Do you attend photoshoots and meet-ups outside of conventions?

Occasionally. I’ve never done a professional photoshoot (though one day I’d like to,) but I have attended a few meetups. I’ve done one for Steven Universe, Once Upon a Time, Disney, and I actually accidentally walked into a Fire Emblem: Awakening one dressed as Laurent, so that worked out.

What is the funniest reaction you’ve gotten cosplaying from people outside of the community?

The best one was when I was dressed as Link and my friend and I were on the subway. There was a mom and her kid sitting across from us and she pointed to me and said to her child, “Look, an elf! You see? Santa’s got his helpers out all year round, so you have to be good!”

I also had another wonderful experience outside of a con dressed as Link, though it’s not as funny but more just a sweet memory. It’s quite a bit, but luckily I’ve already written about it for Zelda Universe so I’ll just link it here for anyone who’s interested. 

Name a few cosplays you’re planning to do next:

I’ve got to get Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) done soon. I’ve been wanting to do this cosplay forever and I did start it, but I need to finally finish it. Dimitri (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) is also on my list to do next. Not sure about who else I want to do for sure, but some ideas that have floated around in my head have been Tilly Green (Big City Greens), Anna with her Frozen 2 look, Princess Peach (Super Mario), and a Thalmor Mage (Skyrim.)

What is your dream cosplay?

Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess. I’m still too scared to try to cosplay her. I bought a cheap starter costume that I was going to build off of and it wasn’t turning out the way I wanted, so I put it off again. One day I’ll feel confident enough to make her costume, but until then I’m totally satisfied with my Link cosplays.

What do you take into consideration when picking a character to cosplay?

Honestly, I just have to love them as a character and the costume itself has to seem do-able. I mean, I’m totally not opposed to buying cosplays if I really want to be a particular character, but like I said, making it means all the more to me. It’s my display of affection towards that character, the creators behind them, and the series as a whole.

Is cosplay serious business for you?

Yes and no. No because I don’t do it for money, likes, or internet fame. I do it because it’s fun and what I like to do. Yes because I go all out when I cosplay. I do everything I can to get the look the way I want it and I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it when I make them by hand. 

What is your favorite thing about cosplay?

Everything: Dressing up as a character I love, roleplaying them, taking photos, just everything! I would do it more often if I could!

How do you want to grow as a cosplayer?

I want to learn how to make more. I want to build armor, I want to learn new makeup and hairstyling techniques, and so much more. I’m happy where I am, but I know I can be better. I will watch others and learn from them and push myself to try new things!

Are you willing to answer questions and help other cosplayers?

Absolutely! I may not be a top dog of cosplaying, but if I can help someone with something I’ve learned along the way, I’m more than happy to help!

Writing

When did you start writing?

I started in middle school as well, I used to write a Nintendo fan fiction called “The Kirby Show,” where Kirby and his friends would get into wacky sitcom scenarios. They were really just knock-offs of the television shows I used to watch back in the day, but hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere.

As for my original writing, I started that more in high school. I still wrote a lot of fan fiction at that point, but I was starting to develop my own characters as well. I thought it about time to think of my own creations, and I did. I remember I was in my Godmother’s car when I thought of the main three characters and since then the cast has expanded so much, their stories are much better developed, and the lore is much more solid.

When you were a beginning writer, what did you write primarily? What do you write now, primarily?  (i.e. romance, fan-fiction, poetry)

As mentioned before, I started out writing stories about characters that were not my own. Now I do all original writing — well, aside from my work at Zelda Universe. There I get to write about all the unique aspects of one of my favorite game series of all time, so there’s that as well. Writing there has helped me start writing little fandom topical posts for my own blog, such as top 10’s, reviews, and other things along those lines. 

How often do you write?

I make it a habit to try and write at least a half-hour a day. If I’m really on a roll, I could write up to a few hours a day before I get burnt out. Even though I’m not always writing, I’m always developing the stories in my head. 

When is your favorite time of the day to write?

I always write a half hour before I go to bed. The later it is, the more ideas keep rolling in. With my early hours for work now it’s harder to stay up late, but that doesn’t stop the ideas. I just gotta push myself a little harder to start earlier to have more time before I need to go to bed. 

Do you have a writing muse? If so, who/what?

Not in particular. I always just write about what I like and incorporate different aspects of my life into it. I guess I’m my own muse in that sense? I don’t know. I just write what I do know. 

What is your most popular lit piece?

Out of all my public pieces, I’d say either my “Animal Crossing Diaries” series or my “Endless Ocean” screenplay. “Vagabond” gets some decent attention as well, which is nice, but honestly, I’d be happy if there was just one person enjoying my work, so I really can’t complain. 

What is the piece you are currently writing?

Out of my public blog works, “Vagabond,” from my Zelda Universe collection I’m working on a character piece on Colin from Twilight Princess. 

What is the piece you most recently finished?

On my blog that would be my “Top 10 Favorite Fire Emblem Characters” list. For Zelda Universe, it’s actually a piece about Fire Emblem as well — It was DS week, I could write about whatever DS game I wanted to, of course I have to sneak in some Fire Emblem.

What piece are you most proud of?

While “Vagabond” definitely needs some more work, out of all the pieces I’ve posted publicly, that one is the one I am the proudest of. If anything just for Kurt and Maerwynn. They are two of my favorite characters to play around with and I’m so happy that somehow I was allowed to think these two up.

In my more private works, my fantasy story is my pride and joy. I feel so blessed to have been able to come up with these characters, and I do hope that someday I will be able to share them, whether on a television screen as I’ve always dreamed of in a novel of some sort. One day, maybe. 

What piece are you most disappointed in?

It’s not so much disappointment, but rather I’ve grown so much in my work, it’s very hard for me to look back at my first romance story. It’s a little cheesy and the dialogue is a bit clunky, some of the actions that my characters had performed totally go against what their characters have become now after spending a lot more time with them. It’s something I would love to revisit and maybe even go public with, but it’s going to take a lot of work. 

From all of your stories, who is/are your favorite character(s) and why? (try to limit it to 3)

Since I only published “Vagabond” online, I’ll stick to characters from this story in particular.

Maerwynn is definitely a favorite because she’s got a lot of qualities that I wish I was bold enough to enact myself. She speaks her mind without a care of what anyone else will think, even if it’s blatantly rude. She goes for her goals, even if they may seem ridiculous, and she pursues them with great passion and ferocity. Even with this rough and tough exterior, she’s still got a softer side that she’s just discovering in her new life at the palace. Now, I wouldn’t ever recommend being like Maerwynn ALL the time, but there’s definitely is a time and place where we could all be a little bit more like her, I think. Her confidence is the thing I admire most about her.

Kurt I connect with as well. Again, he says all the things that we all wish we could get away with at one point or another, but he knows he can because he’s royalty. However, he’s got so much going on underneath the surface as well with the complications of his past. He’s learning to open up, connect with others, and understand his feelings. Despite feeling restricted by the laws of his kingdom and the traditions of the royal family, he finds his own way to feel free and be himself. 

What is the best compliment you ever got on your writing?

My best friend who I’ve been sharing these stories with for as long as we’ve known each other told me the nicest thing not to long ago. I always laugh at myself for going so crazy in-depth with the lore and characters of my fantasy world, but she told me how she’s admired that and the love and care I put into each little thing was what made it so great. It really meant the world to me to hear that and I can’t thank her enough for all the love and support throughout the years! 

What is your main goal in writing?

I don’t know if there’s one main goal in particular, but I suppose if I had to pick just one, it would be to show good through the works of my characters and hope and pray that it inspires others to be like them. Kindness is growing scarce in the world, and if I can just inspire a little bit of it in someone, I suppose that’s all I can ask for. 

Have you ever been published?

No, but I am aiming for it. Once I complete Vagabond, give it another revise myself, and hopefully find an editor to give it another look over, I’d love to find someone to publish my book or even self publish on a platform like Amazon. Just something to get my work out there.

Questions asked by you

Who is an artist that you look up to? There are a few artists online that I follow who I just adore their work. Three that come to mind in particular are Bianca Roman-Stumpff, Bellhenge, and TheStarfishFace. Their art is so different from mine, but I think that’s probably why I love it so much (if that makes sense?)  They each have such a unique style and great subject material, I highly recommend giving them a look!

What did you think of “Frozen 2”?

I loved it. No secret that I’m a huge Frozen fan, so I was bound to like it. I was actually really nervous about how it was going to end, but I can say (without spoilers) that I am 100% satisfied with how it concluded. Also, Kristoff finally gets the spotlight that he deserves, thank you, Disney.

However, as much as I did love it, I do totally admit I do see flaws in it that could have been improved on. That being said, there was that in the first movie too and I stilled loved it. The characters have enough charm to keep the film entertaining throughout and I just adore them!

What does your family think of your art?

My parents have always encouraged me about my art and I know my grandmother loves it; I gave her a sweater with the art she liked of mine last Christmas and my mom says she wears it all the time. The rest of my family knows and supports my art as well, I  never really had any issue with my small art business and the family.

Any memorable cosplay experiences at a con?

So many. I’ve shared a few before, but I think I’d like to make a whole article on the great cosplay experiences I’ve had! There are so many to talk about and stories to share.

Is there a type of art that you would like to get into? I’ve seen a lot of people doing wood carving and burning, but that looks insanely difficult.

I’ve actually been considering wood burning, haha! It does look difficult, that’s why I’ve been hesitant, but maybe in the future I’d give it a shot. I think they’d make my Skyrim wood pieces look legit.

I’m really up for trying anything. If money wasn’t a thing, I’d have tried a lot more by now. In the future, I’d love to try needlepoint as well! 

Recently, I had been asked about some of the work that I do, and I thought a fun way to just that was to fill out a few questionnaires. Here I talk about some of the high and low points of doing what I do, what inspires me, and my process of creativity. Welcome all! If you're reading this, I'm assuming you're familiar with my work as either an artist, cosplayer, writer or any of the other creative things I do.

[jahaanofmenaphos]

Art by the awesome @tommieglenn!

Of Gods and Men Summary:

When the gods returned to Gielinor, their minds were only on one thing: the Stone of Jas, a powerful elder artefact in the hands of Sliske, a devious Mahjarrat who stole it for his own ends and entertainment. He claims to want to incite another god wars, but are his ulterior motives more sinister than that? And can the World Guardian, Jahaan, escape from under Sliske’s shadow?

Read the full work here:

ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN

FANFICTION.NET

TUMBLR CHAPTER INDEX

QUEST 04: THE BATTLE OF LUMBRIDGE

QUEST SUMMARY:

Now that the gods can return to Gielinor, Saradomin and Zamorak waste little time and return to war once more. This time, Lumbridge is their battlefield. While the battle wages on, Jahaan tries to find out more about the mysterious Mahjarrat who has taken a particular interest in him…

CHAPTER 3: OVER TO NARDAH

The Kharidian Desert was a vast land found south of the wooded kingdom of Misthalin and Morytania. The desert was the home to some of the oldest civilisations in Gielinor, ranging from the Menaphites that built the cities of Ullek and Uzer, to the bandits that are almost all that remain of the followers of Zaros. As a result, it is amongst the most history-rich and treasure-filled areas in the world. It is this that has attracted so many archaeologists and explorers to the area, but not without consequence. Here the scorching desert winds blasted the sand, turning the dunes into a sea. The blazing sun watched tirelessly from the sky, slowly draining the life of all that walks beneath it. The vultures circled overhead, eating the corpses of those that the desert bested, and packs of starving wolves searched endlessly for prey, their hunger never sated. Many have entered the desert, never to return.

Indeed, the Kharidian Desert has earned its reputation as dangerous, merciless, and unyielding, especially to those who underestimated it.

Because he did not have a deathwish, Jahaan took a magic carpet ride to Nardah, happy to pay the pricey fee over the alternatives, which included, but were not limited to: a camel ride with a rather surly camel, or one that dabbles in bad romantic poetry; riding in the back of a cart, potentially in a barrel (he’d seen a man transporting a woman in a barrel the last time he crossed the desert, but was certain it was a mirage… potentially… it was up for debate); or walking it. That last one… was tricky. He’d traversed the desert on foot before, leaving Menaphos on foot and, over a period of months, with a lot of pit stops at hydrated cities, made it all the way to Al Kharid.

It was not an experience he cared to repeat.

Now that magic carpets were a thing that even he could afford, he hopped on gladly, thankful that the breeze from the motion took over from the chokingly humid desert air that would fill his lungs with sand. He didn’t exactly understand how these carpet rides worked, how they knew where to go without a driver, how they avoided all obstacles in their path, so Jahaan just accepted the answer of ‘because magic’ and left it at that.

It took only a few hours before the carpet landed safely at Nardah. When Jahaan stepped off, his body still felt like it was moving, his head swirling, and it made him feel rather dizzy. This proved most notable when he tried to walk in a straight line and veered distinguishably to the left, much to the amusement of the magic carpet operator.

Now he had the tricky task of remembering which house was the right one.

It had been a couple of years since he’d last been in Nardah, but thankfully the city hadn’t changed all that much in the meantime. Previously, during his first excursion through the town, it was experiencing a severe drought. Many believed this was due to a curse placed upon the city by the goddess, Elidinis, who founded the city in the first place, and felt betrayed when a Saradominist preacher convinced the residents to worship the blue lord over her. Thankfully, this curse had been reversed in the meantime, and Nardah was hydrated and prosperous once more. Nevertheless, the city still appeared dilapidated and old, almost like a ruin, with many of the sandstone buildings crumbling.

Due to their near identical nature, it was hard to remember just exactly where the house he was looking for was located.

On the outskirts, past the fountain, not THAT fountain… I think it was to the west of the library… was this statue here the last time I came through?

The internal mumblings in Jahaan’s mind did not echo confidence, and he grew more and more frustrated as he passed the same smither’s workshop three times.

Eventually, he gave up, feeling like a defeated tourist, and asked for directions from some of the locals. At least then he was going in the right direction.

Finally, he arrived at the quaint little building he sought, a ornamental plaque hung from a nail on the door confirming this.

Jahaan knocked twice on the sturdy door, hearing the deep echo the contact of his knuckles made against the wood and noted it as a sign of good craftsmanship. It was a new addition to his humble abode.

Moments later, the door was prised open, and Ali the Wise greeted Jahaan with a pleasant smile and a humanoid appearance. “Jahaan! I did not know I would be seeing you so soon. Please, come in.”

“Wahisietel,” Jahaan greeted, walking through into his friend’s living room. The place hadn’t changed much since the last time he had passed through, though the book collection had, miraculously, increased tenfold. He’d also splashed out on a new set of bookshelves to match the lovely oak door, and even a new set of pots for the kitchen.

“Sit down, allow me to make you some tea,” Wahisietel offered, motioning to the cushioned chairs. As he busied himself in the kitchen, Jahaan meekly called out, “I know you’re a Mahjarrat, Wahisietel,” he reminded, saying, “you don’t have to stay in the disguise on my account.”

Shaking his head, Wahisietel pointed out, “Mahjarrat are not very welcome in these parts. What if a neighbour happened to nose around my windows, hm? Besides, I’m rather comfortable in my Ali form.”

Soon afterwards, he set down a tray on the table containing two cups of herbal tea and a plate of cream-filled biscuits. Thanking him, Jahaan made for a tasty looking circular one.

“So,” Wahisietel took a sip from the boiling liquid. The word was more of a suggestion for input rather than an intent to begin a discussion of his choosing. Wahisietel knew Jahaan came here for a specific reason to get something off his mind. They didn’t call him ‘Ali the Wise’ for nothing.

Eventually, Jahaan spoke up. “Have you talked to Azzanadra?” he tried not to allow his wince to come through. The fact that Wahisietel hadn’t slammed the door in his face was a promising sign, but he still fretted internally.

Nodding gravely, Wahisietel danced around the matter with delicacy. “I did. He took… a while to calm down.”

“And you’re not mad at me because…?” Jahaan left the hole open for Wahisietel to enlighten him.

With a light chuckle, Wahisietel replied, “I am not as fervent with my beliefs as our beloved Pontifex; he took you disobeying Zaros’ wishes as a personal affront. I, on the other hand, am of sound mind. You’re entitled to whatever path you choose.”

Feeling relief wash over him like a tsunami, Jahaan relaxed back in his chair. “Well, at least that’s one Mahjarrat I haven’t pissed off lately.”

“Speaking of which,” Wahisietel leaned forward in his chair. “Azzanadra told me that Sliske was the one that dealt the killing blow, and that you were there to witness it. He didn’t try to kill you, however?”

“No. He tricked me into leading him straight to Guthix, betrayed me at the last second, then teleported away.”

“That sounds like Sliske.”

Jahaan bit his lip, putting his head in his hands with a frustrated sigh. It would be the perfect time to tell Wahisietel why he was really here, why he’d traveled halfway across the desert to drop in unannounced for more than lovely tea and polite conversation.

It was just… where to start? Without sounding crazy, that was.

“About Sliske…” Jahaan stretched out the creases in his neck, scratching at the back of his head and giving a long, drawn out sigh, delaying the inevitable as he did so. “Back at the Ritual Site, he said he’d been watching me for some time now. The fact that he fooled me by posing as an archeologist to get to Guthix… it got to me. I’ve been feeling rather paranoid ever since. There was… an incident…”

Wahisietel raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but Jahaan did not care to elaborate, instead saying, “I didn’t really take his words seriously before, but after Guthix’s death, and my role in it… I shouldn’t have brushed him off so lightly. I have no idea why he’s following me. I was hoping, as his brother-”

“Half-brother,” Wahisietel was quick to correct.

