#this may be like a tiny bit incomprehensible...

[closet-is-tired]

I've mentioned this l Iike twice before i think? But I'm aggressively passionate about legacy day, it's the one eah special I'm super not normal about lol.

And ohhhhhh boy, do I have thoughts. So here are some!

The outfits from legacy day becoming the looks the characters are known for; so like, cinderella's blue dress, the pink/blue dress from sleeping beauty. Basically, the outfits are the ones that remain in the public conscious as being x character.

At the same time, they're homages to past generations; part of the reason these particular looks become so cemented as being representative of the characters is because they are repeated. Of course, every so often there is the one generation that decides to change things up. but mostly they remain very similar. So every year there's the rush to try and have a legacy day outfit that is somewhat "different" while remaining in traditional with past looks. this is because everyone trys to be the next generation that sets the standard for the "main look", they want to be memorable basically. (Spoilers: it usually doesn't work. All though, there end up being some absolutely horrendous outfits because of this...)

The last point creates some mild problems... like cinderella's dress originally being silver but progressively becoming more blue. Or the blue/pink dress conundrum with sleeping beauty. And of course, beauty's (the other one) dress originally being pink but being changed, and then later alternating between gold/yellow and blue (depending on the wear-er, yk?). Also, yes, I am basing these off the disney versions. What about it? (In my defense, the disney versions are some of the only points of reference when talking about fairy tale visuals that are semi-consistent.)

Legacy day being a big, bad,media circus; its basically the equivalent of a major award show in ever after. Every commoner who doesn't go to ever after high tunes into coverage of legacy day, it's a big moment for culture. Legacy day ends up dictating fashion trends, public opinion of the characters, and of course, gossip. The first two tie together because, in a similar way to reality TV dating shows, some big stars always come out of legacy day. (I think this goes without saying but, they become the it girls; and boys; for as long as they can maintain it)

All of this leading to, the concept of ever after high having like, a vault or museum; sorta in the way some colleges have museums? (i can only really think of examples that are for fashion or art schools lol) basically, the school keeping records of the outfits (and past years!) for future reference somehow. Whether it's physically storing some of the outfits from both legacy day and when the legacies are completed, and/or having pictures and written records. Tbh, I have no clue where the hell this idea came from. Considering the closest the show gets to this is the thronecoming museum(or whatever it's called), and that's a completely different concept.

All of this to say, legacy day should've been bigger.

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

things I do to unstick my book

(I’m a pantser!)

Ask if this scene really needs to be a scene or if I can just summarize it

Ask if this summary really needs to be summary or if I need more scene

Write a very focused, very pretty sentence

Circle back a couple scenes & ask if one of them is causing “symptoms” later in the book

Get in and get out (push through a tough scene as fast as possible & then run forward and fast like wind to the next bit)

Add an exciting element (a new character, a change of location, other… things ;))

Pause and revise if I’m feeling destabilized

Be specific about what I DON’T like (example: I can’t get past this scene because the dialogue is so mechanical instead of “ahhh I hate it all”)

Read what I last wrote aloud (to hopefully sink into some momentum) OR get a robot to read it to me

Try a teeny tiny writing sprint (1-5 minutes of nonstop writing)

Write a flashback (bonus points if it’s connected emotionally or plot-wise to the fictive present)

Read from a literary godparent (this is when you pull out the books/stories/poems etc that make you excited about writing!)

Write or brainstorm every possible direction of a scene (sometimes grueling, sometimes worth it)

Sit and think (in a bathtub, on a walk—try to immerse yourself in your story like you’re a random character who got plopped in there; what do you see?)

Method write

Find a word that excites you and use that in your next scene

Double check if you’re hitting the right story beats (or if you skipped one, spent too long on one, spent too little on one, etc)

Write “bare bones” and come back to fine tune it later (similar to get in and get out)

Write with your eyes closed (be warned of incomprehensible text if you can’t type with closed eyes)

Break down your causal chain bit by bit (even the boring parts) and see if there’s a broken link. Then delete the boring parts (sometimes we just need to see how EXACTLY we got to a place and how EXACTLY that leads us to the important bit--I find I missed something critical when I do this).

Rely on crutch words, boring details & trust you can edit it later (sometimes the idea of perfection in draft 1 can be unproductive)

Ask a friend to read the work & tell you what they think (sometimes we need help; writing is hard)

Ask a friend for a compliment read (sometimes we just need to be hyped up)

Change the tense (temporarily & be warned that different tenses may require different approaches when drafting, I only do this when I’m not sure what else to try)

Talk myself through the problem as if I’m talking to a friend (I pull up my notes and literally start typing: “so I’m struggling with XYZ scene right now for XYZ reason and I don’t know what to do. What if XYZ happened, or what if I changed XYZ?”)

Take a break—sometimes I’m just tired/burnt out/not in the mood to write (that’s okay!)

I post more tips I’ve picked up along the way on youtube!

[mantisgodiveblog]

Well, you know the drill.

(Part 16 is here)

Between entries, we actually did a bit of Chatter and Theorizing with friends on Discord, though whether or not we transfer that over may Vary. We may condense it into a post, if so - make it a tiny bit less, uhh, Discord Chat-ish. We also discovered that there's apparently a post with a crossover between this and our main fandom and we are trying very hard to not click on that "blocked: #isat #in stars and time" because there may very well be spoilers in there even if they would probably have to be Untagged Spoilers. Beyond that, just the usual - we're gonna liveblog things and no one can stop us.

Opening with a new souvenir! Hmm - is this based on a tarot card, we wonder? The way it's labelled makes us think it's possible. Or maybe related to the star dog boss, or the star that seems to be symbolizing these things in time, or - well, there are a lot of stars in this game. We suppose that's why it's called In Stars And Time. We think we got this in the demo, as well - either it's scripted, or it takes from a small pool. Maybe we'll illustrate this later.

There's free hats in the art bed. Incredible. Immense amount of Objects around here.

And. of course, actual plot progression. Considering Siffrin's memory, this will likely be very useful - we're already battling it for sidequests, it'll be VERY helpful to not have to battle it for actual core progression.

Yes, yes, please applaud us - we know, we're amazingly clever and very handsome and incomprehensibly good at remembering and finding keys. We do love acknowledgement of our incredibly storied list of positive traits.

[pocketdaan]

Character Analysis: "The Delinquent One"

Imagine you're a scientist helping to create a new lifeform on a petri dish with your coworkers. You're not the leader - one came up with the formula and another followed it. Still, you help since these are the ones on equal standing as you.

Goal was to make them in your coworkers' image and indeed the little things took on a life slightly similar to your group. However, they're still fragile in all definitions, so your group gives them ways to become more powerful should they seek it.

And after a miniscule taste of that power, they start wanting to overthrow you all.

They don't even have a full view of the petri dish.

Your coworkers pull away from the project as a result. Surprisingly, though, they don't punish the lifeforms much. As if letting them go out of pity or curiosity.

Seeing that nobody is putting the lifeforms in their place, you step in.

You go, "We literally created you. You won't get what we have because you're objectively weak and you don't even deserve what we have if you're this ungrateful."

And then the lifeforms call you a delinquent.

I think Ascended Gods could be Rher's victory and here's a long-winded answer for why:

I think humans are to Old Gods as micro-organisms are to humans. Mankind will never be on the level of Old Gods if we're this insignificantly small. Like tiny specks of bacteria.

Ancient Gods are concepts. They may have some physical forms when they appear to the player but it's likely always an approximation. Beings like the Old Gods don't have a solid unchanging form like ours. F&H's humans are bacteria on a petri dish and the Old Gods were peering down a microscope - mankind can't simply look up and see the Old Gods breathing down their necks. They're too small and too far away.

The Old Gods have long since left the laboratory anyhow.

We don't have info on how these reptile beings were created and by which Old God, only that they were there before humans. However, there are hints of these reptiles having ascended into the Greater Blights. These are what they turn into when they become New Gods.

Nothing states of the Old Gods being against the Greater Blights, which means these reptiles seemingly haven't rebelled in the way that humans had. Which means the Old Gods had been open to the idea of mortals becoming New Gods, before humans started abandoning their creators.

I'll rattle off some well-known bits about the Old Gods to point something out, bear with me.

Sylvian has a deep love of humanity. If she had a say in the human New Gods' formation, she may have done it out of pity for her beloved ones.

Gro-goroth has his extensive curiosity. If he had a say in the human New Gods' formation, he may have done it for curiosity's sake.

Rher possibly took part in the New Gods' formation. We have no evidence that he took an anti-human stance before they become New Gods.

