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azems-familiar · 1 month

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🌀 - anything you want to write

I chose the prompt "underneath" for this one! Have some unpolished phone fic written on the plane.

Beneath the waters of the Tempest, off the coast of Kholusia, there is a city.

The city was not always there; for millennia it was nothing more than brine-soaked ruins steadfastly refusing to decay, a salt-stained memory of the perfect world ripped away from those too feeble to even comprehend what they had lost. Even when Emet-Selch first came to the First to oversee its Rejoining, he had left the ruins alone, too pained by the haunted blue-lit emptiness of them and the horrors the shattered buildings evoked to spend much time on their broad streets. He can already see the burning skies and endless beasts when he closes his eyes to sleep - he hadn't needed another reminder in his unfortunate waking hours.

But.

A hundred years passes as slowly for him as for any mortal, when he is denied the respite of dreaming, and Elidibus had been very clear that they could afford no more mistakes such as the one that felled Lahabrea. Forbidden from sleep, bound to the First by necessity lest an unexpected threat rise and undo even a fraction of what his order has so carefully wrought (and between the Oracle of Light and the Crystal Exarch, ensconced in his tower, the odds of that happening are not as slim as he wishes they were), the aching hollowness of the loss in his chest and the emptiness of his loneliness - an agony he hates to acknowledge, but cannot escape, especially in the quiet moments where this shattered shard breathes softly around him and he can do nothing but stare at the orange crystal in his palm and yearn - eventually drive him to seek a comfort greater than the distraction his enemy brings him.

And thus he retreats to the depths, where the biting pain of the eternal Light recedes to a more manageable irritation, like pinpricks across his skin instead of a searing burn without relief.

Recreating the city is a complicated endeavor, and one he spends nearly an entire week focused exclusively on - he starts from the Capitol and works his way out, weaving spell after spell through the fabric of reality until crumbling edifices twist themselves into the glittering buildings he remembers from his home, towering spirals adorned with crystal, the residential and academic and government districts and beyond spinning into being under the unbending pressure of his will, as heavy and immutable as the seas above. Another spell holds the waters back, allowing him to easily drag his mortal body down these reconstructed streets paved in white and blue. He brings the flora he remembers from his happiest days to life next, trees with soft lavender leaves and thick grasses and blossoming wildflowers, scattering them across the parks and planters and gardens, and he tries very hard not to let his mind wander to memories of Hythlodaeus braiding wide-petaled golden blossoms into Seleukos's hair as he watches those same flowers sprout up to carpet a field at his feet.

Amaurot is as beautiful as it was at its height, when he has finished, spreading for malms and malms into the depths, a jewel more stunning than any star or stone could ever be - beautiful, and empty. Emet-Selch paces from the Capitol to the resurrected memory of the downtown apartment he and his family had lived in and listens to his simulated breeze rustle the leaves of his carefully-constructed trees, little different in appearance to the sprawling forests of Lakeland above, and the loneliness cuts through his ribs like a knife, sharper than shattered glass.

Thirteen thousand years of duty and the lives of every single one of his people are a leaden weight on his shoulders, crushing him as easily as a fallen leaf in his palm, and the silence of his city is nothing but another burden to bear in the face of his memories.

He is tired.

The realization that he could create arcane entities in the form of those he has lost - bringing to life his memories in truth - is a slow and not entirely comfortable one. Such an act would be the height of disrespect - to populate a city with those that have returned to the star or given themselves in sacrifice, to assuage his own loneliness with soulless constructs of people - but for all that he knows he would have rejected it out of hand several millennia ago, now he cannot banish the thought so easily. It takes root in the back of his mind like a particularly persistent weed, and every time he retreats from the wasted world above, it gnaws at him, the temptation digging into his resolve with barbed thorns.

Doesn't he want to see his people again, even if only in faded facsimile?

He is Emet-Selch, keeper of the Underworld and the dead. It would be a simple matter, really, in truth, and surely if the truth of his actions ever reach the Convocation, or his people once Amaurot has been restored in truth, they will understand. He just- he needs a reminder of what all this endless toil and sorrow is for, a reminder of why he cannot simply lie down and sleep regardless of what Elidibus has said. A reminder of the tangible side to the duty he bears, the conviction he must not let waver. He cannot, will not falter now, no matter the weariness that claws at his bones.

And thus- he will make these no-longer-ruins a monument to the past only he can recall, a snapshot of a star whole and at peace and untouched by grief and calamity. He will bring his memories to life, here in this place he would give anything to save, and by Zodiark’s grace, he will find the strength to continue on, step after exhausting, inevitable step.

(Beneath the waters of the Tempest, off the coast of Kholusia, there is a city.