“Half-brother,” Jahaan emphasised. “I was hoping you’d have some insight as to why.”

Taking a long, thoughtful sip of his tea, Wahisietel decided it needed more sugar, and thus added another cube.

“Hmm,” he said as he enjoyed the sweet liquid, his brow well and truly furrowed. “I fear you may have misunderstood my relationship with my half-brother. Familial bonds have not tied us close. I do not know why he would have such a vested interest in you in particular. Had his speech about ‘watching you’ occurred after you became the World Guardian, then that I could understand - he would be interested in your power, your potential - but as it stands… I’m afraid I’m at a loss.”

Shoulders sagging, Jahaan slumped back in his chair, burying his head in his hands. “Terrific.”

“I’m sorry,” Wahisietel weekly apologised, a light chuckle teasing his lips. “I can tell you’re less than impressed with the wisdom I’ve been unable to impart.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jahaan forced himself to smile. “I just… I feel like he’s all around me, you know? It’s haunting.”

“Well, if he’s any consolation, he’s nowhere near Nardah now.”

Jahaan felt relief wash over him. “Really?”

“Really,” Wahisietel assured. “Enakhra and Akthanakos occasionally come near enough that I can feel their presence, but right now, no Mahjarrat are nearby.”

“Enakhra’s probably off fighting for Zamorak…”

It was an off the cuff remark, but boy, did that require some explaining, and another helping of tea and biscuits. Turns out that, while knowing that Saradomin had returned, and assuming that Zamorak was close behind, he didn’t realise they were engaged in conflict at this very second.

Both Jahaan and the Mahjarrat were thankful they were far, FAR away from Lumbridge right about now.

Once the conversation rounded back on track, Jahaan finally asked another one of the burning questions he’d originally come for, “I know the Mahjarrat can sense each other and all, but is there any way I can tell if Sliske’s around? I need something to help this paranoia.”

The look on Wahisietel’s face was not encouraging. “Not particularly. When shapeshifted into a human disguise, Mahjarrat can do everything you humans can, like eat, drink… everything we need to pass off as one of your kind. To your limited human senses, we radiate no magic, either.”

Just as Jahaan was about to give up hope, Wahisietel piped up, “There is one thing… Jahaan, humour me, and touch the space between your eyes.”

Crinkling his brow, it wasn’t until Wahisietel insisted further that Jahaan did as he was told, feeling silly as he did so.

“What do you notice?” Wahisietel inquired, rhetoricism obvious in his tone.

“Uhh… nothing?”

“Exactly. Now, touch the same spot between my eyes.”

Wahisietel leaned forward, and instinctively, Jahaan leaned backwards. After Wahisietel repeated the request, Jahaan just about forced his hand to cooperate, feeling very awkward as he did so. As soon as he made contact, he pulled his hand back with a gasp.

It was near boiling to the touch. “Whoa.”

Placing two fingers between his eyes, Wahisietel explained, “This is where the Mahjarrat’s crystal is embedded in our foreheads. No matter what disguise we undertake, if the skin at this area is thin enough - which, on a human form, it is - you will be able to feel the heat from the crystal.

Granted, the idea of touching everyone he suspected of being a Mahjarrat on the forehead didn’t exactly feel Jahaan with glee, it was certainly better than nothing. “Thanks, Wahisietel. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Wahisietel quickly shot up from his chair and hurried over to one of his many bookshelves. “After our last meeting, I set something aside for you, something that might give you an unbiased, third party perspective on my half-brother,” after half a minute’s searching, he pulled out a thin blue-spined book. Blowing dust from the cover, he handed it carefully over to Jahaan, who took it very delicately, aware of how torn and damaged both the spine and cover were.

“How old is this book?” Jahaan couldn’t even make out the writing on the front, it was so faded.

“It’s an original, from the Second Age,” Wahisietel replied.

Aware of the fragility and, with this new information, rarity and subsequent value of the book, Jahaan held it like a newborn, very gently opening it up to the first page. When he did, his eyes began to hurt as they tried to register the symbols on the page. Squinting, he began to say, “Um, Wahisietel…”

Smiling softly, Wahisietel replied, “It is written in the ancient Menaphosi script. I did not think you would be versed in such an outdated language, so I translated the relevant sections of the book. Go to the marked page.”

Seeing the tip of a feather jutting from near the middle of the book, Jahaan turned to it, relieved to see pieces of papyrus tucked inside, all written in the Common Tongue. Removing them, he gently handed the book back to Wahisietel and shuffled the pages into order.

Blinking, he read aloud, “The Book of Sliske?”

Nodding with a disappointed grimace, Wahisietel said, “It’s written by a mercenary of Icthlarin’s called Gram Kobold, who later became a prominent commander in his armies. There are many accounts of the Mahjarrat’s arrival on Gielinor, but his focused almost obsessively on my half-brother. I thought it might be of some interest to you.”

Tucking the papyrus away in his pocket, Jahaan replied, “Thanks, Wahisietel. I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing,” Wahisietel assured. “After your assistance in dispatching Lucien, it is the least I could do.”

After leaving Wahisietel’s humble abode, he made for the nearest inn, wanting to take residence there for the night. While he definitely did not want to put Wahisietel out by asking for a lodging, Jahaan was in no hurry to leave Nardah; the presence of Wahisietel provided a sense of comfort that Jahaan had been lacking these last few days. He felt impervious to Sliske’s stalking here, knowing that his half-brother could sense his presence and make it known.

So after getting a hearty dinner out of the innkeeper and finding a decent enough room to slumber in, Jahaan took to said room and settled down for an early night.

But before he allowed the pull of tiredness to drag him into the realm of sleep, Jahaan pulled out the translation Wahisietel had given him, lit a dim candle, and began to read…

The Zarosians spilled over our front lines, mixing dust with blood. Their fervour for battle was insatiable. We were ordered to retreat at first light, but we knew we wouldn't make it to dawn. We needed the Kharidian gods to grace the battlefield now; morale was low and the last embers of their civilisation were flickering out. I weighed my coin-bag and wondered if it was time to abandon the life of a mercenary, to steal a ship and leave.

Then, we were blinded momentarily by a burning light, and the ground began to rumble. A wind came rolling across the plains like a tidal wave, drowning out the cries of war. The light spread like a flame burning through parchment, opening a tear in the very fabric of the world. From that yawning rift a small army marched forth, the ground quaking beneath their feet. A figure held the portal open, the head of a jackal atop its shoulders. Icthlarin had returned, and he had brought reinforcements.

It was a turning point in the Kharidian-Zarosian war. Icthlarin's warriors crashed into the Zarosian forces. Their commanders were terrifying to behold - mighty sorcerers, whose name sounded foreign to our ears. The army gave them a new name: the 'Stern Judges'. They towered over us by some feet, clad in robes, with a ridge on their foreheads. One in particular made an impression on me, his laugh echoing in my ears and his rictus grin etched into my memory. His name was Sliske, and he appeared and disappeared at will. He was feared by the soldiers and distrusted by his own kind. I felt a kinship with him, despite being awed by his power. Far away, I could make out the Kharidian gods thundering through the enemy, with the Stern Judges at their backs. But Sliske had a different goal, and he moved in other directions. He moved silently; I was barely able to keep track of him as he shifted between shadows. I gave chase, plunging my sword into hapless soldiers in my path.

As I struggled to keep pace with Sliske, I became lost in darkness, the only illumination coming from torches. I fought onwards, and Sliske materialised in a group of enemies. He did not seem to favour his blade; instead, he placed a hand on their armour, and both he and the enemy disappeared. Moments later, Sliske would return, but his opponent would be gone.

Suddenly, I was struck and knocked to the ground, and found myself on my back with a blade at my throat, staring into the wild eyes of a Zarosian scout. Fear washed over me as I heard steel slicing through flesh… but I felt nothing, save a warm trickle of blood on my chest. The body was tossed aside like a doll, and his face peered down at me instead. I shall never forget that grin - like a skull, covered in a veneer of ridged, grey flesh. My eyes locked with Sliske's as he put his finger to his lips. He smiled, and was gone.

In the months that followed, Icthlarin led the charge northwards across the River Elid. I watched in awe as the Stern Judges overpowered their foes. Despite my fascination with Sliske, I found him nigh-impossible to track; one minute I would be watching from afar, the next he would vanish. He built an entourage of spectral wights, shimmering with blacks and purples, converting some of the foes he felled into warriors of his own, undead spirits that returned to serve him.

We finally reached the mountains, and the forces of Zaros made their stand in a narrow pass. Despite their tactical advantage, we were victorious that day. The dust settled and the blood on our swords boiled in the sun. With the majority of the Kharidian Lands reclaimed, Icthlarin demanded that Sliske release his wights to him, so he could guide them to the Underworld. When Sliske refused, Icthlarin took them by force. With a swipe of his hand, Icthlarin obliterated their own ranks. Sliske simply narrowed his eyes and smiled. With a gesture he was gone, and the two never counted one another as a friend from that day.

It was the last I saw of Sliske.

DISCLAIMER:

As Of Gods and Men is a reimagining, retelling and reworking of the Sixth Age, a LOT of dialogue/characters/plotlines/etc. are pulled right from the game itself, and this belongs to Jagex.

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[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #141

The first half of Golden Week is over, and Tomoko has found herself the object of “platonic" affection for four different suitors. And as our intrepid heroine muses over the which of them to pursue, out of nowhere comes the dark horse. Once thought to be missing in action, this little girl, having been there since the very beginning, threatens to overtake the competition in one psychotic swoop. 

Chapter 141: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Go to School with Kii-chan

The things that Stuffed Yuu-chan and Pals have seen...

Ah, the classic Introvert Burnout. I had a feeling Tomoko would be drained after having what may have been the most socially stressful time of her life. Not simply for being social, but for how much she had to navigate as a fish out of water. Each “date” involved a new experience for Tomoko to address, and that much effort at once can be really exhausting for a layabout like her.

That my friend is what we in the TvTropes community call, “Tempting Fate”.

Heeeeeere’s Kii-chan!

Can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this entrance. We all know who Kii-chan is. But even those outside of the loop would get a feel for who she is. Adorable and sweet-natured, but disturbing due to an apparent lack of negative emotions (even when appropriate). Ah, Kii-chan, it’s been far too long. 

Nothing to say here, really. Just think it’s a particularly lovely picture of Tomoko. 

Because the popularity of a manga series is largely dependent on real-time reception, it’s very common for mangakas to add new, “popular” characters, or give the spotlight to characters who’ve been out of focus. Watamote is no exception. It may seem contrived to bring Kii-chan back after being gone for a while, but it works here because it relies on Kii-chan’s character to it, instead of a series of implausible plot developments. Kii-chan is just considerate of her cousin’s schedule–that’s all we need.

The first hint of Tomoko’s reawakening as the role model onee-chan. 

One of the perks of being a sporadically-appearing character is that you can really see just much the art style has evolved since the character’s last appearance. For Kii-chan, she hasn’t really changed much design-wise other than being a little taller. But even then, the linework is much cleaner and consistent this time around, which compliments the more “everyday slice-of-life” approach Watamote’s been embracing. 

If only she could grow a nose.  

The best thing about this type of censorship is that you don’t necessarily have to understand what's being censored. All you really need is a bit of context to put the pieces together. The outlines are detailed enough that we can see the characters as some kind of humanoids with animal features. And given what we know about Kii-chan, it makes perfect sense.   

Y-Yeah, I...I’ve totally heard of that show.

Other than the whole Ucchi situation (which is slowly becoming an unintentional blessing), this is the last of the misunderstandings that still needs resolving. It’ll be hard, though, since this particular issue isn’t that troublesome. For now...

Look at that platonic sibling bonding.

Perhaps I’ve been conditioned by manga/anime, but I find it refreshing how Watamote has managed to develop the Kuroki siblings’ relationship while avoiding any incestual subtext. Lots of series oversell the sibling relationship by having them be overly affectionate and clingy. With Watamote, their bond feels organic because they don’t have to be touchy-feely. An unspoken quality time is all there is to it.

It’s hard to get a read on Tomoko’s emotions here, but at the very least, she seems troubled. It could very well be that Tomoko just realized that she’s changing in regards to the media she consumes. The former her would’ve probably jumped on the Kemono Friends bandwagon, but the reality is, Tomoko’s otaku interests are being compromised by the mainstream, at least as mainstream as rap battles get. 

But the kicker is...she realizes this change isn’t all that bad.

Of course, nothing beats watching anime with your psychotic cousin. 

The whole “pet-sitting” relationship they have here is a tricky one since each side is trying to accommodate the other based on “flaws” that don’t exist (or no longer exist). This usually results in an endless cycle of misunderstandings that lead to nowhere, but this confusion has transcended that cycle to develop into a progression of sorts. Similar to the Ucchi situation, the absurdity became so frequent that it just became reality. One that each side has been influenced greatly from.

With her constantly adorable face, you forget that Kii-chan is a middle-schooler and is therefore old enough to know about things like sex and perversion. Like Yuu-chan, she may look innocent, and while she was aware of such things as a kid, she didn’t really get it until they approached high-school age.  

You know, I read this really good manga called Kaguya-sama: Love is War (shameless plug, I know), and they actually had a chapter about a rap battle a while back. Given that both series tend to be up-to-date on contemporary trends, it makes me wonder...has rap suddenly become a hot thing in Japan? Or has it always had its niche audience?

I’m sure many fans knew that this was going to be an inevitable development whenever Kii-chan showed up again. Unlike Tomoko’s school friends, Kii-chan wasn’t there to see the slow, gradual growth of Tomoko’s character, so it must have hit her like a ton of bricks to see her precious onee-chan go from helpless loner to mature teen in the blink of an eye. 

Sometimes I wonder just how pitiful Kii-chan thought Tomoko really was...

Why would you censor Disneyland now of all times?

Those of us who were clamoring to get close-ups of the photos taken in the Disneyland arc finally get their wish.

The Kowarith photo is my favorite, even though two-thirds of the people in it are faking their asses off. While that may be my personal bias towards the Tomoko-Yoshida-Yuri trio, I think it reflects a better sense of kinship between the girls. The effort is there, phony as it is, to support each other in an awkward situation, which is fundamentally what the series is all about.

The assumedly Fireworks photo is also pleasing, make no mistake. You can definitely feel more genuine emotions (or lack thereof) being expressed than in the other photo. But this focuses more on the individual than how they work as a collective group, despite there being more people. The girls ultimately look like six different colored Skittles–part of the same package, but each unique.    

Could this be the start of Kii-chan revitalizing her perception of Tomoko as a super popular girl? I sure hope so.

How ironic. Kii-chan’s perspective of Tomoko is starting to grow ever so gradually on the upside, whereas Tomoko’s perspective of Kii-chan grows more and more negative.

Hang on, is that supposed to be some fake Dragonite shirt? Neat.

At this point, people assuming that Yoshida as some kind of punk based on her looks is a dead horse of an issue. Some stereotypes exist for a reason, I suppose.

I see your game, Nico Tanigawa, using a deliberately vague line about “two girls” to make your readers overanalyze a single panel. All I have to say to that is that I am completely and utterly guilty.

One of the girls is probably Yuri, if only because she’s the only girl to appear in both photos. As for the second girl, your guess is as good as mine. I’m inclined to say Ucchi because if Kii-chan only has their appearances to go on, then Ucchi and her emoji-face make quite the impression.   

I’m getting Yuu-chan vibes here with the way Kii-chan phrases half-insults with a friendly demeanor. 

+ 1 TO THE HAREM.

Kii-chan is definitely that relative you leave a self-imposed boundary on. Fine in small doses, like at parties and family gatherings, but long-term exposure is unhealthy for the brain. This isn’t even a wholly exaggerated fantasy on Tomoko’s part. Okay, the eating bit is a little much, but given that Kii-chan allegedly dreams about treating Tomoko like a pet, the latter is right to be a little concerned.

There needs to be an AU one-shot of Tomoko, Tomoki, and Kii all going to the same school at the same time. Right. Now. 

I do appreciate that despite Kii-chan’s deteriorating sanity, Tomoko doesn’t view her as a lost cause and even tries to put a positive spin on it. Reconciliation Arc is a-go! 

Did Kii-chan really have that big of a growth spurt, or has Tomoko just reached her peak in height? Not sure how far the genetics will go, but Kii-chan becoming taller than Tomoko is only going to make her even more intimidating. 

This little scheme of hers is definitely reflective of the “old” Tomoko, but there’s a nice reversal going on here. Instead of Tomoko trying to make things sound cooler than they actually are, she’s trying to make things seem worse. Of course, Murphy’s Tomoko’s Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Especially if Tomoko wants it to go right. 

Ah, Ogino. The only character whose relationship with Tomoko has remained relatively unchanged despite indirectly having the most impact on Tomoko’s life.

Better update her Wiki page now. 

It’s pretty telling how it’s these two who cause Tomoko the most grief. It’s not the delinquent who routinely bashes her face in, not the pervert(s) lusting after her little brother, and not the otaku who passive-aggressively teases her. As for why, I think it boils down to the fact that Ogino and Kii-chan challenge her comfort zone the most. It also doesn’t help that Tomoko doesn’t interact with them as often as the others, so she hasn’t really had the time to get desensitized by them.

This freakin’ teacher, man.

The second worst part of Ogino’s “help” is that she never actually lies. Sure, she exaggerates to hell and back, but it’s always loosely based in reality, like some cheap movie adaptation of a best-selling novel. 

