#and comparing myself to my old art XD

[ask-the-dweets]

hah HA! These took much longer than I had wanted them to, but I needed the break. The refs for the boys are all finally done! Made these to go along with their new header and banner. They were all very much in need of an update.

Everyone got a new perk too!~

You can check out their info page (in desktop mode) if you want to learn even more about them!

They’ve come quite a long way in a year! You are here (May 2022) | old refs (oct 2021)| even older refs (July 2021)

If you’re struggling to read what the refs say or need to use a translator, I will have it in text form under the read more!

Dwight “Elf” Fairfield

(aggressive playstyle)

Height: 5′10″ (178cm) Age: 25 Ream time: 25?+ years

Elf’s pointed ears are real!!

Has a hard case of resting bitch face

Can be snarky and snappy

Extremely calculated in a trial. He will do whatever he deems best for the team (usually takes chase)

Absolutely WILL taunt the killer in a trial. Smack talk, jokes, tea bagging, clicking, etc.

Potentially one of the first Dwights in the realm

Freezes up when flustered or nervous, pauses and ‘uhms and uhs’ when talking. No stutter or nail biting.

Cosmetic: Mr. Elf outfit (only wears in trials!) Outside of trials Elf can wear whatever he wants. Normally it’s more comfy outfits like sweaters and loose pants.

Perks: Dead Hard, Unbreakable, Second Wind, Prove Thyself, Iron Will, Adrenaline, Decisive Strike

----------

Dwight “Fancy” Fairfield

(altruistic playstyle)

Height: 5′10″ (178cm) Age: 27 Realm time: 9-10 years

The “leader” of the trio

Doesn’t swear (like AT ALL, even on the brink of death it’s highly unlikely he’ll curse)

Decent at looping but much weaker than Elf

Almost always there for the save, if he isn’t he’ll be there soon

Willing to take chances and do risky saves at his own expense

Doesn’t bite his nails (or is highly unlikely to), rubs his neck and wrings his wrists instead

Cosmetic: Hasty side part, Cocktail soiree vest, Rose-backed slacks

Perks:  Kindred, We’ll make it, Sprint burst, Empathetic connection, Borrowed time, Leader

----------

Dwight “Pizza” Fairfield

(immersed playstyle)

Height: 5′10″ (178cm) Age: 24 Realm time: 10 months

Transgender

Inefficient in a trial. Doing his best with limited experience

Good enough at gens and healing, horrible at chases

Jumpy and spooks easy

Energetic and moody

Doesn’t like being alone. Tends to buddy-up with others. Trial or not.

Would be a nail biter if not for his gloves

Rarely doesn’t stutter, it gets worse with strong emotions

Cosmetic: See me now cap, First job shirt, Brown slacks

Perks: Quick and Quiet, Urban Evasion, Bond, Spinechill, Headon

And here’s a simplified ref with all three of them together for easy usage!!

#dwight fairfield #dead by daylight #dbd fanart #elf dwight #pizza dwight #fancy dwight #artwork #reference #pretty happy with the improvement from their last refs! #I honestly just really enjoy making references too.... #and comparing myself to my old art XD #makes me feel good lol #now time to make a new pinned post with all of the updated images!!

[lovesickfolly]

tagged by @aleng-neng. What are my fave top 9 shows in no particular order. (All of these I have at 10/10.) I'll only pick recent shows, as they're the ones I have listed on MyDramaList and thus have a ranking for. XD This means it's mostly bls and cdramas. 1. Moonlight Chicken.

One of my feelgood shows, even though it's still new. It feels comfortable and adult and grounded, with a bunch of amazing actors who are clearly comfortable with each other. As an 'older queer' it resonates with me a lot and I didn't dislike a single thing about it.

2. The Blood of Youth.

A really fun show with gorgeous, engaging characters and the right mix of beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and creative storytelling that I like. Sprinkle in some excellent fight scenes and a bunch of my favourite actors and I'm sold!

3. Old Fashion Cupcake.

I talked about mature stories earlier and this is another one of those. I could see myself in the main lead just a bit too much for me not to love this. Nozue recognizes that he's maybe stuck in a rut and complacent when he doesn't have to be. And, maybe, that handsome junior at the firm could help him get out of it (and make him recognize he's not straight).

4. KinnPorsche.

Look, I know it has its issues. I know. And I know people have an issue with some of the fandom. I get it and for the most part I agree. However, this was the first BL in a long time that I had the urge to write fic for. I enjoyed the complexity of the universe and the characters that much. (Even if some of it didn't make sense. but that's half the fun!) And that's why I like it. It got my brain involved. (And I just adore Tankhun, okay.)

5. Word of Honor.

Years ago I watched a few cdramas and then...somehow forgot about them? (I don't know how I did that.) However, back in 2019 I got back into them and eventually stumbled upon The Untamed. 'This is the pinnacle of cdrama for me and my tastes!' I thought. But then Word of Honor showed up. Look, everything about this show is stunning. The story, the characters, the setting, the clear and unadulterated love between the two main characters. Everything and everyone is beautiful and I've never gone through a cdrama as fast as I did this one. It's beautiful in ever sense of the word. And so, so queer. Don't believe me? Just search 'word of honor cdrama' in the gif section on tumblr and marvel at the art.

6. A Tale of Thousand Stars.

This is not the first Thai BL I watched, but it almost feels like it? Because ATOTS is the first one I remember going crazy about (and it set me on the road to basically loving everything EarthMix are in together). I was super invested and wanted to draw art and everything. It's just such a nice, soft, romantic story and the characters are so fun. This is probably the one I've rewatched the most.

7. Semantic Error.

As you can tell, I generally like stories that feel far away from home. I like magic and fantasy and settings that aren't typical. However, this is one of the few exceptions. I think it's the characters and their journey and the perfect execution of tropes that would have felt stale in any other show. It's a fun story with excellent characters and I get why it's so popular.

8. Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

Technically, I can't say this show is 10/10 yet because it still has a bunch of episodes to go. However, I can tell it's going to get close at least. (And will probably get to 10.) I keep comparing it to a perfect blend of The Blood of Youth and A League of Nobleman, in that it's a fantasy world with a master swordsman who's dying (and begrudgingly adopts a cute puppy who loves him) and a bunch of cases that need solving (to unravel the overarching plot). It's so much fun and the settings + characters are so beautiful. (And I may or may not heavily ship the loyal, eager puppy with the stoic, lying dying man who tries to push him away (and literally abandon him) in an attempt to keep him safe (from harm and heartache).) The hurt/comfort and love against all odds is strong in this one! He gave up his lifelong dream to protect a man who's been lying to him ever since they met and whom is at that point a wanted fugitive!! Because he trusts and loves him so. Also, it has a bunch of very handsome and gorgeous actors/characters in it, whom I love (and who suffer beautifully).

9. ??? I only have 8 shows that I've given 10/10 to (or a prospective 10/10, lol), so I'll just leave you with some other recommended shows that came close! Bad Buddy

Between Us

Choco Milk Shake

Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms

My Only 12%

Ancient Love Poetry

That's it! I invested way too much effort into this, but...it was fun? Sorry for clogging up your timelines with this, though!

#tag game #arcana's 10/10

[singsweetmelodies]

tagged by lovely @car-bo-hydrate to try this <3333

star sign: virgo

favourite holiday: new year

last meal: a hot mug of tea and some south african buttermilk rusks (comfort food breakfast!!! ❤️☕)

current favourite musician: probably taylor swift, but as always, it's hard to choose just one. OOOH! lately, dove cameron is high up on the list too

last music listened to: confetti (acoustic version) by little mix - LISTEN. ever since ms perrie edwards put out a tease that her solo music is coming soon, i have been on a big little mix high again, listening to all my old favourites and hyping myself up sooooo much for that perrie music drop 👀👀👀😍

last movie watched: my girlfriend and i rewatched shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings again last night for movie night <3 LOVE that movie, omfg. both my gf and i firmly declared all michelle yeoh's scenes our favourites 🤭

last tv show watched: you know, it's actually been really long since i've properly watched a TV show, so the answer to this is probably something silly like reruns of FRIENDS

last book/fic finished: 2 different answers here!! last book was iron flame by rebecca yarros (yes, i caved to all the hype and read it on the plane - yes, there were bits that pissed me off, but i mostly enjoyed it) and last fic was one of AO3 user venerat's landoscar masterpieces, "i'll kiss you first" <3

last book/fic abandoned: hmm... i tried to read this rom-com called "you & me: a mlm single dads romance" while on holiday in SA, and i just... couldn't make it more than 5 chapters in. the cringe (& the VERY american focus of... everything...) was just too much for me, especially because i tried to read this right after a super delightful wlw rom-com recommended to me by darling @duquesademiel. after that, this one just... couldn't compare. at all.

currently reading: well, i'm back to work, so my time for books has unfortunately dropped exponentially... all i'm actively reading rn is a bunch of f1 rpf fics, to be perfectly honest

last thing researched for writing/art/hyperfixation: "WHAT COULD CAUSE A SCANDAL IN THE REGENCY ERA" 🤣🤭

favourite online fandom memory: storytime sundays where we tell those long DM fics with @boxboxbrioche and @welightitup <3333

favourite old fandom you wish would drag you back in/have a resurgence: HMMM! i am mostly over all my old fandoms by now, to be fair, but if i really had to choose one... probably one direction?? because a proper resurgence would mean the reunion, right? (right?) ((so maybe i'm not quite as "over it" as i pretend 🤭))

favourite thing that you enjoyed that never had an active fandom: ohhhh, i can't think of a name immediately now, but it's definitely some or other book series that, if it had a fandom at all, was so tiny that i was practically the only person in it 🥲

tempting project that you're trying to rein in/don't have time for: LISTEN. i have had the most awful writer's block for months, and now that i can finally write again, somewhat, all that i want to write are the things that i should NOT be focusing on rn, because those things don't have deadlines but other things do *charles_wtf discord react*

prime example: about 2838474829 piarles smut WIPs and a/b/o and chussyverse explorations, instead of... my PWFE fic. some belated birthday fics. some celebration fics i promised nearly half a bloody YEAR ago. oops 😭😭 but, we'll get there. we will! just like this will be ferrari's year (i am delulu) xD

no idea who's done this yet and who hasn't, so i'm just going to tag some friends and hope i'm not double-tagging anyone - also, if i miss anyone, please feel free to say i tagged you anyway, because i'd love to see your answers <3 @boxboxbrioche @welightitup @hourcat @teamnick @sedicii @francophones @radiocheck, if any of you feel like giving this a go <3333

#tag game #tagged! #oh i am so behind on my tag games that it's not even funny - but i loved doing this one!! tysm for thinking of me charlotte <3

[thepinklink]

It got too long and heartfelt in the reblog, so I decided it deserved its own post XD

BOOM. MY OLD ART FROM LIKE 2018/19???

This is my bestie's Harry Potter OC that I drew for her! I actually had some similar drawings of both our OCs, but they're not in my possession right now XD and maybe they'll never be! But it's cool to see how very far I'll e come since then.here's some of my more recent art, just so you can see them side by side XD

For me, personally, seeing them side by side makes me giddy. They're so different, it's hard to link them together, hard to look at them and think the same person drew them. But I did. And as someone who grew up with another fabulous artist (@/rustic-space-fiddle), | was always impatient, always discouraged to look at my own art and see everything it was missing. I wanted to draw like Rusty, but I was so very unskilled. I was very eager to reach the day when I could match her skill, when I could look at my art and see in it everything that I saw in hers.

And today, I can honestly, confidently, gratefully say that I have arrived.

Obviously, if you go check out Rusty’s art, you’ll see I am by no means as good as her. But I learned awhile ago that I’ll never be, no one will—not only am I biased that she’s the best artist in the world (because she is), but Rusty draws the way only Rusty can, and the way only she will. Others may draw similarly, others may copy her, but art is like a fingerprint. Each style and piece is unique to the person who drew it. Therefore, it’s unfair for me to compare myself to Rusty when I could never possess her fingerprint in the first place. But that doesn’t change the fact that I used to compare myself to her so harshly—and the fact that to a younger me, I have achieved exactly what I wanted.

