#sette and history

[abybweisse]

1875 is the year the twins were born. Now I imagine one or a pair of these being bought for Phantomhive Manor when they were babies. So, now I want art of them with this. Or at least art of Vincent and Rachel with it.

Sette

Designed by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (British)

c.1875

The MET (Accession Number: 1975.219a)

[simon-roy]

One of the funnest parts of doing a kickstarter (perhaps the only TRULY fun part) is asking online pen-pals if they'd like to contribute to the book. I was very keen on getting something from Tom Kilian - @tkilian on here - who I've followed for ages (and talked with about a couple story ideas, too) to do a piece, and lucky for me, he went WILD on it!

Above is the incredible final piece he cooked up. But below, here is his exhaustive process, in his own words:

When Simon approached me to do a pinup for A STAR CALLED THE SUN I was torn between impending deadlines for other work and the fact that I really wanted to do one. One of my all-time favorite Simon Roy stories, “The Oxpecker and The Elephant,” is appearing in this volume, and I’ve spent years wondering what happened to the two tiny human figures visible among the wreckage at the bottom of the last panel. That, I decided, would be my hook: imagining one of those possible futures where the events of the comic had become an oral history or creation myth for future generations of humans. 

I initially had this overly elaborate idea of showing the same story told three different times around three different fires: one of miserable survivors in the comic’s immediate aftermath, one in this world’s equivalent of the Neolithic era, and one involving the ritual dance of a rich and prosperous culture. 

First I dashed out a quick thumbnail for the Neolithic cave-painting scene. I figured that this idea was strong enough to stand on its own if I couldn’t make the more complicated idea work or started feeling pinched for time, which ultimately is what happened. I like the concept work that I did for the invented history though!

I started by feeling out some ideas for repeatable motifs that I could pull from the comic. Since I wasn’t drawing anything directly from the book, I still wanted readers to be able to make that visual connection. I also wanted there to be some visual link between the three time periods, and settled on four red dots (for the elephants’ eyes), paired braids (for their main feeler arms/trunks), the triangular “assemblage” symbol, and some kind of draping brood-skin shape that would be associated with motherhood in some way.

You can also see me working out some stuff like “how to abstract that weird spaceship from the opening into a 2-D symbol” and “how many points does a Simon-Roy-style star have?” (it actually varies, but I think the stories set on Altamira all use 4-pointed stars), as well as what materials would be available (leather, bone, something very like wood, probably pigment derived from the planet’s yellow soil). 

The local mammal-equivalents don’t seem to have hair, but the ticks at least have quills. The idea of quillwork suggested a Native American inspiration for clothing and decoration, and since the first human settlements would likely have gone up near the shores of the Great Lake that pointed me towards the First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest.

Since the world of the comic appears to be very hot, I tried to communicate the idea of an advancing material culture without leaning on the crutch of “more clothes = more advanced”. My main angle was that in the Later Period the clothing could be more embellished and less practical, to reflect increasing wealth and specialization. Going by the comic, the standard seems to be that you can be totally comfortable in a loincloth, but that my prospective Oxpecker Lake Culture would have inherited the crew’s taboo against women displaying their breasts (the dresses seen here evolved out of the undershirts worn by the female crewmembers in the comic). Dusting red ochre skin dye on the shoulders and hands to mimic the pattern of the crew’s spacesuits then became a way to decorate oneself while still wearing minimal clothing.

I went through several different iterations of a formal shawl or wrap that could symbolically mimic Elephant brood-skin, as well as what they would be used for. I eventually settled on the multi-purpose blanket. Highly detailed to be given as gifts or to form dowries, with the elders draping them about the shoulders of the young in symbolic mimicry of how Elephants nurture their offspring.

Here I started working on ritual masks and costumes for the Later Period ritual dance. The events of the comic are now re-told in ritual dance during yearly solstice festivals. The three Elephants are represented by large, heavy, and expensive costume/puppets, whose fringed shawls (again reminiscent of brood-skin) and tasseled trunks move with the dancer. Each of the three Elephants from the comic would by now have accumulated various symbolic associations, as seen in the masks’ crests (meant to resemble assemblages) and robe decorations.

Settler and Tick masks are less elaborate, allowing the dancers more freedom of movement for athletic displays as they act out the story around the Elephant dancers. The male and female Settler masks are based off of the first two humans to approach an Elephant in the comic, while the War-Maker is based on that one guy with an atlatl. I imagined that in the mythic version of the story the last Tick bargains for its life with the War-Maker, teaching him how to kill his brothers in order to take their possessions.

Really surpassing my brief now, I started thinking about wall art for an Oxpecker tribal leader's grand hall. In a hypothetical 4th Age, new god images are emerging: filling similar roles but less 1-1 in their symbolism, and more work is going into glorifying the accomplishments of the Lake Culture – by this time now only one of several extant human cultures in the region. Notably the ship of the original settlers has been conflated with the boats that the people of the Lake Culture use to traverse the Great Lake. Many people probably believe that the spaceship was a fanciful metaphor. The double triangle, which originally meant "Elephant's Assemblage" is now a generalized one for "Land/Home". Possibly the conflation has religious origins: the visible world is Greatest’s assemblage.

I imagined that by the later period the humans would have spread out from their original home on the lake. Some people would move into the forests as hunter-gatherers (the Elephants appear to eat entire trees in the comic, which would regularly open up large forest clearings that could be exploited for game and fast-growing shrubs), some might have crossed the great lake, and some might build huge towers along Elephant migratory paths where they could latch on, hunt for ticks, and then hop off at the next tower. I like the idea that the Elephants would appreciate these humans, like reef animals visiting a cleaner-fish station, but that other humans would consider them unclean due to their diet of blood (by way of the Ticks, which at this point have been demonized).

