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beesmygod · 11 months

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we can all look back on and laugh at this when im wrong, but it seems like social media in its current incarnation is dying an undignified and overdue death. it turns out throwing all of humanity into one room and expecting everyone to develop a single ethos was beyond insane conceptually and the artists who built their following on social media are probably in a tail spin right now. people jumping to bluesky are insane lol. did you forget jack dorsey is the idiot who got us into this mess in the first place. why would you choose to subject yourself to this shit again. for what purpose?

the stock answer i got was that "for discoverability/audience" and if that's true thats a problem. i've been hollerin about this to anyone who would listen prior to this but the customer base of twitter (and all social media) is its advertisers. they have not been shy from the start about that fact because its the only way they generate income, as far as i know. YOU (the user) are the product. YOU (still the user) are also what draws people to the site. there is not a social media website on earth that has figured out that making a good website (which would require hiring and paying for quality labor over an extended period of time) is more likely to result in economic success than exclusively courting the businesses whose interest is in making the website worse to use with ads. at no point were our interests ever a factor.

in fact, imo, the number of people following you is not an accurate representational sample of your audience. the reasonable assumption you should make is that the vast majority of numbers involved with any website (esp those with a vested interest in showing off big numbers to VC investors or advertising execs) are inflated or just outright fake. the numbers exist solely to drive you insane and make awful people happy. the numbers cause you and everyone around you to start spontaneously spawning myths about a beast called "the algorithm" that possesses the incredible traits of being both something you can game for success or blame for your failures. it coerces you into enacting out nonsense superstitions to try to counteract or appease it in the hopes of, let's be honest, breaking it big and going viral. this way, you, the creator, do not have to do the hard work of building up a rapport with an audience. none of this goes anything but adds more numbers for the ceos to look at and nod approvingly or disapprovingly at.

the people running the world today are, without exaggeration, cartoon villains. they are deeply stupid, devoid of empathy, and open about their intent to do deeply evil acts in order to further their economic interests. trying to derive some kind of financial benefit from the creations of these unapologetic losers was always bound to be a wasted effort. the best thing i can say about twitter, a website i was banned from countless times and returned to out of stubborn desire, was that i got to make some great jokes with friends and cause some chaos lol. letting people know i have a web comic was always a secondary function once the realization of what social media was turning out to be set in like 7 years ago. any artist who insists that you have to do this or that on this or that social media site is trying to drag you down into the quagmire of online numbers poisoning.

run away!!! children heed my advice!!! the joy of creation does not lie on a path that encourages you to cater to the lowest common denominators while casting your net. just fucking have fun with it. if its not fun then it wont even be fun to do financially anyway. and isnt that, like. the point.

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shepscapades · 5 months

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*rotates dbhc!Xisuma and Doc in my head*

I'm sorry but I absolutely lose my mind over them ( I have literally no one who I could ramble about this to and I need to get it out). I want to analyse stuff, so let me just:

*breathes in*

It's visible that they are good friends and have been since the time when Doc deviated, research partners doing... research? Or whatever researchers do *shrugs*.

But there's one thing to it, X created Doc and most of other androids. He understands what is deviation because Doc explained it to him but his friend is still an android after all. We also know that X always calls Doc "Docm" but in previous comic he calls him "Doc" and it is stated that it's the first time he ever called him that. In which moment he calls him that? In the moment when he realises that Doc is more human than android now, I may be delusional about this all but I just feel like: the moment when he sees Etho overpower Doc, shove him and break him and stuff, Xisuma sees that Doc isn't a fearless machine but a someone, a human, he got overpowered by Etho and suffered consequences, he felt fear like a human not a machine. Also he lost his arm because he was trying to stop Etho from hurting X as we see in the second part of the comic, which only adds to that. So, this is the moment where X fully realises that he means something to Doc, not as a creator, but as a friend, and that's why for the rest of the comic he constantly makes sure if his partner is alright by talking to him, glancing at him. You know stuff. He grew closer and closer to Doc as time passed and I think this was the climax - the moment he called Docm77 "Doc".

While Doc is doing the most stoic stuff ever and trying not to self destruct and stuff, he cares about X too, very much even, he's protective towards him and shows it by jumping into danger he could have avoided [ Etho attacked X because he's an admin and probably knows where's Grian - Etho wants to hunt down this pesky bird for killing Bdubs] just so his partner won't get hurt how sweet <3 RIP arm you will be remembered...

Anyways I feel like they should talk about stuff and maybe cuddle and maybe I don't know LIVE?? NOT DIE??

Yeah, I think that I don't even need to explain for how long they've been spinning in my head.

Also wanted to thank you so much for so many kind words on my fanart !! I'm glad I can make someone happy with my cheap, old drawing tablet and some self taught skills lol sorry for flooding your ask-box again so so sorry but those comics make me go AWOOGA holy shift, and also DOC AND X CONTENT !! They are so underrated that you almost can't find anything good relating to them as a duo! [personally I think they're great, just two dudes that do things together and care for eachother <3]

So, yep. Prepare yourself for things like that after every new part comes out I WILL make memes and I WILL analyse block men.... sorry not sorry :)

[how to get me into an AU- tutorial: Xisumavoid must be in it- the end]

WE ARE ROTATING THEM. WE ARE WATCHING THEM ROTATE!!!!! you freaking GET me

(THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING THOUGHTS HAPPENING HERE!!!! None of which I’ll confirm but Eye Emoji :3 I love love love these theories they make me so happy ehehehehehe)

(ALSO YOU’RE SO WELCOME!!! That art made my day fr LMAO I love and appreciate it so much!!! <3)

#totally agreed. doc and xisuma are underrated #not even as a ship #just as friends I love their duo soooo much #I have a feeling xisuma and doc are gonna do smthn in season 10 together. I just have a feeling #then you’ll all be sorry /idk what this means #dbhc ask #dbhc xisuma #dbhc doc #art escapades #1-marigold-1 #the shepherd #my sona #LISTEN YALL GET ME TOO ON THE XISUMA THING #I THOUGHT ABOUT XISUMA FOR TWO SECONDS. WATCHED 5 MINUTES OF HIS VIDEOS. AND WENT. oh okay so I’m making him important in this au.#Xisuma is SUCH an underrated creator I love him SOOOO much Hes so funny and silly and charming #anyway sorry for rambling I’m just RGHRGHRGHR about him #I’m also crazy about doc #so naturally. gestures #dbhc theories

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hmshermitcraft · 11 months

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Y'know what? Let's add a Scott/ to the Etho/ranchers Esmp S1 Au (I am the one that sent that ask dw I'm not just adding this to someone else's au/ask)

After Scott learned that the Codfather was married, he was horrified as he has been subtly trying to court the Fishman, not knowing that he was taken. Scott obviously stopped immediately, he wasn't a homewrecker! Even if he was a generally flirty person and was very much crushing on the other ruler

Around two weeks after that meeting, Scott had been invited to watch (and maybe participate) the bi-monthly fighting festival that was in the Codlends. Scott of course went, even if he wasnt courting the Codfather now if he can help it, he still would have to go as he had been directly invited.

When Scott had flown there, he had been greeted by the short man that was with Jimmy in the beginning of the last meeting, the one with blond hair and red accessories. The man who he learned was named Tango and was The Codfather's other husband, had excitedly shown Scott around as Scott was apparently the first ruler to have shown up so far.

Scott had primarily watched the fights, after all the way that Codlends citizens fought was truely interesting and in a way that was so fluid. When Scott did participate in a few of the fights, he draw them out ever so slightly but still in a fast and Rivendell like manner. Each time he had stepped out of the sparring arena after he won, he had been shown a good bit of praise and flirting from the citizens??

Aka fighting and how strong you are is seems as a very important thing in the Codlends and the fighting festivals are used as ways to flirt and show off your skills to the people your trying to court. (Cause I hc that polyamory is very common in the Codlends lol)

Jimmy and Tango are both blushing like mad after and during Scott's fights cause wow they didn't expect that with how Scott was built- while Etho just zones in on Scott's fighting style cause it is very unique and not like any other Rivendell elves that participated in these.

related ask!

Scott was trained to fight from a very young age. His parents - ever so diligent - ensured he had a number of tutors from a wide variety of different places. Scott may not be a master in any of the styles he's familiar with, but he can switch between them as needed without missing a step.

It's a skill that has, unfortunately, been useful through the years.

And he has to make sure he puts on a good show for the Codlands people. He's here to represent Rivendell. Scott knows elves are often underestimated as being soft and too haughty to fight. He hopes he's put some of those rumours to bed today.

What he doesn't realise is that he's started a new wave of gossip. Jimmy hasn't stopped talking about Scott's fighting since they retreated into the royal box. Tango feels like he may just melt where he stands. Scott had been so put together when he showed him around earlier! He didn't expect that from him.

Nor did he expect Scott to look so good when slightly dishevelled, pushing long strands of blue hair from his face.

Etho finds Scott fascinating. He did during the meeting as well. He'd like to learn more about the elf, and Rivendell royalty in general. It seems like it's changed a lot since his time.

#hermitshipping #empiresshipping #ask #jimmy tag #scott tag #etho tga #tango tag #solidaritek + etho #solidango + etho #poly flower ranchers + Etho #mod 🎀

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wasyago · 1 year

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sorry for spamming u, im literally obssessed with ur colour schemes, tango and etho, ur tango and etho and ur in general artsyle ☆☆☆

ik this basically counteracts my entire point bc i feel bad for spamming lol sorry

also thisll be my first non-anonymous ask which is terrifying

but i just wanted to confess my platonic, one artist to another, parasocial love for u and ur art

i really really like bugs and also tango a lot too if u can't tell so the amount of tango drawings u have is the most incredible thing ever!! ik they weren't for me but like im literally the target demographic ngl (self-centered much?)

ik like u probably don't care and get spammed like that all the time but i just wanted to say ure super cool!!! 👉👉(fingerguns)

waaaa thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love tango a whole lot too, so, naturally, i draw him a lot hehehe glad you like it!!!!

and like, don't worry about all that stuff, its 100% a okay👍👍 i love getting asks, even if i don't always reply to them i still like reading them, it warms my heart uwu (spamming is also okay, i don't have notifications on, so you're free to spam as much as you want xP don't apologize 👍)

#yagotalk

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guster-animations · 10 months

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Tell me more about etho slab guster 🧍

oh if it isn’t this new person who i have absolutely no connections to

(for the 6 other people reading, he’s on my splatoon team and i made them read the fic and told them to maybe send an ask even though they don’t know homestuck :P)

etho is kind of a funny guy in this fic because he was basically not even in it until the last week of writing. there’s the small section of chapter 4 where he’s accompanying skizz and has like 2 lines. but at some point while writing i realized “OH SHIT FUCK FUCK ETHO BARELY EVER SHOWS UP” but i figured out a way to give him a moment in the last chapter and everything”s fine. and the lack of uh, relevance he has to most of the plot is reflected with his classpect!