2018 was not the year I started drawing. Was it perhaps the year of my first exploration into the digital realm? Yes, but before then, I was drawing horses. I love horses, and I loved them so much they were all I ever drew. My walls were adorned with dozens of drawings of horses. I’ve since fallen out of the habit of drawing horses so regularly, but all those drawings are what started me drawing. I learned to hold a pencil and put it to paper drawing horses, and then from there, I just started drawing everything else. I only recently started drawing in seriousness, in the grand scheme of things. A year or two ago. And then I was drawing people most of the time, and the occasional dog or cat. And there were many bumps along the way—my discouragement at my own ability, as well as my inability to draw digitally, as I was quickly coming to love. The iPad I used at the time simply didn’t support Procreate after awhile, so I was using my sister’s iPad.

There are also the artists which inspired me. Obviously, rustic-space-fiddle was—and still is—my number one support and inspiration, she was my goal. But then I got instagram and I saw people’s different styles, and while I don’t know where exactly the inspiration from them comes from, it’s certainly there, perhaps in the courage with which I now draw. The second biggest inspiration in my life has been, without a doubt, Jojo. Her art style, which I adore, is something I have tried to imbue in mine—I’ve been told before that it can be seen, but I’m unsure of that. Still, even if I do not draw in her style, I think I draw in her energy. In the way that I draw Legend, that style, that goal, that love for him and her art, I think it’s there every time I draw Legend, and even in the other things that I draw too. She may never know, but she is perhaps the only other artist in the world I have ever really hoped to be like.

Anyways. I guess what I am simply trying to say is I’m happy. I’m proud. I’m content with my art, in a way I once hoped I would achieve, and while I know I have many things to learn, I approach them without that lost hopelessness I used to feel, but with passion, curiosity, and the determination to grow better.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. You didn’t really have any reason to read this—even if we have talked, even if we are mutuals, I’m still a stranger whose ramblings about her art hold almost no weight at all. But you did anyways, because you were curious, because you cared, because it was interesting, moving, inspiring. Whatever it was, thank you :)

I’ve come a very long way. And I’ll go a very long way more. I hope you’ll be here to see it all!

#plink draws #plink rambles #sorry that was long #i was very moved XD

[miyakuli]

The Divine Speaker

The Divine Speaker is a BL visual novel set in a fantasy world in which we follow Raen, a young orphan who is about to discover the truth about the world around him, in the company of 3 men who will soon become his friends (and maybe more xp) and help him on his journey.

To be honest, I launched this VN without expecting much, just to pass the time. In the end, I found myself quickly becoming involved in the story and genuinely enjoying its characters, I'm even almost sad to leave them now that I've finished the game entirely ;v; It therefore remains a good surprise overall even if it remains only rather banal overall, with its strengths and weaknesses.

❤ The characters are all super endearing and this even more thanks to the work of the dubbing actors whom I warmly salute because really, they bring a real freshness to their roles and also a lot of humor (especially Jonah Scott and his perfect cynical tone ;D). Kudos to them! ❤ The art direction is very pretty, whether in the varied scenery or the charming chara-design, or in the illustrations, some of which are truly magnificent. ❤ For such a little indie game, I think the music is really good, with several pretty themes that are easy to remember.

+/- The game offers us 3 very different love interests in their interactions with Raen so each player can find their own personal tastes and their favorite route (humhumFawnobviouslyhumhum). There are even "hidden" routes with the secondary protagonists. However, I found them uneven in terms of chemistry and progression; some felt too rushed and underdeveloped. This is all the more apparent as the LIs' routes follow a similar pattern, the only difference being the scenes about their past and the few intimate scenes with Raen. As a result, once one route has been completed, the others will seem rather repetitive and therefore less impactful. +/- The scenario quickly grabs your attention and its universe is interesting enough on the whole, but everything is quite predictable and certain points of the story are resolved a little too easily for my taste.

✖ Although I said earlier that all the characters were endearing, I find Raen, our main protagonist, to be sweet as can be but far too bland compared to the rest of the group. He's definitely evolving, but he has much less depth than his companions, which unfortunately makes him a rather forgettable character on an individual level (because yes, as a couple he's still cute :p). ✖ Some of the transition visual effects look really cheap and unnecessary (like the old Windows Movie Maker effects from the 2000s lol). ✖ This is completely personal, but I think it's a shame that once Raen confesses his love to each of the LIs, the remaining illustrations become nothing more than sex scenes XD I've got nothing against that haha, but I was still pretty frustrated not to have any more SFW illustrations to at least conclude the routes in a soft way……but I've always been more fluff than smut, that must be why x)

The game has a good lifespan (18 hours for me) and I managed to get attached to the characters and their trials and tribulations right to the end, despite the fact that this visual novel is only more or less decent ; is it the power of this Divine Speaker I wonder….

➡ My personal VN ranking (in french) ➡ My Steam page

#The divine speaker #it's getting way too hot to spend 30 mns writing a review on the pc lol #I miss the boys already #OK NOW I RUN TO HELLUVA BOSS NEW EPISODE #personal #Lola plays games

[covenofwives]

Hi coven!! I've had the realization that one of the factors that caused me to absolutely fall in love with your au (other than the fact that it's so well written and amazing) is that I used to have an obsession with Greek mythology as a kid ahfkbdksns and I LOVEDDDD the gods and goddesses I thought and even still think they're so coooool.

So!!! I wanted to ask about the other gods that exist in your world :D since it's been mentioned before both by you AND in fics that the god trio we follow are rather powerful gods compared to others, based on the fact that they each are a god of a Realm. Which means there are many other gods that exist and even some that XD has passed by while walking through the god world! Are they similar to Greek gods then? The ones that aren't powerful gods of a Realm? Are there gods of music, love, war, knowledge, ect? There's even a god of gods, Prime! Is kind of like their version of the Greek Zeus I'm assuming :D

Ik I'm comparing your au a bunch to other things I'm sorry 😭 I just love the comparison and love the world building so much to wanna know more about the godly world of your au ^_^

-emmadoodlewrites

I love this comparison so much because I do take a lot of inspiration from gods mythology. Specifically from greek, roman and celtic of course being the main ones. I honestly don't mind the comparisons at all.

But yes! There are many gods in the AU! I so badly want to write more about them and some with definitely be making appearances in some of the story but there are a LOT of Gods. Very similar to Greek Gods in that each God is the ruler of a thing, or maybe more. It could be a concept, like love or art or it could be something physical, like mobs or fire. I will give a few as examples of Gods, just because I will adore talking about them :D

Under the cut of course to not annoy people

Prime is very much Zeus inspired, being the God of Gods. They are as old as time, probably the first living thing that ever came and from them they created the Realms and let creatures grow and live from it. They are a very inactive God right now, keeping out of the living world and staying away from the Godly Realm too. Only XD knows where they are currently.

The Gods, Knowledge and Madness, are a sister brother duo. While they are Gods in their own right they are considered as lesser Gods with not much power. They currently reside in the End, keeping the End libraries safe.

Cridhe is the God of healing and currently lives her life as a statue at the Healing Pool in the End. She's a very close friend to XD, almost a mother or older sister to him. Dream and Drista have met her before but Dream doesn't remember her much.

Beldam is the God of the witches, though she is cursed at the moment to reside in the Nether and be cut off from her witches. She will absolutely be appearing the story later so won't say much, but I will say she and 4K have an interesting relationship to one another.

CovenTK (designed and made by @an-inkling-of) is the God of mobs and the moon. They are my good good child and I love them and they're canon. I want them to appear so badly in the AU, maybe they will but they got their own thing going and I'm always going to make more stuff with them.

The God of the Hunt is actually connected to CovenTK right now. They were actually punished by Prime thousands of years ago and were split into two souls. Now they are a timid wolf, named Chase, and a hot-headed deer, named Dash. They are both connected and cannot be separated and CovenTK has adopted them for now.

And there are many many more Gods I could go into but I will restrain myself here other wise this will be LONG. But yes, very much greek inspired. There are also tiers of Gods, like lesser gods being a thing and some Gods were made far later than other Gods (like Knowledge and Madness are one of the youngest Gods) and there's other creatures that don't count as Gods but could technically be compared to mortals. It is a whole crazy mess of powerful Gods.

Also some Gods have chosen to live on the Godly Realm, either giving up their God responsibilities or just choosing to live there and still being a God, but it doesn't have much effect on what they are a God of. If the God of love were to retire or, somehow, die then of course there would still be love. The God of witches is cut off from her witches but she is still considered their God and the witches are still around.

#emmadoodlewrites #godsiblingau #i love making gods its my favourite pasttime #also i don't think the gods would be divided by 'god' 'godess' in the au cause most if not all gods are fluid with gender #so they're all just called god

[artofmaquenda]

Your art has inspired me and my own art more than anyone else, I stare at every piece with wonder and wish I could grab just a bit of that creative talent and slap it on my own canvas.

As someone halfway through their art degree (and low on energy) I've got to ask, how do you find the inspiration and creative energy to draw on a regular basis? It's something I've always struggled with and admittedly, it makes me feel like less of an artist than others.

Awwww thank you so much for this message 🥺 that's funny you ask..hmm I'm low on energy too and art is kinda what keeps me going!

Though i have plenty of days where i can't get anything on paper. It does help that i have an endless pile of sketches and WIPs, i might have some attention deficiency and it has gotten much worse over the years, it's hard for me to finish things, even though it might not look like it.

But yeah this a blessing and a curse because i keep wanting to work on new things, and when i don't, there is always an old sketch to work on..

I often have sad days where i feel worthless about my art too (social media makes it 10000% worse as i compare a lot with others, and yet i also need it to get views...) i try not to show those moments online and just continue my thing...therapy helps to be kinder to myself and be less perfectionistic.

I'm still working on having a better workflow and integrate a more healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically :)

Other that that.. i really have to tell you, you don't have to draw everyday to be an artist, it is most definitely not a healthy thing to do, so please take your time if you can! I'm definitely not someone to take an example of! XD

[eli-elien]

Ask game - 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 25

[a lot of questions, sorry xD but I love those, they're good ones]

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw

Kyo, I would love to draw religiously symbolism-esqe stuff with him and Elijah cuz he's The Bitch that really twists the story up in reverie but I gotta know who is outfitter is why so many belts? Why the tubes? the weird ass accents and cloak, uuuggghdhjghgh

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself

Maybe more than 50 I keep to myself, most are doodles without context but I think maybe thats pushing it cuz I did do a worstie without context doodles

one day I'll make a post abt them and the aus I have with them (also general aus for shield hero I've made lol)

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

Hmmmmm off the top of my head I think Belos from TOH considering most of my characters are brunettes with their eyes leaning to blue, another one is just ben tennyson and his overall personality and body of being a twink with an ego who is also extremely self sacrificial altho it differs how much depending on the type of character I actually want and ofc their age

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in

I had an old story called Terminal something something and the mc was a nonbinary kid who was secretly related to an ancient family of warriors that now has to fight the ancient evil that's abt to come back, but is the evil really so evil?

Think of Tales of Arcadia's Trollhunters, Randy cunningham 9th grade ninja and jack long

Say hello to Piper! there were also going to be a set of weapons that get collected over time that cast use but they didn't seem like weapons. For example Piper's was a mask that turned them to the Sun Warrior (able to use it bc of their family blood) and another example is a vase that controls wate! A mirror! A book that has people and things sealed within it able to release said thing and control it with a key! and a painting! theres more but I don't want to have this be too long

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

PUFFY SLEEVES AND SKIRTS/DRESSES

I love love drawing elaborate lavish dresses

these are old but still hold up well with what I like to give my characters if ever there's a ball :p

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

Alot of different things depends on the vibe sometimes I listen to classical music esp while animating or doing a piece that's "classical" yknow oooorr esp when it's abt my fave duo

The Worsties Playlist

or hannibal edits on youtube bc hannibal fans have such a way with music and the lines they put in there inspire my characters and art

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by

hmmmm I think once I was told my style looks like early 2000s animes like full metal alchemist and ok the story and writing yes but the style I wouldn't say I got inspired by it esp considering my coloring being akin to stuff like cyberpunk and arcane lol

#ask game

[starclast]

My experience with Asagao Academy

As you may have guessed (or not), I like videogames. Since I was I kid, I used to play those pre-programmed one that eeeevery computer known to man has (you know, like solitaire and such) and maybe try the occasional random one that there is on it because your brother installed it (because you share the pc, obviously) ooor because your parents installed it for you. Anyway, though I didn't have much *variety* when I was younger, I've always liked videogames. My favorite type of games are visual novels and though I have played a decent amount of them, I'm always looking for new ones. And so, there I was, looking around in itchio for any good titles and then, I stumbled upon this game.

