#it's a very tricky balance to maintain

[fideidefenswhore]

Do you think AB alienated her allies, sometimes?

I mean, for sure... I think the extent of that has been exaggerated by Alison W/eir, but you can definitely find examples of that. Like, Thomas Cheney, one of her relatives that she interceded for above Wolsey's protests, seemed pretty firmly in her camp. Then, by 1536 he's part of the faction that's supporting her stepdaughter.

Generally, though, imo, it's underestimated how difficult it is to maintain allies when one has power/influence, and how it's basically impossible to keep everyone happy all the time.

[commsroom]

Heyy I wanted to say thanks for sharing my drawing! I’m actually really glad you liked it, I love your blog and analysis posts and the art/other stuff you share! I already said your transcripts were helpful but I even had to use them for making the drawing so yeah. You’re really amazing that’s all

aw, of course!! that's really sweet of you to say. it's a great piece, and i love the way you envision hera - i definitely agree that in her internal self image, she's just a regular human person. one of the most interesting things about her, to me, is that she has these desires + associations for tangible aspects of a world she's denied access to: the inherent conflict between what she wants because of who she is and what's expected of her because of what she is. the way your art has such a clear distinction between hera as a person and the job she's tasked with as the station's mother program really emphasizes that core longing + sense of isolation that's central to her character, imo. it becomes sort of a cage around her more than a natural part of her, and i think that's strong visual language. (on a personal note, i'm eternally indebted to anyone who draws hera with a prominent nose / angular features!!)

[777heavengirl]

request: omg i loved your drabble with sirius and ravenclaw! reader 🥹 could you perhaps write with the same pairing when she gets really jealous and would rather die than admit it <3

note: sorry it took me a bit to get to this but yas i rlly hope you enjoy it!!! :D it was fun to write, its around 1238 words ! warnings: n/a masterlist

You glared at the back of Sirius’s head with intensity, as if the boy could feel it. His potions partner giggled and gripped his bicep at some stupid sarcastic comment he made. Sirius was brilliant at potions, yet he never paid attention. He severely lacked with the essays, but his potions were infuriatingly well done, so he always took it easy and his partner never did anything besides fawn over him. No matter who it was.

The bimbo next to him was doing that very well.

“It's rubbish isn't it?” Xenophilius, your partner, was eccentric, to say the least. Not in a bad way, normally you and him had a fun time and managed to do a good enough job, thanks to your many hours at the library, however, today was a lackluster performance. According to Slughorn, the potion was supposed to be an ‘eclectic orange!’ and yours was almost terracotta. You didn’t know what he meant by eclectic but it for sure wasn’t this.

"Yes, I suppose you could say so"

Xenophilius was in his own world half the time and certainly did not know what was going on in your class and you had been a bit preoccupied today. Watching the stupid witch cling to your boyfriend. You wouldn’t dream of admitting it to him, but it stung to watch his housemate fawn over him, you knew there was no threat— he complained about how useless she was often enough that you knew he was simply exasperated with her. But he never pushed her away, and you knew it was in an effort to vex you. So you glared and pouted behind his back. Almost as if he could feel it Sirius turned his head towards you, sending you a wink over his shoulder.

Bastard.

”Don’t worry so much Xeno,” you muttered as you both peered into your simmering cauldron, watching the marmalade-orange swirl with a grimace. He looked at you from over his thin-framed glasses, peeling his eyes with a hint of nervousness. You maintained your cool composure. “I’ll get it fixed,”

He gave a weak smile, leaning back on his stool. People were starting to bottle their concoctions, so you did the same. Giving the small vial to Xenophilius to walk up to the Slughorn’s desk. He stared at the very wrongly colored liquid in discontent and you shot him an award-winning smile.

It was tricky to get the timing right. But Sirius, as much as you loved him, was predictable. He gave his small vial to his partner, and the two fell in step with you and Xenophilius. 

“So, no explosions today?”

”That was one time, you need to let it go,” You rolled your eyes as a smirk slid onto his lips. Two weeks ago your cauldron bursted into ash, Xenophilius added one too many slices of dugbog tongue, and the entire potion immediately turned to dust. Slughorn found it quite hilarious having never seen such a thing! you were grateful the jolly man let you restart otherwise your grade would be down the gutter. Xenophilius started adding only stuff you had measured beforehand. 

“I’m just surprised such bright Ravenclaws such as yourselves managed to do such a thing” he basically giggled out the statement, enjoying the reddening of your cheeks and the way you tried to play it off. His partner, predictably so, started to try to get closer to Sirius and ended up ahead of the two of you. You gave Xenophilius a small push to do the same. As much as you liked your potions partner, your housemate was the definition of ditzy. He quickly lost balance and bumped into Sirius’s partner, the both of them dropping the vials. 

“Arresto momentum” Your wand work had been quick enough to hold them in the air just before they hit the cobblestone, and you were quick to bend down to grab them. “Here you go Hilda-“ you handed her one of the vials back.

”It’s Brenda,” 

“I really could not care less,” You smiled at her, genuinely so and Sirius couldn’t help but to bark out a laugh.

”A yes Ms Y/L/N, Mr Lovegood, I trust we had no issues today?”

Xenophilius scratched the back of his head, opening his mouth to confess that it had gone less than stellar, you quickly kicked his foot to shut him up.

”I believe we did swell professor” You handed him the vial, the now ‘eclectic’ orange potion in his hand made his eyes sparkle with delight.

“And that you did, flawless work you two” You smiled widely and shot Sirius a smirk. His smirk fell from his face as he grabbed the vial from his partner, staring at the terracotta-colored liquid. You walked away quickly, dragging Xenophilius to clean up your station waving your wand with quiet spells to get everything in order before you left.

”May I know what we just did?”

”We did stellar is what we did, on top of that I settled scores so continue telling me about these marbles of yours”

"They're called Nargles, and well basically-"

"You're a vicious minx doll, sorry Xeno-" Sirius sauntered over, shooting Xeno a small smile before turning to you with a scowl. "Have we considered you were sorted into the wrong house?"

"Whatever do you mean?" You bid Xenophilius goodbye with a wave and picked up your bag, smiling innocently at your boyfriend. Sirius, ever the gentleman, quickly snatched your bag onto his own shoulder. 

"I mean, that I know you switched them," he whispered in your ear "You should've been sorted into Slytherin," he tsk'd as he shook his head and you couldn't help but laugh. 

"Honestly Sirius, I don't know where you get these ideas, maybe you were just too distracted with Ms. Hilda over there and botched it"

"Doll, we both know I don't botch potions," he had his arm around your shoulders as you walked, his lips ghosting over your ear as he pulled you against him. "green isn't your color, don't get jealous now,"

"The last thing I'd ever be, is jealous" You laughed sarcastically, rolling your eyes. Over your dead body.

"Oh is that so?"

"Indeed," 

"Then you won't care that I have to go in later and redo it with Brenda," you couldn't help the scowl that formed on your face, brows furrowed as you asked

"I thought we were supposed to go play on the pitch with James later" He laughed and pinched your cheek with his fingers.

"You got jealous and messed up my potion, now we both have to pay the price for it doll," you pushed him off now, his laughter bouncing off of the cobblestone. 

"Goodbye Sirius!" you waved him off as you started walking, weaving through the people in the halls.

"Oh come on-" he quickly caught up to you, pulling you into his arm, halting traffic. He smushed you against his side again, not letting you fight your way out of his embrace. "I was just having a laugh love, I had enough for a second vial and gave him that one" you hummed in acknowledgment. 

"Not funny, for the record I was not jealous-"

"If you say so love," he pressed a kiss to your cheek "but for the record, there's no need to be jealous, I'm yours" You elbowed him in the ribs, a barked laugh leaving him again, a small smile gracing your face.