Each culture might interpret the "two trunks, four eyes, red shoulders and hands" elements that I'd settled on for the original culture in different ways. Their religion and culture has probably morphed too: does the Lake Culture consider themselves superior, as the original humans? Are the Far Shore traders a Lake Culture splinter group who sailed across the lake, or are they the descendants of a different group of survivors who floated across in the aftermath of the Eviction? Are their weird island castaway cultures descended from a handful of people who floated away on a log at the end of the comic? How long until somebody realizes that megafauna are made of very large quantities of meat and other useful materials? Can Elephant and Man ever learn to communicate, perhaps in some far future Age?

At this point I’d realized that my original idea was much too ambitious and I tried a few layouts to prove it. We can also see some me working out different bonfire building methods and trying to work out a few steps of the ritual dance – a big development here is the idea that the elephant costume heads would be more like a hat rather than a mask to give the dancer added height. I also attached marionette poles to the end of the trunk tassels so they could be used for big, stately gestures in the dance.

The last bits of development went into the dress and appearance of the Stone Age storyteller. I scaled the headdress back to a simpler four reddish stones and four tassels (two long manipulator arms and two short feeder ones). Her dress is a costly garment representing her respected position within the group. It’s made of the skins of several animals and decorated with their bones, quills, and teeth (the ticks have them, it’s gross!), as well as shells from the Great Lake. I hypothesized a Tapir animal – essentially a larger ground-dwelling relative of the Tick – to provide the settlers with meat and hides. This conveniently let me base all the colors and stuff off of the animals in the comic.

Lastly, here is the full set of cave paintings, since in the final image I prioritized atmosphere over legibility. Read from left to right they retell the story of the comic in simplified form. Due to the way I organize my color photoshop painting I wanted this linework on a separate layer from the final drawing, seen below. Huge thanks to the ancient artists of Lascaux Cave for the inspiration!

Huge thanks to Tom Kilian for this post, and all this marvelous world-building - I absolutely love it all! A whole new world, implied through a single piece...

[unsoundedcomic]

One more lion question: Why do you draw them with paws sometimes?

Remember Duane's lion glamours? Paws.

When the Rortidians were ravaging Kasslyne and later when they poured into Tain, the locals had never seen lions before. Lions are knuckle-walkers, and the terrified masses mistook their curled hands for paws, thinking them some kind of mutant saddlehound breed. This is reflected in all the art from that time, including all the early church artwork of Ssael and the first Ssaelit.

Growing from this, pawed lions are the preferred way to depict lions in relation to Ssaelism - man stands supreme in this religion, and beasts with hands are not desirable. It's the same reason they crop the fingers of vliegeng.

So Duane was referencing his religion - not reality. He was visiting the pageant as Ssael, flanked by his heraldic lions.

Because of this, you know, most Kasslynians today don't even realise the lions had hands. It's the Ssaelit that endured, not the lions, and the winners write history.

Absolutely none of this is important to Unsounded though. It's just worldbuilding wank that I enjoy. And it will irritate the piss out of Sette one day.

[midnight-in-town]

Ashaf as a First Class Mage

One thing I absolutely love about Ashaf's character is that it takes for the plot to move on a bit for readers to notice that, like Guideau, he's also high game.

That's done very smoothly and efficiently, because the story at first naturally tends to focus on introducing Guideau as a monstrous force to be reckoned with. So during the first arcs, Ashaf is often "reduced" as their supervision and support. But the more the plot moves on, the more we realize Ashaf is even more mysterious than Guideau and might as well be considered as dangerous.

Finally, in the on-going arc (spoilers+++), we're introduced to the summoning of Dragons (plz that scene was absolutely epic) being one of the highest feats of magic...

...and they speak of "only one person who managed to summon an entire Dragon in history".

Later, in the latest published chapters, we're also introduced to the concept of Witche's Disciples through 2 new characters...

and Ashaf is once more rudely looked down upon by another magic user (Dunward was also hella rude during Orlencia Sett), which leads him to say this :

So now I ask you : could it be that Ashaf, the first class mage with many animal familiars, is the one man who once managed to summon an entire Dragon ? Considering I also believe it's not far-fetched that Ashaf may know Angela from a time long past, I wouldn't be very surprised if it was the case (maybe he too received a Witch's favor). :D

Anyway, while we wait for the answer, I gotta show you Ashaf brilliantly beating that fake dragon's ass in a very classy and satisfying way ! :D

It was so not a challenge to him that he managed, mid-fight, to send crows to deliver Guideau's coffin (that lil exchange made me smile a lot xD)

TL;DR let's all agree to stop underestimating Ashaf. x) He's not Guideau's partner just because they randomly met 3 years ago.

[24kaicy]

a headcannon list

Lovely, bright eyes, treasure and darlin share one thing in common their taller one.

bright eyes had brightest blue eyes that Fred knew. It freaked Fred out when they stared long enough.

Treasure is poor accountant working in firm. The firm treated them more like delivery person.

Darlin tried to become detective multiple times the reason why it failed through. They was always part of group where someone pulled the fire alarm or settted off multiple times. They just accepted this as designed.

Lovely is history major with specialization in American history. They was double majoring with art history.

Finally tallest along them is darlin and shortest is treasure.

[iplaywithstring]

I’m not sure if you would know the answer, and no pressure to respond -

Is it possible to make sewable fabric with weaving done at home? Like could I weave fabric and then sew with it?

Absolutely!