I sometimes had seen it while scrolling and I remember thinking the title was weird, but since I was pretty bored that day I finally decided to look at the page. The art-slyle was...pretty good, though I was taken aback when I got to see the routes of the game. They looked, well...weird to me 😅 Aaand I understood why once I read the summary: the routes were (based on) a group of youtubers named Normal Boots, which....I didn't know even existed in the first place ((O__o)) Due to that and my opinion about the character sprites, I laughed a bit and then continued searching.

Some looooong months and then, one day, I found myself EXTREMELY bored. Nothin remotely interesting to play was insight, so I just said *Meh, why not?* and decided to finally play: Asagao Academy -Normal Boots Club-. And I have to say that...I liked it more than I was expecting 😀

It is not something sooo out of the ordinary, but the different routes and characters are pretty enjoyable and funny. The game has maaany anime and videogames references (which I wasn't expecting) that make even the more random scenes somethin that can make you laugh. As I mentioned before, I didn't know about the youtubers who *inspired* these characters, so I had the opportunity to see and enjoy them as what they are portrayed here: just characters.

My very first route and absolute favorite one was PBG. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the childhood friend trope!! 🥰 Funny enough, I just chose him because I liked his *design* out of all the guys (and even got to compare him to Shaggy once 😅), but overall, ended up reaally liking him.

The pics and various moments on the route were soo cute and funny too! It may not be the very best for other people, but for me? It was practically a perfect fit! :D Aaaand as you know...I'm prone to create AUs of everything I come to like enough so...I came up with a little Vampire!hana AU XD

I played the game till its completion during a short vacation last year...but sadly, my save files got erased due to a certain accident...so I have to start from zero TT o TT But I don't mind! I will just have to play it again 😌

The game is kind old so the fandom is really quiet right now (which made me a little sad while looking for fanarts and such) but if you feel interested enough I recommend you try it out! ^ w ^/

#asagao academy #asagao academy game #my experience #with a game #visual novel #game experience #hana mizuno #asagao academy fanart #favorite route #opinions #pbg #asagao academy pbg #traditional drawing #asagao academy au #vampire au #childhood friends #sweet romance #cute romance #childhood friend trope #hana x pbg #hanabutter #asagao pbg #asagao hana

[dzpenumbra]

10/17/22

Man, I swear. I spend like my entire life in my head. I just swim in thoughts all day every day. Its just never ending. There are no quiet moments, except for art, or music, or video games. Honestly, not even then. Music can be very pure. Like a moment of JUST sound, and creating sound, and the song is just a centerpiece focus. Like a meditation focus, it really is for me often. And I like sorta submitting to it. That's why I liked jamming on the drums with a MrSuicideSheep mix. That was like... my shit for a while. I used to play drums ----

Welp, Max just interrupted me trying to get under the sheets.

Actually, now that I think about it, she hissed just like... at nothing earlier. And she didn't get playtime tonight. And it's 7AM. This is probably like a clusterfuck for her. I'm trying to pay attention to her needs. She's very active now compared to where she used to be. I don't like talking about it, times change and people grow. She gets all of my attention now. I feel bad she couldn't be the star when my dog was around, but we're getting reacquainted. That made me sad. I miss my dog a lot. Max does too. I just want her to have a good life. I got the same feeling with Cerry before she passed. I'm so grateful I did. I'm sorry it was so late, because I was not the best partner for her for a long time. But I'm so grateful I woke up to my own... coldness and distance. Human arrogance. And, to be blunt, poor teachings.

I want to make sure Max's needs are taken care of better. I really do need to make an appointment for a checkup. Her hips have been very stiff for a long time, she grunts when she hops off counters now. She still plays, but I'm worried that I'm not taking the best care of her that I could be. Like if my kid were limping around the house and I didn't bring them to a doctor. I just... sorta go on the honor system with her. Like, if she's in pain, she needs to let me know. The second she starts showing like she's really not happy, I will take her to the doctor in a heartbeat. So I hope she's not soldiering too much. She doesn't need to, and she deserves the best. She is a beautiful spirit.

Well shit, that took a chaotic turn. I'm really trying to lean into those. Fuck it. And my thoughts just turned to spaghetti, so I guess I'm learning why I'm practicing --- relaxation, and grounding, because the fast thoughts are me starting to panic.

Oh... boy. So I'm starting to panic a bit and I think it's because of my cat. There's the adrenaline, and shaking hands. I'm worried she's sick because she's old. And the hips. And the hissing earlier. Heart is pounding. Welcome to a live broadcast of a panic attack. I get these a lot, but in varying degrees. This one is pretty severe. I see a flower, a post greyed out behind this post of some flower - it reminds me of an iris in an eye, and a pupil. And I keep looking over at it, like it's reminding me of my eye that I keep having problems with. Like waking up this morning with like a scratching feeling in my eye and my eye just watering for like an hour and a half in bed and I'm fucking just scrolling social media with one eye because fuck getting out of bed with that shit. I'm waiting til my eye chills. So maybe I'm a bit overwhelmed today. XD

I'm mostly worried about my cat, I have promised to make an appointment this week, I think today (after I wake up) would be best. I'm afraid for some reason. Maybe because I'm afraid I won't sleep or I'll sleep in and miss the appointment. I don't really know. There's a lot of natural pushback from me on those. Feels like lack of confidence or something, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe because it's where I put my dog down. Fuck. Maybe that's it. And I'm going back with my cat. To where my dog died. Fuck, okay. That's a big one that I can see myself having a self-protective panic attack about. Yeah, I should get my mom to go with me for that. I really do think so. She was there when it happened. If she's okay with that. I can see her in my mind's eye. Me and her are bonding a lot. She is really close to me. I'm going to miss her when I move. I know our relationship is very complicated, but I can feel her in my heart right now. And it's very powerful. It's a cripplingly powerful feeling I'm in the grips of right now. Love, Fear - all wrapped up in a tangle, like a chemical reaction in my chest. Like some kind of unstable isotope or something. Swirling pulses of complementary energies, straining and morphing with eachother. Until they find a stable equilibrium. Like Mentos and Coke. Like vinegar and baking soda. Kinda. That's what that feeling is, best I can describe right now. So I should really reach out to my mom early - I think she's gonna try to contact me around 2 - it's 7:30 right now. I should see if she can make the appointment and go with me. Because I need to do this, and she could really be supportive. And bringing Max to the vet is so hard that she hasn't been in like 8+ years, probably closer to 10.

Well that made me feel like a bad pet owner. But she's in really good health considering she's 16. I need to get over this shit, this avoiding vets because I'm insecure. And I will get over that, I have been and I've been getting better. But I'm kinda just done fucking around with that. My anxieties aren't more important than her health, and I need to get my priorities straight there. That's a big lesson I need to constantly be working on.

So I'm gonna bank on linking up with my mom and I think once I translate to her exactly what this reaction I'm having to making a vet appointment is, I think things will snap into place a bit and she'll know exactly how she can help. In the meantime, I can clean Max's crate. The thing is disgusting, it has my high school soccer hoodie in it and I need to just get it over with and do it. I was supposed to today, but I worked on my hoodie a bit more... and played Minecraft and watched Twitch all day. So... kinda feeling like I could've been better about that. I had tons of time, and I just didn't do it. So maybe I need to do reminders on my phone or something. Maybe I'm getting too cocky with this no structure plan, and my whole life is kinda falling through the cracks.

I see the benefit of it now, and I guess my whole life just became fluid. I need to find a balance to it. I really do. Doing a tasks list, with daily check ins. That's what I fucking need. I need QUESTS. I need a little bar on the top left of my screen that bulletpoints my objectives for the day. And if I had glasses with those on them, I would legit give a LOT of money for that. So I can stop sticking plastic crap in my eyes, and instead, have a HUD for my life. Maybe Google Glass is a thing, maybe I should look at that. If they do prescriptions, i'll buy that shit straight up today. Get my list of shit to do on the top left of my glasses, maybe I have a button to push to show and hide them. So my life is a bit more like an RPG, not just as a fun novelty - which people will definitely make fun of your nerdy ass for - but like... using it practically, to make your life more like types of chores you like. Like organizing chests in Minecraft for me. Dude, imagine if you could like... inventory your house... and like... when you're near a set space - using like the measure tool to set the zone and recognizing it when you're near it. Like an AR thing. Idk how you'd pull it off, but if you could just have a visual overlay with transparency that pulls up the inventory of that drawer. Good lord, for the kitchen, like... where is my spatula... I could check drawers without having to open them. How crazy is that shit. That's all totally doable with current technology.

Max is kinda kicking in her sleep. I'm much more calm now. This is a really weird feeling, I don't think I've ever captured a panic attack this vividly before, and I'm really glad I chose to make the sacrifice to journal tonight. I feel like this could be a really useful look into the life of someone who has... a lot of pain, and guilt, and fear. And tries to reason with them every day. To learn from them, and live with them. To grow despite their consumption. I feel much more in-balance now. Like the waves are settling, the water surface is starting to become reflective again. I have a lot of feelings. They are very strong. But they are all given fair time to speak. They all have to have their own voice. I think. Giving fear, pain, and guilt a voice. That's... not an easy thing to do, is it?

Keeping all of them in harmony is a constant battle for me. I am spending a lot of time doing self-care. And just trying to heal, build morale, work on art things, eat real food, check in on the cat periodically, make sure I acknowledge and talk to her when she comes in. Not ignore her. We sing back and forth all day long, it's lovely. :D

I have many beautiful things in my life. I have love. I have friendship. I have the ability to bring beautiful things into existence. As much as pain and guilt and fear, and sorrow, all of those voices we don't want to hear are loud and all encompassing, and demand attention, and importance. There is a bigger picture. And it's really important to take the extra second to acknowledge the good, the highlights, the accomplishments. My conversation with my mom went really well today, and is starting to get a bit surreal at times. She opened up to me a lot today. It's alien, so... I'm not reacting to it with as much praise as I normally would, or affirmation either. I'm engaging with it willfully and positively, but I haven't really communicated my appreciation of that as much as I would like. My fear may be manifesting as small-talk, I think? We do small talk quite a bit.

Mind is racing again. I'm overtired, I think. Feels like I'm nodding off. So I should probably take a hint from myself... I feel like signing off here on a good note though. So... I hope you can find a ---- I'm forcing my writing. I don't know, stream of consciousness writing is really hard, okay? Let's just end on something curious and interesting then, let's end with passion. So there's this thing with stream of consciousness where it's like... do you go in with a plan? "I want to cover this..." Like, do you plan on what to write about in your journal? I've been sorta winging it and testing both sides. Some adding in afterthoughts. Some with a prompt, some with a focus. It's hard to choose. I was writing something like... profound. Trying to. Like making a custom proverb or something. And I cut myself off. So do you let yourself sorta craft something poetic and artsy? Or do you follow the stream of your mind without planning? I guess there's really no wrong answer, the more I think about it. Maybe getting stressed out about it is the only wrong answer.

#diary #journal #stream of thoughts #spilled thoughts #online journal #stream of consciousness #mental health #panic attack

[nightcorecommentarchives]

TW: Misguided opinions on Japan, pedophilia ideology

Here's what to expect before you read this thread: A callout on the sexualisation of children in anime, excuses for the specific example, a pedophile confession, more excuses, proship ideology that predates proshipping by years, and a poor attempt of claiming an anime art piece is satire.

TheNightcoreWitcher

Nightcore - Rockefeller Street

A: Japan and pedophilia seem to be really close, like what the fuck is going on with pictures like those, using very little kids as if they were fully grown, imo thats just wrong.

B: @A uhm...what?

