#your elden ring art really has a vibe like no other

[catcas22]

OC emoji asks for Sellen! (you can do some for Aurelia too... techically she's Drake's OC, right? So i don't know, but it would be really interesting).

🤥 LYING 😭 CRYING ☕️ HOT BEVERAGE ☀️ SUN ❤️ RED HEART

So, funny story...

Aurelia's actually (technically) a canon character -- she's the Spirit Jellyfish summon.

A floating spirit that illuminates its surroundings. Prone to tears, the jellyfish girl searches for her distant home. Will bravely spew poison at foes on her summoner's behalf.

It seems her name is Aurelia.

Awhile back, I wrote up a short theory on Aurelia and how she might have originally died.

I also drew a pic of Aurelia in her pre-jellyfish form, based on the above theory.

Then @thatboreddrake wrote a fic based on that art.

To Go See the Stars - someboredstudent - Elden Ring (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own]

And now I am currently writing a sequel to that fic. So she's technically a canon character, but the Aurelia in my fic is my fanfiction of Drake's interpretation of my interpretation of said canon character. Fun times.

tldr, I can make Aurelia headcanons without stepping on Drake's toes.

Lying - Sellen is either a terrible liar or an excellent liar, depending on your perspective. Most people can immediately clock her as a schemer, but she gives off that vibe all the time -- good luck discerning when she's lying and when she's actually telling the truth.

Aurelia isn't much of a liar. If she doesn't want to give a truthful answer, she prefers to keep quiet. When she does lie, she tends to get tongue-tied when challenged.

Crying - Sellen's a pretty cool customer, really not the type to cry. If she ever did, she'd make sure to cry behind her stone crown -- she has a reputation to uphold, after all.

Aurelia tends to cry a lot more easily. Despite being quite capable, she's still a kid, and a kid who's been subjected to some rather horrific experiences. She has an ironclad sense of fairness, so she'll sometimes tear up at extreme unfairness. Frustration or simply being overwhelmed can sometimes also bring her to tears.

Hot Beverage - They both prefer hot drinks. Sellen likes strong black coffee. Aurelia grew up in Nokstella, i.e. completely underground, so a lot of dishes she remembers from her childhood include roots and mushrooms. She has a particular fondness for ginger tea.

Sun - Even before her imprisonment, Sellen was not a morning person. After decades trapped in an underground cell and partially separated from her physical body, her circadian rhythms are completely jacked. She'll regularly wake up at 11 pm looking for breakfast, then go back to bed at 3 in the afternoon.

Having been raised underground, "morning" wasn't even a concept for Aurelia until recently. For the moment, she's off to a healthy start. Since it's safer to travel during the day, she tends to get up at dawn and turn in at sundown. Hopefully she won't pick up Sellen's bad habits.

Red Heart - Sellen's love language is words of affirmation. She doesn't offer idle praise, and she tends to be quite blunt when someone isn't meeting her standards. When she gives a compliment, she means it deeply and probably put a lot of thought into it.

Aurelia leans towards acts of service. She's not overly eloquent, and is generally too self-conscious to make verbal declarations of love. Instead, she shows appreciation by lending a helping hand, doing small chores to make the other person's day easier, or fighting Godrick the Grafted.

Thanks for the ask! Have a great week!

[commander-snacks]

Hey who IS that husband-man? Is he an elden ring? A dark souls? What’s his whole vibe? Like, what’s he workin with?

YES! he is a elden ring :3

But here I can explain pretty much everything we know about him!! He and apostle dont have a ton of lore but what we do know about them is really cool. Ill include some info about the Apostle as well since their lore is interconnected

Generally, the Godskins are a mysterious type of creature (literally how theyre referred to in-game. They only appear human but are far from it). We see two types of godskins in-game, the Apostles (tall n skinny) and the Nobles (my hubby) They once served an as-of-yet unseen character called the "Gloam Eyed Queen". Since their queen was defeated long ago, theyve scattered all around the lands between. Their goal, simply put, is to kill the gods flay them, and wear their skin as a trophy.

More info under the cut!!!

-The godskins are masters of the art of black flame, a flame that was once capable of killing gods. Since death was sealed away by queen Marika however, this power has been lost. Black flame will still fuck you up good though.

-Since this power was lost, they now resort to flaying humans and albinaurics alike.

Unique twinblade wielded by Godskin Apostles characterized by its disturbing design. One end features a sickle for slicing attacks while the other boasts a winding spike for boring into flesh. -Godskin peeler description

-Most godskins seem to still be loyal to the gloam eyed queen even if she isnt around, seeking to unseal death and hunt gods again. However some have found themselves new masters, one Noble found in the volcano manor is believed to now serve Rykard instead

-The nobles are the most ancient of the apostles. Theyre a higher rank than them which is shown by their "seven-faced apron" theyre adorned with. Since the gloam eyed queen was defeated so long ago, we can assume the nobles are hundreds if not thousands of years old.