Woven cloth is cloth, and for a huge part of history (right up until the industrial revolution), all cloth was handmade. It's all a matter of how fine the yarn you're using to weave is. So on a rigid heddle loom designed for use with yarn, it's a little more difficult. For example, Ashford sells 15 dpi reeds. The project I'm weaving right now has a sett of 30 ends per inch. Technically you could get the same sett using the 15 dpi reed if you put two threads in each slot/hole, but unless you use a second reed (which is possible!) those two threads will always move together and it's a different weave structure.

On a harness loom (floor loom, table loom, even backstrap loom - bascially anything without a rigid heddle) you've got a lot more flexibility for how close the threads can get. That means you can use finer threads and get a stable cloth.

I've used 8/2 cotton to weave and sew myself a skirt. This is the only picture I have on hand.

The bottom hem is the selvege. I cut the pieces and sewed it up, even put in a zipper! It's a little on the heavy side, but super comfortable.

I have plans to weave cloth for a heavier wool skirt for winter too.

Important things to consider when weaving any cloth, but especially cloth to sew is that you need to factor in draw in and shrinkage to your plans - I forgot to do that and had to re-warp my loom to make more cloth because I didn't quite have enough once it was washed.

[agentrouka-blog]

Why will Bran be the one to finish off the others and not Jon?

For two reasons.

GRRM is unlikely to give any shred of validation to the destructive choices made on behalf the TPTWP prophecy that has been guiding Targaryens for the past generations, down to Rhaegar. Jon's contribution so far has been entirely human and entirely based on his education and value system courtesy of his mother's family. Chiefly, he has been useful in administration and negotiation and personal leadership. Not Special Chosen Magic. He never even saw an Other, nor the magic weirwood door. He was busy undercover or holding command. He is a political player. And politics will lead him South for a time. To his other family. Which is a huge aspect of his arc.

Bran, on the other hand, has been very Special Chosen Magic. And he has been so in a way that has been compensating for the traumatic loss of his mobility, to the point of horribly abusing innocent Hodor. He has now been given access to ancient history, and there is evidence that it is him who has been manipulating some canon events through time. This power, coupled with its abuse and GRRM's general themes, is settting up his role as one of sacrifice. He will use his power (which is far more power than anyone should ever have) in order to right an ancient wrong (thereby ending the Others) and then destroy it. Leaving himself ordinary, with no more compensating superpowers to make up for his disability.

[writerblue275]

Heya! Love your writings. I feel like I'm going insane whenever I read your HCs I just- Aaah! I'm getting sidetracked. Can I see your personal take on how HEARTSTEEL boys would take compliments? Imagining Kayn trying to play it off but then the second he gets alone he's jumping around and- Getting side tracked again. Sorry. LOL

Hiya there Anonnie! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my stuff!! I hope insanity in this case is a positive lmao. Happy to drag some of you along with me in my brain rot! 🤣 But you ABSOLUTELY can have my personal take on this. I LOVE this idea! Thank you for requesting it! 💙

How Heartsteel Handles Compliments

Inspiration: Requested

Genre: Headcanons

Type: FLUFFFF

Gender: Gender Neutral Reader!

TW: Swearing. Slight discussion of HS Ez and HS Kayn past which includes low self-esteem.

Extra: So obviously below I’m going to go more in depth for each member, but as a generalization, I think Aphelios and Yone would react similarly, K’Sante and Sett would react similarly, and then (double trouble) Ezreal and Kayn would react similarly when it comes to getting compliments.

Aphelios

Aphelios is interesting for this. I think in general his reactions to compliments depends on a couple factors. 1. Who is complimenting him? 2. What is the compliment about? (Either him personally/his personality or his work, his outfit, etc.)

If the compliment is from someone else (besides you or Heartsteel) about his work, he’ll give a soft smile and say/sign “thank you” to the person. He really puts a lot of love into his music so if people recognize that, then that makes him happy for sure! If the compliment comes from someone else but it’s about him specifically, he’d be shy about it.

Now with the other Heartsteel members and Alune, he knows them. Phel is comfortable with them. So compliments from them don’t phase him too much. He’ll thank them quickly. But even though he knows you and is comfortable with you (I mean you’re his significant other), you’re unique.

Compliments from you are a different story. He really loves it when you compliment him. When you compliment something personal about him? It makes him so happy he nearly short circuits. And it might sound a bit weird but with you he doesn’t express his appreciation verbally.

You will notice his actions express his appreciation instead. Like Aphelios will hold your hand more frequently. Or you notice his cuddles/hugs get a little tighter, his kisses more passionate. That sort of thing. A special sort of non-verbal appreciation and affection for the special person in his life.

Ezreal

Ohhhhhh my goodness. Ezreal needs compliments like someone needs water to survive a desert. Critically. Words of affirmation is his receiving love language, after all.

Not to mention his rougher history in the music industry. When his album got panned, it really shattered his confidence, especially since he was younger. So while he seems like he’s very confident and such, really a lot of that is a mask over some very deep-seeded insecurities. In reality, he puts a lot of value on compliments and how he’s perceived by other people.

Ezreal would d respond to other people’s compliments with that lovely cheeky grin he has. I think he’d want to play it off like “You like my outfit? Thanks! I gotta put my best foot forward for my fans, you know? It’s what they deserve!” It’s hard to describe what exactly that energy is. Self assured might be the best way to put it. (But you know the truth.)

And I think that’s also what energy he’d use early on in your relationship. He wants to seem cool for you. But I don’t think it would take too long for you to see the real him. Once he opens up and shows you that insecurity and vulnerability he’s hiding deep down, that’s when you know you’ve really earned his trust.

So at that point, please give Ez all the compliments you want to at all times. He loves it. He’ll be even more affectionate with you as thanks and will always be happy to compliment you in return. And while he eventually gets a little more used to compliments from the public, I don’t think he’ll ever get used receiving compliments from you. They help him more than you’ll ever know.