A: @B Don't you even dare to deny it, lol it's been way too obvious for decades. Just look at the picture, look at what it represents, the outfits, and then realise this kind of stuff is made for adults. I'll let that sink in.

B: @A whatever lol

C: @A Get your mind out of the gutter! Those outfits are only to facilitate mobility because they are ninja cats.

D: @A It's called anime, not reality...

B: dont bother with close minded people like him, really

D: @B  xD true, i could do it, but i wan't to tell them they are wrong and that anime is the best world's invention xD

D: @A I will repeat, 1) this is anime not reality 2) In anime, they seems like they have 11 or 10, but in the anime it self, they are around 20 - 25 3) You're abusing…Pedophilia? Seriously? Maby next week you will tell it's torture wtf

B: like i said, dont bother :3

B: i just deleted a large amount of text bc i figured you and i dont really care :)

D: @A xD

D: @A It's not about how old you are, but what your mental age is.

D: @A BTW i dunno why you are talking sh** about this beeing sexual, it's an hentai xD Name of anime if you don't trust me "Boku no Pico"

D: @A I wasn't talking about authors, but these characters in the picture, and i didn't proved anything, cause i'm talking about hentai's, you're talking about anime in general...anyways, you're trying to say a mature thing, but what you're saying is completely immature.

B: [this comment has been lost]

A: @B Odds are you're right, statistically it would be impossible that everyone that is into this is a pedophile, but I think it might plant seeds into people's minds, which is what makes me upset about this. At least you did make a good point and explanation, unlike the MLG scrublord that only spits nonsense. I'm out now, take care and thanks for finally sharing some info that I wanted to know.

B: @A i know that its odd and i appreciate your opinions, really but as a lolicon myself i just get a little upset about things like that :/ i dont think btw that it plants those "seeds" in peoples mind. You have to have some kind of attraction towards younger girls beforehand, its not like the attraction to younger girls came with the appearance of the loli concept in anime yaknow.

D: @A leave.

D: @B me too :/

E: @A we feel that it is wrong because it socially and legally is wrong where we grew up (forgive me for making assumptions). in japan they dont consider cartoons to be comparable to real life.

D: @E A little fact: the characters on the image are 25 old, not 10 yrs old xD

E: @D if you are being honest, that is pretty interesting. i would love to research this topic on my own, can you tell me what these characters are from? google images search didnt help me.

D: @E boku no piko

D: @E but a little warning: it's an hentai xD

F: [this comment has been lost]

D: @F Finally someone that know something about anime and that know anime isn't pédophila because it's actually not allowed to do even in hentai's...cheers man!

F: @D I do animation and trust me it is fucking hard to make a convincing 20-30 year-old woman

D: @F  yeah, know how you're feeling, tryed it once, only childs, no matter how hard i tryed xD

F: @D I'm serious when I have to make the women of an animation my face turns into the ffffuuuuuuuuuu guys face

D: @F Yeah xD But yeah, anyways, have a nice day m8!

F: @D You too m8!

D: @F thanks :D

G: [this comment has been lost]

F: @G You were never going to win since winning an argument against a smart person is easy but to win an argument against an idiot it is impossible.

D: @F true xD anyways  @G , don't waste your time on idiots that try to be smarter and proof that they are right, even though they are wrong, have a nice day man, you definetly deserve to be blessed with goodness because smart people are rare these days xD

H: @A Lol look at this guy right here, represents whole japan for 1 picture Imao xD

D: @H yeah, you're right, all of his comments are useless. Have a nice day btw :D

I: In Japan pedophilia isn't more common than anywhere else, it's just that they usually don't have such huge problems living out their fantasies through fictional media as long as no actual children get hurt. Would you complain about slasher and gore films/games just because running around and killing people would be a bad idea? Because there are people who really enjoy that kind of stuff but no sane person would do these things in reality.

J: @A It's fucking anime ninja catgirls in swimsuits dude...and you focus on what you think their age is?

Beyond that it's obviously intentionally satirical of anime. It's part of the medium. Maybe you're wrong for being so uptight.

A: Still making no sense, yeah don't waste time with me and go get some help XD

Final NCA notes

Comments in thread: 70

Comments shown here: 38

This thread contains possibly some of the worst comments I've ever seen. Although it seems mostly intact there were mentions of pedophilia defense arguments from some people that didn't show up, but it's not like we needed to see any more of those.

The ideologies shown here are why my DNI just says "Idc how you label yourself. If you want other people to be at the mercy of your choices and views then fuck off." Because these people sound exactly like internet pedos today (proshippers, MAPs, NOMAPs), just under a different name.

I debated whether I should post this thread on my blog or not, since I try to make this a place where I can read interesting comments and not... this. But, when I started this blog I figured I'd run into bad comments about Japan and decided I wouldn't stray away from those comments because their existence is undeniable.

If you've read this far, thank you, I hope you feel alright and that you have a good week &lt;3

#circa 2015 #circa 2016 #thread #jp

[kotikaleo]

So a bit of an update.

Tomorrow I'm going to a local fest as a helper to my friend artist. Which means I will be able to sell some goodies too! Mostly I'm hoping for some quick traditional comms, because I haven't done any new stickers and my old one suck.

Also I almost finished my cosplay! It's like 89% done, but will be recognizable anyway.

So prepare for some photo spam tomorrow! I will take photos of everything I see (which will be not much, I have a face mask which kinda covers a lot of my view XD), myself, our table and some of my arts. I dunno yet will I be able to discuss with any customers possibility of the scan of the art... (which would be like greatest thing, because photos are just so bad compared to scans qωq) but we will see will it worth it anyway.

Yay!!

[mayakern]

So, just started Monster Pop! Literally only a few pages in and can i just say 2 small things,

1. your older art is so nice! its quite different then what you make today but it still have all the things i love about your current work. really really nice to be able to see how far you've come. i can really see all the hard work you put in! (i hope i didn't imply old stuff is bad! cause its not!)

2. magic article of clothing being a slouchy toque is the most 2014 thing ever! still a huge fan of the fashion tbh XD

aw thanks im glad you’re enjoying it! i started monsterpop in 2012 while i was still in college. and just as i went through a ton of changes as i learned more about myself, graduated school, moved across the country (multiple times), met my wife, got married… so did it. even looking at the last few strips of monsterpop and comparing them to the first few is strange.

sometimes it’s painful for me to look back at monsterpop. for all intents and purposes, it is my hellishly protracted breakup with comics. i worked on it through some of the worst, hardest parts of my life and me ending it was the last brick in place i needed to build to the best part of my life (now).

but i have a lot of fond memories too and i’ve been told monsterpop was the queer awakening for a lot of teens who read it and that it has meant a lot to a lot of people… and that makes me happy.

#ask #monsterpop #mpask

[blastedking]

Hello. I am a simple hermit who would like to bring a message.

I want to thank you for all your art this year, both written and non. I've been following your ULF comics ever since you posted that first page, and it's been an amazing journey to watch your style change and become cleaner and improve over time. Your stories that you've written have also most certainly been a highlight, I always looked forward to new chapters every Saturday. I especially loved Kilchoan and the lore you've woven into the background of your comics, it's definitely well thought-out and it has always been a pleasure to read.

The fact that you've been able to keep your comics and writings consistent has been really amazing. I saw your post about your finals grind and I know you'll be taking a break to really concentrate on your schooling (good luck with all of it, by the way), but the fact that you still have enough queued for weeks and months anyway? Absolutely incredible. I hope you are proud of yourself, especially because I definitely think you should be. You more than deserve it.

I can't wait to see what the new year brings for you and your artwork. But even if you do take pauses and breaks here and there, I won't mind at all. You've already made such wonderful and amazing work already and it'd be worth any wait necessary.

May your new year bring peace, hope, and happiness. I wish you well in all your endeavors, both artistic and not.

Oh, my dear hermit - what you doing, you bring tears to my eyes!

This is such a lovely and wonderful message and it truly makes me all goopy inside. In the good way obviously. Thank you SO much. This really means a lot to me and I do fail spectacularly to put these feelings into words right now because you just hit on so many points dear to me that I’m left flailing helplessly here. <3

(I have to say, the pointing out of Kilchoan really hits hard (in a good way again), because I was kinda nervous in a way about that one (not unsure mind you, I do like Kilchoan a lot too. xD). But all the other three stories before had more of a direct link to the ehh “official canon” - while Kilchoan really just is out there on its own, living its best life. While yes, Zargothrax is there, and Ralathor to an extent too, there are a lot of OCs in it too. And I know that kind of stuff isn’t always the most well-received.)

Following the whole thing from the very start - I have to say since I’ve been queuing up some of the old art - it’s been a ride. I’m very happy with where I am art wise right now, especially comparing it to my art two years ago. (Yes I will still stress again and again that it’s really a shaky comparison to make myself because I came into this fandom out of a year-long hiatus from drawing ANYTHING at all. I was very VERY rusty xD ). Thank you for sticking around!

But yes - I’ve been prepping for this finals grind for a while now (basically since the beginning of the year because I knew it was coming and I’d need the time) - the only thing I didn’t manage to finish for the life of me is “Return to Darkness” - Which I really, really wanted to have done by this point. But that thing has gotten longer than planned. I am at the finale now so - that’s good. But chances are good it will first drop after the finals are over. BUT that’s alright. x)

AGAIN

Thank you so so much! I hope you’ll have a fantastic new year! And if that year happens to have you stick around some more around these parts, I wouldn’t say no to that! ✨

#King's speech #anon #ask #universelawoffire #my heart is melting #long post

[blackphooka]

unfortunately, i have never seen or read harry potter. my best friend (@alaesthetics) is a big fan of it so i know a lot from them but i just recently decided to really get into it. i'm watching the movies first so i can experience them without comparing to the books. i have just finished the sorcerer's stone and i had some thoughts. please enjoy my hp commentary pt 1. (under the clip)

(tw: some cursing, caps, and mentions of child ab*se ~ also some spoilers)

(disclaimer: i do not support j.k. rowling's rudeness and phobia to the lgbtq+ community. that being said, i can enjoy her books and the movies made from them. you can separate the art from the artist)

*dumbledore and minerva enter* ahhh yes, that old son of a bitch and his fantastic professor cat

*dumbledore and minerva enter* ahhh yes, that old son of a bitch and his fantastic professor cat

*dumbledore and minerva enter* ahhh yes, that old son of a bitch and his fantastic professor cat

*hagrid: breathes* me: protect him

*albus: they’re the only family he has* me: what about the gay wearwolf and azkaban prisoner???

*the dursley’s: do anything* me: bitch

Dudley needs to be uglier

*mr dursley: threatens harry* me: SOciAL SErviCEs

*harry sees a snake that was bred in captivity. Also harry: BIG MOOD am i right*

(regarding harry) This child is traumatized and really should be protected

*mr dursley: NO LETTERS!! Hogwarts: i think the f not*

HOW DID THEY JUST HAVE A RANDOM SHACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN????

*harry: has no idea who this strange man is. Also harry: must still be respectful and polite*

*professor quirrell enters* me: VOLDY

*Gringotts bank* NoT aLL oF uS iNhERiTED enoUGH MonEy to buY ouT NaSa wHEn ouR paRentS diED

Diagon alley looks so amazing, i am in love

I WANT TO GO WAND SHOPPING TOOOOOOOOOO

HIS BROTHER WAND BELONGED TO VOLDYYYYYYY. I AM LOVING THE REVEAL AND THAT DESTINY SIDE PLOT

Baby harry is adorable

The twins, i love them

Harry “we’ll take the lot” potter is so extra and that is such a rich person move

Isn’t scabbers peter pettigrew?? The plot twist

Hermoine is needlessly stuck up in this scene, like if i was seeing this is 2001 with no prior knowledge i wouldn’t like her XD

*anything cool happens - ron: wicked*

THE SORTING TIMEEEEEEEEEE

Dude so when minerva said slytherin i was nodding my head like all “yeah that’s my house” then i look back at movie and draCO’s DOING THE SAME THING

*your house will be your family* me: OHANA MEANS FAMILY

*draco sees harry: friendo for power reasons!!! - ron laughs at him, draco: time to be a bitch*

Percy weasley’s adorable

*ron: slytherin’s evil* me, consults computer: MERLIN WAS IN SLYTHERIN AND HE HELPED KING AURTHER

I love how even the sorting hat told Harry that Slytherin being evil was just a stereotype, i think this scene is really interesting because it shows that when we let things like that get to us it can hold us back. Even if it ends up all right in the end.