But the worst part of it is...you can’t hate Ogino for it. Her personal assessment may be founded on largely suspect reasons, but it’s still an honest assessment. I have no doubts that Ogino really is proud of Tomoko, and that’s exactly why she’s the best worst teacher.

That’s true. If Ogino gave that spiel to people like Hijirisawa or Hatsushiba–y’know, people who don’t know her as well–they might actually buy that crap. But people who know Tomoko like Yuri or Nemo, people like us, can tell that Ogino’s sugarcoating the whole thing. Kii-chan, with her terrifying skill for knowing too much, is no exception.  

Ah, I see. This is one of those put-all-the-secondary-characters-who-we-haven’t-seen-in-a-while-into-one-chapter chapters. 

Can’t complain, though. I like Itou. 

“Or something” can also be translated as “lust after Tomoki”. 

We don’t really have much to go on for how Itou views Tomoko, but I think it’s reasonable to think that she may not see her in that good of a light. Not only did Tomoko give off a weird impression when she played off the whole fist bump thing, but Itou’s “powers of perception” probably made her aware of Tomoko and Komiyama’s frenemy-ship, hence her “warning” that Komiyama was around.

The Inherent Awkwardness of Second-hand Relationships: The Life of Tomoko.

Betcha’ no one saw this interaction coming. Whether it’ll lead to anything more remains to be seen. Itou’s still got the whole “friendship potential” going on with Futaki, but given that she has the tolerance to BFF Komiyama, I see no reason why she can’t befriend a psycho like Kii-chan. 

That desire to “loudly blow” is Kii-chan’s inner demons screeching out in desperation for release. I pity the fool who unleashes the beast.

That does sound like your typical amateur definition of a psychopath, doesn’t it?

For the record, I don’t actually believe Kii-chan is a psychopath, despite the jokes I made. There are way too many moments that discredit such a claim. Now, if you were to accuse Kii-chan as being some sort of deviant (sexual or otherwise) I might see that. But ultimately, I think Kii-chan was just a victim of having her innocence shattered too fast and too soon, which made her more, uh, crafty than Tomoko could handle. 

Man, it’s been a long time while since we last saw Dicky-chan, hasn’t it? Hope we get to see more of her (and Sayaka, for that matter) after this chapter.

I love how even when she’s collecting masturbation material, Komiyama has to hold her camera phone all lady-like. If the term “purevert” ever needed a concrete definition, this girl would be it.

Main Character privileges, that’s why. 

Get. The. FUCK. Out. Of. Here.

With each subsequent appearance, Komiyama’s standard for what constitutes a bitch primed to steal away her Tomoki-kun falls hilariously lower. It’s not enough that a girl in their class makes two seconds of eye contact with him, nosiree. Any girl with an inkling of a relationship with Tomoko is not immune, even if it’s his own damn cousin. Granted, I don’t think Komiyama would be so pathetically scummy as to confront Kii-chan about it like she did to Yoshida.

...I hope.

“Best friends” may be stretching it now that we’ve gotten this far in the series. However, there is one aspect of Tomoko and Komiyama’s relationship that triumphs over all the others:

Absolute candidness. Even now, the only one who gets to see the complete, raw package that is Tomoko Kuroki is Komi-something. While Tomoko has made substantial friendships with the likes of Yuri, Nemo, and Katou, Tomoko still restrains herself just a tad lest she pushes them away. It’s only with Komi that Tomoko bears her full ugliness, which I think has developed into some freakish level of respect/understanding that none of the others can claim.

Damn, even the bishounen dude gets to make an appearance. All we need know is Lethal Chef Girl to make a cameo and I’m set. 

Nope. Any game is an away game when your “harem” shows up to cheer you on.

A few people have expressed discontent with how the chapter seems to end so abruptly, and it’s a fair criticism. It may be the lack of a “Next time...” tagline throwing people off, but while this chapter indeed ends at an odd point, it’s not that unprecedented. Some of the previous chapters ended this way, like that time Komi was all “Oi!” at Yoshida at the cafeteria, which indicates that this chapter is likely one of those series-of-vignettes that also doubles as a build-up chapter. 

On a positive note, while the chapter does feel prematurely ended, how the next chapter plays out if it is connected to this one is sure to be a surprise. 

[kudalyn]

I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT. Oh poor Atem my heart was already bleeding for the little bugger. I'm an absolute sap for self-doubting, self-bashing Atem for some reason. And THIS IS ME TOTALLY ASKING FOR MORE. How do Yugi and Atem become lovers? I bet Atem does some more self-angst stuff when he wakes up right? And how do they meet Jou and Ryou? What do they do make a living? What's their cover? So can Atem transform into multiple things or just Zorc-esque? Wahhhh so many questions.

Thank you for your patience!! I don’t always have the energy to answer messages right away so sorry this is late >w

A bit more chatlog copypaste and other stuff:

Atem and Yugi’s romance takes some time to fully bloom. They’ve had a mutual attraction for a long time, but many things (atem’s bad self-esteem and yugi’s hesitance) get in the way of it, and the stress of having to be on the lam doesn’t give much room for that to grow

a mutual deep respect and endless loyalty to each other, yes, but romance not so much. Plus Atem learning he’s a walking magic bomb and Yugi having to work double time in keeping the both of them cloaked while Atem’s untrained magical signature is a giant ass beacon of HEY COME GET ME doesn’t help atem’s self-image. 

They end up fleeing the country, moving to a more sparce and less magic-focused country that’s more of a neutral ground than anything, so it’s a bit safer for them to hide out in. They spend a lot of time, some months at least constantly on the move till they find a nondescript town deep in the middle of the neutral country and settle down in an abandoned shack in the surrounding forest. (they clean it up surprisingly well)

atem feels utterly disgraced and distraught that this happened and that yugi's putting himself in danger for him, and many times tries to convince yugi to go back and plead insanity or something. yugi refuses, saying he'll never leave atem alone again when he needs him so badly.

so atem does his best to learn quickly from yugi, but on-the-run teaching isn’t the most thorough way, though Atem does learn best being shown and when under duress/challenge. Its difficult because yugi's not experienced with teaching and atem's magic works differently than his. students usually get teachers that are more experienced with their specific type of magic for ease of teaching.

atem is a fast learner though, and stubborn as fuck, and learns well enough to be able to control his magic enough it's not a danger.  though it has different skills and uses than yugi's does. it gets to the point that it's dangerous for either of them to be seen as they are, and while yugi gets skilled at disguise magic, it's not in atem's skillset and disguising for two is very draining.

So, in a fit of crazyness (as yugi called it) and late night reading, atem gets a brilliant(?) idea. he tells yugi to make him his familiar

familiars are usually made between a non-human magical entity and a humanoid, and demons fall under that non-human entity category

and atem is a demon conduit. he thinks its brilliant! familiar owners can change their familiars form at will, familiars can hide in their owner's shadows, and the owners can forcefully command the familiar in dire situations. if atem ever loses it again (something he’s terrified of doing though while he has had some close calls he hasn’t had any relapses in his training) yugi can just tell him to stop! yugi thinks he's mad - familiar contracts are not only very binding, they've never been recorded happening between two humanoids, let alone a conduit, and demon familiar contracts are tricky and can backfire.

atem insists, he'd never set any contract lines that would hurt yugi, he's loyal as fuck, and he admits that if capable he'd willingly spend the rest of his life serving yugi. not exactly a declaration of love, but yugi understands what more or less what he means

yugi's overwhelmed, tells atem he needs to think on it. atem thinks he's fucked up in more ways than one, and they have a day or two of awkwardness but yugi eventually concedes, saying that while it is very clever, it is also very dangerous. but he wants atem to be safe, and he too wants to spend his life with atem - he just didn't see it ever happening like this. something atem gets depressed over momentarily before yugi snaps him out of it and says he will never regret making his decision to save atem

they make the contract, magical circle and all, and while the magic goes a bit dodgy for a bit, it ends up working out - but with the unrealized side effect of the two of them being able to speak/see each others thoughts via soul link

atem as an awakened demon conduit had always been hyper attuned to human's emotions and feelings, being able to smell and feel them himself, but this was a whole new step. and yugi not being alone in his head was very jarring

it puts a lot of stress on them, along with learning how the contract works - if yugi asks atem to do something, if he doesn't word it carefully it comes out as a command Atem is compelled to do forcefully

like 'atem, shut up' becomes literal even if it was meant jokingly.

he learns to use nicknames more often, but atem does enjoy the nickname yugi gave him as a kid so he doesn't mind, and he knows the command could be useful in a pinch (or bad for him if yugi is in danger and forces atem to leave, but he makes yugi swear he'd never do something like that - atem knows he's probably fibbing but its the best he can do)

another thing is atem learning to live in yugi's shadow if need be, but he hardly uses it, yugi usually transforms atem into a dark dark red cat with some gold stripes, so atem can sit on his shoulder as he goes out and about so yugi only has to disguise himself, and its easier to hide one person in a crowd instead of two

also in times like that the mental link comes in very handy, but it still takes time for them to learn how to block each other off from the others minds for privacy or other stuff. they eventually get comfortable enough being pretty open with their thoughts, but that takes a while.

-----

I’ve thought a bit on it and it’s a bit hard to decide, but I think what’ll happen is that while Anzu will be someone Yugi used to be friends with back at their old village and left behind sadly, Jou and Ryou will be two villagers living in the new town. they end up becoming friends, but friends with ‘not-Yugi’ or the disguise Yugi puts up when he goes to town. They know there’d be less of a chance of them being recognized in a different country, specially just Yugi on his own, but they don’t wanna risk it. 

I think eventually yugi and atem will reveal themselves when jou and ryou prove loyal friends, but it’d be some time before they do that. For the longest time, jou and ryou just think yugi’s this eccentric magic collector who talks far too much to his cat.

Yugi and atem will make some living doing small magic practices, ending up being mostly an apothecary than anything else because it’s simple and unobtrusive and living in the forest gives them lots of supplies. also people in this neutral country trust natural remedies a bit more than straight up magic, though yugi uses it while making any potions or poultices to make them more effective. Atem with his great memory and quick thinking ends up being a walking library, (not literally) devouring any book he comes across and collecting an even larger mental catalog than Yugi does. he swears his reading is just a past-time but yugi knows better. 

they do sometimes like small bounties or clearing out any dangerous magical critters from the surrounding area but they do it quietly and under disguise to keep things safe. 

One of Atem’s new skills turns out to be shape-shifting of some amount (separate from the shape-shifting that comes with his familiar status under Yugi)

Mainly he has to retain some sort of bipedal form, but he can add and retract wings, a tail, horns, scales and claws and other such details. He avoids anything hulking and monstrous like what Zorc forced him into in his awakening, choosing to always keep his human face and general form. His shapeshifting prerequisites are horns, claws, and some form of tail no matter how hard he tries to keep the tail from growing. That’s when his nub tail makes its most usual appearance, the shortest he can get away with (yugi loves it)

He can do some digitgrade-ness, or specific amplification like giant yaoi hand claws and stuff for offence if need be. he can’t like breathe fire or anything easily cause it requires more amplification to his body than he likes (his face/throat/chest) but if need be he’ll use it. The wings he’s never super fond of because he doesnt quite like the feel of multiple limbs he has to keep track of and coordinate, but Yugi convinces him to at least learn how to use them in case they ever need to use them. He’s glad that he can go without them. 

In any of his altered forms his speed and strength is greatly intensified, as are his senses. the more he allows himself to shift away from human the more intense his demonic urges are (aggression, hunger for magical power, general nasty emotions and urges) so he sticks to as human as possible at all times. When he’s loafing around at home with Yugi he’s rarely in any altered form unless he’s feeling in a particularly good mood (self-confident) and he allows himself to be more open. 

Also: Atem has a heck of a time trying to control his vices. His main one is gambling, though he manages to get his minor drinking problem under control with yugi’s help. Gambling is something that he just can’t seem to get rid of, but Yugi helps by setting safer stakes and bets for him to get his high off of, plus Yugi himself enjoys a good game and is a good opponent for Atem always.

So, I think this is the most of what I have so far for this au. I’d love to write it up one day, but it’ll have to wait ;v;

thank u for ur love!! feel free to ask me more stuff if you’re still curious, gives me more excuses to do worldbuilding. o/

[vanaam-123]

Intro To The Making Of

Character Exploration:

So, alongside backgrounds and environments, we also looked at character designs as a way of trying to improve our skills of understanding how a character works with all planning stages, personality, appearance and much more. When characters are designed, usually formed from an idea or part of some inspiration, everyone whilst having a clue of some description as to what the character could look like, in their perspective, is all different and unique to someone’s views and opinions, as everyone all have different ways of thinking and acknowledging characteristics, in their own mindsets because of e.g. a way they were brought up, so they have a different aspect and view of a specific lifestyle or choice etc. Which is crucial, when feedback and criticism is shown too. As work can opinionated, sometimes it can be good to a viewer and sometimes hurtful to hear biased opinions, when coming up with these ideas. Criticisms helps by showing some potential successes and flaws, so you can try and come up with the best aspect towards a design or details, alongside with entailing why that was the best design and outcome for that idea.  

For the first part of our idea, as an idea to grasp on, we got given the option of 4 choices, of the type of character we could create, which were: Ninja Cat, Samurai Bug, Gargoyle and Private Investigator.

This didn’t necessarily mean we had to stick to the description strictly, but it should still be clear that, that was the initial goal/idea that was chosen by us and how we developed from there. This got people thinking in a different perspective, such as if the characters were animals, or robots, or just somewhat human, like anthropomorphized, where they can emote and do certain things, like a humanoid being could do. So, already my friends and I, came up with a few sketches, ideas and characteristics, a certain character could have. I chose the Ninja Cat, as I already have some knowledge on the way that cats are, due to experiences and seeing them interact and also with ninjas, alongside the training they went through, the lifestyles they had, the martial arts experience they’ve had and much, much more. Moreover, I remember watching of a lot of ninja cartoons as a kid, so that kind of aspect, just sort of stuck with me, so this seemed like more of an easier task, as I can experiment with old feeling and experienced ideas, alongside new ideas and constructive criticism from my peers.

This was my backstory idea for the Ninja Cat (It’s a bit much, but if I decided to make previous characters and backgrounds, to add to the story, then this could be a good push and I already have some details as to how the characters are):

Hiro Fujioshi, is from a long line of historical ninjas and has been trained since he was just a child, as his father, Maiki Fujioshi, couldn’t protect him all the time, he asked a few of his allies and close friends to train his sons. Ryan and Hiro are both brothers, but Hiro always felt like he could be training to impress his father and prove to him that he was more than capable to protect himself whereas Ryan was concerned of Hiro’s health as although this would bring them closer as brothers, may hurt their relationship as a trainer and older brother. As children, Ryan would always tease Hiro but subconsciously they were doing more ninja training and practices, as just not that dramatic and open in public, most just a few chases and tricks. As they grew older, went to school and further their education together, they would never leave each other for anyone, Hiro would try to sneakily enroll in any other martial arts to further his training as a ninja, to protect his Father’s legacy, if needed... Ryan knew of this and told their father and Maiki strictly said to never use training outside of home, unless absolute necessary. Ryan and Hiro carried on their education and childhood, although at times Hiro would get mad about not unlocking his full potential as his father would dishonor him, if he were to disobey him, but how could he? His father was everything to him, alongside Ryan, his flesh and blood, an angel always trying to watch over him and their legacies. Hiro and Ryan are now in their mid 20’s, trying to figure out how to eventually settle for a normal or secret life, separately or together. Ryan wants to have a normal life, with his girlfriend and eventually a few kids together, whereas Hiro wants to stay back home, train and help his father in whatever tasks he ask of him.

After coming up with a massive backstory and jotting down a few ideas, alongside a few sketches, just as a reference and scale of things (without much details), the main object from there was to try and create a moodboard with a bunch of colours, images, thumbnails and reference, that we would use to collect and draw in information, towards our inspiration for our characters. As I chose ‘Ninja Cat’, I looked at pictures of a few cats, ninjas, colour schemes, weapons and shows that I had seen, where there was already some either, resemblance to both different aspects of the idea, being either part ninja or cat, with some alterations or other ways that a ninja cat was already drawn and then from there, picking out the things that makes it stand out, like shape and size.

Next, I had to try and come up with small background story to identify what kind of character, this would be. Personality and appearance was the first things I thought of, as it would help by seeing the situations in the now, as then I could then build up a story to add to such characteristics, relating them to the past via story and indication as to how the character would react to it, whether that be in an emotional, mental or physical state. E.g. a recurring wound injury could be shown, like a scar, which could be explained as a previous fight or battle with an enemy or that an over built rage ‘mode’ could occur, when a certain trigger word/phrase is said/shown, resulting in the character to react harshly and go angry. This was a key factor to coming up in more of personality trait of what and how the character is, and the background story would reveal as to why they are like that.  

Following that decision, we would have to try out some poses, model sheets and turnarounds. This was to try and finalise what kind of shape and size our characters were, in comparison to other ideas. Coming up with the poses and models, would lead us to think towards what type of character we created, mainly personality based e.g. mean, nice, angry, happy etc. In terms of shapes, we were shown that subconsciously, certain shapes, have a different meaning.

