#i've been so busy and had massive art block

[livelaughhatred]

Sorry for being so offline I've been pretty busy lately, I'll try and post more often cause I've been slowly getting out of my art block

Anyways Herbert art!! :D I've had MASSIVE Re Animator brainrot recently omg... I need re animator mutuals plzz !!!

#reanimator #herbert west #fanart #i love him sm

[quillsareswords]

omg for #QFWW with a vampire reader bc spooky season never ends, like a date gone wrong or something like that pls

A/N: I really know I've found my people when half of these were for my supernatural reader-characters. More vampire reader in my That Which Bleeds collection! WARNINGS: mentions of blood but no descriptions of consumption, mentions of food, language

MASTER LIST in BIO

   “For the record, this was not originally how I intended the night to end.”

   He glances down at the massive bloodstain on the front of his once crisp green button down for emphasis. “No? Were you aiming to have this stain a little higher up? My collar, perhaps?”

   You glare at him dejectedly. “Not funny.”

   He’s smiling anyway. He’s sitting on the curb outside of some swanky restaurant, with this huge dark blotch on his shirt, and he’s smiling at you like you’re finer than every piece of art in the gallery you took him to earlier in the afternoon.

   You bury your face in your hands. “I’m sorry.”

   "What ever for?" he chuckles.

   You glare again. "You're joking, right?"

   Against the cold night air, the warmth of his arm wrapping around your shoulders feels more like a space heater kicking on next to you. “You don’t have to apologize,” he chuckles. “It was a good day.”

   Well, it had been. You'd spent most of the day flitting around the apartment, finding things to keep you busy while you waited for him to finish with his classes. You'd gotten ready together, and he went down and started the car before sunset so it would be warm for you.

   It was all downhill from there. When you finally got to the gallery venue, there was nowhere to park and the valet was nowhere to be seen. There was no choice but to park elsewhere and walk three blocks in your slightly uncomfortable fancy clothes. He'd insisted it was nice to be able to stretch his legs after being stuck in his home office all day, but you know he's still sore from his showdown with Riddler's biggest, baddest goon last week.

   Inside, none of the trays walking around were vegetarian friendly. It was all meat, or very obviously coss-contaminated. On top of that, none of the refreshments were to either of your liking. So, two hours of meandering around a winding exposition with nothing to eat and no drink—because why on earth would they offer water?

   When you finally finished, with a new piece under Damian's arm (a delightful reimagining of a lesser-known Van Gogh, apparently), it was raining. You'd checked the forecast every hour, on the hour all day and there hadn't been a cloud in sight until tomorrow night. So, just this once, you hadn't brought your umbrella. 

   Luckily, the artist he'd purchased from was more than happy to hold it for you until one of you could come back and safely pick it up. And neither of you wanted to walk in the rain, so you called over a cab and left the car to sit in a business lot for awhile longer.

   Finally, you'd thought things were looking up.

   And then the restaurant couldn't find your reservation. The reservation you made weeks ago, because The Stranger is the only nice restaurant in all of Gotham that caters to both vegetarians and vampires.

   Fortunately, they happened to have an open table, and because you had the foresight to bring along some proof of reservation (ensuring the entire mess was their fault), drinks were free.

   Finally, all was well. Damian loved his mushroom risotto, you were thrilled with your AB+ blend, and it really looked like you'd be able to pull this off.

   The whole night was your doing. He'd been so busy with his degree and his heroism and his internship, and you'd been finding a delicate balance between your own school work and playing mediator between any decent vampires in the city and privy law enforcement, while also making yourself a threat against any indecent vampires that didn't care for humanity anymore. You hadn't been able to do much of anything together, especially when he slept for six or so hours most nights and you didn't.

   You sat with him while he ate breakfast. You'd sit in his office while you both worked. He'd sit in the living room to work while you chipped away at hobbies or watched something. You'd sit closeby while he painted. You'd lie in bed and read while he slept, because he always sleeps better if you're around. If you're lucky, you may even doze off while you're there. You found ways to spend time together whenever you could, but it wasn't quite the same as getting out and going somewhere.

   Valentine's Day was the best excuse to do so. Two whole days cleared on both schedules. One night to stay out as late as he could bare. You'll make breakfast for him tomorrow, and whenever he decides to get up, you'll talk him into watching some ridiculous romance movie he'll roll his eyes at but end up teary-eyed by the end of.

   You can practically taste victory, despite all the mishaps leading up to dinner. The waiter is bringing over your second glass. Damian's almost finished. You're almost done with the artichoke dip he didn't like as much.