Again, percy is great and i love him

GHOSTS

Ok so the gryffindor painting that asks for the password is exactly how i pictured her

The cat that plays minerva is adorable

Why does snape have my hair?

Also HERMIONE PUT YOUR HAND DOWN YOUR NAME ISN’T HARRY

This movie is feeding my owl obsession - (gasp) am i an owl gay??

Little emma watson is adorable, i really can’t get over how cute she is

Ok so the flying teacher LOOKS like a flying teacher, i can’t explain why she does. She also looks like your cool lesbian aunt

Poor neville

OOOOOOO DRACO SAID ASS

*what an idiot* same girl

*you don’t know how to fly* harry: flies perfectly

I love how minerva sees harry and is like “i could turn you in BUT we need a seeker”

(gasps) I JUST SAW A GRYFFINDOR AND SLYTHERIN HAPPILY STUDY TOGETHER AND IT WAS SO SWEET

Don’t they have maps for the first years??? I mean it would make sense because the staircases move so that way students would know alternate ways of getting where they were needed

I keep having to remind myself that these voices are the actor’s natural accents, i’m so used to americans faking british accents

Also, i am so glad that i finally know how quidditch works

I love oliver

*laviOsa not lavioSAR*

Ok, i take back what i said about hermione earlier, i feel bad for her now. She really does have a lot riding on her because she’s muggleborn

*hermione is in danger - ron: eh, ok*

Minnie i love you

*snape enters the room* me: bitch

*harry gets a a present that is very obviously a broom - harry; it’s a broom???* me, laughing: you dumb bitch i love you

Some People: if you’re blonde, you’re slytherin - slytherin: brunette dominated house

SNAPE’S JINXING THE BROOM. I actually already knew this happened because mom’s watched this before

HERMOINE JUST SET HIS CLOAK ON FIRE, YAASSS QUEEEN

Half of what hagrid says is just “shouldn’t have said that”

I wanna play that magic wizard chess thing

CHARLIE WAS REFERENCED

Filch: you can’t hide - harry: BET

The mirror showing lily and james made me cry

Harry, has this life changing revelation about his parents - ron: i look amazing

Hp: sorcerer’s stone - me: you mean the midas touch/fountain of youth?

I love how hagrid just gets everything from pub strangers

*high pitched girl scream - camera pans over to draco*

Draco:wearewolves! - me: REMUS MY BOI

I lowkey want hagrid’s job of keeping care of magical creatures

Draco: wait till father hears about this! (and) pottah! - me: and so it begins

Ooooo floaty figure drinking the blood of a unicorn, good old voldy - centaur to save the day!

The trio, about to sneak out - neville: going somewhere?

I LOVE the giant ass chess board that they have to get across

There’s so much little foreshadowing in this movie and i love it

I didn’t realize that the queen piece was the queen at first so like go off androgynous queen

*quirrell takes off his turban* voldy: hEy sisTERS it’s FAce REveaL tiME

also I take back what I said about snape jinxing Harry's broom earlier, I had misinformation. BUT I STILL DON'T LIKE HIM

I wanna eat the sorcerer’s stone, it looks tasty

*quirrell turns to stone and cracks to dust* harry: miss keisha? Miss keisha? Oh nvm she freakin dead

Ok so slytherin won the house cup pretty fairly and then albus looks at gryffindor and goes “i will award you with points for something that should have been kept secret and also for things that all the other houses have but you’re my favorite so you get to win” AND JUST TAKE THE CUP RIGHT FROM SLYTHERIN???? LIKE WHAT????

*finished* All in all that was an amazing movie and i can’t wait to see the next one!

#harry potter #harry potter and the sorcerer's stone #movie review #commentary #highly recommend #long post #starkid avpm #books #movie discussion

[jaz-xedarix]

The Return of the Star

Thank you so much for your patience and your nice words. I really appreciated them too much. 

So finally I have finished part II, and things are starting to get really interesting.

As I promised there’s a new coloring among the text, I really hope you like it, and I put another one, but a bit older, since I couldn’t resist to post it in this part XD

Thanks so much to @buffaloborgine​ and @trinity-blood-translations for helping me correct this text, your effort is valuable to me. Send you lots of love my friends.

Let’s get started.

               ════════════╠☆╣════════════

                                      II

The Istvan Opera House was located on Andrássy Street, the main avenue of the city. It was an old style building that had survived Armageddon. After the liberation battle, it was the first place restored by the archbishop, to serve as a public building for the citizens. 

The building was built in a magnificent and delicate Neo-Renaissance style. It was an imposing work that could be compared to the Scala in Milan, the Opernhaus in Vienna or the Státní in Prague. The facade had a secluded air, but once inside the decorations in gold and purple colors overwhelmed the visitor with their luxury. 

The “guest of honor” entrance that Esther passed through was no exception. In the boxes facing the wide stage, the rugs were so thick that they reached to the ankles, as if she were in a lavish palace. The walls were lined with works of art and all the furniture had been expressly imported from Rome or Florence. 

However, everything paled when compared to the beauty of the woman who was waiting for her sitting on the sofa. 

“Welcome, Sister Esther. You may be exhausted after the trip...” 

The Cardinal Caterina Sforza, Duchess of Milan, Secretary of State of the Vatican and head of its foreign policy, gave a friendly welcome to the nun. Telling her to sit on the couch that was in front, where the two priests was already sitting, she laid her cup of tea on the table. 

“I've was told you've had a difficult time with the media at the station. I am glad that you are well.” “Nothing happened… More than anything, it was a surprise that…” 

Looking into the gray eyes that smiled at her behind the monocle, the nun awkwardly shook her head like a puppet. For Esther, the Cardinal was a person almost as sacred as the Virgin. Every time she presented herself to her, she couldn't help but get nervous and tense. She brushed off the sweat she didn't have and continued in an uneasy voice: 

“Your Eminence, the journalists called me Saint… what kind of joke is this? And why am I the protagonist of the play that is going to be performed here tonight?” “We'll talk about all that later...” Adjusting her monocle, the beautiful woman looked up at the stage, the curtain still closed, and sighed. “His Holiness will be here shortly. He is accompanied by the Minister of Information, who is the one who has organized all this. I myself know only part of the story. It will be better if he tell us all about it in person… What I want to hear now is what news you bring me from the Empire.” 

The cardinal spoke with the usual serenity. However, her voice had hardened slightly as she turned her gaze back to the nun and priest, as she crossed her legs under her habit.

“Were you able to contact the empress?” “Yes, we have to inform you about it.” Esther steadied herself and her voice changed as she began to recite the report that she had been rehearsing mentally in the way: “We were fortunate enough to have direct contact with the Empress in...” “Well, the truth is that we couldn't speak to her directly…” 

Everything Esther had prepared came to nothing when the other voice interrupted her, preventing her from speaking.

“Eh!?” She didn't even have time to stop him. As he turned to the voice, she saw that Abel was still speaking with an irrepressible verbiage, which did not leave her a space to intervene.

“We did our best to deliver Her Eminence's message in person, but, of course, meeting the Empress in person was beyond our means. Even so, you need not worry, because we asked a local noblewoman, the Marquise of Kiev, Astharoshe Asran, whom I already knew before, to serve as an intermediary. The message will have reached its destination; you can be sure of it.” “Ah? Bu... Father... Wait a minute...” But what was he saying!? Esther nervously adjusted her habit as if to signal him, but Abel did not stop chattering for an instant, gesturing exaggeratedly with his hands.  “Yes, we suffered the unspeakable to achieve it. Abroad, right? One does not know how things are done... To fulfill our mission we spend our days without stopping running up and down... tears come to my eyes just remembering it now that I tell you, and without doubt, you will cry too... Imagine, I lost three kilograms!” 

Where did all this nonsense come from? Esther managed to come to herself and resist the curiosity to see how far the priest would be able to go. 

“Wait... wait, father! Stop speaking nonsense!” She did not know what this foolishness was about, but if it continued like this, Caterina would end up thinking that they had not seen the Empress. Covering Abel's mouth with her hand, Esther yelled in the direction of the Cardinal:

“Ignore him, Your Eminence! We do…”

«We did speak directly to the Empress!» Just when Esther, red with exertion, was about to shout that phrase...

“Cardinal Sforza, I beg your pardon...” An elegant male voice echoed out as the door opened. Looking up, the Cardinal met a man who was greeting her respectfully and who was leading a group of three people. He was middle-aged and wore the purple sash on his habit that indicated his status as archbishop.

“Forgive us for interrupting your conversation, Your Eminence. His Holiness and Cardinal Borgia have arrived.” “Hello Beautiful!” The second voice would seem to have been made up of a frivolous shake spiced with kitsch. It was hard to imagine anyone less suited to wear the Cardinal habit than the young man with long dyed hair and a nasal voice who had just entered. This was Antonio Borgia, the Minister of Information. “How long, right?! Makes sooo much that I did not see how fantastic you are that seems that my aesthetic sense have atrophied, you know? How are we doing?” “Good afternoon, Cardinal Borgia. I see you are very happy. If I'm not mistaken, we met the day before yesterday in Rome, right?” 

Responding sharply to the young man, Caterina turned her gaze to the third figure in the group. Seeing the face of the teenager coming up behind the two men, her cold gaze softened. 

“Ah, Alec…! How was the flight? Are you dizzy again?” “Y..., y... yes, sister...” Dressed with beautiful white clothes, the Pope Alessandro XVIII spoke with a low voice. In addition to being extremely shy around people, to the point of bordering on autism, get out of Rome or even out of the Papal Palace supposed one horrible adventure for him. Anyways, the face of his sister seemed to calm him a bit, because he went on, stammering: 

“I..., I got dizzy a b..., a little... b... but now I'm fi... I'm fine...” “Really? But you don't have very good color. I'll make someone to prepare some medicine for you... Wait, I'll take the opportunity to make the introductions, since we're all here. This is Sister Esther from the Secretary of State. She is the Saint of Istvan” 

Exhorted by Caterina, the nun saluted respectfully. “Nice to meet you. It is an honor to be in your presence, Holiness.”All Vatican employees knew of the reserved character of the pope. In order not to startle him, Esther spoke in a calm voice as she placed a light kiss on his hand.“I am not worthy of you granting me the grace to kneel before you... “ “Ah...! N..., no...” At the touch of the young woman's lips, the pope went from pale to flushed. His breathing quickened, as if he were going to have a heart attack, and he withdrew his hand in embarrassment. ”And…, and…, I… And…, and…, I…, I…”

“Holiness, you must be tired...” said the first man who had entered, placing his hand on the shoulder of the babbling teenager. Maybe half a century of his life had already passed, but his face had manly features that surely wreaked havoc on the opposite sex when he was young. With an attentive expression, he made the young Pope sit on the sofa.

“The show will take a while to start. Get some rest here. If you allow me, I will handle the speech.” “Thank you, Archbishop D'Annunzio...” 

Before Esther's eyes, the Pope was panting hard, as if he were going to have a panic attack or something. The one who wiped the sweat from his forehead to reassure him was Caterina. 

“Forgive me for putting you through something like this, but this ceremony took so much effort that...” “Oh, does not matter! It is an honor to be able to do our bit to the work of her eminence and the Vatican.”

 Emanuele D'Annunzio, Archbishop of Istvan, smiled kindly as he took Caterina’s hand. After kissing her like a gentleman kisses a lady, he turned his serene green eyes to her beautiful face.  “I wrote the script for tonight's play myself. I am afraid that it will not be up to the refined taste of Her Eminence, but it will be my honor that you listen to it... I do not know how the representation will turn out, but...” “It'll be great, you know? Sure: super, super good.” 

