Character Insights: Tsumiki Ningyou has just gone free for everyone on Patreon!

Please kindly check it out if you're interested in learning how this character came to be and a couple things about her placement in the story and how it has changed~

2 in 1 Uquizzes (vol. 3) | Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @euryalex @direwombat @detectivelokis @fourlittleseedlings @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @poisonedtruth @shegetsburned @thesingularityseries @madparadoxum @aceghosts @jinfromyarikawa @g0dspeeed @trench-rot @vampireninjabunnies-blog @adelaidedrubman @cassietrn @jacobsneed @shellibisshe @nightbloodbix @strangefable and anyone that would like to do the uquizzes 🤍

Uquiz #1: What's your OC's darkest desire? (anyone else read that in Lucifer's voice?)

Uquiz #2: What’s your OC's underlying motif?

Uquiz #1: What's your OC's darkest desire?

Sabrina:

for everything to be real

you grew up so immersed fantastical realms that now you have to imagine yourself in them each night so that you can fall asleep. it's a comfort you've never been able to sever. but the reality you were given wasn't made for you. it's time to create a new one. (what if the stories are true?)

okay. but her visions (of him esp), wondering if they would ever be true and holding onto them in her darkest moments 😭 why is this so on point

John:

to give in

darkness takes beautiful forms in the human body. whatever's been holding you back from it, you're ready to surrender. you watch the moonlight shapeshift on the flooded earth, and think you might be lonelier than your mother. you've always been afraid of screaming, but you do it now, louder and louder until your throat bleeds, but no matter the pain, you're never turning back. (don't make deals you're not prepared to die for)

*viciously points at the whole thing* to.give.in. byeeee.

Uquiz #2: What’s your OC's underlying motif?

Sabrina:

the orange

whether it’s your sweet nature, breakaway cover, or your natural displays of intimacy, you have the undercurrent of the orange. a love language in itself, your nature makes others want to take a bite and enjoy the tang that you leave behind with your laughter. you remind others of a summer day, hot air, long nights, always hopeful you’ll never go away. in her poem “the orange” by wendy cope she said “i peeled it and shared it with robert and dave, they had quarters and i had a half” you’re generous and have much to give. she also said “this is peace and contentment, it’s new” well i say, it’s you.

absolutely on point, I'd say, especially the generous and much to give part.

John:

the dog

whether it’s the way you bare your teeth when backed in a corner, your loyalty, or your tendency to act on instinct, your reoccurring theme is the dog. like mitski said “i get mean when im nervous, like a bad dog” or how halsey said “i won’t smile but i’ll show you my teeth” even when migos said “dance with my dogs in the night time” the essence of the dog runs through you. you’re tough and a quick draw on the outside, but if we got down to it we’d see you’re acting the only way you’ve ever known how. it doesn’t make you bad, survival is natural, your loyalty and determination is commendable. i don’t blame you for the way you act when your back is against a wall, but please remember to not bite the hand that feeds.

Uquiz #1: What's your OC's darkest desire?

to be saved by someone

the hurt you carry in your heart is a heavy burden to bear. you dream of someone, a figment of light and beauty, to heal your scars. but i promise, you are not as broken as you believe. (let me kiss it better.)

Calahan. There he goes again with the heartbreak. Ugh.😭

Uquiz #2: What’s your OC's underlying motif?

the dog

whether it’s the way you bare your teeth when backed in a corner, your loyalty, or your tendency to act on instinct, your reoccurring theme is the dog. like mitski said “i get mean when im nervous, like a bad dog” or how halsey said “i won’t smile but i’ll show you my teeth” even when migos said “dance with my dogs in the night time” the essence of the dog runs through you. you’re tough and a quick draw on the outside, but if we got down to it we’d see you’re acting the only way you’ve ever known how. it doesn’t make you bad, survival is natural, your loyalty and determination is commendable. i don’t blame you for the way you act when your back is against a wall, but please remember to not bite the hand that feeds.