It is not alive, merely a ghost of eons past with a faded heartbeat that is naught but a mimicry of a half-torn memory bleeding longing and nostalgia. But if one squints just right and does not look for souls, one can pretend the bustle through its streets is true, that the melancholic glow of Light through deep waves is twilight.

And for Emet-Selch, that is enough.)

#ffxiv #my writing #emet selch #shadowbringers #asked and answered #i have no idea how long this is. maybe 800 words? honestly I'm impressed #short fic is NOT my Forte lol but this was fun to work on

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characcoon · 3 months

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"Color Theory" Chapter 1 - Mysterious Red Diamond

He looks on the shelf above, then the one below. No, it’s on the obsidian level. “C’mon, where the hell are you- Oh.” The diamond scroll that just a second ago shone like a beacon in that shadowed dusty corner of the spruce shelves, is now of a deep blood red color, dull, almost disappearing amongst the other dark colors. Unless he’s finally going crazy as expected, Martyn is sure that that wasn’t there before. With unblinking eyes, fearing that the magic will break if he moves in the wrong way, Martyn pokes the obsidian aside again and envelops his hand around the crimson lid. It has a shine at its core, deep within, like a poorly cut, unpolished amethyst. It can be confused with a crystalized mangrove log. At first glance, it’s not remarkable in any way. That’s the one. “I found it.” he announces, holding it with a death grip, feeling out of breath. […] "Row 6, behind the obsidian.” Martyn says “It called to me. This is my task.”

#hermitcraft #hermitblr #life series #life smp #treebark #rendoc #hermitshipping #fanfic #hermitcraft fanfic #illustrated fic #color theory au #fantasy au #hermitcraft au #rendog #docm77 #inthelittlewood #char draws #char writes

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bekkathyst · 10 months

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One of the most common questions I get asked is what my personal collection looks like. I’m nowhere near finished unpacking all of my things, but here are 4 cool pieces I’ve unpacked so far. (Also I’m on the lookout for a big display shelf I can actually put all my crystals on…)

Two big amethyst spheres from Brazil, a Brandberg amethyst cluster from Namibia, and a unique elestial quartz sword from Brazil- the backside was left unpolished so you can see the elestial formation.

#original #crystals #crystal collection

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diceyclipse · 2 years

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Dice Lingo Sheet

All right, lemme tell you some words and what they mean when used in the dicemaking-world !

Keep in mind that this is not a universal way of working/ doing things, it's just my experience. Everyone does dicemaking their own way, as they should as long as it works for them.

dice : polyhedral, ttrpg dice. Not just d6s used for Yatzee with your Gran (no shade, Yatzee with Gran is awesome, get her some handmade ones for her bday)

dicemaker : a person who handmakes dice; also see "dice goblin" and "dice gremlin".

dX (insert a number for X) : a die with X amount of faces. D6 = a six-sided die.

sharp-edged : most handmade dice are sharp-edged (and some d4 can stab your foes), as opposed to factory-made dice which have rounded corners and edges

spin-down : a die (usually d20) with numbers in ascending order around the die, usually used to track points (health, mana, whatever) in various games.

stabbies, stabby boi : sharp dice that you could commit crimes with

atlernate shapes : new "weird" shapes that differ from the traditionnal factory-made dice; think crystal shapes, clipped corners, elongated shapes, etc...

dice goblin : a dice enthusiast

masters : a 3D-printed model of a die/a set of dice. Most dicemakers sand and polish these up to a mirror finish to make molds with them.

forbidden cronch : dice

PPE: Personal Protection Equipment; resin is not good for your skin, for your lungs, or any other soft tissues of yours. Nitrile gloves, a respirator with proper cartridges and a well ventilated space are a must for resin work.

molds : silicone molds dicemaker usually make themselves using 3D printed resin masters, there are different styles of molds; most common a sprue molds and cap molds.

resin : what handmade dice are usually made of, it's epoxy resin.

jesmonite / faux stone : a particular type of resin, makes dice that look like actual rocks and stones

a pour, pouring : a resin-pouring session. We mix our resin, our pigments, flex our skills, pour it into our molds.

math rocks : dice

dice gremlin : a dice enthusiast

silicone : most molds used in dicemaking are made of silicone.

pressure pot : a hermetic sealed type of tank, usually converted by the maker from pressure paint tanks, it's where we put the dice right after pouring to get rid of bubbles in the resin.

compressor : used in tandem with the pressure pot, it allows us to pressurize the pot in order to shrink the bubbles still present in the resin to shrink to undetectable size. Some makers use bike pumps in lieu of compressors.

