#HAD TO FIT IN A STARRY REFERENCE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yourheartonfire · 10 months

Text

"Everyone says I shouldn't join the pack," the protagonist said. "They say you're..."

Well. They said a lot of things, eyeing the trio with great suspicion. Co-dependent, they whispered. Intense. A bit odd. They didn't fit in with the rest of the town. They were wilder, more wolf-like, than any of the other packs that the protagonist had ever come across.

"And what do you think?" the other werewolf asked, amused. "What do you want?"

You. Them. The pack.

The answer was achingly obvious; an inescapable tug.

It just wasn't sensible, and the protagonist had always been that.

Prompt courtesy of @the-modern-typewriter 's Patreon!

TW: reference to a past traumatic attack.

The pack came for the protagonist on the night of the new moon. It was barely 5pm but in the winter Northwest woods it might as well have been midnight. A crunch of truck tires on gravel, a sharp rap at the door, and three shaggy haired outlines on the cabin porch silhouetted against the starry sky and the deep, delicious darkness of the pine forest.

"Hey lone wolf," caroled the call from outside. "Don't you think it's time we all hashed this out?"

The protagonist gritted their teeth behind the door.

"Consider it an informative, mutual interview," the extrovert werewolf said. Purred, the protagonist would have said, if it weren't the wrong animal family. "After all, whether you join or not, you're still a wolf in our territory."

That... was true. It was deal with them now or deal with them when the moon changed. The protagonist steeled themselves, put on the kettle, and opened the door.

A few minutes later a pack of wolves were sprawled out on the protagonist's living room furniture, cups of Lemon Zinger in hand.

"I don't mean to offend, I'm just not..." The protagonist took a breath. "I didn't move out here to find a pack."

"And you're not required to join," the first one said smoothly. Clearly the speaker of the group. "There's enough woods for us all if you want to stay independent. The question is, ah..."

"The question is, is that what the wolf wants?" cut in the second one with a toothy smile over the edge of her teacup. The fighter, who walked with her shoulders up and her gaze constantly flicking back and forth.

"I control the wolf," the protagonist said automatically, then flinched.

There was a wave of reaction. The fighter dropped her eyes, the speaker immediately raised his hands to calm, to surrender. "You were part of a W.A. pack? That's fine, we're not judging. Obviously we don't subscribe to the creed," he added with a grin, "but it's no skin off our noses."

"Not much choice for a wolf in the city," the fighter added gruffly, her gaze fixed in intense scrutiny of the protagonist's footstool.

The protagonist forced a smile by habit even as they knew it would do no good. If the flinch hadn't been obvious enough the air practically stank with fear, anxiety.

That was the problem, dealing with wolves. There was just no hiding the truth.

"Yes," the protagonist said, giving their footstool the same scrutiny as they paused. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. The pack had probably puzzled it out anyway. "Victim Services recommended Wolves Anonymous to help me find my footing after..." They shrugged

Immediately all three werewolves bared their teeth. The protagonist was used enough to recognize this was not a threat but an expression of sympathy.

"Unacceptable," the speaker hissed, the most wolflike the protagonist had ever seen him.

"The Change is a gift but also a Change," the fighter snarled. "How dare anyone force it another? I trust the miscreant is a pelt?"

The protagonist shrugged and put down their tea cup with unsteady hands. "Drago Asylum. He was in lunar frenzy, it wasn't intentional."

Around them, the protagonist felt the wolves exchange glances as the pieces slotted together. No surprise though.

"Thank you," said the third wolf and their pack mates jumped, "for sharing."

The third wolf spoke in a voice barely louder than the crickets outside, yet the dry rattle of their whisper cut through the room like a knife. The one who positioned themselves by the door, who hung back and kept a watchful eye. The leader.

"We appreciate your forthrightness," they went on, their eyes cool and intense and locked on the protagonist. "You have free parole in our territory as a lone and a standing invitation to our pack, if and when you decide that's what you want. You also," they added with a dry glance to the others, "have free reign to court, be courted, or to have none of it. Whatever you choose won't in any way be impacting your standing."

"Um," the protagonist stammered, heat rising in their cheeks. The fighter grinned. The speaker winked. "That's, uh, that's it? You just met me and I get to join the club?"

The leader cocked their head. "Yes," they said. "We see. We understand. You have good reason to take slow decision. We will wait for you to decide. You are worth waiting for."

The protagonist bit down on their lip. The air in their little cabin had turned thick and hot with this many bodies in their space. But bodies that smelled like pine sap and rich dirt and just a hint of sharp desire, bodies that were carefully angled close enough to support and defend, but not too close to be a threat or to corner. For the first time in months, the presence of others was a comfort. "Thank you," they said.

The leader nodded brusquely, glanced to the speaker. "Right!" the speaker said cheerfully, putting down his cookie. "We've asked you enough questions. Your turn to interrogate us. Fire away."

It was almost dawn before the wolves left. It was two months before the protagonist joined the pack.

#my fiction #werewolves #contemporary fantasy #fantasy #fantasci #100

164 notes · View notes

ultimafangirl · 3 months

Text

Why are modern farming games getting rid of festivals?

The latest story of seasons, Pioneers of Olive Town (I'm not including the remakes cause they're remakes. Also Friends of Mineral Town actually has festivals), Stardew Valley and Coral Island have two festivals per season. It's ridiculous. I don't have Winds of Anthos but I hear it only has four total

I liked the festivals. I wanna see more festivals.

I'm using Back to Nature as my baseline cause it was my first. But they fit in about 18 festivals. And about 8 of them were romantic in nature or at least involved some kind of couple activity

Which brings me to my next point. Where are the romantic festivals? Half of the Olive Town festivals have you doing something with your partner so fine but last I checked Stardew Valley just has the dance. And I haven't seen the last festival in Coral Island yet but so far none of them have involved dates.

I'm referring to BtN again but give us the Spring Harmony Festival! I don't care if you call it Valentine's Day I want a day to give out chocolate. The Starry Night festival. Moon viewing.

Is it because festivals that just involve dialouge are considered boring now? There has to be some kind of mini game attached? I don't know I'm just spitballing. I'm loving Coral Island but the festivals don't all need minigames

I loved the goddess festival in BtN. I loved seeing them in their pretty dresses and then going out on a date afterwards. I loved it in the girl version where I actually got to dance with them (also off topic but Gotz giving you his wife's dress was the sweetest scene and I really wish I still had my psp so I could see it again).

Rune Factory 5 has it's problems but it still manages to have a good mix of activity and dialouge festivals with about 22 or so in total

Sorry, I'm all over the place.

Point is, I want more festivals in farming games. And I want more romantic festivals

#harvest moon #story of seasons #pioneers of olive town #stardew valley #coral island #rune factory 5 #rant #sorry this kept bugging me while i was playing coral island #and i realized it bugged me about stardew valley too #so i had to get it off my chest #but i want romantic festivals back

44 notes · View notes

fibula-rasa · 9 days

Text

Lost, but Not Forgotten: What Price Beauty? (1925)

Direction: Thomas Buckingham

Scenario & Story: Natacha Rambova

Titles: Malcolm Stuart Boylan

Production Manager: S. George Ullman

Camera: J. D. Jennings

Art Direction: Natacha Rambova

Production Design: William Cameron Menzies

Costume Design: Adrian

Studio: Circle Films (Production) & Pathé Exchange (Distribution)

Performers: Nita Naldi, Pierre Gendron, Virginia Pearson, Dolores Johnson, Myrna Loy, Sally Winters, La Supervia, Marilyn Newkirk, Victor Potel, Spike Rankin, Rosalind Byrne, Templar Saxe, Leo White Maybe: John Steppling, Paulette Duval, Dorothy Dwan, and Sally Long

Premiere: None, general release: January 22, 1928

Status: Presumed entirely lost.

Length: Variously reported as 5000 and 4000 feet (more commonly listed as 4000) or 5 reels

Synopsis (synthesized from magazine summaries of the plot):

Mary, a.k.a. “Miss Simplicity” (Dolores Johnson) is a starry-eyed, country-to-city transplant. She works at a beauty shop operated by a glamorous matron (Virginia Pearson) and owned by the young and handsome Clay (Pierre Gendron).

Mary is in love with Clay, but doesn’t have the nerve or feminine wiles to woo him. The uber-sophisticated Rita (Nita Naldi), however, is chock full of nerves and wile. Rita’s fancy clothes and perfumes and advanced flirting skills leave Mary feeling destined to fail at winning Clay’s amorous attention.

These feelings sublimate into an expressionistic dream for Mary, where she finds herself transformed into a sophisticate like Rita. Her boss is seen as a magnificent wizard, converting her clients into archetypes of glamour: exotic types, flappers, and sirens. Her competition, Rita, is seen as a bewitching spider.

In the end, surprising Mary, it turns out that her fresh-faced, unassuming charm is more appealing to Clay than Rita’s more practiced charm.

Additional sequence(s) featured in the film (but I’m not sure where they fit in the continuity):

Scene of the trials and tribulations of a fat woman trying to “reduce”

Points of Interest:

Only one quarter of Nita Naldi’s Hollywood films have survived (7 extant titles/21 lost or mostly lost titles).