[ddarker-dreams]

A Chance Encounter.

Yan Scaramouche x Reader.

Loosely based on this concept.

Warnings: Only light yandere themes since Reader doesn't know about Scara's Harbinger affiliation. Word count: 1.1k.

Scaramouche could succinctly describe this assignment as a pain.

Some whistleblower whose conscience got the better of her in retirement, realizing now that she’s living off a measly pension instead of a steady stream of income that perhaps experimentation on unwitting subjects is actually not so dandy. How convenient. Moral epiphanies have the best timing. Or in the Harbinger’s case, the worst timing, since this trip to Mondstadt was supposed to be for pleasure, not business. 

He occupies a space beneath a sizable canopy. Shadows swallow him, occasionally chased off by shy sunlight wriggling through interstices born from the steady wind. The weather is fair compared to the everlasting winter that wrings all life from Snezhnaya. This nation is perfectly idyllic, perfectly boring, save for a single inhabitant who is notably exempt from his criticism. 

If it weren’t for the invisible yet no less present Fatui agents slinking about, he’d give in to the urge to quirk his lips upward. 

At least when this is wrapped up, he can see you. 

The matter shouldn’t take much longer. In written correspondence with the would-be traitor, he played the role of a bleeding heart, successfully blindsiding her into thinking he shares her plight. Now all that remains is to meet up with her and discern if the supposedly damning documents hold any weight or not. The rest can be left to his lackeys, he’d rather not waste any more time when he could be engaging in far more enjoyable activities. 

This is about as cut and dry as it gets. 

Except… 

Rapid footsteps approach. 

Foliage crunches beneath the heel of an exuberant individual, smothering leaves and snapping twigs. 

“Kuuuuuniiiiiii!” A voice he knows very well calls out. 

There is but a single entity throughout all of Teyvat who actively runs toward him, not away from him, and this entity so happens to be you. The concept of shame is a foreign one, you’re far too concerned with utilizing various flourishes to capture his attention. The fanfare is without reason. The instant you enter the scene, Scaramouche scarcely remembers the rest of the world exists, it becomes as inconsequential as the ground he treads on. 

You are a fallen star streaming through the sky, an answer to a wish he never had the courage to make. 

Unfortunately, you’ve happened upon him at a tricky juncture. The Fatui swarming like sharks in the water are prepared to tear into you at his command. From their perspective, you are an unknown variable running full force at their Lord Harbinger. Never in their wildest dreams could they fathom the notoriously spiteful Balladeer has a sweet spot for you, this is by his design. He’s painstakingly taken measures to ensure his little ball of sunshine can’t be used by his many enemies. 

The wave he gives serves two purposes — to greet you and signal his men to stand down. 

As if he wasn’t already thrown off-kilter by your abrupt appearance, when you’re at the appropriate distance, you launch at him with arms held wide. He catches you with an ease unfitting of his slender demeanor, his strength far surpassing that of any mortal. You’re content to wrap your arms around his neck while he steadies you. 

“I knew it was you! The hat gave it away. It always does,” you explain in between breaths. “And here I was thinking that you wouldn’t be in for a few more days.” 

Slowly, he helps ease you back down. You sway a bit, clutching his shoulders to maintain your balance, to which he snickers. “Were you so desperate to see me that running at a reasonable pace slipped your mind?” 

“I thought if I exerted more force, I might be able to tackle you to the ground this time… so much for that.” 

“Hah. As if. What strange fantasies you entertain without me around. The loneliness must rot your brain.” 

“Who says I’m lonely?” You challenge, tilting your head to the side. “I’m more than capable of making and maintaining friendships. That’s what happens when you’re a likable person.” 

He’s quick to reply so as not to betray his irritation at the idea. “You? Likable? The mental deterioration is worse than I feared. I hope it isn’t irreversible at this stage.” 

You shrug. “I dunno, you seem to like me well enough. I consider that my crowning achievement. If I can win you over I’m capable of anything. Maybe I’ll aim for world peace next.” 

Scaramouche is so quick to be swept up in the wild tide that is you that his bumbling underlings temporarily slipped his mind. Lately, there’s been one in particular who seems keen on proving himself worthy of a promotion. He goes out of his way to do extra work Scaramouche never tasked him with. It’s been a minor nuisance yet nothing major has come from it. 

However, in his purview, he senses this sycophant taking a position that’d be advantageous to strike at you from. 

Scaramouche’s retaliation is immediate. On a perfectly sunny day, a vicious bolt of lightning strikes mere inches from the spot he occupies, effectively communicating his lord’s displeasure. The white-hot flash earns your attention. You turn your head in the direction it came from, then shoot him an inquisitive glance. 

“... What did that bush ever do wrong?” 

“You’d be surprised.” 

The warning must’ve made it through the agent’s thick head, for he backs off like a dog with its tail between its legs. 

“Hey. I have some business I need to finish, then I’ll treat you to dinner,” Scaramouche knows you well enough to be confident that the idea of delicious food will successfully distract you. It’s as he predicted — he can practically hear the gears turning in your head as you form plans. He can only hope he doesn’t have to encounter that slovenly excuse of a god who once serenaded you with the story of an abandoned doll, claiming it to be a ‘cautionary tale’. The self-restraint he exercised that day is second to none. 

“Alright, but try to leave some nature standing, this is a trail I enjoy walking. I’d rather you don’t eviscerate it.” 

You begin to part ways, before loudly proclaiming ‘oh!’, like you’d forgotten something important. Then you’re back by his side. He processes the feeling before anything else, the soft sensation of your lips on his cheek renders him speechless. A crimson hue dusts against his pale cheeks as he subconsciously raises his hand to touch the still-tingling spot. Content with yourself, you depart, waving as enthusiastically as you had earlier. 

When his coherency returns, he sighs. That was a bit more than he’d prefer any Fatui-aligned person to see.

He’ll have to get creative to explain the deaths of all his men on such a low-stakes mission. Before that, however, he needs to ask one to hand the appropriate forms over, lest it disintegrate to ash as they’re fated to. 

It’s a pain, truly, but you’re worth the extra effort. 

[librarycards]

do you have any resources or advice on how to help people who have manic episodes or who could possibly harm others according to antipsych principles? my friend diagnosed with bipolar disorder has been looking into checking themself into a hospital, and their home situation isn’t the best though their dad somewhat tries to be supportive, but i wonder what other options there are. the most i can do is offer some emotional support and give advice since i live too far away to be of much help otherwise. sorry if this is the wrong place to ask.

hello, and thanks for your patience on my response - this week has been busy and i'm only just now getting to asks!

here is an excellent piece by Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu on providing support for comrades in crisis, many of these tips are very applicable to distance-relationships too! bipolar comrades/others who have manic episodes are also welcome and very encouraged to reply and share what kinds of supports work best for them.