etho is the heir of void which is. sort of a classpect used in canon homestuck as equius’s title, and generally means “one who becomes (surrounded by) nothingness”. for equius it meant that he quickly faded from having any relevance or screen time in the narrative, and it means the same for etho here.

i’d like to think this is in part because he really does disappear from all discussion or events at some point in 3rd life, but honestly it might be a bit biased from my perspective? i didn’t watch any renchanting POVs when 3rd life initially came out, so from what i saw back then it didn’t look like etho was there at all lol

his land has a bit more of a story to it, though. my beta .khads suggested it being some sort of dark oak forest pretty early on, when i had barely figured out anyone’s land names. i decided on “trees” as the first noun. and you know how long i stayed undecided on the other noun? Over A Month.

at the halfway point, my lovely artist @anachronistic-cat was assigned to me and i sent them detailed descriptions of each player’s land for drawing inspiration. etho’s said something like “land of trees and ???? (i have no fucking idea what to do)”. cat suggested that the second word could be “nothing”, and i took this and ran with it- made it into a forest with no grass or animals, which basically isn’t even a forest. in chapter 9, etho describes the lack of basically anything there as being unnerving and out-of-place.

so i figured out how to make it cool after all!

my apologies to all the ethogirls out there. i have much to learn and many videos to watch. i promise most of the others are more interesting than this

#sotdd #3rd life smp #op

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single-malt-scotch · 2 years

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still no art rn bc i got a bit burnt out w all the drawing around double life- so im just still binging s7 videos aaaand well i finished grian's s7 series lol. i definitely watched nearly all the episodes i think unlike s6 where i jumped around. im still going back and watching other pov's of s7 though, itll just take me a bit. but, the consensus:

i watch grian's s6, s7, most of s8 and what there is of s9. i had started s8 after watching s9 (which i watched first) but i stopped when i decided i wanted to go all the way back to 6 instead, but also cuz i wasnt super into the plot heaviness of that season. i maaay go back to s8 and finish it since its so short but im not sure, it still wasnt hitting like s6 or s7 to me.

my Onion right now is, s6 is one i may go back and watch more of- i watched grian bc i wanted to get to know him more and see if i enjoyed his style. he was also new that season so i feel like it was a more skewed perspective since he didnt know everyone well and wasnt hanging out with many other people yet? but again idk who i may watch from that season (i enjoy seeing people interact the most tbh so i am not sure who i may jump to). but once i got into s7 i can say it has by far been a favorite and was very thrilled to see grian interacting more consistently with other members too- especially those i wanted to watch that season like etho and bdubs. i will probably go and watch etho myself too, and i watched a few eps of bdubs to tie up some loose ends. overall s7 had so many things in it that made me want to go check out other videos and while i may, im pleased that grian took more time to go out and about to see other people's bases and the events that made people go out more. the turf war, base swap, and secret bases were all key events that i found quite amusing and i felt they were all wrapped up quite well too. it seemed like everyone had better ideas of what they wanted to do and carry through in terms of stuff to plan. i was also wondering when the proxy mod came in so glad i got that covered by the end of that season lol. which brings to me my remaining thoughts into s8 and proxy mod--

so s8 sits very different w me now after watching 6 and 7. obviously those two were longer, and im kinda surprised to remember s7 took place during covid because it really didnt feel like it?? it seemed like they were all very productive, and i guess when your whole thing is playing inside on minecraft then, it wouldnt be too affected lol. but still, surprised i didnt see any clear hiccups even if they tried to keep that out of the videos on purpose. anyways, s8 and proxy mod.... when i watched s9 and the life series around the same time i was intrigued by the proxy mod as i hadnt ever seen any smps just using it constantly. for Life it made sense for sure, but working my way backwards in the HC seasons i guess i can see the pros and cons from my perspective...

i got quite accustomed to the uh, "old style" of videos with s 6 and 7. you know, recording on your own and hopping into calls when you wanted to interact further but otherwise typing in chats. i didnt realize how.... hm. different that is for the viewing experience. it allowed me to focus far more on the person im watching and makes certain interactions more amusing when its limited in chat. Proxy is convenient, and i do think its fun to hear people get closer or farther, or to surprise them. but the near constant of it being on kinda makes it feel like a never ending voice call, and i dont feel like (at least from grian's perspective as its the only i watched) it gives the person time to focus as much sometimes? and it doesnt always feel like the creators are actually addressing the audience anymore, as they are often focused on talking to those around them. its hard to say, bc i think part of it has to do with it being new, so everyone wants to use it a lot and get used to it. and i wouldnt say it ruins the videos either. but its a whole different feeling!

i think its nice to have the creators have their own space to commentate and then go into calls to talk w people because it better seperates the content. i do think the proximity part of proxy mod is fun and great for shenanigans. i think it being constantly on can hinder some things, and i hope to see more separation/muting in the future maybe...

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tearosepedall · 3 years

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BONUS!

this is some bonus content for The “I Am Fragile Yet strong Rooted, what am I?” Comic!

this post I'm gonna post some unused drawings and concept I have for this the Last Life fan comic

before I start THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT from both the Tumblr and the twitter folks-

this is one of the view project that I was VERY nervous to put out because on how much time I put in it and the general content of it (Violets is not something that I typically do myself and seeing all the reply and tag just made it all worth it- even if it doesn't get to 100 notes or what ever I am still very proud of my self for finishing a big project to completion and doing something that I always want to do myself- that is making a webcomic, and Last Life kinda kick me up to gear to finally making one and upload it for the world to see - Baby steps!

OK- ENOUGH OF ME BEING A SAP A** LETS GET RIGHT INTO THE CONTENT

First of all the title “I Am Fragile Yet strong Rooted, what am I?” or "Fragile yet strong rooted flower" on Twitter. (I like the Tumblr title more btw)

what does that mean? well I was referring to a Dandelion

I was searching for flowers (the theme of Etho calling Bdubs "Fragile flower") that has Deep roots (To symbolize how deep there bond actually is) and it turns out, its Dandelions!

Not only is Dandelions fragile (when there in the puff form) there also available in minecraft it self!

Grian was gonna play a more prominent role in this comic. being kinda like an antagonist to Etho and more personal

originally, I was gonna fit a lot of semi original headcanon of mine in the comic but decided against it because it doesn't make the story flow properly

one of those idea was making Grian killing Bdubs a more personal kill because he was kinda jealous of Etho for Bdubs loyalty compared to his many allies that left him. the problem with this is I only watch Etho's pov (and a couple of pov preparing for this comic) so I don't know the full context of the Southlanders and who betray who- But I know Grian has been betrayed.

I ultimately scrapped it because it made comic outstayed its welcome and make the story just out of focus. (The final concepts of the coming is showing that Etho care about Bdubs and explains his betrayal, if we fit to many concepts in to a short comic it would just be overwhelming so I scrapped it)

and also I don't want to go watch a 7 25 minute long video just to make a comic with so little time frame to make it (at the time before the delay for session 8, sorry Grian)

I was gonna hammer in the idea that Etho want revenge for Bdubs death and Grian just want Etho to feel what he felt- I even sketch them in the homage to Naruto Shippuden Kakashi and Obito's first awakening the mangekyo sharingan sharingan (but I deleted that skech to save space...)

OK on to the next one!

Etho and the other Green (and yellow) team were gonna say more stuff

here is the Dialog :

originally, I was gonna re purpose what The green said post Bdubs death to use it at the start of the comic "Oh we should probably wait because he might clame a kill" that something along the line of that-

Etho was gonna say a lot of stuff in the final frame explaining "bdubs gotta earn it" to cope but end up just the green asking if etho is ok and etho respond with a simple "I'm Fine"

but I end up making the Green say lest because "Less can sometime be louder" oh and here's the finish unlettered panel (a shame I didn't use this because I LOVE the expression in this but decided against it because it makes the story no flow well)

speaking of removing finish panel because they don't make the story flow well HERE'S MORE

The first one would appear after Scar treat "I'll be back etho"- can you see how that can't flow after that epic moment lol

as for the 2nd one- it was originally gonna be the beginning of the flash back to show Bdubs and Etho's banter and dynamic- but like the first problem, this just bog down the story and it was an original concept by me, Etho never mess with Bdubs like that in Last Life so I decided to remove it despite me loving the expression, it just doesn't fit well lol

This one is a montage after that Mumbo cristal incident and Etho begging Tango to give Bdubs a live

I also play with the idea of Tango just slowly descending into villainy because people (Etho) keep making him give live to people (Bdubs) you can see little Tanggo being grumpy and little skizz comforting him in the unused finnish panel of the comic lol

Alternative to the original Fight scene (before I watch Lizzies POV) and Illusion reunion.

nothing much but I got to say- I was VERY please when I see Lizzes POV that she manage to hit Bdubs with a couple of shots or rockets in Bdubs direction point blank. The whole time I was drawing those panel I was thinking "Heh Bdubs is getting Tubbo-ed lol"

and the 2nd one- I just want the last couple of panel to became quiet and the big embrasse from Etho would not be quiet so I change it.

This was the first panel I draw

and that's it! again thank you again for the kind support yall have been giving the comic- Hope yall have a good day or night and Thank you for read this 07

#tearosepedall

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acerace · 3 years

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...you have opened my eyes to a vast universe of VintageBeef lore that I was unaware of. I knew about the New Hermit Order, of course, and the UHC invention, and I've watched a few of his CTM things but -- I will take all the info and lore you feel like giving out because Beef is amazing and my knowledge is so small.

Vintagebeef my beloved <3

So the thing is, right, until about 2016 I only watched two (2) youtubers- Vintagebeef for Minecraft and aDrive for Pokemon (and funnily enough both of them are named Dan irl). So I've watched most of Beef's videos over the years and have a general knowledge of most of his stuff, except because it's been like a decade I don't remember where most of the lore comes from XD

The thing with him is that he doesn't do Lore tm the way other mcyters often do lore- he doesn't have an extensive RP series to draw from like Grian, doesn't have a solo world with steadily increasing amounts of lore like Etho or Zisteau, and while he's played on SMPs and been involved in storylines before it's not really the focus of his episodes unlike with Evo or Legacy or Empires

So where does that leave us?

IRL, Beef always has multiple series running at the same time. Often he's playing on an smp while doing a singleplayer, often modded, series as well as a CTM or modpack with a group of friends. For example, right now he's playing on Hermitcraft, doing weekly Pixelmon and Building a Zoo episodes, and a CTM map with Slip. And to me, this translates to one thing: Beef is an adventurer. He travels frequently- he explores a world and when he decides he's done, he leaves for the next one. That's the basis of my personal interpretation of his series and his character for my writing.