——— ——— ———

What Price Beauty? was the first and only film produced under Natacha Rambova’s own company. Coordinating production for the film was the business manager for Rambova and her husband Rudolph Valentino, S. George Ullman. The couple met Ullman when he was working for Mineralava beauty products, the sponsor of their 1922-3 dancing tour.

When Rudolph Valentino entered into a contract with United Artists, said contract reportedly stipulated that Valentino-Rambova were not a package deal. Therefore, Rambova could not collaborate with Valentino on his productions for United. Possibly as consolation, Ullman funded a production for Rambova while Valentino worked on The Eagle (1925, extant).

For Rambova, What Price Beauty? was meant to be a proving ground for her idea that an artistic film could be made on a modest budget. She also wished to remind people that she was a skilled artist in her own right.

In an interview in Picture Play Magazine from August 1925, Rambova asserts:

“…I do not want the production in any sense to be referred to as high-brow or ‘arty’. My reputation for being ‘arty’ is one of the things that I have to live down, and I hope by this picture, which is a comedy—even to the extent of gags and hokum—to overcome that idea. “A woman who marries a celebrity is bound to find herself in a more or less equivocal position, it seems, and her difficulties are only increased when she happens to have had some artistic ambitions of her own before her marriage. I am afraid that those who have accused me of meddling in my husband’s affairs forget that I enjoyed a certain reputation and a very good remuneration for my work as well before I became Mrs. Valentino.”

“What I desire personally is simply to be known for the work which I have always done, and that has brought me a reputation entirely independent of my marriage.”

There isn’t a vast amount of information on what exactly prevented WPB from gaining release in a timely fashion. If the film was truly nothing more than a ploy to separate Rambova from Valentino, that would be an absurd waste of time, money (~$80,000 in 1925 USD), and talent—Rambova employed soon-to-be famous designer Adrian for costumes and William Cameron Menzies for set decoration. Not to mention that, in front of the camera, Nita Naldi was still a popular star and the Rambova discovery, Myrna Loy, made her quickly hyped debut.

When Pathé finally purchased WPB for distribution in 1928, they did very little to promote the film. Naldi had moved on from the film industry—as had Rambova. And, while Loy hadn’t become the huge star we know today by January of 1928, Warner Brothers had already given her top billing in a number of films. Pathé barely mentions Loy’s role in the little promotion they did do.

To put WPB’s release in the context of Rambova’s personal/professional biography (which you can read more about here):

June/July 1925 – WPB is completed, Rambova and Valentino separate (in July according to Rambova’s mother as quoted in Rambova’s book Rudy)

August 1925 – Rambova leaves Hollywood for New York City, reportedly to negotiate distribution for WPB. She and Valentino would see each other in person for the last time. Rambova leaves NYC for Europe.

September 1925 – Valentino draws up a new will disinheriting Rambova

November 1925 – Rambova returns to the US to act in a film, When Love Grows Cold (1926, presumed lost), a title which Rambova objected to

December 1925 – Rambova files for divorce

August 1926 – Valentino dies

January 1928 – WPB is finally released with no fanfare by Pathé

In my research for my Rambova cosplay, the suspicious production/release history for this film stood out to me. I hoped that I might find some reliable evidence of whether WPB was a consolation prize and/or a scheme to keep Rambova and Valentino apart. Honestly and unfortunately, circumstantial evidence does support it!

After poring over what few contemporary sources cover WPB, there seemed to be no plan in place for distribution as the film was in production. United Artists, at whose lot the film was shot, claimed to have nothing to do with its release. Ullman had a news item placed about negotiating the distribution rights in the East. However, in Ullman’s own memoir, he admits that when he travelled to New York with Rambova, it was in a personal, not professional capacity—navigating the couple’s separation. (Ullman’s book contains many disprovable claims and misrepresentations, so anything cited from it should be taken with a grain of salt.) That said, Ullman’s failure to secure even a modest distribution deal for WPB in a reasonable timeframe speaks to how ill-founded Valentino’s and Rambova’s trust in his business acumen was.

WPB cost $80,000 to produce, which converts to $1.4 million in 2023 USD. While that wasn’t an outrageous budget for a Hollywood feature film at the time, especially one with such advanced production value, it’s certainly an absurd cost if the goal was only to separate a bankable star from his wife and collaborator.

A close friend and employee of Valentino and Rambova, Lou Mahoney, recalled in Michael Morris’ Madam Valentino:

“The picture was previewed at a theater on the east side of Pasadena, and Mahoney remembered the audience reaction as positive, but, thereafter, What Price Beauty? was consigned to oblivion. Mahoney knew why: ‘No help came from anyone, no thoughts of trying to get this picture properly released. No help came from Ullman, Schenck, or anybody else. Their whole thought was that if the picture were a success, Mrs. Valentino would be a success. She would then start producing under the Rudolph Valentino Production Company. But this nobody wanted—except herself, and Mr. Valentino.’”

——— ——— ———

The few reviews from 1928 that I was able to find are not very complimentary of WPB. The critics seem thrown by the film’s tone or genre—reading it as a drama. (Part of that is Pathé’s fault as they listed it as one.) But, according to sources contemporary to WPB’s production, it was intended to be a farcical satire of the beauty industry and social expectations of feminine beauty. Given the simple story, the intentional typage of characters (“The Sport,” “The Sissy,” and “Miss Simplicity”), and the over-the-top-but-on-a-budget art design of WPB, all signs point to high camp. In 1925 as well as 1928, the stodgier side of the critical spectrum would likely fail to see its appeal.

It’s a true shame we can’t find out for ourselves how good, bad, or campy WPB was as of yet, but here’s hoping the film resurfaces!

More about Rambova

GIFs of some of her design work on film

☕Appreciate my work? Buy me a coffee! ☕

Transcribed Sources & Annotations over on the WMM Blog!

21 notes · View notes

yamchaisawesome · 1 year

Text

PENNY IS TRANS AS FUCK: An Essay.

WARNING, SPOILERS FOR POKÉMON SCARLET ABD VIOLET

So I saw some TERFs getting mad at someone headcanoning Penny from the new Pokémon games as trans saying they’re intolerant because they, and I paraphrase “headcanon every vaguely gnc person as trans.”

Anyway I, a cis man, am out here like: Did we play the same fucking game? So I’m going to compile every bit of evidence that I can find in support of this gal being trans.

Let’s start with what I like to call Trans Evidence Lightning Round. These are things I can’t write ridiculous amounts about but still feel important to include. These include but are not limited to: 1.Her wearing a large hoodie (possibly a dysphoria hoodie)

2. Her terrifying proficiency with coding and hacking. (Note, this is in no way dismissing cis women in coding or stem as a whole. The trans girl coder stereotype is just really common and Pokémon loves its shorthand)

3. She has a FUCKING SYLVEON (literally has the trans flag colours as the colour scheme) as her ace when you battle her.

4. She says “Shine bright like the starry sky and become who you really want to be!” When terrastalising said Sylveon, which can be taken in a number of ways.

5. The fact that none of the team star bosses knew her name before she left, only referring to her as “The Big Boss”

I’ll probably add more later. Now, onto the juicy stuff. Some of this doesn’t fit together but they all seem to imply the same thing and they’re all there.

It is revealed later on that, like the rest of the team star members, Penny was bullied relentlessly. It got so bad that she eventually just shut herself inside and never left the house. This isolation was so intense that up until the end of the Starfall Street story, none of her closest friends (the team star bosses) ever saw her real face. This isn’t the strongest bit of evidence but we’re never given a particular reason like we did with Eri or Atticus, so it’s in no way out of the question that the bullying could’ve been transphobic in nature.

Ortega’s Tutor (the director of the academy before Clavell took over) refers to the “Big Boss” (AKA Penny) as a he before sending her back to Galar as “punishment” for 1.5 years. Now this could just be a mistake on the devs’ part, but that seems like it gives us a rough timeline of eggcrackery, intentional misgendering (which seems out of character for the guy), or it could simply be that he had never met Penny due to the aforementioned social isolation and based it off of the student database which in my experience rarely updates this kind of stuff.

Nemona doesn’t recognise her. I repeat, NEMONA doesn’t recognise her. The most extroverted of extroverts, the super popular girl who’s on the student council and could probably look at the student database if she wanted to, the girl who has been at the school for AT LEAST two years for the simple reason that the events of the main story is not her first treasure hunt does not know this girl despite her being there before. There are many ways someone could write this off, including the aforementioned social isolation and her not knowing too much about team star in general but that is still really weird considering that this is NEMONA that we’re talking about. This could easily be supporting evidence for her transition over the 1.5 years in Galar.

And let’s say you’re still not convinced and you think she’s cis. That’s fucking fine. Nobody is going to judge you for that. But don’t be a piece of garbage and get mad at someone for headcanoning her as trans. To me and many others, she’s a genuinely cool trans character that doesn’t shove that fact in your face. Seriously, anyone who does this (btw if any of you TERFs stayed up to here, thank you but why?). Y’all get mad that “The media shoves trans shit in my face” then when there’s a character who either isn’t trans but resonates with trans audiences or is more subtle about their identity you get angry when anyone calls them trans. It’s very contradictory and I dare say hypocritical.

