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#I think part 2 will have more consistent art
spacemonkeysalsa · 9 hours
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Whenever someone refers to Astarion as a corrupt magistrate (or mentions anything else from EA that was taken out like it's still canon) I lose a little more hope for our collective media literacy.
And it's not because I don't think he was a corrupt magistrate, because he totally could've been, it's consistent with his character. I mean everything is consistent with his character that's a big part of his point but that is a whole other...
I think the reason it bothers me is because there is something so clear and intentional about the editing process at work here:
"Astarion was a corrupt magistrate"
vs
"Astarion was a magistrate"
Removing content is the simplest part of the editing process.
What could the intent possibly be???
WDYM? They intended for it not to be there, mystery solved.
Like I think the only bit that survived the purge of Astarion's backstory is from the digital extras, which are a) not part of the primary text and b) developmental materials that have loads of other bits of removed content, like old stats, character concept art left in the cutting room etc. Is that where Minthara is still an elven cleric? I can't remember where I saw that, but the font and art style looks the same in my brain and to force myself to move on here's a mostly unrelated anecdote:
I've been in a writing group for like 10+ years and in that time there's another member who has submitted draft 1 & draft 2 of a manuscript in which I began to casually refer to one character as "the cannibal" because I thought that this character had eaten another character.
I turned out to be wrong about the cannibalism, not because they hadn't eaten anyone but because they weren't human, so it wouldn't be cannibalism.
On draft two, she had reworked large sections of the story, and the character never eats anyone, but my entire writing group still refers to him as "the cannibal" including members who are new, never read draft 1 and she sighs every time and in fairness, it's really really funny.
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crescentfool · 1 year
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some minato doodles from throughout the year! 💙
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(1)Learn the rules before you break them + Gather proper references
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(2) Understand what you want to break and how
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(3) Can't do it? Find someone who can
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(4) It's going to look really bad for a while
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(5) Have fun with it!
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(1) -Yes, I am that kind of artist. Yet, not in the conventional way. I encourage people to go in guns blazing when it comes to drawing something new, then coming out analyzing what they know, and what they need to learn more of right away.
-Here, I broke down the anatomical pieces of Nour and Narinder's face with the same labels so you guys can understand this weird invisible pattern that I follow in my work. Doing this with any animal you're attempting to draw greatly improves your line confidence when drawing different face shapes. Also understanding the biological function for why animals look a certain way helps you keep consistency.
(3) Time to throw any artistic guilt you have for heavily referencing people's art OUT THE WINDOW and start ANALYZING PEOPLE'S WORK YOU WANT TO BE LIKE✨ I've always done this, having a reference of someone else's amazing work right next to my own drawing so I can try and understand how they make their magic work! No shame, no embarrassment, nada. Pure, unadulterated will and spite that I would be just as good as the artist who made me so motivated and happy with their work! I couldn't figure out how to make Nour's face both sheep-like, and humanly expressive, so I looked at a LOT of Zootopia and old Disney art for help!
(2) With how I draw narilamb, I'm still working on it (as you can see) but I wanted to break Narinder's face to be fluffier and slimmer, while Nour's face would be shorter and flatter. If you look at it for too long, it's absolutely going to look weird, in the way that if you look at Anna from Frozen for too long she starts looking really weird. The anatomy isn't meant to be correct or consistent, it's meant to convey the emotion and energy I want out of the characters in that moment. If you're able to properly get that across, then you don't need to think about how broken something looks, as long as your eye is happy enough to trick your brain into thinking what you're seeing is canny.
(4) Yeah, I hate this part too. It's going to look like shit at first. I can't even look at my art from a few months ago when I was figuring out their designs... God, so fucking ugly. If it weren't for the shittiness of those drawings, I would have never gotten here! Wading through the "trust the process" stage always really sucks, but it's absolutely worth the relief of when you finally get something to look right.
(5) Art is work, yes. It's stressful, it's long, it's straining, its draining, it's exclaiming, blah blah blah. But, I try to keep my art FUN. If I find my artwork becoming slow as I depressingly drag my pen over my tablet, I'm failing. You MUST keep spirit and life in your work. The spirit of emptiness or the life of sadness can have a very meaningful place in art, but those can only exist with keeping work light, easy, and fun! If you're stressing how a specific thing looks or how you can't get something to look right no matter what, FUCK IT. Draw something to bring the flavor back in your work! I'm kind of rambling, but just, HAVE FUN!✨️ Be messy, scream, laugh, slash canvases, throw paint, smash sculptures, tear apart books, GO CRAZY
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dammn-dean · 4 months
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Unexpected Pt. 2
Pairing: Simon Riley x Female Reader
Words: 2700+
Warnings: Pregnancy, vague birth talk, mild panic attack, if I missed anything sorry
(Honestly I have given birth in a hospital, but it was complicated so I didn't get to experience a normal after birth situation. So if this is incorrect, sorry!)
Here is part two🖤 Hope you all enjoy it! It's a bit short, and sweet. I do plan on doing some blurbs/continue eventually. Thank you all for reading!
Part One
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Beautiful art/rendering from @ave661
The next few moments are a blur to you both, for different reasons. Simon parks the car in front of the emergency entry, barely allowing for the car to come to a complete stop before he’s out of the car. You barely register as he slides on a black surgical mask when he comes around the car to open your door. Next thing you know he’s leading you inside, talking to a woman at the front desk and getting you into a wheelchair. You are filling out some paperwork as you are wheeled through the hospital, in between contractions that are consistently spaced apart now. 
Simon keeps murmuring small words of encouragement to you, but he’s scared shitless. Pretending to be brave in this moment for you, yet he feels anything but brave. 
There are a lot of questions that you give answers to as best you can. Simon can barely keep up… there is so much moving around and plans being spoken between nurses. The next thing he knows you are in a hospital bed, donning a gown, being told your doctor should be here within 5 to 10 minutes. 
“I’m going to check your dilation now, okay?” A young and sweet woman that is apparently your nurse for now speaks up. 
You just nod your head, watching as she gets the stirrups ready for your feet to go in. Once ready she guides your feet to the correct sport before reaching for a pair of gloves. 
You glance up to Simon, who is as quiet and still as a ghost. Standing to the left of your bed, fists clenched so tight you wonder if his fingers are going to lose feeling soon. 
“Si?” You question. 
That breaks his stone resolve. It was like a switch flipped in him, as he forced his mind to catch up with what was happening. 
He finally tore his eyes away from the nurse as her hand began to disappear under your gown. When his eyes fell to you and your outstretched hand he immediately grabbed your smaller hand into both of his large ones. Kissing the back of your hand through the material of the mask. 
“You ‘kay love?” Simon was gentle, from his touch to his tone. 
“Yes… just a little uncomfortable,” you said just above a whisper. 
“I bet so sweetheart.” He brought a hand to brush some hair back from your face. “You are doing great,” he encourages you. 
“Looks like you are about 5 centimeters dilated! Great news mom and dad.” The nurse tore off her gloves and put them in the trash before typing away on the computer in the room to update your chart. 
Simon felt all of the air rush out of his lungs. Dad?? How did he not think before that he was about to be a dad. Sure… he understood what was happening, but there was something about hearing this nurse call him dad that struck a chord with him. His ears filled with static and he stiffened all over again. 
You watched as his pupils shrunk, he pulled his hands from you and stood straight as a board beside you. 
“Simon?” You softly called to him. Nothing. 
His eyes were trained on the wall behind the nurse who was innocently typing away on the computer. 
You called for him two more times, watching his chest speed up with more and more rapid breaths. You said his name one more time quite loudly, which got the nurses attention. She looked up at him, staring past her and noticed the signs of a panic attack blooming in him. 
Simon wasn’t in the room with you now, his mind lost on his past. 
“Sir?” The nurse gently started working her way to him. 
Before she could fully make it to him, a contraction started up for you again. You wailed out in pain, and as quick as Simon zoned out and started panicking he stopped. Hearing your pain pulled him from his dark mind. 
“Sorry,” he muttered, truly embarrassed. 
“It’s okay sir,” the nurse spoke softly. “Would you like to sit down for a moment?”
“I’m fine, just make sure she’s okay.” He left no room for argument. 
Resuming his spot at your side, ignoring whatever that was just happening to him. He gently kissed your hairline through the mask again while speaking to you sweetly until the pain subsided. Once your breath had started evening out your tired eyes fell onto Simon. The nurse nodded at him before finishing typing what she needed and mentioned the next steps that would be happening before excusing herself from your room for a moment. Her words went in one of your ears and out the other for you.
“You okay?” You asked, squeezing his hand this time to comfort him.
“Don’t you worry about me, love,” Simon said apologetically. 
You gave him a nod, but internally you were freaking out about his reaction. Your mind rolled back a few moments before he started panicking, trying to figure out what happened. 
Simon has had a few moments in your time together where certain things trigger him, which is beyond understandable. The memory of the nurse calling you mom and dad moments before finally registering with you. That small thought had your heart instantly feel heavy, and not in the best way. 
You felt your eyes get glossy, this same feeling of shame bursting through your chest. Your mind reminding you how unfair this all is to him, he never got the choice about IF he wanted to be a father… hell you didn’t even give him a notice that he was going to be a dad. Your brain was all muddled, but the only thing standing out to you is that you can’t remember why you never told him. It all seemed so silly now, who cares if you had an argument. Who cares that he was working. It was your responsibility to tell him that you were pregnant, to let him know that he was going to be a dad, and especially to give him the option to be involved or not. 
You gently removed your hand from his, allowing it to fall into your lap with your other hand. Eyes falling to your lap, unable to stop the tears from falling and trying your best to shield them from Simon. Even though you knew he would notice, how could he not?
“Are you hurting? Want me to call for the nurse?” Simon got the words out quickly, reaching for the button to call the nurse.
“No.. I’m okay,” you whispered with a shrug.
His brows frown down at you, clearly you aren’t okay. Your small sniffles provide proof of that. Simon’s spine straightened, eyes taking you in as his mind moved a mile a minute trying to come up with a solution. 
“Do you remember at the apartment, the promise you made me?” Simon asked softly.
You sniffled out a small “Yeah..”
“That if you have something you need to tell me, you will do it. Yeah?” 
You nod your head softly before meeting his eyes briefly.
“What is it baby?” He asked, hand reaching into your lap and interlocking your fingers together.
“I’m just so sorry,” you respond quietly. “And I know you told me to stop saying sorry but I truly am.”
“Love,” Simon began, but you cut him off. “I didn’t give you the opportunity to come to terms with all of this. I just sprung it all on you, and-”
Simon knelt beside you, making him eye level with you. 