The one who responded in this way to the humble words of the archbishop was not Caterina, but the other cardinal present. Antonio, adjusting his bangs, continued with a slightly annoyed voice.  “Because, hey, haven't we helped you with production from the Ministry? I mean, the stage, and the direction, and the actors... Aaaaall of it it’s super mega first class. So if it goes wrong, it will be because of the script, you know?” “We will be forever grateful for your support, Cardinal Borgia. It is an honor that you have dedicated your valuable time to our representation...”

D'Annunzio's words were kind, but there was a hint of provocation in his tone. His green gaze was fixed on the young man, like an adult lion facing the cub that wants to take his place. 

“Today's ceremony is very important to us, because our recovery will serve to show it to the world. Its success will also serve to show the power of the Vatican… We hope to continue having the support of the Ministry of Information from now on.” “...” 

Although the tone was defiant, it could not be said that there was anything really wrong from the archbishop's words. Antonio was silent, something strange in him, as if not knowing what to answer, clearly feeling the difference in maturity that existed between him and his interlocutor. 

In his fifties, Archbishop D'Annunzio was an experienced man who had played a crucial role in the Vatican since the time of the previous Pope Gregorio XXX. As the right hand of Alfonso d'Este, who was then head of the College of Cardinals, he had held important positions as Director of the Holy Inquisition and Chief Secretary of the Vatican. In his spare time he had written dozens of novels and more than two hundred plays, and was considered one of the literary geniuses of his time. However, his brilliance had provoked the envy of Alfonso, who ended up moving him away from the center. His fame was surpassed only by Cardinals Medici and Sforza, the Pope's stepsiblings. No one but a skilled politician would have gotten Istvan city reborn from its ruins just a year after the catastrophe of The Star of Sorrow.

“Ah, but I have not yet greeted the main guest...” 

After silencing the young man, the archbishop turned quickly to Esther, who was silently observing the dialectical combat between the two high religious positions.

“This is the first time we met, but I know you very well, Sister Esther. I beg your pardon for having you come from so far away.” “Ple…pleased to meet you, Your Excellency...” Esther rose, embarrassed, from the sofa at the friendly smile of the priest and lowered her head, blushing at his manly features.“I am much honored that you invited me. It is an honor to meet you personally.” “Not at all, the honor is mine for being able to greet the Saint in person. I did extensive research on you to write this script. I've been dreaming of meeting you for a long time, but... the truth is that you have surprised me. I didn't think you were so beautiful...”       “I… beautiful? Not at all…” 

At the Archbishop's compliments, Esther buried her head deeply and turned even more red. Half confused, half flustered, she looked around for Abel to come to her aid. “It's the first time I've been invited to a box of honor at the opera, but hey, what a sight! Heh heh, I feel like God...” 

The priest was lost in his thoughts, observing the theater, and did not realize that the nun was looking at him. In her imagination, Esther kicked him on the back, while scratching her head, wondering how to respond to the archbishop.

“May I ask you not to call me Saint? It's a too important word that I don't deserve at all...” “You don't deserve it? You are too modest, sister… ” D'Annunzio replied, still smiling, as if enjoying the young woman's bewilderment. Extending his hand to fix her cap, the archbishop looked at her with mischievous face “You are the holy maiden who protected the people and killed the evil demon... As Archbishop of Istvan I cannot be grateful enough. Tonight's performance is my humble attempt to help your feat remain in the memory of future generations.”  “I am very grateful to you, but...” 

With a tight smile, Esther awkwardly shook her head. Her face had suddenly lost its rosy color. Saint Esther? What all that was about? 

She murmured that inside her with downcast eyes, it wasn't just because the name disgusted her.  

A year ago a man had expired in her arms. He was someone who had loved his human wife, someone who had decided to fight the world as revenge because the humans themselves had taken the woman he loved from him. 

The “evil demon” that D'Annunzio referred to was that being. Esther had been elevated to the category of Saint for the "feat" of having killed him, but there was something that did not convince her. All this seemed like a farce in which she did not want to be involved... 

“Ah, by the way, Your Eminence, what about Cardinal Medici? I thought he was also going to be present at the ceremony for the fallen...” “Unfortunately, his commitments do not allow him to leave Rome. He said he would send a representative, but… still not arrived?” 

D'Annunzio and Caterina began to talk about practical matters. Relieved that she was no longer the center of the conversation, Esther turned her eyes to the audience. 

More than a thousand spectators filled the theater. They were all famous people from the city, but Esther didn't recognize any faces. During the reconstruction of Istvan, D'Annunzio had given preferential treatment to the industrialists of Rome and Venice to install their factories and banks in the city. The attendees were all rich people of that kind. The echoes of the conversations that were heard were not in Hungarian, but mainly in the official language of Rome. 

The curtain was still down, but the actors could be seen waiting behind the scenes, probably to come out to say hello before the performance. Among them was a smiling young nun, the heroine portrayed in the flier. The hunchback next to her would be the Marquis of Hungary. The sinister makeup highlighted his monstrous appearance and showed long predator fangs. It couldn't be clearer that he was the bad guy in the story. 

The fragile and beautiful heroine would go through many difficulties, but in the end she would defeat the monster and bring peace to the city. It was such a predictable story that just by seeing the actors you could already imagine. 

But… 

«But the fight end was much more complex», thought Esther, grabbing unconsciously the rosary that hung from her neck.                                                                                                                                                                        «It’s not the urge to kill. I don't have such bad taste as to enjoy killing others. This is a fight for life» 

The man who had said those words was not a mere “evil demon”, nor had Esther fought him for strictly holy motives. There were still many things that she did not fully understand, but it was clear that this had been a struggle for survival. If she had lost, it would have been Esther and her companions who would have died. Yet the young girl couldn't get a question out of her head: «Was it really an inevitable conflict?» 

A nun like her couldn't ask such a question out loud. As long as she worked for the Vatican, a doubt like that was tantamount to questioning her own identity...

“Eh?”

Esther was lost in her thoughts for one moment, but at once came back to herself. Among the actors who had gathered in one corner of the stage, a figure that had gone out discreetly from behind the curtain of the opposite corner had called her attention. 

 It was one girl more or less of the same age of Esther, she had brown skin, an unusual color in the region, and her hair of a raven black. The combination of the daring opening of her dress with the long gloves decorated with precious stones gave her an extremely dramatical air. But what attracted the interest of Esther was neither her figure nor the clothes she wore. Those purple eyes that glowed in the well-proportioned face... she had seen them before somewhere. 

“That girl looks familiar to me...” “Is there something wrong, Esther?”

The voice that echoed behind her was of the lanky priest, who was wandering absent-mindedly around the royal box. As he devoured with his eyes the plate of tea pastries next to the young woman, he asked:

“Suddenly you were silent, doing that face… Oh, do you have a stomach ache? Do you want me to eat those pastries? I don't mind doing you that favor...” “No,” Esther replied dryly, cutting off the priest and added, pointing at the girl with her finger: “Doesn't that girl looks like someone familiar to you, father? I've seen that face already... and not long ago.” “Eh, what girl?” The priest asked in an intrigued voice, and looking where Esther was pointing, he looked confused. “I don't see any girl… Ah, you mean that actress over there?” “No, I mean, the one that has come from the other si... Huh?”  

When she looked back to the stage, Esther furrowed her brow, as well as Abel. The female figure that she had seen an instant before had disappeared. “But how strange... she was there a moment ago...” “Wow! Is that the actress who plays your role? I had seen her in the flyer, but in live she is even more beautiful!” Abel had already lost all interest in Esther and was absorbed in watching the group of actors. He made no effort to hide the drool from looking at the actress. "But what a beauty! Both in style and in attractive it is much better than the original… Ah, but don't be angry, Esther. It is undeniable that she is much more beautiful, elegant and seductive than you, but you have your special appeal. You don't have to worry.” “I have to take that as a compliment!?” 

Esther put the cup of tea on the plate, ready to answer the priest as he deserved, but...

��Ah! The representation is about to begin...” murmured the Archbishop, raising the eyes to the clock and got up to say goodbye to the Pope and the Cardinals. “Holiness, Eminences, I hope you enjoy with the performance. Excuse me, I will give the welcome the public... Come on, Sister Esther.” “What!? Me?” 

Esther was stunned, pointing her finger at herself as she blinked in surprise.Why did she have to accompany the archbishop to greet those people?Seeing the nun's confusion, the archbishop smiled and in a sweet voice, he dropped the bomb:  “Let's greet the audience together… I suppose you have prepared a little speech.” “Sa... say hello to...? A speech!?” 

At those completely unexpected words, Esther was dumbfounded. It was a joke? He couldn't expect for her to just come out on stage in front of the crowd and improvise a speech! 

“Wait ... wait! It's a bit hasty...” “But haven't you come prepared? How clueless my Saint is... Well, what can we do? As I assumed something like this could happen, I have allowed myself the freedom to prepare a small draft. You just have to read it.” “Eh…? But…” 

The archbishop seemed to be completely serious and handed her a pile of papers. Esther received them without knowing very well what to do and looked doubtfully to the priest, looking for his help...

“Ah, Esther! If you go on stage, can you ask that actress to sign an autograph for me?” Let it say,«To Father Nightroad, sweetheart» or something like that, okay? Heh heh heh...!” “!” 

Saving her killer instinct for later Esther heaved a deep breath.There was no way out of it.            

 "Ugh, I'm late!"

Although it was still early November, the winter cold had already fallen on Istvan. Gloomy clouds covered the sky, and although the building was supposed to be equipped with heating, the white breath of the people walking through the lobby of the Opera House could be seen. 

However, the male figure that rushed into the hall seemed immune to all of it. From the gigantic man who crossed the room devastating the carpet emanated a suffocating sensation of summer heat. It goes without saying that such a figure attracted all eyes, as if a monster from another world had suddenly appeared in the room; but the man seemed oblivious to it and advanced with a hard look, as if he were entering enemy territory. 

“What a misery to have suffered a setback precisely when I am representing Cardinal Medici! This mistake can be very expensive, Petros!” 

Dressed in the uniform of a secret police officer, Brother Petros looked up at the clock as if observing an ancient enemy. Although there were still twenty minutes until the start of the performance, he had committed a very serious fault by not having arrived before His Holiness made his entrance. 

Anyway, he had only arrived in the city a few minutes ago, sent by his superior, who had too many business holding him back in Rome. He had not arrived by air, like the Pope, but had taken the land route. The planned inspection of the military facilities had taken him longer than planned, and that had caused the delay. 

Although the inspection had been satisfactory, it was scandalous that the director of the Holy Inquisition arrived after the papal retinue. No doubt a severe reprimand from Francesco awaited him when he returned. If it was just a row that awaited him... There was one other thing that Petros had to worry about... 

“Where will the honor box be?  Eh…? Where the hell am I?” 

As soon as he went through the lobby, Petros stopped. He had to accept that he was lost and began to look around, but none of the doors he saw were the ones he was looking for. 

Indeed, he did not know where he was. He had stormed across the lobby, but had no idea how to get to the honor box. Resigned to search blindly, he began to scan the surroundings with a fierce grin, to see if he could find any sign, but could do nothing more than make a passing child cry.

 The issue was that the box of honor was not accessible from the general entrance but it had its own access, but Il Ruinante had no way of knowing that. He gritted his teeth and prepared to undo his way when...  

“Oh!”

Behind the intrepid warrior monk came a small cry of pain. 

Turning around, Petros had collided head-on with a girl who was walking behind him. The girl fell on her back to the carpet, dropping what she was carrying. 

“Aaah! Forgive me, sister! How clumsy you are, Petros!” 

The man tried to apologize as he picked up the papers, which had been strewn down the hall. The nun was still moaning on the floor, clutching her bonnet.

 “Excuse my ineptitude! Are you OK? Eh? You!?” As he helped the nun to stand up, Petros' face changed as he roared in surprise at his interlocutor, who was still reeling: “You are Esther Blanchett!” “Ah, brother… Petros, right?” Moved by the violence with which the inquisitor had spoken her name, the young woman stepped back, raising her tearful gaze to Il Ruinante, and bowed to him. “We haven't seen each other for a long time… Ah, thanks again for your support in Carthage.” “No, please, I'm the one who owes you... But what am I saying?!” Petros began to respond to the greeting automatically, but quickly came back to himself. This was not the time to chat! “Esther Blanchett! What are you doing here!? This is not the place for you!” 

