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j0nika · 2 months

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HOLD UP, since your mom bought Rebellion for you as a birthday present, is today your birthday?!

Also…how was it…? I hope you liked it! (Of course if you have trouble processing what happened, feel free to ask)

That was the best movie

i have ever watched.

i went through all 5 stages of grief within the matter of 5 minutes.

SPOILERS FOR MADOKA MAGICA REBELLION BELOW!

i feel like i have never been so touched by a piece of media in my life

since the movie is so long, im not going to touch on every part, only the ones that were the most important to me

I WAS VERY CONFUSED AT THE BEGINNING. it was a huge surprise that the world had been fake (pretty much), because i was almost positive that was homura in her early stages of time travelling....NO. everything had already happened...

when they had begun talking about how the world was created by a witch, i was confused on how Bebe was relevant, since there had been no previous mention of them...and for them to imagine this ENTIRE WORLD just didnt sit right with me. once they started to mention it a little more, i had immediately known it was homura.

still, i started to get emotional when the world started to burn, and it was revealed that homura really was behind this. homura had been the thing she had sworn not to trust, what she hated with all her heart, trapped in her own cage she was trying to escape from...quite literally. that in itself was pretty beautiful to me :(

after all of that, when homura had pretty much sentenced herself to death to make sure that madoka would not be taken advantage of, madoka ended up trying so hard to save homura...i think that their love for eachother is definitely mutual, even if it seems like homuras might overpower madokas, i know that madoks truly cares about keeping homura safe and even in a moment of sacrifice madoka still just longed to be with homura and didnt want her to end that way, it was such a heartwarming moment

especially when god madoka came down to help homura, i started tearing up, it was really pretty and i had these lighst going on in my room and i was wondering the whole time "what does fantasy mean by people dont like what homura does at the end? everything seems fine right now!"

........

HOMURA

WHAAAAAATTTTT?!???!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Holy FUCKING SHIT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT.

I THINK THAT WAS MY *FAVORITE* PLOT TWIST THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN AN ANIME...IT SERIOUSLY BROUGHT OUT ALL THE EMOTIONS IN ME

i was STARING at my tv with my mouth open i could not believe it.....AND WHEN SHE STARTED TO SMILE, I GOT SUPER EXCITED!! I tend to accidently headcanon characters insanity as the smiling insanity, as if they broke, and i had started drawing homura like that but figured it wasnt fitting for her.....DAMN WAS I WRONG!!!!

i LOVE how homura had become an obsessive....not quite lustful, but more...PURELY EVIL DEMON....who had seperated madokas human form and god form to create a madoka who would be able to live happily (i believe?) with an altered memory...GOD, that scene was so POWERFUL, ive been stuck thinking about it all day today....DAMNIT HOMURA, I LOVE YOU EVEN WHEN YOU ARE EVIL!!! And this insane character development just made me love her even more!!!!!!!

then, at the end, when madoka had ended up quickly reuniting with her god form....and the way that homura said that the ribbons look better on madoka....JESUS...i was THIS CLOSE TO CRYING!!! it was almost a bittersweet ending, and that was the best route they couldve chosen...i couldnt tell if i felt sad, at peace.....it was really really beautiful!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

that scene with the flower field....THE SCENE WITH THE FLOWER FIELD HAD ME NEAR SOBBING...i thought it was gorgeous and the way that they hugged...the thought that this would be one of the last times homura would be able to hear madoka say those heartfelt things to her, just seeing her sit there....it was really blissful :(

THE SCENE WITH THE STATUE TURNING TO TAR!!!! that was AMAZING symbolism, holy shit! i just kinda stared at the tv for a little bit...its as if homuras love was infecting madoka....i love it so much.

i cant quitteee remember this one very well, but when madoka started t-posing and sunk into the ground, becoming this liquid, the homura becoming liquid, then a mini homura smashing it up? I DONT THINK IM REMEMBERING IT RIGHT, but i just know that it kind of hit me, it reminded me of no matter how hard homura had kept trying to save madoka, she kept dying...and all she went through within all of the timelines were ultimately very small and hardly mattered, since in the end, she failed...THATS HOW I SAW IT!

(and also, the fight with mami was AMAZING!!!! The music, the combat, the intensity, oh my god!! and when homura shot herself, and then held it up to mami, i was like WHATS GOING ON?!?!?)

this movie was absoloutely beautiful, touching, intense, i....literally have no words to describe it.

I PROBABLY WOULDVE NEVER GOTTEN TO WATCHING IT IF YOU DIDNT RECCOMEND IT TO ME FANTASY!!! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH...that was *seriously* one of the best experiences of my life, i went through so much in such a little amount of time...the fascinating scenery with the witches and the everything looked amazing as always, this was just a very very special and UNIQUE movie to me and i stayed involved the whole time...I DONT THINK ANYTHING THAT ILL EVER WATCH WILL TOP THAT, HONESTLY.....

thank you SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!! I LOVED IT!!! 10000000/10.....it genuinely couldnt have been better!!!!! and it only made me love homura even more!!!!!!!!

(ALSO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, it is not my birthday! my birthday is in 9 days, march 16th! STILL COUNTS AS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT!)

#THANK YOU THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU SO SO SO MUCH. That was beautiful #i think my life is complete after watching that #GOD homura is VERY complex...im in love with her character!#best $10.58 or something like that that ive EVER SPENT!!!!#no anime is ever going to bring those emotions out of me #on top of how UNIQUE the animation is #its not just anime its an entire design #everything is so graphic and beautiful and unlike anything ive ever seen #AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!!!! THANK YOU FANTASY!!!!!

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hazbinhoteloc-ninlil · 2 months

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(a message for the mod :D)

sorry if i'm bothering you with this ask, mod. it's fine if you don't answer this. i know that my words can't worth much to anyone on the other side of this screen, but my gosh i'll try to spread the positivity and my appreciation for all RP blogs, so i'll send this in, mod. there could be a better way of doing this, which i have learned is through the art of tagging (yes i'm slowly learning my way through Tumblr because i, myself, am still a huge Tumblr newbie, lol), and i'm too nervous and shy to do something like that haha, so here's a personalized positivity ask in your ask box :D.

first, i love seeing your OC. their design is such a cool one, both of the designs. they are just so cool. i'd wish i could have interacted more but i get crazy anxious with things that i'm not quite familiar with, but i wish to interact more in the future :D.

the lore that you have made with the other RPers is that even a word? i don't know and i hope that i'm not pulling that word from out of nowhere, lol. is literally so cool to see. but that last one before they ascended just tug at my heart strings T^T.

i do hope that those anons/people would stop sending everyone hate because frankly those people have no clue what they're talking about >:(. you all are frankly so cool and lovely people, so >:(. again, sorry i'm bothering you with this rather man, i didn't expect it to be this long ask.

and that i hope that you have a wonderful day/night/whenever you manage to read this ask. don't feel the need to respond if you don't want to, just wanted to send this positivity ask in :D.

you might be able to tell who this is, but in case you don't, i wouldn't want to expose myself, so i hope you understand this being on an account with literally nothing but a tracker of who i've been to already (yes, i made an account just to do this but without any identifiable information on this account :P).

luv you and all that you do for this community :D.

you do what you do best so keep on doing it, mod :3.

-spreading positivity anon :D (the anon account that only interacts with mods unless the characters are in need to raising their spirit :3, even if this is an account.)

(yes i see the contradictory notion of me having this sign off, lol, but i'll also probably be around the other RP blogs and try to spread some positivity with the same sign-off as an attempt to fight off the unnecessary hate that seems to be thrown around :D. and i will become a virus which spreads positivity if i need to >:3)

Ooc: // Hello sweetheart, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful words.

This is what I meant when I said I am so proud of what this community has become, I’m so honored to be able to be apart of something that seeks to lift up and make others smile, while also gathering to support one another through hate.