There are also a series of free zines/books by the Fireweed Collective (FKA the Icarus Project), particularly Navigating The Space Between Brilliance And Madness: A Reader & Roadmap Of Bipolar Worlds. This is a great way to learn more about a variety of bipolar experiences to better contextualize your friend's.

here are some tips based on personal experience being close to multiple people with bipolar, while not being bipolar myself:

create balance within yourself + project it - it's tempting to get yourself wrapped up in others' big feelings, especially if they trigger you. but it's crucially important to maintain a (porous!) barrier between you and your friend, both as a way of maintaining your own peace and providing something sturdy for them to lean on. this means taking what they say/do in the midst of crisis and placing it "beside" your own feelings, rather than integrating it and responding viscerally in the moment.

neither "reality checking" nor "reality confirming". this is tricky. it's pointless to tell someone "you're wrong, you can't do that, etc." when they're experiencing a different reality than you. it is also harmful to encourage someone to act on beliefs that are not actually aligned with their values, but instead the result of a state of crisis. i try to use phrases like "that sounds ___," "that must be ____," "i can see how you'd feel ____" and similar, both to affirm their own lived experience and to avoid reifying it as objective truth.

know when to step away. mania is draining for literally everyone involved, and what people do to their loved ones in the midst of a manic episode can be incredibly harmful, even if occurring alongside grand gestures of generosity, productivity, etc. you are not your friend's keeper, and your feelings and well-being matter just as much as theirs. do you both have mutual friends you can tap into to provide support when you're burnt out? these friends might also be able to offer some strategies that you or i haven't thought of. it's important to say that this support shouldn't be constant "did you use substances today" "did you drive recklessly today" other surveillance type stuff. try to maintain a normal rhythm to your conversations, and when something that makes you go ??? comes up, try framing your response as a question. "i'm going to finish writing and editing my novel today and start two new books and apply for this and that grant" - you could say, "that's a ton of stuff. why do you need to do it all today?" this creates space for other possibilities without forcing it.

your friend doesn't need advice right now, they need support! the person who needs advice, i think, is your friend's dad. are you and him directly in touch, and is there any way that you could get in touch with him? since you're online, i don't know the details here; it may work best when your friend is no longer manic and you two can speak frankly about how best to support them. i do suggest making a crisis plan with him/whoever they're close to irl.

I hope this is somewhat helpful!

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 58 analyze // spoilers

takamatsu-sensei continues with her beautiful and delicate writing, respecting her characters so that they themselves come into their own at the right moments — extending even to the secondary characters.

when i first opened the chapter and saw kazakami, i confess i was a little surprise. on one hand, exploring more of his character was something i was waiting for so long. on the other, it surprises me how she chose such moment to explore him a little further, but now I understand why she did it.

while we see the ending of the summer trip and mitsumi opening up to her friends as a closure to a long storyline, we do have to keep in mind that it only opened another door, way more tricky to explore. to dive deep into that right away would give her little to no time to explore the other characters that englobes the narrative and makes it function. it’s such an intelligent way to keep the plot flowing and adding more details to it.

well anyways, i digress. let’s focus on kazakami for now:

i’ve seen a lot of people often calling him a little selfish or self centered before, since the little scenes we had with him, his posture were always nonchalant. for me, it always felt like something was off, something he was hiding. not that i was sure about it, it just felt like “hm…this comes from a place of defense”. giving up soccer and focusing on being the president, for exemple, gave me an impression of him trying to find a distraction and a way to keep boosting his curriculum. and now, with more information, i have my doubts.

for kazakami’s backstory, sensei uses a plot she’s been using for a while: the “show not tell”, where she explicit give us a little of said character as a way to keep us going — for shima, the scandal; yasaka, her bedroom; now for kazakami, it was dive. opening the chapter with him pretending to be the main character was a very smart idea. that instantly broke the image we had of him, as this serious, ironical guy, specially after how ch 57 ended. now, we clearly see he’s just a boy with his own story and interests.

that brings the reader closer to kazakami (specially since us, the readers, also love anime and such lol). and she keeps on “showing, not telling” when she choses to show how kazakami is on school first to later expose his life at home.

that wall he build, that nonchalant attitude, it’s all a result of strict parents. it’s not that kazakami doesn’t want to be a normal teenager with interests: he was raised with the mindset of productive rather than pleasure. he was repressed into this box and feels guilty to break from it — by doing that, he’s afraid to sound ungrateful and selfish; that’s why he just swallows his food and accept his fate. the next day, a little more gasoline is added to the fuel. kanechika is the exact opposite of him, the perfect description of “freedom”.

but he also is someone who’s fighting for his dreams, someone who have his parents approval, someone who never let go of his interests and still have a bright future ahead of him. it’s frustrating for kazakami. he had to let go of everything in order to have the same future of the the “authentic” guy who never let go of anything. it’s a slap on the face, specially when kanechika holds dear the same thing as him: dive. the contrast between both characters is amazing and

i’m glad sensei chose to explore both at the same time. yes, we do focus more on kazakami, but we know a little about kanechika’s future and we also know a little more of his personality (i mean, he ran after kazakami just to talk about anime. he is observant, he can see that there is something more there). it’s a balance between narratives to maintain the equilibrium and use kanechika’s kindness as a way to tell more of kazakami’s backstory. but this is a conversation we will only continue when the next chapter is out…

thank you for reading it!! i’m sooo excited with what sensei have in store for us and can’t wait to discuss more with you guys

[faulty-writes]

heyhey how are you doing ? I was super excited to see someone writing so much for Tenya. So if it's okay...Can you write hc of him with a romantic partner (gn or fem if you feel more comfortable writing fem) who tries to bond with his family, like someone who would befriend Tensei, help him with his recovery maybe, would get along with his parents etc ⸜( ´ ꒳ ` )⸝

[ I'm doing okay, thank you for asking. Been busy with schoolwork, Abnormal Psychology is kicking my ass this term but so far I've gotten A's so, hooray for me. Also got a new job. Honestly, he's very popular on my blog because I write him well. At least that's what everyone tells me, hah. Anywho, this sounds adorable. Plus Tensei is mentioned! I love him very dearly as well. ]

"This is Y/n. She is my fellow student and romantic partner. She is rather admirable for the way she so victoriously displays her heroic skills during our assigned training sessions as well as the way she articulates her quirk!" You weren't sure if you were more embarrassed that those were his first words when introducing you to his family or that his mother immediately took a liking to you, going as far as to thank you for your interest in her son.

It was an honor to meet Tensei since Tenya continuously spoke of his admiration for the now-retired pro hero. Although it saddened you to see him in a wheelchair, it didn't dampen his spirits. "Hey! It's awesome to meet the girl my little brother keeps talking about!" He said, happily shaking your hand. "Brother! I ask you not to go into such details regarding that," Tenya insisted, flushing softly.

"Apologies, my family has requested my assistance." You understood that family was a priority for Tenya, especially considering he bragged about the Iida name. Because of this, he canceled your date plans on occasion, and you tried to remain supportive considering family bonds were precious.

On more than one occasion, you had dinner with the Iida family. "It is quite an honor to share this family bonding moment with you! I do hope the Iida family has made you feel welcome!" Tenya would always try to break the ice and unlike his mother, his father was less impressed by you but regardless, you tried your best to connect with him.

"You can pull harder, it's totally okay!" Tensei said. Sometimes you'd help him with his physical therapy exercises when Tenya was busy studying or just provide him with companionship, all of which Tenya would thank you for. "To show such noble attributes to fallen heroes is a wonderful characteristic! I hope that I may be able to display true hero qualities such as yours one day!" Sometimes his praise was too much.

His mother would invite you to go shopping or out to eat. Of course, you weren't used to the fine taste the Iida family was known for. However, you genuinely enjoyed your time and when you returned, Tenya was eager to hear what had happened.

The basis of your relationship was honesty and open communication, and you extended this courtesy to his family. Especially with his father who asked you specific questions regarding your dreams and goals for the future. He also asked you about your romantic life both with his son and any past partners you had.

The two of you managed to keep each other in balance and more importantly, worked around your busy schedules. Between your academic and personal lives, it was tricky to maintain your romantic life. But Tenya always made time to show you how much he and, to an extent, his family cared and loved you.

[doctornerdington]

Daniel Hart, composer for the IWTV score, did an AMA on Reddit. Posting some interesting bits I want to remember.

Oftentimes, instrumentation is dictated by the scenes themselves: things like the dialogue, the timbre of people's voices when they speak, the lighting, the set design, how fast actors are moving, how fast the camera is moving...certain instruments behave better in certain situations. BUT, that being said, a lot of Lestat's scenes revolve around piano, a lot of Louis revolves around strings in S1 AND we specifically made tenor saxophone his instrument for S2. Armand gets the cor anglais playing the melody under his monologue about the "Amadeo" painting in the museum in S2, and I think Claudia gets the whole orchestra! But we did often incorporate celesta when it made sense for Claudia themes.