Uquiz #1: What's your OC's darkest desire?

to be as beautiful as you once were

you revisit the memories of your former self in a haze of nostalgia. all those wild nights seem prettier from the rear view mirror. it's an ideal you'll always be trying to replicate, but growth is a journey. and you can't repeat the past. (or can you?)

okay, the title made me chuckle, but the explanation itself... it fits with him holding onto Portland, to how he and Sabrina were there, to the routine and security of their friendship and the what ifs.

Uquiz #2: What’s your OC's underlying motif?

the coffee

whether it’s your sharp tongue, your tendency to blow hot or cold, or the familiarity of you, you’re the coffee. don’t immediately assume that your undercurrent means you’re bitter, a common misconception, because people who like coffee always make it work for them. coffee doesn’t always have to be dark, it can be a warmth that’s comforting and the first start to a day. you aren’t nearly as tough as you make out to be, but we’ll keep your secret. you’re a constant, won’t ever go out of style. not everyone’s taste, but what is these days? an unknown quote reads “I like drinking coffee alone and reading alone... I realize that even though I like being alone, I don’t fancy being lonely” remember you don’t always need to face things yourself, there’s a reason people suggest “coffee?” when they want to spend time together.

🎥: via TikTok

Miko is One of Yukina's Two Moms

Yeah, I said it! Two moms! *cough* Ahem, anyway...

(this is the second part to a post I started back in August aka "Yuki Month" - Not required pre-reading but recommended~)

Note: This is going to focus on Miko's side of things. Sachiko got a little bit of an insight here, but you'll get more next month aka Sachiko Month!

Miko has a sort of motherly streak that she’s had since she was young. She’s always wondered what it would be like to have a kid, but once she got into a relationship with Sachiko, she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Adoption, perhaps? Or maybe just be like a coach to kids or something. She wants to be kids’ positive adult figures since she grew up barely with any of her own. Then, opportunity knocked, and her name was Cassandra Gibson

Yeah, OAR (the Ascendant group that Miko became an activist in, btw) was doing this project where they wanted to see if Ascendants were really just a first-generation thing or if they can legit make Ascendant babies. Oh, you bet Miko was on board! And Sachiko was cool with it, too. Didn't take much talking to convince her, honestly!

But, um...about that.

The project discovered that Ascendants, or even Ascendants with Human partners, couldn't produce offspring. Ascendants must have something that makes the environment too hostile for development... This included Miko, by the way. That attempt lead to miscarriage.

But wait...How the HELL did we get Yuki? Not sure tbh (I do but we don't know in the comic yet, shhh). One day, Miko brought up trying again to Sachiko. She just...felt like it. That's all she would say. It honestly made Sachiko hesitant. I mean, it hurt seeing Miko so depressed, y'know? But there was just something about Miko's perseverance that gave her hope, so Sachiko went to talk to Cassandra again.

Cassandra also, reluctantly, agreed, and they tried again. First time was Miko's dna with another Ascendant. This time they tried Sachiko's with an Ascendant. The project already tried this but Miko insisted...

Lo and behold, it worked! And it lasted the whole proper length! AND we got Yuki! But, what the heck was that intuition of yours, Miko? Or was it just stubbornness? Not to mention some peculiarities Yukina has later on that resemble Miko more than her Ascendant dad...

She's a strange lady

Hey everyone, admin here with a hot take on one of Sodor’s Finest: James the Red Engine. They say that James doesn’t have a character arc in the series and that he’s the comic relief. But to me, this isn’t true. To me, James’ character arc is all about him fully accepting who he is as an engine. He goes from being in denial of who he is to fully embracing what he truly is.

The lesson James teaches us is self-acceptance; loving who you are and what you are capable of. This is fully encapsulated in the fan story: Being James. I haven’t uploaded it yet, but I will come James’ 100th birthday. If you haven’t seen it, go check it out it is really really spectacular. The tone has insanely strong “coming out” vibes which I absolutely adore. To me, that is the Magnum-opus of James’ overall character journey.

Not to mention his growth further progresses in my version regarding Tale of the Brave. It’s basically the same but with Molly in Percy’s place, Emily in James’ place, and James in Thomas’s place. Basically, James doesn’t stand by his girlfriend Molly and he nearly loses her in an  avalanche at the Clay Pits. He practically mourns her near death and vows to be a better Engine exclusively for her. Truly emotional turmoil for all the right reasons.