Those Hateful anons haven’t come near me, and for that I am grateful, it makes me sad that they went after some of my friends however and I’m glad they seem to have stopped. Hopefully they will reflect on their actions and realize flaw in their own behavior.

I don’t expect apologies from them though it’d be nice if they do read this. “It Starts With Sorry” after all. 😉

I love story telling, writing and drawing. The fact I was able to Share Ninlil with you all and you all have been receptive and fell in love with her has made my heart full. I’m sorry I scared people with her almost death in the Last RP. I was not yet aware of the negativity being spread, otherwise I would’ve put a disclaimer stating her soon ascension. I have no plans to leave this platform anytime soon.

I love you all, and I hope you have a wonderful week, have plenty of food to fill your stomachs, may the weather be fair, and may you be surrounded and protected by joy and peace.

My heart bleeds and goes out to those who are unable to be in peace right now, and I hope they find peace soon.

#hazbin hotel #ninlil #hazbin hotel oc #hazbin oc #asks #ask answered #ooc post #ooc #long post

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whoblewboobear · 8 months

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TVGATE 📺💖

1.) Glee- Ryan Murphy is my enemy and glee is unhinged but it is hands down my FAVORITE show of all time. I started watching it when I was in 8th grade and the chokehold it has on me to this day is unreal. Season one was lighting in a bottle and to follow it up with an even better season after that? Lea Michelle is also my enemy BUT s1 Rachel berry is so fucking funny. Glee is the reason I joined chorus in high school- like the impact glee has on me? Incredible. Just 10/10. I could say more but we will be here all fucking day. And ofc Santana is my favorite character and I hope Naya is resting easy right now 💖

2.) Sucession- This show ate my ass for weeks and the brain rot after I finished it is still going strong. I avoided this show for a minute bc hearing about it through osmosis was enough and the fans put me off. I started about a month or two after the finale dropped. Like fuck rich people and fuck most of these characters but goddamn do I love it. I blew through this show so quick bc the acting??? The dialogue! THE EVERYTHING 🥵👏 you just know that if there’s a party or a dinner or some kind of rich people bullshit event that it will be the most compelling shit you’ve ever seen. Boar on the Floor was so sadistic and evil and FASCINATING. Like- I wanna open these people up and examine them. I was a Kendall girlie during my watch and a Shiv girlie post-show. I will say if you wanna enjoy this show just avoid.. most men’s opinions on it. I’ve heard the most shit takes on this show it’s ridiculous. It definitely lives up to the hype.

3.) Lovesick- Guys 🥺 if you’re gonna watch anything from this list watch this. I watched it when I was on a huge Netflix deep cut kick and WOW. Very lighthearted and funny romcom about a dude that finds out he has chlamydia and goes down the list of his old partners to tell them they need to get checked. All of these characters are so lovely and you just wanna root for them. It only loses points because it’s unfinished. I would’ve loved to see where things go for Dylan and Evie 🤧

4.) The Haunting of Bly Manor- INCREDIBLE. Mike Flannigan puts his whole pussy into into everything he makes. The write is incredible, the mystery is so well thought out. Every loose end is tied up just enough to let the viewer still have room to speculate. Definitely not scary in the way that Hill House is but everything else makes up for that. The cast??? I fucking love Rahul Kohli and I’ve loved that man since iZombie. Victoria Pedretti is the love of my life and the way she plays Dani? The range she has to go from Nell in Hill House to Dani is so sick. I just adore her. And of course T’Nia Miller as Hannah? She’s the clear standout. I need to see her in everything I’m BEGGING. The Hannah episode is truly the best episode of the entire season. This is a tragedy through and through and your heart will break for every single one of these characters. Just a gorgeous piece of television 💖

5.) Euphoria (Season One + Specials)- Again, Sam Levinson is my enemy but goddamn is season one SO GOOD. The aesthetics, the acting, the characters, the cinematography!? When Sam has a passion project and a story in mind he can truly make magic. Also putting Zendaya on your vision board and then actually landing her to be in it is so dope. The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed aka S1Ep7 is my favorite episode by FAR. So real, so funny, so compelling. Everyone showed up to set that week to make MAGIC. I don’t make a ton of fanart but euphoria had my ass so hooked that all I wanted to do was draw Rue and I sure as hell did. I was looping All for us for MONTHS. It’s still the #1 song on my Spotify TO THIS DAY. The special episodes during Covid were also so well done. Season 2 is dog shit so it isn’t included in this but rip to Angus Cloud because he was so special and the clear highlight of season 2 as Fez. (I could watch him beat up Nate Jacobs all day 🥳)

A huge honorable mention for the shows A Young Doctor’s Notebook, Chewing Gum, & The Bear (s1) because holy shit 💖. The first 2 are both absurd comedies from my Netflix deep cut era.

AYDNC stars Daniel Radcliffe as this doctor that gets addicted to morphine in the backwoods of 20th century Russia. It’s a dark comedy and a wild ride. I only watched it once and I have no idea if it’s still on Netflix or not but if you have nothing to watch and you want something that’s pretty out there or you’re a fan of Daniel’s comedic acting you’re in for a TREAT.

Chewing Gum stars Michaela Coel as Tracey. So 👏 Fucking 👏 Funny. The writing is incredible and I can’t speak highly enough about the way Michaela drops you into the world for a wild ride. Tracey’s pretty much in the end of that awkward transition period between your teens and adulthood. Just a really hilarious coming of age story that DEFINITELY would’ve benefited from a true final season. If you like Michaela Coel you will like this. She also has a show called I May Destroy You and I can’t wait to sit down and watch it. I’ve heard all good things 💖

The Bear is way newer and s2 didn’t drop that long ago so I won’t go too in-depth about it like everything else but INCREDIBLE SHOW. If you like food and sad white men and just- EVERYTHING about Ayo Edebiri then you’ll love this. Season 2 isn’t my favorite but Season One?? This show makes me miss living in a city. I just 💖💖 I can’t recommend it enough. Jeremy Allen White’s arms are reason alone to watch. I’d let that man [redacted] my [redacted] for hours like he makes me UNWELL he’s so gorgeous.

#tvgate #bb25 #succession #the haunting of bly manor #glee #lovesick #scrotal recall #euphoria #a young doctor's notebook #chewing gum #the Bear

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crit20art · 1 year

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OC lore drop

An overview of my OCs and the settings they belong to! The settings range from “fully-outlined/partially drafted novels that i genuinely intend to write one day” to “loose string of scenarios to put my guys in.”

Casey and Vincent

(she/her, he/him)

Premise: Casey lives in the middle of nowhere Texas with an elderly woman (Margie) for whom she’s a live-in caretaker. Vincent shows up on her doorstep with a shovel in hand, asking if he can dig up something of his that’s buried on Margie’s land. Casey tells him no, and don’t come back. A few days later, while visiting a neighbor, Casey is attacked by monsters. They tear the neighbor to shreds and almost get Casey, but Vincent comes out of nowhere and distracts them while she runs for home. When she gets there, she realizes that the monsters can’t seem to cross the property line. Vincent gets badly injured, but Casey drags him to safety.

They are then stuck indefinitely on this square acre of land, unable to leave lest they get torn to shreds by the many-toothed creatures prowling the invisible barrier. Casey nurses Vincent back to health and in doing so realizes that he is definitely something Other Than Human. She also learns that he’s really weird, but really sweet, but mostly really weird. He starts to dig up the land but still won’t tell her what he’s looking for.

genre is romance and soft horror, very similar vibes to my tma fic "resigned" if you’ve read that. Vincent and Casey’s dynamic is p much "it's not body horror, not to me, not if it's you."

Max and Braiden

(both he/him)

These two are from a story that was basically my highschool big brain take on "what if superpowers happened in the real world but people who had them got EXPERIMENTED ON??" That’s still the setting but the plot has taken a sharp turn into classic American road trip. Max has the power to generate, manipulate, and breathe various gasses, and Braiden can make copies of himself.

