Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

Calling Owl House fan creators! Join us for TOH Holiday Bingo!

How to participate:

Make a fan creation based on one or more of the bingo prompts!

Use 4 prompts (in one or more pieces) for an extra challenge to make “King!” (Or bingo). They don’t have to be in a straight line for you to make King!

Post your creation(s) between December 1, 2023 and January 6, 2024 on Tumblr (with @toh-holiday-kingo) AND/OR post to AO3 and submit to the AO3 collection titled “TOH Holiday Kingo 23/24”.

Share which prompt(s) inspired your work.

Have fun! And be sure to check out the other amazing creations that are part of this event 😄. 

NOTE: To keep this event open to all ages, no explicit/18+ works will be reblogged or collected. Works with non-explicit triggering content must be tagged accordingly. (This includes topics like death, illness, or canon-typical violence/horror.)

The moderators of the event have the final say on which works get reblogged and/or added to the AO3 collection. Please allow time for works to be reblogged or added to the collection by the moderators. If a few days pass and you think something has wrongly not been reblogged or denied acceptance into the collection, please DM the blog and moderators will respond when they can.

Prompt inspiration:

Festive foods— cooking or baking! Enjoying special holiday treats! Kitchen disasters!

Human realm holidays— celebrating any human holidays- in the human realm or bringing them to the Boiling Isles!

Tales and stories— old holiday myths, backstories of legends, new and old stories of holiday events

Fun and shenanigans— Snow-ball fights! A Santa (or other holiday figure) trap! Sled race! New toys! Games! Pranks!

Snow and ice— Cold weather, storms, snow angels (snow demons?), icicles

Mistletoe— romance and platonic affection, setting people up, purposely standing under mistletoe

Gift giving— finding the perfect present, making and wrapping gifts, shopping for gifts, opening gifts, giving metaphorical gifts

Parties/festival— hosting a seasonal or holiday party, attending a festival, putting on a festival, festivals with special cultural (Human or Demon Realm) significance

Traditions— carrying on old traditions from generations past, creating new traditions, blending traditions, family traditions and town traditions

Festive music— listening, singing, and dancing to popular holiday songs, creating music at home, attending or performing in a concert

Quality time with family— reconnecting with family from far away, intentional time with close family members (found or otherwise), meeting family members for the first time

Boiling Isles holidays— celebrating unique Boiling Isles holidays- in the Boiling Isles or bringing them to the human realm!

Cozy and warm— bundling up in warm clothes or blankets, sitting by a fire, cuddling with loved ones, drinking hot beverages

Legendary figures— Teaching each other about legends who visit with gifts like the Three Kings or a Boiling Isles Santa-like figure (if one exists!), meeting legendary figures or sharing stories of how they came to be, is Jack Frost actually from the Demon Realm?

Lights and decorations— decorating houses, inside and out, lighting candles, bringing evergreens (or everpurples?) inside

Older generation memories— what memories do Eda, Camila or others in their generation have to share? Or Eda’s parents? Or Evelyn or her parents? 

Hosted by @larkfeather1153 (Lark) and @jamgrlsblog (Jamgrl) from the Raeda and Friends discord server! If you are interested in the server, join here!

Hydra Husbands 10 years anniversary event

Here we are hitting the 10 years mark since Brock and Jack made themselves known to us in CAWS and filled our minds and imaginations with their stories.

Starting today, 25 February 2024 for one year long, we will celebrate this couple through fanfiction, fanart, sharing and remembering how we discovered them and why we adore to write and create about their lives.

Useful Details:

Among the fanfiction, fanart - including edits, drawings, comic strips, I encourage you to edit videos, do podcasts, knit, stitch, crochet, Funko design and everything flying in the beautiful creative world - remembering and sharing here what made us board this ship is encourage through inbox, tagging his blog, dropping lines and any way you feel like making yourself known.

You can post the content on Tumblr and use the tag #hydrahusbands10years and/or tag @hydra-husbands

You can also submit the work as anonymous if you wish so.

For all kind of questions feel free to inbox me here or on @rip1009

What content doesn't fit the event?

Any content in which the main ship (aka Hydra Husbands) isn't the main ship. Since this is a Hydra Husbands event, the works are featuring Brock and Jack as the main stars of the events. If your work contains HTP, dead dove elements, please tag them accordingly.

2. Can I write in my main language?

Yes, go for it!

3. How long does the fic has to be?

As long as you want to. We're here to have fun and not to stress. There's no minimum or maximum words or chapters.

4. I have an old story fitting the event, can I post it?

As long it wasn't posted before somewhere else, go for it.

5. I found a story and it fits the event and I want to translate it. Can I?

First and foremost, get in contact with the author of that story and discuss about it, ask for permission.

6. What can I write, draw, compose about, what's the theme?

Our theme is the Hydra Husbands, one legendary couple that parachuted in our lives in the spring of 2024. Write, edit, draw about them.

AUs are embraced and encouraged and that means from coffee shop AUs to the fantastic merge/mix/mash of the movies Frank Grillo and Callan Mulvey starred (you want Milan o meet Alvey? go with it).

7. Can I participate with more than one creation?

Absolutely, if you can and have time and inspiration, go for it.

As I mentioned, for any kind of questions, feel free to inbox ♥

*there is also a little discord server dedicated to the Hydra Husbands so feel free to inbox if you wish to join the fun there as well ♥

one year in fandom? surely not?

But yes, technically, that's what today is for me! A year since I posted my first fic, a year since coming out of the murky shadows and into somewhere a bit less shadowed (I'm a soft goth, it's a lifestyle)? In that time, I've published 21 fics, and almost half a million words, something I never thought I'd be able to accomplish this time last year when I shyly asked my friend if my writing was decent enough to post online. Those first few months were so tentative, so quiet honestly, and I can't believe where I am today, but the most rewarding thing, besides sharing all of those words, has been meeting all of you talented folk! I wanted to pay tribute to those who have helped lift me up, who have welcomed me into this sprawling corner of the internet with open arms, who have encouraged me to do more, to be more me, to grow as a writer and as a participator in fandom. You have my eternal love and gratitude. My confidence only began as a tiniest seed - you all have helped it grow. 

@academicdisasterfic - my best boy n twin flame; your writing is a revelation of authenticity, of heart, of what it is to be human in the real world and a world full of magic. You are a very special person, and I hope you know this.

@wrapped-up - one of my first connections here and my fellow beer lover! Your writing is so effortless, so beautiful, and I feel like I’m hanging with best mates whenever I read your words.

@oknowkiss - are we each other’s evil twin? Maybe. You write the most genius, sexy, witty fics all wrapped up in the most pretty, pretty words, I am in constant awe of you.

@moony-saraneth - the most dedicated cheerleader I know, you mean so much to so many people here, and I’ll never forget how you’ve helped me grow my confidence with your warm and generous encouragement.

@lou-isfake - Licurici is basically my personality these days. What an insanely beautiful fic from start to finish. Your words, like you, are brimming with so much generosity and consideration and kindness.

@nv-md - your talent blows me away every time you post something new, and what’s more, you are full of so much heart and grounded wisdom and do so much good in this fandom. We’re so lucky to have you.

@lqtraintracks- your talent needs no introduction really, your vivid characterisation and scorching smut is legendary. But you also welcome everyone here with such open arms, you give incredible advice and support (all of which has been invaluable to me), and your force in this little corner of the internet is unparalleled. Thank you for being so kind to me.

@coffeedrgn87 - a fellow caffeine fiend and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met! I love our chats about Dronarry and all of the possibilities and scenarios these three boys can end up in. Thank you for being so lovely.

