#well worth the listen if you can!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Happy Valentine's Day! (and this blog's first post anniversary!)

[clockworkvampyre]

i noticed that mr enoch drebber has never officially had a completed fullbody reference, so i took matters into my own hands and completed him myself just for fun. it felt like dusting off and repairing an old rusty pocketwatch lmao

i added his original reference for both comparison and convenience. (he is rather tall) (and there is a bonus under the cut)

[ctl-yuejie]

a taste

[fernlessbastard]

hot take moment cwilbur is literally just psychotic as all hell and i think people got way too comfortable villianizing the shit out of a man who was clearly portraying signs of severe mental illness. cwilbur was like im so fucking paranoid and scared and i think everyone is out to get me and hurt me and ive spiralled to the point i cant reach out to the people closest to me because im so afraid and lost in this spiral and im having constant panic attacks and hurting myself because i dong know what to do with myself and the only way out for me is to die. and everybody was like EVIL MAN WHO ENJOYS HURTING OTHERS AND IS ABUSIVE ON PURPOSE AND A VILLAIN AND SHOULD NEVER BE TRUSTED AGAIN. and then he came back and was like im still deeply troubled and afraid but im desperately trying to make up for the wrongs i did in the past and the people i hurt in my own way and communication is really hard for me but i hope people know that im truely sorry and i love them. im going to try my hardest to fix this in the only way i know how and then respectfully remove myself from the situation because i feel thats the kindest thing i can do to the people ive hurt. and people were like ABUSER ABUSER ABUSER EVIL MAN ABUSER. like girl

Yeah no based true real no questions asked

I'd hope I manage to portray Wilbur the way he deserves in my content, cause that man is heavily bpd coded and he just needs therapy and someone who genuinely loves him but also can handle his bullshit (which has exclusively and reliably been Quackity like, canonically)

But yeah no completely agreed. The man has issues and has definitely fucked up a lot but at the end of the day he really does need love and care and patience, but also boundaries (and therapy and meds, obviously)

[kaurwreck]

I've seen a few posts about how if you were bookish as a kiddo, then you have an author with whom you have an irrational vendetta because of an English teacher. I keep trying to consider if I have one, but I don't think I do. I've definitely had English teachers I didn't respect, but I can't fathom taking them seriously enough to feel anything about their opinions on lit.

[hopeinthebox]

tagged by the gorgeous and fabulous @cordiallyfuturedwight and @aprylynn for february's roundup:

tagging the usual music favs: @jiminsproof @thvinyl @jimin-gaon @visionsofgideontheninth @spicyclematis @kimchokejin @jihopesjoint @monismochi plus @kimtaegis for the amy macdonald of it all 💜 and also you, dear reader. MWAH

[devilsskettle]

@ the old ladies who were mean to me at work for trying to do a small thing that was nice for them. kill yourselves

[koishua]

will be cutting out all processed sugars. thank you and pls wish me luck

[dairyfreenugget]

(Going insane boinkinh one AU in my head)

Hey hey hey

May I interest you in

(Slowly slides my FaaF AU towards you but void just Disappears without a trace one day before the accolade)

Teehee

[mokeonn]

I think the frustrating thing about Spotify recommendations is sometimes it really does introduce me to lots of cool Indie Bands that I really vibe with and allow me to try some new stuff and sometimes it keeps telling me that I need to Listen to Mother Mother (I have not listened to Mother Mother ever and at this point I never will because it is a pride thing.)

Or a random unfunny tiktok joke song from 3 years ago/ a viral YouTube song from over a decade ago.

[prostocupoftea]

"Unexpected dance"

So

@marsalta 's royalty au bc i am going insaine over them /pos

//sorry it still feels bad to tag u--

They're dancing

Why "unexpected"? Bc i wanted it to be in casual ((: //well how much casual this can be anyway//

I planned on adding flowers but all that i know how to draw do not really fit in context and imma need practice more tulips i see...