   And then, in a wretched turn of events that you swear only belong in shitty television dramas, the waiter trips. Over thin air or his shoelaces or your hopes and dreams, it doesn't matter. He falters, squeals, and the glass he's carrying goes flying like a targeted drone strike.

   Thinned red blood splatters against the wall behind your table and then—all over the front of Damian's shirt.

   You could have burst into tears right then and there. Instead, you waited patiently for Damian to assure the sputtering waiter that it was fine, he wasn't angry, he wouldn't have the poor kid fired. Then, you took Damian to the family bathroom and tried your best to rinse out as much of the blood as you could in the sink. 

   "A good night?" you ask incredulously. "Where have you been all night?"

   He raises one hand, the one not touching you, in mock-defense. "I didn't say it went perfectly, my love. Could things have gone a little smoother? Of course. But they didn't ruin the evening."

   You finally pull your face from your hands. "Yeah, they kind of did. Case in point," you grumble, gesturing to his shirt.

   "I don't care about the shirt," he tells you seriously. "I have dozens of them. I'll buy another one if I miss it. Look at me." His hand skims up the round of your back to the base of your neck to get you attention. It's pointless, because you never turn down an opportunity to look upon him. "I don't care about the shirt. Or the shoes."

   "What happened to your shoes?" you cry suddenly.

   He laughs tiredly and shakes his head. "Nothing important. Will you let me finish?"

   You bite down on your lip as your hand absently passes over your mouth, as if you're subconsciously trying to keep yourself quiet.

   "I was going to say, that I don't care about all these little things that happened." He rubs his thumb across the cool skin of your neck, mere inches away from a scar that's never quite going to heal. "All I wanted to do tonight was spend time with you. I didn't care what we did. I did enjoy the gallery, and dinner, and I do appreciate all the time and effort you put into planning all this: but you really didn't have to. I would have been perfectly content to sit at home and stare at you all night. I wanted to be with you tonight, and you gave me that. Everything else was secondary."

   The way he looks at you now almost brings tears to your eyes. He looks at you like you're the prettiest thing on Earth. Like you're the only thing worth looking at. Like he really would have been happy to do nothing but look at you until the world ended.

   "I just wanted it to be perfect," you tell him honestly, voice as wilted at you feel. "We don't get the chance to do this very often, so I wanted it to be special." You laugh wetly despite yourself. You're quick to wipe away one rogue tear. "Guess I should have known better. We do live in Gotham, afterall."

   "That's true," he chuckles. "On the bright side, it still wasn't as terrible as our New Year's dinner last year."

   You laugh just thinking about it, like you always do. He knows you always laugh about it. It's a trick he keeps tucked in his back pocket for just these occasions. "That was pretty awful," you agree. "Your brother tumbling through the window covered in blood wasn't exactly how I thought that night would end, either."

   He gently pulls you closer to him. Tucks you into his side while you wait for a cab to take you back to the car. "Well, to be fair, I expect most nights to end with at least a little blood. I am in love with a vampire, afterall."

   You rest your head on his shoulder and watch slow traffic pass. "I love you, too," you hum. "Even though you are the one who spilled my drink last night, and now you're trying to blame me."

   He rolls his eyes."I am not–"

   "Oh you so are–"

#damian wayne #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne imagine #damian wayne blurb #qfww #quillsfebuarywritingweek #quills that which bleeds

[bonefall]

Quick question, how do you do the family trees? as in, what program do you use? because that looks like a simple art program. You're so powerful, I'm scared of you even. Also, I've noticed some level of consanguinity but not sure how much, how far apart do these dudes need to be in order for you to consider their reproduction not nasty? What do you personally think of third cousins once removed having children? this fandom makes me write the weirdest of shits...

It's all just Clip Studio and elbow grease. No preset tree-maker tool program can track so many cats and separate lines the way I need it to. I use Family Echo for personal OC projects, but it weeps in the face of so many separate ancestral lines as seen in Clan cats.

It's been a while since I went over my Three Strict Rules so here's a refresher for everyone! If you want to see the big post explaining it all in depth, Go Here

Starting with the most important rule;

RULE 1: THREE GENERATION SEPARATION

No cats are eligible to be mates if they share a simple grandparent. No first cousin pairings, ever.

This rule applies to an extra generation, to the great-grandparent, IF the great-grandparent is still alive, or if there are two or more grandparents alive to remember this fact. This rule is called Onestar's Exception.