@the-starryknight - I am so in awe of your masterful prose. You write so stunningly, so thoughtfully, so lovingly. I still pinch myself every time I see a comment from you on ao3. I feel so lucky to have met you here.

@getawayfox - you are such a ray of gorgeous sunshine. Your art is so stunning and I still pinch myself every time I remember that you were inspired to make art from my fic! I’m not worthy. 

@krah18 - I have so much enjoyed all of our book chats and reminiscing over early MLM, Blockbuster and old movies! I can’t wait for another year of nostalgia and chatting fic!

@sitp-recs - your rec lists are so thoughtful and so carefully curated. You bring so much community not only to Drarry, but all of the rarepair readers, writers, and fans that you lift up. I am so thankful to you for giving The Hollow a platform and a spot on your blog.

My discord sprinters, banterers, and all round good eggs with talent overflowing from you all in waves - @tackytigerfic you are an absolute legend and your words have literally kept me up to the wee hours; @sweet-s0rr0w my fellow Ron stan and crafter of such evocative fics that stay with me for weeks after reading them; @skeptiquewrites you write romance like no other, my good lord; @sorrybutblog you paint such vivid and gorgeous pictures with your prose, I could live in every world you create; @corvuscrowned, the spooky storyscapes you cook up are absolutely out of this world, and your characterisation is always so insanely good; @m0srael, it’s been an absolute joy being in your orbit, your writing is so incredibly delicate and expressive; @ghaniblue Human made me breathless, absolutely one of the best fics I’ve ever read; @basicallyahedgehog whenever I see you pop up on my feed or in my comments my heart swells with joy, you are the best cheerleader ever; @phoebe-delia what can I say - you are one of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever met, so sweet, so charming, so willing to go full caps on comments, you absolute legend; @phd-mama you are a master of sweet fluff and hot smut; @pineau-noir your characterisation is always so full of heart and authenticity; @maesterchill - what can I say? Your fics haunt me (in the best possible way), your writing is so soulful and romantic; @thebooktopus- your reclists literally got me through the year, so thoughtful and full of dedication - you are so dearly loved here; @makeitp1nk- I adore seeing your cleverly crafted microfics pop up on my feed!; @teacup-tai- a kind soul and a champion of rarepairs and incredible femslash, I’ve loved getting to know you!

To the artists who brighten up my feed, @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm, @bluebutter-art @short666bread - every time you post something new my heart sings. I am blown over, constantly, by your talents, and the way you can bring to life images only I could have dreamt of before.

I am missing people. I know. But just know that, if we’ve interacted here - squealed over fic, over headcanons, art, or music (!!) - please know that I appreciate you, I cherish you. Thank you for a year of joy.

I have a pokemon ask blog using my sonas poke!oc design but after being new for 3 days I got a weird ask and just haven't been feeling it since, so I'll post my pokemon au shit here lmao

First picture was inspired by someone in a discord server I'm in where they drew Volo and their sona as like "crowned" legendaries? So Volo was in fancy royal giratina clothes and the oc was in fancy royal raikou clothes.

So I tried that with adaman and zorua!kagu - adamans is based on origin forme dialga and kaguras is based on zoroark 😌

The discord server has also been good for helping me with my creativity again so have a mini comic too! I'll post the one single sketchy comic page that kinda implies kaguras lore so it makes more sense lmao

My predictions for Coco Moon

It's been a while since I made an original Owl City-themed post on this blog. But with Coco Moon dropping in a few weeks, I figured now would be a good time to talk about my predictions for the tracklist, so I can then see how right I am once it's out.

Now, there will be some spoilers for things Adam hasn't officially announced but have been gleaned from reliable sources. So, if you want to be surprised, stop reading this post now. But if you're curious, click below to read on!

This is your last chance. Spoilers are ahead.

Okay, you have been warned!

Someone on the Owl City Discord discovered that ASCAP added 11 songs to their database, including some confirmed to be on the new album. With the album confirmed to have 11 songs, the titles are (likely) now known. The order, however, is not. Furthermore, we only know details about two songs: One from its description on owlcitymusic.com, and the other from analyzing a snippet on the guessed pre-save link for the album.

Well, before I go into details about what I think each song is about, I want to share with you what I think the tracklist is, in the order I think they will appear on the album:

Under the Circus Lights

Learn How to Surf

Adam, Check Please

The Tornado

Vitamin Sea

Field Notes

Sons of Thunder

Dinosaur Park

My Muse

The Meadow Lark

Kelly Time

As I said, these titles aren't 100% confirmed, and this is the order I foresee them being in based on what I think each song is about. So, what do I think each song is about?

I think Under the Circus Lights is the opening track for a couple of reasons. First, the coordinates to a circus-themed museum in Florida were in the first teaser posted to Instagram. Of the four teasers posted, this is the only one I think lifts the teaser audio from the song the coordinates are teasing. I could see a circus-themed, score-styled opening to the song before transitioning into something more classic Owl City synthpop. Lyrically, I predict it will be an autobiographical song about the first time Adam, as a child, went to the circus. It will be about the awe, wonder, and imagination it instilled in him, and I think the lyrics will be more dreamy than a typical autobiographical song. Think less like Adam, Check Please, and more like Be Brave.

The next song I think will be Learn How to Surf. This is the song that's teased on the pre-save link for the album that someone guessed. I could be wrong, but I think the intro to this song will be from this Instagram teaser (the coordinates relate to Vitamin Sea, though). As you can guess by the lyrics in the pre-save link, I think it's a metaphorical song comparing surfing to fighting through your struggles in life, and maybe even how to take your place in the world. Think Beautiful Times meets Michael W. Smith's Missing Person.

The next song after that is Adam, Check Please. We already have that as a single. It's about the first job Adam ever had, which was working in the frozen foods department of his local Hy-Vee store. In case you didn't know, Adam previously wrote about this in a blog post many years ago.

The next song after that is called The Torrnado. We don't have any audio snippets from this song, but we do have a description in the bio on the Owl City website:

Naming legendary film-score composer John Williams among his longtime influences, Young has embraced a certain thoughtful grandeur in the making of Coco Moon. To that end, songs like “The Tornado” set their ultravivid storytelling against a majestic sonic backdrop, ultimately lending a larger-than-life quality to the most intimate expression. “‘The Tornado’ came from wanting to invent a story rather than write something autobiographical, and it turned into a story of a kid who’s delivering papers when a horrible storm starts up and forces him to take cover so he won’t get swept away,” explains Young. Partly inspired by the childlike poetry of Shel Silverstein, the string-accented track slowly unfolds as a life-affirming epic, encompassing an entire movie’s worth of thrilling drama in just four-and-a-half minutes.

I foresee The Tornado being very much in the vein of a cinematic score, like the Adam Young Scores project or even Montana from Cinematic. I also think they're might be an occasional reference to The Wizard of Oz, seeing as Dorthy lands in Oz after "traveling through" a tornado. I could be wrong about that, though. If Oz is mentioned, I foresee it being in the context of fear. I expect ethereal lyrics like in Lucid Dream.

The next song I think will be Vitamin Sea. This is already a single. A music video will be premiering later tonight (or it already premiered, depending on when I post this). It's a dreamy song about wanting to go on a vacation. As I stated before, the coordinates in the "Take Me Back" Instagram teaser teased this song.

After this song, we have Field Notes. I predict that this is from this Instagram teaser (the coordinates are for Dinosaur Park, though). According to Wikipedia:

Fieldnotes refer to qualitative notes recorded by scientists or researchers in the course of field research, during or after their observation of a specific organism or phenomenon they are studying. The notes are intended to be read as evidence that gives meaning and aids in the understanding of the phenomenon. Fieldnotes allow researchers to access the subject and record what they observe in an unobtrusive manner.