Ok so reading this back, this got extremely long and didn't explain much in the way of lore, somehow? If anyone has any additions to add please do so, I am very definitely leaving out a lot and would love to see what other lore people remember and are using for Beef! I didn’t include the Hermitcraft stuff since my memory of season 4 is blurry (his base was themed after the Martian, that much I know, and he and Iskall were buddies :D) and most of the s5 NHO lore is best watched from Bdub’s perspective from what I remember, and the only s6 stuff is a single line in Hermitgang and then the Area 77 arc with its possibility of an NHO reunion which we did not get rip. And s7 of course had the cloning machine and also the Podzol Party as the main lore. So all the original rambling is still below the cut though it is very long, and I'm gonna bullet point the main stuff here instead:

Actual canonical things:

Invented UHC and was the only survivor of the first ever uhc (Mindcrack UHC s1)

Married to an ender dragon (one of the UHCs I think), later father to a different dragon (Mindcrack season 3? I think?)

Might not have legs if you choose to take that joke as canon (Mindcrack s2)

Was a wizard (RAD)

is a zookeeper (Building a Zoo)

Had a wife and kids (Sims in Minecraft)

Part of the Trial of the B Team court case (Mindcrack)

NHO founder, founder of the Podzol Party (Hermitcraft)

Created a cloning machine that sort of works (Hermitcraft)

Played the Forest which is I believe the first time he and Keralis played together (look up the trigger warnings for this one, it's a horror game)

Was the creator/owner of Sourceblock SMP (featuring some familiar faces if you know Legacy, Empires, or MCC) and there is literal magic from a mysterious sourceblock of water that teleports people and summons mobs and probably more stuff that I haven't seen yet since I'm still watching it myself

Things you can infer:

Good with animals (Life in the Woods, Pixelmon, Ark)

Is a car nerd (irl and all of the car games he's played)

Is a highly experienced adventurer who has traveled through dozens of worlds both vanilla and modded, across multiple dimensions (Twilight Forest, the Aether, the Betweenlands, Limbo), completed dozens of monuments, fought in blood sports, survived apocalypse after apocalypse, tamed dinosaurs, and played a lot of prop hunt and golf with your friends

If you're looking for what to watch for lore purposes, I'd say the Mindcrack UHCs and Team Canada's RAD series are pretty good, definitely Sourceblock and HC s5, plus the Diversity CTM maps and Ruins of the Mindcrackers maybe? And Mindcrack Prank Wars for the chaos and the origin of Team Canada. And if you can handle horror than the Forest is fun and if you don't do horror you can watch the Pojkband play golf or prop hunt they're hilarious I love them sm I want a Pojkband reunion So Bad

Beef's first series was a singleplayer series in beta 1.4_01 though he had played the game extensively before that, and was a big fan of Guude, having watched his own Minecraft videos. The series was functionally a hardcore one where if he died Beef would delete the world and start again! I haven't actually Watched this series so idk if he died or how often lmao. When Guude made Mindcrack, which was btw one of the very first Minecraft SMPs, he also hosted a competition for people to join, and Beef submitted a video (which is still viewable on his channel I believe!) and won, and was added to Mindcrack in season 2 :D (fun fact, Guude said that even if Beef hadn’t won he would have added him anyway)

Two running jokes emerged from Mindcrack- pulling a Vintagebeef and Beef doesn't have legs. The first is a reference to Beef dying of fall damage (I believe the exact instance was him trying to jump into his swimming pool and failing spectacularly) and after the incident, every time someone died of fall damage they were pulling a Vintagebeef. The second joke comes from Guude, who joked that the reason Beef wasn't going to a convention was because he didn't have legs, and then he pranked Beef's base by building a giant pair of legs at the entrance to his castle so you had to walk between them to get into the base. This joke has long since died and both Beef and Guude feel pretty bad about it iirc because there were people who genuinely thought Beef was disabled and were emailing him supportive messages and stuff oops. So if you go looking on the Salad or find old Mindcrack fics, you might see references to Beef having prosthetic legs!

Mindcrack also brought about the creation of several Player groups- Team Nancy Drew, Team Canada, and GOB to name a few relevant to Beef. Team Nancy Drew consists of Beef, Pauseunpause, Guude, and Baj, who formed to investigate a prank on one of the members but I forget who. They're named Nancy Drew after the detective! Team Canada also formed in retaliation to pranks, with it consisting of Beef, Etho, and Pause, the three Canadian members on the server (not including Adlington who moved to Canada but never joined the group). There was also a Team America who pranked them with American flags everywhere. GOB is Guude, OMGChad, and Beef, who played stuff like the Ragecraft, Pantheon, and Monstrosity ctms together but that's way down the line lol

Team Nancy Drew is also notable for inventing UHC. It was Beef's brainchild but it was the four of them who first played it! The first UHC had the four of them working to kill the dragon with no natural regen, with everyone dying but Beef, who "won" the UHC. The second uhc was still dragon focused and iirc is where Beef married the dragon? Memories are hazy but they do kill the dragon in this one I think. UHC was then revamped as a pvp event and became a regular Mindcrack game every few months, featuring most of the Mindcrackers and several special guests, including Dinnerbone, who as we know Thanos-snapped Doc's arm out of existence as a result of Doc killing him in one of them

In one of the seasons of Mindcrack, Beef invited swedish Mindcracker and good friend Anderzel to go caving with him and invented ABBA Rules caving, where the winner takes it all. ABBA Rules is a game where each ore (and also dungeon loot like nametags) is assigned a point value and the person with the most points at the end wins and gets to keep all the stuff collected from the game.

In Mindcrack season 3?, Beef punched the ender dragon in an... awkward area, so when the dragon died and left the egg behind, Guude said Beef was the father of the egg XD I don't remember if I watched s3 so I have no idea if anything Happened with this concept but *history of the world voice* you could make lore out of this!

So Team Canada has played a Lot of CTM maps (which fun fact were pretty much invented by another Mindcrack member, Vechs, with his Super Hostile series! Super Hostile has a bunch of things called "Zistonian", which are references to another Mindcrack member Zisteau, who has a very wild singleplayer series with even wilder lore but I digress). In Ruins of the Mindcrackers, they had a running joke that Beef was Etho and Pause's mom, which is a joke we can leave in the past actually /lh. They also played all the Diversity maps, Sky Factory, Terra Restore, Uncharted Territory uhhh and a couple more ctms and adventure maps! Each map kinda has its own story so in Diversity 3 for example they were trapped in a simulation? I think? Team Canada also recently played the Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons modpack, aka RAD, in which Beef was a wizard with a magic staff that could do anything from summon lightning to control hostile mobs.

Sourceblock SMP is a vanilla survival 1.14 series that ran for one season and the series starts with each of the Players being drawn to a strange sparkling water source that, once they touch it, brings them to the Sourceblock world. It also summons a giant zombie at one point. There's probably more lore for this series but like I said I haven't watched it all the way through yet

He has a Patreon server called VintageCraft and has done a series or two on there as well, and played a few UHCs with them, so lore that how you will!

Beef also played a few popular mods, notably Pixelmon, Life in the Woods, and Feed the Beast, with LitW being singleplayer and the other multiplayer. He's also recently played the Zoo and Wild Animals mod a lot. He did a short series with the Minecraft Comes Alive mod where he married one of the villagers and had two children, so that's canon now :D he’s played a Lot of Pixelmon starting when the mod first came out iirc (he chose Turtwig in his first series and built a Grass gym, then made a Normal gym in another series in uhh 2016) and he still plays to this day. Quite a few Hermits played on his Pixelmon servers with him, like Wels, Etho, Iskall, Stress, Slip, Zueljin, and also Guude and Phedran (a Mindcrack adjacent player and creator of the LitW modpack) and a few Mindcrackers on the older servers

Mindcrack and friends played a lot of other games too- 7 Days to Die, Ark Survival Evolved, Unturned, to name a few, so you can pull a lot of lore out of these as well. Speaking of friends and non-Minecraft games, Beef teamed up with Pause, Keralis, and Slip (a former Hermit) to play the horror game the Forest, which saw them stuck on an island trying to survive against terrifying mutated human... things. They played it a few times as the game updated but as afaik it's the first time Beef played with Keralis and possibly Slip and since the game starts with the Player's airplane crashing, that could totally be how Beef first met them in-universe

I... think? that’s everything I mentioned in the tags? There is probably way more stuff I’ve forgotten that stems from inside jokes and things that happen within each series, but I hope that was a) helpful and b) at least somewhat comprehensible lmao

#hermitcraft #mindcrack #vintagebeef #mcyt #long post #asks #redwinterrises #that was so many words #kudos to anyone who reads the whole thing lmao

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theres-an-impulstor-among-us · 3 years

Note

It's been a while, but the Undertaker role on Friday night among us got me thinking!

The glitch where a player doesn't die instantly after being injured happens again, this time to Etho. He's in shock at first and can't communicate what's going on, and the Undertaker imposter (pick who might go best with Etho) starts to drag him away. The Imposter quickly realises that somehow, horribly, this guy isn't actually dead, and makes a snap decision to drag him to the medbay and try to save him rather than hiding the body, knowing they'll probably get seen on the way and have their cover blown. Whether or not the Imposter succeeds in their first aid attempt is up to you!

(Also gives room to explain Etho's absense that night with him having to recover from the glitch! Fluffy recovery opportunities!)

yay for the return of the long-and-painful-death glitch! lol

technically a sequel to this one

...

It’s the first match of the session and the tension is palpable. The newest role has everyone quietly excited: the Undertaker role, allowing an imposter to move a body from one place to another. It’s such a simple thing and yet, as with all the special roles, it could be a game-changer.

Crewmate Etho is on his own again, monitoring the cameras in security. There’s six people left and even though they’ve already ejected Impulse, Etho isn’t completely convinced it was him. He has two suspects in mind, and he wants to make sure he knows where they are.

But all of a sudden, he hears the vent flap open and he spins around…

...just in time to see a flash of green and feel a sharp pain in his stomach.

Etho sinks to his knees, pressing his hand against the wound to try and help the pain. He lets himself collapse to the floor, the agony dulling his senses and threatening to pull him under. He’s not even attempting to stem the blood flow; he knows he’ll be dead in seconds.

But seconds go by.

A minute.

He doesn’t die.

His mind is fuzzy. But he knows something is wrong. He just can’t do anything about it except lie on the ground and slowly bleed out.

Eventually, something takes hold of him under the arms and starts to drag him away. Even though he’s seconds from death, he feels a bolt of panic and he lets out a groan.

Immediately, the grip on him is released and at the same time, he hears a quiet yelp: “HOLY fu-!”

A very brief pause.