All this is to help James grow as a character into a humble yet humorous adult just like Gordon in the Railway Series. I still like James and this new journey would have made his original creator Rev. W. Awdry extremely proud. This, I think, would be perfectly suited for everyone’s favorite splendid engine: James, an engine whom the show would not be without.

oc name meanings

tagged by the wonderful @moondust-bard !

rules: share the name of an oc -- or ocs -- and tell us what the name means

I'll do a twist on this! I want to explain the titles + some names!

Lund

pronounced like [ˈlund]; "loond", this is the title given to a female leader of a court, meaning "Moon" in Fojikalan [fo.ˈjɪ.xɑ.lɑn]; "foyikhalan"

Zane

pronounced like [ˈzɑ.nə]; "zahnuh", this is the title given to a male leader of a court, meaning "Sun" in Fojikalan

Aster

pronounced like [ˈæs.tɚ]; "asster", this is the title given to any children or wards of the Lund or Zane

Fer

pronounced like [ˈfɝ]; "fair", this title is given to anyone who is a master of all elemental/natural magic (fire, air, earth, water)

Jen

pronounced like [ˈjɜn]; "yen", this title is given to someone who has mastered one element, usually from the court they come from

Lukacs

pronounced like [lu.ˈkʰɑʃ]; "lookash", meaning "light" or "bringer of light" -- since he's from the Ignis (fire) Court, this is fitting

Enselad

derived from Ansel/Hansel, pronounced like [ˈɑn.sə.læd / ˈɑn.səl]; "onsuhlad". meaning "protected by god"--even if he's not Moon-Blessed, he is still a creature of the Moon and protected by Her

this was fun! thanks so much for tagging me <3

i'll softly tag: @nightlylaments, @kaiusvnoir, @sparemayonnaise, and @eurydicefades + anyone else who wants to!

taglist: @sarahlizziewrites, moondust-bard

🎥: via TikTok

A little something I cobbled together to give y’all a bit of an idea of what our Sunny is like.

Since I've been dealing with some sort of burnout since Art Fight, I couldn't exactly fill out a Summary of Art for 2022. So, I decided to whip up some insights into my character's designs, evolutions, and inspirations instead.

Figure this would be a good time to share the voices and music playlists for them too.

Voice Claims: Snare / Sirrenius Prime: (Cree Summer) Blightheart: (Neil Kaplan) Ther'in Fen: (Vincent Corazza) CKR: (Darin De Paul) Cedric Coldwell: (Caleb Hyles) Adrik Vasiliev:(JB Blanc) Mannin Moon:(Robin Atkin Downes) Playlists: Snare: [X] Sirrenius Prime: [X] Ther'in Fen: [X] CKR: [X] Cedric Coldwell: [X] Adrik Vasiliev: [X] Mannin Moon: [X]

You'll never guess what explains why Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy are Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, to begin with

DOGGIE DADDY: In all honesty, I have to admit that I'm a little too overly devoted to my son, Augie, yet I love my Son of Sons with heart and soul. You have to strike a balance, I have to admit, especially as a single parent, in bringing up a son trying not to be hyperactive to the point of requiring medication; THAT would be too much of a burden! But to be honest about it, it all goes back to Augie's mother ... she died during a rather painful and difficult whelping not long after my Augie came along. I made a deathbed promise to her to be all the more devoted to Augie and show some serious love in the absence of a mother. And having to be a single parent, admittedly, while trying to satisfy Augie's whims and desires can be a juggling act--and can it ever be so at times!! AUGIE DOGGIE: There can be no disputing the obvious from what my Dear Auld Dad just observed there. Yet for some reason, having just a father in a middle-class milieu for a parent doesn't have to be boring, especially in recognising the value of things to a point where keeping things simple, just appreciating the basics of life, can make a difference. DOGGIE DADDY: Which may explain the penchant for enjoying simple dinners "from scratch" more often than not. Peanut butter sandwiches on whole grain bread, macaroni and cheese with sliced smoked sausage, beans and weiners, chili ... in warmer weather, cold cut plates and ham sandwiches, maybe the odd weiner barbecue.... AUGIE DOGGIE: Amusing, I have to admit--though I also enjoy the odd bike ride or walking around the neighbourhood, solving puzzle books and listening to shortwave radio. Though in recent months, we've found plenty of interesting stations via online radio, which can get to be fascinating in its own way. DOGGIE DADDY: Heh heh heh ... that was my son who observed as much! And I think we fell for online radio when we started realising just how predictably hilarious some of those "reality" shows can get to be, especially with reports suggesting some such may be on a par with your so-called "professional wrestling." AUGIE DOGGIE: I assume you mean such are faked. Staged, even, as one Snagglepuss would put it. DOGGIE DADDY: I can certainly believe as much from Augie ... and though he may be my son, he can certainly get to be precocious and curious for a boy of his age and intellect, especially considering what he's likely had to go through.