“Do I wish I would have known before? Sure love… but mainly because I hate you have done all of this alone. It eats me alive. I am supposed to be the one taking care of you, but I was selfish. Never made sure you knew what you were to me. I will never let that happen again, okay?”
“Then what just happened to you?” You whisper. His hazel eyes squint a little, but they never leave yours. 
Simon was silent for a while which heightened your anxiety. That’s when the beginnings of another contraction started. Your hand squeezing Simon as you rode through the pain. You barely register his voice, soft and sweet, talking you through the pain.
“Don’t you worry about that sweetheart, but after this. And we have our baby… I will be sure to explain everything to you okay? All you need to know is I am here, and I can’t wait to be a father to our child.” Simon knew he owed an explanation, but now wasn’t the time.
Simon tugged his mask down enough so he could press a kiss to your hairline while using his free hand to wipe away the last few tears from your wet cheeks.
“Good evening,” your doctor enters the room and announces himself. 
Simon gently clears his throat as he straightens the mask on his face before standing up to take his proper place beside you.
You didn’t feel 100% better, but knowing he would explain more. You fixed your mental state as much as you could, you knew this way was about to be the toughest thing you have been through. 
There was some small chat between your doctor, Simon and you. Talking about the birth plan, checking your dilation, planning the next steps as well as you could. Before you know it you are pushing, and pushing. Simon is next to you the entire time, feeding you ice chips and doting on you constantly. “You are doing so good, lovie.” - “There you go, my strong girl, you got this.” - “You are so perfect, sweetheart.” - “Almost there love, you are doing great.”
Somewhere between the tears, the pain, the constant pressure and with help from nurses and doctors. You hear cries. Your body feels instant relief, and the joy that bursts across your chest is unlike anything you have ever felt. Your eyes fall to Simon, he’s standing stiff as a board. Eyes never leaving the newborn as the nurse gently cleans the baby’s body as the doctor finishes up with you. Before you know it they are gently laying your baby onto your chest.
“Congratulations mom… a beautiful healthy baby girl!” The nurse whispers excitedly to you as she pulls your hands back, ensuring you have the baby. 
You can’t hold back the few tears that fall, “She’s a girl.” 
Your nose taking in her smell, your lips gently brushing her head. A perfect baby girl. After a few moments of silence, you look for Simon. His hands shoved in his pockets, standing to your side, eyes on your baby girl. 
“We have a baby girl, Si.” You can’t help the smile on your lips. 
Simon’s chest rose and fell rapidly, taking everything in. He was a father to a baby girl. 
“She’s so small,” Simon comments softly. 
“She sure is,” you praised. “And perfect.” Your finger found her hand, letting it wrap around your finger. You looked at the small amount of hair on her head, her eyelashes, her cheeks, her fingers, just taking her all in. After about 5 minutes of silence, a nurse speaks.
“Congratulations you two, would dad like a turn holding her?” She asked politely as she reached for your daughter.
“Here Si,” you encouraged. Gently handing the baby to the nurse. Watching her carefully as she took the baby from you, walked around the bed to Simon and she patiently stood in front of him. 
Simon of course wanted to hold her, but she was tiny. He had only really ever been around one baby before, his nephew and he couldn’t for the life of him remember him being this small. His blurred eyes took in her features, she was beautiful. 
“I uh-” he cleared his throat. “I don’t know if I can. She’s so small and I’m so-” he gestured to himself. Clearly uncomfortable with the idea of his hulking frame, meant for killing to hold this sweet innocent baby. His sweet innocent baby girl. 
“You can hold her, just trust me, you can do it” you encouraged. “Look at me Simon.”
He almost had to force his eyes from your daughter so he could look at you. Your sweet face, eyes tired but shining happily, encouraging him. You almost took his breath away, beautiful as ever. If you believe in him, maybe he should believe in himself.
“I love you, you can hold her. Look at her Si, our daughter, she wants her daddy.” You swallowed hard, not entirely sure if that is what he needed to hear or not.
Barely a moment went past before he held his hands out towards the nurse. She showed him exactly what to do, she never let go of the baby until she was certain that he was ready. Before you knew it there he was, as still as he had ever been, barely even breathing as he held her. 
You couldn’t believe it, seeing her tiny body being held by such a mass, that is Simon. A singular hand of his is almost the size of her whole body. You felt warmth bloom across your chest watching him with her. The way his stiff shoulders eventually relaxed more. How he leaned into her, smelling her tiny head, followed by whispers you couldn’t hear. 
“I can’t believe I have a daughter,” Simon chuckles out with a wet laugh. “I am so proud of you baby.” He then turns to you, “You did amazing.” 
Brown eyes filled with unshed tears hold onto yours that are allowing tears to fall freely. “We did amazing, Si…” you said truthfully. “Just look at her, she’s as much me as she is you.” 
Simon pulled his eyes back to the sweet baby in his arms. “Yeah I guess so, huh?” He could even see that the tiny wisps of hair on her head were definitely the exact shade of his. 
It was then the nurse popped back up, “And what are we naming her mom and dad?” She asked innocently. 
How have you both forgotten you need a name for the baby? 
“Uh- well we haven’t quite decided yet,” Simon answered quickly. 
“That’s perfectly okay! No rush,” she responded politely. “Let’s finish getting her and mom all cleaned up. Then I’ll get you to your room. How does that sound?” 
Simon looked at you, you nodded at him with a grin. 
“Sounds great, thank you.” He responded politely. 
The nurse went back to him to grab your daughter, hands out waiting. Only Simon didn’t budge. His eyes were solely focused on the baby in his arms. 
“Sir?” She questioned gently. 
Simon almost startled before looking at her, then down at the baby again, and back to the nurse. 
“I just need her for a little bit, then you can have her back. How does that sound?” 
Simon actually grumbles, no words, just grumbles. 
Fuck, you love him. “Simon,” you almost laugh. “Let the nurse have her baby.” 
He doesn’t give in immediately, a minute or so passes before he huffs and gently hands her over to the nurse. 
“Thank you…” the nurse smiles at him. “The doctor will be right back to assist you with another nurse. I’ll meet you both in your room.” She turns to you. “Okay?”
“Okay,” you say to her, eyes not leaving the baby. 
A moment goes by and you turn your head to Simon to find his eyes already on you. Nothing but pure adoration for you. 
“You’re going to be the best daddy ever,” you whisper to him truthfully. 
“I can only promise you that I will give it my all,” Simon says honestly. Hand nervously touching the back of his neck. “I only wish to give you both the best life possible.” 
Both of your eyes are unwavering, holding each other trying to convey emotions you can’t quite say out loud. You aren’t naïve, you know this will be hard, of course raising a human together won’t be easy. If there was anyone in the world you would be willing to go through this with, it was Simon. 
“I know this was all… unexpected, but I don’t think I have ever felt happier than I feel at this moment. Right now.” 
“Ditto, love.” You can hear his smile. “Ditto.” 
Tags: @daemondoll @mileyraes @axoleos @arminarlertssword @wawuwe @cxltblood @mrflyingbanana03 @itsmytimetoodream @arminarlertssword @mrssabinecallas @babygirl-riley @gplol @yuly
Thank you for reading! If you have an idea or request for where they go from here, feel free to send 🖤
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bichachonacho · 1 year
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Retribution
pt.2 of ‘The Other Woman’
pt.3 here
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warnings: angst and fluff (technically) & mentions of sex.
The fan art divider below is not my work. I found it on pinterest but Idk who the artist is. If someone knows can you please lmk so I can give them credit <3
a/n: also thank you so much for all the love for part one of this story <3! and I’m sorry to those who asked me to tag them with this post I was trying to but it wouldn’t let me for some reason :/
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It had been weeks since that night, the same night Aemond confessed his feelings for his true love Alys in his drunken state. The same night you had cried yourself to sleep, wanting to be as far away from your husband whilst being trapped in his embrace. You woke the next morning with a new realisation— why should you bother trying to be an outstanding wife when you would never compare to her.
His beloved Alys.
Her name tastes like poison in your mouth, so distasteful you fear you’ll grow sick if it lingers at the forefront of your mind any longer. You feel guilty, it’s not her fault you’re trapped in a marriage with a man who’s madly in love with her.
You stop trying with Aemond. All the effort you put in to try and gain his approval, affection and love would inevitably go to waste— so why should you spend any more time worrying about Aemond and his needs. He didn’t need nor want you to be his wife, so you shouldn’t act the part.
You carry on with your day after your brief breakfast with Aemond in the dining room. You kept the conversation short, as you usually do now. You have little to say to him besides conversation about your shared duties to the throne and your family. You stopped trying to make small talk with him, your attempts before often irritated him. He wouldn’t hide the fact your consistent need for communication with him bothered him. Now you’re content with the shared silence between the two of you, grateful that you didn’t have to scramble to think of things to talk about.
You allow the handmaidens to ready your bath as you contemplate what outfit to wear for your day out of Kings landing. You ignore the way Aemond’s eye is trained on you intently, silently observing the way you think over what dress to wear between the two options.
“If those do not please you, I’ll buy you finer dresses, dear wife” Aemond breaks the silence, causing you to scoff at his attempt of being a considerate husband. This was one of the only times he had referred to you as his wife, weeks ago you would’ve been praising your gods in thanks— now the title barely phases you.
“Now why would you do that” You huff, deciding on the dress that was a deep shade of blue. You brush past him, hinting for him to leave the room when you bathe. He hums before pushing off of his seat and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him as you begin to undress.
“Are you planning on telling Prince Aemond where you are headed?” Your handmaiden Meredith questions you as she brushes your long silver hair. You pretend to lull the thought over before you say no.
“He doesn’t need to know. My absence won’t phase him” You hum, causing Meredith to tut as she braids some of your fine hair. You shut your eyes momentarily, preparing to receive an earful from the older woman who was like your mother figure in Rhaenyra’s absence.
“I would question that, Princess. Prince Aemond had spent half the day searching for you when you had left to roam the streets two days ago” She informs you, causing you to hum in thought as you processed what she had just told you. It seemed absurd that Aemond would notice you leaving for a few hours, you could disappear for weeks and he wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
“I trust you won’t tell him if he searches for me” You hum, confiding in her trust. You already knew the answer, Meredith would defend you with her last breath if it came down to it. She presses a soft kiss into your hair before standing up and stretching her limbs.
“Be mindful there is a family dinner tonight. You cannot be late” Meredith informs you and you wave her off, promising you wouldn’t be tardy before you push off of the hard floor and prepare to leave your bedchamber.