“E-Etho…? Are you… alive…?”

This time, Etho can’t muster another noise. But as he attempts to move his hand, arm, leg, anything, his chest spasms and he lets out an involuntary cough.

“Oh my actual god, you ARE alive…!”

Etho is able to identify the voice now, and it’s one of the people he suspected of being the imposter.

But before he can make another attempt to speak or move, Brody takes hold of him again and continues dragging him. More panic hits him; Brody must be the Undertaker but he knows Etho’s not dead, so where is he taking him? He wishes he could look but when he opens his eyes, the world around him is still too fuzzy for him to register where he is.

Finally, Brody stops dragging him and heaves him up. Etho can’t work out what Brody is trying to do until he registers a soft surface below him and he realises.

Brody has brought him to medbay.

“Stay with me, Etho,” Brody murmurs, hurriedly collecting up first aid supplies. The benefit of being an imposter here is the fact that he’s able to shut the medbay doors to ensure he’s not disturbed.

But he realises there are two people who need to know about this.

Thankfully, one of them vents into the room just as Brody is cutting open Etho’s shirt to access the wound.

“Brody, what on earth are you doing?” Astro demands. “What is this?”

Brody fixes him with such a serious look that a chill runs down Astro’s spine. “Astro, there’s been a glitch. When you stabbed Etho, he didn’t quite die.”

Astro stares at him in shock. “Wh-What?”

“He’s still alive and suffering horrible pain. Astro, I need you to go get Evil.”

Astro, frozen in horror at what he’s caused, doesn’t move.

“Go get Evil!” snaps Brody, giving him a quick push. “Just GO!”

Managing to shake himself into action, Astro jumps back into the vent.

Brody turns back to Etho and finishes cleaning up the wound. Unfortunately, the majority of the machinery in medbay is just for show, so he can’t assess any internal injuries Etho has. But all he really needs to do is keep Etho alive until the game ends.

As Brody is patching up the wound, the medbay doors slide open and Astro reappears, followed by Evil. Astro closes the medbay doors again while Evil dashes over to the bed, his worried eyes asking a silent question.

“It happened again,” Brody confirms.

“Again?!” Astro bursts out. “This has happened before?”

Evil nods slowly, ignoring Astro. “You two are the imposters, then?”

“Yeah. But I don’t care about that now. I just need to keep Etho alive until the game ends. The post-game process will heal him.”

“Guys, WHAT are you talking about?” Astro demands. “What’s going on?”

Brody huffs annoyedly. “Evil, catch him up.”

As Evil explains, Brody finishes patching up Etho’s injury and starts to wrap a bandage around his body. Throughout all of this, Etho has remained pale and still, prompting Brody to continually check his pulse. He’s still alive, but barely. Brody’s treatment is helping him cling onto life.

Evil appears back at Etho’s side. “How is he?”

“Hanging in there. Where’s Astro?”

Evil points over at the corner near the vent, where Astro is sitting against the wall with his knees drawn to his chest, his face buried in his hands.

“What’s wrong with him?”

As a response, Evil simply gestures to Etho.

After a moment, Brody sighs and hands the tail end of the bandage to Evil. “Finish this off for me quickly.”

He joins Astro in the corner and crouches down next to him, awkwardly placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Astro,” he says.

“How is this not my fault?” Astro responds despondently, his voice muffled through his hands. “I caused this.”

“You were playing the game. There’s no way you could’ve known this would happen.”

He doesn’t get a response to this, so he gently pulls Astro’s hands away from his face, forcing his friend to look him in the eye. “Astro. You can’t blame yourself for this, okay? Etho is gonna be fine. And going by what happened last time, he won’t even remember that this happened.”

“But I will, won’t I?” asks Astro quietly.

“Actually, I’m not sure,” Brody admits. “Impulse was the imposter in this situation last time and as far as I know, he never found out what happened.”

“Oh. So even though Etho won’t remember me stabbing him and leaving him to bleed out very slowly, I actually might?”

Brody nods reluctantly. “You might.”

Astro lets put a low groan. “I feel sick…”

“Brody?” calls Evil at that moment, his voice low and shaky.

Brody turns his head. “What?”

“He- He’s not breathing.”

Brody’s stomach drops and he shoots forward so fast he almost trips over. He rushes back to Etho’s side and checks his friend’s pulse using both his wrist and his neck.

He finds nothing.

Touching Etho’s hand, he finds his friend’s skin cold already, confirming what he already knows to be true.

A muted noise comes from Astro as he turns away.

As Brody hangs his head, Evil reaches over and gently touches his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs.

“We need to end this game,” says Brody, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. “Now.”

With almost no hesitation, Evil says, “One of you kill me.”

Brody glances sharply at him. “What?”

“There’s five of us left, right? Etho was the sixth. So there’s five left now. Kill me and end the game.”

“Are you sure?” asks Brody hesitantly. “The glitch might happen again.”

“I’m sure,” Evil responds firmly. “Like you said, we need to end it. It’ll take too long to just vote you guys out; I’m standing right here so you may as well end it by killing me.” He glances over at his friend. “Astro?”

“No,” says Astro shakily.

“Astro, it’s okay.”

“No it’s NOT!” Astro’s voice rises. “You think I can bear causing so much pain and suffering to two of my friends in the same game?! I’m NOT killing you!”

Evil quickly nods. “Okay, I understand. Brody?”

“Aren’t I in the same boat?” Brody says. “Do you really trust me to do it properly?”

“Yeah, I do.” Evil gives a brave smile. “I trust you, Brody. With my life.”

Ignoring the twinge in his chest, Brody draws his gun and aims it directly at Evil. “Okay. Good luck.”

Taking a deep breath, Brody fires.

BANG.

And luckily this time, the game acts as it’s supposed to.

As soon as Brody respawns in the lobby, he rushes over to his friend. “Etho, hey. You good?”

“Me?” Etho blinks. “Yeah, why?”

Brody gives a slow nod. “Nothing. Just checking.”

He draws Evil aside to a corner of the lobby. “Okay, Etho definitely doesn’t remember,” he confirms.”

“Does Astro?” asks Evil.

Brody glances over at their green-clad friend, who’s leaning against the wall, arms folded and eyes staring blankly out into space.

“...I think he might.”

Evil and Brody approach Astro, who glances numbly at them as they get closer. “I remember,” is all he says.

“So the crewmate in the situation won’t remember what happened but the imposter will,” says Brody thoughtfully. “Interesting. I wonder why that is?”

“I don’t really care,” Astro responds bluntly. “I just want to forget that whole thing ever happened.”

“No, this is good. Kinda. It means you’re now part of our little trifecta of people who know about the glitch. Evil and I promised each other last time that if we experience this again as imposter, we’ll go find each other and let them know, even if we’re the imposter.” He fixes his friends with a serious look. “This is a dangerous glitch. Astro, promise me that if this does happen to you again, you’ll come find one of us.”

Astro watches him for a moment, before slowly nodding. “Okay. I- Hey, Etho’s leaving.”

Brody turns just in time to see Etho leave the lobby. Frowning, he quickly follows Etho out and catches him just going down the corridor. “Etho, wait!”

Etho pauses and glances back. “Oh, hey. I just let Tango know I had to leave; I’m suddenly not feeling too great.”

“O-Oh.” Brody stares at him. “I’m sorry to hear that. Feel better.”

“Thanks. See you.”

Brody watches his friend disappear round the corner, his mind racing. This has NEVER happened before. Etho has never felt unwell this early in a session before — or really ever. Surely it’s no coincidence considering what happened last round? Even though his brain doesn’t remember what happened, maybe his body does.

Or maybe his code does.

#ethoslab #etho #brodyman #evilnotion #astrozoan #vaunna’s requests

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ystk-archive · 3 years

Photo

First of all, big apologies to the six people above who asked me about this song over a month ago when it came out. I understand what Nakata meant when he said he only knows a song is finished when he hits his deadline – I could’ve easily let this sit another week and came back and messed with it more lmao.

If you want the short and simple of it: it’s nice, with all that piano it’s sort of reminiscent of jelly (aside from the WOF thing which I’ll, uh, get into below), it’s great to see Toshiko in one of their MVs again (and Nakata directing which hasn’t happened since ’07) though I’m not wild about the video per se. I guess in a broad sense I would say I like it, it’s a return to form for him and infinitely more enjoyable than anything he’s done with his “officially solo” material, but I could also fully understand if someone thought it was boring.

For my actual thoughts on it...

Hikari no Disco (ひかりのディスコ; Light Disco) as a whole package is sort of unusually mired in nostalgia. It’s got all that densely layered, classic style Nakata’s best known for which has been largely absent from his other projects over the past six years of CAPSULE (god I still don’t like the all-uppercase stylization) being in live-shows-only mode. As a piece of music it has an endearing sense of comfort and awe; it amuses the listener with odd little vocal modulations (my favorite is at 2:02), pointed percussive moments, and a strong piano backbone that work in tandem to give it character and charm. It even eschews the club-ready rinse-and-repeat of Nakata’s past compositions for capsule in favor of something very traditionally pop: an actual, proper break right before the song’s climax. Maybe it’s not a stretch to say all the tiny flourishes and embellishments in Hikari are a pure reflection of Nakata finally finding some kind of reason to go back to capsule – the overly bombastic (and loud) way the track opens feels like a curtain unveiling, like somebody pointing to capsule and going “hey, look at this!”

Though there is a bit of an elephant in the room here and that would be the recurrence of the motif from WORLD OF FANTASY (the repeating pattern of twelve-ish notes) which defined that track ten years ago. For the person who mentioned him recycling material, he did say in his Real Sound interview that he deliberately sampled it, but despite my agreeing with him in that it’s a good motif I have a few issues with its reappearance in Hikari. It’s such a specific and memorable facet of a previous track in their discography that its inclusion here feels like a sister song has been created rather than an entirely new work. Not only that, but Nakata went one step further with this callback and basically reimagined the entire music video for WOF as well. He’s definitely not a stranger to self-reference within his music but it normally seems to occur under incidental circumstances, and since historically capsule isn’t a music unit that does a lot of looking back, it comes across strangely for longtime listeners. Nostalgia and sampling oneself aren’t inherently bad, the problem here is that it doesn’t do enough to transform its inspiration point into a solidly new work. I spend both the song and music video just thinking about WORLD OF FANTASY and comparing the two in my mind.

Which, speaking of new works, you probably don’t need me to tell you this brings absolutely nothing new to the table for Nakata’s standard. I’m mixed on whether or not I could call this a detraction, because on one hand I’ve believed for years that he could stand to break out of his comfort zone musically and really try wholly different things (CAPS LOCK is an example), but on the other hand I recognize that capsule’s first new track in six years may not be the place to expect that. I think my concerns right now are for an album that’ll be too self-referential and maybe too focused on being something people remember liking from over a decade ago. (I mean, even their new artist photo is a goofy MORE! MORE! MORE! reference. Love the gloves, though.)