#pokemon penny #transgender #lgbtq+#transfem #Pokémon #pokémon scarlet and violet #Penny #pokemon #fuck TERFs #important

333 notes · View notes

rhineposting · 3 months

Text

( inspired by an idea from a genshin discord server )

The month was the 8th, slowly eclipsing in on the 9th. Like each year, travelers and merchants alike from all over traveled far and wide through different roads, all ultimately leading towards one destination beneath the surface - the underground Kingdom of Khaenri’ah, Starry House of Many Doors, and it’s annual Stjern-Falle Festival.

Many believed at least once that the celebration honored the departure of Summer and arrival of Autumn, as the name almost seemed to imply - alas, with the nation being removed from Gods’ gaze, they knew not of gentle winds of Spring, golden middays of Summer, raging storms of Autumn and certainly not of the cold fangs of Winter. Having conquered nature, Khaenri’ah had essentially risen above the need for seasons and therefore had no need to honor them. What else could the godless people celebrate them? That which is above the seasons as well, of course - the stars.

Ages ago, scholars had found a way of creating environments with sights and conditions taken from anywhere else in the world, calling them simply Domains - as such, in it’s earliest years, the first Sages of Khaenri’ah cast upon their kingdom an image of a starry sky far away, beyond divinity itself ; and each year from that foreign sky a rain of stars would come falling down, it’s dews harvested by the scientists and mages alike, providing prosperity to the kingdom for years to come.

However, as is with human nature, both the outsiders from above and the residents from below saw that time as a most opportune occasion for profit and trade ; and so, the Stjern-Falle Festival was open to all who could afford to make the journey.

Or to those who were removed from the circle of commerce entirely, thought a bard as he climbed out of a barrel, his feather-light footsteps quiet as he ran, a bag in one hand and a lyre in the other, burdened only with but a few Mora.

(One that he personally picked off of his dear old friend earlier when he lied unconscious and unaware in his…The bard would have liked to be so kind as to call it a bed, but really - it was just a hoarding pile of expensive quilts, pillows and trinkets.)

Among his few burdens, one would not be able to find a solid plan of his future endeavors. Should one peek into his mind and search for any plan, at best they would find a small list written in colored wax, reading as such:

1. Wine from Khemia-grown grapes

2. Traditional Khaenri’ahn Music

3. Make new friends

4. Watch the star rain

5. ?????

6. Go home and take a nap

The best plan is the lack of it thereof, such was the bard’s philosophy, and it yet had to fail him. Each corner of the world had a story to tell, and if he wanted to hear them all, what good would it do to arbitrarily set directions by himself? Besides, with fate being world’s best guide, putting in the time to make a schedule of any kind would have been too bothersome ; and above all, the bard was a man of leisures.

Once far away enough from the cargo of merchants and the grand, iron elevators the size of stages, he found himself sitting upon a small wall, marveling. At what? Simply put, everything before and below him.

By then the city, called lovingly by poets a Puddle of Many Rains, had been flooded with market stalls and stages alike ; it’s own lights bright seemingly mirroring the artificial stars above, reflecting them much like a true puddle would have. Though windless, the air was thick with scents so numerous and varied, so much that they could all be referred to only with a collective name : scent of a festival. Truly, the bard found it incredible how little the scent varied across the continent, be it Lantern Rite in Liyue or Day of Sabzeruz in Sumeru - at their core, they were all the same.

Overjoyed and energized, the bard chuckled under his breath and proceeded to close his eyes, letting his legs carry him to wherever they deemed fitting.

***

Not long into his blind trek, his ears made him come to a halt, something catching their attention. Thus did the bard stop right in the middle of the river of people passing by and listened :

A simple tune, coming from an instrument likely between a violin and an accordion, should his knowledge of instruments be up to date. Though it’s tones were deep, he could not help but pay mind to how swiftly the melody could go from somber to joyful in seconds. Intrigued, he squeezed past the rushing stream of the crowds. To his joy, soon after he had been faced with a young man, a strange violin-like instrument over his shoulder, one hand pressing keys and the other shifting a bow back and forth, producing music unlike anything he had heard in most recent years.

So he stood there, a one man audience to the youth, his green eyes bright with awe - contrasting greatly with the young man’s focused face as he continued playing for what felt like eternity and a fleeting moment both. All spheres of life had rules unspoken, therefore once the youth finished playing he bowed, while the bard clapped, a wide smile almost cutting through his face.

“Why, that was delightful!” the bard exclaimed, his palms by then aching from his applause, “Tell me o fellow poet, what is the name of this lovely instrument?”

“Nyckelharpa, sire!” the young man replied, “More commonly called the bowed violin, it’s our national instrument! And would I be right to assume you hail from the City of Winds?”

“Verily, my friend! Quite the perceptive eye you got there!” the bard praised, clapping once more, “Then again, my lyre does quite betray my origins, doesn’t it?’

“Nay, it’s actually your attire. Few people here need capes, and rarely in such vibrant colors as yours! If I had to name people I know of that wear capes, not only would their number fit on my single hand, they’re all from the Royal Court! Black Serpent Knights, the Mages, Court Alchemists and of course, the King and his family!”

That too the bard noticed - rarely did the clothes of the locals come in shades other than black, white, gray, blue or purple. Living beneath the surface did have it’s negatives, lack of access to a variety of dyes must have been among them. Still, from what he saw thus far, the people of Khaenri’ah made up for it with jewelry and adornments of brass and iron alike, ranging from simple buttons to elaborate earrings - worthy of landing in his dearest friend’s trash pile of a nest.

“If you’re so kind, could you tell me where may I learn more about your music?” asked the bard, “As it happens , I seek mastery over every instrument I can find - and it currently stands at the humble number of fifty seven!”

To that, the oblivious young man couldn’t help but burst out laughing, nearly folding both himself and his beloved instrument over. To that the bard took no offense, few ever believed him. Then again, few was the number of people who were capable of having enough years to master even three instruments, let alone fifty seven. By the time the young man managed to regain his breath, his cheeks had turned as red and round as an apple freshly picked off a tree, teeth bared in a wide smile.

“In that case, why don’t I take you to my school, master?” the man jokingly proposed, “I’d like to be there to see your list expand to fifty eight- or better yet, make it sixty! It’s a perfect time for such a milestone, is it not?”

“It is, friend,” the bard nodded. “It is.”

That year had marked Barbatos’ first ever Stjern-Falle Festival, as well as the year he mastered sixty five instruments total. From then on, the journey to Khaenri’ah’s many doors had become a voyage he would eagerly look forward to.

***

The wheel of time had turned a hundred times more, and so did the wheels of a cart as it came to a halt as soon as it got out from the since then upgraded cargo elevators. In spite of the countless inspections from merchants and guards both, once again it had an additional passenger - who had slipped from underneath the cart itself, filthy and dry with dust sticking into every crevice of his face. Resisting the urge to cough and spit, the passenger made a run for the shadows of various containers, where only then he’d wipe furiously at his twisted in discomfort face. Such a shame that no more were caravans as accommodating to stowaways as they used to be, sometimes even being as cruel as to employ usage of cats and dogs alike to avoid extra company.

“Phef phef phef,” the bard spat and wiped into his sleeves, a few tears running down his gray from dust face, “Oh dear, how am I ever going to wash this taste off?”

The question was purely rhetorical : as always, the answer to every issue under the sun would remain to be wine and music alike. That year, it was no different.

***

“May I ask for a slice of brie with that, good sir?”

Much time had passed, and by then the bard managed to clean both his robes and body from road dust - appearing as presentable and pleasant to the eye as ever, the image of a perfect customer that he was not. Not that the poor waiter would have known, as he kept bringing him more wine and snacks, blissfully unaware that upon being presented with the check, the bard would have been out through the chimney quicker than one could call for guards. Even then, no prison in Teyvat and below would have been able to hold him, as far as he knew.

“Will do!” the waiter bowed, and departed like a leaf in the wind, leaving the bard to his own devices.

Once more he had forgotten to bring a book to fill the time in between glasses and snacks and unfortunately enough, the establishment did not have performers of any kind, nor even books for a quick lend - effectively leaving him with plenty of time in his hands and nothing to invest it into. A shame, truly - had it not been for one ace up his sleeve for trying times such as these.

(And up more places, such as various orifices - at least according to his friend, whose constant stone face would eventually develop cracks upon losing a card game for the eight time in a row. A small breeze can carve a mountain, as they say.)

The ace being one of his favorite past times - to simply put, people watching. One would think that a man his age and wisdom would one day grow weary of the sight of humans of any kind - and they couldn’t be more wrong, fortunately. For the same reason why children insisted on hearing the same story for bedtime night after night, the bard would seek out the company of man, as mundane as their lives tended to be. Simple, infallible logic, he thought.

Surely enough, not long after the restaurant gained a new customer - a young girl, already tall for her age, donning robes of a scholar yet presenting herself with the confidence of a senior professor. Proud, with her chin lifted high, she approached the man behind the counter - the ringing sound of Mora making itself known across the establishment.

“I’d like your meal of the day. Sunshine Sprat. Take-out,” she requested. “I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“Of course, we’ll serve it to you in just a minute!”

So they did - before the bard knew it, the girl had been presented with the meal, wrapped up and secured like a gift, fragrant steam escaping from the cracks and folds here and there. Like a true princess, the girl took the package in her hands - and proceeded to run out the door as if her life depended on it. Soon enough, the server made the reason why known across the restaurant.

“You swindling little brat!!” The bard heard the man roar to the door, “Someone go catch her!”

When the bard looked closer, he saw that the Mora were gone - replaced only by a pile of rocks.