Kayn

(A/N: Anon I really like and agree with the direction you headed in your request, though I think there’s some added nuance to it which I will talk about below!)

With the general public/your relationship early on Kayn would play things cool until he’s alone. He has an image to maintain damnit. He’s the “rebel” remember?

But with you? As things progress and your relationship becomes more established, you see a remarkable shift in Kayn when it comes to how he accepts praise/compliments. At least with you/in private.

Part of the reason he brushed off compliments early on was due to inner insecurities after being kicked out of his old group. Not to mention people who were just shmoozing up to him to use him/his fame (fucking social climbers). But as he realizes you’re sincere when you compliment him, you love Shieda Kayn and not just Kayn the rockstar, and you’re not going anywhere, well it’s like a switch is flipped!

Now he needs/wants compliments from you like he needs air to breathe. And he’s far more open about accepting them. He’ll even ask you to elaborate on what you mean. 😂 “I mean I know I’m sexy, baby, but why specifically do you think I’m sexy?” And when you do compliment him, those are the moments when his giving love language of physical touch manifests itself to show his appreciation (use your imaginations).

His receiving love language is words of affirmation. So give him all the compliments you desire. He’ll accept them all! (He still tries to play things cool when he’s in public though, that’s just how it be.)

K’Sante

The fucking epitome of self-confidence like my god. K’Sante knows he’s HIM. (As he should because he absolutely is!) His self-confidence is a goal all of us should attempt to go for. (Literally like wow king go the fuck off I fully support this.)

K’Sante is definitely one of the members who will play it off the easiest. Not in a way where he makes it seem like it’s unappreciated, no no no, definitely not. But rather compliments don’t really fluster him or phase him that much compared to some of the others.

That being said, he still enjoys getting complimented by other people (deep down, don’t we all?), and he’ll thank them. He might be self-confident but he wasn’t raised to be a jerk. He appreciates the kindness of others! He might even respond in kind with a compliment for whoever he’s talking to! Or if it’s you then he’ll have like ten compliments ready to fire back at you off the top of his head.

The one area of his life where compliments really fluster K’Sante have to do with his designs. He puts a lot of effort into each piece he designs and creates, so for someone to notice and compliment that effort is something he very much appreciates. When he is flustered, you’ll notice he has to take a second to gather his thoughts and the right words.

Obviously your opinion means more to him than the opinion of others, so when you do compliment him, watch his smile get wider, watch his posture get a little taller, and watch as his energy gets even brighter and more infectious for those around him.

Sett

Similar to K’Sante, Sett knows he’s HIM. He’s called “The Boss” after all. That’s certainly not a nickname given to just anyone. Whether in the studio or in the ring, Sett knows he’s the man and 98% of the time he doesn’t care about anyone else’s opinion or approval.

So because of that, again he’s one of the ones who will play off most compliments fairly easily. He’s not super flustered by them, though he appreciates them. And because Ma is the best and raised him with fucking manners, he of course, will always thank the person who complimented him for their kind words.

But now it’s time to focus on the 2% of the time he does care. I’m sure this comes as no shock, but there are only two people’s opinions he reeeeeally cares about. Yours and Ma’s. The two most important people in his life. When the two of you compliment him on something, this giant, confident, usually composed man actually gets a little flustered! Especially when those compliments come from you.

Sett really doesn’t seem like a blusher when it comes to other people, but when you compliment him on something innocent, his cheeks immediately turn just the sweetest bit pink as he gets the happiest grin on his face. (His reaction is definitely different when your compliments are regarding more…private matters, but I’m not going to focus on that rn.)

And his EARS. His ears are the biggest telltale sign he’s flustered. His ears happily flick back and forth, which is admittedly really cute. It’s just very sweet honestly, seeing how much your opinion means to “The Boss!” (He just has such a soft spot for you and I love it.)

Yone

Yone would be in a similar boat to Aphelios. Again it depends on who is complimenting him, what they’re complimenting him about, and the setting he’s being complimented in.

Now Yone is extremely talented at what he does. (We all know this.) And he knows he’s talented. Of course he doesn’t let that make him too arrogant or anything. Any compliments he receives on his music, he genuinely appreciates and will he show/express that sincere appreciation to whoever is giving him the compliment. Making music takes a lot of effort and to become respected like him is only a dream for so many other artists. That’s something he realizes and he is extremely grateful for the fans and everyone else who helped him get to where he is.

Personal compliments he’s just a lot more reserved about, especially ones having to do with his appearance. Like he knows he’s considered attractive, but honestly the only opinion he cares about regarding his appearance is yours. Anyone else he’ll give a soft smile and a “thank you.” But he wouldn’t blush or anything crazy.

But with YOU???? Any compliment you give him makes his entire day, week, month, etc. And when you compliment him on his appearance (because let’s be real how could you not??? That man is so FUCKING FINE) he actually feels pride about how he looks. (AS HE SHOULD.)

Compliments from you make that stoic exterior crack. Yone actually blushes a bit. And your compliments make him smile wider and bring a spring to his step. Compliments from you are what get Yone teased by the other Heartsteel members for reacting just a little bit like a happy puppy at times. (They’re in awe of you for having that power.) That’s your influence over him, honestly, and that’s how much he values your opinion.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for requesting, Anon! I hope I did your request justice! This was so cute and fun to write! Lmao the way I’d be complimenting them all the time because they deserve it. 💙

[ccraccz]

I wanted to write something for myself so these are my head canons for the heartsteel boys!!!

Heart stealing fluffy headcanons!

Augh these boys

Men actually lmao

First of all

Imo, Ezreal is really smart!