It was named after Onestar's SE, where he makes the connection that his sister -> Crowfeather -> Breezepelt, and thinks it's just dandy that his daughter became mates with her First Cousin Once Removed (FCOR). It made me so uncomfortable I made the rule immediately.

This is the chart I use to check;

[ID: A family tree chart]

First Cousin is banned entirely. FCOR and Second Cousins is the Onestar's Exception that invokes an investigation on my end.

So third cousins are allowed. I simply do not have the Clan population density to be choosier. I would need to bloat the Clans with a bunch of unknown side characters, destroy the concept of exploring in-Clan romance, or not think about ancestry in the Cat Ancestry story (the way that canon just conjures up cats outside of ThunderClan).

I'll demonstrate why mathematically; Ancestry is exponential. 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 G-grandparents, by the GG-grandparent generation you need 16 ancestors. More than the population of ThunderClan in TPB.

RULE 2: TWO-KIT MAX

I can demonstrate this problem with my ThunderClan Family Tree diagnosis, but I have to ask you to just trust my authority here for this summary.

The biggest problem in the canon ThunderClan family tree is that THREE of Frostfur's children went on to have kits of their own, and then they gave Frosty 7 grandchildren who had kids of their own (soon to be 8 if Shellfur and Fernstripe get busy.)

By adding the simple fix that only 2 from one parent can have reproductive kits of their own, the exponential problem is massively shaved down. It encourages you to choose carefully and go down the line, adding generations vertically instead of building them out horizontally.

The exception to this rule is that kits can get "exported." If they go to another Clan to have children, then they don't count towards their parent's max.

For a BB!Example, Mousewhisker is moving to RiverClan in ASC and Hazeltail was saved from the chopping block, so there's a possible scenario where Berry, Hazel, AND Mouse all have kits. (Kept possible by the fact that Toadstep's kittens with Lionblaze, Snaptooth and Flywhisker, are no longer part of the Clan.)

RULE 3: SINGLE-PARENT LITTERS

After the drowning of Mapleshade's kittens, the Queen's Rights were introduced to the Clans. All parents have the right to keep the other parent of their litters unrevealed.

This is in effect after the start of the Crusade Era, and it is an in-universe law, unlike the Two-Kit Max or even the Three Gen Sep. So, there are times in history (TigerClan, Oakstar's ThunderClan) where I need to be careful about using it.

But, that said, this is my most useful tool here. It allows me to create extra generations without having to work with TWO parents. However, it never matters if the kittens are adopted or surrogated, unless it is an honor-siring situation where the other cat is acknowledged publicly.

I NEVER get free "orphan warriors" past the Crusade Era. EVERYONE needs 1 parent (or joined as an outsider), and I do not track biological genetic makeup in these trees. Frostfur is, secretly, the daughter of Featherwhisker and a kittypet... but that will not be reflected on the tree, because ThunderClan acknowledges her as the daughter of Weedwhisker and Stonepelt.

Make sense?

The trees I'm creating are social. Not genetic. I don't calculate blood quotients.

And that's that! Them's the rules! You can compare the diagnosis to my ThunderClan WIP to see these in action.

[the-owl-tree]

pbelase talk more abt mlp the idea of actually delving into stuff like what u posted is so interesting to me. sits with my chin in my hands and kicking my feet like we're at a sleepover. if u ever wanna infodump I'm Here

giggling twirling my hair and then taking out a massive binder of thoughts i've had since 2012

idk if you mean my thoughts on magic as a whole or on starlight but ur getting BOTH. big warning, i'm going to take this neon cartoon very seriously.

magic in g4 is wildly overpowered and there's this huge underlying inequality between the pegasi and earth ponies compared to the unicorns - which is reinforced in how the show portrays class, wealth, and nobility. The upperclass Canterlot consists mostly of unicorns, and nobility that hasn't earned their status and instead inherited it (Duke Blueblood). honestly, you could make the case that the unicorn's old role of raising the sun and moon (and therefor the crops) allowed them to maintain control over the earth ponies. In the few earth ponies we do see in Canterlot, they're mainly put in typically lower class associated physical intensive labor work. Notably, we see a group of earth ponies striking in one episode, implying that unions exist in order to prevent exploitation of these groups (notably, fancy pants speaks negatively about them because they're delaying a swan thing, a superfluous ceremony that is purely for fun and not at all necessary).