Vinushka, Vitruvia, and the unnamed Old Gods / their servants - we don't know enough of to speculate. But given that only Rher is noted to actively gatekeep humanity's godhood, it can imply that nobody other than Rher cared enough to be against it.

It's easier to fall under an anthropocentric lens. If one Old God's love for humanity leads to losing your mind and being enslaved to base desires, it's understandable to be wary of what an Old God's hate for humanity would do.

Regardless of Rher's opinion of humanity, though, it'd be black-&-white to render him a simple villain.

From Rher's perspective, it could be something like humans having too much of an ego to know when they're making bad choices.

Being a New God was a trap, a false solution for incomprehensibly large problems. 'Making a fuss over temporary solutions to the point of throwing away devotion to the ones who created you,' is understandably frustrating to witness.

Rher's supposedly the God of hidden truths. Moonscorching is to forcibly pry what's buried in the subconscious, the person reaching the limits of their sanity and losing themself to inner horrors. Despite that, his moonlight is considered his "gift" to humanity.

He's also been the last known Old God to observe mankind. If he's doing the equivalent of hatewatching, then he's not really doing a good job at it... letting both The Girl and Reila ascend like that.

That's why I don't think he's necessarily rooting for humanity's failure. I think that Rher may want mankind to face the truth of their limitations - if people can't face the dark truths within themselves, they'd never face the dark truths within the rest of the petri dish. They shouldn't even try.

And there's been an obvious history of humans continuously failing. Most knew the perils that seeking godhood entails and how weak New Gods are compared to Old Gods. This truth, to him, is frustratingly in plain sight.

Yet mankind still chooses to seek higher means of power.

But the Ascended Gods? Humanity can become as powerful as Old Gods in convoluted situations like Alll-mer, the God of Fear and Hunger, and Logic.

It's not the same situation as the New Gods. There may have been arrogance and ego in wanting to have human Old Gods, but it's not simply that. Plans have been detailed in order for these mortals to ascend. Being Ascended takes having to throw parts of your individuality away in order to achieve humanity's goals, the opposite of holding onto the ego.

And the Ascended Gods have driven the species to greater heights the way New Gods couldn't.

It's like humans have identified a limitation, have devised a plan to patch that limitation, and it finally worked.

I think that's why Rher tells Pocketcat to stop going after The Girl. That's why Rher lets a Termina contestant power-on Logic. For once, humanity has done what he's wanted them to do: be humbled.

God of Fear and Hunger gave humans a greater sense of limitations pertaining to fears and hunger, and this led to humans focusing on creating manmade technologies to overcome it.

Logic will give humans a greater sense of limitations pertaining to technology. By this, Rher can assume it will also lead to humans focusing on how to overcome this limitation.

F&H1 and F&H2 come off to some as if his schemes have been foiled. 'Another human ascended despite The Delinquent One's best efforts'.

Sure, he may still hate what humanity had done to the Old Gods. He may still hate the idea of New Gods. It's unlikely that he'd ever be compassionate toward humans, he's definitely no misunderstood ally of humanity.

But do I think Rher won alongside the player in the end.

[shyminmin]

༄𝐁𝐓𝐒 𝐗 𝐟.𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 | Fantasy, Mermaid AU | ༄𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 5.3k ༄𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : Slight conflict/confrontation

There was a golden blur and the sound of a tail cutting through water at an astounding rate. The next thing Jungkook knew, he was seized from behind, the nape of his neck bearing the weight and grip of his lieutenant's hand. Nerves coming to life, they in turn cause tiny shockwaves to encompass him.

"Move."

The word came out eerily calm, however the stunned Kook knew that it was anything but. The simple syllable being riddled with obvious venom and incomprehensible anger.

Nudging him forward while keeping his hold on the young merman's neck, both of them manoeuvred through the blueish depths, not another word spoken. Every now and again Hoseok would indicate to him to either veer left or right by firmly yanking on his nape in said direction.

This is it. Jungkook thought.

Hobs has finally lost it...

I'm gonna be turned into fish bait!

Grimacing, he continued to think the worst as they neared the outskirts of the colony. They passed one or two stone towers along the way, moss and algae climbing up their rocky sides where they in turn were trimmed to create intricate, decorative patterns. Beyond them, silhouettes of mer could be seen gliding between the natural structures, most likely heading towards their respective home dwellings for the evening.

Jungkook shakily exhaled, as he looked in the direction of his own home, which was non-visible from his current position.

His mother would be expecting him very soon, no doubt just starting on dinner. Oh how she would react if he was even the slightest bit late... He cringed just thinking about it, she'd lose it for sure! One of these days he feared that her heart would give out from all the excess amount of stress and unneeded worry she constantly put upon herself. He prayed for Poseidon's sake that she would stop thinking that the world was out to get them and instead be more carefree and relaxed.

Though, he knew that wishful thinking.

She wasn't fooling anyone when she hid those emotions behind a mask of a smile. Her movements always just that bit too stiff and her breathing noticeably shallow and forced. Sometimes he would wake up to her crying, her unsettling whimpers and shrieks echoing around their home while he could do nothing but hopelessly listen. Trying to comfort her would just earn him a response of 'go away', 'go back to sleep' or 'don't worry about me'.

Yeah...Her experiencing genuine happiness...Wishful thinking indeed...

A few more rocks and a curious onlooker of a fish later, his surroundings spontaneously darkened as he felt the pressure on his neck get released. His face met the ocean floor from the result of Hoseok shoving him into a tight crevice in the side of a mountain slope.

After taking a deep breath as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he cautiously pushed off of the hard ground, righting himself to face the daunting topaz scales of his companion. The Lieutenant in question hovered in the entrance, effectively blocking the merman's chance to escape.

Oh gods.. he was done for...

Not daring to look his superior in the face in utter fear of what he may find, Kook proceeded to wait in painful silence, focusing his gaze instead on a lone seashell embedded in the mostly barren sea floor. Oh how he wished he could just disappear and dissolve into seafoam right about now, anything to get away from an enraged Hoseok.

Said merman's voice ruptured through the waters once more, causing Jungkook's fins to stand on edge.

"Look at me."

Completely under the male's control at this point, Kook's head had no choice but to snap up, him gulping as he came into contact with Hoseok's eyes.

He flinched.

Oh holy mother of Circe.

Gone was the light behind them, the golden flecks of amber replaced by a dark, raging storm devoid of any warmth or comfort.

No, this was the sight of someone dangerous.

They remained like this, in a silent stare-off, just waiting for the other to react in some way. Either Jungkook out of obvious fear or for Hoseok to finally break and send poor Kook over to writhe forever in ‘The Shallows.’

"Give me one good reason... one very very good reason why I shouldn't renounce you of your position this very instant?"

Silence swallowing up the tight space, tension climbing and thickening as the words evaporated.

The younger's heart dropped to his stomach as he blinked a couple of times.

No...Oh please no!

If he was no longer deemed a soldier then it was goodbye to the little freedom that he had fought tooth and nail for all this time. He gazed into the hardened eyes of Hoseok imploringly.

"No! Y-you can't- Anything but that! Please... don't do this to me! Come on Hobs.."

"Answer the damn question Jung–kook."

The way he addressed him stung. Hoseok practically never called him by his full name and the fact that he said it with such spite and lack of remorse did nothing to alleviate the jab of pain in his chest.

"I'm still waiting for an answer."

"I..I uh...I-I can do..." He stalled, blinking back a few angry tears. "Urgh – Please! I need this role! You know more than anyone how much this means to me! If not for the good of the tribe then for my own bloody sanity!"

The last of his pleads bounced off the cavernous walls, seeming to mock him of his current state.

"Sanity huh?.." Hoseok conferred, crossing his arms, continuing to eye the boy with contempt.

"If that's the case, then what about the state of my own sanity whenever I hear about another one of your foolish escapades, hm? What's to stop you from going against the rules once more? Or the time after that?" He moved forward a fraction, tail flicking behind him as he gazed down on Kook with intimidation. "Convince me why it would be worth my while to keep you in the guard, for you to finally be disciplined enough to abide by your duties without me thinking otherwise."

"I..."

Jungkook paused, pondering.

The wise decision in this instance would be to go along with his superior's wishes, to just tell him the answer he wanted to hear and get a measly slap on the wrist. Then he could hopefully go on as normal and continue to venture out in secret.

But he realised that resorting to that would be pointless.

Yeah..

Something as simple as a lie, Jungkook concluded, stood no chance at getting past the all too observant Hoseok. He would know whether he is being genuine or not. Lies wouldn't work this time round, his elder's demeanour proved as such.

With all of this running through his mind, he mustered up the strength to state his real answer, no strings attached.