Lyrically Hikari is even more nostalgic, verging on the same type of sweetness present in past capsule songs like FRUITS CLiPPER’s dreamin dreamin and FLASH BACK’s Eternity. I often find myself fixating on the line “この身体にまだ / 慣れてないけど” (“Though I’m still not used to this body”); it strikes me as a strange thing to say in a song that’s otherwise teeming with sentimentality and familiar words (disco, stars, sparkling, landing, lights). Is the speaker meant to be an alien that got turned into a human? Are they now a 41-year-old grappling with age? Am I reading into things here? To answer the person who asked what the song “means,” it’s really up to your interpretation and how you relate to it. For me it’s a song about the lights of the city at dusk, the lights of the club and, just maybe, the lights inside all of our hearts. (That was awful. I’m kidding.)

The music video is an anomaly in that it is apparently Nakata’s return to the director’s seat after a fourteen-year absence from helming this aspect of capsule. While video direction isn’t exactly his forté, nor has it ever seemed like a passion of his, I’ve always enjoyed the outside-the-box approach that yielded visual works like Retro Memory’s stylish, static angle lounge singer concept and Glider’s quirky portrayal of the afterlife, or something. Despite what I said earlier, Hikari is equally helped by the immediate parallel the viewer will draw between it and the music video for WORLD OF FANTASY – it’s almost as if (note: he did not say this! I’m speculating!) Nakata revisited WOF and felt dissatisfied by director Tani Atsushi’s “night drive through Tokyo but make it Blade Runner on a budget.” As someone who never particularly cared for that MV, I have to praise what Hikari does differently with the same basic premise. Here, Toshiko is shown through a neutral lens that chooses not to highlight her body as she gets into a Honda Prelude, an older car almost utterly devoid of the cool points earned by WOF’s Lamborghini. The core of Hikari’s intrigue is in anachronism: the car is from the 1980s, but the road Toshiko is driving on didn’t exist at that time, so when does the music video take place? They carefully include a shot of Tokyo Tower, a symbol of pre-2010s Tokyo, and exclude the much newer Skytree. There’s also the appearance of the cassette tape from which the single’s cover art and central nostalgic ethos are derived. Where WOF followed expectations of an ultra-sleek futuristic cityscape, Hikari is subversive in only the way something with Nakata’s direct involvement could be. It does it all with an unsteadily amateurish camera, a fixation on the unfocused glittering lights of the city, and an intense 3D-effect filter that brings to mind Sugarless GiRL, his last directorial work.

Though as charmingly set up as Hikari is, the video – and Toshiko – ultimately go nowhere. Not that capsule’s music videos were ever particularly story-driven (the animated sci-fi trilogy notwithstanding), nor do they need to be, but there’s a one-note sameness that permeates Hikari and leaves me wanting more. This is especially glaring in the way the video ends with in-car audio and prolonged silence, suggesting something is about to happen, but nothing does. As the music itself ended I found myself desperately hoping for a visual conclusion to go with it: maybe she’d answer a phone call, or arrive at her destination and get out, but the MV just sort of...stops. Legend has it she’s still driving to this day.

Overall the music video does its job better than any other capsule MV between 2010 and now, and the musical nostalgia here is a fun diversion even if it isn’t exactly introducing new ideas. I’m presently just confused about the status of the album (and whether something as jarringly old-school as Utsusemi will get tacked on there) but capsule’s not really followed consistent scheduling since they moved to Warner/ASOBISYSTEM. Maybe next time they drop something I’ll be more conscientious of the timing of answering questions about it though, lol.

#messages #capsule #Hikari no Disco #i really wrote ~1000 words about this...#and i didn't even say everything i could've said #oh well

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writing-the-end · 4 years

Text

LoL Chapter 18- Mind and Body

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU and Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland )

After the success of their first day among the elite, a new dawn rises and the hermits continue to prove their worth as a guild and as wizards. From the distance, however, people are watching the hermits much more closely than just if they win or lose.

____________________________________

Somehow, the hermits were in the lead. By the end of the first day, they were leading the boards. Even though they lost the pageant and footrace, their domination of the quick draw, the sea race, and Tango’s evening flight race has them ahead. Behind them, the other two nonguild teams were tied for second. The points from there on were a mess between the guilds.

It was an underdog story for the ages. Three ragtag teams leading the Chimaera’s Championship. Guilds will train for years to win even a bronze medal in the games. They select their teams from only the best, never ceasing to push their limits. And yet, nothing can compare to the determination and skill these outcasts held. Even the hermits had to admit, Team Crafted and the wanderers were strong. But more than that, they were both a team. Just like the hermits.

“I’ve got this, guys.” Iskall laughs, twirling a rod of iskallium in his hand. “These mega guilds won’t know what hit them when they see my sharpshooting skills.”

“I mean, we are winning right now, but...I really wanna win them all.” Mumbo’s had a taste for competition, and now he wants more. “But I’m not so worried about the guilds as I am the other teams that are tied.”

Iskall looks over his shoulder, seeing Avon observing the distance between where she stands to the target down the field. “I think she’s all bark and no bite. I’m gonna show everyone the power of iskallium after today.”

“What kind of mage even is that?” Mumbo questions, noticing the massive black wings on his opponents back. “Is that like Ren’s misfired werewolf mimic?”

“Nah dude, don’t you know anything?” Iskall spikes his iskallium rod into the ground. “That’s a draconic mage.”

“Are they rare? Like...rare as Grian’s sky angel magic or my multi-magic?” Mumbo has never heard of a draconic mage, though he never really learned things like this from his parents. His mood immediately sours at the thought of them. He hopes they’re not here, watching. Or does he?

“Eh, in a way. Not quite like you guys. It’s more of a… finding the right teacher kind of problem.” Iskall sees Mumbo’s confusion only grow. “They have to learn from dragons, dude. Not exactly the most trusting beasts, those big lizards of doom. But don’t worry about that- it’s not like you’ll have to face anything like that.”

“Good luck, Iskall.” Mumbo whispers, retreating as the event starts. He was the only hermit willing to wake up this early for the event. Most are still somewhat drunk from celebrating their victories yesterday. No one imagined they’d do this well. Though, a few were dizzy, and Tango even struggled to get out of bed.

One by one, down the line, wizards use their magic to strike the target. Everything from flecks of dirt to pillows shot at the haybales. One art mage even draws up their own arrows and sends them flying. Some strike near the bullseye, others don’t even reach the target. It was a close match for the former. The drawn arrow was almost perfectly center, just millimeters from landing a perfect score.

Iskall knows he has to be better. He gets three shots. Three tries. His emerald eye flicks across the field, measuring the distance between himself and the target. Three shots and he’ll win. He feels the wind in his hair, blustering for a second and ruining a shot of the person next to him. Three shots and he’ll prove he’s a mega sharpshooter.

It’s his turn. He draws out his rod of iskallium, his own element of creation. It’s radioactive, but he’s immune to it. He can feel the power, the energy within the rod. Energy he plans to use to make a clear, perfect shot. He reels his arm back, and throws the first rod. As soon as it’s airborne, he releases a burst of radioactive energy from the projectile, sending it burying into the target. A near perfect hit.

His next shot is almost identical, though the wind as his rod nears the target pushes it slightly off center. His shoulders sag, a weight pressing down on him, pressing in on his lungs. As long as he doesn’t miss the center ring, he’s got the event in the bag.

He doesn’t miss. Iskall offers a coy smile beneath his beard, though inside he’s freaking out. He’s currently winning a championship event. He stays calm, but in his mind he’s already celebrating. Doing his own little dance in the sand at his feet.

Until a barb whizzes down the field, burying into the center ring. He opens his eye, staring at Avon beside him. Her eyes are trained on the target, like a predator stalking it’s prey. Her wings are slightly ajar, counterbalancing her weight from throwing the poison barb forward. She straightens, another projectile appearing in her fingers. He can see purple toxin dribbling from the tip of the barb. The gaze never falters, determination locking her in. She twists around, launching the barb like an arrow in the wind. It digs into the hay-filled target, the larger base of the barb brushing against her first target.

“No...way.” Iskall whispers. The wind picks up. Surely that will mess her up, right? He was Iskall, deadeye of doom. Nothing can stop him. The last barb flies in slow motion, her throw slightly curved against the wind. Letting the breeze push it to center.

The tip of the barb splits through the first shot. A perfect bullseye, not once but twice. Iskall has no ability to be bummed that he only got silver- that was mega awesome. Avon seems calm, collected even as she receives her medal, albeit tired. Exhausted physically, but never betraying what she’s thinking or feeling.

Mumbo and Iskall are still talking about the sight when Grian and a few other hermits join them in the stands. “So, how’d it go?” Grian sings, trying to be as bouncy as usual despite sleep still holding his eyes. He notices the silver medal hanging off Iskall’s neck. “What?! How’d you only get second? You’re like...the best shot i’ve ever seen, Iskall.”

“Those three wanderers, bro. I’ve never seen a least conspicuous group ever...but wow.” If it wasn’t for their lack of members, they’d give the hermits a run for their money. At least they have that going for them. “So G-man, you ready to prove your true talent?”

“Flying? You bet.” Grian flicks his arms out, and his angelic blue and white wings unfurl from nowhere, appearing like clouds in the sky. “That pageant was just a warmup.”

He hops onto the railing of the seats, before taking off into the air. Flying among other winged wizards, the hermits can already see his mastery of the sky. On the ground, Etho is warming his muscles as obstacles rise above the stadium. Pillars and rings teeter into the sky, caves and ravines digging in the ground, the dual events taking place at the same time. Neither Etho or Grian were the only nonguild wizards- Ecto is back, snacking on a cactus as she watches the course construct before her. In the air, the basilisk mage, Ty, is testing his wings against his short, lanky body.

“I don’t know who to watch!” Mumbo whispers, glancing from one course to the next. A firework crackles in the air, and in both the sky and the sand wizards take off. Across the obstacle course.

“You watch Grian, I’ll watch Etho.” Iskall chuckles, observing as the shadow ninja disappears through a shadow, reappearing in the lead. He bounces off a wall, dropping onto a raised bar and flipping across a pit of acid. Who even made that pit? Seems dangerous. But danger means nothing for Etho, and his incredible agility across the course.

Mumbo is biting his lip, watching as Grian brushes against a pillar of stone in the sky. Grian’s flying is risky, even in the best of times. The amount of heart attacks Grian gives his best friend on a normal day is spectacular. Today is even worse. He loses a year of his life watching the sky angel plummet from the sky, wings snapping open just in time to fly through a ring, pulling into the lead. Mumbo swears he can see a blue feather sheared off Grian’s wing as his friend squeezes between two rocks.