Character Inspiration - Gideon Crowther

Inspired by @emarttt posts! Gideon’s kind of mixed with gentle and fierce.

Peggy Carter (Agent Carter) - reserved and serious. Just like Peggy, Gideon seeked for people’s respect on what he had contributed.

Daniel Sousa (Agent Carter) - gentle spirit but doesn’t afraid to fight when he needs to.

10th Doctor (Doctor Who) - Just like the Doctor, smug, playful sometimes and funny. And he has his own dark side as well.

William Sherlock Holmes (BBC Sherlock) - Thinker and an Observer, can be very anti- social sometimes… cold and distant.

Phil Coulson (MCU) - Sardonic… and pretty rebellious, but he has a righteous heart and supportive.

Emily Prentiss (Criminal Minds) - Calm, well-driven… and slightly ambitious. Intelligent detective in the FBI

Working on Pearlie’s, there will be complete differences between her and his settings.

scenes i loved from Real Enough to Get Me Through by @marriedzukka <333 [ids in alt]

What color does your OC/ship's love feel like? | uquiz | Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @fourlittleseedlings @poisonedtruth @madparadoxum @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @g0dspeeed @aceghosts @detectivelokis @euryalex @strafethesesinners @strangefable @nightbloodbix @shegetsburned @jinfromyarikawa @adelaidedrubman @trench-rot @cassietrn and anyone that would like to do the uquiz <3

Sabrina:

warm burnt orange

Riding off into the sunset, the hope of a happy ending, the bitter after taste that still in it's own way smells kinda great. Your love is all bitter hopefulness, all about a broken heart that refuses to quit, all about the unshakable knowledge that a burning fire has a great comforting warm and a soft glowing light, all about the way when the sun comes down there's a beautiful starry night. It's stubbornness, it's the refusal to give up, the clutching of broken shards despite the searing pain and being adamant that dammit you can still make a beautiful stained glass window out of it. Yours is a screaming heart, a pleading love, a bitter and almost belligerent hopefulness that things will still work out even if you have to roll up your sleeves and make them. And god, aren't you tired? Isn't your heart heavy? Is all your hard work worth it? Don't you just want to curl up and let it be? Let the fire turn to ashes and the sky turn dark and let love die down and watch people leave? But you don't, do you? You're the bravest out of all of us, so you pick up the pieces and you keep going, you keep believing and you keep your heart full of hope because some day. Some day you know you'll get it. You keep riding off into the sunset and you keep filling my heart with hope as you go because god, how do I wish you finally get it too.

hope, hope everywhere, the freaking stubbornness, the somedays, the taking things into her hands. just whoa.

John:

dark stormy blue

Sinking ships, raging seas and tumultuous hearts, love isn't easy for you. It's a struggle, a constant inner fight of should I? Can I? Do I? Feelings are hard and they rumble inside you in a dissatisfied mess that begs to be let out. Your heart screams and cries inside you and you... You can't, you won't. You're scared. And love is scary, it's hard and sometimes it just doesn't work out. People leave, people hurt, people change their minds. And you and your cold stormy heart yearn for the calmness, for the distance, to be allowed and able to simply not feel. And yet, you do. It rages, it fights and storms inside you and you try to keep it down, keep it quiet, to feel pretending not to. It's the burn of childhood friends growing apart, of parents that aren't quite there, of relationships that burn out. So you snuff it down with water, cold and calming and blue, blue, blue. But being loved by you is blue too, just not in that way. It's the soothing, embracing feeling of floating, the moment when you sink down bellow the waves and become one with the water, with everything. It's the balance, the dramatic yet calming sound of waves that crash against a rocky shore. You're the good and the bad, the violence of the storm and the watery peace right after. You're the blue, blue feeling and loving you is watery tears, yelled confessions that no one will hear and burying your feelings in a deep watery grave never to be found out about. Your love is dark stormy blue, it's vast and deep and all encompassing, it's safety in the surface of danger, it's trusting the unruly abyss and yet I'd gladly risk drowning just to feel what it's like being loved by you.