[guckies]

Oh I’m bothered!! I saw someone do that Greek god to qsmp member thing specifically with the qsmp streamer awards photo in which Tina -> Aphrodite and some said that it’s only because Tina was pretty so instead Tina should’ve been Hecate or another underworld god/goddess…

WHICH IS LIKE HELLO DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!?&?!!?!

Like yeah Tina’s awesome and a girl boss and powerful as fuck! BUT DO YOU KNOW WHO APHRODITE IS??? The literal Olympian goddess of love. Like we do not know or can not fathom how far her power roams because her influence can apply to literally everything. It is not a case of she is just pretty and everything sexual love. It is that she is other worldly, she enchants you, she takes your souls and makes your heart soar towards a purpose you would have never cared for without her!! There are reasons why Aphrodite is and has been closely connected to being around or being a war god/goddess.

[div-divington]

Not to be cringe but...

Tall-ass tower manifests in city without any logical explanation

Interior has nonsensical geometry and architecture. Building shifts constantly. Seemingly alive.

Shady organisations have tried to manipulate the structure to their own ends.

Linked to an extra-dimensional godlike entity that wants to use the tower to bring about their own goals (Nix and The Board respectively)

Protagonists unlock their powers by pointing a "gun" that isn't actually a gun at their own heads and pulling the trigger (the Service Weapon is obviously very different to an Evoker but the symbolism is there I think)

Both do this without being certain they'll survive.

Protagonists have manifestations of their inner selves and their willpower living in their heads. These manifestations are sentient beings that serve as both an extension of the protagonist and a separate character.

Both of their inner selves also serve as extensions of a separate entity (Thanatos (the Persona) is a remnant/extension or something of Ryoji. Polaris is an offshoot/remnant of Hedron)

Protagonists are guided and assisted by otherworldly beings who take the forms of older men in service roles (Ahti, who presents himself as the janitor of the Oldest House, and Igor, who acts as the host of the Velvet Room)

Ahti and Igor both appear to exist in a way distinct from humans and can perceive other planes of existence easily.

Ahti and Igor both speak in manners that the protagonists find confusing and aloof but ultimately are trustworthy and good-natured beings.

I've run out of picture slots, tragically, but do you see the vision?

I think a very fun crossover fic or something could very easily be made here.

Additional things for the Oldest House and Tartarus:

Filled with monsters that feed on human consciousness and leave people as husks of their true selves (Shadows and the Hiss)

Filled with fun little lore documents left behind by researchers.

Directly connected to planes that exist between dream and reality (the Velvet Room and the Astral Plane)

Heavily based on mythology (Tartarus is obviously named after, y'know, Tartarus. The Oldest House is heavily implied to either be Yggdrasil or at the very least be an ancient tree that potentially somehow inspired the myth of Yggdrasil/took its form from said myth).

You Are Going To Get Lost In These Funky-Ass Towers.

[flaskoflethe]

Well, got prescribed cypionate. No idea how much it'll cost, or if insurance will cover it but I kind of don't care? I went through the fucking wringer to get data to prove what I was on wasn't ideal for me. This isn't metaphorical; 2 hours after injection, my levels are ~300. A day after, 500. 2 days after (nominally ~2 hours after peak), 600! 3 days later, 250. Not sure what my actual trough value is yet, but given I get severe nausea below ~350? I'd have to be injecting daily, and that's just not safe for me.

So, fuck it! Cypionate's curves look much smoother, and depending on how I metabolize it I might actually be finally getting close to successfully fine tuning some aspect of my biology :3

[ratatatastic]

"Your first full season in the American League (Stockton Heat 2016-17; AHL) you played with Garnet Hathaway, Brandon Bollig and Jamie Devane. And I'm wondering—those are 3 tough guys. Did you guys do any work together? Did you ask them for tips and stuff? Because in prepping for this podcast, I'm watching all your fights and like, brother, you know what you're doin'! You know what I mean? You're counter-punching Maroon, you got a good grab, control, you're coming in, you know which guys are lefties so you're working that strategically. You really know what you're doing!"