"No."

....

...

The lieutenant furrowed his brow, certainly not expecting the boy to go against his own self.

"No?"

The younger was quick to elaborate.

"Yeah... I don't think...no, I can't promise you that.."

"Not when you yourself refuse to be completely honest with me. You talk about trust and loyalty...heh well... how can you expect me to be compliant and rule abiding when you yourself fail to fess up about why I'm basically treated like a caged animal!"

"So no, I can't promise you that you can fully rely on me to be obedient in terms of where I can and can't go... not when I myself can hardly trust you in return.. oh great Lieutenant."

There was a brief pause as he fought to maintain eye contact, his superior's lack of warmth ever present contradicting the subtle flicks of his lively, golden fins.

"I see..." he uttered. "Looks like we're at an impasse."

The elder idled forward once more causing Jungkook to back up in response. He realised he was slowly being cornered.

Crap, now I'm really done for.

"You wanna know why you're treated as such, why you aren't allowed to roam free? Well this right here is precisely one of the reasons. I don't know if the red in your scales contributes to your hot headedness, or if you're just plain reckless at times – never mind, that's besides the point – no, the fact is that you let those pent up emotions of yours blind your awareness and as a result your decisions become sloppy."

Jungkook's back hit the cave wall, having ran out of space to get away. The lieutenant now looming over the boy displaying his dominance.

"Petulance isn't going to get you anywhere," he continued. "You've got to grow up and face the fact that the world's oceans don't revolve around you, so stop thinking that you have it so tough. Acting selfish like you did earlier and going off to Delphin knows where will only heighten the risk of potential complications – ones that we can't afford to have and could jeopardise the whole round scope of things."

"There you go again." Kook hesitantly spoke up as his jaw ticked.

"You keep diverting the subject by right out skimming over the details. What aren't you telling me!? How am I supposed to obey without question when I don't know what the hell is going on!? Why am I the only one who has to be so cautious?"

"Look, I'm telling you it's not that simple."

"Well it obviously isn't when you won't even attempt to make me understand in the first place."

"Believe it or not Kook, this has got to do with more than just you. However your very position in all of this can either make or break everything if it is wrongly breached. The situation you're in stems from something far greater than you can possibly grasp."

The red-finned mer groaned in frustration at the vagueness of his reply, it was like he held an exotic treasure that could solve all of his life problems just out of his reach. All the lieutenant had to do was lower his hand to offer it to him but he time and time again refused.

Hoseok shot forward, filling the last remaining gap between them by locking his hands onto Jungkook's shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. This conversation he realised was becoming pointless as they were just going around in circles not getting anything across.

He took in the fired up state of his red-scaled companion, noting how his body instinctively shrunk under his gaze while at the same time wanting to fight against the submission. His chest rising and falling from getting worked up and the tendons on his neck becoming more pronounced.

"Look Bu- Kook..." he resolutely sighed.

"If there's one thing you can take away from all of this... that you can put your utmost faith into... is that when it comes down to it, you're my brother, the one I never had, no... who am I kidding, blood or not you are my brother." He stated that last declaration with the utmost confidence, now giving Kook's shoulders a more comforting squeeze.

Those twenty or so years ago, when he encountered the young Madam trailing along a very rambunctious, buck-toothed Kook, he knew that things would never be the same again. Their refuge meant the dawn of a coming war, one which he and like-minded others so desperately wanted to avoid...or hopefully delay.

His gaze ever so slightly lost its hard edge. The lieutenant hated getting even remotely angry, especially towards his fiery Bun. He just felt it went against his entire nature of love and light, as juvenile as that sounded.

"When have I ever not taken your well-being into consideration, put your life in jeopardy or led you astray? I promise everything will come together when the time is right. But for now, please.... please continue to trust that I have your best interests at heart. You're family to me and I protect my family."

Kook's head rose at that, as he none too kindly removed Hoseok's hands from his shoulders with a harsh shove.

"You're not you know.." he gazed at his elder.

"My real brother died a long time ago. He, unlike you, would have never kept anything from me."

With that the younger merman shouldered past him, his scarlet scales nicking the side of his waist as the lieutenant solemnly allowed him exit.

"I'm warning you Kook, don't do anything stupid!" He called out to his departing figure. "Go straight home, you hear me. Best not to keep your mother waiting any longer."

He huffed, pausing briefly before continuing.

"Do yourself a favour for once and have a good hard think about things."

The now red dot that was his Kook, never spared him a glance.

"Oh Bun.." he breathed out heavily, as guilt reared its ugly head. "Soon... Your time will come soon."

"Just hang on a little longer.."

Hang on for me, for your Ma...

" For Val.."

The last name barely whispered from his lips as he remained hovering in his place just outside the crevice opening. He looked out upon the blue world before him, processing all that had occurred beforehand.

Well, that was until..

*cRacKle*

....

*CrAckLe* *cracKLe*

"Huh?"

Mysterious noises made themselves known, filling the once silent void and causing the lieutenant become alert. Sensitive ears easily pinpointing the exact location of the sounds.

*cRacKLe*

Behind me.. he concluded. These noises.. They're coming from the crevice.

Schooling his features, he squared his shoulders, gearing himself up for a potential confrontation. Being the second to the Captain, he was far from being afraid; he'd already been through enough life threatening situations to ever feel even remotely frightened.

He could take on whoever dared to challenge him, it'd be their death wish. He'd make sure of that.

A sudden chill crashed into him, the drop in the water temperature making goosebumps arise on his toned arms and back, scales minutely shifting.

*cRaCkle* *CrAckLe*

It's now or never.

Having enough of this, he swished his scaled appendage, rotating to face the disturbance. His nails sharpening to provide further leverage and teeth bared to appear more threatening.

However.

What he assumed to have been a not so silent intruder, turned out to be further from the truth.

For it wasn't a who but rather a what.

An unnatural anomaly.

"By the gods.." he voiced in slight awe and uncertainty.

There, covering the rocky walls of the cave... was a rapidly growing layer of ice.

"Madam Vanora, are you in?"

A chorus of high pitched voices sang outside the entrance of a particular home on the border of the Nephtis colony. They belonged to four mermaids with varying shades of greenish scales and long, flowy hair styled to perfection. They all waited with bated breath, hoping that the occupant was inside so they could get on with the real reason as to why they were here.

What separated them from just blindly entering the place was a thick and heavy piece of drapery, which in human terms, acted as a door. It hung over the entirety of the cave opening and was dyed a beautiful shade of red with accentuating golden embroidery at its edges.

"Do you think she's away somewhere?" One of the females spoke up after a good two or so minutes had passed and no one had answered the 'door'. Not a slither of movement was heard from within either, it was almost as if no one lived there at all.

"Oh don't be so stupid, the whole of Nephtis knows that the old lady never moves even an inch outside of this hovel. She's practically a hermit crab in a mermaid body."

"Shhh, she'll hear you!" The girl beside her whisper shouted, nudging her shoulder.

"And rude! She's not even that old anyway.. she's barely 900," One interjected, waving her hand about dramatically. "Oh, and I swear I saw her once at the Pledge to Selene Festival," Another with a more emerald coloured tail butted in.

"Whatever, if she is inside as you say then what's taking her so damn long?" The female who had first spoken up whined. "I'm suffering here! Why did she have to give birth to such a good looking son, that should be forbidden!?" She fake-gasped, clutching at her chest as if it had been pierced by one of those stereotypical love arrows, the female beside her patting her arm with understanding.

They all as a result spiraled into a deep conversation of gossip, not noticing that about midway through their very important debate on whether Madam Vanora's son's scales were more of a scarlet or deep crimson colour, that said mother of a supposed fallen god had graced them with her presence.

They were still in the midst of their life changing talk when she was forced to clear her throat, instantly shutting them up. Turning hesitantly with their eyes wide and some possessing beads of sweat, they all gave their elder synchronized bows.

"Why uh.. greetings M-madam Vanora, how are you this evening?"

There clutching the drapery in a tight fist and sporting a stiff smile, hovered a beautiful mer woman. Her tail bearing delicate rows of snow-white scales swayed keeping her in place as her turquoise orbs looked at each of them, giving the visiting mermaids a forced friendly nod.

"Hello girls. How may I help you?"

Even though she asked this, she already knew fair well why they were here. It definitely wasn't the first time that this same pod of mermaids had come by unannounced, hoping to interact with a certain someone. Her inquiry was more a way of being polite, a common courtesy if you will.

Looking back and forth between each other, two of the females pushed the one in the centre of their group forward, forcing her to be their spokesperson – or I guess you could say – spokesmer?