forbidden candy : dice

raw : dice that just came out of their mold. They're uninked, unsanded, unpolished, and might look like they partied too hard.

flashing : not what you're thinking of. It's a thin sheet of resin that forms where the mold connect to its lid, or near the sprue

finishing : the steps after the dice came out of the molds; each maker has their own variant of it.

sanding : first step of the finishing process, the dice are sanded with whatever grit the maker deems appropriate, to even out faces and remove marks and/or flashing

click clacks : dice

polishing : second step of the finishing process : it turns sanded face back to a beautiful shiny finish.

inking : last step of the finishing process: painting the numbers in

blessing the dice : when the animal of a dicemaker boops the dice in an insanely cute manner, the dice have been blessed

There, now you can actually understand what we're going on about !

Dicemakers, don't hesitate to add to that list, I probably forgot stuff. Others, don't hesitate to ask me if you have a vocab question I forgot about !

#faq #dicemaking #dicemaker #dice community #dice maker #handmade dice #dice making

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triciamfoster · 1 year

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Crystal Safety

"In general, working with crystals is relatively safe. However, some crystals contain substances (such as aluminum, copper, sulfur, fluorine, strontium, or asbestos) that are toxic to humans, so do not put them in the bathtub or make crystal elixir with them. It's also best to was your hands when you've finished holding them. These crystals include:

Aquamarine (contains aluminum)

Black tourmaline (contains aluminum)

Celestine (contains strontium)

Cinnabar (contains mercury)

Dioptase (contains copper)

Emerald (contains aluminum)

Fluorite (contains aluminum)

Garnet (contains aluminum)

Iolite (contains aluminum)

Jade (may contain asbestos)

Kansas pop rocks (contains aluminum)

Labradorite (contains aluminum)

Lapis lazuli (contains pyrite, which contains sulfur)

Malachite (contains aluminum)

Moldavite (contains aluminum)

Moonstone (contains aluminum)

Prehnite (contains aluminum)

Ruby (contains aluminum)

Sapphire (contains aluminum)

Sodalite (contains aluminum)

Spinel (contains aluminum)

Sulfur (poisonous)

Tanzanite (contains aluminum)

Tiger's eye, unpolished (contains asbestos)

Topaz (contains aluminum)

Turquoise (contains aluminum)

Zircon (contains zirconium)"

From Crystals for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with the Healing Power of Crystals by Karen Frazier

#crystals #crystal magic #crystal magick #crystal healing #witchy #witchythings #witchcraft #witch community #pagan witch #pagan community #nature witch #forest witch #cottage witch #green witch #witchblr

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overthemoonminerals · 6 months

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Topaz on Matrix from Guanajuato, Mexico

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12pt-times-new-roman · 1 month

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c3e90

It looks like no one's leaving the table for the party split, but they did rearrange seating so they're grouped together. Matt cut between their perspectives, but I'm going to keep them separate for ease of access here.

The demolition team:

We begin with the demolition team: Ashton, Fearne, and FCG, accompanied by Ira. They follow the tunnel to the Sprawl Grotto, an Escher-like mase of buildings and pathways at the base of the canyon that houses this part of Kreviris.

The life here is a unique mirror to Exandria: the general shape and silhouette is the same or similar, but the specifics are alien. The beggars here don't ask for coin, they ask for tools -- but there are still beggars.

There are large beasts of burden here, as well as battle mounts being armored and prepared to ride. Chained to the wall of one of the barracks is the currently-resting Jabberwock of Sorrowlord Zathuda.

Through another series of tunnels, they come to the base of the central pillar of Kreviris, where there's an entrance to the excavation site. "Stay close, talk only when necessary, and if anything goes sideways, find creative ways to do away with unwanted curiosities."

The tunnel they enter has a very specific direction with no deviations like a usual mining tunnel would -- whoever built this knew what they were trying to get to, and the fastest way to get there. Off the main tunnel there are barracks and storage rooms -- it appears that they've recovered rare precious metals like gold and silver, too. The miners are of various peoples, but the soldiers here are almost exclusively reiloran.

They're stopped by a guard, who talks telepathically to Ira; then, Ira leads them to the entrance of a barracks. Inside, the Sorrowlord Zathuda stands at a table with his helmet off. His facial hair is unkempt and he's clearly uncomfortable with being on Ruidus. He's conversing with someone they've never seen: flanked by two Avadons is a massive reiloran hulk with a smooth, polished black iron mask covering his entire face, wearing incredibly intricate body armor with tusks and blades woven in, adorned with black and red strips of leather. He stands at nearly 10 feet tall.