You had forgotten your promise the moment you stepped foot on Dragonstone. It had slipped your mind completely as you spent the day with your younger siblings— your mother distracting you in the evening by telling you stories by the fireplace. Your hand was steadily caressing her heavily swollen stomach as you listen to her tale, hoping your sibling inside of her womb was also listening. It was so entertaining you had forgotten of your curfew.
You leave Dragonstone hastily on Dragonback, cursing as you chastise yourself for forgetting such a thing. Meredith would definitely give you an earful later for this, but that was the least of your concerns as you take quick strides down the halls of the Red Keep. Out of breath and hair messy from the ride back, you quickly try to make yourself more presentable before you enter the dining room— the guard posted outside the door giving you a look before you enter.
“I apologise for my tardiness, your grace” You announce as you greet Alicent who gives you a tight lipped smile from her side of the table. She silently disapproved of your lack of consideration for time but said nothing— allowing you to take a seat beside Aemond.
You ignore his stare, keeping your gaze focused on the plate infront of you as you cut into your steak, hoping he would lose interest of your face and stop staring so intensely.
“Where have you been?” Aemond confronts you, finally breaking the deafening silence that could be cut with a knife.
“I went for a ride. Needed some fresh air” You glance at him as you answer, catching the dissatisfied look on his face at your alibi.
“Be honest with me” He presses you again, his voice slightly louder and catching the attention of the others sitting around the table. They pretend to carry on with their idle chatter, obviously eavesdropping on your conversation. You stay silent, ignoring his statement and hoping he would lose interest and stop talking to you.
“Your husband demands you to answer him” He growls, his tone revealing his frustration at your silence.
“Or what? You’ll sever my tongue?” You argue as you drop your cutlery, accentuating your anger as you repeat the words he spoke to you at this same table weeks ago. Everyone around the table goes silent at your sudden outburst, Aegon barely biting back a laugh whilst Helaena gazes at you with sympathy in her eyes. Alicent as you expected still wore a scowl on her face, unimpressed by both you and Aemond’s antics.
“I apologise for my outburst” You announce to everyone at the table before you continue to quietly eat, shifting further away from Aemond in your seat as you internally wish you were riding back to Dragonstone.
“I visited my family. That’s where I was today” You sigh heavily as you both enter your shared bedchamber after the dinner had concluded. Aemond gives you a look of understanding before you brush past him and begin to undress.
He lingers around the small bookshelf you insisted to be made months ago, finger trailing along the covers until he pulls out the novel containing children’s tales.
“You no longer read to me. I wish for you to read again” Aemond’s voice is just above a whisper, barely audible with the only sounds being your fabric loosening and the crackles from the fire.
Every second night after you wed, you made it a nightly ritual to read out loud your favourite stories from your childhood. Hoping it would help you bond with Aemond, it in fact did the opposite and made him leave the room most times— claiming he’d rather listen to Aegon fucking some whore than you reading to him.
“Today has exhausted me. Feel free to read on your own accord” You hum, dismissing his request as you stifle a yawn— pulling back your sheets to lay on your side of the bed. Aemond sighs heavily before he retires to the seat infront of the fireplace, reading quietly to himself. You had already shut your eyes and lulled yourself to sleep, so you missed the way he kept glancing over at your sleeping form.
Aemond feels a slight tightness in his chest as he reflects on how distant you’ve been with him for the last few weeks. He noticed it the first morning you stopped asking him a million questions at the breakfast table. Your odd behaviour that morning only being the start to you growing further apart from him. You stopped trying to drag him to the garden to simply walk with you, you no longer played with his hair or tried to jest with him. You didn’t ask him how his day was at the end of the night as you both lay down for bed, you would just silently turn over and sleep.
He’s hurt you, more times than he could count on all ten of his fingers. He treated you so bitterly because he blamed you for losing his sweet Alys to this betrothal. Now that he’s losing you too, he doesn’t know how to stop this marriage from falling apart.
The next morning, you ready your proposal to Aemond— one that you’ve been dwelling on for the last few weeks. You weren’t sure of how he’d react, probably ecstatic over your suggestion if you were to be honest. You know Alicent won’t be satisfied if she were to find out, so you intend to keep it a secret.
“We will reside in separate bedchambers. I’ve already asked Meredith to arrange Jace’s old bedroom down the hall for me. I’ll be moving my belongings there tonight” You announce to Aemond once you are both sat together during breakfast. He pauses at the news, confusion gracing his features as he stares at you.
“We’re married, why should you feel the need to sleep away from me?” His chest tightens again as he speaks.
“We’re practically worlds away when we share one bed, what difference would it make being in separate rooms” You say nonchalantly, sipping on your lukewarm tea as your eyes leave his. He doesn’t voice his disagreement with your suggestion, just silently nodding before he continues to eat.
When night comes, both you and Aemond make your way to your bedchambers after spending an evening with the whole family in Aegon and Helaena’s quarters. You were practically glued to her youngest child the whole night, unaware of your husband’s stare as he watched you babble away in gibberish to the young baby.
“Do you need instructions on where to stick your cock, brother?” Aegon had clapped him on the shoulder as he joins him by the fireplace he was leaning against. Aemond hums in confusion, pulling his gaze away from you momentarily to glance at his brother.
“It’s out of brotherly love that I question why you haven’t put your seed in her yet. Have you not been married half a year now?” Aegon scoffs, downing his goblet full of wine before he tosses it aside.
“We don’t share the insatiable urge to fuck like rabbits the way you and your whores do, dear brother” Aemond bites back, causing Aegon to raise his hands up in defense.
“At least I feel the urge to touch them, not once since your wedding have I seen you embrace her— not even with a simple kiss” Aegon was right, after their wedding night, Aemond didn’t bother trying to share any affection with you. In his heart he knew his kind touch and warm embrace were reserved for the one woman who held his heart in her hands.
“Y/N…” Aemond hums, stopping you in your tracks as you stop walking down the hall. You feel his hand embrace yours as he turns your body to face him, his touch warm as he cups your hand in his.
“H—how was your day?” He questions you, his stutter causing him to curse at himself internally as he notes how foolish he sounds. You let out a little laugh at how confusing he was being, you spent the walk back here in utter silence and he chooses only now to ask you.
“It was like every other day I have here. Meredith made me chocolate muffins— they were divine” You hum, unsure of what else to talk about you ask him the same question.
“My day was mediocre at best, one can only bare Aegon for so long”
You hum in understanding, Aegon was more than a handful. He was torture when he wanted to be, which was majority of the time he was in anyone’s presence. You’re blessed to be married to the tamer brother, the same one who still had your hand in his grasp.
“If that is all, I wish you goodnight Prince Aemond” You hum, pulling your hand from his grasp completely before you turn on your heel and continue on your way to your new bedchamber.
Discomfort sits in his stomach at your use of his formal name, it was as though he wasn’t your husband— a stranger to you almost. He feels guilt reside in him as he reflects on how he would chastise you for calling him terms of endearment that Alys often used. It’s only now as he watches her walk away from him and disappear into her bedchamber that he realises he would give an arm and a leg to hear you call him those names once again.
Much to your dismay, you can barely sleep a wink. You toss and turn against your cold sheets , frustrated and confused as to why you couldn’t sleep soundly in your own space. No longer did you have to sleep stiffly because Aemond was on the other half of your bed. You had all the freedom in the world to sleep, yet you couldn’t even as you tried your hardest to.
You decide to take a walk in the garden to clear your head and hopefully tire yourself out enough to finally rest. Sighing heavily, you admire the warm air that fans against your skin as you quietly make your way down the halls. Your eyes widen slightly as you see his long silver hair, his eye focused on the moonlight that beams through the trees leaves above him. For once in your marriage you seem to finally sync as you realise he couldn’t sleep either, needing the comfort of nature to clear his head.
“You couldn’t rest either?” You hum as you approach him, the leaves crunching beneath your bare feet as you move closer to him. He seems startled at first, exhaling in relief when he recognises his wife’s voice.
“It seems as though I have grown used to the warmth of your body beside mine— your absence has turned me into an insomniac” Aemond admits truthfully, causing something inside of your gut to spark when you hear his words.
“It appears your absence has caused me to have the same troubles” You chuckle, crossing your arms over your chest as you look up at the leaves above your head, fascinated by it’s pretty colour.
“We shall grow used to it as time passes” You exhale, hoping that you don’t suffer the same fate tomorrow night. He’s taken aback by your statement, his eye resting on your face.
“Time passes? How long do you intend on being separated?” If you weren’t aware of Aemond’s true feelings toward you, you would almost hear the hint of sadness in his voice as he speaks.
“I was meaning to discuss this matter with you in a week’s time, but seeing as we’re alone and at our most vulnerable— I shall inform you now” Your words cause his pulse to quicken, he involuntarily feels his heart pound as you turn to face him. He didn’t know what to expect.
“I know this marriage wasn’t one formed from a love match. I’m the last person you wished to marry and somehow we still found ourselves betrothed” You sigh heavily, reflecting on the moments you’ve shared as a married couple so far— most, if not all being ones where neither of you were happy.
“Someone else has ahold of your heart, it was never mine to claim and I was foolish for trying to in the first place. This marriage was always destined to fall” You grasp ahold of his hands in yours, the gesture causing your gazes to meet as he finally looks at your face.
“I give you my permission to pursue your beloved Alys, so long as we both continue this marriage for the sake of our family name and duties— nothing more, you are free to love her. I too will do the same, in hopes that I do one day find someone who loves me as much as you love her” You say in finalisation, watching his face for any sign of a reaction.
Aemond’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest at your words, he didn’t know how to feel. You were giving him a golden opportunity on a silver platter, he would get to love his Alys freely— without the guilt of already being a husband and that in itself sounded like heaven to him. Still, he was heavily conflicted. He wanted to confess to you that even with his love to Alys, he still longed for you— his wife that he had watch gradually lose herself because of him. It’s selfish of him to need you both, to want you almost as much as he wants her.
After a moment, Aemond finally nods his head in agreement— the words of truth being trapped in his throat as he fails to utter even a word to you. You give his hands a squeeze before you release your hold on him.
“This matter is settled then” You hum before you pull away from him. You bid him goodnight, your words barely processing in Aemond’s mind as he fails to speak. Instead he watches you walk away in silence, leaving him alone in the garden with his thoughts and his latest regret.
a/n: Idk about this ending tbh sorry if it’s meh but the final chapter will be worth it :p
tags <3
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yourmidnightlover · 1 year
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experimental
pairing: xavier thorpe x fem!reader
summary: due to an influx of female students, you are roomed with xavier thorpe as a sort of experiment. what happens when you become plagued with a frightening nightmare?
warnings: kinda enemies to sorta lovers, cuddling bc duh, there are some things that aren't answered or brought back up so i guess there's a possibility for a part 2 that gets... intimate??
a/n: it’s a cliche and i’m a sucker for it. we're gonna pretend weems never died bc that was a disgrace.