This is common in biology, ecology, and psychology, just to name a few. I think this song is about the impact we can make on the world and how one person can make a difference. Given its title, I can see a lot of science puns and metaphors used throughout the song.

Sons of Thunder (which I think is the next song) will very likely be a religious song, given that "sons of thunder" are the names Jesus gave to his disciples James and John, who were brothers (Mark 3:17). I think this will be a story-based song, lifting the narrative from the Gospels directly. Unfortunately, I don't foresee it being more subjective like Galaxies or Meteor Shower, but I do hope that it isn't another dime a dozen worship or CCM song. I'm likely wrong in that department, unfortunately.

After that, I think we have Dinosaur Park. As I stated before, the coordinates are teased from the "Signs of Life" Instagram reel. The coordinates lead to an actual park in South Dakota called Dinosaur Park. However, I do think the last remaining Instagram teaser lifts its audio from this song (the coordinates for this reel, though, is for Kelly Time). I think it will be another narrative-based song, inspired by Jurrassic Park.

Then, we have My Muse. Many theorize this will be about Abbey, and I don't doubt for a second that this is at least partially true. However, I foresee this being a ballad about the ups and downs of Adam's love life. Figures like Anne-Marie and even Taylor Swift could be mentioned (maybe not by name), but I also think it will mention whoever Vanilla Twilight is about, as well as this blog post. Think something along the lines of, "You were never my muse, / But I dreamed that you were". (If Adam doesn't use that line, I definitely will in a future song of mine!) Of course, in traditional Owl City fashion, it will end on an optimistic note, looking at his life with Abbey now (who, if you didn't know, is now Adam's WIFE! Look it up on Minnesota's open records site if you don't believe me).

The penultimate song I think will be The Meadow Lark. I foresee this being a spiritual sequel to Cinematic's song House Wren. It will be a dreamy song about nature, including birds in a meadow. I think this will be heavily influenced on Adam's many nature-themed Instagram posts in July 2021 and beyond.

Finally, we have the closing song being Kelly Time. The coordinates in the "Unidentified" Instagram reel relate to this song, as the coordinates lead to the island in Fiji where Cast Away was filmed (and is exactly the same as it was in the 2022 Owl City ARG). This was the very first single for this album cycle, and I have a love-hate relationship with this song being the closer. Like, we already heard this song, and that's one of the reasons I didn't like the idea of Take It All Away and This Isn't the End being the closing song on their respective albums. (That, and I didn't want the album to end on a sad note, which I don't really like on any album to be honest.) Here, Kelly Time is at least hopeful. The main reason why I think this could be the closer is because of this line: "Well, you and me went on a journey / Full of tragedy and pain". That line and the whole vibe at the end of the song feels like this will be the closing moment of this whole album. Don't get me wrong: I will be presently surprised if this isn't the closing song on the album, but right now, I think this is where it appears on the track list.

As a thank you for those who read all the way through this long and rambling post, here's the snippet from Learn How to Surf from the pre-save link WITHOUT the fades (like I did with Vitamin Sea):

Like I said before, this is just my predictions and opinions. I could be 100% wrong about all of this. I am not Adam Young, nor do I know him personally. But I just thought this would be a cool exercise, and then, when Coco Moon comes out on March 24th, I can go back and see how right my predictions were! Thank you for reading!

Wellspring version 0.1.1 is out now!

Version 0.1.1 marks our first major update to the game's alpha version, and the first official post on our new tumblr.

Check it out on our itch.io, and when you're done, come catch us on our Discord.

Patch notes and devlog are below the cut. Give it a read if you're interested in seeing what our next plans are!

It's a big update, so this changelog isn't as exhaustive as our future ones will be. Here's the rundown:

Changelog

New layout!

More illustrations!

New section: Downtime! Relax after every journey.

New section: The Vibes

New section: Leveling Up

Sachi added. Make money moves.

Journeys: Traverse events and random encounters have been overhauled.

Vehicles and vehicle upgrades have been added.

Gear and gear tags have been added.

More incantations have been added. We have 100+.

Skill changes. Some skills have been reworked.

Great Family text updates. More rumors.

Ancestries: New sublima text and table.

General text refinement and expansion overall.

And so much more.

Pretty good stuff, we'd say. Check it out.

The Future

Now that we've got that big one done, it's time to look towards future updates. The work is never-ending, especially when hunting the Gloom in the Neverglades. An abominable place to journey. That cursed place is an example of a legendary biome to debut in 0.1.2. Biomes in general will get some sprucing up, with their own pages and tables to inspire your adventures.The Index will make its debut — a world government. It's sole purpose is to protect the Great Family (you, and I, and many others) from the Gloom and to learn about the hostile planet we crawl upon. It's bureaucracy is built for efficiency, just like the civilization it forged. With us. We will learn of its branches, and the Archive.

Some naming conventions may change as we playtest this version. Things may get abbreviations for easier referencing, and we'll be building the appendix anew.

More illustrations are on the way.

There will be more improvements to most facets of the game's book, now that we have a new layout.

Then we will march onwards to the mechanized behemoth known as Alpha 0.2. This monster holds tactical combat in it's clutches. We're going to defeat it and reveal combat to all of you in that update.

We're aiming for bi-monthly updates, so expect to hear from us soon.

I'm sure I'm missing even more sparkly, new things to come. Keep your eyes on the Discord.

The Patreon

Join the Index. You should join it along with the rest of our patrons. Meet them, and let's talk about the many secrets of the world. Illuminate these dark sectors, so we may prosper on this planet.

The Index gets first dibs on populating tables to be released for free in Discord and Patreon. They gain access to our Virtual Tabletop (VTT) tokens and miscellaneous assets. They learn the shocking secrets of what's to come for Wellspring RPG, before we announce them to the world.

Until next time, stay safe. The Gloom looms.

- gwaja & abby

𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 𝔪𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰 [nct collab call]

take a look inside the chapters of this history book and read of several events spanning across all of human civilization. read about people from all walks of life: great heroes, legendary foes, daring outlaws, ordinary people. read about the rise and fall of empires, conspiring courts, the rise and fall of empires, forbidden alliances and romances. in fact, dear reader, don’t just read. learn from the past, because if we don’t, we are doomed to repeat it.

𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉

in lieu of hitting 500 followers, i’ve decided to announce this collaboration!! i’ve always loved history so why not? some of these eras are specific to certain cultures and places, but others are a lot broader. at the end of the day, they’re your stories. also if you saw me post this on accident the first time... no you didn’t <3

𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

this is a historical au collaboration, but any genre is allowed as long as your story is set in your chosen era! however, smut is not allowed for jisung or if you, the writer, are underage.

all works must be member x reader. love triangles and the like are allowed, but the main male character must be the member you chose.

eras and members are chosen on a first come, first served basis. please message me if you want to participate! if your main blog isn’t your writing blog, please be sure to tell me your writing blog so i can add it to this list correctly :)

you must have discord, since i will be sending all writers working on this collaboration a discord server link. there, i will send announcements and we can all give each other feedback!

tag any triggering content. if you’re not sure, ask in the discord server!

research is definitely encouraged as you will be writing about historical eras, some with specific cultural significance! please be respectful of any cultures or traditions you write about.

in the same vein, don’t romanticize any historical events or figures that are controversial, or have had negative cultural impact (ie, 9/11, the crusades, colonialism). again, if you’re not sure, ask in the discord server!