The basic premise is that, while escaping the facility where he’s been trapped for a number of years, Braiden meets Max for the first time. Max already knows him, however, and is in fact madly in love with him. It turns out that Max was in a relationship with one of Braiden’s copies who was recently killed, and meeting the Original(™) Braiden is the first time he finds out that there’s more than one of him. Cue lots of questions about nature/nurture, what makes a person inherently themself, and Star Trek style philosophical ponderings on the personhood of clones. All of this happens in a ragtop convertible against a backdrop of late summer highway.

(if braiden reminds you of my martin design, no he doesn’t <3 (actually he does because he is a character i put a lot of my own struggles with depression into, and his personality is adjacent to martin’s s5 I’m A Huge Bitch Because I Have Boundaries Now vibe, so martin ended up reminding me of him and i committed IP theft on myself about it))

Fantasy / DnD OCs

I’m bad at fantasy worldbuilding so i just kinda toss all of these guys into scenarios in my head and mix them like salad. I’m trying to put together something with a cowboy/western kind of energy but i haven’t gotten far <3

I have a group of OCs from a scrapped fantasy setting who I’ll add to this when I have more recent sketches for all of them. (If you’re wondering where the lesbians are. They are here. I’m sorry I don’t have more drawings of you on hand, lesbians)

More dnd OCs can be found just in my dnd tag but here are the honorable mentions:

August

(he/him)

Half-elf bard. He has been the icon on my personal blog for years and, in retrospect, playing him was absolutely my first step towards questioning my gender. He has 18 intelligence and 10 wisdom. He once hooked up with an NPC and scored a 24 on his performance check. He even has a meme. Party on, king

Aurelian

(he/him)

(2nd image is before i gave him horns. ft. fiancé Pesh, they/them)

Aurelian is a pirate. He’s an outlaw. He’s a horse girl. He’s been looking for his mysteriously vanished fiancé long enough that he has trouble picturing their face. He exists because I heard Chasing Twisters by Delta Rae and had to make a dnd character about it.

Vasha

(she/her)

Angsty wild magic sorcerer who started as a hostile NPC when i DMed for some friends. Took on a life of her own and ended up in lesbians with the party’s orc fighter. Since that campaign ended I am trying to find her a gf like Mrs. Bennet matchmaking for her five daughters

#OCs #i’ll establish names for these groups later I guess #for now uhhhh. here they are. some of my special guys #the fantasy squad is very dear to my heart but they need some sprucing up before I show them off lmao

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freakattack · 5 months

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How's it like for people to be generally accepting and adoring of your headcanons? I've been putting my stuff out there, but it isn't as beloved as yours or Jan Misali. Kinda intimidating to be honest, but I can see the appeal in your works. I look forward to seeing them and hope my works will be liked too.

Truthfully, I had no idea that so many people 1) accepted and adored my head-canons and 2) put me on the same level as jan misali of all people. I don't think i'm nearly as well-known as them (only one of us has a youtube channel with over 300k subscribers and it ain't me) but it's certainly an honor to hear that LOL.

When I started pumping out comics, i had no idea i would get this kind of a response; in fact, I had already made peace with the idea that i wouldn't get more than 5 notes before I even started posting! So getting so much positive feedback was a huge surprise. I basically treat my online existence as a room to dance by myself in, and it just so happened that a bunch of people came around to watch. I don't say this to gloat, but to say that I think the best way to have fun on the internet is to do what you love, and no matter how many people show up to join in you'll be happy. Especially since the notes don't tell you how many people actually saw and enjoyed your stuff; even if you get a lot of likes and not a lot of reblogs, each like is one human behind the screen who really liked your art. Some people might really like your art and not interact with it at all; you never know how many lives you touch just based on the numbers, so I don't focus on them too much.

If you're asking for writing advice, I think the 1 biggest thing that I try to do in my art is to be authentic. I notice that a lot of fan art tends to use "meme templates", so to speak; twitter screenshots, comic redraws, stuff like that. And that's fine and all, but that's not what I like to do. I love delving into the nitty-gritty of detailed characterizations: how would they react in this situation? How would they feel about this other character? What kind of problems would they encounter and how would they solve them? Stuff like that. Warioware in particular is like a field day for me because the characters are rich enough to have a lot to draw off of, but the slice-of-life format gives a lot of unexplored territory that I can color in.

As someone who grew up in the 2000s (where I set my comics - I broke this rule once to draw a nintendo switch but I try to stick to a pre-2014 setting), I draw a lot from my own experiences. People I've known, things I've done, interactions I've had with family and friends; nothing shot-for-shot, but ideas that can guide me when I think of the setting these particular characters live in and the situations they might find themselves in. I love drawing from my own life because unlike the internet memes or movie screenshots that everyone's seen, that's stuff that only I can draw from. At the same time, I think that approach also helps me connect with other people; I'm certainly not the only one who's gone on a wild family trip, or had a younger relative, or done goofy things at a friend's house. When I draw these silly scenarios, I hope that people can look at them and think, "haha! This looks familiar!" not in the sense that they've seen it before on a screen, but that they've lived it themselves.

This is a whole lot of words and I hope it doesn't sound as pretentious as I think it does. Basically, the first rule of art is have fun and be yourself. I hope that you can find some value in this spiel!

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tricksterlatte · 3 months

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17, 10, 7

Fandom asks

17: the thing in canon everyone loves that you also love

GROUP CHEF JOKER IS EVERYTHING I ALWAYS WANTED. Thank you Strikers for my life oh my god. Other contenders from P5 include Ann and Shiho's scene from Lovers rank 9 on the rooftop (they're gfs, your honor), the themes and atmosphere of the interrogation room moments with Sae and how incredibly she embodies Judgment itself, everything about Jazz Jin, and the Sayuri hanging in Leblanc.

I don't get as much opportunity to to talk about the other Thieves in my fics...well, the published stuff so far, at least. I've got a lot in my docs for my Spiral Staircase WIP, especially for Ann, the Sakuras, and Yusuke that I adore. I'm looking forward to revealing it all eventually!

10: a blog that has made your fandom experience brighter

@palalife is one of the sweetest people I have come across in any fandom space and has so much art that will always make me smile

7: your favorite tropes to write

For genres, I will always jump at the opportunity to write angst, comedy, and/or horror. I actually have a huge but sadly unfinished cosmic and psychological horror P5 fic in my Google Docs based on my Akira's backstory for an RP with my wife we worked on. I was afraid of publishing it due to not wanting to upset fans of some other characters (even if I also love those characters).

Now onto tropes, there are plenty of things I'll read but the tag by itself won't necessarily draw me in. I love a good sci-fi AU though, particularly any sci-fi AU that's opulent, whimsical, or honestly anything that isn't based solely on war? They're harder to come by than fantasy AUs, but my god I devour them usually if they also feature characters I enjoy.

When I write, I usually go for canon universes? Sometimes a good coffee shop or other type of mundane modern life AU for a few fandoms. With my current fandom of P5, I think I love writing post-canon the most, no matter if getting together or established relationship.

Thank you for asking!

#parker says things #ask meme #my stuff #tricksterlatte writes

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clay-cuttlefish · 8 months

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Out of No Man's Land, into Cry for Blood, plus a couple more comics for Renee before Officer Down next batch.

Endgame

I'm free from having to decide on context, woo!

Renee gets a promotion for how well she handled Two-Face.

The Honored Dead (Tec #742)

Renee gets partnered with Crispus Allen, who I hate infinitely less than Bullock. As far as cops go he's a pretty likeable character.

Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood #1

YEAAAAAAH

Them! I love Helena so much, I love her and Batman's hostility, I love that Vic decides the best way to get in touch with her is to nearly get hit by her car. Iconic.

The art style's very different from the Question run, but it feels like it resonates with it somehow, and it might because they have the same colourist? I can't usually pin it down but there's a certain something about the smoke and mist. Maybe I'm drawing arbitrary connections to explain the vibes but it's the best I've got.