"Is um perhaps... your hunk of a- *cough* erm I mean.... is uh, Jungkook back yet?"

And there it was, the older female predicted, inwardly sighing.

How her son had gained the attention of a significant portion of the tribe's female population was beyond her. She knew for a fact that he wasn't one to willingly go chasing after them himself, if anything she would even be bold enough to say that he was a little intimidated by the opposite sex. Maybe that aspect was what drew them to him, oh and of course how could she forget about her dear Kookie's striking looks. There was no doubt that he inherited them from his equally as handsome father – Poseidon rest his soul.

"I see... well I'm afraid he is not, I am expecting him back soon. Though, may I ask as to what your intentions are with my boy, and at an hour or so before Helios departs at that? Shouldn't young girls like yourselves be at home instead and not off trying to seduce a certain mother's son?"

The pod of four, clearly caught out, froze, their faces turning stark white.

"No, no it's not like that! We're nothing more than his friends...we just wanted to check in on him, make sure that he is doing well you know. That's all we swear!"

"Hmm..." Not convinced in the slightest, she regardless, played along with their reasons. "Well I can assure you he is in fairly good health, he might even earn a promotion soon. But for that to happen he'll need some space and privacy to focus. Now that you know, best be on your way before your folks become worried."

"But wait Madam.. can't we at least wait for him inside? We promise we won't be in your way. You won't even know we're there. Please."

She clicked her tongue, gosh they were persistent.

"As I have previously stated, it is already far too late and I hardly have enough dinner prepared for more than two if I were to host guests, so I'm sorry but you'll have to come back another time."

The leader of the pod audibly huffed, no longer afraid to broadcast her annoyance at Madam Vanora's words, her patience having clearly run out. Flipping her hair over with more force than necessary, she turned away. "Urgh, it's useless. Come on girls, some individuals are clearly too stubborn."

She was stopped though by a second clearing of a throat.

"While you're at it, would you be so kind as to return this little guy back to his home. Poor thing seemed to have wandered in here by accident. Must've mistaken me for his family, we are after all said to be one and the same aren't we?"

The mermaid turned and gulped when she was handed a certain crustacean, that of a hermit crab, its beady eyes darting back and forth before hastily sinking back into the safety of its shell. It dawned on her then that the older female had overheard their insults towards her. She as a result paled further.

"Yes m'... L-let's get going everyone," she voiced and the next instance was zooming off in a trail of bubbles and foam. The others proceeded to follow their unofficial leader, giving the Madam a meek farewell out of respect.

Watching their outlines blend into the far distance, the mer woman couldn't help but shake her head in distaste at their clear desperation to earn her son's affections. Ah young love, she deduced, with an empty chuckle.

She was about to head inside again, however, much to her surprise, visiting hours didn't seem to be quite over yet; for amidst the ripples of retreating fins, one such scaled figure remained. No, an entirely new visitor altogether. A fifth mer which, unbeknownst to her had been concealed behind the back of the little group all this time.

Delight surged through the mer woman as she instantly recognised the lone mermaid.

"Mirren." She smiled, hovering forward towards her.

Now there was a sensible mer if she ever saw one. Not anything like those love struck fools eyeing her son down like he's prey ready for the taking. Mirren, a girl with such a kind and caring soul that the Madam had warmed up to her almost instantly upon their first meeting not all that long ago.

It couldn't have been more than four or five months ago that she along with her small familial pod had tumbled upon this little area of the sea, seeking out a place to start afresh. Next thing the mer woman knew, the mermaid was knocking on her 'door' and offering her a basket full of her delectable fish cakes. Even Jungkook seemed to get along with her which was a definite plus.

"Ms Nora!" she greeted jovially, pearly whites on full display as she enveloped her in a tight hug. "I hope I'm not intruding... not after that whole fiasco I just witnessed! You ok?"

The elder couldn't help but playfully scoff, patting her on the back before pulling back to look at her properly.

"Oh silly girl, it's always a pleasure to see you around here. Your presence has already done its magic and lifted my spirits."

"Aww shucks, I'm glad! Now be prepared, for I come bearing gifts!"

"Oh my!"

The mermaid known as Mirren reached down, picking up a displaced sack as big as the top half of her body, grunting at the slight weight even though the water naturally alleviated some of it. It proved to be quite unsteady in her hold as she fought to stay upright. Thankfully the elder was there to help distribute the weight.

"What on earth have you got in here, a baby whale? Why, it's huge!"

"Oh you know, some of this, some of that."

"Mhmm.." her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

They slowly backed into the Madam's home, careful not to drop the sack or bump into anything. Thankfully, they managed to complete the task efficiently enough, depositing the large mass into the centre of the main living space.

Looking at the young girl quizzically, Madam Vanora slowly undid the far too extravagant ribbon at the top of the present, careful not to tear it. Smiling, she ran her fingers over the thin strip of fabric, simply admiring it. She may or may not have a box full of these from all the past gifts she's received from her friend, but that's just between her and a rather weirded out Kook whenever he saw her discreetly adding to it. No, Mirren didn't need to know anything about her little ribbon collection or the next thing she'd have was a way too enthusiastic mermaid busting through the entrance with mountains full of the colourful strips.

Moving along, she placed the, this time, baby-blue ribbon, off to her side gently while getting back to the main attraction at hand which was the gigantic sack; it finally opened to reveal the contents to her more than curious eyes.

Oh holy father of flying fish sticks! She mentally swore, eyeing it all in disbelief.

Well, looks like she and her Kookie won't be going hungry for the foreseeable future, or lifetime at that, for within the enormous monster of a gift were piles upon piles of Mirren's freshly made dumplings. A golden outer layer fashioned into a spherical shape and stuffed with crab meat while others held different types of scrumptious seaweed.

The Madam's mouth couldn't help but water at the sight, though, she was quick to snap out of her reverie, turning to face the young female with a rather perplexed expression.

"Mirren, dear, I love you my sweet, but...this...." She motioned to the extensive food supply, "Are you trying to give us both an eternal stomach ache, how much is in here!?"

Her companion chuckled, amused at her reaction. "No, nothing of the sort!"

Her hand went into the pile of delicious goods, taking one in her hold. Breaking it in two, she offered one half to her older friend with hopeful eyes.

"Come on, try some, I know you want to."

Not able to refuse such a look, the Madam soon found herself nibbling on the golden treat, an instant dance of flavours gliding along her palette all complementing one another. She let out a content hum. Gosh, when it came to Mirren and food it was nothing but the best.

"Yay!" Mirren voiced with splendour. "I'll take that reaction as my go ahead."

"Go ahead?"

"Oh right! These were just leftover practice batches. I'm trying to perfect my skills for the upcoming Servitude to the Sol celebration, you do know it's in less than a week right?! These offerings need to be perfect!"

Right, the mer woman nodded thoughtfully. It's already that time of year again, gosh how time flies. The days tended to blend into one another when all she ever did was remain cooped up in her home, restricting interaction with most of the tribe. She had no one else to blame but herself for being out of the loop.

The humans recognised this event as the Summer Solstice, where the day outweighs the night, bathing the earth in its prolonged reverent light. For mer though, it was slightly more equivalent to a birthday, that being of Helios, the divine brother of the more favoured and influential Selene.

While his sister's domain was that of the sea and its inhabitants, he was more affiliated with the land above and tasked with watching over its dwellers, humans. With that being the case he didn't associate himself with merkind all that much and therefore was deemed less important.

That wasn't to say then that merfolk were obligated to forget about worshiping him. After all, he was family to their luna goddess and it wouldn't be all that respectful to her holiness to then disregard her next of kin.

"You'll come right? Jungkook too? I know you don't go out all that often but it would mean so much to me if you did. We could go together! I'm sure Helios will thank you for it."

Dithering, the Madam was at a loss as to whether to concede with Mirren's request. No doubt her son would be itching to go, he had all the previous years; anything to get out of staying cooped up inside for extended periods of time.

The mother wouldn't deny that she felt bad for restricting his freedom, that he should be allowed to go out and experience the world and what it has to offer like most others his age; but at the end of the day it was for his own good.

She would not lose another one of her boys... never again.

Rifling through the pros and cons she settled on a reason that could play out in both their favours. If she were to go then she'd be able to keep an eye on her Kookie, diminishing her fears of his safety as he'll be in her direct line of sight most of the time. He'll in turn be able to go and mingle amongst the tribe at his leisure and enjoy the celebration. Hoseok would most likely be there too as further support. He never let her family down in the past so that put her heart at further ease.

She looked at the currently pouting Mirren.

"Guess I'll have to repay you somehow after this generous donation of food.." she sighed, earning an excited cheer from her fellow mermaid.