Nobles are the most ancient apostles who are said to have assimilated inhuman physiology -Godskin hood item description

-The "assimilated inhuman physiology" is proven by their reptilian features, see their big scaly tails:

-Their bodies are also almost clay-like in nature, able to squash and stretch at will. The apostle can stretch to great lengths, and the noble can expand himself tenfold

-Even though they appear only as a cruel human-slaying cult, theres a consistent theme of parental/maternal love in their origins. The godskin swaddling cloth is an obvious one, but also the fact that a noble is found guarding the serpents amnion (a literal womb)

The Gloam-Eyed Queen cradles newborn apostles swaddled in this cloth. Soon they will grow to become the death of the gods. -Swaddling cloth description

-With this knowledge we know the gloam eyed queen had a very personal relationship with the godskins, possibly even creating them herself.

-The nobles in particular are extremely skilled in swordsmanship, clear in their actual bossfight and also the description for their sword

Elegant piercing sword with a celadon colored blade wielded by Godskin Nobles.

The nobles possess skill with the sword unmatched by any lowborn. Despite its size, successive attacks from this weapon are swifter than the eye can follow. -Description for the godskin stitcher

-They are HUGE!!!!!!! They only look human in their proportions from afar until you get right up next to em. The nobles foot is the size of my whole torso and apostle is so tall its hard to even keep him in frame

-The godskins are unique in the fact that theyre the only mandatory bosses that can be put to sleep. Its unknown why this is, but it sure is cute

Aaaand thats all I can think to add right now!! oh, and theyre also the baldest mother fuckers youve ever seen in your life. Like on god

[self-loving-vampire]

Video game ask: 4, 11, 14, 17, 21, 25, 42, 49

4. Game coming out that you’re looking forward to?

Generally I'm fine with just going through all the old games that are already available to me, but I think Elin is probably going to be good.

11. A game location you really like

I really like the vibe of Caelid from Elden Ring. Really a lot of locations in those games are fantastic.

For a more thoughtful answer, though... I think I'm going to have to comment on the Valley of Mines from Gothic 2.

It's literally the same location you used to play throughout all of Gothic 1, but it has been profoundly transformed by the events that have happened since then. It feels both familiar and dangerous in a really cool way, especially since the first time you go there in the second game you're going to be far too weak to deal with most of the stuff in that place. It's great.

14. A character you particularly like in the game you’re currently playing?

I already answered this one so I'll just add that Ranni is mega-based.

17. Pick a series you like. What was the first game you played for it? Was it a good starting point? Would it still be a good starting point now?

I started Touhou with Imperishable Night and think it's still a good starting point.

21. A boss you think is really cool

Practically any stage 6 boss fight in Touhou does really fun things to my brain and endocrine system.

Other than that, I also really like games where the boss fights can be overcome in multiple ways.

For example, in Fallout 1 you can defeat the final boss without ever meeting him by sneaking into a side room and arming the nuclear bomb there. If you bothered to do an earlier side quest to gather some evidence and then make the right dialogue choices while passing a speech check you can also convince him to give up on his plans. It's really cool yet this kind of "include ways for non-combat characters to win" idea still not as common as you might expect.

Several of the boss fights in Final Fantasy XIV are also great primarily for spectacle reasons, and the music really helps.

25. A game with a cool art style

Besides what I said last time...

I really like the edgy vampire aesthetic of Code Vein, to no one's surprise.

42. Worst game you ever played?

Realistically, the true worst game I have played is probably one I dropped within minutes and then completely forgot about. There have probably been plenty like that, especially if you count browser games and the like.

However, the more interesting answer is probably just dropping the fact that I actually played Ultima 9 all the way through. I don't know what possessed me to do that. It was not pleasant in any way and I do not recommend it at all. It's actually much more painful if you have played any of the earlier games.

49. Hardest boss in gaming?

I don't know that there's a single hardest boss in a meaningful sense? Especially if you consider all the many different factors that go into defining difficulty and the ways in which difficulty can be customized.

For example, some RPGs have "iron man" modes where you don't get to reload a save if something goes wrong and if your whole party dies you just start over. This was actually kind of the default in some older games (although people have found ways around it even in the early days).

Are these bosses more difficult than ones that requires fast reflexes and a lot of technical skill and precision? I'm actually not sure. They're definitely a lot more discouraging and more difficult to retry, so it would probably take you a longer time to defeat them than to defeat something like Malenia or Ornstein & Smough.

Some bosses from those older eras are also just... yeah...

[alma-amentet]

I’ve been tagged by @katastronoot and @sheirukitriesfandom

Feel free to take if you haven’t been tagged already.

1) Describe one creative WIP project you’re planning to work on over the summer.

Just a few days ago I decided to pull myself together and finish my drafts, debts and references queue. There’s a number of tabs with refs hanging in my browser... Need to get rid of them! Then I’ll also finish some tutorials from my previous lessons as well as rewatch the ones I already did, just to get back in shape. And will probably dive into some other courses - I have some good videos.

Was thinking about making some doll, clothes after a long break. My drunk shepherdess needs this, as I changed my mind to sell her away! (she’s another story). And a bag for my favorite tarot deck, now I use the the bag I made for another one, while that another one rests in a bag that once was part of friend’s Christmas present.