minimum word count is 2k. your words cannot be blurbs or timestamps.

please inform me if: you’re changing your url, you’re going on hiatus, or if you need to leave the collaboration.

the deadline is currently november 2021, but it is very flexible and can be pushed back even further should several writers ask!

after you’re added, i would really appreciate it if you reblogged this post to boost its reach :D

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖝

moon taeil - 

johnny suh - @aquamoonchaii - the joseon dynasty

lee taeyong - @moondustaeil - the victorian era

nakamoto yuta -

qian kun -

kim doyoung - me! - the renaissance

lee ten - @sleepylixie - the 1940s

jung jaehyun - @doderyscoffee​ - the rococo era

dong sicheng - @loonacitys - the regency

kim jungwoo - @smileyjaeminies - ancient greece

wong yukhei -

mark lee - @lamaiejeno - the 1920s

xiao dejun -

wong kunhang - @zephyr-abyss - the golden age of piracy

huang renjun - @seulgiswhoreee - the 1930s

lee jeno - @jenoentry - the roman empire

osaki shotaro -

lee donghyuck -

na jaemin - @jaehyyns - the 1960s

liu yangyang - @lovelyutas - the late middle ages

zhong chenle - @softcrescendo - the tang dynasty

jung sungchan -

park jisung - @heejinnien - the three kingdoms period

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖚𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖘

listed below are historical eras to choose from, a brief description of them (except anything past the 1900s as they’re pretty self explanatory), and a few examples of media or cultural phenomena you could use as inspiration if you can’t think of anything! media will be in italics, cultural phenomena will not.

ancient greece (800 BCE—32 BCE): a civilization based in the mediterranean, known for its extensive mythology and advancements in math, art, western philosophy and government. inspiration: the odyssey, hercules, the iliad, percy jackson.

the han dynasty (206 BCE—220): known for its long reign and achievements, it was the second imperial dynasty of china. it is highly regarded as an age of peace and prosperity that allowed china to grow into a major world power. inspiration: painted skin, the virtuous queen of han, the king’s woman

roman empire (27 BCE—476): in its time, this was one of the most powerful empires in the “known world” as a result of its political prowess and military power. it spanned from england, to the mediterranean, to parts of the middle east. inspiration: the heroes of olympus, pompeii, gladiator 

the tang dynasty (618—906): regarded by many as china’s golden age of arts and culture, the tang dynasty allowed aristocratic life to flourish. poetry, art, and education prospered. inspiration: house of flying daggers, the empress of china

the viking age (793—1066): time period in scandinavian europe during which vikings conquered parts of north america and england. inspiration: vikings, how to train your dragon trilogy

the three kingdoms period (892—936): period in korean history in which the korean peninsula was split into three kingdoms, all wanting to conquer one another: goguryeo, silla and baekje. inspiration: the blade and petal, hwarang 

feudal japan (1185—1602): period of civil unrest in japan, during which the political world was unstable, and power fluctuated between the shogunate and the royal court. it can be separated into two main eras: the kamakura period, and the sengoku period. inspiration: samurai, inuyasha, hakuouki

the late middle ages (1250—1450): a relatively brutal period, known for its numerous wars and civil unrest, throughout europe and asia. inspiration: the princess bride, robin hood, marco polo

joseon dynasty (1392—1897): the last and longest ruling confucian monarchy in korean history. inspiration: 100 days my prince, mr. sunshine, rookie historian goo hae-ryung

the renaissance (1450—1600): period based in europe (mainly italy) which was known for its advances in art, technology and science. inspiration: shakespeare in love, romeo and juliet, ever after

the golden age of piracy (1650—1730): during which maritime piracy across the world grew more and more prominent due to large shipments of cargo making their way to places like the caribbean, west africa, north america and europe. inspiration: pirates of the caribbean, treasure island

the rococo era (1737—1770): art movement in europe which glamorized grandeur and luxury, revolving around heaven, angels, love and lavishness. inspiration: barry lyndon, marie antoinette, a little chaos

the age of revolutions (1765—1849): a period in which a shift occurred in the western world, and monarchical institutions were overthrown in places like latin america, north america, and france. inspirations: les miserables, hamilton

the regency (1795—1837): british time period surrounding the time before, during, and after which prince george of england iv ruled as prince regent after his father was deemed unfit, during which time aristocracy flourished. inspiration: pride and prejudice, emma, bridgerton

victorian era (1837—1901): period spanning the rule of queen victoria of england, during which the industrial revolution occurred and urbanization became widespread. inspiration: the young victoria, the phantom of the opera, penny dreadful

the old west (1860—1890): period in american history during which many made the dangerous decision of migrating west of the Mississippi river, in search of gold, new land, and money. inspiration: jane got a gun, the good the bad and the ugly

the 1900s: moulin rouge!, finding neverland

the 1910s: downton abbey, my fair lady, anastasia

the 1920s: the great gatsby, boardwalk empire, silent films

the 1930s: bonnie and clyde, the handmaiden, the beginning of hollywood’s golden age  

the 1940s: casablanca, the godfather, the notebook

the 1950s: swing kids, grease, dead poets society 

the 1960s: american graffiti, the british invasion, summer of love

the 1970s: the lovely bones, mindhunter, the birth of punk music

the 1980s: atomic blonde, stranger things, the americans

After finding this blog and going through your Pokémon posts sometime ago, I found the Golden Boy/Golden Dad AU and innocently a question popped into my mind;

“I wonder what would have happened if Bert had remembered to release Ravindra from the stone orb… would Ash have grown up with a prickly yet protective older brother?”

It’s been a few months since then and ever since I’ve been suffering with brainrot from this hypothetical AU. I might try to write a fic just to put the plot bunnies to bed. Thank you and curse you for inspiring my brain and I hope your having a fantastic day!

I AM A POX UPON THEE

but in return you are a pox upon me, oh my god this au will never die and i love it for that, thank you for bringing back the brainworms and i am very glad that you care very much about this au

anyways, i hope you know that I too, have considered the "what ifs" of this kind of AU as well? here's the main takeaway from this:

bert still takes like 50+ years to do this, because that is the normal amount of time to put a semi-immortal legendary baby in time out. he does not realize how much 50 years is to a human person until he untransforms ravindra and has to deal with the kid immediatly trying to bite off his ankles

ravindra, understandably, takes a long time to forgive dear old dad for. all that. but seeing the direct results of what happened (the burned tower incident, the Pokelantis Empire in its decline and disappearing, etc) does in fact help him come around. Eventually. Give him a century or two.

the downside of this is that Ravindra is even MORE of a people-hater than Berthold, if one can believe that. after all, the base of bert's tragedy with Pokelantis and the Burned Tower is that Bert truly loved humans and their potential, and he's never able to completely let go of that lingering hope - hence the legends saying that Ho-Oh will appear before a person with pure heart. Ravindra, on the other hand, had only largely negative experiences with the people who raised him, given that he was raised as a status symbol to the point where even his mother began to take advantage of him. Being raised in isolation and retroactively realizing that was done with the intent of being only used as a puppet ruler does a lot to a dude.