Afterwards, we looked at turnarounds and this is where It got a little tricky. At this point we mainly finalised our designs with that the shape and size would look like, to attempt to match the brief descriptions we wrote about them too.  To attempt the turnaround, I would try and atleast try to draw the character out, but try and make it look towards a perspective as best as I could, but because I couldn’t figure out a way to ‘twin’ some shapes, so that it would look the same, but also tried a ¾ angle, to show off certain details and extras, such as shadows and physical attributes like weapons or injuries, that would seem more detailed. If I drew them more flat, like straightforward, some aspects may not have been seen quite clearly, which is what I thought at first, but then realised, that other views would then show it more clearly, but atleast I could try and more attempts, for the better 360 degree view, with as many poses, I could try out with that Ninja Cat. There was also an attempt to try and make a 3D model, which would enhance the depth factor a bit more too, and I have got the sketches and idea to try and plan it out, however my model work in 3D isn’t that good and at this point just looked like shapes put together, it most likely looked worse than my drawing, so I just stuck with sketching and drawing, although next time, I can try and attempt it again, but maybe split it up into sections and then try adding details, to give a sense of direction and then from there re-arrange it, like puzzle pieces.

Looking how the character should be drawn out and the poses, emotions and feelings, it should have, should vary and have some structures and exaggerations to them, to help them look clearer and more appealing. I had to see if the character had a strong silhouette, so that the actions that occurred, were clear to be distinguished also, try to exaggerate some movement as added clarity. Alongside this, I had t make it seem like the character had balance when posing and have emotions to react with that, to push the feelings further. E.g. a crouch would have more of a lower centre of gravity.

Back onto an easier idea and topic: colour theory. Basically, to make a character more appealing and have some experimentation as to what the character could look like, including any special features, if it has any. Firstly, looking at colourway, which was just mainly to make the characters skin a different colour. So, I experimented with both ninja and cat like colours, mainly blues, greys and browns and then maybe some externals being a contrasting alternate colour to the skin, presenting off the next part of colour theory.

The colour wheel. Mainly consisting of 3 primary, secondary and tertiary colours. This would help to push and find out if the colour was pre-determined for the character or if it were intentionally placed upon. Usually upon colours, words like “Shade, tones, tints, hues”, get thrown around and this a brief description of what they are:  

Shade and Tints: Tints are colours mixed with white to increase brightness and vice versa, shades are colours mixed with black to increase darkness.  

Hue and chroma: Hue is normally the colour itself, (one of the primary, secondary or tertiary colours), but chroma tends to rely on the saturation of that colour, to make it seem more vibrant or dull.

When colouring in, there are 3 main types of structures, people tend to go to:

Complimentary colour: where opposite colours attract each other e.g. red and blue, yellow and purple

Triad: Tends to form an equilateral triangle between 3 colours.

Analogous: continuous partnering colours, usually around 3-4 +. dependent on the character idea and intuition.

Finally moving to colour psychology. The idea that certain colours have certain meanings to them and sometimes subconsciously you’ll think to this idea of a specific colour. For Example: Red can mean hate and anger, but relative to genre, can also mean love, lust and excitement. Similarly, with Blue. It could mean someone is scared and sad, but in an action scene, could mean that they are courageous and have protective natures. In easily recognised stories such as comic books, heroes are usually depicted with strong vibrant colours, mainly the primary colours, usually sending off the vibes that they are the strong leaders and primary choice, whereas the villains are more likely the secondary colours, as if they are the complete opposites of the primary, subconsciously like added the evil thoughts like “they are not good enough to be a hero, so why not a villain instead”, sort of deal. Moreover, they tend to have characteristics that linger to what the hero can do and do the complete opposite. For example, Spider-Man's, wears red and blue, symbolising courage, hope, some fear, anger etc, with a villain like Venom, who wears Black, symbolising evil and impurity, with similar powers but with the wrong intentions to use that kind of power, resulting in the irresponsibility's they occur with, which ironically is the opposite of what Spider-Man's, Uncle Ben told him, which was: “With great power, comes great responsibility”, which Deadpool later butchered with the saying, “With great power, comes great irresponsibility”, but also has a sense of balance, since there can never be a full sense of accomplishment or fulfilment, since neither side would have their win because there would be no equal balance between the two. No good without evil. Yin and Yang, the equality that with good, some bad would linger and vice versa. So, now I just had to go back and see if I had to make any final changes to what colour I should have my Ninja Cat be, but if I further the idea, then my psychological colour theory would have to become inverted to match the character and backgrounds, to match how characters and environments feel for a specific scene.

Finally unto the last bit: Marquette building.

Like my work with anything 3D, its gonna be bad, but that’s not going to stop me, I will try and put my efforts into it. Even if it becomes a stick, it will be a detailed stick!  

Step 1: To plan out the scale and measurements of the character and gather resources, mostly wires, cutting tool and clay. Other items such as masking tape or foil can be used to create more stronger and sturdy features if needed.

Step 2: use the thin and thick wires to measure out and plan, which parts need to go where. The thicker wires will act as sturdier bones structures, whereas the smaller ones for more malleable movements, dependant to the kind of metal you are using.  

Step 3: place on some tape and foil to add some details and textures if necessary, alongside with keeping the armature hollow but still sturdy, if some things have different weight shifts.

Step 4: Slap on the plasticine / clay and build around the model, until some layers are added and you can sculpt and shape you’re armature into the character design you wanted.

Step 5: Cry, because I can’t do the sculpting bit and have ended up with a bulk on clay that looks like stick figure, but don’t worry I was still going to try and advert this mess into something a bit more presentable. Due to my character being a ninja cat, I wanted him to be in a ninja pose, so I attached an anchor point to his back and tried to pose him in a way that it looked like he was kicking through the air... That failed. I feel like that was due to the fact I made him too heavy and the armature kept falling down and breaking apart (note for next time, slap on a little less clay and maybe don’t slap it on). So, to improvise upon that, I made the appendages bend down in a way to make it look like he is kicking from the floor, in the more natural cat like way, compared to a human where he would be, but wasn’t standing up. It was a small improvised scenario but knowing the time schedule and the effort I did put in, scrapping the model would be a waste of resources and this seemed like a smaller, easier fix to attempt, as it worked with the character. In conclusion, here is my kicking, off the floor, Marquette Ninja Cat:

[bluepenguinstories]

Happiness Overload Chapter Sixteen

″Winry?″ Wheezed a tiny voice, uttered from one asleep for days.

Staring into the image of another may have conjured something. Whatever the word 'Winry' meant, it meant nothing to me. There may have been a loss for words, or a greeting to this awakened guest, such as a ″good morning.″ Instead, what was said was a far different reaction entirely.

″TRENT, YOUR PATIENT JUST WOKE UP AND CALLED ME WINRY!″

It's not like I didn't want to help people. It's just that all those years of medical school and interning in a hospital never prepared me for this.

I let out a professional sigh. When I lifted my head, she was standing right behind me.

″Would you like to meet them?″ She asked. I admit, I was curious. My more rational mind was telling me to seek the authorities, take this stranger to the hospital, but I knew she would insist that we keep this person here and recover, just as she's insisted every other time I tried bringing it up. Wonder what good sense has ever done when it comes to her.

″I suppose. I mean, I still can't believe all this is really happening,″ I muttered.

″Neither can I, but what can you do? They would be dead right now if not for us.″

From the sound of things, one couldn't be faulted for assuming a situation like this was from a TV show, and not real life.

Is this a Truman Show sorta thing? The Trent Show? That wouldn't make for a very good premise. The ratings would plummet fast.

Few paces through the hall, in the guest room of my apartment. That's where my 'patient' was resting. However, when I got there, they were sitting up with a perplexed expression fixed on their face.

″I tried clapping, but for some reason I couldn't move my other hand!″ They exclaimed.

″Not usually the reaction someone has upon finding out they've lost an arm...″ I blurted out.

They looked over, eyes widened. Shocked, surprised. Those were appropriate reactions.

″Well, how about that? I guess it's never too late to learn to write with your other hand,″ they observed, astonished, but still not reacting the way a normal person would.

She pulled out a chair and propped it up next to our guest. She sat down and folded her hands under her chin, presenting herself as some sort of researcher observing a creature in the wild.

″Tell me, what happened to you?″ She asked, straight and to the point.

″I'd love to!″ Burst the black haired stranger, still barely awake and yet so full of energy. ″...Except, I don't remember a goddamn thing!″ The patient laughed for a bit, then sighed.

″Nothing at all?″

″Well, okay, I remember bits and pieces. Memories are a tricky thing, aren't they?″

She nodded. I couldn't help but nod too.

″It's like a dream. If I don't focus on it, I'll forget it all. As it is now, there are only bits and pieces,″ they added.

″Could you tell me what those bits and pieces are?″ She requested, her voice soft enough that anyone denying such a request would be a fool.

″Something about time cube...non-euclidean architecture...pyramids...flashbulbs...″

Sounds like the ramblings of a conspiracy theorist, a thought barged in, not one I invited, but one that showed up nonetheless.

″What if I really did wake up from a dream?″ They added. ″What if I don't have any prior experiences, memories are just dreams, and here I am, being born for the first time? Born with only one arm. Isn't that just the saddest thing you ever heard? I don't have a life before, only dreams.″

They huffed and puffed, their breathing becoming intense.

″I don't think that's the case,″ she reassured, or dismissed. ″But I couldn't say for certain.″

″Yeah, that doesn't actually make sense,″ they agreed. So much for shock. Whoever this person was, they were more at ease over a situation that would have likely left most traumatized.

″Trent and I found you in a park. We thought you were a corpse. You were all bloody and torn up, missing your arm. Trent,″ she turned her head in my direction. ″Concluded that you were still alive, so I urged him to take you back to his place.″

″It's true,″ I chimed in. ″I didn't really have the space for it, and I was reluctant, but my sister-in-law can be quite stubborn.″

″Sister-in-law?″ They asked.

″Oh, it's nothing,″ she brushed aside. ″I'm just engaged to his sister.″

″I still can't believe it,″ I muttered.

She smiled. ″It is rather amazing, but what can I say? Sometimes these things just happen. You don't always know who you're going to fall in love with.″

″No, not that,″ I shook my head. ″My sister took a liking to you almost immediately. Talking about this person we took in.″

″Who? Me?″ They asked, trying to point to themselves, but with the missing arm.

″Yes. By all accounts, you should have died.″

″Trent! Insensitive!″ She scolded.

″Right. Where's my bedside manner?″ I scolded myself as well. ″I don't mean to be so blunt, but it's really quite the miracle.″

″Miracle or coincidence,″ she added. ″You're a doctor with enough medical supplies in your apartment to run a home clinic if you wanted to.″

″I just said I don't have the space for that! This room is tiny enough as it is!″

She huffed. ″I'm glad we were able to save a life, whoever this person may be. It may seem a little too convenient, but it would have put a damper on my day if I had to call the authorities because I found a corpse in the park.″

Neither she nor I know tact, do we?

Our unknown guest poked at their lump of flesh that was once an arm. ″It feels all weird and gross. Makes me uncomfortable,″ they traced their finger down a little through the air. ″My elbow was probably here.″

The sight was making me uncomfortable as well. She didn't seem fazed by it. For a second I thought she might have been amused, but if she was, that feeling passed as she ignored what she was seeing.

″Could you tell me your name?″

″Nope!″ They squeaked. ″I have no clue what it is! It's like I have selective amnesia or something. It's not like I've forgotten how to tie my shoes or anything, but my name? Oh yeah!″

This really is like the plot of a bad TV show, ran another thought, this one looking like it was gearing up for a marathon.

″It's like you're a blank slate,″ she stated.

″I'm here to chew ass and kick bubblegum!″ I exclaimed, my inner nerd getting the best of me.

She blinked. ″What?″

″You must not have been to that part of the 80s,″ I gave a playful scoff.

″Indeed. I don't get the reference,″ she nodded.

″They Live! One of the greatest movies of all time and definitely John Carpenter's best, hand's down! You gotta watch it sometime!″ I gushed.

″I'll look into it. Why do you bring it up?″

″The main character's like a blank slate as well! I forget the character's name, but who cares? It's got everything a good movie needs! Action, social commentary, wrestlers, one-liners, aliens, John Carpenter, you name it!″

No comment. Which meant I had no choice but to continue.

″It's about a stranger who shows up in a city and finds these glasses that shows the world being controlled by capitalism and the masses are all manipulated by consumerism and that the rich are aliens in disguise hellbent on keeping their power over humanity.″

″Dude. Spoilers,″ my patient scolded, who in my opinion, was angry over nothing.

″Doesn't sound far from the truth,″ she replied, her voice indicating an awareness I could never know. She turned her attention back to the patient.

″So, you don't remember your name. What if I were to give you one?″

″I wouldn't mind!″ They grinned.

″Very well,″ she let a smile slip as well. ″How does 'Blanc' sound? It doesn't quite sound the same as blank, but close enough, right?″

They laughed. ″Sure! And my last name could be 'Slait'!″

God, it would be so terrible if someone with that same name already exists, less a thought and more a tomato shot through a cannon found its way into the same room with the previous thoughts as my palm found its way onto my face, covering the entirety of it.

″Nice to meet you, Blanc Slait. You should get some rest. You're still recovering,″ she instructed, before leaving the room.

I felt awkward still standing there, so I did my best to say something.

″I know this all seems really strange, but we're good people. Things will get better for you, I'm sure of it.″

Blanc leaned forward, trying to move the stump that was once their arm.

″Oh shit, I can't give a thumbs up,″ they grimaced. ″The sentiment is there, I think...″

I tried to crack a smile, but couldn't.

″Strange things happen everywhere,″ they added. ″Just because you've encountered some things out of the ordinary doesn't mean you've experienced everything.″

″Why?″ Was the single word uttered by a gray mass of flesh. Or, if you could call it flesh. Whatever alien material it could be, it was what covered the body of the one who asked me the question. Whatever you want to call it, it was repulsive.

″WHY? BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!″ I screamed.

I shrugged. My limbs were weak, but my will was strong. Right then, my will was telling me to shrug. So I did. This human's troubles were not my troubles. What other response was I supposed to give.

″You came to me asking for my help with the assumption that I could help you. You want to get out of here, back to the city you're from. You say you have no way to get here. You say I can help you. Assuming I can, I must ask again: why?″

Looks of desperation. That's what I noticed. Thin-skinned humanoid, malnourished, broken glasses, a shell. The shell spoke.

″I'll never come back here! I'll let all of you live!″

I shrugged again. ″Do you think I care whether or not you come back? Or whether or not any of us lives? I could die right now and I wouldn't have a single regret.″

″So then what? What do you want?″

That day was one for the record books. 'Shrugfest', they would call it. The most amount of times shrugged in a single day by yours truly, Tim.

″Why do you think I want anything? All I asked you is why.″

″Argh!″ The specimen roared, stomping and tearing out bits of hair. ″I don't get it, then! 'Why' what?″

Fourth time. You already know what.

″Why do you want to return?″

Deja vu struck.

″No, don't answer that. It's 'because I don't know what to do', isn't it?″ I asked, and if my body was a little less sluggish, I would crack a smile. ″Only before, you were thinking that I was asking 'why should I help you?' The funny thing is, your answer before is the same answer it would be now. Yes?″

″You know, I really hate you Beiges.″

″Beiges...Beige...some people really have trouble figuring out which one it is. I don't know why.″

″You think you're so funny, huh? You think you're so clever? All you guys ever do is smoke weed and not have individual names!″

″Excuse you. I don't smoke weed and my name is Tim,″ I corrected. I may not be one to get angry, but I would rather someone not spread false information.

″Are those your defining character traits? That's it? Honestly, how are you Beiges ever going to rule over humanity?″

″I'd like to think I have more individuality than my brethren.″

This human has the nerve to come to my room, invade upon my sheepskin rug, walk around my bowl of Cheerios, and accuse me of being like the ones downstairs? The audacity.

This bespectacled, disheveled creature drew a deep breath, then exhaled. While doing so, fingers fluttered about. It must have been some mating ritual for humans. I shrugged.

″Okay, okay. I need to calm down. Conrad, get a hold of yourself. You may have lost your leverage, you may have to resort to working with yet another enemy, but you can get through this,″ the being muttered to themselves.

″You already know, though, don't you? I mean, I'm only about to tell you this because I don't care and neither do the ones downstairs,″ I began. ″We are the last of our kind. What you see is what you get. There was a time when we were interested in ruling over Earth. We had many a great technology. We even worked, hand in hand, with The Flashbulb. But of course, they got greedy and stole from us and left us stranded. Sure, they've got plenty of smart people on their team, but they wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as they did if they hadn't taken our stuff.″

Conrad, I take it, pushed up their broken glasses, in what must have been a force of habit.

″Oh, I know. I also know there's something you're not telling me. But that's okay, because I already know.″

I sucked on a cheerio. It was a better use of my time than shrugging.

″I've seen leaked emails. You guys have bred with humans long ago. Who knows how many Beige humans there are out there, running amok, weaving a web over society from within? But I know one thing. One such offspring has made themselves very known.″

″You don't mean?″ I started shivering. No longer able to shrug it off. The implications...

I sucked on another cheerio in anticipation.

″Oh boy do I ever. I don't know how, but if you help me out, I can put a stop to this offspring.″

I tossed a handful of cheerios in my mouth and started sucking.

' ″You know, you're being awfully dramatic when everything's chill, right?″ I replied, mouth full of cheerios.

I could see Conrad ready to blow up.

″I can tell you how to get out of here,″ I offered.

″Oh, let me guess: out the front door?″ Conrad scoffed.

That was clever. Wish I thought of that.