okay, why is this result like everything. including the color. *shhh my heart*

bright sunny yellow

Sweet tasting popsicles, summer dresses and shielding your eyes from the sun. Your love is the excitement of something brewing, something growing. It's the almost childish bubbling giggles of something new, but with the potential to stay. It's wide smiles, blinding sunny light and warm bodies that gravitate to one another. It's the the softness, the willingness, the slight holding of breaths in a crucial "what if" moment. It's the impatience too. The bouncing on tiptoes to see further than your eyes can reach, the holding out for a future that never seems to come even though you're ready, you're so so so ready. It's the constant feeling of warm sand beneath your feet, holding out for the crashing waves. And still you wait, dry and impatient and with burnt soles of feet. Your love is sour candy, enjoying it as your nose scrunches up from the aftertaste of it. It's hands that grab and take hold, that reach and ask them to stay and hope and beg and wait. It's bubbling excitement sure, but it's also demanding, focused, driven. It's love like a plan, with a path and route and a clear destination. And you bonce on your tiptoes, and burning, waiting for the soothing water, the crashing waves, you hold onto the melting popsicle, you wait and wait and wait. It's tiring almost as much as it's lazer focused ambition, deeply rooted desire and the unrelenting hope that it will work, that it will come. And it does, I promise it does. The waves crash, the beach floods and the pain passes, the water cool and soothing and you can let yourself fall in, sinking, sinking. And it's good, it's perfect, what you were hoping and more, holding and embracing you and welcoming you into the stillness you always knew you were reaching for.

look at him getting such a cute result.

soft fresh green

Nice breeze, bare feet and freshly cut grass. Your love is a lighthearted hope for the future. It's protecting your eyes from the sun but enjoying the light rays still, it's laying on the grass and feeling it tickle your neck. You look to the side and they look back at you, full of hope and plans too. You plan together and laugh all day and your sunburn will feel like them. Your love is delicate, hesitant. A well curated binder full of collages for a future you can't be sure will come, but you keep going, you keep planning, you keep squinting at the sun and smiling, and running your hands through the grass so it will smell better. You keep holding onto the bright sky even as the sunsets, even as the starry night stares back. But you keep on holding, you keep on dreaming, you close your eyes and feel the sun on your skin and convince yourself that the sunburn is good, it's something to hold on to, just makes it linger a bit longer. Your love is a lighthearted hope for the future. It's sweet and wonderful and it keeps love alive, makes the world a better place. You run your hands through the grass, clench your fingers tighter and keep making plans. And I can only thank you and hope I can learn to love like you someday.

please, not Leslie getting more hope(s) than Sabrina, ahahha.

🎥: via TikTok

While I am a fan of sneaking things for deeper meanings, sometimes (ex. why ascendant youth wear glasses)...an accessory is just an accessory.

However! The following is not just an accessory:

Yuki's got some meaningful accessories, sometimes. She'll get a few more as the comic continues, too!

I was explaining this to someone earlier and I don't think I've seen enough people talk about it, but the kids getting four pearls instead of three was actually a really great writing choice. Did anything change? No. Did we all know one of them was gonna break/get lost? Yes absolutely. However, the fourth pearl wasn't about the story. It was about Poseidon. It was about him also being desperate to save the woman he loves. Watch him and Sally in ep 7 and tell me he wouldn't try his hardest to save her too?? It's such a significant insight into him that paired with the scenes we've gotten this episode, tell us so much about him and his relationship with Sally that we don't get to figure out until later in the books.