Zathuda addresses him aloud as he leaves: "What thy will might be, Sunder King, the Vanguard will see it through." The hulk is Zuth, the Sunder King, one of the heads of the Dominion of Kruth.

One of Zuth's avadons begins to sniff out FCG and Fearne casts speak with animals to try to speak to it. To my surprise, it works! That means these things are beasts, not aberrations. The avadon is called back by Zuth, and they depart.

Farther down the tunnel, they come to a blast boundary and an inward-opening door that would let something large through -- but it's sealed. Ashton approaches, and Ira's thought-eater visage offers them superiority over the two guards at the gate.

Ira didn't expect this -- they got the blast door up fast, so whatever is beyond it might be what they're using to dig. He buys them a few minutes by telepathically sending the guards away -- with Ludinus' staff, FCG casts passwall to make a tunnel through the door, and they all file through. Since passwall lasts for an hour (and is not concentration), Ira casts an illusion over the hole to hide it so they can use it to escape.

The wall was 15 feet thick -- it was meant to withstand massive explosions. On the other side, there's a lever to open it.

As they continue down the tunnel, it gets more rough and unpolished. There is erosion here, where things have pushed through without reinforcement. There's also a distant grinding sound, and as they approach -- with their path lit by proximity-based mining lights -- they see elements of ruidian glass emerging from the wall like unearthed crystals. As they continue, the glass becomes more prominent, like this tunnel is drilling into the very base of the pillar. The grinding is joined by a hum, and at the end of the excavation, there are a handful of reilorans manning a machine: "a contraption that has some sort of a black exhaust, reminiscent of a burning oil mixed with ozone. It's having a hard time -- you can't tell if it's moving at all, but the sound is deafening. You see the massive device, eight feet wide on rollers with a handle where a hulk is pushing it into the wall... beyond that, there are two simply-dressed reilorans holding the sides, and one with Emperium, Dominion of Kruth armor keeping watch back down the tunnel, toward you."

They debate whether they should plant the explosives here in the return tunnel, or if they should fight these guys, stop the machine, and explode it.

Ira intends to use all of these explosives in this area. This is only one of many of these tunnels -- there's no way this is the only machine of its kind boring into the moon, but it's one of them, at least.

Ira offers to go into the fray and charm or sleep the folks working the drill, plant the explosives, then run -- Fearne and FCG will aid him in charming, but Ashton will play safety on the tunnel. "Let's go destroy something beautiful."

Ira's charm gets three of the four to leave, and Fearne's hits the fourth one. They set the bombs and book it.

Ashton rage build update: The time build increases their speed by 30 feet, to a max walking speed of 80ft.

When the explosion goes off, the shockwave cascades through the tunnels, and the entirety of the ground above the city of Kreviris bulges and starts to collapse inward. As the flames follow the shockwave, every person left in the tunnel is incinerated on contact -- Ashton uses the shard to dash at an insane speed through the rock with FCG in tow, and even though they take half the shockwave damage, they make it out into the cavern. From the amount of dice Matt is rolling, it sounds like these bombs dealt a combined 50d6 force damage (so 10d6 per bomb) for the shockwave alone -- I have to imagine that the fire would've done at least 50d6, if not 100d6.

As they fly through the air and land, barely alive, in the cavern, they hear Gloamglut's screech -- the Sorrowlord may well have been in those caverns, and may well have gotten incinerated in the blast.

From her vantage point, Fearne is able to pick out the forms of Ashton and FCG, and meets back up with them after being jettisoned to the surface by Ira.

The infiltration team:

Imogen, Laudna, Fearne, and Chetney set off, invisible, on the street level of the Sprawl Grotto, heading toward the central spire.

As they travel, they see that the people of the city are packing. Families are loading up carts, stores are putting their goods into crates and pulling down their banners, beasts of burden are laden with full saddlebags. There are also many groups of mycits coming out from the small tunnels in the walls, carrying vibrant bundles of fungi and piling them.

They get the sense that the mycit are also under the rule of the Emperium, but are following the directions of both soldiers and civilians.

As they approach the Prime Spire, the wealth of the populace increases, as does the number of reilorans and the number of military patrols.

They find a path into the spire, but the door is guarded by a number of reilorans.

As they begin their approach to the Prime Pillar, they can see that there are branch-like growths coming from it, liked hooked roots. (Talisein, rightfully, looks very concerned about this.)

They spot a balcony built in to the Colloquium of Candescence that they can get to -- in an alleyway, Laudna uses spider climb, then Imogen casts invisibility on her again, so she can climb up there with a rope and everyone can get up there without dropping invisibility.