″No, I was thinking more Cairo. I don't know how you'd get to your intended destination from there, but you're smart. You'll figure it out.″

I shrugged. That was an appropriate shrug. Been a long time coming.

″Knowing that there's a way fills me with determination!″ Conrad declared.

″See? Problem solved. Now, here's what you gotta do...″

″Sir?″ The word floated, images moved on well over a hundred small screens, all at my disposal. I was unsure whether or not I would be granted a response from my superior, but it was worth bringing up what I saw, all the same.

″What is it, private? Can't you see I'm busy stroking my mustache. My long, thick, pulsating mustache,″ he explained. As if he had any reason to. I did not need that image in my head and he knew it.

″Someone just tried climbing over the fence at our main gate.″

″Is that so?″ He asked.

″It's okay, though. They were shot down immediately. Didn't even make it far off the ground.″

″Why bring it up, then?″ He growled.

″It's the most activity we've had in a while. Someone must be off their rocker to think they can just climb over and waltz right in.″

I've seen this before, somewhere buried in my past. Just five years back. My underling, sitting at the desk, may not think much of it, but those memories still haunt me.

″In all my years, there has been but one who has broken in and lived.″

″Oh?″ Private Goodwill perked up.

″Yes, and if I ever see Jo-Ann again, I will be the one to personally execute her,″ I swore, yanking at my mustache with furor and ever increasing intensity.

″Right. The one that got away,″ Private Goodwill sighed.

″She made a disgrace of our very institution!″ I gritted my teeth. ″I remember it clear as day – all the new recruits lined up on the field. I was pacing about, examining each and every one of them. She was not among them. That should have been the first clue that something was off.″

I began. I would have preferred to suppress such memories, but once the blood starts rushing, it's hard to keep it all down.

″'Recruits!' I barked. 'From this day forth, you shall work around the clock, watching over this facility and all the equipment we keep. Although we have provisions in place to make sure no one gets in, or out, without our authority, as an added measure, each and every one of you will not have contact with the outside world. Internet and landlines will be strictly monitored. Anyone attempting to make contact will be executed with no remorse.'″

″I could sense the beads of sweat on each of their faces. Everything was going good. Fear had been established.″

″'Do I make myself clear?' I demanded. Before any of them could say 'Yes, sir', out of the corner of my eye, there she was, running forth. Failing to blend in with the crowd. Yet she wore the same equipment as the rest of us.″

″She bent to her knees, trying to catch her breath. When she finally stood up, she did the typical salute. 'Apologies! Couldn't find my way around! This place is like a maze!' I must have at least popped three veins. I couldn't believe it! That was her fucking excuse?″

Private Goodwill yawned. ″This is an excellent monologue, sir, but I'd really like to focus and make sure there are no more anomalies.″

He stared back at the screen, but my mustache and I would not allow such disrespect.

″There's not a lot to do around here, you know that as well as I do! Every portion of this facility is properly staffed to deal with each little thing. If I'm going to tell a story, I'm damn well going to tell a story.″

″Fine,″ Goodwill sighed. ″You've got me there. Continue.″

″So I made an example of her. It was the only way to contain my rage.″

″'What is your name, cadet?'″

″'Jo-Ann, sir!'″ She chirped. The tone was all wrong. Something didn't add up, and even though I didn't know what, I knew she was to blame.″

″'Well, Jo-Ann', I began, then pulled out my radio transceiver. 'Major Craft, please report to the barracks. We've got a case of insubordination'. After I put the transceiver away, I turned back to her. 'You're about to experience true fear.'″

″She smirked. 'What? Fear? And here I thought I'd love craft!'″

″I seethed. Grinding my teeth and hissing curse words under my breath. My mustache and I were in distress. Luckily, approaching from just out of the metal doors was Major Craft.″

″'Oh, you're in for it now', I told her. 'Those escorted by Major Craft experience torture beyond their wildest imaginations. Forget waterboarding, the things he'll do will make that seem like watersports! By the time we're through with you, you'll wish you had been killed.'″

″She smirked, but said nothing. The gall! It was like she wasn't even fazed by my speech. All the other recruits were quivering in their loins!″

″Well, yeah,″ Private Goodwill butted in. ″Major Craft's just some scrawny, old, white guy.″

My mustache and I would learn to ignore his comment. It was true, but Major Craft deserved more respect than that.

″He approached the line and croaked in his weary voice 'what seems to be the trouble, sergeant?'″

″'Cadet Jo-Ann here', I pointed to the perpetrator as I told him. 'Has shown my mustache and I the worst attitude. She must be thoroughly punished.'″

″He scratched his chin. 'Indeed,' he agreed. He shuffled on over to where Jo-Ann was and whipped out a metal rod, surging with electricity. He grabbed her arm with his free hand and proceeded to take her away.″

″She turned to me and grinned. 'Lemme guess,' she said. 'This is that trope where the guy grabs the powerful girl's arm and somehow she's powerless?'

″You know what I did, Private? I pulled out my assault rifle that was hanging off my back, and pointed it at her. I said: 'that's right! And if you don't go with Major Craft, I'll kill you right here on the spot. So don't fuck around!'″

″Wow. Must've given ol' Jo-Ann the heebie-jeebies,″ Private Goodwill replied, sounding unimpressed. I reached for my glock. If it wasn't for my mustache holding me back, I would have shot Goodwill on the spot. No one needed to look at so many monitors anyway.

I stared at the metal tiles underneath me. ″No,″ I muttered.

″You say something, Chief?″ Goodwill responded.

″God damn it! No! Jo-Ann wouldn't wipe that smug look off! Major Craft prodded her with the tranquilizing rod and that should have been the end of it. She winced and looked to over, convulsing, but maintaining composure. It made me sick. Like she just had to put on a show. 'Fine by me,' she heaved her words. 'I'll play along'.″

″That should have been the end of it. Major Craft grabbed Jo-Ann's arm and walked her back into the building where she would face unspeakable torture. I turned to the cadets and pointed my assault rifle at each of them. 'Let that be a lesson! If any of you speak out of line, walk out of line, do anything that does not align with our standards, you will be shot on sight, or worse!'″

″Hm. And that wasn't the end of it?″ Egged Goodwill.

″I thought it would be. I really did...″

I didn't like to show weakness. My greatest weakness, however, was this story that would haunt me to the grave. How I let such a miscreant get away, tarnish the reputation of Groom Lake, it besmirches the very name of Sergeant Michaels. I should have been demoted.

″Just as I was about to debrief the cadets and put that incident past me, I get something on my transceiver.″

″'Wanna help me knit a sweater?'″ the voice said. It sounded old, earthen. World weary. As if to imitate Major Craft. But I knew better. Major Craft's voice was more like an aged wine mixed with the sweat of my mustache.″

″Ew,″ Private Goodwill commented. I would be sure to shut him up very shortly.

″'What?!' I barked. 'The fuck is this? Where is Major Craft?'″

″That crotchety old bag?' The voice revealed its true colors, belonging to the one who called herself Jo-Ann. 'Shot him. Did you really expect me to comply? That ain't me. I just needed a way to get in.'″

I cleared my throat. Was about to choke. ″'Who are you really?' I demanded.″

″The voice snickered before saying: 'Just your friendly neighborhood fabric store. Now if you excuse me, I have a ship to steal!'″

″Isn't this place like, worse than Fort Knox or something, though?″ Goodwill pondered.

″That's what it should be! And yet this person calling herself Jo-Ann not only got in, but killed Major Craft, and stole a ship! We sent hundreds of soldiers, lasers, drones, but she was nowhere to be found! It was like we were dealing with a ghost!″

″That's all very interesting, sir, but Major Craft is still alive. I just saw him last week. Still old, but alive.″

″What? You dare disrespect the dead? My mustache and I will not tolerate --″

″Furthermore, sir, as great as your story was, I remember a Jo-Ann that you personally trained. She started as a cadet, went through the ranks, eventually became a Lieutenant, and earned your respect. She even seemed well on her way to surpassing you.″

I paused. It was coming back to me. Why I remembered things the other way...it didn't make any sense. It was as if I had two different instances of the same person.

″One day, she just vanished and you vowed to kill her if you ever saw her.  Ever since her disappearance, you tell a different story about her, which is weird, but I listen because every time because you threaten to kill me.″

My mustache twitched. So did my trigger finger.

Before I could reach for my assault rifle, the lights flickered. An unusual thing for a place such as this. Private Goodwill noticed the anomaly too.

″So much for florescent,″ he joked. Something was amiss. Before I could comment, everything went dark.

″Hey!″ The voice receiver on my Prinny armor reacted. ″The power cut out. I think there's been a break in! The sensors are definitely picking up something!″

In just a second, the backup generators would pick back up, and just as they would, I would already be well on my way to catching the culprit.

″Thank you, Clippy,″ I replied to the voice at the other end of the receiver.

There was a heavy sigh. ″For the last time, that's not my name.″

I ignored it and went out into the halls. I had a gut feeling who was behind all this. After all these years...

″Jo-Ann...″

Someone climbed over the electric fence. Or tried. They didn't get very far before getting shot down. They would've been a goner anyway what with the fence being electric and all. Never understood fanatics, if we're being honest. Some people just want to see what those soldiers are guarding. If they knew the truth, they would be unimpressed. Or wouldn't know what to do with said information.

There were a few cars huddled out. No one seemed the least bit concerned about the person who was just shot.

This really is like a tourist trap, I couldn't help but think.

I watched the scene unfold from a safe distance with the camera, using it as a sort of binoculars. Not the intended use, but it wasn't like I was about to take pictures.

I looked behind me before making my way to the place that could have very well spelled my death.

My eyes grew wide.

The forest was no more.

Back to desert plains.

″No need to mull over such things,″ I shook my head and groaned. ″I've gotta go and get myself into trouble.″

″Huh?″ I remarked.

The highway close to our base transformed within an instant into a forest. No explanation, no forces of our own at work.

″Did any of you guys see that?″ I leaned into my computer and asked around.

I got a few responses from other departments in the facility, each saying they did, but weren't responsible. Of course they weren't. None of us were. If someone here was, I would have known about it.

″Sarge, did you see this?″

No response. I overheard the Sergeant recite his Jo-Ann story. When will the muscled idiot get it through his thick mustache that Jo-Ann was just an alias? I tuned him out and switched channels, eavesdropping my way to two soldiers discussing their lives before coming here. Husbands, wives, kids, friends, all that jazz.

″Should have thought about that before you signed on for this place,″ I put in my two cents.

″Huh?″ The two soldiers looked around.

Crap.

″Sorry, guys, didn't think you guys would hear me.″

Should really be more careful. Here I thought I was the tech genius.

Private Goodwill is Sarge's right-hand-man, but his cameras only pick up the general vicinity. I could see and hear the surrounding areas inside and outside. Nothing was off limits. In fact...

″I see you, you little raccoon,″ I whispered. This time also making sure not to have the receiver on so others wouldn't hear.

I grabbed a chunk of beef jerky and bit in, yanking and gnashing away at the juicy bits. Some beef was sure to get stuck in my teeth, but it wasn't like I was here to look pretty.

When I looked back up, she was gone. Faded from view.

″Oh, good going, you let her get out of your sights,″ I gave my arm a light punch.

No matter. I'll catch you, my pretty. And your little dog, too...

As I had that thought, my mind no longer thinking of espionage, Wizard of Oz, or 'Africa' by Toto, and instead thinking how nice it would be to see rain again, the lights flickered.

My monitors dimmed for just a bit. All the lights went out.

″Hey!″ I called out to whoever might listen. Maybe the Sarge was done with his story by now. ″The power cut out. I think there's been a break in! The sensors are definitely picking up something!″

Only a few seconds later, everything was back up. Nothing could keep us down. Yet if someone was able to turn off the electricity, that meant they were able to get in, and if they were able to get in...

″I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work.″

″Wow...″

Velvet was no longer in view. Wherever she was, I hoped that she would be happy. Part of me wished she had stayed with Euphoria and felt the rush of happiness that I felt. Another part of me was too happy to care.

I looked up. The branches of the tree extended past my view. The clouds shifted, the sky was a nice, crisp blue.

″I can't believe this is happening...″ I muttered. My breath made a fog. The desert heat was in full effect and yet in the arms of Euphoria I felt a chill as if it were winter.

″WHAT DO YOU MEAN?″

″Here with you, the one I had been searching for all this time, and now I don't have to do anything else. I could spend eternity with you.″

I looked over to the wreckage of Art's car. Somehow it passed my mind that he had even died. It seemed rude of me, and yet I couldn't break free of what I was feeling.

″Shame what happened to Art, though. Wish he didn't have to die...″

His car went up in flames, as if to add insult to injury.

″FLAMES MAKE THE CAR HAPPY!″

I winced. Euphoria looked down. She must have noticed my dismay.

″WOULD IT MAKE YOU HAPPY IF ART WAS ALIVE?″

″Well...″ I didn't say yes or no. I didn't have to.

Emerging from the flames was a thick shadow, forming into view the figure of Art, a chubby backpacker and fan of cryptids, now seemingly the subject of his own fanatacism. He motioned toward me, looking just like I imagined his burning corpse would look.

He stared at me, leaned over, hands on hips, inches away from my face. I could smell his breath. Minty, with a hint of decay. He opened his mouth wide to form a toothy grin, or as toothy as it could be with many teeth missing, chipped, or covered in blood.

″MOTHMAN?″ He bellowed, only it was too high pitched to be considered a bellow. In fact, it resembled the voice I associated with Euphoria more. I turned to her, my face dull.

″Put it back,″ I requested.

She grinned as well and it felt like her grin would swallow me whole. When I turned back over to see if Art would be grinning as well, he was gone. In fact, the car was still burning. The forest looked like it was about to catch fire. I was left to wonder if such an encounter actually happened.

″WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY RIGHT NOW?″ Euphy asked me. Heh. Euphy. Been a while since I even thought of such a nickname.

″I don't know. I'm just happy to be here with you.″

It felt strange of her to ask. As if she wouldn't know.

I held her tight. Or she held me tight. I wasn't sure which of us did the holding.

″Do you love me?″ I asked. I didn't know why.

She jolted up, let go of me, and stood up. Still beaming, a glowing ray of light surrounding her.

″OF COURSE! I LOVE YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND CONRAD AND CONRAD AND VELVET AND VELVET AND KELLY ROGER AND MARCO AND ART AND TRENT AND ETNA AND ECSTASY AND TIM AND...″ She kept listing names, but after Tim I lost track. Half of those names I didn't recognize, and I was a little confused by the multiple mentions of some of us. I thought I understood the multiple mentions of me, but as for the others...

I looked over. She was still counting names on her fingers. Except with each new name she grew a finger. She must have had hundreds of fingers at that point. She was still counting.

″That's a lot of love...″ I joked.

″OF COURSE!″ She countered, still as brimming with joy as ever. ″LOVE IS THE BEST! ESPECIALLY THE KIND THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! THE WORLD CAN LOVE! THE WORLD CAN BE HAPPY! I JUST KNOW IT!″

My eyes widened. That's right. I forgot. The Beige. What they told me about Euphy.

″Or...″ I mused, hoping wit would be on my side. ″maybe it's enough to just make one person happy.″

″NONSENSE! HAPPINESS IS A GIFT! GIFTS ARE MEANT TO BE SHARED!″

″Can you share that gift with me just a little longer?″ I was being selfish, or maybe I didn't want the world to fall in such a disarray. My mind couldn't tell the two apart at that moment.

She held me once more, and I held her. There was a certain warmth in the air. It could have been that the forest was burning around us, or it could have been the way she made me felt. Considering what she was capable of, it was probably both.

If I just keep holding onto Euphoria forever, maybe then, I'll be happy.

When I opened my eyes, we were still holding onto each other. Her embrace meaning everything. We were no longer in the forest. Or we never moved away from the forest. But we were somewhere else. The vastness of space. Or complete nothingness.

″How am I alive right now?″

″WE'VE BEEN HUGGING FOREVER! ETERNITY OBTAINED!″

I wanted to freak out. I wanted to do something. But I was so calm. Everything was over, but us. We were still alive, or maybe we weren't alive at all. I couldn't tell the difference. I was so happy.

But...

It didn't feel right.

″Can we go back to that moment in the forest?″ I asked, although I don't think my mouth moved the entire time.

She nodded her head with such vigor. Before I could even close my eyes, if they were ever open to begin with, we were back.

I held her tight. Such a being with infinite power and somehow I still wasn't satisfied.

″Why? Why am I not satisfied?″

″YOU'RE WORRIED!″ She squeaked.

″How? What?″ I just had more questions.

″IT'S OKAY! YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY, THOUGH!″

″But why? What am I worried about?″

″YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'VE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE HAPPY! BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO EARN HAPPINESS!″

She was right. I didn't know how, I didn't even know that about myself, but there was no denying it.

″You're right. You're wonderful.″

″I'M A GUARDIAN ANGEL!″

″I just hope Velvet will be okay.″

″SHE WILL BE HAPPY!″ Euphy cheered.

This put me on edge. ″Will she? Even if she dies?″

″DYING IS OKAY IF YOU'RE HAPPY!″

It was my turn. I let go of her. Something brought me back to reality. I shook my head at such a notion.

″No! I won't be happy if she dies!″ I protested.

I took it one step further and got up to my feet. There was definitely a forest fire, but it seemed to avoid us. Not even the smoke dare come near us.