"Yeah, that's—It's something that... I always love being aggressive and fighting, and stuff like that. So I was always drawn towards these guys—Growing up, watching the tough guys, you watched Don Cherry; my favourite part was always the fighting and the big hitting, and stuff like that. Once I turned pro—every tough guy I played with—I would ask to drop the gloves and for them to show me something.

Whether it's something they always do, something they don't want a small guy like me to do to them...just picking up tips from every single one of them. Huge shoutout to those guys! I played with a lot of tough guys, especially in the American League, and every one of them showed me something that I carry with me to this day.

Right to the first guy: [...] in my Stockton days. He was a Toronto legend growing up where I grew up. He was my stall-mate, he's such a badass, cool dude. I remember dropping the gloves with him in practise, and asking him to show me some things. I'm always trying to learn, and do different things.

When I first started fighting although I asked for—to show me... it's not too comparable because our fighting styles are a little bit different; he fights a different caliber-type of fighter than I do. When I first started fighting I was more a straight defensive fighter—you know, you hold on and when you see an opportunity you punch, and other than that it's a pretty boring fight. And then as you get more comfortable and you start to learn a little bit more—get punched in the face a couple times and realise, you know, it doesn't hurt all that much...then you can start to try new things. I still remember the first time I ever threw a left punch in a fight! Definitely a lot of trial and error...

Jamie Devane, specifically—actually, I remember I got in a fight...Jarred Tinordi blew up Rasmus Andersson in the middle of the ice. I can't remember the hit exactly, but it was elbow to the dome. It could've been clean, I don't know. I remember looking around... we had some tough guys on our team, like we said—none of them were on the ice. I'm looking around like 'Aw, fuck. I'm gonna have to...I guess it's my number, I'll go...'

I go over and I fight him, we grab on and he punched me once—whatever. I go to punch him, I'm like this far from his face...

...So I realise 'Oh god, this isn't gonna work out very well.' I kind-of just hold him out there as much as I can...He's just punching my helmet, I couldn't sleep on this (my left) side of my head for like 2 weeks! Helmet's broken, it doesn't click anymore—Helmet's broken.

I get in the locker room, I'm like throwin' my shit and Devane was actually—I don't know if he was hurt or scratched that game—comin' out of the shower and sees me all pissed off, he's like, 'What the fuck happened?' I'm like, 'This fucking—fuck, Tinordi!' and he was like right away, 'Did he string you out?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I couldn't fucking touch him! I couldn't get in there!' He's like, 'Alright, tomorrow (because it was a back-to-back) I'll go out with you and I'll show you what to do when that happens.'

He showed me what to do. If it happens again I'm gonna revert back to what he said. I would imagine it's gonna work because he's been in that situation multiple times where he's stringed guys out. He told me what guys do against him and what works and what doesn't.

It's things like that: where I'll go out of my way or they would go out of their way—but just that respect to acknowledge how tough...these guys are...they're just as willing to help out a guy that's willing to do something like that for his teammates."

The Buzz Pod | 8.7.24 (x)(x)

"[Devane] is one tough customer! Obviously a lot of guys listening to this probably have no idea who he is 'cuz he's an AHL-lifer, but guys he's—"

"I've never seen that guy lose a hockey fight once! Never seen him lose a fight!"

"He's as tough as they come, man!"

[orchideae]

When I approach Yelan (or anyone else I've written), I don't just look directly at her character, but I also look at her surroundings. Both the ones that she knows by some semblance of necessity, but also those that she chooses. Like here, I talked about the Chasm, and what being 'okay' with existing down there needs to mean for a character, because it's not normal. Someone's surroundings, room, or home say a lot bout who they are and what their mindset, or specifically, their perspective is of the world. And sometimes, I think it says more about people than even the characters realize.