Once they're inside, Chetney opens the satchel they were given at the safehouse: from it, Everoa's seita runs out! "Everoa, yes. She's my bormodo. You're helping? Good! My name is Gona." They say that soldiers took Everoa underneath the engineering bay, where she was working. Gona can sense that Everoa is still alive, and can lead them to the engineering bay. As per Matt's ruling, creatures using an invisible creature as a mount also becomes invisible, so Gona climbs under Imogen's coat.

The infiltration group gains a guide toward the engineering bay, and Otohan's signal on the scry ball is still far above them.

Matt describes this building as having been shaped psychically, through pure force of will.

Chetney uses grim psychometry on the Prime Pillar: "You get flashes of red -- stone crushing, feelings of anger and hunger, and you feel a brief moment of loneliness." So it seems like this pillar has something to do with Predathos' imprisonment, like a trammel or shackle.

In the engineering bay, there's an odd chemical smell. Reilora work at metal and stone instruments, inspecting samples; the bay itself is a series of small, laboratory-like rooms connected by thin hallways. Chetney notices that, in a far chamber, there is a device similar to the piece of the Aeorian dispelling array that they found on the caravan.

In the next room, there are jars of liquid, labeled, with organs in them -- they vary in size, but some appear almost fetal. One of them reads "primary zinc input -- failure." Another says "use of strong psychic influence at second stage -- ruined brainstem. Failed." The things collected here are essentially bioengineering experiments kept for research purposes. In the same room, there's a massive glass tube with greenish-brown liquid in it -- similar to the things we saw in Aeor and the Folding Halls.

The next room is the largest, and there are numerous jars with specimens, as well as tubes with metal cages around them. In one is a reiloran shape; in another, a smaller shape, growing strangely. There's an autopsy taking place -- they're picking apart and studying a Judicator. They also see an orrery that displays a theoretical cross-section of the layers of Ruidus, and the center is a teal glass core with pillars piercing it from the crust. It appears to take up about 30-40% of Ruidus' mass.

They see the scientist in one of those tubes, suspended in the vat.

They're still in this room when the explosion goes off. The entire compound quakes -- Chetney gets a couple people to evacuate, but it seems like this level is structurally stable for now.

As they pass by, they look at the Judicator: it looks like a metal mask was seared onto the flesh of the face, and now that it's been removed, it took the skin with it to reveal muscle, bone, and sinew. The eyes are gone.

After a battle, they get Everoa out of the tube and book it back toward the Volition hideout. On the way out, they snag a piece of Aeorian tech, some of the fetus jars, and the Ruidus orrery. The way Everoa wants to go is filled with soldiers, so they go back the way they came and find the balcony again.

And back together:

Fearne and Imogen, as the red glow brightens around them, hear an ear-piercing, world-shattering scream of horror, agony, and fear -- a female voice. Liliana.

As the demolition team runs back to the Volition hideout and the infiltration team emerges on the balcony, they see the Music Hall: the roof explodes outward, the pieces hover in the air and a lavender pillar of energy emanates from it, as Liliana appears to exalt again.

That lavender flame flickers in the air, and Fearne and Imogen hear a single phrase: "Did she know?"

#critical role #critical role c3 #critical role campaign 3 #note watches c3 #critical role spoilers #long post #critical role liveblog

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meat-wentz · 1 year

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you mentioned you were indie sleaze, can you talk more about that scene from the 2000's? i want to get into the scene but don't really know where to start and i don't trust tiktok lol.

omg of course. so to preface this i wanna say that there is a natural emo to indie pipeline that existed from around 2006-2008 and i was fully a part of that pipeline. there's a lot of crossover especially as emo evolved into scene and as scene evolved into party scene into indie sleaze. musicians like shiny toy guns, dev, cobra starship, amanda blank, hyper crush, etc were all like natural transitional bands that held little emo hands as they transitioned into indie sleaze. for instance, does he look familiar? well, he's the dear boy from sugar we're going down.

youtube

indie sleaze was a mixture of nihilism and hedonism, a general mindset of nothing fucking matters let's destroy ourselves and fucking party. it was like this huge embrace of self-destruction and effacement, but also like a huge embrace for being young and saying fuck it and partying your face off. it glorified the unpolished, ripped stockings and hazy drunk eyes, hair plastered across your face with sweat, smudged makeup, looking like you've made out with everyone in your path and you probably have. it was body paint and underground hipsters and red bull chasers and ketamine bumps and perfect cocktails of pills. it was a bunch of jaded young people rejecting 9-5's and blending the party culture of raves with the rock and roll underground of sleazy clubs in nyc. there's a good documentary on this that follows some of the most notable bands in the nyc scene called "meet me in the bathroom" and it's available on showtime right now. they were the "new" club kid. there was a notable genre exchange, it was super eclectic sonically, ranging from techno and electronica to twangy bass riffs and dirty guitars to more folksy or preppy sounds (you'll see more prep aesthetics leak in particularly towards the latter half as indie sleaze evolved into millennial indie in the late 2000's and early 2010's, like vampire weekend, metronomy, two door cinema club, and chester french). aesthetically, flash photography became huge, rejecting the gloss of the mainstream. decade clashing was huge, drawing inspo from 70's vintage athletic wear, sleek 60's mod, 80's punk, vintage shopping was huge, neon and bright colors and american apparel basics, ironic t-shirts were huge, actually irony laid into the aesthetics and sound HEAVY, because irony indicated you didn't care but you were still fun.