Euphoria stood up as well. Towering over me, becoming as tall as the tree we were once laying under. She leaned down and with her mile wide grinned, spoke:

″WOULD YOU OPPOSE HER HAPPINESS IF IT MEANS SHE LIVES?″

″Yes,″ I closed my eyes and looked up as I spoke the one word that surprised me to say. ″Happily.″

It felt like I added that last bit in to mock her, and yet I didn't mean it that way. Upon opening my eyes, the thing standing in front of me was a creature of indecipherable shape, emitting a foul odor. Millions of arms stretched forth, all with blades for fingers. They all struck me right in the chest, and blood spilled from every orifice. I blinked.

Her warmth was with me once more. She was just as tall as me, in her angel costume and all. Her arms wrapped around my back, her human face nestled against my chest, no blood to be found.

″IF IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY, THEN I WILL SAVE HER!″ She declared.

″Actually, could I do this on my own?″ I begged. ″I don't want to rely on you.″

″VERY WELL!″

″Thank you. I hope to be with you once more when I'm ready. Whenever that may be.″

″YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME! YOU ARE ALREADY EUPHORIA! WHATEVER WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY, I CAN DO!″

I ran off, jumping for joy, kicking my shoes together in the air.

Before the flames could swallow me whole and I either suffocated on the fumes or burned alive, I yelled to her.

″Oh! One request: can you take this fire away? Actually, can you return this to a highway?″

She grinned.

Pressing forward, I ran through dirt, off the side of the road.

Cameras everywhere. Somehow I got the feeling they didn't know where I was yet, but they would soon. I would make sure of it.

I tried opening the breaker on the wall, but no dice. It was locked up with some kind of code. If I had my laptop with me, this whole operation would be a piece of cake. But seeing as I just had to go and make things harder for myself, I would have to make do with the ol' McGuyver method.

″The cameras seem to be picking up an unidentified presence...″ a soldier reported, and if memory served me, to nothing but thin air. As air tight as security should be, everyone is lost in their own little worlds.

Once said soldier came around the corner, with their heavy armor resembling the kind those militarized police wore back in the city I was living underground a few years back, I pulled their arm and kneed them in the face. They grabbed my leg and threw me to the ground. I hissed in pain, but could at least count my lucky stars that my kick managed to knock the soldier's helmet right off.

″Report! Requesting backup!″ The soldier leaned their head into their shoulder and wheezed those words. After making the damning report, they reached over and pointed a heavy rifle with some kind of liquid flowing through in a clear canister. It was something out of a video game, only it was staring me right in the face.

Before I could be blasted into nothingness, I grabbed the rifle with my own hands and shoved it in the soldier's face, knocking them back.

″Oh god oh god oh god...″ I stuttered and repeated back and forth, breathing out of control.

Did I just kill a guy? Who knows? All I know is that this has NOT been my week.

Also I knew one more thing: I had to get a move on, as back up was sure to arrive any second.

I checked for a pulse and let out a sigh of relief.

Within the moment, three soldiers arrive in the same hall, each carrying the same weapons. I'm sure at least three more were going to show up behind me. Good for those blokes. I shoved the rifle against the breaker and pulled the door open.

Buttloads of levers, buttons, and wires. My mind was racing too much.

I stood back and tossed the remaining contents of the canteen at the breaker. No dice, so I rammed the rifle into the breaker, and at once the whole thing blew out.

First a flicker. Then surrounded by darkness. The soldiers started taking their shots, but they each fell over at once, the armor I stripped from one of their brethren caught them all by surprise. They shot into the air, but by then, I shoved past them, stolen rifle still in my hand. I didn't intend to kill, but I was sure I could make use of it somehow.

Bright blue lights came into view.

Goodbye darkness, my old friend, I thought, reciting a song that had nothing to do with my situation.

I knew the power would be back on before long, but damn. Before I knew it, an alarm was sounding and commotion could be heard throughout. I had to use this to my advantage.

″The fuck? How did she manage to throw a prinny set with such force?″ I overheard the yelling.

I'd like to say I was on PCP, but I owe it all to the adrenaline rush I'm feeling.

″There's a fire! She must have be close!″

Well, you aren't wrong.

The fire was a mixture of the sleeping bag and an electrified current.

From what I gathered, they thought I was running toward where I actually came from. What idiots. They were giving me more credit than I was worth. Here I was being all ″metal gear solid″ and crawling in some fucking air vents and they couldn't put two and two together. I mean, I wasn't disappointed to be alive, but you'd really expect more from a top secret facility, y'know?

Mist poured through the vents.

Of course. They know I'm here. Of-fucking-course.

Poison gas. They were hoping to lure me out. To shoot me. Or if they think I won't come out, I'd succumb to the poison. Or if I tried to hold my breath, if I tried to keep myself from getting too exposed, I would suffocate.

With the rifle, I pried the closest vent door open. I tossed it down.

Gunfire erupted from every angle on the floor. My ears rang and might have kept ringing well after the ordeal was over, if I were to survive, in any case.

I peeked down and noticed turrets popped out of the floor.

Couldn't be assed to use real people, I see.

To the right of me was a panel. Some kind of code prevented me from opening it. If I could just think, just for a little bit, I was sure I could open it. The gases were getting to my brain. They would leak out into whatever room the gun fell into, but they were also leaking into my nervous system. My eyelids...

″Jo-Ann! I know you're near!″ Roared a voice I hadn't thought about for ages. That same voice also gave me the jolt I needed to keep moving.

I took a sharp turn through the vents and kicked down the door below. The mist was still getting to me, I knew, but even with my vision blurred and my hands shaking, I managed to pull out the camera and look down. No soldiers. No turrets. Sure, they would detect me just by entering wherever I was about to enter, but it was better than staying cooped up.

When I dropped down, it wasn't a smooth landing. All the blows I've taken that day, the ″car door surfing″, the fight with the soldier, the poison gas, it was all getting to me. My body swayed and my legs wobbled just trying to stand up.

″Jeez, no more rush, huh?″ I mumbled. I hoped no one could hear me. I'm sure, someone, somewhere could see me. ″I'm in the lion's den. I shouldn't have expected things to be easy.″

Around me were rows of lockers. Maybe I could have stolen a new suit of armor in one of them. Or some other nice equipment. Some aspirin. Some antidote. Something to think a rational thought.

Before I could look, though, a door slammed open.

″Jo-Ann! There you are! You thought you could hide from me?!″

I heaved and huffed, my breathing labored. I wiped the saliva from my mouth.

″Can you keep it down? I've got a real bad headache,″ I groaned in response to the raging bull charging toward me.

″Ha! Very funny! Ever the comedian, aren't you?″ Emerged Sgt. Michaels, donning a prinny armor, sans helmet. His thick, black mustache would haunt me to the day I die. His bloodshot eyes...weren't remarkable in the slightest.

I charged at him, feeling tipsy, and attempted to flip him over. Instead he grabbed my arm and held me up.

″What do you know? You really ARE powerless when I grab your arm!″ He growled and gave a hearty laugh for extra measure. I squirmed, his grip tightening. ″You've lost your touch, haven't you? Have you gain weight?″ He mocked me before tossing me across the room, my back slamming against a wall.

″Oh, I'm going to kill you, you can mark my words. But I don't need my guns,″ he tossed his rifle, and a pistol to the side. ″All I need are my bare fists.″

Sgt. Michaels. Well respected ball of rage and a lumbering idiot. I'm sure anyone could see where this was going.

I reached back. The camera was smashed. Glass lens broken. I wondered how many bones of mine were broken as well, if any.

″The funny thing is, you could have lived! The US government stopped caring! You became a non-issue! You're smart, you could have faked an ID, a social security card, something, and gotten yourself a good profession and lived out the rest of your life content! But you just HAD to go and sabotage that for yourself by coming here!″ He ranted before being the one to charge at me.

I got to my feet and swerved out of the way, holding glass shards of the camera in my hand.

″You just don't get it!″ I screeched. ″Self-Sabotage IS my profession!″

Couldn't take a plane. Had no money. No passport. Ended up stowing away in the cargo bay of a cruise ship headed to New York. Still a far cry from where it all began, but I was well on my way.

But why?

The thought told hold. Possessed me. I wanted to put up a sign, telling it that my place of business was closed. That I was no open to constructive criticism.

I unzipped someone's luggage. Snacks of various sort. The kind processed and contaminated with chemicals to control the world's population. The kind Kelly Roger and Velvet had no problem polluting themselves with. I had neither of them by my side at this point. Not even Blanc, in any form or degree of quality.

Where did I go wrong?

Oh, somewhere around the second or third rewrite.

My stomach growled, but I had to resist the urge. Even as I lost everything, I had to keep some of my convictions.

And what would those conditions be?

I opened someone else's luggage. There were fruits; apples, pears, donut peaches...just looking at them made me salivate. It was so tempting, but then I remembered all the pesticides that were sprayed and how most of them were probably clones of each other and not 'natural' fruit. My hunger was enough to disregard that fact for only a second, but I showed restraint.

If I had a computer with me, I could order food from the deep web. But where would I send it to? What am I going to do about food? Maybe I'll resort to cannibalism.

I pinched myself and got to my feet. Just up the stairs were humans, if they could even be called that. I knew for a fact that they were clones. Not even the guards were exempt. They were all filth. Human in name only. Once I get back to the city, I could turn back time, make it so that those abominations never existed. I would find a better Blanc, be upfront, tell them everything.

″There has been an intruder spotted on the ship!″ A voice on the intercom blared. My heart leaped, I turned cold. Colder than I already was. Guards were running my way.

They're going to send a coast guard. Arrest me. No, worse. Once they realized who I was, it was all over for me. They would kill me. Everyone in authority has a connection to The Flashbulb and they must have finally realized that I was never on their side, but using their technology for my own means. I was never a good swimmer, so jumping overboard isn't an option. But I can't allow myself to be captured...

Think, think...

This is a cruise ship. There will be rooms. Cameras all over, but...if they never see me leave the storage bay, and if I can mix in with a crowd, then maybe...

His fists, enhanced with the prinny armor, made the wall crumble. I had to roll once more just to avoid the debris. I rolled further back so he couldn't kick me, knowing him enough that he would try something like that.

I put the glass shards in my pocket and  hanging from the ceiling, climbing a locker and reaching a lampshade.

″She's maneuvering upward,″ I heard a voice speak to Sgt. Michaels. ″I suggest you grab your gun and shoot her while you can.″

″No need,″ he responded. I reached for a glass shard and before I could move further up, a large chunk of debris hit me in the back and sent me falling back to the floor. But before I did so, I intended to leave my mark. I reached and with all my strength, plunged the glass shard in his forehead.

He grabbed my wrist and tried to slam me into the ground, but I swung forth and shoved my legs into his stomach, then with my other hand, pushed the glass shard further.

He let go and started wailing. I dropped down and limped toward his guns.

″She's headed toward...″ The voice began.

″FUCK! I KNOW!″ He yelped.

I could hear his heels. He was charging toward me. I took a quick peek and saw the blood seeping from his forehead. Another roll out of the way and as I made my way to my feet, I pointed the pistol I had stolen. I had just one chance. He was in my sights.

Total darkness. Shot across each one.

I darted toward the next door before I lost sight of where it was.

″She just turned out the lights. She's making her escape.″

″Not on my watch,″ I heard a grunt.

″Maneuver around, the pillar is in front of you.″

Whoever was instructing him was being a real pain in the ass.

This really is Velvet's No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Day, huh?

I was already in the next room over. More lockers. No soldiers. While I would have loved to thank my lucky stars, I began my counterattack by opening each locker I came across, using a bobby pin.

″Fuck's she doing?″ I heard not far from behind me.

Of course. Cameras everywhere. Hidden, too. No way to know where to shoot to destroy them.

″I respected you!″ I heard a roar. He was on my trail. ″But now I have to kill you!″

″She grabbed a dress? The fuck? Also, just so you know, sarge, she's already in another room.″

I swear, I won't die until I find whoever's feeding Michaels that information. Snitches get stitches.

″We're no strangers to this place!″ His voice echoed through every hall I passed. ″You know the rules and so do I!″

″Yeah, yeah, a full commitment's what you're thinking of!″ I yelled back, unsure if he actually heard me.

″You could have killed me! What's the matter? Have some kind of 'no-kill rule'?″

My god, he was ever so loud.

That's not it at all. I just get squeamish seeing corpses.

My head was pounding. My mustache grew brittle, tasting the blood from my forehead. It mingled with my sweat and both my sweat and blood were unhappy with what transpired. I vowed to kill Jo-Ann should the two of us cross paths, and in spite of my vow, yet again she got away.

″Clippy, come in, where is she now?″

No answer. I growled and pressed forward.

I was impressed, but her luck was about to run out.

So I thought, until she looked up and winked, as if to know I was watching, and began to put on the dress, disregarding the danger she was in.

My face grew red and I paused before looking away. When I looked back, she disappeared. I could hear her footsteps, but couldn't tell what direction.

I slammed my fists against the desk and started scanning the monitors.

″Sarge...″ I spoke into the microphone. ″She's close...″

″It's about god damn time!″ He barked. ″What took you so long? Don't you know this is serious business? Here I am hightailing my ass --″

I cut off the feed.

″Yeah, yeah, trespassing is a big deal, I get it,″ I muttered. ″Now let's see...″

I sat atop a table, applying makeup to my face.

″There you are!″ A soldier, not clad in prinny armor, but instead old fashioned tactical gear barged in, pulse rifle pointed at me.

Works for me, I thought.

″Like what you see?″ I teased. For a second, the soldier's weapon lowered before I saw their head shake and pointed the weapon once more, fingers inching on the trigger.

″Fine,″ I huffed. ″Have it your way.″ I dived behind the table, leaned it to the side, and rammed it into the soldier. Their weapon lowered, and before they could make any other moves, I reached for a taser I had grabbed from one of the lockers, removed the soldier's helmet, and charged it into the soldier's neck.

Once I was sure they were unconscious, I let go.

″You weren't my type, anyway.″

″She's approaching a computer lab,″ I informed Sgt. Michaels. Maybe I could get back into his good graces. I wished he would have just killed her when he had the chance and gotten it over with. His vendetta was ruining our success.

″Thanks, babe,″ a hoarse and rough voice, but on a higher register than the sarge's came in.

″You!″ I hissed. The one sarge was trying to kill.

″Nice to meet'cha! Can't wait to see you in person!″ She joked. It was grating. To think, after all she's endured, she still had the nerve..

″You think you're so clever? You're nothing without your technology!″

″To be fair, same could be said for you guys,″ she shot back.

I could hear the stamps of feet, click-clacking.

Her voice came on the receiver once more. ″Go ahead and tell Michaels where I'll be.″

″Sarge! She's...approaching my room...″

″Whoa, buddy!″ Someone rolled their windows down and stopped their car. I stopped to catch my breath. Desperate, I thought of asking the driver if they had any water.

″What'cha doin' runnin' 'cross the highway?″ The driver asked, their voice sounding like one of those surfers in California. The car stunk of weed, which made me want to cry. I missed being with the Beige and listening to their stories.

″Trying to get to Area 51,″ I pointed forward, probably looking like an idiot in the process.

″Far out! Same here, brah! Wanna lift?″

I wanted to say yes, but then I thought of Art. What trouble I got him into and now he's...hopefully...still a corpse.

″No thank you. I'd rather go it alone. Kinda need the exercise.″

The driver looked confused. I didn't know what to say. I don't think the driver did either.

″Uh...if you want to help, maybe you can spare some water?″

″Totes, brah! Gotta bottle here!″ I was thrown a bottle of water. Plastic bottles weren't really my thing, but I shrugged. Water is water.

″Thanks, uh, 'bra'?″ I didn't understand why surfer dudes liked to refer to people as underwear. Perhaps that was just one of those unsolved mysteries that went even deeper than such things as Area 51.

″No prob! Hang loose, brah! Gonna go hop the fence!″

I waved as the stranger drove past. Maybe it was stupid of me not to catch the ride, but I wasn't about to endanger someone in my own quest. After a few gulps from the bottle of water, I went back to running toward the facility.

Please be okay, Velvet, I thought. I had nothing to help her, but that wasn't going to stop me. I would ask Euphoria for help if I had to, even going against my previous word. Something Euphoria had said was nagging at me.

Would you oppose her happiness if it means she lives?

I stopped in my tracks.

″No way...″

She left much of her equipment on the ship. She was planning on going there from the beginning. She's trying to get herself killed.

″Even if that's the case, I won't let it happen,″ I declared and pressed on.

″What are we doing in this parade, anyway?″ Kelly Roger asked.

Balloons, floats, dancers, candy and confetti. I looked around with shame. Such shame that I was posing as a composer for a marching band and forced myself into watching such happy people. Joy on each and every face. Even the town crier, Kelly Roger, smiling ear to ear, even while trying to deny it.

The timing was off. It would fall into place, but I had to stall. Thinking about it all, I started to have second thoughts about the very thing I spent years putting into motion. Different series of the same events started to roll out. End credits in the middle of a film. Stay tuned for the sequel, where the exact same thing happens, in reverse order...

″Do you think it's right for me to insert myself into all these lives?″

″Um...Marco?″

I knew what would transpire given enough time.

″Please, call me Belial.″

Kelly Roger's head shook.

″I don't get it, but okay.″

I got out an umbrella. About a mile away, a building exploded. Police rushed to the scene. Soon they would declare it a terrorist attack. All the whole, the parade would go on, those overseeing the show not wanting to upset the masses. Not that they could be upset, anyway.