yes this means he is SUPER prickly towards delia at first. he does not trust like that. he fully believes that she would sell him and ash for a single corn chip if given the opportunity. he's so conflicted because he wants bert to leave her but he doesn't want bert to make the same mistake in not being part of ash's life that he did with him. obviously this belief whittles over time because you can't not love delia, but it does take a LOT of time, and also maybe a mishap where he runs away with ash, once, because somebody has to make the correct decisions around here,

the funnier thing about this is that Bert is actually maybe a little more human-savvy this time around. like, more emotionally prepared to raise a kid, i mean. because he had ravindra for like, thousands of years at this point. he is actually Not An Overbearing Pompous Dad and maybe kinda cool? (he is not cool at all, actually)

ash on the other hand? ravindra would die for this kid. he absolutely adored ash the moment he laid eyes on him. he wants the world for this boy, he would burn the world to cinders if it ever hurt him, except he can't because that would make ash sad. that's his brother now. he maybe tries to dissuade ash from trying out a pokemon journey because why would you want to live as a People, but ash is very YOLO about this. he can only grow to be one hundred once big brother let him be a people with a normal age first

as an aside i have no idea if you were ever in the discord where I shared brainrot thoughts once, but I mentioned once that I decided to make Ravindra a shiny Ho-Oh, because the muted silver-and-gold colors reflect his faded plumage from being sealed away for so long. it also reflects in his human appearance as well - he's somewhere in between Bert's dramatically tanned skin and gleaming golden hair + reddish-brown eyes and Ash's own dark hair + deep brown eyes. so he's got faded silver hair and faded golden-brown eyes - he looks old, and almost wraith-like compared to the other two despite his youthful appearance. This AU version of Ravindra doesn't look nearly as faded since he's only been sealed for 50 years, though, so his silver hair and gold eyes are much more vibrant, and definitely resides somewhere between ash's wild birdnest fluff and bert's perfectly straightened locks.

anyways thank you for sharing in the brainrot, i would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this, i just woke up to see this so forgive me if i don't sound particularly coherent

hello! are there any songs you associate with any of the kotor characters? (totally not asking bc my brain is hungry for animatic ideas haha,,)

OH BOY DO I HAVE SONGS

first things first, i will direct you to my twelve hour Revan playlist that i use for writing vibes, it's a mixture of vocal and instrumental and it has both a bunch of Revan songs for different eras of Revan, plus revalek songs, plus some revastila songs, plus some songs that just vibe.... it's good and most of the songs i'm about to highlight, if not all of them, are on there already.

NOW. HERE WE GO.

first things first, i need to introduce you to the title song for my mandalorian wars fic, oblivion by the aviators! god, this song doesn't fit all Revans perfectly, but it fits mine so well it was like it'd been written for her specifically, i swear. listening to the song was what inspired me to write the fic to begin with (and now i have a whole series oops). i mean, come on, look at the chorus:

Let the broken heroes rise Let the victors take their prize No one wins when justice dies War has let this age begin It's where we've gone and where they've been What a state that we're in Here in oblivion

can't look at that and tell me that isn't Jedi Knight Revan and the war that broke them.

next up!! liar by the arcadian wild, my beloved. this song is currently my top all time on spotify, closely followed by the song i'm going to rec after it and then achilles come down - and the fact that anything unseated achilles for the top spot should tell you something. (and if you don't know what achilles come down is look it up that one's on my playlist too.) this is a really good one for Revan's slow fall down, the corruption arc - again, all of the songs i'm mentioning really fit my own versions of the characters best, but they're just good in general. some of the lyrics i enjoy from this one:

hnext up, we have it all by pim stones. this particular one feels very revalek to me, early in the Sith years when they still maybe had good intentions, maybe after the war but before becoming Darth. there's this softer, almost desperate tone to the way the singer sings it that just hits me hard - this is the song i'm using as the title for my Sith years interlude fic! a lyric snippet:

All my life I've been heading for hell But never had I thought I'd drag you down as well I just couldn't resist what he was trying to sell

There's glory ahead but our love will be forgotten If my heart was still mine I would go to the bottom And apologise to you until the day it went rotten

next up we have the balancer's eye by lord huron, which is the song i named my series after (have you noticed a trend yet?). it's a very Revan vibe in general, and while i'm not as much of a fan of the style, the lyrics are really excellent!

Nothing's waiting for us in the great sky Life is equal to dust in the balancer's eye Now I know that I can't lift an old curse Tell me, how does a man change the universe?

Will I ever be forgiven for the crime of my life? Will it haunt me 'til I die?

mmm let's see what next. OH! go to war by nothing more. this is just straight up a Sith years song for revalek, whether you ship them or not - they were important to each other either way! ..... i am not going to tangent into yelling about revalek. that is not what this is for. anyway, the song itself is a) a banger and b) talking about love corrupting and falling apart and it just. it hits, man

Do we censor? Do we flow? Are we drunk on the chemicals? Every feeling in my bones Tells me to lash out and tell you to fuck off You've got my heart and I've got your soul But are we better off alone? With every battle we lose a little more Remember everything that we'd die for You are everything that I'd die for

oooh NEXT we have the song i was going to use for my Jaw Scene before i decided to write a full sith years fic. saints by echos is the song, and again, we've got Sith years Revan and Malak here (yes yes i have a type), the vibes of losing faith and anger and it blends really well with how Revan basically played off being a legendary figure to the Republic to fuel their war against it!

You were standing there like an angry god Counting out my sins just to cross them off Saying that my tongue was too loud to trust And that my blood couldn't keep you

My dear, you're not so innocent You're fooling Heaven's gates So you won't have to change You're no saint, you're no savior

mmmm okay the discord has informed me that ten (10) songs is the maximum i should do in one post so. i will only do four more. chrysalis - the last breath by delain is yet another Sith Revan and Malak song and honestly you can read it as a response to the song above, if you think of saints from Malak's pov and chrysalis from Revan's, they mesh really well together.

Hey, are you still mad? About the time We almost went too far I know your regrets In my defense; By now, it's just a scar That distracts you from Your broken heart Like you wanted it to do How do you feel? I don't... How do you know? You won't... To let go of you I will try Until my last breath How do you feel? I don't... How do you know? You won't... To let go I promise I will fight

next! for a complete change of pace, i have a revastila song for you - warrior by beth crowley. it somehow manages to capture exactly the dynamic i think of in my head when i think about Bastila, the uncertainty, the forbiddeness of it, but the way Revan ultimately strengthens her and she strengthens Revan

You fascinated me Cloaked in shadows and secrecy The beauty of a broken angel

I ventured carefully Afraid of what you thought I'd be But pretty soon, I was entangled

You take me by the hand I question who I am

uhhhhhh i am desperately trying to think of songs that aren't just about Revan but instead here i am with another Mandalorian Wars Revan song, what did we know by rachel rose mitchell! this song was introduced to me by the same friend who sent me oblivion, and it really captures the fall of the Mandalorian wars incredibly well imo - the way it started with righteousness but ended in pain (compassion leading to destruction and that's a ramble i'm not going on here either), and there's this line in there that i'm not including in my snippet that's what scares me more than anything / if we could choose the past / we'd probably choose the same and it's like. yes! that's it! i'm going to once again go insane over the scene in the Korriban tomb in kotor 2!!! knowing the price.... would you choose to do it all again........ aaaaaaaa

It's been so long since we began. It seems so long ago That in the name of loyalty We started on our own. Answering the call of a house we once called home, We knew that we were right. What did we know?

We swore that we understood this wasn't a game, But somehow we found ourselves fanning the flames. Those who cautioned and abandoned us, they were the same. I saw them turn away.

the final song i'm doing is the song i used when i wrote the Betrayal scene from Malak's pov, the little things give you away by linkin park. this one just. it vibes, it vibes hard, goes really into the actual grief of betrayal, and also has a super epic instrumental solo so there's that. as usual, lyric snippet:

Don't want to reach for me, do you? I mean nothing to you The little things give you away But now there will be no mistaking The levees are breaking

All you've ever wanted Was someone to truly look up to you And six feet under water, I do

All you've ever wanted Was someone to truly look up to you And six feet underground now I Now I do

god okay now that you're completely overwhelmed and never want to talk to me again....... i should've probably put this under a readmore but eh. thanks for the ask!