It did not occur to me that the timbre of the actors' speaking voices would impact instrumentation. Or how integrated all the various technical elements are. Wowwwww this team is on fire.

Also! Armand! Gets! The! Cor! Anglais! If you don't think I could write an entire meta about Armand being represented by a transposing instrument (and for that monologue), hahaha you don't know meeeeee.

More under the cut.

How much historical research do I do? As much as possible, given the information available, and the time constraints of a project. I spent a lot of time with Gershwin and Ravel before and during IWTV S2. I spent a lot of time with their music (which I would do anyway, because I loooooove it), but I also spent time learning more about those composers, and yes, analyzing some of their musical structures more fully than I had before.

S2 influences: Henry Cowell, Meredith Monk, Howlin' Wolf, Shirley Temple, Jason Lindner Big Band, The Teeth, Carlos Salzedo and Alice Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, David Lang, Caroline Shaw.

Because there's a lot of piano in the score for S1 and S2, I'm moving things around on the piano all the time, to find the right register both for the piece itself, and for the voice in the scene, which can be a very tricky balance. There's a piece of piano music which goes for quite some time under Lestat's longest monologue during the trial in S2. Almost all of it is pretty high on the keyboard, leaving all that lower space for Sam's baritone to shine through. I think that was one of our most successful balances of dialogue and score.

Re: "The Whole World was Ready to Return" It's a very difficult piece to perform, and both the version I made at home (with me on violins and violas) and the version we recorded with the orchestra in Vienna took a long time to make. That kind of minimalism - short, repetitive phrases - can be hard to maintain over time. Thank you all for listening to it and enjoying it.

[It's on Spotify btw, and it's gorrrrgeous.]

[milesgmoralles]

Hi! Do you mind sharing your coloring tutorial or tips? especially for the animation ones, they're so good! your gifs are crisp and HD

hi, anon. tysm! 🫶 i don't mind at all since i’ve gotten more than a few requests from before, ig it's time to give it a go. (more) details are under the cut. 😁

before we start, i want you to take note of the following things that will be helpful in the process of making/coloring gifs.

if you want to get the know-how on making gifs, @redbelles did us a solid and gave us this comprehensive guide that will save me the time for explaining lmao. 😅✌️

make gifsets without skipping frames. keep frame delay 0.05 and 0.06 for less than 25 frames. anything more or less is too fast or too slow. additionally, it's also important to note that if you're dealing w videos that are faster than 30fps you change the frame delay to 0.04.

gif using the the new dimensions (in this tutorial i used the dimensions of 540px x 510px since it's all about big gifs now 🙄).

use the standard sharpening settings (smart sharpen, amount 500%, radius 0.3px, remove gaussian blur and tick more accurate) also note the sharpening settings for 2d as you've specifically requested.

 you can use action that will convert your gif back to frames and set your timing to 0.05 with a single click. basically photoshop will follow out all of these time-consuming steps for you! just download the action and double click it. it should now be added to your list of actions.  to see your actions, go to window > actions. find the folder that says "GIF ACTION" and select the lines that says "CLICK HERE" and voila! ps will do all the hard work for you.

the coloring on your gifs will look good if you have a good base so try not to skip on video qualities. use high quality copies like 1080p or 2160p (4k ones are good) the higher the gb the better. it makes coloring so much easier and reduces grains.

*cracks knuckles* let's start!

for 2d animation's sharpening settings, it usually varies so i just move the amount around and see what looks or works better for a specific gif. i used amount: 189 and radius: 0.2 for this ponyo gif. anything can work between 189 to 350 for me but i maintain the radius at 0.2. again, you can just play the amount around until you find the one that looks good for your gif.

when i’m making gifs. i look for that notorious contrast between the light and dark parts. i think it gives life to the gif- so exposure, levels and curves are best to achieve that. for curves, just go to layer > new adjustment layer > curves. this layer is going to help brighten up the gif in certain areas, and darken others. select the white eyedropper. click the lighter part of the gif like the white/light part of the ship.

next, select the black eyedropper and click on a black/dark area of the gif (refer to the arrow bc i don't know which part of the ship is that called lmao).

you can skip the black eyedropper if you're already satisfied w the result of the white one.

color balance and selective color are your two best buddies. they’re great when you’re trying to change some tones or specific colors of the gif, like the skin tone which is very tricky.

using selective color is pretty simple, here’s a really useful guide:

if you pull any of the tabs to the right, it increases the amount of color (cyan, magenta, yellow and black), and reduces the amount of opposite color (red, green, blue and white).

i also use the blacks and whites in selective color especially if the gif is saturated w colors to tone down some parts and make shadows more visible (idk if this is still making sense 😅).

in working with color balance, i use midtones and highlights sparingly. it's really helpful in removing or balancing out a certain tone.

here's my save setting ⬆️

idk why but ps puts the default frame delay to 0.07/0.03 so open your gif in ps again and don't forget to change the delay to 0.05.

and we're done!

i sometimes go back and forth and do some tweaking until i’m satisfied with the result. this is how i color and i know it’s not perfect but i learn by constant practice. there’s really no standard in coloring so you can make yours the way you like it. just enjoy- until you get the hang of it and it becomes less daunting (or something like that). i hope this helps. if you have more questions, my askbox is always open 😊.

[halfagone]

Oooh, good point! I think I’d prefer to go for a mix of two and three. An experienced Danny who’s super sick of the hero life, but he’s still pretty experience and maybe even harbors resent for the league since they never helped him out. I kinda have a thing for stories about Danny having issues with the league, lol. What do you think?

This is in continuation to this post.

From what I've seen you're not alone with that preference/niche! lol I've even read some Miraculous Ladybug x DC crossover with a similar concept, back when I used to read fics for MLB (it's been a while since I last read fanfic for MLB though). I know I did play around with the concept for down the rabbit hole (goes the throne). However, something that's very tricky to balance is making sure Danny doesn't come off as... self-centered, I guess the right word would be?

Because yes, it's understandable that Danny would be upset that no one tried to help him if they did reach out. At the same time, you have to consider the possibility of censorship thanks to the GIW (which is a popular headcanon) or that Vlad used Desiree to make a wish that would shield the town for his machinations and schemes (which is another headcanon I've seen used before). Danny can be upset at first but if he finds out that their attempts for contact literally could not connect, then it would be unreasonable for Danny to keep harboring that resentment when they're here now because they found out. That implies that had they known back then they would have tried something too, but they are not meant to be omniscient, no matter how hard Bruce might try to be.

Plus... the JL already have a lot of responsibilities. Most if not all these heroes have a base of operations- an entire city to take care of. And yes, so does Danny, but they can't just drop everything and come to his rescue, especially if the problem is much more extensive than just closing the portal. (Which Danny could technically do at any given time, but chooses not to.) But let's not talk about that. And there's also all the off-world missions they're in charge of or participate in. And many heroes have their day jobs and civilian lives to maintain, and plenty of these heroes have kids! Things are complicated!

But complex situations make things all the more interesting, do they not? ;3

Let's play around with that, shall we?

---

"Are you really a ghost?" Bart asks Phantom in curiosity. Is it just 'Phantom' or is it 'The Phantom' because the latter sounds much more mysterious, but is that trade-marked by-

"You think too fast," Phantom grumbles under his breath as he zips around a burning piece of rubble. He hardly bats an eye at it, just watches it fly past and then freezes it, effectively putting out the flames. The rubble slides innocently across the blacktop, falling alongside all the other pieces he's already frozen over.

Phantom's hardly even trying. It's so not crash.