"Yes!! Thank you! Oh Poseidon, we're gonna have so much fun! I promise you won't regret it!" The girl smiled from ear to ear, practically tackling the mer woman into another one of her tight hugs.

The mother playfully teased her at her overexcitement, patting her head.

"I'll hold you to that."

Long after Mirren had left, thoughts of her son plagued her mind, drawing upon the fact that he still hadn't shown up.

Maintaining a suffocating grip on the doorway's drapery, the Madam craned her neck to view every possible angle, searching for that familiar scarlet tail.

But alas, no one met that description.

"Oh Delphin, where is that boy?" She muttered to herself with terse effort. His dinner is going to lose its freshness at this rate!

In the back of her mind though she knew the quality of his nightly meal was the least of her concerns, not when her dear boy was still out there, possibly alone....

..and vulnerable...and exposed...

Where everyone could see him....

Where they could potentially see him..

Out there where he could get caught, where he could get hurt....

Where he could get potentially k– Her chest tightened.

NO!

She shook her head in denial, refusing to finish that last horrid thought. Patrols are just going a little overtime...that's all...these things happen.

He's fine. He'll be here soon!

He's safe.

He's fine.

But what if he isn't... darkness interjected her affirmations once more, what if..

All the fears due to his lack of return continued to fill her mind.

She kept scanning the outside from their home entrance, grabbing tufts of her auburn hair in obvious worry. Still nothing!

Why isn't he back yet!?

By now she observed that night had befallen the colony, Helios long having made his daily exodus.

Her body shook as she let go of the red fabric to hide away once more in her tight spaced home.

One whole mackerel – her son's favourite dish – lay flat on the tiny dining table in the room's far corner, just waiting to be eaten.

She sank down to the floor, curling up her tail. Her eyes shut as she played a mantra of a prayer in her head, never relenting.

Please Kookie, my son, come home.

Please Kookie..

My son..

Come home!

| 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 | 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 | ༄⋆

[wrenhavenriver]

top five NON-video game things you've read/watched/etc this year!!

ouughgh good one!

the book of goose by yiyun lee - despite what you might expect from me, actually has very little to do with geese. rather it's about a codependent/fascinatingly unhealthy relationship between two teenage girls growing up in an utterly ravaged tiny town in post-war france.

the cipher by kathe koja - old school very weird horror that had me physically saying "oh, what the fuck, man" out loud several times. also had a few moments that legitimately frightened me, which given the amount of horror i read is pretty uncommon. drags a bit in the middle but if you like your horror Weird and Borderline Incomprehensible you will probably like this one.

our wives under the sea by julia armfield - bruh, my ebook hold on this came in right around the time the titan submersible shit was going on and man was that a weird feeling. a book about anticipatory grief/the changing relationship between a woman and her wife against a backdrop of light horror/magical realism elements. i found the ending quite abrupt but the rest of it was worth the read.

the glory (netflix series) - super brutal revenge thriller that quite refreshingly comes down on the side of "actually revenge is absolutely necessary sometimes, and you can commit it without losing yourself by maintaining connections/solidarity/caring relationships with those around you, especially those who may also be victims in their own way and in need of your support."

blue eye samurai (netflix series) - i'm not smart enough to write the analysis this series deserves but goddamn was it good. and it got renewed for a second season so!! more reason to watch the first season if you haven't yet!!

[rindecisions]

A Being of Bad Luck Based on From Hell and Back

Teen+ | 824 | Demon Eddie

Find the rest and more here

Art by @lady-lostmind

Written for @batboysxprompts Friday the 13th prompt | Luck

༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒

Contrary to popular belief, angels and demons weren’t enemies. In fact, they intrinsically required the other. Every demonic regiment had a direct angelic counterpart. One side thrived on creation, the other on consumption.

Where the angels of love created pure bonds of intimacy, the demons of lust altered them to a tainted desire, consuming the result. And where the demons of wrath created misfortune, the angels of patience consumed it to promote peace and order.

Typically, these jobs were done in the realm of the dead. Be it in Heaven or Hell, their tasks could be completed with ease without a physical form and without directly interacting with humans. How this was accomplished was an incomprehensible feat and contained knowledge that would be best left for the afterlife.

As a demon of Hell, Eddie was one of millions, and that was just within his own legion. Each demon and angel may have had their own look, just as humans did, but that didn’t make him particularly special. He had a job, as did everyone else. It wasn’t a hard job, and it brought him at least a little joy. Eddie was a Discord, also known as a bad luck demon, meaning it was his job to create minor misfortune.

When Steve summoned him into the realm of the living, that didn’t mean Eddie could take a break from his hereafter job, it just meant he had to get creative. Causing chaos and misfortune while being stuck in a physical body was a bit harder than Eddie had expected, especially when most of his time was spent in Steve’s tiny apartment.

From Hell, he could reach various parts of the globe with minimal effort. Here he was anchored. Thanks to his powers, though, he could make the most of his time by effecting what he could see from Steve’s windows.

One of the things ethereal and infernal beings had to contend with was freewill. Some found it an annoying hurdle, to others it was a stimulating challenge. They were unable to influence a human’s freewill up to a point, and things like possession were unavailable to those that weren't physically in the same realm. The person had to be willing or asleep to some degree in order for them to influence their actions directly, and if the person willed it hard enough, they could break any control. The more powerful the being, the more willpower it took to break the control. Demons like Eddie, well, they were of the weakest variety. Meaning him and his cohorts needed to get creative with their influence.

Bad luck was an interesting subsection of wrath. In and of itself, bad luck didn’t breed wrath, but it was commonly met with it. A puddle on the side of the road or a shine off of a mirror wouldn’t inspire anger by themselves, but if a blinding light encouraged someone to stop in their tracks, just in time for a car to run through a puddle beside them, the resulting splash on the outfit they wore for an interview would absolutely insight frustration, at the very least.

He couldn’t help but smile when there was clear intervention from an angel. Being a demon didn’t mean he was evil, and being an angel didn’t mean they were good. It was simply a case of morals. Eddie had no issues ruining someone’s day, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying when it was ultimately made better as a result.

As anger bubbled up in the man that was splashed, it was quelled when a waiter from a street-side restaurant came running up with some towels. The list of angel legions that could have encouraged that was long, and there’s always the chance that it was purely a human action.

“Ready to watch those movies I picked up?” Steve asked, towel drying his hair as he walked out of the shower.

Eddie spun away from the large window with a wide grin. “Did you get that Beetle-what’s-it movie?” he asked eagerly.

Could Eddie have made the tile under Steve’s foot slick enough for him to slip? Easily, but he didn’t enjoy causing Steve bad luck. Plus, he was stuck living with him. Even if Steve was hot when he was mad, he preferred him happy. Instead, he just caused mischief around him.

He quietly clicked his claws behind his back, and while you couldn’t hear the shout due to the thick walls of the apartment, Steve’s neighbor just fell in the tub while washing her dog.

“Beetlejuice?” Steve corrected with a laugh. “Yeah, I got it.”

“Sweet!” Eddie exclaimed, jumping into the air and staying there. “What about—”

“Ghostbusters Two?” Steve guessed. By Eddie’s bright eyes, he could assume he was right. “Yeah, I got that too.”

“I could kiss you,” Eddie beamed, swiftly flying up to Steve and doing just that.

Steve draped the towel around his neck and smiled into the kiss.

@steddiebang

[woodsfae]

B5 s03e05 Voices of Authority table of contents • previous episode

Zack Allen the fascist can't get comfortable in his jackbooted thug jacket. Poor fellow. I hope he's even more uncomfrotable till he stops being such an extra fascist. 

Zack Allen heard the mysterious "Code 7-R" and he's on the fascist scent of a mystery! 

Delenn thinks that the Ancients may all be hanging out beyond the Galactic Rim, or sleeping beneath their ancient cities, or are out walking among the stars on errands incomprehensible to lower life forms. Just doin' Ancients things.

Oh! @ladymegana's boytoy is here. Marcus! They're embarking on amission to try to make contact with a higher power. And Draal is coming! Caroline, Sinclair's old surveyor girlfriend (who I hope is living happily off her many, many credits) got rescued from an Ancient by G'Kar personally! I was so suspicious of him then. Simpler times! 

Draal Planet, who is definitely an ancient one of sorts, checked hims planet computers and discovered something which gives him the screaming willies, and he wants them to come look at it. LOL.

Zack Allen is gonna face and probably fail some more ethical dilemnas I suppose, since he's popped up twice this episode already.