photographers like the cobra snake super well documented the scene and all its most notable scenesters, and misshapes would throw these massive celebrity scattered parties with all the who's-who of musicians. they're two really good places to look into what and who and why and how. you might also want to look into kitsune maison compilations, urban outfitters playlists via the web archive, and ed banger records. soundtracks for shows like gossip girl, skins, and misfits were literally soooooooo influential to me as well.

perhaps the prime examples of what the scene looked like and what parties looked like:

youtube

vimeo

and here are some of my personal favorite indie sleaze mvs that i feel really encapsulate sort of the aesthetics and the draw:

youtube

not an official video but literally so influential, my friends and i would pregame to this edit of babel so often its literally embedded in my bloodstream:

youtube

here's some gems you might not find in any research:

my favorite musicians at the time were mgmt, metronomy, css, crystal castles, uffie, lcd soundsystem, yeah yeah yeahs, young love, the rapture, hot chip, girls, electric six, bloc party, bright eyes, the virgins, the teenagers, peaches, friendly fires, gorillaz, the xx, franz ferdinand, neon indian and kenna. i do actually have a musical archive @sleazeandscum where i just post songs every once in awhile from the time period. i hope this helps and ty for this question lol it was literally SUCH a formative period in my life and also the beginning of my time as a blogger.

#ask #anon #sorry this took a few days to answer i was collecting media!!!!!

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shadowsfascination · 1 year

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The birth of Super Amy

@shadamyheadcanons, another submission via detour because I couldn't upload my art piece. I landed back on several things you used in your previous headcanons, especially this one (which I now see is named 'Heart of Gold' and that accidentally works perfect with this submission). I hope you like it :) Figuring out how to paint her Rose Gold was a pain in the ass. Heads-up: it's a more a small (unbeta-ed) fic than a headcanons xD

Through all the time Amy had spent exploring caves with Knuckles, she managed to gather an impressive collection of (semi) precious stones. She carefully displayed each and every new find in the bookcase in her living room, along with other special objects they’d found.

Once Amy's interest in astrology and tarot readings was sparked, she stumbled upon the use of gemstones in fortune telling. She dug into the matter and discovered that not just the Chaos emeralds, but a lot of gems possess special powers. Eventually, as she grew more and more familiar with the supernatural, she learned how to use and control those powers. That’s how she mastered the power of invisibility and was later granted the power to heal.

Though Amy was thrilled that she taught herself some cool skills, she kept quiet about her newfound powers. A part of her was even a little scared that her new skills were either mundane to someone like Sonic, or that they weren’t exclusively for her. After all, she wasn’t the only hedgehog with a connection to a gem that carried supernatural powers. Plus, she’d spent years trying to bring a unique set of skills to the team. She enjoyed being able to do things that others couldn’t and didn’t want that to be taken away from her.

When she opened up to Shadow about her new powers, he was not only intrigued, but also impressed by the new skills she’d taught herself. Feeling encouraged by his support, Amy opened a small, glass box and handed Shadow her favorite gemstone, an unpolished, teal-colored sapphire.

“This was our first find, back in the days when Knuckles and I had just started exploring caves together. It’s a sapphire, my birthstone,” she explained. “I’ve treasured it ever since.”

Shadow inspected the stone, holding it up against the backlight from the window behind them. “It’s beautiful… The color, it complements the pink of your quills so well…”

“Aww, thank you, Shadow!” Amy’s eyes smiled the second he looked at her again. ”Although it doesn’t possess a special power, this one has always been special to me…”

“It’s a bit of a shame you’ve stored it in this little box amongst all the others like it has no special meaning to you, though. Don’t you think?”

Amy bit her lip, contemplating the idea. “Maybe you’re right. Perhaps I could put it on a tiny velvet pillow and place it on my nightstand...”