"You're not like any ghost I've ever seen before," Secret agrees with a small frown. She doesn't distrust Phantom necessarily, but her own curiosity is hard to fight down.

Phantom's lips twist with amusement. "I could say the same to you actually." The group collectively watch as Phantom's legs twist and disappear into a wispy tail, the ghost curling it around as if to hug himself.

"What kind of Casper..." Kon overhears Tim mutter to himself. It's a good thing he doesn't have a piece of paper, else he'd be taking rapid fire notes. A computer would've done in a jiffy, of course, but it's not like they had access to one of those in a blown out city street like this.

"I've never heard about you before," Cassie comments with pinched brows. She doesn't look happy about it.

And for what it's worth, Phantom doesn't either.

"You wouldn't," Phantom drawls. There's no mirth in his voice. He turns back to the villain of the day, hands sparking as he zaps the machine so thoroughly that sparks fly and the metal audibly creaks.

Kon shivers at the display. He's not afraid, not really, but he's still uneasy... He knows that Captain Marvel is one of those heroes on par with Superman, and right now, watching Phantom wield his lightning, Kon's starting to see why.

The group shuffle around uncomfortably as Phantom sucks up the villain into a soup thermos? Now that's not something you see every day.

"What's that do?" Tim, ever perceptive, prods Phantom for answers.

"It contains ghosts, spectral entities, the works," Phantom replies curtly, capping the thermos with practiced ease. Ease that spoke of experience. "You kids alright?"

"Dude, you're barely four years older than some of us," Anita deadpans with an unimpressed look. "You don't get to call us 'kids'."

Phantom lifts his shoulders in a shrug. "Sorry, y'all are still babies to me." He points at Kon. "You've gotta be, what, not even six months old?"

Kon prickles at the remark. "That's none of your business." He knows he's not that old chronologically, but that doesn't make him an infant. He'd appreciate some respect about it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Danny replies and it sounds sincere? But most of them don't take too kindly to him anyways. He just gives bad vibes is all. "Where are your mentors? I feel like there should be at least one of them around to supervise."

"We can take care of ourselves," Tim insists, crossing his arms over his chest. Uh oh, he's hurt Timmy's feelings. That's never a good sign.

"You're kids, you shouldn't have to," Phantom sneers slightly, snidely more like.

"Like you did?" Secret asks tentatively. Phantom's hair visibly floats up, picked up by an inexplicable wind. His eyes glow a shade brighter. It's eerie. It's uncomfortable.

Phantom's face might be impassive, but he still remains an open book.

"Yeah, something like that," Phantom murmurs, his tone unreadable. "I hope you can take care of yourselves. One day you might be the only ones that do."

With that ominous warning, Phantom disappears. Here one minute, gone the next. Like a true ghost.

"I vote we call him 'Casper the Unfriendly Ghost'," Bart announces out of the blue. "Raise your hand if you agree?"

At once, every single member raises their hand.

"Motion passed."

[absoluteocellibehavior]

I'M SO GLAD YOU SEE THE VISION. ive been spending so much time thinking about this concept now that its gotten the gears turning and have been squinting at the witch and larson now since i feel like i need to dissect them as violently as possible. the witch reads as justice to me, ironically, mostly with her "i will help you the way *I* understand how" objectivity, and her conversation with john in part 43, suggesting an inverse reading of the card very hard. a lot of her casual hubris (in the very literal definition; a mortal believing she knows better than a god what he wants) also adds to inverse justice as well; also her backstory of being scorned by humanity and thus choosing to scorn it back as retribution. idk she just pulls on a lot of themes of the justice arcana - karma, cause and effect, balance of choice and consequence. she does the things she does because she feels it is Right and Good that way and a reset to How Things "Should" Be larson's kinda tricky though. hard to pinpoint overall narratives that would Fit cleanly but the closest i come to is the hierophant. both for the symbolism of a holy person, as well as the upholding of existing institutions and simultaneously tearing them down (reversed). its the wild comparison between being an immortal fuck that Owns A Town and Maintains A Household while being part of a ages-old cult - and at the same time commandeering a god fragment for a revenge plot and abusing the trust his daughter had in him to sacrifice her for power. both the existing institutions as well as the hunger to outstretch More of that power. exoteric wielding of power as opposed to the high priestess.

once again. i dont do this regularly i just have brainrot now. feel free to check my work. i need to study them both like bugs that i can shake around in their enclosure

It took me way too long to answer this (summer courses be kickin my ASS rn). I offer you a hot cocoa with peppermint and the absolute wettest and most apologetic eyes I can muster <3. I actually fuck with the idea of Larson being Hierophant heavy. I think that suits him very well. On top of everything you've mentioned up above (which I LOVE) Hierophant is very tied to reliance on the divine or supernatural. HELLO! I feel like no matter what area we focus on in Season 3 or 4, that fits him so well. Yes, yes, yes. Now the real question is who or what are the Monks of Roses (heart) and Lilies (soul) on the card, hmm? And The Witch! Oh, I truly don't know. It almost makes me wish that we had a bit more time with her to be able to determine all the ins and outs of her. I really need to relisten to Part 43 again to make a determination on that. I really like what you're saying about relating her to Justice though. You're right! It feels like such an ironic thing but with everything that you're saying, it really works! WAIT WAIT DOES THIS MEAN YORICK IS THE HIGH PRIESTESS?? WAIT WHY DOES THAT WORK AND WHY IS IT SO FUNNY-

[ddejavvu]

I think Spencer is oddly tricky to get right in writing (and tbh sometimes even on the show) because there is that balance between the initial socially inept Spencer of the first few seasons with the more developed and adult version (like that man is in his 40s by the end of the show 😭) that still maintains some of that awkwardness without it being like his Entire personality, plus! he's always been a little bitchy it just got more developed as he matured

spencer is actually such a bitch he just doesn't let it show very often which is why he's a certified genius because he hides it until he needs it and then people are so caught off guard by it that they don't know what to do and he wins every time

[dxxtruction]

Sooooo, Armand did tamper with Louis memories but my next question is why? I find 'he wanted to manipulate him' a bit crass of a read; lacking. That's not to say he hasn't, or that he'd be so dense to not know that he had, rather that this wouldn't be what motivates him. So, what does, and why did he do it?

Suppose it's easiest to start with the core of it, which is that most anyone typically acts out of a need to cling to (or run from) some sense of self or identity, especially when it's called into question. We have to reckon with how others see us just as much as we have to reckon with how we see ourselves. Grappling with finding relation to the changing and unchanging facts about ourselves - the total amalgamation of what makes us 'us' - comes with an interplay of inner and outer perceptions surrounding everything we do, or seem to do in both these eyes. Armand is called into question by Louis. And from what we know of his character is that his identity is heavily internally clung to two things: A necessity for having control, and a desperate need to be loved.

It's important that how those manifest in him is deeply rooted in the traumas he's faced (Which he wants to run away from in the form of seeking and identifying with said control/love. Even at the expense, knowingly or not, of replicating those cycles). So, it's like he's living in near constant response to it. Leaving him without much else to find identity in.

And loss of identity directly feeds into his traumas as well, it being one of them, done repeatedly. Making the process of having any ambiguity on part of how another views him - particularly from those he cares deeply about the opinions of, especially on matters of love - difficult to accept, and easy to deny. In other words: he needs whatever sustained self image he can hold on to, so struggles identifying with the truth about Louis' feelings about him being so opposed. Upon question, he can't accept what not being loved would do to that image and finds himself seeking the comfort of living in denial.

So, I'd say that then could explain most of it. Being motivated to maintain certain perceptions in the form of tampering with memory: the means through which said perceptions are perceived. Making everyone live in this denial with him also appealing to his controlling. Thus returning this sense of self back to him in both aspects. The emotional wound does explain (not forgive) why he takes to it in the way he does.