She's SO pretty in this. Women!

I like it when Bruce is a huge bitch.

Drowning motif spotted.

Truly catastrophic "I can fix her" levels here.

Extremely cute that Richard calls Vic "butterfly."

Honestly Helena is handling this extremely well, all things considered. Sure she's pissed but she's been kidnapped, that's entirely reasonable.

Wait hold on, Jackie's death gets retconned here! Somehow I missed that before, I don't know if that's on purpose or if Rucka just forgot/didn't know she died. Either way I'll take it.

This is such a good telling of her backstory, it hits.

Road trip as bonding moment my beloved.

Bruce hates Vic's ass so much for no reason other than because he's annoying. Fair enough.

Sorry girl you might not be part of the family but that will not stop Tim from having little brother energy.

Father-in-law behavior on Bruce's part tbh.

Renee pulls this exact same move in Lois Lane which is cute.

Helena...

Can't get over Vic being described as a GQ candidate.

"When is it enough?" takes me out.

Vic taking off his mask to look her in the eye???

This is a Character Thesis Moment for both of them imo. Vic has fundamentally overlooked Helena's motives in his attempt to find solidarity - Helena knows exactly what the Huntress is here to achieve, despite her reservations and her willingness to seek balance. They're cute in JLU, but this was never going to work for them here.

Happy Birthday Two You (Tec #747)

This issue is a lot of what keeps me sold on Renee genuinely caring about Harvey's well-being, despite everything he's done and will continue to do. The tulips are pushing up against her boundaries, but Harvey didn't try to contact her directly or make it known they were from him. It's an attempt at doing an actual nice thing at a time when she's starting to slip, and clearly that matters to her enough that she's willing to take it in good faith and make an effort in kind, despite her annoyance at Bruce over it.

I just really love this issue. It's so pretty, and so grounded, and it works so well as a snapshot of Renee's life before everything gets worse for her.

Scavenger Hunt (Catwoman #83)

Mostly a Gordon-focused issue, but Renee follows him and Batman on their scavenger hunt. Not that important for her characterization but hey she's involved.

She gets more outwardly upset over Gordon being taunted by a reminder of Two-Face's trial than by being reminded of her own involvement. It's because of Gordon-centric writing, and partly that she's trying not to reveal how she's affected, but it's also reinforcing my interpretation that No Man's Land was so fucked up and traumatizing in general that she's not as angry about being kidnapped as she "should" be.

That isn't to undermine how bad being held prisoner was, it's just that everything was bad. She went directly back to work after NML despite killing people/indirectly getting people killed/seeing her friends and coworkers die/seeing so many people die/watching other cops give up even remotely pretending policing isn't about power/the general absurd trauma conga line of it all, there is some POWERFUL repression going on.

The Dark Knight Project (Batman #584)

Not a lot of Renee I just have a pet peeve: I absolutely do not buy that Batman is an urban legend by this point in his career.

I'm willing to suspend my disbelief on a lot of things but this is so silly to me because it's unnecessary - Bruce can want to avoid the spotlight as much as possible so that he's still shrouded in myth without having to pretend that people don't know he exists! Like, it can still be a matter of debate if he's one person or many, human or monstrous, what his superpowers are...

Even if I accept that Bruce is just that good at hiding, Jean-Paul got into a lot of very public shit both as Azbat and on his own and Helena is overt enough that she can get a ridiculous-but-roughly-accurate caricature in the paper. Everyone knows Gotham has vigilantes.

I do kind of vibe with the idea that Harvey's been pinned with the creation of the Bat-myth.

Superman and Batman: World's Funnest

Irrelevant, but it manages to get a tiny Vic in both a Crisis group shot and an Earth-4 panel, which is twice as much as most of the cameos I haven't been mentioning.

Measure for Measure (Batman #585)

A minor Renee appearance, but she's comfortable enough with Batman by now to call him out on his shit.

#clayposts #clayreads #the question #vic sage #renee montoya #helena bertinelli

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angkis · 8 months

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I hope you don't mind, but do you have advices for other artists? I try to draw too, but my drawings never come out looking like the reference, like I'm unable to draw something alike Derek or Stiles, that's frustrating hahahaha

The colouring, the anatomy 😩 you are so fucking amazing!

Thanks for sharing your art pieces with us ❤️

First of all, I'm honored that you ask ME this question, because I'm not very confident (working on it 💫) and it's like a huge compliment that you would even ask.

Llike every other artist, you and me are both gonna be the biggest critics of our own drawings!! I just want you to know that before I say anything else! If you ever feel like you're not getting any better or not fast enough, take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture, go back, look at where you started, it's only a question of time, you're constantly evolving!! <3 Be patient with yourself ~

I'm sure you were thinking of actual advice not the mental part, so I thought of some, but for real, most of what formed my art style (that is constantly changing and is gonna continue to change until I die 👁️👁️) was TIME. I don't always love to draw but when I have these periods of drawing a lot it's always because I'm hyperfixating on something, so finding something you can fall in love with and obsess over is gonna make time absolutely FLY BY.

Don't get discouraged when you're not nailing a character the first time you draw them. I personally only get it somewhat right at like the fifth try (funny enough I'm an impatient person but when I love something I seem to be able to be patient 💀💫) if anything Do it out of spite!!!!!!

Practice is a funny word, I don't like it because it seems like you have to know what you're trying to achieve if that makes sense. Maybe that can hold you back too. Drawing something and failing still counts as practicing. Finishing the best painting of your lifetime counts as practicing. Every time you draw you get better.

Ooooooh an interesting one that I only figured out this year: SPEND (if you can) MORE TIME OUTSIDE AND AROUND PEOPLE because your eyes notice lightings, movements, expressions, COLOURS that you then unconsciously (subconsciously?) keep in your head for later!! And when you are drawing you're gonna UNCONSCIOUSLY use that information??? It's wild (says the person who spent years barely leaving their bedroom) I'm not even exaggerating, my art got out of the blue so much 'better' (different) when I started leaving the house more often. (You might not have this issue tho!! 💫)

Also I started drawing when I was watching a lot of animated movies/shows and it influenced my art so much. When I got hooked on shows with live actors everything changed (again, your brain is putting away so many details for later) I started seeing anatomy more realistically.

One last tip before I stop rambling (and make another coffee 💫) Find a pen that WORKS FOR YOU. My stuff would look so much different if I was using different brushes than I use now. Try as much as you want! Do you prefer traditional or digital drawing? Both have cheaper alternatives (I understand this hobby is not a cheap one in general) I have a bunch of tips for Clip Studio Paint for example! Idk, let me know, I would love to show you my favourite settings that actually make my life easier!! ❤️

Sorry if I'm all over the place, I'm not too good with words 👁️👁️ I hope it's not gonna be like 'I really read all that for nothing' for you sgsggshshsgsh in which case I'M SO SORRY SFSGGGSGSGSG and again, thanks for your question!! I wish you luck!! Keep drawing!! You're gonna surprise yourself how far you can go I'm so serious!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

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cloudbells · 5 months

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How about these for the ask game?

6. Least favorite movie

9. Favorite fight scene

21. Unpopular opinion about anything

34. Favorite outfit/look of the character of your choice

HI THANKS!!! <3

6. Least favorite movie

I was gonna say this was hard because I don’t think I have an MCU movie I despise, but also not really hard at all: every Thor movie after the dark world for the OG6. More recently Quantumania. I enjoyed Quantumania, but I’m not a fan, if that makes sense? I think I was just overall disappointed with Kang in this movie. I was sooooo hyped, like unbelievably hyped, about seeing Ant-Man and Kang fight. I rewatched the trailer countless times, I obsessed over the soundtrack - I was really into it. And it fell really flat towards the end for me. I was expecting more. Nonetheless, the world and idea of it is still super cool to me and I may even rewatch it.