″I've got frogs in high places,″ I explained to Kelly Roger, before opening the umbrella and stepping out of the parade.

Merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream...

A mother whispering to a child. Faded scene. Cradle or a twin-size bed. Face blurred out. Whispering a lullaby. Soon the child drifts back to sleep.

″Fear not,″ she says. ″You won't remember any of this.″

Much taller. Whispering back.

″What is there to remember?″

″There was something you were doing. You came here for a reason. You had a quest. You failed your quest. But it's O.K. You can rest.″

Silver hair. Black hair. Blurring and meshing. Wires in the frame, wires above the bed. Ornaments or dried parts of sacrificed animals. Looking back up at the comforting face. Not a face at all. Silver with black streaks or black with silver streaks.

Zebra? Or sick horse?

Child running, two feet taller than before. Bed shrinking.

Running a fever.

I jolted up, the blanket sliding off of me, bandages revealing themselves, and a pain shooting through my arms. I looked beside myself.

Just one arm.

The dream, it was fading. But what was said was a lie. I remembered. Maybe not what I needed to remember, but I remembered something. Tears welled up in my eyes. The darkness surrounding me meant no one else was around to see or hear me.

″I failed my quest...″

″Who might you be?″ I stood outside the door, pistol pointed at the glass. Sitting down at a desk situated with many monitors was a girl, blue hair, like raspberry cotton candy. Obviously dyed.

″Mavis,″ she replied, not even giving me any mind. I couldn't open the door without a code. Not that I gave a damn. All I needed was for her to know that I meant business.

″Ha! What kind of name is that?″

She sighed. ″My parents named me after Mavis Beacon, their favorite typing application. They thought typing was the way of the future. Taught me to type with many keyboards starting when I was about four years old.″

″Wow, embarrassing.″

″And you?″

″I'm V—″

″Velvet. I know. I was just trying to humor you.″ I was taken aback, but I tried to play it cool.

″Actually, I was going to say Viola, but that works too.″

″You probably figure you're fine now that you found me,″ she changed the subject. Now that I gave her a good look, I could tell there were some serious eye baggage. ″I'll give you credit, most people can't even get near our facility without getting killed.″

″Helps that I've been here before,″ I replied with a shrug.

″You're not safe. Any minute now, the Sergeant will find you, and if he doesn't finish you off, I have lasers ready to fire at my command.″

″Oh yeah. That guy. You two seem to be real buddy-buddy. Are you guys some kind of item?″

She scoffed. ″Oh, please. I'm a lesbian.″

I pretended to get out a notepad and jot that down, using the pistol I was carrying as a makeshift pen.

″What are you doing?″ She squinted.

″Just filling out your character bio.″

″Is this all a joke to you?″

″Just need a bit of levity to keep myself sane.″

″In that case, you're going to need all the humor you can. You can't keep yourself sane. You had no reason to return to this place, and yet here you are, and for what reason?″

″That's for me to know and you to never find out.″

She scoffed and looked back at her monitor. Not very pleased with my answer, I see.

″You're probably thinking that we're so similar.″

Actually, I was thinking, if I had her setup, I'd obliterate her.

″But you wanna know the difference? I don't have to be a troll to be happy.″

″What's that supposed to mean?″

″I'm just fine keeping my mouth shut and putting my skills to use. You, on the other hand, go looking for trouble.″

″Keeping your mouth shut? That's no way to live.″

″That's how you get a pay check.″

I gave her a smug look. ″I've found I don't need one of those to survive.″

″Oh? Like you're doing right now? Is the life you've been living really surviving? Living underground with a paranoid freak and a fanatic? Stealing a home to give to a homeless man just so he can deliver you food in return?″

″How do you...?″ I stopped. This was all wrong.

″We could have killed you any time. Drone strike, raid, you name it. Do you remember the raid that drove you out?″

″I thought those were mercenary police officers working for the ETNA Corporation.″

She smiled, tore a piece of beef jerky, and smacked her gums while she chewed.

″ETNA couldn't care less about you. Of course, your crimes could not be overlooked. We had that old man executed as soon as you left.″

″No...″

″Surprised? You've been off the radar for three years. What do you care, anyway?″

I gave no response.

″Don't even try to act like you're better. Do you know how many lives you destroyed during your brief tenure with the CIA?″

I grit my teeth.

She likes to run her mouth, too. It's like I'm staring at a younger version of myself.

The thought made me grin. I couldn't help but bite my thumb.

″What's so funny?″ She grimaced.

″It's like you looked me up on Wikipedia. Never thought I'd have such a fan!″

She groaned. ″This is taking too long.″ She typed something up and red beams of light shot out from the walls and ceiling. Before any of them could hit me, I reached into my pocket and hit the door. It opened up, and I ran inside just before it closed back up.

″What?!″ She turned around and gasped. The pistol I had stolen was pointed against her head.

″Try harder.″

″You think you're so tough? You've only traversed a small fraction of this base! You have no idea --″

I cut her off.

″You're right. And I'll tear this whole place down.″

That would be my happiness.

″I'm home!″ Someone announced. I jolted up. I wished I could stop sleeping so much and try to get up. I didn't want to be a patient; lying in bed and so helpless. Who cared if I was missing an arm? I could still do things.

″Hey sis!″ Trent, the doctor, greeted.

″I brought cupcakes!″ The love of my life announced.

I ran up and hugged her, then looked over, eager to taste one. That was, until I saw what they were.

″Honey, you know I don't like velvet!″ I scolded.

″Fine, more for me,″ she shrugged.

″It's the dye..″ I tried to explain. Actually, I didn't like beetroot, either. Though I doubted those ones were made with beetroot.

″Sorry, long day at the lab. People want so many parts commissioned. I forget things, okay?″ She also tried to explain. We both laughed.

″It's all good. I'm just glad you're home.″

She walked over past the kitchen, where her other 'lab' was. 3D-Printers and various tools surrounded the room. She leaned against the counter and munched on a cupcake. Against the light of the mini-lamp, she was a radiating beauty. Although same could be said about her all the time.

″So,″ she began, mouth full of cupcake. ″How's the kid?″

We didn't actually know the patient's age, aside from that they looked young. Could have been a teenager, or in their twenties.

″They woke up yesterday. Called me 'Winry'...″

″Huh. Did we find anything out?″

″Nope. Some kind of memory loss. It will probably come back in time.″

″Ugh,″ she threw an entire cupcake in her mouth. Trent would have to take the package away from her before she ate the whole thing. ″This is just like the plot of some bad TV show.″

I laughed.

″Tell me about it...″ Trent sighed from just behind me. ″Looked it up, by the way. Winry's some anime character.″

″Wait! Lemme see!″ She ran over and snatched Trent's phone.

I blinked. Next thing I knew, she had her palm over her face and burst into laughter.

″Ha! She really does look like you!″

I peeked. My face was flushed.

″This...isn't...no...″

She kept reading about the character. I felt like I was going to cry.

″Don't worry, hun. You're not like her in profession.″

″Yeah,″ Trent added. ″You're more like if Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy had a baby.″

I glared. ″Gee, thanks. You make me sound so villainous.″

″Well, you are a therapist who studies plants, dear,″ she pointed out.

I tried getting up.

I leaned myself forward and managed to pick myself up off my feet. Just a little bit more, and I was standing. No blanket on me. I was so proud of myself I threw both my arms up into the air...and realized I only had one raised.

How did this happen? Was I born this way?

Dark energies swirled, a sharp pain where my other arm should have been struck me and it was like my mind was begging to tell me, but just didn't have the funds to do so. I was in some sort of a trance, ready to pass through and unleash some dark act. But the dark act in question was really just a single step, then a wobble and a trip.

Landing back on my ass, I found the culprit: a loose screw.

From my mind, no less.

No. Just a little screw.

Could be worse. Could have been a Lego.

My landing caused an impact that shook the floor. Rocked the very core of the apartment and caused hordes of feet to storm their way into the room.

I turned my head and saw three heads: Trent, the lady who introduced herself to me yesterday, and...the fiance?″

I waved with the arm I actually had, not saying a word.

They made the same, slow, awkward wave.

″Good morning?″ I greeted, unsure.

She ran up to me, the one with overalls and silver (?) hair. No, my eyes had to adjust. Not even. Brown...mahogany. That seemed a good descriptor.

″Actually! It's almost evening!″ She corrected, leaning over and excited to see me.

″Hi...you are...?″

″Juniper! I'm Trent's sister. Out of law. Well, we settled out of court!″

I tilted my head. Trent groaned.

″It's a joke...″ he explained.

″Yeah, we're actually related, for real!″

My head bobbed to and fro. Little skittles bouncing around inside, but I couldn't eat them. Causing quite a ruckus.

″You've been sleeping a lot, you're going to feel a little woozy!″ Trent's voice jolted me back to reality.

″I think I lost myself...in the moment...my head feels like spaghetti...″ I mumbled.

The three of them observed me as if I was some kind of new species they discovered. One of them in particular, the first one I was acquainted to, stood behind the brother and sister and seemed to have been studying me with the most intensity.

She was familiar, somewhere in the depths of my memories, but it was all wrong.

Stay away from her. She's danger, my brain told me. I reached far back into my brain, where my memories were just vague enough to conjure something. Not an image, but a name...

″You!″ I looked over at her. ″You're...Et...″

Her eyes widened. ″Oh! Sorry!″ She squeaked. ″Vesuvius. My parents likened me to an active volcano when I was born. I'm not a fan of it, but never thought to change it.″

[labeckinator]

Drawing the Guymelefs - A Tutorial of Sorts...

This tutorial is based around how I approach drawing the guymelefs.  That said, it may not be the best art tutorial for beginning artists.  It’s really more built for experienced artists who find drawing mecha frustrating, and hopefully the tutorial will help make it easier.

This is also the first tutorial I’ve ever done, so with that in mind, let’s jump in!

The Human Figure

The way I approach drawing a mech isn’t all that different from drawing a human figure.  I start out with a basic line of action and rough out basic, humanoid shapes.  Most mecha, especially the Guymelefs of Escaflowne, are humanoid.  If you have familiarity of drawing the human figure, you can use that as a blueprint to draw a guymelef.

Before I get too far into it, let me break down further how to draw some of this guymelef.

Mechanical Layers - Roughing out Basic Shapes and Then Adding Detail

After the basic forms are roughed out, I then begin shaping the form that will look more robotic and mechanical.  

One of the main challenges of drawing the Guymelefs over, say, Gundams, is that quite a few of the mechanical shapes are rounded, and rigid.  For this consider cylinders and spheres.  

Below is an example of starting with a cylinder, and then adding the shapes to it for form the forearm of Escaflowne (sans hand).

The shoulder is dominated by a diamond shape, with a triangular tube that protrudes from the side. 

The head of Escaflowne is detailed and complex looking, however, starting with a rough head shape you can layer details onto that to get the guymelef head.  It was much like drawing a helmet you would find on a suit of armor, which makes sense, since that’s where the pilot’s head goes.

While this tutorial focuses mainly on Escaflowne, below is an example I did of a more Gundam like arm using the same principle of a basic shape and then adding robotic detail.

The torso of Escaflowne I found to be particularly difficult.  Part of it was I would use normal human proportions, but the Escaflowne really doesn’t match those at all.

Below I’ve drawn a couple of comparisons noting where the shoulders and arms are, as well as layering the details of the torso onto a rough geometric shape.

The legs can be tricky like the torso for similar reasons.  They’re not quite normal leg proportions.  In Escaflowne, the upper part of the leg, where the femur is (which is the longest bone in the human body) is very short compared to the lower part of the leg. That’s something to keep in mind when drawing the leg.

The other thing I find tricky about Escaflowne’s legs is that there are multiple layers to them, which obfuscate how to draw them upon first observation.  Below I broke them down into three steps:

Step 1: (beginning on the left) just rough outline of the basic shapes.  

Step 2: I overlayed the hip piece on top of the thigh and added the detail around the knee joint and lower part which ends on the top of the foot.

Step 3: Added the foot and additional final details. The foot itself is particularly obfuscated by the top portion of the bottom half of the leg.  I drew a basic outline under so I could place it correctly.

Hands can be really tricky to draw in general, now we have to make them robotic? Yes, yes we do.

The nice thing is even if you have a basic understanding of the joints in the fingers and general shape of the hand you can make it robotic.  In the example below the only difference I’m noting with the arrows is that on a real hand, the index and pinky finger curve in slightly.  To make it more mechanical looking, make those fingers straight.

Reference!

If you’re reading this and anything like me, you probably find it especially challenging to freehand draw mechanical looking thingymabobs.  There’s a lot of little details that are hard to think about or internalize without having reference on hand.

A good drawing practice (whether drawing mecha or non-mecha) is having reference.  This probably makes up about 99% of my effort in drawing Escaflowne, Scheherazade , etc.

I often use google image search for reference, or I’ll pop on the show and pause on a scene and draw that.  If you have the art books, model sheets are an excellent reference for drawing the guymelefs.

Remember the three R’s:  Reference, Reference, Reference!

Now Let’s Put it All Together

I threw a lot on here, but I tried to keep the under structure I had done as visible as possible.  For me, it was helpful to place the shoulder pieces early on since it helps me with placement of the arms.  I left the feet off in this one, I’ll add them in a little later.

In drawing 2, I changed the chest piece to stick out a bit, still using the initial placement in drawing 1 as a place marker.  Also started working the face and the legs a bit.

I realized some of the proportions were off.  I sized down the head and increased the size of the legs.

Below I added the arm in the foreground as well as other corrections and details in another color to make it more visible to me (you don’t have to add colored lines if you don’t want to).

With all the lines in more or less the right place, ink and enjoy.

[stories-by-mocho]

Unsung - Chapter 1

Note: This is a story about my Mandalorian OC, set in the Old Republic timeline

-

Gunnar was his name. 

He was a Mandalorian bounty hunter, trained to be a warrior from the moment he could grasp a blaster. He was good enough to take jobs at the tender age of 15, and only three years later he became one of the best bounty hunters around. Needless to say, Gunnar was very, very good at his job. Though he felt whatever he had didn’t come from years of training or education. Gunnar had something inside of him he had yet to discover. Good as he was, he had always felt different from the people he knew.

There was an unspoken dislike, maybe even hatred, the Mandalorians had towards the Jedi. A war that dated back a long time ago had left the Mandalorian people scarred, urging them to hunt Jedi. Perhaps to seek some form of justice, or vengeance. Raised as a Mandalorian, Gunnar’s surroundings taught him to despise Jedi, to fear them and treat them with nothing but hostility. He had learnt that their choice weapons were different kinds of laser swords, and they would use this arcane weapon not only to slice through any material, but also to deflect blaster rounds. As children across the galaxy were told, Gunnar also heard the stories about how Jedi could move objects with their minds. He hardly believed it to be true. Laser swords he could make sense of, but the latter part was surely just a bedtime story.

One Jedi was powerful enough to take on several bounty hunters at once, and Gunnar had to figure that out the hard way. His very first fight with a Jedi was as quick as the next morning when his bounty hunter crew received a new target. Like him, most of his squad assigned for this job had never seen combat with a Force wielder before.

The greying skies above brought light showers down to the grassless land, creating puddles of mud and muck. Gunnar laid still, hidden behind a hill along with three of his fellow squad members. He grumbled in irritation as his knees began to sink slightly into the mud. This part of the planet was his least favourite.

“Hey, Cruiz. How much longer do we have to wait?” Gunnar asked, nonchalantly pulling his knees out of the mud.

“Delani,” Cruiz spoke into his commlink. “ETA?”

“He just got a hold of a speeder bike,” Delani answered. “Won’t be long.”

“You heard her,” Cruiz said, turning towards the others. “Get ready.”

“How many are with him?” Gunnar asked, taking out his pistol.

“He’s alone,” Cruiz said, earning a look of disbelief.

“There’s four of us, plus Delani covering us,” Gunnar said. “Isn’t this a little bit of an overkill?”

“Oh, you’ll see how tricky these bastards are,” Cruiz replied with a chuckle.

Gunnar scoffed. “Please. You don’t really believe in those stories, do you?” 

“Ten seconds, guys,” Delani warned through the commlink.

“Well, it’s time to learn a thing or two,” Cruiz said, standing up with his jetpack ready.

The light rain eventually became heavier as the Twi’lek Jedi sped through the valley, mud splattering on the sides of his speeder bike and boots. He could barely see through the mist and rain, though he could not mistake the red light of a blaster round. Delani’s shot landed inches to the side of the speeder bike, slowing it down just for a few seconds. That was all Cruiz needed. Looking up at the sky, the Jedi could make out the silhouette of a humanoid. Mandalorian, no doubt.

With the Jedi’s concentration divided, Delani managed to shoot the engine of his speeder bike, sending him hurtling towards the mud. Gunnar stood on top of the hill, watching Cruiz as he pointed his pistol at the collapsed Jedi. That was much too easy for comfort, especially with Cruiz’s unusual paranoia about the bounty. A gasp escaped him when suddenly, among the mist and rain, Gunnar saw blue light illuminating the Jedi’s surroundings. It was immediately followed by the sounds of Cruiz’s blaster and something Gunnar had never heard before. A low hum that seemed to vibrate, and something akin to a blaster impact yet more high pitched.

“A little help would be great!” A panicked Cruiz exclaimed from the commlink, waking the rest of his squad up from their awe.

“You heard him, let’s move,” Gunnar ordered, rising to the sky as he began to open fire.