Once Shadow’s fingers closed around the gemstone, he bristled. A warm, elusive feeling bubbled up in Amy’s chest as she regarded the stone again. Shadow scratched his chin. Then, he fixed his eyes on the stone again, and Amy felt a little unnerved by the way he continued to stare at the crystal. For a second she feared the gem would somehow gift him with yet another cool superpower, but nothing happened. Amy bit her lip, sighing in relief and feeling silly immediately after. She grinned sheepishly at Shadow.

“I might have a better idea,” Shadow said. “Why don’t you turn it into a necklace? Like I said, this color is great on you.”

By now, Amy’s cheeks were as pink as her quills. She wiggled on her feet, playing with the hem of her dress.

“T-thank you,” she muttered softly, and when she looked at Shadow again, his cheeks were a little stained, too. Amy cleared her throat and looked down at her feet. “But… I have no idea how to do that.”

“Leave it to me! I know just the right person for this job, and,” he winked, “I’ll make sure she doesn’t keep this gem to herself.”

Amy chuckled, feeling flattered by Shadow’s determination to turn her favorite gemstone into a piece of jewelry just for her. It was an offer too good to decline. “I mean, if you insist… Are you sure? I don’t want to cause you any-”

“I do insist, Rose. I’ll be more than happy to take care of it.”

“Then I’ll gladly take you up on that offer. Thanks, Shadow! You’re such a sweetheart.” A nice, warm feeling settled in Amy’s chest. She beamed at Shadow, who, for once, sent the slightest of a smile her way, too.

“Why don’t we meet up next Saturday at the gym? I’ll give you the necklace, and maybe you could join me for a spar session? I’d like to see those new powers of yours in live action.” Shadow cocked a playful eyebrow at her.

“Sounds good to me. It’s a date,” Amy said happily, lightly touching his arm before he zapped himself away.

– – –

When Amy was on her way to meet Shadow that following Saturday, she felt strangely elated. After changing into her workout clothes and entering the gym, Shadow awaited her inside, waving at her somewhat nervously. In his other hand was a little blue box with a golden ribbon.

“Hi, Shadow!” Amy cheered in her most bubbly voice.

“This is for you,” he said, immediately placing the gift in the palm of her hand.

“Awww, thank you! I can’t wait to see it! Although… shouldn’t we wait until after we’re done sparring? I’d hate for it to break during a battle…”

“But… I want to see how it looks on you. Indulge me, just this once.” Shadow swallowed, staring at her intently. “Trust me.”

“Shadow, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied dryly, then crossing his arms and leaning forward, clearly waiting for her to open the gift.

“If you say so?” Amy shrugged. Carefully, she pulled at the ribbon and lifted the lid of the box. Her unpolished sapphire had been turned into a beautiful droplet-shaped gemstone, attached to an elegant silver necklace. “It’s gorgeous! I LOVE it! I love it so much! Thank you, Shadow!”

Amy latched onto Shadow and felt him stiffen up at the touch. She backed away and smiled at him.

“Could you… put it on me?”

“Oh! Yes, of course.”

As Shadow took the necklace from her and stood behind her, Amy’s pulse started racing. With a gentle touch, he lifted her quills with one hand and reached in front of her to put the necklace on. She felt his warm breath tickle her neck as he fumbled with the lock.

“There,” he said, and Amy wondered if she spotted a hint of relief in his voice. “Turn around. Show me how it looks,” he said, grabbing her hand and spinning her around. Amy’s breath caught in her throat and it felt like her cheeks caught fire. Her heart pounded in her chest like it did when she had an unexpected encounter with an enemy.

“Whoah! Shadow, what’s with you today?” Amy half gasped, half chuckled.

“I’m sorry. I’m just… nervous,” Shadow stammered that last word under his breath.

“It’s okay… I think it’s so sweet that you did this for me. Please don’t worry. I love it so much,” she reassured him, softly squeezing his hand. Then, she looked down at her chest and yelped in surprise. Bright light was emitting from the necklace, slowly enveloping her as her feet were lifted off the ground. “What is going on?! SHADOW! What did you do to my crystal?!” Amy yelled in shock.

Disillusioned, Amy stared at Shadow, and Shadow stared back. ‘It’s okay,’ he mouthed, eyes sincere and full of comfort. Amy’s skin began to glow, the usual pink of her quills fading into a shiny rose gold color. She closed her eyes, surrendering to what she finally understood was happening to her. The shock left her body, her soul radiating with warmth as the flame of her true power was kindled- at last.

Power, confidence, and joy flowed through her veins when she opened her eyes again. Amy smiled, regarding her new appearance. She ran her fingers through her quills, feeling how they pointed upwards and touching the spikes that had grown out of her back. Then, she stretched her arm, opening the palm of her hand, conjuring her hammer out of nowhere. It was twice as big but felt light as a feather.