“Oh no, not again!” Iskall’s groan turns Mumbo’s attention to the ground. Ecto and Etho are both at the finish line, huffing and puffing as they clasp hands and congratulate one another. Mischievous eyes glimmer and grin, sharing quips and laughing. The two look at the other contestants, but based on Iskall’s outburst Mumbo knows who won. Again.

“Grian’s winning though!” The two look up, a shadow passing over their seats in the crowd. He’s got a heavy lead, while Ty and a gryphon wizard battle for second. Ty takes the lead, his scaly wings fluttering in the wind and ducking low to go under a blockade. The guild mage flies over, swinging his arm. Magic shoots out, aimed directly at Grian.

“Is that allowed?” Mumbo gasps, standing up. Grian’s almost at the finish line. He can’t let himself get hit by whatever spell the mage just cast.

“Go Grian!” Iskall shouts. “Watch out!”

Grian looks back, eyes widening as the golden magic hurdles his way. He’s so close...he’s not going to lose this. Grian curls his wings, tightening them against his body. He plummets from the sky. Wind whistles across his ears, feathers fluttering and the ground quickly rising up to meet him. But so is the finish line. A blast at his back pushes him into terminal velocity, the guild wizard’s magic blossoming into an explosive barrier. He needs to open his wings, to slow down. But he’ll become a target. So what does he do?

He closes his eyes. And crashes into the ground. Bouncing off the grass and hurtling over the finish line, Grian wins first place. Blood and bruises quickly appear on his skin and face, but he’s conscious and sitting upright as the coliseum erupts into cheers. Iskall and Mumbo only sigh. For the healer of the guild, he gets himself hurt more often than anyone.

Once on the sidelines, Etho helps Mumbo wrap bandages around Grian’s wounds. Mumbo shakes his head, prodding a bruise. “That was totally an illegal move, that explosion.”

“The guilds are pissed that we’re winning.” Etho hums. He tries to manipulate a shadow to cover him against the sun, but frowns when his magic refuses to appear. “You should’ve heard the wizards in the agility course. They think we’re cheating. They don’t get how a bunch of misfits are winning in almost every event.”

“It’s just cause we’re that much mega better.” Iskall chuckles. “They don’t have the awesome teamwork and diverse wizards like us.” He leans back, watching Joe standing before a sphinx. It’s the riddle event. “Maybe if they stopped worrying about money and status they’d do better.”

Grian hisses in pain, only for Etho to hush him. From the field, the sphinx stalks Joe. “I am alive, but without breath. I am as cold as life in death. I’m never thirsty, though I always drink.” The feminine voice purrs from the sandy skin of the sphinx’s human face. Feline haunches roll and rock under feathered wings and fur, but Joe only looks to the sky, his glasses hiding the emotions in his eyes as he thinks. “What am I?”

The hermits hold their breath, watching Joe in the lion’s den. His lips curl up, and his clasps his hands behind his back. “You’re a fish.”

The sphinx pauses, then dips her head. “Well done, poet. How about this? What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?”

Joe snickers. “Easy, a heart.”

“How very poetic, Joe of the Hills.” The creature pauses directly in front of him. “But not what I was looking for.” Teeth snarl and claws glisten, and the embroidered fabric of Joe’s cape is flung across the field, glasses clattering to the side. The hermits collectively wince, even Grian feeling the ache in his bones that Joe will feel come tomorrow. “The next contestant. Ian.”

The engineer mage bounces to the mark, completely unconcerned by the vicious lion-bodied creature before him. He wipes his brow, leaving a trail of black oil across his forehead. “I’m ready for whatever you got, miss sphinx!”

“Hmm, alright then.” She chuckles, sitting on her haunches. A lion’s tail, with feathered tips, flicks like a clock against the grass. “What can bring back the dead; make you cry, make you laugh, make you young; is born in an instant, yet lasts a lifetime?”

“Memories!” Ian quips, grinning proudly. “Let’s see if you got any better.”

The sphinx growls. “Alright, engineer.” She offers another riddle. And another answer. Iskall leans forward, biting his lip. The current leader has only two correct answers- Joe and another wizard were the only ones clever enough to come up with correct answers with enough time. One final question. And one final answer. The sphinx stands up after Ian responds, shoulders rolling. “Congratulations, Ian of the Crafted. You have won my challenge.”

“At least it wasn’t a guild that won. I don’t think we’ve heard the end of it.” Mumbo whispers, sitting back. Grian winces, pulling his arm against the sling it’s in, to which Etho swats him to keep it still.

“Stress is next!” Iskall grins, exciting to see his friend perform. Stress chose this event herself, and no one dared question her claim. And as she stands among the other wizards, she’s easily the most out of place. Surrounded by large men and mages of strength and muscle, many hardly wearing much more than whatever their guild deems necessary and often glistening in oil, Stress crosses her legs and pats the warm material of her ice blue dress. She casts a quick spell, and her short brown hair caresses pale cheeks as an icy wind cools her down. Iskall leans back, shaking his head. “She’s going to freaking crush this.”

And crush it she does. No one, not even the audience is prepared to watch the short, dainty ice wizard lift more weight than any oiled, burly man around her. Her magic, and her own strength, easily lifts the shelled form of a tarasque, a hydra, and a baku in one wall of ice. Not just lift the still living creatures, but doing so with enough care that each beast is left unharmed and even cradled by the ice rink beneath their feet. As soon as the creatures are back on their feet, Stress is immediately cooing- ignoring her gold medal in lieu of praising the hydra’s many heads for all their work helping her win.

Truly a strange mage for the strength event.

__________________________

“Are you sure they’re not here just to compete? You really think they’re here to...stop him?” A black cloaked figure whispers, eyes following the ice wizard as she skips to her friends. From the nosebleed section, the brothers can hardly see each individual person. But the hermits are easy enough to pick out. They stand out, unlike the other guilds. Each person with a unique outfit, unique features.

“If I know my brother, he can never take anything sitting down.” Red fabric moves as the white haired wizard talks, sharp eyes never leaving their target. A mask like that can be seen from a mile away. “And his friends aren’t much better.”

“They’re incredible!” The third figure, clad in a white cloak to hide his mop of rainbow hair, stands to get a better look. His friend grabs him by the arm and pulls his rear back to his seat. “These people are the true heroes we nee-”

“Can’t you be quiet for a minute, loudmouth?” His brother seethes, glancing at their contact. They’ve only just met him today, despite being in contact for much longer.

“I don’t know if I’d call them ‘heroes’, but they’re all Lairyon has.” The contact pulls his cloak’s mask up over his nose, tugging on the long white hairs stuck in between.

“A ragtag team of criminals, rejects, and outcasts is the only hope for Lairyon. Great.” The black cloaked brother huffs, setting his head on a propped up hand.

“How much different is that from us- or, I mean, the crown and his advisor?” The white robe lowers his voice after his brother slaps his arm, sharp gaze daring for him to try that again. “Lairyon needs light to return, and I think these hermits are exactly what we need.”

“I hope you’re right, your majesty.” The contact tugs on his long white ponytail. “They’ll need more help if they expect to survive. Which is why I came to you.”

“Well, let’s get started?” The three stand up, disappearing amongst the crowd. There’s a few people they’ve seen on the field who can help the hermits. Help from afar- as Ex always does.

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hiding-under-the-willow · 3 years

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👀👀👀👀👀👀 share to ur heart's content lad

Anon I'm gonna give you multiple both because of the amount of emojis and because of the pure gender euphoria of being called a lad

This was a very basic anatomy sketch I did for an illustration idea I've had for awhile that I haven’t actually ever gone through with. This is essentially how all of my drawings start, with the rough anatomy and basic shape of any import things in the environment.

I won't say who this drawing was going to be of but I will say this was for the IDC AU and that's the HC diamond throne 😌

Here's a sketch/doodle of my funky minecraft OC Zeph (yes the Zeph whose ask blog i abandoned back in July shhhhh) I was gonna do a whole page of doodles of them after I did that illustration of them in November but then I only ever finished this doodle

Then, this was the start of an illustration of Technoblade I started after Nov. 16th that I never finished. It was my first time experimenting with his more inhuman dsmp design

Then, the last one for this ask, this one was from back in July when I was messing around with the idea of Watcher Etho. I was working on both his design and some watcher designs but never finished lining it lol

#atlas.art #ask game #wip #long post #as you can see i almost always sketch in black or greens and blues #zeph #anon

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jungxk · 5 years

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slkgjfslkdfb i'm so excited that you're writing the next chapter! but also take care of yourself and take your time! i enjoy your presence on this hell site regardless if you're writing! also curious of what made jungkook your bias if you don't mind me asking?

😭😭why are you so sweet i love u!!💝💝💝💝💝ive written about half of it now so i’m hoping to get it up within the next few days so fingers crossed!!!

and ofc i don’t mind you asking bb i hope You don’t mind that i’m about to go on a jungkook rant😖so i got into bts in my first year of uni in 2016 just as bst came out. i still maintain that that was their best ever comeback. but anyway within the first few seconds jimin was the one that made me😦bc he just looks so! otherworldly handsome in that video they all do but jimin particularly! i think that’s why he’s so special to me out of the boys he’s always gonna be That guy for me uno. also we have the same birthday so can i say Soulmate!!!!!

but anyway my jimin bias lasted for exactly 0.2 seconds bc then jungkook moved to centre in the choreo and oh. my god. my body had a physical reaction fshsghs like chills and everything! his stage presence, visuals, voice, bst rlly brought out the best in him. there was also this particular frame i have screenshotted which is the EXACT moment i knew i wouldn’t be able to get over this guy for the rest of my life rip

like how beautiful is his makeup and styling and stage presence here it’s working perfectly together like a well oiled machine FUCK. this is what i mean about bst being the pinnacle of their career don’t @ me. but ANYWAY this was the move that made me go okay. dunno who this guy is but he owns my ass now so there’s that lol. to this day bst jungkook is still my ultimate weakness, i blush just thinking about him PLS !

but the way jungkook climbed to love of my life status wasn’t rlly from his looks, vocals etc tbh. i wasn’t new to kpop at this point and what rlly struck me about him was how goofy and Himself he was in every show, he’s a silly boy and he acts like one and doesn’t give a shit and i LOVE that, i’m enamoured by that vulnerability and sincerity. i mean if i was a celeb i don’t think i’d be able to show my real self on camera as much as he does tbh, but even if he is putting up a persona which is totally understandable, jungkook’s ability to come across as genuine and Real in a sea of male idols that are constantly trying to be “cool” and “manly” is unmatched imo. he never hesitates to look like an idiot in front of cameras just to make others laugh and i adore that. that boyish quality about him just so endearing, i think because he remains polite and humble throughout it which also another massive seller for me. it’s probably bc he’s the youngest to have been around cameras so he literally grew up in front of the camera if that makes sense? but yeah those things also enhance his already good looks for me so my heart still often flatlines when i see a particular low quality, no makeup, acne scarred, chubby and tanned pic of him😖that’s my favourite jungkook fyi! don’t get me wrong i love made up suited up stage jungkook - but no makeup jungkook? with a few pimples and 10kg heavier with a tummy and tanned ASIAN skin that isn’t made to look 5 shades too white? big nose big teeth eye crinkles smiling jungkook? he is My Love. nothing more i can say.