He studied health, both mental and physical, and wanted to be a therapist but he just didn't enjoy that route after high-school

Mostly because he enjoyed singing and dancing too much, and his personality wouldn't really help

Ezreal cannot be super serious

He can be serious at times, but he has his limits on seriousness

He was also a choir kid, he loves singing and took classes for it!

In his mind, the vibrations when he or others sing is comforting

Ezreal also has really good ears! He can probably Sett making his protein shakes every day from his room (I believe he has the second farthest one from the kitchen, yone took measures to make them as comfortable as possible)

That also makes him both a light sleeper and an early riser

So he became acostumed of going to sleep earlier because Sett and k'sante go off to the gym together in the morning

Talking about the gym, the group goes once a week with K'sante and Sett to keep their shape to a T

Aluhe joins, too, but when she does, the boys keep a close eye on the people around them

Yone, when they don't go to the gym, goes on a three mile jog or run in the morning

Aphelios does a lot of waist and core workouts when the group goes to the gym, though they encourage him to build some more muscle in other places, like arms

K'sante has used everyone as a weight

Yone has the best balance of everyone, he can literally stand on a yoga ball on one foot and not fall

Kayn was in gymnastics in high-school and has gotten 3 gold metals and 1 silver during his years

Kayn is very good at taking care of people and is quite the history nerd

Aphelios, Sett, and Yone are English smarties

Ezreal is a science nerd

K'sante is a math boy

He both hates it and loves it

Aphelios can talk, that's canon

But I believe that he is able to strain his voice, and if he does that, he will struggle to communicate

Which is why he doesn't sing anymore

He learned sign language because alune has hearing problems

Sett can see in the dark, and his eyes also glow a little bit

Yone's eyes, in the sun, look gray, but in normal (good) good lighting, their green

K'sante and Sett can not do the splits, but the others can!

K'sante stretches, though!

Kayn loves skydiving

And he hates tea

Sett loves hugs, but he sqeezes people to death so he barely gets any

Alune loves his hugs tho!

Ezreal abuses the GC with copypastas

Yone has put him in both mute and time out because of it, but he still does it

Aphelios is really great full for that lmao

Yone listens to "giants" to support his brother in secret

He also just likes the song

They've all cuddled with each other once or twice

Kayn is a singer, and Rhaast is a rapper

Kayn is actually a nervous reck with his idols, but he hides behind Rhaast, so it seems like he's either a dickhead or really overconfident of himself

But we'll talk more about that in the angst headcanons 🙂

[duckchu]

Hi!

Could you please write for the following for Kayn;

Reader has media studies, and got an internship under Yone's guidance (as much as I love him, strictly platonic😭)

Kayn falls for reader along the way she is there to work with Yone, maybe even gets a little jealous until he gets himself to finally make a move and stop being dramatic about it 💀

Can have tags, im down for anything 👀🗿

Thank you ❤️

Ooooh I love this idea thank youuu

But I've got no idea how media studies work (I have expanded history and English, so pretty different directions sorry) so if I make stupid mistakes lmk so I can correct them

Also Kayn is kinda mean in the beginning but it's Kayn

"Ok no worries it's just an internship with one of the biggest producers you've heard of, no biggie" You thought to yourself as you walked into the studio. Yone, the supervisor of your internship, was already waiting for you. At the beginning, your relationship was very stiff. Neither of you knew how to approach it, since it was the first internship both of you have done. While you liked working under him since you were always given clear instructions and his critique was rooted in wanting to help you better your work and not mean spirited at all. After a week, you both warmed up to eachother, sharing some small talk and finally you met his bandmates. Don't get me wrong, he didn't mean to put off your meeting, but they were all busy with their own schedules while he was mentoring you. But then, one day you walked into the studio and saw the other 5 members of HEARTSTEEL, goofing around. Yone must have noticed how surprised you were, so he introduced you to all the guys. Aphelios only gave you a nod, busy with his own work and Kayn seemed not too pleased at meeting you, but Ezreal, Sett and K'Sante seemed more excited about meeting you. After getting to know most of the guys, you got to work, working on a song for HEARTSTEEL'S new album, which seemed to annoy Kayn

- Are we really letting her produce our songs?-

After that Yone seemed to precisely time your work so you wouldn't be in the studio with Kayn as often as the rest, though it surprisingly seemed to annoy the pink headed menace, who went behind Yone's back in order to find you during your break and talk you up. While being as annoying as he always is. While you entertained him for some time, you quickly got back to work and that was that. Or so you thought. You intrigued him. So he spend his sweet time bugging Yone about you, sometimes even suggesting the older man was in a relationship with you to test how he'll react.

Finally, after a long time, when your internship was coming to an end he decided that he's done feeling jealous of how much time you spent with Yone. Or how many times you went to grab dinner with Ezreal. Even how you and Alune seemed to click instantly when she came to see how the progress on the album was going. When you went to take your break, he grabbed you and pulled you in an old supply closet. From the unamused look on your face he figured there were better ways to do this, but whatever.

- So...Wanna go out? - god, why is he so...himself? But might as well, a little date wouldn't hurt

- Sure. - You couldn't believe you agreed, but what's the worst that could happen?

An annoying boyfriend could happen.

[kynimdraws]

Top vs Jungle diff standoff Okay I got too much brainworms on this Runeterra-verse K'sante/Yone that I made a continuation from this post LOL

Enjoy my funni story under the cut

After their fateful meeting, K'sante and Yone started to travel together. Yone would silently continue to his azakana hunt regardless of the locals asking for such help, and K'sante visited the various temples of Ionia to expand his knowledge. K'sante enjoyed having company, even if said travel companion…was a little strange.

Whenever K'sante would come into any spot of civilization, Yone would remain a fair distance away, once commenting he would not be welcome given his frightening visage. Even when the two would just be camping out in the wild, Yone would help gather food and fuel…but never join for a meal. K'sante had offered, but Yone would just shake his head.