G'Kar! And Delenn is being so dismissive and cold! In public. Hmm. Delenn has talked derisively about the cold and unwelcoming nature of Narns before, but it's disappointing seeing G'Kar cut out so much when his people are the only ones who have most recently successfully fought the Shadows. They're such a good resource! And they need alliances! WHy cut them out so strictly?? Sheridan, Delenn, and the Rangers should be trying to ally with them. 

Sheridan has been assigned a "political officer," who is billing herself basically as a secondary commander of B5. Oop, and she's callling on Mr Allen's Nightwatch thingamajig. Of course he heads in for his lil debrief. 

Draal is kinda all over the place. Genial, red-mood-lighting and ominous, saying things like "gives me the willies," from time to time, hates surprises but thinks Ivanova is funny... 

uh-oh. There are no problems on Earth. No homeless, except for people who refuse to work the jobs offered to them to be housed. No poor, except for ditto the previous exception. No crime, except for the mentally unstable, but they're being sorted out of the general population in childhood nowadays... well now I'm much more trepidatious. 

Brave of Susan to let herself be plugged into the whole damn planet! Can't he print it out? Or put it on a usb crystal or whatever? Seems a bit extreme. 

Claudia Christian is face acting for her extreme close-up for all she's worth! 

The CGI has technically improved a lot, but it's still so itself. I love it.

Ancients will be back on Sigma 957 "soon!" But Susan isn't alone! The Shadows got her! Now I"m even more trepidatious! Seriously Draal, slap that shit on an external hard drive next time. 

It sure would be handy if this vision was recorded. Oh! It was! Susan's secret telepathy comes in handy in scrying the past, and Draal Planet does to HD recordings of mental trips across the cosmos! 

Is it like. Secure to talk about top secret stuff on the other side of two tiny sliding doors with a very nosy literal propagandist/spy from Earth on the other side? 

Hope Delenn doesn't mind him making out with other women for the sake of the mission. 

Yeah, everyone stop lying to G'Kar and fobbing him off and forcing him to lurk around the edges to find out what's important. Good point G'Kar! Them not being able to think of anything G'Kar can help with is a failure of imagination. And so fucking condescending. 

It is now "innapropriate" for Earth Force staff to criticize Earth politics, and they'll be expected to cut off family and friends who don't fall in line. And the Night Watch are being instructed to subvert actual policy in favor of the new extra fashy policies. Well this will be fun! The bullshit is so heavy. Earth must be kept safe and ideologically pure, because they've been betrayed "on every level." 

An interesting alien encounter! Susan Ivanova is an unflappable beast. I hope the Minbari on board are forming a new religious cult around her. 

lololol. Susan is actually the best. Got them to speak English to her, too. 

Realy neat ship design. 

Sheridan leaked the video of the VP Clark plotting Pres Santiago's assassination! Definitely the right call, but for some reason I expected them to sit on it awhile. 

Gardibaldi is thankfully not as much of a fascist as he could be, even though he's a cop. But he isn't a collaborator. 

Ugh Zack fucking spilling deets left and right. Just handed over their secret meeting code like that. Someone needs to write "Don't be a collaborator" on a newspaper, roll it up, then smack him and Londo with it till they get the hint.

JMS loves his sly ship name allusions. This loyal cog of the progaganda machine is leaving on a ship named for a god of (among other things) lies. And you can't lie without knowing the truth. 

G'Kar: "Read the book of G'Quan, we'll talk after." Garibaldi: "I don't read Narn," G'Kar: "Learn!" 

No one on the show who isn't Narnuan speaks Narn. Garibaldi would certainly endear himself to me a little if he did learn!

Well, G'Kar continues to be The Best (and Susan Ivanova continues to also be The Best).

Again, nice to have some Big Plot movement! They do a good job advancing it a tiny bit here and there, then yanking a bunch of strings at once so a ton of past details suddenly align into Even More Big Plot Movement. It gets me! I'm sure there's threads I'm missing, but it's very fun pieces threads together. Even when I can't get it before the show reveals their hand, I still feel like it's outsmarted me fairly, lol.

My special little guy Alfred Bester is back!

[eldritch-spouse]

I don’t know if you’ve covered this before, but what kind of voices do the boys have? Like tones, accents, that kind of stuff. I keep hearing Fasma with a Jersey accent.

[I suck ass at this, so be patient. Also, if I do find good voice claims, I will add them to this ask later.]

Bregory has a pretty soft and mildly low voice. In spite of him looking and behaving in a creepy way, his voice is one of the features that almost comes off as relaxing, even boyish in some moments. He has no set accent, though since he learns words from hearing different people speak, he may end up mimicking yours (if you have one).

Fasma has a pretty thick New York accent, and I've always pictured him to be a bit nasally, like a slightly more gruff Oswald the rabbit. His voice does get a bit deeper in the second form, but it's still a little odd.

Morell has a bit of a Texan ring to his voice, though some of that influence has been lost due to his extended stay at The Clergy, wherein he makes an effort to muffle some of that raw, near incomprehensible speech pattern. He's unintentionally always loud.

Gallon has a smooth and quiet tone, with a bit of a purring lilt at the end. He tends to accentuate the "r"s in sentences. Although not entirely monotonous, the pitch of his voice doesn't vary much under normal circumstances.

Vinnel's real voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, though the mask greatly helps in evening his scratchy, broken voice. Either he sounds like a chronic wheezing smoker, or a drowning, constipated man. Pitch varies significantly, though he doesn't appear to be in total control of it.

Nebul has the softest tone imaginable, for the most part. A very flat, low and relaxing frequency that tends to bounce off the walls of most rooms. He's capable of taking on thunderous, loud tones, but doesn't find it necessary the vast majority of time.

Sybastian, the rare times in which he does speak, has a very gruff, hiss-like quality to his voice, which is naturally kind of quiet from disuse.

Santi has a deep purr of a voice, something that resonates, that you feel in your chest. I recall I said somewhere that it was a somewhat lighter version of Darkness, from the movie Legend. Voice claim

Grimbly has a very light voice that falls squarely on an androgynous zone. You cannot tell, just by listening to it, what gender he is. It's cute and sweet and also kind of fake sometimes.

Patches has just a touch of a nasal undertone, and his pitch is average for a man, though it can rise significantly and even break when he gets nervous. In certain instances, he's capable of achieving a very low and frightening tone, seen best when he shouts a victim's name during one of his dullahan fits. Generally, he sounds like a dork.

Fank-e features a synthesized bubbly tone which is maybe a little higher-pitched than it should be, given his size. Sometimes it crackles a little, mostly due to his visor damage. Being that it's entirely artificial, Fank-e can mimic a plethora of other voices, male and female. He can sound like Windows Sam if he wants to.

Ludwig has a voice that's quite similar to Gallon's, though a little more lazy and slurred. He sounds high. He's usually quiet, usually. When he starts getting riled up, it sounds as if he's snarling his words out, which is typical of a wrath demon.

Belo (again, unsure if I'll keep him but might as well) has a typically melodic and pleasant voice, it features just a tiny bit of reverb, mostly because he's not using an actual mouth to speak. Just a tiny bit lower than average.

Krulu's voice is indescribable in the way it seems to pierce through most people's resolve, always confident and imposing, a low, scornful hiss for the most part. It's loud, jarring, and terrifying in a primal level- To those who aren't used to it, that is.

[skycowboys]

okay so just finished going through the posts i managed to bookmark before my browser crashed from the amount of your posts i had open at once and i lost my scroll position on your blog, and you may have noticed i am a tiny bit very enthusiastic about your art and i apologise for any comments i left in tags which were incomprehensible and/or mildly disturbing

anyway i was wondering what pegasi tack has for like saddle blankets and such? i'm no horse expert but i imagine it's quite hard to make something simple for that purpose for their shape?

lol I love that "fixate until the browser literally can't handle it" energy.

Good question! Pegasus saddle blankets are very much like fitted pads for some English saddles:

For pegasus saddles, here are a few examples:

This saddle has extra cushioning all along under the tree/skirting so it won't strictly need a blanket.

2. This saddle has both cushion and a blanket, as the pegasus who wears this has high withers and needs extra padding at the cantle.

3. This saddle is a bit more standard in configuration that you'd see pretty often - a larger blanket with cushion in the cantle that isn't necessarily seen at first glance

Crafting these wouldn't be too terribly hard, but they do tend to lean more custom than not. Generally, when a pilot has a saddle made or buys a saddle, they'll get a custom pad/blanket to go with it.

~ Larn

[magic-hcs]

*gasp*!

New boys!! owo

Can I have some cuddle headcanons with the HF and Birdtale bros pretty please?

But of course you can! I’m always to put any of my boys in the spotlight! I’m happy to hear you’re interested in my Aviantale boys.