But let's go deeper, because there's more to the very situation (1973) as to why. Why would Armand go out of his way to tamper with Louis memory as well, when they'd already reached a kind of conclusion that does appear to keep their companionship? What, to his mind, called for it given the situation?

Harkening back to above, Armand defines himself around Louis in a major way. Louis is his love, is his need to be loved. There's a developed co-dependancy between them. They're at such point both exploiter and exploited in this. His happiness, is Armand's happiness, is reason enough to preserve it in a way that is agreeable. And that agreement is a tricky one to play a balance with, like they honestly shouldn't be together after Paris, but this goes without saying. It's been on Armand, mostly, to make this relationship work. (And even if it was mostly one of a lot of a denial, I like to imagine there are large periods where it has, and they've lived a relatively normal relationship, had this 'dreamy balance' or it simply wouldn't have lasted so long - with or without mind fuckery).

He wants it most too, which is how Louis is able to have some control over Armand. Control in how Louis ability to love him is very conditional and rests a lot on Armand's ability to satisfy, gratify, console, and control Louis for his own protection - despite knowing he'll never make up for Paris he does everything to earn Louis anyway. So could Armand have chosen to do this to be perceived as someone able to earn it still? That's one option. Very plausible.

Louis has a complicated love for Armand, it's there and isn't, but he also can get from Armand whatever he can squeeze out of him, and in this past he takes heavy advantage of it. As Armand is susceptible to his own much greater necessitation to be loved by him, making him go out of his way to do this 'earning'. However, as had been revealed, for Armand this is played up in part to uphold for Louis' perceptions that he really has that much power over him.

Because what we also have to factor in is Armand's other aspect - control. The line, 'Armand preserves my happiness even when I can't or wont. He had a hunch you might prove useful in later times', is rehearsed in much the same way this entire dynamic is one of great rehearsal. It's practiced, or it would be chaos.

There's certainly a part of Armand that likes being in the submissive role too, he likes what comes with it, but he can't be in total service to Louis, and Louis can't be without rules - or there's no control. Rules, roles, scripts, are very important to Armand, they're a way to facilitate a controlled setting, and he's really the one to enforce the parameters of what those are more so than Louis is. See; when Louis breaks from these things of agreement, what Armand normally gives him goes away.

I picture Louis as like the playwright of the relationship - the one facilitating everything - while Armand seems to then stage direct everything about it, sometimes secretly. In this way, Armand places himself as moreso being the one to meet his own satisfaction, gratification, consolation, and control (he has more overall power here in a duel sense) than Louis. Louis own meeting of these things still factor into it, though. Remember; his happiness, is Armands happiness, is his role to maintain so the play will keep writing itself. The curtains would close on their relationship otherwise.

This is the 'balance' of agreement between them, and again, it's entirely likely such balance just could not be maintained were those memories to stay as they were, almost like the jig is up. There's a factor here of Armand probably catching that Louis wouldn’t be comfortable in this relationship knowing more apparently Armand had so much more power over him this whole time. He knew, of course, but in their roles they could forget. This switch up in dynamics over those few days revealed the imbalance of things, a truth about it, and those needed to be masked back up. Theatre.

But let's explore some other ideas too.

I would first repeat myself in more context, Armand tampers with the script for the express purpose of preservation - of its dynamics, its roles, its rules, and of Louis. Nothing has the ability to change if nothing happened and Armand perhaps wanted to go on as if nothing really did - again there's denial. Armand finds reason in preservation to remove those memories. Preservation of Louis is in several ways preservation of himself, is preservation of their companionship. A companionship which is what he defines himself through - his love, his control.

But tacked onto this there's also this protecting Louis from himself - from the knowing of what he did (the arguing, the attempt, and what came after) and why it all happened. This is maybe Armand's way of going about excusing it? But, he probably does think this is to an extent true. He does think he's protecting him with this, preserving his happiness. There's an argument to be made that Louis wouldn't be alive without Armand acting in this way. That, hypothetically, the reminder would be fuel to attempt again, so perhaps there's merit to this excuse. It is ultimately still an excuse though. It's still a fucked up form of protection. One that can't actually allow Louis to move past into healing from the actual causes of things. Or Armand for that matter.

Removing those memories could also be because of a remorse on his part, Armand's regretful role in how he acted during all of it. He doesn't want to be remembered that way. Yet again with identity, and with denial. This isn't the image of who he wants to be. This isn't how he would paint himself.

Armand in this stage director role also just has a tendency to do that - and edit himself out. It'd not be shocking that such a heightened situation would call for heightened dramatics. I don't see Armand taking it to this extreme as being a common thing, this could've been the only time too. That we can't actually say for sure is the terrifying part, the potential is always still there once you know its there. (and the point was never to know it's there).

There's a part of me that wants to say that pairing the 'cut' with Daniel's isn't without it's place in this either. It seems pointed. Armand's jealousy of Daniel over Louis preferring him motivating removing any memory that he ever did have reason to find Daniel so favorable, let alone bond deeper with him over those days. He was making sure further contact was unlikely to happen? Compliant willingness for it now could be a matter of knowing it's a lot safer to do so. Louis seems in a lot better place than he was. Armand can't really say no at this point. And he couldn't tell him why it ever would've been dangerous to begin with, just be extremely on guard about the whole thing.

Really, there's not an easy answer to it that we can point to and say: it's this one. I wouldn't be surprised if it was all these things building to a list of reasons, and more than the one's I've listed. Ends up with more pros than cons? But there could also be hardly calculation at all and it's a purely emotional choice, coming from an emotional place.

A very damaging choice, regardless, among several other damaging choices, and it's one I think can be read with all this nuance without mitigating that. I hope it's been clear I'm not trying to. Intentions don't = impact. Investigation into the intentions doesn't take away from that.

I'm very interested to see how it all plays out, how they handle this on the impact side of things. If they'll actually give more of an answer. Rolin says some interesting things here: x. That alludes to how they're going to address this whole thing about memory - it's monstrous quality - with some of the same nuance I've given. And how a blanket statement on blame, and who did what, isn't where this kind of conversation will end up going.

[punks-never-die205]

Honeysuckle: Red

afab!reader x Vampire!Eustass Kid

cw: Vampire AU with blood, violence, gore, some very marginally dubious consent, 18+ only

Summary: Vampires are real, and the World Government has ways of maintaining the balance of power and peace between humans and Vampires. Most of it is simple extortion, but one person's desire for freedom threatens to upend the delicate balance and change the world completely.

Tag List: @keiva1000

Chapter 4: Bite

Eustass’ idea of having you do what he wanted seemed to be mostly chores. He had you dust, and sweep, and clean almost constantly. If you weren’t eating or sleeping, you were doing chores. He’d toss you roughly onto a nearby couch or chair and spend time inspecting your work, but after a few rounds of this you realized he was just forcing you to take breaks.

Your only real concern was that there wasn’t much conversation between the two of you. The one time you brought it up he said that you’d just have to wait and see. Well, his exact words had been to not worry your “fairytale filled head about it.”

Over the course of about four days, you were slowly pulled into his schedule. Sleeping during the day was unusual for you, but it was surprisingly easy to adjust to. You’d been up most of the night the first day you’d stumbled into the manor as it was.

Meals were simple, but certainly more than enough food. He would grumble that you’d better not complain, but you were just glad to be getting regular meals.  You had been certain in your mad dash to leave the facility behind that you would be going long stretches without food. If you’d died of starvation while being free, then so be it, and so this was a far cry better than you had anticipated.

The beginning of the fifth night, as you were eating breakfast – a few slices of toast with honey on them and some fruit – your curiosity got the better of you.

“Have you, um, eaten?” You ask the question, but you’re pretty sure you know the answer. If he’s left the manor in the last few nights, it hasn’t been for long as far as you could tell.