But back to magic! magic TRUMPS the other ponies' abilities. we see it can turn back time, control weather, give ponies super speed and strength, help them FLY?? anything a pegasi or earth can do, a unicorn with enough magic and training could arguably come in and do (perhaps even better than them!). When i used the example of the bakery in canterlot, i was drawing from the show. there's a scene where Starlight is able to ice a cake in seconds and Mrs. Cake asks if she's trying to put her out of business to which...yeah! could an earth pony be able to match that level of output in a unicorn dominated city? sure, someone brought up the idea of artisanal goods, but could that really compete with fast well crafted baked goods that take a fraction of the time an earth pony product would take? the answer is no. the artisanal goods would be the exception, not the norm.

Unicorns in general have a huge advantage in coordination, we see that they dominate the arts scene. They're capable of doing precise stitching for clothing, something that a pegasus or an earth pony would need to do by mouth and wouldn't be able to match the fine motor skills that magic can do. An earth pony can only sew by mouth, a unicorn without any magical training can sew multiple at once. They're at a huge disadvantage comparatively!

That leads us to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, just unicorns. Earth ponies and pegasi are completely blocked out from attending a prestige academy headed by the queen of Equestria herself on the basis that they can't do magic. We know that Celestia uses the school to scope out proteges...but that means only unicorns are considered.

now this is where Starlight comes in and look. listen. i love a good hypocritical villain but if you want to claim that she has a point in the show, ur wrong. Cutie marks don't automatically make you good at something, they don't disqualify you from other talents, and they definitely aren't limited to talents (some are personality traits!). Most importantly, they're what makes you feel fulfilled and happy. Starlight's ideology is flawed and in the show, this is how it's portrayed, and that's good.

But gotdamn. her backstory suuuuuucckkss. you can't write your friend a letter? can't be a penpal? come on starlight try a little harder. I mean they hardly stay unequal, writer's pet- i mean starlight can little outpower an alicorn princess.

so like. if you want her to have a point, she should've been an earth pony against magic. Starburst goes to an academy she's barred from tending, letters that she has to write are cumbersome and difficult because she has to do it by mouth, a lot of her labor options are limited by her capabilities - i mean come on! listen to me people, the enemy isn't cutie marks, the enemy of g4 inequality is magic.

#deer rambles #this was so fun to write ty for letting me dump my thoughts #dont @ me about pegasi or earth ponies having powers too #because the show literally shows that unicorns can match that too if they want #im not proofreading any of this if something doesnt make sense u have to just believe in me

[dookins]

Dear Bots, Bounties and Babes Readers and Fans. I Apologize, But The Project Has Been Put On Hold...

For the full explanation, please read below. I preface all this with the following: PLEASE do not spam or bother the other author/artist involved. They have every right to pursue the path they've chosen... For those who log onto the story now on AO3, you will notice that there is an 'orphan_account' that stands beside my handle. I don't understand the 'why' behind it, but @enigmacomics (enigmacomics.tumblr.com since the link will no longer work) has decided to sever all ties with me... They work exceptionally hard, and run many events and have a job while still attending college. They have incredible ambition, and personal life goals to meet. When it came to our story, I always tried my best to assure them that I understand school comes first. I graduated art college as well, so I understand the time that needs to be devoted to improving yourself. During our last conversation, it had been a particularly busy month, so no writing took place at all. Which was fine with me. Finals and shopping alone can destroy all your time. The last time I spoke with them, everything appeared fine. We were discussing holiday plans and decided to doodle a bit together on Discord during the break. They were even planning on sending something in the mail. A week goes by without a word or a parcel, but thats fine. Holidays are crazy. I message them once with a link to comic I think they'd enjoy. Week two goes by. Now that's odd. We haven't gone that long without speaking to each other in months. I message them a cat gif playing with a Christmas tree, wishing them a good holiday. The day before new years eve, still no answer. I ask them if they're alright, and that they can talk to me if about anything if they needed help or support. As of New Years Eve (11:30pm or so) I went to send them a doodle I did with a 'Happy New Years' attached... ....and it didn't send. They had blocked me on Discord. Than I saw their tumblr was blocked. I tried to reach out to them on Instagram, asking why they had blocked me, and that I was more than open to have a dialogue and listen if they needed. But they blocked me again. And than finally I noticed than that they orphaned our story... I've been worried sick about them. And scared that I some how am the cause. I don't know what I've done, if anything at all. If it's an outside third party causing all this, if they're going through something mentally strenuous and need help... Or maybe, if I didn't know my friend as well as I thought. If I really ever did.