That evening, the restaurant earned two new customers on their blacklist.

***

It didn’t take the bard very long to find the girl - a few twists and turns, one flight across a few rooftops, two dives into the trash - and there she was, not even five minutes later ; not because she was slow, but simply because the bard was not someone anyone or anything could escape from, no matter how far they would travel.

He observed from afar, a hand under his chin, deeply entertained. The girl, likely no older than fourteen, carved into the dish much like a princess would have, while simultaneously reading a book that sat over her crossed lap as she sat on the ground behind a building. Her expression remained one of complete lack of bother or guilt of any kind, and it was so convincing that one would almost believe her, should she claim she was not to blame. By then, the bard’s amusement had almost shifted to entrancement, and before either of them knew it, he sat by her side after seemingly appearing from nowhere.

“Interesting trick back there, young lady!” he exclaimed, wearing an award winning smile, bright enough to blind, “Never seen anyone do something like that before, and I’ve been around for a while! Say, are you willing to share your secrets with a traveler from afar?”

In return, the girl graced him with a side-eyeing glare, unbothered by his swift and soundless fall from the sky - as if she was indeed a princess, looking down upon a mere peasant that managed to sneak past her bodyguards. From what the bard knew about the citizens of Khaenri’ah, chances were, a princess she might’ve been.

Her turquoise eyes were as bright as the stars themselves, and fittingly enough, her pupils resembled them as well - sharp and four pointed, almost shrunken into four thin lines as she looked him up and down. As far as he heard, those were exclusive to nobility of Khaenri'ah, a sign of their pure blood.

“Khemia,” she replied, before turning back to her book, “Basics of transmutation. Now can you go away, I’m trying to eat and you stink.”

“Oh, are you implying I don’t take proper hygiene measures when abroad? I’m hurt, deeply so!”

The girl raised one dark blonde eyebrow, “Wounded, even?”

“Hurt, young lady!”

“If you call me young lady again, you will be picking out worms from your nostrils for the rest of your life.”

“Then what should I call you instead? If you’d like, I’ll introduce myself first!” Before the girl could make it known how much she wouldn’t have liked to know his name, he offered his hand for shaking, “Venti! Venti the Bard!”

Not only did the girl not shake his hand, she looked at it as if it had been ridden with sepsis. Somehow, her already annoyed expression grew even more unimpressed.

“Rhinedottir. Not to be mistaken for my two sisters Rendottir and Rheindottir. Now can you put that away,” the girl ordered, as calmly as one could. “What do you want.”

“Well, truth be told, even though I’ve been here many times in the past for the Stjern-Falle Festival, I never quite managed to learn about Khemia from it’s source,” Venti explained upon putting his hand away, only to gesture away as he spoke, “And you seem like you know quite a lot about it, with how you’re able to use it so casually!”

For a while, the girl said nothing and merely observed the bard, expectantly - likely waiting for him to leave. Unfortunately for her, no such thing had occurred ; Venti did not undo his presence and continued sitting there, waiting for his answer as well. Had it been any other day, perhaps the girl would have entertained the idea of an out-waiting contest with her coming out as the victor. Alas, such couldn’t be, for if she continued waiting her meal would have gone cold.

“…Alright, fine,” the girl eventually relented, rolling her turquoise eyes to the sky and back, “…How do you explain white chalk in black soil, or the earth’s dense crust amidst the emptiness of space? While alchemy transmutates the inanimate, Khemia creates life, using other forms of life as a base. That’s how we can grow crops here underground. Otherwise we’d starve.”

Venti nodded, listening as attentively as one could, uttering not one word of his own.

“…But I think we can do even more with Khemia,” Rhinedottir suddenly added, idly shifting through the pages of her book. “I think that if I used the right formulas, I could create sentient life from scratch.”

“And why would you want to do that?” asked Barbatos. “Creating life is a pretty big deal. Not even gods are allowed to do that.”

The girl did not listen.

All she did was glare at him, if not at the whole world itself. Though her face was young, her gaze was not one of a small child. Sharp and heavy, it carried a weight for which the bard could not settle on a name at that time ; was it ambition or arrogance? Countless times he had seen both, and yet, neither had fit the mark.

“I want to be great,” she stated. “So I’m gonna be the greatest alchemist of all time.”

Venti just laughed under his nose and Barbatos nodded, her words engraved in his memory.

“Hope I will be there to see it for myself.”

He did, thirty Stjern-Falle Festivals later.

So did everyone else.

#rhine writing #genshin fanfic #genshin impact fanfic #genshin impact #genshin #genshin venti #rhinedottir #khaenri'ah

26 notes · View notes

sunnixsunshine · 10 months

Text

Yknow if you really think about it homestuck and clone high do have some things in common…… 👀

Made Abe indigo because he just had that vibe? And considering lore, he does have super strength. His sign is basically 16 lol.

Topher is violet. Him being pretty high on spectrum plus a seadweller made sooooooo much sense to me! He’d proclaim to be woke with landdweller and lowblood related matters. He’s got freckle-like scales in a darker color of his skintone because I thought it’d look neat. His sign is 1492.

Cleo’s fuchsia and seadweller. She’s cleopatra. It fits. I gave her freckle-like scales in the color of her blood. Her sign is supposed to be VII, could only think to make it work as IVI / (V)

Van Gogh is gold. I just wanted draw him with a tail and a minor double mutation, a headcanon I have for glod bloods. His sign is a subtle reference to Starry Night, that swirl in the sky.

#cloning the whole ancestor stuff #homestuck #homestuck fanart #karkat vantas #dave strider #clone high #clone high reboot #clone high 2023 #clone high fanart #clone high au #clonestuck au #clone high abe #clone high abraham lincoln #clone high topher bus #clone high topher #topher bus #clone high cleo #clone high cleopatra #clone high van gogh

71 notes · View notes

crushvsky · 5 months

Text

Back on this Karmic Rebellion shit again.

The inciting incident for this au takes places in District 12, probably after Sejanus is caught working with the rebels by Coriolanus. They start arguing and Sejanus says something which references the moment in the arena when Coriolanus tells him he could do a lot of good with his money and he then insists that funding the rebels is this good Coriolanus said he could do.

And Coriolanus is just so frustrated by this. Because first off he didn’t really mean what he said but also it’s sooo beyond insulting for Sejanus to make this interpretation. Because even if he *had* meant it he certainly wouldn’t have meant it like THAT. It’s an insult to his intelligence, his patience, his understanding of and skill with people and the Capital’s culture. OBVIOUSLY Coriolanus meant Sejanus should use his wealth to get into a position of power where he could affect real change from the top down. I mean only an idiot would try and start a grass roots rebellion in the districts as a way to enact real change! For one the Capital citizens don’t respect the districts, for two the districts are poor, over worked, and over policed. There’s just no way it would work. Really Sejanus I thought you were smarter than that and I’m extremely insulted that I overestimated your intelligence.

And this man was so huffy about it he said an entire version of this rant out loud. To a starry eyed Sejanus who assumes the insults are just because his darling Coryo is frustrated by his grand plan experiencing such a debilitating setback. Because you can only influence the Capital if you’re. You know. There. And this also perfectly explains why Coryo wants to go back! It’s not because of any sort of sense of inherent superiority, it’s just because the best way to free the districts is to be there! And Coryo trying so hard to stick to the status quo and fitting in with their asshole classmates is to further connections for the future! If he was ever mean or dismissive it’s just because that’s what needed to happen so he fit in for his plan to take over! It all makes sense now!

And this man is lost. Immediately on board with it to. And now Coriolanus is trapped in a hell of his own making because he just said something extremely seditious and there’s just really no back pedaling now is there?

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #coriolanus x sejanus #coriolanus snow #coriolanus x lucy gray #sejanus plinth #someone write a fic #please #i beg #fic ideas #crack #karmic rebellion #snowjanus

30 notes · View notes

cochineal-leviat · 7 months

Text

Marquis Fluff reference The Midnight Soirée chapter 1 to 5

It's Fluff's turn!

Kirby 1-2

A warning for spoilers for the Midnight Soirée. Please go read that first if you're interested in the story. Please enjoy

Back reference without Fluff's long hair.

Colour Pallete:

All Fluff's colours are saturated, and compared to Kirby, who uses all colours - Fluff only uses the CMYK colour palette except the green for the leaves. (Cyan, magenta, yellow and key colour. The key colour is usually black or brown, with the latter fitting in here. And well, the cyan is more blue, but I ended up using it for Fluff's eyeshadow.) CMYK is known as print colours and are subtractive, which means the more colour you add, the darker it becomes. The opposite is RGB colours, which are additive colours. The more colour you add, the closer it becomes to white, with white being every colour. RGB is used in electronic displays like TVs, phones and computer screens, and eye cones are also RGB. Though very rarely, people are born with four cones rather than three. Animals like the mantis shrimp have sixteen colour receptors and can see in more colours than we do.

Clothes:

From top to bottom: we have his wooden crown. In my extra trivia chapter from the Midnight Soirée, I explained how all fae royalty wear flower crowns when they marry and afterwards. But since Fluff is a bachelor, he does not wear a flower crown. So, he dons a crown of wood instead. A few small branches grow from it, resembling horns, as Fluff's true form has four horns.