Vampires could subsist on animals, but they usually had thralls – humans willing to be fed from in exchange for protection, or lodging, or money – or some mix of the three. The only people with more land and wealth than the vampires were the Celestial Dragons. Not even most nobles could compare to the wealth amassed by the long lived race.

The balance of power was shaky at best. Vampires were powerful, but few in number. Turning humans into vampires was tricky business, and vampire procreation was a long process, as such humans out numbered them nearly a million to one. Before there had been thousands of vampires, but a great war some centuries ago had wiped out most of them.

Now there were a few hundred at most.

Honeysuckles were in the middle of that power struggle, but you didn’t like thinking about it.

“Vampires don’t eat, princess.”

“It… seems impolite to refer to it as feeding.” You admit, looking over at him carefully.

“It isn’t.” He answers gruffly. “Call it drinking if you want. You wanna talk rude? Most of us call drinking from honeysuckles dosing.”

You can’t help flinching at the term. Convincing the world that all honeysuckles were addictive was the greatest lie the World Government had ever gotten away with.

“I’m still not convinced.” He says his tone freezing you in place as he stands behind you. “Everyone should be back by morning. I was going to wait, but if you’ve been lying.” His hands rest on your shoulders and suddenly you wish you hadn’t eaten breakfast.

“I haven’t.” You insist. Your voice is quiet, and your heart is pounding.

Eustass’ hands hold you in place easily, as he leans down and speaks low into your ear. “You’ve heard the stories, same as me, I’m sure. The Government protects the little honeybloods, because the terrible, monstrous, evil, blood-sucking vampires can’t help from drinking the little darlings dry. So sweet is your blood, so powerfully addicting, that we fall into a terrible bloodlust from it.”

“I’m not addicting.” You say the words, but there’s a vivid image in your mind of your cold and lifeless body on the floor, drained of blood and a feral Eustass Kid screaming in the dark manor.

“But your blood is still intoxicatingly sweet,” you can almost feel his lips brush against your skin, before he leans back a little. “If I drink from you now, and you are addicting, or intoxicating, or whatever word that’s supposed to make me lose my senses, then I should be either recovered or exhausted by the time my partners return.”

The chair you’re in is turned around easily, and those burning gold eyes are regarding you before he leans down. “Mm, princess?”

You’re struggling to meet his gaze when he’s so close. “I’m…” You swallow thickly, forcing yourself to look at him. “I’m a Honeysuckle Red, we… I… supposedly empower anyone who drinks my blood.”

“Empower?”

You nod. “Like adrenaline.”

Eustass’ fingers slowly slide over your throat, forcing your head back slowly before he pushes you roughly into the chair with enough force it causes the cutlery on your plate to clatter as the chair slams into the table.

“You said you weren’t a drug, little flower.” His eyes have that dangerous red hue to them, and his grip is immovable. By his grace alone you’re still able to breathe and speak.

“Ah-addicting… I said I wasn’t addicting.”

His eyes narrow and his grip tightens for a moment. You do your best to stay still, hoping that he doesn’t mean to snap your neck and save himself the complications. The tense moment seems to drag on, but you don’t avert your eyes.

“Side-effects?” He questions as his grip loosens.

“R-reds are the…” You stop and look away. “There’s no ill-effects, as far as anyone knows.”

“And you?” He prompts.

“Huh?” You look up at him and tilt your head a little.

“No ill-effects as far as anyone knows.” He repeats your words. “But you couldn’t look at me when you said it, so what are you hiding?”

“N-Nothing. Nothing!” You assert as his fingers start to tighten. Your face flushes and you look away. “It’s like … it’s like talking about an object.” You say finally, face and ears hot in anger and embarrassment. “Classifications. Purities. Effects. Addiction levels. Like we’re not even human.”

You’re quiet for a moment, Eustass doesn’t move his hand away but there’s no pressure behind it.

“I’m not a flower.” Your voice is small, and it feels like such a weak statement against an entire world that refers to you and those like you as honeysuckles.

You hear a quiet growl come from Eustass before he pulls his hand away. You don’t have to look at him to know he’s irritated about something – no matter how old or young he might actually be it’s fairly easy to read his emotions. It’s a large part of what’s made it easy to relax around him, even if does shift gears swiftly sometimes, you never have to guess too much.

It’s much better than the false kindness of the faculty.

“That was a lovely chat.” He says sarcastically. “But I’m still hungry, princess. What’re you going to do about it?”

“… I wasn’t aware I had a choice.” You admit, looking at the golden eyes that are regarding you coolly. A smirk slips across his face.

“You’ve had a choice since you chose to run away, little gift.” His voice is gruff, but the words are kind, or at least kind enough. He reaches out and tilts your jaw around a little, exposing your neck in different ways. “And I can choose if I give a shit.”

“… They teach us that it’s painful.”

“Never know a thrall to cry out in pain.” His grin takes a lascivious tilt. “Not to say they don’t cry out. But no one’s fed from a hon-.” Eustass stops mid sentence and frowns deeply. “Only one way to know, sweetheart.”

“Would you… could you stop, if it hurts?”

“Mm, if I want to. Maybe I like hurting my meals.” He tilts your chin up so you’re looking at him. Despite the heat in your face you’re able to return the gaze.

“You haven’t hurt me yet.” You say, knowing he’s had plenty opportunity to do so.

“If you want me to hurt you doll, you just have to ask for it.” He answers and you wonder if you’re both talking about the same thing anymore.

“I…” You wondered absently if being free meant wondering which choice was going to be your last, or if this was a unique situation. “Would like for you to eat.”

“I won’t starve in the next few hours.” He counters. There’s a glimmer in his eyes, and you feel like you’re being stalked.

“I know.” He offers his hand and helps you to your feet from the chair.

“Scared?”

“Nervous.” You admit.

Leaning down, he hums softly, pulling your collar aside. There’s enough give to the shirt that he can pull down both of your shoulders easily. The air against your skin makes your breath come back shaky and you can feel the grin coming from him.

“Not yet,” he says softly, kissing your neck. The soft sensation was unexpected, and you feel a shiver run through you as a small gasp escapes you. “Relax,” he commands, pressing another soft kiss against your neck.

His lips are hotter than you expected, and the pleasurable feeling from the tender kisses is distracting you. His hand presses against your back before his tongue presses against your skin. The new sensation makes you squirm and gasp, and he holds you in place. You can feel your heart beating faster and the rush of blood from it is a little dizzying.

“Eu-Eustass…” You’re not sure what you mean to say to him. That the pleasure is nice, but the anticipation is killing you, or that you don’t want him to feed, you just want him to keep making you feel good.

You didn’t know something like this felt so good.

He cradles your head with his hand, holding you even as the pleasure building inside you seems to demand you move.

“Shhh, (Y/N),” his voice hums against your skin, and there’s a second of fear as you realize what’s going to happen. The pleasure hardly relents however, and the fear subsides.

The hard pressure of smooth bone is against your skin for nearly a third time, and the sharp pain is so brief you’re not even sure you truly felt it. Pleasure jolts from your neck out into your body and you can’t stifle the euphoric cry that escapes your lips. The delicious sensation continues to build as he feeds from you, and a strange insanity takes you, as though you’d risk death to feel the peak of that pleasure.

Before you can even truly near it Eustass pulls away.

“Haaaa-Fuck.” He keeps his grip on you as he takes another deep breath. He seems to steady the two of you against one another for a brief moment before he has you sit back in the chair.

“Holy fuck.” He swears again. His skin is flush red down to his abdomen, his fingers flexing as claws extend and contract. There’s a wild aura around him, and you half expect him to howl like some werewolf.

He takes a step back, but it seems more for your comfort than his concern. The air around him is crackling and chaotic, but there’s no struggle or madness on his face.