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when you found out you would be paired with a guy you thought maybe that meant more storage space for yourself, maybe even you’d get some nice eye candy to look at. but nope. you got xavier thorpe. respectively, he is nice to look at, but he’s also a total jerk.
it started when you first got to nevermore a year ago, before the murders happened. you had been partnered with him on a few projects and he consistently ignored you when you tried to spark a conversation. each opinion you asked him for, he always gave you the shortest answer possible.
you don't think he knows of your involvement with the hyde. you knew of his involvements and interactions, the accusations. you were best friends with enid before wednesday came along. admiring the way wednesday and enid had some sort of magnetic connection, you gave them some space for whatever they had.
what you didn't expect was for her to call for your help the night of the attack. with your ability to manipulate nature, you would be quite a big help in a forest. neither you nor enid could anticipate the ricochet of a tree ripped from its roots being thrown at enid. luckily, you got there in time to knock enid out of the way. unfortunately that meant that you got hit by the tree, rendering you unconscious and in a coma for weeks until weems announced the early ending of the semester.
that night still haunts you in dreams, somtimes while you're still awake when it's been a long day.
regardless, you thought he was petty and maybe just a douche but what tipped you over the edge was when you heard him making fun of you with a few of his friends.
“she just keeps trying to talk to me!” there was no emotion other than frustration that you could detect in his voice. the people surrounding him began laughing. “is it not completely obvious as to why i’ve been ignoring her?” you heard the venom in his scoff, and you became happy his back was turned to you, sure that the look on his face was nothing but smug and smiley.
“dude, you’re screwed,” another person piped in with a laugh. you had heard enough. you swiftly walked away, sure not to disturb anything so you wouldn’t grab any attention.
as a result, you treated him as he first treated you. you gave him attitude, short answers, and on occasion some nasty looks.
when you saw xavier thorpe’s unwelcoming face as weems led you to your new room, you were beyond disappointed. you could tell he was too as his eyes widened before his brows rose in an obvious look of discomfort.
“welcome to your new home for the next semester, ms. y/l/n,” she pat your shoulder before leaving abruptly, allowing you to settle into the room.
“look,” you sighed as you heard her heels step down the hall. “i know this’ll be more than difficult for the both of us, so let’s just stay out of each others way as much as possible?”
he rose his hands in defense before nodding, “whatever you want,” he pressed his lips into a fine line.
you rolled your eyes before plopping your bags down beside the bed, letting yourself lay down on it. you could get through this. sure, you wouldn’t have a safe place to go to when you needed it. you wouldn’t have a quiet place to do homework. but you had a place to sleep and to shower and that was fine.
within a couple of weeks, you had made a schedule. you took into consideration his tendency to sleep in and stay out late. in spite of his best efforts, you did know about the art shed.
everyone knows he loves to draw and he doesn’t do it as often in his own room nor in an art room. sometimes he wouldn’t even come back at night, which meant he had to have another place to sleep.
one day, you may have gotten a bit worried as to where he was and simply watched which way he went into the woods. after searching for a short amount of time, you found the shed.
bathroom time:
AM
6:00-7:00 ~ y/n
7:00-8:00 ~ xavier
PM
7:00-8:00 ~ y/n
8:00-whenever ~ xavier
you proudly posted the schedule on the window where he often tapes up a few of his pieces, that way he was sure to see it. it wasn't you trying to be snooty and righteous, it was merely just so you could avoid any awkward interactions.
"seriously?" he scoffed late at night, or more in the morning. you sat up in your bed with a roan, making a noise to ask what he was talking about. "you made a fucking bathroom schedule?"
"it's-it's," you took a sip of water that sat by your bed before rubbing your eyes and checking the clock. 3:53. "it's just so we don't accidentally walk in while the other is showering and shit. basically, i can shower from those times and you can do the same."
"so you just want to dictate my life now?" he scoffed as you heard the rustling of clothes, probably his jacket being discarded.
"no, thorpe," you sighed as you threw your head back on the bed. this boy just wasn't getting it. "look, i took into consideration the fact that you like to sleep in. classes start at 8, so you can shower at 7:30 or whenever because you never wake up earlier than that," you sat back up once more and threw your blanket off of you. "and you stay out all night at that art shed of yours, which is fine! but since you're not even in here at 7 i figured it would be fine to just say that the bathroom is reserved during that time, alright?" you were angry now. it's been a while since you've gotten enough sleep, or uninterrupted sleep. and now he's ruined it.
"i didn't know you thought about that," you were able to make out his figure sitting down on the bed. "sorry," he said it so quietly it was almost as if he didn't want you to hear.
"just turn on the light," you instructed him. "i'm not gonna get any sleep tonight anyway," you huffed before grabbing a book from your nightstand, flipping your lamp on to illuminate the room.
"look, i am sorry," he turned towards you with a soft face. "i know how hard it can be to actually get a good nights' sleep," when you made eye contact you didn't see a face of pity, but of understanding.
"it's fine," you turned to your bookmarked page and began reading, although you weren't really taking in any of the words on the page.
"i uhm-i visited you," he added as he now walked over to his desk, rummaging through his sketchbook. you looked up at him with a questioning face. "when you were hospitalized after everything. enid did too, but i just wanted to make sure that someone was there when you woke up."
"you weren't," you shook your head, your focus on the book now dead. "you weren't there when i woke up. nobody was there."
"i went to get something to eat," you heard the smile on his face. "it's so stupid. i missed you waking up because of food. but you hadn't woken up in weeks and nobody knew when you would. i figured i'd grab something and come back and just keep drawing or something while you sleep. but you were awake."
"i didn't think anyone really cared," you shrugged, looking down where your book lay closed.
"i'm sorry you were alone when you woke up, nobody should have to go through that," when you looked back up, he was at the foot of your bed with a sheet of paper. "this is one of the many drawings i made when you were asleep. you should have it."
it was one of you in a coma, but instead of a hospital bed you were in a field of flowers. the nose cannula was replaced with vines, flowers growing from each tendril. you even had a bouquet of flowers in your hand, a crown of them on your head. you didn't even look like you were dying, or close to it. you looked ethereal.
"wow."
"if it's too much, i-"
"no, no," you interrupted with a smile growing on your face. "i-i don't think i would have ever described myself as beautiful, but somehow that's the only word that comes to my mind when looking at this. thank you."
"thank you," he grasped the end of your bedframe before walking back to his own. "i think i'm gonna shower, keeping with the schedule and all."
you nodded, "alright," you were glad he walked away. he couldn't see the tears form or fall from your eyes.
-
you never went to sleep that night. you set the drawing beside your bed and attempted to continue your book, even when xavier got out of the shower. the last thing you wanted was to start to even remotely like the guy you've sworn to hate. if you can't protect your mind, all you can protect is your dignity at this point.
now, three weeks later, everything is going rather smoothly. the bathroom schedule is being kept and respected, your grades are looking good, no nightmares. the thing with your nightmares is that the longer you don't have one, the worse the next one might be. last time you went four weeks without a nightmare, you woke up screaming in a hot sweat. it had now been around six.
not even to mention the horror that would happen if xavier were actually in the room when it happened. you would be humiliated. he would probably yell it to the whole school, how scared you are.
you had been readying yourself. now supplied with essential oils, doing yoga, meditation, and many other fail-safes, you thought you were almost exempt from any sort of nightmare creeping up on you.
another thing you had started doing to help calm yourself was to go on runs. through a distinct path in the woods, the smell of pine and slight floral would calm you.
though, this run felt different. at a certain point, your body felt rigid. the stiffness in your muscles told you something was off on this run. the crunching of the leaves felt less like a welcome home and more like a warning.
after feeling like you were being followed, you turned around to see xavier walking out of his shed. you hadn't realized you were out that far. you stopped abruptly, laughing at yourself for being so afraid.
"god, you scraed me, thorpe," you held your hand over your heart as you took a deep breath.
"oh, sorry," he smiled as he made his way over to you. "what're you doing out here? i thought you'd be in the shower by now."
"wanted to clear my head, so... went on a run," he nodded in understanding. "you planning on coming back to the room to sleep tonight?"
"i guess we'll see," he smiled as he took a step closer to you. his hands found your waist, holding you softly as if you were fragile. maybe you were.
"i guess so," your arms were thrown over his shoulders as he began to lean down, his lips almost connecting with yours before you heard something behind him.
you stopped in the motions, looking behind him to see the hyde making angry steps towards you. you pushed xavier to the side and told him to run. as stupid as guys are, he decided to look behind him to see what was happening.
"xavier, go!" you urged him as you threw a gust of wind towards te hyde, one that would normally knock an army over. "it's not safe!"
"i'm not leaving you!" he stood by your side as the hyde began to launch objects towards you. he had terrible aim.
then, the moment came. a tree that had been uprooted, that would have knocked the hyde down, was now being hurtled your way. with the way it was travelling, it would hit you dead center.
xavier got in front of you, holding your shoulders, "you're alright, y/n! i'm here!"
"xavier!" your body jolted upwards in a panic, your limbs shaking.
when you finally regained your vision, you were met with a frantic xavier. his eyes were looking at you panicked, his hands cradling your waist and face.
"hey, you're okay," he was holding you so soft. you felt safe. "i'm right here, y/n," you realized you were sitting in your bed, him sitting where your legs weren't tangled.
you didn't realize the hot tears trailing down your face until xavier wiped them for you, "you were... you were gonna die. you stood in front of the-in front of me and it was-and we were," he guided your face into his neck as he brought you into a hug.
"it was a nightmare; you're safe now," he pressed a kiss to your hairline as you sobbed into his chest. arms wrapping around his middle, his own arms tightened on your body to make you feel more secure.
you sat there until the sobs subsided. xavier's hands began to trace your back. at some point, your legs became wrapped around his body with you in his lap. it wasn't in a sexual way. it was in a comforting, needing to be near to him kind of moment.
his smell was oddly comforting. it was a mix of the woods he was always in, paint, and sage. you were scared to close your eyes again, to see him being killed. maybe spending so much time with him has made you a bit fond of the guy. maybe more than fond...
"i'm scared, xavier," you sighed into his chest, clutching tighter to his shirt.