All the gems on his person are diamond-shaped. This is because the shape of a diamond represents perfection, which is also why I used the diamond pattern on his jacket. Although with the shading, the diamonds look like triangles, considered half or incomplete perfection. They also resemble cushions, which refers to Patchland being made from arts and crafts.

The jacket of a concerto maestro with their long tailcoats inspired Fluff's overcoat. Fluff's coattails resemble broken clipped dragonfly wings; the top half is missing, and Fluff's pouldrons are very prince-like. Kirby never thought Fluff was a prince because his crown was humble compared to the royalty Kirby knew. Duke Dedede wears a singlet, which is normal for Dreamland Nobility. A passage in Chapter 1 explains this as crowns are passed down the aristocracy family tree from the head of the family to the next heir.

Before designing the characters, I had already visualised the starlight tights, which fit well with Kirby's starry night cape. They resemble Lapiz Lazuli, which are some magnificent stones. They have these golden flecks in them and crushed are called Ultramarine, which is a very vibrant dark blue powder. It was believed that wearing lapis lazuli warded off bad spirits, and in Ancient Egypt, they crushed the stone to wear the powder as eyeshadow.

Fluff's shoes are styled like flowers/vines that wrap around the foot and legs like boots but have the appearance of high heels. It is both elegant and intimidating. A fun detail is that they, from the front, resemble hooves from a bovine. Which is not the correct animal, but hell, why not? It is one of the few drafts I kept from the first sketch because it fits well.

Without the sash. Marquis Fluff gave his sash to Kirby in chapter 2

Close up from face. I had a lot of fun designing the makeup for Fluff in this AU.

Fluff's glamour is constructed out of many things. However, as a fae, Fluff has no hair shine as a human like Kirby does. Neither do Fae have eyelights. You can see it best in this close-up. The only light that reflects back is on Fluff's clothes or gems. This is why the only light is at the bottom of Fluff's hair, as it is a gradient. This is because the fae use an illusion to hide their true yet ever-changing eldritch forms. So Fluff's eyes and hair are fake, so his skin and really everything about him. It is all magic, which is why, throughout the night, he changes appearances so rapidly and why his expressions can go from warm to cold/deadly so quickly. He mimics human expressions and mannerisms while filling the rest with fae manners. The fae are an adaptive species that outwardly change like nature as nature, even if we don't see it, is constantly adapting for survival.

As for why Fluff decided to adapt to his form - who knows? Partly, it is to resemble the portrait that hangs in the real world in the debilitated mansion's foyer.

(remember this bad boy? Yeah, it's old but I still love the colours)

All the features that have been added or changed are meant to lure Kirby in. Fae are said to tempt people with their magical beauty and, in some instances, transform to fit the human's preferences. In some myths, it is even said when someone casts their eyes on a fae they have already lost as they are that beautiful.

Fluff took something Kirby was familiar with and was already bewitched by. Or perhaps the portrait is magical of itself and was the first part of the curse. Who knows.

Chapter 3 & Beginning

Fluff with his hair done up and a few other things. Fluff looks more elegant/handsome with his pair-up. It might be because I've been staring at Fluff's reference model with his hair down, so putting up his hair is refreshing.

Fluff was sure at this point that he and Kirby would be together as husbands, so he felt more free to express himself and put more thought into his appearance. The diamond skin from Chapter 3 to Chapter 5 is not part of his makeup, as that was his glamour starting to slip. Luckily for him, it was something that could be considered beautiful. Although the lights can look creepy in the dark as they are essentially glowing freckles. The pointed ears are also from his glamour weakening but he does not feel ashamed to hide them since Kirby knows he is Fae. Fluff's first appearance was meant to attract and yet hide his true nature so here he is much more open.

Also, diamond earrings = symbolise perfection. Fluff looks a lot more sheep-like with his nose.

Midpoint Chapter 4 and 5

Here, Fluff is without his maestro jacket - seemingly vulnerable as he wanted to be left alone. Despite his obvious otherness, he seems more down to earth in his upset state. We also see his shirt and hands without his blue coat/gloves covering them, so that's neat. I had a lot of fun designing the ruffled shirt. I wanted to ensure it was not a stale design when I eventually disregarded the jacket for Fluff's angry/hurt role in those two chapters.

Oh yeah, Fluff is pissed, alright. Well, he is more hurt, but he gets to be angry too. Even if he understood deep down, it was a misunderstanding. He was so close to one's goal, and finding someone who he could love and loves suddenly reject him stung. As did Kirby returning after they rejected him. Fluff did away with all the makeup and jewellery. Even his crown of wood/thorns is gone. His hair is messy, and his eyes and cheeks are covered in cracks. Yeah, Fluff does not care anymore how he is perceived in that moment. Still, he holds onto his glamour just a little longer for sentimentally. Because as hurt as he is, he did enjoy his time spent with Kirby. He also stopped glamouring his natural red peepers, and from this point, he never hides them behind the yellow lenses he conjured from the beginning of the night. They have horizontal pupils like sheep do.

The pin in his bun is a button.

Thank you very much for looking at my art & reading. I hope you have a wonderful day or night further! Happy spooky month (*^▽^*)

#kirby series #kirby gijnka #my art #art reference #The Midnight Soiree (Kirby fic)#RosenRotAU #faerie #fae folk #fae #Fantasy medieval #Prince Fluff #Marquis Fluff #Fae Prince Fluff #glamour #fae lore

46 notes · View notes

batfamhyperfixation · 1 year

Text

Ok, I'm playing a game called what tattoo would each batfamily member get. You can give your opinions too, but here is what I got:

Bruce would get this to remind himself of that exact thing

(Please give your opinions especially for Dick cause I think this one could be better) but I was thinking this one for Dick cause its cute and kinda funny but could also remind him of his circus years (the tightrope) and how despite everything, he is still hanging on

Jason would get this one, he would say it's just cause it looks badass, but it's actually a reference to Cthulhu. Anyone who looks at Cthulhu supposedly goes insane. After the Lazarus pit, Jason has this guilt for losing control and he constantly feels like he is going insane. Plus that is the area of his rage (the way he hits people or handles weapons) so putting Cthulhu on his hand shows that is the physical manifestation of his 'bouts of insanity' or rage

Tim would get this one (minus the stuff in the photograph coming out) cause this all started (being Robin, joining the batfamily, everywhere he is today) because of that photo with Dick at the circus all those years ago (and figuring out Dick was Robin)

Damian would say it's cause he likes cats and it fits the aesthetic for the family (goth), but it is really because for a long time growing up, he used to see himself as this bad thing, similar to the stigma for black cats as bad luck, but he isn't actually, just like how black cats are actually just friendly cute and cuddly, not bad luck, so he has this as a reminder

Cass would get this, because she has a troubled past, getting raised by assassins, and this is a reminder that she is not where she comes from, she is who she decides to be now, she doesn't need to define herself through her trauma

Duke is a metahuman who controls light and shadow, so one of those cool blacklight tattoos would be quite fitting, and one of his backbone would show 1) he fights for the people of Gotham, that he's not going to be spineless (he was quite pleased with his play on words) and 2) it shows his human side, that being a meta doesn't make him any less human

Steph would get this one. I feel like Steph would resonate with Alice from Alice in wonderland. She grew up in a home with villians, yet she still had a moral compass, she even spoiled their plans, hence how she got her name. She would feel like the only sane person in a world of madness growing up, like another blond girl did (Alice, in case it wasn't clear), and the 'starry night' by Vincent Van Gogh would symbolize her vigilant life, she is entering a world of madness to fight for justice during the nights in Gotham

Lastly, Alfred would not have gotten a tattoo if he wasn't swayed when Jason showed him this, as it is very convenient and that is the only reason he would even consider a tattoo

If you think it would be something different for someone's, feel free to add the tattoo and an explanation as to why!

#you can say your opinions if you want #you just gotta give reasons cause I wanna see your thoughts #batkids #batfam #bat family #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #cassandra cain #duke thomas #stephine brown #alfred pennyworth #tattoos #batman

202 notes · View notes

foxes-that-run · 7 months

Text

Little Freak

Did you dress up for Halloween? Little Freak is a sweet song, Harry is thinking about an ex and looking at the relationship with distance. It has many references to Taylor. It was written when he was in Tokyo Oct-Dec 2018. Taylor had her last Reputation concert 21 November, 2018 in Tokyo.

youtube

Little Freak was written on bad rental gear, he said it went through 19 versions before finally being on Harry's House. Ophelia is possibly written at the same time, it references Tokyo. TBSL is similar, references Taylor in a similar way, but Harry said it was written in Bath later.

To Howard Stern, Harry said if a song didn't make a previous album why would it make this one, however noted 2 songs on Harry's House are older, but they fit sonically on the album. There is another great post here.

Lyrics

Little freak, Jezebel You sit high atop the kitchen counter Stay green a little while You bring blue lights to dreams

Jezabel is possibly a reference to 'Slut!' Taylor also references this line in the opening of the Bejewelled MV "the prince would not have anything to do with that Harlot again."

Harry references kitchens in Haylor songs Sunflower Vol 6 (kiss in the kitchen), Two Ghosts (fridge light washes the room white), here it is a device to remember a calm intimacy with his muse

A Blue film is an adult film, the last line is a wet dream.