Rust: HF Sans

Thatch: HF Papyrus

Raven: AT Sans

Crest: AT Papyrus

Time to cast some magic and see what we’ll get!✨

✨✨

Rust: This boy wants cuddles 24/7. Cuddle time is very important to Rust. He’s so touch starved any touch you give him he’ll treasure it with all his soul. He loves to lay his skull in your lap, letting you stroke his skull. Though, please be careful around the burst at his left eyesocket - what remains of it anyways - it’s very sensitive.

Rust is a puddle when you hold his skull so delicately in your hands, as if he’s the most precious piece of China you’ve ever laid your eyes on. Please pepper his face in kisses. His soul will sing out to you for days!

If Rust initiates cuddles, he’s going to pick you up. Cradling you to his chest, he can’t stop nuzzling you for five minutes. He's just so in love and happy that you care for him. That you love him just as much as he loves you. Once he has you in his hold you’ll have to stay for hours on end, or come up with a very good excuse.

Once Rust is on cloud nine with all the love and attention you’re giving him, he’ll start to mumble and babble about anything and nothing. Most times it’s incomprehensible, but the general gist of it is that he’s spouting stuff about how much he loves you, and coo at how adorable and soft you are. (listen, it doesn’t matter what you look like; buff, tiny, big, scarred, thick, thin, etc you are adorable and soft to him, always, there’s no ifs or buts about it)

✨✨

Thatch: He won’t ever tell you but he loves it when you sit on his lap - with a cushion of course - playing with both his prosthetic hand and bunted claw so very gently. Touching the forgein material with curiosity, moving the fake phalanges with fascination. It touches his soul, for it shows you aren’t afraid of him, and his so very different body parts.

Thatch loves draping his body a bit over you as you sit in his lap. Covering you from the world, he wants to keep these moments for his eyelights only.

Love and warmth will cover his entire being whenever you crawl in bed or on the couch with him, hugging his side, or snuggling up to his front. Thatch wants time to freeze and stay with you like this forever.

Once Thatch is 100% sure you don’t mind his weird, sharp, hands and freakishly long legs, he’ll let his phalanges touch all over your body. Awe overtakes him at the revelation that his hands can do more than kill and maim: Being able to gently trail distal phalanges along your skin, forming random patterns and elicit all kinds of delightful reactions from you, without hurting or instilling fear or anxiety in your being.

He’ll move to tangle his legs with yours, holding you impossibly close to himself. It’s definitely a safe feeling for you to be covered by this giant, but what you don’t know is that Thatch feels the same. Having you so close, sharing your body warmth, hearing your heartbeat gently pulse inside your chest or feeling your body rise and fall with every relaxed breath you take, gives him the feeling of safety and tranquility. It’s as if the world can’t harm him no more whenever he’s inside this bubble of comfort and love with you.

You may not realize it. But you got Thatch wrapped multiple times around your fingers.

✨✨

Raven: Listen, Raven is a very affectionate and touchy boy. He always wants to be touching at least some part of you. Walking together? He wants to hold your hand. Sitting together! He wants to lay on your stomach or lean against your side. You’re just standing around or working? (If you don’t mind all too much) He’s draping himself over you.

Absolutely loves to be cocooned in a blanket with you. Will give you lots of nuzzles. Listen, he just loves you so much, he doesn’t know how else to show it and he needs to do something otherwise he’s gonna implode.

Trail your fingers through his winged arms when you hug him from behind, just do it, he’ll melt. You’ll have him wrapped around your fingers multiple times faster than you can say ‘birdboy’. There may or may not be hearts in his sockets.

Whenever you’re sad, Raven is overcome with the urge to protect you from the outside world. Tugging you into his chest as he lets his winged arms cover you, shielding you from everything. Engulfing you in a blanket of warmth, comfort and safety. He’ll trill and coo soothingly to you, nuzzling the side of your head as he rubs your back. Raven may not always be the best at comfort and reassurance with words, but he’s there for you to listen and to cocoon you in a feathery bubble of love, protection and comfort.

✨✨

Crest: Crest loves it when you sit in his lap. It makes him trill with love as he goes to tug you against his chest, nuzzling the crook of your neck.

Cuddles while stargazing or just horizon gazing in the tree is one of Crest’s favorite things! Being nestled in a tree was already something Crest loved doing, but being nestled in a tree, cuddling you takes the cake by a long shot. And if you play with his feathers or claws while being in this position you will find that Crest has ascended to heaven. Please don’t wake him up ever if this is a dream.

Sometimes Crest’s mischievous side comes to take a peek, and when it does there’s a high chance that you will be tackle-hugged and promptly taken into the sky. The first few times he did this was an experience to say the least. And lemme tell you why: Crest’s tackle hugs aren’t at all what you would expect, for one; Crest doesn’t run towards you, he soars towards you mid-flight. And right before his body collides into you, he spreads his legs forward - much like the position a predator bird takes when it’s about to scoop its prey in its claws. Only Crest won’t scoop you up like that, instead he’ll wrap his legs around your torso, clawed feet clenching firmly over the fabric of your clothes (little tears are possible if he isn’t wearing his special feet gloves that prevents his clawed feet from accidentally hurting someone) as he presses you against himself while continuing to fly. The impact doesn’t really hurt, but it can render you breathless for a little while. He may or may not twirl with you caged between his legs, that adorable infectious “Kyeekeekeeh” laugh of his filling the air.

Crest often carries Raven around when he finds him sleeping somewhere where he shouldn’t, so if you’re sleepy, Crest will insist offer to carry you - weight doesn’t really matter, Crest is stronger then he seems, plus he could use some magic to make you weightless if you’re really concerned.

To put it simply, Crest is an amazing cuddle/hug buddy.

✨✨

✨✨

Thank you for participating in this spell, I hope it was to your satisfaction!

[pb-dot]

Let's Hype: A Brief History of Thereafter

As we draw perilously close to the release of the first chapter of Thereafter (May 1st, 13:00 GMT, subscription link to follow), I thought why not talk a little about the town itself. We've been introduced to the characters, yes, but what manner of a place are they fighting for.

To start off with a tiny bit of world building, I should mention how time works. For one, timekeeping is a bit arbitrary in Thereafter, as the void between worlds has no sun or other gravity wells for the city to orbit around. The magic that keeps the city together and stops the atmosphere from dissipating also produces light in a cycle of day and night. The pace of this cycle roughly matches that of the length of the day in the world of Aurol, which is also approximately earthlike. Note that long-form time taking is still done in days and weeks, as no formal consensus of how long one should make months and years exist as of the start of the story. It should also be mentioned that time flows considerably slower in the real world than in the magical worlds and, by extension, Thereafter. As such, the 20 or so years our protagonist have been growing up have lasted somewhere closer to 1000 years in the magical worlds. As a consequence, our heroes' childhood exploits have long since faded into legend.

The first sightings of The Calamity were sparse and ill-substantiated reports, as bedraggled survivors from ruined worlds manage to flee to the nearest neighbors through feats of powerful magic or truly heroic levels of athletic prowess. Before these worlds could even begin to deal with the question of what kind of help to offer to these survivors, the Calamity struck them, continuing the daisy-chain of incomprehensible violence.

The story of Thereafter as we know it started in Day 15, when historian Alexandra The Elder found herself floating in the void between world after a teleportation spell aimed at taking her out of danger fizzled out. By chance, Alexandra drifted close to a rather large chunk of rock that upon closer inspection turned out to be the first part of the City of Thereafter. Alexandra recognized the powerful magic employed to keep the rock, really a chimera of smaller chunks of rock and soil, together, and while the little air she carried with her from her destroyed world still could keep her brain working, she worked up a short-range teleportation spell to take her to the surface of the rock.

It was here Alexandra met the people who would grow to be The Council of Thereafter. Grand Magus Eltern of The Magus College of Aurol, Leowin the Hermit from Merlinus, and Deepspeaker Lia of Steppeworld were already on Thereafter at this point, along with a smattering of people Alexandra identified merely as civilians. The Council were not keen to share the exact nature of the workings at the core of Thereafter, but volunteered that extreme caution had been shown when they first mended together the first slabs of destroyed worlds some days prior.

After this point, Thereafter went through a hectic period of growth, as the Council busied themselves with adding additional pieces of the shattered worlds to Thereafter, and snagging anything that looked even remotely like arable soil and useful plant matter. In this process, the council added a new member, a somewhat reclusive character known only as The Farmer. The population of thereafter grew steadily, as the increasing size of Thereafter made it easier to find among the swarm of destroyed worlds. While plans were in motion to secure lasting food sources, scavenging filled the majority of the dietary need of the nascent city.