For the post-TDW Thor movies, I’m being insanely petty because I can’t even remember Ragnarok clearly and I haven’t watched Love and Thunder. I remember enjoying Ragnarok, but I also remember disliking it. I think I felt it was weird on the characterization front and also too comedic in a bad way. The things I’ve heard about Love and Thunder makes it seem that it has the same issues as Ragnarok, but like, way worse. I still plan on watching it though, because I don’t like speaking on things I have no business speaking on lol.

I’m just really sensitive about Thor characterization, I’ve realized. I think he’s so complex and I really don’t like to see him…portrayed as a shallow clown. Or a fool. Or any resembling that. I adore Thor, so so much and so I’m extra nitpicky about him. He has depth and insight that deserves to be explored! I don’t understand where the MCU is trying to take him, but I don’t like it! Same with Bruce, kind of.

Honorable mention: AOU but only for that scene where Bruce fell into Natasha’s boobs. Literally so fucking ridiculous, I will never pass up a chance to talk about how much hatred I have towards that cliche - ugh.

9. Favorite fight scene

I answered this in the previous ask, but I’ll add another one! Not so much of a fight…but a pre-fight maybe. STEVE IN ENDGAME WHERE HE FACES THANOS’ ARMY ALONE. I melt into a puddle each time. I tear up each time. As I’m typing this my eyes are getting misty because I love that moment so much. It encapsulates Steve Rogers (Captain America) so damn well that it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs. A lone, human, with a broken shield, knowing it’s completely hopeless, but standing up to fight anyways cause the vulnerable people who rely on him are more important than fearing what’s in front of him. I LOVE STEVE THAT’S MY MAN, MY ONE AND ONLY, I WILL NEVER GET OVER EG STEVE.

This is also why I hate when people bash EG for his last 10 minutes of screentime because we have some of his absolute BEST moments in this movie. Literally so fucking good…and people want to circlejerk over how much they hate him because he decided to go back in the past. Mind you, I’m a former “I’m not fond of Steve’s ending because I feel like it doesn’t fit him, but I don’t blame Steve for it” fan - but after all the slander, I’m now the type to draw up an essay on why it makes perfect sense for him to make that decision.

21. Unpopular opinion about anything

I’m trying to think of a #real unpopular MCU opinion that I haven’t said before. One of my pet peeves is when someone asks for an unpopular opinion and it’s like the coldest take you’ve ever heard, lol. I don’t want to be that. I’m realizing I have a huge mouth and talk too much because everything I’m thinking I’ve already said, examples being:

Endgame Steve going back into the past makes perfect sense for his character arc and the circumstances he’s had in the future

I’m not sure if this is unpopular in my corner of fandom or overall: IM1 Tony still holds at least some responsibility for his weapons being…misused. I mean, I feel like even Tony acknowledges this and I don’t even think he’s wrongly giving some blame to himself. I think it shows his self-awareness…and I like that about his character. I know a lot of people say that Tony doesn’t do accountability, but I’d say he absolutely does. Half of his mistakes in the following movies are because he’s trying to find a way to atone. It’s moreso a lot of his fans that like to absolve him of his mistakes, he seems to own up to them pretty frequently. Not always verbally.

Oh! I just thought of one that yes, I’ve said…but I think I’ve said it in DMs not publicly (or maybe I said it in the server before)? Also it’s not even an MCU criticism. I think every conversation surrounding SteveTony in CACW is automatically in bad faith if we only discuss the murder of Howard and Maria and not the Accords. This is partially why I’m in a state of constant annoyance when giving CACW fics a chance. I don’t think it’s a fair or honest discussion or break down without looking at the two main corners of the conflict. Because the Accords is not something to gloss over people! The implications of what would happen to people like Steve is not something to be taken lightly. And the way they were presented is not - Let me stop here before I fall into a rant. I have some self-control.

34. Favorite outfit/look of the character of your choice

I love, love, love Steve’s AOU suit. Well, aesthetic wise at least. They could lose the red accent on the chest and it would be 10x better. But if I’m going for Captain America realism, I’m throwing in my vote for the CW suit! I was going to say the Smithsonian suit was my favorite (lowkey is….) but someone told me that it’s a replica and isn’t fully accurate to the suit he wears in CATFA and frankly, I’ve never checked to confirm. But if that’s wrong, then the Smithsonian suit is absolute my favorite. I can’t even tell you why I like it so much. Classic. Leather. It could benefit from a tighter fit, but the look of it screams Captain America to me <3

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK <3 <3 <3

#INTERROGATE ME #me my mine

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zekekaiju · 1 year

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As you may or may not know Ash is finally getting out of the Pokemon tv series. This presents a problem, not because of Ash I like Ash well enough but he is terribly generic. That's kinda the whole point of him and his vague dream of "being the very best". You could swap him out with minimal difficulties and his companions are even more basic we literally do swap them out every few seasons. No, the issue is Pikachu. Pikachu is the mascot of the series and the franchise overall. In some cases he was the main draw to the show. Literally the only reason my brother watched the show after a certain point was because of Pikachu. So how do you replace Pikachu? Or rather how do you recreate what made Pikachu special? Well you can't at least not without dealing with everyone comparing your new mascot Pokemon to Pikachu. Those comparisons are pretty much universally going to be unfavorable. If you try to do Pikachu again it is going to fall short of people's expectations. So the solution is don't try. Let me pitch to you my idea for a new Pokemon tv series.

We start off with our protagonist Jet several years after the end of the old series at least 10 probably more like 20 (why the time skip will become clear later just bear with me). The name is amenable but Jet is a nice sensible protagonist name short seems like a cool dude but with a bit of fire in him. Now Jet is sent out by his Mom to do a favor for the Pokemon professor. He needs to fill out the Pokedex for the professor so he has to at least see every pokemon he doesn't have to catch them all but he does need to encounter them. Why is he being sent out to do this? Irrelevant, doesn't matter, he just is. Obviously this is a very dangerous undertaking so his mom gives him her old partner an Arcanine. You see his mom is a retired officer Jenny and she sends her Arcanine along to protect him. Obviously Arcanine is far stronger then anything else starting out and also not exactly his pokemon. So Jet needs to catch his own pokemon to use in Pokemon battles, because it wouldn't be fair to use Arcanine against Jimmy the bug catcher and Arcanine doesn't want to fight unless Jet is in danger or it's an even challenge. So the protagonist's sense of honor and the Pokemon's own feelings keep the overpowered Arcanine from just wiping the floor with everyone. This allows our protagonist and his pokemon to grow while also giving us a cool new mascot that can compete above our current level as needed. Plus you can focus on the steadily growing relationship between his mom's Arcanine and him as the two of them learn to respect each other and work together.

Now another major issue that I haven't addressed is the absence of everyone's second favorite characters, Team Rocket. Jessie, James and Meowth are all leaving the tv series as well. This is a huge problem for pretty much everyone. We all love those dorks and hate to see them go, you could legitimately just keep them in the series but there might be another solution. I propose we have them retire get married and Jessie achieves her lifelong dream of being a nurse Joy. They have two kids who grow up hearing stories of the glory days from uncle Meowth and set off to restart the glorious legacy of team rocket. Armed with a blissey and a wobbufett, they set off and are immediately blasted away by Jet's Arcanine. You see they are completely incompetent when it comes to crime. Nothing else just crime, as the story progresses you see that they are really good at pokemon battles and other aspects of Pokemon life but they stink at being evil. They also serve the same purpose ash's companions serve. The sister acts as a love interest and rival/slash witty banter person to Jet, while the brother is comedy relief/genuinely useful information guy like Brock. He could also have a rotating list of companions but the main companion roles would be filled by the new team rocket. This sounds a little confusing I'm sure but I think it would work really well. Now I don't have names for the rocketeers so currently they are just boy and girl in my head.