Starry haze, crystal ball Somehow, you've become some paranoia A wet dream just dangling But your gift is wasted on me

The starry haze, crystal ball is a reference to the Ready for it...? MV. Which is about Harry, he also referenced it in To be so Lonely. Ready for it also references a sexual dream "In the middle of the night, in my dreams (eh) / You should see the things we do (we do), baby" It was an impressive tour open too.

The paranoia refers to the complicated nature of their relationship (Fine Line, DBATC) he is asked about her a lot and while their songs imply they interact, they are almost never seen together so they may work hard at that.

The wet dream, just dangling, to me means unfinished business with her that he doesn't know how to resolve.

He feels her musical gifts are wasted on him, (they aren't Harry, you're the best muse)

This producer video comments on the use of a Linn drum machine as something Jack Antonoff uses on Taylor Swifts songs. (26:30)

I was thinkin' about who you are Your delicate point of view, I Was thinkin' about you I'm not worried about where you are Or who you will go home to, I'm Just thinkin' about you

This verse refers to another Haylor Reputation song, Delicate, which also tells of sexual tension. However, here Harry uses the song title to flatter her and adds that he is not feeling possessive, just thinking of her.

Did you dress up for Halloween? I spilt beer on your friend, I'm not sorry A golf swing and a trampoline Maybe we'll do this again

This verse refers to Taylor and has links back to their time dating.

Taylor does dress up for halloween, like this 2014 1989-era Pegacorn. Harry and Taylor were also both in Tokyo a few weeks after Halloween

The spilt beer is often thought to be this photo of him with Karlie Kloss on a fashion persons yacht. It looks like water in front of him but I like to imagine this is it.

Blank Space MV Taylor took a golf club to a classic luxury car. Harry has many nice classic cars. In the Red era when they first dated Taylor had a trampoline on her tennis court and it also featured in the 22 MV.

in the close he asks maybe we'll do this again, I interpret that as maybe be together again one day. Olivia, WITW and Someday maybe have similar messages.

Tracksuit and a ponytail You hide the body all that yoga gave you Red wine and a ginger ale But you would make fun of me, for sure

Above I have a grab from Miss American, which was filmed during the Rep tour, in most of the back stage, home or recording scenes she is wearing a variation on a tracksuit and ponytail.

Red wine and ginger ale mixed is a seltzer type drink, here it is an 'easter egg' as there are red wine references in a lot of Haylor songs: DBATC (My time, my wine..), Clean (You're still all over me like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore), Maroon (The burgundy on my T-shirt when you splashed your wine into me), Olivia (This isn't the stain of a red wine, I'm bleeding love) and Grapejuice ("Give me something old and red")

I disrespected you Jumped in feet first, and I landed too hard A broken ankle, karma rules You never saw my birthmark

In the last verse Harry has started reflecting on how things ended, he acknowledges he disrespected Taylor. This may refer to the time in Now that we don't talk.

Harry broke his foot playing football while on tour in Ireland in October 2015, this is close to the time period in NTWDT, Harry includes a reference to Karma, Taylors maybe album, evential song from that time period.

Harry has a birthmark on his back so many think this means he has and will never turn his back on her. (I have seen another fandom say this means they were not intimate, dude- strangers on the internet can link to it)

to me the birthmark is not literal, I think she never saw his full self because of his age & the band. He spoke to both Howard Stern and Zane Lowe about all of his adult decisions being made as part of a group from 16-20. It was in a context of leaving One Direction. To me this emotional coasting (he says he was 'away' in TBSL) was a factor in the events of NTWDT and Is it over now?

But both of these are true, he won’t turn his back on her and he wasn’t his full self then.

#Youtube #happy halloween #harry styles #taylor swift #little freak #haylor #harry’s house

23 notes · View notes

mystifyinghatchetfieldtheories · 7 months

Text

The Hatchetmen created the Killer Track, and it explains Paul and Emma's unique connection

When thinking about the specific places Kale brings the Killer Track to, I noticed that they tend to be affiliated with the Church of the Starry Children. The Honey Festival is of course heavily connected to the Church, and several members are in attendance, including Sheila Young. Additionally, The Slaughtered Pig's name seems to reference the ritual that the Church uses to summon Nibbly. We know that the Church are enemies of the Hatchetmen, since the Hatchetmen killed many of their members. We also know that the Hatchetmen have access to some sort of magic, because they're able to turn people with the Gift into trees. Therefore, I think the Killer Track was created by the Hatchetmen for the purpose of killing members of the Church of the Starry Children.

The Church of the Starry Children seem to be fans of music, since their founding members built the Old Starlight Theater, the Honey Queen pageant features musical acts, The Slaughtered Pig is a music venue, and they worship the Lords in Black, who each have a theme song. The Hatchetmen, however, have never had a song even associated with them, which is surprising considering Hatchetfield has featured 76 songs so far.

It is likely that each of Hatchetfield's two high schools is associated with one of the two factions. Hatchetfield High was built by the Waylons, and Sycamore's mascot is the Timberwolves, which connects to the fact that the Hatchetmen ran Hatchetfield's logging industry. Sycamore doesn't have a theatre program, which further proves that the Hatchetmen aren't fans of the arts.

You know who else Doesn't Like Musicals? Paul Matthews. And Paul went to Sycamore High School. We've never gotten to meet any other characters who attended Sycamore, but if I'm correct about the Hatchetmen having created the Killer Track, I suspect they also dislike musicals. This is because the Killer Track, the music video for which features visuals of torn up sheet music and a guitar burning, seems to satirize heavy metal/rock music. Almost as if the Track punishes people for listening to it. With this perspective, I suspect that Sycamore took their students to go see Brigadoon specifically so they would see how bad that production was and gain a hatred for musical theatre.

However, one thing separates Paul from the Hatchetmen: He has a touch of the Gift. This is something I have proven in multiple other posts where I've theorized that the opening song of TGWDLM is a vision sent to him by Pokey.

Meanwhile, Emma Perkins attended Hatchetfield High. And she likes theatre. And she cut down several acres of forest planted by the Hatchetmen in order to grow weed. Yet, we know that Emma is likely descended from Hatchetmen, since her great-grandfather was close to Bob Metzger, and owned part of the Witchwood.

Paul and Emma each have strong ties to one of Hatchetfield's main factions. Both of them, however, defy that faction's expectations. I think this is what makes their romance a constant in every timeline. Because, even subconsciously, they both know they will never fit into these expectations, they will always find each other.

#starkid #hatchetfield #tgwdlm #nmt2 #honey queen #perky's buds #killer track #horror #comedy #musical #theory

50 notes · View notes

raayllum · 1 year

Text

tdp and mythic inspiration electric boogaloo

The Ancient Egyptian and Greek myth edition, brought to you by a lifelong interest in researching Greek myth, the wonders of the internet, and one of my best friends who almost majored in Classics / had a very long Egyptian mythology phase and verified my leanings (and offered up some new ones).

Previous myth metas:

The Fall of Lux Aurea as the Siege of Troy

Rayllum as Orpheus and Eurydice

Deceptive Gift Giving In Greek Mythology and TDP

Aaravos’ Mythic Associations (re: Lucifer and Prometheus)

General thoughts under mythology tag for those interested

Bonus meta about the dark magic sigil being based off Hermes’ caduceus here written by @kradogsrats (and also talks a little bit about Thoth / some of what the above metas touched on as well). With all this out of the way, let’s get into it.

The Trio + Aaravos

Now I have talked briefly about this before as the parallels were actually brought to my attention by another user, @corcracrow in an ask and following meta here. I’d suggest reading that first as we’ll be covering similar territory here but also building upon the parallels between Callum, Aaravos, and Rayla with Thoth, Osiris, and Ma’at in more detail as well as discussing some other deity similarities (Isis, Ra, and Ezran at the behest of my friend).

AARAVOS AND OSIRIS

Even before S4 came out I’d associated Aaravos with Osiris due to the shared duality in their natures, with Osiris being a god of many things, including but not limited to fertility, the embodiment of the dead, resurrected king as well as a general god of the underworld, sometimes known as “The Lord of Silence.” My myth loving friend who also has Aaravos as their favourite TDP character, also heartily agreed that Aaravos-Osiris is where they would place our starry elf when it came to similarities in the Egyptian mythic tradition.

One of the most famous, if not the most famous, myths concerning Osiris is his death and resurrection. He is chopped into pieces after being betrayed by his brother, Set, and his sister-wife, Isis, has to piece him back together. (Being chopped into pieces is also a commonality for his usurper, Set, as well as for the Grecian primordial deity of Space, Uranus, and his son, the Titan of Time, Kronos. Somebody needs to start taking away sickles.)

This connection is also inspired by depictions of Thoth (Callum) presenting Osiris (Aaravos) a Key of Life vaguely reminiscent of his 4x04 intro pose, but more on the Key of Life / Aaravos later.

CALLUM AS THOTH

So why Callum as Thoth? Well, Thoth was the Egyptian god of scribes, magic, master of knowledge, and known as the Divine Author of All Books. This fits not only with Callum’s key characters being linked to his curiosity and cleverness, and the infamous “Destiny is a book you write yourself” (which was also the promo quote for the series before S1 released) but also fits the other gods my recommended I look into / confirmed my suspicions about. Thoth often helps Isis (Ezran) in resurrecting Osiris and is married to Ma’at (Rayla) but more on that later as well.