I really hope they're not in trouble. Or that I'm the cause.

I heard that they still have an online presence and that they are still uploading things elsewhere. I thought these past 10 months together were amazing, and that we were having a blast. If this is what they truly want, I'll respect that. But I admit... my heart feels like it's been shattered. The story was wild and so much fun, but it's not what I cared about most. It's them. And 'if' I'm why they wanted to leave, I gotta respect that. I just thought I was worth a bit more. A conversation. An apology. A goodbye... Sorry. It weirdly feels like I'm grieving... Anyway we managed to bring ACT 1 to a close. I'll be uploading the rest of the chapters in massive chunks, so, at least ya'll get to see what we made. And who knows. If they come back one day, maybe we can do more. Or maybe we can do something else.

#inscryption western au #inscryption bounty hunter au #otto von ram #inscryption p03 #shux howdy #distraught #p03 #inscryption #bots bounties and babes #a03 #inscryption fanfiction

[thattimdrakeguy]

Frankly if you asked me, all of that unnecessary misdirection and twists that left poor Tim at the ‘make him angsty and edgier’ block for later writers to force upon him was the result of the whole darker and edgier train that permeated not just the Batbooks but the whole industry throughout the decade he was in.

Basically short, in my honest opinion, Tim Drake was the perfect character at the absolutely wrong time.

The 90s edgier nonsense (as foreshadowed by the marvelous competition’s hefty promotion of Venom, Cable and other like minded antiheroes, Early Image having a foundation built on that) made possible with the Batmania (since he’s naturally the perfect candidate for darker and edgier due to both his gothic aesthetic and his insane popularity) unfortunately gave the writers of that era and the 2000s the impression that since it’s Gotham, things in universe are just miserable and sucky

And since Tim lives in Gotham, despite meant to be the counter to that misery that permeates the city he helps defend, it was only a matter of time before that wrong impression got to him too

It’s why to this day, my preferred Tim Drake is that original Fanboy we saw in A Lonely Place of Dying since in the end, that’s what he’s meant to be, beginner or not and why I am still reluctant to get anything Dixon related on both him and Nightwing since those runs are built on that train of thought that says ‘misery in setting and edgier characters means compelling and mature storytelling, especially in Gotham’

I know, long winded, I just needed to vent. You may ignore this if you wish to

Bro, I just asked #cats what a raw potato tasted like, I don't feel like ignoring much.

And, I wouldn't say Tim was in the wrong time. He has his great successes in the 90s. The main reason he's talked about past people's obsession with one story in Red Robin, that has slowly lost popularity 'cause of people realizing it wasn't the best Tim--is 'cause of the 90s.

There was plenty of people who were sick of the big overexaggerated 90s crap even if it did infest Tim a bit when they'd draw him way buffer than he was clearly meant to be.

It's all just a matter of writers with the ability to do better either not advancing to the right places in comics, or throwing their talents down the toilet to be there.

It's all about good writing. That's it, really, that's the big secret.

Why is Dick a massive joke of a character now? 'Cause the writing got bad.

Why did Batman look like a total maniac more like usual for a while? 'Cause the writing got bad.

Why is Damian totally unrecognizable a lot of the time on nearly every single level for over a decade now(Though I have heard some aspects like art have been getting better, or so I've seen thankfully, but I'm still not trusting that all the way because now this fucking fucking hell)? 'Cause the work got bad.

Why is Jason just a fan fic edgy woobie fuck a lot of the time now? 'Cause the writing got bad.

How did Steph go from edgy, determined, "vigilante vixen", who was morally kinda questionable at times go to acting like a 12-year-old sometimes? 'Cause the writing got bad.

No matter what in the end. It's all down to the writing, and also art.

There's always been good movies in every decade no matter the taste, because people with true talent and knowledge, and know-how where out there to make so happen.

Comics being a dwindling medium that's how a down-turn in quality going on for a long time? It's just not a business worth getting into anymore. Passion or not, people just aren't good writers. And that can happen in any era.

But back to the main point, Tim was at his most popular in the 90s in an era you wouldn't think he'd fit into with all the Rob Liefeld stuff. Like he got an 80-page-giant in the late 90s over some characters you think would actually get one because he was so naturally popular.

But what made him work then isn't dated. It's timeless. They just haven't had good enough writers to make him work, and it sucks, but it's how it is.

The reason Tim really got changed so much isn't down to tastes in an era. It's down to the taste of a few people in specific positions. Things that made Tim work were still working wonders in other places.