This is how I'd do the next iteration of Pokemon. I think it is the best way to go forward with the series. I think it keeps key core elements while still being it's own thing.

#pokemon #pokemon thoughts #pokemon the series #ash ketchum #pikachu #team rocket #meowth #arcanine #blissey #team rocket motto #that has to stay

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scorchieart · 2 years

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Straight Eights - Chapter 1

Straight Eights - Chapter 1 | AO3

The Princess and the Guard Dog

Rating: T (for implied violence and blood)

Characters: Emma/Belle, Leon Dompteur, Rio Ortiz

Word Count: ~4.9k

[couldn't breach the 5k (∩︵∩)]

Summary: When scholarship winner Emma walked through the doors of her elite high school, she wanted nothing more than to blend in with the crowd and draw as little attention to herself until graduation. But that plan flies out the window when she ends up slapping a boy in the face before the first bell! Being the talk of the school makes her a huge target for these preppy rich kids, especially when it comes her bizarre classmates and unconventional teachers, so she has to play some cards from her old life and learn some new tricks to keep her identity a secret while still maintaining her grades and keep her place in school.

A/N: Part of the Different Universe Same, Love Content Creation Challenge hosted by @xxsycamore and @queengiuliettafirstlady

Thank you both for setting this up, it pushed me to finally start writing this fic!

Prompts: Academia AU, Modern AU, and a smidge of Role Reversal AU

************************************************************************

When I was a little girl, I slapped a kid so hard in the playground for kicking sand in a group of toddlers’ faces that he ended up with periodic nosebleeds for weeks. Since then people called me Princess Noble Beast, after our district’s mascot, fair and swift in her judgment. I wore that title like a badge of honor, walking through the halls of my primary school like royalty, my hands held high as divine sentencers. Children opened their arms wide accepting me into their friend groups and adults praised me for my poise and commitment to the rules. I stood at the top of the food chain and no one dared cross my path.

But as I stand here, palm stinging and staring up at the dozens of eyes trained on me, a teenage boy cradling his cheek at my feet, I feel less like a princess delivering justice and more like a criminal caught red-handed in the act.

I shakily lower my right hand and slide it into the pocket of my blazer, only to remember I hadn’t yet bothered to remove the thread binding them shut. Is this common for custom-made clothes? Women’s pockets were already small enough, why add on to the struggle with this extra barrier? I manage to snake my thumb and forefinger in between some loose stitching as a tall figure with black hair approaches from within the crowd.

“That’s one way to make an introduction,” he says to me before kneeling in front of the collapsed boy. “A little over-excited for the first day back, yeah?”

“Looking for a fight?” the boy starts, raising his head. But as soon as his eyes meet the other’s he stiffens, face turning beet red.

“No one’s looking for any trouble, friend,” the dark haired figure says, offering his hand. The boy timidly accepts and is pulled to his feet, one hand still on his cheek and his eyes trained on his shoes. “Why don’t you swing by Mr. J’s class before homeroom, get that cheek looked at.”

The boy nods quickly then disappears into the sea of students. Faces from all directions are still pointed at us as an arm extends to me this time. “That was a mighty blow. You hurt?”

His eyes are the color of the buttons that adorn our matching uniforms, golden and resplendent, but that is where our similarities end. He stands a full foot taller than me with broad shoulders and hair that looks almost too untamed to be accidental. The collar of his dress shirt sticks out at an awkward angle from underneath his blazer, hinting that it either wasn’t ironed properly or folded neatly before he put it on. And even though he stands a respectable distance away from me unlike the last boy, I still catch the faint whiff of perspiration and see beads of sweat dripping down his brow, most likely a result of when we all stampeded through the main doors just moments prior.

He beckons lightly and I take it he is offering to check over my reddening hand. I slide the fingers out of the pocket and fold my hand over my other arm, cradling two books tight to my chest as nonchalantly as I can. “I’m fine,” I say, preparing to spin on my heels hoping I can dissolve into the crowd like the other boy.

“Hey, is that the new Heartwringer?”

He’s pointing at the outer of my books, a pink hardcover dotted with dozens of embossed reflective hearts and squiggles.

“Uh, you read Heartwringer?” I ask.

“No, but I know someone who does. Says it’s got its merits, but every time I open one up I can’t get past the first chapter.”

I’m not sure what surprises me more, the fact that this guy tried reading a mushy young adult romance series or that someone actually recommended it to him.

“You’re not exactly the target audience,” I offer, hoping I sound as inoffensive as possible with the flock of ears still surrounding us. Honestly, don’t these people have someplace to be?

“Hey, if they didn’t want me reading it the publisher would have plastered ‘No jocks allowed!’ on the cover,” he says, and some snickers emerge from the audience. He brushes his swoopy bangs out of his face, and for some reason that irritates me.

“As long as they can make a quick buck, ads will convince you there’s twenty-one things wrong with your hair and only their product can fix it,” I say.

“Wait, you mean that gel I bought off that shady website was just a scam?” He says, vigorously running his hands through his hair in an exaggerated manner. The result is his head looking even more like a rat’s nest and the crowd erupting in laughter.

“Better get your money back, dude!” someone calls.

“Yeah, rip ‘em a new one like you did to Jade in the semifinals!” another whoops.

The tension that filled the air only moments ago slackens so abruptly that I have to lean against the wall to keep my knees from melting into jelly. It was so quick and uncomplicated with no threat of violence or fear. He mollified the crowd like it was as simple as combing his hair. The satisfied students disperse soon after, several offering the boy fist bumps and high-fives along the way, and it was as though time was allowed to flow again.

“And that’s why you should never accept opinions from strangers,” the boy says, shooting finger guns at a group of giggling girls as they passed.

“Thanks for the public safety announcement,” I say, pushing myself off the wall towards the front entrance as more students stagger in.

“Hang on, you don’t wanna head back out there. Trust me,” he says.

“What was that about not trusting people you don’t know?” I say.

“Touché,” he says, “but for real, you’re better off staying put. At least for the next five minutes or so.”

“I’m waiting for my friend.” I push past him, but he swipes the two books out of my arms and holds them out of reach. “Return those, please.”

“After the first bell rings. Promise.”

My hand twitches in the familiar way when I prepare to deliver a slap, but I can’t tell if the smile he wears is conniving or genuine, so I’ll hold off on judgment until his appointed five minutes are up. He barely registers my gracious consideration nor his narrow escape from justice as he opens up the novel.

“Someone’s been up late,” he says, flipping to the last third of the book where my bookmark lay. “Didn’t this just release the other day?”

“It’s been out for almost a month now.”

“Seriously? I coulda sworn it blew up on Twitter only yesterday,” he says. So he can’t stand reading the books themselves, but he keeps up with the discussion on social media?

“That’s because the Second Prince's review only dropped yesterday,” I say.

Rhodolite isn’t actually a monarchy. We’re the smallest of a cluster of independent districts each ruled by a governor. We each specialize in our own fields of labor and mainly deal with each other only in trade. Though we aren’t hostile towards one another, the neighboring districts aren’t exactly friendly either. We primarily keep to ourselves and only consider crossing borders for nominal purposes, like business or travel or inter-district conferencing. The Second Prince was the first to transcend these borders for entirely personal reasons, and wound up the Saving Grace and Gossip Girl of the bibliophile world in the process.

There was a time before I was born when the ever-increasing work hours and diminishing leisure time of our modern age withered Rhodolite’s printing industry to near extinction. Coupled with the fact that technology was quickly dominating the written word, our district wasn’t holding up so great. We specialize in arts and the humanities; physical media is our bread and butter. We are the leading supplier of printed works throughout the districts, from paper to paintings to sculptures, and having one of our largest industries struggle took a big hit to our economy and national pride.