The rest is optional for now, but I hope to start drawing more portraits again. Maybe, by the end of the year I’ll be taking requests and trades for your OCs and favorite characters... That would be super cool.

I wanted to start attending my IRL art class again, but looks like I won’t be able to afford it 😢 Sadly I’m not making much money these days, and there are some unexpected expences.

2) Rec a book!

Tanith Lee, The Night’s Master. I think Elden Ring fans will appreciate 😉 Made a post about it a while ago.

I also liked The Winter Players - finally, a good and strong female protagonist! Not evil, unlike Zorayas - the one from the Night’s Master 😉

3) Rec a fic!

False Azure in the Windowpane by Tulak_Hord

If you don’t mind het Malenia ship. I don’t because it has a lot of fluff and an interesting Tarnished. I loved the first 55k words, excluding the chapter where they sparred (for me, that felt too long and boring). But I keep reading it.

Also Flamed Aeonia by BadMonsterFr  

This one has fem shipping, also a lot of hurt/comfort and fluff - just the way I like it! 

I love Malenia fluff. So more Malenia fluff pls! If you can rec me anything else like this, you're welcome! (yes I know and love Unalloyed, esp. the epilogue. It’s somewhat different, more on Millicent and Miquella, but just my vibes as well).

(also I’m really sorry for not reading some of fandom’s buddies works, I do - I’d like to support you more ... started some of them, but couldn’t keep up. I’m a bad and slow reader, and prefer smaller sizes to long ongoings. There are just two long ongoings I'm reading, False Azure and Rebecca's, because they are updated not really often).

4) Rec Music!

I’m on my Breton and Francophone folk kick again, so I recommend 

- La Boutine Souriante, folk-rock from Quebec (so far I’m listyening to their earliest albums, but they’ve been around since 70s and have many albums)

- Tri Yann. Modern Breton classics, I’d say! Love those old men who are still fit and well.

5)Share one piece of advice!

I agree with @vidvana Take care of yourself! Also don’t skip meals, get enough sleep. And if you feel you’d use some support, seek it any ways. If you can’t afford therapy or anything, there’s plenty of books and resources. Sometimes it’s even easier to help yourself than to find help. I’m quite experienced in self-help, I know what I’m talking about. 

For me, Julia Cameron’s “The Artists’s Way” has become that single straw I grasped in my darkest times, and it actually helped greatly! I also used her list of further reading and quotes, thus finding Shakti Gauvain, whose books are inspiring and supportive as well. Later I was a moderator for several groups for the Asrtists’Way. Not an easy experience, but it taught me something as well.

But if there’s a chance of any therapy, groups, any other support, don’t give it up as well.

[space-blue]

Are you still doing the emoji fanfic asks? 🤩🦅🤗

I am, I am! Thank you for asking!

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

That's a very tough one, because each new brainrot era I hyperfocu on someone fresh and new who is deeply my fav... But I think in this case we can let numbers talk! On AO3 when searching my works by character it goes:

Obi-Wan Kenobi (39) Silco (30) Original Character(s) (23) Jinx and Vander (20 Each) Anakin Skywalker (13)

Jinx, Vander and Anakin I fear are all riding the coattails of Kenobi and Silco. My favourite voice to indulge in, besides these two... Would be Taron Malicos. I slide him into a lot of works wherever I can, I just really enjoy who he has developped into.

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

I'd say don't pigeon-hole yourself, especially not based on things you've heard or are 'fandom common sense'. In some communities everyone will tell you it's gospel that nobody likes or reads [insert thing here].

It'll be OCs, Reader fics, certain tropes, etc. Even your friends will be oh-so-kind and understanding but also say they'll never read that type of work... And so you may feel like trying to going to be a waste of your time. It's usually wrong and due to bias.

OCs are popular with the right crowd, so are [insert basically anything]. And IF you care about growing as a writer, it's usually healthiest to try out lots of different stuff, both because it'll benefit your style, but also because you may discover a new thing that really works for you.

Before writing fanfic, I used to do mostly past tense. I tried present tense and never really looked back!

I used to think reader fics would never be my jam because they tend to be too fem and horny. But then I tried it out doing a gender neutral reader in a non shippy pairing, and *what do you know!* I really like writing second person! I find the voices much more playful and individual. Closer to first person in vibes.

One of my favourite stories, For Always, it's a monster-fucker Elden Ring fic that's moody as shit with banger purple prose, where you can see me twirling my moustache between the lines, honestly. And it was so damn sauced and so out of what I'd usually write! Lots of FUN!! And it was popular! I had so many kind comments about it, and even fanart from other Maliketh works.

If I'd stuck to my usuals, to what was safe and felt popular, I would never have gone there. I think we grow a lot when we explore topics/tropes/styles we don't usually think are our cup of tea.

It's the same as doing an art study "in the style of..." and discovering new techniques you want to adopt in the process.

🦅 I already answered about pantser vs plotter here!