"i know you are," he pulled back to look at your disheveled state. "you wanna try to sleep together? i mean like-like in my bed with me. not like sleep together with like... yea. i wouldn't take advantage of you like that. i'm gonna shut up now," a blush washed over his face, turning it as red as you could see in the dim light.
"i would like to," you nodded as a smile creeped up on your face. "if that's alright?"
"of course, of course," his hands raked through your hair, smoothing it down from a probably incredibly messy state. "here, hold on tight," he gripped your thighs as he rose to his feet, walking over to his bedand sitting down.
you rolled over to the side of him and let him get underneath the covers before you followed suit. "can i-can we like... cuddle?"
"why else would i carry you all the way over here?" he opened his arms for you to roll into. you rested your head on his chest, your hands wrapping around his middle once again as his went around your shoulders.
you waited a beat before you fell asleep before admitting, "i think i like you," almost immediately succumbing to the frightful state of sleep
xavier waited until he heard your breath even out, "i've always liked you."
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dreambunnynotes · 5 months
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my current glow up goals!
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in order to grow and improve it is essential to have clear and easy-to-maintain goals! after a lot of procrastinating thinking i have finally narrowed down my main glow up goals so that i have something tangible to work towards. i have also written down the necessary tasks to accomplish these goals so that i can return to them whenever i feel stuck or demotivated.
1.) appearance and confidence:
one of my biggest glow up goals is to become confident in my appearance! i have never consistently felt good about the way that i look and i know that there are many lovely steps i can take to change this. i want to learn how to love myself and put in the work to show my body and face that i love them! ♥︎
shower + wash hair every morning to start the day off confidently
maintain a skincare routine that works for my skin
save up money to build a wardrobe that i love and feel confident in
learn pilates to improve my core strength and fix my posture
work out 3x a week and get to my preferred weight
put on makeup every day and learn what looks best on me
stretch every morning and night so that my body feels healthy
2.) studying and career:
having a career in something that i adore is absolute essential to me. i would ideally like to manifest financial freedom so that i can spend my days helping people through lifestyle blogging, coaching, and art creation under a trauma-informed/LOA/nondualist lens. i would also love to be a renowned musician who works with my absolute favourite artists in their projects, and be beloved in my music community. my main tasks in this category are studying guitar and piano to become the musician i know that i can be (which will be the "studyblr" part of my blog, and i'm so excited to figure out how i will track my progress with this)! i will also be focusing on manifesting financial abundance so that i can go to school for art therapy, which involves developing proper saving / spending habits until that sweet, sweet windfall of money comes in hehe ♥︎
practice guitar for at least an hour a day to start, and build this up to at least 4 hours a day once my guitar goals are more refined
practice piano for at least an hour a day, working on the same songs i am learning on guitar and working on technique
develop healthy spending habits until i have an abundance of money; focus on repaying my debts and saving for school
find a way to make more money in a way that is super enjoyable for me until i am able to manifest financial freedom
maintain a consistent manifesting routine and self-concept so that i can truly live my dream life and have my dream career!
3.) mental health and wellness:
it is sooo important to me to use my time in ways that are actually fulfilling and enriching. to become my dream girl, i must get rid of mindless activities and replace them with joyful and expansive hobbies and projects. i also must fix my sleep schedule to make sure i am getting enough rest, and learn how to overcome isolation through making new friends and nurturing the ones that i have! ♥︎
replace mindless scrolling with enriching activities and hobbies that i actually enjoy; create a meaningful + exciting list of projects
maintain a consistent sleep schedule and make sure i am getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night until my body adjusts
create a friend group that makes me feel loved and supported; nurture my relationships and nurture myself with socializing
get my drivers license so that i don't have to waste time on public transit anymore!
4.) self concept and self love:
deep down i know that i am worthy of good love, good friends, and an abundance of success and praise. however, it's time that i really internalize those feelings and learn to love myself the way that i deserve by changing my feelings of shame into feelings of love and compassion! ♥︎
journal about my feelings more consistently so that i can work through the shame and guilt spirals that come from RSD
learn more about "parts work" and "internal family systems" so that i can create a lovely library of all my beautiful parts, building them a home that they all feel safe in and where i have easy access to resources when i need them
learn how to be my vibrant and beautiful self around everyone without fear and without compromising my needs, so that i can figure out who i actually enjoy spending time with
continue practicing listening to my body, heart, and mind when something or someone doesn't feel right or safe for me
follow through on my goals and routines and adjust them when necessary so that i can build trust in myself that i can accomplish anything that i put my mind to!
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thank you for reading lovely friends, i am so grateful for your encouragement and support and i can't wait to make you proud! hehe. if you have similar goals and want an accountability buddy, please feel free to dm me and we can encourage each other to do our best! love you lots and believe in you so, so much ♥︎
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bogkeep · 5 days
Note
Would you recommend the SSSS comic? I know little of it beside the very beautiful artstyle and premise
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to answer the question of if i would recommend SSSS as a comic: yes, yes i would.
a description for those who don't know: Stand Still Stay Silent is a post-apocalyptic horror + adventure webcomic set in the nordics (norway, sweden, denmark, finland, iceland) that have been isolated from the rest of the world and gone back to their old gods. the the world outside of safe zones is full of trolls and beasts - humans and mammals that got infected by a horrible virus and turned into monsters. the story follows a ragtag crew that ventures into the old world (derelict denmark) on an expedition to collect books.
the comic updated every workday until it concluded in 2022, and consists of two Adventures. the creator had plans for many adventures with these characters in this world, but ended it after two when she wanted to take a new direction with her life.
what i love about it:
- the art is GORGEOUS. it's been a huge source of inspiration for me. open any page and it's a masterpiece, and you will ask yourself "how the FUCK did she update this FIVE DAYS A WEEK"
- the characters are wonderful and endearing. i just, i love them so much. i am so thankful lalli hotakainen exists he is one of my #1 blorbos forever
- the world is so cool. the blend of chunky sci-fi and norse mythology fantasy magic slaps. it goes so hard. i fell so hard for this comic when i got to the big ferry ship with a viking style dragon head prow added to it. it's everything
- it really really gets nordic cultures. it's difficult to explain all the dynamics and nuances but it just gets it. it brings me as a scandinavian a lot of joy to read a story that speaks to my heart this way. the attitudes, the language barriers, the cultural differences... it was so refreshing to me in a media landscape dominated by american stories. when the pandemic hit, i decided to reread the comic because i found such an odd comfort in seeing how it depicted the scandinavian countries reacting to, well, a pandemic.
- there's kittycats
what i don't like about it:
- the most glaring and obvious flaw is that everyone in the comic is white. there's not a single character of color anywhere, not even i background shots or the prologue. there's no mention of the saami people (the indigenous people of northern europe), either. i believe this was done in ignorance more than malicious intent, but the implications are Extremely Bad and it's been bothering me (AND MANY OTHERS) since day 1. that is the number one caveat i will give to anyone wanting to check this comic out. i've been in the discourse trenches and i am not going to excuse this. it's just bad!
- you can tell in the middle of adventure 2 that the creator has kind of lost interest in the work, around the time when she found jesus i guess. like, very few people can keep up work on the same creative project for years and years and years and i think it's fine that she wanted to drop it, but it's a bit sad to see the comic dragged to its end like a limp corpse, and feeling like the creator no longer really cares about the characters.
- minna sundberg has said and done some questionable things, presumably gotten somewhat radicalised over time, and has also converted to hardcore christianity which is what her new works are about. there's nothing about this in SSSS - there is a moment of christianity represented in the story in a sort of mythological sense, just like the other religions, but this was written before minna's conversion. her new works... are a Choice. i have much to say about them, and i have, and im not gonna rehash it now.
SO YEAH hopefully this will help you take an Informed Choice! i got into this comic in 2015 and was deep in the fandom and it's for better or for worse part of my soul foundation now.
i also recommend A Redtail's Dream, minna's "practice comic" before SSSS, based on finnish mythology and the kalevala.
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minhosimthings · 5 months
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Skz under the Mistletoe
Pairings: bf!Skz × implied fem!reader
Warnings: FLUFF FLUFF NOTHING BUT FLUFF, mention of food, a bit suggestive in Minho and Changbin's
A/N: I needed something to help refresh this dumb brain of mine cause I CANNOT work on any of my smut wips rn so here ya go! Also I know it's not Christmas yet and this is really Christmassy but y'all I live in Scotland. ITS ALWAYS CHRISTMAS MUHAHAHA
Bang Chan/ Christopher
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this mf would start giggling so hard
I'm like a hundred percent positive he would deliberately hang mistletoe above you
Imagine you're baking cookies and you're too busy to give him a kiss
And he just pouts and stalks off ☹️ somewhere to do God knows what
And then you find him sitting on the couch with mistletoe on his hair
"baby quick! Kiss me I'm under mistletoe! Don't you know it's bad luck if you don't kiss someone under mistletoe?"
You'd give in of course, not wanting to sadden your adorable boyfriend,🥺 who looked even more adorable with heaps of mistletoe stuck to his curls
Please save me I am obsessed with this man
Lee Minho/ Lee Know
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This man
This man istg
HE WILL STRAIGHT UP REFUSE TO KISS YOU
"I wouldn't kiss your dumb face normally why would I do it now?"
Meanie 😐
But he'd immediately melt on seeing your pouty face and sad expression
So like the great boyfriend he is, he'd tie strings of mistletoe to Soonie's collar and send her to you.
"alright we need to kiss your mom on her stupidly cute face so go to her and don't mess this up."
Soonie would walk up to you followed by Minho and he would just meekly be like "Mistletoe?"
CUTIES NXJSJS
Would a 100% pick you up and throw you on the bed, saying that mistletoe doesn't only consist of kisses 😏
Changbin/ Seo Changbin
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ISTG I WILL COMBUST RIGHT HERE
Bang Chan part 2
He'd be so giggly and blushing so profusely when you both would notice you're under mistletoe
Like if it was at a party or something, and everyone was shouting "Kiss!" At the both of you, how could he refuse?
Would definitely do that thing where he squeezes your waist
It would be such a soft kiss istg
Would probably take you up to the bedroom after the kiss though
Hyunjin/Hwang Hyunjin
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GIRL THE WAY HE'S BLUSHING SO HARD YOU'D THINK HE SMEARED PAINT ON HIMSELF
You'd decorate his art studio with mistletoe
Specifically putting it above the place where you'd pose for him when he's painting you
This man would probably be confused at first like he's so immersed in painting,
And then you're like "Hyunjin look mistletoe!"
Bitch will be like "You want me to paint the mistletoe in the picture too?"