Then just when a bunch of big name publishers seemed ready to shut their doors for good, thousands of orders flooded all the bookstores across the district in the span of one hour. No one knew anything about the source of those orders other than that they were all placed under the name of the Second Prince, paid in cash, and picked up by masked gentlemen the next day. Bookstore owners publicly shared the details of the orders out of curiosity, and it quickly became clear that this Second Prince could be no common citizen. The majority of the books ordered were first editions or hardcovers or generally the priciest versions on the market. Some titles were even ordered multiple times from different locations. One enthusiast compiled all this data and calculated the prince’s total bill to be in the ballpark of half a million dollars.

Naturally, news of this incident spread like wildfire, and people across districts began concocting theories as to the identity of this mysterious Second Prince. Some believed he was a wealthy shareholder who held a lot of stake in the publishing industry. Others said he was one of those big time influencers or corporate heirs with tons of cash to throw around on a big prank. Some even claimed that the Second Prince was actually a coalition of booklovers taking their last stand against the dying industry.

Whatever the intention, the stunt got results. People all over swarmed Rhodolite’s bookstores demanding titles the Second Prince ordered with fervor, and it wasn’t long before mile-long backlogs and waitlists became the norm for all releases. The influx in popularity drove publishers manic and book printing ramped up nearly tenfold over the next decade. We still feel the effects of the prince’s efforts to this day. Books regularly fly off store shelves to the point that many chains were forced to open locations in other districts to meet demand. Reporters claim recreational reading beat out sports for the number one leisurely activity in our district for the tenth year running. Newsprint flourished as the people’s main source for updates as fans wrote in with any info they had on the prince, or as was becoming more common, claiming they were him.

But it didn’t stop there. Just when everyone thought the reading fad was close to ending its course, five years ago book reviews started popping up on a tiny internet blog. These weren’t your typical “Five stars! Would recommend” remarks but full-length literary analyses, complete with scholarly theses and bibliographical citations. Every single book released in the past decade received two, one spoiler-free version and one dissecting the plot and themes to their core, often brutally so, and never totaled less than twenty pages. What shocked readers more than the length though was the signature at the end of each review: From the desk of the Second Prince.

Again the enthusiasts had a field day with this new discovery, sprouting fresh theories as to whether this was the same Second Prince from the book drought twenty years ago or just another poser trying to ride the coattails of his fame like in the papers. Would his revival signal a second boom in Rhodolite’s economy? Did it spell another economic decline in the near future? Those who remembered Rhodolite’s last recession went into a panic, the scars of wounded pride still fresh in their minds, and rushed to their nearest bookstores stockpiling copies the moment a new review circulated no matter what the prince said about them. Meanwhile, the rest of us too young to remember or weren’t around for his first appearance adopted a more relaxed approach and take the reviews as they are; literary critiques. I have a feeling it’s what this “second” Second Prince intended for them anyhow.

As an elected royal myself, I could respect the prince’s dedication to his craft, even if it was exhibited anonymously. I’d spend hours up at night scrolling through his blog, filtering through my favorite genres, on the hunt for my next read. Dedicated fans noticed he typically posts in the late evening, and come morning his verdict is law. To get a glowing review from the Second Prince basically equates to your book’s success, bookstores calling in the printing companies for extra orders by the hundreds. However, fail to impress him even once and your entire career is flushed down the drain into oblivion. It’s a risky business being a blooming writer Rhodolite, but a gauntlet many young authors stepped up to accept, and one I intend to take on someday, too.

“And here I thought you understood my lesson on not trusting people on the internet,” the dark haired boy says, waving me off as he flips to the inside cover. “Whoa, you got a first edition?”

“Yes, and I’d appreciate it if you would handle it with care,” I say, tapping my foot.

“Aye aye, captain.” He closes it extra softly and digs a hand into his stitch-free blazer pocket. “For real though, you gotta let me know how that book goes, I dunno if I can make it to the end in time before it gets memed to death on social media.” He pulls out a slick smartphone encased in a deep maroon cover with a golden lion, and sticks it up to me. I’ve seen this gesture before. On TV when characters want to exchange contact information, they simply touch the backs of their phones together and the data automatically transfers. It’s a feature that was introduced a few years back and all the latest releases nowadays come equipped with it, though I’ve never personally tried it before and freeze on the spot.

He seems to notice my hesitation and retracts the phone. “Sorry, bet that was weird, swapping numbers with a guy you just met. Practice what you preach, am I right?” He smooths down some of his hair strands then opens the second book I was holding; a blank composition notebook. He subtly plucks a pen from the breast pocket of a passerby student, jots something on the first page, then returns both books to me with a smirk. “If you’re ever up to fangirl over some fictional relationships, just give me a ring.”

I flip the notebook open to find he’s scribbled his number and a short note underneath.

I can’t help the snort that comes out. “I’ll consider it.”

Leon D.

The jock with the cool hair

“Anytime. Oh, and if you ever run into trouble again, it’s cool to give me a call, too, uh… sorry, what should I call you?”

Before I can open my mouth, I hear my name called like it’s a rocket barreling towards us.

“Princess Emma!”

Hordes of students clap their hands over their ears as Rio yells in his default high volume, but to me it’s as though a nostalgic hymn serenades down these halls.

Rio’s been my best friend for the past three years. He moved to my neighborhood in the middle of the school year, so the kids mostly ignored him when he first showed up. That stopped the moment he beat an eighth grader in a wrestling match during the annual sports festival, and the rest of his friends ganged up on him behind the parking lot after school. A classmate tipped me off to this as we were walking home, and I turned around on the spot. By the time I arrived, Rio had been beaten half to death, his blood sparkling against the patched concrete and his limbs twisted in unnatural angles like fallen tree branches. It only took a raised hand and a verbal warning from Princess Noble Beast before the gang scattered, and I managed to haul Rio’s mangled body back to school where a teacher discovered us and called an ambulance.

I’m not too certain about the details following that; I wasn’t allowed to ride with him to the hospital. I was told by the adults I’d done a good job and should just head home. But ever since the day Rio dragged himself back into class on crutches we’ve been inseparable. Or more accurately, I haven’t been able to shake him off my tail. He’d sit next to me during the classes we’d shared and follow me around in the hallways with a huge smile plastered across his face insisting I teach him the technique I used to scare off the eighth graders. I had grown well accustomed to admirers flanking me for my coveted slap by that point, but no matter how many times I explained it was merely a Princess’s duty to protect her people he’d refuse to leave my side. It didn’t take long for the student body to come up with another one of their famous nicknames, and soon enough Rio was anointed the Princess’s Pet Puppy.

It turned out that I’d tire of this nickname more than Rio. Between tailing me everywhere I went, partnering with me for all in-class assignments, and clinging to me as I walked home after school, Rio quickly monopolized all my time. I figured if I showed him indifference he’d eventually lose interest, but that only made him double-down on his efforts to make me interact with him. It all came to a head the day my female friends disinvited me from a slumber party because they didn’t want to risk a boy showing up, and after school when I saw Rio skipping towards me and waving with his big goofy grin I snapped.

“Why won’t you just leave me alone!” I shouted at him midway through crossing the street.

He stopped in his tracks and stared with a gaze so empty it reminded me of when I found him beaten behind school. “You don’t like having me around?” he said, voice cracking.

“No, I don’t! All my friends don’t like me anymore because of you, so just go back to where you came from!”

Middle school is a time defined by mistakes and regrets, and I still consider that to be the most horrible thing that’s ever come out of my mouth. My only solace is that I was cut off from saying any more over the sound of the car horn blaring in my direction.

I should have been hit, it would be fitting retribution for the vulgarity I spewed, a suitable end to the pure-of-heart princess who strayed from her path at the height of her reign. But instead of a steel bumper, the sun assaulted my vision as I laid face up on the opposite curb completely unharmed, Rio bawling apologies over my toppled body.

It’s a funny thing, when two people save each other from certain doom. You develop a sort of bond that’s not quite like friends, or family, or even lovers. It’s more like an unspoken vow, like we can look at each other and know exactly what the other person’s thinking and feeling.