Finally the nun straightened with surprise in her eyes. “Well, I was getting ready for the speech. Archbishop D'Annunzio has ordered me to greet the audience with a few words and was reviewing the script...” “Has the archbishop ordered it? Impossible. How can it be that...?” Laughing like if he was talking to a little girl, Petros glanced at the script, his expression suddenly turning from skepticism to surprise. Topping the sheets was… the archbishop's seal!? The inquisitor began hastily reading the text. “Wha... but what...?! «Before all of you gathered here I want to raise my voice to denounce...»”

«Before all of you gathered here, I want to raise my voice to denounce that there is pure Evil in the world. I want to raise my voice to say that as long as that Evil is not exterminated, we will have no future. We must unite to fight and defend everything we love, everything we respect. It will be a difficult and tough fight, but all united in our Faith we must face…».

 It was unbelievable, but it seemed to be, indeed, the script of a speech. And it took up almost fifty pages. The tone was a bit affected and overly dramatic, but the closing archbishop's signature seemed authentic. 

“Hmmm! And the archbishop signed it... But I can't believe it! Why did he ask you to…!?” He said, looking at the nun with suspicious eyes. “Are you plotting against me!? Tell me the truth or you will regret it!” “Eh? The truth is that I have no idea what you are talking about for a while now...”

The young woman scratched her head, honestly confused. It was like talking to a drunk who did nothing but repeat the same story. 

“It's not that I don't find it strange to be here, really. First I receive a notice from the Duchess of Milan to come to Istvan, then they ask me to give a speech... The truth is that the...” “The Duchess of Milan… Cardinal Sforza!?” Petros reacted quickly to the young woman's words. The Cardinal... what was that viper up to? 

Actually, Petros was most concerned about what the Pope's stepsister might do during the visit. Taking advantage of the absence of Cardinal Medici, she could try to manipulate His Holiness or do some strange maneuver... He had to be prepared for anything, and the facts gave him reasons to suspect. So the viper had already set off... But he would not trip over the same stone of Carthage again. This time they would not escape from him! 

Staring at the nun, who was staring at him in bewilderment, Petros clenched his fist. That witch had played with him in Carthage. Just when he was about to uncover her plot, all evidence had been destroyed. He knew with certainty that she had had contact with the vampires, although it had escaped him at the last moment. But this time he would catch her. He would discover what is she plotting around the Pope and would denounce it to the world!

 “Ah, there you are, Sister Esther...” 

A cold voice roused the inquisitor from his inflamed musings. It was an elegant male voice, interrupting him as if to protect the nun. 

“I've been looking for you for a while. Eh? I think we've met before… What brings the Inquisition here, Brother Pietro Orsini?” “Yo... Your Excellence!” Hearing his secular name after so long, Petros turned as if an electric current had passed through his body. Seeing the archbishop approaching, he gave a forced salute. “How long! What a joy to see you again!” “Yes, a long time, Orsini. The last time we saw each other was when I left my charge as Director of the Inquisition, right? You were just a kid and look at you now. How time flies!” “I will never be grateful enough for your advice and your attention back then!” Said Petros, bowing deeply, as if he were a spring doll. 

Il Ruinante’s sword was feared inside and outside the Vatican, but there were four people he bowed his head to. One of them was Archbishop D'Annunzio. 

“Please excuse my delay. The review of the troops has taken me longer than I had calculated and the roads were collapsed...” “You can tell me that later...” the archbishop cut him immediately, turning around and say with sweet voice to Esther, who was watching them in astonishment. “Sister Esther, have you had a chance to read the script? It’s almost time for your speech. Let's go up on stage.”  “Yes, I have read the text…” replied the nun, embarrassed, taking the papers that the inquisitor had returned to her with an impetuous gesture. “But, Your Excellence, am I really supposed to read that speech?” “Eh? What do you mean, sister?” 

The archbishop was surprised to see the dark light that had covered the young woman's eyes, and asked with a cautious expression: “You don't like the parliament I have prepared for you? Does it not meet your literary expectations?” “No, is not that. It is wonderfully written and conveys the ideas very well… But the message…” The nun choked with her words… After hesitating and stammering for a few seconds, she looked up, determined. “Why make such a clear call to war? A year ago we fought the Marquis of Hungary, it is true. But it was a pure struggle for survival. We did not think of pretty phrases like «divine glory» or «security of human society»...” “Ah, that's what you mean...” D'Annunzio interrupted the young woman's fiery voice with great serenity. The archbishop's smile keep its charm, but his tone had a certain inhuman echo. “You don't have to take it so seriously, Sister Esther. The public gathered here tonight have not come to hear the truth. What they expect is a dramatic and exciting story… They want the story of the heroic maiden who struck down the evil vampire. Isn't it our obligation to meet those expectations?” “B... but...” “Listen to me, Saint...” D'Annunzio silenced Esther with a gesture and shook his head. The hallway had begun to fill up, and the archbishop lowered his voice, returning greetings to passing guests. “You are a very sweet girl, Esther. I fully understand that you don't like harsh words. But think about it for a moment. Although it has recovered a lot this year, Istvan is still going through difficult times. The life of the citizens, your compatriots, is still very hard. Think how important it would be for them to have a heroine...” 

The archbishop placed a very white hand on her shoulder as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Esther Blanchett, you must be their Saint. You must be the image that encourage their hearts. You must be the strength and the hope of all those you love, of all humanity. I will show you how.” “...”

Esther was doubtful at the powerful words of the archbishop, after opening and closing her lips as if not knowing what to say, the girl sighed deeply.

“Good. I'll try.” “Good girl.” Nodding with satisfaction, D'Annunzio opened the door that led to the stage.“Sister Esther, it's time to go on stage. The public awaits you.” “OK…”

«The public awaits you». She would have felt joyful, but the worried expression of the girl did not changed. Even it could be said that the suffering is evident in her face. Anyways, Esther began to walk dragging her feet. She went through the door the archbishop had opened for her and disappeared down the dark corridor. 

 After closing the door, D'Annunzio made a sarcastic face. 

“What a difficult Saint to handle... one breaks one's back to turn her it into a star, and she, in return, complains...” “Ah?”  At the archbishop's cold laugh, Petros looked up in surprise. Opening the door again, D'Annunzio said in a clear voice, to the surprise of his former subordinate: “I never know how to treat smart ass girls. It's so boring having to lecture them like that… The tools should be quiet and just do what they are asked to do…” “A tool...? Your Excellence, when you say «tool» do you mean that girl? And what does it mean to «turn her into a star»?” 

Petros asked in astonishment. So he didn't really think she was a Saint? 

“Ah! So the director of the Inquisition is still there...” 

The Archbishop of Istvan turned as if he was seeing a stranger and responded with the tone of someone who had just discovered a stain on his clothing.

“You heard me perfectly. Saint Esther is nothing more than an image created by the Vatican. It is a huge fiction promoted through the management of the media and the investment of large amounts of money...”

 The bishop spoke confidently in the dark corridor, as if explaining everything to a tough-minded subordinate.  “As you know, the Vatican is losing power over the secular states. To stop this trend, it is necessary to regain the center of social attention. Creating a Saint is part of that project. Esther Blanchett is nothing more than a tool for our plans...” 

«You shall not worship idols», the Bible made it very clear. Didn't the archbishop know? D'Annunzio spoke as if he did not feel any apprehension or guilt for playing with the life of a girl and the faith of millions of people like that. “Besides, as a tool, it's first class. Her past is impeccable, and it doesn't hurt that she's so pretty… She has a very cute face, don't you think, Orsini?” “Eh? Well, I wouldn't know...”  At the knight's embarrassment, the archbishop looked at him with mocking eyes. “You don't know about that? Well, it doesn't matter… I have to introduce my Saint to the public. Orsini, you can go to the box of honor. Then we will talk about your delay. Get ready.”  

D'Annunzio turned, dropping those cold words, and reached for the door that led to the stage.

“Ah!?”

Frightened, Petros started to run away from his former superior, but just as he was about to give a farewell bow, he remembered that he still had something to ask him about. “Your Excellence... I really have a question to ask you before I present myself before His Holiness.”  Half-closing the door, the archbishop turned with an annoyed gesture at the voice of his exasperating interlocutor.  “What?”

D'Annunzio's voice was reminiscent of a teacher announcing to a student that he had failed. Petros barely repressed his desire to flee and ran from the archbishop just to ask: “I have just reviewed the City Guard, but… Your Excellence, what does this deployment mean? I have seen a complete division or even more. What about those tanks and aircraft!?” D'Annunzio continued walking as if he was unaware of the alarm that echoed in Il Ruinante's words.  “I admire how you have managed to reform in just one year an organization that had been completely destroyed. But for a public order force it is a bit out of proportion. Is there something going wrong?” “Eh? What is going to go wrong?” The archbishop stopped for the first time.

 Twisting his mouth, he answered coldly to Petros’ puzzled gaze. “Certainly the Guard's strength now exceeds what it was a year ago. Nobody hides it. But if the situation of the city is taken into consideration, it cannot be said that they are sufficient. After all, Istvan is the central column of the Vatican's eastern defense line. Their defensive potential has to be as great as possible... don't you think?” “If you will allow me to speak frankly, I think there is a problem of magnitude! The Second Division of the Vatican Army is deployed in this area, which is responsible of the defense work. The City Guard should only perform police functions. What is the point of equipping the police as if it were an army?”

The only response Petros' fiery speech got was a cold smile.  “Well, well, I see that you still don't understand anything, Orsini...” 

The archbishop made no effort to hide the malice and contempt on his face. As if he felt sorry for the stupidity of his interlocutor, he made a face, laughing through his nose. “Yes, there is an army division stationed here. But in the event of war, those troops will leave the region. Won't Istvan have to defend itself, then? That is why we have increased the strength of the Guard... Of course it costs us a lot of resources, but that is why we can’t afford to reduce it.” “But that dismantles all the plans of Rome and Cardinal Medici! Also, you speak of war, but now that the region has stabilized, where is the risk of war going to come from? Neighboring countries respect the authority of the Vatican and there is no sign of any disturbance to happen so...” “Brother Petros!!!” 

The scream echoed like an ice whip. Throwing a defiant look at the inquisitor, the archbishop harshly carved his words into the dark air of the hall.  “Are you the Director of the Holy Inquisition and you don't understand something like that!? Have you forgotten who the mortal enemy of humanity is!? Have you forgotten that this Empire of terrible devils is next to us!? If you've forgotten, I'll remind you. Never forget: this is Istvan, the front line of the battle against vampires!” “Ah…? But...” 

Anyone who had attended their dialogue would have been frozen in surprise.Il Ruinante, known as the most implacable man in the Vatican, had fallen silent. 

When he noticed Petros is not going to reply, the archbishop softened his expression. “Well, I don't want to lecture you anymore. Go back to the lobby. Didn't you come to escort His Holiness? That's all you're worth for. At least accomplish the mission you've been given.” “Y... yes! With your permission...” Gritting his teeth, Petros bowed. 

He was not at all convinced by the reasons given by his former superior, but he had no proper reply at the time. He didn't have time either. He turned towards the exit when... Just then the door closed in front of him. And, as if they were waiting for that moment, the guards locked the door from outside.

“Hey…”

Had they locked him up!? Petros looked around him, bewildered. The doors that led to the stalls were all closed with bolt. The lighting in the hall began to dim as the lighting on the stage took hold. The warrior priest then heard the sound of the presenter's voice through the microphone: 

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Istvan Opera House! In a few moments the Star of Sorrow will begin before all of you.”

“Petros, you are so clumsy!” 

The inquisitor began to get nervous. He had to find a way to get to the Pope's box as soon as possible! However, as much as he searched everywhere he was not able to find an open door. Apparently the security measures were meant to keep the public effectively locked inside the theater. 

He actually couldn’t make someone to open one of the doors invoking his authority as head of the Inquisition, if he did it, that would divert the attention of the speech that was about to start on the stage, and when they found out, the archbishop would scold him again some more. 