The shower of blaster rounds caught the Jedi’s attention, though Gunnar found it strange that he did not seem alarmed at all. Oh that’s why, none of the shots they fired ever got close.

“Mandalorians,” the Jedi exclaimed quietly. “I guess negotiation is off the table, then?”

As Gunnar fired closer, he realised the Jedi was deflecting their blaster rounds with his bizarre laser sword. Not only did he do so to avoid getting shot, he somehow redirected the blaster rounds towards his fellow bounty hunters. The beskar armour the Mandalorians donned was able to keep the blaster rounds from actually hurting them, but the impacts were powerful enough to disorientate. One fell from the sky and into the mud, and thus the others decided it was best to land by their own volition.

“Cover me,” Cruiz ordered, patting Gunnar’s shoulder.

The two bounty hunters focused their blasts to distract the Jedi as Cruiz charged him with his pike. The Jedi’s reflex was too quick, though he seemed quite surprised that the metal stick managed to stay intact upon contact with his saber. Each blast from the squad landed inches away from the Jedi as he somehow managed to dodge all of them whilst combating Cruiz. One deflected blaster landed a hit of one of the Mandalorians on the shoulder, sending her to the ground.

“Hi Delani,” Gunnar greeted through the commlink, his voice ironically pleasant. “I don’t know if you’re busy, but-”

A blaster round shot through the rain and landed with an explosion on the speeder, burying the Jedi in rubble. 

“You’re welcome,” Delani responded.

Cruiz caught his breath, settling his hands on his knees. “Careful, Gunnar. We don’t know if he’s down yet.”

Gunnar raised his pistol at the pile of smoking rubble, slowly approaching it. “Come on. Not even a Jedi could-”

For a reason he could not yet explain, Gunnar stepped to his left. And not a second after, a large piece of hot metal flew right next to him at the height of his neck. Gunnar’s eyes widened at the sight, afraid of what he might see when he decided to turn his gaze back towards the Jedi. And as he did, he could feel something holding onto him, clutching at his torso. It felt like time had halted. The droplets of rain were suspended in the air along with Gunnar, whose feet no longer touched the ground. The Jedi stepped out of the rubble pile, his hands raised.

“The Force is real,” Gunnar whispered in shock.

“Very,” the Jedi responded. He launched Gunnar towards Cruiz, knocking them both in one swift movement.

With a tired huff as he looked at the skies once more, the Jedi did not forget that there was still a sharpshooter somewhere. He couldn’t waste more of his time dealing with that. The fight on the ground was pretty much finished and he needed to seize his chance to flee. As the Jedi tried to escape, he stopped his steps when he sensed something move behind him. His laser sword was activated in time to deflect the blaster round flying towards him. Distracted, the Jedi failed to see the Mandalorian sliding on the muddy ground, tackling him down towards the foot of the hill. The two tumbled down, muck and dirt soiling them, until they hit a rock and crashed on two different murky puddles.

Gunnar groaned as he got up. His armour had protected him from the pain of the landing, but he wasn’t exactly excited to find it dirtied by the awful greenish brown taint from the wet soil. He truly hated this part of the job. Through the rain, he found the Jedi collecting himself, and as if it was in his instinct, Gunnar began firing immediately. When the Jedi managed to locate his laser sword hilt, he pulled it to his hand without even coming near it. Now that’s just unfair, Gunnar thought, combat rolling back to cover as he avoided the deflections.

“This is kind of fun,” the Jedi said with a chuckle as he wiped some gunk off of his forehead. “Could be a great morning workout routine if you weren’t actually trying to kill me.”

“Okay, mister hot shot Jedi man,” Gunnar grumbled, his tone thick with irritance. “Let’s see if you can deflect these.”

The Jedi raised a brow when Gunnar tossed his pistol aside and took his blades out. ‘Blades’ was an overstatement. They were just scrap metal Gunnar had sharpened, not very aerodynamic-looking in the slightest. It actually made the Jedi chuckle.

“Are you really resorting to throwing trash at me, kid?” The Jedi asked. “You might as well turn back and let me go freely.”

Now more focused at beating his muddy ass, Gunnar flung his blades at the Jedi’s torso. With the distance between them, the Jedi did not expect the clunky pieces of metal to even reach halfway. His smile dropped into a frown when one flew right past the tendril on his head. The Jedi was shocked, of course, but his surprise was mixed with a bit of curiosity.

Try as he might, but trying to deflect Gunnar’s blades only sliced them. The Jedi winced in pain as hot, sharp metal successfully struck his right shoulder. Gunnar aimed for the thigh next, dropping the Jedi to his knees with a loud, painful groan.

“Heh,” the Jedi scoffed. “I’ve never seen anything like this from a bounty hunter. Much less a Mando.”

“You’ve lost,” Gunnar retorted, approaching the Jedi with a pistol pointed at him. “What could you possibly yap about now?”

“The Force,” the Jedi said, raising his gaze with a cheeky smirk. “It’s strong in you, Mandalorian.”

Gunnar paused, unsure how to react. With a lot of hesitation, which the Jedi can definitely sense, he stuck the nozzle of his pistol onto the Jedi’s chest. “That was a rhetorical question. You know, you’re still worth something dead. Talk to me again, and I will hurt you.”

“I’m just saying-” the Jedi dared continue, earning him a hard smack on the head.

“Man, just shut up,” Gunnar grumbled, watching the Jedi fall unconscious.

-

The young Mandalorian stared at the dying embers in the fire pit, orange light reflected upon the visor of his battle-worn helmet. Roars of laughter and celebration could be heard behind him, his friends toasting drinks for a job well done. Despite the rowdy noise, all Gunnar could hear were the Jedi’s words to him. The Force is strong in him, he repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. It could be written off as bullshit, he could have just forgotten about it and joined the party. After all, his friends were all celebrating him for catching their biggest bounty of the season. Yet for some reason, those words stuck with him, haunted him.

What does it mean, he thought to himself, what does it mean for the Force to be strong in him?

Furrowing his brows, Gunnar took out the sharpened scrap metal from his pocket and started to fidget with it. His mind replayed the fight earlier, where the Jedi launched a large hunk of metal towards him. How did he do it, the young Mandalorian asked silently, eyes focusing at the blade in his hand. Rigid, rusted, and poorly crafted if he was being honest. His friends had never been able to throw them very far no matter how much he taught them, always complaining that his ‘junk’ was impossible to weaponise, at least from a long distance.

Contrary to popular belief, Gunnar was not immediately good at throwing those things. He was able to use them properly because he had practiced more than them. He was disciplined and determined to make them work. Or at least what he always thought. It was rather odd that once he found the way, the revelation his peers never found and perhaps never will, he could always throw his scraps further than they should be able to travel. Gunnar frowned.

He went back to when he saw the Jedi pull his laser sword back to his grasp. At the time, he was too irritated to think any more of it. Now that he was focused, deep in reflection, he realised how familiar it felt. And whatever his feelings could have been, it was the same, exact one from when he first managed to launch his blades. A eureka he had been searching for.

“The Force is strong in you,” a disembodied whisper spoke in the young bounty hunter’s ear. Warm, phantom-like, and most of all, welcoming.

Gunnar’s gasp was audible through his helmet. His breath grew shaky, his eyes widened at the sight of the piece of metal levitating steadily above his palm. The rapid breath of panic soon transformed into a soft, giddy chuckle. There was a sense of wonder and excitement in the eyes behind the Mandalorian’s visor, watching the piece of metal float to his eye level. It was like a fog had been lifted, like everything started to make sense to him.

“Gunnar,” a young woman called from behind. “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

“Uh-” As quick as he could, Gunnar grabbed the levitating object out of the air before she could see. “Just, um, needed some me-time, you know.”

“It’s okay, you can say you’re mad your outfit got covered in mud,” she said, sitting next to him. “Again.”

“It would suck less if the spare armours looked decent,” Gunnar retorted snarkily, adjusting his replacement armour. “I’m working very hard to make this ugly piece of junk look presentable, Delani.”

Delani chuckled, and fell into a concerned silence a few seconds later. “You’re all good, right?”

“Yeah. Of course I am,” Gunnar said with hesitation, clenching the blade tighter. Raising his gaze at his reflection on Delani’s Mandalorian helmet, he suddenly realised what it could mean if anyone found out about his recent self-discovery. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Gunnar,” she frowned. “Is something bothering you?”

“I-,” he stuttered. “I just have a lot in my mind.”

“Well, whatever it is,” Delani rested her hand on Gunnar’s shoulder. “I’m here for you.”

“Thanks,” he said with a frown.

There was an unease deep inside of Gunnar’s chest. Nobody, not Delani or Cruiz, would take his newfound gift very well. It belonged to the Jedi; their enemy. It would complicate a lot of things, possibly put his relationships at risk, or even instantly end them. 

Nothing good would come out of it, he decided, gazing at the reflection of his Mandalorian helmet in a puddle next to him. The answer was simple; just continue to live as he did before. Forget the Jedi’s words, and forget the levitating scrap metal. Just pretend everything was normal.

Pretend he was normal.

[operationrainfall]

Title Mechstermination Force Developer Hörberg Productions Publisher Hörberg Productions Release Date April 4th, 2019 Genre Run and gun, platformer, boss rush Platform Nintendo Switch Age Rating E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence Official Website

I think by now I have to admit something about myself – sometimes I like hard as nails games. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a masochist, but I do find the reward for beating a challenging title to be a heady drug. Which brings us to today’s review, Mechstermination Force. Developed and published by the same group behind Gunman Clive, Hörberg Productions, it’s a very different beast from that Western platformer. Instead it’s strongly inspired by Contra, with towering boss battles against deadly MegaMechs. Throw in a little more inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus, and you have a pure boss rush against mechanical bosses that get progressively harder. The question then, is Mechstermination Force worth the price of admission? Or is it too hard for its own good?

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First, let me clarify that while there is a plot in the game, it’s just there to set the tone. The world is besieged by MegaMechs, and only a small band of freedom fighters remain. You’re one of them, and it’s up to you to put the robot menace down. That’s pretty much it, other than some clarifying details for why lone soldiers stand a chance where planes and tanks didn’t, which is explained if you talk with your compatriots. But the focus here is really on the action, and there’s a lot to be had. Essentially it’s broken down into 10+ boss battles, and between each you can use cash you get from slagging them to improve your loadout. You only start with a small amount of health and a machine gun, but you can acquire a bunch of other weapons, ranging from a flamethrower to a pulse weapon. Once purchased, you can switch between them at will. You can also buy more health, either permanently or spend less cash to get temporary health boosts before battle. My best advice is to invest in the spreadshot as soon as possible, since it makes every fight a little bit easier when you don’t have to worry as much about your aim. Also, if you find you’re low on funds, you can always replay fights to farm more cash, which is a nice concession to make the game a bit easier without completely eliminating the challenge.

Besides these optional upgrades, you also get progressive ones at set points in the game to provide you with more maneuverability. Specifically, you’ll get the Magnet Gloves, which allow you to cling to surfaces, and later on the Boost Boots, which provide a much needed double jump. You’d think this would make the game easier, but really it just opens up subsequent boss fights to be more complex and dangerous. The flow of the game is relief whenever you beat a seemingly impossible fight, quickly followed by dread that the next one will be a bit harder. But instead of despair, this just led me to gird my loins for the next battle and to try and learn the attack patterns as quickly as possible. Though the game doesn’t give you any real hints for how to beat the bosses, their design and attack patterns are constructed in such a way that the answer becomes obvious if you think critically and pay attention. Furthermore, it helps that one thing each boss has in common are weak points.

The yellow weak points are vulnerable to any weapon, and can usually be dismantled by concentrating fire on them. The tricky ones are the red weak points, since they can only be hurt by your sole melee weapon – a multi-directional baseball bat. You use this to shatter the red points, but keep in mind it takes a second to aim, and the MegaMechs don’t just wait for you to kill them. They’ll buck and twist and generally make your life miserable as you try and put them down. But other than those weakpoints and the way the bosses try and avoid getting hurt, each and every fight is entirely different and generally unexpected. As you damage their weakpoints, the robots will lose limbs and often transform into new, deadlier forms. Don’t go into this with the zombie headshot mentality. Often you’ll decapitate a boss only for it to sprout a new head or utterly change forms as it tries to rip you to shreds. It’s a lot like fighting against angry Decepticons with a bloodlust for pulping humans. And trust me, each and every boss is fully capable to reducing you to a gooey stain in seconds if you’re not careful.

Having said all that, I would still say that Mechstermination Force is fair. It’s tough, and requires patience, but it’s never completely unreasonable. There are certainly a few bosses that strain that rule, such as the most horrible escargot ever, a skyscraper-climbing ape and what I can only refer to as a death skull, but otherwise they all felt balanced. Which isn’t the same as easy, cause the only easy boss is the tutorial one, and things start to get really challenging about 4 boss fights in. But in a boss rush full of death bots, I feel they toe the line pretty well. And if you really feel overwhelmed, I strongly suggest you farm money by taking on old bosses again and buying all the upgrades you can. I ended up beating the game after buying several health extensions and most of the weapons, but in retrospect I probably could have beaten the game with fewer health upgrades and just the spreadshot.

Another of the reasons this game manages to avoid being totally unfair are some nice concessions. First of all, there is no instant death if you fall into a pit or get singed by lava. Instead, if you fall into a pit you will teleport to another part of the stage after losing one chunk of health. Meanwhile threats like lava damage you, but then the game will raise a platform to stand on from underneath it. You can also get pieces of cake to recover your health during battles, but there was seemingly no rhyme or reason for when this occurred. The one frustrating aspect of that is that often the cake would spawn right underneath a giant MegaMech, and by the time I could get to it, it would have disappeared. Also, while each fight involves a hail of bullets and gymnastic feats, you can beat most of them in under 5 minutes. At least once you’ve memorized their attack patterns. That applies for both the tiny bosses and the large ones. And when I say large, I mean boss fights that are almost their own level. A good example is fighting the Cerberus mech, which involves you jumping in their mouths, avoiding getting chomped, blasting your way through their throats and then rinse and repeat. By contrast, the smaller bosses almost felt like mini bosses, but they also provided refreshing breaks from the more hectic battles.

There’s a lot I enjoyed about Mechstermination Force, but now I need to touch on some frustrations. Because the foes you fight are often huge, the camera has to shoot a broad angle as you fight. The problem with that is you’re so tiny, it can often be hard to tell where you are, especially after the boss sends you flying with a giant fist. In the fight against the mechanized snail, every time you damage his head the game randomly sends you flying, and often I took damage just cause I hadn’t gotten my bearings before he started bombarding me with flaming debris. Also problematic was the ability to freely aim your weapon of choice. That’s great in theory, but to aim you need to duck down, and when I tried aiming with my joystick, bullets wouldn’t end up exactly where I wanted. My workaround was to use the directional buttons instead, and that offered more concrete angles that allowed me to more frequently hit my targets. I almost wish it had stuck to Contra’s tried and true method of only offering set angles of fire, but I suppose that would be harder to accommodate in a game where each boss is constantly moving. And while I loved the Magnet Gloves for scaling giant MegaMechs, there were times they didn’t work properly. And I even encountered one glitch in the Cerberus fight where I somehow phased through a solid space, though that actually ended up helping me.

I did get a chance to try out the local co-op in the game, and though it’s a fun idea in theory, it was messier in execution. While it played without any lag, all the problems I had with single player were exaggerated with two players. The camera was even more problematic, and it’s very difficult to coordinate as the robots bear down on you. It also was tricky having my friend essentially look over my broad shoulders to see the screen when played portably. I suppose I should have played while hooked up to my TV. Also, I wish two player allowed some popular conventions such as sacrificing some health to revive your buddy. That isn’t an option, so once someone dies, the other person is entirely on their own. As far as I’m concerned, Mechstermination Force is much better as a single player experience.

Visually speaking, there’s a lot to love about Mechstermination Force. It has big, bold colors and bright visuals for your weapon fire. Each and every MegaMech is a work of art, featuring layered dimensions that slowly evolve as you fight. It’s really cool ripping the armor off a foe to scale them, and watching them transform as you deal critical damage. Though many of the bosses qualify as humanoid, there’s also some great ones patterned after creatures, such as a centipede, the aforementioned snail and even a large arachnid. You won’t get bored with the visuals in the game, that’s a guarantee. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the sound. While the music is fine, I really wish there were more varied tracks. Though there is a handful, many of them sound very similar to each other. I would have loved more variety, like some hard rocking tunes to mix things up. As for the sound effects, though they work, they also felt a bit muted. The way your character grunts when damaged didn’t really do justice to the amount of punishment they’re taking. The sound effects are thankfully better for the weapons. Overall, the visuals are the better aspect of the game, but the sound design is alright.

By the time the credits rolled, I had spent about 4 and a half hours and gotten 80+ deaths in Mechstermination Force. While I rather enjoyed it overall, there were some features that held it back from perfection. And also, though the final boss is beyond epic, it too suffered from the same complaints I had about earlier battles. But for the base package, I feel you get a lot for your money. My main frustration is that once it’s over, there’s nothing left to do, other than trying to beat the bosses without taking damage to acquire medals. Thankfully I’m not quite that masochistic, so I think I’ll pass. That said, for $11.99 it’s easy to recommend to fans of hardcore games, though I can’t say the same applies to those who identify as more casual gamers. But if you love giant robots and are up for a challenge, Mechstermination Force is the game for you!

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3.5″]

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

REVIEW: Mechstermination Force Title Mechstermination Force