"Ah, eating. How I miss it…"

Yone joked about this once, and K'sante asked what he had meant. Initially Yone would simply go away and re-appear the next day, but eventually the man would tell snippets of his past. How he was not exactly alive or dead, and how he ended up in this state. And how his crimson mask had appeared and became a permanent fixture of his face.

Between these stories, Yone did not forget his promise about teaching K'sante the way to sense azakana. While Yone did rely on this mask's "vision" to see them, his old training to be spiritually aware of all beings was still a fundamental part of why he was so adept at hunting them. It was hard work, but K'sante took to the lessons wholeheartedly.

It also helped that the two would visit the temples/monasteries that reinforced Yone's teachings in various ways (Yone himself still refused to go in them, maybe out of shame or something else). While these places still were recovering from the Noxian invasions, the community around them were still strong and resilient. K'sante would often remark on this and how such strength was similar to Nazumah. Yone eventually did get curious, and was content to hear K'sante tell tales and history about his home. It was admirable that a man would travel so far to learn, all for the sake of protecting others.

While Yone was enjoying this travel, a small part of him was sad that soon…this will have to end. K'sante did say he will be going back home after visiting all the places that Sett and others had recommended, and that list was finite. Before all this, Yone was fine being alone given his fate. Now, he felt a bit of dread.

Even worse, the azakana of his mask seemed to be much more restless. Shifting…eating away at him. Giving him horrible headaches and eye pain. Was it the fear and other negative emotions that was feeding the azakana? Yone was unsure, and tried to suppress his feelings. K'sante would start to notice too (a downside of Yone teaching the man about how to be spiritually attuned…he was getting too good at noticing Yone withdrawing/disassociating spiritually). K'sante tried to offer ways that he could help, but Yone would always reject them, claiming it is his own burden to bear.

This problem reaches a breaking point during a particularly difficult hunt for a rogue azakana-nearly-demon. After the hunt was done, Yone collapses while grimacing in pain. The wounds during the battle was already hurting, but now the mask now felt like it was about to eat him alive. K'sante rushes over and asks if Yone is okay.

"I'm…fine….this will…pass….on its own…" Yone barely manages to reply.

He feels his body being lifted up by K'sante's strong arms. Yone expects a talking-to the other man but instead feels K'sante freeze in place. Yone looks up to see what is going on despite the pain, and sees why K'sante was standing still.

Kindred was standing in front of them.

"Ina…and Ani?" K'sante stared at the spectral beings of death in fascination (see "A Good Death"). Nazumah had tales about them, but seeing them was a completely different experience. Yone meanwhile, feels a sense of sadness and relief. To him, it seemed that his borrowed time in the living world was finally coming to an end.

"I…have fallen outside your cycle, Lamb and Wolf. Are…you here to…usher me back?"

Kindred does not answer. Instead, Wolf comes over to the two, and bares his fangs.

"Yone-thing could be ripe for picking, little Lamb. Can I please?"

"Dear Wolf, you know we are here for just one of them."

"Fine."

Yone stares in confusion, but also realizes that his mask seemed to be gripping Yone's skull like a vise, trembling slightly. Was it…fearful?

"…Gong'pojun."** The Lamb called out.

An earth-shattering shriek explodes as the azakana of Yone's mask bursts forth. The name revealed, the azakana tries to escape its fate…but Wolf chases after it, howling with glee. As their noises fade away, K'sante looks and sees Yone has fainted. The impression the cursed mask had made on Yone's face was bloody, but the man was still whole....and freed from the mask.

"W...what have you done, Ani?" K'sante asks Lamb.

"Merely hunting our prey. We have come to you, but not for you."

As Lamb finishes her reply, Wolf returned with crimson-stained jaws and a smile.

"That was a fun hunt! Let us go again, little Lamb!"

"Of course, my dear Wolf."

The two turn to leave, but not without the Wolf's final word to the two:

"We look forward to meeting you again, little hunters."

**The mask azakana name I 100% made up based on 공포증 = KR word for "phobia"

[unsoundedcomic]

I can't express how much I love the careful interweaving of history and myth in this story. Something about how Settes are made to be sacrificed at 12 but our Sette is implied to be 22, the same age modern Gefendur twin sacrifices are done at ...

The line between history and myth is almost not there at all, is it. Imagine all the lies of today that in a hundred years will become the mythic history of these times. The idea of legitimate human "history" is almost a farce. Our species barely does history; we do stories. We do myths.

And that's what Sette's best worlds are. That's why Sette reveres lies. I think it'll be interesting, going forward, to see if deciding to pursue truth winds up even being worth it for her. Truth doesn't have any resale value.

But yeah, setting-wise, there is no utility in distinguishing between history and myth. The only relevant thing is the present. There is no meaningful degree of difference between truth or fiction when it comes to motivating people.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Jag har tänkt på vilka fler Astrid Lindgren historier jag skulle vilja se som anime-adaptationer och jag har kommit fram till... alla!

Jag tror varje Astrid Lindgren historia KAN fungera som anime! På olika sätt!

Fantasy-berättelserna som Bröderna Lejonhjärta och Mio min Mio kunde fått episka animerade scener.

Sedan de "vardagligare" historierna som Lotta och Barnen i Bullerbyn... det skulle bara sett mysigt ut, speciellt Bullerby-barnen... tänk typ som barnen i Totoro...