“Before we start, the author of the script will say a few words of welcome… His Excellene the Archbishop of Istvan, Emanuele D'Annunzio!” “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” 

While Il Ruinante was sweating while desperately looking for a way out, the welcome speech had begun on stage. Taking the microphone, the Archbishop smiled with all his virile charm. However, the voice that began to echo through the room had the serenity of a servant of God. 

“Welcome everyone. It has been a year since I received my appointment as Archbishop of this city. The road has not been easy, but with the help of the Lord and the collaboration of all of you, we have managed to happily overcome all the difficulties that have been presented to us so far. During this year we have defended in Istvan the glory of the Lord, who brought us a girl. I think we can be proud of it.” 

After uttering those phrases almost without breathing, the archbishop was silent for a moment. He closed his eyes as if he were remembering all the efforts of that year and raised his face to the ceiling. Petros realized that this was not more than a theatrical gesture, but the audience seemed to understand it as one reaction of sincere religious piety. Some mature women even began to sob quietly in the excitement.  Then, after checking that the entire room had gone completely silent, the archbishop opened his eyes again. Still smiling serenely, he raised his right arm to point to the small figure waiting at the base of the stage. 

“Tonight I am moved to have the opportunity to express our appreciation to the person who made the rebirth of this city possible. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the heroine who freed Istvan from the evil monster! Our hope before the devils that threaten us! Sister Esther Blanchett, Saint of Istvan!”

As thunderous applause rose, the hesitant figure of the nun appeared, equipped with a microphone. Blinking because of the bright spotlights and shrugging, the girl looked tiny in the middle of the huge stage, as if she were just a child.

 «She's just a poor kid…» Petros thought as he watched Esther walk across the stage. Come to think of it, the poor girl deserved his compassion for many reasons.First, because she belonged to the Ministry of Vatican Foreign Affairs, which was the lair of that witch, Caterina Sforza. Besides, she had to work with those agents, who had a horrible reputation of being sacrilegious. He couldn't imagine how she could lead a pious life as a nun between them. 

Above all, the entire show that night had not been sought by her, but had been implicated by the surroundings of D'Annunzio. At her young age, being worshiped as a Saint and being commissioned to make a speech to such an audience could only be considered a misfortune. 

“Uh... uh... Go... good night to every... Oh, no...! Good evening, la… ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to introduce myself to you. I am Esther Blanchett. I do not have words to express my gratitude for this opera to be performed in my honor...”

  While Il Ruinante looked at her with compassionate eyes, the nun had started babbling. The inquisitor’s heart cringed just to see how her forehead was beaded in sweat and how her blue eyes were moving full of insecurity. Trying to smile faintly, the young lady put on the table the script that the archbishop had given to her before. Just when she deployed the first pages and prepared to start reading... the tragedy happened. 

“Ah!?”

The first thing that echoed through the speakers was a small groan. The pages of the script Esther was going to read flew across the stage. 

“No!” Cried Petros, as the papers fluttered like leaves blown up in the wind.Had she forgotten to re-tie the rope that held the pages together? The nun was trying to pick them up in haste, but many had already fallen off the stage. The girl's tensed face had lost all traces of color. But Petros and the rest of the audience didn't have to hold their breath for long. 

At first, the nun was so stunned that she couldn't even speak, it was natural.

 Having to improvise a speech in front of such a crowd, and also being people of such power in society… Even a veteran politician would have found it difficult. How could it cost to a girl who had just turned eighteen? 

In view of the events, no one would have criticized her if she had fled the stage. But the Saint did not.Biting her lip as if she had made up her mind, she rose to her feet, adjusting the hem of her habit. She was still a little pale, but a powerful light shone in her blue eyes. As if attracted by that look, the audience's attention was concentrated on the girl's face when she began to speak... 

“I beg your pardon for my clumsiness… The fear of speaking in front of so many people has left me a little stunned…” Esther began in a vigorous, almost savage voice. “A play will be performed in my honor tonight and I want to express my enormous gratitude to you for taking the time to attend the performance”.

Was this the same nervous nun who had trembled a few minutes earlier? Esther addressed the audience with her head up, as if all the perplexity of before had disappeared. 

“Well, to be improvising she does it very well...” Petros said to himself with admiration, as he looked for the archbishop with his eyes. At the backstage, D'Annunzio seemed to be more tense than before, but he was still looking at the young woman with a satisfied smile. As the nun had read the script before, a few as she remembered, things would go more or less as he had planned. Petros expected the same when he looked back at the girl. She would probably invoke God and the Vatican, would praise the courage of the combatants a year ago and call those present to remain united. If she said that, nothing would be noticed... 

“Thank you all. That was my intention... But now I have changed my mind...”

It would take a long time for Petros to forget how the atmosphere in the room changed with just that short sentence.What she’s going to tell them!? Glancing to the backstage, he saw how the archbishop had stiffened, staring at the nun in amazement, as if observing a ceramic doll that had suddenly begun to speak. 

Esther was not looking at the archbishop, but at the room full of spectators. In her pupils were reflected the innumerable puzzled faces that had been nailed to her. The audience seemed hypnotized by the words of the Saint, who whispered slowly:  “I have come to pray with all of you for the souls of those who shed their blood in battle a year ago. For that I have returned here, to my city.”  The voice was not overly powerful, but it completely dominated the room, where not a cough was heard. Without being too high or too low, it filled the air with a clean and serene feeling. It was the perfect example of a pleasant voice. As proof of this, when hearing her, Petros had completely forgotten that he had to go to the royal box, nothing further from his mind at the moment than to get away from there.

Il Ruinante had been lost in thought, listening to the flow of that voice.

“A year ago, we got a lot of blood flowing. Blood of our comrades, blood of our enemies… It was a horrible battle. But then I thought there was no other option. To survive you had to fight. We couldn't help but spilling that blood. In those moments it seemed that we were at a crossroads between life and death. Yes, that was really the situation. That's why we took up the sword... But now, a year later, I have the feeling that «there was no other option» is not a sufficient explanation for that fight...”

Esther was silent for a moment after the long speech. At the view of the girl closing briefly her eyelids to soak in those memories, Petros thought that this nun did not seem at all like the girl that he knew. More than someone alive, it recalled to the images of Saints that appeared in the murals and religious paintings of the cathedrals.  When she opened her eyes again, a sweet but intense light shone on them. Looking at the audience, which was in absolute silence, she continued with a calm voice. 

“During that battle I met one person... one person who back then was my enemy. He was the man I was trying to kill. But he also believed he had to kill to me to survive.” 

Her expression could not be said to be very refined, nor the sound of the words to be very beautiful. In spite of this, there was nobody in the room that was not captivated by the voice of the Saint. None of those celebrities and distinguished people uttered a single word. They were all focused, listening to the girl, who kept talking as if this was the most normal thing in the world.  

“But it wasn't true, no one should have died; However, due to a misunderstanding, at first, both he and I thought that we had to kill ourselves to survive… And not only him. I believe that among those we killed and who killed us there were many like him. Many who laughed like us, cried like us. Many who we hated. All possibilities were destroyed by a misunderstanding.” 

Perhaps it was the memory of that man that made a trace of suffering appear in the serene voice of the girl. The audience also felt the sting of that painful memory in their chest. Looking ahead, Esther spoke without hurrying, without forcing the words, penetrating every corner of the hearts of the attendees.

“Ladies and gentlemen, distrust yourselves. Be suspicious of justice. Maybe we are too simple. Be suspicious of your ideas about justice in the world. Are they really correct? Aren't they often just what we want to believe? Don't we impose them on our neighbor many times? Be suspicious. Mistrusting these issues is not bad.” 

«Be suspicious of justice».

Hearing those words, the audience felt a slight shudder. Since the nun had started her speech, that was the first moment of doubt. The audience had been rapt with her until then, but little by little the audience began to come to their senses. Esther was not flustered by the change in the audience, so she pushed herself even harder in her speech, expressively moving her arms.

“It may be that these words make you sad. You may think that everything is false and that nothing is certain. God and justice are nothing more than mirages… But they are not. We can distrust, distrust and distrust, but something will always remain. There is always something that cannot be denied… For example, on a winter night like this, meeting with the whole family in front of the stove and feeling the warmth in the heart…” The families in the audience exchanged glances, as if encouraged by the girl's words.“Or look at the starry sky from a deserted meadow and feel how precious our little existence is...” 

As to embrace to all those present, the nun extended the arms and continued talking, pretending this time caress the soul with the voice. 

“Love of oneself and of neighbor ... that's what remains in the end. That is what makes me believe in God. Because God loves us and has given us these gifts. So let's pray together. Let us pray for all the blood that was shed and the souls of all the fallen… Amen.” “Amen.” “Amen.” “Amen.”

 Although they had wanted to rehearse it before, the response of those present would not have come out more conjoined. It seemed they had coordinated not only the breathing, but even the pulse. The echo of those words had scarcely been consumed when a thunderous round of applause went up. The ovation did not diminish after the nun finished bowing in thanks. After the archbishop's speech, the audience had remained seated, but Esther's words made everyone in attendance stand up to cheer her on. Even Petros, seeing the reaction from the room, was unable to suppress a cry of admiration.

“And she's just a little girl… What a charisma!” 

 N: A very old Petros’s coloring ;) 

Just with the dubious name of Saint, the girl had managed to move more than a thousand people. This was not normal. Thinking ahead, Petros felt a slight concern.  

If the artificial Saint that D'Annunzio and Borgia wanted to make was added that ability to attract the public, the potential of the girl was not negligible. If she developed her career under Sforza's guidance, she would be a formidable opponent for Cardinal Medici and his followers...

“Hey you! Where do you think you are going!? This is not the time for that yet!” 

Those reproachful words that came from the base of the stage brought the warrior monk to his senses. Turning, he saw a Guard soldier in his gray-blue uniform arguing with someone carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. Probably wanted to give it to the Saint. The one who carried the bouquet was a young adolescent. From the daring evening dress she was wearing, she seemed to be the daughter of one of the attendees. However, her dark skin and pronounced features were a rare combination in these lands. Her eyes were slanted and her pupils a stunning amethyst color.The soldier holding her in the gray gloves began to speak in an increasingly harsh voice.

“Didn't you hear me? If you want to give the Saint a bouquet of flowers, you have to wait for her to come down from the stage. Go back to your seat and stay still.” “Stand aside,Terran!” 

The young woman slightly moved the arm that the other was holding, It seemed a only symbolic gesture, but what happened then was anything but that. 

The soldier, who was six feet tall and weighed a hundred kilos, flew off incredibly and slammed his face against the wall. The impact must have made him pass out. The horrible noise of his nose breaking was the only thing that accompanied his collapse to the ground. 

The scene did not go unnoticed. Muffled shouts of astonishment began to be heard from the audience, and in the box of honor the cardinals had risen with tense faces. However, Petros wasted no time in observing the reactions of the attendees, because he had noticed that the young woman had too long canines between her lips...

“No! Get away from her you all!” Shouted Il Ruinante, wielding with each hand the screamers that he wore on his waist. “She is not human! Is a…!”  “Nice to meet you, Terrans. My name is Shahrazad and I come from the True Human Empire…” said the girl, with a voice as beautiful as a bell, but at the same time full of defiant force.  

As the bouquet of flowers was dropped, the long jeweled gloves she wore began to glow. Leaning them against the wall, the girl, or rather the vampire, looked directly at Esther, who made no sign of wanting to flee. 

“This evening I come to see the killer who you call the Saint... and to kill her!”

 With a thud, the wall began to crumble, looking like a spiderweb. 

                           ════════════╠☆╣════════════

And this is it my dear friends, I hope you have enjoyed this and the new Petros’ coloring I added. I tried hard not to include personal notes in the translation, because I love Petros so much and I was like reacting to everything that happened to him.  Maybe that’s the reason I love this arc so much XD  I want to thank you a lot for your patience, for those who still support this and help me out with it, and to those who share the love by rebloging and liking this. I truly apreciate that.  See you soon on the next part, stay tunned because the best part is next to come. Please stay safe and healthy <3 

#TrinityBlood #TrinityBloodNovels #fan translation #fan coloring #manga panel coloring #abel nightroad #esther blanchett #caterina sforza #brother petros #ROM IV #chapter 1 #part 2