[ailelie]

Fletcher's Perch: A 5e Setting

Just east of the Carseil Mountains, on the edge of Gytham Wood, lies Fletcher’s Perch. In this small, primarily human town, farmers gather for the weekly market, children trek in for lessons, and adventurers and merchants stop by on their way always elsewhere. Fletcher’s Perch is a peaceful, prosperous town and has been for generations.

Fletcher's Perch is a setting I put together over this past summer. During its founding, the first family paid a terrible price to ensure their safety and prosperity. Now the promised period is coming to an end and the town will have to decide between an uncertain future and paying again. Meanwhile, a large werewolf population hides in the town and two feuding families are on the verge of war. Finally, unbeknownst to almost everyone, a massive danger slumbers underground and is on the verge of waking once more.

How to Use

Fletcher's Perch is a setting, not an adventure. This means GMs will need to do a bit of work deciding how to introduce and implement the various plots. The setting also contains suggestions for scaling difficulties and offers a few points of choice for a GM (most notably in the Imposter Son plot).

The various plots suggest a variety of approaches, including combat and deal-making, but do not require a certain tactic for success. I've also included stat blocks for any creature not in the basic rules and a few Inkarnate maps. I will admit, though, that I am no artist and so highly recommend GMs seek out their own maps.

This website includes an overview, a set of 12 rumors, details for 8 plots (some of which contain side quests), and bios for 84 characters.

All of the rumors can be true, but the GM will have to decide which will apply for their table and can either ignore the rest or introduce them as false leads.

The bios suggest some additional places where players can intervene on a more personal, less plotty level. For example, they can help Jenny Fox get feedback on her art or help Morys Vandal and Asa Murphy confess to each other. These are all incredibly optional, though. I've had some tables where players love getting into everyone's personal business and other tables where players just want to focus on the main objectives.

The site is written for GMs and so is full of spoilers.

I put this together for fun, so it is available completely for free.

Please let me know what you think!

Note: While I designed this for 5e, I think a lot of it is adaptable to other systems.

#d&d #setting #resource #dnd5e #dnd #5e #gm resource

[ruffoverthinksthings]

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Claudine/Frollo headcannons, do you have any in mind for Esmeralda/Phoebus? If the sequel movies are wiped from this universe, that means their son doesn't exist (or not yet). Also, do you have another headcannon for onesided fresme on frollo's part? How would he handle being unable to obtain her in this universe?

Ilike to believe the sequels and spin-offs are valid, as the bookseries (which is, as of the Rise of the Isle of the Lost, is canon…to a certain extent) makes reference to characters that could onlyexist outside of the original movies, such as:

Diegode Vil, presumably the child of Ivy de Vil from the 101 DalmatiansTV series, or a descendant from the rest of the extended de Vilfamily, and

Jade,Jay’s cousin and presumably the daughter of Nasira, Jafar’ssister from the Aladdin video game series

There’sa level of personal bias, with the amount of work I’ve already putinto expanding the world with my own ideas, but I think we can allagree that the Isle and Auradon would be a whole lot less interestingif we didn’t have the likes of:

Mozenrath(Aladdin animated series) acting as Maleficent’s longsuffering middle manager, and personal chew toy as an “inferiormagical being,”

LadyWaltham (Tarzan animated series) adding an element of sympathyto the Isle of the Lost with her regretting her brother Clayton andher nephew are still on there and unable to return, and

LadyCaine (Tangled: Before Ever After), who adds a deliciouselement of grayness and a MASSIVE stain on the otherwise pristinereputation all sympathetic Disney monarchs have.

Ontothe headcanons:

Phoebusbecomes one of the new Captains of the Guard in France once theoriginal forces are merged with, or completely replaced by the newlyestablished Auradon Royal Guard. Though the actual administrative andexecutive power lies much higher up the ranks (such as theCommander-In-Chief, Beast), he himself is an incredibly influentialmember, well-known and well-loved by the citizenship and the fellowsoldiers he patrols the streets with.

Auradonhad to rely heavily on translators, human and machine, or translatingmagic during its tumultuous first years, as everyone struggled tofind one common language for every state to use as the internationalstandard (it’s English still). A LOT of things get lost intranslation or don’t translate too good into another language, orsomeone gets VERY offended when someone who is fluent in both Frenchand Chinese tells you exactly what they meant, and howunflattering it is.