Suddenly, she locked eyes with Shadow and approached him, elegantly gliding through the air. When she stopped in front of him, her eyes flashed with anger as she pointed at him, hammer lurking threateningly in her other hand. “You!” she hissed at Shadow, who still gaped at her in awe. “You knew about this, didn’t you?!”

“I did,” he said calmly, looking at the still glowing necklace.

“Why didn’t you tell me?! Do you have any idea how scary that was?” She bloated her cheeks.

“I do... What did you think my first experience was like?”

Amy blinked, stammering as she tried to come up with an answer. “I thought because you were created with all these powers that you… I mean, I don’t know!” Amy dropped her hammer and crossed her arms. “I guess I never gave it much thought…”

Shadow touched her hand. “That’s alright, Amy. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you…”

Amy lowered her defenses, letting her arms fall to her sides.

“If you’d known, it wouldn’t have worked. I don’t know how to explain... The gem picks you, and it always takes someone else to function as a portal for the power to find its way into you. In Knuckles’ case, that was his father. In Sonic’s case, it was the Doctor, believe it or not. In my case, it was Gerald. And, in your case, it’s me…”

Amy’s eyes widened. Tears welled up, but she swallowed them away.

“I knew this day would come, eventually…” he said in a low, husky voice.

He swallowed, and Amy suddenly spotted the crown of beads that glistered on his forehead. She curled her fingers around Shadow’s hand, and he laced his fingers with hers.

“You believed in me,” she sobbed silently.

“Of course I did. I thought I made that pretty clear.”

Amy chuckled.

“Rose, regardless of any special powers, you’ve always been special to me. Just because… I don’t know, eh… Chaos, you throw me off my game! I just think you’re amazing…”

Shadow’s face was flustered when he locked eyes with her again. Amy could see the clumsy, nervous smile he was trying to suppress, but she couldn’t be fooled. Swiftly, she pulled him closer, lifting the both of them off the ground to pull him into a warm embrace.

“Thank you,” she whispered, rubbing her hands on his back while they spinned slowly in mid-air.

“Y-you’re wel-welcome,” he sputtered.

“I think you’re amazing, too…” Amy softly touched his cheek with her lips. Shadow froze at the touch and started coughing until his face was almost as red as her usual dress. She put him down on his feet again, tilting her head in sympathy as he patted himself on the chest.

He then cleared his throat and straightened his back. “I have a proposal for you.”

“Let’s hear it,” Amy said, smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time her heart beat this fast.

“I want to spar with you in your super form.”

“Really? You mean that? No offense, but is that a good idea? I mean, I don’t stand a chance when you attack me in your super form…”

“I brought something for myself, too…” Shadow closed his eyes, smirking as the seven Chaos Emeralds appeared in a perfect circle around him.

“Oh, you’ve thought this through, mister…” Amy giggled, summoning her hammer again.

“Guilty as charged,” Shadow proudly admitted. The emeralds circled around him in a blurry haze of color and light until his quills were a bright, glowing yellow and light flared around him.

“Needless to say, you keep your inhibitors ON,” Amy demanded, swinging her hammer back to charge it with energy.

Shadow nodded, but then held his hand up. “One more thing,” he said. “If you manage to win from me, I’ll take you out.”

Amy blushed, accidentally slowing down the energy transmission to her hammer. She blinked, pinching her arm to check if she could be dreaming.

“I’m being real here. I’d like to go out with you sometime.”

“I’ll give it my best shot, then!” Amy flashed him a confident smile, clenching her hands into fists. She felt elated and energetic, more ready than ever to engage in this battle and not only win this fight, but also his heart. “If we do end up on that date, you’ll have to tell me the story of your first super experience.”

“Fair enough. You got yourself a deal.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Amy teased, winking at him. He huffed, playfully smirking at her. She’d never seen him smile so much before today.

“Cocky, I like it… You ready?” Shadow asked, positioning his arms in front of his body in a defending pose.

She chuckled. “Wait! But… what if you win?” Amy asked shyly.

Shadow smirked. “Then you’ll take me out.”

[[I know her dress is green and in the fic it's red. The red was SO butt ugly with the rose gold, and she HAD to be rose gold, so I changed the color palette. Let's just say she buys a new dress for her super form and Tails manages to make a device for her so the dress changes along with her when she transforms. Works for me ;)]]

#super amy #the birth of super amy #amy rose #rose gold super amy #sth #shadowsfascination #shadamyheadcanons #shadow the hedgehog #shadamy #amadow #gemstones #tarot cards #magic #sparring #knuckles the echidna #headcanon

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