i think another big factor in him becoming my bias is that in a weird way, me and jungkook have a lot of similarities that i wouldn’t expect to share with a boy like him? we’re both perfectionists, both really introverted and enjoy time to ourselves, both love to sing, to draw, to create in general. we’re both pretty shy and we also have a habit of starting stuff and never finishing it bc we’re passionate about so many things at once. he’s also the baby of the group and i’m the baby of every group too lol. we’re also rlly laid back in some instances like maybe even Too laid back at times (ie spacing out a lot and Not Speaking) but then when it comes to something we care about we give it 110% until it kills us. i rlly empathise with that quality in him and i understand that constant need to better oneself even with a trophy sitting in my hand. don’t get me wrong we’re also polar opposites in other ways like i HATE sports and i’m not patient enough for photography, can’t dance for shit etc etc lol but i think our fundamental ethos lines up nicely. plus, he’s a 97 baby and i’m a 96 baby, and i always think “wow if we went to the same school we’d be in the same year!” bc my school was split up like that lol. he’d be one those boys that i’d probably bully from ages 12-15 but then he got hot in our final year and suddenly i avoid him like the plague☠️

so yeah i guess jungkook being my bias isn’t so much to do with his idol abilities but more who he is as a person. i empathise with him a lot and at the same time get a lot of comfort knowing that someone like him - who i share these traits with - succeeded. i enjoy seeing him do well but ngl i have a competitive streak so watch out babe!

HOWEVER i should mention that although jungkook will always be My Guy and #1 in my lovesick heart, i technically am triple biased for jungkook, yoongi and jimin. if those 3 ever had a kid it’d be me but i guess that will take another ask to explain! thank you for this question tho b it put me in a rlly good mood💖xoxo

#answered #im sorry this is so long i just love talking abt jungkook fshsgsj #can u tell i have a crush on him. like am i being obvious

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onikabeauty · 7 years

Text

Starting University Guide

I feel like a Mum as I am kind of emotionally distraught so many of my followers are starting University this year! (when did you all get so big *sobs*?) A lot of requests have been about University related posts so I’ve been drafting this little post. There is so much to say and it sounds so boring but this is the best I could do without missing parts out- I hope I’ve addressed a lot of worries anyone starting University or at University might have- I also apologise for the lack of visuals but who really needs pictures-

My University Experience

I started blogging in October 2014, around the same time I started my first degree which I hated and consequently left a year later. I reapplied for a different course at a different institution and I have loved life a bit more everyday since. I didn’t want to do one of those typical university advice posts- and so I’m going to just address the questions I’ve received and include some things I think are important.

How to be ‘organised’?

Familiarise yourself with your Course, the structure, the assessments, the marking criteria and so on.

Make use of the Calendar App (or a real diary lol): I freelance whilst studying so my calendar is my life, I block out periods of time for preparatory work, for exercise, for nearly everything.

Do what you need to do today, today. This is self explanatory

Do not forget a pen. This is the shortest way I could say please ensure you have your sugar together, bring a pen, bring a notepad, do the prep work, put in your effort, you will feel organised, life will be easier, trust your girl on this.

What are your favourite Apps for University Life?

Unidays

NuNotes

IOS Calendar App

Outlook/Gmail App

IOS Notes App

IOS Voice Recording App

Where do you recommend buying stationary from + what do you carry?

I carry my laptop, a little notepad (ruled because I hate unruled paper), and my pencil case which has the usual pencil case stuff and post it notes.

I don’t like fancy stationary, I am a plain gal and hence love Wilko because it is cheap and all stationary works the same so who really cares.

I hate £1 stores so much. The refill pads are the shittest quality known to man why are they legally producing such bad quality paper.

Lectures

I ‘prepare’ for lectures by flipping through the lecture slides and materials the night before/morning of for about 30 secs whilst highlighting parts I think might be key. Tricky Topics: do more ‘preparing’ i.e. look at definitions on google, have a skim read over the topic

Note-taking- I like using my laptop, and I don’t write word for word what is being said just anything I haven’t heard before or noted in my reading/explanations of concepts. You will pick up your own technique in lecture through trial and error

You miss a point: ask ‘hi can you repeat that part for me again’ or ask a fellow peer ‘hi what did you just say’. Don’t look across their screen unless you know them otherwise you might encounter awkward i-message conversations they didn’t intend you to see.

You have missing parts: email your tutor ‘hi can you clarify x for me’ or ask someone else on your course ‘hi can I have a look at your lecture notes for this part’ or use your textbook/the world wide web and fill it in

Consolidate your lecture notes ASAP! I always do a little 10-point summary of each lecture, which helps so much when it comes to revision notes.

Reading

Keep up with your Reading. You need not use the University recommended textbooks if you don’t like them though!

Supplement your reading with a variety of other sources; the News, Youtube, Revision Sites and Guides.

My Method (I could not condense sorry):

(1) Pre Lecture/Workshop

(a) Underline Key Concepts (b) Skim Read (c) Annotate (you can draw cute flowcharts of processes if its easier!)

(2) Summarise in Note Form (Preferably Pen + Paper)- Note anything underlined, usually definitions!

(3) Post Lecture/Workshop

(a) Tutor has given you a better understanding of a topic, i.e. what is essential for you to learn and what you can probably ignore (b) Rewrite Notes concentrating on the Topics and Areas your Tutors put the most importance on. Go back in the Textbook for these points or use other Sources

(4) The process of skimming, summarising and prioritising the most important parts will actually help you learn the information better

Example (I got u)

The Set Reading: My Fenty Beauty Haul & First Impressions (here)

You’ve followed Step 1 & 2 so far, and have read about most products in the line and the brand ethos

Now at (3). You’ve had your workshop with Onika, and I have given you an hours presentation on the KILLAWAT Highlighter in Trophy Wife as well as a range of past question papers and exemplar essays specifically about the KILLAWATT Highlighters

At this point, you know it’s a good idea to have knowledge on some of the other products, the brand aims and ethos- but the focus you should keep (the one which will help you most in the exam) is on the KILLAWAT Highlighters, especially Trophy Wife

Back you go Home, to re-read my post concentrating on the KILLAWAT highlighter, and you may also refer to the Fenty Beauty website for more info on them if you’d like. You’ll make and probably need detailed notes on these highlighters only, and rough simple notes on everything else to give you a little context

And BAM, you have notes + understanding on important examinable things, without spending hours writing page after page of frivolous information.

Revision & Exam Success

I need not address the basics of ensuring you start your revision well in time, and use a method that’s good for you. Everyone’s way of learning differs really, I consolidate and summarise lecture and workshops as I go, and my course is staged so there are mock assessments every so often, and it is around these times, I make draft revision notes to be made pretty at the end of my teaching semester ready for revision.

‘Exam success’ is also an individual thing, but in most subjects I find three factors key to succeeding: practical application of knowledge. critical thinking and writing style. To improve I would try as many practice papers/essays (If possible ask a Tutor to mark them for you!), keep up to date with what is happening in the world (commercial and contemporary examples go down well in essays!), get yourself a little book on critical thinking techniques, read good books and improve your spelling/grammar.

Money

I am the worst spender ever- I tend to calculate all my regular outgoings (Travel, Amazon Prime, Phone Bill etc.) and keep them aside so I don’t spend them. If you have a Student Loan, I would completely make sure you do this.

Allocate yourself a ‘Fun’ Budget

Part Time Jobs: balancing work with your studies is difficult but achievable, the hours you can cope with depend on you entirely. I would steer away from weekday nightshifts- they don’t mix well with 9am starts.

You have a talent? Advertise it! Freelance Photography, Styling, Make Up Artistry etc.

CV Advice: I know a BOMB website that checks CV’s and co, when I remember the name I will update it here*

Debt: University is expensive, most will have a Tuition Fee Loan and a Student Maintenance Loan. A lot of Students also have arranged overdraft facilities and credit cards- I worked in Banking for a while and I stress it is important you have an ARRANGED overdraft and don’t fall into emergency borrowing with your Bank, as you probably will be charged and the impact on your credit score is not going to be very fun.

Similarly, a Credit Card is better for your Credit Score than an Overdraft, but if you are not sure you will be able to make regular payments as a Student. Do not get one.

Fashion/Style Tips

I am the Queen of Tamp Style, I live in sweatshirts, oversized knits and leggings so I cannot give any specific style tips

Use Student Discount & Buy Pricey Items during Sale Periods

My Favourite Stores: Missguided, ASOS, Massimo Dutti, Zara, & Other Stories, Primark, Topshop Petite + M&S. Also Karen Millen but this is a very premium brand.

Things can go wrong;

You can fall off the wagon as they say, once, twice or even 100 times. And it is frustrating, but it will be okay. Things can and do go wrong but so is life. Whether it is financial issues, family problems or you are just not feeling yourself anymore it is okay to take a step back and talk to somebody if you need to. A weakness of mine is the inability to consult others with my own problems- I never talk about them, but I’m a good listener, if you need to just write your feelings (I like doing this) feel free to use the #AskONI Box, we (me + my other readers) can offer our insights.

Final Notes

I think we are done- I am going to leave this post open to updates when and if I receive any new questions or maybe I will enable comments so everyone can interact. I do hope this was helpful- I wish my readers starting out at University, a new job or a new venture the best of luck always!

#beauty #university #life #lifetysle

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archivesdiveronarpg · 7 years

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Congratulations, PIKA! You’ve been accepted for the role of MEDEA. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Pika, you have no idea how absolutely ecstatic I am with this application. You capture their erratic nature -- how they seem never completely there but when they do...oh, when they do you should be careful. The future plots have me absolutely giddy with anticipation, the interview got me swoonin’, and the para sample seemed like the ribbon on top of it all. I am so excited to have Mallory in our midst once more and I can’t wait for everything to unfold! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | pika.

Age | eighteen.

Preferred Pronouns | she/her/hers or they/them/theirs, idrc.

Activity Level | lmao u already knooooo :))))))) terrible :))))))))))))

not great, to be completely honest. however, now that school is slowing down, i should be a lot more consistent; realistically, i’ll be on about every other day.