Andthis isn’t even going into all the numerous cultural clashes andfaux paus, such as one unfortunate Louisiana chef realizing you’renot supposed to serve pork to most Agrahbans until he was alreadyuncovering the dish...

Phoebusbridges the gap through his calm, professional demeanor, alwaysshowing politeness and civility to everyone whoever they may be, andof course, his sense of humour, given “a real workout” when hehas to figure out how to make someone laugh with universallyunderstood comedy (someone falling face first into a pile of horsedung), non-verbal humour (wearing a silly, pink, fuzzy bunny earswhilst on duty), and using simple plays on word that foreigners caneasily get, or are tailored specifically to their language.

“Inever quite realized eggs could be such a huge source of humour,”he muses when he has to speak to Spanish speaking citizens.

However,his usefulness quickly dwindled as the culture clashes settled down,people started learning English, and of course, the already olderPhoebus found himself growing ever older and unable to keep up withthe rapid pace of advancement and pop culture references in Auradon,not to mention his disadvantage of “not being gifted a smartphonefor my first birthday.”

Hehas an incredibly cushy administrative position that pays well,commands respect from his soldiers still, and gives him great hoursto spend with his family and other pursuits, but as he’s no longergoing out (or being allowed) on patrols and interacting personallywith the people in his jurisdiction, he can’t help but wonder ifhe’s just being eased into the idea of retirement, and Auradon issimply too nice to boot him for the much feared “chainsaw HR” ofsome corporations from BGU London.

(Forthose not familiar with the term, “chainsaw HR” is when entiredivisions, and numbers into the hundreds are suddenly, and oftentimeswithout proper recompense or retirement packages, fired or forcedinto early retirement.

It’sa play on the term “axed” for being suddenly fired, and chainsawsbeing a modern, much more efficient tool for the same job as aliteral ax.)

It’ssafe to say that at the age of 55 or so, and having already lived oneillustrious career then a brief revival, he’s having a midlifecrisis, not helped by the fact that many other Auradonians about hisage are feeling as obsolete as last year’s ayGem.

(“Butit came out just a year ago!”

“Yeah,but they updated to a new, much better firmware and hardwarearchitecture, all the hot new apps don’t even bother with legacyupdates.”)

Esmerelda has fared much better.

Shehas become an activist in this world, using the power of theinternet, the normalization of the “other,” and the erasure ofthe national and ethnic boundaries that once separated communities tohelp her fellow Romani people (I won’t use “gypsies,” as that’san offensive term to them), and other marginalized, and forgottengroups, such as much of the Wild Fae population.

Shealso owns and teaches at a dance studio, using them to train the nextgeneration of performers (“Be they for the street, the stage, orthe screen”), and waging a subtle campaign to remove the stigma forblatant and shameless use of sexuality.

I’vealways known Auradon is a conservative wet dream in many respects,and the fact that ripping a tiny tear in your skirt is considered“scandalous” by teenagers says a lot.

Beforeyou ask, YES, Esmerelda is still as desired and lusted afternow as she was BGU—probably even more so, now that we have thecombined populations of all the states, and she is a very popular andcommon presence on the internet.

Beforeyou also ask, Phoebus has long gotten over it and considers it “partof the package.”

Sheis one of the most knowledgeable and well-versed with moderntechnology out of the “Travellers” (Auradonians who were adultsor close to it Before Great Uniting), seeing as her troupe ofperformers have always been highly adaptable and all to ready to dowhatever it takes to survive, fit in with the locale they have foundthemselves in, and afterwards, thrive.

Thatthey have generally relied on being couriers and brokers ofinformation, and the internet basically being a giant free market ofinformation has helped GREATLY.

Withher religion, she still isn’t 100% on the existence of God, onlyever praying to Him during times of crisis or as a show of good faithwith the religious institutions of Auradon, but the Greek Pantheonhas given her hope that Supreme Beings like Him do exist.

“Atthe very least, He’s been very light on throwing down lightningbolts from up on high.”

(Thoughmuch less murderous and many other negative traits than the original,Disney Zeus is still INCREDIBLY fond of “warning shots.”)

Andonce more, before you ask, I can seriously see her making a cameo inthe canon as a guest dance instructor for the Descendants, if sheisn’t already a full-time staff member of Auradon Prep, and yes,she would definitely mentor Evie by showing her much healthier waysof expressing her sexuality and femininity without feeling like she’sdegrading herself, or turning herself into a “slab of meat in thebutcher’s window.”