Truly the leader of PaboRacha
But afterwards he'd give you the most precious kiss ever
Just so soft, warms wrapped around your waist
"Wanna make some hot chocolate darling?"
I need to stop Hyune is wrecking me too hard
Han/Han Jisung
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Ngl he would be the one badgering you
"ooh baby where did this mistletoe come from?"
*holds the mistletoe above your head*
Would pout when you'd say you'll give him kisses later, because you need to get ready for work
Literal sparkly eyes begging you for a kiss
You'd give in eventually, how could you refuse the power of the Han Jisung puppy eyes?
"baby did you kiss me because of the mistletoe or because of my charms?"
SO FUCKING ADORABLE
Felix/Lee Yongbok
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Alright I'm imagining this is Australia because obviously you guys went to visit his family for the holidays
His sister's would a 100% prank him with mistletoe
NAUR cause they'd hang mistletoe over your bed, and when you and felix spot it, they'd pull out their phones to record you guys kissing
DEFINETLY did not do that to my gf once nope
"oh sunshine look mistletoe! Should we have a kiss then?"
MY SWEET POOKIE BROWNIE SUGAR PUMPKIN PIE I love him saur much
Seungmin/Kim Seungmin
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Bruh this guy
I swear to god this guy
KIM MF "it's a childish thing to do" SEUNGMIN
NAUR he WILL make fun of you for wanting to do it
Like you're just goofing off, decorating the house for Christmas
And you decide to jokingly put mistletoe on his hair
He'll just roll his eyes and go back to his book, completely ignoring the grass on his hair
And you'd be like bitch kiss me we're under mistletoe
"Seriously pup, you still believe in that childish crap?"
And he's done it, he's upset you great job Seungmin (I don't know why I'm so salty towards him rn)
And then he'd just sigh, looking at your pouty face
Then he'll proceed to grab your face in his hands and kiss you in the most devastating way ever
"next time when you want a kiss, just ask for it darling."
Wodjdjeb you will not survive
I.N/Yang Jeongin
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AHH INNIE KDISSHD
Lemme calm down first
THIS GUY WOULD BE SO AMAZING
Look if there's anyone in Skz who believes in miracles and the holy spirit and whatnot
IT'S HIM
Flashback to when he wanted to be a priest
Giggles and blushes part 3
Girl he legit kiss you for so long if you do that
Iike sir you need to breathe too stop with the smooches
He'll legit kiss you in the middle of a store if there's mistletoe there
Like just in the middle of the hygiene aisle, where there's mistletoe decorating the shelves
Just BAM his lips are on uours
"We can't resist the power of the mistletoe honey."
I swear to God this man will be the death of me
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no-phrogs-in-hats · 5 months
Text
Baby Steps Part 1
Larissa Weems x fem!reader
Summary: Larissa and reader begin their journey to becoming parents
Warnings: Needles, pregnancy, mentions of PCOS (PCOS girlies unite), blood
A/N: Okay, so a lot of you wanted me to write a Larissa x pregnant!reader and I've decided to make this a tiny series. I was gonna make it a tiny continuation of If I Could Turn Back Time, but I forgot in the epilogue that they adopted a student so oh well. Tiny Larissa x reader series! Also I know I could've just had Larissa shapeshift a dick, but I'm not up for writing that.
Also lmk if you wanna be tagged in the next part<3
Read Part 2 here
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It was in the dark of your bedroom that you whispered her name, “Larissa?”
“Hm?”
You felt her arms tighten around your waist. “What do you think about…children?”
“Children?” She sat up and leaned over you. “Well, I think I have to like them since I’m the principal of a school.”
You sighed, smiling softly as she pecked you on the lips. “That’s not what I meant. I mean…a…family. What do you think about a–starting a…family…?”
Your heart began to race. It had been on your mind for months and all you were waiting for was the courage to bring up the topic. You were anticipating Larissa’s reaction, every scenario in your head ending with the phrase, “Maybe we should get a divorce.”
But, instead, when she laid back down behind you and pulled you into her embrace, she placed a kiss on your neck and smiled. “I would love nothing more, my darling.”
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Larissa held your hand as you sat on the table at the doctors office. The sterile white paper underneath you crinkled with every move you made. 
“The doctor should be in shortly,” the scribe said, smiling before tossing her gloves out and leaving the room. 
Your eyes wandered the room, noting the diagrams and pieces of maternity art that hung on the beige walls. You giggled as you watched Larissa blow into a latex glove before letting it go and watching it fly around the room. You sobered up immediately when a soft knock on the door was heard.
“Hi!” The door opened and a short woman with frizzy hair walked in. “I’m Dr. Curan. It’s lovely to meet you.” She took a seat on the rolling stool in front of the computer, opening your file on it and skimming through it. “So, I see that you’re here for an evaluation.”
“Yeah, we’ve decided to, uhh…start a family. But, as you can see,” you said, gesturing between yourself and Larissa, “we kind of need help with that.”
The doctor smiled. “Well I can help you with that. Were you thinking in vitro? Intrauterine?”
“Intrauterine,” you answer. “Of course, though, in vitro is okay if it’s necessary.”
“Okay! So, the first thing we’re gonna have to do for intrauterine–or artificial insemination, whichever one you wanna call it–is a fertility test.” Dr. Curan looked over your chart once again. “I can see in your chart here that you do have PCOS, so that can affect your fertility. Other than that, you’re healthy and you’re young, so my hopes are high for this.”
“And what does the test consist of?” you heard Larissa ask.
“Part of it will be a blood test,” the doctor said. “This one will measure two hormone levels. The first is the follicle-stimulating hormone. Its main job is to control the growth of eggs in your ovaries. And the second hormone is anti-mullerian. It’s produced by the follicles themselves and the more anti-mullerian you have, the more eggs you’re probably going to have.”
“And the other part?” you asked.
“The other part will be the antral follicle count,” Dr. Curan explained. “It’ll be performed by a transvaginal ultrasound. Basically, we’ll count how many follicles are in your ovaries. And, after that, we’ll go over the treatment plan.”
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Waiting for the sonographer, you laid on your back with your feet in stirrups. You watched as Larissa, with arms folded in front of her, looked closely at a framed poster with fun facts about the female anatomy.
“Did you know this?” she gawked. “Prehistoric females had an average of fifty periods in their lifetime! And the average woman will use 11,000 tampons in her life! That’s bonkers!” She looked back at you, meeting your surprised look before turning back around to continue reading. “Oh, look at this! A contraction can give a force that equates to roughly 1,938 kilograms of pressure! That’s 4,272 pounds! Women’s breasts can grow up to three cup sizes while pregnant! Their blood volume increases by fifty percent and their heart can grow bigger because of that! This is incredible! I can’t believe I never knew some of these!” 
“Larissa,” you huff, “you need to stop reading these off to me, otherwise I’ll schedule a tubal ligation instead of an intrauterine insemination.”
She pursed her lips and smiled at you before walking over and taking your hand. Larissa leaned down and placed a kiss on your lips, “Oh, you’ll be fine, darling.”
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Standing at the sink, you watched out the window as your hands worked idly, scrubbing away at dirty pots and pans. You were lost in your thoughts when you felt a presence behind you. Arms wrapped around your waist and you gasped as hands slid to your hips and lips skimmed over your neck.
Low groans from Larissa vibrated over your throat as she kissed and nipped at the exposed skin. “It’s seven o’clock. Maybe you should put a hold on the dishes.”
“Maybe you should be patient,” you retorted. “A few more minutes won’t make a difference.”
Larissa hummed, “Talking back? You know, Christmas is coming up next month. I’d hate for you to end up on the naughty list…”
“Have any punishments in mind?” you quipped. 
You could feel her heavy breath on your neck as her hands wandered more. Down to your ass, up to your waist, over to your breast. “So, so many,” she murmured into your ear. 
You could feel one of her hands keep you steady as the other one retreated from your body. They returned shortly and one of them pulled your shirt up over your belly. “And–Ow!” 
A sharp pain in your lower abdomen caused you to jolt, and after five seconds Larissa stepped away. You glared at her as she giggled to herself and recapped the needle on the pen. She pressed a kiss to your cheek, “Just think about our future child. When you’re done here, I’ll be in the bedroom…waiting for you.”
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Later that night, beneath the warm comforter and cold air, your naked bodies, slick with sweat, were locked in a tight embrace.
“Maybe we could ask Vlad,” you giggled.
Larissa laughed and tightened her arms around your waist, pulling you closer. “Vlad? Really?”
“Mhm,” you joked. “He’s good looking. He’s athletic. He’s European. He’s the whole package, Larissa.”
“How about we choose someone from the donor list,” Larissa suggested.
You sighed, “Fine. As long as they’re attractive. I don’t want an ugly kid.”
“You are ridiculous.”
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Your leg bounced up and down as you sat with Larissa in the waiting room. 
“What if it’s negative?” you ramble. “What if we’ve done all of this stuff for nothing?”
Larissa’s hand went to your knee, squeezing it lightly to calm your fidgeting. “Then we’ll do it again if you want. Darling, you’re young. You’re healthy. We have plenty of time. And if you no longer want to do it, there are other options.”
When your name was called, Larissa took your hand and walked with you into the room. She sat beside you as you had your blood drawn, talking about names and if the baby would have powers like you, what color to paint the nursery and if you should start looking for a bigger house.
The phlebotomist stood up after bandaging your arm. “Alright, whenever you’re ready, you’re all set. Let me know if you feel dizzy or lightheaded and I’ll get you some juice. It’s a Friday, so you should expect the results in your chart on Monday or Tuesday, and if you haven’t by Wednesday, feel free to give us a call.”
Monday morning, your heart was racing. Your anxieties would be cured sometime that day–to be replaced with elation or disappointment. When? You didn’t know. And you hated it. The entire day moved at a snail’s pace. You could hardly focus while teaching and kept checking your phone every time it buzzed. This happened so many times, in fact, that you had to silence it altogether. 
At lunch, you checked your phone again, but to no avail. It was during the last class of the day that you were sitting at your desk and grading papers while the students had free time that the buzz of your phone made you almost sick with anticipation.
New message: ‘Hello! You have one (1) new test result waiting in your chart. Questions? Call (802)44…’
You thought the bell would never ring. However, when it did, and your students flooded out of the room, you followed suit with your phone in hand. Rushing up the stairs, you had made it to Larissa’s office in record timing. You knocked quietly on the door and when you heard a faint voice beckoning you to enter, you did.
“How was your day?” Larissa smiled as she put away files in a desk drawer .
“Long,” you sighed, giving her a peck on the lips before sitting down. “But, I got an interesting message…The test results are available.”
Larissa froze. “What are you doing? Open it!”