Last but not least, Thoth’s Egyptian name was Djehuty, which means “He who is like the Ibis.”

He often provides counsel to others and indeed gambled with the Moon to earn the extra five days of the calendar, resulting in the birth of Nut’s many children, and the year having a full 365 days. We can see holdovers in this in terms of Callum’s cleverness, ability to plan, and the way he is often unafraid to take even momentous risks.

RAYLA AS MA’AT

Ma’at had a double meaning to the Egyptians, referring to both a goddess who personified many concepts, and the concepts of Truth, Justice, Morality, and Balance. Good Pharaohs were ones who upheld ma’at in their royal proceedings and decisions. We can see tenets of this in both modern day ideas of Lady Liberty / Justice and of in-universe Lady Justice that Harrow speaks of in S2. Ma’at is also traditionally Thoth’s wife and shares a similar to connection to Ra that Thoth does, but we’ll talk more about that when we get to Ezran.

However, the main reason I aligned Rayla with Ma’at is, along with her conceptual associations, Ma’at was involved in the Afterlife’s most important ceremony: the weighing the newly dead mortal’s heart against her Feather of Truth. Which, while Phoe-Phoe’s feather is initially bound to Ezran, it is intrinsically linked to Rayla in all other instances.

Truthfulness, justice, and morality are also by and large the concepts that define her arc and her various struggles over the past four seasons, so the fact that out of all gods and goddesses, Ma’at also shares a kinship with Ra (Ezran) and wifehood to Thoth was just a perfect cherry on top and honestly, probably the most fun sheer coincidence of it all, if I had to guess.

Ezran as Ra and Isis

So originally I wasn’t thinking too much of Ez having a counterpart due to the fact I’m only passably familiar with Egyptian myth / I always like to make sure my tracing is strong and I’m not stretching things beyond measure. Then my friend recommended I take a look at Isis and Ra for Ezran, so here they are. Isis was definitely not my first thought since she is primarily a mother-wife goddess and associated more with the female adjacent spectrum of divinity; however, my friend pointed out the importance of Isis as a symbol of the throne, which she also wears on her head, as well as her place as a magical healer and magician next to Thoth.

This would be particularly worthwhile, if, as speculated, Ezran plays a role in reviving Runaan in particular out of the coin due to the binding the assassin still wears for his long living target.

This fits Ezran’s ascension to kingship most clearly, as it is his most significant role, as well as his attempts to heal the world from the throne itself, and themes of rebirth in his arc as king; cast out to the underworld (prison) only to reclaim it even without a crown, as Isis is not just a helper to the king, but a Goddess of Kingship. Additionally, Isis often seeks counsel from Thoth, the same way that Ezran leads on Callum, and Ezran’s connection with animals has been widely speculated to fit into something magically in-universe, although we are still waiting on confirmation.

Then you have Ezran as Ra, which also solidifies the Callum-Ezran-Rayla trio as a neat little parallel to Thoth-Ra-Isis. As the god of the sun, Ra was one of the most important and widespread Egyptian gods, Ra ruled in all parts of the created world: the sky, the earth, and the underworld. He was the god of the sun, order, kings, and the sky, and also most heavily associated with rebirth. He would go to the Underworld for the duration of night (thus causing night time) for twelve hours on a boat, with Ma’at at the front of his solar barque, and Thoth also at his side. (It is also a fun, tiny connection of Ez’s best friend, Bait, being connected to the Sun primal.)

But I think that’s probably enough conspiracy string wrangling for now in terms of assigning roles and similarities between characters. Now I want to get to the real heart of the meta which is something I’ve thought for a while now (I want to say shortly post S3, but honestly could have been any time during the very long hiatus) which is to say

The Ankh

the Star arcanum symbol has always reminded me of the Ankh. A symbol of Eternal Life, the Ankh is one of the oldest icons in the world, representing Eternal Life and the first known Cross symbol, believed to have eventually turned into the Christian cross symbol over time and due to simplification. Known as the Key of Life, the Ankh is associated with many Egyptian deities including ones we have mentioned above as a symbol of power and creation, and is the Key of Life is what is being presented by Thoth to Osiris in the artwork pictured above.

However, wait: there’s more.

The Ankh is associated the Nile, the largest and most important body of water in Ancient Egyptian mythos. It can also be associated with air and the very common idea of Breath of Life when it comes to creation and revival, particularly of pharaohs upon death (which would fit with Aaravos promising to revive Viren, a dead king, after mummifying / preserving his body for two years). Now, this makes sense, as breath and water are crucial for well, being alive, particularly in a culture surrounded by a vast desert. However, the Nile could also have negative implications with destruction and thus had a continual rebirth motif, with boats as crucial mode of transportation both in literal life and to the afterlife. (Which is interesting, don’t you think, considering next season is going to be Book Five: Ocean.)

But wait: THERE’S. MORE.

The Ankh was also associated and used to refer to mirrors, specifically ones shaped like an oval rather than a perfectly round circle.

Ovular mirrors represented the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, fitting with Osiris. They would be offered to Hathor, the goddess of Love (and beauty / fertility, dance, etc.) as well. “The association of the ankh with the mirror was no chance occurrence. The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was a mirror image of life on earth and mirrors were thought to contain magical properties” (citation). Additionally on top of it all, mirrors were closely associated with divination.

But wait. There’s still. MORE. Specifically:

The (Quasar) Diamonds

In ancient Egypt, diamonds were a symbol of courage, power, and truth. They also represented the sun. In Greek and Roman mythology, diamonds were believed to be the tears of the gods or splinters that had broken off from falling stars. For the Romans, they additionally believed as early as the 1st century CE that Cupid’s arrows were diamond-tipped as well.

The pharaohs placed diamonds as a centrepiece in the ankh.

All of this to say I am slowly but surely being convinced the Key of Aaravos has a connection to both Aaravos’ mirror prison, but also the Quasar Diamond perhaps taken from his missing Star arcanum symbol that caused him to be a Fallen Star in the first place - that perhaps the key holds the quasar diamond within it as a hiding place in plain sight, and this is why it is needed to unlock his prison.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this mythic deep dive, possibly learned something new / was delighted to see something you remember from your myth phase, or at the very least, enjoyed seeing me gradually lose my mind over the duration of this meta. As always, mythic comparisons are fun and can often be fruitful, but are not always perfect matches, even if they can help direct us and definitely help theorize, so I hope you had as much fun as I did. As said I am by no means an expert, particularly with Egyptian mythos, so if I have gotten something wrong or wildly incorrect, please feel free to correct me, or to add your own thoughts if you have discovered another similarity or consideration that is not included here.

110 notes · View notes

anies-vocalsynthhcworld · 2 months

Note

Hi! Since you opened an inbox with your Vocaloid headcanons of yours, i have a tiny question - what VOCALOID songs would the Eightloids in your headcanons relate to! (Bonus: if it not necessary a VOCALOID song but another song, that can perfectly represent it) ˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆ Have a nice day! ˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Hello Gremlin! I hope you're having a good day too! 💕💕 (even if it took me a while to respond, sorry unu)

It's a good proposal that I've been thinking about for the last few days...and even though they were options from recent searches (a large majority already knew them), I'm sure that the songs I have for the Eightloids fit how I interpret them in my hcs. If I'm misunderstanding one of this wrongly, I apologize for it <\3

— long post warning —

Miku - Hoshi no Kakera

youtube

The song that started Miku's career, in my universe, this song also identifies a large part of what she was going through her head after entering as a Vocaloid. At first, she believed that she had a perfect life being a very studious and diligent girl in school, hoping to enter a prestigious university where, upon graduating, she would obtain a validly acclaimed profession. However...she didn't realize that by clinging to that single goal, she was being taken away from the world and was being led to a path of loneliness...but...the moment Miku discovered that has good skills in music (mainly in singing) and gained recognition from people, metaphorically speaking, she discovered that life is a starry sky: Even if you have a preferred goal, there are several options with which you are free to choose and you end up enjoying new experiences that did not add up within of your daily life. In short, Miku did not regret becoming the main face of Vocaloid as she enjoyed the company of the loyal friends of hers that she gained, but she will continue to be that nerdy girl, more open to socializing at least.

Rin - I Don’t Care (La La La)

youtube

For a very newest Rin song, I have to say that the first thing that came to mind was…this is a good combination of Rin's relationship with Aiko along how I represents herself as a person. It could be interpreted that this is a letter from her to Aiko, having always been a controlling motherly figure, who did not let her do what she wanted and when it revealed was a woman who took Rin away to mistreat her for being daughter of someone she hated, made her more against Aiko. That's why it was a big sigh to have several things that favored Rin’s life: that Len and Ringo since they genuinely loved her without being biologically part of the family, that Vocaloid was for Rin and Len a way out of their depressingly controlled life, and that Ringo took matters into his own hands by divorcing Aiko with the possibility of never seeing that evil woman. Added to the fact that the rhythm and melody of the song represents the personality that characterizes her, a rebellious, energetic girl willing to start a life from scratch in Vocaloid with the company of Len, that is why I said at the beginning that this song adds both factors that I have created for Rin.