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s ok, you didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t have intruded so much on you. We cool? Yeah, we’re cool.

I could never truly understand what it was or even put a name to it, though I suspect Rio felt the same way.

Things sort of went back to normal, if you can call it that. Rio still stuck by my side, but I never told him off again. Maybe it was out of pity for the transfer boy with no friends, maybe I still felt guilty for what I said on the street, or maybe some perverse side of me actually enjoyed having a constant shadow watching my back at all times. Whatever the reason, I sort of took him under my wing and taught him the way things worked in our school; what students to avoid, how to best sneak into class when you’re late, which lunch ladies dished out the biggest servings… that sort of stuff. Maybe he was just super excited that I started responding to his presence again because he held onto every tidbit I fed him like it was the gospel, and soon enough he mastered the inner workings of our school as though he lived there his entire life.

I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine.

And so the days went on with the Princess and her now Guard Dog patrolling our tiny neighborhood with an iron fist and adamant authority. Rio quickly proved his victory in the wrestling match wasn’t a fluke as he could take on any opponent one-on-one no matter the size, and he built up a reputation of his own as a harbinger of justice.

We shared our ambitions, mine of becoming a successful author and him to backpack around the world, and soon enough I was looking forward to seeing him and his dopey grin everyday. Life was turning out well as the years went on and it seemed that our little tag-team was set to last, at least until this June when my acceptance letter to Rhodolite Academy arrived.

Ever supportive, Rio was even more ecstatic at my admission than I was, railing on about how I was the most qualified person on the planet for the scholarship to anyone who would listen till their ears fell off. That unspoken feeling we shared was enough for me to tell it was all a cover though; Rhodolite Private Academy only offers two scholarships a year to incoming high school freshmen, one boy and one girl, and I’d seen Rio crumble in tears by his mailbox from my bedroom window the same morning my acceptance letter arrived.

I told him going to different schools wouldn’t hamper our friendship, and I’d still be living at home so we could always hang out after school and on the weekends. But Rio was adamant about us sharing our high school experience, and if there was one word I’d use to describe him it would be persistent.

Every morning in July, Rio marched up to the campus at dawn (a full hour on foot each way) with a loudspeaker and perched himself in front of the iron gates demanding to speak with the headmaster. Technically he never stood on school property and presented his case as a minor protesting his right to free speech, so the cops couldn’t legally drive him away without crossing risky territory. I held off telling him that the headmaster probably wouldn’t be at school during Summer Break until the staff finally let him in on the last day of July on the condition that he never bring the loudspeaker again. I remember he nearly bust down my front door at sunset panting and screaming that he got in.

The school couldn’t formally offer a third scholarship on account of some archaic legacy nonsensicality, so Rio’s enrollment was settled under the rug as him taking a part-time job assisting in the main office during his free periods and some weekends. This arrangement ensured money he earned would be put directly towards his tuition and doubled as work experience during his high school career, but I could tell Rio couldn’t care less about the details as long as it meant we could continue studying together.

I have to admit I’d spent much of the summer agonizing over the fact that I’d be moving to a new school alone, far away from my kingdom and people, starting at the bottom of the food chain in a totally new environment full of snooty rich kids who’ve been mastering the trade since birth, but seeing Rio paddle up the stairs and through the main doors with his goofy smile reminded me how lucky I was to have saved the boy with no friends all those years ago.

“I thought you were going to wait for me at the front entrance! We were supposed to take the first step of our high school journeys together!” Rio pants, clutching his knees and catching his breath.

“Sorry, I kinda got swept in the wave,” I say. It was the truth, too. Students trampled the path leading from the gates up to the Entrance Hall with such ferocity you’d think they were trying to escape a mass murderer. I’d done my best to stand my ground at the base of the steps waiting for Rio, but pushing in the opposite direction only proved futile with my arms preoccupied protecting myself and my books, and it wasn’t long until I fell victim to the flow, getting tossed left and right and up like a ragdoll. The boy I slapped earlier shoved me particularly hard into the entryway with his backpack, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Those ruffians, I’ll never forgive them for stealing this memory from me!” Rio fumes. I figure this is not the best time to bring up the fact that he’s been coming to school everyday without me for the past month for training. Instead, I pat him gently on the shoulder.

“It’s no big deal, Rio, really. We’ve got the next four years to fill with plenty more memories.”

“I know, but first impressions are the foundation to the future. That’s what Bossman said when I spilled coffee on his rug my first day of training, anyway,” Rio says, opening his backpack. “And let me tell you, this first term is not leaving us with much future to look forward to. Look, we only have three classes together!” He flashes two laminated sheets of paper side-by-side in his hands. It isn’t hard to figure out that these are our timetables, and I can tell by the exorbitant use of neon color-coding and comments in the margins that Rio’s already raked through them calculating the maximum amount of time we can spend together each day.

“P.E., Home Ec. and Health. Even with homeroom and lunch we barely scrape four hours. How’s a guard dog supposed to protect his princess when he’s separated from her half the day?” Rio moans.

“I’m sure we’ll manage.” I reach for my timetable, but a hand descends from above and snatches it out of sight. Rio’s arrival brought back my carefree middle school days so vividly that I completely forgot the previous conversation I was having.

“Princess, huh? Does that mean I have to call you ‘Your Highness’ from now on? And this guy’s your guard dog?” Leon asks, scanning my schedule.

“Know your place, knave!” Rio growls. He launches for the paper, but Leon easily raises it out of reach above his head.

“AP Literature and Composition… you’re taking a senior-level course as a freshie?” Leon asks, angling his neck around the hopping Rio to look at me.

“Yeah, I like to read,” I blurt out faster than I intended.

“I got that much, but APs are no joke. You think you can scrape by just because you read a few romance novels? Most kids don’t even think about enrolling in APs until at least third year.”

“If it’s not a challenge, then what’s the point of even paying this crazy tuition?”

“There’s a difference between a challenge and burnout, you know? You seriously wanna walk that line right from the start?”

My throat dries and my hands twitch. Even though I know the hallway is still filled with students and Rio’s so close, it feels as though I’ve been transported to an abandoned tunnel underground with just Leon there questioning me.

“I won’t know until I’ve tried,” I say, willing myself to meet his gaze. “And I’ll need my timetable to get started, Leon.”

At that moment, Rio ceases his jumping and looks at me with the same gaze he wore when he opened his rejection letter back in June. “Did you just say Leon… as in Leon Dompteur?”

Rio’s voice is low and frigid, unlike anything I’ve ever heard from him before, and it pulls me out of my tunnel-trance.

“Uh, is that what the D stands for?” I ask.

“Yeah, bit of a mouthful, isn’t it?” Leon laughs. “You heard of me, pup?”

Somewhere overhead the first bell rings, but the sound is drowned out by screams and splatters filing through the main door. Students scamper up the steps, bobbing and weaving and shielding their eyes, trying to evade the onslaught of what appear to be balloons pelting the entryway, bursts of red exploding on every surface they impact as they rupture. Scarlet ooze drips from the ceiling to the walls to the doors, ambushed students are on their knees gasping for breath, and a putrid odor somewhere in between rotten eggs and sewage fills my nostrils and makes my eyes water. As quickly as the attack began it ceased, leaving behind carnage as gruesome as one straight out of a horror movie.

“Whoops, I gotta take care of this. Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble!” Leon salutes us and dashes off to the swarm of suffering students.

Rio doesn’t answer, he doesn’t even look back. Instead he grabs my forearm and pulls me along with the fleeing crowd, my last sight Leon venturing head held high into the faux bloodbath before we round a corner.

************************************************************************

*looks over shoulder to other wips* yeah I've got time

Tagging: @atelieredux

#ikemen prince #ikepri #different universe same love ccc #ikepri belle #ikepri leon #ikepri rio #scorchie writes #edit: forgot to add cut line again...#edit2: forgot to add chapter title...#emma/belle #leon dompteur #rio ortiz

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