“But, what if it’s negative?” you said.
She took your hand in hers, eyes softening and her voice lowering. “My darling, if it’s negative, it isn’t the end of the world. Like I said a couple weeks ago, this isn’t our only option.”
“Right…” You took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, here we go.”
You unlocked your phone and opened your online patient portal. The words at the top of the screen make your insides turn.
One (1) new test result!
You tapped on them. 
Lab results - Blood
Pregnancy
Result:
Positive
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torturedblue · 9 months
Text
Part 2 of endless Disaster Twin parallels, the not so fun version
Part 1, the fun version
Considering the series shows Donnie coming off as autistic, he’s portrayed that way much more in fan art and fanfics, etc. We often see it in fan portrayals through an aversion to touch or his senses getting overwhelmed, etc. In the show I noticed Leo actually has a consistent aversion to anything with a gross texture too: like in the first episode when they’re all sliding down Draxum’s vines and he’s tripping over himself, the only one bothered by them “I hate this!”
He also starts flailing in a panic after a worm jumps on his face (and do I even need to bring up how the texture of worms ain’t all that enjoyable let alone on your face), recoils when that evil Hidden City massage guy pours hair serum all over his head, and he’s the most visibly repulsed when Raph gets trash all over them in the beginning of Battle Nexus: New York. So on multiple occasions he comes off as pretty texture or germ averse as well
Both also have insecurity issues about their role to the team: “If mystics can do everything I can but better then why would you guys even need me?” “I’m nothing without them!”
Ironically, in Many Unhappy Returns, Splinter thinks Leo doesn’t know what he’s doing and isn’t taking the mission seriously, saying he should’ve brought Purple. But in the same episode during fights with Shredder Donnie’s seen texting on his phone half of the time. Which is also very parallel to Leo making quips in the beginning instead of helping fight like Donnie and the others
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In that same fashion, Donnie’s also goofiest when everyone’s acting serious in Insane in the Mama Train, while Leo’s the unserious one in the following episodes. Another role reversal from their norm
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The show also portrays these two as feeling the most affected by Splinter’s history of emotionally distant parenting. Donnie constantly talks about his unmet need for parent-aged-adult approval/validation, and Leo shows his struggle in a more Leo-like way, constantly finding father figure connections in other people like Jupiter Jim and The Dunk. He also rejects/roasts Splinter a lot too, which seems more like a form of overcompensation; acting like he doesn’t totally need or crave Splinter’s attention. The exact opposite of Donnie’s methods. “No! I’m not going back to what’s-his-rat.”
“He’s my all-time favorite actor/role model/father figure!”
“That eccentric billionaire, who was kind of a surrogate father figure to me, has shown me a version of myself I don’t like.”
Leo acts like he doesn’t pine for his affection. I’m sure he sees the way Donnie openly, desperately goes after it when it’s offered and then gets crushed even harder with disappointment (ahem Turtle-dega Nights). No way Leo’s opening himself up to that. I mean come on how sad is the moment when Splinter says they should do something together and Mikey is so eager to jump on the opportunity before it gets taken away, only for Donnie to have to pull him aside and remind him it’s usually some kind of trick or he’s likely possessed? Just for Mikey to immediately respond, “You’re right, I always fall for this!” Ouch. Honestly considering Mikey’s empathy and emotional maturity in mind, the reason both he and Raph seem to handle Splinter’s lack of attention so well is probably also because in addition Raph became a second parent himself, and taking on that role like Splinter, he knows from his own experience that even though their dad doesn’t show it in the ways they wish he would, of course he loves them and what he does do to take care of them as a parent proves that
I think the parallels and direct contrasts between how Leo and Donnie show their dissatisfaction in their relationship with Splinter is probably the most developed and interesting one to me 💔
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I mean Leo’s the only one who would actually say something like this to Splinter and you can’t tell me there’s not some deep-seated resentment in the way he looks and the way he says it…
So yeah. There’s the sad edition of Disaster Twins parallels. Let’s all cry together 😃
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triptychgardener · 8 months
Text
As I was finishing up my HS reread, and it's interesting noticing the slight art style change that appears at the very end. Obviously HS is no stranger to changes in art style, but it really slowed down on that from Act 6 onward, where it mostly stayed pretty consistent. Especially in A6A6I5, where the focus is heaviest on the dialogue.
But as we start actually wrapping up, Hussie (I assume it's Hussie) changes it up slightly.
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Like the difference between the top and the bottom is subtle, but it's there! Faces get more circular, troll eyes are less just big ol' ovals. As much as I'm a sucker for the old bug eyes, I do think the new style is appealing! It gives us some of the best character images in the comic, and doesn't skimp out in the weird bug effect either.
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(Including some of the Jades of all time)
I was wondering if it was setting up for a smoother transition into these big splash shots before Collide.
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But then Ado pointed out (something I forgot about as an archival reader
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That in between the art style change, the Gigapause happened, taking up nearly 8 months!
And sure enough, looking at the last scene before Terezi: Remem8er and the first one after
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The shift occurs! Meaning it was probably just Hussie's artstyle changing over a period of time away from the comic!
It's especially interesting (to me, if no one else) is that this seems to have been the prevailing inspiration artstyle for most postcanon Homestuck projects like Vast Error or HS^2. It was such a small part of the comic relatively, but has had a disproportionately large impact on the visual style of its successors!
So anyways, hell of a mystery that no one really thought was one, but damn if it didn't just get solved, etc.
Edit: So I have been informed that Hussie actually didn't do most of the panels past Terezi: Remem8er, and that those were all done by fan artists! So far I am aware that the excellent Jades were done by PapersEverywhere, though I am not sure on the rest! My bad, sorry!
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moons-of-dewclan · 2 months
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I was curious how to get your clan really set off? I recently (LIKE EARLIER TODAY JFJSJFJ) started my own clangen blog but idk if it's worthy of Tumblr😭
How can I improve my art and improve my process? You're one of my BIGGEST inspirations ngl you're literally him (or her or they I'm so sorry I never caught your pronouns) but I was just curious on how to be better? If you wanna look, don't. It's like, rlly bad so.... save your eyes. Have a lovely nighttt <33
HELLOOOOO I'M NOT 100% SURE WHAT YOU MEAN BY SET OFF I'M SORRY :{ if you mean to get people reading it, i think it's vastly just luck also appealing to an audience by accident i posted my art online for 10 years (i started posting in 2010 as a wee ka- told you i'm an adult haahahueu) before anyone showed consistent interest and i valued those two or so commenters who occasionally had something to say about my stuff, so much LAKSNLKD. that entire decade i got between 2 and 30 favourites for every piece i posted- usually between 2 and 10- until around 2021 when a making a comic aANNND joining a wolf ARPG group exposed me to many kindred art-enjoyers that wanted to keep up with my goofy stories then for some reason, i posted Dewclan's first page on tumblr and it got way more engagement than any other piece of art i've ever posted SO LAKSDNLKDAS WE CANNOT PREDICT THESE THINGS.. at least i can't if you're looking for engagement, pLS AIM FOR ENGAGEMENT THAT FEELS MEANINGFUL over anything else IN MY OPINION, and it's just my opinion- part of being 'better' is, first and foremost, being able to enjoy your art alone. and then being excited with what you choose to share! even if you don't care about your quality of art, care about the story. if you don't care about the story, care about the process and just having fun. but you have to have fun in doing it, and do it for your own eyes primarily. like if you were alone in a room and creating only for yourself! because, until you happen to find others who like what you're liking, you are then when someone is interested and you get to share that excitement, even that ooone comment on something you care about is OOGHHH SUCH A NICE FEELIN. enter communities, comment on other artists' work, try to make friends! but make sure to remember, if you create with the hopes others will like it, without liking it yourself, you're going to be really broken down if someone doesn't like it FOR you :{ loving your own art is tough work but it's integral to your longterm relationship with drawing ON IMPROVING.. for me, nothing is more integral to improving than finding a way to practice that suits you (looking at live figures doesn't help me at all. i don't know why. it's insane), and having fun doing it. i can't grasp anatomy unless i break it down with shapes. SHAPES ARE EVERYTHING. study the shapes of what you want to draw. break em down by tracing simple shapes over your subject. see if the leg is the same length as the head from muzzle to neck and lock that info in. STUFF LIKE THAT on the technical side of things, it can be super helpful to dedicate half an hour or so to drawing a day- eventually it becomes a habit and you just default to 'oh i think i wanna draw' when you've got nothing else to do. more drawing, more improvement!
HONESTLY THO another important thing is not putting yourself down. i know it's a hard habit to break (i struggle with it outside of art myself!), but it doesn't do you any favours. the more you rag on yourself, the more it'll manifest as something that actually damages your art, AND your relationship with it. let it be fun- don't sabotage yourself! you can be critical of your work and still kind! little tip here, improving can take a while, but experimenting with styles can make an INSTANT shift in how you perceive your stuff. ALSOOO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT BRUSHES FOR SKETCHING AND LINING. I PROOMISE. PLS DO IT. IT'S LIKE A MAGIC TRICK. i cannNNNOT sketch with a hard brush. everything looks horrible. marker brush tho?? so smooth. full of character. lovely. binary brush sketches? suddenly i'm Anime. pencil brush?? i digidevolve back into baby ka who loved to crosshatch and do semi realism. airbrush??? i explode into atoms actually
i find for a lot of people, they don't need to improve or be 'better' at art, they need to learn to enjoy what they're capable of doing now, and improvement is a byproduct. from what i've seen through the years, unless you work to curb it the negative view of your art will stick with you no matter what 'skill level' you get to bc the calls' comin from inside the house, yknow what i mean 3: it can be a long process to learn to accept your art, and sometimes you just plain grow out of it over time! but in the meantime it can't hurt to make efforts to fight your d e m o n s
I'M SORRY I WROTE SO MUCH IK YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS ALL IT ISN'T JUST TO YOU, ODESSY-CLAN BLOG RUNNER, IT'S AIMED AT ANYONE WITH ARTSY SELF DOUBTS. i hope i phrased everything kindly bc i meant it all kindly 3: i hate to see an artist doubt their work, but THERE IS NO SHAME IN IT. i want to encourage loving it regardless of any flaws tho, even though it takes time!
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Round 2 Group C Match 2
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ATTENTION VOTERS WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE A TIE ON THIS POLL. MARGIN OF 0.2% OR SMALLER WILL MEAN JONNY AND MIKE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND TOGETHER.
expand for propaganda ↓ (major wall of text warning + videos. very.)
Jonny Greenwood:
"Every art girl's (and boy's) wet dream"
"He wrote the tourist. That's all you need."