Looking like a demon's version of a nautilus, spirraxes are strange bioweapons that hail from a dying demiplane. A 16 foot diameter spiral shell flecked with streaks of adamantine and other metals, a half dozen blue octopus arms covered in suckers and tipped with a small, roiling mass of void spill out of the opening, with a single massive, bulging eye looking past them out at the world. Spirraxes harness immense destructive energy to fight, the void tipping their arms scouring away organic material and devouring it and able to unleash the void into a powerful beam or blast. The few times they've been seen there's been no negotiation or possibility of peace, as they begin methodically wrecking unparalleled destruction in perfect spirals or carefully measured grid patterns. All that remains after a spirrax passes is stone, metal, and a fine dust coating.

The reason for this single-minded destruction is that spirraxes are created and directed to consume as much living matter as possible, storing the energy of it inside of their bodies and returning to their home demiplane to infuse that energy back into it in order to stave off the inevitable end. The people who created the spirraxes have never been met, as no one has been able to reverse engineer where spirraxes travel to when they leave, and the creators seem to have no interest in visiting the world they're harvesting of resources.

Adamantine is the only inorganic substance that draws a spirrax's attention, and it will gather all adamantine it finds, holding it within its shell when it returns home. This adamantine is used to craft the massive, incredibly durable shells all spiraxes wear. These shells provide exceptional protection to the spirrax, fending off most weapons and granting exceptionally fast and agile flight. They are not invincible however, and eventually will collapse under a powerful enough assault, which is usually the cue for the spirrax to try and escape back to its home. Outside of its shell they are much slower and more vulnerable to attack, unable to fly and forced to drag themselves along the ground with their arms. A shelled spirrax still has access to its void harnessing powers, and should not be underestimated so long as it still lives. If it escapes, it can build a new shell on its home demiplane, and will eventually return to harvest more material, though likely seeking to make land somewhere far from where it was last driven away to avoid the threat that defeated it.

Originally from the 3.5 Monster Manual V. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as a spot on the Paper and Dice Discord server, consider backing me there!

5th Edition

Spirrax Gargantuan aberration, unaligned Armor Class 22 (natural armor) Hit Points 279 (18d20 + 90) Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover) Str 25 (+7) Dex 10 (+0) Con 21 (+5) Int 12 (+1) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 14 (+2) Saving Throws Con +11, Int +8, Wis +7, Cha +8 Skills Perception +7, Survival +7 Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing (from adamantine shell) Senses passive Perception 17 Languages Spirrax Challenge 18 (20000 XP) Adamantine Shell. The spirrax is encased in an organic shell laced with adamantine. As long as the spirrax has its shell, it has an AC of 22, a fly speed of 50 feet, resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage, and whenever it is hit by a critical hit, it can roll a d20. On a result of 11 or higher, the critical hit is negated. If the spirrax is reduced to 70 or fewer hp by any damage besides psychic or poison damage, its shell collapses and the spirrax loses its fly speed, resistance, and the ability to negate critical hits, and its AC is decreased to 14. It takes the spirrax 1 month to build a new shell. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the spirrax fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Sense Emotion. The spirrax can sense the presence and location of any creature within 300 feet of it that has an Intelligence of 3 or higher, regardless of interposing barriers, unless the creature is protected by a mind blank spell. Innate Spellcasting. The spirrax's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). The spirrax can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: plane shift (self only) Actions Multiattack. The spirrax makes three tentacles attacks. It can replace one of these attacks with one use of Consumption. Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6+7) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. The spirrax has 6 tentacles, each of which can grapple one target. Consumption. One creature grappled by the spirrax must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 21 (6d6) necrotic damage and have its hit point maximum reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0, and its body crumbles into a fine dust, along with any nonmagical equipment it is wearing or carrying that is not made of metal or stone. Void Blast (Recharge 5-6). The spirrax unleashes a burst of pure void in a 120-foot line that is 5 feet wide, or in a 50 foot radius centered on itself. Each creature in that area except the spirrax must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw, taking 70 (20d6) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Unattended nonmagical objects that are not made of metal or stone in that area are disintegrated, and a creature reduced to 0 hp by this damage is desintegrated, along with any nonmagical items it is wearing or carrying that are not made of metal or stone. Legendary Actions The spirrax can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The spirrax regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Tentacle. The spirrax makes one tentacle attack. Consumption (Costs 2 Actions). The spirrax uses Consumption. Indifference Aura (Costs 3 Actions). Each creature of the spirrax's choice within 60 feet of it must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become charmed by the spirrax. While charmed in this way, the target can't use actions, bonus actions, or reactions, and the effects of abilities such as barbarian rage or bardic inspiration dice are suppressed. This effect ends if the target ends its turn more than 60 feet from the spirrax or if the target takes any damage from the spirrax. If the target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the spirrax's indifference aura for the next 24 hours.

13th Age

Spirrax Huge 11th level wrecker [aberration] Initiative: +15 Void Tipped Tentacle +16 vs. AC (3 attacks; can target nearby enemies) - 50 damage Natural Even Hit: The target pops free from each enemy and is moved to engage the spirrax, which grabs it. The spirrax can grab up to 6 enemies at once. Miss: 20 damage. Consuming Void +18 vs. PD (one enemy it’s grabbing; includes +4 grab bonus) - 75 negative energy damage. Natural 16+: The target loses one recovery and is weakened (save ends). Limited Use: 1/turn, as a quick action. C: Void Blast +14 vs. PD (1d4+2 nearby enemies) - 125 force damage. Natural 16+ or Target Reduced to 0 hp: The target must start making last gasp saves. On the fourth failure, the target disintegrates into a fine powder, leaving just its metal and stone equipment behind (and any magic items). Limited Use: 1/battle, when the escalation die is 3+. Adamantine Shell: The spirrax wears an organic shell laced with adamantine. This shell lets it fly, gives it resist weapon damage 12+, and whenever an enemy scores a critical hit against the spirrax it can roll a saving throw. On a success, the critical hit deals regular damage instead of double damage. When the spirrax is reduced to 200 hp, its shell collapses and it loses all these abilities and takes a -8 penalty to AC and PD until the end of the encounter. Indifference Aura: If a nearby enemy attacks the spirrax and rolls a natural 1-5, it loses its next standard action. Teleport Out: When the spirrax’s adamantine shell breaks, it begins attempting to escape the battle. At the start of each of its turns it attempts a hard saving throw (16+). On a success, it teleports away safely, allowing it to rebuild its shell over the course of several weeks and eventually return. AC 30 PD 30 MD 21 HP 800

Kisekae Insights #26: The Superhero Project Prelude (a preview of things to come)

(Art by blakehunter)

My journey into tokusatsu began in 2013 when I watched Power Rangers Samurai on television and was enthralled at the use of kanji in the series. This led me to learn about Super Sentai through watching its counterpart, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. Later, I began to learn about Kamen Rider through watching Decade thanks to its crossover arc with Shinkenger, which would lead me to watch other Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series. Eventually, I also learnt about Metal Heroes through watching crossover movies and Ultramen after watching some episodes of Orb online out of curiosity (Ultraman was on TVB through satellite back in the day, though I never really cared for it).

While the adaptations of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider in Gokaiger and Decade were among the initial elements teased and hyped for the Moushouden Series, it should be noted that they had their roots in previous series. In the final instalment of the second run of Kisekae Insights, allow me to walk you through how I implemented Super Sentai before 2018 and give you all a little bit of a preview of what is to come.