The question of governance did not arise for several weeks, as the vast majority of survivors were more than content with a safe place to sleep and food to eat. This changed, as new waves of refugees telling tales of ever more distant magical worlds being destroyed started raising the uncomfortable possibility of Thereafter being all that is left. "There is no rescue coming," as Alexandra's colleague molefolk scribe Rok-El opined in a letter to The Council. "Thereafter is all there is, maybe even all that ever will be, and I am not alone when I voice concerns that we remain, as we are, ungoverned. There are already organizations forming in our city that will seize on our current state of vulnerability for their own ends."

This letter was quoted by Deepspeaker Lia in her speech proclaiming the Council as the ruling faction of Thereafter. As this had been the case de facto if not de jure for weeks at this point, the announcement was met with muted, but genuine enthusiasm. After all, the Council collected no taxes, and at most oversaw the negotiation of conflicts and fair partition of scavenged food and goods, plus what little Thereafter's struggling farms could output.

One notable member of the naysayers were the man behind the organization Rok-El alluded to, a molefolk crime lord by the name of Rik-Hi. Rik-Hi had established himself in Thereafter by bribing scavengers to drop off their loot at Rik-Hi's warehouse, earning him a king's ransom in food and other sundry goods. Using this newfound wealth, Rik-Hi expanded his venture by attracting disillusioned ex-adventurers to function as muscle in racketeering schemes that further grew both his coffers and his influence. Rik-Hi's exact goals are not known at the time of writing, although there are rumors that not only does he not want to usurp the council, he is also in part responsible for its formation.

The idea that grew into the plan to summon the heroes of legend, our protagonists, started as a wry observation from Leowin the Hermit that they should enjoy the good times while the governing of Thereafter was comparatively simple. Although flippant, this comment raised the question of morale and loyalty. Sure, the people of Thereafter were for the most part gamely following the laws, rules really, that the Council had set up, but every day attracted new refugees, and there was only a question of time before something went wrong. Perhaps they'd be unable to feed everybody, or perhaps some rabble-rouser would make their way to Thereafter. The specter of despair could also be found in the margins of the city. While temporary food shortages could be powered through, it was the conviction of Grand Magus Eltern in particular that the city could not survive the death of hope.

It is not known by anyone else but the council how they went about choosing which heroes to summon, or why they limited themselves to four, but the announcement soon went out that the Council were looking into summoning heroes from the lost ages of the destroyed world to "Aid in the maintenance and safety of Thereafter." The Council were not brash enough to proclaim these heroes as their saviors, but they were certainly happy to let the implication linger on people's minds.

It is at this critical point in Thereafter's history that we leave off today. The summoning of the heroes is at hand, and whether this is opening Pandora's box or lighting the light of hope, there's little doubt that the summoning will change the fate of Thereafter and all who dwell within.

[carciinogen]

Talk about your totally cool and awesome boyfriend some more

Just for you, wonderful anon who is totally not my boyfriend!

Anyways, huerrgh. My Boyfriend. Where do I start? Well, he's the most lovely, clever, and charming person that I've known.

I met him back in middle school. I complemented his skin tag, said something involving Steven Universe, and we hit it off from there. He continued to stay around me, even though I constantly overshared, and was incredibly obnoxious, even for sixth grade standards. After everything, I may have gotten a teensy tiny crush on him.

Then COVID happened. We talked a bit, but eventually lost contact. Until High school.

I immediately fell in love with him again, and eventually thought it'd be best to just rip off the bandaid and tell him about it. We got some ice cream, talked, and eventually, I confessed to him. Then, (drum roll please) he said he liked me too, and I shit you not, he fucking KISSED me!? Needless to say, I combusted on the spot, leaving only a heap of charred viscera.

Anyways, we've been dating ever since.

God, he's so damn pretty, and kind, and hUERGGH I love him sooo much. There is SO much I could say. All I have to say about him could be put into word form, and considered a novel.

Additionally, I adore his absolutely WONDERFUL writing skills. He has at LEAST over 30 fully fleshed out characters, if I'm remembering correctly. And he does research for things, and tells me all the cool facts he's learned?? Speaking of which, he tolerates me rambling on about whatever I'm interested in, and somehow actually enjoys hearing me talk!

He himself is an absolute delight to talk to! I could talk to him for hours about the things he's interested in. In fact, that sounds wonderful right about now.

If he were a museum, he would be one of those wonderful little old ones on the corners of streets. That is to say, I love looking at him, and he fills me with indescribable joy.

Finally, I love how he's so unabashedly himself. He likes everything he likes with no embarrassment (as he should). He's a huge inspiration to me.

Alright, now it's time to be incomprehensible:

HUESSFCVJ HE'S SO. AUUUUUUUH MY HEART. 💕💕..!!! waHUUh AGGGJJBOBOBOLLBDSSGHJJ YEAGHH.

Anyways, dear anon who is TOTALLY not my boyfriend, I love you, and hope you have a amazing day. You deserve it, you absolutely wonderful human being!

I would give you ALL my blue jolly ranchers.

[i-drew-a-ferret]

“Incomprehensibly large on both a physical and temporal scale creatures that see us as insects” will never scare me.

I love bugs. Some people are scared of them, some people are indifferent, some even take joy in their suffering, but I ADORE them.

If they see us as bugs, they have varying opinions on us. I could scare one and endear myself to another. One may pour a little bit of soda out because I like the sugar, and slap its friend for suggesting hurting me.

Any creature can be compassionate towards any other. They view us as simple, small, and perhaps stupid, but not insignificant. Not beyond compassion.

They hear we keep pets, and squeal with joy. Because look! The little thing has a little thing of its own!

They see us mourning our losses, and think how interesting it is that such a tiny creature can feel such big things. Maybe one tells another we aren’t really feeling sad, we’re just trying to figure out if we’re in danger. The other one would keep thinking we can feel, because that’s a nicer story.

and maybe, just maybe, when we reach for the cosmos, and get just a little too far, they pick us up and gently put us back outside.

[elecman108]

Incomprehensible long image? Sounds like all the Animatronics in my FNAF AU have their line arts done!

...God this took a while. I think I'll take a break before doing all the flat colours of these guys.

Oh, yeah, there's more than just the full body refs on here, so that tiny incomprehensible image is probably hard to read. Here, I've split it up a bit:

Each Character is named as such: Name - Series (Location). Example being Bonbon - Fazbear (Circus Baby's Pizza World). There are several series, being Fazbear, Popgoes, Rachel's, Candy's and OC. Human characters outside of a set series (Eg. Gregory) just have Name - Full Name.

Additionally, the colour after each name denotes who "made" them, which only applies for Animatronics*. There's four main builders - Afton Robotics, Henry, William, and "Goldie". Non-Animatronics with the colour after their name are who caused them to become "undead" in the sense of they died and are now not quite human.

The shortest Fazbear Animatronic is Helpy, the tallest being Nightmare. Nightmare's really tall - most of the rest of the Animatronics are between 5'0" and 6'8", while Nightmare is about 8'0". Helpy's... around 4'2". Monika is the shortest overall, being exactly 4'0" - she's the boss of the OC series, hence her name being on the sign. The OC series are the most recent, being built shortly after the Pizzaplex went up.

The series with the shortest Animatronics overall is Candy's - since Blank isn't in my AU, they're all at or under 5'6". The series with the tallest Animatronics overall is Popgoes - Popgoes, Blake, Sara, and Saffron are all around the same height as Monty, and Stone being about an inch taller than DJ Music Man. A lot of the humans in the series are short though - Mike is the tallest and Cassie is the shortest. Cassie and Gregory are around 16yrs in my AU - still kids, but older now.

There's a bunch of subseries within them (eg. Roxy's Wolf Pack, the Golden Years, Thieves and Rogues, etc) based around this and that, which I might make up when I colour more of these. Some of them are more concrete (eg. Golden Years are Animatronics from pre-FNAF1 in the timeline) and some are less so (eg. Roxy's Wolf Pack are Animatronics that Roxy has adopted into her wolf pack).

Either way... This has been worked on for MONTHS. I may still redraw some of these later - not as much of a fan of Orville or Mr. Hippo right now, and I've already redrawn Stone, Fen, Katlynn, RXQ, Shadow Freddy, and Bidybab/Electrobab before this. I also partially redid DJ Music Man (fewer arms now) and might redraw Foxy, not sure.

...This COULD be Drawtober given I've drawn at least 1-3 of these per day this month, but... eh.

[sockori]

uhhh random but hot take, what do you think the akatsuki’s hand writing is like