"Repeat from my Thom propaganda but he was a part of it so anyways. I had a dream once where I met him and Thom on the street and asked them to sign my Pablo Honey CD, so Thom pushed me into open traffic and I got hit by a car and died and Jonny laughed his ass off. 10/10, my last sight before death was his beautiful face laughing."
"I could probably snap him like a twig but I want to marry him and have 3 children with him before I do that"
"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose 1/5 of Radiohead. Choose 1/5 of In Rainbows. Choose the man who wrote weird fishes, both Greenwood sisters ,the man in South Park, his telecaster and the stickers on it. Choose the bug Jacqueline Kennedy, his love for literature and poetry, and his lovely lisp. Choose his sublime score for Phantom Thread and his husband Paul Thomas Anderson. Choose the weird amount of straight men who thirst over him in the YouTube comment section. Choose his jawbone. Choose the most pretentious, unpretentious member of the band. Choose his silky hair and his (probably) Dove shampoo. Choose his great knowledge of music theory and how he often disregards it. Choose Astroboy's biggest fanboy (minus maybe Thom. Choose a very hot Alex James who eloped with a fish. Choose Jonny Greenwood. Choose your future. Choose life… Involuntary Trainspotting reference but please vote Jonny over Wario. Oh, and( even though Jonny lives in Italy at the moment), I live in Oxford and if I meet him, I'll tell him that he won."
"He keeps chickens guys, CHICKENS"
"I'm a straight guy but no joke Jonny is hot tbh maybe it's cuz he looks like a chick but like damnnnn"
"He's so gorgeous....kinda like an ant 😍😍😍😍"
Mike Patton:
"Mike didn't consistently wear BDSM masks matched with boiler suits and lick Trevor Dunn on stage just to lose this bracket. Also, if you don't think he's hot in every which way, you clearly haven't seen this: https://youtu.be/gjEbHBafvm0 or this: https://youtu.be/i9_hCjcFNO0 or this: https://youtu.be/Kfq7wHJu21c"
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"Mike Patton collaborated with basically everyone who's anyone in music, and he speaks Italian too. He's great in a live show. And Mr. Bungle is unmatched and unparalleled, full stop."
"HEE HEE HOO HOO HA HA FUNNY WHITE MAN SCREAMS IN MY EAR AND BUSTS IT DOWN SEXUAL STYLE"
"I'm a lesbian but I find him insanely attractive which I think says a lot"
"whenever mike arches his back and screams a part of my soul leaves my body and is shattered by the soundwaves."
"all you need to do to love mike is watch this: https://youtu.be/0gq_Jn41iMM&t=1375 the fact that he blurts that out and then super casually goes into the song leaves me crying with rage and hormones every time I see it"
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xamiipholia · 3 days
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Since it’s been a year since Burning Shores came out, some thoughts on Seyka:
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TL;DR: Great character, really happy with her as a love interest for Aloy. They do some really interesting things with her that I never really see addressed so I wanted to talk about them.
She is tangibly shown to be much more of a match for Aloy through gameplay. Compared to other npcs, she solves things faster, does more damage, is a much more formidable melee combatant, faster climber - she even has a fucking Valor Surge using her Focus that does pretty significant tear damage to large machines like Slaughterspines. Environmental storytelling- Seyka’s skiff has at least 2-3 Tiderippers’ worth of parts, meaning she’s been out on her own killing the things to build boat motors, and she has some ambient dialogue that strongly suggests she’s fought and killed Slaugterspines before. Is some of this npc tech advancements in Burning Shores? Maybe, but it feels intentional. 
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Seyka has a natural probing curiosity about the old world that for the most part Aloy’s other companions didn’t have without some significant hand-holding from Aloy to get them started, and some of her close friend (but not base team) characters just don’t have at all. I don’t mean this as a moral judgement, everyone is different and has different strengths and priorities , but it’s absolutely critical that a partner for Aloy have that kind of curiosity - it’s such a big part of her character. While she lives in this new world, she’s never going to be entirely a part of it. Like she says, she finds belonging in individuals, and not really the tribes. I don’t really see Aloy settling down in Meridian or Mother’s Heart. She needs to have a life of exploration and discovery and Seyka seems cut from that cloth too, whether she was always that way or being marooned gave her a fresh perspective.
Seyka did risk death using the focus and decided to do it anyway- in Rheng’s notes he calls for capital punishment for her. The threat is never *too* present but honestly I think that’s a broader critique of the series and pretty consistent with the writing of conflicts in Horizon. I agree they could have played up the dramatic tension a bit, but this is a person who weighed the risk of a military execution by a totalitarian state and immediately decided it was worth it to save her sister and others. I think Aloy can intimately relate, given what she went through for Beta.
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Even though it’s a DLC, she has a TON of screen time, probably comparable to Kotallo in HFW, and Horizon does SO much storytelling through gameplay and ambient dialogue. I think she’s given a LOT of narrative space to breathe. She’s also has her own musical cues and leitmotifs that do a ton of foreshadowing work through the DLC - in terms of musical cues and framing she’s very associated with the acoustic guitar, and the flute melody in ‘Her Sky, Her Sea’ has for Aloy and Seyka the same function that ‘It Can’t Last’ does for Ellie and Dina in TLOU2 - next time you play Burning Shores, listen for it. That and the guitar cues from ‘The Idea of Home’ and ‘For His Entertainment’ do a lot of emotional work. It’s great stuff.
Okay and lastly- YMMV on this one - I’ve def talked about it with friends before but I don’t think I’ve said it on Tumblr. I’m a firm believer that meta narratives and the way that stories are situated and created in our own world matter and that art deserves to be taken seriously and dissected. I love Horizon, but it, and Aloy as a protagonist, are absolutely drenched in white savior and colonial storytelling tropes. Every time I play Frozen Wilds, all I can think of is Jack Sparrow going “and then they made me their chief”. There’s a lot of iffy stuff in the games, as much as I absolutely love them. We’ll have to see how H3 goes, but Burning Shores is MUCH better about this and honestly Seyka is a huge part of it. The story centers itself on a queer woman of color who is pretty tangibly presented as Aloy’s equal with her own strengths and weaknesses throughout the story and takes the lead just as often if not more than Aloy does, which I find really refreshing. It doesn’t entirely fix Aloy’s white savior issues but I think it’s a really good move for the narrative that continues the themes found in HFW about community and connection.
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Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (2017)
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aerequets · 8 months
Note
I really liked the scene you drew for the fanfic Once more with feeling. Do you have other fanfics recommandations? PS. I love your art :3
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thank you! :D and yes of course i do 😎 i have this list (twiyor) from a while ago but i have amassed more than enough new faves to make a new one!
i will try to get a mix of fics w/ different vibes, and different lengths, as well as those that you may not have heard of before. most if not all of them will be twiyor tho, bc that's what i read most.
i'll put them under the cut!
FUN FACT i spent like 45 mins writing a list and SOMEHOW DELETED IT ALL. so this is take 2 😭😭😭😭 ANYWAYS
The Woman in Red by @nightofnyx8
rated M, 7/7 chaps, 47.9k words
this fic feels like a book to me if i was already invested in the characters. it revolves around yor, who gets an assignment to find out where a bunch of trafficked girls are being kept by the asshole of the millenium, vito cohen. it is also post reveal, post relationship twiyor. this fic has dark moments just by virtue of the subject matter, but none of it feels gratuitous if that makes sense? like every bit of violence lends to the whole picture. there are also some Steamy ™ twiyor moments, which are easily skippable if that's not your thing, but their whole relationship here is just written so well. the trust is there and the protective loid vibes are 👌 i m m a c u l a t e
Smoldering by @julphines
rated G, 1/1 chaps, 2.1k words
i freaking love the look into post reveal, pre relationship twiyor we get here. it's not overtly romantic but instead them getting to know each other. i especially love the details of them having to make themselves be vulnerable in some ways because they just aren't used to it. a really nice, in-between sort of fic :)
In Love With the Distance by Newt on ao3
rated T, 37/37 chaps, 21.5k words
this one is formatted as a collection of letters and i am OBSESSED. i think the author does a very good job getting the character voices down, and the fact that the progression in their relationship is clear despite being in this letter format will never cease to amaze me. it's also incredibly consistent and has cute 'ciphers' at the top that are used to disguise the letters. this one is also post reveal, and kinda follows what happens immediately after. some bits are outside the letter format, but for the most part, it's loid and yor writing to each other. love
La Vie En Rose by @jubileen
rated T, 1/1 chaps, 3.7k words
i love me a good ol 5+1 fic, and this one did not disappoint 😌 i especially liked how the thing that is being counted here (you know, the "five times x and one time x") is not explicitly stated each time. it's something that is as slowly revealed to the reader as it is to the characters, which is a nice touch. and there are more things you catch after a reread, which i am also a great fan of!
An Ever Fixed Mark by Spiraling (Stormwind13) on ao3
rated T, 3/3 chaps, 3.8k words
soulmates that share wounds!!!!!! need i say more?? ALSO, there's some GORJUS artwork in this fic! actually, the first "chapter" is just the cover page, and then in the third chapter is another illustration which is so well done! so that's a plus :) this fic has the nice ol heartwrenching mix of backstory and present for the characters, another plus!
this fic is restricted tho, so u gotta be logged into ao3 to read it 🙏
Love, He was Certain by toteally on ao3
rated M, 1/1 chaps, 3.2k words
this one is so funny and good to me bc loid goes head empty seeing fruit juice dribble down yor's chin KJFDHSJ i love when overthinking characters suddenly can't form a thought at the most mundane of happenings. ALSO the thing fics/books do when the title comes up and you're like OHHHH THERE IT IS!!! yeah that as well
Macabre Theme and Variations by @piracytheorist
rated T, 15/15 chaps, 66.6k words (lol)
WOOOO TIME LOOP FIC! yet another thing that i am a fan of :DD although HEED THE WARNING because there IS violence but there is also a happy ending. this fic follows twilight as he goes through the same day over and over again and tries not to die a horrific death forever. mans gets more trauma, BUT he also gets character progression and a happy ending so fair trade off right 🤔 (yes. the answer is yes)
anyways, this list is hardly even the tip of the iceberg. there's also my bookmarks which, at the time of writing this post, are at 354... most of which are sxf/twiyor.... so yeah LMAO obviously i couldnt put all of them into this post but definitely check those out. i've also got my own works if you're interested but hopefully this list contains fics you have not yet read, and that you will like 🙏🙏
(if your fic is on this list and you haven't been tagged + would like to be, pls let me know!)
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