Timezone | pst.

Current/Past RP Accounts | hugo, noelle, miles, landon. the last two are hella old, ngl.

In Character

Character | madea ;; mallory chanda.

What drew you to this character? | lookie here: i loooooove the dynamic of the witches, the idea of each as an aspect of fate. cinead, the all-seeing, bears down the judgement of the past; hea, all-hearing, plays the fickle strings of the heart and mind as they shift in the present; and mallory, all-knowing, dances with fate, swapping secrets like gossiping old friends. each transcends the concept of the individual, but each is incomplete without the others. they’re delightfully enigmatic, and i love me a good mind screw.

i think that the thing that draws me to mallory in particular is their caprice, and their capacity for more. when you read mallory’s bio in tandem with their siblings’, you (or i, at least lol) definitely get the feeling that they’re the baby of the family. the siblings are cold and they are no exception, but underneath the facade of ice lies a deceptive blue flame—one so hot it burns you frozen, one that changes direction with the lightest breath of the wind. they seem to be more impulsive than their siblings (i mean seriously they just…..went out and won the lotto, nbd), but you can’t help but wonder: are they merely whimsical, or working toward some grander scheme? maybe it’s just because i have an undying love for meta, but i feel like it’d be such fun to play a character consistently a step removed from the present, eyes always flicking around the scenery because ultimately, it is not the individuals that matter, but what they do with themselves—how they leave a mark on the world.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

001. ► supernova (gods, impartial? ha. tell that to the greeks, darling.)

mallory’s relationships with hector and clark fascinate me in that, imo, despite being completely different in sentiment, they both stem from the men staunchly denying fate. my interpretation of mallory is one who believes strongly in fate, and the contrast between them is one that i’d like to see play out. they will not meddle with the fates of the men who meddle with fate, no matter how much they itch to, but i want them to do so. bring the god down to the level of mere mortals. make them give into their whims and engage with the world.

002. ► white dwarf (a deal with the devil; can you sell your soul when your heart holds no credit?)

mallory is more impulsive than either of their siblings. though they likely wouldn’t pick a side in the war for verona, i could certainly see them making deals with one side or another—with the clear caveat that they are neutral, and equally likely to assist another willing to bargain with a god. how would this play out? more importantly, how would their siblings react to this? there is a price to pay to make deals with gods, and i would love to see how mallory reacts to having multiple puppets on their strings.

003. ► black hole (the world began with a bang, and shall end similarly.)

mallory’s siblings are more than their family—they are the counterparts to their soul. how will they react to a threat to their existence? though their souls transcend the limits of mortality, their bodies do not, a fact mallory is simultaneously acutely aware of and utterly uncaring of. but, just as the gods of olympus are most vulnerable at their most opulent, what would happen to the witches if somebody attempted to question their omnipotence? i want fire and brimstone. i want the wrath of gods. mallory already has the fire. i’d like to see them burn.

In Depth

What is your favorite place in Verona?

They touch an impeccably manicured finger to their lips, considering the question. It’s rare that they have to field personal questions—most given the honor of their counsel are after a specific goal, and their questions tend to reflect that single-mindedness. Still, the triviality isn’t unwelcome, and though Mallory raises a wry brow, they answer genuinely.

“Did you know,” they begin offhandedly, “that I had originally proposed putting modern art in the Twelfth Night? My siblings and I diverged in opinion on this, obviously. And, as you can see, my opinion was overruled.” A sigh. “Is it not tragic, the plight of the youngest?”

But a smirk slowly slides across their face. “Please do not tell my siblings I said this—I do hate being wrong, you see—but they were right; Baroque has been a most fitting choice for the museum. Tell me: have you been there at night?” They close their eyes indulgently, snapping open to reveal an unreadable expression. “It’s great fun. One could even say that it is magical.” This sets them off, peals of musical laughter falling from their lips. “But I don’t think it’s magic that compels guests to kiss the statues, no? That is a human honesty, and truly, there is nothing more fascinating to observe.”

What does your typical day look like?

“Hm.” They drum their fingers across the top of their other hand, but their attention seems elsewhere. “I’m afraid the answer may bore you.” They uncross their legs, re-cross them, and continue their answer. “I wake up…hm. After the sun, but before noon. I will usually tend to business at the hotel in the afternoon, and perhaps fit in a catnap before the evening. Come then, I go to the museum and turn those who stay after closing into statues.”

They smile prettily. “Just kidding.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

They still, and a chill falls over the room. They still, and for the first time, there is a presence in their eyes—it is as if their mind has been elsewhere until now, and they have finally joined the present conversation. A smirk rolls over their lips, different than the one before; this one is distinctly feline, languid and knowing.

“It’s silly. Pettiness is such a waste of time, wouldn’t you agree?”

It’s not a lie, but it’s not quite truth, either. Yes, it’s a waste of time, but one Mallory is fascinated by, the way an entomologist is fascinated by a colony of ants. One to be watched from afar, perhaps on the sofa with their siblings. And—

“Oh.” The moment is broken; they have moved on to a new thought. “Perhaps I ought to ask Hea to buy popcorn before they come home.” They stand, obviously dismissive. “Yes. I shall do that.”

In-Character Para Sample:

It is a beautiful evening, the type that romantics write poetry over and lovers meet under. The sun paints a cascading orange against the sky, pulsing the last vestiges of light before it inevitably falls into bed with the shadows chasing it. And Mallory walks to work.

The heels of their shoes—four inch wedges, sensible for crossing cobblestones—glide soundlessly across the streets of Verona, leaving no trace of their owner behind. They walk languidly, confidently; their siblings are conducting business elsewhere, but their only responsibility for the evening is to prepare the Twelfth Night for the night. There is no rush. There rarely ever is.

And so, when a man approaches them, face alight with the reluctant, cautious awe characteristic of arrogant men humbled by proper power, they allow him to speak.

“Please,” he says, begs, “read my fortune. I’ll give you anything—anything!—I just…I think something bad may have happened, and I need to know what’s coming next.”

The only indication that they heard the man is in the single, perfectly-groomed brow that raises at his plea. The man certainly looks a mess, clothes rumpled and sweat beading on his brow. Mallory is unmoved by his appeal to their ethos.

But, admittedly, they are intrigued. Desperation is an endearingly human trait, one that Mallory finds almost charming.

( they can hear their siblings groans in the back of their mind, particularly cinead’s. well, it isn’t cinead’s time that they are wasting. )

“Hm,” they say. A beat passes. The man trembles. “Follow.”

—

“Three of swords, the Hanged Man reversed, and the Tower. Fascinating.”

“F-fascinating? What does that mean? Is that good?”

A laugh bubbles from Mallory’s chest. “Good? Bad? To label fate with something so crude would be boring.” They rise, and gather the three cards from the dusty stoop, brushing them off gently. “Fate is fate,” they say, and their eyes meet the man's—he cannot hold the contact for long, and looks away quickly. Their head inclines, feline in its judgement. “Though yours…your selfishness shall be caused by suffering.” They sigh. “How dull,” they say, more to themself than the man, shaking their head in disappointment. “If that is all, I shall take my leave.”

Mallory rises, and turns to walk back to their intended destination.

“W-wait!” The man calls to their back. “I can’t…I…You have the power to help me, right? I…I want to make a deal with you!”

Mallory pauses. Smirks. It seems they now have an appointment for the evening.

How fascinating.

Extras:

a playlist:

→ i put a spell on you ;; nina simone

i put a spell on you / and now you’re mine

→ never catch me ;; flying lotus ft. kendrick lamar

life and death is no mystery and i wanna taste it / step inside of my mind and you’ll find curiosity, animosity / high philosophy, hyper prophesied meditation

→ special affair ;; the internet

penny for your thoughts, i know what you want / i can read your mind even from behind

→ bone+tissue ;; gallant

sell me something i can use to catapult my value / treat me like the cardinal anointed in my vessels

→ fantasy ;; alina baraz and galimatias

so you say you wanna get so high, breathe me in like air tonight / let yourself get lost in the garden of my mind

→ white ;; frank ocean

i dreamt of storms, i dreamt of sounds / i dreamt of gravity keeping us around

→ ready or not ;; the fugees

i play my enemies like a game of chess / no stress where i rest if you smoke some sess

hc’s and misc. bits

mal likes to read fortunes—tarot, palms, astrology. to them, it’s a silly game…but for those brave enough to ask, there’s always an eerie accuracy to them, a thrum of power that beats through the air when they turn the cards. unlike cinead, they will never turn down a request to read fortunes, delighting in the schadenfreude that comes with being the messenger of fate.

more on astrology: they check their horoscope every morning (for a loose definition of morning). even though they don’t necessarily believe in it, if one of their siblings’ signs are low in the luck ranking, they won’t let them leave the house without their lucky item.

in keeping with what’s apparently a running animal motif, mallory has a unabashed fondness for cats. (they also have a remarkably similar temperament to the animal, but they vehemently deny this when their siblings poke fun at them for it.) they have a cat named metis, whom they love dearly.

mallory is a night owl; the witching hour is their favorite time of day. mornings, to them, are entirely overrated—there’s no sense of romance to them. or so they say.

they love dancing, and practice all styles one could imagine, from ballet to salsa to hip hop. it is not an uncommon sight to see them at the tempest, undulating in a dance that is unorthodox but undoubtedly alluring, liquid moonshine slipping deftly through the crowd.

drunk!mallory’s passion is singing. only their siblings have ever seen this.

drunk!mallory cannot sing. only their siblings have ever seen this.

to call mallory vain is not incorrect, per se, but also not entirely right. they take great pride in maintaining their appearance—their aesthetic is black and flow-y, lace and long skirts and dark lips—but it is more a matter of preference than vanity.

mallory enjoys mixing drinks, though they rarely indulge in them themself. it is not an entirely rare sight to see them creating concoctions at the bar of the tempest. they cannot stand coffee.

on occasion, mallory will spend the day simply wandering the city. they won’t talk to anyone, but they enjoy people-watching.

—

( They stood in order: Cinead, then Hea, then Mallory. It was a habit ingrained by age, ingrained by habit, and though it was in Mallory’s nature to push against convention, it was one of the things they never questioned.

Cinead, Hea, Mallory. Order, balance, chaos. Always three. Always one. )

—

( the whisper of silk on skin, the bite of a frosty morning. wind that whips through the trees, displacing all but the birds. fingers brushing through hair. catching someone’s gaze from across a busy intersection. the ghost of breath. fractals in snowflakes. )

—

( each time they take one of you, you do not clench your fists. you do not yell childishly, you do not reach out to your siblings

and make no mistake, they are your siblings, even if your blood traitorously refuses to acknowledge this

because

you know.

you know that fate will return you where you ought to be:

by each others’ sides. )

#accepted #accepted: medea

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