This brings me to the topic of the city of Fontaine. Now, I personally think it's rather obvious that a lot of the nation takes from historical France, and so when looking at it, I think it really adds to remember its monarchy, the view that the 'common folk' had of it, and its inevitable demise to non-existence today in terms of importance as a result. So my first question is, who constructed or decided on its layout? Was it Furina, Neuvillette, Egeria? Whoever it was, there's a lot that can be said about their view of the world and their placement in it when you look at locations of buildings. Look at where Palais Mermonia, its governing body, is located within the city; it sits at a rather astounding elevation in comparison to, well, everything and everyone else in the city. This frequently represents the concept of 'distance' between groups in one way or another, and seeing the consistency in other nations, this is something that is rather intriguing to me, especially keeping Fontaine's characters in mind (and considering this is the nation of 'justice'). Mondstadt has everything almost entirely uniform, with arguably the church on the highest level (but it isn't greatly elevated in comparison to all else), but it's joined with the plaza and statue which are a common gathering site for all people in the city. Liyue had the gods and adepti visibly living among the humans back in the days of the Guili Assembly for reasons of 'integration' (my apologies to numerous from our dear Guizhong!) The fact that numerous adepti now live far outside of the harbor is a different matter entirely, and the one who seems to function within a semblance of separation of sorts is Ningguang with the Jade Chamber (but I'm not one to speak on behalf of her character as I don't bear the knowledge). Inazuma also has the Tenshukaku at a higher elevation in comparison to the rest of Inazuma City. Sumeru is interesting, but ultimately Nahida was kept at the very peak of the city, far out of reach of humanity— but that's exactly the common denominator that has my interest, the distance between the 'governing body' and humanity for one reason or another.

But Fontaine really takes separation to a different level in my opinion (and again, think of this when you think of the person having designed the whole city), not only because of the above which I'll elaborate more on in a moment, but also its separation from the outside world. Now, this is interesting to think about if you keep in mind that it was perhaps done in eventual protection of the city's inhabitants in terms of the prophecy (which means that this would have been constructed anywhere during or after Egeria's reign), but then why is only Palais Mermonia far above the water's reach? If the walls surrounding the city were ever breached during said prophecy, all its inhabitants are pretty much immediately caught in the flood and would drown, which tells me nothing positive of the city's 'architect' or whoever signed off on the designs. But if not done for the prophecy, then why? Stand in the middle of the Court of Fontaine and really look around you, the only sights you really have of the outside world are the sky, and it's obstructed by a fair bit of the waterways and gardens that hang overhead, which you can only properly enjoy when you take the ages long elevator to the upper level where the palace is located (which, credit due, seems freely accessible to everyone in present-time). But if you don't venture up, how much of the outside world do you get to see? It feels very secluded, very much under lock and key. On some level (and this is one of the many reasons why I think that the Meropide is so excessively important in Fontaine and it's likely why we spent so much time there; it's all to show the ever, ever important contrast and nuance between this 'autonomous nation within Fontaine' and, well, 'Fontaine'), it almost feels like a prison, regardless of how pretty it may look or come across (and despite not 'lacking rights'). And considering how people in the Meropide speak of not always wanting to return back to the 'overworld' following their sentence, I think that there's definitely quite a bit of truth in that. But again, stand there and look around for yourself.

Now to return to the original topic, but keeping the last one in mind as well, look at one other thing that I'm unsure how many have really kept an eye on: the massive effect Palais Mermonia's level has on the rest of the area (inside and outside of its walls). Have you ever walked through the city of Fontaine at any given time of day or night, north to south, east to west, clockwise or counter-clockwise circling through it; have you ever seen how it overshadows an immense part of the streets below it either entirely on its own (which to me signifies a very domineering presence), or together with those outer walls that surround the city? I know how I've spoken thoroughly with people before about how much I enjoy Fontaine and how dark it is in its storytelling, but despite how gorgeous this region with its water- and landscapes are; its city bears quite a heavy weight to me. I don't know who designed it, or ordered it to be constructed in this way, but nothing about the city itself truly, rationally, shows a healthy perspective versus its citizens.

Me: /continues on to ramble in tags because I'm me and I'm a nuisance with always more to say than I know how to coherently put into these posts.