Hade även älskat en Madicken anime just för att jag tror det skulle påminna mig lite om Candy Candy och Sandybell i stilen och tiden det utspelar sig i <3

Pippi VET JAG de skulle göra till en bra anime, de VILLE göra det men fick inte för Astrid Lindgren (och sen använde de bakgrunderna till Kikis Expressbud <3)

Emil kanske är en av de få som kunde vara lite svårare då den är så VÄLDIGT baserad i en svensk kontext. Samtidigt finns animes som utspelar sig i andra länder - det finns en anime som utspelar sig i Finland (inte Mumin utan med människor) som kom på typ 80-talet. Sedan så utspelar sig ju Ronja (som de HAR gjort till anime) i Sverige också. Så Emil skulle kunna funka i kontexten av historisk anime hur det var att leva i Sverige under en viss tidsperiod <3

Skiter fan i Karlsson fuck Karlsson den behöver ingen ny adaptation

[goldnhourwrites]

HEARTSTEEL COLLEGE AU HEADCANONS

This phrase seized me yesterday and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. Who knows, maybe I'll write a fic :)

inspired by my experiences as a college student in the US!

Yone

Pre-med student with a minor in psychology

Does peer tutoring and notetaking for his biology classes

always doing work. being a pre-med student is so much Work All The Time. this is why Yone is always seen with coffee and dark circles under his eyes.

He manages fairly well for someone with so much on his plate - he keeps an impressively functional sleep schedule (goes to bed at 10pm every night, wakes up at 8am every morning)

Is an RA (resident advisor) for his dorm floor and tries to be a good resource for freshmen

Bikes everywhere, enjoys taking walks/getting outdoors for a break from studying

Likes to make and listen to music in his free time (which is not a lot)

Sett

Majoring in athletic training to be a sports coach

Student athlete on the wrestling team - spends a lot of time training and traveling to meets off-campus, so he's not around much until the off-season

Hangs out with the boxing club when he's not doing wrestling

Part of an all-men a capella group and enjoys singing/rapping

Joined a fraternity in his sophomore year because most of the wrestling team was on it and enjoys chilling with his friends in it

Casually bakes things in his free time and brings them to the wrestling team/his classmates/office hours/his frat brothers

K'Sante

Anthropology major, education minor - interested in becoming a teacher/professor and enjoys working with kids

Also a student athlete, on the powerlifting team

Part of a hip-hop dance group on campus and likes to choreograph

Involved in campus queer life and helps organize/run events

Takes voice lessons - used to play trumpet, but didn't have time for both in his schedule

Also part of a fraternity, enjoys the sense of community it offers and plays an active part in organizing/managing their social events

Seems like he's constantly busy, but always makes time for his friends and enjoys the feeling of being on-the-go

Ezreal

History major with a minor in classics (studies Latin/ancient Greek literature and languages)

Acts with a theater club in his spare time - loves musical theater and plays, especially Shakespeare

Hung out in the history/special collections section of the library so much he got a student job there

Loves wandering around campus to find cool, obscure places that he's probably not supposed to be in

Joined a debate team in his freshman year (Kayn was on it) (they hated each other)

Big on going to parties but can't handle alcohol so instead of getting drunk he goes back to his dorm and falls asleep at like 11pm

Aphelios

Computer science major with a minor in graphic design

Does digital art and traditional art; enjoys taking studio art classes when his schedule isn't full

Occasionally does game design and similar coding projects

In the orchestra and plays the violin!

Enjoys physically making things every once in a while - jewelry, paintings, etc. and often doodles in a sketchbook absentmindedly

Sometimes publishes his art and poetry in a student magazine under a pseudonym

Kayn

Political science or government major with a minor in studio art

Spends a lot of time in the woodworking/metalworking studios, partially for art classes and partially because he just likes hands-on projects

Plays electric guitar and was part of a student band for a while (the one he got kicked out of)

Likes parkour and rock climbing, regularly shows off his ability to climb up things that he definitely should not be climbing on

Member of a fraternity (but it's the kind that throws a bunch of parties and probably has illegal drugs)

Goes out to party every weekend and doesn't wake up until 1pm the next day

Skateboards everywhere and knows a bunch of cool tricks

Alune

Film production major with a minor in biology

Part of a fashion design club and does photoshoots for/with them

Does a capella and loves performing! Does musical theater every once in a while

Active in political causes on campus

Works as a barista in one of the campus cafés

Likes to roller skate around

i have a couple combined/group headcanons that i'll post tomorrow if i have time :3 this AU has grabbed me and is currently shaking me by the shoulders and won't let go

[driftward]

Title: FFXIV Write 2024 - 24. Bar (Another Take) Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Aymeric de Borel Rating: Teen Summary: Zoissette catches Aymeric up on everything he's missed, including telling him about her new relationship. Notes: WoL|Sette timeline. I realised I never established the earring in her WoL timeline and well

Aymeric was one of the first people Zoissette went to visit after she returned from the First. He had been a stalwart ally of the Scions. They needed to talk about the developing situation in Garlemald, probably, since that would definitely affect Ishgard. He was a dear friend of hers. Their courtship may have fallen apart, but it had made for a stronger bond between the two, not a lesser one.

And also she simply had to tell him the news.

She showed off her new earring to her, two black carnations, with two little pearls dangling from them on silvery chains. It was beautiful, and was now her most precious possession.

"A symbol," she said. "Of Y'shtola and I dedicating ourselves to be bonded."

"Congratulations," he said warmly. "You two deserve each other, and deserve the world. I couldn't be happier for you."

"It is definitely the best relationship I have ever had," said Zoissette, looking down and fiddling her fingers together. "She has been with me for so many years, and I admire so much about her... and she feels much the same of me. I hope you do not find it offensive for me to say so."

"While you do indeed have my heartfelt congratulations and I offer you my assurance that I share your outlook, that your relationship with that woman is the best thing that I think has ever happened to you, I do want to say... best relationship? That is a terribly low bar to clear given your history, Sette. And I shall not take offense if you will return the favor."