Len - For The Better

youtube

This was a difficult search...since when I think about Len, the option gives controversial and very strange songs that I understood that I couldn't get something out of them in relation to how he is presented in my hcs, I know that not all of his songs are like that and this is an exception to the rule. As I listened to the song until the end, I understood that it refers more to a story of failed love...but I have to admit that the title, with a large part of the first verse fits well, because it was thanks to Len who gave opportunities for Rin to win her affection again and give her freedom from his oppressive mother. It is understood that in the eyes of a younger Len, he believed lived a happy (although not satisfied) life in his childhood, but after investigating more about how Aiko mistreated Rin and the truth was discovered in the eyes of both, he went through a reality breakdown. Until today, after knowing that they would have the opportunity to audition for Vocaloid, he clearly had it clear "Maybe it's for the better" and make the right decision with the luck of ending up there starting a new life and relationship together, from scratch.

Luka - Yakusoku

youtube

To be one of my favorite Loids and to know a variety of songs...it was difficult to find one that fit with Luka in my hcs. The song can be said to have almost the same meaning as the previous one with Len, but here with the only difference that it is referring to a melancholic farewell to someone she loved...and if it could refer to anyone, in my case, it would be Luka expressing the pain of losing her mother, Alice. The two of them were the inseparable mother and daughter duo, having each other to support and love each other, having all those years in childhood where she knew her mother perfectly, her tastes, her passions, her dreams come true, all of that was transferred to little Luka who, over time and after Alice's death, ended up growing to continue her legacy (a couture designer with a fashion brand company). Clearly, she would have her own identity without being an entire emphasis on her mother, but it would be these data with which, in some way, spiritually speaking, she feel as close as if they were the same being, Luka will have her mother cherish her forever, trying to see her memories with Alice into something that motivates her.

Kaito - Attakaito

youtube

Not every song I choose should be associated with the Eightloids’ stories, right? This being the case, I chose this song more than anything because it perfectly identifies with how I have Kaito in my hcs. Always being a smiling and positive boy who sees the good side of all bad things, but in a certain way also senses them as something everyday normal in life, it is okay to have bad experiences, as long as they do not affect you at all (well, when are serious cases...I wouldn't know how to describe it there...). The point is that: if you feel sad or low spirits, Kaito will be there to give you a smile, engage in a pleasant conversation with you and even give you an innumerable amount of ice cream. There really isn't anything to deeply highlight this song with his past, other than that he learned to enjoy a good life with his loved ones, even if certain things worked against Kaito, not everything, but he does recognize that the Life is full of surprises and alternate directions for anyone, I honestly get lost in what I'm describing, haha.

Meiko - Awaken Lights

youtube

This song could represent several things, in terms of relating it to my Meiko’s hcs, I denote how she feels peacefully about to live happily and proudly being herself. Felt oppressed by how her parents wanted to turn her into something she never wanted, at first Meiko may have a slight habit of being a soft girl who wins prizes for being an “adorable doll” but as time went by she noticed the cost, therefore she was tired of carrying that image before her parents. When it came to revealing in her reckless adolescent stage, she did not feel good about herself either, although, in those years, Meiko managed to meet her first two inseparable mutuals, she understood that the attitude of a poorly behaved girl at school did not make her proud while she was growing up. But it was definitely when she discovered her passion for music that she stayed with, being the Meiko that everyone knows, always willing to fight for what she wants and that no one opposes her, in fact, Meiko was reborn with new identities until the real arrived and bathed her in this “hopeful light” with which she ended up identifying as a person.

Gumi - Difficult Love

youtube

Is a curious case, since it barely has to do with Gumi's past, the reason why I chose this song is more due to a slight arc that I have with her: feelings based on a supposed "secret admirer." I have already told it in previous posts in this account, and for the first time it was introduced in this comic I made. But, how can I watch this song with everything that involves Gumi in my hcs? In a way, ever since she started searching for that admirer, she felt so confused and with mixed feelings, did anyone out there really love her? Or was it just a bad joke? This is where her insecurities return, since in her past, Gumi was almost not accepted, because of her freckles and her current concern about her weight and figure, if she had the opportunity to propose to that admirer…He really going to correspond her? I think that's where the idea of what I'm talking about. Add to the fact that Gumi was previously attracted to her best friend from childhood, Yuuma, which left her upset, wondering whether or not she was properly in love with the admirer or him…until the mystery was stirred and from there she left her worries, she always in love with Yuuma, her secret admirer.

Gakupo - Eternal Feel

youtube

As with Gumi's case, this song fuses what Gakupo went through in his past along with the feelings he has for his lover, Luka. In this song, he poetically portrays the thoughts he has with life and the environment that surrounds him...yeah, Gaku is very depressed and lonely soul...considering that he grew up in a toxic environment due to the relationship he had with his father and letting was trampled at school, it was until Gakupo was the one who threatened, plus discovering the reality that Ronin was hiding from him, made his mind close up and his heart grow cold. But it was the day he met Luka that everything would change, even if it was just a simple meeting one afternoon, having the company of that sweet girl marked him for life, forced to admit it, but of course, she was his first friend, nothing wrong with that. And when they were now reunited with both of them already grown up, she transformed into a true lady who wanted to see him again, the time in which they lived together continued to pass and it reached a certain point in which Gakupo fell in love with Luka, always wanting to have her company as she longed for it with him.

9 notes · View notes

silky-silks · 1 month

Note

Minty reminds me of a Minecraft sniffer, just as fluffy and cute :3

Well My Fellow Friend, I have to say

Minty is a Minecraft Sniffer

Well, a rejected one but I wont get too deep in that. Actually scratch that I will. Have a lore dump for you! (get your pen and paper ready because im literally about to spew 100 hours worth of pointless words)

Minty is a boy, he was part of a group of Sniffers I like to call "Sneezes."

(A group of Sniffers in my opinon is going to be called Sneeze.)

He was originally the smallest of the group until one day after randomly wandering around he finds a hanging hand parasite from oak tree. At first it had no name. Suddenly the hand parasite attached its body to Minty, casuing him to grow to a arrangment of teeth on his back as well as a awful red hue. The hand soon was able to speak, in a rather cheery and very yappy voice. Now its to note these two had no offcial name so Syrup and Minty just really didnt refer to each other as name. Also Minty cannot talk, only can make noises.

When the connection happens. Syrup explains to Minty how he got stuck in that tree. Minty surprisnly doesnt seem to mind Syrup as in his "Sneeze"no one really talked. He was interested so he kept Syrup around.

Personality

Syrup as usual is the talker of the duo while Minty is reserved in quiet. The share one thing is common and that is their curiosity. The only difference is Syrup can express his with words while Minty can only say "dum".

Goals:

One day walking through a village they saw a villager trading with someone. Syrup wanted to try it out but failed miserably as no one wanted their "good" (They didnt understand how worthy emeralds were) and couldnt really get info as the villagers became rather annoyed or scared if Syrup and Minty due to their weird looks. Determined to fit in with the group, they looked everywhere and met with other humans "Steve and Alex" to learn how to trade, along the way they discover mining and archelogy.

Other Lore Spooky Month (Oc Based)

They stay relatively the same in design for Spooky month, and I have shown a bit of then interacting with Nina and Grant

(characters belonging to ericvelseb666)

Their prescese was alarming to everyone there, literally everyone was like "WHO THE FUCK IS THAT".

Syruo became nervous and Minty grew protective of his friend. As he deliver bites and growls they were scared off by Jack and John until Stumbling across a holy site. Starry Night Bakery. Inside Syrup saw all the cool sweets, and with the little money they had at the time (more of stolen as some guy dropped their wallet and ran), they ordered a lot of Turnovers and snacks from Nina and Grant. Not understanding change they left a bit too much money and hurried off with their snacks.

(old art, this was a redone concept deisgn when I didnt know what I wanted to do with them yet)

It was the first time they felt truly accepted, and they did miss Nina and Grant as they didnt go all "Oh my god what is that?!" on them. Syrup wishes to work there but stays hidden for now. Until they heard she was hiring. And Well you get what happened next. They realize the lacked a proper name, so they gave themselves one. Well Syrup names Minty, "Minty" for his colors and Syrup names himself Syrup after eating pancakes some stranger left for them with the strange liquid on top.

Minus the Frank torture, Syrup and Minty were a grateful duo. They stuck close to Nina and Grant, and for the first time Minty became more "emotional". Always flapping his ears, sniffing and nose booping, even doing little stomps when he sees Grant. (He mistakes Grant for a sniffer for some god forsaken reason)

Syrup will bring Torchflowers for Nina whenever they can as a sign of "thanks" as they are very very grateful monsters.

WELCOME HOME

Not much content on this one as I am still working on a offical deisng for them. But Minty and Syrup are just trying to understand the universe and what is happening with HOME and the rest of the puppets.

Due to their odd looks, the neighborhood was quite questionable.

But for the meantime, Minty hates Frank for inspecting Syrup. Poor guy got Mauled.

Oh and they became uber drivers in the backrooms. Why? Dont know. Currently trying to shove them in Cuphead, so they may end up working for the devil BUT are saved by angels as they are just desperate for some work. Besides they suck at contracts, the devil himself got tired of them.

YOU CALLED AN UBER??????

CONCLUSION

Thats Minty and Syrup for ya! I know you didn't ask for all of this but hey i Wanted to treat you with some rather cool lore. So if ya choose to ignore all of this that's fine!

#minecraft sniffer #Welcome home Frank #nina velseb #grant hedony #frank frankly welcome home #oh my god #why did i write all of this at 11:pm?

9 notes · View notes