Samurai Mode: The prototype powers

The second half of Series 9 in 2014 featured the Doctor and his companions becoming beta testers for the Superhero Project in the form of Samurai Mode. The arsenal of Shinkenger was adapted, but the names were kept close to their adaptation counterparts, with the exception of the core rangers’ morphers, which are named the ShodoPhones. The Samurai Morpher and the Gold Ranger’s powers were the first to be developed for alpha testing; their tester, Hiroki’s assistant who was also one of his “triad” comrades, would go on to become ShinkenGold when the Superhero Project was launched. Akari had also managed to get her hands on a ShodoPhone as well, presumably having been stolen from UNIT.

Red Samurai Ranger: Hiroki Ichigo

Blue Samurai Ranger: Momoka Mizutani

Pink Samurai Ranger: Angelina Mouseling

Green Samurai Ranger: The Doctor

Yellow Samurai Ranger: Satoyuki Saitō

Gold Samurai Ranger: Hiroki’s assistant

Female Red Samurai Ranger: Akari Ichigo

Samurai Mode was first used by the Doctor and his companions on Destination One, but unlike in Shinkenger, they weren’t fighting demons or monsters; they were fighting Girl Power and their allies. Following that adventure, the Doctor passed his ShodoPhone on to Storm Dasher, who used it when he fought Lord Tirek alongside Twilight Sparkle on Equestria. Dasher did not transform into the Green Samurai Ranger, but he did temporarily transform into an alicorn – an unintentional foreshadowing of things to come in the Moushouden Series. Dasher gave his ShodoPhone back to the Doctor at the end of the episode.

As for the other five, they went on to fight at Sekigahara, Osaka and Kyoto (Honnōji and Nijō Castle), though they never used their Samurai Mode powers at Sekigahara. The Doctor would rejoin them when they fought the final battle in Yokohama as he had been on Trenzalore during the events of the Series 9 finale.

The year after, I wrote a “director’s cut” version of the arc which is basically just a remake but with the Samurai Mode powers given more prominence than they did during the series while also toning down on influences from Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and Final Fantasy. I also used Mega Mode outside of a Megazord setting (instead of it being a combination of power-ups) and featured Megazord finishers on human-sized opponents with the Mega Blade. Because the events of the director’s cut version are different to the original episodes, I consider them to be non-canon.

The road of the Xtreme Legend

Before Gokaiger and Decade premiered, a set of prelude stories were made for Series 10 and 11 in 2017; to complement the BBC Series 8 and 9 having 12 episodes each, I write a total of four episodes – one to replace Deep Breath (titled The Advent of the Doctor), two extra original episodes (one for each series) and an original Christmas Special (titled Dawn of the Space Pirates).

After Girl Power’s defeat, everyone began focusing on their high school studies. By 2016, the first wave of UNIT’s Superhero Project teams were launched; alongside the new Shinkengers led by Akari that replaced the beta testing team, the Gekirangers, Go-Ongers, Goseigers and Zyuohgers were formed as well. The five teams got into a conflict with the Doctor, Hiroki and his assistant while they were investigating a conspiracy involving the Clockwork Droids harvesting organs from students who had committed suicide over their studies and a company giving students unfair advantages in their studies (through cheating).

The year after everyone graduated high school (2017), Hiroki, Akari and Narutaki discover the return of Kawakara, the lost city of Akari’s grandfather, Antoni. Later that year, Narutaki went missing after she and Hiroki were freed from the possession of Evil Death (the Grim Reaper, not to be mistaken for Good Death based on the character played by Simon Farnaby in Horrible Histories) and her role as ShinkenBlue was replaced by another member of Girl Power. Around the same time, Takumi Kamijō and his team at Torchwood Pleiades became the Magirangers after testing a prototype system during the Superhero Project’s beta testing phase.

That Christmas, Hiroki encountered a demon named Suira, also named Sui after the demon in Chinese folklore that explained the origin of money in red pockets. Suira transformed Hiroki into Gyūki after having done so 17 years earlier in an effort to help him get revenge on his parents after being sent to time out. Meanwhile, the Doctor began gathering up the Gokaigers in response to the Zangyack Armada’s vanguard fleet attacking cities. They fought Shikabanen before they help the other Rangers fight Suira, who had transformed into a demonic orge named Dokkaebi (based in Korean folklore) and later combined with Gyūki and Nian (the Chinese New Year Monster) to become the Krlunk Smasher. Although the Rangers defeat the Krlunk Smasher, he grows giant and the Gokaigers form the Legendary Megazord to defeat it.

From the Doctor’s point of view, the 2017 Christmas Special and the events of Gokaiger take place between Series 11 and 12 – after Hell Bent but before The Husbands of River Song and the episodes featuring Nardole, which are collectively known as the Nardole Saga.

A look at the first wave teams

So in summary, the first wave of Superhero Project teams shown in the preludes to Gokaiger and Decade are the Magirangers, Gekirangers, Go-Ongers, Shinkengers, Goseigers, Gokaigers and Zyuohgers. For the most part, the names of their arsenal are derived from their original Super Sentai series, but there are a couple of exceptions; the Shinkengers’ arsenal uses the names from Power Rangers Samurai (as stated earlier) while the Gokaigers’ Zords and Megazord combinations uses names derived from Power Rangers Super Megaforce.

Very few teams had Megazords in Gokaiger due to time constraints; in fact, the only teams that have Megazords featured (aside from the Gokaigers) are those that have a button on their morphers to summon or combine their Zords. Out of the teams in the first wave, the Zyuohgers are in this category, though Cyber Knight and the Gosei Ground Megazord would appear mid-way into Gokaiger.

Speaking of the Shinkengers, what happened to the beta testers for the Superhero Project? Hiroki would go on to become Kamen Rider Decade; Hiroki’s assistant would retain his equipment and become ShinkenGold; the Doctor and Angelina would become part of the Gokaigers; and Momoka and Satoyuki would resign. The ShodoPhones were handed back to UNIT and four of the new Shinkengers received the Samuraizers (from Samurai) as their morphers; Akari retained her ShodoPhone when she became the official ShinkenRed.

Power-ups for the Shinkengers and Goseigers were also introduced; the Black Box and Shark Disc were introduced in Series 9, while the Super Goseigers were introduced in the 2017 Christmas Special.

And that’s all I’m going to tease for the third run of Kisekae Insights. As I stated in the last instalment, this is going to be final instalment of the second run as I want to focus on other things, including the Doctor Who Series 13 reviews and finishing off my personal project. I don’t know when I’ll begin work on the third run, but right now, I’m currently dreading the time until then because of various things, particularly in regards to current affairs.

Kisekae Insights will return, but be warned that things might not be the same. I leave you with my take on an English version of the Shinkenger opening song that I wrote in 2018 after being inspired by Psychic Lover’s take on it. For the most part it’s the same, but I modified the lyrics to fit with the tone of the Shinkenger arc in Series 9.

That’s it again from me. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Tumblr to see more of my posts.