Zephyrwas born BGU, and if my idea that the states had been communicatingfor a few years before the idea of fusing is canon, has a veryunique perspective of being a “Traveler Tot,” living with theideas and concepts imported over through the portals andcommunication crystals, before he got to live it in Auradon when thetechnology and materials could be more easily accessed and produced.

Heis still hyperactive and excitable as ever, though most of that wasbeing channeled into a combination of soldier training and becoming acircus performer like his parents; in his mind, there really isn’tmuch difference between the two, as they both require incrediblephysical skill and endurance, a sharp and creative mind, andrelentless, dedicated training, day-in, day-out.

“Itall really comes down to what you mean when you say you ‘slayedthem,’” he says.

Thisquickly changes in Auradon when he finds himself addicted to HeroRising, the video game that Carlos was seen playing during hisfirst night in Auradon. While initially Phoebus sees it as a good wayfor him to blow off all his excess energy and get some physicaltraining done, and Esmerelda tolerates it as he’s not going offstealing and rearranging stop signs, it evolves into something muchmore for him in time.

Atfirst, he’s the best player on the block, then in theneighbourhood, then the school, then the city, then the state, andfinally, one of the Hall of Famers in Auradon. As he grows older, hejust barely passes his high school subjects as a conditional for hissponsors support and working with the Hero Rising developersas a PR person, community idol AKA a “Paragon,” and beta tester.The height of his fame and success comes when the latest release,Hero Rising: The Lost Legion, features a new playablecharacter based off of him, and his unique dance-like fighting style:

“Twister.”

Trueto the name, his life is sent into a spin cycle after that.

Afew years pass, a new Hero Rising is released, and everyone isgushing over the new characters, and Twister gives up his place onthe cover art alongside the series “cornerstones” to give them achance to shine.

NewParagons are brought in as the old guard goes off to college, retiresfrom the business into different, less-demanding pursuits, or isquietly given a send-off as they simply aren’t as salable nor asgood as they were a few years ago.

Zephyrquickly realizes that while he’s still got it, these new kids areinsane, and have so many advantages he didn’t, like muchbetter nutrition, a much more generous school schedule, and havingthe infrastructure, the audience, and the sponsors for Hero RisingParagons already there, rather than helping spearhead them.

Hecontinues on, making less and less public appearances, awkwardlybeing one of the only adult Paragons in crowds increasingly filledwith little kids and teenagers, and new characters based off the newParagons get the spotlight.

“Everyonealready knows Twister, and played him to death in all the specialinstance maps, the players want someone new!”

Thedeath-knell of his career and the cold, hard slap from Reality comeswhen Twister is removed from the roster due to development costs, andthe fact that Zephyr’s fees and royalties were considered too highfor the relatively lower cost of a new, fresh face who the fans aremuch more eager to see digitized.

Heand Phoebus both find themselves facing obsolescence, being leftbehind by a world that has simply moved too fast for them and leftthem in its dust, as they were only ever good at one thing each:fighting, either real bad guys or fictional ones.

Andso, with Esmerelda’s love and support, the two go off to reeducatethemselves and train in the new industries and careers Auradondemands, incidentally becoming the inspiration for the blockbusterfeel good movie of eight years from this time of writing:

“WithHonours”

Thestory of how a father and son went back to college, forced to startfrom scratch in a brand new world, learning new tricks, makingstrange friends, and doing a whole lot of growing up they didn’tknow they still needed to do.

Nowonto Frollo:

Helaments his permanent loss of Esmerelda (unlike the other Villains,he harbours no fantasies of Claudine getting him off the Isle—notwhen there’s still so much Good Work to be done here in this landof Sinners and Nonbelievers), and takes the disastrous results of hisobsession and lusting after her as a cautionary tale, the catastrophethat befalls those who turn away from God and the Right Path, and howthey take the whole world down with them.

Publicly,he is “that” preacher yelling about modesty, the sanctity ofmarriage and sexuality, and how pretty much everyone on theIsle is damned for engaging in such scandalous, salacious acts likepremarital sex, sexual intercourse without the intention ofprocreation, and of course, homosexuality.

Privately,he seeks a form of redemption by raising a good, Christian child inClaudine, the child he would have born with Esmerelda and raised ifcircumstances had been different (yeee-eep), and is looking for awoman with whom he can have a much healthier relationship with, toshow someone from this Isle what marriage and the word “love”truly means than the perversion the Islanders have turned it into.

Asboth Claudine and Not Esmerelda will attest to, he’s failedmiserably on both counts, but as usual, is blissfully unaware ofeither.