"I feel like I should take some offense on your behalf! We were good together. Not great, but... it was nice, for a time."

"Ah yes," he said, dryly. "The very image of two upright Ishgardian citizens, courting as the Holy See claimed Halone intended. Keeping each other carefully at arms length, coquettishly fluttering our eyelashes across the table at one another. Never revealing our true feelings, playing our proper roles, showing up to balls and dancing terribly."

"Sharing lovely meals, talking about our respective interests-"

"While not being truly interested in said interests I am sorry Lady Vauban but I could not keep up with half your discussions on mathematics or aetherology."

"-nor I on the particulars of terrible High House rivalries and petty politics but we did not dance that terribly."

"Sette I did not know how to tell you this at the time, but all of the dances you knew were horrifically out of date."

"Oh."

"Coerthan, I believe? From perhaps a few dozen years ago?"

"... Riversmeet was not exactly avant-garde."

"Rearguard even perhaps."

"You certainly had no complaints about my rear. Or my oral technique."

"If there is one regret I have about the ending of our courtship, it is the loss of that talented tongue. I can only hope that I learned something from the experience that I may pass on to my next partner."

Zoissette smiled smugly at him.

"I do not miss how you get when you are insufferably correct on a matter, though."

"Of course not, since it never happens that I am wrong."

"Telling lies in Halon's city? I cannot believe you."

Zoissette just hummed smugly at him, and after a moment, they both broke into laughter.

"Seriously though. Back to the matter at hand, which is this... congratulations. I can think of no union that could be any more blessed in the eyes of the Fury, and I hope I can look forward to an invitation to the bonding ceremony, whatsoever form it takes, and wherever it shall occur."

Zoissette sighed. "Of course, though I do not know yet. Something which I need to talk to her about. We have very different backgrounds, I am certain we will have very different ideas on what is right and proper. I am sure she knows enough about how we do things in Ishgard, but I have precious little idea about the traditions and culture of the Jaguar tribe. Or she may even want to follow the rites of the Night's Blessed. Or perhaps something else altogether. I just do not know."

"Night's Blessed?"

"A community that took her in on the First."

"Ah. I see." Aymeric hummed thoughtfully. "Well, this actually does explain much about a missive that preceded you by mere bells."

"Oh?"

"Well, I was not going to mention it. Discretion being the better part and all that, you know. But I think you two should, in fact, have that conversation. Rather sooner than later. And perhaps with each other instead of through me."

"...Aymeric?"

"You see, I have in my possession a latter from one Lady Y'shtola Rhul, asking me for advice."

"What sort of advice?"

Aymeric smiled at Zoissette, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Advice on the proper way to go about courting one Ser Zoissette Vauban, in accordance with the traditions and manner of a proper Ishgardian noble who wishes to make a good impression, both upon the lady and her family. Along with any, shall we say, hints I might be able to provide on said noblewoman's preferences in the same."

Zoissette blinked at him, several times, and her mouth hung slightly open, and Aymeric laughed.

"Ah, now that is a rare sight, and one which I rather enjoy more," said Aymeric. "Zoissette Vauban, flummoxed."

She snapped her jaw shut, frowned, and crossed her arms at him, sticking her nose in the air, but that only caused him to laugh more. And then laugh even more when he noticed the twitch of the side of her mouth as she valiantly resisted joining in.

Zoissette sniffed in mock disdain, but then dropped the act. "She really asked for that?"

"Indeed," said Aymeric. "I believe she not only takes this most seriously, but if I had to guess - and to be clear, I am guessing - I think she is doing this for your benefit, Sette."

He reached over, and took one of her hands, clasping it in his, and he smiled warmly at her. "And if I had any doubts that she deserved you, I think such a gesture would dash them to nothingness. I do not know her as well as you, of course, but we did interact much, from the Shiva matter all the way up to the Alexander incident. She never minced her words, or made any pretense at her lack of tolerance for those parts of Ishgard she disdained. I still recall her choice words over finding out about the Witchdrop, and her sharp opinions on the old system of trial by combat.

"And yet, she is willing to take up at least some of our traditions. For you."

Zoissette felt her eyes water, and not knowing what to say, said nothing, just wiped her face with the back of her free hand. Aymeric pulled her in to a tight hug, and she returned the gesture.

"You are well loved, Zoissette," he said. "And thank you for sharing that with me."

"How could I not?" she sniffled into his shoulder. "You are one of my dearest friends. Thank you, Aymeric."

"Now," he said, breaking the hug, and patting her on the shoulder. "Tell me all about your adventures on the First. I am eager to hear of what our Warrior of Light has been up to."

Smiling, Zoissette walked along with him, and began to tell him the tale of all that had passed, sparing no embellishment as to the Scions' accomplishments, and making sure to fill him in especially on how she had come to appreciate and learn again the depths of one Master Matoya.

[sayitaliano]

Massacre of Marzabotto

Today marks the 80th anniversary since the start of the massacre of Monte Sole (or more commonly, of Marzabotto): from September 29th to October 5th the nazis killed 770 civilians (among which also children, women and elders) in the area of Marzabotto, Grinzana Morandi and Monzuno (Bologna). This has been the most brutal and biggest massacre against civilians in the whole Western Europe during WWII. It happened in the autumn of 1944 when the Allies where reaching the Northern Italy and trying to break the Linea Gotica (where the nazis were defending "their lands") on the Appennino between Toscana and Emilia Romagna. According to history, it was a planned massacre made of shootings, houses burned down, children thrown in the fire (the youngest was just a 14 days old child), decapitated elders, women raped and killed.

Here you have a video too but you need to create a free account and have an Italian vpn to watch