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger English Lyrics (modified by me)

Original lyrics here

Dance! Dance! Get up! Fight together! Chop! Chop! Take down Girl Power! Samurai Sentai Shinkenger Forever! Year upon year it goes This Time War never ends Humans, Time Lords and Daleks are fighting again So we are serious And we are dangerous When we see your weaknesses Your future is over! Let the words light up the sky The elements make us strong! These heroes are makin’ noise They’re fighting for us all! Swords clash, gunshots blazing loud Go Go Samurai Power Rangers! Just do it! Fight for time and for our universe! Don’t! Don’t give up! Don't be afraid We say ‘Banzai’ in the end When Rangers get together, it’s Samurai forever! That’s ‘Bushido’ Hey bring it on! Samurai Sentai Shinkenger Forever! What are we fighting for? Harmony or discord? We indeed fight for peace To understand your drive When we get serious Regrets are part of us We practice so we can fight with no more regrets! Let the words light up the sky The elements make us strong! These heroes are makin’ noise They’re fighting for us all! Flowers blossom, moon sun storm Go Go Samurai Power Rangers! Just do it! Fight for those who really believe in you! Fighting, dancing, shining, dreaming For our future, don’t be afraid! When we combine our powers We will not be beaten! That's 'Bushido' Cut with the sword! Samurai Sentai Shinkenger We are dreaming of the day when the world will be at peace If you don’t wanna understand, then we will take you down! Dance! Dance! Get up! Fight together! Chop! Chop! Take down Girl Power! Our love and courage is what powers our swords! Dance! Dance! Go Go Samurai! Chop! Chop! Go Go Power Rangers! Altogether we will break the darkness of the world That's 'Bushido' Hey bring it on! Samurai Sentai Shinkenger Forever!

Every Monday, I gather together the moodboards made by all of you talented writers so that we can start our weeks off with a little artistic inspiration - and you’re invited to participate!

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Last Monday, May 10th, our moodboard theme was “Myth”! Do you have a legendary hero? What about a mythical creature? Or a land filled with superstitions and suspicions that make magic out of the mundane? You can still talk about them, even if the weekly theme has passed us by!

This Monday, May 17th, our moodboard theme is “Underwater”! Do you have a magical kingdom beneath the waves? How about a team of mermaids or other sea-faring folk? Let us take a dive with them today!

Next Monday, May 24th, our moodboard theme will be “Abandonment”! Do you have a character who has been left behind? Or perhaps someone who has instead been the one to leave behind a friend, a lover, even a kingdom? Tell us all about them next week!

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Want to participate in Moodboard Monday? Create a post containing your own moodboard and tag this blog to be featured!

Want to suggest a future theme? Feel free to DM me (@homesteadchronicles) with any comments, questions or feedback! My inbox is always open.

Want to meet other creatives in a welcoming community? Join our Discord server, “The Homestead”, to find a casual collection of likeminded artists of every kind. Feel free to DM me for an invite link!

The first scene that comes to mind is from meet me in the middle when they’re negotiating Ted’s contract but that is bc I’m particularly attached to that whole idea (thank you again btw) and also the discord was talking about that fic today. The next one that comes to mind is the thigh holster 😂 So if you’re wondering whether we want more of that, the answer is shockingly yes…

That was so fun to write! Thank YOU for casually inspiring it with a comment?? Legendary.

Hahahahaha that thigh holster. I love it. I’ll have to come up for a reason for it to show up again.

I think you’ll like where the next chapter is going? Like it’s not even spiritually related to the thigh holster, but it has other elements that people seem to like…? If I can be productive on other fic I’ll try to post it the week of the s2 premier 🙌

fic scene ask game

Introducing the Dapper Critter’s New Line of Critter Fics!

Howdy-do there, fellow readers and/or writers! Since the season of sharing is almost upon us, and I’ve been most busy with my upcoming projects, I figured there’s no time like the present to start sharing my latest works. Just remember that there’s set deadlines or release dates for any of these--this is more a line-up than a set release schedule. That said, I hope these new projects tickle your fancy and give something extra to look forward to!

Star vs. The Monstrosities of Magic - (SVTFOE rewrite fic) In this weirder, wilder, and much more ambitious rewrite co-written by me and the talented @full-moon-phoenix , we set out to retell the immensely disappointing final season of Star vs. The Forces of Evil to give the show the conclusion it deserves. Among the many changes we’re making, we’ve set out to: return Star and Marco to their likeable, competent selves while repairing their relationship into something healthy and satisfying. Giving Eclipsa, Globgor, and Meteora the time and sympathy they deserve. Exploring and better developing what drove Moon to take the extreme measures she did. Bringing back the best of the supporting and side characters—including a very special Septarian—to give them the development they also deserve while giving them expanded roles and ensuring they get better endings. But above all, we’re dipping down into the darkest secrets of the Butterfly family’s magic to better explain why it ultimately had to be destroyed, and to explore the history of the family itself, which we only got to read about in The Magic Book of Spells. Plus, if you want to know more and maybe even contribute, then come join our Discord server right here: https://discord.gg/NBxHB2xz  (And yes, I’m on Discord now. Apologies for not revealing this sooner. Feel free to contact either me or my cowriter if you want a fresh invite to the server.)

Tales from Beast Island or (On the Benefits of Community Service for Fantastic War Criminals) - (Entrapdak anthology fic) Set after the series finale of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, this anthology-esque romantic-horror-comedy follows Hordak and Entrapta as they reunite, ready to finally start a new life together. There’s just one problem: the Princess Alliance and most of Etheria have sentenced Hordak to community service on Beast Island. Luckily, Entrapta has ensured she can come with him to aid in his rehabilitation as well continue her studies of the most dangerous place on Etheria—and to have some quality time, of course! They just have to work together with the other ex-Horde members who are tagging along, confront their inner demons, and survive the many technorganic terrors of the island as they work to heal it and their souls while they’re at it. Good thing they’ve got the power of love and science on their side!

Gamera: Guardian of Hope - (Gamera series fic) An anime-esque science-fantasy adventure that reimagines the lore of the Friend of Children and Guardian of the Universe, devised with the help of my friendly story and monster consultants @iamthekaijuking, @good-guy-2006, and @master-of-gaburincho. Tells the story of a young girl living in a seemingly normal world with an uncertain future who finds and raises a young Gamera into a mighty guardian monster. Together with her adventurous parents, aloof big brother, and their friends, they travel across the world unlocking the many mysteries tied to Gamera’s strange origins and abilities, while protecting the people they meet from vicious creatures from an ancient civilization and the depths of space. But as the threats become greater and they face the harsh truths of the world, Gamera and the girl find their optimistic views and their challenges will be put to the test. But so long as there is hope for a better future and life to protect, Gamera and his friends will fight on.

Godzilla: The Monster Age - (Godzilla series fic) Once again featuring @iamthekaijuking​, @good-guy-2006​, and @master-of-gaburincho​. as my trusted story and monster consultants, this is will be my most ambitious fanfiction yet. A topical character-driven sci-fi thriller taking inspiration from nearly all of Godzilla mythos. The story is set in a pseudo-contemporary period in an alternate universe where, since 1954, kaiju have been appearing across the globe throughout history, their destructive presence having a drastic impact on everything from the global economy to religion. The story follows two scientists investigating various kaiju-related incidents for a clandestine organization working to main balance in this chaotic world—one an idealistic biologist fascinated by the monsters, and the other a cynical behaviourist with psychic abilities—who are called into action when the enigmatic King of the Monsters, Godzilla, returns after disappearing more than 20 years ago following a furious rampage prompted by unknown circumstances. The unlikely duo forms an even unlikelier connection with the legendary monster as they investigate and combat an range of kaiju, and increasingly sinister parties tied to a growing number of mysteries and conspiracies. But the biggest question of all remains: can we hope to live in a world with forces beyond our control?

My Super-Electronic Robot Hero Friend, Jet Jaguar! - (Godzilla spin-off crackfic) It’s exactly what it sounds like.

All fics will be posted on my AO3 and FF.net accounts.