“I feel like I could break the Red Line.” He says, his breath is coming out heavy and his usual fluid movements seem to flicker. You almost expect him to start teleporting around the room. “How long does this last?”

“… They say for as long as the Dhampir need to win a fight.”

“Dhampir? Humans can’t get knocked up by vampires.” He says it dismissively, but he’s still looking at you for clarification.

You swallow. It’s not like you haven’t been spilling state secrets to him all this time, but this one feels heavier than the rest. “It’s what they call the vampires who have taken oaths to the World Government.”

Eustass stills, and the air around him seems to move on his behalf. His gaze nearly spears you to the chair you’re sitting in.

The room’s been dark since you began eating, your “day” starts at sunset, and the manor is kept almost completely dark because there’s no need for Eustass to need light, and neither of you wants to give away the fact that you’re in the manor. Small sources of lights are provided so you can do your chores and move around without issue, but nothing more than that.

Right now, it seems like all the light from the moon and the candle at the table are being overpowered by a darkness rolling around Eustass. There’s a fury in his eyes, a deadly anger and an unsettling calm all at the same time. You can’t tell if he means to kill you for what you’ve told him, or if he’s keeping himself in check to keep from harming you.

The sound of his breathing is the only noise in the room. The air shudders with every exhale.

“Go to your room.” The words come from him clipped and sharp, barely controlled. “NOW!” He bellows when you don’t immediately move and the sound forces your limbs into motion.

The torrent of emotions from the last few minutes causes tears to sting in your eyes as you run toward your room. The euphoria, the pleasure, the rush, all crushed underneath the weight of the fear that made you run.

Even before you could make it halfway up the stairs you heard the front doors open and close with such force it nearly shook the entire manor. It was amazing that they hadn’t simply shattered in the frame. By the time you made it to the doors of your room you were at least certain that he wasn’t furious at you. You might not know him well, but Eustass Kid seemed the kind of vampire to simply bury whatever truly angered him.

Whatever he had left to do, you only hoped he returned.

[stormwaterwitch]

I'm not the anon who you were responding to, but I found your blog through the thing about your 12-element paradigm. I'm fascinated, largely because the non-traditional 8 are (mostly) all aspects I work with, but I hadn't considered them as elements?

Idk what I'm asking specifically, but I would love to know m9re about how you came to look at things this way and how you use it in the day-to-day practice!

Thank you for your time!

Heya!

When I started really thinking about the elements I was drawn to things that I interacted with on a daily basis to make it easier to incorporate into my day to day practice (ie: thinking about things and stuff)

I think I went into this a bit more on this post but I broke them down into three categories: The Touchables, The Untouchables, and The Effectors. Touchables is pretty standard as it encompasses the elements you can reach out and touch. I mark them as Fire, Water, Air and Earth (Disclaimer: Fire Hot. Please don't touch fire okay? lol) but these are the elements you can actually touch and have a physical reaction register as you connect with them.

Untouchables are the elements are kind of a mixture between the effectors and the touchables as they CAN effect you but you cannot reach out and touch them the same way you could the first set.I mark them as Light, Dark, Time and Space. These are more sensations as you can feel the presence of Light or the absence of it in Darkness. You are aware of the passage of Time and your presence in a physical Space that your body occupies.

Effectors are the elements that can change the directions of a person's path but cannot be truly influenced by a practitioner overall. I mark them as Luck, Fate, Order and Chaos. They effect and influence the way our lives go. It can be tricky to discern between them when starting out: Was it Luck or Fate that you met the right person at the right time to get the job of your dreams? Do your rituals for your practice really need to follow the Order of the steps as written or would you get the same result winging it in the Chaos?

As for how I work with them it's very casually. Mostly notating how and when I feel them around me in my day to day life. Sometimes its squinting into the halogen light bulbs at work (or admiring the chandeliers) the quiet that takes over in the dark when I curl up in bed with my Kindle to read before bed. The whoomph of my gas stove lighting up, or sitting on my front porch swing to listen to the rain. the uneven rocks under my bare feet as I go to check the mail to the whips of wind that race along the parking lot as I walk to my car after my shift at work.

To me the elements are a lot of little experiences adding up over time and the balances they maintain when working all together. :) -oOo-

Now as for discovering your own elemental set(s) to work with, I would suggest taking some time every day to really pay attention to the things around you. The sensations you feel and take in as you experience life.

Next I would say investigate some Pop Culture influences and see what other people have utilized in their elemental systems. Why does Pokemon use Poison/ Fairy/ Steel Type? Why does Avatar include Metal/Lava/Blood Bending? Would Gravity, Ink, Blood or Sound be a viable element for you to work with?

I say this because I almost included Blood into one of my elements to work with but I couldn't find a way to make it work with the sets that I had so it didn't make the cut.

Some examples found below vvv

Some Ideas of things to consider as Elements: +Metal/Steel +Spirit/Aether +Gravity +Sound +Wood +Color/Light Spectrum +Gasses/Plasma +Energy +Crystal

Some questions to ask yourself: +What do I think is missing from the four elements that most people work with that I am looking for in my own practice? +How many Elements would be too many for me to feasibly work with? +Could these elements combine together? What elements would they make if they did?

I hope this helps! Feel free to send more in if there's anything else I can answer :D <3

Tagging @arisprite since they were interested!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hi Lena!! Just 2 quick questions that I couldn't find the answer to (thank you tumblr search) so apologies if they're floating around somewhere:

1) What are acceptable hairstyles for a Shepherd in uniform? There's a good chance I'm misremembering this but I feel like I read somewhere that those with long hair should tie it up in a bun. But my MC's hair is at that awkward length where it's too short to be tied back but too long to be left loose. So what now lol

2) Do Mages emit light when they cast magic, like from their hands or it brightens their eyes? I know their hair puffs up like in Studio Ghibli and the air immediately surrounding them gets warmer, but are those the only indicators of an active spellcaster?

That's all, thank you and happy start to the summer! ☀️☀️

Tumblr search is truly wretched so no worries! Basically the rule of thumb for Shepherd officers is that your hair can't be obscuring your eyes/peripheral vision and that it shouldn't be easy to snag on things like branches when you're out in the field, so pretty much any way of keeping your hair out of your face (clips, braid, ugly little short pigtails) is technically acceptable, but tying it up or putting it in a bun is considered safest. Blade (and Riel) would enforce a much stricter dress code if it were left to them, but Riel knows that a fine balance has to be struck between maintaining morale (even by allowing small personal freedoms such as this) and having such a tightly-rigid military structure, and Blade got talked out of making everyone cut their hair short in the early months of the order because, as Trouble put it, "he had absolutely zero business telling anyone fuck-all to do with their hair and people would actually lose respect for him if he tried" so he basically focuses on more important things. However, it is an actual rule that if your captain or superior officer notices things like these cosmetic choices presenting an actual obstacle/danger to you in the field (your hair got yanked by an opponent or they noticed your hair kept falling into your eyes while fighting), they can and will tell you to cut it if your solutions is deemed untenable. So there's that! Doesn't have to be a bun exactly, but it should be tied and out of the way: short, scruffy little ponytail at the nape of the neck or a braid would work just as well!

As for your second question, it depends on what kind of magic the person is casting: for Battle-Mages, sometimes their hands glow, but this is generally when they're casting astral energy; for example, when Briony punches through a wall, her hand doesn't glow, but when she's winding up to unleash a bolt of chain-lightning, it does! Healers' hands glow when they're healing wounds. Elementalists' hands don't typically glow when they're manipulating the elements around them! Psionic users' hands don't ever glow, which is why it's very tricky to realize they're working their magic around you, and Arcane Mages' hands don't typically glow, but the objects they're working with (runes, lodestones, crystals, alchemical compounds and substances, Shifted objects, etc.) can and often do!

Hope that helps!